Why 2009 will surely go down as one of my favorites

Each year brings so many new and unexpected things. Some things hard and many things good. Often I am glad to see a hard year end and others years I look back and can't believe all the great things that came. This was one such year, perhaps my best...yet, and here are some reasons why.
1. One of my favorite people, Peter Washburn joined our family in January. What a little sweetheart! He surely improves everyones life!
2. I got engaged to a very sweet, very silly, very handsome man!
3. Among many fun trips, Clint and I visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water.
4. Graduated with my MFA, sold my first major piece and have had two shows since graduating.
5. Got to visit Utah on several occasions, and visit the beautiful mountains that I miss so dearly.
6. Had success planting my first real garden. Many more to come!
7. Got a lovely apartment in a lovely area in Columbus, fully equipped with backyard bunnies and squirrels.
8. Got married to that same cute silly darling boy who makes me happier every day.

9. Had many fun trips, parties and adventures including our fabulous honeymoon in Zions, going to Chicago to see art, driving all day and all night to see Sufjan and making these fun pinatas for our post wedding house warming party.10. Getting to spend time with my ever growing family, and joining a new family too.

And with this year, a decade comes to a close. I look back on the last ten years and can't believe how fast it has gone. During those years I have been able to graduate high school, college and grad school. I was lucky enough to go to Europe twice. I have grown so much as an artist and hopefully as a person as well. I have had the joy of becoming an aunt and a sister-in-law and of course now a wife.
One of the things I look back on most fondly is not so much the events of the last ten years, but the wonderful people who have come into my life in that time. Some for only a brief time and others will be part of my life forever, regardless, I am grateful for the journey and for those who help and enrich life along the way. Who knows what the next ten years will hold! Happy New Year!!!

Starting Traditions

With our first Christmas together as a married couple approaching, Clint and I decided to start setting some Allred family traditions. We are just about finished reading the Christmas Carol and on Saturday we had a little party with our good friends in Columbus and decorated Gingerbread houses. We made delicious bread bowls recipe found here and some tasty soup found here.

Here is the Allred collaboration. Clint came up with the christmas lights and the pink heart, which I think just make the house perfect! I came up with the log pile, tulips and freshly fallen snow. (And yes, I realize that tulips don't really fall into the winter/ christmas motif ...but in candy land, those rules don't apply.)Everyone was coming up with such creative and unique ideas, we all kind of tried to out-wit each other. Lawrence and Tiffany win for most adorable, chrsitmasy house, They even had little curtains in the windows!

And Lincoln and Mallory...well they win for most originial.
Take a look at the detail shot. If you can't tell, Its a black guy sitting near and ice pond with ice skates on. Who thinks of this stuff? It had us all laughing. And this keep in mind this idea came after a failed attempt at building a gingerbread Parthenon. I think these two have the potential to be gingerbread masters.



Another tradition we started was sending out handmade christmas cards. This year we made a bunch of one of a kind postcards. I had a lot of fun making them, and hopefully our family liked them too!
And of course there is always the tradition of giving handmade gifts. This year I made this quilt for my niece who is going to be born shortly after Christmas
Traditions are such a fun and important part of family! I can't wait to start more throughout the years, and continue many that my family had. Merry Christmas friends!!!