Dear Blog,

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Dear Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow,

We’ve been pals a lot of years. I started you in 2002 over at Live Journal and moved you to Word Press a few years later. Since then, we’ve had good times and loads of bad times. I’ve used you for various purposes, but mostly I used you to vent. I never quite figured out what you were good for aside from unleashing my problems into cyber space. I realized after a time that I was changing and you were not. You stayed my steadfast outlet, but as I started posts (but never published them) it occurred to me that even I didn’t want to read my own blog. Not that I ever wanted an audience, but I figured that I should want to read what I was writing. I used to do that…remember? I’d go back and read old posts, reminisce about where I was a year ago, five years ago…it was fun. Except…lately, my posts haven’t been fun. I’ve been censoring myself because I’m kind of like a grown up now. I just can’t unleash whatever I’m feeling and not worry about who I’m offending. I don’t necessarily have to be responsible, but self control is just a nice thing to do. I also don’t really need to offend people anymore. I can do that without a blog and usually on accident.

I start and then I stop. I have dozens of unfinished blog entries going back several years. I’ve been boring myself silly here and I know it’s not your fault…I also have this tendency to ramble. Today’s blogs are about quick information and photos. If you could talk, you’d tell me that you’re just as robust as Tumblr and all the other new kids on the block. I know you are, but you’ve come to represent a part of my life I’m moving away from. I’m entering a new phase in my life where I want to complain less and create more. I want positivity in my life and I want to focus on things that make me happy. I thought that changing your theme would change things. It hasn’t. Whenever I sit down to blog, I just can’t get it out the way I used to. Remember when I used to blog every day?

This isn’t really good-bye. I’m going to keep you alive and I promise to visit often. You’re a part of me and who I used to be. I used to be a confused mess and I’m so passed that…alright, maybe not totally, but I’m working on it. Like I said, I want to focus on the positive. I’m sorry I didn’t end you on a high note. That last post about the trash cans…come on…what was that? Pretty lame. I don’t want to rub it in your face, but my new blog is going to teach me to keep it simple. It’s going to teach me to condense and focus. You’ve allowed me to rant to my word-count’s content, but those days are behind me now. I suppose I shouldn’t ever say “never”. Who knows. Maybe I’ll hate it over there and come back. I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I might be back. You never know.

What can I say? You’ve been an important facet of my life and you’ve gotten me through some hard times. You were there through thick and thin. Sometimes you were the only thing I could count on. I will always love you for that. I’m pretty sure I’m missing some sentimental phrase, but the gist of it is: I just really wanted to say so long and thank you for being a friend.

This is where I’ll be: A Little Pretty Pocket Book

that’s not your trashcan

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Sitting on the porch this morning, as I do, a large truck parked in front of my house. As he started unloading brand new trash bins I recalled our trash company saying something about distributing new bins to customers in the coming months. When we moved in, the previous owners left a bunch of miscellaneous crap just about everywhere including about 9 trashcans – 50 gallon or so, some with wheels, some without. They’re really hard to navigate to the curb so we bought 2 new bins, a little bigger, but easier to move back and forth.

I walked up to the guy unloading new bins:

Me: Hi! Are those for us?
Trashcan Man: You live at 5121?
Me: Oh, you mean 2151? No, we’re right here (pointing to our house) Oh good, cause we don’t need new ones…we have plenty.
Trashcan Man: Yours will probably come Monday or something like that. That’s probably when they bring them.
Me: Oh, we don’t need new ones…we have plenty.
Trashcan Man: They probably gonna bring them Monday.

I thanked him for his time and sat back on the porch as it suddenly occurred to me that he wasn’t with our trash company. About a minute later…

Trashcan Man: Hey! (shouting from the curb)
Me: Yeah?
Trashcan Man: I got two extras if you want.
Me: What?
Trashcan Man: I got two more if you want them.
Me: Oh, no thanks.
Trashcan Man: Huh?
Me: No thanks :) (I was even using the international “no” hand gesture)
Trashcan Man: Huh?
Me: NO THANK YOU!
Trashcan Man: Huh?
Me: No!
Trashcan Man: Ah, OK. Why?
Me: We have plenty.

