Diamondbacks Game!

My beautiful sister Shannon and my brother in law Zach decided to give me a ticket to a diamondbacks game for my graduation ... we have tried since May to find a time when we could all go and we finally found a day! Saturday we all went and watched the Diamondbacks and the Florida Marlins play! It was lots of fun! We went to Michaels to get craft supplies and hit the jack pot there! Dad and I went crazy on the 10 cent nick knacks! I think that we have kid art projects for the next 10 years! After the baseball game we got to go match Preston perform improv at Jesterz, it was Jordon's first time and the whole day was a blast!

At the game it was 80's day and free Eric Byrnes bobble head night... (suburbian bliss right there)
We won the game! It was 7 runs to 1 run. It was a fun game and our section was the free towel/ you could win a free i pod section! None of us got the free i pod but we all got free towels! It was a lot of fun and I spent most of the game trying to get the perfect shot of Stephen Drew.

Jordon is very happy to be at this SKCABD Game...

This is Zach willing the D-Backs to get one more run so we could all get free Chalupa's from Taco Bell... it didn't happen but he tried to will them to none the less.
Towards the end of the game the screen went to this lady sitting somewhere in the stadium. I instantly knew who it was because I have been Olympics obsessed the last two weeks, and the boys in my house love beach volleyball. Misty Mae Treanor was at the game to watch her husband who plays for the Marlins. It was a very cool experience! Everyone got to their feet and started chanting U-S-A while she reached down in her purse and got out her gold medal to show to us! She was there to support the opposite team but when she held up that Gold Medal she won for the USA we were all united.

A fabulous day... Happy Trails!

A Little Perspective

This week has been a very stressful week, I went to my first official week of college. I am trying to balance alot of my plate and I decided that with everything going on I needed a little perspective. I have so many things in my life that I am so grateful for. There are the major things that are life changing but there are also little things in life that manage to just alter your mood a little that ultimately seem to make a difference in our lives.

9 Things That Make Me Happy!

Natasha Wescoat's Art










Their aren't very many things in this world that invoke the same emotions in me every time I see them, even if I have seen them a million times but these incredible, whimsical paintings by Natasha Wescoat sure do. If you have followed my paintings, I receive alot of inspiration from her. Her paintings are one of the main reasons I began to paint. I often will just browse her site looking at the paintings over and over again, falling in love with them again and again. These paintings have the uncanny to always put a smile on my face!

Painting

I love to paint! I love to have a blank canvas in front of me and cover it with my feelings and emotions in the form of paint. I find it freeing and a good way to express myself without having musical skills or other talents that I do not possess. The great thing about painting is that I am not very good but it doesn't matter... YAY for painting! It always makes me happy!

Eating Good Food... In Foreign Places
I love to eat food and that often makes me happy! Macaroni and Cheese is the best! I could eat it every meal of every day if I was allowed but my parents like to force feed me culture (thank heavens) The only thing better than pasta covered in cheese is eating it in ITALY! I love to travel and eating but eating in foreign countries and tasting the culinary masterpieces that lurk there is beauty. I am happy just thinking about it... experiencing it is pure Ecstasy!

MY FAMILY

I love my family with every fiber of my being and they always have the knack for making me

happy. They are always there for me to make me laugh or to support me with whatever I need. My dad with his salsa dances are often the highlight of my day, jamming in the car with Preston
going shopping with Shannon Long talks with Stacy and of course hanging out with mom. These are all some of my favorite things in the world and they always make me very very happy!

Christian Bale Movies

I felt that it was necessary to mention Christian Bale. Truly whenever I am in a bad mood or have had a hard day I can put on Batman Begins, Newsies, Little Women, or 3:10 to Yuma and I feel better. I love these movies, partly because they are all amazing movies but I am sure that alot of it has to do with the fact that Christian Bale is in them. He is beautiful, talented, skilled, and lets just say the whole package. Thank you Christian Bale for sending my mood in the right direction so many times!

