Day 09: Something you’re proud of in the past few days

I haven't really done anything to be proud of in the past few days...I guess I haven't had any fights with chris within the past week which is good and something to be proud of. although, I'm afraid we didn't have any fights because I'm just so exhausted of fighting and don't feel like talking to him much. but hey, no fighting is a good thing right?

yesterday after work and today I've started putting together our office furniture. (chris semi-helped me yesterday.) we've got the filing cabinet and bookcase done and I just have the desk and hutch to do and it's still pretty early, so I'm proud that I'm getting it done rather than putting it off. I can't wait until our office is done & functional. :)


go here if you want to see the full challenge.

why I love copper: a prelude to a new "dreaming in copper" series

I think it's safe to say that I love copper. you might even say that I'm borderline obsessed with it. I try to hide it, but it's hard when chris is also a copper nut. I guess that's what happens when you both work at a copper mine.

I love the metallic, antique look of copper. I love how malleable it is and how you can shape it into virtually anything. I love how it changes different colors when different chemicals are applied. I love how it oxidizes to a green color. I love how it is a deep blue when concentrated in acidic solution. I love how light it typically is. I love how you can practically use it for anything - from electrical to fashion. I love the way it sounds for a dog's name (like in the fox and the hound!). I love the process in which it is extracted and made. It is truly an amazing metal.

the final product of a copper mine
(aka a bundle of copper cathodes)

native copper

native copper

where I work, I see the final product of the copper mine every day. I see it go from being a mineral in a rock, to a solution, to a big slab of copper (which is what we make in my department). (in technical terms, that's from the leaching, to solvent extraction, or SX, to electrowinning, or EW - I specifically work in the EW.) for chris and I, 2 of our 3 summer internships in college were at copper mines so we have a personal attachment to the metal. our first internship was one that we got lucky in getting (well, chris got lucky & used his charming talking skills to get me in). we spent most of the summer going around the mine collecting native copper in the berms (berms are what they call big piles of dirt that line the road to stop/slow you from going off the side of a bench/cliff). we definitely took that internship for granted because (1) we soon realized that interns are not normally allowed to drive around a mine without supervision or proper training and (2) native copper is not normally found anywhere. now we have so much native copper lying around our house and our parents' houses (because we had so much we started giving them away, which now we don't since it's so rare). 

every time we see something made of copper or copper plated or made to look copperish at the store, chris and I get waaaay overly excited. we have to fight the urge to buy anything and everything copper. it's something we both can connect on, as sad as that sounds, because we both love copper so much. our family and friends are aware of our copper obsession admiration and point out copper stuff they find. I've always wanted a beagle that I can name copper. for a while I wanted my wedding color to be copper (until I found how difficult it is to find copper colored bridesmaid dresses). chris named our internet server CopperHouse. even the downstairs of our house has a copper theme.

this lady that lives in colorado does these amazing art pieces for the corporate offices of company we work for and we just had to get one. she applies different chemicals to a sheet of copper and swirls it around to make different designs. depending on the temperature also depends on what color some of the chemicals make the copper. we have this hanging in our dining area and it looks so amazing.

chris's mom got this for us. it's some old copper tub of some sorts that we have in our living room next to our tv. we use it to store the dogs' toys.

chris mom also got us these and we placed them on our tv table on either sides of the tv.










other copper or copper looking things I/we own:

they give these copper coffee mugs to new employees in my department so I was pretty stoked when I became a new employee. I use it for hot tea though.

I got the key chain from a career fair the year after we interned at asarco. it's the shape of a copper anode which are made at the smelter. (we make copper cathodes where I work.) for the longest time it was the only key chain I had with my keys (I don't like a lot of crap on my keys) - that is until I got my suns sixth man key chain. :)

we saw this wall hanging thing at a little store in a little town in pennsylvania when we were visiting chris's grandma in new york over the summer. the lid flips open to revel little hooks. we didn't know what it was used for but chris thought it would be a good idea to store our keys in it because no one would be able to know what it is. we later found a tag on it that called it a "key holder" - he was pretty heartbroken he didn't come up with the brilliant idea.

