Made of the Mist

Maybe it's because I've already seen Niagara Falls. Or maybe it's because I had to stay so far from the railings in order to keep Maddie happy and dry. Either way, when when we took a ride on the Maid of the Mist this afternoon, I was more fascinated by the glowing blue ponchos they gave us to wear than anything else. The following are stills from the iPhone video that my aunt Vicki made.











I dunno, am I crazy? I think something about this is both spooky and beautiful.

Here is the video:

That's me in the middle trying to take a picture of our dumb ponchos. And yeah, I guess the falls are kind of beautiful too.

Filly Foaly Fall

Gearing up for cooler weather at Penny Arcade, and hoping to really, actually get going with the online shop soon!

Disposable Camera

Some pictures from Utah, taken with an expired disposable camera. You might not like these, Calvin.

Holy Crap

My friend Dorothy introduced me to this blog Parenting. Illustrated with Crappy Pictures, and I'm obsessed. They are all better with creator Amber Dusick's hilarious and spot-on commentary, but here are a few of my favourite "crappy pictures":

This post particularily rings true with Madeline these days...

(All images via Parenting. Illustrated with Crappy Pictures)

Growing Pains

Madeline is starting daycare this week, which means that for the first time in almost two years I will have hours and hours of time to do whatever I want. But all I want is to just keep her home with ME. I just can't believe that these last two years have come and gone so fast. She's only in daycare now, but soon she'll be in school, and then a teenager, and then a grown-up!!

No... it's going to be great. I am going to be able to finish my last few courses of my degree, work a lot, clean my room, and take regular showers. And she is going to make friends her own age, eat healthy catered lunches, play with exciting new toys, and learn so many neat things.

I've had this little babe nearly all to myself for so long-- but I guess eventually we both need to learn to share.

Whoa! Maude

I have a habit of buying photographs of people I've never met, and I always find great ones at the Browse Around Antique Shop in Logan, Utah. Here are a few that I picked up on my last visit:

Inscription (front): "Whoa! Maude"
Inscription (back): "3/21/13 Last year at the [something, something] in Oklahoma"
Typical Maude! I'm guessing she's the one with the blurry head.

I really, really love these bathing suits

Is this horse missing a leg?

Inscription (back): Douglas B. Noble Age 12 yrs and his mare "Paint"

I wonder if Douglas B. Noble was friends with Johnny B. Goode, amiright??? #DadJokes

Burg is the Word

This happens to me all the time. Anybody wanna go to the Burger's Priest this week?

The Absolute Ultimate

With a summer as hot as this one it's a necessity to swim at least a couple times a week. Maddie's loving it, but swimming with a baby has made me realize how bad of a swimmer I still am. I was a swimming class dropout, I still have to plug my nose, and frankly it's a miracle I can keep my head above the water even without a baby in my arms. Which is why it's pretty funny that I went through a surfing phase. Well I guess I mostly went through a Gidget phase. And not all the Gidgets, but specifically Sandra Dee, the original squeaky-voiced-Skipper-doll one-- although, maybe me and the strange older gentleman I was talking to at my garage sale really know the difference.

(via muchomuchobuenobueno)

Perhaps it's the Pee Wee fan in me that has always loved that kind of sugary sweet teeny-bop culture that's as chock-full of inuendo as it is of creepy and outdated morals (Gidget has a needlepoint in her room that reads "To be a real woman is to bring out the best in a man"). But at the same time... jeez, I just love a good rom-com. And especially one that features a heroine that has such an amazing collection of bathing suits, and who makes such convincing faces during her horrendously staged surfing scenes.

In order to make my dream come true of becoming Gidget (minus the bleached hair and eating disorder) my plan for next summer is as follows:

1. Get both Maddie and myself into swim classes
2. Buy a cute Minnow Bather like I said I would
3. Figure out how to get to Australia for a visit and take a surf lesson or two

Ok, so maybe it's more of a five-year plan.