My Husband Is So Awesome!

Saturday night was the Hi-Fructose group show opening at the Copro Nason gallery. Mark had five pieces in the show and SOLD ALL OF THEM.




It was great that the gallery put his pieces together on a separate wall.





Here are some great friends. Left to right: Monica and Phil Straub, Ana, Chris, and Mark. (Just ignore smiley drunk in the background. Don't know who that is.)

I can't believe I made it five hours there on my feet with the weight of massive boobs and belly pressing down. But the thrill of seeing my husband do so well was what I needed to persevere.

Congrats again, Baby.

Palm Springs

Mark and I went to palm Springs last weekend to attend an art opening at the M Modern Gallery in which he had a painting. The theme was Tiki, which I surmised was much more a boy thing than a girl one. Here is Mark with his painting, and a nice red dot next to it.


He was worried that he might not sell it, but I knew he would. I personally do not like art openings. There are too many strangers who are all looking for free booze, and hardly anyone is looking at the paintings. At least those who are serious buyers don't mind.


Well, I love any excuse to get out of LA County, and our good friends, Jeff and Rich, invited us to stay for the weekend in Palm Springs. They are the best hosts with lots of booze, fun friends, a huge gorgeous house, and a pool.They took us the The Living Desert, where they take care of rescued animals, and keep desert plants. It was a real hot day, and most of the critters were hiding, and the plants were pretty burnt, but it was still thrilling to see the big birds:
This guy was giving me the stink eye.




And this amazing Golden Eagle was using his water dish as a little pool.




And these wolves were taking a late afternoon nap. I thought they were definitely lovers.



And I can't believe these guys stayed still for me.




And on Sunday we went to brunch at this amazing place (can't remember the name - must be the hormones), with more food than I have ever seen in one place, and a Mariachi band. I think Jeff has a crush on the singer:



Here is Jeff and Rich, enjoying the serenade.

You can get married in California now, guys. Yay!

Then we went back to the house and sat by the pool, sunning our bloated bellies. Ahhhhhhhhh. Except I stayed out of the sun to protect my super-sensitive pregnancy skin. And I couldn't drink margaritas by the pool, or have champagne at the brunch. But that's okay, I will make up for all that in due time.
I think we need to go back there again this weekend.

Watch Out!

Mark is on a two month hiatus from Family Guy. This is very common in the "industry", where there is a lull in between seasons for filming or animating. Most folks relax in that time or work on other projects. So I am thrilled to have him around, and of course thrilled to bee able to go somewhere romantic with him. And have him all to myself. All mine. Yeah.

But I realized something. After three months of my morning sickness not letting me go too far from my bathroom and being unemployed, bored, and lonely, I was desperate for company. Someone to talk to. Someone to hang out with. Someone to listen to my little observances and complaints. Someone to snuggle.

But hubby was looking forward to time to work on his artwork. Time to bend over his art table with his headphones shouting Judas Priest into his ears. Time to frantically paint a bunch of paintings for his group show coming up in July. *sigh* But I know giving him this time is the best way I can show my love right now. I am even moving my websurfing butt to the dining room to give him his own space to work. Alone.

But watch out next week, honey. In Maui, I will not leave you alone. I will fit two months worth of lovin' into 8 days. Watch out!

Vomitous Valentine's Day

Mark and I are celebrating Love this weekend, because all I was celebrating on Velentine's Day was porcelain. I debated whether to share this, but it is just so ridiculous and almost farcical. If I didn't know I was pregnant and a slave to those hormones I seriously would have thought I had been poisoned and dying. I woke up at 5am, having to run to the bathroom to throw up, and then continued to throw up every 30-40 minutes until 3 in the afternoon. I would sip water, gnaw on a cracker, only to have to throw it up. If I just happened to even think of a word associated with food, I would have to go throw up. 'No, don't say spatula!' Aaaagh. Today all my stomach muscles and even muscles in my neck and shoulders I didn't even know existed are so sore. And today I feel fine. Go figure.

Enough of that. What I really wanted to talk about today was love. I don't think the origin of St. Valentine's Day was about chocolate and diamonds or even about being in love, but I like to celebrate the love part. I am where I am now because of love. Love brought me to Los Angeles and knocked me up. So I guess, in a way, it was love that made me puke all day! Ha!
I was friends with Mark in Paier College(90-94), and didn't see him again for almost 10 years. I bumped into him again because of the same college. In 2003, he came to give a lecture and I was teaching there.
I really had a thing for him in school, but never really told him. I figured I wasn't pretty enough or cool enough, and he was a bit of a wise ass. I thought his attentions toward me were just to get me into bed. That's what my parents always told me boys only ever wanted. I remember being in almost all the same classes, and even working on a drawing project together. He would always saunter in late, wearing a heavy metal t-shirt, combat boots and long hair, cracking some joke. I thought he was the hottest guy I had ever seen. I recall how the smell of him made me feel weird, a little dizzy and excited. In my high school not many boys had long hair, but I always had crushes on those few. They were mysterious and bad boys. They probably kissed good, I thought. Through the years at art school, Mark and I stayed friends.

