I'm alive!

It's been a while since I've been here.  Though probably not missed, I did miss my sharing here, as sporadic as it was.  As with everything ever, life gets in the way sometimes and I let it.  Nothing bad, but just the every day things.  Even though I've not been updating here I have always had my camera in hand to make sure I document as much as I can, and my phone for that matter for doing the same with instagram.  One of my new years resolutions is to keep up with this much better than I did in 2012.  For those of you who have stayed, Thank You!  Like I said, I try to always have my camera with me to document so the next few posts will be mostly photos and few words.  I kind of like it better that way.


I hope that the holidays/every days where kind to you and I hope that 2013 is magical!

[Last face of 2012]

our home

I realized the other day that I had somehow accidentally deleted my post about the move and into our new home!  Ooops!  While I thought about it and got annoyed, I realized that the photos I had shared for it weren't as good as they could have been.  Throughout the entire process, I tried to take as many photos as I could while I was here when changes were happening.  Jem was doing so much, and he even made time between big changes to take a photo of the before, which I'm so glad that he did!

Basically we started looking to move in January.  Not even sure we'd find anything, or where.  Charlottesville is where we spend a lot of time as it is, even when we lived in New Mexico.  When we would come back to the valley to visit, we would always come over to Charlottesville.  When we moved back to Virginia in 2007, we formed an entire second family.

So we got lucky!  By January 25th we were signing papers to put in an offer.  It went through, but would not close until the end of March.  The official closing date ended up being March 29 and then the whirlwind began!  Jem quit his job, and spent all April working on our home.  We had been making a lot of decisions before we ever moved in, and I'm glad that we did.  I can only imagine how far behind we'd probably be still.  A week before our move date, my great grandmother passed away unexpectedly.  This put a serious dent in our progress, but we knew what we had to focus on.  All I can say is that my little sister, Meg, who had flown in from California was a huge help to us.  

After that it took a bit to get back into the swing, but when you have a deadline with a crappy apartment complex, you go!

Thankfully we were able to say goodbye and good riddance to Harrisonburg, and hello to Charlottesville !  I'm so happy to say that now we live in an area where we don't feel stagnant, there are things to do, good places to eat, and amazing friends.

Sometimes I hold back because I don't want to jinx it, but I'm happy!

[The kitchen before and after. The z-brick back splash managed to work a space into our hearts long enough to give it a try.  We dig it!]

[Pretty much the same view from the front window in our living room.  Cosette is much happier now also]

[The living room looking toward the front window]

[The downstairs bathroom before and after taken with Jem's Iphone]

[The upstairs bathroom before and after taken with Jem's Iphone]

The bathrooms are where I missed a lot.  The upstairs was last to be finished by the time we moved in, so there aren't as many photos.  The upstairs was pretty much fabricated by Jem and a contractor that he found.  We had already moved in when it was being finished, but only details.  I adore our bathroom.

Even though it looks like we're done, there is so much more.  We have done an amazing job with the downstairs, and the upstairs is started,  but there is still a lot to do!  As we continue I'll be sure to share.  I think one of our next challenges is getting the art room done, and the black and white stripe wall paper up in the guestroom.

why i've been gone

hello all my dear hearts!


i just wanted to say thank you for sticking with me, even though there has been a serious lack of sharing from me.  there are A LOT of things happening in my life right now that has left me with my computer turned off for days at a time and only given time to check things from my phone.


my boylove and i are in the process of moving.  it's only an hour or so away, but a completely different city.  we have a place and we're in the process of fixing it up as well as packing up our old apartment.  i've been taking photos to share of before and afters so bear with me!


i'm excited to have a "home" of my own. 


i'll be back, i swears! <3<3

my style: 02.29.2012

the morning of the 29th started out dark and rainy and perfect.  the afternoon turned soo windy and bright, but still perfect.  

i am so sorry that i have fallen behind yet again!  there is much going on, and i have new things to learn, and work on in my life.  also i was gifted the most wonderful thing on st. valentine's day, but that will be a post of it's own.

<3

st. valentine's day

[02.14.2012 OPI glitters from the muppets holiday 2011 collection]

[02.14.2012]

much love to all of you today, but express it every day! <3

playback : 2.4.2012

[2.4.2012 my epic hood on my winter coat]

[taken by the boylove with instagram]

[2.4.2012 mayan chocolate tea at the tea house]

i've been a little slow.  forgive me.  there is so much going on right now, but not bad things.

how i coped with stress last sunday

[not flattering, but who cares.  it was tasty!]

though it's not particularly bad,  i will say that 2012 so far has been throwing some weird stuff our way.  this, in turn, has been doing a number on my stress capacity.  i am a very nervous and stressed person by nature.  i always have been.  i was getting better at managing it but sometimes i fall back and just shut down.  when i can do something little to help, i do it.  so i ate a leftover grand marnier chocolate truffle from the whole foods in fairfax, va like i meant it!

my style

[12.13.2011]

[12.13.2011]

[12.13.2011]

[11.16.2011]

it's been awhile since i've shared photos of myself.  i'd like to get more full body photos of outfits and the like, but i always get so awkward when people are taking photos of me that aren't really candid.  it makes me wonder how i ever did any of the modeling that i have in the past..sheesh!


