i don't know what it is, but i've been in quite a funk for the last few days. emotional, weepy, lonely. it's quite irritating - i seem to be capable of bursting into tears at any given moment at relatively insignificant provocation. but i have plenty of happy moments... what the heck is wrong with me?
looking forward to another dip in the lake - the 4th day in a row. as soon as i found out how many calories swimming burns, i decided it was something i could do lots of this summer. i'm loving the activity. and what's even cooler? less tv. more time hanging out together. that's great.
so, aside from the incontrollable emotions, i'm fairing well. we're heading out to my dad's place for the weekend, to help paint my grandmother's garage. matt is looking forward to ample shop-time with dad - those two can spend hours on cars and motorcycles, and i'm looking to drag my camera out for a while. might even go for a hike - there's a nice little trail a few miles out from their house... sadly, it was logged off in the last 10 years or so, so it ends up just being a hilly walk around a bunch of stumps. :(
most of all, i'm looking forward to the fact that we have two days out in the middle of nowhere with my fabulous family, and when we return, we face another two days at home, doing our own thing. yay for holidays. can't wait for the fireworks too. (mainly because i want to get my camera on them!) :)
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
i am, indeed, alive...
i haven't posted much lately because, well, i haven't had anything to say! today i'm moody. moody because my best friend goes back to school for another 6 months. moody because my mom (my other best friend) won't be back in town for another 13 days. moody because it's hot and uncomfortable all the time.
the weather has been unbelievable here. sunday morning, it was 70 degrees by 9am, and by 5pm, it was over 90. yesterday was worse. the house is toasty. the cats are roasty. and i'm just miserable. i don't do heat well. (especially when i'm moody!)
but my cherry tree is loaded with gorgeously ripe fruit - or should i say *was* loaded - last night, matt picked everything his 6'4" self could reach on a 6' ladder with a 3'+ extension in the form of a car-jack lever. one giant mixing-bowl full of cherries, and more left on the tree that should ripen up in a couple of days. i love that.
we've been escaping the heat with evening jaunts to a little local lake with a single small public-access entrance. rather crowded, given it's size, but we don't spend much time on the shore. wish i had the guts to take my camera - but even if i did, i don't know what i'd take pictures of anyway! guess i'll have to find another way to photograph this choice pastime.
on the scrapbooking front, i'm working my tail off on some stuff that i hope will be a part of my MMM entry, but i'm still facing the assignment layout - and that one is kinda intimidating me. :)
toodles!
the weather has been unbelievable here. sunday morning, it was 70 degrees by 9am, and by 5pm, it was over 90. yesterday was worse. the house is toasty. the cats are roasty. and i'm just miserable. i don't do heat well. (especially when i'm moody!)
but my cherry tree is loaded with gorgeously ripe fruit - or should i say *was* loaded - last night, matt picked everything his 6'4" self could reach on a 6' ladder with a 3'+ extension in the form of a car-jack lever. one giant mixing-bowl full of cherries, and more left on the tree that should ripen up in a couple of days. i love that.
we've been escaping the heat with evening jaunts to a little local lake with a single small public-access entrance. rather crowded, given it's size, but we don't spend much time on the shore. wish i had the guts to take my camera - but even if i did, i don't know what i'd take pictures of anyway! guess i'll have to find another way to photograph this choice pastime.
on the scrapbooking front, i'm working my tail off on some stuff that i hope will be a part of my MMM entry, but i'm still facing the assignment layout - and that one is kinda intimidating me. :)
toodles!
