7 Years
Good morning! I just got back from my little drive that I take almost every morning after getting Charlie off to school. It sort of clears my head and allows me to focus. Organize my thoughts for the day. Take in the sights & sounds and see what’s going on in the world. Plus I usually get a coffee, too, and my mood focuses, improves while the caffeine kicks in!
Then I get home, sit down at my computer, turn on the fireplace and some music and say, “Hello, work-at-home life, I love you!” As much of a pain in the ass running your own business can be at times (dealing with high-maintenance clients, following up on leads, invoicing, accounting, etc – all things that have nothing to do with the actual work I do), as much of a pain as all that can be, you really can’t beat the lifestyle. It’s been a really hard road to get to this point (I’m at “breaking even,” but growing steadily), but it’s really worth it.
They say that in 7 years’ time, every cell in your body has died off and been replaced and, strictly physically, you are completely different than you were 7 years ago. In 7 years’ time, I’ve gone from party girl to mother to mother and small-business owner.
Interestingly all of those things that lead to a better version of me came about in the darkest period of my life. Divorce, a horrific court battle with Charlie’s father in which he got away with murder (in a matter of speaking – those who have followed my blog over the years know what I’m talking about), training for medical transcription that sucked the life out of me and never went anywhere, a 6-year relationship that sucked the life and soul out of me and never went anywhere, a short stint at Safeway as an administrative assistant (I actually learned a lot about business at that job, since the tragedies that happened to my supervisors left me virtually running things at times), a misguided move to Iowa for 15 months, and Charlie’s emerging developmental disability that prevented me from going in to work since I couldn’t get care for him. Thus forcing me to either go on welfare or forge my own business. I chose the latter.
I’m really lucky that something I was so interested in and taught myself turned/turns out to be in really high demand right now. It’s also teaching me development skills (and I’m taking online tutorials) in PHP, so if the WordPress jobs ever go away, I’ll at least have development skills to carry me. Along with project planning, project management experience and the experience of building a successful business. Yes, I’m pretty lucky. I do work damned hard and sacrifice a lot, but luck/fate had a hand as well.
On top of all of that, I have been working on some of my character deficits. The unhealthy ways I’ve dealt with the traumas going on in my life. The isolation/non-socialization I’ve built (along with major walls). The negative, fatalistic attitude and more. I’ve been going to a sort of group therapy and doing actual work on myself, actively, for about 6 weeks now, and I can feel it actually starting to sink in.
So – 7 years – that’s been quite a journey – all of my molecules have changed. My outlook has changed. My family/living situation has changed. My vocation/career outlook has changed. Am I still me? I dunno – I like mostly the same foods, I like the same music, I like the same stupid jokes – I’m still mischievous as hell and like to make people laugh. My best friend from high school and my sister are still my favorite people in the world.
I guess I’m still me – just new & improved. New coat of paint – a little structural shoring up. Yep – It’s Sherryness!
My Morning Blog-It
I’m trying to get into the habit of blogging every morning. I’ve neglected my blog for the most part for a really long time. And I have a lot to say, so might as well spew it here and not bore people in real life. LOL At least if you’re here reading this online, you don’t find my rambling boring, hopefully – or you wouldn’t be here!
I thought I would be working right now, but I’m waiting to hear back from two clients, so decided just to work on my own stuff. I have three really good sites that could do really well if I put as much effort into them as I do my clients’ sites. And I really want to get some other income going so I can start taking weekends off and for times when business is slow (although it’s been gangbusters since the beginning of this year!).
I’d also like to travel more and spend more one-on-one time with Charlie. Sis and Charlie and I are going to San Francisco in June (which I’ve mentioned several times – yes, I’m excited!), and I have a good friend who lives near Lake Chelan wh0 I don’t see enough. I also would like to get to some of these conferences like WordCamp and some of the Social Media conferences they have around the country. Could be very good for business. I also have a chance to go to England this year, and I’ve wanted to go since I was 15, so I don’t want to miss that!
