Melody's Sofa

** UPDATED Brave Girl Camp Chronicles, Part II …plus a little diversion

Brave Girl Camp Chronicles, Part II …plus a little diversion

I remember a giant realization several years back. It was a life-changer, because it brought something into my life that I thought would be forever illusive, unattainable. I learned that you can be afraid and still be brave. I learned, in fact, that bravery meant looking fear in the face and doing it anyway…whatever “it” is.

I can honestly say that I have done a lot of things in my life that have been very brave for me…..for others they may have been easy things to do, and that is totally ok….but I know for sure that I have looked fear in the face and done things anyway…and almost always, I was very glad I went for it. Some of those things I will never do again, some of them I decided to make important parts of my life.

A friend wrote something today about how important it is sometimes to share our “secret shame” in order to help others……..

I have had such a weird month. It’s been a month since we all got home from Brave Girl Camp……almost all of us have had a weird month. When your life makes such an enormous shift in just a few days…..and lots of other things externally stay the same, you are in this weird place that is inches or miles from what you knew and understood before that. It is unsettling, it is scary. It may even make you angry. It is essential for growth. It is essential for the joy and light to be able to enter in….the whole truth…..the truth is sometimes scary and shocking and new and wild and exciting and overwhelming….but the truth is always the best, the only way to move into the life that is YOUR life…just for you, meant for you, meant for serving others in ways only you can…..your truth is your truth….and only yours…

I have been trying to process the beauty mixed with the grief of the last month. I gotta come clean on why it’s been so hard for me to write. I made some big decisions when I got home. I know we all did, some of us didn’t even know it was happening, but our souls made big decisions and made us stick by them. I have been so intentional……so quiet, and have just been sitting and listening. I stopped, somehow, some really addictive behaviors, my binge sugar eating got worse for a week or so and then it stopped…..I stopped wasting hours on the computer………now, you might think this was all a wildly good thing (and it is) but…it has been incredibly uncomfortable, even painful. I even stopped drinking soda….stopped going to Sonic every day. The more addictions I have given up, the more my heart starts talking. It’s like I have been stifling my deepest everything with tons of caffeine, chocolate, work, researching, online socializing and food……(can you believe I am bearing all of this dirty laundry?)  My soul has had some things to say………..some have been hard to hear….old issues that have gone unresolved wanted to be finally heard and comforted and sure that I had not forgotten……and that I would not repeat old behaviors or actions…..or that I was working toward healing things that I have stuffed down down down………..and dreams, goals, aspirations have started to show up….accompanied by their bully doubts and fears…….all of them yelling at the same time for attention……………..

My secret shame is that I still have so many fears. I think I always will. I don’t like this….I think it is part of who I am and what I must overcome throughout my life. I have absolutely gotten into a habit of overcoming my fears, but then new ones come up.  I had a false assumption that if I kept overcoming my fears, someday I would wake up and not have fears……..and I kinda found ways to trick myself into thinking it was true…..because I found distractions….if you drink enough caffeine or eat enough chocolate or engross yourself in information overload on the internet…..or work…..you don’t have to think about anything else…………there’s the truth. I have been avoiding/distracting. But when you turn off your fears…you often turn off the rest of the parts of you that are trying to communicate.

Ok……so…..Brave Girl Camp.

People keep asking me why so many women had absolutely life-changing experiences……it is SO hard to put into words………..but, one of the biggest things that happens in the absolute AWARENESS of what is true and what is not true in your life….when you can operate from a place of solid, good, reliable and true information…..you can make powerful decisions, tremendous progress and heal all the places that have been wounded and destroyed by the lies…..

Fears are often lies….most of mine are. My fears have changed over time. Because I have done so many things and been in so many situations and lived through so many experiences….many of my fears are based on my past experiences. Still…..fears are not real….so they can not be the truth. Sometimes fear is a gift to protect us……..sometimes it’s hard to distinguish whether we are dealing with a gift or a lie……that’s why fears are so tricky…….

So….that is why it’s so important to deal with the truths…..

So our first big exercise is to create our truths………at practice camp….we made a book called “A Little Bird Told Me”  and…..it is filled with TRUTHS about us….our lives, who we really are, what we really can accomplish…..and….basically, we take the lies….the mean voices in our heads, and we combat them with TRUTHS…..they are messages from Heaven…from God, from your guardian angel, your grandfather…anyone who loves you unconditionally and knows everything about you (that is the little bird bringing you the message)…….it is a powerful, beautiful exercise….

Here are the pages from my book. (if you want to read the messages more closely, just double click on the photo and it will pop up bigger...and sorry for the quality of some of these.......)

When I got home from camp……I was on a high for days and days…..and then my heart said…”hey, remember all of that stuff we just learned?” and I knew I had to make some changes, confront some “lies” and search for more truths………….it has been an intense journey…..I know it has been for the other girls too…..painful and beautiful and essential…..we all wanted to get through some barriers….and we have……

I went for a walk about a week later. I have developed a relationship with Heaven over the years that is unique and wonderful for me. God often speaks to me in images….especially when the message is really important for my growth. I knew there was something I needed to hear on my walk…..and I felt like I should bring my camera.

In a swampy ditch I saw how when we let things pile up….it stops the flow. We have to clean out the blockages so our water can flow freely.

I saw this broken light. Now….this made me cry because I knew it was for me. Since this lightpole is over 20 feet tall…I have no idea how it got tipped like that…and you know what? It doesn’t matter……because the light feels broken….and it is broken…but…my message was….JUST SCREW IN A NEW LIGHTBULB and PUT YOUR HEAD BACK ON…then SHINE BABY, SHINE…….it’s not broken…the light is just burned out……..new lightbulb….all is well….no big deal.

Then…a bird flew right past my face…almost saying “hey watch me…watch me!!!”  So, I stopped and watched…then she flew way up and in some crazy, weird way….somehow staying in the air,  in ONE spot for 30 seconds or more………………flapping her wings like CRAZY and not going forward ONE INCH…..like there was massive, tremendous wind blowing against her….I was in awe….then, she moved over just a few inches, spread her wings and just rode on the wind….gliding effortlessly, beautifully……………making huge progress without much work….she looked like she was having a blast…..and she just moved over a few inches.