Friday, June 23, 2006
i really don't MEAN to be so quiet...
things have been busy... very busy. my two teammates at work are gone - one out on a planned vacation, one out for a medical emergency (relatively minor), so i'm left supporting our whole customer base nearly by myself. today seems to be a bit quiet in the office - and thank goodness, because i really need to get caught up. throw on top of that pile the fact that the product manager of our downloadables arrived at my desk on monday to say "oh, hey, i suppose we need an admin guide and an installation guide before we can release the beta version of this new product." i respond: "oh ok - when do you need it?" he says: "well, beta's ready so... two weeks ago." ha! good luck, man. i'm working as quickly as i can on it, but new 35 page docs from scratch are kinda beastly.
ok, so it's friday. yay! last night, matt and i took my camera to greenlake, ate dinner, and then chased some bunnies. well, it was not our intent to chase them, it was our intent to photograph them. but they chase better than they photograph. (or is it "they are chased"). ;)
tomorrow, we've planned a date to the movies. do you have any idea how long it's been since we've been to a theatre? boy, talk about children of our generation. we've watched like 3-6 videos a month a la netflix since we signed a few months ago, but i don't remember the last time i saw a movie in theatres. let's see... two christmases ago, we got two gift cards to a local chain... one got used right away. the other is paying for tomorrow's date. so there you have it.
photopgrahy stuff is going well. i'm looking at my wishlist darn near every day. wish i had the self-discipline to drink less coffee and save more of my spending money. i'm dying for a crumpler and i know a place where i can get a 6 Million Dollar Home (a camera bag) at the price of a 5 Million Dollar Home (a smaller camera bag)... mmmm. bags.
funny story: my mom and i are in this disgusting habit of going for iced drip coffees nearly every day at a little cafe across the street from our office. the gal who usually works afternoons knows our orders well. yesterday - after having not been in all week (mom's in england for three weeks) i walked over with a coworker. the gal says "where's your buddy?" and then instantly goes wide-eyed and says "oh, your face!! you just look so sad!!" apparently, my reaction to her question showed how much i miss my coffee buddy! so i told her that she's actually my mom, and her response was "oh wow? really!! you guys seem to get along so well?!" (the coworker with me totally cracked up.)
ok, so that's me on a friday. nose headed back to the grindstone. :)
ok, so it's friday. yay! last night, matt and i took my camera to greenlake, ate dinner, and then chased some bunnies. well, it was not our intent to chase them, it was our intent to photograph them. but they chase better than they photograph. (or is it "they are chased"). ;)
tomorrow, we've planned a date to the movies. do you have any idea how long it's been since we've been to a theatre? boy, talk about children of our generation. we've watched like 3-6 videos a month a la netflix since we signed a few months ago, but i don't remember the last time i saw a movie in theatres. let's see... two christmases ago, we got two gift cards to a local chain... one got used right away. the other is paying for tomorrow's date. so there you have it.
photopgrahy stuff is going well. i'm looking at my wishlist darn near every day. wish i had the self-discipline to drink less coffee and save more of my spending money. i'm dying for a crumpler and i know a place where i can get a 6 Million Dollar Home (a camera bag) at the price of a 5 Million Dollar Home (a smaller camera bag)... mmmm. bags.
funny story: my mom and i are in this disgusting habit of going for iced drip coffees nearly every day at a little cafe across the street from our office. the gal who usually works afternoons knows our orders well. yesterday - after having not been in all week (mom's in england for three weeks) i walked over with a coworker. the gal says "where's your buddy?" and then instantly goes wide-eyed and says "oh, your face!! you just look so sad!!" apparently, my reaction to her question showed how much i miss my coffee buddy! so i told her that she's actually my mom, and her response was "oh wow? really!! you guys seem to get along so well?!" (the coworker with me totally cracked up.)
ok, so that's me on a friday. nose headed back to the grindstone. :)
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
funny how i don't have much to say lately... so unusual. lots of stuff on my mind, weightloss-, photography-, and future-related, mostly. summer is turning out to be fairly busy, which is okay by me - because i'd rather it be fall anyway and busy-ness seems to pass time quite nicely.
still on the fence about Memory Makers Masters this year... i have some brand-spankin'-new-never-before-seen-not-yet-posted material that i could submit, but i'd still have to do the assigned layout, and i seem to be having trouble getting off my tail and doing something about that. ;)
still recoving from the cold. i haven't been able to hear normally for days, as a result of my ears being consistently plugged. i sound quite loud in my head. everyone else sounds too quiet.
