What a week!

It's been quite the week around here! We got the "winter break" pack of UA basketball tickets so we've been out and about two nights this week. After Monday's game we went to Mimi's Cafe and enjoyed some hot cocoa and fried zuccini (I know, weird combo). Last night's game went to overtime - my voice is still sore from cheering! But, it was lots of fun and we did finally win, so we went home happy.

Yesterday at lunch I did some last minute errand running - stocked up on household items so Bob doesn't have to deal with that while I'm in Michigan (he's a native Arizonan and a Michigan winter is just not something he can handle - so he stays here and we spend some Christmases apart, kind of sad, but it's the cost of living far from family) If we had either toilet paper or Kleenex he'd probably be okay, but we were running dangerously low on both, so I braved the Target. It actually wasn't even too terribly busy. I also picked up a few last minute gifts there. And, it's right next to Michael's so I ran in and discovered that they were having clearance! I got two little tins for storing embellishments and beads, some embossed paper in sage green, and best of all the fun print at home 3x3 mini-albums pictured on the left! They're from Zoom Album and I think they're going to be a fantastic way to carry some of my favorite layouts with me! $9 for three of them in the pack!

Tonight I have to do some laundry, wrap a few more presents, and get packed - soon I'll be off to the frozen north! It's been in the mid-70's here, so I think I might just freeze to death in Michigan! But, even though I'll be cold and miss Bob, I am excited to see my family and spend some time with them!

And, finally a parting quote for the day - came in my Sojourner's newsletter today - I can't resist this kind of irony . . .

"I tried to watch President Bush's speech, but I couldn't; there was no electricity."
-Maxine Nash, Christian Peacemaker Teams member in Baghdad, commenting on President George W. Bush's Sunday evening address regarding progress in the war in Iraq.

Love of Family

In the spirit of treasuring family and remebering what's important, I was inspired by Carrie Stephens' Family Togetherness kit! This is one of our engagement photos - I love that you can see the spark between us - the very beginning of our family. It is ceaselessly amazing to me that one can forge this wonderful relationship with another human being, that we can choose to become a family - what a gift!

Feelin' a little Scrooge

It seems to be going around this year - a general sense of "bah-humbug" about Christmas. I have it too. I usually create a Christmas explosion at home - decorating every available corner and a big old live Christmas tree. This year we didn't get a tree and I haven't gotten out any decorations. I'm just not feelin' Christmasy this year. I think it's the fact that I've been getting Christmas forced down my throat since sometime in September. I miss the days when Christmas was something to look forward to. I couldn't wait for the season to start! But now the season is half the year and I'm just ready for it to be over - the hype, the advertising and the endless barrage of "must have" gifts. This just isn't what Christmas is about.

We watched a lot of sports this weekend and nearly every single advertising break had an ad for diamonds - apparently this is the only appropriate gift for a woman. I hate that! I mean, diamonds are fine, but what happened to personal, well-thought gifts that actually have something to do with the things the woman in your life is passionate about? Diamonds just seem too safe and easy to me - not to mention the whole blood-diamonds problem. Anyway, this was just one small example of what I see going on throughout our culture in regards to Christmas - it's just a big shopping event! So, instead of spending gobs of money on the next big thing, let's give to those less fortunate and give from the heart to those we love. Let's forget about fighting over whether to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" and reclaim our holiday spirit, whatever holiday we celebrate - a time for love, joy, peace, and family. I'm feeling a little less Scroogey already!

Digichick Blog Challenge

This sounds like so much fun! On Mondays there will be a blog challenge from the Digichick at the site's These Chicks Blog . I'm always looking for a little blog inspiration, so this should be great! This week's challenge is simple - Why do you scrapbook?

For me, it's a two part answer. First and foremost, I scrapbook for me - as an artistic outlet. I absolutely love to create things and work with color and design! Before I discovered digital scrapbooking I felt like I had some creative ideas and a decent eye for some artistic things, but I was never very good at art. I'm terrible at drawing and that always seemed like such a big part of art to me. When I stumbled onto digital scrapping I was thrilled - I could bring my ideas to life with a computer! Plus, I love taking pictures, so scrapping gives me a way to share my six million photos and preserve them for future enjoyment.

