oh screw it.

September 22, 2008

This will be the 4th time trying to post.
My patience is running really thin right now.
But.
I'm not going to go off on a tangent.
This will just be simple.

found at urban outfitters.

First, thank you for all the great music recommendations!
I am looking forward to some quality time with Itunes this week.
Oh and Shahnnen. Yeah girl, you're the lucky winner. Email me with your info and i'll send you a print.
Second, shop has been updated. More fall inspired stuffs later this week. Stay tuned.
Third. check out this sweet deal.

Fourth. Just 2 teeny tiny peeks for you.

Ok, that's all for now. I need to get this up before my computer craps out on me again.
Here's to a good, positive, mind blowing week.
Tina

what the.

September 16, 2008

Right now.
Homemade minestrone soup bubbling away on the stove. Perfect for a day like today. It's freezing and the rain hasn't let up at all. I figured this would also be the perfect time to blog, catch up on some things.

First, tv talk.
Have you seen True Blood on HBO? Now if you're going through Twilight withdrawals and you've always wanted things to get a little more.........adult with the twi-series, it's worth a watch. There are a lot of similarities between the two stories and it makes me wonder who inspired who. True Blood is based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. Definitely on my winter reads list along with another go at Twilight. Be warned: when I say adult, I mean adult. Not something to share with your daughter like her battered copy of Twilight.

Ah, the Hills and all their "duh" faced glory. As of now, Lo has surpassed Heidi on my hills hate list. Spenc is still #1 on said list.
Lauren. Boring.
Audrina. Seems to be a wee more endowed in the chest area, no? she's still a fav.
And I'm all team Whitney. I'd love to see a show based on her and her career with Revolution. I respect her professionalism and she seems like she's the type of girl that can laugh at herself. I really like that quality about people.
JBob, fake. cute but fake. The Brodster, still cute but the whole player aspect grosses me out. What's he going to do when he gets older? And that new guy, not really diggin him at all.
Oh and for the record. ShePratt is f*ning genius. "she use to be a hamster, now she's a guinea pig." Moments like that is why I keep tuning in.

***soup refill***

Ok, I'm back.
So I've got the shop up and stocked with a few things. I'm also running a little "new kid on the block special." For a limited time, I'm offering free shipping with the purchase of two or more prints. I'll also have some new prints up tomorrow afternoon. I've got some other fun stuff up my sleeve so don't be a stranger and check back! :)

Studio Calico. Seriously, if you've been thinking about subbing, now's the time. October is, for lack of a better word, cool. They've got some sneak peeks on the site. And now they're well equipped and taking cc's on the site. No more PayPal.

Dare 108'sup. All about seasons. It's a no-brainer for me.
Me and Autumn are like this.
Sweaters, and leather boots, and scarves...oh my. Still searching for the perfect leather boot in black AND that can fit around my big ass calves.

What else can I yammer on about.....................
*Indulging feels so good. camera purchases, hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, cozy fleece pants, taking a day off just to be with J. All worth it.
*Just thinking about the upcoming holidays makes me tired.
*Looking forward to some time with SIL and the kiddos. That girl is nothing but the truth and that's refreshing to be around.
*In need of new music! What are you listening too now?Any recommendations? I'll take anything. I'm too lazy to fart around with Itunes right now plus it's been disappointing, music wise, as of late.
*light bulb*
post some tunage and I'll pick a winner on Friday for a print of your choice along with some other ttv goodies. Sound like a deal?
:) :) :)
Enjoy today, tomorrow will be sweeter.
Tina

revamp.

September 16, 2008

excuse the mess here. I'm trying to revamp the blog.
hope you're having a lovely week!
Tina

misc.

September 8, 2008

good morning and happy tuesday.
a bit on the chipper side this morning.
new clothes do that to me.
big meetings at work today.
listening to the adam carolla morning show.
true blood was so good.
need to catch up on the hills.
opened up the shop! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
more to come soon.

good day to you.
Tina
:)

thanks.

September 2, 2008

I appreciated all your lovely comments that past few days. :)

The winner for the free print is....KG.
Please email me KG and I'll let you choose a print.
The shops almost ready!