Trashcan Man waved his hand dismissively and got into his truck and left. It was also at this point I realized he might be partially deaf and me shouting from the porch was probably inconsiderate. I felt like one of those old ladies who shouts at everyone for no reason…WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THOSE TRASHCANS! WE DON’T WANT THEM! <—read that in an old lady voice.

*sigh* Don’t you just love miscommunication? I wonder if we’ll get new trashcans from them on Monday.

a guy i knew died

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Last night I got a text that a guy I knew from my Hot Topic days passed away. Cancer. I knew Adrian briefly while I worked at Hot Topic and he was generally part of my group – that is, the group of people I hung out with at company functions. He was a sweet guy, a bit understated, funny, and smart. I liked him a lot.

When I left Hot Topic, I found it difficult to stay in touch with all the wonderful people I knew there…and there were a lot. In fact, the only reason I stayed with the company as long as I did – besides a steady paycheck – was because the people were amazing. They made it possible for me to withstand the humiliations of the job, my lousy treatment, and the back breaking work I did without any recognition. These were all people I wish I knew better and saw more of. Whenever you leave a company clique you realize that thing you had most in common was your day to day strife between 9 to 5. This isn’t the case with everyone, but just about.

Hearing about Adrian has got me thinking about life, friends, and mortality. Death does that. Because I hadn’t kept in touch, not even on Facebook, I didn’t even know he was sick and I feel bad for that. I figure, Facebook is the least you can do and it’s the bare minimum when it comes to cultivating friendship. And let’s face it, when it comes to making and keeping friends, I’m not really great at it. I want to be a better friend.

This last year I’ve been so consumed with the move, the house, and my career that I’ve let a lot of friendships take a back seat. I feel I need to rediscover my gregarious side and seek out the people I want to know better. I find myself saying that if people wanted me around, they’d seek me out. Is this true or are friend-rich people the ones who do the seeking? I’ve worried about this my entire life and I’d like to worry less and do more.

So, to my once-friend Adrian…I’m glad I knew you even for a brief time. Rest in peace.

unpacking

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Moving into our new house has been pretty great. We’ve got worries and not everything is perfect, but this morning I walked out on my porch (my big, fat porch!) just as the sun was coming up and I heard a rooster in the distance. The air was cool and crisp and smelled like jasmine. Maybe it was honeysuckle. I get those two mixed up. I thought, it’s like a poem or something. Sure, there’s still construction junk on my big, fat porch, but something in the air smells sweet and I feel good. I like where I live and I feel pretty damned good about that.

I was worried I’d miss Pasadena…like I was far away or something. While Altadena isn’t Pasadena, it’s close enough for jazz. I have to go down the hill all the time for everything anyway. It’s not like I really left. The more I learn about Altadena, the more I like it. It’s a neat little town and what it lacks in shopping and dining it makes up for in colorful characters, nice neighbors, and WOW! THE MOUNTAINS ARE REALLY CLOSE! It’s just kind of pretty here. It’s pretty in a “I never really looked at it before” kind of way.

Today I’m unpacking and attempting to organize my kitchen. It’s slow going because I’d rather be taking a nap so I end up wasting time writing blog entries. I’m pretty tired. It’s been non-stop for a few weeks and I haven’t really had any time to unwind. In fact, I’ve been complaining I need a vacation since my honeymoon a year and a half ago. What I really want is a weekend getaway with my husband. Some place like Big Sur or Catalina. Wishful thinking. Too much to do and not enough time. And let’s face it, money ain’t cheap. The good news is because no one ever labels boxes correctly (myself absolutely included) unpacking has kind of been like Christmas. What’s in the box? Could be anything in there! I just unwrapped my 1970′s green glass collection. I started my collection with a few pieces I inherited from my grand mother. AJB kind of hates them. I can’t tell you how much I love them. Childhood, Kool-Aid, look at how pretty they are? I’ve always loved them, ever since I was a kid. I also found my Chinese tea set – I got it at the 99 Ranch Market a few years ago for 10 bucks. I’ve never used it, but I’m having a hard time putting it in the yard sale box.

