.happy . . . .

. . . . half-birthday to my alaskan malamute, hudson! you are now 7 1/2 people years old!

. . . . adoptaversary to hudson as well!  celebrating 4 years of being our 90lb baby on the same day as his half birthday (sept 24)

. . . . 30th birthday to the man-friend!!!  we celebrated in style at edgefield -aka adult disneyland- last night with friends.  these past 10 years of knowing you have been full of adventure and joy, heartache and challenge, growth and change.  i am glad you were born and i am glad we are partners together in this crazy life-journey.

{we took this photo on our cross-country road trip in aug at niagara falls}

.engage-aversary.

7 years ago today my man-friend and i were sitting on a picnic blanket in golden gate park, san francisco . . . he looked at me and said "will you marry me?"

and i said, "yes."

what a ride it's been since then.

.love.

i know it's cheesy and that some people have issues with valentine's day and call it "singles awareness day" . . . but i LOVE love!! and i think valentine's day can be used for loving all people - not just for romance.

so, go buy some chocolates for someone, make them a card, bring them flowers, call and have a singing telegram or a barbershop quartet show up at your best friend's job and sing them a song. take a bubble bath and sip champagne all by yourself.

i promise it wont suck.

but for me?

i'm going out with my man. it's almost our 6 1/2 yr wedding anniversary (if one were to mark dates this way) . . . and for him, i give you a quote from one of my favorite poets:

"when i am with you, we stay up all night,
when you're not here, i can't go to sleep.
praise god for these two insomnias!
and the difference between them.

the minute i heard my first love story
i started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was.
lovers don't finally meet somewhere,
they're in each other all along."

~excerpt from "Music Master" by Jelaluddin Rumi

{:engagement photo 2004.  credit: adam white:}

{:dec 2010. photo credit: chris west:}

.dimery photography.

{image credit: dimery photography}

remember that photo shoot our friend michelle did for the man-friend and i earlier this year?

well, michelle now has her website up and is doing great with all kinds of photoshoots - families, newborns, engagement, weddings, etc.

i even hear that she's trying her hand at boudoir soon!

check out the website here. (turn down your volume if you are at work - the website plays music). if you click on "lovers" at the bottom it will scroll through and you'll see a few examples fom our shoot!

.30 day journal challenge day 9, 10, 11, and 12.

sorry i don't post these every day . . . some days are just too busy for me to get around to posting them! but don't worry! i am doing them.

i am also spending time with my new roommates, rollerskating, working in my garden, playing with my dog, and loving the summer weather (even though it' SO HOT, i can't complain cause it's usually FREEZING cold here . . . like 9 months a year . . . i'm cold).

so, here's the latest pages and their prompts:

Journal Prompt 9: Choose another person who is vert significant in your life right now. It can definitely be the same person that we wrote about on day 3, but I chose to do someone different. Anyway, this prompt is going to be all about those wonderful adjectives, and typography. Describe your special person with as many words as you can fit. For each word, try to use a different font or writing style. This is a great way to practice fun typography!

I created a picture of my man-friend based on a photo i took of him a few weeks ago. i used different fonts to create the different textures in the image (the beard, the plaid in the shirt, over the pocket and in the quote) . . . i really like how it turned out!

Journal Prompt 10: This prompt is all about collections. I am such a collector. I have too many collections but I love them all. I am definitely the type who moves on though to new collection depending on my mood and the seasons in my life. What do you collect? If anything. Do you collect buttons, clothes, shoes, friends, parking tickets, whatever!! Illustrate your collections. This will be fun to look back on someday and see how your collections have grown or have moved on :)

I didn't really have anything i collected in earnest, so i just walked around my house looking for themes in my life . . . so, i have a lot of: buttons (From various bands, events, etc), vinyl (obvi), feathers (mostly for crafting), sunglasses (can't say no to the perfect pair!), books (tons and tons!), coffee mugs (when i travel, i usually get one in the city that i go to), things with owls on them, vintage bathing suits (love those pointy cone bras in them! ha ha!), and vintage boots.

Journal Prompt 11: Hello friends. Today is another one of my favorite pages. And speaking of favorites, this is a page all about your faves!!

