A nice suprise

Here's the other embroidery that was inpired by the over-priced clothing store. I'll probably put this on a wrist cuff or small bag or something.

The coolest thing happened today, an old friend of mine from high school, Angel, ran into my mom so mom gave her my number. She called me today while I was eating lunch at Taco Bell and it turned out she was actually right across the street! She drove over and we laughed and hugged and cought up on old times. I remember going to her wedding years ago and now she's got a 3 year old daughter! Time really flies I guess. She was really happy to hear that Brian and I are together and getting married soon. We were all in chorus together in high school and she remembers how he had a crush on me even then.

Running into Angel made me think of my 10 year high school reunion, it'll be next year. I hope that alot of people make it, I would love to see more of my old friends.

New Layout!

I decided to try a new layout since I've been sitting on the couch all evening.

I was feeling pretty crappy at work and took a half sick day. I just curled up in front of the TV and watched Shopgirl. I love that movie. The book is better but the ending of the movie makes me cry EVERY SINGLE TIME. I ended up sniffing quietly instead of bawling out loud cause Brian was there on the computer, ha ha. Eternal Sunshine does that to me to.

Steve Martin is a great writer, the book is one of my favorites, I just wish the movie was made a little better but I guess that's how movies made from books are.

More Craftiness!

Today Jackie and I went downtown to hang out and we stopped by this really cool clothing store. The only problem is that they were really overpriced for most of their items. They have mostly urban/indie streetwear so I really don't know how they can charge so much (shoes - $200, dress - $150, etc) Well I saw these really cute wrist cuffs made from fabric scraps and patches. I picked one up expecting about a $12 - $15 price tag. Nope, $35! Gimme a break! So I got inspired and headed to walmart and bought a little fabric, and a couple buttons. So 1 hour and about $4 later, I made my own. The one with the birds was the $35 one and I made the one with the cherry fabric. I've got tons of scraps that I could make these out of, I don't know what they were thinking charging so much.... I guess someone would pay for them but not me. ;)

The last pic is my completed cherries embroidery. Not too bad for a first try.

Workin out

Brian and I finally got around to checking out the gym here at our apt. complex. They've even got an indoor basketball court where I showed off my hoop-shooting skills... which are actually pretty pitiful, haha. But we had fun which is what counts. After that we took a dip in the pool. It was actually really nice since it was so quiet and peacefull at night. There are all these pretty trees that are lit by the pool lights, quite nice.

She's Crafty!

I've been a pretty crafty girl lately! I decided to break out the old sewing machine and try this:

Before

After!

I also decided to pick up this embroidery kit and see if I add this to my ever growing craft repotoire. It comes with thread, instructions, the hoop, and some iron on outlines. And of course, I'm using a thimble, my grandma would roll over in her grave if I didn't, haha. ;) As you can see there is a Huge difference between my first project and the pic of my heirloom tablecloth. It's just the corner of the cloth that has fruits embroidered ALL over it. We're talking months of work my grandmother and great aunts put into this and every stitch is perfect.

It's funny how I didn't get interested in knitting, sewing, or embroidery until several years after my grandmother's death, yet these traditional crafts make me feel very close to her. I remember the soothing sound of her knitting needles clicking as she sat in her easy chair, and the doll dresses she made me out of her fabric scraps.

Just putting the thimble on my finger and sewing a few simple stitches reminds me of the cross stitching I would do as I sat beside her as a child. She would show me the correct way to use the needle and chide me for not using my thimble. (Which is probably why I always use one now)

I've got a long way to go before I'll ever be as good as she was, but I'm looking forward to making a few heirlooms to pass on to my children. :)

Our day at the beach

 

Brian and I went to Topsail Beach today, it was such a gorgeous day.  Not to hot, with a nice breeze.  We brought our picknic bagpack and had sandwiches and potato salad.  I was a good girl and used spf 35 which is why I'm so pale.  Trying to keep from getting all wrinkly when I'm old.  ;)  
Even thought we only stayed for a little over an hour on the beach, the whole afternoon was very nice.  Just the act of driving through a peaceful coastal town is nice.  We also like looking at all the expensive beach houses.  We saw a little one with a big sign advertising that it was for sale for $400,000!!  It wasn't even right on the beach either.  It's amazing how much property costs in that area.  
We were talking about possibly renting a little place out there once a year to just relax and spend some time together.  Brian knows someone who owns a little beach house who might let us use it once in a while.  

