Teeny Tiny Postcards

More mail! I found this fun template on the Photojojo site.  I spent a chunk of Saturday afternoon mining through old photos of my friend Rachel who I met my Sophmore year of college, so I've collected quite a catalog of our shenanigans.

I took these photos as my little keepsake of our memories.

Pen Pal Project

A friend of a friend told me about a pen pal project that she was involved in.  Being a lover of sending a receiving mail I decided to join.  This will be my first send off and above are just a few photos of what I have included to some lovely stranger.

The project has inspired me to continue to create and craft mail for friends and strangers alike.  So who knows, you might receive something from me one of these days!

My getaway is not that far away

I have a special place that I have been escaping to since I was about 5. It's my aunt and uncle's cabin out on Hat Island, a small private island located in the Puget Sound. It's a community of homeowners who get to share in the beauty of a small island with little more than gravel roads, a gas pump, a volunteer fire fighting brigade and the most amazing views of the sound.

My mom always said I had a suitcase packed under my bed, ready to jump at any moment on the chance to visit the island. The majority of my summers growing up were spent digging for clams, climbing the sand walls, swimming and jumping on the giant trampoline with my sister and cousins.

A few weekends ago I went out again with my cousin Garrett. We spent our time eating great food, listening to new music, trying in vain to jump start the 4-wheeler, laying on the deck blowing bubbles and strumming guitars and hitting golf balls. It was a weekend well spent.

Do you have a particular place in your neck of the woods that is your escape?

We do what we can

I have a few projects lined up to keep me thinking creatively throughout Spring/Summer. 

One has to do with diptychs and a lovely and talented friend.  ; )
The others I will share with you as I finish, so long as they turn out okay!

What projects, experiements, adventures are you daydreaming about for your sweet self this summer?

Hello, nice to meet you

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet yourself?  I imagine it would be like listening to your voice on someone else's voicemail....strange and otherworldly.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to meet me, know me, laugh with me, yell at me, cry with me, and hug me.  Weird....I know, but I'm curious how other people perceive me.

I think I could be friends with me. 

---------------------------------

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!  We're having an house-warming party this weekend, so I might bore you with photos from our new digs next week.

The Grandtours & Pufferfish: A Georgetown House Party

*Pufferfish*

*The Grandtours*

My buddy Myles plays in a band, The Grandtours.  They played their first gig at a house party in Georgetown this past weekend to kick off some upcoming shows and the release of their EP, The Centaur.  It turned out to be a clear cool day even though rain was predicted.  It was a great turn out with about 50 people there at one point.  We all kept warm between two bonfires, decked out in our hooded jackets, rain boots and scarves...and of course flasks of bourbon and a keg from the Georgetown Brewing Co.

They played with Pufferfish, a Seattle band that makes use of among the traditional instruments; the banjo, accordion, washboard and cowbell to create some amazing tunes laced with a bit of country, bluegrass, and rock and roll.   You can check out their tune, Wrecking Ball here.

The Grandtours played a great set.  It didn't feel or sound like it was their first by any means.  And the Christmas lights strung throughout the yard gave a moody and magical feel to the music as the sun set and the evening turned to darkness.  Unfortunately they are so new I don't have a sample to share, but I will post one as soon as I get my hands on their EP!

If you live in the Seattle you can catch their upcoming shows:

*April 7th - The Tractor Tavern

*April 20th - The Tiger Lounge

Check out their website for more information.

P.S.  You rock Myles!!

Your sunshine

I wanted to share a few recent shots from my 365 day project.   Spring has come early around here, Winter bowing out after a short stay.  I lazed around our new neighborhood last weekend soaking up the lovely sunshine.  I danced in the basketball court at the park across the street so happy to have the sun out for days at a time.  I went on runs along the waterfront, drank coffee at the little coffee shop a few blocks down the street and unpacked all our books to go in the built-in bookshelves circa 1924.  

I am giddy.  I know that I will make the most of the sunny days that come and go this spring/summer and that makes me ecstatic.  I will take hundreds of photos, I will go on long bike rides, I will ride the ferry to Vashon Island, I will have adventures with good friends, I will go swimming, I will float the river, I will go to concerts outside...and I will dance to songs like I am not a Robot over and over.

