23/52 Silly Kitty Loves to Pose

My little merman prince.  haaaaaaaaa

It took five or six tries to get him to sit still with his special starfish tiara, but I laugh every time I see him in one of my crocheted masterpieces.  I hope you do, too!!

My life gets too wrapped up in itself sometimes, so I was delighted to work a project for a dear friend who is expecting a daughter shortly.  We both had a laugh when she found something on Pinterest and immediately knew I'd be the one to make it happen.  I can't wait to see her sweet little mermaid!  I'll share those pics when they're official.  :)

I may need to come up with some more cute baby stuff to make so Brando won't feel left out since he loooooves modeling!  haaaaaaaaaaa

20/52 Country Ground

Frogs galore.

Dirt.

Just one dog.

Just one bone.

Flying trash ashes.

More dirt.

A big tiller.

A bigger mower.

A long, long day at the office.

Beer-filled cooler.

Sunset.

Crickets.

Work is done.

An InLinkz Link-up

16/52 B&W...and a lickity licky puppy

I'm a cat girl.

Not a dog girl.

But growing appreciation of the dog-man bond.

This nut and I played for an hour.

He stopped and looked at every truck noise.

The country is quiet.

Until a big diesel truck roars.

But there's only one that will give him what he needs.

A face to lick.

A funny baby doggie voice greeting.

A toss of a toy that will be destroyed in minutes.

Welcome home!

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 15/52 A Moment of Focus

A moment of focus.

A picture not really in focus.

A sweet nephew telling me all about his day.

Laughing.

Giggling.

Dreaming about simple things.

Ignoring work problems.

He had pancakes for breakfast.

He colored pictures of Pokemon.

He wore a Batman mask.

He loves his mommy.

His brothers are crazy.

He reads books over and over.

His blondie, blue-eyed grin is amazing.

Aunt Jenny's in love.

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 14/52 - Mornings and Mischief

Shelby kitty loves the bathroom.
She's all about the running water and the drips in the showers.
Just last week she took up a new perch:
In the sink.
Just chilling.
And waiting to go chase fake mice and swat at blinds.
It's a little creepy when she stares at me in the shower.

Kirk nicknamed her "Mischief."

Perfect.

She makes me giggle.
I need that in the morning.

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 13/52 Slightly Above Eye Level

Wandering down an alley
In Charleston
Around lunch time
In uniform.
To visit the art store.

Whoa.  I just mixed worlds...can you even wear a uniform in an art store?  haaaaaaaaaaa

I got the feeling...uh, aren't you the lady who comes in here wearing a poncho and smelling like patchouli?  What is this thing with the combat boots?

Yeah.  That's me.  A camo-wearing, patchouli-smelling, Airmen-slash-artist who takes pictures of weeds growing out of walls while enjoying the sun on a fantastic break from the office.  

The cool part about this dichotomy is that it lets me see things differently:  
- This could be the wall that made it hard to find a parking spot or it could be the home for a little grassy magic.
- The email in my inbox could spell the end of my career as I get frustrated and run or could be a challenge worth jumping on and solving with my team.
- The dumb traffic on my commute that creeps along or an opportunity to savor the flippin' gorgeous pink and blue and orange sunrise.

Conformist or nonconformist?  That's the magic balance.

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 12/52 - Expressing Perseverance

Hammer, screw, staple, pushpin, thumbtack.

Keep posting.

Practice communicating.

Share more.

Try again.

Shake off the rust and dust.

Smile loudly.

Run down the sidewalk.

Admit failure.

Learn the lesson.

Hug hard.

Embrace frustration.

Jump for joy.

Start again tomorrow.

Persevere.

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 11/52 - Beauty All Around

Back on the bridge.

More daylight.

More running.

Amazing sunset.

Blue and orange.  

Really that simple?

Yep.

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 9/52 - Macro Cozy

A week behind.

Still under the same blankie.

My Grammy Hine made it.

It keeps me and the kitties cozy.

Even if they throw up on it occasionally...

Happy Saturday, Kitty Mommy!

Time to work the week's mail.

Why do I subscribe to People magazine?

DVR'd TV is magical.

Whirling washing machine sounds delightful.

I hate folding clothes.

Will I run instead?

Hmmmmmmmmm

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 8/52 - Hello COLOR!

I love colored pencils.
My stabilo pencil is my bff.
The eyes have it.
Big colored pages make me happy.
I sat by the pool and made faces.
Lots of them.
Tried some different styles.
All that while sitting by the pool.
It's back to real life today:
Email, work, pizza, performance reports, big trucks boys, work, and
COLOR.

Week 7/52 - Loving Family Adventure Collage

Valentine's weekend!
Ma and Pa arrived on Friday night.
They left 17 or so inches of snow behind.
Orlando-ready toes from my Moncks Corner pedi experience--"Coral Magic"
How a 42-year-old single lady with three cats travels...in her parents' backseat.
Aunt Sara's ready for us.
No work for eight days. 
(Uh, no "office" for eight days...computer is with me...gotta keep it real.)

