farm fresh

so after chatting about it this weekend with my friend natalie, i was convinced that i should sign up for farm fresh to you. it's a company that delivers a variety of usda certified organic fruits and vegetables to your doorstep (or, um, your office's doorstep if you have a gate like we do). what i like about this service? it's reasonably priced, gives recipes with the produce, it's going to force me to expand my cooking repetoire (and get out of our 5 meal rut we're in), and will force us to eat more fruits and veggies--not to mention the benefits of eating organic. it's also extremely customizable. want all veggies? done! all fruits? done! only local? done! every other week/3 weeks/once a month? done! we started at one box every three weeks--this will give us an opportunity to test out the service, and see what we think will be a reasonable delivery schedule without wasting. they apparently post what will be in the box on the friday before your delivery, and you can email or call in to change out an item if you don't like it. i can't wait for our first delivery! here's to healthier cooking!

sick sunday

well, our fantastic weekend in vegas ended with a not-so-fantastic plane ride. i was expecting a little bit of turbulence as we departed vegas and flew over the mountains, but i was not expecting 45 minutes of it. i wasn't hung over or anything, but man did i get sick. i get motion sick extremely easily, but i've never actually gotten sick. i guess there's a first time for everything! our fasten seatbelt sign was only off for about 15-20 minutes, and multiple people on the flight were ill. it was awful. at least i have good friends who still like me after sitting next to me. the flight attendants were so sweet and kind, so that was nice-- one even checked on me when he walked through the cabin. thankfully we landed safely, but i was obviously feeling a little under the weather. brandon took the opportunity to snap a photo of me while i was napping...then i woke up but we snapped a few more of the kitties because they were being so cute.

vegas! (aka joanne's bachelorette)

so, this weekend i went to vegas for my friend joanne's bachelorette. it was SO amazing--there were 7 of us from high school plus two of joanne's other friends. we had a blast! it was fun/tiring/relaxing all at the same time. we flew in friday afternoon on virgin america. the plane was full of bachelor/bachelorette parties!
the lovely bride and friends

when we arrived, we checked in the hotel room and chilled until we had to get ready for the night out! we got all dolled up, went to dinner and then out dancing at a club, thanks to hookups from tati.
saturday morning i got up early and went for a 10 mile run with tati--it was her first time going 10, and she did great! i was proud. we then went back to her house, showered, baked some cakes for later, and headed back to the hotel to meet up with everyone else, who were resting poolside. i have to say a bloody mary after a long run is just about the most amazing thing EVER. it's a heavenly way to replenish all the salt you've lost.

after the pool, we had a mini "shower" for jo, where we unveiled the shirts i had made for us to wear.

to give some background, in high school joanne's mom shared something with joanne about kissing, which joanne passed onto us. it's sort of a "classification system" for kisses...we were always pestered with the question "was it a peach, a plum, or alfalfa?" now, if you say these aloud, carefully pay attention to what your mouth/tongue does and you will see what the differences are.

anyway, we came up with the concept of using peach/plum/alfalfa for the shirts, all of us being peaches and plums, and joanne being alfalfa. i made up some graphics on my computer and then screenprinted them.

so saturday after the shower we got ready, all wearing our shirts, and went to dinner and then danced for a bit while waiting for our show to start.

group photo courtesy of melissa

all in all, a much needed, much enjoyed girls weekend. we should have these more often. not to get all sappy, but i'm so thankful to have such a wonderful group of friends. whenever i'm with them i am amazed at what a fantastic, beautiful group of girls i have as friends. it says a lot that here, almost 10 years after high school, we're still hanging out. thank you, girls, for being so fabulous. i love you all.

happy birthday, brandon!

sufficient to say march 24-25 is an emotional roller coaster in our household. poor brandon gets a depressed wife the day before his birthday, but i always perk right back up to celebrate him. i try and look at both days as a celebration of life, but march 24 will always be difficult.

