Hey there pussycat!

This is our little neighbor cat. He likes to come visit our back porch and antagonize Bugg. Actually, this cat doesn't really care about Bugg...he'll put a light little paw on the sliding glass door and Bugg will act like he's defending his territory. Pretty cute cat too. I wanted to play with him today but Bugg was doing angry growls.
Pretty funny watching Bugg be all tough and strong.
I was trying to get a picture of them face to face but of course with Bugg it didn't happen. Lately, Bugg has been doing some pretty cute things and when I run to get the camera he is done. My favorite thing is he gets his little self under all the covers and then pops up all tired looking. I hope I can get a pic of that someday.
Just a few more days until the Muse concert! Hopefully I'll get some good shots :)

Precious

How cute is that? Whenever he curls up into this tiny ball, I feel like I have to tuck him in. Doesn't he look good in blue and orange? He kind of gets a pathetic look in his eyes sometimes. You can see that here.
Sweetest dog ever. He will be going on a road trip this weekend and I'm pretty sure he'll do just fine. I can't wait to get some pictures of Dexter and his aunts and uncles :)

Our definition of fortnight...

...is not 2 weeks long.
No it is when Brand and I decide to act like kids and build a fort. It was not as grand as what we remembered from being kids. We both used to use the dining room table chairs and you can go in and out through them. But through the years we have gained weight and hips and going through the chairs would only end us up being very stuck.
So we did what we could.
Also as you age goes the ability to sit/lie in a certain position for a long period of time. So even though we both started out watching a movie in the fort...we eventually moved to just our heads in the fort.
Also, a dog who "can't hold his licker" is another challenge to being on the ground. He wanted to get in the fort and well it just didn't fit him.

But we did get a cute picture out of it :)

I'm holding up the blanket because it was falling on us and the timer was about to go off. Apparently Dexter did not want the blanket on his side of the couch.
Next time we'll upgrade and get the table involved :)

Hosanna in the highest!

Palm Sunday! Today is the day that we celebrate the Triumphant entry of Jesus Christ.
Every Palm Sunday at our church we make these little palm crosses. Apparently it's tradition and you're supposed to keep it for a year and then burn them for ash for the following year's Ash Wednesday. That is if you can make it in the first place.
I've been going to this church for awhile and I still have trouble making them.
So here's Brand's version. He kind of did it a little different than your supposed to...but his is still holding up and mine isn't so...he wins :)

Dun da dun Bat dog!

It's spring ladies and gentleman! And unlike last year, Spokane has decided to cooperate and not snow.
Spring means a lot of things to me; the return of the flip flop, the hanging up of the pea coat and donning sweatshirts instead, not freezing in my office (though that still happens), stargazing, the itch to go camping, and driving around with the windows down.
To Dexter this means..driving around with the windows down and sticking his head out. He loves it, almost as much as he loves cuddling with me.

Doesn't he look happy?
Right now he's curled up next to me in a tinier ball than you think a dog his size could curl up in...and he is happy as a clam.
A happy dog is a happy Allison.

Carrot dong

What can I say folks..I like to keep things classy. But sometimes, God's sense of humor gets the best of me and I must be a bit crude.

I did not notice this at the store today. Just grabbed two carrots that I needed for my stew.
Well this carrot wanted to show it's approval of me. He was just clearly excited to be chopped up and thrown into hot beef broth with some other meat.
Well I had to Lorena Bobbit the guy and I didn't feel good about it.
If you like to see other things in nature and poorly planned dollar store and drugstore trinkets
visit one of my favorite LOL sites http://thingsthataredoingit.com/

Birthday boy!

