Merry Christmas!!!

...or Happy Kristmahkwanzaka... or whatever... May everyone have a happy and healthy holiday season :)

HIGH SCORE!!!

I got my grades back & I got the HIGHEST SCORE IN THE CLASS!!! Grades were based on a 500 point system with an optional 60 additional extra credit points. I got a 454/500 on the reg. section & 48/60 extra credit for a total of 502... which translates to 100%!!!!!
I AM OFFICIALLY A YOGA INSTRUCTOR!!!!
Namaste baby!!!

4 hours and I'm not shitting you!

That's how long the exam took!!! Holy cow... I know Livia said she was going to give us that long to take the test but did anyone really think it would take that long??? Hell no...

It was 26 pages long and I am SOOOOOOOO glad that I studied as hard as I did. I only left one thing blank.

...and can I just say, I haven't written that much since I was in high school and the computer wasn't really an option! Everyone of us was bitching by the end of class about how bad our hands, wrists and arms hurt. Whah whah whah...

Now we just sit back & wait for Liv to grade the tests & get back to us with our totals and certifications.

Then I'm officially a Yogi...

Yogi Neill... smarter than the average bear

...the countdown begins

Tomorrow is the big day! I am as studied up as I'm going to get. I can't study anymore. If I hear one more sanskrit word or anatomy part, I'm going to have a meltdown.
On the good side of this, I have to think this is truly the most passionate I have ever been about anything. I have NEVER studied for anything as hard as I have for this test. Once completed & graded, I will be able to register w/the National Yoga Alliance. Then I can officially put letters after my name... like, "Kristen Neill h.o.t" Hee hee hee

Tick, tock, tick, tock

I have 2 more classes left. You have NO idea how happy I am! Not only to be completed & ready to move on, but to have an entire weekend to myself!!!! YIPEEEEE!!!!!
I have been studying like a banshee all week. I was informed on Saturday that we would be given 4 hours to complete out exam this Saturday.... 4 hours!!!! I don't know if I've ever taken a 4 hour exam outside of taking the SAT in 1986!!!
Thank God for Julian. He has been the most amazing study partner. He drilled me questions for days while he was here, and now that he's back home, he's doing revisions with me via webcam. True dedication that boy has... true dedication.
I have Sanskrit words and anatomy parts floating around in my head 24 hours a day. Its beginning to disturb my sleep.
Well, wish me luck as I test this Saturday. I've been working on a few projects to get the teaching ball rolling and I'm about 99% completed with one of them. I'll keep it under wraps until it's a done deal & then I'll share the news.
Hope everyone is having a good holiday season & enjoying their friends & families.
Oh yeah, we're buried in snow up here!!!! The Fudd hat is in full swing!
Chat soon :)

Wow, did I fall off or what?

I have fallen off of the face of the earth due to this school thing. I have 6 classes left over the next two weeks and then I am a certified Yoga instructor!!! I am super duper jazzed about this!
I have taught twice the past week within our class and next Thursday I teach my first real class with strangers. Part of me is cocky and confident with it, the other part is scared shitless. I guess it's all how I prepare myself to go into it.
Okay so with that, the holiday is right around the corner. Is it wrong not to do any shopping when I'm working full time and going to school the equivalent of full time hours??? I will be going to Big D for Christmas and I really want to go empty handed and take the family out for a nice event. Any thoughts? Opinions on that? I am still trying to decide if it sounds selfish or not. I am more concerned simply with spending time with the family VS. getting stuff.
My materialism has finally fallen completely to the wayside... I guess that is the true meaning of Yoga.

Me old bones...

Okay I am LOVING my yoga certification classes BUT my body is still screaming every week from doing 3-5 hours of a yoga practice 3 days a week. I guess since the sore muscles hurt in the good way AND I am feeling muscles I've never felt AND I'm getting super toned... it's all okey doke.
I took my first test on Saturday. It was over the Sanskrit language and sequencing. I got the highest grade in the class... a 98! Yipeeeee! The only one I missed was the only one I didn't answer because I didn't know it. I am pretty freaking super jazzed about this.
Coming soon to a studio near you... Yogi Neill

Lordy Lordy... or Holy Shit!

Well who knew.... I made it to age 40!

I don't think I look it, act it, and I certainly don't feel it!

I was given the most amazing surprise party last weekend. Thank you so much to Julian and everyone else involved. He did a fantastic job of pulling it off and bringing together the most important people in my life. He continues to amaze me every single day. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Thanks also to those of you who couldn't make it but sent your well wishes.

I had 5 people fly in from Dallas for this event! Imagine my surprise when I not only heard, "SURPRISE!" from the back of Morseland, but even more so when I saw the screaming blond hair of my mother as I went up the stairs! Yup, mom & dad flew in for the event. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. Brian, Wayne, & Nolie also came in... so we had the full Neill/Foose party crew!

Oh yeah... and who knew I would ever dance with my mother? See, miracles can happen!

I just ran across a saying that really made me think... "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"... mmmm...food for thought. I'll have to get back to you on that one... maybe 29? Maybe 59 after the after party we had! That's okay, if Nolie Foose can hang until 3:00am at 72 years old, then I will be just fine.

Control Freaks

I've been talking lately to friends of mine about how sometimes feeling out of control can be a very empowering feeling... especially after the fact. During, however, you tend to feel like you want to choke someone or curl up into a ball in the floor and bawl your head off.

