...change the background.

Yep. I'm never satisfied. So, I've designed a new background. I was inspired to create an icicle pattern that evolved into more of a lacy pattern. When the creative bug gets me, I don't get other stuff done (like blogging). I do plan to blog a little about some of the crazy that has happened lately. That will probably have to wait until we get back home from our holiday travels...

...wordle!

So, I was playing with Wordle today. I really like it. You can put just about anything in there, and BAM! All of the sudden you have a funky arrangement of words. This is what I did:

To view the large version on Wordle's page, click the image.

...light Lucy!

Yea! Here's a Lucy post for all her fans: While decorating our apartment for Christmas, my hubby had an idea.

He decided to decorate Lucy!


She was a good sport and all...


...but it didn't last long!!!

(No animals were hurt in the making of this blog post.)

...open a window.

Today the media spread the word that we have been in a recession since December of 2007.

'No newsflash there! My tiny retirement portfolio has lost 30% in 2008. Yes. My portfolio was growth heavy...but I'm young. I've still got time to make that up...if things turn around in a reasonable amount of time.

I'm trying to be optimistic when the outlook is grim. It's just hard to do when the Dow took a 679.95 plunge today. I shouldn't pay attention to the daily numbers. It's like not keeping my eyes on the road when I pass an accident scene. I know I should just pay attention to driving, but I'm drawn to the morbid.

That said, I have hope that things will turn out okay. My hubby and I have been through some tight financial times before. I'm not sure how we got through. My best explanation is that we were blessed from paying our tithing. The "windows of heaven" promise from the bible really make the saying true that "when God closes one door, somewhere God opens a window."

...give something a big name that we can turn into a cool sounding acronym!

I was really confused this morning while watching the latest financial buzz on the internet. These news people were all talking about TARP, and I was thinking "we need more than a tarp to save us here, boys!!!" I soon realized that TARP isn't a rectangle piece of nylon or plastic. After doing a little research, I learned that TARP is the "Troubled Asset Relief Program." It's the big fancy name for the 700 billion financial rescue fund that we've all heard about in the news.

I guess we had to call it something other than "a terrifyingly huge amount of American tax dollars." Yes, "TARP" sounds better. A tarp protects things. Perhaps someone thought that the subliminal word association will help build up the nation's confidence.

What were they thinking? And who comes up with these big fancy names that need to be given cool sounding acronyms so that we can feel good about them? I wonder how much they get paid. What are my chances at getting a job in the CAN (Create A Name) field?

In this economy, I fear my chances aren't that good!

...be a bit disappointed in Twilight.

So, I got better and got to the movie theater. (Yea!) However, Twilight, was not all that I had hoped it would be. I'm not a movie critic, so I won't pretend to review it. I'll just share what I thought.

I know that you can't cram everything from the book into the movie. My issue isn't that something was left out. It's more the opposite. I think that they tried to do too much. By cramming so much in, a lot of the depth was lost. I think if they would have left out a few more details, then the movie might have been more cohesive. As it is, I would find the movie hard to follow if I hadn't read the book. That's a big thing for me. I think the movie should tell a good story even if it strays from the book.

That said, there were a lot of small things I did like. (If you haven't seen it yet, I might SPOIL a few things in this paragraph!) I liked that Stephanie Meyer pulled a Stan Lee...although she did so with a huge "I'm in a movie!" grin. Next time maybe she'll play it cool. It makes it more fun for us if it's not so obvious. What I was surprised at was the funny banter between Bella and her father. Before seeing the movie, I wasn't sure about Billy Burke for Charlie Swan. I really liked him in the movie. In fact, I liked all the casting. The actors were believable.

To sum up, there was good and bad. I think I'll wait until DVD on the next movie (I'm guessing there will be another). I will be re-reading the book now that I have new pictures in my head of what Forks really looks like. And my advice is 1) read the book before you see the movie and 2) don't go with high expectations. Remember that Twilight is first and foremost a good BOOK!

...miss Twilight's opening night!

'No Twilight tonight! I'm bummed because I'm sick. It's cold, and I don't want to make myself sicker by running out to see my movie. Blah! So, I'll sleep a lot and hope that I'll be up for catching the flick tomorrow. Edward waited the better part of a century for Bella, he can wait a while longer for me. Ha-ha! ;)

...goo!

I wanted to get James World of Goo, a WiiWare game, for his birthday. I knew that he would see it if I put it on the Wii. So, I had to be a little creative about how I went about giving him his present. I got a little gel icing and created, well, a world of goo:

Happy Birthday, James!

