Tucson 2014 - Day One - We Have Arrived

We left for the airport, driven by our personal cheufeur, my little brother, around 9 am. For a 12:30 flight. We live less than one hour from the airport. My mom really likes to be early.

Marshal could hardly contain his excitement as we got closer and closer. He was a little nervous going through the security section and ran through the xray machine thingy. Yes, ran. I was thankful for understanding TSA guards. lol He might not be able to get away with that when he's older.

Finally at the Airport...the excitement is hard to handle.

 

My sweet baby boy insisted on helping me by rolling my bag all over the airport. And it isn't light weight.

Escalators are SO fun!

You didn't tell me we got to ride a TRAIN!!!

We got to our assigned gate and found out we were reassigned to a new gate. Oh well. Trek over to the new gate. And look at all these people in matching uniforms. What nerds.

Oh wait, they're famous or something. I don't watch soccer. I don't like soccer. Even when my little boy is playing I'm not a big fan. These were apparently the "real" Sounders...our local Seattle team.

Gotta tell you...they get a lot worse treatment than the Seahawks. No plane of their own. No adoring fans trying to take photos. It was kind of funny. They were on our flight too! They sat in coach, all spread out in the back with us. Like the little people.

And they are YOUNG...some of them look like they're still in high school for pity's sake. My mom couldn't believe they were the real players. She thought maybe it was the B team. hahahaha

And many were very short...which doesn't surprise me because I always think of soccer players as small.

Apparently these are soccer players.

Hey there's planes out there.

It's really hard to wait for something as exciting as your first airplane ride. Marshal did great. We read a couple of books while we waited - and of course our flight was delayed so he had to muster up even more patience.

On the plane!

Leaving the Earth!

I wondered how Marshal would handle the take off. He did fairly well but we had to cuddle and cover his ears. It was so loud and he does not typically like very loud noises. Once we were up in the air he was not super impressed with the view and kept his shade down nearly the whole time.

Sadly, we had a small child sitting across the aisle from us who screamed for half the flight. SCREAMED. Not cried. Screamed bloody murder. Poor kid. I actually managed to tune it out fairly well but she did hit some high pitched screams that caused a jolt. I could tell the other passengers were getting frustrated and a little annoyed. But I felt bad for the mom and dad. There wasn't anything they could do. She was tired and flying isn't easy for kids. She looked like she was less than 2. She finally fell asleep and slept for the middle portion of the flight...but kept on where she left off after she woke up. I know the parents felt bad so as we were waiting to exit I told them it didn't bother me (which was true). I told the mom that I have a 7 month old at home so I'm used to screaming.

After we were all off the plane she found me again and thanked me for saying that to her. People don't give parents enough slack while traveling. I NEVER wanted to travel with Marshal until now.

I'm so cool.



We landed safely in Tucson and waited...and waited...and waited to get off the plane. Our seats were literally in the last row. So even more waiting for Marshal. His patience meter was wearing thin but he did amazingly well for a 4 year old.

As we went toward baggage we heard "MARSHAL LAWRENCE CASTO" being hollered. And there was nanny waiting for her boy. He was really excited. I was worried he'd do his shy bit but apparently being "raised" his first four years by her precludes all shyness.

He ran all over the airport and the car rental place, talking non stop.

Did you know there are cactus in Tucson. EVERYWHERE? I do. Because my four year old said every 10 seconds - Look mom, Cactus...there...look...mooommmmmm....cactus! He's very excited about the cactus.

It took awhile to get to the airport to nanny's house and Marshal got a nice little nap in. Tomorrow my mom and I hit the town for our first rock show. We may do two if we have time and aren't too exhausted.

I used to be able to bend that way. Poor tired traveler.

I Think I'm Really a Guy

Okay, not literally. But my characteristics and behavior sure do line up to being a guy.

Granted, the "guy" behaviors are stereotypes but since guys and gals are different and stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.

