1.) What did you do in 2009 that you've never done before?
I
grew my own organic vegetables, I planted a tree, I survived an ice
storm, I discovered a taste for mushrooms, I disconnected my television.
2.) Did you keep your New Year's resolutions?
I
kept one of my 3 resolutions and that was to learn something new. I
taught myself to knit and I think I'm pretty good at it too.
3.) Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes,
my cousin Becky gave birth to a baby girl, Adysen, and thanks to
facebook I can watch her grow and be a part of her life even though she
is a thousand miles away.
4.) Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness, no.
5.) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More time to do photography.
6.) What did you do on vacation?
I
rented a North Carolina beach house with 9 of my friends and spent a
whole week on the beach. We hunted for crabs at midnight, got temporary beach tattoos, we body surfed, ate tons of seafood, got sunburnt, spent our nights playing games, laughing and dancing. We watched the stars at night, even saw the milky way. We had philosophical discussions and flat out silly moments with whoopee cushions. And when we came home to Kentucky we talked about it for the rest of the year. It was one of my favorite vacations, ever.
7.) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Learning to knit.
8.) What was your biggest failure?
Baking homemade bread. No doubt, the worst bread ever.
9.) Did you suffer illness or injury?
I caught the flu and ended up with pneumonia for over a month. It was awful.
10.) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Planning our trip to Scotland next year.
11.) What was the best thing you bought?
New stainless pots and pans. It sounds silly but I had been using the most awful 15 year old skillets.
12.)
What day from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 27th, the day of the ice storm.
13.) Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage & Student Loans (which will be the case for eternity)
14.) What song will always remind you of 2009?
Phoenix "1901"
15.) Compared to this time last year, are you:
• Happier or sadder? - Happier
• Thinner or fatter? - Exact Same
• Richer or poorer? - Poorer
16.) How did you spend Christmas?
We stayed home for the holiday, just Jon and I at our house in Lexington.
17.) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exploring the rivers of Kentucky via kayak.
18.) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cleaning.
19.) What was your favorite month of 2009 and why?
July: Beach vacation, new friendships, Washington D.C. trip.
20.) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Horse Feathers
21.) What concerts did you attend?
Murder By Death, The Oxford Farm Report, The Love Language, Cursive, The Books, Laura Viers, The Decemberists, Bowerbirds
22.) What was the best book you read?
The Once and Future King
23.) What did you want and get?
A professional DSLR
24.) What did you want and not get?
More quarterly bonuses at work.
25.) What was your favorite movie of this year?
Avatar
26.) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I
turned 28. My friends threw me a surprise party with home made ice
cream cake, a xylophone serenade, David Bowie's Dancing Magic Dance,
lots of laughter and hula hoops.
27.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I hadn’t been so stressed about finances.
28.) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
I raided the Gap and Banana Republic warehouse.
29.) What kept you sane?
My husband, Jon, of course.
30.) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Barack Obama
31.) What political issue stirred you the most?
The Big Three Bailout
32.) What was a much needed change?
Disconnecting my television. I love not having a TV in the house.
33.) Who did you miss?
I missed Jon, he practically lived in his Architecture Studio.
34.) Who was the best new person you met?
Donovan! One of the nicest people I've ever met in my life and is now officially my husbands best friend.
35.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh, you know... If the stock, real estate and credit markets didn't crash.
36.) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Its true "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."
Moonmallow (the adorable plushie above) and I hope you and your loved ones have some very happy hollydays this year. ^___^ I've been busy with buying pressies for my friends and family, wrapping the pressies, and sending out cards to people over the past few weeks. Everything seems like a blur-- but a very happy blur!
I'm sending many warm thoughts your way. <3
I've spent a lot of time on my blog and other places online talking about Ed and Fru. I was thinking about it a while ago and I realized that I rarely ever come out and talk about just Isis, even though she's a huge part of my life. In the last year or so, she's played an even bigger role in my happiness.
When I first got Ed and Isis, I remember being disappointed about how unattached I felt with them. I wrote a blog post about it here and I got a lot of great feedback about how loving pets can take time sometimes; it's not always instantaneous. Everyone who said that was right and I'm really thankful for their help. Isis is one of those kitties that took a while to warm up to me-- much longer than Ed. And in all honesty, the wait was completely worth it.
