Save me from my shins

Photo of the Day 02/26/11 - Snoqualmie Valley ER Photo of the Day 02/25/11 - Pike Street - Seattle - Hard Rock Cafe

I love the phrase "hindsight is 20/20". It makes me giggle but it's usually true and best used when there's no way in hail you would have ever known that the predicament you're in now would have happened. Well, let me tell you about my weekend! Friday night we drove up to Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle to see our friends band: A Leaf . We thought they'd play at 10 but they weren't going on until 11:30. So, we said "hi" and left because we had BIG PLANS to get up to Snoqualmie for a day of snowboarding. There's been a TON of slow lately and it was going to be busy so we wanted to leave early. (Hindsight: We should have watched A Leaf and slept-in the next day)

Here's the scenario that's making me wish we'd never even left the HOUSE on Saturday....

2nd run of the day, I'm cruising down an easy run. Out of nowhere this kid pops out of the woods. I'm thinking, "he is going to fly right in front of me without even looking!" He does. Narrowly missing Dan, he drops in a few feet and falls on his face directly in front of me. He probably saw Dan but has no idea that I'm directly behind him. I have NO TIME to react. His board comes up and my shins, both of them, slam into the edge of his snowboard. HARD. I think I flipped over him and rolled because I ended up on the other side of the run. This all happened super-duper fast but slow in my mind, of course. I layed there, beating the ground and cursing like a sailor in my head. The kid got up right away, his fall was insignificant and the blunt force of my entire body hit just his board and so I'm certain he is fine. He claims he didnt see me and asks if I'm okay. "Of course you didnt see me, you didn't look at all, dude!" "I'm fine," I mutter. Meanwhile Dan has stopped and unstrapped his bindings to run back and check on me.

It hurts like a mofo but I decide to shrug it off. I've got some cuts in my (new) pants but I'm wearing about 4 layers and dont feel like taking a look at it now, in the middle of the run.

We continue down the mountain for another 45 minutes and end up at the bottom of a run, near a lodge. I feel tingling in my left shin and warm sensation in my right. Time to check on it, just to be safe. I hobble over to the lodge and, once inside, lift my pant leg. Blood. Through socks and two pairs of long johns there are cuts and blood. "Maybe this is worse than I thought," I think to myself. I'll spare you all the details. The medics come in and clean it up. I've got bruising and abrasions all over my left leg and two lacerations on my right leg. The top lacerations is a fairly shallow 2 inch gauge. They dont let me see the "big" wound on my right leg so I know it's bad. They tell Dan I have to go to the ER.

Danggit! I haaaaate the ER! I got a pretty rad snowmobile ride back to the car complete with sirens and a motorcycle helment.

We get to the ER, do the x-rays, wait, get it cleaned, wait, eat my lunch, wait, get anisthesia, get it stiched up, get it wrapped up, and head home! They said the x-ray showed a tiny sliver of a fracture but it's fine. Thank GOD it wasn't broken! I am so sensitive about my shins and knees. This was the worst place for me to get hurt. I'm feeling much better and it's an interesting story. I still wish it hadn't happened but, as they say, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Baby Nick

This is Nick! We did a quick photo shoot with my new backdrop. We did portraits with the white backdrop and a cupcake smash, too! We decided to do the cupcake smash on the concrete floor in front of the old brick (easy clean up!). He loved his Hello Cupcake so much that he ended up spinning around in joy. It was so funny! He didnt fuss or cry at all. I LOVE taking photos of kids (it's WAY less stressful that shooting a wedding, that's for sure!). Thanks to Eric and Tasha and their adorable kiddo!

Photo of the Day 2/24/11

Camera

I learned photography on a film camera. My grandpa's Pentax K1000. I still have it but haven't used it in years. It's on a shelf. Dan found this Minolta at a Goodwill for $30! What a precious gift. I honestly dont even know who is still developing film - I dont think Costco does anymore and I do NOT want to do 1-hour photo at a drug store or Walmart. Ew. My boss is an avid photographer, who JUST switched to digital, by the way, and he uses Dwayne's. They're out of Parsons, Kansas. You mail them film and an order form that you print off the website, they mail you photos. I am excited! Now I need to find the black and white film I used in highschool: Kodak T-Max 400 BW. I can't wait!! Blog-readers: when was the last time you took a photo on film?

