Friday, November 30, 2007

NaBloPoMo

YAY! I made it through the month, faithfully blogging each day. It may not have been made up of the most interesting content, but I was here each day. It was certainly not easy but I've enjoyed the challenge to write more. It has been incredibly difficult to keep my news a secret, but now that my mom has arrived and I've had the chance to tell her all about it - it was great. This will become a place for me to write more about all the new happenings in my life ... I can't wait.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

It's working! and so am I...

So, I've really been putting into practive the positive thinking I wrote about yesterday... and it appears to be working - even though I'm totally swamped and hectic at work right now... I'm actually enjoying it! Yay!

We are in the middle of a USCIS audit - which apparently is going to continue to happen at a more rapid pace with our permanent residency cases that are in the PERM status - but, this was my first one, and it will be filed tomorrow. I'll let you know how it turns out. I think we've put together a very strong case in a relatively short amount of time. Now it's off to the attorney and ready to be filed - cross your fingers for me that it is is adjudicated in our favor.

So, it was most definitely a learning curve for me, and an interesting one to boot. I'm learning more about the PERM process than I ever thought I wanted to know and we are creating new practices and policies surrounding it. I'm able now to create new procedures as I see fit to help eliminate these tedious audit processes later down the road. For now I take solace in the fact that they aren't just auditing me (meaning my company or employees) but that it's approximately a 50% audit increase across the board.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The power of positive thinking...

PB and I have been trying to focus lately on the good - you know, the power of positive thinking - Focus on your goals coming true and they will. He actually puts it much better than I do, but the gist is the same - attitude is everything!

For me, I've been focusing on the good things at my job, the great things in my life, and not trying to worry or stress about the things that aren't so great. I think staying positive and not stressed at this point in my life is one of the most important things I can do so I'm really trying to focus on it. I've never really been into the new-age mumbo jumbo, but there is something to be said about your attitude. If someone cuts me off while driving, I can either let it piss me off, or I can think that maybe they didn't realize they did it or have an emergency to get to. That type of thinking allows me to not blow my top, keep my cool - and live to see another day :)

I perfer a good attitude. I know it makes me more fun to be around, and I know that I'm enjoying life so much more when I have a better attitude and outlook. It's not the easiest thing in the world - looking through perpetual rose-colored glasses, but PB is a great role-model and really allows me to focus on good things.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

T minus 3 days

Mom comes on Friday - can't wait - soooo excited for her to finally meet PB and understand what is going on in my life - show her my house, my life and fill her in on all the good stuff that I'm surrounded by. I'm trying lately to focus on the good - cause truthfully - there is so much good. I can't believe how truly blessed I am to have a good job, money in the bank, someone that loves me, a roof over my head and food in the fridge. What more could someone ask for? There are certainly material things that would make my life easier (more money, more free time, getting this darn house sold so we can get what WE want, etc) but they are just things, and frankly, while it would make life easier, it wouldn't make it better. It's pretty dang good just the way it is.

My list of what I'm thankful for - since I didn't get around to posting it last week (yeah, I know I kinda slacked on the lengthy posts during the holiday week - but the rule is to post - no word minimum to my knowledge).

1. PB*
2. BT *
3. My family and their health and happiness
4. Being physically able to complain about going to the gym - cause, if I couldn't complain about it that would mean I wasn't physically able to go -
5. My commute - cause it means I have a good job to go to each day - one that pays the bills.
6. Friends - the ones that matter are few and far between - but that's how it's always been and that's not a bad thing.
7. Holidays that bring people closer together.
8. Memories - I love all that I have done and what has gotten me to this point in life.
9. My camera and sewing machine - probably my two favorite "material possesions" - they might allow me to get out of the normal rat race and make my own living...
10. Possiblities - there is so much in store for us in the future...

Monday, November 26, 2007

Happy Birthday!

My oldest niece is turning 15 today - Happy Birthday sweetheart - you deserve all the good things in life.

