Salt & Pep

Enjoyed a nice day in Sioux Falls yesterday. We did some shopping (in which I hardly bought anything. I am so broke I can't even afford to pay attention (Haaaa! My brother told me that once and it's been my favorite ever since.)) Brian spoils me too much. When I say that, I don't mean he buys me fancy things or gets me anything I want (which I'm glad for, I really wouldn't like that)...What I mean is, he takes me to Coldstone before movies and he will walk around Walmart with me for hours, even if I'm not buying anything, and he'll put up with my constant search for the lowest price on grocery items. But mostly it's the Coldstone that gets me. =P Last night I got Oreo Cream Filling with strawberries mixed in. It was magnificent.

Anywho...Today after class, he talked me into going for a run. He even went into my room and found all my running clothes and folded them up into a cute little pile by my door, all without me knowing. Then, after I still hadn't decided on going or not, he grabbed my hat and brought it to me. I told him he was like a dog wanting to go for a walk, who brings the leash to its owner. Adorable. I couldn't say no. And I'm glad I didn't. Even though it was pretty chilly (mid 20's,) it was a nice run and we felt pretty great afterward. Still can't wait for those warmer days, though.

Then he wanted to start the new puzzle that we got last night. Which was a surprise to me, because usually I'm the one who wants to do puzzles all the time. He started it on the floor, but eventually we moved it to the kitchen table.

150/365: Puzzle time!

149/365: Books

148/365: Salt & Pep (Who can guess where we were!)

Saturday night the snowflakes were ridiculously sparkling. I got some photos of them. =)

Enjoying them while they last!

Here's something funny - My bedroom floor is halfway hidden by 5 nice-sized piles of dirty clothes. This is the farthest behind on laundry I've EVER gotten. Last night I had to wash some undies in the sink and hang them over the shower rod to dry, just so I'd have some clean ones to wear until tomorrow. Doing laundry in this building is just a huge hassle. First of all, they're sucking me dry of quarters. Second, there's usually someone else doing laundry so you have to wait 3 hours just to put one load in the dryer. And third...sometimes you have to run the dryer twice in order to get even SOMEWHAT dry clothes. Ugh...Frustrating! Anywho....

Made some pork chop casserole for supper tonight. Getting much better at that one! Now, off to take a bubble bath and then work on some stuff. Tomorrow is laundry day!

Slow Day

Today Brian and I invented some deeeelicious pancake recipes. But they're top secret, so I can't share too much. Been a slow day today. We're watching college basketball...Brian's about to fall asleep on the couch. I'm starting some homework. Quite a Saturday.

Yesterday's photo:

147/365: Can anyone guess what this is? My family should be able to guess it. Not expecting anyone else to. =P Hint: It's one of my favorite recent Christmas gifts.

Snowed a few inches today. I've decided it's not so bad and I should enjoy the last few snowfalls, before it starts getting so hot I don't wanna do anything. Couple fun photo projects coming up, though, and I want need warmer weather! Until then...

Productivity, here I come.

146

Here's another little rant for you. Why do people pretend to like people who they really don't like? I'm not saying they should be rude or mean to them, but why do they flat out pretend to enjoy their company? I know far too many people who talk trash about their "friends" and then turn around and hang out with them and act like they're "besties." It's not something college aged people should be doing. In high school - fine. But don't bring those fake attitudes with you into your adult life. Grow up, kids.

That's all I have to say about that.


I finally put my 365 Project on facebook. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not, but I finally jumped in. Guess we'll see how that goes.

Brian and I have a super excellent future idea but we are keeping it hush-hush for now. Ha! It's a silly little plan that we came up with and will probably never happen...But we've been having lots of fun thinking/talking about it. I guess you'll just have to wait and see if it happens, to know what it is. =P

Here's yesterday's photo:

146/365: My Valentine's Day roses are dying/dead. Makes me sad. Also, I'm in the dark when it comes to caring for flowers and plants. I don't know how long they should last, or how to make them last longer, if that's possible. Oh well. Maybe someday I'll have a cute little garden where I can learn all that good stuff.

I need 200 more views to catch up to last month's stats. I've been going downhill since December, so I want to jump back up. Tell your pals about my blog! Share it on facebook! Or don't! I just enjoy my little stats graph giving positive feedback.

