Diem Design

Pinterest...

2011-10-06T20:16:00.001-06:00

Well i think it's pretty apparent that i'm a not so diligent blogger these days. It's true though that i have a new love interest. A Pinterest rather. I'm sure at this point you are either an addict like myself or have in the very least have heard of Pinterest.com. Whenever some new networking internet thinger comes out I'm the last to sign up. Yes i have a facebook no i still don't see the point of twitter. Here's a bit of what i've been doing over at pinterest. Click on either of the pictures to check out everything going on a little closer.

New Calendars for 2012

2011-09-11T14:49:00.000-06:00

2012 calendars now available and on sale till the end of September.

Washington D.C.

2011-05-01T00:09:00.002-06:00

Ashton and I recently got back from a trip to Washington D.C. This year we're trying to keep it in the country so we can keep saving for a big Europe trip next year before Ashton (and i get to tag along too) heads off to Dental School in who knows where.

Visiting D.C. was something that was on my to-do list last year but that we just never got around to. Go figure. But this year we made it. Our primary reason for going was for this...

A gift from Japan all the cherry blossoms were in bloom and beautiful. At least most of them. There were quite a few that had already come and gone but we still enjoyed what was left. We even got to see some really beautiful magnolias in all kinds of colors.

With only a long weekend we made the most with what little time we had. It didn't hurt either that all the national museums decided to extend their hours just for us. And maybe the rest of the tourist in town for the annual week long Cherry Blossom Festival. Ashton's favorite was the National Museum of American History. This was probably my favorite thing there. Silly but I LOVE THEM.

Next, we hit the National Museum of Natural History, the Freer Gallery, and the National Air and Space Museum all while being under the shadows of The Washington Monument and The Capital Building. We ate hot dogs and pretzels, rode the metro, and walked through the grassy lawn of the National Mall.

Our second day was spent wandering the Holocaust Museum and spending the rest of the day talking about what we'd seen there. We eventually headed to the National Archives but not before grabbing a few umbrellas right as the rain started to come down. After hovering over works such as the Declaration of Independence it was time for dinner. A huge relief to my poor little feet.

The night was a restless one with worries that government shutdowns would begin at midnight. It would have left us with plenty of time to do nothing since everything from the Capital Building to National Park Grounds would be closed to the public.

With some good luck though we got to go and see places like this

and this

We drove around to do some sight seeing in George Town before retiring for the night and getting ready for an early morning and our last full day in Washington.

Saturday we got to see the parade and wander through the Japanese festival stalls.

We also got to see some amazing works by Van Gogh, Matise, Monet, Picasso, and so many more at the National Gallery of Art. (Probably Ashton's least favorite of the museum but I was soaking in every minute of it.) We wandered through the National Botanical Garden, around the Capital Building, Washington Monument, Tidal Basin, and Lincoln Memorial barely missing the surprise appearance of President Obama by maybe an hour.

Our final day, and before catching our flight, we wander around the National Arboretum where the original capital columns stand now and some of the oldest bonsai tree's in the country call home. One being over 200 years old. It also gave us a chance to see more cherry blossoms and magnolia. We ended our traveling with a stroll through Sunday's Eastern Market where we got to taste some fresh local produce and check out the flea market and artisan stalls. Driving through the neighborhoods on our way to the airport afforded us a few more views of the city and home we went.

I'm anxious to head back to the East Coast again soon. Maybe next time, New York.

A Contest...

2011-03-14T13:08:00.002-06:00

As you might already know I am a member of the FPOE (female photographers of etsy) team and we are having quite the give way. Enter to win everything you see here in the Treasury below inlcuding a 5x7 print of my photograph "The Views in Santa Cruz." Just click on the image or this LINK and leave a comment. Good Luck!

A little...

2011-03-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Taking a little break from blogging for awhile. But I'll be checking

in here and frequently updating and adding to the Etsy shop.

2011-01-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

I'm in the mood for Paris...

Diem Design ©

2011-01-16T22:33:00.001-07:00

Urban Outfitters never disappoints. (The last one is a little metal jewelry stand made up of a bunch of chairs.) Love it.

Some things New...

2011-01-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

Some new things have recently come into my life. One in the form of camera (not pictured above) the other in the form of lens. And they occupy plenty of my shooting time (as seen above).

Diem Design ©

2011-01-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

We put away our Christmas tree this weekend. Haha a little late I know and now there's a rather large hole in our living room. So what to fill it with???

better late than never...

2011-01-11T18:00:00.002-07:00

2010 was an interesting year for me:
I got engaged...

Got married...

Traveled...

Spent time with a best friend...

Said goodbye to a loved one...

Surprised with a puppy...

Rode a donkey (not my finest moment)...

And pet an elephant...

And did plenty more in between. So when I started thinking about new years resolutions for this year, it made me think of my resolutions from last year. I was happy to look back and see that they all went pretty okay. Like start a new hobby (sewing) and traveling (Indonesia) and saving money (sort of) and sending postcards (yep.) Some of my resolutions from last year I'd like to keep for this year as well. Like planting something, volunteering, and finishing my grandmas memoir project (oops kinda dropped the ball on that one.) But I also have some new ones to add to the list. So here's my up-to-date resolutions for 2011.

1. Read 50 books before the end of the year. (That's a lot of reading. Maybe I should get started)

2. Take a class. (I've been looking into a pottery class, or metalsmithing lately.)

3. Save some. Spend less. (Because what this really comes down to is traveling more.)

4. Finish a DIY project. (Hopefully more than one. But I'd be satisfied with just one.)

5. Sew a quilt.

6. Yoga. (and a few times a week.)

7. Get a library card.

8. Hang more art.

9. Photography. (Easy right. I already take picture or edit picture just about every day. But I want to also work on projects related to photography like bettering my etsy shop, and different projects I've had in mind.)

10. Be happy. (It's a good one right.)

Tilly Tails...

2011-01-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

We just love our cute little dog.

2010-12-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and holiday. New Years is right around the corner. I'm already anxious for spring. With that said, I created this little month of January calendar for my computer's desk top. You can have it too! Just click on the image and either drag and drop or right click with your mouse and choose "Save Image" The next step to setting it up as your own desk top may vary depending on what kind of computer you have but shouldn't be too difficult. Enjoy!

This image is Diem Design © and may not be altered, printed, or reproduced. Please feel free to share it digitally.

Merry Christmas Eve...

2010-12-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays.

Free clip art courtesy of Graphics Fairy.

Corners...

2010-12-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

The corners of home. Curled up with a book, a blanket, and a dog.

Diem Design ©

2010-12-09T18:46:00.002-07:00

The house has been warm and quiet this week. Comfortable afternoons of still life photography.

Diem Design ©

2010-12-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

Found this really cute How-To tutorial over HERE!

But this one is probably my favorite...

2010-12-06T07:54:00.003-07:00

Not because of the photo quality that's for sure. But most definitely because that's my lap she's sitting on. I have the best husband ever. And he's also very good at surprises.

Or maybe this is a better picture...

2010-12-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

All I want for Christmas...

2010-12-01T22:27:00.001-07:00

Okay well maybe not all I want but I want it really really really really bad. My grandpa stole my other one.

(Hint Hint Ashton.)

Oh my...

2010-12-01T19:42:00.003-07:00

The work week has been oh so long. And I have been stuck with this cold since Sunday. So so anxious for a weekend of rest.

Diem Design ©

How wonderful...

2010-11-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

I love love love Christmas. And I love these Advent calendars from Pottery Barn. I little (very) pricey but so so simple to make.

I am in search for the perfect one...

Thanks to Be Giving...

2010-11-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving All. Hoping your homes are warm and full of

family and friends and of course, my favorite part, food.

Diem Design ©

A bit of a wander...

2010-11-22T06:34:00.001-07:00

A bit of a wander through the local fine arts museum.

Diem Design ©

Our last days of Bali...

2010-11-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

Look closely. Those are hundreds of bats.

Aug 8 2010

Our last night in Bali. A little bitter sweet. This morning I went to mail some post cards while Ashton went to his surf lesson. On the way to the beach I went in search of a towel. (I can hear a dog barking that sounds just like Toby. It makes me miss her and I'm anxious to see her soon.) The people selling market goods are a little different in every different city we’ve been through. They all have their own set of catch phrases and bartering systems. But it’s funny to me, even though they always start high in price, here in Kuta, they start really high and for things that are obviously generally very very cheap. Ashton asked about the price of a poor quality Bin Tang tshirt (Bin Tang is the local beer.) They started off at the grand price of 400,000! That's almost 45 US dollars. He ended up getting it for the US equivalent of $3.30. Same thing happened in pursuit of a cheap towel to use for a couple hours on the beach. The towel went from $35 to $4. (did you know “cool” in balinese is “bungus” hahaha) In search of Ashton on the beach I finally found him out catching some waves so, while he did that, I caught some sun. The sun was so warm and water was so cooling and then, all of a sudden, I became the bikini model prop for a handful of Asian tourists photographs. Some would ask to have a picture with me, others would sneak up behind me while my eyes were closed, and some weren't so sneaky so I just invited them over. It was all pretty funny and very celebrity with the whole paparazzi. My 15 minutes of fame. Some excellent sun tan lines were definitely achieved. When he was done in the water we went to hang out at our pool for a little while before grabbing a scooter and heading out to Pura Tanah lot, a near by (very) popular seaside temple. It was amazing. The ocean cut cliffs were awesome and home to millions of bats. There were giant boa snakes for tourists to take pictures with. Tide pools closer to the water edge teaming with crabs and small fish. There was a small near by cave which housed "the holy snake." Not so sure if it was really holy or if these two guys were trying to make an extra "donation" which in Bali is code for: hey we're gonna call it a donation but really we're still expecting you to pay. After that we went to the holy spring cave, more donation, and we were sprinkled with a brush of holy water and then the priest stuck wet rice to our forehead, bindi style, and placed a plummeria flower behind our ear. Once done soaking up the sights of the temple we grabbed some chicken kabobs and spicy grilled corn on the cob from a street vendor. We also had a fish spa. At a fish spa you soak your hands and feet in a fish tank full of these little tiny sucker fishes that eat the dry and dead skin off of you. Sounds sick. It was. The first sensation was so weird, as if your feet were falling asleep. It tickled really bad and then it almost felt numb but all said and done they really did make my feet softer. We had Mexican food for dinner. I know, not very traditional, but it was an interesting Asian take on how Mexican food is suppose to be. Very different. We walked around Kuta for awhile eating gelato and people watching until our feet were so tired and we wandered our way back to the hotel.

