Due to popular demand, i.e. my cousin’s friendly inquiry about whether or not I even use this blog anymore (this is for you, GRETA!), here I am: The World’s Most Sporadic Blogger, throwing words at the wall/internet once more.*
*(this entry dedicated to my five readers)
I would apologize for starting this blog and never actually posting anything, but that feels a bit like deja vu, and what good are more apologies and empty promises? We all know it might be another year before I post here again, so let’s not disillusion ourselves.
One more disclaimer before we progress: I am currently watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring whilst typing this all out, and I am about to move on to the Two Towers. That said, do not be shocked if in my stream of consciousness I suddenly write-shout “FOR ROHAN!” or something similar in nature in the midst of an otherwise quiet paragraph.
And now, I will start a sentence with a conjunction and proceed to recap the last year of my life. Jump ship now if that does not interest you.
Some of you will remember that last time we spoke, I was on the cusp of a move to west Texas, leaving behind fair Monterey, California. That Southwest road trip did in fact happen, and Husband and I managed to tick off several states from our travel bucket list. I will spare you most of the details, considering much of the Southwest is considerably monotonous. However, here are a few iPhone photos to prove that I did actually see the Grand Canyon:
Me looking sad at the Grand Canyon
Our arrival in west Texas, which you do not need to see a picture of (because west Texas is a wasteland) led to a 5-month stay and a few “first year of marriage” highlights including our first married Thanksgiving and Valentine’s day, a Texan snowfall, trip to Dallas, and my first live sloth sighting!
seemed an appropriate last pic to take in Texas
Quaint, Texan BBQ joint in a suburb of Dallas
That is about all there is worth mentioning about our leg of our journey spent in west Texas. Not meaning to sound too overly hateful of that part of U.S. geography, I will simply say that upon our departure, I immediately discarded my San Angelo Tom Greene Co. Library Card because, “there’s a snowball’s chance in hell I will ever willingly return to this town.”
AND NOW, the main event: Anchorage, Alaska
Seth’s career has landed us in the Last Frontier, and so far we are LOVING it.
Selfie of me “loving Alaska”
Moose in our backyard
It feels a lot like the Midwest here…but with a mountian or two thrown into the mix
Embarrassingly so, we’ve yet to do much sightseeing, as Seth’s time is pretty well-accounted for with job training and our vehicle is only so stalwart when it comes to navigating snow and ice. Currently much of my time is spent furnishing and decorating our cute, little apartment space and getting ready to launch my Etsy shop!
Our apartment after all our junk got moved in…or…a screenshot from an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive
Finally using our blender that had been stowed away in a box in a different state for the last half year
While interior decorating is really just “playtime” for me, considering I love making things organized and pretty, I am finding starting an Etsy shop to be more of a hurdle. It’s been a twinkle in my eye for years, but for whatever reason I have had a hard time overcoming certain mental hangups along the lines of being “good enough” to actually make money with my artwork…that and the fact that I was completely burnt out on making art for awhile, sadly. I am no business major, but I do know it is hard to have a shop/make money when you’ve got no product to sell. If there’s one thing I took away from school it’s that an artist constantly has to be “making.” Well I’ve finally had the kick in the pants that I needed, and I am taking strides toward using that expensive art degree! (good news, Mom & Dad!)
Feel free to sling clever ideas for a business name at me. My dad’s latest cheeky offering for a shop name was “Facecrook” due to my affinity for portraits, oft’ of the infamously villainous nature. But I feel like I can top “Facecrook.” 🙂
With that, I will leave you with the good intention of posting a plethora of more pictures of our apartment and Alaskan mountains, moose, etc., as well as a few photos of the portrait of Al Capone that has occupied the majority of my time these last few days.
(in progress) “Al Capone” | pen on paper
idea of proportion
detail shot of the pointillism technique I am using
Artful | Hopeful 