Helvetica

We watched Helvetica tonight and I enjoyed it. I have a thing for typography/fonts but also from a designer-graphic artist-mixed media artist, I could appreciate it too. And even though I am a designer and have a thing for typography I didn't even realize how often Helvetica is used. I actually don't use it all that often. I didn't even have it as a font on my computer until 2 years ago when a client had it is in his logo and I was designing letterhead/business card to match so downloaded it. Probably very sad that I haven't used it. Probably will now though. :)



I really liked this guy - Michael wasn't as amused by him as I was though.

And then I also liked this guy too...

Face Plant on the Driveway

Always a great way to start the day by doing a face plant on the driveway. I was walking to the car and looking at the things in my hand to make sure I had everything and tripped. I landed half on the driveway and half into the snow next to the driveway. My face and all the stuff in my hands ended up in the snow. And my knee hit the driveway hard.

When I first came into the house, I couldn't put any weight on my left leg/knee. Now after icing it - it is weight bearing. Bruised and battered looking but movable (mostly). Thank goodness. We leave for Denver this afternoon. Hopefully I will be able to film tomorrow. I think filming is possible as I would just be able to sit and film. I don't think I will be able to help with set up though and that will almost kill me watching Michael do that all on his own.

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful...
1. for the new piece of equipment we got for our business that ROCKED! Today was really extrodinary and the possibilities of where we could go with this is something I truly express gratitude in.
2. for all the people that have stood behind us for this change and really supported and believed in us...really Michael being able to give them quality.
3. for coming home after being in Denver and being able to sink into our bed that has clean sheets on it and extra blankets
4. for apples and crisp fall days - this past week I enjoyed our crisp fall days and bright red juicy applese too. Thankful for the beauty in those simple autumn reminders.
5. for Michael who truly is awesome in so many ways. Tonight after we loaded the car with all our equipment in Denver, I had a really bad asthma attack as I have a cold that moved to the lungs. It was to the point I almost said bring me to the ER. But he calmed me down, stopped and got me cold medicine, water, a little cute Christmas cup (because I requested airborne too so he wanted me to be able to take it right away) and just everything I needed to feel better. He pulled over and talked to me and held my hand - and just did everything he could to make me feel better. I am so very grateful to have such love in my life.

A Bit Sleepy...maybe more then a bit...

Okay so late Thursday afternoon we were suppose to leave for Denver. We were doing a live webcast on Friday for a conference. Michael decided to test one thing before we left...well...it didn't work. And it ended up messing up something else which would end up messing up something....you see the pattern right? So he spent all afternoon and evening trying to fix it. We were suppose to be setting up at 7am on Friday morning in Denver. We live in Grand Junction 4 hours away. So 10:30pm comes and I finally say that it is probably best we go to bed and get at least some sleep before getting on the road at 3am and lets pray for it to work in Denver. Michael agreed so we went to bed and slept until 2am. Got up - showered, loaded the car and started towards Denver. We got to Denver a little before 7am.

Michael figured out a way to patch things together to make it work for the conference. So we did the webcast until 3pm when the conference ended. We packed up all the equipment and got out of there about 4pm to head back to Grand Junction because we had a wedding to film on Saturday. We arrived home about 8:15pm on Friday and went to bed by 9pm. Saturday morning wedding day filming started with the being at hair salon at 10:30am to film the bride. So were up about 8am to get some things done before heading there. We then were on the go and working until 11pm last night.

So needless to say today we are kind of tired. We did manage to drag ourselves out of bed to go our favorite breakfast splurge that is only available on Sunday at Rockslide Brewery (they don't have a website or I would link to it). It has really good food fresh food. So we went there this morning and toasted with mimosas for surviving the weekend.

After we came home, I did a few chores (dishes starting to stack up from our grabbing quick bite and then running out again) and then I went to crash. I slept all afternoon. And really felt like I could have kept on sleeping but I worried that I might not sleep tonight. I made a lasagna the end of July and put half in the freezer - let me tell you how thankful I am for that lasagna today so I don't have to cook dinner tonight. We have a busy week ahead of us too so I am hoping that this day of rest helps me get through it.

