In The Pits

 Michelle McClung

I am thoroughly enjoying my life at 35! Every ounce of hard work, every bit of stress, every lesson learned, and every tear that was shed in those years were all worth it because it all makes me who I am now. I have learned to roll with it, not to judge, keep an open mind, always have a smile for people, and material things really have no value. I’ve learned that life is short, appreciate the little moments, don’t sweat the small stuff, believe in yourself and I’ve finally learned to open my eyes to see how beautiful and amazing this world and all of its details truly are.

Life’s lessons have given me balance, but my peace and strength come from my family - I’m married to my best friend and we have two great little boys. To complete our family, we have two dogs and two cats. There are struggles day to day, typical for a stay at home mom of a three year old and five year old, but I would not trade in these moments for anything. When I need some me time, I will either scrapbook or go horseback riding. I might even escape in a bubble bath with a good book and glass of wine to re-set my mommy buttons!

Before I was a stay at home mom, I was a Veterinary Technician and worked with animals for 16 years. Animals are my first love, my forte, my passion. Nothing made me happier than bonding with an animal or helping them go on to live happy lives. I had worked with everything from dogs, cats, and birds to dolphins, tigers, and wolves. I look forward to going back to work when my kids are in school because I truly miss it.

For now, my days are filled with play dates, mom stuff, teaching at my local scrapbooking store and my work here at ScrapStreet, which I was lucky to have accidentally stumbled upon. I am proud of my position as a staff member of this magazine and really enjoy the friendships that I have made here. Another facet of my life that makes me- me!

Design notes: I loved the little silhouette of the boy from October Afternoon, but only had one of them. So I scanned it, shrank it down, printed it out, and then used my Cutter-Bees to cut it out in detail (I changed the hair a little on one of them.) I then had a great embellishment grouping to support my layout’s theme.