anyhoo, first off happy birthday, husband! i'll save all the gushy stuff to say to him in person, but i'd just like to say how incredibly glad i am to have him in my life. he's such a rock for me, and he keeps me sane. we decided to keep it low-key, because he's been working on an architectural competition and i've been busy getting ready for vegas so we're both exhausted. i got him his favorite cupcake from the place down the street from my office (that takes the cake)--it's a cupcake filled with peach cobbler, but i'm mad because his present didn't arrive in time, and it's my fault. i put the wrong sf zip code. i put my home zip with my office address...whooooops. at least he got a cupcake, right?

also happy today, flowers from tati arrived! i'll take better pictures in natural light tomorrow, but this is what i snapped tonight. she meant them to arrive yesterday (we had the fortune of living together when we went through the loss of stacy, so we have an extra bond when it comes to that) but ups can't leave stuff at my house because they can't get in our lobby. i was THRILLED to see they have a feature where you can request a different delivery address online. it says 'in close proximity' but i chanced it and put my work address--they arrived! they are a gorgeous mix of bright pink, pink/orange, and orangey/peach roses. it got a little awkward at work to explain why i had flowers, but for the most part i avoided the conversation. one person, however, pestered me until i spilled it. it's not that i mind talking about it--in fact, i don't mind at all. i typically just feel bad for the person who asked--it's never what they expect and usually makes them feel awkward. oh well! i love my flowers.

cocktails

so over the weekend while out with friends for the bachelorette, we started discussing how we like gin, and how we are liking the trend of herby/refreshing drinks. on saturday night i had a gin cocktail with apple, lemon, basil and honey--it was SO delicious and refreshing.

this morning i woke up and checked my normal blogs, and saw this post from edyta...how timely! as she said, great minds think alike:

Trends of 2009 - Custom & Complex Cocktails

photos via edyta via brides

butterfly nets

up and up you go
for to steal the secrets of the heavens
will you share them with me,
my bright and brilliant spy?
-butterfly nets, bishop allen

i was going to try and come up with a song lyric on my own, but i had to copy chris. it was just too perfect and applicable and fit the mood.

i cannot believe it's been 4 years.

go ducks!

so the oregon ducks is really the one sports team that brandon cares about. well, i should say he cares about their sports teams, plural. anyway, i had experimented the other day and came up with a knitted reusable coffee sleeve, in order to stop using a new paper/cardboard one every day. how green of me, right? it stemmed from me collecting the sleeves on my desk and realizing just how many i go through.

anyway, i asked brandon if he'd use one, and he said if it was a ducks one, he would--thus the challenge was on. here's what i came up with, and i'm pretty happy with the result, if i do say so myself. the hunt for the "perfect" yarn colors was NOT easy, and it took a couple tries but it was worth it in the end.

saturday fun

so saturday was busy. 8 miles in the morning, then i met up with my parents, sister and claire for some shopping and lunch, then home for natalie's bachelorette party.

first stop: downtown. we ran into an anti-war, anti-occupation protest/parade, so i wasted time taking a couple pictures while the parade passed


claire sporting her new giants gear...go black and orange!
and a few pics from the champagne toast at kristin's and dinner after for the bachelorette...

this was taken at beretta, where we ate a delicious dinner...

bad cat behavior, ep.7

i know i've mentioned ben's habit of batting at pictures on the wall, but i finally captured it on camera. seriously, at times the pictures on our wall are like at 30 degree slants because of him...it makes my blood boil, especially because he comes up behind me while i'm sitting on the couch and does it.

notice how BOTH pictures in this photo are skewed. thank you, interior decorator ben. on a happier note, the framed picture on the right is our wedding haiku. it looks much better when it's straight, but i love it even when it looks like it's about to fall off the wall, thanks to our cat.

thankfully stu hasn't quite grasped this habit...yet...(knock on wood)

more kitties

oh the cats...these were taken over a couple days...i can't resist taking pictures of them!

