In honor of the redecoration, I thought I’d dig up the rest of the photos I’ve used recently as banner images. Looking through them, it’s fun to see where I’ve lived and traveled in this last year. (You can view them full size by clicking on the gallery at the end of the post.)

La Jolla Cove

Daisies on the cliffs overlooking La Jolla Cove in Southern California, April 2011.

I-70, Utah

Road trip from Michigan to California, January 2011. (Photo credit: Kirk)

Big Bend, Wisconsin

My parent’s backyard, December 2010.

Coon Lake, Michigan

Kirk chills out with a beer while watching the waterskiers, September 2010.

Freshwater Beach, Australia

Hiking from Queenscliff to Curl Curl, April 2010.

Manly, Australia

View from our apartment balcony, February 2010. (Photo credit: Kirk)

Highway 1

After the storm, somewhere between LA and San Francisco, January 2010.

Want to go back a little further in OnBlueUnderCanvas history? Have a look at these old OnBlueUnderCanvas themes from when I started this blog back in 2007. ☼

So said both my mom and my sister, both shell-shocked by the scandalous news. “Yep,” I said. “He kissed another girl.”

‘He’ being my boyfriend, Kirk. We’ve been together over 5 years now. After all this time, he’s gone and done something like this. Kissing some other girl. This girl to be exact:

Her name is Shannon Lucio. She’s an actress who has appeared on The O.C. and Grey’s Anatomy. And now she’s kissed my boyfriend.

And? Is it an unforgivable transgression? Kirk and I must be over, done, finito? Well, not so fast. It would be so FOX News of me to tell you just one side of the story. Here’s the whole thing:

This summer both Kirk and I signed up with a talent agency called Real Style. Since then I’ve been called to work as an extra on a Lifetime movie called Smooch, and also the TV series Detroit 1-8-7 (which hasn’t aired yet.) This Tuesday, Kirk was called to work on the movie Right Angle, which recently changed its name to Cripple. He was to play the boyfriend of the lead actress.

It wasn’t until he showed up on set that he found out exactly what he was required to do. The director asked him to walk his ‘girlfriend’ (Shannon Lucio) down some stairs and then give her a kiss goodbye. And do it like 30 times.

When Kirk told me who his ‘girlfriend’ was, I had to look her up.

You might remember her from season two of The O.C. She played Lindsay, a love interest of Ryan‘s.

She’s also appeared on Grey’s Anatomy as Amanda, the girl who George pushed out of the way of an oncoming bus.

George saved her life, but ended up losing his.

I think back to my freshman year of college when, in our tiny dorm room, my roommate Ericka and I sat on the edge of our desk chairs, a bowl of kettlecorn in between us, eagerly awaiting the start of a new episode of The O.C. I never could have imagined then that the guy who I would fall in love with the following year, would – a half decade later – end up kissing the girl that I was then watching on prime time TV.

A little weird, right? Here’s the evidence for any non-believers (a photo taken by my friend Ideene, who has spent the last month as a PA on Right Angle/Cripple):

Alright, technically this could be any chick with strawberry blonde hair, but really, it’s Lucio. And in the suit, playing her ‘hot-shot business exec’ boyfriend, is Kirk.

Standing at the top of this stairwell cuing Kirk for each take was Ideene. Ever a multi-tasker, she was also texting me the play-by-play of what was happening.

Ideene: He kissed her….. ahhhhh
Me: He kissed her?! Really?!
Ideene: Does it bother u?
Me: No I don’t mind. It’s legit. He’s getting paid for it. I suppose you could say that about a stripper too, but this is different.
Ideene: Yah figured. And I’m not into red heads.

It’s acting. How would you imagine Ryan Reynolds felt when Scarlett Johansson got all steamy with Bradley Cooper in He’s Just Not That Into You? I’m guessing probably a little awkward, but that’s the biz.

Now, if Kirk was supposed to do a sex scene, I might feel a little differently. There’s no way in hell I’d approve of only $8 an hour for that. ☼

Whether the question came from the psychology grad student eager for a human specimen, or the younger sibling taking a friendly jab at her now older sister, it has me thinking. Ruminating… over what I’ve done with my life up to this quarter-century milestone of age.

Which also gets me thinking how post-modernly emo the mid-twenties lament really is. Consider that John Mayer dedicated a whole song to it. (I know, John Mayer isn’t technically emo, but peel off the first layer of that palatable pop/rock sound and those seemingly down-to-earth lyrics, and underneath thrives an ocean of emotion.) Here’s a snippet from “Why Georgia”:

It might be a quarter life crisis
or just the stirring in my soul

Either way, I wonder sometimes
about the outcome
of a still verdictless life

Am I living it right?