The end of a really long year

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I know. It’s cliche, but it’s truly a phrase that captures the essence of being human and living. At least, it seems to capture this last year in general. I thought I’d write a quick note about where we find ourselves. We’re at the end of a very long year and felt I should commemorate it somehow. It was April 2010 that we started this journey; the one that found us trading in a 1.5 million dollar for a home not quite worth as much, but about a thousand times better. I often find myself explaining why we’re doing what we’re doing. What was it we didn’t like about the Linda Vista House? Whats not to like? It was a grand house, but it wasn’t ours…not in spirit anyway. It just never felt like home. This new place, for all it’s cracks, sinking floors, chipped paint, and quirky lines, has felt more like my house than any other place I’ve lived…and I haven’t even lived in it. It’s our home. We’re making it ours. With Linda Vista, we couldn’t help but feel something was missing. Perhaps I’m romanticizing it a bit, but there’s something special about a place that just feels like home. I don’t think I ever had that with Linda Vista. It felt like a chore. I never really felt comfortable there. The difference here is I’m in love with our new home. I wasn’t in love with Linda Vista. I may never really know why. Perhaps it’s just that inexplicable feeling: When you know, you know. I suppose in this way, homes are like relationships. You don’t choose who you love and while there wasn’t anything physically wrong with the house, it just didn’t have that spark.

We’re no where near finished with the new house. New paint, refinished floors, torn down murder sheds, and about a billion little tasks – all just about done. Well, it’s move-in ready, anyway. We still have the entire outside to go. Even if the contractor didn’t finish everything on time, this move is happening. It’s been a long time coming. We moved to Glendale in August 2010 and while Glendale isn’t my favorite city in the whole world, things have been fine because I’ve been with my loving and patient husband. He has, without a doubt, helped get me through this mess. He’s been there for me when I’ve needed him and he’s brought me down from the proverbial ledge more than a few times. His magical ability to make it all better has not gone unnoticed. I’m still standing, I’m still raring to go…and I honestly believe it’s because of him.

We’re moving in 7 hours. I’m still up because I still need to pack my office and bedroom. Granted, there isn’t that much to move, but it means I’ll be the walking dead tomorrow. As usual, I’m sure I’ll dig up some energy from the depths of my reserves and get it done…I always do. I’ll sleep on Sunday. I’ve established this rather annoying habit of starting things at the last minute.

The day has finally come. It’s been the longest year of my life and not all of it has been unpleasant. There were indeed some good times, but mostly it’s been a challenge. It’s been a rough road and we’ve endured quite a bit of stress. It’s a testament to the strength of our relationship that we’re still making each other laugh, getting through it, and getting it done. Having good people around you helps. Bad times be damned! It’s on to new and better things. The future is ours and it’s a fresh start at the horizon.

Progress….We Has It

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Good thing I’m blogging. It turns out, several blog posts from last year might actually help us with the previous owners. At least, it paints a picture of our frustration, what was actually going on, and how they have been terrorizing us. I suppose terrorizing is a strong word – frustrating isn’t strong enough. Somewhere in between. Again, I’m still not sure I can talk about exactly what’s going on – which is a shame. I wish I could. Just know, AJB and I will easily rise above, get through it, and move on. We’re good people, we don’t deserve to be treated like this, but I suppose the world isn’t fair. It’s not fair, but it’s true.

In happier news, the house is coming along. Our contractor has made some amazing strides. He and his crew have been working tirelessly on helping us build our dream home.

Current projects include:

The laundry room – which has been given entirely new walls. Before, it was actually a small room built attached to the house and no one bothered to take down or cover the exterior shingling. It’s gone now and looks like a real laundry room. The laundry room has an adjoining room which we called the “laundry foyer”. We’re going to add a utility sink and some new cabinets. It’s also where our Ethernet hub, food pantry, and kitty stuff will go.