So yeah, I’ll be working on those other sites today. Charlie & I are also meeting Donna for a quick lunch, but that’s about it for my big Sunday plans. Apparently if I lived in the U.K. I’d be celebrating Mother’s Day today – I learned that from some people on Twitter. Twitter is just such a fount of information – I should write a blog post on all the positive effect Twitter has had on my business!
Once I start rambling, I know it’s time to sign off. Later!
Twitter Update
Twitter is down right now, so I’m making a good old-fashioned blog entry for a change. It will be short, though. I have a busy morning but wanted to “take five” for my caffeine and blog-a-bit (which is usually Twitter) before digging in/moving on with my day.
If I could just get through my e-mails, I could actually get some work done. But I had so many e-mails to answer this morning, that I’m probably not going to get any work done before I have to go do some on-site work. I’ll pick up the work when I get home this afternoon – If I don’t have too many e-mails to answer by then!
Charlie is off of school today. “Teacher work day!” I don’t mind a few teacher work days throughout the year, but it seems like they have one almost every single month in this school district. I might not even balk at that, but too many of them occur just before Spring Break, just before Christmas break, just before the Memorial day weekend holiday, etc. Makes me wonder how much “work” they are actually getting done on those days. Especially after the snow days we had in December that were *supposed* to be made up on two of the teacher work days that were before Spring Break and before the Memorial Day Holiday got changed back – due to the union’s insistence on “sticking to the contract.” Now those days are being made up at the end of the school year. Makes me think someone whined because their long-weekend/vacation plans were interefered with – and not because they really, really wanted to *work* on those teacher work days. I could be wrong . . .
Well, I should get some e-mails finished and get ready to go. Sis is watching Charlie while I do some on-site work, then I’m going out tonight. Was supposed to go out with Brad, I thought, but he can’t make it tonight. So just going to a function I know about. I’ve been making a lot of positive changes in my life lately, and forcing myself to be more social is one of them!
I wonder if Twitter is back . . .
7 Years Of Charie & Me
Wow, Charlie has been in my life for more than seven years! (Including pregnancy). Even more amazing, there are people who still follow my blog who followed it when I was pregnant (back before Sherryness.com, when it was on Diary-X). I know I don’t post as much about Charlie as I used to, so I thought I’d post this retrospective, going backwards. Most are pics of Charlie & me, but some are just Charlie, because the were too cute to resist posting:
‘Hallelujah’!
For the first time since 2002, I actually have tickets to an upcoming concert! And it’s a doozie! Leonard Cohen in Seattle, April 23rd! yay! I’m going with my friend Brad, who is the biggest Leonard Cohen fan I know besides myself.
This will be a once-in-a-lifetime amazing concert, I just know it. I’ve idolized Leonard Cohen for so long. His outlook, his career, his gift with the written word, his love of poetry. He truly agonizes over choosing just the right words when expressing a thought. Not just for their meaning, but for their sound – the aesthetic beauty of the words themselves. And not only does it show in his work, but it impresses me so much as an avid appreciator of well-crafted prose and poetry.
Here is a Review of Leonard Cohen I wrote a couple of years ago that pretty much sums it all up.
Oh, and this: I’M SO EXCITED! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi, Sis!
I’m so glad Donna, aka Cupcake, updated her blog – It’s only been FIVE MONTHS! Sheesh. 
The spa sounds fun – I wish I wasn’t so busy – I would partake in that!
This morning I am just working – Or trying to. Charlie is being very high-maintenance, but not in a bad way. He keeps wanting stories and a hug and cereal and asking to go to the park. He’s being very sweet, which makes it that much harder that I have to work and can’t spend time with him (he’s on mid-winter break from school all this week). I told him we would have our lunch at the park, so at least that is something. In the meantime, I hope he will get occupied in something so I can work. I have so much work, I really need to catch up.
Ok, enough procrastinating in my blog. Going to try to work now…
I Keep Getting Free Coffee At Starbucks
I don’t know how my local Starbucks stays in business. The Starbucks near me with a drive-thru is the sloooooooowest Starbucks I have ever seen. I have spent 25 minutes in line with only 4 cars in front of me before. And they’re getting better, but they didn’t used to be very accurate, either. I’d drive away assuming I had my mocha, only to take a sip and realize I had something entirely different.