I thought for a second……..hmmmmm….I am sorta like that. Stubborn. I know I need to move over a few inches…but I wanna see if I flap hard enough if I can beat this wind.

Then I thought…I am so lame…..that was not even a message for me.

I kept walking….

And saw a birdie in a tree……….she flew right in front of my face…and did the EXACT SAME THING as the last bird, in the exact same spot.

Ok…I got the message.

Finally………..I saw this roadblock. Here’s where the biggest, most surprising message of all came…and I thought I knew what it was all about. On this day, I had submitted a bunch of my designs for a very big meeting, a very huge and important product line with a very fabulous company. I  was absolutely positive that they were going to say no. I was bracing myself for it….so, when I saw this sign and knew I was supposed to internalize it…I knew that now was not my time…that maybe someday this road would be opened for me. Frankly, there was a huge part of me that was relieved. I tried my hardest and now I did not have to face my big fears of putting more of my work out into the world.

Well….a week went by and I didn’t hear anything. So, yeh….it was not meant to be…maybe someday.

Fears can settle down now.

Then…..the suprising call came…..the first meeting was a YES.

Then another meeting was a YES

Then the big meeting was an even BIGGER YES.

And I was confused. And scared. And……….shouldn’t I have been really excited??? Well, I was excited too. But then the lies started….

“remember what happened last time you were successful? It ruined your life”
“people will not like what you make!”
“you suck, get over yourself, you are a joke!”
“you can never pull this off”
“you are lame, forget about it,don’t do it!”
“you are not strong enough to do this again”
“you are going to make a fool of yourself”
“that part of your life is over, stop trying so hard”

But……..

What the sign meant this time was….get ready, girl……it’s time for this road to be opened up. (read that sign again……it says the road IS going to open)

And…since I got home……….one door of opportunity has opened after another…..big, beautiful opportunities that totally make sense and align with all of my goals for Brave Girls Club….and allow me to work from home and focus on cherishing and loving my family and friends. And, every day, I have to swallow my fears….or spit them out, and the ugly lies…actually, and seek the truths………………that is just ONE of the gifts of Brave Girl Camp….so many more to share.

So….it’s time to pull out my book of truths. And…..finish the other projects we worked on…which I will show soon.

Pretty soon I get to show you a bunch of the products I have been working on that will be in stores soon………….then everyone will know where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing and how it will make its so that I can actually breathe in 2010 when all of these products are everywhere……and I will be able to  blog…and maybe even get a car…..and make pretty things………and all of this hard work is finally paying off!

Here’s to the truth………find it today and squash the lies.

xoxooxxo
Melody Ross


p.s.
now that I spilled my guts….I will be giving you more Brave Girl Camp memoirs…..next AMAZING, FABULOUS and WONDERFUL camp is in February….to sign up…go to www.bravegirlsclub.com to the register page

Brave Girl Camp Chronicles, Part 1

What Happened BEFORE Brave Girl Camp? Part 1

(I just finished and went back and read this post and it’s really long….it has taken me ALL week to get this post out…and I had no idea that this is even what I needed to say…..but, I guess it is…and now I know even more about why and how things happen the way that they do…and did…..and wow…..life is so full of miracles and surprises)

Before I get into what happened at Brave Girl Camp, which I will refer to as BGC from here on out in the post, I must take you back a little bit so that you can fully understand all of this from my perspective.

Like…how on earth did this ever even happen? (this was the question that I asked myself over and over DURING it all….and had to remind myself of the path that led us to where we are now.) This is me on the first day.....right when our busload of Brave Girls arrived......not many times in my life when I have felt this much happiness...but I will write about all of that later...

This is my sister. ONE of 2 of my amazing, incredible older sisters, who had TREMENDOUS impact on my growing up, and who “raised” me in so many ways….and one of 3 of all of my sisters, because we have a baby sister, too….who is wise and wonderful beyond her years…

But, THIS, is about my big sister, Kathy……my partner in Brave Girl’s Club.

Just a little more than 3 years ago, I felt very compelled to call her up and ask her for help. Now….in my family, you have to be careful when you ask for help because you will get so much help that you won’t know what to do with it all….that’s just the way my family is. I am the 6th child of 9 children. I am kind of a rebel. I decided early-on that I was gonna be the colorful sheep…..so, I’ve always been one to go and pave my own way and have always had a hard time admitting that I need help, and especially asking for help…..especially from my family. I have learned many lessons in the last 3 years.

Kathy came to help me with some problems in my business. Marq was very sick at that time, and had been for years, and I was in way over my head. I had been very diligent about not sharing my burdens with my family….half out of pride, half out of fear that they would be over-burdened and take the problems onto themselves. But,  I needed help with some problems….problems that I did not even know existed, but that I could “feel” were there…problems that were going to devastate me and I did not even know it yet, but God did…so when Kathy came, she stayed….for the next 2 years…..and she held my hand through some of the worst hell of my life. Just like she held my hand and pushed my buggy when I was a baby…and taught me how to read along with my other big sister, before I was even in Kindergarten…and brushed my hair and fixed it….and made sure I knew that it was totally o.k. that I was the only one in the family who wanted to be the wild and colorful sheep. (or maybe I just thought I was the only one)

How come I am crying already? Dang it.

Ok….well, for the last 3 years…..I have grown SO CLOSE to my family. SO CLOSE. You might look at us and think that we have always been this close. We have always LOVED each other this much….but, because there was never the time made…we have not been this close since we were kids. Kathy left to conquer the world when she was 17….that means I was 5….I remember when she packed up her car and drove away to live in the city. That was a hard hard hard day…I went in my room and cried and cried and cried…but then, I got to go and visit on weekends and summers and even got to be in a big production play one summer with her when I was 8….where she got me one of the lead roles…it was a musical. That was probably the last time I ever, ever ever sang in public……because I had to be the rebel…and I came from a family of singers and I decided that I was never gonna sing……I was gonna be colorful.

