first day of school - fall 2010

Today I treated myself to a Frappe from McDonald's. I don't usually drink coffee because I'm afraid of getting hooked, but today I thought it was necessary. And delicious. I haven't gotten much sleep the past few days, and my only class today was an 8:30-12 drawing class. On the way to school I listened to some of the music that I loved in high school, and fell in love with these songs and groups all over again. Alkaline Trio, The Weakerthans, The Shins, The Decemberists. Love them. Takes me way back.

this picture is from last night. i spent my last day of summer working 9-5 (yes, on labor day) then i saw my oldest friend. (in years known, not age) we got subway and picniced in the park. he knows me better than anyone in the world. love this guy. and after the sun went down, i went to see my newest friend. we watched a movie called "the good, the bad, the weird" about korean cowboys. lol of course, i loved it. :-P

This is why today was great:

1. I found a great parking spot without having to hunt for it 
2. got to school early enough to drink my Frappe and eat my egg n' cheese biscuit
3. drawing teacher seems like he's a pretty cool guy
4. he has a Russian accent. I think that's neat.
5. this class in on the 2nd floor, rather than the 4th like my past drawing classes. Less stairs!
6. got out of class at 10 instead of 12. Didn't have to draw on the first day.
7. great old-school tunes in the car
8. saw a butterfly
9. knees are healed and I can jog again (I hurt my knees a couple weeks ago from not prepping before jogging)
10. saw my new friend today and watched a funny movie
11. Got a letter in the mail from my Dear Darling Penpan, Jaymie. She gave me a CUTE little owl necklace! I can't wait to wear it tomorrow! :)

And now I need to get some rest. These allergies are driving me nuts! XD How was your day today?

September 5th

So I guess fall is really here. I miss summer. But a part of me is looking forward to the new adventures that autumn holds.

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My sister and brother came over today with their kids for a little labor day BBQ. It was fun to spend a little time with my immediate family. Extended family get togethers usually aren't as much fun..

This is my oldest niece, Jocelyn. Everyone comments on how much she looks like her good ol Aunt Angie. ;) I had a ton of fun today teaching her some  Korean words. She liked 'milk' (oo yoo), 'pretty' (yeppo), and 'poop' (Dong). Although I think that last one might be a profanity. . . Oh well. :]

I painted these corn hold boards for my brother-in-law, Matt, about 4 years ago. He's a big Jimmy Buffet fan. I never got around to taking pics of them when I first painted them, so I was glad he brought them over today so I could get a few shots. 

I bought a nice mouse today for my laptop. Hopefully this will make it easier to work with programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I really want to get back into my old graphic design and illustrating stuff. If anyone needs any design work done, let me know! I could use a little practice. :]

Here's a little sneak peak at what I got for my friend. Her birthday party/ going away party is next weekend. I'll share more about this later. ;)

And the running total of money spent for the months of September is $75. That is $25 gasoline, $25 gift for friend, and $25 mouse. I haven't bought anything frivolous in a whole week! Aren't you proud of me? ;) And I feel like I have the will power to keep this going. 

I got an "intention bracelet" in the mail yesterday from Melissa of Oh My Darling (far right). Seeing it helps remind me to Spread the Love to others. And I love the fact that I've made real friends from having this blog. Something about knowing people in another part of the country feels really special to me. I've never had out of state friends before, unless it was someone who moved away, and I lost touch with them because of it.

The heart bracelet is from my good friend, Alyssa, as a Spread the Love week gift. And the Silly bands are from my nephew. They're shaped like a helicopter, a submarine, a dolphin, and a Jeep. And a beach umbrella from my niece.

I spent some time with a new friend today. This is one thing from my 4 Simple Goals list. Not this is something I can check off, but rather it's an ongoing activity. That is to spend less time alone in my room, and more time with my friends. My new friend gave me these books to help me learn Korean. I think they're for preschoolers. But that's perfect for me! :) 

Happy weekend. Love.

illustration = love

I have a little crush on Arian's illustrations over at her blog Arian Armstong. (and her etsy shop, arian) So cute and stylized. I love everything about these.

I love illustration. So much. I'm actually going to school for fine art because someday I want to be a professional illustrator- but you may not know that. I don't draw nearly as much as I used to. Hardly ever, actually. And I don't talk about my future aspirations very much, as far as my career goes. Honestly I go with the whole, "wherever life take me" motto. But I got to thinking. Maybe I should get on that. Maybe I need to start thinking about my future. As an illustrator. I only have two more years in school. I need to start working now to be the best darn illustrator I can be. My little head is full of ideas, and I know I can bring them to reality. All it takes is a little motivation. I'm planning on breaking my "no spending any money" vow tomorrow to buy myself a nice wireless mouse. I have a Macbook, but using Adobe Illustrator would be so much easier with a mouse. But I see it as an investment in my future, rather than just something I want for the heck of it. I want to be an Illustrator someday. I'm starting now. <3

Spread the Love Week - Day Seven

A funny thing happened on the way to the Post Office.

