Saturday, March 17, 2012

Hello, long time no see!

So life has been a little crazy, and I've had computer problems so its been a few days I haven't been able to blog. No reason to panic though! I am about to catch you up and share some fun projects!

So we left off last week on Wednesday, which honestly, I don't remember at all. So on to Thursday, a day which pretty much consisted of me starting to design my wedding invitations! Can we say amen?! Seriously, this is a project I should've started long ago. So that took up a lot of my day, and then I was off to the store to get a couple of last minute things for my creativity tody project, which I'll share here in second. And that was my day.

Creativity Today - Thursday
So, my wonderful future sister in law comissioned me my very first project. After seeing the apron I made my mom last week, she asked if I could make her beautiful daughter a shirt. You see, Riley Jane is turning two on April 2nd, and well, this deserves a super cute and fun outfit. So I decided to take up the challenge and learn my way through making this shirt. As you may remember, I have no previous experience sewing or anything like that, but hey, that's what this challenge is for. To be creative. To learn. So, the only info I knew was that Riley loves both elmo and abby. So after some brainstorming I decided to stick with abby and incorporate her personality (and colors) into the project.

I recruited my mom's help for this project, and with her sewing machine we were able to put it together! I love how it turned out, and I can't wait to see Riley wearing it!

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Friday was a day to sleep in. I went to bed really late making the shirt, with the hopes I could send it on Friday, but well, that didn't work. Either way, in the afternoon we went on a little road trip to Miami to pick up my sister and dog!! Woo hoo. We got there, and after a long overdue cuddling time with my dog, we headed to a crepe place with my aunt and her family for dinner. Ah, I miss the real crepe restaurant from home. Seriously, nothing will ever compare. And then it was card playing time. Such a tradition.
Saturday we got up super early to head back home in time for the Single Moms Oil change. Unfortunately, our trip back lasted about six and a half hours (usually its a four hour ride), it was ridiculous! There was terrible fog, and then terrible traffic. Ugh, it was the worst. But we made it home safely, although we missed the Oil Change event. We took naps, had my dad's awesome food, had some snowballs with the family, and then played cards. I love my family.
Sunday was church in the am, and then lunch with Dan and Carol to start off our premarital counseling, yay! This made it even more real! It was a really good time, with honest conversations about church and what it should be like, and what we can do about it. And then an intro to counseling.
In the evening we went to Rita's for dinner. And it was also a sweet time. It was really cool how it happened that day, because sitting there talking to her I realized that she is a great example of what a true, God-honoring disciple is. I am so blessed by her, her love, and her testimony
Then we played some xbox kinect at home, and man, technology is craaaazy! But really cool. It was super fun!
Monday and Tuesday I did a whole lot of babysitting, and not a whole lot of sleeping in between. My body has been definitely letting me know that it is no good. But then again, I went to bed early tonight, and pretty much just laid there until I decided to get up and do something because sleep was totally evading me. This was about an hour ago, at 4:30 am. I applied to some jobs, and now here I am.
I didn't get a chance to do a creative thing on Tuesday, but Monday I definitely did, and so here it goes.

Creativity Today - Monday
So, I was inspired by the song Dream by Priscilla Ahn. I absolutely love this song. So I decided to pain the woods with sunlight coming behind it, a little girl that represented a bright but unknown future, and the night sky, all in one. I had no idea how to combine it all together, but somehow it worked. That's what I love about art - you let it, and it'll start coming alive on its own. Behind the night sky the lyrics to the song are written, although it is something you can't see in the picture. It is a simple painting, but it tells a story. The blue-gray hue gives it that dream-like impression I wanted. And the girl blowing the dandelion, well, she just makes the painting come together. So here it is. Enjoy!



Phew! That's a lot of catching up to do. Remind me not to do that again - the waiting to post blogs thing.
Will see you soon!

Oh Love...

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Messy lives. We all have them but pretend that we don’t. Maybe not all, but a lot of us like to hide them. It’s all about vulnerability really – we don’t want it. The reality though, is that without vulnerability we won’t get very far in life.

And that statement has proven to be so true in the few weeks I’ve been married, because marriage is tough. Oh so tough.

