Compose Email

To: Shaylynn
Subject: Some questions about the Photo

So this is my new email but not really. My very super great friend Shay hit me up online this AM to fix a picture for her. I have a lot of questions and she is sometimes not the bestest at answering emails but has told me time and again she reads my blog to keep up with my life. So me being the smart ass I am thought it would be funny to write the email that would sit in her inbox in my blog instead. I'm sure I'll get some kind of "har har" out of her for doing this. So Shay here is your email for all to see :) I'll even put the photo in here so you all can see what we're talking about. I'm all about sharing, afterall, sharing is caring *giggles*

Shay,

Alright so I have a few questions about this and since you're so touch and go on Trillian, I figured an email (blog) would be a better way to go and then you can IM with the info.

1. Did you say you did that in iPhoto?

2. Do you want this printed out for an actual album or is this for something online or both?

3. If you want it printed, what size, what finish? matte or glossy?

4. Did you get the border/frame from iPhoto or from somewhere online?

5. If you're having it printed, did you want multiple copies?

Okay, that's what I have for now, I can't guarentee anything but you know what a damn perfectionist I am so even if I can't do it, I will find someone who can. Although I'm sure my most brillant other half can do it so you have no worries.

As far as Yosemite goes in the fall, can you give me 3 or 4 weekends in August/September that work for you both for camping. We will bring bikes this time :) and maybe we can get a little further on that trail now that you both know what it's all about, just remember from the bridge, it gets worse as far as elevation gain but I want to try it eventually. Also, we'll bring a back up bottle of schnapps for Kate. Secretly I hope she gets bored again and drinks the bottle by herself, that was pretty funny. Alright, I'll catch up with you some more soon. I have to get back to watching movies at work. Hug all the cats for me and I'll post pics of little sister soon, she is a puff ball of entertainment and Ash likes her, so we're good. Miss you both... me :)



This mystery white triangle showed up in the pic and is tormenting her, so she asked me to fix it. I offered to put a sticker on it.

The Fabulous-Not so Fabulous-But Wait! Fabulous Friday Once Again.

Today started out like most Fridays, wake up, a little wiggly fish in the kitchen with my girl, off to work and then whatever we have planned for the evening. Always a great day, I mean, afterall, it is Friday. Work started out fine, got in, ran my samples and THEN my phone restarted itself and this means a new geocache was posted YAY So Alix and I decided to grab the cache and some lunch at Checkers since it was near by and we love us some Checkers.

Got to the cache, met a fellow cacher and since she was vertically challenged we co-grabbed that one. So we missed the FTF but still got another find under our belts. So off to Checkers... and then it started. I went to pay and my Debit card was MIA. Weird... must be in my car. Wasn't there... so Alix said she'd look in all my shorts and any place it might be. No luck. I tore my car apart, nothing. The last time I remember using it was at Sonic yesterday. So it took a few times but I called and they had it! *phew* I had finished all my samples but I didn't like that my card was way over there and in drives my boss... with more samples. That makes it hard to leave early and I really needed to leave early because I had a lot of stuff to get together for the new gallery and pack up two kittens who were going to their new home :) So my boss was nice enough to let me leave early to get my card which would work out great so I could have some time to put stuff up at the gallery. I get half way home and realize I left my phone at work so now I'm annoyed again because I'm going to have to go back...

I walk in the homestead to 4 kittens covered in poop waiting for a bath but we're having trouble with our water AGAIN. So I help clean them up and time is just ticking away. I just start packing up my car when I wanted to be at the gallery. I still had to shower and go back to work to get my phone... *sigh* Just one of the weird little afternoons. So I get to the gallery at 10 after 5, started to bring stuff in and talk to people. There was some really cool art up and it's going to look awesome once it's full. If you missed it, we'll be there againt the 1st Friday of June :)

I go to walk out and here comes my very good friend Denise and she immediately gave me a hug. I simply said, "I need that more than you know friend." She said she could tell and offered to walk with me so I could explain what was up and said she had a story for me as well. So I was just trying to detox the ucky stuff out and move on because it was over and now it was fun time at the gallery time. We even walked down to this little cafe and she bought me a coke, some yummy chips and a piece of cinnamon cake. mmm I'm always so thankful for the care from my friends.

When I walked back in, my very good friends Courtney & Patty were there. And it's always interesting to see just how well my friends know me and know something is wrong. I got lots of big hugs and it's so cleansing. It's like they counter the uckiness out and I'm sooooooo thankful for that. Now Miss SuperSmellGoodAlot Patty was awesome. I'm thankful that Courtney shares her and her wonderful hugs. She had the best scents when I hugged her, they linger in her hair and on her person and just made my heart smile inside. AND because I got to hug her so long, some of it stayed on me, so every so often I would catch little drifts throughout the night and it made me think of my very good friend and I couldn't help but smile. Thank you girls for always making me smile.

Within an hour I was back to good and it was so fun to see Jenn in her spotlight. I got some of my stuff hung up, met with an old high school classmate, took lots of pictures and just had an overall awesome time. I'm looking forward to hanging out around there more :)

*close curtain on the 1st eve of the Undergound Gallery*

Friday Again?

So here we are again to another fabulous Friday in Bakovillelandpatchfield. Call it what you will but it's home and as long as she is with me, I could care less where we live. We make our own adventures and home is what you make of it and right now my home is amazing :)

Today is First Friday. What is that you ask? I'm glad you're so curious. Today is the First Friday of the month. So in the Art District of above said citytown local artists gather their wares and display them for all to see along the sidewalks. We visit, we mingle, we admire one anothers works and just have an overall good time. Tonight begins a new venture, however, The Underground Gallery & Art Studio has its offical opening tonight. AND to make it even cooler? My HB is the solo opening artist. *claps* YAY Jennifer!

I will have a few things up in the Gallery as I rented a little loft space as did Alix. I get to hang some stuff today and I'm pretty excited. I will also have a few things out on the sidewalk as well :) I need to get my camera stuff out, I want to take lots of pics of it all, maybe make a scrapbook page for every month, might be kinda cool... the start of the beginning of...??? I'm not sure exactly but it is what it is and I look forward to it.

