Early Valentine from my honey

I came home to the most beautiful surprise: My sweet husband had MADE me a valentine card and had it set up on the dining table along with 6 shiny pink heart balloons, and a dozen red roses. I am spoiled beyond belief.

My dear husband Collin,

You are the light of my life. You are the man I have waited for and looked for my whole life. I am the luckiest woman alive to have a man like you. I must have made someone upstairs pretty happy to end up with you my darling. Thank you for being there for me no matter what. You make every day like Christmas. I will spend the rest of my days trying to become the person you already see me as.

I love you with all of my heart.

Now & forever

Love,

Your wife Dawn

Late night photo adventure

Friday was a beautiful day in Seattle and Issaquah. It was also Go Red for Women day to help raise awareness about women's heart disease. Several Seattle land,arks were lit up red. That in combination with the clear skies and warmer temperatures inspired me to want to go take pictures in Seattle after sunset. I proposed the idea to Collin and he was game. Off we went....after the photo taking fun we stopped at Fado Irish pub for a beer and chit chat. Good times...

Space Needle...


Pike Place Market with a Red Dress for Go Red for Women day....theres' my pilot too ;)


Union Gospel Mission


Us at Fado after a long beautiful day!

Journal pages

I finally have the nerve to share with you a couple of my journal pages. I have kept a diary/journal off and on for most of my life. I recently began mixing my love of sketchbooks and doodling with journaling creating my own type of art journaling. It was easy for me to look at everyone elses wonderful art journals but challenging to begin one of my own and find my own art journaling style. I am getting more comfortable with pages that start with a colored background-my sketchbooks are all a lovely, blank white page to begin with.. :)

Anyway, here are a couple pages for your consideration...(gulp)...

Studio Redoo

The weekend finally came (January 15-17) -the one that we had planned for painting the garage which is 1/2 my art studio/Mother Rubber operations central. I was so excited....and wow-do I have a lot of stuff or what?!?
Anyhow, here are a few "before" shots and NO, this isn't after and tornado...

Center island which is an old dining table I use for sewing and this double-sided white shelf unit I got from the store closing sale at my Pacific Fabrics here in Issaquah for $10....seemed like such a great deal but it's just eating up my open space....this will be gone soon -it's in the back of this picture and you can't really see it-notice the ceiling is bare drywall?

Happy New Year 2010

We celebrated the New Year down at the Oregon Coast-a relaxing break from the hectic holiday pace. The weather was typical northern Pacific Coast in the winter-rainy, windy, big waves and not a lot of people. In a word, perfect.

It was my husband, me, my sister, brother-in-law, and my niece staying the in their condo and my Mom driving up from her house about 20 minutes away-for breakfast of course. My Mom no longer stays up until 12:00 pm to celebrate the New Year. I guess at some point I may do the same thing...but it always seem like such a neat experience...to celebrate something that the whole world celebrates (in their respective time zones). It's like a wave of fresh, new, exciting energy that flows through everyone on the planet-one time zone at a time-totally awesome!

I hope the New Year represents something special for you-turning over a new leaf, renewing something set aside, starting over with someone or something important to you...letting go of someone or something if that's the road to health for you...

for me, I have set my 2 resolutions for the new year:

1. Work for myself full time by my birthday

2. Become a better person (this is an annual resolution that I renew each year at new years). To me this means be more kind, less judgemental and more helpful. This year's focus is when I drive in traffic -should be a good challenge!

What are you changing this year? or, what do you love that you're not changing?

share what you can!

Love,

Dawn

Farewell Paulla

My best friend in the world, Jesse Scott, lost his Mommy on December 15th. She fought a brave fight against liver disease but didn't get a transplant soon enough.

I will miss her very much.

Jesse and his brother Eric have been my friends since jr. high school and have always been there when I needed help or had something to celebrate. Jesse asked me to speak at her memorial and say a prayer too.

Her laughter will be missed the most. She had a laugh that could be heard from 100 miles away....and felt in your soul from even farther. She spoke her mind no matter what-a trait I admire in her and aspire to in my own life. I am reminded of how short a time we have on this tiny planet-time we must spend to do as much good as we can and live our lives.

I thought of those movie scenes where one person is injured and they say "leave me here-save yourself-I've lived my live...."

It made me think - have I lived my life? being alive is not the same as LIVING your life...

LIVE for today...live today so you can look back and know you enjoyed every thing there was for you to enjoy and that you cried all your tears...

I think it was Erma Bombeck who said when I die and stand before my maker I want to be able to say to him I used it all up-everything you gave me I used it all..."

I want to live that life-use up and enjoy every creative, adventurous and wonderful bit that the Lord has blessed me with

....what about you?

Love,

Dawn