Thanks again,
Tina

a feeling.

September 1, 2008

Can you believe it's the first day of September? The summer has passed with a blink of an eye and I'm left wondering if I let these months go to waste. The heat has been turned on and that's a sure sign of fall. I even mentioned snow tires to my husband the other day who growled at the thought of snow. I'm gong to miss slipping on my white, now a dirty cream flip flops and leaving the house without a coat, scarf, and mittens. But then I remember that really cute winter coat I saw at the store and now bundling up doesn't seem so bad. :)

I feel a change coming on. Not just with the changing season but within myself. I really, really like this feeling. It's almost a high. I've never been afraid of change and welcome it with open arms, good or bad. But this I feel is going to be positive. I can tell with the butterflies in my stomach that randomly flutter at any moment, to me, a sign that I'm headed int the right direction.

Since I'm going to be away most of the day and I don't have prints of my photographs yet, I'm going pick a winner tomorrow night for the free print. You'll have another day to leave a comment.

Enjoy your holiday and the first day of September!
Tina

oh, and happy friday.

August 29, 2008

totally borrowed that post title from one of my very favorite blogs, SFGIRLBYBAY. so very inspiring and original.
About my post the other day....I feel as though it may of been taken the wrong way by some. I tend to put thy foot in thy mouth more often than a normal person should. I don't apologize for writing it but I do apologize for those of you who did read it. Probably something I should of just written in my moleskin. I'm sure I came of way bitchy about the "don't like it here, than leave" rant. Fact is, I was in a foul mood that day. I read something on the internet that pretty much topped off said foul mood. I didn't like the negativity that lingered in that post. What it comes down to is that I don't consider blogging to be a popularity contest. I'm going to leave it at that, k? :)

J and I had a fab time at the fair yesterday. Didn't start out so fab though. I was delighted at the thought of all the pretty ttv shots I would get......the locally grown flowers, the ferris wheel, all the odd things you'd find at a fair. I get out Argus, set up my contraption, stick the digi down, focus, snap. Go to look at what I had taken and then I see the message "No CF Card". *!@#. I was not a happy fair-goer. J felt so bad for me. It's all I talked about the past week. Of course not one single booth sold memory cards, not even the Radio Shack that carried a whole mess of cards except the one I needed. I had the biggest frown on my face but after some beer battered halibut and a few purchases, I felt better about the whole deal. Plus it was J's birthday and I couldn't go on being a party pooper.

How good is it that today is Friday and it's a going to be a long weekend? Good indeed. I've got so much I want to do. Winter isn't far off so it's all about cleaning the garage, getting the heater turned on, some lawn work and possible car shopping. There's a lot of good car deals up here right now and I want to take advantage of it. I'm going with the mindset of "I don't really need a new car but if the price is right, I'm sold". Dreading the sales part but my bro's got some connections so it shouldn't be too bad. Plus I'm ok with walking away. Not before where I shared a vehicle with my husband and desperately needed/wanted my own mode of transportation. Wish me luck! Hopefully by my next post, I'll be in a shiny, new car.

Oh and before I move onto actual work, I want to remind you that I am giving away one of my prints that I will be selling on Etsy. Just leave me a comment here or the post below. I'll pick a weeener Sept 2nd. :) Here's a few more peeks of what I'll be offering.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Tina

let's catch up, shall we?

August 27, 2008

oofta. blogging seems to my least favorite thing at the moment. blog hopping too. i use to love to skip from blog to blog and leave nice comments but my enthusiasm for reading other's blogs has gone down. Just feeling overloaded with information, inspiration and everything in between. I also feel as though I'm being influenced more by what I see on the internet rather than what's inside me. Doesn't mean I've quit reading blogs, just taking a break. Please don't take any offense to this. It's not you, it's me. :) And if you feel like my blog is of no interest, by all means, click out and move on. It's all good, no harm done.