And, that brings me to the second reason I scrap - for the future. So that someday I can look at photos and remember what they were about and the particular magic of each day. So that someday if we have kids they can look at our photos and know something about our lives. I feel like I know very little about my ancestors - what kind of people they were, what their lives were like, what they loved and did everyday. Even my grandparents I really only knew as grandparents - not really as individuals. I want future generations to feel like they can really know something about me. But, on the other hand, if they're not interested in knowing their relatives that way it's cool - because I've had a great time making every single piece and finally feeling like an artist in my own little way!

Best bags ever!

I bought the cutest bags over the weekend! Tucson has a street fair twice and year and these folks had a booth. Their prices ran from $20 to $45 - very reasonable - and each one is unique! It sounds like they sell mainly at craft shows and such, but they said they would take phone orders too. They're called True Colors at 562-695-6099. They had all different sizes, from purses like these to bigger bags that would be great for craft totes. I could have bought one of each! But, in light of closet space, I settled for two. I'm so excited about them, I had to share!

Long time no blog

Wow I am a bad blogger this month! It's been a while, but we've had a houseguest - one of my husband's friends - so my computer time has been cut back a bit (our guestroom is also the office/craft room). But, other than that I've been busy doing some Christmas shopping and planning. I've gotten quite a bit of gift buying done, but I'm thinking of making a few things too - I'm going to do little shaker bottles with our favorite steak seasoning for the grown-ups, but I'm still debating on some things for our nieces - I'm torn between little tote bags with a digi-design ironed on and altered notebooks. Maybe I'll go with the books - I've been loving to alter lately! And, I'm going to do a canvas for my dad with a picture of his boat (assuming he gets around to sending the pictures LOL) - that will be digital and ironed on.

Also on the list of things to decide - whether or not to take Donna Downey's class! I'm definitely going to take Stacy Julian's class on making a creativity "funbook," but I'm on the fence about shelling out the bucks for Donna's. I think it will be great and totally worth the price - just not sure if it would be worth it for me personally - maybe I'll try a quarter and see!

Finally - be sure to swing by Fishscraps, Scrapartist and Digichick - they all have some great stuff out - both Christmas kits and non-holiday goodies. I'm seriously having a hard time even deciding what to scrap first - there's too much good stuff! A little scrapping marathon may have to begin once my computer is my own again!

Excitement!

We got our basketball tickets! The U of A sells a package of tickets for the games during winter break (this year the Fiesta Classic, USC and UCLA) and Bob went down and got us a set again this year. It's so much fun to go to Wildcat games - having attended small, private schools my whole life I never really experienced a big college until I went to Arizona for law school. Now I, along with most of Tucson, am a huge Wildcat fan! We always have a great time - we get an Eegee (that's a frozen slushy drink for those of you not from Tucson) and burritos from a Mexican place in McHale at half time and cheer on the team. Can't wait to go - especially since we're looking better - our game against Virginia was great in the second half. Isn't it funny how you talk about your sports team as if you were a part of it? In some ways it really feels like you are - I guess that's the fun of sports!

Last Minute Preparations!

In my usual "put it off until the last minute" fashion I am not ready for Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving - it's one of my favorite holidays in fact - probably due to the fact that it hasn't been totally commercialized! This year all I have to bring is whipped cream and green bean casserole and yet I haven't even gotten the ingredients yet. I'm a little scared of what the stores will be like tonight! I guess I'll find out - it can't be much worse than the day after Thanksgiving and I always go shopping then, so I think I can brave it! I haven't done much planning for Black Friday either yet - the ads come tomorrow, so I'll lay out the plan of action then and head out bright and early. I am a big fan of "day after" shopping - I do it at Christmas too! It gets a little crazy, but I love a good deal and there's some fun in the camaraderie of standing in line with people at 5am! I'm hoping to find a portable hard drive this year - it would be great to be able to take my scrapping with me! So, for now I will wish everyone a Blessed Thanksgiving and a great shopping day on Friday!