Aug 9-10 2010

Our last day in Bali was wonderful. We slept in a little longer and got out of bed to have breakfast in the cafe. Our check out was at eleven but our flight was not leaving until 2am the following morning. We packed our bags and stored them with reception while we took the motor bike out to Pura Ulu Watu, something we really wanted to revisit after only having previously experienced it in the dark. We got there when no other tour buses had arrived yet. Other than a few locals trying to peddle monkey food and maybe four other tourists we happily had the place to ourselves. Once you got to know them, the monkeys here really weren't so bad. Very intent on thieving though they would yank on my sarong (the garment required for all leg baring temple visitors) or try and snatch the bag of fruit we brought for them, and one even jumped on my back and snatched the sunglasses right off my head. It took some coaxing but we got them back. Ashton was quickly becoming irritated with their antics but I quite enjoy them even with their childish pranks. Once explaining to Ash, we may never be here again or have a duplicate experience, he settled into enjoying their company as well. I sat with the monkeys for awhile. Two were very sweet, the one sitting next to me investigating my sarong and tucking his head under in a sort of peek-a-boo manner. The other sat on my lap playing with my fingers or on my shoulder playing with my hair. I was happy. It is very easy to coax them on to you with food but there are times when they are at ease and just want to share your presences the way you want to share in theirs. They will let you stroke them, play with their fingers and toes or tail. They are interested in the way you smell or what you are wearing. They can be very sweet or spiteful, friendly or teeth barring. For the animal lover that I am it was very special to me. We took our time walking the bricked path that lines the cliff side overlooking a beautifully serene crashing ocean far far below, the temple, perched precariously atop what could easily be a one thousand foot vertical drop. ("The cliffs of insanity.") Eventually the tour busses arrived and we considered that our cue to leave. Back on the motor bike we went for the hot and humid drive back to Kuta. We returned our scooter and grabbed some sandwiches for lunch. It was after that that we decided to give in and get a massage after having been asked at least five hundred times since we'd been in Kuta alone. An hour massage cost about 500 U.S. pennies and can I just say it was the best 500 U.S. pennies I've ever spent. In fact, and I'm not a huge massage connoisseur, but it was definitely the best massage I've ever had. Had we known just how great they were, we probably would have been getting massages every other day. And I know Ashton had a good time. Ashton and I each had our own tables right next to each other, but because you lay face down with your head in a hole there was no conversing between the two of us. My eyes went from open to closed and then open again, and closed again and open, and wide open, as the woman climbs up on my table straddling me for a deeper more even back rub. On the floor, through the hole in my table I see the shadow of Ashton’s masseuse up on his table as well and going to town on him. Two things I never imagined seeing on my honey moon, a frenchmen's, well, you know, and my husband being dry humped by a Balinese massage therapist. It was hard for me to hold in the laughter but I managed. Eventually she had us roll over and continued the massage off the table. A little awkward she delivered a full chest rub which is something I’ve never gotten from a massage therapists in the states and something I've only ever experienced in a doctors office before that point. We left the shop to go for a lengthy walk along the beach, past a string of upcoming high end resorts, around the block, through a little antique store with the most beautiful trinkets, and along the main road with shop after shop. Some, the usual tourist attractors, bin tang t shirts, sarongs, wood carvings. Others lush boutiques with beautiful fabric dresses and bags, home wares and accessories. I finally found something to bring back for my mom. A silver cuff bracelet with a Balinese motif etching. I also found something for my self of course. The last item of the trip, I swear. It was a simple thin Balinese chain bracelet. We made it back to Poppies gang. The small alley of our hotel and ate at the very popular and well established Poppies restaurant. It was delicious and the perfect last meal in Bali. Broke and no desire to do anything but lounge we retired to our pool where we laid on a cushioned reclined pool chair, talked and drifted in and out of naps until it was time to head to the airport. It would have been nice to spend our lounge time on the near by beach but with out being able to shower before our flight we chose the obvious. Loading up our bags we headed to the airport and two hours later we said goodbye to beloved Bali from the seats of an airplane. I will greatly miss the little island and all the amazing things we saw and were so lucky to experience. I have high hopes that we will be back to Bali again. Sigh....

Diem Design ©

Shop Discounts...

2010-11-21T13:05:00.001-07:00

Now offering 40% off ALL items currently available at the Shop. Just enter the coupon code COZYWINTER10 to receive the special discount available from now until December 20th!

Diem Design ©

2010-11-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

A fog for our mid-day meanderings cloud the tree and rock that call Zion home.

Diem Design ©

2010-11-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

The last few colors cling to crinkled branches over hanging the honeyed gray November skies.

Diem Design ©

A few...

2010-11-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things...

1. Exploring our new downtown neighborhood.
2. Changing shades.
3. New curtains for our living room.
4. The sweet smell of the holidays.
5. Stocking-stuffer Christmas shopping with my husband.
6. Curling up with warm blankets and a good movie.
7. Or better yet, a good book.
8. A quick sketch.
9. Random acts of kindness.
10. A warm meal on a cold night.

Diem Design ©

Fall, is that you?...

2010-11-07T06:37:00.002-07:00

Diem Design ©

Still loving Bali...

2010-11-06T17:34:00.002-06:00

Aug 6 2010

Oh the morning came way too soon. I'm still tired or maybe I'm tired because it’s been a long day and is now ten o’clock at night. Who can tell. We woke early to be picked up for diving. Two dives today. And the last for Bali. I love diving but this morning it had no appeal to me. I wanted to sleep in not jump into cold water so early. But I did. The dives were great. We drove about an hour and the boat ride to the dive site was about 30 minutes. Still no sign of seasickness for me thank you. But I did take another dramamine which had me even more tired for he day. I survived though. We didn't see too much in the under water world that was out of the ordinary. We did see a sleeping turtle and a squid which I'm still not sure if I actually saw it or not. We had lunch between the two dives. Mine was a vegetarian sandwich. Cucumber, lettuce, tomato and was that potato? I'm not sure. Also egg so maybe it shouldn’t have been called vegetarian but I thoroughly enjoyed it. After a long day of diving we got back to our hotel around 6 and cleaned up for dinner. Lovina is very quiet. Not like the other cities with lots of people or traffic. There is a main road that follows the beach with hotels and resorts spaced fairly far apart and separating the road from the water. There are the occasional bicycling tourists or motor bike riders but other than that this is a place to relax at your hotel. Ashton is a little bored already. I think he misses the busy-ness of Ubud and Gilli. Me too a little. Tonight for dinner we stayed at our hotel fore they were having a BBQ. It was fun to watch them cook the dinner. We had rice and some sort of Asian dish you top your rice with. The best of the barbeque was all prepared on shishkabobs. There was shrimp, eel, and squid. All were delicious especially the squid. There was also bbq chicken and fish. The fish was cooked whole. It wasn't my favorite but not too bad. There was also corn on the cob and a few other vegetables. Dinner was great. They even played romantic American music. How sweet. Ashton and I finished the night going for a walk in search of a satisfying dessert. We returned empty handed but tomorrow we head to Kuta where we'll finish off Bali. A part of me is anxious to start life back in Salt Lake and another part wants to continue traveling. I do miss my dog like you wouldn't believe though. Goodnight.

Aug 7 2010

Found the missing link to Lovina today. A paved beach walk that lines the sand and passes several hotel cafes and street vendors. I found it while in search of some black sand to bottle and take home. I wish Ashton and I had known about it last night it would have been a nice walk to take. Currently I'm waiting for ash to come back from the ATM so we can pay for our hotel and head towards Kuta. We still don't have a room there so it should be interesting. We switched things up a little last minute so that Ash could have a day to try and learn how to surf. I'm not in much of a mood for salt water currently so I'll watch from the sandy beach sidelines.

Ashton and I made it to Kuta. Our driver picked us up from the hotel, we made one stop at the hot springs and then made the long trek south. The hot springs were beautiful. The water pours from the mouth of stone carved dragons into a pool of water which from there pours out more dragon mouths into a second pool below. It would have been nice to stay and swim but we wanted to get to Kuta. Here we are staying at La Waron. A multiple level hotel. The room is nice. Very clean and cool, it over looks the very contemporary pool. Kuta is very busy but it's an actually city and has the busy city feel, not like seminyak which perhaps we weren't in the hot spot because I felt like it was just dirty and busy. Yet, our travel guide describes it as the place to shop. Once settled into our new digs we rented another motor bike and scoped the place out. Lots of name brand beach stores like quicksilver, billabong, etc. Lots and lots of tourists.

You may remember hearing of the bombings that happened here in Bali a few years ago. Those took place here in Kuta. In fact they took place on the crossroad to where we are staying Jl. Legian. In October of 2002 the first bomb went off destroying the front of a popular bar while the second bomb that soon followed, completely destroyed and obliterated an entire club as well as doing great damage to any and all surrounding structures. Being the busiest night of the week over three hundred were injured from what was said, over 23 countries, and over 200 people were killed. The blame was placed on a radical Islamic terrorist group here in Indonesia. Three years later in 2005 when Bali had began to finally bounce back in tourism, again, three suicide bombers from the same radical group blew themselves up in local restaurants and cafes. The group admitted that their main target was tourists but out of the 20 people killed, 15 were local Balinese. The people hugely affected were those whose livelihood depends on tourism. It’s said that after the first bombings, the people of Bali were shocked and in disbelief, after the second they were angry. The memory is kept here with a large shrine on the main road with all the names of people lost in the attack.

After getting our bearings in the new neighborhood, we grabbed some sushi for lunch and then ventured further outside of Kuta. The Pasar badung market. It was wild. A Balinese market selling all kinds of produce and materials needed for the Hindus to make their daily offering (grass stalks, flower petals.) There were many fruit vendors, bananas, melons, coconuts. There were vegetables, and eggs, and fish, all kinds of sea food really. Chickens, whole ones, ones already plucked, chicken parts. There was all kinds of unrecognizable meat. And all of this out in the open with flies and bugs, mud and garbage on the ground and motor transport kicking up dirt and exhaust. We did find a doughnut vendor though which I gladly partook in. Yum. After the local produce market we went to the bird market down the street a little further called Pasar Burung. Ashton was right when he said I would cry. Well partially right, I didn't cry but I wanted to. There were many exotic birds in beautiful, but some very worn, cages. Some vendors also had bunnies, and other animals like this little baby luwak way too young to be away from it's mother. It all made me very sad. And bats. The giant fruit bats. These ones were not giant but still the largest bat I've ever seen. They did not belong in cages and why on earth would anyone want one as a pet. I always joke that Toby looks like a bat when she's upside down and she truly does. Just like one of these. So we left, myself a little a heart broken. Just outside the market were some puppies for sale. A sweet little dachshund. I would have bought him in a heart beat but I know he can’t come home with me. We headed back to our neck of the woods and there we went for a walk on the beach. We ate at a really small restaurant for dinner and now I'm ready for bed. My energy has been drained the last few days so tonight I hope to get a little extra sleep.

Diem Design ©

2010-11-02T17:23:00.004-06:00

.his.

.&.

.hers.

2010-11-02T06:59:00.002-06:00

These past weeks have been ever so busy ones. My parents were in town so I assumed the role as designated tour guide and president of the entertainment committee. But no worries I've made time for online window shopping and blog hoping even though I haven't had much time to contribute to my own Blahg. I came across these little beauties featured recently at sfgirlbybay. I love the idea. The artist, Leslie Oschmann, picks through and scavanges antique shops, estate sales, and flee markets all over Europe in search of old and worn canvas paintings to transform and be given a new life. One with a twist. The hand bags are so very clever. So I've been spying around a little on my regular antique and thrift store visits in search of my on clever canvas ripe for the stitching. We'll see what I come up with.