Well, it turns out he had a big thing for me too, and never said anything.

We went on with our separate lives after graduation. I joined art sketching groups, went out goth dancing, had a couple of doomed relationships, traveled, worked in Manhatten, and drifted along. It was at the end of a way too long relationship, that I moved back in with my folks for a while, and was teaching at Paier College.
Which brings us to the reuniting. I was good friends with Paier's student activities director, Sue Falato, and she happened to mention to Mark at his lecture that I was teaching there and that I was *single*. Oh, yeah. Well just one catch: Mark is moving to California in 3 weeks. I called the number on his card, excited to see an old friend. Mark sounded a little distracted and mentioned that maybe next week he will have some time, being in the middle of packing up his life. So we made plans to meet on Sunday, which happened to be the day after my birthday. And also happened to be the day after I stayed up all night partying in Manhatten, but wasn't too tired the next afternoon. God, I could never do that now. The next 10 days were a blur. I felt like a pawn in a game, being moved around, following some grand plan. Didn't sleep much; We would stay up all night talking. When I had to go to work and leave him, it hurt. But the BIG THING, which even as it was happening I was all,"Wha?", happened one day when Mark and I went to a cafe. We were chatting about everything and nothing, sitting in a bubble of sleep-deprived euphoria. And then I felt this electrically charged gentle wind inside my body, filling my breath. A sweet, distant voice said, "This is him. This is the father of your children." And I looked around me, like "Wha? Jeez, Joy you need some sleep." Naaah, wishful thinking, maybe.
But it didn't take long for me to realize I really was in big trouble. What am I going to do? He is moving to Los Angeles! Three days before he was to get in his car and drive to the other side of the country, he laid it on me. He pulled me close and said, "I have to tell you something. I am in love with you." Without hesitation, I told him that I loved him too. We cried.
And we made a plan. I knew I would spend the rest of my life with him, even more than I was certain about the sun rising every morning. We were a great team. I felt I knew him as well as I knew myself. I know how he works, and I finally felt someone understood my wacky self.
So he would go to LA, and see how it goes. I would stay in Connecticut, and see how it goes. I flew out there every single moment I could to be with him. We paid thousands in plane tickets and cel phone bills. FYI: Cingular won't give long distance love discounts.
Two months after we met(again), we decided we would get married. (It only took us 4 years to actually get around to the wedding.) And ten months later, we moved in together in Burbank. Then, adopted two cats, got engaged, got married, and got pregnant, in that order. I feel we are the luckiest people to have found eachother.


Happy Valentine's Day!

Update: Jury Duty, Art Show and Fullerton

Just and update, dear friends, on my recent activities. Last weekend Mark and I went to the Fullerton Museum to see the J.C. Leyendecker exhibit. A really great show! I sneekily took some pictures. Here is one of the series of Kellogg's cereal ads. They dubbed Leyendecker "America's Other Illustrator" because he was not as well known as Norman Rockwell, but he did many Saturday Evening Post and Colliers covers for 40 years.
We stopped for some Mexican and walked around the cute little downtown Fullerton. I picked up a ragingly gorgeous party dress (for $39!) at a second hand shop. I can't wait to wear it. Happy Birthday to me!
Last Friday, Family Guy had an art show at the office. The employees painted work in the theme of movie posters. Mark did a Sin City illustration with Peter and Lois all Frank Miller style. It was a big hit!
And Friday and Monday I went to the Los Angeles County courthouse in downtown LA to waste two whole days. I was originally pre-selected for a jury, but was excused after the lawyers interviewed me. I guess I am not jury material, but the person who couldn't speak any English and the deaf person who also couldn't speak English were stuck on the jury. Go figure.
Only in LA though will you have an actress, a stripper, the son of THE Lender's bagel guy, and the father of the singer of Maroon 5 with you in the courtroom. The big highlight is that the courthouse is right next to this masterpiece.

