Future Vacations!

A couple weeks ago we went to the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Expo.  It was really cool cause it had just a ton of booths from so many places around the world to visit.  I have to admit that we will probably never be able to afford to go to most (like the $5000 African Safari), but it was just inspirational to see all the places you COULD go!

Last year I made the goal to travel more, see the world.  So far we've done pretty well - Hawaii, Southwest Road Trip, Grand Canyon, etc.  So here are a couple places that we definitely have on our short list, as in the next year or so!

These are the reasons that (even though I so don't want to) I go to my day-job everyday.  I know that I'm tired & grumpy & hate it, but I just keep thinking about all the cool places that we are going to go to!

My family is planning a trip this Summer.  We are so going to take a mega-road trip up to Yellowstone!

This is the BIG ONE!!  We want to go on an Alaskan Cruise next summer.
And with this one, we can totally try Dog-Sledding! Awesome!!!!

Yosemite isn't that far from where we are.  We can totally hit Sequoia National Park & Yosemite in one medium-sized road trip!

Road Trip Tricks & Tips

Growing up we never really took family road trips.  We drove places, but it would be like overnight to my grandma's house.  We never stopped at the quirky road-side, Biggest-Ball-Of-Yarn type places.  My husband on the other hand, likes to drive around for fun, just driving with no destination.

Now I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea of road trips.  I want to drive all sorts of places & stop at all the odd-ball historic markers, eat at the weird dinners, etc.  So here are just a few things we learned on our South Western travels....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Never, ever leave home without it.

My in-laws got it for me, and we actually used it.We got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere & called to have them fix it. Awesome!  If you know you will be on some crazy 2 lane highways in the country, GET IT!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get the Roadside America App for your phone!
It's amazing, you can search for all of those neat off-the-beaten-track places.
I think the best places we visited came from this App.
GET IT!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here are a few misc tips that any well prepared road tripper must know & do:

• Make a car emergency kit. Include things like a flash light, water, snacks like protein bars, toilet paper, paper towels, Windex, first aid kit, etc.  We used almost all these things during our travels.
• Stay at Motel 6.  We stayed at a few different motels, but Motel 6 was definitely the best place for the price.  Clean rooms at a good price.
• Give yourself time.  We felt rushed cause we didn't give ourselves enough time to visit all the places we wanted.  The time spent getting to your destination is as important as the destination.
• Buy a postcard or magnet.  We get a postcard and magnet from every place that we visit.  It's just a physical reminder of all the places we've been.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are a few pics that we took on our adventure....

UFO Museum in Roswell New Mexico.

The O.K. Corral in Tombstone Arizona

Antelope Canyon in Page Arizona.
This was one of the most beautiful places. Was so unreal it looked fake.

Grand Canyon.  It was snowy & all the trees looked dead & I like how creepy this picture looks.

Awesome place we visited.  It was called Gold King Mine Ghost Town - in Jerome Arizona.
It was a cool ghost town / junkyard with tons of old cars, machines, barnyard animals, etc.
It probably the most surprisingly spectacular place we visited.
Found using the Roadside America App!!!

New Year, New Resolutions!

Me at the Big Texan Steak Ranch,
the place that sells the 72 oz. Steak challenge!

Lance & Me on our Road Trip!  This is the Grand Canyon!

So it's 2012. Damn.

So with the start of the new year, I've made some New Year's Resolutions....

1.  BLOG MORE - Okay, so I know I said I was going to blog more, like months ago, but I actually have a good reason for skipping.  I was commissioned to be in a Felting Book!  Yep, it's a project book so I had to make the projects & write all the instructions for them.  It was a lot of work.  I'll give you guys more info as the book's publication comes close!

2. LOOSE WEIGHT - This one is pretty standard.  I was doing so good last year, lost almost 20 lbs for the wedding.  Well marriage makes you lazy I guess, cause all that hard work is almost gone!  But we just got a Fitness Bike today, so that resolution is about to get under way!

3. COOK MORE - I hate cooking, and this doesn't help with resolution #2.  But I got a Crock-Pot for X-Mas & love using it!  I've been pretty good so far, so gonna keep going with it!  Got lasagna & my favorite dessert, MOCHI cooking as we speak.

4. FOCUS ON BUSINESS - I have some great ideas, why not make them?  It's my goal this year to not have to go back to my day-job.  I have another business in the works, too.  My husband happens to be an AMAZING photographer.  I'm working on setting up a shop for his prints, and make some fun photo-based crafty projects.  Be prepared to see fun felt & decoupage projects coming this year.

