You Can Be Domestic Too

So I had a wonderful Christmas, and got a lot of great gifts (all very useful and domestic as my sister called them). I'm the proud owner of a new sewing machine...and today I even managed to use it AND keep my I-hate-not-knowing-how-to-use-things temper down enough that I didn't throw it through the window. I did however imagine throwing it through a window and gained quite a bit of satisfaction from that. I'm psyched about it though and am looking forward to making more pillowcases, curtains, and cute purses than my apartment can hold (and maybe someday I'll branch out and make some pajama pants...we'll see ;) ) Oh, and just think of how I can dominate craft challenges when I don't have to sew everything by hand! ;)

I also got lots of cooking related gifts...hand mixer..cooling racks...cookie sheets...cookie jar, two new knitting books, the Redwall cookbook (yum!), CDs and new sheets for my bed (already washed and ready to go! yes, I have been taking full advantage of my parents' washer and dryer)

So with all my domestic gifts and a new year about to begin, I resolve to become a DOMESTIC GODDESS, able to create all my own clothing, cook everything from scratch, decorate and furnish my home with a few bits of twine and some tape...

hmm...maybe not ;)

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree...

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday so far! I'm doing great--with all my family here, plus 7 dogs, 5 Christmas trees, 2 plates of cookies and fudge (and a partridge in a pear tree) things couldn't be better!

I've posted pictures of all of my Mom's trees, so you can see them. From the top, we have the Family Tree, that's located in the family room. Below that is the Gold Tree that's in the dining room. Next is the Snowman Tree that's in the T.V. room. Then, there's the Kitchen Tree, and then there's the Silver Tree that's at the top of the stairs. The dogs leave the trees alone pretty well, but Freya (that's Erin's dog) has the "tail of doom" that tends to knock glass ornaments off the snowman tree, so we have experienced some ornament casualities. ;)

Christmas Trees

My Christmas Tree! 

From ratty jeans to...

My very first craft challenge entry!

I entered decided to try out craft challenge #7 on craftster.org and "bring new life to old jeans"

I came up with this jean apron/tool belt, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be voted one of the top 5 coolest, so that I can win a crafting book (wouldn't that be awesome). So here's my shameless plee...

vote for me! vote for me! vote for me!

Okay, I'm done now ;)

Puget Sound

A picture from our whale watching trip...
didn't see any orcas, but we did see a little Minki Whale

Back from Seattle

and very very tired...but it was an awesome trip (and as soon as I'm back in my apartment with my USB cord, I'll post some pictures)

Mushed Mums

Mushed Mums

One picture from the Fout garden after a crazy weekend of driving (well actually riding and sleeping while John drove) up to Lancaster and then to Cleveland and then back to Lancaster and then to Athens and then to Lexington (whew!) but I did get to see the end of my friend Erin's wedding and attend her wonderful reception! Then, the next day, I got to go back to Athens for the first time since I graduated...we visited John's really hung-over brother and then went to Donkey for coffee...aww, Athens, I miss you!!

and, on a completely side note, I've been taking my camera with me everywhere....so maybe, just maybe, I'm not burnt-out anymore. We'll see...I'm hoping that one of these days I branch out beyond flower pictures, but I'm not pushing it ;)

We'll see what I can do in Seattle (when I'm there in two days!!)

hmm...

so am I still popular if most of my comments are spam?? ;) hehe at least they appreciate my "very interesting blog"

Slow and steady...

or maybe just slow ;) Branching out has six repeats now...maybe because I keep surfing the internet instead of knitting. I like how it's looking so far but gosh, I have to pay UTTER AND TOTAL ATTENTION to what I'm doing or else I finish a repeat and wonder...

"Why do I only have 24 stitches? Where is my other stitch?? How could I only have 24??"

I think that's happened three times so far...but LUCKILY I read about lifelines and so in the worst cases, I've only had to pull out 10 rows...

I thought that maybe I'd finish it to wear on my Seattle trip, but that'd take some frantic knitting...don't think it's going to happen but we'll see ;)

Another one for the flower portfolio

Flower

A couple pictures from our trip to the UK Arboretum...I love that place sooo much.

My new knitting project, Branching Out, is going well...4 repeats down...32 or so to go...