In hind site, I think that moving from Dallas made me understand myself and who I am by about 1000%. Even more so was going through quite a bout of depression. I never really got the definition of what depressed really was until I was deep in it. It's like that person who calls into work with a migraine... someone who doesn't get migraines thinks, "good Lord, take a Tylenol and come to work"... the ones who get migraines think, "oh no, poor thing, I feel for you... do you need any good drugs?". It's empathizing through association. If you haven't been there then chances are you really don't get it.

I've been depressed, I get it. The funny thing is, as shitty as it was going through it, it was probably one of the best, most informative things that could have ever happened to me. I honestly think I'm a better person because of it... how crazy is that?

Everyone wants some sort of control whether at home, work, or internally. Control the house, control the kids, control your boss, control your employees, control the finances, control your spending, control your bad habits, my hair needs extra control, mission control, etc...
Isn't being out of control much more liberating and how you learn the most about yourself?

I thought this was a great article to pass along.

Yoga Journal - Yoga Philosophy - Break Away

You're kidding me....

I'm so not ready for this...
My heater came on today....

Namaste... or ZZZZZZ

I started school last week. For those of you who didn't know, I am going to school to get certified as a Yoga Instructor.
I've been interested in doing this for some time, but stopped looking into it seriously when I realized that no studios/programs/schools worked around work schedules.
I stumbled upon this totally by mistake. Long story short, this program is 2 nights a week and Saturdays for 13 weeks.
Today was the first day reality hit and I thought, "Holy shit, I'm working full time and taking 15 hours of school, no wonder I'm tired". Not to mention that each class is 3-4 hours of poses straight through. Not in a steady flow, but being held for some time while we breakdown the makeup of each pose. Needless to say, my body is screaming at me.
The way I look at it, it's 13 weeks out of my life (11 after tomorrow's class!) and it's going to pay off big time in the long run. This will totally be worth it.
Until then, I must go get some rest... and figure out when the hell I'm going to do things like laundry!

Vintage Fun!

I found this little gem at the Randolph Street Market a few weekends ago. Not only was it a steal but it works and makes those pieces of crap that are sold today look like hunks o' junk! Solid metal, super quiet, and mixes up to like 100 mph!

Not a bad break for $20...

I guess it's time to break out my apron & get to whippin'...

No time like the present...

Wow, Labor Day hit and the temperature dropped. I guess we can blame good old Gustav for that one. Or is it the fact that I live in Chicago? I can't refresh my memory enough to last year to remember how quickly summer ended but at this moment... it's too soon.

One thing I did remember from last year was my winter panic mode. I began buying and planning about this time for my bundle-up package. I think I may have actually had my coat by late August!

Well, knowing how quickly things can hit, I must admit...I'm a sucker again this year. Last years snow boots (made by Totes I must add) had a blow out after a very successful and harsh winter. At least the locals tell me it was rough. I just thought that was how it was supposed to be so I wasn't really all that shocked.

So, I bucked up and bought my snow boots this week. I am the consummate sale shopper (except in the case of the bad ass shoes posted a few weeks ago) and know there are plenty of good deals out there. I got a GREAT pair of Sorel snow boots, brand new, for $40. I must say, I'm super jazzed... and my feet will be super dry. Now I'm just waiting for my local Walgreens to put out the bins of winter gear so that just like last year I can stumble in to get an RX filled and come out with a great pair of Thinsulate gloves for $8.99. Those too railed right through the winter up until the bitter end when the webs between the fingers also started to have a blow out.

I'll even be nice again and share a great web site: www.sierratradingpost.com This is where I got the AMAZING deal on my boots and if I remember correctly, where I got the AMAZING deal on my North Face jacket last year. It's all overstocks and discontinued styles that go from 30-50% off MSRP. My boots were 50% off.

...and once again, the knitting needles are starting to fly... but for me only. I'll be damned if I'm making ONE Christmas gift this year!

The Parent Trap

Well finally my parents made it to Chicago! After almost one year of not seeing them, here they are. We have had a really great time thus far. Not too much family dysfunction and we've seen a few great bits of the city. Friday we hit Millennium Park and the Art Institute. Saturday was Wicker Park, and I feel that today may be close to home, possibly with a quiet trip to Half Price Books.

I tend to forget sometimes that these two are pushing 70. They've never looked their age and they still don't now. They just move a little slower than I do and than I remember.

We're all here a very short time so enjoy who you have while you have them!

The never-ending socks

After taking waaaaay waaaay too long to finish these socks, they are COMPLETE! I almost hit a record as I bought this yarn last September at the Renegade Craft Fair and it's coming up again in about 3 weeks.

I have to say, they were pretty enjoyable and mellow to work on. Totally in stockinette stitch on number 3 needles. The yarn is hand dyed by a girl who lives in the north east (Mass. I think?). For those of you who are knitters, check out the web site, Traveling Rhinos .

I am working on a super cute kitchy thing as we speak which shouldn't take too much longer. I'll keep that one under wraps until completion!

Okay, on the topic of yarn... I went to a yarn swap at my SNB group a few weeks ago & came home with much more yarn than I went with. Kind of defeats the purpose of going right? Now I have "3 bags full" of yarn"! Sigh... my fingers will only move so fast.

THEN, Loopy Yarns had a moving sale and I made myself go and ended up spending about 50 bones on guess what... more yarn!
My name is Kristen and I am a yarn addict... I guess it's better than blow right?

MIA

FINALLY! So sorry I've been gone a few weeks from blogging. I've been busy and I was out of town for a week. On that note... check out the girl on the high seas... (Fabulous dress purchased from ModeMerr.com)

I'm back in full swing getting ready for my parents to come visit. They will be here for 4 days next weekend. Once again I say... FINALLY! This is their inaugural visit to Chicago, therefore I'm doing my best to plan out some fun and keep them away from the ghetto! Actually, the diversity of Chicago and my neighborhood is going to be quite the shock I think. Lets see, do I take them on the gangster tour? the murder tour? the prohibition and sex tour? (These are all real tours you know!)

