Scraplex: April 2009

So... here are my first few digital scrapbook pages... please be kind to me... I'm a total newbie with digital scrapping... I do, however, have some experience with regular scrapping... so this is very touch and go for me... I'm loving what I see so far...

My scrapping story began in 2005. I found myself back home with my mom after having felt the liberation of "going it alone" for a year out of college. Maybe it was the fact that my brother had a heart attack that pulled me back or that I was tired of being alone. Either way, something was pulling me back home. I had given up on the notion that somehow I'd be able to find someone that would fit me and my lifestyle and that would also be willing to be with me for the long haul. It was another Friday night at my mom's boarding house. All ten housemates squeezed into her tiny living room. My mom spoke first, "Crystal... you really need to get out. I know that you are focusing on your classroom and getting things in order for the school year, but really... you need to take some time to yourself." I had been milking a rather difficult heartbreak from the previous year and had spent that time heartbroken in Jacksonville. The last thing I wanted to do was "get out." I sighed and looked at the nine other members of my family, who were all staring at me expectantly as my mother aired my dirty laundry. "I've been going to karaoke... some nights..." "Well," my big brother piped up, "We are planning on going tonight, too... so come with..." I nodded and exited the room.
Three hours later I endured the screeching of some drunken cowboy wannabe in the background of the dimly lit room where my family sat and threw back tequila shots. We always had a couple people that we didn't know join in on our festivities... after all, once you added in boyfriends, girlfriends and just good 'ole regular friends... we were easily a group of twenty strong. Together, we were a bartender's wet dream. On this particular night, I met a guy. He and I quickly became friends and cheered each other on as we made utter fools of ourselves on the karaoke stage. I hung out with him a few more times before I found out that he was moving to another city. I was really bummed out because... well... I wasn't really attracted to him, but it was certainly nice to have a friend who wasn't an extension of my family. The last night that we sang karaoke together, he invited me to his going away party at a local hangout in the art district of town. I told him that I would go, but deep down I was unsure. I knew I didn't want to go somewhere with my entire family, so I just told them I was going and left it at that.
I had no idea that when I attended that going away party, that I was going to meet my husband. I showed up dressed in jeans and a nice purple shirt and planned on just forgetting everything and having some fun... all by myself. I found my friend in the room and went over to talk with him. He was happy to see me and told me that he was going to take me out to meet a couple of his single guy friends that were upstanding men in his opinion. He seemed very adamant about that fact. I met the guys and talked with one that I found particularly handsome for a bit before deciding that he and I didn't really jive all that well. So I sat in a chair and sipped the most disgusting beer I had ever tasted in my life. His other friend moved in front of me and we started talking. He kept putting his hand over his face, like he was shielding his eyes from the sun. "I'm sorry," he said, "but you are in front of that floodlight and I can't see your face." From that moment on... my life has been like that... I've been blinding him with my super awesomeness.... hehehe... but really. It's been amazing. If not for the love of my life, I'd have no reason to scrapbook... well... at least scrap as vehemently as I should be. We've been crazy together for about four years and now have two children. Rowan, my true Einstein. Seriously, this kid freaks me out with how intelligent and quick he is. And then there's Juniper... or... Juni Bean... the little girl in my life. As of now... they are my true reason for my scrapping obsession.