adding to the bucket....

This morning I visited my friend Cindy's blog, where she had a giveaway (already over, even I was too late!), for some Pfaltzgraff. I looked at the patterns and realized I had to make an addition to my bucket list.

In 1982, I spent 17 days in Europe. I visited Amsterdam, Paris, Montreux Switzerland, Milan, Venice, Florence, Assisi, and Rome. It wasn't long enough. Although I loved the whole thing (Italy was SO amazing), I never got to Provence. I have always wanted to see Provence, and the French Riviera, so I guess I need to add it to my bucket list. I want to smell the lavender, see the castles, eat the food and enjoy the fabulous wine! When I was in Paris (for New Year's Eve, I might add!), we had amazing wine that was alarmingly inexpensive. Mmmm just thinking of it makes my mouth water.

I've also never been to Greece, and I want to go there as well! I can't imagine a place that really looks as magical as this. The blues take my breath away. Just as I think "they totally photoshopped this" I see another image with the same blues, so it has to be real. Someday. I'm going.

For now, I am happily ensconced at home, with my stupid foot healing up and feeling a tiny bit better every day. It's SO hard to stay off it and let it get better. I just want to be out and about doing stuff. This is my last day off. Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone and the lovely drive to Palo Alto and reality, but for today, I can dream of the future and trips far and away.
 ~follow your bliss, enjoy the vivid colors....

bucket list update

When I was 12, my Dad bought a '72 Dodge Charger, exactly like this one. It had a 318 V8 in it, and it flew. We also had an AMC Gremlin, JUST like this one, that became my car once I got my license at 16 (and I drove it until I was 23!) Oh, sorry, back to the Charger. When I got my license, the big deal with my girl friends was for me to borrow Dad's Charger and we would "cruise Los Gatos". The car was amazing to drive. Everyone looked at it, because of the color, and I just loved it. When I was about 26, my Dad told me he was selling it, and I tried to buy it from him, but he sold it to some guys instead. That was a truly sad day!

Fast forward to March of 2010. I got a flat tire in TWO places on the freeway on a Saturday morning on my way to get my hair done. I was annoyed. Steven was beyond annoyed! The tire was so tight on my Hyundai Santa Fe that we had to get help to change it and the guy who helped actually STOOD on the tire iron! Anyhow, as Steven was working through all of this, he mumbled "Well now I suppose you need a new car." Uh. What? He said it again. That was all I needed. I'm pretty sure that was permission..

For MONTHS, I'd been eyeing the new Ford Mustangs, well actually the 2007-2009 Mustangs, because I don't like the taillights on the 2010's. The new body style was really appealing to me, but I had no idea why. So, on the Monday after "Hyundai Flat Tire Saturday", I went into work, and just for laughs, filled out a car loan application online with the credit union. Imagine my surprise when it was approved! I told Steven about it and told him I was going to start looking for a used Mustang. I was SO excited all day, but knew it was going to take forever to find. The credit union had given me a 10 day window to get a car. gulp. $20,000 and 10 days. Could I do it? After work, I drove to the local Ford dealer and started walking around the lot. A guy came up, obviously a new guy, and asked if he could help me. I started to decline, but then felt bad for him and said "Sure, I'm looking for a 2007-2009 Mustang, with the lowest miles possible." He asked my budget and I told him I wasn't ready to discuss that until I found THE car. Meanwhile, I was gazing over his shoulder at a bright red Mustang that was $21.995. He poined to that one first, saying "This is a 2010, with 15,000 miles on it, gorgeous car." I walked around it and said "No, I don't like it, I don't like the taillights." So we kept walking and he pointed out various cars with 50k, 75k, and even 80k miles. All within my price range, but too many miles. When he was done, he said "Would you do me a favor and just drive the red one? It's a killer deal and I really think you'll like it, if you can just get past the taillights." This isn't the first car I've purchased, so I knew this was bad, but I also knew my price and that this car was too high. I shrugged, though, because it's always fun to drive a cool car and said sure. By the time I was at the edge of the lot, my heart was pounding and I knew I was in deep weeds. It wasn't until later that I realized exactly why I got in deep so fast. (I'll explain in a bit.) Anyhow, the car was absolutely fabulous and Oh. So. Red. I was grinning and gunning it and just lovin' the ride.

