So I get a few weeks off from school to enjoy life and see some new stuff.

I’ve still been going to different photo shoots and learning new things. It was a blast.

And then I got sick. It started off as a cold… I had a sore throat… I was miserable… sneezing and feeling like poo… and then what I thought was a rash began to form on my face. I have allergies to fun things like peanuts¹ and zucchini². It’s not uncommon for me to bust out in hives and need to overdose myself in benadryl which turns me into a walking zombie. I also have the pleasure of needing to constantly have an EpiPen with me, YAY ME!³ However, I have never had anything like that happen to my face! And then it started spreading and my face started to swell up like a balloon. So, I returned to taking benadryl and staying indoors. It’s been a blast. Day 4 of the swelling and the rash is fading but my skin is now peeling. It’s like I have some kind of chemical burn. I am NOT enjoying this at all. I am starting to think its environmental because I haven’t put on any make up in days nor have I put anything on my face. I changed my sheets and yet it’s still there taunting me! Grrrrrrrrrrr!!

On top of looking like a beach balloon in the face, my dad is in the hospital with some mysterious ailment the doctors can’t seem to figure out. It’s been about a week now and still no answers. I am very tempted to get on a plane and go demand some answers myself, but of course, I am far too vain to leave the house with a swollen, peeling, and flaking face.  I don’t want to traumatize any small children for life.

And that’s been my life for the past 10 days or so. I have been relatively lucky to have an empty schedule this past week but next week I go back to school and 101 other things. I hope this clears up before then!⁴

I hope everyone else is having a WONDERFUL 4th week of February.

1. which totally sucks!!
2. which I refuse to believe and think the doctor was just being a tool and making s*#t up. after all it was a military doctor who allowed me to suffer endlessly for months on end before realizing i was really suffering from migraines and needed a referral.
3. the joys of having extreme paranoia that one day someone will actually need to stab me in the thigh with that damn things keeps me on the straight and narrow more often than not… I won’t lie though, I LOVE reese’s peanut butter cups!
4. and yes I know I should go see a doctor but seriously, I really do not want to leave the house!

I am alive. And I actually have a lot to say.

Sadly, I feel as though I haven’t had a spare moment to compose those thoughts into a post.¹

After being on this planet for 35+ years, I finally know what I want to do when I grow up.  It isn’t that I haven’t known all along, it just took me a while to come to terms with it and actually doing something to make it happen. And that is to be a Photographer.

Soooooooooooooooooooo, I am back in school getting my Bachelor’s degree in Photography. I am so excited and overwhelmed and excited and excited and excited. Thankfully I have people who are going through this journey with me which is making it all the more better for me. I am starting off semi slow, taking some side courses which consist of people my age². And I joined a bunch of meet ups in the area so I could find new and exciting places to photograph. It’s been a BLAST!

Last week I had the amazing pleasure of photographing Ashley Parivar who is Miss Texas United States.³ I am not a fan of taking portraits. I am more of a candid person. I like to take pictures of people who are ignoring me. But more than that I am a nature and landscape person, but she made it a lot of fun for me. So much so that I am started to rethink how I feel about taking pictures of people who know I am there. This weekend I am going to try it again with a lesser known face and see how that goes.

Anyway, that’s where I am at right now. I am finally doing something that makes ME happy… Finally doing something for myself and not because it’s what is expected. And even though it took way too long to figure it out, I am glad I finally did.

1. but I should now because I have a month off before my next class starts
2. so I don’t feel like everyone’s mom
3. she has to be hands down one of the nicest people I have ever met. she was patient, professional, kind and very accommodating.

Last weekend I went to one of my all time favorite places called EatZi’s Market and Bakery. I don’t even know where to begin to describe what the place is. It’s like, a restaurant, bakery, deli and more all wrapped in one. You can go in and get fresh baked bread and cakes and cookies, or have a chef made salad or sandwich. They also freshly prepare meals so you can go get everything you need to pretend you cooked a good meal for your dinner party¹. It’s really an all-in-one place. Sadly, it’s downtown Dallas which is a bit too far for me and Mr. Glass to make the trip all the time. So, when we go it’s even more like a treat for us.

