Knitting Again

Two days ago, I noticed that one of the knitting books I wanted was on a super sale at Amazon.com. The book is called Knitting for Peace. I was interested in the book for two reasons. First, I liked the simple patterns in it. Second, I like the idea of knitting and donating or knitting for ministry. It seems like you get to a place with knitting (or any other craft really) where you can't make another thing for yourself. I love to knit and I've been stuck in a little bit of a time crunch lately so I haven't been taking the time. I was also uninspired by a lot of the projects I had available, so I needed some inspiration.

Eventually, I'd like to be able to spend more time knitting and I keep trying to think of a way to become independently wealthy so I can make my dream come true. Until that day comes, I will just have to continue going to work every day (where I am not allowed to bring my knitting to meetings).

Happy Father's Day

That's my dad. Doesn't he look nice in a suit? When I was growing up, my dad was a pastor and he wore a suit a lot and on Sunday he wore a robe. I sometimes miss the formal touches, I think they are very distinguishing. Now, he doesn't have to dress up as much since his office is at his house. He is now a missionary and works for the Antioch Network, putting people and churches and people groups all over the world together. Pretty cool.

Yesterday, we spent time with both of our dads. In the afternoon, we went over to Josh's parents house and hung out with them. We talked and played a game and had a grand time. Then we went to Robb and Reba's and Hannah came up from Tacoma and we had a great dinner with our parents. The kids were full of energy and we all had a great time.

Hope you all spent time with your dad on Father's Day and had a great time!

Yay! we got our wedding pictures

Blogging late, but I wanted to post a few pictures from the photographer :)

Happy Friday

Glad to see that both of my sisters posted comments on my last blog. I can't believe they still check the site. It is Friday so we are about to settle in for a movie, but I thought I would post a couple more pictures for your enjoyment.

Here is Josh windsurfing:



Here I am in a helicopter:



My view from the beach last Friday. Hard to imagine that I was there one week ago.


After all that, I still love to be at home. Happy Friday.

Long time gone

My mother may fall off her chair when she sees that I have actually posted something on my blog. I intend to be better about this although I'm not quite ready to commit to full time blogging again. I will try.

To be fair, I have been a little distracted in the last 5 months by all kinds of fun things - including my wedding on May 12. A wedding can take all kinds of time, but Josh and I managed to make it smooth and easy. Here we are at the wedding:

It was a small wedding with only 50 people at a beautiful place in Poulsbo called Molly Ward Gardens. Exactly what we wanted.

After the wedding we jetted off to Fiji for our honeymoon. We arrived with no luggage 15 hours later, but my wonderful friend Joanne had told us to pack our bathing suits. We did and were very grateful to have them. Here is Josh after we arrived at the resort:

Very happy to have a swim suit as you can see. We spent a week there just resting and enjoying the sun and the water. I read 5 books and will find time to blog about them eventually . . . we also took a helicopter ride, a jet ski tour of the islands, had a couples massage and one of us tried to wind surf. And now, the pictures:

We took this picture using our fancy new tripod. It can cling to anything and we used it on the table at the restaurant.

Josh took this picture from the helicopter. The islands of Fiji are really beautiful and this captures the color of the water.

My absolute favorite picture of the trip - Josh's parents bought us a waterproof camera for our wedding and Josh took this picture of himself while we were snorkeling.

On the last night of the trip, there was an incredible sunset. I took this picture 5 hours before we got on a plane and came back home.

Exciting events lie ahead. We put an offer on a house 5 days before our wedding and it was accepted. Now, both of our houses are for sale and we are getting ready to move into a new place. We wanted to find a place we could live in for the next 20 years and we are really happy that we found it right away. There will be more pictures and more posts, but for now I am signing off to print pictures for my office.

What happened to the end of 2006?

I've found out that my mother is addicted to checking our blogs and it has been ever so long since I posted. I'm going to take this opportunity to give you some peeks into my life over the last month.

