Marquette and Cameron

The Sun is Out!

2012-02-09T14:41:00.003-07:00

The sun it out and it is warm! It's warm! It's Warm! It's WARM! I don't know how long it will last, but I am loving it today. It is so much easier to be happy when it's warm. I took a walk and took some pictures and just basked in the warmth and happiness. Oh how I'm ready for summer...we have the best summer weather here.

Patio Project

2012-02-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Cameron and I have started one of the many projects we've had in mind for a while. We're making us an outdoor patio/eating area. We're really excited about it. We know it will take a lot of work, but we're using that as our daily exercise to help us be in better shape. I'm keeping track of our daily progress on my "Made By Marquette" site, so I won't post it up here very often...just every now and then

Here's the before:

And here's the aftermath of Day 1:

The Ragbirds

2012-02-04T12:49:00.001-07:00

We went to an amazing concert last night (Cameron was able to get free tickets through the University), and now we're fans of The Ragbirds. They were amazing. The lead band member was sick and they were still amazing. She plays the violin, mandolin, accordion, and sings (usually while playing whatever instrument she is playing at the time). They have a variety of guitars, all sorts of drums, a didgeridoo, and other fun instruments that they added into the songs (which they wrote/arranged). It amazes me how talented people are. We loved it!

101 Things to Do in 2012

2012-02-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a whole month to finish creating my 101 Things to Do List for this year, but I finally got it done. It's hard to come up with 101 things! This is the third 101 Things to Do This Year List that I've made and I've learned that I need to be specific, and that I need to be realistic and sometimes that makes it hard to come up with list items. But I feel like this year is feasible and I'm excited to jump into it! I've even already got a few that I came up with at the beginning of the year done or partially done. Last year I only completed 50% of my list. I'm hoping to do much much better this year.

101 Things to Do in 2012

Go bowling
Get print of owl made for Grandpa
Go camping
Harvest from our garden
Take a picture of the lake beds at sunset
Hike the Dragonfly Trail
Go on a picnic
Crochet a baby blanket
Do an oil painting
Do a scratchboard
Make and send at least 10 Valentines
Stick to the new budget 100% for 1 month
Stick to the new budget 100% for 2 months
Stick to the new budget 100% for 3 months
Stick to the cleaning schedule 100% for 1 week
Stick to the cleaning schedule 100% for 2 weeks
Stick to the cleaning schedule 100% for 1 month
Do all of cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet
Go visit the Mowers
Complete 1 quilt
Make soap
Use at least 1 thing we canned
Do an embroidery project
Finish reading Les Miserables
Come up with a story outline for a book
Throw a party
Play games at Grandie Payne’s

January 31, 2012

Start collecting rocks for a “patio”
Make another bouquet
Make something with the prickly pear juice
Set up a table at the art market at least once
Make a Family Tree
Make a list of the 50 best books I’ve read completely
Get to 155 lbs
Exchange the guest bed for a futon
Host a photography competition or challenge
Write an essay
Create an article with Cameron for blog (essay & photograph)
Have a couple over for dinner
Shoot with a second photographer
Visit Chris and Brooklin
Visit Nolans
Go watch the Olympics at Maggie and ArJay’s
Get the Quad together
Start one of my photography projects
Go dancing with Cameron
Sew a bag
Try 12 new recipes
Read 25 books

The Language of Bees, by Laurie King
God of the Hive, by Laurie King
Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan

Read 10 new books

The Language of Bees, by Laurie King
God of the Hive, by Laurie King
Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan

Do 5 full pencil drawings
Visit the lower Gila Box
Make something for the pig kitchen
Get my Personal History Box from Mom and Dad
Do a calligraphy project
Visit Astronomy Labs
Attend an EAC concert
Take a class at Aunt Judy’s Attic
Use our pressure cookie
Put a photograph in the county fair
Put an art project in the county fair
Put a canning project in the county fair
Take pictures of Mule Creek area when it green’s up
Do a season’s photo
Turn hammock area into picnic area
Do a photographer’s lunch
Teach a class at Aunt Judy’s
Buy a flash for my camera
Make an advent calendar
Make bread
Plant flowers
Get rid of extra furniture
Get 1 new piano piece
Start a photo album
Get a print of our anniversary pictures
Create a new game
Visit Cameron’s Grandparents
Finish a journal
Get the heater looked at
Use the crockpot every day for a week
Prepare crockpot meals ahead of time and freeze them
Read my scriptures every day for 2 weeks
Read my scriptures every day for a month
Make 10 things I see on Pinterest

Peanut Butter Eggs, Jan 27

Go to Grandpa’s Ranch
Go on a real date with Cameron.
Paint with Heber
Visit a new park with Heber
Send a goofy package to Shaun
Take senior pictures of Brigham
Take a sunrise picture of Silver City
Start a memory book with items from my Personal History
Go 2 months without even a gulp of soda
Go to White Sands
Have an Astronomy Night
Plant an herb garden
Make something out of the stack of magazines on the shelf
Make all my own cards (birthday, Christmas, thank you, etc) for the whole year

Baby Shower card for Michelle Scott, Jan 28, 2012

Take a road trip
Go on a hike/walk with Cameron at least once a month
Start Desk & Darkroom with Cameron

King of the Road?

2012-01-28T16:43:00.001-07:00

Late to work today because this guy got a flat and parked smack dab in the middle of our road to fix it. There was just not enough room to go around on either side (the ditches are a little deeper than they look in the picture...not super deep but enough that we didn't want to try them in the Geo). Cameron went to see if he needed help and the guy glared at him and said "No!" and kept putzing about. When the guy started putting things away Cameron picked up the old tire and said "Here, let me carry that for you." and the guy just went "Hrmph" and glared again. So we sat there for 25 minutes while the guy changed his tire and arranged the back of his mini van.

Turning the Craft Room into a Bedroom

2012-01-27T21:03:00.002-07:00

So...after writing a few days ago that nothing changes and we never have any news lately, I do finally have something to announce. My craft room has doubled as the spare bedroom since we moved in, but I knew that it would turn into a full blown bedroom when the time was needed. Now over the next few months I will be moving all my craft stuff out (and into our bedroom and the study room) to make it into a comfy and cozy bedroom.

Yep, that's right, Em and Chip are moving in for the summer!! Hahaha, did I have you going? Yeah, I didn't think so, but I chuckled. My cousin Emilee and her husband Chip (hereafter they are both called cousins, because the other way is long to type out and we love Chip and have adopted him fully into the circle of cousin-ness) will be living with us for the summer while they are in-between schools and cities. This will enable them to get things done at their new place of abode, and for Em to finish up her tests for cosmetology school, and we'll be able to split rent and help each other out (and have oodles of fun of course). We're so stinkin' excited to have them coming, they are some of our very best friends.

Operation Summer of Hippo Epic Awesomeness in T minus too many days.

Teenage Anger

2012-01-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

I can just imagine the thoughts in a certain someone's head: "I'll show her! I'll delete her from my facebook friends. Ha!"

Unfortunately for them, I think it's funny; I'm sitting here quite literally chuckling. Not quite the effect they wanted I'm sure.

...

2012-01-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

I realize my posts aren't very regular...and it's been a while since the last one...but honestly there's really nothing to post unless you want details of my "adventure" of cleaning the house and trying to get de-cluttered. It's really not an adventure. It's just cleaning.

I guess the only thing really to post is that we had a fire a mile to the north of us on Sunday. It burned 1369 acres (no homes). That was exciting.

That's about it. I'll see you again when I think of something to write about (maybe I should just start writing mini articles).

Change in Plans

2012-01-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

: |

That's my frustrated face, if you couldn't tell. There's been a change of plans. I will not be starting my Masters on Monday...which is the start of this semester. Financial Aid fell through for me and we don't want to take out Student Loans if we can at all help it, so there was no way to pay for school for me this semester. I'm quite bummed about it, I was really excited. It's odd, because I felt like this was the right thing to pursue right now. Cameron and I both felt really good about it, that it was what God wanted me to do. It's always a little confusing when things like this happen, but they happen for a reason I suppose. Now on to plan B...the only problem, we didn't make a plan B...we were told I'd have no problem getting Financial Aid. I guess now I start looking for a different job (because I'm starting to go completely nuts with the one I have). Back to the drawing board...

A Christmas to Remember

2011-12-31T11:10:00.004-07:00

Christmas this year was quite the adventure for us. It turned out different that we had planned, but we still had a wonderful time. About 3 or 4 weeks before Christmas I asked my boss what I could expect as far as a working schedule around Christmas (would I be needed to work extra days, would we have our normal work schedule, etc). She asked if I would come in Mon-Sat. the week before Christmas, then resume our normal schedule after that, so I was going to end up working all the week before Christmas, and then I'd have to be in to work the day after Christmas, so there wasn't time to go anywhere. We were a little disappointed, but we were determined to make this Christmas awesome anyway.

Almost all year we had been planning on going camping for Christmas and we kept to that plan. My work schedule just meant that we had to camp close by. Well, Thursday night came and a snow storm blew in. When we woke up Friday morning we had 8 inches of snow on the ground, the highway was closed and we couldn't get to work, so we got a glorious unexpected day off together. Saturday I spent the day working furiously on the Christmas stockings I was making, but by 4, they still weren't quite done and we had to get packed up and leave while we still had some sunlight.

The sun had melted off enough snow that we were able to get out and head down the road to our camping spot we had picked out. We brought all our presents and stuff to decorate a tree for the birds (so we could leave the decorations up when we left but so they'd be safe for the animals when we left). The snow had not melted much where we went, but our car made it down the road just fine, until we pulled off to park at our campsite. What looked like an open field covered in sweet snow ended up being a sandy wash. Our car sunk in immediately into the snow and sand. We worked for a while and got the car 3 feet from the road, but the front wheels were digging in and the car was not going anywhere. We didn't have cell phone service and didn't want to call and disrupt anyone's Christmas Even anyway, so we kept working at it. We finally stopped and said a prayer, asking for help because we knew we weren't making any headway and we really needed the help. The sun was down at this point, and the temperature was dropping fast, by 6 there was already a thick layer of frost on everything. We suddenly had the inspiration to jack up the car, and pack sand and juniper twigs under the tires to try and provide the traction and height that we needed to get the car out. This took a while, but we finally got the car to the edge of the road (but still not all the way unstuck). Then all the sudden it didn't seem like it was a big deal or important to get the car out right then, so we focused on getting camp set up, starting the fire, and cooking dinner.

We had brought wood with us and found some dead wood where we were camping, but the fire just did not want to take off. We got enough of a fire going to cook our brats, but it was pretty small. By 10ish the water in our water jug was freezing. We finally heated up and filled my hot water bottle, stuck it in the blankets, and climbed in bed in the tent for the night. I had on 7 layers of sweaters, 3 layers of pants, 2 layers of socks, and 2 beanies. I don't know for sure the number of layers Cameron had on, but he was bundled up too. We had brought a good stack of sleeping bags and blankets and climbed in for what we thought was going to be a cozy night.

Well, a few hours later I was shivering, hadn't slept hardly at all and Cameron had only dozed off. We didn't have a watch in the tent, so we debated back and forth if we wanted to stick it out or try and dig the car out the rest of the way and go home. I finally got out and checked the time, fully expecting it to be around 3...it was 1:20. That decided it, we were done. It wasn't worth being in the cold for another 5 hours before the sun rose. We got up, threw our shoes on and went to work on the car. By that time the ground had frozen solid and we were able to just drive the car up onto the road with a little push (we then understood why before we had all the sudden felt no rush to finish getting the car out...it was going to be easier later when the ground was frozen). We threw everything in the car (we didn't even take the time to roll up the tent or fold blankets...we quite literally just threw everything in the car) and drove back home. Our house is cold, we don't run the furnace because it uses way more propane that we can afford, but let me tell you it felt so warm and cozy when we got home! We looked online and the closest we pinpoint the temperature was 10 degrees...but that was in a town about 10 miles away, and we were up in the mountains a little bit so we know we were colder than that. We unpacked the car, I took a hot shower, had cocoa and climbed into our bed around 3 in the morning, with our little electric heater blowing directly on us.

We slept in (missing church because I forgot to turn on the alarm clock in my efforts to thaw out the night before) and just took the rest of the day nice and slow. We cleaned the house, made breakfast, and I was able to finish sewing the stockings so we could transfer our stocking goodies into our new stockings before we started with our presents. Here's 2 pictures of the fronts and backs of the stockings (we boil water to steam up the house to warm it up-which works amazing btw-so I couldn't get a very clear picture as the camera lens kept fogging up).

Finally around noon we settled in front of the Christmas tree to open our gifts.

We each alternated opening gifts, trying to drag it all out as long as we possibly could. I was quite proud of us, it took us an hour and a half to open presents because we stopped after each present was opened and oohed and ahhed and talked and laughed and tried some out and just had a great time. We spent the rest of the day reading, I took a bath with the bath salts Cameron made for me, playing computer games, calling and visiting with family, and just enjoying the time together. It was a wonderful Christmas day, one we'll always remember. Monday rolled around and Cameron had the day off but I had been told we were going back to the normal schedule at work, so I got ready and went in to work to find that they had decided to close the store on Monday after all (and had forgotten to tell me), so I got to go back home and spend one more day with Cameron before "normal" life started back up again.

We loved having our time together, we loved our camping trip (even though we wimped out and didn't make it all the way through), and we loved having the time to sit and reflect on our Savior and His life. We felt His Spirit there with us during camping, helping us to get our car out in stages, keeping us from freezing, and we felt the Spirit there with us as we spent the Christmas day together. It was such a peaceful, wonderful, and memorable Christmas.

Me on Christmas morning.