I'm in a big "simplify" kick right now. Clutter makes me crazy. I realized this when I was struggling with a layout last week. I was sitting at my desk and pushing around little pieces of cut paper and embellishments, trying to find the perfect placement on my layout but nothing made me want to grab the tape and stick things down. I stopped in frustration, crossed my arms, kicked back in my chair carefully balancing on the back legs and took a good look around my room. I saw nothing but chaos around me. I thought about taking a big box and swiping everything I had on my desk in one single motion but that would of created a bigger mess for me to sort out. After a few deep breaths, I began to pick apart the objects on my large-surfaced desk. Take away baskets that hold various things, crystal bowls that hold buttons, letter stickers that I took off a layout and didn't return to the sheet, stacks upon stacks of new and old 12x12 papers, stacks of current projects, stacks of "make something with this because you had a cool idea but forgot about it".

Very calming to have a clutter free desk now. I don't need it all, I really don't. It's not only cluttering my space but clutters my thought process. So done with that.

Simplified my music, streamlined my morning routine to get a few extra minutes of sleep, tossed out clothing that I would never wear again. hello? Tees that hit above the tops of my jeans, PJ's that are riddled with holes, an old high school sweatshirt that clearly marks my age. They found a better home in the garbage.

So that's what I've been up to. SIMPLIFYING. It's going quite well.

Headed to the Alaska State Fair tomorrow. Argus and my crazy contraption will be in tow. Hoping the sun peeks out for a little bit but I highly doubt it. I think it's been sunny 2 of the past 15 years of fair going.

Studio Calicoreveal tonight. Some of you may of already gotten your reveal via the SC newsletter. It's definitely worth signing up for. Go here to get the reveal a whole day early. There's also a featured SC member each month which I think is very cool. Joy's picked out an oh-so-lovely avatar theme for tonight.......worst school photos. Should be fun.

A few more shout outs here....and because I watched that Ali G movie the other night....
Big ups to my girlwho is now a MMMaster. Well deserved. Congrats Vee!
Big ups to my dad who celebrated his 50some birthday yesterday. Love you dad!
Big ups to my husband who will celebrate his 30some birthday tomorrow. He'll be the new owner of a Playstation 3. Can't wait to see his expression when he opens it.

This is getting quite long so I'm out for now.
Bye!
Tina

{PS} The above image is just a sample of what I will be offering through my Etsy store which will hopefully be up by the holiday weekend. To celebrate my act of motivation towards my creative goals, I'm giving away a 5x5 print of your choice. Ttv photos ofcourse. Just post something here like, "I'm really into this now" or "Yo, I like your pictures". I'll pick a winner on Tuesday, September 2nd.

because that's how I roll.

August 20, 2008

The past few weeks have been such a blur. I'm finding it hard to prioritize. I want to do everything in a day and then move on to the next. Just never happens that way. Yesterday's to-do's spill into the next, bump a few of things from that day, and so on and so on. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my full-time job really gets in the way. For instance, we had the most beautiful sunrise over the mountains the other day. I wanted to grab my cameras and take some shots. The light was so beautiful. I wondered how that field of daisy's would look with the warm sunlight spilling over them. I turn around, take a deep breath, and continue on with my workload.
Time after work is gone in a flash. Before I know it, I'm in my pj's about to crash and wonder where my precious free time has escaped to. I'm complaining again. I'm aware of this. It's not my intention to post such things but this is my life at the moment and I can only be truthful. Not that things are going badly. Very much the opposite. That line in the movie The Devil Wears Prada where Nigel tells Andy,"Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke. Means it's time for a promotion." That says it all for me right now.
Continuing my journey through the viewfinder.

Current playlist:
Modest Mouse
Raconteurs
Thom Yorke
Portishead

Dvr'd shows I have yet to watch:
Project Runway
The Hills
Generation Kill (just caught up with this one and love)

Still haven't finished Breaking Dawn. Pathetic. I'm almost there though. This is the reason why I've been avoiding several blogs and threads......to avoid spoilers.

Working on:
Studio Calico, September. I'll have some peeks by the end of the week.
Dare #105
My Etsy store, LifeLovePaper. Grand opening will be September 5th. I'll also have a little give away too.
Updating ye ol blog.
Possibly partaking in the UrbanNomad competition.

C'est la vie!
Tina

I survived!

