tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16395779938515857682024-03-12T20:28:09.138-07:00Ch'know?A Girl, A Lot Of Free Time, And A Second Life®.Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03852205565340450253noreply@blogger.comBlogger2048125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-6679867219585687052015-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:002015-02-24T15:14:28.143-08:00Changing To WordpressBlogger recently gave notice that they will be <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/24/google-will-block-sexually-explicit-content-on-blogger-starting-march-23/">blocking blogs with sexually explicit content</a> starting on March 23rd. Although neither of my blogs have ever really been sexually explicit, I believe that this is Google's way of gradually phasing out Blogger. I also don't believe in unnecessary censorship and yes, I do believe this is unnecessary. <br />
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So I'm making the switch to Wordpress. If you have my blog in your blogrolls [thank you, btw, if you do!], I would appreciate if you would update it to my <a href="http://aliciachenaux.wordpress.com">new Wordpress address</a>. I'll also be contacting the owners of the feeds that I'm on to change my blog URL, so if you normally read me through a feed, you'll be able to see my posts the same as usual pretty soon. <br />
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I'm not terribly familiar with Wordpress yet, so please forgive me if things here seem disjointed and crazy for a little bit while I get used to my new blogging home. Thank you! ♥<br />
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That was the message I posted for my style blog. Since I'm not on any feeds with this blog, that I know about, I'll expand a little more on this.<br />
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Man. Changing to Wordpress sucks. I mean, really sucks! I've been on Blogger since 2007, I'm used to it, and I find it incredibly easy. I've been able to make my blog pretty much exactly the way I want it by just dragging and dropping things all over the place. Wordpress, though? #JesusFixIt<br />
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So you might be asking, "Okay, Ali. If you hate Wordpress and you're not about to start showing vagina all over the place, why move?" Well, like I said, I really do think this is the beginning of the end for Blogger. Yes, there have always been content filters here. You could mark your blog as adult and that was that. Now it seems like that's not that. If it starts with this, what is next? Any curse words might get your blog marked private? They decide, like on Facebook, that avatars are not welcome? Or they decide at the end of the year to just shut down Blogger altogether? Eff that. I'm not waiting around to see if that happens.<br />
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But it's a bummer. I like Blogger a lot. I'm having a lot of trouble getting used to Wordpress because there is just more to it. Not a lot more, but enough that it's irritating. And I know in a month or so, it'll be second nature to me and I won't even think about it any more, but until then... I'm bitching about it. A lot. <br />
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Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-58871652814662861202015-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:002015-02-17T10:50:31.651-08:00Why, yes, I have SecondLifed.I've been working on our little park area the past two nights. It's getting there. It's actually quite comfortable now and I kind of prefer to spend my SL time outdoors rather than in the house these days. Aldwyn and I were sitting out there last night and his biggest question was "Do we get wifi out here in the park?"<br />
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Duh. OF COURSE WE DO! *laughs*<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16375146840" title="Why Yes, I Have SecondLifed by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/16375146840_16267e2b7e.jpg" width="500" height="383" alt="Why Yes, I Have SecondLifed"></a><br />
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Strawberry made a new meme called <a href="http://strawberrysingh.com/2015/02/16/have-you-ever-secondlifed-meme/">"Have you ever SecondLifed?"</a> It just so happens that I have, so I decided to answer the questions in my long winded way.<br />
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<b>1. Have you ever owned a sim in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Yep! I've owned Bluebonnet since September 13, 2008. Want to come live near me? I have a parcel open! IM me to find out more! <i>/shameless plug</i><br />
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<b>2. Have you ever created content in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Of course! I sell like 10 of the famed Blingis a month. I have no idea WHY I sell them, but people seem to like it enough to pay me a $1L for it. *laughs* I also do nail polish for Slink hands on occasion [not often any more] and I used to have a store back in 2008 where I created random things like belts that had stuff hanging off of them and crappy prim furniture.<br />
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<b>3. Have you ever driven a vehicle in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Soooo many times. I'm not very good at driving, though. I'm much better at walking.<br />
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<b>4. Have you ever gone sky diving in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Oh God, yes. I even have my own skydiving pod thing. Remember, skydiving is how we asked Birdy to be our daughter! <br />
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<b>5. Have you ever played a sport in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Hmm. You know, I really don't think I have. Unless you count bowling? <br />
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<b>6. Have you ever gone clubbing in Second Life?</b> <br />
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* Ohhhh yes. I spent the first year of my original SLife basically living in a club that I worked at. We've been going a little more often lately with Lolita and Takeo when the kids are in bed.<br />
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<b>7. Have you ever fangirled/fanboyed someone in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Unfortunately. *laughs* Before plurk and before I got to know creators well, I thought most of them were just these intimidating, amazing things. I still find some of them amazing, but it's hard to fangirl when you know that most of them are eating pizza and hanging out in their PJs while they work in Blender.<br />
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<b>8. Have you ever taken a picture of your avatar in water in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Multiple times. There are many things in SL that just look crazy, but Linden water is really one of the things that SL does exceptionally well, and it's nice to take pics in it.<br />
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<b>9. Have you ever taken a picture of a sunset in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Many many times. I used to always put our houses so that our bedroom window would face the sunset. Of course, with windlight, you can basically make sunset wherever you want. Sunset in the north? Sure!<br />
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<b>10. Have you ever taken a nude picture of your avatar in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Um, duh? I'd say most women in SL have. Heck, most men, too. Plus, I was a SLuicide Girl when the blog was active and that required a lot of naked. Ms. Trixie Belle, at your service!<br />
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<b>11. Have you ever dated in Second Life? </b><br />
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* Nah, I just told Al "We're getting married" when I met him. *laughs* Of course I have! Not lots, but enough. Dating in SL can be incredibly fun! And even when it's not fun, it can make for some fantastic stories to tell later. <br />
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<b>12. Have you ever had or attended a wedding in Second Life?</b><br />
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* Yes and yes! I've been to more weddings than I can count [I'm a great wedding guest. Invite me to yours!] and we had ours in 2011. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, it was beautiful!<br />
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<b>13. Have you ever drank, smoked or taken drugs in Second Life?</b> <br />
