Lessons of the day

1. Get cable the day before the State of the Union address.
I know it's my civic duty to be involved in politics, but it's like a revolving door. Watching stuff like the State of the Union is boring. I don't have a good understanding of what they're talking about. But I won't understand unless I start getting interested. And so the cycle progresses. Such is life. Moving on.

2. Don't try to convince yourself seven more minutes of sleep is worth it.
I admit. I'm a snoozer. My alarm is set for 6:05 am. Don't ask me why the :05 because I have no idea. Today I got up at 6:31. My snooze goes off every 7 minutes, which means I hit snooze 3 times. Can't help it. Apparently I have to wake up gradually. Drives Ryan nuts though. And I drive him crazy in plenty of other ways to put him through that. Not sure I can stop though...

3. Attempting to microwave oatmeal in a plastic cup is not a good idea.
We had no food in the house. Well, none that was suitable for lunch anyway. So I relied on my old standby. Instant oatmeal. I'm partial to the cinnamon roll flavor. Normally I microwave it in a Styrofoam cup. But they're just a fuzz too small. Nine times outta ten, the oatmeal bubbles over the top. The plastic cup on the other hand, that sucker's huge in comparison. I got busy searching for a spoon, when I heard the buzzer. Not only did it bubble over, the plastic cup melted leaving it full of disfiguring bumps and crevasses. I took the first bite and pitched it. Mighta been in my head, but all I could taste was plastic. Guess that means I'm having a banana, string cheese, and a Pepsi for lunch. Yum....

Happy Day Before Friday!

Dirty thirty

Nothing says happy 30th birthday than an ugly sweater party! Our good friend Jason turned 30 last month, but the chaos of the holidays had them postpone his party. I'd never been to an ugly sweater party before, and I was SO into it!

Ryan and I spent the entire day scouring the Salvation Army's and Goodwill's within a 20 mile radius. I managed to find a lovely hot pink, lime green, and purple number with a random yarn tie at the neck. But we didn't have any luck for Ryan.

A few hours later Ryan jokingly said he should wear the ugliest sweater of all - an Iowa Hawkeye sweatshirt, the archenemies of our Alma mater Iowa State. I thought it was histarical, so we hit up the closest Hawkeye fan we knew. The hosts would appreciate the joke. They went to ISU too. Turns out there wasn't a Hawkeye fan in the house, so it was very well received. The rivalry between the two schools can get a little outta hand.

Everyone gave Jason a little crap about turning 30. Usually in the form of gifts.

The food was fabulous. The company was great. The Wii provided hours of entertainment.

And the "You Ugly" trophy went to Sarah who dazzled in a lovely white beaded number and matching black tights with white polka dots.

Good times were had by all.

Seattle

I left Saturday for a work trip to Seattle. I'm always up for a trip, and where I go - my camera goes. I arrived to partly sunny skies and a high of 52. No snow for miles and blue water as far as the eye could see. The pine tree covered hills and mountains were a stark comparison to the snow covered corn fields I left behind.



My first glimpse of the Seattle skyline was from the cab shuttling me from the Seattle - Tacoma airport to my hotel down town. It's a beautiful city during the day, but little did I know it was magical at night.







But I'd have to say sunrise was my favorite time of day there.



The first morning I ventured a few blocks from my hotel to the Pike Place Market. It was still early, and the vendors were just starting to set up. The freshness and excitement of the new morning was contagious.

The vendors of this fruit and vegetable stand were singing the entire time they finished setting up. Like I said, it was contagious.

Every few feet down the market there were observation areas where you could look out into the Puget Sound. This photo of downtown was taken from one of those areas.

Like I said, it was pretty early. I've no doubt an hour later and the lower levels would have been teeming with people.

The flowers and arrangements were just amazing. And relatively cheap. I should have bought a bouquet to brighten up my hotel room.

Sorry for the poor photo, but I didn't realize this was THE original Starbucks until I was almost passed it.

Slowly, more people started showing up. It was a lazy Sunday morning after all.

The second morning I went for a walk. For 9 blocks. In the rain. Imagine the look on the concierge's face when I asked for the closest fire station. Despite her bewilderment, she pointed it out on a map. I was hoping to bring home a Seattle Fire Department t-shirt for Ryan.

Some 45 minutes later I was back at the hotel, completely soaked from head to toe. I found the fire department, but it was being rennovated and no one was around. But it was a great way to see the city. I do have one suggestion for the City of Seattle... considering how much it rains there, I think they should mandate all stores along the sidewalk to install canopies. Just my two cents.

That night, my boss, co-worker, and I had reservations at the resturant at the top of the Space Needle. It seems a little out of place in the middle of a residential and retail district. But it was impressive none the less.

The food was excellent and the view was incredible. The perk of the resturant turned out to be the downside of taking photos. The seating area was on a turn stile that gave you a 360 degree view every hour. But at night, even that slight movement caused some blurring.

But you can't go to the top of the Space Needle without taking a photo....

I only wish I'd had a wide angle lens!

Next time.... :-)

Purpose

It's yucky outside. Snowy. Windy. Frigid. I'm at home, a blanket pulled up to my chin wishing I had a Snuggie. Despite the cold...I've been rather productive today.



Minus the fact that I haven't taken a shower yet.... HA!



Could have something to do with the fact that my only TV options the last hour and a half have been Jerry Springer or soap operas. Needless to say, I've gotten a lot of work done. Possibly more than I do when I'm in the office.



I work in bursts. An hour of genuis follwed by fifteen minutes of zoning out trying to decifer the plot line of the current soap. Or feeding my Facebook addiction. Or checking Twitter. I miss Tweet Deck. Checking two or three sites is exhausting when you're used to getting it all at once.



I just read what I've written so far and don't know the purpose of this post. But most snow days don't have a purpose, right? That's the beauty of them. You don't have to be anywhere or do anything. You create purpose out of whatever you want to do in the moment. It's a shame we can't live like there's a snow day every day.

Faves of 2009

I have spent the past two days copying files from my old desktop onto CDs. Since getting my new laptop, I decided to recycle the nine-year-old HP. In doing so I've spent hours pouring over every photo I've taken since 2005.

This afternoon I finally arrived at the 2009 folder. The one I'd been waiting for. 2009 was very good to me. After all, it was the year I decided to make the crazy jump from obsessive hobby to passionate profession. And what a first year it has been.

As I shuffled through each session, I couldn't help but pick out my favorites. I'd started a "faves folder" without even thinking about it. As I finished compiling my top photos I knew I had to share. So... here are my 2009 faves.



Love the passion in this photo from Mary and Jeff's wedding.





Followed by a loving glance between bride and groom (Julie and Scott).

Those baby blue eyes melt my heart every time!





Hollie. Her smile lights up even the darkest of alleys.

Gotta love a little goofyness.

Mmmm... Hello gorgeous! Andy and Jen were so easy to photograph.

The "behind the scenes" often make the best photos.

These two stopped by to take a quick peek at the wedding - from a respectful distance - before continuing on their way through Reiman Gardens.







This photo is Kayla to me. Natural. Serene. Beautiful.

Michelle and Jason's wedding was full of spontaneity... might be one of my favorite wedding photos of all time.

Oh, Angela. Gorgeous Angela. You can just see the creative spark in her soul.

Nothing like the innocent play of the Carter family and adorable Olivia.

So excited to see the blessings 2010 has in store for me!