another summer, another blessing

my grandmothers in the '30s, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

This is a side by side of my grandmothers. My paternal grandmother is on the left. I look more like my maternal grandmother (right) except for the nose. I put these pics together for an article I did about "Short hair on women: sexy or socially-unacceptable?"

I've had a heck of a month. I'm currently writing for two websites and recently got a traditional job. As in the kind where I doll myself up and leave the house. It's a change. I haven't really worked in over a year. I'm working in the local bookstore that originally hired me to blog for their website. It's been hectic but I am thankful. I also need to read more.

I'm very keen about fully emersing myself into whatever job I have at the time. Although I've been a life-long gamer, when I managed a videogame store I was playing anything I could get my hands on and reading about the industry daily. I'm really out of the loop lately and perhaps it's time for a new loop anyway. I almost want to compile a summertime reading list for myself, but I hate setting myself up to fail. I'll take it slow. I'm starting with Judy Blume's, Wifey. I read most of her adolescent books when I was younger and when "liking" her on facebook last year, I discovered she has adult books too. I'm an adult. I think.

This has the makings of a great summer. Anything beats last year. I can't say anything else without jinxing it.

cookies and ants and wasps, oh my!

stained glass cookies, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

I made these cookies with my mom yesterday for Mother's day. It was a fun day. Recipe and steps are here.

I had a quilt as a baby that featured a teddy bear picnic and some very cute ants were partaking in some of that picnic fun. It's a fond memory. The ants were smiling and overall cute. Anyway. I'm having some kind of ant problem in my kitchen with very tiny ants that don't bite. They're driving me insane because I can't seem to figure out where they're coming from.

On a similar note, we have a mud wasp who is trying to build a nest outside of our sliding door. I swear, we are being invaded. I thought I successfully killed his efforts with some scorpion-strength Raid, but I saw him again this morning. Thankfully, we've never had to use the scorpion spray. We bought it because it also kills spiders-- all of which are my husbands sworn enemies. I figured.. strong enough for a man but PH balanced for-- I mean, Strong enough for a scorpion, so hopefully it will work for a mud wasp?

We'll see. I understand the economy is bad. I'll feel bad if the ants are a homeless family and the wasp is just trying to build a home for his new wife (I can relate). But get out of my house!

These cookies stayed on the counter exactly long enough for a picture and then I put them in the frig. I've got ants on the brain.

a series of ramblings

J and H, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

New haircut. Having thick, curly hair in AZ can be murder in the summer. I like it.

In addition to my original writing gig, I am now also blogging for a local bookstore. Get PopCultured! with Heather Rode is a series of ramblings about all things popculture.

Jason and I are in the process of putting together a little home office in our loft area. I'm probably making it sound more intensive than it really is. We just have to move furniture we already have. With beautiful pictures of workspaces on pinterest, I'm determined to make it cutesy and organized.

More later.

scared puppy

scared puppy, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

It's raining and thundering so there's a scared puppy under my desk.

Summertime Goals

ants & teamwork, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

My right eyelid has begun twitching again. it started back in late 2010 when I was stressed at work. Getting it now makes no sense. I have no stress. I'm getting plenty of sleep. I'm eating healthy. I'm taking my medicines daily. I have to force myself to not stress over why it's happening, haha!

Easter and Passover went well. I can't believe it's almost summer. In blogs from previous years, I'd always have a working list of goals for any given season. For example, making a beautiful gingerbread house was on my list of winter goals and it never happened.

So, here we go. Summertime Goals, 2012 edition.

X buy some cute retro jogging shorts (extra points for contrasting-colored trim)

X trip to sequoia national park

X get or be pregnant by then

X trip to monument valley

X lots of swimming in new pool

X at least one get-together with friends we rarely see

X make homemade popsicles

X make homemade icecream

X cut all of my hair off, if I haven't already

X get some great lightning photos for the first time in 7+ years

a relaxing drive

new car, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

So we got a new car. Not exactly what we were planning to do. Our Camry was having some issues and the trade-in just happened to work out for us. It's quite nice. We took it for a relaxing drive to check out the wildflowers blooming now.

exactly this

my husband & I on our honeymoon, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

Disney was great. I never want to leave. Waking up the morning you have to leave is always the worst. Well, at least for me. Honeymoon was great. You can read about it here: A Disneyland Honeymoon. I hate to say it, but I hope that this was our last trip to Disney for awhile. I hope to return in a few years with a baby archaeologist or rockband or both (baby name foreshadowing).

My freelance writing is actually taking off and I sit here sometimes wondering how it even happened and in disbelief that I can make money doing exactly this. That people will read what I have to say. I never have short stories or concise thoughts. I always begrudgingly hide my journalism degree when I come across it.

If you told me blank ago that I'd be blanking, I would have said you were crazy. I fill in those blanks a lot lately. About everything. I still can't believe I'm married or that we have our own home or that I'm finally doing something that closely resembles what I went to college for and that the prospect of making money has nothing to do with managing whiny teenagers for 50+ hrs a week. Have I mentioned that no longer working for giant-video-game-chain is awesome? Yes, I have.

Oh well. I'll say it summore. I also can't believe that these days, my bad days are only a few a week and of course during my lady times. My blood has been stable. I can feel my endometriosis progressing again and the permanent damage from my pulmonary embolism is more annoying than painful. But being active and actively trying to make a baby wasn't something I could even think of when I was bed-ridden last year.

Crazy stuff. Crazy awesome.