up in the clouds

September and October flew by... or are in the midst of flying by.  I couldn't even remember the last time I blogged.  Since my last couple entries I saw the end of summer, joined a flag football team, helped some friends with their amazing ArtPrize piece, celebrated friends in love, went on a family vacation to the sunshine state, and am currently trying to kick a cough since said vaycay.  Lately, its been about trying to stay warm on cold rainy days and enjoying the fall colors outdoors on warm sunny days.

Another reason for my disappearance is because I've been having those infamous #firstworldproblems where I don't see the need for social media.  You know when you just get so ridiculously fed up with Facebook?  Why do I feel like I have to post things online for anyone to see?  I have no idea.  I beleive the answer is just, "that's what people do now".  So, I go back and forth.  Combined with my indecisiveness and procrastination its an uphill battle.  Needless to say, I do enjoy posting things on my blog that I forget are there.  That's a fun little treat when it jogs the memory.  And like I've said before, I really appreciated the fact it sort of stimulated my letter project.

So... at 3:13 in the morning, I am going to decide on a new project to post here.  Just something creative everyday... almost everyday.  I have to make something creative.  Decision made.

I know I'm going to fail many times... unfortunately I just know myself, and I don't blog everyday.  I'm also allowing for a much wider range of possibilities.  No notebook, no specific materials, no theme- just something creative everyday.  I must document it though, and post it here.

Good night for now, better see me back on here tomorrow with something good!  :)

"smells like yak."

So my little cousin Alex and his parents came to visit me last Sunday. We went to the John Ball Zoo, which was pretty cool seeing as I haven't been there for a very long time.  The animals are up in the woods, scattered along numerous paths.  It seemed like a very unique layout for a zoo.  I think everyone had a pretty good time.  Although Alex had an issue with the smell.  "Smells like yak." was his ticket to get out of anything.  haha Probably will not grow up to be a zookeeper, I'm guessing.  I don't blame him though, mixed with the heat, it was definitely not the best part of our adventure.  I'd say puddles and the misty sprinklers along the way topped the list.

The bird cage was one of the first things we came to.  You get a stick covered in seeds and can feed the birds... in an enormous metal cage housing dozens of birds that are constantly being fed 24/7... It's a true miracle I didn't leave with poop in my hair.  haha It was pretty cute however when they perched on Alex's stick to eat the seeds.  We had a friendly little blue one that stuck around for a while.

The week I realize I must always have AC.

So I don't even know where to begin because it seems so long since my last post.  All that comes to my mind when I try to recap the past couple weeks is heat.  HOT HOT HOT.  That's the only thing that seems to have made any impact on my brain as of late.  I know that's not completely true but it's been pretty traumatic here in western Michigan...  I don't believe I've actually gotten angry because of hot temperature before.  I think the highest it got was around 103??  It was the first week in July!!  It's pretty wimpy and pathetic, I'm sure, compared to other southern states/countries.  But not having air conditioning and trying to get a decent night sleep in my 95 degree bedroom, is pretty much mission impossible.  Plus watching the kitties pant was heartbreaking.

I literally couldn't take things anymore, so I finally went home to TC for the weekend.  For some reason, it seems like forever since I've been there.  And it felt soooooo good.  My parents' house looks spotless now that my sister and I don't live there anymore.  haha  My punchy colored bedroom and bathroom look like a room from a very modern, bright hotel.  Everything painted over in white or light silvery gray.  Goodbye lime, pink, and orange.  The AC was blasting to the point I could actually sleep under blankets at night.  My parents took me to lots of my favorite places.  And it was so nice to hug a fuzzy Benzi boy.  :)

opted out of the dune climb this time

rode the new bike trail instead // lots of squirrels

happy birthday america

bike break at glen haven

glen haven

fave noms

cherry fest car show // obviously the best car there

tree truck arts booth at cherry fest!

beulah beach on crystal lake

fave beulah noms

reflections

crystal lake

Thanks NoMi for cooling me off.  You were some nice weekend eye candy as well.

we made a movie!

Remember when I recapped here, and said my friends and I were helping my sister with one of her films? Yeah, I planned on posting the final product a while ago, and surprise surprise, I'm just now getting around to doing it.  So here's what I originally had to say.

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My sister went into panic mode Sunday.  Things began to fall apart with a final project for one of her film classes.  So my friends and I decided to help out.  We are so glad we did.  It was a great excuse to get creative with something aside from work.  Plus, I have never seen Jessica in her directing role before, and she does a really great job.  Elyse was the star of the film and Collyn and I helped behind the scenes.  The film is a scifi, thus the crazy hair and makeup. It was actually pretty fun to be a part of a little collaborative creative project since school's been out. Plus the long hours of persnickety determination and a night of no sleep was like reliving the good ole days in art school.  :)

Tada! Bravo team!

On the second day of filming we decided my job was to document the process- so naturally I decided to collect shells and completely abandon my task once we got to the pond.  But I'm glad we did get background photos, I wish we did more of that the first day. And Jessica & I did give ourselves movie war paint... wish we got a better picture of that.  haha

3ish hour long hair & makeup

featherhawk // pretty sweet if i do say so myself

nature typography // two love birds

the professionals

shootin'

being artsy

film still

happy

faces

productivity

my shells

colors

favorite picture

today was a good day.

...And so have been the past few days.  The weather has been so gorgeous lately you can't help but smile when you walk outside.  So here are some snapshots of what's been happening the past month.

boxes // empty #217

moo's tummy xray // catching some zzz's

productivity at it's finest while working

celebrating moms, bdays, nice weather, and new adventures

jess leaves for disney

new hair cut // moo moo's love hate relationship with the outdoors

young love // road tripping friends

new office! // notes for my officemates