Back at the dealership, I calmly pulled myself together and told New Guy, "If you can get me THIS car, OUT the door, for $20K, including everything, NOT a penny over that, I'll buy it right now. You have 20 minutes, because I need to go home and make dinner." He told me he was pretty sure he could do that and scampered off to talk to the real sales folks. Ten minutes later he came back with "paper." I looked at him and shook my head and told him I was going home. He asked me what my best deal was and I told him he already knew and started to walk out. Needless to say, 1 1/2 hours later, I drove home, heart pounding, in my Candy Apple Red 2010 Ford Mustang with the two tone leather interior! Even though it's a V6, and not a GT, I am head over heels for the car, and every time I look at it I grin.

As I was driving home, I realized that the seat fit my butt in a way that felt "familiar." It was then that it dawned on me that this car feels EXACTLY like the Charger, and it handles almost the same. Wow. Now I love it even more. Oh, and did I mention that the car "talks"? It has Microsoft Sync, a system that provides hands free, GPS, and tons of other stuff that I still have to figure out.  It's also got lighted door sills, "ambient lighting" throughout the front and back, and you can change the colors of the lighting as well as the dials. Nice. All silly things, but man does it make the car just that much more fun. Add in the Sirius radio and I'm one happy, happy girl.

So why am I calling this a bucket list update? Because I've always wanted a red car. Always. Since I was a little kid. Always. I haven't always loved Mustangs, but I've always loved red mustangs. Well, ok, mostly I loved Red Corvettes, but I still can't have one of those. *yet*

I'm pretty sure that my Dad, who has been my guardian angel since he passed away in 1989 was behind this whole car deal. The price was insanely low for what I got, and I feel like I have my Dad riding shotgun whenever I drive it.

~ follow your bliss, always let it lead so you get to the right place. ~

Blue Paint

Last night after work I got my nails done. They were beautiful, a French manicure with pink and white tips. Steven and I went out for pizza (Josh is away this week, being a counselor at Camp Campbell Science Camp.). When we got home, I got out the pretty journal and sat fondling it for a bit, then went and got a couple of colors of blue acrylic paints (the kind in the bottles, you know, $1 a bottle). I had stopped at Barnes and Noble on the way home and bought a book on collaging/art journaling and read about a technique where you dump blobs of the paint on the page and then "moosh" it around with your hand. Yes, I did. Really. I need more colors. :) I think I have found something that's comfortable to do in order to get the ball rolling. I did 2 facing pages, and they are really pretty!

Today, I'm sitting here at my desk and all I can think about is getting home to those two pages and adding stuff to them! And that's fine, that's what is supposed to happen. However, as I'm editing some web pages, I glance down at my hands on the keyboard and see a streak of blue paint on one fingernail. I washed my hands, I showered, really I did. I'm thinking it was there to remind me that I have 2 yummy blue pages waiting to be worked on!

My mission for this weekend is to clear off the drafting table that lives in my studio, and to find the floor of the studio while I'm at it. I've been on the go so much that I have neglected things in there, and I've got stuff spread across the house. I need to get that under control so I can focus on this art journal and have a place to relax and enjoy working on it, surrounded by all of my "stuff."

I also read an online article about artist trading cards. I've stayed away from them because I just didn't understand them. Now I'm realizing that, much like the art journal, there isn't anything TO understand. You slap them together and they speak to you as you go. I believe I have had a breakthrough!

Lastly, I've decided I need a bucket list. This whole 50 thing has me thinking about all of the things I've always wanted to do and never done. It's time to make that bucket list before much more of my life flashes past! Go me. I think I could make that a continuing page in my art journal, no? Maybe instead of a simple list I can find images. hmmmm. Liking this idea. Glad I wrote it here.