Where's my Orlando? and other random stuff....

Diary of a mad black woman is a GREAT movie.  I want an Orlando....

As I sit here watching this movie, I figure I could update my blog a bit. Wow, July 30th was the last time I posted.  A few things have happened since then...

I signed up for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.... however I'm on a waiting list because there are not enough little sisters in the program for all the big sisters that are.  They won't pair a big Sis up with a little bro because thats not the way their program goes.... so I wait. 

I joined Fine Arts League of Cary(FALC) to try and get my photography shown to the public.  Most of FALC's shows don't include photography though.... but I was able to get in one last weekend.  I was able to bring 4 framed pieces to display.  We were not allowed to sell or put prices on anything but it was great to talk to people and get compliments on my work!  Here's my 4 pieces hanging in the show....

 
In the same show was this painter - Dana Mario Wood - he was very good and had this huge picture of his wife that he had painted in the show.  Below he's talking with some visitors... they are watching his daughter - who was also very talented!  Behind them is the picture he painted of his wife.  Unfortunately I did not get a good picture of it... but you can visit his website (www.danamariowood.com) 

There were a bunch of other talented artists there as well.  It was held in the new Cary Arts Center which used to be the high school.  Very cool building.

While I was at that show, I found another group that focuses only on photography - Cary Photographic Artists (CPA).  They meet twice a month and do different shows throughout the year.  I went to my first meeting with them on Thursday.  It's going to be a fun and interesting group I think.  Looking forward to future meetings.  :-)

I ordered some more prints today to frame.... hopefully I will be showing other places besides Village Deli.  :-)  (Village Deli currently displays 5 of my works.)  

What's to come?  We shall see....   Hopefully I will find my Orlando soon.....     :-)  :-)  :-) 

Sailing!

Me and my friend Beth went to a sailing class today.  It was a lot of fun!  We had a good breeze... most of the time.  There were a few times we had no wind and were just floating.   Others times we were cruising pretty good.  Maybe I'll go again some day.  Anyways, here's some photos. :-)

Want to live in my house, let me see your auto insurance.

Yep.  Thats my new response for future roommates.... well at least if they use my address is on their drivers license.

Story:  So I received my renewal statement for my auto insurance ... and my roommate is on there! WTF!  How and why is he showing up on my insurance?  How do they even know he lives with me? And how can they add him without my approval? 

I call my agent at State Farm.  Apparently when my roommate got a new license he put my address on his license.  Ok.  He lives here, he can do that, what do I care.  Well DMV says some crap about if you live in the same household, you have access to whatever cars are in that household, so somehow, someway its ok for State Farm to add his name to my insurance without me even knowing about it.  But my agent reassures me he's not effecting my rate at all.  What?  That doesn't make it ok.  He doesn't drive my car.  He has his own car.  And the only reason he is not effecting my rates is because he has a good record.  Anyways, not the point.  The point is state farm added someone to my account without my approval or consent! 

Solution:  I have to prove he has his own auto insurance to take him off mine!  What?  He is renting a room in my house and I have to ask him for his CAR insurance??  Seriously?  Ridiculous!  So I talk to my roommate.... he has state farm too.  State farm can't figure this out in their own system?  I called my agent back.  He took car of it.

It's fixed now.  He has been taken off my insurance.  For now.

NOTE TO SELF:  Future roommates are not allowed to put my address on their license.  If they do, well.... just don't do it. 

30-day challenge

So as some of you may know, I have a photo blog as well as this one (http://april80512.blogspot.com/)  The idea behind the photo blog was to post a photo a day.... however, I'm terrible at keeping up and never remember to take a picture a day.

Many of you may have seen the 30-day photo challenge going around on facebook a few months ago.  I never did it but I'm going to do it now.... on my photo blog.  Its supposed to be a picture a day but it has certain criteria attached to it.  It may take me 90 days instead of 30, but at least I'll blog more.... although that could be a bad thing ;-)   

So if you are not following my photo blog, sign on and follow me!  (http://april80512.blogspot.com/) I need followers.... it motivates me :-)    And if you're not following this blog, you should be.  I like followers... although I'm not sure how my friends get so many people to follow them when I only have 8 followers....  Anyways, on to 1st day of the "30-day" challenge :-)

Life.... and misc ramblings......

As I sit here watching The Man from Snowy River (yes 1982 CLASSIC :-)   I think of all the things that i need to be doing, should be doing, people i need to talk to, people i miss.  But still I sit here and watch.  My mom and I have this movie memorized and could recite it word-for-word... it never gets old.

Anyways, LIFE.  Right now there are a million things i want to do and seem to be doing NONE of them.  I need to get out more, meet more people, go to new places, read my daily devotions, etc, etc, etc.... the list goes on and on.  But where do I start?  Good question....

So earlier I went to a friend's birthday party and met some new people.  While talking to these people I apparently joined a team - its pool, which i already play on Tuesday nights.  This team plays on Wednesday nights but same place i play on tuesdays.  I thought this team that I apparently joined did not start until next session..... i was wrong.  Its a different league and they are 3 weeks into their session.  So I start this week, on Wednesday.  I guess there's where I start!  New people but not new place... but a start to something anyways. 

