in the wake of tragedy, i'm counting a few of my blessings...
1. my husband, who loves me no matter what.
2. my family, who loves me and supports us and is always there.
3. matt's family, who loves matt and wants nothing but the best for him, and thinks i'm it.
4. a good job, that is there every day, consistently, putting food on the table and a roof over our heads.
5. matt's job, also there, every day, consistently, putting food on the table and a roof over our heads.
6. a Lord and Savior that walks beside me on the good days, and carries me on the bad.
7. free time to be myself, to discover new things, to enjoy my person.
8. a hobby about which i am so passionate.
9. a good education, and a good upbringing that gave me a good head on my shoulders.
10. my friends, who give me a break from the "real world" and give me the opportunity to be a kid again.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
i just don't know how to help...
honestly, what i really want to do is drive to New Orleans just to hug every person i see and ask them to tell me their story. i want to listen. i want to hold their children. i want to dry their tears. i want to hear what they need to say, to help them come to grips with what's happened. to help them heal. but i can't. so i just pray. i know prayer is powerful: i've seen the effects in my own life. so i'll do what i know works the best. i'll pray.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
it's the most wonderful time of the year...
ok, so bing wasn't singing about the back-to-school season - but i sure am!
i simply love this time of year. the air gets a little crisper, and i now need a coat to walk to the bus in the morning (and sometimes, an umbrella!). big yellow school busses start making their appearances, and sleepy-eyed kids stumble down the street to catch their ride each morning, already thinking forward to columbus day - their first school holiday. fall decorations fill my favorite craft stores, in palettes of red, orange, yellow and brown. clothing stores display warmer clothes in dark tones and thick wools and cottons, ready to bear the turning weather. i know that leaves will begin turning lovely shades of gold and crimson, and the fall holidays i enjoy are on their way. back-to-school sales litter the weekly circulars, and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils brings me back to my own days as a student.
back-to-school represents good things ahead: new challenges, learning new things, a fresh start, and most of all - for a kid, it represents another year older, just like a birthday does to an adult, but far, far more exciting. sometimes i miss being a student (and sometimes, i don't!) but each fall makes me long to go buy a new backpack, notebooks, pencils, pens and all of the other lovely supplies a student needs. not to mention the clothes. oh, how i miss buying a new wardrobe in time for the start of school, and then wearing your cutest outfit for your first day...
i simply love this time of year. the air gets a little crisper, and i now need a coat to walk to the bus in the morning (and sometimes, an umbrella!). big yellow school busses start making their appearances, and sleepy-eyed kids stumble down the street to catch their ride each morning, already thinking forward to columbus day - their first school holiday. fall decorations fill my favorite craft stores, in palettes of red, orange, yellow and brown. clothing stores display warmer clothes in dark tones and thick wools and cottons, ready to bear the turning weather. i know that leaves will begin turning lovely shades of gold and crimson, and the fall holidays i enjoy are on their way. back-to-school sales litter the weekly circulars, and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils brings me back to my own days as a student.
back-to-school represents good things ahead: new challenges, learning new things, a fresh start, and most of all - for a kid, it represents another year older, just like a birthday does to an adult, but far, far more exciting. sometimes i miss being a student (and sometimes, i don't!) but each fall makes me long to go buy a new backpack, notebooks, pencils, pens and all of the other lovely supplies a student needs. not to mention the clothes. oh, how i miss buying a new wardrobe in time for the start of school, and then wearing your cutest outfit for your first day...
Thursday, August 25, 2005
fantastic...