More Flowers 

Branching Out

Okay...so I'm starting a new scarf tonight, Branching Out from knitty.com (I'm also doing the Branching Out knit along on craftster.org). I've never knit lace before...so keep your fingers crossed and think happy thoughts ;)

And another...

"School opens tomorrow. As it does every day of your life. Keep your pencils sharp and your eyes and ears open. Be there." - Robert Fulghum

Awww....

What do you make for two friends that met at Boy Scout Camp and are expecting a baby??

Baby Boy Scout socks, of course!!

UK Arboretum 

not lost and gone forever

Okay...I REALLY am going to post on my blog and keep it updated and add new pictures to make it look pretty...see I've already done it ;)

Well, I could probably go on and on about my life right now...if I just talked about the good stuff, it'd sound perfect and wonderful (but not so accurate) and if I just talked about the bad stuff, well...it'd sound not so fun...

So I'll try to stick with the good things...

The picture below this post is from Labor Day Weekend (yay my birthday weekend!) at Miguel's Pizza at the Red River Gorge (camping is $2 a night for rock climbers and it was PACKED). We climbed a little and then hiked up to the natural bridge part of Natural Bridge State Park...very pretty! And we tried not to be too hurt by the fact that little kids and grandmas were beating us up the trail

The picture above this post is from the UK Arboretum...which is one of my favorite places in Kentucky so far (in Lexington...but that's only an hour away, right?). There are trees and flowers and people walking with strollers and dogs, and people running...I took pictures until my camera battery died, and the picture above is one of the best ones I got.

Labor Day Weekend 

Not tired enough

So here I am after midnight...and I'm not sleepy enough for bed...I'm guessing I ate way too much chocolate ;)

Things are good. I had a really great day today. When I got home from work, my co-worker had left a surprise for me...a bag with tomatoes, M&Ms, and bite-size Snickers!...so that was really nice =D I'd also bought a pound of tomatoes from a farmer earlier today...so I've got tomatoes coming out my ears now...just gotta figure out what to do with all of them ;)

One tired puppy...

Been such a slacker when it comes to posting, but I've been crazy crazy busy...got a new job, and a new apartment (still furniture-less) and all of that...and gosh, am I tired.

(but I am in my new-and very nice-apartment, all of my utilities are hooked up (including my cable...except my too-heavy tv is waiting in my car until I can find someone stronger than I am to carry it upstairs), and tomorrow morning I have a 3 minute commute instead of an hour...thank goodness)

Just Challenges and Opportunities

I kind of wish I could fast forward time a little bit so that...POOF! I'd already have an apartment! and POOF! I'd already have all my utilities hooked up! and POOF! My first week of work would already be over so I'd already be on my way to settling in!

But the good part about this craziness is (drumroll please)...I HAVE A JOB!! and a darn good one too!! So that's the good news.

The bad news is that I'm feeling overwhelmed and unsettled...Why exactly does US Bank need 3 forms of ID to set up a checking account? If I get a Cingular phone, will I ever have good enough reception to call anyone??

But in a case like this, I know just what I need to do...

I need to maintain a
POSTIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE

with plenty of
ENTHUSIASM
ENTHUSIASM
ENTHUSIASM

Because if I don't, they will...
HYDRATE ME
MOTIVATE ME
TERMINATE ME

(and you know that I did the hand motions ;) love you baby)

Kentucky

Well..there's so much to write about that I don't even really know where to start...I've been here for over a week now, just got back from watching the fireworks in downtown Lexington, and before that, I took a nap...actually before that, I got back from a weekend in Ohio =D and I am still way tired but I need to pick out a nice outfit for tomorrow, set an alarm...oh and go switch my laundry (oops) ok that's taken care of now...

I'm tired enough that everything I write is coming out cranky...so I'll just say, things are pretty darn good and leave it at that

Flower picture from my camping trip

Well here I am...less than a week from leaving...I can't believe I've almost been here an entire year.

One of my friends out here set up a camping trip and I was the "guest of honor." =) It was a lot of fun, and I was glad to use my tent again (it's been forever!!). I'm hoping that after the move I'll have more opportunities for camping and climbing and all that.

I've been packing and packing and packing...and it's a good thing I can see the pile of boxes growing because my room is such a mess right now that it seems like I haven't packed anything at all. I'm always amazed at the amount of stuff I have!!

