"Joyful Sound"

Russell doesn't have it in him to stay completely still during a show, but he did get this 9+ minute vid of SCI doing "Joyful Sound"! I love this tune...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1sdNL44eFE

We're in the Jailhouse Now...

November first is an important date in a lot of ways. It's considered by some to be the pagan new year, as in that tradition Samhain (aka Halloween) marked the turn of the spiritual year. It's also my fairy goddess mother's birthday! (that would be godmother to most folks)
This year it also fell on a Monday. For those reasons and a couple of others, Russell and I decided to perform a civil ceremony - that's right, we got married!
For those of you who are looking forward to our June 11, 2011 wedding, never fear! We're totally still on for that most excellent event! We just had several legal and financial reasons to go ahead and take care of the paperwork aspect of the thing during the 2010 fiscal year.
One important side of it is taxes; getting married will allow us a big tax break, as well as make it easier to file as Orion's parents if we're already hitched. That tax refund will help us pay for the upcoming wedding, so it makes good sense to do it now! Also, Russell's health insurance is both expensive and not very good. Since we're now officially married, I can put him on my plan at TJ's, and we'll all have health, vision, and dental - for a lot less than we were paying. Getting married now saves us money and safeguards our health. Not to mention that it'll be one less thing to worry about at the wedding!
The process was pretty simple. Jo Ann came over to look after Orion (who was not a very cooperative, mellow boy, unfortunately). Russell and I stopped at both our banks and put each other on our checking accounts, therefore to more easily pay bills, etc. We also (finally) opened the savings account for Orion. I'd been holding money that was meant for him in my own savings, but now it's in a special account with his name on it! Yay, college fund!
Then we headed up to Hillsborough to the register of deeds office. The lady there was funny and energetic. We got the paperwork done to get the marriage license and paid the fees. We called Jo Ann, Runyon, and Kevin to let them know we were done there and that they could head on up to the Hillsborough Weaver St. Market to meet us. We grabbed some lunch while we waited, and then everyone (Orion, too) met up with us and walked over to the jailhouse.
That's right, the jailhouse. For some reason the only magistrate in Hillsborough is located in the jailhouse. We walked in to the anteroom, where we were completely ignored by a bunch of officers hanging around behind the glass window, and waited with a group of folks who were in line to see the magistrate. The two groups before us were there on jail/prisoner related business, so no one but us was very happy. There were only two chairs in the waiting area, which were occupied, and the whole place was dark and dingy, with low ceilings and bad lighting. Even the one bathroom was a mess and didn't have a changing table; fortunately Russell and I are adept at changing Orion's diaper in our laps.
Finally it was our turn to step into the magistrate's office, which was similarly cramped and dingy and overly full of stuff. There was a little window into the holding tank of the jail and that was it; no natural light for him! Fortunately, the magistrate (who was also the brother of the register of deeds; weird) was a really nice guy. Our group was in much better spirits than the previous two, and it seemed to brighten up his day. That made me feel pretty good, because other than that it was a grim place to have a marriage ceremony! He was fun, though, and joked around with us while the paperwork got done. Runyon and Kevin signed as witnesses, we said the "I do's" (though no one actually said "I do"; Russell said "Yep!" and I said "Absolutely!") and we shared both a high-five and a kiss! It was actually kinda fun. Afterwards we stopped outside under a big old oak tree and took a few pictures, and that was that - we're married!
We're not planning on changing our names until the wedding in June, as we feel like that's really the event that will bind us together as a wedded couple. For now, we're husband and wife, but the community, spiritual and emotional aspect of it will really change at the ceremony we do in June.
Either way, there's a lot of love here to go around and we're really happy. It's sure been a good week!

Hulaween!

I have become incapable of writing the word "Hulaween" without following it with an exclamation point! (!)
Oh man, what fun!
String Cheese is (in my humble opinion) the best large act out there today. They put on such amazing shows, with everything so completely thought out. It is truly a spectacle, and the beautifully orchestrated music is a catalyst that entertains and amazes simple hippie folks like ourselves. Add the Halloween costumes in the crowd, and I'm pretty much in heaven. One audience member, a nice man who shared some excellent seating with us, said, "They're all-inclusive," and I tend to agree.