I am doing some other things to make my life more exciting.... I am trying to join the Big Brother Big Sister program.  Apparently there is a waiting list for the big sisters part because there are not enough little sisters in the program.  I don't really understand why the little bros can't have big sisters?!?  My brothers had a big sister.... There is a shortage in big brothers so why can't they have a sister?  But its not the way their program is ran I guess so I'm on a waiting list.  They tell me possibly end of September something may be available. 

I would love to get into event planning.... but I don't even know how to get that started. 

I am (at least I think I am) putting some of my framed photography up at a Cary gallery... I think its just for a day though.  I'm also supposed to some work during the day to be able to display it for the day... not really sure on the details.  It's in August so I'll find out soon enough.  Anyways, we'll come back to that later.

Anyways, it's about that time to call it a night.... Actually its a bit earlier then my normal time but I'm trying to make myself go to the gym in the morning so the more sleep the better.  :-)   I do know that tomorrow I need to get my left headlight on my car fixed.... its probably not a good idea to drive "tipsy" at night with a headlight out... not saying I did that, just saying it probably wouldn't be a good idea ;-)   

Enough rambling.... until next time :-)  

National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest!

I entered in the NWF photo contest... check it out and vote for me :-)
http://www.nwf.org/PhotoContest/PhotoContestHome.aspx?perma=camenischcreations%40yahoo.com

Family Reunion.... I guess.

Wow!  I haven't posted since April 17th?!?!?  I'm terrible at this blog thing.  I'll try to be better... Well, a lot has happened since then and you may have been able to see some of it if you follow my photo journal (which just got updated today with a bunch of June stuff....) http://april80512.blogspot.com/  

But it would take me all night to update since then so I'm just going to start fresh.... well, almost fresh.... I'm going to back up a few weeks to Fathers Day Weekend.  This is the weekend we were having a family reunion.... or so I thought.  Apparently family forgot they were supposed to show up.  This is not something that was planned spur of the moment.  This is ongoing, every two years, since 2005, same weekend (fathers day), at the same place.  There is really no reason we had a terrible turnout.  I'm pretty sure we are not even going to plan another one since no one seems to care anymore...  Anyways, let me get off my soapbox now....

Don't get me wrong, we still had a great time with the hand full of people that showed up.  It was great to see my cousin Phillip and his beautiful family!  I had a great visit with aunt Vicky and am trying to get to Austin to visit her later this year.  John and his wife came up with their huge dog!  Corie drove up from the heat of Greeley for the day with her daughter Aviana.  Adam showed up for a while and sang songs about everyone.  :-)  It was a great time and loved visiting with everyone.  Enough talk  - heres some pictures!

  

Tornado !

Wow!  What a scary day yesterday.  We were hit with several tornadoes here in Raleigh and surrounding areas.  My house is fine but others are not.  There is a lot of damage everywhere.  I was playing in a pool tournament when this all happened.... was actually going to leave about 5 minutes before it hit but stopped and talked to some people... lucky too because I would have been directly in the path if I would have left.  So we sat in the dark pool hall for an hour... i made it home and my friends are all ok.  Heres a video of the storm going through Raleigh....
http://www.wral.com/weather/video/9454747/

OMG! I have 5 followers!

Yes definitely something to write about!   I've been meaning to update my blog for the last few weeks.... you see how that went.   Anyways, lots of things going on.  Village Deli now has 6 of my photos hanging in their restaurant!  Very exciting!  I just got back from a week in Florida.... had a great time with my parents in Disney and Universal.  It was great to sit on the beach and talk with my brother after dealing with crowds for 3 days.  I got new shoes... old news now.  So much going on I can't remember it all!

Ok so I have to run now... not literally... but its pool time so have to go to pool now.  Hopefully I will pick up some more followers.  The more I have the more it will motivate me to actually update this thing!   So signing off now but stay tuned for more to come :-)   

Photography and what not

I really need to blog more.  I did get one more follower since my last post... woo-hoo!  Working my way up :-)   So I've pretty much quit being a Stampin Up demonstrator.  There is just too many other things I want to do... plus I'm a terrible demonstrator!  I'm going to focus on photography.  I really love to do it and definitely do not do it enough!  The Village Deli in Morrisville is my first victim... they are displaying my work!  This is assuming I get things framed quick enough to get it up.  I tried to do that this weekend.... however I couldn't bring myself to pay twice as much for enlargements getting them from some where other than shutterfly... so I ordered them from shutterfly.  Shutterfly does a great job and they are cheap.  So my framing is delayed a week.... but I have frames! 

In other news, the NCAA basketball tourney is underway and I cannot seem to get anything done today with basketball on my TV.  There have been some great games so far and some great upsets.  Of course, my bracket is all screwed up but oh well.  Now I just root for the underdogs.  :-)   

I'm trying to get hard wood floors (or fake hardwood) in the first floor of my house.  I have a friend that does floors for a living and is supposed to come by some time to tell me how much its going to hurt my bank account. 

I'm going to Florida to visit my parents and my brother Brandon in April.  I'm very much looking forward to a little vacation.  Going to spend a few days in DisneyWorld... which should be fun!  I haven't been in a few years and I hope there's some new things there! 

So what else?  I'm not sure what else ... more to come later I guess :-)