Halloween

I like dressing up for Halloween!

This year, Halloween was on a Wednesday-Lame if you ask me.
Trying to celebrate Halloween in mid-week makes me wish Congress would vote to keep Halloween on the last Saturday of the month.  That way we can celebrate the day all day with big parades & brunches, a pre-haunting nap to get jazz up & there would be plenty of time for a dash to the store for last minute candy.

All in favor, vote Huzzah!

So we at the Hutch's household celebrated with haunting up the mantle (with a few decorations) & windows (with small cardboard cut outs taken from Cascade's Campus Life giveaways.) and not answering the door when the trick-or-treaters (only 4!) came knocking. 
Why so little celebrating? I had to work overtime that day (7-5) & took the bus home as Kyle had class. We both got home around 8pm & didn't even carve pumpkins!

This is how Bailey felt about Halloween.



She at least let the trick-or-treaters pet her as compensation for not having any candy (See--dogs can come in handy for adverting children's attentions.).

I can loose perspective...

How do you feel when someone puts your life into the perspective you should be living with.

For me, it hurts. 

Because I find truth in the love & honesty in the aforementioned clip. It makes me think I could be doing so much more. Or doing so much better-in general. But what does that even mean? I try to tell myself--you are you & they are them. Your life is different. You shouldn't think like this. 
But that is foolish thinking & I should not be lying to myself.  I am moved because I have become stagnant.

I want my life to have the perspective it should. I want connections to stay strong & for my face to not crinkle up in frustration so much. Even after that sentance, I had to remember to relax my face & shoulders!

I want to do what's right for me.  Listen to the words of advice, like from our physical trainer who said last night, "no more Jack in the Box right before working out. Or like, ever." And I know he means the Taylor Swift kind of never ever, not Sean Connery's idea of never ever.

So how can I make that happen?

My book from Book Club at work states the different steps to achieve feeling more efficient. My books from my dad feature ways to be smart with money, with time, with my identity. My book from God gives me the structure those other books are based on. My book from my husband gives me a simple wisdom.

So much advice! It can be over whelming to try to change.

I know I want something to change but I know my life is limited to being work oriented. Thus is limited in all other aspects. Because I have made it this way. I know I don't like that I have sacrificed friends, family even myself because of how I have limited myself. I can feel the unbalance in my soul and I need to balance myself out.

What do you do when you know you're unbalanced? Do you seek advice? Clean house? Go to sleep & hope the feeling dissipates?  What are your remedies to getting to the point where you are feeling like the best you can be?

I love themes.

This morning I started off my day getting into the theme of Halloween:


Soon after, the CEO of the company walks by.



I am so excited to decorate our lobby at work! There are even prizes for different categories! We at the front desk are going with an 80's theme. It's easy & won't take much effort...Even though my co-worker is gay, he's more of a Mitch instead of a Cameron & dressing up is not really his strong suite. I'll make up for it though. There will even be a strobe light.

I'm not fond of the transit system...

however I am learning to enjoy the calm that comes with trusting someone else with driving.

My family has always had at least two cars. Anywhere we needed to go--we drove. Any friends we had that were out of luck, we assisted. I grew up in a family that liked to drive & I drove everywhere. I love to drive. I search out weekend getaways & dream about adventures. This will eventually require me to learn to pee in the forest, but not just yet.
Now that I am married, we simply have the one car for our commutes. It was working out well until I my husband decided he wanted to stop working & go to Grad school. Nowadays, a decent job is hard to find--my husband was working at a steel mill for 10+hrs a day, 4days a week. We decided to was the right direction for us.
Since my husband is going to Grad school at night, we decided he should have our car. So I began to carpool into work.with my sister-in-law who also works at the same company. We discovered we could share work problems that family outside our company would only politely listen too. I would snap photos & search out sing-a-longs. However now gas has become too expensive to be able to afford the distance to drive. Parking rates were rumoured to increase. Seattle is expensive. So we started taking the train. Our company has a great program to encourage us to take public transportation.
The train was...new. It was two hours earlier than I needed to be awake since I could not adjust my work hours. It was public. My life was no longer a secret. I couldn't burst into song, I couldn't cry after a tough day.  People were now closer than I've ever involuntarily allowed. We only lasted a week together. Over the weekend my carpool companion said she did not want to take the 15mins to drive in the opposite direction to get me home everyday. So now I take a different route than her & I take the bus. I actually take three buses.
I have yet been able to figure out which bus fits me best. I haven't been home in less than three hours time from when I leave work. I am trying to remain positive. My first commute alone-ever-was in the rain. My black flats were soaked, a bus driver denied me like the inns at Bethlehem, I became stranded at a lot as night grew closer until I waited an hour for another bus only to get off one stop earlier than where my house is. I cried when I got home. It might be...childish, but I am weak when I have to depend on strangers. I am stubborn when it comes to asking for help & then I feel lonely.  I am depending on a system that is out of my control.  The first thing my husband does when he gets home is find me to hug me. The second is to apologize. He isn't fond of the system. & he's very protective of me. But what are you to do? This is life. We decided to live out this choice & this is one of the obsticles that come with it. I love him enough to take the bus to work & to come home again if all he asks is that I try to find a bit of happiness in this mode of transportation.