So if you don't have anything to do come visit us at 1525 19th Street, we'll be around somewhere... see you there!

Story of 4 whittle kittenbabies.

Well this is common year after year. Mama kittie at work has kittens, I take them and find them homes. This year isn't any different but in one way... we have 4 kittenbabies. Usually I get 1 or 2. We found 2 last Friday and then yesterday I was in the billing office and heard another one and by one, I guess I meant 2. So we have 2 girls and 2 boys. Plus our Ashling makes a very full 2 bedroom apartment. Alix is loving it... well she was loving the 2 but 4 may take its toll if we don't find some relief soon. I will get a full family shot soon.

They're a bunch of cuties, that's for sure.

Yep that makes 3 but wait underneath is another one for a total of 4 baby kittens.

Oh yeah its spring again... this is little brother (right) and little sister (left). Oh geez.

Work, work and not so much work!

Very exciting but I'm almost all done with my work. I should finish tomorrow for the MONTH! Oh yeah, you read that right, I'll finish with 4 days to spare. I rock a little bit. :) Alright, stop distracting me, I have work to finish!

This is what happens when a clown hits a cop car...

Really? They had to put caution tape around the clown.

Who knew? oh she did.

So yesterday was pretty rough for me. I woke up with some not so good pains in my body, I was so very tired. I didn't sleep well at all and any sleep I did get found me in nightmare status. So I was pouty, tired and VERY undecisive. I don't like feeling this way but once in awhile, everyone gets like this. Poor Alix, she had no idea what hit and I was in full Narny Mode.

I just tried to sit on the couch and zone out, it's my best defense. I wanted to go to bed at 6:15pm. We ended up at the store because I couldn't decide on food, it was pretty funny now that I look back at it.

But the really interesting part? Alix made the most accurate description of why I was so "down." The night before we had some friends over for an "Art Day" because there is a show coming up called Fragments (hence the pic of the 2 pieces below). We all stayed up late painting, coloring and just overall creating. It was quite an "artistic high" and a really awesome time. I had trouble going to sleep and definitely staying a sleep. So yesterday was the result of me coming down off the art high.

Made perfect sense and I hadn't even gotten that far in my thinking. Truly amazing how much that girl gets me... I'm 10 times luckier for it and love it so much. :)

Fragment Art by me :)

Courtney
Qrt
Qrtknee
Ginger

This is one person and the same. She is a super fabulous girl and now that she is in my life, I can't imagine her not in it. A very cool girl with a lot to offer the world, I'm lucky she stepped onto my path in life as my friend. *waves* Hi Friend, I made this just for you because I know you need to smile at this very moment.

Last night we were at Color Me Mine, a typical Saturday night for the girls and I was informed that my good friend Courtney does in fact read my blog, hoping to "make the cut" so to speak. So I thought I should write this and dedicate it all to her.

Hope it's everything you hoped and dreamed Qrt :)

In this edition:

*Pitching Lessons
*Suprise for Dinner
*Geocaching

So Monday was my first official paid pitching lesson. My boss gave my number to a guy who wanted to get his daughter some lessons. So I pull up to the house and WOW. It's ginormous. I notice on the back of his truck he has a Root Beer King sticker on it. MMmm, I love me some RBK. Sadly, it is all the way on the other side of town so I tend to forget about it.

Anyway, I walk in and see one of the tallest 10 yr. olds since my God-Daughter. Very nice family. So she starts to throw. Thankfully her bad habits aren't the worst habits one can have. So I watch her for a few pitches before I start to interject. Her foot is by far the worst but with constant reminders, it's fairly simple to fix. Dad was enjoying the way she was focusing while I was there. She is tall and lengthy and that definitely works to her advantage. She throws pretty hard and fairly accurate for not having an "real" training.

Dad seems happy, she seemed to enjoy it and dad would like me twice a week for awhile. YAY! I like her she seems pretty quiet and shy but I'm hoping to bring it out of her.

Lesson #2
Wednesday was the 2nd meeting and I got to hear how she pitched the day before in her game. She hit a batter, walked some girls AND THEN struck out 3 :) woohoo She also got hit by the other pitcher but I told her that was how life worked sometimes, you get hit and you hit people that's how the world stays fair. She laughed at that and said, "yeah that makes sense I guess." Fun kid, I like her and can't wait to see how she evolves in the next couple of weeks. The creme de la creme was the way she ended the lesson... I told her, "okay last pitch, if you have your foot turned, finish with your hand up and throw a strike." So the next pitch... was her last pitch. Okay I was impressed usually it takes at least 5, she did it right on call. NICE!

Dad has requested me for 2 days again next week. I am A-OKAY with that and right now the money definitely is big help and super appreciated. It's nice to do something you love and make money doing it.

*sidebar: so when I walked in for the 2nd lesson, I noticed the menus on the table. HE does own Root Beer King! Very cool :)

So in talking with my boss about yummy food, we tend to do this a lot at work, he happened to mention that he ate at a Checkers the night before by his house! WELL HELLO! The girl loves Ralley's/Checkers and I almost exploded with excitement at the idea of being able to take her there. Since we were geocaching in the park that evening I thought grabbing some Checkers and eating at the park would be nice, then we could walk off dinner :) So we headed across town and I saw it first and then she saw it and got all giddy like a little kid. We decided to get 2 meals and split them so we could have a little variety. The fries, as always, rocked and we happily ate our food at the park. YAY for suprises!

So the girl decided she wanted to find some geocaches and since the evenings have been so nice we decided to go out Tuesday night and find a few. She got the GPS working on the Big Rig finally, loaded it up and I printed out a few sheets from work and off we went to Riverwalk after finishing our super yummy dinner. So I thought it best to head toward one I have already found so I could help lead her. It can be tough when you have no idea what you're looking for. She looked around and got really close but she looked at me with a sad face and said, "I can't find it." So I had sat down to make sure it was still there and I couldn't see it anymore from the first time I had found it. She had bent down at one point and should have looked right at it and didn't see it. So when she had given up, I walked over and put my hand where it should have been and pulled it out. She said, "I LOOKED there!" It was hidden by some bars where she just happened to bend down but at least now she got the idea. So we logged it and moved on to the next one.

