snow time!

we have snow, and the most snow....ever in tulsa!  it is quite amazing at the amount.  no, if you live up north you wouldn't think 13"+ is all that much, but here it is a ton!  it literally shut the entire city down.

i grew up going skiing, so i love the snow.  as soon as i hear we are getting some, i immediately want to go sledding and have fun in it.  but, the key to having fun in the snow is bundling up in the correct winter clothes!  you can't go out in your regular clothes and expect to have fun and stay warm.  not gonna happen.  so, here is my gear for playing in the snow...

sweater leggings

long underwear top & bottom

wool sock liners

thick wool socks

waterproof ski pants

long sleeve shirt

fleece hoodie

scarf

down coat

beanie

glove liners

waterproof ski gloves

waterproof boots

yea, it's a lot, but it is sooo worth it!  we were outside yesterday for close to 4 hours and my body wasn't cold at all.  even if you never go skiing, you would benefit from having these items at least once or twice a year in oklahoma.  it might even make you like snow a little more!

the north face boots below are fabulous.  they are super warm and waterproof.  they also have a funny story.  back when we lived in dallas, one christmas mymichael's dad asked him what i would like for christmas.  mymichael told him that i would like a pair of hiking boots.  really?  hiking boots?  when he told me this, i was a little bit confused.  you see, hiking boots would NOT be the first thing that i would ask for!  boots, sure, but hiking?  i don't think so.  but, since mymichael had already told him that, i decided to go with it.  instead of getting plain hiking boots, i decided on some good winter "hiking" boots.  and i'm glad i did.  even though they aren't worn all the time, they still come in super handy during these times!

my boys...

now, once you get on all those layers, you may look like the michelin man, but that's okay, right?

oscar

mak

mymichael

a huge chunk of ice and snow!

i think oscar likes the snow!

i'm hoping we have no leaks in the roof...

sledding fun.  if you are in tulsa and want some serious sledding, head to 111th & yale.  there is a huge retention pond.  i wouldn't suggest for young kiddos...it's pretty steep!  dad, me, & mymichael getting ready to head down

it was freaking cold...18 degrees!

the "slopes"

happy snow days!

a whole new year!

2011 is here!  kind of hard to believe to be honest.  time truely does go by much faster when you get older...not sure how i feel about that.  anyways, there are many changes in my life for this new year.  the biggest one is that i am no longer with the architecture firm that i was with for the past 4 years.  unfortunately the past year and a half or so was not a great time for the firm.  we had some big projects not come through, some bond issues that didn't pass, etc.  they had to downsize quite a bit and unfortunately...or fortunately...i was one of the ones who was let go.  i'm not gonna lie, it sucked, it happened the wednesday before christmas, which put a bit of a damper on the holidays.  mymichael and i knew that there were going to be some changes made, i just didn't realize it was as bad as what it really was.

so, here i am without a job and trying to figure out what the heck is going on.  recently i had told mymichael that i wouldn't mind doing something on my own {not knowing the possibility was so close}.  we discussed the pros and cons of having your own business vs. being with a company, which there are many for both sides.  over the past couple of years i have been doing side jobs that range from residential interior design to photography and graphic design.  i have been extremely busy b/c all those things were done in my "spare" time....not during the 40+ hour work week where i did commercial interior design.  i have enjoyed all the side work and the variety that comes with it. 

what better time to try something on my own than now?  i'm trying to look at this as an opportunity.  i'm not sure that mymichael and i would have been comfortable me quitting my nice paying job to pursue something on my own.  that steady paycheck is very beneficial and it would have been very hard to choose to let it go!  so, an opportunity this will be! 

over the next few weeks there will be lots of changes made to my website www.rubyjewelstudio.com

and probably to this blog as well.  i will be incorporating:

photography 

residential interior design services

small commercial interior design services

furniture and accessory  resales

graphic deisgn services

it will be a work in progress and i hope to share as i go along.

so, keep checking back to see what's new.  hopefully in a few weeks i will have a big launch of the updated website and everything. 

 i'm really excited....and a bit nervous...to see where things take me & ruby jewel studio in 2011!