Hello Again

I have obviously been quite the slacker in the blogging world the past few months, but I have also been rather busy. School has started back up, and vacations and birthdays have also kept me away from my blog. So, what are the highlights from the past couple months or so? My vacation is probably the most interesting thing that has happened. I traveled the East Coast, across 8 states, and visited three major Canadian cities, all within 8 days. Although it was rather tiring to be forced to wake up every day at 6 a.m. Eastern time, I appreciated the vast number of sites and experiences that my parents and I were able to see in such a short amount of time. Yes, I just went with my parents and left my husband at home, because he would much rather wake up late and not rush around with all us crazy Asian tourists. We went with a Chinese tour company that drove us through the East Coast and Canada on a packed bus with about 40 other people from around the world. Our journey started from the Big Apple and ended up in Beantown.
Here is our itinerary from our travels:
Day 1 - New York City at night (saw the skyline, Times Square and Rockefeller Center)
Day 2 - (New York City) Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Federal Hall, Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, United Nations Headquarters, Statue of Liberty Harbor Cruise and a wax museum
Day 3 - (Philadelphia) Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Old Congress (Washington D.C.) Capitol Hill, White House, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, National Gallery of Art, National Air & Space Museum
Day 4 - (Hershey, PA) Hershey's Chocolate Town, (Corning, NY) Corning Glass Museum, Niagara Falls at night (Canadian side)
Day 5 - (Niagara Falls) Niagara Falls, Goat Island, Maid of the Mist Cruise, Skylon Tower lunch, IMAX movie, Goat Island (Toronto) Ontario Parliament Building, University of Toronto, City Hall, CN Tower, Sky-Dome Sports Complex
Day 6 - Thousand Islands Cruise, (Ottawa) Nation's Parliament Building, (Montreal) Old Town Montreal, Olympic Park and Tower
Day 7 - (Montreal) Mt. Royal, St. Joseph's Oratory (Boston) Harvard University, MIT, State House of Massachusetts, Boston Common Park, Lobster dinner
Day 8 - (Boston) USS Constitution, USS Cassin Young Destroyer, Boston Massacre site, Boston Tea Party Ship site, Boston Harbor Cruise, Quincy Market

Photos from my trip are posted at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113998&id=655139155&l=576e0b88eb.

Music for the soul

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I purchased a CD or downloaded music, but yesterday changed all of that. With my upcoming trip in a couple weeks, I wanted to get new music for my iPod to make the hours on the plane more bearable. I also had some reward points built up on my credit card, so I was able to get an Amazon MP3 gift certificate...I love free stuff. Wondering what new songs are on my iPod? I particularly enjoy upbeat, catchy songs that make me want to dance around...so I downloaded three albums: Jordin Sparks {Battlefield}, Addison Road {Addison Road} and Brit Nicole {Say It}. They may all seem somewhat similar, but they are different in vocals, styling and soul. One of the songs that really stood out to me is one of the more emotional and soulful ballads on the Addison Road album.

{ What Do I Know of Holy? }
I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?
(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees
(CHORUS 2)
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?
(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy? What do I know of Holy?

Tweet tweet...Twitter makeover

Hello fellow tweeps and Blogospherians...who really knows what the correct terms are these days. Are you lost in this tweeting world of at symbols and hashtags? I was sucked into this avian-inspired microblog platform by my tech-savvy, software developer husband about a year ago or so and still have quite a bit to learn about this thing. I found a pretty handy little guide on the site Web Designer Depot to help me navigate Twitterville. It is called The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter. It starts with the basics and gives helpful tips on how to tweet properly (Tweetiquitte, if you will). A few days ago, I decided it was time to change my Twitter-look and gave my Twitter page a little makeover and upgraded from an orange-striped theme to a mostly white with some pink and black theme. Check it out and become a follower @thmiller. Sorry, if I'm not good at responding to messages, but it's hard to keep up when it's blocked at my work. Also, post in the comments of any people who you think are follow-worthy.

Cupcake craze

If you haven’t noticed, there has been a huge frenzy over cupcakes. What’s the big deal with these miniature confections? Just in the Oklahoma City area, there have been several cupcake-specific restaurants popping up all around town with hoards of people fanatically drawn to them. A friend recently informed me of a new cupcake store that opened in Oklahoma City called Green Goodies by Tiffany. This store specializes in being Oklahoma City’s first peanut free bakery and provides options for people with special dietary needs. This morning, our intern at work brought us some of the most delicious strawberry and lemon cupcakes that I’ve ever eaten…and so started my own cupcake craze for the day. She made the cupcakes using a cake recipe from a book called the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. Here is the strawberry cake recipe I found online.