It was kind of like Christmas – investigating the label to see what kind of drink I’d been served this time. Vanilla latte? Hmmmm…. Its ok. I’d have preferred my mocha….
Oh, and they are just as slow if you go in. So I’ve decided I prefer to sit in my car and listen to music if I’m going to be made to wait. I only put up with it because they’re extremely handy, location-wise, and the only one in that area with a drive-thru.
Also, I wind up getting my coffee free about once every week or so! Apparently they have a policy where they just give it to you for free if you’ve had to wait more than 5 minutes. I’ll drive up, go to hand them my debit card, and they’ll just hand me my coffee and say, “It’s on us – Sorry about the wait!”
Oh, ok. “Thanks!”
It seems rude to check to see if my coffee was made correctly when they gave to me for free, so I just drive off, smiling. And take pot luck. It’s usually right… Usually…
Donna’s Birthday
Today was Donna’s 39th birthday – Yay! She wanted to go to Olive Garden, so Charlie and I met her and Erik there around 11 a.m. Charlie wasn’t on his best behavior but managed to turn it around a little bit. At least he didn’t hug the waiter and say that he loves him this time! Although that might have been preferable!
After that we went to Donna’s and had cake. I got her an iTunes gift certificate which she claims to love – I hope she does! Then I wanted to get her some earrings, but Charlie pointed to some really pretty ones while I was still looking, so I wound up getting those for her – So those were kind of from Charlie. Then Charlie picked out a candleholder with butterflies and some candles. I thought he actually made better choices for gifts for Donna than I did! I guess he has good taste.
After that I met briefly with a client, got a second round of coffee (which is one of the reasons why I feel like it’s only about 4:30 when it’s really nearly 9 p.m.!) and came home and worked. Oh, I forgot something at Donna’s so we had to drive back down there, so that was almost another hour.
So here I am working into the night, taking a little break to update my blog since I never do. Not that bad of a Sunday. I just wish we’d been able to go for a walk, but maybe tomorrow.
Blog meme – Fifty questions.
Haven’t done one of these for a long time, so using it in place of an update:
50 Questions:
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
I need to use extra hair conditioner in the winter time.
2. How much cash do you have on you?
Around $6
3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?
Floor
4. Favorite planet?
The moon, though technically it’s not, it still is.
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My sis.
6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
“All I Wanna Do I Have Some Fun” by Sheryl Crow
7. What shirt are you wearing?
Nightgown – it’s 11:30!
8. Do you label yourself?
Usually as a Mom.
9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing?
I’m only wearing socks.
10. Bright or Dark Room?
Dark, usually. Glare gives me headache.
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Funny blog.
12. What does your watch look like?
Silver, with etched filigree.
13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping, or near to it.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
“Congrats”
15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
About a mile east of me.
16. What’s a word that you say a lot?
Dude.
17. Who told you he/she loved you last?
Charlie
18. Last furry thing you touched?
My sister’s cat.
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
Caffeine.
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
None – I’ve gone fully digital.
21. Favorite age you have been so far?
Weird question
22. Your worst enemy?
Procrastination.
23. What is your current desktop picture?
Redmond Town Center at night with Charlie in the distance going into a toy store.
24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
In e-mail or on phone or in person? Probably would have been, “Take care” , “Take care, bye” and “Thanks” respectively.
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
The money – I’m scared of heights!
26. Do you like someone?
Yes.
27. The last song you listened to?
“Sunspots” by Nine Inch Nails
28. What time of day were you born?
5 a.m. or something crazy like that.
29. What’s your favorite number?
84
30. Where did you live in 1987?
Walnut Creek, CA
31. Are you jealous of anyone?
Just of people with the freedom to travel a lot.
32. Is anyone jealous of you?
Possibly – I work for myself – a lot of people seem to be into that.
