Mission{s} Accomplished

I have been a very bad blogger. I must make up for it over the holidays. My goal is to write every single day when I am in Tulsa.

While I am running, my thoughts often wander. I pass things that are so wonderful to see, I look out to the water and just think to myself...I wish I had a voice diary I could share everything I see on these runs. One of my favorite runs, that is now becoming my most unfavorite bc I am so gosh darn sick of it....I pass all the great restaurants on Balboa on the way to the water. It's the fresh cheese pizza, mediterranean grape leaves and hummus, chicken wings from Brewco, mexican yummy fajitas, and the list goes on and on. How tempting and torturing while you run to take whiffs on your favorite grub.

Today, I took the same route but I switched it up a bit and increased the length....TO SIX MILES. Yes, yes indeed I sure did run 6 freaking miles today. Oh the sense of accomplishment I am feeling at this moment.

I saw some funny things today along my run that are worth sharing. Mutt Lynch's had a sign up that read: Drink Triples, See Double, Act Single. I thought that was real clever. I passed a beach house that had a sign on the patio that read: Don't analyze your pleasures in life. That's a good saying. I think I shall adopt it today. I woke up feeling so guilty about all that cookie dough I consumed last night when I couldn't sleep. I kept pondering on it....why did i do it? It only tastes heavenly for one second. And you know what? I just need to let it go. Bc hell....maybe I deserved the darn cookie dough.

This week is finals and I just finished one of my major projects for sketching. I stress out about all these assignments and somehow I end up getting them completed in ample time. I have to go to the sewing lab today and finish up one of my drafting assignments but for the first time all quarter, I finished our garment in sewing lab last Friday so that is DONE. Almost as good of a feeling to have that out of the way as my running. I have a huge exam tomorrow in Fabric Identification and its the only class I am worried about my grade in and I haven't cracked a book for it. Yikes. The clock is ticking and I must take Romeo on a bike ride before I begin my last tasks of the day.

Sew it is

I completed my first garment! Considering I had never even sat down at a sewing machine, had no knowledge of how to even thread a needle, this is huge guys. It takes serious patience. And, that is not one of my strong suits. So leading up to this garment completion, we have learned all sorts of different methods, seams, on different parts of clothing...but never put anything together per say. My blood pressure rapidly increased as I watched our professor explain the different steps involved with creating this shirt. We spend an entire afternoon in the sewing lab and not once have I completed our entire assignment before the lab is over. I have to go back during the week to finish our assignment, which most people do. So, this assignment I was most definitely going to be spending time in the sewing lab. Much to my surprise, I completed about 75% of the shirt before lab was over. Yesterday, I went back to sew the sleeves into the sleeve openings. The sleeves were tricky to say the least. The puff around the top of the shoulder, we used a method called crimping...and this shit ain't easy kids. I normally have to rip out my seams at least twice before I get them just right...not this time...first time. Kind of proud of myself. So are you ready to see the end product? It is nothing fancy but considering it consists of 6 pieces put together with 4 darts...its harder than it looks. And NO i will not be wearing it. It's minature, not that i would wear it anyway. Do do you know what goes into making a roll up cuff puff sleeve? Ok check this out....

p.s. do you see my lovely flowers in my backyard?

Run Forest

I came up with some stellar motivation today to run. Everytime I have a conversation w someone about my goal, it holds me more accountable. My friend Jen is on me to sign up for this half and I think the reason why I haven't done is bc I am scaaaaaaared...and I guess just lazy and haven't gotten around to it. But I am committing myself to doing it asap.

So today, I ran 5.5 miles. Well 5.58 to be precise. My watch told me. And I tell you what, it felt real good. I wasn't even struggling the entire time, and I kind of almost enjoyed it. I mean this isn't the hardest terrain. I hit 4 miles and had a grand idea...I would just stop by my friend Taryn's at the beach on 41st and have her take me home. Because my goal was 4 miles today. Once I hit 4 and I wasn't dying, I talked myself into pushing through and just running the rest of the way home. Now, we won't get into how much actual time it took me. EEEeeeek....I have to improve my pace.

