Birthday Suit!

Ha ha! Made you look!
; )
I actually really wanted to show off my new vintage purse and gloves! Aren't they cute?!?! I need to get a dress with a poofy skirt to go with them but I was dying to wear them so I made do with some clothes I already own.

Here's a close up of the purse and gloves (that's my bracelet... the other one I got at the bridal show!). My skirt, although not poofy, was also lacey.

Yay for fun new outfits! Well... or at least fun new accessories that make you feel like it's a new outfit!

ps. The other really cool thing about the vintage gloves is that they actually fit my tiny little hands! Super yay for not having weird long fingered gloves that look strange on my hands! They musta had little hands in the old days... ; )

Is this the face of an old lady?

I'm actually only 32 and 11 months in the above photo taken with two of my many soon to be inherited by marriage nieces. But today, today I'm old. A whopping 33!
Ugh.

More of the birdie

I almost got him flying... almost!!

I like this one... I call it "The Thinker"... so what if he really just had an itch??

Good and Bad

I have two rants today:

First of all, my car is old. It's a 1997 Honda Accord which I bought used (with cash!) in 2002. It's kinda cute in that it's a two door and has one of those little spoiler things on the back, giving it a fun silhouette. It's also a 5-speed, making it rather fun to drive... unless traffic is horrid. But the bad thing about the car is that the paint is coming off. It was black... but now it's ummm black and grey. I don't know if there was something bad in that batch, as I've seen other Accords that look similar, or if the previous owner did something mean to it. But it runs well despite it's age and the 140,000+ miles on it.
So I came out of the grocery store today and someone apparently figured my car didn't matter... that it was okay to slam their grocery cart into it's side and leave it there.
I hate when people don't return their carts as it is... so seeing it bashed into my car irked me extra.
That's all for rant #1. I've calmed down a bit... so it's not all that juicy.

Rant #2 could kinda be related to rant #1.
I use canvas bags at the grocery store. If I forget them, Publix now actually sells canvas bags as well. I've got a few : )
This weekend I came home from out and about... walked around to the back stairs which overlook the pond... and saw a plastic grocery bag floating in the water!!
So I stood there... staring at it... willing it to float closer so I could throw off my shoes and wade in after it despite the temperature being way too cold for that (I know, I'm in Florida but it was cold this weekend!)... until Chris came out of the house to see what I was doing.
First he teased me about it... then he made sure I knew I wasn't allowed to jump in the pond... then he helped me throw a couple sticks on the far side of it, attempting to get the waves to bring it closer.
Why do I care?
Ducks live in my pond.
And turtles.
And other things like my old nutria buddy or this (that I shot almost 100 photos of later that same afternoon):

But Chris, being awesome, grabbed a ladder and when the bag floated in closer, he snagged it for me. I'm sure he knew I'd be out there all day if he didn't help. Wasn't that nice of him??

: )

Bridal Show 2

This is the bracelet I bought!

The photographs don't quite do it justice but it is very fun!
I also got another bracelet and a ring but I don't have photos of those...
If you want to see them, let me know and I can take more pictures! : )

Cheap Little Thing

If you click on it, it will take you to the page on Amazon where I bought it...
It cost me all of $40 with shipping.
The instant I got it, I attached it to my kit lens and ran outside.

Here's a shot of the top two floors of my building without the extender:


And here is a shot of all three floors with the extender. Both shots taken from the exact same place... I didn't move a bit!


And here are a couple more I took just for fun:

They aren't the sharpest or the best quality but I think it will be a fun lens for when I need a wider shot of something. It also supposedly takes macro shots too by removing part of the lens... I tried it but didn't spend much time with it because I couldn't get it to focus properly. Ah well. I like the wide angle/fisheye look.

Oooh... got my jewelry from the bridal show. Will try to get a shot of my fabulous new bracelet asap!

I took these this afternoon.
This is living under the building at work!
This is what happens when you work for the National Park Service...

I'm no rattlesnake expert (he's an Eastern Diamondback for those of you who are curious) but apparently he is about to molt... hence the cloudy blue eyes.

Poor thing must be very scared not being able to see so well and having us out there looking at him.

He eventually decided he had enough of my photo taking and he warned me off with a bit of rattling. Then he went back under the building.

Guess who will be watching where they step?

I'm an environmentalist

and proud of it.
Call me hippie
or tree hugger
or anything else you can think of.
I don't care.
:p
So I just bought this fabulous new bag from Ecoist: I can't wait to get it!
It's made from recycled newspapers... and it's FUN!
Yay!!

