201/365
Our beautiful rings from Elise's going away party! We so fancy!! I love/hate the plastic rings that are wedged in cupcakes, I usually wear them despite the fact that they are too small and still covered in icing.
202/365
A last hurrah beach day with Elise the day before she moved. The current was strong, so we played a game where we timed ourselves as we swam against the tide and then timed how fast it took to get back to our original location. It was a (totally un) thrilling way to spend our time! I enjoy drifting in water, however, and it took us only 45 seconds to overcome our 3 minute trek to 200 feet down from our car. Also look at those sexy tans, can you tell we work outside?
203/365
Elise moved. The morning was spent packing up the truck and we had a tearful goodbye before she left and I sat on the floor of our apartment, crying. I forced myself to go out a couple of hours later to the farmer's market with Stewie and Andrea, which cheered me up. We ate basil laden watermelon, Stewie gave me some red and yellow flowers, and I bought my own hand-picked watermelon from a local farm.
204/365
Elise's going away party :( A photo with the Triangle; Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
205/365
Laura and her majestic steed.
206/365
We attended a Great Horned Owl release for our Second Chances Rehabilitation Program. There were four juveniles who were ready to be released; three of them left with minimum convincing, including this one who flew right over our heads into the forest. However, the fourth owl was stubborn and insisted on remaining inside his crate. After the crate was disassembled around him and his towel pulled out from underneath him, he finally flew off into the surrounding trees.
207/365
Andrea and I went to The House of Rock for their anniversary block party. We drank beer, got pizza, saw old friends, watched some bands, and admired this wonderful bus that one of our friends served coffee out of.
208/365
Move-in day!! We spent all day moving 100+ lb furniture up three flights of steep stairs in 100+ degree weather! It was fantastic! Elise left me with a lobster shed from the Spiny Lobster she cared for at the aquarium, Mitch, who was one of the last things to be moved, along with some plants.
209/365
A perfect move-in dinner. Moving was HELL, but Chinese food does make up for it partially! Especially when eaten on the floor with friends.
210/365
One of the 'lil guys from the GHOW release! He was so alert and ready to go AKA he was a little bit terrified, but that's good news for a wild creature that is about to be released into the woods.
211/365
A close-up of Mitch, standing out as a statement piece in the living room of our new apartment.
212/365
The Blue Moon. My night photography is not the greatest, but I busted out my tripod and took this from the landing since I didn't want to miss out on a possible photo opportunity. I changed it to black and white to see if it made a difference and I like the effect, though it was already basically black and white.
213/365
Kendra's bridal shower! It was set in a beautiful clearing surrounding a bonfire pit at sunset, and we had a WONDERFUL mimosa bar set up with cutesy, pinterested glasses. So basically a fantastic photo set-up! Here's Kendra's hand with her special glass and bling ;) The lighting was gorgeous, I love golden hour.
214/365
Andrea and I went out for a celebratory dinner to celebrate being moved into our new apartment!! We went to Harrison's Landing, a restaurant right on the water, so we got to see the sunset over the marina.
215/365
This is not artistic…at all, but it is something new I've always wanted to try! My vodka watermelon was probably an ultimate failure, but I did it! My issues were I got a farmer's market watermelon (from the day Elise left) so it was dense and juicy, and I used open-top vodka so physics plugged it up most of the time. Oh well, you live and you learn.
216/365
A birthday gift from Clioh. I have the best friends.
217/365
A summer-time snack. Once the season hits I like to try to load up on all the light and airy foods that remind me of lazy suburban summer: pasta salad, iced tea, watermelon, popsicles,
218/365
Happy 25th Birthday to me :) My wonderful roommate woke me up with "Birthday" by The Beatles and cooked me sprinkle pancakes. She bought me a triceratops piñata, earrings shaped just like Kogi, and so much candy. She really made this birthday great. Can you tell the theme of 25 was dinosaurs?
219/365
This was the day tragedy struck. We were practicing Coco's segment after a show and the winds were blustery, but since Coco's wings are clipped we weren't truly worried about it. A strong gust caught him as he fluttered in a self-propelled moment of fear and carried him 100 feet into the air, up and over the roof of the aquarium. It was chaos. No one was expecting it, and only two people saw the ordeal. We spent the rest of the day searching diligently for him. At first, we expected him to be out on the lawn, or on the roof. He can't have gone far, he has no flight experience, no developed muscles, he doesn't have the necessary flight muscles…we searched until the sun went down. My party was scheduled for that night, but I firmly said it was cancelled until further notice. I cried on and off all day, my shoulders sagged, I was in a haze of disbelief. All of us reacted inappropriately to situations due to hysteria; Kelsey and I got our golf cart stuck in the mud while searching the nearby forest and laughed about it. When I got home late that night, my friend had brought us food she was intending for the party; a veritable feast. She saw me and opened her arms and I collapsed into them, crying. It was good to cry, and to eat.
220/365
In desperate need for a cheer-up, I went with Laura to an owl release. This time a juvenile grey Eastern Screech Owl was going to be released into the woods near her home in Kingsville. We hiked around the lake at sunset and being somewhere wild made my heart calm. Once in a secluded area, we opened the door and a grey plume shot from the crate. I was surprised at his speed, as the GHOWs had taken forever. Thus, I only got this last vestige as he left us.
This batch of photos leaves on a negative point in my story :( Unfortunately, we never found Coco. It is hard to describe the sadness of a fly-off, though I'm sure many of you who have had a pet run away know a similar feeling. The worst was the inability to do anything other than search endlessly for him, sunup to sundown. He is a small, grey bird with limited flight capabilities and we are a facility surrounded by water and fields. It is heartbreaking to think about. I hope that Coco is at peace, wherever he may be.
