Dun..dun...Duuuuuuuuuunnnnnn....Have you been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear the latest and greatest on the kidney front? Well wait no longer! Let me bring you up to speed with a quick update.
When we left off last week, I had talked to the nurse coordinator, *C*. She'd gotten the signature on my paperwork that she was waiting for and she was still waiting for a note from my dad's hematologist. She expected to have it by the end of the week (again) and would call me just as soon as she had it.
Well that was a Tuesday and on Wednesday I was at work when I noticed she'd called...twice. What...the...crap? So unlike her! I hoped nothing was wrong. I gave her a call back and she said she couldn't find my "vitals" test results. In all of my experience with doctors and such, "vitals" has always meant vital signs (blood pressure, etc.). I remember at the start that she mentioned something about needing "vitals", but then promptly forgot about it. I mean they take my vitals every time I visit one of the doctors' offices so I've had them done about a zillion times already. Well when she called I realized we'd never done an official vitals test at the clinic and I thought, hey, no biggie. I told her I'd run in after work and get them done. She told me to go to the lab. hmmmm...ok. Never had vital signs taken at the lab, but sure, why not? When I go there, they bring me back to the blood draw room with 7 (count them, 7) tubes. Naturally my curiousity got the best of me so I asked, what did we miss doing? Apparently, in the kidney donation world, vitals meant blood tests for blood typing, testing for Epstein Barr Virus (EBV, which can indicate if you have or have had mono), testing for syphilis, testing for HIV, and testing for another virus that escapes my memory at this moment. Kind of important things to know before you give someone major surgery. Good news is that I saw my test results online today and everything is negative, except one EBV antibody. I like the Intermountain website because it has a link to a site that explains all the tests, what's normal, etc. That site told me that the antibody I was positive for shows up if you get mono and stays in your system for the rest of your life. The other EBV antibody showed negative and that one is more of an indication if you recently were infected. So from what I gathered, I must have had mono at one time or another in my life. Not all that unusual so I'm not too concerned about that test result. But I'm no doc, so we'll see what they have to say.
I thought, I need to call *C* and get an update since I know the results are in. Then I received an email from my insurance company telling me my claim was processed. Huh? What claim? I look it up and it's the kidney CT and I may owe $93. (I can't remember if I mentioned before, my insurance is not supposed to get billed for any of this.) Well, I thought, I needed to call her anyway so now seems like a good time. I called the office and I asked is *C* available? (for some reason I'm feeling the need now to protect her identity..keep reading for why) They said do you mean *CD*? I said yes, and the receptionist says "oh, she's no longer with us. *B* is taking over her cases" I was shocked. In fact, I'm sure the receptionist could tell because I literally said "huh? umm....ooookaaaayyyy.....weeeeelll...." and kept stumbling for words. I told the receptionist why I was calling and she said "I'll have *B* give you a call when he is available and I'll have you leave a voicemail for our billing guy and he can take care of the insurance mixup". I hung up the phone thoroughly in shock. And then I texted my dad to let him know. He was shocked as well.
New thoughts....Why is she not there? "she's no longer with us" sounds to me like that decision was not hers. However, as I think I've made clear from previous posts, she didn't give off warm fuzzies about being in that position either. So it could have entirely been her choice. It's impossible to guess what happened, but I'm just nosey enough to be reeeeally curious.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Only time will tell. I can hope that *B* is slightly more proactive and gives off the sense of urgency that I've been feeling is missing. But of course I won't know until I talk to him. Now if her absence is not her choice, was there something in her performance that caused her dismissal? If so, does this mean that I can't trust what I've been told about where our case is today? Ugh, just the thought of that stresses me out. I soooo don't want more delays. Of course, I want everything to be as accurate as possible so if delays are necessary, then so be it. But it doesn't make me want them.
****DISCLAIMER****** All of my feelings above are my initial, knee-jerk reactionary conjectures. I literally started writing this directly after getting off that phone call. None of my thoughts are based on any real information. The clinic did not divulge any info they shouldn't have. There are a million reasons why *C* could be gone, many of them perfectly benign. In other words, I have no clue why she's gone. I'm just shocked and confused.***End of DISCLAIMER****
So we'll see more when I talk to *B*, but here's hoping things start moving along at a more fitting pace.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Waiting Game
Kidney Donation Update.....we're still waiting. I called last week and the nurse coordinator said that one of my doctors had to sign a report and that she needed a note from my dad's hematologist. Later that day my dad talked to her and gave her a contact name at the hematologist's office. She said she should have everything by the end of last week so I called again today (hoping to have an updated to post). She got the signature, but not the note. So she said she'd be calling the hematologist again today and she'd call me as soon as she gets it.
