Guess Who’s Not in Canada Anymore!

November 8, 2017June 19, 2019Leave a comment

That’s right! Me! My husband’s work contract expired and they didn’t extend, so we moved back to Utah in April to get our feet back under us.

Let’s look at pictures of adorable kitties moving across country! Waltz has always had issues with traveling in the car. He’d cry and cry and cry the whole way back and forth to the vet or any other surprise short trip we’d do to try and get him used to the crate. When we moved out to Canada I bought a small dog-sized carrier for him since he’s a big 14 pound cat and his little box was too small to stretch out in on a long drive. He ended up riding out with my dad and brother since I had to fly to Canada earlier than expected and I heard he pretty much hid most of the time, but started to get a little brave the last day. It’s a 4 day trip.

When we moved in to our Canadian apartment we got Hazel. She makes Waltz happy and comfortable, even in the carrier! With her in the crate with him there’s not a single peep from either kitty while driving to and from the vet. Hazel has never had an issue with riding in the car, that is until the big move. My dad and brother flew out to help us with the move back to Utah and brought a regular-sized cat carrier for Hazel. She was NOT happy to be in a separate box from Waltz. Waltz was fine knowing she was in the same car, although not happy to be in a box, but Hazel was all cry cry cry! She put up enough of a fit that we let them both out after we’d made it onto the highway.

Hazel wore herself out in the first 30 minutes on day 1 of complaining about the box, which irritated her eye, so she spent most of that day asleep in her box.

On day 2 Waltz was so excited/anxious about the whole deal he spent some time panting in my hubby’s lap. Hazel felt lots better so she ran around the car hollering. It took me a while to figure out she was calling for Waltz. She’d get in the trunk and cry cry cry until he’d get up from wherever he was sitting, usually in hubby’s lap (he’s apparently best human and always the chosen seat for Waltz), and go over to watch her over the top of the back seat. She settled down once he decided to sit in front of her box for a bit.

Day three came and I decided we didn’t need both cat carriers in the car since Waltz was spending all his time outside of them. We put the smaller carrier in the moving truck and rearranged the back seat. Turns out that Waltz did want to hang out in the carrier, he just hadn’t been able to before. He and Hazel managed to share! They almost never cuddled before this. At one point I took a turn driving and Waltz sat in my lap for almost five minutes. Hubby took pictures of that to prove that sometime I can be best human too.

The last day both kitties spent most of their time in the carrier. Hazel did decide to come hang out in the driver’s seat when we stopped to get gas. Waltz was all excited to be back home and Hazel adjusted to the new environment almost immediately.

And that’s how traveling across country went with the kitties.

So, I live in Canada now.

June 20, 2016Leave a comment

Wow. It’s been a while, and things have changed! I went from living in my parents basement with my husband, a cat, and a snail, to living in a 3rd floor apartment in Montreal, Canada, with my husband, 2 cats, and no snail.

Sadly, I had to leave Gandalf behind. It’s illegal for snails to cross state borders without an education permit, let alone international borders. They’re considered agricultural pests. I released him out into the nearby wilderness between neighborhoods.

I put him under a sunflower. Those are his favorite.

As we were moving in we met a nice lady on the floor above us who had rescue kittens in need of a home. We fostered them for a couple days to see if either would get along with Waltz, and one did! Hazel and Waltz hit it off immediately, no adjustment period, and they hang out and play happily.

Hazel also likes to chase things on the computer screen, especially when I’m playing Guildwars 2, but the mouse is her favorite. Gotta catch the little pointer thing!

Behold my new kitten. Such majesty, such grace. She’s a dork. Hazel chirps and squeaks and begs for pets on a regular basis. She also comes running whenever I start to sing, even if she’s napping.

Waltz remains as adorable and handsome as ever, and is very happy to have a friend. He was getting lonely before.

I also started updating my web comic! I’m plugging along writing the script and drawing pages. It’s exciting! I’ll tell you all about it soon, probably in my next post. I’ve got lots to tell you! Life, moving, Canada, comic, my cosplay & Salt Lake Comic Con 2015. So much! It’s exciting times. I promise I’ll post more now. I won’t promise how often, but expect things to become more regular. 🙂

Spring Hike 2014 – Timpanogous Cave and Alpine Loop

February 18, 2015February 14, 2018Leave a comment

On May 31, 2014 I went on a hike with my father and husband to Timpanogous Cave. It was a very nice little spring morning on the shady side of the mountain, which was good since we’re all (except my hubby I guess) kind of out of shape and going up an incline is hard. We stopped for a lot of breathers. Taking pictures is a good excuse to stop and breathe, so I took lots of them. Have a look at some!

