thursday 10/28/10

day 27.

finished a wedding portfolio and a general portfolio today for my meeting on monday. hopefully michael mannig will like what i have to show him (fingers crossed). i'm very excited to meet with him (maybe his wife too) and possibly land a wedding photography gig for their studio.

start training at picture me studios tomorrow in dickson city. i haven't been working for so long now, it's definitely going to take some getting used to (especially a regular sleeping schedule). i'm pretty excited though. i guess most of the 'training' will be on the computer tomorrow, and then who knows. i haven't gotten many details on the job yet. hopefully it'll be good.

wednesday 10/27/10

day 26.

i can't believe that it's been 13 years since the day my mother passed. i'm never going to forget that day - full of emotions. didn't do too much today - worked on my wedding portfolio a bit and hung out around the house. got a delivery of flowers from my sister - a very beautiful arrangement. she said that she wanted a different one, but the place was running low on flowers. either way - it was very thoughtful of her. i usually go down to the grave, and bring some flowers, but obviously i wasn't able to do so this year. carrie also put up a great photo album on facebook of old pictures of mom - those were great! i hadn't even seen some of them before. i just love old pictures in general.

sunday 10/24/10

day 23.

mike and jes arrive tomorrow! lots of preparations were made today - a.k.a cleaning out the downstairs and the rest of the stuff from my closet that wasn't mine. i guess i'm officially moved in, since i have all my own stuff in my room now accept for my drum from kenya. now, i just have to unpack and arrange everything... which could be an everlasting project until the next time i move.

went for a walk with parker around the loop (which i believe is about a mile). it was unseasonably warm out today, which was nice - made me sweat a bit! watched the pats kill it today against the san diego chargers. well, not kill it, exactly - they should have with all the turn overs they had, but i enjoyed yelling at the tv and scaring the dogs just the same.

cameron helped me make a super healthy dinner of hamburger helper tonight. i wish i was more of a cook, but its hard with picky eaters in the house...

calling picture me studios tomorrow to say that i'm on board with them - its time to start making some money and supporting myself here. its been a long road since rock n willy's kind of gave me the boot.

saturday 10/23/10

day 22.

hung out at home while the rest of the fam went to harvest fest. parker and i went for a nice walk. we befriended a cat and another dog on our trip - he's such a friendly pup - he's such a good boy.

busted out my sax for a while today - i think i need to leave it at home next time i'm there, beacuse its sounding kind of out of shape. of course, that could just be me, and not my horn, but i'd like to double check. i've been thinking about trading my current one in for a new horn, but i need $ to do that..

now, we're all sitting in front of the fire and watching storm chasers - i couldn't ever do that - those guys are pretty crazy!

excited to get mike and jes moved in down here in a couple days!

friday 10/22/10

day 21.

wow! it's sort of been 3 weeks since i've been here in penn. got a call from picture me studios, and they're offering me a part time job with decent pay (for down here). now, i'm just waiting to hear back from another job as a wedding photographer - i'm thinking that it'd be great if i could swing both jobs - but we'll see what happens. either way, i'm good to go at picture me studios!

i took parker for a short walk - i hadn't been feeling well all day - didn't bring my camera with me - sorry! i cleaned up the downstairs and got it some what organized for mike and jes to move some of their stuff in on monday.

jeff and kelly are renting a storage unit, so i have a feeling we have a lot of moving to do this next week... i have a few more things to bring up from downstairs, and then i'll be all moved into my room - granted most of my things are still taped up in boxes... i'll get there someday.

missing my family and friends! i will be home (job pending) on nov 6th for my cousin, charlie's wedding. it should be a good time - and i'll be excited to take pictures for the FUN of it! :-)

we've been having some great fires in the fire place - getting a cord of wood in the near future to stack somewhere. love the fires.

thursday 10/21/10

day 20.