Daddy loves having two of us in the car with him all day.
We only stop a few times to switch seats.
I get to be the "in city" driver.
Mom follows printed-out Mapquest directions.
I ignore her and use my phone.  :)
Sunshine State.  Palm trees. Swimming pools.
Mom's béarnaise sauce.
Dad reading in the corner.
Puzzle going on the table.
Time to go for a run.
I'm so lucky.

Week 6/52 - Balanced Energy

Focused on the quiet calm.

Walking the pier at Folly.

Overcast skies and a chilly breeze.

A man walking ahead.

Waves constantly moving.

Ebb and flow.

Cute boots and tight jeans.

Fishing rod holders empty and anticipating summer.

Feeling together yet wondering why.

Smelling salty; tasting sweet.

Holding hands?

Murals of seagrass and shrimp.

Integrating old and new.

Accepting less.

Expecting more.

Week 5/52 - Getting Outside and Freezing

Icy rain.

Two days away from the office.

Working from home and drinking beer.

Breaking out the "good" camera.

Ma calls and says that Jim Cantore is in Charleston.

I answered emails.

I have two phones in hand trying to answer "warm shelter" questions.

My force support troops took care of business at the dining facilities. 

They kept lodging going.  No issues.

They are awesome

It was painful to walk outside in that cold.
The fireplace was really warm and toasty.
A pot roast was delightful.  Thanks to mommy for talking me through the recipe.
My flight chiefs were amazed at the crazy questions; it's a part of life.
Must keep smiling in the face of cold toes.
Keeping smiling at the end of the storm.
Leon's over. 
Life is good in Charleston.
Bring on spring.

Week 4/52 - More Than Just a Word

I am, apparently, a person of authority.
I have my own parking spot.
I sit at the head of the table sometimes.
People stand up when I walk in the room.
"Ma'am" doesn't make me feel old; it's just normal.
I get 200-300 new messages in my inbox everyday.
I send about 50 new messages everyday.
My battlerhythm of meetings and visits and paperwork is intense.
Combat boots are my daily shoe of choice (or, rather, policy) and they match my outfit.
I don't carry a gun or fly a plane.

I'm a person with responsibility for mission, people and resources.
Defining the mission is hard.
Living within limited resources is harder.
Ensuring the health, safety and satisfaction of the people in my unit is even harder.
Balancing all that with helping the people in my unit take care of the customers of my unit--i.e. the entire population of our joint base--is, well, kinda impossible.  
That's my job.  
I'm a commander.

Seeing a face light up when someone has solved her own problem brings me joy.

Finishing a meeting that met its objective and generated new ideas brings me greater joy.

Knowing I've positively influenced someone's view of the word is the best.

The parking spot is cool.

My office is a mess.

My teams are amazing--even when they're not.

Laughing at drama is my favorite response to stress.

Making other people own the drama and laugh is my other favorite response.

I know a lot about leadership.

The art of actually leading can only be understood with experience.

I'm an artist.

I own my mistakes, add new layers, and sometimes end up with a final product that is awesome and unexpected.

And then I go home and take a nap because I'm tired.

Fly, fight, win...and proudly support the force.  :)

Week 3 - B&W Selfie - Skinny is an Option

- Starting the year skinnier and fitter
- Hope to stay that way.
- This morning calls for the Shrimp & Grits 5K!

My secrets?

- Get a new mattress so your back doesn't hurt.
- Run.  A lot.  But, start with little jogs and walks.
- When you get random leg numbness:  ignore it.
- Try a piercing...belly button.  Instant motivation to not have extra rolls.
- Pay big $ to a weight loss clinic team approach that includes eight pills a day.
- Face the threat of losing your job because your waist is too big.
- Dig out "skinny" clothes from years ago and enjoy the reunion.

- Reward yourself with art supplies and fancy panties.

- Learn to love being sweaty.

- Run some more.
- Direct all your subordinates to get rid of the candy in their offices because you have no self control when you're working after 1700.
- Spend $10's of dollars at a time on iTunes.
- Don't be afraid to dance in your driveway.
- Sign up for random races and actually do them.
- Believe massages are therapy and get them often.
- p.s. That's not my nipple...it's my ID card jammed in my bra just in case I pass out and someone needs to know my name and that I'm an organ donor.  haaaaaaaaaaa

Week 2 - Silhouette Simplicity

Challenging week.
Ended with laughs.
Thursday evening at Frothy Beard.
A pint of Zingeber.

Cold-ass mornings.
Hot, steaming coffee.
Frozen pipes.
0630 breakfast meetings.

Combat Airlift.
Cold french fries.
Lunch with friends.
Appreciating a Friday.

Week 1 - Minimal

Mini-beers.

With friends.

On a Thursday afternoon.

In the Holy City.

Lager love.

Tots amazeballs.