Holli Rausch

The final illustration was published in 605 Magazine, a new Sioux Falls magazine for young adults. After seeing it in print, there are things I would do differently, but that’s the way it goes. And if I’m asked again to contribute, I’ll have a more streamlined process and know what tweaks to make the next go-around.

I was also listed on the 605 Contributors page:

Working on an illustration to contribute to a local project. The theme is, obviously, about the economic downturn. These are my initial sketches. I may post more later as they develop more substantially, or I may wait until the final design has been published. I know you’re curious, so I’ll just go ahead and answer some of your questions now.

• Yes, that is a line drawing of the back of a car. I think the wheels give it away.
• Yes, the girl’s left hand is huge. She feels self-conscious about it, so…thanks for pointing it out.
• No, that candle is not floating.
• Yes, I realize that by having a “No Right Turn” sign, it makes one assume there is no way to recovery. After sketching this, I thought a “Rough Road” sign might translate better.
• No, that woman has no torso and yes, her arm connects to her ear.
• Yes, the moped dude’s anatomy is loosely based off my mental image of someone I know. No, I won’t tell you who.
• No, that awkward-looking crotch will not make it to the final illustration. Shucks.
• Yes, those are my husband’s legs. But *he* has feet.

Happy Anniversary.

Love always,
Your Wife

1. Carton of eggs – because I liked the shadows.

2. The iPod Nano (Miles gave me for a wedding gift) that keeps me sane.

3. The laminator that completely owned three coworkers, including myself.

4. My choice of carbonated beverage.

Most people can’t wait for Friday to come. I never really was the kind of person who lived for the weekend. While I enjoy the time to relax on weekends, it’s not something I hold onto just to get through the week. And due to recent events, I’ve found even less reason to look forward to Friday. Too many things happened on Fridays and I am reminded of them on this day of the week especially, even if only temporarily.

It was a Friday night that we discovered I was pregnant. The first day of the next week in development began on Fridays – it was something we looked forward to. Our doctor appointments were on Fridays. And so, the day of the ultrasound when we found out we didn’t have a developing baby anymore, was on a Friday. The blood tests I have every week since are taken on Friday; therefore, it’s on Fridays that I find out I still test positive for pregnancy.

I don’t dread the arrival of the day. There’s nothing I can do about that. Friday will come and go like all of the other days. It’s just that Friday brought excitement and then one Friday everything changed so quickly. Eventually, I’ll think of Fridays like I used to – not much different than any other day. That will happen when Fridays become less eventful.