building a life

OUR NEW HOME

2011-11-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

Finally, the waiting is over and I can share with you our newly purchased home - or as Davey likes to say "a house that a bank owns in our name". After months of searching houses online and in person, some good & some bad, we were so happy to find this home that fit so many of our wants.

[Note: All photos in this post are from the house listing online. I'd post photos of it empty, but our dreary Seattle weather makes the house look super-gloomy right now, no matter how bright a flash I have on my camera. So lets pretend it's summertime and that our taste in furniture has totally changed - ha ha!]

Here are a few stats,

Beds: 3

Bath: 2.5

Square Feet: 2,360

Lot Size: 1.17 Acres

Style: 2 Story, Traditional

Year Built: 1988

This beautiful house was custom built by the seller back in 1988. She took great pride in her home and property and has kept it looking beautiful over so many years.

One of the first things we fell in love with was the property itself. At just over an acre we really felt we had room to play here. As if to prove that point, the first time we brought Jazz to the house this past weekend he immediately began running laps around the yard. I mean, our dog was frolicking - he never "frolicks"! The backyard is very much Jazz-approved with its greenspace and backwoods, which are all completely fenced!

Dave and I are also very excited about the huge deck on the back of the house, which will hopefully be home to lots of barbeques and parties over the years. And yes, there is a hot tub on the deck, which is currently out-of-order, but perhaps we may get around to calling a service repairman within the next few chilly months.

The property line is a deep rectangle, which is divided up into thirds. The front third is the house, including the driveway and a parking spot for an RV (how convenient, considering I just happen to have an RV that I'm converting into a studio!). The second third includes the deck and a grassy lawn that gradually slopes down to the final third which is a wooded area with ferns and tall coniferous trees. The woods are beautiful and we have plans to create some paths through it and create a hangout spot within it.

Now onto the inside of the house. Here's a simple floorplan of the 1st floor of the house including the 2 car garage and back deck area.

The garage has its own shop built into the back of it to organize lots of tools, paint and other home improvement accouterments.

The laundry room is just off the kitchen, with lots of space for folding clothes.

The kitchen is very bright, with solid custom cabinetry and a nice-sized pantry at the end.

Access to the back deck from the kitchen area.

The powder room, just down the hall from the kitchen.

This office area, and the hallway behind it, lead to the kitchen, creating a large length of space at the back of the house. These french doors offer access to the back deck as well.

The master bedroom is on the first floor and has a lot of space, including a beautiful bay window.

The master bath is a little small, but has great storage.

When you enter the front door, to your left is the dining area which flows into the library and into the kitchen.

The library (as we call it since we plan on putting most of our books in here) has a wonderfully warm wood stove which provides great economical heat during the long wet winters.

From the front door, the living room is on the right, which connects to the office/hallway area.

Here's a basic floorplan of the second level. The stairs are located in front of you as soon as you open the front door.

There are two bedrooms upstairs, both with closets and dormer windows. A shared bath is located in between them.

The second bedroom has a door which leads to the bonus room above the garage.

The bonus room is very long and narrow, perfect for an exercise, reading, or play area.

I hope you've enjoyed this quick tour of our new home. We feel extremely blessed to be able to not only own a home, but to own one as beautiful as this.

BONUS HOUSE

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Before I share our new home (the suspense is killing you, right?), I wanted to show you one last house that we looked at during our tour of homes this past year. This house is the most similar style to the home we actually ended up buying, but it was still a fixer-upper.

House #11 - The Wrap-Around Porch House

This home had a huge porch that wrapped around half of the house. On one side, it even had a brick fireplace on the outside, under the porch, with a grill for smoking salmon and all kinds of other goodies.

PROS: Good location, lots of land, plenty of bedrooms, large garade, dog run, creek running along property

CONS: Majority of property was on a very steep hill, new kitchen and bathrooms needed, very close to the road, lots of dirt and debris gathered in the carpets.

Guest Bathroom

Master Bathroom sink area

Master Bedroom

Stairs

Open brick for wood stove - check out that dark brown carpet!

Downstairs hallway with kitchen, living room and laundry rooms off of it

Living room

Living room with fireplace, looking into kitchen

Kitchen area from living room

Wrap-around Porch

Outdoor fireplace/grill

This was the first house we looked at that we seriously considered putting an offer on. After we viewed it in the morning, we called our realtor and told her we wanted to put an offer in. She called us back several hours later to inform us that the seller had already accepted an offer that morning. We were so bummed. This house seemed perfect for us, had a lot of potential and just needed us to love on it a little bit. After our initial sadness, we realized it wasn't meant to be and continued our search over the next several months.

The neat thing about this home is that I have to drive by it whenever I take Jazz to his doggy-daycare when we go out of town. So, one day I drove by the house and saw the new owners working in the yard, planting some shrubs in front of this newly painted house - it was so gorgeous! I stopped on my return trip home, pulled in the driveway a bit, and looked at how they had transformed this sad brown house into the cutest colonial looking thing.

I took this photo with my phone so I could show Davey what they had done to the house. He thought they had done a great job as well.

Then, several months later, I pass the house again and this time it has a FOR SALE sign on it! Whaaaat?! When I get back home I immediately look online for the house and there it is, listed in all it's FLIPPED glory! These people had totally flipped the house from drab and dark to amazing and awesome. Here are a few pics of all the hard work they put into the home:

Front of house from street

House from driveway - they paved it!

Stairs

Wrap-around porch

Opened up the living room and kitchen areas

Kitchen

Outdoor fireplace/grill

Living room (where the open brick used to be)

Living room and dining room

Guest bathroom

Guest Bathroom sink area

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom sink area

Master Bedroom

Isn't that amazing! Of course, they've nearly doubled the original price, but still, I am in awe of how people can transform a home. Our new house doesn't need anywhere near this many improvements, but hopefully a few of the things we have planned will help make it feel like ours all the more.

I promise - next post will be a tour of our new home with lots of photos! :)

HOMES WE TOURED

2011-11-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Since our initial strategy in buying a home was looking for a fixer-upper, many of the houses we toured were in need of some lovin' to really bring them back to life. We looked at over 15 homes before finding "the one", here are a few of them:

HOUSE #1 - The Hollywood House

So named because it's in a neighborhood called Hollywood Hill. This was the very first house we toured, and where we found our realtor (she was the selling agent for the home).

PROS: Great location, large lot, great neighborhood, 2 outbuildings including a barn

CONS: This was a smaller home that had been added onto, then added onto again, and again - which made the layout pretty odd (picture walking through the laundry/office to get to the master bedroom?). Serious construction updates needed - asbestos removal, heating/air duct work, new kitchen and bathrooms.

HOUSE #2 - The Master Bedroom Walk-In Closet House

So named because the master bedroom had a large area that led out onto the deck for some unknown reason. It was set up perfectly, however, to be a great walk-in closet with just a few tweaks.

PROS: Great layout, finished basement, large lot with mountain views, old outbuilding/barn, big garage, circular driveway

CONS: A pretty far drive from our main "hub" of town we like. Needed an entire new kitchen, smelled smokey, yard had large stumps that needed to be removed and the whole yard needed to be fenced

HOUSE #3 - The Baseboard Burned House

So named because all of the baseboard heaters had left black smoke marks on the walls.

PROS: Decent location, large lot on a greenbelt, two large barns, circle driveway, good size galley kitchen with large pantry

CONS: Obviously all the baseboard heating would have to be replaced, new carpets and lots of yardwork to bring this place back to life

HOUSE #4 - The Suburb House

So named because this was one of the few homes we looked at that was in a cul-de-sac type neighborhood.

PROS: Lots of rooms, huge updated kitchen and dining area, living room and den areas, lush backyard with hobby shed and fully fenced

CONS: Pretty far distance from our ideal area, roof was in real bad shape, some of the carpets were really stained, and not as much land as we would have liked

HOUSE #5 - The Yard Sale House

So named because I went to a yard sale here last year with a friend. At the time, the people were still trying to sell the home, but all of their stuff in the yard sale was priced too high. But, I do remember thinking this was a great house!

PROS: Great downstairs layout with a gourmet kitchen and separate living room and den. Lots and lots of land, including a barn with two horse stalls and a pasture. Two car garage, hot tub and RV hookups

CONS: The seller was taking all the appliances (buh bye gourmet kitchen), smaller bedrooms upstairs and the price was a bit too high for us.

HOUSE #6 - The Alice in Wonderland House

This was another home that a very quirky layout. The basement had been turned into a mother-in-law/rental suite, but to get to it you had to go up the stairs to the front porch, then back down the other side and under the house. The upstairs had a bedroom that had a tiny little window near the floor of the room and all the lighting in the open living room area were the cheapo bulb lights - there were over 30 of them, which looked obsurd.

PROS: Large backyard, RV hookups, close to the center of town

CONS: Layout was horrible, we have no need for a rental space, un-fenced yard, and the neighbors were messy (old cars and junk all over the yard)

HOUSE #7 - The Dirty House

This home had been a rental and the renters hadn't cleaned in over a year. They also let their kids draw all over the walls with markers, so all the downstairs walls had "original artwork" on them.

PROS: Great location, cute exterior, large garage/barn on the property. Older home with some craftsman details (like built-ins in the dining room), covered back deck

CONS: Dirty, in need of new bathroom and kitchen, property sloped downward to a busy street.

HOUSE #8 - The Blue House

Because it's very blue...duh.

PROS: Property layout was nice (had an orchard and the coolest treehouse out back), not too far from town, open kitchen/dining area, great deck and vaulted ceilings in the living room

CONS: Kitchen needed updating, and the master bath and bedroom were layed out kind of weird.

HOUSE #9 - The 4-Acre House

This home had 4-acres of land, with two ponds - tons of great space

PROS: Originally built in 1950's with some cute craftsman built-ins, exposed brick in the kitchen, lots of great rooms and lots of land to play on

CONS: Located RIGHT next to the interstate. The road noise was terrible!! No tranquil acres here. Had some funky updates done to it and added on over the years, including a sunken-tub in what used to be the garage.

HOUSE #10 - The Not-for-Sale House

Well, it was for sale the day we went to look at it and was also for sale the day we tried to put an offer on it. But the seller got cold feet, thought she wasn't selling it for enough, and backed out of selling it altogether.

PROS: Amazing location, nice property in a nice neighborhood, one floor, double-sided fireplace. Large open front yard with private backyard and some woods with a small creek. Covered back porch.

CONS: Needed a kitchen update, small bedrooms, ....and apparently not for sale.

Needless to say, it's been quite a journey buying our first house. But, even as I type this our documents are being recorded at the courthouse and we'll get the keys to our new place tonight! I cannot wait to share our new home with you!

HUNTING FOR HOUSES

2011-11-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Dave and I started looking at buying a home at the start of the year. We weren't in any hurry since we like the little house we rent and we wanted to take our time to find a home that fit most, if not all, of our wants. We started out by going to a few open houses, just to see what was out there. Then we went to the bank to talk to a mortgage lender to figure out what our price range would be. After that, we started making appointments to look at houses within our price range. We stumbled upon a real estate agent at one of our house tours and she offered to help us look more seriously at homes whenever we were ready. She quickly became our agent and we had a couple of weekends of looking at homes, but mostly we did our homework via the internet and just let her know when we found something we wanted to look at. I LOVE looking at houses online, and I can't imagine looking for a home without having the internet as a reference. It definitely helped us weed out a lot of things that weren't in our budget or our style.

Our initial strategy in buying a home was to find something that needed fixing up. Davey and I enjoy a good DIY project (can you tell by our work on the Airstream?), and we knew buying something cheaper up front and fixing it up over time would give us a chance to get more for our money. We looked at a lot of homes that needed just a few tweaks to bring them up-to-date, and we looked at several homes that needed complete overhauls.

Another big item on our want list was land. Davey and I both grew up with big backyards and we love having room to play - not to mention our dog, Jazz, would enjoy having a bigger yard for frisbee catching. However, this quickly became the number one item that limited our choices - we didn't want to move too far away from our current friends, jobs, and church, but most of this area is pretty developed. So when we put in our land criteria in the search (1+ acre), it quickly took our options down from hundreds, to less than 20.

This could have been very frustrating, but for us it was a blessing. There's no way we could have looked at so many houses only to pick just one. So having this factor limit our choices was good for us, especially since we were in no hurry to buy.

After months of looking online and visiting some pretty good (and pretty bad) houses, we weren't finding what we wanted OR what we wanted had already been taken. I can't tell you how many times we toured a home, decided to put an offer on it, and that very morning the seller had accepted another offer. This got to be a little disappointing, but I knew that when we found the right house, it would all work out.

So, we decided to change our buying strategy to see what would happen. We decided to put more money up-front for a home that didn't need to be fixed, something that was move-in ready. With this new strategy in mind we went back online and increased our search budget which included a home I had seen online previously (searching outside of our initial budget, just to torture myself). Only now, they had lowered the price on the home, and we had increased our budget which put it within our range. I immediately showed it to Dave online, he approved, so we made an appointment to view the home.

Long story short, we fell in love with the house, put an offer on it and it was accepted (on my birthday - happy birthday to me)! After a month of paperwork, we're fast approaching our closing date, which is set for next week. We are very excited and feel incredibly blessed to own our first home.

Before we share our new home, I've got to show you some of the homes we looked at that weren't meant to be ours. So be sure to check back later for a look at a few good homes, and a few scary ones.

A WICKED ANNIVERSARY

2011-07-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

To celebrate our 3-year anniversary, Davey and I went to Eugene, OR to see WICKED: The Musical. Davey's parents joined us for the 3 day trip (since they were visiting us at the time). We saw the play the first night we were in town, and to say I was excited would be an understatement. I had heard nothing but great reviews of the show and have been wanting to go for a very long time. The show came through Seattle last year but we waited too late to get tickets -- WICKED is a very popular show.

First, you must understand how much I love the theater - especially musicals. When I was a freshman in college, my mom bought season tickets to the Broadway shows that would come through Greensboro, NC. We had front row, center seats to every show for 3 years. Not sure how my mom managed to get those, but thats where our season tickets put us - front and center. We saw so many great plays including: Ragtime, Annie Get Your Gun, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, The Buddy Holly Story, and many more. My favorite, by far, was Beauty and the Beast. I mean, they transformed a guy in a beast suit into a human in mid air --- it seriously looked like a magic trick. The costumes were incredible and the actors had traveled so much together that they tried to throw each other off on their lines -- I remember Cogsworth and Lumiere were especially good at making each other laugh on stage with improvisational lines.

So, needless to say I had very high expectations for WICKED. We had front row seats in the mid-level range, just off to the side. They were great seats to get the full effect of the show. If you don't know anything about the story, its basically about Glenda and Elpheba, the two witches from the Wizard of Oz. The story takes place before Dorothy lands in Kansas and shows how Glenda and Elpheba met at school, and hated each other. But, certain things happen and they become friends. Then, more stuff happens and they divide again, with Glenda being a good witch and Elpheba being a bad witch. There's a lot of humor throughout the play, but a lot of drama as well.

The two lead characters were made popular by Kristen Chenoweth (playing Glenda) and Idina Menzel (playing Elpheba) on Broadway.

I loved listening to their soundtrack recording before I even saw the play. Here's a clip that I watched as well, that really got me excited about seeing the play (featuring my favorite song, "Defying Gravity").

Although Kristen and Idina weren't performing at our show, the lead actresses were super-talented and gave them a run for their money. My only regret is that I didn't bring my binoculars to get a close-up look at some of the actors while they performed.

