The Steeps!

After returning to Saratoga, I became involved with a fantastic group dedicated to a really fantastic cause. The Steeplechasers are a group of people, all around our age, who live in the Saratoga area. The goal of the group is to help raise awareness and donations for the Universal Preservation Hall.
www.universalpreservationhall.org

For those of you familiar with Saratoga, the UPH is the old Baptist (also Methodist at one point) church on Washington Street; it is the brick one that once looked like a strong wind might topple it. This is the architect's rendering of where we are headed:



Once the restoration is completed, UPH will be a community arts focused space available to everyone. It will be used for theatrical events, musical performances, art exhibitions, weddings and other parties or functions...
I won't go on and on here, but suffice it to say, it is a spectacular and unique venture. You can learn lots more on the site.

The Steeps are a great group of people that I have really enjoyed getting to meet. A group of us went out to dinner last night after our meeting and Tim was able to come along so he had the chance to meet many of them as well.
I made mention of having this blog at dinner last night which means two things:
I was asked for the address so some could read it, so, HI STEEPS!
Two, crap, now I really do have to post occassionally or they will all know that I am a slacker, not just Gram and Aunt Bev!

What? No Photos??

So, after a ridiculous amount of time since I have given you any sort of update, I sat down this morning prepared to really fill you in. And then I realized, where the hell did the camera go? How am I supposed to update all our adoring fans (Hi Gram!) when I can't find the camera? Ummm, Tim took it to the job site today so apparently you will have to wait for visuals.

We had our first holiday celebrated at our house this year. Thanksgiving was wonderful. No, I don't mean in our new Saratoga house, I mean our humble abode period. Who wants to eat Thanksgiving dinner on a coffee table while sitting on the floor? That is how it would have been in Brooklyn! As we now have a fantastic dining room with a table and chairs and everything, it was finally time for us to hold the shindig. Tim's aunt Linda and uncle Frank and daughter Bella, the one who played the piano at our wedding for those of you who were there, came from CT to stay with us for a few days. Tim's dad and my parents and sister were also here. We cooked and laughed and danced and much merriment was had by all...photos to come.

Linda gets up every year at ungodly hours to hit the Black Friday sales. This year was not to be any different! I really wanted to go with them, but after the excitement of the day I found myself laying in bed still staring at the ceiling at 1:30am. Yeah, they got up and left for Best Buy at 3:15. Needless to say, I was NOT in tow. Linda and Bella and Tim went and stood in the cold with all the rest of the shopping crazies. Tim estimates there were over 300 people in line when they got there at 3:30 and the joint didn't even open until 5! Linda got some good deals and Bella and Tim got cold feet.

After which, they headed to Dick's. The background to why you should feel the extreme excitement pulsating from your computer screen as you read that last sentence is this:
We have been looking at, pricing out, dreaming about, and down right drooling over the idea of owning kayaks for about a year. Thanks to a friend of Tim's for the heads up and Dick's decision to liquidate some of their kayak inventory...HOORAY FOR US!!! We were able to get super great kayaks at an unheard of price. Bring it on spring! Yes, this means that Tim and I have completed our shopping for one another for the holidays. Yes, I also know that this means that we purchased super fun toys that we can't use for a few months. Hey, you may stop by to visit us and see the two of us sitting in our little boats in the living room...you never know.

We have a blue one and an orange one...

Okay, I said no photos, but I found this one on line so you could see

After Thanksgiving and our company had departed, it was time to really start swinging into the holiday gear. For the last 4 years we have not had a Christmas tree. We were typically away from our apartment for at least 2-3 weeks at the end of December and beginning of January, so a tree really didn't make sense. Fire hazard, pine needles everywhere, that type of thing. Fake trees, not so much. I would rather go without. (Sorry Gram, I know you like them)
So, Saturday we purchased some lights for outside, stockings which we have hung by the bookcase with care, ornaments, even Christmas hand towels for the kitchen! Lookout Clark Griswald, here we come.

This weekend we are planning on putting the lights on the porch and getting a tree. I will take photos of all the shinanegins and post them here so you can giggle. I promise not to let Tim steal our camera again before so doing.

Nothing new to share

Just thought I would take a quick minute to say hello. Really, there is nothing new and too exciting to share, but, if I don't occassionally post things here, you won't keep coming back!

Last week was busy with work. I started doing some freelance work for the photographers who photographed our wedding. I am doing some inhouse graphic design for them, redesigning their brochures, designing ads. Also am doing layout design of wedding albums for them. It is a blast. I have great new software on our home computer, I work from home most the time, make my own hours and am doing creative, interesting work with two people who I find creative and interesting as well. If you would like to know more about them, their site is www.pachterphoto.com
I completed my first album on Saturday morning, so that was exciting for me.

Tim has been keeping busy with his jobs and we continue to try to get the company name out there and get him new work.
He put together a team of guys who will be playing indoor soccer once a week. I know he is thrilled about that. They will be playing on Tuesday nights.

I also sent my resume into the Saratoga County Arts Council in response to an opening they have for Exhibitions Coordinator. It would be doing much of the same thing that I have done in the past for a group that I believe strongly in. I don't want to jinks anything. I know I would be perfect for the position. We will see what happens and I will keep you posted.

And, here, just because it is a lovely photograph and I hate to post and not give you an image to see...outside our house in Brooklyn last year after a snow storm. Those of you who know me well, know that I hate winter. It is because I hate being cold and I really dislike wind. But, images like this remind you of how lovely the season can be. And, I know it is around the corner...trying to look on the bright side...