January 31, 2011 207:365

So, I totally forgot to post this picture from yesterday, which is kind of amusing, because it was actually one of my favorites from the day.  I just loved the texture and the pattern.

January 30, 2011 206:365

Today, I am thankful for good friends that understand me.  I got to spend the afternoon taking pictures with somebody - not all alone, woo hoo!  Everett isn't necessarily the prettiest of all of this area, but it made for a nice cloudy afternoon of pictures, especially out on the pier.

January 28, 2011 205:365

It's not official yet, but these may be the shoes.  Of course, we still have 9 months left, there are a lot of shoes yet to be seen.  

January 27, 2011 204:365

We needed to get a little work done on our chimney, so we haven't been able to really make use of all that new wood yet.  

In the mean time, this is now one of my favorite fixtures in the house:

January 26, 2011 203:365

Checking things off the wedding to-do list:  Save the Dates are done!  We should be able to get them in the mail next week.  They aren't spectacular, but they are very "us" and that's what this whole process is about, right?

January 24, 2011 202:365

You know what's perfectly fabulous? Rosemary Chicken pizza with slices of potatoes on it.

Don't judge.  You would have loved it.

January 23, 2011 201:365

This is a post that won't mean much to anyone but mom, but that's okay.  I'm feeling pretty excited about my new Mamiya Lenshood, so that's what I'm sharing.  

January 22, 2011 200:365

Remember the story about the engagement/housewarming present that Chris and Ian got us?  Well, it showed up today!  We are the proud recipients of a massive cord of wood!  Is there anything better than a perfect fire in the fireplace, really?

January 21, 2011 199:365

Today, I am thankful for my grandparents.  When I was little, I used to spend time every summer with them in Terre Haute, Indiana.  It was the best part of my summer.  Because of the time that I spent with them, I can wash dishes like it's nobody's business, feel completely at home in a wood-working shop and I can sew.  Not only did they teach me how to do these things, but they taught me how to enjoy doing these things (well except for the washing dishes part).  

So, thank you Ma and Pa, for helping me relax today. :)

January 20, 2011 198:365

I find it interesting (and mildly amusing) how much tea I'm able to drink in one day.

January 19, 2011 197:365

I've been working on this bonus project for work, except, it's not really for work at all, I guess.  It's a little confusing, but mostly, it revolves around trying new recipes.  It's way too complicated and boring to describe in any more detail than that.  The point of my story really has nothing to do with work.  It's more about the recipes. We've been lucky to try a lot of new stuff now and I'm loving it.  It's also forcing us to build up of cabinets full of ingredients.  We tried a new salmon recipe tonight (which was fabulous, by the way) and it called for Peanut Oil.  I live in a house now where we have things like peanut oil in our cabinets.  That's a first in my life and I think that's pretty cool.

Hooray for new recipes!

January 17, 2011 196:365

Today's visit brought me to Sandpoint, Idaho.  I always forget how pretty it is here.  Even in beautiful areas, most of my hotels don't have views like this...

That was taken through the window in my guestroom.  I mean...that's really, really pretty.

But then the sunset happened, and well, there just aren't words for that...

January 16, 2011 195:365

I've been trying to play around with some different settings on my camera.  I'm not sure how well it's working.  Either way, today, I'm thankful that I have two models that live with me that don't charge a penny and they're available 24/7.  As long as I'm willing to dodge the occasional drive-by slobberings, they're willing to be cute (and dirty, but I won't hold that against them).

January 15, 2011 194:365

So, we were out late on Friday night and I got up pretty early on Saturday morning.  This is what I saw when I went to fill up the car with gas.  I think it was because I didn't have much sleep, but it actually took me a pause before I realized that it wasn't a "milk pump."

I had to take a picture.

*Giggle*

January 14, 2011 193:365

He just keeps getting cuter and cuter and cuter.

January 12, 2011 192:365

The photo challenge for this week is Breakfast.  Um...yeah...I kind of fall down when it comes to breakfast.  I definitely had a picture in mind of all the beautiful ways I could capture a perfect, mouthwatering breakfast, but when it came right down to it, I figured I would be better off just documenting reality.

