Kezia Wonderland

A New Creation

2011-11-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new oil painting for my mom. It's a garden scene. She's going to put it over her bed.

This is my sketching out where everything will basically go...

...and this is what it looks like after the first coat of paint!

(Stay tuned for when I start putting more layers on it!)

Long time, no SEE!

2011-11-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Some things I've worked on over the summer!!
I experimented with Rorschach ink blot tests... what do you see and how does it make you feel?

Some faces...

I actually did several studies of blossom branches. This one was one of my last in that series.

Doodling with sharpies.

Painting Party!

2011-05-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today was my first official day off from school work!! So, my roommates had a little painting party! The following is our work...

"Leaves" by: Kezia
"Chinese Cherry Blossoms" by: Kezia
"Abstract" by: Jaimee (my roommate)
"Forged Leaves" by: Kezia
"Red Leaf on Stone" by: Heidi (my other roommate)

My Earthship Model

2011-05-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

So, for my Housing class, we all did 15 hr projects that we worked on throughout the semester. My project was studying Earthships and learning what it would take to build one in Kansas.... I had LOTS of fun! One of the professors helped me by letting me borrow some Earthship books.... she's an Earthship nerd like me!! I made a model of a basic one to scale. Here it is!

Here's the inside, looking at the planter in front of the window.

Here's the front. Complete with a wind generator and solar panel to provide electricity!

Here's where you enter! The front door!

This Semester So Far

2011-02-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

I Seriously want an Earthship!

I'm doing a research project on the architect, Michael Reynolds. He created a completely self sustaining home that not only houses people, but feeds them, too! Using solar and/or wind energy for electricity and each house has it's own water storage system! The water is collected from melted snow and rain.

The walls are made from old car tires, stuffed with earth, and non-load bearing walls are made of glass or aluminum cans bound with a cement mixture. From the angle the big windows are placed the sun comes in the house, heats it up and makes the plants grow. You can grow almost anything from banana trees to herbs to your own fish pond!
Books for my research... I haven't started yet...

My studio project, a Visitor's Center. I'm doing a South East Alaska Native Center in Skagway, Alaska

2011-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As the saying goes... 'New year, new you!' Well, I learned about eating raw food over Christmas break and I was very eager to try it! So, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a raw food cookbook... there wasn't much to choose from, so I chose the one with the prettiest looking cover, the best pictures and simplest recipes. Turns out it was the BEST book EVER!!!! The author is Ani Phyo (said, 'Pee-o').

I'm not completely 100% eating raw, but I'm close enough for now. Enough to feel a difference in my body and my digestive system. It's like my body's saying, "THANK YOU!!"

So, Here's some of the creations I made yesterday...

This isn't a creation, it's just me and my sister on New Year's Eve, having fun taking pictures in the car.

No kelp noodles at the health food store, so I just got regular Pad Thai noodles.
Sprinkled cabbage and basil on top.
Then made this AMAZING sauce!! It tastes just like normal Pad Thai, only not hot and with no meat. The big flavors came from raw almond butter, coconut oil, and ground coriander.
Me, eating it!!! SOOOO GOOD!!
Then I made a personal size flourless cake for dessert! Using walnuts and pecans as a base, and binding it together with dates and agave nector.... REALLY good as well!!
The white 'frosting' was just pecans, coconut oil and vanilla.
And then today I made a salad with the Pad Thai stuff I had left over! Just added some spinach and made a Rawmesan cheez out of pecans, garlic and salt! SOOOO GOOD!

I don't know if I'll ever want to go back to eating like the way I did!!

My Jane Austen Bonnet!!

2010-10-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

My supplies and color pallet

I just cut a cheap straw hat in half (but I ended up using the bigger half, instead

of the smaller half)

Half way done, I sewed the edges of the fabric by hand, and glued

everything on with a hot glue gun.

The finished inside!! I bought some really pretty lace! and added ribbon

to tie it around my chin.

A closer view of the lace and faux pearls on the inside brim.

The outside... I may add more embellishments later, but this is basically it.

Me in my fun bonnet!!

Sir Ken Robinson

2010-10-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Sir Ken Robinson is a British author on creativity in the public education system. He was a professor for awhile. He is really interesting and entertaining to listen to! His talks are about the public education system or I guess just the way society educates in general today and how we as humans are not reaching our potential, but instead stuck on the idea of this 19th century idea of mass production; or in this case, mass education!!

He came to K-State and spoke last week. Tickets were free to students, but I didn't know who he was last week! Now I DO! I'm so mad at myself that I didn't go to listen to him!!

Each video is about 20 minutes long, but TOTALLY worth it!

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Part 2: http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Rendering

2010-09-02T13:09:00.001-07:00

Right now in my Interior Design studio we are doing what's called "rendering." To me, I think rendering sounds like it means mowing the lawn or something.... But it's basically just putting color in our drawings. We're working with either marker, colored pencil, or pastel. I prefer marker (although it's a little difficult at times, but I like a challenge!), but colored pencil is the easiest to work with, in my opinion.

These are the copies of drawings that I made and practiced coloring on.
More practicing getting specific shades and tints...
These are some of the raw drawings I had drafted (these are the copies of the origonal, though)

My Summer....

