Will and Kate, The Sequel.

Ok, I thought I'd put this off till this weekend, however, now is just as good a time as any!  Plus, I fully intend on crashing until my body decides (hopefully late Saturday morning) "Okay, we are fully recharged now, we can wake up."

The Princess was beautiful, William was very dapper in his military jacket.

Westminster Abbey...wow...just...WOW.  I have always wanted to go to London, and now even more than before.

Stacey and I stuck with NBC for our wedding coverage, though I'll admit, I had the DVR running on TLC as well.  (Nothing like making sure you had things covered right?)  She had tea, I had juice and then I switched to my beloved Bing.  Caffeine, oh how I love you.  Thank you for keeping me propped up all day!

I promised pictures...and here we go...Stacey was a bit more brave and willing to take one of herself, whereas I opted for just one of the top of my head.  So, here is Lady Carol Buttercup-Inyo in her beautiful hat!

I am not so brave as to show my face/full head of hair, as I had showered the night before and went to bed with wet hair.  Although, you can see some of my bedhead/unruly curls under my tiara before I attacked them with a flat iron before heading to work. (Pay no attention to the gray hairs peeking out, I'm between dye jobs...)

Stacey brought some traditional English treats, which I loved the names of...particularly the one on the left...Digestives...huh, nothing screams COOKIE! like a name like that!  ;)

I chose to make traditional scones, which I think turned out yummo good!

Hmmm...I miiiiight need to go warm some up for a snack tonight...

Ok, I'm off to wach the "pre-show" and arrivals off of the DVR, because I'll admit, I can't get enough today, and then, I will fall asleep and dream of my own Prince Charming.  

Cheerio!

PS: Between 3 separate conversations, I've agreed with the fact that we Americans don't have enough activities where we wear insanely outlandish and fun hats.  My birthday is around the corner...I'm beginning to get ideas...

Will and Kate

I admit it.  I am going to be one of the millions of Americans who get up at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am and watch The Royal Wedding.

I have to admit, I haven't looked at much of the hoopla going into this shindig, however, my friend Stacey (who happens to live very near my apartment...as in...about 10 buildings away in my complex), is full on OBSESSED more of a general anglophile than a royal-watcher.  I promise to post some pictures this weekend of our little tea party, however I can pretty much guarantee you that my face won't be in them.  (I fully plan on being in pj's, sans makeup and with really wonky hair.)

In fact, Stacey just posted this as her facebook status:

What is your Royal Wedding guest name?  Start with either Lord or Lady.  Your first name is one of your grandparent's name.  Your surname is the name of your first pet, double barrelled with the name of the street you grew up on.

Yours Royally,
Lady Carol Buttercup-Inyo

She cracks me up.  She has had a countdown app on her phone that shows details of the wedding for over a month now.

However, back to OUR party.

Stacey is bringing macaroons, I am making scones, and while she sips black tea, I will be sipping hot chocolate (no matter how hard my mother has tried, I just don't like tea...sorry mom).  Then after the whole sha-bang, I will be chugging caffeine to make it through my day.  I have never been so grateful to have both doctors on vacation in my life.  :)

I find it funny remembering how my mom stayed up to watch Princess Diana and Prince What's-His-Bucket's wedding...and now here I am staying up for their kid's wedding.  Full circle I guess.

Anywho...I will update this weekend with pictures...like I said, no guarantees that I will actually be IN said pictures...plus, my apartment is a bit of a mess, so no guarantees that the pictures will be of much other than the food and our *ahem* headwear.

Yours Royally,
Lady Doris Happy-206th  (Yeah...just doesn't work for me like it did for her!)

Deutsch Überraschungen

This blog post is very overdue, the last week has been even busier than normal.  But, I promised someone I would post this so here I am!  :)

My amazingly wonderful cousin, Anke, who I have mentioned before (here) surprised me (mostly because I forgot that she asked me for my address) with a super fun surprise!!!  I went to my little mailbox last week, and it was crammed full!  (I'm also not the best about getting my mail every day, but hey...)

There was a package I had ordered, some Netflix DVD's, and this package (telling you, it was a PACKED little mailbox):

And in that wonderful package!  Such fun things!

SEE!!  Handmade potholders/hotpads, a handmade little stocking, German chocolates (!!) a great card and (oh crud, it got cut out a bit...) an adorable little angel!!!  (Scroll down to see it...)

See?  Cute eh?

Anke: I love it all!!!!  Your little stocking is amazing!  I envy that skill, I'm still figuring out/working on my first pair of socks in my knitting!

Danke!!!