I had the dumb

Today we were out on the Colorado National Monument with the couple whose wedding we are filming. They are a lot of fun so there were many laughs. I still had a little lagging migraine so when we got home I pretty much went to bed. After I got up, I was going to attempt making dinner but thinking wasn't coming so Michael ordered us pizza. Thank goodness because when I came to look up if there were any coupons online - I had to put our zip code in and couldn't even remember it. I had to pull a bill from the stack I had sitting on my desk to input the correct zip code. So I fear what would have happened if I had tried to cook.

Sunny Saturday Out

Michael agreed to do a wedding video. The personal type videos aren't really his main area but he LOVES doing them for the very reason that they are personal -- about people. He likes capturing people. And he has a way that just seems to put everything together to create very beautiful and touching memory.

So today we met with the couple and went through some pictures with them and he asked them some questions to prep for filming them tomorrow. He is doing a pre-wedding interview for the video.

Because it has been raining every afternoon/evening -- we saw clouds forming over the Colorado National Monument -- where we were going to film. So that made us a little nervous that we might get rained out or that one of the areas we were filming would be too muddy to film (coincidentally the place is called Muddy Springs - and even after all the rain it wasn't Muddy). After meeting with the couple we went to check it out and it was fine. It was again nice just to kind of get out of town. I mean it wasn't far -- still in our area but up on the Monument and in Glade Park. But still incredibly beautiful. Always reminding me how lucky we are to live in Colorado.

Unfortunately by the time we got home I had a migraine. So had to take some meds and get into bed with an ice pack. I hope it clears up before tomorrow.

But over all it was a very nice day.


***image I did that was part of a book I made for Michael for Valentine's Day several years ago

Boxes Boxes Boxes

Our UPS guy probably hated us yesterday. I have been working on a postcard project for a client. We ordered the postcards just a little over a week ago and almost all the postcards were delivered yesterday. The company that we got them through - sent the majority of these 4" x 6" boxes individually and then 3 bigger boxes filled with the little 4" x 6" boxes. I am not sure I understand why you would send so many of them separately. The UPS guy had to scan them all in and then we helped him bring them up to our house. Yay for steps on the porch (yes that is said sarcastically).

It took us 2 hours of going through each box and mark whose cards they are and whatnot. Our hands were black with toner ink (from the shipping labels) and dirt that had collected on the boxes. The next step, after we get the last of them today, will be loading them all into our car, bringing them to the place they need to go and then unloading them there.

Thankfully the project is almost done for everyone involved!

Reflecting Time Redesign

Several months ago I started a redesign for Reflecting Time Productions - Michael's business website. And last week I had a little time now that I am done with my big postcard project so I worked on it and got it up. I am really happy with how it turned out. I still need to add graphic art to the services but Michael is better at writing the little blurbs for them.

Just a screen shot....click on the link to actually see the site.

Reflecting Time

In the busy....

I have been working so much that I haven't had time to really slow down and write/think. The graphic art side of our business is usually a smaller side but right now it has been extremely busy. So I have been sitting at the computer a lot more then usual but not able to surf, catch up on blogs, email and so on. I just am working working working. I been snappy and having a few melt downs but luckily I have Michael to help calm and center me again.

It feels like I am saying I am busy a lot lately which is a mixed blessing. Good that we are have our business going good but sad that I haven't been able to create art.

Art-less

I haven't been doing much art lately because I have been so busy with work. I am creating websites, logos, business cards, letterhead and postcards so they do tap into my creativity. But I haven't gotten around to sitting actually at my work table to create something that gets my hands dirty instead of digital graphic work.

Michael is going out of town in a couple of weeks so I am actually hoping that I will be able to use our that time we spend together in the evening to create. I also can't sleep well when he is gone and I usually feel very create late-late.