2010-08-24T17:26:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed my last year in Skagway!! I learned how to make coffee (which was fun), made some friends, had some awkward moments, saw beautiful landscapes and even the Northern Lights!!! Seeing the Northern Lights made me cry... they were so surreal! Here is a summery of what else I did this summer....

I became obsessed with the Twilight series!

(Started out reading Twilight and I just couldn't

stop!( I read books 1,2 and 4. Book 3 was checked out, but I did get to see the movie. Now that I'm home I will be reading the 3rd book.) By the end of the summer I

had read 10 books!! That's a record for me!)

Took a tour on the Island Princess cruise ship with

the Captian (we had connections...) and ate dinner.

Ended up taking the ferry from Belingham, WA to

Skagway.

Ate WONDERFUL meals with Deborah (and my roommate, Alli)

And on the way home, slept on a king size bed, all by myself!

This is a video of the bears we saw in the Yukon... So cute!

Talent Show

2010-05-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

the video is a bit dark but you can hear us.

This is me and Charles singing a song by Sally Deford at our Branch Talent Show.
Emma played the piano.

Mother's Day!

2010-05-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is my Mom...this is me making my Mom a Red Velvet cake w/ home made butter cream icing....yummy!
this is the finished project right before we all devoured it!
this is us spending time on Mother's Day with Dad....so that he too can feel appreciated as a mother.

I'm looking for a new hobby....

2010-04-21T12:25:00.001-07:00

SO... I'm looking for a new hobby. I came up with a few choices, but I like knowing what other people think. So vote on the one you think sounds the most fun!!

I've decided Organic is worth it!!

2010-04-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hearing about the "going green" movement for the past several years I thought it was all just a hoax! Only weird hippie people that don't shave "go green." But within the last year (and especially the past few months) my mind has been opened and enlightened to what "going green" really means. It's a lifestyle change (change from our greedy, selfish society).

Here are some shows I've watched recently that have good information in them:

"No Impact Man: A Documentary"

Him and his family live for an entire year without making any "impact" on the earth. As in no environmentally harmful things....

Another good one is "ECO TRIP" it's a tv show on the Sundance channel.

This guy goes all over the world finding out what kind of impact everyday items and foods really make on the earth... breaking down all the ingredientes of chocolate for example. Where the ingredients come from, how they are grown, blah blah blah.... REALLY COOL!

Geothermic Pools..... road trip?

2010-03-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

I love road trips!! Now all I need to do is have the money to go do them.... I am constantly finding exciting places to go. Here are 2 really good ones that aren't too far away:

Here's hot springs in Virginia:

The thermal pool waters here are called "Jefferson Pools"

(the inside pool at Virginia Homestead)
(Jefferson Pools at the Homstead in Virginia a long time ago)

OR Homestead Resort & Spa in Utah (it's cheaper)

(thermal pools at the Homestead in Utah)

I like the architecture, too!

I've always wanted to go to a hot springs or geothermic pool or something like that. I've wanted to go to the hot springs in the Yukon (not too far from Skagway, AK) 'cuz I've heard they're great, but haven't had a car or someone to go with. This one in Utah might be a possible trip to make! Now I just have to find someone to go with! Any takers!?!?

Things that keep me HAPPY! (Part 1)

2010-02-25T13:40:00.000-08:00

I discovered a new musical artist! She's from somewhere in Europe, but this song sounded familiar when I heard it, so I looked her up! I like this song. It made today happy! :)

Her name is Yael Naim, this song is called New Soul.

Tea Cups and Lasagna

2010-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

If you have never been to my favorite store, Name Brand Clothing (I call it 1/2 'n 1/2) you MUST go sometime! I got this SUPER cute tea cup set for only $9. Retail over $40.

It came in a set of 4 cups and 4 saucers. The only thing wrong with them is that one of the saucers had 2 chips on the side. I'm SOOOO excited to use them!!!

Here's the lasagna I made last Saturday. It fed me for the rest of the week!

My Chicken...

2010-01-14T19:54:00.000-08:00

So... I think I'm actually considering going vegan!

My curiosity with cooking has led me to making my own chicken stalk. For that I need a whole chicken, some veggies and water (oh, and a crock pot). I started out so excited and very proud of myself that I was saving all this money by buying a whole chicken and getting not just lots of meat, but broth, too! I asked my mom how to cook it and got all the stuff I needed. Since the chicken had to cook for 8-10 hours I thought I would just do it before I went to bed yesterday. You know? Thinking it would be no problem!

The excitement all went away the moment I opened the chicken package and beheld a decapitated chicken in my hands. I WAS SO WEIRDED OUT!! All of the joints still worked and as I lifted the chicken up by it's wings it's like I was holding a kitty or a baby.... ONLY DEAD AND MISSING A HEAD!!! I was SOOOO weirded out!!!! I thought at any moment it would just jump up and start gobbling around my kitchen! (only chickens don't gobble, do they? I guess they "Bagack!")

Using my trusty ulu knife I skinned the chicken and somehow lifted it into the crock pot without gaging. That ulu knife worked really well for skinning! I knew that's what it was designed to do I just have never had to skin anything before!

And might I add I don't normally gag at blood or anything like that I think it was just the dead body. Dead bodies FREAK ME OUT!! Human or animal or alien!

