Wednesday Sponsor Giveaway: Freehand Scraps, Big Picture Scrapbooking, + Paper & Co. Show

It may not sound like much to others, but it was huge for me. I went to the doctor to talk to him about the depression that I have been feeling and to discuss the best ways to go about losing weight and getting more healthy.

i'm student teaching right now in 9th grade. i'd forgotten how crazy 9th graders can be. my leap of late is realizing that now only can i do this, but i can enjoy it as well. it may not sound like much, but it's a giant leap to me.

Fun giveaways! My most recent leap has probably been returning to the gym. I haven't been in a few years and I feel soooo uncomfortable there, out of my comfort zone. But I have been consistently going for a month now and it is amazing how quickly you get used to it. Thanks, Ali! I love seeing all your cute ideas on your blog.

i did need to read this today! my most recent "leap" was starting my own business in an effort to leave my current full time job. i am not happy there and want to be at home with my husband and son more. i am the "breadwinner" and it is very scary thinking about building my business to a point that it will support us the way my secular job does now. thanks for all your encouragement ali, and good luck with your new family member when she gets here. she is already loved so much!

My biggest leap of faith is finally quitting my job after 5 years in the public accounting field. It has been a very tiring and stressful 5 years of my life. Now I am working in a private multinational company which is just right for me.

My leap: I signed up for LOM! Whoever wins the Italy tickets...take the leap and find a way to go! I was just there in November and it is amazing.

i used to think that having courage was for the big and scary things in our lives, but this week i learned a valuable lesson. having courage can come in handy when we are dealing with small and mundane things. this week i had courage to ask for help with something that i thought i could handle on my own, but after asking for help, i realized i couldn't have handled it on my own. having the courage to just put myself out there and to show that i can be vulnerable and that i can't do this all on my own made all the difference.

A leap of faith for me was getting in touch with my stepdaughter's mother and establishing a relatioship for the sake of family. It turned out great.

Leap of courage? I am a law student & am currently working on my first trial. I am feeling pretty courageous! Winning a giveaway would feel like the perfect reward! :-)

I was layed off for 3 months and was offered a permanent position 45 minutes from home one way. I also was offered a temp position 5 minutes from home. I took a leap and took the temp postition and hoped for a perm position. It paid off and I got a perm position 3 months later. Now I am glad I was laid off before Christmas 07.

My biggest leap of faith recently has been finally opening up photoshop and learning how to use it. I never realized that I would like digital scrapbooking so much!

My big leap of courage has taken place over a few years. I've been uprooted many many times within the last 12 years while married to my husband and it is always an act of courage to find and maintain friendships. I'm a teacher and I've never wanted to pursue an advanced degree. However, in the last year, I've pursued and attained my master's degree AND have begun the National Board process all while working full time as a teacher and part time as a part of the Clemson Univ. faculty. This has been a huge sacrifice of time for me, but most importantly for my family. It has been a leap of faith due to financial commitments and stress levels that are sometimes astronomical. But, I've accomplished one and have one down.

my most recent leap is my accepting my husbands demanding job. And knowing i will be the one running everything. I also quit my job to concentrate more on the home.

I went back to work part-time just a couple of weeks ago. I had an opportunity to teach a class for the rest of the year since the teacher was going out on maternity leave. My husband and I weren't quite sure how it would all work out, but we felt that it was something we should do. Things are still a little crazy, but we are all adjusting to our new routine, and I am really enjoying being back in the classroom for a little while.

My biggest leap was accepting the fact that my son got himself into trouble and I couldn't help him out of it. My huge leap was to realize that although he's in trouble, he made the bad choice and realizing that is choices and consequences are NOT a reflection upon the job I did as a mother or upon how well I teach other students.
It's a hard leap to make, but it's a leap into allowing my children to grow up and become adults. It's my leap into the job of a mom of adult children versus younger children who need mom's in a different way.

My leap is realizing that 22 years with the same man....is just the beginning....happy anniversary

Leap- starting over after losing everything you have worked so hard for. But still having faith and family. i know we are not alone in this situation and i hope for better times for all of us. thanks.

my leap......to stand up for myself. there is someone at my work that doesn't treat me as well because she knows that she can push me around because of my personality. NOT ANY MORE! I deserve respect too!!!!!

Most recent leap of courage....a 4 mile run this evening with my dog.

I decided to be a healthier me. So, I started with a personal trainer this week. I battled through it and I am so very sore but I am determined to follow through with this and be a healthier me.

Great message!
I would love a class with Stacy and Italy sounds great anytime!!
hugs.

Reading this and these comments brings tears to my eyes. I REALLY needed to read this today. My biggest leap of late is going back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner. Every day of every class and every patient I have to diagnose is leap after leap after leap. But a little leap of late is starting my own Etsy shop. Its been a dream of mine for a while and I have nothing for sale it it yet (lol) but it is designed and almost ready for action! Thanks Ali for the giveaways!

Trusting God in everything has got to be my leap. I am choosing to trust Him in everything each and every day. I realize that it is a choice I need to make and not let the scary things that I don't have any control over cause me to fear. He is a faithful God who has time and time again proven himself trustworthy. I'd love to win the Library of Memories class....please random number generator pick me!!!

my most recent leap was to accept a job working with severely mentally ill adults with a history of homelessness and often struggling with substance abuse. no experience, no real idea of what the job would entail. i can honestly say it was a pleasant surprise. i have had the honor of witnessing and walking with amazing people in this world through their journeys of life.

Several leaps this year! First leap was sending off our third and last child to college. Now, my husband of 31 years and I will be relearning being alone together again! It isn't terrible having the baby at college since both older siblings live in the same city with her. We know she will be taken care of IF she calls for help. My husband and I are figuring out what we like to do together again. We are having to re-learn compromise! We always did what was best for the kids, now it is our turn to do for each other. My second big leap was to move all of my scrap stuff upstairs into our daughter's very large room. Even though she is now at college I am afraid she will freak when she sees my stuff! Just like Will Farrell and John C. Reilly said in Stepbrothers, I think my daughter and I will be able to do lots of "activities" and crafts in the newly created space in her room. I have really been more of a gatherer with scrap products and not as much of a producer. I need Stacy's Library of Memories class to really get me busy and organized. I have so many years of photos and no real system of organization to see them or produce beautiful scrapbook pages with them. You, Ali Edwards and Stacy Julian are my scrap heroines and not a day goes by that I don't hastily go to your blogs for your latest installments of life! God bless you both.