I'm going to get a little candid here. I have mixed feelings about this. I don't want to be unreasonable. I only call her maybe once a week and when I do I just ask for an update, not chew her out for not calling me yet. I don't know if it's just her normal tone, but I feel like she's sort of annoyed whenever I call. Also, I cannot think of a time that she has called me without me soliciting her to do so. Usually I have to call and leave a message or two before I actually have her on the phone. She hasn't been very proactive in other words.
I realize that as a coordinator, (I am one too, just for programs instead of kidneys) a lot of your job is dependant on other people. Other people can make you seem unresponsive when the truth is, it is them you are waiting on. At the same time, though, this can be an easy scapegoat. If you feel guilty you're not being as responsive as you should be, you can always say someone else is holding things up. There's a lot involved in this very serious process. I don't want things rushed that should have more attention (ie. interpreting tests, etc.), however, I do want to feel like our case is being handled with a sense of urgency. I know that every case should have urgency in this field of work and it must be hard to keep up with that. Even still, I can't help but get a little agitated that we're not to the point of scheduling the surgery yet. Until it's scheduled I won't feel like it's official and getting that "stamp" of approval would help relieve some of my anxiety. I don't have enough insight to be able to pass a detailed judgement on how the process is going for us, but based on my instincts, I'm not thrilled with where we are.
I'm glad I'm keeping this record because I have to wonder if other donors and recipients go through this same thing. None of these types of details were in the donor experiences I read. Is this normal or did we draw the short straw? Hopefully my experience will help other people down the road.
Want to know what I've been up to while waiting? Have look here!
I'm going to get a little candid here. I have mixed feelings about this. I don't want to be unreasonable. I only call her maybe once a week and when I do I just ask for an update, not chew her out for not calling me yet. I don't know if it's just her normal tone, but I feel like she's sort of annoyed whenever I call. Also, I cannot think of a time that she has called me without me soliciting her to do so. Usually I have to call and leave a message or two before I actually have her on the phone. She hasn't been very proactive in other words.
I realize that as a coordinator, (I am one too, just for programs instead of kidneys) a lot of your job is dependant on other people. Other people can make you seem unresponsive when the truth is, it is them you are waiting on. At the same time, though, this can be an easy scapegoat. If you feel guilty you're not being as responsive as you should be, you can always say someone else is holding things up. There's a lot involved in this very serious process. I don't want things rushed that should have more attention (ie. interpreting tests, etc.), however, I do want to feel like our case is being handled with a sense of urgency. I know that every case should have urgency in this field of work and it must be hard to keep up with that. Even still, I can't help but get a little agitated that we're not to the point of scheduling the surgery yet. Until it's scheduled I won't feel like it's official and getting that "stamp" of approval would help relieve some of my anxiety. I don't have enough insight to be able to pass a detailed judgement on how the process is going for us, but based on my instincts, I'm not thrilled with where we are.
I'm glad I'm keeping this record because I have to wonder if other donors and recipients go through this same thing. None of these types of details were in the donor experiences I read. Is this normal or did we draw the short straw? Hopefully my experience will help other people down the road.
Want to know what I've been up to while waiting? Have look here!
Monday, October 18, 2010
All A-"Board"
There I go being funny again. Sometimes I just can't help myself. Ok so if you read the crochet blog you may have seen This post by Kami. If you don't, why not already?! Go there and read it and then come back. I'll wait.....
dum de dum de dum de dum....
Done? Brilliant! Ok so I thought I'd throw in a little addendum about the board and how it came to be. I know how important it is to display the goods you want to sell in an asthetically pleasing manner. I'm still working on acquiring those skills, but I thought I'd give it a shot. So I went off to the big "W" to grab some splies (read:supplies).