At intermission they served Wickitini's which glowed lime green - very clever marketing. Here's a picture of me enjoying my Wickitini in the lobby:

I can't say enough awesome things about WICKED. I really want to go see it again (hint hint Davey). Here's a link to the touring show website so you can find out when it will be in a town near you. I highly recommend the investment of getting decent seats, its definitely a show worth seeing and seeing well. I've heard that they changed a lot of things from the book (which I haven't read), so if you're a stickler for translating books verbatim, you may be a little disappointed.

Have you seen WICKED? Have you been to other theater musicals that you would recommend?

THREE YEARS OF LEARNING

2011-04-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to the man I still can't help staring at:

I am so thankful that I can look back on my wedding day and do nothing but smile. Everything was amazing: the weather, the flowers, the ceremony, all our friends and family, the food, the dancing, the celebration and the love.

Davey gave a really sweet groom's speech at our reception and I love going back and watching the video of those moments. He shared our appreciation very eloquently and he also talked about how we were entering our marriage as a ministry to one another and to those around us -- BEST JOB EVER!!

We've only been married 3 years, so we're not breaking records or anything just yet, and I know we have soooooooo much more to learn (those of you reading this with a 10-year+ marriage under your belt, are probably grinning and thinking how naive we still are). But, here are a few things I've learned over this 3 year ministry/marriage:

Communication, communication, communication. Lots of GOOD and EFFECTIVE communication. Best friends only stay best friends if they talk to one another, respect one another and listen to one another.
Make time to sit and just be, just the two of you. Enjoy dinner without the TV on. Spread out a blanket in the yard and enjoy the sunshine together. Davey and I enjoy relaxing on opposite ends of the bed, just hanging out, talking about our day, our dreams, and upcoming activities.
Make time to be apart. Schedule a guys night and a girls night -- go out with friends, enjoy activities AWAY from one another. Not only does this give you stuff to talk about, to share, but it can also cultivate healthy relationships that can help support your marriage. If you are away from one another for extended amounts of time (i.e my recent 2 weeks vacation on the east coast), touch base via phone/email/webcam, but don't spend your time moping around without your spouse. Enjoy your time apart, then enjoy being reunited!
Divy up the chores. Doing this at the beginning of the marriage can help set the pace for the rest of it. We use Dr. Harley's method for dividing up the chores evenly and fairly -- I strongly recommend it! And on that note...
Don't try to change each other. God made each of us the way we are for a reason. We all have different strengths, interests, passions, etc. Find out what those are and use them to your advantage in your marriage. For example, Davey is really great with numbers, so he takes the lead on our finances. That's not to say I'm not involved, but he deals with the bulk of it and brings me in to touch base once a month. On the other hand, I'm really good at meal planning and cooking, so I take the lead on that part of our marriage. Its not to say that Davey never cooks, but most of the meals are my responsibility and I enjoy it! I don't push him to cook more and he doesn't push me to take care of the finances more --- we know what each other is naturally gifted at doing, so we use it to our advantage.

I've learned so much over the past three years, too much to contain in a little blog post, but these are the things that came to mind first.

I would marry Davey all over again today, even without the beautiful weather, the friends and family, and the dancing.

okay...so there'd still have to be dancing :)

PUZZLING

2011-04-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Due to the overwhelming response on my last post (i.e. one awesome person), looks like I'll be keeping the two blogs going with mostly different things, but with some things overlapping. That being said... we now return to our regularly scheduled program:

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One of the challenges of having a Border Collie is that they get bored very easily. All dogs need stimulation, something to keep them entertained, but Border Collies need A LOT of stimulation or else they tend to start bad habits and get into trouble - just out of boredom. Because of this, Davey and I are always on the hunt for new and exciting ways to challenge Jazz's intellect -- especially while we are out of the house. Jazz is such a great dog and we have never had any issues with him chewing on things, getting into the trash, or creating a mess while we are out. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that we never gave him the chance to start those negative behaviors, and part attributed to the fact that Jazz is just a dog who loves to please.

I knew when I saw this latest "puzzle", it would be a great challenge for Jazz and now that I've seen him enjoy it, I wanted to share for the benefit of all our doggy friends out there. This is the JW Hol-ee Roller. It comes in three different sizes (we have the largest two) and several different colors.

These guys are squishy, stretchy, and flexible but are still really rugged and hold up well to a lot of intense tugging and chewing.

Here's the game: Insert the smaller ball into the larger one. This takes a little wiggling by one person, but takes less wiggling if you've got someone to help you.

Then come the treats. These lamb lung treats work really well.

Yeah, thats right, I said 'LAMB LUNG'. These are great because they are crunchy, but easy enough to separate into smaller pieces.

Now the challenging part for the human: Get the treats into the little ball that has been inserted into the larger ball. Again, a pair of helping hands is nice, but one person can achieve this with a little ingenuity and stretching of the ball.

Finally, the treats are in, so let the games begin!!

Jazz likes to carry the ball around the house for the first 5 minutes

(also note at the 16 second mark the "there's-something-in-this-that-I-want-can-you-please-get-it-out-for-me" attempt)

After the initial excitement wears off, the rest of the game looks something like this, and will generally last for a couple of hours:

Another really good treat to use is a Himalayan Chew. Its made from yaks milk and is very hard and crunchy.

It works well because you can wedge it between a hole in the smaller ball and only have the amount you want your dog to be able to eat sticking out. This is a tougher challenge because the small ball has to be in just the right position for the chew to stick out of the larger ball.

On nice days, Jazz gets a whole apple or a raw egg in the little ball. But I strongly suggest letting your dog do these outside as they are really messy. Also, we always adjust Jazz's regular kibble to allow for whatever treats he's given throughout the day to make sure he's not being overfed.

Let me know if you give the Hol-ee Rollers a try. They are a great investment for keeping your dog entertained and are a lot of fun -- even without the treat games.

A BLOG DIVIDED

2011-04-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

If you've been keeping up with my business website, then you know I've posted several items recently that have not been shared on this blog. A few reasons for that, but basically I barely have time to blog and when I do, I feel like I need to make my business my priority.

But, I know many of you that read this blog may not read my business blog and I don't want you to miss out on anything. But I also don't want to get TOO personal in my ISV posts because those posts are supposed to be focused on the creative aspects of my life (instead of trips that Davey and I take or the rare, deep emotional post I may share on here).

So, what are your thoughts? I really wanna know how you feel. Do you mind that I've pulled the "creative me" away to another site? Would you mind reading the same thing twice if I posted it on ISV and on Building A Life? Are you fine with the more personal posts about pets and travel?

PROJECTS, PARTIES, AND PRIORITIES

2011-03-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

A little alliteration for you all -- compliments of my Dad's obsession and influence. :)

You might have guessed, due to the lack of posts around here, that I've been a little busy. I thought that working from home would allow me plenty of time to blog -- naively thinking I'd be doing a post a day on two different blogs. Man, was I wrong. But, I'm glad to be too busy with paid projects that I don't have enough time to blog -- which is currently unpaid because I don't have ads on my websites.

Here's a quick rundown of a typical weekday for me:

8:30 - Wake up, get out of bed, grab some breakfast

9:00 - Get to work in the studio: graphic design for clients -- mostly projects for the City of Redmond.

12:00 - Break for lunch, an episode of 30 Rock on the TV and some playtime with Jazz out in the yard

1:00 - Back to work in the studio: more graphic design, a little crafting and some party planning

4:00 - Do some marketing, paperwork, bookkeeping or blogging for In Sweet Violets.

5:00 - Leave the studio and start housework: laundry, dishes, picking up around the house, grocery shopping, and starting dinner

The rest of the evenings vary depending on what day of the week it is.

Monday nights: 7-9pm -- Redmond Chorale Rehearsal (and some quick dinner afterward)

Tuesday nights: 7-9pm -- SHARE Group (and some quick dinner afterward)

Wednesday nights

7:00 - Serve and eat dinner, relax and watch a little TV (ideally with Davey if he's home from work by this time)

9:00 - Catch up on personal emails/Facebook/Twitter, read a book, or other various activities

Thursdays I teach private art lessons from 2:45-3:45, but then the evening finishes out like a Wednesday night.

(I usually don't get in the bed until after 10pm, and even then I'm making lists in my head as I fall asleep.)

Friday nights: 7-late -- ideally something fun out with friends, or a movie at home.

I love the flexibility of my schedule. I can run errands during the middle of the day when hardly anyone is out and about. Grocery shopping is soooo much easier if I go at 10am on a Thursday, not only do I get the freshest produce, but there are never any lines and the baggers are practically begging me to let them help me out to my car because they have nothing else to do.

Davey and I have been doing sessions at the gym with a trainer. My sessions are complete, so now that I know how to use the machines and have a regimen to stick to, hopefully I can start getting up earlier and head to the gym. Also, if the weather is nice I can take Jazz to the park in the mornings before starting work as well. We'll see if that happens, because most of you know I am NOT a morning person.

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I recently hosted my first In Sweet Violets party - a baby shower for a friend of mine (you can read the party recap on the In Sweet Violets blog HERE). Although this party wasn't a commissioned project, it made for an incredible portfolio piece and I've gotten a few jobs off of it already -- including my first birthday party! Here's a sneak peek:

I really enjoy hosting parties -- I love planning the activities, coming up with a theme and colors, creating the designs and printing them out the various pieces. My favorite part is to be mid-party and see everyone enjoying all the elements: food, games, entertainment, etc. I can really tell these people are enjoying themselves and I helped them feel that way by using my gifts and talents.

____________________

We've been in a lot of prayer these days for God to show us our priorities. Davey is being recruited (again) by two different companies. I gotta brag on him a little because he's such a wanted employee. He's great at what he does (which I don't totally understand, still), and he communicates so well with his coworkers. We're very busy people, but we want to make sure that we are being busy doing the things that God wants us to be busy at. If you're a praying person, we'd appreciate some P.Love these days as we make some decisions about jobs and life in general. We want our stories to be great -- and to be the stories that God has written for us.

SNOWPRISE!

2011-02-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

We've had threats of snow in our area several times this year, but most of it has come down as hail, sleet and popcorn snow (where it looks like styrofoam and doesn't stick). But this past Wednesday night we had HUGE flakes falling and it was cold enough for it to stick. In fact, we had several inches of snow.

We woke up Thursday morning to our backyard looking like this:

Davey and I both worked from home yesterday, but we made sure to take a little break and trudge out into the snow for a little exploration with this handsome guy:

Looks howz hamson I is!

I luvs dis snowz! It tasted yummies!!!

Its soft and fluffies -- Like MEEE!!!

Lets makes a snowdog!

I even catches dis snows!

Daddy makes it snows on me!

Its so cold!

Mkayz, we goes inside now? I got somn on my coats.

VALENTINE'S DAY - HEART CHECK

2011-02-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

[source]

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day, mostly because of how over-commercialized it has become (but what holiday hasn't?). I'm also not into hearts, the color red, or chocolate.

I am, however, into being reminded to tell the ones I love that I love them. Sometimes its so easy to take for granted having someone to love -- and even more easy to take for granted that someone loves you. Valentine's Day is a great time to take stock of all the love that we are given --- not just by spouses, parents, brothers/sisters, boyfriends/girlfriends, grandparents, etc. --- but by a God who loves us more than all of these combined, more than we could ever imagine.

I'm taking some time today to do a little heart-check. Several, in fact.

I'll be joining my husband for lunch at a mini marriage conference today, and we'll take time to check-in with one another on our marriage relationship: where it's been, where it is, and where it needs to go. But more important than that, I'm taking time this morning to do a little heart-check with God: where my relationship with Him has been, where it is, and where it needs to go.

I am so blessed to have a God, my creator, who lavishes me with blessings (that blow any bouquet of flowers or box of chocolates out of the water!) and grace. Of all the relationships I have with people on this earth, my relationship with him matters most. He is my Valentine.

And the best part about having God as my Valentine is that I don't have to get Him a gift --- because I am His gift!! (I don't even have to put on makeup, or do my hair!). I'm spending time with my God, my Valentine, this morning --- and we're loving every minute of it!

Who are you celebrating Valentine's Day with? Don't forgo the sweet sentiments to your loved ones, but I challenge you to spend a few minutes with the Ultimate Valentine, God, today as well.

ART AND GOD

2011-02-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

I love it when I read things that relate to other things, that relate to other things. Ya know?

I've been enjoying Donald Miller's current blog series on Creativity. He talks about how to be a better creator, how emotion and passion effect our creativity, and "the rules" of creating. As an artist, I've found it really helpful with my work -- both digital work and handmade work. I've been noticing the differences of my emotions when I work on certain things -- and when I don't work on things.

Today I found this video about an artist who is "illuminating" the four Gospels. I took an Ancient Art History class in college and fell in love with all of the early Christian paintings/mosaics/icons. It's really interesting how Jesus is portrayed early on - especially as Christians were being persecuted by Romans. I studied a lot of illuminated (illustrated) manuscripts that showed the Gospels being written by their respective authors, and the style of the drawings depicting the personalities of the authors. Really interesting stuff.

Makoto Fujimura - The Art of "The Four Holy Gospels" from Crossway on Vimeo.

What Makoto does in this contemporary version is really similar to the ancient illuminations. I would love to own a copy of his final product -- which looks absolutely amazing!

What are you creating? Do you enjoy being creative? What types of emotions do you feel when you create?

MARKETING 101

2011-01-28T10:15:00.001-08:00

One of the funnest challenges (to me) in starting your own business is marketing. I've spent the last 5 years marketing other people's stuff, and now I get to share my own creations with the world!

Social Media has created this incredible outlet for people to connect with one another, but also to connect with the things they love: Like coffee? Then make Starbucks your friend on Facebook. Like to work out? Then, follow Nike on Twitter and you'll get coupon codes before anyone else. Needless to say, I'm taking full advantage of this free form of marketing -- especially because my business relies very heavily on personal referrals.

And man, oh man, am I getting the best kind of personal referral today: my friend Meghan, over at Loquacious Lady is doing an In Sweet Violets review and giveaway on her blog. CLICK HERE to check it out (there's even a coupon code for my Etsy Shop!) I've been keeping up with Meghan through her blog since Davey and I traveled out to the West Coast. She shares fantastic stories about her life and has a Friday Favorite where she shares about things/places she loves.....and today she is loving on In Sweet Violets.

I can't thank Meghan enough for helping to market my new business in this fun and interactive way! I hope you don't mind that I rely on you, my friends and family, for marketing support. Many of you have already led me to new projects and I'm so grateful. Your kind words and referrals make a difference --- I mean, in the end, you help decide if I have Beanie Weenies for dinner or something better :D

So, keep on sharing the love you guys, cuz I'm really feeling it and it is such an encouragement to me each and every day!

IN SWEET VIOLETS

2011-01-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

The word has spread rather quickly, but in case you missed it, I've finally crossed an item off of my 30 Before 30 list!!

10. Launch my creative services business

I admit that when I wrote my 30 Before 30 post, I had an inkling that I would be starting my business this year, but it has been something I've wanted to try for many years. And now, its a reality!

Just like a teenager getting their driver's license: I'm so proud to have a business license!!!

I have so many people to thank that have made this whole dream of mine even possible (but I'm not going to write a sappy acceptance speech for you to drown in). But I will say that I am blessed to have a husband that has a great job, and very supportive family and friends. And, like all good acceptance speeches, I must thank God for opening this door for me!