A bit of Bus riding happiness:
#1--Woman lulled to sleep on commute, but held up by pole. It happens so often.

Sunny Sun Shine!



Ridiculous.



I love that Seattle has experienced 82 days of no rain.

However it's a really stinky town without the rain! Luckily this past weekend brought stormy skies & refershing cool rain to my back porch.
After treading lightly around puddles this morning, I've decided Fall Fasion is finally here. Big dark print purses, Tall Boots, Vamp heels, & snuggly thick coats--Thank you October!

This morning I discovered this woman. Her collection is what I would love to wear at work.

Like pretty little dolls.



I love this dress with those shoes.



Sometimes wish I could hide in the ceiling ;)



So Whimsical for Fall.



So unique, this outfit makes me want to be adventurous.



Beautiful lace designs--I'd love to wear this at a wedding!

I clicked to shop online to browse the dresses & immediately fell in love!

Sometimes I really like Duo Folk Bands

KW, "I like that you're into duo folk bands."
Me, "Who me?"
KW, "Yeah, it's cute."
--Unsuspectingly singing along to The Civil Wars. What can I say, he caught me.

Shark Week.

I now get to experience Shark Week.

At this discovery, my Husband was shocked & became flabbergasted that we could even be married.
I guess at the One-Year Mark is when the darkest secrets come out.
(I'll have to recap our One-Year Celebrations. There were Saturday Markets, a Butcher Shop, Baskets of Fruits, Pike Place, & Gifts.)

As it is now the 25th anniversary of Shark Week (WHAT!?) I've decided to dive right in & bite the surfer.
I did run into a bit of a problem when I discovered my co-operator does not favor sharks--at all. Since she is now out of the office for the rest of the week, my first experience with Shark Week will start today, Wednesday, & be had during work hours (830-5).
Now I do not own a TV. We do have an xbox & a projector, so we are mostly content to rent from Netflix & watch Hulu except at times such as during the Olympics or Shark Week. Then I sometimes feel like I'm missing out on the world; thank goodness for Google to keep me updated!

So in preparation for the week, I Googled:
In searching out the schedule of shows, I stumbled upon this awesome Link to help create excitement!
Survival Guide! 6 Things to do during Shark Week--I didn't know you could win Swag!

Feeling prepared (starting at 9am) I tune into the Discovery Channel's Shark Week program to experience a whole new world:
Wednesday's theme it seem were shows featuring Shark Attacks & the Survivor's Stories.
In the morning they featured Ocean of Fear. The terrific documentary about the survivors of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis & terrible shark attack.
In the afternoon they featured a beautiful & shocking reconstructed documentary of the 1957 holiday season attacks on a coastal community. A hodge podge of survivor stories were featured to bring my Shark Week Wednesday to a close.

What I've learned--Sharks are predators--but not in the way Bears, Snakes or Hawks are considered dangerous--these creatures of the sea are mysteriously powerful & if hungry will not hesitate to take a bite or your life. Shark Week is AWESOME.
Sadly I cannot watch the main episodes...but I love the shows descriptions & look forward to viewing them via replays!

