Fresno, California

Jonathan leaves for boot camp on June 4. He graduates on or around August 6, at which time he’ll be told where his school will be located. Then he’ll be sent to A School within the few weeks following boot camp. At this point I will be 4-6 weeks to my due date. Since I want to be near him during his school – which lasts 6 months – I will be moving to wherever in the United States his A School is (though I have a sneaky suspicion that it’ll be in Pensacola, FL). So we will have roughly a month after his graduation to find a place to stay, then move ourselves, our cats, our dog, and our baby things to Who-Knows-Where, USA and get our little world ready to be rocked by a new baby.

The chaos of potentially moving cross country, coupled with the fact that we’re not really going to be experiencing an excess of money till Jonathan is well into boot camp, has our hands tied to buying only the barest of the bare necessities to keep Tessa alive, healthy and happy. Not only that, but I will have to be making the majority of our purchases without Jonathan – which is why it was so important to run the big buys by him BEFORE he leaves to be a tight pantsed sailor suit military man on June 4. That way I can buy the things on our list stress free and without any unpleasant “Here’s what I did with the checkbook while you were gone, honey!” moments.

So yesterday we spent the day in Fresno at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby with my friend Bree and her family. Bree is a supermom, who is a veritable guru of baby safety and practicality. Having her help us through the registry and the ins and outs of new parenthood was a life saver. For instance, we didn’t know we could take the jogger and baby car seat we were looking at buying out to our car for a test run. (Yeah, that thing was WAY too big. Potential disaster = averted.) And between using her children as experiments on products to practicing car seat safety on a Hello Kitty doll, Bree gave us the thorough 101 on essential baby purchases.

Halfway through our first stop at Babies R Us I got a huge stress headache. Those stores bombard you with useless crap that look so fun and indispensable. Then inadvertently adding up the price tags of the last 35 pointless diaper wipe warmers / Disney themed pacifier holders / Winnie the Pooh plushies was sending me into a financial meltdown. Again, I don’t know what I would have done without Bree there to keep me focused on the essentials!

A new baby on the way, a cross country move, yea, kind of stressful, but you shall be fine, these things have a way of turning into some of the best memories.

Check out Domestic Geek Girl !

Last Day, San Diego, California

The picture was taken on my last day in San Diego, California before I picked up and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. Should your amazing community be interested, they can follow my travels, here: http://ascampabroad.wordpress.com/

Pretty chilled for making such a big move the next day, love it!

California

Ocean Beach Spiral

bare feet, a rake or two, and a steady vision

Pretty cool. Check out Anna L Conti’s Flickr Photostream !

And here is a video about Jim Denevan and his art.

The Art of Jim Denevan

Los Angeles, California

(*I originally posted this on July 31, 2012.  At this point, I was getting the hang of drawing in Photoshop, though I still wasn’t really aware of dpi and document size.  This patio has since become a significant part of my life.  I go there a few times a week.  The place has turned into “The Stop-In Station” which includes the vintage store, a coffee shop/art gallery (Cafeina Galeria), the Eco Apothecary (which I recently drew), and Eden Condensed.  If you’re in the Silver Lake area you should stop by and draw/think/story tell with us.  3318 W Sunset Blvd. 90026)

I got some text down! This is more of (and literally) a yelp review than an autobiographic cell (or whatever it is that I’m doing).  Thank you  Artznet, Michelle Kogan, and Exokotoks for your feedback regarding text boxes!

Here’s the text (full of links!):

Hot Mess Vintage and Hot Mess Café mix fashion, art, and coffee.  The front of the small but long store is filled with vintage clothing and accessories with some cool looking framed art painted on the pages from books.  The back space is dedicated to a café and Sandra Zebi’s Gallery.  There’s also a lovely outdoor patio in the back.  The local artists emphasis (and woman power) of this place excites me!

I went to an opening there on Saturday showing the art of Sandra Zebi and Drica Lobo, two native Brazilians.  Zebi’s art features functional ceramics and bold contrasting colors.  Drica’s art uses mixed mediums to fill large canvases with images that reveal her love for riding, painting, and getting injured by mountain bikes (which explains her cast in my drawing).  She also paints some friendly looking cats!  I spotted a few familiar faces at the opening.   The conversations of locals, the smell of beer and whiskey, and the sound of the musician’s guitar flooded the lengths of the indoor and outdoor spaces at the venue.

I’m working on the text for this.  I’m not sure where to put the writing or how to size it.  I suppose I could just put a caption box at the bottom.  The artwork featured in the background is by the two women in the drawing.

We prefer no text, but that’s just us. Thanks for the insight into the process!

Check out Lorna Alkana Art !