Many months ago SCI announced that they had a Halloween surprise for all of us. I assumed that if they did a Halloween show, it would likely be on the West Coast, as they previously did Halloween in Vegas. A few weeks later they announced that the two nights to celebrate Halloween were being played at the Hampton Coliseum. I was beside myself with joy! I called Russell at work to tell him, and I was so excited I couldn't get complete sentences out. It took several tries before he understood my random exclamations of "Hampton!" "Cheese!" "Halloween!" "DRIVING DISTANCE!!" made any sense to him. My excitement then was huge, and my expectations for the shows were high; as usual, they completely met and exceeded them by a huge amount!
Friday we headed up to Newport News, VA, for the two nights of SCI at the Hampton Coliseum. I've never been there before, but I've heard good things, including the infamous "Hampton Comes Alive" by Phish, a two-disc set that everyone seems to know and love. I've seen its picture, and I have heard it called The Mothership on many occasions.
My week leading up to the shows was crazy; I was busy as hell with two sewing commissions and a big party at work that I was in charge of planning. We therefore got off to a bit of a late start on Friday, but that was as I expected. We made it to Newport News, which is actually the next town over from Hampton (and has infinitely cheaper hotels) in the late afternoon. We had just enough time to get spruced up for the show and head out. I wore my fabulous catsuit and EL wire light-up fairy wings, while Russell wore his Pathfinder Indian costume from Burning Man. One of the best moments of the night occurred while we were walking into the venue; in a knot of people at the main gate a guy in a gold sequin tux took one look at us and said, "You guys are Burners!" High-fives all around!
The show on Friday was great! The band played all the crowd favorites, including "Black Clouds" (which I had wanted to hear), "Jellyfish", "Texas", and many others. It was a great night, and many people were in costume and everyone seemed to be having a blast. We ran all over the coliseum, spending time up in the seats and down on the floor, exploring and having a great time.
Orion was awesome through it all. He slept in the car almost the whole way up and seemed to really enjoy being at the show. He loves watching the hula hoop girls and smiling at all the people who come up to say hi to him. One guy in particular, who was dressed as a big sparkly sultan, was juggling LED color change light-up balls, and Orion was so mesmerized. The guy came up and offered one of the balls to him, and he reached out with all his little might to touch it. That was a cool moment! Lots of folks thought he was Baby Carlos from The Hangover, and we had to keep explaining that he was a real baby, not a prop! It was pretty funny, too, as many people asked if it was his "first Incident" (meaning first String Cheese show) and we got to say no, it was his fourth (or fifth, on the second night). Several people laughed and said he'd seen them more times than they had!
They closed the show with Michael Travis, the drummer, dressed up as David Lee Roth in a spandex suit and wig and did a cover of "Jump", which was just a warm-up for the ridiculous night to follow! We headed back to the hotel, glad for a place to spread out, and feel asleep quite late.
When we woke up on Saturday around 8am, we looked at each other and asked the same question: "Are we going to the Rally?" John Stewart and Stephen Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive" was Saturday 10/30/10. We really wanted to go; DC is about 3 hours from Hampton, but that's 3 hours closer than we are here. We considered getting up early to go to the Rally, and then turning around and coming back for the second show. Technically the timing should have worked for us; but we were feeling kinda lazy after the day and night before... So we struggled with the decision for a bit, but finally decided that we would probably see it better if we just chilled at the hotel and watched it on line. We ended up lazing around in bed at the hotel, playing with a very happy baby, and thoroughly enjoying the Rally, which was huge! During the Rally, they announced that they were estimating about 150,000 people; now they're saying the numbers were about 215,000!!! The permit they got was for 60,000, and they didn't have the speakers to get to all those people. Aerial pictures are amazing. Abraxas the Dragamuffin, our favorite gold dragon art bus/mutant vehicle from Burning Man, even made it out!
However, I'm glad we didn't go; some friends of ours did, and they said it was an ordeal. Hours to get on and off the Metro, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, no sound or sight lines to the event, miles of walking... It would have been great to be there in so many ways, but our day doing nothing but playing with Orion and hanging around was great in its own way, too.
We took our time getting ready on Saturday and wore more elaborate costumes. I had a Burner/Cowgirl/Fairy thing going on with furry boot covers, the Disco Fringe Cowboy Hat, and festival coat. Russell went pirate! We got to the parking lot early enough to chill and cruise around. We met up with Liz and Dave, so I could pass the most recent sewing commission off to Liz. Her outfit was a corset and skirt of batik cottons with EL wire stitched all over it. I didn't get to see her in it, but she said it was awesome! We hung around with some folks parked next to us who were on Dead tour quite literally before we were born. They had a need little cast iron hibachi cauldron deal and were grilling up all kinds of goodies, which they were kind enough to share with us. As we were getting ready to go into the show, I ran over to a trashcan and caught an amazing view behind a stand of trees; the coliseum sits on the edge of a pond, and the sunset was so beautiful behind the lit up Mothership. I ran for the camera... Jogging over to the water's edge with my coattails flying in the wind, I got mobbed by a group of women who wanted my clothes. It was a good moment, feeling once again supported in my clothes-making dream while also getting some amazing photos of the venue under a gorgeous sky.
We finally strolled up to the venue, where we finally ran into some of the folks from the Conscious Alliance. They are an organization that collects food and supplies for local folks in need at festivals and shows; they feed an amazing number of people a year. They are so successful because they give amazing posters in exchange for the goods (or you can purchase them). The Hulaween poster is in fall colors with a sexy hooper fairy. We had seen it on line ahead of time, and Russell got it together to collect enough canned goods and a few bars of nice soap from our stores to donate. However, until we ran into the guy we hadn't found the donation sight. When we talked to the guy, he was nice enough to give us a poster before we even went back for the cans, enabling up to make one trip to get the goods and drop the poster. I felt really proud of us for getting it together to actually make a donation of goods - go Russell for motivating that one!
Finally we got into the venue and it was clear it was going to be a wild night. Many more folks were partying at Shakedown in the parking lot beforehand, the crowd was noticeably bigger, and there were more (and more elaborate) costumes. When we got into the coliseum, we decided to find a good spot to change Orion before things started, so we skirted the floor and went back out to the concourse, where we found Crash, John, and Sateesh. Crash is my good friend who I met out at the Burn some years ago; she's one of my favorite people ever, and we knew their presence at the Saturday show was going to make it even more fun! John was a green fairy and Crash was in her super fabulous Rainbow Brite costume. There were several in the crowd both nights, but hers was by far the best.
Running into Crash and company derailed our plans to find a spot to change the baby, so we went back out onto the floor and then opted to run up to the balcony and find a spot to sit. It was packed, but as we were casting around for two seats a really nice couple in the front row gave us two that they were saving. The view was excellent and the people we sat next to were very generous; they gave us water and carrots (yum!) and were quite pleasant during the show!
Orion had a big night, too - he was more fussy during the second night, but mostly he just wanted to nurse a lot. I didn't have a problem with that, so he did pretty well. He became very interested in our lemonade cup, which had a yellow lid and big pink plastic straw. He played with it quite a bit and even gnawed and sucked on the straw - he even managed to drink some water out of it, which surprised him a bunch!
The second night of SCI was the big night for Halloween, and the band did three sets plus a long encore. The second set was the 'musical costume' set, in which they did a bunch of covers. They came out after the first set break in wild spaceman costumes and said that since they were playing the Mothership, they wanted to take us to space with the music! The songs they covered mostly all had a space or flying theme, but the best part was when a special guest came out. He was all in costume, so no one could tell who it was, but everyone around me in the crowd was saying, "It's Keller, it's got to be Keller!" A sentiment which I wholeheartedly agreed upon! Still, no one could see who it was and the band only announced him as "Saturn Claus" due to the faintly Santa Claus-like space suit he was wearing. It wasn't until he started singing that it became clear that Saturn Claus was, indeed, our favorite musician: Keller Williams! They went into a cover of Parliament Funkadelic's "Mothership Connection" and then did Dee Lite's "Groove is in the Heart" (which I'd been hoping KW would play the last several times we'd seen him). That pretty much made my night, but there was still the third set and the encore to go! Fabulous! We danced like crazy for pretty much the whole show, but toward the end we moved down to the back of the coliseum, close to the main entrance, so that we could beat the crowd out to the parking lots.
After a fabulous show, we headed out back to the hotel, completely blissed out, and made a last-second stop at Waffle House. I never eat there unless it's a ridiculous hour (and therefore the only option), but something about it makes me smile; perhaps because I know I'm there because I've just had a great time!
To end the night on a fun note, Orion and I took a bath together to get the mess of the show off us (mostly glitter). He decided this was the night to discover splashing! He kept lifting his feet as high as they would go and then slamming them down into the water and giggling as it splashed everywhere. It was a sweet end to a great weekend!
Every time I see String Cheese Incident I think, "that might have been the best show I've ever seen". I'm happy to say this was no exception, and as always traveling with Russell reminds me again how much we love each other and how well we vibe together. We have a good life!

Well Hello Strangers!

My goodness, but it has been a while, hasn't it? Time flies when you're having fun - and also when you're very, very busy!
We've had so much stuff happening lately that I can barely keep up. Suffice to say, I haven't felt much like writing on here because my brain has been just a bit fried! Orion has started pre-teething, which has translated into him sleeping very little. He's not overly fussy, he just doesn't sleep more than an hour, maybe two, at a time, and often with long gaps in between snooze sessions. This of course means that I was averaging 4-6 non-consecutive hours of sleep in a night, and after over a week of that, I was feeling very sleep deprived and out of it. Other than being more cranky than I've ever been in my life, sleep deprivation tends to make it hard for me to communicate clearly. My brain might formulate a cohesive thought, but by the time it travels to my mouth, the language gets all screwed up and nonsensical garble tends to come out. I even laugh at the weird stuff that I say, or just have to shake my head and wonder what it was I actually meant to convey. Oh well!
These lack-of-sleep nights have been tough on all of us, including my poor MacBook. Russell got up late (early) with Orion one night (morning) around 4am, and finally got him to go to sleep in his swing. Russell decided to snooze on the couch till he had to get up for work, and set his phone's alarm. The phone was placed precariously between my laptop and a glass of milk that I left out around 2am when I was up with the baby. You can probably imagine what happened next... I woke up later that day to discover a computer that wouldn't turn on and a very bummed out note from my honey. Fortunately, I paid for the insurance on the machine when I got it, and only had to pay for the upgraded machine (MacBook Pro, holla!) and a new insurance plan. Of course, I also lost two years+ of accumulated data from my old machine, including all that product photography, stuff I did for the wedding, baby photos, and countless other items. I'm still grieving the loss of some of that stuff, but as I keep reminding Russell (and myself) it was just stuff. Stupid me for not having it backed up; lately I'd been thinking I needed to get an external hard drive, and just hadn't done it yet. Now I have... Since I've been going back and forth to Best Buy in the past week while I get the exchanges worked out, I figured I'd go ahead and add the price of a Time Capsule to the computer replacement fees. That sucker is cool; it's a Wi Fi external hard drive, so it backs up both of our Macs automatically, and it's an airport so it works as our wireless internet router and networks in the printer... Pretty cool, actually. I can't imagine why I waited so long to get one, other than the price tag!
In other, happier news, my creative business Sachi Ivy Designs has been doing pretty well! I created a Facebook business page with portfolio shots of plays that I've done costumes for, as well as photo albums of various projects and jewelry that I've made. It's linked to my Etsy shop as well, so folks have an easier time finding me and checking out my work. I also spent a lot of time re-shooting the goods for sale, and the better product photography has lead to more frequent sales! On top of that, I've had one commission order after another this past month, starting with the Autumn Gown, a non-traditional wedding gown for Katie, who is getting hitched this weekend in the botanical gardens! The gown is green jacquard with tons of hand-dyed leaf appliques, an empire waist, double skirt, and a corseted lace-up back. Very pretty! I'm also currently working on a corset and skirt set for Liz, who commissioned the project for Hulaween and the NY New Year's Eve Phish shows.
The biggest news lately in relation to my sewing penchant is that I landed a job doing costumes for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, to be performed at the Carrboro Arts Center in December! The design style is going Steampunk, and I couldn't be more excited to be on this project! I need to clear the decks and get ready for a big push over the next month; I'm planning on 'pulling' most of the costumes, but for a couple of the big characters (Wonka, Veruca) we may need to build from the ground up. Either way, it's going to be great portfolio fodder and gives me yet another (very needed) reference!
On the work front, things are going well at Trader Joe's. I'm only working about 3 days a week, so it's not too stressful. I've recently been put in charge of the Demo counter, so I'm making up menus and writing orders for supplies and food items. It's been a bit bumpy to start, but I'm sure I'll get into the swing of things soon!
And finally, this week is off to a good start, partially because we're all looking forward to the big ending: HULAWEEN! For those of you who don't know, our favorite band The String Cheese Incident is performing two shows at the Hampton Coliseum in VA on the 29th and 30th. We're going and we're so excited! I just need to decide which costumes to wear! The real pincher on this one is whether or not we'll rally our energies to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive in DC on that Saturday; we really want to go, but it might be too much to slide that in between the two Cheese shows. We'll see; we just found out that Abraxas the Dragamuffin, the big gold dragon art bus from Burning Man, is going to roll with the March - I want to be there for that, for sure! It'll just depend on how much energy we have and how cooperative Orion is with our wild plans. Usually he's game, so we'll just have to see!