Alrighty, what do we have here? We've got some cute scrabook paper with the same color theme as the ribbons and the board, some batting, some fabric (which I'm in love with btw), some markers I didn't end up using (but what the hey, they're fun so get some anyway), some hooks, and a poster frame. I grabbed all the cheapest stuff I could find except for maybe the fabric but it wasn't that much either. Oh yeah, and my trusty, girly toolbox which is mostly filled with things like duct tape and leftover screws I probably missed putting in a piece of furniture somewhere. Just don't sit on anything, put anything down on a table, or stand near any shelves when you visit and you should be fine. Let's go through the steps of creation shall we?
Steps one and two. Measure and cut your batting and fabric. I used the plastic thingamajig from the poster frame. I wouldn't have it on in the finished product, but it fit the frame so it worked ok. On second thought, I should have made the batting a tad smaller because it caused some extra bulk when I was trying to put the frame on. So do that, not the above.
Steps three and four. Layer the batting and fabric over the carboard backing for the frame and staple gun it to the back. I love my staple gun almost as much as my glue gun. Almost. Then put on the frame. The poster frame has separate sides that just slide on the edges unlike a traditional picture frame. This is why it would have been better to have less batting. (say that 10 times fast....saaaay iiiit)
Forget this counting thing. Next! Use a sophisticated measuring device to decide where your hooks will go.
Then shove in your hooks by hand because you have no drill or anything else sharp to poke a hole through the various layers.
Now turn the board around and realize the hooks went all the way through with more than half the hook hanging out the back because your various layers aren't really that thick. AND realize your hooks are all wobbly through the front because they're not anchored very well. Glue gun to the rescue! (if you haven't noticed, I don't care much how the back of anything looks) Squeeze approximately 40 sticks of glue on the back to anchor the hooks with a blob of substance that, when cooled, looks similar to snot. (Bolts are for suckers..Bolt Revolt!!)
Ta Daaaaaa!!! Now use your cute scrapbook paper to make a sign that can hang from the hooks at the top of the board.
Take the crocheted ribbons, thread a safety pin through the back, and glue a piece of felt over it. Then get exhausted and go to bed forgetting to make something to use as a stand. Last, give it to your friend to take to the expo, minus a stand and price tags.
(Like I said, still work on the asthetic skills)
But you can still feel proud because it's not the ugliest thing you've ever made, it made a couple (literally) bucks for the cause, and you can use it again!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Mo Crafty...Mo problems
My apartment has seen better days. My craftiness has taken over! So I started the cleanup effort last night, but not until I got one little project thrown together. At the Light The Night Walk committee meeting someone mentioned needing somewhere to put cotton candy as it's spun. You know, make a few and set them somewhere so people don't have to wait. Of course I piped up with "oh yeah, super easy, just cut some holes in a box". Way to go Shannon, just volunteer yourself why dontcha? Actually, I don't mind as much as I sound like I do. I just didn't really realize I was volunteering myself at first. But once I did, I really got into it. I can't just take a carboard box, cut holes in it and call it a day. That's NOT how I roll. I want everything for the walk to be cute and fun and enjoyable. This includes the cotton candy holder. I used some extra spray paint I had, painted the box, printed out a cute little sign that I made on the computer, and then used extra muslin to make rosettes and a border. Then I drew circles on the top with a silver Sharpie and cut an X in the middle of each. That way you can push the pieces down and the sticks will stay in place. I'm not really sure how big they are so I wanted it to be somewhat adjustable. As Denise said, it's like a straw hole in a cup lid. Now tell me you wouldn't want to be served cotton candy from this thing!
Want to see what else I did yesterday?! Head on over to the crochet blog here to see! Crafting is just too much fun!!!! (I never thought I'd say that)
*Update*
It worked!! Here it is in action at the walk. Of course, the cotton candy was so popular they hardly had a chance to display it before it was taken, but I have to say I'm pretty proud.
*Update*
It worked!! Here it is in action at the walk. Of course, the cotton candy was so popular they hardly had a chance to display it before it was taken, but I have to say I'm pretty proud.