24 years ago today...Brand was birthed. Twas a great day for me (even though I was still sitting comfortably in my womb waiting another month and 5 days), because 24 years ago today...God said...now he shall be born and later he will marry the only one that is weirder than him.
Man has He got a plan for everything!
His parents also had to conveniently come into town...serious it just happened to be this weekend...and they live in Omak so they really do have to come to Spokane for certain things. Which definitely made his mom happy because Brand is the apple of her eye. I think I'll be a lot like her when I'm a mom. Brand cannot do wrong he is just perfect. I happen to agree with her..which is why I like her so much. Favorite compliment to Brand of the day "you have such a great phone voice that's why your boss likes you so much!" followed by favorite Brand face of the day (wish I could have a pic of that). Also, Brand's dad is in love with our dog and I think he just comes to see him now haha...jk..Doug is great and he also adores Brand and is just so proud of him. Funny thing is...Doug will be the one most excited about grandchildren out of the pair of them...he'll be a wonderful granddaddy when the time comes.ANYWAY..
Well Brand got my birthday wish...I wanted an ice cream cake and his mom loves ice cream cake so we all decided to be selfish and thought that's what Brand should have on his birthday. I like the way that woman thinks :)

We also went to Outback..ate yummy pork and Brand got his free sundae...seen here

Then we went home and opened some pretty rad presents. He got A LOT of books, a sweet Boondocks Saints shirt (go me!), cards, and of course...FFXIII....go me...again.
I may be the coolest wife and since Brand and I have been married...I have bought more games than he has. It's his flowers. Though now I have lost my husband for the weekend. So ladies...if you'd like to hang out...I'm free:)
It was definitely a great day. Brand is such a wonderful person and he hates a big to-do about his birthday. But someday..on his 50th or something...or 51st to be crazy..we will have a great big birthday party and all will be invited. Consider this your invitation...
HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY BRAND!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

This post sucks...

Stop! Don't look! What you're about to see is not only gross but so..completely...utterly...LAME! Today was a slow day. If only I could take pictures of the crazy things I see everyday. I.E...I did a home visit today with a married couple. They will be dubbed Mr. and Mrs. TMI. Mrs. TMI was telling me about her allergies. About how if Mr. TMI even scratched her she would break out in hives. She says she's allergic to her husband. Then she preceded to say that when they did have sex she had to make sure she took her allergy medicine or she'd break out in a rash. Wow. Thanks for the mental image!
Anyway, see there are some interesting things in my life..I just can't always capture it on film.
Today I saw a pretty cool thing but couldn't take a picture of it because it was of a big truck and the neighbor was out. It was a large truck that said "Tricycling Racing Association" with a giant red tricycle on it...someday I will take a picture of it. I will be in that area again and it will be show up on here...I hope so anyway...
So back to the disgusting lame picture of the day. I vacuumed today...whooo! Our dog sheds A LOT! Everywhere! I had to vacuum the corners, the molding, the baseboard heaters, the couch, under the couch cushions...etc...you get the point. So I decided to take a picture of the hair I sucked up in our bright green Eureka bagless vacuum
so without further ado...I introduce...Dexter jr.

Sorry but that's just gross. That is two vacuum cups full of hair. I vacuum once a week now and it always fills up two vacuum cups. We're trying to brush him outside to help with the shedding problem...but we suck at that. Tomorrow I will be sweeping the kitchen...and that'll be gross.
Now tomorrow is Brand's 24th birthday so there will be much better pictures than bags of rejected Dexter fur.
Sorry this post SUCKED so bad..bwahaha...totally fit in a pun :)

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's way!

Yummmm! I love these Easter candies. They are delish! They beat Cadbury eggs for me because I can just eat these up and the cadburys tend to be messy.
Easter candy is the best! Peeps! Hershey eggs! Cadbury eggs! soooo good! So I bought three of these bags because I know on my own I could eat a bag a day. Add Brand to the mix and I'll be surprised if these last until the weekend. Too bad they're not cheap...but they're so worth it.
This year I get to be in Boise for Easter for the first time in awhile. It'll be fun because it'll be back at the place we had it when I was little. I always got dressed up for Easter and one year I remember having an Easter hat. This year I got my dress for the couple of weddings this year (different social circles so I can wear the same dress...yesssss) but it'll totally double as an Easter dress.
Anyone that gives up sugar for Lent is totally bonkers...there's no way I'd give up these delicious eggs.
I have a feeling Brand and I will fight over the last egg....hopefully we'll have a picture of that :)

You're my survival, you're my living proof. My love is alive -- not dead.

