Weekend notes

This weekend was very relaxing...friday after work I planted more seeds including sunflowers, morning glories, and poppies. I believe that our back yard is going to be so full of color! Saturday, Michael and I stayed inside since it was unbearably hot outside. We watched bad tv and a couple movies and just lounged all over. It was so nice. When it cooled off, we went to the grocery store and I was craving ice cream so I picked up some Ben & Jerry's. Today (Sunday), it was hot again so we stayed inside until it was time to go to a barbeque at Kolleen & Jen's house.

The barbeque was very fun! Nobu, Joseph, Melanie and Tim were there. Michael and I got there around 4 and we helped Kolleen get some things ready and played some soccer in their huge back yard. I took tons of pictures, most of which were blurry. Once the sun started going down it wasn't as hot. Kolleen and Jen set up their fire pit and we sat around it for a little. It was really nice to get together with everyone from work and hang out. It was so low key and relaxing. This was the first hot weekend, kind of a preview of summer in California. We didn't have to turn our air conditioning on though. I bet we will when it starts getting up to 100 or so. I like how the nights are cool, in the 60's.

Pictures

Photos from our trip to Pacific Grove are now up on Flickr! Click HERE and enjoy!

Weekend trip to Pacific Grove & Monterey

I spent three lovely days in Pacific Grove & Monterey with Michael this past weekend! We left around 6 am Saturday morning and drove to Fresno to pick up a rental car then started our trip to the coast. We drove through some really cool and green mountains through a city called Gilroy. It was kinda cloudy and misty but the pictures I took came out really cool!

We arrived in the Monterey area around 11 am but couldn't check into our hotel until 3 so we parked along the coast in Pacific Grove and walked around for a while. We were right there by the rocks and waves! It was so cool! We walked all the way to the downtown Pacific Grove area and ate some lunch at a place called Peppers. It was a "Mexi-Cali Grill." (Whatever that means!) The food was pretty good...I ate a mushroom and artichoke enchilada and Michael ordered grilled fish tacos...yummy!

We walked back to the ocean and checked out the beach near Lover's Point - a very cool park on the coast. We then walked back to the car and drove to the hotel to check in. We were so tired from walking all day! Our hotel room ended up being upgraded to this cute little cottage!

We went out for a very nice dinner at a restaurant called The Victorian Corner. We were there for about 2 hours just eating, drinking, and talking. After that we called it a night so that we could get up super early Sunday to see the sunrise.

It was too cloudy Sunday morning so our pictures weren't so great, and it was sooooo cold outside! We ate some yummy breakfast at The Lighthouse Cafe and decided to go back to the hotel and sleep. We slept until about 1 and woke up refreshed....we did some shopping at an old book store where I bought a Rainer Maria Rilke book of poetry. Then we went to Cannery Row in Monterey and got some coffee. From there, we decided to take the 17 mile drive from Pacific Grove through Asilomar and pebble Beach. We stopped several places along the coast to take pictures. It was so windy and cold! We took tons of pictures of Bird Rock, The Lone Cypress Tree, the Ghost Tree, etc. When we got to the Pebble Beach Resort, we took a bathroom break and started driving back to see the sunset on the beach. The sun looked pretty cool until it hit some clouds along the horizon and then looked crappy. Michael tried to show me how to use the manual setting on my camera but I don't quite get it. I tried a few times and even took some black and white pictures but then went back to auto.

For dinner we decided to try the Thai Bistro but they were closing when we got there so we ended up eating at the Persian Grill. I ate this delicious dish of chicken with Persian spices over Basmati rice with Saffron and Barberries on top. I was in heaven - this dish was so good. I have never had a barberry but they were very interesting - sweet and sour at the same time. I was stuffed! Michael ordered some kind of stew that also came with Saffron rice...he was stuffed as well!

Today (Monday) we got up and showered and checked out of the hotel around 11. We went to a couple more shops in Pacific Grove and then went to Fish Hopper's on Cannery Row in Monterey for lunch. We sat on the deck that overlooked the bay and it was so nice! We checked out an Antique store that was sensory overload with all the crap in it...and then a gallery of local art that was disappointing...

Finally, we stopped at the Monterey State Beach and walked down to the water. I took some final pictures of the ocean and a weird tree that was seriously right on the beach! Then we headed home...

I had a fantastic weekend and my legs are soooo sore from walking everywhere! I can't wait to go back when the weather is a little warmer and you can actually sit on the beach without blowing away!