In Sweet Violets is an official business, complete with website, Facebook page and Twitter. If you want to keep up all the fun creative things I'm working on, I'd be happy for you to follow, "like", stalk, read, purchase and support In Sweet Violets!

Starting my own business has proven adventurous and challenging, even in just a few short weeks. The biggest challenge has been watching money go out the window, but not come in. Unfortunately I'm not starting a large-small business (if that makes sense), so I don't need to get a loan from a bank, but on some days it certainly feels like it. Just to register with the State of Washington and my local city cost almost $300! Man, they should send out t-shirts or something - perhaps that read "I started a business, paid $300.00, and all I got was this lousy shirt and a piece of paper".

There have been fun times though, that make up for all the busy-business-hoo-ha. For instance, I worked a solid 8 hours the other day on nothing but handmade items like jewelry, painted canvas bags, and a few sewing projects. IT. WAS. AWESOME!!! I listened to music the whole time and sang at the top of my lungs to a few favorite songs --- and no one but the cat and dog minded! Did I mention that I worked those 8 hours in my pajamas??? Ah....soooo comfy.

I signed my first contract to do design work on as-needed basis, and have already completed a project -- churning out my first invoice! I'll be teaching private art lessons starting next week to a former co-worker's daughter and I've started revising my online portfolio. I also spent nearly an entire workday creating a Flash intro for my website. At the suggestion of my husband, I created a landing page, but I wanted to have something a little interactive (but not overly interactive where you feel like it takes you forever to get into the website). So Mom, just be sure you really appreciate those butterflies -- with shadows following them as they fly!!!

Anyway, if you've been wondering what I've been up to, go check out www.InSweetViolets.com and let me know what you think!

A NEW YEAR WITH NEW BEGINNINGS

2011-01-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

I've been overwhelmed by the onslaught of New Year's posts this past week. Its been interesting seeing how people approach the new year. There are, of course, those swearing in their resolutions - some of which are already swearing them off by now, and there are people who are just generally glad to greet a new year with new opportunities. Donald Miller had an interesting take on resolutions, offering up the idea that we shouldn't share them, because when we do we lose some of our incentive to achieve them.

Last year, I took a different perspective on resolutions and decided to participate in projects that would help me learn new things - like the Ten Party Project. I liked approaching New Years resolutions that way because they were larger activities that helped me achieve a simple goal: learn something new. Well, anyone who's lived a year can tell you it's pretty hard not to learn something new in 365 days.

This year, I have a new goal: be happier and more productive. Sounds a little too easy, but its definitely harder to quantify.

Here's how I'm planning on achieving my goal:

1. Look forward, not backward. Its hard sometimes to stay positive and move ahead when you hit a setback or unexpected turn in the road. Losing my job was a strange turn of events in my life, but I want to make the most of it and be the better for it. My job was great and I'll miss working with a great group of people, but I never would have had that job or met those people if I hadn't given up the job I had before that.

2. Set realistic goals. I'm pretty good at a lot of things and I totally suck at a lot of things. But there are a few things I'm really good at. I'll be focusing more on what I do best and rocking out at it. I also plan to celebrate when I complete an important project (helloooo Coldstone!).

3. Seek help when I need it. Starting a business, taking care of the house, pets, husband, and all the other activities I'm a part of can be too much responsibility for just one person (whoa, did I just say that? That did not sound like me at all --- wow, look who's already changing!)

4. Find practical ways to simplify my life. We all know I'm a list-maker. But making 20 lists and having them scattered about isn't really doing me a lot of good. So, now I'm down to one list, in one place. I really want things to be as uncomplicated as possible, and anything I can do to get them there is a step in the right direction.

5. Start a new project, take up a new hobby. I'm giving myself permission to do the things I've always wanted to try. I'm also not allowing myself to make excuses. As the great Henri Matisse once said, "Creativity takes courage."

Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? Are you starting any fun projects for the year?

BAKIN' BISCUITS

2010-12-30T00:02:00.000-08:00

My family came to visit us around Thanksgiving and guess what my mom and I did...

19. Perfect how to cook my mother's biscuit recipe

Not perfected yet, but I'm making progress :)

A VERY MERRY PARTY

2010-12-29T05:54:00.000-08:00

I couldn't ring in the new year without recapping the final party in the Ten Party Project. I started this project with a small casual gathering of friends with the pajama party, and that's how I wanted to end the project as well. Something low-key, with great food and fellowship with friends.

The Ten Party Project will be just as it sounds: I'll host ten parties in 2010. The parties will range from small dinners to all-out celebrations. All will have similar set-ups including: invitations, entertainments, food, decor, and budget. I'll recap (and sometimes plan) them here on the blog with full budget breakdowns. For those of you who have read this paragraph all 10 times its been posted (once for each party), I commend you. Give yourself a cookie!

Party #10:

A Very Merry Christmas Party

Invitations:

I love a good handmade invitation, and love seeing peoples faces when they open their envelopes. But, I must admit, I'm loving a jazzed up email invite. Its simple, quick, free and most people check their email more than their fridge where they've tacked up a printed invite.

Decor:

My friend, Aubrey, graciously opened her home for the Very Merry Party. She had everything decorated so beautifully for the holidays. I love her style - a little bit country, a little bit ~~rock and roll~~ industrial, and a little elegance all tied together seamlessly.

Entertainment:

Not only did Aubrey's house come with gorgeous decorations, but she's also created a warm atmosphere where people feel comfortable, so most of our evening was spent chatting with one another.

We also had a time to share our Secret Santa gifts. As I mentioned before, Aubrey's husband Ryan used his fancy-shmancy computer program that he designed to send out personal emails to each guest informing them of who they were to buy a present for. At the party, all the gifts were laid out on the table and we took turns opening them. After someone opened their gift, they were given three guesses as to who their Secret Santa was. It was a fun little game and I was pleased with how creative everyone was with their gift giving.

The beer guys knew each other a little too well, I think.

Shauna got super creative with my gift: A manicure/pedicure set with nail polish called "Star of the Party". She also gave me a gift card to a new local nail salon and a very clever poem. In the poem she explained that she had been inspired by my Ten Party Project and she was planning on doing a project in 2011: The Ten Pedicure Project!!! She'll try out 10 different nail salons in the area and I get to join her for her first one!

Another exciting entertainment portion of the party was when we had a room full of folks playing the new Xbox Kinect. We played team sports and I tried a little bit of dancing. My team got beat pretty bad two times in a row, but it was a lot of fun watching each other try the different games.

Food:

Each guest was asked to bring a side item to share, so we hit the motherload of yumminess. Ryan and Aubrey cooked a delicious ham, which was surrounded by sweets, salties, and all sorts of delicious goodies. I made champagne punch for the first time and it was delicious.

Budget Breakdown:

Invitations
Emailed Inviteds = free
Total = Free

Decorations
Ryan & Aubrey's handiwork = free
Total = Free

Entertainment
Fellowship and games = free
Secret Santa = $15 limit
Total = $15

Food
Champagne punch = $12
Total = $12

Grand Total:
$27/13 = $2.08 per person

Lessons Learned:
The simplest parties can be some of the best. Great friends and great conversation equal instant fun. Add in some games and great food and you have an incredible celebration.
I love our Flip video camera - especially for moments like these. We were able to video the whole hilarity of the Santa exchange as well as the cooky moments of video game play.
I really enjoy co-hosting with friends. Aubrey was very easy going about the whole planning of the party and kept me grounded -- keeping me from creating another crazy huge party :)
The Christmas season can be inundated with parties, so hosting one was kind of a risk. Fortunately, all my friends were good sports about it and didn't seem to mind getting in the holiday spirit for an evening.

Did you attend any holiday parties? Play and crazy/traditional holiday games?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

[source]

If I were Santa, this is exactly what I'd be doing today -- relaxing with sleepy kittens and puppies!

A very Blessed Christmas to you and yours this special Season!

CHRISTMAS CARD DISPLAY

2010-12-20T11:18:00.000-08:00

Its coming on Christmas, and the cards are arriving. I love checking the mailbox this time of year, because 80% of the time, there's something more than bills and coupons inside. But what to do with all of these glorious cards? If you're like me, they'll be displayed up to Valentines Day.

And, if you're like me, you have very little space to display them --- thank your lucky stars you staircase and mantel owning people. Here's a quick little idea on how to make your own Christmas Card display using stuff you probably have on hand anyway:

You'll need:
Kitchen cabinets

Scissors, ribbon, and tape

Measure along the bottom of a cabinet door to find the middle (or, guesstimate) and tape one end of the ribbon inside the door at that point. Then, measure along the top of the same cabinet door to find the middle and tape the other end of the ribbon inside at the top. Be sure your ribbon is secure enough to hold the weight of your cards.

You should have something that looks like this:

The wider your ribbon, the better, because to hang your cards you'll be using clothespins

I like to dress up my clothespins with a little holiday cheer. Using scrapbook paper, glitter paint glue and buttons, these colorful cuties are super-easy to make.

Last, but not least, clip those holiday greeting to your ribbon using the clothespins

We've got quite the collection going since I took this photo, but I love having the cards at a visible height and in a place where I can see them everyday - in the kitchen. Makes my breakfast time oh, so jolly!

Do you send out Christmas cards? Do you enjoy receiving holiday mail as much as I do? How do you display your holiday cards?

PARTY #10 - A VERY MERRY PARTY

2010-12-17T02:30:00.000-08:00

This is it - the last one! It's been an incredible year of party planning, throwing and hosting. And what better way to end it than celebrating with friends during this festive time of year?

After a whirlwind of two huge parties in the fall, I ~~was forced by my husband~~ decided to take it easy on this final party and do something simple. Seems like a small holiday gathering with friends would be the perfect option. My friend, Aubrey, agreed to host the party at her home since it has more room for people to mingle and is already beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Email invitations were sent out a couple of weeks ago:

The invites explained that we'd be doing a traditional Secret Santa gift exchange at the party. Each party attendant was then sent a separate email telling them who they were playing Santa for -- complements of Ryan, Aubrey's hubby, and his nerdy "Secret Santa Computer Program".

The party is tonight! I'm excited and sad all at the same time. I really have enjoyed taking on this crazy project this year, but now its time to let someone else host all the fun!

Stay tuned for a party recap and a reflection on the entire Ten Party Project.

COASTAL LIVING IDEA HOUSE

2010-12-13T00:57:00.000-08:00

Its no surprise that I love good design - in whatever shape or form. I love a well-designed billboard, a creative dress, a great painting, and well-designed chairs. I also enjoy well-designed houses. So when Coastal Living Magazine built their 2010 Coastal Living House in Seabrook, WA, I knew I had to go check it out.

We waited weeks for the weather to be nice, but it never did.

So we went anyway.

Even in the pouring rain, the house looked amazing! Check out this outdoor living area, with views of the beach:

One step inside I knew I was in "take off your boots and cozy up to the fire" heaven.

The kitchen was incredible, especially since it wasn't a super-large kitchen. Again, just really great design coming together.

All the details were incredible

Check out the hand-painted wallpaper behind the headboards

You know the phrase don't judge a book by its cover? Well this house had me thinking that I will forever judge houses on their bathrooms.

LOVE. that. door.

Check out the shower!!

(Check me out standing on the toilet to get this shot)

The master bedroom, overlooking the beautiful Pacific Coast

Do you hear angels singing?

The basement had this incredible den, with the thinnest TV I have ever seen.

Yah. Thats. A. TV.

MOVIE NIGHT!!!

There was even a little guest house with the cutest corner sink looking out into the street.

To take a little tour yourself, and hear from the incredible designers, check out this video from Evening Magazine:

If you'd like to see photos of the house taken by professionals, when its actually sunny outside, you can see them here on the Coastal Living website.

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Before we headed home, we let Jazz have his first experience on the beach.

It was so wet and miserable, I'm not sure he even realized there was an ocean next to him.

HERE COMES A CHANGE

2010-12-11T00:41:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago my boss informed me that the City of Redmond was going to layoff several employees due to budget cuts. She also informed me that I would be one of those being laid off, effective December 31^st, 2010.

And I cried.

I cried. Tears. Of. Joy.

I have never cried tears of joy. Not when I got engaged. Not even when I got married (the most joyous moment of my life thus far).

And who cries tears of joy when they are told they are losing their job?

I’ll tell you who – someone who had spent the last several months praying fervently that God would DO SOMETHING, SOMETHING great, SOMETHING maybe kinda crazy. Be careful what you pray for people, because GOD ANSWERS PRAYER. The whole time I saw God moving my husband in a new direction with his job. In fact, the wheels were in motion for him to change contract companies. And then, as it turns out, God had something for me too.

My restless heart couldn’t take it anymore. Something was stirring and I needed a change.

My boss hugged me and gave me this look like: “did you understand what I just said? LAYOFF….YOU. OK?”

And I just smiled and cried.

That had to have been one of the most bizarre moments in my life.

It felt weird. And right. And awesome.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. This has been the best job I have ever had. I love my coworkers and I love the variety of projects. And I will miss this job.

But I have this incredible peace that outweighs all of the sadness. Its incredible, you guys.

So things will be changing around here – in my life and my life on this blog.

I’m going to start my own business!

Did you read #10 on my Thirty Before Thirty list?!

Did I mention that the number 10 is my lucky number?

Now is the time and I couldn’t be more excited about it!

You’ll have to bear with me as things change. These things take time and I want to do them right.

I’ll be moving the blog over to WordPress and integrate it as part of my business website. But don’t you fret, all of the same Kristen will be still be there, plus maybe a little more. And, in the meantime, I'll try my best to keep you entertained :)

What say you, are you with me?

I’m off on a great adventure and I can’t imagine going there without you!

WEDDING WEEKEND

2010-12-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a little late, and I actually thought about not posting this because of how late I am about sharing it, but then I thought - WHO CARES?!?!?! This story must be remembered, its too awesome not to be shared:

Halloween didn't happen for us this year -- we spent the evening on an airplane flying back from Georgia and the wedding weekend of the year (I'd say century, but I was married this century, so it wouldn't be fair to say that).

It all started with an incredible lady, her incredible mom and amazing friends goofing off and having a wonderful time drinking lots of sweet tea

All the bridal party ladies were gifted the most incredible slippers!

So comfy and so fun!

This is Becca.

The morning of the wedding.

Writing a letter to her soon-t0-be hubby.

Have you ever seen a more calm/happy bride?

I was invited to sing with the brother of the groom during the service. He had a great voice, rocked the guitar, and I added a little somn-somn. Not gonna lie - IT WAS FUN!! ....and solemn...in that seriously-beautiful-wedding-song kind of way.

It was a beautiful service followed by a Becc-tastic party!!!

Even The Ramblin' Wreck showed up!

All dressed up for the night

Reconnecting with old friends

Who doesn't love a sparkler getaway?!?!?!

Cuz you know what happens when I get a hold of HUGE sparklers...

Congrats Josh and Rebecca!!!

Thanks for sharing the love!!!

COLLECTING ANOTHER DAVEY

2010-12-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

You may recall earlier this year I announced that I had received 2 Gold Davey Awards for a piece I designed at work in 2009. I had never entered work into the Davey Awards competition before and was incredibly surprised that a single piece of mine did so well. The Davey Awards honors the finest creative work from the best small firms, agencies and companies worldwide (and are in no relation to the awards given to me on a daily basis by my husband, Davey).

This year, I decided to enter 2 separate categories with two very different pieces...and one of them won a silver award!

