ramblings of an otherwise coherent mind

Day of Rest

2012-02-17T14:47:00.005-07:00

My goodness its been awhile since I've done a real post! I have to say I've just been too tired. Work has kept me super busy since the New Year and I've had more nights than not where Richard has had to come to the office and literally pry me away from my desk. Heck, last Friday he had to drive me home because I was too tired to drive...we just left my car at the office all weekend and I didn't see it again until he dropped me off at work Monday morning. Considering that he's doing this after he gets off work, and that I went to work a good 4 hours before he did...well...I am sure you can work out the math for yourselves on that one. Loads of hours for multiple weeks = Bone. Weary. Tired. The kind of tired that leaves you numb at times, headachy a lot and a mega witch 24/7 long before the end. Richard has put up with a lot from me lately, and bless him he still loves me.

I was supposed to have a half-day off yesterday but I ended up staying until after hours again...this time only by an hour though. Richard was waiting for me to come home so he could take me out for dinner as we were celebrating Valentines Day a little late this year. Partially because I asked if we could because I had a bit of a breakdown when he stopped by on Tuesday to meet the delivery driver who was bringing my flowers. There's my Beloved, happily arranging flowers and I fall into pieces: I burst into tears and literally went into hysterics over how tired I was (last week was over 60 hours...I was so tired that I couldn't even sleep...which is never a good thing). Thankfully there weren't customers at that time as I admit I was yelling and cursing a blue streak and sobbing in-between, which was NOT a pretty picture. Richard walked over and held me and let me sob into his shoulder for a few minutes until I gathered myself back together. Poor guy has been so worried about me lately. He's interrupted his day of Geekdom to text me several times to be sure I am still doing okay.

So last night we went out and, even though I was still very tired we went to dinner and wandered a bit before heading home. Richard took me to Barnes and Noble where I picked up a couple new magazines and I let him geek out and buy some new dice and a bag for them at the local RPG shop that he likes to go to (honestly some of those dice are really pretty and he's already bought me two sets that I oohed and aahed over). In a side note...dinner was actually funny, because I had a buy-1-get-1 coupon for Mimis, so decided to give them another try rather than go to the retro diner we had considered. I ordered a fish and chips dinner that came with a couple of pieces of shrimp and was appalled when I tried the fish and realized that haddock is a nasty tasting piece of business. The waitress whisked it away and I was able to exchange it for a very wicked piece of Cheesecake Factory Red Velvet Cheesecake. So we were joking for the rest of the evening about my shrimp and cheesecake dinner. In all fairness, I'd really already filled up on the sampler plate of hummus, artichoke dip and zucchini spears anyway, so it wasn't a completely horrible meal...okay, yeah it was, but it still made us laugh. I don't feel like I've been laughing much lately, so it was nice to have something to joke about.

So today. Today has been wonderful. I sent Richard off to SLC early this morning for a gamers convention (Happy Valentines Baby!) and I have the house to myself. I spent the morning just surfing the net (mostly on Etsy :D) and then I cleaned up the kitchen and started dinner. I would have sworn I had a corned beef brisket in the freezer but it wasn't there, so we're having crockpot chicken and dumplings instead. I really need to go to the store, but decided that it will wait until tomorrow... its not like we're desperate for anything, and today is a day for me to not have to answer to anyone but myself. Actually, the only thing I really want right now from the store is a soda, but I know I am far better off drinking water right now. I was fueling myself with loads of sugar and caffeine and I am sure that helped with the meltdown. No, I think today will be much better spent at home. If I feel like doing a load of laundry and then reading a bit before doing another load, then that's what I am going to do. Actually, a load of darks just ended, so now I am off to start on the bedding!

I've had to keep reminding myself that I still have two more days off before I go back to work... my brain keeps wanting me to rush. rush. rush and get more things done now. now. now. I just shove it back into neutral and cruise along, straightening this, cleaning that, and then sitting down to look up some random question that popped into mind. As nice as it is to have the time today, I still am not fully synced into relaxing yet. I do have a few songs I want to download today (including the song below, thanks to Cassandra who posted in on her blog), and it would be nice to unpack some more fabric in the craft room/office today. I may watch a movie, I may not. Its kind of nice actually not having the tv on, and just keeping the house quiet.

So what's on the agenda for tomorrow? More of the same I'm sure... I'll finish up whatever doesn't get done today (like the vacuuming...Richard disassembled the vacuum to clean it and I can't figure out how to put it back again, so I'll have him fix it for me and I'll sweep up in the morning) I'll do some shopping (I want to get some almond paste because I have been craving Neapolitans for awhile now but no bakery around here seems to make them). Oops, just read the recipe and they will have to wait as I am not about to whip egg whites by hand! I will probably go to the library for a couple of things, and then just come home and bake and relax. Who knows. As far as I am concerned this weekend is all about getting myself back to a point where I am not flying off the handle over every little thing.

Man I hate feeling like I am a witch...

Uh.... I don't think so...

2012-02-14T17:27:00.001-07:00

Okay, I think Hollywood is getting a bit desperate....

Blue Marble 2012

2012-01-26T08:42:00.003-07:00

Isn't our world absolutely gorgeous? New satellite from NASA captured this Hi-Res beauty and is offering a free download here for anyone who is interested. I tried downloading both the 1024 and the 8000 versions ... obviously the 1024 downloads faster, but the 8000 is well worth the extra minute it takes to load.

It is sad that I am so excited over this...

2012-01-20T18:03:00.002-07:00

Of course there's a freakishly long wait as it doesn't come out until fall of this year... bummer the hubs isn't a fan of the franchise....

Hello Mash-Up

2012-01-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

Who knew that I could ever come to like this song again?

Hello from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo.

From the iPod..

2012-01-14T09:12:00.004-07:00

Snow Patrol... "Called out in the Dark". Hadn't seen the video before now, its actually pretty cute. A very understated band that I find myself liking more with each song I discover.

Another one by Florence + the Machine... "Drumming Song". Dang this is a great album.

Feeder ... "Feeling a Moment"... I know everyone has heard this one before, but I just rediscovered it so its in heavy rotation this week on my iPod

Train ... "If Its Love"... I've been listening to them a lot lately.

Another one by Train.... "Drive By"... I actually haven't downloaded this one yet as its from the new album not yet released, but its one of their typical sappy and sweet songs that makes them fun to listen to.

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

So excited..... oh my goodness....

2011-12-28T08:46:00.003-07:00

I made my first Etsy sale!

(takes deep breath to steady self)

Oh yeah, I am bouncing off the walls here in the office...I want to go out and celebrate. Who knew how a little bitty $12.60 sale (she used the coupon code) could make me feel so good?

I'll post more about it later but HOORAY!!!!! I FINALLY FEEL LIKE A REAL FREAKING ARTISTAN!

...and a paid artisan at that.... ;D

I was dreaming of a .... brown... Christmas?

2011-12-26T18:24:00.004-07:00

Well, not really, but that's what we got. Not such a travesty for me, but I know Richard was really looking forward to a bit of snow and so far this year has been fairly snow free. I do admit though that Christmas just doesn't seem as, well, Christmasy without a bit of snow on the ground.

Christmas eve was nice.... we didn't do anything special, but Richard ended up working just half his shift before he was sent home because there just wasn't enough tech support calls coming in to support a full crew. We watched "Holiday Inn" and "Muppet Christmas Carol" and went to bed at a decent time. Woke up at 6:30 on Christmas and since neither of us can really get back to sleep once we're up we decided to stay up and just start the day.... so much for sleeping in!

Presents were passed out, and I think we were both pleasantly surprised... we especially loved the family gift exchange presents we received from Miya and Roy. We ended up taking a brief nap that afternoon and then started cleaning up because we had friends coming over for dinner. I did kick myself a bit though since I had plans to make a batch of root beer float fudge (well, try it anyway) along with a normal batch of fudge and homemade caramels to give away.... and didn't make any of them! Bad me... especially since I bought cream and stuff to make them with!!!!

It was nice being able to visit with my old roommate and her son and daughter-in-law, and dinner was pretty good as well, though my candied yams failed miserably.... I apparently ran out of brown sugar without realizing it and decided to try using maple syrup (not pure maple syrup but the cheap crap and you could tell). Luckily the ham and everything else turned out lovely, because Richard and I will be eating leftovers for the next few days! So in about half an hour I need to zip into the kitchen and start making a homemade au gratin potatoes and ham casserole for when Richard comes home.

Today I had plans to do a bit of stitching... I made and gave away a wedding sampler for Christmas that I am just in love with and want to make for our home as well. It was lovely being able to wind down my evenings with needlework every evening. Silly me failed to take a picture of it before I wrapped and sent it off though! I have a couple of designs I have drawn up and, now that I am not under a time constraint, I want to try stitching them. I have about half of the office/craft room unpacked and have found a bunch of my embroidery floss (plus, Richard bought me a 150 skein pack of floss for my stocking!) and I have a bunch of Aida cloth that came from my stepmother's old stash so I certainly have some great supplies to play with. I will have to run to the fabric store in the next couple of days and buy more linen... the wedding sampler was my first piece stitched on linen and I don't think I want to ever go back to Aida cloth again (its okay if you didn't understand that) Aida has its place, but I really did fall in love with the look of a piece stitched on linen.

Whoa.... this suddenly turned into a crafting post!

So today has just been a nice day to unwind for me... cleaned the kitchen up from yesterday but that's about it (since we gave the apartment a great clean yesterday). I played a few things on Netflix ("The Girl Who Played With Fire"/"The Girl Who Kicked A Hornets Nest" and a few episodes of "Ramsays Kitchen Nightmares") while I read a book I got for Christmas about selling crafts online with a cat passed out on my lap. The book has some great ideas for your own site as well as on Etsy, and, first step, my shop name has changed from fiftytwo to FiftyTwoPhotography.... since its a photography shop then the author suggests that, hey, I mention what it is that I sell there! We'll see how it goes. It would be nice to finally make a sale on that site.... goodness knows my prices are beyond reasonable and I wouldn't even make anything really from it (given I've been paying listing fees for over a year now). Still considering giving up the photography site because I don't think people are buying much in the way of photographs right now. I will be starting a new Etsy site for crafts in the year to come.... fingers crossed!

Tonight will probably be an early bedtime for me, since I was up at 4:30 this morning... I go back to work in the morning, so I will definitely need to get some sleep! I think Richard is planning to watch some episodes of "Smallville" when he gets home (I got him hooked on the show.... we're now midway through season two). Otherwise it will be a nice and quiet evening (which I love).

The forecast for the next 10 days is in the low 40s and no snow.... poor Richard! It looks as if his New Year is also going to start off brown. We're planning to stay home anyway and have a bit of a Doctor Who marathon for the weekend, but it would be nice to see a bit of snow anyway. I may have to drive Richard up to Sundance so he can play in it a bit... our one evening of snow just got him excited to see more of the white stuff.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that the New Year to come will be full of joy and wonder....

All my love....

Shawna

Merry Christmas Everyone...

2011-12-24T08:55:00.003-07:00

Today I found this sweet re-telling of the Nativity story... its so darling I couldn't help but share it with you all.

Wishing you all a happy holidays wherever the season may find you....

Much love,

Shawna

Damn.... one more year of waiting....

2011-12-22T08:40:00.001-07:00

For Doctor Who fans...

2011-12-18T10:14:00.004-07:00

Amazing take on the Doctor Who theme as a Belgian Jazz song... love it! Now to see if its available for download onto my iPod...

and for those of us who don't speak French... this should be the interpretation of what Bill Bailey is saying...

It's him, Doctor Who. He travels in the TARDIS, The fantastic phone box from space. The inside is much larger than the outside. And that is the mystery of Doctor Who. - The leader of the Daleks is called Davros He wants to control the universe, He wants to control everybody He has never controlled the universe With the Daleks the Doctor is superior. He laughs, "Ha ha! I am "Doctor Who" Daleks can't go up stairs, it's a tragedy for them. Zut alors! Exterminate! No you cannot for I'm Dr Who

What a Wonderful World

2011-12-18T09:30:00.001-07:00

You just have to love David Attenborough...

Too Cute...

2011-12-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Fun Foto Freebee

2011-12-07T09:12:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I cheated a little on the title...

Teachinfourth is offering a fun giveaway to help you to celebrate Christmas... the first 100 people to blog about his site (pick a post, any post...you can even talk about the photo giveaway) or his photography site is free to then leave a comment on his blog (read the details and post your comments here) and choose a free 5 x 7 of any image that he has taken...

Yes you read correctly... you have the whole wide world of his blog and his photography site to choose from (except for images from photo sessions) but then who wants pictures of a stranger's kids anyway when there is so many gorgeous images to choose from (unless you are one of those parents that have less-than-attractive kids maybe?)

Regardless, other people's family shots are not available to choose from, and neither is the Alphabetography (which you should check out anyway because its fun to play with the alphabet generator) And while you're looking around the blog, check out some of the posts about Joey... they will seriously crack you up!

From the i-Pod

2011-12-05T14:51:00.003-07:00

I've recently uploaded a bunch of Kenny Loggins onto my iPod and, as he is such a fantastic artist, I've been playing him a lot lately. So today's songlist is all Kenny.... and they are all live, because he's freaking amazing in concert...

"Leap of Faith" (live) from his Live at the Grand Canyon 1991 concert

"Celebrate Me Home" (live) from his Live at the Grand Canyon 1991 concert

"Watching the River Run" (Live) from Outside: From the Redwoods 1992 concert

"Medley - Footloose/I'm Alright" (Live) from Outside: From the Redwoods 1992 concert

"Conviction of the Heart" (live) from Outside: From the Redwoods 1992 concert

Graphic Geek Humor...

2011-11-27T13:29:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T11:22:00.002-07:00

Movie Review - Breaking Dawn Pt 1

2011-11-22T13:48:00.004-07:00

The short version..... if you are a fan of the books you will like the movie. If you aren't.... don't bother, unless you are in the mood for a bit of a laugh.