So that's about it here... really excited and a little sad and a little anxious about the move (but hanging in there!)...I just know it'll be here so quick

Sock Puppets

Yep, tomorrow's workshop topic is sock puppets...so my mission for today was to make an example, and here's what I came up with =D

At first, I thought he was kinda funny looking, but he's starting to grow on me...

and then some...

Well, as you can see from my pictures, I got to go to Arches last weekend...it was an incredible place, beautiful, amazing...I've wanted to go there for years, so actually getting there (especially when I'd kind of given up on making it out there while I was here in Wyoming) was awesome =D

I'm getting a roommate tomorrow, and I've been a busy bee this afternoon trying to get the apartment ready...the 2nd bedroom is all cleaned out and vaccumed...but my room looks like it got hit by a tornado ;) but it's kind of cozy to have all my stuff in my room...like being back in college. I've still got to make room in the fridge, kitchen cabinents, hall closet, and do some more vaccuming...but I'm excited...it'll be fun to have someone else around the apartment =D

Arches 

Wildflower 

Arches 

Guess what today is??

Today is TWO MONTHS LEFT!!!

It's so awesome to be able to write that, and to think back on the fact that I've already been here for 10 MONTHS!! Wow =D

wow

I started riding my bike again...and it's been pretty nice. I haven't been getting all dude-d up in my bike clothes, just rolling up my pant legs and riding around town and seeing whats going on. Someone was watering their lawn yesterday using what me and my sisters would call a "Monkey Sprinkler." One of the ones where the two holes for water look like eyes, the nozzle for the hose is the neck, the bumps on top are monkey ears. It instantly reminded me of running through the sprinkler when we were little, swimsuits, beach towels, little lawn chairs, once I even remember bringing out a drink (I'm guessing it was orange juice)...like a little beach holiday in our backyard in Kansas.

I keep telling myself that I'll be able to deal with the humidity in Kentucky...I mean, I grew up with it right?? I can't fault Wyoming about that one...the summer was gorgeous here...but summer's supposed to be HOT and HUMID, going swimming, ice cream melting all over your hand, tank tops and shorts because you don't want to wear any more clothes than you have too, barbeques, going to the lake (the beach!)...why am I looking forward to humidity? Well, my first guess is that I've spent too much time alone and totally lost it ;) Second guess...it doesn't feel like home without it...who knows but you'll be able to look back on this post when I'm complaining about how sticky it is in Kentucky and laugh at me. It's ok...I'll be laughing too

Yay for Spring!

I am so excited about Springtime I'm about to explode! =) Well, maybe not explode, but I am getting the crazy desire to grill out, plant things, and just be outside! I was planning on grilling tonight, but this morning's beautiful weather has turned cloudy and colder (I think it's supposed to dump snow on us tomorrow) so I may have to settle for some George Foreman grilling while I listen to some Jimmy Buffet ;)

My countdown is now 2 1/2 months and I just can't believe it!! When did it get to be April?!? Wasn't it just yesterday I was visiting Wyoming to pick out an apartment and was freezing cold in all my summer clothes?!?

The purse I made! =D

Cute like a cupcake, isn't it? ;)

Wild Dog Pack

Bailey, Hero and part of Maggie

While visiting my parents, I also got to see my sister Erin (our breaks overlapped a little) and her two dogs, and when you add her to dogs to my parents' two dogs and you've got what my Mom likes to call the "wild dog pack" Had a great time, loved playing with all the dogs, and can't wait to get one of my own!

HOORAY!!

Is there anything more exciting than finding a new swimsuit in ONE TRY that only cost $17??

Okay, maybe there is...but it's still pretty darn exciting. Last summer, I looked and looked and looked and looked for a swimsuit...and let me tell you, that's not so good for the ego...and here I am in TJMaxx on april 1st with the insane desire to try on swimsuits (maybe I'd like to pretend that its swimsuit weather in Wyoming instead of coat weather) and I try on one and it's perfect!! YAY!

I also got a new jean skirt...pretty cute...maybe warm enough to wear it tomorrow (either way I'm about to the point where I PRETEND it's warm enough to wear my spring/summer clothes and then shiver all day long) and fabric to make my very first purse (from the Jordy Bag tutorial on www.craftster.org) My Mom's going to help me so hopefully it'll look purse-like when I'm finished. =) I'll post some pictures when I get back to Wyoming.