Even though silver is not as good as winning gold, I am still very proud of this award -- because it was a hard one to get! My submission was an entire marketing brand for the City of Redmond's Derby Days Summer Festival. This means that I not only had to design one piece, but many pieces with the same look and feel, and each piece had to be successful with that design. Kind of like Coco-Cola: the logo, bright red color, and feel have to look great on every billboard, every bottle, every can, and every ad on TV to make for the most effective marketing.

Here's a look at some of the pieces in our marketing collateral for the event that I designed, including posters, ads, and applications:

Poker Ride Poster

Friday Night Concert Poster

Parade Entry Application

Magazine Ad

For the 2010 Davey Awards, they received over 4,000 entries from across the US and around the world. David defeated the giant Goliath with a big idea and a little rock -- the sort of thing small firms do each year. Its pretty incredible to be considered a "Creative David" at the forefront of the industry, helping to push the limits in creativity and design.

You can see the entire marketing campaign in our online entry by clicking HERE.

JUGGLING LIFE

2010-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

See that cute little mouse on the left?

I am that mouse.

The Christmas Season has not only brought on a slew of activities itself, but I was pretty acrobatic before then. Fortunately, everything I have been up to has been wonderful and fun. And those of you who know me well, know that I thrive on staying busy.

I just hope I look that awesome juggling so many things!

Stay tuned for a slew of awesomeness in the coming weeks!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

I hope you are enjoying some time gathered with family around a spread of delicious food! Happy Thanksgiving and remember to...

[free printable found here]

THE BESTEST BIGGEST LOSER

2010-11-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I can't help but think about allllll the delicious food I'm going to taste and enjoy with family. Food is, quite possibly, one of my favorite things about the holidays. I love collecting recipes and tasting new things. But, like so many people during this season, I tend to over-eat, just because its there.

My friend Becky, recently experienced an incredible transformation as she made changes to her diet and lifestyle. She has an incredible story to share and I'm so glad she's here to share part of her story with you today! Take it away, Becky!

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Don't you just love watching Biggest Loser? The show is just so motivating and challenging for me!

But what people don't consider is that for each contestant on the Biggest Loser, there are thousands of other people who applied to the show. There are thousands of people who filled out their application or attended an interview, but who are right now sitting on their butts mourning the fact that they didn't make the show. Sitting on their butts! Not working out at the gym. Not changing their lives. They, like the majority of overweight Americans, are waiting for someone else to make the decision.

Over a year ago, I made the decision. I got up off my butt and lost close to 100 pounds! It's crazy how much my life has changed in such a short amount of time. But the key is that my life has changed.

All the changes I have made, I committed to them because I evaluated them as realistic and sustainable changes. I do not eat a low sodium diet. I also definitely do not eat an all natural diet. I do, however, get all my servings of fruits and veggies. And I do eat a very balanced diet between protein and carbs. Every person has to decide for themselves what changes are sustainable in their own life.

There's no going back now! I'm thrilled with my own fitness. I love eating healthy and well (despite sugar and fat still being big temptations). I'm actually two pant sizes smaller than I was my senior year of high school. My husband can actually pick me up and carry me around. I was able fit into my wedding dress again, and then I quickly shrunk out of it!

I love educating my friends on everything I have learned. Kristen, being a foodie kind of gal, loves talking about all the delicious, healthy foods I find. I have below a few of my favorite lunch foods (or quick dinners!). They're crazy easy to make and delicious:

Turkey Wrap (350-400 calories, be careful with the cranberries—only add a few for taste)
1 tortilla, whole wheat or high fiber
4 oz turkey breast
1 oz reduced fat blue cheese
0.5 oz dried cranberries
handful of sprouts

Lunch Pizza! (300-400 calories, depends on toppings—go for veggies and lean protien)
1 english muffin, whole wheat
tomato sauce
1 oz reduced fat mozzarella
1 oz turkey pepperoni
6 black olives

BBQ Pita (350-450 calories, easy on the BBQ sauce—just for a little flavor)
1 pita, whole wheat
4 oz chicken breast
2 Tbsp BBQ sauce
1 oz shredded carrots
1 oz shredded cabbage

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Thanks for sharing, Becky! You really are in inspiration, not only to those who are overweight, but for all of us who could make better lifestyle choices!

You can read more of Becky's amazing transformation story and benefit from her vast knowledge of how to make better decisions for your health on her blog Live It Out Everyday!

TRAVELING HOME

2010-11-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

The holidays are upon us and I'm so ready for them! I love getting together with family and friends to celebrate and fellowship with one another. As Davey and I are visiting with family in Georgia this week, my parents are in Seattle --- enjoying the snow. Apparently the Seattle area was hit with 4-6 inches of snow and ice this week, but we haven't been home to see it. This means that getting anywhere in Seattle has been nearly impossible, those Seattle-ites have absolutely no idea what to do with snow. The whole region just shuts down.

Whether you're traveling icy roads or sunny leaf-covered roads, my friend Meghan has some very clever insights on how to get home for the holidays:

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Hi y'all! My name is Meghan, and I'm one of Davey and Kristen's friends from Georgia. My hubs and I actually went to high school with Davey. We look forward to seeing them when they come home for the holidays, and thinking about what it's like for all of us as we travel during the Thanksgiving and Christmas madness inspired this post!

Normally people associate the South with home-cooking and hospitality (and words like "y'all" and deer hunting, but that's not what this is about). We sure do have that, and we've got extra servings of it during the holidays. But this post is going to back up a step to before you arrive on your mama's doorstep. Fasten your seat belts.

I don't know about you, but this time of year means a lot of time in the car for me and my husband, Tom. We live about an hour and ten minutes from my family and maybe twenty minutes more from his. Of course, during holiday traffic, we can have anything from 30 to 45 extra minutes added on to the usual drive. We also spend plenty of Thanksgiving and Christmas day driving back and forth between our families. In this time, we've made a list of our top five drivers to avoid.

In the hopes that you will make your commutes in record time with minimum annoyance, I'm going to share our "no-duh, genius, who would want to be near them?" list of annoying drivers with you:

5. The Police Officer: Not that I don't appreciate the men and women who pledge to protect citizens, but they are the last people I want to see when I'm on the road during the holidays. It's not a secret that the roads are more heavily patrolled this time of year and that tolerance is extra low. You can be that tickets will be given out in surplus. So when I see a police officer, what I really see (after my heart quits racing and my adrenaline goes back to normal) is a slow-down. Everyone is scared to go faster than the police officer, so you're going to go whatever speed that he or she chooses to drive. How fun.

4. The Road Rager: Ok, no one wants to be driving in front of a person who has gone temporarily insane. But at least they're most likely not driving slowly!

3. The "Guess When I'm Turning" Person: This is the person who leaves their blinker on for miles. Every time you near a road or an exit, you think they're going to turn. But they don't. They never do. They never will. That blinker is just there to mess with you, man.

2. The Out-of-Towner: Don't you love it when you know exactly where you're going, but the person in front of you (whom you can never seem to pass, for some reason) has no idea? They drive slowly, they stop to see if it's the road they need to turn onto at EVERY turn-off, and they break to almost a standstill in the middle of the road to read directions/reconfigure GPS/call who they're visiting for clarity. The only thing worse than being behind these people is being that person yourself. You know you're annoying everyone, but you can't do anything about it.

And the worst type of driver during the holidays:

1. The Backseat Driver: Are you this person? It's okay. You can admit it! I'm guilty of it, but I'm trying very hard to not be. I hate driving with someone who cringes every time I do something they wouldn't do or whose foot is braking as if they physically cannot contain the urge to control the car. But rather than wanting people to slow down, I usually tell people to speed up, take that risk, "ugh, you totally had it, why didn't you go?!" It has to be equally annoying to those behind the steering wheel. Maybe I need to check in BDA - Backseat Drivers Anonymous. So why are they number one? Because they're in the car with you. You can't escape them, pass them, or even complain about them. It's definitely the worst.

Now its your turn! I want to hear what kind of drivers you avoid during the holidays. Have one I missed? How about confessing which one you are? You know mine!

Safe Traveling and Happy Thanksgiving!

*****************

Thanks Meghan for bringing some laughter and insight to our holiday travels! Be sure to check out Meghan's blog at www.loquaciouslady.com. Leave her a comment and let her know you found her through this post!

HOME

2010-11-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Have you ever met someone and new right away that you were going to be best friends? Kind of a "friend-at-first-sight" kinda thing. That's what happened the first time I met Lyndsey. We met in college and agreed that we would be best friends even though both of our schedules were too crazy and busy for us to really hang out. So, how does that work having a best friend that you never really hang out with? I'm not sure, but time and distance never matter when it comes to great friendships. So, without further ado, here's my best friend, Lyndsey, with some reflections on "home".

Greetings, all. Lyndsey, here and ready to guest post your socks off. The lovely Kristen and I met in college and decided to become best friends, respectively. It just seemed right. We parted ways after college, one to the Pacific Northwest and the other deep in the heart of Texas. This post is from the one in Texas.

Texas is a funny place. Filled with big trucks and lots of Mexican food and warm weather. For me, its been all types of wonderful.

I've been doing a little thinking about the idea of HOME lately. Partly because its the beginning of the holiday season and partly because I think I'm at this weird transition point in my life. I've been in this same place for going on five years, but in lots of ways I still feel a bit transient. I'm finding there's more people in this boat than just I.

So, home. Is it a place, is it the people, is it a feeling, can it be lots of places, is it all of the above? I'm leaning towards the latter. My home I grew up in holds lots of memories: really good, really bad, really funny, really hurtful, really great. My home I grew up in smells like a late-night pancake dinner and fresh cut grass on a Saturday morning. This home sounds like a radio station my mom turned on as my sister and I get ready in the morning - sharing one bathroom for five people and it really sounds like quick conversations around the kitchen table that turn into an all-night event.

My home in college was sprinkled into three different rooms and one apartment shared with two other girls. This home certainly sounded like keys on a keyboard typing a last minute paper and my musically talented friends playing guitar at any point in the day. This home felt like questioning and fun and white queso from San Luis.

Where I live now most definitely feels like home. This is the place where I come and land after a ridiculously rough work schedule. Where I found out how much I love red wine - one that's not too sweet or too dry. This home feels like a big group of strangers that became friends and, subsequently, a family away from home. I have never felt so loved as I have here. Sprinkle in a looooong trip to Kenya and a not-so-long trip to Nicaragua and those places, in very different and similar ways, also felt like home.

I think the common threads of home, I'm learning, are a sense of belonging, familiarity, and being known. I felt like a complete weirdo in Kenya at one point, but then we had tea time; and being able to bond over the art of sharing a warm cup of English Breakfast, with just a little bit of cane sugar and milk, make me feel a part of something. If nothing other than the exact moment I found myself in.

And right now, I'm in a warm house with candles burning and a puppy that just let out a contented sigh and some good guitar music. What a gift.

Now, I'm going to be completely honest and say that I don't know if we'll ever feel completely at home because in some way, I believe, our minds and heart and soul know we are meant for another world. C.S. Lewis wrote about that once and in some peaceful way, it gave me such comfort.

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world". - C.S. Lewis

So as we move towards a holiday season, I hope you each can find little moments of peace and expectation as we wait and are a part of an ever bigger story going on than our own.

(home to me, we're not home yet)

A SPECIAL DAY

2010-11-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

These feets are getting married today

Actually, these two special people are getting married today --- along with their feets.

That's my sister-in-law and her soon-to-be hubby.

Davey and I are so blessed to be a part of their wedding today. We wish them so many blessings as they start this new journey of marriage together.

******************

And while we're visiting with family during the wedding, we've decided to stay for Thanksgiving as well....and RELAX. Not to worry though, I have some wonderful friends who have graciously offered to guest post in my absence from the interwebs. I hope you enjoy them and much as I do - they are all very special to me!

See you on the other side of this holiday of thankfulness!

PARTY RESOURCES

2010-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Now that we're all caught up on parties #8 and #9, the two biggest parties of the year, I'm taking a little break. Just enough time to relax and unwind before planning the final party #10!

You may have noticed in my budget breakdowns and party details that I purchased several unique items for the last couple of parties, so I thought I'd take this Friday 5@5 to list out a few of my favorite party resources.

1. Discount Party Stores: located at most outlet malls, this place is great for basic party needs like cups, tablecloths, utensils, and balloons. You're not likely to find genre specific items, but you'll save a ton of money if you go generic on the little things and save your monies for larger specific theme items. For example, I bought a variety of colors of utensils, napkins and such for the 80's party and used the money I saved to buy themed favor bags. When it all comes together, you can't tell whats generic. I usually save more than I spend at the discount party store.

2. Oriental Trading: the mecca of all things awesomely party, I love OT for their favors and decorations. Here's where you can find unique things to really make your party come to life. The rockstar trophies were a big hit at the 80's party and the slap bracelets were also a great find to really take people back to elementary/middle school.

3. Thrift Stores: some people cringe at the very thought of entering a thrift store, but I'm all for them and save a ton of money by shopping there on a regular basis (while also supporting local non-profit organizations!). All of my costumes come from thrift stores - shoes, dresses, shirts, jewelry, etc. Sometimes I'll even find great party decorations at a thrift store, but mostly during seasonal times like Halloween or Christmas.

4. Paper Source: if you're doing handmade invitations or decorations, this is the place to go. (I may be a little biased since I worked at Paper Source, but I guess similar stores like Paper Zone or Michaels Craft Store would be almost as good) A good paper store can make your invitations stand out, which is important to get people hyped about your party. They'll also have a variety of levels of invitations like print your own, custom ordered, or completely DIY.

5. Local Party Stores: like Party City, Everything's Party, and others. This is my last go-to spot since everything is usually full price. But, they also have the best source of themed items and decorations. If I can't come up with a theme for a party, I visit the party store to get ideas. But once I've decided I try to find my items elsewhere before making my way back to the party store to get the few items I couldn't find. I think party stores are great because they can make parties really easy for busy people. If your kid wants a Hello Kitty party, just stick to the Hello Kitty section and you're done. But, for those of us who like to customize our parties a little bit, I may start off in the Hello Kitty section, but I'll get over half of my stuff from other sections -- that share similar elements to Hello Kitty (like white and pink).

Hope these resources help you when you throw your next party. Where do you go to stock up on the party goods?

MURDER MYSTERY - BEHIND THE SCENES

2010-11-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are die-hard Ten Party fans, here are a few extras from the Hollywood Lies party:

The always mesmerizing, Terry the Great...

Someone got an award for best husband!

(Seriously, he put on a tux and helped me decorate the entire space --- just because he loves me. Believe me, I did not marry Mr. TenParty. Davey has been so great about me doing this crazy party project)

Just wanted to show off my $4.99 dress from the thrift store and costume jewelry from my grandmother (that she probably wore in the 20's)

For those of you with incredibly keen eyesight, you might have spied the bullet casings in the fish tank. How very "murder mystery" is that?

Lest you think I put together party favors on my own, I always have help:

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED

ON THE WAY TO THE MURDER

(a true story)

I believed I mentioned how fortunate I was to have the WITHIN space to host the party, but what I didn't mention was that I have never met the owner of this space. He's a friend-of-a-friend. I also didn't mention that this warehouse-type space is located across the tracks and near a shipyard (kind of a sketchy place if you're there after dark), but still, pretty incredible once you're inside.

So once Davey and I arrive at the space (an hour late, I might add) to decorate, I punch in the access code, provided to me by email, to get inside. Then, the alarm goes off.

Seriously, the loud, obnoxious, the-whole-south-of-Seattle-can-hear-that-we've-broken-in alarm goes off.

I was not told about said alarm.

