Monday in a nutshell:
-- Got flirted with three times - one of them resulted in a free chai latte, and one of them was a decade younger than me (what the hell, people??)...
-- Did NOT have a cat with diarrhea (that was a plus)
-- Spent an hour talking myself out of buying more yarn... again... when I've got three projects in my lineup waiting to be started....
-- Helped a woman get rid of her migraine and severe pain caused by whiplash at the massage clinic and gave her ideas for curing her allergies
-- Read about social injustice, knitted a lacy tank top, and taught music to a bunch of people :)
-- Stayed up too late on the internet drooling at yarn, playing with Facebook, and writing in my blog ;)
Summary: A day well spent.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Old college roomies, brainstorming, and lots and lots of cat poop
Today was a very exciting day! ......Wait, back up.... Today, AFTER 3:00 pm, ....it was an exciting day. BEFORE 3:00 pm... was the morning from Hell. My cat decided that Sunday morning, my only day off, was a great time to start having diarrhea, letting it run all down her legs and feet, tracking it onto the carpet and the bed (YUCK), and protesting mightily every time I approached her with paper towels, water, and a good brush. And then Mr. Cockroach decided he would take the bathtub for himself this morning, so I also had to figure out the new vacuum and dispose of him during all this mess. Meanwhile, my cat is locked in the bathroom and yowling, I've got poo on the bottom of one of my feet and I'm trying to clean myself up and get dressed so I can get the vacuum all set and take care of Mr. Cockroach.... *siiiigh* But, thank goodness, by 3:00, the cockroach was gone, the cat was clean (as possible), and the floors at long last were vacuumed. LOL So, after that, it felt like an awesome day! ...Now let us never speak of this again...
Moving on, the rest of the day was great! I got to eat at Borders, hang out, knit and read for the whole afternoon. (My favorite thing to do with a Sunday, other than hike... or laze about the house in my pajamas pretending I don't know what time it is.) :) At any rate, it was good. AND, while I was at the bookstore, my awesome old college roomie from The Hartt School, Bettina, called and caught up with me!! :):) She's going to be in Topeka, KS for a few days one week after I move to Kansas City, MO!! That's an hour or less away!! :) We are SOOOO excited!! We haven't seen each other in five years, and we are like two peas in a pod whenever we are together. I can't WAIT to see her again! Bettina spends most of the year on cruise ships performing in musicals and other acts. Pretty cool!
Other than that, my head has been spinning with so many ideas of things that I could do in my "new life" that begins in 12 days. There are literally SO many ideas, or beginning hints of ideas, in my head that I don't think I'll ever get bored. There are so many things I would love to do! I know that this year one of my big goals is to write some more music and cut my first CD. I also know that I'm going to be doing some massage, and hopefully a bit of teaching when we're in one place long enough... I've also been thinking about things I could do in the future, like designing knitwear for fun and selling my patterns on Ravelry.com (obviously only for fun, it's really not lucrative but who cares! That's not the point.) :) And I also want to do volunteer work this year, and I am really becoming more passionate than ever about helping people somehow. I have a lot of little ideas flying around in my head for that, but I can feel that that one is probably going to take quite some time to develop. I would also still really love to write, but nowadays I'm leaning away from fiction.... Toward what topic I'm not quite sure yet. But I have a ton of time to think about that. Suffice it to say that I am enthusiastic about what lies ahead and the increase in freedom of choice that I am about to have since I will not be able to or need to work as much.
I watched "The Motorcycle Diaries" last night. What an incredible movie. Che Guevara is mostly awesome. I love the cause that he led and the ideals that he strove for to free his country and give rights back to the people and I mourn his execution by the CIA.... but the fact that later in his life he became a killer of so many people during the bloody fight for freedom.... I just don't know about that. I realize that most freedom comes at a cost, but I can't say I know what was right at the time because I wasn't sitting there in the middle of it. Oh, and tonight I'm watching Hotel Rwanda. It's nearly over, but I had to stop to check something on the computer and decided to write in my blog before I returned to the movie. :) So far it's so heartbreaking!! At any rate...