Get two completely different people under a roof and you will get a recipe for chaos. There are some funny chaotic situations, like telling your wife at 11pm that we are supposed to bring a side dish to a party the next day, leaving this wanting-to-prove-she’s-a-good-wife woman virtually no time to make anything. But then you run to publix to get some hot wings and sigh with relief when realizing that we are in America, so if you bring any dish primarily made of wings to a party… people will eat them!

And then you have some nasty chaotic situations, like the ones where tears brake lose and other places seem to do so also. The kind that drain you, and leave your heart hurting. The kind we wish never took place. The kind that makes marriage so, so difficult, and the transition from independence and not having to really care that much about another’s problem far from easy. But well, what do we expect? We are human.

Throw in your fears, baggage, insecurities, upbringing, past, dreams, needs, desires, schedules, responsibilities, jobs, families, and preferences – and things will surely be confusing and difficult to figure out.

On top of it all, attacks come subtly but swiftly soon after the “I do.” From all sides. Whether it’s a combination of all the things mentioned above at the worst possible time, or us, saying something without thinking of the consequence, or even others talking about something they know nothing about – and then it will get even more difficult.

I honestly had never known this kind of relationship, this kind of intimacy. It is tough, it is tiring. But at the end of the day, it is SO WORTH IT.

Why? Because this kind of thing is truly amazing and it is really about an adventurous learning experience about love and what it implies. The fact that he is my best friend makes it so much easier. The fact that we serve the same God, who convicts us individually and together, is what gives us peace after those crazy fights.

It is truly something beautiful. Even in the little things, like when he surprises me with a sketch of 52 things he loves about me after a long day at work. Or like finding out a new way of loving my husband and thanking him for being who he is. And even finding that if I speak in a really high pitched voice and I squish his cheeks together he will blush like a two year old and I will giggle like a middle school girl. I absolutely love it, and there is no one I would rather share my life with.

So here’s to marriage: a messy but wonderful thing. Something that these words do not do justice to. Something that still seems so surreal but every day is so real. And here’s to my husband: A loving and lovable amazing man, whom I completely admire and makes me want to be a better wife everyday.

Chicken and a story

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

I love productive days! Today was awesome like that. I did a bunch of errands from home (really, just lots of phone calls), but also I got to buy a super duper deal to get a dental exam, x-rays, and teeth cleaning for only $45 - ah I love deals like those!


Then I went for an overdue doctor visit, hit up pet smart to shop for my dog that's coming home to me on Friday! It turns out though, Pet Smart can be a little expensive. I love the place, don't get me wrong, but so many years of saving every last penny taught me that you can find cheap stuff for better than cheap quality. I was specifically looking for a little bed for him. I wanted something comfortable for him, but also something pleasing to the eye. The cheapest one was $27. So I decided to check out Bed Bath and Beyond. I remember buying his bed there last time. And yep, I found the perfect one there for $10! Perfect!



While at BB&B my mom and I went through all the aisles, kind of the see what they had so I can prepare for the upcoming registry that Ryan and I will do soon. Ah it was so exciting. Just the thought of having our own home, and living life with him is so exciting! I can't wait. I was like a little girl in a candy store just thinking of the future and what it could look like!

We got home and my daddy-o grilled the yummiest chicken ever! Seriously, he was never the cooking or grilling type. As far as food was concerned, for him the only association was to eat it. He tried to make a shrimp soup thing once, it was his very first try at cooking. Needless to say, it traumatized him and took him a few years to try again. But this time, he is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I'm so, so proud of him.

And then I hopped on my laptop and did some work applications. I picked starbucks, and then a hotel spa receptionist. So those are the typical jobs I would go for, but I realized after submitting the applications that I'm kind of picky. I want something that is fast paced, with lots of interaction with people, that requires creativity and hopefully something exciting! So, while I am definitely not strict about these, a girl can dream. So if anyone knows of anything that describes this, let me know! For now, I can work at something not ideal, but effective, which right now means money in my pocket.