Ahh date night. When you're on a budget...you tend to have to get creative. We were going to build a fort and eat dinner in it...but I have felt TERRIBLE for a few days. My stomach was all cramped up and today I felt like I was going to faint while driving around for work. But after lying down for a few hours watching Big Love (such a fun show)..and a couple tylenol later...I was back to feeling up to a proper date night. After a yummy creamy tomato ravioli soup we decided to go for dessert at Cinnabon and an Orange Julius at the mall. It definitely felt like a high school date. Though I never really went on a proper high school date (and I dated someone for pretty much a year...what a winner), Brand confirmed that yes eating Cinnabon and drinking an Orange Julius in the mall is very high school. Then while we're sitting in the food court...Edwin McCain's I'll Be came on..clinched the high school deal. We should've gotten up and danced an arm's length apart and passed notes.
It was definitely fun and we definitely laughed a lot.
This post is dedicated to Brand. My best friend and love of my life who continues to make it a joy and a blessing to be called his wife.

Don't rain on my parade...or my picnic..

Today we were going to go on a picnic. I love picnics on Sundays after church. As a kid we would get KFC for our picnics and go to the train depot. I love picnics :)

But today, was gloomy, rainy, and cold. No picnic for us. We saw the weather last night and saw that it was not going to be picnic weather. But we were still going to have our pasta salad and deviled eggs. So we spread out our blanket on the living room floor, made Dexter enjoy the gloomy outside, and we set out our platter of picnic foods. We also had a meat and cheese plate. 

It was very yummy and very fun. 

We will go on many picnics when the weather is nice. We have our spot at Manito Park we go to. It's the spot we got engaged so we love to go back.

A picnic will  be much nicer when we are actually outside. But we don't let the gloomy clouds ruin our fun.

Just counting sheep

Recently, I told Brand that I would love to be in one of those funny costumes someday, put on my IPod, and show the people of Spokane how to really, freely dance. Well this Serta lamb girl (obviously girl or gay man by her moves and her iced coffee) was going crazy today at the corner of the Wal-Mart. It was highly entertaining and she (or fabulous he) obviously was making the most of their situation. And, it made my day. To see a sleepy looking lamb with the number 22 dancing like a hippy at woodstock..was great. And it's exactly what I would be doing.
It's not every day that you get to dance like a fool in front of people without anyone knowing who you are. Probably, pretty freeing don't you think?
Well this was just the beginning of the day. Seriously, Brand and I got out of bed at 12:30...very lazy today. Then we trotted off to Lowe's to get a rake, a shovel, hose, and a studfinder. Brand picked up poop, I raked a little trash up(thanks previous renters for your broken glass, cigarette butts, and stringy blue plastic crap).
We also noticed our Italian guy oven mitt was missing, so I figured it probably got pushed back out of the drawer. I took the drawer out found him, his matching towel and pot holder and another oven mitt.. which Brand and I both said at the same time "That's not ours". It was pretty funny because we both looked at its pretty flowers thinking...hmm..never seen that before.
Today was pretty great. I wish we could have taken more advantage of the beautiful weather, but my gallbladder thought otherwise. Plus, season 5 of Weeds was added to my instant queue..and well...I just can't ignore that :)

Adventure!

A walk on a beautiful day! We finally got outside to enjoy the nice weather. We took Dexter on a walk and he loves walks, personally they stress me out. He slips out of his collar real easily and I'm always afraid he's going to go psycho or something. Even though he is one of the most submissive dogs ever, he did jump on another dog when I took him out by myself. He was playing with her, but it scared me. Luckily, the owners of the dog were super nice and it didn't bother them at all. But I'm stressed whenever he gets overly interested in a dog or a person. But they're good for him to get out. We'll get him a better collar soon and maybe it won't be so scary.
With that said, I really like our neighborhood. Our cul-de-sac has some questionable teens and pre-teens (we lovingly call them hoodlums), but the neighborhood in general is very clean, quiet, and family oriented. We haven't seen cops, or heard people yelling. It's very different for me. Everyday when I come home I see the same brother and sister playing football in their front yard. Today we saw a lady doing some yardwork. And two new houses are going up in the neighborhood. In fact, if we are supposed to stay in Spokane long-term, I would look in this neighborhood for our first house. We have our eye on a couple that if they were to ever go on sale we would jump on it.
I hope I can get out more and take cool pictures. So far this experiment has shown me how utterly boring I am. I can't imagine this being very interesting to you folks. I don't have kids with great stories, I don't go do creative and amusing things, all I do is cook and hang out with my animals and my husband. It's fun for me! I could talk for hours about the stuff I'm watching on Netflix and enjoy it...but I'm sure it's not great reading material for you guys.
Oh well...

