Tuesday, December 20, 2011

**NEW PAINTING**: "The Little Blue Box" (inspired by Tiffany & CO) by artist, Whitney Madison


My favorite place to shop for bling is at Tiffany & Co. It is truly a store that makes you feel amazing. The excitement that comes from unwrapping a gift in "the little blue box" is unbelievable! When I started my art gallery, Ooooh La La Art Gallery, the "little blue box" was one of my favorite subjects to paint. Being able to immortalize its chic character in my whimsical painting style is a ton of fun.



This "little blue box" is painted on a 12"X12" square canvas. It has my signature handcrafted, texturized frame. This painting is all done in an acrylic medium. Paisley satin ribbon lines the interior perimeter of the frame, and each corner of the ribbon is embellished with pink Swarovski crystals.






The Tiffany blue box is fully texturized, stands off the canvas, and is fun to the touch! The wording states simply, "I (heart) T & CO (heart)".       




The entire painting is glazed in high gloss that will protect this painting, and enable it to be hung in any room. Certain to be a conversation piece for the chic fashionista who loves her bling as much as I do! Enjoy!

To view this painting, and my other pieces, please visit my online art gallery at


Cheers!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

**NEW PAINTING**: "PARADISE" (inspired by Lilly Pulitzer): by artist, Whitney Madison



One of my favorite things about designer, Lilly Pulitzer, is the way her work uses amazing, beautiful colors, and meshes them with whimsical style. This painting is a reflection of both, and appropriately named, "Paradise". 

  16"X20" on stretched canvas, this painting has my signature, handcrafted frame in a deep green, and is glazed in high gloss glaze with a touch of sparkle to bring out the "bling".


The palm tree, writing, and borders are all fully texturized and fun to the touch!


Pink and white satin ribbon embellish the corners, and the entire painting is coated in a high gloss glaze for protection. Acrylic medium. Perfect for any room, and certain to be a conversation piece!



To view this and other paintings in my online art gallery please visit my website at

My online art gallery got a facelift! Be sure to stop by the website and check it out!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

A Song For My Life This Week: "Lift Me Up" by The Afters.


I have found that when I trust my faith, and call humbly upon my God,  I am UNSTOPPABLE. I am thankful to God for His grace, mercy, and guidance in my life.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

**NEW PAINTING**: "Palm Tree" (inspired by Lilly Pulitzer) by Artist, Whitney Madison


This 16"X20" painting has a handcrafted has a handcrafted frame in brilliant green that is sealed with sparkle high gloss glaze. The green and pink color was inspired by my love for the signature color choices of one of my favorite designers, Lilly Pulitzer.


The palm tree is fully texturized and has two coconuts at the base that are embellished with Swarovski crystals. The words, "Palm Tree" are also embellished with pink and green Swarovski crystals.




The entire painting is done in matte and metallic acrylics, and sealed for protection. Certain to add a pop of color and spark conversation! Perfect for any room of the house.       


To view this and my other paintings, please visit my online art gallery, "Ooooh La La Art Gallery by Artist, Whitney Madison at

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A SONG FOR MY SISTER THIS WEEK: "OUR GOD" by Chris Tomlin; Go Kick Some Butt, Sis. xoxo

I Love You, Ashley Madison! XOXO Whit

**NEW PAINTING**: Surf Girl (in purple) by Artist, Whitney Madison


This painting is done in brilliant eggplant metallic purple acrylic, and lilac acrylic. The handcrafted frame is fully texturized and ready to hang in any room of the house.


Satin paisley ribbon in sage, purple, and white paisley runs along the inside of the frame's perimeter, and each corner is embellished with pink, purple, and clear Swarovski crystals.


The three surfboards are texturized, and each is decorated and embellished with crystal accents. The words, "Surf Girl" are under the three boards, and make it perfect painting for any surf diva! This painting is on a 12X12 canvas, and the entire painting is high gloss glazed for protection.   

    

To view this, and more of my painting, please visit my online art gallery
Ooooh La La Art Gallery by Artist, Whitney Madison, at



Saturday, December 3, 2011

Move Over, Dr. McDreamy! You Just Got Cauterized With a Bovie Tip on 50/50 Cut/Coag Settings By The New Man In Town--DR. McDreamyCooties!!!