See more from Leslie here.

2010-11-01T18:41:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning Ashton and I rode the tracks up to main street and spent our morning in an old used book store and coffee shop before meeting my parents for breakfast at Lambs, a very sweet little diner that's been in Salt Lake City since 1919. I've been dying to have breakfast there. While waiting for my parents outside I snapped a couple photos.

...and a sneak peek inside the windows.

Diem Design ©

Another day of Bali...

2010-10-30T18:11:00.004-06:00

Aug 5 2010

The morning was another early one. We said sad goodbyes to Ubud and began the car ride to Lovina. Along the way there we made our first stop at another large rice terrace. This one was not as grand as the first that we saw but still very expansive. We drove a little further to Pura Ulu Danu, the lake temple. On the shore of the lake are several sanctuaries and then out on a tiny little island just off the shore is the temple, very small but very beautiful. The air here is much cooler. Jacket weather even. Heading off again we passed many food stalls and small markets. Driving through the lesser seen neighborhoods we passed people with bottles of petro for sale, dirty looking produce markets and stalls a mist what looked like rubble, broken building material, and dirt piles, people selling banana to feed the monkeys all clambering for a snack where jungle meets concrete, and many bunny vendors. Bedugle, (like the salad,) has a large population of bunnies. Some people keep them as pets, others let them grow really big and then eat them. Our last stop before Lovina was at the Git Git waterfalls. Absolutely stunning. A very tall cascading waterfall ending in a pool at the bottom with hindu shrines and a small temple area. We would have liked to have gone swimming but werent exactly prepared so we headed up the long journey of stairs back to the car. It's a lot like Disney Land here, you have to pass many gift shops to get to the main event, and go through many more on your way out. It was sad for me to watch some of these poverished woman begging for you to buy something from them, anything, and they would sell things for as little as one U.S. Dollar. Things that people where selling for as much as fifty back in Ubud. If they saw you looking at something as you passed by they would grab your arm and beg for you to at least look some more, a different size, a different color, as if there must be something they could sell to you. In another village we had stopped in, a woman threw a sarong over my shoulder and ran back to her stall knowing that I would have to go there to bring it back. I suppose I could have just kept walking but she probably would have had the whole tribe after me. Instead I caught up to her and threw it over her shoulder which had all the women laughing. One thing I will say about Bali is that despite being such a poor island country, there is no stealing or theft here. Though I'm sure it does occur, there is no worrying about pick pocketers, or people taking your things when your not looking. The homes here with walls are not lined with barb wire or glass shards. The door is typically opened to their court yard. Where, really, anyone could just walk in. There’s seems to be a lot of trust between your fellow man here. It is also customary to take your shoes off before entering some ones room or home. Even some stores and restaurants will have a pile of people’s shoes out front. This is especially true for the beach towns where so much sand gets tracked in. At least you don't have to worry here about some one running off with your flip flops, it just doesn't happen. I had mentioned before that you have to be careful where you walk or you may fall in a hole, etc. This is also true when inside. Well, not the hole part but businesses, hotels, homes, restaurants, pretty much you name it, uses a very slippery non porous tile as their flooring. Dangerous for any one wearing shoes with little to no traction, and fatal when wet.

Well here we are in Lovina. We rented a scooter and cruised around for a little while. We aren't thrilled with our hotel. By any means in fact. Their credit card machine is not working so we had to pay cash and they charge for wifi. Blah. Oh and here’s the best part. The ceiling of our room is made of bamboo and there is a little bird building its nest on top making lots of noise and the best part, it even pooped on our bed. So we switched rooms.... Our new room is not too bad. We'll settle for now. We did a night dive with a company called Spice Dive. It started just after sunset. The short boat ride out was beautiful. It was my first time doing a night dive. We each had flashlights and there was four of us. The dive was fantastic. I thought at first I might get a little nervous with it being dark but I actually really enjoyed it. You can only see where the lights are shining and the fish are all in a sleepy state. We saw some lion fish, a scorpion fish, some crabs and such. It was great. The only down fall to the dive was that I struggled really badly with my buoyancy. So badly that at 70 bar I couldn't stay down and I buoyed right up. I was up on the surface alone for several minutes but it was absolutely stunning and so peaceful. In the middle of the quiet ocean with no one around and the sky absolutely soaked in stars. The bioluminescent phytoplankton twinkled with every curl of water. And the darkened hill side was dotted with white lights from small homes. Every element was glittering. Not long being alone and the other three surfaced as well and we headed back in. Our guide Emanuel was very nice and soft spoken. The 4th in our group was a Frenchman named Sebastian. We got back to dive head quarters which is also a restaurant. We cleaned up the gear and I headed to the ladies room to change out of my wet swimsuit. I walk around the corner into the open restroom and there is Sebastian, in the ladies room, butt naked, full frontal exposure. Startled he hid him self, I blurt out “Oops Sorry!” looking away really fast and then hurried to change in the gentlemens room. Ash and I sat down to dinner and I recounted what I had so recently witnessed and a little unsure of how he would respond. To this he made a joke I can't repeat and my response back was only, ".... I saw another mans penis on my honeymoon..." and Ash says, "Thats okay I saw those old Balinese womans tatas earlier today." Dinner was great, I ordered an Indian curry which was not Indian at all and Ashton had some sort of soup. We also ordered vanilla milkshakes which came as banana milk shakes. Blah. Before we left I asked our waiter, "So, a lot of people here have piercings?" Pointing to my chin where he had his

pierced. He said, "Yeah. But mainly just the bitch boys." .... "Who?" "The bitch boys." "What?" "The bitch. The bitch boys." "Ohhhh BEAch boys, I see." We called it a night after dinner, hopped on the scooter and headed home.

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2010-10-29T08:43:00.001-06:00

In light of the upcoming holiday, (Halloween if you forgot,) I came across these interesting photographs done by a man William Hope beginning in 1905. His claims were that he was able to actually photograph ghostly apparitions with his camera. He would then make profit off these images by selling them to the deceased’s remaining family members. (Sounds like a good idea to me.) Eventually all was found out to be (obvious) forgeries. But at the time when photography was new, and photoshop wasn't even a twinkle, these were all very real to believers of an after life. Even after Hope was found to be a fraud there were many admirers who still stood by his side in an effort to clear his name. Who knows, maybe they are real after all.

2010-10-25T17:11:00.002-06:00

I love this super simple idea! Originally inspired by bird tracking tags but with a bit of a twist. Stamped with a spouses name, the place of the wedding, and the date. I love it so much, that I think I might actually break out the old metal stamps and make my own. But if your not feeling up to stamping out some metal, click here for the very sweet Etsy Shop where I found the inspiration.

2010-10-20T17:55:00.000-06:00

Running fingers through silk and lace.

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Lake Powell...

2010-10-14T08:39:00.002-06:00

Last weekend we spent our days on a glittering blue lake with dear friends and lovely scenery views.

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Heart Broken...

2010-10-13T20:54:00.001-06:00

See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle
Just remember darlin' all the while
You belong to me.

Day Ten of Ubud Bali...

2010-10-12T22:02:00.001-06:00

Aug 4 2010

Our day has been fairly lazy. We spent our morning going for a walk down monkey forest, taking in the shops, and restaurants, people, and scenery. I may have mentioned that I had been eyeing this really beautiful painted wood carved statue of the Hindu god Ganesh. The God Ganesh has the body of a man and head of an elephant. Hinduism is a fascinating religion. You’d likely not find a single Greek or Roman on earth that still believes the old mythologies and stories yet Hindus still fully believe in their very mythical god figures. Then again who am I to say what is real and what is not I suppose. Anyways we stopped in to have a look at good ole Ganesh. Sad, I felt like he was just out of our price range and the man working did not care to barter enough. So, we continued down the street until Ashton began to get a headache. He decided to go back to the room for some advil and I could keep walking. He would rent a scooter and come pick me up. When Ashton came to pick me up he had not made it back to the room yet so we went together. Once in the room, sitting there was the statue of Ganesh. What a clever surprise. He had convinced them to give a better price and now Ganesh will be coming to America. Once back on the motor bike we explored a little more of Ubud. We drove around most of the main city center streets and then up a road lined with mainly exporter shops. I wanted to take some photos so I went for a walk while Ashton scooted down the road for a little while. (Earlier in the morning I had to buy a new memory card for my camera, I had filled up the ones I'd brought.) On the road of exporters many shops had grand items for sale. Large carvings, furniture, statues, lanterns, and art. I even came across this beautiful, slightly out of place, Venetian mirror store. I love venetian mirrors. If only I could afford them. After Ashton picked me up I was dying of heat so we went and got lunch at this really delicious Indian restaurant before heading back to our hotel Cendana to go for a swim in the salt water infinity pool. The pool is lovely with three large Buddha statues pouring water into the pool and the pool edge rolling off into a very large and lushly green rice field. Ashton and decided to go back to the market to see if we could find a souvenir to send home for my mom, but we weren't there long before the market began to close for the evening. We also have still been on the look out for a pair of puppets reasonably priced. No luck, no luck. But Ashton has started up quite the collection of spices and I got some vanilla beans. They smell wonderful. Some how Ash and I got separated and could no find the other anywhere, so I went to the motor bike and waited for him. Ten or so minutes passed with no sign and it occurred to me, what if he is just standing some where waiting for me, perhaps back at the room. So I left a note on the scooter that I was going back to the room. Almost all the way to the room and I happened to glance up, here you must always look at the ground to watch where you are going or you may fall in a hole or trip on a pertruding rock or root or step on a dog, or offering, or any number of things, but like I was saying, I happened to glance up and there he was walking the opposite direction on the other side of the street. So we reunited, headed for the scooter, and then off to watch a shadow puppet show. We were waiting to pull out into the intersection and who should cross our path but him. The purple shirted french jerk scooting by on a motor bike with that same stupid hat on. Maybe I should back up. A few days ago Ashton and I had quick footed it up to this little gelato restaurant right before it closed. I had patiently been waiting my turn in line behind 4 other foreign woman when all of a sudden this man, a fellow tourist traveler wearing a purple shirt and stupid hat came wandering up and cut me in line. I said to him and his girlfriend, "Excuse me, there’s a line." and he stated back with a big dumb smile, "Oh i just wanted to look and see the flavors.” Okay fair enough. But then he did the unthinkable. Not a moment had passed that the other woman got the ice cream and there he was telling the scooper his order, hurried to pay and then left. I was enraged and vowed that should I ever see him again, I would give him a piece of my mind. I would tell him off so badly I may even sock him. And then, this very day did our paths cross again. Ashton and I saw him at the very same time and said "Hey there goes that French prick." (Or maybe we said a worse word.) And maybe he isn’t French but we dont care much for the French and we definitely don’t care much for him so he must be French right? So I yell, "Get him!" and off we go. Scared that I might actually scooter punch him (punch some one while on a scooter) Ashton refuse to get too close but I did shake my fist at him and yell, "YOU CUT ME IN THE ICE CREAM LINE!" Not my best work, or my finest moment for that point but I’m satisfied and still hoping he lost a little bit of sleep over it. Well before the show we stopped in a little shop just outside to look around and there was a beautiful pair of puppets. Unfortunately the price was, at the lowest 750 each. I offered 600 for the pair. That was a laugh followed by a no. (750,000 rupiah and 600,000 rupiah) The shop also had many shadow puppets. All different characters and intricacies some more elaborate than others. We entered the little theater room and soon the lights were turned off and instruments started to play. It was amazing. The story was of an evil demon who was killing innocent people of this land for no reasoning. The king, asks him to stop and the demon says that he will if the king will sacrifice one. Not knowing what to do, the king asks a wise queen in the next land what she would do. One of the queen’s five sons, named Bima, says he will go and be the sacrifice and he will stop the evil demon. The demon is mad now because he finds that Bima actually has supernatural powers as well. So Bima defeats hundreds of demons before finally killing the evilest of all and everyone lives happily ever after. The puppets are mad from a leather and is intricately cut with beautiful cut out designs for the light to shine through. Everything is done behind a screen and there is flame to cast the shadows. I was enthralled with the intricacy and the fact that it is only one puppeteer controlling all of them. I really loved it. As usual Ashton dozed a bit but he liked it very much as well. When it finished and we were on our way out, we were stopped by the shop owner that said, okay I will sell you both for 600,000. Ha HA. They are a very lovely pair, besides 2 other pairs we had seen which were Very beautiful with metal crowns and jewelry (also very VERY expensive), these were the nicest puppets we had seen. It was good fortune. We grabbed a light dinner before making it back to the room. After I finish writing up a couple of post cards it's off to bed. Tomorrow we are Lovina bound.

