Underwater Adventure

I had a little fun with my disposable underwater camera on our vacation. I should have waited for better quality scans but I was too excited to show you the images I got. I'm underwater again today but sadly it's in the form of rain showers. I'm sure the rest of the world is sick of us NW'ers whining but you really can't imagine the pain. I'm daydreaming of all the summer activities that are calling my name. Maybe I'll compile a list for tomorrow's post.

Bird's Eye View

Jeremy is speaking at a conference in Miami on Thursday and he decided a red-eye flight was to be his means of arriving there. Yuck. I much prefer flying at a time of day I can enjoy the view from the window seat. If you stop to think about it, the opportunity to sit in the window seat of an airplane really is under appreciated. Common people do it by the thousands day in and day out and it is even passed up by many who prefer aisle seats. We take it for granted. Seriously though, we are FLYING. We are 35,000 feet above the surface of the earth and we can look down at it's mountains, canyons, rivers, fields, cities, weather patterns, etc. How incredible is that? Well The NY Times asked for photo submissions from people who do appreciate the view from the window seat. What they got was incredible. I posted a few of my favorites below. See the rest and read the associated article here.

A Message to the NW Weather Gods:

Um... seriously?

I wish I could say I'm happy to be home but really I'd rather see this in front of my face again:

What Happens In Vegas...

...Doesn't happen to me. And I'm not just talking about the drunken gambling and promiscuity. The Neon Boneyard is closed for the summer which means I will not be toting my camera(s) there this weekend. I suppose our long weekend in the desert (at least I get some desert sun) will have to be spent otherwise. Thankfully we are staying off-strip at my FIL's so I'm thinking it will be rather laid-back. Lot's of pool time with The Mister and our sweet little Gem. I hope your Memorial weekend treats you right.

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California Dreamin

Lately I've been really in the mood to go to California. It might have something to do with the stormy weather we Portlanders have been experiencing. (And are SO over.)

I am dying to:

see a palm tree or two

sip a lemonade by the pool

view some atomic ranch loveliness

enjoy the sun-bleached color of the mid-century glamour that is Palm Springs.

In honor of my longing I curated an Etsy Treasury inspired by that hipster desert. Check it out here.

PS- So excited today is day one of Pin It Forward. My day will be June 14th but there will be lots of inspiring posts till then. Check the schedule here.

Fly Away Friday

Headed up north this weekend. We celebrate The Mister's B-day in Seattle every year. A few years ago for his 30th, I earned wife of the decade award by surprising him with a sunset helicopter ride. It was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. After our tour of the city we landed on a dock in front of the restaurant we had dinner reservations at. It was a beautiful evening- see for yourself:

imagine how pretty they'd be with a little photoshop magic...

A Splendid Baby-Moon

Last Thursday we got the crazy idea to have one last get-away before Little One arrives. We've since been told that's called a "babymoon". Jer found this great boutique hotel in Astoria so we took Friday afternoon off and hit the road. We were pleasantly suprised with how hip and cool Astoria was. Most Oregon coastal towns are a little bit backwards. Astoria is the exception. It is enjoying a revitalization period and we were enjoying right along with it. We stayed at the super cool Commodore Hotel - recently remodeled and reopened after closing it's doors suddenly in the 1960's. When bought a few years back, everything was untouched and in place as it had been for 40 years. The photos they took are what decorate the walls and the lobby is full of random artifacts. I highly recommend a night's stay there. We checked in, walked around town looking at shops and galleries, drove onto Sunset Beach (literally drove... right up to the ocean's edge, rolled down our windows and read with the sound of the sea in our ears), ate a yummy dinner at the funky yet stylish Astoria Coffeehouse, watched a movie and fell asleep to the comedy channel. Saturday brought a walk along the pier to breakfast at The Cannery Cafe, a drive-by of the Goonies house, a visit to the outlet mall, and one more walk on the beach at Seaside. It was Fab. Looking back on the pictures I took, it appears Astoria inspired me in a graphic way...

World TtV Day 2009

Today is World TtV Day 2009 and for this special event, I took my contraption to the Sisters Rodeo in beautiful central OR. To see what other TtV'ers did today, go to this Flickr group. I'm new to Flickr (been wanting to join for a while and today's events pushed me to procrastinate no longer) so my profile and albums need a lot of work but I'm a member nonetheless. Looking forward to making new photo friends!

Happy Long Weekend

We're enjoying the desert and hope your long weekend is filled with happy things too. Bare feet, swimming pools, sunglasses, fresh strawberries and pineapple, BBQ's and nighttime patio fires.

A Little Advice Please...

The day after tomorrow I'm leaving town. Jer and I are headed to "Fabulous Las Vegas" to spend Memorial weekend with his family. 

My agenda for the trip: 

spend lots of time 

(1) in the pool 

(2) reading 

(3) drawing 

(4) listening to this and this. 

Sounds pretty fabulous, right? Well, I need your help. I want a really good book to read and I'm not sure what to choose. I'd like something light enough to quickly get into and want to keep turning those pages (it's vacation after all), but also heavy/well-written enough to provoke some thinking and inspiration. The Secret Life of Bees fits this description perfectly for me if that helps you narrow it down. So there you have it... your mission should you choose to accept: recommend the perfect book for my travels. Please and thank you. <3

Smile Like You Mean It

I totally mean it. 

I miss my blog and I have so much to report on- my holidays, my new loft, and my awesome Saturday last week. That will all have to wait, I am currently in Denver with the Fam. Last night I had the best concert-going experience of my life.  My older Brother and I went to see The Killers. UH-MAZING. I have seen them before but this was my new favorite. They gave me a whole new appreciation for the song "This is Your Life", enveloped us in bubbles during "I Can't Stay", played an insanely cool version of "Sam's Town", followed by my fav- "Read My Mind" and topped it all off by making it snow paper confetti. Sounds like a cheesy gimmick but dancing in paper snow while your favorite song is being played live? I mean seriously. Brandon Flowers is an incredible performer. He is so passionate about the music, it makes you feel like you're part of the art making if not just witnessing it being made. I didn't want it to end. And Dana (my bro) is the most funnest concert buddy ever. Seriously. If you need somebody to go to a concert with- call him, he's rad. Below are the photo stylings of his iPhone. Not bad, huh?

Couldn't look more different...

...from what I see out my window.

The beauty of the desert: Scottsdale, AZ
Photos from our trip last month- Who knew there are so many different kinds of cactuses?