Just felt like having some fun tonight! So I stole this from my favorite shameless flirt, `onestar who has taught me all about how to be a good friend. Thanks, Onie!

I felt inspired to include some information about myself. Enjoy!

Last Cigarette: Never smoked

Last Alcoholic Drink: Port wine at dinner tonight

Last Car Ride: Drove home tonight after dinner with mom and
friends

Last Kiss: From my sweetie

Last Good Cry: Driving home Wednesday night...Ryan Cabrera, hormones and an empty stretch of road can convince you that you're not as happy as you think you are

Last Library Book: If I had to guess...a required supplemental book for a Sociology 101 research project...about 4 years ago

Last book bought: Daddy's Girl by Mary Higgins Clark

Last Book Read: The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

Last Movie Seen in Theatres: Hitch

Last Movie Rented: Die Hard...I had never seen it before

Last Cuss Words Uttered: I'm not allowed to say...gave up cussing for Lent

Last Beverage Drank: Water and Port wine

Last Food Consumed: Paella and fried ice cream

Last Crush: (He knows who he is...still crushing on him)

Last Phone Call: Waiting for my last call of the night (ahem)...just got off the phone with my best friend

Last TV Show Watched: A little of Dr. Phil this afternoon

Last Time Showered: This morning

Last Shoes Worn: Brown slides (Bass)

Last CD Played: Homemade CD by the NYC Street Harmony Boys

Last Item Bought: Braclet from Target

Last Download: Mr. Lonely by Akon...just to prove to my mom that someone had remade the song

Last Disappointment: Not getting to see my sweetie tonight

Last Soda Drank: A & W Root Beer

Last Thing Written: Besides this? Comments to my peeps on here

Last Key Used: Mom's Envoy key to drive

Last Words Spoken: "Good night"

Last Sleep: Last night

Last Ice Cream Eaten: Fried ice cream tonight for dessert

Last Chair Sat In: Drivers seat

Last Webpage Visited: cbsnews.com/gettyimages.com

You know the old cliche. Never has it been more true. I would like to apologize to all my very dear friends on here for my repeated absence on dA. Life for me has gone on something of a tailspin and I find myself struggling to make time to get on. Work is keeping me very busy (in a good way) and I find myself traveling far more than ever before (another good thing).

I recently celebrated my 25th..yay! (Thanks again to *simba for my PA. My birthday gift to myself this year was to make more time for me. I'm trying to accomplish projects I constantly put off doing and I'm surrounding myself with the people I love the most, doing the things I love to do. I'm hoping with this new philosophy there will be more time for my dA peeps!

Some words of wisdom from my 25 years of life:
1...Life is WAY too short and it's anything but promised. You have to live like there's no tomorrow and love like it's all you've got.
2...You should look at the world like you're looking through a camera or looking at a canvas...like everything you see is a work of art. I will always view the world like it could be my next painting or photograph.
and 3...The eyes really are the window into the soul. There's one thing I know for certain. If you live, love, eat, sleep and breath art, you should find some way to surround yourself with it. It will make you happier in the end.

Thought it was time to say something on here.

At the risk of sounding cliche I just wanted to thank everyone for making dA a big part of who I am. There are days that, spending even just a few minutes on here, my spirits have lifted to upbelieveable heights. I have found so many deviants on here to not just be phenomenal artists but also very dear friends. Sometimes I actually forget what life was like before dA. Thanks everyone for the criticism, support and, most importantly for the friendship.

Yippee! At long last I have finally posted my avatar. I know everyone was getting tired of the ever-so-boring neon green box so graciously provided to all newbies by DA. I am pleased to finally have an identity of my own and promise that someday I will create an avatar far more profound than this one.

With this creation, I also made myself a promise that I would become a DA subscriber. So, I dedicate this journal, avatar and subscription to * simba and *gat3s317. Thanks for all your support! Here's to dropping the tilde ~ to become an asterisk *.

As a long-standing admirer of DeviantArt, I have always enjoyed being a casual observer. Lurking in the shadows and admiring from afar, I have found great inspiration in the community.

As a student, I took great refuge in the works that broke the molds of conventional art. It was solitude away from the rules of university apprenticeship. It seemed there was a world where you could color outside the lines without fear of reprimand. A world where individuality was encouraged.

Now that I've found myself grounded professionally, I've decided to come out from the shadows that so many artists hide behind. It is so easy to create art and keep it concealed for selfish muse or fear it won't be widely accepted. But is there anything more freeing than taking that same piece of art and displaying it for all the world to see?

I can't wait to share with a group I've watched for some time. I for one am happy to be coming out of my shell.