Princesses was fantastic. i don't know how else to describe it. just amazing. the music was {mostly} fun, the cast was awesome, the scenery was so detailed and exciting. in fact, a testament to how amazing this production was: matt is not a musical theatre fan. 99% of the time, he goes simply to humor me. when we got to the theatre last night, he was very, very tired, and in bad need of a nap. i decided that if he started to snooze as soon as the lights went down, i wouldn't be upset.
i was so wrong. he was wide awake from the first number, and he was laughing, and enjoying himself through the whole production, all two & a half hours of it. that's how good it was!
so, a little synopsis: a girl is shipped off to boarding school by her always-unavailable movie-star dad. feeling guilty, he comes to spend some "quality time" with her, and finds the girls preparing to perform A Little Princess. he volunteers to direct it, and play Captain Crewe, the little princess's father. of course, by opening night, something "more important" has come up, so he has to rush off, and leave them stranded. our protagonist is angry, and decides to quit, but her friends show her that she's just like her dad. determined to be anything but her father, she stays, and they pull off the production of A Little Princess. throughout the first act of the show, we see rehearsal of the early scenes of the play, so the later scenes of the final act are just the last few scenes of the play, in full. the writers did an amazing job of telling the *whole* story of A Little Princess, while still maintaining focus on the plot of the show itself.
so fun. i want to see it again.
i was so wrong. he was wide awake from the first number, and he was laughing, and enjoying himself through the whole production, all two & a half hours of it. that's how good it was!
so, a little synopsis: a girl is shipped off to boarding school by her always-unavailable movie-star dad. feeling guilty, he comes to spend some "quality time" with her, and finds the girls preparing to perform A Little Princess. he volunteers to direct it, and play Captain Crewe, the little princess's father. of course, by opening night, something "more important" has come up, so he has to rush off, and leave them stranded. our protagonist is angry, and decides to quit, but her friends show her that she's just like her dad. determined to be anything but her father, she stays, and they pull off the production of A Little Princess. throughout the first act of the show, we see rehearsal of the early scenes of the play, so the later scenes of the final act are just the last few scenes of the play, in full. the writers did an amazing job of telling the *whole* story of A Little Princess, while still maintaining focus on the plot of the show itself.
so fun. i want to see it again.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
oh, and i forgot to mention...
we "exchanged" anniversary gifts on our trip {read: we told eachother what we got, because neither of us actually had the gift with us}...
so, for our first anniversary - the paper anniversary:
i got matt a puzzle, custom made with a photo of us and a quote that says "When someone cares enough to love us in our perfectly imperfect form, they bless us with a rare kind of joy."
matt paid for me to go to four classes at the Washington CK Convention in October, and on top of that, made me a scrapbook page... how cute is he?? however, the page is still in the works, so i'll scan and upload when it's finished. :)
so, for our first anniversary - the paper anniversary:
i got matt a puzzle, custom made with a photo of us and a quote that says "When someone cares enough to love us in our perfectly imperfect form, they bless us with a rare kind of joy."
matt paid for me to go to four classes at the Washington CK Convention in October, and on top of that, made me a scrapbook page... how cute is he?? however, the page is still in the works, so i'll scan and upload when it's finished. :)
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
here in town, we have a theatre called 5th Avenue that performs musicals throughout the year. i love this theatre - they put on colorful, spectacular presentations. i was first acquainted with them in highschool when a guy i dated would take me to the shows, where his mom was usually in the chorus. i've seen a number of them over the years - Les Miserables (5th row, at that), Camelot, Titanic, Guys & Dolls (one of my favorites), A Chorus Line, Sound of Music, Kiss Me Kate, and a few others I know I'm forgetting. My parents recently saw Princesses and loved it, so when they acquired two more tickets, they gave them to Matt & I. So, this Wednesday, we'll be seeing another 5th Avenue production. I'm so excited!!
Monday, August 22, 2005
home again, unfortunately...
we had such an amazing weekend... matt picked me up around noon on friday and we headed home for some last minute packing. finally getting out of seattle around 2:30, we made way via I-90 to Hwy 2, the less scenic, but quicker route on a friday afternoon. we made our way over the mountains and took a small detour to leavenworth, to get coffee so that matt could drive. finally, we made it into town around 7pm, tired of driving, anxious for the real fun to begin.