...catch a fallen star!

This morning I woke up to a beautiful Fall day. The temperature was warm enough that my jacket was all I needed. So, I wandered around our apartment complex enjoying the colorful trees. A glimmer of yellow caught my eye. As I got closer, I wondered at the sight. A star had fallen and landed right in front of me! I was able to "catch" it with my camera. I call this photo "Fall-en star."

...broadcast!

Well, that's what I was kind of going for with the new background. I don't have any news except for the new look. BTW, it's my dad's birthday today. Happy 76th, Dad!

...dress up!

Happy Halloween!

I had a poll up on the blog about what I should be for Halloween. Although the "stock market" came in a close second, the "vampire-in the spirit of the Twilight movie coming out in November" won the most votes. I tried to think of what a I could do to be a Twilight vamp. But they don't have fangs or wear capes...some wear designer clothes and their good looks can, well, "dazzle." I'm not sure I have that in me. So, I decided to go goth to join my former office buddies as they "mourn" the director's departure.

Have fun trick or treating!

...redesign.

So, I've changed a few things around. I was playing with a few things here and there. Pretty soon, things started looking very different. I'm not sure this is the way it will stay. But this is something different I thought I'd try. 'Let me know what you think. Don't be surprised if you drop back by and things are different yet again. I never seem to be satisfied with things! ;)

...investigate!

The facts are these: At 9:31 AM, Tina had already walked the dog, exercised, taken a shower, read her scriptures, started a load of laundry, and felt very hungry. As she strolled into her kitchen she was met with this scene:


After witnessing the mutilation sitting beside her sink, her thoughts of breakfast were gone. Shocked at what had occurred in the wee small hours of this morning, Tina looked around to piece together the aftermath.


Evidence had been left behind.


The final tip was in fact the plastic tip found in the trash.


Funneling the facts together proved beyond a shadow of a doubt Tina's dear husband is the perpetrator of this kitchen catastrophe!


Solving the crime only left our heroine with many unanswered questions:

Why this funnel?

Why didn't he use a piece of wax paper instead?

What's next? Is my strainer safe?

...tuck yourself back into bed on a cold, rainy day.

I'm not sure how exactly she did this. I just know that Lucy managed to tuck herself under one of the two old pillows she uses to nap on. I woke her up taking the picture. She had this look on her face like, "I don't want to come out!"

...take it to the next level.

So I took it to the next level because the pattern on the leaf reminded me of an abstract tree you might see in a work of art. I wanted everyone to see what I saw. So, I got it prepped for a virtual gallery...

...do better.

So, I squashed that leaf into my scanner for this morning's blog entry. The focus was spotty and the leaf was bent. I knew I could take a better picture with my camera. So...I think I did.

...fall.

The leaves are just beginning to turn here. I found this one that had fallen from the tree. It had turned so fast that there is still green left in it. I guess when it's time, it's time!

...say it with a picture.

...decide on a Halloween costume!

Our apartment complex gets a little festive come Halloween. There is a decoration contest where the best decked out deck/porch area gets $100 off November's rent. I don't even have a shot at this because people have already gone waaaaaaaaaaaaay out for this one! Maybe I'll go around the complex with a camera later this month. Seriously! It's like some folks crammed the seasonal section of Target into a apartment balcony area. Also, there are tags we can hang on our doors to let trick or treaters know we are handing out candy on Halloween. I might as well dress up if I'm going to hand out candy. So, the big question is: What should I be for Halloween? I think I'll add a little poll to my site to help me decide. Please vote or give me your ideas in comments.

...decorate!

It's finally October. So, today I decorated the house for Halloween. I put out my orange and black candles, strung my leaf garland, and even bought some candy corn to fill my "Trick or Treat" candy dish. The last thing I put out seemed very timely. I hung the tombstones I made out of cereal boxes and colored paper last year. With the economy in the shape it is now, these decorations say a little extra something this year!


The tombstones say: "Gone: Credit Cards!" "With God Is The Mortgage!" "R.I.P. Student Loans!" "Here Lies My Car Payment!"

Yes. Some of you know that we still have student loans--that tombstone is wishful thinking! Maybe in a few more years...

...get inspired over my dirty tub!

Awe...A cute little picture of a firefly flying around some flowers.

Wait a minute! You thought you would be reading about my dirty tub. Okay, here's the grimy story...

