Hard to believe I saved this guy from a high kill shelter only 3 years ago! It seems like we've been together forever. Here's the link from my first post when I met him: Georgie Boy! June first 2007 was his official move in day, and the vet guessed his age back then to be around 8 years old. So that means my little friend is about 11. Everyday he amazes us and makes us laugh. He follows us from the minute we wake up and curls up in our laps the second we sit down. He comes trotting down the hall when called, and can hear a snack bag open, even while asleep on another level.
I will admit that I have been a little jealous since Georgie has fallen madly in love with my husband and prefers his lap over mine. They hang out and watch t.v. together like old pals. Cat nip cake is being prepared, and since he already receives the "king" treatment everyday, it will be hard to top our usual fanfare. This is what I caught him doing on his big birthday...
There is something hypnotizing about the desert air. I swear its one of the only places where my entire insides melt, and relax. Leaving L.A. and venturing only 2 hours away to experience pure bliss makes me lucky. The weather was perfect, warm and enveloping dry heat. This was the first time for my friend Danielle (she came all the way from Ohio!) We forgot to bring all of our board games and entertainment, and yet still managed to have a blast. From ghost adventures in the dark backyard of our adobe (Justin swore he witnessed a floating head- I mean white owl flutter by) to creating home made mad libs and watching our pals put together a puzzle. It was the perfect place to eat the wedding left overs and drink wine.
Originally we were supposed to get married at 29 Palms Inn, my favorite desert get away spot. I love Irene's Adobe so much, and the yard is truly magical. Wild flowers and cactus galore, and unique furniture and tiles inside would've made a beautiful wedding setting. My only reason for doing it in our backyard instead was that I knew we could get more friends to witness our vows at home. The landscape out there is so faded and lovely that it would have made a wedding picture perfect...so trust me if anyone is better at planning a wedding escape out there- you should look into the 29 Palms inn.
Danielle (above) before her feather necklace was eaten by a horse in the desert. That's right, it was swiped right off her neck and gobbled down...who knew hippie feathers made such a yummy snack?
We never wanted to leave this place. It was like we were on summer vacation for the first time.
The night time in Joshua Tree is incredible! You can see a zillion stars in the sky and the air is windy and warm. I think this picture above of Cynthia is my favorite that I took. You know you have great friends when they are willing to go away to the middle of no place with you and hang out all night. We scared ourselves by talking about spooky movies, creepy ghost stories and eventually were terrified to go to sleep. Danielle ended up piling furniture against her door and tacking up a giant blanket so no one could spy on her.
First of all, you have to just throw away all of the thoughts in your head that are saying..."it can't be done in two days". And then relax and just go for it. Here's how it all went down for us, first we drove downtown to find a wedding band for him. We walked around the jewelry district and ate cafeteria style at Cliftons. Then I went to Golyester where my friend Laura works and tried on lots and lots of dresses. I found a pretty 1930's lace dress with potential and bought it. I found Justin a spring grey jacket (he wanted to wear his shorts). We drove to East L.A. to get the marriage license. That was probably the hardest part of the process, and took 2 hours.
Lucky for me, I have amazing friends & family who are super talented in sewing/designing, floral arranging, catering, BBQing, decorating, and planning a party within 24 hours! The cake above was from local bakery Delilah's, RED VELVET with exotic wild flowers that Fran stuck on top
here I am the night before getting the dress fitted!
here's the PRE- wedding pictures- (the early re-designing the dress stages) My friend Danielle and I went down to my friend Niki's studio, where the original dress was cut up and some FLAIR was added. Niki and I originally started the Show Pony together out of our messy apartments...and 10 years ago we used to sew clothes on ourselves and wear them for funny photo shoots.
this picture above was captured right before niki and I shared a teary eyed- John Hughes wedding moment. There was this exciting moment where we both felt like we knew someday we would be doing this, working on a dress together again.
my pal Laura Kranitz made me an awesome headpiece to wear to the wedding
I ran off to the Eagle Rock Macys to snag a pair of sparkly silver shoes (don't ask me why...just had one hour before the ceremony to find something for my feet!)