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2010-10-08T11:15:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy work week and today we are off to Lake Powell till Sunday. Hope everyone else has a fabulous fall weekend.

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Etsy Artists...

2010-10-07T22:47:00.000-06:00

I love art. I just can't get enough of it. Especially when something really tickles my fancy. (I also love that phrase.) I am inspired to paint. I wish I was spending my weekend doing nothing but being creative. (and eating good food too.) Maybe when I have alittle more free time I will paint. I'll put it on my to do list. Right after, Kung Fu. (I'm serious, I want to learn so stop laughing.) Click on the image to take you to the artist's etsy shop.

Toby's New Dog House...

2010-10-02T10:08:00.000-06:00

Before...

and After...

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Sweet Bali Day Nine...

2010-09-29T20:54:00.004-06:00

August 3 2010

Our start today was pretty late. The other three temples we would like to see are all fairly far away. Two are on the south and we will have to do those on our last day. We rented a motor bike (scooter) today for five dollars and cruised the streets of Ubud. I think we may rent another tomorrow. Our lunch we ate at a little restaurant next to a lotus garden and rice field. On the rice field were locals preparing the ground for more planting. They wore pointed straw hats and galoshes. I wonder if people from far away countries ever come to the U.S. and care so much about wheat farmers or strawberry pickers? Anyways, after lunch we headed back to monkey road where a ceremonial procession was to take place. We were lucky to see it. There were many people playing instruments together or carrying tall silk umbrellas. There were marchers and there were woman carry intricately made offerings some which looked like tall pyramids of fruit. Around 4:30 we were picked up from our hotel to go to the elephant safari park. Ashton was not the most thrilled at first. I think his thoughts were that we were going to a zoo with only elephants but when we got there his first thoughts about the park had immediately changed. There are thirty elephants in the park. All of which have been rescued and brought to this sanctuary from Sumatra, another island of Indonesia but fairly far away. The elephants had been mistreated and abused as longing elephants who were to be put down after retirement from logging. Once they became of no use is when they were rescued. We got to be very up close and personal. Getting to feed them, stand with them, touch them. It was so amazing and wonderful I can’t explain. They're skin is so different than I had for some reason expected. They are so huge and so powerful yet can be so gentle. We got to see three babies. The first we saw were two little girls. Very sweet, very gentle. So adorable gentle. The third baby was a little boy and he was a few months older, very rambunctious and playful but he doesn't realize his size and strength. The guide told us to not get too close because he likes to knock people over and swing at them. He thinks this is playing and that he's being funny. It was pretty funny when he knocked this other lady flat on her butt. He even took a swing of his little trunk at me once but missed, I was just out of his reach. They are so dang cute. After this we were invited to look around. The adult elephants are not kept in enclosures. They each have their own circled area and are limited to that area with a chain around one of their ankles. Each elephant has a keeper who takes complete care of it so as to develop a very strong relationship. We then watched a few of the elephants perform some tricks. Slam dunking a basketball, sitting on a bench, walking up and across a large halved log, kicking a soccer ball, etc. After which we got a night ride on an elephant through the jungle. It was for about 45 minutes and Ashton and I loved it. Our elephants name was Melanie and our mahout, elephant keeper's name was hard to pronounce and remember but he was great we loved him. He asked if we were married and on our honeymoon and then asked us several times about babies. Here in Bali people have babies right away, spare no time, and its good luck to have a baby as soon as you can. He was so funny he kept calling our ride, "romantic jungle taxi" he would say the funniest things me and Ashton were dying. "Make babies in Bali." "No no babies." "Ohh you just practice right hahaha" He is married but he says Melanie is his second wife. He really loves her and that was very sweet. We passed one elephant and he says "Thats play boy elephant. He has three wives and three babies with one on the way. Ashton is you a playboy? You look like David Beckham, you know David Beckham?" When we got back to unload we were behind this big male elephant who was "happy" and Melanie wouldn't walk any closer to him. Our mahout says, "Oh Melanie scared of big banana. Hahahaha." hahahaha. He kept talking about the big banana. The elephant started going to the bathroom then and he says, "Oh big banana make big river." hahaha. We got off and he said "Lets go Melanie, we honeymoon taxi to America!" We had such a great time. Ashton even got to see fireflies for the first time and we aaw more bats. After riding elephants we washed up and there was a giant buffet dinner provided. Delicious with all kinds of food and many more traditional Balinese dishes. When we finished we got transferred back to the hotel and here we are ready for some sleep. I already know how much I will miss Bali when we return home.

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Bali Day Eight...

2010-09-28T10:09:00.000-06:00

August 2 2010

Ashton and I had another early and exciting day. We had a buffet breakfast at our hotel and then hired a driver to take us to some of the most talked about temples in the area. The whole day we traveled across rice paddies and through jungle. The first temple was Gunung Kawi Sebatu, the holy spring temple. Trying to think back now, they've all started to blur together a bit, but everyone was absolutely amazing and words can't describe. Pictures can't do justice. The Holy Spring temple was very peaceful and serene. There was a lovely koi pond with a large fountain as well as a few beautiful bird cages, one with a cockatoo, another a rooster, and the third with two doves. Also here there were two gated pens with 4 deer. The deer are so sweet and small and completely different than any deer I've ever seen before. They have a nose like a cow, short red fur, the males with small pointy antler that stick straight back and fangs. Yeah sharp teeth that hang out of it's mouth like saber tooth tiger. It may only be the males that have the fangs though, I could not see fangs on the female but I did sit with them for a while, feeding them leaves. There were many beautiful shrines, and lovely spiget springs that poured into pools of water. There was a stage of sorts as well as intricately structured coverings that housed traditional ceremonial costumes, masks, alters, a priest’s throne and other objects. After this, we were taken to see some rice terraces. It was truly incredible to see all the layers of rice field paddies, looking so much like a topographical map and all so very green. The second temple we went to was Gunung Kawi Tampak Siring Gianar, the rock temple, which had huge carvings in the side of tall cliff walls. They were massive and very impressive. When entering any of the Hindu temples here in Bali, you must be wearing a sarong to cover your legs. (Even the statues in Bali have to wear a sarong. No joke.) Here, there was also a holy temple where we had to remove our shoes as well before entering. My feet were cold on the wet stone and I slip, almost falling flat on the ground when my feet slide on the slimmy green rock. Inside were small niches in the wall. They were like little hermitages for prayer and extensive meditations. After this we drove past the active volcano here on Bali and it was really quite impressive. The scene is beautiful. Quite a few irritating peddlers but I guess that is just something you have to get use to around here. We cross the road lined with fruit vendors and look over the edge of a makeshift railing. Below you see the base of the mountain is black from all the volcanic rock and neighboring all this is a beautiful blue lake. Next we traveled to Tirta Empul also known as the holy water temple. Here we saw a beautiful pool of water with a natural spring bubbling up through the sandy bottom. Everything here is so lush and the colors are so naturally vibrant. Greens and browns of every imaginative shade. There are more pools of water. Bubbling teals and cool grey stone. One, a large koi pond surround by the brightly Balinese orange brick wall, another, a pool of water for bathing and prayer. There was a large group of Hindus here from Borneo who wanted their picture with Ashton and I. We suddenly became celebrities. Their guide said they wanted their pictures with us because we are tall and have white skin and because there are almost no tourist who come to Borneo. (No tourists, maybe I should put Borneo on my to do list.) Our next stop between temple hopping was a small coffee plantation specializing in Kopi Luwak coffee. They grew many other things there as well. Regular coffee, two types of cacao, coco, vanilla, lemon grass, cinnamon, snake skin fruit (which, was delicious), pineapple, and many more including many different types of herbs. They showed us how they make the coffee as well as showed us the animal for the luwak. It can’t be any bigger than a cat and looks a lot like a weasel or a mongoose. This type of coffee comes after the animal eats a cherry and then passes the pit. The pit is then collected, cleaned, dried, and roasted. Apparently this is one of the best coffees and very expensive. A half pound can cost as much as 120 US dollars. We got to try several different teas and coffees that they make. Ashton bought some coco mix and spicy curry. We finally made it to the last of the temples on our list, Goa Gajah, the elephant cave. There have never been any native elephants on Bali but the carving above the cave depicts one and you enter the cave through an opening in a mouth. The cave is small but lit and it has several niches for people to come and meditate. At the actual temple, we once again had to wear a sarong for entrance and here, located behind the Hindu temple was an ancient Buddhist temple in a cave on the side of a steep hill. We took a minute on the way, for Ashton to stop and pray with this goofy looking Hindu. Quite old, bad teeth, crooked old glasses, he was an interesting character. At the Buddhist temple there was a small shrine but I am not sure how far the cave goes back. Our flashlight was not very good and with muddy grounds and bats flying all around our heads we decided to not venture too far in. We headed up the trail a little further and found a woman who guided us to "The Jungle Temple" (Might I add that we were and had been all day in some serious jungle already.) The trek to this temple was a steep downhill grade on mud and rock, a really interesting/slightly nerve racking quest across a river covering flimsy bamboo bridge, and then moss covered boulders we had to hop across. Both temples were Hindu, hand carved caves. The first went back fairly far and was a place that monkeys like to spend the night in. Again many bats and poor lighting kept us from traveling into the furthest recess of the cave. The next temple was three cave openings. Large representing Vishnu, medium representing Shiva, and small for Ganesh. (At least that’s what I think she said…) They are carved on the cliff face on the far side of the river. You must swim to enter. We did not. Once in apparently, you can climb out of the water into more small niches for meditating. As well, each cave chamber connects inside by the flow of water. Only men may enter and people come to meditate here every six months. If you cannot swim across, you sit on one of the nearest boulders. There are plenty. Pretty intense. We were sweltering hot by time we got back to the car. Even the holy springs had no real cooling effect. We stopped by a woodcarving workshop on the way home and got to see some world class carvings as well as the raw materials and how the carvings are constructed. So much intricate work it is unbelievable that some of the very large pieces did not take an entire life time to complete. When we finally returned to Ubud, we showered and left the room to attend another traditional Balinese dance performance. This one is known as the Kecak but is also called "The Monkey Dance" or "The Fire Dance." I enjoyed it much more than the first. It was pretty funny. It starts off with this huge group of men 50 or more and they wear a sarong with no shirt. They are making this strange hissing sound like some one has poured water on a fire and then they join in chanting. They make a circle around this giant candelabra and are there, chanting with these movements through the whole performance. The performance is based on a war that had taken place. One in which mythological Balinese characters are involved. It is hard to know who is who and who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. There was a red monkey and a white monkey, a guy with a scary red mask, a popular eagle like bird figure, two women with bows and arrows, a funny looking character who fights with the monkeys, and a few other interesting costumed performers. There was a bit of comical relief through out but it ended in a bon fire made of gasoline and coconut shells, a man carrying an interesting headdress of sorts and running bare foot through the fire and its coals. Then the men in sarongs bid farewell and the crazy guy who ran through fire, sits for people to give him money.

