Don't call me a "chick".

So we were at a charity event and everyone was lining up for a picture. I was in plains clothes since I didn't feel like dressing up and standing off to the side. I must have gone into my own world because I didn't notice that they were turning the group around for the picture because suddenly someone called out "Who's the chick? Hey chick, you need to move!" I'm pretty sure I did the slow turn and the death stare. What came out of my mouth was interesting though: "Don't ever call me a chick." and walked back towards the rest of the spotters and away from the picture taking.

Yeah, I H*A*T*E being called a chick. What do I look like, a baby chicken? NO! I don't have feathers (usually), I don't cheep, and I certainly don't look peck at the ground for food. But why did I have the reaction I did to that word. I'm sure I've been called that name a bunch of times before, but never had that kind of reaction to being called that. I usually just reply, "Don't call me that" and walk away, but this time something inside me snapped. I just wanted to go right up to the guy who said that and slap him! I don't know why, but I did. I think I was standing next to his wife or someone who knew him because the lady gave me this look when I said to a friend who was there that the next person who calls me a chick is going to actually get slapped.

I believe that people have gotten really lazy with their language lately. I did some research behind the term and thankfully I'm not alone in my thinking of this name as a bit derogatory. Some believe that it is derived from the British term "Bird" for lady. Some believe it comes from the Englishizing (yes, made that word up just now) of "Chica", which in Spanish means girl. "Hey Chica!" becomes "Hey Chick!". I may be reaching a bit here, but I still believe it is derogatory and rude and demeaning. What? Am I no better than a bird that many use as food?

I think I've just been in such a rotten mood lately that any little thing that could tick me off does and I've got such a short fuse because of it.

Halloween

Okay, to help me out of my slump, some friends decided to have a "halloween" party. We actually decided on having it the next day (Friday) so none of us had to worry about work the next day.

First off, this group of friends I've known since Junior High . . . and that's a long time. Secondly, they're a little kookie.

Don't believe me?

Take a look:

This game was sitting on the bottom of Court's game pile. It is rated for ages 4-6. So, naturally someone said we should play it. Yeah, you pick up the pigs and it sings a part of the song. If you get it in the right order, you get to pick up another pig. Lets just say that I got sick of that song, and no, I do not have a good memory for games like this.

And of course, they dress up. We have River Song from Doctor Who, The Silence from Doctor Who, a Triceratops, a waiter (because he just came from work), and then Jakob and I. I've got a Doctor Who shirt on so they said I was a "fan girl". I'll live with that. Jakob has a Trix shirt. He's. . . .cereal? Sure. Whatever works.

For the actual day, Jakob made armor which he wore to work and didn't want to wear it at the get together. He wanted to be comfortable. I think he did a good job.

As for me. . . no, I didn't dress up. Didn't feel like it. I even have a green and black spider skirt for Halloween, but didn't pull it out. Yeah, I'm lame. We actually had a very laid back Halloween night. We went out to eat (which wasn't the best idea--we both got a bit sick), then came home and lounged watching a movie. The cats were happy that Jakob was finally home and snuggled with us as well. People in our neighborhood actually respected the fact that we didn't have our light on this time. Jakob did the trunk-or-treat at his ward, so perhaps they got their fill there?

But it was good to get together and laugh and just kind of de-stress from everything that has been going on lately. I get so frustrated with everything that I forget to relax every once in a while.

It's complicated. . . .

Ah life. You either move with the roller-coaster that it is, or you drown in the pool trying to tread water. I think I'm on the roller-coaster right now. No, nothing dramatic has happened, but just enough to make me want to quit teaching and stay holed up at home. I really used to enjoy teaching but it's just getting worse and worse. But, according to everyone around me, I can't quit yet. I've got until the end of the school year until my tenure is approved and then the job security is a bit better. But I think I'm just getting sick of the monotony of Junior High. You can't explore anything indepth and you really can't expect much out of them. You try to have them excel and parents explode. You don't do enough, parents complain. It's a no win situation.