On another upside, I am 2/3rds of the way done with my Mom's tank top! Making the armholes right now and zipping along. :) I hope to be done in another couple weeks. ......Oh, that is if moving to another state in the middle of the process doesn't slow me down.... Haha..... Okay, we'll give it 3 weeks. :)
~Trudy~
Moving on, the rest of the day was great! I got to eat at Borders, hang out, knit and read for the whole afternoon. (My favorite thing to do with a Sunday, other than hike... or laze about the house in my pajamas pretending I don't know what time it is.) :) At any rate, it was good. AND, while I was at the bookstore, my awesome old college roomie from The Hartt School, Bettina, called and caught up with me!! :):) She's going to be in Topeka, KS for a few days one week after I move to Kansas City, MO!! That's an hour or less away!! :) We are SOOOO excited!! We haven't seen each other in five years, and we are like two peas in a pod whenever we are together. I can't WAIT to see her again! Bettina spends most of the year on cruise ships performing in musicals and other acts. Pretty cool!
Other than that, my head has been spinning with so many ideas of things that I could do in my "new life" that begins in 12 days. There are literally SO many ideas, or beginning hints of ideas, in my head that I don't think I'll ever get bored. There are so many things I would love to do! I know that this year one of my big goals is to write some more music and cut my first CD. I also know that I'm going to be doing some massage, and hopefully a bit of teaching when we're in one place long enough... I've also been thinking about things I could do in the future, like designing knitwear for fun and selling my patterns on Ravelry.com (obviously only for fun, it's really not lucrative but who cares! That's not the point.) :) And I also want to do volunteer work this year, and I am really becoming more passionate than ever about helping people somehow. I have a lot of little ideas flying around in my head for that, but I can feel that that one is probably going to take quite some time to develop. I would also still really love to write, but nowadays I'm leaning away from fiction.... Toward what topic I'm not quite sure yet. But I have a ton of time to think about that. Suffice it to say that I am enthusiastic about what lies ahead and the increase in freedom of choice that I am about to have since I will not be able to or need to work as much.
I watched "The Motorcycle Diaries" last night. What an incredible movie. Che Guevara is mostly awesome. I love the cause that he led and the ideals that he strove for to free his country and give rights back to the people and I mourn his execution by the CIA.... but the fact that later in his life he became a killer of so many people during the bloody fight for freedom.... I just don't know about that. I realize that most freedom comes at a cost, but I can't say I know what was right at the time because I wasn't sitting there in the middle of it. Oh, and tonight I'm watching Hotel Rwanda. It's nearly over, but I had to stop to check something on the computer and decided to write in my blog before I returned to the movie. :) So far it's so heartbreaking!! At any rate...
On another upside, I am 2/3rds of the way done with my Mom's tank top! Making the armholes right now and zipping along. :) I hope to be done in another couple weeks. ......Oh, that is if moving to another state in the middle of the process doesn't slow me down.... Haha..... Okay, we'll give it 3 weeks. :)
~Trudy~
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I'm moving before I've moved!
......Well!! Okay then... I just got off the phone with my fiance Bryan, and found out that I am no longer moving to Jefferson City, MO. His leg of the statewide campaign is moving to Kansas City, MO! LOL I can hardly keep up! Well, at least it's a bit shorter drive from Albuquerque, and now I think I'm going to try to bulldoze through it in one day. This should definitely be interesting. He will be moving out there sometime after the 22nd. Well on the upside, there will certainly be lots more to do in Kansas City than in Jefferson City, so that's nice. I have a new city to Google now. lol
I am working on the bust line on my Mom's tank top now, and it's coming along great! I'll have pictures up soon. Monday through Wednesday are my busiest days, so I'm pretty tired tonight. I think I'm off to do some knitting while I watch a Netflix movie. But one other exciting thing is that my Aunt Allie from Durango is coming down to Santa Fe in a week, and I'm going to be staying at a really nice hotel with her Friday and Saturday night and checking out Santa Fe (finally finally!!), so that is awesome. I'm glad I get to check it all out before I leave! That would be pitiful if I never made it to Santa Fe. Especially considering all the other way farther places I've seen in New Mexico since I moved here. LOL
Goodnight! Sleep tight...
