New Year Resolutions!

(I've never really made a new years resolution before...but this year I might give it a try). This year I would really like to....
1. Look for more ways to help others whether it be through volunteering, or missions, or spending time with people that are sick or lonely... I think this is something I really need to start doing more often
2. Spend more time with the people that I love and less time at work
3. Run more! I want to run at least a half marathon this summer
4. I want to start eating better (definately need to start eating more greens :/ )
5. I want to finish reading the new testament and read the whole old testament by next January
6. I want to conquer my fear of fish : )

... I'm sure I will think of more things that I want to work on... but this seems to be a pretty good chunk of things to start out with.

I wish I could paint like this!

These painting are among my favorites from the

"Student Work" collection of the New York Academy of Art

They are selected paintings from the Cafe Gallery

Ali Banisadr

Richard Scott and Jee Lew

(painting from the MFA Exhibition 2006)
I love this painting... one because it is identical to the room I stayed in while I was in New York and two... i love the way the carpet is painted (Jee must have lived... or known someone who lived in the St. George)

"Je ne suis pas sûr..."

presque fait...

Christmas Break! 3 days away!

I am so excited for 4:00 Wednesday afternoon to roll around. That is when this semester will finally come to a close for me. (No more art history or linguistics ever again! whoo hoo!) My last final happens to be "Sleep, Surrender, and Sabbath"... which unluckily for me falls into the very last time-slot for finals :/
I am really looking forward to packing my bags, and driving home to spend the remainder of the week in Savage with my family and friends! I am really really looking forward to the day after my finals, when I finally was able to schedule an appointment for the hour-long massage my mom gave me for my birthday! (It's my motivation for studying hard and getting through this week!) I don't really know how many late night/all-nighters I can handle at this point... my sleep schedule is so thrown off right now (yesterday I accidentally slept in til 3 pm!!!!... i think that's a new record for me)

I tried to take off as much time from work over break as possible... so I could relax a bit before J-term starts up (I'm kind of excited to take Forensics and Self Defense) ... but it looks like I'm still going to be driving back and forth a bit between Roseville and Burnsville to cover some shifts at the hotel. (the nice part will be that my shifts all seem to fall on the weekends... that way I can just stay at my place over the weekends.

I can't wait to go home and snuggle with Bria! I wish she was still this little!

making some changes..

this painting is going to be my final project for this semester's painting class
... adding some blurring strokes and more dark tones

song that I love (jon foreman)

Heavenly Father, you always amaze me...
let your kingdom come in my world and in my life
give me the food I need to live through today...
and forgive me as I forgive the people that wrong me
lead me far from temptation... deliver me from the evil one
I look out the window, the birds are composing
not a note is out of tune or out of place
I walk to the meadow and stare at the flowers
better dressed than any girl on her wedding day
so why do I worry? ... why do I freak out?
God knows what I need ...You know what I need

Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong

the kingdom of heaven is now advancing...
invade my heart, invade this broken town
the kingdom of the Heavens is buried treasure...
would you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?
two things you told me... that You are strong
and You love me....yes, you love me

Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong

our God in heaven
hallowed be thy name
above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
forgive us weary sinners
keep us far away from our vices
and deliver us from these prisons.

Some good news and some weight off my shoulders!

So.... I got my exegesis paper today and.... I got an "A" on it! Whoot whoot! I'm glad that working my buns off trying to research it and write it paid off :) While it was a lot of work, I actually really enjoyed doing the research! I feel like I have a much better undertanding of the book of Psalms and about the different styles of poetry used by the authors. I chose to write my paper on Psalm 46 and since then I've kinda been "camping out" in that book. I really enjoy reading through the Psalms, there are a lot of really encouraging and inspiring passages. Now.... if only I could keep on track with my goal to finish reading the old testament... I've been really slow about making my way through it (but according to the tortoise and the hare fable... being slow isn't always a terrible thing... it's the consistancy that I really think I need to focus on)

Also in regards to relief and reduced stress! I also had my last critique of the semester for my sculpture class today and it went really well! My professor seems to like the materials I am working with and says he is excited to see what I will come up with in the Sculpture II class andSenior Sem class that I am taking from him this spring.

I also just finished writing my 2nd to last really big paper of the semester! One left to go! I am so excited for Christmas break! I am really just focusing on getting everything taken care of one day at a time until then ... It is going to be so nice to sleep in! to see my family and to cut back on work for bit!

fabric or metal...

... new sculpture I am working of for this week's critique

sculpture is held together by: pop rivets, welding, plasma-cut holes, wiring and stick pins

scultpure materials: cupcake pans, stainless steel bowls, cake pans,
a cookie sheet, a strainer, vegetable steamers, glass jars,
antique platters, aluminum, parafin wax, silver, candle stick holders,
and a wine glass, mesh/netting fabric, sheer oranza fabric

a little bit closer... sculpture is approximately 3ft x 4ft

Adventures in welding....

