Goodbye Hercules: An Update on My Car

Hey guys!

So I've mentioned before that the time has come for me to retire Hercules as my main vehicle. Patrick and I have discussed different methods of "getting rid" of it, and none seemed super satisfactory to me because they would mean either giving the car away to some dealership which would likely scrap it and sell it for parts, or I would be handing it off to some stranger who may not croon at it when it does something good.

Hercules needs love, too!

Anyways, a situation has come up and it turns out that Patrick's daughter, Jackie, is in need of a car. Without hesitation, I offered for her to have Hercules. She definitely needs a vehicle more than I do (since Patrick and I share a car most of the time) and the car has quite a while to go before it has to actually retire. A 15 year old car with only 87k miles on it? Anyone in their right mind would take that for free, even if it does need a bit of work.

As I've talked out in the past, Hercules has a starting issue, which we've hopefully fixed half of simply by disabling the after-market remote starter, which we believed to be draining the battery (big shout out to Jeremy who is still the best mechanic I've ever had and can talk me through fixing a car from across the country). After that, hopefully it's not a seriously expensive repair. Even if it costs a bit to fix, the repairs would be significantly less than trying to purchase a new car (probably from a sketchy person on Craigslist) would be.

I'm really happy about letting the car go to someone who I know needs it. Patrick and I replaced the battery and we drove it to Jackie yesterday (Saturday) so that she can take it in and have any necessary repairs done as soon as possible.

Of course, this is incredibly emotional for me. Yesterday as I drove it across the San Mateo Bridge, I went through all of the great memories that I had simply due to my car and having a source of reliable transportation. I definitely got a little bit choked up about it-- but then Hercules and I had a great jam session as a goodbye. I'm so happy that I'm able to help Jackie out and that the car isn't going to a scrap yard. This is truly the best case scenario!

To anyone who has personally driven my car, beaten me with a book to kill a bug while I was trying to drive the car, sat in my car for a long talk, worked on my car, had to climb in the back seat because you got the short straw in the race for shotgun, or simply went for a drive with me, I hope you'll take a minute to appreciate that none of that could have happened without my car or my fantastic parents who bought it for me. It was a great five year run!

Hercules was my (surprise) early graduation gift from my parents.

Ella, inspecting the new car

Thanks for being a great car from 2010 to 2015!

"Large Mail Sack" Purse by Pink Chalk, Made by Brook

Hey guys!

Differing from anything I've ever posted before (except for maybe my Tie Dye Sharpie Shoes post) I'm blogging today to show you all something I've made! At the very least I know my grandma will enjoy seeing this :)

So back in 2011, my grandma and I found this great purse pattern at a quilt shop. It's called "The Mail Sack" by Pink Chalk, and it is so great! For someone who gets frustrated at every turn when sewing, this bag is a really quick thing to whip up without pulling out too many hairs. My grandmother and I have probably made over a dozen bags total over the years and have no plans to stop. That Christmas, everyone got a bag. I felt like Oprah. 

When I moved here, I obviously couldn't take grandma, her pattern, and her entire sewing room (complete with every tool you could ever think you'd possibly need) with me. But then Patrick bought the pattern for me for Easter a few months ago and I was excited to make another bag!

When Patrick got his new desk last week for work (it's a 3 sided desk) I finally had a place to sew without having to move computers and the like to do so, so I decided it was time to start a project.

I spent about an hour at Joann's picking out the perfect fabrics and started on it the next day. 

Unfortunately I did make a mistake and I bought the wrong type of interfacing for the project (it calls for fusible, I got the regular kind), but I was able to run over to Wal Mart where they had exactly what I needed (and for super cheap, too! I was tempted to buy the whole bolt!). While I was there, I also picked up a zipper, which the bag calls for but I initially thought that was too adventurous for me to try.

Up until this point, I had only made the "Mini Mail Sack" but they did provide a pattern for the "Large Mail Sack," which I opted for this time because I've always found that the mini one doesn't hold enough stuff for me. 

Here is the fabric I went with:

This was for the "base."