~Trudy~
I am working on the bust line on my Mom's tank top now, and it's coming along great! I'll have pictures up soon. Monday through Wednesday are my busiest days, so I'm pretty tired tonight. I think I'm off to do some knitting while I watch a Netflix movie. But one other exciting thing is that my Aunt Allie from Durango is coming down to Santa Fe in a week, and I'm going to be staying at a really nice hotel with her Friday and Saturday night and checking out Santa Fe (finally finally!!), so that is awesome. I'm glad I get to check it all out before I leave! That would be pitiful if I never made it to Santa Fe. Especially considering all the other way farther places I've seen in New Mexico since I moved here. LOL
Goodnight! Sleep tight...
~Trudy~
T minus 17, and counting.....
Well.... it's only a little more than two weeks until I head out of Albuquerque. It's so hard to believe! I still have a rather large to-do list, but much of it can't be done until my last week here. Life is going to be interesting! I've been spending some time at Borders in the mornings lately looking at pictures of Napa Valley and reading about the area. One of the employees at Borders was raving about Napa to me today, and couldn't say enough good things about it. Wow, I just can't wait to start visiting it regularly!
I'm very tired tonight, so this is a very short entry. Not much went on today besides teaching and cuddling with my cat. I suppose I'll go get ready for bed and knit for awhile. Tomorrow's a big laundry day. The cat is endlessly tapping my leg and nudging me with her forehead. She needs her nightly cuddles. :) Sorry no pictures today from Carlsbad Caverns. That will probably come this weekend.
Goodnight, everyone...
~Trudy~
I'm very tired tonight, so this is a very short entry. Not much went on today besides teaching and cuddling with my cat. I suppose I'll go get ready for bed and knit for awhile. Tomorrow's a big laundry day. The cat is endlessly tapping my leg and nudging me with her forehead. She needs her nightly cuddles. :) Sorry no pictures today from Carlsbad Caverns. That will probably come this weekend.
Goodnight, everyone...
~Trudy~
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
WOW... what an awesome weekend!!
That was officially an AWESOME weekend. It was so wonderful to see Bryan again, and we decided to do the 5 hr. drive down to Carlsbad, NM on Saturday to see Carlsbad Caverns on Sunday. It was AMAZING!! I'll let you know when I post the pictures and video from our trip! This cave was 3,000 ft. underground, and you hike unbelievably steep switchbacks down into the cave for 3.5 miles before it starts to level out a bit! It was incredible. I've never seen anything like it.
The inside of the cave was HUGE. There were miles of hiking trails. We took the longest loop, and the stalactites and stalagmites and everything were just so amazing. That was definitely a weekend well spent! I got some really kick-ass pictures.
Speaking of kicking some ass, my knitting is coming along smashingly. :-P I'm making serious headway on the Delphine lacy tank top for my Mom. I'm up to the bustline now. AND ...I got my first yarn order in the mail from EatSleepKnit.com upon our return from the caverns on Sunday! It's beautiful yarn! Claudia's Handpainted Yarn - the Just Plum colorway. Mmmm.... awesomely purpleish socks... :) When I am less exhausted, I'll take a picture and show it to you.
Well, Bryan and I have decided that when he buys a "new" slightly used car in a couple months, he's going to give it to me! :-D We're going to drop my car off in Napa Valley to keep there for our monthly Napa vacations. (Napa Valley is Bryan's "homebase," so once a month his job will pay for him to take a trip there.) For now it will live in his Grandma's garage. :) But in a year or two it might be parked at our weekend condo! We're planning on getting a cheapish condo in Napa Valley or the surrounding area (Sonoma, Santa Rosa). I find this exceedingly funny coming from a couple of people who three months ago could hardly pay their heating bill. :) Oh the weird twists and turns of life....
Anyway, I am entirely exhausted. So I'm going to go to bed. There will be more tomorrow, and maybe even some pictures! Goodnight for now. Oh, and to my fellow Ravelers, Happy (belated) Bobmas! lol :) (Isn't that cute??)
Goodnight.....
~Trudy~
The inside of the cave was HUGE. There were miles of hiking trails. We took the longest loop, and the stalactites and stalagmites and everything were just so amazing. That was definitely a weekend well spent! I got some really kick-ass pictures.