Time - Yesterday, Today and This Week

Michael and I had work yesterday that required us to be up at 5:30am. That was a little insane. We worked really hard plus the room where we were working -- the heat was broken so it was 85 degrees which is quite warm for when just sitting but we weren't just sitting we were working are asses off. On our way home we stopped for Chinese take out so that we could just go home and collapse. We ate and then took showers as we were beyond the expiration date of our deodorant. After showers, we just relaxed and watched movies. We watched the animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I was singing along with the songs -- it was fun! And a nice way to unwind after a long day.

It was our annual parade of lights here in Grand Junction but we knew after having such a busy morning there is no way we would be able to make it. And thank goodness we didn't as the weather got horrid just as it would have been starting last night. Ice hitting the windows and forming on our deck. Baby it's cold outside!

Today I have been doing some cleaning and then one of my eyes all of sudden started acting up. I am still having problems with. It was like the lids stuck to the eye so when I opened my eye it felt like ripping across my eye. Michael looked at the eye after - so did I and it looked fine but at one point today the only time it felt okay was closed. It is like a film is over at at times and also is pretty red tonight. I have been having allergy issues and goopy eyes so not sure if it is related.

This week is going to be very busy for me. Tomorrow I am going to start Christmas decorating. I am sure with other things I have to do I won't get it all done. So I will finish it up on Tuesday. Tuesday we need to do some grocery shopping and I need to finish shopping for his birthday. And then Wednesday finish any cleaning and get ready for Michael's parents to arrive on Thursday. It is Michael's birthday Thursday. I am not sure what I am going to make for dinner on Friday but most of the other meals are planned. Though we did get an email from Michael's parents tonight saying lots of snow in the forecast for the week so that could mean they won't make it over the mountains to our side. Either way my plans for this week will still be busy.

Well I am off to finish cleaning the refrigerator and then fold clothes. We are recording Tinman but probably won't watch it until after all 3 parts are recorded. While I fold clothes, I am going to watch Project Runway as I haven't watched this past weeks episode yet.

Exciting I know.

all the above was written early in the evening...I just forgot to hit post.

What else can I babble on and on about...

We have a new Goodwill here that seems like really well run operation. They have a drive up which is great. People meet you to help carry in your stuff and have real receipts (other place just hands you a little slip with their name on the top and lines to fill out what you brought). We got rid of so much -- it was nice to get rid of it. We were trying to find out if there was a local coat drive too as we have 11 coats and jackets but we couldn't find one. So those will need to be dropped at Goodwill now too.

I am reading the 4th book in the Outlander series. I also have the 2nd book in His Dark Materials series. But I am really enjoying the 4th book. I love that Brianna is in this one. I really hope that continues on as it seems like it might. I am only a little ways into the book yet so don't know how much she is there. But enjoying it so far. I am actually thinking I will go read a bit before bed.

I feel really tired today but I don't know why I do.

Turkey Eve

I haven't had much time for anything lately. I go from one project to the next, to the next...and so on.

Yesterday was shopping, working on a website and working on a Christmas present. Today I have cleaned most of the day, baked and then did a little bit of work the Christmas presents I am making.

It will just be us tomorrow...which is fine with me. Cooking for a large group on Thanksgiving isn't one of my favorite things to do...I would rather do Christmas dinner. We are having a pretty traditional menu this year. Roasted turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and I even made parker house rolls - something I haven't made in over 10 years.

Michael gave me a surprise the other day.....he said we will be putting up the Christmas decorations BEFORE his birthday this year so his parents can see the house all decorated. I am so excited! He usually likes us to wait until after his birthday...which I totally understand. But it does still make me very happy we get to have the decorations up a few days longer then usual! I am such a sap for Christmas.

I will be finishing The Golden Compass tonight (only have like 30 pages left). I really enjoyed it. I have put on request the second in the series. I am still waiting for the 4th in the Outlander series. So looks like I will be out of books for the next few days. I reached 50 books for the year though -- which was 50 more then last year so I am happy about that.

Well I better sign off and get some sleep.