Now, on to some homework. Woo!

145

Yesterday when I got home from class I was feeling sort of drained. My head was hurting and I was all stuffed up and had a sore throat. I thought for sure I was getting sick. I spent the majority of my day under my blanket (yes, I still have a blankie.) on the couch. Watched a lot of lame TV and drank some tea. Here's my photo:

145/365: Taking it easy.

Perhaps having such a laid-back day yesterday paid off...I'm feeling almost 100% today! I even scrubbed my apartment clean. It's sparkling today! Ha...Another story of proof that a nice hot cup of tea can fix just about anything. =)

Sunset Header

Made some changes today. I am craving spring/summer so I wanted a warmer look here. I almost went with a lush green grass photo as my header, but I think that's pushing it. Ha. So, my 4th of July sunset will work for now. Even just the vision of a warm summer sunset makes me feel better.

Thoughts on the change?

Note

Well, folks...I've hit that wall again. This long weekend we had was great, but I think it hurt my creative juices. I worked my tail off on a project for class and some designs for Something Clicked Photography and I even finished my self-portrait for another class. I think all the time I spent with my nose in Photoshop and Illustrator just kind of shut off my brain to photography. I also think this 'double tap' of winter weather didn't help. I was doing great when I was able to get outside because it really put me in this great mood. But now it's back to cold and snowy and icy and I'm just ready for it to be spring already.

Tonight I decided to showcase something that makes me happy every time I see it. A few weeks ago, my friend Kim came down from Brookings to get a quick lesson in Illustrator. I don't think I helped her much, and she probably left feeling like I'm a terrible teacher, but we did have fun. We made hot ham & cheese sammiches and tomato soup and had a fun little couple hours. I don't see my friends nearly as much as I want/need to, so seeing this every day reminds me that even when I don't see them, they're still there.

144/365: Note. Kim wrote this on my whiteboard calendar. One day in high school I wrote "Delmar was here" on the whiteboard at her house (now her dad's.) Every time I went to her house after that, I would add "and again!" somewhere on the board. That note has been there for like 8 years now! I've even started the trend at her mom's place, too. So Kim added to mine and I will never ever erase it. =)

And, even though I don't want to post it, here's yesterday's photo. It was taken at around 1:00 in the morning, right before I went to bed. Again, I've been in a creative photo slump for a few days. I debated whether or not to post it, but since this is the blog for my project, I figured it was only fair to show you my 'off' days, too. So here ya go. It's my couch cushions. Ha!

143/365: Blah.

And, because I promised I'd post it, here's the project I've been working on. It's finished! I think.

Self-Portrait using type. It's got my name, a few artsy words, my age, some other description words, and even a Bible verse and a few song lyrics hidden in there. Pretty cool stuff. This was lots of fun. =)

I suppose I should get to bed. Thanks for reading and keeping up with me even when I don't feel like I want to do anything.

Cookies & Cream Wasted

Lazy Sundays are my favorite. Especially when we're snowed in and I don't have to feel guilty for sitting at home all day. (I'm sort of a homebody. Ha.) I was actually incredibly productive today, from the comfort of my big comfy couch. I finished my entire 'restaurant use package' for a class, which included a complete menu design, a coaster, and a napkin for a restaurant of my choice. Of course, I chose Emily's. =) Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the menu, so I created mine 100% from memory. I think I did a pretty good job at remembering, actually. Hooray for a photographic memory (and, okay, I guess my 4 summers of waitressing there didn't hurt...)

I also created some facebook events for upcoming DSU Live events - Open Mic Night on Wednesday the 23rd, and Battle of the Bands on March 25th. I sent out a couple emails, and I threw together a super duper fast graphic for the BOTB. Then I ordered pizza and ate some ice cream and edited photos and, currently, updated my blog. Yes for Sundays.

142/365: Cookies & Cream ice cream + Baileys, hint of caramel. This is a perfect treat! I'm sure everyone is completely aware that I'm not much of a drinker. Alcohol is just not something I want to waste my time/money/brain cells on. But when something THIS perfect comes up, I have to accept. Yum! (Brian called this "Getting cookies & cream wasted.")

