eh2ed #4

to everything turn, turn, turn....

there is a season. you know what will be in season soon? asparagus. did you know it's only in season for a few weeks? I didn't until I read a fabulous book by Barbara Kingsolver...but not the point i'm going for.

So. Know when your fruits and vegetables are in season, when they grow and how they grow. And when you want those strawberries in January when it's freezing outside, or tomatoes in November, you'll be more likely to realize that they aren't in season and purchasing them would be supporting the pollution from tranportation.

so, buy in season, okay? and think twice before buying out of it :)

-post from my iphone!

eh2ed #3

hi. it's day three, dontcha know?

so this tip is about three, you ready? know that saying "reduce, reuse, recycle?" well...first of all, follow it. but second of all, follow it to the "T"--having a bin full of recyclables is only sort of an accomplishment. first, use less. if you can't then reuse it. and if you can't do that, THEN recycle. :)

so much inspiration, so little time

~my rental-to-possibly-own lens arrives today. eeks!

~I found some DAMN COOL blogs today. email me and I will share them. well, possibly. :) I want a chance to use the inspiration before I broadcast the source, dontchaknow? tiny hint though: this is something that I found inspirational. now to buy the supplies and implement. :D I have like eleventeen projects now--painting, sewing, decorating, etc. so much!

~I miiiiight have spent like $30 on some kick-ass music today. Shazam on the iphone makes me happy. I got Chairlift, The Wombats and Matt Nathanson.

~I am still waffling on getting a camera bag from her. They are totally cute and totally on sale (found a coupon online!), but I just don't know yet. I like how they are cute and all, and the look very functional, but I wish I could, like, look at one in person before I decided to purchase. Plus, I'm not sure there's a fabric in the one I want that is {me} enough. these are my faves: opinions? I'm wanting a bad that a) doesn't scream "steal me!" (my equipment cost an alarming amount of money) and b)will look nice when I'm out and about or shooting a wedding or whatever.

~my emissions testing for class is O.V.E.R. thank goodness. here's what the lovely matilda tallulah looked like yesterday. it felt like a HUGE waste to spend such a beautiful day driving around in my car, but that's okay.

~ps: it's especially okay since next saturday I arrive at 1 and I have two bachelorette parties to attend and then I think I have a houseguest, so I think I'm going to need Sunday to RECOVER! if I hadn't done the emissions testing yesterday I would have had to do it next Sunday.

~and, here's a picture of my friend gurdas. :) clearly, he is also taking pictures of my car.

~later I'll show you what Hazel looks like when she decides she's a present. It's pretty damn adorable. but it's also in my camera right now, and that camera is patiently waiting for me to use it for an engagement shoot this evening!

~oh and. went to a fun baby shower this weekend. and had a splendid double date. we talked about things like last names and owning slaves and sports and the like. it was crazy and fantastic. :D

~and that same night I had SUSHI! (nick, seriously, let's figure it out. not this week but next?) it kiiiiinda meant I had dinner twice, 'cause they had burgers at the shower, but I ate just enough and then it was EARTH HOUR! yay. I want to check out the tallies. I'll let you know.

~I'm not sure how much blogging I'll do in florida, but you'll certainly get the eco-tip o' the day, so do keep an eye out!!

eh2ed #2

sunday, sunday...

things that are making me happy:
-the color yellow
-opening my windows in the house
-wearing flip-flops

:)

so, eh2ed tip numero two: keep your freezer full. a full freezer operates more efficiently than a half-full or empty freezer. (think about it--lots of cold things help keep that temperature down) so don't go buy eleventeen things of frozen peas (unless you need 'em!) but don't be afraid to keep that freezer stocked!

however--don't overfill or fill to the brim either. you don't want to restrict airflow!

eh2ed #1

if you didn't take part in today's earth hour for whatever reason, there are still SO many ways you can make a difference! an easy one for today, and one that your parents or grandparents probably did: when you cook dinner on cooler evenings, once you're done and you've turned off the oven, crack open the door instead of letting the oven cool with it shut. You'll save energy by using the already-generated heat to warm up the house, keeping the additional energy expenditure to a minimum. :)

earth hour to earth day

so, there's this neato thing going on with "cool people care." It's called EH2ED--earth hour to earth day. If you don't know, Earth Hour is TOMORROW. All you do is at 830pm tomorrow night, wherever you are, turn off all nonessential lights. edit: 830pm in YOUR time zone! You don't have to sit in darkness or turn off every single thing, just the ones that you don't HAVE to have on (eg: your porch light. your kitchen lights when you're in the next room. etc)

This is a BIG deal. State capitols are doing it (Arkansas, I'm lookin' at you). Celebrities are doing it. Even Broadway is dimming its lights (though not turning them off completely). Wowowowow.