Linking up to the Polly Want a Crafter link party. It's only the second one they've ever had so check 'em out!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Go Aggies! Yum
Like I mentioned in my last post, there have been a whole lotta crafts goin' on in my neck of the woods lately. When Jeff told me he was accepted to Utah State I probably should have said "Way to go honey!" and left it at that. But that just wouldn't be me. Instead, I made a cake! I'd been looking for a reason to experiment with fondant and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I keep reading the Make a Cake Series on Make It And Love It and it gets me itching to try out some of that fun stuff. So I went here and got their yummy marshmallow fondant recipe. It was really easy to work with after the inital messiness of putting it together. I think the white came out perfect, but the blue maybe could have used some more powdered sugar. Once it was all created I took a chunk out and added blue gel food coloring. (I always use the Wilton stuff and it rocks) I started with royal but it came out looking all BYU. Ick. The only other kind I had was cornflower blue which is usually a nice light color. I thought, what the hell and dumped some in. I was trying to go darker so I thought adding anything couldn't hurt. It turned out perfect! So now I know, when you're going for a nice sort of navy look, royal and cornflower are the way to go. I need to work a little on evening out my cake and the bottom edges, but all in all it came out alright. Not shabby for my first attempt at not only making fondant, but working with it as well!
We took this this bad boy over to Jeff's friends' house and he used it to deliver the news to them. It was fun. I also made some mini cupcakes that I was going to put around the cake, but there wasn't enough room to put the lid on the cake container. So I just stuck them in a container and brought them to him. I had also added circles of blue with letters spelling out "Congrats Jeff" but those need work. The blue was a little too goopy and I had to make do without circle cookie cutters which didn't work out so great. I learned a lot from the experience and now I'm excited to try it again. Anyone having a celebration soon? lol
Now if I could just get Utah State to move their campus closer, so I don't have to drive an hour and a half or so to see him after he moves, everything would be perfect!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lamp-rageous Cuteness
CAUTION: This is a long and wordy post. Just like all the others I do. :D
Wow, it's been a long time since I posted something crafty I've done. But I've been so busy making and refurbing stuff that I haven't had a chance to post about it. Well no more! I have three projects that I've done recently that I'll post about, but I'd hate to overload the senses. So here's the one I'm the most excited about. As you can see from this picture below, my room in my apartment is pretty much devoid of personality. No color, absolutely nothing that shouts "Shannon's Room". I know you're supposed to sleep in your bedroom, but you shouldn't fall asleep just looking at it. I mean come on already!
The first one is actually a Restoration Hardware lamp. It has a dimmer knob which I LOVE. I like to read before bed and the dim light gives off enough to read by, but not so bright that I stay awake. The second one I'd already started priming and realized I'd forgotten to take a before pic (see disclaimer above). I HAD to have it's original glory documented so I hurried up and snapped a backside pic with my phone. And then I took a picture of the lamp...lol get it? Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.
I actually really liked the color of the Restoration Hardware lamp and I was sort of hoping to find something that would compare. So off I went to my favorite place on earth, besides IKEA, Home Depot!! Actually the Home Depot by my house has a semi limited selection of spray paint. It's way larger than a Walmart would have, but I realized its limitations when Jeff and I were out in Herriman and went to the Home Depot there. I spent a good ten minutes running up and down the spray paint aisle going "Look Jeff! They have.." and "I didn't even know this color existed" etc. etc. He stayed frozen in place staring at me with a look of wariness, tinged with fear, on his face. After reassuring him that I hadn't plunged off the deep end, I vowed to come back here any time I was looking for a variety of colors of spray paint.
Of course when I got the DI lamps, I took a field trip out to Herriman and had a moment of silent awe, again. Here's what I had to work with (in all it's grainy phone pic goodness)
I'm still in love. Well I couldn't find a color that I loved that was similar to the RH lamp. The closest colors would just be a tad brighter than what I wanted. I'm sure I could have glazed or something, but I've yet to try that so I'm a little scared of ruining the lamps. Not that I wouldn't be able to just paint over them again, but it might dishearten me enough to make me give up. So I had a change of heart and decided to go with navy blue and silver bases. (My room will be mostly white with all different shades of blue) I got those puppies primed and decided I actually really liked the bases white. They almost looked like porcelain. I got the middles painted blue and loved it.