I have a long, curly hair head of hair. I often joke that it is trying to take over the planet. It often weaves its way into my husband's undershirts, tangles up my vacuum belt, and slows my shower drain. I need to clean my bathtub a lot because of "icky" settling at the bottom of my tub when the water takes forever to leave. As I was pouring the latest treatment of drain de-clogger last night, I was strangely inspired by the "icky."

So, here's what inspired me:



If you've made it this far reading this blog (without being grossed-out), stick with me. I promise to paint a prettier picture.

You may be thinking to yourself, "What did she see in that icky?!" To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure myself. But I felt that I could digitally manipulate the pattern made by my left over curls. Yes. The wavy hair with evil designs (world domination) would bend to my will (using a little thing called Photoshop)!

So, I snapped my photo and went to work.

I won't bore you with all the adjustments I made.

I'll just skip ahead to what I've been coming up with.

It's still pretty raw, but you can get the idea:


Is it still a cute little picture?

...organize!

I'm a bit proud of myself this afternoon. I was cleaning up after finishing my scrapbook when I came up with an idea. I didn't have a place to store all my nifty little scraps and scrapbook stuff (glue sticks, fancy scissors, etc.). So, I went to see what I could fish up in our apartment. What I found was the box our Wii came in. It had two compartments that I could easily take all the dividers out of. They fit back in the original box almost like drawers. I figured out that if I taped back the box flaps, then it was just like a mini, cardboard organizer. All my stuff fit nicely inside. I'm very proud of my "waste not; want not" Wii box/scrapbook stuff organizer!

...let Lucy speak.

It's RAINING outside.

I can't go for a WALK because I don't like getting WET!

I can SIT on my porch and WATCH the rain fall.



I STAY close to the door so that the rain can't SPLASH on me.

If I feel a RAINDROP, I'll duck inside fast!

When will it STOP?


I think I'll just lie here and maybe SLEEP until this is over.

...heal.

I'm out of the hospital. I was feeling sick last week. It turned out to be more than a cold. James took me to the ER Saturday. It turns out that I had cellulitis and strep. Cellulitis is an infection of the deep subcutaneous tissue of the skin. It was NOT MRSA as the ER doc feared. IV antibiotics were effective in helping me get much better. I also learned that I have a few allergies to the "mycin" family of antibiotics (Vancomycin, Clindamycin). I had what they call "red man syndrome." I broke out all over in red hives and my elbow swelled up to the size of a baseball near the IV. They changed course fast on that one and got me back to my normal color! My arm was finally back to normal size yesterday. I'm just taking things easy today. My visiting teacher is bringing dinner over tonight. My Relief Society President was first on the scene with brownies and a stack of magazines for my hospital stay. Our home teachers brought me the sacrament and gave me an awesome blessing Sunday. So, I've been looked after. Thanks for your well wishes and prayers. I'm really feeling much better now!

...shop!

Yesterday I walked out of the mall with two new shirts ($44 value) without using cash, credit, debit card, or check. Although I got quite a look from the sales lady that rang me up, everything was on the "up and up." So, how did I do it? First of all, I don't pass up on coupons that say "$10 off a purchase of $10 or more." That's just free money. Second, I shopped the clearance racks. Third, they were having a sale on the clearance. Fourth, I used an old gift card to make up the difference.

So, here is the savings break down from the receipt:

And here is the gift card usage:


I saved $42.02 (or about 95% off the original price), and I still have $2.21 on my gift card.

I think I'll save it for the next great coupon I get during a clearance sale.

...find out what happens to Bella!

I tore myself away from my book just to post this pic. There probably won't be another post until I've finished "breaking dawn!"

PS: Yes. I designed the tee-shirts that a friend and I wore to the release event. Obsessed fans might notice that the chess pieces are different from the book cover. That's because I photographed the queen and pawn from my own wooden set...and took the time to digitally manipulate them as part of the design. Okay. So I'm a little obsessed too! ;)

PPS: Here's the truth: It was part obsession and part respect for fellow designers. I also purchased the font. A lot of work went into the cover art, and I don't feel right about doing a "cut and paste" just to have a snazzy tee-shirt. 'Lecture over.

...show!

'No more suspense...my piece made the show.


James couldn't make it, so I had Sister Blake (a full-time missionary assigned to the visitors' center) take my picture...


FYI: The show runs through September 14th at the Washington DC Temple Visitors' Center.

...be in suspense!

So, I got this email from the folks running the photo show I entered. It was a mass email to all the entrants. I wasn't selected as a judges' choice winner, but I wasn't expecting to even make the show. 'No biggie there. But I'm not sure if I should be hopeful that my work actually made the show. Here's what the email said:

We were able to hang at least one photo from each person who submitted according to the guidelines on the website.