This was for the "yoke and strap" and also the pockets.

This was for the lining. The picture doesn't do it justice. The fabric is a little darker than this and less yellow, which you can see in other photos.

I believe the two multi-colored fabrics I chose were from the same line and I just happened to find them in different sections of the store. I always love making bags with fabrics from the same line so that I know they will effortlessly go together. When I go to fabric stores I often mentally shut down because there are TOO MANY OPTIONS but if I choose one fabric that I like and it has color matching fabric from the same line, it makes it much easier on my poor brain. Then I simply have to choose a lining fabric. Sometimes I get lucky and there are multiple fabrics in the same line and I don't even have to search for a lining!

Please excuse the mess, it was so late by the time I finished the bag and I was falling asleep.

I've placed a DVD here for size reference.

Here is the bag inside out to show you the zipper pocket. This is a much more accurate photo of the color of the orange fabric.

(Sorry about the pale photo, I don't know what that's about!) 

This is my zipper! I'm pleased with how well I did on it for my first time. The pattern called for a zipper "the same color as the lining fabric" but I thought, "how will I see the zipper if there is poor lighting?" and I went with the green one. Actually, it's because there were no other colors at Wal Mart that matched the pattern except for this one, so green it was! But I really like it :)

Here is the bag inside out to show you the other side of the pockets. It's a simple large pocket divided with a line of stitching. But I thought that wouldn't be good as-is because I would lose things like bobby pins in such a large pocket...

So I added baby pockets underneath the large pocket! I can never make one of these bags without customizing something. 

Here is our lovely model, Patrick, showing you how the bag looks on a human. 

Overall I'm super pleased with the outcome and I can't wait to show it off! Initially I went to the store intending to make a Marvel Avengers purse because I'm in love with The Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man (in that order), but they had some really terrible options and I was really bummed about them. 

And because I still have my "Mini Mail Sack," I'll include photos of that one as well so you can see the size difference! 

The "Mini Mail Sack"

My "customization" (I added a tab and a button)

The "base" fabric. Also the fabric of one of the pockets.

The "yoke and strap" fabric. Also the fabric of one the other pocket.

The "regular" pocket (no stitching in the middle). I believe this was an addition of my own and the pattern only called for one divided pocket, as shown in the next photo.

My divided pocket.

Comparison

As you can see, the size difference is pretty great. I almost wish there were a third "middle" option for the bag size! I'm sure I could eventually whip something up on my own, though. 

Again, our lovely model Patrick :)

So there you have it! If you're interested, the materials for the large bag were about $22 (but all of the fabrics were 40% off). Additionally, you can purchase the pattern from Amazon here.

Surgery for Patrick

Hey everyone,

Last time I wrote to you all, I shared with you that Patrick was suffering from chronic pain from an injury that he had almost a year ago, and I mentioned that I would keep you all updated on the result of that situation. I'm here today with an update and a little bit of back story.

When Patrick was a child, he had surgery to shorten his right leg so that it would match up with the left. Medicine at that time was not as advanced as it is these days, and though he probably would have grown out of the different lengths, his family made that decision for him. Fast forward to his late 30's, and while he is out running one morning, his right achilles tendon snaps and it sends him straight into surgery just days later. The cause? Extra bone that was growing as a result of said childhood surgery kept tearing away at the tendon until it could no longer hold up against the tension.

After a long surgery where they removed tendons from other parts of his leg to reconstruct his achilles, Patrick was in a cast for many weeks, followed by a boot, and then physical therapy. Because of the nature of Patrick's job, he was on the road just weeks later at client after client, and while he had great medical care and good insurance and the means to cover all of the copays and medical costs that insurance could not, we are now writing a very different story.

Back in August, Patrick injured his left leg with a completely different injury-- the tendon in his calf separated from his muscle. Given no time to rest or get to a doctor, Patrick went on the road almost immediately for most of the next three weeks, walking heavily on his heel to keep the pressure off of the arch of his foot, which is what had caused his tendon separation. While that injury continued to heal, Patrick was unknowingly creating a new injury-- the same achilles problem that he previously had on the right.