I call my friend Chris and leave a message explaining that an alarm was going off and I didn't have the code to disarm it and if he could please call his friend to give me the code I would appreciate not getting arrested tonight. kthxbye.

I also called the alarm company (phone number on the access box) and explained to the nice lady that I wasn't breaking in, that I indeed was supposed to be there, and that I didn't know the owner. She said she would have to call the owner to confirm that I was supposed to be there, or else the police would be there soon. She also apologized that the owner didn't know me (how kind).

After making all the calls I knew to make, Davey suggested we unload and start decorating since we were running out of time. So, here we are, at a warehouse in downtown Seattle, with our car backed up to an open garage door, UNLOADING stuff.

Its a reverse burglary!

All I can think about is what I'm going to tell the police when they arrive:

"Hi, yes officer, I am supposed to be here. We're having a MURDER mystery party here tonight."

Long story short, Chris was able to get the code to shut off the alarm after about 15 minutes of it going off. We were able to get the place decorated and change into our costumes just minutes before the party started.

--------------------------------------------

And that my friends, is how the party started.

HOLLYWOOD LIES

2010-11-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

My husband, Davey, and I host a murder mystery party every year - usually just after Halloween because all the costume stuff goes on sale. This was our third mystery party and I must confess it was THE BEST ONE EVER!!! There were a number of contributing factors to this that I will get into later, but just know that this was one amazing party.

Party #9:

Hollywood Lies Murder Mystery Party

Invitations:

Sent via email and looked like this:

Decor:

WITHIN was a pretty incredible space to start with, it certainly felt like a swank hotel lobby. A coworker of mine hosts an Oscar party every year for her friends and she graciously let me borrow all of her decorations! We spangled out the "Spangles Hotel" with her glitter and glam, including a disco ball and a ginormous Oscar cutout.

Edison Flax (Hollywood agent) and Crystal Beech (Hollywood starlet and recent Eric winner for Best Actress)

Jules Milton (Spangles Hotel manager) and Lou Dunlin (respected Hollywood director)

Food:

All the ladies were asked to bring a food item to share, and boy did they bring the goodies! We had a great variety of appetizers and desserts, sweet, salty and all of them delicious! Check out those popcorn cupcakes (made with marshmallows), huge coconut cupcakes with handmade drama-mask toppers, slate topped brownies and mini buckets of popcorn.

CJ Vasquez (movie producer)

Halfway through the evening, Charles Henderson-Plumb proposed to Anna D'Lessey (with whom he was having an affair with). She declined.

Drinks:

Each of the guys were asked to bring a beverage to add to the bar. We set up the bar in front of this incredible fishtank:

Les Tytan (mesmerist) hypnotizes Kara Montague (singer turned actress)

Terry Ford (actor) is questioned by Detective Sandra Chase (one of Hollywoods finest detectives)

Entertainment:

The murder mystery is the entertainment. Party attendees are assigned their character a few weeks before the party so they can costume-up accordingly (I've been using their character names in this post to protect their identities --- actually, just because its more fun that way!). They're also given a few details about the storyline and a few goals to achieve throughout the evening --- one of them being to figure out who the murder is.

We had an incredible space to host the party at called WITHIN, located in the Sodo district in Seattle. We only had access to 1/3 of the space because their renovating the rest of it, but it was more than enough room for people to spread out and enjoy themselves.

We played 1920's Jazz music over the stereo and had old black-and-white movies projected on the screen throughout the party.

There were three producers who each had the goal to start a new movie by the end of the party -- with lead actors and actresses signed on and with plenty of seed money to begin the film. At the end of the party each movie team was asked to put together a quick scene from their upcoming new movie. After watching all three teams perform, everyone voted on who would win best actor and actress, and which film would win for Best Movie. Here's a look at one of the movies entitled Way Out West:

Favors:

We handed out awards at the end of the evening (based on guests voting for each other). The popcorn buckets contained goodies for a movie night for two: popcorn, drinks and candy.

The winners were: 1- My magical friend Terry (playing Les Tytan) was the only person to correctly guess the murderer (I'm still not convinced he didn't cheat on figuring it out), 2- Jim Taylor won best producer, 3-Anna D'Lessey won for best costume, 4- Sam Cortinelli won for best actor, 5 - Crystal Beech won her second ERIC for best actress

"Ahhh, daaahhhhliiing"

A wonderful cast and crew for this murder mystery party!

Masters of Ceremonies for the evening

Budget Breakdown:

Invites
Emailed invitations = free
Total = Free

Purchase of Murder Mystery Game

Usually $50, but was offset by party attendees' donations - a pleasant surprise!

Food/Beverages
Popcorn = $6

All other food/beverage provided by guests

Total = $6

Decorations
Sparkly Stars/Streamers = Borrowed
Disco Ball = Borrowed

Oscar/Paparazzi cutouts = Borrowed
Christmas Lights = Borrowed
Tablecloths = Borrowed
Total = Free

Space Rental

WITHIN = donated free by a friend-of-a-friend

Cleaning Fee = waived because we left the place cleaner than it was when we arrived

Total = Free

Favors
Popcorn Tubs = $7

Popcorn = $6

Drinks = $12

Candy = $15
Total = $50

Grand Total: $56
$56/23 people = $2.43 per person

Lessons Learned:

Murder mystery parties are a lot of work to host. There's so much that goes into getting people to commit to attending, assigning characters, preparing character envelopes and creating a mysterious atmosphere to encourage people to "act" their part.
Having a unique space to host your party (rather than your house) is something worth considering. WITHIN really set the mood for the party and it got people excited to come someplace new. We even had a couple attend that made a weekend out of the party --- they came to the party on Saturday night, got a hotel in Seattle and spent the day Sunday exploring the city (why didn't I think of that?!?!?)
There were so many incredible connections that made this party possible, including my friend Chris suggesting his friend's space, WITHIN and making it so that it was free for our use (thanks Chris!). I also met Sherrie at work and within minutes of meeting her asked her if I could borrow her decorations. It had to be an odd moment for her, but she graciously said "yes" and that she wanted to attend the party - my kind of gal! (thanks Sherrie!) Having connections is a wonderful thing when planning a party, but meeting new people and getting to know them is a real bonus.

TOTALLY AWESOME 80'S - PART TWO

2010-11-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine made these incredible cupcakes

Where do you suppose cupcakes like these would fit in?

Where else could you wear homemade tights like these?

Or sing 80's Karaoke --- in your church?!?!?

Or wear THIS to your church?

(srsly surprised God didn't send a lightning bolt down on these two)

Seems like the only appropriate place for all of these is at an incredible 80's Birthday party for 5 incredible friends!!!

Party #8:

Totally Awesome 80's Party

Invitations:

Cassette tape invites, seen here, made to look like old 80's mixtapes.

Entertainment:

Costume Contest, 80's Trivia, Arcade, Photo Booth, and an 80's club complete with disco ball, neon, and awesome 80's tunes.

Aubrey won the 80's Trivia contest and was pretty stoked about her Rubiks Cube prize!

We had several costume prize categories which were voted on by all party attendees. The categories included:

Most Like Michael = Jackson, of course

Most Like Madonna = Lace gloves and all

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night = Best Use of Neon

Back to the Future = You look the same as you always do

Tanner Family Member = Most Preppy

Hammertime = Best Dancer

Aquanet-aholic = Biggest Hair

Bueler, Bueler = You can wear anything and get away with it

Never Say Die = Best Group costume

I'll Be Back = You look so 80's authentic, did you just time warp here?

Say Hello to my Little Friend = Best kid costume

Jason and Ryan won the "Best Group" award for their matching mullet hair-do's

(or, hair-don'ts)

This looks like Todd on any normal day - so he won the Back to the Future award.

Food:

An amazingly accurate NES cake, Pacman cookies, Mario and Pacman cupcakes, 80's candy, and plenty of soda to go around.

Decor:

Large geometric paper shapes on the wall (like "THE MAX" from Saved by the Bell), silver accents around the favors, arcade and food. The 3 projectors showing various 80's movies and commercials with the disco ball and Christmas lights totally transformed our church sanctuary into a party palace.

Favors:

Neon bags filled with slap bracelets, friendship bracelets, Pop Rocks and other assorted candy.

Zach Morris and Madonna-wanna-be

Budget Breakdown:

Invites
Cassette Tapes = $20
Cassette cases = $15
J-cards = $5
Total = $40 (for 40 invitations)

Food/Beverages
Nintendo Cake = $50.00
Cupcakes = made by a friend
Candy = $8
Cookies = $12
Pretzels = $2
Drinks = $20
Plates = $3
Utensils = $4
Napkins = $3
Cups = $6
Total = $108

Photo Booth
Backdrop = $10
Camera = Mine
Light = Borrowed
Inflatable Instruments/Microphone = $10
Total = $20

Decorations
Balloons = $18
Geometric Paper Shapes = $6
Sparkly Stars/Streamers = Borrowed
Disco Ball = Borrowed
Christmas Lights = Borrowed
Tablecloths = Borrowed
Rubiks Cubes = $5
Mini Prize Trophies = $10
Total = $39

Favors
Bags = $4
Slap Bracelets = $20
Friendship Bracelets = $2
Pop Rocks = $6
Total = $32

Grand Total: $239
$239/36 people = $6.64 per person

Lessons Learned:

Pooling your resources and friends can make for an incredible party. Since we were celebrating each others birthdays, each birthday person contributed $50 to the party. This gave us a budget of $250 to work with. I planned the overarching ideas of the party and delegated tasks to those who I knew could do them well. For example, my friends Jess and Laurie love to get together and bake so they were put in charge of the food. I gave them some examples like Pacman cookies or 80's candy and they ran with it. I gave the guys the task of making the 80's club come to life and they put together so much more than I had ever expected. Everyone did a fantastic job with their parts of the party -- there's no way I could have done it all on my own.
The one downside of working with a team is coordinating with one another. All of my party teammates have busy lives and other commitments, so I didn't want to take up too much of their time and efforts. It would have been nice to get together as a group to plan things together, but it just wasn't going to happen. So everything was planned via Facebook, email and phone calls. It was a little stressful at times, but in the end, everything turned out great!
I love big parties. I love little parties too, but the more people there are to interact and get involved with, the more I love it (thats just me).
I tried to learn from past parties, so I had 3 people taking photos on this one, and I even set up a photo booth because I knew the costumes would be hilarious. This party was well documented!
The downside of having so many people take pictures is that it can be a pain to get those photos back from people. I'm totally guilty of it too, so I'm not picking on anyone here, just stating a fact that it can be like pulling teeth to get photos from other people. I think there's some technological wave-barrier-thing that prevents us from dumping photos from our cameras and immediately burning them to DVDs in a timely manner. I wish I was better at that.
The 1980's are so much fun to make fun of. Why is that?

This was a birthday party to remember! I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends who joined in my party planning. What's your most memorable birthday party?

FRIDAY 5 AT 5: HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

2010-11-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I must admit I'm a little sad we'll be missing out on Halloween this year (Davey and I will be on an airplane coming back from a wedding in Georgia). Fortunately I am still getting to dress up, several times in fact. I had two different outfits I wore at the 80's party, and I have another outfit for the Hollywood Mystery Party coming up.

If we weren't going to be 36,000 feet in the air, here are a few clever costume options I would have wanted to try:

1. LEGO INDIANA JONES: Did I mention that we beat the game earlier this year? It would have been fun going as Indiana Jones and Willie Scott

2. TRANSFORMERS: There are a whole lot of these transforming costumes online, but this one is my favorite. It would definitely be a costume design challenge, but oh so fun!

3. CHILEAN MINER: Fortunately this costume is acceptable because all of the persons involved were rescued, safe and sound. I work with a guy from Chile, he could have totally pulled this off --- with perhaps an adult-sized tube. Check out the fancy candy-hoarding action that kid rigged up! I'd give him twice the amount of candy for the creativity!

4. YIP YIPS - FROM SESAME STREET: Sometimes its the simplest costumes that get the best reactions. I can totally hear these guys making the 'yip, yip, yip, yiiip, yiiip, yip, yip' sound.

5. RUSSEL AND KEVIN THE BIRD - FROM PIXAR'S UP: Alright, who has a small Asian child I can borrow next year? I promise I won't let the balloons take him away.

What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Have you seen any other clever costumes? Please share! I love dressing up!

PARTY #9 - HOLLYWOOD LIES MYSTERY PARTY

2010-11-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

For the past two years, Davey and I have hosted very unique "Halloween" parties - mystery parties. These parties involve guests coming as various assigned characters and interacting with one another to solve a murder mystery. Our first mystery story had two pirate ships marooned on an island with buried treasure, and one of the captains had been murdered. Last year's party was set in the Old West with a murdered landowner and two competing railroad companies.

This year is no different, except that the mystery party is getting bigger and better! Our theme this year is old Hollywood ~ with a famous actor having been murdered.

The event takes place at a post-Oscar-type party at a fancy hotel; so this year we're busting out of our tiny house (which has somehow survived two mystery parties of 15+ people) and we're having the party at an incredible rental space in Seattle (to be revealed later).

Invitations have been sent via email for this party since I also had to include several documents for each person about their character. Here's what the main invitation looks like:

Each person is also sent a brief description of their character (to help with costuming) and a run-down of what their character knows before the party. At the event, the person must talk with other party attendees, using what they know about the murder story, to try and figure out who the murderer is. There are also several underlying plots being carried out as well during the party, which can either help or hinder guests from figuring out who the murderer is.

I'm really excited about this year's mystery party -- I've had so much help already in making it bigger and better!

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For my regular readers (thank you!) who are asking "wait, what about the 80's party recap part deux?!?!?" ----- no worries, I'm still planning on doing one whenever I get the photos from other people's cameras (as mine was mounted on a tripod all evening for the photo booth). But, I also want to try and keep up with party number 9 as well. So things may be a little out of order for a while, but that kind of thing happens when you decide to host three parties in one month's time.

I know.

I'm crazy like that.

MUSTACHE PARTY IN THE ATL

2010-11-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Atlanta area, and have no plans for this coming Friday evening, perhaps you'd like to participate in a huge Mustache Bash?

[Click here to visit the High Museum's event page]

Looks like someone at the High Museum read my blog and saw how awesome my Mustache Bash was and decided, not only to host their own party, but to curate an entire art show around the mustache master, Salvador Dali!

So, if you're in the neighborhood, head on over to the High Museum (one of my favorite places to relax in downtown Atlanta) this Friday night. The festivities start at 8PM, featuring live music, cold beer, and a mustache contest!

TOTALLY AWESOME 80'S - PART ONE

2010-11-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

How do you cram a decade's worth of awesome into 4 hours of fun?

Invite 60+ of your friends to an 80's theme party with a fun invitation:

Have some of your girlfriends make an incredible NES cake

and PacMan cookies

Have some of your guy friends turn your church sanctuary into a hip 80's club, complete with a disco light and 3 projectors (one playing The Goonies, one playing The Little Mermaid, and the other playing a compilation of classic 80's commercials, tv show themes, and movie trailers).

Set up an 80's arcade room with an old-school NES and Atari game systems
(NOTE: Some guys may not leave this room for the duration of the evening)

Create fun 80's contests, including 80's trivia and costume contest

Make an 80's photo booth with backdrop, balloons, and props to capture some great party shots like these

Stay tuned for PART TWO of the 80's party recap
(whenever I get photos from other party attendees)

200TH POST FREEBIE WINNER

2010-11-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Jenn, on being the winner of the fabulous "200th Post Giveaway"!

