Good Morning!

Jeez, my life is different these days... and wonderful. I am usually in bed much earlier these days... and up much earlier as well. I blame Heather. There's much more motivation for getting in bed... have you seen her? And since she is still working mornings most days, I get up before her to make coffee.

I've noticed a trend of telling you guys what I am typing in... today it is a nice robe. (Heather's, go figure). It is Thursday am, this journal is due Sat - I might make it in time.

My (I mean "Our") house is sitting here once again in my yard in Arizona. Two weekends down and things are going great. We're still not (completely) moved in... we've been awfully busy.

This morning Heather made breakfast, and is now continuing the process of moving and organizing her stuff. She had a bit of a tantrum at herself last week when she realized just how much stuff she has...and how superfluous most of it is. So she's cleaning up and organizing... and occasionally distracting me with nudity when I am supposed to be writing this journal.

(Great, now she's reading over my shoulder... wait till she gets to the part about the ring!)

So where were we? Judging by the photos I am putting in this journal, the first thing I have to tell you about was helping Heather take down our Christmas tree before we left Kansas City... I really have no idea what the hell is wrong with me. Heather describes me as a carnival ride... I dunno if that is because of our exciting, outlandish lifestyle, or because of the fact that when we have sex, I sometimes throw my hands up into the air and shout-out "Whee!"

 

Helping to take down Christmas decorations

Our dog-let

Have I mentioned I'm not a vegetarian anymore?

There are only a few things I need to tell you about this journal, Our photo shoot with Ann, Packing and Leaving KC, Our new family addition, and our trip to AZ. Finally I'll tell you a funny story about Heather's ring... If you're looking for info on our Trip to Vegas, I'm also writing a Vegas Travel Journal, it should be posted soon. I will tell you that we resisted temptation and did not get married in sin city. (We actually made each other promise before we left... and I purposely didn't bring the ring.)

SO!

Heather has been shooting with Ann Brown for years, and she has opened my eyes quite a bit. Besides being really cool, party folks (Ann and Bob) she has a refreshing unique look when it comes to her art. I'm a bit of a fogey; to me art Photos are supposed to be Black and White. Ann does color... or really COLOR!  Some amazing stuff, and she just-plain sees the world differently than we do. She can easily make art with Heather, she has a lot to work with, but you should see what she can do even with me!

 

Magical Preparations

The studio where magic is made

The magician

If I was as hot as she shoots me to be, I would definitely sleep with me!

Once again her website is annbrownphotography.com
Go, get her to shoot you!

 

Now I also mentioned last journal that Heather used to be married [No, you didn't - who's journal are you reading? - AB], had a HUGE house, was making LOADS of moolah, (as was her successful husband) and had BOATLOADS of art, furniture, Asiana, (both her father and grandfather collected oriental doo-dads... her dad even collected himself a Korean wife... which is how my hunny came-to-be). After that came to pass, she moved into a much smaller place, and stored most of her stuff at a friend's. We almost purchased the wonderful building where her stuff was stored, (it would have been our first investment property), but when that fell through, we suddenly had to store a WHOLE bunch of stuff...

I'm a nerd, have I explained that? So when I found out that there were storage units available in KC, that were built in an underground cave complex there was no question as to where our stuff was gonna be stored.

I managed to store all of her stuff, (and the teensiest bit of mine) in a ten by twenty space. I am great at packing! Heather and I had some fights - I'm really uptight, and I have already gone through the phase where you strip-down your life, and toss out a lot of your material goods. I've already simplified my life... but when we finally buy a house together (somewhere, sometime) we are gonna have some great furniture and decorations.

 

The underground storage

Tetris got nothing on me

Exodus from the underground

Finally after much expense, bruises, (from the packing... not the fights) and some tears (mostly mine!) we got everything stowed away, had some more yummy Kansas City Barbecue, and (finally) departed for Phoenix, and the valley of the sun.

If I were completely honest in this journal I would tell you that on the trip, I got a little confused with the whole "East/West" thing... and ended up taking us down a horrible, twisty, turny, mountain road... a road so steep that my trailer brakes actually started to smoke on the way down one mountain road. But I'm not that honest.