We got fairly close and I had a pretty good idea based on the title and she was catching on really fast and saw it from where we were standing. Logged it and moved on. She found the next 2 as well. She liked it and was having fun but we were all done. I'm glad she enjoys it like I do. So we got home and she even logged them and moved the geocoin around. I love how fast she catches on to things. We'll probably go out again this weekend for a bit.

So that's the past 3 days basically... good times, good times. There was also a game of Ticket to Ride Europe in there with our friend Denise on Monday night. She rocked that game too. Tonight is Pirates Cove :)

Tax Day - Already?

So I guess I should file my state tax now. Afterall, today is tax day. I want my $36.00 and it won't appear out of no where. I kept forgetting to file the state tax and so today at lunch I did it. I filed my federal back in February electronically and it was free. However, if I wanted to file state it was going to cost me $30.00... so you can see why I didn't pay to do it. So now in 6-8 weeks we'll get a nice $36.00 surprise in the bank :) *waves little flag* YAY

What we finished from the: "List o' things to do."

So here is how our weekend went and what we accomplished:

*Finished the apartment. YAY (well as much as we could until we get to IKEA) :)
*Oops, where is that PDA again?
*Shipped the coins! And made a little bank :)
*Definitely added more items. YAY
*Came up with questions, ideas and met to see what June7th has in store for us.
*Got the bag together... but not till lunch on Monday.
*Laundry-check
*Nun Chucks-check
*Pineapple upside down cake AJ style-check (mmm it was very tastey)
*Sadly no Lego Ass Kicking
*No time to cache either :(

So not too bad, didn't get to 4 of the items listed but 2 of them were funzie type stuff so we did pretty good. Spent a lot of time getting organized, looking around online and marveling at how much people will spend on Ebay. Overall it was another great weekend and its nice not having to spend it in airports or with countdowns anymore. There was a part of me that thought I might miss that but HELLS NO! Having her here is way better than even I imagined. I am one lucky girl. :)

List o' things to do.

I have a lot to do over the next couple of days so I want to make a list. So for this entry, you get to see what I'm going to accomplish.

*Finish the apartment - that madness has got to get done now.
*Update my PDA - time to get reorganized again
*Ship Ebay items sold - YAY
*Add more items to be sold - YAY
*Come up with list of questions for the "Nessa Project"
*Get a bag together for pitching lessons
*Laundry
*Get Nun Chucks
*Make the pineapple upside cake AJ Style
*Kick some Star Wars Lego Ass!
*Geocache! YAY for treasure hunting.

K... good for now. We'll see mom and dad too and who knows what else, maybe Color Me Mine it? The world is our oyster :)

Let the Lessons Begin

So I'm beginning a new venture in life: private pitching lessons. I'm pretty excited and nervous all at the same time. My phone rang last night about 8:30pm and it was a dad who got my number from my boss inquiring about lessons. Um.. okay sure. So we discussed it and I will be giving my first paid lesson next Wednesday. Cool. I also have a D.A. who is interested in getting his daughter started as well... oh la la.

After I got off the phone I told Alix that I was going to do my best to keep Mondays and Fridays free because that makes it tough to vacation and these can be life commitments. Not 30 minutes later and my phone rings again, he asks very nicely if there is any way I can stop by Monday to look at her before her game on Tuesday... alright. I'm not very good at saying no, ask Alix.

Okay, so after this, I'm going to try really, really, really, really, REALLY hard to not schedule on Mondays... no really I mean it. We're not going on vacation this weekend so I got a free pass. :)

Beef-a-Roni Flavored Zipper

Now you may think there is some weird story behind the above title but it is what it is. I was eating beef-a-roni at work and you know how you always try to hurry and get the spoon in your mouth before it drips on your shirt? Well I did that very thing and instead of getting a stain on my zipper hoodie it landed right on the zipper. No stain, no running to the bathroom to soak my shirt. Just got a napkin and wiped it right off the metal.

I felt this was blogworthy simply because that's a one in a million shot and I found it funny.

Ash had a hard morning of playing and decided to take a nap with Picachu and Piplup.

Judgey McJudgerton

A word that can be just as bad as an "F" bomb depending on who's being called upon or "judged" as the case may be. I'll be the first one to admit some of my actions weren't the brightest of sorts but I learned from them and really life is about lessons and oh what a lesson it was. But when it really came down to it, I handled my business and moved on from there. I made me disect myself and really look at where I had been but more importantly where I wanted to go and what I needed to do to get there.

Now I never expected everyone to agree or understand what I did but when it comes down to it, I'm the one who has to look at myself every morning and I didn't like what I saw anymore. A lot of people made judgments about me and that's okay. Even my ex was the judge, jury and executioner and I don't blame her at all. Emotional pain is way worse than physical pain and anyone who says otherwise is a liar liar pants on fire. I've come a long way in the past months and I love the way life is leading me or maybe I'm leading my life, either way, it's what I've always wanted, I just didn't know it before.

So without too much blah blah blah's of boring details a couple things happened in the past 2 days. One of which I never expected but regardless was very nice to hear. My ex forgave me and finally understands what I was going through and why I needed to move on without her. Her actual words, I never asked for it or prompted or EVER expected that to happen but it did. We've known each other since I was 12/she was 11 and now 19 years later here we are. I'm not exactly sure where "that" is but it is what it is and I never need an answer to a question or a statement because at some point it will or won't present itself and I'm okay with whichever way the universe directs me.

The second thing was she came to me for help because with so many years shelved, I know her. She gets so lost sometimes and when she gets lost in the unknown, that is hard for her to handle because she is a scentific thinker and needs clear cut answers. I always tried to explain the "other side" of the world to try to evolve her thinking but ultimately that is our biggest difference. She just needed a starting point and was hoping I could help her. I see her coming to me like an old friend and nothing more... it was nice, well not that she is so lost right now but you know what I mean.

She said, "I finally understand what you were going through." She said a lot of other really nice things. I don't think I deserve or am entitled to them but at least she sees so much of what I was lacking, wanting and needing.

I hope she takes today to really look around and enjoy a leaf for what it is, a thing of beauty and growth from our own mother nature and not the science of it or what its latin name is... if you pull what you know and release all of it to let all the things of new enter, you just enlightened, not only your mind, but your soul and not many people get to experience that in life.

