So who is Rocki anyway?

Good question! H'm, where to begin... I'm a lot of things actually, but I'll try to stay on point.

- I will never ever grow up. I'll be 50 (on paper) in December, but still feel 20 something. Okay, so maybe my body doesn't sometimes - LOL!

- Simple, casual, warped sense of humor, determined, committed, loves people, quiet, talkative, clumsy, never wear make-up of any kind, and about once a year (or so) the "other woman" comes out. "Other woman" you ask? You know, that bitch in all of us that just lets everything out all at once.

- Faithful. I resonate with the 60's/70's and a peaceful life. My kids still call me their "hippie mom". The the path that I follow in life represents peace and compassion. I'm not perfect, but I believe in my practice with all my heart.

I'm a very proud mom to my sons Jeremy & Jason. When I gave them life, they gave me mine. Our relationships are based on love, respect, trust, honesty and open communication. Although I'm their mom first, but they are my buddies who I have no problem confiding in. I love them more than life itself.

There wasn't a "how to be a mom" handbook when I had my boys. So I did my best and to be perfectly honest, I never had any problems raising them and have no complaints - they were and are awesome guys! Of course, I made mistakes along the way and wish I could have done some things differently, but we all learn from our mistakes. We grow stronger from them. I love you both, with all my heart!

I'm a wife, soul mate, life partner and friend to the most loving & caring guy: Mark. Wow, how to sum up our relationship...

- he is my best friend and the love of my life. I can't imagine life without him. We enjoy each others company and are still joined at the hip. We love quiet evenings instead of night life. He's always been there for me and always will, as I for him. That saying "in sickness and in health" he took literally, and I thank him for that.

- We've been on many trips so far in our 16+ years together and look forward to many many more. The pic above we were heading out for the Laughlin Run (before I got my OWN bike). We no longer ride, but we still take many trips.

I'm a daughter, sister, friend and then some. Our family is not the Walton's by any means, but that's what makes like fun and, well, interesting. We're more like a zoo family - a big variety of people, lifestyles, opinions, emotions, etc. Despite our irregularities, we are a loving crazy bunch.

Last but not least, I'm an artist that did not know existed until the worst of times. Good things come from bad situations.

Without going into all the boring details, I worked the crazy hectic corporate life for years until one day the rug was pulled out beneath me and ended up sick (not life threatening, but life altering). It took years, but I fought my way back to normalcy (whatever "normal" is anyway) and in doing so, discovered that I had a hidden talent. I'm self-taught and am currently teaching myself another metalwork that I'm really excited about!

There's a lot more about me, but I'll end this now. I'm not perfect by any means and don't claim to be, but I put my full heart and soul into everything I do, both personally and professionally. I love my life and everyone in it. I enjoy the fact that I own and operate my metalworking business by myself in which I have 2 online shops and sell locally as well.

My main motto is: Never give up! Hence my name "Rocki" that was given to me years ago by another.

Peace & Love,

Rocki

www.RockisArtisanMetalwork.ArtFire.com

www.RockisSupplies.Etsy.com

Happy Birthday to my BEST FRIEND!

Today is a historical day. It is the day that my best friend was born. He's not only my best friend, he is the love of my life, my soul mate, life partner, my rock and my loving, caring and understanding husband: Mark - a.k.a. Bullwinkle, Bullsky, hubby and, well, I'm not giving you his pet name :)

Not only is this day historical because it is birthday, but it is the day we are NOW the same age. I'm proud to say we are NOW 48 years young (on paper that is, in life we're in our 20's).

Yep. I robbed the cradle as he says - by a whopping 6 months and 10 days. I'm sure he has the minutes and seconds down, being an accountant/bookkeeper and all. Speaking of bookkeeper, doesn't he totally fit the image? I mean come on, don't you see his pocket protector in his leather vest and the calculator attached to the tank in the above pic? All accountants ride to work like this, don't they? That was his 2000 Road Star a.k.a. Millennium Falcon, which we no longer have (sold our bikes a couple years ago - now have a jeep).

Mark is truly a special guy. Don't worry, I won't go on and on of how ABSOLUTELY wonderful he is - most of you know this already from previous posts, those who know him, etc. He is a very friendly & likable guy, a proud Navy Veteran, fun to be around, loves his family, life, his work and his computer (me too of course :). Kids just love playing with him. Above is one of my favorite pics of Mark & Ian, one of my nephews. This was taken a few years ago at my brother's house, one of our many BBQ parties. He loves all his nephews and they love horsing around with him.
Mark LOVES Star Wars and Star Trek. When we used to ride, he was tagged with "Bullwinkle" (wonder why?), "BullSky" and eventually "BullSky WinkleWalker." Say that one 10 times fast! One of our comedian friends did the above pic. It is actually Mark's head on, I'm guessing, Luke Skywalker's body. He loves this picture.

This was from last November, our 14th wedding anniversary (yes, metal in my mouth too). We are still newlyweds and are pretty much attached at the hip (can't you tell?). Well, I said I wouldn't go on and on about all his good qualities, kindness, love and... oh, sorry - I'll stop.

Happy Birthday Honey! You're as OLD as me now! Thppppppp :)

Love, Rocki

My hubby, I'll convert him yet!

