Dec 31: New Year's Eve

Well. Here it is... the last photograph for Simple Gifts. It is bittersweet to post this picture; I am partly glad to have the mental break. Trying to find a unique picture everyday is challenging; I can only post so many pictures of Sweet Pea. However, I appreciated the connection that I had to my everyday life. This project helped me intentionally find something interesting everyday, and has sparked a little fire in me to make everyday count. It is a little unsettling, but in a good way.

Today's picture was taken near Cape Meares on the North Oregon Coast. Ohmygoodness. I am completely in love with the Oregon coast. Spending a few days surrounded by such amazing beauty was the perfect way to wrap up 2010. The gorgeous sunrise and crashing waves were the perfect way to welcome 2011, too.

I have tossed around the idea of going for another year of daily pictures. Partly because I crave color, and want to have another year dedicated to color. I want to see Blue! I want to photograph Red! I need aqua, dang it! Maybe even some black & yellow, black & yellow. However, my other blog is HORRIBLY out of date. In a few years though, I will try this picture-a-day thing again; it will be interesting to compare, yes?

I cannot end this blog without extending a heap of thanks to my friends and family that have patiently stayed with me as I searched for the perfect "picture of the day." I bet it was frustrating at times. I am also appreciative of their support & encouragement! Anyway, I'll spare everyone my gushy wooshy sappy writing; besides, words really can't express my gratitude anyway. yeah, its like that. I got too much love for y'all. Too much.

Well, happy new year! Best wishes in 2011. Check out Fantastico to see what else I have been up to .... and remember the wise words of Ron Burgandy... you stay classy.

Dec 30: Big News!

Well, the big news for today is that our administrator is retiring... tomorrow!

Dec 29: Again???!!! Ugh.

Oh man. It snowed again today! Yikes! Oh well, good thing this baby is a 4wd!

Dec 28: Christmas Deco

I almost didn't have a picture for today! I went up North after work & stopped by my sister's house for a bit. These cute little guys on her tree caught my eye & I knew they would be a perfect addition to Simple Gifts. yay!

Dec 27: Ok, me too

Well, I did a little day-after-Christmas shopping, too, and bought a new stereo for my car. I HAVE to have an auxilary port. It is a necessity because of my musical ADD. Necessity. Thankfully, dma was kind enough to install it for me! Thanks yo!

Dec 26: Winter Limbs

So, what do most people do the day after Christmas? Go shopping, right? Well, that is exactly what DMA and I did, too! He had a particular item in mind, so we headed straight to Best Buy to complete the transaction. Soon after, we headed to a little park in Medina (same place we watched the 4th of July fireworks in 2009). While he tested out the new features on his cool new Canon SX 210, I snapped a few pics on my little Evo.

Dec 25: Family

The overwhelming theme for Christmas in my family this year was simplicity. Everything was paired down; even our little dinner was just nice and simple. You know what... I loved it. Maybe it is just me getting older, but I was just happy to see everybody and spend time with my family. My little newphew is one of the sweetest little kids & his quirky little outlook on things kind of lightens the mood of the room. As I think about it more, I am really thankful for my family... and not just my awesome mom, rockin sister & funny, although bug-eyed, brother in law... my extended family, too. I have been able to reconnect with most of my cousins via Facebook, and it just makes me happy to be able to connect with their lives and keep in touch. Techonology is cool. The sad part though, about family, is missing them when they are gone. I especially miss my grandparents and my dad. So, as I wrap up my random post for Christmas 2010, I just want to say I love you to my family.

Dec 24: DVD

Today, I was once again plagued by my crummy crummy cold. My first stop & pretty much only trip out of the house today was to the grocery story to buy more Theraflu. Yeah, its like that. So sad, though, because my energy was flipflopfloopdydoo on such a beautiful day. I managed to frame a bunch of pictures & wrap them up in lovely paper & actually watched a few movies. My big accomplishment for the day, though, would be the creation of my first DVD. As of today, I have yet to hear the reviews, but I hope that my dear dear friends enjoyed the show. (those are my snowmen on the tv! lavish.)