Jenn said: "I LOVE all your crafty projects and your cute party ideas. The old tape invite was seriously so clever. I'm going to have to steal that one! The downside is that I don't live in Seattle anymore to go to the parties :(. Congrats on 200!"

I miss having you at our parties too Jenn, but hopefully you can take some ideas and host some of your own! (Just be sure to share your party awesomeness with me!)

Thanks to everyone who commented, your feedback is a great help. I started writing this blog to keep in touch with family and friends, and it has become a chronicle of things that I enjoy, so it pleases me to know that you enjoy it too.

Thanks again to all the readers, wether you stop by regularly or just every-now-and-then, I truly appreciate you keeping in touch with my crazy life.

***********************

In other news, Blogger and our aweso.net domain have both been on the fritz, it seems. I have my IT department (a.k.a. my hubby) looking into it. In the mean time, I hope I can post last weeks' posts combined with this week's posts very soon --- basically a whole lot of awesome coming your way at once!

THE 200TH!

2010-10-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING ENTRIES ***

Wow, seriously? This is my 200th post!

I should have a pretty decent-sized fence by now.

Time really does fly when you're having fun. Writing, rambling, and piecing together this blog is a real treat for me -- its a place to meet new people and stay in touch with old ones (old as in time I've known you, not necessarily your age.....I'm talking to you mom and dad!).

Anyway, I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to all my readers for the wonderful support throughout these past 200 posts. I have really appreciated all your comments, suggestions, and of course, love.

So, to celebrate, I thought I would put together another freebie and give back to those of you who have meant so much to me throughout this time. Here's what you could win:

Custom designed stationery...

...invitations or Holiday cards!

PRIZE: One custom designed digital file ~ invitations, personalized stationery, holiday cards, or other stationery ~ for your printing/mailing/emailing enjoyment

TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words "HAPPY 200!" and...

BONUS QUESTION: Share a little feedback ~ what you like about the Building A Life blog, what you don't like, things you'd like to see in the future, etc.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, October 31st at 10pm PST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: Anywhere in the world

LEGAL CRAP: One entry per person is permitted (those commenting without a Blogger account - anonymously, please include your name or email so I can contact you if you win). The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Monday, November 1st. Good Luck!

Again, thanks so much for your readership and feedback!

PARTY #8 - TOTALLY AWESOME 80'S BIRTHDAY

2010-10-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

Some of you have expressed concern that my birthday came and went and nary a party did I throw for myself. Well, fret you no more, because not only am I throwing a birthday party for myself, but for four other people -- simultaneously!!! All my party planning lessons are culminating for this huge event....the Totally Awesome 80's party!!!!

Four of my friends also celebrate their birthdays in October, so I asked them if they'd like to team up for a big festive party. They all said "yes" (some of them not realizing I really meant BIG and FESTIVE), so the planning commenced! Everyone has been so great taking on various parts of the party and sticking with the 80's theme.

First off, the invitations. I firmly believe that the invitation sets the mood for a party, no matter if its a printed invite, email or verbal invitation -- this is the first chance you get to "excite" someone into attending your party. The 80's party guest list includes 60+ adults and a few little kiddos, so I knew I had to create something that could be easily mass produced but I also didn't want it to lack on impact. Enter the 80's mixtape:

Complete with J-card and plastic case:

The tape doesn't have anything recorded on it (man, how I wanted access to a speedy tape copier....oh well -- besides, who still has a cassette player to listen to it?), but the invitation wording is on the inside of the J-card:

The party is set for this Saturday night, and I'm totally in 80's mode - watching 80's classic films on Netflix (I'm gonna be honest here and say that The Breakfast Club did not live up to all the hype I've heard about it), playing with teasing my hair and coating it with Aquanet, listening to nothing but 80's pop, and working with four great friends to create the 80's party of the year!

Stay tuned for what is sure to be and incredible party recap!

CARAMEL APPLES

2010-10-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

For the Pumpkin Carving Party, I wanted to try my hand at making caramel apples for the party favors. I have never made caramel from scratch, much less tried to dunk apples in a pot of it. Here's a quick tutorial on how to make caramel apples with a few tips and tricks I learned along the way:

This is the recipe I used (found at AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:

3 Cups white sugar

1.5 Cups corn syrup

1 pinch salt

2 Cups liquid non-dairy creamer

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

STEP 1: Prepare your apples by washing them (it helps to scrub a little in order to get the wax off -- I didn't know this, but apparently stores put a thin wax coat on the apples to make them shiny, but this layer won't help the caramel stick to your apple). Once the apples are washed, insert your stick into the center of the core from the top of the apple (it helps to place your apple on the counter and see how it sits by itself, then insert the stick perpendicular to the counter - in other words, the stick may not go through the exact center of the apple, depending on how the apple sits on a flat surface. Also, you can purchase dowel rods specifically for candy making, but I just used kabob skewers since my apples were pretty small.)

Also, now is a good time to prep your drying area for the coated apples -- put some parchment paper on the counter or on a cookie sheet so you have somewhere for the sticky apples to dry.

STEP TWO: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1 Cup con-dairy creamer. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface (patience is key here....I thought my mixture would never darken to a caramel color - make sure you are stirring constantly to keep the mixture from burning on the bottom.)

STEP 3: Combine vanilla and remaining creamer and stir, a little at a time, into caramel. For a soft caramel, remove from heat and pour into a buttered 8x8 inch dish (don't do this if you're planning to make caramel apples). For a hard candy or caramel apple coating, continue cooking until mixture reaches hard ball stage, 250 to 265 degrees F, or until a small amount of syrup dropped in cold water forms a rigid ball.

STEP 4: Once the caramel has reached the hard ball stage, turn the burner onto a LOW setting. You want the caramel to cool enough to thicken to coat your apples, but not cool enough where you can't dunk your apples in it. Then, you can go to town dunking and coating your apples with sweet caramel! (I had to turn my pan at an angle towards then end in order to cover the last few apples) Place the coated apples on the parchment paper to cool.

Here's a look at the progression of caramel:

The back left 6 were dipped when the caramel was still too hot, notice how the caramel didn't really stick to the apples because it was so runny?

The far right 3 were done about halfway when the caramel was cooling so the caramel stuck a little better.

The bottom left 3 were done perfectly! Catching the caramel at its peak thickness is key -- see how lovely they are coated?

I had some cream cheese icing leftover from making the cupcakes, so I melted it down a little in the microwave and gave a few of the apples an extra layer of sweetness:

And there you have it: delicious homemade carmel apples - full of yummy, goey, sticky goodness!

PUMPKIN' CARVING

2010-10-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm not much for pumpkin carving, I am always up for getting together with good friends, having some laughs and great food -- especially dessert! I sent out a dozen or so pumpkin carving invitations and even though only two people showed up, we had a great time! Apparently mid-October is a very busy time for folks (me included!).

Our friends, Spencer and Jennifer, came over after church for lunch and pumpkin carving fun (thanks guys for making this party happen!). This was the first pumpkin Jennifer had ever carved!!! She did an amazing job attacking her pumpkin head on right from the start.

Jazz decided he would "help" Spencer with his pumpkin.

Party #7:

Pumpkin Carving

Invitations:

I created an emailable invitation in Photoshop that took a creepy spin on hacking away at a pumpkin and emailed them out a few weeks before the party.

Entertainment:

Duh - carving pumpkins, of course! Jennifer and Spencer were super-sweet and brought a pumpkin carving kit, complete with mini knives and design templates. I also had Pandora playing fun Halloween music in the background -- it was basically a Monster Mash station.

Food:

Friday evening, I made a bunch of sweet treats, including spice mini-cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and candy corn decorations. I also set out a dish of Halloween candy. Did I mention that I was fasting on Friday? Here's a tip: baking and fasting do not go together, unless you're up for really testing yourself.

Decor:

I didn't create any special decorations for this party since it was pretty low-key.

Favors:

I also made caramel apples on Friday night (how-to post coming up tomorrow) to give out as favors.

Here are the crafty carvers with their designs: the graveyard ghost, a creepy cat, and a dragon.

Here they are again with the two white pumpkins I painted while everyone else hacked away...

Budget Breakdown:

Invites

FREE!

Food

Mini Cupcakes: $2 (yay for 10 for 10 sales at the grocery store!)

Candy: $5

Cheese & Crackers: $5

Total = $12

Drinks

Soda: On hand from previous parties

Total = FREE

Favors

Caramel Apples: $10

Total = $10

Grand Total: $22.00

$22.00/16 invited guests = $1.38 per guest

since only 2 guests came, then it actually comes out to about $5 per person

Later in the evening I lit Dave's amazing dragon and my quick spider

Have you or will you carve pumpkins this year? If so, what design did/will you use?

FRIDAY 5 AT 5: A STASH OF 'STACHES

2010-10-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

One of the side-effects of the Ten Party Project, as I've been finding out, is that throwing a theme party can really cause attachment to certain things. Usually you throw a theme party about something you already love, and the party is just a support of you loving it. However, it is possible to throw a theme party of something you don't really care about and then, after the party, you suddenly love it!

For example, previously this year I hosted a Mustache Bash -- an entire party dedicated to the fuzzy upper-lip. I chose the theme because I thought it would just be humorous to see all my friends with mustaches, which it was, and then my life would go on as normal.

This did not happen - it was humorous to see all my friends with mustaches, but my life did not go on as normal.

I had spent hours researching mustaches: all the different kinds, famous people with mustaches, how to grow a mustache, how to fake a mustache, etc. And now, months later, I get a little giddy everytime I see a mustache. Why. Is. This?

Did I mention that I'm a female and have not the ability to grow a mustache? Did I mention that everytime my husband lets his facial hair grow for more than three days, I get all complain-ey because it hurts my face when we kiss?

So why in the world do I, should I, care about mustaches?

Its a mystery.

My best guess is two-fold: (1)The Mustache Bash was so much fun and hilarity, that everytime I see a mustache my heart is filled with warm memories of that evening (2)Mustaches are just so dang cleverly-cute! Here are some things that I adore, simply because they are mustache-related:

1. LORD LIKELY'S EXTRA-ORDINARY INTERACTIVE MUSTACHE-O-RAMA: For those in the beginning stages of mustache appreciation, this is a fun little tool to get you acquainted with a variety of stachiness available for growth.

2. MUSTACHE JEWELRY: I'm all about great design with great function. This necklace achieves both, %100 of the time.

3. MUSTACHE T-SHIRTS: The interwebs abound with clever mustache t-shirts, but this one is my favorite.

4. MUSTACHE GLASSWARE: I made my first attempt at glass etching at The Mustache Bash, trying to make drink glasses as party favors. Mine were okay, but these are incredible!

5. TYPESTACHES: The epitome of awesome-mustachey-ness for me ~ the combination of cute mustaches and fonts ~ I'm seriously design-geeking out over this. I think my favorite is the Mr. Copperplate.

Do you have something odd that you adore? Am I the only one attached (figuratively speaking) to mustaches?

OK GO RESCUE DOGS

2010-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Somehow my cat, Rini, has figured out how to sneak on my computer, magically grow opposable thumbs and then proceeds to share with you a little insight into the feline world. Jazz, however, has not figure out how to do this - thankfully (there have been enough fur-hairs lost in the crevices of my keyboard thankyouverymuch).

you know, I can cleanz that for ya if ya want.
i have a patented soap-sud tongue.

Someone shared this video with me the other day and I showed it to Jazz. He was very excited - especially the part with the musical border collies and the barking dog. He asked me if I would share it with you too:

and Rini wants me to find out who it was that stole his sunshiney-warm-window-seat.

Sorry buddy, that's called "winter".

mmmm...sunshiney....

TERRY THE GREAT

2010-10-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've got this great magician friend named Terry.

That's right, I said magician.

I. Know. A. Magical. Person.

I have always loved magic and grew up watching all the David Copperfield specials on TV (the magician, not the kid from that classic novel) . I'm not one of those people who HAS to know how the trick was done. In fact, I love not knowing. Inevitably, if I do find out the secret -- its not as cool anymore. I just really enjoy being entertained by magic.

So, when I found out that my friend Terry was a magician/mentalist, I was really excited. I try not to bug him too much about showing me new tricks and stuff, but perhaps he will say different. At least he was kind enough to be a guest blogger! So, without further ado, I give you....TERRY -- THE GREAT!

**********************

I've been performing magic for one and a half decades. I remember when I first went to a birthday part when I was around 8 or 9 years old and they gave away party bags when we left. Mine contained a set of the Cups and Balls, one of the world's oldest magic tricks. I still perform the trick to this day, albeit with a little more flare and a lot more finesse. I wouldn't say that was when I first started to perform it (that wouldn't occur for another 7 or 8 years), but it is when I got my interest in it.

For the first 13 years in performing magic, I was most a sleight of hand guy. This involves using various elements of misdirection, not to mention a lot of hand dexterity, to accomplish feats of wonders. I didn't use very many gimmicked props, and I still don't. This means that I tended to shun the use of a trick deck of cards and various other things. And after a while, I got pretty good at it.

But in 2007 I started to branch into mentalism. Mentalism is the branch of magic that deals with reading thoughts, making predictions and knowing things that you couldn't know. In 2009, I made the leap to primarily focus on mentalism. I find that it suits my personality and many of the ways for accomplishing it are suited to my natural abilities. There is no such thing as mind reading, of course, just as there is no such thing as being psychic or talking to the dead. Instead, my act fuses a mixture of magic, suggestion, psychology, showmanship and misdirection. And I have a lot of fun doing it.

Here's a simple trick you can use to amaze all of your friends. Properly presented you can seriously demonstrate your skills in mind reading.

Go to the store and pick up a box of ordinary crayons, the kinds that come in 24 packs (or however big you want it). When performing, hold the box of crayons behind your back and instruct someone to take the box, select a crayon from it, remove it and show it around being very careful not to let you see it. When they are done, they are to put the crayon back in your hand. You keep your hand with the crayon behind your back at all times. At no time will you ever see the crayon as it will be behind you.

You turn around and look into the spectator's eyes, crayon in one hand behind your back. Waving your hand in front of her eyes, it is as if you are looking through your hand to her. Your hand comes to a stop and you bring it closer to your own head. You size her up and attempt to gauge her reactions. You ask her a couple of questions. "It's a light color, isn't it?" She nods. "One of the primary colors?" She responds in the affirmative. "It's associated with warmth, isn't it?" Once again she says yes. "The color you selected is red!" The spectator again says yes, amazed by your power of mind reading!

You repeat this once or, at most, twice more. Each time, you get the selection right.

So how does it work? Suggestion? Reading body language cues? Probability of guessing the correct color?

While those are all options, this one is much simpler than that. What you do is after the spectator has selected the crayon and placed it in your hand behind your back, you "flick" off a small piece of wax beneath your fingernail. You can do this from either the top of the crayon or the bottom, but each time you do it you will leave a small "notch" in the crayon and so I recommend doing it from the bottom of the crayon. You don't need a lot.

You bring your hand forward. Note that you have to bring the hand forward that has the wax beneath your fingernail or thumbnail; don't laugh, in the heat of a performance you can forget. If you do, simply switch hands. You hold your hand out in front of you at a distance and pretend to be attempting a reading. Hold your arm out a full length and look through your fingers. Then bring your hand in close to your head, resting it on it as if you are concentrating. Look at your thumbnail or fingernail and get the color, simultaneously asking the questions. The questions, of course, are for show. They are essential to the misdirection, as is the waving of the hands.