Brian and I are going to try a new mediteranian restaurant on College Rd. tonight.  I hope it's good, we love hummas and greek salad and other goodies like that. Yum.

Guess where I am right now! ;)

Shopping Queen

Trying on some clothes at the mall

I had the day off and my wedding planning appt. was rescheduled so I decided to go shopping. I went to the Ivy Cottage to find some 3-tier serving trays for the wedding reception and found a really pretty one on sale. Then I decided to stop by the mall and I ran into Mark and Jarred on their lunch break. Mark went with me to Gamestop and bought me the Super Princess Peach game as a birthday gift.

I stopped in a store where I saw a cute top and walked out with 2 tops, 2 shirts, and a hoodie... *sigh* this is why I never go to the mall, I see too many things that I just HAVE to have. Other than Christmas shopping I must avoid the mall at all costs. ;)

New Hello Kitty Cellphone

Wow, this was just announced a few days ago... a new Benq-Siemens Hello Kitty Cellphone, it looks pretty slick. I wish it came in CDMA, I'd snatch it right up and activate it with my carrier.

I've wanted a Hello Kitty Cellphone for years but they only make them for overseas frequencies. Other than the Cingular prepay phone that came out about a year ago (it was pretty lame), you just can't get a Hello Kitty phone for the US.

I'm still holding out though, I'm really hoping to have one someday.

Went downtown for lunch

The other day I met Brian downtown for lunch at the Dock Street restaurant. They have the BEST crab dip in Wilmington, and I'm pretty finicky about crab dip but I always love theirs. I found a couple more birthday pics too, they were taken by my parent's camera.

Other than working on the wedding plans I've been playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on my pink DS lite, and I have to say that it's my favorite game ever. So fun and addicting. I pick on Brian because he plays computer games so much and now I'm getting it back for always having my DS in my hands.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I got myself a birthday treat, a pedicure and manicure! They even painted flowers on my nails for free as a birthday "special". Mom and Michael came down and we all went out to eat at Macaroni Grill. As you can see we like to color on the paper tableclothes. ;) I ordered a birthday cake from the lady who's making our wedding cake, and it was delicious as well as beautiful.
It was really nice having my parents here for the afternoon and spending time with them and Brian. After they left, Brian and I curled up on the couch and watched "V for Vendetta".

It's funny, but one of the smallest and best things about my birthday was blowing out the candle on my cake. I always make a wish, even though it seems silly, and I couldn't really think of anything to wish for. There isn't anything lacking in my life right now. So I just wished it could stay like this. I'm pretty lucky, and I hope I never forget that.

Blogging Milestone

I just realized that my little blog has had over 100 posts! It may not be much compared to other bloggers like Mie who've been posting for years, but I'm proud of myself gosh darn it! :) I've actually been online for years with an old (and very cheesy and now deleted) geocities site and a LiveJournal, but to me, real blogging is different.
You see, LiveJournals, Myspaces, and other communities like them offer a greater chance of "being found" but they've also got a lot of restrictions. For example, my LiveJournal is now friends only due to some drama that came up a couple years ago. So unless I knew you from before you're not going to be able to see any posts there.
But with blogs like this and Elle's and Eddie's I get sense of freedom and honesty that I don't see in community blogs. I posted it, it's out there for EVERYONE to see, and I stand by it, no going back. Feels pretty good actually.
It's also pretty funny how with as big as the internet is, it's still a small world after all. I found someone that I hadn't seen in years when someone randomly recommended a band's myspace, and there he was, an old friend from high school. I'm going to see him play this month and ask if he'll be going to the reunion next year.
I guess having a little milestone like this means the most because of what my blog really is, a record of how far I've come and where I'm going and who I am as I see myself. It's interesting to see how others see themselves and their lives too, even though most of us have never met in person before. But that's the magic of blogging.