... and using the plasma cutter

Today I spent the afternoon using the plasma cutter and trying to figure out how to weld... (So far I still have all of my fingers... and toes) Check back later this week if you would like to see photos of the scultpure I'm working on...
I love these sweet goggles.. haha

Some good news

... in order of occurence

Friday night was my first night as a WyldLife Leader for Breck students, my good friend Jon Abrahamson is another leader with my old youth group pastor Andy Swanda, the other female leader is Cathy .... I don't know her very well yet, but I love her sense of humor so far : )
The group seems great, the kids were fun and seemed to be excited to be there. We only meet once or twice a month (which means it will take a while to really get to know any of the kids, but is nice because then it's not too overwhelming of a time-commitment with school)

(This isn't where I nanny... just an example of one of the really cute houses in Edina)

the second piece of good news is.....

I had my first day nannying for a family living in Edina. I spent the whole morning with their cute little 10-month old girl! (she's so cute and really funny). They have the coolest house I've ever seen and a maid! I actually am going back again later tonight on my way back up to school to watch all 4 kids... im pretty excited!

(one of Monique L'huillier's designs)

and last but not least...

After nannying today, I stopped by the Monique L'Huillier salon off of France and talked a little with one of the women that work there. She seemed really nice, she gave me some contact information for some of the higher-ups and told me I should bring in my resumé sometime before Christmas. She also said she would have the general manager give me a call sometime this week to talk about a potential internship.... kinda of exciting... but I'm nervous about the phone call (haha... it's not even that great of news because nothing really happened, but I'm just pretty excited about talking to anyone that works there.)

Trying out an idea....

kind of a different spin on painting for me...
this one was fun to make ....
... i just kind of poured the paint on and then used my hands to move it around and overlap the colors... It started out as just red and black but when the colors mixed ... and after adding some water to thin out some areas... the red started to pull some really nice purple tones out of the black which was kind of surprising...
(I ended up with a spectrum of tones from blackish maroon to bitter violet )


I want to come back and add more layers to see if I can give it some more depth... but for now this is what it looks like... I think the most successful part is the texture but I think the painting itself needs more balance

Painting Something Bigger Than Myself....

... takes a really loooooooong time
Here's what I have so far
this canvas is approximately 4ft x 6ft

... a step further.... (size comparison with everything else in my studio)


Done for the night.... taking a break!

Black Friday....

this picture makes me feel clausterphobic...

yes... I was one of those crazy people who woke up this morning around 3 am to go shopping! (it's tradition) My mom, my sister, her best friend Lindsey and her sister Kristen and myself all piled in the white Sedan this morning and headed to our first destination (Kohls... one of my least favorite stores ever.. with the exception of their Simply Vera line). I always get such a kick out of watching other crazy women standing in line outside with their "game-faces" on just waiting for the doors to open... I prefer to wait in the car until the mad stampede has disappeared into the store before I head in.

These people are CRAZY!
... Despite the lack of sleep and the fact that no coffee shops opened until about 6 am... I was surprised that everyone in our car seemed to be pretty cheery. However, after traveling from Kohls (where there was an abundance of elbowing and shoving and standing in line... jeepers people can't we shop and BE POLITE?!?)... to Herbergers (where I made my first purchase of the day... just a strand of faux-monet pearls and a pair of earings) ... and then back to Kohls (where I was sent in to retrieve my mom and to serve as a "runner" while everyone else waited in the car)... I could sense some bickering coming on...

*definition of "runner" = the person who runs from the check-out to various locations in the store getting things the person who is actually checking out forgot to grab...

-LUCKILY- at this point it was about 5:45.... so we headed to the nearest Starbucks (where I'm pretty sure all of us ordered "venti" somethings)... following this pit-stop we proceeded on to Target (where I was really GLAD to replace my Izaac Mizrahi laptop bag that broke for a new Black leather Converse tote) and to the Burnsville Center, where we ventured into Macy's, Express and the Gap... and then visited my uncle who was working at my aunt's new boutique!

I'm pretty proud of myself... I tried to limit myself today and I'm glad that I only ended up buying 3 things...

When we got home this morning my dad looked pretty surprised at how much stuff there was to carry in... (..not mine, let's keep in mind!)... the bulk of what was squished into my mom's trunk mainly consisted of the HUGE featherbeds that my sister and Lindsey bought, my mom's new boots and the comforters that she bought for the beds up at our cabin... I'M JEALOUS because after all the shopping everyone got to go home to take naps except for me... I had to jump in the car and drive up to Roseville where I am now standing at the front desk of a very vacant hotel listening to Chrismas music and watching the maintenance crew decorate the lobby : )

Painting

Painting that I'm working on currentlyHere is a Close-up

My Favorite Things...

the following is list of all the things about winter that make me smile...