Jakob's show ends this week. THANK HEAVENS!! I have been single for the past 3 months. Which wasn't always a bad thing. It was more like having a roommate that I rarely saw and when I did, we didn't really talk. Wednesday is his last show and we've already discussed how he's going to give back all the costume stuff as quickly as he can that night and make them work on it. I'm not too happy with the "company" this time around. It seems they have a double standard when it comes to their actors. One of the actors is the "producer and owner" of the company. She gets to ad-lib all she wants when she has to take over for one of the others. However, when Jakob strays even slightly from the script, he gets an earful afterwards. I've recorded him during 2 shows (bored out of my mind) and at least we've got something, but I'll be happy once this run is over.

Speaking of that company, she wants me to costume a show for them in February. I have said that I'll think about it, but I'm really thinking against it. I quoted her rather high on purpose. If they don't like it, they can go somewhere else (which in my mind would be ideal). They are doing a take on Cinderella but are having the two step sisters being played by men and a ditzy fairy god mother. I'd rather not have to deal with costuming very large men (which these two are) in drag. I'd only do it if the money was right. Shallow? Perhaps.

It seems that everyone around me is talking about their "dreams" and "going for it" and "no one can stand in their way". Yes they can. It's called living expenses, unless you're going to be that person living from couch to couch, not knowing where their next meal is going to come from. Even down to the bare bones if you want to make it and be able to have stuff for the future as well--and lets face it, you're going to need all you can get right now with the state that this country is in--you can't always drop your "job" for your "dream" and make it work. Would I like to? Sure. Am I going to? No way in hell. Unless something is going to FOR CERTAIN give me my paycheck at the end of the month that covers all my expenses and allows me to save something for the future, I'd rather have a job that I hate and my "dream" as a hobby but I'm covered for what I need.

I'm not into Halloween this year. I'm really not. I sewed a little for Jakob last night but that was because if I didn't, there was no way that he could be able to get what he wants done. He's still afraid of my sewing and serger machines. Afraid may not be the right word, but it's something. Not planning on dressing up. I'll probably just wear one of my geeky tee-shirts, jeans, and converse and say that I'm a fan girl or something. Comfortable and pragmatic.

There really hasn't been much else going on. I go to work, I drive home, I stay with the cats, then drag the carcass off to bed and start again the next day. I really wish I had something fun to write about.

Changes

Life is full of changes. Everyone knows that. It still hits you hard when that change has to happen yet you need to keep up pretenses that it hasn't and just get through the day until you can be alone and actually process what happened.

Yeah, you can guess it's been happening to me lately. Especially this morning. I received a phone call from a long time "friend" telling me that we need to cut each other out of our lives.

I get it. People move on. You may grow tired of being around certain people or you may just not have room in your life for them anymore. They may be toxic or weighing you down and you need to release them in order to move forward; but it doesn't make it any easier.

I have known this person for over 10 years. They have been there in times of joy and sorrow, laughing and crying with me along the way. We've shared secrets and events, spanned the globe at points, yet all it takes is one person telling them that "I am not a person to have in their life". Yeah, that's the wording that caught me off guard.

I loved this person at one point. They will always have a place in my heart, but apparently not in my life anymore.

Change hurts and moving past it is hard. It'll take some time. I'll have to chat with Jakob and see if he can help me understand a few things. He's good like that. =)

Photoshoot in Helper Utah.

So a couple of friends of mine convinced me to do a photoshoot with them in Helper Utah. Now, this is one of those small town blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of thing. I actually had to loop around because we missed the 1 exit to get into town. It is a town that is somewhat stuck in the 40s and 50s. At least the part that we saw. Anyway, I'm not one to get in front of the camera. I really don't think I do well in front of it, but people have been telling me to "get over it". It's hard to, but I really am trying. I do have to have some trust in the photographer, so when my friends said that this was a "meet-and-greet" with the photographers, I didn't want to do this alone; so Dart stuck my by side. Which ended up working well. We were told to dress for the time period. I didn't have anything 50s with me, but I did have a couple of lacy shirts, some wide brimmed hats, and pencil skirts. So that is what I took. And the outfit worked---for the most part. I forgot to take the belt loops off the skirt and the shirt kept riding up and no one told me it got wrinkled!

Anyway, enjoy some of the photos. If you want to see more (and be forewarned, not all of them are good), check out my Facebook.