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* My favorite thing for a long time was finding the drinks that would have you stumble around and fall down drunk! I still have one of those "Eat your piece of the sunshine acid!" things that puts a big wavy psychedelic thing on the screen, too. <br />
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<b>14. Have you ever engaged in sexual activity in Second Life?</b> <br />
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* Berry, you are SO nosy. But yes. :)<br />
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<b>15. Have you ever been to Bukkake Bliss in Second Life?</b> <br />
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* Yes! We used to go when there was nothing else to do, usually on an alt, just to be jerks. I have an alt named... Busty or Chesty, I can't remember now, and I made her look like Snooki circa 2009 [btw, have you seen Snooki now? She's grown up well! She's so pretty!] and I'd be stumbling all over Bukkake Bliss while people were trying to get it on. Got hit on a lot, but most of it was just "Come sit on this poseball." No thanks, noobfreenie. No thanks.<br />
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I really gotta go remember that poor alt's name. I have a feeling I left her at Bukkake Bliss.Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-57856740346247033312015-02-15T01:25:00.000-08:002015-02-15T01:25:44.249-08:00I'm surrounded by your embraceIt's late and my pixel feet are tired from all of the dancing tonight, but I had to do a special Valentine post for my special Valentine. [Of course, I don't think he actually reads my blog!] I was actually going to have this dedicated to him at the party tonight with the song but that didn't happen, so I get to write it here. :) <br />
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<i>My love,<br />
<br />
It's been almost 6 years since we first met and almost 5 since you decided that I was worth spending more time with. We've never had a fight, you've never used harsh words against me, and you've been more patient with me than anyone ever has been. I've never had to worry about anything with you and that is a gift that sometimes I feel like I don't deserve. You know my secrets and my past and you have never judged me. You have been my rock for almost 5 years, the one constant that I know I can count on. You call me your angel every day, but truthfully you have been mine. Happy Valentine's Day, I love you!</i><br />
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<i>Remember those walls I built?<br />
Well, baby they're tumbling down<br />
And they didn't even put up a fight<br />
They didn't even make a sound<br />
I found a way to let you in<br />
But, I never really had a doubt<br />
Standing in the light of your halo<br />
I got my angel now<br />
<br />
It's like I've been awakened<br />
Every rule I had you breakin'<br />
It's the risk that I'm taking<br />
I ain't never gonna shut you out!<br />
<br />
Everywhere I'm looking now<br />
I'm surrounded by your embrace<br />
Baby, I can see your halo<br />
You know you're my saving grace<br />
You're everything I need and more<br />
It's written all over your face<br />
Baby, I can feel your halo<br />
Pray it won't fade away</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16349738337" title="I'm surrounded by your embrace. by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/16349738337_b65b5ff341.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="I'm surrounded by your embrace."></a><br />
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<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnVUHWCynig" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-87939109371102095112015-02-14T01:27:00.001-08:002015-02-14T01:27:27.404-08:00My Family of ValentinesHappy Valentine's Day, dear ones! It's barely the 14th, but I know I won't have time to update later. :) Not that my updates are consistent or anything, but I do try to come around for holidays!<br />
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So Friday, we had a family Valentine's party! Tonight there is a black and red formal Valentine's dance, but that is an adult party and we couldn't let our little ones be left out of valentine fun! <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16523320462" title="My family of valentines by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/16523320462_6c81d7cf1f.jpg" width="500" height="408" alt="My family of valentines"></a><br />
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Birdy and Aldwyn aren't in that picture because we took it pretty early in the evening before Aldwyn got online, and my poor Birdy is under the weather. And I'm not REALLY that much smaller than my sister! She was wearing heels and I was in flat sandals. If we're not wearing shoes, we're usually around the same height!<br />
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My sis cooked up a great meal for us of sushi, steak [and tuna steak for the non-cow eaters!], and for dessert we could have chocolate mousse or ice cream! Riley had both. She might have a chocolate problem. *laughs*<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16338165050" title="Dinner with my valentines! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/16338165050_6169eb04e0.jpg" width="500" height="380" alt="Dinner with my valentines!"></a><br />
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Of course, certain little girls can't be contained and Payton might have decided when dessert was over. She's lucky she's cute. I wouldn't have just anyone dancing around in my ice cream. [And I was also having a ridiculous time keeping things rezzed tonight, so that's what's up with that gray box on her wrist.]<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16337930558" title="Welp. I guess dessert is over! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/16337930558_e0206ecbbf.jpg" width="500" height="421" alt="Welp. I guess dessert is over!"></a><br />
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But then my sis gave us all presents! It was like Christmas! She even gave me a gift that I think was more of a gift for Aldwyn. *snickers* <br />
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After gifts were over, we went to their little beach and ... well, there was the BIGGEST FONDUE POT EVER.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16525644525" title="Giant Fondue by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8639/16525644525_bf7b0dec05.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="Giant Fondue"></a><br />
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We became marshmallows! We had to run up the fork, dip ourselves in chocolate, and then jump down. I, of course, won with a time of 29 seconds! Go me! That kinda made up for when we did marshmallow sumo wrestling later and I was the first to fall over the side. Ahem.<br />
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When we got home, Aldwyn and I got our outfits for the formal. Usually it takes him foreverrrrr to find clothes, but he found something super quick this time. I was the one who went through 29030923 demos. This is the thing about me, and might be a problem for a lot of bloggers - Sometimes we honestly have no idea what to wear when we're not doing a post! Really! It's soooo much easier when I say "Okay, today I need to blog this event/store" and boom! It gets done. But tell me "You just have to look nice" and it's like OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE. *laughs* And also, when I blog, it really doesn't matter if I blog the same item as someone else. Most creators and events have more than a dozen bloggers at any given time and it happens. But for a big dance like this, I don't want to wear the same dress as anyone else. So I tried not to go directly to any of the bigger formals stores or pick a dress that I thought someone else would be in. I really like the dress I chose. I think it's super classy and since it's in black, I can wear it again if we ever choose to go out to a fancy dance club for a date night. <br />
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Bedtime!<br />
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Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-17979480254738969832015-02-08T11:41:00.002-08:002015-02-08T11:41:34.129-08:00Easy Like Sunday MorningMy sister was nice enough to come help me with our parcel the other night. For the past...well, forever, our home has always looked like it just kinda showed up in the middle of a lot of trees because I am not great at putting a whole area together. I can do bits and pieces, but not a whole thing. This is why I've always let my renters do what they want on their parcels rather than have some some carefully constructed residential area. They can do what they like and I can enjoy their art. <br />
