I turn squares into dresses and look good doing it.

I have really gotten interested in this sewing business.

In fact, I really like it!

I can absolutely, positutely, not-half-assedly check off #8, to make a dress I will actually wear.

I made this dress:

Turns out I didn't take a good picture of my dress that night.
This is it - just take that green fabric down to my knees.
(... I'm on the left.)

for my birthday this year. And it looks cute 'n all, but at the time I was not all that excited to wear it again. Partially because I was cheating and hadn't really finished it - the zipper didn't match up, I didn't actually hem it, and it fit funny in the bodice.

I cast it aside, but was nowhere near giving up. I am simply amazed, every time, when this long stretch of folded fabric becomes something wearable. I found another pattern and some beautiful fabric from bon bon and made this cuteness:

[Picture coming soon, lo siento!]

I wore it to my cousin L's baby shower and her sister (another cousin, of course) complimented me, saying it was cute. When I blurted (with pride!) that I made it myself, she absolutely inflated my ego and asked if I would make the flower girl dress for her wedding in September. How do I properly illustrate bursting with sunshine and happiness in a blog? It's basically that I felt like this:

but all of that colorful wonderfulness was inside. Pictures will be up soon, but I haven't felt this proud about an accomplishment in a long time. I look at it and beam. It's hanging up in my loft just so that I see it when I wake up and affirm that I am freakin' awesome.

PLUS I have turned birthday dress into a kind of Franken-dress; adding pockets, taking in the sides, and basically trying anything new on that dress. And I like it enough that I wore it to work, so we have us a checked-off #8 !

Hold on to that Fee-lay-ee-ay-ing (#17 - Caught in the Rain)

One of my favorite memories will always be of my novio and me walking across a boardwalk at SeaWorld in the rain singing Journey while my sister peers back at us from under her umbrella as if we have finally cracked.

That's right - I got caught out in the rain and had no choice but to like it. So we had fun!

My amazingly energetic sister had a full day planned for us at SeaWorld when we visited her back in June. As in, a full TWELVE HOURS of shows to watch, dolphins to feed, penguins to meet, sting rays to pet, rides to ride and Shamus to spray us with their massive tails. It was a tight schedule, not helped by our tardiness from staying with friends 40 minutes away and rolling out of bed late.

We had already watched, fed, met, pet, and ridden through to the afternoon when the rain moved it. (We later learned that Florida, similar to Hawaii or other island nations, generally gets rain showers in the afternoon.) This day it poured. We watched a show from under the awning of the theatre (the trainers and animals are already wet - they perform as long as there isn't lightning!) and by the end the water was easily 7 inches deep at the floor of the stands. Lots. Of. Rain.

But Shamu started soon and he was the last thing on our list of things to do! It was either wait longer and possibly miss the show or suck it up, take our shoes off and go for it. Oh, except for Martha - she had an umbrella big enough for one. (To her credit, she tried to share... but umbrellas are difficult!)

Halfway down the boardwalk Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" comes on over the speakers. And I'll be darned if I didn't take a dance break right there with dramatic arm movements, air guitar and screaming/singing noises. Novio even joined in, and we had a nice little moment in the rain.

Lesson learned: It's definitely worth it to spend some time in the rain if you're with the right people. And if you take your shoes off.

Future Updates for my Poor, Forgotten Blog

Kudos to the bloggers who keep a schedule, for they shall inherit the interwebs. Hopefully I can just keep my audience, which is full of four people who already like me so I should be safe.

As I've explained before, even if I'm not writing on this blog, my list is pretty much on my mind daily and there have been some exciting advancements!

The next posts will address:

1. Getting Caught in the Rain

2. Making a ridiculously cute dress

3. Learning - or not - a Third Language

4. Alterations to a few items (#3, 6, 9) (No, I didn't plan for that to be so pattern-ish.)

And they will address them soon! (As in, I will write at least one of them, like, rightnow.)

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

I owe Rick Leesman an apology.

But that's ok because I WENT TO DISNEYWORLD!!

It was a wonderful experience with awesome friends which means List Item #19 gets a very Magical Check!

Novio and I took a trip to steamy, rainy Orlando, FL. It was a very convenient coming together of circumstances. We had finally started making much-talked-about-never-acted-on plans with our friends Rick & Lindsey when my sister, Martha, got an internship at SeaWorld. That sealed the deal. Tickets booked, bags packed and we're there.

Friday was devoted to SeaWorld - more on that in the next post!

We arrived at the park around noon and had zero problems with traffic, parking or ticket lines. I'm never going to have that easy of a time getting into a park again. (Other than the price. OUCH.)

And Disney greeted me with a parade! I can see that this is not going to be the magical dream land that I had been imagining. It was too late - I had hit the threshold of suspending reality and I know that there are people in those larger-than-life costumes, and that they are probably hot, sweaty and want to go home.

But after my initial freak-out I had a BLAST with the experience. Because I freaking love Disney. And I like that I saw Pooh and Tigger walking around, followed by pirate adventures and a Buzz Lightyear rescue mission. And I like that I convinced myself that riding the "It's a Small World" was on my list of things to do... which it wasn't. (Sorry, Rick!) But I'm still glad I went. :)

Turns out I made my friend Rick go on a ride he
hates because I thought it was on my list.
It wasn't.

It was difficult to walk coming off this ride!

I got in line to see the princesses with the girls who are one-fifth my age and able to walk under the red satin line dividers without noticing hitting their heads or noticing the other five-year-olds they're insulting by inadvertently cutting. I'm kind of nervous. What do you say to a princess, even if they're just acting? Lucky for me they asked questions first.

Cinderella, Belle and Aurora asked about my "Prince Charming," my "Beast," and how long we had enjoyed a "Happily Ever After."

And my independent, yuppie, feminist little heart screamed while my excited brain produced variations of "wonderful!" and smiled for the camera. But seriously?? As a bookworm from Kindergarten, I liked that Belle cared about books more than boys and that she sure as heck wasn't buying the book that the town or Gaston were selling. And that her prince wasn't perfect. And that her dad was a little crazy but lovable and had terrible driving horse riding habits. But now she's all married and just wants to know that you will be soon, too. (Isn't there an episode of Sex and the City devoted to this topic? Or maybe a whole season?)

Carrie Bradshaw's worst nightmare?

And really, I'm being way too analytic and cynical for someone who was still giddy to be at Disney. Plus after Disney we went to Epcot to enjoy the fact that we are, in reality, 17 years older than 8.

And that was a wonderful experience to have with my Prince Charming.

Not my real novio, but they do have similar tendencies... 

There he is! :)

You've survived another week at work - what are you gonna do now?

I'm going to Disneyworld!!

(How young are you if you don't remember those commercials? Shoot, how old am I if I remember the one with Nancy Kerrigan??)

But for realz, we're going to Orlando and we're going to go to DISNEYWORLD!! Lifelong dream and the only reason I ever had to resent my parents come true! (Seriously though? They went on their own and left me at home. AT HOME!)

I feel like an oversized 8-year-old, but the following things are on my list:

1. Meet Belle from Beauty and the Beast
2. If Gaston is there, punch him in the face. (Though, he disappears into the mist when he falls off that roof, so he might not make it there...) (Does Disneyworld let the villans in, too?)
3. Touristy photo in front of the castle
4. Spin on the teacups
5. Basically, live the commercial dream!

Just pretend that's me second from the left, and Novio second from the right.

We're also going to Sea World with my sister for quite literally ALL of Friday. But we'll get to hang out with penguins!!