I do not admire what she is about to go through. I will admire how she comes out in the end. My advice to her was to dig in as deep as possible and then work upwards. You have to or you'll never be ready to move ahead positively. I got to some really deep, darke points but I knew I needed to. I wanted to get as rock bottom as possible. I needed to look at every part of me and fix what I didn't like so I could really be me... a silly, serious, fun, loud, quiet, wiggly, social, smiley, artistic, creative girl who just wants to experience life. Not so much planning, not so by the book, not on a calendar, just the old "fly by night" girl I used to be.
I'm lucky for what I have and I appreciate every bit of it...


So the moral of this blog is be careful who you judge or make such a rash decision about. You could very well find yourself in that very same predicament down the line and if you've alienated everyone you know because of your "judging" ways, who are you going to turn to for help?

These are funny measuring spoons... I want them.

Something about losing to this girl by 1 point! She just learned Carcassonne and likes it... A LOT A BIT!

One Liners from Mom

I'm not sure what happened or maybe I do know but my mom is evolving in her age. Evolving how you ask? She is getting a sense of humor. Well a better one anyway. My dad called and invited us to lunch with them and my cousin. Alix and I won't turn down free food and it's more time to play "get to know Alix" for them. So we went to Olive Garden on Saturday afternoon for a late lunch.

We were all discussing what we were getting and even discussed appitizers. I mentioned getting the Fonduta to which my mom said, "that sounds like a fungus or a disease, I'll stick with the articoke dip." Okay for my mom that's funny.

So then a bit later she looks at my cousin and asks him what he had ordered within his sampler platter and he said chicken strips, fried ravoli's... to which she cut him off and very seriously looked at him and said, "who comes to an Italian resturant and orders chicken strips?" *cracks up* His reply was, "they're Italian chickens." Okay this is great stuff.

As we're eating salad the discussion once again comes up about my mom being in labor for 43 hours. Alright, I'm stubborn, it was warm I didn't want out, give me a break. We were talking about how old my parents were and Alix mentioned her dad was 70 which totally took my mom aback and then came up the discussion of Alix being adopted and how her parents were really her true mom and dad since she had been with them since she was 4 months old. My mom's reply to this, "ehh, that's alright being in the womb is overrated." *falls down laughing*

Nice mom... good stuff.

Coat 1 of the entire platter is now done... next coat 2, then some sponging then carving out the bricks... and then and then and then... u get the idea

Finishing up the trip and Updates of sorts



Well we landed at Stateline (Primm, NV) around 1:30am Wednesday night/well Thursday morning on March 12th/13th. We checked into our room and I had to do a little happy dance. It was an awesome drive over Hoover Dam at night, they are doing some major construction on it and it was neat to coast through there. We got to see Vegas from the other side and it was as beautiful as ever. It was a $150 cheaper to stay at stateline so we decided the extra 40 minutes was worth it and we could always drive back in if we wanted to. We woke up the next morning, grabbed some lunch and headed to Old Navy to do some shopping. We also decided to stay another night, neither one of us wanted to be back in the car even though it was only 4.5 hours till home. We deserved a break and it was only $24 to stay there a night. We shopped for about 3 hours in the mall, went back to the room and laid around the rest of the night. It was perfect. The next day we got up and packed, grabbed some breakfast, hit a couple of caches and hit the road. I don't think that drive has ever seemed so short to me. I barely felt like we were even in the car. 4.5 hours vs. 16 hours is huge. I was so happy to make that last trek down the Tehachapis and bring that girl home. We walked into our apartment and unloaded the car... we were finally home. *huge sigh*



The next couple of days were of us laying around, napping and getting groceries. Saturday I was hell bent on getting her a kitten, it's all she's talked about for months so we went out to the animal shelter, 2 Petsmarts, the SPCA and then to Petco where we found the little tiny grey kitten. Alix instantly fell in love with her so we adopted the kittenbaby. We shopped around the store and then picked her up when we were finished to take her home. She was very shy and scared. It took a few days and a lot of attention but now we can't keep her off of us and she is a spoiled baby. Her name is Ash... she is a petite smokey grey kitten. She fetches really well and has a pretty funny personality.

So Monday came too quickly and back to work I went. Not as bad as I thought but work is work and I'm lucky to have the job I have. Unfortunately, on Wednesday I got sick. I couldn't take any time off and just had to work through it. It just kept getting worse and worse... finally the pain was too much and no sore throat gets worse and worse unless something is wrong. I went to the doctor the following Monday to find I have strep throat. The doctor was surprised I could breath since my tonsils were basically touching, ewww. I had to get a shot and it sucked. Now 3 days later, I'm finally starting to feel a little better.

Last Saturday consisted of us going to Color Me Mine with friends so Alix could finish our rainbow mugs and work on our toothbrush holder. I worked on my platter a little more which is finally coming along. I'll take a pic of it soon to update it. Sunday we spent a nice Easter at my mom and dads. I was surprised that my parents came and sat outside with us and joined in on the conversation, it was really nice. I can tell my mom wants to get to know Alix better and that makes me happy. We're going to start having bowling nights again so we can hang out, I'm looking forward to it. My mom really wants to be apart of my life and I do too, its nice that she really does only care about my happiness :)

Alix seems to be settling into CA pretty well and her flip flops have probably never seen so much of the outside this consistantly. Usually the weather back East is still pretty cold and rainy, so she's enjoying all of the sun and being in shorts all of the time. I couldn't be any happier that she's here. Everything is fitting so nicely and that just makes my heart smile all the time.

Almost to Nevada... we welcome this eve :)

Just a whole lot of open road and beautiful skies. I'm saying New Mexico is where this was.

You could tell we had been on the road a long time... Alix's hat would get higher or shift from left to right. You know its bad when your hat gets restless. We were in Arkansas for this one.

That little bridge we crossed from Memphis, TN into Arkansas. It was pretty cool.