after a quick moment to get settled in our room at the Wild Rose B&B, we headed out to explore a bit and find ourselves some dinner. we stumbled across JR's, a little bar/grill in downtown chelan. dinner was decent, though they must've gone out to catch the shrimp themselves, judging by the time it took them to serve it. after dinner, we wandered around downtown, enjoying the warm night and the clear sky. i love that when the sun goes down, it gets so dark, because chelan doesn't have nearly as many street lights and city lights as seattle. during our exploring, we stumbled across the go karts, bumper boats and mini golf course i used to visit as a kid (bumper boats were the best!) and decided to have us a round on the course. we had so much fun, but the jury's still out on who won that game.
saturday morning, we were up at a decent hour, to enjoy breakfast with the proprietor and her family, visiting for the weekend. over breakfast, we talked with these "locals" about the options for a day's entertainment. it was decided that we'd try to locate the old house i stayed in each year as a child, and then drive up chelan butte drive, to see the city from the top of the surrounding mountains.
we headed out to find the house i remembered... and with only a little struggling, found it, though it was much different than i remembered. (my mom says it hasn't changed at all.)
we headed up chelan butte drive, expecting it to only take us a few minutes... 40 minutes later, as we navigated the treacherous, one-lane road, we finally reached the top, marked by nothing other than the end of the road, and a few radio towers and accompanying buildings. the view was spectacular - on one side, you could see lake chelan in it's entirety, and on the other, the columbia river.
{left: lake chelan; right: columbia river}
on our way down, we pulled to the side of the road, as much as one can, to allow an oncoming car to pass, only to discover that car was mom & bob! they were on their way geo-caching, and one particular cache was located on the top of the butte. they invited us to come along, so we parked our little car and piled into the jag. back up to the top of the butte, we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of locating this cache using only the GPS coordinates.
{left: the cache; right: my mom, recording their entry in the cache journal}
locating this cache only whetted our appetite, so we travelled on to find the next, this time located by the columbia river, near a fish hatchery. i was the only one wearing inappropriate footwear {sandals}, so when we discovered that this cache would require some minor rock climbing to locate, i stayed with my feet firmly planted on the ground, while mom, bob & matt went cache-hunting.
after such hard work in the hot sun, we knew it was time for a swim. matt & i ran back to our b&b to grab our gear, and met mom & bob at their hotel. we cooled off in the lake, including playing on some huge inflatable trampoline toys, and then played in the pool, which was almost too warm after swimming in the cold lake. unfortunately, our playtime ended a little too soon - it was time to head back to our b&b to rest and get ready for the wedding.
the wedding was held at Tsillan Cellars {pronounced "Chelan". the "ts" spelling is the native american spelling of the word}, overlooking the lake. the hot sun shone down on us as we waited, an anticipation similar to the groom's, racing through the crowd. the bride was beautiful, the location magical, the food delicious and the company entertaining. i'm so pleased that we were able to be there to witness brian and christi be married. so much drama filled their early courtship, all stung with such an intense love and respect for eachother, that i knew it couldn't end in anything but marriage. i have no doubt in my mind that they will make eachother deliriously happy, and that their commitment to God will strengthen their marriage daily. i'm so excited for them.
sunday morning, we rose to have breakfast with the proprietor & her family once again - this time, a yummy waffle bar, with bacon and amazing homemade pastries. after breakfast, we packed up and said our goodbyes, then headed into town to stock up on beverages for the trip, and have one last galavant:
we got on the road, and headed towards our next destination: leavenworth. making a quick stop at the River Reach Dam, just outside of Wenatchee, we stretched, had a snack and wandered through the museum. then, back on the road. we arrived in leavenworth just in time for lunch. this little bavarian town, nestled in the mountains, is chock full of buildings all built in that swiss chalet style. in fact, we found that you can't call anything by it's name without adding "ye olde" to the beginning, {ye olde mcdonald's} or "haus" to the end {starbucks haus}, or in the best scenario, a combination of the two: ye olde mcdonald's haus. though i wasn't feeling very good, it was nice to eat and walk around a bit. we amused ourselves with the sights and smells of this little bavarian town, nestled in the mountains, for a few hours, and decided at last that it was time to head home. we're talking about returning to chelan next year for a week-long trip, and i really want to include a few days in leavenworth, to take in their annual production of the Sound of Music, performed outdoors. what a charming little town.
our return to seattle was met with our own feelings of reluctance, and even disdain. twenty minutes outside of seattle, we joked about turning around and going back to chelan for the week, but of course, it wasn't feasible. so we arrived home, to two cats that seemed pretty happy to see us.