August 15, 2008

I'm always a little pleased with myself when I survive yet another hellish work week. No heads bitten off, no overwhelming feeling to join the smokers. Just coasted through countless tasks and to-do's. *sigh*

No huge plans for the weekend. Just the norm. I was going to venture out at lunch today and take some ttv shots but being the bone-head that I am, I forgot my friggin' memory card. ah well. I should have a back up but too cheap to buy one.

And because I'm a good sis/friend, I'm taking my girl to see the traveling pants sisterhood whatev movie tomorrow. I'm not huge on extreme chick flicks but I'll suck it up and enjoy it. She's in dire need of some adult time since the birth of her second. I swear, she's the only one I would sacrifice such things for.

Currently pursuing some things that I've pondered for quite some time now like opening up my own Etsy store. Should have her up and stocked with goods by the end of this month. Also pursuing possible promotion at work. Possibly. There's been talk of me moving up several times in the past few years but nothings happened. Still busting ass as if it happening though. The joys of working for a small company.

New Dareskys up. #104 KC dig. Lovely stuff to work with.

Enjoy the weekend!
Tina

hello friday.

August 8, 2008

The very best day of the week, in my opinion.
I recently read an article on blogging in Macworld magazine about not forcing a post(not that I have a Mac but it was the one closest to me in the hospital waiting room)...that readers can sense a fake post. So with that....I simply leave you with well wishes for a lovely weekend.
:)
Tina

ps....Dare 103 is in full effect. Check out Gen's diginess and get to work.

a new toy.

August 4, 2008

Meet Argus, my new toy. Found at a local antique shop last week, I hesitated buying it until today. I went back to said antique store thinking if it was still there, it was meant to be.....kismet. Being the most terrible haggler ever, I was only able to talk the nice lady down 4 bucks. I could of found it cheaper on ebay but who wants to deal with the shipping and wondering if the the sellers a flake...yadayadayada...so it's safely home with me now, all cleaned up and ready for some ttv action. I quickly constructed a light blocker thingie and shot a few things around me.

*sigh*
I'm so in love with him. I foresee lot's of adventures around Anchorage with Argus. I'm sure I'll get a few stares as the light blocker contraption is not a pretty one. Hopefully I'll have more to share soon.
I did get my film back from my first go with the Diana+. She, unlike Argus was a a little more sketchy. Out of the 12 shots I took, 1 came back half-way decent. And it wasn't cheap to get them developed. I'm not going give up on her though.

Other than my happy purchase, not much else to report. I'm only on chapter 12 of Breaking Dawn so I've been avoiding certain online spots. No spoilers please. I'm taking my time with this one only because other things like a serious house cleaning were on the top of my to-do list this weekend. I still didn't get half of what I wanted to get done around here. And I know you're dying to chat about it Vee, I know.....I'll try to get it done by the weekend, maybe. :)

Oh and here's my very first Dare as a Dare.

#102:Nisa's digi. Her little template was cool..made for a quick layout. I freaked a bit when digi was mentioned but this I could handle.

Off to get a little reading in before I hit my pillow hard and pass out.
laters-T

a week of goodness.

July 31, 2008

1. jumping (again). day 85, 2. Surprise, 3. Untitled, 4. 1, 2, Jump!, 5. We Laugh [out]doors, 6. Scream *lomo*

goodness....are we all getting a little tired of adding "ness" to everything? whatever. I'm still riding it for every things it's worth. so onto the goodness....

Monday. Glorious Monday. Have you ever heard me put the 2 words together? Usually Mondays are sh*t for me but not this particular Monday. Not when I get an email from this lady about joining this motley crew.I sh*t you not. No words people, none. Just expressions. See above Flickr mosaic. And because I have no scrappy friends near to scream my good news to, I had to settle for my man who has no f-ing idea who or what the Dares are but was still super excited for me. Yeah, he's a keeper.

So yeah, I am effer now. Crazy.

Tuesday. Still high from Monday. Found new under eye concealer. Resisted the temptation to buy more shoes. Chatting with my Twi-girl about the daily quotes.

Wednesday. The high is still lingering. Downloaded some new music. Doves, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Silverspun Pickups, Nicole Adkins....all a little whiny, weird and moody, just the way I like it. Found awesome new mag to read: JPG.