Ashton and I had more traditional Bali for dinner at the Bumi Bali restaurant. We each had a salad and duck. Mine was not very good, first disliked dinner of the trip. Ashton’s was better. We both could have done without. We grabbed some gelato on the way home and just as we returned a monsoon of rain began to fall and hasn't stopped since. Ashton has already fallen asleep so I suppose I should do the same. But before I do I have to tell about the terrible bicycling crash we saw today while driving to one of the temples. I had almost forgotten about it till just now. Some poor tourist on a bike tour threw on the brakes going next to our car heading down hill when she slipped on wet ground and flew head first over her handle bars face planting it on the concrete. The biker behind her then crashed his bike right on top of the girl. It was definitely the closest to tour de France I'll ever be.

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A few of my favorite things...

2010-09-27T11:24:00.000-06:00

1. Doing nothing in particular and feeling completely accomplished by it.

2. French onion soup.

3.Vintage lunch boxes.

4. Freshly framed photographs.

5. Cooler nights.

6. Funny looking pets.

7. Dreaming of foreign travels (has this made the list before?)

8. Jane Goodall. Congratulations on 50 years.

9. Linda Ronstadt's Blue Bayou. I play it over and over in the mornings after Ashton's left for work.
10. Brown sugar in my oatmeal.

Print now available Here.

Diem Design ©

Day Seven of Bali Indonesia...

2010-09-21T19:35:00.003-06:00

August 1 2010

This morning we said farewell to our palace digs and have now taken up lodging at Cendana. There's a pool, and spa, and restaurant and drivers, and tours, and all kinds of other great things. We signed up for a tour tomorrow. From 9am to 5 in the afternoon. First stop, Elephant Cave, Goa Gajah. After that a whole slew of other sites. I'm looking forward to it. After checking in to our new hotel, and finally getting a good clean fresh water shower, we headed down to Monkey Forest. The place is insane. Monkeys are everywhere. (Hence the name, Monkey Forest.) Stealing your stuff, robbing you of bananas or any other kind of food you may have on you. It turns out the little ones aren't so bad it's the big ones you have to really watch out for. Their fangs are around a couple inches long. Here, at the forest, they sell bananas outside so you can feed the monkeys. You can lure them to hop up on your shoulder but there are some that just want to play on you even without the bribe of a banana. Ashton got pooped on and that was pretty funny. I love monkeys. They have the cutest little hands and feet and they will sit with you just playing with your fingers. Also here in monkey forest are a few temples. It's really interesting. Any one can go in but they have to be wearing traditional Balinese attire. They were preparing for a special ceremony tonight. It would have been interesting to attend. After monkey forest we wandered back up the road stopping in the occasional shop and then ending back at the market. I love the market except for, once again, everyone tries to rip off the tourist. And then they make you feel really bad like you are the one trying to rip them off. I don't feel bad for long though. There are a few things that I’ve seen in which I really want. Well, lets be serious there are a ton of things I really want. One is this blue carving of Ganesh. He is the Hindu god with the body of a man and the head of an elephant. He's also kind of expensive. $800,000 rupiah. Currently it is $1usd to $8,900rp. But I'm hoping maybe we can talk them down a little. Another thing I’d really love are these puppets. There are two kinds, a pair of traditional puppets that look like dolls, they have sticks attached to their hands connected to hinged limbs so the puppeteer can move them. They're really cool. The other puppets are shadow puppets. Yesterday I bought one for $80,000rp. Not bad. They are made of a flat piece of leather and have intricate cut outs for the light to shine through. They too have hinged limbs so that the puppeteer may move their arms. While here I'd like to find some silver jewelry as well but haven't seen anything I'm really taken with. Ashton found some spices to bring home, two different types of curry, and some others. I bought some vanilla beans mostly cause they smell wonderful. I have no idea what you do with them. I'm sure we'll be back to the market again though. Afterwards, we came back to our hotel to relax before dinner. Ashton chose the restaurant tonight. His decision was based on the fact that they had a tv playing the formula one car races. The food was pretty good. We both had curry. Mine, prawn Balinese coconut curry, his green chicken. I really like the curry here but it's more of a soup than a sauce as they make it Indian style. (I love Indian curry.) We grabbed some snacks for tomorrow and it's 10 o'clock now, time to say goodnight. We have lots to do in the morning.

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Oh Monday...

2010-09-20T22:57:00.001-06:00

I'm sorry I haven't been around much this last week. I've started a new job and have been focusing a lot of my energy on that. However, just cause I was busy last week with work didn't mean Ashton and I would get a lazy weekend. In fact we stayed pretty busy. Here's a little bit of random blogging and what the weekend consisted of (gotta love camera phones)....

Won free stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond while my husband partied down with a bunch of rich guys at a black tie dinner.

Organized the storage closet a little bit (can you find toby in there haha)

Hugged a llama.

Watched a couple Krishnas shoot roman candles at that ten headed demon until igniting it into a huge burst of flames. It was a very intense moment.

Became a redneck at my first real demolition derby.

And went to the State fair.

I think next weekend I'm just going to rent a pile of movies, make a feast of a dinner, and stay within 10 feet of my house. But honestly I doubt that will happen.

P.S. I still have plenty of Bali posts from our trip. I'll be starting up postings again tomorrow.

Diem Design ©

Sometimes...

2010-09-14T19:33:00.001-06:00

Sometimes my Etsy store has an item featured in a Treasury, which in Etsy Talk is basically a collection of all sorts of items put together by another Etsian. And sometimes I just love everything about the treasury. Here are a few that I've recently been featured in that also feature other delicious items to shop for. Click on the Image to take you to the Treasury itself.

(This last treasury was even featured on the Etsy Websites front page.)

Happy Birthday Ashton...

2010-09-12T21:37:00.000-06:00

Today is Ashton's actual birthday. But we celebrated it with dinner at a local down town Thai restaurant here in Salt Lake called Sawadee last night.

Diem Design ©

2010-09-07T10:37:00.001-06:00

I love this idea

of an old letter envelope scanned and enlarged as wall art.

Bali Day Six in Beautiful Ubud...

2010-09-06T23:10:00.000-06:00

July 31 2010

Rooster is the worst way to get woken up in the morning, yet every morning I wake to it whether I like it or not. Last night we had done the better half of packing so there wasn't much for us this morning. We ate breakfast. I had only buttered toast and jam Ashton, a pancake and egg. We chatted over breakfast with another couple from the U.S. And then headed off to get our things and hop a boat back to Bali. I wandered around for a little while snapping a few last pics of some of the people and especially the little carriages. We spent so much time over water, in water, near water, I’m really disappointed that I haven’t been able to take as many photos as I would have liked. There have been so many times I become discouraged not capturing an image. I guess that’s when you have to take a mental photograph and just hope you never forget it. While wandering I also collected some sand from the beach to put in a bottle when we get home and a few pieces of coral. There is so much of it, it is in piles every where. The boat we got back to Bali was not as nice as the one we came to Gili on and in fact we were lucky to get good seats. I had to fight my way to the front a little bit just to get them. There are windows set high so you can only see sky looking up through them and occasionally water when we crash over huge waves. I took some motion sickness meds again and luckily didn't get sick, although just about every person around us did. There were little black barf bags everywhere by time we all unloaded. Sick. The people at the back of the boat literally were drench head to toe, pummeled with water the entire hour and a half ride. I slept pretty much the whole way. Some how I broke out in hives on my arms and chest. I must be allergic to something. Luckily it’s very mild and not bothersome as well as hardly noticeable. Back on Bali we had transportation to our hotel in Ubud, which is so beautiful, it is a palace. No literally, we are staying at the Ubud Palace. Where the royal family still resides. It ironically has about four or five rooms available for lodging. We didn't realize that when we booked it but hey, pretty cool right. So after exploring the palace a little, we took a stroll down Monkey Forest Road. And I am in heaven. There is a market right across the street from the palace where we are staying that is full of textiles, masks, silver, kites, puppets, spices, art, metal work, clothing, jewelry, and so much more. All kinds of things that I love and collect already. You have to bargain with everyone here, the people of Indonesia are out to rip everyone off. Especially us I feel like. Ashton bought me this really sweet gift over in Gili when he went out to get some drinks. It was a small patina Buddha head. I LOVE IT. But he paid way too much for it. And now that we're in Ubud, shoppers paradise, we've seen similar ones for a fraction of the price he paid and you could probably bargain down more. You win some you lose some. Well after the market further down monkey forest road are more shops and many restaurants. We walked along the left side of the road all the way to the end when you get to the actual monkey forest. And who would have thought, more monkeys. More bitch monkeys. Seriously though, they are naughty naughty monkeys. We walked back up the other side of the road but didn’t look in any shops this time. We wanted to get back to " the palace" to catch one of the traditional performances there. It was really fun, very different, but I enjoyed it a lot. Even comical. Ashton might have liked it if he didn't fall asleep a few times right in the middle. The stage is on level ground with the audience and the performers enter the stage through this largely ornate and beautiful door. There is lush foliage and trees that cast over head. There is Balinese bells, chimes, and other instruments being played by musicians who flank either side of the stage. All performers are dressed in beautiful traditional costumers, sparkling in gold and jewel tones. There faces are painted in make up or masked with elaborate disguises conceal their face and transforming them into demons, great kings, and even monkeys. This performances was called the Lagong Dance. Afterward we went out for dinner and are now back in our room. The room is really interesting. It is a traditional style Balinese structure with a large veranda and outdoor sitting area. Everything is very ornate. Gold paint on the doors, intricate wood carvings and sculptures, scrolling furniture, oriental rug and that’s just on the veranda. And that’s just it... The inside is really nothing special at all. A tall ceiling and big bed. The bathroom is worse than that. It's exposed to the outside which could be cool but isn't. And the sink, toilet, and tub are a dated avocado green. First thing in the morning ash is going to go out and look for a different place to stay. The luster of the palace has worn off and we're left with a plethora of bugs. I'm already freckled with mosquito bites. We bought some serious bug spray for tonight but have decided against using the shower as it is now playground to a whole multitude of insects. Also I'm pretty positive the small patch ceiling that there is in the bathroom has termites. Never good a thing. Well I'm off to get some sleep. Tomorrow, more site seeing and hopefully more shopping.