My new massive closet: We’re turning what used to be a sitting room into a closet; of which I had no idea would be as large as it is. I guess I’ll have to fill it up…somehow. Kidding. It’s not quite Carrie Bradshaw’s closet from Sex in the City the motion picture, but it’s huge. Truthfully, it’s also a lot plainer than I’d imagined – just rods and a shoe rack – that’s my fault. I didn’t really contribute to the design and now its kind of too late. Besides, any more and it would have surpassed our budget. Anyway, it’s a big-honkin’ closet. I can’t complain.

All the broken windows are being repaired. They should be done this week. I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.

The murder shed is officially gone and I’m confident we’ll start the electrical work this week. Now, the electrical work is going to be a huge undertaking. Not only do we still have working and non-working knob and tube wiring, we also have older wiring that isn’t grounded and none of its 3-prong. We’re also adding new light fixtures – the house has surprisingly little light already built in. AJB and I did a lighting fixture shopping spree yesterday and got most of what we need. Just about every room needs something.

All in all, I’m so very happy with the way things are going at the house. As for the previous owners…I don’t know. I just hope it’s all over soon.

Houses of the Haunted Variety

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The Universe is a funny thing. It giveth and it taketh away. On Wednesday I hand delivered wedding images to an ecstatic client who even teared up over a few of them. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. I love what I do. My job actually makes people happy. It makes me happy. I have chosen my career wisely. Everyone, including her parents and sister, seemed very pleased. It may also lead to more work. No matter how much marketing I do, my work will be mostly referral based. Aside from getting more work, it’s also highly satisfying to make my clients happy. Funny how that works out.

After riding the extreme high of delivering the images to my client, things seemed like they were getting on track. Except, we got a new letter from the people we bought our house from. I suppose I can’t talk about it just yet, but use your imagination. I won’t go into details just yet, but my basic feeling is this: A POX ON THEM! BOILS AND POXES AND FIRE!!

*sigh*

Why can’t things stay good? Why do bad things have to crop out of nowhere, fuck shit up, and ruin it all? I wish I knew why bad people existed. After 5 months of turmoil, I wish I had it in my heart to give them the benefit of the doubt. What’s the matter with them? I’m not sure why they’re targeting their (un)righteous indignation at us. What did we do, besides pay them more than the house was worth? Um, nothing. In fact, they’ve been the ones making us miserable. We’ve been pleasant and fair – more than fair – since this whole thing started. I suppose I must accept that people are jerks. I shouldn’t let it get to me. It’s just another challenge to overcome. An annoying challenge, but we’ll be fine.

Onto other things.

So it turns out our new house is HAUNTED!!! I know. What house have I lived in that wasn’t? This one especially, I think. I’m usually the canary in a coal mine when it comes to hauntings. I’m the one who’s troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night and feelings of dread in my basement or attic. I haven’t sensed anything. Except, last week AJB’s assistant and I visited the house and started finding garlic cloves in doorways and window sills. We made light of it and tried to figure out why. I finally called the contractor’s head employee, Alex, who’d been on the job the most. He told me it was something the other guy, Edgar, did. Perfect name, don’t you think? I told him it was fine and we didn’t care if the house smelled like garlic – which it did.

The next time we met with our contractor, he pulled us aside. “What I’m about to tell you is something I’ve never told a client,” he said. Turns out, Alex had called him and said he refused to go back on the job. He said this because he and Edgar had heard noises like people walking around the house, fans turning on, and at one point, they walked out to the back of the house – when they came back in, all the kitchen cabinets were open. I’d probably be calling a priest right about now. Except, I’m used to this sort of thing. I’ve had way too many unexplained occurrences: jiggling door knobs, haunted door bells, voices, sightings, dark entities, noises in other rooms, the cats watching walking ghosts, my sister’s cats watching a woman walk back and forth across a room, the Hong Kong camera experience, and so much more. I could write a 3000 word post about it all. I’m a fairly logical person. I’d explain it if I could.

