10.10.10

Seems odd to say 10.10.10 and add that we'll never be able to say THAT again, yet isn't that the case with every date? Nothing much special about today. Yesterday was a different story. We went to NC for a weeding....ok, that was a typo, but it humored me, so I left it. We went to a w-e-d-d-i-n-g. It was different. My husband's cousin was married to a great guy. The cousin - a non-smoking, vegetarian, runner with zero body fat - surprised us all and died of lung cancer about 2 years ago I believe it was. The husband found new love, and so yesterday they combined their 2 established families into one with 5 children. The bride wore a fabulous strapless ivory gown with lots of sparkle and swoosh. The groom wore khakis and a dress shirt with no tie...and he was barefooted. She may have been too, but you couldn't tell. Her 3 daughters were her attendants, and his son and daughter escorted him to the altar/tree under which they wed. Everyone was to bring their own chair...we missed that part of the poem on their e-mailed invitation. An Episcopal priest (proper terminology/spelling?)officiated. Pretty cool overall to witness a new start. They married in the back yard of the home he purchased after his first wife died, which is actually a very old farm house. Tables were decorated with quart jars of yard flowers - zennias, sunflowers, dahlias, assorted grasses and allergens. There was pulled pork bbq and all the sides before wedding cake. Just a nice day. We drove down yesterday morning, got there with 5 minutes to spare, spent a few hours with family, then headed to the Best Western. No way we wanted to make THAT drive through THAT traffic twice in one day. I used my new camera and took some amazing shots of the bride and groom with every intention of doing a portrait for them. The first wife was our photographer at our wedding and our wedding album full of pictures was their gift to us. I also took several shots of the dahlias...OMG!!! I love this new camera!!! We went to the Walmart across from the Best Western and made prints last night. These will DEFINITELY end up on the drawing table! Oh...and there's new life in that near dead part of my life. After a local framer sold me an over-priced piece of custom shit they called a frame that fell apart before it made it to the International Colored Pencil Exhibition in Los Gatos, CA this year and misrepresented me and my work, I have formed a relationship with another local framer. Super nice! Original Frameworks in Blacksburg, VA. Prices were comparable, and this one person does everything; nobody to blame but herself if something isn't right. She asked where I show my work, and I told her the sad truth, that 3 of my last retail outlets had folded due to the economy and I no longer have a place to sell, and that all my work is in my van. She offered to hang some of my smaller pieces to see how they do. On the way there, I stopped by a friend's furniture store when I saw his mother outside. I went through some tough times with this family, and the Mom lives in Florida. I stopped by and she wanted to see my work and was very interested. She wants to see my pumpkins when I get them back from Original Frameworks later this week. So that all made me feel good....until I went to get back in myvan and my friend inquired as to whether the puddle under my van was FROM my van. Upon inspection, my coolant reservoir was entirely empty. Anyone who knows me knows things like this totally freak me out and fill me with anxiety. Was I going to get home? Was it a costly repair? Did I have my cell phone in case I broke down? Could I remember anyone's number if I didn't? We filled it up with water and it has yet to leak since. Husband thinks there may have been a clog that blew out of the line from having not run the AC in some time, and I did have it on that afternoon, so who knows? Anywho...that's been my week/end in a nutshell. I DID weigh before I left town Saturday, and I did lose 1/2 pound. Not a great loss, but a loss nonetheless, and I'm having all indications that I'll be cursed this week, sooner than later, and there's always a gain associated with that, so to have shown any loss at all feels promising. Off to tidy stuff for work tomorrow. Have a great week everyone!