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But after the whole house moving craziness, we had LOTS of room left and Lolita came and put down a road similar to what she has on their sim. It's kind of amazing what having something defined does for a place! The road is bigger than what I would have done which I think makes it better. I'm not really good at proportions. Years ago when I was hanging out with someone, he told me that when you do landscaping like this, you should always go bigger than you think you should. He gave me a couple of huge trees to prove his point and he was right. But of course, being me, I end up working in smaller bits and I think that I should have remembered his advice. *laughs* <br />
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The new road goes around in a rectangular shape, so we have a grassy area in the middle. I decided it would be a good place for a small park, so I plopped a fountain down in the middle. For some reason, I've acquired a few fountains in my SLife! I have no real idea why because I think I've only used a fountain once. But I like this one quite a bit. And with the addition of our little cafe caravan and a table set, it's becoming the perfect place to have my morning coffee and some quiet.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16289788117" title="Easy Like Sunday Morning by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/16289788117_af9912525d.jpg" width="500" height="353" alt="Easy Like Sunday Morning"></a><br />
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Of course, my sis has an awesome coffee shop on their sim, so I'm still going to be running over to have my lattes and cappucinos! <br />
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I am still working on the park and on putting more trees around so that it looks a little bit more natural and not like a tree farm of the same trees. I also need to get our backyard done up. We had a great deck last year and I KNOW I took it all up in one big piece so I could just put it out again, but we'll have to see if that actually happened or not! <br />
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I guess since my coffee cup is empty, I should go do something productive so I can come back and start hunting for my perfect Valentine's dress. There is a Valentine's formal this coming Saturday night and I need an awesome formal gown! <br />
Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-43871357607143663892015-02-06T01:44:00.002-08:002015-02-06T01:44:31.917-08:00You Can't Make Old FriendsI had a lot of things I could have been doing tonight while my family was off doing other things. But I mostly just sat around, looking at profiles of people on my friends list. There are people that I will never ever delete because I'll never be able to get them back on my list. <br />
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It's funny, but when things are quiet and I'm alone in SL, my thoughts always drift back to Cen. I still miss her. It's been 6 years now since she left SL and I still miss her. I miss the easy friendship we had. We were always in IM with each other when we were online, no matter what we were doing. I think we probably saw each other if not daily, then every other day. It was easy and fun and I miss it. I wonder what she would think of all the changes in SL over the past 6 years. When she left, mesh was still 2 years away from making its appearance on the grid. Gacha was something silly you stumbled upon in small Japanese stores. Stores happily gave gifts to not just their free group members, but to everyone by just placing a box at the front door. Our whole group of friends were still strong and together. Things have changed a lot.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16267971148" title="You Can't Make Old Friends by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8665/16267971148_af41a96571.jpg" width="500" height="403" alt="You Can't Make Old Friends"></a><br />
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But, that's the way of the world. Things change, people leave. I don't even know that we'd still be friends if she had stayed. I know my priorities in SL definitely changed over time and I'm sure hers would have as well. It happens. But if she ever came back to SL, I'd hope she'd look me up.<br />
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It's late and I think I've reached Grey's Anatomy saturation point [I've been marathon watching for days], so I think it's bedtime.Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-75265950365280219522015-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:002015-02-05T10:58:31.004-08:00So...that happened.So as part of the whole "I'm tired of our parcel looking like crap" thing, I decided I wanted to move our house. Should have been a simple thing. I have mod rights for pretty much everyone in the family at this point, so it should have been as simple as unlocking the house, selecting everything, and scooting it on over. SHOULD HAVE BEEN THAT SIMPLE.<br />
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Somewhere along the way, random things of mine in the house got locked down. Not just the house, not the walls I built downstairs and in our bathroom. Just random things like my teacup pigs, pictures on the wall, beds, posters... It had no rhyme or reason! A wall hanging I put up just 2 days ago was locked, but a music box I put out months ago was not. It was all completely random. And the more I unlocked items and tried to move things, the worse it got! Things were just becoming locked down for no ding dang reason! It was frustrating and laughable all at the same time.<br />
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The whole family was over while I was doing this so they really kept me from shedding tears. And hey, my sis even put out a fruit plate! *laughs*<br />
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Eventually, I decided to just move the house by itself and then move each individual room. After I moved the house, everything looked NUTS.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16265651597" title="So...That Happened. by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/16265651597_e50b7d9080.jpg" width="500" height="308" alt="So...That Happened."></a><br />
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The guys, in their EVER so helpful way, said I should say that it's very zen. You know, inner peace comes from living without walls. I threatened to kick them in the face. <br />
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A lot, actually.<br />
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But I meant it with love. ♥<br />
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Everyone had to go to bed, and I stayed up, checking every prim of mine in the house to unlock what was locked. It was insane how much was locked and how random it was. I still have absolutely NO idea what happened. In fact, in my head, all I was thinking of was that cover of <a href="http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Atlanta-Voice-FAIL.jpg">the Atlanta Voice</a> from last year. "What happen? Why it happen? Can it happen again?!"<br />
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All I know is that if it happens again, we're living in tents outside. Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-75593491183412279412015-02-04T15:05:00.004-08:002015-02-04T15:05:57.993-08:00So You Want A Family In Second Life.The biggest question I've frequently been asked in the past year is, "How did you get into a family?" The simplest answer I have is that I was adopted into it. Sometimes I refer them back to <a href="http://aliciachenaux.blogspot.com/2013/08/day-250-as-if-i-could-say-no.html">this post</a> that talks about the day it happened. But inevitably, it leads to more questions. "How did you get kids? What kinds of things does a family do? How do you deal with family changes? Is it constant roleplay? You don't find this weird at all? How can I get a family like yours, too?" Let me kind of detail how the family thing has gone <i>for me</i>. <br />
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My sister and brother were already family and in the family community before they sibling adopted me. I was friends with them. I knew I cared about them and I knew that being their sister would be fun. More than that, I already felt safe with them. I knew saying "yes" to them would be a good thing. If you're looking to start a family, getting siblings that are already your friends is a really good start. I usually suggest that to adults who are looking to get into it all because if they are friends, there is a good chance you already feel like they are your siblings.<br />