Shawn, Beth, and I noticed that there was something a little "off" about Isis when she first came to live with us. She was terrified of everything. Even for a kitty, the horror in her eyes every time someone walked past her seemed excessive. We all watched her carefully and then came to the conclusion that she was most likely abused by one of her previous owners. As far as we knew, she had at least two previous owners, but there could have been more. The way she ran away from people and ducked her head whenever anyone would make any quick movements made me feel like she had once been struck by someone-- most likely a male since she's always had a greater fear with them. I know that not all kitties are warm and cuddly (I've been around a lot of cats in my life), but the feeling I got when I saw the fear in Isis' eyes told me something extremely bad happened to her in her past. Knowing this made me determined to help her feel comfortable in her new life.
I first started noticing a change in Isis when I took her (and Ed) to the vet for a checkup about two years ago. Ed was pretty calm, but as usual, Isis was terrified. I gently picked her up and held her the entire time she was there. It was the first memory I have of her clinging to me because she felt protected and safe in my arms. I remember how I couldn't stop smiling. Shawn even mentioned that Isis and I were having a "bonding experience." Ever since that day, I've felt a deep connection with Isis.
Since then, she's been slowly becoming more loving. I took advantage of that change and started to "work" with her more often. When she was really young, she wouldn't let anyone hold her and would claw her way out of a person's arms. (I have a scar to prove it.) I decided to take baby steps with Isis to help her understand that being held was a good thing. Every day, I would slowly pick her up and take her over to a window where we could watch the streets outside. I would talk to her in a very soft, soothing voice (very non-threatening) so she knew that I was still there with her. I figured that the movements on the steets would distract her enough so she wouldn't concentrate on the fact that I was holding her. Sure enough, Isis became used to being held by me. After a while, I was able to hold her for an infinite amount of time. In fact, I'd have to say that she now gets sad when I have to put her back on the floor after holding her.
These days, Isis is very relaxed. She's still afraid of almost all strangers (like a lot of kitties are), and most men. However, her attitude and mannerisms have changed to an enourmous extent with the people she's familiar and comfortable with. Isis no longer runs away when people are walking towards her. She doesn't duck her head quickly if people around her are moving their arms or moving objects around her. When Shawn and I walk in the door after being out for a few hours, she stays asleep in her kitty bed in the main room. If anything, she might look up at us to acknowledge our presence... but she doesn't run to a hiding place.
Whenever I'm asleep and Isis sees me curled up under my comforter and another very soft blanket I always use, she hops up on top of my stomach and falls asleep there. A few days ago, I woke up and was able to get off the couch without waking her up-- she stayed in the same spot, sleeping, for over ten hours! Most of the time, she's purring happily whever she's sleeping. And if I don't cuddle with her in the morning, which has become a routine for the two of us, she comes up to me later in the day and gives me sad mews to let me know she wants some cuddles.
Having two kitties who are so different from each other is amazing. Ed is friendly with everyone and is very sociable. Isis has grown into a kitty who chooses who to love, and if you're chosen, you feel like you are the most important person in the world. That's exactly how I feel whenever I'm with her. It was difficult for a long time for me to grasp the idea of Isis being calm and loving, but seeing her so happy every day has made her overall happiness a normality. I couldn't be more grateful for her and the fact that she's overcome whatever pain she experienced in the past. Her ability to move on and be happy has made me happy.
I've been hiding a bit of excitement from my vox neighborhood. Truthfully, I was afraid that I would jinx it if I talked about it but now that the plane tickets and passports have been purchased and the travel plans are being settled. I can finally say it out loud... We're going to visit Scotland this spring!!!
It has been a dream for both of us to go to Scotland. Not only to see the beauty of the countryside but to experience a part of our family history. It always felt like a pipe dream but thanks to the generosity of my father and mother in-law we will now have the opportunity to travel along with them, through England and Scotland for 9 days abroad!
I'm so excited I can hardly think about anything else!
I had the wonderful opportunity to catch the Bowerbirds in concert last night and I'm just as much in love with them in person as I am by ear. We showed up a bit early for some of Al's Bar's famous sweet potato fries and waited in anticipation for a few hours until they took the stage. This venue is one of my favorites, not for the sound, stage, or lights but because it's so intimate. There is a tiny little stage, a few booths and tables, little to no lighting and truth be told its a complete dive bar, but we love it anyway! I stood front row center to sway, sing and tap to the beat of their music, which was just as beautifully preformed as I had expected. The band members we so down to earth and I almost felt bad for them because the turnout was like nothing I had expected. I thought there would be lines, I though there would be crowds but my guess is there were only about 20 people there to actually watch the band. I knew they weren't popular, but I had no idea how unknown they really are. So enjoy and spread the word!
