Round Here Pt. 2

Sorry for the ultra-light posting these last two weeks.  Two managers went on back-to-back vacations so that meant extra days and longer hours for me.  Which resulted in absolutely no time to plan any kind of blog posts!

I absolutely bury myself in my work, because it makes me happy.  But after an extremely long work week, it's nice to come up for air.  Until I realize that my house is yet again a disaster.  Then I kind of just want to go back to work instead of tackling the domestic mess, haha.

The rain has been pretty unrelenting this week.  And for those of you from the South, you know that a solid week's worth of rain means all kinds of life forms start popping up with alacrity.  That azalea bush?  It was green one day and hot pink the next.  It was nice to get out in the back yard and snap a couple pictures in between rain showers.  Even though the yard is a mess, there's an uncultivated beauty back there.

At least the rain has washed away all that dang pollen!

Tartan Day

Hey lovers!  Hope all of you had a fantastic weekend!  As for me, I found some time between yard work and real work to attend... yep.... Tartan Day.

If you're wondering what Tartan Day is, it's pretty self-explanatory.  It's basically an excuse for a bunch of people to wear plaid.  And celebrate their Scottish heritage.  But really, you can't really wear a kilt to the mall, so I'm pretty sure that's why they came up with Tartan Day.

There were reenactments, shortbread, and a 180-lb Irish wolfhound named Seamus.  Who I did not get a picture of, which is really a shame, because that dog was taller than I was.

There was also this dude.  Who is the coolest kid ever.  I mean seriously, what kid gets excited and clapping every time someone fires a flintlock musket?  Every time I see my friends' son I get serious baby fever.

Yeah, that's me.  In a kilt.  Concrete proof I am a super nerd.  I kind of love it.

Brought To You By Facebook

I'm a smart person.  No, really.  I am.  But sometimes, I say some really dumb shit.  I like to chalk this up to a total lack of filter.  I've learned how to rein it in when at work (because sometimes, when you're bartending and call a guest a stupid douche nozzle, they get upset), but when I'm at home in my comfort zone, sometimes stuff just pops out of my mouth before my brain even has a chance to process it.

And then, just because I want my idiocy to be immortalized and made fun of, I post it to Facebook.

Because my Facebook is a personal page as opposed to a blog page, I feel like you guys miss out on the hilarity of most of the stupid crap I say.  Well, no more, friends!

In my defense, the wind was blowing his hair in a very Rob-like fashion.  Also, can I just point out that I didn't ACTUALLY say anything crazy and stupid, but nevertheless my husband is a mind-reader and clearly knew where my brain was going with that one.

D'oh.

We Keep It Mature Around Here

Yesterday I bought a white board for the fridge.  It has already proved itself to be the new communication hub for this small family.

Please tell me I'm not the only one out there who ransoms their significant other's affections with groceries.

P.S. - I'm only on Day 5 of the 30 Day Shred, but I already feel so good.  

Oh, You Know, Just Another Tuesday

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get my nerd on...

Also, posting is going to be light this week.  I work in a restaurant and during the day I've been helping out my mom at work, who is a florist.  Restaurant + flower shop + Valentine's Day = Hell Week.

'Round Here...

31 Days to a Better Photo

I've mentioned a couple of times on here that Ryan got me a new camera as a graduation/birthday present, and that I've been meaning to improve my photography.  Call me a slacker, but I've pretty much been doing anything but that.  I know that I'm supposed to compose images through my viewfinder instead of relying on Photoshop to crop them, I know I'm supposed to try out new angles, use natural light, blah blah blah.  I know I'm supposed to shoot in manual.

Ugh, the dreaded "M" on my camera wheel thingy.  Every time I try to use the damn thing it looks like a pre-schooler got a hold of my camera and took it to a rave.  I've READ my manual, thankyouverymuch, but it kind of just makes my eyes cross.  I know the technicalities of shutter speed and ISO, but I'm not very good at applying my knowledge.  I'm not a very good autodidact; I need someone to teach me to do this stuff.  But I kind of don't want to pay for an e-course just yet.  I'm cheap thrifty.