Creativity Today
I didn't get a chance to do much today, however, I still wanted to share a little side project of mine. Really its more like a creativity incentive and a hobby. My husband to be is probably the most supportive and encouraging person when it comes to my talents. He's challenged me to tap more into my creativity, and really he is the reason this blog was born. But among that, he also encouraged me to write a short story, so here are two short excerpts of it. This is my creative thing for today, enjoy :)

 It was a story that was often mistaken as legend. Seven riders once existed. Their duty: to patrol the earth. They were beautiful of appearance, but it was a beauty consisting of masculinity and honor. Their beauty, although new and striking to men, was not made to lust after. Their beauty went beyond their physical attributes. It was the way they carried themselves, their stern yet gentle faces. They radiated light, but more as the moon does than how the sun does. They were the representation of something far greater, lovelier, and more powerful - beyond human comprehension. If anyone ever got to see them in their majestic splendor (a wonder that was heard of only once in a thousand years), it was said that the lucky person was changed forever - it was what a spiritual experience would be like (if such thing existed), full of wonder. Ironically though, it was said that people lost sight of this. Not guided by people's thoughts, however, the riders continued to travel the earth, carrying out their duty with love. Humans, however, were no longer aware of them, and at an encounter with them, their veil of ignorance and self interest prevented them from seeing such wonders.


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It was a hot and dry day. The clouds gave an eerie feel while they yielded a much needed shadow over the desert. A few drafts of cool air mocked the almost permanent steam that evaporated from the sand. This was, however, a place of contrasts, for as dead as it seemed, the deeper into the desert, the more life that began to appear.
She woke up as the heat threatened her skin. She laid there, face down, in the dry and cracking ground where little wild flowers struggled to make their way through the cracks in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the sunlight. It was an interesting scene, for in this devastating space, she seemed to be comfortably sleeping. She opened her eyes and saw the horizon, it took a minute for her to realize were she was, and she just laid there, without a movement or sound, and just took it all in. This place was so desolate, so hidden, yet so big! It was easy to feel insignificant, weak, and lost in this vast desert, yet she had never felt so strong and at peace in her life. She felt courageous and up to the adventure. She had a mission, but didn't know exactly what it was, she just knew to get up and walk. As she held on to her pendant, she felt confidence and a sense of purpose she had never felt before. This place was like nothing she had ever seen before, it was as if she was looking through a different kind of lense. Everything seemed much richer, the colors (even though it was the desert) seemed like it had been created with more passion. Or perhaps it was that humanity hadn't had a chance to dull its natural hues. And although she had never seen or experienced anything like this before, this place gave an air of familiarity that comforted her.
She slowly got up, dusted off her clothes, took in a deep breath and went on her journey.

Ciao!

Great Danes & Kids

Monday, March 21, 2011

Well, its Monday again! Time really does fly. It is something I keep becoming more aware of.

He's like a person. Really.

This past weekend I got to hang out with my brother a whole lot, hang out with two cuddly and loving great danes, babysit, and relax.
So on Saturday I got to bring my brother with me to watch Danielle and Neal's pups, and they are usually the most laid back and friendly dogs I know. But I don't know if it was that when my brother was walking up to the door he surprised Brody, but he flipped. It was really funny, because by 'flipped' all I mean is that he started barking without cease, and well if you know these two, their bark is very intimidating. So my brother pretty much ended up sitting on the couch, without making any movement, and using his backpack as a sort of shield. It was hilarious! And then Brody realized my bro was no threat and moved on to eat his food. Ah I love dogs.

My 'viejito'

Speaking of, mine is coming this week, and I couldn't be more excited!!! I've missed my little baby so much, and I really hope he remembers me. There will be one reaaaaally spoiled dog in Tampa Bay this weekend!

So anyways, I also got to babysit Ben and Lucas, the two best behaved kids I know. Ben is the talker, he knows so many facts about trains and train engineering, seriously it made me wonder if I was so passionate at the age of 7... probably not. And Lucas, ah he's the sweetie. He just hangs out quietly, with the biggest smile on his face. They're both so smart and funny. We were supposed to watch "Up" which I was so excited about because I love that movie! But somehow while I was talking to their parents on their way out, the switched the movie and just kept giggling. I found later, the switcheroo was the reason behind it. We ended up watching "The Polar Express" and can I just admit, the only thing going through my mind while I watched was the fact that it was really really creepy.

Sunday night I got to hang out with Kels, Tiff, their friend Will, and Ryan and my bro. We played some Just Dance and had some laughs at the guys dancing, haha what a fun game!