Day 08: Short term goals for this month and why

1. get office furniture put together and placed into office and organize all that shit so that the office is a functional office. it's hard to pay bills and do anything in an office where you have no space to put anything.
2. get Bentley's oil changed. because he's been needing it for a couple of weeks now.
3. put up new fan in guest bedroom. because it gets stuffy and it needs one.
4. install garage door opener. so I don't have to get out in this cold weather to use all my energy to manually lift it up.
5. see my future fiance in the social network with chris. because I wanna see it since I heard such good things about it.
6. get something accomplished at work. because I'm starting to feel like a worthless employee.
7. hang out with a friend. because I'm lame and lonely.
8. get rid of chris's car. because I'm sick of it taking up space in our driveway when no one drives it and it's a piece of shit. seriously, it shakes violently when you drive it and I just feel dirty sitting in it.
9. finish my little craft projects. so that I can organize my stuff and use my creative juices for something.

and that's mainly what I want to get done in the next 30 days or so.


see the full list of challenging questions here.

Day 07: A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

my tata & I

my tata: he's inspired me to always continue to improve my life and my skills/trades. he was constantly doing things. and he was so talented in so many different areas. he painted beautiful sceneries, he crafter amazing furniture from wood, and made the most delicious mexican food. he's inspired me to be kind to all and to always allow people into my home. he was always helping others and making loved ones different things. my brother & I have a little chair he made us when we were little kids. mine says "'lil luvie." I remember going over to his house every christmas morning and smelling tamales and beans while he was listening to the grand canyon suite.  he was such a wonderful person and I miss him every day. he passed away almost 2 years ago, unexpectedly - at least for me.

my mom & I

my mom: my mom is my rock. she keeps me sane. she is the person who I can talk to about anything and everything. she is my best friend. she is my role model. she's taught me to be unselfish and think about others first. she's also shown me never to give up and to never stop trying.

my dad & I

my dad: sometimes I think my dad is my twin. we have the same sense of humor and same attitude and stubborness. he's taught me to laugh and never take life too seriously. he's also taught me how to work hard and not half-ass anything. you need to earn what you get and not let it be handed to you. even though my dad and I argue a lot (going back to being twins), I love my dad very much and can't imagine him not being in my life.



click here for the full list of questions.

Day 06: Favorite super hero and why

this one's hard for me to answer because I don't really have a favorite superhero. although I've seen the modern movies of Batman and Iron Man and such (Iron Man is probably my fave since, like my sister so accurately described, I love "the sense of humor that Robert Downey Jr. brings to the character") but I didn't watch the cartoons or read the comic books with the normal superheros growing up. I watched power rangers. and teenage mutant ninja turtles. and the original transformers. and when I think of superheros, those aren't the ones that come to mind.

so instead of choosing a superhero, I'm gonna go with an awesome, bad-ass cartoon character who helped save the world. and in that case, I choose leonardo from the original movies of teenage mutant ninja turtles. he was my favorite because (a) he was the blue one & blue was my favorite color at the time (b) he was the only one who I felt had a real weapon - out of the four, I think a sword would do the most damage and (c) I liked his attitude and just thought he was a total bad-ass. Michelangelo would come in second because he was funny and liked pizza....mmm...pizza.


see the full list of the daily challenge questions here.

Day 05: A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

niagra falls, canada

find the full list of the 30 day challenge here.

seriously done

your words will no longer force a tear
       I deserve better than that.
your struggles can not bring me more stress
       my support and love will never fade.
your lack of focus will not control my life
       we will get through this.

I will climb out.
I will break through the darkness.
and I will be me again.

just a sloppy poem I threw together (I haven't truly written for a good 5 years). but basically I'm turning over my new leaf today. I am motivated. I will keep myself busy doing fun things (DIY crafts!). I'm done feeling sorry for myself and feeling like my life is so horrible. there are families who can't afford a meal for days. sure my life's got it shitty situations and moments, but I am strong enough to take everything as a lesson and grow from it. there's no reason for me to be depressed. there's no reason for me not to be happy.

a lot of shit's been thrown in my face the past few weeks that I wanted to take the easy way out. I didn't want to deal with anything anymore. I was exhausted. but I'm over that. everything that happens in life is a challenge and a lesson to learn. and I should embrace it all. even if it does blow. nothing should be able to control my destiny. only I can control my destiny. only I can choose to be happy or depressed.

reasons to be happy right now:

1. got my hair done last week & I'm still oohing & ahhing over it.
2. I'm almost done with my jewelry organizer project. can't wait to show it off!
3. getting awesome office furniture tomorrow. now I can finally organize endless piles of papers and shit and decorate the office (yay suns room!)
4. chris & I get to go to our first suns game of the [pre]season!!! 
5. getting to spend endless amounts of time with the fam.
6. pepper's still growing & is more awesome every day!
7. things are good and will continue to get better with chris & mine's relationship.
8. basketball season starts in a week!!!
9. I'm going to eat lunch now. yum