Do it too. It'll take a minute to switch out those lights. Make a statement, show that you, too, are concerned about climate change, and that you want to make a difference.

so, back to the challenge--it's to spread the word about going green, and to do so each day from earth hour to earth day. I never did much of a job deciding what to give up for Lent, so being involved in this is my Lenten Offering of sorts.

Keep an eye out for my suggestions and ideas, and please, make your own! And if you have anything you want to know more about, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Now get ready to turn those lights out SATURDAY, 830PM your local time. For an hour. Take a moment and make a stand. :)

now playing left field in the great big ball park in the sky

a co-worker and teammate of mine passed away at the end of last week. I've been waiting to find out more information before I posted. His name was Jon, and we called him "JB." I also knew him from working with him on a water development team at the beginning of my job. He was a cooooool guy. Very positive, very on-an-even-keel, very mellow. And awesome at softball.

We didn't have a season last year, but I'm a member of Toxic Waste. We are a crazy bunch of people, let me tell you. It started out as engineers and scientists (hence the name) but expanded to include a huge variety of work folk--people in media and computers and safety and econ and our core group of sciency nerds. Our team is now the team that's been around the longest in the league--20+ years at least.

And anyway, he passed away very suddenly. He went into the hospital and within ten days he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. His wife sent out an email telling us about his final days, what happens, about his 10 and almost 12 year old daughters, and about how they'd been married for 20 years and grew up together for 8 before that.

But there is one part of this that just really makes my heart so sad every time I think of it, and it's this part that made me want to share it with y'all, because there is such an AMAZING example and lesson to be learned here.

On the morning of his passing, he was able to coherently speak to his wife and daughters, and told them how much he loves them, and how wonderful they are, and how proud of them he was. I cannot think of anything much more moving than a father, knowing he has hours to live, gifting his children words that they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

I guess it just...it's the embodiment of that now trite saying of "what would Jesus do?" It was the most selfless thing. And it was precisely what his daughters needed. And I can't even fully explain it, but it just blows my mind, and I consider myself lucky to have known a man like that. I think we could all learn a little something from his story. :)

His memorial is tomorrow evening, and I plan on going, and the team also wrote something on his legacy page. And here's a team picture--he's the one in the orange.

Just wanted to share.

quick and pretty

which is WAY better than quick and dirty!

so, remember how I blogged about this bag? well, it arrived lickety-split, along with the ring I finally got around to ordering. I emailed about the possibility of Greek letters and she tested it out then and there, but it was right before my aunt passed away, so I forgot to order it until last week.

well, both of the items were here on THURSDAY. two days later. holy smokes!

And, they came in cute packaging. And the ring came in the tin--that's Lilly fabric in my favorite colors, green and pink! I didn't even know about Lilly and her fabric and all until some people I know started talking about it, but it sure is cute. Not always my thing but definitely adorable!

(and speaking of which, she's doing another giveaway--for a Lilly Pulitzer cute pink bag!)


I am tres impressed.

oh yeah and that ring made an appearance on my photography blog yesterday. I had a little poem sitting on my desk, saw the reflection of the word "hearts" and it was a done deal! ps: which do you like better? name or logo in the corner?

Also, yesterday I did not rock climb. :( I was kinda bummed. I hurt my thumb, I guess during tennis. Apparently I grip the racket too tight. It is still sore today, so I'm glad I didn't go. Instead, after stressing out about the red mold that was growing on my sheets--oh wait, I only tweeted about that--I left Matt's anniversary present of eco-friendly sheets in the washer for many a day on accident and they got that icky red mold on them, hence the problem. I washed everything in detergent, vinegar and some oxi clean, and went on a hunt for replacement ones.

The homegoods at Brier Creek didn't have them, and I called around and no one here had them in the color I wanted. The one nearest me had some in other colors though, so I went to pick them up since I couldn't go climbing. And while there, I saw this gem. Which is now in my house, waiting to be hung up. Usually I am not a fan of metally-wrought-iron-ee things. They usually look heavy, and sometimes are heavy, and I think color is superior to solid metal. They look good in other people's houses, but they're not something I was planning on having in mine. HOWEVER, like most rules, there are exceptions. :) and this was one of them. I'll let you see it when it's really, really up!

this is making my head hurt.

so. I am looking at cameras, right? I have very much outgrown my little starter SLR, and I had NO idea I'd do it so quickly. but I've decided el tax-return-o will go a long way toward making that purchase comfy, so I'm biting the bullet.