A stranger from the outside world! ooooooh!

Outdoor kitty? No. Bugg is an indoor cat. But he sits at our sliding glass door that leads to the mysterious wooden porch and mews a little when we walk by, to let us know that there is a world out there that he is not exploring. He even pathetically puts himself between the slats of the venetian blinds and looks out as if we are depriving him of an adventure.
Well Bugg, you now have your chance. I've been coming home and keeping the sliding glass door open and I let Bugg run in and out. He steps out a little and usually just sits in the corner or right by the door. As soon as there is any movement..he bolts back inside.
Once I left the gate open  to the steps to the big unknown world, the back lawn. The overprotective mom I am, I took him back inside as soon as he was eyeing the first step down. He's just not ready for the big wide back yard. I'm scared as soon as he gets scared he'll run...and not back inside.
But today, he went outside, chilled under the patio furniture..and looked like a real live outdoor/indoor cat.
Except when I busted out my camera and knelt down to take a picture of him....he ran straight toward me and this is what I got.
I think someday he'll take naps on the deck in the sun, try to catch his flies, and maybe..just maybe..we'll play in the backyard...maybe....

I'm an Irish blessing

We take holidays seriously here at our senior center. No fooling around. These are our hardcore poker players. And I mean hardcore. The man in the plaid on the bottom right has been married to his wife for over 80 years I believe..they got married when they were 15. The one that's tipping his hat brought his shalaylee.
Overall it was a green day at the senior center. People went all out. We had corned beef and cabbage and potatoes!
While at home, I made an Irish potato casserole, cupcakes with green sprinkles and homemade frosting, and green hawaiian sprunch! so yummy :)
Then I hit the town with my friends to watch all the drunk people do fun things. Like fight and beat up their boyfriends.
Quote of the day: from one of the bartenders trying to separate a girl beating up a guy who was previously getting beat up by another guy "We can't kick him out because his own girlfriend is trying to kick his ass!"
Ahh being the sober one at bars is great. Seeing girls freak out to their boyfriends going "WHERE IS SHE!?!?!" is hilarious and makes me very happy to be married.
St. Patrick's day is a beautiful holiday. Everyone is Irish and drinking cheap green beer is classy. As a ginger it's especially great because people think you're pretty cool this day. But the rest of the year...you're just a ginger..

Laundry day = BONUS PICTURE!

What do you get when it's laundry day? AWESOME PAJAMA PANTS!!! Brand and I whipped out our fun backup pj pants and man do we look cool. Brand is rockin' his coca cola pjs. His mom gave him these when we started dating because she knew I loved Coke. Yup she's pretty dang cool. And I'm rockin' a Christmas present of Bronco pj pants. Totally forgot how comfy these were. I stopped wearing them so much because they were fading in the butt. But I'll definitely be pulling these puppies out more often. Plus..don't we just look so cool?
Julie--I thought you'd appreciate the awesomeness of this picture. =D
It's not everyday you get a bonus picture...so eat it up folks :)

Drunken Lullabies

What you might see is a smiley CD player. Pretty cute huh? But if you look closer you can see that is 64 degrees at 6:32 pm. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. I came home and kept the sliding glass door open so the animals could go in and out. Even Bugg almost braved it to the steps to the yard...but I cut him off.  I'm a bit overprotective of him. The neighbors were putting out their trampolines and little kid playhouses. The kids were out playing on their swingsets. It was great :) I love hearing the squeal of enjoyment from kids.