I actually had no idea someone was taking a picture at this moment. I was just sitting in the shade by the railroad tracks waiting for Dart and Heidi, looking at the mountains when I heard a shutter click and looked down . . . photographer in my face.

Old storefront

I actually like that we're looking in two different directions.

This was actually near the end of the day and I was getting annoyed.

Kind of "Bonnie and Clyde"

"Alright, now get this thing out of my face"

Don't mess with me. I've got make-up on.

The fantastically handsome Dartanian. So happy he did this with me.

We know something you don't know. :p

Again, it seems that I can't get my face to do what I want it to.
Plus, it looks like we're plotting something here.

Okay, I'm overcritical with photos that I'm in but this one has some major issues.
Yes, it's a fun photo however: you can see the photographers assistant, a road construction sign, and
one of the reflector boards in the window of the coffee shop.

I have realized one thing. . . I really don't do that well in front of the camera.

Jakob's new show

So, Jakob's new show just started last week and it has been. . . .well, to put it politely, it has been challenging. It is a dinner theatre again, same people as his Christmas show last year, yet this time seemed more difficult than before. They decided to double cast this production; one for the north, one for the south ends of the valley. I thought it was going to be great, meaning Jakob would be home alternating days. Yeah, that didn't happen. He was single cast with the exception of a couple of shows and Mondays (he teaches a class in the mornings and then doesn't get off work until 6pm, so running the risk of being late to a show just wasn't happening). So for the past 2 months, it has been the single life for me again. He hasn't been home (which is normal during rehearsals) but it seems like our schedules just didn't work out at all.

I will be happy once the show is done. . .although he is thinking of doing their Christmas show again. I'm going to see if I can talk him out of it.

He's playing Icabod Crane. The ending doesn't make any sense this time around and no, it isn't necessarily the Sleepy Hollow story everyone knows. My family was able to see it on Saturday evening (these are pictures from the show) and I get to go again with Jakob's parents this weekend.

Garden Explosion

So, after a week of ignoring my garden due to SL Comic Con, I finally had time Monday afternoon to go out and pick a few things. . . . .

This is what came up and there are still a lot more on the plants (of the tomatoes anyway).

 7 cucumbers, 6 zucchinis, about 2 pounds of small golden and cherry tomatoes, and that huge bowl of roma/san marzano/celebrity tomatoes. I can't believe what my garden is starting to produce. . . .now? That school is in session and I can't snack on the yumminess all day? Yessh.

But I am feeling rather domestic lately. Could be because my parents gifted us a freezer. Yep, I now have a freezer! Never thought I'd have one. Makes me kind of glad that I have some of this produce that I can freeze for soups and stirfrys later this winter. I already have 12 bags of red and green peppers, 20 bags of tomato puree, 20 bags of quartered tomatoes, 5 apricot jams, and there are still peaches, strawberries and raspberries to do this week and get in there. Kind of nice to know that if I want a stir-fry that evening, I can raid my freezer. . . . . .

I survivied Salt Lake Comic Con----sort of

So, for the past few months I've been working behind the scenes with Salt Lake Comic Con and our booth. During the summer it wasn't that big of a problem because I didn't have anything else to focus on and so I got a ton done rather quickly. But there were snags. The people at SLCC wouldn't get back with us that easily. It took email after email after email to actually get an answer, and then the information still wasn't correct day of. There was disorganization all around (both with the organizers and with the volunteers) but at least we had our space.

THURSDAY

Photo by Jakob

This was our little booth space. It actually turned out rather nice. I wasn't able to go to set-up, but Jakob and Adam were there and they did a nice job. We ended up getting 2 more droids to fill in the back area. There were shelving units with fun stuff displayed. I think everyone had a great time looking at everything we had displayed. We did get a lot of questions about "is this for sale?". We had forgotten to make "Not For Sale" signs, so we ended up answering that question a lot.

Photo by Brooke Barnes

They all ended up doing a TV spot that afternoon. Jakob was at the Convention Center and Adam volunteered to go to the studio to do the spot there. Little did he know that he would end up mic'd and on air. They had arrested the General Manager earlier that day and then on air they arrested the Weatherman. It was all in good fun to promote our Jail and Bail.