Strawberry Cake { with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting }
Cake:
* Solid vegetable shortening, for greasing the pans
* Flour for dusting the pans
* 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
* 1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin
* 1 cup mashed fresh strawberries with juice (1 ½ cups whole berries)
* 1 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower
* ½ cup of whole milk
* 4 large eggs
* 1 cup of frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed
* ½ cup chopped pecans
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
* 3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
* ¾ cup fresh ripe strawberries, rinsed, capped, and mashed to make ½ cup, then drained well
* ½ cup frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed
* ½ cup of chopped pecans
What you do:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease three 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, strawberry gelatin, mashed strawberries and juice, oil, milk, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides down again if needed. The strawberries should be well blended into the batter. Fold in the coconut and the pecans. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and place them in the oven; if your oven is not large enough, place two pans on the center of the highest rack.
3. Bake the cakes until they are light brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 28 to 30 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the layer on the highest rack oven. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto the rack, the invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the sugar and drained strawberries. Blend the frosting on low until the sugar has been incorporated. Then raise the speed to medium and mix the frosting another minute or until the frosting lightens and is well combined. Fold in the coconut and the pecans.
5. To assemble, place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Add another cake layer, right side up, and frost the top. Repeat this process with the third layer and frost the top. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides, working with clean, smooth stroke. Serve at once or chill the cake for later serving.
* Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper and store in the refrigerator, for up to one week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

To make these sugary sweets even more scrumptious, use a cute cupcake liner like the ones you can find at Bake it Pretty. This site was recently featured in Better Homes & Gardens, so it looks like they are currently sold out of some of the designs.

Accidental inspiration

Today, I attended the monthly Oklahoma City Advertising Club meeting and listened to Dirk Fowler, accomplished letterpress poster designer and Communication Design professor at Texas Tech, speak about his art and business f2design. A few samples of his work are shown in the picture above. His collection of eclectic pieces, which often incorporate visual symbols and illusions, are simple, yet complex in meaning and imagery. It was inspiring to see how his work has impacted not only the design industry, but also the music industry. When asked where he comes up with some of his ideas, he responded by referring to the posters that were distributed to all the attendees titled "Hand Eye Chicken." Dirk recounted how the image came about just from moving around a few pieces and realizing that a new image had appeared. Much like these posters, design inspiration is sometimes accidental and results from experimentation.

Divine design

Yes, it’s Monday…the most dreaded day of the week for most people. I would have to say that I am guilty of feeling this sense of dread and gloom on most Mondays, especially today. After a restless night of sleep interrupted by both dog and husband, I was less than enthused about rolling out of bed this morning. The repeated series of events that occurred throughout the night: dog jumps out of bed, husband jumps out of bed to chase down dog, husband wrangles the dog to get her back in bed or she whines at the side of the bed until someone will lift her back up in bed. We really need to get her some stairs for the bed, but just haven't done it yet. Dave suggested stacking cardboard boxes up beside our bed or building some sort of styrofoam monstrosity in our bedroom...I don't think I was having the same vision as my husband when I said we should get stairs for the dog. I had something more like this in mind...

After feeling not quite inspired to start out the work week, I found an article today on Crosswalk.com, a site I frequent regularly. It is titled "Redeem Arts & Culture through Divine Inspiration" and talks about how you can include the Creator in your creative endeavors. As someone who works in a creative field, I know it is sometimes difficult to always conjure up clever and innovative design ideas. This article details a few practical solutions to become divinely inspired. They include the following:

• Invite the Holy Spirit into your creative process.
• Develop a listening lifestyle.
• Make yourself completely available to God.
  
• Grow in your craft.
• Wrap each project in prayer.
• Enjoy seeing what happens.

The article is adapted from Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity, copyright 2008 by J. Scott McElroy.

Shades of white

How many shades of white, off-white and cream are there? You might be surprised. Above are just a few of the sample swatches I picked up today at Home Depot. My husband and I are in the process of remodeling our house so we can sell it next spring, and our recent project to tackle is...repainting the kitchen cabinets. We first had the inclination to stain them, however, we quickly changed our minds after we attempted to sand one cabinet door last weekend. So instead, we have decided to paint them...all 30 or so of them. After my Sunday Zumba class, I ventured over to our local Home Depot with sweat still dripping down my forehead and trotted over to the paint section. "This shouldn't be too hard," I thought. After about 20 to 30 minutes of carefully evaluating the ever-so-slight nuances between Antique White, Cottage White and Ultra Pure White, I left the store with, not a gallon of paint, but instead these swatches in the picture. I'll be mulling over these different colors the next couple days and will have to take my husband with me next time to force me to make a decision.

Also, in church this morning, we learned a new worship song that really spoke to me today. Here are the lyrics...

FROM THE INSIDE OUT (Joel Houston, copyright Hillsong Publishing)

A thousand times I've failed, Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again, Still I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart in my soul, Lord, I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise, Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, My purpose remains
The art of losing myself, In bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart in my soul, Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise, Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord my soul cries out

No taxation...with a little bit of satisfaction

Thank you, great state of Oklahoma, for a successful tax-free shopping day. Here are a few of the bargains I found at Dillard’s today on my evening shopping excursion with my reluctant shopping-buddy husband. Our adventure only lasted through two stores (Dillard’s and New York & Co), but I brought back a satisfying amount of heavily discounted loot. As seen in the picture, I bought a turquoise blue newsboy-style Badgley Mischka hat for $20, a matching large stone necklace with a white floral accent for $11.40, and a pair of gold chain embellished sandals for $10.20…all from Dillard’s, and I was able to use a birthday gift card. Then, it was on to New York & Co…one of my favorite stores, because I can usually find some really good deals. Today was no exception, I left the store with three tops, a pair of crop jeans and another pair of casual crop pants for about $47. It was a good way to end the evening after a fun-filled day hanging out with friends at the pool and dinner.