With hardly any time to spare we told our friends who live nearby to swing by if they wanted to witness our vows at 5! Our friend Jeaneen's mother drove in to officiate the ceremony.
the VOWS: click on image to watch them (only took 10 minutes )
signing the important papers to become the new MRS. H! Sweet
Tossing the bouquet! My friend Kathryn caught it (after the second try, cause my first throw landed in the rose bushes)
the groom made a batch of his special BBQ ribs, which were a huge HIT! They vanished in no time at all
Cutting the CAKE!
click on image to watch the cake cutting LIVE
I couldn't have asked for a magical amazing wedding day. The entire thing was completely stress free. My friends helped make food, arrange flowers, and even apply some makeup on me. Almost every aspect was natural and effortlessly easy. My only regret would be that I didn't have some of my favorite people in attendance...like family and my best guy friend Kutmah (who has been dealing with an awful deportation drama) It took all my strength to not break down into tears at the alter when the minister mentioned taking a moment of silence for all the people who have passed or are unable to be with us on our special day. Justin (Kutmah) McNulty is my oldest pal here in L.A. and he's like a brother to me. We all gave him a toast.
So it's official, I am a married woman! It's been so nice becoming part of a team.I promise to share some of the pics from our adventure out to Joshua Tree next.
Ohio is so amazing! That's right, those are real live turkeys in the trees! Pretty polka dotted creatures roaming the Ohio landscape. Mr. H (fiance) and I flew into Cleveland May 3 for the formal family introductions. We were super excited for the warm windy weather and my sister's Alpaca farm.
These furry creatures are so darn cute! It's surreal standing next to them. They remind me of lambchop the puppet.
Did I mention that when we arrived in the driveway we were greeted by my sister's GIANT great dane dog!? He is the size of a small Shetland pony and has a funny leaning fetish. Which translates to slowly pushing you back until you almost tip over. His name is Brutus and he also loves bucking like a bronco in the yard tearing up stuffed animals. Which explains the snow like cotton remnants strewn all over the front yard.
We decided to explore the backyard (6 acres of lovely terrain including a pond, a bridge over a creek and lots of spooky trails) Of course no one warned us about the "TICKS" until it was too late and everyone had a few new friends clinging to their flesh.
my niece Sedona took us to the horse farm where she rides. She adores horses in that amazing 14 year old girl way.
First night in town we decided to go bowling. Everyone was doing pretty well, strikes all around
I love my sister and niece so much! It was so fun going out with them
Sedona and I used the signature Grannystyle bowl between the legs. I got a strike doing it! She got yelled at by the bowling alley attendant for crossing the line. So serious about bowling there
The next day was pretty epic, the weather was super duper hot in downtown Cleveland where we met up with my dad a.k.a. Padre Ron to see an Indians Baseball game. We had rad seats super close to the first base. I realized that people in Cleveland really like to drink in the daytime. Hard for me to keep up
my dad bought us both a Cleveland sports shirt ( I was gonna get the Cleveland is major one...but opted for a metallic gold LeBron James MVP one)
while in downtown Cleveland, I decided to call 411 and see if my old high school pal Tommy was listed. An hour later he showed up and it was as if no time at all has passed. He once took me to the Prom as a friend (he wore Converse and I wore big heavy metal hair). He was also the guy that helped me steal my mother's car out of her work parking lot . We drove all the way to Chicago so that I could see my boyfriend. Which resulted in a major grounding from my father.
notice how my fiance and my father have opposite skin tones-- my father is sort of the George Hamilton of Ohio
Notice the sweet looking faces that my nephews have, and don't be fooled. These lil demons are all about putting gum in my hair, breaking things and killing butterflies. (in his defense, he said that butterfly "was a bad one") They also like to hide out in the center of bushes. If I was ever considering children, this trip may have been the dealbreaker
Mr. H and I were super excited to road trip to Columbus to see my art school pal Danielle and her family. It was nice having someone to share the ride with and to point out things on the road that are cool. Considering I have driven this route a zillion times when I was a student.
