365 101-112

101/365

National Pet Day!! These two baby birds are my favorites, even though one is terrified of the world around him and the other has a ridiculous amount of pin feathers on her head right now and is a queen bitch. I love them so much.







102/365

I have a hard time deciding which pictures I like best when it involves glowing lights. If you know me, you know I ADORE fluorescent, neon lights and therefore am automatically attracted to carnivals like a moth drawn to the flame. Sometimes a small roadside carnival pops up on the side of the highway in the mall parking lot. I noticed it from down the way after a dinner of fajitas and margaritas and, just like the year before when I won a goldfish named Scully and played ringtoss with friends, I went to take photos of the rides lit up in the darkness. Carnivals remind me of summer - of long days, fried food, and rattling roller coaster carts on tiny tracks that are barely up to code.



103/365

A little pink house, abandoned across the road from one of my downtown watering holes.



104/365

Rex, our Silkie chicken with the cross-beak who we weren't sure would survive to adulthood, is now performing in shows as the partner to Echo, our Barred Rock hen who lost her own partner - Charlie - a couple of months ago. One of my goals is to take more photos of training sessions so that we have more action shots, and I have more concrete memories of these moments.



105/365

Our first beach bonfire of the season. I love a good bonfire - the gritty feel of sand, the smell of smoke permeating layers of clothing, and the sound of waves crashing in the distance. It's pure love.



106/365

Easter Sunday!! Usually Easter is spent eating a decadent meal with family (involving ham of some sort), or setting up Easter Eggs hunts in our house, or decorating Easter Eggs. This year I decided that I wanted to decorate eggs, having missed out the previous year, so I bought a tie-dye kit for coloring, a carton of eggs, and a six-pack. My eggs turned out beautiful, and as a final touch I poured iridescent glitter on top of them while wet. They sparkled and shone.



107/365

Laura's friend came for a visit so we went to Harrison's Landing for din dins.



108/365

DOG. IN A DINOSAUR COSTUME. I REPEAT - DOG IN A DINOSAUR COSTUME.


!!!!



109/365

An amaretto sour in honor of National Amaretto Day!



110/365

A tiny jellyfish in a sea of blue.





111/365

Andie was doing a board and train with this cute little shih tzu named Sergio, but Laura REFUSED to let me take a photo of him. Every time I whipped out my camera to get a shot, she blocked me. Finally, I was able to get some cute shots of his tootsies!!




112/365

On Earth Day, I was able to participate in the National March for Science. At first I didn't know if we were even going to have one, considering the size of our town and the culture of slacktivism or even straight-up denial or ignorance. Luckily, I got word that a march was scheduled to walk along the seawall in the morning, so I went. I didn't end up making a sign, which I sort of regret, but I did show up and got some great photos of other people's amazing signs. We all marched down the seawall together, chanting and brandishing signs (while I snapped photos), and ended at the science museum, where we listened to inspiring speeches by local scientists. I finished out the day by attending a BEAUTIFUL wedding on the coast where we danced, indulged in the open bar, and ate our weight in mac 'n cheese. Best Earth Day ever!

---

Oh, I'm behind. I was doing so well and suddenly BAM life happened. Isn't it always the way?

The good news is that I'm moved into my new apartment!! I'm living on my own for the first time EVER and so far it's been exhilarating, cozy, scary, and sometimes lonely. The birds and I love our new home, though, and being near so many fun things has been AWESOME!! Time to live it up this summer, despite the heat!!

365 days 86-100

86/365

There's an old, rusted train car overgrown with ivy and covered in graffiti down the road from our rehabilitation center. One time I saw a coyote in the field nearby and followed it into the "no trespassing" territory that the train car guards. I've always meant to take photos since it's so aesthetically pleasing, so this evening after a stint at Sealab (what we call the dilapidated building that houses our rehab program) I decided to go for it.



87/365

While exploring Portland I found a tiny plant shop with a beautiful garden out front.



88/365

Laura passes out anywhere: movie theaters, couches, the floor, at random people's houses...so she and Chunk took a small nap together while we watched Gossip Girl.



89/365

A Roseate Spoonbill hanging out at Sunset Lake.