Cranberry Raspberry Juice
I told my cousin the other day that I am quite sure that my blood is really made out of this wonderful juice. All I can say is that it is a good thing it isn't because I would probably drink it. Cran-Raspberry Juice combines two of the most amazing things in the world... Cranberry's and Raspberry's and then they make it drinkable in juice form. I love this juice and there are not many things that can bring a smile to my face faster than a cold glass of this wonderful stuff.

Dead Trees
I love trees and particularly dead ones! I think the history and stories they tell fascinate me. They are beautiful in their leaf-less-ness! I love to paint them, photograph them, and stare at them. They are nearly an obsession and yes they do make me happy!

GOOD MUSIC!!!!!!
I love music! I love good solid music they tugs at your soul and causes your life to change every time you listen to it. I love how I feel when I find the perfect song that fits my life perfectly at the time. I love seeing great shows where the artist rocks out or just calmly sings to you. Just for a very small example Bishop Allen always manages to do this for me. I am always happy when I listen to them. I love music!

Friends

The great things about friends is that you choose to be around them. I have wonderful friends that I can be myself around and do crazy things with. I am so blessed to have the type of friends I do! Happiness in the form of friends!

There are of course many more things that make the corners of my mouth turn into a smile. These are just a few. I already feel better... bring on next week!

Happy Trails!

One Tree Hill

This is my newest painting called One Tree Hill. You may be thinking, oh this lovely painting is named after the teenage soap opera TV show... no... I would not stoop to that level of our sad society. It is named after the song by U2 on the Joshua Tree album " I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky and the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill" I am very happy to get back to painting trees. I love trees... and I feel at home painting them!

I started two art classes this week. They are the first art classes I have ever taken and I am discovering that the college level is a hard place to start. I am excited at the prospect of the challenge though and know that I will improve slews this semester!

Happy Trails...

Meet the Men In My Life!

This is my father Lynn! He has always had a very interesting style when it comes to clothing. He just recently got into shorts that cover half way between your knee and your foot. If you are a girl you call shorts of this nature Capri's, I was not quite sure what to call them when a man wears them but me and my siblings have settled on man capri's! This outfit has become my new favorite of his. I went shopping the other day and found those shorts on the sale rack and knew that not only would my dad love them but that it was necessary that they resided in his closet along with his other brightly colored shorts. Sure enough we went to the store and he immediately was drawn to them. Not only are they long enough and the right size but they are Bronco's colors (he wanted me to make it clear that they were Bronco's shorts and that he will be wearing them for all the games in the upcoming season!) I am just very excited that along with the shorts he also purchased a matching orange shirt! Heres to the perfect outfit that encompasses your personality!


Speaking of new outfits this is me and my cousins sporting our new clothing. Dylan is on the left, then me, Jordon is on the right. Dylan is 18 like me and Jordon is 21 and he just returned from a mission in Brazil! They are two very amazing and good looking boys (you should see the dirty looks I get when I go around town with them) I thought you should get a good look at them because I will probably be blogging about them quite a bit. Our house will definitely be a college party house this year!



This is my fish Rafael! He is a very beautiful eccentric little fish! (no I didn't know fish could be eccentric either) I got him about 2 months ago and we are finally beginning to understand each other. At first he would not eat anything and now he is ravenously hunger all the time. He puffs his gills out and demands that I feed him. I am afraid he is getting a bit obese, we will have to work on that and put him on a strict work out and diet program. The only pet I have ever had suffered a bloody and tragic end (poor Willabee) He was a gerbil and didn't fair very well against Hobson my Aunts dog. It has taken me a long time but I decided that it was time that I got a pet. I was not quite sure if I was ready to venture to a mammal yet, I did not want a snake or anything fierce like that. I finally decided on a fish and went and picked up my buddy Rafael. He used to have a very pretty long black tail that looked like paintbrush (hence the name Rafael after the painter) but he had a little incident with a plant and that bit of the tail is gone but he is on the mend and doing well. I am slowly getting used to being a pet owner and may eventually be able to graduate to a land animal but for now Rafael is good enough for me!

Have a wonderful Sunday Everyone!

