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)