Health Care Video

There's lots of talk back and forth about government vs. private health care. Both sides give compelling reasons why they are right. Sure, I want everyone to have health care... but HOW is the million dollar question.

Elayna & Tim's Wedding

Elayna just wanted 5 pictures taken before her wedding reception (they were married the day before, out of town): them with Tim's family, her & Tim, them with her sister's family, her with her sister and her hair. I took a few more than that and here they are. I loved the orange (the color of my Harley - woot!) and Gerbera daisies.

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2009/06/26/conspiracy-theory/

Elayna & Tim Engagements

I have to run out the door (date with my hubby... he just pulled up with the babysitter), but wanted to get Elayna and Tim's engagement pics posted :) They only needed a couple portraits at their wedding reception, so that post will be sparse... but here are plenty of these!

We're off to Home Depot, Costco (might have dinner there - LOL) and to see Public Enemy!

You're a Jerk

This song makes me giggle... a lot. You're a Jerk (I know)...

A Few Words and No More

The Quiet World
by Jeffrey McDaniel

In an effort to get people to look
into each other's eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn't respond,
I know she's used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.

- from Elvis Enthusiasts Unite

My 30th Birthday - again!

Yay! I've made it through another birthday (you should be reading that with the same sarcasm that I'm intending) and getting older (now I'm feeling a little grumpy and less sarcastic).

The BEST part (here's where I stop being sarcastic and grumpy and instead be completely sincere) about having my birthday (especially if it's during the week so I can spread out the celebration over 9 days --- p.s. What's with all my parenthasis obsession?) is making an excuse to see my friends and get in some extra squeezies!

I LOVE squeezies!

Especially the little bit longer than
you think a squeeze should be kind ;)
They are even better when
you wag your tail (trust me, try it)!

So this birthday week (my bday was yesterday, Thursday the 28th, mark that on your calendar for NEXT year) started last Saturday with a BBQ at our place with some photographer friend families (no pictures... ironic, no?) Monday we had some area friends (mostly friends from church, but not all) here for a BBQ (mmm... Cowboy Salsa and Elisa's homemade Oreo's were a hit), Tuesday we had family over for a BBQ and Wednesday Amanda had me and some girlfriends over for Ponderosa Banana Cake (hot out of the oven, very impressive).

Thursday, yesterday, my actual birthDAY, I awoke to a freshly made omelet, hugs n' kisses from my kidlets (Piper's peepers were barely opened as she layed in bed and said, "Happy Birthday, mommy." -- ugh, die) and a Harley Davidson gift bag! The gift was a surprise because we combined my Mother's Day gift with birthday (so I thought), but I was HAPPILY surprised with plug-in heated riding gloves :) Even though the weather is nice right now, it's not always (welcome to the NW) and my hands are the first to get chilly. Eventually I'll get the rest of the plug-in warming gear (jacket, pants and, I hope, socks) and extend my riding season.

I had several good choices for the day: Taco Thursday Ride at 3, photography meeting at 6:30 or Quilting Group at 7. Ben came home early and I went R I D I N G and it was JUST RIGHT :) I left at 3, met up with 2 bikers in Redmond (Tad and Dan), met up with 6 more in West Seattle at Endolyne Joe's (Tim, Pat, Big K, DeAnn, Mark, Beth), 2 more at a park (Matt & Sheena, with Tiger Lucy with her pink thong on back) then 10 more in Tacoma for $1 Tacos at The Cliffhouse. We rode along the coast, went around a couple round-abouts 2 or 3 times while cars waited (only one car got a little ticked) with the last stop at DQ for some birthday dessert (substituting pecans for peanuts), thanks Mark, and joyous singing of the traditional birthday song!

Wanna know something weird and kinda disturbing? If you don't, then don't continue reading this paragraph and move on to the next instead. When you ride, you should stay hydrated so I kept guzzling water with my tacos. I pottied at the restaurant before we left. About 30 minutes later when we stopped in Point Defiance Park along the 5 Mile Drive I went into the forest for another potty break (no bathrooms, great, I hope I didn't get a tick, ESPECIALLY down THERE; thanks, K, for keeping guard). Then at the golf course on the ocean where we stopped for a group photo, I had to go AGAIN and the public bathrooms were locked (so I went over a berm out of eyesight)! Mind you, stripping down with leather chaps, jeans and a hefty belt ain't so graceful). Even went again after dessert (but at least there was indoor plumbing that time). What the HECK?!? Typing the story makes me need to go again...