And just because...here's a photo of my cute little Yorkie Natalie taken today in our backyard...

Back to school

It’s the beginning of August, which means you can’t go into Target or Wal-Mart without being inundated by the colorful displays of notebooks, folders, and other various Hannah Montana or Spiderman branded paraphernalia. Yes, it’s back-to-school time…a time that signals the end of summer…a time that still brings a sense of dread and anxiousness. This year will probably be my last time to be going back to school, unless I decide to get another degree.

So no fun colorful binders and scented erasers for me; it’s my last semester of graduate school. Although it’s been rewarding and challenging to be back in the academic setting, it’s also been a major adjustment and time commitment. The hundreds of pages of reading, the countless papers and projects, the studying and group meetings…these things, I will surely not miss. I look forward to December when I will regain my freedom and gain a coveted MBA degree and education that will hopefully be beneficial to me in the future.

Anyways, today I found a really neat site where you can rent college textbooks. It’s called Chegg, and I would be interested to see if it’s really worth it. It looks fairly simple, where you rent the book you need, you get it in the mail, return it for free after you’re done, and they plant a tree for every book you rent. Not only do you save money (65% to 85% according to the Web site), but you’re also being green and saving some trees. You can also sell old textbooks on the Web site and connect with other users with Facebook.

A little about me

First things first…I guess I will tell you a little about myself. Normally, I’m not a big fan of self-disclosure and would rather not divulge all the details of my life. But I am going to assume that probably not very many people will be reading this, and if you are reading my blog, you are probably overly curious, miserably bored or easily entertained. I recently had a birthday, 27 years to be exact. It wasn’t such a joyous day to realize that I’m quickly approaching my late-20s to early-30s. However, I do feel extremely blessed to be alive another year.

More introductions…most people start off by saying what they do for a living, so I suppose I will follow suit. I am a graphic designer, which essentially means that I pretty things up and make things look better. Graphic design is actually not what I studied in college, but I’ve always naturally gravitated toward the field, and employers found my work acceptable enough to hire me. So here I am…a professional graphic designer. I love creative and imaginative design and definitely appreciate aesthetic beauty.

I am also a newlywed, enjoying a little over a year of marriage. My husband is a software developer and a little bit of a self-proclaimed nerd, which I find kind of endearing. If you ever have any questions about Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or video games, he can probably tell you everything you’d ever want to know. We have one dog-child together, Natalie, a four-pound Yorkie who thinks she’s a Great Dane. She’s a little bit spoiled and is a bit of a princess-diva dog. We live a simple suburban life in Edmond, Oklahoma, and look forward to the little time we have together everyday.

I strive to be a Christ follower but feel like it’s a constant struggle to grow spiritually and lead a consistent godly life. In addition, I am quite far from being labeled a domestic diva, much to my husband’s dismay, but am also trying to improve in this arena. The shiny cooking appliances and tools from our wedding sit in our cabinets waiting to have their day of glory, but I am hopeful that this will change once I’m done with graduate school.

Some of the things I’m quite fond of include: traveling and planning vacations, photography, all things design-related, shopping and finding good deals, trying and learning new things (whether it’s a new restaurant or new activity, I’m usually up for it), Zumba and going to fitness classes at the gym, spending time with family and friends, watching my guilty-pleasure of reality television (mainly just The Bachelor and So You Think You Can Dance), frozen yogurt, cute chick flicks, anything involving weddings, naps and sleep in general, playing with my dog, and having free time.

In the beginning...

Alas, I have finally decided to start a blog. I’ve had the inkling of doing one of these things every so often, but usually talk myself out of it before I even start. My life is not nearly interesting enough to capture the interest of any bored individual looking to kill time by reading about the daily musings of my uneventful life. In addition, my mild to moderate case of perfectionism and crippling fear of failure also sets in periodically to pop my bubbling aspirations.

Since my major was journalism in college, I feel a looming sense of pressure to formulate sentences correctly and punctuate properly. I fear people will judge me if I misplace a comma or use “there” instead of “their.” I also think that if I forget to update this thing or neglect to put anything meaningful or interesting on here, I will become some sort of blogging failure.

So here it goes. Watch me throw caution to the wind or whatever that saying is (my husband likes to make fun of me for my improper usage of idiomatic phrases). This is it…the beginning of a pseudo social experiment and daily (or whenever) sounding board for me. I may use one comma too many or I may bore you with uninteresting details or I may not update this thing for days…or weeks.

But if you are reading this, please let me know your thoughts, your struggles, and your reactions to any of the posts.