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Family changes are inevitable. People get adopted, people leave, new people come in. Is it strange sometimes? Of course. Our brother is now our forever brother [forever siblings are those who are always family to you, no matter where they go or what family they join] because he joined a family that included parents. We're happy for him that he did! But my sister and I don't have parents. We would probably get grounded a lot if we did. <br />
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Getting kids can be kind of a process, but worth it when you find kids that click with you and your family. Most decent kids in SL want to have good parents who make them feel safe. I never realized it before joining a family and becoming a SL mom, but most kid avatars are quite vulnerable because they put their "little self" out there in a way that adults never do. I feel it more with the ones who are dedicated kids than the ones who flip back and forth between kid and adult avatars, but it's still there. They trust that someone who says they are family will not hurt them, so if you look into getting a kid, realize that you need to do what you can to not abuse that trust.<br />
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We got our two girls two different ways. Abby was my plurk friend and then our goddaughter, and Birdy we met through Heritage Adoptions. If you're not sure if you're ready for the big step of becoming a parent, becoming a godparent can be a great introduction to having a kid around but there are some things you have to know about it first. If you become a godparent to a kid who has a family, realize that you may not see them too often. Your role as a godparent is basically to talk to them or give snuggles or just be there for them sometimes when their parents are unable to be. This is good in that your time is still your own and not too much changes in your life. But it can be bad, too, if you start to grow very attached to the child and you don't want them to leave. Their first priority is their existing family, not you. But yes, on occasion, you end up with them as your child. It happened with us, and it happened with Lolita and Takeo with Payton. Sometimes the bond is just really strong and you can't stop it. [We're not baby snatchers, despite what you might have heard.] [No, seriously.] You can find a godchild at an adoption place like Heritage, or you can ask around if anyone knows a kid looking for a godparent. <br />
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Our adoption with Birdy was through Heritage, but not the "traditional" adoption since we did a longer trial period. Heritage has it set that kids are on trial with their prospective parents for just one week. Every day you get notices saying that you have so many days left in your trial. It can actually be quite anxiety making! But you are absolutely not required to only take a week and I urge you <b>strongly</b> to take a much longer trial period than just one week. If the kid is heavily campaigning to be adopted within the first few days, it is a red flag. If they are mad at you for wanting to extend the trial past a week, it is a red flag. If they try to get too familiar too quickly, honey...it is a red flag. Long trials, especially for kids you didn't know before, allow you both to get to know each other and learn about how you can combine your SLives together. You might feel that this is the kid for you within the first day, but still, extend it out just a little longer. Our trial with Birdy was over two weeks long and that was a shorter trial than we were anticipating, but the whole family basically knew from the start that she would be adopted. When you do go on trial with someone, if you feel like things are not working out, you have to speak up. That goes for both parent and child. You should never feel pressured to join a family.<br />
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If you do decide to hop in and adopt through an agency, remember that you must have a home for them already. If you're the type who just lives on a platform or you stay in sandboxes all of the time, being a parent may not be for you. Heritage is actually specific on their panel notecard that you MUST have a place for the child to live. They aren't required to live with you during the trial period, but I suggest that they do because you have to get used to each other. Make sure you get a kid who can be online around the times that you are, too. Do NOT pick someone who can only be in SL from 8am to 12pm when you can only be there at 1pm. It is unfair to both you and the child. Also remember that if you have kids, you will need to plan things for them to do once in a while. Sure they can entertain themselves, but like RL kids, they do get bored! I'm actually quite bad about this, though. Luckily for me, my sister is <b>much</b> better at planning family activities than I am. We do movie nights, game nights, go on vacations, and explore different places. And remember, too, that even if you have kids, you still have to take time for yourself and your partner [if you have one] once in a while. Your kids shouldn't mind and if you want to get "real" about it, you can hire a babysitter. But usually the kids just entertain themselves, or go to bed early.<br />
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Is being in a family constant roleplay? Well, yes and no. We do talk about our real lives when we're together. A Second Life family is about friendship, after all. But there is always that bit of roleplay there. Lolita and I refer to each other as "sis" most of the time on plurk. Our kids refer to each other as cousins. We do have times when we're more heavily into the family thing, like when we do vacations, have game or movie nights, or do meal times together. The kids very rarely use their voice to speak on Skype with us to maintain the whole kid thing. So yes, there is always that bit of family roleplay, but my family doesn't feel the need to immerse ourselves in it to the point of not knowing about the others' real lives. If you like more heavy roleplay, there are certainly people out there who would do that with you. You have to find the balance that works for you.<br />
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All families are different and while you might see our pictures or hear of our adventures, you might find that a family like mine doesn't work for you and that's okay. The most important thing in having a family in SL is that you are with people that you feel safe with, that you can have fun with, and who make your life happy. Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-7780008808607515532015-01-31T01:33:00.001-08:002015-01-31T01:33:21.824-08:00The Forecast Was WrongIt's been cold on Bluebonnet since November. I've been paying attention to the forecast and all the snow was supposed to melt on Sunday. But you know, the weather forecast is almost NEVER right. Aldwyn and I went out and about today, looking at new houses [and meeting readers! Hi Izzy!], checking out other places, dancing in bell towers. And wouldn't you know it? The snow melted and Bluebonnet went through a bit of a change with a brand new mountain range! Spring is here!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16220891288" title="The Forecast Was Wrong by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/16220891288_043074863d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The Forecast Was Wrong"></a><br />
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I really really want to make our home look beautiful this year. I mean, I say that at every weather change, but I mean it this time! I may have to enlist help, though, because I suck at this whole landscaping thing. People tell me I don't, but oh trust me, I do. Nothing ever really comes out the way I want. I just...do stuff and then throw a bunch of trees on top of it. I don't want to do that this time around. <br />
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Much to do tomorrow, so goodnight!<br />
Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-31868339083231233082015-01-25T01:42:00.003-08:002015-01-25T01:42:39.157-08:0080s Prom Night!I really don't like when I go more than a week without updating in here. I've meant to, many times, but I was really off my game the past week. I've been kind of on the sick side, which has been totally annoying, and I've spent a lot of time just on the couch napping and watching tv. Lame. LOL<br />
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I went out tonight with my sis and bro-in-law to an 80s Prom out at Boystown. It was sooo fun!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15741946903" title="80s Prom 1 by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/15741946903_9cb2199c57.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="80s Prom 1"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16175700719" title="80s Prom 2 by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/16175700719_eac169e960.jpg" width="500" height="407" alt="80s Prom 2"></a><br />