Speaking of kicking some ass, my knitting is coming along smashingly. :-P I'm making serious headway on the Delphine lacy tank top for my Mom. I'm up to the bustline now. AND ...I got my first yarn order in the mail from EatSleepKnit.com upon our return from the caverns on Sunday! It's beautiful yarn! Claudia's Handpainted Yarn - the Just Plum colorway. Mmmm.... awesomely purpleish socks... :) When I am less exhausted, I'll take a picture and show it to you.
Well, Bryan and I have decided that when he buys a "new" slightly used car in a couple months, he's going to give it to me! :-D We're going to drop my car off in Napa Valley to keep there for our monthly Napa vacations. (Napa Valley is Bryan's "homebase," so once a month his job will pay for him to take a trip there.) For now it will live in his Grandma's garage. :) But in a year or two it might be parked at our weekend condo! We're planning on getting a cheapish condo in Napa Valley or the surrounding area (Sonoma, Santa Rosa). I find this exceedingly funny coming from a couple of people who three months ago could hardly pay their heating bill. :) Oh the weird twists and turns of life....
Anyway, I am entirely exhausted. So I'm going to go to bed. There will be more tomorrow, and maybe even some pictures! Goodnight for now. Oh, and to my fellow Ravelers, Happy (belated) Bobmas! lol :) (Isn't that cute??)
Goodnight.....
~Trudy~
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Hurray!!
Today Bryan gets here! :) You probably will not hear from me too much until Monday. Just thought I would let you know. Now I have to go tend to a very whiny and demanding cat....
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
One safe place....
Tonight I'm listening to a little-known song by Marc Cohn called "One Safe Place." It's just such a beautiful song, and I love the lyrics. The acoustic version on his "Marc Cohn Live 04-05" CD that I got on ITunes is just awesome. It's been one of my favorites ever since I heard it. It's applied a lot to my life lately. The first time I heard it was shortly before I moved to New Mexico, and it applied for obvious reasons then. I was looking for something. It also had meaning after I got here and met Bryan.
Bryan traveled so many roads, wandering all over the entire country by hitchhiking and stowing away on frieght trains from age 15 to about age 20 looking for a sense of belonging. And as for me, I've been looking for a sense of true belonging now for quite some time. Nothing to do with a lack of family or friends. I've got wonderful droves of those. It was more of a sense of not really being able to figure out who I really was, what I really wanted to be doing or where I really wanted to be. I had an awesome life growing up. I did have quite a few periods of deep melancholy within myself though, and never really knew why. I often battled secretly with depression in my teenage years. The human mind is a very complex thing... I think it was due to many factors within myself. But I think that part of it may have just been that I really didn't know how powerful or capable I am as a person. As we all are. I had no idea... And I think that starting my own business, then moving to Albuquerque, going to school again, and rebuilding my business on the other side of the country with no network or ties in the community, all really gave me a glimpse at the power we all hold within ourselves.
It's a sad thing that most people don't realize their true power, and many never will. I've only seen the tip of the iceberg within myself, and some days I try to convince myself that that's all there is... Even that much is plenty to celebrate. But I know there's more in there. And I'm going to really be working on bringing that out more these next few years. I'm going to really brainstorm and see what I can come up with for these next few years on the road...
But getting back to the song I'm listening to, I think that's all that all of us are really looking for in a way. One safe place. Whether that be a geographical place, a partner, a career that you love and enjoy, or simply stepping into your own shoes and learning about who you are -the good and the bad- and acknowledging that. (Nothing like a relationship with a blunt, opinionated and very wise boyfriend to chip away at your shell and bring you face to face with your own great and not so great qualities.) :)
And we'll never truly (hopefully) reach that one moment in life where everything feels perfect and hunky-dory for the rest of our lives... That would be very boring and we wouldn't grow very much at all through that. But hopefully we can reach outside of our box a little, push that comfort zone, try new things and really find that place where we fit into the puzzle. Like settling into the perfect cozy armchair in front of the fire... That's my goal in life. To feel like I'm really living My Life, and no one else's impression of what that should be.
That's what I wish for me, and for Bryan, and for all of you out there. My family, my awesome friends, fellow knitters, or random strangers stumbling upon this blog. :) Just one safe place...
"How many roads you've traveled
How many dreams you've chased
Across sand and sky and gravel
Looking for one safe place.
Will you make a smoother landing
When you break your fall from grace
Into the arms of understanding
Looking for one safe place.