Things got better when the chicken was done cooking.... All of the meat and bones and everything just fell apart as I took it all out. When all the meat was separated I had a few pieces for lunch and I grossed out... that chicken and I had so much history together!

Eating it was just as worse as playing with it's wings when it was still one whole piece!

Fun Christmas Times

2009-12-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Charlotte did my hair all extra curly Christmas morning! And I did her hair all extra straight. Of course, after we were finished we both pulled back our hair anyway.

Charlotte, Endry and I went to the mall to buy some new glasses for me (they are really cute!) and we got some good deals at Old Navy. Endry was sleeping head first on Charlotte. He's such a good boy!

I think it was the day before Christmas Eve Krista came over and we all played craft time! Krista put fake nails on, I made some jewelry, Mom made some stuff with rice (rice socks) and Charlotte took pictures. We also had some QVC playing in the background. They were selling some ugly things at the time. But later that night they had some really cute, cheap things one!

We were so proud of Mom! She normally saves everything in the world! We can never get her to throw anything away that is recyclable. She had been holding onto this old and torn-up box which she threw away without us forcing her, so we had to give her a medal for it! (the medal says: "I Throw Away Boxes!"

CHRISTMAS MORNING!! So much snow! This is what was outside the front door that morning! Good thing we don't use that door to go in and out. We use the side door, which was better. Jeremiah and I spent about an hour shoveling the driveway so we could get the car out. There was so much snow!! I heard on the news that it was a record for Topeka to have this much snow on Christmas.

Fun Times During Christmas Break (part 1)

2009-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Charlotte and I went over the Krista and Will's house to help them out by putting up their Christmas tree.

This is Charlotte's Christmas tree (which has been up since the middle of November). Charlotte and Jeremiah's stockings are up, we just got Endry a stocking, but it's not up yet (QVC playing in the background).

And this is my Christmas tree. Mom helped me decorate it. And our stockings beside it (it's been up since November as well).

A little video from the snow we got in Manhattan. Deborah and I playing outside...

2009-11-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

What has been filling my time lately? Well, let me show you!
First, I'm having lots of fun creating jewelry..... (I have an online shop where I sell my stuff, www.kizzums.etsy.com)

Secondly, working on my homework. This is my studio professor. She took our class on a little walk around campus so we could get size and proportion ideas to help us with our final project we are currently working on. We're designing a garden!

And finally, visiting my new nephew! He's lots of fun. All he does right now is sleep, so he's kind of low maintenence. He makes all sorts of faces, though! And Charlotte and I have fun making him into our little QVC model!

Manhattan, the Little Apple

2009-09-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is the last month of my life summed up!! This is most likely the longest post I will make, but it's mostly pictures, so that makes it fun!

Here are some samples of what I did for my first project at school (in the Interior Design program). We had to do 15 different 6X6 drawings each portraying different design elements and principles. It has been so intense (the work we have to do outside of class) but I love it to death! This project was like my 2-D class all over again, only having a semester of work smashed into 2 weeks!

My new studio/office space (which is actually the master bedroom)! I am so happy I get an entire room JUST to work on homework and have fun on the computer or whatever!

This is the kitchen... and beyond that is the dining room and just past that is the living room/mom's work area. She takes over the couch when she reads and her computer is there as well. Our kitchen is so clean looking and gets plenty of light!My room, at least half of it. My really cool closet, where all of my clothes are neatly organized and I hung up some cute lantern lights around the ceiling. I am currently obsessed with lantern lighting!And I save the best for last..... my bathroom!! This thing is HUGE!! And I have tons of counter space and a big mirror and (you can't see in the picture) mom got me 2 cute rugs that go with my color scheme, jewel tones. One rug that's a patch-work type red,pink, & brown squares and a textured brown rug for the toilet. I even found a set of jewel toned wash cloths I rolled up and made look pretty on my counter with some bars of soaps just like a hotel!! And then more lenterns with christmas lights inside them. I am still working on getting a shower curtian.

The Golden Princess

2009-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Golden Princess Cruise Ship: (well, actually this picture shows the Diamond Princess, but the Golden Princess is docked right behind it and looks almost exactly the same) Skagway, AK

Me, inside the ship while we were waiting for Claudio

My boss Allison and I (with our work clothes still on)

My last week in Alaska was quite exciting! My boss, Allison, took me on one of the Princess cruise ships for dinner. She, of course, had connections with one of the managers because she worked on board for 10 years and knows EVERYONE!! We went to the very fancy steak house and I chose whatever I wanted from the menu! Claudio (the Italian manager guy) joined us for dinner and just put the bill on the ship tab.... however that works. I've only met Claudio once or twice before this, but it was fine because him and Allison just talked the whole hour and a half catching up. I was fine with that! Just leave me to my food!

Here's my appitizer. Lobster cake (really good) with steamed asparagus!

My salad: greens, beets, goat cheese, roma tomatos. SOOOOO good!

And for my entree: A WHOLE LOBSTER! I had never eaten real lobster before..... I don't like it. I don't see why people like it so much. Even with lemon and the butter sauce.... bleh!

I also had REALLY good sauteed mushrooms with my lobster (they were better than the lobster)

And dessert! Yummy fruit cobbler with ice cream. The crust was crispy goodness!

