Happy Birthday Dave!

Meet Gunner!

Last week I noted that there was so much to share I felt like I needed to do installments, so I'm going to pick up this week from last week.

We arrived home from Las Vegas on Saturday and on Sunday it was Dave's birthday. That is reason enough to celebrate but wait, there's more! Sunday was also the day we went to pick up the newest member of our Family, meet Gunner. This is Dave's dream come true and how awesome is it that we get to bring him home on Dave's birthday. It's just the best!

I spent this last week following up on my leads from the licensing show and one cool opportunity is live and happening right now, my RiverLights artwork is up and for sale on Pixels.com. I'm tickled to have my work up and available for sale on all kinds of things, fine art, canvases, metal, phone cases, tote bags, beach towels, and more! Here's the link to my page, take a look and think ahead to Christmas!

Kathy Partak on Pixels.com

I have more images that will be uploaded as I have time, but there are some beautiful images there now, go check them out and please, share them with your family, friends, and on social media.

It turns out Mason's foot is broken, well, fractured and he is not very happy about it. Well, you already all know where I stand on this, he created this and it's a lesson that keeps sending ripples out in directions he could not have imagined it could reach. One really bad decision that just keeps coming back like a chili cheese dog at 2 AM.

That's the big news for now. Gunner has been a total sweetheart and is doing a great job learning to use the dog door and do his business outside. He sleeps in his crate and is pretty much sleeping through the night. All is well at the Partak homestead.

Projects, Las Vegas, and Art

Welcome to a new week! I'm glad it's Monday because in the wee hours of Sunday morning I woke up with a terrible stomach bug. It lasted over 30 hours...I don't think I ever realized how l-o-n-g 30 hours really is! Just as I was saying a little prayer that it was finally over, Dave was getting out of bed and hurrying to the bathroom. Oh no! Yeah, Dave's been home in bed (mostly in bed, between bed and the bathroom!) while I was playing catch up after being down for the count for more than a day. 

In other news, Mason is being considered for a number of projects and one in particular is suppose to make a decision this week. He is completely confident and I hope he is right. I'll share the news when I can...if it turns out I can't just yet, follow along on Mason's Facebook page and if you see us in Los Angeles for a spell, well, there's your answer! 

For me, on Sunday we leave for Las Vegas where I will be showing my RiverLights art work. I'm really excited and hopeful that I can license my images of my inspirational river rocks. I'm excited, not only am I taking a chance to sell my art, but Dave and I will get some time together in Vegas and Mason will be catching a flight to visit his uncle in AZ for a few days. Even though we've flown a lot, I'm a teeny bit nervous about Mason flying by himself. I know, I know, it's so silly as he knows the ropes, he knows how to get through security and get to his gate...but he's my baby, my only baby and this world is a lot crazy these days. I'm going to trust that Dave and I are raising a confident and able young man and all will be just fine. :)

I'll share a brief update next Monday from Las Vegas but in the meantime, send lots of positive intention for success on all fronts!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Happy Monday and Happy St. Patrick's Day! This is a post about kisses and kissing, well sort of, maybe about the magic of a kiss, or the possibility that a kiss could change the world...I'm smiling, are you?

The weekend was off the hook great. As a family we all went to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman and it was a fun movie. It reminded me of my childhood when we could only watch cartoons on Saturday morning - Mason still can't believe we lived under those conditions. Dave and I had a date night and went out country dancing, it's so fun to remember the things we were doing while we were falling in love. On that same train of thought, there are some really simple things you can do to keep your love alive. Saturday night Dave was waiting out by the car for me and when I came outside ready to go, he was standing by the passenger side door. I asked him if everything was okay and he said, "Yep, just waiting to open your door for you." I smiled and as I moved around to let him open the door, he faced me and just smiled making sure he had my full attention. As I looked back at him, he wrapped his arms around me and gave me an awesome kiss. These are the things that typically fall by the wayside as the years of marriage turn over into the double digits. That single, sweet gesture set the tone for an awesome night out and even rolled over to the next day as I replayed it again and again in my mind. 

On Sunday we all had our own agendas and it was as lovely as the previous day we spent together. Dave watched the Nascar race and did homework, Mason did some drawing and wrote a letter to DreamWorks, and I visited with my friend Jennifer and then spent a glorious 4 hours at the river. To me, the smell of sunscreen is the sweet smell of sunshine. While I was at the river, I penned a rock with the thought that just kept replaying itself in my memory, Kiss Me!

As we head into a new week, think about what little gesture you can do to show the ones you love how much you still love them. Dave's sweet kiss on Saturday night reminded me why he set the bar so high all those years ago while we were still dating other people. I'll save that story for another time, but suffice it to say he made a definite impression on me. Have the best week ever!

Be The Change

The sun is out and it is a gorgeous fall day! It rained all weekend and frankly, I loved it! We had a fire going, I did lots of cooking and baking, seasonal decorating, and of course there were chores to do. Dave had drill this weekend so I'm sure he's feeling like he had no weekend at all.




As the holidays are fast approaching, what are you planning to do for holiday gifts? I sent out an e-mail that I received from my Aunt Jeannette about centering your gifts around local merchants. This goes beyond just shopping at local stores, but buying services from small businesses for people who could really use them. Dave has always been really good at this, not only shopping at little mom and pop gift shops, but he has given me a facial, a massage, and gift certificates to the nail salon where I like to go. BEST GIFTS EVER!! I love the idea of gift certificates for auto service, car washes, and finding businesses run by young people. Think babysitting -Uh, this one is GREAT! Computer work done by the people who know computers better than any of us old folks - high school kids. What about a local bookkeeper to track your small business (or family) finances? It just may be more affordable than you think.


Finally, I'm using this forum to shamelessly plug my original art, RiverLights Originals. All of you know I spent much of this summer painting river rocks and photographing them under water. Some of my images are of rocks out of the water as well. I even took one of my favorite rocks to New England and came home with some beautiful fall images. I've posted pictures on my blog and you can also find more on my Facebook page at RiverLights Originals. I have note cards ($1.00 each), calendars ($20 each), prints (4x6 - 20x30), and prints on canvas and metal. They really are quite nice.


With that, what are your holiday plans? Will you be traveling or staying close to home? Whatever your plans, I wish you peace and positivity. When you encounter poor customer service or the Scrooges that are bound to make themselves heard, be the change you want to see. Find something positive in every interaction and shake off the dark sledge that wants to hang on and weigh you down.

We all have so much to be thankful for, find a few things today and concentrate on the good. Happy Monday!