"O" My Gosh.

Hubbs and I drove to Las Vegas last Sunday morning to get him settled for his three month internship with Cirque du Soleil on their show in the Bellagio. It is called "O" because that sounds like the french word for water, but I'm pretty sure it is called "O" because that is the shape my mouth was in almost the entire time.

I love him.

This is how she tried to keep us from leaving. By sitting on or in our luggage.

Our first sublet plan for Will fell through and we spent quite a bit of time searching for a healthy replacement. However, Sunday night we halted our search to see "O" from the booth of the theatre. It was seriously one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Cirque definitely knows what it is doing with the mixture of performers and water. If you ever have the chance and the money, you need to see this. Apparently the show is at 99% capacity on a regular basis so it has been popular ever since it opened. I won't say much more because I feel like I can't do it justice without a million copyrighted pictures. Just know this: if you want to watch something powerful, graceful, beautiful, amazing, and technically challenging... this is the show for you. I am even more proud of Hubbs getting this internship now than I was before (is that possible?).

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake that we shared. :) Delicious.

Me in the vintage dress that inspired my current healthy lifestyle.

The rest of Sunday night was spent walking around Vegas (my shoes earning me a 3/4" blister on my big toe) and enjoying the flashing lights before checking into our hotel. We booked our room through hotwire.com and paid about $30 for a pretty decent place. It wasn't glamorous, but it had the bonus of being named Arizona Charlie's. Yep. Arizona. I double-checked with Hubbs that we hadn't left the great desert state of Nevada. We're still not sure why the place is called Arizona Charlie's but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?

Monday we found a good little place for Hubbs to stay for his Vegas time just down the street from a friend. We visited a Costco and a few of the other important places that he needed to go and then headed to the strip again. Can I just say that Vegas is HOT? I can see why their malls are indoors now. We walked around outside and inside and ate some food. The whole time I felt nervous because I knew I had to leave him there soon. We didn't even do any of the Vegas slots or anything because we just wanted to hang out together.

I'm not going to dwell on my feelings in this post because, to be honest, I feel like they aren't justified enough. There are women whose husbands get shipped off to Iraq (or any number of dangerous places) and here I'm crying about a lousy four-hour drive? I feel foolish, but I still feel. Does that make sense?

Enough of that.

I flew home safely. I greeted an angry kitty who yelled at me until I fell asleep. I went to work the rest of the week. That's how things work.

I've noticed that there are a few distinct disadvantages to not having my Hubbs around (besides missing him like crazy). Hubbs always made the coffee in the morning and now I have to. Hubbs makes the bed warmer faster, which I am a fan of. Hubbs holds the kitten in a special way that she now misses and I have to do it to stop her from crying now. Hubbs is strong and can open things (jars) or lift things (30 lb cat litter) that I struggle with. Hubbs is fun to look at because he is handsome. Hubbs likes doing fun things while I'm a bit of a homebody. Hubbs is funny and also laughs at my jokes. The Fluffy One is not so good at that. Hubbs will sing with me on car rides. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Hubbs just makes my quality of life better. :)

I get to see Hubbs again in 20 days, 3 hours, and 45 minutes or so! I've already caught myself trying to plan what to pack. I know it is silly, but that is how very excited I am to see my best friend and husband again. To hug him and hear him sleeping next to me. :) Many thanks to my awesome Momma who gave him a visit from me for his birthday!

Maybe tomorrow I will blog about the awesome symphony I went to with my brother and friends last night. In case I don't, here is the breakdown: The Great Gatsby, Gershwin, and Rachmaninoff. Yep. Brilliant.

Au revoir!

Making a List

Hubbs leaves for his Vegas internship in 11 days and counting. I'm so excited for him and for what he will be experiencing. I can't help but be a bit jealous and proud at the same time. He's just so good at what he does!

I was talking/texting with a dear friend a short while back about how to make the time pass faster with my best friend in another state for three months. She suggested that I make a list of things to do that he wouldn't necessarily be keen on. I thought that perhaps I could post the beginnings of my list here and just add to it as the summer goes on or as I think of new things. Here goes...

1. Watch Dirty Dancing frequently. This is my favorite live action movie and hubbs actually refuses to watch it. Perhaps because of my crush on Patrick S. I can't help it.

2. Watch any movies on our giant DVD shelf that I've never seen. There are at least three: Capote, First Knight, and Airplane.