Orion Cuteness

This is just a few minutes of a typical play session with Orion...

Upgrades!

Though some days it's really slow going, I'm feeling pretty proud of the things I've managed to accomplish lately! My Etsy shopfront is in the best shape it's ever been. I'm still learning how to photograph my work effectively, but they have much improved (especially thanks to Ray and the light box).
I've been working hard to get more products in there; it's mostly jewelry, though there are some tie-dyes, a few baby items, and a few garments. There are now just under 50 items in the shop! I had a few sales last week, and a few things are on hold now, so I'm just hoping to see some response to the amount of effort I've been putting in.
Today I got a custom banner for the shop with the name in it; I think it looks great! I searched forever before I found something I really liked - plus the seller was way fast and I had it up within a few hours!
Take a look and let me know what you think!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SachiIvy

Decisions

After much ruminating, going back and forth internally and in conversation with Russell, and considering responses to Facebook posts, we have finally come to a decision about what to do with ourselves next year!
And the winner is: Western North Carolina! More specifically, Haywood Community College.
Although we really really really want to move out to the West Coast, we had to consider the big picture - our goals, our dreams, and what we want for Orion and our family.
Though I might be able to find a similar program somewhere on the West Coast, the program at Haywood is damn near perfect for what I really want to do with myself. Besides that, committing to a program in NC will save us both time and money. Plus, we're hoping that Russell can find some courses in sustainable applications somewhere nearby, so that he can get his GPA boosted for future grad school applications once we do move out West.
Completing the professional crafts program will enable me to do several things with my variety of crafting abilities; I'll be able to focus my design aesthetic, learn about business (which I'm pretty clueless about), and it will allow me to successfully work from home or at least have a second income from craft work. If I decide later on that I want to pursue a Masters in Costume Design, the associates from Haywood will also give me a leg up during that application process.
Being capable of working from home/being in business for myself is an important aspect of my goals, because we're really committed to homeschooling Orion (and any other kid(s) we might have!) through the early years at least. I have been a victim of the public school system for too many years to subject my own children to it, and this is really important to us as a family. That consideration helped make the decision much easier; the West Coast isn't going anywhere, after all (unless, of course, California really does fall into the ocean at some point ((2012??)) and then we wouldn't want to be living there anyway). Once we finally do get out there, I'll be more prepared to support our family through crafting. I also intend on maintaining a good relationship with Trader Joe's, because it's a company I feel good about working for, and could possibly be hired into a new store out West when the time comes. At that point, Russell can start into a master's program, maybe at Dominican in Davis, and I'll be perfectly outfitted to teach our kids and bring home the vegetarian bacon (although I think that stuff is gross).
We feel like this is a solid plan for us, and for that matter Asheville and the surrounding area is about as hippie as NC gets anyway, so hopefully we'll find the community we're looking for there. At least the climate is a bit cooler, and there are a lot of outdoor activities and tons of music events to consider! I think it will be a good place to live for the first few years of Orion's life as a toddler... And if we live a bit out of town (Haywood is in Clyde, NC, a bit west of Asheville) we'll be able to find a cheap place to live with some land attached to it. I think we can all be happy with that!
So there you have it, folks! Weeks of wrangling over that one question has finally come to an end! We still long for the Pacific Coast, but in the meantime the Great Smokies are a nice place to aim for!
I guess I can start the official application process now... Fun.
We'll be looking to move after our wedding (June 11, 2011) and before the beginning of the school year (usually in August) so my best guess is sometime in July, 2011, we'll be heading west. Just not as far west as we had originally planned. Still, it's a step in the right direction literally, and several steps in the right direction figuratively!

Hello again!

Well now, it's been a while, hasn't it?
I can't imagine why! Actually, I am about to explain why I've taken a bit of hiatus from blogger-land. I even took a few days off of Facebook (gasp!). All of this is due to my recent re-direction of energies. "Toward what?" you may be asking...
Of course if you've been keeping up with us and this little blog of mine you know that Orion is now almost 4 months old - amazing how times flies! I went back to work this week, which was sort of a bummer. I was so sad the day I had to go back. I've never been away from him for that long! But he's at home with Daddy while I'm at work, so at least we don't have to leave him in expensive child care! And the best part is that we live so close to Trader Joe's that Russell can bring Orion to see me on my break, therefore limiting the necessity of me pumping breastmilk at work and keeping everyone happy!
The return to work deadline motivated me in other ways, too, because there was a lot I wanted to get done before so much of my time was taken up with groceries. We are still researching schools, jobs, towns, and options for our move next year. We don't know where we're going yet, or what our plans are; we just know that it's time for the next phase of our lives and there is a lot to do to accomplish it. In order to facilitate that, I've spent a lot of time searching, but there was still a lot more to be done. Both Russell and I need to get our focus narrowed and our ducks in the proverbial row. This includes but in no way is limited to: reworking resumes, creating on-line portfolios, and marketing ourselves. For me, specifically, I have needed to get my ass in gear in regards to my creative work. I have a ton of supplies, a smattering of skills, and a fair eye for design - but very little motivation when it comes down to it. Why? I don't really know. I need to figure out "who I am" as a crafter/designer. I need to develop certain aspects of my skills/talents. And I need to get my work out there, stat!
So I've started working on my own stuff as much as possible with lots of breaks for baby time. This includes working on a wedding dress commission that I'm excited to see completed. I've also started doing more jewelry work, since that's something that is fairly easy to do while nursing (since sewing definitely isn't). But that's not enough - I need to get this work out there. Clearly I need to build a stock so that I have enough items to sell to shops. I'd like to even vend at a festival or two in the Spring, which also means collecting the materials to create a booth, which will then need to be set up and photographed in order to apply to most craft fairs. That requires money up front... And right now we're pretty broke, since I just returned to work. In order to support my craftwork, I need to get it working for me!
So I've tried hard in the last few weeks to update and revamp my Etsy shopfront - it's still in the works - but I have re-shot a lot of the jewelry photographs. And I've been working like a madwoman on a line of hemp jewelry to add. I also finally photographed the line of baby tie-dyes, and actually managed to get the one adult piece of clothing, a corset, photographed and posted. Whee! This effort lead to several sales in the first week. Hopefully that will continue!
If you'd like to see my work (and I sure hope you do!) please check out my Etsy shopfront at http://www.etsy.com/shop/SachiIvy
You can also find me on Facebook under Sachi Ivy Designs - I love all the "likes" I've been getting! Please pass on this information to anyone who might be interested in my work. Word of mouth and support from friends is the best advertising I could ask for!
And now it's time to get back to tying some hemp....

