Is it just me or do I look like a kid who was just told I could open one- JUST one- present early this Christmas? This is not a euphemism for anything, by the way. Just an observation. I was making jewelry this weekend and decided that there wasn't enough of ME on this blog. I own the only camera in our household, so I'm the one often behind the lens. Add to the fact that I'm addicted to taking pictures in general and the end result is that I've got lots of pictures of Koda, many pictures of Brandon and just some of me.

Here's me in my art apron with 3 tubes of paint in my hands, mid-air. Because making art makes me happy and when I'm happy I jump.

sushi night with my sister

Becki and I walked into downtown last night and went out to my new favorite sushi restaurant on Market Street. Although we love our boys, it was so nice having a ladies night! No ladies night is complete without reflective mirror shots revealing just how cute we really are.

:: lovin' those complimentary colors on the color wheel ::

Couch shopping was FUN! A bit too much fun, perhaps. We went with a strict budget in mind and left with a red couch and a nonmatching chair. It was one of those pieces that just sings to your heart, and while the perfectly-matching sensible pale green couch was nice, it just wasn't as comfortable as the cinnamon red couch we had found earlier.

Here are pictures of the couch and chair, along with some Photoshopped pillows similar to the ones we bought today. I typically have a hard time relating to salespeople's personalties, but the guy who helped us was just great. Explained how to get pen and pee and dog hair off our new couch- was all-around helpful and friendly without smothering us, made silly jokes when appropriate. When Brandon and I were talking about getting the chair, too- since we need one but had intended on only getting a couch- I mentioned something about liking colorful, non-matching things. You see this combo in nature all the time, so I thought- hmm, maybe we could make this work? I said something about my style being "things don't really match" anyway and the guy immediately said, "Hey- I like her!" He must have said it again no less than 4 times and I guess it WAS probably refreshing in comparison to the people who come in with a cushion from their couch and wander around the 4-mile square mazelike showroom for 6 hours hoping to find THE perfectly-matching chair.

The chair is more dull in this photo than in real life- it really does match the crazy green (fake) pillows on the couch. Our couch is on backorder so we won't have it until next month, but I can't wait. Our first grownup pieces of furniture! And colorful, to boot. I feel like the inspiration-o-meter in our house is going to go way up in about a month.

Last night, Brandon hooked us up with a little beer to go with our homemade pizza. Koda wanted some, too, but unfortunately Brandon and I each slammed a 6-pack last night. NOT! We both had a beer, if you must know. We are party animals fo' sho.

Today we were stir crazy, so we went for a long walk downtown. I dyed my hair red in mid-December and just re-dyed it yesterday. It seems much more- rich? - than the previous red. It kind of startles me every time I look in the mirror and I'm trying to decide whether I want to add some dark brown in with the mix!

We're in the market for a couch. If it were up to me, we'd get something in red or blue or green. If our real couch budget and thougths of the future have their way, we'll end up with something more sensible and dog hair-friendly, such as tan or a shade of... light brown. Thrilling. I'm only partly kidding. When we moved to Denver it was just Brandon and I unpacking, so for the sake of scaling down we got rid of our couch. Now that we watch movies while oh-so-carefully teetering our bowl of popcorn between our two chair arms and trying not to get carpal tunnel as we hold hands across the arms of our chairs- not ergonomically correct, FYI- we miss having a couch so much!

Last month Brandon and I both had colds and I desperately wanted to pull our king-sized mattress out into the living room so I could lay down and watch movies in comfort. Brandon didn't go for it. Instead I found myself in my tall-backed chair, kicking my legs up on the coffee table in sort of an awkward manner- just not the same as laying down under a heavy blanket on the couch with a tub of Vick's Vap-O-Rub and your favorite box of Kleenex by your side.

Money is a big issue for us, so we'll likely look for the tallest, longest couch we can find under $300. The more time we spend together, the more I realize that this world is just not ergonomically correct for my sweetie. Not only does he have to duck under every doorway he walks through- imagine scrunching your neck down 40 times a day- but things like finding comfortable tables and chairs in a restaurant are a big issue. So many tables are so short, or he hits his knees on the bars under the table or chair backs only provide support 1/3 of the way up his back! And he never complains, ever. In any case, Becki's boyfriend Pat has a comfy couch that seems to be taller than your average couch, so I'm hoping we can find something similar. Any suggestions on the best place to buy a couch? Sears Furniture Store? American Furniture Warehouse? Sofa Mart? I'm clueless!