still obsessing about the scale, which finally moved. i'm at a total loss of 25 lbs. now. :) yay, me. :D
still on the fence about Memory Makers Masters this year... i have some brand-spankin'-new-never-before-seen-not-yet-posted material that i could submit, but i'd still have to do the assigned layout, and i seem to be having trouble getting off my tail and doing something about that. ;)
still recoving from the cold. i haven't been able to hear normally for days, as a result of my ears being consistently plugged. i sound quite loud in my head. everyone else sounds too quiet.
still obsessing about the scale, which finally moved. i'm at a total loss of 25 lbs. now. :) yay, me. :D
Monday, June 19, 2006
happy monday...
i've always heard the warnings from embittered married couples about how from the moment you get married, people will start to ask when you plan to have children, and you'll find yourself answering the question 10 times a day, and so you'd better plan your witty repartee now.
we didn't have that experience. i mean - the occasional friend or acquaintance asks out of curiosity when it comes up in conversation - but never rudely or presumptiously. (perhaps it's because most thought we were awfully young to marry, and think they best not plant the idea of babies in our little minds, lest we take the idea and run with it... right...)
so i giggled to myself yesterday - we were standing in the parking lot after church, and our senior pastor's father (a retired pastor, himself) approached us to ask a favor of matt... as he left he said "happy father's day... maybe next year for you?" we laughed a little... it's been two years already - hard to believe - and plenty of couples start having kids around this point in their marriage... but really, we're not in *that* much of a hurry. oh, and there's the whole we-want-to-buy-a-house-first-and-so-can't-afford-it-now-so-what-makes-us-think-a-
baby-would-be-a-good-idea thing. so yeah, we're waiting a few more years.
we didn't have that experience. i mean - the occasional friend or acquaintance asks out of curiosity when it comes up in conversation - but never rudely or presumptiously. (perhaps it's because most thought we were awfully young to marry, and think they best not plant the idea of babies in our little minds, lest we take the idea and run with it... right...)
so i giggled to myself yesterday - we were standing in the parking lot after church, and our senior pastor's father (a retired pastor, himself) approached us to ask a favor of matt... as he left he said "happy father's day... maybe next year for you?" we laughed a little... it's been two years already - hard to believe - and plenty of couples start having kids around this point in their marriage... but really, we're not in *that* much of a hurry. oh, and there's the whole we-want-to-buy-a-house-first-and-so-can't-afford-it-now-so-what-makes-us-think-a-
baby-would-be-a-good-idea thing. so yeah, we're waiting a few more years.
Friday, June 16, 2006
cake of death...
my step-father is as close to martha stewart as any man could possibly get while still maintaining a firm grasp on his masculinity. so close we call him "marty stewart".
a painter at heart, bob loves to unleash his creative talent and will nearly always jump on the opportunity to create a cake for any occasion. so when mom told bob about matt's birthday party, he was excited to offer his assistance with the cake.
evidence a:
little did we know that he was in the very initial stages of a cold - those few hours of contagiousness that precede even the first symptoms. so on wednesday, five days after the party, when allie was planning to come over to scrapbook and matt stayed home from work with a fever, i called to warn her that he was really sick and i was questionable. she laughed and said she was sick too. we figured that someone at the party the previous friday had shared their "wealth".
i went to work that morning, and told mom that all three of us were sick. she said she was feeling it too, and that bob had been sick since saturday. aHA! so, we drew the conclusion that if bob was sick saturday, he'd have been contagious friday, thus resulting in a cake that infected us all. we're all in stages of recovery now - but i was down for the count yesterday, 101.9 degree fever and everything.
a painter at heart, bob loves to unleash his creative talent and will nearly always jump on the opportunity to create a cake for any occasion. so when mom told bob about matt's birthday party, he was excited to offer his assistance with the cake.
evidence a:
little did we know that he was in the very initial stages of a cold - those few hours of contagiousness that precede even the first symptoms. so on wednesday, five days after the party, when allie was planning to come over to scrapbook and matt stayed home from work with a fever, i called to warn her that he was really sick and i was questionable. she laughed and said she was sick too. we figured that someone at the party the previous friday had shared their "wealth".
i went to work that morning, and told mom that all three of us were sick. she said she was feeling it too, and that bob had been sick since saturday. aHA! so, we drew the conclusion that if bob was sick saturday, he'd have been contagious friday, thus resulting in a cake that infected us all. we're all in stages of recovery now - but i was down for the count yesterday, 101.9 degree fever and everything.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
at the risk of inundating you with photos today...