More things to Explore:

Photos from Air Jaws Apocalypse--Sunday night's premiere episode to kick off Shark Week!
Photos from Monday night's Sharkzilla--the building of the world's largest shark ever! & the test to see if it could eat a whale...
Link to Tuesday night's MythBuster's countdown of top shark myths & the number one is completely shocking!
Link to the Inspiration that is behind the film: JAWS

Fun Shark Facts--I could click away on this link all day!
Listen & Watch your favorite past time episodes via itunes
Shark Week Bingo! How exciting! I wish I could gather some friends here at work to play!

Any Closer & You'd Be Bait!

Need a Laugh?

Today I really do have a Case of the Mondays.

I woke up 5mins before my 4:45 alarm (ugh!), my husband still has one more week of training to go (sigh!), I forgot to brew coffee before I left (oh gosh!), & let's face it--It IS Monday.

I think we all would have liked our weekend to have lasted a little longer...

So I admit, this morning I moped a little. Therefore, I racked my brain to think of something that could get me in a mood to be a productive member of society as I know that today is only the begining of what could be a long work week (No, thank you!).

What did I Stumble Upon?

Enter the BEST of "Who's Line is it Anyways?"

 

Thank you universe for youtube to cure my Case of the Mondays.

I am not a fan of Graveyards.

I Panic.Who am I to walk amongst the dead? Treading by their heads, their bones of dust--
They've ceased to breathe to laugh to eat to love to trust; the rot of skin & sinews crumbles silently, softly-as snow falls-
within their tombs.
The creaks & crumples of waxy greys, imploding to the black-
It is so loud--their lack of sound, it triples the volume I create by simply
breathing...
...This is internally where they are to exist eternally. So who am I to disturb their silence
with my pounding heart, my bleeding head of thoughts & dreams?
This silent yard is no place for someone as alive as me.


Why I panic when I'm asked to visit a graveyard.

.

A quick recap on Life.

The Early morning shift (7-330). It is quiet & I catch up on life.

So much has happened & I hope to reconnect over bullet points & then photos to follow later on:

We got a dog-a lovely little ol' Cattle Dog whose name is Bailey-Blue Didgeridoo Hutchinson.
She's ten years young, loves the dog park & searches out being petted by everyone.

Kyle has completed 9 weeks of training. It was tricky getting used to him again. Although I now know I never want him gone away from me again. He does have 2 weeks of training at the end of this month, oh well...

I really love my husband.

Kyle has enrolled in Grad school at St. Martin's. He is currently the House-hubby & I am the Work-wifey. Our conversations & roles have flipped & sometimes it's sureal:


"Let me know if you want me to help you with dinner (while playing xbox)" "Can you come make buscuits? (While making chicken, mashed potatoes & a salad)" "Do you mean help you right now? (Still playing xbox)" "Yes!"We both have said both sides to this conversation in the nine moths we've been married.

We will have been married a whole year in only a few weeks & Kyle wants a house-in 3 years. I wish we could own one now-I want to paint & drill holes in the walls.

After Kyle finishes his MBA, I want to become a certified Massage Therapist with a minor in Nueropsychology. I miss Dr. Ee's class, but I still do have the textbook.



I hope this short & sweet recap has been a good catchup. It's not enough--I know I will need to elaborate on most things, ecspecially Bailey!

Sometimes the Sun shines here.

& I can drive with the windows rolled down.

Times when the sun warms the landscapes with its amber glow as thick lazy clouds pocket the Azure skies. With the windows down, the seasalt breeze sails through my car, tangling my hair & with that perfect playlist to melt me into the horizon, how can I not love driving with the windows down?

Living in Washington, it's a rare occurrence though.
I used to drive with the windows down all the time back home.
After a stressful day, I'd take the long road home,
blast my pandora playlist of Vampire Weekend & drive the coast...





Luckily, Washington decided to be kind. On the long drive home the too often absent sun fought away the grey & was brilliant enough to open the carpool's sunroof. With the raido frequency fitting our oportunistic moods, I captured the world as we enjoyed this rarity.

So much women happened & it was good.

Sometimes women are difficult to read & sometimes chickflicks & being girly can take so much out of me emotionally that I tend to hide from my sisters.
Now that we all aren't living in a dorm together where a secret knock on the living room wall can either relate a "goodnight" or a "come.over.right.now.you.have.to.see.this.!" moment, it's far easier for me to disappear into the daily demands of living with a man & working a full week, & sadly forget the reason why women have banded together for centuries. Sure, men have their nights at the bar, their morning tee offs & even a weekend devoted to Comics, but it is Women who band together & bond in a way society has created doctorates out of.
This weekend, was one of those moments.