We arrived in Phoenix, and Heather went instantly to work. Shortly thereafter so did I.

We Tortugas are on a bigger, better stage this year, not only are we lots easier to find, but we're sharing the stage with my very good friend Muggsy (Ded Bob). All of our crowds from the past seem to be finding us, as well as oodles of new fans... Yay!

Yummy! Cake filling on plastic

As I have mentioned in an earlier journal, one of my favorite parts of the AZ. show is what we call "Tea Party"; the end-of-the-day gathering of all of the stage performers (since we aren't supposed to drink at this fair). This week also is the week-long celebration of Jose's (Don Juan's) birthday... so besides beer, and chips, and salsa, there were also cakes and pies... Heather got this great shot... Riki and I both were licking the creamy goodness from the plastic pie wrapper.

Finally, let me tell you what a bastard I am.

Heather and I have known we were going to get married for a while now... so, early-on during my stay in Kansas City. When we first started discussing the ring... Well, first Heather said we didn't have to even get married, I said we did. She said we don't have to have a big ceremony, I said friends, and big white dress. Finally she said she doesn't need a ring, just a simple band. I said you're getting a rock... a rock so big you could never go swimming again for fear of drowning.

In many ways, in this relationship, I am the girl... I am the one who is traditional and old fashioned. I'm the romantic... Heather is the pragmatist, the realist, the one without frippery.

Tradition says the standard for an engagement ring is two month's salary. My joke has always been, "Which two months?" If it was the winter months, we're talking a tiny little rock; if we're talking during Minnesota... sheesh!

I finally pinned her down on what size and style ring she wanted, so we went shopping.

There is something strange that happens to a girl when she goes to a jewelry store... my delicate little flower of a girlfriend became some mad slathering beast. Her eyes had become wild, and filled with flawless diamonds. I finally had to call a halt when she tried on the three-carat pear-shaped rock for over Eighteen thousand.

To be fair, Heather was actually the one who ran away from the store... realizing she had been overtaken by the diamond-monster she decided to leave the entire process up to me.

Once that decision had been made - Heather's curious side completely took over. From that minute on she became like the worst kind of child trying to find all of their hidden Christmas presents.

Knowing this, I decided that the best thing to do was (of course) tease her!
I told Heather that I was going to leave the ring, in its box, right there on our dresser... if she really wanted to see her ring, all she had to do was look... but I would be disappointed.

This of course drove her crazy.
(Can you see the trap coming?)

She actually lasted one whole day before she opened the outer box... and found a note that said, "are you sure you want to do this?"

The next morning she woke me, "I had the strangest dream... I dreamt I opened the box, and there was no ring inside... just a ticket that said "ha-ha".
I froze; I would make a lousy spy. "That would be devious" I said...
Gulp!
She actually lasted a few more days, but we'd been drinking one evening, and she just couldn't take it any more... She removed the inner box from the outer box. She shook it, she smelled it... shaking it again she said "There's no ring in this box!"
"Yes there is."
She said "I'll bet you a hundred dollars there is no ring in here!"
"I'll take that bet," I said, "- and you know I won't bet unless I know I am going to win."

I owe Heather a hundred dollars... To be fair she opened the box facing away from her (not wanting to really see the ring after all), and found only this note inside...

 

She falls into my trap

She can barely contain herself

Hee-hee-hee "HEATHER, Shame, Shame! Learn some patience."

I thought this was all a cute joke, but she actually, ultimately got mad at me... the box is no longer on the dresser.

The single most valuable lesson from all of this? I can't lie to Heather to save my life... so I just better behave - or she'll instantly catch me!

In conclusion to this month's adventure - I flew Heather, myself, and my best friend and his wife out to Vegas. For us it was a nice get away between weekend one and two of the festival. For John and Luz it was a late wedding gift. I have written at length about that, in a Vegas travel journal... to be posted soon.

Two weekends down, six to go. Loving the desert. Haven't given her the ring yet. Not married yet. Crazy about the girl. Love our new stage. We have trips to LA planned still. Eating well, having fun, stupidly happy.

How's that?