As a nurse, I have to often times work closely with doctors to help direct my patient's care. Sometimes this is fine. Sometimes...not so much. Most people who know me know that doctors are not some of my favorite people to deal with. I don't mind it now that I'm in Labor & Delivery, but I used to hate having to deal with them when I was full-time on the cardiac unit. I would really try my hardest to avoid them--unless my patient absolutely had to have new orders, or unless they were coding on me (AKA circling the drain of life/death). I have friends on the unit who have crushes on some of the docs. I have NEVER...EVER thought any of them were remotely cute or would be someone I would ever consider going out with. EVER.

I worked on the cardiac unit today. It was a busy day--par for the course for the unit. All of the sudden around 5 p.m. the universe stopped for a brief moment. I caught something in my peripheral vision so I looked up from my computer. Lo & Behold there he stood...the most beautiful man in a white doctor coat I had ever seen. He walked down the hall for a second looking at room numbers. I turned back to my charge nurse and said, "OMG!!!! Who is that doctor!???" She told me that he was an Infectious Disease doc that she hadn't seen before. Well holy crap!!!! Move over, Dr. McDreamy!!! You just got smoked by Dr. McDreamyCooties of the Land of Infectious Diseases!!!!

He came back to the nurses' station. He asked me if I was the nurse for the patients he was supposed to be rounding on. It just so happened I WAS. This sent my heart rhythm into atrial flutter. I had to give him report. As I was giving him report I felt like I was talking fast-- like a monkey who had just found an entire vending machine full of crack and Red Bull and over-indulged. I was trying to be professional. I was hoping I wasn't blushing. Then he interrupted my super professional report and said, "Where are you from? You have an accent...what is it?" (insert AMAZING, ADORABLE, SUPER SEXY GRIN and then **scratch record player needle across record surface at my attempt to be professional**) You might as well have put a Barbie Doll on a hot curling iron because that was how I felt! As melty as grilled cheese sitting in the sunlight on a hot Georgia sidewalk in June (I said that with my non-existent southern accent).

ACCENT? What accent? I didn't know I had one. Well, actually my patient earlier this morning had asked me the same thing--and still with him I was unaware that I had one. I wish I had had something amazing to tell this doctor--like that I was Irish, or English, or French, etc.--something way more romantic than the truth that was about to manifest itself. Out came the truth, and it sounded a little something like this, "Well, Dr. McDreamyCooties, I speak American mutt. It's a combination of California, Colorado, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Alaska." At this point I would've expected him to blow me off like every other doctor has during my entire career on the cardiac unit, but he didn't. And he kept smiling, and pretended to be intrigued. 

 My coworker saw him, too, and was like, "OMG...who is that beautiful man?!!!" It was like for a moment all time had stopped on the cardiac unit...and the music from the Young and the Restless started playing in the background. We were all awestruck. AND HE WAS NICE!!! Where in the hell did this man come from? Didn't he get the, "And now that thou art a doctor thou shalt be a complete tool,  and be arrogant beyond all imagination. And thou shalt treat thy nursing staff like they are a giant pile of garbage, and make them feel like they have absolutely nothing resembling a brain in their cranial cavity" scripture that I'm sure was handed out to them in their diploma from medical school?

As he was rounding on my patients, my coworker and I couldn't stop talking about him. We were trying to figure out the quickest way that we could obtain an infectious disease so that he could round on us, too! I even told my charge nurse that I didn't care how many sets of blood cultures they had to draw on me to figure out what cooties were afflicting my health--it would be worth it!!!

A few minutes later my charge nurse asked me if I could go do something and I told her that I was temporarily unavailable to do so due to still being overly twitterpaited by Dr. McDreamyCooties (don't worry--she laughed...and then I had to go do what she asked me to do). Then every time my nurse friend would pass me in the hall after that she would say, "OMG...we so need to work on getting sick!!!" ;)

As I sat back down at my computer to finish my charting, he returned...and he walked toward me...and his adorable, sexy smile was bigger than ever. I gave him a quick smirk of a smile, and went back to my work.

AND THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM, PEOPLE!!! This is exactly the kind of potential goofy love deathtrap I am trying to avoid with all of my heart/mind/soul! This is the exact type of giant speed bump that could sabotage my dream of living happily ever after as a single chick on the Hawaiian Islands with nothing but my surfboard, bikini, and free beverages for life from the pina colada factory!!!!

