Weekend

Sunday night, the weekend is almost over. Boo hoo! It is going to be a little bit of a crazy week at work but I am ready for it.

I had a great ballet class yesterday - different studio than last time and so lovely. I got there a half hour early and the studio was open so I ended up having a 2 hour class instead of 90 minutes, which was a bonus, I could have gone on forever I was having so much fun. During the last part of class when we were away from the bar (center), the music we were using touched me so much I almost started crying. I was so happy to be there and to be dancing again. It felt delicious.
After class, Tim came and picked me up, we went home I took a quick shower and we went down to Campbell to a party at Robin's parent's house (where we spent Thanksgiving). It was fun, but we didn't stay too late this time, we were both a little tired and it was raining so we wanted to get on the road to get back home.

Today we went to see the movie "Into the Wild". It has been a while since I read the book, but I remembered it like I read it yesterday. The movie was pretty close to the book and just wonderful. There is a quote I remember, which I thought was so beautiful..."When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you." One more written by McCandless himself, "Happiness is only real when shared. " Of course, you know, everyone says that the cinematography was wonderful, etc. but one thing I thought was amazing was the sound. The sound of a fly caught in a tarp, the sound of boots walking through snow, amazing. It is a movie that really made Tim and I think about life. We talked about it all afternoon. Life really is what you make it, if you are not happy, you are the only person that can change that. If your spirit is not as vibrant as it was before, take it from McCandless, "The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences. " This movie was really touching. It reminded me of the escapist inside of me that likes to hide out sometimes alone and away from society, the adventurer in me that climbed Mt Shasta in the winter of 1997 and used to love camping in the snow and the idealist in me, who sadly dissapears more as I get older. As much as it was uncomfortable at times living by my wits on the move out the west coast, I learned a lot and it was super fun. I don't want to give away too many crazy stories about my move out west right now though. In a nutshell, the movie was fabulous and thought provoking. I highly recommend it. Go see it, if it doesn't make you think about your life, there may be something wrong with you. Or perhaps you have not had enough adventures in your life that took you out of your comfort zone.

Crafting as of late...

Here are a couple things I have done while working my second job at Craft Gym. I love that I get paid for teaching and doing crafts!

Below is a shoe that I put together for a student at the Art Academy. I added a sock liner, etc. to it and hope to get a photo of the finished product at some point.

This is (part of) a collage I did as a sample for a class.
This is my latest piece. I etched a mirror with a company logo for a local business owner.

Love it!

I think this commercial is great. I feel like it was made to help me and others not feel like such a freak for crying so much lately. Not because I am sad, just in touch with so many things these days it is emotional. I figure I laugh a million times a day, why not cry too right? Or laugh until I cry.

Already Wednesday

Wow, time is flying, which is great! I have been super busy. Over the weekend I attended the Yoga Journal conference which was fabulous. Monday, I took the day off to spend with Sara. Our plan was to go to the deYoung Museum, but they are closed on Monday's - so instead we went shoe shopping and then to Cafe Gratitude where we sat, ate and talked for 3 hours! It was such a wonderful day. I am so blessed to have such an inspirational person in my life like Sara. She has totally inspired me to get rid of the past that I am holding on to at home (clothing, shoes, books and other stuff that is clogging up my life). I do agree that it is the one thing that is holding me back at home. She gave me some tips about where to sell things, etc. and told me that the process will not happen tear free. It is hard, but will prepare me as we get closer to the date we get the call that we have been matched with a baby. When we get the call I don't want my all of my energy to be on cleaning and organizing before we can travel to Vietnam to pick her up, I want to focus on spending quality time with my husband and decorating her space together. It is already going to be stressful, exciting and crazy, I don't need to add to it so I am trying to be proactive and start the purging now. I have basically sat down and created a list of shoes I know I want to keep - all the rest are going, I did the same with clothing. I figure if I have forgotten about them, there is a reason and they are just taking up space. I have downsized a lot over the last year, but need to do more and let's face it, how often am I wearing my snakeskin strappy heals? I think someone else would enjoy them more than I am at this point in my life. I got home Monday evening feeling rejuvenated, happy and looking forward to the upcoming year, which has been a little scary in the back of my mind. I just needed a little positivity and perspective and Sara always provides that.

Remember...

Flutes, Saucers or Trumpets?

I love the bubbly and it got me to thinking about the vessels that we use to enjoy our champagne or sparkling wine. I love the old school saucers or coupes - however, there is some controversy over who's breast it was modeled after. I also read that they should not be used for champagne but are better suited for sorbet or gelato as the wide mouth of the saucer allows the beverage to go flat quickly. I still love them but come to think about it, have not have the privilege to enjoy some bubbly out of one. I wouldn't worry about it going flat, since I more then likely wouldn't leave it in the glass for too long.

What is your preference?

I like the trumpets for Kir's or Cocktails and like the flutes for parties, the saucers remind me of An Affair to Remember and exude romance.

Does anyone order champagne cocktails anymore?

• Sugar cube with a few drops of bitters
• Cognac
• Champagne

Photo Fun with BayLee

I love this one...

Working like a dog...

I have been so busy this past week but got a little relief yesterday when Dassie came into the office with Wendy. I am notorious for putting things on Dassie and then taking photos. This time, I thought it apropos to dress her like me, since she was in my office for a 5 minute stint. For those of you who know me, I almost always wear a scarf and of course, the sunglasses!
Thanks Dassie, for letting me dress you up and for bringing a little fun into the office. Arent animals the best? I think they should be allowed everywhere, they are better behaved than most people if you ask me.

