Remember me? No? Oh, umm...

Hi.

It has been a while.

However, I've been keeping busy with friends, sewing, work, and apartment-y stuff. So don't worry, I didn't fall off the face of the planet. :)

I'm counting the days until I see hubbs again (six, in case you are wondering) and trying to keep my hands busy. I've posted two skirts to my Etsy shop but they don't look nearly as cute on a hanger as they do on a person. I'm hoping they sell, but even if they don't, I've had fun making them and putting my special touch on them. It often astounds me how wrapped up I can get in a project. I love the challenge of taking a pattern and changing it up or trying new techniques. Who would have guessed all those years ago that I would have loved sewing and crafting so much? Well, my mom probably would... :)

Hubbs made fun of me via Twitter about naming my Etsy shop after our kitty, but to be honest... am I supposed to make up a cheesy name for it or use my own name? Heck no. So, ElliePenelope seemed sufficiently fun and quirky, which is what I hope the overall look of my shop will be once I get a few more items in there. I'm hoping to eventually have a consistent photo style, too. Baby steps, right?

Anyhow....

I spent some time with a lovely friend today. I love how I am re-discovering these great female friendships. Even though I miss Hubbs so much, God has really turned this time into a blessing. I don't think I would have spent as much time with my lady friends this summer if it wasn't for Hubbs being out of state. Once he's back, I'm going to continue hanging out with the girls and cultivating those friendships. I think it will also make Hubbs happy to see me getting out more since I'm a bit of a homebody. :)

Well, I should probably get to making some things I bought fabric for this weekend. I've got a sofa pillow to make and (hopefully) a blouse out of a pattern I've drafted myself. If it works, I'll post pictures. Promise.

He's coming home soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a bit excited.

Adios.

"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!

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.

Oops!

Well, it's been a while since I've written, especially because I began this puppy thinking I would write several times a week. However, with life being what it is, I haven't felt much like writing. I'm still not feeling gung-ho about it, but let's give it the old college try, eh?

Exciting news...

Hubbs is going to an intern on the Cirque du Soleil show, "O!" We are so pumped and excited for what this means for the future. However, "O" is in Las Vegas and we are in Southern California. What does this mean? It means that for 12 weeks, hubbs and I will be living in different states. This isn't as bad as it sounds. Vegas is a four hour drive and I will go to see hubbs at least once a month. Plus, it could lead to an awesome job for him.

Less exciting news...

Friday night, hubbs and I went to see Romeo and Juliet at the college we graduated from. We had a few differing opinions, but the main consensus was that it was a good show. It makes me remember that one day I'd like to teach Theatre at a college. One day.

Last night, we bought a Ninja and made deliciousness happen. We had jalapeno and pepperjack burgers complimented by a blended margarita. Dessert was a chai shake. Needless to say, we are enjoying the Ninja, especially since our dinky teeny blender was starting to smoke smell funny after it had made a few shakes. Let's not have our kitchen appliances blow up on us... sound good? :)

We have the coolest plates.

Today, we went to church, did a bit more housecleaning (seriously, how much fluff does the fluffy one have to distribute in every corner?), and who knows what we will do now? Maybe I can talk him into a trip to the fabric store. I have a skirt in mind that I want to make. :)

They do this naturally. It is both cute and weird.

On that note... I've decided that while I'm not in shows, I need to be craftier. Either thinking up ways to rob a bank, or making fun stuff. And I need to do this multiple times a week. As a result, you may become victim to zillions of pictures of handmade items. I apologize in advance. I'm also looking into starting a shop on Etsy.com to sell my creations. Of course, the shop won't open until I've got a few things made to sell, but it is good to do my research. I'm thinking that I can sell for a bit of a profit so that I won't lose money by keeping on a crafty habit. Heck, maybe I'll even make a bit of money. That's a crazy idea. :)

The shoes I just got are the inspiration for the skirt I want to make. They make me swoon.

And that's all, folks!