So a big part of this trip was also about trying new foods. I'm in areas I'll probably never be in again. These are fried pickle chips which I happily dipped in ranch. HOLY HELL THEY ROCKED! mmm They had a bit of spicy seasoning in them too. I would love to know how Miss Polly made these.

mmm... chicken and waffles with a side of mac n cheese. Damn those people in the south can cook.

Miss Polly's Soul Cafe - Love, Peace and Chicken Grease.

Welcome to Beale St. in Memphis, TN.

Had to stop by here briefly, didn't have time to take the tour but it was still pretty cool.

Okay this was offically the weirdest thing we saw in one of our millions of stops along the 40. It self heats... WTF???

Just after the sun set a little further down the road. Oh so pretty.

This is a Tenn. sunset... this pic doesn't do it justice...

This was a park in North Carolina that we decided to stretch our legs and find Alix's 1st cache. Dropped off some travel bugs and picked one up. It was fun :)

This is us driving down the i85 s in Virginia toward Durham. I decided this was a good time to unload the couple pics I had and blog from the road. Now I'm going to get back to Donkey Jungle, I have some bananas to grab and pegs to climb!

Here is a great view of Alix's childhood home. We got to spend 2 comfy nights here. Strong winds and sideways rain like we'd never have in CA. It was a wonderful sunny crisp day that said goodbye to Alix...

Just gotta love the shadows from all the trees, it really was a wonderful place to stay.

This is the view from Alix's old bedroom. Basically, she grew up in the woods. Its so very pretty and relaxing... the previous 2 pics are of the outside of the house.

This is the worlds largest dairy store. It's in CT where Alix grew up in Wilton. Its the cutest place ever with some of the most amazing foods. It's called Stew Leonards. This was the band that was playing above some of the dairy stuff. They have many acts but this was my favorite.

Getting ready to leave Phoenix... next stop, BOSTON, MA. :) Now I'm supposed to get some sleep HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And the trip begins, here is my view outside of Bob Hope Burbank Airport. We board in about 40 minutes... here we goooooo :)

Today Does Not Exist

I have a very close family now, nothing like I've ever experienced before. It consists of a Denise, a Jenn, a Courtney and a Patty. These girls mean a lot to me and I'd throw myself in front of a wild animal for any one of them. We all have our times in life when we go through things. Each of us has a fairly high spirtual belief in the universe and things that just can't be explained. So today, February 29th hits me in a different way and I think it does for them as well.

I had a rough day, without going into too many details, it's a Friday and it's 4:30pm and I head home with a few tears crawling down my face. I was very much looking forward to just going home and falling a sleep. I was worn down, torn down and just done. I had the option to go play games but I just didn't have the mind set for it. I was sad because I did want to go but I wasn't feelin' it and knew I should just go home for now. I fell a sleep for a little while and woke up to a Patty asking if I wanted to come over for Pizza. The idea of going to Pattys and sitting around the table sharing stories like we all do so well sounded nice. So I got up took a shower and did feel a little better.

Without spilling too much of everyone elses crappy day, it was interesting that we all had such a "weird" day. I walked outside to talk to Alix and I could see inside Patty's house. Courtney had this sad/distressed look on her face, Patty was being Patty-like and making us a wonderful dinner all the while hustling through the kitchen, Denise was sitting in a chair using the web we all love so much as a distraction and Jenn, well Jenn was being Jenn :) We must look like quite the group of misfits at times but we all bring something important to the table and standing outside looking in, I could really see that. It brought this really warming feeling over me and I just had to smile.

So standing there I decided that Today Does Not Exist. This is a fun concept if you give it a chance. If you had a great day of completing tasks/work or anything else, it was basically a free day and it's almost like Gnomes came and did the work for you. If you had a bad/horrible/off day then when you wake up tomorrow, it didn't exist and all is washed even. Either way you come out with a positive feeling.

I was just ready for the feelings of the day to be gone. I think some others were as well. Darla and Vanessa showed up a bit after that, Patty got called out to work and we all sat around the table eating pizza and just enjoying one anothers company. I loved it (well minus the fact that Patty had to leave).

Thanks girls... I love you and I'll miss you.

8 year olds and pitching lessons

I have been VERY competitive in sports more of my life than not. I don't like to lose and I hate not being the best at something. It's my secret and I work at not letting my "temper" get the best of me. I put that in quotes mainly because I've worked very hard to not be THAT girl anymore. I'm pretty much low-key and mellow now and my body loves me so much for that :)

So today I will be going to a 10 and under softball game to help out a pitcher who is 8 years old. This is very common. Being bred for softball in Bakersfield isn't new. I run across people looking for private lessons more often then you might think. As I do not coach high school ball anymore, my 14 hour days have ceased and I can enjoy the sport a little more. I miss it terribly, don't get me wrong but it doesn't consume my life for 6 months either. Okay, who are we kidding, it was more like 10 months. It would have been 12 but cold and rain does slow us down. Anyway, I've seen some of these parents with their girls and it still amazes. More than ever they are teaching that "must be the best" attitude and it's going younger and younger. Sometimes I think the parents want the bragging rights that their child is the most talented more than anything.

I enjoy helping though, it's fun and it keeps me close to softball which is a love I will never lose. Something about walking out on to a freshly chalked field and an untouched mound that gives me the shivers every time. I have a love for the sport... I wonder how you teach that??? I think some of my players got it over the time I had them but how does one completely inspire for the love of the game? I kinda like not knowing and just doing what I do best, teach the game I grew up with and love so much. Not everything has to have an answer, some of the most miraculous things are those left unanswered.

Play ball... *smiles*

It still amazes me how much she pays attention to me... I love the uniqueness of the Orchid, they are quite beautiful and as my likes change, it's nice to know that she loves me enough to note the little things because they are important to me :)

That one moment...

There are things we do in life that sometimes make us sit back and really see ourselves in the center looking around at the 360 deg moment that is starring at us right then. Not sure what I'm talking about? If you've had them, you know and you'll also understand that words can't truly describe how this moment overtakes your mind/body/soul. I will try my best though to convey the one I have when I fly to Boston, my last one will overcome me next week and I'm perfectly okay with that...

