wait till you hear this story....

So, as you can see, there are pictures on this post. Pictures of my trip to the west coast last month. Remember how I have been promising to post them. Remember how I've NOT posted them. (like I need to remind you of that) Well, aside from having picture uploading issues, here is the reason why....
I put my CD full of every picture I took on the trip on top of a pile of outgoing mail. And outgoing it went. I'm losing it! I "mailed it out" and never saw it again. Thankfully, all of the photos were saved on my parents laptop, or I would be a crying mess. Lesson learned....must back up everything TWICE!

So here is the continuing story of my trip with pictures to enjoy. Last post was about Vancouver. We left Vancouver by way of the sea. Here we are heading out and taking some goofy shots along the way.


Our beautiful boat. Each little partitioned off section is a balcony from a room. We had a slightly different view. But on a cruise like this, we were off the boat more than 80 percent of the time, so it didn't make a huge difference.

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must.visit.this.site....

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=27753303

It's Jenna Fischer's (Pam from the Office) myspace site. She does a blog from her desk on the set. I had heard about it a couple months ago and just remembered it. Totally addicting. It sounds like so much fun to be on that set! Buy Season 2 HERE.


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creativity explored

This week, my Bible study group joined with the guys study and we had a pumpkin carving contest. Here's the little guy I created.....


 

here, there and everywhere

*******this wouldn't post when I wrote it, so it's a couple days old. Blogger is finally working!

Okay, so I didn't go here this weekend, but it is a visual aid for one of the things I did.

Side note: I did get to go to the set of the funniest show on TV besides Scrubs (went to that set too!) when I was in LA. The studio is in the middle of yuckytown LA. Not pretty. Not palmtreeye. Not beachy. Just industrial. Perfect for what they need. If you have ever watched the show and they are outside of the office building, this is where I was! There were Dunder Mifflin signs everywhere. Too cool. Me and the bro were a little excited as you can see in this photo.

This weekend started off with a bang. An AMAZING episode of Battlestar Galactica. I mean, really...can it get any better?!! (for those of you who still mock my TV choices. continue as much as you would like. I'm the one who's laughing!) It was one of those times when you have to call someone to share in the fun during commercial breaks. Oh, yeah!
Then Saturday morning, the bro and I headed to see Flutag (pictures to follow later). It's the Red Bull human flying machine competition. Oh...my...gosh... I'm glad I took pictures cause you wouldn't believe some of the things that these people made. The idea is to make a "flying" contraption that you and your "team" push off of a HUGE platform over the water. The judges score on how far you go (30ft, etc...), creativity, and something I can't remember. Basically, it's 1,000 of people standing around watching a bunch of crazy people fall in to the water. And man, oh, man was it fun! You can't help but laugh everytime!
After that...went to a birthday party for a friend. SO GOOD to see her.
Came home late and watched "The Office" season 2 (see? that's why the picture is there!)
Then...Sunday, went to church (really good as usual. I love my church!) and then the Renessaince Festival. Again, it's a freak show. Where in the world do these people go when it isn't going on? People watching is the best activity there.
We:
ate pork pockets (delish)
ate HUGE apple dumplings
stared at the people dressed up like, well, I don't know how to describe it. Just imagine any 3 Musketeers movie or even "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore. That's the style they were going for.
watched really good shows by a comedy troupe who does Shakespeare
watched a sword swollower
saw a guy dressed up as a Stormtrooper get in a fight with a random kid who tackled him.
Guess what was the most talked about event?!!

Good weekend. Full of great memories. Time well spent.

in the news

My life right now....

• Shopping this past weekend at the scrapbook store by my sister's place. I gathered a huge pile of goodies to use in future projects. 7 gypsies everywhere.
• My new LG phone. Internet, MP3 player, camera. It's wonderful compared to the old timer that I had for 2 years.
• Warm sunshine after being in the cold all weekend. I got to spend 2 hours outside today working the climbing wall. My fingers are raw, but the sun felt amazing.
• TV is in full swing. Veronica, Battlestar, ER are my favorites so far this season. I love going home at the end of the day knowing there is something good to watch in the evening.
• West Wing season 1. I was addicted to this show during it's glory days. I bought this season on sale at Best Buy and have loved watching it again on my lunch breaks. Those characters are priceless.
• Missing my friends. I really miss my girls who live so far away. I'm ecstatic that one of them is moving back (yesssss!!!) to the area. I can't wait.
• Must print out pictures. It's the horrible, ugly secret in digital photography. I'm almost a year behind. (yup, I never printed out all of my Europe trip. that's sad...)
• Wondering if anyone reads this blog. Seriously. Do I just write it for my own sake? Do I write just to get it out of my head? Is anyone listening to me? (as the field trip lady says on Billy Madison to the group of 2nd graders)