1. Chistmas Lights!! (for sure at the top of my list)

2. Home-made Hot Chocolate with too many marshmallows! or whip cream! and sprinkles!

3. Having an excuse to stay inside (wearing my knit slippers) and sitting by the fireplace!

(I've never had a fireplace before... it makes doing homework seem not so terrible)

4. Christmas music! (I made a mix yesterday)
5. EGGNOG! YUMM!

6. The Holidazzle and the Macy's 9th Floor Display!

7. Ice-skating! (I want to go to centennial park this winter and skate on the pond)

8. Furry Hoods, Mittens, Warm Scarves!, and Knit Hats!

9. Going to see the Winter Carnival Ice Sculptures! and going snowboarding!

10. Making Christmas Cookies!!!!! and Making Paper Snowflakes!

11. Putting up Christmas Decorations! (look out roomies... its about to look like christmas!)

12. Wrapping Presents!!!! ( I really enjoy wrapping presents! I like adding/curling ribbons!)

13. Going sledding and making snowmen/igloos!

"giroflée"

I spent the night in the sculpture studio tonight working on this project for Monday
Here are some photos
(I think I'm happy with the shadows so far...
but I'm planning on coming in and adding more tomorrow)

.. more of a close up
materials: strainer, deconstructed vegetable steamer,
organza/mesh faric, shards of glass, nuts, paraffin wax, lace,
kitsch candle stick holders, and kitsch crystal dishes

le soleil brille sur tout....

.... the sun shines on everything

remembrance of things present

I love this painting from the Greg Lindquist exhibition.Some art students from Bethel got to help paint it!
(Kristen, Kyle, Beth, and Caylon)
to see how this piece was created and to find our more about artist Greg Lindquist... check out his blog at
http://www.greglindquist.blogspot.com/

i love the designs of Monique Lhuillier

I would love to work for this company someday...

LA-based designer Monique Lhuillier and husband, Tom Bugbee, founded this bridal company in 1996. The bridal line has been extremely well received and can be viewed at department stores and specialty boutiques throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Her trademark style is feminine glamour.

The contemporary Edina boutique is one of Monique Lhuillier's two U.S. stores devoted to showcasing her full ready-to-wear line, as well as the gorgeous upscale bridal collection that launched her career as a designer.

for more info check out:

http://www.moniquelhuillier.com

I am a front desk agent. I do all things...

... I am a front desk agent (at a hotel that I will leave anonymous)
... I have advanced degrees in accounting, public relations, marketing, business, computer science, and civil engineering. Of course, I have the reservation that you booked three years ago. Even though you don't have the confirmation number and you think that it was made under a name that starts with "X".
... It is not a problem for me to give you seven connecting, nonsmoking poolside suites with two king beds in each... four rollaways (not a problem... or a fire safety hazard), and yes I can install a wet bar. I know it is my fault that we do not have a helicopter landing pad.
... I am a front desk agent. I am expected to speak all languages. It is obvious to me that when you booked your reservation for Friday that you really meant Saturday. My company has entrusted me with all financial information and decisions, and yes, I can tell you why your bill from March 2002, contained a 75 cent phone charge because obviously you never pay for phone charges.
... I understand that (company I will leave nameless) is a vast empire and will make or break our hotel. Yes, I am lying to you when I say we have no rooms available. It is not a problem for me to quickly construct several more guest rooms. This time I will not forget the helicopter landing pad.
... I am a front desk agent. I am quite capable of checking three people in, two people out, taking five reservations, answering fifteen incoming calls, and plunging the toilet in 421... all at the same time
... I always know where to find the best vegetarian, kosher, mongolian, barbeque restaurants. I know exactly what to see and do in this city in fifteen minutes without spending a dime. I take personal responsibilty for the lack of airline food, traffic jams, rental car's flat tires, and the national economy. I realize that you meant to book your reseration here. Dont worry, people often confuse us with the Galaxy Delight Motel of Antarctica. Of course I can "fit you in" and yes, you may have the special ten dollar rate because you are affiliated with the Hoboken Bagel Clubs.
... I am expected to smile, empathize, sympathize, console, upsell, downsell, (and know when to do which), perform, sing, dance, and fix the printer.
...I am a front desk agent. I do all things...

