Hammering Man

There is a huge statue of a man swinging a hammer outside of the Seattle Art Museum. I think that most locals just walk by without noticing him now. But the other day while I was waiting for my bus, something about her struck me, so I whipped out the camera and took a couple of pictures. I love Seattle

!

Seattle's Hammering Man, built by Jonathan Borofsky is 48 feet tall and weighs 26k pounds! Other Hammering Men are displayed in Frankfurt, Seoul, NYC, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Basel (Switzerland), La Jolla (CA), Gainsville (FL), and Dallas.

Monogram Obssession

So anyone that knows me knows that I am a bit OCD. So, once I started thinking about custom monograms, I just couldn't stop! There are so many great ideas out there, and I have to have them also!! So I commissioned another Etsy artist to design something girly for me. Shaina came up with these two very girly designs for me at a great price! She was awesome to work with!! Go see her if you want anything done!!

I have a couple more monograms in the works, so stay tuned :)

Autumn in July

Monday morning Gessner and I were talking Beauty near Ballard High when I noticed that distinctive smell of fall and then heard the crushing of dry leaves beneath my feet. How could it be--it is only July right? I haven't missed the entire summer have I? Nope, it is in fact July, yet the trees at Ballard High are shedding their brown leaves. WTF?!

Farmer's Market in Yakima

We were in Yakima this weekend to visit family and decided to stop over at the Farmer's Market. I had some delicious blueberry lemonade and we enjoyed watching the people and looking at the fresh produce. Yakima is certainly an interesting place!!


I thought that this couple was cute. I love her hat! :)



This is the Capitol Theatre...has been there forever. I remember staring at the ceiling the entire time I was inside for some school-mandated event...it is so beautiful (to a girl from Yakima anyway). I haven't been inside in ages, so I have no idea what it looks like now.




News Flash: Elvis is alive and well and living in Yakima!





Here is the federal courthouse...as an attorney I feel obligated :)




The produce and flowers really are beautiful in Yakima...it is ag land though, so I shouldn't be surprised!








Superman is also hiding out in Yakima:



As well as some crazy hippies:

This one's for you Tom

More finds!

I went through some more of the images and found some others I like:



Looks like we are sharing a secret:




I LOVE this one of Gess!!






I really like this one! My eyes are shut and under traditional standards it wouldn't be a "good" picture of me, but I look happy!






Beauty is so cute!

A surprising find

I rarely like pictures of me, so I was surprised to find that one today that I hadn't see before that I actually liked! A few months ago we had portraits done by a great photographer (Clane Gessel). He picked out the images that he liked best and edited them, but also gave me a CD with all of the images on it. I will admit that I really didn't go through them before, but for some reason started clicking through them today and found this one that I like of me! I guess I should go through the rest of them--I don't know what I will find!!

Book Review: Love Walked In

So I admit it...I picked this book up because I loved the cover. And since I am confessing, I also picked it up at Safeway while grocery shopping--the ultimate impulse buy!

I brought the book along on our trip to Belize, and finished it in short order. I really enjoyed the book by Marisa de los Santos. It is a story about love. Romantic love and love for a child. I really liked how the book is written from two perspectives--that is probably one of my favorite literary forms. I loved the characters! De los Santos did a brilliant job of setting up the characters and making you feel for them.

All-in-all, a good read, plus a beautiful cover!

Design: Baby Girl's Room

I loved doing that wedding inspiration board so much, I decided that I would do some more. This time I choose a baby nursery. Colors are pink and brown and the theme is modern.



Top to bottom, right to left: Crib and linens (Dwell Studio for Target, Olivia); Lamp (Modern Seed); Pillow (Dwell Studio for Target, Olivia); Owl Cushion (zid zid kids); Frog Blanket (Modern Basics Big Boo); Rug (Viewpoint Kids, http://www.allmodernbaby.com/); Baby Love Dish (MudHutt, Esty); Bird Cage Mobile (Modern Nursery); Pendant Lamps (LightsUp!, Design Public)

My new bag!!

I have been wanting something to carry my iPhone, a little cash, my driver's license, etc., since I don't like to carry a purse in addition to a gym bag and maybe a work bag when I am taking the bus. So, I was looking at one of my all time favorite sites (http://www.etsy.com/) and found this "gadget bag" made by Borsa Bella.

I LOVE the fabrics and designs, plus the shop is located in my home state. I couldn't decide between the wristlet and the gadget bag, but the folks at Borsa Bella quickly answered my questions about what the bag would hold, so I ordered the gadget bag. I figured if it didn't work for my tiny "purse" I would use it for my camera, so I ordered it.

The gadget bag arrived yesterday and I am totally in love! I want to show it off to everyone. So far it seems perfect...though my camera is now jealous :)

I was looking around Borsa Bella's etsy shop today and found this gorgeous bag:


I am really thinking about buying it...now...but I am trying to have a little bit of self-control since we just got back from vacation...it soooo beautiful though...resistance may be futile!