I believe that my submissions were "according to the guidelines." So, does that mean I'm in?! If I missed something--or if they didn't think my pieces fit the categories, then I may not be in. The suspense is killing me! So I'll go to the opening reception tomorrow and see how many photos I take home. Will it be all three or just two? It would be so cool to make the show.

James will probably be in the field all Saturday. That means I may be on my own for the opening reception. I'd love to have a friend there to snap a photo of me with my work hanging. It may sound silly, but it's kind of a big deal to me. Of course if I didn't make it in, then I'd rather make the hour drive home alone. If I knew for sure...

Oh, the suspense!

...enter.

I entered another photography contest. I'm not sure why I felt it important to enter since I don't have much hopes for being selected for the show. Perhaps it is the experience of entering that is important to me. There is a lot to do to get your work ready for a show. You have to select your image and make any digital edits (like cropping) prior to printing. Then, printing can be a challenge as well. After printing, you need to mat and frame your piece so that it is show ready. The guidelines were fairly specific for this show, so that was helpful. Then, I needed to take it to the site--which happens to be on the other side of DC. So, that meant over two hours of driving to drop off my entry. I will do the drive again next weekend to attend the opening. I'll probably be taking home my work then, but I'll have a chance to see the artists and pieces that will make it in. So, I think it's all about the entry experience for me. Maybe sometime in the future it will be about being in the show. Then at some future date, it might be about winning.

BTW, here is the show website: http://monumentsoffaith.org

Here is one of the photos that I entered:

...reflect.

Our New York trip was fun. We rode the train up to the city. Then we wandered around a bit because we forgot to bring a map. We managed to find our way around all the hustle and bustle. We avoided the honking cabs and walked up and down Broadway. We made it to Tiffany's, but the store was closed for the 4th. We still saw several things. We walked thru Times Square, saw beautiful, Gothic cathedrals, found MOMA, bought a picture from a street vendor, and found a few fun stores. My favorite part of the city was Central Park. It was so nice to go and sit there after making our way thru several blocks of people, people, people!


We had a nice dinner complete with cheesecake before we were off to catch the show. WICKED was wonderful! We both enjoyed it very much. We laughed and were amazed at the talent. James bought me a WICKED themed umbrella at the show that we put to use directly after. It rained that night, so we didn't do much more than make our way back to Penn Station to wait for our train. In the early morning hours we road back to Quantico. We pretty much slept all Saturday, but it was worth it!

...melt!

I wanted to blog about our NY trip today...but it's too dang hot! I'm melting!

...see WICKED!

There is a time for good and evil; and we are going to have a good time seeing it all play out on the stage. On this 4th of July, James and I are going to NY to see the musical, WICKED on Broadway. I'm so excited! Thanks to so fast fingers, I was able to win tickets on eBay. Yea! So, we're off to the Big Apple in a week. We'll ride Amtrak and walk to the show. We may even see a few sights before show time. Who knows what all we'll see. Maybe we'll even see some fireworks. I'm hoping we can stop by Tiffany's on 5th Avenue. James is interested in the jewelry from a jeweler's perspective. Me? What can I say that Holly Golightly hasn't already?! I am a girl!

...follow up.

Here is a photo follow-up from our visit. A friend helped me find the picture at the Commandant's photo gallery: http://192.156.19.109/cmc/photos/index.html.

...hobnob!

None of the 28 seasons listed in the Bible seemed to fit for my first blog. How ironic! So, here's a brand new season: A time to hobnob.

James and I went to "8th and I" last Friday with the other Charlie Company lieutenants from TBS (The Basic School, USMC). It was really fun. We got to see the sunset parade. This included the United States Marine Band, The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and Sgt. Chesty XII, the official mascot of Marine Barracks Washington. Who doesn't love Chesty?!

I have to say the highlight of the evening was before the parade. We were honored to attend the garden party and meet the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Okay, so we briefly shook hands with Commandant Conway and his wife in a receiveing line. This was not true hobnobbing--just as close as we've ever been to hobnobbing with the rich and famous. However, my impression of the two is that they are very gracious and sincere. Mrs. Conway invited us to tour the residence. It is so beautiful! I loved all the family pictures scattered around. At one point we noticed a cell phone plugged in and charging. It reminded me that we were walking through their house--that they were willing to share part of their lives with us. It truly was an honor to be their guests.