Careful What You Wish For

2011-12-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up today and just did not want to get up and go to work. I really really didn't want to get up. I sat on my bed for 15 minutes contemplating calling in sick, even though I wasn't sick, but I finally decided that I needed to go and that since I wasn't sick, I shouldn't call in sick. I got ready, we hopped in the car and about half way to work (15 minutes later) my stomach started hurting. I ignored it. Well, by the time I got to work my stomach was in knots (I wasn't nauseated, my stomach just hurt) and I was slightly light headed and my hands were shaky and felt disconnected. I was sure it'd pass, and my boss gave me one of her diet Dr. Pepper's to sip on, hoping that would help, but by 12:30 I was just feeling awful, so she sent me home. Now I'm home, feeling sick, wishing I could go to work. Funny how life works sometimes.

Cutting the Tree and Finding a Stand

2011-12-16T09:40:00.003-07:00

Where we live you can go to the Forest Service office and pick up a free permit to go cut down a Pinon tree for Christmas. We were all over that for a few reasons:

1. The word "FREE!"

2. Real Christmas trees are just better.

3. We've never had a real Christmas tree since getting married.

4. It gave us the chance to have an adventure.

So we got our permit, Cameron's trusty hand saw, and we took off in our awesome Geo to find the perfect tree. The road was muddy and icy and full of people in trucks getting their tree, but we knew if we kept going further up the mountain we'd get out of the crowd and find a better tree anyway. It was fun to float right by all the guys in their big trucks...our Geo is a trooper. Anyway, we found the perfect tree (8'4"), cut it down and tied it to the top of our car. On the way home we got some awesome looks for dudes in their trucks...they were just jealous that our little car could do just as good as their big truck. ;)

On the way home we realized we had forgotten to get a Christmas tree stand and we weren't really able to go buy one that day (it was Sunday and we try not to buy things on Sundays, and the closest store was 1/2 an hour away and we didn't want to drive an hour round trip just for a tree stand), so we decided to get creative and see what we could come up with at home. We tried a few things that didn't work, but then as I was standing on our porch I saw the wood planters (which nothing grew in...frustration in the spring, but perfect now when we need it to not have plants in it). I grabbed one wood pot, a No. 10 tin can (from canning food), a bunch of bricks from our fire ring, and a bowl of gravel from our driveway. I put the tin can in the wood put and filled the space between with bricks. We then put a brick in the tin can and put the tree in. It still was too wobbly, so while I held the tree straight, Cameron filled the tin can with gravel. Then we topped it all with more bricks to hide the can and the gravel. To put the last touch on it I tied a red ribbon around the pot. And WahLah! We love how it looks!

Bringing "The Living Christ" into our Lives

2011-12-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Cameron and I were asked to speak in church yesterday on the first half of "The Living Christ". Here's my part of it.

Christmas is coming up very quickly; it seems to come faster every year. We’re all working and preparing for Christmas to some degree by putting up a tree, decorating our homes, making goodies, and buying gifts. I love the lights, the smells, and the sounds of Christmas; even more though, I love the opportunity this gives us to remember to center our lives on Christ. It is so easy for me to get wrapped up in the physical preparations for Christmas, that I sometimes don’t give as much attention to my spiritual preparations and to remembering the whole point of these celebrations.

Our whole lives should be a celebration of Christ, but I do love that there is a time set apart for the whole world to come together in our testimonies of Christ and to celebrate the coming of our Savior. The best way to make this season more meaningful is to focus on our Savior and to strengthen and share our testimonies of Him. I truly do not remember the decorations from every Christmas, what I got or what I ate; instead my mind is filled with memories of gathering as a family and reading scriptures and stories about Christ, serving our friends and neighbors, and singing the beautiful Christmas carols. As a part of this Christmas season, we have been asked to study and speak on the first half of “The Living Christ”, the Apostles’ testimony of our Savior. I love this idea, and the extra motivation to help focus our celebrations on the Savior.

“TheLiving Christ” was presented to the world just shortly after Christmas on January 1, 2000 as we started into this new millennium. It begins with these words: “As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.” We know that Christ really did live upon this earth; he’s not a fictitious deity that has been dreamed up to make people feel good. He was born, played as a child, walked on the earth, and interacted with the people around him. He experienced the joys and sorrows of life that we face. From “The Living Christ” we learn that “though sinless, [Christ] was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He ‘went about doing good’ (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead.”

I love how the Apostles describe His life as matchless. Christ led a perfect life, one that none of us can match. In Matthew 5:48 Christ encourages us, saying “ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” That overwhelms and discourages some people, which is not what it is intended to do. It gives me hope and encouragement. It is much easier for me to follow an example I am given than to the strike off blindly. Christ lived a perfect life not to show us how low and weak we are, but to show us the way. Nephi teaches us this same principle in 2 Nephi 31:9. “And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.” Through the example of Christ’s life, we know the right and the wrong way to act and how, as Paul wrote, to be “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). We should go about doing good, even if we are despised for it. We should live a life of peace and goodwill, and to care for those around us as Christ cared for the people in His life (and as He cares for each one of us). If we strive to follow His example, we will be able to stay on the straight path.

In addition to the example He gave us through his life, “The Living Christ” also declares that “He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.” Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew that not only would we need Christ’s example, but that we would need to know the point of our existence. We needed to know why it was important to follow Christ’s example through life. Imagine that a man walks up to you and hands you a large bag filled with tiles of all different colors and tells you to follow his exact example. He then starts to lay out the tiles one by one in neat rows. You don’t know who he is, where he came from, or why he is laying out the tiles, all you know is that he wants you to follow his example. Some people would just set down the bag and walk away, others may start laying tiles, but then get bored and abandon the task, not seeing the point to it all. A few people may stick out the task and finish laying all the tiles to find that this man has shown you how to put together the most beautiful mosaic known to man. The man’s example of laying the tiles doesn’t make sense until the very end. Without the knowledge of why you were there, the importance of following the man’s example, and what the outcome could be, laying the tiles out would seem tedious, pointless, and mundane. We have a loving Heavenly Father that wants us to return to His presence, and He knew that we would need more than just an example of how to live. We would need a knowledge of how vitally important it is to follow Christ’s example so that we could make choices that will lead us closer to eternal life. All of us will make wrong choices in life, that is a given, but I am grateful that we have the knowledge of how to repent and return to Christ so that we may return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. That gives me motivation to try my best, even though I do fail regularly.

Thankfully this is where the Atonement comes into play. In the first line of “The LivingChrist” the Apostles bear their testimony of “the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.” Christ offered himself as a sacrifice so that we all might have the chance to repent and return to our Father in Heaven. The Atonement is truly infinite; its benefit to mankind cannot be measured nor does it have an end. There is not a limited amount to be handed out only to select people, it applies to every single one of us that lives on the earth as well as to those who have lived or will yet live on the earth. Neither can we ever “use up” our share of the Atonement, it is constant and unending. Through the Atonement, every person will be resurrected; the wicked and the righteous. That is a gift given to all of us, whether we believe and follow Christ or not. The other blessings of the Atonement are offered to all mankind, but it is up to us whether or not we partake of those blessings. Through the Atonement we are able to repent of our sins, but this is an action we must take. Through repentance we are able to make our scarlet sins as white as snow. We have been given Christ’s example to follow, and if we do follow it we will be able to stay on the straight path to eternal life. But there will be times that we fall astray, necessitating our acceptance of the Atonement and our repentance. In 1 John 1:7 we are taught that “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Christ has provided the way with his example and with his blood.

The last line of the first paragraph of “The Living Christ” says, “None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.” Every life is touched by our Savior, even the lives of those that don’t know Him or believe on Him. This time of year is one of celebration for our Savior. We are celebrating that He came to earth, that He lived and gave us an example of how to live, and we are celebrating the Atonement which makes it possible for each of us to be with God again. I am thankful for this chance to bear my testimony of our Savior and to help bring my focus on Him during this Christmas season.

Pig Kitchen Utensils

2011-12-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, I didn't make these, but I was so excited to find an addition to my Pig Kitchen at Pretty Sweet Emporium.

Aren't those awesome?! I don't have much for my pig kitchen yet, but it's a start. Did you see the curtains for the kitchen? I'm having fun with this.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

Christmasy outdoors, check. Christmasy indoors...working on that. I'm not a fan of the few decorations we have now (remnants from my single days...odds and ends the roommates left when they moved out mostly) but I've been going through pinterest and craft blogs and things online and I'm just not seeing anything that tickles my fancy or that sparks any great ideas. Hopefully I find something soon, Christmas is coming fast.

MAIS

2011-11-16T14:56:00.001-07:00

I never followed up on a post about my brain itch...let me update you.

I have applied and been accepted into the Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) program at WNMU. I will be focusing on English and Educational Leadership and I am extremely excited. I will graduate May of 2013. Even though this seems random and to some people a little out of the blue, I'm doing this for a number of reasons.

1. I've decided that I would really really love to help kids get ready for a successful college experience. I've been working with a group called GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). They work with kids 8th-12th grades getting them ready for college (study skills, life skills, grades, etc). I have loved it. It has it's frustrations, but I love helping the kids and teaching. It's been great! This is partly what the Educational Leadership portion of the Masters will be.
2. I love English. Well, parts of it. I can't hardly make it through reading the classics, but I love writing. Not creative writing. Business writing, literary analysis, essays, etc. I would love to learn to write better and I would someday love to help others write better.
3. Cameron and I have been thinking more about kids, praying on that subject and trying to decide what God wants us to do. We set a tentative date for having a kid and we feel good about the decision. I have just enough time to finish this Masters before having a child. If all goes as planned (which it never does exactly, but we feel like we're headed down the path God wants us to right now, so we'll keep going with the plan till we know to do differently), I'll graduate May 2013 and then have a kid sometime in the following 6 months. I'll be able to finish my formal education (because you're not done being educated ever) before having children. That's a huge plus for me.

So, come January I get to go back to the true school colors (purple and gold...it must be a sign) and be a student again and I can't wait.

5th Anniversary Portraits

2011-11-11T09:25:00.003-07:00

In the spring I asked two of our photographer friends to take anniversary pictures for us after the summer. We decided we wanted to do them wedding style (because it's just fun) and had a ball with getting it all coordinated. I made me a bouquet, scavenged for copper accents (I ended up painting shoes and a string of pearls because I couldn't find copper stuff anywhere!), had my hair all dolled up by two great stylists I'm friends with and just had a ball. For the first shoot I wore my friend LoraLyn's dress and for the second shoot I wore my dress. But best of all, I got to be with my handsome sweet man.

We LOVE the pictures from both of the amazing photographers. You can see more of those here.

Check both of our photographers out!

Jacie Ames (Jacie Ames Photography):

Facebook

Blog

Karen Orphey (Treehouse Photography):

Facebook

Blog/Website

Really, go check them out. They are amazing.

Here are some of the shots Jacie got of us:

And here are some shots Karen got of us:

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

2011-11-03T10:44:00.001-06:00

Cameron recently spent 5 days down in Mexico on a school sponsored trip to study lizards. We've spent time apart before with his various jobs, but it'd been a while since we'd done that. We were getting along just fine before he left, and we both did just fine apart (I wasn't freaked out or bummed being alone and he was enjoying his time in Mexico), but life has been different now that he's back home. We both appreciate each other more. He came home from a week of being around crass, drunk trip-mates and one of the first things he said was "Thank you for being classy." These times apart remind us of things that we tend to overlook and take advantage of. I always know how smart, loving, and kind Cameron is...but not having him around helped remind me just how much I love and appreciate Cameron's patience with me, his listening ear, his arms around me, his laughter, etc. Some people are afraid that absence will make the heart wander...well for some people that might be true, but for us absence has made our hearts fonder. I can't wait to go home and spend the evening eating kettle corn and snuggling with my sweetheart.

Autumn Glory Photography Contest

2011-10-31T09:23:00.000-06:00

My friend is hosting a photography contest called Autumn Glory to promote her sister's photography blog and etsy shop, and I wanted to help out with this fun event. Go check out the blogs and etsy shop, they're fun.

The three categories for the photography contest are Summer Memories, Autumn Happiness, and My Favorite Thing. Here's what I've picked out for each category (click each picture to see it larger):
Summer Memories: The biggest lightning storm of the summer. The thunder was so loud, and we weren't even under the storm. Cameron and I sat on the porch watching the lightning until it came too close for comfort and then went inside. It was fun to sit and visit with him and watch the storm roll in.

Autumn Happiness: My mother and I went on a long road trip a year ago back out to Pennsylvania. It was so great to be able to spend that one on one time with her. We had some great conversations, saw some beautiful country, had grand adventures, and loved every bit of it. The leaves were changing all along the way, but my favorite stop was Mabry Mill, VA. The colors were beautiful, the mill was picturesque, and the morning was crisp.

And, My Favorite Thing: II know he's not a thing, but my favorite "thing" is my sweet husband, Cameron. He takes such good care of me, is so kind and patient, and he makes me laugh and smile. We celebrated our 5th anniversary this year and I'm so excited for all the years and adventures to come.

Creativity is More Than Crafts

2011-10-24T09:44:00.002-06:00

My life lately has consisted of canning, work, photography, a head cold, piano lessons, and cleaning. Other than the cold, everything has been productive but incredibly busy. Life seems to do that over and over. I get waves of busyness then waves of slightly more calm (but still busy...life is always busy). We tend to think of creativity only in terms of crafts and art, but it applies to so much more. I classify creativity as the act of producing something, creating something. I have not had the time for crafts this past week or so, but I've still been creating. We create things in our life daily. So what have I been creating lately?

Canned tomatoes.

