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iPhone Photo Diary 2009

Dear iPhone,

Thank you for being with me every day for the past two years.  Yes, I know, it has been that long!  We've yet to grow tired of one another.  A milestone!

One thing I did not realize about you was how, without my knowing, you'd capture random moments of my every day life.  Not necessarily "camera worthy" moments in which I'd make the effort to take a real picture with my real camera.  Just... stuff and things... things that might otherwise have gone un-photographed.  I actually don't even LOOK at these photos much after taking them!  They go into the phone and they stay there, hanging out.  

Well iPhone, I'd like to take a look back at 2009 with you and see it through your eyes!

2009, in order, through the eyes of my phone...

 
 









 
 








                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 
  

In sum, lots of cats, clothes and skies.

Can't wait for 2010!

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

 J.R.R. Tolkien said that "Not all those who wander are lost".

It makes me think that maybe it is okay to feel like I am wandering.  As long as I am wandering in the direction of my own choosing.

I don't always know where I am going when I set out on a journey.  I do not always know what I will see.  I only know that I always go with an open mind and an open heart.  What more do you need?

On a wandering journey, it is best to just look at what is right in front of you.  Most likely, it is beautiful.

Trying to think of the big picture and plan out your journey can have negative consequences.

You put blinders on to what is right in front of your nose.

You are too focused on the end goal to see what is right in your face, waiting for you to see it!

On a wandering journey, look for the familiar.  What reminds you of home?  What makes you feel safe?

What makes you look twice?

What have you never seen before?
Until now?

 

When wandering, sometimes it seems you're off the beaten path.  You may not even be dressed for the occasion!  You might even step in a 6 inch deep hole, of mud.  I did.

Finding things that make you comfortable and happy along the way is the real purpose.

Looking to each other for support.  Encouragement.  Inspiration.

Know that you're not alone.  Never, ever.

Along the path you may be looking down at the ground around you, for obstacles.

Don't forget to look up.

Looking in a new direction can bring a fresh perspective.  It can lead you to a different path that you hadn't expected to encounter.

First there were only sidewalks.  Suddenly, now, there are stairs.

I have never regretted taking that leap of faith and exploring an unknown road.

Sometimes, funny things happen.

You aren't the same person you once were.  Your wandering brought you to a new place.

A really, really good place.  Don't you just love leaps of faith?!

Jumping is so much better than standing still!!  Unless, that is, you sprain your ankle.  Which is what happened after the below picture was taken.

Even after injury and trauma, life goes on and you have to keep jumping!

Those who love you will cheer you on from the sidelines.

In wandering, pausing to reflect is imperative.

There is always a meaning to our journey.

There is no such thing as coincidence.

Things don't just randomly happen.  They happen to you, for you, to make of what you will.
Make it something special.

Your circumstances can not change how you feel inside.
You have to do that part on your own.

Keep strong thoughts in your mind and keep love in your heart.
Have someone to turn to.

And don't forget... to look UP!!

.......

To see all of the photos from the wandering journey, to go my Flickr!

Y'all Been To Kentucky Before?

I have not been to many of the southern states so far in my travels.  I have been to Georgia one time and to Florida for a moment.  That's all.  

This weekend changed that.  We went to KENTUCKY! 

It's amazingly only two hours from where we live in Ohio.  Drive two hours through corn, cross the river, and there you are.  Let me tell you... the worst part was driving out of Ohio.  Massive amounts of boring corn. 

 We were worried that when we entered Kentucky - it could just be a lot more of the same.

Luckily, it wasn't!  Kentucky was so beautiful!!  And every single person we talked to was so friendly.  That could have been coincidence... but I do not believe in coincidence.  So I guess that means they're actually all nice :).

I loved the buildings, the historical homes and even the farms were more beautiful and stately than the Ohio farmlands.

For the first time, we even saw what actual tobacco plants looked like.  I had no idea.  I also had no idea that so much of it is grown in Kentucky.

I love photographing small towns.  Even more so than big cities.  There is so much charm to them.  Something so much more innocent and modest and real.

