Stronger

Photo of the Day. 03/30/11.

So, Dan is back! He was gone for 10 days, which sounds like a lot but after the past year that we've had, 10 days is nothing! It's getting a lot easier. Perhaps it's our new community group, our friends, or just learning how to deal with it. I don't prefer for him to be gone but I'm coping with it quite well. It's very difficult while he's gone but it's helped me be a stronger person. I since we have a such a solid foundation (10 years) it's been easier than if we were newly-weds or just dating. I trust him and I'm confident in our love and commitment to each other. Even though he's gone, I consult with him on EVERYTHING but I am gaining more confidence in my abilities as a woman. And when he comes home it's sooo fun! We've spent the last three nights making dinner together and talking and watching our favorite TV shows and movies. I love my life and I know I'm lucky.

Here's a look at what Dan does when he's gone... [fan video, 3/26/11]

Social Media

I'm trying to get my social networking N*Sync (I had to spell it like that... I love N*Sync). So, I've got my Twitter on my blog..... and my Facebook page on my blog and my website...... and my website on my Twitter, blog and Facebook page/profile/group. The main problem is: I have THREE Facebook pages! My new LMR Photography Page, my personal profile, and an LMR Photography Group . The group is from 2008 and I've been waiting for Facebook to allow groups to be made into pages. Apparently, it's not gonna happen so yesterday I finally caved and started a page. More problems: Should I delete my group? And how do I get my "employer" on my personal profile to be "LMR Photography" without it starting a WHOLE NEW PAGE??? Facebook does not need 3 LMR Photography pages. [sigh]. I'll keep messing with it. Conclusion: Social media is annoying.

Baby Jack!

This is little Jack! He is the son of our friends, Brian and Lindsay. Jack is four months old. I took photos of him this morning and came home and immediately uploaded them and started editing because I was so excited. They were really easy to edit because he's just so cute!!! Lindsay is going to have a lot to choose from.

Isn't this sweet? Mommy and baby.

Love this big grin in great grandma's old rocking chair.

Little baby toes.

Photo of the Day. 03/29/11. Spit Bubbles.

Run Run Run

Sam stretching before our 2nd run on Saturday.

Photo of the Day. 03/26/11. Chambers Bay, a challenging three mile loop in University Place. Paved trail with lots of hills.

Not to be confused with my last blog post, Sun Sun Sun, this blog is about my weekend. I am training for Mt. Si Relay with a couple friends and a couple aquantainces. It's a five person team, three men and two women, and we are running 59 miles on Sunday, April 10th. I will be running legs 4 and 9 of the race. I wanted to get the feel of running twice in one day so Sam and I ran 5-Mile-Drive at Point Defiance early in the morning, then went to a coffee shop in Fircrest to meet with the team and go over some race-day details, and then ran again at Chambers Bay. I had stayed up way too late with friends the night before. It was raining and I was tired and I just didn't want to do it. Having Sam with me definitely helped! He has so much energy (like, jumping over logs and off of rocks energy) and he's faster than I am. To be honest, I don't want to do this relay anymore. I like team sports but I got into running to challenge myself. Running is about personal records and pushing yourself to go a little faster than last time or a little further than last time. If I may be candid, I just don't want to let my team down. The snowboarding accident that took place a month ago happened right in the midst of what should have been my best training runs. I just don't feel prepared. Fingers crossed, my goal is to run fast no matter what. Seems simply enough. Wish me luck! _____________________________________________________________

Photo of the Day. 03/27/11. Spring storm clouds.

Sun Sun Sun

I haven't used my REAL camera in a loooong time so my Photos of the Day are getting really lame. This was a camera-phone snap-shot from yesterday. I was walking back home on Pac Ave from a meeting with a client. Here in the Pacific Northwest a sunny day never goes unappreciated. Enjoy the sun!

I'm already dreaming of a summer filled with photos!!!!!!!!!!! tank tops, dresses, river floats and BBQs at Point Defiance.

