Day 213: New Year's Tree

A tree in Orem

Happy New Year everyone!  This will be my last post in 2010, and I'm excited to get moving on 2011!  Hopefully it will be a year of awesome experiences!

I was out running errands with my mom and sister today when I saw this tree at a stop light.  I thought it looked remarkably well for the dead of winter in Utah, so I took a picture of it.  I know I should have put up a picture from our New Year's party tonight, but I've decided to save my favorite shot of the evening for tomorrow's blog post, since I took it after midnight.  :)

Day 212: Menthol

Cough Drops

This image sufficiently portrays the day I've had.  This stupid cold that I've had for the last 8 or 9 days has finally gotten the best of me.  I've hit the cough-up-a-lung part of the cold, and it's wearing me out, so...

This is what you get.

Goodnight!

Day 211: Snowed In

Trees in my neighborhood

So the storm the newscasters have been predicting all week finally hit today.  It started out strong this morning, with heavy, wet, slushy snow that covered the walks and cars and especially the trees.  When I finally made it upstairs around mid-morning, it was a winter wonderland outside.  By mid-afternoon, when I took this shot, the snow had ceased, and the wet snow on the trees had rapidly melted and fallen off.  These trees were still pretty covered, but almost everything else in the neighborhood had cleared up.  By early evening, the winds blew harder and colder, and the mini-blizzard (as I dubbed it) hurled itself on our windows and back door.  It didn't last very long, but it did manage to re-cover all the freshly shoveled walkways and scraped cars.

I loved it!  I had no plans to leave the house today, so I got to watch it all unfold from my living room as I did a few chores and read my book.  My favorite way to experience a storm!

Day 210: Cat Portrait...

Jasper

It's glamor shots for cats!

Actually, I was sitting in the living room with mom this afternoon after spending hours in front of my computer trying to finish a week's worth of backed up blog posts, and I noticed that Jasper was a acting kind of funny.  Dad was making some serious noise in the kitchen on some home improvement project, and Jasper was trying to nap unsuccessfully.  Every time dad would start the drill or hammer something, Jasper's eyes would get really big and he'd jump a little.  Then he'd immediately lay his head back down and try to sleep again.  This went on for several minutes before I decided to capture it.  Of course, I was as unsuccessful as Jasper, but it was fun trying.

Day 209: Happy Birthday Christine!

Christine's birthday cake

Today was Christine's birthday, and it was super fun and very busy.

Some of the fun stuff we did today:
*Shopping with the girls
*Tasting the deliciously evil rum cake that Christine insisted on baking herself
*Lunch with the girls
*Movie and dinner with the fam
*Reminiscing over Christine's childhood
*Laughing over dessert
*Eating and spending way too much
*Family night movie at home with our new Blue Ray player: A-Team

Day 208: Sunday Puzzles

A jig-saw puzzle

I gave Mom a card table for Christmas.  It's something she's been asking for the last few years.  So today after church, she set it up and started a jig-saw puzzle on it.  It was fun to sit together in quiet and work on the puzzle.  Especially after the hectic day at church, and the loud (but very fun) Christmas.

Remember how I mentioned getting a cold a few days ago?  Well it's here to stay and so annoying!  I couldn't sing at all today, which was a problem since I had to lead the children in Primary.  Oh well, I guess.  At least I won't have to miss any work because of it since I have this next week off.

Day 207: Merry Christmas Day!

Dad/Santa

This is my favorite reaction of the day!  This is Dad's face after he opened his Christmas present from Dave (an iPod Nano).  I didn't catch the initial reaction he had which can only be described as a mixture of disbelief and chastisement.

It was so funny!

He asked for an iPod for Christmas a while back, but promptly took it off his list because he thought it was too expensive.  So when he saw that Dave got him one anyway, he was shocked and a little worried that Dave paid too much.  This is the face he made after he found out that Dave didn't spend anything on it because he won it at work. Ha!

I hope you all had a great holiday!  I'm sorry for being so remiss in my blog posts.

Day 206: Christmas Eve Party

Becca

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  I had a great night with the family tonight.  We went over to my sister Sherry's house for Christmas Eve dinner, and it was great to have some time with the family.  Usually when we get together, we fill to bursting whatever house we are in, but since half the family is out of town for Christmas this year, we had a comparatively small party.  It was nice to hang out and open a few early presents.

It was especially nice because I'm out of time on the present issue, so now I just have to let go the stress and enjoy myself.  Usually that's easier said than done, but I'm feeling pretty good right now. :)

Day 205: Fake Flowers

My mom's plastic poinsettia.

Such a hectic day!  Today was the last day before my office shuts down until the new year, and I was scrambling to get everything done in time!  And now that I'm home and able to put work stress out of my mind, I'm freaking out at all the stuff I haven't done yet for Christmas!  How am I going to fit everything in before Saturday!?

