I just recently bought myself the canon 50mm 1/.4 lens and... I think my life can never be the same. I'll never use my 1.8 again. I don't even want to use the kit lens ever again. It is so clean and crisp. I felt like a little kid when I clicked the 'confirm purchase' button on ebay. Last year I used my whole tax return for school, this year I decided to treat myself. I also got a new battery and car charger for it which I'm super excited about. For maybe... a year (eek) the battery has been completely drained so on a 'full charge' it works for an hour max. You can imagine how annoying that is. It made me bummed and not want to take pictures at all. For some reason I thought that batteries were super expensive but I found my new kit for under $20.

I dragged (not really) Rick out to the snow with me so I could try it out, and it did not disappoint. I've taken some pictures of the puppies with it but haven't ventured outdoors. I wanted to take some smoking-a-wood-pipe-in-the-woods photos but we ended up snapping only a couple of shots because it was freezing, and we hadn't intended on traveling into Tahoe. I was in a light sweater and he had boat shoes on. I was imagining myself hiking and doing a lot more... rigorous activity, but with Monday being a holiday, everybody and their Uncle Bob was out in the snow. I don't like being around crowds of people and they love to gawk at you when you take pictures like you're some kind of sideshow freak, so we kept driving around to the south side of Tahoe.













That last one is super grainy, but I just love him.

xo

Well, we've moved. I would take pictures, but we don't have any furniture so... another time. We do have a fireplace! Our space has a hard time warming up and staying warm, though, so I think some weatherstripping for our windows is due soon. We can feel the cold seeping in through the cracks, brr. I can't complain, though. It's a thousand times nicer than the old place we were living in, and no nosy or rude neighbors (yet, anyway). It's always odd, I think, living so close to other people but not really interacting with them at all. I haven't met our next door neighbors yet, but Rick has met 'the guy'. No name exchange or friendly conversation, apparently he's always in a hurry? How odd. And I've seen his lady friend but never been passing close enough to introduce myself. Whatever happened to bringing over a plate of cookies and saying hello? We are an upstairs corner unit, so there's someone below us that I've never seen, or heard.. and the people under our neighbors have a small dog that really, really doesn't like Rontu. There are a lot of other dogs here though, so maybe when it warms up a little she can meet a puppy friend. We actually met three on our snowy walk this morning, and all three wanted to play with her! She only ever gets to play with Rick's cousin's pitbull, so I couldn't stop laughing as she played with two retrievers and a cattle dog. She immediately surrenders to them hoping they won't be 'scared' of her enough to not want to play. Ive had people see her, put their dogs on a leash, and then ask if she was friendly.. which is fair, I guess, but they look at her like she's a vicious killer. No.. just a 9 month puppy. It was refreshing to have owners ask me to take her off her leash! She also has never fully experienced fresh snow, so we had fun kicking snow around. She kept trying to dig to see what's underneath, and then trying to chew the ice.

We're broke and poor and exhausted, but we have a home and food in the fridge. My mind is overwhelmed with all of the decorating opportunities I have here, but one thing at a time. I don't want to get things off of craigslist just because they're free or cheap, but not quite what I want. I'd rather take my time to find the absolutely perfect desk or couch, even if it means spending a little more money. I want to make my coffee table, which is going to be $20 tops. The fact that most of my craft supplies and things are still in boxes bugs me a little bit but I'm sure I can find some bookshelves soon. Or even a tutorial to make some! Rick always has pallets behind his work we can use. I think my largest dilemma is figuring out how I want to paint.. I want bright kitchen walls and a striped ceiling in the bathroom, or maybe two tone walls in the bathroom.. I just can't handle all of this white ahh. Soon enough. :)

These photos came out a little grainy/out of focus. I dropped my 50mm lens that I've had for years and now it won't auto focus for me, so I have to manually focus everything and when I turn it a certain way, it gets 'stuck' and I have to almost force it to turn. I bought it for $50 off of Amazon a couple of years ago but for some reason I can't seem to find one for under $90. It's one of those things that you don't really want to drop a hundred bucks on, especially before Christmas, so I've put off replacing it and have just dealt with it's issue. Rick tries his best for outfit photos (although theres a slight grumble sometimes:) ) but I think with the combination of it being dusk & my poor lens not working properly I'll have to redo the outfit I wore. I wasn't totally in love with it either so maybe thats a good thing :)







