Thanksgiving/birthday weekend

This week has been very, very full. So full I haven't had two seconds to process, much less write on here. Thursday, Thanksgiving, we went to my mom's with my extended family, then to Adam's aunt's with his family, then back to my mom's and then bowling with my family again. I was really proud of Adam and I. Typically, holidays come with a fair amount of stress - from everything from just sharing the mirror to figuring out timing of when we leave one family to go to the other, to feeling neglected or left out at the other person's family, etc. But last year I made some resolutions about getting through what is supposed to be a happy day of thankfulness and family, and I am so thrilled to say it was perfect.

Part of what made it better is that Adam is getting more comfortable with my family, so that helps tremendously. Also, I made a point to not be touchy or sensitive about ANYTHING, no matter how stressed I might be. It felt good feeling almost like I was...outsmarting him. Does that make sense? I don't mean it maliciously, I just mean - it was nice to feel like I had control over how pleasant the day was. I could look beyond my own petty wants, and make everything fun.

Friday was my birthday - I did absolutely nothing all day, then went out shopping with my sister/mom, went to my sister's soccer tournament, and then went out for dinner with Amber, Adam, Daniel and family. It was really nice, really fun and low key - Amber, Rosie, and Roxana got me YARN gift certificates, Adam got me diamond earrings and a BIKE, and my family got me the game Hive, and the coolest blender ever (yes, a blender, hush, I am thrilled). Oh, also Roxana made me the coolest CD of "shower songs."

Then yessstterrrday...I spent all day studying for my psychology test, took that, and then went to the Alamitos Bay Yarn Company and knitted there for a while. I got a needle felting kit, which will be fun to use, and some manos del uruguay and lamb's pride wool/mohair. Very very yummy. After that I went running for a while in Seal Beach, then went home and got ready to go see Tom Russell at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Adam and I met Linda and John Wilson, and Tracy and Matt there (all the director/co director of the daycare I used to work at and their husbands) at a mexican restaurant, then we went and listened to the absolutely wonderful southwestern crooning of Mr. Russell.

Today I did dishes, half a load of laundry, grocery shopping, finished a scarf and a pair of socks, and am roasting a whole turkey! It's crazy. I've never cooked a whole animal before. :P It smells really good - I hope I don't screw it up. It's got an hour and a half left to cook and I am resisting the temptation of opening up the oven to look at it.

The rest of the day holds finishing laundry, eating turkey, going bike riding or running, maybe going to my sister's soccer game, maybe going shopping with my mom, and then Sunday night tv with the boyfriend. Tomorrow it's back to work as usual.

I've of course been taking photos of all of this - so as soon as I can I will put up the illustrations. :)

birthdays at work

So my place o' employment has the tradition that the night before someone's birthday, their friends/supervisors stay a little late and decorate their office for them. That way, when the birthday person gets into the office the next morning, they are greeted by streamers, balloons, etc. I've seen some entertaining office decor before - top prize goes to Emily and myself for filling Monice's office top to bottom with balloons, and then ceran-wrapping them in to the cubicle. I'd say second prize goes to yours truly for Emily's office, just due to the sheer difficulty she had in finding her computer and chair under the streamers. I shoulda known payback was coming.

So the day after tomorrow is my birthday, but since we have thanksgiving tomorrow, they decorated my office for me this morning. I completely forgot about that, until I walked into the office and it looks like a clown exploded. There are streamers. Balloons. Ribbons. Bows. Banners. And confetti like you w0uld not believe. To top that off, Rosie made me a sash and a crown that I have to wear all day. I will post photos eventually.

I just wanted to write this post right now, even without the photographic evidence, because I was feeling sort of down the last few days, and this picked me right up. Three cheers for Rosie and Emily. It's good to have friends.

photos from this week

Hi kids, it's time for a photo update.
In no apparent order, we have...yours truly, going camera-happy and taking self portraits. There's plenty m0re where that came from...

Then there is my little sister and our friend Nadine (who will now forever be known as Nadizzle). They were enjoying a photo shoot for my bags a little too much.

Following that photos it's my little sister with her boyfriend at the karate studio car wash. I am sure they had been busy earlier washing cars...but note that they were not busy at the moment.

Then we have what I thought was a kinda cool photo of some of the larger bags that I have made. The middle one (the bright yellow/orange one) has been on reserve for someone at work for a while, and I finally wrapped it up and delivered it today.

I spent the last two saturdays doing ceramics at the Irvine Fine Arts Center with my friend Amber, so she took a photo of me throwing, and I took some of my works in progress.

The last photo is totally random - I was closing the screen door and realized there was a lizard on it. I decided that was a perfect chance to mess around with the close-up settings on my new camera, so mess around I did. I also used the chance to get a sneaky photo of Adam while he was unsuspecting. Mwhahaha.

I just realized that my birthday is a mere four days away.

gee.

stuff

sooo tired...

last night we went to the gym at about 12:00am..got home around 1-1:3am..then Adam puts on the movie 88 Minutes. It starts with a rape/murder in a girl's house, and it's ICKY. He falls asleep instantly. I am up until 4am watching this horrible movie so I can know who dunnit so I can fall asleep. It had the stupidest, lamest ending ever and four hours later when my alarm went off, I was very angry at myself for staying awake for it.