This was our first canning experience and we've only done one batch so far. We overhead the lids so the jars didn't seal, so now we're going to make the tomatoes into spaghetti sauce and can that. When our green tomatoes ripen up we'll try canning the tomatoes again.

Family and Senior Photos.

One of my lifelong hobbies has been my photography. I enjoy taking pictures of anything/everything. Occasionally I get asked to take pictures for other people and I have a ball with that as well. For some reason October has filled up with many requests for photos. Family photos. Senior photos. Engagement photos. It's been a lot of fun. I've completed a few shoots this month and have a few more to go.

Organization.

I used to be very good at being organized. Lately...not so much, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. I've come up with a new system that seems to actually be working (most of my new systems don't last more than 2 or 3 days). I cut a piece of computer paper into 2 strips and hung them on my fridge. One is labeled leftovers and the other is labeled produce. On each sheet I list the contents in the fridge, the date it was put in there, and the quantity (I only list quantity with the produce). We're using leftovers more (we're really bad at using our leftovers), and the produce is getting used before it goes bad. When we use an item we cross it off the list or decrease the number on the quantity column. It's also made deciding what to have for dinner easier. I can look at the fridge door, see what we have and what needs to be used and work off of that.

Piano Lessons.

I just started teaching piano lessons again. I was a little nervous about it, but I had my first lesson with my new student a week and a half ago and I loved it. I love playing the piano and I'm so excited to have this student who is eager and excited about the piano as well. To sound slightly corny, music touches my soul like most other things can't. Creating music brings me peace. I'm excited to help pass that on to others.

And I won't go into detail on what the head cold has been creating. ::Sniff::

2 Great Pictures to Brighten Your Day

2011-10-22T17:55:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be lame and only post 2 pictures for this post. While I am being lame, these photos are not lame and they brightened my day.

First, a photo from a friend's facebook page. This would probably solve the stupid pants problem, bahahahaha.

And then this shot from my sister's blog. This is a statue of Elvis, and he's holding my nephew Erik. Too great. I quite literally sat here laughing out loud.

New Trick when Eating Out

2011-10-10T09:08:00.000-06:00

I came up with a new trick last week. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.

Just about every restaurant serves too much food. I always go home with leftovers. I know when I start that I will go home with leftovers. But once I'm home, what I have put in the box turns to radioactive mush in the microwave. I found somewhat of a solution. I eat the food that will not reheat well first. I end up eating less while at the restaurant that way too. I tried this for the first time last week and it worked out great. I ended up finishing my biscuits, spaghetti squash, and green beans and only got one or two bites of my chicken before I was full. So I boxed up the chicken and took it home and it reheated wonderfully for lunch the next day.

3 Reasons I am Grateful for my Parents

2011-10-07T12:26:00.000-06:00

I've always known that I have wonderful parents and parents-in-law, but lately I have become even more grateful for them and how Cameron and I were raised. I've talked with people, heard conversations, and have made many observations during grocery shopping and other trips and it has made me re-realize how blessed I am.

What have these amazing people done that I'm grateful for? Let me tell you:

They made their choice of who to marry carefully, and they work to keep their marriage strong. I grew up knowing that my parents loved each other. I never worried about them breaking up. That has effected the way I view my marriage, my self-image/self worth, and relationships in general. A lady was telling me that her husband has told her a few times that if his 1st wife would take him back he'd go back to her in a heartbeat, but he'd make sure that she (the current wife) was taken care of before he left. We know others who are dealing with infidelity in their marriage. While I was getting my hair cut the beauticians friend came up to her and started talking to her saying that she wanted a baby really bad but her husband (I assume husband...the man in her life) didn't want any more kids. The beautician told her "have someone else knock you up" and the friend said she'd thought about it. The world sure has some loose definitions of love, marriage, and how relationships should work.
They taught me the importance of working and learning. I overheard a lady talking about her child's school project and complaining "The kids are spending hours and hours making the miniature adobe buildings, giving up study and play time for something they will just throw away later". Then she went on to explain how she was doing every part of the project...I don't think her child helped at all. Then she made fun of one of the other kids' buildings because it wasn't as good as her child's project. I wanted to tell her "Maybe they didn't have their mom do their project for them." I am so grateful that my parents made me do my homework and my projects. That seems goofy, but it really taught me a lot. It taught me how to value work and the things that I accomplished were so much more meaningful.
They didn't buy me everything I want. A family came in to the store where I work and the kid was pointing out everything he wanted. The father told me "Just get him whatever he wants". The kid kept pointing things out and I'd look at the dad and he'd say "Just get him whatever he wants" every time. Then when I was ringing up their order, the dad shook his head and sighed, "He's so spoiled". I wonder why. I learned how to save for things and buy them myself. I learned that I don't have to have everything to be happy. I learned to make do with what I have.

There are so many more things that I'm grateful for, but these have been the main ones the past few weeks. I am so grateful to have parents who love each other and who aren't afraid to teach their kids the right things to do.

Reoccurring Brain Itch...It's Back

2011-09-29T16:21:00.000-06:00

I'm playing with an idea. It's a big idea. I'd kicked it out a while back but it's crept back in and I feel a sort of excitement. It'd be hard, but I think it'd be worth it. Cameron and I are still weighing options and plans...deciding if this is the right time or not.

I think I want to go back to school and get my Masters in English.

This was my original education idea. Then I changed it. Then I went back to it. Then I changed. I hadn't wanted to continue. I didn't know what I would do with it. I didn't want to teach English. All the sudden, I do want to teach English. But is this just a phase? We'd had a timeline for Cameron's school/career, kids, and moving and we don't want that to get interrupted. It's going to take more thinking, researching, praying, and planning.

When an idea keeps coming back and itching your brain over and over and over...there's usually a reason.

Journals

2011-09-07T16:55:00.001-06:00

All growing up I was an avid journal writer. I have a whole big shelf containing my journal volumes. Since getting married I haven't written as often or as much. I think that's because I have Cameron to talk to, bounce ideas off of, help me sort through things, and to be my therapist (because often that's what my journal was). I have tried to start writing in my journal more lately, but I'm no where near as regular of a writer as I used to be.

Periodically I have sat down to start typing up my journals, but I don't ever get through even one book and I stop. I've started again, but this time I started at the very beginning. The other evening I spent a few hours typing up my class journal from 2nd grade, the first journal I kept as far as I can tell. I was 7. It was interesting to me to see what my 7 year old brain thought was important and interesting. It was a big and hectic year. My Grandma Ruth passed away that year, so we went down to the funeral, my grandfather came up and visited us, cousins came and went, Grandma Sharon joined the family (blessing us all), and cousins were born. My 2nd grade journal was simple...nothing profound or amazing, but it brought back memories I had forgotten. Like this one:

Nov 10, 1993Last weak my cosins came and one of my cosins named Robin helped me make a snowman. We also made barny out of snow. Then it was time to go in. In the morning the snowman was recked.
Had he melted? (The teacher wrote this)No. Ryan Richens nocked it down.

Like my 7 year old spelling capabilities? (That's exactly what I had written in my journal, letter for letter).

It was also fun to see my 7 year old perspective on life.

December 2, 1993 ThursdayWe got a big Christmas tree. You sould of been there to see us put up the angel. We had a hard time putting it up.
How big is your tree? How did you get the angel up?
I don’t know. About 4 fett. My mom had to neel on my dads sholders.

4 feet...that's huge. :)

From my other attempts to type up my journals I know that for a while my journal became my ranting session and not really a journal. I've tried hard to make my journal more of a journal and not just a vent, or a travel log. It can be hard sometimes. I always just wrote for me, but I received a Christmas gift a while back from my grandmother and it is her memories and life story. I realized my journals didn't really have that and that I wanted those memories written down to keep them alive and safe. As I type up my journals, I remember events that went on around the entries that I didn't record in the journal. I want those memories written down for me and for my kids and grandkids, etc. This is a fun journey I've restarted on, but this time I have the determination to keep plodding on. I'm excited to get to go through my journals and watch me grow up.

Adventure of the Week; Big Ditch Park Picnic

2011-08-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

I forgot to post about our adventure of the week, week before last (we didn't really do an adventure of the week last week). During one of Cameron's lunch breaks we went down to the Big Ditch Park with a picnic lunch. We love Big Ditch Park. It's usually pretty quiet and the water this time of year is so pretty. It was really simple, but we enjoyed getting to eat lunch together there at the park. We used one of the stone benches built into the wall as our table and our chairs, watched bugs and butterflies, visited, and had yummy pita sandwiches (and hummus!). I didn't take my camera along, so I found a few pictures of Big Ditch Park online.

Mom's Nativity 2009 Edition

2011-08-29T13:47:00.003-06:00

I was going through old posts on my various blogs and found the post about the Nativity we did for my mom in 2009. I just gave a short blurb and one photo and promised more soon, but then I never did post more. So, this is in fulfillment of that promise...only soon is almost 2 years later in this case.

When I was in elementary school, I believe 8 years old, I found out that my mother loves nativity sets. I decided that each year I wanted to give mom a new nativity set. I painted nativity scenes on gourds, bought sets at various stores, drew pictures, etc. Eventually I decided to get my siblings in on the tradition (I don't remember exactly what year I did that) and it's a tradition we've carried out since then (17 years so far). In 2009 the whole family was going to be together, so we decided that we were going to do a live nativity. We wanted it to be more than just a live nativity though, we wanted mom to have some way to interact, so we turned it into a play (for lack of better words...it wasn't really a play...keep reading and you'll see). Then my cousins got engaged (a cousin from my dad's side married a cousin from my mom's side) and their family was down, so we incorporated them into the nativity, which was great because that gave us more people to fill the roles. In the weeks prior to the designated nativity night, I hit up thrift stores and found robes, linens, and sometimes costumes.

Keeping the whole thing a secret so that it'd be a surprise for mom was hard, but we managed to pull it off. At the time they were building their new house, so we had mom, dad, my uncle, and aunt all stay in the house while we went out to the new house to prepare. We got roles assigned, costumes on and went over everyone's parts so they knew just what to do. While everyone was getting dressed and in place, I sneaked (not snuck...snuck isn't a word) into the house through the back door and left a box on the table containing 4 adult costumes and a letter. I don't remember exactly what the letter said, but it went something along the lines of "Dear Travelers, You have come far and I know you are in need of clean clothes and a place to stay the night. In the box you will find a fresh change of clothes for each of you and an inn to the north. Travel safely." Then we all waited in anticipation.

My role was to take pictures and to help make sure the travelers got to the right places at the right times.

My youngest brother was the innkeeper. He was so excited and so nervous. He sat practicing his lines to make sure he knew what to say. He watched and watched and was so excited when he saw the travelers coming.

Here the sweet nervous little innkeeper tells the travelers "I don't have any room. I had to turn away a couple because she was pregnant." Those weren't quite the lines we had rehearsed, but it made us all smile. He offers to lead the travelers to some shepherds who might be able to put the travelers up for the night.

Innkeeper Heber led the travelers out to the hill where he knew the shepherds were that night.

The travelers got to the shepherds, but they were not able to give them shelter.

Here are the 4 shepherds, talking to each other and the travelers.

We ran extension cords all over the yard to get lights for the angels. They were hiding behind a bush and while the travelers were talking with the shepherds, they got in place and then turned on the light. The bright light shining on their white clothes out in the dark night was stunning (even though the clothes were mostly just sheets, the effect was still beautiful).

The angels came and they read the words from Luke 2:10-12.

The shepherds gave a great reaction and were excited and "sore afraid".

Everyone listening to the angels as they sang.

After the angels left, the shepherds sang a beautiful song. I don't remember the name of it, but it was gorgeous and all about the shepherds and their experience.

After the angels left, the shepherds invited the travelers to travel to see the new born babe. The travelers of course said yes. The shepherds "ran home to get their families" but directed the travelers where to go. While the travelers were walking around the house, the shepherds and angels ran down to the barn and got everyone situated and plugged in the star. I had a star shaped tree topper that lights up, so we had previously wired that to the top of the barn. To give them time to run down and set up, we took the travelers around the house and stopped for a group photo of the Innkeeper with the Travelers.

When we put the box together for the traveler costumes, we tried to put full outfits together and then fold them up together. They got all mixed up though and it was fun to see who picked what to wear.

Eventually we got on our way and started our trek to Bethlehem.

Along the way the travelers (and Innkeeper) met up with the wise men. We had four wise men in our nativity.

Brigham wanted to have the three gifts involved, so he had gathered up supplies. There was a yellowish brick of wood for the gold, air freshener for the frankincense, and some sort of medicinal spray for the myrrh.

The wise men told the travelers that they had been studying the prophesies and the stars and that they were following the new star. The wise men then invited the travelers to finish the journey with them.

You can just see the star light peeking out. It wasn't very big, but you could definitely see it. My brother and I had gone out earlier in the day and wrapped a big tarp around the front of the barn (where it is open) so that you couldn't see inside it. The cousins/siblings were waiting in the barn with the lights off, with one person stationed at the light switch for the moment the travelers came.

When the travelers got to the barn, the shepherds were already there, along with my sister and her brother as Mary and Joseph, and the family baby doll in the manger.

We had the hay bales staked up high so the angels could sit up top.

My brother-in-law gave a short but perfect spiritual thought, and then we all sang Silent Night. We then set the camera up and got a group photo, so that there would be an actual nativity that mom could hold in her hands.

It was very simply made, the costumes were not elaborate, and there were some great ad lib lines that came out through it all, but it turned out fantastic. It was a beautiful way to spend an evening together as a family. It made the whole thing more real and memorable for all of us.