Sure, I’m just as befuddled as the next 21st century post-grad who can’t keep a regular job or regular bed time to save her life. But, looking back on my years – particularly the last half-dozen in which I had to start making my own decisions and hold myself accountable for myself – they’ve been pretty darn good. I’ve traveled and dabbled in lots of endeavors. Shooting a documentary in Costa Rica to rehabbing a condo in Chicago, surfing in Australia to moviemaking in Michigan. Through it all, I still have a handful of great friends, a boyfriend who’s the best of friend, a kickass sister who’s off in New York becoming a PhD superstar and a set of amazingly understanding do-what-makes-you-happy parents.

Now, at terms with my past, I could jump face first into my future. The night before my birthday, Kirk and his parents took me out for dinner to the best pizza place in Ann Arbor: Cottage Inn. More interesting than the great pizza was the beverage I selected to accompany said pizza:

Ghettoblaster Beer at Cottage Inn

On my actual birth-day, a smattering of friends joined me at a sushi restaurant to celebrate. Everyone ordered a bunch of rolls and we shared them family-style. We tasted and raved, so good! and tasted more and wondered, slices of kiwi on sushi? weird… We drank Kirin Ichiban and saki and ate pistachio ice cream for dessert.

Birthday Dinner at Miki

Kirk, with such forethought (or so dirt cheap), saved a website listing birthday drink specials at bars in Ann Arbor. We planned to use this like a field trip itinerary for the night’s adventures.

Ann Arbor Bar Birthday Specials

That started off well and good at The Arena, but from there it was all about ambiance. We jumped to Cafe Habana, and finished at… well, I can’t actually recall.

Flaming Shot

It was a birthday to remember (if not in amazing detail), and a birthday thoroughly enjoyed, without a doubt. ☼

It was a short two-hour jaunt from Chicago around the southern edge of the big lake. After reaching St. Joseph, we headed toward its tiny downtown and then crossed a high bridge to reach Marina Island. There awaited Rubicon, floating in a slip.

Rubicon, a Pearson 40′, belongs to Walt Bartkowiak. Walt is Kirk’s dad’s cousin Marilyn’s husband. I know, confusing. Tim, Walt and Marilyn’s son, usually travels from Detroit every weekend to accompany his dad on the boat. The two of them were nice enough to extend an invitation to us. (And happy to order a pair of newbie crew members around.)

What follows is a photo story of the day. Because, to be frank, right now words are boring me. Pictures are more fun. Also, after our sail, we explored the boat yard. An old wooden pirate boat caught my aesthetic interest.

[flickr album=72157622401912699 num=30 size=Large]

Holy vaca. Holy cow. So many things have happened since I arrived Monday evening, I don’t know where to begin.

I’ll start ahora mismo. Right now.

This morning, Natalia (nah-TALL-yah) made fried eggs and toast for desayuno. David (dah-VEED) had already left for work, so the two of us ate together. We talked about our families, brothers and sisters, and she showed me her wedding album from when her and David were married, five years ago.

David and Natalia were kind enough to take me in for a month. I couldn’t have landed a better host family. The two of them are incredibly cool and friendly. They both speak a decent amount of English, which has helped ease me into learning the beginnings of Spanish. Their house is just a minute walk from the project, which makes it a snap for me to go back and forth.

Yesterday at 10am, Julie, who lives further up the road with her host mom, Yanira (jah-NEE-tah), came to pick me up to go to the project. We walked down the steep neighborhood road, dusty in the morning sun, past juxtaposed houses protected by heavy barbed wire topped gates. Clothes lines crisscrossed the interior patios. A dog, lying stretched out on the patio tile, jumped at the sound of footsteps, and glared at us though the bars.

Road to the project

At the bottom of the hill we reached the Abraham Project. It’s comprised of three children’s homes, a building housing a day care and classrooms, and a church. Julie walked me around and introduced me to the interns, Brian, John Marc and Hunter, the coordinators, Jonathan and Amy, the couple who started the project, Steve and Georgiana, and the members of the team who were there for the week to volunteer.

Present church building

View of Steve & Georgiana's House from classroom balcony

Scaffolding

Excavation

Team members painting church building

Painting 2

Painting 3

Baby from children's home

Hunter & team member from Kentucky working on the wall

Classrooms & Daycare Center

Everyone was really nice, and a lot of them already knew who I was, and showed their excitement in having me there. I spent the day taking pictures and getting to know people, and in the afternoon I played with the kids after they came home from school.

So far, so busy! I’m juggling learning Spanish, planning & shooting my documentary, interacting with everyone, taking photographs, finishing up some freelance work that followed me down from Chicago, slipping in a few social activities (we went to the movies last night and saw Gran Torino, 2 thumbs up, by the way!) and simply processing the whole experience.

Thanks so much for keeping up with me! If you have any thoughts or questions at all, please feel free to drop them in the box below…

Much love!