Shel Silverstein Sunday

I found myself (in the last few days) thinking about how much I loved Shel Silverstein and how he could put things, both silly and otherwise.  I don't know exactly what triggered that thought, and yes, while it's not often, believe it or not, occasionally book related, semi-educated thoughts roll through my noggin.

I went to my bookshelf to grab my favorite "Where The Sidewalk Ends" to thumb through a few poems, only to be completely surprised that while I thought I owned that book, turns out, I don't.  However, I do have it in audio form, read by Shel himself, and that brings a whole new life to the words.  Hmmm...I see a trip to a bookstore in my future.

In the meantime, massive Googling (thank you to amazon.com for listing every poem in the book on the website, that definitely helped!) ensued and while I know there are other poems I love in that book (Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout and Peanut Butter Sandwich comes to mind), for some reason, these ones stick out to me today.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti

Spaghetti, spaghetti, all over the place,

Up to my elbows--up to my face,

Over the carpet and under the chairs,

Into the hammock and wound round the stairs,

Filling the bathtub and covering the desk,

Making the sofa a mad mushy mess.

The party is ruined, I'm terribly worried,

The guests have all left (unless they're all buried).

I told them, "Bring presents." I said, "Throw confetti."

I guess they heard wrong

'Cause they all threw spaghetti!

No Difference

Small as a peanut,

Big as a giant,

We're all the same size

When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,

Poor as a mite,

We're all worth the same

When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange,

Yellow or white,

We all look the same

When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way

To make everything right

Is for God to reach out

And turn off the light!

Work In Progress...

So last night, I went to get my tattoo fixed, as I have wanted to get it fixed since 2006, not long after I got it.  There is a bit of a story here, because Sister went with me yesterday to get it fixed (she was there when I got it the first time), however the gal who I had the appointment with, had a client suddenly change what she wanted which ended up taking a LOT longer than expected, plus she didn't have the right materials clean she wanted to use with me.  So, instead, she asked if I could come back the next day.

I have had my appointment for about a month.  I won't lie, I was MAD.  Sister wouldn't be able to be there, she came down specifically for this.  (Insert mad pouty face here.)  We went to dinner instead, and then on to trivia night as usual for a Wednesday night.

Thursday, C went with me to get it fixed, and the gal who asked me to come back was more than ready for me.  Once we got going, it took her less than 20 minutes to fix what needed fixing, plus add some shading that was definitely needed.

Here I am with Jeannie, who honestly is awesome, and, you would never guess, but she KNITS!  That's where I met her, was across the street at the shop where I get all my knitting stuff!  Yes, there were times I did wince like this, but rest assured, this picture is indeed, staged.

So, I won't show the fixed version, because it's in the healing stages, however I will show you the initial, my tat as of last night, and then as soon as it's healed, the finished product!

So, here we go:

Day I got it:

Finished product after infection pulled out half the color (and 5 years later...this picture was taken Wednesday night) :

Do you see why it needed to be fixed?  It was driving me crazy.  Right now, it is really pissed at me not happy with me.  When it calms down and decides to play nice (gimme about a week or so), I promise a finished post with (hopefully if I can manage to figure out enough html) all three side by side for a progression shot...no promises yet though!

Happy Friday!!!

Hodge Podge Post

Ok, so I've been a wee bit absent since the end of the photo challenge...apparently I need something daily to keep me posting!  However, since that can't always be the case, time to start stockpiling ideas, and daily nuances to tell my peeps about!

Wrapping up the photo challenge...

It was a LOT of fun!!!  If you were bored by it, I'm sorry, look at it this way, it could have been MUCH longer!  In doing a little research, I found out that there is not only a 60 day, but a 100 day photo challenge too!  30 days was more than enough for me.  Especially when I started looking at the rest of the 100 day challenge list...and realizing that I think a high schooler took the 30 day list and started adding things randomly that most grown adults either wouldn't have pictures of or have done in the last few years...so time to resume regular blogging.

Regular blogging...ummm...right...time to start looking for topics!  Any suggestions?  I know it's a lifestyle kind of blog that I'm doing here, and I'm sure I'll have some events (knitting and crochet projects etc) to post.  I was given a few links (this blogger that Maggy introduced me to, broke it into a three-part series on her blog: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) to look at for blogging tips, and I've already implemented a couple of them, but am still working on a few.  I'm still getting a grasp on the whole formatting thing.  (Thanks, Jenni at Story of My Life!!)

I recently started running the Facebook page for a local knitting shop (Knit Knack in Arvada, yes, that was a shameless plug for you to check it out), and wanted to get a bit more info, so I went in search of some "for Dummies" books at a local Barnes and Noble.  They had the books on their website, but I wanted to look at them before ordering.