The Varsity Theater

When I was in high school (and even middle school, really) my favorite movie theater was the Varsity on Franklin Street. It's right in the middle of the main drag off of UNC Chapel Hill (home of the Tar Heels, that's right!) It's a small independent theater with only two screens and a vintage feel. I almost always went there rather than the big theaters. It was cheaper, they had real butter for the popcorn, and it was fun to cruise around Franklin St. before or after a show - maybe to hit up one of the ice cream joints.
I saw Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (yes, the Kevin Costner film) there when I was all of 12 or 13 and LOVED it! I can't remember how many times we saw Pulp Fiction there when I was a teenager; I know we snuck in at least twice and paid for tickets numerous times. There's a convenient door in the back of the theater that was just too easy to prop open... However, going in with a ticket meant getting to walk down the cool hallway with the fairy lights around it like a sci-fi spaceship tunnel.
Over the years the place fell into some disrepair; the seats were pretty worn out, and the house isn't large enough for stadium seating. Of course fewer people ended up going there for movies, and sadly, it closed down.
In the past year the owners of the Chelsea theater bought, refurbished, and reopened the Varsity. They now play old school movies for cheap ticket fees ($3) and have good concessions, including bottled beer!
Last week we went to see The Goonies, my favorite movie from childhood. This week we went to see Dazed and Confused, my favorite movie from my high school days. We over-watched that film just as much; it was constantly on in the background and we listened to the classic-rock soundtrack until it barely played anymore (ahh, the days of cassette tapes).
It was great fun to once again see an old-skool favorite on the big screen. I laughed a lot and it put me in a great mood. It's also been really nice to get out of the house with Russell for a little date night! Kevin came with us the past two weeks, too. He'd never seen Dazed and Confused before, but he enjoyed it thoroughly!
Another aspect of this night that I found kind of exciting (even though Russell finds it kind of annoying) is that school started yesterday and all the students are back. There are people all over Franklin St. and that 'back to school' excitement is in the air! One of my favorite things about school is that giddy feeling at the start of the year, before you get all bogged down in work, and there are new, fun people everywhere. We saw Freshmen catching the bus with huge bags from Target - outfitting dorm rooms, no doubt. The freshmen are really my favorites because they are so balls-out excited about being at college, away from home for the first time. I just love their wide-openness! It was fun to see that as we went into a movie about the last day of school before summer vacation in 1976... Fun, youthful energy all around. It also made me excited about the possibility of being in school again soon. I do enjoy the environment.
This of course means that Jo Ann got some more quality time with our little Star Man! He did really well with us being gone for a little while again. He laughed and played like the good little goober he is, took a bottle with no trouble, and napped until we came home. He's a great baby, and we really appreciate Jo Ann's loving care for him while we're out!
And so, another good night!

Family

Uncle Colie and Laura get some good face time with nephew Orion!

What are those crazy kids up to now??

As if having a baby wasn't enough, we're also getting married in June. But that's not the big news - the next big step after the nuptials is to figure out what we want to be when we grow up!
Both Russell and I love Chapel Hill and the surrounding area. We both grew up here (him more so than me, but you get the idea) so we're invested in the community and we have a fondness for the territory. However, we both feel like we're spinning our wheels here. Not stuck in a rut so much as just not moving forward like we want to. We both have undergraduate degrees that we're not using, we both want to further our education (and maybe make a bit more money in the process), and land jobs that are more career-based, or at least centered in doing that which we love.
We're also both feeling a lack of community. We have some friends here and there, and so many people around who we love and love us, but when it comes to the day-to-day we need more people around us who have similar interests and find themselves on a similar wavelength to ours. Basically, we need to find us some more hippies!
So the research into our next big step has begun. We're getting married in June, 2011, and plan to leave the Chapel Hill area shortly after that. The question is, where to go?
Both Russell and I really want to move to the West Coast - somewhere between Santa Cruz, California, and Seattle, Washington. We want to be close to the water, of course, and somewhere that at least one of us can go back to school. Here is the list so far:
Davis, California:
Centered in the Sacramento Vally, and close to state capitol Sacramento, Davis is a cool town. And when I say "cool", I'm referring to personality only. It's HOT there - hot and dry - which sounds great to us! It's not too big and has a vibe much like Chapel Hill. It's a very bike-friendly town with a great farmer's market. It's about an hour from the Bay Area and super convenient to Burning Man. It's the most expensive place we've looked into living, but it's a lot cheaper than SF.
There are two colleges there: UC Davis and Dominican University. Russell is interested in an MBA at Dominican in Sustainability Applications. This degree would allow him to continue working in the construction industry, but instead of doing the rough work he would do more consulting and design work, helping new projects be more 'green'. At UC Davis there is an MFA in Theatrical Costume Design for me.
Next on our list is Arcata, California:
Arcata is so far north it might as well be in Oregon. Located on the coast and in the redwoods, it's a very beautiful spot. The town itself is a bit grungy and is as 'hippier-than-thou' as it's possible to get, but I suppose that's no surprise since it is in Humboldt County. Humboldt State University is perched on the hill overlooking the town, and the school buildings are interspersed with redwood trees. The school offers an interesting program for me, called an MFA in Sceneography. The program offers a triple-threat focus on lights, scenery, and costumes for theatre, with a concentration in one aspect. I've already toured the campus there and met with the head costume professor, and I liked the feeling of the department. There are also two completely unrelated programs there that I have some interest in: Environmental Education and Native American Studies/Language and Literature. I've had some experience with Environmental Education in the past, and I really enjoyed it. I've said many times that if I were to go back into teaching, I'd like to be an environmental educator. This is basically like being a really professional camp counselor (usually called a co-leader instead). I'd be working with kids, outdoors, through various environmental/parks & rec/centers through the US. The jobs would offer lots of fun experiences and are generally flexible with a lot of concentration in the summer months. The NA Lit degree is another one that would lead me to teaching again, likely at the community college level. It is also an MA that is supported by my English Ed BA, so there's a good chance I could get in to the program. I also took a class on NA Lit with an awesome professor at UNCW, and taught a whole section on NA Lit in my Junior English classes at CCHS. So Humboldt State has a lot to offer me; I might be applying to them three times over the next year!
Fortunately there are some interesting programs there for Russell, too; most of them are involved in some sort of Environmental science, like Natural Resources Planning and Interpretation. There are several degrees that he is looking into there which I can barely tell you about. However, it's awesome that this one place has a great list of opportunities for both of us. It may well be where we eventually end up!
Traveling further north, the next place on the list is Corvallis, Oregon:
Corvallis is a small hippie town with a lot of arts activities. It's close to the coast and just south of Eugene. Oregon College is based there, and they have an interesting program called "Design and the Human Environment" which includes design, textiles, sustainability, and marketing all balled into a social package. It's a neat-sounding program which would allow me to work in the design industry on a higher level, perhaps working to create more sustainable fabrics in America or something. There's also a wood science degree there that Russell is looking into. Though these degrees are attractive, Corvallis is a bit lower on the list.
Next is Eugene, Oregon:
I drove through Eugene on my big road trip a few years back, and don't remember much about it except that I stopped for lunch and had the best sushi that I'd had on the whole trip. That alone recommends it to me! The cost of living there is also pretty low - lower than Chapel Hill, even. The University of Oregon, Eugene Campus, is located there. There is another MFA in Theatrical Costume Design for me, and a couple of architecture programs (one interior, one landscaping) for Russell.
An added bonus in the Eugene option is that our friend Eric is planning on moving back there around the same time we were planning to trek west, so we might be able to help each other with the cross-country move. Not only that, but having a local friend who knows the ins and outs would be a great resource!
Finally, there's Portland, Oregon:
Portland is far enough north that it borders Washington, and is quite close to Seattle. It is a fairly big city, which isn't really our style, but it is a cool town with a lot to offer, including several colleges. There's an Oriental Medicine college and a Naturopathic Medicine college, both of which are of some interest to Russell. There's an art and craft technical college as well, which has program in textiles for me and one in wood for Russell. Again, not high on the list, but certainly an option!
The big hitch-point for both of us in this is that neither of us have exactly what we need to get accepted anywhere. Russell's last year in college wasn't the best for his GPA, and it's the last 60 credits or so that most programs look at. For me, I lack the professional experience that most MFA programs look for. Both of us struggle to get recommendation letters, and I constantly have to re-work my resume while Russell is trying hard to develop his. I also need a portfolio, and though I have one and I think it looks pretty good, I had to pull every last thread to fill it up, which also means that it's a little unfocused.
This is not to say that I don't have hope! We both do; we really want to make this happen, and we are trying our best to pull it together and focus on our goals. We're supporting each other in our endeavors and we're leaving the plan open-ended until we know what our options are. We think it would be best to switch-hit anyway, with one of us in school at a time, which would allow the other to pull together more experience before applying again. Russell believes that my chances of getting in somewhere are higher, and I tend to agree - but who knows if I'll get in to the program that is right for me? We're just going to have to be patient and trust the universe.
And of course, there's always Plan B:
In the mountains of NC, west of Asheville, there's a technical college by the name of Haywood. The school offers programs in professional crafts, with concentrations in fibers and jewelry. I'm interested in both of these. They also have a wood working program and are developing sustainability programs as well. I've been looking at the courses, and there's so much there I'd love to learn. They don't offer masters courses/programs of course, so we'd be looking at associate's degrees or even just certifications. Though it's a bummer to not have the "M", these programs might actually get us closer to what we want to do. I'd love to be self-employed and making art/clothes/jewelry whatever, and Russell is so taken with biodiesel mechanics... Not to mention that a tech college in state is going to be a million times cheaper than an MFA anywhere. And it's closer to home. But it's also further from the ocean and nowhere near the West Coast or the Burn... But it's an option, and a good one. So we're pretty happy with our choices!
Now comes the hard part, which is gathering the goods to apply. This means toiling over portfolios, resumes, entrance exams & essays, gathering recommendation letters, traveling for tours and interviews, and making some big choices about the rest of our lives. Fortunately, we both feel much more ready to make those choices than we did when we were 17 and had to make them about college. It's no wonder so many people like us aren't using their degrees; who the hell knows what they want to do at the ripe old age of 17? I didn't even know some of the things I'm interested in existed back then. We're much better prepared now!
Wish us luck on this next big aspect of our journey. I'm sure we'll figure it out, one step at a time!

