Looking Back

This week, I am finding myself looking back.  These things have been on my mind, running in circles that just won't stop.  Good and bad, but I'll alternate so hopefully the bad won't be too overwhelming.  I just need to get them off my chest and feel better after writing.  I promise to have cheerier topics next time.  :)

My cousin's Mom died last week.  Between divorces and geographic distances, it had been years since I saw her Mom Nancy.  Nancy was an incredibly crafty woman and made some of the most beautifully smocked dresses I have ever seen.  She battled breast cancer two decades ago and had a slew of other health issues, but was always quick to laugh.  And I'm doubly sad for my cousin because both of her parents are now gone and she is too young to be without parents.  I took Chloe on her first plane ride when she was barely two weeks old when we flew back to St. Louis to see my Uncle Phil shortly before he died six years ago.  Sigh.  I know both are in a better place and free of cancer and so many other ailments that plagued them for years.  But I am still sad.

Nancy posted a youtube video here re-capping our trip to NYC two weekends ago.  I had so much fun with these girlfriends and wish we all lived closer.  Preferably in a warmer climate.  Like mine.  Where we had mid 70s this past weekend and opened up doors and windows in the house!  I even took a short nap outside in the front yard after the kids had a picnic with friends.  It was such a wonderful reprieve to see the sun again after weeks of snow, rain and downright dreariness.  I want the sun to come back soon!

I spent two hours on the torch last night.  I didn't make as many beads as I would have liked, but I did make my way through a custom order and that feels good.  Maybe I can make more beads tonight.

My friend Beck's dad died recently.  And for her, I am happy.  She never knew a life without abuse and fear because of how horribly he treated her.  Now she is sleeping through the night and finding some semblance of normalcy in her daily life without a nagging horror in the back of her mind wondering if/when he will show up again.  I couldn't be any happier for her knowing that she is able to have more than fleeting moments of happiness and calm.

I have been waiting since Thanksgiving and counting down the days for my photography class with Karen Russell to begin.  Yesterday, it began.  I couldn't be more excited about this 9 week course and everything I expect to learn.  Karen is super organized and even has audio and mp3 files to listen or download in addition to the written PDF files!  So.  Very.  Excited.  Her website for the class also makes it very easy to see what has been added (by herself or other students) since the last time I viewed it.  Woo hoo!

The girl child's Kindergarten teacher emailed me today about her wearing her older brother's boots and leaving marks on the floor throughout the school.  Chloe helped clean them up during recess, but isn't allowed to wear the boots to school anymore.  I replied, apologizing for her being a nuisance and promised the boots will not make any more appearances at school.  Her teacher wrote back, saying Chloe had not been a nuisance and how much she loves having Chloe in her classroom.  That she has matured incredibly over the last five months and is a complete joy to have in class.  Such nice reinforcement to hear when it is easy to question our parenting methods and wonder if we're on the right track at times.

Little Horse is now half way through his first month of treatment for heartworms.  He gets six horse pills of antibiotics daily and a decreasing dose of steroids throughout the whole first month.  He is enjoying the peanut butter that covers the pills and drooling even more on my kitchen floor while waiting on meals to be set down in the mornings/evenings.  I didn't think more drooling was possible, but it is.  I'm just happy he isn't in any pain and is so far not showing any side effects to the meds, other than increased panting.  But then, we're used to his panting after having had him as part of our family for the past year.

Since the kids are both signed up for Tae Kwon Do, lessons are free for Todd and me.  Tonight is our third lesson and we will receive our white belts.  Thursday night will hopefully be our third lesson when we can earn our white belts.  Todd is feeling really crummy and not up to going tonight.  :(  It is excellent exercise (I'm still sore from our class on Saturday morning), even if I am getting schooled by a bunch of teenagers.  At least they are gracious and kind, which helps lesson the sting.  ;)

Twenty three more days until I fly out to San Diego for a two day photography workshop with Blue Lily Photography.  Meg is in the same workshop, so what a treat that will be to meet her in person!  Not sure what I'm looking forward to the most, but seeing my friend Sara and being with her family is right there with the photography workshop.  And the warm temps!

My company made this documentary video and it sends a solid message on not texting while driving.  Texting while driving became illegal in Georgia just last year.  It is still legal in many of our states.  The consequences are sobering.

Thank you to the wonderful people who came to my jewelry and bead shops this weekend.  I hit 670 sales in my bead shop.  A number which sounded completely unattainable to me when I opened my shop two weeks shy of three years ago (hmmm, perhaps a three year celebration sale should go into effect this month?).  I am so very grateful for those of you who support my glass addiction by buying my creations and those of you who just stop by and leave encouraging words about my work.  You all rock!  My family thanks you, too...this has allowed me to buy a wonderful camera and take pictures better than I thought I would ever be capable of capturing.

I hope the pictures helped lighten the mood somewhat.  I hope I sleep better tonight for having put my thoughts into written words.  If you're still reading, thank you for sticking with me :)

My Weekend Trip to New York City

I left in the dark on Saturday morning.

The sun still wasn't out when we pulled away from the gate.