Bom Dia and Bolthouse

This is my plug for Bolthouse Farms... I am addicted, they are SO good! Especially the "Green Goodness" juice and the "Bom Dia Açai Berry w/ Pomegranate". Similar to that of Naked Juices but I would say even better! I think they're amazing because they have so many healthy things in them that normally I would never ever eat. For example... the Green Goodness has wheat grass, spirulina, spinach and blue-green algae (SICK) with apples, kiwis, mangos, bananas (YUMM!), pineapples and dragon fruit making it a good source of iron and Vitamin B6, naturally rich in Vitamin A, C, and B12... they're kind of expensive but if you think about it.. it's a lot cheaper to buy the juice than it is to buy all of the ingredients seperately.

To find out more check out these sites:
http://www.bolthouse.com
http://www.bomdia.com

November?

First of all... I am in such a good mood! Who would've thought that it'd still be 70 degrees in November in Minnesota! To celebrate it being so warm out I went on one of the longest runs of my life yesterday (from bethel... around lake Johanna over to Northwestern... back to Bethel... around the campus... and then around Lake Valentine)
view of Lake Valentine at sunset

Needless to say, my legs hurt today but it was worth it... I'm sure we will have snow here soon and then I will be stuck running inside again until next April

Swing...

I tried something new this week and LOVED it! ... my lovely room mate, Kylie, and I went to a swing dance class and worked on learning the version of swing known as the lindy hop.
If your not sure what that is, you should watch the video below...

... although I'm sure those dancers might be a little bit better than us. We had so much fun that I think we're going to try to start going to the class every week. I strongly recommend that if you ever have the opportunity to learn how to swing dance... that you do it!

Appalachia, West Virginia

I went to the meeting this past Tuesday to find out more information about the trip to London and France... At first I was really EXCITED about the possibility of going but the more and more I think about it... the less and less I feel like going.
Although I think the trip would be a lot of fun, I feel like there are such better ways that I could be putting my money to use right now.
image borrowed from appalachian ministries
1 John 3:17-18 says...
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
image borrowed from appalachian ministries
This verse is something I have really been thinking about a lot lately.
I think I'm going to go on a mission trip to Appalachia, West Virginia this spring and put off going to Europe. I've been researching it a bit and after learning more about the poverty and struggles that the people of this region deal with everyday I feel feel like this is where I am maybe supposed to be going. It's something I've been considering over the past month and has been something I've been praying about. I grabbed an application this morning and feel like if this is where God wants me to go, things will fall into place.

If you're interested in learning about the living conditions of the people in this region, I found this site pretty informative
http://www.ikewhitsonministries.org/index.php?p=1_3_Appalachia

little somethings from my grandma...

I started working on a new series of necklaces for my sculpture class last week. The pearls, lace doilies and gold/brass buttons came from my grandma's collection.
The necklace looks light... but it's really pretty heavy.

......
Here is an image with a little more detail.

les fleurs...

For some bizarre and unknown reason... everytime I try to do a painting lately... no matter what i'm looking at or what colors I use... it starts to look like flowers to me... and then that's what it becomes...

Crossing My Fingers...

So I'm pretty excited right now... I just got an e-mail from my junior high french teacher (who now teachs at the junior high and high school) and she told me that they are planning a trip to London and France this summer! She said they are still looking for chaperones for the trip and that if I'm interested, I should come to the information meeting next week!! Im not a hundred percent sure on all the details yet... so I will know more about whether or not i'm going after next week. The trip would be from June 18th to June 27! ( so only about a week and a half) Here is a photo from the river Seines in France

Here is a photo of London

Not finished.... but it's something

spent the afternoon in the painting studio with Nancy...

Something From The Summer (part II)

I'm sitting in my apartment sick, so I've finally gotten a chance to upload some of the photos from the show I participated in earlier this fall.

(above are five, selected from the series, submitted in the show)

Here are some close-up photos with more detail...

If I were little... I would wear...

These sweet Parisian-inspired clothes from Bonpoint! ... Holy Cow, these designers really seem to know what's up! I just love these little outfits, especially the dresses and jumpers paired with the opaque leggings and sophisticated chasseurs!

The first Bonpoint boutique was created in France but the boutiques have spread world-wide. In the United States they can be found in Beverly Hills, Boston, New York, and Palm Beach.

But Since I'm not... I would...

Check out the sweet designs by G-Star Raw, a company developed in the Netherlands! (p.s. for anyone currently living in New York City, I guess they have posted availability for interns in their P.R. department at their flagship store location...)

"G Star Raw Denim was created in 1989 and has been known for its innovative and cutting edge style in the world of denim. They also produce jackets, shirts, and accessories for men and women. 'Just the product' has always been G-Star's philosophy and market approach (innovation and perfection of the product are imperitive)."

G-Star Raw now shows their collection at New York Fashion Week, which is on of the biggest in the world!


.....
Here's picture of the jeans that I now own! Thank you EBAY! : )