Gee-tar

My grandad gave me this guitar.
I have constantly sore, peeling, hopefully caloused fingertips.
Love to jam loud when nobody's home.
Shy when using a pick.
Love my instructor, Vinnie.
Want to kick butt at fingering, because it's so beautiful.
The goal: to write amazing songs, starting with one for my mom.
Secondary goal: coom bi ya around a campfire.

I left my heart in Sunnyville.

This last weekend, I went to Pasco to visit my Uncle Gordy and Aunt Helen. They pretty much rock.

Me & Uncle


Too hot at 10am


Anyways, my time with them was wonderful, but the drive back home was so fun. I just love long drives with no time line...where I can pray, sing as loud as I want and stop and take pictures at any point...which is exactly what I did.

I took the Sunnyville exit and had to stop when I saw the cows and wheat fields.







Did you know if you eat the wheat kernels, and keep chewing, it turns into gum? True story.

Ok. So then I went on a cherry hunt. I swear I followed those "fresh cherries" signs for 5 miles until I pulled down a long, dusty driveway...which led me to...

Lisha


Alberto


...and of course, Cookie & Peewee


Lisha was so cute. She was making them pose for the camera.


I seriously loved this little girl. Her & Alberto took me on a tour of the farm and my heart just melted.


I ended up with 10 lbs of cherries too. :)

Then I took the Zillah exit and went wine tasting at this place called Agate Field Winery. Agates are rampant out there. Who knew?




Antique/Fresh Fruit Shop



I-90 was a mess on the way back through the Cascades. I was getting antsy at this point, which meant I started singing old songs from 6th grade concerts. Example: The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The perfect song to sing because you can make up your own hilarious lyrics really easily. "the lion flies a kite" or "the lion gets in a fight" or "your mother likes to fly". Whatever. It passes the time.


I have a new appreciation for Eastern Washington. It's not the coolest place if all you do is stay on the freeway... but if you get off the main road, you might meet some cool chihuahuas or even better, Lisha & Alberto.

Sea + Friends + Family

To-See List

This weekend, I have a list of to-do's, or rather, to-see's. There are some special people in my life I must make time for, and want to make time for. My schedule doesn't always allow for it, especially since I have to make a trip to see them.

1. Shannon C.

Shannon's my oldest friend - from 1st grade. I remember seeing her at school, with her cool paint-splatter t-shirt and freckled face. One day I was playing in my front yard, and she pulled around in the driveway in a old blue ford that her dad drove. We smiled and waved and I knew from that moment on, we would be good friends. She stayed my friend even after one of our cows kicked her in her face and knocked her front teeth out. Gotta love the friends who stick with you through the thick and thin. I've probably laughed more with Shannon than all my other friends combined!

I had the privilege to be a bridesmaid in her wedding to Craig about 6 years ago. Since then, Craig has lived with Lou Gherig's disease (ALS) for about a year. He's not been given much more time to live, and it's heartbreaking to see his condition worsen and their lives dramatically change. It's times like these I wish I lived 5 minutes away. I would want to make them meals, try my best to make them laugh, or just listen. I pray for them and I want to see Craig back to his old self.

2. Jenny A.

Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. I met her in 5th grade, at church, I think. She was crazy. And I loved being with her. My wildest stories as a kid must all link back to her somehow. She was Anne and I was Diana. She's the friend I learned to dream with. We were always dreaming about the Thelma & Louise style cross-country road trip we'd take the moment we graduated from high school. We knew exactly what kind of men we'd marry, and that we both wanted long tree-lined driveways to our picture perfect homes. I've seen five of her dreams come true: Roger, Abby, Emily, Lily and Matthew.

So this weekend, I'll go stay at Jenny's. My heart has missed her!

3. John Charles

What to say, what to say...this one's a doozy.

I'm officially making the drive down south because of him. Because of Father's Day, and he's my father. I haven't seen him in years. He's a hard man to keep track of. But there's no dad like him. When he laughs, I die laughing - it's contagious, I can't help it. His eyes and smile stand out from his tanned, leathery face. He's been a logger for over 30 years, so he's tough and lean. He has a brokenness about him that makes me want to cry forever when I see it in his face. I want my dad to be whole and new again. I had a dream once that he was at church with me, and he was wearing a classy fedora, and his skin was a smooth as a child's.

So I'm going to try and hunt him down tomorrow, and if I don't find him, I'll go to....

4. the Pacific Ocean

I need the sea. I need the wind and the cold, salty air. I need the sand in my toes. I need to go on a looooooong walk and talk with God.

This will move you.

Days with my Father

When the sun seems so far away....

I wish I were at The Parker.


I'd walk through those big orange doors...


Through the lobby...


And have a nice cool drink at Norma's. Then I would most definately take a nap in the shade.



After that, I'd probably go on a walk through the grounds...





I'd have dinner and dessert...



And sleep sound until the next morning when I do it all over again...

Death by Laughter

Go here NOW.

Consensus of the Masses

Last night in a conversation with a friend (who will remain nameless, I will call her J.S.), the question came up:

To a true buttrocker, is "buttrock" a derogatory term?

(And since then, I've wondered if it's one word or two? I'll address this shortly.)

So, I thought I would text the question to the masses (or certain choice friends with wit), to see what they thought. Their names will be shortened to protect the innocent.

T.A: It should be. :-) Who is educating you on buttrock? Buttrock is gross! AC/DC is like the poster boys of buttrock. I hate buttrock!!

O.D: Never. I can hear White Snake in the distance.

L.B: What the?!? In what context, you crack head?