Super Baby!

Flying through the house in his tie-dyed cape!

3 Month Check In!

Here we are, almost three months into being our own little family unit! Orion will be 12 weeks old tomorrow; I can scarcely believe it. A lot has happened in that time.
Orion has nearly doubled in weight: he started at 7lbs. 8.5ozs and is now somewhere around 12lbs.
We had a rough start with nursing, but now he's a champion on the boob.
Instead of sleeping all the time, then all day and not at night, Orion now mostly sleeps at night.
He smiles all the time and we have a couple of silly games we like to play. The funniest one right now is the 'comfy blanket game' in which I smoosh a fleece blanket on his cheeks. He makes hilarious faces!
Orion is starting to laugh - he does this funny inhalation shriek and will sometimes pant quickly when he's excited.
He has loved music since before his birth!
In the past few days he has suddenly recognized his hands and has spent some amusing time starting at them and moving them around. This has been coupled with a sudden increase in the amount that he grasps things. He especially likes to hold my fingers or shirt while he's nursing.
He slept for a record of 6 hours in his bassinet last night! This is a big deal for me, because even if he sleeps for a long while in the bed with us, I don't sleep as deeply. When he does sleep with us, he likes to sleep in the middle with a hand on each of us.
Over the past three days Orion has been in a growth spurt; he ate almost constantly for the previous two days and spent a lot of today sleeping. He also has not pooped in about 3 days; I'm sure I'm in for a fun diapering experience sometime really soon! In a day or two I'll wake up in the morning, take a look at him, and realize he's grown suddenly in the night!
Today is the third time I've gone through his clothes and culled out the items he's grown out of while cycling things in that he's grown into.
I do a lot of laundry, and most of it is not mine.
Bibs are a necessity - he goes through a few of those before an outfit change is needed.
I shower a lot less often than I used to, and at weird times.
I'm really proud of myself if I manage to accomplish a lot of chores or sewing during the day.
My "gross-out" meter has gone way down. Bodily functions are now a common part of everyday conversation, with cutsie nicknames for everything: burpies, pukies, poopies, pee-pee, and pooties (farts).
There are cotton cloth diapers on everything as 'puppy pads' for Orion to lay on, which are instrumental in keeping furniture items pukie-free.
We both love it when Russell comes home. I'm so thankful that he likes to cook! He also does most of the diapering and burping in the evenings, leading us to say I'm in charge of input and he's in charge of output! Russell is really a good daddy and enjoys carrying Orion around and playing with him. It's always a fun day when daddy's home!
Nursing can often be boring, so I found endless mindless entertainment in Netflix watch instantly and DVD's, Facebook, Stumbleupon, and countless numbers of novels.
A trip to the library by myself it amazing. Going to the movies while Orion stayed home with Jo Ann felt like an adventure!
We're very proud of using cloth diapers and cloth wipes. That coupled with breastfeeding means our weekly baby costs are nearly 0 until we need to buy him new clothes and baby food.
Kiwi is totally unabashed by the baby. Caspian is still a little bummed out and acts needy and mopey sometimes. However, they really have nothing to complain about. I am currently in a turf war with both of them over the bassinet; I have to cover it with a sheet when Orion's not in it or one of them will sleep in it. It's better than a cat butt in my face in the wee hours of the morning, but it leads to too much laundry!
Orion himself is a great baby. He's cute, sweet, fun, and easy to adore. He's a popular little guy with the crowd at Weaver St. and has been a great audience member at all the shows we've gone to. He's a keeper!

The Goonies!

We had an epic evening!
The Varsity theater, a historic movie theater on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, closed a while back, much to the dismay of folks like us who saw many a movie there through the years. Fortunately, the owners of the Chelsea Theater, another independent movie theater across town, re-opened the Varsity with a new purpose. Old-school movies or films that are slightly past their release dates are shown, and tickets are cheap. The concessions are good (real butter!) and they even have beer (Russell says Yay!)
They've played some great flicks in the past few months - we went to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which was way fun! But last week I noticed the current weeks' line-up included my all-time favorite movie from childhood:
The Goonies!
For those of you who haven't seen it, The Goonies is an adventure film directed by Richard Donner and produced by Stephen Spielberg. It came out in 1985 and includes young actors like Sean Astin and Corey Feldman. It's about a group of misfit kids in Astoria, Oregon, who are about to lose their community to the evil rich folks who want to build a golf course. The kids find a treasure map in the attic, and go after the lost pirate ship in hopes of saving their homes. Along they way they get tangled up with a group of bumbling villains who are also after the treasure. Adventure and high-jinks ensue.
I saw it in the theatre when it came out, and I even remember that event fairly well. We loved this movie as kids; we rented it every weekend, to the point that I wonder now why no one just bought us a copy of it on VHS - we certainly spent at least as much renting it from the local grocery store. We even used to organize the neighborhood kids into 'playing Goonies' wherein we'd choose characters and run around the neighborhood looking for pirate treasure and quoting lines from the film. We all used to fight over who got to play Mouth, the character played by Corey Feldman, because we all thought he was the funniest character. In fact, I still think that. Though Chunk is absolutely hilarious, too!
It was poignant for me to see The Goonies on the big screen again, as it really brought me back to childhood, and made me think of my best friend Amy from my elementary years. I recently found out that Amy was murdered at age 21 by some idiot criminals in a car jacking, and have been thinking about her a lot lately. Granted, she's been gone for many years now and I hadn't spoken to her in even longer, but one always remembers their childhood friends with fondness. Though I had already grieved the loss of her in my own life when we moved to NC, I also had to grieve the loss of her in the world - even ten years later when I heard of her death. She and I used to spend the night at each others' houses every weekend (we lived next door to one another) and a typical sleep-over night involved watching The Goonies and quoting lines, planning the next neighborhood adventure game. She was my first "BFF" and I was very sad to hear that she had been taken from us in such a violent way. When we sat down in the Varsity as The Goonies started, I thought to myself, "This one is for Amy."
On a lighter note, this was the first time that we left Orion with someone other than us! Russell's mom Jo Ann was kind enough to come to our place to take care of him while we were gone. She played baby olympics to keep him occupied and they had a good night together! I'm glad that it went well; though I thought about him a few times, I wasn't anxious like people might expect. Partially that's because I know Jo Ann's got the 'magic touch' with babies and I was leaving him with someone who loves him so much. And it was really nice for Russell and I to get out together and have a little break. My dad Kevin also joined us, so it was a good night and a lot of fun. I definitely left the theatre with a big smile on my face.
So here's to The Goonies, childhood friends, family, and of course: PIRATES!