A lot of Blythe people are doing their dolls' favorite fifteen items on Flickr. I decided to do a photo for Plum! She has so many favorite things... It was difficult to fit even just fifteen of them into one shot. o_O
And actually, all the items in this photo are Plum's favorite clothes and accessories, not just the fifteen that are tagged on my Flickr. I cheated a little! But I only tagged fifteen of the items, haha. ^__^
I can't wait to take more photos of Plum in the outfit she's wearing right now. She's totally dressed for autumn and winter. I dressed her and Jinkies the other day and they look so cute next to each other. It's been super cloudy and rainy every day this week so there haven't really been any opportunities for me to go outside and get good lighting for photos. I was lucky I got a chance to jump outside for this quick photo today. In fact, I almost didn't get any shots in because the tiny dresses started getting blown away. x_____x Shawn stood outside with me and made sure it all stayed in order, tee hee.
So much has happened since I left for BlytheCon. I'm not sure I can go through every single thing I've experienced, but I'm definitely going to try. To sum it up in a sentence: BlytheCon was amazing. I can't believe how busy I was over the past few days!
When I arrived at Rebecca's house in Indiana, everything seemed to fall into place. All my insecurities disappeared... She made me feel so welcome and I'm really thankful for that. As soon as Shawn and Ryan left, Rebecca and I got down to some serious dolly business. We talked for a long time as we got ready for our trip to Atlanta the next day. I helped her make a sign for her booth while she cut up some business cards, and I showed her all the dollies and toys I brought with me. I really felt like we had known each other for years.
Sherri arrived early the next morning. Like I told both her and Rebecca, I was so nervous about meeting Sherri. O__O She's been one of my idols ever since I started collecting Blythes; her saran and mohair reroots are incredible-- one of the absolute best rerooters in the world! I felt intimidated before Sherri arrived, but as soon as she arrived, my nerves settled down. She was so down-to-earth and so much like me... I immediately felt like I could relate to her, and that doesn't happen very often when I meet new people.
Our ride to Georgia was extremely long: about nine hours. Surprisingly, I didn't fall asleep once. Haha, Sherri, Rebecca and I talked the entire time-- about dollies, Pet Society, our lives, and so much more. In fact, we talked about so much, I'm almost afraid I'm going to forget some of the details. A long car ride was the perfect way to get to know Rebecca and Sherri even more.
We were able to settle into Rebecca's mom's house really quickly. I think it's because we were all so tired and hyped up for the next few days. For a while, we sat around exchanging dolly clothes and stories about our girls. I've never had the chance to talk for hours on end about dollies in my pajamas before... I wish I could do it more often. I felt almost spoiled for having such a great vacation so far. My sleep was wonderfully deep and comfortable.
Friday was the day dedicated to the Georgia Aquarium. Sherri, Rebecca, Rebecca's mom and I all went. We were all a little disappointed at how little there was to do at the aquarium, but everything that was there was really beautiful. My favorite part of our visit was definitely the tunnel that's underneath water. To be surrounded completely by water, fish and sharks was incredible. We all loved that part so much that we decided to walk through the tunnel a second time before we left.
One of my other favorite things about going to the aquarium was how interested people were in the Blythes we brought with us. Sherri brought Penny (her @Nai custom); Rebecca brought Tallulah (Betsy's crazy cross-eyed custom); and I brought Nami. We not only had visitors coming up to us to ask us about our dollies, but the aquarium's staff expressed even more interest. A security guard wanted to hold one of our dolls. A few of the staff members in charge of taking photos asked me a bunch of questions about where Blythes could be found. And the absolute best Blythe experience was at the end of our aquarium trip. As we were paying for our items in the gift shop, cashiers started piling up behind the registers to ask us all questions about Blythes. They couldn't get enough of our girls and left customers waiting in line and at registers so they could see the dolls! Rebecca, Sherri and I all took turns showing them our dollies. They loved changing the doll eyes. Rebecca and Sherri got a few photos of all the staff people (like seven or eight, I think) asking us questions.
Dinner that night was fun. The four of us went to a restaurant where we had some delicious meals. I had a shrimp and alfredo meal. *drool* It was so delicious and it was a relaxing experience to have before the busy day ahead of us.
