Picture Updates

First, we have a picture of Jefita and I on a trip to LA for his lawyer conference in February. We're at some swanky soiree in this shot, I'm sure. It was a lot of going to swanky places where we definitely don't belong and trying to feel cool. Though not cool, we definitely felt cool. Or at least content.




All winter long, Male and I had talked about going snow shoeing. But finding a day free was another story. We finally got around to a snow shoeing venture in February. We visited his sister & family in Wyoming and tested out the shoes. Snow shoeing is officially my new favorite winter sport.



Here's a photo of his niece trudging through they VERY DEEP snow. We didn't get the kids any snow shoes, but they usually rode in the sled anyhow.



Family pictures. What better time than an outing with extended family or, more conveniently known as, on hand photographers. Here's a picture of his sister's family. They're a good looking group. Note the giant in the picture, affectionately known as Uncle Too Tall. Tall people. Wow.



Sorry for the sideways images. I can't seem to manage getting them flipped. I did it once and I can't remember how. So, just tilt your head sideways. :)

Why

Why is it that when I microwave a meal, the last thing to heat up is the center, but when I microwave ice cream (just to make it soft), the first things to melt is the center?

Why is it that I hate being cold, but I live in Utah?

Why is it SNOWING today? It's almost May!

Why is it that I already have a hard time remembering things? I'm not supposed to be of an age where that's an issue yet.

Why is it that I still have white spots in my nails, despite the fact I've been taking daily vitamins for the past 4 months?

Oh, the irony.

I love these things

What I am doing: reading, working, writing
What I’m proud of today: getting stuff done
What I’m thinking about: lots of risks
Who is home: Hopefully, no one.
Plans tonight: studio, gym, Male
My weekend was: fun, artsy, full
What’s for dinner: my 2nd lunch
Feelings about love: different than expected
Feelings about life: unpredictable, always changing
What I need: faster reflexes, savvy
What I want: great legs & skin
What I have: mediocre legs & skin
My pet peeve: zits, constipation and injuries
My guilty pleasure: running on sundays
What you don’t know about me: I love beets
What I can hear: people leaving work
What I can smell: me. paper. nothing.
My style: Tailored, Eclectic, Conservative
My hairdo: Slept In. Curly.
My outfit: Business + great heels.
My mood: frustrated, optimistic, cluttered
The weather today: overcast, yet bright
Thoughts on parenting: far off, theoretical
Thoughts on marriage: change like seasons
Thoughts on politics: must learn more
Thoughts on celebrity gossip: sad, guilty entertainment
Thoughts on beauty: can't buy it
Thoughts on sleep: feels SOOOOOOOO good
Thoughts on writing: fun, usually frenzied
My favorite appliance: blender or microwave
My favorite car: I can't remember
My favorite splurge: a good vacation
My favorite beauty secret: exercise, sleep, work
My favorite treat: vanilla ice cream
My favorite everyday pleasure: hugs from Male
Ten years ago: graduating, working, moving
Five years ago: working too hard
One year ago: working too hard
One year from now: growing my business
Five years from now: doing that full-time!!!
Ten years from now: build dream home?
I’m famous for: doing crazy things
I’ll never be famous for: remembering details. math.
Who I am: Nutty, yet sensible
Who I hope to be: The same + wise
What I’m thankful for: family, friends, income

Announcement!!!

The Logo is up and viewable on the Sartorial Freshman Blog, if you want to take a peak! Let me know what you think.

The End Of The Trip

Well, our last day in LA was on Wednesday. Jefita and I went to the tradeshow to finish up and stayed there till around 12 or so. Then, we left and went to get some food. Here is where I offer a story of warning.

We went to Los Angolos, across the street from the California Market Center. The food was delicious and the menu had lovely soups and sandwiches and it was pretty heavily trafficked by people who looked like locals, so we thought we were making a good decision. And they gave us olive oil & balsamic vinegar to dip our bread with, which I have always considered a nice perk at a restaurant. I had a veggie sandwich & Jefita had a salad.

Then we went to get pedicures. Wwe only do this in LA. At least so far. I've considered having them done in Utah since I enjoyed the experience so much, but haven't yet. This time, I got a great blackish purple on my toes. And the lady who did them was from Russia and very nice. However, she was the only pedicure lady there, so the process took longer than we anticipated and made us too late to go to the seminar we had planned on going to on how to start a clothing line(which really isn't so bad because up to that point, all the seminars we'd been to had been useless and I've read at least 4 or 5 books on this subject and can't imagine they have anything earth-shatteringly new to add. I'll just go re-read a book if I feel like I need it). So, instead, we headed back to our car to find something else to kill time with. At this point I noticed I was achy absolutely everywhere, I had the chills and my stomach felt terrible.

Male, who is quite familiar with these side effects, has since diagnosed me with food poisoning. I was terrible company for jeff and we didn't have much more than an hour before we should have been leaving for the airport, so we just left early and had mercy on my poor, miserable and pathetic self.

It has kept me company for the past two days, in different phases. It's terrible. The only positive -- I no longer have to worry about any extra pounds I may have gained in LA. Not being able to eat for stomach pains will do that to you. But I think I would have preferred to work the pounds off at the gym. It's really not worth it to do it this way.