I read an article recently that talked about how feelings of dread are actually NOT caused by ghosts, but rather a low frequency which comes from old pipes and actually triggers the human fear response. I don’t know about that, but I’ve seen and heard things that will turn you WHITE! Truth is, I know how crazy it all sounds. When I tell people about the things I’ve experienced, I often wonder if they think I’m nuts. I also know what I’ve seen and heard, but even I question it.

Anyway, Alex returned to the job and seems to be fine now. I want to ask if he’s experienced anything else lately. I’ve also heard that construction jobs tend to rile up the spirits, so it makes sense they’re all up and about. Or it could be the noises are simply the house settling with all the work being done. OK, so how do you explain the kitchen cabinets? Either way, something is spooking the handymen. It’s an old house, after all. 108 years old this year.

When we moved into the temp Glendale house, I did a cleansing ritual – I walked around with sage and chanted nice things claiming temporary ownership of the house. I banished all bad energy and even though I felt silly doing it, it made me feel better. I’ll do the same thing at the new house. Twice if I have to.

New Year and Beyond

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We spent NYE with Andy, Mae, and JCS. Andy cooked like a fiend making spinach balls, stuffed mushrooms, and baked Brie. The closest word I can think of to accurately describe their deliciousness is “nom”, but it was more like nomyumchompchewdrool. Mae brought over Kinect and showed us all how old we really are. Young people have that effect, especially where tests of endurance are concerned. We grubbed and played Beatles Rock Band. I crashed on the couch – too much delicious Champagne. What a fun night. Probably the most fun I’ve had on NYE in a long time.

And so here it is, the New Year. It’s 2011 and while my Facebook strike continues to mostly hold, I’ve noticed a lot of people posting this: Fuck You, 2010. The basic idea is that 2010 was a crappy year and everything sucked. I think that’s a bit harsh. I had a pretty bad year, but looking back (as I do), I realize that I have so many good things to be happy about. Alright, so the moving and the people we bought our house from sucked, the not having all my things, the turmoil and strife…it could have been worse. I figure, I have some wonderful people in my life, a fantastic husband, 3 amazing step-kids, siblings I adore, a beautiful nephew, my Mom is still around, I looked at my income for last year and I actually made a profit – a super small, couldn’t live on it if I wanted to profit, but a profit nonetheless – I’m healthy, the people around me are healthy, I’m working on my career and we just bought a big house. So what’s to complain about? Sure, the world is going to hell in a hand basket, but I can only control my world. I have no control over natural disasters and can only do so much when it comes to politics. I’m easy. I’m happy to be alive and yeah, 2010 wasn’t the greatest year ever, but when you list everything out like that, every year sucks. You might as well just kill yourself and put yourself out of your misery.

2011 has great potential. For once, I’m feeling pretty great about what’s to come. I try not to think about the “what ifs”. I could get hit by a bus, but until that does or doesn’t happen, I have high hopes. I realize not everyone has it as good as me. I have a pretty great life, but I honestly think it’s because I make it this way. I try not to get hung up on the bad things, I try to move on, focus on the positive, and be thankful for what I have. I believe in manifest destiny. I control and create the world around me. It wasn’t always like this. Remember, my sister and I used to steal toilet paper we were so poor.

Today at the gas station down the street, the lady behind the counter looked especially nice. Generally, she’s rather haggard and she’s very overweight. I complimented her on her new look and she explained her New Years Resolution is to start looking better and taking care of herself. It’s her hope that some desperate (her words) guy asks her out. I wanted to express that confidence goes a long way, but she was too busy coming down on herself when a crowd came in. I told her she looked good and wished her luck. And she really did look good. I hope she gets compliments all day and starts to feel good about herself. It got me thinking about my own resolutions. I don’t make them because I often forget about them after a day or two. I guess if I were to throw a few out there, I want to eat better, sleep better, drink more water, exercise more…that kind of stuff. 2011 is going to be a busy year. I’m hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, as I do. At the end of Back to the Future III Jennifer asks Doc Brown what it means when the FAX erases. He replies, “It means your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one, both of you.” Of course this introduces a major plot hole in the series – like, how can you go to the future if it hasn’t been written yet? Huh? Anyway, it’s a nice sentiment and I agree.