33. Where were you when 9/11 happened?
At home in Carnation, WA – Watched part of it unfold on tv – Depressing question!
34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
Look for a number to call, stare at it angrily for a minute, then decide it’s not worth my time.
35. Do you consider yourself kind?
Usually.
36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be?
Some place on it couldn’t be seen – on my scalp under my hair, maybe.
37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?
Italian
38. Would you move for the person you loved?
I have in the past. From San Francisco to Miami.
39. Are you touchy feely?
Yes, with the right person.
40. What’s your life motto?
Keep trying til you get it right or chuck the whole thing. Don’t half-ass it.
41. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
My phone, my glasses, a pen.
42. What’s your favourite town/city?
Love Seattle & San Francisco almost equally. I like SF better itself, but have family & friends in Seattle so that carries a lot of weight.
43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
A mocha
44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
If greeting cards count, just today.
45. Can you change the oil on a car?
Technically yes, I took auto shop in high school. But I prefer to leave it to the pros.
46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
Crush or real love? That’s too ambiguous.
47. How far back do you know about your ancestry?
I know Christopher De(a)dman came to the U.S. from Sussex England some time in the 1600’s – that is way back on my Father’s side.
48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy?
Got dressed up to go to my friend Brad’s piano concert, but didn’t ever arrive because traffic was stopped dead on 520 for hours.
49. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
My back. I was too tense today.
50. Have you been burned by love?
Who hasn’t?
Just A Little Update, Yet Again
I should really keep this blog updated so I don’t have to do these big updates!
CURRENT EVENTS
Today is the 62nd anniversary of my Mom’s birth. Donna gave me flowers, and we went to lunch in Seattle. We always celebrate Mom’s birthday one way or another since she died and try to be extra-nice to each other. I’m sure she’d be pleased; she was always pleading with us to get along when we were kids! Anyway, Happy Birthday, Mom; we miss you!
CURRENTLY READING:
I started on a book called ‘Labyrinth’ but have had almost no time to try to read it. I haven’t read enough to form any opinion of it yet.
CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
Everything! Business is booming, which is wonderful. I now have a base of regular clients and new work coming in all the time. I’ve been learning PHP/MySQL which really helps increase the number of projects I am qualified to take on. Soon after that I am planning on developing my first WordPress theme from scratch. I’m not the greatest designer there ever was, but I think developing a theme from scratch will teach me a LOT and improve my skills/offerings that much more.
CURRENT MOOD:
Lot’s of inner/spiritual improvements going on. In the last year, I’ve truly gone from simply trying to survive to actually feeling optimistic about life and hoping for things I’d kind of given up on. I’m actively working on the things I need to do to make positive changes and to truly be able to thrive and not just survive.
CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Life being totally single isn’t the most fun thing in the world, but it’s better than being in a bad relationship. I feel I’ve left behind constant stress, bad feelings, distrust and low self-esteem by standing alone and not running back to the “band-aid” relationship I had for so long with the person I was seeing after my divorce. That relationship coming right on top of my divorce left a very bad taste in my mouth for very long time. But I’m slowly but surely beginning to find that that is not all there is out there. And my “Relationship Status” has gone from “Single, Not-Looking” to “Single, and Slowly-Maybe-Opening-Up-To-New-Possibilities.”
FUTURE THOUGHTS:
All of my plans for my business are coming together with all kinds of exciting things in the works. I’m even branching out soon to Video Tutorials for my blog on Blog Solace for some of the more advanced WordPress plug-ins. This should bring in quite a bit of new traffic.
The trip to San Francisco is still on, but now Donna is planning to come with Charlie & Me for the first 3 days or so. It will be really fun to visit, *with her*, all our old stomping grounds and meander down memory lane. And meeting Brian is a must! If he has time for us between all his acting and VO gigs.
Anyway, the future looks bright – Exciting and promising possibilities . . .
WRAP-UP
I’m not really feelin’ a wrap-up. Life is fluid; it keeps moving and changing. Here’s to the next event on the horizon!