{left: "king of hearts" cake, made by my stepdad. isn't he talented? right: decor - die made from a gift box and cardstock, and chocolate coins.}
{left: matt's very own casino logo - i made a green felt table cloth for our "poker" table, which included this "logo" in the center, and a different suit symbol on each corner. right: favors, made from ivory felt, stencil made using BankGothic font printed at 300pt, filled with chocolate coins and tied with gold cord.}
{left: i photoshopped matt's head onto a $10 bill (removed the federal tender information so as not to end up in jail for this), and wrapped the silverware in napkins, secured with a "$10 dollar bill" and gold cord. right: action shot.}
all in all, a great party. lot of work. but a great party. :)
at last...
ah, computer problems. does anything suck up more of my time and send me into an inconsolable rage that makes me want to throw my computer out a window?
ok, maybe that's a bit drastic an assessment, but you get the idea. so, here are the most recent projects i've been dying to share. :)
{hosed. i can't tell you how long i considered a title for this. i started with 'wet leopard', but decided it wasn't the effect i was going for. matt suggested 'hoser', and i just about died, but alas, i have publishing hopes for this layout, so i needed something slightly more appropriate. pp: cbx, cs: prism, alpha: doodlebug designs, sequins & brads: queen & co.}
{grown-up furniture apparently my scanner magically reconfigured itself, because it was overexposing everything, and this is a crappy scan. the flower print is a baby blue (wild asparagus). journaling discusses how the couch was our first piece of real, grown-up furniture...}
{this frame is a gift for my aunt who has just completed her ph.d. the project was inspired by becca nelson as seen in the jun/jul issue of papertrends. i saw that project and *needed* one for myself, then realized i had a gift to make, and that this was perfect. so this is my version. pp & rhinestone brad: making memories; ribbon: offray?; ink: stampin' up!; frame & mat purchased at joanns. handwriting around inner-edge of red mat is a quote which says: “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” ~Abigail Adams}
{girly girl love this layout. it was my first encounter with these, which i discovered at our lss this weekend. so yummy - could use them on every page. pp: cbx; cs: prism; ink: stampin' up!; flowers: prima; brads: mm.}
and have a look to the left to {sorta} see my haircut. :)
ok, maybe that's a bit drastic an assessment, but you get the idea. so, here are the most recent projects i've been dying to share. :)
{hosed. i can't tell you how long i considered a title for this. i started with 'wet leopard', but decided it wasn't the effect i was going for. matt suggested 'hoser', and i just about died, but alas, i have publishing hopes for this layout, so i needed something slightly more appropriate. pp: cbx, cs: prism, alpha: doodlebug designs, sequins & brads: queen & co.}
{grown-up furniture apparently my scanner magically reconfigured itself, because it was overexposing everything, and this is a crappy scan. the flower print is a baby blue (wild asparagus). journaling discusses how the couch was our first piece of real, grown-up furniture...}
{this frame is a gift for my aunt who has just completed her ph.d. the project was inspired by becca nelson as seen in the jun/jul issue of papertrends. i saw that project and *needed* one for myself, then realized i had a gift to make, and that this was perfect. so this is my version. pp & rhinestone brad: making memories; ribbon: offray?; ink: stampin' up!; frame & mat purchased at joanns. handwriting around inner-edge of red mat is a quote which says: “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” ~Abigail Adams}
{girly girl love this layout. it was my first encounter with these, which i discovered at our lss this weekend. so yummy - could use them on every page. pp: cbx; cs: prism; ink: stampin' up!; flowers: prima; brads: mm.}
and have a look to the left to {sorta} see my haircut. :)
Monday, June 12, 2006
i am aching to show you pictures. pictures from the party. pictures of my haircut. pictures of latest layouts. pictures of gifts i'm terribly proud of.