Diem Design ©

I took this...

2010-09-03T08:42:00.002-06:00

With the new gift Ashton gave me for my birthday the Thursday be before last.

Diem Design ©

Finally...

2010-09-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

Our last day or so in Bali, Ashton and I mailed off some postcards to each other. Considering a month has flown by since we've been back in the States, we had kind of given up on ever seeing the postcards again. But they finally made it home.

One for you. One for me. And one for Us.

Day Five on the Island...

2010-09-02T10:36:00.000-06:00

July 30 2010

This morning Ashton and I had breakfast here at Marta's. Joe the woman who owns the hotel had to say quick goodbyes yesterday, her daughter had been sick with a fever for two days so she decided to leave for Lombok where they have a hospital in case things got worse. Today we had two dives. Our first was this morning at 10 and we went to shark point where we saw more divers than shark. In fact the ratio of divers to shark was significantly higher. I did see one shark which was a black tip or black fin and quite small. Ashton missed it. On this particular dive it was just Ashton, myself and our guide. We had another couple on our boat from Holland and a kiwi but they were going to a different dive site. About half way into our dive or half way into my dive anyway, Ashton was already finishing off his tank. (Lisa: 120 bar out of 200 Ashton: 50 bar out of 200) luckily we bumped into the other group as they were ascending from their dive so Ashton popped up with them while I finished up my tank with the guide. We saw another turtle, swimming this time, which was pretty cool. We chatted some more on the way back with the other divers, one in particular, a kiwi who was pretty funny and said the F word a lot. They kept joking about how i must have gills cause i could stay under so long. We hopped off the boat and the Kiwi said to Ash, "Have fun with ya f****** fish girlfriend. Maybe you could go and do some f******* yoga ar somethin." Our second dive of the day was fun as well. We were at a different site but this time saw another turtle a blue spotted ray, of course tons of fish, a sea snake, and a bump head fish which are huge and are only ever seen during the full moon. Good timing for us. The after noon we lounged around some more. Went for a walk or so and then staked out a place on the beach where they serve dinner and play a movie after the sun sets. Tonight they played Bounty Hunter with Girard Butler and Jennifer Anniston. I loved it. It was so cute. We ate edamome, a traditional Indonesian beef dish, and a curry. Spicy of course. My favorite. After the movie we went for another stroll down the now very familiar main strip and retired back at our bungalow to read for awhile on the day bed out side. The day seemed pretty short but it was very relaxed and fun. I'll be sad to leave tomorrow but I can not wait to get Ubud. Its crazy to think we are almost half way through our trip. We've already begun thinking up our trip for next year. Spain with a little bit of Portugal and morocco maybe. Ou la la.

Diem Design ©

Day Four of Indonesian Islands...

2010-09-01T08:09:00.000-06:00

July 29 2010

We woke up early again today. Got some breakfast at this place down the street which was some what of a let down. The first since we arrived, but then again maybe I should have known better than to order French Toast. (On second thought my French Toast in Peru was phenomenal.) Oh well. After breakfast we checked out of stagnant Buddha and then checked into Marta's Hotel. Its very charming and nice and for not a lot of money. The woman Joe, who owns it is very sweet. She reminds me so much of a woman we befriended in Galapagos that ran Hotel Salinas. After breakfast we went scuba diving with a French couple and our guide was from, hmmm I can't remember. Scandinavia some where? He tells us of how him and his girlfriend travel all over working at dive shops. The dive was amazing and so much fun. We didn't see too much out of the ordinary. Lots of fish, a wreck, and a bicycle? Yeah not sure how that got there but it looks pretty cool. An old cruiser bike with the basket on the handle bars, covered in coral and anemones. Once back to home base we went out and found some lunch. A little hole in the wall restaurant called Kiki. I had chicken curry and rice while Ashton had fried noodles, egg
and chicken. Both were sooooo good. They made up for breakfast. Ive really been pleasantly surprised by how much I've enjoyed the food here. After lunch we rented bikes again and am now just lounging around outside on the day bed In front of our bungalow.

This evening Ashton and I rented bicycles for a little while and then went back out to watch the sunset at the far end of the island. There are bamboo and grass open air bungalows on the beach where you can sit and have dinner or drinks. The ones we wanted to perch up in were taken so we grabbed one a little further down. I ordered some more noodles, Ashton had a soup and we both had drinks and watched the sunset. We went for another walk afterward along the main road where various restaurants, dive shops, and small grocery stores mingle amongst villas and hotels. Tonight we snacked on more ice cream for desert. (Gelato as they call it but you could have fooled me.) I've been taking more photos today and I only hope I got some good ones that I'll be happy with. Tomorrow we are doing two more dives. I'm really hoping to see turtles and shark. Fingers crossed. I would love to live abroad. If only for a short while it is one of my most desired aspirations. I'll one day own my own bungalow hotel strung out on a sandy beach on an island few have ever heard of. (Or maybe in place everyone has, that would probably be better for business right?) We shall see. Someday. Well I'm tired. If I think of anything I'm leaving out, I'll be sure to write about it, tomorrow.

Diem Design ©

Tonight...

2010-08-31T20:13:00.000-06:00

I baked and we ate the most delicious Italian style stuffed mushrooms. We ate them so fast we didn't even have time to take a picture. mmmm....

Happy Birthday Krishna...

2010-08-31T15:05:00.001-06:00

Ashton and I spent our Saturday night helping to celebrate Krishna's Birthday at the beautiful Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork Utah. We really had so much unexpected fun. The temple is most known around here for its color festival held in the early spring time, where festival attendees douse each other with colored chalk in powder form. We've missed it two years in a row now but decided that this year we would investigate some their other festivities. Krishna's birthday did not disappoint.

The scene appears straight from India. The structure, a beautiful white with scalloped horse shoe arches over columns like a cake pedestal. Intricate motifs chiseled in sections. A large stair case flanked by brass elephants leads to the upper level with pillars and a great dome crowned with golden crockets to round off the illustrious exterior. The inside however leaves plenty for the imagination. Posters and news paper clippings cling to a cork board above a small sitting bench where shoes can be removed. There is a gift shop which takes up most of the first level and clashing into it are tight groupings of tables to eat at when the lacto-vegetarian Indian buffet is open. ($6 donation fee.) A bird sits in it's cage next to the unimposing stair case leading to the second level. Above you on this top floor you see twinkling crystal chandeliers. The largest, dripping from the dome which has motifs of peacocks and below, painted depictions of Krishna. A young boy who is actually well over 100 with blue skin and feminine features. Here there are rugs on the floor for sitting. There are many people, Indians and westerners. Two members sing melodically the mantra which will be chanted repeatedly through out the event.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama. Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Eventually we proceed to the main event. We are led out side clapping and chanting, singing and dancing. Here out side we continue, Ashton has a rattle, others have drums, tambourines, and cymbals. We are to walk around the building like this three times as a large wooden alter with flowers, incense, and a tiny Krishna figure is pulled and steered along with us. For some reason we thought Krishna would be bigger. Turns out he can't be much larger than your average Barbie doll. The incense is a familiar scent. After about 45 minutes we ended our final lap. The perimeter is short but we made many stops to sing and praise the blue faced idol. At our finish point hung a basket or bucket like item filled with milk and honey. Here, the men create a circle where they pyramid style hoist more men on top. The third level of this pyramid is topped by a person posing as Krishna. He will break the hanging pinata like basket and milk and honey will rain down. Well, the first attempt was unsuccessful but very funny as the Krishna impersonator tumbled taking the rest of his structural braces with him. The second and final attempt was better but it ended in more of a grab and fall as opposed to a clean break that is most desired in this instance. There is quiet for a moment as all wonder if that should count. Eventually the people approve with clapping to conclude and following we watched several traditional Indian dances in the pavilion. Ashton and I afterward ate at the buffet, consisting of sub par Indian foods and three different styles of rice. The meal was bland and far from world class cuisine but we left for home satisfied. India Fest is in September which promises fireworks and the burning of a 20’ high ten-headed demon named Ravana. Never a dull a moment.

Diem Design ©

Day Three Gili Trawangan Island...

2010-08-31T14:04:00.001-06:00

July 28 2010

Lying here in bed at 730 in the morning while Ashton flips through Asian cable channels. Sponge bob in Balinese, Asian music videos, sports (of course), and announced video games. People actually watch other people playing video games? Hmmm.

A long day. Ashton and I had breakfast at our hotel and then ran to a super market for some snacks to take with us on the boat ride over to Lombok. We got back to the hotel and then were picked up by our bus driver to take us to the boat dock. We rode over with two girls from London and then a separate couple from London as well. When we got to the dock we were given a snack and some water. I saw a motorbike accident. Well actually I heard it and turned to see the poor woman lying on the ground and then go unconscious. I wonder if that part was an act. Well the boat ride took about two hours from what I was told. I slept the better half of the trip cause i was so high on motion sickness meds. The boat pulled up right on the sand of this small island of Lombok called Gili Trawangan. There are no cars or scooters here. Noticing that was strange. Everyone walks or rides bikes and there are these tiny covered colorful horse drawn carriages that taxi people around. It's quite surreal. We stayed our first night at the Buddha Dive hotel. Part hotel part dive shop. It would be a very sweet hotel if the owner was not such a weirdo. Literally. I'm sure he is from Europe and likely gay but he has zero personality, emphasis on the zero. He seems like he's on some weird narcotic. Well we're only staying here the one night and then moving to hotel Marta right down the side street. Our room here at Buddha is clean and cute but no towels and no toilet paper.... OH, and no outlets. except for one high up on the wall which is being used to power the flat screen tv. I'd take toilet paper over a flat screen any day. The pool is a really pretty infinity pool but it looks dirty because it's built of sandstone tiles and is filled with salt water. There is a nice common area that no one hangs out in it, probably because no one wants to be around the drug induced hotel owner. Even the guys working the dive shop labeled him as "bizarre." (I imagine a few years ago there was a different owner because it use to be called Dive Indonesia hotel.) For the rest of the day we explored the island on bikes and watched the sunset. There is one main road that wraps around the island. The road is not paved and some parts have such soft sand that you we would have to get off the bikes and push. Several smaller roads and alleys branch further inland on the island where other small hotels and bungalows lie mixed in with local homes and huts. We had a BBQ and lobster dinner at a local restaurant on the water and then got ice cream and walked around some more. There are open air bungalows you can sit in for dinner and drinks or just rent to watch the beach and boats go by. A strange thing the island has here are these same type of bungalows but instead of beach watching they have two closed walls with a tv inside that is available to watch. You pay by the hour. Their slogan is, "Live a beautiful life watching a movie on the beach." Interesting. There is a very small screen movie theater near by that plays bootlegged movies as well and tomorrow we have plans of doing a wreck dive and some snorkeling but for now goodnight.

