I'm Thankful For:

• My Two BFFs - My bud Amber and my hubs. I tell them both about how I felt like I embarrassed myself this week and they both understand and make me feel better. Also, both agree: if someone doesn't want to know me then it's their loss.
• My Pretty Hair - I know, it sounds vain to be thankful for hair but earlier this year I was diagnosed with Alopecia areata possibly due to some medication I was on. I was losing so much hair and was terrified of becoming bald. Fortunately, coming off the medication helped and my hair started growing back. Now you can't really tell there was something wrong unless I point it out to you. Which I probably would if you asked.
• Great Music! - I've been listening to Ryan Adams, Wilco, Nine Inch Nails, The Doors, Ray Lamontagne, Daft Punk, and old school Hip-Hop all week (quite the mixture of music, I know!). Pandora Radio has been amazing too! Music is food for my soul.
• My job - Very quiet, calm, and easy. I look forward to my part-time job and I love how it's very flexible and just awesome all around. I also like how my hubs can come in and eat breakfast with me and chat for awhile. Also, it was payday yesterday. I'm very thankful for that.
• Making Travel Plans - This year I'm spending Thanksgiving with my family up north. I haven't done that in 9 years. I'm so stoked I can't wait to buy my plane tickets but I'm going to wait another week or so, in hopes of another AirTran sale.

On Repeat All Morning

Wilco's Either Way from Sky Blue Sky

Maybe the sun will shine today

The clouds will blow away

Maybe I won’t feel so afraid

I will try to understand

Either way

Maybe you still love me

Maybe you don’t

Either you will or you won’t

Maybe you just need some time alone

I will try to understand

Everything has its plan

Either wayI’m gonna stay

Right for you

Maybe the sun will shine today

The clouds will roll away

Maybe I won’t be so afraid

I will understand everything has its plan

Either way

Goal: Write 101 Haiku

Ohhhh boy, it's been a long time since I wrote haiku. I've totally forgotten about this goal!

(#35)
Saying hello and
I've got no expectations,
Only hope and love.

(#36)
Pages filled, black ink,
Promises you couldn't keep.
A winter love, gone.

(#37)
Early morning tea
and waiting for a response.
Sure you've turned your back.

(#38)
I can't concentrate.
The only thing I can do:
Write emo haiku.

Pumpkin Carving Party

Last night we hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party and it was tons of fun. On the left is my pumpkin, Flapjack from the Marvelous Misadventrues of Flapjack and on the right, Daniel's EVIL pumpkin.

This pretty much sums up the differences in our tastes: the hubs loves evil, scary monsters and I'm all about the cute!

I'm Thankful For:

• Good books to read.
• Hugs and kisses from the kiddo.
• Cheaper gas! Hurrah!
• Hanging out with friends and family and having a great time.
• Receiving this horoscope today:

Looking into the past we have left behind for wisdom allows us to understand how the events we have lived through have impacted our development and shaped the people we are in the present. While we may not have realized the significance of certain events or situations at the time they occurred, a retrospective view gives us the power to understand how each has fit into the overall fabric of our existence. To reflect upon the patterns we see in the weave that is our lives is to examine the forces that created the assemblage of traits we know as the self. From this basic comprehension, we can then gather information regarding how our lives will unfold in the days and years to come. When you look within yourself purposefully today, you will discover insights that you can use to prosper in the future.

Take a Trip on the Wayback Machine

I've been feeling especially nostalgic lately so I've been reading over my old journals remembering old memories, good and bad. This happens to me every few months or so. It's interesting to read my what I wrote seven to ten years ago. Sometimes I laugh out loud and other times I'm just speechless. I can't believe I've done some of the things I've done. I also can't believe what I didn't do. I used to be so afraid of everything, too scared to to say or do stuff that might make people not like me.
Well, I guess I'm still kind of like that, but what can you do.
Nowadays, I feel more self-aware, more confident in who I am and most days I think I'm quite awesome. The 26 year old me wants to smack the 17 year old me and tell her, just do it, say yes and do what you want, everything will be okay. I'll also tell her, don't get those credit cards. Don't say yes to that.
There's my life. Ten years in fifteen notebooks. Not all the notebooks are filled, though. I had a bad habit when times were tough: I would buy and start a new notebook when a huge event took place. There's 6-7 notebooks for 2000-2002 alone.
I wonder what's happened to some of the people whose names speckled these pages. The ones I shared good times with, the many guys I crushed on (I used to develop crushes in minutes... still do, actually.), the ones I cried over, the ones I dumped. Not so much the ones I dumped, they were dumped for a reason. In real life, I drive through old stomping grounds and remember what I did at this restaurant and who I met at such-and-such place. They're mostly good memories and they make me smile.
I guess it's not a true feeling of nostalgia; it's not a feeling of wanting to go back to that place in my life. I'm quite happy where I am now. Those journals, those memories, are the stepping stones that led me to this day.
Anyway, I'd like to transcribe all these journals to a word document and get it all printed in one or two books. Some of the notebooks are yellowing and pages are falling out. I'd like to keep these words around forever.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

I usually find out about shows days after tickets have gone on sale. This saddens me to no end since I always want to be real close to the stage when I see my favorite musicians. The Ryan Adams show was no different and I learned of the ticket sales two days after the internet pre-sale. I ended up obsessing over the idea of somehow attending the show and paid WAY over the price of the ticket on Stubhub.com. Oh well, I can splurge sometimes, right? Besides I'd missed the last two times he came to Atlanta and spent most of this summer madly crushing on him.