Oh life is trial by fire
And love's the sweetest taste
And I pray it lifts us higher
To one safe place.
How many roads we've traveled
How many dreams we've chased
Across sand and sky and gravel
We're looking for one safe place."
-- Marc Cohn
Bryan traveled so many roads, wandering all over the entire country by hitchhiking and stowing away on frieght trains from age 15 to about age 20 looking for a sense of belonging. And as for me, I've been looking for a sense of true belonging now for quite some time. Nothing to do with a lack of family or friends. I've got wonderful droves of those. It was more of a sense of not really being able to figure out who I really was, what I really wanted to be doing or where I really wanted to be. I had an awesome life growing up. I did have quite a few periods of deep melancholy within myself though, and never really knew why. I often battled secretly with depression in my teenage years. The human mind is a very complex thing... I think it was due to many factors within myself. But I think that part of it may have just been that I really didn't know how powerful or capable I am as a person. As we all are. I had no idea... And I think that starting my own business, then moving to Albuquerque, going to school again, and rebuilding my business on the other side of the country with no network or ties in the community, all really gave me a glimpse at the power we all hold within ourselves.
It's a sad thing that most people don't realize their true power, and many never will. I've only seen the tip of the iceberg within myself, and some days I try to convince myself that that's all there is... Even that much is plenty to celebrate. But I know there's more in there. And I'm going to really be working on bringing that out more these next few years. I'm going to really brainstorm and see what I can come up with for these next few years on the road...
But getting back to the song I'm listening to, I think that's all that all of us are really looking for in a way. One safe place. Whether that be a geographical place, a partner, a career that you love and enjoy, or simply stepping into your own shoes and learning about who you are -the good and the bad- and acknowledging that. (Nothing like a relationship with a blunt, opinionated and very wise boyfriend to chip away at your shell and bring you face to face with your own great and not so great qualities.) :)
And we'll never truly (hopefully) reach that one moment in life where everything feels perfect and hunky-dory for the rest of our lives... That would be very boring and we wouldn't grow very much at all through that. But hopefully we can reach outside of our box a little, push that comfort zone, try new things and really find that place where we fit into the puzzle. Like settling into the perfect cozy armchair in front of the fire... That's my goal in life. To feel like I'm really living My Life, and no one else's impression of what that should be.
That's what I wish for me, and for Bryan, and for all of you out there. My family, my awesome friends, fellow knitters, or random strangers stumbling upon this blog. :) Just one safe place...
"How many roads you've traveled
How many dreams you've chased
Across sand and sky and gravel
Looking for one safe place.
Will you make a smoother landing
When you break your fall from grace
Into the arms of understanding
Looking for one safe place.
Oh life is trial by fire
And love's the sweetest taste
And I pray it lifts us higher
To one safe place.
How many roads we've traveled
How many dreams we've chased
Across sand and sky and gravel
We're looking for one safe place."
-- Marc Cohn
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
MMmmm, new projects...
Hello, friends and knitters!
Today I am continuing my apartment cleaning for when Bryan gets here on Thursday. I can't wait to see him! Since we met we've been together every single day for the past year and a half, and now I haven't seen him in over three weeks. Seems like a while! They're paying for him to fly home for the Easter holiday, so he gets to be here from Thursday until Monday. It's going to be so nice.