San Francisco, California

I’m somewhat of a vintage junkie. I adore all things vintage and antique.  It’s not just the style and the look, it’s the history behind it. To me things that are vintage have a story to tell and that makes them that much more appealing.  As a writer, naturally I love stories.

Anyway, in the hours I’ve spent perusing Pinterest, I’ve come across some awesome vintage ads and photo shoots that not only emphasize a style I dig, but also represent a time in history I enjoy.

What a great find! That certainly was an era where even the ordinary was elegant!

Check out The Leiter Side Of Life !

San Francisco, California

Fishbowl continued

Very interesting drawing!

Check out Meg’s Daily Drawings !

Stanford, California

I had a fever from the flu and went on a spontaneous 1.5 hr walk all over campus to cool down.  In this picture I’m on my way to the mausoleum where the Stanford family is buried.

Nice shot, you must be pretty tough to go out and about with a fever!

Check out Almond Walnut !

California

Home in CA

Any cat time is a good time!

Learn about Nia, the barefoot exercise I teach at www.HelpYouWell.com

Terre Pruitt

Certified Nia Blue Belt/CPT

408-564-2649

terre@HelpYouWell.com

http://www.helpyouwell.com/

Nia Classes are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 9:00 am.  Also, TWO evening classes – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 pm.  All the information is on my site.  Check it out.   (Thanks!)

Nice shot! Kitty seems very content.

 

Angeles National forest, California

Foot Picture in the Basin Pool

A beautiful hike through the Angeles National Forest along the banks of Gold Creek leads to this delightful waterfall with a clean and clear (and COLD) pool that begs you to get in and play!

blahblahblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/trail-canyon-trail/

Great Shot!

And check out Blah Blah Blog’s Flickr Photostream !

Danville, California

A photo of some Nia teachers and students taking care of their toes and trying on cute shoes!  Share the Nia love!

Nia is a mind/body dance workout done barefoot to world and popular music. One word:  Nia is Joy!

Nice shot, NIA sounds interesting!

Check out San Francisco Bay NIA !

Santa Monica, California

22 Things Happy People Do Differently

There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within. The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, smiling and content with their life. Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.

The question is: how do they do that?

It’s quite simple. Happy people have good habits that enhance their lives. They do things differently. Ask any happy person, and they will tell you that they …

1. Don’t hold grudges.

Happy people understand that it’s better to forgive and forget than to let their negative feelings crowd out their positive feelings. Holding a grudge has a lot of detrimental effects on your wellbeing, including increased depression, anxiety, and stress. Why let anyone who has wronged you have power over you? If you let go of all your grudges, you’ll gain a clear conscience and enough energy to enjoy the good things in life.

2. Treat everyone with kindness.

Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that being kind makes you happier? Every time you perform a selfless act, your brain produces serotonin, a hormone that eases tension and lifts your spirits. Not only that, but treating people with love, dignity, and respect also allows you to build stronger relationships.

For the remaining 20 things that happy people do differently, please head over to this post at Bucket List Publications !

California

Back in the day when I was bored, I had nothing but fashion magazines to keep me occupied. My artist side took over and made these collages embellished with nail polish.

Fantastic work!

Check out Straight From The Tube….. !

San Diego, California

In Thrift Traders in North Park. San Diego, CA.

Good Choice!

Check out TOKIDOKI !

Oakland, California

Blue In Oakland, CA

Even though my favorite color is blue, I would have not thought to get my toenails painted blue until November 2012.  I teach a cardio dance exercise called Nia.  Nia assigns belt colors to the different levels of training.  In November 2012, I took the 50+ hour training intensive to become a Nia Blue Belt.  I was not the only one who thought to have her toenails painted blue in honor of our new belt.  Since then I have had my toenails painted blue.  Even though Nia is an aerobic dance workout we do it in bare feet!  I teach Nia classes in San Jose, CA.

Nia sounds great and nice shot!

Check out Terre Pruitt’s San Jose, CA Nia classes at www.HelpYouWell.com !

 

Redondo Beach, California

We made it through the winter. And what a time it has been. I don’t even realize that so much time has gone by. I’ve been in the US for over 3 months now. It’s past the point where I can say I just got back; past the point where I can say I’m still adjusting. Now that spring is here, I feel a subtle sense of accomplishment. My mind has been going back and forth, sometimes rejoicing in the beauty of life and others struggling for air. Spring has come. And although it doesn’t look like it, I feel a change within myself that could only come from a season of doubt and breath and fear. Nothing has settled in this time and most things are still in flux. But nonetheless, I feel stronger and more open to the serenity of stillness in life.

Yea,  Spring is a time for renewal and growth!

Check out Spiritual Heart & Traveling Soul !