Aaack!

Day 204: Colorful Darkness

Our front windows.

I'm so sorry for such a long absence.  I've been so stressed out trying to get everything finalized at work, and get all the presents ready for Christmas, that I've actually gone and made myself sick again.  This time it feels like the beginnings of a head cold, but still...quite possibly the worst timing ever.

So the next few posts will probably be short, since I don't have a lot of time.  But then again, by the time I get around to posting these, I'll probably have time to add a few lines.

We'll see.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Day 203: Snow Cap

Me.

It snowed last night.  Boy did it snow.  And it was wet snow all day today (mixed with rain).

When I saw how bad it was outside, I armed myself with my new scarf/hood.  It's very convenient for days like this, when it's cold and wet, and I actually did my hair.  When I got home from work, I decided to take a picture of my new favorite accessory because I haven't done a self-portrait in a while.  

The thing is...this picture makes me look like Lara from "Doctor Zhivago."

I promise I'm not from revolutionary Russia.

Day 202: White-board Christmas

A Christmas Tree I drew on the white-board at work.

No, this is not a home made greeting card from a first grader.  Unfortunately, I drew this Christmas tree for my office potluck today.  I was so impressed at the immaturity of it, that I had to take a picture.  Once I saw the picture, I realized it would need a lot of help to make it look not so bad...so that's why there are lights and stars all over the place.

My favorite part on this tree?  The lone blue ornament hanging from one of the branches.  I didn't think to make any of the other ornaments hang from the branches like that.  Just the blue one.  It's like something you'd see on a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Day 201: The Santa Connection

My mom's Santa collection.

Another Sunday gone, with little to show for it.  Except for the awesome scarfs I finished.  But I couldn't take a picture of those and ruin the surprise for the people to whom I'm giving them.  I'm just glad I actually accomplished something for Christmas.  Yesterday's shopping trip was a bit of a bust, so this makes me feel a little better. 

Now if only I can not get overwhelmed by everything else I haven't done yet...

Day 200: Rain, Shopping, and Work (Updated)

Day 200:  Rain, Shopping, and Work

Rain on my windshield.

So I had to work almost all day today, and when I finished working I had to run and do some long overdue Christmas shopping.  Unfortunately, I forgot my wallet at home.  So after an embarrassing scene at the checkstand, I had to wait for my very nice sister to drive my wallet from Orem to American Fork.  That's when I took this picture, while I waited in my car to avoid the uncomfortable looks from the checkers at Target.

****UPDATE****
This was originally posted as four days in one, but I didn't like the look, and so broke them out into individual posts.  Sorry for the confusion.

Days 198 and 199: Catch-up Begins

Day 198: Knitting

My knitting yarn.

So because of a few cut-backs at work, I'm short on funds this Christmas.  Not the worst thing in the world.  At least I still have a job, and at least I'm single so no one else is really affected by my lack of funds.

But in order to give gifts to everyone on my list, I've had to come up with a few creative ideas.  One of which is knitting.  Not the best idea, I realize.  It's kind of a hackneyed Christmas present idea, but it's something I had the resources for, so there you go.

The problem is, knitting is not a fast process, and I didn't start soon enough.  I'm now scrambling to get all my projects completed in time for Christmas.  We'll see if I succeed. :)

Day 199: Christmas Candy

A candy jar.

I don't remember much of today because I was so busy playing catch-up at work and home.  In fact, I forgot to take this picture tonight until after my midnight deadline (at least I'm not freaking out about it like I did last time), but it's close enough for me to not despair at missing an entire day.  Hopefully this weekend won't be too crazy.  I'll have to work tomorrow to continue to make up the hours I missed from Tuesday and Wednesday, so I'll be even more crunched for time.  

Days 196 and 197: Delirium

Day 196: Sustenance 

Cranberry Juice.

Day one of hell:
5am - Wake up in a cold sweat with nausea.
7am - After 3 agonizing trips to the bathroom, call in sick. (Temperature: 100.8)
9am - Give up on going back to sleep and make a feeble attempt at ingesting food.
10am - Pay for trying to eat.
11am - Fade in and out of consciousness. (Temperature: 101.4)
2pm - Start ingesting Cranberry juice because nothing else will stay down. The aches start.
4pm - All of my joints are inflamed.  The aches get so bad, I check my temperature again to see if I'm as close to death as I feel. (Temp: 102.9)
6pm - Get a blessing from Dad, try to walk around to alleviate the pain.  My hips feel like someone smashed them with a baseball bat.
8pm - All of my limbs suddenly gain 300 pound each, can't pick up small objects or move my head.
10pm - Gratefully drift off to a fitful sleep after the Advil finally lowers the fever.  My last thought, "I wonder if my hip bones are being eaten by microscopic bone termites with sharp teeth?"