In the end…2010

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It’s a few days yet until New Year’s Eve. Now’s as good a time as any to hit the 2010 end o’ the year sum up.

*sigh* 2010 was exceptionally difficult and stressful. They say moving is one of the most stressful things a person can go through – along with deaths, births, and job loss. I didn’t do a lot of personal blogging this year, so I’m using our calendar to recount the months.

January
Met with a a real estate couple about selling the Linda Vista house. They weren’t very pro-active so we’d end up firing them about a month later. I went to my cousin’s birthday party and spent most of the night talking about photography. It was this conversation that inspired me to finally create a photoblog. It was a fun night. Pierre was still around and had gotten into a bad scuffle and was limping. I took him to the vet and it turned out he had a massive infection; which they drained and gave him antibiotics for. I made dozens of calls to junk mail companies and had us removed from all their lists. It was satisfying. I attempted to start organizing my 40,000 images and have yet to finish. The final season of LOST began and would ultimately leave us disappointed. We attended a gallery showing for ISM which contained several of my Polaroid images. That was amazing.

February
AJB went to Edmonton. A week later we went to Vegas to see the new Cirque du Soleil Elvis show and attend the star-studded gala. No comment. We also saw Penn and Teller, met them, and had our picture taken with them. I was feeling generally displeased with the direction my career was going.

March
We met with a new real estate agent, Cheyenne; probably the best real estate agent in the business. He goes above and beyond and is super awesome. We began the preliminary stages of getting the house ready to sell including minor repairs and packing up 75% of our belongings. During all this I continued a vague attempt at organizing 40,000+ images. We observed the 3rd anniversary of my Dad’s passing. I didn’t go to the gravesite, but was pretty bummed all day. I had a dentist appointment in March. I turned 35 and AJB bought me a 3-wheeled, vintage bicycle.

April
The moving company picked up all our stuff and put it in storage. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to live without all my things, but I’ve been fine. Cheyenne’s wife staged the house and brought in fancy furniture and fixings. We’d have to keep the house clean and try not to ruin everything. It was hard. We started showing the house and got some initial good responses, but no bites. We started getting serious about house hunting and weren’t finding anything. AJB and I went to Monterrey – him for business and me to tag along. I had a nice day walking around Cannery Row taking photos. AJB joined me the next day and we had lunch at Cannery Row, dashed through the aquarium, and went through the creepy Cannery Row museum – which has old, funny, but really terrible animatronics. AJB and I put down in writing what we really wanted in a house and kept our fingers crossed. I had my first photo-shoot of the year – an engagement shoot at POP! Champagne Bar. It was a big hit, the bride’s mother cried.

May
We continued to show the house and in the middle of the month had our big open house. Again, lots of interest, no bites. We saw the stage production of Re-animator with Andy and Mae. It was awesome. AJB’s lovely cousin Catherine came to stay with us. We celebrated AJB’s birthday, but now I can’t remember what we did or what I got him. See, this is why I need to blog more. We attended a wedding party for AJB’s cousin David and had a nice time hanging out with family. Pierre stopped coming around. We suspect it’s because we had a lot of people coming to the house and his food bowl kept moving or was taken away by the real estate agent’s wife who thought the yard looked better without it. We hope he’s moved on and isn’t dead. I miss him. I tried to find him to no avail.

June
I met with a bride about shooting her November wedding. I crashed my car with the kids in the backseat. It was horrifying and the car was totaled. Everyone was fine, but I had minor whiplash. I shot a wedding in Ventura and spent the night, not wanting to drive home after a long, hot, day. An hour before the wedding, my flash died and I had to buy a new one for more than I would have paid in Los Angeles. Everything went well, but I was exhausted after. AJB’s eldest son graduated high school as valedictorian. I pre-ordered the new iPhone – which was a gift from my brother JCS and AJB for my birthday. Hooray! AJB went to Edmonton again. At the end of the month, I met with another bride about shooting her July wedding. She would later become my worst client ever helping me see the true meaning behind “Bridezilla”.