5. TRAVEL - I love traveling.  Got the bug last year when we went to Hawaii.  Since then we've been trying to figure out how to become globe-trotters!  Already did some over Christmas, went went on an epic road trip across the Southwest from Los Angeles to Dallas.  I've got some killer picts to share with you soon!  We have a trip to Yellowstone National Park in the works this summer with my family too!

So that's it...  Doesn't seem too bad...  We'll see!

MIssing Hawaii... already!

Last month, my husband & I took a trip with his family to the Big Island,  Hawaii.  It was my first time there (his 10th or something) and I think I have found my place in this world.  There is something magical about being surrounded by so much beauty & the spirit of "Aloha".  It's a place that EVERYBODY has to visit at some point in their lives.  We didn't go to Honolulu or any place that touristy, but Hilo, more of the local, real Hawaii.  I used to dream about visiting this unbelievable place, but NOW it's my dream to move there & make art!  What a place to live & be inspired everyday!

ahhh... someday...

My talented husband took so many beautiful photos while we were in Hawaii. 

Oh, Yea, that's LAVA, baby!!
Totally took a helicopter ride over the Volcano! No doors, you could feel the heat!

These turtles were just spending a lazy day sun-bathing on the sand!  We went snorkeling at this black sand beach, and was so awesome to swim with them! Surreal!

My totally awesome camera ROCKED!  Underwater feature was so worth the $

Starting Anew...

So I know I haven't written a blog post in over a year...
sorry...

BUT, I think I'm ready to start fresh & new!  It's been a busy year.  Births, Deaths, Marriages, Vacations, Work.  I've made a few new sculptures in the last year that, experimented with new techniques, and am inspired to create & share!

I want to get my Etsy shop back up & running & have a few exciting opportunities on the horizon.  Get ready for some awesome new FELTED FUN!!!

Thanks

Chrissy M.
(used to be "Chrissy P." but getting married kinda changes that!)  And yes, we did get married in Vegas... by Elvis!  A dream come true!

What a Week!!

So last week was pretty awesome (hence the reason there was no posting). Last Wednesday was my 30th Birthday!! Lance & I went on a vacation... VEGAS BABY!! I love Las Vegas!! We did spend quite alot on the Penny Slots, but I also just love walking around the strip. We spent a good 9-10 hours each day just walking. I love stopping in the casinos & walking around the malls. We didn't buy anything, but it was fun just looking & watching people. Here are some picts from out super fun trip!!







A beautiful picture that Lance took of the fountains at the Bellagio. This is probably one of favorite things in Vegas! It makes me so happy!!












The typical "Party" shot that needs to be taken in Vegas. I have to admit that I didn't get drunk AT ALL!!! We were to full of food & RockStar Energy Drinks to drink much. But felt the need to have the shot!












Lance's first trip to Hoover Dam. It's really beautiful there, but also DAM hot!! It's a nice day-trip if you have the time. About 45 minutes from Vegas.












They are building a giant bridge across the valley of the dam. It's so huge! This picture looks like I'm standing in front of some sort of fake, printed backdrop!














And a decent picture of me! We were at our traditional breakfast at Terrible's Casino. It's the kind of place that has like $5 steak & eggs breakfast. Needed coffee cause it's amazing how you can be hanging out in Vegas & the next thing you know, it's like 3 am. So crazy!!

I love Vegas & miss you already!!!







And I have some drawings to share tomorrow!! I have been working, just needed a break. Have to finally finish the Sparrow today & then working on a fun little project!!

Hawaiian Dreams....

So I don't know what it is... It could be the fact that my mom is going on a Caribbean Cruise next week, or the the T-Shirt Lady is blogging from Jamaica, or that the EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival is themed this, or that I just started my Day-Job a couple days ago... but I'm dreaming of a VACATION!! I don't have the excuse of being snowed in all winter like many of you, but I don't remember the last time I went on an official Vacation (not just visiting friends or family).



If I could go on vacation anywhere, I think I would go to Hawaii!! My boyfriend is Hawaiian & his whole family is amazed that I've never been there. I love going to the Hawaiian Festival every year here in L.A. I love watching the Hula Dancers, and love vintage Hawaiian themed stuff like advertisements, figurines, kitchen stuff, etc.






