Thursday, July 31, 2008

Rabbit, Rabbit

Had to send this out today so that when you wake up tomorrow on the 1st of August...the first thing you say should be, "rabbit, rabbit" then you will have good luck the whole month. My cute friend Keddy from Idaho told me this once. I think I do it more than she does. Anyway it doesn't hurt to get a little extra luck in a month.  Try to remember to do it the first day of every month. Can't hurt.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Okay, I got tagged tooo...

from my friend Christine who moved out of my ward with her family and now it seems like most of my friends have left the ward and it makes me sad...okay enough about my issues.

How to play this game...post these rules on your blog: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5-6 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

3 JOYS:
1. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Life is hard sometimes and gratefully happy a lot of the time, but without the gospel, I would be totally lost. I am grateful that it grounds me and makes me the "real" kind of happy. And I have to add in working at the temple. Sometimes I am tired after work but I know that it is the best place to be. I learn so much and am growing so much from the experience.
2. My family. I am very close to my sisters especially. And they help me through things. It is just fun to keep in touch with family. I love all my nieces and nephews and am so proud of them. I also love my friends. And care about them so much.
3. Being able to share a talent from our Heavenly Father of drawing. I feel very blessed and overwhelmed that he would allow me to share this with others.

3 FEARS:
1. Getting lost when looking for a location I need to be at. Yah it sounds silly, but I get stressed. Just the feeling of being lost scares me.
2. Possibly never finding someone to share my life with and being alone. It makes me sad sometimes. But I also know that it has not worked out for me yet for a reason. Don't know the reason but I know there is one. Heavenly Father has a plan for me. And I KNOW this to be true. Somedays it feels like it would be nice to get a hint...but I can be patient. I am learning that at least.
3. Maybe some day of not making ends meet financially. But so far it has worked out for me and even when I lost my job at Novell and wondered how in the world I would survive, I did. And I did it on my own. And this is where I think sometimes how nice it would be for someone to take care of me. I get tired of taking care of me sometimes.

3 GOALS:
1. Getting in better shape. I feel like a human slug. Gross. But I do feel like I need to be consistent with exercise. So that is something I really need to get moving on.
2. Being better at reading my scriptures and praying more consistently. I am not always the best. I have good intentions..but slack off when I am tired or in a hurry.
3. Be a more considerate friend and sister and daughter. Sometimes I get caught up in my own stuff and need to be there more for others.

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS:
1. I love eating cut up watermelon before I go to bed. Lately it just hits the spot.
2. Lying in bed and watching shows I have recorded. Yes, I should be drawing!
3. Don't know if it is a collection...well, maybe it is since I now own an iphone and have an ipod and a shuffle. Goodness. All things Mac for me...including my mac computer at home too.

3 RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ME:
1. I love the smell of the ocean. Don't like to go into deep water- in fact I basically don't swim much (Dogpaddle 101) but I grew up around the ocean in Vancouver BC and I miss that ocean smell.  I love the beach though and shallower water. (Maybe this should be listed under a fear partly.)
2. I love to watch the Discovery channel and watch the specials on sharks/whales/odd fish and also the dinosaur specials. Don't want to meet a shark or a raptor, but they totally fascinate me.
3. I love coconut ice cream from Good Earth. It is a certain kind that is flavored with agave. Yum! I like it especially when it is a little bit melty.

SOOOOO, now  I am tagging some people....Julie Baldwin (so excited for her to have her baby though I will miss her at the temple), Erin (that I also work with at the temple and I hope things work out for her and Patrick with their adoption plans), Marilyn (who I also work with at the temple and is so fun), Ché and Jared (who are so wonderful), and Fer (who I met at TP who is so funny). So I didn't do links with it....but hopefully people will read this and respond.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Oops...

Yes the first photo below is the whole group of our family- minus a sister who couldn't be there. The 2nd picture below is obviously Deb and her family. Yes I am still getting used to how you set pictures up in blogs etc...

The really cool part of last Saturday

So here is my sister Deb and her husband Troy and children. For those who don't know, Deb and Troy had the blessing of receiving these 3 beautiful siblings, from Ethiopia, into their home the beginning of December. They were adopted about 2 weeks ago and then the crowning touch was that they were all sealed as a family this last Saturday. The perfect family. Welcome officially into our family: Lana Haymanot, Lissa Betsalot and Marcus Beruk! Lana and Lissa got baptized a little while ago too. Marcus has to wait a couple of years. We are so happy for them!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Such a fun weekend!