I typically take a Red Eye flight to see her. The plan is that I will sleep on that flight so I'm not so shell shocked when I get into Boston. Unfortunately, that NEVER happens. While everyone is snoring around me, I'm sitting there tapping my foot. I try, I really do but I'm too damn excited. The first time was the worst, I fell a sleep and when I woke up and looked at the time, it had been 20 minutes. Wow... only 5 hours and 20 minutes to go... shit damn. The one flight where I tried a sleepy agent put me to sleep for 45 minutes *smacks head* so you see I'm like that kid that wants to run up and down the isle of the plane basically.

The upside of being awake? Yes there is one. We cross a few times zones on this flight and when 3:00am our time hits, it's 6:00am there and basically its sunrise time on the Atlantic. So the transfer of dark to light is very quick and to watch the sunrise on the clouds is pretty damn amazing. It's a magical hour for me really, the day is starting a new and I will be in her arms shortly. There's that moment while I'm sitting there looking out the window and watching each little ray of sunshine shoot out amongst the sky. Almost like it's shining through me and warming me all a glow inside. I get that smile on my face and my heart goes a flutter. Twitterpated, it's a wondrous thing.

It's always about the little moments. I love them so.

You can't set these moments up, they just happen. Oddly enough, you're typically alone at the time they do happen. I don't think everyone can experience them because they are too busy getting through life instead of enjoying it. Drinking it away or killing time till the next weekend...

$1.00

So last night I went to the dollar store to get some hangers because apparently we have a SHIT TON of clothes! I'm on a tight tight budget but I don't mind because it means she'll be here and we'll figure it out. So anyway, I was looking for something to put on my door for St. Patty's Day. They had some clover garland so I decided to spend the dollar and get it.

I smiled the entire time I put it around my door. It's really a wonderous thing how a dollar can do so much for your heart. :)

Scary Faerie

I got the urge to sketch a faerie, she's pretty rough but not bad (I think) for my first attempt. Yes I know I have my work cut out for me and using charcoal probably wasn't my best idea either. Lesson #1 learned :)

Why do we...?

So I was heating up my lunch yesterday and I wanted to put ketchup and mustard on my bread to make orange bread for my hamburger. I knew I had ketchup and thought I had remembered seeing mustard in the fridge at work. So I went to pick up the mustard... it had expired... in July... of 2003!

Okay gross. Here's the funny part, what did I do with the mustard after seeing it's almost 5 years expired? I put it back in the fridge! I've seen plenty of people do this. I've done it. Do we think it might be okay the next time? Is it too hard to throw in the trash? *laughs hysterically* Who knows but I thought that was funny. I did end up throwing it away by the way.

Sink of Dishes

So each night I put something or things away and get that much closer to being organized and clean. Two of my favorite things. The kitchen was the first room I put together (shocker) and continually fill the counters up to put other things away. It's quite a cycle but it's working. I hadn't really thought I was getting very far until Denise & Jen came over and said I had done a lot. I spent most of last night grouping stuff together so it wouldn't be so out of place. I hung up some more clothes, threw out some more trash and made sure my lunch was packed for the day.

Monday night I made my dinner and cleaned. I had yet to do dishes and decided that I should do them each night before I go to bed. I happily stood there on my new kitchen mat and washed each dish by hand, stratigically stacking them in the little rack in the sink. I wiped down the counters and cleaned the stove. I smiled while I washed each dish. Now I know this won't last forever but like everything else I'm experiencing, I'm appreciating everything in a whole new way.

I've always loved/appreciated everything in my life but it's different this time. I'm thankful for where I've been and what I've had and where I'm going now.

*Phew* It's Monday already?

What a crazy/wonderful/tiring/loving/magical/funtagiously awesomest great time. The past 4 days have been great for so many reasons. My mom and I got closer last Wednesday, her curiousity got the best of her and now she is quite happy that Alix and I are so happy together. Valentines/Moving day was great.

Jenn & Denise came over and did this most fantastic blessing/ritual through our house. Jenn was very thorough and I could really feel the blessing. I watched them go over our home, protecting us and putting all of their love into it. I walked down at one point to get my family and I was standing there shaking a little. I could completly feel it. It made me all smiley inside and when I walked back in, I got the exact same feeling. Every time I walk in, I can feel it and I love it. It really does feel like a home. Everyone got everything moved in a few short hours, it was awesome. The washer/dryer were a bit of a challenge but overall it went well. My dad offered to buy the first groceries which was awesome cause money will be tight for awhile but you can't exchange the happiness I feel for some green paper. We got home at 11:ish pm from the store and my parents were wiped out. I sent them on their way and happily put all our groceries away. I had a lot to do before I left for the airport. Her flight got in at 1:10pm. I put the groceries away, moved some boxes to make a path, took a shower and next thing I knew it was 12:20 and I needed to GO! I left for the office to pick up some stuff, got back into my car and she was in at 12:39pm! WTH! How is she 30 minutes early! So I hauled ass and pulled up about 2 mintues after she got her luggage, so at least she didn't have to wait long. Sorry baby :)

We got home and she looked around our home. She liked it :) YAY! I figured she would but sometimes you just have to worry. Poor little sickly kitten though, she was tired and I was beat so we called it a night and hopped into our bed for our 1st night in our apartment :)

Friday we had to get up kinda early cause she had an appt. with a temp agency. I was a zombie, a very sore zombie. I went back home, waited for our new stove to be installed and then went to get her breakfast and a sonic and pick her up. I was beat tired but we had lots to do. We came back, changed and headed out to get A LOT of stuff we needed for the homestead. I had quite a migraine building so we went home and I took a nap so we could head to the Valentines Dance at 6:00pm

She looked so adorable. Still sickly, she was quite the trooper and I really appreciated it. The dance was at the Holiday Inn downtown and it was very nicely done. It was just big enough but not so big that you couldn't find a person if you thought you had lost them. The food was pretty yummy and the night went over fairly well. We had our picture taken and I already made a shadow box frame out of it. We went home got some meds and curled up together.

Saturday morning that alarm went off too early again. We had to get to IKEA though because we needed a couch. After some super yummy Jack Daniels chicken in Valencia and a lot of traffic we made it to IKEA.... lots of hours later and ANOTHER migraine and we were on our way back home with a couch and a lot of other fun stuff for the home :) Dinner with the family was cancelled, so that was nice because we were beat down. I was drained from Migraines from the past 2 days. We cuddled on the couch, ate some food and watched TV. That was one of the best nights ever.

