The Renaissance Woman

So about a month before our Vegas vacation, I got an idea for a dress that consisted of a corset with straps that buckled in the front and then a removable wraparound skirt that would also fasten to the corset.

I drew this sketch:

This skirt would be easy enough, and I’d made corsets before (3 currently), but this corset would have a high back and just a few more complicated alterations than my experience covered.

So I hired a local seamstress who specializes in corsets. Her company is called The Fitting Room, and she does lovely work.

I figured I’d leave the corset to the professional and ask to order more fabric  so that I could make the skirt on my own.

Sadly, due to vacations, remodeling, and general lack of time, this was not to be for this year’s OCON – maybe next year! However, I will certainly see if I can work this dress into Halloween for this year (Devil in a Blue Dress, anyone?).

I finally got to pick up the finished corset today. I will be working on the skirt and attaching the clasps when that is done (and taking more pictures of course!)

My form isn’t exactly the best color for showing off the silk of the corset (and my form isn’t quite as busty as I am), but I plan to get some nice pictures of me wearing it once the whole dress is finished.

But I’m totally in love with it! Marie did fabulous work!

It’s always nice to be back home after a longer vacation. Our cats are extra cuddly as well, which is just adorable. It’s good to be missed.

The second half of the trip was lovely, and I got to see many big cats! First at the Mirage and then (unexpectedly) at the MGM Grand:

D’awwww….

I was very happy we stayed an extra day after the conference, as it gave us time to walk the Strip with a few friends, which was nice.

Some shots I’m particularly proud of:

A chandelier at our hotel – The Red Rock Resort

Mom and my friend Bren admiring the friendly dolphin – I just love that you can see they’re all smiles, even though they are turned away from the camera. The both look SO happy!!

Lovely shot of Paris, if I do say so, myself!

The candy’s comin’ right for us!! Om nom nom…

Loved these light fixtures – especially against the blue of the ceiling.

I got a few good pictures of the fountain show, but this is probably my favorite.

Now back to real life – I’ve got meals to plan and a treadmill to assemble! And a surprise to pick up! (more on that later…)

So we’re well into the swing of OCON here in Las Vegas. Tomorrow is the last day of the first half.

We’ve been staying at the lovely Red Rock Resort, which has been mostly good. There are some distinct design issues with the hotel and the rooms, but everything is very stylish, and the bathtub is awesome:

Tell me that isn’t beautiful. The depth is the best part – I’ve taken three baths so far, which is more than probably the last two years combined!

I’ve been taking John Lewis’s class on Ancient Greece this session, and it has been very interesting. Lewis is one of my favorite teachers and speakers, so I was pretty sure I’d like it. Jeremy is also taking Andrew Lewis’s class on the Reformation, and has been enjoying Lewis’s hijinks – he’s dressed up as a different “character” for each class. I won’t spoil it by revealing who – maybe I’ll post that after the conference. It’s sure seems like it’d be a hoot to see!

The general sessions have been very good as well. Peikoff is always interesting, and David Harriman gave a fascinating lecture on the proper way to approach scientific education. Today, Yaron Brook gave a stirring talk on the defense of Capitalism that has ignited discussions all over the resort and on Twitter and Facebook.

We also had a fabulous 4th of July. There was a program hosted by ARI that I was fortunate to be a part of. I sang “America the Beautiful” and led “The Star Spangled Banner” and people have been very kind with their feedback.

Afterwards, we went to see Penn & Teller at the Rio, which was phenomenal. I surprised my mother and Scott Holleran with a Limo ride there and back. The driver was so kind to drive us the long way back to the resort so we could take a ride on the Strip and see everything lit up for the evening. We all had a lovely time!

(For those who don’t know, the little cut boy out in both pictures is Flat Ryan (see Flat Stanley). It is a picture of the son of a friend who sent many copies of Flat Ryan to numerous volunteers throughout the nation – even internationally – for people to take pictures of with interesting people and interesting places. She home schools him, so this project really helps make geography particularly interesting. I have a few more stops in the Seattle area to make with Flat Ryan, but I digress.)

Tonight, Jeremy and I attended the Benefactor’s Dinner and had fun catching up with some people that can be a little hard to catch a word with during the rest of the conference. The dinner was excellent, as always, and the conversation was a perfect match.

Oh – and today is Jeremy and my 3 year anniversary – so mountains of love to my extraordinary husband who has been and is my favorite person in the world. *MWAH*

June 13th was a big day in our house – well, at Evergreen hospital near our house.

In the wee hours of the morning – around 1:30am – my husband complained of shooting head pains. Probably nothing, but all those people for who it ends up bring something, all said it was “probably nothing”. So, we played it on the safe said and went to the ER.

Five hours later, we got the good news and the bad news. The good news was his head was fine. The bad news was it looked like he probably has diabetes.

Two weeks later, and a few more confirming blood tests, and it was confirmed.

Thankfully, it is in the early stages. there aren’t any complications that we know about. Most everything has been covered through blood tests, he just needs an eye exam to check for those complications.

We’ve been making dietary changes and checking blood sugar to see how certain meals and exercise affect it. We’ve also started walking 30 minutes every day, so we’re on our way to getting things under control. I plan to write more about details in the future. Our first big challenge is our Vegas trip – for which we are leaving tomorrow!

The other change this has led to is we are very likely going to be joining a concierge medicine practice. With my Hashimoto’s and now Jeremy’s diabetes, it’ll be extra nice to have a doctor who will answer questions without us having to wait until our next appointment. With this practice, we can also call him if there is an emergency and he will talk with the doctors who are treating us and we can request he accompany us to appointments with other specialists. I think I’ll write a separate post on the total benefits and bonuses of this practice.

But for now, I ‘m gonna go kill big, bad bosses in WoW and then pack for Vegas!