I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving full of friends & family and love & laughter!

(Another Christmas photo from a few years ago -- I have a bunch of Christmas bears and they sit under the tree)

Bringing on the Busy...

I have felt kind of down this weekend. But today I finished up something for a friend and that actually helped me feel better knowing we will make her smile. I don't feel I accomplished much else though this weekend. I have 2 websites that I need to work on...changes to one and finishing up the other now that the client decided what template she wants. I also need to finish up an article. And then prep for Thanksgiving this week.

Michael's parents are coming for his birthday (Dec 6th) so I need to finish the autumn cleaning I started a few weeks ago (when I was steam cleaning). I would like to wash and press all the curtains and steam clean the hallway and Michael's office before they come (then all the carpet in the house would be done). I have bunches of stuff to go to Goodwill but I need to get it all together (one spot) and then typed up for taxes.

I started making our holiday card list today, got out the cards and labels so that I can try to get those out early this year. Maybe I will even get a letter done this year.

(The photo is one Michael took of our tree a couple years ago - the ornament is one his Grandmother made.)

Deep Thoughts...Okay not really...

Sunday
I thought my day was going to go bad. Once a month my cooking skills go out the window. For brunch I burnt our turkey bacon and then the biscuits were more ummm blackish-brown on their bottoms then they should have been. Luckily Michael took care of the eggs or we wouldn't have had anything that was -right-. I forgot a few things that day too - like meds.

I did though get lots of work - coding websites templates - done. I really kicked ass on them actually. They look really good and I need to keep them in my portfolio because I might be able to modify them for another client. It really made me want to redo Michael's work website to though because I just was really in a groove -- so I jotted some notes down to redo his -- this will be version 3 now. I just redid his probably 6 months ago though. I need to start also working on a holiday banner for our blogspot.

Monday
Sunday night I think we went to bed close to 2am. And I read until 3:30 am and then got up fairly early so I was dragging ALL DAY. You would think that last night I would have slept soundly but I didn't. I didn't do a lot yesterday - some chores, laundry, a little graphic thing Michael needed me to do and that was about it.

Tuesday
It is only 12:45 and we have been really productive but just got home a bit ago. We left the house at 7:45am. I had to go get blood drawn. I have border line high blood pressure. Then I have white coat syndrome - meaning as soon as I set foot in the doctors office my blood pressure sky rockets. But because I am a big girl my doctor always worries it is just not white coat syndrome and that I have heart disease. So I get to go do blood test every so often for a lipid panel. It always come back in the acceptable range but I guess it is better to have her care enough to do it then not.

When we got there, I was freezing. I said to Michael I bet it will be a hard go on my vains today because I am so cold they all are shrunk up and hiding. He laughed and nodded his head like my girl is silly. I get back in the nurses chair and she is saying how busy it has been and everyone has been a hard stick. And I said you will probably have problems with me too. My doctor walked by as I was getting it done so came to see how it was going and both the nurse and I said not good. I said I am so cold this morning it is hard to get one to come up the surface. They both commented that my hands were ice. So I get to come back as she didn't want to stick m again...she only stuck me 2 times. Thursday morning I have to be back at 8:10am -- I told Michael that I probably should get up and get moving around more so that I warm up long before we leave the house. We woke up, showered and left so I know my body wasn't awake at all. Even my usual for sure place on my hand wouldn't pop up and that vain always springs right up with a few times of clenching/unclenching my hand.

