Brush Prairie Life

We are settling into our new address. After 25 years we are living in a new town. Yes, we only moved 2 miles but when you have been firmly planted in an area for so long even a small change feels big. We have tried the taco truck down the road and I’m enjoying how conveniently located we are to the post office. We also have a shorter drive to our grocery store and gas station. But honestly navigating to the west side of town or more specifically I5 and 205 continues to be a frustrating experience! There are many routes but none of them are as direct as what we are used to. Because of all of the options, we still haven’t settled on the best way to go and it has led to a few minor disagreements between Jeff and I. 🙂 I’m right of course…

9 years ago I was in Spain

Does anyone else enjoy looking back on memories? Between FB and Google photos I’m pretty entertained. All week memories of a trip to Spain with my mom have been popping up. It was an amazing trip! We not only explored Spain but Portugal and Morocco as well.

However, yesterday’s memory reminders on FB were not the warm fuzzy kind. After spending a day in Portugal, Mom and I had taken a cab back to our hotel in Seville. That morning we had rented a car from the train station and driven into Portugal for the day. I had taken some extra cash out of an ATM to make sure I was prepared for whatever came my way. 

Portugal was beautiful and we explored some coastal towns.  I found a beautiful handmade leather bag that I happily parted with some of my cash over. I took lots of pictures and marveled at how Portuguese is nothing like Spanish… at least not to my ear. 

Ever have that sinking feeling…

At the end of the day we returned our rental car and took a cab back to Seville. Our cab dropped us off in a nearby square. From there it was a short walk back to our hotel. That evening we had plans to enjoy some Flamenco dancing. As soon as we reached the lobby I started getting an uneasy feeling in my gut. I headed up to our room and began looking for the small travel wallet I was using. It’s black and small enough that I keep it in the front pocket of my jeans. I had just used it in the cab to pay the fare. It wasn’t in my pocket. Panicking just a little I dumped out my new backpack thinking I had stuck it in there when I got out of the cab. It wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere. All of my cash, my ATM card, ID, Insurance was all gone…

What I believe happened was when I paid the cab driver, I left the small wallet in my lap as I gathered up my belongings so when I got out of the cab it must have fallen to the ground. All I had was my passport (thank goodness!) And my mom! Yesterday when I looked at the pictures of the flamenco dancers I have a hard time remembering the dancing. I just remember the feeling of loss and frustration! Thankfully my Mom bailed me out loaning me cash for the rest of our trip. Weeks after returning home I received a letter from the Spanish Embassy containing an insurance card and drivers license – but no cash.

Life has a way of working out. It always does. It’s not always as you think it will go, but it works out.

Personal Branding Session –

There is no denying that social media is an important tool in the business world. For those who aren’t into taking selfies and setting up time lapse to record what you are doing, hiring a photographer can be a great way to go! Keely uses social media to promote her business but doesn’t like to take her own pictures. That’s where I come in. This was the first of the sessions we have planned to build her album of images. Now when she wants to post something she has an entire album to look through and choose just the right one.

Family Time – Brush Prairie

Last weekend was a busy one! Our Niece and her family came to visit us and see our new home. We are always really excited when they come our way. It’s just extra fun to have little ones to play with and the adults are pretty fun too!

We loved every minute with each of them! But I only took pictures of the little ones. 🙂 

Open Studio – Brush Prairie, WA

With the move from Battle Ground all the way to Brush Prairie I am anxious to share my new studio with everyone.  While the studio is much larger, it doesn’t have any street visibility. Just this week while I was working someone asked me if I was Shelly Fry. She mentioned she has seen my studio on Main St. While I no longer have the advantage of Main street visibility, I want to make sure everyone knows where I am. So I hope you have marked your calendars for my Open Studio. February 27th. It is a drop-in… stay as long as you’d like from 2-5pm. I’m looking forward to sharing the new studio with each of you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shelly