We are going to list your favorites in each of these four categories:

* TV shows: Glee, LOST, arrested development, the office and SNL (though i don't have TV so i have to watch reruns online or at a friend's house)

* Music david bazan (from pedro the lion), jenny lewis (and rilo kiley), great lake swimmers, over the rhine, red house painters (aka sun kill moon)

* Food local food, strawberries, curry, ice cream, lemonade

* Splurges vinyle, vintage, craft supplies, books at garage sales . . .

Journal Prompt 12: Journal 12 is all about trends. Whether you consider yourself "trendy" or not, I bet there are a few trends that you find yourself gravitating to. If not, you can create a page of trends that you think are lame too, it's up to you :)

for this one, i picked out all the ironic "hipster" trends that i follow . . . weather or not they are "good" (like my fabric grocery bags) or just plain silly (like leggings!) . . . i've made them painfully obvious. let's celebrate the ways that we are just like everyone else!!!

----------

in other news:
been eating well even though summer usually means less of an income for the man-friend and i . . . we've gotten our first two weeks of our CSA shares and that, plus great weather making our garden produce like crazy!, has kept our tummies full.

been taking some lovely summertime photos - like the construction on the interstate they've been doing . . . here's a mural that was on the overpass for I-95 . . . and the construction vehicles that are about to tear it down! ch-ch-ch-changes . . . it's sad to see a piece of art go . . . i wish they'd just let them stay and be free-standing walls . . . or incorporate them into the new architecture that goes up in the area . . .

.6 yr engage-aversary.

i forgot to post yesterday that it was our 6 year anniversary of getting engaged! Six years ago, yesterday, my special man-friend and i went on a picnic in golden gate park, san francisco (we were there for spring break). he was insistent that we find the shakespeare garden (on of my favorite authors) and though i didn't understand why it was so important to him and was just focusing on how hot, hungry and suffering from allergies i was, i humored him and we finally found it. we settled down for a nice picnic of things we had picked up from local corner stores along our walk through the haight/ashbury district of SF while we made our way to the park. the details of how we arrived on the subject are a little fuzzy . . . but i do remember him producing a ring (how in the WORLD he had found time to design and purchase this ring without my knowing is beyond me!) and say the words "will you marry me?" (the hardest words any man will ever say, according to him) . . .

our engagement photo taken by adam white (no website to direct you to, sorry)

both wedding photos also taken by adam white

i have photos from the actual engagement day and week, but this all went down in the prehistoric times before digital cameras were all the rage. this means, i'd have to scan them on to my computer before being able to post them. they are ancient. 6 whole years. :)

to celebrate our day (we aren't really the kind of people who celebrate every mile marker - i.e. first kiss, first date, etc, but the man has been busy with school so it was nice to use this as an excuse to spend some time together), i was first presented with a surprise boquet of my favorite flowers DAFFODILS! this was fantastic because it has finally started to be nice here in RI, after a winter of snow and gloom and this last week straight of rain . . . the days are suddenly sunny and warm. not sure how long it will last, but i love it! so, daffodils totally remind me of spring and the huge bouquet totally helped to bring spring inside the house!



then we went off to one of our favorite breakfast restaurants, nick's on broadway where not only did our waitress recognize us (she's a regular at the restaurant where i work), but we got cat called from the corner by some of my derby girls! ha ha!

we both built our own omlettes and split some french toast. i had pineapple juice (yum!) and he had coffee. afterwards, we both had to get to work . . . but it was nice to have connected for a bit in the sunny morning.



next big mile marker? hudson's 6th birthday is next week!

.good day.

new-ish mural on the street where i met the man-friend for pizza (this was taken by ME back during the last time it snowed)

today i slept in, watched LOST on my laptop, met the man-friend for lunch (subsequently received free pizza- yes!), had a great walk in the sun, bought some cute leg-warmers for my sister's new baby, drank my first iced americano of the year (yum!), got a new straw cowgirl had for my HUGE head, took hudson to the dog park, finished planning my garden, planted the first round of seeds in my starter tray, set some beans to soak for a nice batch of vegetarian chili tomorrow, had some dinner, ordered some goodies from neo hippie mama, and am now about to get ready for roller derby practice!

whew.

i do have some awesome photos to share with you . . . a fun announcement about an art show i have a painting in, and hopefully a GREAT announcement about what home team i have been placed on for the providence roller derby and what my derby name will be (still narrowing it down . . . and still accepting ideas, PLEASE give me your ideas!).

so, hopefully i'll fit some of that in tomorrow before or after work at the massage studio.

for now? off to practice giving good solid hits, checks, blocks and whips at roller derby practice.

