shh...over here

i'm kinda hiding from my family right now. my mother is stressing me out a wee bit. i'm worried that i fucked up with my plane tickets home. i'm avoiding calls from the brother because i think he's calling about the coordinating of flights. ugh. oh, and, i've been working my ass off at, well, work. today i actually wrote in an email that i didn't have time to deal with something today. and could we deal with it at the appointed time because we have regular meetings to discuss occurences like this? somedays, i just want to throw things at people.

i know it doesn't help that i feel like i'm all swollen and crampy and sleep deprived. last night was great though. i met some friends downtown for movie in the park. for those non-chicagoans out there, it means that several thousand people gather to watch a classic movie on a big screen outside in a park. it's something i've done a few times over the years but had failed to do so this summer. basically, i've been a sucky chicagoan this summer. i've been working overtime to get that resolved though the past few days. it was my late night at work but i hopped on the train as quickly as i could and found my friends just as the movie was starting. i was greeted with hard lemonade and pie. it was excellent. and the movie was tootsie which i had never seen before but discovered it was pretty brilliant.

after i tried to get photos of my favorite parts of downtown chicago at night. but millenium park was all closed up and i got yelled at more than a few times. but, before i hit millenium park i visited buckingham fountain. i have only visited the fountain one other time while i've been in chicago! i know, i'm shocked my own self.

and this weekend i spent some time with my old roomie. we picniked at the beach. it was lovely. and then visited my little neighborhood festival with three stages and lots of art vendors. there were some things i really liked so sunday afternoon i went back and bought a couple of prints and a pin. i love the reactions i get from the pin. one of my students came by with a question and i showed him. his reaction was the exact same as mine - hysterical laughter. i've also been getting quite a few quizzical looks.this weekend is viva chicago - a latin music festival and i would like to go. but what i'm really hoping to remember to take time to see is the free opera pops concert and the free joffrey ballet show. how often does that happen? not every summer, let me tell you.

Fine, fine, to appease you all

We got a link to the pictures from the wedding yesterday evening. Here I am officiating.

I'll just say this because I feel like I need to, this is a picture from the professional photographer so please don't download this photo. It's not one of mine. Thanks.

For the little people

I'm trying again to post these three little projects. The first two are sweet crossover shirts that I embroidered for my friend and co-worker. They welcomed children eight and nine to their home in June. Twins girls, carried full-term, both weighing in at about 7 lbs. All I can say is that Mom is amazing.

And then there was a little boy born about four weeks ago. He is a first child and was carried past his due date. The pattern is from the same sheet as the little bird that I've stitched a couple of times. And here he is with his Auntie Mel. Rest assured that I have had some baby cuddling time recently.

lately

Monday morning I had to drive about an hour north for a meeting. To do someone else's job. That's always a super fun way to start the week, especially after having only one day off since I did work on Saturday. But I found this fun restaurant sign. It might have been worth the drive. I'm not sure yet...

This is part of my graduation gift from the brother and his wife. They're little flowers in the hair and they're from an artist in Britain. Here's her Etsy shop. I'm also wearing fun yellow earrings. And hurty shoes. I know they hurt my feet yet I wear them. I am stupid sometimes.

These were taken last week I think as I left work and the sunlight was golden.

Hydrangea, the newly bricked path, and the last one is for my friend A. for his nature room if he (and his parents) would like.

crazy times

Classes begin next week. Not for me. I'm done taking classes. Although I will be sitting in on a class that there is a high likelihood that I will end up teaching sometime. One of my favorite things is to see the traditional students make their way back. A few days ago I saw a freshman with his parents and mom was taking a picture of him.

One of my Latino student leaders came by to visit me and we had to have a hard conversation about her grades from this past semester because they were not good and that she was here for school and that I would be keeping an eye on them. Ugh. She's a darling, sweet girl with a huge heart but she's dealing with some things and shoots herself in the foot time and time again. I keep reminding her that even if she can't complete the assignment, she needs to turn in what she can. Even if it's a 10 page paper, turning in 3 pages or 5 pages is much better than turning in nothing.

I tell her this because I understand. I was that way, and probably still am to some degree. It's taken me actually working with professors to hear that side of things. Turn something in. Even if it was your rough draft it's better than getting a zero for the assignment.

I tried to post a show and tell last night but my borrowed internet seemed to be weak so it wouldn't update. I'll try to do that tonight again.

For all you folks with your projects and your children off to school and your babies at home, I hope that you are well.

The week's end

May your weekend bring you beauty and rest.

Happy and tired

You know, I'm not around lots of people that often these days. I find it exhausting to be with so many people at one time. I think I'm out of practice. It's one of those differences between introverts and extroverts I suppose.

But, overall, it was a lovely weekend. I enjoyed meeting the sister-in-law's family. They seem like nice people. The SIL has an older sister (by 12 years) and her husband and my brother are very similar. It's a little spooky how similar. Also, my poor brother, his car was having problems the day I flew in so, of course, my dad was trying very hard to talk him into getting a new car that weekend. As if there wasn't something else going on that maybe the brother should be focusing on. But I get the padre's concern. The brother clearly has a clunker and could get the full $4500 discount for it if he got a new car now while that is going on. While the ladies went out to get their pedis and manis and the mom got her hair dyed the men fetched flowers and went car hunting. Poor brother with both his father and father-in-law trying to sway him one way or another.