December was cold and wet which was perfect winter weather. I got all my shopping done early and had a chance to enjoy my Christmas tree (which is still up - I know, I know, I'll get to it). We got to spend a lot of time wiht both of our families playing games and eating and eating and eating. We spent Christmas Eve with Josh's family and Christmas morning at Robb and Rebecca's. The boys were especially fun - they were full of energy. Christmas afternoon, we went to meet Josh's dad and brother for a movie - the Pursuit of Happyness. The next day we saw We Are Marshall. It was great. I love to stay in and watch movies, so we got all of the Star Wars and started watching them. We are almost done and have only #3 left to watch.

I've been knitting for myself since Christmas and enjoying this fabulous yarn. I'm making a sweater. I've finished the body and I'm now working on the collar.

End of year is always crazy at work and January is my second biggest month, so things here have started off in a hurry.

Our latest adventure was attending the NFC Wild Card playoff game on Saturday at Qwest field. It was exciting and loud and cold and fun. I love going to football games and I can't wait for my nephews to start playing just so I can go see a game every weekend.

That is all for now. Pictures from the football game here:

Winter

While everyone else was playing in the snow last week, I was down for the count. I spent 2 days at home coughing like an old man. I am still recovering even a week later. We are at the point of winter when it gets dark early and I want to go home and curl up in front of the fire. Unfortunately, I have not had the chimney man out yet to certify that a fire is a good idea. I've put it on the list of things to do when I have a few days at home after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I am really excited that I have (mostly) finished all of my shopping and I am counting down the days until I can give the gifts. I love Christmas and my favorite part is watching people open the gifts. It is such a fun and surprising time. I have been loving my Christmas tree and I have it set up to turn on automatically so when I come home at night it is on and when I get up in the morning it is on. So pretty.

I hope all of your holiday plans are shaping up nicely, too.

Snow and Holidays

I think I may be averaging 10 days between posts. I don't know where the time goes . . .

I moved away from my hometown right after high school, so I never had the experience of going home and visiting with old friends. Now that I live closer to the place I went to college, I am experiencing that here. I had two visits with old friends yesterday and it was really great to see people and reconnect.

We spent Thanksgiving with Josh's family. It was a great, traditional day with football and good food and knitting. Okay, the knitting might only be traditional for me...

Friday, we went with my family to cut Christmas trees and because I was entertaining on Saturday, I was inspired to get my decorating done and I am pleased to say that I am ready for the holidays.

Here are two views of the tree. One is slightly blurry and taken without the flash to show you how beautiful is all lit up.

Of course, I now have Christmas music playing which is why it was such a joy to wake up to snow this morning. I sat in my chair, reading, watching the snow and drinking my coffee. It was a real treat.

Tomorrow may be more of a challenge. Seattle in the snow is always interesting. Since it only snows here once a year, people are quite baffled by what to do with it. We have it a little easier as long as I can get my truck down to the ferry. I'm in charge of the driving since I have the 4WD. So I will slide down the hill and pick up Josh tomorrow morning.

Have a lovely and happy Monday and a great week!

Quick, before the site goes down

I just logged in for a brief post. I've been having a great week of getting back into the swing of things. I really love my job after being away from it for a few days. I think we all get a little strung out if we work for too long without a break. Vacations can really serve to show you how great your life is - and I am really grateful for everything in mine.

Josh and I started learning Manadarin Chinese in the car last night. I downloaded the lessons from iTunes and we are using the Pimsleur Quick and Easy version. It is 8 - 30 minute lessons. So far, we have listened to the first lesson about 2.5 times. It will take us a while, but we will soon be able to say "Excuse me, can I ask you a question? Do you speak English?" - I've found this to be the most effective phrase in all of my world travels.

We are having a fantastic, cold, crisp, sunny day in Seattle. Unbelievable. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather :)

Back to Work

I survived my first full day of work and even had a good time. It was good to get some time for restoration and now I have a lot more energy. I might try this vacation thing more often. I'm definitely taking Josh on the next one.