.mixed media v2.

i've changed the mixed-media goodies on the sidebar, so i thought i'd give a little shout out to the different types of entertainment that i have been consuming lately.

on the turntable:
mindy smith. i recently read the in the providence phoenix that i missed her in concert LAST FRIDAY NIGHT! so sad. i love her. my best friend randomly introduced her to me years ago through a sampler cd she got at a local coffee shop in portland, oregon. since then, i've been in love with her simple americana sound and her big heart. her songs are great for a sunny drive in the country and her duet with dolly parton on "jolene" at the end of her album "one moment more" is amazing. growing up i always said that i hated "country music" . . . now i say i hate mainstream, pop country music. i LOVE folk revival, roots country, bluegrass and americana sounds . . . yummy.

on the screen:
the man-friend and i have recently decided to begin screening movies at our apartment every monday night. i'll stop by our local indie video rental place on my way home from work and we'll watch one of many films that are on our list. the man-friend and i will take turns choosing. this time it was my turn and i picked margot at the wedding - a difficult film about families, unconditional love, growing up and healing from the past. nicole kidman, jack black and jennifer jason leigh do an amazing job in this heartfelt, funny, sad, heartbreaking and at times a bit scary, indie film.

on the shelf:
i just finished reading jack kerouac's wild epic road-trip homage to hipsters and the beat generation"on the road." i'll just leave you with the most well-known and well-loved quote from the book:
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow candles..."

ain't that the truth.

what mixed-media have you been consuming latley?

.the meal.

like i said earlier, the man-friend and i went out to the garden grille (an all-vegetarian restaurant in town) for our 6 course valentine's dinner. not only was the food delicious, but it was GORGEOUS too!the back of the menu listed all the aphrodisiac foods used and told a bit about their history.

course #1:
roasted red pepper and leek soup - with sambuca "creme fraiche"

course #2:
Salad.

My salad was: Beet infused Soba noodles with edamame, shitake mushrooms, easter egg radish, lotus root and avacado with a star anise soy reduction. i could have had only this for the meal and been full.
the man-friend's salad was:
Blood Orange and Thai Coconut - with sunflower sprouts, baby arugula, macadamia and couscous with tarragaon prickly pear vinaigrette. i kept stealing his coconut.

course #3:
Small plates

the man-friend's small plate was:

Nori Encrusted Oyster Mushroom Calamari - with kumquat and cara cara orange marmalade, daikon carrot hijiki salad with chili oil.

verdict: BEST COURSE OF THE NIGHT. i just wanted to switch plates with him, it was so good! (yes, that flower was edible too)
my small plate:
Smoked Eggplant and Black Trouffle Mousse - with balsamic shallots, red leaf endive on a tomato poppy seed cracker.
it was good, but not as good at that calamari.
course #4:
Intermezzo:
Champagne with Strawberry Passion Fruit Sorbet and Pomegranate Seeds.
this bubbled and fizzled in your mouth. yum!
course #5:
Entrees:
we both got the same entree (the other option was tofu and black rice and i am trying to stay away from so much tofu and soy . . . not so great for a person).
so, we got:
Handmade Palm Ravioli Trio -
1) house dried tomato with arugula fennel pesto
2) trumpet mushroom with rosemary cashew cheese (yum!)
3) braised cannelini with spinach
all served with roasted asparagus, pink vodka sauce and fresh basil.
(and there were rose petals on the plates) course #6:
dessert.
The man-friend's dessert:
Chocolate Ganache and hazelnut Banana Heart Cake - with cinnamon chocolate creme and blackberry chambord sauce (we still have some of this cake in the fridge!)
my dessert:
Coconut Tapioca Pearl Custard - layerd with mango mousee, strawberry papaya and apple mint.

there you have it. our lovely, delicious, vegan, meal. we were so stuffed. but so happy! it was great! At one point during the meal, the man-friend said, "I was worried when you said that it was all vegan that it would taste boring. but this is defnitely NOT boring!"

that's right. our valentine's day was not boring.