July
I shot a Long Beach wedding as a second photographer with the guy who shot my wedding. Great guy. I felt inadequate and didn’t get the best shots. Some were OK. I shot Bridezilla’s wedding with a second photographer who didn’t have experience, the right equipment, or general event shooting know-how; despite her saying she did. The entire day was a fiasco. The wedding started an hour late and we lost all the good light resulting in sub-standard images that required a great deal of Photoshop to remedy. After weeks of labor, I made it right and they came out great, but it would take several months to get the second photograher’s images which ended up being some of the worst photos I’ve ever seen. I attended my cousin Rhiannon’s bridal shower. Way fun. AJB and I had a house colding party to say goodbye to the Linda Vista house. We had a good crowd and had a blast. None of my family members showed up. The kids went to Ireland for their annual visit to see family on their Mom’s side. This also included a trip to Paris because AJB and I had wanted to take them over the Summer, but their Mom had to beat us to it. We made an offer on the El Molino house and sold the Linda Vista house a mere 3 months after putting it on the market. I bought a 2009 Prius mostly with the money I made from the insurance claim from the accident.

August
The guy who bought Linda Vista just happened to have an empty house in Glendale he said we could rent from him while we bought El Molino and fixed it up. We’re still in it. We moved into the Glendale house and rented large appliances from Rent-a-Center; which is a terrible idea. I shot an awesome engagement shoot at Union Station. The pictures came out great. I went to see my sister in Vallejo for a decompression trip and to celebrate her birthday. I love seeing my sister. We went to Sonoma and spent the rest of the time just hanging out watching TV. It was fabulous. I love just hanging out with her. While I was in Vallejo, AJB took his eldest son to a cabin in Canada for a father/son bonding trip. Being the awesome step-mom I am, the trip was originally a romantic getaway for my new husband and I, but when I saw how badly AJB needed to spend time with his son before he left for college, I happily gave it away. When we all got back into town, AJB and I flew to Highland Park to see AJB’s mom. AJB’s eldest son moved to New York for college.

September
CJB started high school at LACHSA. They grow up so fast. My cousin JJ got married and I shot the wedding. It was seriously the most fun wedding of the year and my family finally got a chance to see me work. I was in the zone! AJB went to Edmonton again, this time for 10 days. It was lonely without him and I had a hard time sleeping. AJB started working seriously on Halloween at the White House.

October
AJB went to China. I shot a wedding on Halloween while AJB was in Washington DC making Halloween for the President. We didn’t spend our first anniversary together and we were both bummed out about it. Work is work, I guess. The El Molino house was officially in escrow and the previous owners were thinking about renting the Glendale house when they moved out. They apparently had no where else to go and were hoping that as soon as we left, they could move in. See November for explanation.