Dec 23: Frost

Fresh from FROST, the northend's trendiest donut shop: a dozen donuts for a very nice lady in my office who is retiring soon. She is a big fan of the bacon & maple bars, so I figured I would bring in a few for the office before she left (hey Cole, if you are reading this... Joanne is retiring next week! Crazy, huh?) I almost wish this pic was in color... the other ones I picked out were all cute and festive!

Dec 22: A'right

I have to be honest. For a few minutes I *actually did* contemplate this as a gift for dma.

haaaaaaahaaaaahaahahaaaaahaaaaaa... (pause) hahaha.

Dec 21: Here Comes Santa Claus

Santa's coming to town. insert one of my favorite lines from elf ... Santa??? I KNOW HIM!!!)

yep. it is true. ceramic snowman with a piece of chalk said so. and little birdie confirmed.

Dec 20: Lunarrrr

oh boy. My first image for today was one of my alarm clock on my cell phone. It showed three times... 5:08 am (the time I should get up) 5:15 am (the time I actually get up) however, based on the crummy crummyness of my cold at 5:15 am, I changed my usual 5:30 alarm (the OHMYGOSH I HAVE TO GET UP NOW!!! alarm) to a new time: 6:05am... time to call in sick to the office. When I made that call at 6:06 I figured that that image would be the most exciting thing all day. It pretty much was... blah.....until 11pm and I found myself gazing at the moon trying to get a glimpse of history: the lunar eclipse occuring on the same day as the winter solstice. The picture may not be that exciting, but I AM happy to be gaining daylight again. I love daylight.

Dec 19: Seattle Sunset (with sniffles)

ugh. day two of waking up with a crummy sore throat. and it was the first beautiful day all month. ARRRRGG!!! Oh well, I bundled up in my new cozy sweatshirt, grabbed a cute pink hat & scarf and geared up for the day. Thankfully, dma had my pending sniffles in mind and kept our adventures short and sweet; just local spots, kind of hop-out-of-the-car type places. This picture was taken at a little park in West Seattle where dma was using his powers on a fabulous self portrait. It was the perfect spot; the sunset was amazazazing.

Dec 18: Another Seattle Day

Dreary, rainy crummy seens to be the theme for the month! Oh well, dma & I are troopers. We started the day at the Jose Rizal Bridge & ended up in the Volunteer Park Conservatory. Not too shabby.

Dec 17: yummy

dma returned from a work trip to dallas & a day of indulgence was in order. First stop: Chan's in Issaquah. Second stop: cupcake shop in Bellevue. Third Stop: Krispe Kreme in Issaquah again because the cupcake shop juuuuust closed.

Dec 16: Stupid Flash

I went up to A-Town today to visit my sister & there was an unexpected surprise: Santa came to visit! Unfortunately, my Elph was still in black & white program mode & the flash was turned off. Santa was in a jolly big hurry, so I didn't get a chance to snap a pic (thankfully Katie did, though!). oh grrr. I took one of Vince & Corbin in the, uh, holiday golf cart though!

Dec 15: Bundle of Joy

Today was Manayu's last day of work before leaving for maternity leave. I can't believe how fast time goes by! And I can't wait to see the new little cutie!!! Hurry up little guy!

Dec 14: Holiday in the City

At 2:30pm the sun was glorious. I decided to leave work a bit early to try to enjoy the beautiful weather. It was still nice at 3pm. It was a little bit cloudy when I left the office at 3:30 & it was just horrible, dark & crummy at 4 when I arrived at dma's place. Oh well, we still took some pictures & ended up in Seattle to enjoy some holiday lights. (P.S. This pic was taken in the style of loach.)

Dec 13: Cheese for Me?

Our office received a gift a cheese & it was addressed to me!