----------

what did you do for your day?

.my love and i.

so, i will totally devote an entire post to the meal, but the man-friend and i went out to the most delicious, vegan, 6 course, aphrodisiac dinner at the garden grille on valentine's day . . . mmmmm!!! best part? mushroom "calamari" with chili oil. afterwards, we took some awkward photos to try to commemorate the fact that we actually got dressed up and spent some time together.

I think there is an elephant stalking us . . .

the best shot we could get. we need our own personal photographer!

valentine shoes fancies

we have hardly had much time together lately since he's been studying for his exams. BUUUT, as of last friday, he is officially ABD for his PhD! this means he wont be spending every waking hour of his life cramming information in to his brain - only 40 hours a week. this also means that he and i will get to (hopefully) spend some more time together. we are looking forward to a trip to NYC pretty soon and, even sooner, breakfast together tomorrow morning! i love him.

speaking of spening all his time studying, this is what you get:

an 80 pound alaskan malamute who squeezes himself underneath your desk because he loves you and wants you to play with him instead of study.

sad face. luckily, now that the man-friend is done with his exams, he and the H-bomb will get to go hiking more often! maybe they'll let me tag along when i'm not at work? (i feel like i am aaallllways at work!).

----------

this weekend was nuts. a friend visited from out of town, REI president's day sale, valentine's day, several birthday parties, celebrating the ABD status of a certain man-friend, lots and lots of working, sleeping and eating . . . needless to stay tomorrow's day off will be sublime. on the agenda: sleeping in, breakfast with the man, bottling up some kombucha with juice, cleaning the house, organizing my life, roller derby practice. oh and did i mention lots of relaxing? yes. that's definitely on the agenda.

.love.

married 5 1/2 years next week.

{image credit: adam white}

In The Arc Of Your Mallet

Don't go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground,
in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.

Vision, see nothing I don't see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me.
Be the rose nearest to the thorn that I am.

I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends,
when you go up on the roof by yourself at night.

There's nothing worse than to walk out along the street without you.
I don't know where I'm going.
You're the road, and the knower of roads,
more than maps,

more than love.

~Rumi
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lots of things happening in the last few days . . . too busy for blogging. but i will have time soon! until then, tell me about the most important people in your life!

.pdx beards.

more tj loves:
two of my favorite things combined: beards and portland, oregon!

image credit {thirstyfly}

this print can be purchased here at society6. you can find out more about artist rachel caldwell here. this image was also found on the cover of the weekly portland mercury, so cool. you can see it here.
----------

mmmmmm. today is snow day. it's supposed to snow 6-12 inches so the city has freaked out, hired the snow plows (they've been driving around the city since like 6 am - how am i supposed to sleep in if THOSE PLOWS ARE DRIVING AROUND?!), issued a parking ban, and cancelled everything! you know what though? i already had the day off. so i am planning to clean my house and do some crafties and get ready for our party friday night.

yes! our party! the man-friend is taking his big exams this week for his PhD! he's been studing for about 6 months straight (well, all his years of college really, so years and years) for these exams. he takes his last written exam today and then on friday he sits in front of a panel and answers questions . . . ooohhhh the stress. i'm sure he'll do fine. and also? i am glad to have him back just in time for valentine's day! we're gonna do all kinds of celebrating!

.good day to stay in.

spent most of the day curled up on the couch watching old episodes of LOST online with the man-friend. i also spend about 3 hours browsing around on lostpedia. this was either a total waste of time or a fantastic decision. not sure yet. based on all the things i wanted to accomplish today (filing, finishing organizing my new amazing studio space, getting my package in the mail for my sister and the little sprout due next month, etc) it was a horrible choice. it was, however a fantastically windy and rainy day. the perfect kind of day for an after work nap (left the house at 6am for work, arrived home by noon, soup in the crock pot by 12:30, head on the pillow by 1 - woken up by crazy wind shaking the house about an hour and half later) followed by coffee and snuggles on the couch.