And don't get me wrong-- I know how these Dr. McDreamyCooties types roll! He probably flirts with every doctor/nurse in the hospital and would end up giving me cooties!--which is why I'm back to being focused on moving to Kauai in 8 years as a single chick, and reclaiming what's left of my professional dignity that left me earlier today when the Red Bull and monkey crack kicked in. ;)

Friday, December 2, 2011

"ALL THINGS CONSIDERED I'M DOIN' JUST FINE": Catching You All Up On All The Random Stuff That Is My Life That Has Not Been On My Blog Since I'm Going Through My PJ Pants and Bon Bon Eating Phase of Life (is that a run-on sentence?) ;)



It's been a really, really messed up week. Seven days of torture, seven days of bitter. And my boyfriend went and cheated on me. He's a California dime, but it's time for me to quit him. La la la WHATEVER. La la la DOESN'T MATTER. La la la OH WELL. La la la...
Ok...so I stole that song. And I changed some words. And only most of that verse actually applies to my life, but that song is on my iPod and I went with it--so there. BTW...I love that song. It makes me want to get jiggy with it.
( And yes, I posted the Hollywood sign because that's how my life's been--drama drama drama)

My Life (if you care):

I broke up with my boyfriend three weeks ago. Go out on your deck for a minute and put your hand up to your ear and listen. Hear that? That sound that sounds like an NFL football stadium  erupting? Those are the cheers coming out of Palmer, Alaska. Yes...I made it to the three week mark--it's the real deal. It's all over. I actually was doing ok until yesterday and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I think that's what you call a "delayed reaction". I'm ok though. "How is that possible, Whitney? You just lost the love of your life!!!" I know...but I went to Grease Monkey today and I feel much better. If you look at the picture below you will figure out why that is.


I got my oil changed today. When I got back in my car this flower was waiting for me on my dashboard. I have been feeling sorry for myself for two days, and then this happened. It was a combination of reactions. At first I was like, "WTH?", then I was like, "Awww...that's sweet!" then I was like, "Great, figures the guy from the lube shop would try to woo me." then I was like, "I bet they do this for all their female clients." DING DING DING DING! Well, at least I got flowers from a man today. We had a big discussion about this on Facebook, which begged the question, "I wonder what they leave for their male clients on the dashboard?". I can think of only one thing...BACON. By the way, that flower cost me $35.99 + tax.

So, yes...it's been kind of a weird three weeks. I've been trying to "rearrange" life and the way I think a little. It's been pretty good for the most part. The "where do I go from here" is both exciting and intimidating. It's sad, too, but it's not a surprise by any means. The inevitable has been brewing for two years. Between the distance, and the lack of commitment, and his family, friends, and other priorities it just was too much. He finally started looking for jobs down here and was still under the impression that we would be dating when he got down here. I figured after knowing me for 15 years and dating me for 3 of them that it would be best to save him an expensive move down here, and save me 5 more years of beating my head against the wall in order to reach the same conclusion with this man--I wasn't THE ONE. I could've dated him for 15 more years and it probably would've taken him that long to admit it to himself. Anyway, I love him enough to stop tormenting him. I'm giving him the gift of "moving on to greener pastures" (which is kind of funny, cuz he lives in a farming town *har*har*har*...I'll be here all week).  Now everyone in Palmer, Alaska, can breathe their sigh of relief and only continue to torment themselves with my blog. You're finally rid of me! Well...not completely if you're reading this.

It's been a super busy couple of months for me at work. I have been able to experience a ton of things, and it's been fast-paced, and exciting! I've delivered two babies by myself over the past couple of months. Not on purpose. Turns out that when those little suckers feel like shooting out, they will do so at their leisure. They're not one bit interested about whether or not the doctor is the first person they see in this world or not! It's been pretty funny, actually. Both of the babes were a very big surprise to me. I had no gloves on or anything during the deliveries. Then, to make it even funnier, I was so stunned at what I had just had to do that I put gloves over the top of my dirty hands without even realizing it. Crazy! I love being a labor and delivery nurse. :)

It's been an amazing week with respect to my blog that I wrote on Cleidocranial Dysplasia. Paige and I are both now Facebook friends with a person who lives in Mexico who also has CCD. He is the same age as my daughter, and I know Paige is jazzed to have someone to talk to about the condition. They have been comparing notes on life, surgeries they've had to endure, etc. It's been awesome that all this has come from simply writing a blog post in an effort to get the word out to the rest of the world about the rare condition. :)

I started selling paintings for a limited time to benefit my church's new expansion project. I ended up selling 4 paintings and all the proceeds were able to go to the church. It was exciting for me to be able to help. I also had a lot of fun in the process.