I'm testing out a 17-55 on a rent-to-see-if-I-like-it-to-buy it basis. I will let you know what I think. If it's half as good as I've been told it is, then I am going to LOVE it.

And I think I'm getting the 50D. I've tried it and I liked it, but then I've heard alllll these raves about the 5 D mark ii, which, of course, costs twice as much. It seems like it is a fantastic camera, and undoubtedly, it is. But I like the price tag of the 50D better. And it's a faster camera. But that 5 D is a dream someday. And anyway...

one thing that makes me crazy: so, everyone is like "oooh, oooh, but it's FULL FRAME!" (which means your lens doesn't have a multiplier, and that's a good thing in camera-speak)

so, my current camera I have now...or the 50D...if I use a 17-55 lens on it it's the actually like it's a 27-88, right? and if I got a full frame camera, it would be what it says on the lens--a 17-55. Got that?

Well, I'm on the phone with a very nice lady, asking her questions about camera-ese, and she's saying about the full frame and actual lenses, blahblah. how a 17 IS a 17, and how it'd be a 27 or whatever on my camera. cool, fine, got it. except the full frame uses a different type of lens, and that type? the widest it goes is a 24. lame-o. so that extra, what, 10 or 7 mm, depending on how you look at it? You couldn't even utilize if you wanted to.

riiiight. so the benefit you're flaunting is one you can't even utilize? well, comparing this lens to existing ones, anyway. once you get into higher mm #s of course you can. but I just found it slightly humorous, math nerd that I am.

the end.

showershower, shower, tennis and drinks.

that's what I did this weekend. oh, and I also showered twice for myself. :)

and it was decidedly a good time. indeedily-do.

so, the only time I really took pictures with my camera was at tennis--I used dana's at the showershower (it was for two people) and I didn't take any at the other shower. I had not played tennis in yeeeeeeears. I think I played a little in college. Okay, I know I did. But I think other than that? Not since early high school. My (un)stepdad used to take us to Zink Park to play. Which was kind of fabulous, I might add. But I haven't really played since then at all.

Matt got us rackets for our anniversary, and Lisa and Richard were going to go with us. Turns out that Janice was having a bit of a tourney/free-for-all so we all got together. I was definitely nervous. a)because I hadn't played in for.ev.er, b)because I was SO not up for anything competitive, and c)because if I was ready to stop playing I wanted that to be okay--I didn't want to mess up a bracket or anything. Oh and? I was assured there wouldn't be a "loser's bracket." We were going to call it "non-winners." Not motivating! :) I suggested that we have an "all-stars" and a "super-stars."

We didn't use any of those! Which was for the best.

Matt and I played Richard and Lisa for a while, and then we switched to a girl's court and a guy's court. I was on a team with Janice's mom, who totally held back until it was 4-4 and we were playing our tie-breaker. It was pretty awesome! I had some very good hits, and some very very "not great" mistakes, but it was still fun and I did not make a complete arse out of myself. Mission accomplished.

We were there for around two hours, and I was all sunblocked and covered as much as I could be. I even spent the last half an hour standing in the shade, covered up in a sweatshirt, waiting for Matt to finish. Thankfully, all I ended up with was a little bit of pink on my face, and it's gone today. In my book, that's a win!

Oh and? My pink racket and pink balls were a hit! (pun absolutely intended) Unfortunately the court was kind of dirty and it made the pink way less pink-ee, but it's not like those are the only ones in the whole wide world, we can get more. I kind of want to see if an even brighter pink is available. Or ones made from recycled materials? So far I've just found recycling programs--ones who take the "dead" tennis balls and give them to animals, or separate them into their constituent parts, or whatever. We'll see...

My right arm and right thumb are sore today. It usually takes me the full 24 hours or more to experience the full soreness, so I'm a bit anxious about what I'll find out in four hours. :) Matt and I are *maybe* going to go play again today, even if it's just for 20-30 minutes, 'cause it's a nice, pleasant workout.

ps: status of tooth is still the same. hurts with cold things, but not the rest of the time. BIZARRE. I think my dentist thinks I'm nuts--I rescheduled the cleaning from wednesday so I could let my tooth not be aggravated further, and basically said "look if it's not better in a week I'm going to NEED the root canal, I can't keep dealing with this." Apparently most people would rather avoid a root canal at all costs--even when it's totally annoying and there's a simple way to fix it. UGH.

one more photography thing--now through june 14th

see my blog and website for availability! Also, if you send any customers my way please be sure to have them mention your name--you'll get a little thank you for referring them, too!

sg thinks I rooooooooock.

do I mean him or the character he writes, hmm?

this was a good start to what will, hopefully, be a good weekend!