The Zuiderdam

2009-07-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

The other day Krista, Will and I went to the docks to see if we could catch the whales that had been roaming around the harbor. We didn't see any whales, but we had a fun time looking down the pass and watching the cruise ships leave.

(me, Will and Krista next the the Zuiderdam cruise ship)

Will, Krista, our friend Karlee and I went to Jewell Gardens (a place with pretty gardens in Skagway) to celebrate the summer solstice. The food was bad, but the gardens were pretty!

(Will trying to model for the camera)

Here is my comedy relief for the day:

Tourists here ask the silliest and pointless questions! Here is a sample of today's questions that tourists asked me while at work (by the way, I work in a gift shop)! And these answers are what I say in my head because I might come off rude if I say them out loud......

Question: "Where's my boat?"

Answer: "In the water."

Q: "Did my mom come in here looking for me?"

A: "...And you think I know who your mom is because......?"

Q: "Do you live here?"

A: "No, I commute from Kansas. Heck of a drive, huh?"

K-State, Here I come!

2009-07-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

So, I'm moving to Manhattan when I get back from Alaska in August. I'm really excited!! There's no big pressure on me to find a job, so that will free up TONS of time for me to work in the studio (at school). I will be living in the studio and I can't wait!! Working in the studio relaxes me. And I will love it even more this time because I'm finally in an actual Interior Design program! It's like I'm in law school! I get to specialize in a field I've been dreaming about doing since I was 15!! Well, actually I wanted to be an Architect then, but soon realized I suck at math and science. So, I thought of the next best thing that had less math and science and more art in it!

2009-07-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

(Krista, Billy and I at the 'Welcome to Alaska' sign)

So, Krista and I had this fun idea: make Billy into a tour guide! So on a trip to Whitehorse the other week, we weren't in the mood to make too many stops, so we turned it into 'Billy's Expitited Tours!' That just means we took a lot of the videos from inside the car while Billy (or, really, Krista's voice and me controlling Billy's mouth) quickly talked about the whatever it was we were passing. So, it really just ended up sounding like Billy yelling for a couple seconds while we drove by a mountain or waterfall or something. I'll post videos later when I get them all edited.

Muffins and Bacon.

2009-06-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

This week I got this strange sickness. It started out as a regular sore throat, then the sore throat just got worse..... and worse.... and WORSE! By that time my voice was shot and I had to much phlegmn (how ever you spell that word) was choking me and I could hardley breath. The nurse just told my I had a sore throat, gave me some decongestants, and sent me home. All of us at work worried it was strep, but it wasn't. Then a day later it turned into a regular cold, then it went away. Very strange. I never have a cold that makes me loose my voice. I still can't sing very well. It was funny hearing myself sing in church today. I had to sing an octive down because my range of notes is still limited. Too bad no one was with me that I could make fun of it with!
It was so cute of Deborah to make me muffins and fake bacon for me this morning, though! She was going to deliver them to me, but then I called her after church and informed her I wasn't deathly ill anymore. I ate the food anyway! It was good!

2009-05-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

So, I've been in Skagway for about... 6 days and it feels like it's been a month. All of these days I've been working. My next day off is on Sunday. I love my job! And I am still excited about the nice big room I get to rent! It's only Ali (my boss) and I in the apartment, and we both have been closing together almost everyday, then we get home, eat dinner, and go to sleep. Sometimes I'll go visit Deborah/Krista and Will and Ali will go to Monica's house (she works with us) to eat, since Monica's husband is still in Seattle for a few more weeks.
I have noticed that I am more calm and patient with all of the tourists this year. I don't get frustrated or pissed off at them anymore. I have now discovered the power I have over all the tourists, and it's fun to answer all of their tedious questions, like... "Do you have a toilet?" (down the hallway and to the right) or "Where is the nearest pharmacy?" (we don't have a pharmacy, we only have 1 grocery store, 3 blocks away) or (with an Chinese accent)"DISCOUNT?!?"........... "NO!!"
Now, I am spending my days making jewelry (a little), eating, watching the new Dish network we have in the apartment now, and spending time with Krista, Will, Deborah and our new found friends! And old found friends!

Little Sketches to Pass the Time...

2009-05-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

The top and bottom pictures have been enhanced with photoshop just for fun!

If you can't tell, this is a pair of legs and a foot.

A new drawing

2009-04-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

One of my most recent drawings I've finished is a symbolic drawing. I've decided to represent my family (the siblings, anyway) with birds that parallel our personalities!
For Krista I have chosen a peacock.

Even the fact that a 'peacock' is the male version of the bird goes along with Krista... (for those of you who understand me.) Now, these birds are sought after for beauty in the vibrancy of color their feathers have and posses a certain level of self admiration, I guess I could say.
For Charlotte I have chosen a Laughing Kookaburra.It's known to throw it's prey from tall trees in order to stun them (as a sort of game before killing them), and it's call sounds like a side-splitting laugh. That is so like Charlotte to laugh at other people's pain.

For Jay I have chosen a Tropical Parrot.

There are many different kinds of tropical parrots, some of

which are classified as 'talking.' This type is no exception. I also aimed to give this parrot an expression I believe Jay could make. "She touched my pepe, Steve."