There are plenty of reviews for this film out there, but I thought I would throw my impressions out there anyway.

First off.... what the crap.... WE NEEDED MORE JASPER!

Okay, whew..... got THAT off my chest.....

Those of us who slogged through the "romance of the century" already know how completely corny and unlikely the majority of this book is.... from the stilted dialogue to the are-you-kidding twists and turns the plotline expects you to swallow. That said, there are plenty of so-called Twihards out there that just eat this stuff up with a spoon and will suspend reality for the course of two hours and come out swooning.

I did not swoon.....

The movie kicks right off with Jacob running out his front door, ripping his shirt off (to the squeals of audience goers) and turning to his normal "I'm-avoiding-complication-and-running-away" wolf state. He then takes off for a bit of the film.

We then zip over to last-minute wedding arrangements and then TA-DA the wedding to beat all weddings.... except that somehow Bella's wedding seems a little.... lacking. There are stupid jokes, a cameo of author Stephanie Meyer, and then this wedding dress that has been under wraps since forever is finally revealed to look like a shapeless potato sack with a see-through (and very tacky) back. Editing is very poorly done as we wind up watching a close-up of Bella's hairclip walk down the aisle and then we slowly slide down the too-much-skin-showing-for-a-wedding dress.... I was sitting in the audience with a serious "what the crap" look on my face for this one.... oh, and some wisecracks about how Edward and Bella are finally going to "get some" that were not necessary (the book has a lot more of these comments in the "second half", so I am sure those will manage to find their way into the final film... oh joy!)

Flash ahead to the honeymoon (more bad edits.... Bella apparently didn't sleep on the airplane judging by the fact that a flight from Seattle to Rio doesn't muss up her hair or wrinkle her dress, and yet she's wide awake and ready to go dancing?) We zip to the honeymoon spot, more bad dialogue before we get to watch our lovers walk into the surf for some cheesy "gaze at the moon" moments (again, bit of skin showing here, but its interesting to note how in some shots they appear to be chest deep in water and then suddenly seem to be waist deep without moving! Hmm, maybe they are working around showing too much skin?)

We are stuck with yet more bad edits (the sad story of this film) as Bella and Edward finally consummate their relationship.... with a fade out to keep everything at a safe PG-13 (originally this had an R rating). You pretty much saw it all already in the movie trailer, so that should give you a clue as to what you are in for. When that scene was over I was relieved to be able to let the teen with me uncover her eyes to enjoy the rest of the movie.... only to come to the next morning where Bella daydreams about the night before and hey, we're back in the sex scene! Oh brother....

After that everyone pretty much keeps their clothes on.

Bella discovers that after one night of sex that Edward, super vampire, has impregnated her.... though the scene had me chuckling as she stares at her belly in horror, checking herself out from the side with lines like "that's impossible" and clutching her FREAKING FLAT TUMMY! If that girl's stomach is supposed to be distended its by a millimeter at most....

...long story shorter.... they fly home, being typical Bella she defies everyone's counsel and decides to be noble and sacrifice her life for that of her unborn child (though she actually comes off as whiny... no big shocker there). Plenty more cheesy dialogue, bad bad bad use of CGI with the wolfpack scenes (not that the wolves look bad, but its glaringly distracting from the rest of the film's lack of CGI that it stands out like a sore thumb).

Bella magically (against all odds) ends up surviving (I won't spoil how for those who haven't read the book) but its so far-fetched in the book that the movie made this scene seem fairly laughable. The movie ends with the birth of the child (its a girl) and the discovery that Bella isn't dead but will now (in the next film) be starting her life as a vampire.... forever whiny.... man, I don't envy Edward being stuck with that! I am amazed though that vampire venom can take an emaciated skeleton and magically plump out boobs and put some meat back on those bones... all without draining someone first! Its like watching some Extreme Makeover show.... vampire edition.

The movie, as I said, is poorly edited.... you have several false endings that catch you off guard. You're thinking "okay, here is where they are cutting the movie off until next year's finale" only to find there is still another five to ten minutes to go. There is also a small scene with the Volturi as you get into the credits, so if you've made it that far you may as well stick around through the first of the credits for the scene.

All-in-all.... good for laughs, but this movie isn't really something that you can take seriously.... at least "Eclipse" had enough of a storyline to keep you watching. I will, however, give it a B for a decent adaptation of what was already a fairly laughable book. Will I buy it when it comes out on video? Not sure.... probably, in order to have the "complete collection" and I will certainly give the finale a shot.... but I don't expect to be getting it out much for all-day Twilight movie marathons or anything.

And if anyone from Summit Entertainment happens to read this.... I meant it... MORE JASPER!

I am being forced into this....

2011-11-18T15:58:00.004-07:00

...I have absolutely no choice and was coerced into the situation by the pleadings of one absolutely adorable teenage "niece" that I love .... and my husband is wiping his brow in relief as he is now off the hook to do this with me....

What is it, you ask?

Well, tomorrow morning (11:30 am) I will be facing the hordes of teenage hormones with eleventy-billion girls at the mall as we cram into a sold-out theater to see "Breaking Dawn: Pt 1". I am responsible to cover the eyes and ears of said teenager if the honeymoon smexy bits prove to be too smexy for younger sensibilities. A task I shall endeavor to fulfill to my friend's high moral compass... just one of the many little sacrifices one must be willing to make for the ones they love....

Its probably a good thing Richard will not be coming on this little excursion.... he's already been given fair warning that I will invariably be drooling over one of his fellow Texans.... and I am sure he's not ready to see just how much I wasn't kidding about that!

Am I not allowed one teensy little weakness? In my defense, I loved Jasper's character in the books long before I saw Jackson Rathbone in character!

...and I am adamant that my little step into appreciating some eye candy is going to be nowhere near the screaming/melting/swooning fanaticism that I will be wading through in the mall tomorrow....

sigh...

...oh the things I am forced to endure!

The ever-changing job market....

2011-11-18T13:25:00.003-07:00

Okay, my job duties have expanded so now I will be tweeting and doing FB "updates" for the company accounts...

... so I will be paid to hang out on public forums.....

...hmmmmmmmm....

Anyway, I was doing my first work "tweet" and saw this little gem in our stream.... and it had me laughing. No offense to gals who can't (or choose not to because they have oodles of cash to burn) cook:

TheFunnySexist The Funny Sexist™

Women Who Dont Cook aren't really women. If God didn't want women to cook, he wouldn't have filled their body with milk and eggs.

I must be bored...

2011-11-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

...because I found this incredibly funny....

...is that sick or what?

Quote of the week....

2011-11-16T15:15:00.002-07:00

Small Business Saturday

2011-11-15T08:59:00.002-07:00

Okay, I know that American Express is probably banking on the fact that people will use their AMEX cards and therefore earn them more money (why else would they endorse it so much!), but I do believe in the idea behind this....

For those who don't have televisions or have listened to their radios, Saturday, Nov 26th (the day after Black Friday) is the 2nd Annual "Small Business Saturday". The idea is to stimulate the economy by shopping (even if its just one purchase) at a local small business. Instead of going out that weekend (as many people do) for just the Super Box Store blitz items, take a moment to stop in at a much quieter, less frenzied kind of shop and see what they have..... (I personally will stop at my favorite shop here in Utah, Planted Earth, an antique and kitschy stuff kind of place that I absolutely adore)

You can find more information on the website As the site says.... when we all shop small, it will be huge......

Another Amazing Time Lapse View from Space

2011-11-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Love the Aurora in this one....

..hope you all enjoy!

The things we do to make our men happy...

2011-11-06T11:31:00.007-07:00

I am learning to cook a little more spicy.... a little more... Tex-Mex.

Not official Tex-Mex, but with a bit of that Tex-Mex flavor...

I discovered this seasoning at my local Super Target (but I've seen it around in several grocery stores) and Richard loves it.... we grind this stuff onto potatoes and onions as we saute them for breakfast... used it to season taco meat, and it has found its way into a few of my soup recipes and even into my meatloaf!

Actually, I am really getting hooked on it myself... which is really saying something since I am not into super spicy stuff... this is a very nice combination of flavors though that adds a kick to a lot of different dishes.

Guaranteed to make your Texan (or Washington/New York/Utah/Idaho) Man incredibly happy and smacking his lips for more.... in the month or so that we've had it we've used half of that big bottle! (disclaimer: this is NOT a paid advertisement)

As great as it is though I do need to pick up this book

Apparently the Barrios family is verrrrrrry well known around San Antonio (where Richard originally hails from) and it is filled with recipes he loves from the area. Lucky for me, it turns out my local library has a copy, so we will be picking it up tomorrow. The poor guy deserves a bit more of what he knows.... but he certainly seems to love everything I've made him up here so far...

...personally, I've had a hankering for Carne Guisada lately... think I may give this recipe a try....

For anyone who enjoys poetry

2011-11-06T10:25:00.003-07:00

Like poetry? If so then here is a blog you may want to check out... it is a one woman challenge to raise money for charity (EEC International)... Jen is a UK poet who is spending this weekend writing 100 poems off the cuff, based on themes that her followers have suggested... at this writing (Sunday morning) she is up to #70 of the 100

Its worth checking out... her works are very lovely.

Here is the first poem she wrote.... just as an enticement to get you over to the blog....

#1

In those days we'd sleepwalk.
It was easier for us to see the city that way.
The daytime gave us kitchen steam,
flour tilting like November snow. At night
we'd trudge through gardens
that our house had never seen.
We would run and cup non-existent light.

Mostly, we dressed up as birds. Mary's favourites
were the leather swans. Black feathers in her bedsheets
and a zip up to her neck. We'd walk
together and in lines -
our wings hooping every lamppost.
In the mornings we'd bathe our swollen feet. Inch
our claws along the frozen tiles -
make-believe that we could fly again.

[tag word: SNOW - from Patricia Campbell]

later note: ooh, she used my suggestion!... and I love it!

#81

She sold herself as an apple peeler. Unwrapped
green dresses in front of libraries. Bobbing.
In the winter months she carved giant squashes
in the middle of the streets. Climbed inside
their trusting mouths, and waved at passersby.

[tag word: PUMPKIN GIRL - @shoezimm]

For the true Star Trek geek.....

2011-11-05T08:49:00.006-06:00

Its the Enterprise all right.... scaled to the size of a pizza cutter.

Why this size???? Because it is a pizza cutter!

Richard would totally geek out over this one....and he does have a birthday coming up next month....anyone interested in checking this out can find it here
I also found this bottle opener here

...can anyone tell that I married a Trekkie?

What am I going to see this Christmas season?

2011-11-04T18:44:00.001-06:00

Oh yeah.... bring. it. on.

I hadn't heard anything about this one, but it looks really interesting...

Better late than never...

2011-11-02T18:11:00.001-06:00

Just found this online and boy does someone have a bit of time on their hands.... bet this would have been fun to visit, but you wouldn't want to live across the street from this one!

From the bookshelf...

2011-10-28T11:41:00.006-06:00

Currently reading:

"The Shell Seekers" by Rosamunde Pilcher

I absolutely love this book and find myself re-reading it at least once a year. I usually have a couple of copies lying around (3 at the moment) because I inevitably end up loaning it to someone and they love it so much that I let them keep the copy they borrowed! This is a very touching and comforting sort of book... a perfect accompaniment to snuggling in a blanket on a cool evening while sipping hot chocolate!

Don't be fooled if you find a copy with the old floral cover (I love the new one shown above, but haven't bought one with that cover yet) ... "The Shell Seekers" isn't a romance novel... there is romance in there, but its not the bosom-heaving-bra-buster that I once feared it to be.

We open the book to meet Penelope Keeling, a woman in her mid 60s who is coming home, having just checked herself out of the hospital after having a (possible) heart attack. As she settles back into her home and life in the country, we are introduced to her three grown (and incredibly selfish) children, all with their own problems and dramas. As the novel progresses, we watch Penelope's life unfold in both the present and the past, as well as through the eyes of her feckless children.

We walk alongside Penelope as she suddenly must grow up at the start of the second World War. With all of its horrors, she decides she must do her part and joins in the Women's Corps... a decision she comes to regret. We share in her joys and tears as she becomes a wife and then a mother, falls in love and even loses those she loves to the war. We see her at war's end, leaving her childhood home by the sea and forging a new life for herself with a shiftless husband. We watch her raise her children and go on being kind and giving to all she meets, even at times when she has nothing to give but a kind word and a warm meal.

Years of wanting to visit the home of her youth finally come to a head and, despite her heart condition, Penelope travels back to the town where she was young and loved. It is there that she learns that while you can't truly go home again, those we lose along the way are not really lost, but become a part of ourselves.... and in that way continue living on....bringing her life full circle. In the same unselfish way that she has lived her life, Penelope has one more gift to give... a decision that has ramifications not only in her life, but in her children's lives and the lives of those around her.

Of course I am leaving out a lot of the story... but you can discover Penelope the way I did, one page at a time until she became someone I love dearly.... someone I would have loved to know. There is a reason that this book has come to be such a beloved favorite of mine, and I hope you can discover a bit of that sweet magic for yourselves.

Rating: PG-13

Why: Several of the characters are sleeping with one another out of wedlock, and, given that its set in England, alcohol consumption is throughout the book. Still, there is no foul language and nothing graphic is written detailing anyone's sordid love life.

I want...I want...I want....

2011-10-28T10:31:00.001-06:00

Someone needs to buy this off of Etsy for me....

Get exercise escaping from zombies....

2011-10-28T08:51:00.003-06:00

New app being developed for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android.... you are given audible instructions as you run/walk/stroll/catch a cab. Along the way you "find" supplies for everyone waiting back at base. This app will work whether you are outdoors running about or if you hop on a treadmill...though I am not sure how the whole "we keep track of the miles you run/calories you burn" bit will work. If its GPS based it makes sense, but I have no idea how they would figure out the treadmill bit... the blog states they were still working on that big of programming.