Diem Design ©

North to Alaska...

2010-08-20T23:37:00.000-06:00

A few months ago I went home to Anchorage, Alaska to spend a few weeks with friends and family. Here's a little of what I remember. I'm very much so liking the old vintage look of these photos.

Diem Design ©

Second day of Bali...

2010-08-20T13:50:00.003-06:00

July 27 2010

We got off to a pretty late start today. For some reason we were confused on what the time was and ended up going to bed last night at 830 only to wake up restless at about 230 in the morning when we decided we would eat our cold left overs from the evening before. We finally fell back asleep and when we woke up we were under the impression that it was around 745. Actually it was more like 1045. I've thought seriously about buying a watch but it would be difficult to set an accurate time considering that every clock I've seen here so far is slightly different. We got breakfast at our hotel Villa Lumbung, which is in Seminyak, a popular jump off point for Bali travelers. I had cereal and doughnuts. Afterward we worked out some kinks in our hotel itinerary for the remained of the trip and then we grabbed a taxi to take us to the temple Pura Petitenget. It was so close we could have walked. While there, the rain started to down pour on us and we were instantly drenched to the bone. For unknown reasons we were not allowed to enter the temple. Instead we wander the exterior perimeter. An orange or ochre colored traditional temple structure trimmed in scalloping grey stone designs and the occasional Hindu statue. A design style we've already noticed a lot of here in Bali, the first being the building of intricate detail, a shrine of sorts, attached to the airport upon our arrival. As well, atop pointed thatched roofs are crowns, which are also seen on homes as well. Some of wood, others of ceramic or stone. When the rain lightened up we emerged from our shelter and wandered towards the grey sky beach where a group of 15 women or so crowded together, all wearing brightly colored attire, they had ceremonial umbrellas and hordes of offerings laid on the beach which can go by different names depending how exactly they look, what their contents are, and what their purpose is. Near by under a large stage like structure was an even larger grouping of men. All wearing very similar attire, long whitish pants, a matching button shirt, a hat and yellow scarves wrapped around their waist. The rain began to come down again so we headed back to our lumbung. A lumbung is a type of building, a distinctive feature of Sasak architecture. The structure is raised on piles in typical Austronesian fashion and sports an unusual 'bonnet' shaped roof, thatched with alang-alang grasses. When the rain stopped, the sun came out and warmed everything completely. Not long after our return to the hotel our driver arrived to take us to the horse stables where we'd be riding. My horses name was King. Ashton had an Arabian horse with weird teeth and a funny nose. We spent the rest of the early afternoon riding horses on the beach together. It was both of our first times ever riding in an English saddle and we both struggled some. I'm still partial and definitely more comfortable in a western saddle. The beaches here are beautiful. The one we rode on today was a black sand beach with few tourists and huge waves crashing. The shoreline is littered with new hotels popping up where once stood green rice fields. The architecture here is incredible. I feel like I haven't been my typical picture taking self. The heavy down pour of rain this morning didn't help much either though. I suppose I haven't had much opportunity and it is our first day. I'll have to try and make up for it. It's strange being in a place that isn’t Latin America and Spanish speaking like what I’m use to. I'm not totally aware yet of the dos and don’ts and there fore don't want to offend anyone with photography. Our guide Eric was from Jakarta and I talked with him a lot about Bali. He told me that likely they were not allowing people into the temple today because they may have been performing a cremation. After riding we grabbed another driver to take us to the temple of Ulu Watu. A very important sea temple. They say the best time to see it is at sunset. Unfortunately for us we made it there 30 minutes too late and got to see it in the dark. We have plans to go back on our last day here on Bali. It sits on top of these very high and sheer cliff faces. At night they do these temple performances mainly for tourist, which there were many of. It was still all very beautiful despite the lack of visibility. Oh and we saw monkeys. These cute fairly medium size grayish colored monkeys with long tails and they look a little like baboons, maybe not, but are called, the Balinese long tailed monkey or Macaca. It was too dark to really snap any great photos but they were everywhere. (Click here for more of what happened this day in Bali.) On our drive back I was so tired I could not keep my eyes open. I guess I'm still not totally adjusted to the time change. We got back to the hotel and decided to eat at the hotel restaurant again. I had the same salad from yesterday called the Bedugle, and a bowl of soup called Tom Yam something something. It was really good once again and one thing I really like here is that I don't ever have to ask for hot sauce, their food is already very spicy. I'm off to a shower now and then to bed. Goodnight Bali.

Diem Design ©

Bali Day One...

2010-08-13T22:25:00.004-06:00

July 26th 2010

Finally the end to our long travel day. Our flight from Taiwain to Bali was five hours. Nothing compared to the 12 hour flight we went through before that. For whatever reason we received first class seats which were such a relief in comfort compared to our last seats. Once we got off the plane there was the most beautiful and ornate Balinese structure. To put a damper on things we got stuck in an hour long line to go through immigration. Our visa we bought on arrival, $25. The main religion of Indonesia is Muslim, however in Bali Hinduism is the main and primary religion. The air here is heavy and humid and there is the scent of burning incense from the devoted Hindus and there daily worship practices. You have to be careful where you step sometimes, there are leafy offering outside almost every door, inside included. The cab driver talked ashtons ear off the whole ride and despite the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road here and there are hundreds of scooters whizzing by, we made it to our hotel just outside the capital city, Denpasar. There was tons of cool buildings, shrines and shops on the way here but the inside court yard and bungalow of the hotel is a refreshing and relaxing breath compared to the busyness outside. We had a really delicious dinner here at the hotel and I do believe I am going to really enjoy the dining menu Bali has to offer. For now I'm off to bed. It has been a long day.

Diem Design ©

Oh hello...

2010-08-12T19:09:00.003-06:00

Have we met? I'm sure we have but It's been a long time since our last chat. Back from beautiful Bali. I'm sure you gathered, due to lack of posts, that I was quite busy doing a little bit of traveling. I do however have two weeks of journal entries detailing the splendid trip we had and all the adventures we gladly partook of while traversing one of Indonesia's most beloved islands. So pull up a chair cause there are stories soon to tell.

Diem Design ©

Oh Bali...

2010-07-29T05:58:00.000-06:00

Long time no talk eh. Bali has been amazing. It's a little different from what I had romanticised about but once we got out of the bigger cities like Seminyak and Kuta you get a taste of the real Bali. Lush green rice fields and layers of misty mountains. Colorful people and foods. Tuesday morning we walked over to a near by temple which we were not allowed to enter. Alittle put off we later found that there was a cremation ceremony being performed. We spent the rest of the day horseback riding on a dark sand beach. My horses name was king. Neither Ashton or I have ever ridden in an English saddle so it was kind of learning experience. Not the most comfortable one either. After riding we tried to make it out to the Ulu Watu temple for sunset but missed it by 30 minutes. The experience in the dark was not all that great, maybe cause you couldn't see much. But here's what you could see, a traditional Balinese dance put on for about 200 tourists (nightly),
the temple perched precariously atop sheer cliffs dropping into the sea, and monkeys. These cute fairly medium size grayish colored monkeys with long tails and they look almost reminiscent of baboons. It was too dark to really snap any great photos but they were everywhere. One sat on a step eating a piece of fruit or a leaf. I held out a plummeria flower for him and with fangs barred and a loud hiss his cute little face turned to pure evil as he snatched it out of my hand, annoyed and pissed off that i would even think he gave a crap about a stupid flower. Well it turns out they're all a bunch of spoiled bitch monkeys thinking they own the place and will steal anything they can get their little fingers on and they will use whatever force necessary to get what they want. But in south america the monkeys were all so sweet and gentle, well not here. The babies are cute though. We watched as one monkey grabbed the sarong around this little boy and he
started to scream and cry, scared like a little girl. Im not gonna lie they had me a little intimidated. On our drive back I was so tired I could not keep my eyes open. I guess I'm still not totally adjusted to the time change. We got back to the hotel and grabbed some grub. Thus far we have not eaten a bad meal. Everything has been phenomenal and the best part, everything is already spicy. I haven't had to add hot sauce once. Yesterday we grabbed a boat over to Gili trawangan in Lombok and have been lounging in bungalows beach side ever since. We went for our first dive today. Awesome. We have two more tomorrow. There are no cars or scooters here. It's wonderful. Everyone rides bikes or takes a taxi, tiny little horse drawn carriages. We're staying at the Marta Hotel and I absolutely love the owner. She reminds me so much of a woman who ran the vista Serena hotel in galapagos. The strangest things here are the beach bungalows you can rent that are for
watching tv and bootlegged movies, the fact that freshwater is still salty, and I haven't seen a single dog but there are bob tailed cats everywhere. On Bali the main religion is hindu. But as for the rest of Indonesia, including Lombock, religion is predominately Muslim. We hear their calls to prayer and such over loud intercoms. Theres something I find strangely beautiful, almost mysterious about it. At the same time, it has an eerie ominous tone considering the worlds wars that surround the religion, people, and that part of the world. Well I've been writing this while I lay in a grass and bamboo bungalow on the beach, eating fried noodles and drinking pineapple juice, the sun is about to set so goodnight until next time. And next time perhaps I'll have some pictures.
P.S. I'm not much for proofreading lately. Hope my spelling and grammar is bearable.

Sent from my iPad

As of Now...

2010-07-25T18:11:00.001-06:00

As of now I am a married woman. After spending an amazing week in San Diego California going to baseball games, amazing dinners, kayaking, hittin' the beach, and site seeing with the family, not to mention a little secret side trip to Tijuana Mexico, Wednesday July 21st we tied the knot. After pictures in La Jolla and beautiful balboa park we met up with our family and closest friends for a fabulous dinner on a beautiful harbor cruise. To end the night Ashton and I hopped on a Harley and the rest is a secret, but I will say our room was fantastic. So, two days later we made it to our lovely little wedding reception in super sunny Salt Lake City where I ate way too much cheese cake and cookies, danced a little, laughed a lot, and finally sparklers were lit and the time came to say goodbye again. Our reception happened to be held in the park area of our apartment so we used our get away vehicle to drive around the block a few times before coming back home.
Ashton and I spent the rest of the night opening presents and cards before getting a midnight snack from a little all night Mexican restaurant down the street and we ate our burritos under the the circus tent that housed the earlier reception and hundreds of dimly lit Chinese lanterns that hung from inside.

And now, I am writing this post from Taiwan, where a four hour layover is all that separates us from a two week long honeymoon in Bali Indonesia. Oh I can't wait.

Sent from my iPad

Eat Pray Love...

2010-07-16T09:15:00.000-06:00

I found this book when it first came out and I could snatch up the paper back version from Costco. After flipping through the book a little I quickly flipped it into the cart. I'm sure everyone knows of it and most adult women have probably read it. (And I'm pretty sure I saw it available at Costco again.) Long story short all I dream about is traveling, so I'm constantly scouring for a new travel-esque memoir to hold me over till can actually go myself. This was one that fit the bill. In the book, Elizabeth Gilbert, the author, takes a year off to travel to Italy, India, Bali. Not to give anymore away if you haven't read it or bore you with another synopsis of the book if you have. Anyway, I checked Italy off my to-do list several years ago but have been ever so patiently waiting to do the same for India and Bali. So the book, I loved. And can't wait to see the movie. And can't wait to go to Bali. (And then eventually India.) I told Ashton one day I might leave him for India. He looked at me for a minute and said, "...Well then I'm gonna leave you for a 20-something..." hmmmm.