had kind of a weird day today. dreamt about my mom last night - she way laying down and looked so peaceful. i'm not sure if she was just sick or what had happened to her - she looked fine. i for some reason thought she was dead and was so upset by it. my friend, mike, was waiting to hear the news, and he asked me, and i told him she was dead. we were crying as he gave me a big hug. for some reason, i had to help my dad with a tractor and moving stuff or something, anyway, i was riding on a tractor with him, when he told me that she was just sleeping and she wasn't dead after all. super strange and rather depressing. whenever i dream about her we never speak to each other. i can't ever speak to her, and she's never spoken to me - to my friend heidi, but never to me... i don't get it. anyway - i woke up from that and fell back asleep to dream about making tanktops with flowers on them? goodness it was a weird night. i woke up feeling like i've been crying for the past 8 hours...

onto my day - took parker for a little walk, and went into dickson city (without any directions) and filled out my paper work for picture me studios at walmart, picked up some more dog food for my growing pup, picked up some bread for dinner, and made it back home (without getting lost!)

kelly made some delicious chicken soup for dinner - goodness it was so good! we had a nice dinner together, and all sat around the fire afterwards. cameron and i ended up cooking some smores in the fireplace! they turned out really good - though, i'm pretty sure i singed most of my right arm hairs :-)

sorry i didn't take many photos today - like i said - i was a bit thrown off today. hopefully things will look up for tomorrow! can't wait for mike and jes to get here in a few days!!

wednesday 10/20/10

day 19.

slept so wonderfully last night, even though i had some whack dreams. it's

usually something chasing me, or i have to hide from whatever it is. last night it was a cult taking over a community that i lived in, and they took my camera - weird.

it's a beautiful day today, so i took parker on a nice walk. saw a cool house

that i would define as a perfect home for the hideout.

we went on a new route today, which took us to a couple dead ends, a green pond, and the fire exit. we hopped the gate, and went down the road a ways to find a vacant shed. there was also a pasture with some horses that i would have loved to go and take pictures of,

but i didn't want to be a creeper.

i also got a response from a photo studio interested in hiring photographers for wedding in the area - and it took less than an hour after i responded to the ad! unfortunately, that means that i have to hold off on jumping into the position at the studio in walmart, but maybe this will be a better opportunity! who knows.

tuesday 10/19/10

day 18.

finally got my car windows replaced. unfortunately, i got charged 2 deductibles of $100 each, because i couldn't prove when i got the chip in the front windshield. of course, that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. mailed out some prints and a photo cd to a couple clients, and then got parker all ready to go.

i tried a different way back down to pa this time - i think it took just about the same amount of time. parker road wonderfully - yes, slightly sedated, but not knocked out by any means. we stopped once so he could go potty, and once it got dark, he was pretty much laying down for the last 1/2 of the trip. it took me a little over 4.5 hours to get back down - not too bad.

got my load of laundry done, and had a fairly relaxing evening. my stomach's been feeling kind of crazy today, but i think its because of the coffee and lack of sleep - a great mix, obviously.

planning on going into the studio tomorrow to get my info into their computers, so i can start training. not sure when i'll start, but will probably find that out tomorrow.

alright - time to pass out in a real bed (though i am jealous of g's spidey sheets).

monday 10/18/10

day 17.

ran some errands today. called to see if i could get my car windows fixed, but they couldn't get my rear window in until tomorrow. went and visited with aubrey and mason for a little while - it was good to see them again! mason's gotten bigger and more talkative in just two weeks - kind of unbelievable! i didn't feel like driving back to pittsfield, so i stayed at jes and mike's for the night.

this was an older picture from when i was still in the rut

sunday 10/17/10

day 16.

slept in today - later than i was planning, but oh well.

another lazy day at home - i don't know what it is, but i have not had any energy since i've gotten home. it has been kind of a crummy weekend, weather wise, so maybe

that has something to do with it...

leaves out of thegordon and my dad blew some

ditches of our drive way today.

there was supposed to be a raking

party, but the leaves were so wet, that it'd be pretty much impossible to get much done. geoffrey had been staying at my aunt and uncles house this weekend, so i got to crash in his room, since my room is still under construction. carrie even

changed the sheets and put on some nice spiderman ones for me

john + chris came over to drop g off.