Christmas Camping

2011-08-22T16:41:00.000-06:00

I know, it's only August, but I'm already getting really excited for Christmas. Why the early excitement? We've got some awesome plans. We're going camping for Christmas. We've gotten 2 responses to this so far..."COOL!!" and "Ew!" We're going to make ornaments and tree decorations that we can leave on the tree for the birdies and animals, decorate with tin can luminaries (it is yet to be decided if it will be wet enough for candles or if we'll have to use electric lights in them), make some yummy yummy hot chocolate, build snowmen, and just have a ball. Cameron just got his snow shoes from his Grandfather, so we'll probably go snowshoeing that day too. I started looking for more Christmas Camping ideas and it just got my more excited. I've started collecting some ideas on my Pinterest board, but my brain is churning out ideas now. This is going to be awesome!!

Cameron Shaved

2011-08-19T13:27:00.002-06:00

There was a theory/joke at the furniture store where Cameron works about tips. The guy with the baby face (no facial hair) seemed to get more tips than anyone else. When Cameron was on deliveries with him he got more tips than he did with the other delivery man. Cameron decided to test it out and shaved his beard. Guess what...he gets more tips! His tips doubled in the first week.

But anyway, here's the process.

The Dread Pirate Roberts?

He's not too happy with it and misses his beard; he thinks he looks like a little kid. I think he looks handsome both ways. I miss the beard but I like the shaved face too.

It still surprises me though when I kiss his cheek and it's all prickly...you'd think after a few weeks I'd have gotten used to that again, hahaha.

First time Flowers

2011-08-15T16:51:00.000-06:00

I spent my birthday baking cookies and dancing the night away. We held our anniversary dance on my birthday (that's just how it worked out best since it was a Saturday night). Cameron had to drive over right after work, but I was already in the Gila Valley baking cookies and setting up for the dance. Cameron walked into the dance about 15 minutes late, but I knew it was going to be a close call to get him there on time with work and the drive, so I wasn't bothered at all. He walked in and I went all giddy inside, like when we were dating/engaged. I was just glad and excited to see him and to get to dance with him. He even brought me a bouquet of flowers and a white chocolate bar. Now that seems cliche, I know but let me explain. This was the third time I have been given flowers by a boy. The first time was prom and my date brought me a bouquet along with the corsage. The second time, Cameron wanted to bring flowers to my roommate after a choir concert we were in, but didn't want to single her out yet or leave me out (the three of us were really close buddies) and so he brought flowers, that he clipped from the school rose garden, to both of us. So, this was the very first time that Cameron had ever brought me flowers. Like most girls, I do love a bouquet of flowers, but I've told Cameron that I don't expect flowers all the time, that I don't necessarily want flowers all the time and that if he ever felt like bringing them, I'd love them, but I wasn't going to be upset if he didn't bring me flowers for every anniversary/birthday/special event. He's worked so hard to be creative and meaningful with the things he does for me; he doesn't want to get into a routine of doing the same thing over and over. Because I dont' expect flowers every time and he doesn't bring them every time, I get to be surprised each and every time. We don't do fancy things for each other very often. Usually it's just picking up their favorite candy bar every now and then while shopping, or making their favorite dinner, or something simple.
Anyway...we're not routine gift givers...and Cameron's not a routine flower giver, so these flowers were extra fun and special to get. He spent time looking for flowers with orange in/on them (since orange is my favorite color), and had to hit a few stops before he found what he wanted. They are already wilted and gone, but the gesture and memory is there and I love those more than I loved the flowers. I wouldn't trade all my memories with Cameron for a field of the most perfect flowers; he's fantastic.

5th Anniversary

2011-08-11T09:40:00.003-06:00

Look at my handsome shaved man! Yep...he shaved the beard. I loved the beard, but I love the shaved face too.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our 5th anniversary. I can't believe we're at #5 already, it's amazing. In honor of our anniversary, we threw a dance. We had a ton of fun visiting with our friends and family and dancing the night away. The cookies and the homemade root beer were excellent too (thanks Aunt Camille for the amazing root beer extract/flavoring). On our actual anniversary we drove up to visit Fort Bayard. It is so beautiful there! It was an old fort, but upon preparation for it's abandonment after the Apache Wars died down, For Bayard "became the first sanatorium dedicated to the treatment of U.S. Army Officers and enlisted men suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis." The old hospital is still there (it just recently was retired when the new center was built). Fort Bayard is also home to one of New Mexico's two National Cemeteries. We poked around at Fort Bayard for a while, but when we started getting eaten by mosquitoes, we decided to stop at Alotta Gelato, our favorite little gelato (Italian ice cream) shop. It was great just to get to spend the day together enjoying each other's company. It wasn't an elaborate day, but it was just perfect.

Vacation Day 1

2011-08-04T13:47:00.000-06:00

The weirdest thought (which I have yet to form into audible words)...

2011-08-04T00:07:00.000-06:00

I'm an Aunt.

I've never really been all that excited to be an aunt...I mostly have just felt indifferent about it. Now all the sudden, I'm an aunt with two more nephews on the way and I think I'm offending people because I'm not ecstatic and shouting from the roof and doing cartwheels. Offending might not be the right word, but it works for now. Mostly right now I'm just weirded out that I'm an aunt...it's just odd. It's not so weird that I'm an aunt...it's weird that my little sister is a mom. That's the weird part. I've never met nephew #1 (that'll be next week I'm told). I've never been too excited or interested in babies...not that I hate them but if given the choice between holding a baby and helping cook a meal, I'll go in the kitchen and cook and let someone else hold the baby. It's not that I don't like the baby...I just don't care much for holding them. I've mentioned to a few people how weird it all seems and I've had different responses. Some people have said that they weren't baby lovers before and that it doesn't change with nephews/nieces. Some say that I will melt as soon as I hold my nephew. Some just look at me like I'm dumb. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Now, with all this said I have to put a disclaimer because things like this tend to get people riled up. I don't hate babies. I don't hate my sister's baby (and soon babies). I'm not naturally a baby lover (somehow I missed that common female characteristic) and I'm sorry that that bothers some people. I'm very happy for my sisters (and sister in law...and their husbands), they've wanted this for a while and I know they are excited so I'm excited for them.

So, to sum up:
1. "I'm an aunt" is such a weird thought.
2. I don't hate babies.
3. It'll be interesting to see who was right about my response to the nephews.

Book Art Ideas

2011-08-03T12:12:00.000-06:00

I want to try some of these.

http://108insightsfromanartist.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

Manlyville Olympics

2011-07-21T12:38:00.000-06:00

When we had our last family reunion, the cousins all participated in the Battle for Manlyville Hill. This year with all the forests closed, they had the Manlyville Olympics instead. I only got shots of 2 of the "events" but they were fun anyway. Here's the flour war and later is the water fight.

Commemorating Pioneer Day

2011-07-17T12:53:00.001-06:00

Next adventure: Pioneer Day commemoration. My ancestors left their homes, traveled across the country to a land where they would be free to live without being mobbed and persecuted. Cameron and I will be leaving our homes, traveling across the country to a land where we will be free from the desert and work. Not quite the same, I know (not the same by a long long long shot)...but we're excited for our upcoming summer adventure...San Diego with the one and only Em and Chip Goutcher.

Carolyn's Surprise Baby Shower

2011-07-16T19:04:00.004-06:00

Today was Carolyn's Surprise Baby Shower, and it was a smashing success. To throw her off the scent we told her that there we were planning a baby shower in August. She took the bait completely and was blind to everything we were doing for this surprise shower, making the surprise extra super fun!

We decided to go with a tool/construction theme, and had a ball with it. We did mobiles with tools painted on the circles, dirt cake with construction equipment on top, construction signs around the house (i.e. Drop Your Load, Work Zone, Dig In, etc), orange barrel cut outs on the wall, a toolbox full of baby supplies, a Daddy's Diaper Toolbelt (containing latex gloves, goggles, a face mask, butt paste-that's the brand name-and diapers), and general fun.

Here's what we did for activities:

We had the supplies for everyone to make a quilt square for the baby (using heatbond, scraps of fabric and fabric paints to decorate the squares).

We did the memory game where the mother-to-be shows everyone a tray full of baby items, then leaves the room and then the group has to write down what the mom-to be is wearing.

Playdough pictionary, where the group is divided into 3 teams, and each team gets a container of playdough. One player from each team is designated the sculptor each round, and the sculptors are given a word that they have to get their team to guess by sculpting it with the clay. We did words like bottle, diaper, rubber duck, onsie, blanket, etc.

The string game, where a roll of string is passed around and everyone cuts off the amount that they think will fit just perfectly around the mother-to-be's belly. Then the strings are tested around the belly to see who guessed the closest. This one was hilarious.

Here's what we did for food:

Dirt Cake

Sherbet Punch

7-layer dip with chips

No-Bake Cookies

Fruit and Cream Cheese Dip

I'll put a few pictures here, but for more pictures and details you can check out my other blog.

Before the party

The top clothesline (the bottom one got filled with the quilt squares we made)

The diaper cake Emilee made

SURPRISE!

Dirt Cake!

The "Baby Under Construction" shirt

Some of the finished quilt squares

Em's diaper cake

Saying hello

The String Game

The party throwers and the mom-to-be

Opening gifts

Grub and Quilt Squares

Tubing down the Gila River

2011-07-15T17:49:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Cameron and I went tubing with 3 of my cousins (yes Chip, you're a cousin now). Cameron and I have been wanting to go tubing again so bad, and so now that we've had some rain we thought this would be the perfect time. We rounded up some cousins (because tubing is more fun with friends along) and got our tubes and suits and headed up to the Gila Box. We got to the river, blew the tubes up, and walked to the water's edge to find that we would not be tubing down the Gila River, but down Willy Wonka's Chocolate River (only, I've never smelled chocolate that smelled like that). I hadn't even thought about the rain washing in dirt and ash/soot from the Wallow and Miller fires into the river. The water was thick and muddy enough that when you put your hand just barely under water, just barely enough so that it wasn't breaking the surface, you couldn't see any part of your skin. We decided to go ahead and tube though, it was just mud. We got going down river and Jessica said "Hey! It's a fish!" and we got looking around and there were BIG dead carp all over the place...stuck in the shallow parts of the river, washed up on shore, floating, etc. That would account for the smell (the Gila usually smells a little, but this was worse than normal). We were already headed downstream though (and we didn't want to crawl over dead fish to get out of the water), so we just got on the tubes, pulled our feet up and stuck to the middle of the river. Jessica missed the first clump of fish we saw, but she counted 99 dead fish along the river as we floated by (and of course those are only the fish we could see...eww). The muddy water didn't bother me, but the whole dead fish thing was pretty gross. But, we still had a great time. We didn't get out and swim at the swimming hole like normal, but it was a fun day spent with cousins. My sister (who is pregnant and didn't want to tube but wanted to hang out) came and picked us up at the bottom, brought cold water bottles, and then fed us sandwiches for lunch. It was an adventure to say the least. We're hoping that it'll clear up a little as the summer goes and maybe we can go again, minus the dead fish.

This picture doesn't even begin to do justice to how muddy we were just from being in the water (we didn't play in the mud mud).

Showering was no easy feat...that ashy mud did not want to come off our skin!

It was muddy, it was stinky, it was carpy (hahaha), but it got #78 crossed off my 101 Things to Do This Year list!

10 things I LOVE

2011-07-11T13:13:00.001-06:00

Cameron (that's one's a given, but I had to put it anyway because he's the best)
Peanut Butter

Cookies
PB&Honey
Reeses
Peanut Butter Panic Ice Cream
Straight out of the jar with a spoon

Planning parties/events
Card games

Hand and Foot anyone?

Having a photo turn out exactly how I pictured it in my head
Cousins
Brandi Carlile

We're on a huge Brandi Carlile kick right now. Haven't heard of her? Check out either
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8pQLtHTPaI
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSmE0BBOwSg

Birds
A good pen
A good book

Lately, the Mary Russell series by Laurie King
or the Rick Riordan books

Bring it up or not...

2011-06-26T23:46:00.001-06:00

It seems like I always heard and was taught that if you have a problem or an issue with someone, you should bring it up with them and get it resolved. If asked, people say that ideally they would like to be approached if someone has an issue with them. But then...if that is done, and done trying to be respectful, people get upset because you brought it up and stirred the pot and brought in contention and what a judgmental jerk, etc. But then if you don't bring it up and they realize the issue themselves later someway, then they get offended and say "Why didn't you tell me?"

Which way is better?

Playing Ranch Life

2011-06-22T11:22:00.000-06:00

This week we are house sitting for some of our cousins. They live out on the ranch, so we have horses, dogies (orphan calves), cats and dogs to feed, plants to water, and beautiful open land to enjoy. We've enjoyed the week so far. It's been fun to be around baby animals. They have 2 dogie calves and 2 kittens, and then at our home we have a nest of 4 baby king birds that we are getting to watch grow up. It's been a relaxing week so far. Here's some shots of us playing ranch life (and a few extra shots just for fun).

The baby birds at our place.

While driving out to do chores we saw this HUGE bull snake. This guy was awesome.

He hissed at us and shook his tail in the grass to make it sound like he was a rattle snake.

The dogies.

Moo juice.

Feeding the horses (not like you needed a caption to tell that...but I put it there anyway just because)

I know the dog is out of focus, but when you are the one throwing the stick then picking up the camera and taking the shot...sometimes it doesn't really work. But I liked this shot anyway.

The little white kitten isn't suspecting a thing. Bwah hahaha.

Check out the puff quilts!

2011-06-20T21:06:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty excited about finishing these and I love how they turned out. I can cross these off the list of baby presents I have in the works (so many people having babies!) or in planning.