(Because sadly, they were much cheaper through amazon...Samantha...that was for you, oh, by the way, she's doing a GREAT little giveaway on her blog right now...click, go...I swear, her cookies are THE BOMB.)

I went with my best friend, Cheryl, and in an entire bookstore, not only did they not have the two books I was looking for, but when I looked for a couple other guides on writing, styles etc.  Nothing.  Nada.  ZIP.  Instead, there were 3 wall sections of THIS:

REALLY??  3 whole wall sections on "Teen Paranormal Romance", yet I can't find a book on writing? What, is Barnes and Noble afraid people will start writing instead of reading?  Good grief.

So, to get back onto topic, yes, I went and bought not only Facebook Marketing for Dummies (um, holy cow, the thing is littered with post it notes already...and I thought I already knew a lot about Facebook!), which led to also buying the Blogging for Dummies book.  Now, to put them both to good use.

I have to give a couple shout outs...my sister in law, Maggy, has been a great help with learning HTML and photobucket, and is a plethora of blog knowledge.  (PS: Check out her blog HERE.)

My next shout out is to my cousin Anke, in Germany (Hi Anke!!).  She has written me a couple sweet comments and sent me an email the other day, so I just thought I'd give her a special hi.  :)

Not much else is goin' on right now, however I am getting my tattoo touched up tomorrow/today (it was supposed to be tonight while my sister was here but that story will be for when I get it fixed), so I am excited about that!

Since I don't have much else to share at the moment, I'll give you a "before" picture of the tat...when I initally got it.  Then tomorrow I will (hopefully) have 3 pictures for you...initial, oops, and the fix.  Until tomorrow!

(You'll have to forgive me, the pic is 5 years old, and was taken on either an older camera or cell phone, so the quality isn't exactly stellar.)

Toooomorrow...tomorrow...

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 30

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

I know that this is a photo challenge, and trust me, there will be pictures (no judging, it was the late 90's, and yes, I'm aware of my hair)...however, please allow me to tell some backstory on my friend before you see what a beautiful woman she was.

Julie (Fawthrop) Telfer

Julie and I were randomly paired as roommates my junior/her senior year in college.  Never have I had such an amazing roommate.  (No offense to my senior year girls...we had fun...Julie was just...Julie.)

I saw her a few times after her grad, my family went to Albuquerque to see the hot air balloon festival, and she and her husband (boyfriend at the time) came with us.  She came back to my grad the next year, and not long after (I think it might have been the next summer), my family and I went to the wedding.  At that point (if timeline/memory serves...) she was 29.

We kept in touch via email, postcards (she went to Europe for a summer), and the occasional phone call.  Through Christmas cards/letters etc, she told me about how she had been getting her migraines checked out.  Things weren't looking good...it was brain cancer.  She went through the traditional routes of treatment, and the tumor seemed to be responding.  She had gone the holistic route as well, thankfully with good response.  In 2002, the tumor stopped responding to treatments.

In early 2003, I had this feeling I needed to call.   I called and happened to get Chris.  We exchanged pleasantries...and then I asked how things were.  He said "It's bad.  I'm glad you've called when you did...Julie is on her deathbed...if you are able...you should come now."

Um...holy $h!t.  I asked him some basic questions, made some phone calls, and thanks to dad, had myself and 2 friends booked on a flight to New Mexico within the week.  Tobi and Cheryl knew Julie, Cheryl had become our adopted roommate, and Tobi knew her from her brief stint in one of the shows we did that year in the theatre.  

Cheryl and Tobi were amazing, and provided a welcome relief from the sadness of the trip.  (A certain trip to Wal-Mart for bathing suits, games of Phase 10, the hot tub and Cheryl laughing so hard she fell off the bed are all happy memories from that trip, but those stories are for another blog.)

That trip was emotional hell.  We got to the house, and saw Chris, and I will never forget beautiful Julie, and what cancer had done to her...I know that sounds terrible and sad, but other than my pictures I have from our time in college, it's what is burned into my brain.  We spent time with Julie, who was in such a comatose state, I only pray that she was able to hear everything we said, and returned to Denver with heavy hearts.

Julie passed the next weekend.  She was only 31.

I think of her often, and have a picture I took of her and Chris, at their wedding, hanging on my wall (it was one of the few I don't have digitized) and forgive me, but you're just going to have to take my word that it is one of my most treasured pictures.

On March 4th of this year, it was 8 years ago that she passed away...I can't believe it's been 12 years since we met and already been 8 years since she passed...

Julie...I miss you...