Day 197: The Sickbed

My home.

Day two of hell:
6am - Wake up feeling hardly any pain and get excited that I can go to work.
7am - After an emergency trip to the bathroom and checking my temperature, I call in sick again. (Temp: 101.7)
9am - Try to go back to sleep to escape from the nausea.  Mom visits me and tucks me in.
11am - First attempt at real food after I wake up feeling a little better. (Temp: 101.3)
2pm - It takes me 2 hours to eat my very small lunch, but it stays down!
4pm - Start feeling strong enough to brave the stairs and walk around a bit.
5pm - Shower and clean up my sick room a bit, then rest for another hour from the exertion. (Temp: 100.9)
8pm - Hope reigns as I check my temperature and find the fever has finally broken on its own! (Temp: 99.6)
10pm - The "stomach" part of the flu retaliates, but not with gusto.
11pm - Blissful sleep.

Sick Leave

Please excuse my absence.  I was in the throws of a terrible flu most of this week.

Rest assured, I took a picture every day (although I technically missed the midnight deadline one of the days), but I didn't have the energy to even look at my computer until yesterday.  I'm pretty behind with everything right now because of getting sick in the middle of crazy time during the holidays, so I didn't get the pictures downloaded to my computer until tonight.

In order to speed up the process, I'll be posting another round of pictures in one.  Hopefully I'll get that all finished tomorrow, and I'll be back on track before you know it!  Until then, please don't give up on me! :)

Day 195: Red, Red, Red

A music box.

There are so many little trinkets around my house right now because of the holiday decorations, and I can't seem to keep myself from taking pictures of them over and over again.  I really like to take close-up shots.  It's fun to look at things from a different perspective and to notice the tiny details.

Day 194: Strawberry Shortcake

Esther.

I love my nieces and nephews!  RoseAnne and her family came over for dinner tonight, and it was so fun to hang out!  I was being a bit of a recluse for most of the evening because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I did hang out a little bit, and I got to hang out with the kids downstairs.  Because we won't see RoseAnne or her family before Christmas, we exchanged gifts tonight (I wish I had realized this, because I'm not finished making my gifts yet).

RoseAnne gave me these awesome homemade soaps, and mom gave the family a card game.  Mom also gave each child a coloring book and it was so fun to see their reactions!  RoseMarie was my favorite.  She kept hugging her book of Minnie Mouse coloring pages and saying, "Ohhhh!  I love her!"  She thanked mom at least twice for her Christmas presents.  It was adorable!

Hyrum and Esther loved their coloring books too...especially the stickers in the coloring books.  Esther's coloring book was of Strawberry Shortcake, and RoseAnne told Esther it was a coloring book just for her since she was Strawberry Shortcake.  The second RoseAnne said this I realized just how much like Strawberry Shortcake Esther actually is.  She's got the hair and the cute personality to boot!

What a fun night!

Day 193: Holiday Parties

Little D, enjoying a sucker.

This morning was our ward Christmas party.  It was so fun to watch all of the kids playing the nativity, and hanging out with the ward members during the breakfast.  It was nice to get out of the house and do something social.  Especially after this weekend when I didn't basically nothing but knit and watch Christmas movies.

This is the season for parties, so I'm trying to enjoy them while I can, because I know my social abilities will only go so far.  Soon, I'll get too overwhelmed to hang out with people, and I'll have to hide out and act the social outcast until I can recover.  But until that hits, I'm trying to get out and show my face.  Maybe if I hit enough social events before I become catatonic, no one will notice when I disappear for a while.  Maybe...

Day 192: Weekend Wimp

Some more Christmas decorations.

So, another weekend is upon us, and I've put off my posts once again.  I would say more on the subject, but what else is there to say?

I actually don't have much of anything to say lately.  It seems I'm just going through the motions each day, waiting for something interesting to come along.  I could try to create something interesting, but I'm pretty sure we all know that isn't likely to happen.  Maybe one day I'll get brave and do something crazy that I can write about.

Until then, we'll have plenty of boring posts like this one. :)

Day 191: Gadgets

Christine's Kindle

Christine won a Kindle through a promotional thing at work over a month ago, and it came in the mail yesterday.  Christine was excited when she saw the package, because it was really late arriving.  But after she opened it and skimmed through the instructions and played with it for about 15 minutes, she plugged it in to charge overnight, and promptly forgot all about it.

I, however, have been obsessing over it ever since she let me turn it on.  I have already logged onto it with my Amazon account and downloaded close to 10 free books.  I stayed up playing with it late last night, and started to read 2 different books.  I almost brought it to work with me this morning to show it off, before remembering that it doesn't belong to me.