Last night we spent the evening in Sioux Falls with Dustin and a few of his friends. We were originally going to go tubing at Great Bear Recreation Park, but ended up changing our plans last-minute and attended a Sioux Falls Stampede hockey game instead. We all agreed that it was a good decision. We had a blast! First, we got pizza at Valentino's, which was an experience in itself, with Dustin's friends along. Crazy kids...

Anyway, the game was great! We won by 1 goal. Two of them were made within about 30 seconds of each other. Pretty amazing stuff! The arena was packed, and the crowd was insane, which made for the best hockey game experience. Here's my favorite shot from the game:

131/365: I was very impressed with my camera last night. Thanks to Brian and the Christmas gift lens he got me, I was able to zoom in pretty super close from 20 rows up. I do love it! Of course, there could be improvements, but this still makes me happy. =)

140/365: My last-minute, before-bed, phone photo for Friday. Lame, boring, noisy, but oh well. It's a photo.

 On Thursday we went to another of Dustin's games. It was an intense game. Scores were back & forth, neck & neck the whole time. We ended up losing by one point. It was sad, but the game was fun to watch and the team did great. Here's my favorite shot:

139/365: Dustin being awesome. That's my brother. =)

Here are some more cool photos from his game:

Here's Sam shooting a free throw.

Here's Dustin waiting for a free throw rebound.

All caught up now! Tomorrow is a holiday so no school. I'm not sure there would be school, anyway, with this weather. Ha....Woke up in the middle of the night to some super loudness out my window. Turns out it was thunder! Thunder! And rain and lightning and all sorts of summer goodness. ...Then, only a few hours later, it was snowing. Blizzard conditions! I do enjoy this weather, for some silly reason. Thunderstorms and Blizzards in the same day. Only in SD...

Brian and I are looking for some spring break plans. We've both got some ideas, but we're not really sure if they would work out. Anyone have suggestions??

The Big Thaw

It has been forever...Sorry for the delay. Sometimes days just keep going by and I don't even realize how many days I've missed on here until I look at my photo numbers and see that I'm behind by five.

Some good news: I have 18 followers! I think that's pretty dang awesome. (We say "pretty dang" sometimes, just to honor my nephew Landon. One time he said to Brian, "Hey, you're pretty dang tough!" and it was the cutest thing ever. Side note.)

This weekend/week has reminded me of why I love living here in SD. Since I've known Brian, I've been tempted to want to live in California. After visiting there five times now (I think it's five...I could be wrong, I've sort of lost track,) I've really realized why people sacrifice their sanity (because that many people gets crazy) and privacy (because it seems the houses are on top of each other) to live there. The weather is perfect ALL THE TIME. Great, right?

Here's why it's not so great, and why I love the midwest weather instead: Having long, frigid, ruthless winters and scorching, humid, sticky summers really makes us appreciate the rare good weather. If it was perfect all the time, I would probably forget to appreciate the outdoors. But this weekend it hit 30 degrees, and now all I want to do is be outside. Yesterday I was walking around outside in a T-Shirt, and it gave me a huge mood boost. My heater has been (mostly) off since Saturday and I've opened the balcony door for a "fresh air" boost every day. I don't hate walking to school anymore. And the best part: It's now warm enough to start running again!

See, those few gorgeous days in between the extremes really make it worth the miserable weather.

Just my thoughts this week. I'm not saying I'll never leave this crazy cycle of seasons, but for now I am really enjoying it. Photo time:

134/365: "The Big Thaw" ...Saturday was one excellently warm day (I think it hit like 34 or something. Heat wave!) so Brian and I went for our first run of the year. Sadly, it was still a bit too chilly to jump through this giant puddle. It was still a blast!

Sunday's "game night" with K&A was a hit! We had lots of fun and ate some deeeelicious food. Played a few games we'd never played before and caught up with some old friends (Old, as in, haven't really talked to them in a few years. Though they are gettin' up there in age! Haha, Just kidding, guys!) It was so much fun to catch up and enjoy some good company. Definitely can't wait to get together with them again!

135/365: Quick shot of the dessert (dessert has two s's, because you want two helpings! Thanks Joni!) I made for Sunday's dinner. It was pretty good! I'm a sucker for super simple recipes, so this was perfect. Ha!