We spent the night in Maysville, Kentucky.  We didn't plan ahead for it - it's just how it happened.  I wouldn't have had it any other way and now that we've been there, we want to go back!

We also ventured over to Versailles, Kentucky to tour the Woodford Reserve Distillery.  They are responsible for the creation of Bourbon Whiskey!  Mind you - I'm NOT at all a fan of the stuff... but it was truly awesome to see the process and hear about the history!

It burned going down, lemme tell ya.  It is supposed to have a hint of vanilla and carmel with citrus and fruit tones.  All I tasted, with my completely unsophisticated mouth, was fire!!

I prefer this:

The trip was amazingly scenic.  I want to share each and every picture here but that would honestly take forever.  To see them all (and they're great, so seriously check them out) go to my Flickr!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/runningstitchpics/sets/72157622100710475/

Thanks for reading, y'all!!

I DO Live In Columbus

Sometimes I forget that I actually live near a pretty big city.  We live a bit outside of it - but honestly - compared to how far we have lived from a city that even had a MALL when growing up (3 hour drive)... we are IN the city.  We probably don't take advantage of it as much as we should.

 

Once in a while we head downtown, usually for one event or another.  You know how it is.  But I realized during this specific trip that we have never just wandered through the city by foot to really SEE it.  I'm so glad we did this time!

It was very photogenic.  And surprisingly lacking in people.

Just the way I like it.

This one is like Baby New York.

I never thought I was a "country" girl.  In the small town I grew up in, I always longed for the city.  I yearned for buildings and people and events.  But now that I've tried all of that... I can honestly say that I love retreating to a quiet home away from it all.  

As long as it's not too far a drive from city life :).

Stuff: Today's Vocab Word

People that are creative are typically very visual people and therefore, usually enjoy surrounding themselves with things that inspire them.  Me?  Very much so.  After tackling the daunting task of moving to a new apartment this past weekend - STUFF was on everyone's mind.  Why do you have this stuff?  What do you use this stuff for?  Where did you get this stuff?  Do you need this stuff?  You have so much stuff!

Our friend Peter has a visitor from Spain who was also helping us move.  (Welcome to the country - here - grab a box!!).  He speaks English but is still learning a lot and certain words are still unfamiliar to him.  During the move, he noticed that I was using the word "stuff" an awful lot and he asked the definition.  What is stuff?  I had to try to define that to him in a simple way.  Did you know that the dictionary has around 23 definitions for the word?  I wanted to tell him it meant "things" but that is sort of like defining the word with the word itself!  An assortment of inanimate objects?  Whatever stuff is - I sure have a lot of it.  

(those are all fashion magazines - "packed" and ready to be moved)

My problem with stuff is that it speaks to me.  It is like an old friend that is still there when you need them. It lingers and waits for me to rediscover it, cherish it and use it in a new way.  I even have different types of stuff that I have for different reasons.  Sometimes I keep things because of their sentimental value, sometimes because I feel obligated to keep the things that were given to me by others, sometimes it's because I bought it and I love it, sometimes because it inspires me and other times it's because I think there might be a potential use for that thing some day.

I'm learning, as we unpack and set up the new place, that it really is so much nicer to have less stuff.  There is less clutter.  There are less piles.  Less boxes and bins.  More space!  More potential!

I have whittled my stuff down to the best of the best.  The most favorite of the favorites.  I thought that by getting rid of things I would feel lack and regret.  What is so great is that I don't at all.  I feel so good to only be surrounded by my favorite possessions that truly have value to me and make me happy.  Anything not in that category is just stuff.

Twenty Five

Today... I turn 25!!

I won't consider myself old.  I won't consider myself young.  I will consider myself on the journey.  

Twenty years ago I was about to start Kindergarten.

Ten years ago I was acting a fool as a crazy teenager.

Five years ago I was running around trying to figure out what I wanted to BE when I grew up.

And today?  

I'm twenty five.

The Great North

I'm from a little northern Michigan town called Alpena, if you didn't know.

I'm going to be making the journey up there for a 5 day weekend with two of my best friends since childhood.  We have a reunion every year, switching locations each time, and this time we're going back to where it all began!

