Monday, September 19, 2011

Westport by the Sea

Well, here we are...back from our trip to the Washington Coast. It was a FABULOUS week and just what both of us needed. And, as I usually do, here is the trip in pictures.

Speaking of pictures. The picture from my last post is from the deck of the condo we were staying in. Yeah, it's my new favorite place!

When asked what I wanted to do while we were in Westport I said, "Beachcomb." I love to go beachcombing. So we did a lot of that.

When Brent was asked, he said he wanted to fly his kite. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate until Saturday and we were already all packed up and ready to go when the wind started up. And with the wind came rain, so...needless to say, no kite flying this time. But a lot of beachcombing with me!
Look at that...we're the only ones on the beach. There were quite a few times when we couldn't see anyone else. It was great.

This is my new favorite camera angle. I took a lot of ones like this.

See
There were sand dollars everywhere! But I only came home with five of them. Even though I had told myself I was only coming home with three. I was really impressed with my restraint.

I did, however, take a lot of pictures of them!

How come smelly old boats are so pretty in pictures?

Most people would take one of those smelly old boats out on a fishing trip, but not us. I'm not a fisherperson. I cry. I know, it's weird, but...hey...that's me!

These next pictures require some explanation. There is a lighthouse in Westport - the tallest one in Washington - so we went to take a look. The volunteer there was blowing these HUGE bubbles. And he even said it was a bad day for the really big ones. Here is his blog that tells you how to blow your own huge bubbles. I think Brent's going to give it a try sometime.
I think this one looks like the thing from The Abyss.



To get to the ocean from where we stayed you had to walk through some dunes. I think they are so pretty.
One day, Brent and I were out beachcombing...I know, surprising...and I noticed something way out on the horizon. I kept looking at it and realized it was a ship, in full sail. This picture is REALLY zoomed in, which is why it's not too crisp. This is the Lady Washington. The Lady Washington is a full scale reproduction of the original Lady Washington that was the first American ship to make landfall on the west coast. I don't know about you, but I'm reminded a little bit of the Goonies with this picture. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, please, watch the Goonies again. It's funny.)

As I said, this is the tallest lighthouse in Washington. We don't have really tall lighthouses here though so it's not too exciting.

What I think is interesting about this lighthouse though is that it's about 3,000 feet from high tide. Which means that the condo we were staying in was between it and the ocean. Kind of defeats the purpose of a lighthouse, doesn't it? (I did read about this...it originally was a lot closer, but over the years, sediment has built up so it keeps getting farther and farther from the ocean.)

And now for some just plain old pretty pictures...of the ocean...because I love the ocean...





And now on to our favorite part of the trip. We heard about this glass studio where you could take glass blowing classes. It's in a little town called Cosmopolis. Isn't that a funny name? Anyway, we signed up and had a great time. I brought my camera to the class but to tell you the truth, I didn't even think about taking it out. Brent and I each got to make a float and a bowl.

Here are mine...


And here are Brent's...



I think that we both did a really good job, being that it was our first time. Brent's bowl is a lot better than mine. He really got it to ruffle nicely.

It was really fun. The guy who taught us was really easy going and easy to learn from. He helped as much as we needed and even left us alone a little on the bowl. I'm really thinking about taking another class.

And, to finish off, the obligatory scrunch pictures. (Notice how cute Brent looks in both of these though...I was impressed.)



It's kind of hard to get back to real life after our great week, but it's nice to see Daisy again. And it did turn into fall while we were gone. I love fall!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

See Ya!

All I can say is...someone bring me Daisy, I'm never leaving.

We're off beach combing. I'm so excited, I can hardly stand still.

:)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Craftiness is not an Option

I've been having some discussions with people I know about the worth of crafting. I really enjoy crafting. Usually, unless it's sewing related, it really relaxes me. But the other opinion is that crafting is just a waste of time. That there are far more important things to do.

I can't help it, I disagree. There are a lot of great things to do. And I do a lot of those things. But if I didn't do something that I enjoyed every once in a while, I would go crazy! So, I've decided that for the dissenters, craftiness IS an option. But for me, craftiness IS NOT an option. I mean, it's not like I do it 24/7. Just in spurts. Like now, I'm on one of those spurts.

I have been wanting some milk glass vases for my computer room, but when I went searching for milk glass I found that it was expensive. I mean, really expensive.

So when I found this tutorial, I thought, hmmm... Then I found a couple more and it really got me going.

Off I went to Goodwill to find some vases.
Check. And they were only $2.50. WAY cheaper than milk glass.

I already had some white acrylic paint, so after figuring out how much water to add, I got this...

Fer cute!

And I really like how they look with my super cute lamp.

See, I'm saving money. Another good thing about crafting. Crafting is awesome!

But, I feel I should show you my failure at craftiness. As I said before, crafting is relaxing to me, except if it's sewing. I am bound and determined to like sewing, but I haven't gotten there yet. Mostly it's just annoying. I don't know what I was thinking when I took on this next project.

I found this tutorial on how to make a case for your camera. We needed a case for our GPS, so I thought, "Hey, I can do that. It can't be that hard."

Yeah, I know, I think I'm delusional too.

So, I made a GPS case.

This is so embarrassing.

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but the GPS doesn't really fit into the case. A key component to a case, if you ask me. The strap that keeps the GPS in the case is crooked. And, I know you really can't see this, but I originally put the velcro in the wrong place. Awesome.

I guess it's better than nothing, but not much. Needless to say, I will not be making one for our camera.

But it was basically free because I already had all the stuff for it. Well, I take that back, I had to get the velcro so it cost like a dollar.

Crafting is not my life. But I do enjoy it and I'm not going to feel guilty for enjoying it. As long as I get the rest of my list done, I'm good.

Happy crafting!

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Sad News...

I knew this day was coming. If I was honest with myself, I would have known how much I was dreading it. But, it's time to announce to the world...
Sarah is now taller than me. Yep, a twelve year old has surpassed my height. **Sigh**

I don't know why I'm so sadden by this. I mean, look at her parents...they're both way taller than me. But it just makes me feel short. Which I know I am, but I sometimes pretend that I'm not.

But, in the interest of not dwelling on my short stature, here are some good things about Sarah being taller than me, ie: my shortness.

1) I now have another person that I can ask to reach high things for me. That's always nice.

There's this girl in our ward who is about 5'11" and barely 14. At camp last year, I called her over and she said, "What would you like me to reach." Well trained.

2) No more wondering when it was going to happen. I now know. In Utah. She was shorter than me when they left and taller when they got back. Seriously.

3) The B**** family now has a new gauge. You see, when you're taller than me, you can use a big cup. Not sure how I feel about this.

4) I don't have to worry about flood pants.

5) My kitchen is set up for a short person. All the stuff that I use every day is low down, and all the things that are used sometimes are higher up. I don't know if you've ever been in a tall person's house but their things are high up.

6) Ok, now I'm just grasping at straws so I don't know what else to say.

7) Oh, yeah, when I fall down - and notice I did say when - it's not as far to the ground.

So...Sarah is taller than me. So what! I'll always be older.

Wait...that's not better.

:)

Monday, September 05, 2011

I See...

Ahhh...so that's how a vacuum is suppose to work. Amazing!

I love my Dyson!