You ask a couple of questions and then do the reveal. If you wanted to, you can explain ahead of time that certain people are predisposed to picking certain colors and the very words you are using are subconsciously influencing them right now. In this way, the effect becomes more about control than about mind reading. One important thing to remember is to avoid looking directly at your thumb or finger where you have dipped the wax from the crayon. People will notice when you do that and it will be difficult for you to explain it. They will think "Why is he/she looking at their hand? Oh, it's because they put something from the crayon on their finger!" This will give it away. For that reason, it is better to hold your hand up and to the side and make a motion with your hand to look over in that direction and then look at your thumb. By doing this, you are instructing the spectator to look in a certain direction with your hand, and then demonstrating what you want them to do with your own eyes. Catching a glimpse in this manner is natural in the sense that you now have a reason to look at your hand -- it just so happens to be in the place you want to look as well.

You are ready for an encore performance but remember - doing it more than once increases the odds of discovery. This one tends to be pretty safe... but you never know.

Now go out and be amazing!

********************

Thanks Terry for sharing your magical skills -- and for letting me try my hand at magic. Let's just all admit that there's not much of a future for me in the world of magic. For more impressive magical tricks, you can check out Terry's YouTube channel.

Have you ever tried to perform a magic trick? If so, which one? Are you ready to impress your friends by "reading their minds"???

FRIDAY 5 AT 5: PUYALLUP FAIR

2010-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to go to the Puyallup Fair ever since we moved to the Northwest. Besides being a fun-named city (pronounced PEW-WALL-UP), Puyallup hosts a spectacular fair every year which continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the US.

[i would like to highlight the fact that there is sunshine in this photograph. i will always remember this day as the one fluke non-rainy-and-actually-pretty-hot-Saturday-in-September in Seattle]

After some serious schedule finagleing, we were able to find an empty Saturday to spend at the fair. Here are a few fair things we saw:

1. THE RIDES
You can't have a fair without a ferris wheel

2. THE ANIMALS
Some were a little over-dressed

And some were a little under-dressed
In fact, several had forgotten their coats
And some, well, just didn't seem to fit in, no matter what they wore

3. THE FOOD
Can you tell I'm a little dissapointed? This was the ONLY fried thing at the entire fair -- a FUNNEL CAKE?!?!? Seriously? Where were the fried snickers bars? The deep-fried oreos? The heart-attacks on a stick? (I blame all the granola people)
Our strawberry milkshake was still delicious (but also not deep-fried)

4. THE EXHIBITS
God's exhibit:
and man's poor attempt at replicating it

There was also a fabulous collection of Playskool toys on display. I had so many of these play sets when I was little.

5. THE PRODUCE
Whats a fair without giant pumpkins?

What are your favorite parts of going to a fair?
Any good fairs or festivals in the state where you live?

THIRTY BEFORE THIRTY

2010-10-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of my 26th year on earth.

Wow.

Time goes by so fast!! Look at all the stuff I've done in 26 years!!!

Here are a few that stand out right now:

I learned to walk, talk, and read.
I learned the colors of the rainbow..and then some...and how to mix them with paint
I've been to 48 states.
I've traveled to Europe, Ukraine, Mexico, and Canada.
I graduated preschool, 5th grade, 8th grade, high school, community college, and university.
I've had 11 jobs.
I've had 15 pets (including 5 dogs, 6 cats, 2 rabbits, 1 squirrel, and a hermit crab)
I met, fell in love with, and married my bestest friend in the whole world!
I've also made a ton of lists.

In that spirit, I wanted to create a list of things that I haven't done, but want to do before I turn 30 (my next milestone birthday). I will turn thirty on October 5, 2014 which gives me 4 years to do all of the following things...

1. Figure out my favorites of different ethnic cuisines (i.e Indian, Thai, Italian, Vegetarian, etc)

2. Eat veggies and herbs grown in our backyard

3. Archive all my photos/home videos/design projects on DVDs

4. Complete my travels to all 50 states (which means trips to Alaska and Hawaii)

5. Read the entire Narnia book series from beginning to end

6. Organize all my craft/home/party ideas

7. Learn to play a song on the piano and sing it at the same time

8. Seriously organize my shoes

9. Spend an entire 24 hours in bed (not sick)

10. ~~Launch my creative services business~~

11. Illustrate the childrens book my dad wrote

12. Perform a freestyle routine with Jazz in a competition

13. Change a diaper (seriously, I have never done this)

14. Learn to make amazing cakes with fondant icing

15. Swim with a dolphin

16. Get in the best shape of my life (be at my ideal weight, eating healthy, working out regularly, etc.)

17. Make my Memaw's scrapbook of her husband's time in the war into a real book

18. Participate in the 365 photo project

19. Perfect how to cook my mother's biscuit recipe

20. Travel to Greece & Santorini

21. Sew a dress for myself from scratch, using a pattern

22. Watch all of the AFI's top 100 films

23. Take a culinary class

24. Spoil myself with an entire day at a spa and a fancy hotel

25. Make an awesome video of our wedding

26. Find the perfect hammock and hang it in my yard (then relax in said hammock)

27. Go out to eat and only have desserts

28. Sew my tshirt quilt

29. Have an amazing family photo taken

30. Plan, and have, an incredible 30th birthday party

I will cross them off of the list (in this post) as I accomplish them and share with you when I've completed something on the list! Here's to another 26 years of doing stuff!

Want any details to something on my list, just ask!

What are your 30 things to do before 30? 40 before 40? 80 before 80?

PS - My parents are sad that "have a baby" isn't on this list. Anyone have a grandchild they could let my parents borrow during the next four years?

OUR LITTLE CHAMPION

2010-10-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Davey & Jazz participated in a WOOFD2 training and competition (I went along as the "soccer mom" with folding chairs, water, snacks, and cameras in hand). WOOFD2 stands for Washington Owners Of Flying Disc Dogs. Each fall and spring they host a two-hour training course for people interested in playing frisbee with their dog and for people who are looking to enter competitions with their dog. This was our first professional frisbee training we have done with Jazz (everything we've done so far has been by us in our backyard with the help of books and online videos).

The WOOFD2 tents - set up and ready for the training

Jazz has always made friends very easily

The weather was dreary, but the rains held off, which made the event great for dogs running around in the cool weather. The first hour was spent training without the dogs -- focusing on two groups of people: those who didn't know how to throw a frisbee, and those who knew how to throw but wanted to learn more trick throws. Davey went with the trick throw folks because he played ultimate frisbee in college, so throwing a straight shot is a no-brianer for him. After an hour, they let the dogs come out onto the field and worked with both dog and owner to learn new tricks and how to train them.

First introductions - there were lots of people in attendance.

After the training, they held a frisbee dog competition. Each pair (dog/owner) had to complete three of four scored events (of their choosing), at the end of which all three scores would be totaled for the team's final score.

*****************

The first event was TOSS-N-FETCH (a.k.a DISTANCE/ACCURACY).

In this event the team is given 60 seconds to score as many points as possible with one disc. The thrower and canine start behind the throwing line. The thrower then throws the frisbee onto the field and points are given according to where the dog catches the frisbee on the field.

Zone 1 (10-20 yards) = 1 point

Zone 2 (20-30 yards) = 2 points

Zone 3 (30-40 yards) = 3 points

End Zone (40-50+ yards) = 5 points

An additional half-point is given for each successful catch in which the dog makes a catch with all four paws clearly off the ground. If the dog catches the frisbee in the half circle outside the endzone, an additional point is given.

I GOTS IT!!

*****************

The second event was OBSTACLES.

In this event the thrower has 3 discs to complete as many obstacles as possible with the dog catching the frisbee once the frisbee has cleared the obstacle. 3 points are given for each obstacle successfully completed by the thrower, and an additional point is given for each time the dog catches the frisbee on a completed obstacle -- for a total possible 12 points.

THE HOOP: thrower throws the frisbee, from a marked line, through the hoop.

THE BARREL: the thrower throws the frisbee, from a marked line, through the barrel

THE HYSER: the thrower stands inside a marked box and throws the frisbee around the outside edge of one of the bars (either left or right) so that the frisbee curves back into the center space on the opposite side of the bars

THE SKIP: thrower throws the frisbee, from a marked line, downward onto the board to make the frisbee "bounce" back up in flight (Dave/Jazz didn't do this one because they aced the other 3)

*****************

The third event was BULLSEYE.

In this event the thrower has 3 tries to score points with one disc. The throws must be completed in 90 seconds or less. The thrower throws the frisbee on the field and points are given where the dog catches the frisbee.

Center Circle (Bullseye) = 5 points

Outer Circle = 3 points

Anywhere else on the field = 1 point

No catch = no points

I SEES IT!!

Catching the frisbee right in the Bullseye!!

When all the competitors had completed their chosen three events, the scores were totaled and they announced the winners....

You'll never guess who got 1st Place!!!

We went home with an armload of swag and a certificate!

We were beyond excited that Jazz won his first-ever competition! We had no idea he would do so well -- we just were out having fun with our pup. Jazz had such a great time getting to play frisbee all morning, and he did such a good job catching nearly every disc that was thrown for him. Although, it has to be said that Davey's frisbee skillz played a huge part in their scoring as well -- check out that PERFECT score on the obstacles!!! Nice shootin', Rex!

We hope to attend more WOOFD2 trainings in the coming months to really hone in our skillz with freestyle tricks and vaults. All-in-all it was a great day of frisbee throwin' and catchin'! Jazz was rewarded with snuggles, treats, and an afternoon nap when we got home. We even called him "Champ" for the rest of the day and kept telling him how awesome he was for winning first place.

Whut iz dis "furst playce" you speek uv?

I likes it!!! I can has mor furst playce pleez?

BREAKFAST NOW!

2010-10-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

All cats have a certain fear that their Food Lady will not have breakfast redy by 5:30am. Do people really find this funny? Locked in the same house for our entire lives, expected to live up to a certain image of the "Supercat", constantly being asked to play the stupid Shoelace Game (with conviction, no less!), and our reward is to be branded neurotic?

The earlies dawn is a time of great trepidation, and hunger is the most awesome force that drives us all. When people first came to this country, they had no qualms about rising at sunset and searching for food, for that was their life's missions. Couldn't we use a bit of that pioneering spirit again, that appreciation for the essentials of life? The Food Lady is capricious and unreliable while the stomach is constant. You can resist the force of nature, but you cannot disobey it.

My rational side knows that I will get fed eventually. My irrational side would like the Food Lady to wake up and fill the freakin' food bowl NOW!!!

FRIDAY 5 AT 5: AUTUMN FAVORITES

2010-10-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

We've had such odd/grouchy/unreliable/unscheduled weather in the Northwest this year. After having very little summer, suddenly the dreary winter rains came and I was beginning to wonder if we would have any kind of fall. But, this week, the leaves started changing, the sun finally made it's way out from behind the clouds, and we're actually having a bit of good, clean Autumn weather.

Here are some of my favorite things about fall:

1. My birthday: October 5th. I've always been pretty happy about when my birthday falls on the calendar. Its not too hot, not too cold, the leaves are changing, when I was in school I could take cupcakes to class to share, and I'm not very close to any big holidays (unlike my poor hubby, who's birthday ALWAYS gets combined with Christmas).

[source]

2. Baking: For some reason fall always gets people in the mood to bake something. Pumpkin pie, snickerdoodles, banana bread, pecan pie, and various other goodies. I love to bake, so I do my fair share of contributing to the never-ending line of baked goodies that find their way to the community kitchen table at my workplace.

3. The colors: Who doesn't love a good autumn palette in the trees? Back on the East Coast, the changing colors are legendary and people take long weekend vacations just to drive through the mountains to see all the colors. Here in the North West we don't have near the show (because of all the coniferous trees), but I have noticed that the trees that do change color are very intense about it. What I thought was a red leaf back home in North Carolina, would look like a dull brown/wine color compared to a red tree out here in Seattle. I'm sure there's some climate reason for this, but whatever causes it really makes the colors stand out.

[source]

4. School supplies: I work pretty close to a Staples, and on days when I need a little break, I walk over to Staples and peruse the office/school supplies. I love the smell of newly sharpened pencils ("You've Got Mail" reference anyone?), the feel of pink rubber erasers, those cool trapper-keeper notebooks, and on and on and on....

5. Chunky sweaters and boots: I'm a cold-natured person so I have an affinity for all things snuggly and warm. Give me a comfortable pair of jeans, a sturdy pair of boots, and a chunky knitted sweater and I'm a happy gal. I recently scored the most amazing sweater at a garage sale for $1 and I'm having a hard time not wearing it everyday. And, those of you who see me on a regular basis know I over wear my Rocketdog boots like their the only pair of shoes I own.

What is your favorite season? Why?

What are some of your favorite things about fall?

PARTY #7 - PUMPKIN' CARVING

2010-09-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

You would think that, being an artist, I would really get into pumpkin carving. But I usually don't even buy pumpkins, much less carve them, unless I get together with a few friends for a carving party. We had a great carving party in our backyard last year, so I thought it would be fun to host some friends again and let the orange-gooey-mess commence.

Pumpkin carving parties are always low-key for me; its more about goofing off with friends than actually carving pumpkins. I'm using email invitations this time around because it's quick, easy, and cheap --- party on a budget guys, remember?

Here's how they look:

I played off the idea of stabbing a pumpkin with a knife (aka carving) to add a little creepy, Halloween vibe -- but with humor. "Code 245" is the actual code for "assault with a deadly weapon" (don't ask me how I know that....okay, okay, so I just searched the internets).

Other than pumpkin carving set-up, the only other plans for the party are to provide drinks and yummy dessert treats. I also would like to roast the pumpkin seeds and package them up for people to take home as their favors. I've done salted and cinnamon/butter/sugar in the past.

Got any great Halloween desserts I could try making?

Have you ever roasted pumpkin seeds before? If so, do you use any unique seasonings?

SO SAVVY

2010-09-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

When I first started working for the City of Redmond, one of my first projects was to design their quarterly magazine called FOCUS - which was delivered to all Redmond residents and businesses. I designed both the Winter 2008 and the Spring 2009 magazines.

The Winter and Spring covers of the issues I designed

A spread from inside the printed magazine.

For the Summer 2009 issue, the City communications department (which I am a part of) decided to go digital with the magazine, changing the name to e-focus. This was a big step for the City, but it also allowed our creative department to show off what we could do as a team.

This past spring (on the one-year anniversary of e-focus) we submitted the online magazine into a communications competition --- and we won! The website, efocusonredmond.com, recently won a national Savvy award for being Best in Class for government digital news magazines. The Savvies are awarded by the City and County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) out of Washington, DC, an organization that has recognized excellence in government communications for over 20 years.

The judges stated that the digital magazine's approach of combining together a variety of communications tools, such as video, print and web technology was innovative and informative. They also appreciated how the magazine saved the jurisdiction money while creating a better product.

The digital "cover" of e-focus.

Inside e-focus

The digital magazine is developed using in-house staff (a team of 5, including me) and has no mailing costs. While the city continues to send a printed newsletter to Redmond households and businesses, it's a smaller version (now only 8 pages instead of 32 pages), which saves the City approximately $20,000 a year in printing and mailing costs.

The latest issue in now live and includes an introduction to Redmond's new Police Chief; several articles on how to help the salmon in local creeks and information on a newly approved traffic safety camera program. I hope you'll check out our award-winning online magazine!

Do you prefer online or printed magazines? What are the pros and cons of going digital with information versus having in-your-hand printed information?