For the shades, I knew I wanted ruffles. I debated crocheting some ruffles, but decided on glueing on some eyelet lace trim instead. Of course, when I got it, they were almost out. So I didn't get enough and there was a gap in the back. I went to different store, found some almost identical and filled in the gaps. Can you see them? Not unless you turn the lamp around. So I'm ok with the back looking a little screwy. I wasn't loving just the two layer look. I'd wanted to go with three, but there just wasn't enough in that first batch I got. I started throwing a mini fit and got frustrated until Kami came over, saw it and said, why don't you stick a contrasting color in the middle? She's a genius and I was instantly happy again. So I got some blue ribbon and had my mom sew a baste stich through it so I could gather it into a ruffle. (One of these days I will get her extra sewing machine fixed and do all this stuff myself) I glued the ruffle on the first lamp shade aaaaand...hated it. The ruffle wasn't thick enough and barely peaked out under the lace. It looked odd. So I cut it off. I should rewind here and mention that I stuck on some white muslin with spray adhesive before doing anything else. The shades were an offwhite which I didn't want showing through the eyelets. So I cut out that strip of muslin that the blue ruffle was glued to, cut a replacement strip of muslin, and glued it on over the gap. It's not pretty, but it doesn't show unless you lift up the lace. And if you're lifting up the lace, I'm a little worried about you. You can get in trouble for that kind of thing, I hope you know.
I still wanted a little contrast, though, so I played around with making a giant blue flower out of the ruffle. I knew I had the right idea when I involuntarily squealed with delight after holding it up next to the lampshade. A little more hot glue, Kami was right I'm obsessed, and TA DAAAAAA! (I know the color of the lamps is hard to see, but it was night when I took these pictures and I was too excited to wait another day to post)
I didn't get much reading done before bed last night because I couldn't stop staring at my adorable new lamps. :D
Linking up to the FJI Color Challenge for the 3000 followers Event
AND
The Friday Remodelaholics Anonymous party
AND
FJI's SNS party
AND
Just A Girl's Show and Share party
AND
Perfectly Imperfect's Style Feature Saturday
Whew, I must have really liked this project or something.
Wow, it's been a long time since I posted something crafty I've done. But I've been so busy making and refurbing stuff that I haven't had a chance to post about it. Well no more! I have three projects that I've done recently that I'll post about, but I'd hate to overload the senses. So here's the one I'm the most excited about. As you can see from this picture below, my room in my apartment is pretty much devoid of personality. No color, absolutely nothing that shouts "Shannon's Room". I know you're supposed to sleep in your bedroom, but you shouldn't fall asleep just looking at it. I mean come on already!
 |
| Alright, Alright, wake up and keep reading |
If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know I have a pretty big event coming up in November. My goal has been to have my room looking ship shape and super cute by then. I'll probably be spending some quality time in there so I want to feel happy when I look around. Buying stuff for your house is a happy experience, but I'm finding when I put in the work to fix something up, that happiness multiplies exponentially.
So when Kami and I took a trip to the DI, I got an idea. I loved the lamps in my room when I first got them like 5 years ago. Now one of them doesn't work right and they're just plain boring. We started looking at the lamps because I wanted to fix up the shades I have and maybe put them on some candlestick lamps. But then, I found these beauties:
 |
| Disclaimer: I'm crappy at taking Before and In Progress pictures |
 |
| I know, how could this get any prettier? |
I actually really liked the color of the Restoration Hardware lamp and I was sort of hoping to find something that would compare. So off I went to my favorite place on earth, besides IKEA, Home Depot!! Actually the Home Depot by my house has a semi limited selection of spray paint. It's way larger than a Walmart would have, but I realized its limitations when Jeff and I were out in Herriman and went to the Home Depot there. I spent a good ten minutes running up and down the spray paint aisle going "Look Jeff! They have.." and "I didn't even know this color existed" etc. etc. He stayed frozen in place staring at me with a look of wariness, tinged with fear, on his face. After reassuring him that I hadn't plunged off the deep end, I vowed to come back here any time I was looking for a variety of colors of spray paint.