I'm beginning to prepare for St. Patricks day as well. It's Brand's favorite holiday so we'll be having a pretty good Irish meal complete with a lot of green stuff that is American. But you'll see those pictures tomorrow I'm guessing. The point is, in that smiley CD player is Flogging Molly (or as my dad calls it Foggy Moggy).
I think this picture will be one of many pictures that will remind me of the crazy calm winter we had this year. Next year when I'm shovelling snow, scraping my car for the 3rd time that day, I can look back and realize that this year we had a real live March!
Ahhh El Nino...now that is something worth celebrating...
cue Josh's winter obsessed ramblings...

Another Case of the Mondays Cured!

Today was a Monday. Definitely a Monday. Work was not bad actually. Took the day to catch up on paperwork and plan out my week. But all day I felt achy and had a horrible backache. By the time I got home I had a full on headache, throat ache, and my sinuses hurt. I'm thinking that with beautiful weather comes my wonderful allergies :) After a nap I woke up with a heavier headache and then woozy. I was not happy. But Brand came home and started doing our huge sinkload of dishes. See we Sabbath on Sundays and do not do chores..so they tend to pile up. Not only did he do the dishes but he was making me a yummy bowl of soup at the same time and brought me some ibuprofen and water. I have a hard time remembering to take ibuprofen when my head hurts (it hurts very often) because for awhile I was unable to swallow pills and just got used to waiting out the headache. So he does a good job of reminding me.
For about a month and a half I've been doing most of the cooking and cleaning (including the entire house) because Brand has been working so much. So it was nice not have to do a whole load of dishes.
Now, I'm feeling a lot better just a little queasy but I think after a good night sleep I'll be back to normal tomorrow.

Dead life...looking pretty good actually

I kill flowers. Lock me up. I am a flower murderer. I show no mercy. They just do not live long around me. I am their kryptonite. Lucky for me, dried flowers can be pretty. Only a few of them though. Daisies do not dry out nicely like roses...which sucks since they are my favorite. But, roses...those turn out great :) So I make myself feel better that once I start seeing a rose not looking so good...I hang it and dry it out! I don't get a lot of roses but that is what I do with them. Since Brand normally gets me daisies because those are my favorite...I don't have a lot of dried flowers. But one day he got me a rose :) I love daisies but there's something about getting a single red rose from your husband that's just different. So I've decided to dry out the roses he gets me and keep them in a vase. Now for Valentine's Day he got be a beautiful bouquet of assorted flowers. Those flowers didn't die nicely except the purple dudes (lilacs? I'm not sure I'm not a botanist). So now they have been added to the dead flower vase. It'll be cool to keep adding flowers. I'm not sure how they'll last, especially if we move...but I'll try for as long as I can.

I promise..I'll be getting out of the house soon to take more pictures. I have to...I am running out of things to photograph. And I'm sure that Dexter lying around is cute and all...but I need to branch out! Plus it's getting nice out....there's no excuse to be sitting inside.

A Gal and Her Dog

I LOVE Dexter's face in this picture. A little annoyed that I should interrupt his lying around on the couch time with a little photo opp. I personally love it when he chooses my lap to sit on when the entire couch is free. And that's not sarcasm. I love cuddling with my animals. And I miss them when I'm not home. They are the perfect stress reliever...even if they're the cause of the stress. Just one look at those puppy eyes and big smile and everything's all right.
 I'm a bit of a pushover. Most people wouldn't allow the dog on the couch, but growing up that's what we did. Duke was always on the couch. Even now my sister's dog Ruby is allowed on the couch. And she beats Dexter out on the shedding front. I can understand why people don't allow their pets on the couch...but I just don't follow that rule. I like seeing Dexter fall on the floor because he just did not realize he was slowing sliding down. I love seeing him all curled up trying to fit in the tiny spot next to Brand and myself. He loves the floor too, but as soon as we go to bed...he's on that couch.