So today was an accomplishment. I am going to give myself a big pat on the back and then go chow chipotle. Ha.

You know you want some Mac n Cheese Now

Today I woke up pretty darn unmotivated. After rockin my to do list yesterday which included steam cleaning the carpets, grocery store, prepare for mac n cheese cook-off, run the dogs, clean my room, do 2 loads of laundry, pick up my mom from the airport and then the iron chef games began at 5pm....I couldn't get it together this morning. Finally, I made it to Kinko's to print off all my new garments to sketch this week...because ugh i lost a cable to my printer and i have to keep going to Kinko's which is a huge pain in my ass. So...I ended up accomplishing a lot. But, I tell you what...Monday's are the absolute worst days for me to workout. I dread it and dread it, all day long. I am meeting Mom at spin at 4:15, so i had to think about the dreadful task all day.

I won 2nd place last night in our homemade mac n cheese contest. Nick and I cooked at Nissa's and Courtney and BV cooked

at Brian's. John put an entire spreadsheet together after the votes were in. I was so sick of looking and smelling cheese for the last 2 hours, I barely tasted any. Pretty sure mine was the best though. It was made w Gouda cheese, carmelized onions, and apple honey bacon. YumO. Lindsay Harrison gave me a precious Anthropologie apron for my bday, so I was stoked to get to utilize it. Nick is like #1 cook so he was all tooting his own horn, confident he would win and so we all found it quite humorous he got 4th place. He made it with lobster and crab which was delicious but it was sort of more of a pasta dish than actual mac n cheese. Lovely end to the weekend in which contributed to the 5 lbs I have to loose before 2 weeks. Eeeek.

31 years

Today is my 31st Birthday. Ahhh. Taking it much better than I did my 30th. In fact, I almost forgot it was my birthday. I celebrated w my family and Oklahoma friends this weekend in Tulsa. It was great to have all my favorite loved ones in one room for dinner. My favorite gift was this fancy Garmin GPS training watch/heart rate monitor. How cool is this?

I am training for the Huntington Beach Half Marathon in February and I am telling you what...this is a must have. I have to have something to push me, to track my time and miles, to navigate me. I haven't quite figured out all the crazy features but I did run 4.5 miles this morning to the beach, down the boardwalk and home.

I have so much homework due tomorrow and I didn't have any time this weekend so I spent my birthday cramming it all in. I have a few things left to do but for the most part, I accomplished a lot. I managed to treat myself to a bagel sandwich at lunch and Romeo went along for the ride. I am now contemplating going to get my nails done and a back massage from my favorite chinese lady, "Happy"...Yes, her name is Happy and she makes me happy.

I must say, facebook makes you feel quite special and remembered on your birthday. Wow...the amount of happy birthdays are incredible.

Sisters baby shower pics to come.

Boggity Blog

I haven't written in so long, don't even know where to begin.

First things first....school. Watch Project Runway tonight! My sketching teacher is on as a guest! He rocks the casa. Make you laugh your ass off. Midterms are coming up and I have so many projects due. Sort of starting to stress me out but I have to remind myself this is fun, and I like what I am learning about. I have to catch up on my sewing assignments in the lab today for like 3 yawn hours. It gets hot in there and ahhhhhh I just remembered I left my darn glasses at my moms. I can barely see close up without them. Gosh I sound like my mom.

I am off to Okie town this weekend and today is jammed packed, tomorrow is class from 9-5 and Lindsay will be here to help me clean out my closet. Yay. I mean she gets a good portion of hand me downs I just don't care to wear for a second time...so don't feel too sorry for how she will be spending her Friday night. So in Tulsa Saturday to Monday. I have Tuesday, which is MY BIRTHDAY!!!! to get all my sketches done and all my fabric samples purchased for Wednesday. Not the way I wish to spend my birthday gosh darnit.