November
Escrow finally closed on El Molino. Because they’re hoaders, the previous owners took an extra 10 days to move out which didn’t allow us time to complete our repairs BEFORE Thanksgiving – which was the original idea. Because of their inability to move out and our traveling during the holiday, repairs and vendors would have to wait until early December. This fucked everything up and meant we wouldn’t be able to move into our new house until AFTER Christmas – you see, repairs take time and all. I shot my cousin’s friend’s wedding in Long Beach. It was a great wedding and I took some wonderful photos. The bride was a bit concerned about the delay in getting her engagement images to her so she split up the final payment – because of the holidays she hasn’t paid me the remaining balance and I still have her images. No malice here, it’s been a crazy holiday season so I totally understand. As for the delay in engagement photos, between August and November I severely underestimated my ability to handle such a huge workflow. Since then I’ve figured it out and am working much faster. Learning curve. AJB and I went to Florida for IAAPA. I got sick, again. I had a HUGE migraine and spent 2 days in bed in the hotel. I managed to drag my carcass to the TEA party (not Tea Party) to see the new Harry Potter land at Islands of Adventure. It is one of the prettiest, well done, attractions I’ve ever seen. Butterbeer is the bomb. We bought “Duck on a Bike” at Zonko’s. We also saw Kennedy Space Center, which made me really sad because it’s boring and terrible. I sort of expected so much more from THE Kennedy Space Center; a place I’d always dreamed about going to. Nope, it’s terrible and super run-down. It was on this trip I learned to appreciate Florida. It’s actually quite a lovely state and the theme parks are feats of modern man, even if they represent gluttony, overspending, and are taxing on the environment. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Highland Park, IL. It was damn cold, but it was lovely to see AJB’s eldest, hang with the kids, and see AJB’s family and old friends. I was, however, happy to return home. We started to assess the major undertaking of home repairs on the new house. It was overwhelming and we’ve often wondered if we’ve made the right choice. We keep telling ourselves we have because we’re stuck with it now. Truth is, after some time, once we move in, it’s painted, the floors are done, and we make it our home, it’s gonna be great. I mean it.

December
Enter the holidays! This would be the first year I didn’t have a tree. All of our decorations are still in storage. I did some shopping early, but mostly did everything 2 weeks before Christmas. I started blogging more, but mostly wrote about how hard it’s been moving, fixing the house, and all the stress I’ve been under. The previous owners of El Molino continued to harass us about some “promise” we’d made to them that they could move into the Glendale house when we left. They didn’t understand that because they moved out late, we missed our pre-holidays repair window and it fucked us for the rest of the year. Our new deadline is now the end of January which means we’ll be here 5 months. For 3 of those months we’re essentially paying a double mortgage. Repairs have started and I’m excited about it. Things are coming along and I’m feeling optimistic. Christmas came and went. AJB’s mom came to town and stayed with us for a week. She fell out of the bed one night, fell on the walkway another night, and got bit by our cat Eva. It also rained nearly every day she was here and she ran herself ragged shopping for gifts. I’d be surprised if she ever wanted to come back. Christmas was lovely despite a huge argument with my Mom. It was one of those arguments where you’re pulling stuff out of your ass just to make a point. It didn’t go well, but she showed up to all the events anyway. At my Aunt’s house, one of her neighbors was dressing up as Santa and offered to come by and treat the kids. They freaked the fuck out. I mean, can you blame them? Santa’s at your aunt’s house? Holy shit! It was a wonderful night and I felt the joy of the season just being with my family. We even sang Christmas carols like on TV. I looked around the room and realized how much everyone has changed. JJ is married, Emily’s getting married, and the little cousins are growing up. Even though things remain the same, they do change and it’s sobering to watch it happen…or at least, to take note. AJB’s kids are spending most of their holiday break with us and it’s been fun. AJB’s eldest is in town and it’s wonderful to watch him just be himself at home. I can only imagine what he’s experiencing. He and I aren’t very close, but I think we’ve finally attained a mutual respect for one another. At least, I hope so. We all spent Christmas night at our house – the early December fight with Mom meant she was canceling Christmas at her house. Regardless, we all had a nice time. It wasn’t a scene out of Martha Stewart, but it was just fine. It’s all I really wanted for Christmas. AJB’s LA aunt and uncle showed up along with one of his cousins. It’s good to catch up and just be with family. To me, that’s what the holidays are all about.

And that’s about it. It’s been one nutty year from hell and I was busier than I’ve ever been – which was a nice change from 2009 where I lost more business than I made. Change is/was the main theme for the year. Kids left home and started high school, we sold our house, bought a new one, lived in a Glendale rental, and so much more. We’ll be in our new house soon and we can start rebuilding our life. I’m looking forward to it.

Here’s to 2011 and may it bring good things for everyone. So long 2010, you kinda sucked, but you also had plenty of good things too.

See what happened in 2009.