Seriously though, when did you grow up? I can't believe it - in a matter of moments you went from a tiny baby born on Thanksgiving day (still one of the things I'm thankful for each year) to an intelligent young lady who conducts herself in an incredible manner on a daily basis. You have such a good heart and care so much about others. You are truly an inspiration to others, and a wonderful big sister :).

Love you honey - have a wonderful year -

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Sunday Sunday

So, PB got back late last night from Phesant hunting - think he had a good time. I just wish I could have put a camera in his hands while he was out there - saw elk, deer and an owl all up close - very cool. I think the only owl I've ever seen was in the PHX zoo - I love nature and wildlife and think they are fascinating subjects to photograph - think about it - an up-close-and-personal shot of a sleeping owl? Beautiful.

Other than that I'm just enjoying my last day of the 4 day weekend - not quite ready to jump back into work yet, but talked to my mom today and she found out she's coming to visit me this coming Friday (I'm soooo excited - she'll finally get to meet PB and BT) so it's very cool. It's been a surprise for her, so I know she's excited too. I'd love to get the border and backing on the quilt before she gets here but I don't know how that will happen. PB and I have just this week after work to get the old house totally cleared out and clean cuase we're totally outta there by the 30th. Eeck! Lots of work left to do, but I think we're up for it...

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Quilt Top

I love these fabrics - I've been collecting 5" charm squares on ebay and finally found a good use for them. I put together this gorgeous quilt top using a variation of the 9 patch... I absolutely adore it. I now need to figure out what to use to do the border and the backing. What do you think?
In Progress:
Completed:
The colors are that dark in person, they are lovely and vibrant in real life... trust me.

Friday, November 23, 2007

New Purse




My neice requested a tote bag for her 15th birthday (I still can't belive she's that old!) and I got to work on her bag today since PB went bird hunting :) And she loves orange and purple - since she's getting a purple quilt for Christmas, I decided to go with an orange tote bag... I love it. Now I just need to add the closure and sew up the hole in the lining.




Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello All - Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones. Dinner turned out great and all were stuffed :) It was a fantastic day but I think we're going to have sooooo much leftover - get ready for turkey sammies for the next week!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

arg - nablopomo grrrrr

This is so hard to keep up - especially during the holidays... PB's dad and step-mom arrived yesterday, and we got snow today but not enough to keep me from going to work. Luckily they shut down at 2pm today - which meant that I got home early enough to get my pumpkin and pecan pies in the oven... mmmm, they smell soooo good.

We're off soon to go to the movies, not one I particularly want to see, but I'd love to go see "Into the Wild". I read the book when I was in DC and loved it...

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Second in line...

I can't wait to try this one: also found on my favorite site: craftster.org :)



Pattern:Yarn: Lion's Brand Wool-Ease, Thick & Quick
Needles: US 8 29" circulars and US 10.5 dpns
Notions: One big ol' funky button, needle and thread
The band of the hat is knit flat:
Using circular needles to accommodate the number of sts, CO 75 sts, leaving a fairly long tail (don't join).
Knit seed stitch *P1, K1* for 9 rows.
Row 10: Bind off 13 sts (this is the button flap) - 62 sts remain.
Change to dpns: K10, place marker (pm), K11, pm, K10, pm, K10, pm, K10, pm, K10, pm, k2tog to join round.Knit 13 more rounds
(Several people have mentioned that their hats have turned out a little short. I would recommend trying on your hat at this point and seeing if it is your desired length. If not, knit an extra round or two (or three) and then continue with the remaining pattern)
Begin decreasing: k2tog before each marker.
Continue to do so until only 7 sts remain.
Break yarn leaving a fairly long tail.
Pull tail through remaining sts, pull tight, and knot.
Now, try on the hat. Pull the button flap until the hat band is to desired fit.
Remove hat, holding button flap in place (I used a dpn to keep it in place).
Using the tail from the CO sts, stitch the bottom edge of the band and button flap together. Using a needle and thread, attach your button to the button flap.

