Random Snapshots

I hate Monday mornings + a mosaic

Actually, I hate mornings in general.  Monday through Friday - mornings are not my friend.

Here's a recap of my Monday morning:

• Struggled to crawl out of bed at 6:15am
• Got dressed for the gym, packed my lunch, grabbed my gym bag
• Left the house at 6:38am for the 30 minute drive to the gym
• Got within 1 mile of the gym and realized...
• That I left my work clothes at home...hanging on the door
• Turned around for the 30 minute drive back home
• Showered, got dressed
• Left for another 30 minute drive back to work

Poor Adam...God bless him, he is patient.  We carpool to work together every day.  We work a mile away from each other and the gym is in his office building.  He did all the driving this morning - because of traffic I wouldn't have made it back and forth without being able to drive in the carpool lane. 

It's raining like crazy out there now and not supposed to let up for at least a week.  Because of that my mosaic this week is rain-themed.

1. Its raining, 2. Why does it always rain on me??, 3. Its raining again, 4. Singing in the rain, 5. Walking in the rain 1_2499, 6. Rain in Cracow, 7. After the rain I, 8. Still Raining, 9. rain drops, 10. After the Rain, 11. Blessed Rain, 2 of 2, 12. Looking Up After the Rain, 13. Rain #3, 14. Let the rain pour, 15. After the rain...diamonds, 16. rain stroll

That's all for today.  I hope your Monday morning has been better than mine!

G is for...

G is for Green Fuselage:

How often do you see a fuselage rolling through your city on the train tracks?  I was so glad I had my camera.  I've been trying to catch a photo of this for a couple of years.

Just one photo for "G" because I haven't had much time to take photos lately.  Hope to have more for H coming up.  :)

Going to see Ani DiFranco tomorrow night - more on that later!

Mosaic Monday

1. Spring is here, 2. Spring Blues, 3. Early Spring in the air, 4. Pear Trees Mean Spring, 5. Spring is today ;), 6. spring in the city (III), 7. Spring Melody 春的弦律, 8. Spring, 9. ...spring is here.., 10. Santa Babrara Spring has sprung, 11. The Spring of My New Beginning, 12. spring scent, 13. WELCOME SPRING, 14. Longing for spring, 15. Spring Crocuses, 16. First wasp of the Spring

Here's a series of spring-themed photos for today's Mosaic Monday.

I'm hoping to get enough time for a couple of blog updates this week.  It's been a busy couple of days around here.  I have stuff to post about - I just need the time to collect my thoughts and photos and roll them into a blog post.

Here's what I've been up to:

• I've been knitting
• I've been scrapbooking :gasp: I know!
• I've been slowly getting back to a gym routine

More updates later - happy Monday!

Dan's Visit - Part I

I am just now getting the chance to go through some of the photos that I took when my brother was here visiting at the end of March. 

To recap the visit in just a few words - we had a great time! 

Adam and I were both really happy to have him here for 11 days.  It was great to spend time together and not have anything else to worry about.  Oftentimes when we go home to visit it ends up being a series of way-too-busy days running around trying to see everyone.  I know we've both felt like there just isn't enough hours to spend quality time with certain people so this was a welcomed change. 

So here's the photo recap - Part I:

On Saturday we spent a few hours at the Museum of Flight.  It's one of Adam's favorite places to go and he really likes to take visitors there.  He knows a lot about airplanes and history so it's a real treat to go with him.  The museum has a lot of great permanent displays and interesting displays throughout the year.  Dan seemed to be really interested in everything.

The best part of the day was the nice weather which meant that the outdoor airpark was open.  That's my favorite part!

And now for photo overload:

Dan & I in front of a big plane.

The front of the museum.

One of my favs at the museum - Dan's fav too.

Thumbs up!

Adam being smart.

A big ass airplane engine.

Look!  We can reach!

An old Air Force One.

A cool perspective.

Beware of intake.

HAHAHAHA I have no words for this one. Seriously.

Still on a concert high

My review of last Friday night's concert is simple.

IT.WAS.AMAZING. :)

I brought my point & shoot and got a lot of blurry photos!  More grainy than blurry actually, but I'm glad I made Adam sneak it in.

(click to enlarge)

The Dalai Lama interview was a little difficult to hear, but other than that it was great.  I didn't realize that he was being interviewed by Ann Curry AND Dave Matthews.  It was pretty cool.  Dave Matthews was VERY nervous about the interview.  You could see him sweating on the big screen and he couldn't stop rocking back and forth in his chair.  It was pretty funny actually!  I like a lot of the stuff that the Dalai Lama was saying and probably will read up more on him.  I don't always feel like his principles are "liveable," but I don't discount them at all. 

There was a surprise opener too - Death Cab for Cutie.  They are from Seattle and played a 6 or 7 song acoustic set.  They were really good and I'm glad I was able to see them live.  I love surprises like that!

I can't describe how good the Dave/Tim acoustic set was.  Seeing Tim Reynolds live is an experience.  He's amazing - a true master of the guitar.  And Dave Matthews - well, I don't need to tell you how I feel about him.  The acoustic set was a treat.  He talks throughout and I really enjoyed that part.  He lives in Seattle and I believe that made this whole Seeds of Compassion show more special. 

Here's the set list from Dave and Tim:

• Bartender
• Old Dirt Hill
• So Damn Lucky
• Stay or Leave
• Save Me
• Cry Freedom
• Gravedigger
• You Are My Sanity
• The Maker
• Sister
• Cornbread
• Some Devil
• Everyday
• Where Are You Going
• Eh Hee
• Dancing Nancies
• Encore: Lie in Our Graves

And now I only have to wait until Labor Day to see Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge.  :)

I hope this isn't a dream...