Actually I think the biggest obstacle will be accommodating their luggage. They tend to travel like they are going on the Titanic... steamer trunks and all.

Retail Therapy

Okay it's really been years since I have spent money on clothes the way I have the past 6 months. I am very much a sale, discount, thrift, and vintage shopper. Most everything I've purchased lately has fallen into one of the above mentioned categories.

But then there's those items that you see that you are completely sucked in by and nothing or no one will convince you that you shouldn't have this item, full price or not.

Today was that day.

The purse was just the salespersons convincing "add-on" sale that sucked me in...

It's all about the shoes baby!!!

Can't beat the meat

I have this great little grocery store a few blocks from my house. With gas and groceries increasing in price by the minute, I find myself shopping there as much as I can for produce and meats. The produce is BEAUTIFUL and insanely cheap. Please tell me how I can pay such little money for the following at one store, when it would be at least triple at my big box store.

Head of Romaine lettuce .69
Pint of ORGANIC Driskell Strawberries .99 (and they are FRESH)
1/2 pint of Blackberries 2/1.00
1 Box of vanilla ice cream 2/3.00
Total w/tax $3.76

I went there on my way off of the train two days ago and spent .59 lb. on tomatoes on the vine, and $1.86 on a butterflied pork chop. Mind you the chop isn't 4 inches thick like a hungry man portion, it's about 1/2 inch thick like a portion size should be. I'm just amazed at the difference. Next thing you know I'll be carrying canvas grocery bags... oh wait, it's already started.

New Digs

I've been shopping for clothes quite a bit lately. Vintage clothes that is. I've become one with the dress as well. I haven't worn dresses in years but recently I've taken a new love to them. There is a sneaking suspicion that I might start blogging about vintage clothes so be on the lookout for new content and sites to check out. But keep in mind I won't give out all of my secret shopping hideouts! Here are a few I picked up last night at a shop that was having an artists closing reception. All clothes were 50% off!!!

"Alice" (or Flo but please...not Vera)

"Would you like fries to go with that shake?". I tried it on & got a few opinions from my friends & staff. My favorite comment was from my friend Mary, "wow, that looks strangely flattering on you!". SOLD!

"The Drape Dress"

The fabric on this dress is AMAZING! Hence the close up pic. I'm super jazzed about this dress because I'm anticipating it being able to be used all year long... I've got visions of tall boots in my head!!!

"Land Ho"... hey, who you callin' ho?

Okay this is a dosey.... I am going to a beach/boat event at the end of July and wow... I couldn't have found a more perfect, tackier , vintage garment that I know will get a reaction. If only the Professor and Mary Ann could see me now, they might recruit me to make a cocktail out of bamboo and coconut shells!

They still creep me out...

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.

You can read the rest of the story about Bozo, the worlds creepiest clown here.

RIP... may all children no longer wake up screaming in fear of the big, scary clowns.

Day at the beach!

I went to the beach yesterday....

Some people make sand castles, but others....

I have to brag!

Okay I MUST brag about this site and customer service...
I purchased a dress from www.modemerr.com.
They sell all kinds of groovy rockabilly, good girl, and bad girl wear. Everything is handmade in the good ol' USA.
I ordered my dress and swapped a few emails with Angela (brains behind the whole operations) in regards to sizing and timing. Once I ordered the dress, she CALLED me because she had been out with the flu and wanted to check on the date of my event in case she needed to express ship my item!!!
Today I received my dress and it was in the cutest, simplest packaging but wrapped in tissue and a bow, all with a hand written thank you card!
... I'm all warm & fuzzy and I haven't even tried the dress on yet!
Just when you thought customer service was dead in this world.... Check them out!

Hot time, summer in the city

Summer seems to be cruising by pretty quickly. Not that I'm complaining, but I have a strange suspicion that it's going to be over in the blink of an eye. Just a matter of days & our 9 months of winter will return. I hate to say it but I actually was thinking I should think about snow boots earlier so I don't end up with nothing when it's really time to need them.
On the plus side, I've still got all kinds of visitors & travel coming up. A 4th of July visitor is heading into town this week, then I go to Cali at the end of July for a much needed beach week (woo hoo!), THEN the parents are FINALLY coming to IL in Mid-August. Should make for a nice remainder of the summer.
...and the body is bikini ready... thank you yoga!

New Tunes

I downloaded the new CD from "The Ting Tings" 2 days ago. They are a British indie duo that have a remeniscent sound of 80's punk w/a bit of pop thrown in. I've probably listened to it 10 times in the last 48 hours. Check it out here.

They be beige...

So today as I rode the train to work I noticed something.... everyone is very beige. Not in terms of skin, but in terms of clothes. I was wearing an orange shirt w/a pink tank underneath it that stuck out of the bottom, a pink & orange big-ass plastic bracelet, khaki cargo pants, and pink converse. I must have looked like a freak to everyone because EVERYONE ON THE TRAIN WAS BEIGE!!!!
Let me explain.... not one person appeared to be wearing any color outside of the business rainbow. This means, black, white, brown, khaki, powder blue, grey, green (forest) navy blue, plaids (subdued of course), tan, ecru, vanilla, YUK!!! Not that I judge people by their clothes, (well, maybe a little) but wow!!! Everyone looked the same. I don't think one person was memorable enough for me to actually know if I saw them on the street. Well, one exception is the bozo haired man who is there every morning and stands too close to the stairs and gets irritated because everyone excuses themselves past him. He frowns and shakes his head a lot... he's memorable.
Anyway, I was quite proud of my individual style just like I'm proud to drive an orange car. I guess you could say I stand out in a crowd and I like it.
Kind of like what you see when you click here....

