Nurture Driveway

What does the word solicit mean??? In the front of our neighborhood there is a sign that reads "NO SOLICITATION." But for some reason we always get people coming by door to door selling, promoting, fundraising, etc. One Saturday we had a guy come to the door selling his pressure washing services, "looks like your driveway needs a good power washing to get rid of all that mold and mildew." We of course said no, but we started thinking, "do we need to pressure wash the driveway?"

Luckily Bryan's grandfather gave him a pressure washer when they moved from Ohio to Colorado. So since the solicitor put it in Bryan's head, he decided to pressure wash all the cement areas of our house. He did the back "porch" first to test it out. If he screwed something up, no one would know. Amazing the difference it made! He then decided to tackle the drive way section by section since it takes about 2 hours to clean it.

Before:

It doesn't look that bad, right!:

A better picture of how dirty it actually was. You can see where our car tires drive into the garage:

After:

I forgot to get a before of the side walk...

For a more dramatic affect of before and after:

Natural Strawberry Flavor

In case you didn't know, Bryan LOVES strawberries! By LOVE, I mean his cheeks are always rosy red probably because he ate so many strawberries as a kid. :) As soon as I bring strawberries home from the store, they are devoured with in hours.

Seeing how we live in Alabama and in a semi-rural/country area... Many farms exist where you can "pick your own___." We have been pumpkin picking, I have seen a Christmas tree lot, and I have heard of picking blueberries/blackberries. Last year I went with a few friends to pick strawberries. We all got one large bucket. Most ladies thought "gee what am I going to do with all these strawberries... make a pie, freeze some, make jam/jelly, etc." I knew what would happen to ours... and yes just as I commented "these will be gone by tomorrow" and they were!!

So this year Bryan wanted to come with us, yes he was the only man, but he wasn't the only male. We decided to get two buckets, assuming one would be devoured and the other we would freeze for later.

Our loot:

Navigation Weiss Lake

In May our small group went to Weiss Lake together. We had tried to get the whole Sunday School class to take a trip like this, but with 27 couples, more than a dozen kids (and differing personalities), plans never worked out. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other better and get to know our personalities from day to the wee hours of the night.

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of everyone who went, nor the cabin we stayed in, nor the grounds, nor lake. I'm not used to thinking in picture documentation, which is surprising since I love to take pictures.

The weekend consisted of relaxation, taking turns cooking meals, hanging out, and listening to 2 year olds be, well, 2 year olds. The weather was kind of chilly so we didn't venture into the water as much as one would in the summer, but it was still zen-like to watch the rippling waves crash against the shore and the sun sparkle across the water in the early morning.

We did venture to a local rock climbing spot, Cherokee Rock Village. No it's not indoor climbing, it's a real rock garden that you climb. It's called Sand Rock because the soil naturally found there is sand, odd being that it's Alabama and the soil is usually red clay. One family, the Willhite's are outdoor enthusiasts and own many outdoor equipment for just about any outdoor adventure. They purchased a harness for their 2 year old twins to take a shot at climbing.

Sand Rock: Literally a bunch of giant rocks for anyone to climb, with appropriate gear.

Bryan wanted to hike to the top of the rock, since you have to have a way to get the gear set up. He didn't want the kids to follow since we didn't want to risk them running and falling off the side... however, they saw and wanted to hike up too.

Bryan helping (lifting) the kids to the top:

View from the top:

One of the twins climbing like a big boy! (with assistance from Bryan) Every time Bryan would take his hand off of the kid, the kid would yell out "help." So really Bryan lifted the boys farther and farther up the rock, but the kids did do most of the work themselves, they just needed a little extra nudge.

At another spot of the rock the adults decided to take a climb. Here's Bryan taking about three steps up the side... I wonder what his father would think of him climbing without a helmet?!?!?

And what we did most of the weekend: deal with babies. Here's Bryan getting in some practice... all three are smiling!

Needledom Fancy Dresses

In early Spring I took an Heirloom Dress sewing class. Not knowing what I was getting into... I was able to complete a whole dress in one week. What is an heirloom dress you ask? An uber fancy, passed down in the family, Baptism, Easter Sunday, expensive dress. For a dress that a 3 year old would wear a few times before growing out of, I spent more money on the materials and supplies than I would ever have thought to do so. So if your family has an heirloom dress that your great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, aunts, and all the female cousins wore once or twice, make sure you cherish it and take good care of it. It was made with love, hard work, and expensive material.

Pictures of my hard work:

Front full length:

Back full length:

Yoke up close:

Sleeves:

Fancy band:

Two weeks later I took a Smocking class. I didn't really know what smocking was nor how to do it. I figured since I didn't have children yet that it was a good time to learn, assuming I will have a girl someday... but if I don't I'm fine with not smocking again. It's not that I don't like doing it, it's just that I don't like sitting for long periods of time, straining my eyes and my hands just to tediously thread designs.

My goal was to recreate a dress that I wore around 2 years old for Christmas:

My recreation (in progress):

If I have a girl someday, I'll be motivated to finish it. Until then, it's on the back burner or when I travel and am forced to sit for long periods of time. The plan is the have a solid white band around the neck and a diamond shaped design around the yoke. The only parts I have to finish are the lower half of the diamonds (assuming they line up perfectly) and to hand sew the neckline together. I left the hem undone on both dresses since I don't know how short I would need it, so it gives me so room the play with.