November and December are my favorite months of the year. It has been interesting since I started working in a business that goes crazy during these months. I find that I have to be really intentional about taking time for family and friends and it makes the time even better.

It was a good week to take off - now that I am back, I have a four day week this week and a three day week next week. I wish I could take credit and say that I planned it that way, but I only realized it this morning when we were making the uphill trek to work. Yes, that means we walked on the ferry. We have been much better about that this month.

I mean to get to the picture uploading soon. Have a great week!

Colorado

I am sitting here in the living room of Joanne's house watching the Sunday night football game and catching up on the world. For the last 5 days we have been in the mountains for our annual girls weekend. It was a weekend devoid of computers and full of knitting. I took a picture of all the projects we worked on and I will post it tomorrow.

It is really good to get away from work for a couple of days. We get together for one weekend a year to have time away from our jobs and lives to talk and knit and maybe do a little shopping. The weather was beautiful - swinging from warm and sunny to cold and snowing. I lived in Colorado for six years before moving to Bremerton last year and it was nice to come back for a visit.

I can't believe that it is almost time for Thanksgiving. I'm starting to make my lists and check them twice. I love this time of year and I am already itching to decorate my house. Maybe we will put the lights up Thanskgiving weekend. Pictures to come. Happy Sunday!

Dearth

I have been having so much fun reading other people's blogs that I have been neglecting mine.

I took the day off last Friday and I meant to update at that point. I spent the day cleaning out my closet, reorganizing my downstairs, cleaning out my refrigerator, baking, grocery shopping, knitting, making dinner and watching movies. It was great. I'd like to do it every week.

My favorite new baking book is Buttercup Bakes at Home. I made Orange Coconut Raisen cookies and Marshmallow Crunch Brownie bars this weekend (you can see both prominently featured on the cover). They were a hit.

Robb and Reba were in Chicago last weekend so Hannah and I took Noah and Jonah to Jonah's soccer game on Saturday morning. We had so much fun - I promise to add pictures from the game. In the afternoon, Josh and I took Noah and Jonah ice skating. They boys are loving skating and they love hanging out with Josh. He got Noah to skate on his own and then pulled him around the rink "weally, weally fast".

Mom and Jacob went to pick up Dad who was just returning from two weeks in Africa. We all reconvened at Mom and Dad's for dinner. I had thrown together a beef stew in the crock pot, so we had that with a salad and corn bread - true comfort food.

We are having a tremendous fall. The colors are amazing and the air is so clear. We have just been through a couple of really cold, sunny days with amazing sunsets - at 4:45. I have a really hard time adjusting to leaving work in the dark - it makes me really tired.

All of the kids have just come around trick or treating which reminds me to say - Happy Halloween everybody!

Sports Sunday

Today was a sporty day and I am wiped out, but I thought I'd post some pictures before I collapse into bed. . .

The Bremerton ferry! It was such a clear, beautiful morning. Cold, but sunny and on the way to church we had to go through a strange patch of fog.

After church, we went back to Josh's house to pick up his brother, Jeremy and his dad, Mike.









Qwest Field has such a great view of the Sound. Our seats were at the top of the stadium, so we had a great view of the field and the Olympic mountains.









The game was a little disappointing - the Seahawks lost, but I loved being there and actually seeing them play live. The cheering in the stands was incredibly loud. I have been a football fan for a long time, but I had only been to one other professional game. My dad took me to see a 49er game when I was in high school. I'm going to try to see more than one every other decade. :)







On the way home, the sunset was incredible. this is what the sky looked as the ferry docked in Bremerton. Incredible. . .











And, finally, we went to Josh's hockey game. Jeremy came with me to sit in the stands and cheer and I took pictures so Josh can see what he looks like when he is playing. His team played really well and won their game even though they were down a couple of people tonight.

A great day! Now I am off to get some sleep before heading back to Seattle in the morning.