From the website information, it appears that you will hear the zombies (in the distance or even chasing after you) as you get fit... sweet! You will also receive voice commands from fellow survivors letting you know where zombies have been spotted and what supplies they really need back at the home base. The Kickstarter page mentioned approaching some big-name talent for voices...the names Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day were mentioned (but not promised) but that would certainly kick it up another notch.

The app doesn't come out until next year, but is available to pre-order at $12 (40% off what will be the standard price). All the information is available here. Its probably something that would get old after awhile, but it certainly sounds like a lot of fun in the meantime.

Automatically collect crucial items for your base as you run, plus artefacts, notes, voice recordings, and more

Use the items you've collected to develop your base and help your surviving population thrive. With a bigger base comes more missions and some unexpected surprises.

2011-10-27T10:17:00.003-06:00

I have a new pet peeve....and its name is Pinterest.

Anyone else sick and tired of seeing so many blog posts of "this is what I have pinned today" or "I just found so-and-so's pin list and look how cute it is"?

I know Pinterest is supposed to be a way to save your inspirations, etc and to have other people comment on them, but I'm tired of checking my blog reader and find that multiple blogs I follow only posted their "pin list" for the day. Honestly people, not everyone is interested in seeing what new things you have "pinned" for the day... and I've stopped following a few blogs altogether when it became obvious that they were only going to post new pins every day. I realize its the new shiny toy out there that everyone just has to play with, but its reached annoying enough levels that I have no intention to even join Pinterest.

Oh, and the "Wordless Wednesday" thing has been done to death people....

I think its time to weed out my Reader blogs again... too many people I am following are following one another... which means there is a lot of repeat blogging out there as people show "so-and-so did this on her blog and I just had to share it with you"...which is fine if only one gal does it, but when you are two weeks out from reading the original blog post and people are still sharing it, you realize how tired you are of seeing the same stuff over and over and over, and wondering why these people don't share more original posts.

disclaimer: despite this posting being a bit of a rant, I am actually in a very happy place right now.... I am just getting tired of deleting so many posts without reading them because its the same stuff over and over again....

second disclaimer: honestly, I really am happy....

And the hair has been cut....

2011-10-26T16:17:00.006-06:00

No, this specific style wasn't on the list.... but I was scrolling through the internet to find a larger version of the hairstyle I had planned on going for and scrolled past something similar to this. Richard immediately wanted to know why this style hadn't been on the list for him to choose... (I didn't have the heart to tell him that several of the styles to choose from were variations of this cut!)

The sad thing is, I printed out the chosen hairstyle at the office and then set it on a box in the front seat of my car... a box that Richard hauled into the apartment right before we left for our hair appointments! Ugh! The gal did a pretty good job though considering I quickly found two images in one of their "books 'o' hair" and said "its a combo of this and this but without that and that...basically I want a pageboy cut".

I'll have a new picture of myself in a day or so.... I have to dig my camera out from whatever pile of stuff its currently buried under! I know its in the apartment and I know its in a safe enough spot.... I just can't find where in the apartment it is. Guess I'll just have to keep unpacking and moving boxes until I find its secret hiding place....

Note: Miya, I haven't tried the hair color yet... I'm currently enjoying being a brunette at the moment. I must admit though, after seeing the color she's sporting in this picture, I am seriously tempted to try red again!

Whew! Weekend Update....

2011-10-24T12:54:00.006-06:00

Well, Saturday has come and gone and the final big move is finally over...

Thank freaking goodness....

Richard and I got hold of the U-Haul early Saturday morning and went to my old place to meet the Elders (who were scheduled to help with the move) and, while no one was there immediately at 9:30 am we weren't worried. We just started hauling stuff to the truck and figured the guys would show up at 10... after all, we said anytime between 9:30 and 10 would be great.

Ten came.... and went.... and still no help.

Then came ten thirty....

Finally I dug out our EQ President's phone number and gave him a call....

EQ Prez: Hello?

Me: Hi.... this is Sister Zimmerman....

EQ Prez: Hey Sister Zimmerman.... how is the move going?

Me: Well, fine.... considering its just my husband and I hauling things out.

(pause)

EQ Prez: You mean NO ONE showed up?

Me: Not yet....

EQ Prez: Lemme make some phone calls....I know I had a couple guys lined up for you today...

Fifteen minutes later I get a call back....

EQ Prez: I can only get a hold of one of them.... but he'll be right over. I'm still working on getting you a few more guys so I will call you back

Another fifteen minutes or so go by and then I get a final call...

EQ Prez: I am on my way and there should be a couple other guys coming right over to help....

Me: Thanks!

It took about another twenty minutes before anyone at all showed up, but then 5 or 6 guys showed up in dribs and drabs. By this time all that was left were two large items (my tool chest and the china cabinet) that Richard and I couldn't handle by ourselves, and about 15 or 20 boxes (Richard and I had already handled the other 3/4 of the boxes and the rest of the other furniture items)... luckily once they got underway we were loaded in another 15 minutes. It is amazing what a crew can accomplish rather than just the individual....

Believe me... I was grateful for the help.

We got the last of the stuff loaded and I (foolishly?) asked if anyone needed a lift over to the new place to help with the unloading (which our EQ had promised would not be an issue when I set this whole help-us-move-thing a week and a half prior, seeing as we were moving just down the road not even a mile away).

Guys: Uh.... you want help unloading?

Me: Yes please.

Well two guys managed to come over and they helped Richard haul the china cabinet and tool chest in the house before they had to bail to do other things. I was still grateful for what help we'd received (we'd have never been able to get either one of those things up those stairs by ourselves!) but we were already tired and not looking forward to hauling all those boxes up the stairs by ourselves.

Enter Aiden. Cute kid... maybe 11 or 12. He lives further back in our complex and was apparently dying of boredom, because he offered, at no cost, to help us get stuff up the stairs. He could certainly talk though, and kept up a steady patter as he ran several of the small boxes up the stairs and helped Richard with the lighter cupboards. He and Richard then devised a system where Aiden would find all of the light boxes and shove them to the back of the U-Haul. Richard would then carry the boxes over to where I stood on the balcony and he'd toss the boxes at me and I would then stack them immediately into the outdoor storage room on our deck.

It was a good system.... stuff was certainly flying out of the rig.

Once we had all of the lightest stuff out, we kept Aiden pushing boxes to the back and Richard and I hauled stuff up (well, Richard mostly hauled it up and I met him at the top of the stairs to take it from him and then decide if I was putting it in the house or carrying it out to the storage space, while Richard would head back down the stairs to grab another box).

The truck was cleared out, and we were able to return it to the facility just before the 2pm cut-off time (hooray!)

Of course, now we have a pile of boxes in the living room and office. Our bedroom was spared the majority of it, but once I have my bookshelf up tonight I will be dragging a few boxes of books down there to fill it with (which will actually clear out the majority of living room boxes... the rest of the living room overflow is some bedding and stuff to go into the china cabinet).

Have a I mentioned I own a lot more junk than I should? Pretty sure I have several times over by now....

We were both so tired Saturday after dropping off the U-Haul, but we had to stop back by the house to grab a couple of storage bins that were overlooked, and a couple of boxes of items from the cupboards in the kitchen (which are still sitting in our cars...neither one of us had the energy to lug more things up the stairs). We then went to WalMart to get a vacuum cleaner (we still hadn't picked one up, but after that morning's load of stuff, we certainly needed one ASAP!)

We then grabbed dinner at Kneaders, drove home, took showers because we were both completely filthy, and then tumbled into bed at 7.... too tired to care that it was early. We ended up watching a movie (Scream 4... which was surprisingly good) before we both passed out.

Sunday morning found us both incredibly stiff and sore. We crawled out of bed around 8:30, made breakfast, headed back for bed at 10 and slept until around 3pm! We were both too sore to do much besides shuffle a few boxes out of the way and we watched a couple movies (Pirates of the Caribbean 4--total crap and Green Lantern--not half bad). Then Richard decided he had the energy to haul a load of laundry down to the laundry room...which was a great thing, since we were getting low on clean clothes. (I look forward to getting a washer and dryer in a couple of weeks... no more hauling clothes around!)

After work tonight I will stop by the store long enough to grab some shrimp and steak (its our one-month anniversary today!) and then head home. After dinner Richard will move a few things around in the bedroom so my bookshelf will fit while I tackle the stuff to go into the china cabinet. Once he has the bookshelf set up (it will be the third one in our room and I think we could easily fill one or two more.... we both love to read and it shows in our collections!) we'll pull out as many books as possible to fill the shelves. I think once those things are done then we'll be able to navigate our way around the living room again.

For the remainder of this week I plan to get off of work on time (I am trying for no late nights at all) because I want to have the rest of the boxes in the house unpacked by the weekend. That would just leave me with every night going through a box or two in storage and weeding out a lot of the stuff. I would love to be much lighter on junk before the holidays.... and then I can be ruthless again in the spring. I would love to have our next move (in a year or two) to be much more manageable.

As it is, what a relief to know we don't have any more of those dire "must-get-stuff-out-now" deadlines... we can both come directly home after work and not have to worry about finding time to go pick up more of my stuff. From here on out, what you see is what we've got... no more "uh, really I have no idea how many more boxes we still have to haul over..."

And what a relief to finally be feeling better.... the cyst has either gone or is too small to be causing any more issues. Major relief with the move this weekend to not have that pain to deal with!

All-in-all we are doing good. We can both breathe again, and I can finally finish up all the stuff I've been meaning to do these last few weeks (I have package's for Y, L and M to box up and mail, as well as finish addressing my thank you cards and editing my wedding photos!)

I'll be busy for awhile, but we really are doing good.... we send our love to everyone who has been so patient with our not being available, and not really keeping in contact. Honestly, we did not fall off the face of the planet!

Until later,

Shawna

Quote of the week....

2011-10-19T16:49:00.001-06:00

One day closer....

2011-10-14T12:28:00.004-06:00

.... to an nearly unpacked home!

Got home late last night (worked late, fought my way through the store with the after-work dinner rush crowd and then was outside the apartment chatting with a neighbor for nearly 40 mins!) I started working on some rice and hamburger stuffed bell peppers for dinner (big hit... and they were really good, thanks to using Zatarains Dirty Rice mix.... good stuff!) Yes, dinner was mostly rice and veggies (I am trying to feed us healthier choices than either of us were eating prior to marriage... so far its working pretty good).

Anyway....

While dinner cooked I cleaned up the dishes, and then dragged my desk into the office, and started unpacking boxes.

Richard was home at 9 and I took a break for dinner, and then went back to the boxes again. With Richard's help we have over half of the junk that was stacked in the living room cleared out (HOORAY!) and all of our clothes are properly hung and folded (whew!) I wasn't paying attention to the time, so it was nearly 1:30 am by the time we were finished, but I went to bed this morning feeling pretty darn good about how things were progressing. I think I can get the rest cleared out before Richard comes home tonight. That leaves us with tomorrow morning to set up the office space (so we can both use it effectively) before Richard goes to work, and to decide out where we want to hang pictures and then like (I can handle the actual hanging of items after he's gone).

This way everything will be cleared out and ready for next weekend's final haul of boxes. A lot of those boxes (for now anyway) will go straight into the storage room on our deck for future perusal. I figure if I can haul out a box of two a night I can have the last of the stuff worked out within a couple of weeks, and haul the discarded stuff over to donation on my way to work each day, rather than let it pile up.

Did I mention I feel really good about how things are progressing here?

Its nice to have the space to spread out again with my things.... and to re-discover things I hadn't remembered even owning. Its actually making me look forward to getting the rest of my stuff over to the apartment.... well, not the actual heavy lifting, huffing and puffing (but thankfully we will have the Elders Quorum helping out this time so it should go much faster), but I am definitely looking forward to weeding things out and separating the gold from the dross.

Thank goodness for little miracles...

2011-10-13T11:48:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I was supposed to move the last of my bedroom stuff out because my old roommate found someone to rent the room, and she's moving in today.

Okay, bit of a scramble, but its my own fault... between wedding prep, the cyst issue (and resultant emergency room visits and evenings tanked up on meds) not to mention the regular routine of always too much to do at work but not enough time (hell-o overtime!), I haven't moved my stuff over to the apartment in a very timely manner.

I tried working the day out so I'd only work a half day at most, and then would leave as soon as my co-worker came in, but she's called in sick for yesterday, today and tomorrow... and for a bit of last week as well. I am not sure what all is going on with her, but I think its safe to say its serious.

Anyway, I ended up working a full day.

The U-Haul place I was getting the truck from (a little 10 footer from a few blocks down the street ) was only open until 3 pm and the boss was running all over the place, so it became clear pretty quick I wasn't going to have even 5 minutes off to go get the truck before they closed... so I called Richard, tossed my debit card at him (his new one hasn't arrived yet) and sent him down to secure our wheels.

At 4:20 I was finally leaving the office, we grabbed the truck from where it was waiting for us on the lot, and headed over to load up my piles of junk. My old roommate showed up around 6:30 and helped, but (thankfully) the majority of it was already loaded. We stopped on the way to the apartment for a quick bite at KFC (which I normally hate eating at because something in that chicken always makes me throw up...but it was on the way and quick).

We got to the apartment and started unloading, hauling boxes and my small armoire and the like.... we hadn't even gotten to the two old-fashioned (ie: super deep) televisions, or my desk and I felt wasted. I'd already run around all day, was not feeling good and was unable to take my pills as I was driving. Keep moving I told myself....we're nearly there.

That was about the time I had to run for the bathroom and toss up the KFC....

I stepped out of the bathroom and heard a stranger's voice coming from my living room.... I walked down the hall and here pops this little gal in a yellow t-shirt carrying one of my boxes in, accompanied by my old roommate.

God bless my neighbor (literally.... she lives in the apartment right under us!)

We moved some more boxes and then were joined by a young man from across the complex, who helped Richard wrestle in both tvs, and the dresser.

Bless him too....

With their help we had the last of the items out of the truck in no time at all. I am not sure which apartment Dillon is in (but I will find out!) and both he and Kimberly are getting a plate of cookies and a hearty thank you this weekend.