Thursday. Yes, still high. It will probably continue for awhile. Can you blame me? Fit back into my skinny black J Crew jeans I've been holding onto. I was weary when I pull them up one leg, remembering that I couldn't zip them up 6 months ago and neatly tucking then away with hopes of losing the tire around my waist. Knowing that in 2 days I will be fully immersed with Breaking Dawn. If you don't hear from me, it's because of that.

Best of all, tomorrows Friday. (enter big sigh of relief) Works been crazy busy, my inbox doesn't seem to ever be empty which reminds me that I need to stop blogging and get started on the stack.

Take care! Oh and I guess I should say that Dare 102 is up tomorrow. My first. Like, whoa.
Tina

I live in Forks.

July 27, 2008

No, not really. Still in the great state of Alaska. It's easy to get swept away in the Twilight series when this is my environment. 6 days people. 6 days. Ok, enough of the Twi-talk. This is going to be a tinee tiny post as I'm amped on coffee and inspo.
Today:
-finishing up on some things for the Studio Blog. will be posting later today.
-finishing up the 100 dare and starting 101 dare.
-editing photos.
-laundry
-work out
-finish rd season of Weeds.
-read a few chapters of The Host.

That's all.
Happy Sunday
Tina

say hello to my little friend.

July 24, 2008

Welcoming my new nephew Mason! Born July 23, 2008 at 4:34 a.m at a whopping 9lbs!
Being there for the birth was highly emotional. My sis-in-law did so well....she made it look all too easy. And seeing my brothers face light up was also a big highlight. I'm so glad they invited me to share their personal and joyous moment. I couldn't be more happier for their growing family.

Photojojo had the funniest and truest line in their newsletter this morning about Flickr.
"We loooove Flickr. We want to marry Flickr."
I whole-heartedly agree. I want to marry Flickr too. I am continuously inspired and in awe of the amazing photographs, to see the world through a million different lenses. Here's some things that make me happy.

1. <a href="i'>http://flickr.com/photos/69112375@N00/2508695260/">iwant to name them ~ one is definitely shirley</a>, 2. <a href="One'>http://flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/1758628132/">OneMore Slide</a>, 3. <a href="Taken'>http://flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/2428868238/">Takenby the wind</a>, 4. <a href="Untitledhttp://flickr.com/photos/72296542@N00/2626537363/">Untitled</a>, 5. <a href="j'adore">http://flickr.com/photos/57852006@N00/2494593681/">j'adoredior</a>, 6. <a href="Yesterday'>http://flickr.com/photos/13080291@N06/2678706027/">Yesterdayneeded better shoes</a>, 7. <a href="Amyhttp://flickr.com/photos/68095902@N00/2571202566/">Amy</a>, 8. <a href="Ninahttp://flickr.com/photos/68095902@N00/2668547544/">Nina</a>, 9. <a href="landofshoeshttp://flickr.com/photos/22811474@N07/2653260358/">landofshoes</a>

Lastly, I will be taking over the Studio blog starting this Sunday. I'll have some fun things that feature all the lovely exclusive stamps Studio Calico produces. So swing on by. I'm also planning a give-away here. I'm still clearing out my stash. Why I end up with doubles on certain things is beyond me but hey...you get to be rewarded for my mistakes. I'll post some pics of the give away stash soon.

Have a great one!
Tina

Some things.

July 21, 2008

Pretty things.

Hit the Nordstrom sale Friday thinking if I went early enough I would avoid the masses. Oh was I wrong.

Scrapy things.

A layout I had on my desk for awhile and finally finished.

100 Things.

Dare #100. I'll have this baby finished by the Friday.

Cool things.
Free downloadable stamp from The Small Object. I will be getting one made very soon.
Daily quotes from Breaking Dawn.

I love this graphic. It's currently on my desktop. So very true.

Sneaky things.

Studio Calico peeks for August.

Take care!
Tina

July 14, 2008

Eeeppss.....I really hate going this long without blogging. How can we possibly be in the middle of July already? It's been chilly, grey and rainy here for the past couple of weeks but I'm still enjoying the summer. As long as there's green grass instead of cold white snow, I'm good.