Sunday came way too quickly and once again we were rushing to the airport at 11:30am. This time though, I was ready to kick her on the plane (well not really, never really) because when I see her in 15 days it's because I'm in Boston to pick her up and we head on our drive to CA. These 7 months have gone FAST. It didn't seem like it at the time but since we started these flights every 2 weeks to get her situated, it's been flying. She has no more free weekends and I'm spending all my time getting everything settled so we can fill the house back up when we pull in.

So many wonderful things that were, are and will be. I love my time with her. No matter where it is. No more hotels, no more airports, well except to Bora Bora *winks*, no more watching the clock, no more countdowns till I see that smiling face because each night, she'll be here. Right where she belongs.

My card from my mom and dad... I found it this AM when I got up to go to work. :)

I think Atomic Betty is kinda full but she is ready for moving day!

Petty Picky Pessimistic People... PISS ME OFF!

Alright this one is ranty because I've had nothing but wonderful days for the past ??? (so many I've lost track). I'm going to write this out and then it will be done, no dwelling, no festering, just letting go in the nice afternoon breeze.

Petty People. Don't they realize they are the root of their own disgust? Because they choose to be so damn negative and controlling, they are truly responsible for their pettiness.

Picky People. How can you be soooo damn picky? So much in fact that people don't want to be around you anymore. You can't pick up on it though because you are so self involved that you can't even realize it... *shakes head* It's sad really.

Pessimistic People. If you're going to live this life seeing that glass constantly half empty and annoyed with anyone who doesn't do things EXACTLY as you do, then I probably don't want you within my energy anyway.

My advice is this; stop being so selfish and acting like a baby who throws a temper tantrum when she doesn't like the way things are going. Learn how to work with people instead of against them. You are in for a long, tough life otherwise and for that, I keep positive thoughts that one day you may wake up and realize, there are things much more horrible in the world and what you find "horrible" is equal to a -423 on the gauge of horribleness.

All done... now I go pack :) YAY!

Wednesday

HOLY SHIT.

The End.


Just kidding but for real for real. All of the sudden I have "oh" so much to do! Today I get my hairs cut (especially since last night I was told I look like a hippy). Then I have to come back to storage and tag all my stuff to be moved out to the apartment. Then I get to go home and pack up my car and move anything else that's left into the garage. Then I have to attempt to sleep! Tomorrow is work/girl flies in/moving/Valentines Day! I'm SO EXCITED I COULD SPIT SUNSHINE!

Alright back to work I go... later!

Our new shakers for the apartment! Thanks Lynn & Shannon :)

Where to go from here...

So many things coming up. I've basically finished packing. I have set my appointment to pick up the keys to our apartment on Thursday at noon. I have ******* ****** can't exactly say because a certain little girl will read this but I'm getting set up for her arrival on Thursday as well. My friend Jenn has agreed to come by and do a home blessing with Sage to cleanse it for us and I'm super excited about that. Each day brings me closer and closer and I'm feeling pretty darn good about it.

I feel like I can expand my artist side even more. I know my mind is becoming more at ease because I want to learn new things. There is a Faery Fundraiser coming up and I want to work on some pieces for that as well. There is also a SPCA type show coming up and hopefully I'll have a new kittenkid soon that I can photograph for that :) There is also a Garbage Blanc (White Trash) show coming up and I'm trying to figure out something to do for that because it sounds like fun.

The first thing I'll probably move into the apartment will be the drafting table Jenn gave me :)

3:35pm

So everyday about this time it's basically time to wrap up at work. This involves printing off the machines, typing up any last reports that may need to go out before I walk my butt through that door, emailing or faxing, billing something, feeding my yard kittenkids, cleaning up my desk(s) (yes I have multiple), laying out samples for the next day and a few other whosey-ma-whats-its. My world begins to shut down and my time with Alix on the phone begins. As darkeness falls each night, something new is happening, an overall feeling of satisfaction. Our life is setting itself to begin very soon. Before it was months out and seemed like forever and a day away. Now... well now it's basically a day away. Each day brings us quite closer, we have so many mini countdowns, the time literally is flying by. I smile every morning and pop out of bed because at the dusk of "this" day, I am one more day closer to her and THAT is always a most wonderful feeling.

Lately, more and more people have been commenting on how hard it must be to have the one you love so far away. And as much as I agree, this time has taught me many things. I have learned to walk on my feet again, find some really interesting stuff out about myself, I've made some new incredibly awesome friends and have put myself in a position to have her easily walk into our life. Here are some things to look forward with us:

February 14th - We get our apartment; She flies in for the weekend
February 17th - She takes her last business trip to Boston
February 27th - My birthday that I keep forgetting about
March 5th - I head to Burbank for my last flight to Boston for awhile...
March 7th - We head to CT to stay with her parents and possibly NY on the 8th
March 9th - We head toward Spin in DC, then to Kristin in OK
and from there we'll end up back in CA around the 12th???

Weather will play a huge roll in our drive across the U.S. I'll do most of my blogging from my phone. Should be pretty cool. Things may change a bit but we're really looking forward to all of it.

I'm having one of those centered days today and it feels great... just thought I would share.

Here is the list:

@ Secure Holding Cube
@ Secure Moving Truck
@ Call Temp Agencies to set appt.
@ Rent out room
@ Transfer all accounts to the boys
@ Get 2 new tires
@ Pack
@

So now you can refer to it as necessary, yes I know there is more but we'll start here.

Pouty Face & Balance

Okay, so this morning Alix left to go back to Boston for another business trip. She will be back in 10 days. Next Thursday, Valentines Day, she will be back here and we will be in our apartment. Oh yeah, you read that right OUR apartment. Which just reminded me to call the cable company and PG&E... okay, we will have cable next week between 3-5pm and PG&E is in my name, ta-da!

I'm trying to be all positive and crap but today, today I will be sad and that will be okay. Tomorrow I will get out of the "grey" and into the color and be in a much better mood. I'm allowed to miss her, how could I not? She's so wonderful and here is an interesting ephiphany I had driving home Friday night from San Francisco...