{our b&b}
after a quick moment to get settled in our room at the Wild Rose B&B, we headed out to explore a bit and find ourselves some dinner. we stumbled across JR's, a little bar/grill in downtown chelan. dinner was decent, though they must've gone out to catch the shrimp themselves, judging by the time it took them to serve it. after dinner, we wandered around downtown, enjoying the warm night and the clear sky. i love that when the sun goes down, it gets so dark, because chelan doesn't have nearly as many street lights and city lights as seattle. during our exploring, we stumbled across the go karts, bumper boats and mini golf course i used to visit as a kid (bumper boats were the best!) and decided to have us a round on the course. we had so much fun, but the jury's still out on who won that game.
saturday morning, we were up at a decent hour, to enjoy breakfast with the proprietor and her family, visiting for the weekend. over breakfast, we talked with these "locals" about the options for a day's entertainment. it was decided that we'd try to locate the old house i stayed in each year as a child, and then drive up chelan butte drive, to see the city from the top of the surrounding mountains.
we headed out to find the house i remembered... and with only a little struggling, found it, though it was much different than i remembered. (my mom says it hasn't changed at all.)
{my childhood vacation home}
we headed up chelan butte drive, expecting it to only take us a few minutes... 40 minutes later, as we navigated the treacherous, one-lane road, we finally reached the top, marked by nothing other than the end of the road, and a few radio towers and accompanying buildings. the view was spectacular - on one side, you could see lake chelan in it's entirety, and on the other, the columbia river.
 |  |
{left: lake chelan; right: columbia river}
on our way down, we pulled to the side of the road, as much as one can, to allow an oncoming car to pass, only to discover that car was mom & bob! they were on their way geo-caching, and one particular cache was located on the top of the butte. they invited us to come along, so we parked our little car and piled into the jag. back up to the top of the butte, we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of locating this cache using only the GPS coordinates.
 |  |
{left: the cache; right: my mom, recording their entry in the cache journal}
locating this cache only whetted our appetite, so we travelled on to find the next, this time located by the columbia river, near a fish hatchery. i was the only one wearing inappropriate footwear {sandals}, so when we discovered that this cache would require some minor rock climbing to locate, i stayed with my feet firmly planted on the ground, while mom, bob & matt went cache-hunting.
after such hard work in the hot sun, we knew it was time for a swim. matt & i ran back to our b&b to grab our gear, and met mom & bob at their hotel. we cooled off in the lake, including playing on some huge inflatable trampoline toys, and then played in the pool, which was almost too warm after swimming in the cold lake. unfortunately, our playtime ended a little too soon - it was time to head back to our b&b to rest and get ready for the wedding.
the wedding was held at Tsillan Cellars {pronounced "Chelan". the "ts" spelling is the native american spelling of the word}, overlooking the lake. the hot sun shone down on us as we waited, an anticipation similar to the groom's, racing through the crowd. the bride was beautiful, the location magical, the food delicious and the company entertaining. i'm so pleased that we were able to be there to witness brian and christi be married. so much drama filled their early courtship, all stung with such an intense love and respect for eachother, that i knew it couldn't end in anything but marriage. i have no doubt in my mind that they will make eachother deliriously happy, and that their commitment to God will strengthen their marriage daily. i'm so excited for them.