A little gift from SCI

While at the first night of the SCI shows at the Red Rocks, a girl in the crowd nearby caught me near the end of the show and read the following off of a small laminated blue card:
You are Beautiful OUTSIDE and INSIDE!
You are Pure Love, Light and Joy!
Let your Love Light SHINE!
You are Amazing Just the Way You Are and Wonderful for Who You Are!
SMILE, Be Fabulous, and Make a JOYFUL SOUND!

She read it to me, passed it on, and told me to do the same. Since the show was about over, I figured I'd pass it on the next night. I stuck it in a pocket on the Ergo Carrier and then completely forgot about it. I'm sort of glad that I still have it, because it's a nice little gift, but I also feel bad that I forgot about it. This is my way of passing it on, to you. Maybe you could pass it on, too... If you feel like it.
Love...

Old Skool

I found this pic of my Aunt Holly and myself from several years ago while I was uploading some newer stuff. I thought it worth sharing again!

Some Live SCI

A short video of a bit of "Home", a Talking Heads song that String Cheese often covers, and is one of my favorites! Russell couldn't stop dancing initially, sot the video is shaky at first. You can tell the moment that I pointed out it would be unwatchable unless he held still!
The sound quality also improves as the crowd quiets down and gets into the song...

More photos from SCI

Orion's First Incident!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm referring to, Russell, Orion and I attended three nights of The String Cheese Incident at the Red Rocks amphitheatre in Colorado.
String Cheese (or SCI) is one of our favorite bands. They are a 'jam band', meaning that they have a very free-form style of play in which they will 'jam' or freestyle during songs, so their shows are always different from one to the next and song arrangements vary wildly from their studio-recorded albums. They also might start one song, jam into another one, and then loop back to the original tune. Another typical quality of jam bands is that they rarely pause between songs, so shows are often made up of continuous play with only occasional chatter. Other famous jam bands are The Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, and a few more up-and-coming groups. String Cheese and the ones listed here also boast followings, meaning that crazy kids like Russell and I love them so much that they devote their time and energy to following the band around the country on their various tours, going to many of the shows and supporting themselves by selling goods like clothes or food in the parking lots of each venue.
SCI has been on hiatus for about three years now, taking a break so that the members could work on their side projects and get some rest from the constant touring. They came out of hiatus last year to play the Rothbury Music Festival in Michigan, which was one of the best shows I've ever seen - and that's saying a lot. They had such a good time playing at Rothbury that they decided to do a select number of shows in 2010 - the first three being at the Red Rocks. They also did three sets at the Horning's Hideout festival in Oregon this past weekend, and are doing two nights before Halloween (dubbed "Hulaween") at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia (we're going to those shows, too, so we'll have seen 5 out of 8 of their shows this year).
The shows at the Red Rocks were destined to be awesome. SCI hails from Colorado, and most bands put on great shows when they're on their home turf for obvious reasons. Not to mention that the Red Rocks is an absolutely incredible venue! It's a natural amphitheatre formed by red sandstone walls on a mountaintop that overlooks Denver at an elevation of 6,450 feet. Absolutely incredible at night... I've been there a few times before, once during the day just to play around in the park, and another time some years ago for a rave. Russell had never been, so it was fun to watch his amazement at the awesome views and beautiful sandstone forms surrounding us as we danced the nights away!
All three shows were awesome, but as I predicted the second night was the best. SCI played a lot of the crowd favorites, so the sold-out audience of 9,450 people were all singing along! They also had stunt sky divers come swooping down over the crowd at a couple different intervals, trailing colored smoke during the day and sparklers at night. Some of them came very close over our heads before skimming over the edge and down to the ground outside the amphitheatre.
The third night was special, too, in that they had a bubble machine going that spread thousands of bubbles over the crowd. Just at that happened they also released a pile of large clear beach balls for the audience to bat around, echoing the bubble effect. Add the colorful stage lights to the mix and you have an epic visual show! The last night was also the full moon, which rose right over the stage in plain view. When the band finished the final set, it was about midnight, and they came out to do the encore - which was "Midnight Moonlight" an Old and In the Way tune that fit the moment perfectly.
Orion was awesome through all three shows. He slept a lot in the Ergo carrier, but when we had him out of it and he was awake he was completely unperturbed by the crowds. He got a lot of love and attention from the other Cheese Heads - all of whom were really helpful in protecting him and us from folks who were unaware that we had a baby with us. That's one of the things I love the most about the crowds at Cheese shows - they are easily the best group. Kind, conscious, and fun - and way less sketchy than most.
I wish SCI were on tour, and I wish we were following them... It's been a life-long dream of ours to run away on tour. It still may happen, one of these days!

Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping...

Into the future...
Orion has his two-month check up with the pediatrician today! Technically he's about 2 months and a week old now. I can't believe that it's already been so long since he was born, and at the same time I look back and realize how much we've done in that time, especially in the month of July. This may be obvious from the fact that I haven't written much here in the past few weeks.
At the beginning of the month we had the beach week with Russell's family, which was fun if slightly frustrating since it took Orion a few days to acclimate to the new surroundings and we couldn't really spend that much time on the beach due to the heat. It was good to see the fam, though, so it certainly had its good points as well.
Shortly after that we headed to Colorado for a week. This was a big event for us and the little man, since it was his first (3) flights on a plane, his first time in a very different climate (high, dry, and hot) and his first time visiting my family. Not only that, but we also went to three nights of String Cheese Incident at the Red Rocks amphitheatre with Orion in his Ergo carrier (which I absolutely love, and he does too; he tends to sleep comfortably in it knowing he's close to mommy or daddy). I was amazed by how well he did on the plane - for the first two legs of the trip there and the (blessedly) single flight on the way home, he primarily just slept. I nursed him on take-off and landing to help his ears adjust and keep him calm. We hardly heard an noise out of him, to the point that people around us didn't even realize we had a baby. He seemed to enjoy having me as a captive audience and took advantage of the snuggle time. Even navigating the airports wasn't too hard, since he snuggles into the Ergo quite happily and Russell is such a dependable partner when it come to teamwork and baby support.
Even so, it still took Mr. Baby a day or two to acclimate to the climate and altitude, so he was a little fussy and over-fed somewhat during the start of the trip. This, of course, led to more than the usual amount of puking. I am used to this, but for some reason still didn't pack enough shirts, and necessitated doing laundry on a daily basis. At least we gave ourselves a break and used disposable diapers while we were there, as it just would have been too much bulk to carry all the cloth ones out there and I would've spent even more time dealing with cleaning and upkeeping them. As it was I barely had time for everything we did do!
Although we were so pumped about the shows, it did limit the time we had to visit and do other things with the fam. We crammed in as much as we could, though. Mom was awesome and got me in for a haircut while she was getting hers done; I just wanted to shorten it a bit and re-layer it. It's a simpler cut than I had before, but pony-tail friendly and easier to deal with, a boon at the moment since Orion is getting grabby. We also went to Kohls and picked up a few pairs of capri/pants and shorts that actually fit me. We managed to make it to the farmer's market and spend a bit of time on Pearl St. one day, though Orion was fussy and cut that trip a bit short. It was also HOT out there, anyway. Russell got a rain/wind jacket in preparation for his upcoming hike, and we got two of the folding hiking chairs that are basically just two padded squares attached on one side with straps to hold the back up while your own weight supplies the support. They turned out to be priceless at the Red Rocks and I'm sure we're going to get a lot more use out of them. They also have net bags on the backs, which became wonderfully useful going in and out of the venue and allowed us to ditch one whole backpack. Not to mention how much easier it was for me to nurse him with the added benefit of back support...
We got breakfast at the Huckleberry one day, too, which I can honestly say is one of my favorite restaurants in America. The food is awesome (I had latkes with applesauce and sour cream - all hand made there, yum!) and they even make their own chai. It's got a kick to it and is really spicy. Real OJ, great baked goods, and is walking distance from my mom's house. How great is that?
On the Monday after the shows and the day before we left, my brother Adam took Russell on a big hike over Pawnee Pass. Russell took a bunch of pictures and it was a truly beautiful hike. I'm glad they got to get out on the mountain and spend some time together. I figured they'd get along famously, and it allowed Russell to get out into the mountains in a way that I'm not all that capable of. They had fun and were gone all day... But when they finally came home we even did a little birthday cake and gifts session for Russell, whose birthday was yesterday.
Most importantly, we got to visit with my varied family. We stayed with my mom and her partner David in the beautiful house that he's done a ton of work on. My fabulous aunt Holly also came out from Connecticut, so Orion got to me her for the first time, too. My brother and his girlfriend Liz were around, and we even got to see David's daughter Alex one night. Several other folks came by at different points to say hi and visit with the baby.
So it was a big trip and we had a great time visiting and running around. Though I miss everyone and the dry climate there, it's good to be back home.
Of course we're now going to Wilmington for the night this weekend to visit with Missy and Katrina, but that's just how it goes! Got to get a little beach time in before I go back to work in a few weeks...
Yesterday was also Russell's 24th birthday, and we did a little celebrating at Weaver St. with some friends and family. We're going to dinner with his dad tonight, and have plans for a birthday dinner with his mom sometime in the next week as well, so the celebrating continues!