My website for my online art gallery is in the process of being overhauled. Originally I was going to rename it, but have decided I love the name way too much to get rid of it. There will be some changes coming to Ooooh La La Art Gallery @ www.etsy.com/shop/arcticbarbiegirl STAY TUNED! It's exciting! I'm also preparing to start going to art shows next spring/summer. :)

I got news this week!-- my good friend from highschool told me that he might be moving back home to Evergreen, CO, soon! Actually, when he got in touch with me to tell me he asked if I was mad at him--which I totally was. The last time he was in town he had a party I was supposed to attend. Then he told me that when I got up to Evergreen I should call and he would give me directions to his house. After I drove all the way up there I called him. And called him. And called him, but nobody answered. Turns out homeboy left his phone in his pocket in another room of the house during the party, and it must have been such a good party that he never realized I wasn't there--all night!! Anyway, he asked if he could take me out to dinner to make it up to me when he gets home in a few weeks. I told him that he could, but that I'm expensive so he should plan on taking me to a very nice restaurant, and bring lots of money. I told him I was going to eat like Jabba the Hut. If that isn't hot, I don't know what is. ;) It will be nice to have my buddy back in town! And he wants me to do another painting for him. Twist my arm. :)

This whole idea of being a single chick is uncharted territory for me. I had a very sweet guy come up to me at church and ask me point blank: "Seriously, Whitney...what do you want from a guy--what do you look for?" My only response?...a pina colada and beachfront property in Hawaii. Then I tried to redirect the conversation so as to avoid being asked out on a date. I asked him if he had tried www.christiansingles.com and I told him when he got done on there to let me know how it goes. LOL! Sorry...I don't know what to do with men at this point in my life. I finally told him my life's ambition is to stay single forever. I want to be like Cameron Diaz in "There's Something About Mary"...only I don't want to end up with Ted.



I've had a couple of "chick" encounters over the past couple of weeks--both of which made me laugh and were great topics to gab about on the social network. The first was when I ran into my arch rival's BFF from highschool. I haven't seen her in many years and it was one of those moments where you walk away feeling like the queen of the universe because you smoked the competition. I think I had a catwalk strut on the way out of the store, and probably the hip wiggle that goes with it.I think in my head I was playing, "I'm Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO. My eyebrows also look stellar compared to those fuzzy muppet eyebrows she's STILL sporting. Good lord. There's way too much hot wax in the world to let that unfortunate genetic mishap happen to your face. Did I just say that? Shame on me. *Repenting*



The other chick encounter was a snarky comment that was aimed at me on the social network. It was by a girl who is very bitter, socially backwards, obviously bored, and mildly delusional.The first time I met her I was like, "OMG...she's a real barrel of monkeys!" Anyway, I was actually giggling when I read it. Well, and I felt like puking a little, too--but mostly giggling. Girls are so funny. I wonder if she sat on the other end of her computer wondering, "I wonder if she knows that that comment was really directed at her!??" No worries, darlin'. As luck would have it, I didn't fall off a watermelon truck. At least not recently. Aren't we girls fun??? OMG...we are such chicks sometimes. I'm right in there with the best of them. ;)

I started looking at houses online over the past couple of weeks. Holy crap--what a sign of the times. There are SO many bank owned properties and short sale properties out there right now--it's sad. I'm not sure if I'm going to buy a home in the next year. I've talked to my kids about it and they don't want to move again. There probably won't be time to buy a home over the next 6-7 months anyhow. We're going to Kauai in April, and I'm headed back out to Maui in June or July. I have one free night's stay at the condo I stay at in Kihei, so I figure the thousands of dollars in airfare, etc. is justified because I get one night free! That's blonde logic there for ya, people. ;)

So there's the scoop people! I promise I'll be back to my normal blogging self soon. I just need a few days/weeks/months/years to get through this breakup thingy and I'll be back!!!! Cheers!

OH...and since a lot of people on Facebook have decided that changing their profile pics to characters from Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer for the holidays, it's only fitting that I post one, too.


Yukon Cornelius says, "Merry Christmas to all!...and to all a GOODNIGHT!" LOL! xoxo

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

**HoW GrEaT iS mY BLOG?!!!!**: A Big Surprise, and a Happy Blogger!



Ok, so some of you probably know a song that rhymes with my title, "How Great Is My Blog", and just so you know, I'm not trying to be arrogant, blasphemous, or otherwise trying to be a very large jerk. I TRULY AM TOTALLY STOKED ABOUT MY BLOG!!! This is where you say, "Why, Whitney?" and where I say, "Because something truly great has come from my blogging (minus the fact that I've ruffled a few feathers along the way, and made some people get their panties in a bunch during some of my finest snarky moments)".