Saturday was spent with an Enrichment seminar through my church.
As my husband suspected, even though the start time was a bright&early 8:30, the chattering over clinks of breakfast plates didn't quiet down until 9:00. Our speaker was a wonderful Southern woman by the name Jane who openned with the fact that her new baby grand-daughter refuses to be lulled to sleep by skinny women & that she knows how to speak English, however she talks Hillbilly. This woman woke us up with laughter & brought us into the lunch hour savoring on her tidbits of the fact that Women really do NEED each other.

At this seminar, women were asked to stand by generations, to stand by likes & dislikes, & to stand to share how they were impacted by a time when they really needed a sister. This showed how we all are different, but still share a desire to connect with each other--it was a fulfilment that only another woman could provide. A sense of sisterhood with a depth of wisdom.

Sunday's sisterhood had me travelling to Portland for a belated birthday celebration.
I carpooled with a dear friend whose conversations are filled with ponderings at men & delightful stories of the happenings since we've been apart. Our 2 1/2 hour long car ride also took us through many types of weather-Sunshine, Rain, Sleet, Snow, Hail--repeating this pattern on the drive home as well!
Once arriving at the location, I was surrounding by crafting materials & crafting ladies--in a normal situation, I would be too self-conscious to be able to relax & discover a craft for myself, however Heather provided a hub for creativity to blossom. All the lovely ladies were initiating their innovations while the store's odds & ends allowed for me to escape into an idea. It was a wonderful afternoon spent with uplifting women & it was a terrific weekend of remembering the importance of sisterhood.

Paperbacks are terrific companions.

To read more & watch tv less is my goal. I mean, we don't even own an tv, so it should be an easy habit to cultivate.

My friend had spent a week posting about books.
I had forgotten how much I love reading. Her blog postings make me ache to get back into the hobby of it.
Netflix, Hulu, & the fact that I get into bed before sunset (8p.m. is pushing it for me) has made it harder for me to dedicate myself to the art of reading.

I used to not be able to stop reading. I would get in trouble at school--all the way through freshman year--because I would sneak a book behind my school books or from under my desk to read. In the car, I'd read until it was dark & then hold the book up, using the headlights from other cars to light up the pages.

Now I turn on a show to get ready to go in the morning, turn on a show at break time at work, turn on a show at home to make dinner & do chores, then I turn on a show to fall asleep to..I have come to see this as an ugly trend in my life, but I do happen to love these shows & enjoy watching them, however I see now that they have replaced books in my life.

My friend shared that her family would read together after dinner & that struck me. Growing up my family sat in front of a tv. We tried sitting at the table, however the tv always found a way to sneak in & show up. Take-out food served on trays, fanned out around the tv is my childhood. It has become my grown-up life as well.

My husband is always surprised at how quickly I can devour a novel.  He has never known the reader in me, & it makes me really sad that I have let that part of myself go. I want to rediscover that bookaholic & let her wreack havoc.

Love Letters-there's an art to it.

Every man to be able to be inspired to write a Love Letter to the love of his life.


In honor of Valentine's Day, I bring to you, Sullivan.

This is a great article that can help all men (and women) profess their love. Don't let the moment escape when you could take a few to write out your love & create a treasured memory that will last for an enternity.

Listen.

Eye Contact & Gumption

In the good ol' days, women & men weren't hussies out in public & the simple act of tossing a glance from the corner of your eye was enough to lock in a man's attention for at least a tasty lunch date & introductory conversational tidbits.

Today, aim to dress with practicality, go about your day with gumption & let your eyes connect with others to communicate your thoughts & emotions. See if it creates a difference in your day's interactions.

Cowgirl Accessories

What an ultimate rockin' way to blow-dry your hair:



This makes me want to listen to songs sung by Country woman out for revenge.


Pistol Annies inspired, discovered on Estsy.com
        

Home Depot commercials make me want to own a fixer-upper.

To be able to have the time & opportunity to be able to love a house enough to get it into shape & take care of it.

For who could ever learn to love a Beast?

