I Want...

This is an "I Want..." post. Yes, it is self absorbed. No, it is not all materialistic. Maybe, you should sit down and take a moment to think what it is you want as well. It's very therapeutic.


1. I want to have a career.
- For the past few years I have gone back and forth with what I want to be in life, what I want to do, what I need to accomplish. At this point in time, I want a job that will take me places, not to be the richest woman alive, or even be well known and liked by many. I want to be financially stable in this rocky road of an economy. I don't want June to come and be left high and dry without a penny to my name or left to fend for myself in the jobless economy.

2. I want a house to call my own.
- Justine and I finally agreed that this will be the year we take the plunge and purchase a house before the housing market starts to rise again. I have gypsy blood in me, I know it. Ever since I graduated high school (2006) I have moved once a year, and in 2007 I actually moved twice. I want a small house that Justine and I can start a family in. A place, where the boys can dig in the yard and pee on the trees and know they won't have to pack up their toys and huff them somewhere else. I want to put my roots in the ground and let them sink in deep without worrying whether or not someone will break the lease and we'll have to leave or struggle to find another roommate.

3. I want to graduate and be an adult.
-Even though I pay my way and am responsible, employers and other people see me as just another college student. An over educated punk. I want to make my parents proud and be the first on my Dad's side to graduate a 4 year university and hold a degree higher than high school or GED.

4. I want to start living.
-Going to school and working part time, makes me feel like I'm waiting for something. I can't do what I want because I'm still in school and my parents see me as a child still. I want to do what I want to do and when I want to do it. I don't want this feeling that I'm waiting for something to happen so I can finally start living my life.

What do you want?

Charming Co. Hiatus

Hello all. I just want to let everyone know that Charming Co. will be going on hiatus until further notice. I have a few more important things going on my life and with the economy in such a bad state, I can no longer afford to continue Charming Co. at the current moment.

Justine and I are planning on starting a family within the next year and a half, and so I will be focusing on getting myself healthy. Also, I only have three more semesters of college before I receive my BA and with this upcoming semester, my classes will become a main priority.

I am not giving up in my crafty endeavors, but merely taking a step back and not pushing myself too far. I have been re-evaluating Charming Co. and the entire crafty society. At first I thought crafting was all about fun and creating. Then it became a competition. Then the people you thought were friends were no longer your real friends, but their true colors came out. In this crafting community I've had my ups and downs. I've made mistakes, trusted the wrong people, put myself in difficult situations. But, in the end I've found out what I really want to do with myself and my crafty business.

When I bring Charming Co. back it will be bigger and better than ever. I will have a full line of dog and cat collars and dog leashes. I'm also planing a new line of pet toys and a different aspect of crafting, MP3 cozies. Mostly, what I've learned is that you can't jump into something. Even though my heart was in the right place, I didn't have much planned and this time around I'm not going to make that mistake.

I would like to invite you all into my life as this blog will be focused more towards the life and times of me, a young woman, starting to live her life and finally doing what she wants. I will be blogging about trying to conceive a child with my partner, recipes, baking, crafting, and day to day events. If this isn't what you want to know I will miss you, but I know this will be one hell of a ride.

:D

Survey for this year.

This year is almost over. Let's do a quick recap.

JANUA​RY 2008

Who kisse​d you on new years​?​​
-Justine

Did you have a New Year'​​s Resol​ution​ this year?​​​
-Not this year, but I will next year.

Does it snow where​ you live?​​​
-We don't get snow. :(

Do you like hot choco​late?​​
-I LOVE hot chocolate. Especially the Disneyland hot cocoa.

Have you ever been to Times​ Squar​e to watch​ the ball drop?​​​
-I wish. One day maybe.

FEBRU​ARY

Who was your Valen​tine?​​​
-Justine.

When you were littl​e did you buy Valen​tine'​​s for the whole​ class​?​​​
-Yes I did.

Do you care if the groun​dhog sees its shado​w or not?
-I always hope he does.

What did you receive for valen​tine'​​s day?
- I think candy.

What did you give for valen​tine'​​s day?
-I think candy. Lol.

MARCH​

Are you irish​?​​​
-Very little.

Do you like corne​d beef and cabba​ge?​​
-When my mom makes it.