We drove the U-Haul back to the lot and dropped the keys in the slot.... and I have never been so happy to have a day behind me.

Of course, when I get home tonight, I will be dealing with the pile of stuff stacked all over my living room.... but, between today, tomorrow and Saturday, that stuff should find their homes fairly quickly. I am glad though that my pictures and the like are at the apartment now, so I can finally start hanging some things on the wall and making our place look more like a home....

...and there is no place like home....

I am a winner....

2011-10-11T13:15:00.002-06:00

... of a giveaway!

Whee! I've entered a few of these in my time (just the stuff that actually interests me, so, on the whole, there are a lot of giveaways on blogs that I don't bother with) but I won one!

Yippee! I am seriously stoked because a lot of the projects look fun. You can check out the book on its original blog here or on Amazon here. I am really looking forward to getting this in the mail and to start playing around with the different projects.

Yeah! I love cool freebies!

Good news.... I think....

2011-10-09T21:42:00.002-06:00

Well I am back from the emergency room.... again

My cyst pain is still around. It fades, and then comes back pretty strong, so I take my pills, hunker down with a heating pad and just suck it up.

Friday night was incredibly bad and I should have had Richard take me to the emergency room then....but I didn't.

Today though it hit me halfway through Sacrament meeting.... I had Richard bring me home as soon as the meeting broke, I took some of my pills, and after three hours they still weren't doing anything about the pain. So I had him take me to the ER after all.

Wow, the Provo ER was amazingly backed up.... when I went to American Fork the day before my wedding I was immediately processed and given a room, and almost immediately went to have the ultrasound and MRI done. At Provo we had a couple hour wait just to get to a room....and more to get the ultrasound done...

We were at the hospital for about 5 and a half hours total, and the results were that while I still have my cyst, it actually has decreased in size from 10cm down to about 3. It hasn't ruptured, at least, not that the ultrasound showed, but it IS being reabsorbed by my body.

I was sent back home with the information that since it is resolving itself, that surgery is out (which I most certainly did not want anyway) but I do have to suck it up with the pain and the nausea for probably another week or two before my body finishes the job.

Ow-itch!

At least I know that it will be coming to an end soon.... but the nausea is pretty bad tonight. Think I will take a pill and crawl off to bed....

Time for a haircut?

2011-10-05T15:39:00.018-06:00

Hey everyone.... I've been thinking of cutting my hair shorter again, and I would like your opinion. Rather than going with the short style I normally get.....

(My typical short cut, which I do love)

.....I would rather go shoulder length to start and then maybe go shorter at a later date. Feel free to links of any different styles you'd like me to consider in your comments....

if I could manage this look, I'd go for it in a heartbeat!

Do any of these strike you guys as looking good on me?

p.s. Richard just took a look in here and he prefers the bottom left picture... which was actually the first one I picked out....

From the iPod....

2011-10-05T14:59:00.002-06:00

Simply because I loved this song before Richard and I got together.... but it means so much more now that I have him in my life....besides, its an amazing video

I am obviously into sappy love songs these last couple of weeks.... another one that I adore, though it seems to be massively overplayed lately

This is "our song".... though Richard prefers the Keith Whitley version, which is a little too much country twang for my taste....

Longer update...

2011-10-05T08:50:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone...

Married life is going well. At some point all of my junk will be at the apartment, where I can start unpacking it, tossing some of it, and making our place look more like a home. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to work, go over to the old house and pack some more stuff, haul it home and then do it all over again. I am tired.... but its a good tired. I am seeing some stuff that I haven't had unpacked since I left Washington... and I am happy to say that I still love the majority of it. Its a good feeling to have a lot more of myself out and about, rather than crammed into one room. I get up in the morning and look around our still fairly empty bedroom and find that, while I know that dressers and the like will fill it up more, I am also happy to have space to walk around.

Last Saturday I went out to Cynthia's and we cleaned up the small mountain of wedding stuff in her garage... some of which is currently sitting in the trunk of my car (and will have to be unloaded tonight). I am glad to have that last task done... and I am sure she and her husband appreciate getting a chunk of their garage back. I really owe them loads for all they've done in regards of the wedding.

I should call our Elders Quorum President about having the guys help move over the furniture items on Saturday, but I would rather do it the following weekend, since I will be able to rent a U-Haul then, instead of having everyone help me do multiple trips with a pick-up. It would be nicer (and much faster) for the guys to be able to get everything into one big load. So I am thinking Richard and I may grab the truck Friday night after he's off work, do a load that night of my dresser and our pantry cabinets, and then we will do one more load of my bookshelf, steamer trunk and desk on Saturday before he goes to work. That way I can clear off my kitchen table of pantry items that are nothing more than an eyesore (and a feline temptation to knock over) and Richard's clothes can finally have a home, since he's getting my dresser and I will be using an antique one I found right before his move up here (gotta love beautiful antiques on sale for a really really good price!)

As it is we hauled all of my clothes and hangers, etc etc over to the apartment, so tonight I will be pulling everything out of their boxes and hanging them up, putting them away, etc etc so I can stop pawing through a variety of boxes trying to find an outfit for the day! I figure if I also spend tonight unpacking a few of the other boxes that have been tucked into the office/craft room, then I can reuse those to pack up what little remains in my bedroom at the roommate's place... and its just less stuff sitting around making me feel guilty that its still boxed up and not put into a more permanent placement. I don't like having boxes sitting around....

The more time that I spend in our home the more I love it... but then that's also because I love everyone I share the home with (Richard.... cats.....) Richard loves the cats as much as I do.... and is very tolerant, considering there is usually a cat draped on the bed, chairs, laps at any given hour of the day. Oliver has gotten into the habit of coming in as soon as we're tucked in, just to snuggle between us and purr away contentedly. We're settling into a routine that feels very comfortable and every day finds me loving this man I married just a bit more than I had the day before. Of course its not all wine and roses.... but I know I have a very good thing with Richard. We are enough alike that we agree on what shows to watch, what music to listen to, what activities to pursue.... but we have enough differences that keeps life interesting, but not conflicting.

I'll have to post more later... I have my wedding photos, but haven't had time to do much with them yet. I will try going through a few tonight and posting them.

Two-Second Update.....

2011-10-03T16:37:00.003-06:00

I am alive....

I am happy....

I will post more by tomorrow.......

p.s. Miya.... Pinkie Pie will be finished tonight and will be in your hot little hands within a week! Sorry for the lateness of the b-day present!

Flyover from space.....

2011-09-28T08:14:00.000-06:00

The long and the short of it....

2011-09-14T16:48:00.003-06:00

Image courtesy of lifebalancediva.com

How do women do it? Somehow juggle career, family, finances, education, personal time and all of the little things that go along with them? You know....life. Thank goodness I don't have children tossed into the mix.... as it is, future hubby is given a hefty chunk of my time (and I love sharing it with him) but there are moments where I wonder if my little piece of the world will calm down anytime soon.

I do have a lot on my plate now; work has not slowed down with the end of summer now that we've kicked our ebay stores into high gear.... in fact, ebay is becoming a major portion of my day. I have had days where I am easily in the office 11 hours... by the time I shuffle for home I am literally crawling out the door.

Then there are the wedding plans (thank you CS for all of the help you are being even when I burned out a few weeks back!) I had finally hit a great big wall of "I really don't care" and didn't want to deal with it anymore. If people hadn't already purchased their plane tickets, I think I would have lobbied the fiance harder for an elopement! (Thanks also to my fab SIL for taking on the wedding brunch!)

How women manage to be wedding planners full-time is seriously beyond me.

I am still slowly moving my stuff over to my fiance's place, so I am in a bit of a limbo right now, with my lifetime accumulations split between the two homes.... I never seem to know if I am coming or going lately. I also look at the looming pile of junk still to be moved and am vowing, once again, that I will go through those boxes and seriously start downsizing my stockpile! Being the Great Procrastinator that I am, sadly, I didn't do this sooner, so the boxes will be moved, shoved immediately into the handy storage room our apartment comes with, and every weekend I will tackle a couple of boxes. Until then, it still leaves me a lot of trips between my place and his, hauling all that junk over.... ugh! Lets hope this teaches me a lesson in getting things done in a timely manner!

So if I seem a bit.... short..... when you call, I am sorry. I have moments where I literally want to hurl my phone through the window and watch it smash to smithereens rather than take yet another phone call. Honestly, things will be better once I have the wedding off of my plate... and all of my stuff moved. I think I am making things worse than they really are, because I see everything that still needs to be done, but am too tired to take on and I end up fretting over it.

Its not as bad as I think... after all, I have some guys from the church coming over on Saturday to help move the furniture items (with using the work truck that is going to be probably 3 loads, so I would feel bad asking them to stay around to help with the boxes as well). My roommate has offered to help me start moving over boxes from the basement, even if it is just a few a night, and she is okay if I don't get the last of them until after conference weekend... so that's really not as stressful as my mind makes it out to be...

As for the wedding.... its just 10 more days and then I can stop worrying about it, because anything that isn't done will just have to go on being undone. We have enough in place that it will be okay.....

Seriously though, this has been quite the eye-opener into the fact that I am nowhere near a patient woman, let alone supergal....

To all the gals who make life seem so easy..... my hat is off to you!

2011-09-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

Well hello there Saturn....

2011-09-09T08:27:00.002-06:00

5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.

Amazing preview for an IMAX full-length feature currently in production, created entirely from still photos from the Cassini probe.... this is not computer generated or CGI, other than to string the images together.

I would definitely pay the higher ticket cost to go to the IMAX for this one.... more information on the project can be found here

Fun Video Montage

2011-09-01T15:33:00.002-06:00

Found this on You-Tube and thought it was cute.... its amazing how much fashions change over the years....

And for anyone wondering what birthday trouble I will be getting myself into this evening, I will be going to the theater solo to see "Fright Night". We were going to see it together this weekend, but it turns out this is the last night its playing here, and Richard is working until midnight. So we'll see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" instead on Saturday for our birthday "date"...

Week-In-Review

2011-08-29T10:26:00.002-06:00

Monday - Work. Run to Store. Run dinner to Richard. Tidy up for guests (Richard's sister and BIL). Pick up guests at airport (9:30 pm). Take home. Make up a late dinner (thank you crock pot!) Entertain until Richard gets home (midnight). Go home.

Tuesday - Wake up tired. Work late. Richard runs family up to SLC for conference.

Wednesday - Work. Take Richard dinner. Feel sick.... both he and I spend night up with the flu.

Thursday - Home sick with the flu.

Friday - Still a little queasy, but feeling better. Work 11 hours (ugh!). Go home.

Saturday - Finally see Captain American (loved it!) Go grocery shopping. Relax at apartment while waiting to pick up family in SLC after conference. Drive to SLC.... wait an hour (conference ran over). Drive back to apartment and cook dinner for family and family friend. Watch some Doctor Who.... start feeling sick again.... go home.... up most of the night.

Sunday - Drive to apartment at 6am, make breakfast. Richard and I take his family to airport. Go to my work to clean the office, since our gal who normally cleans is on vacation. Feeling sick again... miss church. Rest at apartment and cross stitch while Richard tries to sleep it off. Make dinner. Rot brains out with cross stitch and multiple episodes of Supernatural in-between restroom visits. Go home.

Monday - start work week over again......but I am starting to feel good again.... lets hope it lasts.

Wow... it seems like all I did last week was either have the flu (we seem to be passing it back and forth, so I think we need to lay off the kissing for a few days) and cook. Oh, and we did a bit of playing chauffeur. Not much accomplished at the end of the day except some well-fed family, a clean apartment and I seem to have dropped a couple of pounds of water weight (which will quickly bounce back I am sure)...that and I got pretty far on my sister's birthday cross stitch....

I mentioned on FB that I may have cracked a bone in my arm... think its confirmed now. I still have a large and tender lump just below my elbow and its been a week now... stupid thing is still pretty sore, so I am still being careful not to bump my arm into anything, which isn't as easy as you think since its my left arm and I keep bumping it on the door while I drive.

The jury is still out on if it was a good week or not.... I admit though that I am looking forward to not having to "go home" at the end of the day.... I like the idea that if I am tired or not feeling good I can just go to bed and not have to get in the car and drive to get to that bed......

I literally started salivating when I saw this....

2011-08-26T08:28:00.003-06:00

Oh. My. Holy. Dickens.

I am in love.....

...with just how amazingly AWESOME (and I don't use that word often!) this is..... I even like the bare bones lampshade!

Here's a link to how it was done.

Ooohhhhh I want!

Now to decide which books have to sacrifice themselves for this little baby....

I am thinking of a somewhat-matched set of lamps!

2011-08-23T18:00:00.000-06:00

I love it when I have no idea what's coming....

2011-08-19T08:58:00.002-06:00

...well, not always, but, in this case.... oh yeah

Pleasant surprise today in discovering that yet another Underworld movie has been made and that this one will be out in January. Of course, its a completely different sort of storyline, and while Selene seems to be searching for Michael, Scott Speedwell is not listed on the casting sheet on imdb. And, of course, the incomparable Michael Sheen will not be involved (bummer!) but the trailer looks fairly interesting.... there is just something about Kate Beckinsale kicking butt that makes me want to see a film. Toss in vampires and werewolves and I will certainly be there!

Judge for yourself.... here is the teaser trailer:

Uh......

2011-08-16T09:04:00.003-06:00

Sorry everyone for not posting lately on either blog.... (yes sweet SIL, I have the road trip blog done except for adding some photos.... look for it tomorrow!)

Life has been busy....

The beau and I arrived in Utah on the 7th, after a hot and grueling road trip that took us through 4 southern states in the middle of summer.... without a working air conditioner! My poor right arm is still peeling from the burn....

Last week was move, move, move.... move stuff in so Richard would have furniture and kitchen stuff..... we've borrowed the truck from work twice now (and will again this weekend) to move over some of the larger items, and the apartment is starting to look like a home. There is still a lot to move over, but we still have plenty of time, so I am not worrying about it as much as I was.