So this weekend should be a fabulous fall Oklahoma weekend. OSU vs TX football game on Saturday w my besties. Sunday is my big sisters baby shower in which I have planned a lot for so hope all goes well. Sunday night is my bday dinner w my friends and family. Monday I am spending the day w Allison and her precious angel girls. Pray for my health....if I get sick...I am going to hunt down that human who spread their nasty boogery germs.

So I am off to accomplish every task on my list today.

See what the rain does?

Yesterday was quite a day folks. Let me start off by explaining that my drive to LA wasn't as bad as expected. Pretty uneventful until my last class, Sketching with super awesome teacher. If you could just hear some of the things he says...you would be just as entertained.

During class, he was explaining to us how to sketch a raglan t-shirt. A student had one on and he said to her, "Girl, can you please stand up and show us your shirt. And no I am not looking at your ta-ta's but you sure do have some pretty ones...but girls they do nothing for me." It was classic. This girl was blushing poor thing.

Class lasted an eternity and I swear there is no way I could get through it without being entertained by this teacher. I was anxious to get to my sister's up in LA and see their new house...only 30 minutes away. So I make it to my car and it has been pouring rain all day. I look like a wet terrier puppy by the way, stretched out bf jeans & wife beater and my wellies, total slob. All I wanted was to lay on the couch. I get to my lil red bug to notice hmmmm why would I be so dumb as to leave the lights on this morning. Yep, did it again. Car is in fact dead. (This just happened to me 2 weeks ago!) I was about to loose my mind but I stayed calm. Called roomate that gave me my AAA card info I left behind. AAA came within 15 minutes. Thank god. Can you just picture it....dark, 9pm, blonde in a red bug, bums everywhere, downtown LA, car dead. Not a cool situation. I wanted to hug the AAA driver and tip him. He gave me a jump and I was on my way to see my very favorite dogs...my niece, Emma and newphew, Truman.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Personally, I hate the rain. It just causes trouble and inconveniences. I am sure 90% of people would disagree w my extreme hatred towards the rain. I woke up this morning way too early, 5:30am, to go to spin/yoga. Let me tell you how hard it is to get out of bed when it is raining. It's one thing when it's cold, but raining? Sheeesh my puggle said please mama stay in bed! I got up though. Made it down the street and had my workout and came home. Romeo hates the rain too. I took him on a walk when I got home and he just looked up at me after a block and said to me, "Make it stop Mom!" I knew that is what he was thinking. So off to school I go. California drivers have no clue how to handle their vehicles in the rain so I can guarantee you there will be 50 accidents on my way to LA. At least I get to wear my wellies today!

On a Roll

I am on a roll...I am sure my writing inspiration will die down once school picks up. But for now...I shall entertain you.

It rained here in Cali in the middle of the night and I woke up and thought to myself...What a foreign sound? I haven't heard or seen any type of a drizzle from the sky in months and months. Which is just the way I like it. So today it was dreary and overcast and a bit of a sprinkle so I opted for the gym treadmill instead of my normal beach run. Oh and boy was that a bad decision. I was reminded all over again why I don't step foot in that place. It's just plain horrible. I like to get my weights done and get the hell out of there and do my cardio outside. Today folks...the treadmill row was quite the scene. The girl to the right of me was your typical OC blonde, fake boobs, skinny, fake tan but her actions were just straight blowing me away. Just picture said girl bobbing her head up and down, belting out her tunes, air punching, the whole shabang. Pretty funny stuff.

The girl to my left was a hardcore athlete with all the gear on but one thing was a little off...she was wearing a knit hat. The kind of hat was like the ones we wore as kids, our grandmas knitted for us. Very strange.

I ran 4 miles in 40 minutes...definitely room for improvement if I am going to run this half in February. Ahhh!