Photo by Brooke Barnes

Thursday was a rush day for me. I had to teach then book it up to the convention center. I think the photo above is right after I had arrived. Dart and I are discussing something that was going to happen later that evening. . .

 We inducted Bryan Young as a Honorary Member of Rebel Legion during the Mayhew/Prouse panel. He was shocked and surprised, even though he did know it was coming; he just didn't know when.

 We did have the pleasure of meeting Chunga during that panel. He was in awe of the costumes and what we did. When I asked if he wouldn't mind getting a picture, he was thrilled that we would ask him.

FRIDAY
Again, Jakob and Adam made their way up in the morning and I had to go teach. Next year, I swear that I am going to try and get a couple days off so I can actually enjoy it and not be in that much of a rush. I was "pushed" into putting on a costume and working the booth that way. I really would have just liked to stay in normal clothing and go that way, but Jakob said it wasn't really a Con unless you dressed up, so there it was.

SATURDAY
Saturday was a NIGHTMARE!!! Remember how I said there was poor planning all around? Well, they continued selling tickets without having an accurate count of how many tickets they could sell and, well,  as you can tell by the two pictures below. . . it was CROWDED! At one point they actually had to shut down the building and have a 1-in-1-out policy. Lets just say that I didn't leave the building all day. 

Photo by Roger Taylor

Photo by Roger Taylor

We were able to take a couple of fun photos in the morning though. We had planned it to avoid the crowds later (and we are thankful that we did that!). Nic Bradbury was our photographer and I think they turned out rather nice.

Photo by Nic Bradbury

Photo by Nic Bradbury

 Of course you need to have the "kiss a wookie" moment.  =)

Photo by Ed Eliason

 Jakob has been bugging me for years to make this costume and wear it. So I got over my fear (which took 3 of my friends in the bathroom with me while I was changing to make sure I didn't chicken out) and I got in the Slave Leia. Probably never again. But I did it. Well, perhaps again when I am back in shape; only for Cons though and in a protective environment. . .like our Jail*n*Bail cage. I was happy to have Dart there as Chewie for me. He would actually make the people stand in front of him and I situated myself behind it there. That way we didn't run into any issues.

Photo by Nic Bradbury

 One of the BIGGEST highlights was the opportunity to meet and chat with the WETA staff!! Yes, the guy who designed all the swords and weaponry for the movies was there. Jakob was in geek heaven! Right before the picture we took above, Jakob had jokingly said "I'll let you hold my lightsaber if I can hold Orcrist." and they said "Sure, why not?" I wish I would have gotten the look on Jakob's face when they said yes. It was a stunned-wait-what? kind of look, followed by the little-kid-at-christmas walk, then a huge smile!

See? Told you he was happy.

Photo by Adam Argyle

David from WETA also stopped by our booth to check it all out and it was so cool that he was interested in the costumes and props that we had made. You would think that a professional prop maker would seem bored by what we could do, but he was fascinated with the droids and all the other items we had on display.

Photo by Adam Argyle

 After the Con finished and we put down our booth and got everything out, we decided to see if WETA would like any help putting their stuff down. To our surprise, they said yes, so we got to play with other items again and pack and help them get out. They say that it is about 10-12 hours to actually set-up and take-down each, and apparently we helped them with the little nit-picky things that tend to take the longest. Yes, I did end up taking some of that tape with me as a souvenir. 

OVERALL
Stress and lots of panic ensued during the event. It was tiring and I caught a pretty nasty head-cold which I hear a few people who went to the Con are battling. My shins, legs, and feet are still pretty sore. My back isn't any better. But I am happy that it is done and that it was a success. I'm just hoping that they learn from their mistakes and correct them for next year. And I will never do a Con again without a VENDER's pass. That thing got me in and around everything. It was gold!!

Photo by Nic Bradbury

And I had to get the photo with the TARDIS. If it's around, of course you have to!

The brutally honest--founded in full frustration--post

If you know me at all, I really don't let a lot of emotions to the surface. . .unless they are embarrassment and pure rage. Yeah, some people, all they see is either of those. They think I am the happiest person or a melancholy person, other than pure rage. Apparently I can snap into one of those at the snap of a finger.