Nudity rocks

I just found this on another artists blog... Click here for pure genius.

Booze, Art & Hoagies

Last night I went to the DVA Gallery for their 4th anniversary party. It was a Tiki Art Show and last night was the opening reception.

I didn't have anyone to go with but decided to go it alone. When I arrived the Cocktail Preachers were already playing in full swing (well, in full surf I should say) and the Voodoo Rum was flowing!

I took a look around at the fabulous art and enjoyed my first beverage. After two I got the courage to walk up to a couple who had commented on my vintage eye wear & said, "Hi, don't know anyone & you spoke to me first, so I'm coming to interrupt your conversation!". I'm becoming quite the ballsy girl. I ended up talking to a few very tiki couples for quite a while and then shifted to the girl with the pink hair (her name is Melly by the way). Pink haired Melly had the coolest cuffs on and it turns out she too is from Texas... San Antonio to be exact.

Okay so rums 3,4, & 5 went down nicely. Nice enough that it was obvious to the gallery owner and his staff that I kept eyeballing a specific piece of art.
There was one key element in the painting that kept catching my eye... and it doesn't included tiki's. He approached me & said, "I hear you keep looking this piece?". I said, "yup, I really like it". He says, "I can give you a deal if you're really interested", I said, "How much of a deal?".... enough that I now own art. I wasn't dumb enough to drag it out last night after booze, but I did walk a few doors down to the Hoagie Hut where I got a super kick-ass chicken hoagie which I ate after my cab ride home...

Thank the man above for the stimulus check....

See more of Mark "Atomos" Pilon's work here.

Anti-aging at its finest

I just spent one week in the hot, sunny south.

A few things hit home with me while I was there.

1) I do miss the summer, even when it's hot & humid. You can always take off your clothes and go swimming

2) A small southern country town is a beautiful thing

3) There is no better campaign for moisturizer than the above photo. Thanks to mom for making me cleanse, tone, & moisturize from 6th grade on...

4) Even missing 2 teeth, I have more teeth than many folks I saw in above-mentioned small towns

5) You just can't beat a biker bar that looks, smells, and feels like it never left 1983... and I mean hair, band, and clothes baby.

SOUTHERN ROCK RULES!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!!

Happy anniversary to me, happy anniversary to me, happy anniversary for this crazy ass year of miiiiinnnnneeeee....happy anniversary to me!!!!

WOW! Well it's been one year since I moved here. Yesterday was my official one year anniversary.

Once again I say... wow... I can't believe it. So much has happened over the course of the year and at the same time, it feels like it's gone by so quickly.

I think this will be the last time that I thank everyone that had anything to do with the events of the year. You know who you are, and you know what you did to help. From the bottom of my heart, thanks one last time.

I do miss much of my life from Dallas, but there is honestly a huge part of me that likes myself much better now. Not that I didn't like myself then, but I've gone through many transformations that have made me realize exactly who I am and who I want to be.

I'm not one to conform, yet I feel as though I did that quite a bit in the distant, and near past. Now that I'm allowing myself to be me, it's much more freeing and liberating.

The girl who loves bubblegum and sunshine is a happy girl again and is beaming from ear to ear :)

Just in time for summer!!

...I finished knitting my leg warmers :) Typical isn't it? That's okay, I made my first two sweaters in the dead of a Texas summer. At least they were ready when I needed them!

This project was actually really fun. It was the first real cable project I did and enjoyed. Now I'm working on a pair of lightweight knee-hi socks that are in a hand-dyed froot loop colored yarn. Perfectly portable for the daily train ride!

Happy Saturday!!!

You are my "Density"....

...any normal person raised in the 80's knows that movie quote... if you don't then you were dead.

I have decided after being depressed that I finally realize that I am in charge of my own happiness & destiny. Not like I didn't realize that before, but I think I banked on how others made me feel a little too much.

I've recently had some epiphany's about my life...

I am a far better person than I used to think I was.

I am much more intelligent than I tend to give myself credit for.

I'm pretty fucking funny.

I'm kinda hot.

I have nice boobs.

I'm not going to let anyone else make me feel shitty. I can do that all on my own.

If I want to be happy, then "Poof!" I'll be happy...

I like to laugh out loud even if it makes other people look at me.

I am perpetually 12 years old and have no problem with it whatsoever... it's truly who I am.

I'm not going to hide behind something I am not.

I like tattoos and want more of them.

I must have a more creative job within the next 12-15 months.

I am talented and creative.

I am pretty cool to be around.

Okay not to sound to much like a pompous ass.... oh, too late maybe???

Sorry, I just call it like I see it...

You're kidding right?

Cold front blowing through. Highs in the 50's & 60's, lows in the 40's.
What I have found out about this place is that winter never ends. What I've also found out is that everyone, including the locals, are all pissed about it and talk about it like someone is deliberately altering the weather, or that someone can fix it.
"Enough already, this has got to stop"
"Come on, this has been going on long enough"
I wonder if anyone is listening???

Oh my...

You have GOT to check out this site... I love the new craft movement. (note: the attached photo is familiar to all of women kind so if any men have questions, ask the school nurse).

I must... I must....

