ah, the nostalgia

After several hours of doing internet research on art fairs, I have grown weary of the task and must amuse myself through providing incriminating photos.

These are from Brandon's last birthday. It was one of my favorite nights ever.


Here the ladies offer up our best 1993 dance moves.

Brandon, Dan (Justin's brother), Cara and Justin having the time of their lives, Dirty Dancing style.


A little something I like to do after shouting, "SISTER WORM!" in unison with my sister.

Ow-- my head hurts. I should have been in bed at 9:00 p.m., but anyone who knows me knows that I will stay up and be a night owl no matter how I'm feeling or what my body is telling me. How silly is that?

I made cupcakes tonight. There were 12, and now I am afraid there are only 7 left. And there are just 2 of us home tonight. Oops. Sometimes having too many cupcakes is good for the soul, right? That's what I heard on Oprah last week.

I am delirious, so must hit the sheets.

Everyone's blogs have been so quiet lately! I haven't had much energy for anything other than posting dog pictures lately. It's rough- not sure if it's a post-holiday thing or what. How's everyone else been? Bored, tired, busy?

Sometimes I make a grid and draw like my dad. Okay, so I never usually draw a grid and draw using the intricate detail my dad uses, with the exception of an art class that I can barely admit I took well over 6 years ago. Here's a drawing of my dog that I started tonight- a work-in-progress for sure. I think I'm going to choose a palette of 3 or 4 bright colors and paint a portrait of Koda. I was inspired after seeing some amazing pet watercolor paintings from an artist on eBay. Wishing I could have something commissioned, but seriously lacking the money to spend on such a thing, it suddenly dawned on me that although I'm pretty sure my first attempt may not be a "10," I own all the supplies needed to give it a shot.

When I first started drawing, it looked as though I had drawn one fuzzy oval with 4 small freckles inside. A bit of patience and about 200 pencil strokes later- wait- it almost resembles a dog! I don't think it's very Koda-like right now, but that's the beauty of art-- you just keep on keeping on until you are finally satisfied with the end result. I think a lot of art is just being patient and persistent, and learning how to keep going until that awkward feeling goes away. I probably only spent about a half hour on this drawing, and frankly, it looks a tad like I'm drawing the grownup Simba from Lion King I- but I shall continue working through it.