What will you do with your sunshine?

Home brew hobby

Hope everyone had a lovely and relaxing weekend! (I know…I know it's almost the weekend again.) We spent a fun couple of days in a cabin in the snowy mountains, where we unveiled to friends our home brewed beer. These are the labels we came up with, two versions to add a little variety. It actually turned out really well, so we're on to try an IPA and a Pilsner next.


We moved mid-week so things have been very busy and exciting in our neck of the woods. Needless to say I might be scarce around here for a bit, but I'm sure I'll be posting some updates regarding the new house soon.

Happy love day

What are your plans this weekend?  Peter and I are heading up to the mountains to play in the snow, sit by a fire and listen to old records with good friends.  It's our V-Day tradition and this will be the 6th year!  

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day Weekend!  

Is this me?

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results.  I have found myself in this rut lately.  I see things in my life I want to change but I am not making the efforts to change them.  Instead I just mull things over in my mind a million times, which really only takes up valuable space and leaves me feeling drained.

So that's me up above, asking myself what I will do differently today.

It's time for a change.

My love is no short year's sentence...

A few photos from the last 2 weeks of my 365 day self portrait project, and a poem I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my days...

♥

'My love is no short year's sentence

It is grief lodged under the skin,

Strength pushed beyond its bounds;

The four quarters of the world,

The highest point in heaven.

It is

A heart breaking or

Battle with a ghost,

Outrunning the sky or

Courting an echo.

So is my love, my passion and my devotion

To him to whom I give them'

♥

-Author unknown

365 days update

 

 

It has been challenging but also a lot of fun working on the 365 day photo project.  Some days I get home from work, it's dark out and I don't have a lot of energy but I still force myself to do more than an arm's length snap shot of myself. 

These are my favorites from the past 2 weeks.  The top and bottom were the most fun to shoot.  The top photo was taken in Rach's beloved alley near her apartment in Seattle (after I took that shot we had light wars with her headlamps).  I actually like the graininess caused by my high ISO setting, I think it's fitting with the alley.  The bottom shot was taken in my basement while blasting Santigold on the stereo. 

My kind of book club

Such is happenstance.  I woke up Wednesday morning (day 6 of my 365 days photo challenge) and snapped the above shot.  I have always loved to read, it used to drive my sister crazy when we shared a room growing up and I refused to turn my light out so I could continue to read my Piers Anthony novels.  Though I've since moved on from the world of Xanth I continue to read regularly. 

So...I was delighted when later that day I found this post about the Slow Readers Book Club.  A book club I can join and not be rushed to finish the book!  It's also a sweet little coincidence that the first book is Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls who also wrote the Glass Castle a book my sister gave me as a gift (she loves to read now too).  For more information and how to join just click here or here.

Happy Reading!
♥Mo

365 Days

I'm a little late on putting this up, but I thought I would share my New Year's challenge with you. I've decided to try and take a self portrait every day this year, I think it's going to get really hard.  I often don't like the photos taken of me and I'm not that photogenic so it will be a challenge to find more interesting ways to capture the image.  I thought I would share a few of my first attempts, and I plan to post updates throughout the year.

Aside from this challenge, I have not dived into a list of unrealistic resolutions besides a few general ideas that wouldn't hurt (be nicer, make daily choices to stay healthy and cook my sweetpea some nice meals on a weekly basis...something I have not been good about in the past.


Here's the link to my 365 days flickr set if you want to take a peek.

First trip of the year:

What can I say...I had a wonderful weekend with my family out on the Olympic Peninsula. This is our 17th year staying at Fort Worden; I'm thinking a big anniversary bash will be in order when we hit 20 years. I have ascended into the world of adults and a whole new gaggle of kids take flight running through the old army barracks, the fields and along the beach.

Highlights from the trip included board games like scattergories, fresh oysters with Tabasco, walking on the beach, popping in and out of the cute little shops in town, pizza, taking lots of photos and crab cakes and French toast for breakfast! All my little cousins were cracking me up; watching them interact can be some of the funniest moments!

Fort Worden was a great start to the New Year and I look forward to whatever else 2010 has hiding up its sleeve.