See you when I return!

Whew! Lots of Happenings!

Cool things have happened in the past two days.

I got a promotion at work!  Woo!

It was a total surprise.  

They promote everyone in front of the entire company which is a couple thousand people.  No biggie...

My contact came flying out of my eye and into my hand just moments after the announcement, which added to the fun.

I won a giveway!  And a really interesting one, at that!

It's not just any old giveaway - it's a giveaway of a kit in which I must complete and give feedback.  That will be fun! 

(photo from Princess Lasertron's blog!)

 Princess Lasertron - designer of felt flower and button bouquets and accessories - is starting to sell kits to make her felt flower bouquets.  In order for her to test the kits, she's doing the mini-kit giveaway in which I was a random winner :).  The random number generator isn't really random you know.  It picked me because I am awesome.  I'll blog about the kit and the experience once I recieve it!  Princess Lasertron will also be blogging about the other mini-kit winners experiences once we all finish.

Today we went to the greatly anticipated Sample Sale at work.  Mmmmmm.  Adreneline!!  Digging through a thousand boxes of piles of clothes with thousands of other frantic people is just a crazy experience.  You leave feeling exhausted, sweaty and soo hungry!!  Peter, Heidi, Evan and I all made out like bandits.  Socked up on enough t-shirts, jeans, hoodies and random pieces of fabric to clothe an army.  I got a ton of plain hoodies and tees that are begging to be covered in hand embroidery!!  I have been doing laundry for hours.  Oh the pain.  ;)

Welcome, 2009!!!

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!

I hope that you rang in the New Year with happiness and love!
Let's make it the best year we've ever had, shall we??

 

2008 Rewind!

On the last day of the year, in my personal journal, I always write out a list of all the things that happened in the past year.  The main things that stand out as being fun or unique or challenging or rewarding in that year.  It's a really good way to easily look on one page and see how far I've come in a year... which then helps me to see where I'd like to go with the next year!

What happened to me in 2008?

We rang in the New Year with an awesome visit from Astrid!  We went into downtown Columbus to do some celebrating!

This one might sound weird to you. 
Evan got that giant bag of grosgrain ribbons from work for free.  They were going to throw them away at work... and we can NOT sit back and watch that happen.  We are totally against wasting perfectly good materials!!!
We find all sorts of creative uses for them (they keep our curtains tied open, they're cat toys, they hold wires from video game systems in place, and they look beautiful wrapped around all of our Christmas presents this year!)

 

In February, we drove up to Saginaw, Michigan to celebrate Evan's 23rd Birthday with our friend Megan!  And we surprised him with a visit from Sarah & Charlie!

 

We moved into our new apartment that is closer to work and has 2 bedrooms instead of 1 and 2 bathrooms instead of 1!

 

I got a promotion!  Associate Textile Designer here I come!

 

That was the same day that Peter came into our lives!  He was here for an interview!  *he got the job*

 

We took a 7 hour trip up to Alpena, Michigan for my friend Ashley's bridal shower and bachelorette party.

In March we headed back up to Michigan for another visit.  This time, to Grand Rapids to see Melanie and Corey!

 

We came home to what was known as "The Blizzard of 2008".
There was so much snow on, around and behind Evan's car that he had to call in sick to work in the  morning because he couldn't get it out!
And we don't own a shovel... and all the stores were sold out!

 

In April, it was Peter's 23rd birthday!  We had a night of adventures which involved eating dinner, getting drinks, going to another bar, trying not to get dragged on stage by a drag queen, finding a random party and then waking up with flat tummies from drinking too much vodka!

 

We also went to Michigan to see Sarah & Charlie in their new apartment!

 

AND we got a new cat!  We named him Tiny Tim because of his sickly demeanor.  Turns out... he WAS VERY SICK and we had to take him back a week later.
Dahlia didn't like him anyway...

In May, Ashley & Fred got married! 
It was also my first experience being in a wedding!

My boss, Amanda, had a birthday party and got a bouncy castle for her backyard!!  Those things were so fun as a kid... but jumping in them at twentysomething years old with a belly full of snacks and wine... ughhhhh.....