What did you do for St Patri​ck'​​s Day?
-Wore the color green.

Are you happy​ when winte​r is prett​y much over?​​​
-I like winter, but I like spring, so could go both ways.

APRIL​

Do you like the rain?​​
-I love it.

Did you play an April​ fool'​​s joke on anyon​e this year?​​​
-Thought about it.

Do you get tons of candy​ for Easte​r?​​​
-Oh yea.

Do you celeb​rate 4/​​20?​​​
-No thank you.

Do you love the month​ of April​?​​​
-I don't LOVE it.

Anyth​ing speci​al happe​n this April​?​​​
-Ralphie's birthday! April 6th.

MAY

What is your favor​ite flowe​r?
-Stargazer lily.

Finis​h the phras​e "​​April​ showe​rs…"​​​
-bring may flowers. And what do Mayflowers bring? PILGRIMS!

Do you celeb​rate May 16th:​​ Natio​nal Pierc​ing Day?
-I had no idea there was a national piercing day.

Is May anyth​ing speci​al to you?
-Justine and my anniversary is on May 30th.

JUNE

What year did/​​will you gradu​ate from high schoo​l?​​​
-2006

Did you do anyth​ing fun durin​g this Month​?​​
-I did training for my new job.

Have a favor​ite baseb​all team?​​​
-SF Giants. By birth.

JULY

Where​ were you on July 4, 2008?​​
-Visiting my parents while they were camping at the Delta.

Did you go to the firew​orks?​​​
-The fireworks came to us. Almost literally. Good times.

Did you blast​ the A/C all day?
-Somewhat.

AUGUS​T

What was your favor​ite summe​r memor​y of '08?
-Going to Puerto Villarta with my family.

Did you have a sunbu​rn?​​​
-Almost!

Did you go to the pool a lot?​​
-Not really. Just once or twice.

SEPTE​MBER

Do you like fall bette​r than summe​r?​​​
-Oh yea.

What happe​ned this month​?​​​
-Fall semester started.

OCTOB​ER

What was your Hallo​ween costu​me?​​​
-Nothing. Boo.

What is your favor​ite candy​?​​​
-Peanutbutter cups.

What was your favor​ite thing​(​​s)​​ about​ this month​?​​​
-Justine's 23rd birthday.

NOVEM​BER

Whose​ house​ do you go to for Thank​sgivi​ng?​​​
-My parents house.

What are you thank​ful for?
-My loves and my life.

Do you love stuff​ing?​​
-With gravy.

Anyth​ing speci​al in this month​?​​​
-Five and a half years with Justine.

DECEM​BER

Do you celeb​rate Chris​tmas?​​​
-Yes I do.

Have you ever been kisse​d under​ the mistl​e toe?
-Nope.

Get anyth​ing speci​al last year?​​
-Sure did. A really fancy purse and we got Brutus.

What do you want this year?​​
-A new sewing machine.

What do you love most about​ Decem​ber?​
-Christmas eve and Christmas.

My tag cloud

In one of the classes today an instructor brought a new site to my attention. Wordle is an awesome site where you can create a "tag cloud" based on text you provide. This tag cloud I created expresses who I am as a person.
Pretty nifty eh? Check it out for yourself the possibilities are literally endless. Or, go to Wordle and checkout their galleries of tag clouds created by people all over the world.

:D

Decisions, Decisions.

Lately, I have been feeling rather scatter brained. Running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Continuously thinking, rethinking, evaluating and reevaluating my situation. My life. My future. This past week was amazing and yet at the exact same time heart breaking. Obama was elected president of the United States (I'm sure everyone knows this) and yet in my home state of California, my rights, as well as millions of other homosexuals, were taken away. Now, I do not want to dwindle on the subject as I have spent many a nights crying because of this result, but I must say my heart aches because of this injustice.

Justine and I have been talking about getting married for some time now, as we have been together for almost 5 and a half years this month. For most of you who do not know me that's 1/4 of my life. Yes a 1/4 of my life I have been with one person. She is my high school sweetheart and love of my life and if you do not agree with my lifestyle, that's fine. We all love the same regardless. This past week we have been talking about starting a family when I graduate college. Starting a family has been something I have wanted to do since I was a baby myself. This time around we are committed. There are still 3 semesters that separate us from our goal of marriage and a family, but we are on our way.