3. Watch all of my seasons of Pushing Daisies again. Such a good show!!!

4. Sew another dress from a vintage 1950s pattern.

5. Craft an apothocary chest into something I can use as a jewelry box.

6. Have my mom come visit me. Hubbs totally enjoys her so this doesn't follow all of the rules, but this is something I'm looking forward to this summer. I'm sure The Fluffy One will enjoy having another cuddle victim buddy.

7. Yoga. Do it.

I'm not sure what else will show up on this list. Maybe a lot of window shopping (Anthro, anyone?) and craft nights with the girls. I'm sure I'll be counting down the days until I get to see him each month, so perhaps some paper chain action, too. I love a good paper chain. I made one two or three months before our wedding and it was so fun ripping another link off of it every day and watching the chain grow smaller and smaller. :) Can you tell I'm a goals and list type?

Well, perhaps it is time to get ready for bed... I took a "short nap" this evening that turned into a 1.5 hour nap so I think I'm probably needing to put some more sleeping in my repertoire. Such is life. Good night, folks!

Being a Hater

Yeah, that's right. I'm a hater. I hate detours (you know, the on-the-road-with-a-flaming-orange-sign type that can totally throw you for a loop). Let me explain what brought this on...

I was on my way to an audition and I had advanced warning that there would be detours. So I left super early and was ready to kick some detour butt. Now, please understand while reading this entry that I have an AWFUL sense of direction. I digress... So. I'm driving to Long Beach and I get to all of those glowy signs inviting me to take a different road because my usual exit is under construction. For a year. Who does that? Again, digressing... I follow the orange signs, thinking I'll be just fine, just follow the arrows. Well, apparently I followed the wrong arrows. I drove in loops and circles while my GPS hollered at me. I yelled back, telling it that I knew what I was doing, but Mr. GPS totally called my bluff. After about ten minutes of aimless detouring (and an extra freeway I didn't need to be on) I finally started listening to Mr. GPS and ignoring the signs that were leering at me. I made it to a familiar point and continued without the help of Mr. GPS or those evil signs. I arrived at the playhouse later than my fellow actor friend who had left later than I did. Obviously there was some sort of communication breakdown between myself and the detour, otherwise he wouldn't have arrived so early.

This all leads me to conclude that I would not have survived in the olden days. I would surely have been eaten by wolves or trampled by my own oxen on the Oregon Trail. Ford the river? Sure, let's just hope it is the right one. Catch malaria? Well, too bad because there is NO way I'm leaving the trail to find a doctor and instead break a wagon wheel in the pass and have us all die. Ok, well, maybe things wouldn't go quite like that. And I would actually go find a doctor if one was available because malaria is rough. But you get the picture.

Anyhow... the audition went well. The director seems like a cool guy and I got to read three scenes for him. Two were with my actor friend. Things went pretty well for how cold of a read it was. If I got cast in this show it would be great, but they've got three nights of auditions followed by callbacks, so I'm guessing they are seeing quite a few ladies like myself. We shall see. Such is the life of an actress, right?

Aw, shoot. I just realized that I have no pictures in this post. Sorry to disappoint anyone who is visual like I am. Bummer, dudes. Adios!



PS Since my kitty got fixed she won't stop cuddling me. Has anyone else experienced this neediness from their kitties post-surgery? It is pretty intense.

PPS Hubbs would possibly make fun of my Post Scripts. He says that with email (and I'm supposing other digital forms of communication) that they aren't necessary because you can always add them into the body of what you've written. However, I like them. They are like little bonuses. Unless you think the content is unnecessary.

PPPS Sorry if this content is unnecessary.



Out!

Don't Look at Me, I'm Changing!

Or not. Sorry, you were just victim to a statistical experiment. A friend commented that the title of my last post was like saying the title of this post. So I thought I'd check the facts on that. :) Also, I couldn't think of a good title.

Saturday, I went to a awesomely fanciful Bridal Shower Tea Party for my friend Harmony. She is pretty awesome and I'm stoked (yes, stoked) to be in her bridal party. I love her and her fiance and it has been a joy seeing them grow together. But I'm sure you're way more interested in what I wore, right? Ok, maybe not, but I don't have pictures of them and I do have pictures of the pieces of my ensemble.

Hat, side view. I made this.

Hat, in action.

Green BB Dakota dress, gold heels, pearls.