 

Earlier that day, we made out like bandits at the Sample Sale!!  Our second one and we felt like seasoned professionals... attacking it with a strategy.

 

At the end of the month, we went back to Michigan yet again!  We wanted to make a trip to see some family in Grand Rapids.
We went to the mall and did some shopping and rock wall climbing! 

 

I learned a bit about planting from Aunt Molly while visiting - and went home and planted some flowers of my own for the first time! 

*can I just say that it is now late December and the spikey plant is still alive!!*

   

In June, Sarah & Charlie came down to visit us and see our new apartment!  We did a lot of karaoke singing and wandered downtown Columbus for a bit as well.

 

Summer is official by June and we make it a goal to have as many perfect weekends as we can.  The first one I like to call
"Perfect Day at the Pool with Peter".  He will remember it too.

What happened next in June?  OH YES.  Evan's Mom and sister came down to visit us for a few days.  We went to the zoo.
AND Evan proposed!!

 

A few days later, on the 20th, I turned 24!
Turns out, 24 isn't so bad and I happen to like it a lot.
My mom is an amazing and beautiful soul and she totally spoiled me on this day even though she is so far away.

And then I got spoiled at work, too!!

 

The next weekend we went on a vacation!  We drove up to Michigan and stayed in a little cabin for a week with Mom & family!  We sat by the lake, boated, feasted and played for days and days.

The weekend after our vacation, my boss got married!

  

Heidi and Peter took me to try on some wedding dresses so we could get an idea of what looks good or not so good on me.
We're designing it and making it ourselves so we definitely didn't go to buy and I think the lady "helping" us got the hint real fast.  She didn't help at all!!

  
*David's Bridal has the ugliest dresses I've ever seen.*
  

On July 2nd... this blog - Running Stitch -  was born!!
I had just really discovered what blogging actually WAS and decided that it was something I should've been doing a long time ago.

Running Stitch is named after the most simple and primitive of stitches.  It is so simple yet so beautiful and attractive and perfect.  It can look crafty  but is versatile enough to be used in a very high-end way.
The blog is meant to be a vault of all things I want to capture, talk about, revisit and share that have to do with living, loving and of course... stitching.

   

Thanks for joining me on my journey!!!

We spent Independence Day with Heidi and Peter and his friend Gabby.
Oh yes I never mentioned the day that Heidi got a job here and joined us in Columbus!!  I believe that was in June.  That was VERY exciting!

   

We took a trip up to Cleveland to see Ashley & Fred and their new place.  We did fun things like sweat a lot in their house without any AC, made yummy dinner on the grill, played around in the Great Lakes Science Center, learned about Egypt in the Omni Theater, and Evan got a tattoo!

 

I got a new camera.  It takes BEAUTIFUL pictures!
It literally makes me have hate for my old crappy 4.1 megapixel piece of junk.  I had no idea how deprived of nice photos I was until this new 12.1 megapixel borderline affordable camera came along.
Someday, I will get a professional camera and have the ultimate in deliciously beautiful photographs.

 

In August, Heidi and I begin designing my wedding dress.

 

Astrid & Jane came to Columbus for our annual reunion!!
We had 5 days of AMJ madness!!

I started to push myself into the "handmade" lifestyle as much as possible.  Gifts, cards, grocery bags, etc.  I want it to become a habit.  Why go buy it when I can make it?  Why throw it away when I can re-use it?

  

My cousin Eric got married!!  Congrats Eric & Megan :)

While in Alpena, Evan and I decided to drive around and take pictures of some memorable places.  This is the house where I spent some of my childhood.
I practiced cartwheels in that little front lawn.

  

In September, I went on a work trip to Brimfield.  This is my second time going there for work.  I LOVE it and would go there every year if I could!  (even though I did get sick both times I went... allergies??).

  

I discovered... Artful Blogging.  Another one of those things that I said "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?!" as soon as I saw it (and then realized that I said it out loud and looked around to see who heard me).