And today, Monday, consisted of a pretty productive day. My parents came back and we got to have lunch together and catch up, and then the biggest and most exciting thing that happened was that I got to pick up my work permit, woo hoo! I have been waiting for this forever! Praise the Lord, I can't believe this day is here!

Creativity Today
I usually have a main calendar I write important things on, but it is the kind that each day is a little square so there's not a lot of room to write everything I need to do in a day - so I usually end up writing my daily to-do list on post-its that get lost and if I don't get to finish all my tasks, I easily forget the next day what I need to do to make for the day before.

The materials for my project. Again, all things I had at
home, so this project cost me $0

So I thought of this little design. I wanted a visual and noticeable reminder at home that served its purpose, but also that looked pretty - so my colors were based on the little piece of furniture I refurbished a few days ago. I wanted it to display yesterday's list (with the things I got to do crossed, and the ones I didn't still there), today's list so I had goals throughout the day, and tomorrow's goals, to which I could add what I didn't finish today. Does that make sense? I think the visual aid will help:

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for the future"

So there you have it. I realized that using a 2 by 4 wasn't the ideal material, because it makes it really heavy, so I will probably use something different next time!
But I'm pretty happy about it for it to be the first try!

'Til tomorrow!

Rain, rain!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Today was a good and relaxing day. I got to babysit Cam again, and like always, he was a complete joy. Then I got home and hung out with the bro a little bit - I love being able to spend time with him, all our little talks about art, cell phones, cars, growing up, and watching movies, I take to heart. He is growing up so fast! I can't believe he is in High School. Crazy. But like always, I am so proud of the person he is.
I also made a few phone calls for wedding stuff, and sadly I found out Outback is no longer catering for smaller events like a wedding! Blah so sad about this one, I really wanted a more laid back, but enjoyable and good dinner for our wedding. But, I am more than positive that something better will come along.

After a while we spontaneously went with Kels to Tiff's for dinner, and it was so good to see her new place! She did such a good job decorating it and putting it together, and I am so happy for her! Also, she makes the best spaghetti ever, no joke. So it was great to hang out with the girls, and Juan - but poor Juan, I think he heard more than enough girl talk today, ha!

And then it was home to have a movie night, we watched Easy A, and The Switch - which I loooved! The kid in it was so adorable, and not your typical pretty little boy with an attitude, but a more normal kid that deals with issues and fears. And the kid and Jason Bateman combo, uh yeah! Now, I love movies all of kinds (unless they are scary movies), so if you're a movie snob, then don't take my opinion into account. If you, however, just enjoy movies and want to be entertained, then you must watch this!

And now I am typing this, craving cupcakes because DC cupcakes is on. I promise, next time I go to DC I am definitely waiting in line (unlike last year) and trying a mojito cupcake! And maybe I'll convince Ryan to stop at Frostings Etc., in South Tampa ... they have THE best chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake (and I don't even like cookie, but their stuff is a-mazing!), plus they have other flavors I'd like to try, like their Margarita and Guinness Beer ones!

Creativity Today
So yesterday I started on my mixed media painting, and today I got to finish it while I watched movies with Juan. Let me tell ya, this was so fun! I seemed to find more freedom in this kind of paintings, and like I could just let loose more than usual and let the painting take a life of its own! I am super happy about it. All I knew when I started it was that I wanted the main focus to be a girl that was walking in the rain. That was it. So there was no plan. I just took out a bunch of material and starting gluing, painting, cropping, adding, etc. 

 

So why is this mixed media, you ask? Well, there is a mixture of tissue paper, crepe paper, strips scrap booking paper, cut outs of book pages, acrylics, glue, and aluminum foil... on canvas. Bear in mind though, that all the pictures I have posted on this blog come straight from my phone. I touch them up a bit, but still the quality is not great, so yeah.

And now all I want to do is go run in the rain like I used to when I was little! Too bad Tampa Bay's rain is usually accompanied by lighting. And that its not raining right now, ha!

I should go to bed...

Sweat and glue

Thursday, March 17, 2011

So today was an awesome day! A little tiring, but really fun!
It all started with me waking up at 6:20 to take my brother to school, ughh I am NOT a morning person, and even less so when the morning still looks like night! And it definitely doesn't help when I go to bed soooo late the night before. I don't know what it is, but I love the solitude of the night - being able to be by myself, doing art or something different to the norm of the every day life, that totally makes time go by without notice. But either way, I went back to bed after, and woke up with five minutes to get ready... Ryan was on his way to pick me up to go to the NCAA games!