When someone shares their problems or concerns, my first instinct is to try to find a way to fix it. I want to be helpful and useful. And yet as a girl, I HATE it when my husband does that!!! Sometimes I just want someone to listen.

I'm hopelessly unromantic. My husband is a lucky man. I am thrilled when he vacuums. That's romance! I don't need any special dates, flowers, cards. Nope. I'm happy with a quick meal at McDonalds and a movie.

My husband occasionally tells me I'm fat. Isn't that horrible?!?! But quite frankly, it doesn't upset me ... once in awhile if it's that time of the month I get annoyed and tell him to hush. But generally I roll my eyes and poke him in the belly. Ha!

I have my girly moments. There are movies and books that make me cry. I have a lot more mommy patience than my husband does.

I find it interesting that we have such set ideas of how girls and women are "supposed" to be. Even in elementary school I felt different than my girlfriends. I was completely boy crazy like they were but I definitely didn't feel as connected emotionally to them as they seemed to be to each other.  Maybe I was more emotional prior to my dad dying (I was 8). But I don't remember a ton before that.

I Told My Son the Truth - I Hope it Didn't Scar Him for Life

For some reason tonight as I put my Marshal to bed we got on the topic of losing teeth. One of our church friends lost a tooth and we started talking about the tooth fairy. I'm pretty sure I brought it up. Oops.

So as I proceed to answer his Tooth Fairy questions I start feeling really bad. I was already feeling bad about telling the "stories" about Santa Claus for Christmas.

He asked me what kind of shoes the tooth fairy wore. Girl or boy? Does he use magic fairy sprinkle to disappear? Will I see him if I wake up? Where do all the teeth go?

Oy.

Finally I said, "Honey, can I tell you a secret? The tooth fairy is pretend."

He looked at me like I'd told him he could eat ice cream for dinner. Eyes wide open and a gleeful grin on his face.

Well at least he wasn't crying.

He took it really well, which shouldn't surprise me. I proceeded to tell him that mommy and daddy are the ones who bring money to put under the pillow. And that my mommy did it for me when I lost my teeth.

And I have now proceeded to ruin his childhood. I don't know why I felt so guilty about letting him go on thinking the tooth fairy was real. I hate lying to him. But now I feel bad about taking away something as innocent as the tooth fairy. . . I did tell him not to tell other kids because they might still think he's real (I don't know why but the tooth fairy is a guy in my head).

Next up... the Easter Bunny.

Identifying Stones Is Not Easy - Part Two

It feels like an overwhelming task - identifying all of the stones that my grandparents collected over the years. And I don't have a ton of resources other than online. They do have a couple of books in their collection so I reference those, but this process is super slow.

Thankfully the internet now exists and there are lots of rock lovers who can help. There's a fabulous group on Facebook that is gracious and patient with me while I post lots of pictures and ask "What are these?" :)

The downside of this though is that sometimes there are lots of opinions on what something is.

This stone...

...is really lovely. It appeared to me to be some sort of Jasper and was in with the Biggs Jasper.

The opinions shared on the Rockhound facebook group ranged from...

Cripple Creek Jasper

Chicken Scratch Jasper

Arroyo Jasper

Succor Creek Picture Jasper

In my eyes, the Succor Creek Picture Jasper is the closest and looks like most of what I have of this stone. So that's what I'm going with...Succor Creek. It's hard to dismiss the Arroyo Jasper. But I have to pick one!

So many more to identify!

Eventually some of the stone rough will be available in my Etsy Supply shop but it's really going to take me awhile to get everything organized.

Identifying Stones Is Not Easy - Part One

My grandparents were avid rock hounds, collectors, and cutters. I've shared their work here before and most of the cut and polished stones have been identified. The rough stone, uncut and unpolished, is a little harder.

If grandma wrote on it, it obviously is easier... though I could not read her writing on this stone. I did finally figure out that it is Mariposite. I'd never heard of this before but it's awfully pretty. Now I need to decide whether I want to have some pendant focal beads made from it or sell the whole slab. I think they have some more of it in their stock. If I remember correctly there's a huge chunk that isn't cut in slab form yet.



