Remembering Indonesia in the wake of Japan’s Tsunami

We all woke up Friday morning to devastating news that an 8.9 earthquake and massive tsunami in Japan had caused massive destruction.  My thoughts instantly went back to the tsunami of 2004 that affected Indonesia and surrounding countries and how long it’s taken that area to heal. Below is a summary from my relief trip to Banda Aceh, Indonesia 6 years ago. I hope that it will help those of you reading it to realize the extent to which the events in Japan will affect the country and the lives of those who were spared. My prayer is that we’ll all pitch in however we can to help them heal.  Warning: what I’ve written is shocking, heartbreaking, and not for the faint of heart.

Banda Aceh, Indonesia – February, 2005

I am finally at the point where I can somewhat formulate my thoughts and feelings about my recent trip to Indonesia.  It was one of the most trying emotional times of my life.

I will try to paint a little picture, however blurry, of what we initially saw and experienced in Sumatra:

This coastal area lost 95% of its inhabitants.

My greatest creation by far… Juliet Noelle!

On December 2, Nate and I welcomed our first child, Juliet Noelle into the world!  She took her time getting here (39 hours of labor), but I can say that she’s incredible and beautiful, and makes us smile every day.  I didn’t know how much I could love a little munchkin who I’ve only known for a few weeks!

So, maybe I can’t take credit on creating her, but I certainly made a great incubator for 9 months. *laughing*

The maternity photos below were taken by Chris & Adrienne Scott about 2 weeks before Juliet was born:

Joe Hendricks took these amazing newborn photos of Juliet when she was just 5 days old!  There are many more, but these are some of my favorites:

Juliet was born 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and 20 inches long.  If you’d like to read her birth story, please email me, since there are far too many details to post online. Of course, she will be drawn and painted all of her life. I’ve already started my first of many drawings of her!

Expecting…

Yes, I mean “expecting” in the traditional sense of the word! Nate and I are pleased to announce publicly that we will be parents in December!

We feel incredible blessed that God has deemed us worthy to bring a new life into the world. We’ve been following the progress of this little child in my belly, and I’m amazed at the intricate way that life is formed… A beating heart at just 11 weeks, eyebrows formed at 13. Our child is now the size of a peach, and is making ballet-like movements in my belly! I can’t wait to meet this little one and see what God has in store for him or her in the outside world.

And yes, I’m looking forward to creating works of art of my own child like this drawing in pencil I drew years ago:

I would love any words of wisdom or advice people may have for pregnancy or mothering. I’m already learning so much from those who have “been there.”

Best Products for Work & Productivity from 2009

There are a lot of inventive, genius products and services out there, and I enjoyed my fair share of them in 2009! I want to share them with you.

Mint.com – Free

I’ve always been really good at keeping up with where my money goes. It started with Excel spreadsheets and watching bank statements closely. At the end of each month, I’d meticulously categorize spending in areas like food, gas, business expenses, mortgage, etc. Mint.com has simplified this month-end process. Now? I simply log in and look at pie charts and already categorized spending and take it all in. It’s beautiful! You can create your own categories or use existing ones. Compare your spending to national averages, track bank transfers, payments, and basically stay on budget! Add all of your accounts to monitor them on one site: bank accounts, mortgage loans, car loans, mutual funds, other stocks, and credit cards if you use them. I’m still amazed that this service 100% secure and free!

Practical application: Fantastic for helping you start a realistic budget without a lot of fuss. Just track your spending for a couple of months and see the areas that could be improved.

iPhone – $99+

When these first came out, I thought, “That’s ridiculous. I’m not paying more than $400 for a phone! I was using a Blackberry and it seemed to do everything I needed. Fast forward a couple of years. iPhones are now really affordable (especially refurbished), and my monthly plan is actually less than it was on my Blackberry because GPS capabilities are built in and free. I had been paying $10/month for Blackberry’s GPS service. So, now I have access to the world at my fingertips. Not only do I get style points (which are important for an artist), but the iPhone really increases my productivity. I have apps that allow me to update my clients’ WordPress sites on the fly, check the weather, measure things, track finances, listen to my favorite music, show off my portable portfolio, read the Bible, supply white noise while on vacaction, and even help me learn chords on the piano. There’s simply no substitute (yet)

Becoming artwork when I expire…

Last night, my husband and I had a much-needed “Veg Fest.” If you know us well, you know we work hard and play hard, but rarely just veg! So we caught some of a new TV series called “Three Rivers.” It’s on CBS, and it focuses on a medical team that harvests organs from gracious donors who have passed, and find “homes” for them in very sick and needy patients, some of whom have been waiting for a long time. I enjoyed it, and it sparked some discussion between Nate and I.

I’ve had the organ donor box checked on my driver’s license since I was 16, and I’ve always thought I wanted everything possible to be donated except for my skin and eyes. Many people don’t even know that these can be donated, and I’ve kind of thought of it as “icky.” However, donating these organs would make a world of difference in the lives of a blind person or burn victim, so I’ve given it some more thought. Now, if you’re on top of things, you’re realizing that this extensive donation could make for an unsightly open casket. Enter my next preference: cremation.

Now, before you start thinking this will be a morbid blog post, be assured that you’re probably going to laugh very soon .