90/365

I explored a park near our house that I've never been to (I've been wandering around Portland a bit since I'll be moving back to Corpus in a couple of months); there's a pathway leading right down to the ocean and a small spit of beach. The old wooden fencing lining the pathway made me think of a song I learned in Girl Scouts so many years ago - "So I went outside and left a piece of my heart buried by the third fence post. So when tomorrow morning comes I'll be smiling, though I might be a little down - though my body's leaving, I'll still be around".



91/365

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!! I've done quite a bit of googly eye pranks in the past, but since seeing this post, I knew I wanted to put the remaining google eyes I own on one of our raptor hoods. Unfortunately, the idea to do so on one of our real birds did not fly (GET IT), so I instead outfitted Valencia our practice peregrine falcon.





92/365

I attended the Reptile Expo with Andie and Geoff since I've never been to one and I love little lizards!! I was actually INCREDIBLY TEMPTED to purchase myself a crested gecko or a day gecko, but it was all so expensive and I am not a true reptile hobbyist - I would rather spend that money on birds. But day geckos (cue heart eyes emoji). Also, fun fact, that little gecko on the spray bottle leapt right onto my face!



93/365

We made some butterbeer on Sunday afternoon and I drank mine while playing Skyward Sword (but not before composing this oh so awesome HP-afied shot) #sundaynerdysunday.



94/365

Queen Cleo needed to be caught up for her beak cope. There are few things I love in this world more than a birdrito.



95/365

Bonnie, our Golden Eagle, molted this beautiful flight feather. Due to the Migratory Bird Act, we can't keep eagle feathers since we don't have permits to do so (they are usually sent to the eagle conservatory where they're handed out to different tribes that have proper permitting), but before the feather was taken care of, I had a small photoshoot because it really was such a prime specimen.



96/365

Laura found out she got into vet school!!! Such a momentous occasion was celebrated with margaritas, chips and dip, hummus, and mini-brownies while we all played Cranium with miniature dinosaurs as our players.



97/365

We were supposed to have a Xena creature feature the next day, but SOMEONE was convinced that the creature feature was THAT DAY. Twenty minutes later, Xena would not be awoken from her nap and the certain someone finally realized that the creature feature was actually set for 24 hours from that point. Since we already had someone who was interested in the creature feature (since THAT SOMEONE told her the wrong date...), we instead brought out Kitty for her to meet.

...

Lauren. It was Lauren who was wrong. And I super rubbed it in her face.





98/365

The Earth Day Bay Day Festival in honor of Earth Day was happening at Heritage Park downtown so I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and go to a festival by myself. I did have half-baked plans to meet up with a friend and I knew I would probably end up seeing some people I know and recognize, but ultimately going by myself to things is intimidating and I'm trying to overcome this fear. It ended up being pretty fun!! I got some free swag, including an awesome new grocery bag, some sunglasses, koozies, and information about beach cleanups, I saw a free-flight bird of prey demonstration (where I sort of judged everything going on, it was bizarre and the training techniques were archaic), and I hung around the Texas Parks and Wildlife department setup to learn about seagrass since that's where my friend's husband was being forced to teach people about said seagrass. Overall, it was a good time and I'm glad I went.



99/365

National Unicorn Day!!!

In honor of this momentous occasion, I got Kogi a tiny unicorn piñata filled with banana chips and crystallized pineapple (he hated all of it). Though he did definitely split its face open and then utterly destroy it in a wrestling match for the ages when I dared pay attention to it vs. him.



100/365

I was sick so ended up sleeping all day and drinking approximately a gallon of pomegranate tea with honey. I love this owl mug my Gramma got me.


Up to day 100!!! I want to follow through with the entirety of Project 365 on the blog vs. two years ago when I ultimately stopped posting them here since I was so behind and the year was almost over. Now I'm only twenty days behind and that's not terrible, in my opinion!! A couple of things going on in life:

♥ Attended parts of the IMATA regional conference and now I'm kind of obsessed with the idea of training sea lions...
♥ Went to a beautiful wedding for a coworker that was right on the coast, had a live band, FIREWORKS, nine different cakes, a macaroni and cheese bar, and an open bar! TWO OPEN BARS! It was magical.
♥ Went to the March for Science on Earth Day, another step outside of my comfort zone, and stuck up for something I truly believe in.
♥ Dyed easter eggs with tons of glitter.
♥ Toured the new Caribbean Wing - it looks AMAZING with all the birds in it. T-minus 11 days until Grand Opening!!
♥ Had to put down one of our beloved spoonies :( She will be greatly missed.