Tour de Crab Rangoon

I have a special cousin who's not really my cousin... she's Dan's cousin but I claim her as my own. She is from the midwest, God bless her, and she loves Crab Rangoon. I'm not sure, but I think crab rangoon (a.k.a. fried wontons) are the most non-authentic Americanized Chinese food. Case in point: there's cheese in them and they're deep fried. Nonetheless, she loves crab rangoon and despite the fact that I've been vegan since September I planned "Tour de Crab Rangoon" and just went with it. This was a surprise for her. She and I haven't spent much quality time together. So, last night I picked her up at 6:15 and he hit up three local restaurants in search of the best crab rangoon. 3 restaurants, 3 price ranges. Here is my version of our reviews.

Wok and Teriyaki: $4.99Filling: best of the 3, crabby, creamy, perfect!
Pastry: too crispy, not chewy
Other: there were 6 so sharing wasn't awkward!
Wild Orchid: $6.95Filling: Not enough crab
Pastry: Perfection! Crispy and chewy. AMAZING!
Other: They were big and there were 7 or 8 of them. The plum sauce was AWESOME!
Indochine: $9.99Filling: VERY crabby and different because it had garlic and cilantro.
Pastry: Almost perfect, a little too crispy
Other: Spicy-Sweet sauce was awesome! And there were 7... AWKWARD!

In conclusion, I think that a hybrid of Wok & Teriyaki's filling with Wild Orchid's pastry and Indochine's sauce would be the best crab rangoon in town. The search continues.....

Organs. Ew.

Photo of the Day. 03/22/11. Dr. Patti's Magical Liver Formula.
I've been feeling sick. A plethora of issues but the main one being that I'm depressed and tired and, despite training for the Mt. Si Relay and doing 90 minute power yoga classes 2x a week, I've gained weight. So, I called a Naturopath. I figured I would start natural and if the remedies weren't working I'd try a "regular" doctor and get on some stupid medicine that would likely be crazy expensive and have a million nasty side effects. Let's be clear: I'm not a hippy freak, I just believe that natural remedies are best and that prescription meds are a last resort.

So, when I called to make the appointment I told her I was concerned about my thyroid. She asked if I'd had any blood work done recently and I haven't and she said it didn't matter anyway because most of the time hypothyroidism isn't detected in a blood test even though the person may have thyroid issues. She does a hair test. I didnt think it sounded weird but it turns out she cut three chunks of my hair out and I had to mail them into some testing lab in the midwest. Sorta weird but if it tells us why I'm feeling sick then so be it. The information guide says that toxic elements are 200 - 300 times more highly concentrated in hair than in blood or urine. So, the results get here later this week, nothing else to report on the awkward hair test.

The OTHER things we did were CRAY-ZEEEE!

I feel like I have dangerously low blood sugar. My dad has diabetes and he used to test his blood sugar levels with a little drop of blood in a machine. Whenever I did that my levels were at about 40. Once, after we all ate a big meal of Italian food (mostly pasta), the whole family checked their blood sugar - JUST FOR FUN! YAY! Everyone's was close to or over 200... mine was 67. When I told the Naturopath that she was very concerned so she had me lay down and she felt my organs. She found out that I have air in my intestines. Ew. Then she pushed on my liver. Not good. She thinks that it's probably not processing sugar the way it should. She taught me how to feel it for myself and I'm keeping a diary of what I eat and how my liver feels afterward. I am disgusted by organs so it's not fun to keep pushing on my liver all day but I have felt a few changes.

So, this doctor who, several days ago, told me that blood tests aren't always accurate is sending me to get my blood tested. Tonight I have to fast for 12 hours and do a glucose and thyroid test at 8am. FUN!

My next appointment is April 5th but I might move it up to the end of next week. Overall, I'm feeling good. I'm not worried and I am very hopeful that this is a start to a healthier, happier me! I will definitely be posting updates as I find out.

Rest

I love people and I love going to restaurants and shows. For some reason, I have a lot of friends who like hanging out in small groups. I am more of a let's-get-everyone-together kind of gal. This is likely attributed to the fact that I grew up in a family of 6 with a HUGE extended family. Let's just say, I'm used to large gatherings.

I have a lot of friends who seem to need, or prefer, one-on-one time. Which is fine! I love that, too. I realize that I've been trying to seize the day more than I should and be all things to all people. Mostly I just need a lot of social time because A) I work frome home, just me and my bunnies; and B) I miss Dan and it takes my mind off his absense; oh and C) It's healthy! But recently I've been worn out. I'm working hard. I'm worrying about health and money and sick friends.