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Unfortunately, Aldwyn wasn't able to be my date to prom [weekends are hard for him to do things a lot of the time], but well...it's not like I was gonna get picked up at this particular prom. *laughs* Although when it came time to vote for prom queen, a really nice boy told me he voted for me. So that was pretty awesome. I didn't win, though.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16361912585" title="Whateverrrr by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/16361912585_c1b17c1b5b.jpg" width="500" height="408" alt="Whateverrrr"></a><br />
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But trust me, it was stiff competition!! <br />
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The entire place was pretty cool and they did an amazingggg job on the build, both inside and out. It's easy to just throw together a party build but when you take the time to really put in all the little details [like Ren's car from Footloose was out in the parking lot] and there was even an ice sculpture of a swan inside. It was perfect!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16361913145" title="Prom Night by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/16361913145_15f74718ab.jpg" width="500" height="354" alt="Prom Night"></a><br />
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And then I was TOTALLY ready to kick my shoes off, hop in the truck, and head to the lake for the afterparty!! What? Only students at my high school did this after dances and stuff? Oh.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16176030597" title="Let's Go To The Lake! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/16176030597_c8073d47b7.jpg" width="500" height="376" alt="Let's Go To The Lake!"></a><br />
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As much as we love our kids and being with them, it is nice to get away with just the adults on occasion. And luckily all of our kids are really understanding and usually take the time on our "adult nights" to catch up on their own things. But tomorrow night is family night and I'm happy about that because we have the best time when we're all together! :)<br />
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Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-31144679219558873212015-01-15T23:25:00.000-08:002015-01-15T23:25:13.975-08:00But Not Purple Rain!<i>Just to do the business stuff, I still have the parcel available that I talked about in my last post. IM me to check it out!</i><br />
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Tonight we had a birthday party for my great-niece Tess! It was a Disney themed princess party! There was great music and lots of friends and family. By the time we took this pic, most had gone to bed, but you can still see how cute people looked! And also, I think all of them were smiling but I was really lagged out for some reason and didn't catch everyone's smiles. They were happy, I promise!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15671393693" title="A Princess Party For Princess Tess by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8593/15671393693_6a53a799f0.jpg" width="500" height="459" alt="A Princess Party For Princess Tess"></a><br />
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The guys, of course, couldn't be princesses. [Well, not that there's anything wrong with that, but they're not really the princess type!] But there's not really a whole lot in the way of Disney guys that are royal and even less if you're trying to find any kind of a royal outfit in SL that is in any way current. When Aldwyn and I were talking about costumes last night and I told him the theme and he should be a prince, immediately I had to say, "But not Purple Rain!" Because...well...after almost 5 years together, I know him. <br />
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He came late to the party and I wasn't really sure WHAT he had chosen to wear. When he teleported in with a huge flash of light and sparkles, there he stood, He-Man, Prince of Eternia. [Well, technically, He-Man isn't the prince when he's in his He-Man get up, but we'll let that slide.] At this point, the girls were threatening to stop being Zanzibars and Abby went to hide under the stairs. Then he changed again into... Prince. PURPLE RAIN PRINCE. This is when I threatened to stop being a Zanzibar as well. *laughs* But finally he put on a decent royal outfit and I allowed him to be near me. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16291474365" title="But Not Purple Rain! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/16291474365_a9ebe2dcfe.jpg" width="500" height="470" alt="But Not Purple Rain!"></a><br />
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But all in all, it was a super fun party. The girls got lessons in being princesses [like hold your dress up when you walk down the stairs so you don't fall but not so high up you show your underpants], and the place was super pretty, and the music was great. I just love my family and our friends! Our parties are always so fun! :) Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-18852042719457812302015-01-11T00:27:00.000-08:002015-01-11T00:27:29.105-08:00You're all the things I've got to rememberI hope everyone had a great start to their year! It's been busy busy here. I made a goal to do at least one style post more than I did each month last year, which meant for January I needed to do 6. But something funny happened. I started to really enjoy it again! Not that I ever NOT enjoyed it, but I felt like I was in a huge rut last year in my quest to try to really be good and trying to please some creators who were very demanding with what they expected. This time I'm just doing pics the way I want, trying some new things, and it's fun! Of course, ask me again next month when I need to do 15 posts. *laughs* <br />
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On the business side of things, I have a parcel available on Bluebonnet! <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16120820582" title="Bluebonnet Parcel Open by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8650/16120820582_54bfac8d30.jpg" width="500" height="497" alt="Bluebonnet Parcel Open"></a><br />
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This is a corner parcel and it's PLAIN. My renters use their own houses and they terraform/landscape the way they want. The terrain changes for the seasons but everyone supplies their own trees and stuff. The reason I have to really specify this is because there are a lot of residential places that are pre-landscaped and come with houses. We don't do that on Bluebonnet. All the prims on your parcel are yours. I don't even have rent boxes! If you're interested in the parcel, IM me in world and I'll be glad to show it to you. :)<br />
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Tonight was Payton's birthday party! We kept it small, just family, and it was 80s themed!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16066249867" title="Payton's Party by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8668/16066249867_10011211d4.jpg" width="500" height="370" alt="Payton's Party"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16064361400" title="Payton's 80s Party by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8611/16064361400_e22e7062be.jpg" width="500" height="387" alt="Payton's 80s Party"></a><br />
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After we danced and Payton got her gifts, we played human pinball! It was SO MUCH FUN! We had a gigantic pinball machine and Abby made a pinball that we could sit in and then we went rolling down the machine to try to get 1000 points!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16064459350" title="Human Pinball by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7536/16064459350_1d5a18a761.jpg" width="500" height="460" alt="Human Pinball"></a><br />
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It was just a super fun party and we had great conversations and lots and lots of laughs. My family is the bestest! ♥<br />
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Time for bed!Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-53771524879577239862015-01-01T02:29:00.000-08:002015-01-01T02:29:31.053-08:00Walking Into The New YearHappy 2015! Since the Grand Canyon was empty tonight, I headed over after changing out of my party clothes and took a walk around the place. Just to think, mostly.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15540955344" title="Walking Into The New Year by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8642/15540955344_59143d535e.jpg" width="500" height="382" alt="Walking Into The New Year"></a><br />
