So... it's Christmas Break. Semester one is over, semester two looms ahead. I'm happy to be home, with my family and my puppies, and with no school. But I'll be so glad to go home to Arden Hall in 2 weeks, too.

I work in 20 minutes so I don't have much time, but the rundown is basically this:

School=Mostly great
Work=Tolerable
Friends=AMAZING.
Art=suffering/non-existent

I need to make more time to create. I will be. This week. I've got projects. Including, if I can get some time with my mom's camera, more photography. I love winter photography... well, actually, I just love photography in general. And since this year I have a license and a car (usually), maybe I can get some stuff outside of my neighborhood.

I've decided I need to save up and get my own camera... which may take a while since I also need to pay for school. Also, I don't know how to go about choosing a camera. I'm still pretty inexperienced but I want something more than point-'n'-shoot.

So. I dunno. But I have to go to work now. Maybe I'll have an update later.

But I do have one new picture for here. I don't remember when I took it. August, I think.

If you're reading this you don't really have to care about the other page but I wan to do it soon so that my friends at school can see my work.

I will probably do it over fall break, it involves getting onto my desktop at home which has been screwy.

In other news... I should really be asleep right now. I have my Audio class at 8:35 (I love that class) and then video and then almost 3 hours of choir (women's chorale and then festival choir) and then I will be delivering cookies to the student newspaper staff (and hopefully basking in their love and appreciation).

So I shall sleep, once I upload my picture.

So! I started college. I love every part of it so far, I even like all my classes for the moment. I'm in the women's chorale and I adore our music, my roommate is great and she's in the musical which is awesome, and the cafe in our residence hall makes amazing panini. There's a little park across the street I have yet to explore (all I've seen is the wooden bridge over the creek and the path leading into the woods), there's a Super Target within walking distance, and the train tracks go right by our hall (I love train tracks). So all is well.

Except the part where I can't access dA from school. Sadly, their filter blocks it (since mature content is allowed). So while I will still maintain this site when I'm at home on weekends or what have you, I will also be maintaining a page at [link] Nothing's up there yet but there will be... at some point. When I have time. Right now I have to eat and head to work.

I have been itching to be creative for the last few weeks. I always get this way this time of year, when spring is peeking out above the clouds just a bit but then darts away again just when you get hopeful. In Minnesota this time of year can be irksome; it looks nice out, but either it's colder than it looks or the puddles and half-melted snow make it unpleasant to do anything active outside for terribly long. The still-wet ground and lack of color cause my urge to do photography to die as soon as I walk out the door. I need a good pair of wind pants or something so I can kneel and such without worrying about getting mud on my pants.

I made a pop-up card yesterday (an extremely easy one, only two cuts) and was going to make it today with the girls (Michaela, Emily, Chelsea, and Sarah; they belong to various friends of ours and come over to play at our house), but they ended up playing Hide the Thimble and Charades and it never really happened. I suppose I'll just do it the next time they come over. In any case, for the card we got various colors of card stock and acrylic paint and some small paper punches, and it's making me feel even more like being creative but I seem to be having trouble getting my creative juices flowing.

I have jewelry and knitting projects I should be doing for other people, but I just can't get myself started on them. For the jewelry I really want a knotting board but I don't know where to get one. Michael's has one in a kit according to their website but they don't have that kit at my Michael's.

Part of the problem is that I don't actually have a craft space. My craft stuff is all on shelves here and there in my room (which is rather small and a bit disorganized) and I don't really have somewhere to spread out and do crafts. There's a desk in the corner of the basement I've been thinking about converting, but I would like the option of leaving things out and that might be a problem with the little kids coming over. Plus the basement is cold and sort of cave-like. But it's the best thing I've got at the moment so I'll probably do that. Mom said we might convert Dave's room into a craft room. That would be nicer.

So if I get myself going there may be some new photography soon. Or I may scrounge through my old photos for gems that I missed. And maybe you'll see jewelry at some point, too. Who knows.

I said I'd put up more photos, and more photos I put up (and apparently I've crossed into Dr. Seuss land).

More photography is currently locked away on my mother's camera. I just have to find the cable. So there might be some more in the next week. I can't remember what all is on there.

OH! The pictures of the cupcake boquet I made Ryan are on there! I'll have to put those up.

And yes, I did in fact put up more pictures of my puppies (who are going to be 8 yrs old in just over a week). Because they photograph so well (and are amazingly cooperative), and they're so cute, and they're always there being cute when I decide to do photography. And I absolutely adore them, of course. I'm running out of titles for my dog pictures, though.

In other news, I'm in an incredibly good mood.

I have puppies, who are very good at cuddling.

I have SpaghettiOs with Meatballs.

I have Grape pop.

I have Poor Baker's Dozen, which is some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard (for so many reasons).

I have many, many reasons to be happy.

So I am.