I started this blog approximately a year and a half ago. I've had over 30,000 hits for my goofy posts during that time, from all over the world. I recently posted a blog on a rare genetic birth defect that my oldest daughter has called "Cleidocranial Dysplasia". I posted it in collaboration with my daughter in an effort to get information out to the world about CCD seeing as though it is very rare, and the odds of coming across people with CCD are few and far between (there are only about 500 people in the world have it, and they probably don't live near me in Colorado). I got a message from a person who had read my blog on CCD, and who has Cleidocranial Dysplasia. He lives in Mexico...MEXICO, people! And he found my blog, was able to see someone else who lives with the same condition, and he also happens to be 20 years old, just like my daughter! He told me that he felt so alone with his condition, but thankful to learn that Paige is going through the same thing and that indeed he is not alone at all! :)

THEN...to make things even crazy cooler, I was showing some of my paintings to one of my coworkers on my blog. She is from the Philippines, and when I was scrolling through my blog posts and saw the picture of Paige being able to touch her shoulders together at midline (because she was born without collarbones due to CCD) she said, "HEY!!!! My cousins can do that!!!" At first I was like, "What do you  mean your cousins can do that? THAT is not normal!!!" However, she told me that her uncle was born with this condition. They had no idea what it was called, and people even asked him if his parents were cursed by a witch when his mom was pregnant with him. They had no comprehension of what Cleidocranial Dysplasia was. Her uncle went on to have both male and female children, and it was genetically passed on to all of his FEMALE children--all his male children were normal size and did not have CCD. Then the female children had children and passed it on to all of their female children. CRAZY INTERESTING! Her family members still had no idea what the condition was called, either, so now she can tell them because SHE SAW MY BLOG!

I realize that some of you are probably like, "*YAWN*STRETCH*YAWN* Great...well this was a great blog, Whitney...I'm going to go die of boredom now...", but I am on cloud nine. I'm so excited that my blog did exactly what I hoped it would do--be far-reaching, and help others. I hope many people researching CCD end up "tripping" over my blog post (thanks to Google).

Now when is that CEO of a major magazine company who wants me to write a column for 6 figures/year going to "trip" over my blog???   ;) JK

Monday, November 28, 2011

**NEW PAINTING**: Dance of the Sea Turtles by artist, Whitney Madison


My latest painting was inspired by my love for sea turtles.They are so elegant when they move through the water, and the way they interact with one another. I handcrafted this frame, and graded the blue metallic color in an outward direction with the darkest blue being along the outer perimeter of the frame. The sea turtles are fully texturized and rise up off the canvas. Hand sculpted bubbles and texturized waves in the water make this painting tempting to touch, and fun for any room. This painting has small glass pebbles at each corner. 16"X20" canvas; acrylic medium; high gloss glaze for protection.       


Fully texturized and raised off the canvas.


Each turtle shell has intricate detailing in the pattern.



Blue and white glass pebbles accent each inside corner of the handcrafted frame.


To view this painting, and many of my other paintings, please visit my online art gallery at





Bah Humbug! A Case of the Christmas Blah-Dee Blah Blahs...






It's that time of year again. How come Christmas seems to come so fast? When I was a kid it seemed like it took forever. Now that I have to pay for all my gifts it comes at warp speed. I think the Universe is messing with my head--and my wallet.

I've been at work at the hospital through most of the chaos of Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I saw the circulars lying on one of our tables, and the plethora of crap you could buy for your loved ones this Christmas--anything from kitchen appliances, to footie PJs, to bras and underwear. Really? Seriously, if anyone buys me a rice cooker and gives me a pair of Underoos for Christmas they are going to never hear the end of it. I also saw an ad with photos of the cute matching sweaters for the whole family to wear so they can look like clones (wasn't that popular in the 80s?). Ugh.