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Painting with the moon

I took these pictures way back in the thick of the summertime and then forgot about them. The moon was HUGE one night over the water. I had my brothers amazing camera that night and decided to have some fun. Kinda like a sparkler leaves a trail when you play with it. I left the shutter open for a long time and moved the camera around at the same time. This was final product.




I know. I know. Why am I not finishing posting my pictures from my trip. Well, I don't have them within grasp today. I so very much enjoy a post with a picture, so this is what you get.....
Great time this past weekend was had by the sisters in my family. (aka me and my little sis) It was fantastic to see her and see how her belly is growing! It's still weird that I have to get on a plane to see her. Then my flight home....I sat on the plane for 2 hrs. Technical problems. Not fun. But not really such a huge deal either. Southwest has been a favorite airline of mine for a couple years. Their employees are so nice and they really do try to make you comfortable. So yes, it was their fault, but they did their best. It's easy to forgive someone when they are trying so hard to make things right, isn't it?!! I'll fly them again cause they are so darn cheap. Love that! 

Wisdom from Oswald

As I have posted before, I love, love, love Oswald Chambers' My Upmost for His Highest. It is humbling and thought provoking. If you have never read it, DO it! Here is the entry I read last night while doing my devo's. I had to read it twice and still feel like I should really read it again to fully wrap my brain around it. I know it's only a human's response to the Bible, but wow!

"We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step-we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin-'But if we walk in the light,' we are cleansed 'from all sin' (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God's revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosphy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God's truth work into you by immersing youself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don't say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!' You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the 'wise and prudent.' 'If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know....' (John 7:17)."

It's amazing....I was blessed in the fact that I came to know Christ at a very young age. To the outside world, it would seem that being saved over 20 years should make me an expert. Yeah, right! How humbling to realize that I am just getting started to understanding God. His wisdom is something that I still can't explain or even judge myself against. It leaves me speechless and small and insignificant and there is no other place in life that I would rather be.....
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SREAMING loudly!!!!

Today was one of those days when things just didn't seem to go right anywhere. My computer wasn't playing very nice which always makes me grab the screen and shake it. So to dissolve my anger, I took a jaunt over to You Tube to clear my head. The oh, so lucky You Tubers made 2.5 billion dollars today for selling themselves to Google. Not too bad for a days work.
Anywho...found this fun clip from Veronica Mars last week. It made me laugh. Just what I needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFfZKX0PiTM

What's better than 2 of your favorite shows referencing each other. So for those of you who don't watch Veronica (shame on you) or Battlestar (even more shame upon your heads), it will make no sense and you will just think I'm weird. Just go and rent Veronica Mars season 1 or Battlestar Galactica season 1 instead.
As for me, I'm laughing and enjoying the moment and thankful that someone decided to create You Tube all those years ago.


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filmed in....

Vancouver, BC, where production sets abound. It's was a TV girl's paradise...

"the talon" from Smallville. Unfortunately I didn't spot the adorable Clark Kent...

Battlestar Galactica's headquarters. This place is HUGE!

This was just the streets of Vancouver. We were walking to dinner for the night and found all these trucks set up. Found out from someone working there that it was for a movie with Renee Zellweger. There were trucks like this everywhere in the city. Pretty cool!