  

We did an Engagement Photo Shoot in September with Peter as our photographer, my new camera as the workhorse, Heidi as the moral support and that 1950's dress from Brimfield as the shining star.

  

Sarah & Charlie got engaged and asked us both to be in their wedding!

  

We went up to Michigan to visit Sarah & Charlie to celebrate their engagement and Charlie's 25th Birthday!!  We had a fun day at the apple orchard and a fun night at Buffalo Wild Wings!

    

We got our rings custom made.

  

I had my first give-away on my blog!

 

I had a successful Halloween as an Aberzombie. 
I scared people.  It was good.

  

In November, I played with new ideas.

I also had my first sale!!

Our old TV broke so we got a new one!

  

We got our wedding rings!

 

Evan and I decided to get married in our apartment complex Clubhouse.  We decided to have a small intimate wedding on January 17th, 2009.

  

We met Kelli Martin and saw her fashion show at her boutique, Black Market.

  

Thanksgiving on the floor with friends is quite possibly the best idea, ever.

  

In December we rocked out with Girl Talk at the company Christmas Party!

  

And then celebrated Christmas together.

The only thing left to do is ring in the new year!....
 

ALERT! Flesh Eating Zombies!

Warning: Aberzombies (zombies in Abercrombie) have been spotted roaming around Columbus on Halloween night and early the next morning.  The article below provides information on the descriptions, whereabouts and habits of the creatures.  For your own protection, please put your children to bed and lock your doors.  The Aberzombies have yet to be detained.

......................

The first appearance of the Aberzombies was on a warm and dark Halloween night.  The strong smell of FIERCE and the sound of flip...flop...flip...flop as they walked was the only indicator that they were approaching.

 

How do you know if an Aberzombie is in the vicinity and what should you do?  Typically you will notice the smell first.  Their cologne is strong and powerful.  You will also notice their perfectly coiffed hair, heavily branded outfits and their shirt collars will often be popped.  Be warned that if bit by one... you will become one of them!  Unfortunately there have yet to be any techniques discovered that are successful in killing these creatures.

 

They typically travel in multiples so you must be prepared to fight off more than one at a time.  They also have been seen traveling with a Deranged Tooth Fairy and a skeleton dressed as the guy who sings Putting On the Ritz.

 

They have been spotted at some of the neighborhood establishments mingling with other local freaks of nature.

 

 

The Aberzombies thirst for fresh blood of the human variety.  But if none is readily available... red wine, vodka and cranberry or tall chilled glasses of Guinness have all been known to tide them over.

 

The Aberzombies are naturally attracted to extremely loud music and therefore can often be found at venues where live music is present.  
If attending a live show, please beware of Aberzombies in the audience and leave immediately if you spot one.

 

Researchers report that the Aberzombies do have one apparent weakness.  You will often encounter them stopping for long periods of time to model and pose for photos.  They take breaks from their hunting spree to take snapshots of themselves and of each other.  If you spot them in this act, you have enough time to get away before they spot you.

 

 

 

 

In order to help with the identification of these specific Columbus Aberzombies, the following photos are the myspace pictures of each zombie.

   

 If you live in the Columbus area - please call in if you happen to spot or identify any of these Aberzombies on the loose.  Their zombie virus is incredibly infectious and no one is safe. 

If you live elsewhere... you're next.

 

Soap Eye

This morning I woke up and got in the shower.  Sleepily I washed. 

As I snapped the lid shut on my liquid body wash... a gob of it sprayed directly into my EYE.  HAVE YOU EVER GOT A GOB OF LIQUID SOAP IN YOUR EYE?! 

I screamed in instant pain and turned the water to cold to rinse out the soap as quickly as possible to stop the burning.  I rinsed it and rinsed it for about 10 minutes until I had to give up.  I got out and looked at my eye in the mirror and it was blood red and crazy watery.  Ughhh!  Evan ran to Walgreen's to get me an Eye Wash and also some Visine.. to "get the red out" which both actually really helped and now my eye looks normal again (although still kinda hurts). 

Seriously... be careful with soap.  Ow.

Aside from that - another good weekend was had!