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I don't really make resolutions any more. I do make some goals for the year, but they're loose goals. I don't like feeling bad if I don't accomplish something. And really, I set little goals for myself all year long, so just because it's the first day of the new year doesn't mean I need to set my whole year in stone. Does that make sense? Forgive me if it doesn't, it's after 4am here. :)<br />
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This coming year, I mostly want to try a little harder in things that I already do. For instance, my style blog. I think that I do some decent pics these days, and I like writing a little something about what I'm wearing, and I think that I do a pretty good job of crediting items. But I'm awfully sporadic with it. I just blog when I happen to feel like it and that means that I use very little of what I'm given. [At least, on the blog. I actually use more stuff in just my everyday SLife than I show on the blog.] So I want to try to get myself on more of a schedule for blogging. Or, at the very least, try for more than just once a week. I've been doing this for over 5 years, I feel like I would probably be more well known as a fashion blogger if I actually did it more often.<br />
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I also want to try a little harder in my friendships with people. I think that people take my silence for disinterest sometimes, and that's not really the case. I'm simply used to being the one who waits to be spoken to. This is not just something that occurs in SL, either. It's just that I'm used to being the listener and so I tend to wait until I'm needed. But this also means that I don't cultivate my friendships as I should. I get left out of a lot of things because I guess I seem like I'm not interested since I don't speak up. So that's definitely something I want to work on.<br />
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And then, of course, I am always striving to be a better SL mom and wife and sister and aunt. They tell me I'm fine, but I know I could be better. I want to be better for them.<br />
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Do you guys make resolutions or goals or have a "try harder" list for the new year?<br />
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I am super tired now and haven't slept since 2014 [lol! i couldn't help it.] so I think it's bedtime for me. :)<br><br>Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-8456653559155375892014-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:002014-12-30T14:28:00.867-08:00Before the new year... Guess how I got to start my morning today??<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16150025842" title="Before The New Year... by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7528/16150025842_07f397cc1f.jpg" width="500" height="393" alt="Before The New Year..."></a><br />
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Yep! Having coffee at the Grand Canyon!!<br />
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No, we're not on vacation again. See, every year since 2008, I have hosted a New Year's Eve Eve party on December 30th. We've had masquerades and ice palaces and barn dances and all kinds of fun themes. I usually start planning the theme and working on it in November. But this year... well, time just got away from me. We had a lot of things going on in both RL and SL and then suddenly I realized it was December 29th and no party. I was really kind of bummed out about it because throwing the NYEE party is one of my favorite things to do of the year.<br />
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Luckily, I have a pretty cool sister. Last night she said that there was actually no one at the Grand Canyon this week, so if I wanted, I was free to throw a party there. Well how could I say no??? I adore the Grand Canyon and having a dance there sounds perfect!<br />
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So that's what we're doing tonight. :) 8pm SLT is party time. If you want to come, just IM me or one of the family around that time and we'll TP you over. We're dressing party cute, and it's not cold there so you don't need to wear a coat. It IS a homestead sim, so only 20 people can be there at once, so it'll be a more low key event this year, but that is just fine with me. I'm going to be happy to just play music and laugh and dance with my family and friends.<br />
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This is probably going to be my last post in this blog of 2014 now that I think about it. Tomorrow is the 7 year anniversary of my starting this thing. God, how time does fly. I could never have imagined that sitting down one night and just writing random junk would have led to a SLifetime of amazing. And it has been amazing, every moment of it, both good and bad. I have no doubts that 2015 won't be just as interesting and full of laughter and joy as 2014 was.<br />
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So, my dear readers, thank you for coming along on this ride with me as I enter the 7th year of my blog. Whether you've been reading my blog from the start or you just started today, thank you. I always say that I write for me, and a large part of that is true, but I also write to share with you guys. And I love when you all share your thoughts with me through IMs or notecards or comments. SL blogging has changed a great deal in the 7 years that I've been doing it. When I started, there were many more personal blogs with people sharing their lives. The fashion bloggers did kind of take over and there are a lot less bloggers who even bother to write a hello, but one thing I've learned is that there is room for all of us in the blogosphere. <br />
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Stay safe if you head out for New Year's Eve. I want to see you all back here with me in 2015!Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-566868284330691972014-12-24T01:51:00.000-08:002014-12-24T01:51:55.031-08:00My Christmas Wish<i>'Cause I just want you here tonight<br />
Holding on to me so tight.<br />
What more can I do?<br />
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you.</i><br />
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This is our 5th Christmas together. I know, right?? I just had to go back through my blog to see if I had miscounted, even though I was counting on my fingers. But yep, our 5th Christmas. Even though I told him that all the Arcade stuff he got me is present enough, he still wanted to get me something else. I am easy to buy gifts for because I truly appreciate anything people give me. But I'm also quite hard to buy gifts for because I blog for a lot of my favorite stores already, plus I shop quite a bit on my own! So when he wants to give me something, it has to be something I wouldn't normally buy for myself. Today Maitreya released their new mesh body. As soon as we signed on tonight, he dragged me down there to buy it. :) I was planning on demoing it at some point but I already have the Slink Physique and only seem to wear that when I'm wearing things that show my legs. And not to mention that Pink Fuel doesn't have appliers for it yet. But he didn't care. He said it could sit in my inventory if I wanted, but he was buying it for me.<br />
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Who am I to argue? <br />
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We went home and I played around with it. I don't wear Glam Affair skins [which are already preloaded into the HUD], but I happened to have some old ones from an event last year, plus the Slink appliers for one of the tones. It's really a very nice body, and I like the alpha options. But until Pink Fuel does appliers for it, it's not something I'll wear often. Plus, let's face it. I wear a lot of big sweaters and jeans. There's basically so reason to wear a mesh body when you're wearing that stuff. <br />
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But there are good reasons to have mesh bodies, too. Like when you want to wear pretty, skimpy clothes while smooching on the man who has been good to you for 5 Christmases. And while you kiss him, you make your Christmas wish that there will be more Christmases together in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16091854361" title="My Christmas Wish by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/16091854361_5265b1bf1e.jpg" width="500" height="478" alt="My Christmas Wish"></a>Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-69683030468713838312014-12-19T22:28:00.000-08:002014-12-19T22:28:26.279-08:00The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!So a year ago today, Abby became our daughter. :)<br />