Richard started training at his new job yesterday (Hooray! Originally he wasn't supposed to start for another two weeks, but they managed to squeeze him into an earlier training class). He is over the moon for it, since he will be in computer geek services, helping to troubleshoot operating systems, which is what he loves to do. I am happy that he's managed to find something that will not only pay him something decent, but is something he will truly enjoy.

I also ran to Michaels Crafts yesterday to pick up some embroidery floss for a cross stitch piece my sister wants for her birthday. With Richard at class tonight (3:30 to Midnight.... ouch!) I will take him dinner on his lunch break.... otherwise the evening is mine.... so I will see how far I get on the stitching tonight. It doesn't look like it will take more than a week of evenings, so I should have it done in plenty of time. I haven't been uber crafty for awhile (seeing as most of it is still all packed up) so I am looking forward to a nice session of getting my crafting groove on.

I know Richard is really hoping I will find the box in the basement that has my silverware in it (he's using a lot of plastic pieces and the one or two silverware pieces I scrounged from the house). I admit I am more interested in hauling over my boxes of fabric and setting up my fabric rack and sewing machine (sorry baby!) I think that after work this week I will take over a few crafty boxes each night, so that way I won't be frustrated when we focus on "real boxes" on Saturday.

From the i-Pod

2011-07-27T16:34:00.004-06:00

"Not in Love" ~ Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith of the Cure

Just when I think I will never have new music from the amazing Robert Smith, he manages to pop up on someone's tribute song!

"If I Never See Your Face Again" ~ Maroon 5 with Rihanna

Okay, not the best subject to sing about, but I love how smooth these two sound together.

"Love is Noise" ~ The Verve

I never get tired of The Verve.... and Richard Ashcroft brings it every time whether its with the band or on his own. I don't know what it is, but his voice is just like buttah....

Nostalgia

2011-07-21T16:46:00.005-06:00

image borrowed from Flickr

Anyone around here old enough to remember The Pop Shoppe? It was a wonderful slice of my childhood.... I would remember walking with mom and my brother into a store that was nothing but bottles of liquid goodness. You would pick up a 24 slot plastic tray at the front of the store, and then my brother and I would carefully select the flavors that were our allotted portion. Flavors were weighed and discarded.... lime? cream soda? root beer? ooh, maybe grape or orange or black cherry..... the rainbow colors of the sodas enticed and promised sweet and refreshing moments in our summer to come. With 30 flavors to pick from, the possibilities seemed endless......

We had to keep in mind that whatever we picked, there was no suddenly changing your mind and walking down the street to pick up a new flavor.... if you took a chance on a soda and didn't like it you were stuck with it.... not that I remember ever finding a "bad" flavor! The reason for this was that it was a good hour-and-a-half drive to Spokane, where the Pop Shoppe was located, and I admit that going to the "Big City" was a thrill in and of itself.

The Pop Shoppe was a Canadian based company that had its heyday in the 1970's, before closing up their shops in 1983, thanks mostly to Pepsi and Coca~Cola who were beginning to hit their stride.

When The Pop Shoppe went out of business it was a sad moment....

Why do I bring this up? Well, someone started it up again.... sorta. The flavors are limited, but are now available (in the same glass bottle, but you don't get to bring these ones back for a credit against your next purchase) at your local grocery. I was looking around the cold soda and bottled waters the other day, when I spotted the familiar bottles, looking a little out of place amongst the plastic bottles of Dr Pepper and Sprite. A wave of nostalgia came over me and I found myself tucking a Lime Rickey and Cream Soda into my cart. (Funny, but I don't remember the cream soda being cherry red, but a little online snooping confirms that yes, the original was a bright red....)

I admit that when I got to the cash register and discovered those little bottles were $1.19 each (ouch!) I had to firmly remind myself that it was a cheap price to pay for a moment of my childhood back. I took the bottles home and tucked them into the fridge for later (later turned out to be nearly 2 weeks later as they somehow were shifted behind the milk and I forgot all about them!)

I pulled out first one and then the other, debating on who I should drink first. Cream soda drew the short straw and while I managed to make it last by taking small sips I was surprised at just how delicious that soda was. The Lime Rickey turned out to be very good as well, but it was the cream soda that had me remembering long summer days, kicked out of doors by a mom who insisted that my all-day reading-in-the-house habit needed a break for fresh air and sunshine. (By the way mom..... I forgive you!) I would sit outside, breathing my prescribed dose of "country air" and enjoy my soda (this being the days where a soda was a rare treat.... not a daily requirement that my adult addictions have thrust upon me!)

So would I buy another? Maybe.... if I was feeling especially nostalgic. It was good enough for it... but glass bottles are a bit delicate to be lugging around in my lunchbox! There's a website for The Pop Shoppe in case you are interested... you can find it here.... it gives you a listing of where you can find their soda in your area!

I wish my keyboard came with one of these....

2011-07-18T15:14:00.001-06:00

Ever wish you had a reset button for your life? Well worry no more, because one has finally been created.

Don't believe me? It can be found right here

Go on and push it.... you know you want to!

I love this song!

2011-07-14T19:31:00.003-06:00

This was performed last night on "So You Think You Can Dance" and I just fell in love. I seriously must have spent an hour trying to find this song all over the place, before finally finding it on myspace... which linked me over to the proper file on youtube. The album doesn't come out until the end of August, but I really look forward to it if its anything like this one song... below is the full version. It is "Skin and Bones" by David J. Boch... and the dance routine is lovely too! This is sooooooo going on my iPod as soon as it is available.

Sorry for the inclusion of two musical posts this week!

Brackenridge Sunken Gardens

2011-07-10T10:09:00.013-06:00

Well its been so long since I talked about my Texas trip that I have decided not to talk about it...

Instead, I have simply decided to share some of the photos I took at the Brackenridge Sunken Gardens where Richard had originally planned to propose to me. The sunken gardens are in San Antonio, in a horseshoe shaped limestone quarry... you can find a history on it here...

From the iPod

2011-07-09T12:31:00.003-06:00

Completely different music styles today....

Florence and the Machine "Cosmic Love"... warning, while I love this woman's voice, the video is odd...watching some of their other stuff confirms it.... this is an odd band, but it doesn't make me like this song any less

WPA (Works Progress Administration) which is Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Luke Bulla performing "Solar Flare"

I love it when this song starts playing... Gary Jules "Barstool" (you may know his remake of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" from the Donnie Darko soundtrack)

Other People's Houses

2011-07-07T20:56:00.015-06:00

Stumbled across this gallery showing for "Other People's Houses" a photographic essay by a series of photographers about what our homes say about us as individuals....

Here is just a few of the amazing images:

Kate Miss

Victoria Hannan

Kris Atomic

Brian W Ferry

Anabela Carneiro

Hilda Grahnat

Pia Jane Bijkerk

Michelle Gow

Ebony Bizys

Jacinta Moore

What a beautiful idea... and a gorgeous collection of images. It leaves me wanting to do a photo essay of my own... of course this is something that would be added to over the years, but then I think most photographers have those little images lying around that portray their own idea of the world.

I highly recommend you take a stroll through these talented artists' pages.... not all of it may be my style, but there is no denying the talent behind the lens at this site.

The day the music died....

2011-07-07T16:01:00.004-06:00

I take a lot for granted these days from my technology.

Cell phones should always have coverage (yeah, right.... every single time I head for Washington and Idaho I lose coverage big time). My bluray player should always remember where I stopped that movie I was watching (sometimes, amazingly, it does.... but I think this little miracle only happens in order to lull me into a false sense of confidence before it begins "forgetting" again!) Laptops should always be able to find the WiFi service I want to use (not always reliable... but then, I do ask it to remember a lot of different networks). Last, but certainly not least, all electrical units should maintain an infinite battery life, whether or not I remember to charge them (okay,even I recognize that this last one is wishful thinking....)

A typical day in the office will find me bee-bopping at my desk with my iPod playing its iTunes; its become a habit every morning to plug my player into the computer and just let it run all day.... this way it keeps a charge for use in the car and whatever other demands I make on it (like an Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja attack late in the evening)

Yesterday I noticed I didn't have my cord at my desk. Hmmmm..... I must have taken it home the other day for one reason or another. Oh well.... I hooked my player up to my computer speakers and start bopping. I forgot to look for the cord last night, so I hooked my player up to my speakers again today without thinking much of it. By the time I headed out to the warehouse to ship some product it was afternoon and my player had been flashing a low battery warning at me for the last few hours. I left it running anyway and headed out to the warehouse for an hour or two before coming back to my desk to do additional paperwork.

Something was out-of-kilter... something I couldn't quite put my finger on......

Telling myself I was nothing, I got back to work and managed to while away a half hour or so before I realized just what was wrong....

My iPod had died.

No music issued forth from my speakers.... music I was so used to hearing on a daily basis. I rarely go without music playing quietly at my desk, so it was a strange sensation indeed.

Luckily, I knew just how to rectify the situation.... Hell-o Pandora!

However, I will have to suffer the 5-minute drive home tonight without tunes, unless I want to sit through the radios annoying commercials and DJs....

Guess this will teach me not to forget to feed my electronic gadgets, won't it?

Wait.... yes! I have a couple songs installed on my cell phone! Hooray, I am saved!

...this girl doesn't do music-less moments unless absolutely forced to

. . .

2011-07-04T12:58:00.000-06:00

From the iPod

2011-07-03T14:03:00.003-06:00

I am a fickle audience... well, forgetful anyway.

I'll hear a song that I love and then wind up playing it over and over until I literally become tired of it. There are songs that I have known about for years only to suddenly "rediscover"and fall in love with over again.

Here are two songs that are in, shall we say, "heavy rotation" this week.....

A bit of humor

2011-07-02T17:36:00.003-06:00

I don't know where my roommate found this guy, but she was watching these today and after a couple of routines, I found myself watching alongside of her. He is clean humor, and you can find him on youtube and on his site timhawkins.net Here's just a couple of the items that I loved....

Hope you got as much of a kick out of it as I did. He does a lot of routines without the guitar... but the song parodies were too funny to pass up.

Ode to a glass of frozen lemonade on a freaking hot day....

2011-07-02T16:10:00.004-06:00

Image shamelessly borrowed from myrecipes.com

Thank you, lemon, thank you
For this sweet slice of refreshment:
condensation to cool my forehead
and tart that makes my lips pucker...yet still want more

Now if I could only find out who set the weekend thermostat to broil!

I love crafting blogs..

2011-07-01T11:05:00.008-06:00

...and I just found a new one. Check out PurlBee for fun projects on sewing, crocheting, knitting... best of all its free! free! free!

I think these felt citrus coasters will be my next project....

...aren't they adorable? You can find the pattern here

Whoops! Just stumbled across this pattern...I actually follow this gal's blog (Resurrection Fern) and I've favorited a few stones in her Etsy shop

Oh yeah... these are definitely my first project from this site.... you can find the pattern for these here. Amazingly enough, I already have a bunch of the pearle cotton embroidery thread balls lying around and goodness knows I always have a rock or two handy!

Oh man, check out how cute these quilted pincushions are!

If you are remotely into the crafty ... you will have a lot of fun just looking around this site!

Happy creating gals.... you can hate me later for hooking you onto this site!

Now I know I over analyse things

2011-06-30T12:25:00.002-06:00

This is an absolutely gorgeous sight.... I thought they had made this up for "Tangled" but it turns out to be a real thing that people do....

Amazing....

Except there is this little part of me wondering about fire risk (see 1:27 on the counter if you don't think this is a valid concern)... and the mess those empty bags will leave behind when they finally float back down to Earth...

Still.... it would be lovely to experience this in person

Gratitude....

2011-06-29T15:28:00.005-06:00

Today we bring a special treat...

... a chance for some cool weather in the summer heat wave!

Of course, for all of those salivating at having a hot and fun 4th of July, you're in luck... our weather will be in the high 90s and sun sun sun... but, for tonight at least... thunder, lightning, rain and in the low 70s!

Okay, I admit I am not so keen about the thunder part (I am, for some reason, frightened of the noise) but the lightning can be so much fun to watch.

I hope that last admission doesn't discredit me as an adult figure... don't tell anyone I shared that little fear with you, okay?

My love for logos going too far?

2011-06-28T17:02:00.006-06:00

I stumbled across a site today that had a list of logos that Google has used... many of them I hadn't seen, and they were all fun to look at. For anyone interested in finding out why Google used a specific design that day, go here

I can't upload my favorites.... because they are animated. Click here to play with Les Paul's birthday guitar, and here for Jules Verne's 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea inspired view out the porthole.

.... and no, I am not endorsed to advertise Google.... but I admit I am enough of a logo geek that I am now following the postings, so I can continue to watch the new logos being used!

New project

2011-06-27T14:53:00.005-06:00

Isn't this just darling? I stumbled on the blog of a cross-stitcher and this is a project she recently finished. I immediately had to comment on her blog and find out where she'd found this... and then promptly ordered the kit for myself.

This will be my first foray into stitching on linen, but I have been told that it is not hard to change over from aida cloth, and I love how things look that have been stitched on linen.

Of course I am happy they had this one in a kit.... my mental measurement chart will need an upgrade, because my mind was converting the stitch count into aida dimensions... and my measurements were coming out completely wrong.

Anyone else out there find this one just darling? The next project is a wedding sampler (no one seems to have a decent size image of this one, so here is the small version:

Man I have missed stitching!

Another way to put Provo on the map....

2011-06-24T11:35:00.004-06:00

Well my future in-laws are hitting a conference in Salt Lake in August.... and I was just asked if I could pick them up at the Provo airport and shuttle them to and from SLC.

What?!?! Provo airport is for pilot training and little commuter stuff....

Nope... not anymore. This last Monday saw its first commercial flight (Frontier is the only one on board so far) via Denver. Apparently its even cheaper than flying into SLC. Provo airport is hoping to see more airlines hop on the bandwagon in the months and years to come....