A Movie Date and other Fun Stuff

Bob and I went out for a movie date this weekend! Everytime we go to a movie, I quickly remember why we don't go more often - it is an expensive venture! But, we went to see the new Harry Potter movie and it was great! It was a lot scarier than the others, but very good - I really enjoyed it. I wonder if people are taking their kids to it though - I think it would have given me some nightmares. I don't envy parents the decisions they have to make these days - it certainly seems like a lot of things marketed for children are not very child appropriate.

Last night was also pretty exciting - the first official game of the season for our Arizona Wildcats! They beat Kansas, but it wasn't pretty - not nearly enough passing and way too much dribbling - looked a lot like last year's difficulties and to be honest I'm a little scared by that! Hopefully it was just the excitement of the first game and we'll settle in to a better rhythmn. On a good note though - Kirk Walters had a career high game! It's so fun to see him do well - he's from Michigan - went to the high school I would have attended if we hadn't moved.

Finally, I talked to my mom for a while last night about Christmas presents - got a few ideas for my niece and gave her a few more things for my list. It's funny - we started drawing names last year so we wouldn't have to buy for everyone, and this year about half of us have the same people as last year! Fortunately for me I got my dad and my next brother down again - both pretty easy to buy for!

So, while I'm on a Christmas note - I'll leave you with my first wintery layout of the year! I love these papers by Michelle Coleman at Scrapartist! And, Nancie just put up two more paper packs of Christmas stuff - just gorgeous, I can't wait to play with them!

A Great Weekend!

In keeping with my grand procrastinating tradition - I'm going to blog about last weekend when this weekend is almost upon me! Being a state employee, I get Veteran's day off so my friend Marie and I headed up to Phoenix for a day of shopping and a lunch with Michelle (aka Rynonut Mom). The photo is Michelle and I at lunch - it was so much fun to meet her in person. I've made some wonderful friends on the internet and I really enjoy chatting with people and getting to know them through their artwork, but there's still nothing like sitting down with someone for a meal - live and in person. And, it's an interesting experience to meet someone in life who you've only known online. You know them quite well and yet you've never actually met them before. I was excited about it, but a little nervous too - turned out there was no need for nerves - we had a great time doing some scrapbook shopping and chatting. And, by the way, Phoenix does have some amazing scrapbook stores - Scrapbooks, Etc. was insane! I am now the proud owner of a bunch of Bazzill cardstock and mini-albums :)

I was also very excited to go to Ikea - this was my first time ever! I was completely amazed! It's like a whole city in there! They have MAPS for pete's sake! I didn't end up buying much - a set of funnels and a little kids dish set that looks like a frog - very cute! Definitely a place I'll have to go back to, but I think I'll go through the catalog first next time so I have a better idea of what I actually want to get - it's just a little overwhelming to browse.

And, I bought a great painting for my office wall - an abstract modern on stretched canvas - very cool. I've got a few other things in mind - a lamp, some altering of my cork board, and a few scrapping projects - so I'll post some new pictures when I get that done - hopefully by next week.

All in all - a great weekend - it was really great to have a girls' day out! I don't have a lot of close girlfriends and most of them live at least a few hours away - many across the country - so it was great to spend some time with new friends and get to know them better!

My New Digs

It is such a joy to have windows! My judge moved into a new chambers, which meant a new office for me too! My office for the last year was about this size, but had no windows - kind of like working in a closet. I didn't mind it too much then, but it is such a joy to come to work in the morning with light streaming in! But, I need to do a little decorating in here. Below is my big white wall - I'm doing a little shopping this weekend for something to fill it - my diplomas just aren't cutting it. Any suggestions are welcome!

Fun Lunch!