I treated myself to a little chipotle love after my workout. I looked down and realized that indeed I was wearing a Kappa sorority sweatshirt circa 1999. My 31st birthday is in a couple weeks and this is a sure way to make yourself feel 19 again....just throw on some sorority attire and there you go. Woah, embarrassing.

Fall has Fallen

I like being festive during the holidays. Last year, I didn't get to carve pumpkins and this year, I was determined. Ross and I invited our gang over for some Sunday Funday action. I made chili, pumpkin bread, and we had girl chat w our cocktails while the boys watched football. It is getting a little chilly here at night, but during the day it is still gorgeous. We sat in the sun and carved away. Romeo and Ryder dressed up to add to our entertainment.

I carved a ghost, Kristin carved something unrecognizable, Maggie a jack-o-lantern and Michala a perfect witch. Good times...

First day at FIDM

So I thought i would recap my day for everyone bc it sure was interesting. Being in the real world for almost 7 yrs...i have a whole new outlook on this thing they call school. Today i had to go to the LA campus which is in downtown and hope and try to get in two classes i needed. Both of which i was able to get into.

I had to park 2 blocks away and pay $7 per day to this mexi attendant and petrified to leave him my keys...so i refused. I made my way inside and upon my arrival i immediately was awstruck. These people you guys...wouldn't believe it....this chic has a full head of bright pink dreads...dudes w crazy hats on, skin tights jeans, huge 6" heels, tiny asians w fuschia hightops on and the most unreal thing to me....PEOPLE USE ROLLING BAGS INSTEAD OF BACKPACKS? Huh? I mean, by no means am i joining that crowd.

So my first class is fabric identification and textiles is a pre-requisite but i got my textile class transfered(you non merch. people won't get these terms, sorry). So this teacher is a man from FIT in NYC and has been in the industry as a lace manufacturer for years. He seems pretty cool. And did you know that there is something called www.ratemyprofessor.com? I mean where was this when we were in school? So girl next to me told me abt it and that this teacher has good reviews. Good thing. So immediately he is throwing out terms i hadn't heard in nearly a decade: weft, warp, pile, hydrophilic, etc. etc. and so basically i have a lot to review. This guy overloaded us w info.

I had 3 hours btwn classes where i sat in the garden area and watched a man w a ginormous eagle w a leash show off. Outlandish, ya? So Panini Cafe is across the street so i went to eat my fav mediter. dinner:) Went over my notes 500 times and decided to go campout for some more people watching. Soooooo many gay boys w tight jeans that fall to their ankles basically. It is really a scene. Oh and one chic is like 6'5" w spikey purple hair.

So my next class was at 6pm which i was so incredibly apprehensive about bc i never once took a night class in college. My brain turns off at 5pm. I had to do some real mental prep for this. So i walk in and this professor is an absolute blast. Just picture project runway designer x 10. As gay as it gets. Walks in and is like "heeeeeeey girlies...." swishing his butt. He cusses the entire class. Tells a girl she needs to go home and have a bottle of wine bc she has been at school since 7am. So he is a designer and has a collection and the name has left my memory for the evening but i will think of it in a sec. so this is his side job...he says i don't have to do this girls...i just love looking at your pretty faces and giving back. he was a student at FIDM years ago and loves the school. He has like 3 assistants and dresses to the nines. I mean you talk about total entertainment. Oh did i mention this class is sketching? Oh ya....and its beginner. We had to draw and he went around and held everyones up and made fun of them basically but it was hilarious. I was laughing the entire class. So we finally get to leave at 8pm and i have literally a huge ginormous canvas bag w supplies falling out the top and all kinds of crap in my hands. It was not a fun walk back to my car where a bum was laying behind my car. Ewww. I made the long truck home, an hour, and sitting calmly on my couch w no noises. Joyous. Oh, and a glass of wine of course.

So that was a day in the life of...