17

On Sunday, December 28th, Steve and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  Back in good ol' 1991, we headed off to Cork County, Ireland to say our "I-Dos" and 6,205 days later, there we were, sitting at The Native in Costa Mesa, CA, enjoying a scrumptious vegan dinner and even topping it off with a vegan cupcake for dessert.

I really don't have the words to express how much he means to me or how grateful I am to have a partner by my side who always puts my happiness first, always believes in me, and actually enjoys the funky quirks & idiosyncrasies that make me "me."  I will just say that there is no other person who could ever fill his shoes and absolutely no other person I would want to.  I feel like our journey has only begun and I can't wait to blog about #34, seventeen years from now.

On Monday (day number 6,206), I went up to get ready for bed and found these little notes scattered at each stop along my "getting-ready-for-bed" routine path: pajama drawer, toothbrush holder, facial wash bottle, pillow, etc. 

Awww ...what a lucky girl I am.

~ j-boo

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Octopus Love

A few months ago, I did a photo shoot with the incredibly talented, Michelle X. Star (www.MichelleXStar.com) for a duel creative project with the painter, CallowLily (www.callowlily.deviantart.com), who is going to paint a version of this photo. It was extremely fun to shoot and the editing work that Michelle did on the photo really blew me away. She made my octopus TRULY come to life!

**Makeup by the lovely Shandra Jade**

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The Rainy Day

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Circumstances

 

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw

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"Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality..."

Every time I see this, it just makes me smile.

Thank you, Jon Stewart.  Thank you.

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Tranquil Perceptions

Dreamlike state...
Thoughts saunter off
to visit the mysterious inscriptions of her heart.

The clandestine expressions
are merely moments of imagination;
involuntary visions in slumber.

Awake to a resemblance of reality,
to the mode of existence
that unceasingly remains.

- j-boo



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I Love Text Tattoos

Rex Manning (aka tattoo) Days are always among my most favorite of times and are especially fun when we get to hang out with our longtime friend and longtime tattoo artist, Nate. He and Marie headed over to our neck of the woods with tattoo gear in tow and after endulging in some yummy vegan pizza, I was lucky enough to add some new ink to my skin.

1) Vegan Jinxi: we squeezed this one right above Miss Octopus that resides on my throat/chest





2) I dig this next text tattoo that we added to my shoulder, because not only is it the title and lyrics to my favorite of all of The Cure's songs, but I love the positive message behind it as well. There is no if, baby!



3) Knuckle tattoos are always fun and this one is, well, ME. (he he)
I had Nate tattoo my signature to this blog and other writings that I do: j boo



YAY for Rex Manning Days!!

The rest of the weekend was groovy as well. We scurried around the mall in Riverside for a bit, as the kids picked out a few new pieces to their wardrobes and enjoyed the time out and about (even it was at the lame-ass mall - ha ha).

Work has been keeping me hopping lately. Even with the economy the way it is, customers still manage to squeak in some shopping from my store here and there; and I definitely appreciate each and every order.

www.Mermaidink.com

It's full of collectibles, charms, pins, stickers, figurines, patches, keychains, shoelaces, buttons and all sorts of gift-type goodies (in case you know anyone looking for such sorts). ;)

Over and Out,
j-boo

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Tofurkey Day '08

I know it's quite belated, but I have been meaning to write about Thanksgiving and somehow, the week has run away from me. But I figured that it's better late than never, eh?

We had such a great T-Day out in Temecula at Brooke and Ryan's (my sister and bro-in-law) house. It seems so seldom that we all get to be in one place, at one time, for a WHOLE day; and it was really nice to just relax, hang out with the kids and family, eat, and not have to worry about work and other tedious tasks for once.

Though I have been a vegetarian for many years, this was my FIRST year preparing a vegan Thanksgiving meal to bring with us to the feast. Steve and I ate strictly vegan goodies all day, while our kiddos are vegetarians and shared Tofurkey with us and then were able to eat most of the other dishes along with the extended family. Our vegan-ized mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread and pies were quite a hit. I think even the omnivores among us would agree. ;)

Below are lots of photos from the day. Those in attendance included:

- me & my fabulous gang
- my sister Brooke, her husband Ryan, and their three kiddos: Devon, Mekenzie & Jordan
- my mom
- my brother, Brad
- my sister, Nicole & two of her four kids (Blake and Damian)

Good times, good times!

Over & Out,
j-boo

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