And so…..I made all of these plans….like….I was gonna go to art school. I was gonna live in New York City….I was not gonna marry til I was 30….I was only gonna have 2 kids…….I was gonna be a colorful, wild artist.

…and then I met HIM

(sorry if this photo is a little graphic...this is just exactly how I feel about him right now)

And Kathy and Lynda told me that they felt like it was gonna be o.k. if I got married at age 18 when I asked them if it was nuts that I was so absolutely in love with him and could not imagine ever living without him and I felt like I had loved him and dreamed him up all of my life and that he was born for me and I was born for him…and I asked them what they thought…and it’s kinda crazy, but….they said that….a guy like this, who meshed so well with a girl like this….and a LOVE like this…..this was the real deal…….(and I think that they knew what they were talking about) So Kathy made my bridesmaid dresses and Lynda helped make decorations….and they helped me plan my wedding and I got married……2 weeks after High School graduation. And ALL of us fell in love with this man…..the whole family.

Well flash forward 16 years. I was almost 35 years old. I had been all over the world…I had made all of my dreams come true. My life was everything I dreamed up…..but my heart was broken into thousands of pieces and it was about to get waaaay worse. My sister showed up. You have to understand that I’d spend the last 10 years traveling, working, working, working, working, working…………I hardly EVER saw my extended family. On holidays I was often so exhausted that I didn’t even go to holiday stuff…..my priorities were totally messed up, and I had fallen into a “survive”’ pattern.

BUT during those years, Kathy had given birth to her first 2 daughters, Kallie and Chelsea. (I was 10 when Kallie was born, 12 when Chelsea was born) When I got married they were just pre-teens…..they used to come over just about every weekend and stay at MY house when I got married…we never were in a musical together…but we made stuff, we danced, we sang songs, we had parties…..I remember so many times we had 8 or 10 of their friends lined up in our tiny living room for a huge slumber party…..then, they became teenagers, and still spent so many of their weekends with friends, and boyfriends…..at our house, influencing OUR daughters, loving OUR kids…..and the circle went on. They were our “nannies” when I was working so much and Marq was so sick. They “raised” my children in so many ways.    Over the years, I have held hands on one end with my older sisters and my younger sister, and on the other end with their daughters and my daughters…..and then there’s our mom….who taught us about ALL of it….she is so close to her sisters, and her mother…..and we learned this from her.

My nieces were there through ALL of the stuff, it felt like it was ok that they saw all of the hard stuff that was happening because they were just girls….in some way, I trusted that they would not see how much I needed help….but, they did…they never made me feel like I was failing…. I didn’t know that little girls could be such a huge and amazing strength……but, now they are women. And, they were my best friends then, and they are my best friends now, along with my sisters and my other nieces.

Sooooooo, during the hellish few years when Kathy showed up……..I finally started telling her things that I should have shared with my family all along. Things that were weighing on me, things that were killing me. She kept asking me why I didn’t ask for help sooner……I didn’t even know the answer. I think we just sometimes forget  about all of the people who love us who are right there to help us if we will just ask. She would be there every day to tell me I needed to fix my makeup because I had cried again, all the way to work. She was there a few years later when I told her that I had just realized that it had been an entire week since I had shed a tear……and what a miracle that felt like. She has been here over this last year when we really only cry tears of joy or extreme laughter. I don’t even have to ever mention again what has happened in the past, because she was there.

But….over those years, she would just ask me questions. That is where her brilliance lies. She knows how to get very deep and personal answers out of us……she does not ever give her opinion or start preaching, even though she is one of the wisest human beings I have ever met, and filled with more peace than I could ever describe…..she just asks questions….and asks and asks and asks…until you get to the truth BY YOURSELF….sometimes she will share stories about her own life…but never to preach, just to share the way SHE got there….

And, one of the questions she would ask me over and over and over….is what do you really really really want to do? What do you really really really love?  What makes your heart sing…..what do you feel like you were sent to this earth to do?

I would start talking……it was hard at first to remember my dreams. It was hard to think about things that I loved to do, or that I was good at, because I was so far away from it…..it was hard to see how off track I was from a joyful, authentic path….but, she kept going……she kept asking.

Those questions led me to place of bravery. When I started to see what it was that I really wanted, I started to feel like I wanted and needed to fight for it. It was a slow process…..it took tons of patience…I went backwards lots of days….I stopped believing, but I kept answering…..

And, the culmination of those answers that were lying deep deep deep in my heart, under layers and layers and layers of disappointment, fear, pain, anger, resentment…….was a big huge dream…a big huge idea…..Brave Girls Club.

We would talk, and talk and talk about this idea…..about what we REALLY wanted to do with our lives, and who we wanted to do it with. We realized that we wanted to do the same sorts of things……but we had different pieces. She had all the things that I lacked….I had some of the things that she lacked……we talked and talked about how we could make it a reality……LIFE-CHANGING FUN FOR WOMEN……a website, an online community, online classes….RETREATS.

We made a plan. (she made me make a plan….kicking and screaming……..I am not a structure person)…….I wrote the content, she built the website….we made schedules….we sketched out a vision for it….we prayed…A LOT……we talked, asked each other questions…enlisted trusted loved ones in the idea…….BELIEVED.

We decided to sacrifice everything we had to make it happen…….because it felt like the right thing to do.

And…….of course….the gals showed up to work their booties off and brainstorm with us…Kallie and Chelsea…………..and….we decided to just GO FOR IT……we’d start with the retreat and then we’d keep working on the rest……and more gals showed up…true blue friends…more family (which I will talk about in part 2)

And….HE showed up…..my soulmate…my best friend….my life’s gift…my eternal gift. He finally showed up again this year…THIS YEAR after being so sick and gone for the last 5 years….he came back…..and he has been such a HUUUUGE part of making all of this real. We could never have done this without him.

And of course, God was in it the whole time.

I guess I wanted to start this series of posts about BGC by telling you that never, ever EVER in a million years could we EVER have done this without our family. I would not be here living this joyful new life without the help of my family and dear friends, our retreat would never have happened, EVER, without the VERY HARD WORK of so many loving people who could see and believe in our vision the way that we did.