Gadgets.  I love 'em!  I really do.  I'm not even joking.  Give me a fun little gadget, and I will be perfectly content to spend hours in a corner, fiddling with the settings and learning the ins and outs of it.  I get so obsessed with new gadgets that I'm usually an expert on whatever new gadget I get, mere days after purchasing it.  I'm a complete geek.  I love it.

Day 190: A Study of Light

Jasper

I resurrected my old strobe flash tonight.  I thought it was broken, but I wiggled a few wires, "rebooted" it by removing and replacing the batteries, and voilà!  It is reborn!

I'm a bit out of practice with the strobe flash, so I took it for a spin with Jasper.  He wasn't too happy about it, but being the good kitty that he is, he put up with it gracefully.  It took me a few tries to remember the settings I prefer, and the directions to face the flash when working with different different objects, but I think I've got it down again.

Now that I have the flash back, we'll see if it helps in future pictures, or if I'll just bury it away again.

Day 189: Food Deliberation

My dinner

I was supposed to get a bunch of things done tonight, but I didn't do a thing.  Instead, Christine and I sat in the living room for a good 30-45 minutes deliberating on what we should do and where we should go eat because neither of us felt up to doing anything.  It was laughable how long it took us to decide on a restaurant.   Once we decided (Goodwood), I had to go shower and get ready to leave the house because I was still in my work-out clothes.  We ate at record speed once we got to the restaurant because we'd waited too long to eat and both of us were starving.  But when we got home, the apathy continued.  Should we try to catch up on our TV shows or go straight to bed, or maybe just sit on the couch and space off for an hour?  We basically missed our entire evening because neither of us could make a decision.

It was awesome.

Day 188: Home Is Where the Hearth Is

A Christmas decoration

Another work week started today.  Another Monday. I'm starting to feel the stress of the holiday.  I usually feel it sooner than this, but I think I was in denial.  This time of year is full of family and friends and good will, but it's also filled with stress and over-booking and lots of missed deadlines.

Not only do I have more personal errands than usual to run during December, but I also have more work to do.  I have more church responsibilities, more family functions, more chances to screw something up.

And I feel it keenly, that I will have an epic fail at any moment and disappoint everyone around me.  It's not like I'm jumping at shadows here either.  I've done it before, and I'll do it again, because the more I have to pack into my schedule, the less I get done.  The more responsibility I have when I'm stressed, the less responsible I am.

The only difference this year is that I'm one year older and one year wiser.  And most importantly, I have perspective.  I may get easily overwhelmed.  I may freak out and forget something important.  I may fall short of mine and others' expectations, but at least I know that it's not the end of the world.  I will live through it.  January will come around, desolate and boring, and I'll still be here, intact and relatively unscathed.

Day 187: A Case of the Sundays

Lauren

Today is quite possibly the closest I came to quitting the photo project.  Not that I was contemplating failure in any way today.  I simply didn't feel like picking up my camera, and when I did pick it up, I couldn't bring myself to take anything.  I completely spaced the fact that I have to take a picture every day to keep up with this project.  I would have been lost completely if I hadn't taken one, pitiful shot of Lauren tonight when her family was visiting.  I tried to take better, clearer shots of her, but like I said, I lacked motivation.

That's not to say that I didn't have a great time with Lauren around.  In fact, I think I was so busy cracking up at her playing house with our toys and making up stories that I forgot about my camera.  Shocker, I know.

At any rate, I did survive the photographic lethargy of the day, and I'm still on track with the project!

Day 186: Family Portraits

Robert and Lindsey and baby Davis.

So I got to take Robert and Lindsey's family portraits today and it was so FUN!  Coincidentally, we went to the Riverwoods shopping center to take the pictures, and I was so excited, having traipsed through its deserted streets with glee just last night.  I was able to pose them in front of all the sites I drooled over last night.  And even though we took the pictures during the day, the lights were still amazing and provided a very festive backdrop.

I noticed today that when I get into the groove of taking pictures, I don't notice much else.  For example, I was so hyper-focused on getting the right angle for one of the shots with the family that I didn't even notice that I'd stepped in a very sticky mud patch.  I was walking all over the mud, taking pictures here and there, and not noticing that my boots were getting more and more glued to the ground.  It wasn't until I tried to move from the mud to a rock that I realized my boots were so gunked up and gooey that had no purchase when I stepped onto the smooth surface of the rock.  Luckily I didn't slip or fall, and luckily my boots weren't real leather, so cleaning them off at home wasn't that difficult.  I found it very funny because I honestly didn't care about the boots - I was more worried about slipping and falling - all I wanted to do was move on to the next location and get more pictures, but Robert and Lindsey were so worried about it.

The shot above is not one of the "portraits."  I just like candid shots so much that I decided to pick it for the photo project.  But we also got some really good portrait shots of the family that hopefully Robert and Lindsey will be able to use.