Monday, November 19, 2007

My new project...


I love this pattern, and have decided it's time to pick up the knitting needles to make something for myself. Thank you Marianne for posting this on your blog - it's just beautiful!


This is based on a stitch, star stitch. The name comes from a song by The Brunettes.
Holding hands, feeding ducks
When I met you, that's what I wanted to do
Yarn: Colonia 140 from handpaintedyarn.com, around 1.5 - 2 100-gram skeins.
Needle size: US 10.5 / 6.5 mm
Gauge doesn't really matter.
Vary yarn and needle size to get the fabric you want.
Pattern:Cast on 25 stitches (or other multiple of 4 stitches +1) and work in star stitch till desired length.
Long tail cast one counts as the first knit row (otherwise there is a purl ridge at the edge).
Bind off on RS.
I like the sewn bind-off.
Star stitch:Multiple of 4 stitches + 1 (i.e. 17, 21, 25...)
Row 1 (RS): Knit all stitches
Row 2: P1, (MS, P1) rep. to end
Row 3: KnitRow 4: P3, MS, (P1, MS) rep. to last 3 stitches, P3Repeat these 4 rows.
MS:Make star as follows:P3 tog but leave stitch on left needle. Wrap yarn around the working needle once, then purl the same 3 stitches together again.
Simple and sweet, like holding hands and feeding ducks. =)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Moving Phew...

So, for the most part PB and I are moved in to the house - I can't begin to tell you how much PB did to make that happen this weekend - he has been incredible - doing all the heavy lifting and getting everything settled. I feel bad that I couldn't help more but the situation just didn't allow for it. Even though moving is one of my least favorite things ever in the whole entire world - it hasn't been too bad this time around and it's really fun with PB - setting it all up.

Sorry for my short and boring posts - it's been a heck of a weekend.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

DirecTV

OMG - not only do they give you crappy 4 hour windows (seriously - 8am to noon????) but they can't even make it in that time frame. We did our major move this weekend and my part of it was waiting at the new house for Directv and comcast cable to come by to set up the new digs. Comcast gave a 10-12 timeframe and were there at 10:15 - that never happens! But Directv??

yeah, showed up after 2pm. AND while he was there, he had to put in a new line cause comcast took the existing one, since he was there first, and he totally cracked the vinyl siding on my house - about 7 inches long! BS - and I'm PISSED. If he had pre-drilled there would be no crack, but he took out his anger and frustration on my house, and now I'm definitely not happy - and will be letting Directv know about it. Both PB and I were nice when he showed up two hours after the 4 hour time slot had ended... we didn't complain, we were nice and still look what happened.

grr.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Friends

I had dinner tonight with a former coworker/friend that I haven' t seen since I started my new job - what fun it was to catch up on all the gossip and make me feel better about where I am. No job is perfect - it's all about attitude - right??

Anyway, we had fun catching up, seeing the puppy pics - she has an adorable jack russel who is too cute for words and chatting about life. We left the evening with the decision that it needs to happen every couple of weeks. Now we just need to stick to it.

Now, off to more moving...

Thursday, November 15, 2007

To Do List...

In case the holidays weren't going to be hectic enough, PB and I decided to move the weekend before hosting Thanksgiving, I'm going to make my holiday gifts this year and I've decided I hate my newish job (wait, scratch that...happy things in this post...happy things...)

Here are all the fun things I would love to get completed in time for shipment down to the fam - cause honestly, we decided last night to forgo the crazy holiday travel, and just enjoy each other on Christmas morning - sleep in, lounge in pjs and play WOF - instead of fighting traffic and parking at the airport, spending 200% more than it shoudl normally cost on a plane ticket, to fly down so PB can meet my family for the 1st time during the craziest time of the year when stress is raging and people/places/things are just nuts - call me crazy but I'm thrilled :) (p.s. - we'll go down there spring break time when my other sis, her hubby and their poopy butt can go - which honestly is all my mom cares about - getting the whole fam together at once - we're a pretty fun group...)

k - I'm not getting the picture thingy working - so I'll list out what I want to do... not necessarily saying it's gonna get done.... and I'm leaving out mom and PB since they both read this...