I don't know why, but each year I get more and more put off by the hype and craziness that the holiday season brings. It's kind of sad because when I was a kid I was a total Christmas girl and loved every minute of it. Now I feel like I have to shop online or else I'll get tossed around like a pinball at the mall. And apparently it's not PC to pepper spray people just because they try to kill you while you're holiday shopping. Homegirl in California who pepper sprayed a bunch of people to get to the front of the line at WalMart is finding that out the hard way.  And it was WalMart for crap's sake--if you're going to get busted for going crazy then upgrade your crazy to like Macy's or Tiffany for goodness sake.

There are also all of the crazy Christmas commercials out again. Dorky chicks getting excited because KMart brought layaway back. Kay Jewelers making sure everyone knows that "every kiss begins with Kay". Overly enthusiastic women yelling, "He went to Jared!". And don't even get me started on that Target Lady. I won't lie--I'd love to have a whack at her with a broom. She freaks me out. As a matter of fact, if I didn't actually need to purchase things at Target then I might stop shopping there altogether just because of their lame, freaky Christmas marketing campaign. I think they should make a Target Lady voodoo doll, except the thing would probably come alive like that clown in Poltergeist and haul you under the bed and beat the snot out of you in the middle of the night. Eeeek!



Don't get me wrong--I love Christmas. I love decorating my house for Christmas. I don't mind wrapping Christmas presents other than the fact that contorting my body to cut wrapping paper, and tape, etc. often makes me feel like I need a trip to the chiropractor. My home is cozy, and amazing during the holidays. I spend hours in the dark with just my white Christmas tree lights on catching up on my holiday faves like "It's a Wonderful Life", "Celtic Woman", and my girlie fluff movies like, "The Holiday". I'm a girl, I admit it. I like romantic garbage sometimes. I'm not proud of it, but I do. My kids also catch up on all their Christmas shows--the ones I'm too mean to let them watch during any other time of year. They watch Rudolph, and Frosty, and some weird movie called "Nestor the Christmas Donkey" that was made by the same people who made Rudolph. I usually try to workout on my treadmill downstairs during those times. Those movies are kind of dorky, but they love them.




This is probably the last year my twins are going to believe in Santa. It's sad, but it will be good at the same time. I can't tell you how many times I've told them not to have super high expectations for tons of Christmas presents and how many times they've said, "Don't worry, mom!...we'll just ask Santa!" Yeeeeeaaaahhhhh...that's a problem. See, "Santa" got to find out how much fun it was last year to get the twins two American Girl dolls ($$$$$$$) and provide wardrobes for the dolls ($$$$$$). Each doll outfit cost $30-$45. Good thing they were on Santa's (my) dime (gag*hack*splutter). I will miss how innocent the girls are when they say that, but I won't miss putting Christmas finances in perspective for them in the future. This coming spring they are going to Kauai with me for spring break to learn how to surf. They are not getting a whole lot under the tree other than luggage, iPods, surf gear, and beach towels--and hopefully I can find all of it online so I don't get maimed in the stores. My oldest daughter (20 years old) is easiest to shop for. Her birthday is January 1st so she gets two gifts from Tiffany & CO--one for Christmas, one for birthday. I should've just given birth to 20 year olds--it is less complicated than having those little kids, and sometimes cheaper. Of course, I'd probably be walking kind of funny and people would keep asking me if I lost my horse because I'd be chronically bowlegged. That Duggar lady might think I was ok-looking though.
I am kind of scared that my holiday spirit is going to plummet into the toilet by the time I'm super old. As someone who works in nursing, and done a fair bit with the geriatric population in healthcare, I have a theory that Christmas actually kills people. It's true. Every year we have a an exorbitant amount of people peace out before Christmas, or on Christmas. If I'm this tired of being plinked around like a pinball in the mall in my 30s, then I'll probably be one of those old people who times my death right around the middle of December. It will probably tick my family off, too. They'll have to drop their eggnog to arrange my burial in my pink mausoleum that I've requested. That is, assuming they don't take on the perspective of my ex-husband who used to tell me that the illegal dumping fee to toss me in a ditch would be way cheaper and seemed like a better option than having to put me up in my elaborate pink death hut. Of course he was joking when he said this, but all good comedy is based in reality to some extent.

Hopefully my Christmas blahs will get better as time goes on. What I truly look forward to in my life is having a palm tree out in my front yard that has Christmas lights on it, and me wearing flip flops with a santa hat and a bikini. That's all I really want for Christmas. Well...that and a beach house. And a convertible. And a mai tai (or two). See how low maintenance I am?