But my alarm went off so that Amber and I could go do ceramics at the Irvine studio - so that was good.

Adam and I are going ouuuutt tonight - to see Role Models. I am happy. It's been a good day.

Yesterday I finished ALL of the granny square bags I'd been working on. 6+ hours of sewing. I will post pics eventually.

Right now I need to go work on my essay before it's movie time!

sending gifts

This is going to be brief, because I am ridiculously tired and it's past my bedtime - but, I just wrapped up the Pollock Pencil Holder I sold a few days ago, to mail tomorrow, and I wanted to say...I LOVE wrapping the items I have sold. Every one I've wrapped has been totally different - I don't have one style I do for everything I sell, and I don't know if that's good or bad, but I like going through my materials and deciding which fit the item the best. Each package takes on it's very own handmade-ed-ness which I really like. There's also such a good warm and fuzzy feeling of sending a package all wrapped like that. It's not just a business transaction, I really feel as though I am giving a gift.

Tomorrow I want to take some work-in-progress photos of my granny square bags. I'll also write about my presentation tonight. I think it went well. It was a long day. Time for bed.

Time to unload

Phew. I have that feeling right now like life is starting to get just sllliiightly out of my control - and it would be very simple to solve that feeling, I just have to stop, breathe, and take the time to organize.

This feeling tends to be induced by a messy car. I don't know what it is with me and a messy car - but as soon as there starts to be more *stuff* than carseat, I start feeling a little anxious. It starts to feel like water is rising while I'm sitting at the drivers wheel, and it's stressful trying to keep my head above it. Like I said - ten minutes of cleaning out my car would do the trick, it's mostly just a bunch of jackets and water bottles and my karate clothes spread out in the backseat. But it's one of those things I procrastinate which then makes the rest of my life feel tense.

The other thing that is looming is a presentation I am doing tonight at Whittier College for work. It's turning into being a bigger deal than I thought (students are getting extra credit to come listen to me speak). I am wholly confident in my ability to get up and speak, but I am not wholly confident in my factual information regarding specific developmental disabilities, nor am I wholly confident in my power point. What would fix that? Spending a solid hour today updating the powerpoint to include the information I want it to include.

I have been doing okay with my sleep schedule - the last two nights I ended up sleeping around 11-11:20, which is getting to be a little too late again. I would really like to be in bed by 10 tonight. However, there is a Young Alumni Mixer that a few of my friends are going to, who I haven't seen for a long time, and it would be nice to see them. I don't get done with the presentation til about 7:30, then I want to go to karate, then am I meeting them for dinner AFTER that? I won't get to bed til midnight-ish if that's the case. I don' t know when I got to be such an old lady, but it's very apparent to me that I just WORK BETTER with more/earlier sleep.

I am also trying to get the newsletter for work DONE - I am trying to send the giant file to the printers. As soon as they say they have it, that will be a load off my shoulders.

Last night I attached handles to a few new bags, and started crocheting another one. The canvas straps that I bought at the fabric store seem to work well! I am excited by this prospect. My goal is to have enough stuff to sell at a craft fair in December. Amber and I talked to the lady who runs the Long Beach Sunday Craft Fair, and she said all she needs is a few days notice, so we are going to split a booth in December. I am SO excited about this! I am going to try to have a bunch of bags done, and some ceramics. It's time to crank up the production line.

Oh - one more little stressor is my psychology class. I need to spend all of my spare time reading my textbook - I have a quiz tomorrow, and I have one more chapter to read.

Last night Adam and I went to the gym and I did day 2 of Week 5 again. It's two 8 minute runs. This run was the easiest of any of them so far. I was really, really pleased with myself. I listened to Les Miserables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and sang along in my head and actually enjoyed running. Could this turn into something I like to do after all?

I am still tracking my weight watchers points, I am into week 5 of doing that now also. I have no idea how much I weigh, but I feel really, really good, so that's all that matters. I'd like to start doing more crunches and ab things too - when I go to the gym I do things I could do at home..I just don't do them at home.

Okay. You know how I love my lists. Here is the list I am going to stick to today!

1. Call Commonwealth Printing, make sure they got the newsletter. Ask about timeline.
2. Tell Rudy what day Day Program should come help out.
3. Print labels (compare them to Bernard's, make sure I don't overlap)
4. Print Movie Night labels ready for Nancy when she gets here
5. Update powerpoint, print notes pages. Go through and decide who will say what.
6. Print directions to Whittier.
7. Bring extra paper/pens for activity.
8. Lunch, pick up Nancy, do other work.
9. Presentation
10. Karate
11. Stuart and Sal?
12. Wrap pencil holder.
13. Read at least a few pages.
14. Throw away trash in car

Tomorrow (friday)
1. Work
2. Read other chapter
3. Take quiz
4. Do activity/discussion board
5. Mail pencil holder
6. Go running
7. Sew linings for bags.

Okay. That's all for now. Enough updating, time to go do the things that will make it all better.