We try to stay humble...

But everyone warned us that the west coast would change us...

You Light Up My Life

I would like to take this opportunity to brag a little bit about my very talented husband. Ever since he was old enough to hold a hammer and chisel he has worked around stone. He is a 3rd generation stone mason and you can see photos of some of his masonry HERE.

Last summer Adam stumbled upon an alabaster quarry in the southern Utah area and wanted to get his hands on a few chunks of it. The foreman at the site told him he couldn't buy any, but if he wanted to bring a few pizzas down one day, then he would let him load his truck up with all the alabaster he wanted. Well, Adam did just that and before I knew it there were large, dusty rocks piled next to the entry of our basement apartment. Adam had decided to venture into a more artistic realm with his rockwork. I gave him all the encouragement I could muster, and went back inside to enjoy the air conditioning (St. George summers are brutal!). After days and weeks of drilling, grinding, pounding, filing, sanding, buffing, and polishing he had 3 masterpieces. We carried these masterpieces back up to college with us and all the way to California where I finally persuaded him to finish them and now we have 3 one-of-a-kind alabaster lamps in our apartment.

This was Adam's first design. He says it is his favorite because it looks muscular.

What's unique about this one is that I tried (unsuccessfully) at making a silk lampshade, but what is even more impressive is the patina that Adam put on the copper piping to tarnish it and give it that blue-green hue.

This one is my favorite. I can't exactly put my finger on why it is my favorite. It may be the shape or the balance of the design, but maybe it's just the funky lampshade.

Build Me a Bridge

One thnig that can't be missed when you come to the Bay area is the fact that there are so many bridges. Now, I will be the first to say that seeing bridges and driving over bridges literally takes my breath away, but at times, so do all the tolls!

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. Suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish."The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want."The Lord said, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking. The supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that would honor and glorify me."The man thought about it for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand my wife. I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says ‘nothing's wrong,’ and how I can make a woman truly happy."The Lord replied, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?"