And, of course, Monday was Valentine's Day. We never really "celebrate" the holiday, so I wasn't expecting any sort of gifts. I knew we'd go out for dinner and catch a movie, but aside from that I wasn't expecting anything. So I was pretty surprised when Brian came over with some flowers and chocolates for me. It was so cute. =)

136/365: Mmmm chocolates! These are delicious and there's only about 6 pieces left. Ha...Maybe chocolates wasn't the best idea. Or maybe it should be a "one per day" sort of thing. I just can't walk by a box of chocolates sitting on my table without eating one (or seven)....I might have a problem...

Last night we went to Dustin's game in Dell Rapids. I drove, even! The good ol 'Exploder' started right up for us, after taking a few weeks off due to being frozen solid. It was pretty exciting. I do love that old crazy vehicle. Anyway, the game was pretty awesome. We won 86-65 or something. Dustin drained FIVE 3-pointers. He ended the night with 23 points total. Pretty excellent, I think. He's a superstar. Here's my favorite photo from the game:

137/365: Time-Out....We were sitting a few rows behind the bench so I tried to zoom in all cool and get fun huddle shots. This one was my favorite.

And that brings us to today. Went for a walk this afternoon but wasn't feeling all too inspired to take any photos. Maybe tomorrow? I don't know. So I shot my pretty roses from Brian.

138/365: Pink and pretty. =) My boyfriend is the best.

All caught up now! Well, not entirely. I did take a "Too Close" photo, but I'll save it for another date. Sorry to anyone who was looking forward to it. It would be way too easy because it's very closely related (or exactly like) one of the photos posted here tonight. So in a few months I'll use it. Next week I'll pick back up with another TCT shot.

I think we're going for a run tomorrow morning/afternoon (most likely afternoon, we're not THAT dedicated) and then possibly going to another basketball game. Check back soon for a sweet project that I just finished up. If I forget about it, send me a message and remind me of the "sweet project"....I tend to forget some of the stuff I promise to do on here. Ha! Have a good one, friends.

To the Side

Ok, people. I only had ONE guess on this week's Too Close shot. I even posted the link on facebook and everything! You're not making this much fun for us! =P

Anyway, here's the big reveal:

Original shot:

Yep, that's pretty close!

Back it up a little....

Ohhhh it's getting easier! Any final guesses?

Drumroll....

Yeah!! It was the tag on my hat! My faaaavorite green hat! I wear it pretty much every day. I know I'm gonna miss it once spring hits. It started out super shiny and pretty...But now that it's gone through two rough winters, it's getting all frizzy and silly. But I still love it.

PS - Melissa Jean got it right! She's always getting them. Way to go!

I wear it with the tag to the side, like this. Thanks, Hat, for inspiring tonight's POTD:

133/365: And yes, my hair really IS that long. It's pretty ridiculous.

Yesterday's photo was kind of lame. I shot a few random things around my apartment. None of them were even remotely good. Oh well. So I threw a paint splatter texture onto it in Photoshop and yeah....It's not so exciting, but whatever. Can't win 'em all. This is a painting I did in painting class a few semesters ago. Not the greatest. It's a replication of a more famous artist from back in the day. Yep.

Fun weekend ahead. Our rescheduled game night with K&A is on Sunday - Pretty excited!! And Monday is, of course, Valentine's day. We're not too huge on V-Day over here. We might go out to dinner or something, but usually gifts and all that cheesy stuff doesn't come near us. Ha! But I do like chocolates so if anyone talks to Brian you can forward that info along. Just in case he doesn't know......

Have a good weekend, friends! I'll keep ya posted!

Less money, more cookies!

I thought of this the other day, while munching on some cookies that Amy brought over as payment for taking her photos last week....

Wouldn't it be AWESOME if we just completely did away with money and instead exchanged baked goods?! Just think about it...All you have to do is put some love into food and your debts are wiped clean. And I really think receiving homemade cookies or cakes or breads or lasagnas or pies or meat loafs or brownies would be WAY COOLER than receiving money. It seems more special. I know whenever I bake something, I'm constantly thinking of who I'm baking it for. Payment plus thoughtfulness. It would be perfect.