Tote bag - gotta get done this next week for b-day
2 make-up bags (one to match each of the totes I've made previously)
purple quilt - DONE!
felt name book - in progress
3 small handbags/totes - not sure of the style yet but for my three cutie-patootie nieces
apron
more to be added I'm sure.....

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Winter is here... yuck

So, the days of 60+ degree weather is gone, and took with it my cheery disposition. I love fall - I lvoe the changing of the weather, but I don't love 35 degree highs and freezing my butt off in the car while the heat is trying to get going.

I've taken to wearing gloves in the morning while driving to work - I did this last year as well and seems to help, but we're not quite at the weather that you bundle totally up for, yet kinda need to for a little while at least. My little AZ butt gets cold still :)

Anyway I guess I can't complain too much since last year we were covered in snow and ice for months at a time - literally - I would post pictures of it but they aren't up on flickr yet. PB and I really had fun with that first blizzard though - you remember it - even if you aren't from CO - it shut the Denver airport down for days - people were stuck there, cars couldn't leave, planes couldn't take off - crazy. It totally delayed my flight home, but I did eventually make it home for the holidays - even though I'll never fly United again due to an agent flat out lying to me... grrr (add them to BA and I am slowing losing international carriers)...

Hmm, I know it's supposed to warm up, which is a good thing cause PB and I need to finish moving.... ah, the joys of moving :)

(*Dear God, please let me find the motivation to move somehow...)

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Things I don't want to admit about myself...

1. I'm boring - I honestly can't think about anything to put up here today. Except that.
2. I'm generally a control freak who is slowly learning to let go... it makes things sooo much easier.
3. I like happy endings. I don't watch scary movies or anything like that, and I have to "create" my own endings for movies that either don't really "end" or have a sad ending - I'll change it all around to where I'm happy with the result. People think that makes me weird.
4. I have an addiction to cheese. It truly is an addiction. Living in Bulgaria with 2 kinds of cheese was torture.
5. I gossip. It's bad - I talk about others behind their back instead of confronting them. Bad bad bad.
6. I'm fairly lazy lately - I'm usually lying if I say I enjoy working out.
7. I have had baby fever for the last 5 years of my life.
8. I hate reality tv
9. PB and I have a made up language we use only with each other - and we've realized other people will think we're completely off our rockers if we are overheard talking to one another.
10. I don't understand how I ever enjoyed "clubbing" or staying out late, or getting ready at 10pm to go out... I'm at home, in bed way before then...like I said in no. 1 - Boring :) and I love it that way.

Monday, November 12, 2007

anticipation...

Ever been so excited about something you lose your breath? Or get really nervous and forget to breathe? When I get nervous/scared/anxious/excited I laugh - or want to. I experienced that yesterday. It's really a strange reaction that my body has to all of the above - laugh. That'll make it all better. And you know what? It did.

It's wonderfully perfect now, and while the nervous/scared/anxious feeling is still there...it's mostly excitement now :)

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Moving

I generally hate moving with a passion - I like, no wait, don't mind, the packing and unpacking portion of it. When you're packing it's a great chance to streamline and get rid of stuff that doesn't need to be packed and moved. And unpacking is great because I'm a control freak and like to decide where stuff goes - mainly in the kitchen :)

I hate the actual "moving" part of moving. The schlepping boxes and furniture etc. That's the part the gets me. I remember when I was in high school we moved next door - how ridiculous is that? Not only are you packing eveything - but you're moving it all by carrying the boxes next door - arg. No uhaul - no truck - no breaks in between one house and another - it was horrible and I think I made sure I was working that day :)

