Problem Solved!

The search is over! Pam found my wedding dress:I wonder if it comes with a matching balloon poodle?

Ten on Tuesday

For the record: the "Ten on Tuesday" idea has been shamelessly swiped from my favorite Arizonan. Thanks for the inspiration, Miss Erin!

1. If my marginal memory serves me correctly, this is My Favorite Arizonan's anniversary. It was a pleasure to celebrate your wedding day with you. Sending you lots of love today as well!

2. SoundGuy inspired me, and I planted my own back-yard basil last night. Then I went back out to the yard just to smell it a couple more times. Oh, fresh basil.

3. Just finished the first of a dozen freshman orientation programs slated for the summer. This one was so smooth and easy it's almost unsettling! Hooray for freshies that know what they're doing!

4. Signed up for a tennis class at OSU this summer. Discovered that it's being taught by our high school tennis coach from Montana. Go figure! No matter how nostalgic I get, I'm NOT breaking out the 1996 purple tennis skirt.

5. Trying to find a compost pot for my kitchen counter - the indoor type with a filtered lid. Anyone know where to get them? So far I've located a $30 option at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. $30 to keep smelly rotting "green matter" next to where I'm cooking? Just doesn't seem right...

6. Have successfully weaned myself off mochas and on to lattes. The transformation continues. My mother just said "I don't believe it" out loud to her computer screen.

7. My head is full of wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses after a weekend of shopping in Seattle with Brenda Lee. Certainly no lack of options...I must have wrapped 14 miles of taffeta around me in less that 48 hours. My jeans never felt so good.

8. Fully acknowledging that Brenda's real middle name is not Lee (it's Joy - isn't that nice?). In fact, Lee is actually MY middle name. Somehow it got attached to Brenda about 16 years ago, and I can't quit saying it. Talk about being stuck in a rut.

9. Have spouted, "There's an app. for that!" about a hundred times in the last week. I might be just the teensiest bit delighted with my new iPhone. Just the teesiest bit. Taking suggestions for must-have apps!

10. Just began reading Stubborn Twig and am enjoying it. Even if you're not taking part in "Oregon Reads" it might be a good summer read - especially if you're trying to look intellectual out by the pool.

10 Things You Should Consider

1. Have you called your Father lately? Tell him how awesome he is.

2. Try Safari, some of the new changes (top sites) are pretty nice.

3. Get the 3.0 software for your iPhone. Mmmm, Copy and Paste

4. Straw Fedora...it's summer time, 'nuff said.

5. Go to the park. I don't care why or who with, just do it.

6. Grow some basil. (Mine is growing like crazy, weird)

7. Make bruschetta (French Bread, Mozzarella, Tomato, Garlic, Onion, Fresh Basil, Parmesan, EVOO, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt, Pepper...mmmm)

8. Go see Up in 3D.

9. Find an old friend and IM them, call them or leave a nice note on FB.

10. Take a drive for no reason at all. Hit the tunes, open the windows and drive.

~soundguy

Nature Pictures

(Corvallis, OR)

(Yaquina Head, OR)

(Yaquina Head, OR)

(Como Lake, MN)

(Como Lake, MN)

~soundguy

Cute Kids

One fun thing about Luther Seminary is that there are LOTS of kids running around. At a community dinner I had the chance of snapping a couple shots of some of them. I think most people just consider me the creepy guy with all the camera equipment now. At least some of the pictures sure came out great.

(Oooh, scary!)

(I am pretty confident this little guy sat with this look the whole evening in his stroller)

(Oh, help the baby crazed women who read this blog!)

~soundguy

p.s. if you know any of these kiddo's parents, please feel free to have them drop me a line so I can send them the pictures.

More Lightning from June 17th

These were shot on the Nikkormat FT2 with 400 film at about a 2-3 second exposure, depending on how long I was willing to dare wait. Got some good shots I think and with a little messing around, they look pretty cool. Now I know I can do it, I can't wait for the next thunderstorm!

