The Weekend

My three day weekend was great! Got to try a new restaurant, spend time with old friends, made a new friend and was able to take pictures at the zoo and drink copious amounts of coffee. What's not to love?

I'm a little nervous about the start of school, but I really am excited to see changes in my department. I think a lot of my student workers may be surprised at what happens. I know I will be. I'm sure things will exceed what my expectations are. I think this next year will be great. :)

In other news...I have limited basic cable! I can now watch the Discovery Channel, the News and a few other things. I had a digital converter, but I didn't even get the basic channels after the switch from analog to digital. Sad day! I'm happy to have something to watch and it was incredibly cheap to add it to my wireless service.

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Now playing: The Postal Service - Natural Anthem
via FoxyTunes

A Trip to the Zoo

Jaguar
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

let sleeping cats lie...I took a trip to the zoo today. :) Had a lot of fun! Feel free to take a gander at a few of the pictures.

Hope your weekend was great!

-Cheers!

Dahlia

Size of your head

Originally uploaded by kharms5253

My Grandma cut me a Dinner Plate Dahlia from her yard today while I was visiting. I couldn't resist taking a picture because they're beautiful flowers. The color is fantastic and Dahlias are just amazing!

There's a few more pics of the flower uploaded to my Flickr if you want to see more.

-Cheers!

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Now playing: Paul McCartney - See Your Sunshine
via FoxyTunes

The Nine Tailors

Kurt

Originally uploaded by kharms5253

Had another show in Fremont. I didn't get many pics that turned out well. I'm a little sad, but the pictures that did turn out look great in black & white. A little grainy, but that's part of the effect. :)

-Cheers!

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Now playing: O.A.R. - Whatever Happened
via FoxyTunes

Lies Lies Lies

Lies Lies Lies
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

I took some pictures at the SAM. I know I take a lot of pictures there, but I do like the park. Bean was in town too so I wanted to show her more of Seattle. :)

Enjoy!

New Pictures

CASEY
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

Thought I'd finally get around to uploading some of the pictures I took with a 35 mm film camera this past year. I unfortunately developed 8 rolls and while I have prints of each photo, i don't have digital images of each print. The company screwed up and I have multiple copies on CD's of the same roll! AHHHH! I have 4 discs that have the same 20 some pictures.

On the other hand...these pictures from the film camera turned out pretty well. The Fort Casey pictures are from a weekend getaway in February and the rest are well...Christmas and other winter-time photo ops. Thank you Pfaus for letting me "borrow" your camera for such a long time. I'm happy to have a DSLR now, but your 35 mm SLR certainly kept me busy. I'm glad you helped me refine my hobby during the winter months.

-Cheers!

Lee Street

Lee Street
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

Yup, This is for my reader Lee. I saw this sign and thought of you while walking around QA this weekend.

Cheers!

Looking for a Laptop?

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Buy a laptop

New Muse Song

Is this your name?

Learn some fun facts about my name...or yours...

A Weekend Well Spent!

The Gingerbread Factory
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

This weekend was well spent! I drove to Leavenworth, WA after work on Friday for a weekend of camping and summer theater in the mountains.

A beautiful drive...reminds me of highway 12 as it snakes along the Selway River. It's been pretty grey on this side of the mountains lately and when I got up and over Steven's Pass, it was like morning all over again. The sky was so bright and blue! Quite the change from the grey overcast stuff I had left that afternoon/evening.

I enjoyed a nice morning of shopping, an afternoon of golf (putting green - 18 holes - somehow my mom had the best score...) and an evening of Singing in the Rain at the Leavenworth Summer Theater out by the fish hatchery. Leavenworth has a great setting for outdoor theater...I really enjoyed the stage version of Singing in the Rain and perhaps in another four years I'll make it back to Leavenworth for another show. Leavenworth is certainly a cool town to visit, but I can only take in so much "Bavaria" before I get tired. I'm set for the next few years. Next time I'll try floating down the river though...There were quite a few people out on the water yesterday. I was a little jealous, but it was nice to get some sun on the golf course.

As always, time with my parents was welcome and enjoyable. They are both quick to tease and full of life. If you ever get the chance to meet them you'll love them. I sure do!

With that, I leave you with a picture of The Gingerbread Factory in Leavenworth. You must taste their gingerbread cookies! Delish!

-Cheers!

Wordle!

http://www.wordle.net/compose

Make your own!

It's funny...

How does God always have the words you need to hear, right when you need to hear them. It's amazing how that works. Just about every single time I'm struggling in life or am disenchanted by this world, there is a reading or a sermon that speaks straight to my heart.

Today it came from My Utmost for his Highest. It's a daily devotion written by Oswald Chambers that I received upon my graduation from LHS. I dearly needed it today...

In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world - John 16:33.

Or as the Message Remixed says: ...But I am not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world.

Oswald writes:

...you will certainly encounter adversities....God does not give us overcoming live--He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Oiut temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can "be of good cheer" even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

These are the things on my mind today...From the song I'm listening to:

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

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Now playing: Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
via FoxyTunes

Who's gonna be there...

I'm finding more and more that there's a distinct difference between great or best friends than regular hangout friends. I currently have 3 maybe 4 best friends who all live in different areas of the world. The reason they're great friends is because when I'm hurting or in trouble, they will call, email or visit me in the blink of an eye. This is distinctly different from the ones you call who ignore your call and never return it to talk to you.

I was sad on Friday after returning from my grandparents house. It wasn't that the visit didn't go well or anything like that. I had a marvelous time down there. But grandma wanted to talk about my older brothers and then we started talking about death and it just made me sad. I know my grandparents are getting older, but that doesn't mean I enjoy talking about death or even want to think about the day they're gone. I don't like the idea at all. So on my way home I called a friend because I just wanted to get these things off my mind. Well, they never returned my call. Mad? A little...I thought they were someone I could talk to if needed. I only called because I couldn't think of anyone else in the area. So with that I went to bed early.

Saturday though...I went to look a condo. It has a lot of work and is probably not something I want to purchase right now. It was listed as a 1 bedroom but in reality it's a studio with a loft for a bedroom. Still no call back. I'm not expecting this person to be a best friend, but the decency of a call back would've been nice.

After looking at the condo that I started chatting to one of my friends who I've known since elementary school. In the midst of chatting she kept trying to come up with ways she could see me. On Friday I had wanted to drive all night to just get out of town. She offered to meet me for a late dinner in Ellensburg, but we decided or mostly she decided that she would drive out to see me on the 21st. I have a date for a wedding AND I get to see one of my closest friends. I'm grateful for her and for all the years we've been friends. She has certainly gone the extra mile this time...now if only I can find a way to do the same for her when she's in need of a close friend. With that all I can say is Thank you...from the bottom of my heart.

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Now playing: Jimmy Eat World - Hear You Me
via FoxyTunes