Princess Stella and the thief

She's so regal.


And here's a photo of our tulips, minus EIGHT! Some retard CUT 8 of our tulips right out of our flower bed, which is right in front of our window! Who does that!!!??? We were very upset to say the least. But the rest are still very pretty.

Surprise!

As a special graduation gift for Brett, I took him to Moab. He hadn't been there before and I was sick of the cold. So we drove down Saturday morning, May 3, and came back Monday. We went to Arches National Park and hiked to Landscape Arch and the Delicate Arch. They were AMAZING! You've seen pictures of the Delicate Arch, but in person it's breathtaking! You can walk out and touch it and take pictures in front of it. It's so beautiful.

Of course neither of us thought about sun screen, so we got some major sunburns, that still haven't stopped pealing, but it was totally worth it. It was a great break and a great time to spend together after so much time being apart because of school.

The day has come!

The skies have opened and the angels are singing (or maybe I'm the one singing), Brett finally graduated from the U!!! He received his BFA in Printmaking. He will be staying at his current job because they have given him a promotion so his new title will soon be Computer Tech. He'll be making more money and learning more about web design, which will be good for his future career in the graphic design field.

The day of his graduation we woke up and realized the power was out and it was lucky we had woken up on time. Brett had checked the time for the University commencement so he knew he had to be there by 8:20 am for the procession. Our neighbor graduated too and needed a ride, so we got her and got on the road at 8:20. So yes, of course we were late. But thankfully the graduates made it just in time and we didn't miss any of it. As I sat there next to an older lady that was watching her granddaughter graduate, I was holding back the tears. The speaker asked those that had helped the graduates to stand. First the mothers, then fathers, then spouses. As I stood the older lady looked at me, smiling and said "Congratulations!" We had done it! I couldn't believe the day was finally here. We had worked hard to make the money to pay for the past 3 years of his schooling (not to mention the first 4 years he alone had worked hard for the money to pay for it) and had to make many compromises with our relationship, so he would have the time to go to school and do his homework. We really haven't spent much time together since we got married. So the thought of having him home at 5:30 pm instead of the usual 9 or 10 pm was so foreign, and extremely exciting! I'm so proud of him, I know how difficult it would have been for me to have been married while in school, so all I can say is thank you Brett for doing it! You're my hero and I couldn't be more proud of you! I love you so much, GRADUATE!!

Here are some photos of the blessed occasion. That's him walking away after he got his diploma, I missed them calling his name, the stupid camera went to sleep and I couldn't get it working fast enough!








That night we had a party at his cousin's house, we got an awesome and delicious cake, and all of his cousins, his parents and Granty and Anna came to celebrate (except Grant wasn't very nice, maybe you should work on that Anna! HA!). We had a great time! Thanks Alley for giving us your house for the night!


We had another party the next day at my brother's house, my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, grandpa and aunt came to congratulate him. We had a great time! Thanks mom and dad for providing most of the food and Wil and Bec for your house. We love you guys!

Sidebar: Some know that when you ask me what the best day of my life has been so far, I say the day I graduated from college. It even trumps my wedding day! (I worked really hard to get through it and if you had any clue how hard the program was I was in, you would totally get this) But now, this day, the day Brett graduated from college, is in a close race for that title. Check back with me when we have kids, maybe that will trump them all, but I secretly doubt that! HAHA.

Emulation of Jan-Michael Vincent

Now that I've graduated, I've had to come up with replacement things to occupy my newly spare time. Some of that time is spent being productive, and the rest of the time I just waste. One of the productive things I've been doing brings me back to my past - 1984 to be specific. That was the year that:

"A renegade pilot and his partner "steal" an advanced battle helicopter that they feel would be used unethically by its owners, a secretive U.S. intelligence agency. They agree to continue flying it on missions for the agency in exchange for the agency's help locating the pilot's missing brother."

The name of that pilot was Stringfellow Hawk. Teamed up with his long-time friend and partner Dominic Santini, the two of them piloted Airwolf!!!! Airwolf is a high tech helicopter created by a government agency called "THE FIRM". The scientist who created it, is also a bit deranged, he steals it and takes it to Libya. Deputy Director Michael Colesmith Briggs, codenamed Archangel, who oversaw the Airwolf project has to try and get it back. Stringfellow Hawke, the only other man other than the creator who knows how to fly Airwolf. With this advanced technology, Stringfellow and Dominic fly all around the world fighting injustices, usually instigated by South American gorillas, communist Russia, or communist Cuba.