Things aren’t cheap at Eatzi’s and as much as I want to grab everything I see, I usually only go grab some bread and cookies from the bakery, and an amazingly delicious pastrami sandwich. They prepare it kind of like Subway does where you stand there and point at everything you want on it and they make it fresh for you.² The list of breads and toppings and meats and cheeses you can get are endless³ but I always go in and get the same thing because it’s like perfection on bread for me.

Anyway, the last time I went to EatZi’s I decided to grab something new from the bakery. I’m addicted to their oatmeal raisin cookies so  maybe they’d have something else that I would L-O-V-E.

I ended up grabbing  two items. The first was a small, yet very expensive crème brûlée and then I spotted a delicious looking chocolate raspberry cupcake.

Bad bad choices they were.

The crème brûlée tasted like I was having a massive make out session with an orange peel. Not pleasant AT ALL. In fact, I think making out with an orange peel would have indeed been better! Just thinking about it now makes me want to brush my teeth and gargle with some Listerine. Ick nast!

As for the delicious looking chocolate raspberry cupcake, that too was all wrong for my taste palette. I love chocolate, and I really enjoy raspberries but there was something just not right about mixing the two flavors together in a cupcake. In fact, it was so unpleasant, I ended up throwing it away after two bites… and like I said, I ♥ chocolate. Me tossing chocolate out is unheard of.

Needless to say, I won’t be picking up either of those so-called tasty treats ever again. Don’t let this discourage you though…. If there is an EatZi’s near you⁴, I would suggest you run to it immediately⁵ and grab something from the hundreds upon hundreds of other delicious choices.

1. don’t tell my dinner guests
2. They also do that with salads.
3. and sometimes gross when I watch how others do theirs
4. which there won’t be unless you live in the Dallas area since all the other ones are now closed
5. except during lunch time

Since we gave up the shackles of working for other people, we have a lot more freedom to do whatever we want. So this weekend we decided to head up to Oklahoma and check out the Arbuckle Mountains and do some geocaching. It was without a doubt some of the most fun I have had in ages.

I’m not going to get into all the technical details of the trip because that would be realllllly boring. Instead I am going to entertain you with tons of pictures and tidbits of Moniqueisms about what I saw and felt. On a side note though, since I loved it SO much, I would really encourage ANYONE in the DFW area or even Oklahoma to go check it out.

The Arbuckle Mountains are the largest/tallest mountains in Oklahoma and is the home to Turner Falls, a breathtaking 77 foot waterfall in Turner Park. The first day we were in town, it was late afternoon so I didn’t have a chance to appreciate the true beauty of the area. Instead, we climbed up a mountain¹ so that DH could take a peek into a cave. I didn’t go all the way to the cave with him because all I could think was “how in the [bleeeeeep] am I going to get back down off of this mountain????” The rocks were covered in damp leaves and I had lovely flashes of my rotund bottom falling face first off the cliff to my death. So, I decided the half way point was good enough for me.

There is also a ‘rock castle’ in Turner Park with some history behind it which I have forgotten. What I do remember is that it was creepy. Some old abandoned ruins that looked like some axe murderer could be lurking somewhere getting ready to slaughter me as I slowly walked behind DH. I might have been able to escape the axe wielding psychopath if I didn’t have 101 stairs to climb to get to the damn castle.

After having climbed half the mountain needless to say, I was already pretty sick of climbing. But it was nice to see something different.

We were still up in the mountains when the sun began to set, which was such a lovely view. And on the way out, we got to see some deer eating along the road.  We tried to take tons of pictures but with the sun setting and the deer being skittish, it wasn’t very successful. We headed back to Ardmore, OK to get some sleep and find something to eat.²

The next morning we got up bright and semi early and headed back towards the Arbuckle Mountains stopping to grab some geocaches along the way.

The day before we had stopped at the scenic overlook but it was dark and I am not a big fan of heights so I wasn’t keen on standing on some mountain edge in the dark not knowing if the mystery axe murderer had followed me up there. So, we headed back to it so I could see everything in the daytime and not be so paranoid. You have no idea how much I HATE heights.