Mark is the love of my life, my best friend, my soulmate in life after life, my partner in crime, my rock and the best hubby anyone could ever ask for. He does dishes too.

The photo above is from a couple years ago at one of the local handmade craft shows. Yep, he did ALL the shows with me: packed the car, unloaded the car, set up the big stuff, helped with customers and even made food runs for those around us. He's a keeper.

He's an accountant/bookkeeper by day and a loving hubby & daddy all the time. He's also known as JOAT MON. (Jack of all trades master of none). Below is one of my favorite pictures when we went to pick out our first little girl: Maelyn. For those of you who do not know our story, I'll condense it...

Mark & I are one and the same and have been together in previous lives. We know this as we have WAY too much in common. We both have 2 boys each: Jeremy's & Jason's. Yep, 4 boys and 2 share the same name each. In fact 2 of them share the same middle name. If me & my ex would have had a little girl her name was going to be Jessica Mae. If Mark & his ex had a little girl her name was going to be Jessica Lynn. Since we couldn't have kids together, we decided to name our first 4-legged child "Maelyn" (by combining the middle names). Oh yes, there's more to this love story, but I'll save it for another time. He does laundry too.

Although Mark is very proud of my work, he lovingly refers to it as "car parts" - yes, he's a guy, what can I say. Oh, but let me tell you, he's picked up the lingo quite well. To hear him come off with "you have a convo honey, it's a transaction" or when he uses the exact term for my metalwork findings instead of "car parts", it melts my heart. Did I tell you he irons?

So the other day while at the hardware store he came up with an idea for earrings (above). Yes, I know the design in and of itself is not new, but hey, MY hubby, Mr. Car Parts, came up with it so I just had to honor him. I told him that he could name them. He came up with "Put a Hex on You!" We compromised with Spellbound. I just love them, but maybe a little more because of how they were created. Did I mention he still opens doors for me?

That got me thinking, so I have now added Sleepers to my shop. I'll have more styles to add as soon as Mr. Car Parts comes up with them. See... I TOLD you I'd convert him!

Happy day everyone!
Rocki

Go Elf Yourself!

It's been a rather busy few weeks and I just want to pay a note of thanks before we head out for our holiday vacation:

Many thanks to:
My boys, Jeremy & Jason - for being the BEST kids ever! You made it VERY easy being your mom while growing up and still today. You both are loved unconditionally and I'm so very proud of you guys!

Mark - my soul mate, best friend, life long partner, husband and more. You stand by me during my ups and downs, sickness and good health, encourage me beyond my wildest dreams. I love you with all my heart - you are the love of my life.

Dad - you taught me good morals, such as to believe in myself and in all people just the way they are no matter the color of skin, religion, their beliefs, and so forth. You've worked so hard raising all us kids and it's time for you to take a break. I love you Dad!

Siblings - Laura, Chris & David - we've had some crazy times growing up, but hey, show me a family that ISN'T dysfunctional in some sort of way! Thanks for making my life, well, very entertaining! Love you guys!

Lauren, my "daughter-in-law" - Jas & Lauren have been together so long that I consider her my DIL. She is the sweetest & kindest person I know, works very hard for what she wants and just love her to pieces!

My 'adopted' family, Sharon, D & Joshie - I'm so happy that our lives have connected and I look forward to many years of growing closer together - as long as you don't mind my crazy family! ;) Love you guys!

To ALL my friends, fellow bloggers, fellow etsians and to those I meet, I thank you all. Each and everyone of you have touched my life in some way or another and I appreciate you all.

So, now you all are probably wondering why I titled this post "Go Elf Yourself", right? Click on the link below and you'll find out why. Oh, and yes that is me in all my tinsel teeth glory!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/7Ry5pOKGpHtcu0cB

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Love & Peace,
Rocki

"Cleared for Landing"... or... "My Amazing Hubby"

So you might think by looking at this photo that this is one tough dude who has a funny hairstyle. You’re wrong. Very wrong. Well, not about the hairstyle. This is my best friend, my soulmate, my husband, the love of my life – Mark.

Don’t worry, I won’t go on and on about how wonderful he is, how much he loves me unconditionally, takes care of me, does the dishes (yes, I said dishes), supports me, listens to me, helps me with shows & events… oh gosh, sorry.

He has a good heart, is friend to many, loves animals and they love him. He even loves me knowing that no matter how ‘old’ I get, I’ll never grow old. I’ll always be a kid at heart.

What brought me to blog about this, is my crud has been acting up and makes it hard to do much of anything. Mark doesn’t complain one little bit about having to do practically everything for me during these times. I am so blessed and can't imagine my life without him. It is simply amazing how much this man does for me. Must be my good karma.

Oh, about that hairstyle. I always cut his hair, well, not like that. Anyway, one day when I wasn’t feeling so hot I accidentally grabbed the wrong attachment clip. I always start in the middle. I froze after the first buzz (literally). He laughed about it. I did too, after I got over the shock of it. I wanted a photo to remember this moment as it was so funny. I made him give me a ticked off look as I thought it made for a good photo.

Happiness to all,

Rocki

p.s. Yes, he knows I've posted this - he STILL thinks it is funny!