Figures. I am flying Frontier at the beginning of August to meet Richard in San Antonio.... I am flying out of Salt Lake, so I am trying to work up a ride to the airport.

Wonder how much it would be for me to change that flight plan and leave from here?

later note: whew! It would actually cost me $40 more to fly out of Provo.... and get me into San Antonio about 2 and a half hours later.... okay, don't feel so bad about having already booked my flight!

Most annoying blogging peeve....

2011-06-24T09:01:00.004-06:00

I have a blogger peeve.

Maybe its just me, but does anyone else have a problem with stumbling across a blog that interests you, deciding to follow it (just to see) and then find your reader box flooded with posts?

I checked my reader account around 6 pm last night and cleared the cache. Fast forward to just before 8 this morning when I check again.... this one blog had 47 new posts! That equals nearly 3.5 posts an hour if he'd worked throughout the night (or maybe he's in Europe where it would have been early morning/day for him?) Regardless of location.... that is just too freaking much... no matter how random a blog it is. Its a lot of graphic design (which is how it caught my eye) but they also post a lot of images of fashion, there are recipes tossed in at random intervals, and odd observations of "my buddy wore this hat the other day....."

Enough already.

Maybe this person doesn't have a job to report to.... maybe the more traffic they get to their site the more revenue they generate with advertising... I don't know. But this has got to be the shortest time I've kept anyone in my subscription queue (less than a week). I have better things to do with my time than constantly check my reader box and clear out this guys' posts on an hourly basis....

Oh... new thought. Maybe its a collaborative blog, with several authors posting whatever interests them or catches their eye. That would certainly explain the excessive volumes that is being posted.... but I am still keeping the blog deleted.

Oh the lengths some fans will go to.....

2011-06-21T10:51:00.004-06:00

Do I really need to make any comments on this?

Probably not...though I am amazed that the Edward kit says nothing about his being sparkly.... guess an extra creative fan can always use a sparkly thread, or just hit the finished product with a spray of glitter.

So how about it craft girls....are you Team Edward?

Or Team Jacob?

Bummer I couldn't find any cross stitch patterns for those of us on Team Jasper.... but then, I don't think I'd ever be rabid enough to want to stitch it up, frame it and then hang it on the wall.

Guess I am just not as big of a fan as I thought I was.....

Best news I've read today....

2011-06-17T18:04:00.003-06:00

I don't know where I've been, but Odd Thomas is finally being made into a movie! Starring Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation, Fright Night) as Odd, this movie just went into filming last month and is scheduled for release sometime next year.

For anyone who hasn't read Odd Thomas you really ought to.... the series (Dean Koontz plans for 7 Odd books in total... the second best news I've read today!) follows Odd Thomas, a small-town short order cook who has a secret... he sees the restless dead; souls of those still clinging to this world instead of moving on. Wishing his life were simpler (he dreams of one day moving into tire sales) Odd cannot ignore the gift that he has been saddled with. He realizes that events around him are leading to something large and deadly coming to town and must race against time to not only find out who is the culprit and what their plan is, but to also find a way to save as much of the town as possible.

The screenplay has been adapted by Stephen Sommers, who will also direct.... now I LOVE Stephen Sommers' work (The Mummy, Van Helsing, Deep Rising). I was all but jumping up and down in my chair as this means that much of the wry humor and dialogue that makes Odd Thomas such a fun read will still be in there.

Between this and the next Star Trek film, next summer is lining up to be a lot of fun....

New Blog

2011-06-15T16:48:00.002-06:00

Hello to all.... I have a new blog (don't worry, this one isn't going anywhere). You can find me here posting about all things wedding. I am trying to keep the tone not so gushy and lovey-dovey over here... and this way anyone who is interested can keep involved with what's going on, what still needs to be done, and you can shout out if you think I have missed something (goodness knows there is a lot I have probably forgotten to check into). Feel free to comment if you have any ideas on things I can try, advice about what may have worked for you or someone you know, or warnings about the mistakes I need to avoid.

I can really use everyone's help over here... I really have no serious clue about what I am doing and I am using this new blog to get myself organized and on-task (a challenge in and of itself... I am not the most organized of people!)

The blog is open to anyone and everyone.... feel free to pass it along to anyone you think would be interested.

Gratitude.....

2011-06-14T15:19:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Leah, who asked if I was going to be posting more of these gratitude posts... with all that has been going on lately I had put these on hold, but it was nice to know that she enjoys reading them as much as I like posting them.

So, for today, my gratitude is for friends and family. I have an amazing support system in my life that I probably take for granted more often than I should. Knowing that if I just need a hug, all I have to do is show up at my friend's house and she'll have one waiting for me. If I need advice or information, I have siblings and parents that are only a phone call or instant message away. If I need a positive lift, all I have to do is turn to my future spouse and he is there with love and words of comfort and acceptance.

What a wonderful group I belong to....and I am eternally grateful to have each and every one of them in my life.

Texas Trip - Day Four (Part 1 of 3)

2011-06-10T16:16:00.017-06:00

Final day in Texas....(sorry for the delay on this post but I wanted to clean up some photos to upload for this one...)

Day Four, as with every other day, saw me getting up early.

We had a lot to try and tackle today and didn't want to miss a minute of it. As it was, I was awake long after Richard left (hey, I just got engaged... it would have been a complete miracle for me to have fallen asleep quickly!) Found out that Richard had a fairly sleepless night as well.

Richard showed up with a container of raspberries to munch on (I'd been teasing him for awhile since I'd learned he'd never tried raspberries before and how I definitely had to pick some up on this trip to share with him). We shared them while I finished tossing everything into my bags (note... he now likes raspberries). I was wearing the sundress I'd originally planned to wear at dinner with his parents.... so I looked nice. Richard, on the other hand, was sporting a new t-shirt that proudly proclaimed he was a Ghostbuster...complete with VENKMAN name badge.

Men and their taste in clothes....

He offered to wear his dress shirt again since I'd hoped for a picture of the two of us together, and ran back down to the car to fetch it.... a bit rumpled now, but a moment or two with the iron had that taken care of. Wish I would have known at the start of the trip that hotel rooms come with irons and hair dryers... there's two large items I wouldn't have had to haul across state lines with me!

While he was in the bathroom changing, I did a last couple of laps around the room to be sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Once we were both ready he once again lugged my bag down to the car and drove me around front to the manager's office where I checked out of my room for the final time. Its sad to say, but I am going to miss that place....

We decided once again on Cracker Barrel for breakfast and spent a nice hour or so just chatting.... no rush, no itinerary pressing down on us (though we really did have one)... and no mentioning that I would be flying home later that day. Once again I had the thought of how wonderful it would be to see this man sitting across the dinner table from me for the rest of our lives... how wonderful now to know that this thought will soon become reality.

After breakfast we drove downtown and visited the Alamo.

I took a lot of pictures...some of Richard, but mostly of the site. Sadly, I forgot to hand my camera over to some other tourist to get our picture together.

We wandered the grounds, hand-in-hand, as the heat rose and we both began to bake. Richard especially, since he was sporting a very bright sunburn from the drive back north the day before. As we prepared to enter the Alamo itself, a large sign proclaimed the site to still be dedicated as Holy Ground by the Catholic Church and that no pictures within were allowed. An employee of the Alamo told us to turn and smile for the camera before thrusting a card into our hands and ushering us inside.

Not exactly a way to prepare yourself for something so profound... being essentially peddled by the tourist trade on your way in the doors.

Inside the Alamo is a feeling of such great weight.... calm, but you definitely feel a hush come upon you as you walk that small space (the mission is incredibly tiny). The walls are still gouged in spots from gunfire. Picturing the siege and the horror and pain that took place within those walls was humbling. Little kids on some kind of tour were tossing out questions in rapid succession and fellow tourists were laughing and talking... and I just walked reverently from space to space.

We exited to the side and immediately across the way is the gift shop.

No offense to the powers-that-be that use these funds to help support the upkeep of this site, but the center of the room is of interest because it houses various Bowie knives of the era, excavated cannonballs (much smaller than I had imagined them to be), guns and buttons.... it was a historical junkie's heroin. We walked slowly down both sides and just soaked it all in.

The outer edge of the gift shop though... well... total pandemonium. Little boys screaming as they chase each other around the store, wielding toy guns and Calvary swords, and little girls looking over all the local wildlife plushies (armadillos, bison, horses and, for some reason, monkeys). Ashtrays and shot glasses emblazoned with Davy Crockett's famous quote "You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas". Replicas of the Alamo itself... you name it, they probably had it. There was a nice book section though where I picked up a book ("Sea of Mud" about the retreat from the Alamo by the Mexican army) but, on the whole the gift shop turned my stomach... especially after just coming from the site itself it seemed rather tasteless (sorry baby!)

I was happy when we finally got out of there and back out onto the grounds, and I quickly put that behind me as I drug poor Richard from place to place to inspect the memorial plaques, cannons, a really neat baptismal font from the original mission, and other such historical fodder that appealed to me. He also patiently waited while I took photo after photo of what must have seemed odd things (doorways, windows, steeples... I went a little overboard probably in order to make up for not really getting any pictures up til this point!)

And speaking of pictures... below is a bit of what I snapped. Oh, and that shot taken before we entered the mission? Turns out on your way out you can buy a copy of the picture they took. I walked up to see what we wound up with but we didn't end up buying it... the gal snapped the picture with Richard tucked back a step or two and that hideous picture killer (perspective) had me looking miles taller and about 4 times as round. Okay, it probably wasn't THAT bad...but that's what I remember.

Next post we take on the Breckenridge Sunken Gardens... where Richard had originally planned to propose to me.

My swoon is broken...

2011-06-08T20:04:00.003-06:00

...or perhaps its already occupied with being twitterpated over Richard....

Apparently women of the world are swooning right and left over Bradley Cooper (A-Team, The Hangover movies, Failure to Launch) speaking fluent French in an interview. Not that we understand what it is he's saying (he's promoting the sequel to The Hangover) but women are just over the moon over how the words sound rolling off his tongue...

Personally, while I think he's an attractive enough man, I am not about to fall at his feet based on looks alone... and the fact that he's spouting "ze lahnguwedge of lohve" doesn't thrill me to the core either.

Here it is... check it out for yourself....

Anyone else still in control of their hormones after watching this?

No?

Just me?

Hmmmm.... maybe the swoon really is broken after all.

Texas Trip - Day 3

2011-06-02T20:47:00.004-06:00

...hang in there, it will take awhile to get through this one...

Monday morning woke me somewhat early.... I want to say 6, but admit I could be mistaken as I was up off and on throughout the night. I could hear Richard coming down the stairs, but he went outside to sit on the front porch rather than come into the family room where I was sleeping and disturb me. I had no idea of that at the time, so I ended up laying there for awhile, until I heard him come back into the house. At that point I got up and went into the kitchen to meet him.

We sat around the kitchen table and chatted for a half an hour or so before Kim and Merce got up. It was nice being able to have some quiet time again with one another. I admit my mind wandered into thinking about being able to have breakfast with this man every morning...and I really liked the feeling.

We got ready for the day and then went to a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We had fun and took our time, just laughing and talking... and then we decided to go to a local museum. Turns out the museum was closed Mondays, so we went miniature golfing instead. Turns out that a couple of schools was having some sort of field trip at the course, so it was a bit of a zoo, but we finally got our clubs and made it out to the course. I admit I haven't been mini golfing in awhile, but I wasn't overly bad. We got in about 12 holes before the heat defeated us and we went inside to cool off.

By the time we got our drinks and had cooled down a bit, it was time to head back to the house to load up my suitcase and get back on the road. We had a plan to leave town by 1:30 so we could meet his parents for dinner at 6. We got back to the house, loaded up and hit the road. Sadly, this is the first that my camera came out since I'd hit Texas, as I took a few shots of Kim and Merce before we left.

Richard and I left town and headed north. We were leaving a little later than we had planned, so I didn't get any shots of the scenery (again, I'll have to get shots the next time we're in Texas). As before, had no problem filling the time with talking, and even sang along with a bunch of 80s and 90s music on my mp3 player (lots of Roxette... yes, he's as dweeby as I am!)

We were already running late, so Richard took a moment to drive me past his old school and a few other spots from his childhood, before he called his parents to let them know we were nearly there. Since we were running late I didn't have a chance to check into the motel and change, so I was stuck meeting his parents in my jeans...but at least I had a nice blouse on, so it wasn't too bad...from the front. Being me, I had sat down on a dirty bench at the golf course so I had a big dirt splotch down one leg that I couldn't wipe off.... so I just made sure I didn't turn my back on his parents. Man there are times I go nuts being me... one day without a stain of some sort would be great.

His parents were sweet...his mom, Dixie, is darling (I felt bad that she still wanted to meet me even though she was starting to get a migraine), and his stepfather, Don knows more jokes than anyone I've met. We had dinner at a cute mom-and-pop Tex-Mex place, where I went with the Carne Guisada again (hey, I really loved the stuff!) and I think we had a nice time before they headed home. Richard is insisting that his mother liked me (at least he says she said so), but apparently I kissed Richard a time or two too many while in their company.... which made me feel bad because I don't remember giving him more than a couple of light pecks. I really do need to think more sometimes....

So we left the restaurant and headed back into San Antonio, passing China Grove (from the song...how cool is that?!) and while Richard insists it was a dog, I am still claiming it was a Chupacabra that I saw along the roadside. It had large ears and was tall and lean, and doing some kind of running bounce... it was dark though, so maybe he was right.... but maybe I was.... who knows. We did, however, pass a cowboy in full regalia riding his horse down the sidewalk just down the street from my hotel, which was freaking amazing!