191:365

January 10.

I realized this afternoon that these poor little stuffed animals didn't stand a chance against my boys.  Daijo and Venn aren't really power-chewers; we have a lot of stuffed animals that have lasted for months on end. For whatever reason, these new little toys just didn't make the cut.

Seeing my boys feeling completely proud of themselves, surrounded by amputated bears, hippos, squirrels and moose was quite the sight to behold.

190:365

January 9.

With Addison still here this morning, the dogs all spent hours running and jumping and slobbering and barking and humping in the back yard.  It was tons of fun.

When the excitement of watching the dogs in the yard wore off (who am I kidding, it never wore off, I just got too cold being outside), I decided that this day needed some baked goods.  I found a recipe for Cappuccino Muffins.  Yum. 

189:365

January 8.

Addison came for a sleepover this weekend.  2 puppies are a handful.  3 are just blurry.  Thank God for rawhide.

188:365

January 7.

Sitting in a traffic jam, talking to my mom about whether or not we should use matrix metering on our cameras and I thought I would play around with the rain on the windshield and the bus in front of me.

187:365

January 6.

So, I found this website that gives weekly themes for photo projects.  I figured I would import the themes and try to cover the theme at least one day every week on the project just to give me something else to think about.

The theme for this week is "Cold."    Here is my interpretation:

Daijo came with me to Ellensburg today.  Traffic was brutal in the morning (took us twice the amount of time to get there that it should have) and then we had a flat tire before we could get out of town.  Needless to say, all the travel (not to mention the intense consulting) totally took the energy right out of him - he didn't even have it in him to jump up into his usual spot in the back window.  Poor guy.

186:365

December 31.

I was terrified that New Year's Eve was going to suck.  My parents had to fly out first thing in the morning and a series of rather unfortunate events forced us to cancel all of our plans, pack up our things and our dogs once again and drive to Spokane for the evening.

My fiancée keeps me sane and balanced even when life tends to overwhelm me. He pointed out this view as we cruised through the mountains with the perfectly blue sky.  Even captured with the Blackberry, beautiful beyond description.

So, in the midst of chaos, here is what I am thankful for as I begin this new year - I got to welcome this fresh beginning with the man I love, the pups I adore, in a beautiful hotel that I am privileged to work with while drinking great wine, playing Scrabble and eating pizza.

If this is a premonition of things to come, then I am a lucky, lucky girl...

185:365

 December 30.

It was very cold today (for Seattle, at least), so we wanted to take my folks somewhere neat, but indoors.  We settled on the downtown library.  It's interesting to take pictures of the place with other people. Everyone sees such different things, and in a place that is so visually stimulating, there is a lot to see.  Here is my take on the library (shockingly different than the pictures that my mom took)

As if that wasn't enough for one day, after roaming around the library for hours, Brian and I took my folks to the underbelly of Pike Place.  (The last time they were here, we only hit the street level)

And that, was a dang full day.

184:365

December 29

By the time Brian and I got back to Seattle, my folks were already in town waiting for us to arrive.  They graciously let us have the night of the 27th to ourselves and on the 28th, we all just hung around the house (and went to a fabulous dinner).  Because the last time my folks came to town, I took them on a whirlwind Seattle Extravaganza, this time, I thought we could just do one or two choice places this time.  On the 29th, we took my folks down to Pioneer Square for the Underground Tour.  I thought they might really enjoy a different perspective on Seattle's history.

After the tour, Brian and my dad went to go see a movie and my mom and I cruised around in Pioneer Square playing with our cameras.

I took my mom to Magic Mouse Toys because it was pretty chilly outside and I thought she might enjoy the ambiance and the colors there.

After that, we just cruised the streets and window-shopped with our cameras.  

This picture is of an art gallery that's getting ready to open.  I loved the light - it just felt so mysterious.

After all that walking around, we had to warm up, so to Starbucks we went.  We got great seats right by the window and had a blast playing around with shutter speed and light.  How nice to spend time with someone that geeks out on camera stuff as much as I do...