the paw! it kills me every time...they are so tender and sweet to each other sometimes! edyta, does this make you want to jump in their kitty cup again?

expansion

i'm excited to share that we are expanding our line at adelie and the orca! we now are sporting some baby blankets and burp clothes. well, really these have been the plan for the start, but my sister took charge and photographed her creations so now they're starting to pop up on etsy! thanks jen, the seamstress. so far we've only listed one, but look for more in the coming days! i like to call this one "you're buggin' me"

now on a happier note...

they did it again...improv everywhere...genius.

check out their latest--the subway art gallery opening.

on a more serious note...

so a few weeks ago i got an email from a college friend, saying that he had a baby cousin born (his cousin's baby) and she ended up being sick. they found out she had a "coarctation of the aorta" and after surgery and some ups and downs, she ended up passing away. little andie grace was only three weeks old and fought hard during her short life but just wasn't able to make it (a blog was kept through her time and can be found here: andiegrace.blogspot.com). i got the email that she had passed on sunday and just burst into tears. i couldn't even tell brandon what had happened without crying again, and i don't even know her family!

anyway, i just had to get my sadness out somewhere. i thought it was very sweet--apparently the hospital she was at uses beanie babies for the kids in the hospital, so in lieu of flowers they are asking that people bring/send beanie babies to be donated to the hospital. i am off to purchase some beanie babies now...

ugh. i can barely get through writing this post without getting choked up. for some reason this little punkin's story has really touched me...

stuart, the loaf

so lately the cats have been "stealing" brandon's chair. literally, he'll get up to grab something and SWOOP. his chair is occupied by a furry friend or two. we've decided to let it slide because it's been preventing them from being total pests, but it is a funny trend. last night i looked over, and saw this:

immediately i said "awww..." and then i noticed what was really going on...

busy busy bumble bee

well, as i previously mentioned, i've been quite the busy busy bumble bee lately, and it's only going to get worse. here's a rundown of this weekend:
friday: work, then dinner with my parents. finish up designs for screen printing. bed.
saturday: 10 mile run. errand running. early dinner. more errand running. preparation for sunday screen printing. bed.
sunday: screen printing extravaganza with brenna and kristin. errand running. dinner. some paperwork i needed to get done. bed.

i have now realized that i am busy (with fun things) every weekend until may. wedding related activities, weddings, new york, half marathon...it's going to be a busy busy 6 weeks. hopefully i'll have some time to snap and upload pictures!

engaged (not of the marital kind)

so lately i feel like i've been sort of floating. there's a lot of little things going on, and i've had a lot of distractions--mostly generated by me (yes, i distract myself). today it sort of all came to a head when i realized why i've felt in a funk--i am into a bunch of little things halfway, and not fully engaged in any of them.

beginning with work--i find myself with my mind wandering, contemplating all things i want to make, new things to add to my etsy shop, etc. i need to commit myself to what i am doing, and do it to the best of my abilities. while i'd love to create full time, it's just not realistic right now. work and art are suffering right now, but there's only one of those i can actually do something about, and that's work. unfortunately, not my top choice. while i'd love to be planning my next project and investing myself 100%, i just don't have the time nor the resources at this season in life, and that's just reality.

i have all sorts of little things that need to be completed that are less pleasant (paperwork, etc.) that i keep putting off for more "fun" things, but now the months of that nagging feeling have caught up and the nagging has turned into a much louder internal shout. there are about 50 other things that have been eating at me, and i really feel i need to do something about them, and soon. running is the only thing that i really fell i'm giving 100% of myself to at the moment, and that needs to change.

this is where the title of my post comes in--engaged. i need to be engaged, to feel engaged. in my relationships, in my friendships, my occupation, my hobbies, my art, my day-to-day mundane stuff that needs to get done...i know this is a busier time (luckily for me it's busy with fun things), but i need to remember to seek solitude, be productive and manage my time in order to avoid the stress freakouts (i am very prone to those, unfortunately). here's to hoping i can get my act together...