First of all, KD elections. Can I just tell you, for the millionth gazillionth time, how thankful I am to count so many wonderful KayDees as my sisters and friends? I LOVE it. Exceptional women! It makes me miss the ones who aren't here anymore (Mary Alise and Andrea and Amy are the first to come to mind) but it also just makes me smile inside and out. :D Also, yay me for managing to NOT be an officer!

Also, I like the plans that are cooking up for Easter. Might rival the one I spent with Mary Alise, Michael and Kara S. maybe, just maybe...

SO.

things things things.

a) Remember how I rented that camera in February (here and here)? well, I was anticipating waiting for my tax return to purchase it. my XTi just isn't cutting the mustard anymore. however, if I buy it now I might be able to save $250 on the lens, and some on the camera body too. we'll see what happens, and I need to decide if I want one of the kit lenses in addition, but yeah. It's exciting for me. I will LOVE using it on my trips this summer, and of course for business too!

b) also, I am having SO MUCH FUN playing with photoshop. A few weeks ago, 'cause my awesome friend Gurdas mentioned the super sale to me, I was able to get my hands on an inexpensive copy of it. I hadn't really had a chance to play with it until yesterday--and it is SLICK. I'll still use Elements 7 since it is quicker, at least for now. but I've downloaded some cool "actions" and I've been playing with them, see? I'm not sure that I love all of 'em, and I've only played with like 8 actions here, but you get the idea. I think that sometimes it will really add a lot to the photos, you know? I am going to really enjoy the add versatility, methinks. All the ones on the left and originals and the right are modified. I definitely need to find more actions though!

c) and this weekend I am *hoping* to get to test out my new lens this weekend as well. It's funky and unusual, you'll like it. It's very much my "style." And it'll finally be sunny (it's not exactly intended for use w/ a flash...) so I can play. :)

d) and now for the non-photography related...this weekend I will be playing tennis. and going to two showers. AND CELEBRATING WITH OLIVIA!! (she defended her masters thesis!) and having brunch with matt at bogarts. we LOVE it and I exchanged coupons with a lady at my church, so now I have THREE sets of the coupons to bogarts and other glenwood ave restaurants. I.Am.Pumped.

e) I got a FANTASTIC package in the mail yesterday. My bff, sjg, sent these in the mail. He is a fancy writer of things that I don't want to write in case someone googles him (it has happened before and I've had to delete it!) but the pictures will show you. Also, yesterday he told me that really I should just store them on the back of my toilet seat because they're just long enough to read while you're "doing your business." I will refrain from storing them there, but that made me giggle.

f) so, apparently my retelling of matt and my anniversary induced exactly two responses. a) aaaaaaw. b) vomit. so, one more thing and I'll stop with that, I swear! Yesterday Matt's final present arrived in the mail. I got a free photo book from shutterfly. It was kind of an ordeal (hint: make sure you like the cover BEFORE you create the book, sometimes you can't change it and have to create it all over again), but the finish product turned out better than I expected. And he LOVED it. I think it probably helped that I put little parts in to remind him where the picture was taken, but we went through it all together and he just thought it was super fantastic. Which makes for a happy Carrie, indeed.

and that, m'dears, is that. time for more ghg and wastewater, beers with Olivia and then a night in with Matt. I'm excited to not be going to Florida this weekend!

[yellow] his house with the [yellow] little window and a [yellow] corvette and everything is [yellow] for her and [her]self and everybody around...

~eiffel 65. ish. take anybody back to college? at least I didn't quote that "you're my butterfly, sugar, baby" song...

I realize today that I am rocking a yellow sweater. with my yellow purse. and had put my lunch in my orange-yellow (I think they call it saffron?) . and I have two yellow file folders on my desk. and yellow and orange post it notes. I think today is a yellow day, hmm? and I think I like it.

it's quite the change from yesterday when I had a hormotional mini-meltdown. too much homework. and choir suuuuuuucked. I don't mind singing/practicing songs that I don't like, 'cause obviously you can't like them all, but our ENTIRE Maundy Thursday thing is just painful. Lots of ugly clashing. Lots of Episcopalian-style hymns (where the text is all at the bottom instead of between the rows o' music.) And I'm singing alto, which I often like, but this part is lowlowlowlow. not good for the carries.