Navigation Los Angeles

Way back in April Bryan and I had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles for a few days. Bryan travels to LA from time to time for work on a specific project. His typical work schedule when he is out there is: arrived at airport, rent car, go straight to work, leave work, eat dinner, go to bed, getup, go to work... repeat for a few days. Needless to say, he doesn't have much time to site see around town. So, we decided to take a few days after his working days to explore LA.

We took a tour of one of the movie studios: Sony. We were only allowed to take some pictures at designated areas and no pictures of any actors. We only saw one, Ashton Kutcher. Not as friendly in person as you would think. Maybe it was the hangover he had going on, but still. Apparently we as filming a commercial, I assume for Nikon Camera, since we saw a commercial with him wearing the clothing we saw him in.

Picture of the studio sign: Sony/ Columbia Pictures.

One of the only props we were allowed to take a picture of.

One of the "store fronts" at the studio. The studio campus itself looked like a little town with random themed buildings. Each of the buildings and store fronts is actually office spaces for actors and producers to do their work. On the outside, the buildings, side streets, etc. are used for filming movies. They change the look and backdrops to suit the need of the film. The store front below was filmed in The Holiday as a cafe in England.

We went to Venice Beach one afternoon. I can't believe I didn't get more pictures of the strange people and "things" we saw. The boardwalk is filled with vendors both permanent and street slots. Many of the vendors we saw were "unique": medicinal marijuana "come on in, fly right out," sketchy massage parlors with homemade signs, and of course all kinds of "paraphernalia" and souvenir shops. Many people were rollerblading or skate boarding. It was nice to see teens actually using their energy and muscles to power the devices, as apposed to electric ones used down south. As we explored the city we began to notice how trendy people were dressed, we assumed that most people there were trying to make it in the movies. Even the homeless... one man wore a toilet seat with a sign: LA stop sh*tting on the homeless. our favorite was a homeless man without legs sitting next to a sign: Need money for penis enlargement, I wanna be a porn star! At least the homeless in LA have goals!!

Venice Beach: minus the sketchy.

Since we were on the west coast, we had to see sunset every single night we were there. Unfortunately, the weather was chilly and overcast most of our trip. None of the pictures were as good as we had hoped, perfectly clear skies with the sun setting directly into the ocean.

We ventured down to Hollywood Boulevard to check out the stars on Hollywood and the foot/hand print in front of the Chinese Theatre. I'll spare you the (not as ridiculous) amount of photos I took. Here's a Star:

Here's some foot/hand prints:

We took a tour of the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars/Academy Awards are hosted. Again, not allowed to take pictures inside... The theatre was not as big as you would imagine, probably the usual size as any stage. We did find out a few interesting facts: George Eastman, the developer of Kodak, has a gentlemen's parlor dedicated to him where high profile actors will frequent before the awards begin. Even though actors would be in the presence of each other (and I assume they aren't as star struck as us commoners would be), they still want their privacy while they have a drink. The doors and windows that encase the parlor are specially designed so that when you look directly straight on the window you can see right through to the other side, but as you walk to either side, the windows get fuzzy to where you can't see in. You get a "glimpse" of the actors are others pass by.

We also found out where the phrase "silver screen" came from. The original screens used to view movies (and ones used today for directors, producers, big wig movie editors, actors, etc.) were made of millions of tiny silvery pearl beads that are glued together. The screen is better for viewing because it brings out more colors and really enhances the movie experience.

Where the Kodak Theatre is located is actually an outdoors mall with shops all around and down corridors. They, of course, cover all the store fronts and add props to make the corridor look regal and special for the event. Behind the theatre/mall you can see the Hollywood sign:

One day we ventured to Santa Monica Beach and Pier. I felt like I needed to be wearing a red bathing suit and running with a red lifesaving device.

Santa Monica Pier: end of Route 66.

The Pier is massive and reminded me of something from a old time movie... ba dump cha! It had an arcade with old school games, a merry go round, ice cream parlor, and outdoor rides.

We stayed all late afternoon into the dinner hour. We ate at The Lobster, fantastic food, delicious, highly recommended if you travel to LA. And of course, we stayed for sunset. Since the weather was unusually cold for LA (there was a frost 'warning' most nights) which of course most people freaked out and pulled out their "winter" attire: you know flip flops, daisy duke shorts, down jacket, gloves, and toboggan! Quite the site to see at Santa Monica.

Sunset at Santa Monica:

Another day we, wanted, to take a tour of the Hollywood Bowl. However, the museum/tour was closed since it wasn't tourism season. We were still able to see the Bowl and walk around.

That afternoon/evening we went to the Griffith Observatory. The spot is highest in LA so it was perfect for Colonel Griffith J. Griffith to perform his astronomical observations.

View of downtown from the planetarium.

And a closer picture of the Hollywood sign.

Of course we had to stay for sunset...

The planetarium is a popular spot for sunset pictures for both the actual sunset, but also for engagement, bridal, portrait, and headshot pictures. Hence, the person laying on the railing:

Overall, our trip was short, 4 days, but we saw all that we wanted to. We decided that LA is a lot like Atlanta, a place you live, but not tour around. Most locals that we asked "what's some fun places to see here?" responded, "gee I don't know" or "I've never heard of that place." At least most Atlanta locals would know about tourist attractions, but not know how to get there, nor remember the last time they went there (when family was in town or an elementary school trip). The traffic was awful, the roads worse all the income (or lack there of) goes into the beaches, not the roads. Glad we rented a car!