Spring is Here!...Sorta

Flowers are budding, then wilting back into their winter hiding places by the day it seems but I've managed to get a few cool shots along the way :)

You know, I really should post more often so I don't end up with so many 30 picture posts...makes the blog feel so cluttered I think....

I love where the Stamens have curled over after the pollen has been removed (might have to view larger to see it well)

A line of flowers a couple miles long along HWY 20

A petal that's been laying on my front porch to remind you of the bad weather we've been having lol

Katelyn! Meet your nemesis!

Ain't he cute? lol This little guy was found flying around my bathroom the other day. Prolly about 1/2" wingspan...it was hard taking pictures when he was on the window but then he dropped down onto the ledge and was very helpful :) please view full to see all the detail

My Photo A Day Challenge Photos

At the end of the Photo-A-Day Challenge (which can been explained at viewed at kandncraziness.blogspot.com) I planned to put all of my photos on my blog just because I'm proud of them lol But, that never happened so now that I have a moment, here they are :)

Please view bigger ----->

Not all of them are spectacular but I have my favorites (the rainbow clouds, rainy night, and spider) and they did what was expected, got me to look at the world around me in a different perspective. Now, months later I still see something and think about what angle I would take a picture at to make it look the best. I enjoyed it and I hope everybody following along did too :)

Petreedccione

First, to explain the title, it is simply Alex's future solution to the problem of both of us wanting to keep our last names.
And Now, on to the post: A fews days ago Alex and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I love that boy more than I even thought was possible and suddenly I feel more free and stuck at the same time.
Free because I know I'll never have to worry about finding love again.
Stuck because all the good feelings make me want more.
For the first time in my life the concept of moving out and growing up doesn't seem so scary. With Alex by my side it sounds exciting. Maybe I'm ready maybe I'm not, it doesn't really matter, I want to find out. I want a job I want a degree I want my own place so bad it hurts. It doesn't help that I have more than 10 people in my life that are either freshly married or engaged. Not that even getting married is at the top of my to do list right at this moment, it just speaks to people's ability to take a step forward in life. An ability I don't currently have.
This last year has transformed me into a shade of the woman I want to be. Alex is the man I always hoped to find and more I've loved every minute spent exploring his personality and discovering how well we work together all through ups and downs. Our eccentricities fit together like two puzzle pieces. It seems that every good quality we each have is designed to deal with the faults of the other. So I guess really what I'm trying to say is that despite my feeling stuck, this has been an absolutely amazing year and I can waitto see what the coming years bring :]

Fire-y Explosion

The original photo I took 7/4/10 out in a random field in Tangent

And the Final photo that started out as a simple GIMP tutorial and turned into an all day passion.

Nicole's Random Pieces Of Information

I have a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head...a lot.

But usually I either ignore them or ponder them in solitude, rarely do I share them when I don't think they're worth listening to. Tonight one of those random thoughts popped into my head and then another one followed: "Nicole, why DON'T you share these thoughts? Someone might be entertained by them other than you..." and I had no answer for myself. So without further ado, straight from the mind of Stripes, comes some

1) The Sizzler in Albany used to have brown brick in their bathroom and in the far stall in the ladies room there was a cartoon frog drawn on the wall in sharpie. It was drawn very well and all through my child-hood I traced that frog with my finger every time we went to Sizzler, promising myself I would go home and draw it because I liked it so much. I never did and since then they've remodeled their bathrooms and alas the frog is gone. I still think of it every time I go there but I can't remember for the life of me what it looked like anymore.

2) When I'm really bored I think about how strange words are...Most every word sounds weird. Think about sounds, now pick a word, any word, and examine how sounds connect and intertwine to make that word. I especially enjoy the word "fandango" ffff-like a tire going flat. aaaannn-like a defeated scream ddd-like a unbalanced lawn mower idling above a rock aaaannn- also like a defeated scream ggg-like pepsi flowing begrudgingly from its bottle and ooo-like a fan's eternal monologue. Now put them together...a screaming lawn mower with a flat tire and over-cooled engine covered in pepsi.

Now that is definitely not the Spanish dance that is actually defined by the word "fandango"

3) A few years ago, I was opening a DVD case while standing in the bathroom (don't ask me why, I don't know) and I surprisingly managed to get that top sticker off in one piece. So to document my accomplishment I felt the need to place the sticker somewhere... One of my drawers (that holds brushes, q-tips, and so on)  is now labeled "Security Device Enclosed" but apparently my randomness has become the norm because none of my friends have ever commented...

4) Blame my mother. That is all