So I got my iphone! Yes, it is not a personalized photo of it...rather I nabbed it from the internet. But this is what it looks like. The cutest thing is that on Sunday at my mom's, I was showing her some of the stuff I loaded on it...like the phone saber (I am truly debating if I will even show my 6 year old nephew Ben [notice his intensity as he holds the light saber in the picture] who is totally into Star Wars...because the way you use it is you wave the iphone around and it makes the sounds of a light saber and I can see my phone accidentally flying across the room if he gets too excited.) and she asked if it really was a phone cuz of all the gadgets on it. I proved to her that it was and called her right away on it. Anyway it is VERY fun! I have 4 movies on it and a bunch of songs now too and it just has a lot of gadgets to play with. It will keep me entertained for sure. It is fun to send email and texts from it too. I am getting used to the keyboard. Just a fun thing. Like I said, my one splurge of the year!

Friday, July 25, 2008

So the ABBA concert was great fun!

We got into the pre-show dinner cuz my friend Sherry knows the person in charge. Yummy free dinner and we got to meet the group. We got our picture taken with them (don't have the picture yet) and right after I said to them, "My father is from Finland." And the blonde singer girl said, "Oh, that is why you have such blonde hair." That was funny. I guess anyone who has blonde hair apparently has Finnish or Swedish backgrounds. So just remember that.

So we sat with about 15 people that I know at the concert. Believe me I know since I was carrying 6 of the chairs to the area we saved and was trying to run down the grass hill with them. It was great fun at the concert. We sang out loud and danced around a bit. Dancing Queen was the last song of the evening. Of course everyone loved that.

So now I need to run to the AT&T store to pick up my iphone. It is in. Be excited!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Oh happy day!

My iphone shipped today! I will have it soon! Fun stuff!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Just looking through older illustrations...

I drew this of my nephew Nicholas for one of my Christmas cards one year. Yes I know...kind of wacky with the food items on top of his head. But then they are at a close proximity in case he got hungry...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Just thinking

...about my week...CRAZY-BUSY...but fun... A bbq tonight with some friends. Wednesday I think is non-planned. A day off on Thursday to get together with sibs and families for the day and then rushing home to go to the ABBA concert that night. Friday I have the day off (doing the 9/9 schedule at work so I get every other Friday off to save on gas in a small way) and I will be working on a freelance project most of the day, going to the track of course, and not much else. Saturday will be running up to the Salt Lake Temple in the morning where my sister and her husband will be sealed to their 3 adorable and amazing children. And then that night I will go to the Motab/Osmond concert. Busy...but fun!

I ordered an iphone...my one splurge of the year. I just checked online and they haven't even begun to ship it. I think I have a long wait in store.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Happy Eeyore Day!

Whenever it is rainy or cloudy- or better yet both...it is a Happy Eeyore Day in my book. So I hope you have a happy one! Good old Eeyore. The grass and flowers are happy for sure today!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Saturday is a special day...

Man, I need to get a lot of drawing done today! I keep slacking on a freelance project that will actually pay me money! The problem is that they haven't given me a deadline so I put it off more than I should. But hey, I need the money so I need to get moving on it. My goal is to draw two of the pictures today. I have about 10 total. I can do it!

Pretty day. I like to go to the track on Saturday mornings early when it isn't hot out yet. So I am off to do that...and then the Saturday morning grocery shopping...and then home to draw and mow the lawn etc.

Friday, July 18, 2008

My sweet momma's dad

So this is a drawing I did for my family for last Christmas. This is my Grandpa Biggar. He was born on Prince Edward Island. And a fun little fact is that through him our family is related to LM Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables. Kind of fun to have a connection to that. And my middle name is Anne with an e!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Nice day today

Just finished two stamp sets at work that need to be priced. Now to start on a new set. Hmmm- kind of not sure what to do on it. Ah well. I will eventually figure it out...I hope.

The power went out at work yesterday so we got to leave half way through the day. I went to look for ideas. 

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wow!

So my only aunt I ever had, (barring such a thing as half aunts or uncles in Finland who I don't know but most likely exist since my dad's dad was married before and had children) who was married to my only uncle I knew, passed away recently. She was very private and we did not know she was sick. She lived in West Vancouver.  Kind of makes me sad. At least we can do her work in a year.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Hey, it is Tuesday!

I went to the play Footloose at the outdoor Scera Shell last night. It was a cute play. Not one of my faves that they have put on there but it was fun.

Looking forward to the play Pride and Prejudice though that is later in the summer.