The waterfall is even more amazing from above it. I couldn’t see where the water was coming from standing down in front of it, so seeing ALL of it was breathtaking. The castle was still creepy though.

After pretty much standing in fear at the scenic outlook, griping the camera for dear life, we headed back into the park. I had seen people above the falls and decided that I wanted to go there. What in the world was I thinking?????????????????????  We parked the car and went down where we saw everyone heading down. Of course, it couldn’t be a simple path. More steps for me to have to deal with and crazy cliffs that sent me into instant panic mode. DH stepped up on one of the rocks and I almost lost it. I figured out right then and there that this was NOT my smartest idea. So after walking around a bit, above the falls, and keeping me far away from the cliffs we headed back to the car to find an easier route to the water.

On the way out we ran into this family. All I am going to say is that they had an infant only a few months old, in a car seat, in these mountains where even our dogs, and me as a human being had trouble maneuvering. There is a lookout area where you can see the smaller falls that has a simple make shift railing which has not had maintenance in several years. It was wobbly and loose and right on the edge of the cliff. Like, no one with common sense would think to USE the rail for anything. Well, these lovely parents sat that car seat on it. The dad barely held onto it with one hand as it teetered on the rail while they smiled and took pictures. Had he lost balance of it, the baby would have fallen about 150 ft to his death. It was appalling. We took the picture of them and their license plate in case anything happened there would be SOME proof of how reckless they were being with the child. I am still so disturbed by what I saw that day. I know the picture isn’t the best but he was seriously being so careless with the car seat, and it’s much higher than you would think… certainly no way anyone would survive falling from it. Especially an infant.

Anyway, we finally found a spot to park and I immediately took off my shoes and socks and jumped in. The rocks in the water were slippery and the water itself was FREEZING but I didn’t care. After awhile I forgot about the cold and was just enjoying the sun and the spectacular view. The dogs weren’t quite as excited about the cold water, especially Sandy who after getting a big splash ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. I think had we not stopped her she would have ran the 90 miles all the way home… well that or until she smelled some food. Milagro also got a full body bathing as she was trying to get back to the shore. She slipped on a rock and fell into an area much deeper than she expected. I was having the most fun ever…. just like a child.

I eventually realized I could not stay in that water all day and made my way back to the truck, dried my feet off and return to adulthood. What a bummer. Little did I know that even more fun was right around the corner! I’ll have to tell you all about that next time!!

1. craziest thing I have done in a LONG time
2. We actually did do it in that order one of the nights. Slept and then went searching for food. And of course we stayed at another LaQuinta. I don’t know how they do it, but each one just gets better and better.

Yesterday morning, our house was buzzing with eagerness as we prepared to do our Sunday run of geocaching. The weather here in North Texas has been pretty miserable, so we were all happy to hear that the weather was going to be in the upper 40’s. The dogs were all hyper because they had heard the necessary key words “go” and “car” and were aware that we were going to be heading out very soon.

I decided to let them outside to handle their business as usual. Last year we had some problems with them in the backyard chasing rabbits so we started letting them out in the front. They are really good dogs, who don’t wander off or anything like that so I typically will let them out and watch from the door or throw some laundry in the washer while they do the do. 

Well, yesterday I was trying to get a lot done, DH was sitting on the couch watching some TV and I had to pee. So I left the door open, asked him to make sure they came in, and before I could take another step, we heard the worst sounding screams I have ever heard in my life. 

We race outside, and everything looked as normal as can be. Pepper was oblivious and the other two dogs were no where to be seen. We called their names and they slowly came to us, we saw no other dogs, no animals, no birds, nothing. DH approached the two dogs and as he went to pick Milagro up, she let out another scream. Blood was beginning to gather in her fur and we were clueless.  

