emitate. on Etsy

About a month ago I reached a tipping point of sorts in my life.  How many times have you heard people say something like, "You don't live forever so you better start your dream today."?  OR "Live everyday like it is your last."?  Those sayings always ping my heart because I know they are true but they aren't ever enough to jump start anything in my life.   

Ahh.  Stop making feel guilty!

Well, I turned 30.  I didn't freak out about it (I am actually pretty excited about it) but there is a certain amount of reflection that seemed to happen naturally.   

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I am 30 which is like...a for real grown up.  I have two kids that are no longer babies in any way.  They notice everything and they are affected by everything.  I want to give them something of value to absorb and affect them.  What had the biggest impact on my first 30 years?  Living abroad.  I started to worry about not being able to give my kids that experience.  There is value in being a tourist but that won't be the opportunity to have an impact on my kids that way living in the culture did on me.  Both of my parents' lived abroad as dependents and agreed when they started a family that they wanted living abroad for their kids...a.k.a. Walter and Emily.  (What up, Walt?!)

In addition to diverse cultural experiences I want to give my kids the feeling that they can find a way to accomplish things.  I can't give them passion but I can give them an example to look at.  I have wanted to start a craft business for a long time.  It's been a dream or idea or desire and taken different forms for years.  If you have read my blog before you have probably heard me mention (go on about) that and also that I have fears.  Well, I am really tired of dreaming and I have been tired of being afraid for a long time.  I want to act.  I want to try something...success or failure.....

Last on my list of things leading me here...a few important people in my life have had life altering illnesses, health scares, and worse recently which has been a shocking wake up call.  It has affected me in ways that I am still realizing and didn't see coming.  

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Over the past few months I have been making a conscious effort to have quiet time, pray, and be present.  Through that I realize that while I have been doing my thing over here all of these thoughts, concerns, issues, worries, and desires have been working themselves out.  I just haven't stopped to listen.  

If I want to get my kids abroad and to have an experience beyond a week of seeing the sites I have to do something drastic..right?  Right.  Sean works from home doing a job that can be done anywhere with an internet connection.  I stay at home.  We are pretty flexible.  We could go somewhere for...more than a week or two.  So how do I make that happen because I have to make it happen....it's not just going to come to us.

About a month ago I got inspired to sit down and work on my list of jewelry ideas.  This past month I have been making and then going through the trauma of photographing them and today I re-opened my Etsy store:

It would make me so happy if you would check it out by clicking here:  emitate. on Etsy  

Also, if you want to hear what else I have been inspired to do then please click here and meet:  You're Maker.