Happy New Years

As these final hours of 2009 dwindle down to a close, a new century and all its possibilities are about to begin. I am struck by how many ups and downs this past year has brought into my life. With the economy in a horrible depression, unemployment high, and all of life’s struggles I understand that this year has been a horrible time of struggle for many but despite the adversity of these times I cannot help but be even MORE thankful for the blessings I have in my life.

So in recap of the past twelve months I have:

1. Been laid off from my job which at first I thought was a terrible stress but became a great blessing.

2. Made some hard ethical choices that hurt me a lot but has made my life so much better.

3. Said goodbye to my beloved Grandpa, the magnificent Patriarch to my father’s family. A man who was classy and a perfect gentleman all the time; someone I miss every single day but hold all the wonderful moments we spent together close to my heart.

4. Decided to open our home to a new puppy only to lose her to Parvo and then again opening our hearts to another furry baby, who really turned out to be a sweet loveable Satan spawn kissable freak – seriously don’t ask. Which therefore makes our home all that more interesting.

5. I finally made the commitment to my blog and purchased a proper URL. I cannot even begin to put into words (even though I sort of did here the best I could) how much writing every day has helped me become a better me.

6. Created my Rogue Life List which I had in various stages of completion but finally put it together in once cohesive list. I am super excited about sharing this journey with all of you!

7. I fell in love with photography with my weekly Photo Phriday’s it has become my most wonderful obsession. This obsession has spawned other nerdy habits, see the bird blog – I know you can just call me that crazy bird lady.

8. I sadly continued to struggle with my depression and then finally after two years of struggling decided to take anti-depressants, a choice I made at the right time for me.

9. Then there were the numerous Malays that have me realizing I am getting OLD. First there was the neck incident, then there was the toe nail incident, and then finally there was the tennis elbow that I got even though I don’t play tennis.

9. Finally I had wanderlust so bad that I became an insane traveling diva this year. First I went to San Francisco for a wonderful “Girls Weekend”, took a trip with a bunch of friends to Mammoth Mountain for some amazing skiing, then off to a group camping trip in Anza Borrego, another girls trip this time to Palm Springs ahhh memories, then I visited Mexico on a cruise with Mrs. Ivey League, went to the Philippines to bring home my sister-in-law and niece, visited the Grand Canyon for my birthday/first year anniversary with my wonderful handsome husband, went to see my parents in Florida for Thanksgiving, visited North Carolina where we spent the Christmas holidays with Mr. Rogue’s family and finally spent New Year’s Eve in Georgia. I am so thankful now to be home and I know that I beat out that wanderlust; home has never felt so wonderful.

It has been again one crazy, fun and exciting year. I hope to continue working hard at attaining my dreams and keeping happy.

Here is our year in photos:



I found this music from Grey’s Anatomy and loved it. The song is “Follow Through” by Hotel Lights.

Photo Phriday: Georgia Vacation Vegetation

It’s always the little things in nature that get me the most. The turn of a leaf or the light and the colors; I just can’t help to be thankful for the gift of being an artist. It brings such an extreme joy to my life, the way I see things and the peace I get in immersing myself into the simple beauty of our world. Here are the photos that I took on our various nature walks this week, hope you enjoy.

Georgia: Old Friends and Southern Comfort

After spending a week at Mr. Rogue’s parents house and then three days at Mr. Rogue’s sister’s house we were off to spend our last three days on the east coast with Mr. Rogue’s best friend’s house Mr. & Mrs. Penn State. Mr. & Mrs. Penn State actually went to high school with my husband, they were all super close along with a bunch of other friends and I love the fact that they have all kept in pretty good contact.



Mr. & Mrs. Penn State are on the far left and my hottie HOTTIE HOT husband is to the far right, damn look at those abs!

Mr. Penn State and Mrs. Penn State actually didn’t end up dating until years after high school and then finally ended up marrying. I originally met them at our wedding and am so thankful that we had this opportunity to really sit down and have a long visit. It is wonderful to spend time with them and such a comfortable visit, they REALLY took care of us, thanks a million!