Sunday, I spent cherished hours with hubbs. He'll be in crazy long rehearsals soon and then leaves for Vegas and O as soon as he closes his current show, so I'm soaking up whatever I can get. We skipped church in favor of sleep and time together and then headed out to a Beer Brunch. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it was quite pleasant and my coffee cake was a hit. That's what happens when you bake things like your mom does. :) We did other things that day, but today is Wednesday and my brain is already looking ahead to the weekend.

I made a pinwheel!

Tomorrow morning I take The Fluffy One in to get spayed. Am I crazy for being nervous for her? She's been extra cuddly tonight, probably because she senses doom. Good bye, lady parts... Hello, weight gain. If I'm this careful about a kitty, goodness knows how I'll be when I have children. Hopefully we've got a few years yet until we test that.

And now for my real story...

My car has a moon roof. Lately I've been keeping it open on my drive home from work because the weather has been lovely. I ALWAYS remember to close it when I park at my apartment. Always. Well, last night it rained. And it just so happened that last night I forgot to close my moon roof.

Kristi Fail Number One.

When I walked out to my car in the morning I found about 1/4" of rain in my cup holders. Once I had assessed the damage (not much) I started cracking up as I brought a blanket from my trunk. The thought was to lay the blanket on the seat to protect myself from moisture. Which worked. But the blanket also dumped the sweet Southern California beach sand on my seat.

Kristi Fail Number Two.

I got to work, waited until the sun came out, and rolled down some windows. I had joked with one of the ladies I work with that the "scene" that morning was like the montage of the beginning of a movie character's awful day. Luckily there is no Kristi Fail Number Three here. The warm sun soaked up the water and so far my car smells fine. The moral of the story is: don't leave your moon roof open. What? Was that too obvious? Well, bummer.

Good night and good luck.

Beauty!

I think this weekend has been one where I've noticed beauty around me. Sometimes I think we get that gift to appreciate the art and light God has put around us. I'm not one of those who waxes poetic (I don't have the skills, believe me), but this makes me think of the millions of exquisite ways we could describe the lovely world around us. A few pictures follow (not including the lion one) that illustrate my point in a slight way.

Hubbs and I went grocery shopping after a great church service today. We decided to go to Trader Joe's and I fell victim to the whiles of the flirty ranunculus. I saw one bunch in the flower buckets that would perfectly compliment our living room and walked up to hubbs with puppydog eyes. Needless to say, I got the flowers. :) I guess it didn't hurt that they were only $3.99.

These colors with a purple wall? Irresistible.

We didn't have a proper vase that fit them correctly, so... Mississippi Mud bottle it is.

Friday at work I spent some time in the Lion Mascot suit for an event our office was holding. Let me be totally honest here: gross! I originally volunteered not thinking it would be 80 degrees outside and a million degrees inside the suit. However, I got lots of high fives and silly dancing in. I'm probably six inches too short for the suit, but it was fun. The not fun and gross part was the excessive sweating I did. That is why I'll never volunteer for it again.

Yep. Me.

Friday night I spent time sewing with a friend, teaching her how to read and use a simple pattern. It was totally fun and we're going to wear what we made tomorrow to work. :) The skirts look totally different because of the prints we used, but it is fun to show off your handiwork. Pictures to be posted soon. Promise.

Yesterday, I woke up feeling awful. Apparently I have bronchitis and it is fairly difficult to sleep through the night when you are hacking. Luckily hubbs sleeps like a log so I didn't feel the need to resign myself to the couch. When hubbs got up for Saturday rehearsal, I moved to the living room and fell asleep to some sort of cake mastery programming. When hubbs got home and my nap was over we took a trip to The Spectrum, which was gorgeous, so that we could walk and shop. I found an adorable ladybug sweater that reminds me of being a little girl again, but in a good way.

I know you were just waiting for a picture of the Fluffy One.

That night we got to see Light in the Piazza at South Bay Cities Civic Light Opera. We got $65 tickets for free because of hubbs' connections! Too bad it wasn't that good. Don't get me wrong, the actors/vocalists were great. Light in the Piazza is almost an opera as far as style went, so I really appreciated that. But the script was awful. Talk about underdeveloped characters and conflict that doesn't follow through to its full potential. Sheesh. Overall, though, it was a good experience and I'm glad we went. It was a sweet date.

...

Now I'm drinking an artistic Gin and Tonic (one of my favorites) while finishing a WWE PayPerView with hubbs and our bud. We met a WWE crew member last night and I think I scored some brownie points with hubbs when I started asking him questions about his time as a crew member. Anyway, I should probably go so that I can watch the breaking news. Ciao!

Bubbles on a lime! Delicious.