...no I must not increase my bust... (you children o' the 70's must remember that one!)...
Anyway, I must complain... it's April 29th and it's 36 fucking degrees outside! What the hell????? This is crazy. I was all for winter and the snow but enough already! Good lord up above...
I should not be walking around in gloves, complaining that my ears are burning from the cold. Did I mention that it was windy too? I think the wind chill is about 30. This sucks hard, big ones.
Okay enough already. My cousin KJ (Kurt... fine, I'll throw in his preferred name!) got accepted for a teaching position in France. He'll be teaching English as a second language. He's totally stoked about it and I'm totally stoked for him. He's ready to go across the pond with a duffle bag & a backpack and move his life for the sake of experience. Good for him! I commend it no matter how crazy others might think it is. I've said it before, "if you don't jump, you can't land". It's taking risks in life just like that that make us stronger and more intelligent.
I may not have a college degree, but I'll take my street smarts and life experiences over any diploma any day of the week.

Rapidly approaching

I am approx. one month away from living here one year. I can't even begin to believe what has occurred over the course of the last 11 months. What boggles my mind even more is how quickly time goes by. It seems like a blink of an eye. Here is the short list of things that have occurred in the past 11 months...

1) I took my life on a 180 degree turn(duh)

2) Brian's father passed away (RIP Jerry)

3) I've changed jobs twice

4) Radar discovers he prefers warm over cold

5) Robin has changed jobs and homes as well and now has kids!

6) My mom started working out and getting healthier

7) My mom can send an email!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8) I've discovered who is a true friend and who is an asshole

9) I know what winter really feels like

10) Kyle proposed to Kelly

11) Sarah was proposed to

12) I've been depressed

13) I've gotten over being depressed

14) I wrote a book

15) Stephanie went back to school

16) KJ finished his novel and is trying to get a teaching job in France

17) I have hosted 3 parties with one in the wings

18) Cami & Camille started college

19) I started going to church

20) I met a super duper amazing person who shall remain nameless but knows who they are and how important they have become to me! (shhhh it's a secret!)

I shall now go cook myself a steak, some corn on the cob, a salad, and crack open a local summer wheat beer... life in the eyes of Kristen Paige Neill is pretty damn good...

Woo Hoo! Warmth!!!

I can walk in short sleeves, the sun is shining, no clouds in the sky, there are BIRDS singing, squirrels running, my dog has added about 5 years to his life and all seems to be good in this wonderful city. The highs have been around 70 or so... that's SUMMER time weather to us Chicagoans!!!!
My window is open!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Okay, after not blogging for about 2 weeks, I've decided it was time for a face lift...for the blog. I'm no HTML guru so I'm subjected to picking someone elses template. Maybe if I get bored I'll learn computer babble so I can make this much more fancy-pants and customized.
The title remains the same but the description has changed. It is no longer about following me on my journey from point A to point B, but following my shenanigans while now comfortably living in point B... Chicago.
I've enjoyed babbling about the move, the arrival, and learning about the city. But as my one year anniversary rapidly approaches, I've realized that I am now a resident of Chicago and would like to get off of the roller coaster ride that was "The Move Across The Country". I've ridden it long enough.
Thanks again for all of your support during the year.... it was a ton of laughs and tears, but now it's time to move on.
Welcome to the new and improved "Adventures Of Suelo".
....content changes to continue over the new couple of days....stay tuned...

I'm Baaaaack!

So sorry web fans, I apparently took a small hiatus from blogging in my overly busy life. Ha ha.
I have been insanely busy at work and by the time I get home I'm ready to crash. This has been going on for about 3 weeks now. My old bones can only take so much so I've finally made myself start hitting the gym again. I'm also going to get back into the volunteering mode starting today. I'm heading off to Lydia Home to do the News Crew this morning & then moving on to the gym. I need desperately to get back on track!
Speaking of, thanks again to everyone who has been so supportive over the last few months. As the "honeymoon" phase faded and some unpleasant people events took place, obviously my mental state was a bit affected. Thanks to a few specific people and a few specific pills (hee hee), I'm back in full force to being more than myself.
Spring has finally sprung (almost) and just getting outside combined with feeling like a million damn dollars has made Kristen a reallly happy girl.
Now if I could just win the lottery & started travelling the world....

Back to work

So were back in full force at the studio. We have 2 catalogs going on at once as well as some other graphics projects. It is a freaking MAD HOUSE every day. I have physically worked my ass off like I haven't worked since I was a designer. My old bones are seriously tired today & there's still one day left! Did I mention that I'm an extremely high paid stock girl???
I'm starting to get my cogs turning towards my creative side. I've got to figure out how to have a day to day life that revolves around some kind of art. Where I am is the right atmosphere but unfortunately my job is totally operational...its sucking the life right out of me. Lucky for me all I have to do is go to work, do my job, go home. I don't take work with me at all...other than my sore feet.
God I sound like an old lady.

Summer Pretty Pleeeeeeease!

Okay, I know I know... I moved to Chicago. Yes, winter is pretty intense. I survived it without dying. I actually enjoyed it.... BUT now is the time for it to be OVER! It's March 30th and it's a nice, warm 38 outside. The 10 day forecast shows the highest temp coming to be around 48.

I think I'm going to go listen to the Blue Hawaiians & dream of a sunny beach in Maui....

Bloody Hell....

Okay so it's March 22nd and we are covered in snow yet AGAIN!!! We had about 5 inches of snow (I'm guessing) yesterday and a bit more last night. It's supposed to be spring break in my mind!!! Oh well, I wanted to move somewhere that had seasons & I got it! I just wish winter wasn't lasting QUITE so long. I was about to throw my snow boots away because I think the left one has a leak in it! Guess it's a good thing I didn't.... now to trudged downtown on the El with my cold, wet foot... bummer.