Feathers and Music

Update: I got feathers in my hair! I love love LOVE them. They're actually fly-fishing lures. You can get them at Foxfire Salon.

Update: My band has almost completed one song. We get together every Friday night. We actually practice for about 20 minutes. At this rate, we'll have enough songs for a show in about 3.5 years. Can't wait.

Knuckledusters: LIVE at the New Frontier August 2014!

Maybe not.

Photo Art

I'm working on a photo project wherein I am photographing letters and layering them with a "texture photo".

"R" - Rialto Theater, texture: side of a building on Commerce between 8th and 9th.

"D" - from the "Old Toys" store on antique row, texture: the old B.P.O.E. building (soon to be McMenamins!)

Getting Caught Up

I had a pretty good weekend! It was SUNNY so I took the ol' D300 out around town, enjoying the weather, taking photos, looking for street art. I found some more Dan Martin inspiration. Some phrases include: GIVE A DAMN, BEING, LET GO!, OVERCOME, LOVE YOUR LIFE, etc etc etc....

I loved searching for art! It made downtown feel a lot more fun! Let's be honest, downtown Tacoma isn't really that cool and the parts of it that ARE cool are totally under-appreciated.

I have some good news. The R-E-A-D wall mural is in the works! I found an "R" on the Rialto Theater, an "A" from antique row, and a "D" from the "Old Toys" store. I am planning on layering the letters with a texture photo like the side of an old building. PRETTY STOKED.

That's all. Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

LOVE & Street Art

Photo of the Day. 02/09/11. "REALLY LOVE SOMETHING".

My friend gave me a street art documentary a few weeks ago and I've been obsessed ever since. I live in downtown Tacoma and there are a ton of abandoned warehouses and store fronts that are just dying for some art. I dont think I have the guts... or the time... or the money... to do something like that. Nonetheless, the desire is there.

Anyway, I was getting off I-705 at Schuster Parkway and there it was: REALLY LOVE SOMETHING. At first I just thought "oh, that's nice," and waited for the light to change. Then, I decided to get a photo and, of course, the light turns green... but I still got the shot.

Now, maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill but I really appreciate this piece of street art. Street art isn't vandalism. It isn't tagging for the sake of tagging, either. Street art gets you to think, turns the average or ugly into something worth looking at. It gives an old, rotting wall (or in this case, hand rails) some meaning.

So, just to humor the artist who posted these signs I decided to think about this. It could have said "LOVE SOMETHING" or even "LOVE ANYTHING" but I like the fact that it says "REALLY LOVE SOMETHING." The use of "really" and "something" make all the difference. (Can you tell I'm an English major?) Really insinuates extra effort. "Something", as opposed to "anything", insinuates that the reader probably has an idea of what they should love harder. I immediately thought of my husband and my art. What do you think of? What do you need to "really" love and how do you plan to do it?

Pride

Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. - Psalm 138:6

I've been thinking about pride. As soon as I start to judge someones pride and point a finger, I see three fingers pointing back to me.  So cheesy but so true.

I have a friend who's very humble. Almost to the point of being self deprecating. Sometimes he'll compare himself to other people. Bad idea! His humility does a reverse on him and turns into pride.

I've got a similar situation, a thorn in my side. What do I do when someone is prideful of the things they do & rub it in my face when I've done the exact same thing? ...& never boasted. The very thought of this boastful person makes me angry (red flag!) which tells me that I'm not as humble as I thought.

