Wednesday, September 16, 2009

My poor little neglected blog

Hi friend(s)... By chance the one who might have me still on their "following" list. My poor little blog has been neglected for such a long time. I left her alone this summer to have some fun with the family and regroup after finishing the first part of my degree program.

I have also been working on a new blog. I'm happy to report that highreslife.com is up and running. I still have some things to add, but I'm getting going with it and hope you can stop by for a visit.

The new blog is going to be more focused on art and photography and sharing creative ideas. There still will be sprinklings of other things here and there. It is, afterall, a place for me to share what is going on with my life.

So,goodbye for now little Myriad blog.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Kinda Cool

One of my pictures has been included in an online travel guide. Check it out.
It's the Kids Market pic at the top of the link. I have added Schmap widget down below. They have a cool online travel guide.

Guess they troll Flickr for pictures because I've been asked on a couple of pics to be included in different travel editions.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Maybe this will help

Ok... so I still have about 4 weeks of school left and it is getting increasingly more difficult to concentrate because of the nice weather and so many fun things coming up. I've decided to throw it all out there and get it out of my head perhaps? Kind of like the idea of writing down your worries and then they don't seem so troublesome? Maybe then I can concentrate a little more. I know I touched a bit on this earlier in the week with Memorial Day but I didn't get it all out there.

So in know particular order, here is my list of things I'm looking forward too this summer:

Summer concerts...especially John Legend at the Chateau St. Michelle with SSG...


Waldport, Oregon for a week with my mom, sister and her family...


Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho...


Outdoor Movies... The drive in too!



Harry Potter...

Shopping at the farmers markets...


The Farm Chicks Antique Show...that is actually next weekend but in June so it's summer to me...
The County Fair... I entered my cookies once and won a blue ribbon...


Camping at Lake Easton...


Really, insert any summer beverage here...

Picking strawberries and making jam...


Taking a photography class to really learn how to use my camera...

Kamping at the KOA Kampapalooza...

Camping at Pacific Beach...and heading up to La Push and Forks for a literary tour... :)

Shaw Island for the 4th of July...

Of course...


Making a pie...
Possible other adventures this summer might be:
visiting Mount Rainier

Vancouver BC again...


and the Olympic Music Festival...


Phew. I feel better. Come on vacation, come on vacation!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Inspired By Ellen



Ellen rocks...check out her commencement speech at Tulane University.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Summer here we come...

I love, love, love Memorial Day Weekend! It's the kick-off to summer and what a beauty of a weekend we are having up in the great Pacific NW. Been up to lots of fun stuff lately...

hanging with the girlies...

baseball=summer!

More lovely girlie time...

Antique shopping...

Enjoying the Pike Place Market in Dowtown Seattle. My city is so amazingly beautiful...I love to go downtown and people watch and feel the vibe of this vibrant city...

I even found something I hadn't seen before... the gum wall at the Market Theater. Apparently, patrons stick their gum here before heading into the show.


Of course, I can't leave them alone... photographing more flowers





LB & I at the swap meet

End of the year field trips

First campfire of the season...

4 1/2 weeks until I graduate!!! Woo hoo! I got into the Bachelor program I had applied for and start at the end of September. I'm taking the summer off, except for a photography class, so am dreaming of fun things to come. I just have to make it through the rest of this quarter...

I bought a few domain names, am getting my website ready and portfolio completed so will have lots of new and exciting things starting at the end of June. I'm looking forward to spending time with Little Bob before she heads off to full-time school next year. She graduates from preschool in a few weeks and wants to know what we are going to do to celebrate. Too cute! Takes after her mama. I'm always looking for a reason to celebrate.

Hubs will be laid off at the end of June too. Boy... do we have lots of change coming. He's not too worried about it so I'm trying to take his lead and not be either but I have to say I have had a sleepless night or two. I'm just going to have faith that it will all work out. Usually does.

Other than that, I'm looking for the perfect summer drink. Any good recipes out there? Mojitos are still my drink of choice, and surely speak summer to me, but would love to find something new. Our local radio station is looking for the perfect summer song. I'm still addicted to Meaghan Smith and Ingrid Michaelson. Anything mean summer to you? Will Smith's summertime is an oldie but a goodie :)

Hope you are having a lovely holiday weekend. What are your summer plans?

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Playing

The end of the road...



Just having some fun on a Sunday night playing with photos.
Sweet Dreams...

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Pretty Little Things

Here are some pretties for you today... Went to our local tulip festival over the weekend.

There are fields all over just covered with tulips and daffodils. I've been a million times and each year is like seeing it for the first time. It is truly beautiful...

