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Photographs from the farm, and the rare bit of snow we’ve gotten this year:

My darling fiancee Michael’s family owns a farm in rural VA that they use as a retrat.  Being within a few hours drive from DC, we are sometimes get to use the farm as a getaway from our own busy lives in the city.  It’s refreshing for Michael and I, for different reasons.  While I am pretty much happy living wherever, Darling Michael is a country boy at heart, and happiest in a place where you can’t see your next door neighbor, and it takes a car to get anywhere.

We went to the farm with a couple of friends, and it managed to snow that afternoon.
Naturally we had to play in the snow.

Because Ellie and Rob were with us, we had to make a snowasaurous. (pictured in the back).  Rob decided to make his own dinosaur (pictured in the mid-ground).  I was having so much fun rolling snowballs (which were being used for the two dinnosaurs) that after they said they didn’t need any more snowballs, I continued to roll balls for my own amusement.

I got rather tired.

But I had a lot of snowballs.

Last count I rolled upwards of 22 snowballs.  Some with a little help.

One of the more interesting aspects of the farm is the old equipment dragged into the woods to die.

It is affectionately known as farm art.

Michael took a walk with me in the snow, a grand tradition we try to honor as much as possible.  There he is in his trenchcoat, and one of the myriad of farm hats to wear at the farm.  This is one of his many glares (sometime I’ll do a post about how Michael really only has three expressions, and all expressions are variations of those three).

This is a hurry up and stop taking my picture look, under-laid with an I’m amused but not trying to show it look.

I found a Whoville tree.

Michael’s Super Power

Michael has a super power, which I don’t talk about often, but is just shy of miraculous.  You see, Michael can find free food anywhere.  I kid you not.

For example: My senior year, Michael was a junior and studied abroad (well, technically on a ship, but that is another story) and came back home a month before the semester was over.  Rather than going home and bumming around, he persuaded his boss at work study to hire him as an intern for a month and a half.  Then, he arranged to crash at a friend’s place (and really, let’s be frank, he mostly crashed in my room) while he worked on campus.  The only problem?  He didn’t have a meal plan, or even a place he could really cook meals, since dorm rooms are short on anything other than a microwave.  Instead, he arranged to have various friends bring him sandwiches and wraps from the eating hall for brunch (our school had a rule that if it could fit in a coffee mug, you could take it out of the eating hall.   You’d be amazed what you can fit into a coffee mug) and then for dinner, he would find some club or other event that was offering free food (like pizza, pancakes, hamburgers, etc).  He managed to keep himself fed (and even gain a little weight) this way.

Nowadays, this manifests in Michael’s work network.  You see, he has people at work who owe him favors or want to ensure that their computers get taken care of quickly.  So they “bribe” Michael by inviting him to eat the leftovers from various luncheons, breakfasts, or other events.  Most days Michael ends up bringing his packed lunch home because he’s managed to fill up on free bagels, cookies, sandwiches, cupcakes, and other sundry items.

It truly is a super power.

Apparently I don’t do lists right

When I went with my grandmother on a cruise about a month ago, I created a list of things to do for Michael (now my fiancee!).  It went a little like this (edited for brevity):

  • Use up the bananas in the fridge
  • Create delicious spice mixes for me to use
  • Miss Jen
  • Get together with Rob and Ellie (of Ellie Makes Cakes note: Ellie doesn’t update much, but her cakes are really pretty)
  • Miss Jen
  • Clean Room
  • Do Laundry
  • Finish all the things in your online course
  • Miss Jen. Take a picture of your sad face
  • Find the notes hidden around the house

Michael immidately looked at it and asked if it was an ordered list… ie, did you have to do one thing before you went on to the other.  He then made note that some of the things were contingent upon other, while others were not.  Could he race through the list and get everything done right away?  And on and on.  Clearly I needed to take a programing class so I knew how to make lists correctly. *rolls eyes*  Apparently an “amalgamation of thoughts” is not a list.

So, this is a non-ordered list, with things not contingent upon previous things getting done. Instead, it is a list of thoughts for today.

  • I really dislike weaving in ends.  Unlike most activities, some of which I dislike (like dish-washing), which I won’t mind as long as I’m entertained, weaving in ends is really tedious.
  • However, this design is going to rock when it is done, even if there are a boatload of ends to weave in.  Why? Because it has beads.  I think the beads are really great.
  • The apple tree is dying.
    • Now, I know, I’ve never claimed to have a really green thumb, but I thought the apple tree was going to pull through.  It survived the cat nibbling on it, only to not get watered after I came home from the cruise.  I noticed it was getting a little interesting today, and the leaves are getting rather crispy.  I’m hoping it’s just transitioning to fall and not just dried up dead.  We’ll see.
  • The avocado trees are doing well, and one more seed is getting ready to be planted.  Dunno where I’m going to put it.  Calabash trees are happy too, and the pineapple plant is doing all right also.
  • Pictures from Rob and Ellie’s Engagement photos came out really well.  I really want a new camera.
  • I should write up a christmas wishlist.
  • I really should be working on e-mails.  Ah well.

So what are ya’ll up to today?  Got any thoughts to put out there?

Good News!

I’m excited to announce that Michael, my boyfriend, is now my fiance (that’s the fifth time I’ve introduced him as such, and while it’s rather silly, I’m going with it).

He proposed at Camp Chimney Corners (it’s in the Berkshires of MA) while we were walking around Smith Pond.  It was very romantic.

I’m pretty razzed about it, but I’ll try not to talk about it too much.

In other news, I’m in the process of submitting a few new designs to magazines.  I’ll let you know when I can tell you more, and there’s some sneak peaks forthcoming!

Ellie Made Me Cupcakes

Cupcakes.  Ellie made them for me, which makes them Amazing.

 Yesterday was my birthday party, and a bunch of people I love got together to help me celebrate it.  I will now show you some pictures, because it was amazing.

Even better, she made a cupcake for Michael, which had the most frosting on it of all the cupcakes.  This was a great gift, because if it makes Michael happy, it makes me happy.

There’s a rule at Michael’s and my parties, that you need to wear a silly hat.  My silly hat, and my rainbow cupcakes.  Yes, I really am that happy.  Who wouldn’t be?  They’re RAINBOW CUPCAKES.

Michael, with his cupcakes, which as more frosting on it than cake.

See?  Rainbows.  Amazing.