Well I started another beautiful blouse out of that French Girl Knits book and I thought I would show you my progress so far. The funny thing is that it's going to be a tank top for my Mom, .....but it looks so tiny on the needles!! In the design picture that I posted you can see it will stretch out quite a bit and lay flat after I block it (that's getting it wet for the first time, shaping it and pinning it out, and letting it dry into that shape when you're all done knitting something, for those of you who don't knit). I'm making it exactly as the directions say, so I'll assume it's right. :) Here's what I've got so far, and the finished design picture from the book:
I think it's going to knit up pretty fast. I've only been working on it for a week and a half so far. The yarn is awesome too! Blue Sky Alpacas: Alpaca and Silk. Ssooooofft! I must say that in the past month something has snuck up on me that I never thought would happen.... I think I've become a yarn snob! Not entirely, I have to say. I'll still use acrylic yarn for baby blankets or special funky-looking scarves or what-not. ....But the allure of animal and plant fiber, once you've been spoiled with it a few times in a row... It's intoxicating. lol :) I've also begun to LOVE buying yarn online. Seeing something you absolutely love and then having it show up on your doorstep in a little box like a present from The Yarn Fairy is an awesome experience, I must say! Ravelry is truly an awesome website. I like to check out reviews of yarn so I can find out the quality before I buy it. Of course I also love yarn shops. Who doesn't??!! But somehow random balls of yarn get stuck to me as I make my way through, and the only way I can get them off is to dump them at the register and take out my debit card... Online shopping is a bit safer for me at the moment. :)
Some day when I learn how to spin and make my own yarn, I am definitely going to collect my cat's hair after brushings and use it to make yarn! She's a Ragdoll cat - really huge, big blue eyes, and fluffy bunny-soft fur. I've heard of other people using Ragdoll cat hair and they say it feels very similar to cashmere. Here's some recent pics I took the other day of my crazy cat Mia:
She's a sweetie. Alright, well that's all for now. I gotta get ready to go to my teaching studio. I can't believe I only have three more weeks left to teach!! :( I'm going to miss all of my students, and Judy, the owner of the piano store that I teach out of, SO much. I'm also going to miss the mountains and the New Mexico landscape, and the laid-back friendliness of the people here! You just can't beat the laid-back mentality of the West, or the hospitality of the South. (Yes, I know we're not technically South here. Southwest is different, but still - New Mexico people are awesome.) Strangers and people in general are way nicer here than in the Midwest. You can strike up a conversation or a smile with just about anyone here, and you can take your time at the grocery checkout. Ah well, on to new adventures in May. :) Should be fun! I'm looking forward to seeing green grass, lots of lush vegetation, farmland, and water when I get to Missouri. I want to ride that bike trail! And I'm excited to meet Bryan's friendly and eccentric co-workers. :)
Alright, talk to you later!
~Trudy~
Today I am continuing my apartment cleaning for when Bryan gets here on Thursday. I can't wait to see him! Since we met we've been together every single day for the past year and a half, and now I haven't seen him in over three weeks. Seems like a while! They're paying for him to fly home for the Easter holiday, so he gets to be here from Thursday until Monday. It's going to be so nice.
Well I started another beautiful blouse out of that French Girl Knits book and I thought I would show you my progress so far. The funny thing is that it's going to be a tank top for my Mom, .....but it looks so tiny on the needles!! In the design picture that I posted you can see it will stretch out quite a bit and lay flat after I block it (that's getting it wet for the first time, shaping it and pinning it out, and letting it dry into that shape when you're all done knitting something, for those of you who don't knit). I'm making it exactly as the directions say, so I'll assume it's right. :) Here's what I've got so far, and the finished design picture from the book:
I think it's going to knit up pretty fast. I've only been working on it for a week and a half so far. The yarn is awesome too! Blue Sky Alpacas: Alpaca and Silk. Ssooooofft! I must say that in the past month something has snuck up on me that I never thought would happen.... I think I've become a yarn snob! Not entirely, I have to say. I'll still use acrylic yarn for baby blankets or special funky-looking scarves or what-not. ....But the allure of animal and plant fiber, once you've been spoiled with it a few times in a row... It's intoxicating. lol :) I've also begun to LOVE buying yarn online. Seeing something you absolutely love and then having it show up on your doorstep in a little box like a present from The Yarn Fairy is an awesome experience, I must say! Ravelry is truly an awesome website. I like to check out reviews of yarn so I can find out the quality before I buy it. Of course I also love yarn shops. Who doesn't??!! But somehow random balls of yarn get stuck to me as I make my way through, and the only way I can get them off is to dump them at the register and take out my debit card... Online shopping is a bit safer for me at the moment. :)
Some day when I learn how to spin and make my own yarn, I am definitely going to collect my cat's hair after brushings and use it to make yarn! She's a Ragdoll cat - really huge, big blue eyes, and fluffy bunny-soft fur. I've heard of other people using Ragdoll cat hair and they say it feels very similar to cashmere. Here's some recent pics I took the other day of my crazy cat Mia:
She's a sweetie. Alright, well that's all for now. I gotta get ready to go to my teaching studio. I can't believe I only have three more weeks left to teach!! :( I'm going to miss all of my students, and Judy, the owner of the piano store that I teach out of, SO much. I'm also going to miss the mountains and the New Mexico landscape, and the laid-back friendliness of the people here! You just can't beat the laid-back mentality of the West, or the hospitality of the South. (Yes, I know we're not technically South here. Southwest is different, but still - New Mexico people are awesome.) Strangers and people in general are way nicer here than in the Midwest. You can strike up a conversation or a smile with just about anyone here, and you can take your time at the grocery checkout. Ah well, on to new adventures in May. :) Should be fun! I'm looking forward to seeing green grass, lots of lush vegetation, farmland, and water when I get to Missouri. I want to ride that bike trail! And I'm excited to meet Bryan's friendly and eccentric co-workers. :)
Alright, talk to you later!