Oh what fun! The only basketball games I've gone to have been in high school, when I went to IRC, and let me tell ya.. I absolutely loved them! There's just something about the adrenaline, suspense, speed, and squeaky noise of tennis shoes on the court that get me super pumped! And so not that I was into the NCAA before, but after today, I am hooked! Sadly, both of the teams I was rooting for lost, but I had so much fun with my love. Although I did talk his ear off a couple of times and asked way too many questions about how the championship worked ("seed?" "What happened? Oh a foul, why?" You get the idea), he was so great and patient with me, and explained tons of things... And that, is one of the reasons why I am marrying him :)
So I learned a few things. West Virginia is the yellow team, Clemson was the underdog. U. Kentucky people are cocky (I know I know, I shouldn't generalize, but that was the vibe I got there), and Princeton has the most fun band!!

Anywho, my night ended with some more basketball on the tv at home, a runny and not very yummy spaghetti that I prepared (I got distracted and didn't take it out of the boiling water on time), Off the Map - love that show, and some painting prep for tomorrow's creative activity!

Creativity Today
So for a long time I have wanted to try out doing a mixed media painting, but never got the courage to do it, the texture, color, and abstract concept to it was kind of intimidating. But recently, I was inspired by Marjolyn van der Hart's work, and I decided to give it a try! And since I am pretty tired, I decided to split the work into two days - because I know myself, and I could easily stay up all night working on this. So here is the prep work. There has been minimum paint used to this point, its been mostly a work of textures, papers, and glue. And because its not close to be finished, I'm posting a picture with not so much focus on the painting itself, but the work behind it, so here it is!

It is bed time for me! So come back tomorrow to see how much depth, meaning, and overall consistency the actual paint will give to this piece. I'm so excited about this one!

I can work!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Hola!

So yesterday was a good day, got to babysit again... and man, do I love kids! Well, ok I say that now that I can give them back after a couple of hours, ha! I really don't know how moms do it, kudos to all of them! I know I want to have kids, but not quite yet, still I looove hanging out with kids!
So the rest of the day was pretty ordinary, except, wait! I got notice that my job permit arrived at school, woo! I have been waiting for this since Feb 1st... Gotta love immigration, ugh! But I am now at a place where I can get a real job and starting making, saving, and investing some money. I'm so looking forward to officially opening my business and being adventurous!
Then I got started on my creative thing of the day, the fiance arrived, and we headed to Lee Roy Selmon's to pick up our side for Neal's birthday cookout at their place. Got to hang out with some of the people I love the most. Seriously, this is family.
And then it was back home where we busted some dance moves with Kels, Ryan, Juan and myself. That game is addicting, and every time I play it its so on the spot, which makes it more fun, because I'm working out, but actually enjoying it. And that, is the best kind of work out for moi!

Creativity TodaySo cooking is an every day kind of thing, especially when it comes to my mom. And she is the best cook I know, her food = comfort to me. I l-o-v-e it! But ever since she came, we've been talking about getting an apron, and we always, always, forget to get one when we're at the store. Its so silly, we need to take some ginko and see if our memory improves.
Well, anyways, the other day I was thinking about it, and I decided to make an apron for her. Now for most of my projects I would rather spend $0 dollars, since right now I can't afford anything really, and besides, it pushes me to be more creative. So recently I had gone through my closet and I remembered that there were a couple of tops that were hand-me-downs that I thought were super cute but never fit right, but I still kept them. And voila! There's my fabric. So I have no sewing machine, but I can do some basic sewing by hand! Here is my project!

So here are the two tops that I started off with

I cute them both right under the bust line, ironed both of them, attached the white one under the gray one (to both add length and a different texture) with just needle and white thread, and then also made the gray sash be permanently attached in the lower portion. I then used the left over material to make a flower, and a little pocket. And that's it!

Here is the finished product!

And here are the details!

So in all, the project probably took me about two hours! But it was fun, different (I have never, ever, done anything like this before), and I cannot wait to give it to my mom when I see her next week!!

Anywho, that's it for today!