Check them out at: http://madebymarquette.blogspot.com/

Les Miserables

2011-06-19T08:41:00.000-06:00

I don't know exactly how old I was...but somewhere between the ages of 10 and 13 (I think) I watched the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast production of Les Miserables on video. It was instantly one of my favorites of all time (movie, music, story, etc). I remember watching it with my sister and we said that we wanted to be at the 25th anniversary production. Well...we were not in London last year, but for the past year they 25th anniversary national tour of Les Mis has been going through the USA. I discovered this back in March and promptly bought tickets. I was way late getting tickets because all that was left was the very very last row on the 2nd balcony...but that meant the tickets were cheap!

Cameron and I, along with our friend Andy and my cousin Ashley, went to the show on June 11th. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was riveted the entire show. I fell even more in love with the music. I laughed, cheered, got choked up (Cameron too), forgot to breathe a few times, and clapped my hands red. It finished and was over all too fast. It was just beautiful.

Going to see Les Mis live was one of the only things I've put on my bucket list so far, and it was exciting to be able to check it off as done. I've always loved musicals, but this one is the only one that I knew I had to see sometime in my life. I'd love to see other shows, but if I never get to, I am perfectly content because I got to see Les Mis.

Next Les Mis adventure: I just borrowed the book from the library and I plan on reading all 1237 pages of it.

GEAR UP 2011

2011-06-18T11:34:00.000-06:00

I've been talking about GEAR UP for a while now, on here...on facebook...in person. It has consumed my every thought and moment. The one week camp took hours and hours of preparation, frustration, creativity, and work...but it all pulled together in the end.

This is my third year being involved with the GEAR UP Summer Camp of Champions, and my 2nd year as one of the 4 teachers. Before I get too far into my ramblings...here's a shot of the whole group (minus me...I'm behind the camera...you can see my shadow in the bottom left corner though).

Below is a picture of my group. We were the purple group and we called ourselves the Talladega Knights.

I've waffled about what I want to do "when I grow up," but this week helped me get a little closer to a decision. I want to teach. I love teaching. It is frustrating and hard, but it is so much fun and so rewarding. I realized though that I don't want to teach English (which is what my degree is in), math, science, history, etc. So...what is there to teach? I would love to teach leadership, college skills, life skills, etc. I would love to be able to help plan activities, and teach kids/people how to plan successful activities. I would really love to run my own summer camp. I have so many ideas. Now I just have to figure out when/where/how to put them into play. But, it's fun to have an idea of a direction to start moving towards.

Horseshoe 2 Fire

2011-06-13T18:30:00.001-06:00

Painting of the "White House" by Alice Webb

This past week the Horseshoe 2 fire hit my grandfather's ranch. It burned up the last pasture with forage for the cattle (100 head), the ranch house, the bunkhouse (which was the old historic schoolhouse from Hilltop), the corrals, and some pretty amazing trees (I know that sounds dumb, but if you haven't seen these trees, you won't understand). We're all feeling pretty brokenhearted. You never think things like this will happen to you or those you know.

I'm heartbroken, but I'm angry too. This fire was started by illegals. At 48% containment, it has consumed nearly the entire mountain (see picture below...I'm not joking), and now my grandfather's ranch. The federal government says everything's fine. Yeah...looks fine to me.

GEAR (UP) Head...

2011-06-02T14:00:00.000-06:00

I have so many projects I want to do right now. I have a number of projects started. Blankets, cross-stich work, painting plans, wall hangings, a veggie garden, a flower garden, etc. I want to get items made for my new kitchen theme (PIGS!), I want to make more bouquets, I want to start making my bags, I would love to have the patience to sew me a dress. I just want to create! Now I just need time, money, and plenty of patience. Bah. Once I get GEAR UP (a summer camp I teach at) over with I can find a job, and maybe have a little time and brain power to get some of these projects going. Right now all my energy and time is going into GEAR UP, but that'll be over with next Friday, followed by a detox day in Phoenix crossing of one of the items on my bucket list-Les Miserables. This summer is unsure and unstable, but I'm determined to make it good. It will be good!

Help please!

2011-06-01T15:48:00.003-06:00

I need your help. My wonderful graphic designer sent me some logos she's been working on, but I can't decide which one I like!

Help Marquette LaRee Photography choose the new look and logo by taking the following survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R7VNDSV

There's even a chance at a great prize-details at the end of the survey.

2011-05-25T09:16:00.003-06:00

If you're not being treated with the love and respect you deserve, check your"PRICE TAG". Perhaps you have marked yourself down. It's "YOU" who tell people what you're worth by what you accept. Get off the"CLEARANCE RACK" and get behind the glass case where they keep the"VALUABLES". Bottom line "VALUE" yourself more!!

(I got this from my aunt's facebook status...it's not my original thought).

I'm here, are you?

2011-05-21T17:26:00.000-06:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/22/rapture-harold-camping-end-world

World doesn't end: California prophet had no Plan B

Harold Camping spent millions of dollars telling the nations it was the end of days; now his followers may need counselling

Paul Harris, New York
The Observer, Sunday 22 May 2011
Article history

Followers of Harold Camping's Family Radio religious group spread the message of doom in Manhattan. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP

To the shock and distress of a handful of ultra-devout Christian believers, the sun went down yesterday on an America and a world that had signally failed to end.

Instead of a series of earthquakes hitting successive countries at 6pm local time and heralding The Rapture – in which millions of the Faithful would ascend to heaven before the Second Coming of Christ – planet Earth simply carried on and, mostly, kept calm.

Middle East peace remained unresolved, political turmoil hit a few countries and bypassed many others. But by and large the world's toiling billions, as usual, just got on with their lives.

The non-event was a great disappointment to hundreds of followers of a hitherto obscure California-based religious group called Family Radio, which had lavished millions of dollars on a worldwide advertising campaign proclaiming yesterday as Judgment Day.

The group is centred on the teachings and broadcasts of prophet Harold Camping, an 89-year-old self-styled expert in the scriptures who told his followers that his interpretations of the Bible had uncovered the true date of the end of the world. Camping, who lives in the northern California town of Alameda, has previous form on this. He got the date wrong in 1994 when he said the world would end that year, and later explained its continued existence by saying he had made a mathematical error.

But what made this prediction different was the lavish spending that accompanied it. Camping and his followers spent more than $100m worldwide on billboards and posters, financed by the sale and swap of radio stations. Advertising popped up across America and the globe from Iraq to Lebanon to Israel to Jordan, the Philippines to Vietnam, where thousands of the Hmong ethnic hill tribe gathered together on the Thai border in anticipation of the event. The campaign was backed up by Camping's radio show, which can be heard worldwide, and a website that featured, naturally, a countdown clock. Yesterday that clock was at zero underneath the banner headline: "Judgment Day: the Bible guarantees it."

Camping's followers became a familiar sight in cities such as New York, wearing T-shirts proclaiming their beliefs and handing out leaflets in subway stations. On Friday they were at Manhattan's Union Square station, attracting a throng of fascinated gawpers who posed for pictures with them. They handed out their Judgment Day booklets and chatted amiably enough, given their conviction that the End Times were about to arrive.

But as yesterday approached many told reporters they would spend the time huddled in their homes with their families. They planned to pray for their loved ones and hope to be among the lucky few taken up into heaven and spared the global calamity the rest of us would have to put up with for the (much shortened) rest of our lives. Camping himself, who wound down his radio operations ahead of time, said he would watch events unfold at home on television.

Unfortunately for them, nothing happened; a fact that caused much hilarity on Twitter and elsewhere as the 6pm deadline passed in New Zealand, then Australia, Europe and finally America.

"Harold Camping Doomsday prediction fails; No earthquake in New Zealand," read one posting on Twitter. "If this whole end-of-the-world thingy is still going on... it's already past 6.00 in New Zealand and the world hasn't ended," said another. The jokes were global. "Through Croydon; devastation, pestilence, drawn, emaciated faces of the walking dead. No sign of the Rapture though," cracked someone evidently not a fan of the south London town. Another Twitter user suggested people scatter empty pairs of shoes and discarded clothes on their lawns to simulate those lucky few now living with God.

Perhaps not surprisingly, atheists and other non-believers used the opportunity as a way to mock the religious. Various parties were planned across the US. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, the local chapter of the American Humanist Association held a party last night to celebrate the Earth's survival and planned a music concert. The American Atheists held "rapture parties" in places such as Wichita, Kansas, Fort Lauderdale in Florida and even just a few miles from Family Radio itself at a conference centre in Oakland. New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg used a press conference to assure citizens that post-Rapture his administration would not pursue parking tickets or late library books.

But other non-believers and cynics saw an opportunity to make money rather than jokes. There has been a mini-boom in firms and individuals offering to look after the pets of those who believed they were about to be raptured. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, set up by New Hampshire atheist Bart Centre, has about 250 clients who paid $135 (£83) for insurance policies that guarantee Centre and others will care for their animals when they ascend. Others paid out to sign up with websites that would send out farewell letters to friends and relations left behind.

But there is a serious side. Camping seemed entirely genuine in his beliefs, enough to spend a small fortune promoting them. While others may be making money out of believing in Doomsday, Camping is not one of them. Many experts have worried about the psychological impact on his followers who are suddenly confronted with the collapse of their belief system. Some Christian pastors planned to gather outside Family Radio to counsel any distraught members who showed up wondering why they – and the world – were still there.

Camping himself admitted he had pretty much staked everything on his fervently held belief. "There is no plan B," he told Reuters late last week. Which is a shame. As the day progressed in California last night with no global mega-quake in sight, he and his followers needed one.

Mal's Fairy Tale Wall Hanging

2011-05-20T09:44:00.002-06:00

Check out my latest project:

http://madebymarquette.blogspot.com/2011/05/mallorys-fairy-tale-picture.html

101 Things Update

2011-05-18T08:33:00.000-06:00

I've made some good progress on my 101 Things to Do This Year List. Check it out! Things in blue are things I've finished, things in red are things I've missed already. The one I'm most excited about right now is #28.

2011 Edition of 101 Things to Do This Year

Get a business license
Sew a blanket
Do an oil painting

February 17, 2011-Emilee and Chip’s Pop Art

Do a watercolor painting
Do a calligraphy project
Crochet something

February 28-Hot pad and dishcloth

Finish Mom’s Nativity from 2010
Bake bread (February 6, 2011)
Go camping 3 times
Hike to the top of Saddle Mountain
Read North and South
Write a letter once a month

January: to Brigham
February: nope
March: nope
April: nope
May:

Do an art/craft project once a month

January: Valentine Foundation Quilted Pillow, Jan 30
February: Em and Chip’s Pop Art Painting
March: Em’s photo ribbon strings, started on DD’s Pirate blanket
April: Bouquet
May:

Go to Tucson twice
Memorize a piano song
Make ice cream potatoes
Bake a pie from scratch

It was a blackberry/cream cheese pie. Mmm. Feb. 16, 2011

Make a budget (January 15, 2011)
Get the AC on the car fixed
Go for a month without eating out
Go Visiting Teaching
Get together with the whole Quad
Launch my photography website
Start my Literature Photography project
Start my Fairy Tale Photography project
Start the Letter Game with someone

Brigham, January

Crochet a hot pad.-Feb 28th
Get to 165 lbs-May 14^th
Put together a photography backdrop frame

March 12th

Shoot with a 2^nd photographer
Shoot as a 2^nd photographer
Visit Stanley during the summer
Visit somewhere new in NM
Visit somewhere new in AZ
Make homemade rootbeer
“Host” a date for Nina and Brigham
Have a Princess Bride party
Make a photo calendar
Enter a photo in the NM State Fair
Enter a photo in the County Fair
Enter an art project in the County Fair
Reread The Work and the Glory
Read The Undaunted
Stick to a budget for 2 months
Do a photo shoot once a week

I missed a few weeks here and there

Get a new piano book
Exercise every day for 2 weeks.
Join the community orchestra
Talk to Sis. Lewis about Photography

Feb 2

Take pictures on the Ranch
Take pictures from horseback
Visit Astronomy Labs once a semester.

Spring: March 3rd

Take “Wedding” photos for our 5^th anniversary
Try a new food.

King Crab Legs 1-17-11
Eggplant

Get Quelf 5-7-11
Try a new hair style (Jan 27)

Take new pictures of Nina, Brigham and Heber: 3-31-11
Get a new piece of camera equipment

March 2, 2011

i. Nikkor lens 50mm 1.8

ii. 5 in 1 Reflector

iii. Wireless Remote

iv. 52 mm wide angle lens

Sew a new piece of clothing
Make a cork board out of corks
Paint a picture for Katie
Get bar stools
Go to Spring Sing
Compile of book of specific exposures for specific situations
Compile my photo portfolio
Fill up my journal
Get 4 Photo Booth Props-Feb 15, 2011

Clown Wig
Mustaches
Bow Tie
Top Hat
Women’s 20’s hat (x 2)
Chicken Hat
Pirate eye patch

Sew a bag
Do another mosaic watercolor
Compile the Fort Bowie trail book/binder
Plant a garden
Write a business plan for my photography
Work with the Small Business Center to get my photography set up
Talk with Kita Freeman about the business side of photography
Make a Key Lime Pie
Get 3 houseplants

Feb 25, 2011

i. Hyacinth

ii. Daffodil

iii. Tulips

Finish my Fort Bowie Cars shoot
Go tubing down the Gila
Plant something in my flower pots on the porch

Bluebonnets
Poppies
Alyssum

Plant something in my flower beds in front of the house

Lots of stuff, but they’ve all died so far.