This time around it's not nearly as bad as it usually is. I actually like the moving part right now. PB and I got the storage unit and garage pretty much completed this weekend - which feels sooooo good. Now we have our little place to pack up and move, and we'll get to that next weekend so we are completely done before turkey day :)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Beautiful

It's so funny to think back to last year and how unbelievably cold it was starting in October. This year we've been incredibly lucky to enjoy beautiful 60's pretty much for the entire month of November - it's so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is around the corner and we haven't had any real snow yet - but we can't talk about that or it'll get jinxed - and we're not done moving yet... more on that tomorrow - for now, back to moving :)

Friday, November 9, 2007

small biz

So, PB and I have started talking more seriously about the biz we'd like to start, and timelines and such. Personally, it's all extremely overwhelming, but we would like to get the LLC set up this winter, and get things moving along by the summertime. We are tossing around idea names at the moment - something that includes us both, something that is general enough to include both sound (his area) and photography (my area) and something that we can grow into as the biz (hopefully) takes off. Ideally I want to turn this into full-time work for both of us.

We are getting great advice from coworkers who have done similar things, and luckily we know a great CPA who can help with the tax stuff - I'm pretty good with the bookkeeping etc since that's what paid my way through college (that and stupid college loans). I'm going to start looking into the right software we'll need, a good bank and all that stuff - seems complicated and I get confused and overwhelmed really quickly, but it's nice to do it together, and it's moving in the right direction for both of us - be able to set our own hours - work when we want, and be able to enjoy each other.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Moving

Wow - I don't think I would hav eposted today if it weren't for a commitment to NaBloPoMo - so, I can't guarantee any excitement - not there what I post is usually exciting... but.... Anyway, here we go.

PB and I are moving back into my house - we have begun putting some things in - which was mainly done to "stage" the home, since we all know having an empty home doesn't do anything for the market appeal - and it doesn't help that this home has been on the market for a year. A Year? Seriously? Wow, time flies when you're... oh wait. Nevermind.

Anyway, we will continue to slowly move things over this week/weekend, and we are excited about it mainly because it will offer us more room than where we currently are, even though the house is tiny. But, it also has a yard - and with it now being FSBO - will allow us to maintain it - keep it looking nice - show it and hopefully get the damn thing sold already!

I'd post pics of it, cause it's an adorabel 1940's bungalow, but of course I'm at work - sssshhhhh - and I didn't upload photos on flickr of the house. So, use your imagination - it's small, but cute and well-maintained for a hosue of it's age.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Upcoming holidays

My favorite holiday is right around the corner, and the only prep work required is something I actually enjoy - cooking :). Thanksgiving is such an incredibly amazing holiday because the focus is on spending time with loved ones and being thankful for all that you have in life, and not on materialistic craziness where 4 year olds are asking for laptops in America when 14 year olds in other parts of the world are asking for pens and pencils. Don't get me wrong - Christmas with family is awesome - my family is great and we have sooooo much fun with all the kiddos at Christmas - but there is no stress when it comes to Thanksgiving. Well, not too much anyway.

I'm almost finished with my menu, and this weekend I'll begin picking up the non-perishable items. the timeline is almost complete, and I know which days I'll be making my pies, from scratch (including the best crust recipe in the world) and I've even decided that since we'll have out of town guests with us (his dad and step-mom will be driving in) as well as local friends, I've decided to do as much as possible ahead of time - if I can chop, dice, assemble or parboil anything the day or two before hand, I guarantee I'll enjoy the football more.

Thinking back I have many good Thanksgiving memories - we had two growing up - that happens a lot when you have divorced parents. My first niece was born on Thanksgiving. My sis and her husband were living with my dad, and apparently my sis went into labor in the wee hours of the morning - Dad called other sis and I at home later in the morning and gave instructions on how to finish Thanksgiving dinner. So the two of us (can I insert that I was 13 and other sis was 15 at the time) cooked a pretty complete meal, packed up plates and hopped in the car to zoom to the hospital to meet the newest member of the family (who will be turning 15 this month - can't belive how time flies).