Mr. & Mrs. Penn State now live in a beautiful house in Georgia with their adorable little girl Baby Penn State, seriously too cute for words and such a little angel. I mean that face, those checks, those cherry red lips. They will be lucky if I don’t steal her away!



And her little facial expressions SOOOO CUTE!



But really what gets me is those EYES; just beautiful.



And then there was their faithful four legged companion Denali that made my longing for my puppies a little easier.



Most of our time was spent around the kitchen table catching up on what has gone on in our lives and giving me a chance to connect and learn more about Mr. Rogue’s past. The rest of our time was spent playing the Wii; which just may be the best invention EVER.

Here is Mr. Rogue and Mr. Penn State sword fighting. Notice the intense concentration on my husband’s face trying to deflect a powerful hit from Mr. Penn State. These boys were NOT fooling around.



O and then there was the Wii Fit which we tried for the first time along with some other friends who were at the house. Mrs. Penn State was showing us how it is done. Basically she KICKED butt and was taking names, did I mention that she was a bit drunk at this time and STILL KICKED BUTT!!



I of course took my turn also, I tried not to be too competitive but I am not sure if I quite succeeded. What can I say if I take the time to play I like to WIN!!!!!

Nerdy Birdy: Georgia Park

My sister-in-law and I went to a local park for a half hour and I found a new bird to cross off the Nerdy Birdy List. I was so excited that this little Hermit Thrush stood still long enough for me to get a few shots before taking off.


442.HERMIT THRUSH


422.HERMIT THRUSH

Georgia: I Got Stoned

It started out as a little Christmas gift, I was not quite sure if I wanted it but well it was a GIFT so I accepted gracefully, when they told me that they already had a date picked out where we would do it I was a bit worried. I had never done it before, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but well that is what life is all about; taking a deep breath and jumping. So I jumped and today Mrs. Painter and I went to go and get our stone massages and a facial.

What?!? Haven’t you ever heard of a stone massage?

Anyways the stone massage was amazing, pretty much one of the best I have ever had but the facial just took my breath away. You see I have super sensitive skin, skin that likes to get oily OR flake depending on its mood, skin that breaks out reputedly and drives me insane, skin that I have been battling for a lifetime. I have spent a fortune and a million hours worrying about my skin and that horrible hate I have for my skin started to heal with just this one facial.

The last facial I had a few years ago increased my fears. The woman reiterated all I didn’t like about my skin and gave me some new things to fear. She said I had thin skin, that it was temperamental, that I had large pores and that my acne would NEVER go away. I ran out of there crying with thoughts to come back later that night to slash her tires, not because I have bad skin but because of the hopelessness she made me feel in not being able to do anything about it.

Today the woman I had was all smiles and pep talk and she told me the EXACT opposite things about my skin. She said that I had good thick German skin that would age well (she does not know it but I could have kissed her then), she said that although I had large pores and combination skin that if I just changed my cleanser and toner to one with a slightly different PH balance that it would dramatically improve and then she showed me the best way to do a few things, simple things that would help my skin achieve its best. Now I know I won’t ever have perfect flawless skin but if it can be better I would be exponentially happier.

I walked out of that spa with a complete new outlook on the world, the sun looked brighter, the birds sang better and my body and face were singing with happiness. What a great gift!

Rogue Life List: #8. Set Foot in all 50 States – State #27

I just realized that by visiting Atlanta Georgia for a week, a few days with Mr. Rogue’s sister Mrs. Painter and then another few days with Mr. Rogue’s friends from high school I get to cross off another state from my Rogue Life List of states that I have not been to yet, see here. Hurrah for getting a little closer to my goal.

Nerdy Birdy: Georgia Lake Sidney Lanier

We took the kids and went to the lake today. With so many people and with it being the dead of winter we did not see many birds today but I did manage to find one mor bird to cross off the Nerdy Birdy List. A bird that I saw all the time as a child but it's a bit rare in the warmer climate of Southern California.