~Trudy~
New header!
Just a quick post to give credit to the photographer for my new header. :) I got this from http://thegreenfingeredphotographer.blogspot.com (I added the text myself of course and also blurred his image just a bit.)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Okay, I give in...
Well, so many people lately have been telling me I should start a blog to log all of my adventures traveling around with Bryan for his new job. I have finally succumbed to the peer pressure. :) I figured the blog name I chose would be fitting in that I am going to be a wanderer for awhile now. It's also a partial ode to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the writer of "Free Range Knitter," among many other very funny books about knitting. :) Fitting, since I am obsessed with knitting.
We're getting closer and closer to my moving date on May 1st when I go join Bryan in Jefferson City, Missouri. Time is flying fast! It's about 3 and a half weeks away now. I'm starting to get things organized for myself, including filling out the paperwork and saving up the money to get my new massage license for the state of Missouri. I have a lot of little things I need to do to get ready. Nothing too huge, so that's good. I sure am going to miss my knitting group!! They have been such an awesome group of friends for me here and I feel like there's many times in the past year that would have been way tougher to make it through without them! But I hope to keep in touch with them when I leave, at least online.
We won't be moving all of our stuff out of this apartment until June, when Bryan's through with his probation and we know for certain that he has the job (although it's looking more and more like he's not only going to get the job, but that he may also get an immediate promotion once he's in.) Everyone is amazed by him at the workplace, which is so awesome. :) And so typical of Bryan. We did find out today that we'll be in Missouri for under a year. I guess for tax purposes they move their organizers around so that they're in each state for less than a year because otherwise they have to pay state taxes in two states, or something weird like that. But one thing about Missouri that I am looking forward to is something I just found online yesterday called the Katy Trail. It's a 300 mile bike trail that goes across the middle of Missouri!! :) Part of the trail goes right through north Jefferson. And you can even rent bikes by the trail in a couple places if you don't have one. It goes through some really beautiful areas, and it would be awesome if I could find a cheap bike and bike rack for my car somehow so I could ride part of it a bunch of times a week! Anyone know of someone wanting to get rid of a good bike rack that would fit on a Ford Focus sedan?? :)
For my knitting friends, I'll report that the ends are still hanging from my red blouse... big surprise there. But I'm determined to come wearing the blouse next time I come to the knitting group! ...Realistically I may not be able to come this weekend. Bryan will be in town and Saturday morning I have to work at the massage clinic, so I'd rather not leave him alone the whole day when he's here to see me! But here are some pictures of the blouse! :
(Sorry for the toilet shot.) haha :)
Now, I'm working on that Delphine lacy tank top pattern for my Mom from that French Girl Knits book. It's awesome. It looks SO small on the needles right now, but I'm hoping it's just a figment of my eyes' imagination. :) I think it's the right size... I'll just keep telling myself it is. lol I've also realized how much unused awesome sock yarn I've got laying around here! So I've decided to start working on some more socks for myself. Also, I fell prey to the perils of Ravelry tonight.
