Rosie

yes, this is an update

| Caryn

January 9, 2012

So things never seem to turn out like we expect. What is that saying “the best laid plans…?” Nevertheless, after receiving a few comments and questions regarding the goals in my last post (from November) I realized I needed to make an update. Things are still in the works, just at a slower pace. And the above illustration is why. I’m still working on my illustration style, the above illustration being a great example of what I’m trying out, but as today is my “best guess date” for our first child’s arrival – things illustration/blog/and business-wise have been on hold. I knew I was pregnant when I made that post in November, but I was coming off the first trimester crud and was a lot more ambitious about where I could have things before little one made the debut.

As for the illustration, (which I promised every post would have from now on so at least I’m keeping that goal!), I created that back in January and intended to make a New Year’s card out of it, and then a Valentine’s Day card, and then we gave up. It just never came together. But I still love it. It will get used somewhere. It’s really the first time I’ve ever done an illustration that really felt like my style. It makes me excited to look at and think about what I can do next. I have filled out a few more pages of my sketchbook as well, but nothing as finished as this and so I’m waiting til I can focus a little more heartily on it.

Now, with the little one coming any day, I’m not making any promises. But, I will be back, and I guarantee that this blog is not going to become baby-zone and neither will I. That’s not me and it doesn’t fit the passionate goals I have created for myself and this space either. I’m sure there will be an illustration here and there of the little one, which I’m super excited about illustrating, but I still have ideas swirling that need to get out as well. So stay tuned. It’s still coming. It’s just one of those extra-long, it will be worth it when it does come kind of things.

chaos

| Caryn

Well, our world has spun out of control. Most days I’m barely hanging on but Mark and I keep reminding each other to just breathe through and thank God for each day. Don’t freak. Nothing bad is happening, just an insane amount of busy. Too many balls in the air and each time I drop one, the world just shrugs and says, “that’s fine. here’s 3 more.” Despite all this, I decided to break the silence with a random picture post. Here’s a couple shots from the past few weeks and some news on what’s going on.

Here is one of my new favorite dresses.

 I’ve decided to mock our culture and it’s lack of dresses for everyday wear and I’m wearing more dresses. I love dresses. And thanks to ModCloth, one of my favorite online stores, my stock of dresses has increased without killing the bank account. This day I wore this dress to work from home and then Mark and I drove to Maryville for a lunchtime showing of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical which was fantastic, made me actually cry and also made Mark and I giggle that we were the only ones in attendance without a child as an excuse. And yes, this dress has acorns all over it.

Next picture, Mark and I all gussied up and ready to attend the Knoxville 2011 Addy Awards.

(thanks Adam for the iPhone pic with fancy photo filter!)

If you are wondering what is in the background, we are at our church where Mark was recording for hours upon end and I joined for a couple hours to help with a particularly impressive “stomp-clap” group recording. So that pile is a drum kit covered with blankets to help separate sound, of course. More info about this to come, hopefully, but our church music team is recording an album right now. We’ve been practicing for about 2 months and started recording sessions. Mark is playing second guitar and I’m singing back-up vocals for many songs and lead on one. It’s exciting and something we’ve never done before. The album is set to come out Easter week (appropriately so as it is an Easter album.) Just in case you are wondering, our group has a great folk element, a little Indelible Grace/RUF edge, and features great musicians on banjo, mandolin, electric guitar, marimba, and typical instruments such as piano, guitar, brass, strings, drums, etc…. Yes, all those together. You’ll probably want to check it out.

But back to the Addy Awards. It was an exciting evening, and not just because I got to dress up which I never get to do, but because we actually won some awards! Mark got a silver for one of his web designs and I won a gold for my design for The Happy Envelope. It’s my company’s first gold! Here’s a pic of the developer and I who worked ridiculously LONG hours on the site.

And while I’m tooting our horn, here’s a program that our music team did for Christmas. It’s an hour long, and has the Scripture readings and homily in the midst, but you can get a feel for our music style. You can jump around in the recording and hear great things like the children’s choir belting it out. A little short of a quarter in is a dramatic Latin song that Mark plays the lead guitar on(!) and a couple songs beyond that is one of my favorite songs we do called Hail to the Lord’s Annointed and I happily got to sing the lead on it with our worship pastor harmonizing. It was a really fun program to do. Mark and I created the advertising materials, which I need to take a picture of and post. We also got to perform a shortened version of it at a local venue called The Square Room.

Rosie is still quite alive and seems to be very happy with us.

She can often be found retrieving her beloved tennis ball in places like under the sofa.

Well, that’s all for now from this girl. Work is calling, laundry has piled up and everything must get done before a marathon evening of singing for the Ash Wednesday service, practicing for Holy Week music, and then practicing til late for the recording session this weekend. I never thought music would be my life.

oh rosie

| Caryn

pardon the delay, but may I present Rosie:

about Rosie:
• 1.5 years old
• 20 pounds
• probably has some beagle in her which makes her longer and a little shorter than typical Jack Russells
• one ear always sticks up and the other always flops over (unless she’s in trouble and then they both go backwards)
• sometime in her life, someone docked her tail so now she only has a little tail nub as we call it. It’s pretty darn cute when that little tail nub wags.

• she rarely barks, so far the only thing that makes her bark is the vacuum and if she really has to go out and we aren’t paying attention.
• she’s scared of vacuums
• she’s a super-tracker and would take down every squirrel on the street if we let her off-leash.
• she’s incredibly friendly and will lick your face if you put it within range.
• she’s wonderful with kids and very friendly with other dogs

• she would play ball for hours and hours
• she has mad jumping skills—the highest so far being level with Mark’s shoulder (yeah, that’s high!)
• she is pretty smart and loves to be trained
• she didn’t seem to know any commands when we got her, but now has pretty much mastered “sit,” “go lay down,” “crate,” and “outside.” We’re working on “stay” and better leash training.
• she is a fast, and I mean fast runner. We learned this the fun and hard way when she slipped out the back door when our friend’s kid stood with it open too long and we just watched her race around the cul-de-sac and feared we’d never see her again. Thankfully, she already liked us and once she had her fill of running her heart out, she stayed put for Mark to get her.

• she has a “diva-butt” as I call it and refuses to do her business if the ground is too wet to find the perfect spot; even if it means we have to traipse around in the snow for 20 minutes and she is shivering and whining.
• she is a fierce, aggressive chewer. Thankfully though, she only chews things that we give her to play with. Unfortunately, everything we’ve given her so far has been destroyed in about 20 minutes (especially if it has a squeaker)
• she can shimmy herself under our couch (about 6-8 inches of space) to retrieve her favorite ball

 • and she now has the coolest dog bowls around—one says Thirsty? and the other says Hungry? in big beautiful type.

 

Well, there she is. She would love to meet you and teach you to play ball!