Lovely day at the mall

Brian and I picked up Mark and had lunch at the mall and did a little shopping. I also was able to twist Brian's arm and get him a haircut while we were there. You can see his displeasure in how far his lip is sticking out, haha.
I went to bath and body works for some shower gel and I saw they had a Hello Kitty makeup display! They had lots of great items, but I settled on the lipgloss palate, I can't wait to use it tomorrow.

My baby came in today!!!

I ordered a Pink DS Lite from Japan last week and it came in today. Here in the states we've only got the white ones, but you know me, if I'm gonna have it, it's gotta be cute. ;)
I've been wanting one since I borrowed Marks last week. I already had the hello kitty GBA game and now I've got Harvest Moon: more friends of mineral town, warioware touched, and new super mario bros. Mark's letting me borrow trauma center.


It may be pink with a hello kitty charm hanging off it, but that didn't stop Brian from checking it out when we went to Ruby Tues. for lunch today, ha ha.

Getting older

I can't beleive I'll be 27 in a week! I guess I was so busy with the wedding plans that I didn't realise it was comming up. I'm looking forward to it though, my parents should be able to come down and we'll all go to dinner. I also ordered a birthday cake from the lady who's making our wedding cake. She's making me a chocolate cake with pink icing and roses, I can't wait to see it.

It's funny, when I was younger I thought my life would be a little different from what it is today. I thought I'd feel more "grown up" and that I'd have children already. Part of me feels like a responsible adult and the other like an unsure adolescent. But overall I'm pretty happy with my life and who I've turned out to be. :)

Dinner with Amanda and Tom

My friend from work, Amanda, was having some computer problems so Brian and I came over so he could have a look at things. Amanda's husband Tom made a great dinner of stir fry, crispy chicken, and rice and dumplings. It was a pleasant suprise, we would have been fine with something simple but they really made a great dinner for us.
Amanda and Tom live in a big two story house with a bunch of really cute cats and kittens. I asked Brian if we could take one of the kittens home and I got the "you MUST be joking" look. Ha, ha, oh well maybe after he's had a little more time to forget how much he hated living with my old cats I can try again. ;)
I really enjoyed spending the evening with another couple. Since Brian and I moved in together we've only been able to do that a few times. Either the house was a mess, or my schedule just didn't fit with anyone else's. I'm really hoping to do it more often after the wedding though. I should have more time to clean and decorate and I'd love to have Amanda and Tom over to our place so Brian can cook for them. I'd also love to have Jackie and her husband (another friend from work) and Chris and Christine (Brian's old roomates) over sometime too.

Downtown pic

I walked around downtown after meeting with the baker for the wedding and I saw this old boulding had gotten an interesting paint job. I love when something old is given character like this.
My tamagotchi is still alive which is pretty cool. ;) I decided to name him Edgar, haha. He's keeping me entertained for the moment. In other news the wedding plans are comming along well. I still can't beleive that it's a month and a half away! I'm getting really excited about it, I can't wait!

Tamagotchi!

Hows this for a blast from the past? Remember when tamagotchis came out? I remember having an alien one and a kitten one. This little guy was sitting at a game store in the mall looking pretty lonely so I adopted him, lol. He doesn't do much but I like having him on my desk.

Hello Kitty Candy

Dave came to visit yesterday and brought me some Hello Kitty candy. I haven't tried it yet but she sure looks adorable in that little cow outfit.

Sushi Lunch

Another "what I ate for lunch" post. I seem to enjoy taking pics of what I eat at Yokyo Deli the most, probably because it always looks so good. This time I've got miso soup and the "maki mix B" it comes with futomaki, cucumber roll and kampyo roll. As usual it was delicious.