Tagged...

I was tagged a long time ago, I cant remember who did it, but I am finally getting around to answering these…I know I broke the rules. Sorry tagger…

1. What is your occupation? Executive Assistant (Girl Friday)
2. What color are your socks right now? Seriously, today they are hilarious knee-high black nylon socks (I am wearing boots, no one sees them – except Wendy when I pulled up my pant leg)
3. What are you listening to right now? The hum of my computer
4. What was the last thing you ate? Salad with all the fun stuff from the Whole Foods salad bar.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Like a race car driver!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Cotton Candy Pink
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Jadin
8. How old are you today? 33
9. Favorite drink? Water, really, I LOVE water
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hockey
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, a million times but not lately.
12. Favorite reality TV show? The Hills
13. What was the last movie you watched? Fame
14. Favorite day of the year? June 23, Grandma’s Birthday and so many other wonderful things happened on this day and sometimes the summer solstice falls on this day as well!
15. What do you do to vent anger? Laugh, cry, forgive, whatever it takes to get it out when it happens and not let it get bottled up. I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Books, I have always loved books. I know they are not a toy, hope it works.
17. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall
18. Hugs or kisses? Eeeek! Both I guess.
19. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries, but I love them both!
20. Do you want your friends to email you back? If they have time, we are all so busy these days.
21. Favorite dessert? Mom’s Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
22. Who is least likely to respond? Whaaa?
23. Living arrangement? Small flat in San Francisco with Tim and BayLee.
24. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday
25. What is on the floor of your closet? A scale, shoes and lots of dust I’m sure!
26. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? I don’t plan on tagging anyone back.
27. What did you do last night? Crafts and sleep.
28. Favorite smells? Bread in the oven, cinnamon buns, Mrs. Meyers lavender spray on my sheets and linens that were dried outside in the sun.
29. What inspires you? Geeze, so many things. People that can see the good in everything no matter what. People that I can learn from. People that are not ashamed to talk about their religion or spirituality.
30. What are you afraid of? Snakes, big bugs, home alone in the dark and my numero uno…anything that has to do with throwing up or throw up.
31. Plain, cheese, or spicy burgers? Can I get a veggie?
32. Favorite breed of dog? For the last year or so, Queensland Healer.
33. How many years at your current job? 6 years, 6 months and 22 days
34. Favorite day of the week? Friday, love the intro to the weekend.
35. How many states have you lived in? 2, Michigan and California
36. Celebrity crush? Anthony Bordain
37. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? No
38. Who is your favorite NFL team? Not a Football fan, sorry!
39. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? Yes, but it isn’t plugged in – I need to get around to that, I know!
40. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? I like both! Probably because we never get them here in Northern California.

My French Assistant

While working on some Valentine's Day projects last night. BayLee kept reaching for material and scissors.

This is what we ended up with...

Playing Catch Up

I have been a bit sick, so I thought I would play a little catch up with my blog.

I have revisited my past, yet again, and have started ballet, yet again. I thought it best for my wounded ankle to go back to the scene of the crime...the ballet studio. My chiropractor and dancer friend have both agreed that this would be a good thing for me, plus I love dancing so why not, right? I went into the trunk at the end of my bed and looked at all of my old (small) dance clothes. So funny to look back and think that they used to fit me and the pointe shoes were worn out by me. It seems like so long ago I was driving to Detroit from the burbs to take a dance class at Center for Creative Studies. I thought about how blessed I was to take classes from Jerome Robbins and Jurgen Schneider during their summer intensives. I had a lot of wonderful opportunities. I never thought I would say this, but I am glad I quit when I did. I think my body would be more damaged had I kept up with it. Now, to rehab my ankle I am taking ballet again and it feels wonderful!

Drinks and Costco

This is what happens when you get a GIANT margarita and then go to Costco.

Can't Stop Laughing!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Hope you all had a safe and fun New Years celebration.

Tim and I went to the Maltese Club for their New Years Eve Dinner Dance. We had a lot of fun. We sat with people that I did not know, but we were quick to start a conversation and it was like we had known each other for years. The food was incredible and bountiful. There was bread served first, then salad, then pasta, then prime rib and steamed zucchini and summer squash and then cheesecake and coffee! Endless glasses of wine and $3 drinks! We were there from 6:30 PM until 11:00 PM. Tim took me for a couple spins around the dance floor. Lots of Frank Sinatra, Luis Prima and Dean Martin music. I did not wear close to enough glitter or make up to keep up! There were more people my age then there usually is. One guy was clearly hitting on me, until he saw me with Tim - it was funny, he looked like a young Sylvester Stallone (ha ha!). I told my Mom about him and she told me he had the same last name as my Grandfather's cousin! So funny, there are so many common names there in Malta, you never really know who you are related too. After all of that, we wanted to get on the road before it got too crazy out there. I didn't take too many photos because it was very dim in the room we were in. Here is one though, it will give you an idea:Today, we went to an open house at a friends house and had some wonderful food and drink and got to hang out with some cool and interesting people. It was nice to get out of the house and do something for the afternoon. No confirmation on my resolutions yet, but if I do list, them, please do not hold me to them or remind me of them, I can do that on my own. I don't know why some people take it on as their job to remind me of my own stuff, that bugs!

Anyway, back to work tomorrow, yuck! Not looking forward to it at all, but need to change that attitude.

Stay tuned...