1st ride for H2H challenge

Where does time go?  Well, this layout will give you some idea of where, or at least how, 2015 has been going for me.  In December of 2014, I started having a significant increase in pain and decrease in mobility and after months of adding meds, cortisone shots, and physical therapy, an MRI was finally ordered and a diagnosis was reached.  Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the one I was expecting or hoping for, but it is what it is and now at least I am sure of what I'm dealing with.  So, when the goal is to stay out of a wheelchair as long as possible, it's really difficult to come to terms with the fact that the very thing you so want to avoid can, in some situations, help you in the long run.  In other words, I had to accept that renting a scooter for a day at the state fair was not "giving up" but in reality was saving me from a painful recovery for days, if not weeks.  I also discovered it made this traditional outing much more enjoyable for the whole family when I didn't spend the day limping, hurting, and having to constantly stop to rest.  And I didn't do so bad for my first time: out of a crowd of over 106,000 people, the only mishap I had all day was managing to run over my own foot!  LOL  At any rate, this whole process has been life changing and I'm thankful the "Ticket to Ride" theme at the H2H challenge blog gave me an excuse to document this part of my journey.

details:  I used the retired "Dotty 4 You" paper pack because I liked the bright colors, especially the bicycle and "stamp of approval" images, and that I was able to fit my picture in between them.  I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the tickets and the letters for title as well as the tickets at the bottom for journaling.  I scanned my actual handicapped parking permit and printed it onto Colonial White CS and then altered it, fussy cutting the wheelchair image and adhering it to Lagoon CS, both to fit the space on the page and to make the colors blend better with the patterned paper.  I used a discontinued stamp set (small Chocolate alpha) to stamp the date I got my parking permit to cover the actual permit number, and included the admission and dated parking ticket as well as the receipt for the scooter rental.

p.s.  I wasn't quite satisfied with the first draft so I came back to it and ended up using my black alcohol marker, I inked up the orange letters in the title for greater contrast and I was much happier with that effect.


Happy crafting!
Annette