No scrappage to report. Have not touched anything in my scraproom since the last kit from Studio Calico....which reminds me. I don't think I ever posted those layouts. humph. I'll get on that later this week along with some peeks of the upcoming August kit. I like to describe next month as sweet & juicy.

Happy to report that I'm still headed on my path of happiness and fulfillment. Thinking of other things I want to accomplish. Possibly taking piano lessons? I don't know yet. That would entail a purchase of piano that I neither have room or money for but it's something I do see in my future. Korean lessons also high on the list as I have no way of communicating with my grandparents.

I've been having so much fun filling my new ipod with new music. I had the old mini for so long and kept it in pristine condition until my husband jacked it since his nano ended being a piece of dooky. Oh how I love all the videos and podcasts. Something to play around with when the boss isn't looking at work.
Currently on the playlist:
Bat For Lashes
Radiohead
Dashboard Confessional
St Vincent
Muse
Santogold

What other random sh*t can I blog about today. Let's see...
-looking forward to all the new fall fashions and big fat fashion magazines coming out.
-enjoying talks about moving out of state. just talks though, no immediate plans.
-thinking of how quiet it's going to be with everyone headed off to the fabulousness of CHA. I won't hate.
-19 more days until the release of Breaking Dawn. still not sure if I'm team edward or team jacob. can i be team both?
-thinking I'm in dire need of a manicure and pedicure.
and a random glimpse of the past few weeks.

That's all folks!
Take care,

Tina

be safe.

July 3, 2008

1. Happy 4th of July to all of my USA flickr friends!, 2. DC Fireworks

Thank you for all your supportive comments and emails to my last post. I'm always delighted to hear that I can inspire someone or make someone feel at ease about a similar, if not the same situation. Still balanced...sort of. J has been on his "guys trip" since Monday and I've had the hardest time sleeping. Even when I do sleep it's restless, no dreams which I hate. Even if it were a bad dream, I'd be ok with that. It is nice to have the house to myself though, do whatever I please which is mostly reading. I think I've only watched tv an hour since he's been away. I'm savoring the last of Eclipse. I don't think I can wait another month for the next book. Think I'll start them over again. I remember Veesaying she read Eclipse 2 already and I thought, could it really be that good? It is. Oh and thanks for setting it straight for me girl. Can't believe I was about to start with the 3rd book! I would of been so lost.

Busy at work today so I'm off.....have a safe, long weekend!
Take care,
Tina

what the hey?

July 1, 2008

I will update tomorrow. I will update tomorrow. I will update tomorrow. I will update tomorrow.

Well, maybe a tiny update now..........creative stuff will come tomorrow.

I have to say that for the first time, in long awhile, that I feel very balanced. Things look brighter, more clearly. I had had enough of the sullen girl within me. My last doctors apt in May was the turning point. I had confided this with a few women but not on my blog. The last apt where I was told I was perfectly healthy and fully able to get pregnant. J too. 2 years had gone by with no success and my doctor simply said nothing was wrong. The words were so easy for her say but terrible for me to hear. I, in some way, wanted something to be wrong. As bad as that sounds, it would be an answer. I had enough. Enough counting days, keeping track on several calendars. Markings and specific feelings in each little square. Done. I had enough of waiting for the 28th too see if I had spotted or wonder if the queasy feeling in my stomach was morning sickness or the anxiousness of wondering if this would be the month. The uneasy feeling I got when someone would ask if we had children yet. Done with it all.

This particular day was the day of change. I was a little confused. The doctors words still in my head...nothing's wrong with you....it hurt how easily she spoke them. Everything that I hated about myself and my life was about to change. With the guidance of God and knowing that I am fully capable of choosing my path, I turned back from the road I was on and a little by little, it was easier to breath.

I confided to my brother's fiance about this ordeal. At this point I hadn't told them anything, not the struggle or the hurt. She was pregnant and already the mother to beautiful little girl. I didn't want her to think that her happiness was my pain. But she is so trusting and loving, I couldn't help but feel weak in a sense and tell her everything. I told her that maybe, just maybe the one and only answer to all this was that I was not meant to be a mother. She disagreed with my theory like everyone else and said something that brought tears to my eyes. Something I cannot write now because, well, I'm blogging at work and I really don't want to break down like an idiot at my desk. But it touched me so deeply. Again, I could feel change.