Get business cards made
Get a lens cleaning kit.
Have Abby come stay with us
Have Carson and Justin over again
Teach at the GEAR UP in June
Have a couple from the ward over for dinner/games
Read 10 New Books for fun.

Sorcery & Cecilia 1-13-11
The Sea of Monsters; Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 2, Rick Riordan: 2-26-11
The Titan’s Curse; Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 3, Rick Riordan: 3-4-11
The Battle of the Labyrinth; Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 4, Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian; Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 5, Rick Riordan
The Lost Hero; Rick Riordan
A Letter of Mary; Laurie King
Making Money; Terry Pratchett
The Moor; Laurie King

Fix the fire ring
Send Hyrum a package
Send Ezra a package
Send Pete a package
Send out Photography Christmas cards
Learn to make a new food

Salisbury Steak Feb 15, 2011
Meatball Pie Feb 16, 2011
Salmon Limonata
Eggplant Parmesan
Stir Fry

Cut our own Christmas tree
Make seasonal/holiday dishrags
Make seasonal/holiday decorations

Valentines Day: Quilted Pillowcase for throw pillow on couch Jan 30

Have a special meal for the Vernal Equinox 4-21-11 Irish Dinner
Have a special meal for the Summer Solstice
Have a special meal for the Autumnal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Winter Solstice
Finish at least 60% of this list.

Remodeled

2011-05-17T08:58:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking about a remodel for a little while now, and I finally sat down and did it yesterday. Check out the somewhat old and improved photography blog! http://marquettephoto.blogspot.com/

Homemade Photo Booth

2011-05-05T08:55:00.004-06:00

To see how I made this, click here.

I was scheduled to take engagement pictures for Em & Chip when they contacted me asking if we could do some photo booth style photos as a part of their shoot (see some of their pictures here). I didn't have a booth, so we did a makeshift shoot in the hall with cloth and a shower curtain. That went really well and they asked how I would feel doing a photo booth at their receptions. I said "Sure!" and then I realized I didn't have a booth and the hallway wouldn't work. So I went home and started looking for ideas online, but no one had a blueprint or posted up pictures of their booth, so I had to get creative and design one myself. I wanted it to be used for more than just a booth, so I worked on the design and it can be 6' or 8' tall, it can be a booth (as you see in the photo below), a 12' wide straight backdrop, or a square changing booth. I sewed tons of black fabric together to form the curtain and I hang them up on the frame (made of PVC pipe-which I will paint black soon) using pretty shower curtain hangers. I've had it all put together since the middle of February, but this was the first time I got a shot of the booth itself before it went to work. Not to bad for a girl on a budget!

I did a presentation on photography and then ran a photo booth last night for a youth church group. Here are some of the shots we got (both in photo booth style and long backdrop style).

I'm perfectly willing to share how I built this. Just let me know.

Day 7 of the Diet

2011-05-04T21:22:00.000-06:00

Well, I am finishing up Day 7 of "The 17 Day Diet" (it's so funny how many people ask me what diet I'm on...that's really the name of it).

Now...I've never been one to diet. I wasn't planning on going on a diet but I found the 17 Day Diet (read the previous post). After a week...I feel great. As of this morning I've lost 5 pounds, but that's not the best part. I really feel great and I've learned so much already. I've learned about portion control, the importance of breakfast, the importance of not sleeping in way late, how just 17 minutes of exercise a day makes a huge difference, and some great new recipes. I am loving this. Really and honestly LOVING IT!

The 17 Day Diet

2011-04-27T13:48:00.000-06:00

I'm trying something called the 17 Day Diet. It's a book I picked up at Wal-Mart and I'm excited about it. A family doctor created the plan and wrote it up and explains how it all works. Now...I'm not much a one for diets, but this one sounds healthy, doable, and it sounds like it works. I don't want to lose tons of weight, I would just like to get fit and fit in a few of my favorite clothes again.

The diet consists of 4 cycles, each 17 days long. How much you want/need to lose and the speed of the weight loss determines how many cycles you go through. Each cycle is designed to improve a body function/system (i.e. digestion, metabolism, cholesterol levels, etc). The cycles focus on getting these systems in order and working together and not so much on the loosing weight. He says that being overweight is a sign of body functions not working together (because of our eating habits and activity usually) and that if you get all the systems balanced and working right, you have more energy and (if you're overweight) you lose weight.

The first cycle has rapid weight loss, but he cites studies and research that showed that people who lose the weight rapidly tend to keep it of longer than those who lose it slowly. He also said that some rapid weight loss is not healthy, you have to do it right and with the right nutrition. In the first cycle people lose an average of 10-15 lbs (more if you're more overweight, less if you're less) and by day 5 you're supposed to have a noticeable increase in energy.

Anyway, I'm way excited about this and I start tomorrow. I'll post updates on how it's going. I can stick to something for 17 days, right? Right!!

Sarah's Beauty from Within

2011-04-27T10:19:00.000-06:00

I just read a blog post from one of my friends about Beauty from Within and loved it. I think pretty much most of us girls/women feel this way at some point in our life (some more or less than others, I know). Thank you Sarah for the reminder of what really counts. You are beautiful.
http://throughthelilacbushes.blogspot.com/2011/04/beauty-from-within.html

"You're My Best Friend"

2011-04-20T13:01:00.001-06:00

Romance is such a focus in relationships it seems. Girls ooh and ahh and dream of their romantic man that will come and sweep them off their feet and live happily ever after with days filled with bouquets, chocolates, and butterflies in the stomach. While romance is fun, it's not everything.

Cameron and I went on a date yesterday-nothing fancy, just a late lunch, but it was fantastic to just be out with him. On the drive home he told me "I'm sure grateful for our relationship." He then told me how glad he is that our relationship is built on friendship and not romance; romance is a part of our relationship, but that is not what it is built on.

Before any romantic interest came into play, Cameron and I were really close friends. Now, I know...everyone says they were friends before dating, but we really were. The first semester we were both at college we both dated and were interested in other people but we hung out probably once a week. The second semester of college Cameron, my roommate Jalayne, and I hung out nearly every day. We did everything together and were the best of friends with no romantic interest (until the end of the semester). So we really were great friends. When we decided to try dating, it felt so natural because of the friendship that we had forged before.

In every marriage, there will be days where the romance is lacking. That's just how it is. Stress comes, school creeps in, jobs get hectic, family obligations grow, etc. and romance falls to the side sometimes. It is so nice to have more to our relationship in those times. On the flip side though, when romance is in the air it is so much more heartfelt and meaningful because of our foundation of friendship.

I love having my very best friend with me every day. I love knowing I have his support. I love our adventures together. Everyone needs a best friend like him.

There's a song by Don Williams called "You're My Best Friend" and it sure fits my feelings:

You placed gold on my finger
You brought love like I've never known
You gave life to our children
And to me, a reason to go on.

You're my firend when I'm hungry
You're my shelter from troubled winds
You're my anchor in life's ocean
But most of all, you're my best friend

When I need hope and inspiration
You're always strong when I'm tired and weak
I could search this whole world over
You'd still be everything that I need.

You're my firend when I'm hungry
You're my shelter from troubled winds
You're my anchor in life's ocean
But most of all, you're my best friend

You're my firend when I'm hungry
You're my shelter from troubled winds
You're my anchor in life's ocean
But most of all, you're my best friend

I have had pleasure enough. I have had singing.

2011-04-15T15:46:00.000-06:00

From noon till 1 today I sat in on A Cappella choir at EAC (Eastern Arizona College). It was so soothing and exciting and calming and amazing and invigorating (yes, all those at one time). I spent 2 1/2 years in A Cappella choir during my time at EAC and it changed my life. That sounds cliche, but it is true. While photography is my passion, music is my blood. I am not a great musician by any means, but music speaks to my soul like nothing else can. There is always a song out there that echoes my feelings, that can smooth my ruffled feathers, that can make me smile or cry. I feel so blessed to have had music be such a big part of my life.

(above) A Fall Sing with the BOF (Big Ol' Flag). It is so exciting to sing patriotic songs with a flag that big being unfurled behind you.

(below) Our production of Jepthah, an oratorio by Giacomo Carissimi (translated by Dr. Bishop).

Ronald Blythe traveled through Suffolk, England (his native county) in the 1960's talking to and interviewing the local people there-farmers, blacksmiths, plowmen, etc., whose stories went back into the early 20th century. Blythe writes of an 85-year old man he calls Fred Mitchell who was a horseman. Fred had spent his life working on what was described as "bleak, unfertile land in a life filled with little joy." In the middle of the interview, Fred stopped and told Blythe, "But there was always singing: the boys in the fields, the chapels were full of singing. I have had pleasure enough; I have had singing." In 1992 this was turned into a beautiful song which I got to sing at EAC a little over a decade later. This song will echo through me for the rest of my life.

"Singing, singing. There was so much singing then. We all sang, and this was my pleasure too. The boys in the field, the chapels were full of singing, always full of singing. Here I lie. Here I lie. I have had pleasure enough, I have had singing. I have had singing."

http://www.arsisaudio.com/cd161N.html

Made by Marquette

2011-04-15T12:25:00.001-06:00

I've had such a good response to the bouquet that I made, it's been so much fun. I'm going to try and make a few more and see if I can get them sold in the fiber arts store or the craft stores around. I wanted to leave contact information with the creations, but I didn't want to direct everyone to my personal blog and I don't want to make this blog private yet, so I've made a separate blog for my crafts, art, and creations. I know there are tons of crafting blogs out there...I'm not trying to make this into one of them. I just needed a place to direct people to so they could see what I make.

You can check it out at http://madebymarquette.blogspot.com .

Homemade Bouquet

2011-04-12T23:22:00.002-06:00

(the pictures look fuzzy, but they aren't...click on them and they will pop up in a new window bigger and clearer)

I made this for a decoration for our house as well as for pictures in the future. It is about a foot and a half tall and 8 inches wide (rough estimate...I don't have it here in front of me right now) and is made of 42 flowers-3 copper flowers, 12 ribbon/fabric roses, 6 paper flowers (made from book pages), 4 leather flowers, 1 silky flower, 2 yoyo flowers, 2 raggy carnations, 3 echinacea blossoms, 2 bead flowers, 3 bundles of berries, 2 willow balls, and 2 burgundy upholstery flowers. I made all of them but the berries, echinacea blossoms and the willow balls.

Here's why I chose these colors-

Green: My birth stone is the peridot

Burgundy: Cameron's birth stone is the amethyst, but I didn't want true purple in there, so I went with a burgundy color.

Copper: My favorite color is orange, and that was as close as I wanted to get to orange in this arrangement, plus I just love copper. I think it's gorgeous.

Brown and White: They went well with the other three colors and I needed some neutral colors to balance it all out.

I had a blast making this, and it gave me a chance to use some of the upholstery samples that I have a plethora of.

Left side

Right

Back Side

Top Side

Silky flower

One of the flowers made from book pages

The large yoyo flower

Top left-Book page flower, middle/right-flower made from large beads

A willow ball and the small yoyo flower

Another book page flower

The big leather flower

First Annual Gila Valley Stampede

2011-04-06T13:45:00.001-06:00

Check out what I get to do in November!:

Marquette LaRee Photography: First Annual Gila Valley Stampede

Still Draining

2011-04-04T12:26:00.004-06:00

After 2 weeks of wedding bonanza and a week of being down sick, it's nice to return to the blogging world-even if my head is still to stuffed up and Excedrin-buzzy to think straight enough to write up a real post. So, until my head fully clears out, you should check out this blog post my cousin put up about Emilee's reception and see her great decorations and the pop art photos I made.

Barbie vs. G.I. Joe

2011-03-22T12:40:00.005-06:00

Inspired by a facebook argument between cousins, I decided to look up some facts on Barbies and G.I. Joes.

Did you know...

Barbies were created in 1959 and G.I. Joes were created in 1964. Barbies are older.

G.I. Joes were inspired by Barbie and Barbie's success on the market.

Barbie's full name is Barbara "Barbie" Millicent Roberts after the creator's daughter. G.I. Joe's were originally named Rocky (marine/soldier), Skip (sailor) and Ace (pilot) before they all got the generic name of G.I. Joe.

Hasbro didn't want to call G.I. Joe's dolls because they were afraid boys wouldn't play with it, so they decided to call it an Action Figure (even though by definition it is a doll).

Doll definitions:

-A small replica of a person; used as a toy. -wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

-A doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being. Dolls have been around since the dawn of human civilization, and have been fashioned from a vast array of materials, ranging from stone, clay, wood, bone, cloth and paper, to porcelain, china, rubber and plastic. -en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doll

-A small figure representing a baby or other human being,especially for use as a

child's toy. -http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/doll

G.I. Joe's right thumbnail is on the underside of his thumb...an accident at first but it is now a trademark used to tell real G.I. Joe's from fake ones.

Studies have been done on both doll's and their impact on children's perceptions of "normal" bodies. The following perceptions are said to come from Barbies:

The ideal female body is stick-thin and big-breasted.
The natural, healthy female body is unattractive.
To be attractive and popular, girls and women must have well-disciplined bodies, meticulously groomed hair and make-up, and a carefully coordinated and fully accessorized wardrobe. (Subtext: Spend, spend spend! Diet, diet, diet! And live at the gym if you have to!)
And, perhaps the overriding message: Girls and women are judged more on how they look, than on what they do. Although Mattel has introduced some career-themed Barbies in recent years, the fashion-oriented dolls (along with the bride and princess) are the perennial best-sellers.

The following perceptions are said to come from G.I. Joes:

Boys and men should have large, powerful bodies with sculpted muscles.
Boys and men should be willing and able to use their bodies to commit morally justified acts of violence.
The only real men are “tough guys.”