Spa Day!

Today was awesome. I received a big, fat gift certificate to a spa for my birthday back in October. Given that I went through my shitty time, then spent the better part of Jan & Feb sick, I never used it.
Today I spent 3 hours at spa space. I got a papaya pineapple body scrub (30 minutes) which was AWESOME, followed by a kukui nut oil massage (1 hour), THEN I had a peppermint pedicure.
Sigh.... I'm in heaven.

Wow, what a wreck

Well my typical Wedneday night Stitch N' Bitch took an ugly turn last night. Went to knit, have a drink and see my friends.
Sarah got engaged... CONGRATULATIONS!!!! We had about 9 people there last night & the drinks started flowing. Then the bartender bought us all a round of shots. Then Sarah & I started talking and talking and talking and then the whole, "sure, let's have one more" happened, oh, about 4 times I'm guessing? Who the hell knows... here's where it ended up....
-We danced to the band playing cuban music
-One of the other SNB girls bought us another round of shots
-I dropped about $60 on the evening

Fast forward to this morning
-Woke up at 6:11
-Went into the bathroom to see the following.... a sock on the floor, the water dripping into the sink where my toothbrush was lying, my clothes all stuffed in between the towel bar and the wall, the rug askew.
-Then as I came out into the living room, I found my coat, bag & purse all as they should have been but where were my keys? I looked in the one place they should have never been and low & behold, they were there.... hanging out of the front door... on the outside.

Dear lord, thank you for watching over me and my safety even though I'm a dumb ass.

Things that recently suck

1) Ipod broke but fixed itself. Was without for about 24 hours and expected total death. Caused a minor meltdown for me as I use this every day
2) Got 2 parking tickets within 4 weeks time ($150)
3) Got car towed couple of weeks ago ($220 car from pound and ticket)
4) Home computer got virus ($130 to Dell support)
5) Left purse on train. Conductor found & called quickly but caused me more headache than anything & an extra drive downtown
6) Painting project that should have taken 3 hours took about 10

Good thing I have this sticky sweet, happy girl attitude isn't it?

Good morning!

Well good morning all. It's a dreary Sunday morning here is cold-ass Chicago. I am officially ready for winter to be gone! I enjoyed it from November through February, but now enough is enough. Radar agrees w/me wholeheartedly.
I'm pretty sure my Ipod is dead. You have NO idea how bad that sucks for me. I use it every single day. So NOW on top of getting a few parking tickets, having my car towed, and needing to get Radar's shots this week, it looks as though I might be purchasing a new Ipod in my future. Sigh. As Glenn put it, "usually bad things come in 3's....you seem to be working on a baker's dozen!".
Oh well, it's still not as bad as the homeless pile of people I saw under Lower Wacker Drive when I had to walk to the pound to get my car out. I rounded a corner and there was about 20 yards of blankets and trash bags full of life. Until I actually stepped around 2 blanket lumps, I didn't realize that the blankets were full of people trying to keep warm.
Not only was it a shocking sight, but a more shocking sight being on foot. It was quite humbling as I realized how lucky I am to have the things that I do in my life. Yes, getting my car towed sucked. Yes, having my Ipod break sucks. Yes, having to pay Dell to remove a virus from my computer sucks (forgot to mention that one earlier). But in the grand scheme of life, I have a family, friends, job, home, clothes, car, and food. Whining about paying for a luxury like a computer, car, and Ipod seems insignificant when you consider these people trying to literally SURVIVE living on concrete under a bridge. Here is an article I found that's a little old but quite interesting.
So you get the point. Be thankful for what you have.
Have a wonderful Sunday! xo

Out of touch

So I'm starting to think about changing this blog around a bit. I've based this decision on the fact that the blog was intended to be about my move to Chicago. So, hear I am & I don't really know if my life has been all that interesting lately...or at least the bits I can report and stay PG rated!
Let's see, Radar is getting old... or at least that's what I think the problem is. Let's just say his bladder isn't as bulletproof as it used to be. He's had 2 accidents in the last month & he's never done that before. It makes me sad.
Work is work... mundane. I love my company but the actual position I'm in is sucking the life out of me. I'm not using any creative bones in my body and I'm really not used to that.
Mentally I'm about 100% better than I was. I've grown to love living alone & I've moved past some crappy situations I was in. Nothing like having a few life lessons make you wake up. Nevertheless, I am a better person for it and now know exactly what I do and DON'T want in life, relationships, work, etc.. and what I do want and will tolerate. 'Nuff said without saying too much.
Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't talked to too many peeps in quite some time but it's okay for now. I'm just kind of finding myself all over again & it's good to have me back.

Retail Therapy

I went to therapy today. It sucked the life out of me as we dug deep into my past....
What I found out is that while I'm really glad I go, I enjoyed this afternoons retail therapy better. Spending money you don't really have to spend combines a feeling of euphoria and guilt all rolled up in the same pile of dough (so to speak).
Nevertheless, I went to buy a few new white t-shirts & ended up with those, a kick-ass dress (yes I threw it back to 1983 there with kick-ass) and a few products from Aveda. Sigh...I don't think the concept of "getting out of debt" will ever see the light of day.
Maybe I should play the lotto....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RADAR!!!

Today is Radar's birthday. He is 11 in Kristen years. I adopted him 11 years ago today and he was the ugliest thing ever. His back feet were taped because his dewclaws had grown back into the pads, he was undernourished, and his hair was to the floor like Fu Manchu.
All it took was for me to pick him up and we had love at first sight for the both of us.
I've never felt luckier than to have this little companion by my side the past 11 years. He doesn't judge me, loves me unconditionally, is patient with me, and gives me lots of hugs and kisses no matter what.
Please be sure and raise a glass to the coolest animal I know.