Other news...well, Dad and I have been climbing a few times here at the community center and thankfully, I haven't totally forgotten how to climb. My Mom swears I still look like I know what I'm doing so thats always a good sign AND my Dad got his first pair of climbing shoes today! We're going to the wall tomorrow afternoon, and I'm so excited for him to see what a difference they make! =)

AND my Mom is doing an Ethinic Foods Demonstration tomorrow morning...Chicken Enchiladas and Chalupa (yum!!!) so that's what the whole house smells like right now. Luckily is doesn't have to be your OWN ethnic food...or else we'd be eating...ummm....potatoes? porridge? (squinching up my nose) Actually some German food would be good, but my Mom really rocks when it comes to tex-mex...so I'm sure she'll do awesome tomorrow (and we get to eat the leftovers!)

=)

duck feet! =)

duck feet! =)

I know taking pictures of ducks isn't that hard...because well they're not scared of you. I still thought it was fun, and what can I say, I love their bright orange feet! I don't think they loved me though--they were pretty disgruntled with me when they realized that I had no food for them.

fence and sky

fence and sky

These are all picture from this afternoon. I got inspired and went out with my camera (maybe finally getting over that whole burned-out-on-photography thing!). The weather was looking a little iffy (leave it to me to get inspired when there's a winter weather advisory), but the clouds looked pretty neat, and the light was diffused (ah my favorite type of lighting). Anyway...the weather held out for me, and so I had an awesome afternoon doing one of my favorite things ever ;)

prairie grass (altered)

prairie grass (altered in photoshop)

This one and the one below it looked okay after I got them uploaded on the computer, but then I started playing around with them in photoshop, and now I think they look great...so not really photographs anymore..digital images, I guess. On this one, I changed the hue, upped the color saturation, and made the whole image darker.

more prairie grass (altered)

more prairie grass (altered)

This one I wanted in black and white, but once I removed the color from the picture it was really gray...so I went into "brightness/contrast," made the picture darker, and increased the contrast. Another digital image.

I finished the scarf!!

Blue models my newly finished Irish Hiking Scarf--my first knitted scarf AND my first project with cables (which I LOVE now...they look so sharp and aren't hard at all!) Should be mailing it off to Kentucky tomorrow morning and hoping that there's a little cold winter weather left over there. I got the pattern from...

http://www.helloyarn.com/irishhikingscarfpf.htm

I actually decided to do this project because the directions made so much sense and once I read it/figured out how to do the cables I stayed up until 2 a.m. just practicing...I was so excited. For the scarf, I used a a little more than one skein of Red Heart Supersaver Yarn. I used size 10 needles instead of size 8 and made it 65 inches instead of 55.. Now, I just have to get it in the mail quick before I decide to keep it for myself ;)

going on up

Feeling much better today...have been quite the busy bee this morning with clean laundry, clean dishes, and another resume all ready to send out! I also found a great blog about job hunting (I don't know anything about the services the Bold Career website is selling, just appreciated several of the posts)...

Bold Career Blog

Feeling better about the job search too...and hoping I hear back about some of the resumes I've just sent out (fingers crossed)

ugh

yeah I'm cranky tonight...and I was doing so well today...but then I came home, got hungry, figured out that the chicken I'd put out to thaw was all freezer burned (grrrr), had a good dinner anyway (of something else that wasn't freezer burned) and had some more girl scout cookies...I got two half boxes on Saturday and now, I'm two cookies away from them being all gone(!!!)...ugh

Yay! My Dad's coming to visit!

He's on the road right now...and luckily, he lives about 12 hours away so I still have time to clear all the Girl Scout and knitting junk off the spare bed, and clean up the kitchen...