adelie and the orca giveaway on moderncat

image courtesy of moderncat

toys, clockwise from top left: parisian mouse from 4 paws, knit fish cat toy from adelie and the orca, binkie sweetie toy from osha, catnip donut from catzilla crafts, woodland friends organic hemp cat toys from the modern pet, and mink catnip body pillow from kitty of mine.

so this week is toy giveaway week on moderncat, and there have been tons of amazing giveaways! i offered up a knit catnip toy (via adélie and the orca), and today you can have a chance to win! check out the posts from the week--some amazing etsy shops to discover, and tons of giveaways! if you have a feline friend who could use some spoiling, head on over and enter to win! thanks, again, moderncat for 1. being an amazing website and 2. featuring my kitty toy (and stu's tooshie)

good morning

so this morning i decided to snap some photos of the kitties...a little mid-week pick-me-up.

so, a small funny note. i took these pictures, went into the other room to grab something, came back in, and the cats were in the same position but facing the room this time, instead of the window. such weirdos.

i left the room again and came back, and this time ben was 2 rooms away, sitting on the counter. literally i was gone 30 seconds, and i did not hear him at all. stealth kitty!
so i know it's been semi-quiet on the blog, but i've just been busy. not overwhelmingly busy, but enough where i haven't really taken a lot of pictures and the stuff i'm doing isn't overly exciting. in a nutshell, i'm working on things for some upcoming activities with friends (will be shown later), running, nursing sore legs, and crafting a little here and there. i promise i'll show that stuff later on...

shoes!

so, i guess i have neglected to mention that i'm going to new york in april! it is a trip my family has been talking about for a while--grandma, mom, sister, and claire (well, claire has been a more recent addition to the roster) to go see a relative that we haven't seen in forever, and she's getting up there in age. it's going to be a quick trip right before the half marathon--i can't wait!

you might be wondering what on EARTH that has to do with this blog post title, shoes! well, i am in desperate need of shoes to walk around in. now, i am not the most fashionable person, but i refuse to wear my running shoes while exploring a city. call me vain, but i put my foot down when it comes to that. i don't look down on other people doing it, but i just can't do it.

SO. last time i went to ny in november, i wore some clarks privos. i wear them all the time, great for walking to/from work, etc. after walking around all day every day, however, my heels were shredded by the end of the 5 days. i'll spare you the details, but sufficient to say that my heels were swollen and i ripped through band-aids, socks and tights by the end. it was a mess. all that said--anyone have any recommendations? i think i'm looking for something decently cute but very practical. after all, it is the week before the half marathon, so i must keep my feet in working order!

bad cat behavior, ep.6

this sock pictured above started out behind that door at the end of the hall...in a clothes hamper. ben and stuart have a newly discovered affinity for wool socks. like, an obsessive affinity. as in i bury a pair of socks in the dirty clothes hamper and by morning they are strewn about the apartment.

now, random fact about me, i don't like wearing socks most of the time (or shoes for that matter, if i had a choice) so it's only on very cold days that i end up wearing socks. this means the wool socks haven't had much time out, but lately these cats can't get enough. it started when we got back from tahoe and brandon dumped out our suitcase. both socks in my pair got "stolen." i put them in the hamper, under other things, and by morning they were back out. i wore another pair of wool socks, and again....put them in the hamper, and while we're watching tv i see ben run by, sock in mouth.

pretty much every day this week we come home to socks somewhere in the apartment.

ben and stuart break

well, i feel like it has been a little while since i've put up some kitties. i'm guessing it's been more like 3 days or something :::::checking archives:::::: wow! no! it's been almost two weeks! time for some ben and stu indeed...