We got all the dogs inside, tended to Milagro’s wounds which was not easy because she did not want to be touched. She had two puncture wounds on both sides of her back. I was baffled.  All we could think of was that she got into a tussle with a rabbit. Milagro is one of the sweetest dogs on the planet, very very curious about other animals though. When we had our mouse visitors, she was the one who discovered them. Never attacking one or killing one, just observing from a distance. That’s what she does. She’s the same way with our cats. Very loving and kind. Knowing that, I just could not picture her attacking a rabbit. Being very curious, sure. Following one to see what it’s doing, absolutely. Attacking one?  Never. But if it wasn’t an animal then what? All that was out there were some bushes… bushes I hate because they are prickly but it just didn’t seem possible considering the sound she made.¹ 

Of course, every vet in the area was closed so we had no choice but to wait it out. She was in pain, but still being her usual self. She ate her normal treats. She was very interested in my Wendy’s chili. She wanted some crackers. She still wanted to get in the car whenever we headed out. Everything was normal unless we touched her. Sooooo, we decided to just spoil her rotten. We got her little pink bed out of the closet, padded it up with blankets, and catered to her all night long. 

Sandy was suffering from a little PTSD² as well as major jealousy. She is our little sick one, but Milagro was getting all of the attention yesterday. But this life I suppose… Sandy can’t always be the center of attention. Of course, there is no point in me trying to tell her that.

This morning Milagro went off to the vet to check her injuries.  Our vet³ had to shave her hair and do a bit of  ‘investigating’.  Apparently, it wasn’t a rabbit, she was just assaulted by the bush⁴. Poor thing is still skittish about being touched in that area which makes it a lot of fun for those of us who have to put ointment on her injuries.  But she’s still getting spoiled, sleeping away in her pink bed, and personally, I think she is loving every minute of it.

1. of course, my encounters with that bush have caused me to scream like a psycho as well… but you didn’t hear that from me
2. some might say it was major since everything from signs to blowing grass was making her jump
3. who is amazing, even though his personality is that of a stick sometimes
4. like mama said!

Yesterday was my blogoversary. I’ve been blogging for 2 years but in reality its more like 1 yr 4 months. I absolutely slacked off with blogging for most of 2009. Things were way more hectic than I wanted them to be and by the time I would sit down to blog, I would say forget it and just head off to bed. On top of that, for the last 5 months of 2009 I was having crazy and very annoying computer problems. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another and then my main one died. I bought a new one and that was a piece of junk. However, I now have a very lovely and new HP which seems to work as intended.¹

Yesterday my plan was to write a post about this blog and the joys and wonderful friends it has brought me, but at the last minute DH and I decided to go geocaching. If you don’t know what geocaching is, you can find out here. I absolutely love it, and it’s a ton of fun.It also gives me the chance to pull out my camera and take endless photos. In addition to huge bonus of having a reason to take pictures, geocaching takes me places I more than likely would have never gone on my own. In the past 3 months I have seen more of the DFW area than I have in the almost 4 years I have been here.

Our dogs love going geocaching as well. They go crazy whenever we say “car ride” or even “geocaching”. They’ve become brave little dogs who run through mud and water. Now all I need to do is teach them how to smell out the item we are scavenging for.

Another fun thing about geocaching is that I am losing weight in the process. Remember how I said I hated the outdoors? Well, I am now required to face it full on.  But it’s a good thing!  I’ve lost 19 pounds just walking in circles following a GPS while lugging camera equipment and other nonsense. I wonder how much I will lose when I actually change my eating habits! Maybe I can become the spokesperson for the GeoDiet.  I can dream can’t I?  It’s not even that far of a stretch considering the recent commercials for a Taco Bell diet.²

We have several trips planned for this winter. I already have scoped out various locations looking for good caches and a cozy La Quinta nearby³. I hope to see places like Houston and Oklahoma City and San Antonio before it gets too hot. My goal is to hopefully hit 1000 finds before 2011 all while sightseeing and snapping pictures in the process.  And as crazy as that number seems to me, it’s tiny compared to the people who have 10,000 – yes that’s ten thousand – or more.

But even though I love geocaching and I’m beginning to adjust to this thing called mother nature, I still love being inside, clean, on the couch, with my remote control. No matter how much weight I lose, I honestly can not see that part of me changing. Ever.