7.CANADA GOOSE

I also managed to go off on my own for a few minutes and follow the song of what I knew was a wren. I was excited when I got home and found that this is a new wren for me, the Carolina Wren.


CAROLINA WREN

Nerdy Birdy: Raleigh Durham - Moms Neighbourhood

My brother in law quickly rushed into the house and told me to grab my camera. A Red Napped Sapsucker had decided to hang out on the tree right outside my in-laws house. He let me get closer than I ever have to a Sapsucker before he flew off.


326.RED NAPPED SAPSUCKER


326.RED NAPPED SAPSUCKER

Although I think these birds are absolutely beautiful it makes me sad that they cause so much destruction. Look at this last shot at the tree with the millions of holes. These holes that the Sapsucker poked to get its primary food, the trees sap. Many times these birds cause the tree to die.


326.RED NAPPED SAPSUCKER

North Carolina: Keeping the Little Monsters Busy

When I found out that Ms. Pixie and Ms. Fairy love the Twilight series as much as I did I knew I found a perfect way to one spend some quality time with them and two keep them busy for a while. We did a photoshoot where I took various photos of them and then I turned them into vampires with them watching. It was wonderful to see the awe that they had as they transformed from little angels to little vampires. I also used this time to talk about magazine and print and how the women in these are retouched all over the place, that various parts of their body like their legs are shaved latterly in half and how a lot of what you see can be make believe.

Here are their before and after shots.

Poor little Ms. Fairy has no front teeth on top which is totally adorable, we decided to do a baby vampire for her, one that lost some of her teeth, one that looks like a child but OH SO DANGEROUS.





Ms. Pixie being 18 wanted something a little more deadly, with a touch of sex appeal. We created a blood dripping mouth and a tell tale bite mark. Her ghostly skin and dark eye makeup made her SUPER happy.

North Carolina: Duke Rogue

We woke up this morning to a chilly but clear sunny day. Since we have been cooped up in the house because of the cold rainy days and the flu that everyone got we decided to bundle up and go to Duke University. When I told dad how much I loved architecture a few days ago he insisted on taking me to the Duke University Church. Oh how I LOVED, ADORED, and CHERISHED this building. We spent over an hour out front taking photos and then another hour inside; I could have stayed all day!

Here are some of the photos taken from outside. First is the long straight drive that takes you to the church. It is a famous focal point for taking pictures and of course I made Mr. Rogue stop the car in the middle of the street so I could take this photo.



Once we got closer I grabbed the wide angle lens to shoot this shot. See how the building and clouds are slightly curved due to the lens. Ahh even the sky and clouds were cooperating. Love this shot!



My niece, Ms. Pixie, is an aspiring photographer. We spent alot of time on this trip together discussing various topics of what makes a good photo and me teaching her about our cameras various settings. She took this shot of Mr. Rogue and I out front of the church and I think she did a great job with the composition and angle. Very creative!



But the real beauty to me was the inside of the church, the glorious lighting, the attention to detail, the ceilings that seem to go on forever and ever. Here are some of my favourites.













After the family dragged me out of the church kicking and screaming (j/k I went like a good girl, a pouting good girl). We went into the famous Duke Gardens, which I was assured are more beautiful obviously in the spring and summer, to take some family photos. Basically I just set up a tripod and arranged everyone and we went to town in various places in the grounds.



Of course after we took the standard smiling we let our true colors out. A crazy family we are.



Ms. Pixie took another shot of Mr. Rogue and I, a shot depicting our true selves. I know we are a little nuts but we are nuts for each other, just look at us clasping hands and leaning into one another. We are crazy in love.

Nerdy Birdy: Duke Gardens

I visited the Duke University today and found a pond full of waterfowl. Even though I got to see many birds I have never seen before sadly out of them there was only one that I could cross off the Nerdy Birdy List, the Hooded Merganser. Although he was quite far away I managed to get an ok shot of it.


43.HOODED MERGANSER

Three other birds that are not on my list but I had never seen before were cool to see.