Day 185: Christmas Cheer

Our Christmas Tree

Sorry for the late posts.  As usual, the weekend caught up with me.

Tonight I went out to a movie with friends, and afterwards we walked around the newly-remodeled Riverwoods shopping center.  They have the coolest Christmas wonderland theme right now!  It's an outdoor mall, so you wouldn't think kiosks and Santa's workshop would be a good idea in Winter, but they skillfully placed fire pits and heat lamps all over the shopping center to allow shoppers to enjoy the ambiance without getting frost bite.

Our movie didn't get out until after 11pm, so when we walked around the shopping center it was basically deserted.  That made it all the more fun for me!  I just wish I had my camera with me.  The trees were gorgeously lit, and there were little icicle lights that "trickled" downward.  We walked around the entire area twice, and only went back to our car when the heaters and lights started turning off.

What a great way to get into the season!

Day 184: Lights

Lights shining through some dead grasses.

So it's the beginning of the Christmas season, and the beginning of the second-half of my project, and I was all set with a picture of our newly trimmed Christmas tree.  But on a whim I took this shot in a parking lot tonight, and when I looked at all my pictures from today, this was my favorite.  So, We'll have to save the tree for another day.

I'm excited about the holiday season and all the fun it brings!  Christmas music, societal good will, corny Christmas movies, parties, yummy food, and getting gifts for everyone.  Usually this is my favorite time of year because I completely ruin my budget and splurge on all my family and friends.  But this year I'm not as financially comfortable as I'd like, and it's the first time in several years that I have no money to spend on Christmas.  It puts a slight damper on my season, I won't lie.  But I'm trying to find a better way to look at it.  Now, instead of spending hundreds of dollars on impulse buys for family, I'll be able to take more time really thinking about each person I give a gift to this season, and spend a lot less money doing it.  There are very economical ways of giving gifts to family and friends, I know because I have a few siblings who have always been very good at thrifty and thoughtful gift giving.  So I just need to put my thinking cap on, and find unique ways of showing my family and friends that I care about them this Christmas.

Now that I've typed that all out, I'm getting excited about it!  This is going to be a great Christmas!

Day 183: Half-way Point!!!!

Sunset in my back yard.

Today marks the last day of month 6 and is the official half-way point in the photo project!  I made it half-way!!  Yay for me!  Tomorrow I start on the second half of the year, which is awesome and a little bit scary because I ran out of ideas a long time ago.  But I'm hoping with the holidays coming up, I'll have a lot more opportunity to take some good shots.

Thanks to everyone who reads and comments on this blog!  I know your numbers are few, but it is a tremendous boost to me on days when I'm ready to give up because I can't stand the sight of my camera!

Some things I've learned so far:
*You don't know if you're good at something until you try
*Consistency is a nightmare, but totally worth it!
*You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it.
*Cameras are expensive, sure, but printing the photos on 14x16 mat-board is worse
*Photography looks much cooler on paper than it does on the screen
*It's OK to let yourself be proud of your accomplishments every now and then
*It doesn't matter how many times my mom, or others, praise my pictures, I'll always be a little embarrassed at the compliments.

Day 182: Symbols and Reminders

Don't forget...

I've been thinking of the different symbols we use to help us remember things, and the different symbols behind objects.  For instance, my friend Kim posted on her blog the other day about a lucky penny she found.  A penny isn't worth much, until you find it all alone on the ground, waiting to be picked up.  Then it suddenly possesses great power and charges us with luck.

The same goes with a bit of string.  Alone, it's nothing but a nuisance that gets stuck to your clothes.  But tie it on your finger, and it suddenly becomes a needed alarm clock.

I think it's all about perspective.  Like maybe if we look at things with a different eye, we'll see the worth in them.  Then something that once was a negative in your life could turn out to be a positive.  I think it's always a good idea to find the positive side of life because then you become the powerful object.  Because if you can find a bright side to a bad situation, you have the power to make any outcome a good one.

Day 181: Home Again

Georgie

I'm home from vacation and back to the grindstone.  Yesterday's drive may have been grueling, but at least we got home safe and sound, without any accidents.  Plus, it made me appreciate my daily routine...as boring as it may be, it gives me a sense of stability.

And the cats in my house...they're excited for a return to routine as well.  :)

Day 180: Endless Driving

A view from the road.

Today was endless.

The beginning of our drive home was beautiful: snow-laden trees by the thousands lined the road like a guard of honor saluting us home.  The fog was laced through the tree-filled mountains and the snow provided a beautiful contrast to it all.  The landscape around us made the trip so exciting and fun, but by lunch time it faded into barren, rolling hills that felt like an arctic wasteland.

And this is saying nothing about the storm that seemed to follow us from Washington all the way to Utah.  The storm was no fun.  The traffic was no fun.  The roads were no fun.  The 13-hour-long drive that stretched into 21 hours was no fun!

