Back in the Studio...

I took a matting and framing class this weekend at an independent art studio in Philadelphia.  It was great to be in a photography studio again.  The studio itself is a space in progress with a darkroom, computer work spaces, and a spacious gallery in transition for its next artist.

The matting portion of the class seemed like a lot of common sense at first, but once I started my practice runs, I realized just how much time is spent on the little details.  The end product - two of my food photographs matted and framed - was very rewarding.  I'm definitely going to put this new knowledge to use!

Happy 27th Birthday to Ivy!

We celebrated Ivy's 27th birthday this evening.  Ivy requested chicken alfredo with salad and cake for her bday dinner.  As usual, my mother made an excellent birthday dinner that we shared while talking about years past.  It was a lovely evening to be with family and a great way to ring in Ivy's 27th year of life.

Ivy and Mom

Mom gave Ivy a book authored and illustrated by the same artist who illustrated Ivy's favorite book while growing up, Amy the Dancing Bear

I made Ivy a clothes pin apron for when she hangs her washing on the clothes line in the summer months.  It was a fun project and a great learning experience!

Monday Morning Scones

Scones!  A simple and delicious treat.  The scones pictured below are cranberry/orange and turned out nicely.  I made some whipped cream to accompany them and found out that Thomas enjoys strawberry jam with his.  They turned out to be an enjoyable Monday morning treat.

In other news, guess what finally arrived???  My photo xmas cards I ordered from Shutterfly the first week of December last year!!  So, it turned out that it wasn't Shutterfly's mistake or USPS entirely.  USPS did deliver the cards on time, but put them in the wrong post box!  The man you received them dropped them off the other evening saying he tried to drop them off twice before but we weren't home.  Then they slipped through a crack in his car and he forgot about them until he saw them while cleaning out his car.  So, after I called Shutterfly and UPS and USPS to find out their whereabouts and eventually demanded a refund, they show up!

Living and Loving Life

Our year so far has been all about Thomas.  Well, really, all about his right knee!  As you know, he has a bacterial infection that is now under control and continuing to be monitored.  The theme of our year has been expect the unexpected.  The unexpected nature of this situation has really brought us together as a couple.  We realize just how much we love each other and our patience with one another is constantly being tested.  We knew that his medical situation was serious before it was properly diagnosed, but now that we know how close he was to potentially being dead, we appreciate life even more than before and aren't taking anything for granted!

knee pre operation

knee post operation

Sleep? What's that?

The last time Tom and I had a good night's sleep was in 2009.  Tom's right knee has been very sore and infected since the 1st of the year.  He was in the hospital for four days getting pumped full of antibiotics and pain killers.  His knee was washed out and after a few days the swelling subsided enough for him to be released.  He's home now but has a PICC line IV to self-administer 3 doses of antibiotics per day.  A visiting nurse comes by to change the dressing (and calm my nerves).  She probably thinks I'm the one who needs help!  I ask her A LOT of questions - questions she says are good but are always answered with statements like, "no, he won't die" and "only call the doc or go to the ER if..."

This experience has been really difficult for Tom.  I constantly have to put myself in his "shoes" to be reminded of just how hard it is for him to get around and do everyday tasks I take for granted.  We're staying strong and going to get through this... looking up and moving forward! 

The Best and Worst of the Last Decade

I thought it would be fun to build a little list of the best and worst highlights in my life over the last decade.  So here it goes...

Worst:
1. Had a breakdown, lost myself, did a lot of searching (the searching wasn't a bad thing at all, but very necessary)
2. My paternal grandparents passed away.  I think about them every day and miss them very much
3. Wish I had celebrated my 21st birthday differently
4. Didn't take advantage of a study abroad opportunity (but i guess it's never too late).

Best:
1. Earned a MLS
2. Met Thomas, a man you is wonderful, pleasant, and charming.
3. Visited the West Coast for the first time and saw the Pacific Ocean in person!
4. Bought my first brand new car - this was very exciting until the first bill arrived
5. Visited London and had a fabulous time
6. Got a facial makeover from a professional Hollywood make-up artist.  I remember liking the result but thinking it wasn't good for daytime activities
7. Ivy and I instituted Brother-Sister Weekends with our little brother, Carter.  Since 2007 we've had 5 weekends of uncensored, pure, reality-inspired sibling fun (in a responsible fashion of course ;).  I hope that Carter will always remember these weekends as he grows up.  And even though his sisters are significantly older, he still experienced the joys of having siblings who could be at his level.
8. Took a stand working at an odd job to help an elderly women get the treatment she needed.  I'll never forget Harriet Reed, a woman whose experience highlighted the inequality that exists in our society.  I think this moment opened my heart to the issues of gerontology and helped me formulate my college thesis years later.

I know there are more highlights to note above, but I can't think of any more at the moment.  I'm sure I'll think of a whole bunch on my way to work tomorrow.

Celebrating the New Year - 2010 Style!!

Thomas and I went to our friend's dinner party on New Year's Eve to ring in the new year.  We had excellent food and met a lot of interesting people, including a man who races sailboats professionally and films the races for the Discovery Channel.  His stories were amazing and kept us all on edge in suspense.  Another highlight for me was the ball dropping in Times Square.  It doesn't feel like NYE if I don't watch the ball drop.  The picture below was taken right after the ball dropped.

Emmanuel making dessert.  The flames were planned.

Dessert in progress.  After the bananas were caramelized, they were served with vanilla ice cream.

New Year's Day was lovely and relaxing.  We enjoyed staying home during the day.  I made Creme Brulee for New Year's Day dinner at my parent's house and worked on taking down the Christmas decorations.  At my parent's house, we ate pork and sauerkraut with a few different green salads, mashed potatoes, Bema's homemade applesauce, and the creme brulee for dessert.  Family, good conversation, a poker game, and a movie was a great way to start the new year!

Carter enjoying his kid cocktail

Carter's army of Clone Troopers

A very refreshing salad - yum!  Simple and delicious.

Super yummy!