also, due to the fact that i was entertained by lostpedia, the man-friend was able to get 3 hours of school work done without my interrupting him.

the man-friend made an AMAZING pizza for dinner tonight (with whole, roasted garlic cloves! yum! cut the top off a head of garlic, set it in a tin foil hug, drizzle with olive oil and leave it in the oven for at least half an hour. scoop out the cloves with a knife. put it on your pizza. or spread them on crackers. so. good.)

i, in turn, made an entire crock pot of soup (kidney beans and garbanzo beans [soaked overnight] veggie broth, onion, sweet potato, gold potato, garlic, coconut milk, curry spices and honey) so that he will have stuff he can just heat up to eat while he keeps studying. he's in the last mad dash for his prelimenary exams for his phd. i am so proud of him! he's put in so much work. he still has so much more to go - but as of thursday next week, he'll have a huge portion of it behind him. he will be what is called ABD (all but dissertation), meaning he will have finished all necessary work to complete his phd except for writing his huge-ass dissertation (which will take years).

anyway, that's how i spent this crazy, rainy, windy day. tomorrow? more early morning work and roller derby practice. maybe i'll finish sorting through my studio in between?

what is your favorite rainy day activity?

-----------

currently listening: fleetwood mac "rumors." never gets old.

.mash up.

sorry, no post from yesterday. i spent most of the day with the man-friend at the ER. guess he's a bit stressed from all this grad school business. studying for your phd isn't easy . . . glad that he's ok, but chest pains aren't something to trifle with! so, i finished off the long afternoon of waiting with a bottle of oregon firesteed pinot noir and the notebook with miss S. plus yesterday was my monday (i work on weekends, sad i know) so i've been a bit beat from work (the students are back! work was NUTS today!). but no complaints. it's nice to have the work.

----------

on friday night, i went to the birthday party for miss K that i mentioned (see post about "cupcakes") . . . turns out it was a photo scavenger hunt party that included bagging groceries and pumping gas for strangers. some pretty clever and creative photos were taken and . . . the birthday girl herself got the best birthday present of all!! an engagement ring! so awesome.

when i got home from the party, i checked my email and THERE WAS THE EMAIL THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!! a invitation to officially join the providence roller derby!!! so stoked. i've been going to league practices and new skills clinics for months. passed the first round of assessments with no serious problems and just had my interview last week. now to keep training and get even more awesomer (it's a word) so i can play in bouts when the season starts! so excited.

now, i need a derby name.
ideas include:
mazzy scar
euphoria steinem
funky cold medina
desolation rose
TSS godsmack
hora babylon
knight 2 dismember
booty calls
ultraviolent crimes


aaahhhh, i need some help here! any good ideas?

----------

lastly, i've started rearranging my art space. keeping my easel behind a door was NOT encouraging me to paint. and always putting things on my drafting table that needed to be taken downstairs (because it sits right by the stairs) was NOT encouraging me to be creative either. so cleaned out the tiny bedroom/big closet that i was storing my massage table in (i am renting a room to do massage elsewhere) and am converting it into CREATIVE SPACE! so. excited. took some preliminary photos and will post them soon.

----------

.friday fancies.

pretty proud of my outfit today. got this new skirt on clearance for $5 yesterday. yessss.... i only buy things resale or on clearance. i just can't afford to be buying things shiny and brand new and full-price. but anyway, i knew it was a good choice when i was fixin' the hair and the man-friend walks in and says "hey cute girl!" so full of win.

hudson, however, is NOT impressed:
we got him that stuffed duck for christmas and he's already broken the squeaker. now he uses the duck as a pillow. so cute! i LOVE that he doesn't rip the stuffing out of his toys. he is actually really gentle with them. carries them around and grooms them. sort of like they are his babies. he's so special. we love him!