I don't have children yet, and won't for awhile probably...but I'm enjoying my time as a pet mom. Let's just hope that when the kids do come...I've toughened up my skin...because they definitely won't be allowed on the couch :)

D A Double R

The Darrs. They're a special breed. Kind of like the Ekhoffs. I think that's why I get along with them so well.
Lately Brand and I have been having dinners with the Darrs. The first one was when they told us they were pregnant. Fast forward almost a year and a half...we met up again and now we've started to make it a monthly thing. Last month we went to a dance class and learned the Charleston. Something I've always wanted to learn...but I suck at it haha. Surprise surprise. This time we chillaxed at home and played Harry Potter Clue (Amanda won!) and I made my newest favorite thing to make/eat...creamy tomato tortellini soup. I also made a strawberry salad with homemade vinegarette and a spinach dip with bread. Probably my new favorite meal :)
The cutie patootie in the picture is James. He is adorable and very sweet. He's got a great personality. I'm excited to see how he turns out. His cousins are full of personality so I'm sure he will be.
So excited for next month!

Irony...not when something tastes like iron

What you do see is patio furniture. What you may not notice is a downpour. Brand put these out not too long ago since the weather was sunny and warm. Of course, just like as soon as you wash your car it rains....as soon as you put patio furniture out it rains.
But it's still nice to have patio furniture out...a glimmer of hope that is spring and summer and BBQ season.
So next we need a BBQ...

Some homemade fast food

In case you didn't know, cooking is my new thing. My hobby. I asked Brand what my hobby should be and he said cooking, and I was like no that can't be it. But when I would get home from work with a little hunger sitting in my stomach, I would look through the cookbook or recipes online and seriously get inspired to cook! To create a meal! I have a feeling it's a little like what artists get when they paint or take pictures or make a film. I've always been inspired to help people, that's easy. But to be inspired to do something completely different is a pretty cool feeling. It might be lame...but if I have to cook dinner and eat anyway...might as well have fun right? I'm not great at it. I think I'm pretty decent for a first-timer. But I love it. And Brand loves it too.

Today we had homemade chicken nuggets and parmesan jo-jos. It was pretty good! My favorite part is I know how I want to improve it for next time. Makes me feel like a real cook when I can taste it and go "It needs more this and less of that". 

I'm sure there will be a lot of pictures of the following three things in this blog: Brand, our animals, and food. They take up a lot of my life..so get used to it :)

Though I told Brand that I want to venture out and take pictures of things outside of my home. But I haven't been inspired. Maybe I could show you my "mobile office" aka my car. Or the houses I see that I dream about buying. When I left work today there was a homeless man sleeping outside our back door. I wanted to take a picture of that because to me that captures something more than chicken nuggets can. But I didn't feel right exploiting his situation. So you'll probably never see a picture of the dirty, real things I see everyday..but at least you know they're there.

What's new pussycat?

Just chilling with my kitty cat on a lazy day after work. We do this often. Especially if the dog is running around outside. It's just Bugg and me time. He's the most cuddly cat I've ever had. He's obsessed with sitting near my head and neck. Probably because when he was just a kitten that's where he would sleep. Bugg is almost 6 years old...which is crazy to think about because I've had him since he was a kitten.
Although he annoys me a good amount of the time (3 am is never a good time to sit on my face) he is incredibly precious to me. And he's been through a lot; a road trip from Boise, a bully cat Tessie, a move to two different locations, 2 weeks away from me while I was off getting married and having fun in Hawaii, and now...living with a large dog who likes to eat his food and his poop. He's a trooper that Bugg :) I'm excited for Spring so he can do one of his favorite pasttimes...eating flies :)

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

 

I have absolutely no idea. But I do know that I loved Alice in Wonderland...and strangely enough it wasn't Johnny Depp's quirky performance, the beautiful imagery, or even Alan Rickman's beautiful voice as the caterpillar that did it for me...but Mia Wasikowska as Alice. I loved every scene with her in it. So delightful!

But even better than the movie was that Brand was finally home! We have date nights on Tuesday but we haven't had a date night for about a month because all I got of Brand was an hour for dinner. So when his boss said that he could go home for the day while they waited for orders...we took advantage of it and had an amazing Brinner at IHOP and then off for wonder and amazement in Wonderland! 