 Alright all you Grinchless, Black Friday-loving, holiday crazed people--get out there and enjoy the crazy for me. I'll catch you on the flip side. ;)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

PERSPECTIVE: Don't Leave Home Without It! A Thanksgiving Blog


I'm sure we've all heard someone say at one point, "It's all in how you look at things". I think that if you try hard enough you can find the good and the bad in all things. It's about perspective. Somehow learning how to gain it, and how to maintain it even in the toughest of situations can be a bit challenging.

This is not a blog where I'm aiming to come off like Little Mary Sunshine. However, it's been a bit of a bumpy month for me with some awesome highs and some very low lows, and yet I've still somehow been able to (almost) maintain a reasonable amount of perspective about things. At least intermittently.

As I was driving into work tonight I was listening to the radio. The DJ was talking about a lady who had written in to the radio station. She is a single mom, and she is only able to work part time because she has to take care of her children. She had stated in her letter how her children had started praying that God would provide enough money for them this Christmas that they could afford to put some presents under their tree. They had even gotten excited to find pennies and other coins on the ground that someone had dropped and had given them to their mother to help her buy Christmas gifts. It made me stop and think about a couple of things.

First of all, I can relate to this woman and her struggles to juggle work and family. It's a balancing act, even on a good day. What I couldn't imagine was how hard it must be to make ends meet with a part time job and sole parental responsibilities. I started thinking about the rest of my life compared to hers, and how blessed I am to not have to sit awake at night worrying about where I'm going to find money for Christmas gifts for my children. Don't get me wrong--it's truly by the grace of God that this is the case. I don't know why some people "luck out" and some people don't. People who know me know that I had a rocky start as a young, single mom, myself. I think it's circumstance that allows us to overcome some of these huge obstacles. I was one of the lucky ones. Well, luck, and I worked my flipping tail off to succeed.

It did make me take a moment to be thankful for the fact that I had a full time job that I was en route to, and an income that allows me to maintain a healthy lifestyle and sometimes "share the wealth". It definitely made me think about how having a consistent income is definitely a blessing, and how some people would love to be so fortunate. To those of us who periodically gripe about having to go to work--it's pretty humbling when you think about the alternative.

Do you ever stop to really put your life into perspective like that? To be truly thankful for the things that you do have instead of chronically longing for the things that you don't have? I thought it was a great message to hear on the radio prior to Thanksgiving. The DJ said something along the lines of Thanksgiving being that brief moment to be thankful before the chaos of Christmas ensues. It's almost too bad it doesn't just continue that way through the Christmas holiday. It should be like the olden days at Christmas where you got a doll and a lollipop if you were lucky and called it good (and the doll was actually enjoyed/appreciated all year long). Now our kids aren't happy unless they are opening Play Stations, iPods, iPhones, and goodness knows that the guy down the street probably has a Lexus sitting outside his house with a big red bow on it in and effort to make it a "December to Remember" for his wife. When the heck did $70K Christmas gifts start becoming "normal"? Just FYI...no matter how much cool stuff you have in this life, someone is always going to still have cooler stuff than you. It's a losing battle to try to keep up.

 And what is up with this Black Friday crap? I'd better never die because some jerkoff runs me over with a shopping cart at Super Target trying to get a good deal on a flatscreen TV the day after Thanksgiving. Talk about a totally avoidable, ridiculous way to peace out. I can just hear the coroner now, "And right over here you can see where the shopping cart ran over her spleen and sliced it right in two!" Ugh. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US, PEOPLE? And now they even open the stores the night before Black Friday. Pretty soon we'll just bypass Thanksgiving altogether and have Black November and they will set up little free food stands throughout the store like they do at Costco that have samples of mashed potatoes & gravy, and turkey. The pumpkin pie sample cups will be at the end of Aisle 5--next to the blow up Christmas lawn reindeer and my lifeless body lying there with a shopping cart track across my spleen.

Back to keeping perspective on things. When I was in church not too long ago my pastor had said something along the lines of, "Do you realize that most people who are rich or well-to-do don't realize how well off they are?" It couldn't be more true. Even if I had beachfront property in Kauai I would still probably only believe I was doing "ok" financially. In all actuality I learned on that same day in church that anyone in the world living with an income greater than $50,000/year is actually in the top 1% of the richest people on earth. Well holy crap! Then why isn't there a red carpet out in front of my home, and why isn't the guy sitting next to me at the stoplight offering me Grey Poupon? Doesn't he know who I am? Sheesh, peasants!