----------

in other news, i am being punished for making the most kick-ass dinner last night! the man-friend is SO FULL that he is making me WAIT for our friday breakfast outing until he is hungry. it's been . . . 13 hours since we ate dinner? and he's still not hungry?

it WAS a good dinner. i bought some rustic, sourdough olive bread from the local bakery. i sliced it open and topped it with grilled tempeh, swiss cheese (from non-hormone treated cows) and popped it in the oven to get all melty and toasty (both of those adjectives are REAL WORDS dispite what the man-friend might say) . . . when it was finished we topped it with fermented, raw cabbage (kimchi, or saur kraut) - at least an inch thick- and some organic thousand island dressing. put the top on that sandwich and you've got a vegetarian reuben to DIE FOR. pair that with a side salad of baby spinach, pecans and bleu cheese . . . you've got a delicious, nutritious meal . . . and apparently a meal that will cause some people to not be hungry 13 hours later.

-----------

as long as we are talking about fermented foods, here is a great article about the benefits and history of fermented foods. in short, fermented vegetables (in the meal above this includes the tempeh, the kimchi, the cheese, the sourdough bread and possibly the relish in the dressing) are beneficial because of the awesome healthy yeasts, bacterias, flora and fauna that they can add to the delicate ecosystems in our digestive tracts. this helps the food we eat to be more easily digested and it helps our immune systems to ward off any unwelcome visitors.

as i continue to educate myself on the topic i will be able to provide better information. for now, read the article i linked to above and read up on the topic for yourself. i'd love to hear what you have to say!

----------

so, i hear the man-friend coming up the stairs . . . maybe that means he is FINALLY hungry and we can go to our favorite breakfast restaurant. check it out: julian's.

----------

oh, one last thing, for those of you who LOVE the fleet foxes, check this out.

.it's the little things #1.

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first installment of "it's the little things." these posts will contain small lists of little things that make me happy.

yessssssssss!!!!!

#1) compost makes me happy! i LOOOOVE fresh fruits and veggies and greens and herbs (esp from the farmer's market and from my OWN GARDEN). and I HATE throwing away the beautiful nutritious left-overs (peels, cores, ends, etc) after i've chopped up the goodies and put them in my belly. it makes me so happy to take those brightly colored odds and ends and put them in my cute ceramic compost bucket (with a charcoal odor filter) to later take to the garden so they can return nutrients to the soil for next year's gardening expedition.

#2) this guy makes me happy! my bearded man-friend. he makes me coffee in the mornings, and often ends up being the one who has to take the smelly compost outside. :) he walks our pup every morning without complaining (even though it was MY IDEA to get a dog). he loves me through the ups and downs of life and the ups and downs of ME. he's been constantly by my side even when it was the hardest choice for almost 9 years. what adventures we've had! what adventures are yet to come!

#3) farm fresh eggs make me happy!! these are from zephyr farm in cranston, ri. the eggs are always so colorful and lovely - i almost don't want to eat them. but when i DO i find how much more amazing they taste than store-bought eggs. plus, how awesome is it to know that the chickens these eggs came from are NEVER CAGED and live in pastures! so great. also awesome? the fact that this farm is SO CLOSE by that i can go visit any time to meet those darn wonderful gals (the chickens that is) myself!

#4) hudson makes me happy! he's our 5 3/4 yr old (6 in march!) alaskan malamute. it's been amazing for the man-friend and i to learn to take care of a living mammal together . . . totally a challenge and there are definitely days that are harder than others. imagine living with a 3 yr old who weighs 80 pounds and has teeth and claws and sheds cotton ball sized clumps of fur all over your house? i say a 3 yr old, because malamutes are known to have very stubborn temperments. but they are also SO FUN and LOVING and SMART. hudson has definitely taught us a thing or two about love and sacrifice and consistency . . . and so much more. he definitely changed our lives for the better when we adopted him back in sept 2007.

#5) rice milk lattes make me happy!! since i am allergic to soy milk and i can't really digest regular milk too well (makes me all clogged up, ew!), rice milk lattes are where it's at for me. sadly, NO ONE in the state of Rhode Island believes in offering rice milk as an option in their coffee houses . . . so i am stuck drinking americanos until the man-friend can fix our espresso machine. while we were home in OREGON for the holidays, i had 3 GLORIOUS WEEKS full of delicious, steamy, rice milk lattes (like the one pictured above, purchased and consumed in the sellwood area of portland, oregon). sigh.


there you have it. the first installment of "it's the little things!"

what are some little things that make you happy!??!