Photographer in training... working on her composition












I threw homework out the window and had a fun little weekend. Sometimes that just needs to be done. A weekend spent wandering around tulip fields and antique stores, taking photos and eating ice cream can do wonders for the soul...not to mention getting your creative juices flowing again.

Only about 7 weeks left until I graduate!! I have a big portfolio presentation to prepare for at the end of the quarter and my website to put together. Which is exactly why I went to the Tulip Festival. Makes perfect sense...no?

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Today Special For You...




While I was getting ready this morning, little bob came running in excitedly to tell me about this cool thing she was seeing on TV. "Look mommy, Look!!!" I ran out expecting to see Barney and some fun song or those creepy folks on that show Lazy Town...but that is a whole other story. Anyhoo, LB wanted to show me the Woolite Oxy Clean on TV. She says... "look mommy, they say it will make our carpets really clean?" Um...yah. So I don't know if I'm more horrified by the fact that LB is so easily and readily swayed by advertising on TV at the tender age of 5 1/2 OR the fact that our carpets must be SO dirty in her mind that she needs to drag me to the TV to tell me about carpet cleaner...?

Recognizing this, I decide to turn this into a life lesson and explain to her that people on TV and in ads are trying to sell her things and she shouldn't take their word for it but make sure to do her own research. She pauses for a moment to consider this and I'm patting myself on the back then she says "Mommy...can you turn up the TV?"

Nice, well, at least I tried and have put the idea in her head. I find that I'm constantly having to edit things in her life for her. Little life lessons all over the place. For instance, we are reading the Junie B Jones series. Junie B is a precocious almost 6 year old (like little bob) with really strong opinions. She yells quite a lot, says "I hate" about many things and is trying to navigate her way through kindergarten. As we are reading the book, I always stop when Junie B is not behaving well and have a little lesson about things like: treating others with respect, not throwing a tantrum, not using the word "hate" regarding people, etc. Sometimes this leads into a meaningful discussion but most of the time I'm told, in an exasperated tone, to get on with the book. I'm afraid that I'm taking the fun out of things for her and perhaps am overdoing it a bit.

It's hard because I want to have those conversations with her now, while she is young and impressionable, and I want to have them and repeat them often enough to have some impact on her when she has to make a choice later in life (no, not just about Oxy Clean...you know what I mean). But I don't want it to be to the point where she just tunes me out automatically when I begin to start a conversation with her. I know that I have years ahead of me full of tuning out, eye rolling, sighing, but I hope that I'm laying the groundwork to keep those lines of communication open in the future.

Because I know it will happen. I see it with my sweet, adorable, most precious niece, who I have always thought is extra special for her kindness and caring ways with others. She hit 11 and kind of started to get a little snarky...a little tude. Now she'll be 13 this week and we are in full-on teenager mode. The sighs, the eye rolls, the drama. I still see glimpses of her, like when she calls me to get a little love and attention when she has hurt herself and then that leads to what is going on in her life. Yep, there is my little sweetpea. I've worked hard at being involved in my neices lives and have had very similar conversations with them as I am having with LB now. It makes me hopeful that the hard work will pay off in the end.

So, there you have it. Off to find a carpet cleaner I guess...

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Can't Get Enough Of...



Meaghan Smith... Her voice is simply beautiful. Her videos are a visual treat and right up my ally with the motion graphics. Check out her website for other videos and info. I love someone that has to have a video version of their bio to go along with the written form. What is it with those Canadians turning out so many fantastic female singers? Celine, Diana Krall, Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan... must be something in the water up there. I dare you to listen to 5 More Minutes to see if you can get it out of your head. I want to live in that song...which quite possibly doesn't make a whole lot of sense as I write this at 1:03am but just listen and you'll see what I mean.

Enjoy.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Hanging With The Girl

Thanks to all who inquired about my mom. She is doing better and the break is not as bad as originally thought. No surgery and she even gets to go on her vacation this week so she is a happy camper.

The week continues to have unexpected little things happen here and there. Today my class was cancelled so the girl and I headed to the zoo to check in on our animal friends...


Little animals running wild in the zoo...
I adore cows. I think they are so gentle and sweet. One day, when I have my little farm, I'll raise cows too...

hello friends...

This guy was pretty cool and provided for some hysterics later on. He was pacing and rubbing his body across the glass then proceeded to back his hind end up to the glass and spray a gallon or two at the faces of the little kids watching him. Little Bob was pretty disgusted and all of the kids were screaming. It was quite funny...and unexpected...and I guess apropos considering that is the theme of my week.

The bears didn't disappoint either. Usually they are sleeping but were up playing and in the water today... so very cool! Wish I had gotten better shots through the glass.



I love the flamingos and how they sport my favorite color!

little buddies...

more signs of spring appearing all around my home...



Hope you all have a lovely day with some unexpected lovely things!