lately i've been totally taking advantage of being able to find proper, and solid colour over the knee socks.  it's nice to have that extra layer, especially with the confused weather that has been happening here in virginia lately.  


and i'm so very excited for next wednesday!  here's hoping that i can start to cut my hair into the shape i want.  siouxsie-a-la-peekaboo-with less fringe?  we'll see!

etsy

i finally opened my etsy shop.  now to get some of those rings in there too!

a peek at my december

[12.6.2011 our tree on a rainy morning]

fishkeeping

[my renovated tank ready to go]

[12.01.2011 my very first angelfish]

just to share something else that i'm quite passionate about:  fish.  when i was growing up, my dad had several tanks, and they'd come and go, be set up for awhile, and then get torn down.  it wasn't until i came back to virginia and started my job that i'm still at to this day, that i started to want to try my hand at fishkeeping again.. namely a real tank.


what i have for a main set up is a 20gal high.  your pretty basic tank, and it was first set up in 2008.  i started out with a pair of xray belly tetras, an emerald green corydora, and a glass cat.  fish have come and gone(not many though!  my fish deaths from my tanks have been very low), and just this august i lost my pair of xray belly tetras that i originally started out with.  


the tank sat empty still running, gathering algae and i had decided to tear it down.  that is until the boylove happened to spy a pair of angelfish and started asking questions about them.  this got me really excited because i had found a fish that seemed to truly  interest him too, which makes it more fun when the excitement is shared.  that alone was enough to make me want to keep the tank set up and get it ready for fish again.  it's been a month long process to clean it, treat it, "aquascape" it, and start it cycling.  last nite we introduced our first angelfish and still so far, so good!


keep your fingers crossed for us!

[a ring that i made thanksgiving day]

i have been very bad with updating this, and i apologize.  with the holidays so close, and now one past, things have been busy in my worklife.  very!  

i am alive and i have been documenting, and now i have a lot to share!  which is a good thing!

and i have to say hello because i see some new faces:  thank you :)

dia de los muertos

[11.1.2011]

[11.2.2011 our altar]

[11.2.2011 - grandaddy owen, and mrs. comer]

[11.2.2011 lil warren and sandra]

[11.2.2011]

[11.2.2011 a smile for them]

we celebrate day of the dead, or dia de los muertos.  last year was the hardest yet.  it's never to easy to place a new photo or belonging for a loved one lost, but when you have to double it...  this year was much easier than last.  i did not cry when i set up the altar.  when i placed the food, i did not cry.  jem saw it when i was done setting everything up, and he smiled.

remember and show love to who you have and who you have lost.  smile and wish them well.  remember what they left you with and appreciate it because they are never fully gone from you.

halloween weekend 2011 - part two - home

[pre surgery]

[taking a break from serious pumpkin carving - meg, my little sister]

[meg]

[our pumpkins actually got carved this year!]

halloween day was spent being lazy and staying close to home, visiting grandma and a sick mum, feasting, carving pumpkins, sipping spiked cider, and watching movies.

not a bad halloween weekend.  though, i will say that it made me realize that i slacked a lot this year with preparation.  next year it will be different!  watch out!

halloween skull face

[when all else failed, skull face 10.30.2011]

the end of october

[10.29.2011]

[after the storm cleared out]

[10.29.2011]

i am usually the person who is so up to date with the weather goings-on that it's annoying, but this storm i hadn't even heard of until the day before.  our weather all through this month has been very confusing.  warm, cold, warmer, colder.  and then snow.  snow that stuck.  snow that made so many trees around my apartments, and around my entire little city break in half from the weight of it.  

it was beautiful and we ended up with a few good inches, but later in the day it started to leave.  at least i was able to get out and about to snap a few photos to show the rarity of it!  my mum said it hadn't snowed like this here before halloween since 1979.  

i guess when you look outside and you know it's october because the leaves and tress are still in full colour, it still leaves you confused as to whether or not you should be carving pumpkins or putting up the christmas tree!  

lake day preview

[7.30.2011 - smith mountain lake near lynchburg, va]

retro

a different type of post.  more of a hello, because of the last little while i've noticed new faces showing up, and i just wanted to say hello and thank you :)

wearable

[4th of july.  i was making halloween inspired jewelry]

play back - my birthday

[my favourite purple with the milani "gems" pink version]

to ease away from all the blood and pain i've been blogging about lately due to saying goodbye(not to mention good riddance!) to my wisdom teeth, i thought i'd share some photos from my birthday that happened in june.  yes, yes a little behind, but that is okay.  i'm getting better!

[woe woe, another birthday?]

[obligatory birthday sushi! the roll in the middle was on the house from chef soon]

[6.13.2011 showing off my dress]

[birthday face]

[sanrio doc marten's - shock!!]

despite it being a birthday, which i normally don't handle well at all(i don't know...), i did really well and was not a crankyass all day!  i'm sure everyone around me appreciated that as well.  it was a nice and quiet day with not a lot planned but to see family as we could.  the day ended with the perfect strawberry amaretto cake that my mum makes every year.