Cremation… the alternative to slowly becoming worm food over the course of many years. I’m rather fond of it. But, what do your loved ones DO with your remains? There’s the sprinkling into the ocean, off of a mountainside, and resting in the somewhat typical urn on the mantle which could be creepy for your home’s visitors or housekeeper.

I want something different. I am an artist. When I die and become ashes, I’d like to become art. (What?)

I milked a goat named Doris

Years ago, when I was 12 years old, my family and I had the incredible opportunity to visit an exchange student we had hosted in Switzerland. Many things about the country intrigued me, but one of the memories that stood out to me was the amazing garden and community that the family had. They had raspberry bushes, apple trees, lettuce, and all kinds of vegetables growing in their backyard.

One morning we woke up and walked down this cobblestone path alongside the Lake of Zurich and down into a little valley where we purchased fresh yogurt and milk for breakfast. I wasn’t raised anywhere near a farm, so the idea of getting dairy products straight from an animal that we could still see walking around was pretty incredible to me. I guess it put “two and two together” in my mind.

One of Doris' friends

Since then, I’ve wanted to milk an animal. I am CERTAIN that many of you think I’m nuts at this point, but what can I say? I am who I am.

I recently got my chance! On a trip home to visit my parents, we visited a nearby farm where you can get fresh goats’ milk. We arrived, and much to my delight, the nice lady asked if I wanted to milk the goat, not just buy her milk.

Below are photos of the experience. As you can see, I was quite tentative at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quick. Doris was a lady about the whole thing, even though we had just met.

I squeeze where??

Goat boobies are surprisingly hairy

Nate and I have enjoyed healthy, fresh goats milk yogurt, made naturally in our own kitchen. Thanks Doris!

A Dream Came True

It’s intrigued me ever since I was a little girl… how an artist can take hot melted glass, put it on a stick, and turn it into something remarkable and useful.  The swirls of color, the specks of detail… How do they do it?

On our honeymoon, my husband and I passed a unique little shop that had big, beautiful blown glass pieces.  We walked over to them and Nate commented on their stunning colors, and I said how great it would be to learn how to do that someday.  Little did I know that my sneaky, creative husband had already arranged for a private lesson from a master the very next day.

We arrived at Keila Glassworks, and a big, dreadlocked man greeted us with a smile.  He bore a striking resemblance to one of my fellow art students at Union University, or for you, perhaps the “typical” art student.  But he handled hot glass with perfection, and somehow managed to not catch his massive amount of hair on fire.  For about 2 hours, Nate and I learned the basics of glassblowing and made three pieces with some assistance: two tumblers and a vase.  Did you know that it actually takes two people to blow glass?  One to blow into the pipe and one to keep the pipe moving.

It was so much fun, and one of my dreams came true. (Thanks Nate!)

What is something you’ve always wanted to do?  Why not make it happen in 2009?  Email or comment with your dreams.  I want to know! 

From culinary school to an art career: How a closed door changed the course of my life.

“Have you always wanted to be an artist?”

This is the most common question I get at art shows or when people see my work for the first time.  It’s funny, because one would think that I had dreamed about this career from childhood.  It’s simply not the case.

You see, I had never met a successful artist.  I grew up with the assumption that creating art was fun, and it was just something to do in your spare time, or after retirement… seriously.  It didn’t stop me from loving the creative process, however.  I colored with the best of them.  I made art supplies out of the most random items, and it was always pure joy.

In middle and high school, I turned a great deal of my attention to the kitchen.  I would come home, change into comfortable clothes, and go help Mom with whatever she was preparing.  I didn’t care what we were making, but I wanted to be in the middle of it.  Soon I began believing that I wanted to be a bread and pastry chef for a living, and my parents and I began touring culinary institutes..  I was all set!  Now, just to graduate..

I’ve heard that God shuts doors and opens windows. I’ve always thought that was a pretty cheesy concept, but my senior year I got to experience it first-hand.  It turns out that they don’t allow 17-year olds into culinary school.  It’s something about sharp knives and hot ovens I’m sure…  I got this jolt of reality as I neared graduation.  It seemed clear that I would have to put off becoming a chef at least for a time.  Not to be discouraged, I began looking for a way to amuse myself for a year, and decided on attending “regular” college.  A school I wasn’t even interested in attending offered me a full scholarship.  This scared me into trying for a full scholarship where I actually wanted to attend (Union University).   I had only a week to get the ACT score I needed to even be considered for a full scholarship there, and it turns out they had a final residual test I could take ASAP.

Married… and loving it! Wedding photos now online :)

Nate and I are settling in nicely to married life.  I look forward to each new day with him!  He was so worth the wait.  We just returned from an art show that I do each year in Jackson, TN, and tomorrow both of our families are going to enjoy Thanksgiving together.  How fun!  His huge family with my 4 member family all eating cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  (Yes, I’m still a vegetarian, but if there’s ever a day to cheat, it would be tomorrow.  Don’t tell anyone!)

At any rate, the point of this post was to point anyone interested to our wedding photos that are now online.  Here’s the link:

http://thebaileywedding.shutterfly.com/

Just in case, here are a few “teasers.”

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Engagement Photos

Nate and I had our engagement photos taken last week in downtown Franklin. Here are a few of our favorites from the day.