Day 179: The Lake

Rattlesnake Lake

Christine and I took a short drive up to Rattlesnake Lake today.  We went last year and loved it.  This year was even better for 2 reasons:

1. There was snow and a lot more water to capture, and
2. I had a better camera and more experience with landscape shots.

I still feel like I can't ever quite capture landscape shots, but I'm slowly getting better.  I love this shot because it shows the stark contrasts between the bright white snow and the blackened tree stumps, rippling water, and foggy tree-scape.

Washington is such a beautiful place!  It's freezing right now, but beautiful!

Day 178: Tree Hunting

Mom at the tree farm.

So we're still in Washington for the holiday, and today we got to go pick out a Christmas tree with Vic and Mona!  We got to come with them last year and it was so much fun.  This year Mom and Dad came, and we had a blast trudging through the snow, looking for the perfect tree.  Unfortunately for me, I was wearing the wrong shoes for wet snow puddles.  After about 15 minutes I couldn't feel my toes, so I left early to warm up in the front store.  But not before I got some cute shots of the family walking among the trees.  Mom was so cute in her snow outfit!  I especially love the Santa hat beanie!

Great day!  I'll be sad to leave on Sunday.

Day 177: Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Yesterday may have been a bit of a nightmare, but I was worth it just to be here with the family.  We had a great day today hanging out, watching a little football, watching some movies, and eating our yummy turkey dinner!  The food was so good and I ate way too much, as happens on Thanksgiving, and I loved the whole day.

Today I'm thankful for cars that work, safe journey's, and the ability to visit family - even in tough economical times. :)

Day 176: A Roadtrip of Epic Proportions

My car's silhouette in the sunset.

So...the most interesting day.  We left for Washington (state) at 4am, the usual time.  We checked the weather before we left to make sure we were clear of the "storm," and we packed the car to the brim with provisions in case we got stuck by the weather.  We were prepared.

Then, on the border of Utah and Idaho we got suck on a closed freeway for 4 hours.  I have no idea why it was closed, but they had it scheduled for closure until 8am.  Too bad they didn't actually open it until 11am.

Frustrated as we were at the huge loss in time, we carried on, hoping we wouldn't be too late to get to our destination before sunset.  We were doing fairly well until my tire blew outside of Boise.  Luckily for Christine and I we were able to pull over quickly before the rim got damaged.  We had to fish through our tightly packed car to reach the spare tire in the back, and then when we got it out with the jack we realized we were missing a part.  It was nothing we couldn't handle though...we made do with what we had.  We got that baby changed in about 20 minutes, which we were pretty proud of considering our circumstances!  When we got to Boise, we started shopping for a tire place to get a replacement for the doughnut.

I'm not sure why, but every single citizen of Boise decided that today was a great day to get their snow tires installed for the season.  We found 3 tire stores within a mile of each other, and they all had a 2 hour wait.  We were blessed to get the nicest technician at one tire store who managed to push us up to the front of the line, but gave us the bad news that my tires aren't in stock.  Also, because my car is all wheel drive, I can't just replace one tire, I have to replace at least 2.  And, since they didn't have my tire, I had to replace all 4.

So..one hour and $700 later, we were back on the road to Washington.  We didn't leave Boise until 4pm, when we're usually in the middle of Oregon by Noon...so frustrating!  Once we left Idaho, we had no problems and made it to Vic and Mona's house in record time (for how long we had to go).

I officially hate Idaho.

Day 175: Storm Warning

The calm before the storm

We heard all sorts of very scary warnings about the storm today I mean, I was waiting for the next snow apocalyps the way they were talking about it.  We were supposed to be snowed in for three days, and then...

a few snowflakes and a lot of wind, for about 10 minutes.

But hey, let's close all the schools and businesses just in case it blows us all away!

At least we had an awesome sunset because of it.  Unfortunately I was driving on the freeway during the awesome sunset, so this is as close as i got to it.  It turned out to be a blessing for me and my sister though.  We didn't have to postpone our trip to Washington.

Day 174: Self-Conscious

The wall of shame.

So this week I finally gave in to my mom's requests to put my pictures on the wall in our living room.  We already have a shrine to my photography on the wall in the entry way, so I was concerned about putting any more pictures up.  But each month I've been trying to get a large print of my favorite shot of the month, and I haven't put any of them up on my wall downstairs.  Mainly, I haven't put them up because I ran out of room on my wall downstairs and I was wondering what to do about it.  But since they've just been sitting stacked next to my shrine, Mom thought it would be a good idea to put them up on the wall in the living room.  I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to it, but now it's too late I guess.