Getting stuck this morning though reminded me of when I was getting married. I was having lots of asthma problems - in and out of the ER several times right before our wedding. I knew it was probably just stress of the wedding. Our honeymoon was going to be in Colorado...going to high altitude with the asthma problems - made me a tad bit worried. So I made an appointment with my doctor to maybe change my inhaler or do something to help me out while there. My appointment was 2 days before my wedding. And they wanted blood. The nurse stuck me once, twice, third time...I threw up. By the 6th time she knew I was on the verge of getting sick again she is trying to keep my mind off it by engaging me in conversation where I then tell her - I am getting married in 2 days. She went white and looked like she was going to get sick. She blurted out in a very worried tone.."omg does your dress have long sleeves?" Because after sticking me that many times I had bruises on both arms appearing before I even left. I told her yes it was long sleeves but after that she was so nervous she ended up sending me to the hospital lab...which they stuck me once - barely felt the needle go in. It actually was one of the best blood labs I have been too. Oh I guess the nurse in Cleveland too was good too but she had to stick more then once sometimes. But her attitude and energy were so great...she was funny and just so nice. She usually had me crying - not because of pain but from laughing so hard.

I guess back on track of daily report....so had the lab appointment this morning, then after we went to breakfast, target, grocery shopping, library and post office. I am starting to stock up on stuff to make Christmas goodies. Library didn't have the next in the Outlander series ready for me yet. Someone was suppose to return it on the 8th but well that hasn't happened. I never read The Golden Compass before either so I requested that one and there is not even a waiting list on it. I figured there might be since the movie will be out soon.

I need to do some laundry today and I need to finish some work.

(from an ATC - Monster Joy)

Back to Colorado...

We are in Denver right now. We got in last night. Our trip to Louisiana went well...did lots of work so really didn't get to explore the area as tourists but that is okay. We did good work and that is really what matters.

I will post some pictures Michael took of a mural in Shreveport and somethings we encountered on our way there and back in Colorado when we get back to Grand Junction.

Live from Shreveport...

We have been having a very productive time here in Louisiana. Things have went smoothly when setting up and taking down all the equipment. I needed to update a clients website so staying in the room while the rest of the crew is out with Michael filming so decided to do an update too.

On Saturday we stopped in a town in Southeastern Colorado to see a friend of Michael's - Leo. He was so fun! I really liked chatting with him. And he just has so much respect and caring for Michael. His son looks just like a friends husband it was eerie how much they looked like each other. It was so great though meeting Leo!

On our way out town heading towards the Colorado Oklahoma border....we saw spiders. Now when I say we saw spiders we were driving 65 to 70 miles per house down the highway and we could see them ahead of us on the road. That is how big they were. They looked like tarantulas from the vehicle. We didn't stop to check them out as there weren't really places to pull over on this road. But these things had thick legs and big bodies and we saw at least 20 of them in less then a 50 mile stretch.

I am not scared of spiders normally but I think if we would have looked at these up close I might have developed a fear as they looked scary from the car.

Sunday we arrived in Louisiana and as I said it has been going well. We are getting work done. What I am amazed by here is the poverty. We really haven't seen a lot of homeless but the homes people live in here are so worn and then neighborhoods have apartment complexes that are really run down with boarded up windows and it looks like people live in them. Plus they are surrounded by fences with barbwire and signs that say "no firearms permitted" and "id required at all times." This is apartment complexes - where families live. Most businesses don't have windows and if they do they have burglary bars. And then many businesses are also fenced with barbwire too. The schools are surrounded by fences with barbwire too. It is just a part of their life and that is hard for me to imagine. Filming this type of living condition is part of the project - maybe we are just being exposed to it more then we would if we were here to just visit/vacation. But it saddens me...that people suffer so much and live in such conditions.

What else...

Really we are just working hard so tired and just veg when we get back to the hotel room. I have been reading Outlander and I am LOVING it.

The above was written this morning but the internet went down when I was going to post. This afternoon and evening was long. We did some filming then tried to get lunch but it wasn't an easy process. We went to one place and waited about 8 minutes to get seated and then waited another 10-12 minutes and walked out as we didn't get waited on. Next place we went in and again waiting to get seated no hostess/host in sight and ended up leaving as we were going to be in a time crunch if we waited much longer....so had to grab fast food.

This evening we had 3 film shoots - and it takes so long for the lights to cool between them that it was a rush between each place. Tonight just grabbed subs on the way back to the hotel and ready to crash. We don't need to get up early tomorrow so that is so NICE!

Going sign off and relax!