Live-Action Baby

I took this short video for my mom's sake, so she could get some live-action images of Orion being his usual cute self. He was way more interested in his mobile before I got there with the camera and distracted him, but you can still see his captivation with the cute jungle animals above him.

8 Weeks of Mommyhood

It blows my mind that Orion is almost eight weeks old! He's already over 11 pounds (up from his birth weight of 7lbs, 8.5 ounces). He's always been a strong and active little guy (even before he was born) so his ability to wiggle and move has been ahead of the curve since he was born. He can lift his head, if not hold it up constantly, so Russell calls him "bobble head baby". He can also roll over when he feels up to it, and likes to flex his legs if we hold him up - especially if he's upset or working on gas bubbles. He's starting to smile more often and with more clarity of response, which is fun for us. Everyday he makes new noises, though the grunt is still his most favorite mode of communication. His sight is also getting much better and he's entranced by his mobiles on the swing and bouncy chair.
Actually, the other day while I was in the shower I put him in his bouncy chair in the bathroom, which I wasn't sure about because he was wide awake and we could easily have had a bad moment with him screaming and me rushing to wash up. Instead, he gurgled happily while I cleaned up, staring at the little jungle animals - a lion, monkey, and hippo - hanging above the chair. Each animal has a ring attached to the bottom and makes a sound. The monkey jingles, the lion roars, meows, and plays music, and the hippo is a rattle. I had the shower curtain partially open and was watching him as he squirmed around in his chair, waving his arms and gazing at the animals, especially the monkey. It was accidental, I'm sure, but he managed to whack the rings a couple of times and got noise responses from the animals, which caused him to smile. It was a big moment for both of us when he grabbed a hold of the ring on the lion and pulled it to him, which activated the music. He made such a surprised face! That was a big day for him developmentally, and I couldn't wait to tell Russell. I think the fact that I was there, but not visible, was helpful to the experience because he wasn't so focused on me like he usually is.
He has been getting more used to spending a little awake time away from me (or anyone) here and there - yesterday he spent some awake time in his swing while we were in the other room. We could here him cooing away at the animals on the swing mobile with no concern that we weren't in his line of sight. It's freeing, especially for me, that he's starting to want input from things other than mommy!
Though that's not necessarily true at night... He's a good sleeper once he's really asleep - not much can wake him up, including noise and activity. However, he just doesn't want to be away from me when we go to bed at night. I've been trying to get him used to his bassinet, but he never sleeps for more than an hour or two in it, if at all. I can nurse him to sleep, carry him around while he's sleeping, get ready for bed, and as soon as I put him down in his bed he wakes up. Last night he was up until I let him lay on my chest - and we slept like that for over four hours. He woke up for his usual 4:30am feeding, and every time I got him back to sleep he woke up as soon as I put him down or turned the light off. I finally gave up and got out of bed (hence this entry) to nurse him on the couch, which is ultimately more comfortable for me. Of course he nursed for a bit and passed right out and has been asleep since - but I bet if I took him upstairs and put him in his bed he'd wake right up. In any case, I believe we'll be aiming for a nap later today.
All in all, I still feel like he's a good 'easy' baby, and we're lucky for that. He's a cutie pie and gets lots of attention. I'm loving being a mom, even during the stressful "please go to sleep" moments. A few days ago someone asked me what I was most surprised by, and I had to say that I am surprised by how easy it has been. After all the horror stories about life with newborns - "You'll never go out again" "Say goodbye to your life" "You'll never sleep" etc. etc. - I had expected things to be a lot tougher. But so far it's been more fun and joyful than anything, and we still manage to have fun and go places. We even spontaneously went to a sold out Phish show last week, initially without tickets, and had a great time! That should show all those negative haters out there!

Wedding Procession!

We have made some progress on the wedding planning front! We have begun the process of securing the festival grounds at Shakori Hills (out towards Silk Hope, NC). I believe this suits our style pretty perfectly, as it's the place of a much-loved hometown grassroots music festival full of art and good times. The place also inspires good memories for the both of us and many of our friends.
We considered it initially, but there are several rental requirements that made us take a look at some other (indoor) options. After a good amount of research we returned to the idea of holding the whole shebang at Shakori, which is the best option for place, available time, price, and fun factor.
We have the grounds secured for the evening of Friday, June 10 - the morning of Sunday, June 12. We'll need to rent port-o-potties and a tent, but we also have access to the Grove Stage, which is a sweet wooden stage in a beautiful grass field surrounded by trees. There is electricity and water at the stage. There's also a coffee barn that we could get access to if we decide we want it, located in an adjacent field.
We'll need to pack in and pack out, handling our own trash, recycling, and parking. That's no big deal, because:
We can camp!
Anyone who is interested is welcome to camp out on the property, so we get to have our own mini-festival.
We can also have music on the stage, so long as we obey the sound ordinances. My friend Buck, who is also my favorite DJ, said he'd come out from California to play for us. I hope we can also find some pickers to come out and jam, especially so we can unplug at night and sit by a fire, listening to some good music while we celebrate.
We still plan on doing a Steampunk theme, for which we have lots of DIY creative, fun plans. The theme will primarily be realized through the costumes of the wedding party and any guest who are feeling feisty and dress up with us. The wedding favors will help guests accessorize steampunk-style, and I think that will inspire a lot of great photo taking. We also have ideas for a couple of art-installation type large pieces to frame the ceremony itself.
We've already started collecting some small materials toward our steampunk concepts. I, for one, have been brainstorming my butt off working on my dress design. I have a fantastic idea that's probably on the ridiculous side of extravagant, but I figure it's time to go for the gold. I won't have many chances to put a lot of time and effort into an elaborate Victorian gown with awesome detailing. I'm bursting with excitement about it, but also sort of feeling like keeping it under wraps for now.
Russell's also having a blast thinking on his ensemble, and he has been looking for costume elements on line. Little packages from Etsy have been arriving regularly! Fun!
I'm excited to get to work on things and have found so much great inspiration on line. I love Google so much when it comes to this sort of work, and Etsy for helping me gather what I need to realize it. I'm also going to tap some of my creative friends out there to help me realize certain elements of the concept.
In any case, I have the feeling it's going to be a very good time, and I'm excited to start working on the logistics of it now that I have a time and place set to work from.
Mostly I'm just going to start making stuff! I've got time to figure out the rest later...