I think this could change the world for the better. Less money, more cookies! Who's with me?!

131/365: FAVORITE!! I love sparkly snow! Super glad I woke up early enough to take a few moments to notice the sunshiny glitter snow and then take a picture of it. Perfect. =)

You guys should see what I'm working on these days. If you're lucky, I'll post the finished product.

Mini Choco Chips

I believe I'm allllmost all caught up with my homework/projects. This weekend definitely threw me off a little.

We didn't get to hang out with Amanda and Kyle on Saturday like we had planned. The weather was crappy and the roads were bad, so we played it safe and postponed another week. Which actually ended up being a good thing because I realized I had an assignment due Sunday night so I spent all of Saturday working on that. Probably would have been a not-so-great end result, had we gone to Sioux Falls. So it sort of all worked out for the better.

Also, on Saturday morning we made pancakes and eggs and had a pretty yummy breakfast. It was a nice change from my usual Mini-Wheats (which I love love love!) We added a super secret ingredient first, and then I threw some mini chocolate chips into mine, because everything is better with mini chocolate chips.

127/365: Mmmm Choco Chips!

Sunday we had a SB/Birthday party at my parents' house. Lots of fun, of course. My family is way cool and we're always joking and laughing so it was a good day. Ate too much bad-for-me food and drank an entire 20 oz Mountain Dew (trust me, it's an accomplishment) but it was all sooo worth the tummy ache. Hehe...Didn't take too many photos, but here's my favorite from the night:

128/365: Brycen looking lovingly at his mom. Awww! =P

We left my parents' house at about 10:30 and quickly found out that the roads were coated with a nice slick layer of ice. Missed the Viborg turn, because we literally slid right past it. Every time there was an ideal place to turn around, we slid right past that, too! So we decided to just keep going straight and ended up staying in Beresford at D & E's house. We stay at their house all the time, it seems. Maybe that's just because they are so so so kind and let me sleep in their basement during the summers. (That is, until the great basement flood of '10...but that's another story.)

So, I emailed my professors and they were generous enough to allow me to skip class on Monday morning. The little detour in our plans got my head all messed up and I feel like I'm WAY behind on work, but I think I got myself all back to normal today. Whew!

Yesterday's photo:

129/365: Swung by Great Bear on the way home for a quick photo for my project. Ended up using previously shot photos, anyway. Oh well.

AND....Today's photo is the same as the TCT shot. So, go ahead and throw out some guesses as to what this is:

130/365/TCT: Hint: This object, as a whole, is a previous Photo of the Day!

Good luck! Now time to watch Raising Hope! Best show on TV right now. I'm so excited for the new episodes. =D

Pencil

I spent all of yesterday working on a new little project for DSU's Diversity Center. I was asked by them to create something which shows how sports can be like slavery. I was a bit confused at first, but once I started putting together my pieces, I totally understood. It's rather sad to think about, and I'm glad I didn't make any connections like this when I was an athlete in high school. Ha! Anyway...It's not finished yet, but here's some progress.

126/365

Yep...That's one of them. I have 5 so far, all different sports. Get the idea? The running girl below actually has a ball & chain attached to her ankle. Looks pretty cool, actually. They all still need some work, but I think I'm on the right track. Feels good to be doing traditional artwork again, rather than digital stuff. There's nothing more therapeutic to me than the feeling of pencil on paper. No joke.

Last night DSU's Student Activities Board hosted a mentalist. Yep, a mentalist. It was INSANE. I'm one of those skeptics who watches this stuff on TV and always says "Oh, whatever. That audience member is in on it. He can't REALLY read minds." ....And then LAST NIGHT...He was guessing objects in peoples' pockets and reading cards while blindfolded and lighting up lightbulbs and all sorts of stuff. And since those "in on it" audience members were DSU students, some of whom I KNOW....There's no way they were in on it. This guy was pretty amazing.

Since DSU Live ran sound and lights and set up for the event, we sat in the back by the soundbooth. Here's a photo. I'm fairly sure we had to have been pushing the max capacity to its limit. Wish we could get that many people to attend the DSU Live events. But oh well. =)

125/365: Underground

Pretty cool stuff. I do love my small school.

