It has been an emotional & busy week for me.  School is going well, and I am feeling good about the progress of my final project.  I am keeping it very simple.  After speaking with Marcy, and showing her my 2 ideas (abstracts & puppies), I have decided to go with the puppies.  Actually, only one puppy-Bailey the Boxer.  She has won over my heart and lifted my spirits as no one else has been able to do this summer.  My project is in honor of her generosity of spirit, love & compassion.  

I have fine tuned the 3 images I am going to use, & now need to outsource them to WHCC.  The final is due in nine days.  How can it be that we are in our ninth week?  I still need to decide how I am going to have them finished, but, once again, I am going to keep it simple and yet elegant.  The other assignments I need to complete are: writing my artist's statement, creating my podcast for ICEM, & choosing images for the final slide show.

In spite of all this, I feel calmer than I have in weeks.  I think my life balance has returned and I am able to proceed over the next couple of weeks with a renewed sense of serenity.  What has changed?  My attitude, my living situation and my ability to keep things in perspective.  

After weeks of living with Tammy, I moved out over this last weekend.  Living with an addict was sucking the life out of me.  As my friend Ann said to me yesterday, "it sounds like she is a vampire".  I believe that is true.  I was able to spent the weekend at Roxie's apartment while she was gone in Seattle, and after my first night there, I realized that I could not spent one more night in Tammy's house.  So, as providence has it, a friend from school said that I could move in with her and sleep on her couch at the Wilma.  How could I pass up the offer?  The one bedroom condo is fabulous and feels like Italy.  We are on the eighth floor and have an amazing view of the river, the "M" and beyond.  So, after giving Tammy notice and a check for the entire month of August (my sense of integrity said that it was the right thing to do), some friends from school arrived within 30 minutes and loaded all my belongings (god-how did I accumulate so much in 2 months?) and we all drove away.  Quick and easy.  I know that Tammy was shocked & speechless, but I didn't give her enough time to react.  I was gracious and thanked her for letting me live at her house.  All she said was "good luck".  I feel as if I have been released from prison.  I had no idea how much I felt blocked and trapped I felt in that house until I moved out.

Thi series of images were all taken this weekend, on our 16 hour day, driving from Missoula and Glacier and back.