So imagine my excitement when I found this link right here!  It's essentially a FREE e-course on how to not suck at taking pictures.  Sweet.  I've been a little apprehensive about e-courses because they focus on using dSLR's and I don't have one of those.  I have a Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, a model that Canon describes as "an advanced point and shoot."  If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, a point and shoot camera is your basic pocket-sized digital camera.  You know, the kind you got freshman year of college to take to all the frat parties.  A dSLR is fancy.  All those bloggers with the fancy-pants pictures?  That art student who shot your family portraits?  They pretty much all use dSLRs.  They're wonderful and fantastic and freaking EXPENSIVE.  Well, my camera is kind of in between those two.  It was only a couple hundred bucks less than a fancy pants camera, and does a lot of the stuff those fancy cameras do, but I was still apprehensive about using it.  Because I'm a nancy and a slacker.  BUT, back to the 31-day learn how to take a picture deal.

Today was my first lesson, and it talked all about shutter speed.  I really, really love the way Darcy explains things for those of us with a neanderthal-level intelligence, but manages to do it without making me feel like a total maroon.  So, without further adieu, my less-than-stellar first attempts at mastering the camera shutter.

She recommends starting at one end of the shutter speed spectrum and taking a picture at each setting.  This was taken with a faster shutter speed (1/250).  Just boring, if you ask me.  And yes, that is a fake plant.  Because I kill/my cat eats all the real ones.  And yes, that is a dusty fake plant.  I've been sick all weekend and haven't had a chance to clean much of anything, much less worry about dusting fake cacti.  Sue me.

This was taken with a shutter speed of 1/25.  I cropped it a leeeetle bit and cleaned up a couple things in PS, but overall it's a much classier image.  No, I wouldn't go submitting it to any art galleries or anything, but I feel pretty proud that I am finally starting to understand the manual settings on my camera.

The Year I Turn 26

In our culture it seems like the "thing to do" is to start freaking out the minute you turn 29, and continue freaking out in an end-of-the-Mayan-calendar manner until you turn 30.  And, much like December 21, 2012, you wake up and you're 30 and you realize that nothing is different.  

Well for me, 30 isn't really a freak out-worthy event.  But 26 is.  Why would someone freak out over 26?  You've still got four good years left in you before it all starts to go downhill.  You're officially in your mid-twenties.  That means you should have a job and health insurance and your own place.  You probably started matching your socks by now.  You maybe even have a houseplant you haven't killed yet.  26 is your prime.  So why all the melodrama?

I've been comparing my entire life to 26.  Why?  Because that was how old my mom was when she had me, her firstborn.  My entire life I've used "when my mom had me, she was "x" years older than I am now."  It meant that I had time.  I didn't need to grow up yet.  There was no rush to get married, start making life plans.  I had "x" amount of years left to get my shit together.

If I were my mom at this age, I'd be pregnant with me right now.

Don't get me wrong, Ryan and I want kids.  We debate between one or two.  I keep telling him that no, we cannot give our baby to the SPCA just because it's a girl, and no, we cannot name our boy Optimus Prime, Agamemnon, or Maximus Decimus.

We want kids.  Just not right now.

Which I guess makes me feel like a little bit of a hypocrite, because I always said I wanted kids at 26.  "My mom had me at 26.  I feel like that's a pretty good time to start.  I want to be married and have my first child by 26."

Well, check off the first box on that list, even though Ryan and I have both agreed that if things hadn't panned out the way they did that we probably wouldn't even be engaged right now.  But kids?  We are so not ready.  I don't even have a handle on Bear's bath schedule yet.  You people expect me to care for human offspring?  Yeah, right.

Look how grown up my mom looks here.  We're only about a year apart in age in these two photos, and I feel like I still look like a baby.  (Speaking of me looking like a baby, I was a damn cute kid.)  But seriously, she looks so put together, so grown up.  I'm not put together by any means.  Just come over and look at the state of our bedroom.  And I definitely don't feel grown up.  I'm only semi-grown up.