AND, most of all, I want you to know that even though everyone who participated in BGC had a wonderful, fulfilling, even life-changing time that we so wanted, prayed for, envisioned and worked very hard to prepare for because we loved every single one of those women SO MUCH….the unexpected thing that happened for me is that I am pretty sure that I came away with just as much, I know Kathy did too.

I thought that I already knew the power of love…..I didn’t. I saw it more, I felt it more….I thought I knew what it meant to heal to wholeness…..but became even more whole. I thought I had seen the greatest miracles I would ever see in my lifetime….but more were waiting, and so spectacular. I thought I was done making best friends…..but NO WAY….forged friendships that are eternal and deep and wonderful…….

I thought that God would show me how I can help others heal the way He helped me heal, and He did….but, what He REALLY did……..was healed up everything that was left to heal in ME too….stuff that I thought I would just have to live with for the rest of my life, and I was even o.k. with living with.

I watched beautiful women make incredible things out of scraps from my past (literally and figuratively) that I had a hard time parting with……and take them home in the form of birds and collages and miracles………….so many of my experiences that I used to tearfully ask “WHY ME?” about….finally made sense…….because my pain was a tiny part of someone else’s miracle. I saw other’s women’s pain turn into someone else’s miracle….I saw their scraps turn into someone else’s treasure. I saw women find themselves and find each other. It was so beautiful for me. I was not expecting that part……I just wasn’t. So many blessings come when we are least expecting them. Kathy even got me to sing with her......which was a huge miracle in and of itself!

So……I have millions more words to write…but I will stop here for now. I wanted you to know, before I show what a spectacular event we were so blessed to be a part of, that it was SO MUCH BIGGER than one person, or two people…….it was a watched-over, blessed, miraculous week, possible because of hundreds of helping hands and good thoughts and prayers and donations of time and gifts and talents…….and thirty or so PHENOMENAL, SOULFUL, FAITH-FULL women who came with willing hearts, ready to fly, ready to soar. You have touched my life more than you will ever know, and I love you more than those mascarpone chocolate desserts and even the lemon blossoms. I love you with all of my overflowing heart.

And, I just want to say thank you.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

We are already ready to do this again.......if you wanna sign up for one of the 4 Brave Girl Camps we are gonna do next year....we would sure LOOOVE to have you there...

go to

www.bravegirlsclub.com

If you want to read testimonials from some of our beautiful Brave Girls....

Jeanne

www.bushelandapeck.typepad.com

Teresa

www.teresacollins.typepad.com

Becky

www.farmgirlpaints.blogspot.com

Lissa

www.adashofhumblepie.blogspot.com

Camille

www.shesonehotmama.blogspot.com

Kallie

www.allthingsgoddess.blogspot.com

Jeri Lynn

www.jurralynn.wordpress.com

More inspiring posts about Brave Girls.....Life Changing Fun for Women!!!

Hi Friends!!!!
I am still working on my post...this is so huuuge for me...hard to put into words....

but...I totally didn't even put Becky's link on the last post right...and you are totally missing out if you did not get to read her post on her wonderful blog (which you will want to follow for sure...as well as the others that I linked you to last!

Sooo, as I scour through the hundreds and hundreds of beautiful photos, trying to figure out which ones to post, and how, exactly to put this all into words....PLEASE read these two blog posts from fellow Brave Girls...(which by the way is not an exclusive club...anyone can join!!!) www.bravegirlsclub.com

Becky's post 

www.farmgirlpaints.blogspot.com

Teresa's post

teresacollins.typepad.com

xoxoxoxox much love and happiness and all that good stuff...

melody

feels sooo good.

Feels soooooo amazingly PEACEFUL...so good....beyond words good...to follow your dreams...to see them realized.....to rest in the peace of it.

Today is my 38th birthday...and it sure is feeling like it's gonna be the best year yet...just got back from our first, ever Brave Girl Camp.....it was a zillion times more incredible, magical and perfect than any of us ever could have dreamed....it was all about the people who found their way there, mixed with the changes in weather that seemed to accompany the exact processes we were going through.....and the music...and the food.....ooooooh, the food. There was just a huge blanket of love, peace, hope, creativity and truth over the entire place, the entire time.....hard to explain....but, every moment just felt good.....so much peace, happiness, laughter, progress.....

As I compose my thoughts over the next few days (and my posts definitely will have to be split up into several posts, just too much magic to share....) please see the blogs of a few of the Brave Girls who made it up there...as more of them post on their blogs, I will add their links....

See you soon......this is truly going to be THE BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE!

Jeanne's blog

www.bushelandapeck.typepad.com

Lissa's blog

www.adashofhumblepie.blogspot.com

Becky's blog

www.adashofhumblepie.blogspot.com

Kallie's Blog

http://allthingsgoddess.blogspot.com

LIFE CHANGING FUN FOR WOMEN……ohhhh yes!

I loooove what I am about to write about….hope you will too! I know it’s long….but I couldn’t leave ANYTHING out!

Yesterday marked the 2 week point til we leave for our first ever Brave Girl Camp – LIFE-CHANGING FUN FOR WOMEN (My sister Kathy’s, and my new business venture….women’s retreats…) www.bravegirlsclub.com  ...and, folks…..this is a dreamy dreamy dreamy fact of life these days….that this big dream is becoming such a miraculous reality in such an easy, fun, amazing and light-filled way.

We hosted a very small practice camp last week….just to get a feel for it……and….WOW…there are just not many words that could describe it…Alison flew in from Australia and Janet flew in from Tennessee….and Camille flew over, wings a flappin’ from her nest in Boise….like I said…it’s hard to explain how amazing it all was….but I sure have tons of photos to share…and I will try as hard as I can to explain the magic of it all…and what can be expected at our actual camp in a few weeks…..