Lady in red

 

Red couches. For some reason I've always liked them. Something fun and different about them. Makes a place less boring. And since I spend a lot of time sitting on my couch I don't want it to be boring. When we started searching for a loveseat for our new place we did not have much luck. We were going for anything decent looking but I really wanted red couches, but I did not think I could find any. Well after weeks of searching and a long trip to Hayden, ID...we got red couches! So happy! And so comfy. So I'm pretty excited. Our former couch is now downstairs in the gaming room for proper gamer-age :)

And there's a matching loveseat that went with this so now we have a cute little living room. Come visit!

Take a piece of my heart now baby!

 

Two of the most wonderful girls in the world! Cassie was in town and we got a wonderful mexican dinner for $10 (yay gift certificate!) We had a yummy strawberry margarita. Any times with these girls are so awesome. I love them!

The work is so worth it..

 

Sorry that this is a day late! I had the privilege to cook and serve some of my favorite girls a yummy dinner! It was chicken parmigiana and creamy tomato cheese ravioli and jell-o poke cake. It was a lot of work but so worth it! This is the part of the 2nd half of dishes. I ran out of dishwashing soap so I did it all by hand. Definitely a walk down memory lane :)

I love my girls and I'd cook and handwash dishes for them anyday :)

Pin a rose on my nose!

 

..or an origami lotus flower! Our friend Drew gave up the internet for Lent and has decided to spend his time learning new things, like origami! Personally I think that's great. Giving up sweets for Lent is all fine and dandy but giving up something so profound in our lives and then taking the time to broaden your horizons is awesome! Plus it produces some pretty cool blue and orange botanical goodness :)

So this picture is dedicated to Drew.

Such a butter face...

 

Brand got very excited when he opened our new tub of butter, peeled off the seal, and noticed this little gem. Now I'm usually the one that gets excited about silly things...but Brand could hardly contain himself. "Oh my gosh look at this! See two eyes, a smile, and really bad hair!" he was ecstatic. He immediately said "I have to take a picture!!" So here is a true butter face. It was so cute seeing Brand so excited about something so little. He does stay cooped up in the office all day long and I don't see him except when he comes home for dinner...but then rushes back to the office until wee hours of the night, so maybe he needs to get out more.

Well, butter face is now in the trash. Probably smeared and no longer butter face but...just...butter.

You can't always get what you want.

This is Dexter. Our beloved pooch. We found him at the Spokane Humane Society, and fell in love. He was in one of the first cages and he was one of the only ones not barking. He is almost perfect. ALMOST. Dexter loves kitty food in its natural state...and in its digested state. So we have put both kitty food and kitty roca behind that wonderful baby gate. Now Dexter cannot reach it. I know he knows whats behind that elusive gate. But he will not jump it. He just sits there patiently, hoping that some little kitty roca will come marching out...
Maybe not perhaps the most provocative first picture in my experiment. But the thing that intrigues me is that I know Dexter could jump that gate if he wanted to. He could jump the backyard fence too. But he does not. He seems to understand what these gates and fences mean and obeys them. But it will not stop him from daydreaming about that delicious urinary tract control kitty gourmet :)

The experiment

The experiment is to take one photo per day, every day, for one year. I was inspired to do this experiment by my friend Christie...who was inspired by someone else to do the same experiment. I love that life does that. That we have the power to inspire people based on our own inspiration..even in the littlest things. You could say I have high hopes for this. I love pictures. I love capturing a moment, even if it is captured poorly. See, I am not a photographer. Most my pictures end up out of focused, blurry, red eyes, etc. They're not great. But, they capture something that at that moment in time meant something to me. I mainly photograph my family. My nephew, Ollie, is two years old and is the most precious person I have ever met. I want to photograph every minute so I don't miss out. Luckily for me, his mother is a wonderful photographer and so is his other auntie...so I'm always seeing the little moments in his life. This is the power of pictures. To capture moments that within minutes will be just memories.
So what is a year of memories? That's what I want to see. This is mainly for me. To see how life has changed in a year. I'm excited to look back and see what stuck out enough to me on May 3, 2010 to take a picture.
And for my wonderful family who is in Boise, ID..I'm excited to share my life with them via this blog-o-pictures. To give them a glimpse of what my life is like so far from them.

So with that...lets see what this year has in store.