Well, my pal Drew and I started making our way to Atlanta around 6 p.m. The weather was dreary and rainy the entire drive. We tried to keep a positive outlook and repeated, "We're totally going to make it on time. We're totally going to make it on time." Thanks to the GPS Navigator on my phone we avoided traffic in downtown Atlanta and pulled into the parking lot a little after 8 p.m.

Our seats were well worth the price I paid for them in my opinion. Fifth row center:


I was so excited to get through the gate with my camera! I'm always scared venue workers will confiscate my camera or make me go back to my car. I took many pictures (mostly blurry) and two videos during the show. The videos have already been viewed hundreds of times!

I recognized "Wonderwall" about two notes into the song. Goodness, I love that song! It was over 6 minutes long and my arm was getting so tired from holding up the camera.

Sadly, Ryan called it off after playing for a little over an hour. He said his voice was awful and [sounded like the guy from the Goo Goo Dolls]. The band apologized, said goodbye and next thing we know the lights are on and the stage crew starts breaking down the set. We walk back to the car in a daze, unsure of what happened. People around us are pissed and cussing the band out. We're bummed that we only had an hour of music. Hell, I was just getting warmed up.

Sunday morning I start reading through Facebook and MySpace and find out that many people are leaving mean messages to the band and wanting refunds. Last week the band postponed shows due to illness affecting the entire crew. I'm really bummed that the tour had to end on this note. But I'm sure I'll go to another show if I get the chance. My obsession with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals has not waned. Jacksonville City Nights is still one of my favorite cds. Ryan and the Cardinals sounded sincere when they apologized about cutting the show short. I just hope they put Atlanta on the top of the tour list next time.

Hey! It could've be worse. I once tried to go see Brian Jonestown Massacre in Atlanta. We stood through two opening bands that played for at least and hour and a half each & when Anton came out (30+ minutes after the opening bands) he was unhappy with how his guitars were tuned and refused to play until they were right. All of this on top of me somehow getting food poisoning! I left the venue and sat in the car hoping my husband could enjoy the music of one of his favorite bands. Daniel came to the car an hour later and said Anton only played 3 songs and kept whining about his guitars and fired a band member. At least The Cardinals gave Atlanta a great hour of music!

Homecoming Week

This is what I've been working on for the past two days:

About two hours in.

These two HUGE (see the step-ladder?) pieces of luan will be trimmed and built into a float for the Homecoming Parade tomorrow. My friend came up with the idea and poem and I just painted it up. I'll try to get a picture of it in action tomorrow.

I'm Thankful For:

• Nice, healthy pets.
• Going out to eat even though we shouldn't.
• 5 days off of school for the kiddo.
• Hanging out with family tonight.
• Being able to sleep in a little this morning.
  

Recent Photography Awards

Honorable Mention at the Juried Photography Show at Arts Clayton in Jonesboro, Georgia.

Second Place Ribbon in Plant Life at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Georgia.

Hurrah!

Science is Fun!

Mazzy's birthday money was burning a hole in her pocket and when she came across this Butterfly Pavilion at Walmart she just had to have it. We sent away for the caterpillars and I swear, everyday for two weeks she asked if they had come in the mail yet.

We finally received a small brown box from California. Inside was a plastic cup with five teeny caterpillars in it. Food was included so all we had to do was sit back and let nature take it's course.


The caterpillars doubled in size within the first two days. We watched them crawl around and eat and eat and eat. After about 9 days they crawled up to the top to form their chrysalis. They stayed in this form for 6 days. I was at work when Daniel called and said, "Oh my god! We have butterflies!"

Out of the five caterpillars, three turned into perfect butterflies, one had really messed up wings, and the last never emerged from his chrysalis.

We enjoyed their butterfly company for three days and decided it was time for them to go. Rain was in the forecast for the middle of the week so the sooner, the better.

And we made a video:

We had lots of fun with this project. I hope we can order some more bugs from InsectLore soon!

Double the Friday Graditude

I'm thankful for:

• An "Honorable Mention" at a photography exhibit.
• Good times w/ the my parents.
• Good times w/ my hubs and the kiddo.
• Making plans for the fair and a photography day-trip.
• Good tea on cool fall mornings.
• Meeting new people.
• Buying new "grown-up" clothes.
• Listening to the kiddo read and sing to herself.
• Taking a chance.
• Everything.