Dec 12: clean

Most of my boxes are finally unpacked & I was finally able to spend some time arranging & organizing. Finally; a clean counter top in the kitchen!

Dec 11: Pike Place

crummy, crummy weather. crummy weather. What are two adventurous photogs to do? We figured that someplace indoor would be the best, so we headed to Pike Place Market. That place was packed! But, it was dry, kinda warm & full of interesting subjects!

Dec 10: Jingle Moo

Hohoho... today was a big day! The office, uh, holiday tree arrived! In true dairy fashion... our tree has cow lights.

Dec 9: Cuteness

I was shopping for a baby gift for one of my friends at work & saw this cute shirt. Cute!

Dec 8: Oh Look!

While unpacking some of my old old boxes, I came across these two super cool puzzles. I am not sure how old they are; at LEAST from the 70's. I remember playing with them as a kid at my grandma's house. She had a drawer in the kitchen with books, crayons, paper coloring books & these puzzles. What a delightful surprise!

Dec 7: Dinner

yep, just a quiet night at home

Dec 6: Seattle Series

I had the day off & spent the day on a photographic adventure with dma. It was a dreary winter day, and our first stop was the Volunteer Park Conservatory, but... bummer... it is closed on Mondays! We opted for a few selected spots along Broadway. This pic was taken along the side of St. Mark's cathedral.

Dec 5: Coulon Clam Lights

For a bit of holiday cheer, dma and I visited Coulon Park in Renton to check out their little display. It was actually our second trip there this year.... we went in January, too! funny.

Dec 4: I Drove in Snow!

Woohoo! I drove in snow! The funny thing, though, is that it was by accident. I had the *brilliant* idea to head up to Ross Lake. I figured that dma and I hadn't been up that far north in awhile, and that there would surely be some nice scenes along the way. Of course, as I approached Skagit County, I remembered that the North Cascades Highway is usually closed for winter at the Ross Lake Trailhead... meaning that a) we definitely wouldn't be going to Ross Lake and b) oh shoot, the roads could be challenging. It turned out to be a great day for a winter driving lesson! Plus, the Diablo Lake area was just outstanding. It is so beautiful up there. So beautiful.

Dec 3: Contemplative Shadows

I love the way that light streams into my office. Today, my eye caught the pattern of the shadows on this old school creamer thing that used to belong to my dad. It was a fitting subject, too, because, for some reason I just had him on my mind today. Time really flies... has it really been 4 1/2 years? Still so sad...

Dec 2: Go Dawgs!

If "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear" then does enjoying this lovely, yummy cheese spread Cougar spirit? I dunno, but I am not going to take any chances. Someone brought this into the office today, but I only had a little bit... you know, to support the dairy industry.

Dec 1: Heading Home

This was my ticket home. I love you, Alaska Airlines.

Nov 30: Apollo 8

Wow. THIS is the equipment & set up from the actual control room from the Apollo 8 launch. Oh, can you guess where Jennie & I went today... Ft. Meyers? nope. Merritt Island? dingdingding! We went to the Kennedy Space Center.

Nov 29: Butter Beer

For today's adventure, Jennie & I headed to Universal Studios to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!! So much fun! Of course, we had to try the butter beer :)

Nov 28: Florida Sunset

So, to wrap up the past few days: Thursday was Thanksgiving, Friday I arrived in Pennsylvania, Saturday was Jessie's wedding & now, today, Sunday... I am in Florida! I figured that I would be on the East Coast for the wedding, so, heck, why not fly down to visit Jennie??

Nov 27: Beautiful Wedding

Today was Jessica & John's big day! I took this pic of the lovely bride & was happy to capture such a natural expression. I had just turned on some Lady Gaga & her mom (or maybe Irene?) was telling her a funny story and she cracked her first big smile for the day. I think the mimosas finally kicked in ;)

Nov 26: Stiletto

These are Jessica's shoes that she'll be wearing for the happy couple's first dance. ooo-lah-lah!