We used to have this great tradition (which apparently many people think is super cheesy) of going around the family table and talking about what we're most thankful for this year... I remember my first thanksgiving in Bulgaria, I spent it with a group of other volunteers, had a fabulous meal (and getting a turkey in Bulgaria is no easy feat - apparently it's an extremely difficul animal to raise - Bulgarians don't really eat it and that jsut drives the price and weirdness factor up). I brought that tradition up and we went around the room, each of us listing what we were thankful for that year. Mine? Well, just that morning in the mail I had gotten a copy of my mom's passport. Something she had never had before, but went out right after I left for Bulgaria and got, just so she could come visit me.

This will be my second thanksgiving with PB - and while I have so many things to be thankful for, he is the main one. I am so incredibly happy, and lucky, and finally in a good place in my life. I can't wait to cook - and eat leftovers, and veg, and watch football - and maybe even go around the table and share what I'm thankful for this year.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Life Changing

How many life changing moments can you count? Whether it was the birth of a child, a marriage, graduation from school or the trip of a lifetime, I'm sure we can all count on one hand the number of truly life-changing experiences we've had. Some of them could have been wonderful and beautiful events, others could have involved death or saddness, either way, it's a defining moment - one you can look back on now with complete clarity and see the moment where your life took a turn and changed - for better or worse. I guess for me that was joining the Peace Corps and moving to Bulgaria - I gained my independence, lived alone for the first time and got on a path that led me to where I am today. It was certainly not easy, and not without major bumps and hurdles, and the path wasn't full of pretty flowers and sun-shiny days, however, I can't go back and change a moment of it, because every part of it led me here - to this town I now live in, to the job I have, to the person and life I am now a part of. It certainly wasn't easy, but it most definitely was worth it.

It's funny - I deliberately remember talking to my mom before I left for Peace Corps - an idealistic college senior getting ready to "go save the world" and we talked about how my generation didn't have any of those moments that define the generation - moments that you could discuss many years later, and every person in the room remembered exactly where they were, and exactly how they felt when that event took place - so far my generation had had the OJ Simpson trial and the death of Princess Diana. Wow. My mom's generation had the Vietnam War, the assasination of President Kennedy and so many others. Turns out I shouldn't have spoken so soon. Not too long after that conversation did 9/11 happen, then Afghanistan, then Iraq, then Virginia Tech, then too many to count. So many defining moments. Do you remember where you were when you heard about them? Have you thought about putting down on paper your thoughts and experiences for future generations?

Monday, November 5, 2007

Secrets.

Secret.

Pronunciation:\ˈsē-krət\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French secré, secret, from Latin secretus, from past participle of secernere to separate, distinguish, from se- apart + cernere to sift
Date: 14th century
kept from knowledge or view
working with hidden aims or methods
not acknowledged
conducted in secret
remote from human frequentation or notice
revealed only to the initiated
designed to elude observation or detection


Ever had a secret so big you thought you were going to explode if you couldn’t tell it? This has come up lately due to feeling a bit removed from the rest of society. PB and I are generally pretty happy in our own little world – occasionally we seek out others to fulfill something that the other can’t do for us – mainly, PB will call on a friend to go play Frisbee golf because for the life of me I know I’ll stink, and if I’m not going to be great at it…why bother?? Usually when PB is out with friends, I’d rather be alone. I’m much better off when I have some “me time” and that’s when I rejuvenate. Anyone else that way?

My work did a Myer’s-Briggs eval for the entire HR department a few weeks ago, and since I had never taken the test, was given one. Turns out I’m INFJ – I finally have a 4 letter explanation of why I am the way I am. Most people at work couldn’t believe I was an I – especially since I’m usually outgoing and talkative, but I much prefer to be alone and quiet, introspective and being around a lot of people is exhausting to me. The Feeling and Judging didn’t come as a surprise, nor did the Intuition. None of it was a surprise to me really, rather the surprise and “ah ha!” moment came when it was explained what an Introvert did under stress. We became extroverts – which is definitely the case with me. When I’m under stress, I want everyone to know about it J.