~soundguy

Lightning

Lightning storm outside my apartment on July 17th, 2009. The lighting was almost constant for a good hour.

Photo's taken on my iphone.

~soundguy

Gray Squirrel

June 4th is a big day most years, but it is an especially big day this year. My Pop (affectionately nicknamed "Squirrel" once upon a time) hits his 61st birthday, and it's a big fat hairy deal!
(Umm....just to clarify: the "big fat hairy deal" describes the birthday, not my dad. I could really get myself in trouble here).

As all 14 of our faithful readers probably know, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma a few months before his 60th birthday, and the oncologist told us he'd have 6-12 months to live. In a true show of Go-Big-or-Go-Home spirit, he retired the next day, bought a 5th-wheel, and hit the road. By the time SoundGuy and I caught up with him to celebrate the big 6-0 he'd made it clear to Alaska!
We had an amazing week together , making the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As the months have worn on, life has been good to Pop and he remains symptom-free 15 months after diagnosis! He even survived Mardi Gras! Quite a testament to the value of eliminating stress from your life (or the medicinal quality of Jack Daniels?)

While a 61st birthday was something we hoped and prayed for, I think we were all preparing ourselves for the possibility that it might not come. To hear my Pop's happy voice on the other end of the phone today will be a precious gift, even if he is ornery as ever.

Unfortunately, we won't be able to be with Pop to celebrate today. That will have to be postponed to this summer's camping trip. Somebody should probably call the Rangers at Yellowstone to warn them... When it comes to birthday parties, we mean business!
Happy Birthday, Pop!! Here's to another year watching the man who taught me to "kick butt, and take names" beating the odds. Please behave yourself. I'd hate to have to raid the wedding fund for bail money.

1 Year Down, 1 Year To Go

(Looking North as I took off from Seattle, heading back to MN)

The air conditioner hums and the blinds gently shimmer back and forth in my cool apartment. And by cool I mean temperature wise. 70 degree to be exact. It's back to the routine of sleeping, showering, cooking, cleaning, eating, going to class, taking a nap, reading, cooking, cleaning, eating and sleeping once again (with a workout somewhere in that list).

I like this routine and although it is void of a specific person, it seems doable. Being a student again has been tough but also immensely mind opening. As I dive into the depths of knowledge once again I continue to see just how huge the ocean is and how I will never be able to comprehend it all. Giving up though seems like a waste. How many people in the world just float along and ignore everything happening below them?

One more year of shifting routines, one more year of heavy reading, one more year of 4 jobs and a full class load. It will be a blessing to diminish the tract of land separating me and my love. It will be wonderful to shift into a regular routine that doesn't change every semester. It will be amazing to shift into a new lifestyle with my better half always close by. But right now, I am hooked on learning. I am stuck wondering what else is out there I should know.

One to go. I have a feeling I will be jumping from Sunday to Sunday, from visit to visit and season to season. Diligently studying and desperately trying to take in everything possible. Don't let this next season catch you off guard. Stay in the moment, learn everything handed to you and whatever you do, don't take anything for granted.

Peace and Grace during this summer season,

~soundguy

Ground Control to Major Tom...

(are you singing along yet? Or are you picturing Joey and Chandler singing along? Is that going to be in your head all day? I'm sorry.)

Anyway, we are...COMMENCING COUNTDOWN!
That's right! I'm a couple days behind with my post because we officially started our countdown on May 30th, but we are now less than a year away from SoundGuy's graduation date (May 30th, 2010). In honor of the big event (and so that I don't have to make a chain of 361 paper loops) I've added a little countdown ticker to our sidebar. Isn't that exciting?! No more loosing sleep wondering to yourself, "exactly how many days/hours/minutes until SoundGuy graduates?" Ah, technology. Improving our lives...eliminating the need to remember how to count backward...

ENGINES ON!