A Living-room.

a living room with enough room for all aspects of living.
Along the lines of dreaming up a house for a home, the living room is one of the toughest.
I like to rearrange fruniture about every three months
or when I'm stressed,
so my living room's entity much be able to be flexible enough to function in many different positions.
I want my living room to be a slight expression of my life--Photos on walls, lamps, & decor need to represent the love my house has to offer.


I am a fan of couches. I might even be a couch snob.
I don't really mind what the couch looks like, of course thoughts should always be towards a color scheme,
however what really matters is what your momma told you, "it's what's on the inside that matters the most.".
My couch has to be nappable for two to four people. I like pile-ons and cushions.
My couch is where I end up when I'm feeling sick & where I want people to gather for themed movie nights; so there must be a TV available & table stands with coasters.



I love the windows in this place, I really would love to live in an old house, by the city or sea, it seems so romantic.

This couch is adorable.

I love the depth & color of this couch. Also, as much as I am not a fan of these types of backgrounds, it allows a sense of folly and falling away into a soothing book. I would need a sountrack of wind through trees to play.

I love everything about this couch.
The colors, the size of the couch, the fact that it's a corner couch & it has matching drawn shades.


I also love eveything about about this room-It has such a warm glow & the colors stand out against the white lounge couch, but not too boldly. The tan & brown of the wooden lights cast a romantic glow.

This is the ultimate entertaining couch & living room.
I now know I want two living rooms.
There is a DJ station, & a minibar area, low lighting with plenty of seating room. I would love to have side french doors to open up to a covered outdoor dance floor. Or a rolling glass garage door to open up to rool up to reveal the outside. Perfect.

Fantastic colors & comfyness.

Who has a yellow couch? No one has a yellow couch. Or a french wall holder. I want one.

Also, who has a swing in their living room? It could be smart & be able to swerve around to face out a bay window or to face the indoor couch.


I also want Knooks & Knacks to compliment the majority of my living room.
Chairs a tucked a bit out of the way, into a half library, with blankets tossed accordinly:







I want to decorate my Fireplace. It needs to be fanciful for when there isn't a fire going in it.
There have been many options--including even putting a mirror in it's place, which looks pretty, and then stack the mirror up on top while toasting the room. The mirror will create the fancy illusion of more space.

I really love the thought of simply putting candles into the place it create a soft glow with sweet smelling scents:

I cannot wait to have my ideas of my home transform my house.

There's no place like Home.

Where ever I am living, I usually refer to that place as "Home", so it usually doesn't matter the type of place in which I am living... however, as I am growing up, I am finding myself wanting a place in which I could paint over, or remolded, or demolish to build back up upon.
It would be nice to have my own House to call "Home" & be able to have it reflect me.

Therefore, I have started collecting snapshots of what I would love to have as my "grownup home":

Featuring My Kitchen:


I want an Island in my Kitchen. I have started to embrace the practice of preparing food rather than microwaving a cardboard box & I find I need lots of counter space.

I want to paint my ceilings. It gives me such an enveloped feel without becoming too claustrophobic.
Then I do not have to worry about painting 4 walls-just one ceiling.


I want to put personalized photos in my kitchen.
I love food & I love my family & friends. It's a great combo.


Shelves over the sink can save lots of space & time in trying to set the table.
This way my cabinets can house my pots & pans & crockpots.
Also, I want themed soap & a little basket to hold seasonal & holiday themed dishtowels.


I want to have a pretty colored set of cook ware that I can display.
A travel theme will be whimsically inspirational for the kitchen.


However, if my kitchen sink has a window, I can't put up shelves.
So I will then want to take the doors off of my cabinets to showcase my cookbooks & pretty plateware.


I want an airy & simple feel to my dining area.
Thin chandlers, colabotrating colors & house plants create a gentle open atmosphere.


I want to hang things around my light fixtures.
It might be love letters, or recipes, or photos of travel & food,
but I love how it works for this dining area.

I want to be energized when I eat.

I want to have a vintage looking stereo with a turntable so I can play music in my kitchen & dining room.
Therefore, I will need a floor to ceiling bookcase to house my collection.

I also love the idea of having my entertaining plateware amongst trinkets
by the table ready for use. I want to always be able to have company drop by at anytime.


I cannot wait to have a house to be my home.