A negative body image for boys and men, especially those labeled as “fat” or “weak,” and the development of unhealthy practices to cope with feelings of frustration and shame
The potentially life-threatening use of steroids to build muscle mass
The socialization of boys and men to violence and dominance.

So to sum it all up...we have G.I. Joes because of Barbies and they are both dolls. Hahaha to my boy cousins. :)

Where I got my info:

http://thebodyproject.bradley.edu/joe_barbie/index.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie

http://essentials.baltimoresun.com/micro_clients/geppi/frames/barbie_gijoe.html

A Discouraging Encouragement

2011-03-22T10:00:00.005-06:00

I am slowly loosing weight, and I have felt great. I've felt more energetic, more confident with how I look, and I have fit back in some clothes I haven't been able to wear in a while. All was going well, but then I saw photos of me at a wedding recently...ew. I still have work to do. I don't want to be uber-skinny. I don't want to be scrawny. I've never been the tiny girl, and I'm ok with that. I just want to be healthy, fit, and to fit back in my clothes. Seeing the pictures was discouraging, but I think they served as an added dosage of motivation to get off my behiney and do something.

Memo to self: Keep going. You can be a Season 6 Barbara Jean.

87 Years Old

2011-03-08T10:06:00.003-07:00

My grandfather's 87th birthday was this past week, which called for a celebration. As many of us as could make it got together for a day and visited/celebrated together. It was so good to see cousins I hadn't seen in a while (it was good to see the ones I see a lot too), aunts and uncles I adore, and grandparents I love so dearly. I am so thankful to have been born into this family, I feel so blessed.

15 out of 101 so far

2011-03-05T08:47:00.003-07:00

Well, we're 17.5% of the way through the year and I have completed 15% of my 101 Things to Do This Year list. Not to shabby. Here's my progress:

Get a business license
Sew a blanket
Do an oil painting

February 17, 2011-Emilee and Chip’s Pop Art

Do a watercolor painting
Do a calligraphy project
Crochet something

February 28-Hot pad and dishcloth

Finish Mom’s Nativity from 2010
Bake bread (February 6, 2011)
Go camping 3 times
Hike to the top of Saddle Mountain
Read North and South
Write a letter once a month

January: to Brigham
February: ?
March:

Do an art/craft project once a month

Go to Tucson twice
Memorize a piano song
Make ice cream potatoes
Bake a pie from scratch

It was a blackberry/cream cheese pie. Mmm. Feb. 16, 2011

Make a budget (January 15, 2011)
Get the AC on the car fixed
Go for a month without eating out
Go Visiting Teaching
Get together with the whole Quad
Launch my photography website
Start my Literature Photography project
Start my Fairy Tale Photography project
Start the Letter Game with someone

Brigham, January

Crochet a hot pad.-Feb 28th
Get to 165 lbs
Put together a photography backdrop frame

March 12th

Shoot with a 2^nd photographer
Shoot as a 2^nd photographer
Visit Stanley during the summer
Visit somewhere new in NM
Visit somewhere new in AZ
Make homemade rootbeer
“Host” a date for Nina and Brigham
Have a Princess Bride party
Make a photo calendar
Enter a photo in the NM State Fair
Enter a photo in the County Fair
Enter an art project in the County Fair
Reread The Work and the Glory
Read The Undaunted
Stick to a budget for 2 months
Do a photo shoot once a week

I've missed a week or so, but I'm still working on it.

Get a new piano book
Exercise every day for 2 weeks.
Join the community orchestra
Talk to Sis. Lewis about Photography

Feb 2

Take pictures on the Ranch
Take pictures from horseback
Visit Astronomy Labs once a semester.

Spring: March 3rd

Take “Wedding” photos for our 5^th anniversary
Try a new food.

King Crab Legs 1-17-11

Get Quelf
Try a new hair style (Jan 27)

Take new pictures of Nina, Brigham and Heber
Get a new piece of camera equipment

March 2, 2011

i. Nikkor lens 50mm 1.8

ii. 5 in 1 Reflector

iii. Wireless Remote

iv. 52 mm wide angle lens

Sew a new piece of clothing
Make a cork board out of corks
Paint a picture for Katie
Get bar stools
Go to Spring Sing
Compile of book of specific exposures for specific situations
Compile my photo portfolio
Fill up my journal
Get 4 Photo Booth Props-Feb 15, 2011

Clown Wig
Mustaches
Bow Tie
Top Hat
Women’s 20’s hat (x 2)
Chicken Hat
Pirate eye patch

Sew a bag
Do another mosaic watercolor
Compile the Fort Bowie trail book/binder
Plant a garden
Write a business plan for my photography
Work with the Small Business Center to get my photography set up
Talk with Kita Freeman about the business side of photography
Make a Key Lime Pie
Get 3 houseplants

Feb 25, 2011

i. Hyacinths

ii. Daffodils

iii. Tulips

Finish my Fort Bowie Cars shoot
Go tubing down the Gila
Plant something in my flower pots on the porch
Plant something in my flower beds in front of the house
Get business cards made
Get a lens cleaning kit.
Have Abby come stay with us
Have Carson and Justin over again
Teach at the GEAR UP in June
Have a couple from the ward over for dinner/games
Read 10 Books for fun.

Sorcery & Cecilia 1-13-11
The Sea of Monsters; Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 2: 2-26-11
The Titan’s Curse; Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 3: 3-4-11

Fix the fire ring
Send Hyrum a package
Send Ezra a package
Send Pete a package
Send out Photography Christmas cards
Learn to make a new food

Cut our own Christmas tree
Make seasonal/holiday dishrags
Make seasonal/holiday decorations

Valentines Day: Quilted Pillowcase for throw pillow on couch Jan 30

Have a special meal for the Vernal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Summer Solstice
Have a special meal for the Autumnal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Winter Solstice
Finish at least 60% of this list.

GEAR UP 2011

2011-03-05T08:42:00.003-07:00

I got word this weekend that I get to return to the GEAR UP Summer Camp of Champions as a teacher this June. Wahoo!!!! I am so excited. GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs-basically, it's getting kids ready to be successful college students. Last year I taught how to navigate the night sky (you know, constellations, stars, myths, star charts, etc), but this year I get to teach Leadership. I am way way way stoked about this. Leadership is something I am passionate about. My experience in Phi Theta Kappa and on the ASEAC Executive Council (student government at EAC) has really changed my life. Cameron grew up being in leadership positions in 4-H and church, and then he did the ASEAC Executive Council and he is now on the WNMU Student Senate. I think leadership skills are so important for everyone to learn, so I am stoked to be able to teach it to these 9th graders. It'll be a week of leadership, lunar astrophotography, rocket building, Apollo 13, tons of photos, and TONS of fun. I can't wait!

My latest painting

2011-02-25T11:02:00.004-07:00

My cousin Emilee is getting married to this fantastic guy named Chip on March 17th and I'm the lucky girl who gets to do their photography. I took their engagement photos and they asked if I could turn one of them into pop art style for their reception. I had never done pop art style anything before, but I said sure I could figure it out. I figured it out how to turn the digital photo into pop art, but then I had this great idea...I wanted to paint it for them. Now normally I can't draw/paint people and have it look like any specific person, but I figured since there is no shading in pop art, I might be able to pull it off. Here's what I ended up with. Not an exact replica of the two of them-but hey, it's pop art-but I'm pleased with how it turned out and I had a blast and they seem to like it so it's all good.

Not many people that know the two of them follow this blog so I figure it's safe to post here without letting everyone see it before the receptions.

You know Spring must be in the air...

2011-02-23T15:03:00.002-07:00

...Because I've felt like cleaning. I hate cleaning. I like the house to be tidy, but I hate cleaning it. We have a room that we have meant to be designated as Cameron's room for his studying, his projects, his whatever, but it very quickly became the "We don't know what to do with this so we're throwing it in there" room. I wish I had a picture of what it looked like, but maybe it's good that I didn't. It was awful. Boxes all over, seashells and sand half in the bags (I hate sand spills), bike parts, rattlesnake skins tanning, old schoolwork, Christmas decorations, books, paint chip fixer sticks, sticks, etc. Everything was just thrown in there on the table, on the floor (mostly), on (not in) bookshelves. We found out that our Hare Krishna monk friends might come and stay with us for a day or two and I was worried about space to put them where they'd be comfortable, so I spent all day yesterday cleaning up Cameron's room 1. so that we'd have another clean room for the monks, and 2. so that Cameron can actually use it to study in. I don't have an after picture, but I really should snap one. It looks like a completely different room. And it felt so good to clean it. While I was at it I mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors and did all the laundry and all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and the living room. I don't know what's gotten into me, it must be spring...because honestly (you can ask Cameron) I don't clean.

Now I want to start on my yard and garden. Boy this is weird.

We're Saved.

2011-02-16T12:26:00.002-07:00

We have been on a super tight budget this semester and we were trying to figure out extra income so that we could pay rent in may and june (and eat...minor detail). I've been getting my resume all re-spiffified to start job hunting but I really didn't want to start the hunt. I've had this nagging thought in the back of my head that something would come through and I'd be able to keep on as I have and that I'd be able to do my photography and not an outside job. But things just weren't working for that. I found out about events and opportunities just barely too late to put in my bid, and trying to figure out tax id numbers and everything that went along with that was just not working out. Normally I'm pretty good at figuring out taxes and requirements and everything, but I have been reading myself in circles as to what is required of me and what I should do. Monday I nearly started to physically bang my head against the table. I was making no headway on licenses and tax id's, I couldn't find the information I needed, I was worrying and way stressed about finding income, and it was just not working. On facebook I put "Reality, I am sticking my tongue out at you with all the emotion of a disgruntled 6 year old. When's recess?" Right after that I logged off and Cameron and I started driving home. Not 15 minutes later we stopped to get our mail and Cameron's check for his 1/2 tuition waver for getting on WNMU's Student Senate had come in. Cameron opened it and our jaws fell through the bottom of the car...he had been given an extra grant that we had no idea was available that gives us exactly what we need. I all but burst into tears. Cameron checked it out with the school to make sure no mistake had been made, and it was legit. We're going to make it through the semester with somewhere to live and food to eat. Hallelujah! (Handel is directing a choir in my head). I am still working on expanding my photography, because it'd be nice to have a little more wiggle room and money to put away, but it is so nice to know that the essentials are taken care of. God is watching out for us.

I've caught a bug.

2011-02-09T16:20:00.003-07:00

I spent 3 hours wandering through 2 stores today (Ace and WalMart) and came out of there with so many ideas and thoughts (and only the items I went in to buy...I'm so proud of myself). I went in pricing out the materials I'm going to need to build a photo booth that can be assembled and disassembled and hauled around in the back of a Geo Metro. I got the pricing done, and then I just wandered for the heck of it. Quite a few times I would look at something and think "I could make that" or "I want to learn to make that".

I found some amazing fabrics that would make the cutest purse or tote. I found decorative balls covered in leaves that they are selling for $10 that would be so cheap and simple and fun to make. I found pre-arranged flower's for tall vases that were so simple and pretty so that people didn't have to do the arranging, just stick it in the pot. I found fun ribbons and edgings that I want to put on things. I found wind chimes that were darling, but were constructed so cheaply they wouldn't last a real live wind...some manipulation and changes would make them solid. I found flower pots with cute but simple designs painted on them. I found mini-picket fence flower garden edging. I found tons of stuff, and I am just itching to go make one for me or someone else. I just want to make stuff...tons of stuff. I don't know what bug I've caught, but it's some sort of crafty/creative blog and the fever just slowly gets higher and higher.

Valentines Foundation Quilt Block Pillow

2011-02-01T10:09:00.003-07:00

Quilting was always intimidating to me, but I decided to give it a try. I got a book at the library and took it home and realized my good fortune. I had gotten a book that shows how to do foundation quilting. I'd made a big quilt with big pieces before, but didn't want to even attempt something with small pieces. Well, foundation quilting was EASY and fast and fun. You don't have to spend time cutting out all the pieces before hand, you sew them to a paper template and then take the paper off later and you cut as you go. I did 5 blocks, 1 big and 4 small, and made a Valentines pillow case. The lines don't all match perfectly, but I was pretty pleased with the end result. And now I have something Valentiney to put up in the house (after Christmas decorations, I decided I want decorations for other seasons/holidays as well).

God Loves Me

2011-01-28T15:08:00.004-07:00

Growing up, I was taught that God loves me, and I believed it. Since then I've gone through years where I felt the general love of God for everyone here on earth, but I didn't feel it as a personal love; I didn't have that personal relationship with God that I heard so many people talked about. Things that people used as their evidence of God's personal love for them didn't make sense to me, they often seemed so general and generic and made more sense to me as evidences of God's love for mankind, not me personally. I knew that God and Christ put the Atonement into place because they loved all of us and wanted to provide a way for us to return to God's presence. I knew that God put his gospel on earth because he loves us. I knew that God made beautiful warm days for us to enjoy, but it wasn't just for me, it was for everyone around me too. I saw things like this as a love for all of us collectively, but not as a specific love for me individually.

To be completely honest, I still struggle with this, but I am slowly coming to recognize that maybe God really does know and love me personally. At times I struggle, I fret, I wish, I hope, and I worry and it doesn't seem to do much good, and then God opens doors and lights the way.

The past three days has been amazing; I've watched door after door open for us-some just a crack open, and some thrown wide open. Cameron was given a scholarship funded appointment to the student senate. Cameron's boss asked if his wife (who is trying to cut back her photography business) could refer people to me. This seems simple and dumb and girly, but I was able to get a fantastic hair cut that makes me feel pretty, classy, and upbeat. We've had other prayers answered that have cut back hugely on our stress and worry. All of these things happening in the past 3 days have really made me stop and look. We didn't need any of these specific things, but they are such blessings to us and are answers to prayers. I'm learning more and more that God knows what we want and what we need; I'm learning that God knows what I want and what I need.