We went on a quick tour of all the amazing streets I used to live on in Victorian Village and then explored German village
DANIELLE! We must have seemed obnoxious to my fiance, because we were up to our old art school chatty prankster selves, and HAD to visit all of our old haunts and hallways from college days. to put it mildly we are sort of like a Laurel and HArdy/ Laverne and Shirley duo.
Our art school advisor and teacher happened to be roaming the art wing as well!
This crazy hair sculpture reminded me of my old art work. The teacher above once said to me..."I think someday you will be famous, either for your art or for being a serial killer" nice?
here's me in the old elevator from the art building. Back when we were in school, it was coated in gravity, dripping in paint and seedy lighting. My how things have cleaned up over here
Danielle's son Lucas wanted to have a Beatles JAM session with Uncle Justin. They rocked out some Nirvana too. this rad 4 year old actually requested for his mom to put "Joy Division" in and play song #9 (love will tear us apart...)
this whole trip we got to "try out" what being a family with kids feels like. It has some perks. Like getting to order the kid size homemade icecream at Jeni's. This place in the short north arts district has the most unique and incredible flavors & DELIVERS! Check out the website H E R E
We went into this cool Vintage shop on High Street called Mad 4 Mod Vintage
They had rooms and rooms of vintage things to wear and for decorating
they have an ebay store with the same name.
we went up to the new USED KIDS RECORDS to spy some cool local music and flyers
Our pal Joel from the music scene- who has an online music zine called CRINGE
the entire two days in Columbus went by fast, probably because the high 80 temp and swirling tornado winds made it exciting.
(notice the above photo has a photo effect called "magazine" setting--or as I like to call it...we somehow made your face look amazing )
Here's me and the Mr. in front of the Blue Danube Greek Restaurant mural. Back in the day I spent most of my time playing songs on the juke box and eating greek salad (occasionally playing pinball)
I totally forgot that O.S.U. is really a town of 20 year olds! We did our best to fit in The next day (fighting some tough hangovers) we went over to my Uncle's house to meet up with the "Buzz" side of the family. It was so nice seeing my cousin and her family and watching all of the blonde boys (there were like five of them under the age of 9) race around the house tearing the place apart. The adults were so busy chatting that on occasion we would remember to check up on them, and find them playing games such as: Try to hold onto the stairs while the rest of us push you down them, and lay a rubber raft across two twin beds and try to cross it without falling (or breaking an arm on the dresser) My favorite moment was when the house had gotten quiet and we noticed all 5 boys racing around the freezing wet grass without shoes. If this is parenting, sign me up! Just like the old days when our parents let us explore without them. If you wiped out in my childhood days my mom would say, Well why on Earth would you do that anyways? or "That's what you get..."
Are little boys destined to break some limbs before adulthood? What funny games they play at that age
notice how the adults avoid the kid activity?
This was no ordinary Saturday, this also marked the first weekend following my mother's breast cancer surgery...& my father and mother being in the same place voluntarily as friends. It used to be War of the Roses back then, so progress is always appreciated. there was a lot of snacking going on (especially in Dylan's world) Every time we turned around he had somehow managed to score another tasty treat from the fridge or cupboard. But he was so adorable with his innocent big eyes, that we never refused him.
kids love Uncle J
Plastic lids are way more fun when you are this age.
my father remarried and has two boys, so now I am the way more older sister. My kid brother says he prefers to be called "bug boy" and carries around his encyclopedia of insects. My sister (the tomboy) was the exact same way.