{brian & christi - 8.20.05}
sunday morning, we rose to have breakfast with the proprietor & her family once again - this time, a yummy waffle bar, with bacon and amazing homemade pastries. after breakfast, we packed up and said our goodbyes, then headed into town to stock up on beverages for the trip, and have one last galavant:
{matt has a love affair with go-karts}
we got on the road, and headed towards our next destination: leavenworth. making a quick stop at the River Reach Dam, just outside of Wenatchee, we stretched, had a snack and wandered through the museum. then, back on the road. we arrived in leavenworth just in time for lunch. this little bavarian town, nestled in the mountains, is chock full of buildings all built in that swiss chalet style. in fact, we found that you can't call anything by it's name without adding "ye olde" to the beginning, {ye olde mcdonald's} or "haus" to the end {starbucks haus}, or in the best scenario, a combination of the two: ye olde mcdonald's haus. though i wasn't feeling very good, it was nice to eat and walk around a bit. we amused ourselves with the sights and smells of this little bavarian town, nestled in the mountains, for a few hours, and decided at last that it was time to head home. we're talking about returning to chelan next year for a week-long trip, and i really want to include a few days in leavenworth, to take in their annual production of the Sound of Music, performed outdoors. what a charming little town.
our return to seattle was met with our own feelings of reluctance, and even disdain. twenty minutes outside of seattle, we joked about turning around and going back to chelan for the week, but of course, it wasn't feasible. so we arrived home, to two cats that seemed pretty happy to see us.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
as a child, until the time i was 5 or 6, i visited lake chelan every year. my mom's husband's family owned a big house right on the lake, which served to house a small family reunion every year. perhaps my clearest memory is fishing with my cousins off the little dock, using hot dog pieces for bait. when we caught a fish, rarely larger than 6 or 8 inches, we'd drop it into our kiddie pool, destined to roast in the sun or be released back into the lake.
this weekend, matt and i will be making the 3 1/2 hour drive to chelan, this time to see our friends, brian & christi, get married, and to celebrate our own first anniversary. i haven't been back in 16 years. i wonder if that old house is still there. i wonder if the family still gets together every august. i wonder if the little convenience store down the street still sells the tubes of bubble goo, with the little accompanying straw.
i don't remember much more about the lake. i remember a nearby water park - but i hated (and still hate) water slides. i remember riding in the boat, and even "driving" it myself (with a watchful, albeit daring, uncle behind me at all times, of course). and swimming. i remember a beautifully green, grassy park just "down the lake" from our house. i know the lake is very, very big, and man-made. there's a small ferry that runs the length of the lake, carrying passengers, tourists, called the Lady of the Lake. when we were in the lake as kids, we'd get terribly excited (verging on fearful) each time the Lady of the Lake came by, because the wake she left was huge. of course, our life-preserver-ed bodies never would've been swept under in wake like that, but our older siblings enjoyed telling us so.
i'm so excited about our trip. i love small car trips, with music, and scenery, and talking. and i'm excited about the wedding, the bed & breakfast, the sight-seeing, and hopefully, the swimming. i'm hesitant to try to plan too much though, but i do have my eye on a U-Pick blueberry farm.
this weekend, matt and i will be making the 3 1/2 hour drive to chelan, this time to see our friends, brian & christi, get married, and to celebrate our own first anniversary. i haven't been back in 16 years. i wonder if that old house is still there. i wonder if the family still gets together every august. i wonder if the little convenience store down the street still sells the tubes of bubble goo, with the little accompanying straw.
i don't remember much more about the lake. i remember a nearby water park - but i hated (and still hate) water slides. i remember riding in the boat, and even "driving" it myself (with a watchful, albeit daring, uncle behind me at all times, of course). and swimming. i remember a beautifully green, grassy park just "down the lake" from our house. i know the lake is very, very big, and man-made. there's a small ferry that runs the length of the lake, carrying passengers, tourists, called the Lady of the Lake. when we were in the lake as kids, we'd get terribly excited (verging on fearful) each time the Lady of the Lake came by, because the wake she left was huge. of course, our life-preserver-ed bodies never would've been swept under in wake like that, but our older siblings enjoyed telling us so.
i'm so excited about our trip. i love small car trips, with music, and scenery, and talking. and i'm excited about the wedding, the bed & breakfast, the sight-seeing, and hopefully, the swimming. i'm hesitant to try to plan too much though, but i do have my eye on a U-Pick blueberry farm.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
dinner was lovely last night... we've decided not to exchange gifts until our trip to Chelan this weekend, so it was just dinner, but a nice one. he took me to Pasta Bella, a cute little italian restaurant, where we had our first "real" date nearly 3 years ago... and we went all out: wine/champagne, appetizer (bruschetta), salads (mine: "mista" with gorgonzola, pears and carmelized walnuts; his: caesar), entrees (mine: garlic and portobello mushroom ravioli in white sauce; his: lasagna), desserts (mine: cannoli; his: cheesecake). my mouth waters just recalling it all.