Because Patrick was booked for weeks and weeks in advance, he was eventually able to go to Urgent Care to have the leg looked at, but the doctor told him to RICE the injury and that it should be fine-- which is something that Patrick can't necessarily do, as he is often up in front of a class teaching, pacing back and forth. The injury continued to get worse and he has been living with chronic pain for months.

When Patrick was finally able to take a day off for himself to get to his regular doctor in San Mateo (he still has not found a suitable doctor here in Tracy and therefore has kept his same physician), his doctor then had him set up an appointment with a specialist for the following week.

A second day of missing work passed as he made his way back to The Bay Area to meet with the specialist, who promptly put him in a boot, scolded him for not getting in to the doctor six months earlier-- when they could have treated and healed the injury-- and sent Patrick to get an MRI.

And so a third day was taken off of work to go get that MRI, which put us over $1,000 in the hole (really, what good is insurance, honesty?) along with the cost of the boot, all of which will come out of pocket once they bill us.

The MRI results came in and Patrick confirmed with the doctor what we were already dreading: he needs reconstructive surgery on his left achilles before it does what the other one did and snaps beyond repair, making the surgery and healing process even longer.

Right now we are looking at six weeks in a cast, four weeks in a boot, followed by four weeks of physical therapy. Patrick's doctor would rather him have the surgery sooner than later to prevent further damage, but we have a very important trip booked in July and we are moving in August, both things that we cannot reschedule and things that Patrick realistically cannot do while in a cast. Lugging boxes up and down the stairs just isn't in the cards for him (in his current state with the boot or with a cast just weeks after surgery), yet we also cannot afford to hire professional movers. We have to get the timing just right with this or the damage becomes worse and his heal time is even longer, or we aren't able to move without professional help.

What we're really struggling with right now is the medical cost. When Patrick renewed his insurance this past January, his company was in the middle of switching administrative positions and he was mistakenly given just a few days to choose a new plan. Without being able to look at them himself, he requested to be put under the same plan regardless of the cost. It would appear that this was a mistake, although had he not been on the road at the time he may have had the time to look over the different options.

Not only is his insurance so expensive that we cannot add me on it without it skyrocketing to more than double his current monthly payment, but he also gets hit with a $5,000 minimum deductible, which does not include any at-home expenses, medical supplies, or time off of work.

And so while we were hoping to be able to move to save more money on rent and save up for a house, it would seem that we are now moving to save more on rent so that we can try to pay off medical bills and any other debt that may come with this surgery, and a house can wait.

Patrick is the sole breadwinner in our household. It is difficult to find a job where I make enough for the entire ordeal to be worth it. Isn't it funny how the worst paying jobs are often the most stressful? With my mental health in mind, I made the decision not to get a job when we moved to Tracy. Such a small town had very little to offer in terms of decent jobs, and even so I would only have brought in a small fraction of what Patrick brings in, and I now regret that decision, knowing that what I could have brought in would have helped significantly with these costs, which we simply don't have the savings to cover.

I know that in the "man of the house" role, Patrick is too proud to ask for help, and the stress has been eating away at him-- even now I'm watching his attitude change and harden just a little bit as he tries to take all of this upon himself.

I've watched this man do amazing things-- both for me and for other people-- and be brightens my day every single day. When he and I found one another, I knew I was taking a risk with him, but it took me a long time to realize that he was taking the biggest risk of his life with me, too. A long distance relationship with a much younger woman was laughable-- crazy, even-- but he still did it. He flew to see me and showed me what the greatest love could be like, and when the distance just didn't make sense any more, he waited patiently for me as I traveled across the country and he welcomed me into his home and his life with open arms, confident that we would work together as a couple and that we could get through anything together. Confident enough that even though he had sworn he would never get married again after his second divorce, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.