Happy Trails!

Intergalactic Chaos

This is the second piece in my Organized Chaos collection! This is called Intergalactic Chaos because even in space which is one of the most chaotic things we know of there is still a constant and a since of belonging. It is important for us wherever we go to take bits of home with us and for us to never forget where we come from and who we truly are... this is even important in space! To be truthful though, it is really just a bunch of houses around some circles with golden smoke (that is my favorite) but I hope you enjoy it none-the-less.



That is me and my sister Shannon... and she has created a blog! I convinced her that she needed to so she created a lovely blog with a very fitting and creative title! it is called The Rummage Sale so please take a little looksey she would be thrilled!!!


This is Preston my brother who most of you know but he has created an AMAZING music blog. He loves music and posts very often about some incredible music and some great shows taking place in the valley! Check it out and take his musical advice, I have and I have never been led astray. The blog is called "And Music Will Set You Free" Check it out you will not regret it!

Today I went to lunch with my cousins to our favorite Chinese restaurant Jumbo's. Jordon was a little big sleep deprived I must admit but out of no where he says to me "Tessa, you are like... a stay at home COUSIN! You stay at home all day while we are at work and do things around the house waiting for us to get home" He then went on to command that I have Heroes all ready for him when he gets home. Needless to say Heroes was not all ready to go when he got home. It was hilarious though and I now have a new title to go with Tessa, Sister Smith, Zelbie, Supreme Goddess of the Universe, and Stay at home Cousin... hmmmm I think Tessa is my favorite oddly. I shall not be a stay at home cousin for long though... school starts on Monday!

Good Night to all!

Happy Trails!!

Im Legal!

Yesterday was my 18th birthday! I am now legal... We had the "Tessa's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!" It was so much fun... I would venture to say my best birthday ever! My cousins Jordon and Dylan Detlor arrived on Friday! They are going to live with me this year and go to EAC like me! I am so excited that they are here... We have already had a blast! Saturday I went with my cousins and some friends to Fry Mesa on the mountain on the natural water slides... may I just say that I was tricked into going down this slide. I am not an adventurer... I am not an adrenaline junkie... I dont do things unless I know that I will survive them in good condition when I am done doing them. My friends got me to climb up above the slide and then informed me that the only way to get down was going on the slide... I was tricked, but I was glad I did it when all was said and done!


I made a Red Velvet Cake for my birthday and this is the whole process... Yes, it was amazing!!! I invited some friends over for some cake! This my very good friend Loren who is moving away in a couple days for college! I really have mixed emotions about her leaving... I am happy that she is moving on with her life and following her dreams but sad that she will not be here anymore.. I will miss her! This is my NEW CAR!!!!!!!!!! I got DAISY for my birthday! She is a nissan sentra and I am so excited to drive her! She is beautiful and as my dad says she fits my personality! I am very very very very excited!!!!!!! In all it was a fabulous day... Shannon and Zach came home and it was so much fun to have them here... I love spending time with my family! Happy Day to all.... Happy Trails...

Urban Chaos

This is my newest addition to the creative world! I have decided to create a collection of paintings called Organized Chaos and this is my first peice in the collection called Urban Chaos! It all has to do with the idea that the world is crazy and unsteady around this little organized symmetrical village. It is no where near perfect and the ideas and techniques I am dealing with need alot of work but it was fun and I am excited to start on another. The collection will deal with organization and steadiness in this unpredictable world we live in, that is the idea anyway. So I hope you enjoy this...



It was a wonderful day today my dad was off work so we went on the Gila River on kiaks and we also went car shopping. Happy Trails...

A Perfect Weekend...

This video is mainly for my family who had to endure hours upon hours of Chuck Norris jokes that my brother thinks are hysterically funny... (if they are funny or not I still have not decided) My mom and I saw this shirt and had to get it for him. I took a video of him opening it...




My mom has always loved music and has instilled this love of music in all of her children. She is the most amazing mom on earth and she rarely gets to do what she wants to do but this weekend we got to do something for her! We got to surprise her with a James Taylor concert! He is very nearly her favorite musician and she loved it! A few months ago Dad decided we should go but we all thought that it would be fun to surprise her!

