Happy Anniversary ...

Today is my 7 year Stampin' Up! Anniversary. Thinking back at my very first workshop ... I am so grateful at the prompting I got to be a part of such a wonderful company. I was watching the demonstrator make these cute, simple, cards and I just thought that I could do this! Initially I thought that I would just host a workshop, but something deep down made me realize that I needed to BE a part of this company. My little business grew quite well while I was finishing my schooling up in Logan. When I moved to Salt Lake, my career focus changed as I entered a new phase of my life as a middle school math teacher. I am grateful for the flexibility that Stampin' Up! has provided as my focus has changed along the journey. There was a time, shortly after buying the home that i'm currently living in, that I was literally HOURS away from being dropped and that same prompting jolted me into staying active. Since that moment, nearly 4 years ago, I have enjoyed my hobby of stamping. Making a few extra bucks here or there (which went "right back into my business" ... let's be honest ... I'm addicted to this!) has been fun and nothing really has happened. Then my life changed again. I got pregnant.

I always imagined that it would be a difficult decision -- staying home or going back to work -- I LOVE my job teaching. I love the rigor of the math. I love working with teenagers. I love looking into someone's eyes of a kid who has hated math his/her whole life and FINALLY for the first time in 7-9 + years GETS IT! I hated math until you ... it makes my day! Leaving this ... tough call. I have a hand, however small it may be, in shaping someone else's life. Not an easy thing to give up. SO when friends tell me that as soon as I have kids of my own ... that it's not going to be THAT hard of a choice, I didn't believe them.

This last year has been one of the toughest of my life. For several reasons. 1) I have an ADORABLE (perfect) little boy at home. What if I miss him crawling, or his first step. It's hard that my sitter knows his day time schedule and I ... really ... don't. 2) Let's just say that education isn't the "happiest" place to be right now. 3) I know it's my last year.

I have made the decision to stay home with my son. To be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator full time. I feel like both times that I received that little prompting inside it was because it was preparing me for this time in my life. I am so grateful for a wonderful company that will give me the opportunity to do everything I want to in my life. YES I will miss teaching, but really I am going to continue to teach ... I'm just going to be teaching creativity and stamping rather than complex algebra .... an easy trade in for what and who I want to be.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my website!!
Happy Stamping!
JEN