my stupid computer, in it's stupid, stupid state, won't connect to the internet fast enough to load google.com, let alone upload several megabytes worth of files. stupid.
so. sorry for being so bloody boring. let's see - a general update: party went great, albeit stressful. never again will i plan to have a party start an hour after i get home from work. saturday, allie & i celebrated our lss's 10th birthday with double keytag punch day. yay. spent a bit more than i planned, but it was all soooo good. made a few gifts - one for my dad and one for my aunt. made our three father's day cards. cleaned my office. organized my closet (yes, allie, it's true!). sunday was quiet: church, lunch, puttering about, dinner with my parents.
yep, see, bloody boring.
my stupid computer, in it's stupid, stupid state, won't connect to the internet fast enough to load google.com, let alone upload several megabytes worth of files. stupid.
so. sorry for being so bloody boring. let's see - a general update: party went great, albeit stressful. never again will i plan to have a party start an hour after i get home from work. saturday, allie & i celebrated our lss's 10th birthday with double keytag punch day. yay. spent a bit more than i planned, but it was all soooo good. made a few gifts - one for my dad and one for my aunt. made our three father's day cards. cleaned my office. organized my closet (yes, allie, it's true!). sunday was quiet: church, lunch, puttering about, dinner with my parents.
yep, see, bloody boring.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Thursday, June 08, 2006
happy birthday, honey!
in honor of his 22nd birthday (yeah, yeah, a year and a half a part. make your cradle-robbing jokes, we've heard them all), i'd like to share 22 things i love about him:
- he loves Jesus.
- he's a disgustingly sweet romantic at heart.
- he lets me be who i am.
- he loves to pick up new skills.
- he's super-encouraging and supportive in everything i do.
- he eats faster than i do. {and therefore, i don't have to worry about looking like a pig around him.}
- i can be totally open and honest with him and not feel stupid or embarrassed.
- he's totally open and honest with me.
- he gives really great back rubs.
- he recognizes my imperfections, and yet thinks i'm perfect for him.
- he's a hard worker, dedicated to his work, and totally reliable.
- he can grill like nobody's business.
- he has a completely random sense of humor that always catches me off guard.
- he'll drop everything for a kiss... {and makes me drop everything for a kiss...}
- he loves children.
- he's great in bed. {what!? we're married! i can say that!}
- he likes to build and fix stuff.
- he knows how to have fun.
- he wants babies almost as badly as i do.
- he has an uncanny ability to befriend people.
- he spoils me totally and completely rotten.
- he's really hot...
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
i've officially bitten off more than i can chew...
par for the course, for me, i'm afraid.
so matt's birthday is tomorrow; his party, on friday. and in all my detailed planning and careful scheduling about which list items would be accomplished when, i forgot that not only do we celebrate his birthday at the party, but we would also need to celebrate his birthday on his birthday. duuuh.
so. i have a list full of things i must accomplish tomorrow evening, and now i've added dinner out and quality time with the birthday-boy.
ack. what have i gotten myself into?? (or as my mother would say: i need a housewife.)
pictures will have to wait, i'm afraid... no time, no time. i feel like the rabbit in Alice In Wonderland...
i'm late, i'm late, for a very important date.
so matt's birthday is tomorrow; his party, on friday. and in all my detailed planning and careful scheduling about which list items would be accomplished when, i forgot that not only do we celebrate his birthday at the party, but we would also need to celebrate his birthday on his birthday. duuuh.
so. i have a list full of things i must accomplish tomorrow evening, and now i've added dinner out and quality time with the birthday-boy.
ack. what have i gotten myself into?? (or as my mother would say: i need a housewife.)
