oh my ...

what on earth am I supposed to say now?

I'll start with thank you.
thanks first to my team at Simple. I am rendered speechless -- which they know does NOT happen (period)

this is my self-portrait, while watching Cathy's little video. I was laughing and crying at the exact same moment and felt a physical and palpable pain in my heart -- wow.

this is me opening my "party in a box" overnighted from the office in Utah (thank YOU Jennafer, Angie, Rachel, Carolyn, Jenni, Megan and ALL). My kids are extrememy excited to use all of this tonight!

and thanks to so many that have emailed and left phone messages (hello? An 800 number -- Wendy, you ROCK!)

I am completely floored by the outpouring of kindness. I said something to Cathy on the phone that I truly believe, and will now share with you, primarily because I am 100% uncomfortable with the notion and sentiment that she and others have shared. I'm speaking of the "you changed my life" message.

Here's the deal. I have had many, many people that have given me opportunities to grow and develop my God-given talents and abilities and I have been so grateful for these people in my life. Because of these opportunities I have found myself in situations with some degree of "position power." All I have ever done is point people in the direction of "open doors." The people that have responded and then decided to set aside their worry, doubt and fear have changed themselves. I am humbled and  honored to have played a part in change, because I have learned to embrace change in my own life and understand it to be the key to success. You absolutely have to let go of the comfortable and the known to be able to venture into the unknown.

So, kudos to all of you and a BIG shout out to this amazing hobby of ours, because it is agent of change and can teach us so much about what is essential in life.

and now, for those of you that have no idea of what's going on, a little explanation is in order. As part of my quest for a RENAISSANCE this year -- I have decided to really examine what I do and why. Part of this self-reflection has led me to the decision to step down from my editorial role at Simple Scrapbooks magazine and CKMedia. I am often asked "how do you do it all?" and each time, I respond with "I don't" and I don't. I don't do it all and no one can. Life is about choices and when you sense the possibility of new directions, you have to make room and allocate energy for those possibilities. The fact is, the SS editorial team is better and stronger than ever -- they have not only internalized the original vision and overall philosophy, they have made it more beautiful and more readable and more effective and efficient than I could have  ever imagined -- and while I love contributing to the magazine, I have a strong feeling that my voice is needed in other places. The courage to make this decision has been hard-earned and I am beyond sad and will be for quite some time. Please know that I am not going away -- that as I stated in an email message to my colleagues, my passion and enthusiasm for scrapbooking is unwavering. I LOVE that I have seen this industry grow out of obscurity to become the force that it is today and I will continue to be an ambassador as it evolves into an even bigger and more widely accepted lifestyle.

You are ALL an inspiration to me and I am sincerely grateful.