Trust the Mess: Part 2

This week is break week and I don't have any art therapy groups so I've been in my office on the unit doing paperwork and other things...if it weren't for Becky I'd go crazy! We email each other all day and call each other when we don't feel like emailing...and we eat lunch together at Becky's apartment! We are joined at the hip! LOL...Tomorrow we have a training from 9-11 and then we have to help clean and organize the art center. I heard from Melanie that it is a disaster because some shelving is being removed and everything in the office had to be moved! I bet we will have tons to clean...we also have art therapy supervision tomorrow. Today I was working on my lesson plans for Art Journaling which starts on Tuesday. I believe I now have at least 7 in the group, maybe 8. I am really excited to have a full group! My directives for the Spring quarter are different than last quarter and center more on wellness and coping skills. I have 6 weeks out of 12 done so far...

I started a new painting last night. I basically worked in the style of what I did at the workshop with Sabrina. I spread paint around and played with colors and taped paper in some areas. I also drew with oil pastels. Tonight, Michael and I went to Michael's and I bought some new art supplies! I got a calligraphy set and India ink and a set of 3 bamboo brushes. I also got a couple new bottles of paint and a tool that punches holes in thick paper. I was looking for a Japanese hole puncher but they didn't have one. I will have to order it online. They also didn't have the ink I was looking for which is also a Japanese brand so I will look online for that too. I will probably finish my painting tomorrow night after I decide what I want to write on it. I have a few poems and some of the free writing from Sabrina's workshop to choose from.

This weekend Michael and I are going to Pacific Grove which is near Pebble Beach and Monterey. I can't wait! I love going to the beach!

Weekend Tidbits

I had a pretty good weekend...I slept in pretty late Saturday and then hung out with Becky who brought me a scrumptous lunch from Panera Bread. We made some origami butterflies, played scrabble online and then watched cable! Yes, cable. Not ordinary cable but super DirectTv cable. Lots and lots of channels and a digital video recorder too....It has been so long since we had cable....after watching VH1 for a while, me, Becky, and Michael went to get some Mexican food for dinner. Michael and I challenged each other to some Scrabble games last night and of course he won. Smarty pants.

Today (Sunday) I got up not so late as yesterday but not so early either...I watched a new series on VH1 called "I know my kid's a star." I especially wanted to see this show because one woman in it with her daughter is the ex-girlfriend of my friend from Santa Monica. It was interesting to see what she is like since he told me some juicy stories about her. The next episode is on Thursday night...

After I watched the show, Michael and I drove up to Fresno and went to Barnes & Noble and Trader Joe's. I got a Sylvia Plath book and a really cool discount hardcover with these fold out pages that I am going to use for an art journal. The weather today was extremely warm...almost 80 degrees. I talked to my parents in Ohio and they said it is still very cold there and they had some snow yesterday morning.

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

End of the Winter Quarter

Today was the last day of my Art Journaling for Wellness group at the hospital. In 2 weeks the new quarter starts and so will a new Art Journaling group. 3 out of the 4 guys from this quarter will be back next quarter to continue with the group! I also have a new name on the roster of a man from the admissions unit. The guys did evaluations for Jenn & I today and they were 100% positive. I am very proud of Jenn & I for doing this group. They really got a lot out of it and I'm ready to take the group to the next level of art journaling. They made their books out of paper and bristol board and I would love if we incorporated real books next time. I am going to start looking in thrift stores for books that we can use. Hard cover ones work best...I also need to come up with new ideas since the majority of the guys will be from this quarter.

Trust The Mess

I spent the weekend in Los Angeles with Sabrina Ward Harrison unfolding and spilling. I attended her workshop at Carol Parks' NoHo Studio. The setting was absolutely beautiful. The house, the park across the street...all we heard were children all day as we created.

I met many new friends and connected with an artist that I have been following for years. We wrote freely and shared stories. We destroyed books to make new ones. We painted with each other on a mural and then cut pieces to place into our journals.

We layed down in the grass and watched the trees and clouds. There were tears and laughter and chocolate and oranges and Sabrina's wild red hair. There were poems and walks around the block and pictures.

Sabrina says, "If you don't go, you don't see." I'm so glad I went because I definitely saw.

I will cherish this weekend forever and ever and I will lie down again in the grass and remember that it doesn't matter what your art looks like, or how your words sound, or what you are wearing or eating or driving. It's the moment that counts. It's the now. Sabrina taught me about the now. She taught me to trust the mess and unfold my heart.

Thank you Sabrina...

*more pictures coming soon...