pictures will have to wait, i'm afraid... no time, no time. i feel like the rabbit in Alice In Wonderland...
i'm late, i'm late, for a very important date.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
so, birthday parties...
matt's birthday is approaching. i put off planning, because i thought we'd go out for dinner with friends, maybe do something outside the house that didn't really require any real work on my part...
then on sunday, i'm digging through a box of miscellaneous scrapbook supplies with my friend allie, and i run across a package of these cute little playing-card-esque monogram cards a la Bazzill and i voice how i wish i had an excuse to use them. then something stupid comes out of my mouth. something to the effect of "too bad i can't throw matt a poker-themed birthday party so that i could use these on a scrapbook page". (huh?? who said that??) but what i really meant was "ya know, i'm stupid enough to think i can throw together a poker-themed occasion in time for our at-home dinner with friends in less than 5 days."
and because she's never one to object completely to my totally hairbrained ideas, allie points out the self-punishment i would be inflicting, but then hops on board. i love that about her. (i'll listen to three minutes of your voice-of-reason thing, but then you'd better be helping me plan.)
so, here it is: dinner for 6. poker games, complete with a home-made poker table. casino-style buffet food. drinks. party favors in the form of little "money bags" (including the green dollar sign on the front) filled with (gold & silver) candy. fairly simple. but it'll still take me all week to prepare.
fun though, huh? pictures of my new hair tomorrow. well, old hair. new style.
then on sunday, i'm digging through a box of miscellaneous scrapbook supplies with my friend allie, and i run across a package of these cute little playing-card-esque monogram cards a la Bazzill and i voice how i wish i had an excuse to use them. then something stupid comes out of my mouth. something to the effect of "too bad i can't throw matt a poker-themed birthday party so that i could use these on a scrapbook page". (huh?? who said that??) but what i really meant was "ya know, i'm stupid enough to think i can throw together a poker-themed occasion in time for our at-home dinner with friends in less than 5 days."
and because she's never one to object completely to my totally hairbrained ideas, allie points out the self-punishment i would be inflicting, but then hops on board. i love that about her. (i'll listen to three minutes of your voice-of-reason thing, but then you'd better be helping me plan.)
so, here it is: dinner for 6. poker games, complete with a home-made poker table. casino-style buffet food. drinks. party favors in the form of little "money bags" (including the green dollar sign on the front) filled with (gold & silver) candy. fairly simple. but it'll still take me all week to prepare.
fun though, huh? pictures of my new hair tomorrow. well, old hair. new style.
Monday, June 05, 2006
this is a test... this is only a test...
if it had been a real emergency, my blog (and the rest of my website) would have been missing for more than a week...
i should've known better. i was cleaning up my server space last week, and i deleted what i thought was a duplicate directory created during some technicaly difficulty over a year ago... except that it wasn't a duplicate - it was my web root. the most important directory in the file system, because it contains my website. so, in deleting that directory, i wiped out more than half of my website. it took me a day to confess to the geeks at work what i'd done, who suprisingly enough, didn't point and laugh (at least not to my face anyway). they requested the last backup, which took a few days to get to me, but now i've restored (most?) everything to working order.
oh boy, i've missed you. :)
so i'm back. and i've got lots to say. but not now. i'm doing real work right now... i was just waiting for a few things to upload, and to download, and thought i'd post a quick hello... more tomorrow. :)
i should've known better. i was cleaning up my server space last week, and i deleted what i thought was a duplicate directory created during some technicaly difficulty over a year ago... except that it wasn't a duplicate - it was my web root. the most important directory in the file system, because it contains my website. so, in deleting that directory, i wiped out more than half of my website. it took me a day to confess to the geeks at work what i'd done, who suprisingly enough, didn't point and laugh (at least not to my face anyway). they requested the last backup, which took a few days to get to me, but now i've restored (most?) everything to working order.
oh boy, i've missed you. :)
so i'm back. and i've got lots to say. but not now. i'm doing real work right now... i was just waiting for a few things to upload, and to download, and thought i'd post a quick hello... more tomorrow. :)
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