Stamping Up

"And on this very large estate lived a small girl. And life was pleasant there and very, very simple. But, then one day, the girl grew up and went beyond the walls of the grounds and found the world."

And today that girl is me and I am her. It feels scary to be an adult, responsibilities and all. But I am so happy that a little tear came to my eye. I opened my own Etsy store today! My profile name is Amy Sarene and my shop name is From: Francis and Evelyn. Those are my parent's middle names. Adam thought of the 'from' part because I am their literal offspring. It's was also fun to expand on that more and use that as a springboard for my theme. My shop will have a vintage stamp/letter/postcard theme. The theme echoes back to my love of stamps. My interest was first piqued when my Father showed me his stamp collection, I believe when I was a teenager. I didn't think too much about it then. In 2007, I had the privilege of living in Virginia during the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. My family came out from Phoenix and we went to the historical sites together. It was one of our best family trips. I bought some Jamestown stamps as souvenirs, not thinking much about them. It was the popular choice- I think Liisa and my Mom were buying some too. I am glad I listened to them! I have learned they are usually always right ;) So I bought the stamps. Then, a few years ago, I asked my Dad about his stamp collection. I think it came to my mind because of my divorce. My ex husband was a pretty crappy Priesthood holder, and I often thought about my Father during my marriage. My Dad was a sort of gauge for me because he treated my Mother and my sister and I so well. So needless to say, growing up and still to this day, I look up to my Father. I respect him and love him so much. I think I wanted to have a piece of him, a way of connecting with him after he left this earth. Even thought I haven't touched the stamp collection much, I keep it safe. I know one day I will be ready to dive into that project and start the process of becoming a stamp collector. For now, I have my Dad and my whole family. That's what matters to me. Living in the now.

And please don't judge me. I woke up at 4am this morning. I am sure there are hideous typos. And let's face it- any 6th grade child who spells 'solve' wrong is bound to get a few words wrong.

Amy xoxo