And to top it all off, our choir director is anxious about whether or not we'll pull it together in time. As well he should be, I must say--we're certainly behind, but I think that has a lot to do with how no one really digs the music. Word on the street is that come that evening we'll really be glad we did it, but I'm not holding my breath. Normally choir cheers me up (and I'm sure that extra oxygen helps too) but yesterday it just made me really, really annoyed. Anyhoo, moving on. Today is a much happier day. :) I feel much less stressed having completed my paper progress report and having done all but one part of the homework right--I'll be doing that tonight.

I also really, REALLY want to paint something. I think I need the stress relief. I definitely enjoy photography and find it a creative release, but it is just not the same as painting. Plus, my recent photos have been mostly portraiture, where I'm trying, of course, to please people. With painting I just have to please myself. :)

I think my Sunday plans might have to include brunch at bogart's, tennis with lisa and richard and painting. I was doodling some cool stuff in class, so we'll see what I do. I really want to get a little projector to make my little doodles big!

oh yes, and thanks for the supportive comments and emails on the last post. they please me. :)

so, I never showed y'all these, but they are flowers made of recycled soda bottles. too cool, huh? I really wanted to get one to take home! these were also in baldwin park's art show.

what else...this afternoon I go to the dentist. If I were a betting woman I'd bet you $10 that they're going to tell me I need a root canal.yeehaw I have had quite a few in my day (I think it's six. or seven. I forget.) but not in a couple of years, so I'm not surprised. I just won't like the part where it eats up all of my flex spending money!

aaaand it's time for my taco lunch. oh and go see pictures of corrie and clara--isn't that little girl PRECIOUS?!? she's even more adorable in person. :)

something better than getting engaged.

let's start off with some clarifications, shall we?
a) if at any point you're offended by my post, please kindly stop making everything about you. the sun doesn't revolve around you and neither does this post. it is in no way a comment about your marriage/relationship/lesbian lover. that list is meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive. k?
b) um...I think that's it. ;)

ps: this one's for you, m.

Yesterday was Matt and my two year anniversary. As many of you know, we met on St Patrick's day, our "lucky day." It was awesome. Neither of us were looking, really. And we hit it off tremendously. We've had ups and downs like every healthy relationship does, but I'd say we're well above that seven good things for every bad thing mark that denotes overall goodness.

And I am happy. And so is Matt. And anyone who tells us differently is clearly misinformed.

But something we aren't, that seems to really kinda bug some people (and also, I must admit, occasionally me) is engaged or married. I mean, we live together (shame, shame, I know your name) and we visit each other's families for Christmas, and we have talked about it for sure, but at the end of the day? We aren't there quite yet. And most of the time we're both okay with that.

and, for the record--there are quite a few people who I genuinely appreciate their wondering/curiosity/questions. people who are my friend and who think "gosh y'all are great together, when are you making it 100% official?" that's a lot different than the "what, you're STILL not engaged?!?s" so if you're one of the former, I appreciate it. and if you're one of the latter, please leave us be. :)

And it's not like it's not in the plans some day, it's just not happening, y'know, like yesterday. So moving on...

We're attending SO many weddings this summer/fall. I'm in one, he's in one, I'm photographing three, one also as a guest. I just went to one. There are 2 in april, 3 in may, 1 in june, 1 in july, 2 in august, 1 in october. that's eleven remaining, people. ELEVEN. plus one makes a cool dozen. gracious.

and of our couple friends? of the non-marrieds/non-engaged we are generally the ones who've been dating the longest. I mean, two years is quite a while. heck, two couples getting married this year haven't even been together as long as we have. and though we are very happy for them, we don't feel any less valid or whatever just 'cause we aren't doing that part yet.

because (this is the part where you might need to go revisit item #1) I don't need or want a brand new car on my finger. not now, not ever. (vintage, please. in the I-came-from-a-pawn-shop kind of way. oh and cheap. and small. if anything) And more than that, I definitely don't want anything just 'cause someone who isn't Matt or me thinks it's about dang time. I know that for who we are, there won't be any grand gestures, and our relationship is solid. That's what matters the most to me. And those moments when I think about "hmm, they have a point..." I realize that's because I'm letting the joneses dictate what I think and feel. not me. Anyway...I'm pretty sure I had quite a few people thinking that I might have a 1990 honda on my left hand yesterday, and you know what? I think I got something better.

yesterday we went out to dinner. it was kind of awesome. and yummy. I had never had yellowtail snapper, and it was deelish. good wine. good bread. deelish apple and winter fruit crisp. and then we came home and changed into pajamas and exchanged gifts.

me? I gave matt things that came in pairs, because great things always come in pairs. Casablanca. A set of sheets (eucalyptus wood--I'll let you know how they work out). Hugs and Kisses (a'la hershey). Dinner and movie (we'll have sushi and go to a show!). Benny and Joon. And a picture of Elvis from the craft fair we visited on Saturday in Orlando--not a pair, but he did have a pair of blue suede shoes...