Sleep well everybody.

Friday!

I finished my book on the boat this morning so I will take a moment to say that I really enjoyed The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld. So much, that I am going to send it to Joanne right away. It reminded me of the classic detective novel and Joanne has always been a big reader of mysteries. It does not supplant my favorite book the year, The Thirteenth Tale, but it was a great read. Next, I am going for the pure weekend fun of Act of Treason by Vince Flynn. I have been trying to to mix up the fiction and the non-fiction, but weekends are for fiction.

Next week I intend to read Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. I am a big fan of Obama and I got to meet him this summer in Washington, DC. It is very difficult to find politicians who actually talk about the issues and admit that it is a complex world with complex problems that cannot be solved with a sound bite. In this election season, it is refreshing to hear after seeing so many reductionist campaign ads. Okay, speech over.

We are going to the Seahawks game on Sunday and I cannot wait. Josh got 4 tickets this week so he is taking me along with his dad and his brother, Jeremy. Jeremy surprised us all with jerseys, so we will be in full Seahawks gear. It is supposed to be sunny and 60 degrees - unheard of for October in Seattle. I will try to post some pictures on Sunday night.

Have a great weekend!

Days go by

I feel like I blinked and it was time for fall. I'm sitting in my office and I looked down and saw my hat and gloves and was grateful that I knew where they were. Josh and I have been actually walking on to the boat this week (and last Friday) instead of spending so much time in the car. I go through phases where I think it is better to drive because I am on my own schedule. Then I ride the ferry a couple of times. It is so nice to be able to sit and read or sleep or talk instead of sitting in traffic. It feels like we got a lot of time back even though we get back at the same time.

Mom and Hannah and I got pedicures on Saturday. It was a true luxury. I used to only get pedicures in the summer when people could see my feet, but now I get them all year round. I find it to be relaxing and I like that I can look down when I am barefoot and not have completely embarassing toes. I know, I know, small stuff. But, it is really the small stuff that I appreciate.

Today was a stunningly beautiful day and I took a walk down to Office Depot at lunch. It is not too cold yet - just a perfect autumn day and I enjoyed getting out in the (rare) sunshine.

I hope all is well with everyone - if you haven't yet, read Robb and Rebecca's latest entry about their dog, Lego. Happy Tuesday!

Fog

It is a beautiful morning and my picture window opens up on the view of fog. I feel like I am living in the clouds. We have had some really beautiful sunrises this week (I know because I have been up to see them). I always struggle a little bit when the seasons change and the days get shorter. I'm a little more tired and I want to curl up earlier and earlier every night.

Hannah has been bugging me to update this more and I will try to be better about it. It seems like we are going really fast all the time from one thing to the next and I forget to do this.

Today is my mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM. Josh and I managed to walk on the ferry yesterday so we would be able to get on the one coming home. Most days we are still driving and it is impossible to get on the 5:30 ferry because it fills up so fast. It was such a great experience to walk on and walk up the hill to work - although my calves reminded me that I had not done it for a long time. Dinner was fun - Red Robin, the traditional Snelling birthday joint. Grandma drove over for the occassion and Hannah has been hanging out with my parents for a few days. I need to get my camera over there to take pictures of Mom and Dad's new dog. Mom finally relented and let Dad get a new golden retriever. They think that puppies might be harder than babies since they get in to everything and chew.

I'm looking forward to spending some focused time today on knitting. With the fog and gray and the promise of rain it seems like the perfect plan :-)

Happy Saturday.

How can it be Fall already?

I've been reading other people's blogs while I eat my lunch and I was struck by the fact that it is really Fall. I was empathizing with Joanne who is also suffering from a bit of a cold and seeing the pictures of Denver in the Fall made me realize that it is already time to start thinking about Christmas presents.

Josh and I went to see the Cirque de Soleil show Delerium last night at the Key Arena. I was entranced. Such cool music and dancing. It was the first time I have ever seen Cirque and now I want to see them all. Perhaps a trip to Vegas is in order.