And last, ME. Charlotte had to help me on this one. We decided on a Dodo bird.

Her reasoning behind it is that people used to think that Dodos were rather stupid birds, but came to realize they were rather smart! I don't know how true that is, but they are now associated with being dumb, even though they have been extinct for over 100 years! I thought the connection fit because Dodos are short, wide, and look a little funny (maybe the looks could represent how I am inside sometimes).

Trying to keep on going...

2009-04-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's this time in the school year that just gets to me. I'm almost finished, but I just want to quit right now! I think it's especially hard because I'm driving by myself. I moved back on campus this semester, but I come home on weekends and sometimes have to come home during the week and then back up to school to finish up the week (mostly for the doctor or whatever). It all gets very tiring! I think I need some words of encouragement! Only..... 6 weeks left? After 6 weeks I'll be home-free in Alaska!

I have, however, found some rather amusing things to keep me going. One of which is a book (a movie as well), North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I am addicted to anything related to England in the 1800's! Particularly it's love stories! Especially the stories where the girl gets swept off her feet by a handsome stranger after a couple of juicy fistfights and a terrible misunderstanding!! I first found the movie, loved it so much I just HAD to read the book! (I think it's funny that most of the books I read, I watch the movie version first.) But, ya! I'm also still reading Jane Eyre (I'm almost to the end). It's amazing, I think I'm turning into a book-liker! Who would have guessed!

I Feel I'm Getting Older.

2009-02-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

(I think that ring's gonna have to be bigger!)
Everyone my age is getting married! Well, actually all the people my age that I pretty much grew up with are already married or engaged and some of the married ones are having kids! But now, even MORE people are getting married. Not that I'm saying I want to get married right now, too... cuz I'm not. I think I still have a good 5-10 years until that happens. Besides, the guy I marry would have to pretty special to get along or at least be able to handle my family! And my family is a big part of my life.....so, there you go! I am just feeling a little older. I could do what ever I want to!!... if I wanted to. And that's a nice feeling! I think I have crossed over that threshold of being careless and am now careful. Careful with what, you might ask? I don't know! I think just everything in my life.
I'm becoming more and more excited about drawing!! I LOVE IT! Maybe because I'm getting better and better! I'm not trying to boast, but I've finally found something that I can become rather good at! And I haven't been really good at anything. Just good at a lot of things. But most importantly I enjoy it. I think I enjoy it a little too much. I have now lost interest in any other class that is not art related. I used to try to be good at math and science classes, but now? I JUST DON'T CARE! I will say I do enjoy my geography class, however. Probably because I love to travel. Now the tricky part is finding a way to support myself (finacially) AND be able to do what I love. (left: composition of 6 different faces into 1)
Now, would you eat the moon if it were
made of RIBS?!?!?

All I want to do is draw!

2009-01-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

All of my 'spare' time has been going to drawing these past too weeks. And when I say 'all of my time' I mean..... several hours a day, during the week. Good thing all of my other classes are not all that hard this semester! Instead of doing homework or reading assignments for my other classes, I've been watching movies and drawing. I'm at least taking a drawing class, though. Drawing 2. It's more difficult than drawing 1 (obviously), so it's only natural to spend more time practicing, right? I'm excited that I'm getting a lot better at techniques and becoming more comfortable with the material (mostly charcoal).

There's just my Chemistry class that I pretty much have everyday of the week that is bumming me out! Ever since I've started studying art I've become addicted to being more right brained. Math/science classes don't even make it to my top 10 of favorite subjects any more. Reaching into my left hemisphere has become painful and, for some concepts, very hard to reach!

Back to my drawing class, though! We're working on self portraits.

Here are a few sketches

I've done...... I know, they aren't very good.

The one on the left I drew from a photograph of myself (this one didn't turn out too bad), but the one on the right is just down right HIDEOUS! I drew it from looking at myself in the mirror! I guess what I REALLY look like is a dead person with no eyelashes and very little hair!

Outer Banks, North Carolina

2009-01-03T09:16:00.001-08:00

I spent the week of Christmas in North Carolina instead of Myrtle Beach. That's where I thought is was.... but we really went to the Outer Banks on the North Carolina coast. Oh, well! This was just as good if not better! My Uncle Joe never spares any expense when it comes to vacations! We were all very spoiled! This picture to the right was taken at Ocracoke island (the southern tip of the strip of the islands). This is my first experience with the Atlantic Ocean! It was rather cold, however, but I didn't care! There were lots of cool shells to pick up, too!

These birds were EVERYWHERE! It was funny 'cuz when a person started to get close to them, they would start waddling away, then fly to the other side of you. Like you had an invisible bubble around you. What do you call these birds? Annoying-poop machine birds?

Our condo. Do you see 2 little people waving on the top floor?

That's my brother

and I. Our party had enough people to fill 2 condos. Ours had me, Jay, my dad, my Aunt Angela, Uncle Gill, Cousins Ali and Jordan. The

other condo had my Uncle Joe, Aunt Beth,

Beth's parents, my grandma, and my half-cousin Aiken.

This is the Cousin-gang that went: (from left) Aiken, Jordan, me, Jay, Ali (Alex) We are at the ferry waiting to get on. This is the day we went to Ocracoke

Island. This trip took all day... it was a long day. At least we had a kiddie car with no adults.