And he gave me a gift with the theme "commitment."

he's committed to my health--three things of sunblock (SPF 70-face, 70 body and 85 body) and zyrtec. and a tennis racket.
he's committed to my entertainment and well being--handheld tetris. pretty in pink. 27 dresses. dan in real life.
he's committed to my interests--reduce-reuse-recycle sign. conserve painting. tulips--two colors, one that matches the kitchen, so I can take pictures of them. waist band water bottle holder--so I can have a water bottle handy during my shoots.
he's committed to doing things together--he got me a tennis racket.
he's committed to making me laugh--he bought me a sock monkey jack in the box.
he's "even" committed to my cats--he got two eco-friendly cat toys.
and there was more.
and then, of course, he told me he was committed to me. :)

and I think that kind of thinking carries a whole lot more weight (for me) than jumping into things when we're just not quite to that point.

and 'cause I'm down with the listage today...other things that make me glad that, right now, we are right where we are.

-no one calls me Mrs. Anything. (I actually hate being called "Miss" too. Miss Richardson is what people would call a 5 year old on a formal invitation--I'm 28 and support myself, thanks. And Miss Carrie? kind of sounds like what happens when someone doesn't carry their baby to term)
-read the list for that gift again. what an AWESOME way of expressing that sentiment. non-traditional, creative and real. just like me. :)
-If I got engaged then I'd have to stop hanging out with all my other boyfriends. KIDDING. I only have the one. :)
-when sales people say "go home and talk to your husband" I can make them feel awkward.
-no one is pressuring us to have babies.
-I don't have to make any big life decisions right now.
-I can be a little selfish with my money and my interests.
-and I can still try to catch the bouquets at receptions.

I am sure the list of being engaged/married is potentially longer and better. I know it is/could be--I've been there, remember? But for now, I really like the list I've got. :)

ps: please excuse the quality o' the picture--my point and shoot is being persnickety. And it wasn't worth breaking out the slr.

watch this. read it too. it is worth every one the hundred and four seconds.

seriously, do.

I saw this 'cause there's a blog I read. I've told you about it before. Y'see, I found her blog 'cause someone commented on mine, and they also read hers. We're both eco-friendly, socially aware people, and I think we both inspire each other and teach each other new things, and I like that. reason number one million and seventeen why I like blogging. :)

my, my, my

two years ago: party-hopped after studying my ass off for the GRE. I had decided on wednesday to take it the following monday. made a deal with myself: I could go to The White's party and Chris and Ariel's You Can't Spell Hospitality Without Hospital party #2 if and only if I went through the vocab and covered my shower wall with words. So I showered, dryed my hair, barely thought about my appearance at all--and it didn't even occur to me that I was at a house full of single guys with character references until Patty pointed it out. :) At the White's house, Kara introduced me to Matt. At C&A's house, I told them about the cute boy I met. 36 hours later I took the GRE and got exactly what I wanted. 48 hours later Matt called me and we spoke for two hours. And so it goes. :)

one year ago: cuteness.

today: dinner at bloomsbury bistro. :)

Enjoy your St Patrick's day! When you drink that green beer/wine/champagne, have a little green sip for Matt and me, okay?

cute little bag!

I saw this on TWO blogs--a fun little monogrammed bag for free! See Lauren Nicole Gift's blog and site--this is her "wacky wednesday deal!"

She has some REALLY cute stuff and she was able to make me a KD ring, which I'm excited about--especially because she was willing to test things out and see if she could do it BEFORE I ordered.

the first 15 people to comment on her page and blog about it get a free bag, so hurry up and visit if you want one! or visit her site to look at her other cute stuff!

gorgeous!