I started a new path. A path without worry or fear of the unknown. I trust my renewed self. It all feels so right. Nothing completely drastic. No one else has really noticed a great change in me. How could they? I defend my privacy a great deal and only truly trust a handful of people. But this isn't about how I'm perceived. It's about being healthy, inside and out. It's about my sanity.

My "healthy" diet is going surprisingly well. I'm halfway to my goal weight. I was delighted to have to go and buy a pair a jeans a size smaller this past weekend. My other "too tight" jeans were now to big. It's been easy. I haven't deprived myself of any treats like the ultra sweet cake at the baby shower I attended Sunday. And when I was asked by the grandmother of my brothers fiance whether or not I had children of my own, I answered with a genuine smile and replied no. And that was it. Life went on. No crushing feeling in my chest or tears welling in my eyes. That is when I realized the true change within me.

And that brings me to the whole conception thing. As of now, it's out of my mind. No, really. I'm not counting days. I haven't since May. It use to frighten me not knowing if I was ovulating or not. I'm taking the advice of some women who had gone through the same ordeal. I never thought it would be possible but keeping my mind buried in books, working out, just enjoying what life has to offer me now....it's all made it easy. I still have bad days that mostly consist of bitter coworkers or the kid that felt the need to cut me off in his big wheeled truck while driving home. But it passes. It doesn't fester and turn into the usual mess.

I'm shuddering at the thought that this may all sound way too deep and personal. My cursor is now on the delete post key. But no, I want this to be noted. I want to look back at this and remember the moment of clarity.

Simply put....it's all good.
Take care,
Tina

Get to know me.

June 24, 2008

Let's play a game.
Here's a little meme I picked up from a Flickr contact.
1. What's you name? Tina, or T. Not Gina or Christina. Just Tina.
2. What's your favorite food? Hands down, pizza but it has to come from the Moose's Tooth.
3. What high school did you go to? Bartlett Bears baby.
4. What is your favorite color? This one's hard 'cause I really like all colors but I'm drawn to green/blue.
5. Who is your celebrity crush? I've always had a thing for Peter Sasguard.
6. Favorite drink? Ice coffee from Starbucks.
7. Dream vacation? As of right now, I'd love to just take a trip across the country, visiting different cities and small towns.
8. Favorite dessert? Creme Brulee.
9. What did you want to be when you grew up? A fashion designer or something in the fashion industry like a buyer.
10. What do you love most in your life? Well, besides the obvious( J & the fam) it would have to be my freedom.
11. One word to describe you. Independent. Fiercely independent.
12. Your Flickr name. Lifelovepaper.

I explored all the goodness of Flickr yesterday at work. I know, shame on me. Whatev. It was fun though. I have serious love for the inventor of Flickr and I'm amazed at all the inspiring photography and processing. It makes me really really really want the big fat expensive version of Photoshop. Now if I could just find a college student to get it at the university using their discount...hhmm....

How good is it that it's already Wednesday?? Thank you lord. I had the worst Monday this week. I was the wicked witch that day and felt really bad about it later. I "apologized" by bringing Starbucks for everyone the next day. Being a meanie is just not me. I blame that monthly occurrence that turns me into she-hulk. Mix that with a weekend gone by too fast, an extremely bad hair day and not having enough work to keep me busy.

Other than that nasty day, things have been going well. I started reading this last night. I'm only a few pages into it so I can't really comment on it yet. I plan on getting lost in the story at lunch today. I usually fly out the door on my lunch hour to sort of get away but it's costing me too much money not only on gas but I'm always buying something on my outings.

Not much else to report. Just noshing on a banana and my coffee is running low. Better get a refill. Oh, I did update my links on the side there <<<<. I'm still working on a new banner. Just being lazy about it. Oh well.

Laters,
Tina

Hello & Welcome!
My name is Tina and I'm an illustrator and product designer residing in Anchorage, Alaska.