A Week at the Beach

We just got home from a week at Ocean Isle Beach with Russell's family. We stayed in a big house a few blocks off the shore, with Russell's mom Jo Ann and his brothers Colie and Nick, and their girlfriends Laura and Susie (respectively). Jo Ann's brother Phil, his wife Gail, and their kids Michael, Christopher, and Natalie were the next street over with a bunch of Gail's family. Russell's grandparents Betty and Vito also came down for the Fourth of July, so it was quite a family event! Everybody was excited to meet Orion (or just get more QT with him).
We spent as much time as we could by the water, though with the baby we were pretty limited by the heat and only got a few hours in here and there. I was happy to be by the shore, regardless. We also played some beach games, including bacci, cornhole, and croquet. The real winner for beach fun was the Life is Good aqua ball that Russell and I brought; it's so much fun to throw and bounce pass in the waves! We liked it so much that I bought a second one and passed it on to Colie, because we just needed more of them in the family! I also knew Colie would get good use out of one, as he lives in Wilmington and has major beach access.
Otherwise we really just relaxed. We shared good meals together, did a puzzle, watched some movies, and experienced a really excellent thunderstorm that rocked the neighborhood and flooded everything.
Orion did really well for the most part; it took him a day or so to acclimate to the new surroundings, but he was a happy beach baby. He enjoys rides in his Ergo carrier, so he often snoozed through any walks we took.
Jo Ann was very kind to do this for all of us and we really appreciated the vacation! It was nice for me, especially, to have Russell around for a whole week - no days alone at home with baby for me! Orion got tons of love from everyone too, so it turned out to be a good thing for everyone.
It's good to be back home now, unpacked and relaxing on the couch.
And a shout out must go to our good friend Daniel, who totally rocked the house sitting gig and left us with a clean and happy homestead to return to. That was really the best finish we could have asked for!
Here's to a good week!

Dreary Day

It's a dreary day here in Chapel Hill. The overcast sky and subdued lighting haven't done much for my mood, though the extreme difference in temperature is something to covet. It's actually manageable to get outside.
Not that I have much to do; or rather, much that I can do. My poor Subaru is still sitting in the drive, feeling neglected. I finally worked out a way to get her fixed, but must now orchestrate towing her to the mechanic's place in Durham, where she will linger for a few weeks while she gets fixed up. I can't wait to get that done, but for some reason have stalled on calling said mechanic and organizing a time to get her over there. Perhaps I am unthrilled with the idea of waiting on AAA to send a tow truck to me, which I then must follow to Durham.
There are plenty of errands to be run, but I am still somewhat intimidated by attempting to leave the house with Orion on my own, not to mention that my only available vehicle currently is Russell's old massive Expedition, which I have never driven. I'm not even sure how I'm going to maneuver the car seat in and out of the thing while I can barely maneuver myself in and out of it. I suppose I ought to get used to it... maybe tomorrow, if we don't get everything done today.
Not that Mr. Baby has let me do much today. He seems content to sleep until I attempt to do anything, including eat or take a bath. I did manage to actually get in the tub, but it didn't last long, woe is me! At least I don't smell so much like milk and spit up anymore. Ironic that there's no milk in the house (woe is me again; I'd love a bowl of cereal) but I manage to have milk all over me. Milk milk everywhere but not a drop to drink (for me).
Russell is out in Efland getting the Jeep looked at before the big beach trip this week. We're heading down to Ocean Isle for a week on the shore with his mom's family, who have rented a few houses in proximity to each other. I, for one, am looking forward to getting into the ocean in an extreme way. It's been way too long since I've been to the beach. You may recall that I planned on going the day Orion was born, but he had other plans.
At the same time I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we'll need to pack for a beach week away from home with the baby. I have thought about it vaguely, but have yet to do a thing about it. Then I think forward to flying to Colorado and realize that I'm going to have to do it again, but with much more frugality, as I can't just throw whatever I want in the trunk. We may have to use disposable diapers on that trip, because I'm not sure I want to dedicate a suitcase to a day's worth of cloth diapers. They're great, but they're bulky.
Orion himself is a sweet baby who only gets cuter as he gets bigger. He makes some of the funniest faces and will stare at us with wide eyes when we mimic his looks. He has also become more adept with his hands, though he still doesn't know that they're his. He is grasping and holding things to his body quite a bit, however. He's also starting to sleep for longer periods at a time, which has been a blessing for me. Four hours is a huge improvement over two hours of sleep at a go; and he's getting confident enough that I can put him down to sleep in his bassinet for at least part of the night, which allows me to sleep more deeply. I am therefore experiencing better energy from day to day, though some days (like this one) still aren't the easiest and require several naps to navigate.
In other news, our turtle Toodeloo has gotten much bigger and has quite a voracious appetite. The day after one of the little neon tetra fish died and was replaced with two more, Toodeloo discovered a penchant for sushi. In any case, two of the three red and blue neons have disappeared, we're assuming down her gullet, and the third is missing pieces of her tail fins. Poor thing; I'm assuming she's the original one who was orphaned when her buddy died, and now she's the last of her kind. Both the orange neons (who are a little bigger) are apparently avoiding her advances, as well as the large silver tetra. I worry about the algae-eater, though, because he may be the largest fish in the tank, but he's also the most sedentary. I've watched Toodeloo scoping him out a few times - and we need him, as he helps keep the tank clean. Russell also experimented by giving Toodeloo some butter lettuce, which she dispatched forthwith, so perhaps her now omnivorous diet will deter her from making short work of the poor fish. She'll be all alone in there if she continues with her current buffet of friends.
And that's the state of things today. I hear the familiar rumble of a diesel engine in the drive, which means Russell has arrived...

The Wedding Adventure Continues!

The world of weddings is a terribly commercialized consumerism-based racket. Sometimes as I'm navigating the advertising-choked waters of wedding planning, I think to myself that elopement is a wise choice!
However, that's just not our style. We wouldn't want to miss out on the party or the gathering of friends and family that a wedding entails. Yet at the same time we don't want to get caught up in the wedding industry's concept of "must-haves" and traditions. We want to do it our way, in our style, without breaking the bank.
We've already had a hell of a time with the first and foremost decision, which is finding a suitable venue. I was excited about the beach house and aquarium option, but the time of year that we could get the beach house at a good price is a bad time for everyone involved in school, which is basically all of the wedding party. Obviously that wasn't going to work for us; not to mention that we couldn't afford the rental price for both venues, even with help. So we bailed on that idea after I had already done a lot of legwork - too bad.
We may still rent the beach house for folks who are available, and treat that as our bachelor/bachelorette party weekend and include a bridal shower (of sorts) and Orion's first birthday celebration in that week. This will all be decided based on budget, but hopefully that decision will get made soon.
Then we got excited about doing the ceremony and reception at Chatham Mill, an old textile mill in Pittsboro. It's a huge room, but very funky and rough around the edges - perfect for our Steampunk theme. We figured it would be cost effective and has all the benefits of being local. But the rental fee is actually more than the aquarium and has a bunch of hidden fees, from hiring a bartender to renting equipment and finally paying a fire marshal to inspect our set up! Obviously that threw a wrench into those proverbial gears and we were back at square one.
This launched me into a very serious internet search for wedding venues. It blows my mind how much places charge for simple structures. The Barn at Fearrington, for instance, is hugely over priced - and it's just an old dairy barn. There are squirrels in the rafters. Really. We looked at the Barn at Valhalla, a fabulous event structure where I've attended a few sumptuous parties - but it's too expensive. The French restaurant here in town, La Residance, hosts weddings, but it's an all-inclusive thing wherein we'd have to do everything through them and it's a per-person fee. Screw that. The Forest Theatre is a beautiful spot, but they don't allow receptions and a ceremony there would be interrupted by the inevitable traffic noise - besides being totally weather-dependent. And that's just a few of the places I've looked into...
Finally we went back to one of our earliest ideas: the grounds at Shakori Hills. It's not too expensive to rent the property there for an event, and I've actually attended a wonderful wedding out there already (not to mention quite a few festivals). The trick is that we'd have to rent some equipment and pray for good weather, but so far it's still the best option.
In the meantime, we're really excited about the Steampunk theme and have started brainstorming our costumes, favors for guests, and decorative ideas. As soon as we get a date and venue set, I'm going to start gathering the forces of our friends and vendors and get the word out. A lot of what we're planning is DIY, with a lot of work going into creating costumes, accessories, favors, and invitations... So if you have a hand and would like to get involved, please do!
We are collecting elements for the work, so if you have any old broken clocks and watches, antique junque do-dads, feathers, or interesting Victorian-esque clothes, let us know!