Anniversary Hike

Here are some pics from our hike before dinner. There is a turn off of Sunset near the Pacific Coast Highway, a street called Paseo Miramar. It is a dizzying curvy steep road which ends in a trailhead. The road is lined with the kind of ridiculous big houses you see in movies. The hike was a major workout, but the view was so worth it.

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday, Mark and I celebrated being married for one year. It is difficult to believe that a whole year has gone by, wizzed by, flew by. Being married is such a perfect fit. Being a team, being strong for eachother, and being vulnerable for eachother proves to be rewarding beyond the expected.

We drove up to the Malibu mountains for a hike and then a casual dinner at Froggy's. So called because there is usually a whole fraggle of frogs in the creek next to the restaurant, but since it hasn't rained in 200 years, there were no frogs. But there was a turtle in the little indoor pond by our table. Froggy's was a great little place with plastic chairs and great food. I had an ahi burger, and Mark had fish and chips. From the outdoor deck all you could see was treetops. It looked as if the place was a nice indoor restaurant that then had outdoor spaces added on haphazardly with corrugated sheeting for roofs and spare wood for supports. Very funky. It was beautiful.

When You're Married to a Famous Artist

Last night was Mark's opening at the Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica. It was a three man show with Joe Vaux and Dan Quintana. It was well attended, and Mark sold three out of the five paintings. A wildly successful first time!! I am delighted and thrilled for Mark. He deserves all the recognition and reward for his tireless hard work. I had to take pics of the paintings with the beautiful RED DOTS next to them!

Even More Pictures

I had to post some more pictures of the Birthday Outing. The hiking trails were so beautiful. There was this hawk of some kind that was just hanging out on the wire, completely ignoring all of us humans staring at it. And here is a pic of the aforementioned oil pumps.

Happy Birthday, Husband.

Sunday was Mark's birthday! We drove OUT of Los Angeles county to celebrate. It was a very warm day, high 80's, and sunny! We drove out to Ojai, where there are these working, and not working, oil pumps. I love anything industrial, old, and rusty. We took a big bunch of pictures of them, and drove on to Ojai to have a burrito at Ruben's Burrito's. Outsatanding food in this hole-in-the-wall place. Then on to Santa Barbara where we hiked up the Seven Falls trail. Except there were no falls because there has been no rain since last March. And drove back along side this most amazing sunset that no camera could capture. The clouds were streaked across the sky lit up in neon arange and pink, in contrast to the turquoise sky behind, and a powdery blue ocean. It was a wonderful day. Now I am no longer the 'older woman' for Mark. At least until October.

Wedding Photos

Here is a tease for the professional photos of the wedding, which will be available soon for viewing! The photographers, Nikki and Esra, were so amazing. It was fate that Mark and I would be so very lucky to get them! Nikki lived downstairs from us for a while, and her brother, Josh, is still our neighbor. She is such a talented artist!

There are so many truly astounding, magical pictures. I can't wait to share them.

All Dressed Up

Christy asked what I wore to the Family Guy party, so I thought I would share a few more pics from the evening.
I wore all black (big surprise there). Nice black pants, my new comfy black strappy shoes (which I actually wore for 3 straight hours), and a sparkly halter top. It was warm, so I didn't need a sweater, which I ended up carying around all night.
Mark looked so handsome in nice jeans, a blue button down, and a new jacket in a microseude kinda material.
I regret that we don't have a picture of the two of us together, but I bet someone Mark works with took one.

When You Are Married to a Celebrity...

Last night Mark and I went to the Family Guy "What the Deuce are You Staring At?" Art Show and DVD release party extravaganza at the Museum of Television and Radio. It was amazing! I love the huge martini glasses with limes for olives on all the tables! There were musicians who were playing the Family Guy tune and assorted heavy metal in classical instruments! Hors d'oeuvres were noodles in little take out containers with chopsticks, grilled cheese and fig sandwiches, red velvet cupcakes, shrimp thingies on artichoke leaves, and mini hamburgers. Two bars with great wine, killer gimlets, and signature Family Guy drinks like 'Toilet Water', which was gin, blue Curacao, and lemon twist. Plus there were larger than life Brian and Stewie walking around!
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But the Big Deal was the artists! Fox invited a select group of artists to paint a picture inspired by Family Guy. This show of paintings will travel the world, including New York, Australia, and even Arizona!
Mark was interviewed by all the paparazzi on the 'carpet' outside the museum. And had his picture taken by his painting, which depicts Stewie in his crib dreaming that he has killed Lois in a gladiatorial match.
It was the coolest thing! I have always known that Mark is the best artist in the world, and deserves credit for that. It felt good to see him get some recognition. I think I could get used to be married to a celebrity!