January Comes to a Close

It's zero degrees out right now, but sunny. We've had some chilly weather and a bit of ice and snow this past week. I feel like I haven't written in forever. Which is almost true. Sort of. Not really. But it has been a long time. Since the holidays, I've been keeping busy with work, and free lance projects, and 6 seasons of Gilmore Girls. Luckily I can multi-task (sort of), or I wouldn't be getting much done in front of the tele. It's kind of pathetic though, because I'm often relating real life to things that happen to the drama going on in Stars Hallow.

Anyway, I won't babble about non-real life stuff right now. I will transition into real life. In mid-December, I joined Gold's Gym in hopes of staying fit during these winter months. It's hard to stay active when all you want to do is sit in front of the television and huddle under 3 blankets next to the space heater. Darin's been wearing his hot orange penguin knit hat around the house and sometimes his jacket. Makes me laugh. But back to the gym thing. I got a REALLY good deal. I signed up when there was no registration free, and they were running a $19.99/month deal. And to top that, my Blue Cross/Blue Shield pays $20/month if I go 12 times/month. So if I am committed to going 12 times, then I'm only paying $1 and something in tax per month. Part of that deal is 2 free sessions where you meet with a personal trainer and he assesses your "in shape-ness." Let's just say I'm out of shape. So, I've been trying to go directly after work Monday through Friday. I alternate between running on the treadmill and doing the ellyptical machine so I don't strain anything while I'm getting back into shape.

Another real-life thing to talk about -- I served on a Jury for a criminal case a couple weeks ago. It was actually really interesting. When I got my court summons, I had this awful feeling of dread and nervousness. I think I have anxiety issues. But when I got there, everyone was pleasant and helpful and the whole experience was pretty painless. My particular case only lasted a week and 1 day and thankfully my employer paid me for those days. If anyone needs to know where cheap all-day downtown parking is near the govt. court building, I have the secret.

Also, Darin found the PERFECT house for sale in NE Minneapolis. It's really too bad we can't afford to buy a house yet. It's my prayer that this one comes back on the market in a few years. Godspeed.

Michael Johansson

Since I'm such an organizational freak, I wanted to share with you an artist that uses organization in his works of art. Check out his website for more!

Love You Girls

Super rad photos taken by Emily Steffen. Click here to see the rest from the BFF photoshoot!

Saw it and like it.

"Disasters Rock Asia"

It's crazy how I spend my time thinking about trivial things -- like what to bring for my lunch today, or which of my 32 tops I should wear today, when there are much bigger things happening in the world. If you are the praying type, keep these people in mind.

Indonesia: Hundreds of houses, offices, schools and other buildings collapsed in the city of Padang after a 7.6 magnitude quake struck West Sumatra.

Phillippines: Typhoon Ketsana and Typhoon Parma swept through the Philippine Islands, affecting nearly 3.9 million people.

Samoan Islands: The tsunami, which brought waves of up to six meters high, was triggered after a powerful earthquake.

Vietnam: Typhoon Ketsana is estimated to have affected around 300,000 people in Vietnam.

India: Over a million people have been forced to flee their homes and nearly 300 have died in devastating floods triggered by torrential rains in India.

If you're interested in helping by giving to the World Vision Emergency Relief fund, click here.

Handmade Market

Wow, so, the 3 day weekend is almost over. But I feel like I got a lot accomplished, as well as having a fun filled weekend. I am super excited about an upcoming art sale Dena and I are participating in. We will be selling Heads Twogether merchandise at The Beat coffeehouse on Saturday, October 3rd. I've already made over 30 rings and a dozen necklaces and a handful of earrings and Dena has made an equal amount.





These items will not be sold online before the show. So if you see something you like, please come check out our table at the Handmade Market in October. There will be many other talented vendors to check out too. Hope to see you there!

Cabin Weekend

Hey folks - forgot to post about our weekend at Sophie's place up north. Had such a lovely time!

Out on the pontoon