When things FLOW this much…and everything falls into place…and all of the right people show up…along with the right inspiration, the right goodies….the right spirit…the right EVERYTHING…you just KNOW it has to be right…and it is. I mean…in the middle of a recession….our retreat sold out in less than 2 weeks with just ONE emailing……………Brave Girls Club and everything that is planned to go along with it (including our 4+ per year retreats) is my new career path……with lots of product designing thrown in for lots of wonderful companies….but really, truly…….my heart is set with my sister….and we are determined to create a community of women who dream big dreams and live with big hearts and overcome big obstacles and lead ordinary, brave and wonderful lives…..in all of their forms….as one of our first Brave Girls, Jeanne Oliver said….

”I think anytime you can stand up for what you believe in and do it with respect you are being brave. I think trying to raise your kids the best you can is brave. Getting up in the morning and taking care of others when you want to be selfish is brave. Life in general can be tough. Cleaning a little boy's toilet is brave...I mean seriously....have you seen how bad that can get???”

I LOVE IT!!!! She is so absolutely RIGHT…..we are all leading lives every day of purpose and passion……and what some would even call “ordinary” tasks…..but moving forward every day on the path that YOU KNOW is just for YOU…whatever that is…..STAYING on that path…it’s so brave…..when the world is trying to pull you in all sorts of other directions….and even tell that what is in YOUR heart is too ordinary…boring….simple…………WE KNOW…as all brave women do…..that the best things are THE SIMPLEST things….and staying true to those things, as hard as it may be….is the key to an uncommonly amazing and wonderfully happy life…a brave life.

Our #1 goal is to help all of these women find EACH OTHER……

.....and inspire, lift up and encourage each other…make each other laugh…..give each other ideas….send each other chocolate……remind each other to just put one step in front of another and stop and smell the roses, too……….we have SO MANY WONDERFUL things planned….and our retreats are just one little piece of the pie…..there’s life-changing fun ahead for women everywhere YAY!!!!!

So…..with that said……..
Here’s some great photos from our practice retreat……..
I will give you a little recap of our adventure….

Well…..first….we did our practice at a different cabin than the actual brave girl cabin…..because we only had a few people and didn’t have such a big space…but I would love to thank the Merrill’s for letting us borrow their awesome lakeside cabin for our practice…it was magical and beautiful and perfect….

When we got there…….we immediately started setting up our loads and loads and loads of art supplies. I have decided to just take my accumulation of 20 years of artsyness…..and with it all sorted out into trunks and old suitcases and wonderful containers of all kinds……just put it out for everyone to use for their projects while we are there ……one of the luxuries of hosting small retreats……so…we set up….(at Brave Girl Camp we will have this all set up on tables and shelves in our Art Tent) www.bravegirlsclub.com

but, for now, we got to just put it all around us and it was absolutely heavenly!

While we were setting up….Kathy was in the kitchen making something wonderful for us to eat……as she was every 3 or 4 hours for our entire trip….mmmm….there’s nothing like being treated with home-cooked, love-cooked food…..beautiful food.…on pretty pretty dishes….

After we got the gals all set up on their very meaningful project (which I can’t tell you about yet because it would spoil the surprise for our upcoming camp) I got to sneak downstairs and decorate the dining room for dinner……amongst the aroma of my sister’s cooking and her beautiful voice singing and humming……….

NOW THIS, my friends…..made me giggle and get all giddy and smiley for an hour……………I took down the plaid curtains and put up lime green gossamer and white lights on the cabin windows….and Chenille tablecloths…and pretty, bright, wonderful dishes…and goblets….and REAL FABRIC napkins that we sewed up for everyone….and I covered the chairs in the chair covers we made……and seriously….I could NOT stop giggling…..dreams coming true feel just like that……..

When we were ready….we called the gals down for dinner………….OH I LOVED THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES when they saw our dinner all set up….made me so happy…I think I mighta even shed a tear amongst the giggles I was still giggling.

We enjoyed some lovely lovely appetizers……..including some delicious chocolate treats and tarts (dessert first is a great rule sometimes!) and….we sat down for dinner….

The food was amazing and the company was even better………we learned so much about each other….how big and small our dreams are….how much we have in common, how we are wonderfully different….how good it felt to voice things that we had forgotten about (like…how we all got stuck on the question “what do you love to do?”) we realized there were so many important things that we don’t to think about often enough as women………..we laughed A LOT…we cried a bit…….we bonded BIG TIME…..we shared a common love for all things chocolate.

Then we worked our project til late into the night…..and enjoyed a midnight snack of freshly torched Crème Brulee…thank you very much……do I even have to say how great THAT was?

We woke up the next morning to the wonderful aroma of fresh hot chocolate and the crisp breeze of mountain air coming through the windows…..if you have never experienced it…there’s absolutely NOTHING like waking up in the mountains. Seems like you are just so close to Heaven that nothing can touch you, bother you, worry you…..with nature ALL around you to remind you of the special love and care that went into creating this planet for our joy………and you can’t HELP but feel it……

Cami went running…..I sat out on the porch just soaking in the miracle of it all…Kathy was in the Kitchen with the girls…I could hear them laughing and talking …..and then we all sat down for breakfast…and then went for a walk up the mountain…..at the top……FOR REALS…was this sign…that simply said “FLY” ….what a gift straight from the sky……..so amazing.

We came back and got artsy again………..so amazing. We all just went into our worlds of reflection and had really amazing breakthroughs while experimenting with lots of paint….glitter…ribbon…paper……ribbon……..you name it…….

Everyone had such very personal books when we were done……this book is a treasure to me.

We stopped to eat….but not for long…then we went back to painting….

And then we stopped for dinner……….and then we went for an amazing evening walk.

We walked by the lake, through an ENTIRE field of 4 leaf clovers….WHO KNEW??? Yes, we felt very very LUCKY……..there were birds EVERYWHERE…and when I stooped down to take photos of the clovers……I saw these beautiful white wings…..so so so beautiful…

We trekked up the hill again and then decided to drive across the lake to the beach…this was Cam’s idea…and what a GREAT idea. The lighting was perfect, the magic kinda light that even makes you look good when you are in your PJ pants and have not really put on any make up…and have had a long, lovely day………..so, we took advantage of the light and took lots of photos…..funny thing is…you might think that we all knew each other really well before we took off for the mountains together….but, in reality….we all really only knew each other casually…..mostly through Facebook…..we have all been writing to each other for months and years….but this was our first time meeting in person in most cases…..by the end of that first 2 days….we knew we had found soul-deep lifelong friends….that is the magic of spending this kind of time together.