chris and i started going for a walk, and then met up with my dad down the road. he was headed

back up to the house, so we decided to turn around and walk

with him. i then

realized that both of us ladies were wearing very

dark colors, which isn't a good idea in the middle of the woods during

hunting season. i stuck around the house, and took some pictures of some of my favorite things around the house. aunt chris even let me get a shot of her - and i stole a few of geoffrey.

they had taken g to a marble quarry, and he got to hammer some of the marble, so he brought home two little bags of rocks haha.

the boys were all inside watching

sunday night football. gordon had made some killer beef chili. it was a bit spicy, but very delicious! aunt chris had brought over some apple crisp for

desert! everything was great, and it was wonderful getting to have a coughenour dinner.

back to the grind for everyone tomorrow.

saturday 10/16/10

day 15.

had a nice turn out for the grand re-opening of the town hall in bethel and the band didn't sound half bad! after our performance, gordon, carrie, my dad, matt and i went to 5old in south royalton, which is a restaurant/bar. i had a crab cake sandwich, and it was amazing. everyone else enjoyed their food too.

it was a fairly lazy day - i came home, folded my clothes and then took a nap until evening. the church was hosting a fundraiser dinner at the town hall, and everyone else had gone down, so i

decided to make an appearance and have some italian food.

later that night, i was invited over to my friend whalen's house to hang out and watch a movie. his roomie, dave, was there along with whay's long time friend, dan. it was nice to catch up with the boys, have a nice beverage by the name of sailor jerry (rum and coke), and just relax.

whalen's an amazing cook, and you can often find him at the swiss farm in for breakfast, or up on killington at dominics for dinner. both are great selections in my book, and whalen's kind and friendly spirit makes any meal wonderful!

friday 10/15/10

day 14.

came back to vt for the weekend. of course, i forgot my hat and its super cold and snowing!

i came back to see my family and to play in a community band that my sister is directing. we're playing tomorrow to benefit the newly restored town hall in bethel.

the trip back wasn't too bad. it was really windy and rainy on the roads. parker did ok - i felt bad, because he was dry heaving pretty much every time he tried to stand up - poor thing. no accidents though, which i truly appreciate.

even before i left pa today, people had been texting me that it was snowing on killington, and there was no sign of it stopping any time soon. so, on my over the mountain to rehearsal (thankfully it was daylight still) i took a video of pico on the ride up. don't worry - i was paying attention to the road the entire time - i'm just that good holding a camera ;-)

thursday 10/14/10

day 13.

this is my first try doing a time lapse... not too much action from leo, but it's a dreary day.

unfortunately, it was kind of a crappy day outside - even the animals were all curled up and sleeping all day... hopefully it will be nicer tomorrow at some point so i can take parker for a walk.

we might have to make a group effort later to get caitlin's cast off. she's been getting antsy about it, and i guess none of the ER's around here will take it off.

wednesday 10/13/10

day 12.

had my first interview today. it was for picture me photo studio in walmart. i had to bring in three references, and dress professionally - i think it was the first time in a few months that i've even brushed my hair ahah - straightened it too. the interview went really well, and the woman, kris, said that she'd love to have me be a part of their team. wages aren't sky high, and i'd only be part time, but it'd be something for now - until something bigger and better comes along...

busted out my saxophone for a little bit today once i got home. i'm planning on auditioning for a cruise ship entertainment hiring agency. i'm also working on getting some audio samples together, and put up on myspace. always multi tasking - i'd love to get onto a ship and travel around for a few months...

happy birthday kelly! (my PA mom) she had a great day of watching cameron, because he was home from school - 'sick'. we all went out to dinner to the olive garden with the murrays. it was a great dinner, and even kendall behaved fairly well.

think i'll take parker on a walk tomorrow, since we haven't done that in a few days. i guess he waited on my bed all the while i was gone today - so cute... also on the agenda - practice, practice, practice. i'm going to get on a ship, so i've gotta prove that i got the chops :-)

sending my best to my bestie - jes - she's flying into albany tomorrow. she's been having clot issues in her legs while she's been down in FL. hopefully, the flight won't be too strenuous on her conditions... as of the 25th, she'll be down here with me, which will be exciting!