The view from my room (on the 4th floor), the "suit" including a jacuzzi and king size bed! Apparently this was the

premium spot to be (ocean fron

t view) only 2 minute walking distance to the beach. I love the beach now!

Alex (or Ali as she goes by now, I'm used to calling her Alex), Aiken, and me on the beach right before they left (everyone else left on Christmas day but me, Jay and my dad didn't leave 'till the 27th).

Can you see the Dalphins in the water?!? There were tons of them!

Just cruisin along by the shore! Too bad none of them actually came out of the water further than just their fins.

Then, we all decided to played ballerina on the beach! Alex is a ballerina in Texas (she teaches kids at a dance studio) so, we all decided to join in! Jay, with is "nice line" as Alex put it.

Aiken lifting Alex (he was the only man able to do it, from the men that were there anyway).

And me....

The exciting thing o

f the week was when we went Hang Gliding! It was so FUN! I was only one that landed on my knees or face all 5 flights (we each got 5 tries). But that's okay! My dad wanted to buy my brother and I t-shirts so, I picked the funny t-shirt. It says "Fly Naked- Feel the wind on your cheeks" Of course my dad thought that was too inappropriate, so the comprimise to buy it was that I can only wear the shirt when I'm at home (whatever!) "Okay dad!" **wink, wink** (Left) This is the cousin clan getting suited up.

Next, me all strapped in and ready to go! "Clear" you say when you're ready to go. You walk, jog, run and float away!

Next is Alex flying off the dune. We didn't fly very far, but for our first time, it was pretty exciting! It was very windy, so for some of the girls in the other group they didn't even have to do anything, they just floated straight up they were so light! 1 instructor was on each side of each glider and they ran down with us to tell us what to do to fly and land properly.

I Think I'm Addicted...

2008-11-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

For a little over a year now, I've been experimenting with selling things online. Things ranging from photographs, hand made jewelry, old china dolls (etsy.com) to slightly damaged designer jewelry (I buy for cheap), shoes, purses, unused makeup etc. I've only been successful fairly recently and that success has come through ebay!

I finally signed up for my own account a little over a month ago and I've been a selling machine ever since! Well, a selling machine by my standards, anyway. Ebay isn't the best site to sell stuff (there are some extra fees when setting up to sell, and fees when you DO sell...blah, blah, blah) but it is certainly got one of the best range of people to sell to!

There are some things I have learned so far. I think my list would probably be a list for dummies, but oh, well. Here is my list:

1. Don't offer free shipping when you aren't selling the item for

enough money to even pay for the shipping!

2. Priority Mail is different than First Class Mail. (Priority goes faster,

but can cost twice as much or more sometimes)

3. Do you really need to post so many pictures of your item?

On Ebay, they charge you $.15 a pic. if you have more than 1. Thinking ahead of

the cost of even posting the item takes away from your pure profit.

4. Be specific in where you ship to and your shipping rates! Someone from, oh I don't know, NORWAY could bid on & win your item that costs $8, but when you have a set

shipping rate of $4 and the cost to ship that item to Norway is at LEAST

$15, you will be in the HOLE $3. Not a good way to start out!

5. Spend a few minutes becoming familiar with your ebay account web page.

Links like questions from potential bidders, and leaving feedback for

people you've sold to, or bought from like to hide themselves on the page

sometimes and can start to hurt your reputation as a seller!

Christmas Here, Already?!?

2008-11-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

I was at Wal-Mart last night buying deoderant, bread, and Halls when I pass by the seasonal section and guess what they have out already? Christmas decorations! I know this happens every year, but every year I always think to myself "Halloween JUST ended! What is wrong with them!" Retailers just skip everything else and head straight for Christmas! What happened to Thanksgiving? The only stuff I saw that related to Thanksgiving was an endcap of leaf-designed napkins. I love Christmas, don't get me wrong! But the Christmas retailers and most of America celebrate is different from the Christmas I celebrate.
Speaking of Christmas, the Kansas City radio station, Star 102.1, just started playing Christmas music around the clock until Christmas day! I'm excited about that because I start listening to Christmas music around this time of year. Actually, I start listening to it around July, and then again in November. So, while I drive to school every morning I have more music choices to choose from!

Guess where we're going for Christmas!?!

2008-10-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

For Christmas 2008 ("Christmas 2008" -Dad) My Uncle Joe is renting 2 beach houses at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and is inviting the family to come, too. Well, actually if I remember correctly he's been renting a beach house at Myrtle Beach for a several years on Christmas, but this year he was able to invite us personally (at my grandma's birthday party) as well as my other relatives (who were at the birthday party, too). And we are actually able to go this year!
I always hated it when I was younger and Uncle Joe would invite us to have fun doing stuff like this with my dad's side of the family, but my parents were always too poor, too cheap, too lazy, too crazy, too busy or too whatever! I'm so glad that I'm a grown-up now! I can go on my OWN trips.
We're going to spend about a week there. He's renting the house from December 20th - 27th. We'll most likely drive down, maybe rent a car (we must travel in style!). Jay and I are going for sure (and my dad and my grandama - Mema), Jeremiah and Charlotte are maybe, hopefully going.