I keep wanting to do actual blog posts that are not just my 365 project; ONE DAY. At least the 365 makes me update semi-regularly!! For now, trying to make it through this busy month as we open the new wing at work and I prepare to move as well as see one of my best friends move away (again), BUT WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW!!!

and I say HEYAYAYAYAYAY

WHAT'S GOING ON?



I haven't updated this blog in a loooong time. I've been struggling between bouts of busyness with life, visitors galore, and some very real depression. I've definitely realized that my blogging activity has declined in the past couple of years, ever since I graduated from college. I started keeping a physical journal that I could write in, I came out of my shell and became a vivacious, incredibly social and extroverted person, and I lived in many areas that didn't have reliable WIFI access (aka the woods). That does not mean that I no longer wish to blog, however. Some people abandon their blogs in favor of other platforms, some people go through hiatuses in order to focus more on other things; I'm in a situation where my blog is still just a public forum on which I can discuss my personal opinions, practice my writing, and post photographs. It's still important to me that I practice and post my photography as often as possible, which has definitely fallen by the wayside this year (2016 was just sort of a heaping pile of $@*%, right?) I would love to attempt getting back into the blogging game, and because I don't depend on this blog for my livelihood it never has to become a "job" and I can come and go as a please. So hopefully I'm back again and I can start posting with some more regularity.

Here are some of the things I've been up to recently!

Listening



Megan visited me for the second time this year (!!!) last week and she LOVES latin pop. I've been known to listen to it in passing, but I've never exclusively listened to it. I ADORED this song though, we listened to it as we drove over the ocean, watching osprey gazing out over the gleaming waves and great blue herons hunting in the shallows. So upbeat and happy



Now more than ever it's important for sassy ladies of all cultures and backgrounds to feel confident and fight for what they believe in. This song makes me feel that



I usually end up liking a lot of Top 40 songs just because I'm listening to the radio a lot and also I like pop A LOT okay it's FUN so I heard this at a Halloween party and really like it whenever it comes on

Other songs I'm still loving include American Girl by Bonnie Mckee (does. not. get. old.), anything Disney (I'm on a huge Disney kick right now because I want happy music in my life and singing Disney at the top of my lungs is SUPER happy), and Starboy by The Weeknd.

Reading



I STILL haven't read Radical Self Love by Gala Darling, but it's on my bookshelf waiting. I desperately need to continue my journey of self love and I think that Gala, the queen of self love and respect, could definitely help shed light on my predicament!



I'm about halfway through this book. I LOVED the first in the trilogy, A Discovery of Witches, but this one has been a bit harder to get through because there is SO much historical background to it. I've never been one to love historical fiction so I have only been reading it every so often. It's beginning to get pretty intriguing though! I do recommend the first book to see if you like it - the writing is WONDERFUL. It's like a 500x better version of Twilight with actually interesting people with their own personalities.

...I've not been reading a lot lately, unfortunately


Watching




Black Mirror: Season 3 is just as good as the previous two seasons. I've only seen the first three episodes, which I thought was the entire season. HOWEVER I guess Netflix realized how popular it was becoming and added three other episodes as well!! I've really enjoyed them all so far, though I did get a little depressed/stressed out because some of that technology-based fear mongering is PRETTY ACCURATE.



In a similar vein, I've also been watching Law and Order: SVU because although I'm horrified by most of the content, I LOVE that show and I LOVE Mariska Hargitay! I think my affinity for such shows comes from my mother, who also loves horror movies and dateline-esque shows.


Playing



I've been playing A LOT of Stardew Valley, an Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon/Minecraft game that is incredibly addicting. You can farm, flirt, socialize, forage, slay monsters, mine, raise animals, fish, and complete quests. I'm on year two - I have a full coop with chickens (including one random demon chicken named Voodo), ducks, and a tiny dinosaur, two chocolate milk cows and a goat, I'm married to a writer with luxurious long hair who used to live by the sea and greets me with poetry and coffee every morning, and I'm almost done renovating the community center by completing magical bundle quests! Like I said, addicting. I bought it on Steam, if anyone is interested!!