Photo of the Day. 03/21/11.
So, I resolve to rest more. To read more. To relax and find "balance". To take baths! I took a bath last night - with epsom salts for my wounds. As I sat in the tub I realized that I hadn't taken a Photo of the Day yet. I love my bathroom so I started looking around and VOILA! I just thought the composition of this was nice and the filter is calming and 60s - inspired. Hope you like it!

Wine Tasting

Next week is my best friends' birthday so this weekend we went wine tasting in Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was a blast! Some favorites: Four Graces Black Family Reserve ($75/bottle), Wine by Joe Pinot Noir ($19), Fox Farm "Lux" ($28). We met an array of characters and had an AWESOME lunch at Dundee Bistro. Their specialty: truffle fries! French fries tossed in truffle oil with parmesan and fennel, served with ailoi sauce. They were so good that Rob sang a song about them: "Truffle Fries" to the tune of "Smelly Cat" by Pheobe on Friends. The song was hilarious. As if a song isn't enough... additional proof that Rob like the truffle fries: he got an another order after he ate his meal and then two more orders later in the day as carry-out. Love those truffle fries!

It was so special to go down there and I'm glad I did. I lost my debit card and had to bail on some previous plans but other than that fiasco it was worth it!

Fox Farm tasting room in Newberg, OR.

Rob sampled the wine using all five of his senses.

A candid shot of me and Sara at Four Graces (by Rob).

Photo of the day. 03/19/11.

Finding inspiration.... YAWN

It's only March and I'm already slacking off on Photo of the Day. I guess the weather, recent lack of sleep, and the fact that Dan left at 6am this morning on tour has made "mundane" tasks like PHOTO OF THE DAY, GROCERY SHOPPING, PAYING BILLS an unecessary annoyance. Now that he's gone I have to get my butt in gear. This afternoon I will be paying some bills and I'll go grocery shopping tonight. But, what to photograph?! When your day involves preparing for tomorrow's meeting and buying groceries and paying bills there's not much to draw inspiration from. And now that I've typed that phrase in to existance I am determined to find beauty in SOMETHING today. Fruit at the grocery store? Cooking dinner? People out my window? Well, it's clear from the past FOUR Photos of the Day that I am really into my husband - especially before he leaves on tour. This time it's just 11 days then he's home for like 7 weeks. The time usually flies by - but not when I'm being lame and paying bills and buying groceries... BORRRRING. Time to get social! Who wants to do something?!?! Invite me somewhere... please.

Birth, Breakfast, Birthday

A busy, busy weekend -- NON STOP, really. Here are some highlights.

Daylight Savings Time kicked my butt. I have had two HORRIBLE nights in a row lately. I barely slept. I am a zombie today. I'm very excited about spring but my internal clock is not. Anyway....

• My weekend started with a trip to the hospital to meet Audrey Jean. So cute! Jay and Rachelle are so happy and we are so happy for them.
• Next, we took the bus up to Seattle with 8 friends and participated in Ales for Alzheimers. I'm trying to delicately talk about this event without it sounding disgusting and sloppy but I can't. Just know, we had a good time.
• Then, we went to bed early (Daylight Savings) but I woke up at 2am and went and slept on the couch. It sucked.
• Then, I took Dan out to breakfast for his BIRTHDAY!!! and we went to a movie (127 Hours - rad).
• Then, our community group met at our house for the first time on a Sunday and we talked about convictions.
• Then, we had cake and some friends came over.

PHEW. How was your weekend?