Of course when I got the DI lamps, I took a field trip out to Herriman and had a moment of silent awe, again. Here's what I had to work with (in all it's grainy phone pic goodness)
 |
| Work, Turn to the left... |
 |
| Work, Now turn to the right...Sache, chante |
For the shades, I knew I wanted ruffles. I debated crocheting some ruffles, but decided on glueing on some eyelet lace trim instead. Of course, when I got it, they were almost out. So I didn't get enough and there was a gap in the back. I went to different store, found some almost identical and filled in the gaps. Can you see them? Not unless you turn the lamp around. So I'm ok with the back looking a little screwy. I wasn't loving just the two layer look. I'd wanted to go with three, but there just wasn't enough in that first batch I got. I started throwing a mini fit and got frustrated until Kami came over, saw it and said, why don't you stick a contrasting color in the middle? She's a genius and I was instantly happy again. So I got some blue ribbon and had my mom sew a baste stich through it so I could gather it into a ruffle. (One of these days I will get her extra sewing machine fixed and do all this stuff myself) I glued the ruffle on the first lamp shade aaaaand...hated it. The ruffle wasn't thick enough and barely peaked out under the lace. It looked odd. So I cut it off. I should rewind here and mention that I stuck on some white muslin with spray adhesive before doing anything else. The shades were an offwhite which I didn't want showing through the eyelets. So I cut out that strip of muslin that the blue ruffle was glued to, cut a replacement strip of muslin, and glued it on over the gap. It's not pretty, but it doesn't show unless you lift up the lace. And if you're lifting up the lace, I'm a little worried about you. You can get in trouble for that kind of thing, I hope you know.
I still wanted a little contrast, though, so I played around with making a giant blue flower out of the ruffle. I knew I had the right idea when I involuntarily squealed with delight after holding it up next to the lampshade. A little more hot glue, Kami was right I'm obsessed, and TA DAAAAAA! (I know the color of the lamps is hard to see, but it was night when I took these pictures and I was too excited to wait another day to post)
 |
| You better work...Work it girl... |
 |
| Do your thing...On the nightstand |
 |
| I love eyelet lace! It's so girly and delicate. It really balances out how dark the blue is. |
 |
| And a closeup of my fave flower. The blue on the lamp is pretty much exactly the same shade of blue. Ha ha, get it? SHADE of blue? Whew that was a good one. |
Linking up to the FJI Color Challenge for the 3000 followers Event
AND
The Friday Remodelaholics Anonymous party
AND
FJI's SNS party
AND
Just A Girl's Show and Share party
AND
Perfectly Imperfect's Style Feature Saturday
Whew, I must have really liked this project or something.
Friday, October 1, 2010
As if I need a reason to talk about me....
I think I've mentioned a time or two about how I am addicted to craft blogs. I love seeing what comes out of people's heads. Ok...that sounds kind of gross. What I mean is, people's minds are so amazing and I really look up to that. So when I hopped on FJI today to check out the last few days of posts, she was inviting ME to talk about...ME!! My life is pretty much an open book already but I like to talk and mull over all the craziness in my head so, here we go!
Who I Am
I am Everyone USA. Sounds like a cop out right? It's not. Let me 'splain. In my high school years I truly believed I was soooo unique. All my angst and teenage drama seemed so unusual. No one could EVER understand. UGH! I couldn't wait to grow up and have all of it change. I was wrong. People are the same. Being older only makes you somewhat wiser. All of the "quirks" I see in myself, I see in many others. But part of what does make me unique is that I recognize that. I'm particular about certain things and on the hyper side, but not quick to say I'm OCD or have ADHD. (Those phrases are thrown around a lot and I always feel like telling people that they're just HUMAN. There's no pill for it and you don't get a cookie so get over yourself) Yes, I am everyone. But at the same time, I'm crazy, silly, me. I love my classic rock and singing karaoke. I love starting 32 projects at once and I love it even more when I finish one. I'm completely selfish too. I love helping out my friends and doing things for others. But my secret is that it makes me feel so good about myself that it's probably more selfish than anything else. I like my personality and even though I have down days, I have way more fun ones. I especially love it when my fun days are completely dependent on me and not on other people. I work well under some stress, but I don't do well when stressed out emotionally. I'm a sensitive person and although my skin is tougher than when I was young, I still take being disappointed or hurt pretty hard. Plus I can't communicate for crap when my heart hurts. All in all though, I like me.