We did the bouquet and rest of the flowers and they lasted pretty well. I'm sure there are some special florist tricks that I don't know. The flower store I worked at was a European flower market and didn't do much with the arrangements so I don't know all the preservation/wiring devices which could be helpful in the future.

But the day of the ceremony was lovely. It was in Newport and there was a jazz festival going on that weekend so we were worried about the traffic getting there and left super early. The traffic was fine so we stalled some on the way to the venue since they weren't seeing each other before the wedding.They got married by a lighthouse. It was a lovely ceremony I think. I worked to customize it for them which I'm sure every officiant does. They wrote out some vows/remarks that they shared and also did traditional vows. The parents shared some words of wisdom. That part totally stressed my mom out. My dad winged it and got choked up. I was a little nervous at the beginning of the ceremony but that went away. We said the prayer of St. Francis together. I used Isaiah 54:2 as the starting place for my remarks. (Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes) They met while doing training on camping with troubled kids. I hadn't even made that whole tent connection until I had picked out the verse, so, all I can say is that I think it was definitely God. I mean, that's not exactly your traditional wedding verse. I have no pictures of me actually conducing the ceremony because, well, I was officiating. That would have been awkward. And no one else except the photographer has pictures of that part either since it would have been weird. But it was lovely.Hurrah! They're married. And off to Colorado. She went to school there and hasn't been back since and their accommodations are taken care of for the most part. And I'm back in Chicago. And back to work rushing around trying to get new students started.

T minus 96 hours and counting

Umm... Hi. I'm still here. Thankfully most of you that read this thing have decided to be my friend on facebook so you know that I'm still alive and kicking. Also, you should click on that picture up there because I think it's pretty good and have I mentioned I love my new camera?

It's been busy lately. I've been trying to get ready for this little shindig on Sunday. Putting together a wedding ceremony that is ecumenical but also reverent. Figuring out that the skirt I was trying to make (out of thrifted sheets) for the ceremony didn't look so fabulous. Saying stupid things to my future sister-in-law like "oh, I'll pick up the stuff for doing the flowers here, don't worry about that!" and declining a manicure and pedicure on Saturday so that I can go with the men to actually pick the flowers that will be used for the centerpieces. They've found an organic farm where they can get a bucket or two of flowers for like, $30 or something. Then we'll make the centerpieces and bouquet and all that stuff. But I don't know that I trust the men with the picking task while the women are all out getting pedis and manis. And my mother gets her hair dyed. The day before the wedding. I've warned her that may not be the best idea.
Also, because this is my blog, can we just chat a little bit about the difficulties of the officiating sister's wardrobe? If I was all preachery and stuff and actually did this for a living I would probably have a decent wardrobe from which to pick an appropriate outfit for officiating a wedding. A blend-into-the-background-but-still-nice-looking kind of wardrobe selection. I have a great red suit. I know that's incredibly shocking to those of you that know me. I love it. But it's not quite the blend into the background wear. Also, since it's the brother's wedding, I can't just throw on something that I've had for a few years. No, I needed something new to wear. That will match other people, and not have a large amount of cleavage showing (believe me, this is one of the hardest parts, as the girls, they are big and most fancy dresses are cleavage happy) because I am officiating and should be modest. I thought I would modify (read: actually follow the directions for drafting the pattern) the pattern for the wrap skirt I made for Easter which, in all opinions, turned out really well but is a bit large around the waist. And... well, that didn't go so great. I tried it on and it was not brother's wedding officiant quality. It was rather...loud. Which, normally, I'm not against loud. I can get away with loud. But not for this particular occasion. I might, however, wear it for the rehearsal.

So, I went to plan B. I have some cropped, linen-looking pants I bought about a month ago. They are a dark grey and I haven't worn them yet so they are technically still new and I had gotten a new white shirt (to wear with the loud skirt) which I think will be a great brother's wedding officiant outfit. My parents bought me a stole when they were in NM at some point this summer. I don't know that I'll wear it. We'll see. I was also thinking that I would like to wear my squash blossom necklace that was my grandmother's. I tried it this morning with the white shirt and it looks pretty stunning. The stole and the necklace might be a bit much though.

And last night I went shopping for some new undergarments. They are incredibly boring for the most part but I realized a few months ago that I don't have those incredibly boring undergarments that are, at times, essential. For instance those times when you need a very plain bra for wearing underneath a white shirt whilst performing your brother's wedding ceremony. It may not happen again, but if such an occasion presents itself, I'll be ready with the foundational garments.

I've also been wondering if I want a new suitcase. Because I would like a simple carry-on suitcase as airlines have begun charging for checked baggage. But is this particular event the time to worry about minimizing clothes selection to fit into one of those little suitcases? So I've been looking at suitcases. Which is kind of a stupid waste of time. And depressing because suitcases are expensive.

But! What is not depressing and expensive were these shoes. These are wedding ceremony shoes people! Target. $12.00 on sale. I thought I would take them out for a test drive today.
They're pointy cobalt blue flats. I kind of love them.