We decided to go see a movie, so we checked me back into my hotel, and then we went to see the late show of "Thor". We'd just settled into the movie when I dumped about a third of my sprite down my front in the dark, and tried to brush it off like nothing happened (yeah, right.... he totally noticed but was nice enough not to say anything about it, other than to ask if I was alright). The movie was great... and it was nearly midnight by the time we headed back to the hotel. Being as geeky as I am, Richard drove us past a huge cemetery that stretched on for blocks... (yes, I love cemeteries...deal with it...turns out he does too). It was a beautiful cemetery...but its a bummer that it was in an unsafe part of town. The area was freaky enough that I was happy that Richard had securely locked my door when he closed my door at the theater (I love how he does that, just makes sure its locked before he shuts the door for me...it makes me feel so safe).

We arrived back to my hotel... he escorted me back to my room (me in my dirty bum pants and, thankfully, now dry shirt) when he kissed me... or I kissed him. At this point that part is a bit fuzzy. It was serious kissing, but he broke it off and started talking about how much he loved and respected me. He was holding my hands at this time, and then said how he'd planned to do this the next day, but that he just knew that he had to do this now. He then got down on one knee, pulled out my ring and asked me to marry him.

Oh. My. Holy. Heck. I mean, I knew at some point during this trip that he was going to officially propose, but I didn't expect this... with me all tired and in my stained pants and citrus soaked blouse.

All I could do was cry and say yes.

I hated to have to break the mood by asking if I could have my engagement ring, because he'd actually pulled out the wedding band and had put THAT on my finger. Sorry, but I wanted the pretty ring (forgive my moment of girly-ness, but I knew what the ring looked like and dang, I wanted it). We were both laughing by this point anyway, so I figured it was safe to tease him about how he'd put my ring on the wrong hand... so we laughed some more and he switched the ring over to the right finger.

He was all serious when he sat down and then began telling me things he hoped and planned for the two of us, and the life we would build together... re-iterating again how much he loved and respected me, and how he was honored to have me be his. He is the kindest, dearest man, and I look forward to having him be the Priesthood holder of our home. I loved seeing this very serious side of him, and the things he had to say had me crying even more.

He gave me another sweet (and completely chaste) kiss and then excused himself for the night... leaving me completely dumbfounded, and giggling to myself (though I blame that on how tired I was by this point).

This was so not what I expected from this night... but it didn't make it any less special, and it will certainly be a night to remember.

Texas Trip - Day Two

2011-06-01T15:43:00.004-06:00

Day two in the big and bold state of Texas.....

Day two dawned freaking early.

Remember it was already into Sunday by the time I got back to my room.... let alone crawl into pjs, brush my teeth and get settled in my room.

We'd agreed that Richard would pick me up at 7:30 in the morning. Why so early? He was going to drive me 4 1/2 hours south down to Mission (down by the border) in order to go to church at his ward. Somehow this boy was actually excited to show me off... and I was looking forward to seeing a bit more of where he was currently living.

So my alarm went off at 6 am.... which my body rightly translated to 5 am back home. I hit snooze, rolled over, and passed right out again.... for about 7 minutes until my alarm went off again. No point in hitting snooze again, so I climbed out of bed and headed for the shower.

The nice thing about taking a long drive was that I could dress in normal clothes, and just hang my dress up in the backseat....I still had time, so I did a thorough job of ironing and was still doing good for time as it was only around quarter after 7. At that moment I got a call on my phone from Richard. He was outside and was it okay if he just came up now or should he wait in the car?

I'd just finished ironing my dress, but still had to blow dry my hair and paint my face. Luckily I have that down to about a 10-minute routine, so after receiving a perfectly chaste good morning kiss, Richard patiently waited in a chair by the window for me to finish (strange how being all girly and dolling myself up in front of him was not an issue....) I did, however, make sure that I opened the curtains before letting him in the room.... no impropriety here, thank you very much.

By 7:30 I was taking a last couple laps around the room to be sure I'd packed everything, then he hauled my bag down to the car and drove me around to the front office to check out and pay my bill. Since I knew I was staying Sunday night down in Mission I only needed to reserve a room again for Monday (when we would be back in San Antonio) then we hit the road for Mission.

I'll tell you this much, Texas is flat-out gorgeous. Considering we were on the road at a good clip, and not stopping for pictures (there were a few I wouldn't have minded taking, but they will have to wait until my next trip down south) I was just drinking in a lot of the passing scenery. Its pretty flat, with a lot of mesquite and cactus, but still amazing to gaze at. I am used to having mountains and lakes and trees to look at, and this was refreshingly different, and still a pleasure to behold. We'd drive along and the brush would continue on as far as the eye could see; breaking only occasionally for the entry to yet another ranch, or for some longhorns grazing in a field, or the odd oil pump, drilling away to untold depths.

What was also amazing was that during the long drive south, Richard and I kept up a non-stop conversation with no effort. I knew we had no problems filling the hours with phone calls and Skype, but it was nice to have that easy camaraderie in person. I also discovered that Richard is infinitely patient, as the poor man had to answer question after question that I peppered him with about the things I was seeing. It must have been worse than driving with a toddler... he'd just finish answering one question when another one would pop into my head. But he'd just smile and answer me, and sometimes tenderly kiss the back of my hand, which he held for the drive down (turns out automatic cars really can be good for something...like freeing up a hand to hold!)

We actually made good time (maybe it was my incessant questions pressing him to drive faster?), and we were able to unpack my things and I had a chance to chat with his sister (Kim) and brother-in-law (Merce) before it was time to change and head to church. We'd met and talked before on Skype, but it was nice to get to meet them in person.

By this time the temperature was soaring. Up to this point I didn't know what all the fuss was about.... I'd flown in the night before and it felt nice out... not too hot and the humidity just added a slight cooling touch. When we'd left my room that morning it was still cool out... but by the time we hit Mission it was nearing 105 and I was a puddle of melted girl. I am not a fan of heat under the best of times and this was pretty draining. Luckily it wasn't a long drive to church (his a/c is rather spotty).... and we were back into air conditioned coolness.

Church with Richard was quite the experience. For starters, I don't remember ever being in such a small congregation... if there were 50 people in attendance I'd be surprised. Everyone was nice and friendly, and I was introduced to what seemed like everyone in a very short time. Sitting together in Sacrament meeting was a bit of a hoot at first because, as I stated before, I am a bit taller than he is, and so we had a few moments of whose-arm-is-going-where before the meeting started. I wasn't worried about introducing myself in Relief Society, although the sisters apparently gave Kim a hard time about being sure to be there to introduce me. The time came for me to be introduced and my future sister-in-law was nowhere to be found! So I introduced myself (I'm not that shy really, so it was pretty easy). It helped that, including the primary age gal we had in the class and myself, there was I think only 13 women in the room. In fact, the Relief Society joked about how I really ought to join their congregation rather than haul one of their members all the way to Utah, where there are already more than enough members of the church. I think there may have been one gal not-so-thrilled with my news though. As soon as she heard I was marrying my boy her face sort-of fell. I think there may have been a bit of a crush there, because she didn't look my way again for the rest of the meeting.

I can't count how many people who couldn't wait to tell me what a wonderful man I was getting in Richard... which was oddly touching. That and his Bishop kept glancing at us during the meeting and smiling at us.....I'd accuse Richard of paying everyone off, but somehow I am sure that it was completely sincere.

After church we had to wait while Kim and Merce met with the Bishop, so Richard and I sat quietly in the chapel and just talked. It was nice to just be alone with him again, no matter how brief the time. Then we all drove over to Chuck E Cheese, because Merce's nephew was having a birthday party, so we trooped in and spent the next couple of hours surrounded by screaming kids and being introduced to yet more people. It was kind of fun, but it felt odd to be partying with a huge mouse while still dressed in my church clothes. If I'd only known ahead of time how windy it was in Texas I'd have packed my jeans along... as we were leaving the car and walking into the restaurant a breeze popped up that had my skirt twirling up to my hips! You better believe I held it down everytime we stepped outside again, and had Richard walk behind me to block the wind. That was NOT the kind of impression I wanted to leave behind.

After the party we headed back to the house where we had planned to watch an episode of Doctor Who (that had apparently failed to air because TiVo hadn't recorded it), so we settled for a funny comedy show "Hot and Fluffy" that had me in stitches. They had all seen it before, but apparently its a favorite because everyone was laughing along with me. I found all the big-guy "fluffy" jokes a complete riot...so much that there were tears rolling down my face by the time it was over.

I was getting pretty sleepy by the end, so Richard blew up the air mattress he'd bought specifically for my visit and set up a fan to help keep me comfortable before everyone headed off to bed. I'll give her this... Kim is quite the watchdog.... no excessive kissing when she's around! As frustrating as it was, I have to say I am grateful for her little interventions....

And as for the fan? Well, I actually got too cold in the night and finally had to crawl off the mattress to find the switch to turn it off. What can I say but I am too much of a cream puff to handle what Texas was tossing at me.... what a wuss I am...but, all-in-all, it was a very nice day.

Texas Trip - Day 1

2011-05-29T10:22:00.005-06:00

I know, I know...I should have had this up and posted days ago.

Last Friday I ended up working 12 1/2 hours, so, by the time I got home all I wanted was sleep. So much for my plans of being packed and ready to go the night before. Add to that the fact that I failed to set my alarm had me running around like mad that Saturday morning. I managed to get stuff packed and get out the door with time to have a relaxing drive to the airport, check in and still not have to rush to catch my flight. I left Salt Lake for Denver (which was surprisingly flat). I somehow always pictured Denver nestled against the mountains, but I did get a glimpse of them far off in the distance as we sat on the tarmac outside of the airport...stopped because one of the passengers decided to remove his seatbelt the moment we landed on the runway so he could use the bathroom...the pilot actually stopped the plane and we waited until the embarrassed man finished, re-seated himself and strapped his seatbelt back on, to the applause of a group of travelers who were in Denver for a U2 concert.

This is the largest airport I had been in, and I was amused to step off the airplane and be confronted with a large and prominent "Tornado Shelter" sign. Denver airport is HUGE, with a series of escalator style moving walkways, which came in handy when trekking from one end of the airport to the other in order to make my connecting flight. I had a long layover in Denver, but thankfully I had downloaded episodes of the new Sherlock series onto my Ipod, so I was covered.

Back onto another flight, a gorgeous sunset outside my window, and then I was slowly descending into San Antonio airspace. By this time I had been traveling for over 6 hours and I was tired, so I followed the crowd towards baggage claim, and pulled out my cell phone to send out texts letting everyone know I had arrived safely.

There I was, fairly oblivious to everyone around when I hear this voice from my side say, "Hi, are you here for Richard Gregg?" I look to my left, and then had to look down to find the owner of the voice, for this gal was fairly short. A momentary feeling of being the Jolly Green Giant flashed by me (she wasn't quite 5' as compared to my 5'9") before I found my voice to reply, "Yes". The imp by my side flashed a grin and pointed behind me, "You just walked past him" she laughed.

Aw man....what a way to create an entrance.

I turned to see Richard walking towards me, sheepish grin on his face. I knew Richard was a good 2" shorter than I was, but I admit (and he knows this) that the first thought that crossed my mind was, dang he's a lot smaller than I had thought he'd be, closely followed by, he's also much cuter in person. I should probably clarify these thoughts... Richard and I have been Skyping for months now and, while I knew he was shorter than I am, its another thing to actually stand there face-to-face. The laptop on his end doesn't broadcast the clearest of images either. Regardless, he's not as, uh, husky, as I had thought, but, after those first few moments, I didn't think of it again.

this image was taken later in the trip, but this is Richard

He pulled me into a hug, asked if he could kiss me, and then gave me the sweetest, tenderest kiss. Then, holding my hand, he introduced me to the imp, who turned out to be his niece, Felicia, who had begged to come along. We made our way to baggage claim, where he manfully extracted my heavy bag, re-claimed my hand, and then escorted us out to his car, dragging my bag behind him.

Well, San Antonio is certainly humid and muggy, but that evening it wasn't too bad (but then, by now it was nearly 10 at night by the time we collected my bag and headed out of the airport). There was a few moments of awkwardness, and then everything just fell into a sense of comfort and like we'd done this for years. Richard was a total gentleman and opened doors for me (something I am very much not used to) and we started chatting easily as we drove to my hotel and checked me in. We tossed my bag into my room and then all three of us drove to a local Tex-Mex restaurant for dinner.

Tex-Mex....now there's an experience for you. I figured before I went down that it would be no big deal...after all, we have Mexican restaurants down here. Wrong! The menu was mostly items I'd never heard of and, understandably, given Spanish names that my poor high school Spanish (what little is left of it) failed to translate. I finally had to throw myself on Richard's mercy and ask for translations of what the dishes are, and ended up ordering his suggestion of Carne Guisada, sort of spicy gravy with beef chunks that you eat with spanish rice. Absolutely delicious. I definitely need to get a good recipe of this.

Felicia asked Richard if he'd get her some pico de gallo, and he asked if I'd like some as well. He was concerned enough (he knows I don't like overly spicy stuff) to ask me to try it before I dumped it on my dinner. Silly me was thinking, I eat pico all the time up here in Utah, but dutifully dipped a finger in and tried it first.

Just as I thought, it was just fine...so I dumped it on my dinner and dove in....only to take that first real bite of pico and have tears come to my eyes. Apparently, in Texas, pico is heavily laced with jalapeno. Dang that was hot. So off came most of the pico.

We all talked for awhile and ate our dinner before we finally decided to end the evening and they drove me back to my hotel. Richard walked me to my room, gave me a kiss goodnight and then they left for the evening, with the promise of Richard being back around 7:30 in the morning, as we were going to drive to Mission (4 1/2 hours to the south on the Mexican/Texan border) to go to church together at Richard's ward.

So our time together was short, but it was a very nice end to a very long day.

Happiness is....

2011-05-18T12:36:00.003-06:00

Knowing that countdown you started months ago is nearly at a close....

...Saturday it comes to an end.....

...Texas here I come!

Sad sad sad

2011-05-16T09:18:00.004-06:00

image shamelessly stolen from the web because I don't want to go out and capture this with my camera

Well, what I was hoping wouldn't happen anytime soon is happening outside my window this very minute....a trio of murders performed in broad daylight that no one but me will probably mourn over...