Birds flying over us, high in the sky, were the only other friends on the lake……….we kinda had the whole place to ourselves.

MAGIC, I tell ya….MAGIC.

Keep in mind that this was just a little TEST…a tiny little sampling of what our retreat will actually be………our schedule at the retreat is a little more organized, ok, a LOT more (you can see the schedule HERE)…and our projects are more in number….and you certainly won’t see me in PJ pants…..we will have 5 set tables instead of 1……and SO MANY MORE surprises to come…..www.bravegirlsclub.com

I feel kinda bad sometimes talking about all of this…..because I wish EVERYONE I KNEW and even those I DON’T KNOW could come…….it is a life changing bunch of days……an experience that will stay with us forever………..I hope you can come next year…..the spots are already starting to fill up…..

BUT, I ALSO want you to know……and this is my biggest reason for sharing this…is that THIS DREAM has been on my heart and in my mind for more years than I can remember…and that it was an ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS idea to do this, considering where I was in my life, where my sister was, and where our economy is…….but the FIRE would not go out in my heart……….or in hers…….and so WE JUST DID IT…we put EVERYTHING we had into it…..EVERYTHING…..and, our hearts were on fire the whole time……so many smiles….jumping out of bed every morning to get things ready (and so much more now that the real deal is only 2 weeks away!) We are doing this because we KNOW we are supposed to. This is our path….it is!!!!!! 

And so….I challenge you to DO THAT THING…..THAT CRAZY, RIDICULOUS, WONDERFUL THING that is in your heart right now….that thing that scares the heck out of you but excites every part of you at the same time….that thing that you think you might have been created JUST to do in your lifetime…….that thing that would make you sooo happy……………….even if it scares you. Take a step….do one thing to get you closer…..and when you are ready….JUMP IN…DO IT!

AND….I hope with everything that is in me that we get to see you and meet you at one of our Brave Girl Camps in the future………but, know that we are working on a worldwide, interactive blog…with online classes and events that EVERYONE can participate in….and in creating a catalyst to help all of you brave, brave women to find each other…wherever you are…..we need each other, gals…we really do.

HOORAY FOR DREAMS COMING TRUE!!
xoxoxox
melody

Please check out my new collection, ARTSY URBAN!!!! xoxoxo

ARTSY URBAN....whew!

Sooooooo.......

A month or so after Chatterbox was all done.....I sat down and talked to an old friend......and....after much encouragement and brainstorming, he talked me into designing a few lines....................and, I am so glad that he did this for me.........sometimes we just need someone to believe in us enough to kick us into gear.

So........I busted a move....and designed some art that I loved....and, he took it out and showed it to a whole bunch of stores....and, a whole bunch of stores wanted it! YAY!!!!  I would like to thank this friend, from the bottom of my  heart....for helping me see what could be done if we put our heads together......and....

without further explanation....just....go here to  new artsy urban collection to check out my  new line, shipping into Michael's Arts and Crafts next week.....and into other stores all over the USA and hopefully internationally soon after!!!! I love it! Michael's has already asked for another collection, so I have been working hard on HOMESPUN CHIC....and that collection will be coming soon too!!!!

I will post my own photos soon...but for now, check out GCD Studios blog.......their awesome design team is posting pictures all day. It's a huge line, so keep checking back!!!

www.gcdstudios.blogspot.com

xoxoxox
melody

Sooooooo.......

A month or so after Chatterbox was all done.....I sat down and talked to an old friend......and....after much encouragement and brainstorming, he talked me into designing a few lines....................and, I am so glad that he did this for me.........sometimes we just need someone to believe in us enough to kick us into gear.

So........I busted a move....and designed some art that I loved....and, he took it out and showed it to a whole bunch of stores....and, a whole bunch of stores wanted it! YAY!!!!  I would like to thank this friend, from the bottom of my  heart....for helping me see what could be done if we put our heads together......and....

without further explanation....just....go here to  new artsy urban collection to check out my  new line, shipping into Michael's Arts and Crafts next week.....and into other stores all over the USA and hopefully internationally soon after!!!! I love it! Michael's has already asked for another collection, so I have been working hard on HOMESPUN CHIC....and that collection will be coming soon too!!!!

I will post my own photos soon...but for now, check out GCD Studios blog.......their awesome design team is posting pictures all day. It's a huge line, so keep checking back!!!

www.gcdstudios.blogspot.com

xoxoxox
melody

3 blog posts coming......

It's pretty bad when I can't even remember my username and password to sign in to my blog!!!!!

I HAVE BEEN SOOOOOOO BUSY!!!!! Living and planning and making it happen....enjoying and savoring and loving my family and friends...and...designing up a storm......

Made a plan 6 months ago to have several new product lines out by 2010.....to get our life back to "stabile"....to NOT work on Sundays....and take one more day off somewhere in there every week to find joy and fun (I am a TRUE yellow, and totally MOTIVATED by FUN).....to get Brave Girls Club off the ground and our first retreat underway (sold out in 12 days from our emailing!!!!)

SOOOOO, that has meant that I have had to work just about every free second to make it happen. BUT....the planning has paid off.....several wonderful product lines in the works......Brave Girls Club totally underway (and starting an AMAZING NEW BLOG as part of it...with life-changing fun for every woman alive) and LIFE IS GOOD. I even feel life stabilizing.............and NOW.....part of my goals are to blog more often. I  have done so great at keeping up on all of my goals...I think it's finally time....PLUS...I will have more to talk about now that things are moving and shaking..........

So, my friends, my dear, brave friends.....please don't ever give up. I do not have words for how dark and painful and scary and horrible my life was for the better part of 4-5 years....it was VERY HARD to get up every day and face my life. Sometimes that's all that I could do....sometimes I couldn't. BUT....I AM SO THANKFUL for the fire of hope that was still in there..........that I was able to believe still existed.....and....that angels and friends and MIRACLES happened every day.....and.....