ta ta for now!

tuesday 10/12/10

day 11.

i helped out kristi (friend of the family i'm staying with) today. she had to run some errands and needed a driver, because she wasn't feeling well. we also brought her daughter, kendall with us she's so adorable - kind of freaked me out,

because she looks a lot like i did when i was a baby (only i had wicked ringlets).

kristi popped my red robin cherry. they actually had someone dressed in a red robin costume walking around - made kendall cry. one of our last errands of the day was to petco. i got parker some puppy food so he can get some meat on his bones, and speaking of bones, i got him one of those too! i got him to lift his paw to shake when i asked!! i was pumped, but still not convinced that he's quite gotten the hang of it. he's done a number on the bone already!

monday 10/11/10

day 10.

finally got a call today about a job. i set up an interview for wednesday at picture me studios (in walmart). congrats to jes who got two job responses today (in less than 24 hours!) didn't do too much else today - been feeling a bit off, even though got a decent night's sleep last night... sorry i didn't take any pictures today - cait ended up taking parker for a walk. thank goodness for photobooth.

<-------geoffrey made these smiley faces for me, and carrie texted them to me yesterday :-) i miss my bubby - he's going to look so different when i see him next. he gives the best hugs.

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU GEOFFREY!

sunday 10/10/10

day 9.

happy 10 10 10 people! i went on a mission today to get three different photos to represent. i know - exciting, right? and guess where i got them - that's right - outside of the hideout!... well, two of them anyway.

good

morning! this lovely feast is an egg, cheese and bacon sandwich with a side of hash browns cooked by yours truly. it was a delicious masterpiece let me tell you what - a great start to a sunday morning - along with a big cup of coffee, of course.

after a (shorter) walk with parker, i went for a drive around the country side. i ended up in the village of sterling, and i stopped at a farm that had this windmill and cool old steam trains (i think?)

i caught some colors from the sunset on the horizon. it also reflected quite nicely on the lake in the hideout. i wish i had a kayak - i'd be out there every day. it was a nice day. keeping my fingers crossed for a call back this week...

saturday 10/9/10

day 8.

i cannot believe that it has already been a full week here in PA. it seems like just yesterday and forever ago all at the same time. i've applied to a couple places every day since i've been here, and still no luck - something has got to give... right? as you can see, i am getting frustrated,

and discouraged, but i will not give up!
everyone had the day off today, so most of the morning was spent lounging around the house.

while the others went on a field trip to ritter's farm, which is right up the road a ways, i decided to stay home and take parker for a walk. he wasbeing especially

difficult today it seemed, but we made it up to the golf course, around the clubhouse and back.i am really going tohave to start exploring life outside the hideout,

because i'm kind of running out of things to take pictures of here - hahah, just kidding, but really - i need to get out more.

this is caitlin and cameron (with his new spy kit) hanging out before our cinema adventure.

i got some senior photos edited (almost done!) while we watched 'sky high' on tv. it was a kids movie about kids having superpowers - it was kind of cute, i'm not going to lie.

it was abeautiful day today - i didn't even haveto wear a hoodie!

i also did a load of laundry and unpacked a few more things into my room. once the fam got home, we all had dinner together, and

then chilled in the living room for a while. 'billy madison' is far more interesting as an edited tv version - its like watching a badly english dubbed chinese flick...tonight the parents treated us to the cold stone creamery - i had 'peanut butter cup perfection' this time - it was delicious. then, they took usto the movies.

caity and cam went to some kids 3d movie, and i was the 3rd wheel to 'life as we know it' - with katherine heigl and josh duhamel (a beautiful creature). i had to fight back the tears a few times, but other than that, it was a really good movie.

now, its super late, but i want to

get this posted before i go to sleep. debating on whether i

should put parker in his crate for the night, since he was a

naughty boy and peed on the living

room carpet tonight, but he just looks so comfortable on the bed right now... i know, i know, i'm a softie.

missing jes and mike

muchly, and can't wait for them to be back here. miss

my family and

friends back in the 802. gotta keep my chin up though...

goodnight!

this photo reminded me of the movie ferngully-->