Tomorrow I have one of those crazy, can it all really be happening in one day days. I have a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner and in between, I have two big meetings. Love it. You can't beat the free food and I get to meet some cool people (Philippa Gregory and Steve Wozniak). Yep, my job is great.

Anyone else starting to think about Christmas? Just in case, here is a link to my Amazon wish list. :)

Pictures from our very sunny trip to New York. We took a walk through Central Park on our way to the Museum of Natural History. It was hot and muggy from the rain of the previous few days, but the park was green and beautiful.

The top of the Empire State Building was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Because Josh had never been to NYC, we got the recorded tour and learned about all of the buildings we could see. It was a great way to experience the city and something I had only done a long time ago.


Yesterday, we took Jacob, Jonah and Noah ice skating. We had so much fun and the kids just loved it. Jacob's hands were freezing by the end since he spent so much of the time falling down. He is fearless and once he took one turn around the rink on the edge, he spotted one of his friends from school and chased him around the middle. Josh provided lots of coaching and then helped Noah who told me later "I skated, I really did".

It is late and I am feeling a little under the weather so I need to get to bed. More pictures in weeks to come. I keep carrying my camera around in the vain hope that I will occasionally take it out and snap some pictures. Tomorrow, Josh and I are going to start our month of smart commuting - we are going to walk on the ferry every day instead of driving. We'll see if that makes things easier or more difficult. Have a great week!

Friday!

I love Friday almost as much as Saturday and this week it might be a toss up. Josh picks me up for work every morning at 6:50, but on Fridays, if we don't have any meetings, he sometimes picks me up at 7:30. Now, I know in the logical part of my brain that 40 minutes should not make that much of a difference, but it really does. It means that I don't have to get out of bed until 7:00 and the illogical part of my brain feels way better about that. We can leave a lot later because it seems like half of the world doesn't go to work on Fridays. I want to know how they make that work. We are trying to push for that at work, but I don't feel traction coming on that any time soon.

Tomorrow we have big plans to take my nephews Ice Skating. It should be hilarious. I can't wait to see which one will be a better little skater. I'm definitely taking pictures and I plan a big picture posting this weekend with all of my latest and greatest...

I know, I know, that's what I said last weekend. Let's see if I can follow through this time around.

Happy Friday, happy payday!

Books!

I clearly did not post pictures over the weekend. We helped Josh's brother and sister in law move in to a new house on Saturday and then went to church on Sunday and took lunch over to Robb and Reba's. We also spent some time Sunday relaxing and watching the Seahawks game before heading out to Josh's hockey game on Sunday night. All in all, a nice weekend.

The week has just been flying by. I sat still for a few moments last night and realized that I have not been writing about books lately. Here are the last several reads (and recommendations) from all of my travels:

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl- I like coming of age novels and I like mysteries so I really enjoyed this book although it was quite a commitment. The writing was fantastic, but dense enough that I could not practice my speed reading skills. I read this book for a long time and then got a chance to finish it on the plane on the way out to New York. Well worth the time.

The King of Lies by John Hart - After all of that heaviness, I really needed a fast paced, gritty crime novel. The story in this book was better than most and the main character is so broken that I wasn't sure he would make it out of the story in a way that was redeeming. A little darker than Grisham, but a similar feel.

Chuck Klosterman IV - I like pop culture, so this book was a treat. I have read his previous works and this one was merely a collection of columns and one short fiction piece, but it was an interesting way to remember the past couple of years. I especially like the rock and roll parts.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - The Simon & Schuster rep sent this with a note that indicated it would be right up my alley and it was. The story centers around a family of private investigators that spy on each other as much as they investigate for other people. It reminded me of Veronica Mars - my favorite TV show - or what would happen if Veronica Mars still lived at home when she is 30. (Oh, and I know it is mean to do this, but the book won't be out until 2007.)

How about you? What are you reading lately?