I headed out to the mailing office to send out a special package on Saturday.  It was for Kelley, the winner of little Chloe the felt flower.  I added a bit more to it to make it more special... so she wasn't just getting a singular flower.

 

After shipping the package, we went to the Diamond Cellar to see our wedding rings in wax form one last time before they're casted into the white gold!  Duncan (our ring man) also had CAD images to show me what my ring will look like.

Now I'm SOOOO excited to finally wear it!!

 

Then I came back home and made an apron!  A prototype for a design to go into my soon-coming Etsy shop! 

 

 

Saturday night we had friends over for an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (one of the best Halloween movies ever!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsda4GJuzcQ

 

We drank mugs of apple cider out of a cauldron (it's a well known fact that it's the best way to drink cider).  Indulged in Halloween cupcakes, dug into a bowl of candy and even had some Oreo pie!  Yes, junk junk and more junk!

Peter brought a pumpkin and carved it so we could make the seeds for another snack!  Here he is:

 

 

 

And then later that night while we were putting in another movie - an old vampire movie from the 60's... the TV... BROKE!  It started to get kinda fuzzy/wiggly and now it just won't even turn on!  Well, it turns on but then turns itself off about 5 seconds later.  Dude... ugh.  I do not want to buy a new tv.  I am looking on craigslist for a cheap one - but then, what do I do with this tv?  It's huge, and it's not that old so it may be fixable and still worth some money.  I just don't wanna deal with it!  Darn it.

And now it's time for another workweek.

At least Halloween is next weekend!!  That, and also... another SAMPLE SALE! 

An Old Soul

I've always been told, mostly by my elders, that I am an old soul.  The meaning of that really depends on your beliefs... but to me, I suppose it means that I've lived a lot of past lives - so in certain ways I have retained some knowledge of the experiences and the overall big picture. 

As a young teen, I had a writing assignment to write something from the prospective of someone older than you.  It could be anything.  I recently, while going through old boxes, found this writing assignment.  I read it and was surprised by its insightfulness - considering my young age and lack of life experiences at the time. 

I thought I'd share it with you.

To my dear child,

    There are many very important things to be learned in life.  Some people never even learn some of life's most important lessons.  They will come to you, in time, but the knowledge I have, I will share with you.

    No matter how bad you think things are going, and no matter how sure you are that things will never get better, they will get better.  Just think of it as sunshine after the rain.  The sun always comes back out after a storm, doesn't it?  Good things are sure to come your way if you are patient.  I have seen this pattern happen many times in my life (enough times to declare it a proven fact) so, no worries my dear.

    Don't be too hard on yourself.  If you aren't perfect, that is okay.  Don't push yourself too hard; giving in is all right once in a while.  Too much stress is not good for anyone, so it is acceptable to take a break and take it easy when you need to. 

    Self confidence is your most powerful tool.  As long as you know in your heart that you are a wonderful individual and you are just as good as anyone else, then you will be unstoppable.  Each and every person  is equal, although many people do not feel or act that way, it is true.  So don't ever be intimidated by anyone and don't let any one person allow you to think that they are better than you.  No one is better than you.  Self confidence is the courage and strength to do anything.  Would you rather be a rock: strong willed and harmless?  Or, an egg: fragile, delicate and breakable?  Without confidence, anyone could break your spirit like a delicate little egg.  Confidence is your shield.

    Laughter really is the best medicine.  Even just thinking about something good and smiling can make you feel better.  When you laugh, it causes you to forget all your worries and just be happy.  Laughing is one of the best things for you: mind, body and soul.  You can never laugh too much.

    Don't hold back from doing things you want to do, or from trying new things.  If you have the chance to do something, then go for it.  If you don't, you will most likely regret not doing it.  If you never try new things, life could get pretty boring, and who wants a boring life?  Take on the world, for it is yours and it is here for you.

    Try your hardest at everything you do.  Succeeding is a very healthy and rewarding thing.  Plus, you never know how good you are at something until you really try.  You may even discover that you have a great talent!

    Let people see the real you.  Have qualities and opinions that are all your own.  People will like you better if you are an individual, not the same as everyone else.  If you speak out and make your thoughts and opinions known, the right people will respect you for it.