Anyway, now they're up there, gigantic and staring everyone in the face, and I'm completely embarrassed by it.  It's like I'm saying, "look everyone!  I think I'm the coolest photographer ever, and I want you to praise my outstanding work...all the time!"

Day 173: Great Grandma is My Friend

Mom and Baby Davis.

Robert and Lindsey came over to visit tonight, and mom got a hold of little Davis and wouldn't let go.  He was perfectly content to stay on Mom's lap all night as we made faces at him and visited with one another.  I was lucky to get this shot, when he suddenly  leaned in to Mom and grinned right at me!  What a happy boy!  He loves his great-grandma.

It was so fun to hang out with the family tonight and talk about nothing, really.  Sometimes the best evenings are spend doing the most normal things.

Tonight, I am grateful for quiet evenings at home with the family.

Day 172: Play Time

Maleah (sp?)

"Take a picture to me!"

That's what she kept pleading as we sat on the stage in the cultural hall today.  We were waiting for her brother and sisters (and the other children) to finish their Primary activity, and she was so happy to be running around and playing in freedom.

Every time I took her picture she would want to see it on my camera, and then immediately start again with her plea, "Take a picture to me again!"  It was so fun!

When I tired of taking pictures of her with the same expression on her face, she got tired of me and moved on to Christine.

"Do airplane to me!" she cried, and Christine would swing her into the air and spin around while she had her arms spread wide.  She giggled and squealed and grinned against the wind as she spun over and over again.

What a joy little children are!!!!!

Day 171: White Trees

A tree with a few leaves left at the top

Tonight I went out to dinner with my family before heading back to work to finish a project (I know, really fun Friday).  When we walked out of the restaurant, we noticed this awesome tree!  I did not use a flash on this tree.  It was literally glowing white with what looked like flaming red tipped branches.  I wish this shot better emphasized the red leaves, because they were really what made this beauty stand out, but I still like the way looks.

Since Thanksgiving is on it's way, I've been trying to keep in mind the things that I am grateful for.  Even the little things that make up each moment of each day can be really good.  And well, today I'm grateful for freakishly white trees and family time.  I may have to work late, but I don't mind at all because I got to hang out with the family a bit and take a break. :)

Day 170: Mo Bros

Steven's 'stache

So I guess there's a thing promoting cancer awareness for men during the month of November.  It's called Movember, and it's worldwide, believe it or not.  Apparently during the month of November, guys are growing out mustaches and somehow that's supposed to remind people about men's risk of cancer.  I tried to read up about it on the Movember website, but I'm ADD and didn't last long.  Take a look for yourself for more info.

Anyway, I had lunch with my sisters and my nephew Steven today and heard all about it when I asked him who was going to save that girl he tied to the railroad track (OK, I didn't actually ask him that, but I did ask him why he was going for the pedophile look).  After some serious thought about the great idea that Movember had, I starting trying to remember some of the funny one-liners I've heard about mustaches...as I said, I'm ADD, plus I like to make fun of my nephews.

And since a bunch of my nephews are doing the Movember challenge, I've just got to wonder, is this like a contest?  Because even if you win, you still loose.  ;)
I'm going to have to start calling them new names, like D'artanian, Magnum P.I. or maybe Amber Alert.
And for you single guys out there, was meeting women not challenging enough for you?  Because even if they're saying what a great idea this is and how awesome you are for stepping up to the challenge, all they're really thinking is how to politely remove themselves from your company and secure they're houses at night. ;)

But seriously, all joking aside.  It's a great cause, and if it gets people thinking about men's health and getting awareness out about cancer, it's worth a few babies getting scared. ;)

*Note: Since there's no such thing as a sarcasm font, I put little winking smiley faces to indicate that I'm just poking fun and am in no way being serious about these little jabs at mustaches.

Day 169: Self-Portrait #9

My hair...it looks longer than it is.

I'm thinking of chopping off my hair again.  I haven't decided for sure - I keep going back and forth about it - but just in case I make a split-second decision, I wanted to take a picture of how long it's gotten since the last time I chopped it.  Now, this picture makes it look super-long because I was tilting my head back, but still.  It's a good length.

A little too good, actually.  It's driving me crazy.  And I end up wearing it in a bun 90% of the time lately, so it feels pointless to have it this long and not show it off.  Plus, I hate the cut.  From the back, all trailing behind me, it looks great.  But from the front it's frizzy and limp at the same time.  It's my own fault though.  I tried to trim it myself.  Anyway, it's really annoying and it doesn't make me feel cute.

But, there's always that little voice in my head (usually my brother's voice from when he was in high school and wanted to indoctrinate me with his wisdom) saying, "Guys aren't attracted to girls with short hair.  It makes them look manly, and that's not what guys like.  Guys like long hair...it attracts their attention...you want their attention, don't you Valerie?"

It's a sneaky little voice, and 80% of the time it wins out...mainly because it's been whispering that to me since I was 7 or 8 years old.