It's true. Most of us are pretty stinkin' rich--and we probably don't even know it until we look at the statistics. As a matter of fact, compared to a family of 12 living in a mud hut in Africa making $150/year, the lady who I mentioned in the beginning of this story whose kids are plucking pennies off the sidewalk is probably pretty well off, too! Not by American standards, but the global perspective probably looks much better for her!

This is a great time of year to count our blessings and be thankful for all of the things that we do have in this life. I've seen all my friends posting daily on Facebook the things they are most thankful for. It's been great--mostly because it's not the petty stuff they are thankful for, but for family and the simple pleasures that life has to offer.

I did not end up posting what I was thankful for--mostly because I have a blog and can torture people with long, drawn out stories in order to get to the one paragraph that might have actually fit into my Facebook status. ;)

SO HERE GOES: I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my friends who are truly some of the most amazing people on the planet. You guys make me laugh, cry, and love me even when I do the sprinkler dance in the middle of the dance floor at the Sand Bar in Juneau, Alaska. I'm thankful for the recent perspective that has come into my life with respect to men and relationships. I'm thankful for the confidence that I have that comes from being a self-sufficient woman. I'm thankful for the blessings I receive from God. It never ceases to amaze me that when I hit a low point how He swoops right in and lifts me right back up with blessings I couldn't have conjured up myself. I'm thankful for being able to work in labor and delivery through the entire Thanksgiving holiday (and just in general for that matter)--helping to bring adorable babies into the world while everyone else in America eats turkey until they feel like they are pregnant and about to explode. I'm thankful for my DVR so that I can cook Thanksgiving dinner and celebrate with my family and with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Friday instead of Thursday after my work week is through. I'm thankful for the opportunity to take a trip to Kauai with my girls this spring to teach them how to surf. I'm thankful for the possibility that comes with some big changes that I have coming up in the next year. I'm thankful for my health, for the health of my family. I'm thankful that I get to run outside again after being beat down with illness and surgery! I'm also very thankful for perspective and being able to see the good in the crapiest of situations. (eloquent, eh?) No matter where you are in life, or what you are going through, there is hope and promise of a brighter future.

Ok...so maybe all of this stuff wouldn't have fit into my Facebook status...but there ya have it.

After having a super blessed week, I pulled into work tonight I heard one of my favorite songs which includes the lyrics, "Every blessing You pour out, I'll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say, blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name..." :)

Have a great Thanksgiving! Don't forget about all the things you truly are blessed with. Don't forget to "pay it forward" this holiday season, and PLEASE don't run over anyone with your dang shopping cart, mkay? Mkay. :)

Peace. Love. Tryptophan.

Eat up, people.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!




Monday, November 14, 2011

**NEW PAINTING**: IN AWE OF THE AURORA: Northern Lights painting by Artist, Whitney Madison


On cold, clear winter nights, the northern skies are often graced with the dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis. This painting is a celebration of the beautiful light show phenomenon. Handcrafted frame in platinum metallic acrylic paint by Artist, Whitney Madison. This painting is on a 16X20 stretched canvas and painted in a metallic acrylic medium. Fully texturized, this painting jumps extends off the canvas, and is tempting to touch. The northern lights are sealed in a high gloss, sparkle glaze. The entire painting is sealed with a high gloss glaze for protection. Great for any room in the house, and ready to hang.       







You can view this painting and my other paintings at my online art gallery at


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

**New Painting**:The Perfect Sunset: Hawaiian Surfer's Paradise


It seems like every time I go to Hawaii I am just absolutely taken aback by the amazing sunsets that occur there. This painting captures that feeling. I am a die-hard ocean/wave, water-loving girl, but I will bring my board in from the water to sit in awe of the amazing sunsets in Hawaii.This painting captures those moments. This painting has my custom, handcrafted frame that has embedded glass beads with swirls of orange. The painting is fully texturized in my signature style and 3-dimensional--tempting and FUN to touch! It is vibrant, and in metallic acrylics that embrace the "spice" of the islands. Fun, whimsical, romantic--this painting is ready to hang on any wall and will certainly be a conversation piece! It is a great reminder to stop for a moment and take in the amazing natural wonders that this life has to offer. This painting is on an 11"X14" canvas and is completely sealed in a high gloss glaze for protection--even if hung in steamy bathroom areas. Sure to give you that tropical respite you SO deserve!!! Enjoy!...and ALOHA! :)       









To view this painting, and my other artwork, please visit my online art gallery at