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©2003 Vicki Star

End of August, 2003

I'm back from my trip, and trying hard to get back into the habit of beading every day. I'm having the hardest time getting back into my routine. Still working on that discipline thing! I'm not depressed (Although I sure had plenty of sugar, especially on the 4 day drive home. Healthy vegetarian food is not as easy to come by when you're traveling...) but I don't want to do anything productive. Ohio was wonderful (I lived my first 18 years there) and I really enjoyed hanging out with my brother. The students in the classes that I taught in Oberlin were fun, and intelligent, and inspiring. They made me happy to be teaching again. And the bead store where the classes were held was truly a Bead Paradise! And then there was my 30th High School Reunion - Surreal is the main word that comes to mind. I'd never been to a reunion before. It was kind of like watching a movie, and trying to figure out who that actor was - you just know you've seen them somewhere before! It was fun, though, and I hope to go back for another someday.

E-me! vstar3@aol.com

The Blessings Already Are,

Vicki Star

 

Codes: M - 1 through 10, Mood, where 1 is suicidal, and 10 is full of bliss and joy. C - 1 through 3, Cycle, where 1 is "regular" (for lack of a better word), 2 is feeling premenstrual, and 3 is actually bleeding. F - 1 through 7, Food, where 1 is junk food, sugar, and processed/cooked foods, and 7 is organic, raw, good for ya foods. V - Vitamins, where 0 is none, 1 is some, and 2 is all of them. E - 1 point for each half hour of exercise.

 

 

8/02/03

Well, I think this is finally done! I think the biggest challenge is that I made it freeform style - no pattern. I got bored with the necklace part, and kept putting off working on it. I really like the rhythm of a pattern.

Plus I had MAJOR pms... Haven't had it this bad for a while, but I haven't had so much sugar in a while either. Hmmmm.... gee, ya think one has anything to do with the other? Weird, but the more sugar I eat, the more sugar I crave. Not fair!

By the way, the ring I made the other day broke already. It lasted 3 days. To be fair, I didn't get the tension tight enough, and the large bead in the center kept popping up, and I kept pushing it back down, and playing with it. Guess where it broke? Yup. I looked down at it, and noticed that the big bead was missing. Oh well, I'll try it again!

 

 

M-3   C-3    F-4    V-2    E-0

8/03/03

I re-did the ring today. It's a lot tighter, and I like it more. I think it will hold up better, too.

M-4   C-3    F-4    V-2    E-0

8/04/03

Today I made kits... I'm getting ready for my classes in Cleveland, and filling orders. I'm out of a few beads that I need to finish the kits, so I get to go Bead Shopping! :)

M-5   C-3    F-4    V-2    E-0
 

8/05/03

I put together a lot more kits today. Guess I better do some actual beading tomorrow. I've got his idea for a necklace...

M-5   C-3    F-5    V-2    E-0

8/06/03

Here's an attempt to make a "manly" bracelet for a friend. I think the red beads will match his red guitar...

M-5   C-3    F-4    V-2    E-0
 

8/09/03

I've been so busy getting ready for my trip... Making kits and patterns and other goodies for my classes next weekend, that I haven't been posting. I'm leaving on Monday, so I'm in that home stretch. I'm really excited to be on the road again. I just love road trips! And this time I'm going all the way to Ohio - to teach, and visit my brother, and attend my 30 year High School reunion. I'll be gone for almost 3 weeks, and don't know if I'll be able to post while I'm away, but I'm taking my camera! :)

M-6   C-0    F-5    V-2    E-0

8/11/03

I'm almost all packed to leave - I'll be out of here in a couple of hours... I'm gonna try to keep a daily log, and then post it all here when I get back at the end of the month! Happy Beading!

M-6   C-0    F-4    V-2    E-1

  

8/12/03

There was a beautiful full moon last night - and Mars was big and red. Got a picture this morning at sunrise, of the clouds reflected in my car windows. Made it to the Colorado border at about 4 PM - 777 miles!

M-7   C-0    F-5    V-2    E-0

8/13/03

I'm in that driving trance now. Everything is sort of blending together. It's 10 in the morning, and I'm in Kansas - about 1400 miles. Saw my first robin.