this morning i was attempting to take a picture of my newest kitty toy for etsy...the cats were helping

and here are the kids, waiting for me to put the toy back down (yeah right i'm going to put it down)

the boys eating...this was the cute moment, before stuart threw up because he gorged himself on the food.

first sale!

yay! made my first sale on etsy! thank you to LoveErica for the purchase of a catnip kitty toy for her three kitty cats...

erica is a budding photographer, making her way through college currently. this is my favorite print in her shop at the moment...

how many is too many?

so, i follow a bunch of blogs on google reader (which, by the way, is fantastic. i highly recommend if you are a blog follower). now i'm getting to the point--how many is too many? every blog seems to bring up an interesting feature from ANOTHER blog, and quickly your blog list grows and grows...it's impossible to absorb everything and see everything, but how do you say enough? i'm sure a couple people i know (natalie and my sister) would quickly volunteer that having children would answer this question for me, but until that point i guess i'll struggle to find the balance of the blogs....

homesick

so, paris is the one place that i really get homesick for. i guess the only other place i could really get homesick for would be san luis obispo, and while there are things about it that i miss, i don't get homesick. paris, however, is a whole different story. i get a pit in my stomach, and genuinely ache for it. it's been far too long since i've been there. a lot of people like to look at pictures of paris and french things, and talk about it and reminisce about their time there. me, i avoid it like the plague. i don't like to look at pictures (when i'm feeling homesick). i don't like to talk about it, i don't like to flip through my photographs. it makes me ache even more inside, and sink deeper into my little sad party. yes, i feel beyond fortunate to have lived there, but man do i miss it. i guess it goes along with it's better to have loved and lost....?

my friend kelly is going soon, and while i'm jealous, i'm more happy that she gets to go--we were there together and i have some wonderful memories from that. i'm still trying to figure out what little something i want her to bring back for me =) oh yeah, kelly--i might have you bring something back for me...haha

anyway, when i was there i got addicted to the show star academy. it's basically american idol, but more in depth. they all live in a house together and having singing lessons/practice, dance rehearsals, exercise time, etc. every week. then every weekend they have a live show (the "prime") and eliminate someone. the show is on daily if my memory serves me correctly. i stumbled upon (err...i guess sought out) the website the other day and found a video of one of my favorite performances during the season i watched. you can see it on my tumblr, here.

running songs

so, here is a list of 24 songs that really have been helping me in my run, getting me going when they pop on the shuffle...

in alphabetical order by artist...
1. belle & sebastian--dear catastrophe waitress
2. belle & sebastian--me and the major
3. ben kweller--i need you back
4. bishop allen--rain
5. blow--bonjour jeune fille
6. boy least likely to--rock upon a porch with you
7. bright eyes--road to joy
8. bright eyes--let's not sh*t ourselves (to love and to be loved)
9. damien rice--coconut skins
10. the fiery furnaces--in my little thatched hut
11. hot chip--colours
12. ingrid michaelson--be OK
13. los campesinos!--you! me! dancing!
14. the magnetic fields--i thought you were my boyfriend
15. the magnetic fields--i think i need a new heart
16. mason jennings--california, pt.2
17. okkervil river--unless it's kicks
18. okkervil river--lost coastlines (perfect for running across the golden gate bridge)
19. peter bjorn & john--young folks
20. the postal service--such great heights
21. rilo kiley--spectacular views
22. the rolling stones--sympathy for the devil
23. shout out louds--very loud
24. yellowcard--believe

200 posts!

boo. i fail.

in my posting frenzy yesterday i missed the fact that i had my 200th post! happy 200 posts blog...here's to many more posts to come. thanks for reading, to those of you who read.

something to note--don't be shy about commenting! i love comments. also, you can always reach me at minimarsh6@gmail.com

academy of sciences

today, chris was kind enough to escort me into the academy of sciences so i could go with my family (they have passes). it was great, but SOOOO crowded--i can't wait to go and explore more! here are a few pictures from the day...