Out of everything this week, something else has made me feel God's personal love for me more than anything else. It was really simple, and it seems silly, but because of 2 bags of upholstery material, I am feeling very loved. Let me explain: I have been dying to create (paint, sew, sing, anything!), but I haven't know what to do, where or what supplies to get, and how to justify it when I could be finding work. Tuesday I found books full of ideas that are right up my alley and many of which are right in my budget! I found ideas that weren't in my budget and that I'd never done before, but they appealed to me greatly; I just tucked those ideas away and figured years later maybe I could try one or two. Then yesterday Cameron came home from work with 2 large garbage bags full of GORGEOUS upholstery samples (each about 1 1/2 x 2 feet) that they were going to throw away at the furniture store. All the sudden, I now have the supplies I need for many of the projects I wanted to do. I also now have enough supplies to not only make things for Cameron and I, but I can make TONS and possibly sell them at the local artist market. God gave me a way to pursue my passion and develop my talents where before it wasn't really possible at this time. He didn't have to do that. I didn't NEED this. But I am grateful for it. I am feeling the love of a Heavenly Father who knows me, and who wants me to be happy. I am relearning what I was taught as a child, that Heavenly Father loves everyone collectively, but He also loves everyone individually.

I am sitting here feeling amazed and grateful and loved.

McLife Reorder

2011-01-26T10:26:00.003-07:00

McLife,

I ordered a big fat bank account and a slim body, I think you mixed them up. Can I send them back for an exchange?

Thanks,

P.S. Tell the wishing well that they mixed up my friend's wishes too.

101 Things in 2011 Update

2011-01-25T10:34:00.002-07:00

My sister helped me to realize that I had some doubles in my 101 Things to Do list. So I got those fixed and was even able to mark off some of the other Items that I had already completed. So, here is the new and current list:

2011 Edition of 101 Things to Do This Year

Get a business license
Sew a blanket
Do an oil painting
Do a watercolor painting
Do a calligraphy project
Crochet something
Finish Mom’s Nativity from 2010
Bake bread
Go camping 3 times
Hike to the top of Saddle Mountain
Read North and South
Write a letter once a month
Do an art/craft project once a month
Go to Tucson twice
Memorize a piano song
Make ice cream potatoes
Bake a pie from scratch
Make a budget (1-15-2011)
Get the AC on the car fixed
Go for a month without eating out
Go Visiting Teaching
Get together with the whole Quad
Launch my photography website
Start my Literature Photography project
Start my Fairy Tale Photography project
Start the Letter Game with someone
Crochet a hot pad.
Get to 165 lbs
Put together a photography backdrop frame
Shoot with a 2^nd photographer
Shoot as a 2^nd photographer
Visit Stanley during the summer
Visit somewhere new in NM
Visit somewhere new in AZ
Make homemade rootbeer
“Host” a date for Nina and Brigham
Have a Princess Bride party
Make a photo calendar
Enter a photo in the NM State Fair
Enter a photo in the County Fair
Enter an art project in the County Fair
Reread The Work and the Glory
Read The Undaunted
Stick to a budget for 2 months
Do a photo shoot once a week

Jan 1-6: Santa Fe Cathedral
Jan 7-13: Old Ranch House
Jan 14-20: Em & Chip
Jan 21-27: EAC Basketball Games (first basketball game shoot ever!)

Get a new piano book
Exercise every day for 2 weeks.
Join the community orchestra
Talk to Sis. Lewis about Photography
Take pictures on the Ranch
Take pictures from horseback
Visit Astronomy Labs once a semester.
Take “Wedding” photos for our 5^th anniversary
Try a new food.

King Crab Legs 1-17-11

Get Quelf
Try a new hair style
Take new pictures of Nina, Brigham and Heber
Get a new piece of camera equipment
Sew a new piece of clothing
Make a cork board out of corks
Paint a picture for Katie
Get bar stools
Go to Spring Sing
Compile of book of specific exposures for specific situations
Compile my photo portfolio
Fill up my journal
Get 4 Photo Booth Props
Sew a bag
Do another mosaic watercolor
Compile the Fort Bowie trail book/binder
Plant a garden
Write a business plan for my photography
Work with the Small Business Center to get my photography set up
Talk with Kita Freeman about the business side of photography
Make a Key Lime Pie
Get 3 houseplants
Finish my Fort Bowie Cars shoot
Go tubing down the Gila
Plant something in my flower pots on the porch
Plant something in my flower beds in front of the house
Get business cards made
Get a lens cleaning kit.
Have Abby come stay with us
Have Carson and Justin over again
Teach at the GEAR UP in June
Have a couple from the ward over for dinner/games
Read 10 Books for fun.

Sorcery & Cecilia 1-13-11

Fix the fire ring
Send Hyrum a package
Send Ezra a package
Send Pete a package
Send out Photography Christmas cards
Learn to make a new food
Cut our own Christmas tree
Make seasonal/holiday dishrags
Make seasonal/holiday decorations
Have a special meal for the Vernal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Summer Solstice
Have a special meal for the Autumnal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Winter Solstice
Finish at least 60% of this list.

Impressed with the Dress

2011-01-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Normally I'm not too impressed with celebrity choices in dress, especially for these big award events. They are all usually too expensive, have a fabric shortage, and many are just plain weird. I don't even usually take the time to look at them or albums of them. For some reason the other day I was glancing through GLEE's album from the Golden Globe awards (I used to watch the show but it just got weird and internet became hard to come by, so I haven't seen it in ages) and most of the dresses were ridiculous, but then I came across this one:

I was super impressed! It's modest, stylish, classy, and not over the top. I would definitely wear something like this. It is simple yet stunning.

Memo to Self: Look for a pattern to sew, I want a dress like this.

New 101 Things to Do List

2011-01-16T21:53:00.004-07:00

I have never set New Years resolutions because I knew I wouldn't keep them, but then I saw an idea last year. People were making 101 Things in 1001 days. 1001 days was a little too long of a time frame for me, so I decided each year I'm going to make a 101 Things This Year List.

Last year I didn't complete all of my list, but I did at least half...by a little bit. I full completed 51 items, partially completed 3 items, and I didn't finish 47 items at all. Some of the uncompleted items was because my life goals/ideas changed, some I didn't finish because I was just lazy.

I finally finished putting together my new list for 2011. Some of the items from last year's list made it on this list, some didn't. Here's my new list:

2011 Edition of 101 Things to Do This Year

Get a business license
Sew a blanket
Do an oil painting
Do a watercolor painting
Do a calligraphy project
Crochet something
Finish Mom’s Nativity from 2010
Bake bread
Go camping 3 times
Hike to the top of Saddle Mountain
Read North and South
Write a letter once a month
Do an art/craft project once a month
Go to Tucson twice
Memorize a piano song
Make ice cream potatoes
Bake a pie from scratch
Make a budget
Get the AC on the car fixed
Go for a month without eating out
Go Visiting Teaching
Get together with the whole Quad
Launch my photography website
Start my Literature Photography project
Start my Fairy Tale Photography project
Start the Letter Game with someone
Crochet a hot pad.
Get to 165 lbs
Put together a photography backdrop frame
Shoot with a 2^nd photographer
Shoot as a 2^nd photographer
Go for a month without eating out
Visit somewhere new in NM
Visit somewhere new in AZ
Make homemade rootbeer
“Host” a date for Nina and Brigham
Have a Princess Bride party
Make a photo calendar
Enter a photo in the NM State Fair
Enter a photo in the County Fair
Enter an art project in the County Fair
Reread The Work and the Glory
Read The Undaunted
Stick to a budget for 2 months
Do a photo shoot once a week
Get a new piano book
Write a letter once a month.
Join the community orchestra
Talk to Sis. Lewis about Photography
Take pictures on the Ranch
Take pictures from horseback
Visit Astronomy Labs once a semester.
Take “Wedding” photos for our 5^th anniversary
Try a new food.
Get Quelf
Try a new hair style
Take new pictures of Nina, Brigham and Heber
Get a new piece of camera equipment
Sew a new piece of clothing
Make a cork board out of corks
Paint a picture for Katie
Get bar stools
Go to Spring Sing
Compile of book of specific exposures for specific situations
Compile my photo portfolio
Fill up my journal
Sew a blanket
Sew a bag
Do another mosaic watercolor
Compile the Fort Bowie trail book/binder
Plant a garden
Write a business plan for my photography
Work with the Small Business Center to get my photography set up
Talk with Kita Freeman about the business side of photography
Make a Key Lime Pie
Get 3 houseplants
Finish my Fort Bowie Cars shoot
Go tubing down the Gila
Plant something in my flower pots on the porch
Plant something in my flower beds in front of the house
Get business cards made
Get a lens cleaning kit.
Have Abby come stay with us
Practice my oboe every week (starting Jan. 16, 2011)
Teach at the GEAR UP in June
Have a couple from the ward over for dinner/games
Read 10 Books for fun.
Fix the fire ring
Send Hyrum a package
Send Ezra a package
Send Pete a package
Send out Photography Christmas cards
Learn to make a new food
Cut our own Christmas tree
Make seasonal/holiday dishrags
Make seasonal/holiday decorations
Have a special meal for the Vernal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Summer Solstice
Have a special meal for the Autumnal Equinox
Have a special meal for the Winter Solstice
Finish at least 60% of this list.

The Letter Game

2011-01-13T12:08:00.003-07:00

Before I can really jump into this post, I have to add some background:

I just finished a book written by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede entitled "Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Coffee Pot". This book was delightful and it has left me thinking about it the past couple of days. As said on their website, "the book has been described as 'Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer have J.R.R. Tolkien to tea--or chocolate." I had read books by Patricia C. Wrede before and loved them, but I wasn't expecting much from this book. I decided finally to pick it up and read it and I loved it. It was fun and different (like all of Wrede's work).

The story was fun, truly Jane Austen meets Tolkien, but it wasn't just the story that captivated me. The style of the book was in letter form. Normally I am not a huge fan of this form of fiction, but I liked this one. I found out after finishing the book that the two authors played what they called "The Letter Game" to write this book. They each picked a character and then decided on an era and then they wrote letters back and forth to each other as if they were each their own character. They could not collaborate on the plot at all, it all had to come out in the letters. After finishing the letters they realized what a great book it would be and tidied a few ends up and got it published.

Okay, background finished, here's what I wanted to get at:

Some people express intimidation after reading a great book or seeing beautiful art or hearing moving music; they feel like they could never measure up and it makes them depressed. Every now and then I feel that way, but usually things that I have enjoyed inspire me. I see great photography and I want to do that and it inspires me to push on. I hear beautiful music and I long to create music like that, so I practice the piano or oboe or singing. This book was not a great piece of literature, it was just an easy fun book, but it has served to inspire me. I want to write. I want to come up with stories and characters that capture peoples imaginations and emotions. The only thing I feel intimidated about is the imagination it would take...I feel like my imagination is weak. Perhaps someday though it will be ready.

I have been thinking lately, trying to come up with a character and setting that I would use in a Letter Game. I don't have it yet, but it's fun to think and dream up a friend. What kind of character and setting/era would you create?

Fabric Rose

2011-01-11T09:41:00.003-07:00

For Winter Formal this past December I went white and gold.

I had made me a big fun skirt a few years ago and I wanted to wear it again for the formal dance, but I didn't have a shirt to go with it. Cameron took me out shopping (I have such a good man) and we found the perfect shirt, but it was white too. I was a little worried about going in all white, so I looked online for ideas and saw that just a few gold accents on a white dress really made things go a long ways. So I looked online for more ideas and decided to make some gold fabric roses-1 big one as a pin and 6 tiny ones to go on bobby pins in my hair. My shirt's collar was lined with pearls, so to tie the gold and pearls together I glued plastic pearls to bobby pins to put in my hair as well, and then I found a great earring/bracelet set at Wally World (I shop cheap) that had pearls and gold. I wanted still a little more gold, so I bought those tiny gold glass beads and sewed them onto my skirt. You can't really see them in the picture, but they are there and they added a fun gold sparkle to the skirt.

Anyway, all of this because I wanted to post a picture of my cool rose pin that I made and show how to make it. I wear it pinned to a sweater now sometimes, so it is still getting used.

I was going to post a tutorial, but I lazied out. Here's how I learned to make it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnGdX7_5Rds

Christmas Gifts

2011-01-10T09:26:00.003-07:00

A little while back I wrote a post about our Simple and Secondhand Christmas, but I didn't have any pictures to include at the time. I finally took pictures this morning so now I can share them.

I got Cameron stuff for the kitchen. He loves to cook and is quite good at it, but he really didn't like the utensils I had in the kitchen and was always teasing me about them. Because of that, I got him a few utensils he wanted most, embroidered him a manly apron, and got him a cookbook aimed specifically at men.

Here's a few photos of him and his gifts:

Now the cookbook wasn't me trying to send him a message or anything, it was the only cookbook aimed at men I could find at the Bookmans we were at. I didn't think he wanted a Rachel Ray or a Paula Deen book, so I got him this one.

Cameron made me an assortment of bathsalts. I have Tunisian Amber salts, Wildflower scented salts, salts with oatmeal, and salts that are just salts. It finally warmed up enough where I would take a bath (don't worry, I shower, but there is nothing worse than stepping out of a soak in a hot bath into a freezing house). It was lovely. He even carved me a little spoon/scoop out of mesquite. He found the awesome oriental "jar" at Bookmans for $3! He said that the bath salts were super easy to make.