Finally. Saturday was BlytheCon. All of us were so antsy before we left! We had packed most of our stuff up the night before so we got to the con on time. Because Rebecca was a vendor so we could get into the building before any of the other attendees (which I was happy about because I didn't want to be stuck outside in the cold). The girl she was supposed to share a table with was sick so Rebecca had the entire table for herself. I helped her set everything up and went back-and-forth between the convention room and outside, where more and more people were starting to arrive. I switched between taking my three girls out; a lot of people seemed to already know who they were, especially Pigeon! I had fun posing for photos with my dolls and everyone was incredibly nice. <3
The convention was so much fun, but it all seems like a blur now. Everything was so fast paced. I somehow lucked out and was one of the first people to register. Because of that, I got into the con fast enough to check out all the vendors and their items. I snatched up everything I was instantly attracted to-- oh gosh, my loot is all so cute! I keep looking at all the clothes and accessories I bought.
I was constantly meeting new people. A lot of the people are friends I've had online for a few years. I felt like crying a few times because I was so excited to actually meet some of them in person. After all these years... finally! Pigeon's customizer, Megan, was there. She was one of the main reasons I knew I had to attend BlytheCon. She was such a sweet person and I feel like I know Pigeon more because of meeting Megan. I feel bad about not remembering every person's face; so much was happening at the time so I knew it would be impossible to remember everything.
One of the most exciting parts of the day was the raffle. I only bought five tickets but THREE of my numbers happened to get picked. O____O Because one of the items I won was a double, I only got two of the prizes-- I didn't mind though. The big prize I won was a free mohair reroot for a Blythe. The second prize I won was a free Blythe application for an iPhone. Because I don't have an iPhone, I gave my prize to Rebecca. I was so excited (and surprised) that I was shaking the entire time after my numbers were called.
Needless to say, the entire event was more fun than I could have ever imagined. Like I told Rebecca and Sherri later on, the BlytheCon trip was the best vacation I've ever had. Getting to know both of them is probably what I love most from the experience. Unlike the friends I had in high school and college, I connected with Rebecca and Sherri. They didn't make me feel socially awkward and we shared so many interests. I think it would have been impossible to not love those two girls.
All of my photos can be viewed on my Facebook BlytheCon 2009 album and in my BlytheCon 2009 Vox Collection.
Many thanks to Shawn and Ryan who drove me all the way to Indiana. Many more thanks to both Sherri and Rebecca for being the sweetest friends ever. And a lot of other "thank yous" go to those of you who followed my adventure on Twitter!
Everyone had an absolute blast, he hiked all around Natural Bridge as the autumn colors were really starting to show their glory. Then at the cabin there was organic mountain pizza from Miguels (hilarious commercial), campfires, smores, beer, taboo, cards, singing, dancing and unlimited jokes about bears (because our cabin had 34 bear statues hidden throughout). We laughed non-stop and had a great weekend. I'm so lucky to be part of this great group of people, although I'm not an AIAS member they still include me, the perks of being the presidents wife :)
Laugh as much as you'd like but I want to learn to hoop again! A local belly dancing studio is having a hooping workshop next week and it gave me the idea. I'm tight on money so I can't afford the class but I may just have to take it up on my own time, maybe even make a hoop myself with a trip to the hardware store. How much fun would it be to spin in my yard like a kid again, put on my headphones and hoop until I'm out of breath and giddy. And after watching videos like this, the grown up part of me thinks it will be a great ab workout too. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
Did you ever run away from home?
I was always running away as a child. I had a "Going To Grandma's" kids suitcase packed with travel essentials like kandy kakes, apple juice boxes, a flashlight, a bag of quarters (to call home), a babysitters club book, one of my Breyer horses, and a picture of my mom. It was all cleverly hidden under the bottom bunk bed and whenever I came home to a visibly drunk stepfather, I'd grab my bag and got walking. I can't even count the number of times I've left, mostly I'd get scared a few streets away from the house and I'd be home before anyone ever noticed. After a while I became the girl who cried "run away", my parents just ignored the fact that I left until I ran away when we were staying the summer in Virginia. I had no idea where I was and I got truly lost. Mom found me less than a mile from the house and she was a frantic mess, I felt so horrible for what I had done to her. I was nine years old and that was the last time I ran away.