So be forewarned. You may not get food poisoning if you go to Los Angolos. But until Wednesday, I've had a stomach of iron. I'm absolutely positive I've eaten food that should have given me food poisoning before and have never gotten it. So, I'm either getting weaker in my old age or they have some crazy food-handling methods in the kitchen at Los Angolos.

Just Another Week

It'S just another week and I don't know that I have a great deal of personal news to share. I just updated the Sartorial Freshman blog, if you're curious, as Jefe and I have been at the LA Fabric & Textile Trade Show all day today & yesterday and will have one more day of it tomorrow.

I got to go to lunch with my good friend, Will, last week. He's great. I like having Will around. He helps me work out, he likes to play games, camps, travels, encourages me to actually relax in the steam room and he's huge, so when we hang out it's like walking around with my own personal body guard. He tells me exactly what he thinks as well. I like that. However, I didn't find out that he didn't like Pam, my beetle, until I got my new car, which apparently he does like. A bit of delay since I had that car for about 5 years and have known him for about 4 or so of them. So, I guess for the most part, he tells me what he thinks. And he paid for lunch! It's good to have friends like him.

I think I got my studio rented out. Thank Heavens! I really wasn't looking forward to starting to make car payments & float all the expenses for the studio all at the same time. I think my anxiety levels almost went straight through the roof last week. But alas, all may be well.

I'm hoping that next time I take three days off work, I will find something more relaxing to do. All this fabric and fashion stuff is wearing me out!

The trip out here has been a bit of Christmas for me. Upon arriving in LA, Jefe blessed me with my very own lap top computer! Yeah! This also means that I can now post pictures on the blog again. Oh the joy.

He also sent out a pair of gorgeous shoes from a friend in Jersey who bought them and then found out they were too small. They are just what I have been looking for all spring. A cute print heel that isn't too crazy but fun enough to spice up a basic outfit. They are a cream canvas type fabric with black leather appliques in funky shapes all over the shoe, a slight black lip over toe and a black heel that I estimate is 3 or 3 1/2 inches. And they fit perfectly. I love shoes! Especially rad ones like these.

I left for the airport at about 4 am Monday morning and went directly to the fabric show once I got to LA, so I have had a rough time catching up on my sleep since I got here. Male, the lucky dog, got to be the one to drive me to the airport. I felt like the biggest jerk asking him to do that for me. As a general rule, he just doesn't function at that hour. But he took me anyway. That is quite possibly the greatest sacrifice he has ever made for me. I think that means something. That's big. He may put up with my crap, pay for dinner, open my doors, console me when I'm upset and fly to NJ with me even while being deathly ill, but never before did I even imagine he was capable of waking up at 4am. And to do it on purpose, for me. Now THAT'S love.

I think I'm going to have some working out to do when I get home. I don't know what it is about traveling or eating with other people, but I am never quite in tune with how hungry or full I am-- especially when I'm around other people. And I totally don't like the feeling of over eating. I just feel so -- full. For so -- long. Eugh.

Does This Make Me Seem Like A Jerk To Anybody Else?

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

A Delightful Evening

Some things are really small but are cause for much delight.

Last night I spent an evening catching up on my book club reading. This month we'd chosen to read The Bronze Bow. As I read the first chapter, I quickly became aware the book was not what I expected it to be. It was totally different material from what we usually read. And, of course, last month we read The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak-- one of the best books I've read in years. Simply amazing, beautiful and beautifully written. So with that history, any book following that act is bound to disappoint, right? Well, wouldn't you know it, as I realized the preface of this book, I was disappointed. The book was set in the time of Christ. Any book that is fiction that is also talking about Christ always throws me off. I'm overloaded with a watchful, anxiouys eye-out for weird theology the author may be trying to creep into the story (It may be paranoia, but I can't help it and I find it exhausting).

Anyhow, despite my anxiety over the type of story and it's setting and a couple of the characters, I really couldn't help but like the overall story and the main character. So, read, read, read. I was reading for so long I felt like I was getting bed sores.

It was almost 10pm. Then Male called. He had been watching the basketball game at a friend's house. We chatted briefly. And then -- "So, do you want me to stop by?" "Yes, that would be great. Are you almost here?" "Yep." "Ok, See you in a few." Moments later, Male is here. We chat for several minutes, talking about my ridiculously expensive car insurance (I can't help it. I don't even KNOW I'm speeding, and it's hard to stop doing something when you don't know you're doing it.)And then arguments about eye color. Male's are blue, but they have some goldish yellow in the middle. He classifies them as "hazel" on his driver's license. And for the record, my eyes are hazel. Not brown. Hazel. They've got some green in the middle (I've always wanted green eyes, so I really treasure the bit of it that I have and get disappointed whenever people fail to notice it). And then, Male left.

I went back to my book, which I was still warming up to, with a big grin on my face and a flutter in my chest. I read till about 12:30, at which point I had finished the book and knew I should have stopped reading and gone to sleep an hour earlier. But who can fall asleep when they are moments away from the end of the story? Not I.

Most of the hours of that evening-- not remarkable at all. And suddenly just a few minutes made them all delightful. Moments like that remind me of why relationships are wonderful. Sometimes I'm terribly dull and I can't always feel that excitement. But then sometimes, like last night, I do feel it. What a lovely way to spend an evening.

6 years old b-boy!

It's like a came out of the womb with these moves! Simply Amazing.