The last four are from my phone, overall we didnt take very many pictures. I was hoping to go back soon, hopefully before Halloween, since it's currently snowing and I think snowy cemetery pictures would be 1000x cooler. Virgina City is a sleepy little town once you get away from the main street. I had been there when I was a kid and only remembered once I saw it again earlier this year. Rick took me when we were seeing each other, before I moved here. It has it's charms but on this particular day there were all sorts of people out and about for pre-halloween 'festivities'. I'd love to have a drink and mill around the town, but most people were hovering in and outside of the casino and I do not do casinos, at all. There's nothing appealing to me about losing my hard earned money and being surrounded by loud, drunk people. I went to Vegas for the first time in January and my anxiety skyrocketed. I know not everybody who goes to Vegas is going to get absolutely trashed, I had a couple of drinks myself, but I know my limit plus I have a fairly high tolerance to it. Anybody who took me out for my birthday can verify that it took quite a few drinks for me to get buzzed. And once it gets past the warm fuzzy feeling, it's not much fun for me anyway. I hate everything that city had to offer and couldn't wait to get away from the noise and people stumbling into me. The lights, noise, people, aura... just aren't for me. Reno is much quieter and the parties stay in the casinos, for the most part. I'm not particularly fond of this town either, but it has it's perks. I've only been in one of the casinos and couldn't seem to find entertainment in the 18 year olds dancing for old men, or the stomach for the smells coming from further inside. It just seems so juvenile to be 30 and completely wasted when there's so many cooler things you could be doing. Maybe I'm an old maid before my time, but I went clubbing when I was younger and got as close to drunk as my wallet could afford and those days are long over. I walk into the casinos and it's like nobody grew up. Maybe I'm just partial to the days my sisters and I would grab drinks at The Goodfoot in Portland, and dance to James Brown and Queen. Either way, it's hard to be invited to events that are centered around drinking and tons of people and have to find a nicer way to tell your friends you're just not interested. It sounds like I'm a prude, but honestly, it's not healthy. I don't have a lot of extra money to spend, so spending it on a couple of beers and a cool show in an intimate venue is way more appealing to me. Unfortunately cool shows here are few and far between so my options are limited. Rick and I had a date when we first started going out at one of the casinos in Tahoe, but it was pretty small and it was nice to people watch, have a beer, and enjoy the band. That memory is much fonder to me than any time we've spent in one of the larger casinos. Even when I was in Vegas, I much rather enjoyed sitting in the quieter, darker part of the floor with my aunt and drinking wine. Maybe it's just testament to the fact that I enjoy simpler things and am a huge hermit!

plaid blouse//thrifted | sweater//thrifted | coat//charlotte russe | pants//old navy | combat boots//guess


I really cherish the moments and days that I can spend outside with Rick and Rontu, especially since our work schedules have been opposite lately. It snowed last week on the mountains so we decided to see if there was any left to play in. There was, in the shadows of the mountains that the sun seldom touches. I love the cold, the snow, rain, fog, so this made me even more excited for the upcoming snowstorms and thunderstorms. I dont get too many of these days with him so it was nice to be able to enjoy the little things, absorb the smells and sounds, and pay attention to nature's tiny details. I'm easily amused as it is, but I'm fascinated how getting outside and touching snow and leaves, listening for animals, and watching Rontu go absolutely crazy in the snow can so easily lift my spirits. I think I would have stayed up there all day if possible.

I had a four day weekend and loved every minute of it. We went up to ricks parent's farm again and it was just as lovely and relaxing as last time. We were able to spend some time in redding and i stuffed myself with Chipotle... which my part of nevada doesnt have, for some ridiculous reason. Also, if you're ever in redding, you should really take the time to peruse the aisles of the local wal mart. I have always hated wal mart, I think maybe that's because I had never been in a 'nice' one and their prices aren't really cheaper than most other places. Plus, where I'm originally from in california, there were routine shootings and muggings so I just... didn't go there. And this one, this one was eerily similar. Only half of the lights were on. There were screaming children running into me and elderly people in electric wheelchairs.. also running into me. It smelled like dirty diapers and socks. I'm not hoity toity at all really.. I just like to be in places that are clean. I can deal with shady people and rude employees. And now that I think of it... I think the susanville wal-mart is actually the worst place on earth. There was actually human.. stuff on the walls of the bathroom (how does that even happen?) and I'm fairly certain I was being stalked by a potential kidnapper. Anyway, it's safe to say that I like to just run in for puppy pads and get out of there asap. This trip consisted of pumpkin hunting, which was successful other than the fact that there were no tall and skinny pumpkins. Rick and I bought one for his niece and spent the evening carving silly faces and taking pictures (which somehow got deleted, sigh). I attempted to 'scrape' a sleepy hollow scene onto mine but trashed that idea after 20 minutes. I have the skill but not the patience.. maybe next weekend. There's not many photos this time, but I blame that on the fact that I was enjoying myself a little more than usual :)