Charlotte and I were planning a trip on the side (while this one was panning out) to Chicago! I was having fun playing travel agent and seeing all the cool places we could go, but then the Myrtle Beach one was finalized, so we'll go to this one instead!

I'm pretty excited for Fall Break this weekend. Thrsday- Sunday! WOW! What a long weekend! What will I do with the time?

This past Saturday was my 22nd birthday! It was pretty fun! Charlotte took a photo shoot of me (for the model in me) then my mom cooked us (my family) a really good brunch (but it was really breakfast). Then at Jeremiah's parents house we carved pumpkins (my pumpkin turned out really not good) and when it got really dark we went to Gary's Berry's and "raced" through the corn maize. It was FUN! Everyone else had a date except for me, so I teamed up with Charlotte and Jeremiah. We got second place! It took us 49 minutes to get through the whole thing. The second half was the hardest. First place went to Jay and Andrea; it only took them 42 minutes for the whole thing. Jeremiah's parents only got through the first half (you are able to quit at this point if you want to), saw us come out of the end and decided to quit because they took so long on the first half! My mom and her date, Robert, took about an extra 45 minutes. After coming out of the maize, we were able to stand in line for funnel cakes, eat them, and talk a bit before my mom and Robert came out. At least they made it through the whole thing! Fun times!!

A New Star Trek Movie!?!?

2008-10-16T12:23:00.001-07:00

So, I was browsing online and I come across this picture of the guy who plays Syler on Heros and I'm like, "Why does Spock look all young?" Then I clicked on the link and sure enough! They are making a new Star Trek movie with a bunch of young "pretty" people! It looks like a Sci-Fi channel movie. But, maybe it's a real movie. It's supposed to come out next summer (2009).

Bad Eyes

2008-10-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it's like to have bad vision? This is pretty much what it's like... We're learning about the eye in my psychology class right now, so it's been on my mind. Plus Charlotte's husband, Jeremiah, spent the summer working in Alaska to save money so he could get Lasik (but he can't because his PUPILS are TOO BIG!). And I just ordered another box of contacts! So, eyes have been the reoccuring theme lately. Every once and a while on the way to or back from school (when I'm NOT driving) I'll take my glasses off and just look everywhere... of course I can't see anything, not even things that are in the car with me. I noticed that staring at headlights without my glasses make me more scared of running into them. Even though the light coming from the headlight isn't that big to a 20/20 vision person, to a blind person THE'RE HUGE! And since every car has 2 headlights, it seems scarier because it looks like twice as many cars! Then I put my glasses back on and I calm down. I kind of prefer seeing with my glasses on; I get a headache when seeing without my glasses for too long.

On Vacation

2008-09-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

So, it's been awhile since I've written anything!
This is my life right now.......

I'm hanging out with weirdo-looking blue frogs and flying in planes with them! Just kidding (only about the plane part)! I've been going to school ALL THE TIME! 19 hours and I barely have enough time for sleep! And when Baby doesn't get any sleep she looks like this.....

A scary sight, huh? Well, actually it's not that bad. Even though I look and FEEL like that, I'm actually quite funny! My brain gets let loose and I respond to questions like this:

"Kezia, where did you get those scissors?"

"From my box. Where did you get your face..... from the trash?!"

"Wow, Kezia this is a good pizza sandwhich! Good thing you chose for us to come eat here."

(in reference to my large boobs)

"Ya, that's because Baby's got ESPN!"

By the way for those of you that don't know what I'm talking about when I call myself 'Baby', that is what my sister Charlotte and I call each other. We commute to school together (an hour and a half each way, 5 days a week) and old kid nick names ends up popping into our conversations when we talk to each other and about other family members. When I was little (since I'm the baby of the family) everyone called me 'baby' instead of my real name for the first few years of my life. Other nick names we use are 'Cha-cha' -- in reference to Charlotte, 'Ta-ta' -- in reference to Krista.... and so on.

I now have about 50 nick names! So, I've gotten used to people calling me whatever they want and I'll pretty much respond. Especially since my first name, Kezia, isn't the most common name in the world. People have trouble remembering it and/or trouble pronouncing it.

Some things my other siblings are doing:

Krista is going to drive a school bus... WATCH OUT EVERYONE! KRISTA'S DRIVING A BUS! At least this job we have convinced her to keep, so GO KRISTA!

And as far as me and school..... let's just say I'm glad the weeks are flying by (they have been flying by so quickly!!) because if I allowed myself to slow down I think I might EXPLODE! I know that may seen contradictory, but I'm on a pretty good roll with my grades and everything right now and if I slow down, I'll just get lazy and not do as well.

It's like I'm rolling down a hill! I can't just STOP rolling! It would be harder to stop than to just keep going!

Can you imagine rolling down THIS hill??? -->

2008-08-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I got off work and came over to visit Krista, Jay and Will as usual. I then, as usual, stole one of their computers to get online and check my email, upload stuff to my blog etc. During all of this, Jay was making dinner and Krista and Will went shopping for some food, seeing as it was a very nice day today; lots of sunshine (so much sunshine it got REALLY warm inside the store at work today). Sunshine around these parts is rare. ANYWAY, when dinner was ready Krista cattle-called everyone to the dinner table to eat. I yelled, "Hang on a second!" I wasn't quite done with uploading all of my pictures. When I was done, I joined everyone in the kitchen. It was an unusual sight! The kitchen was clean and everyone was sitting down and eating at the table with a song from "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou" playing in the background. As I began eating, Krista and I started singing along with the song and before we all knew it, we were all singing in harmony to the song. It was pretty fun! It was so fun, I ran to get my camera to video it.