I've spent a better part of the past couple of years searching for something, something that was important to me; Balance. It is hard to achieve and nearly impossible to maintain but the idea of such a thing in life makes me strive that much harder for it. I love those days when I feel completely centered and there are more of them now then ever (okay shut up, I know today doesn't count). Anyway, we were driving back to Bakersfield and talking about our astrological symbols and some designs to do at Color Me Mine. Now my symbol is tattooed on the back of my neck, not the Fishie one but the H looking one. And I know her celtic symbol but I never thought about her True symbol. Here is where the "funny" part comes in, her symbol is the Scales. Her sign is the suppose to be the most balanced of all the symbols.

So in my search for Balance... I find a Libra... *nods* Yep Yep... interesting how the universe does that kind of stuff.

Over the past few days...

Well hello there. What a hell-of-a week for real. Tuesday I decided it would be a good idea to get sick. I thought, "hey Alix is back from her business trip this Friday, I should get sick." So I did. *smug face* So I got this gross cold with a side of icky cough and pretty much put myself in an awful situation at work being as it's the end of the month. So I would come home everyday and lay in bed like a vegetable and talk to Alix on the phone. I got like 10 hours of sleep a night and magically now it's Thursday and I feel pretty damn good. I'm glad cause the girl flies in here at 8:30pm tomorrow and I need to be well and well rested.

Another ephiphany we had on Wednesday night was to move into our apartment the weekend of her next visit home from her business trip! I mean really, it would just save another charge on the credit card when we could be comfy in our own home! YAY! I just have to check the place out but I have to wait till the previous tenent turns in her keys. *SHEESH HURRY UP ALREADY* So that's probably what I'll be doing tomorrow on my lunch :) It's kind of a cute way to spend our first Valentines together as well... setting up our new place for our new life together... awww. Don't ya just wanna puke? *giggles* We're pretty damn excited!

So that's been my week and now I just realized... I'M MOVING IN 15 DAYS! WOW!

Step 3 of the Platter




Step 3: Painted brick parts of the platter with one coat... hard to really say how long because I was chatting with friends but I'd say about 45 minutes.

1 month to go...

Alright so basically it's a month till my birthday. So for those of you that don't want to think -- it's 2/27/77 (*eh hem* 'Nise!) The past few birthdays haven't gone over so well, ESPECIALLY the last one. I mean I hear some people don't take them so well but I REALLY didn't like my 20-10 birthday, which is what I had referred to it as.

Over the past few months I've had a lot of time to reflect. I find myself looking over my life and while there are some things I wish I could have done differently, they all have led me to this point and therefore I can not regret them but I've grown, found more of who I am and love life more than ever. Now even luckiler than all of this? I have been given the blessing of a very wonderful girl who understands my soul, my quirks and makes me believe in myself when sometimes I don't want to. I've always been a cheerleader of my partners, friends and family but it's really nice to have someone lead me into myself with gentleness and caring, she is my biggest cheerleader and it's nice.

Which leads me to my premonth birthday blog of today. I never loved 30 up until a couple of months ago. Would I want to do my 20's again? Nope. Then I wouldn't be where I am today... 'a lot a bit' loved by my matching soul, a little more balanced and really embracing the who that makes me, well me.

I love Alix.
I love my friends and how each one is a part of me in some way and are helping to evolve me even more.
I love my family, every one of them, even the ones I don't know yet. (yes you can laugh and yes my family is that big)

Some people give their thanks around Thanksgiving but sometimes we need to do it when the mood inspires us. If you're reading this, chances are you've inspired me in some way and I can't thank you enough for being a part of my life at some point.

"We are only as great as the people we surround ourselves with." ~a

Switching Muses

Okay, so last night I got the transfer on to the platter. I have also decided that what ever muse inspired this idea, is tag teaming with someone else... doubt. I was/am really gung-ho for this project but it does change from one day to the next. I sat there last night and starred at it after it was done and then looked at the actual color photo. I thought this would take me 6-8 times out but with the detail of the bricks... it could be MUCH longer than that. In all actuality, until I start it, I have no idea what this is going to entail but I will figure it out soon enough because I start tomorrow night. I'll upload a pic as soon as I can get enough light, the transfer is pretty light and hard to see on the platter and I didn't have Nikki last night.

Step 2: Finished sketching the picture, traced the back side, then transferred to platter. 45 minutes.

Platter a la Red Sox aka The Long Term Project

So I decided I'm going to paint a Red Sox Platter. Not just any ol' doodle, oh no, I have to go big. I'm going to transfer one of my own photos from Fenway Park onto a platter. I know this is going to take A LOT of time but I need a challenge. I've been slacking in the art department. I've taken some really great photos, no I'm not bragging on myself but I have some good ones alright, get off my case, sheesh. I've sat on them long enough and this is getting me ready for 2 upcoming shows in town... I'll get to those later though.

Last weekend the girl came into town and I took her to Color Me Mine, she had never been and her coloring side was wanting to come out. I bought her this Veggie Tales Coin Bank to paint. Now anyone who has done this, knows how detailed these projects can be. Being her first time out, I thought this one would be a pretty challenging one for her but she took it like she takes most everything else in life, with a smile and a lot of determination. 3 trips to CMM, a total of 10.5 hours but she got it done and it looks damn adorable. She went pretty damn detailed for her first run and I couldn't be more proud. One of the nights while I was sitting there, I was starring at these huge platters they had and I thought how cool it would be to transfer one of my photos on to one. Immediately the one on the brick wall came to mind. So I bought a platter. Tonight I went to Michaels to get some tracing paper to sketch it on and then I will copy it over to the platter. I'm suppose to go to CMM again on Saturday night, so I'm hoping I'll be able to start painting it then.

So here is my progress so far:

Rough Sketch & Actual Photo

Closer view of sketch...

Day 1: 40 minutes to sketch

Now off to bed before the queen has my head!

Christmas 2007 in CA :)

Jen working on a portrait for friend :) Look even her hair matches... oh she's good!

The creepy cookie!

More baked goods..

Baked goods...

New Bakeware :)

My artsy work space...

Arty lets me to my artsy space.