Having a dog has been one grand adventure. I have always had dogs growing up, one of my best and worst memories are when we had 3 dogs under one roof. One was a lab, another a springer spaniel, and the other was some sort of big eared chihuahua mutt. It's odd, to try and correlate my feelings for Rontu to my feelings for those dogs. They were just, there, and I poked and played and rolled around in the grass with them as if they were my greatest friends. It wasn't until we lost Bear, and my mom told me my dad cried when he took him to be put down, that I realized they really were friends and there's an emotional connection to them. It's that point when you have a goldfish, and when you see it floating upside down in it's tank you cry... but not because you miss it necessarily, because in your 4 year old mind it's a toy. And you're not quite sure what feelings or love is yet. Until you can understand that your dog is licking you because it loves you, or rests it's head on your lap. I have always loved animals and go absolutely crazy when I see any dog within sight distance. I don't care much for smaller dogs, but I will give them all of the pets and rubs I can if they come up to me. I have always had cats too, and my plan for tricking Rick into letting me have one is well under way. It pretty much involves me bringing home a kitten and saying that there was a little girl with a box of them outside of the grocery store (that actually happened once, I have many kitten-acquiring stories). My kittens came and went, and it never really phased me when they were no longer in my life. I did miss them, and I cried night after night into my pillows. But cats can be unpredictable, and its not common for them to up and leave when they're ready. I have always accepted that.
Despite my many dogs and cats throughout the years, nothing could have prepared me for the joy and love I've learned from having Rontu. Her mom was an american staffordshire, and we're not sure what the dad is, but the vet said most likely cattle dog. She has spots and her brothers and sisters have the speckled coat and shorter legs like cattle dogs. She's the only one who really resembled her mother. She is so incredibly smart, and such a huge cuddle bug. I have cried tears into her neck and hugged her so tight she yelps. I've learned her facial expressions and get never ending joy from saying the words 'bites' and 'ball' just to see her perk her ears up. She runs to the door when I tell her Rick is coming home. She barks in her sleep and likes to hop in the bathtub when you're taking a shower. I made her swim in the river when she was probably too young, and I've learned that devoting yourself to something that is terribly helpless without you gives you the greatest sense of humility. She can do nothing for me, yet she does everything. She keeps me company when I'm home alone, and keeps me safe when I have to sleep alone. She destroys shoes and likes to pee on the bed sometimes, but she absolutely melts my heart and I can never tire of kissing her sweet face.
I picked her out of a surprise litter from a coworker's foster dog, and I picked the best one, I'm positive. Before my moving to Nevada was even a for sure thing, I told Rick that I had found him a dog and didn't really wait for him to say yes or no. He had lost his old dog months earlier and normally people like to wait a little while, but it was the right time. Rontu and I would drive up to see him on the weekends and she could fit in a hat box on the front seat. And seeing the two of them cuddle? Forget about it, my heart cant take it. It's been 8 months of absolute joy.

I haven't been blogging for a week or so, actually I haven't been able to do much of anything lately. I split my knuckle open while using a can opener. I know, it's silly when I think about it now... I'm pretty sure I laughed when it happened, I usually laugh when I get hurt or laugh when someone else does out of nervousness. I didn't want to look at it until I cleaned it up but I guess I hurt it pretty bad. Rick came to my rescue and made a splint and wrapped it for me, so going to work and trying to type on the computer or do much of anything was difficult for a few days. I can get away with just having a bandaid on it for now, but I accidentally bend it too much here and there. Ohh well!
We packed a bag and our pup and headed up to see Rick's parents last weekend. I was feeling a little under the weather but I tend to feel better once we're on the road and doing something. They live in a secluded, woodsy town not far from Redding. It really is a magical place and the first time I saw their property I fell in love. It's Rick's property according to the living will (is that even what it's called? No idea..) and he talks all the time about moving back and helping with the farm. His parents have a plethora of animals including chickens, goats, pigs, rabbits, cats, as well as the family dogs and even a guinea pig named Rascal. It's always foreign to me when I'm in the middle of family gatherings, or families in general. I was adopted when my parents were in their 40s so my older brother was out of the house a couple of years after I was adopted, leaving me with just my parents most of the time. There are good things and bad things about growing up an 'only child,' but I always wished I had more socializing. We lived 20 minutes away from where most of my friends were so going to each other's houses was few and far between. I was blessed to have been able to travel with my parents to Europe and different states, but I didn't get to see any real family other than Christmas usually. We would visit my grandma in LA a couple of times a year but the only family that lived close were my brother and my mom's parents, and even then we didn't hang out with them that often, at least that I remember. We moved to a completely new town when I was 10 and I had to start over and make new friends, which is difficult when you're a weird homeschooler from a small town. Anyway, when I first met Rick's family I reached my arm out to shake hands and his aunt said oh no, we give hugs here! It's been interesting seeing how different families interact with each other and see how close everyone is. It makes me miss my brother and sister-in-law and the kids, there was a short time where I lived with them and was spending most of my time with them.











Being here makes me long for a simpler life; my life is pretty simple, but you know what I mean. I want nothing more than to grow a garden, cook food for everyone, and take care of animals while I have the freedom to do other hobbies I enjoy. I like to work hard and I can only imagine the sense of worth and accomplishment one gets from working a garden and cooking all home grown meals. Among other things.. one day..