Now that you all know what is going on, and now that Patrick and I are both ashamed and embarrassed that we cannot cover these costs on our own, I'd like to share with you the GoFundMe account that Patrick's sister, Renee, graciously created to try to help with this cause. I know times are hard-- even harder for some others than it may be for us right now-- and we understand that a lot people simply have to take care of themselves. That's okay, we completely understand. There are a billion things that I wish I could help out with but we simply cannot, and we are in that boat with you. However, for those of you who are interested in helping us stay out of medical debt and have the means to do so, I have provided the link below. If nothing else, your good vibes and positive thoughts will go a long way in helping us get through this.

Patrick's GoFundMe

The Wildest Wedding!

Hey everyone! So last night, Patrick and I had the honor of attending the wedding of our friends Doug and Julie, who made the amazing decision to have their wedding at the San Francisco Zoo! Crazy? Not even a little bit! In my very short life I haven't been to too many weddings, but this one was hands down the best one I've ever been to and will likely ever attend.

Obligatory pre-wedding selfie

This was supposed to be a selfie with a giraffe, but as you can see he stayed pretty far away.

I made a real attempt on my hair for this event, and I must say I am super proud of the way it came out! I learned how to finally use my curling wand AND I only burned myself once!

Patrick and I arrived at the wedding early to help our friends Mandy, the wedding planner, and James, the DJ, set up before the ceremony and reception. While I was setting out gold leaf chargers and injuring myself with plastic boxes of candles and the like, Patrick was busying himself with sound equipment. Thankfully the other Brook (Mandy's wife) alerted me to the time so that I could (quite literally) run to the ceremony just moments before it started!

There was a photo booth right outside of the zoo entrance that we took advantage of before we got to work

One of the guests

Mandy and Brook's son, Harlow! I got to see this little old man before we got started with the setup. 

Our good friends James (the DJ) and his husband Nate! 

Thank goodness I had my tissues ready, because as soon as Julie, the bride, started walking down the aisle, I was in tears. I have never seen a woman look more lovely on her wedding day, and immediately you could see every emotion on her face. Her pure joy and excitement was too much and my mascara was making a run for the hills before she even reached Doug at the altar. When the two of them met, they did a short dance number before they stopped right in front of their officiant, well-known San Francisco drag queen Peaches Christ. While this could have definitely gone overboard and been a little bit tacky, Julie and Doug looked nothing but radiant with the gorgeous, glittery Peaches readying them for their nuptials, and she kept the entire ceremony casual, intimate, and high with emotion.

Doug's emotional hug with his parents, with whom he walked down the aisle

Radiant as ever, Julie walks down the aisle at the hand of her father.

The dancing duo, showing off their skills just before the vows.

Of course, two people as in love as Doug and Julie wrote their own vows, and they were nothing if not packed with love, commitment, and geeky puns-- but like everything at this wedding, they worked so well and were so beautiful that I had to look away from their sweet faces multiple times to keep from completely ruining my makeup with tears. Don't mind me, weddings always make me cry. Not always from the very first moment, like this one, but I am definitely a sucker for love.

Doug and Julie after their deal-sealing kiss

Julie and Doug looked like royalty. Julies dress was a beautiful off-white satin with this incredible blue peekaboo section in the back, held together with this amazing satin corset in the same color with lovely blue floral embroidery in the bust, topped with a sleek mini-jacket. Everything, from her gold charm bracelet to her custom tri-force inspired engagement ring and (afterwards) wedding band, just screamed "radiance." Even her makeup complimented her beautiful porcelain skin and gave her the long-sought-after "blushing bride" effect. Her bridesmaids complimented her in lovely tea-length dresses in blue, and Julie as well as the ladies of the bridal party all carried these amazing paper flower bouquets, made with different shades of blue and ivory paper and sheets of music. You'd truly have to see them to believe it.

Doug was dashing by her side in his black tux with complimenting blue striped handkerchief in his breast pocket and an incredible boutonniere (that he and all of his groomsmen sported), which he made with blue and gold duct tape. I wish I'd brought a real camera instead of just my phone!

Both of them wore faces packed with emotion-- from joy, to excitement, to nervousness-- and they couldn't have looked better together.

