And I just can't hide it!

We're leaving for our Great Canadian Road Trip in a few hours. I started packing last weekend, which was good because it gave me a chance to think about what I might forget.

Traveling with the pups adds a whole new dimension to this - we've packed a bag just for their stuff, and it also means they are going to take up the space where we would usually put our bags.

Last night, I got some girls together for a "beauty exchange", which basically meant that I asked them to bring all the old hair products, unopened cosmetics, and jewelry that they no longer wear/use and we could swap. One woman's "too greasy" is another woman's "amazing find", right?

We did surprisingly well, with only 4 gals - yeah, people ended up taking some of their own stuff home with them, but for the most part we did some good swapping. And managed to drink 2 bottles of yummy red wine, from Argentina and Spain. (Thanks Lisa and Adrianne for giving me those!)

I got some nice travel-sized color safe shampoo and conditioner for our trip, and some of the John Frieda "brilliant brunette" styling products that I've always wanted to try.

But the real awesome find for me - tons of beaded jewelry to disassemble and remake. I can't wait to get started on that. It's really too bad jewelry making isn't exactly a portable craft, or easy to do in the car.

Well, off to do the last few bits of packing!

Bend me break me anyway you need me

Note to self: do not post after having 3 glasses of wine... Last night's post has been unceremoniously removed. Though I did get to play Rock Band on the XBOX last night (omg, was I really singing in front of a room full of people?!) and I have to say I LOVED it.

Lazy Sunday here, and finally the sun came out after a couple of days of snow, sleet and crazy hail interludes. Since the dogs were getting stir-crazy we went to the park in the hail. It was surprisingly fun, maybe because I actually put on all my woolies and managed to stay pretty warm and dry despite the horrendously craptastic weather that passes for spring in these parts.

Now Peanut and I are relaxing in front of the fireplace, because TJ so nicely made a fire for us. I love these quiet afternoons.

I started advertising my Etsy shop last week on Project Wonderful, which is a site that lets you place bids on ad space for just a few cents. You can put a cap on your daily spending, or spending for the whole campaign, so you don't go overboard. I've now seen my ads on various blogs all over the world, and definitely have gotten some clicks, which is cool. (No sales yet, though, since I started advertising.)

I put a couple of PW ad spaces on my own blog here (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see them). So in a few days, I should be able to see other people "bidding" for the space on my ad boxes. Hopefully I can get to a nice steady-state where the few cents I make from my ad space can be reinvested into advertising my Etsy shop on this network. That would be too cool.

And never brought to mind

Happy New Year, everyone! I can't believe my long holiday vacation is coming to an end. I've been off work since Dec 19, but it seems like just yesterday. Oh well.

I do feel re-energized by the break, though (of course!) I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, including trying out a coworker's BeDazzler that she let me borrow over the holidays. (It was a gift from a customer, before you start making fun!)

Last night TJ and I rang in 2008 at Canlis (where else?) with a lovely 9 course meal, and Sommelier's Wine Pairing. It was, by far, the most expensive meal I have *ever* had. And after 7 glasses of wine, I forgot to bring home the menu, so I don't even remember which wines we had. I had quinoa for the first time, and discovered I really like it, so I'll have to buy some to make at home.

But I do remember one was the Chateau Mouton Rothschild with a very cute Picasso sheep drawing on the bottle. Apparently this one goes for $90 for a single glass, according to our waiter, who was a fun and quirky guy. So apparently the tasting flight was a screamin' deal. Which I'm sure it was, if we knew anything about wine.

But I'm definitely getting a better sense for what I like and I'm having a lot of fun trying to describe what each one tastes like. (Not in official wine terms, of course. One of the wines last night tasted like a wet attic to me, kind of musty and how I imagine moss might taste. Not in an entirely bad way, just different.)

So now we will go back to eating mac n cheese at home. For a *very* long time. And of course, it's New Year's Resolution Time, so here are mine for the year. Just two, because I'm trying to make them manageable:

1. Once and for all, get down to a manageable healthy weight. (have we heard this before? Yes. But if I don't try again, it definitely *won't* happen.)

2. Get my jewelry for sale in at least one local store/salon/boutique. (This involves me narrowing down my work into a few signature lines, and figuring out how to approach store owners and market my pieces.)

These aren't exactly easy resolutions, and they'll both take a lot of time and focus. And desire. Obviously the weight loss thing has been plaguing me for years. It's a planning/stress thing for me - if I overplan and make everything regimented I start to get stressed and freak out. If I don't plan enough, then I don't eat on a regular schedule and end up snarfing down nachos when I'm so hungry I can't see straight. So somewhere in there is a delicate balance.

Here's to finding that balance in 2008! Salut!

I'll share them all for a cup of coffee and to wear your ring

Another significant anniversary today - TJ and I have been married for exactly 1 year! A lot of people are surprised to realize it's been that long. I guess it's gone by pretty quickly, but we have done a lot in the past year:

• Wedding reception in Savannah (May)
• Party in Las Vegas and An's 30th birthday (June)
• Leslie, Jorge and Lola's visit (July)
• Dre's baby shower at our house *and* Kenny Rogers concert on the same day (August)
• Trip to Tucson for TJ's grandmother's birthday (September)
• My customer event at work (October)
• Thanksgiving dinner at our house with my family (November)
• TJ quits his job at Active Voice (voicemail sux!) (December)
• Spending a few weeks sick at home getting addicted to Project Runway (January)
• My trip to Caltech (February)
• TJ starts his new job at Microsoft and our trip to Hawaii (March)
• Caltech soul harvesting party at our house (April)
• First anniversary celebration (May)

And those are just the highlights! All in all, it's been a good year for us, in no small part thanks to our family and friends.

We went to Canlis last night to celebrate. Really, where else would we go? Here's a picture:

Click on it to see a few more pictures from our evening.

We had a great time as usual, the food was amazing, and we came home and drank a bottle of the John Jos. Prumm Riesling (Auslese) that TJ had hunted down at Seattle Cellars when he couldn't find the Happy Monk (not its real name) Riesling we had once at Canlis. So an all around yummy evening.