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.