Some kind of plant growing out the side of the rock wall.

Bird in a tree!

Some yellow flowers.

It’s a tiny tunnel.

A pretty purple-pink flower.

Millipede!

My dad taking pictures.

Look at the contrast of the shadow side of the canyon versus the sunny side!

I liked how this broken-off branch stump looks like a cloven hoof.

We hiked all the way up to the cave. It’s kinda up there. The cave was pretty cool. Too dark for pictures inside, but beautiful and fun and we had a fantastic tour guide. Something I found extra cool about this cave was that it had a door! There was a door in the mountain!

It looks so cool! I want a story with a door in a mountain now.

Close-up of the door.

We took long enough in the cave that the sun had moved over the mountain and we walked in the sun on the way down. Lots of animals ran around and I had fun getting pictures of them.

Lizard!

I like the shape of this tree.

The other side of the cool tree, with my hubby in the background taking pictures of something.

Some pretty little yellow flowers.

White flowers.

Pretty red flowers.

The red and white flowers together.

Dangling flowers.

There were a bunch of humming birds, but they’re hard to see sometimes. I hear them humming and buzzing around and then they zip by so fast. This is the best picture I was able to get of one. We stopped and stood and watched the humming birds for a while, and this little guy came and drank from flowers only three feet away from us. It was pretty cool.

Chipmunk!

I am so pleased with my chipmunk pictures! He sat still for a very long time chewing away on his grass seeds.

Om nom nom.

They’re so cute. 🙂

Yummy nummy grass!

And then there was a squirrel!

He was really close the the trail, so I was able to get some nice detail shots for reference.

Tree roots get everywhere.

Lichen! Did you know that lichen is made of a fungus with algae living in it? It’s a combination of two different kinds of life.

More lichen. It looks so cool! I love the colors and patterns and textures.

Sedum.

Moss!

My dad taking a picture of me.

A thing in the ground.

I love her outfit!

After the hike my dad drove us around the alpine loop. Back in the day when he and my mom dated he would drive her around this highway on a Sunday afternoon. It was really pretty. Here! Have some pictures:

Backside of Timpanogous, I think.

I liked the composition of this. I noticed this while I rested my arm on the ledge with my camera on.

Simple mountain road up in the mountain tops.

Lots of pretty pretty aspen trees!

Even more pretty aspen trees!

More pretty trees!

And some meadows!

I love mountaintop meadows.

Ta-da! That was my pretty weekend hike and drive with my Dad and Hubby. I would do it again. I must hike more this year! It’s the only hike we managed in 2014.

Salt Lake Comic Con Fan-X 2015

February 2, 2015February 14, 2018Leave a comment

This year Salt Lake Comic Con decided to do their Fan-Experience convention the last week of January. It took up my whole weekend. I slept almost the whole day today trying to catch up on rest. I don’t know why it got me so tired, but it did.

Overall, this Fan-X wasn’t as good as the previous one. At least, that’s what I think. The show floor was a ton better than last time, but the panels weren’t very good, and I mostly go for the panels. I love the show floor, don’t get me wrong, and I spent more money than I should have, but going around the show floor takes less than an afternoon. I need something else to do!

They did have some good wonderful actors come. I cried when I failed to obtain a ticket fast enough for the Doctor Who Ultimate Experience panel with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Billie Piper, but at least I got to see the two ladies in their own panels.

Oh! And I got to see Carrie Fisher and Nichelle Nichols. That was kind of big. So the actor panels were fine, although I would have liked to see more of them, but the rest of the panel selection was meh.

Also, since it was winter times the cosplays weren’t as great, and there weren’t as many of them. There were a few epic amazing ones, though. Here, have some pictures!

Toothless!

This girl had a Wheatley that moved his lit-up blue eye. I want one.

I think this might be one of the most adorable father-child cosplays ever. A Jedi Knight and a baby Ewok.

Okay, I don’t know what these cosplays are from, but they’re awesome. Just look at those wings! I bet they took forever to make.

And not only that, but the wings fold up!

A pretty good Astrid and another Toothless. Different person.

Me and Bee from Bee and Puppycat. I love that youtube show from Cartoon Hangover! You should go watch it.

Samus from Metroid and Lighting from Final Fantasy XIII.

