Photos

Haircut

Cut a few inches off my hair this week. So far I like it!

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@jamiemichelle's Twitter Wallpaper

My friend, Jamie (@jamiemichelle), has the best Twitter wallpaper. Whoever designed this did an awesome, awesome job. I want something like it!

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New Bicycle!

I forgot to mention that in December I got a new bike. It's my dream bike. Isn't it gorgeous?

Chris built it just for me. The frame is by Soma Fabrications. It's a Buena Vista mixte and it's tiny. I've finally got a bike that fits me perfectly. Chris ordered all the parts in aluminum then took it to Southwest Metal Finishing to have them anodized purple. They did an amazing job in making sure all the parts match.

My bike started off as a single speed but now it has a flip-flop hub so it's a fixed gear sometimes. Most important is that it's perfect for me and I love it!!

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New Years Eve: Then & Now

With the change from 2009 to 2010, there was a lot of talk about what we were doing ten years ago. People like to think in nice big chunks, like ten. To me, ten years is a long time. A lot changes in ten years...a lot.

New Years Eve 2000
Autumn and I spent NYE in Austin, Texas with our friends, Taylor and Kris. We went downtown for the festivities. I remember getting there just before midnight. There were huge crowds of people in the street, lots of lights, fireworks (I think), and huge video screens. We counted down, yelled, and headed to the closest bar.

The bar we got into was Aqua Lounge, which I only remember because I wrote it on the back of my photos. Kris tipped the bartender very generously for our first round, which paid off the rest of the night. The bartender made stiff drinks, gave us shots, and gave us tons of attention. Naturally, we drank a lot that night. I remember it being a lot of fun, but not anything specific.

I was wearing some ridiculous heels, something I seldom do any longer, and the walk back to the car was torture. Taylor was kind enough to give me a piggy back. I'm sure we were a hilarious sight. When we got back to Taylor's apartment, I got sick from drinking too much and spent the rest of the whee hours of the morning throwing up or sleeping on the bathroom floor. Not exactly the best way to start off the new year.

Worst than spending the night being sick, I learned the next day that my long-distance boyfriend kissed another girl because he was so convinced that I'd be kissing another guy. Thank goodness what happens at the beginning of the decade doesn't define what happens for the rest of the decade.

New Years Eve 2010
This year Chris and I went to a neighbor's house. They had a small party with other couples and all their children. It was a blast watching the kids ring in the new year at 7pm and 8pm Phoenix time. Eventually the kids were put to bed and the other couples with kids left for home. We hung out with our neighbors until 11 o'clock and were back to our house before midnight.

Chris and I rang in the new year from bed, which was exactly perfect!

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Death

Losing your loved one is never easy. I really didn't want to start out a new year with death. At least I have the memories.

Aunt Jennie

Aunt Jennie was 96 when she passed away in her home in California. Jennie was my great aunt, my grandfather's sister, a Lucci. She lived an amazing life, especially for a woman coming of age during WWII. She joined the service which allowed her to leave her small town in upstate NY and expand her horizons. She was extremely independent and lived alone much of her life. She never married but earned a PhD and had successful career in occupational therapy.

She didn't care for flying so she drove all over the US. I can remember her coming to visit us in Texas when I was a child. Her little dog sat in the back window the entire trip. Jennie drove sitting up straight and leaning forward towards the steering wheel. As I got older, she drove less so I visited her in California. She had an immaculate house and garden. In her 90's she went to bed in the late afternoon and woke up at 4am. She spoiled her little dogs...she even fed them ice cream!

Jennie socialized best one-on-one. I am very lucky that I was able to visit her a number of times 2005 -2007. I have very fond memories of my weekends with her. The last couple times we visited, she told me that she had lived a long life and she was ready to die. She said she didn't understand why she was living so long, but God must have something else for her to do. I heard she went quickly, which was exactly what she was ready for.

Brad Graham

Brad, aka TheBrad, was known for a dinner event at South by Southwest he hosted called "Breaking Bread with Brad." I first met Brad in 2002 when I went to the Iron Cactus for BBwB. I didn't join the meal because I had already eaten. I sat at the bar which ended up being the best seat in the house because everyone had to walk by me to go to the restroom. It was a great night and I talked with many friends and met new ones. Eventually Brad came out and we met. He insisted that I join his party, which instantly made me feel welcomed. Brad made everyone feel welcome.

His sense of humor made me blush at times and he was always going 90 miles a minute. He brought so many of my good [blogger] friends together. I can't imagine what my life would be like without all those friendships made at SXSW.

Brad was only 41 when he passed. That's entirely too young. He is missed.

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

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Bentley on Brown

I'm planning a quilt so last night I got some cloth out. Chris and I laid it on the floor while we were calculating square footage. In a split second, Bentley was laying on top of the pile. What is it with dogs and cloth or clothing on the floor? I thought he matched the colors quite well and snapped a quick photo.

This Morning

So, so sweet. I love my little family.

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Thanksgiving

I have so much to be thankful for. My husband, my family, my friends, health, home, bicycles! On Thanksgiving day, we had a few friends over for a big meal. It was a wonderful feast and a really enjoyable day. The turkey turned out wonderfully, was exactly on time, and didn't stress me out at all. I have a really good life and am so thankful for it.

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