Springtime is for goals, aspirations, and love.

 Welcome, March. 

Springtime is always a time of renewal for me. Renewal of goals, renewal of energy, renewal of hope. I always seem to be more productive and creative when the daylight hours are longer, and I am excited about the warming weather. Though I was disappointed today with the lack of thunderstorms the weatherman told me I was going to get! I love thunderstorms. They remind me of when I was a kid and we didn't have AC in the house. So I'd lay in my bed, lifting the fresh linen sheets up and down for a breeze, listening to the rain and the thunder roll through my open window and into my damp, warm, rain-smelling bedroom. It was a peaceful time, and a place I always try to think of when I'm feeling stressed. Do you guys have any memories like that?

Spring this year carries with it lots of new goals I am hoping to achieve. 

Firstly, my Etsy 1 Year Anniversary is coming up on March 13th and my goal is to hit 100 sales! (I am at 91!). If anyone would be so kind as to link my shop to friends who might be interested in jewelry, or who are in need of some lovely gift ideas, that'd be marvelous, and I'm sure there'd be a special coupon code in it for you ;)

As many of you know, I have applied to grad schools MICA, Pratt, and SCAD for Fall 2011 admission into their respective Illustration Master of Fine Arts programs. Motivating myself to produce artwork has been a year-long journey since I've been freelancing, and though I enjoy it, I am really excited to get back into an academic environment and have some outside sources of inspiration and motivation. Plus I'm a huge nerd and love school! The coming weeks will tell whether or not my completed applications have landed me a spot.

Finally, personally, I feel springtime is a time where I can be more hopeful about my relationships. The quote at the top of this post is from Terry Goodkind's "Chainfire". Having taken some time for myself and having been "officially" single for almost 3 years has taught me so much about who I am, and also about what I want (and don't want!). But I also feel, with the barrage of all of my married friends, that I am probably ready to meet "that" person. More than that, I'm just missing the feeling of "complete, simple, extravagant attraction." It's a good feeling. Especially for the spring.