Seeing Ink Spots: Special News to Share

Warning: this post contains way more info than normal

In my family once you are big you get to celebrate your birthday all month long. So, for my birthday this year I got 50 amazing, silly, sentimental, super cool gifts to celebrate my big milestone—1/2 a century!

I also received another fabulous gift of which I could not say a word.

It goes like this…

I have great news and can’t tell anybody except my husband Newel. Not saying a thing for more than two months is going to be tough.

On the 7th of September, just 19 days before my 50th birthday, I learned that there was such a thing as “waving” on Messenger. They say old dogs can't learn new tricks—well this old dog did! I follow quite a few fellow Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators online. As Demonstrators we see and share creative and business ideas. Some I have never met in person and others I have spent a few fun cherished moments at SU! events. Because we all have a passion for stampin’ and creating, we are friends!

Going back to the wave I received, I wondered what was up it had me intrigued. Intrigued because the wave was from a Stampin’ Up! employee who is also one of those demonstrator friends. Then another message came from another SU! friend/employee; it said they were trying to call me. Wondering what was up I was quick to message back that I was free to chat.

A few moments later my cell phone rang and it was not just one, not two, but three calling from SU!, it was Cindy Schuster, Becky Cowley Foster, and Melody Hyde. At that moment I could feel my heart beat a bit faster. How cool was this to get a call from three amazing creative people at the same time. In fact when Cindy said she was calling from Stampin’ Up! she giggled and mentioned it was the first time she has introduced herself on the phone with her new job. I had a sweet feeling of luckiness to be her first call ;0) Then my mind started freaking out, could it be “the” call?

It was!

I had been invited to the Stampin’ Up! Artisan Design Team for the year 2018!!!

I was fist pumpin’ and dancing' like a fool and was glad nobody could see my dorky reaction. They gave me lots of information and then asked if I would accept. “Of course I would!” I was thrilled beyond belief.

Next they asked if I had any questions. Usually I can’t think of anything in that type of a situation, but for some reason I asked how many they had selected for the team. Sixteen were chosen from all over the world and I was one of four from the United States.

One of four? My throat welled up in an emotional knot. Humbled I was at that very moment and have been since that day.

Thank you Stampin’ Up!, Cindy, Becky, and Melody for a day I will not forget.

Theses photos are from November's Onstage Live Event in Salt Lake City. What a relief it was to finally share my news.

Photo taken at Onstage Salt Lake: Charlet Mallet, the cute gentleman from Stampin' Up!, Connie Collins, Kim McGillis, Cathy Caines, Elizabeth Price, and Jenni Pauli