    Keep a journal.  It is great to look back on the years, the way you used to be, and see the way you used to think.  Not only can you learn more about yourself from what you have written in the past, but can learn how to become even more of yourself by writing more.  When you write, it forces you to think, and those words are purely from your own mind, and if you let the feelings really come onto the paper, those sincere words are truly from your heart.  Writing about what is going on in your life and how you are feeling about things is the best way to sort out your problems, understand your feelings, and vent your aggressions.  Writing is a mental release.

    Do something that inspires you, something that allows you to express and release your feelings.  If you like to sing, then sing, sing, sing!  Doing something that you love to do will improve your quality of life tremendously.

    Cherish all of your friendships.  Friends are the most important people in your life, besides for your family of course.  You can go to your friends for advice, encouragement, love, support, fun times, and anything really.  Life would be useless without friends.  You can look up to them for inspiration, as they also, will look up to you.

    What I am trying to tell you, really could go on and on because there is just too much to life to fit into a few short words, or pages, or even books.  There are millions of things to say about this great wondrous thing we have been given.  Life is so great, in fact, that you should cherish every part of it.  Take in the good and bad things, and learn from them.  Take everything you can get out of life.  Enjoy and treasure every experience.  Love every person for who they are.  And last but not least, love yourself!

With all my love,

Mom

So although it was not the most deeply eloquent masterpiece of writing - it was sweet and full of pretty solid morals and how-to-live-life theories.  Certain parts of it made me go "oh yeah, I should do that more often".

Being in a busy "adult" life really takes us away from the simple ideas that children have - such as to always remember to try new things and just take a chance and live in the moment.

It really makes me want to dig out my old journals....

Care-Free Weekends of Summer

This weekend I feel accomplished.  Sometimes they seem to slip by so fast.  This time, I feel like I actually got to do some things that I wanted to do without feeling rushed to cram it all in.  It was a perfect care-free weekend!

Friday night, after dance lessons with Evan, we came home with some pizza from a little local pizza shop.  We devoured it and then we stitched away together into the night.  Late into the night - until about 2:45 a.m. or so. 

We slept in late on Saturday - waking up without an alarm is SO amazing!!! We went to see our ring designer and figured out what we're doing for Evan's ring. We'll see sketches for both rings next week.  Then Heidi came over and we started designing my dress!  Messes happen when we're together.  At least they're productive messes.

Our bridal brainstorming session came to a halt because it was time to go to Jackie's apartment downtown for "Cupcakes & Cocktails"!

On our way, we even picked up Peter!  We brought a bottle of wine and an appetizer - Deli Rye Triscits with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  It's SO good.  Everyone ate them right up.  And don't you LOVE how super cute this little party is?!

After some deep conversations (lighting things on fire as a child, the difference between Hershey and Cadbury, etc.) while stuffing our faces with yummy puffy cupcakes - we walked a few blocks to the Short North district of Columbus for the monthly summer Gallery Hop!

It's warm and very crowded but it's oh so hip.  Art galleries and bars along the street are all open late for us to walk in and out of and enjoy the warm summer air.  I will have to admit that THAT was the best part.  That warm summer air with the gentle cool breeze.  I can't get enough of that!  Like I'm addicted!  It's like CRACK.  Well, actually I dont know cuz I've never tried THAT... but, I'm just guessing it's like it but without the whole 'bad for you, and illegal' part.  You go too long without warm summer air and you still get withdrawl symptoms you know.

On to part 2 of our perfect summer night.  We're old enough as adults now that we can do whatever we want.  But we're young enough as adults that we can do whatever we want.  We'll remember these nights forever as those "best days of our lives".

We went to Peter's apartment for some live music (Evan!), more wine, and a friendship bond inducing game...

Oh and Sunday?  Waking up again without an alarm.  Yesssssssss.  Then CLEANING to get ready for Jane (living in Atlanta) and Astrid (living in Michigan) to come visit me for our reunion!!!  We've been friends for about 13 years.