I also love Plumerias!! They have quickly become my favorite flowers!! I have 4 small plumeria plants that don't have flowers yet but I haven't killed them, so not too bad!! There are so many varieties, some smell so sweet, and the colors are so vibrant & different!! I think if I were to get more tattoos, I would get some plumeria flowers to surround the rose on my shoulder.







This is a painting by Mark Ryden. I like this image, and it shows that so many people are inspired by the Hawaiian culture. I can confirm from personal experience, that the laid-back, slow-going, no-pressure, no-stress stereo type of the Hawaiian is actually pretty accurate (as far as my boyfriend goes!!) He's so level headed, on the quiet side, but totally balances me out. I'm pretty high-stress & anxious, but he is always there to remind me that there are more important things than work, money, worries. This weekend was our unofficial 2 year anniversary, we didn't do anything special & I'm pretty sure he didn't remember, but that's okay. We don't need to do anything extra special to celebrate, we have fun every other day.

So we'll see... being poor kinda puts vacation planning on hold for a while... But I'm not getting any younger (turning 30 in a few months)... We should make the effort.

Holiday Inspiration!!

My Christmas vacation was awesome!! Spent a ton of time with the family, ate too much, drank too much, got a cold, watched WAY WAY WAY too much cable t.v., and didn't do anything crafty what-so-ever. My lack of motivation to create anything was forgotten after my Mom, Dad, and I went to see an amazing holiday (I call it ART) exhibit.









We went to an ICE SHOW!! It was all Grinch themed and was full of beautifully carved and painted ice sculptures. I call this an "Art Exhibit" because you just have to admire the skill & talent of the unnamed artists. It was very inspiring to see some great sculptures, and to remember that it doesn't matter what medium you choose to create with, but what you do with it!!










It was stupid cold in the exhibit, like 5˚... yes, I said 5˚!!!! They gave you a giant parka coat to wear, they had a huge ice slide and much needed hot chocolate at the end of the exhibit. Luckily we went on a weekday after Christmas, but usually the line to get in to the Ice Show is hours long. It was a great experience & after years of my family talking about going, I'm glad we finally made it.

I'm back......

So my vacation was AWESOME!!! We had so much fun, although Lance did say that he likes Nebraska better than Dallas! I think it's that he had so much fun running around on my Aunt's farm with the animals & quiet country-type living for a day. We ate WAY too much, drank WAY too much, and it went by WAY too fast.

So today... back to work! I have another custom order, plus want to make a present for Lance's cousin's birthday. Day-Job is officially over, great to get some money saved up...

BUT...

Didn't get into that craft show I wanted. BOOO!!! Kinda bummed about it, took a big hit on my motivation (and self esteem). But it is what it is, right? Maybe that just means that there will be more Day-Job work coming up & it would have interfered with crafty work. So I guess I gotta get back into blogging everyday. Right now it seems like a daunting task, but I promise that I will get back into it! I guess I gotta get working on new stuff so I have something to write about!

Here are a couple of my most favorite picts from my weekend!


Picture of my beautiful family! We got to go out to breakfast at my favorite restaurant in Omaha, Summer Kitchen!! They have the best cookies in town!










A picture of me and my brother. I still don't know if we look that much like each other.













Me and my man. He is way more good looking than me!! And look! He's almost smiling in this picture!!












Lance and my mom trying to warm up by the bonfire. The Halloween party was awesome! It was soooooo cold that night, like in the 30's, so we mainly stuck to the fire-side. My uncles and his sons made a Haunted House in the barn & a Haunted Hay-Rack Ride in the pasture. We roasted s'mores & hotdogs over the fire, and got to see like a million stars! It was an awesome night!

VACATION HERE I COME!!!

OMG... I am so ready for my vacation tomorrow. I just finished up my scenic job yesterday, so today I gotta run around & catch-up on errands that I haven't gotten to do for the past 3 weeks. Then tomorrow we are off to Nebraska to visit family. These past 3 weeks have gone by so fast & now I officially deserve a vacation!! My shop is on Vacation mode for the next couple days, but I'll be back to business by next Tuesday!

So FYI... FeltedChicken will be back next week!!! YEA!!! I hopefully will have some good news when I get back from Nebraska & I'm sure I will have lots of picts!! Hang on with me just another couple of days, then you'll get your super-awesome-fun FeltedChicken blog back!!!

Hope everybody has a great weekend, and a super fun Holiday!