Where I live
I live in Sunny SLC! Well for the moment anyway. Soon it will be freezing cold, "why do I stay here? I should really invest in snow boots" Utah. It's a beautiful state that I haven't always appreciated. Where else can you drive for 3 hours and end up in the most beautiful red rock desert area to camp? Then drive an hour away and you're in the mountains with the fall leaves changing color around the most peacefully quiet lake, enjoying the last bit of warm weather with no one around because tourist season is over. (keep an eye out for pictures from last weekend...coming soon) North, South, East, and West there are starkly different landscapes with any activity available that you could think of. It's like being able to take a legitimate vacation any time you want to take a 3 day weekend. If you want some city time, just go downtown and hop around a few bars and pubs for dueling pianos and the best martini's ever. We truly have it all. Now if we could just tone it down on the snow...lol
What I love about my home
I do love having my own space . It's amazing how big of a difference that makes. I also love that I'm self sufficient. I can proudly say that I'm able to provide a roof over my head and food for myself. I'm blissfully lower middle class. Of course it's not my ultimate goal. I would love more money, a house, a nicer car, a family, etc someday, but I've been worse off. I'm far from rock bottom and I'm damn proud of that.
My favorite room is
Honestly all of my rooms need some work decoratively. That's why I have so many projects going on at once! I plan to have my bedroom become my sanctuary though. My goal is to have it looking perfect before the surgery. Even though I'll be spending the first part of my recovery at my parents', I am looking forward to having a room where I can feel peaceful, relaxed, and heal. Plus it makes it easier to clean when you love the way it looks.
My Favorite thing to do DIY wise is
Crochet! Everyone knows that I'm sure. Why else would I have a crochet blog?
I also love baking and painting things.
I wish I knew how to
Use power tools, build things, and do what I do now but better. In the past I though I wasn't a crafty person. I'm still not SUPER crafty compared to so many people I see. In the past I told myself I'm not crafty. I would just buy the things I thought looked cute and never think twice about making it. I took on scrapbooking for about 5 minutes until I realized I would have to spend a zillion dollars on all the cute papers, stickers, etc. because I have no imagination and horrible handwriting. I kind of gave up. Then I started crocheting again last year. I got better at following patterns and my brain started to stray from the patterns. I combine and change and rework until my project looks exactly how I want it to look. Shortly after was my introduction to craft blogs. I realized there are so many people out there with brilliant ideas and best of all, they share them! It really inspires me to try new things. I still believe most of the things I do are mediocre, but I also believe I can get better. It's just too exciting. Having friends that share my passions also helps a lot. When I'm stumped on a project, that fresh pair of eyes comes in and gives me the perfect suggestion. I LOVE it.
Something you may not know about me is
I'm donating a kidney to my dad! Alright Alright, I know I've already done a million posts about that, but it's definitely top of my mind these days. Ok, what's really something people may not know? Honestly I'm pretty transparent. I definitely wear my heart on my sleeve. It's not difficult to tell what I'm thinking if you pay any attention at all. I crave attention and acceptance, but only from those I care about. Everyone else can shut their damn face. (name that show) I believe I have the greatest people in my life and I only want for them to be happy. My greatest joy is being loved and my greatest pain is when I've let one of those loving people down. I'm the type that is very forgiving of others, but really hard on myself. Like I said, probably already known but it's not an easy thing to admit to myself.
Why I love to blog
I love to read blogs more than I love to post. I like being able to spout off all my randomness in one place. I like getting it out and it makes no difference whether or not someone actually reads it. It's therapeutic. I like having somewhere to toot my own horn too when I've done something I would not have thought I could do. I love reading other people's blogs and seeing how much alike we all are. They are so inspiring and yet so human at the same time.
So that's me in a bloody big nutshell. Now I have to go check out everyone else's posts. (spoken by a not-so-closet blog stalker) Check it out yourself!
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2010/09/3000-followers-event-all-about-me-link.html
Who I Am
I am Everyone USA. Sounds like a cop out right? It's not. Let me 'splain. In my high school years I truly believed I was soooo unique. All my angst and teenage drama seemed so unusual. No one could EVER understand. UGH! I couldn't wait to grow up and have all of it change. I was wrong. People are the same. Being older only makes you somewhat wiser. All of the "quirks" I see in myself, I see in many others. But part of what does make me unique is that I recognize that. I'm particular about certain things and on the hyper side, but not quick to say I'm OCD or have ADHD. (Those phrases are thrown around a lot and I always feel like telling people that they're just HUMAN. There's no pill for it and you don't get a cookie so get over yourself) Yes, I am everyone. But at the same time, I'm crazy, silly, me. I love my classic rock and singing karaoke. I love starting 32 projects at once and I love it even more when I finish one. I'm completely selfish too. I love helping out my friends and doing things for others. But my secret is that it makes me feel so good about myself that it's probably more selfish than anything else. I like my personality and even though I have down days, I have way more fun ones. I especially love it when my fun days are completely dependent on me and not on other people. I work well under some stress, but I don't do well when stressed out emotionally. I'm a sensitive person and although my skin is tougher than when I was young, I still take being disappointed or hurt pretty hard. Plus I can't communicate for crap when my heart hurts. All in all though, I like me.