This lady had an amazing evil Elsa cosplay. I love it!

Look at that beautiful spiky staff and snowflake armor!

This person was a fantastic borg. I failed to get a picture of her from the front, but she had a spinning thing in front of one eye complete with LED lights. She looked just like the “real” thing.

It’s people from Up! The little boy was Russel, but you can’t see his little boy scout outfit in this pic. I was trying to get a good pick of the house stroller and his mother’s Kevin get up.

More awesome cosplay! Here we have Gamora and Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy, and some person I don’t know.

A gorgeous Princess Celestia! I think I saw her at the last convention, but was unable to capture a picture. I’m so pleased I was able to get her this time!

So there we have the bestest pictures I took of cosplays. There was also a guy dressed up as Deadpool pretending to be a missionary complete with missionary outfit, name tag, and “Book of Deadpool.”

Now I’ll share a couple pictures of celebrities from panels. Just a few.

Karen Gillan

She was so sweet and cute. I think she was my favorite actress panel.

Karen had a bunch of little kids ask her questions. She was very sweet to everyone and said everyone’s names back to them. She’s also perplexed by America’s 24-hour gyms. She plays many parts, but is most known and loved for her role as Amy Pond, the 11th Doctor’s companion.

Nichelle Nichols

Most known for her role as Uhura in Star Trek the Original Series, Nichell Nichols was also a sweet lady. She’s very proactive and supportive of women and space exploration.

Billie Piper

Billie was a pop star, but always wanted to be an actress. She finally got her chance and broke into acting with the Doctor Who reboot as the 9th Doctor’s companion Rose Tyler. She was nice as well, but seemed a little tired. Probably because they kept her up late with the special Fan-X red carpet dance party until one in the morning the night before.

Carrie Fisher

Princess Leia made sure our thirty minutes with her were as packed with fun as possible. She even started with a bang. The first thing she did was ask the audience for a Coca-Cola. Someone brought up a diet one and she whined. Then someone came up right behind the first guy and gave her a shiny red can. She made out with that guy. Not just a little kiss, a make-out kiss that went on for at least thirty seconds, maybe a minute.

About half-way through the 30 minute panel her dog came running up from backstage and sat with her.

I don’t remember what she was laughing about. She was pretty funny the entire time.

Her dog’s name is Gary. His tongue is twice as big as it should be and he’s missing all his teeth on one side, so it always hangs out. It’s pretty cute.

And now a couple random pics:

They had a giant Baymax out front.

They also had the Weta troll statues from the Hobbit.

Overall it was okay. I met a bunch of new art friends and bought some cool stuff. I got some awesome leather stuff from Crimson Chain Leatherworks, like a belt pouch with a cool clasp and a holster for my longsword! I can’t wait to see them again at Salt Lake Comic Con in September! I also bought a super cute Nightfury rose necklace from Carmendee Design. Go check out her stuff and give her money and love! She handcrafts the necklaces with a lot of dedication and love.

Oh yeah! And I went as a Gryffindor student on Saturday with my friends and took my sword along to be the sword of Goddric Gryffindor. It’s the first time anyone has asked to take my picture. That was pretty cool.

Springtime Wander #3

December 7, 2014February 14, 2018Leave a comment

May 30, 2014.

I went for another wander at work when the wildflowers were blooming bright. So many flowers!

I like how these flowers come in three colors. White, light purple, and purple.

Box Elder Bugs at various stages of life. We had a ton of these all over. They get inside the building all the time, and you can even find them inside in the middle of winter.

Old rusted farm equipment in the tall grass.

An old barn set piece in the background.

And now one with the mountains in the background. I’m under the shade of some trees.

I think this one’s better. Mountains, clouds, and you can see all of the toothy arm. Much better composition, but not as many flowers.

The farm equipment has some cool shapes.

Lookie, a bee! They’re hard to get decent shots of. They move around too much.

I love the contrast of fresh living flowers next to old rusted unused equipment.

And a little Box Elder Bug. He’s kind of blurry, but it’s a very nice shadow of the flower around him.

Depth of field! And lichen.

More of the same. I like the wheels.

A row of old workers sitting in flowers as they rest.

This little batch of purple flowers had some fuchsia to it.

The little fake well.

An even darker purple.

Another almost decent picture of a bee. There were a couple little bumbles with red stripes, but I could never catch them with the camera.

Wild carpet rose.

Another blossom on the wild carpet rose. This plant guards the way to my favorite deer trail on the property.