I know- a boring posting this morning.

Monday, July 14, 2008

I guess I should show the drawing

That I drew (from the picture I showed a couple of postings ago) of my cute finnish dad.

I replaced the ball he was holding in the photo with a drawing of one of the wooden cars he used to make when he was an adult.

And then I put in christmas greetings in english and finnish.

It works!

Just a quick blurb on driving slower---So I tried driving slower last friday and today. between 60 and 65 mph...and both times, it still took me a half hour to drive one way to work. Just like if I was going 70 mph (which has been my normal speed). I think I will keep up the 60-65 speed for a month or so and see if it makes a difference. I do notice one thing...I feel less stressed on the road. Here is hoping that it will make a difference with gasoline costs.

Happy Monday!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

If only life turned out the way movies/books do!

I just watched the movie Persuasion this morning. Love it!!!! Such a sweet story of hope and not giving up.  And I watched Sense and Sensibility a few days ago. Such a great movie! A wonderful 2 pack movie set I picked up from Costco a while back! Truly worth the money! sigh. Yes I am a hopeless romantic. And I cannot deny it.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

My dad as a boy

Just thinking of my dad today. Missing him and his hugs and him telling me that everything will be okay. I drew him on my christmas card this past December. He is from Finland. The city of Turku. In this picture he is in Finland. His eyebrows look very finnish to me. I can still hear him snickering at one of his silly jokes.

Just thinking about stuff

I saw a friend this morning, who works at Costco at the gas station. We were just talking about stuff and he was bringing up how some people (glad it is the minority) are just unneighborly (a nice way of saying it) and unsafe- and sometimes refuse to turn off their cars when filling up with gas. Not only is it unsafe to them and to anyone else filling up, but there are huge signs posted asking us to PLEASE turn off our engines. 

As I drove away, I was thinking, how often do I ignore signs? Hopefully not much. But it made me think about how it is sad that people can be so unkind to others, thoughtless really. And it made me think about how I can sometimes be in a grumpy mood and am not the nicest to others around me. Or maybe someone has not treated me the best—but you know what? I should not let that affect me. I really need to try harder to be kind to others. And to quit being a crab about things. Maybe smile a little more. Maybe be more thoughtful.

If I think about it, I have SO much to be grateful for. So many blessings. So what if it is a pain to "turn the car off when filling up with gas". Hey, I just think I can do my part and maybe like President Hinckley told us , totally paraphrasing here, maybe we can be a little kinder each day.
Or considerate of others. Who cares if so-and-so is crabby...I need to try to not let that affect me. (And not saying I don't care..but you know what I mean.)

Anyway, that is my thought and hopefully a goal I can work on. And try to do what the signs ask of me. 

Hey, and just a thought, if the speed limit sign says a number, then why do we go faster? Doesn't limit mean don't go any faster? I am actually trying to drive slower on the freeway. If anything these days, to conserve gas...I tried it yesterday and I got home at the exact same time and it was hard to slow down...but I did. I heard 55 is a good speed and makes the most difference but I hovered in between 60 and 65. Yes I took the slow lane. So if you see a silver honda cr-v putting along on the freeway, it is me, trying to slow down and save some money. I am trying...


Friday, July 11, 2008

Funny computer guy!

I saw this illustration on the internet the other day...I love the style. And sometimes it feels like that is how it feels at work somedays—hehe. Just staring at that monitor.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Jonah and the Whale idea

And this style I really like. I like the rough edges and the quirky characters. I need to do more. It is a fun style to play with.

Running Guy

This is a style I am pursuing. A computer, sleek style. This was fun to do. I need to do more.

An illustration for a book I was asked to work on.

I like this drawing I did. It was for a book that I am not sure will turn into anything. But I liked it.

Woohoo for Thursdays!

I love Thursdays. It is a day when I go to do service at the temple after work.

My new position at the temple is a bit overwhelming at times and I feel very inadequate at times but I know that it is a good growing experience for me. So I am glad to do it.

I need to start posting artwork I am working on...hmmmm.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

It's Saturday

Working on a lesson for church, working on some training I do in another church calling, and working on a book...illustrations.

So glad it is the weekend. I looked after my nephews last night with my mom. Baby Wy-Wy was very talkative. He is 2 now. His big brothers, Ben and Ander, kept telling me what would happen in the dvd, The Spiderwick Chronicles. I kept trying to tell them that I wanted to see what happened first. Ah well. How well can you explain that to 6 and 5 year olds. It was pretty funny.