And can you tell... I GOT A NEW CAMERA!!!  It's a Cannon PowerShot SD950 IS 12.1 Sexy Mega Pixels!!!  It's going to take a while to figure out all the features... but once I do... more amazing pictures of creations will come :D. 

Because We Deserve It

     The weekend has come and gone.  Time seems to move faster than I do during these two precious, precious, precious days off of work.  The work week last week was extremely, painfully, super duper grossly long and we still have Monday of insanity before we finally go into the meeting we've been preparing for - on Tuesday.  I think we'll be bringing in pillows, blankets, and coffee to make it through the day and night tomorrow.  We're showing our CEO a preview of our Summer Pattern for 2009.  I'm using my powers of "Magical Thinking" aka "The Law of Attraction" to say that the meeting is going to go really WELL!  :D

It's interesting to Google search the "Law of Attraction" to see what people think and feel about it.  There's many people that really believe in the theories and many who are so against it and call it "B.S.".  Personally, I believe that any THEORY is simply a way of thinking and no way of thinking can be considered true or false.  If a way of thinking allows people to live their lives in a positive and successful manner - THEN WHY BASH IT?  Same exact thing with any religion!  I wouldn't take the Bible literally (some do, and that's fine too), but it's theory and I won't bash it either.  But anywho... the Law of Attraction purely states that your thoughts become things.  And it works.  It's not really magic, it's just a way of thinking that makes sense.  Thinking negatively breeds more negativity - and thinking positively attracts more positivity into your life because it is what you're focusing on.  That's not BS, it's just common sense. 

I also used this great and powwwerrful law to create a great weekend that Peter and I like to call a "Because We Deserve It" weekend.  It's filled with things that we feel like doing because we deserve it!! 

We went to see "The Dark Night".  That was an INTENSE movie.  My hands were over my eyes or mouth the entire time and I was literally SORE from being so tense!  Really!  My muscles hurt afterward!  Then we got some pizza and had a good nights sleep.

Saturday, Evan and I went to a bunch of ring stores to try to find the place to get my ring custom made.

 

We are pretty sure we found our guy and he's drawing up some sketches for us to see next week!  That's the ONLY place that offered this for us!  I'm excited now.

Then it was time to continue on with the Because We Deserve It extravaganza.  Evan and I drove downtown to Peter's apartment and then we all went over to Black Market to check it out.  Black Market is a boutique owned by Kelli on this current season (five) of Project Runway!  The store was awesome and I'm definitely betting on her being in the top 3 to go to Bryant Park this year.  Represent Columbus, Kelli!!

After Black Market, we hit up Starbucks because we deserve it.  What came next was bad and torturous... we went into Urban Outfitters.  My wallet was screaming and shouting at me and begging me not to harm it.  I felt pity on the poor sad thing and only left the store with three items!  And none of them clothes.  Wallet thanked me for now but knows that I'll return and we'll have to go through that whole scene all over again.  Here's what wallet let me get:

A new coffee table book for Evan and I and our friends to release our piles of creativity onto at any random moment:

Two suuuper cute and fun journal/notebook thingies.  I'm obsessed with journals and can't pass up really cute ones.... especially during a 2 for $10 deal!

Then back to Peter's for a spaghetti dinner with Juno!  What a great movie and what a great dinner - thanks Peter!!!  We deserved it!  We also deserved to let loose a little.  So not before long we were heading out to have our "Because We Deserve It" Long Islands!  Two bars, only two long islands, and many songs belted out randomly in mid conversation later - we wake up to the sun shining bright and our heads told us "owww... yeah... you sure deserved it.."  So since our heads hurt and our bodies were dehydrated and tired, we headed around the block to THE ABSOLUTE BEST place to get breakfast in Columbus.  Wait, I take that back, best place to get breakfast ANYWHERE, EVER.  That would be... First Watch!  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh we so deserved that!!

The rest of my Sunday was spent laying, coloring in the book, watching episodes from the 4th (and sadly final!) season of 4400, and reading my book for the book club.  Mentally preparing myself for the week ahead.  And I may have a glass of wine... because I deserve it.