M-6   C-0    F-5    V-0    E-0

(I think this photo was taken near the junction of the I15 and the I70.)

8/14/03

Arrive at John's about 8:30 in the morning. (About 2400 miles) Tried to make it in last night, but I stopped for a nap, and woke up early this morning. Oh well, guess I needed the sleep! John's at work until 4:30, so I beaded today. I'll be teaching this wrist lei - the Flower Fields Bracelet at Oskadusa in November.

 

M-6   C-0    F-4    V-1    E-1

8/15/03

Today was my first class at Bead Paradise in Oberlin. It's an hour and a half from my brother's house in Rootstown, and the alarm didn't go off! Yikes! I woke up about 10 minutes before I wanted to leave, took a 3 minute shower, threw my beads in the car and made it in perfect time!

M-7   C-0    F-5    V-0    E-0

  
 

8/17/03

Classes were great! I stayed at a hotel in Olmstead Falls for the weekend, and the folks from the Great Northern Bead Guild took me to some delicious restaurants in Oberlin. My favorite was the Asian one (wish I could remember the name...). Each plate was a work of art! I had to admire my dinner for about 5 minutes before I could eat it - and it was yummy! I had the mixed mushrooms and asparagus with rice in tofu pockets.

M-6   C-0    F-5    V-1    E-0

8/18/03

I'm back at John's house - he's at work again today, so I slept in, then went to the Library to check my e-mail. I got lost a little, but really like being in Ohio, and enjoyed the ride.

Here's a bracelet made entirely of herringbone stitch, and 10° triangles.

M-6   C-0    F-5    V-2    E-0

Vew from John's yard in Rootstown, Ohio.

Ian, at bat.

8/19/03

I was really bad about keeping my journal while John and I ran around and did all the tourist things. We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Portage County Fair, a HUGE antique mall, looked at houses (he put in an offer on one) went to a couple of ball games (He's an assistant coach of my nephew, Ian's, little league team), went to the informal get-together for my reunion and danced all night, had dinner in the flats in Cleveland. Drove around Willoughby (Where I spent my high school years) and visited my dad's grave, then sat at the beach on Lake Erie, where we used to swim and body-surf when I was MUCH younger! Also taught Ian to bead. He's 10, and I'm amazed at how fast he learned.

Maybe you can tell, but I had a wonderful time, and really enjoyed my brother's company. I left home when I was 18, and he was 13, so this was the first time I really spent any quality time with him as an adult. It's been 13 years since I was back to Ohio. I hope to go back in the spring to teach more classes! I'd move back in a second, if it wasn't for that cold thing that happens there in the winter. Snow! Brrr! Oh - There's also the minor fact that most of the rest of my family- Mom, sisters, kids, and grandkids, niece and nephews, are all here in the San Diego area.

M-6   C-0    F-5    V-2    E- LOTS of walking

 

 

8/25/03

On the road again! Another sunrise. I'm usually asleep when the sun comes up, so I don't see many sunrises.

M-5   C-0    F-3    V-0    E-0
 

8/26/03

Stopped at Merrimec Caverns in Missouri - one of my favorite places in the country. I've been coming here once every 10 years or so since I was little. I just love going down into the caves. It's cool and dark, and the rock formations are beautiful. I left my camera in the car! Don't know what I was thinking! Wish I'd gotten a few pictures.

M-7   C-0    F-2    V-0    E-1

8/27/03

Almost home... The weather is cooler now and I got to watch the thunderstorms off in the desert. I only drove through a couple of small ones. I just love a good thunderstorm!

Eating way too much sugar! I'm trying to eat some protein with it, but it's hard to find good veggie protein that keeps in a cooler. I've been eating nuts and cheese, along with the chocolate, and the Maple Sugar Candy (Yum!) that I got at the fair.

 

M-6   C-1    F-2    V-0    E-0

Here's a picture of the beadwork that Ian started on. It's from the Mermaid Kit. Bet he finishes it, too!

8/28/03

Home at about 11 am! Another 2400 miles. Tired, but happy. It was a good trip. :)

 

M-5   C-2    F-3    V-0    E-0