HERE WE ARE. We are ok! We are on the other side of it!!!!! WE REALLY ARE!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!! A new chapter has started...and these are the first words:

GO WHERE THE PEACE IS.

That's my new slogan..............I will be telling you much, much MUCH more about that later...but now, I have to begin writing 3 blog posts about 3 different things that are amazing and wonderful.......

xoxoxoxoxoxox
I have missed you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
melody

don't miss out.....seats are going FAAAAAST!

Hi Friends!!!!!!
Can you tell how excited I am about Brave Girl's Camp????? Well, tonight is the last night for the early bird registration special...saving you $200...........if you register by the end of August, you still save $100......but tonight's the last night for the BIG special!!! We are halfway to sold-out...after only a week! Sooooo, be sure to register soon soon soooon if you want to come.....and we really really REAAAALLLY want you to come!!! There are so many surprises and very special things that will only be happening at this debut retreat....I hope you will be one of our "original" Brave Girl Campers!!!!!
register at
bravegirlsclub.com

broken things to mend....

ok....I have to admit that I cried a little today......shed a few tears....tried not to....but, I did. Little tears turned to big alligator tears and I sat and cried like a little girl whose heart was broken.

Today did not go at all like I planned....and, I actually DID plan for once in my life....I made a 30 day schedule, filled in all the little rectangles for what I was to do with my time each hour....hour by hour, day by day......because the next 30 days is just so crazy...so much to do...so little time....

.......but, today did not go according to schedule.
I was going to do a little photo shoot to tell everyone how excited I am about upcoming things.....mostly Brave Girls Club.....and my new line with Scentsy....and my new line with Michael's......but today I was going to show you some of the really beautiful things that I found over the weekend for Brave Girls Camp.....so, I set up a photo shoot in my garage....I was gonna set up some of the Brave Girl Camp messages that will be all over the lodge....like the one above, with a little tube of glue under it...see that?.....I was gonna shoot those with some of the collection of vintage dishes that we are collecting for our meals together....just a pretty little photo shoot.....which was to take 1 rectangle out of my new schedule...but ended up taking 4 tear-stained rectangles.....

Let me start by telling you about this birdie sculpture and what I went through to get it........and then, what it has taught me today......
Last week, I drove to Salt Lake City to launch a new line of products that I designed for Scentsy....they were having their amazing yearly convention, and I had the wonderful opportunity to teach how to use the products I designed and to show some of my creations....it was a fabulous adventure....I will tell more about that later...photos and all....

Sooooooo, because of my recent decisions to only take jobs that do not impede my life goals.....family-wise, personally, soul-wise, etc.......I am still quite "broke" financially..lots of stuff in the works...but I am currently in the planting season and having faith in the coming harvest....I like to say...I am in between fortunes..lol......but, every single penny is precious and watched over........I had a little bit of money for gas, a little for food.....so, I decided that if I watched what I ate over my trip.....I might have a few extra bucks if I found a treasure or two....

So....I basically ate apples, some nuts.....a few slices of deli turkey.......ate in the car.....and I went treasure hunting...

I scoured shops for treasures and when I was at a really great shop, I saw the birdie sculpture above...it was realllllly expensive (to me, anyway :) ).....the ones I saw in the front of the store also had ONE more bird than the one shown.....I knew I couldn't afford that sculpture but I really really wanted it to decorate the cabin for Brave Girls Camp......we have been collecting all sorts of fabrics, curtains, table cloths......artwork.....it's going to be incredible...I have been looking for special birdies to put all over the cabin....and I loved the "sisterhood" of this one........I just loved it....but, it was too much money....

Well.....I found LOTS of other things...beautiful little yellow dishes, flower shaped dishes......gorgeous serving dishes....great prices, so I picked them up.......then, I found the broken, damaged section.....75% off!! And, there was one of the sculptures...missing a birdie.....but everything else about it was perfect....it was still a little pricey....but, I got it and just ate less.....

Well...........

This morning, my amazing sister Kathy, my Brave Girls Club partner....she came over and we looked at all of my new treasures that I sacrificed eating for...lol...........we loved them....we ooooohed and ahhhhhhed over them....I wanted to show them to you....soooo, I set up a photo shoot

All was well....until.....the light was not quite right and I scooted the table a tiny bit to the right.....then, the legs of the table collapsed on one side....and there was nothing I could do.....I watched beautiful little yellow bowls.....several cool pots....plates....and, my birdie sculpture crash to the ground and shatter, shatter, shatter into pieces. All of that stuff that might as well have cost a million dollars because it was all I had in the world when I bought it............

So, what did I do?
Well, I have learned a little trick over time.....over lots of life experience.........
so.....I automatically used that trick....

I just stopped for a minute and tried to make a decision about how I would react to this little disaster. I just made a choice. (through tears coming)

Honestly, my heart really did break when I saw all of those pieces sitting there. I tried really hard not to cry........and I didn't cry for a while.

I looked at the pieces....they were everywhere...spread all over the place...little shards...just pieces everywhere..........but, I went inside to find some glue.

Then, I sat and glued the whole thing back together....piece by piece....with glue that required lots of time holding the pieces together before they would bond.....the longer I sat there, the harder it was not to cry...and when Marq drove up and saw me sitting in the garage surrounded by all of my broken treasures and all of their pieces....that's when I burst out into big huge tears.....I couldn't help it.

He sat down next to me....asked what he could do to help. He brought me a heat gun to make the gluing go faster...he looked for pieces.........he didn't tell me I was being ridiculous....

when he did all he could, he left me alone.......while I looked at this little bird......

I noticed this big, giant hole in her heart........for the longest time I couldn't find the pieces to fill in that hole...I looked all over the garage....and then I finally found them....I also saw that her beak was broken off............a hole in her heart and no way to voice her feelings............oh just break my heart right now!

This little birdie is the whole reason I stayed in that garage for 4 hours searching for, finding and holding pieces together until it was a whole as possible....whole with holes.....but, as few holes as possible....