Monday, August 15, 2005
a whole year...
today is our one year anniversary... i can't believe it's been a whole year. some highlights...
- august '04 - our wedding and honeymoon, of course :)
- september '04 - we added to our little family, adopting grace (part domestic house-cat, part flying monkey)
- november '04 - we celebrated two years together
- december '04 - our first 'married christmas' - a concept that has it's own romantic sweetness
- january '05 - we celebrated a new year, and then my 22nd birthday
- may '05 - we celebrated the birth of our neice, kassidy, whose arrival we were honored to play a big part in
- june '05 - we celebrated matt's 21st birthday (yeah, yeah, he's a youngin')
Friday, August 12, 2005
officially done.
my Memory Makers Masters entry is completed, assembled, and matt will be dropping it (ok, placing it gently) in the mail today.
and wanna hear something terrible? my "real" layout wasn't finished when i went to photocopy my others... so i didn't get to make a copy of it, and forgot about it after the fact.
so, i'm going to tell myself that i just *believe* that layout will come back to me, (meaning it will be published & returned) and not worry about it. yeah, that's what i'm going to tell myself...
and wanna hear something terrible? my "real" layout wasn't finished when i went to photocopy my others... so i didn't get to make a copy of it, and forgot about it after the fact.
so, i'm going to tell myself that i just *believe* that layout will come back to me, (meaning it will be published & returned) and not worry about it. yeah, that's what i'm going to tell myself...
Thursday, August 11, 2005
every now and then, i begin to feel like matt doesn't support my scrapbooking ventures... he starts to fuss a little when i want to lock myself up and get some work done, or he doesn't properly "ooh" and "aaah" when i show him something i've just poured my heart and soul into. and i feel neglected.
and really, it isn't that he's not supported, it's just that he's about as excited about scrapbooking as i am about his video games. so, he feigns interest, admires my work to the best of his ability, and tells me he's proud of me.
most of the time, that's good enough for me.
then, out of the blue the other night, he says "can i talk to you about something?"
i panic a little... for months i've been dreading the day that he might actually ask me to give up scrapbooking.
but he says "i'm starting to think that maybe having the computer and peripherals and our family finance stuff in your studio is getting in the way of your creativity."
now, i've been handling finances for myself since i was 16. when my checking account got into trouble (read: when i got my checking account into trouble), my mom set me up with Quicken and i've been using it ever since. when we were married, we agreed that i'd just continue managing our finances, because i had a system... and because i'm a control freak and like to know where our money is at all times.
so the idea of moving our stuff to a different room (idea proposed: his office) is a little disconcerting for me. that would be a change in my system. i'm not saying my system is perfect, or that i'm even very good at keeping up with it. but the bills get paid, and we rarely overdraw our account, and our debt is being paid off in a very ambitious manner. it works.
so, that was a little birdwalk. my MAIN point, is that my husband wants to help me. he wants to help me rearrange my studio, and even buy a few organizational necessities (necessities. you hear that? necessities. go easy, kate.) to that i will work more productively and efficiently, without being so easily stifled. yay!
so i'm starting to plan.
i want more wire cubes. at least one more set. i want one more, or maaaaybe two more, cabinet unit(s). i want to move my main workspace to the opposite wall, so that i'm looking out a window. i want to set up all of my toys, books, albums, etc, on the storage cubes and cabinets, which will line the long wall to the right of my new workspace area. and most of all, i want a comfy reading chair (i'm thinking hip floral papason a la target, for the sake of penny-pinching) and a rug (white - am i crazy? - and loopy. love that feeling on my toes.)
