Sunshine and summer



Damn, look at my freckles

 My freckles are all over my freakin' face right now.  This is a direct result of my running and walking outside.  And I'm tickled pink that I'm trying to get healthier, but I didn't really think that my freckles would take over my whole face.  I wish I knew where my freckles and my curly hair came from.  The curly hair I can work with but every summer I have to come to terms with the fact my face gets spots.  SPOTS.  Speckled.  They can be cute.  I've been told their cute, but I like my skin.  I like it in the winter anyways.

This year for my birthday, my friends were a little bit lame.  Or uncoordinated.  Something.  Dragonheart pulled through with flying colors and made my evening, maybe not my livers but certainly mine...  She also invited a friend of hers, who I've met on occasion before, who also had an April birthday.  Now, when I've met this fella before, I'd been in my typical running around like a crazy woman trying to get shit done in Anchorage outfit: jeans and a tshirt or a hoody.  Because it was my birthday I was dolled up a bit.  I had my new sequin-y dress on and my new bootie type heels, my hair was fixed and I was wearing make up.  He said, and I do my best to quote accurately, "You should dress up more often."  How flattering and sweet and absolutely wonderful to hear.  This does relate to my skin, truly.  We begin our night with food, drink and talk.  After a bar hop we were discussing the fact that I was wearing make up.  I said, "All I'm wearing is mascara and eyeliner."  The guy was turning away and finished what he was saying, did a double take and looked back at me and said, "Wow, you have amazing skin."  An incredible compliment.  Any compliment makes me feel good but a specific compliment about something I feel good about is even better.  Especially when it's spontaneous like that.

Things

I've been on a buying things kick lately.  This is one of my new presents to myself.  I'd been looking at this top for months though.  Trying to convince myself to spent the money on it. I'm glad I did.  I got a dress that's very similar to the top part of the band, and then it's a light lime green on the bottom part below the bust.  That dress is coming with me on my trip to Anchorage/Bethel/Juneau.

I have a donkey expression on my face

 I'm never going to be a minimalist.  I realize its a more environmentally conscious way to live but I am too attached to stuff.  And while I pare it down, or at least attempt to, somewhat regularly, more stuff always manages to replace the old stuff.  Especially being a crafter.  You save everything that could possibly used for this project or that project.  My Mom has been spring cleaning and going through stuff, this usually inspires me to act in a similar manner.  Which makes me think of all the stuff that I have in storage in Boulder.  And I miss that crap.  I feel sill for doing so, because it's just that - crap.  Bizarre.  Humans are bizarre creatures.

Eyes...

I like these eyes.
This is a work in progress.  I'm trying to re embrace drawing.  I'm definitely out of practice, but it's fun.

There's a wild, wild whisper blowing in the wind

I guess now is qualified as springtime.  But its still bloody cold most of the time.  The wind is a huge factor in this.  Unalakleet is just a windy place.  So it doesn't feel incredibly springy to me.  The pussy willows are out which is lightening the country side up a teensy bit, but there is still so much brown.  I can't wait till there are true leaves on the trees and the tundra starts to grow and blossom.  It will definitely make my runs more enjoyable.  Running outside is infinitely more enjoyable than running inside.  I'm glad I finally got over my embarrassment of running where people can see me.  People have actually been wonderfully encouraging about it.  Byron Bruckner rolled down his window and cheered me on saying "Way to go Sissy!" as I was running up the first little hill.  Ariel Tweto gave me a massive thumbs up as she cruised by me in a vehicle.  These little things make an individual feel good.

I never know what to do with my face when I take a picture

Best socks ever from my Mom.

I definitely don't fit the norm of what people wear around these parts.  I got my favorite plaid top from ebay because it has the snap buttons.  You can't really tell but I had to add a strip of fabric down each side in order for it to fit me.  The arms and shoulders fit but it was a fitted style of shirt so my tummy didn't quite fit in it right.  (I just used the word fit a lot in that sentence.)  Luckily I know my way around tearing out a seam and adding a piece of fabric in.  Altering is such a handy skill to have.  My cut offs used to be full on jeans, but the bottoms wore out due to me stepping on them all the time so I chopped em up and patched the holes.  They're super soft and comfy now.  The socks were an Easter/birthday gift from my mother.  Come to think of it, I think she bought my shoes too.  I'm a spoiled girl and I think it's great.

Pants that were meant to be a skirt.

I had a pair of pants that I thrifted that I adored because of the stitching down the sides, but they fit was just horrible.  I have no idea who designed the pants, but they were not meant for any body type.  I swear.  They however had enough material for me to make them into a skirt.  Pants really shouldn't have that much material.  Normally you'd have to add material in strategic places.  Anyways... shitty pictures, but this is the result.

I look like an idiot

The skirt that was once pants

I love this top, just not my tummy.  :)

Yesterday the office was in the 50's when I came in. My light long sleeved shirt didn't cut it. So today in preperation for perhaps another freezing day in the office, I donned an uber warm and fuzzy long sleeved base layer shirt and added a hat to keep that extra 5% of my body heat in. Turns out it was almost 90 degrees in my bloody office. A wave of heat slapped my face as soon as I opened the door. Ridiculous. So needless to say, I could have worn a tank top or dress to work and would have been fine. Oh yeah, except for the buckets of snow it's been dumping since 9:30 this morning. *grumble*

Wasabi peas

Bandana

A few weeks ago my brother and his girlfriend visited from Nome. The weather was beautiful and there was still snow on the ground so we took a snow machine ride up to Egavik. Egavik is an old building between Shaktoolik and Unalakleet that was part of a reindeer herding operation. My grandfather was the last reindeer herder in this area. My family lived there until it was time for us kids to start school. The weather was still chilly enough that warm clothing and some form of protective face gear was required. Being the practical individual that I am I opted to go with a fleece neckwarmer. My brother being the stylin' awesome dude that he is, used a bandana to cover his face and ears, bandit style. When we weren't riding however it hung somewhat losely around his neck. I freaking loved it. A few weeks later as fate would have it, I was gifted with a bandana, pictured above, for my birthday. How sweet fate was to me. Needless to say I've adopted the wearing style that my brother introduced me to, albeit with a bit more color. It allows me to add some color to my typical fall/spring outfit, when it's still 30 degrees out but warm enough in the office building that a scarf or nachaq is no longer warranted. What fun these new things that I would never think to do.