K.Y: I don't think so. What exactly is buttrock anyway? Glam metal? Hmm.

Still no answers, just some funny responses. So thanks to urbandictionary.com, this is what I found out:

"Fashion items include, but aren't limited to, tight spandex (with or without leopard print), colored boas, leg warmers (over the pants), really tight leather jackets with studs in them, denim galore,etc. Hair was generally teased up with an insane amount of hairspray, known as the metal afro. Members wore copious amounts of makeup lending to a very sassy look.....One good way to tell if a band is "Butt Rock" is if during their music video, the drummer blows a kiss to the screen while drumming...One would argue that these labels could be deemed negative or a positive, depending on your like or dislike of this particular style of music."

So...my question never really got answered. But I did find out that the proper way to write it is Butt Rock - two words. Good to know for future reference.

If you're interested in what reformed family-man butt rocker's look like, see an old post from December 28, 2005.

Twinkle Tree

I don't know about anyone else, but I like trees with twinkles in them.

"I wish I could sit on the moon."
- Ieuan Price-Davies, 5, London, UK

Hurricane Ike

Check out these amazing photos of what happened when Hurricane Ike came through.

Thought of the day.

I like white, and I'm proud of it.

It was a beautiful day at Alpental...

Heather...



Jill...



and I...



put on our boots...


and began the ascent.



There were exotic flowers...



and boulder fields...



and mossy rocks...



Pretty soon we were above snow level.



The last mile was solid switchbacks, and Heather was leading at a good pace, but it was worth it all when we came to Snow Lake.



We stopped at the lake to eat & drink...



Heather: "I'd give you a bite of my sandwich, but then you'd want the whole thing."



and Jill killed a bee that was attacking me!



Isn't it gorgeous?!



The end!

Fanfare

I found this photo online, and have to share it. I love it!

On another note... have you ever seen a lisianthus? It's one of my favorite flowers.



I bought a bouquet at Whole Foods on June 13th. It's lasted until today. 4 weeks! Just a simple little bouquet. All you do it put sugar in the water and voila! Long-lasting flowers.

A Weekend Away

Christy, Connie, Jen and I went to San Juan Island this last weekend.

I suggest at some point in your life, live with 3 good friends. And go on vacations together. And laugh a lot. And toast a lot. And meet lots of people from foreign nations. It's so wonderful.



The pier at Anacortes




We got up at 4am to take this trip.







Where we stayed.




We had dinner at Roche Harbor on the 4th.







We rented these scootery pod things on our last day.

Happy 4th of July!!

I get to go with my girls (Connie, Christy, Jen) to Friday Harbor for the weekend. We're staying in a log cabin out in the country! We'll watch fireworks out at Roche Harbor, ride mopeds, collect rocks at South Beach and hopefully get some kayaking in.

What are you doing for the 4th??

Ta-da!!

Here are the shots from my Diana. Of all 36 frames I took, the following remnant were worth developing...sort of. I just keep telling myself "small beginnings".


Gate


Connie, myself, Jackie Yust & Jen - in our backyard


My pretty sister


My pretty sister eating a popsicle


The big red towers on Capitol Hill

What percentage are you?

This is for Kim, but you're only .5 of a blog viewer if you don't comment.

Right Side of My Bed

I thought I would update all those who read my blog (all 2.5 of them) the status on my lost camera. Check this out...

Last night I had a great dream.

In the dream I walked into my bedroom, over to the right side of my bed. And I found my camera! The one I'd lost.

So when I woke up I thought maybe I should just look. I thought maybe it would be under my bed somewhere or in a drawer. So I did. And there it was! Right where it was in my dream. Who knows why I didn't see it before?! Wow, I can't tell you how happy that made me! It made me feel like the most loved, special girl. Because I know I have the best Dad in the whole world, and he's looking out for me, and wants me to have my camera so I can take beautiful pictures.

Diana F+

Has anyone seen my Olympus??? Ackhahh! I'm going crazy looking for it.

Where did I last see it? My office, I think...

Meanwhile, I've been shooting with my Diana F+. Isn't she a beauty?


It's a plastic toy camera with 120 film format, and I think I actually ruined my first roll when I loaded it. I'd forgotten how to do it! It's a bit cumbersome and requires more planning for each shot. BUT... the film that isn't ruined is going to turn out AWESOME. Seriously people - get ready to see some amazing shots! Not because I'm a great photographer - she's just a great camera. And I love her.

She takes photos like this one I found on flickr...



It's a super dreamy, fictional feel.
What do you think?

Self-Propelled Weed Control With an Attitude

Need your briars removed? Small trees uprooted and destroyed? Healing Hooves were behind the Houghton Park & Ride last weekend doing just that. It was a sight I'll never forget!

The Singer

It's a poetic narrative by Calvin Miller. I found it one night last week in Jen's bookshelf and read the entire thing that night.

"What would you like to be when you grow up, little girl?"

"Alive."
_______________

"But the word... the word they wrote upon your face is gone."

The Singer reached up to his forhead where the searing iron had left the accusation of the council. The word was gone indeed.

"It is," he said, "because Earthmaker cannot bear a lie. He could not let me wear the word for He is Truth. He knows no contradiction in himself. So learn this, my little friend, no man may burn a label into flesh and make it stay when heaven disagrees."
_______________

If she has loved him, a man will carry anything for his mother - a waterpot or a world.
_______________

Never had he been the way he walked, yet his feet knew every step. He could not cease to marvel how they moved his body forward through the mist of circumstances which he vaguely knew by name.
_______________

Blessed are those who die for reasons that are real, for they themselves are real.