Not 1,000 words

I know the saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words, but for some reason, I can't upload today. I have a post all ready to go but without the pictures, it just seems silly.
Instead, I'll give you a link to a new website that I am in love with.

http://www.boutwellstudio.com/blog/

The world of photography still amazes me. I've never been into art in the form of painting or drawing or sculptures (though I do try since that is the form two good friends use to express their creative sides and I want to appreciate their handiwork). So going to an art gallery isn't all that exciting for me unless I really put effort into it. It seems like art should grab you, not let you look away, take you to another place or wish that you could, make you FEEL something or send a chill down your spine. That's how I feel when I look at a photo. I love my own pictures. I look at them over and over. I love looking at other people's as well. I love finding photography blogs. I have several that I look at everyday. They inspire me. They make me think. They give me new ideas to take my own photos. Plus they make me want to save my $$ for the camera that I'm dying to have.
This blog is amazing. The entry for 10/6/06 made me gasp. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. How absolutely, unbelievabley amazing would it be if I could use them as my photographers one day!

Charming Vancouver

Such a nice city. Busy, yet so much more easy going than most American cities. The weather was BEA-U-tiful while we were there so that couldn't have hurt my impression either! It was amazing how many times we saw people shooting this movie or that small film. (More on that in a later post....) We had a wonderful time and just like my family said I would... I loved it there. Here's a couple of my favorite shots...

From the cruise boat as we left the dock. These glasses (which my brother constantly teased me about) were a source of great mocking on this trip. The bro called me "Skelator" everytime I had them on.
Lions Gate Bridge, which the film studio (that my bro worships at the feet of) Lions Gate is named after. So cool. You can walk across it or bike across it as well as drive. I took this laying on the ground in the middle of the pedestrian path.

The view as our cruise boat pulled away. I love how the city looks in this picture.

The crew enjoying the evening in the city. We had just had dinner at the Spagetti Factory. Sat outside to eat under the heat lamps. A film was being shot in the direction we were looking.

This shot reminds me of my Loch Lomond shot.

Funny Story:

My Daddy-O forgot his sunglasses one day as we were driving around. I offered him my "skeletor" glasses and he wore them most of the day. As we were at a stop light, I noticed 2 guys staring at him from their car next to us. I said "Dad! Turn and look at them! I think they are laughing at your glasses!" When he turned around, they doubled over in laughter and gave him 2 big thumbs up. That happened at least 2 more times that day! Seriously, those glasses have their own story to tell about that trip...

The lions guarding Lions Gate Bridge.

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Here begins the vacations photos....

These are of my time with the W's. It was so, so, so good to see them as usual. Mommy in the family was my college roommate. We've stayed close through the years and I love going out to see her in Seattle as much as I can. She and her husband are so much fun to be around. She has two little gems now. This was my first time meeting her youngest. He's a charmer, let me tell you. A smile that is pure sunshine. Her daughter is too cute. She was singing along with us in the car to "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge. I love that she actually remembered me this time and didn't want me to leave. It was really hard saying goodbye after only 3 days, but it was SO good to see them. I wish that we could live closer. They are amazing and I hope that everyone has friends as wonderful and loving as they are. I tooks tons of pics of the kids. Here's a couple of my favorites.




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Ali's weekly challenge

I'm a big fan of Ali Edwards scrapbooking style. I check her blog often to get ideas for cards and pages. At the end of last week, she posted a little challenge to try. A mini album of 5 favorite things right now. I LOVED this little challenge and decided to go ahead and give it a try. Here's my finished project. It was so much fun to create! I had so many great ideas and just went with them and didn't second guess my ideas.

Here is what it says...

#1. Photographs (sticker: 7 gypsies)

#2. Blogs (paper: Basic Gray, number by Heidi Swapp)

#3. In Style (circle stamp used throughout from Paper Source)

#4. Zach Braff

#5. Paper Crafts (paper: Basic Grey)

On the back, I wrote why I picked each one so I wouldn't forget 10 years down the road. Again, so much fun. Try it! Even if you just write it down in a journal or on a scrap of paper to find a couple years down the road.

Oh, and don't show it to your mid 20's brother. He won't be impressed and will basically laugh at you. You would think I would have learned that by now.

Three other things...

1. I will post pictures from the trip. I will. Just be patient....

2. I'm ecstatic about Battlestar Galactica starting on Friday. I will be planted on my couch as soon as 9pm hits. 2 hours of sci fi goodness.

3. Veronica Mars starts tomorrow. mmmm, Logan....

AND I found out that Josh Groban has a new CD coming out in a month. Oh, happy day! You can hear the new single on his website

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