Thanks Dave.

But, we'll see.  I've ignored the voice before.  Once I even went so far as to attempt a pixie cut (it wasn't a pixie cut, but it was definitely boy-short)...I'll never do that again.  But I do have a few favorite short cuts, so I might decide to "carpe diem," as they say, and do what I want.

Or I might not.

Day 168: Day Glo

Protective eye gear for tanning

So fall is giving way to winter, and I'm already feeling the winter blues set in.  One of my little tricks to fight it is to go tanning once a month or so.  Artificial sunlight is better than none, and when it's winter, the sky is dark when I leave for work and dark when I come home.  It's not necessarily that bad yet.  I still see great sunsets right now, but in a few weeks I won't be so lucky.

So a tanning I went.  I always feel a little bit radioactive after going tanning (for obvious reasons), so I thought it would be fun to take a picture and make it a little "glowy" to represent how I feel.  :)

But I have to say, the second those bulbs came on, I imagined laying out by the side of a pool and a smile spread across my face.  I may glow in the dark now, but at least I'm happy about it! :)

Day 167: Mountain Light

Sunset on the mountains in PG

Poor Christine was home sick today from the stomach flu.  I thought I was having sympathetic symptoms at work because I was a bit nauseous all day (and I can't have gotten sick from Christine since she's been out of town until last night), but I came home to find out that Mom had the same problem.  It turns out that we weren't suffering from sympathetic illnesses, it was the cake Mom made last night.  I guess the sugar-free ingredient, Maltitol, has some undesirable side effects when consumed in high quantities.

Which means Mom and I had a little too much cake between last night and this evening...heh.

I like cake, dang it!

Day 166: Cake and TV

Sugar-free cake that Mom made

I spend most of my afternoon and evening in bed today because of this weird leg pain that I've had for...ever. Some days it's just a dull ache, and some days (like today) it hurts so much that I can't concentrate and it makes me writhe and to try and ease the pain.  When that happens, I've found that the best thing to do is to take a few (or more) Advil and lay in bed with a heating pad on the aching muscles.

So that's what I did after church today.  I took some Advil, set myself up with books and remotes, and stayed in bed with my heating pad.  After a while I got bored and turned on my TV (something I don't normally do on Sundays anymore).  I watched this show called "Amazing Wedding Cakes."

I'm a big fan of "Cake Boss" on TLC, so I thought this show would be fun, but it just made me like "Cake Boss" even more.  The people on "Amazing Wedding Cakes" are understaffed and not quite as talented (in my opinion).  Aside from solidifying my status on Team Buddy, it also made me in the mood for some cake - obviously.

Lucky for me, Mom decided to make some cake tonight, so when I went upstairs to refill my water bottle, there sat the bowls of home made cake, drizzled in melted sugar-free frosting.  It was SO GOOD!  What a great way to sate a craving!

Day 165: Good Fortune

The bingo ball.

I inherited this awesome little ball from Kim.  It's a bingo ball that has magic 8 ball answers instead of numbers.  It's super fun to play with little kids, which is probably why we're missing half the balls in it. :)

I spent the day with my parents today and it was so fun!  We hung out around the house in the morning and then went to lunch.  After lunch Mom and I went to the nail salon for some mani-pedi's.  Well...Mom got a manicure while I got a pedicure. We ended the day by dinner at home and then a sappy chick flick.  It was a great, relaxed day.

Now, if only I'd remembered to do any of the chores I planned on...

Day 164: Babysitting

Gracie

Kim is out of town this week and asked me to check on her cats yesterday and today.  Tonight when I came to check on them, they were so cute!  After I made sure they had enough food and fresh water (and after I cleaned out their litter box - ew), I found myself sitting on the living room floor, surrounded by the cats.

And I don't mean "surrounded" in the Catwoman sort of way (you know, that scene from Batman when the cats "surround" Catwoman and it looks like they're making a meal of her, when really they're just making her a bit crazy in the head?).  First of all, Kim doesn't have enough cats to recreate that scene - not nearly enough - and secondly, they weren't right next to me.

As I surveyed the room from my floor seat, I was able to spot a different cat in each corner.  All of them were sitting in different positions, but they were all making sure they were in the same room with me, which was so cute!  Lewis, who usually whines to death and doesn't let me pick him up, was the only one who wouldn't stay away from my side.  In fact, at one point - as I was taking this shot of Gracie, and positioned on my stomach to get the right angle - Lewis was laying on my legs.

It was fun to spend a little time with the kitties.  I've been feeling a bit down today, and seeing the cats made me feel a little better.  There is something so comforting about having a pet around!

Here are the other three cats (Cray wouldn't pose for me, so the best I got was his backside in the picture of Lewis):

 Lilly

Lewis