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The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was take a little trip to the Post Office to drop off the little owl that Melissa bought from my Etsy shop. Usually, I hate driving. But since I bought an FM transmitter from Amazon for my iPod, I kind of enjoy it. Now I just kinda bop around in my car to my favorite songs. Well today I was bopping around to G-Dragon's cover of Maroon 5's "This Love" with my windows down. I stopped at a red light and a man on a motorcycle pulled up next to me. I heard him say, "I might be the first person-" and I turned and looked, not quite sure if he was talking to me. He went on to say, "I might be the first person to blow a kiss to you today." And he blew me a kiss! I smiled and said thank you, waving goodbye as the light changed and I drove off. Oooh Mr. Motorcycle man, if only you were 20 years younger..

Although I admit that's sort of creepy *LOL* I still thought it was sweet. That guy is literally Spreadin the Love! <3

Today I did my part for Spread the Love week by picking up litter on the side of the road. I'm a total environmentalist, and I've always been a hippie girl at heart. I live within walking distance from a Hobby Lobby (where I work) and a Target, so a lot of times I'll walk and pick up trash either on the way there or the way home. Today though, I went out just for the trash, not to actually go to the stores. I ended up collecting one and a half bags full of litter, which isn't very much, considering I walked for quite a while. I feel bad that I couldn't gather up much, but then again it's a good thing because it means people haven't been littering much lately! *hooray!*

After I got home, *I washed my hands reeally well* and took my old rollerblades to the park and did a few laps around the track. It was fun, but I'm super uncoordinated, and I was scared I'd fall and hurt myself. >_< I didn't, this time..

And I wanted to share this little somethin special with you..

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I saw this randomly on We Heart It. I recognized the words as being Korean, so I clicked on it to try and figure out if I could read anything.

I'm fairly certain the words in the bottom left hand corner say "banana milk." I laughed out loud. :) Especially considering I recently watched this video by Simon and Martina of Eat Your Kimchi, where they mention banana milk being a popular drink in Korea. Martina tries it for the first time and says, "Ooh! This is my nightmare!" Funny. :]

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I hope you all had a great week spreading the love. I know I did. A big thank you to Melissa of Oh My Darling for starting the Spread the Love movement. So inspiring that she was a victim of a heartless crime, and she turned it around to make the world a better place. <3 Let's make every week Spread the Love week!

My little corner of the world

I love my room. I hate the fact that it's cluttery, but it is my HOME, and the place I spend most of my time. I wanted to let you in and show you some of my treasured little spaces.

Yes, it is 2:25 am when I took this photo. I don't sleep much. I feel like I'm missing out on life.

This is what I got goin on this month. If you can't read it, September 21 says Peace Day.

This is where I keep my jewelry. Some of these things though, I haven't worn in years. I need to downsize my jewelry collection..

I love my owl earring stand. My BFF gave it to me for Christmas last year.

A little handmade dish and "Love" thingy I got from an art store in Tipp City, Ohio. This is where I keep the earrings I wear day to day.

This is my beloved Gemini. She has stumpy legs and a tiny head and a real big belly. Hehehe she's so funny. I love her. <3

Spread the Love Week - Day Six

So today in honor of Spread the Love Week, I did a few little things. Before I went to work, I gathered up four bags of clothes from my closet. A lot of these things were clothes that I really like, but I just don't wear very often. I kept picking out tops and saying, "Oooh I know I bought this six months ago and never wore it, but maaybe I'll wear it sometime later on? In the future? Eventually?" When I had these thoughts, which was a lot, I would imagine a girl rummaging through the racks at the thrift store, seeing my shirt there, and feeling the thrill of a good find. This week is about Spreading the Love. So into the bag it went, and off to the donation box.

I don't miss anything yet.

(Special cameo appearance by my cat, Gemmi. She has a really weird body shape. I love her anyway.)

Also, I brought in some cute little animal stickers to work to hand out to kids who checked out through my line. Godda spread the love to the little ones!

And in the shower this morning, I had an idea of the perfect thing to make for my friend for her birthday! I'll start on it tomorrow. ;) But I can't tell you what it is! It's a surprise!

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Last week i bought a sweatshirt at Hob Lob and cut-your-own iron on transfer paper. so i make mysef a korean "I love you" shirt. But I bought the supplies before I pledged to save my money, so it doesn't count! ;)

사랑해요! <3

Spread the Love Week - Day Five

I had a pretty busy day, so I'll be honest- I didn't get my goals accomplished for Spread the Love week. But I did give a friend a ride to work, and I gave the teller at the post office one of my Spread the Love cards. So that's somethin, right? Well, since I didn't do much today, I'll spread the love in another way. I found a bunch of sweet quotes about love and kindness that I found fitting, so I'll share some of those with you now. <3

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When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss

If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. -Bob Hope

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To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. -Heather Cortez

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. -Author Unknown

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. -Jesse Jackson

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You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly. -Sam Keen

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are. -Author Unknown

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Have a lovely day. <3