so there you have it. i'm having a fabulous time picking out accessories... now, to get it approved by The Committee. :)
and really, it isn't that he's not supported, it's just that he's about as excited about scrapbooking as i am about his video games. so, he feigns interest, admires my work to the best of his ability, and tells me he's proud of me.
most of the time, that's good enough for me.
then, out of the blue the other night, he says "can i talk to you about something?"
i panic a little... for months i've been dreading the day that he might actually ask me to give up scrapbooking.
but he says "i'm starting to think that maybe having the computer and peripherals and our family finance stuff in your studio is getting in the way of your creativity."
now, i've been handling finances for myself since i was 16. when my checking account got into trouble (read: when i got my checking account into trouble), my mom set me up with Quicken and i've been using it ever since. when we were married, we agreed that i'd just continue managing our finances, because i had a system... and because i'm a control freak and like to know where our money is at all times.
so the idea of moving our stuff to a different room (idea proposed: his office) is a little disconcerting for me. that would be a change in my system. i'm not saying my system is perfect, or that i'm even very good at keeping up with it. but the bills get paid, and we rarely overdraw our account, and our debt is being paid off in a very ambitious manner. it works.
so, that was a little birdwalk. my MAIN point, is that my husband wants to help me. he wants to help me rearrange my studio, and even buy a few organizational necessities (necessities. you hear that? necessities. go easy, kate.) to that i will work more productively and efficiently, without being so easily stifled. yay!
so i'm starting to plan.
i want more wire cubes. at least one more set. i want one more, or maaaaybe two more, cabinet unit(s). i want to move my main workspace to the opposite wall, so that i'm looking out a window. i want to set up all of my toys, books, albums, etc, on the storage cubes and cabinets, which will line the long wall to the right of my new workspace area. and most of all, i want a comfy reading chair (i'm thinking hip floral papason a la target, for the sake of penny-pinching) and a rug (white - am i crazy? - and loopy. love that feeling on my toes.)
so there you have it. i'm having a fabulous time picking out accessories... now, to get it approved by The Committee. :)
Monday, August 08, 2005
oh, and...
we really did just save $1600/yr on car insurance by adding matt to my policy with geico.
incredible, huh? God bless these people.
incredible, huh? God bless these people.
the most relaxing weekend...
ok, it certainly didn't start out that way...
friday night, i spent hours trying to fix a broken computer - *my* broken computer... all in vain. i was up late, and finally found myself on my knees, face down in the couch, praying determinedly - not just about the computer, but about everything going on in my life... how i want to be a better wife, a better employee, a better computer geek, a better Christian, a better daughter, a better scrapbook designer. it had been a long time since i'd greeted the Lord with such a passionate request... then on sunday, i heard a sermon about how we have to help ourselves out of a 'funk' with a good attitude and a smile... "when you're going through hell, keep on going..."
anyways... saturday, i spent more time trying to fix a computer that would not fix, then panicing about a review i had due for ScrapFriends on sunday. finally, i turned the computer over to my blessedly geeky friends at work, and begged for their pity. then, it was out of my hands, so i made the conscious decision to get over it... i put a bunch of time into working on matt's new computer - getting software that i needed installed and running, so it would be usable for me and my design team obligations. we enjoyed saturday evening. i helped matt at the church, which can sometimes be kinda fun... it was nice to relax when we got home.
but it just didn't get any better than sunday... i relaxed and watched a movie. i got to knit. i made photocopies of my Masters entry. i finished and submitted a review. i worked on the laundry. i felt like i accomplished so much, that i was just totally at peace. i love those days. good days.
friday night, i spent hours trying to fix a broken computer - *my* broken computer... all in vain. i was up late, and finally found myself on my knees, face down in the couch, praying determinedly - not just about the computer, but about everything going on in my life... how i want to be a better wife, a better employee, a better computer geek, a better Christian, a better daughter, a better scrapbook designer. it had been a long time since i'd greeted the Lord with such a passionate request... then on sunday, i heard a sermon about how we have to help ourselves out of a 'funk' with a good attitude and a smile... "when you're going through hell, keep on going..."