I'm talking about the bride, the flowers, the weather, you name it! I really had a great time this weekend!

friday: arrived. lunch at the hotel. nap. rehearsal dinner. Darin gave his groomsmen boxes of cigars as their present--and the one he gave to his best man (also his brother) said "it's a boy!" This was not purposeful. hilarity ensued.

we also had a guy come play the bagpipes, and they actually sounded really, really GOOD. the rehearsal dinner was outside and it was wiiiiiiiiindy. I took some pictures (per the photographer's request, actually!--that's him in the picture below) and I'll share 'em when I get them edited. I only had a chance to edit a few! oh also, my hotel-mates ended up being pretty fab. I was a little anxious about staying with two people I'd never met before, but as soon as they showed up and we got in the car I knew it was going to work out juuuuust fine. :D

saturday: got up and ate breakfast at a mom and pop place with deelish sweet rolls and gross omelets (they used kraft cheese on them, ew!) and then went to the baldwin park art fair. I got the pieces I showed you below, two other items (one for my mom and one for matt!) AND an opal necklace. All for less that $75, which I consider quite the accomplishment! we grabbed some snacks for lunch, hung out in the room for a bit and got ready for the wedding!

another girl (dina? deanna? I can say it but I can't spell it!) showed up and the four of us scooted off to the ceremony. in the pic that's cassie, me, dina and lashon. the pastor was great (and interesting, he talked about the brownings!) and del looked so beautiful, and the flowers were wonderful, and man, it was just really good. And Darin was cutely nervous and oh, goodness, so great. Love it!

the reception was really fun too. Got to see Beth and Dave--Beth and I were the only KDs there and no, we didn't sing, but Del DID do something special for us--see the picture of our table card. :) there was LOTS of dancing and eating! they had a mini-cake for the two of them and served everyone else strawberry shortcake. and had sparklers when they left, and MAN did people attack their car with toilet paper and shaving cream, yikes! And I had fun with the sparklers, too!

when we finally headed home...
a) I noticed I had a HUGE blister on the bottom of my left big toe. holy smokes. I took a picture. It is gross. Just trust me on that. It's much better now though!
b) we found out that our air conditioner was soooo not working. cassie's alarm clock was also a thermometer--and it was 77 degrees in our room.
c) we giggled. a lot. it was like a big ol' slumber party. :)

and then sunday (yesterday) I flew out, had bruegger's when I got home and then matt and I watched tv and napped all day. which. was. glorious. it was also Renee's birthday, and I miiiiiight have neglected to hang up the phone after I left her a birthday voicemail--so she got a good giggle out of us deciding if we were having waffles or french toast for dinner. french toast won by the way!

I am VERY thankful that I will not be going out of town for two weeks, and that when I do it will be much less of a whirlwind. I am so glad I could go to Del's wedding too--I've been so sad to miss other KD sister's weddings 'cause I couldn't afford to go at the time, but I'm thankful that I could this time!!

new art for my home!

We went the art festival in Baldwin park today and I found some art I LOVED! I think it might all go in my kitchen and dining area and I'm excited. Right now 99% of works in the house are from yours truly, and then there's one from the talented Brooke Apker Knight, so I'm excited to expand!



Time to get ready for the wedding!



-post from my iphone!

florida flight two...

I've already realized I forgot my laptop charger and shower stuff. Oopsie. I remembered my shoes, dresses and purse though :) time to turn off the phone!



-post from my iphone!

random urge to paint.

It has been quite some time since I last broke out the ol' acrylics. Since before I moved into my home. And I've been wanting to paint for a while, but now I must REALLY want to paint, because I am thinking of doing some crazy things.

case in point: the bathroom. I haven't decided for sure which one I'd rather paint, but I'm pretty sure it's the half bath on the second floor. It's a pale blue right now, and I want to paint over it. Mind you, we painted it, oh, 9 months ago?

I want to paint a tree in there. I want to get some colors and mix a little gloss into it, and put clouds on the blue to make it a sky, and put some green and brown at the bottom, and give the tree a big ol' trunk and lots of leaves, and perhaps a bird.

I *might* talk Matt into letting me put some clouds and green if I buy a tree decal and put it on the wall, but I am not a fan of wall decals in general (especially ones with words--sorry if you have them, but they are not my cup of tea), and I kind of want to PAINT it. It's a very small space, we can always paint over it to sell it later...right?!?

"now where's your picket fence, love? and where's your shiny car?"

~the all american rejects

Hiya. It's wednesday. And that makes me pleased, despite the fact that I have something due that I have SO not finished, and despite having choir, and despite the fact that I have not yet fully unpacked from the trip to Naples, and I'm leaving for Orlando in 48 hours. FORTY EIGHT HOURS! EEKS!