Always a work in progress,

Lindsy

Busy Weekend

I am a member of a bed-and-breakfast-couch-surfing type website that I've used a couple of times. In New York, my friend Sara and I stayed in a SWEET townhouse on 42nd and 9th, just a couple blocks from Times Square for $100/night. And in Boston, my hubby and I stayed in someone's boat in the harbor for $100/night. AMAZING! So, it's kind of a give and take type thing. I put our loft on there just thinking that no one would actually want to stay here. It's a 1,200 sq ft studio loft with one bathroom (i.e. NO PRIVACY). But, I got an email from a sweet 40 year old nurse named Katie who lives on Vashon Island. She was scheduled to work a few 12 hour shifts this weekend and wanted to crash on our floor from 7am - 4pm (Her work hours were 6pm to 6am). Taking the ferry home and back would have seriously cut into her sleeping time so we obliged to let her stay. I was up allllll morning waiting for her to get in. I checked my clock at 2am, 3am, 4:30am, 5am, 6am.... Then... UH-OH! 8am... text from Katie. She met up with a friend for breakfast and would be later than expected. So, I just decided to start my day since I had a lot of crap to do. We ended up driving around in Freedom Hill's spray-painted van, getting coffee, signing a lease on our house to a new group of UPS students, going to Olympia to visit my BFF and see her new Honda Element. And, of course, taking photos. This is what came out of it. Here are some faves.

A Netherland Dwarf named Winston

Apparently my life hasn't been that interesting because the "Photos of the Day" for February 1st and 2nd were of my rabbit, Winston. Better start doing some fun things, eh?

I get asked "Whyyyy did you get a rabbit?" Well.... it's a cute story... that begins with a tragic death.  Last year, my dear cousin bought her first pet: a rabbit. She got him the best of everything: cage, food, hay, litter box, toys, treats. He lived 7 days. I made a horrible movie about him and his funeral.  I felt so bad that her first pet DIED within a week. She mentioned she wanted a Netherland Dwarf so I found a breeder who happened to have a few available. I went to see them and I fell in love. I had to get two. One for her, one for me.

I love Winston!  He's low maintenance and still just as cute (to me) as the day I got him. He doesn't bite, doesn't chew on cords/wires, poops everywhere - but it's easy to clean. I heard bunnies can live for 15 years so it's a good thing that I like him because there's a good chance he'll be a part of my life for a long, long time!

Rage Blackouts

There are two inside jokes in this blog. #1 rage blackouts and #2 I'm always right.

Let's start with rage blackouts. Anyone who is a fan of the O.C. will recall that Rachel Bilson's character, Summer Roberts, suffered from rage blackouts. This made for plenty of funny conversations between Summer and her boyfriend, Seth (known to most as the actor, Adam Brody).

Sometimes I get rage blackouts. I dont get violent, I just get mean. I dont really like admitting this. It's not as bad as it sounds, either; hence the fact that we call it an inside "joke". Daniel is very patient with me and has taught me to laugh it off.

The other inside joke is that I'm always right. This is obviously not true but sometimes when I need a good pat on the back, a reassurance, a false sense of superiority, I just remind myself that I have "always" been right about "everything". It's nice and it's a funny joke. When it comes to life's big decisions, relationships, how to deal with people or how to deal with God... I'm your gal. I'm almost always right.

These 2 ideas tie in, I promise.

This morning I got into an argument with Dan about music in church. Dan and I are part of a community that meets in a friends' living room on Monday nights. A few of our colleagues haven't stepped foot in a church in years. Some of us have been burned by church leaders or peers. We are bonded together by the fact that we know that we cannot "do life" alone and we know, or at least we think, that the Bible has the answers. We know that we were created to be in community with one another. We need to share each others burdens and be vulnerable with one another. Authenticity requires a safe space and loving people.  Authenticity is never forced. Authenticity breeds in a comfortable environment.

If other people aren't comfortable in our community, then I'm not comfortable. That's just how I am. I can feel awkwardness, I read body language like a book.

The argument this morning was about personal preferences. We both love music. Dan sees it as a tool to bring people closer to God, which I agree with. However, it feels out of place in our little community and seems to separate us more than unite us. Just my opinion. I am going to explore this a bit more. If you have any opinions on that, please comment!