Last year at this time I would have already been feverishly painting for three hours.  I’d wake up at 6:30am find a subject and get going on my 365 creativity challenge.

I have quite a few family members to thank for that experience. Because what the viewer didn’t hear was “Can we go now?”…”Are you almost done?” …”It’s almost noon, can we have breakfast?”… “Can we go to the beach before the sun sets???”

Yeah, it wasn’t just a challenge for me.  It was a challenge for everyone around me.

With that said, I only packed a mini pocket-sized watercolor set and some postcard sized watercolor paper.  This year I want to make sure I’m present to spend time with my best friends, my husband, my kids.  Trips to the beach will be spent swimming and digging, not painting.

My other plan was to bring my baby, my Canon EOS Rebel, and photograph all of the island’s majestic beauty.  I don’t know how I did it, but I actually forgot my camera bag.  I am armed with a half dead smart phone.

That is how this year is going to go.  It is going to be a week of rest.  An actual vacation. A pause to catch my breath.

I have a few things to share this week.  More mini paintings I painted for my final big art show ten days from now.

Enjoy your week and when you think of me, envision a 40-year-old lady asleep on the beach, drooling face-first into the sand!