It's Here!!!

My new 2009 Ikea catalog was waiting for me this morning when I opened the front door--I was so excited, it took all my resolve to make my way to the gym instead of grabbing it and going to the nearest coffeeshop to devour every page of it! Okay, so maybe I am getting a little carried away, but it is Ikea!!

Pretend Wedding Inspiration Board

Don't ask me why, but I love looking at wedding related stuff. I just think that the whole wedding--the dress, the flowers, the cake, everything--can be SO beautiful! I found a bunch of wedding blogs and see that people are making wedding inspiration boards, so I decided to give it a whirl.

We are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in January, but if we were to do it all over again, this is something I would use for inspiration.



From Top, left to right: Hair (Hair Stylist: Bob Salon, Athens Photo By: Laura Negri Photography, Atlanta ); Cake (Cake: Cake Magic by Debbie, Tacoma Photo By: Sandra Coan Photography ); Bouquet (Bridal Bouquet: The Flowersmiths, Plymouth Photo By: HinkelyPhoto, Concord); Invitation (Wedding Paper Divas); Bridesmaid Dress (JS Boutique, Nordstrom); Wedding Party (Ashley & Adam: An At-Home Wedding in Hillsboro, KS; Bridesmaid Looks: Uniquely You Bridal, Wichita, KS Photo By: T&J Studios, Valley Center, KS); Place Setting (kate spade "Belle Boulevard", Macy's); Dress (Lea-Ann Belter 2007 Collection), Kaitlyn); Centerpieces (Centerpieces: A Secret Garden Flowers Photo By: Rebecca McAlpin, New York, NY)

My New Monogram

So I have been helping a friend try to find a logo design for his business and in doing so I decided that I needed a logo/monogram for myself (and will actually end up with several...). I found a great designer on Etsy, Kristin at And Today and she designed an awesome logo for me!





Isn't it beautiful??? I am definitely going to use it for some stationery and who knows what else. Everyone should have a logo! (And if you visit Kristin she can hook you up!)

Life Motto

A few months ago I was waiting in line at Barnes & Noble and a magnet really struck me. So I bought it and committed to adopting it as my new "motto."


Photo from proper trooper


For the first couple of weeks I was able to do something each day that scared me--some huge things and some tiny things. But as time has passed, I have moved further and further way from thinking about this each day. But today as I am sitting at my desk I noticed the magnet and was reminded of the motto. So, in a spirit of renewal, I am going to renew this motto today and really strive to adopt this.

What did you do today that scares you?

Things I love

Wordle rocks:

Happy Birthday Grandma!

My grandma turned 82 last week....Happy Birthday Grandma!!

No wonder I can't get any work done...

Pop Art

I **heart** photoshop

More pictures....

Hop on over to Clane's blog for more pictures from our trip....

www.clanegesselphotography.blogspot.com

All good things must come to an end

We had a great time in Belize and experienced so much! Belize is definitely worth a visit!!

Day Eight

We got up early this morning to go deep sea fishing. We met Cory and his boss, HillyBoo, at the dock and set out to go beyond the reef. The water was a bit rough. The water was deep blue, nearly purple. When we got out beyond the reef Cory and HB put out the outriggers and put out three lines on each side of the boat. They also set up a "fighting chair" in the middle of the back of the boat for the person to sit when reeling in the fish. We decided that Gessner would go first, so when the first fish bit, he jumped in to the chair and started to reel the fish in. The fish was really fighting and it took awhile for him to get it in. It turned out to be a 20 pound barracuda!





Clane was up next, and pulled in a mackarel.



Then it was my turn...I also got a mackeral:



Sky took a turn and brought in a barracuda:



We kept trading off, though Clane didn't feel well, so he sat out for much of the fishing. We ended up with about 14 fish!









After we were finished fishing, the guides cleaned and fillet the fish for us and we took them home for dinner. HillyBoo recommended a place called My Secret Deli for lunch, so we grabbed some food there and took it back to the house. Gess and I had stewed chicken with rice and beans. I found a bug in mine, so we decided not to eat it! We walked down the beach to this place called the Palapa Bar and Grill. A palapa is one of the thatched huts that you see on the beach. The Palapa Bar is a big hut right on the water. It was such a great setting! We had some drinks and snacks and just enjoyed the afternoon.





As we were leaving we saw a dog laying at the entrance and stopped to say hi:



The dog--who Gessner named Henry--followed us home and we fed him some of our leftovers. He hung around for the rest of the evening!

After that we decided to go into town to get some groceries for the fish. Sky and I decided that we wanted to get some food that we knew that we would like in case the boys didn't know how to cook the fish :) We went back to the Reef Restaurant since the food was so good.

We spend the rest of the night at the house, hanging out, dreading packing in the morning :)

What a wonderful trip we had!!