Another DSU student asked me to take a professional portrait of her for a scholarship. This went WAY better than the first time I tried the business professional portrait. I think that means I'm learning proper camera settings and even proper lighting, even though I never use pro equipment. It was still pretty exciting.

124/365: Amy

So yes...It was a quick 20 minute "take a bunch of photos and pick your favorite" sort of night. We even switched backdrops and clothes for a few of them. Turned out pretty good, I think. Definitely helps that Amy is super-duper beautiful. Hopefully she doesn't mind me posting her photo on here. If she does, I'll take it down. (So, Amy, if you read this just let me know!) (And Bohle, I'll retake yours sometime, now that I know what I'm doing. Ha!)

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow night. Brian and I are going to meet up with a few friends from my first couple years of school. They got me into DSU Live (FNL at the time) and I haven't seen them in FOREVER, so I can't wait. Yay!

Oh, the whole point of me posting tonight was to reveal the "Too Close" photo. Here's a refresher, if you forgot what it looked like.

Any last guesses?

Most everyone who guessed got it right! Was it the hint? Or is this just easy to see?

Winners: Melissa Jean, Joni, and D. (I think "D." is my brother...Hope so, anyway, cuz that's who I've been assuming it was. =P Hehe...)

It was, in fact, one of the little earbuds for my iPod. An old pair, actually. It's mate is all falling apart and broken. Good thing I got new ones when I did. =)

Way to go, guys...Great guessing! Ha. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Brrrr!

Here I am again! It's been a few days. Yesterday Traci asked me to update, which I didn't do. Ha! So I am today JUST FOR HER!! =D

I'm sure you all know (since I think my only readers are friends/family who live around here) that it's really freaking cold outside today. How cold? Here's a visual of the thermostat in Brian's car at 8:50 this morning.

 

Yep, that's a negative sign in front of that 17. Pretty chilly out there. And once you think that -17 is a cold temperature to begin with, you remember that you also have to factor in the wind chill values. So that negative 17 this morning FELT LIKE negative 30. Yep. -30. 

So, since I didn't want to freeze my butt off walking my 4 blocks to class, I asked Brian to give me a ride there. Bless his heart. =) 

Also, my car isn't starting. I'm guessing it's just too cold for the old fart to get going. It's ok. I understand. 

Look at all our snow! Took this with my phone while I waited for Brian inside Beadle Hall after class. So pretty. 

 

So I have a few photos from last night and I'm not sure which one is my Photo #123. Which one do you guys like best? Please comment or let me know some other way and I'll give it its place. 

Do you like this one:

Possible #123

Or this one:

Possible #123

Tough decision. I love on my nights where I just don't know what to do, I can grab a flashlight or mini light and make something cool like these. The first one was an accident, actually. But once it showed up on the camera screen, Brian said "Cool! You made a 'D' on your shirt!" which wasn't what I was going for, but I do like it. The second I was actually laying on the floor right underneath the light. I cropped myself out, though. =P It looks like Saturn. Or something. 

Gotta love finding some fun stuff in everyday chores!

122/365: Look at all my pink cups!!

My Kool-Aid purchase resulted in lots more cups than I normally have to wash. But I'm not complaining because Kool-Aid is cheap AND delicious! 

On Sunday Brian and I went shopping in Sioux Falls. We both save a ton of money by taking a once-a-week trip to HyVee, rather than a 5+ times a week trip to Sunshine in Madison. Instead of spending around $10 every day for each trip, now we're each spending around $30 once a week. The first trip was a little more spendy, just cuz we stocked up on some meat, but I am way excited about this plan because I am a poor kid. I learned a lot from shopping trips with my dad. Buy what you need on sale and in multiples. If it's not on sale, don't buy it. Ha...Thanks Dad!

121/365: Can't get enough of city lights in motion. =)

Whew! I should be all caught up now. WAIT!! I'm not! 

Yesterday was Tuesday and I didn't get a "Too Close" Tuesday photo up. HERE IT IS!!

I spent a long time yesterday trying to get a close shot of a strawberry. It just wasn't working out for me. So I did this today instead. Hint: It's not a strawberry. Double Hint: I couldn't live without it.

You know the rules! GO!