So here are some pictures that I took with my new camera. Tristan was kind enough to tell me how to post more than 4 pictures at once (damn you Picasa!) so everyone gets a whole bunch at once. It should be noted (duly, I might add) that Katie is not in any of these photos, though she is my wife and should be my main subject. Katie had to work Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day morning, meaning she got about 3 hours of sleep. She threatened to hurt me if I took pictures of her that night. So I didn't. But there will be more to come.

Our tree.

This is actually the first picture that I took...and a similar one is the first picture Gina took.

Snow-covered trees.

Meringue (future mushrooms...you kind of had to be there)

Our neighbor's chimney looked toasty.

Gary...was...drunk.

I was not, though I was looking coy.

Sister and -in-law.

Wreath...

...in super high def.

And a cat playing Monopoly. She was really bad though, all she did was build up Baltic Avenue. Amateur.

My first real post! Well, sort of real. But taking a cue from terri....

Fact One -
I love wrapping Christmas gifts. It's probably my favorite part of giving a gift.

Fact Two -
I like Sushi, but what I really LOVE about sushi is veggie tempura. It's my favorite part of the experience.

Fact Three -
I'm a morning person. That makes me feel old and lame, but it's the truth.

Fact Four -
My idea of a perfect morning is laying on the couch in my robe, watching the Today Show. When my first class is canceled and I get 2 hours of Today, it makes my day seem so much better.

Fact Five -
I can't imagine my life without my husband. He's been my best friend since I was 15. He's broken his back to make our house amazing and it makes me so proud of him I barely know how to tell him.

Okay, Melissa, Angela, your turn!

Merry almost New Years. Christmas was good but getting farther away every day, which I know is a pretty obvious statement, but I feel it bears mentioning. I got a new camera for Christmas from my parents so I can take pictures again! My sister got the same one, but I am pretty sure mine is cooler.

Until I get around to uploading some of the pictures that I've taken so far, I figured I could share some images from my thesis. I think I am finally far enough away that I can look at them again. Basic synopsis, for those who don't know, it's a mixed use building in Seattle, Washington. It was designed based on the principals of Grunge. It houses a Music Venue, Restaurant/Bar, and Communal Artists Housing with Studio/Recording space. Done.


Outside the artist's quarters


Inside the main gallery.

Inside the studios/housing area.

At the show.

This morning I failed at breakfast. Tristan and Terri and I had a lovely breakfast yesterday, where everything went as planned. Except our friend Adam could not make it, that was not planned. But this morning I was trying to recreate it for Katie because she was not there, and nothing went right. First, it seems that the second batch of muffins I made yesterday didn't cook at all and were mush inside.

Then, adding insult to injury I tried to make brown sugar bacon,which we made yesterday and was probably the best thing that I have ever had involving bacon, which is saying a lot. This morning's attempt, however, turned out less favorably.



That picture was taken with Katie's phone, so it's a little blurry, but it's 100% as burned as it looks. I think this bacon was fattier than the bacon we made yesterday, so the grease ran all off the pan and into the oven, creating so much smoke we had to evacuate the house for a while, and a couple of flames reminding us that we really, really need to get some fire extinguishers. Also, our smoke detectors are sitting on a self in a package. Umm, and we probably have rusty nails all over the floor and...I don't know, other dangerous things we should be chastised for.

Everything turned out alright in the end, we exchanged gifts, drank some coffee, enjoyed each other's company. A nice fake Christmas after all. Also, I found the image below, and it reminded me of funny things.

These two views of the kitchen aren't exactly the same view, and it's still not done, but you get the idea of what's changed. Pretty sweet, no?

Here's the other side, with our new cabinets, counter top, sink, supply and waste lines, disposal, electrical work and fully functional dishwasher!

This is roughly the same view as the last updated picture August (holy crap, sorry everybody)

So, I have a story to tell. This is a story that Derek described as "so John." As I had mentioned earlier, I lost my camera charging cable, thus rendering my camera pretty useless. Since I have never been that big a fan of blogs that only post words, or rants, or whatever, I have not been terribly motivated to post that often. What I was (eventually) motivated enough to do was suck it up and call Casio to buy another charger. As fortune would have it, they were not as expensive ($15) as I was originally told ($60). So I purchased one and waited for it to arrive. I've done a lot to the house and so I was anxious to get it and charge up my camera and start taking more pictures of the work that I had done. Plus, it was a few days before Katie and I were going with my family to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, for their annual Thanksgiving retreat. I was all ready to go.

The big day finally arrived I unpacked my charger with glee. I grabbed my cradle and got it all set up and then went for my camera. Or where I thought my camera was. In its place was nothing. I searched my house (again) from top to bottom to try and find my camera, and came up empty handed. I have no idea where my camera wandered off to. I do not know if it is still in the house. I don't remember the last time I actually laid eyes on it, since it wasn't charged I didn't pay it much mind. Now my camera, not my cord, is totally missing.

Oh, and in an additional piece of "X-treme irony" (thanks Derek!), while I was searching for my camera, I found the original camera charger that started this whole nonsense. (...to be fair it was in the basement...in a box...in another box...in the far, dark corner, by the furnace...why it was there, I do not know.)

In any event, I borrowed a camera from work (thanks work!) and took a couple of pictures of the house and some of the stuff that I've done.


These are the new extended hot and cold water supply lines that I ran to relocate the sink. My dad helped me out a whole lot and I wouldn't have been able to do it without him.

This is the mess of pipes that we ended up having to replace because we were arrogant and in a hurry.

This is just a really cute picture of Kona in our new sink.

Since the last pictorial update, the pantry has been finished, the hallway completely painted, cabinets installed, counter top installed, kitchen painted, sink installed, and a dishwasher installed (finished just as I started writing this, the first cycle is still going!).