FRIDAY 5 AT 5: ONOMATOPOEIA

2010-09-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Gotta love a word that's fun to say, is crazy long, and hard as anything to spell correctly:

O-N-O-M-A-T-O-P-O-E-I-A.

I also love that these words are illustration-worthy.

case and point.

This week's FF@F is going interactive! Below is a list of 5 questions for YOU to answer --- lets get to know each other a little better, shall we? (Don't make me ZAP! you in the face! jk, I would never ZAP! you, maybe just SPLONK! you in the face.)

In the past month, what was your biggest OOPS!
In the past month, what inspired you to let out your most heartfelt WHEW!
In the past month, what caused you to say, "HUH?"
In the past month, what influenced the most ZZZZZZZ's?
In the past month, what has been the most GRRRRRRRR-worthy?

Here are my answers to get you started:

OOPS!: I totally forgot to set out the marshmallows for the chocolate fondue party. They would have been soooo good!

WHEW!: I volunteer to do a lot of things at church and fortunately 99% of what I get to do is really fun. But I love it when someone finds me and tells me that they would love to do that 1% that I don't really enjoy. This happened on a recent project I had lined up to do at church.

HUH?: On a recent yard-sailing adventure, I saw a velvet painting of Neil Diamond (at least, I think it was Neil Diamond). Then I saw someone purchase said velvet painting.

ZZZZ: A few chapters from "Eat, Pray, Love" where the author is going into detail about her meditation times. I thought meditation made me sleepy, but reading about someone else meditating is actually worse.

GRRR: My 6AM alarm clock going off and waking me from an amazing dream or just general pleasant, deep slumber.

Now it's your turn. What's OOPS! WHEW! HUH? ZZZZ. GRRR. with you?

J-E-L-L-OH MY!

2010-09-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of Jell-O. By itself it is very pretty, but it doesn't take long before I tire of the single flavor and that wiggly texture. However, I absolutely LOVE Jell-O when it is used in recipes to add a little cool/creamy texture and flavor. For example, growing up my Mom always made Strawberry Pudding when strawberry season started (usually May in North Carolina). Similar to a banana pudding, this dessert was just the perfect cool sweet to enjoy on a sunny day. The best part though, was the combination of vanilla pudding and strawberry Jell-O that somehow made the vanilla wafers semi-soggy. It was so moist and delicious....I'm drooling on my keyboard just thinking about it.

If you know me at all, you know I love to cook. You'd also know that I love desserts. I also love to watch the Food Network, especially when dessert themed competitions are on (i.e. Cupcake Wars, Chopped, Ace of Cakes, etc).

I don't think this particular competition was on the Food Network, but it is still pretty impressive:

The GSS Jell-O Mold Competition.

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

2010-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of summer, and surprisingly we have a little sunshine (we've had nearly two weeks of solid rain).

[source]

So, exactly how long do the "dog days of summer" last?

"The Romans believed that Sirius - the dog star - added to the heat of the sun greatly from July 3rd to August 11th, creating the Dies Caniculares -- the dog days of summer."

So, technically the dog days of summer have been over for nearly a month.

Here's something else interesting:

The old rule-of-thumb that one dog year equals seven year of a human life is not entirely accurate. The ratio is actually higher with youth and decreases a bit as the dog ages. Depending on the breed, a dog experieces the raging hormones of adolescence anywhere from 8 month to two years or more. Generally, a dog of six has aged about as much as a 45 year old human. At 10, the dog is like a human of 65; at 12, a human of 75; and at 15, a human of 90.

A dog's lifespan is only a fraction of the average human's lifespan, which means that a dog ages more quickly in the same amount of time. This handy chart shows how a dog's age might be adjusted to compare to a human's age.

Ahh, I wish I was a dog --- it would feel so good to be 2 years old again.

FONDUE FUN

2010-09-20T13:43:00.001-07:00

The Ten Party Project will be just as it sounds: I'll host ten parties in 2010. The parties will range from small dinners to all-out celebrations. All will have similar set-ups including: invitations, entertainment, food, decor, and budget. I'll recap (and sometimes plan) them here on the blog with full budget breakdowns.

For party #6 (yes! over halfway there!) Davey and I hosted a little fondue dinner meal for our new SHARE group. We had four couples attend which worked out nicely since that's about the max number of people you can fondue around one table with! This party was all about getting to know one another and fellowshipping over a good meal. Fondue is a great dinner conversation starter and there's lots to comment on as you interactively eat your meal.

Our SHARE group dipping into some fun conversation

Party #6:

Fondue Fun

Invitations:

I whipped up some quick/quirky invitations using a set of fondue forks, some felt, embroidery thread, and a cute little tag.

Entertainment:

We ended up playing a game where each time you dropped a piece of food in the pot, you had to share something odd or embarrassing about yourself. I won't name any names, but all I'm gonna say is "webbed feet".

Davey and I also came up with rounds of questions to encourage the "get to know you" aspect of the night. The first round of three questions was pretty simple, with things like "what's your full name?" and "where were you born?" [ooo! ooo! see Dad, I asked people where they were from!!!]. Round 2 probed a little deeper with questions like "what things are you involved in at church?" and "what things are you involved in outside of church?". The final round of questions focused on our SHARE group and what people wanted to get out of our time together and fun activities we could do as a group. With 8 people and great conversation, it took us 3 hours to get through a total of 9 questions!

The pot of oil cooking some yummy steak

Food:

We had three different kinds of fondue -- here's a quick look at the menu:

Meat Fondue with white rice & dipping sauces

Cubed steak
Cubed chicken
Shrimp
Teriyaki Sauce
Honey BBQ Sauce
Sweet n Sour Sauce
A1 Steak Sauce

Cheese Fondue

Steamed Broccoli
Cubed french bread
Red & Yellow Peppers
Cubed apples

Chocolate Fondue

Sliced bananas
Cubed angel food cake
Cubed apples
Marshmallows

And here's a little of what our table looked like:

Decor:

I didn't create any special decorations for our dinner, just a nice table set up and a little jazz music playing in the back ground.

Favors:

I know my motto seems to be "it ain't a party without favors" - and while that's probably true - I didn't make any favors for this dinner party. I would have loved to have sent each couple home with their very own fondue pot, but alas, fondue pots are kind of expensive! At least everyone went home with full bellies and a few new friends to add to their Facebook.

mmmm...chocolate fondue for dessert

Budget Breakdown:

Invites

Fondue forks =$5

felt = on-hand

embroidery floss = on-hand

tags = on-hand

Total = $5

Food

Steak = $8

Chicken = $5

Shrimp = $5

Sauces = on-hand

oil= $5
Rice = on-hand

Fondue cheese = $13

apples = provided by guest

peppers =$4

bread = $2

chocolate chips = $4

heavy cream =$4

bananas = provided by guest

marshmallows = on-hand

angel food cake = provided by guest

Total =$60

Drinks

soda = provided by guest

water = free

Total = $0

Grand Total:

$60/8 people =$7.50

Lessons Learned:

A little bit of craziness occurred by the time I loaded up the table with all the food, sauces, and dinnerware. But it worked. It was just like a great big family dinner with people reaching over one another, passing this and that, and just generally having a great time.
Fondue is all about the preparation - cutting up meat, bread, veggies, fruits, etc. So it was a really good meal to have with a large group of people because each person could have what they wanted, and as much as they wanted.
I've never had rice with fondue before, but it was such a great idea. Not only did it give people something to eat with their meat, but it also helped people get full more quickly.
Again, I wish I had a fly-on-the-wall photographer to capture better pictures from the night...especially some of the faces people made when we told funny or embarrassing stories about ourselves. There was lots of laughter, so smiles were abundant for a photographer to capture. I was too busy chatting and eating to really get great photos.

Are you ready to host a fondue night of your own? What types of food would you add to dip? What's your favorite kind of fondue: meat, cheese, or chocolate?

FRIDAY FIVE AT FIVE: FON-DO'S AND FON-DON'TS

2010-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

In my extensive fondue research for our upcoming fondue party, I ran across several articles on proper fondue etiquette. I must admit, I learned a thing or two because I've usually fondued with people I'm closely related to, so manners kind of get put aside during those meals. Here are some of the basics of fondue niceness:

[source]

1. Don't touch the fondue fork with your mouth because the fork goes back into the pot. You shouldn't really touch the fork with your lips, tongue, or teeth. I experimented a little and this is actually a pretty easy rule to follow, but it does help to have a napkin to wipe that extra bit of cheese onto before going back into the pot of oil.

2. Don't double dip as this is just as bad as touching the fondue fork with your mouth. Make sure you cover your piece of bread/meat/veggie/fruit with enough cheese or chocolate the first time. Again, after a little experimentation, you'll get the feel of how much you want on your piece of food after a couple of tries.

[source]

3. Don't dip with your fingers. Besides being unnecessary and rude, dipping your fingers into a pot of melted cheese or hot oil isn't really the safest thing to do. I thought this was a no brainer, but for some reason that pot of cheese is just really tempting and sometimes you can't be bothered with a fork.

4. Don't lose your food in the pot. It happens though, and while its not really rude or anything, the tradition dictates that the person who loses food in the pot has to buy a round of drinks or the next pot of fondue. I think I will make a game out of this at our party! Something to the tune of "lose a piece, share a piece", as in you have to share something really embarrassing or really odd about yourself.

[source]

5. When eating meat fondue, spear the raw meat so the ends of the fork protrude slightly through the meat. This keeps the meat from burning and sticking to the bottom of the fondue pot. Also, unlike cheese fondue, meat should be removed from the fondue fork and put on a plate before eating.

How do you fondue? Are you a polite fondue-er? Does fondue etiquette really matter to you? Why or why not?

PARTY #6 - FONDUE FUN

2010-09-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

This fall is going to get pretty crazy with parties (including my birthday at the beginning of October) so in order to stay on schedule, I'm going to host a few low-key dinner parties. These actually turn out to be some of my favorite parties because the atmosphere is more relaxed and I don't have to "host" too much because the guest list is small. Because of that, I get to enjoy the party and the people more.

For the past two years Davey and I have been a part of a wonderful SHARE group (small bible study/living life group) in our church. SHARE stands for Study Help Acceptance Relationship Evangelism. When we first met everyone, the group had about 6 or 8 people in it and we focused on doing studies about various books of the Bible - Jonah was one of my favorites. This past spring, though, our group was at a steady 12 people and we focused more on our personal spiritual journeys, encouraging one another, and just generally getting to know one another on a deeper level. I cannot talk about or emphasize enough the great things that come from experiencing life with a small core-group of people. I received countless encouraging, blessings, and especially prayers. Every week there were new jokes, new sadnesses, new frustrations, but regardless of the situation I had a great group of friends to go through it with me. It also gave me a sense of belonging because my SHARE group members needed my support as much as I needed theirs.

This fall, our SHARE group is spawning a new group (one of the great things about your group getting lots of people in it, is the opportunity to branch out and offer the same "family" to new people). Davey and I will be leading this new group which will be focused on Young Adult Relationships (we've even nick-named our group Y.A.R.) with newlyweds, dating couples, and singles too. I'm both excited and nervous about the formation of our new group. We already have 3 couples on board - one from our former SHARE group who we know well, and two new couples that I'm excited about knowing better.

As our first get-together, we're going to have a fondue dinner at our house. Not only is fondue just plain fun, delicious eating, but its also a great metaphor for SHARE groups: you're getting nourishment from the same pot, partaking in similar types of food, and sometimes you gotta rescue that piece of broccoli that just won't stay on your fork. In a similar manner, SHARE groups are a place of spiritual and communal nourishment, we're all at similar points in our life and are having similar experiences with jobs and families, and sometimes one person just has a tough situation that is made better by just having people supporting them. I know, I know, its the artist in me to find symbolism in everything, but how can you not have fellowship when there's fondue??

I only needed to make a few invitations, so I purchased a set of extra fondue forks and added felt strawberries to the ends (to keep the sharp ends covered and to make it cute). I then added a clever little tag with the dinner details.

I hand-delivered the invitations and requested that people bring their fondue fork with them so we can use them at the party (and if they don't remember is no big deal because these were an extra set).

I have several fondue pots borrowed from friends and I've scoured the internet for the simplest fondue recipes I can find. Now all that's left to do is a little grocery shopping and then enjoy fellowshipping with our new SHARE group!

Have you ever fondue-d? Does sharing a pot of grease or cheese freak you out? Is double-dipping allowed in fondue-ing?

A LOVE STORY

2010-09-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

So I called my mom the other day:

MOM: You must be busy.

ME: Yeah. I guess so. Why?

MOM: 'Cuz you haven't updated your webpage.

ME: Oh.....yeah. I've been busy.

Life is good. And I'm happy to be busy. I do miss spending time typing out all the greatness, though -- its soothing, and helps me remember all the great details. A lot of wonderfulness is going on even though the weather hasn't been so wonderful here in Seattle.

Just to keep you in suspense, here's a few things to look forward to:

Planning 3 Ten Party Project parties simultaneously (do I want to cause myself to have an aneurism?)
Participating in my first craft show (anyone know where I can rent several sweat-shop-work-oriented children?)
My 26th birthday is coming up (thus a party and lots of ice cream)
Pre-New Years workout plan (after all the birthday ice cream, of course)
Fall Wedding season (maybe I'll forget the workout plan and just wear some Spanx)

And then there's this story - its a love story. You will laugh. You will cry (seriously, get your Kleenex out). You will see yourself. You will see your spouse/significant other. You will watch this 5 minutes of heartbreakingly, beautiful awesomeness and be a better person for it.

I know I did.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

WASTED ART: GIRL POWER

2010-09-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

One of the most common frustrations as a designer is a client who initially gives you free reign on a design, and then, as the design process progresses, the client decides that no -- in fact -- they have a direction they want you to go. Why not just give that direction in the first place?

Its the same as someone telling you that you can go anywhere in the world that you would like. So you go, lets say, to Greece. You love Greece. You love your hotel, you love the food, you love everything about the last 3 or 4 days you've spent in Greece. But then, someone tells you "oh, wait, um....no. Forget Greece, you should have gone to New Jersey. Yes, New Jersey is infinitely better than Greece. You should go to New Jersey."

Seriously? Why didn't they just tell you from day one that they wanted you in New Jersey (even though it is nothing remotely close to Greece)?

Anyway, its just one of those little things that designers have to deal with, and so I deal. Fortunately, at my current job, this directional problem doesn't happen too often. But when it does, I just have to sigh and move on in the client's direction.

Here are a few mock-ups for a Teen Girls Conference being held by our local teen center, which made me think Girl Power:

Then the client tells me that they really wanted a globe with arrows coming in and out of it because they've just decided the theme will be "The Places You Will Go", and all the arrows should be different colors to represent diversity. So, I oblige them with this little number:

"Ah, yes, well, could the arrows be going in all different directions, and could we do more colors?", says the client.

"Why yes", I wanted to say,"if you wanted to design a Lisa Frank notebook cover".

Girl's love Lisa Frank, right??

Finally, this is the final logo that will be used for the conference:

Mission accomplished (i.e. compromise). A globe. Lots of arrows going different directions and a few more colors.

If you're ever working with a designer, and you have a vision for what you want, please share that vision from the get-go. It's truly a big help, because the words "whatever you think will look nice" can quickly become a designer's worst nightmare.

Thanks for indulging me in a little designer vent. I truly love my job and I'm very blessed to have such a great team to work with and such a variety of projects to design. My fellow designers will understand this little moment of frustration, just like a client saying "That looks great! But can you center the logo and make it bigger?"