Speaking of comfy couches, I need to go watch The Bachelor so I can get my daily laugh at these women who will no doubt cry 5 seconds after meeting him because they think he is their future husband.  I feel the show really does make women look like such fools…. or is it really the women who do that to themselves?

1. knock on wood
2. which I find completely insane, but that’s just me.
3. I still haven’t agreed to sleep in a tent… that’s going to take a lot more outdoor exposure

I don’t have any real resolutions for the year. It seems any year that I sit down and come up with any kind of list, I fail on it 2 days later. So with that in mind I’m just going to remain focused and keep on doing what I have been doing.

2009 was such a good year for me… for all of us here really. Who would have thought that DH going to DC for the inauguration would lead to him being fired? Such a small thing¹ opened so many doors for us. DH had been talking about starting his own business as far back as I can remember, and he was finally in a position where he was somewhat forced to take that risk. The economy was tanking, no one was really hiring and we felt we had no choice but to take a chance and see what would happen.

It was so worth it. Business took off slow but before we knew it we had a steady stream of work. Good reviews and happy customers.

And now to start off the year yesterday we moved from being a home business to having a retail spot. It’s nothing major or fancy or big, but it’s ours. Our name is on the door, we have a shop in the back and it’s just another small step in the right direction.

Plus, now that that business is taking off I can focus more on my desires. I really don’t know where I want to go with my photography but I love it. I love taking pictures…. pictures of outdoors more than anything which is just bizarre since I hate anything related to being outside. Camping, hiking, fishing… you name it, I don’t want to do it. But for the love of the picture, I find myself willing to take a trip into the woods and get all dirty. We recently bought some camping equipment…. now all I need to do is agree to go. I hope no one is holding their breath.

So I guess I do have a resolution of sorts for the new year and that would be for me to focus more on my photography. It’s been sitting on the back burner for years and now it’s time for me to take the next step with it.  Now if only I could figure out what that next step is.

1. ok it wasn’t small… it was sneaky and disgusting of them but oh well, we are thriving while they fail. i ♥ karma.

Oh what an amazing year 2009 was for me, and I am really looking forward to what 2010 has to offer.

I hope everyone had a safe and amazing NYE.

I recently had the displeasure of staying at your downtown Austin (Texas) location. It’s not that the hotel wasn’t gorgeous, or clean, or that room service didn’t bring me the most amazing burger that I have ever had in my life… It’s everything else that comes with a hotel stay.

I’m not going to mention how much the room cost because you already know that.  I booked an executive suite to guarantee a room on the top floor.  I am a photographer and wanted to get some shots of downtown at night and I specifically chose the Hilton because it was the tallest hotel in the city and also because I am an avid Hilton customer. It has always been my #1 choice when traveling.

The young lady who booked my reservation was very kind, and did everything she could to fulfill my wishes. However, she knew I had puppies and therefore should have known that those suites were not available to those who have pets.  Unfortunately, this was not brought to my attention until I arrived.

Speaking of arrival, after driving 4 hours we¹ arrived at your hotel only to discover that in order to park our car in your parking garage we would be required to pay $18.49 per night.  So, after already paying hundreds, I  suppose you figured “what’s another 20 dollars to park?”. Of course, once a person is at the hotel and sees that there is no other viable choice to go with their vehicle they are pretty much stuck paying for your parking.  Pretty nice trick there.

Once inside checking in, DH was informed that we would have to be moved four floors down to the level below the suites because of the furry girls.  We acquiesced though we were not happy. We then had to dish out some more money to have the girls stay with us.  We were charged  over $75 when we were told originally that it would be $50 for the pet fee. As if the already overpriced room didn’t cover that.² We also had to ask for the complimentary pet items that supposedly came for free with the room.

Anyway, we unloaded everything and took the long hike into the hotel. The hotel is gorgeous, I won’t deny that. Although,having the elevators closer to where you come out from the parking trap would be nice, but I won’t complain about that. We took the long ride up to our floor and finally arrived at our room.  It was a lot smaller than expected, especially for what we were being charged.