I guess that, for me, my 26th birthday is my personal Mayan calendar.  As if I'll turn 26 and magically wake up with it all figured out.  That I'll suddenly be this wise adult.  Well, I'll tell you what, if there's one thing I've learned about my mom, is that 25 years after that above picture was taken, she still doesn't have it all figured out yet either.

Neither of us probably ever will.  Call it a part of the human condition.

I've accepted that my life is nowhere near what I thought it would be.  But that's okay, because it's one hell of a life.  And while turning 26 this year still feels a little surreal to me, I know that 2013 is going to be one of the best years of my life.  I can feel it.

And when Ryan and I do decide to have kids?  They'll be cute. as. shit.  And awesome.  Because they'll be ours.

A New Year, A New Challenge

While Ryan and I have made the usual New Year's resolutions (eat better, lose weight, cut out soda, cut back on smoking [him]), I have one more that I'm pretty excited about - a 365 challenge!

Ryan is constantly haranguing me about how little I use the camera he bought me for graduation, so I've decided that in 2013, I'm going to take (at least) one picture every day.  And post it and blog about it and all that fun stuff.

Hopefully this resolution lasts more than two weeks, unlike some other resolutions I've made.... ahem....

And so, in the spirit of pictchas and such, I leave you with a shot of the ceiling of Indianapolis' Capitol Building, which is stunning.

Has anyone out there completed a 365 challenge before?  How'd it go?  I'm really hoping I find the resolve (and attention span) to stick with it!

Christmas 2012: A Recap

Ryan and I spent a week and a half in Indianapolis, and while I'm glad that I'm back in my big comfy bed, we had a blast.  I think my favorite part was having the time to hang out with my multitude of nieces and nephews.  I'm the oldest on my side of the family, so there isn't a 4th generation yet.  But when I married Ryan I inherited SIX nieces and nephews, all of whom are crazy and hilarious and amazing.

There were lots of dog piles.

LOTS of presents.

Wrestling matches.

And of course, lots of snuggles. :)  Hope you and yours enjoyed your holidays.  For probably the first time, I feel rested and rejuvenated and ready for a new year.  2013 is gonna be a good one, I can feel it.

Illuminated

A couple weeks ago I went with some friends to Colonial Williamsburg's Grand Illumination.  It's weird that, despite the fact I've lived in this area my entire life, there's so much I haven't done.

Well, at least now I can check that off my list.  We had a blast (no pun intended... or is it!?).  We were sitting so close to the fireworks that ash was literally raining down on us, which in hindsight is a little bit frightening.  But I did get a chance to play around with the "Fireworks" setting on my camera for the first time! (I know, I know, I'm a bad blogger who doesn't shoot in manual.  I'm getting there!)

And look at that face! My friends' son is THE coolest kid ever.  I hope one day my own little nuggets come out half as awesome as him.  I love how concerned he looks - like he's figuring out the physics behind those fireworks.

In other news, Ryan and I leave for Indianapolis tomorrow for Christmas!  I will attempt to make updates from my phone, but you people should know by now I make no promises.

Happy Holidays, y'all!

What Tablescape?

Some close friends came over on Saturday for a little wine and cheese shindig.

We had a lot of wine (five bottles, to be exact), a lot of cheese, good food, great conversation, and many laughs.

What was missing?

A fancy tablescape.

Here in blogland, we're inundated with pictures of beautiful parties and immaculately set tables.  I've been itching to have people over for a little soiree since we moved in, but hesitated because I didn't have all the trappings to have a fancy table.

But in the end, the need for wine won out and we did this without chargers, or cloth napkins, or candlesticks.

Pictures were taken with an iPhone, not a fancy DSLR.

Everyone was having too much fun to notice.

The moral of the story?

Yeah, pretty pictures are fun to look at, and I inspire every day to make my home more beautiful.

But at the end of the day, it's what happens inside this home that makes it beautiful, not how it's decorated.

And I'd take a night like Saturday over designer pillows any day.

(But if I could have both, I wouldn't complain)