Where I live
I live in Sunny SLC! Well for the moment anyway. Soon it will be freezing cold, "why do I stay here? I should really invest in snow boots" Utah. It's a beautiful state that I haven't always appreciated. Where else can you drive for 3 hours and end up in the most beautiful red rock desert area to camp? Then drive an hour away and you're in the mountains with the fall leaves changing color around the most peacefully quiet lake, enjoying the last bit of warm weather with no one around because tourist season is over. (keep an eye out for pictures from last weekend...coming soon) North, South, East, and West there are starkly different landscapes with any activity available that you could think of. It's like being able to take a legitimate vacation any time you want to take a 3 day weekend. If you want some city time, just go downtown and hop around a few bars and pubs for dueling pianos and the best martini's ever. We truly have it all. Now if we could just tone it down on the snow...lol
What I love about my home
I do love having my own space . It's amazing how big of a difference that makes. I also love that I'm self sufficient. I can proudly say that I'm able to provide a roof over my head and food for myself. I'm blissfully lower middle class. Of course it's not my ultimate goal. I would love more money, a house, a nicer car, a family, etc someday, but I've been worse off. I'm far from rock bottom and I'm damn proud of that.
My favorite room is
Honestly all of my rooms need some work decoratively. That's why I have so many projects going on at once! I plan to have my bedroom become my sanctuary though. My goal is to have it looking perfect before the surgery. Even though I'll be spending the first part of my recovery at my parents', I am looking forward to having a room where I can feel peaceful, relaxed, and heal. Plus it makes it easier to clean when you love the way it looks.
My Favorite thing to do DIY wise is
Crochet! Everyone knows that I'm sure. Why else would I have a crochet blog?
I also love baking and painting things.
I wish I knew how to
Use power tools, build things, and do what I do now but better. In the past I though I wasn't a crafty person. I'm still not SUPER crafty compared to so many people I see. In the past I told myself I'm not crafty. I would just buy the things I thought looked cute and never think twice about making it. I took on scrapbooking for about 5 minutes until I realized I would have to spend a zillion dollars on all the cute papers, stickers, etc. because I have no imagination and horrible handwriting. I kind of gave up. Then I started crocheting again last year. I got better at following patterns and my brain started to stray from the patterns. I combine and change and rework until my project looks exactly how I want it to look. Shortly after was my introduction to craft blogs. I realized there are so many people out there with brilliant ideas and best of all, they share them! It really inspires me to try new things. I still believe most of the things I do are mediocre, but I also believe I can get better. It's just too exciting. Having friends that share my passions also helps a lot. When I'm stumped on a project, that fresh pair of eyes comes in and gives me the perfect suggestion. I LOVE it.
Something you may not know about me is
I'm donating a kidney to my dad! Alright Alright, I know I've already done a million posts about that, but it's definitely top of my mind these days. Ok, what's really something people may not know? Honestly I'm pretty transparent. I definitely wear my heart on my sleeve. It's not difficult to tell what I'm thinking if you pay any attention at all. I crave attention and acceptance, but only from those I care about. Everyone else can shut their damn face. (name that show) I believe I have the greatest people in my life and I only want for them to be happy. My greatest joy is being loved and my greatest pain is when I've let one of those loving people down. I'm the type that is very forgiving of others, but really hard on myself. Like I said, probably already known but it's not an easy thing to admit to myself.
Why I love to blog
I love to read blogs more than I love to post. I like being able to spout off all my randomness in one place. I like getting it out and it makes no difference whether or not someone actually reads it. It's therapeutic. I like having somewhere to toot my own horn too when I've done something I would not have thought I could do. I love reading other people's blogs and seeing how much alike we all are. They are so inspiring and yet so human at the same time.
So that's me in a bloody big nutshell. Now I have to go check out everyone else's posts. (spoken by a not-so-closet blog stalker) Check it out yourself!
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2010/09/3000-followers-event-all-about-me-link.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)