I remember being this bird. I remember loving friends and family searching the world over to find the pieces...I remember having them sit beside me when I still did not have my beak.......I remember...I could never, ever forget it.......I never, ever will.

I rearranged the birds when I finished gluing them all together....I put her right under the wing of one of the birds and very cuddly close to another....in between.......so all of her raw and hurting edges were warmed and healed by a friend......on all sides...that's how life should be.........

I also remember when I finally let myself do that......one of the hardest things, ever.....to let people really really REALLLLY love you and really help you.....

I am still learning.

I looked at the sculpture.......
when I was done...
she still is missing her beak....
she still has a hole in one of her wings....

Is it all good enough to take to our retreat...I mean...it's broken??? Most of the tails of the birds have visible cracks that I glued back together.........

Then, I thought....

THIS IS WHAT IT"S ALL ABOUT...come as you are.....broken......holes in heart.......without a voice.......in pieces.........that's what this is all about.....come as you are....

I hope you understand...I do...I hope this message is for someone out there...usually is.......I hope you understand how important it is to put your wing over injured birds...and ALSO how important it is to let other birdies do this for you....instead of trying to be the maverick birdie...instead of being ashamed of your holes and your broken wings...............and broken beaks.

Friendship, sisterhood is so important......I am learning this...I am accepting this (had amazing friendship experiences on my road trip that I will never, ever forget...and that I totally needed)......and, this is really, truly what Brave Girls Club is all about.....and especially what Brave Girl Camp is all about........it's about sitting together, in whatever state of wholeness we are in........and making the most of it.......and reminding and teaching each other how to fly again......sometimes even searching for each other's pieces....or our own...sometimes letting holes be holes.....and being ok with that, too....but mostly getting to a place where we can FLY again.........and we all will fly again....we will!!!

So, my broken sculpture will most assuredly be at BGC.......it will....it will be at every camp we have...it will always be a reminder of what is whole and real and true.................and, it was worth missing a real meal, and 4 rectangles on my calendar for.....broken and all.

xooxox
melody

happy. tired......and finally getting there.....

Yes...the HAPPY kind of tired...

You know what I mean? .......when you have worked your tushy off and things start to come together...and you are just...bone deep exhausted...but in such a good way...a totally productive, WE MADE IT kind of way....the way you feel when you run through the finish line and take a big drink of water....and, maybe the rest is only for a little bit....but.....you get to sit and enjoy that beautiful kind of tired that comes from making it to your next point in the journey.

So....last night, just before midnight...we finally launched the BRAVE GIRLS CLUB website....included are all of the details for our very first, very special BRAVE GIRL CAMP....you can see it here...but let me tell you a little bit about all of this before you go...my friends that I showed the site to last night said that now they understand why I have been so busy..............not only have we been working feverishly to get this retreat ready...all of the curriculum and planning....but...I have been working on several new product lines simultaneously....and I'm almost done with so many big projects and I can't wait to get back to blogging regularly.

FIRST, BRAVE GIRLS CAMP!!!!......I don't know any other words to say that explain it better.......than....THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE....seriously.....I wish I could just tell you in a way that you would totally understand...but...just, try to understand...DREAM COME TRUE...and.................I promise....if you can come, this retreat will be a dream come true for you too.......we're pulling out all of the stops on this, our debut retreat, making it the most special 4 days you could ever, ever EVER imagine.

You'll see when you visit the website, that it was a true labor of love and heart and soul.....this whole process has been.....this is SOOO important to me...sooo important to my sister....this is a big deal to us because we want our retreats to be LIFETIME experiences.....life changing and memorable and incredible and empowering and wonderful......we have been working days and nights to make this possible....planning, saving, working, creating...hunting down treasures and details and surprises for all of the participants....writing meaningful curriculum and creating fabulous projects and searching for and trying out the perfect recipes.....

We want this to be an absolutely perfect, magical and valuable 4 days........

So, it's a significant financial investment in yourself to go to this, one that YOU are absolutely worth.....sometimes we rationalize our way out of doing the things that we need to do most for ourselves.......but..........we thought.....if you saved all your pennies and nickles and dimes and dollars....because you NEED to get unstuck....you need to move forward, you need help in finding your path again....you need to find your courage and learn tools to make wonderful things happen in your life.....you NEED to make these new and lasting friendships and you need to get away from life.....and enter into a real, literal RETREAT from everything...into a positive, peaceful, beautiful, fun, supportive, safe artsy place where your companionship is absolutely treasured....where your presence is appreciated and your sacrifice to be there is absolutely understood..............if you are willing to make that sacrifice.....

.....then we are absolutely willing to make it the experience of a lifetime......and, you have my promise...and I know for sure my big sister's promise....that we are working SO HARD to create this experience for all Brave Girls Camp participants.........we are making this our huuuuge focus.....this is not only a very important business venture to us...but, we feel part of our life's most important work........

....this is like no other retreat that you have ever attended.....

I hope you can come.....I know it's going to require an enormous sacrifice for so many of the women who want to be there most....just know, that we are sacrificing right along with you..because THIS IS IMPORTANT....

Also know...that if you can't make it to this one, we will be holding Brave Girls Camp quarterly, along with other retreats of varying time lengths and intensity....so...if you can't come this time, please plan to come to another one!

*****************************
In other news, goodness gracious have I been busy..........on Monday I will be making a big announcement about a really exciting, innovative product line that I will be debuting on Thursday in Salt Lake City......I can't tell about it until after the convention that I am participating in this weekend......but, I promise to show and tell on Monday.........

And.....in October, a new line of Melody Ross products will be debuting with a major retailer in the US....I will keep you posted........but here's a little sneak peek of the packaging you should look for.....

I hope you are keeping the faith......I know things are tough in the world right now...I hope you are keeping your head up....making things better wherever and whenever you can, and then just letting the rest of it go......I hope you are finding happiness and joy and light somewhere inside of everything you are doing......I still believe there's beauty and wonder and that dreams can come true.......and that they do....in their own little, magical ways...and in their own time.

Things are gonna work out........life is good and there's so much to be thankful for.....
I hope you are constantly focusing on those very things....

xoxox
melody