I broke my garbage disposal today...=/ or at least is stopped working. I need to call my landlord to let them know but I'm afraid it's so obviously my fault that they'll just think I'm the most stupid person ever...so yeah I probably have put things down the disposal I shouldn't have...it stopped today when I put two lemon slices down there (to make it smell better)...but since they didn't get torn up at all...I think it may have been little bits of those grapevine wreaths I soaked and took apart for the dreamcatcher workshops (I thought I got most of those little pieces...sigh)

Father Daughter Tea

I was sitting on my couch watching "Little Bill" (I only get CBS with my antenna and Little Bill is by far my favorite Saturday morning cartoon, better than Dora and Blue's Clues combined) and reading when I remembered I had to be at the Girl Scout thing to help at 11..luckily I was having one of those days where my hair doesn't look totally crazy when I wake up, so I just got dressed and left...When I got to the Firemen's Hall, there were more boxes of every type of baking mix you can imagine sitting on the counter...wow these Girl Scout Moms are serious (and I'm feeling a little inadequate about the one sleepover--as in we've only had one event outside of meetings all year--I had for the Junior Girl Scouts )

Anyway I started making brownies with help from the sweetest little girl who had to stand on a chair to be able to reach the counter...we made two different batches...and I managed to keep myself from liking the bowl (both times!!!)...it was so nice though, bustling around the kitchen with moms and kids and dads stopping in to make sure they had everything they needed...for awhile I actually felt like I was a part of something, connected...I'm not sure I can explain it without sounding cheesy...but I'll just say it was warm-and-fuzzy and leave it at that ;) I even got to use an electric cookie press to form spritz cookies, and that was just about the coolest thing

I have to say, I love seeing kids with their dads...it reminds me of my Dad, and I just think dads with their daughters are extra cute...it was so funny, we all sat down to "tea" which was actually punch and a massive amount of baked goods...and it was sooo quiet...one dad finally spoke up "well, you can tell it's a group of men. No one's talking" but they warmed up a little when they started talking about the weather and how sugared up their kids were getting. I sat next to my little helper and she was convinced the brownies she was eating were the ones we made together. "They're really chocolate-y so they must be ours" I agreed that if they tasted good that we made them, and if they didnt...well, then someone else must have (or it could've been the batch where I read the high altitude directions AFTER putting in all the ingredients and it called for extra flour, okay, and different amounts of water and vegetable oil, oops...oh well, didn't see anyone gagging on/spitting out brownies)

I managed to make it home without a plate of cookies/cupcakes/brownies...that seemed like the best thing at the time. I was already all sugared up and didn't think I needed to take more home...but right now, I REALLY wish I had a cupcake and a big glass of milk...mmm

Something else...

Yeah so I'm even sick of hearing myself talk about leaving Wyoming...so I'm going to leave that one alone for awhile ;)

Anyway, today was awesome. I led a dreamcatcher workshop this afternoon, which meant this morning I got up and spent two hours deconstructing two grapevine wreaths (and turning them into about 28 grapevine rings to make dreamcatchers with). I was just so glad that the wreaths came apart and worked so well. My kitchen is still a mess from the whole process but I'll clean it up...someday.

The workshop went well...just 5 kids..which is down from what we normally have but I also didn't get the flyers out until Monday. A small group worked out well anyway since I didn't find any volunteers to help me lead this one...the kids mostly grasped the directions and their dreamcatchers were so beautiful...just incredible...makes me think next time I make one I should throw out the directions =)

It was beautiful here today (64 DEGREES!! according to the temp. at the bank)...even broke out the capris...that was exciting since I've been wanting to wear them for months =) and I checked out a stack of books from the library AND I have knitting tonight (yay!) which means I should go find something for dinner...

Why I'm leaving Saratoga

I've gotten asked about this several times (which makes me think that the people doing the asking haven't really considered what it'd be like to live in rural Wyoming without a family and without any family members within 800 miles) but anyway...

It turns out that I fell in love with Appalachia without knowing it. I had going Out West so stuck in my head that I didn't realize how much I loved where I was, or maybe it just took me coming out here to figure it out.

I miss driving down 664 between Logan and Lancaster. I miss all the crazy festivals they have in South-Eastern Ohio. I miss the way fog collects in the valleys in West Virginia, so you can just see the tops of the mountains, black against the evening sky. I miss Kentucky, Ale-8, the Red, white churches with steeples along every highway, West Virginia, the New, and the Monongahela Wilderness (but not enough to check to make sure I'm spelling it right). I was so afraid I'd come to Wyoming and never want to leave...and here I am, in the Rockies, 6,700-some feet about sea-level, and all I want to do is go back.