I want to be the one with the drink...

2010-07-15T12:06:00.004-06:00

I know I've been gone forever! But it's not for lack of trying. I've been soooo busy. After getting back to Salt Lake from my little trip home to Anchorage I've been missing my friends terribly and have had no time for anything but working on the wedding and finishing up on renovations at our apartment. Ashton finally got all the laminent flooring put in, the walls are all painted (with only some minor touch ups needed), and there's only a few more walls that need base board. Now that the floor is in, the furniture can move in too. Oh did I mention I leave for San Diego on Saturday, get married on Wednesday, fly back to Salt Lake on Thursday, have a reception on Friday, and then leave for BALI the next day. Now do you understand why blogging ended up on the back burner. Don't worry though, I'm fully prepared to tell you all the wonderfulness and going-ons that take place while we're in one of the worlds most beautiful places.

Home Sweet Home...

2010-06-29T11:01:00.005-06:00

I've spent the last couple weeks in my home town Anchorage, Alaska. Hence the lack of blogging. I'm still not totally back into routine now that I'm here in Salt Lake City again but hopefully I'll be my normal self sooner than later.

In the mean time I'll mention that I have some really amazing friends. One of which, my very close friend Cher, who I got to spend a long Saturday with floating the Kenai River and pretty much laughing the entire way. Here's a handful of pictures from the days event.

2010-06-13T12:57:00.001-06:00

We finally got our engagements taken. We were waiting for the snow to clear and when it finally did it just snowed again. Luckily at long last summer came to Salt Lake, sort of, and we had a chance to get some pictures taken. These are a few of our favorites and big thank you's to our photographer Neil at Brightality Studios.

2010-06-08T22:38:00.001-06:00

Diem Design ©

The fun part...

2010-06-04T07:29:00.001-06:00

Ashton and I had such a hard time registering for the wedding. It's suppose to be the fun part right? We've both been out-of-the-nest for awhile now. (Well...Out of the nest, in the nest. You know.) But there really wasn't much we needed. We did manage to find a few things though. After all I am a woman. And I am very good at shopping ;)Our registries were compiled Here and Here.

2010-06-03T10:29:00.003-06:00

So busy this week with wedding planning, apartment planning, trip planning, honey moon planning, dress fixing, graduations, photo orders and the list goes on. But I will be back in full blogging action soon. Promise.

Diem Design ©

2010-05-28T08:36:00.000-06:00

My first trip to Wendover Nevada and can you believe they didn't have Bingo...

Diem Design ©

Color...

2010-05-27T13:40:00.000-06:00

I've decided to flood you with interior photos I've found, kinda all over. A lot are from Martha. And there is really no rhyme or reason to the collection. Just to add a little color I suppose. And did I mention I'm moving. Not far. (For now.) But upon our return from Bali this August I will be in a new apartment. Oh how relieved my furniture will be when it is released from the dark and lonesome storage unit it has spent the past almost two years in.

2010-05-26T08:05:00.001-06:00

When morning comes creeping through my window.

Diem Design ©

Hmmm....

2010-05-25T09:23:00.001-06:00

This is definitely a want. But could I also consider it a need?... I think so.

Good times...

2010-05-24T07:15:00.000-06:00

The other day I was going through some videos of a trip my best friend and I took to the Bahamas a few years ago. I miss my friend. Maybe you had to be there but every time I watch this clip of the video I can't help but laugh.

No one spits in my face and gets away with it. I was ready to fight after that. Well maybe not, the dolphin probably could've taken me.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2010-05-23T08:06:00.001-06:00

I figured I hadn't done this in awhile. So here are a few of my favorite things.

1. Summer sunshine. It doesn't matter where on Earth you are. It's delicious.
2. Amusement parks. Hello. Who doesn't.
3. The light breeze that cools you for that split second on a hot summer day.
4. Planning holidays.
5. Sugar cookie dough.
6. Finding a really cool rock and wishing you hadn't gotten rid of the collection you use to have in the 3rd grade.
7. Sleeping outside.
8. The satisfaction of getting organized.
9. Stumbling across old photos I haven't seen in awhile.
10. Packing to go home.

Diem Design ©

Angels Landing...

2010-05-22T10:45:00.005-06:00

I'm finally back in town and finally have internet again. I spent the last week in Southern Utah where one of my best friends met up with me to do some camping and hiking in Zion. (I sure seem to spend a lot of time there.) Maybe because it has to be one of the most beautiful places in North America. I'm just sayin. Brianne and I hiked Angels Landing. The most beautiful and well worth it hike I've ever done. Last year Ashton and I did this same hike both for the first time. (So much easier the second time around.) The hike is follows along side the Virgin River before going up into a cool and shaded canyon.Then there's about a million switchbacks but the trail eventually goes something like this...Narrowing out quite a bit, there are bolted chains in the rock to help you climb some of the more cliff-hanger parts of the trek. You can kind of see some people hiking out along that stretch towards the top.And of course, the end result. Making the achy muscles and sunburned shoulders all worth it. Here's the main view that everyone comes for but from here you see nothing but miles and miles of landscape and insane naturally carved sand stone 360 degrees around you. Down below you can somewhat see where we started and the Virgin River snaking around. Can't wait to go back when the hike for the Narrows opens up.

2010-05-15T08:44:00.003-06:00

Bloom for thought.

Diem Design ©

Officially...

2010-05-13T20:16:00.001-06:00

Officially a member of FPOE. Female Photographers of Etsy.

Hooray for weekends!...

2010-05-13T07:38:00.000-06:00

I'll be here for the weekend! Don't be distracted by the Gnome. He's always jumping in our pictures.

The blues...

2010-05-12T23:27:00.008-06:00

So beautiful. Though I'd never like to meet you any place where we are not separated by glass, I am constantly in awe of how seductively evil you float in your watery surroundings.

Diem Design ©

2010-05-09T10:20:00.003-06:00

Every so often one of my items from Etsy is featured in an Etsy Treasury. Here's one put together by Hollywoodspotlight that I thought was so so fun.

Click on the image to link to the treasury page.

2010-05-05T15:52:00.004-06:00

Why can't more people be like Martha? I mean seriously (but not so seriously, she's a little crooked if ya know what I mean.) You have to give her some slack though I mean this woman couldn't come out with a bad book/tv series/magazine/catalog/whatever, even if she tried. So here is where it all began. I was wandering the book isle of Costco. Yeah I said it. When I came across this...

(Don't be fooled by the cheesy shell waste basket)

So I swooped in like a bird of prey to a field mouse. It was love at first flip. So, in the basket it went. I've marked my favorite pages. Which is almost all of them and I quite frequently pick projects from the book. Well... While wandering the isles of Costco more recently I found this!
And again, like a shark to a surfer. It was as quick as that. After the first encyclopedia by Martha, I need not even flip. (But I did) It is full of some truly fabulous ideas. Like these freakin cute appliques. Which I've been dying to try and do even before this Martha in the form of a book came into my life. (P.S. The cricut cutter is my new best friend for applique. I will show you in another post.) And Sashiko. What is Sashiko you ask? I have no idea but it's freakin cool. Anyways, I just had to rant about my new little treasure. Oh Martha, What will you come up with next...

2010-05-04T09:40:00.001-06:00

Diem Design ©

I will be here...

2010-04-30T08:38:00.001-06:00

So very very soon. Can not wait.

Diem Design ©

Love it...

2010-04-29T07:24:00.001-06:00

So I came across this wedding video over at a blog I frequent quite often these days, Snippet and Ink . I've never really been into wedding videos much and for about a hundred reason but mostly because One, they are boring, Two, you will probably never watch it again and if you do it's so rare, and three, that's a lot of money to spend on something that's boring and no one ever watches. But this video is fabulous. I think I liked it more when I saw there was an elephant. Just watch you'll see.

Neda + Sati "A Marriage of Two Cultures" from Cherish Films on Vimeo.

Also check out there engagement video. I think you'll love it just as much.

Postcards...

2010-04-27T19:52:00.004-06:00

This Image along with two others are now available as postcards. You can find them at www.zazzle.com/diemdesign

Diem Design ©

2010-04-26T07:54:00.002-06:00

Diem Design ©

Happy Earth Day...

2010-04-22T22:54:00.005-06:00

Hope everyone had a lovely Earth day. So happy spring is finally in the air.

Diem Design ©

Happy Birthday Gage...

2010-04-22T00:49:00.003-06:00

Diem Design ©

Another lust...

2010-04-21T18:12:00.005-06:00

I am always looking at fabrics. Despite what you might think, a good pattern is not easy to come by. Unless your one of those boring-pattern lovers. (Cough cough mom.) Just kidding. But I can't stand the teeny tiny little flowers in boring dull colors with the tacky leaves. I like big flowers. If I even like flowers at all. Today I took my grandpa to get his hair cut and while waiting I wandered around some of the nearby shops. A quilt shop being one of them. Long story short, Jo-ann Fabrics, you've been cut. Not only did I find tons of great fabric in different patterns and colors it has also put me on the hunt to find even more great fabrics. Fyi, if you didn't know, I've been really wanting to make a quilt. And no, not a boring granny quilt. I pretty sweet Anthropology meets Urban Outfitters quilt. Here are some of my finds. Now I just need to get my fingers on some of them.

By: Michael MillerBy: Joel Dewberry By: Heather Ross Designs

If you know of any great fabrics, I would love to hear about them.

2010-04-18T21:18:00.010-06:00

So here's what we've been up to lately.

Our last night of the season for night snowboarding up at Brighton and wishing we still had a few more. (Except for the fact I've been dying for Spring and Summer to hurry up and come.)A weekend trip to Zion national park where we hiked the trail to the top of Observation Point. We got to see two beautiful waterfalls, some insanely amazing views, one of which being Echo Canyon, all while getting a nice little work out/tan.

And also, not to mention, we celebrated my grandmas 97th birthday.

And spent some time with friends.My mom was also in town for Easter but we definitely didn't get any pictures. So in her honor, here is a little photo I stumbled across.

What a little princess don't you think. hahaha.

2010-04-16T15:43:00.004-06:00

2010-04-12T16:10:00.001-06:00

Diem Design ©

May 27th...

2010-04-08T19:59:00.003-06:00

So excited!So... Who wants to be my date?! Because I know Ashton doesn't.

2010-04-05T17:57:00.004-06:00

Hey Summer. I'm still waiting for you.

Diem Design ©

2010-03-29T23:09:00.003-06:00

And even then I had an infatuation with cameras.
(p.s. Yes, this was taken on my birthday. I would have never known had it not been for the date printed on the photo. Do people still do that anymore?)

I can't decide...

2010-03-27T20:18:00.004-06:00

If i like the new banner...???