What a fun lunch break today! We went up to the Fireman's Chili Contest that Tucson has each year - it's right downtown and they have tons of booths with all kinds of different chilis (along with some good old roasted corn and tamales of course). You buy tickets and then you can sample a whole bunch of different chilis - great idea! There was a ton of people, live music, great food and gorgeous weather to enjoy it all in! The weather here is just beautiful right now - a little warm for this time of year - but definitely beautiful! When fall and winter roll around here in Tucson I always remember why I love it so much!

What is wrong with the media?

Our local paper ran a story yesterday about Republican allegations that one of the Democrats' leaders, who is also a state attorney, was violating a law prohibiting state employees from holding leadership in political parties. Now, I know that the paper is just reporting the Republicans' accusations, but would it kill them to do some research? I did. It took me a matter of minutes to determine that the law in question has a specific exemption for state employees who provide legal counsel. In other words - he's not violating the law at all. Why not point that out when you write the story - as it stands now, everyone who read that article thinks the guy violated the law - and he didn't!

In the interest of honesty here - I'm a self-described liberal on many issues, but I am an independent when it comes to political parties - I frankly don't care much for either party. I'm with Jim Wallis - the Right gets it wrong and the Left doesn't get it! The problem here, however, is not so much political inclination or "spin" as just a total lack of actual journalism. I mean are the days gone when you actually investigate a story before running it? Are we to go without an independent media? Must our media outlets simply accept what politicians feed them? I am a firm believer that democracy cannot survive without a strong, independent media. It's long past time for ours to start doing its homework!

Legacy Toot!

I am very excited about this one! Legacy wants my "Promise" layout - I love that magazine and I've always thought that layout was perfect for it! I submitted it quite a while ago and had kind of given up hope, but they emailed me this week requesting it! I guess it goes to show - keep submitting. I've been laying off of the submitting lately due to my computer problems and time constraints, as well as the general malaise that too much submitting tends to cause for me - it just gets depressing when you get rejected! But, it certainly is a thrill when they accept something - especially when it's something you love! Can't wait to see it on the shelf!

Go White Sox!

The Sox have long been a sentimental favorite of mine - Big Congrats to them and to all their fans - particular the city of Chicago - on a well earned victory. I saw this in Chicago this weekend - crackin' me up with the white socks :)

I'm finally back!

Okay, after several weeks, I am finally back in action. I have been a bad, bad blogger lately, but it was just too much hassle to deal with on my old laptop. My new computer went down again (this would be the third new hard drive since I bought it in August) and this time I sent it back to HP for repairs. It finally arrived yesterday, so I spent last night getting everything loaded and installed and now I think I'm finally good to go. Hopefully it will continue to work properly - I'm really tired of dealing with computer issues.

Also, since I last posted, we had a break in at our house. They came in through our bedroom window and stole all of my jewelry, our camers, a dvd player (that doesn't even work LOL), my mp3 player and some DVDs. I replaced the camera already - it was actually kind of nice to upgrade a bit - I bought another Olympus - this time the D595Zoom - great camera for around $200! I love Olympus :) I am, however, heartbroken over my jewelry. Quite a bit of it I made myself from stones I bought at the gem show here. And, I had lots of family heirloom kind of things too - pieces from my grandma, a ring from my grandpa, jewelry from my parents, my college ring, gifts from my husband - it's so sad to think that it's likely gone forever. It makes me want to cry every time I think of it - filling out the police report has been really difficult. And, to top it off, we rent and I hadn't gotten renters insurance, so it's all out of pocket. The only bright spot in all of this is that this morning I discovered a black hills gold cross that my parents gave me that they didn't find. I always took it along to my law school exams for luck and so it was tucked in with a stack of my other stuff in a different room. I actually did cry when I found it this morning I was so happy to at least have something that survived. The police came and did find a fingerprint, so we'll see what happens. I also want to say a big thank you to all the chicks over at the digichick - they were the first I told about it and everyone was so supportive and encouraging - it really helped me through those first rough days!