On that hidden deer trail there are these plants with gigantic leaves. My foot is hiding in the bottom of the picture for size comparison.

I think these flowers are related to the white and purple one, but they’re droopy and pink instead of perky and purple. Slightly different, but still pretty.

Deer tracks by tire tracks on the gravel part of the parking lot.

Close up of a deer track.

Winter Wander #2 – January 30, 2014

November 24, 2014February 14, 2018Leave a comment

It was snowing that day, so I wanted to get pics of fresh powder. So I wandered out of work with my camera. 🙂

The random teeter-totter at work.

Snow, berries, and branches. I like the colors in this one.

Trying to be a bit more abstract. Could use some editing.

My footprint! At this point the snow in the forest was borderline, trying to decide whether to be snow or slush. With each step I applied some friction to help it choose.

It’s like a mini cave!

I tried to get lots of reference and texture pictures of the tree back. The dampness brought out the colors in a pleasing fashion.

It’s like a ghost of a leaf.

One of the steps leading to a building on the set. I like the composition.

It’s trapped!

A sign for the inn in Kirtland on the set.

Snow! It’s falling from the sky!

It’s almost like being in a Little House on the Prairie story.

Mandatory foot picture.

Peeking through branches. I suppose this could use some cropping.

A hidden gravestone prop.

Springtime Wander #2 – May 2, 2014

October 13, 2014February 14, 2018Leave a comment

Here, have some more pictures from when I wandered around work in the spring time:

Ah-ha! Caught you, little bee! They almost never sit still long enough for me to snag a decent pic.

I love the contrast of the rusting old farm equipment by brilliant new flowers.

Rusty old stuff is cool.

Perspective? What are the toothy things for, anyway?

Nature will eat your civilization!

Grass and spokes.

Flower photobomb.

Hey look, there’s mountains in the distance.

I like that rusty bar. That’s a very nice rusty bar. And you can see more of the Kirtland/Navoo set in this one.

Some kind of little pink flower. Makes me think of chives or onions. Anyone know what this is?

Winter Wander & Clouds

October 6, 2014February 14, 2018Leave a comment

January 10, 2014. It snows in Utah. I went for a walk to use my new camera. This is the wander I lost my lens cover on.

A little black-capped chickadee in a tree.

Drainage pipe. Half-covered by the chain-link fence. This is a stream during the summer.

A bend in the dry stream bed.

Leaf in snow.

The Provo River.

Paper wasp nest!

I like how the log made a little cave in the snow.

I like the pattern the branches and leaves make in the snow.

Winter selfie. I’d lost my lens cover by this point, but somehow didn’t notice when I took this picture.

Robin!

Red berries and a fake well. What a pretty composition.

After that last picture I realized I’d lost my lens cover and spent an hour tromping back and forth over my tracks to find it. Which I did. Phew.

Now these next pictures come from Jan. 27 as my husband drove us down to Provo in the morning for work and school. I liked how the smoggy atmosphere was messing with the light.

So much atmospheric perspective. Thank you pollution. (bleargh.)

Haaaaaaze!

More haze.

A big sky full of little clouds.

Glowing texture in the sky!

A river bed in the sky.

And then on the other side of the valley, we have the little flat, smudge tool clouds. Worn-out circles of moisture.

And the factory belches.

Springtime Wander

September 12, 2014February 14, 2018Leave a comment

Ok! Let’s have another review post! This past spring I wandered around at work and took a bunch of pictures of the flowers and fruit trees. So many pretty flowers! Here, I’ll share some with you. I took this walk on April, 8 2014.

Apple blossoms! I think.

More blossoms.

There’s a bee in this one.

I like the funny shape of this shelf fungus on the tiny branch.

Some cool lichen on a branch. I want to take a picture like this and paint something like a fairy in it sometime.

Baby plants peeking up through the soil.

Sproutling from another angle.

And a pretty purple flower. These are grape hyacinths.

clear air and winter clouds

August 15, 2014February 14, 2018Leave a comment

It snowed back on the night of February 3rd. Not tons, but some. Enough to filter through the sky and clean out the nasty junk in the air. I always find it amazing how clear my vision through the air gets after precipitation has scrubbed it.

As the sun came up over the mountains it hit the low clouds on the tops and bottoms. That’s one of the things I like about mountains. It looks really cool when the clouds rest at their bottoms, too heavy to lift themselves up over, and the morning of February 4th those lazy clouds had gilded tops. I took some reference pictures through the car window. I thought I’d share them with you.