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It's been a heck of a year! But a really good one. We had nooo idea that we'd be so happy as SL parents. Really! But it just completely makes sense. Nothing I've done in my entire SLife has made me as happy as being part of a family in SL has made me. Maybe my family life started the day I got married, or the day I was sibling adopted, but I think it wasn't really official until one red headed 8 year old became a Zanzibar. :)<br />
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We had our party on Wednesday and it was really fun! Lots of laughter and many good friends and family dropped in. It was great to see everyone!!<br />
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Yesterday, we were finally able to take our holiday picture. If you're one of our close friends or family members, you'll probably get a copy of it in world [at least, from one of the girls. I'm actually pretty bad at sending things out!], but I wanted to share here, too. I'm sure I'll post again before Christmas, but if I do not, have a wonderful holiday!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15439152834" title="Happy Holidays!! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8566/15439152834_0804f10246.jpg" width="362" height="500" alt="Happy Holidays!!"></a>Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-6593907145737779822014-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:002014-12-17T18:53:25.040-08:00Got that party feelin'!I've been getting ready for our party tonight. I hope people like sparkles because well... we got a lot of them! LOL!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15427309143" title="Got that party feelin! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7480/15427309143_b199c649db.jpg" width="500" height="378" alt="Got that party feelin!"></a><br />
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I really can't wait for the party! It's always fun to get together with friends and family, especially those we don't get to see as often as we'd like. If you guys would like to come to the party, we'd love <a href="http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bluebonnet/98/186/22">to see you there!</a> The party is at 8pm SLT!Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-38892582797855054012014-12-15T01:36:00.001-08:002014-12-15T01:36:31.642-08:00We just like sparkles, okay?I've been trying to landscape our parcel ever since the snow fell, but man... I have had no luck! I just haven't been able to get any ideas in my head of what to do. But we're having a party this Wednesday for Abby's adoptaversary, so I needed to do SOMETHING.<br />
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The ice skating pond where the party will be held is pretty much done, but the rest of the land looked pretty plain. So I just started throwing stuff down. And it became very apparent that girls live there because the whole place is pretty well coated in sparkles at this point.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16024644481" title="We just like sparkles, okay? by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/16024644481_d61087e897.jpg" width="500" height="361" alt="We just like sparkles, okay?"></a><br />
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The place is coming along, slowly but surely. I set up a little campsite, and I'm going to make some hills for when we go sledding. But that's work for tomorrow.<br />
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Oh! In case you're not on my plurk or flickr, let me leave the invitation to her party here. It's an ice skating party, so be sure to dress warm and bring your skates! I'll add the SLurl to the party on Wednesday. Or just pull up Bluebonnet on the map and look for the people. lol<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/16006771745" title="Adoptaversary Ice Skating Party!! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8636/16006771745_ed9d97b599.jpg" width="500" height="382" alt="Adoptaversary Ice Skating Party!!"></a>Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-16931481996768601772014-12-12T01:12:00.000-08:002014-12-12T01:12:28.545-08:00Fra-GEE-leh! It must be Italian!Since the girls went to bed early tonight, I decided to try to pull out some of my Christmas decorations for the house and also do a little bit of redecorating in the living room. But well, as I was pulling things out of my inventory, I discovered something that I forgot I had!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15383613473" title="Fra-GEE-leh! It must be Italian! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/15383613473_8abb517866.jpg" width="500" height="419" alt="Fra-GEE-leh! It must be Italian!"></a><br />
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Behold! The leg lamp!!<br />
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Obviously this is the best Christmas decoration that we could possibly have in the house. Obviously.<br />
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I just hope the girls think so. *laughs*Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-48615437118286640232014-12-10T23:53:00.002-08:002014-12-10T23:53:42.893-08:00The Best TreeThe girls have been itching to get a Christmas tree up, so tonight we headed out to <a href="http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Simpson%20Bay/149/181/25">Inglewood's Farm</a> to cut our own tree down! The place is really lovely and there are things to do and see out there. <br />
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After we stopped at the little cafe to get coffee, we headed out into the tree farm to look for the best one. The girls ran around until they found the tree that they felt was the fluffiest.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15809937189" title="The Best Tree by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7531/15809937189_9ab0aaa0dc.jpg" width="500" height="412" alt="The Best Tree"></a><br />
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Luckily, Daddy Z is pretty handy with an ax. And he's big and strong, because you know, we're delicate girls. We couldn't lug the tree around ourselves! We might get splinters! But he chopped and chopped and got us our tree.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15809937719" title="Chopchopchop! by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7467/15809937719_7a9d73e70f.jpg" width="500" height="402" alt="Chopchopchop!"></a><br />
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After we got our tree, met some reindeer [Birdy shared her coffee with them!], and Abby met a woman who probably didn't realize that wearing pants is usually a good thing out on a snowy farm, we headed home to set up our new tree. There is still tons to do in the house to get it ready for Christmas, but we got our tree up, so that's really what counts. But setting up a Christmas tree is hard work! It was bedtime for our little ones, but they didn't want to stop looking at the tree.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15808671710" title="Dreaming of Christmas by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7466/15808671710_446cc3a4cf.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="Dreaming of Christmas"></a><br />
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We have a busy couple of weeks coming up. Next week [the 17th], we're having an ice skating party to celebrate Abby's 1 year adoptaversary with us. Plus we are going to see the Polar Express and Santa with the Oleanders, and there will be an ugly Christmas sweater party and I think a camp fire stories night, too. Lots to do, but it's all good stuff. :) <br />
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Goodnight!Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-53715047204277596602014-12-09T22:19:00.001-08:002014-12-09T22:19:30.832-08:00Catching SnowflakesSo I have a pretty cute family, you know? I mean, it's kind of in the guidelines that everyone needs to be somewhat photogenic and all, but we really did luck out. *laughs* Abby had to go to bed early tonight so Birdy and I went outside to play in the snow. How adorable does she look trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue?!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15368930043" title="Catching Snowflakes by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8672/15368930043_32ebb5d649.jpg" width="500" height="385" alt="Catching Snowflakes"></a><br />
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We'd pretty much eaten our fill of snowflakes when Aldwyn came home. He didn't think we needed to eat any more because I think he was worried that we'd start singing "LET IT GOOOOO!" <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15801165408" title="Snowbirds by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/15801165408_f5d5dedb5a.jpg" width="500" height="390" alt="Snowbirds"></a><br />
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Joke's on him. I'm gonna sing it anyway. :-D<br />