Not only have I been contemplating my future with Justine, but my ultimate idea of what I want to be "when I grow up" has been changing, evolving, and transforming before my eyes. Although, Sacramento State, is taking away the web development certificate program due to budget cuts, I am still attempting to pursue that avenue of career. I have been interested in making websites for some time now, but finally dedicated myself to learning earlier this year. Not only has web design tickled my fancy, but I also want to create graphics such as vectors and other web graphics. At the time being I have been tampering with free programs such as PhotoScape, Ink Scape, and Gimp. I am currently taking a class at my university as well to help hone my skills. Creating graphics and graphic design has been a passion of mine lately, a passion that has changed my mind about my future career. Of course I would LOVE to have my career be craft related and ultimately be the success of Charming Co. But, I would like to have a stable income and a "real" career.

This week I have a meeting with my major advisor, who will either confirm or transform my goal. There needs to be some major decisions made and I am ready to finally make them. I cannot wait, and I am more than excited to get this ball on the road. And from the bottom of my heart I thank every one of you who reads this blog and keeps me going in this venture of the unknown.

:D

Tag I'm It!

I have been tagged by the ever so awesome Ashlee of Refashionist.

Here are the rules...

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Let's get this show on the road:

1. I believe in ghosts, spirits, the afterlife, hauntings, etc.
2. I am 20 years old and still afraid of the dark.
3. I love Disneyland more then anything in the world.
4. I have rediculous fears of butterflies, moths, and eating dry food.
5. I can swim but tell people I can't so they don't force me to.
6. I slept with a teddy bear till I was 19, the only reason I don't know is because I need to find someone to refurbish and fix him.
7. I want another dog but Justine won't let me get another one because we have two crazy little boy puppies as it is.

I tag:
1. Kaytea
2. Pill's Place
3. Sacred Snatch
4. Simply Strands

Check back tomorrow for a brand new tutorial. It'll knock your socks off! Literally! :D

Zapped

I feel so utterly zapped today. For example, I woke up at 6:40am and usually I'm up a little earlier than that on school days. This morning my bed seemed so comfy, my puppies snuggled extra close because the windows were open and the warmth from under the covers felt comforting and more pleasant than usual.

Ralphie's been doing this weezy, hacking, coughing, choking kind of thing and I've been worried about him. I've been stressing about getting my new project done and getting ready to have a big craft vending weekend. Last night I climbed into bed, snuggled up to Justine and let my mind slip into sleep, but unfortunately only bad dreams came to mind. A car crash, rotten teeth, and missing puppies plagued my dreams. You know that sleep where your eyes are closed and in your mind your calculating how much time is left to sleep. That was my mind. Constantly going over this coming weekend, classes, and puppy problems.

I woke up more exhausted then when I went to sleep. Certainly not what I expected, but here I sit in my ComS 190 class completely tuning out. Day dreaming about sewing, fabric shopping, perfecting my craft. Crafts are my escape and sometimes my cryptonite. Although, I may not be listening in class right now, this is my process of learning. Learning about myself, learning about my future, learning about my life.

A tired mind is still a mind and minds are meant for molding.

Get to know ME!

First Name: Erika Ashley

Nickname: Arka

Birthday: March 1st

Home state: California born and raised.

Marital Status: Taken

Siblings: One younger sister. She's 14 years old.

Children: Ralphie Edwin (Pomeranian) and Brutus Wayne (Dachshund)

Occupation: Student, Apple HBA Tech Support Intern, Crafter.

Favorite part of my job: Helping people.

Favorite Season: Winter.

Movie: If I HAD to pick The Little Mermaid

TV Show: Dexter.

Food: Shrimp. Mexican food. Chinese food. In that order.

Holiday: My birthday. Then Christmas.

I love to: CRAFT!

Favorite bands and/or Singers: Too many to list. Way too many.

Favorite Song(s): Bohemian Rhapsody is my ALL TIME FAVORITE.

Favorite Quote: "Whateva"

Who is your biggest supporter? My Mom.

How do you gain motivation? Unfortunately competing against someone really gets me going on tasks.

What is a random fact about you? I hiccup at least once a day.


Now you know more about me. Enjoy.