After all the festivities, Mr. H and went back to our luxurious hotel room. He decided to swim in the pool for a little bit. When I joined him there was a guy in the hot tub nearby. As we left to go back to our room, we noticed he had run up to the glass to check us out. Down the hall we noticed he was briskly following us. I have seen enough Unsolved Mysteries and Law and Order to sniff out a weirdo. We entered the room and I figured that was the end of him. But while I was in the bathroom, he knocked on the door (dripping wet in his boxer shorts and shaking) He asked J "hey do you guys wanna hang out for a minute?" To which J replied, "no thanks" and shut the door. He then heard a door slam nearby. I was sort of freaked out by the encounter and told him to warn the front desk lady that this guest seemed "on something". When he mentioned that a guest staying in our wing knocked on the door, she replied "Um Sir you guys are the only guests down that wing". We decided we wanted to switch rooms. The police were notified and we had to meet them in the lobby. To be honest I was terrified to carry all my stuff down that long hallway (think The Shining). The cops said they knew exactly who it was based on our description and said he was a mentally ill man who often knocks on hotel doors and disturbs guests. Later that night we heard he came back and the cops set up a sting and arrested him. The whole strange incident added a weird Hollywood element to the Ohio trip
aside from the hotel weirdo, this was a totally fun getway! I forgot how fun it can be running around a yard, driving on a highway lined with tall trees and hugging your family and friends. Mr. H seemed to fall in love with all the same things I adore in this underdog city. I miss this place and the people that I grew up with. It was so nice being able to introduce my future mate to old friends. It's like no time has passed when we start talking and reminiscing.
So the past few weeks have been a colorful BLUR to say the least. I have been in a bunch of awesome group art shows (above is the SCION Rooms show which runs til may 15th) After that one I had to gear up for my trip to SF for the closing party at Candy Store Collective. My cohort in crime Marcella drove all the way from L.A.!
too bad we didn't have more time to shop around this cool city. Candystore Collective had the coolest work staff and was way bigger than I imagined. They had my art banners in their front windows! I of course forgot to take a picture of that, but trust me it looked super from the street.
cool kitty about to eat marcella
this candystore collective employee sort of matched the colors in the art work The shop owner above: Jennifer! Let me just say that closing party night was FAB. They created a drink called "the Buzzelli" which was part Vodka + Aperol + Lychee syrup- lime juice and ice- yum. So many of my old friends who have migrated to SF came by to visit. I also got to meet some rad fans of my artwork and sign some prints. The entire room was filled with sweet, smart and lovely ladies from San Francisco. When my pal Marcella mentioned to the locals she had considered moving up there, the response was overwhelming. "Are you crazy! if you are single you will have the hardest time finding a man here" Or "check out this crowd, notice 24 cool creative woman for every one man . One of her pals admitted that most men were either already dating, gay, a douche in the dot com field or married. We thought this was all very funny, and kept trying to spy local men who appeared "available". As the night progressed we noticed that the single straight men did have a smug expression when spotted...as if muttering aloud " that's right ladies, you practically just spotted a unicorn" It was like that scene in Xanadu where the ladies escape from the mural, but in this version there were only 12 single attractive men leashed into the scene and if you were lucky you might spot or land one. (made me grateful to be so lucky in love)
Jennifer and I meeting was pretty cosmic. We are both Scorpios, both own (owned) boutiques with similar vibes, believe in Ghosts, love organic and precious knick knacks, and have low patience levels. It was fun to fly up to another city for less than 24 hours and try to pack in some nightlife and fun. We ended up walking around and eating late night burritos as big as my arm. At the end of the evening I ventured to the East Bay with Jennifer to stay at her amazing house. And when I say "amazing" I mean drop dead stunning home that should be used daily for photo shoots and relaxing dinners. Her place was even featured in the San Francisco chronicle HERE
Sleeping in a lovely room with a cute 60's fireplace that has a light up psychedelic log and enormous cloud like comforter was like heaven. I wanted to stay in that house forever. And I must admit it was the first time I could picture living in a mid century style home and desired building one just like it someday...
this amazing head dress was from a bride (some exotic travel purchase)
anyway, the pictures speak for themselves- this place is crazy amazing. And Jennifer is the best hostess, with obviously mad personal style. It was hard for Marcella and I to hit the road and leave the backyard with sweet smelling jasmine. But we had Anderson's to look forward to, the rest stop diner with the funny pea soup billboard
MY goodness, this drive is so pretty! We had the best time listening to satellite radio new wave classics and cruising. When we left Anderson's famous pea place- we accidently entered the wrong freeway ramp and were headed in the wrong direction for 15 minutes, ha ha.
seems we might have to take more fun road trips out of L.A. in the future. although it was fun up in SF, I will confess It was nice to return home to these handsome faces on Friday.
this monday- I take the fiance home to OHIO to meet the family!