anyways... saturday, i spent more time trying to fix a computer that would not fix, then panicing about a review i had due for ScrapFriends on sunday. finally, i turned the computer over to my blessedly geeky friends at work, and begged for their pity. then, it was out of my hands, so i made the conscious decision to get over it... i put a bunch of time into working on matt's new computer - getting software that i needed installed and running, so it would be usable for me and my design team obligations. we enjoyed saturday evening. i helped matt at the church, which can sometimes be kinda fun... it was nice to relax when we got home.
but it just didn't get any better than sunday... i relaxed and watched a movie. i got to knit. i made photocopies of my Masters entry. i finished and submitted a review. i worked on the laundry. i felt like i accomplished so much, that i was just totally at peace. i love those days. good days.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
what to do, what to do...
the things i've wanted "to be when i grow up" (in no particular order):
and at every phase in my life, they told me i'd change my mind at least 100 more times, and i never believed them. but they were right. i'm not, today - nor do i intend to become - what i thought i would be when i first started college, let alone when i was in kindegarten. this is not to say, however, that a child shouldn't be allowed to imagine all of the possibilities available to them - that is quite healthy. i'm just simply stating a fact that i am so very different than i was 4 years ago, or 17 years ago.
today, i'm still pretty confused. i'm leaning towards the pastor or photographer positions, perhaps a nice combination of the two.
- a veterinarian
- an elementary school teacher
- a middle school teacher
- a high school band teacher
- a choral director
- a private music instructor
- an actress/musician
- a developer (computer-geek style)
- a drama teacher
- a pastor
- a photographer
and at every phase in my life, they told me i'd change my mind at least 100 more times, and i never believed them. but they were right. i'm not, today - nor do i intend to become - what i thought i would be when i first started college, let alone when i was in kindegarten. this is not to say, however, that a child shouldn't be allowed to imagine all of the possibilities available to them - that is quite healthy. i'm just simply stating a fact that i am so very different than i was 4 years ago, or 17 years ago.
today, i'm still pretty confused. i'm leaning towards the pastor or photographer positions, perhaps a nice combination of the two.
Monday, August 01, 2005
tired, burnt, and $140 richer
okay, so we didn't reach the "magical number" i was trying so hard not to name out loud last week, but half way through saturday afternoon, as we sat, sunburnt, under the shade of our cherry tree, watching our precious treasures (junk) dwindle in number all too slowly, we realized that it was Seafair weekend. now, if you don't live in the greater seattle area, or even western washington, you probably don't realize what a big freaking deal this festival is. it runs throughout july, marked by parades in various neighborhoods, and culminates during the last weekend with hydro races, a torchlight parade and run, among other various activities. it manages to attract half if not three quarters of seattle's population, leaving us "slim pickins" in terms of garage salers.
so, after a $40 day on sunday, having made far less than minimum wage for all of our hard work, we were discouraged. fortunately for us, most of those garage salers that were too busy seafairing on saturday came to visit us on sunday. overall, not a terribly exciting profit, but hey - it's more than we had to begin with, and more than we expected to make once we figured out that this was only the biggest weekend in july in terms of local festivities.
that said, we did not "lose" the three big pieces of furniture we hoped to sell, so we've decided to run the sale again next weekend, a non-seafair weekend. after all, the worst of the work is done - now we just have to set it up again and sit back.
well, that's about it for me. excuse me while i bemoan the misery of my sunburn.
so, after a $40 day on sunday, having made far less than minimum wage for all of our hard work, we were discouraged. fortunately for us, most of those garage salers that were too busy seafairing on saturday came to visit us on sunday. overall, not a terribly exciting profit, but hey - it's more than we had to begin with, and more than we expected to make once we figured out that this was only the biggest weekend in july in terms of local festivities.
that said, we did not "lose" the three big pieces of furniture we hoped to sell, so we've decided to run the sale again next weekend, a non-seafair weekend. after all, the worst of the work is done - now we just have to set it up again and sit back.
well, that's about it for me. excuse me while i bemoan the misery of my sunburn.
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