The ceremony was held in the middle of the African Savanna Exibit, and we even got to see zebras walking behind the lovely couples as they exchanged their vows.

After the tear-packed vow exchange and "I wills", we headed over to the Lemur Boardwalk for cocktail hour, where they served the most incredible food. If you think chicken skewers with spicy peanut sauce and fried risotto-and-cheese balls are "simple" foods, think again. Because these were hands-down the best appetizers I've ever had. Ever. Even outside of a wedding. I could have eaten an entire tray of just those two things... But I made an effort to save room for dinner.

Lisa and I during cocktail hour

During cocktail hour, we got to meet some awesome furry (and not-so-furry) friends, including a Legless European Lizard, a Kinkajou, a Prairie Dog, a Barn Owl, and an Alligator! THEY WERE SO COOL AND WE GOT TO PET ALMOST ALL OF THEM (only the barn owl wasn't having a good time).

THIS IS HARLEY THE KINKAJOU

#selfiewithakinkajou

Prairie Dog! He was sleeping when I got to him, but when I started to pet him he looked up at me, as though to say "That's nice, thank you," and then went back to napping.

After drinks and socializing, we made our way to the banquet hall, which was decked out in the gorgeous gold and blue colors that were chosen, where we witnessed the bride and groom have their first dance, speeches, and lots of love exchanged throughout the group. When we arrived, we found our wedding favors (two delicious cookies for each guest) which had our seating arrangements on them. Instead of numbers, each table was an animal! Patrick and I got to sit down at the Sumatran Tiger Table, which was (mostly) tech crew (from our Rocky cast), and we were the coolest table, if I do say so myself! Our Rocky friends (Doug and Julie are also fellow cast members) mostly grouped around our table, and even though there was a perfectly nice dance floor at the front of the room, we stayed right where we were and danced in the spaces between tables. One of the best moments of the night was when James played "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers and we, the insane Rocky cast, shouted along and danced together. We must have looked like lunatics to the rest of the guests!

At some point, we got to witness Julie and Doug cut their cake, which was a truly amazing work of art. It was a silhouette of the zoo animals on a sunset background which gradiated (not a word, but it is now!) to twilight with each tier, topped with a Tardis that had Julie and Doug peeking out of it. Such a wonderful incorporation of their beautiful wedding venue and their love for Doctor Who!

And now I will apologize in advance for the poor photo quality.

Kris, Victoria, Maggie, and me

Kris, Maggie, Patrick, Jules, and me

Jules, Mikey, Siobhan, Jack, Matthew, and me

Matthew, Jack, Christopher, and Jules busting a move (they're really good dancers)

Jules is the best dancer.

After a long night of smiles, laughter, and dancing, Patrick and I said our goodbyes and gave our best to the bride and groom before they headed off to their awesome Disney honeymoon today. I can't remember the specifics, but I know they're going to Disney World for somewhere around a week and also headed on an additional Disney cruise! Are you jealous? I know I am!

Our best goes to Julie and Doug and we wish them the happiest life together! We love you guys! Your wedding was the bomb! I've got some really big shoes to fill when Patrick and I get around to having a wedding for our friends and family.



DOUG AND JULIE, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, STOP HERE. I'M ABOUT TO SHOW EVERYONE YOUR WEDDING PRESENT, AND I WOULD RATHER YOU TWO BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU OPEN IT!

EVERYONE ELSE... DON'T SPILL THE BEANS!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

How cool is this? Patrick and I custom ordered a street sign with the happy couple's last name on it. Practical? No way. Awesome? Duh!

The card that I hand-made for them! The paper is tea-dyed, so please excuse if it looks "dirty": I assure you, it is not.

Front (the actual card is a curved shape, as shown, bit since we scanned it in you see that white bit at the bottom from the scanner's backdrop)

The inside, with the phrase that I came up with to go with the gift

(for those of you who can't see it)

"Seeing the two of you together

is the only sign anyone ever needs

to see that true love exists

Best wishes for a long

and happy life together"

The back. I made the card as more of a keepsake than just a well-wishes card!