Lately, it's been happening more and more.

Frustration has abound for me this past month. Not only was it the start of the school year again and I had to go back to a job that I tolerate (not because I want to be there), but because of all the other things that were going on at the same time that had found their way onto my plate.

School
School started--for me--the third week in August. That is a late start, but nothing too bad. That Wednesday and Thursday were all day meetings that I somewhat glazed through. I brought a book and didn't think much of them. I usually don't. They drive me nuts. Being a "newer" teacher, I know what they are talking about because I learned it during my program. Why don't they ever put out an outline of what they are going to cover and make those teachers who aren't "up-to-date" go to them? Or put out a test, if you pass it, you don't need to go to the meetings. If you don't pass, you're going to the meetings. Did I get paid for them? Nope. Just a waste of my time while I could have been doing other things.

Then came that Friday. I actually got back into my classroom and found one of the tech guys from the district sitting there with an, well, lets just say it was an interesting look on his face. He told me that the district was going to upgrade my OS for the computers. I replied, oh? To which he said one of the most evil words ever. . . .Vista. Yep, that operating software that even Microsoft abandoned after a few months. The district was going to put that on my computers, thinking it was an Upgrade. Now, half the programs that we use don't work, the computers rarely work, the students have to wait maybe 2 or 3 minutes before they are actually able to use the computers and then hope that they can actually print and save something before the system decides it wants to freeze or completely stop working. Yes, the computers are about 5 or 6 years old so they were running XP, which works wonderfully for what we need. Stable; a workhorse. Now I have to deal with this crap daily that just doesn't work.

We're 3 weeks into class and I'm about ready to take a shotgun to these computers! Frustration every single day.

Students are no different. They aren't reading the directions, then they complain when they don't get a good grade on things. I have signs up all over the classroom stating what they need to do when they are done, yet that classic question keeps getting asked. All I've started doing is point to the thing and they keep looking at me! Really? I'm not going to do your thinking for you. Yes, you may have been spoon fed everything up to this point, but I'm not spoonfeeding you anymore. You need to buck up and actually think for yourself!!!!

Comic Con
Salt Lake is hosting it's first Comic Con style event this week. This Thursday-Saturday. I've know about it and have been working on it since May. One of the groups I work with is having a booth so I have been trying to organize that because no one else will. Jakob has stepped in to help, but it hasn't made things that much easier. This is the first time that I think some of those people on the "board" are organizing something on this scale. First it was at a smaller venue, then they decided to invite more "celebrities" and had to move it to a bigger venue; which changed how we were going to be able to do things. Adaptation is not what I wanted to be doing right now. So I'm constantly stressed. I can't get off work to be up there during the days, so I have to rely on the others to do what is needed---which is not one of my strong points. Yes, I am a bit of a "control freak". But it's because I have to be otherwise things don't get done. It isn't easy for me to let go because in the past when I've let go, things haven't gotten done and I'm the one that gets blamed.

We are also having issues with the "sister" group to ours. They seem to not realize that when we work together, things are easier. They seem to be making a big deal over things that aren't that big of a deal, and they are being snobbish with other details. I haven't been keeping anyone in my group in the dark about anything, and they have been keeping everything in their group a big fat secret. I even heard it said that they don't want the "rebels to find out this information then they want to do it too/be invited" blah blah blah. If that's the way that you want to play, go right ahead. We've been fine so far, what makes you think that it'll be any different if you actually let people know what is going on.

I will be so happy once this Saturday is over and done with.

Sleepy Hollow
Jakob is in a production of Sleepy Hollow this October. It is the same company that did Christmas Carol last year that he was in. While he as been enjoying the rehearsals and everything else, I haven't. There are 2 casts this year and Jakob just happens to be in both. It is very annoying. He has a "double" but his double isn't doing much. I understand that Jakob wants to do as much as he possibly can to get more money, but when he leaves at 5:30am to go to work, and then has rehearsal up in Northern Utah and doesn't get home until 11pm, that isn't fair to both him or me.Yes, I'm being selfish because I would like a little bit of time to be with my husband, but that hasn't happened in a long time.