Nov 25: All is calm

After a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with dma, the butcher, hmm-mm, kels & one of the sweetest ladies in the world, I spent Thanksgiving night in Sea-Tac. The place was a ghost town! It was comforting, though, to think about everyone taking a break from their busy schedules to spend time with friends, family, or just take a break from the hustle. nice :)

Nov 24: fuuujai

It warmed up a bit today, clearing the roads & I was able to drive down to Bellevue to join dma for a pre-Thanksgiving trip to Fuji Teriyaki. yum. I saw these bird tracks in the snow & thought they would be a cute little addition to the pic-of-the-day club!

Nov 23: North Creek

Even with my trusty 4wd Escape & driving lesson from dma on Sunday, I am still a chicken when it comes to driving in the snow. So, I took the backroads into work... mostly on foot ;) I took a bus to the next business park up, then trekked about 3 miles into my office. I had yaktrax & my hiking pole, plus the snow wasn't too deep anyway. I stopped along the way to take a quick pic of North Creek as I headed into the office park. Bothell is rather pretty, no?

Nov 22: Snowflake Reflection

The forecast was right: snow would be covering the lower elevations Monday just as the morning rush hour wrapped up. Due to the inclement weather, my office closed at noon. I hit the grocery story & ran a few errands then spent the rest of the afternoon watching snow flakes fall with sweet pea in my nice, warm cozy apartment. Ahhh, the nice little simple joys in life, eh?

Nov 21: Thanksgiving 2010

This year, my family gathered for Thanksgiving on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It was a lovely day! I was able to spend the day with my favorite people: Mom, dma, Katie, Corbin, Vince, Uncle D, Cindy, Tyler & as a special guest, Ty's GF from Oregon! Nice :)

Nov 20: I drove in the snow!

For today's photographic adventure, dma and I headed back up to Snoqualmie Pass... and this time there was SNOW!! I drove my lovely new Escape, and with dma's patient & supportive assistance I even managed to drive in the snow for a bit. yay! and thanks again, man!

Nov 19: 5 Rupees

There were a few random items leftover from our coin collection at work... some Canadian coins (of course, right?), a token of some sort, and a 5 Rupees coin. I figured that I would take a picture of Rupee as my picture of the day, just in case I never make it to India... so many places to go, so little time/money/etc... Although, Rome has recently entered the realm of possibilities!!!! maybe ;)

Nov 18: Sweets

I took a quick break from unpacking today & sweet pea joined me on the couch for the news or jay leno or man vs. food or something. I don't remember what I was watching, but I do remember how sweet this little kitty looked snuggled at the end of my couch. ohmygosh. I love her.

Nov 17: Reflecty Sunrise

You probably can't tell from this picture, BUT the sunrise was super reflecty today!

Nov 16: Little Helper

My cutie little nephew is at a fun age right now... he really likes helping out with things! Today, he helped grandma hang up a shelf for me. (don't worry, he didn't actually use the drill. geez!)

Nov 15: Flicker

Tonight was stormy, windy & the lights were flickering! Thankfully, I didn't lose any power, but I had a candle & my head lamp that I use for hiking ready!

Nov 14: Before the Snow

On a whim, DMA and I drove up to Snoqualmie Pass. There wasn't very much snow at all yet on the mountain, so we were free to roam about the hillside. Can you believe that I, a native Washingtonian and of (mostly) Scandinavian decent have never, ever attempted to ski before. Its true. I am a chicken.

Nov 13: Rubbish

My new apartment is so lavish that the garbage shoot isn't called garbage. It isn't even trash. No, my lavish neighbors and I have rubbish. Rubbish is fun to say, too. Try it... rubbish. lol... rubbish. You know you want to say it in an English accent, right? Cheerio!

Nov 12: Priorities

Plates? Not all unpacked yet... Silverware? Almost unpacked. Pots & Pans? ummm still in the boxes! Martini & wine glasses? Totally unpacked.