Bridal shows

are long.
I went to one yesterday in St. Augustine with Jennifer, my friend Jeremy's fiance. They are getting married in May too!
It started at 1... and they get you to stay the whole time because you have to be present to win...
Win what?
A free honeymoon!
So we stayed the entire time... until after 5 pm!!
I'm tired just thinking about it. Crowded spaces, salespeople, bleh!!
And did either of us win?
Nope.

But I do still need a cake... and I tasted a yummy slice at one of the vendors so I grabbed their card. There was also another bakery that had good cake too and they had fliers for 30% off wedding cakes!
So I guess I got a wee bit done.

I also was naughty and bought a fabulous bracelet. Shhh... don't tell.
But I'll take a photo when I get it and you'll see why I had to buy it!
: )

I don't think I'll be attending any more bridal shows though. There are two more in Jacksonville in February... but I've gotten enough done on my own already. And I feel horrible when the vendors ask if I have a photographer or a dj or a location and I have to say yes.

And finally!

A good shot of Uni:

She usually looks at me like this when I pull out the camera:

Yes, I realize she isn't even looking at me in the "good shot" but that's okay. She looks so peaceful and serene.
From the second photo you wouldn't even know that she always has to be in the same room with me, that she sleeps against my legs, and that she loves when I play with her. She does though. : )

Birds

Here's an osprey at work:
And a chickadee on my patio:

Read this.

Thanks Katie. I couldn't have summed it up better.
Plus, I just think that place is icky.
Yes, I said icky.

argh

So I went upstairs after the debaucle with losing my mega long post...
I watched the first 5 episodes of SATC and ate half a pint of Phish Food.
I feel better.
And now I've discovered the photo blog of an old college buddy. He was my photography pal and I miss having him around!
But I am very happy to have gotten my new camera and I look forward to "relearning" the art. Maybe I should make that my 2008 resolution.
Seriously, between the amazing photos I've seen on POTN and on Rob's site too... I really miss being able to take decent pictures. Not that I was ever that talented. But I enjoy it and that's what matters.

Okay... let's see if I can recap some of the lost blog posting.

I do believe that I referenced my Bridget Jones quote...
I don't smoke and all I had to drink last night was an orange soda. But I do so love that book.

Then I talked about last year's resolutions...
I had two:
Resolution One
I will be more environmentally conscious.
and the typical
Resolution Two
I am going to eat better, work out more, and lose weight.

As for one... I was actually pretty good at it.
I purchased ecobags... the system for one which came with two canvas bags, two produce bags, and a string bag. I actually remembered the bags most of the time and I didn't even care if the bag boy gave me funny looks.
I also bought a few of those twisty lightbulbs. One is in my closet and the other in my bedroom hallway. I'll eventually get more but I have to get used to the annoying little fact that they have to warm up before getting very bright. I like light.
And to top things off, I started an employee newsletter at work. And since it is my creation, I include a "green" section in each issue. Just tips or suggestions. Like Refill Not Landfill, a campaign to reduce disposable water bottle waste. And even though I recycled my water bottles, I now am the proud owner of a nalgene bottle that I use for my softball games or going to the gym.

Alright... speaking of the gym... resolution two.
I still don't go as often as I should. But I go sometimes?
And I was in physical therapy for many months to work on my bad (mid) back... the pain had spread to my neck so I figured it was time to do something about it.
My neck muscles were loose and my back muscles are tight and have a lot to carry. Durn small frame and big boobs. Wish I could just chop them off sometimes.
Anyway, haven't lost any weight... still 135. But haven't gained any either. Woohoo!
After the wedding I can try harder to lose weight... I want to maintain for now because my dress is a perfect fit!
And eating better? Well... yes, I suppose I am a bit. I don't have ice cream or happy meals all the time anymore. Chris and I like to grill things. And he got me a fabulous wok from Pampered Chef last year which I love to stir fry things in!

So. This year?
1. I want to be completely out of debt so I can get in debt with number 2.
2. Save for a new car/house/camera lens.

Now that I've basically gone over what I lost earlier... I'm going back to continue to watch SATC.
: )

2008

I do think New Year's resolutions can't technically be expected to begin on New Year's Day, don't you? Since, because it's an extension of New Year's Eve, smokers are already on a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stop abruptly on the stroke of midnight with so much nicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year's Day isn't a good idea as you can't eat rationally but really need to be free to consume whatever is necessary, moment by moment, in order to ease your hangover. I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second.
~Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary

Oh my goodness...I just wrote the longest post ever about last year's resolutions and this year's too and now it's gone!!! I think I'm going to shoot myself.