The Plan: I told her I had a band I wanted to go down and see called Vampire Weekend and she agreed to go down to the valley and take me. Saturday we would go to dinner and then Preston said that there was an art gallery downtown that he wanted to show us before me and him would go to the concert. Then we figured she would figure out eventually that we were taking her to the concert, or we would eventually hand her the tickets.

The Execution: The plan went nearly without a hitch we went down to phoenix despite her desperately not wanting to because of the fact we have been gone all summer. We then went to Jesterz, the improv comedy club my brother works at on Friday night. Then we went to dinner and mom dint suspect a thing... she was wondering what was going on at the theater and why there were tuns of people there but she still figured we were going to the art gallery. Only when Preston told her we better get in line and I handed her the tickets did she know there was anything going on! It was awesome! The show was great! James still looks like our good friend Walt Gasson and he just sang and sang! It was a tun of fun and mom is still in shock about how sneaky we are! The only dagger part of this whole thing is dad didn't get to come because he was working! We missed you daddy!

This is the last bite of the most amazing Red Velvet Cake on earth... at least she seems to be enjoying it! I am quite positive that this cake changed my life, I cannot be too sure... it hasn't been long enough yet but I have a feeling my life has been altered forever!

Preston, Zach, and Shannon at dinner... YUMMY...

Mom after the concert...


Besides surprising mom with the concert we did slews of other fun things this weekend. We got to go to my favorite vintage clothing store in phoenix called Frances, and other great shopping... we went to jesterz improv comedy ... ate at pallets for breakfast... and spent some great time with family.

Red Hot Robot...

Stinkweeds

FRANCES!!!!!!!!! This store contains just about everything that excites my creative little mind. It has old dresses, awesome T- Shirts with owls, trees, birds... exc., frames and other crafty goodies, trees full of necklaces, and much much more... yes, for me this is very nearly heaven!

Preston gave me an early birthday present and it is from Frances!!! I am very excited!


It was such a good couple of days... you could definitely say that it was very nearly the perfect weekend... Happy Trails...

Today is...

Hello!! Today is Thursday... I am saying this for my own benefit because I woke up this morning convinced that it was Wednesday! I cannot keep my days straight this summer, school will start soon so I will be right on track... hopefully! I woke up this morning and am definately a bit ill. I quickly rejected what I ate last night and when I tried to eat some chicken noodle soup today because of my current ravinously hungry status my stomach apparently rejected that too. Hopefully this is just a 24 hour bug and will be gone by tomorrow.

In the last couple days I have done a bit of painting... This is the first of a four part collection. It in not titled yet... but once I finish the other 3 parts it shall have a name! My dad loves sunflowers and when I began to paint this he then brought in four different types of sunflowers from the backyard so I could have inspiration! They did help... but soon I noticed that little tiny bugs were crawling all over the table and on the canvas but I did get rid of them so it is all good now.

This is a work in progress and is not yet finished but I did want to share it none the less. I shall show it again when it is completely finished.


Happy Trails...

35,000 Miles

I returned home yesterday from my fourth and final trip of this fabulous summer! I was calculating it last night and I have traveled about 35,000 miles in two months! It has been such a wonderful summer that I am sad that it has to end but none the less like all things... they come to an end eventually!

These are both beautiful pictures of the wild flowers up Manti Canyon!


This last trip was back to Utah to help my grandpa clean out his store and also to go to three different family reunions. There was a reunion at Fish Lake with my moms immediate family as well as a reunion with her extended family and then for the grand finale there was a Smith reunion with my dads family. There was alot of rook playing, Chuck Norris jokes (thanks Preston), and alot of bald men! It was slews of fun! I never see that side of the family so it is always good to see that some of my oddities really are genetic and there are others that are just as stubborn and crazy as me!
Jed, Preston, Me!

Cousins...........

Dad, Preston, and Micah...


That is all for now... Happy Trails!