Perhaps that’s why it’s hard for me to keep a secret. Secrets sometimes cause stress, and if it’s bad – I want to share because others can help me come up with a good solution, and if it’s good – well, I just want people to know how happy I am.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Sunday already???

How does the weekend go by so quickly? wow - just 5 minutes ago it felt like I was couting down the minutes til 5pm on Friday... although we've had a fairly productive weekend, laundry, grocery shopping, new brake pads, moved some items to the new/old house we are moving into and now I'm relaxing on the couch with dinner simmering nicely in the crockpot.

Love love love the crockpot - what an incredible invention. Today is a new recipe - roast beef. I'll add potatoes and such after it's almost done, for a full meal with one dish to clean. I swear lately all I've done is dishes - :) hehe, and I'm actually willingingly giving up my dishwasher???

One of my favorite feel good movies is on tv right now - The American President. I still get choked up at his speech at the end of the movie - you know the one, where he talks about integrity and family values. Makes me wish he was running, rather than this crap we're now hearing about constantly all over the news... One day I swear we'll find a political figure that can break the barrier between parties, get rid of the smut throwing, and finally get down to the root of what is going wrong in America. Haha, listen to me going on and on, I guess I'm still and idealist at heart. And wanting a better place to raise my children. A place where they won't worry about people going hungry, or crime in the streets, or school shootings, a place where they can date someone of a different race, or the same gender without being judged or ridiculed. I don't see it happening anytime soon, but I suppose I can still dream of a day where we'll have the right leader to bring us back to a time and place where morals and values are a higher priority than money or things.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Picture post

So, I've discovered more about flickr and have begun the arduous task of uploading my thousands of pictures to the site. While doing so I got the incredible opportunity to check out some that I hadn't seen in a while as well as some beautiful photos that I've taken recently but hadn't truly appreciated. It's funny, I wrote yesterday about my desire to start a small business taking maternity/newborn photography, but the pictures I seem to love the most are nature and landscape...


















Friday, November 2, 2007

Small business

So, yesterday I promised to blog about the small business idea that's been floating around our heads for the past few weeks, months maybe?? Anyway, I'm pretty obsessed with photography, and it seems there's a real lack of maternity/newborn photography in the area. I think both are incredibly beautiful subjects, and something that is close to my heart. Last year when my sister was pregnant, my plan was to fly out to visit them shortly after they had the baby so I could practice on her. I would get to meet my new niece and my sis and bil would have (hopefully) beautiful photos of their first baby.

Unfortunately my niece made an unexpected appearance well before her due date (around 29 weeks) and spent much time in the NICU. By the time she got out and was healthy enough to be around others, I lost my opportunity to get my bum out there - you know how it is, work, life everything else gets in the way, and sometimes it's just difficult to prioritize.

So, my idea is in the next year to practice practice practice and read up on starting a small business, and hopefully by this time next year will be able to do it part time, and then, who knows!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

NaBloPoMo

So, finally decided I had to start up with this site again, and what better way to kick my butt in gear than NaBloPoMo, national "blog at lease once everyday for a month" :) Something to keep me on track - right? Or something to show PB that I'm a total nutjob.

Either way, tons of nwe things have happended since I last showed my face (does it seem weird that I use that term) around here. I've been at a new job for the last three months. Finally got the courage, and the right offer, to leave the non-profit world. It was hard, and in other ways it was too easy. I do enjoy the bigger paycheck, and opportunities (can anyone say tuition reimbursement???) but I miss the extra vacation time, flexiblity and closer office. I think I'll survive. More tomorrow on the possible small business start up that is in the works.