I got comfortable, took off my shoes and sat down to check my email and what do you know, Hilton charges $6.99 per hour to use their internet. When we called to ask about it, we were told we could use the internet for free … in the lobby.  DH was beyond livid and announced that we would never again stay at a Hilton.  It is ludicrous and almost unfathomable that such a high class hotel feels the need to charge for something that is free almost anywhere you go in the world.  In this day and age it is absolutely inexcusable for Hilton to charge for internet service, especially if you consider the premium price that was paid for the stay.

After stewing over that for a bit, we realized that the room also did not have a refrigerator. Naturally, DH called to find out about that and the lovely lady at the front desk said she would bring us one… for $25.

That night, no one slept well.  Our air conditioner was malfunctioning all night. We eventually ended up having to set it to 52 degrees to feel any kind of coolness.

Needless to say, we left the next morning.

I am currently staying at a La Quinta Inns & Suites. I will assume you don’t consider them to be your competition but you should.  We paid three times less for a room that is nearly double the size of yours. They welcome pets, just like you do, except here it’s free.  Granted the view is not spectacular (although yours ended up not being good either) there is no minibar (however there is a vending machine that cost about half of what your mini bar did) there is no delicious room service (but there is a Waffle House across the parking lot, which is about how far it is from your parking garage to the room elevators), the same breakfast you charged us $32 for was available for free, the air conditioner worked perfectly, there is a complimentary refrigerator and microwave and to top it all off, the mother of all complimentary services … FREE INTERNET.

I think it goes without saying that I doubt I will be a Hilton patron from here on. My choice will be to stay at a hotel that actually wants me as a customer, with all the comforts of home included in the cost.

PS – Since writing this post, I have had the pleasure of staying at 3 more LaQuinta Inns & Suites and each visit only got better. Each time we were upgraded to a suite, and each suite was better than the simple room they gave us at the Hilton for a third of the cost. It goes without saying what my new first choice for lodging will be from now on.

1. DH, 2 dogs (1 with a conehead) and I
2. let me add that we had never been asked to pay a pet fee to stay at a Hilton. And we have stayed at MANY throughout the years

I heard that the new computer was on the way… it would be 7-10 days according to my Case Manager Edward. I received the RMA’s for my current hunk of junk which is a good sign since the plan is that I have both computers at the same time so that I can do an easy transfer of data.  We’ll see what happens though, especially since I am heading to Georgia for days of fun and torture.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents¹ but there is something a little panic attack worthy about being on their territory for almost a week. Makes me feel like I am not in control, and we all know how I hate that.

In other news, Sandy just got her stitches removed which means she no longer has to wear her that funny cone on her head. She had finally mastered how to get her tongue over the edge of it to lick her wounds when the vet upgraded her to an even bigger size cone. Oh what a sight that was.  She is so tiny and that cone was so big, but she mastered it and learned how to push her way through almost anything. I think I’m actually going to miss seeing her with it on.²

Also, somewhere along the way I lost my mind and bought yet another HP. I have been searching for a laptop to do my photo edits and such and since dragging a desktop PC across country isn’t ever going to happen… I found the HP on sale, with pretty good reviews and decided to just go with it. Knock on wood, so far it’s been working like a breeze. No crashes, no slow motion loading, no funky messages…. just a lovely lovely computer. I hope it stays that way.

As for this site, I discovered a way to restore the old posts. Even though I saved the actual old files before I redid everything, I am afraid it will have that “worm” in it. It involves a bit of work but I think it’s the safest way to go. I used to cross post my posts³ to LiveJournal so now I just have to copy those back over here and everything will be as good as new. Sadly, I will lose all my comments and that was the best part for me. Oh well, I’m not going to complain – much.

All right. I’m off to pack. Just saying it makes me cringe. I love to travel, and I love to be on the go, but the process of putting things in a suit case really irks me. And it never fails that I leave something, or somethings, back at home which leaves me searching for the nearest Wally World. Happens every time.  OK, let me stop delaying the inevitable.

1. I can’t lie though, I love my mommy – yes I still call her that – a bit more than my dad. Sorrrry dad.
2. Actually, maybe not since having her in bed with that massive cone was quite annoying.
3. what a mouthful