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Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-79672336990957401432014-12-01T01:17:00.000-08:002014-12-01T01:17:54.381-08:00Well, that was an amazing half hour.So The Arcade started tonight. About an hour ago, in fact. It's the first time in a while where hardly any of the family was able to be on and that made it just a little less enjoyable for me. Of course, now that they've moved sims, it's not as fun as it was when some of the family were out banging against the sim borders and laughing about it! I never even got to do the border thing because by the time I got my new computer, they'd moved sims!<br />
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But I stayed up anyway. One of my friends got an early pass, so he was set up and ready to sell at midnight. My niece Bella is a mod this time around, so she also got in early and was ready to sell at midnight, too. And then the old shopping sickness hit me.<br />
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For 30 minutes, I went crazy. <br />
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I ran first to Matthew's sale. Click click CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK. I bought lots of things off my wishlist. Then I ran back to Bluebonnet and picked up a few more things from Bella. Then someone on plurk posted their sale and I went there and bought some more things from the list.<br />
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It took me about 30 minutes to buy many things off my list. To be perfectly honest, I got home and barely knew what had happened. I used to have a shopping addiction, years and years ago, and that's what this reminded me of. I bought and bought. <br />
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Of course, unlike back then, I only spent around $11. *laughs* <br />
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Still, it was a fun 30 minutes. There are more things I need off my list, of course. But I can do the rest a little more slowly with the family, and Aldwyn is a really good shopper/trader and he always gets me the good rares that I want.<br />
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But I got animals. So I'm happy. :)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15919341781" title="Well, that was an amazing half hour by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7524/15919341781_55e483c803.jpg" width="500" height="342" alt="Well, that was an amazing half hour"></a><br />
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I need to do more landscaping on our parcel. Now that it's snowy, I want to do a bigger overhaul of the parcel, but I am not the best at this stuff. I would just hire someone to come do it for me, but oh hey, I spent almost all my $L on animals. LOL! Such is SLife. :)Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-87881760658361490952014-11-27T19:11:00.000-08:002014-11-27T19:11:00.031-08:00ThankfulHappy Thanksgiving! [Or happy Thursday, if you're not in the US!] I spent the day with my parents but we didn't do the customary "Eat until you die and then have some dessert" thing that most people do. Not this time, anyway. :) But I did bake a cake this morning to take over. While I was waiting for it to bake, I hung out in SL. One of my favorite things to do when I'm alone and just being quiet is to look at our photos on the wall.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15708157270" title="Thankful by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8636/15708157270_3c18a52247.jpg" width="498" height="500" alt="Thankful"></a><br />
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Although today is officially a day of thanks, I am thankful every day. Looking at the pictures on the wall [well, walls, since we have pictures everywhere] just reminds me of how blessed I am. I have a pretty great RL. A day never goes by where I don't know how loved I am. But I never thought that my SL would be as good. After years and years of doing different things, I really feel like I'm where I belong. And the best part? I only had to be me. :)<br />
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Anyway, I hear that snow is about to fall on Bluebonnet and the mountains are about to rise, so I better run in so I can see all the excitement!Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-3013637552434550442014-11-26T01:09:00.002-08:002014-11-26T01:09:23.310-08:00Thanksgiving 2014Since several members of the family are heading out of town this week, tonight we had our family Thanksgiving dinner!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15260060964" title="Our Thanksgiving by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8669/15260060964_2bebae0cc6.jpg" width="500" height="305" alt="Our Thanksgiving"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15881685482" title="Our Thanksgiving - 2 by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7558/15881685482_0b99da576c.jpg" width="500" height="337" alt="Our Thanksgiving - 2"></a><br />
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It was just so much fun! We talked and laughed, which isn't really unusual for us at all. Then we all went around the table and said what we were grateful for. Mostly we're all grateful that we're family because being together is just so natural for us all. We are just so thankful that we all found each other when we did. :) I don't really have a lot of local family in my RL. It's basically just me and my parents. I don't have sisters any more. I will never be able to have kids. So I am blessed beyond measure that I can have all of this in SL with some of the best people I've ever met online. HASHTAG BLESSED!<br />
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After dessert, we got into our comfy sweats and jerseys and headed out to play FOOTBALL!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15695815157" title="Thanksgiving Football by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8661/15695815157_0a70820904.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Thanksgiving Football"></a><br />
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Okay, so...maybe there were like 4 balls out on the field, and maybe we don't know all the rules, and Abby was wearing a space helmet, and the halftime show was kind of...well, us. But still! It was awesome!!<br />
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But, as usual, time went by too quickly and people needed to head to bed. So we said goodnight and headed home, got the girls off to bed, and settled in to do the thing that we do best.<br />
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Talk. :)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15695024320" title="See You Soon by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7582/15695024320_c7786ab56d.jpg" width="500" height="407" alt="See You Soon"></a><br />
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Oh you pervs. You thought I was going to say something else, huh? :-p<br />
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Aldwyn is leaving town for almost a week tomorrow so we needed to cram in as much talking as possible. And also snuggle, because that's something else we do really well, too. <br />
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It was really a wonderful night, but now it's time for lots of sleep. ♥Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1639577993851585768.post-85886717268354803202014-11-24T21:05:00.000-08:002014-11-24T21:05:14.992-08:00The Best Cookie Bakers EverTomorrow we are having our family Thanksgiving dinner! You might remember last year <a href="http://aliciachenaux.blogspot.com/2013/11/day-295-we-only-deal-in-special.html">Abby and I made a dish to take</a> to dinner. Only...well, we ended up forgetting it in the fridge. It was probably for the best. <br />
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But this year, I have two daughters instead of one goddaughter! Between the three of us, I think we made some awesome cookies to share with the family!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chknowblogs/15873626745" title="The Best Cookie Bakers Ever by Alicia Chenaux, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7530/15873626745_393a30499d.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="The Best Cookie Bakers Ever"></a><br />
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And I PROMISE no one sneezed in the flour or stepped on any cookies. I PROMISE!!<br />
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It's funny how things change in a year, isn't it? We went from just having this little goddaughter to having two amazing daughters. We have much to be thankful for this year!Alicia Chenauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651084537326600196noreply@blogger.com0