Varsity Club
With everything else that is on my plate, I still need to help my mom out with Varsity Club before the football games. Jakob won't be available for most of it because of rehearsal or a show, so we are left to do it on our own. I'm really not all into football (I usually bring a book or something else to entertain me during the games when there isn't anything going on--or I nap), but I understand why my mom does this--no one else will and it needs to be done in order to do fundraising. It is just a bunch of problems and complaints. I don't want to deal with it because I am at the point that if anyone says anything to the contrary of what I'm thinking, I snap.

My Weight
Yes, I'm completely and utterly self-conscious about my weight. I have never weighed as much as I do now. I have never looked the way that I do now. . . .and it is killing me slowly. Nothing fits and I refuse to buy new clothes. I don't want other people to see me like this so I don't go to the gym, I don't go out unless I absolutely have to, and I wear such baggy clothing (because those are the only things that fit) because I don't want people to look at me. Others who have seen me don't notice anything, but I do. I hate the way I look. I really do. If I could just crawl into a whole and work from a dark room where no one else sees me, that would suit me just fine.

Life in General
I hate my job, but I can't leave it because it pays the bills and there is no where else for me to go.
I hate being an adult and having to keep up the appearance of smiling and happy all the time.
I hate not being able to dance when I get like this.

Yes, I'm on a Mad Madam Mim turn at the moment, but I just can't stand it anymore!!! I am snappy, I want to punch something/someone, scream, yell, cry.

Yeah, I'm a happy camper at the moment.  :/

He done did it

Z has officially graduated. Well, he's still got one class this Fall semester, but he's done.

I'm proud of him. Yes, he's the younger brother (I can't say little because he is taller than me), but we kind of have the rivalry going on with our schooling. We've always pushed each other, although both of us have a lazy side. He is very much "things have to be this way and if it isn't this way then it doesn't count" and I'm "eh, whatever".

Because our mom is a Professor, she got to be at both our Graduations and got to be at the end of the line and give us a hug. When she was at Michael's, his Professors were wondering what in the world was going on with this lady since they didn't recognize her, but the minute that she stood up and Michael gave her the biggest hug, they all started talking with her about Michael and how they loved having him in the College and what a mind he has for what he does and how he is pretty patient when helping out other students.

Great job Z!

Finishing off the summer

So this summer I really haven't been doing all that much. Yes, it's only the end of July and in 3 weeks I go back to those little. . . . . .(not thinking of that yet. Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place!)

Anyway, I'm doing the Springville Folk Festival again this year and I'm actually dreading it. Kind of sad huh? Every time I pull out the computer and open up the videos of the dance I'm supposed to be learning, I get just a few minutes in and then fail miserably. I've never had this much trouble learning a dance sequence. I get frustrated at not being able to do it and quickly shut off the video and eat a cookie or veggies or whatever happens to be within fridge reach. I get frustrated and sad and depressed every time I think about it. "Why, then, are you doing it?" you ask? I made a commitment at the beginning of April that I would do it and I don't want to back away from that commitment. I enjoyed my time last year but this year is turning out rather difficult. We have 2 rehearsals this week and then the shows start next week. We'll see how long I actually last before I cry uncle! I used to really enjoy dancing but I don't know what is happening. I see dancing and I get sad and on the verge of tears (like now as I'm writing this) and all I want to do is crawl into a dark hole and stay there. I guess I just don't feel comfortable in my own body anymore after gaining 20-30 pounds and 7 inches and it isn't coming off!!!!!!!

I didn't do a film this summer. . . not really anyway. We had grand plans to start filming a project that Jakob and I co-wrote, but that never got off the ground. I was asked to step in and help Direct on 2 projects, but they weren't exactly projects that got me excited. I helped out 2 friends. That's it. I don't think the final products will be all that great, but that is now up to the editor. I wanted to get a couple of costuming gigs under my belt but nothing came of my poking and prodding people about what they wanted. They all ended up using another lady. I did find out that someone (who I used to have some respect for but is now on my black list) was saying that I wasn't a person who you wanted on your shoot and talking a bunch of crap and that it was "of your own best interest not to use Melissa". Believe me, if I come face to face with him anytime soon, he's going to get a earful. Either that or he's going to get the "glare" (as Court likes to put it).