But it was rising by the time we got on the runway and waited for our turn to take off.

As we started our descent into New York City, I could see there was a bit of snow on the ground.

I'm so glad I was on the left side of the plane and could see the city as we flew in.  I just love seeing all of the skyscrapers and how densely populated the city is with buildings on top of buildings on top of buildings.

You can see a stadium with blue seating in the middle of this shot.  That is the main stadium in Flushing Meadows for the tennis US Open.  Todd would LOVE it if we could go to the US Open one year to watch the pros play tennis.

Apparently spitting has been a problem in the past on New York buses.  This was the first leg of my ride out of LaGuardia before I got on the subway.  Finding the right bus and train to the city wasn't bad (although not as easy going back to the airport).

I met Lorelei and Nancy inside Penn Station after wandering around through hallways, departure areas and train tracks.  We finally went up to street level to find each other because it was just an underground maze that I couldn't find my way through from the subway.

Once we met up with Erin, we took a taxi to our hotel on Times Square.  The size of the billboards was overwhelming and the fact that many of them were LCD screens showing videos/commercials was absolutely amazing!  The video billboards were three dimensional and wrapped around corners.

I think more advertising is packed into this one block than in the whole city of Atlanta.

We found ourselves on the big screen!

Look closely, we're in the bottom right waving at ourselves.  You can spot Erin with her bright blue scarf and hat!  Lorelei is to the left of Erin, Nancy to the right and then I'm to the right of Nancy.  :)  We were dorks waving at ourselves, but not alone in our waving. 

Tinsel Trading was the first stop on our map.  This shop was mainly a collection gathered by the owner's grandfather during World War II.  Everything was manufactured in the late 1800s or early 1900s.  Floor-to-ceiling shelves of trim lined the entire wall on the right side, as well as dozens upon dozens of reels of ribbon.  Card catalogs were filled with vintage buttons and beads.

I think Nancy and Lorelei were in heaven in this shop and found so many beautiful things to buy.  I can't wait to see what they make with all of their new found treasures!

All of the trim was arranged by texture and color.

Since I wasn't shopping (I blew what budget I have for the season year on my plane ticket and photography workshop next month in San Diego), I sat down and paged through one of their books on craft projects created from items found in the Tinsel Trading basement.

Tinsel Trading had a ginormous mirror, so Nancy and I snapped a few shots before Lorelei and Erin joined us.

We all had our cameras out to get pics of ourselves.  I think these are the only ones of all four of us together where we are somewhat in focus.  :)

Toho Shoji had a long counter filled with jars of lucite beads.  I'm not big on lucite, but I loved the colors.  I only got a few pics before one of the employees told me to put away my camera.  Bah!

Saturday night, we ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant.  We didn't know they had two different entrances and ended up walking THROUGH their kitchen to get to the other dining room.  The kitchen staff seemed amused and very friendly as walked through to get to the other side.  Lisa Peters met us for dinner and we had a WONDERFUL evening together.  Here is a pic that Nancy got of all of us.  LOVE!

We ate lunch at the Soup Man restaurant on Sunday afternoon.  This was opened by the Soup Nazi, who was the subject of conversation in several Seinfeld episodes.  He had closed down his original location a few years ago, but recently opened this one.  The soup was divine!  And even though we're all blurry, I love this shot of us together.  :)

Nancy's birthday was on Friday.  I had made a special Mississippi Mud Cake to bring along for the trip, so we pulled it out after lunch and sang while lighting the candles for her.

After the others had exhausted their bead budgets, we found an Anthropologie store near our hotel.  I loved their displays and all of the colors they used (inside and out of the store).  This was the first time I had ever been in one of their stores and can now understand the fascination with their clothing and other products.  I bought a most yummy candle to bring home with me.

We walked down a side street and ran into Radio City Music Hall.

And next to a park that was by a university campus and behind the New York Public Library.  I LOVED this whole line of trees that surrounded the park!

I was sad to say goodbye to my friends at Penn Station at 4 o'clock, but it was a good thing I left as early as I did.  I had a long maze of tunnels and hallways to work my way through inside the station before I finally found my train back to Queens.  Once I got off the subway, I was very confused about how to find my bus back to the airport.  I was lost, walking for blocks upon blocks and sometimes in circles as I searched for the bus stop for my particular bus for over thirty minutes.  I was surrounded by tons of shops and people, but no one spoke English.  There were many middle-Eastern folks, as well as Puerto Ricans and Cubans.  The smell of food was absolutely mouth-watering!  I made it to my gate just as they started boarding.  By the time we pushed away from the gate, the sun was gone.

Lorelei, Erin and Nancy --> I had a most spectacular weekend hanging out with you ladies!  Thank you for letting me invite myself on your trip and tag along to all the bead shops.  I LOVED watching you shop and hearing your opinions on different materials and how you plan to use them.  I hope that I will have enough funds/frequent flier miles to do it again the next time you plan on going into the city.  It just needs to be warmer the next time we go...none of this business of highs in the low 20s, ok? :D

If you are interested in seeing the rest of my pics from this trip, you can click here.