That was a VERY long explination of why this video is so funny and cool, but in case you are forgetting, you're in Kezia Wonderland, so everything is a bit off kilter here!

Billy's Cruise to Alaska!

2008-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

ALASKA!! It's a cruise ship! Since my whole family came up to Alaska to work for the summer, why can't Billy come along, too?!? Billy wanted to to take a cruise ship up here, but...... that was a lot of money for a puppet. So, my mom sent him in a priority mail box full of lots of food!! My mom also made him a 'tourist outfit' so he would "blend in." We took him out for his first tour of Skagway the other day. He got to see a cruise ship, and some Fireweed flowers, and he got to call his mom on a payphone! Pretty exciting for a puppet!

Billy also gave us a tour of the nearby flowers; what they're called and the history of them. Of course his descriptions didn't make any sense, but then again, NOTHING Billy says never really makes sense. That's why he's so funny! Here is a video of that.....

(right, a very artistic picture of Billy and his fresh-picked yellow flower tucked behind his ear.)

Billy's outfit consisted of a 'hand-made' Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and a red visor hat. We walked from Krista, Will, and Jay's house, through the ally and down State Street to 1st Avenue. We were walking on the sidewalk so, we were able to look at lots of flowers, weeds, and really tall grass! We also saw 4 cruise ships docked and Billy even got his picture taken with them. Jay filled in as his 'vacation buddy.' They posed for pictures together in front of the cruise ships!

"It's a cruise ship!"

"Hey!"

"Yummy yellow flower thingies!"
When we got to 1st Avenue, we walked towards Alaska Shirt Company (where Charlotte and Jeremiah work) and got a picture in front of the building! Right on the side of the building were 2 payphones! Billy thought while he was there he might as well call his mom to tell her all of the exciting things he saw in Alaska! Here's a video of part of the conversation before I ran out of battery juice...

After talking to mom on the phone, we went into Shirt Co. and talked to Charlotte and Jeremiah while they were stocking. We couldn't record anything inside the store due to merchandise rules; not to mention my batteries were dead. It cheered up their day a little to have a visit from "Tour Guide Billy Baloney!"

Jay's Webcam

2008-08-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

Jay got a new computer and we had fun playing with his webcam!

2008-07-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

So, are people really stupid and ignorant or do they just forget their brains at home while they go on vacation?

Whatever the answer, people are stupid nontheless. Skagway is not a difficult town to find your way around in! It's 5 blocks wide and 25 blocks long and all of the streets are straight. But, all the tourists need to know is a 2 by 8 block radius! The Skagway newspaper has a section in it dedicated to stupid questions/comments made by tourists. A few of my favorites include...

A gentleman walked into Jewell Gardens (a restaurant/pretty gardens just outside of Skagway) housing break room and asked the location of the "seal show." He explained that he had been told to walk accross the bridge and there would be a seal show. "Where is it?" He was directed to the foot bridge a mile to the south and told to look out for them at Yakutania Point.

A tourist asked a bartender at the Elks, what kind of "spider" was hanging on the wall. The bartender looked up at the handsome wall mount of a creature from the depths of Taiya Inlet, and said, "That's an Alaskan King Crab Spider."

From tourists visiting Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, AK:

"What happens to the white color when the snow melts?"

"How do you tell the difference between a fresh salmon and a smoked salmon?"

"Can you fish through the glacier?"

A very blonde and young tourist came into the shop where I work and asked my brother, Jay,

"Excuse me, where can I find a moose?"

(more stupid tourist comments to come soon!)

So I was thinkin'....

2008-07-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Thinking doesn't happen to me very often, but when I think REALLY hard, smart things come out! Imagine that! So, I've been thinking about my life and what I want to do with it and I've come to a conclusion... I'm going to have fun with my life and I'm going to try to accomplish EVERYTHING I want to do. You know those depressed people who always say,
"I HATE my life! I'm fat, I'm poor, I either too hot, too cold, too crazy or too depressed!... I know what I need! A new car! (or) A sweet, chocolately, buttery, creamy, crunchy piece of nautiness that if I consume enough of I will become bigger than a Sumo Wrestler! Then I will be happy."
Whatever they THINK they NEED to make themselves "happy" is just DUMB to me! To live life to the fullest in Kezia words is enjoying every minute of it. No matter what your doing: working at Wal-Mart, going to school, traveling, having fun with friends, WHATEVER! Life will become happer day by day. Always encourage yourself to think positive! Look on the bright side of things. Time flies by fast; better to enjoy every minute of it! If your always waiting for something else to happen to you, your life will fly by and all you'll have left of your life is a bunch of wishes.... and maybe a kitchen full of desserts. Hmm.... I think I'll have a cookie.
Like Jack Johnson says in his song "Dreams Be Dreams"
"Don't let your dreams be dreams,
you know this livin's not so hard as it seems
Don't let your Dreams be Dreams..."