I think it might be the coffee talking. :)

things:

-yesterday I got my test back. I was a skosh nervous about it, since, y'know, I went to see Ben Folds the night before. I did not get an A, and I am more than fine with that--I got my As when it was important, now a B is more than acceptable. And that's what I got! I am SUPER pleased. Totally the right decision. :)

-last night I went to that college and career thing, figuring I at least needed to check it out. I'm glad I went, but I don't think it will become a regular part of my life. I did make some suggestions (thanks Leanne and Renee and everyone!) such as: hows abouts we have one tuesday meeting a month and then the other thing float? And, hows abouts we try to do things in conjunction with things we're already doing? e.g., lunch after church? They seemed like they thought that could be okay.

-I just paid off a revolving medical expense balance I had. This pleases me greatly. It means I no longer have any dental work debt. Yippee!

-I went to the grocery store last night, and I noticed that back side of the receipt was covered with coupons--two of which are for BRUEGGERS!! They don't expire until the end of the year, either. Matt and I are DEFINITELY going to be using these. It's kind of like they gave me $7ish back, because we would SO be spending that money anyway!

-I am catching up on photo editing. This pleases me too! I put up some maternity/family photos yesterday.

and most exciting of all...drumroll please...

Yesterday I officially helped impact environmental legislation. Like, in real life. Check it out. Many, many people were involved in this from many different businesses, to be sure. But I was one of them. This is a big BIG deal to me. And I. Am. Stoked. The press release is here.

okay, back to metal HAP process vents. oh, the joy. you should be jealous. ;)

{it.has.been.too.long.}

I do apologize for the lack of posting. Clearly the rest of Friday and all of Saturday and Sunday were, to say the least, exhausting. I am SO GLAD I could be there, but my goodness.

On Saturday there was the family viewing, followed by a public viewing, followed by the service, followed by a reception at the funeral home, followed by people coming back to the house to spend time together. It was a long, difficult day.

and on a sidenote, I learned that blueberry coffee is totally disgusting.

One part of everything was pretty remarkable though--as I stood with my cousins, greeting the people who came to the funeral and accepting their condolences (and explaining that I am Lila's granddaughter and sometimes elaborating that I'm the closest relative to them) I was OVERWHELMED. This extraordinary Aunt of mine was a very active TriDelt. She'd always been so, and she jumped right in as soon as she moved three years ago--and what an incredible display of sisterhood--there were so, SO many TriDelt women there to honor Mary Ann. It was just, wow.

One of my cousins in unaffiliated, and the other two are an Alpha Gamma Delta and a Kappa Kappa Gamma. We actually have a lot of Greeks in my family--you know that my granny and I are both Kappa Deltas, as was one of my aunts, but then we have another TriDelt, a Kappa Alpha, a Sig Ep, and at least two other men and one other woman who are in houses but I can't remember which ones. And someone is a ChiO, but I can't recall that either. But anyway--meeting all of these women who came out just really made me proud to be a part of it, proud to be Greek. And thankful, of course, on behalf of my Aunt, because I know it would mean so much to her to have her sisters there.

******

While in Florida I also had some really great conversations with my cousin Kim. I told her how supportive her mom always was to me--how she'd offered to pay for the sorority if I couldn't afford it (though once I got all my scholarships to TU my grandparents were able to use the tuition $ they'd set aside since I didn't need them), how she sent me care packages at the dorm on holidays, how she always gave me little pep talks every time she saw me. Kim told me how her mom was always impressed by what I'd accomplished and how far I'd come from where I started. Which is a gigantic compliment coming from such a lady.

And we talked about memories together--of family reunions and drawing carebear symbols on our tummies and their old house and family gatherings and how important family IS.

It was so sad, but then at the same time, so heart-warming. We talked about being "blood" and how our children would know their "Auntie" and the last name Junk and anyway...it was really good that I could be a part of that. I think that since my granny and aunt mary ann were the ones with the close friendship we all wondered if the family would go their separate ways--but now we know that won't be happening. :)

okay, enough recollections, onto the pictures.

Florida was SO PRETTY. Saturday was GORGEOUS. And Sunday started off a little hazy but cleared off at lunch. Wow. And? I managed to get a tiny sunburn sitting on the patio Sunday, so I definitely enjoyed the sunshine, per people's instructions. :)

below you will see: the girls' father's tie pin (he passed away when I was 4ish), sunny florida and flowers and the gulf of mexico (I'd never been to the gulf!), birds by the airport and luggage being loaded onto the plane--the polka-dot suitcase is mine!