This stone looks like a Jasper but I was not entirely sure which kind. There are seemingly hundreds. This one didn't take more than 10 minutes or so to find online. It appears to be Blue Mountain Picture Jasper.

Blue Mountain Picture Jasper

This one I actually knew and they have several. This is lovely Chrysocolla and I think it has Malachite and Azurite together.

This one I found by accident while looking for another one. This is Imperial Jasper and I've found about six small slabs like these. They're so beautiful in person - like God painted with green and white paint, swirling and feathering it together.

What's even more fun is that Marshal was helping me with identification using the pictures we were finding online. Maybe I can pass on my grandparent's legacy to him too.

I have a LOT of work to do to identify all their stones. Here are a few more I'll be working on soon.



I Get Jealous a Lot and I'm Working On It

My competitive nature can sometimes get the best of me. It's not that I can't lose gracefully. It's more that I want to do better than other people. And when I don't my green Envy monster comes out.

That sounds horrible doesn't it? I'll try to explain.

I tend to not care that other people make more money or have bigger houses. I try my best to be content with what I have and where I am in life. Nowhere is this harder for me than in my jewelry business.

I browse Etsy once in awhile, looking at other Jewelry Artisans to see what they're up to. A couple are people I've met (in person or online) and known for several years. It has taken me many years to be happy for their success.

Comparing myself to them is unhealthy and counter productive but I'm constantly fighting the thoughts...Why am I not as successful? Are my designs not as good? How do they get their photos so great? I wish I could do that.

And none of those thoughts are healthy or helpful. Seriously! When I create something that I find outstanding and beautiful it does not make my work better than theirs, nor does their beauty somehow make mine less so.

One of my particularly successful friends makes similar jewelry to mine and her photos are phenomenal (super important for online selling). And she has an outstanding number of sales. Oh and she somehow manages it all with three kids.

*insert grouchy face here*

I envy her work. I do. I admit it. Her work is lovely. I wish I knew how she took such great pictures too. And I know she's worked very hard at it all. Instead of frustrated that my work hasn't sold as well I need to be happy for her (and I really am).

This envy is something I will continue to battle and sometimes I meet it head on by purposely promoting other jewelry designers...kind of a vaccine against envy by taking a live virus. hahahaha Great visual right?

The reality is that I cannot make all the different types of jewelry that can be made in the world. I have my style and I need to focus on that. Focus on what I can do, not what others do. And I think that's an important philosophy for life in general. Don't worry about others - their wealth or their job or their talents - focus on what YOU can do and be.

Friends who make jewelry...

Dana James
Jennifer Casady
Sylvia Swasey

And here's my shop - Casto Creations Jewelry -  in case you want to compare...just don't tell me if you like theirs better, okay? =)

Two Boys, A Dog, and a Tree

As a follow up to my post about taking pictures of little kids and babies I thought I'd share my latest photography experience.

When Marshal was a baby we had "professional" photos taken at Target. I found a baby Santa outfit so of course he had to have it, and I saved it for Dillon.

Marshal in all his cuteness - less than 3 months old. Somehow the clothes look like they fit even though it's a 12 month outfit.

As is the case with most second children, we aren't going to Target to get pictures taken. We were going to meet with my friend who takes amazing photographs but both boys were sick so we had to cancel.

So I thought I'd try it on my own...by myself...with no assistance other than Marshal.

I started out using my regular camera before trying to use my iPhone. For some reason I have a very hard time getting shots that aren't blurry.

Smell my feet!

Hey look, the dog!

Catch me! I'm falling!!!

Why won't blogger let my photos be the right way? I fixed it in the photo editor! 

Other than being a bit blurry, and it looking like there's spit up on his lips, this one is great. It's not spit up. It's drool and reflection.

 

Here let me help mommy, says Marshal.

We did have a bit of fun trying to get a good picture. I think these are the keepers.

Merry Christmas!