Things I desire

Here is a top 10 list of things I want to do... just in case anyone really cares...

10.Try snow sports
9. Have a mid-century modern house with a tiki bar/room
8. Live near a beach (...no, a real beach)
7. Have a job that I would continue to do if I won the lottery
6. Drive a Z
5. Go to Los Olas all women's surf camp
4. Be able to get a massage once a week
3. Have Radar live forever
2. Be able to cure all things medically wrong with my family & friends
1. Find a miracle that allows me to be with my soul mate

Ahhh love....

Roses...I actually don't care that much for roses. So I guess in the big scheme of things, its a good thing that all of my men didn't get me any today because I didn't want them anyway. Hibiscus...now that's a real flower.
As I was walking to the train this afternoon, I saw tons of people walking with roses, cards, stuffed animals, etc.. Even in the train station they were totally capitalizing on the madness with bins and bins of flowers.
I sit here tonight with my one true love. Radar. He will not bring me flowers, but his breath is fragrant enough that I don't need them. We will cozy up soon with tomato soup and grilled cheese, finish a beer and a frosty paws and watch LOST.
The perfect date in my opinion.

Here we go again

So here I sit this morning with yet another slight hangover. Maybe after last Sat. night I would have learned my lesson...maybe not.

I had a Valentines day party last night at my pad. Had about 10/11 people show & as usual, the booze was flowing quite freely.

I took the opportunity to make fun of the overpriced, Hallmark holiday and bought some tacky decorations & crepe paper. My house looks like an elementary school classroom. Love it.

The wall for photo ops was a big hit. It was like prom all over again....sans the bad date.

Radar was my date and he's always the perfect gentleman.

Post nasal drip

So here it is, two days before my Valentine's day party and I'm getting sick again...lovely.
I went to the dr. today to get a jump start on this thing. Antibiotics are in hand (and in stomach) so hopefully, they'll kick in ASAP.
What could have caused it? Hmmmm.....a zillion alcoholic drinks combined with staying out until 6am combined with riding public transporation in a city of 5 million people???? Could that have anything to do with it? Maybe a smart girl would take better care of herself.....
Then again, I never claimed to be a smart girl :)

Oh My...

I went out with Christine last night.
I partied like a rock star.
We left here at 9:20 pm, took the El downtown, and had an amazing Thai dinner.
We then proceeded to the following...
1) a gay bar (by accident but who cares, we had fun & got a free shot from the bartender)
2) a bad bar with wierd Chicago guys. the manager was trying to make friends with us, was kind of gross, but bought our drinks and a yet, another shot
3) a piano bar with a $10 cover...which Christine charmed her way out of and we proceeded to chat with some out-of-towners here for a boat show
4) a final, late night bar which we closed down at 5:00 am... after many, many, more drinks were purchased for us...
5) my house, 6:00 am via taxi

Fast forward to today...hangover city.
I am far too old to be partying like the rock star that I am not.

Wow, it's freaking winter!!!

So I had to dig my car out of about a foot of snow this morning...I'm sorry I didn't get a pic of that. Sad thing is, last night when I parked, I WEDGED myself in between two cars & it was the closest I've ever parallel parked. I literally had like an inch between cars. So digging and brushing the snow was a bit difficult this morning. Then, as I tried to get out of my spot, I was pretty much doing bumper cars back & forth around 100 times to get out.

I drove about 4 blocks & then went nowhere. Smart girl that I am, I turned around & went back home. First conclusion...the bug is not made for this weather.

I went inside & added another sock layer before heading to the train. Much quicker & less stress. Then when I got downtown I literally TRUDGED through the snow a mile to get to work...what a great thigh & butt workout! Second conclusion, I need taller snow boots...ankle boots don't quite cut it.

All in all it wasn't that bad...I only wish that instead of going to work, I was sitting in front of a fireplace, drinking an irish coffee, hugging a hot guy.

FINALLY!!!!

I feel like I have been working on these damn socks forever! They are finally finished. I feel a great sense of accomplishment with these. They were my first "real" pair, and they were somewhat difficult as they have a lace pattern in them.

On another note, gotta mention the weather. -24 wind chill this morning....awesome. I think I felt my eyeballs freeze this morning. ...and I actually walked to Stitch N' Bitch tonight. It was worth the suffering to not lose my parking space...of course by the time I walked there & back it was nice and warmed up to 12 with a wind chill of 2....I love it.

What a GREAT day!

Wow, I was thinking my Sunday would be okay with a few things thrown in the middle of it...but instead I had a really great day all the way around!

Started off, slept in, had coffee, went to church. Then Sarah & I went ice skating at a park near her house. What an awesome workout! We had so much fun!

Then we went back to her pad, knit for a little while, then headed out to a knitting store where I purchased yet MORE yarn for another project. Stephanie met us there & we proceeded to JoAnn's for a bit more shopping. We wrapped it up at Starbucks, then headed back to the car. While we were walking, Steph got really dizzy & dropped to the sidewalk... a typical adventure for us. She's fine...she had a massage this morning & hadn't drank any water, her first beverage after the fact was coffee so she got too dehydrated.

Then I headed home, made a wonderful dinner, watched a movie, ALMOST finished the pair of socks I've been knitting for months, and wrapped up the night with a little Ben & Jerry's.

Sigh, my thighs & butt muscles are telling me that a good nights sleep is in order...night everyone!