Across the street from my office window are three very lovely pine trees...and for a girl who spent most of her life surrounded by her beloved pines to then move to a state where they are few on the ground, having those trees outside my window was like a breath of fresh air every day.

Today those trees are being chopped down in order to widen the road.

One is already down and being irreverently hacked into smaller-sized chunks, and as I type this another of those lovely giants just fell.

I feel like crying.

The final tree (my favorite of the trio) is trembling and its branches are shaking in time to the chainsaw that is tearing into its slender trunk, and then slowly topples to the ground....and I feel sick. It is amazing how something that took years to grow so tall and stately can be brought down to nothing in a matter of minutes.

The view outside my window is completely changed now....I am lucky to have two maples in my own front lawn here at work (the landlord asked me awhile back if I wanted them chopped down and I immediately cried out "NO!" to his amusement) I am a tree-girl.... and while I am so sad for my poor pines, I am happy to know that, for the moment, the maples aren't going to be casualties of the road expansion.

Sometimes progress just sucks. I understand that trees need to be felled due to disease, for fireword or so we can construct homes and the like...but chopping down trees simply so we can move more cars on the road? No...I can't say I am okay with that.

They really were lovely...

...and they will be missed.

Gratitude...

2011-05-07T12:02:00.003-06:00

is after a long stress-filled week where you can't seem to find a way to calm down and just want to cry... to step outside, breathe in cool air, look up and find solace just watching the stars slowly appear in the evening sky. To find beauty in something so simple as sitting peacefully and just let your mind clear.

My last few weeks have been extremely stressful with work...the busy season has come full swing and I rarely seem to find a moment to use the restroom, let alone take a break. I've come home with severe headaches pretty much every day and find myself being short and snippy with everyone, and find myself hours after being home, still tense and on edge.

What a relief last night to be able to find time to sit outside, marvel at the stars, and be able to sit quietly. I said a prayer and almost immediately felt the stress just flow from my shoulders, down my arms and right out of me. It was amazing. I sat there so quietly in fact that a neighborhood stray cat walked right past me without seeming to notice I was there, and I held myself still while he ate some of the food we leave outside for just that purpose. Poor thing looked fairly starved, so I was glad that my outdoor excursion didn't prevent him from getting in a meal.

After he walked off I sat there still, amazed that my headache was finally melting away, and burst into tears. I've cried a few times since then, but I feel better with each crying spell as a little more of my frustrations and tension seem to fade away.... and while I am certain that they will find me again come Monday morning, at least, for this moment anyway, I am nearly back to normal...or at least what I consider to be normal for me. Still some stress in here...but a lot less than what I came home with.

I am counting down the days until my 4-day mini vacation in two weeks....I think I am seriously going to need every second of it, and am very happy that its nearly here. Fingers crossed and prayers sent upward that I can hang in there....

I Just Have To Keep Telling Myself....

2011-05-04T14:55:00.002-06:00

Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security
Its job security.....

But man am I tired.....

Happiness is....

2011-05-03T08:45:00.004-06:00

Positive Outlooks....

I had a conversation yesterday with a gal about a package she just received from India. Talk about different perspectives..

Here I am: every time I get a package here in the office from another country I get a bit excited. Here is something from another part of the world....somewhere I have never seen. This package in particular had originated in India, however it was routed through France, then to Memphis, before making its way into my hands. FREAKING AWESOME. Seriously, the fact that a package can be halfway around the world one day and then two days later be in my hands completely astounds me. I used to think I could catch a faint whiff of exotic air coming from those little parcels, but mostly any scent I caught I am pretty sure was in my imagination.

I walked the package back to its intended recipient and her reaction??? "Ugh, foreign germs, disease, dirt..." (this is nothing intended towards the people of India, however, just her idea on packages coming from anywhere really.....this person has big issues with germs in general)

Talk about being a buzzkill though....

Happiness is....

2011-04-29T14:29:00.002-06:00

(yes, this is my image this time!)

...finding a delicious single serve quiche in the freezer section for the days when you are too lazy to bake a whole thing for yourself.

Mmmmmm...love me some quiche.

No, I am not being paid by Nancy's to advertise their product.

Gratitude....

2011-04-28T17:27:00.004-06:00

(once again, I do not own this image but snatched it off of some unassuming website. I need to start planning ahead and snapping a few photos before these posts!)

Hooray for delivery confirmation!!!! I am happy knowing that a pair of very special items arrived at their arranged destination (sorry to be all cryptic). I just love how technology allows us to know where our stuff is and when it should land on our doorsteps.

More on that later.

Sorry I didn't post a gratitude for yesterday, but it was sort of a not happy day until the very end.... so yesterday's gratitude was for having a listening (and completely sympathetic) ear at the end of the day who really did want to know how my day went and left me feeling good about sharing just one more part of my life with them. Thanks baby....love you!

We all need a good listener on our side sometimes, don't we?

Gratitude....

2011-04-26T08:50:00.004-06:00

(this image is not mine but shamelessly purloined from the web!)

Today I was reminded of something that never fails to fill me with delight... snow drifting down out of a seemingly blue sky. I just love the contrast of the blue and the white, and the oddness of the moment of seeing blue skies overhead and yet flakes are drifting gently down.

Gratitude...

2011-04-25T20:34:00.002-06:00

Tonight I am grateful for a nice warm bed to crawl into after a long hard day... and the ability to be able to crawl into that bed much earlier than normal. I may not fall asleep quickly, but I don't mind falling asleep while reading quietly.

Gratitude...

2011-04-24T12:09:00.005-06:00

For the next little while (no set end date planned) I want to take a moment every day to share one thing that I am grateful for, appreciate or love. These will not be in any planned order, but will be more of a way for me to see all of the blessings that are in my life and the beauty that is all around me. I am noticing more and more in the blogs that I follow a certain negativeness to the world and the situations people find themselves in. While I understand that people are frustrated at the fact that winter has not fully departed yet, and that things do not always go as planned, I would like to see a little more positive and sunny outlooks out there in blogland. I admit I have my own moments of following the "downward spiral" and focus on the negative, but one blog in particular I follow has been nothing but doom and gloom and harsh criticism... it was enough for me to decide that if I want to see more positive things out there then maybe I should start with me.

So, in celebration of Easter, I would like to be grateful today for the simple joy of dying eggs for the holiday.

I was out at my friends' place this weekend, teen-sitting as it were, and no one had yet dyed eggs for the holiday. A quick trip to the store for eggs and dye (and a second trip for vinegar) and then the egg coloring went into gear.

For awhile I had a helper, and then she headed off to an activity with friends, leaving me happily finishing off the job. As I scribbled with clear wax on the eggs, and dipping them into the brightly colored dyes, I found myself relaxing and a big grin spreading across my face as I participated in this simple act of creativity. Looking back, I can see where I have really suffered from not taking the time for crafts and other artistic outlets.

I could have played with those dyes all day.

So, first challenge to myself....to spend more time introducing crafty/artistic projects back into my life.

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

2011-04-22T15:16:00.046-06:00

...then this is certainly a mouthful. Happy Earth Day everyone...here is a bunch of pictures that I have taken over the last few years. I really love this sweet little planet that we live on...

Live Feed

2011-04-05T17:25:00.004-06:00

There has got to be something said for doing it live and in one take....

About half an hour ago I checked my Facebook account and noticed a post that Death Cab for Cutie (thanks Yancy for getting me hooked on them!) was about to do a live feed one-take-only music video for "You are a Tourist". Well I promptly zipped over to the website they offered (www.youareatourist.com) and got to see what was then a countdown and a dimmed stage, stagehands calling out various stage direction, etc in a language I never learned to speak...the geek in me was completely fascinated.... then they called for playback and the video started...

It was fun to see something you know is taking place at that very moment halfway across the continent from where I sat.

Its still available to watch:

Can't see the stream on your mobile device? Click here.

If you want to skip the countdown, just zip to 16.35 on the counter and the video itself will start.

Letting go....

2011-02-10T09:38:00.002-07:00

I think its a good thing when you can forgive enough to request friend status with someone you once considered your mortal enemy in high school.

Even better when that person friends you back.

Feels good to let go......

Etsy, Etsy, Etsy....

2011-02-05T16:23:00.002-07:00

No sales, but still Treasured....

Utah Lake in Orange can be found here and made it into the #1 position....and Old Bolt made it into this gorgeous Treasury listing...its bottom row, second from the right. Various photos of mine have been favorited by a lot of different people though, and my shop has already been favorited 26 times (and no, its not all by family members!) Girl is feeling the love.....

In other news, I have been accepted as the Monday morning blogger for the Female Photographers of Etsy (fPoE) group....I'll include a link to the blog when my first post goes up a week from this Monday. Its a montage (Mosaic Monday is the name) of photos from various group members, all surrounding whatever theme I decide on. I'm really excited for this!!!!! Not only is this a way to expand my blog base, but the more groups and activities I can get into on Etsy, the more recognition my shop will acquire....

I've also joined the fPoE photo exchange....so far, I think we're only considering this once a year (its our first year of doing this, so the details are still being worked out) but I signed on to do exchanges with two other members. The idea is we send each other a 5 x 7 of a piece either in our shops, or not listed...along with a brief synopsis of who we are and what we like, etc etc. Its just another way for the members to get to know one another.

Basically, I am spending a lot more time on Etsy now...which, I figure, is the best way to get myself out there. I am trying to do my own Treasury listing twice a week (to start...the trick is to not fall in love with and want to buy everything you find to "Treasure"!) I've noticed that if someone likes your Treasury, it brings them back to your shop...not to mention that the people you include in that Treasury tend to check you out as well...which is where a lot of my latest faves have come from.

Its only a matter of time before I make that first sale....not that I am in it for the money (though I won't say no to it!)...its just a neat feeling to know that something you took will be up on someone's walls someday.

And yet more Treasuries....

2011-01-31T18:16:00.002-07:00

More of my work has been featured in Treasuries (sadly, no sales yet, but that gal keeps touching base with me to let me know she's still interested once her house closes, so that's something)....

I actually have two photos in this odd little Treasury. You will find "Sundance Aspens" on the second row, far right and "Warehouse Window" on the bottom row, second from the left.

"Dark Chess" has been featured on this Treasury, and is on the top row, second from the left.

2011-01-28T11:16:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I had a confrontation with a very angry man. I will not go into a lot of details, but suffice it to say he stormed over to where I was sitting, leaned in over me and started ranting and raving, hands curled into fists and let me have it with both barrels... apparently someone has big issues with women in any sort of position of authority.

Thankfully, it ended and the confronter stalked off, but it certainly left me shaking, wanting to cry and my stomach seriously considered tossing what little lunch I'd just had. Eating the rest of my lunch was definitely not happening....and, as the hours passed the trembling finally stopped and I found myself getting angrier and angrier with myself for how I had responded to the situation.

It has been quite some time since my last intimidating confrontation with a man, and I had always thought I would be stronger now and could take it. I am no longer that wimp, I had thought....boy was I proved wrong. The only thing that kept me from crying was the fact that I wasn't about to let this jerk know he'd have that power over me. Anger pretty much filled my afternoon....anger towards my aggressor, anger with myself....but at least I got through my day. You can always break down when you go home, I told myself.

I was finally able to go home about 4 hours later, and wound up having a long talk with someone I trust about the situation (by the way, did I thank you for that?). I did not break down. I am no longer angry with myself either, and know that, should the occasion arise again, I will not blame myself for any "weakness" I may feel. I know it is a natural reaction for a girl who has taken the years of crap I have to feel fear in the face of open aggression....I think I would probably feel the same even without my past "history".

It is what I do with that fear that defines me, not that I felt it. I refuse to let any man make me feel inferior and small ever again....I may tremble, but I will not bow my head and think less of myself because some man has his own issues and takes them out on me.

....

My aggressor is here again today (unavoidable really)...

I stood firm and, while I haven't spoken to him more than absolutely necessary, I think it was fairly obvious from the look on my face when he walked in that he was to leave me alone and back the hell off. Thankfully, he did so, and has ignored me as well.

Guess we'll have to see how the days that follow go.....

My head is still spinning....

2011-01-25T08:59:00.003-07:00

This will certainly be an odd post, given the type of girl that I am, but I have come to learn that you really can have too much of a good thing.

Two summers ago I bought a gas can....you know the type, red, plastic....boring. I was stocking up on a few "for the car" things and figured it was always good to have a nice gas can on hand.

A few weeks later I ran myself out of gas and had to use the can....see, good purchase, I told myself.

Shortly afterwards my roommate bought a lawn mower and, as she had no gas can, I offered mine as a temporary fix....that wound up being not so temporary. No biggie really since gas cans are cheap...but I always forgot to grab a new one whenever I was at the store.

A few weeks ago I was heading off to work, when I noticed my poor gas can mostly buried in the snow. I pulled it out, wiped if off and decided to just put it in the trunk of my car...there was a little bit of gas in the bottom, but that didn't worry me any. Its not like we have any sort of outdoor storage units to have stuffed it into.

Over the next few days I started noticing a slight whiff of gas....wow, I thought...guess those things aren't as fume-proof as I thought....and kept on driving. (I should probably point out that I really do love the smell of gasoline....)

Well this morning I opened the door and you'd swear fumes were literally streaming out of the car. What the heck? I thought (okay, it may have been a little more strongly phrased than that) I opened the trunk of my car and found the gas can lying on its side...and that no one had screwed the reversible funnel back under the cap....instead it has been left sitting loose, and I had failed to notice when I stuck it in my car.

Luckily I have a bag of cat litter in the trunk of my car, so I opened it and sprinkled it liberally on the affected area. I also have my sunroof open and my windows cracked to help let out some of the smell.....it was a cold ride into work this morning.....lets just say, good things are often better in smaller packages!

Biggest bummer? We haven't seen snow in a few weeks and I just looked out the window to see a serious amount of snow starting to swirl down from the sky.....

Guess I should go roll up the windows....and hope the litter works!