Now, on a happier note - Bob and I went to Michigan for a long weekend this week and it was absolutely wonderful! Hung out with my parents, saw my brother and his wife and my adorable niece and my youngest brother too. We drove around Northern Michigan, checking out the beautiful fall colors and did a little hiking in Ludington. My aunt and uncle had the whole family over for Sunday dinner and cooked a full on Thanksgiving dinner for us! We never get there for Thanksgiving, so it was great to enjoy a holiday meal with everyone! We also got to spend some time in downtown Chicago - one of my favorite places - and spent several hours in the Field Museum (possibly the greatest museum ever!). We also got to see my dad's little sailboat in the water - we didn't take it out, but we sat out on it at the docks for a while - it's so cool. He completely rebuilt a SeaSprite sailboat over the past few years - I really hope we get to go out on it someday - it was just too cold on this trip! All in all it was a great trip and I took lots and lots of pictures - can't wait to scrap with them :)

Good Luck!

Well, today is the big day for recent law school graduates all over Arizona - the day the bar exam results come out! I wanted to wish everyone waiting for their letters today good luck! It's been odd to watch the new clerks at work stressing out and waiting - I can't believe it's been a whole years since I was stressing out and waiting! The bar exam is a horrible ordeal - far and away the worst test I've ever had to take or that I can imagine taking - exhaustive and complex. And then the waiting - months of waiting for your results. By the last day you're just dying to know! Last year I almost drove home from work at lunch to see if my letter had come, but our mail didn't usually come that early. Then I knew that Bob was probably home, so I debated about calling him to see if it was there, but I decided that I couldn't make him read me the results - what if I failed?! How could I make him be the one to tell me? But, then, he called me and said "There's a letter here from the Supreme Court, should I open it?" Heck ya!!!! And, mercifully, he didn't have to break my heart - I had passed! I wish the same joyous moment for everybody today!

Excitement all around!

First today I want to congratulate our new team members at the Digichick! Welcome to Robin (SweetandSassyMommy) and Michelle (Rynonut Mom)! You won a tough competition!

And my big excitment - plane tickets to Michigan! We're going to visit my family for a long weekend at the end of the month - I'm so excited. We've been talking about going in the fall for several years now and we started thinking about it again this summer, but I didn't think we'd actually pull it off. It's always tough to get time away - both of us getting off of work - and then coming up with the funds for travel too. But, this year things pretty much fell into place. I got called for jury duty the week we wanted to go, but they were great about changing my date and we both got the time off. So, off to Grand Rapids we go!

We're flying into Chicago too so I'm hoping Bob can finally see more of the city too. We went once for my brother's wedding, but he really only saw O'Hare and the suburb my sister-in-law's family lives in. He keeps saying he likes Detroit better - that is just insane!!!! (although I think he mainly does it to tease me LOL) Chicago is such a beautiful city, I'm really excited for him to really see it! I hope we get some fall color too - he's very excited for that. I can't wait to see my family and especially my little niece!

Argh . . . computers!

Once again my computer crashed this weekend - I bought an HP and the first one I had home had a hard drive failure and this is the second one, which I've had about a month. It wasn't total hard drive failure this time, but I did have to reformat my hard drive so I spent a good deal of my weekend re-installing all my software and trying to recover some of the stuff that I hadn't backed up yet. The good news is I didn't lose a lot - just the time to find it back. I really wanted to just return the thing and get a different brand, but CompUSA (where I bought it) won't take it back because I've had it for a little over a month and their return policy is 21 days. You'd think when you sell a person not one, but two computers that have major issues in the first month of ownership you'd try to do something about it. But, no. So I just won't shop there or buy any more HP. Anyway, I'm pretty peeved about the whole thing, but at least it's working now. The moral of the story - always, always backup!

I Miss Fall

I never thought I'd say it, but there's actually something I miss about living back east - FALL! It is still almost 100 degrees here - that is just not right! I always loved fall - the turning leaves, the great fall clothes and that wonderful snap to the air when the weather first turns. It will get cooler here - and hopefully soon - but we don't get that "fall" feeling - it just turns from way too hot to beautiful - and as much as I love that beautiful weather that we enjoy here 9 months of the year, I do miss the fall. So, to get my fix, I head to the mountains - it's not fall, but at least there's a snap in the air!