Alright, I'm back.

So I left home at 3pm and rolled back in at 11pm. A full day of romping across the coastline with other biker enthusiasts in the PERFECT weather (not too hot, not too cold). The views were magnificent... Mt. Rainier, the Puget Sound, downtown Seattle, the ocean, quaint neighborhoods with meticulously trimmed hedges and blooming foliage of all shapes, colors and smells (oh! the smells while riding --- except when we dropped into Tacoma, then there were patches of STINKY STANK). The NW on a beautiful day is a treat!

Here are some pics of birthday friends at Amanda's and some of our ride yesterday (I've noted the one's that I borrowed from Pat's camera).

The following image needs an explanation. Lisa gave me a bag of her old jewelry to tear apart and remake into something fun, so Amanda thought it'd be hilarious to put them all on me at once and take a picture of me looking like Mr. T. Not the most flattering, sure, but my waist looks good (I promise, no photoshop) so I couldn't resist :)

From Pat's camera of us picking up Matt & Sheena.
I'm kinda in the middle by myself (4th person from right).
From Pat's camera of Mt. Rainier.
From Pat's camera riding through Point Defiance Park.
From Pat's camera when we were stuck in traffic.
From Pat's camera (is that Tacoma Narrows Bridge?)

I'm sure I was saying something funny and that's
why some heads are aimed my direction ;p

Tana's hubby, Scott, my riding buddy :)
I'm showing you how helmet hair and riding does NOT
make me look very attractive, and I'm happy with that
because riding with cool, down to earth people ROCKS!

My Lisa and Uncle Eli

My title is a little misleading. Lisa really isn't "mine" and "Uncle Eli" really isn't an uncle... yet.

But for all intents and purposes, My Lisa is what I call my BFF. And since there are so many Lisa's, I needed to differentiate her from all the others: Lisa N is my eyeglass shop owner friend, Lisa B is my brother-in-law's girlfriend (who is also my friend) and Elisa is my friend who goes by Lisa but her birth given name is Elisa (pronounced uh-lee-suh, not ee-lee-suh) and I just couldn't name her Lisa W (because double-ya doesn't flow off the tongue as easily as Ehn or Bee). My life is so complicated, eh?

Then there's Uncle Eli, or Uncle Blockhead to Piper. Aunt Lisa (that's what we call My Lisa to my kids) took Piper with her to work one day and introduced her to Eli. Somehow it was decided that Piper could lovingly call Eli "Blockhead" and that's all she can remember, no matter how many times we try to explain that his real name is Eli. So since there's an Aunt Lisa I figure that he'd be Uncle Eli (or Uncle Blockhead if Piper prefers) when they got married... of which they ARE getting married ;)

Here are some pics I took of them last week in Kirkland, WA...

Can I Have Your Number?

Bridal Hair and Make-Up

Can you BELIEVE it?!? I'm aaaallliiiiivvvveeee :)

Sorry about my lack of blog updates. I'd like to explain how busy I've been or blame some random act of God for my absence, but that'd be lying... and I don't lie (at least I try not to).

I do have a reason, not an excuse. Facebook (FB) has taken over (a little Twitter on the side, but only to update my FB status and the handful of friends who only Twitter and not FB). That place has sucked me in and won't spit me out, I tell ya! Now that I have FB on my iPhone (which is another thing I cannot seem to live without), it's almost constant contact (which reminds me of the movie, Contact, with Matthew McConaughey (yum!) and Jodie Foster). Anywho, I realize not everyone is on FB (or they're not in my "friends" list), so I need to neglect the blog no longer. Besides, I always have something to say (don't I?)

My hair and make-up friend, Rachel Williams, is launching her bridal business soon and needed some images to prove her point. That's where I come in.

Since having children, my hair hasn't been quite the same. I've been a slave to coloring (darker on the bottom, wish Fire Engine Red would work permanently but it doesn't yet, and blonde highlights above) so we worked out a little barter. Wee!

Her friend, Emelienne (ah-me-lee-ann), was our fantastic model. She's not a professional model, but she certainly could be! She was such a sport in the cold weather with barely anything on and was up for anything I wanted. Luckily I didn't have to tell her exactly where to put her hand, shoulder, hip, etc. everytime. Yay! I'd love to take her picture anytime :)

P.S. The sun was going down and affected the light I had to work with. It was really fun to think on my feet and adjust my settings quickly as the clouds would cover the sunshine then move out of the way and shine again... like an amusement park ride (except I don't go on rides because I get motion sick).