Friday night we were driving home from the concert

I plugged my phone in to charge

It had been dead all day

I noticed I had a voicemail from earlier in the day

It was from my best friend Jessica

She said she had some really good news for me, but didn't want to leave it on voicemail

I called her right back even though it was late, but couldn't get ahold of her

My first thought was that she was pregnant :)

I sat around all morning on Saturday waiting for her to call - I hate suspense!

I got an email from her

Her phone was broken, but she would call me later on

Around 3pm or so she called

With the best news ever

Her husband has just accepted a job in Seattle

They are moving here sometime within the next couple of months

Moving to Seattle

My best friend is moving to Seattle

I'm still in shock and I hope this isn't a dream!

Tomorrow night...

we're going to see the Dalai Lama speak before the Concert for Compassion.

1. Dalai Lama, 2. Dalai Lama, 3. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Derry, 4. His Holiness The Dalai lama, 5. Dalai Lama in Portugal, 6. S.S. o Dalai Lama, 7. The Dalai Lama, 8. Dalai Lama, 9. Dalai Lama. Tribute.

After the inspirational talk these two will be putting on an amazing acoustic show:

1. Dave and Tim, 2. Dave Matthews, 3. Dave and Tim, 4. Dave and Tim Boston 043, 5. Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, 6. Dave Matthews, 7. Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds in Bridgehampton, 8. Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, 9. DMBcruise06-398e

With 15 + (I lost count!) Dave Matthews Band shows under my belt I've yet to see Dave and Tim together live.  I'm just a *tiny* bit excited.  ;) 

F is for...

F is for Flare - as in Sun Flare:

F is for Flight or Flying:

F is for Flowers - at the Market:

F is for Fountain:

F is for Fish - Finding Nemo at the Seattle Aquarium:

G photos coming next week!

Wee Tiny Sock Swap + Sweet Survey

Last week I signed up for the Wee Tiny Sock Swap.  Denise sent me the link and thought it would be fun for us to do.  You can see her Wee Tiny Sock on her blog - I love the tiny stripes! 

I finished my sock in about an hour and mailed it off yesterday. 

See? Tiny!!!

I actually read the instructions wrong and made a pair of wee tiny socks instead of a single sock.  This little one is in photos is mine to keep and the other one is en route to my tiny sock swap partner. 

You're probably asking yourself "what the hell is the point of knitting a TINY sock and sending it to someone?" right?  Well, I don't have the answer to that!  It's just all in good knitting fun.  And who can resist a knitting project that's finished in an hour?  Not me!  Seems like that's all the free time I have lately.

Now I wait for my tiny sock to arrive in the mail.  :)

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It's Special Swap time again and this time our theme is Sweet Treats.  We're doing things a little differently this time around and I can't wait to see how it turns out. 

Our swap mama, Lynne, sent us a survey to post to our blogs so our swap partners can get an idea of what kinds of sweets we like. 

Here's my answers:

1. What were your 3 favorite treats in your Halloween bag?  Anything gummy and/or fruity (gummy bears/worms, Jujy Fruits, Dots, Twizzlers, etc), Snickers, Reese's Cups.
2. What were the 3 treats that you would trade away? Hmmm, this is tough because I really like candy!  I don't like toffee candy like Werthers, or regular hard candies (individually wrapped) or cheap chocolate - hahaha.
3. Do you bake?  Not very often.  I like baking, but I don't really have the time.  When I do I make Adam take it to work anyways so I don’t eat it all.  :)  I do like baking treats for birthdays though.
4. Do you order dessert in a restaurant? If so, what is your favorite dessert? Only if Adam will split it with me and I didn't pig out on dinner which is NOT often.  We love Tiramisu, Cherry or Apple Pie, Gelato and any kind of fruit tart with ice cream.
5. Tell me about your favorite Candy-colored yarns, and what candy are they inspired from? STR comes to mind because they are so richly dyed.  Any sock yarn really - I can never get enough of new color combos.  Reminds of me bags of jelly beans 
6. When you knit a special "icing on the cake" accessory for your outfit, would you knit ...... socks, a scarf, a hat or a bag? Socks or a scarf
7. Describe the perfect ice cream sundae. Chocolate ice cream, peanut butter sauce, whipped cream and A LOT of sprinkles!
8. Are there any knitting treats that you would love to add to your collection? A book you would like for your library? A knitting gadget for your notions bag? A sweet yarn? I love suprises!  And sock yarn - haha!
9. Think about the best homemade dessert from Mom or Grandma. Do you have the recipe to share? My Mom and (her Mom) Grandma are both excellent bakers - maybe one of them will share a recipe and I will post it.  I also remember my Dad's Mom's baking and watching her make dozens and dozens of Italian cookies for the holidays.  I have a great family pizzelle recipe from my Dad's side, but I'd have to kill you if I shared it.  :)  The survey only mentions Mom and Grandma, but I have to add that my Pappy is also a great baker and cook in general! 
10. What local or regional treats would you insist your swap partner try if she visited your town? I'm not sure of anything that's particularly regional around here.  I've heard of a great cupcake shop somewhere in Seattle.  I haven't been there yet, but hope to try it out some day!  I would also take her to Rocky Mountain Chocolates which is one of my favorite places ever.  :)
11. Cupcakes....talk amongst yourselves. I love making cupcakes because they are easy and really fun to decorate.  My cousin Denise gave me some great cupcake goodies for my birthday last year which have been a lot of fun to play with!