Listening

Listen to the Mustn'ts, child
Listen to the Don'ts
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts
Listen to the Never Haves, then
Listen close to me:

Anything can happen, child
Anything can be.
-Shel Silverstein

It's just that friendly

John and me in the Cinncinnati Airport

I LOVE Lexington!! =) After the craziness of flying, meeting John, and driving away from icky Cinncinnati as fast as we could, Lexington just seemed like the best place on Earth...college town, old houses, places to eat, places to shop, delivery pizza, smile-y sunshine license plates, people my own age (who understand the importance of college basketball!), trees, green grass, plants that were already growing, rainy weather (who'd have guessed I'd miss that) and John (yay!!!!)

It was a great weekend with lots and lots of laziness...I could blame that on John being sick but really, I'm just kind of a lazy bum ;) but we did go out to Q'doba...which, if anyone is wondering, is much better than Chipotle ;) and we went to Pazzo's, which was excellent, walked around UK, looked for a UK tshirt for me (but in my infinite pickyness I never did find one), watched tv, hung out with John's roommates, and just had a fun time...it was so hard to leave.

Oh, and I didn't get the scarf finished...I did take it with me and was brave enough to knt in front of John's roommates (and only got made fun of a little...but it was ok...if I can dish it out I better be able to take it) but I didn't get that far on it. Frantic knitting doesn't work that well...so I'm going to take my time from here on out...and probably get it finished here in the next couple weeks.

Another crazy night...

I stayed up until 3...knitting! Wild times, huh? =) Actually my dinner turned out so incredibly awesome that I decided I needed dessert. Went to the store (before 8 because that's when it closes) and bought brownies, made them, and ate some even though I can't seem to get brownies right at altitude (move to the mountains and your baking skills go totally out the window...its a drag). I was wired up from the chocolate and decided that I wanted to get a foot of John's scarf finished before I went to sleep...yeah, didn't get quite that far...but I still got up at 9 this morning and I've already been knitting up a storm...I'm trying to get it finished before I leave for Kentucky this weekend, which means I have 40-some inches to go.Wish me luck and hope that my fingers can hold out ;)

Happy...

Things I love about today...my Valentines Day Card, the scarf I'm going to start making as soon as I get off the computer, the awesome oatmeal I made for breakfast this morning, the email card from Heather, trying a new recipe for dinner (raspberry pork chops--keep your fingers crossed), sending off another resume, finding two more jobs to apply for, having no kids show up for reading patch club so it turned into my own personal do-crafts-with-construction-paper-club, having doors held open for me twice, the adorable little boy at the Dollar Store/Craft Store, and finally shelling out the cash for voice mail...so now I can be online (dial-up) all day long without feeling one bit guilty ;)

Winter Carnival

Snowmobile Race, Winter Carnival

Last weekend, I volunteered to help with the Winter Carnival. So I got up in the morning and spent about 4 hours standing in the snow timing cross country skiers, and then 4 1/2 hours in a little wooden shack, selling tickets to the snowmobile races (which are loud and look really dangerous) but I did get some pictures that I liked. Here's one of my favorites.

me too! me too!

"My life has been an unending field trip. And I have tried not to be a tourist. But to be an adventurer, a traveler, an explorer, and a pilgrim." - Robert Fulghum from Maybe, Maybe Not

Yep, I've got a blog now too...just couldn't resist the temptation of letting the WHOLE WORLD (ok, maybe just a little part of the world) know what's going on with me. So what is going on with me? Well, today I'm planning on going to the library, picking up a book about writing cover letters (so I can stop writing ones that are super perky and cheesy), and papering Lexington, Ky with as many resumes and cover letters as I can in hopes that someone will take mercy on the soul of a poor English major and actually call her for an interview.

Why Lexington? It's an hour from the Red River Gorge (if I can remember how to climb after a year off, luckily backpacking is just walking so I should be able to handle that). I miss green things like trees, grass, plants...(most of Wyoming has more of a yellow brown cast, all year round) and I miss civilization....don't get me wrong, there are some really nice things about living in a town of 1,726 people...I know about half the town by now, I can walk everywhere, there's no traffic, the mountains are really beautiful, and I've done things I never would've in Ohio or Kansas (went to my first rodeo, helped at an ice fishing derby and a cross country ski race, learned to knit socks, went snowshoeing). It is a really nice place to live, really it is, but I'm glad its not permanent...and I mean no offense to all the wyomingites when I say.....4 MONTHS AND 18 DAYS!!