Other Events

-Megan visited, as stated above! In fact, she visited me TWICE! The first time this year was when my amazing roommates flew her in as a surprise for my birthday! I seriously was in shock, I couldn't even think. They told me I had a present in the park and I cautiously approached a dilapidated box in the middle of the field, feeling anxious and excited simultaneously. People helicoptered around me with their cell phones, filming the process as I opened the top and Megan popped out, essentially tackling me. IT WAS CRAZY, I definitely cried after I got over my shock haha. She came down for a conference this time, but we still had time for nights out to the bars, a beach bonfire, a "bring your BFFL to work day", tacos, Redox and wine nights, and something else...

-WE GOT TATTOOS!!! Mine is still healing so I will definitely post a photo when it looks prettier, but I love it so much. Megan and I got matching ones; mine is on my wrist and Megan's is on her ribs (ouch, but at least they were small tattoos!) It hurt, but not like I expected. I thought I would be crying and in agony the whole time, but it was actually very easy to simply not focus on the pain (it does feel like someone is cutting into you with razors) and instead chat about mundane topics to take your mind off the process. Now that I know I can do it, I want more!

-I'm getting more responsibility at work! Lots of new animals, training goals, and supervisory roles. It's been very stressful and tough at times, but it's also rewarding. But there are days where I just want to come home and drink wine.

-My roommates adopted a chocolate lab puppy. Like a puppy puppy, one who is smol and floppy and smells kinda like rancid coffee, you know that puppy smell, and who has needle sharp teeth and wants to chew on everything. Her name is Riley and (now that she doesn't cry AS MUCH during the night) she's super adorable!

-I get to go home for Christmas this year! My December is actually pretty awesome - I go to a training workshop in Florida for a week, have another couple of days off, and then work maybe one week before I go home to Salt Lake. So ready for a break!


It was good to catch up here. Hopefully I'll get some photography on here soon!

365: week 20

149/365
Raindrops on a hibiscus (from the previously mentioned storms); I love the little droplets on the stem!



150/365
Something green



151/365
Something blue



152/365
Something purple (I'm combining indigo and violet because I clearly am quite bad at this rainbow prompt in a week thing)



153/365
My majestic unicorn on the beach. I've been making the beach a weekly thing now; it's so healing to be able to float in the sea and let the troubles of the week dissolve into sea foam



154/365
I tried taking some impromptu portraits of myself with the hood of my car acting as a tripod. I look sort of like a be-sundressed bigfoot running off into her ocean home (which maybe I kind of am)



155/365
Earth is turning six this next week, so in celebration I shot a photoshoot of her and Elise together! I really like how a lot of them turned out; we shot during golden hour and the lighting was AMAZING! Also she tied this adorable bow around her neck!


I am a week behind again! AGH WHY! A couple of updates on life: a) we got a new trainer and are slowly training him up so we can be fully staffed again, hurray! b) summer show schedules are rough and we have done a ton of physical activity out in the 100 degree heat index, which has been super tiring c) I am trying really hard to cook at home more, as well as create more elaborate meals with vegetables and protein d) I found a new place to live along with my new roommate! In July we will be moving to an AMAZING apartment complex right on the bay and I am so SO excited!

Those are the biggest pieces of news! Other fun things include going to a new brewery and playing bean bags, going dancing with the girls (where a Jamaican man complimented my skills), I'm almost done with the book illustrations I started painting for Megan's Nature's Superheroes program, I did a lot of online shopping, and I saw Mad Max! OH MY GOD THAT MOVIE WAS SO SO GOOD!

may snapshots

I want to get back into the habit of sharing everyday photos on this blog (and not just my 365 project, which has already done so much to get me back into photography and blogging). Here are a couple of snapshots from the entire month of May.

• A new puppy at the dog park. Her name is Toby
• Man-of-War washed up on the beach. A family was gathered around it and I warned them not to touch it, as there are even nematocysts in the head
• One of our new Lionfish, given to us as an anonymous gift. Other facilities have been so kind in the wake of our disaster
• Laura mixing some cookie-dough
• Beach Koda
• We've started going to trivia again. I love spring evenings
• Earth eyes
• Sometimes a day calls for donuts (and iced coffee)
• Drawing with sidewalk chalk is definitely on my list of summer activities, even with mosquitos and humidity trying to force me inside
• A beautiful candle set-up in the jellyfish exhibit during our putt-putt fundraiser event
• A couple of old-school golfers. I felt pretty sassy in my plaid shots, argyle socks, and my name tag reading "Arnold" (Sean was Palmer)