The Muscovy Duck came right up to the camera probably hoping for handouts.


MUSCOVY DUCK

The Barnacle Goose was quite a cool find as they are very rare. This pair had probably escaped from captivity and were pretty leery of people.


BARNACLE GOOSE


BARNACLE GOOSE

And then the coolest thing I found was the purple headed Mallard. I found it was a cross between a Red Crested Pochard and a Mallard on this cool site here.


MALLARD POCHARD CROSSBREED

North Carolina: Christmas Crafty Creations

OOOOOO I had SUCH a great time today I planned making Gingerbread House’s with the kids and as expected they had an absolute BLAST; however I think I may have had more fun than they did. Originally I had planned doing this on Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day but with all of us being sick with the flu it just didn’t happen.

First I spent a good few hours getting everything organized BEFORE I called the kids. Of course they were hovering and trying to steal some of the goodies off the table. I decided to improvise on the whole gingerbread part and we used graham crackers instead. It took me a while to figure out how to put the pieces together and cut the graham cracker without it shattering. Of course my elixir of life (Diet Coke) is front and center (this was not intentional but I thought it was funny).



Once I had one figured out then I duplicated that pattern and put all the pieces on separate red plastic plates which we used as the base for our houses. All the extra pieces went on a separate plate to be used for windows, doors, chimneys or whatever other creative things we could come up with.



Of course the thing that makes or breaks decorating houses is the toppings that you choose. We decided on M&M’s, chocolate chips, sugar gumdrops, candy canes, peppermints, coconut and powdered sugar.



There was also the frosting, a basic white, and then I separated two separate bowls out to dye it red and green for accents. The best way to make houses is to make frosting pipers. We used a regular ziplock bag with a small portion of one of the corners cut. Works like a charm and is alot cheaper than buying the official frosting piper. I called everyone to the table and then walked everyone through building the base of their house using the frosting as our glue.



Many could not resist the temptation of all that drippy frosting.



I was surprised by how well everyone was doing in particular Mr. Dragon who is only 5. Of course he had some help from mom but when I looked up at anxious cries of distress and saw this I could not help but grab my camera. The sad little falling house with his sad little face in the background was priceless. Of course mom came to the rescue and helped him “fix” it better than new.



Once the base was done creativity knew no bounds.



As a side note I find when building houses it is better to do a few steps and then stick it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Getting the frosting really cold helps it to stick more and gives the heavy houses more stability. Another trick is to add an egg powder and sugar to the standard frosting to make it stickier to create a better glue.



Everyone was done almost an hour before Mr. Rogue. My man is meticulous down to the very last detail. We all sat around the table sipped egg nog and talking while his masterpiece was completed. Look at the intense concentration on his face; this is a man who does NOT mess around with details.



And OH MY GOD he took a toothpick and made a perfect wreath including little berry accents. Seriously that wreath is smaller than a quarter. I was suitably impressed with his mad skills.



Althouh I did not have a wreath I was happy with the design of my house including little gumdrop trees and powdered snow!



Mrs. Painter, after finishing helping her son complete his house, decided to use the scrap graham crackers to create a not so traditional gingerbread house, or flower, or whatever it was. It looks so yummy and origional that we started joking that she could sell this desert idea to some five star restaurant and make a fortune.



Everyone's houses turned out so great, we all had a different take on decorating and the hours of fun we had was priceless.



Perhaps the best part of making the houses is actually eating them. We let Mr. Dragon go to town on his with only one rule he had to eat it with no hands. That idea was one of the best I have ever had all the adults circled around while he dug in, totally hilarious.



And he did not hold back, he just dug in with gusto like some Godzilla released on New York.



Gross.



The destruction of his house was a little sad to see. He sure did take a bite out of it.



Baby Fruit also got a bit of a taste, her face was priceless, like she had found the meaning of all that mattered in that tiny bit of frosting we gave her.



There was so much left over that I decided to use some of it for other extracurricular activities.



If you have small children you should totally try making gingerbread houses next year. The memories are priceless.