I never realized how much this show impressed me as a 4 year old, and I didn't realize it until I started watching the show again. Looking back now, I subconsciously tried to look like Jan-Michael Vincent, and part of it is evident in my school pictures with my feathered hair. In addition to the hair, for some reason, I thought I would look more cool if I slightly inflated my cheeks with air and squinted. If you remember much about the show, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't remember anything about the show, maybe you will at least remember the theme song:

Richmond vs. the Five Senses

This past week, I found myself in Virgina for the Southern Graphics Council annual print conference. I'll tell you what, I found myself a little bit out of my comfort zone. Before this, the furthest east I had ever been was South Dakota. Apparently, things get more boring as you head east until you cross the mighty Mississip, that's when my preconceived notions of the world flipped in their head. In this new world, this small-town boy became perfectly aware of absolutely everything happening around me because it was all so new. Come with me--let's recap the happenings.

Sight.
I feel comfortable around black people. However, that confidence wavers a little when you find yourself at a bus station in D.C., being 1 of 3 white people in a crowd of 50, and you look like you might have some nice things. Good thing I packed my angry eyebrows before I left.

Richmond fit the stereotypical look I thought it would have; lots of trees, red brick houses and white pillars. I really didn't have much time to look around the city since I was watching demonstrations and listening to speakers all day, but it was nice to see spring for a moment before returning home to 1.5 inches of snow on the ground.

Sound.
There is nothing more annoying than a group of artists at a gallery opening. Several nights were filled with the sounds of yuppies and sycophants trying to impress the crowd with their artistic prowess. With intellects diluted by the free booze, the group stands in front of a piece and argues over possible meanings while trying to "name drop" as many classic and contemporary artists they can remember from past arguments they've been in. Sometimes, a tree is just a tree. Or, maybe I'm the one that doesn't get it.

Smell.
This reminds me of the .75 star, yet very cost friendly, hotel I stayed in - the Econolodge. What is it that makes their prices so economical? My first guess would be maintenance, and my second guess would be the staff. Anyone running a hotel can have prices that low if there is little to no expense in these two areas. I'm not trying to be negative about it, but it's hard to have good things to say about the room when all you can smell is shower must and deoderizers. If I had packed an extra pair of socks, I would have worn them while I showered.

There are many smells you encounter when riding Greyhound and most of them are bad. I'm blaming it on price. People don't smell too bad on airplanes because they are expensive. The strangers-to-showers bums and hobos are able to beg for bus-fair, and it's easy to spot those odors. No, it's the untrustworthy bowels of the elderly that randomly assault you.

Taste.
Every morning, the conference would provide the equivalent of a complimentary breakfast. The resourceful starving artist in me saw this as a chance to procure some groceries for the day. The rest of the time, I spent with one of my friends from class. He being a vegan, I was a little worried about the places we would end up eating and what kind of tasteless, fake meat I was going to have to tip for. The menu did accommodate both our dietary needs, but I never got to try the southern bbq I've only heard about on tv. Maybe next time.

Touch.
I spent one night in D.C. with my sister-in-law and her family. When I was told I'll be sleeping in the basement, my nephews tried to scare me by telling me that all the dismembered doll parts in the closet were going to tickle my uvula and kill me in the night. Kids will be kids, right? As I was getting ready for bed, I closed the door to the basement and started changing into my pajamas. As I was changing, I thought I heard a little bell ringing. I dismissed it till I heard it again - that's when my mind opened to the possibility of doll parts marching across the floor and up my bed like ants on a mission to tickle my uvula. Around 2.30 a.m. is when these doll-ants attacked. Two steps on my back and I was awake and able to see the culprit. Kitty was trying to make friends with me. Her timing was just a little bad.


It's good to be home.

The Foutain

If you are in the mood for a hauntingly, beautiful and heart wrenching love story, go rent the movie, The Fountain. It's hard to explain what it's about, other than to say it's about a love that transcends all boundaries. It's beautifully done, more like watching a painting than a movie. The visuals are amazing and the music is just as good. If you're anything like me, you'll probably cry too, but it's worth. It was a great movie! Not the best movie to watch while I'm nervous about Brett being out of town and traveling on the Greyhound bus at all hours of the night, but none the less, worth it.

Discoveries!

Yesterday was a big day for our little Stella. First she discovered her tail, and how fun it is to chase it around in a circle. She spent about 10 minutes chewing on it, then she started chasing it for about the same amount of time. Then this morning, she discovered her shadow and apparently she does NOT like it! Brett said she came screaming out of the kitchen and anytime she would get close to the light, she would back away from it.

She's got a hard life.