Hoooot!

Owl be sure to have a good time tonight!

clue two

Shhh..I know I should be studying, but look how much fun I've been having! We had visitors all last week (which I will blog about next), and with school and interviews and such I haven't had any time to work on my costume. My sister left me a voicemail saying she had come up with the best costume for this year and wanted me to be the first to know what it's going to be... then, as she was leaving the message, she thought better of it and decided to hold her idea ransom until she figured out what mine was. SO, costume time it is!! Behold, clue(s) two:

I got a few more kinds of fabric at the thrift store, the one on the top is this really cute table cloth and for the costume I think it will add just the right touch.

After being jealous of Carol's craft mat I finally got my very own one last week at the fabric store. I love it so much! In fact the first time I have gotten to use it was earlier today when I was pasting together a graph for my biology lab report. I go to a real college I swear. But, also pictured are a pair of fabric scissors that I inherited from my grandma. I love that I got a pair, she used a number of different ones, and they are a real solid reminder of her for me. Every time I sew I hope she's checking out my latest project.

The pattern...

And the work station.. see my biology notes in the corner? I was studying at one point today..


Kind of a mess, but so much fun! Do you know what I'm going to be??

it's that time of year again!

Okay folks, here is the first peek at my Halloween costume. I am really, really excited about it! In fact, as soon as I post these pictures I am going to start cutting that fabric!

I've got a couple more fabrics, but I think they might be in JP's car. Clue two should be ready soon!

the whilrwind that was september

Well, September, you are just about gone! Real life is turning out to be just as chaotic (in a much, much different way) than my life this summer. I suppose that's just how it goes, right? In any case, lots has been happening around here. But first, I will start with the one thing that hasn't been happening lately: my car. No word from anyone, although JP did think he spotted it on his way home from work the other day and stealthily followed it for a few blocks...alas it wasn't my car, just one of the thousands that look exactly like mine minus the good old MN rust and the snarky bumpersticker. I've let it go for the most part, and the insurance company will let it go as well this Thursday if it hasn't been found by then. Finding another vehicle for me should be interesting, and I am sure picture worthy as well, so don't think for a minute that I would leave you all out of the fun when the time comes.

What else...I passed my CNA recertification exam with flying colors!

Well, since it is just a pass/fail thing, I am left only to assume that the colors were flying, but either way I am done with the anxiety that comes with preparing for a practical exam with just youtube and some hastily scratched notecards. PHEW. The elise-goes-to-PA-school planets are finally starting to align and a job at a hospital is hopefully soon to come! Passing this exam of course just means that it is time to study for the next exam(s), which seem to be never ending. Luckily I am doing alright in my classes, and with no job for the moment I can use this time to start studying for the GRE. The fun just never ends when you are a perpetual student!

In other news, although you already know that I survived Hwy 50 in Nevada, otherwise known as The Loneliest Road in America, this summer, I now have Nevada's gift to me on my refrigerator to prove it:

and on my lapel (if I had one):

As part of the tourism schtick for Hwy 50, you can get a passport when you enter the sate and get a stamp for each of the towns along the route.

Since there was nothing else to do while in that state other than bike forever, I got my passport filled up and after moving and unpacking I found it at the bottom of my camelbak and mailed it in for a present from the state of Nevada. Somehow it redeems the state just a little bit, and it reminds me how proud I was of all of us for making it through such a challenging place in one piece.

Lastly, I have gotten in a bunch of family time lately. A few weekends ago I flew to Ohio for my cousin's wedding and had a great time catching up with everyone and getting to see my parents again for a few days! Weddings are my favorite, and growing up in an Irish Catholic family we went to four or five every summer. I got to see my cousins all the time! It's slowed down a lot since then, and the last wedding on that side of the family was over two years ago. Needless to say, it was a beautiful celebration and a much needed mini reunion of sorts to boot! I also got to see some cousins this past weekend in Boulder for Sep's third birthday! Molly and Phil and their little brood were in town from Chicago and we celebrated Sep's birthday with a picnic and a hike that for some included a bear sighting!

Here we are post-hike, but somehow without catching a glimpse of the bear that we apparently hiked right past..

So that's the compacted update for the past few weeks of settling back in. I am ready for fall to be here, and am getting in the mood for baking pumpkin bread and knitting some christmas presents. I'm plotting out my Halloween costume already, and am really excited about it! Oh, it is going to be great. I'll put up some pictures of the preliminary supplies and crafting soon so you can get in on the excitement as well.