Surprise

My hubby is about to reach a milestone birthday. He's been dreading it for YEARS so I've been trying to keep his mind off of it. I love surprises! So, when I found out on Twitter that one of our favorite comedians was coming to Seattle I bought tickets. It was at the Triple Door, which we've never been to but always wanted to. He had no idea what we were doing, just that I had planned something and he should dress nice and be ready to leave at 5:00pm. I found a cool place to grab an appetizer: The Pike. Once we got their and parked, I gave him a $20 bill and said "go get a table and a drink at the Pike, it's down there on 1st. I have to check on something." So, I went into Triple Door to check on our tickets and make sure I had the timing right. The show was at 8:00, doors open at 7:00. It was 6:30... plenty of time. I met him down at The Pike - which is SUPER COOL, BTW - we got a hummus platter. It was late, they lost our ticket, so we got free drinks. He still has NO idea where we're going or what we're doing. When we finally leave The Pike to head up to the Triple Door, I took him around the block to throw him off a bit. We walked in the front, told them our last name, got escorted to our booth and he didn't even see the poster on the wall OR the table full of Michael Showalter's new book "Mr. Funny Pants." I love it! He still has no idea! It's not until a waitress comes over to take our order and she spills the beans saying something like, "...and then Michael Showalter comes on at 8:15." I turn to Dan and his face is beaming! SUCCESS. He truly was surprised. We ate some apps from Wild Ginger - which were amazing! - and laughed until we cried. Then, since it was Fat Tuesday, we drove home and made pancakes! Mardi Gras is the day before Lent, when Catholics and protestants used to give up meat/cakes/alcohol for 40 days so they would drink and make a ton of pancakes with all the sugar and flour in their cupboards. We've made a tradition of eating pancakes on Mardi Gras for quite a few years.

Anyway, I love surprises and I love you, Dan! No matter how old you get, I'll always love you.

Photo of the Day. 03/08/11. Michael Showalter at the Triple Door, Seattle.

Google him: The Michael Showalter Showalter is priceless.

Blog Button!

Rachel is a rad lady that I dont think I've ever spoken with but my husband paints her house - often! - and I read her blog. That sounds weird but I dont feel the need to elaborate.

Um, anyway, her blog taught me how to make a button that I can share. If you want to, you can put it on your blog or website. Just sayin'. So, here it is!

<center><a href="http://LMRphotographyphotos.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="LMR Photography" src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d49/linzplusdanny/FRIENDS/blog-button-final-1.jpg" /></a></center>

And, here are some that point you to my [real] website.

<center><a href="http://www.LMRphotos.com" target="_blank"><br /><br /><img alt="LMR Photography" src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d49/linzplusdanny/button-weddingcopy-1.jpg" /></a></center>

<center><a href="http://www.LMRphotos.com" target="_blank"><br /><br /><img alt="LMR Photography" src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d49/linzplusdanny/button-website-1.jpg" /></a></center>

THANKS, RACHEL!

And, to give credit where credit is due.... Rachel posted directions on how to create your own "button" on this blog: PAPER ♥ CAMERA. And this is her personal blog: and then, she {snapped}. Please subscribe and enjoy!

French Fruits

I've had the desire to do some sort of wall-mural but I'm not much of a painter. And, taking into account the fact that the longest I've lived anywhere is three years, I wanted to make something mobile. I wanted to paint the Fruits of the Spirit in a foreign language. Dan came up with the idea of doing a European-looking road sign. I didnt want to do the words in English (English is stupid, haha) and I was thinking of Slavik (my heritage) but I dont know Slavik and even with the use of http://www.freetranslation.com/ that can go horribly wrong. I am comfortable with French, I lived in France for a year (2006-2007) and visit there every year since so why not do the Fruits of the Spirit in French?! No surprise there.

For those of you who dont know, the Fruits of the Spirit are from The Bible in the book of Galatians. Paul, the author, is telling the church of Galatia how to live by "The Way" (the early term for Christianity). As a follower of Christ, I think of these "fruits" as the measuring stick for how I'm doing in life.

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. - Galatians 5:22

I'm curious, blog-readers, what do you use to measure how you're doing in life? If you dont have a measuring stick, how do you measure up to the Fruits of the Spirit? I'll be honest, I fail at these every day. Probably every second. I'm failing at 'patience' right now because I am anxiously waiting for some more photos to upload. "The Way" does not require us to be perfect, it requires us to do our best.

Jill and Chad: An apple green wedding

[Sorry the photos are all out of order]

Jill has been a friend of mine for about 5 or 6 years now. She and Chad tied the knot on Ferbuary 19th at University Place Presbyterian Church. What a gorgeous day it was! The sun was shining, everything went as planned, Jill was STUNNING! I loved the apple green dresses and her sash. The green apple centerpieces were cute, thrifty, and PERFECT for a Washington wedding! Congratulations, Jill and Chad! Many blessing to you!