We were able to put some organization in my vanity area of our bedroom. I found some fun kitchen spice racks at Tai Pan Trading and decided that they could be used on the walls in my bedroom to hold lotions and body sprays and hair supplies and other things like that. It took a ton of stuff off the counter and they look really nice. They're black rod iron and match what my plan for our bedroom colors are going to be. And talking about our bedroom, we noticed something weird happening with the paint by our window and I figured out that water (and a fair amount of it) had come under the paint, made it shift, and now part of the wall is falling apart. We have no idea where the water came from so we have a water damage and mold person coming in this week to figure out what is going on. I'm thinking this is going to get expensive. Luckily we have home owners insurance. We'll figure out something.

This post has become rather negative; sorry about that.

Summer Hodgepodge so far

I've been enjoying my break since the end of May and believe it or not, I really haven't done much. There have been a couple of events that I've gone to, but other than that, I've just been at home vegging and trying  to relax. Its kind of nice.

I've been playing with some fabric and trying to figure out what I want to make. I have the urge to make something but I'm not sure what I want to sew. I was hoping that by looking at fabric it would help, but I guess I've just got a bit too much that I can't make a decision. I need to rearrange my sewing room anyway, so hopefully that'll help a bit. . .or make me more frustrated.

Jakob and I both have shows that overlap at the end of the month. Jakob's already in rehearsals (Hamlet) and I have the dance festival again. We haven't started rehearsals (we won't until the week of the show) but I'm having issues learning the dance by video. I can learn dances by video, but apparently my brain just doesn't want me to figure this one out. I guess I need to figure out a new way to get it.

We planted a garden again this year---well, I should clarify that. My mom came in and planted it for us while we were at an event and now I'm just taking care of it. We've got 12 tomato plants all different varieties, 6 green peppers/chilies, 3 eggplant, 4 cucumbers, 2 zucchini, 3 rows of lettuce, and about a dozen green/yellow string beans. Everything is looking good so far. Tomatoes are coming through and they have gotten huge! The lettuce is about ready to be cut and start eating. The cucumbers are actually growing this year. I've never had success with cucumbers and I'm happy that they are strong. Everything is sporadic, but  according to my mom and the nursery that she works with, most gardens are about 2-3 weeks behind. I am happy that we have a garden. I was debating doing it this year, but now that my mom has her large permanent greenhouse, she's happy and that means more veg for me.

Our diet has changed a bit. Okay, we've been somewhat healthy eaters but this past few months has been better. Our portion sizes have gone down and the food that we're keeping in the house has been a bit healthier. That doesn't mean that we've completely cut out junk food, but I guess all in moderation right? I need to lose some weight and inches, Jakob does too so we'll see what we can do.

We tried having a yard sale but that garnered about $50. Not very successful, but with 105 degree heat by 11am, I'm thinking that people just stayed indoors. And I don't think we did enough advertising. We're hoping to try again soon, maybe right before school starts since we've got a ton! of clothing; granted it isn't all today's style but I think that there are a few pieces there that people could use.

And my camera has officially died.  :(   My Nikon started having issues with--well, something. I've had 1 company look at it and they said it was the stabilizer (it's my small point and shoot) but I don't think that is what it is. And it isn't charging anymore either. I can't figure it out and I can't find a separate charger for the battery (everything that I've found has been in camera chargers and that is where the problem is).

Photoshoot at the Capital

A few weeks ago (in April) we were able to do a impromptu photoshoot at the Capitol Building. It was for May 4th, which is played around with as "Star Wars Day" (and happens to be my anniversary--no, it wasn't planned like that).

These haven't been edited or enhanced, but I thought people would like to see them anyway. These are some of my favorites. I've got about 250-300 photos that were taken (with a malfunctioning camera to boot!).

This one is my favorite of all of them. The scale and framing was great! Now, I need to remove the people from the background and it'll be fantastic!

If you're familiar with Star Wars, then you'll get the "Storming the Senate Chamber" reference.

Had to have a moment of just a "we're in trouble now" moment

Can't pass up a reflecting pool.