I was innocently checking my inbox when I saw a colorful ad for a website called "eat sleep knit". I checked it out.... Oh dear. Somehow before I could blink I had some awesome hand-painted sock yarn on order in a mouthwatering self-striping colorway called "Just Plum" and I also registered with the website for an awesome program they have called "The Yarn Marathon," in which you see how many total yards of yarn you can buy throughout the year and get milestone prizes along the way when you reach certain yardages, such as $20 gift cards, surprise bags of yarn, and other cool stuff. *ssiiiiigh* Why do I sense I'll soon have as many knit socks as Kim from the knitting group?? The entire website is devoted to handpainted and hand-dyed yarn, which makes for really yummy sock and lace yarns.... *drool, drool*
Oh!! And and... On the sidebar of my blog you'll see a button that says "eat sleep knit." If you ever want to buy awesome handpainted yarn from them, come to my blog and click on my button to link to them and buy yarn, and your purchase adds yardage onto my "yarn marathon" count so I can get free stuff!! :) :) Please click and buy!! :-D heehee.... Okay, that's my one and only shameless plug.
Well, that's about all for now. I'll write again tomorrow!
Goodnight, friends and knitters....
~Trudy~
We're getting closer and closer to my moving date on May 1st when I go join Bryan in Jefferson City, Missouri. Time is flying fast! It's about 3 and a half weeks away now. I'm starting to get things organized for myself, including filling out the paperwork and saving up the money to get my new massage license for the state of Missouri. I have a lot of little things I need to do to get ready. Nothing too huge, so that's good. I sure am going to miss my knitting group!! They have been such an awesome group of friends for me here and I feel like there's many times in the past year that would have been way tougher to make it through without them! But I hope to keep in touch with them when I leave, at least online.
We won't be moving all of our stuff out of this apartment until June, when Bryan's through with his probation and we know for certain that he has the job (although it's looking more and more like he's not only going to get the job, but that he may also get an immediate promotion once he's in.) Everyone is amazed by him at the workplace, which is so awesome. :) And so typical of Bryan. We did find out today that we'll be in Missouri for under a year. I guess for tax purposes they move their organizers around so that they're in each state for less than a year because otherwise they have to pay state taxes in two states, or something weird like that. But one thing about Missouri that I am looking forward to is something I just found online yesterday called the Katy Trail. It's a 300 mile bike trail that goes across the middle of Missouri!! :) Part of the trail goes right through north Jefferson. And you can even rent bikes by the trail in a couple places if you don't have one. It goes through some really beautiful areas, and it would be awesome if I could find a cheap bike and bike rack for my car somehow so I could ride part of it a bunch of times a week! Anyone know of someone wanting to get rid of a good bike rack that would fit on a Ford Focus sedan?? :)
For my knitting friends, I'll report that the ends are still hanging from my red blouse... big surprise there. But I'm determined to come wearing the blouse next time I come to the knitting group! ...Realistically I may not be able to come this weekend. Bryan will be in town and Saturday morning I have to work at the massage clinic, so I'd rather not leave him alone the whole day when he's here to see me! But here are some pictures of the blouse! :
(Sorry for the toilet shot.) haha :)
Now, I'm working on that Delphine lacy tank top pattern for my Mom from that French Girl Knits book. It's awesome. It looks SO small on the needles right now, but I'm hoping it's just a figment of my eyes' imagination. :) I think it's the right size... I'll just keep telling myself it is. lol I've also realized how much unused awesome sock yarn I've got laying around here! So I've decided to start working on some more socks for myself. Also, I fell prey to the perils of Ravelry tonight.
I was innocently checking my inbox when I saw a colorful ad for a website called "eat sleep knit". I checked it out.... Oh dear. Somehow before I could blink I had some awesome hand-painted sock yarn on order in a mouthwatering self-striping colorway called "Just Plum" and I also registered with the website for an awesome program they have called "The Yarn Marathon," in which you see how many total yards of yarn you can buy throughout the year and get milestone prizes along the way when you reach certain yardages, such as $20 gift cards, surprise bags of yarn, and other cool stuff. *ssiiiiigh* Why do I sense I'll soon have as many knit socks as Kim from the knitting group?? The entire website is devoted to handpainted and hand-dyed yarn, which makes for really yummy sock and lace yarns.... *drool, drool*
Oh!! And and... On the sidebar of my blog you'll see a button that says "eat sleep knit." If you ever want to buy awesome handpainted yarn from them, come to my blog and click on my button to link to them and buy yarn, and your purchase adds yardage onto my "yarn marathon" count so I can get free stuff!! :) :) Please click and buy!! :-D heehee.... Okay, that's my one and only shameless plug.
Well, that's about all for now. I'll write again tomorrow!
Goodnight, friends and knitters....
~Trudy~
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