This week in the news

Well let's start out with SUCK. What SUCKS is I have received 2 parking tickets in the last 2 weeks. This SUCKS. The first one was bad enough. I didn't realize that I didn't have enough quarters to fill my meter downtown while I was parked for an appt. I thought I might run out but get lucky. I did not. $50 for a meter ticket. SUCK. What really makes me mad about that is that you see people all the time running into Starbucks for coffee, pulling up to a meter & putting on their flashers. I always put the quarter in the meter because I thought it was bad Karma. Go figure.

Then the other morning, I walked out to my car to the tune of yet another parking ticket because I was about 2 inches over the yellow line of the fire hydrant lane. $100. Even bigger SUCK! $150 for absolutely nothing. SUCK!
Okay, anyway moving on...

Today is supposed to be real, live, cold. Right now it's 0 degrees out and the current wind chill is -19. Woo Hoo! What SUCKS with that is that I can't stay home all day. I actually have to go downtown for an appt. this morning. It's given me a chance to test out the fabulous new Elmer Fudd hat that my parents gave me for Christmas. I am so freaking hot in this hat! I'm sure to have guys flocking to me with this baby on....

If you think it's Texas but it's not...

Okay so anyone local will know that we had unseasonably warm weather the past 2 days. It was between 55-62 two days in a row.

What the locals don't know is that that is typical Texas winter weather....and by that I mean, 30-40 one day or two then 60-70 the next...after the front leaves. This is the weather that I am SO used to! A few days of cold, a few days of warm... The saying in TX is "if you don't like the weather just wait a day....it'll change".

But now it's back in the good old 30's w/snow on the way....sigh....a girl can only dream...
...(dream sequence sets in... sights of a tropical beach are in view...oh yeah, and a Mai Tai in hand)

Hi!

Hello there folks...
Nothing too new here on the home front. Feeling much better but still not 100%...I can't seem to shake this thing...even a week 1/2 later.
Let's see...what's up here....I accidentally cut Radar's ear with the clippers..even with a guard. I feel like the worst parent ever! I wans't even clipping his ear, it just simply got in the way...he's healing nicely and I gave him a pity Frosty Paws tonight.....all is well with the pooch.
I've got a CRAZY full social calendar this week which is just what I need. I actually think I have stuff to do the next 5 or so days....Suelo is a busy girl....look out Chicago!
I went to church in my neighborhood this past Sunday. It's the first local church I've attended since moving. It's a United Methodist church and while I hadn't been to that denomination before, I really enjoyed it. In this neighborhood, it's kind of the Church of the Misfit Toys so I think I might fit in nicely. I'm going to give it some time before I make any major decisions.
Okay, nothing terribly witty or exciting....just life happening around me day by day...I guess that's all I can ask for for now. Happy New Year to all!

The big bang theory....

...sometimes in life we coast through things blindly day by day, minute by minute, hour by hour...life happens around us.

I found out some things today about a past friend of mine from my Austin days...he was a huge drinker, big partier, etc... but he settled down got married & had a good life....but as he reached his 40's, he found that those things like marriage & kids weren't making him as happy as he was in the 80's & 90's partying w/his buds...so now he's drinking like a fish, going to court mandated AA and has had 3 DUI's & has contemplated suicide...all because he hasn't found "true happiness"...

This makes me sad because as we travel on our quest for "true happiness", life happens around us and passes us by. It doesn't stop for us and our quest. It continues on and we only get older.

The bottom line is we have to find our own happiness. We have to create our own happiness. I feel for those who believe that this world is our end all be all of happiness because personally I feel the "life is a journey, not a destination" theory. The afterlife for me is where it's at and I look forward to being there...I'm not afraid of it.

It's like this really cheesy thing I've always had hanging by my desk about "dance like no one's watching"....I've had it for years but it's so true. We think that life will get better if we MOVE, get married, have kids, graduate, get older, stay younger, find a better job, etc... when truthfully, life is happening to us each and every day and these events we seek out are only milestones in our lives...not the end all be all.

This all coincides with feelings I've had in the last 48 hours. A handful of events have occurred that have made me wake up from my recent fog and realize what I have to do for myself. I need to embrace my life as I've chosen to make it, choose wisely what I'm willing to accept and not accept, not allow anyone to treat me any less than I deserve to be treated, learn from my past mistakes, and remember that I've ALWAYS been a ballsy, strong girl who doesn't take too much shit.... and while I've felt the weakest I've ever felt in my life the past 8 weeks, I've had some serious moments of clarity in the last few days that have pushed me out of the fog. The fog is lifting and I feel as though it might lift quickly...

Let me throw out a quote I've just aquired but really like, "Love has nothing to do with another person, but is the condition of my own heart".

I don't want to speak prematurely but I feel as though the "low" I spoke of earlier this week is about to start getting the hell out of here...

So with all of those deep thoughts being said....I'll end this with a quote from an old China man....Confusious say... "when four-eyed one is on mission, get fuck out of way"

Happy New Year...complete with funk

Toot! Happy New Year!!! Woo Hoo!!! Here I sit with no voice, congestion, cough, and grossness...woo hoo!!! Yipee!!!
I went to the dr. today & I have a sinus infection and bronchitis...yahoo! Drugs for me for the new year...Yipeeeeeeeeee!
Anyway, on my way out today I took some pics of the snow from last night...it's absolutely gorgeous outside despite my crapiness.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suelolabamba/ Click on the New Years Snow button once you get there.
I had a party to go to last night & a house brunch to go to today....what a complete bummer to have to miss all of that. I was so looking forward to it too.
Oh well, Radar & I are about to cozy up on the couch with a movie & a snack...Yipeee!!! 2008 is here...wahoooo!!!!!