Praying for Japan

Mother Nature is a fierce beast that takes no prisoners.  The tragedies in Japan these last few weeks has been breath-taking and almost unbelievable.  I have been completely addicted to the stories and pictures.  Every day, I am left wondering- what can I do?  

Recently, I attended church twice (which is two times more than the total times I've been to church in the last decade (besides attending a funeral or wedding)).  Parts of the sermon doesn't apply to me, but several messages have left long lasting impressions on my mind and heart.  I have felt a higher power present in my being, caring, supporting and nurturing.  I consider myself more spiritual than religious, but this year so far, I have felt that a higher power has been nudging me along to see the light and pray.  (Thanks to Alissa and Kristine for their additional nudging.)  So today I pray for the people of Japan and the long road ahead they have to recovery and rebuilding their lives. 

Women comforting and supporting each other. 

 Praying for a lost soul.

 Little girl carrying her belongings to a shelter. 

 If you could only take what you could carry, what would you bring? 

Baby being tested for radiation.

This picture (and several like this) brings tears to my eyes each time I see it/them.  These are lists of people who have been treated at a local hospital.  People come here, wait for hours to get in and search for the names of their loved ones.  Who is still alive?   The idea of searching for Simon, my Mother and so many other loved ones in my life is almost unimaginable.  I am thankful for life!

From sadness, comes light...Uplifting stories from Japan include workers finding a 4 month old baby that survived 90 hours buried under rubble.  She is safe and seemingly healthy.  Also, a 90 year old woman was found in her home after it had been swept away in the tsunami.  She had also been without food and water for days.  Strong women surviving disaster gives me and so many of us hope, great hope. 

Some good music food for thought...

While my blog updates have been horribly belated... I came across this excellent little social experiment that a friend shared with me:

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning: The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. 

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. 

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro stationwas organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. 

The questions raised: 

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? 

*Do we stop to appreciate it? 

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, how many other things are we missing? How many special persons pass us by and we do not MAKE ANY EFFORT TO get to know them?

Happy Belated New Year!

May the new year bring us all much love and light!  Happy Belated New Year everyone!

As I reflect on 2010, here's what I have come to especially appreciate:

• A loving husband
• The support and love of our family and friends
• The first year in our new home
• Our health and happy outlook

In looking ahead to the new year, there's so much hope and so much to be thankful for!  Also, I hope to be more diligent about blogging.

Last night, we enjoyed Uncle Harold's art show.  It had been years since I went to the Art Walk in Pioneer Square.  The evening began with scrumptious dim sum at a little place my Dad introduced me to...  Cheap and delicious!  Then, we went to the show and it was beautiful to see so many of Uncle's pieces in one place! His exhibit is at the Gallery I M A and will last through the month.  His artistic influence is the erector set, just like the one that you used to play with as a child.  He has made buildings, dogs, animals, fish, birds and most recently pandas.  The pandas are decorated with re-purposed inner tubes from tires.  The material is tricky to manipulate, Uncle commented.  I think it's really amazing!  At our home, we have a salmon that is on a spring, so it moves back and forth, back and forth.  It's the only salmon allowed in the house, as I am allergic. Thanks, Uncle!

Favorite Fall Foto

I LOVE this picture so very much.  Trey is jumping for joy and his Grandma admiring it all.  He is a constant ball of energy and light.  

Gobbleness

Happy Belated Turkey Day!  We enjoy two Thanksgiving meals for the holiday.  First my Dad's home...  Kelan and Corey sported one-of-a-kind holiday hats.  The activity ended up with all of us crawling around like animals.  

 Mimi and Baby Cara

Then to Uncle Mike and Auntie Priscilla's where we ate and enjoyed. 

This year I am thankful for life.  I am thankful for each and every one of you who I am blessed to know.  

Trey's Birthday Fun!

Alissa's son Trey turned 2!  Alissa is my beloved cousin and growing up was like a little sister to me- following me around, practically as a shadow, sharing fashion tips and more.  We didn't fight like sisters, but I have always felt a closeness to her.  Her son Trey is such a gift to us all!  

Trey has an aversion to food so he isn't that fond of actually eating food.  We bought him a "Pizza Party" by Melissa and Doug   This toy will quickly become his most favorite toy of all, he just doesn't know it yet.

My Uncle Mike's home is special to me for so many reasons.  I practically grew up in this home and have so many fond memories of this abode.  Since all of the children have grown up, my uncle has created his "Man Cave" which doesn't necessarily fall into the "special" category to me.  But it's still well done.  Can you guess what team he adores?

Family

Grandma and Amalia "writing" together.  Spanning generations, love runs deep here.

Go Seahawks!

Thanks to our sweet friend, Susan, we got to go to a Seahawks game!  What a game!  It was sold out and it was my first game since the King Dome (yes, I am dating myself).  Simon had never been!  Our friend dL organized it all and what a fun day!

Sundari and Elijah's Wedding!

Congratulations Sundari and Elijah!

Simon met Elijah in his Sustainable Builders course and they became fast friends. Turns out- we adore them!  They got married at Golden Gardens in September.  I helped them set up the great event and it was marvelous!  They are both very creative and it showed through out the event.  They built this giant, gorgeous milagro, representing love and meaning "miracle" in Spanish.  This picture does not do it justice- the actual heart was made of shimmering vinyl and the flames waved in the air as a fan blew on it.  The giant piece was quite an effort!  Everyone loved to dance and pose in front of it- including us! 

 Each table had an individual, different decoration.  The balls represented the bride and groom.  Simon and I helped them decorate the balls one afternoon (but there were many more to do!)  Sundari's brother Ben and his wife Maria were the master minds behind this creativity.  One of the ones I made was below- the yarn representing Sundari's craftiness.  The ball with nuts and bolts represented Elijah's building efforts.  He is an architect.  Each decoration had a small ball of a milagro and this particular one had a small turtle to represent their future honeymoon- saving baby turtles in Costa Rica!

 Congratulations to the gorgeous bride and groom!  (Sundari's dress is made from reused kimono pieces.  Gorgeous!)

New Beginnings...

Today, Simon is officially self-employed.  He has been busy preparing for his first project- planning, researching, budgeting, organizing, permitting, and more planning.  We are VERY excited about his first project- condominium remodel!  New pictures to come!  Congratulations, Simon! 

Yurt fun- Happy Anniversary Simon!

A friend recommended we visit the Guemes Island Resort; getting the last ferry from Anacortes we traveled under the stars to our yurt.  This perfectly sized space was a wonderful get away for the long holiday weekend.  We hiked, massaged, rested and soaked in the sauna.  It was BLISSFUL.  

Food storage-squirrel protection!

Guemes Island Resort

Rain barn

Natural rain collector made by a creative local

Atop Mt. Guemes

Si took this mesmerizing photo atop Mt. Guemes.  Not only did we enjoy a nice and mild hike, but at the top we spoke with a co-steward of the Skagit Land Trust.  We learned a great deal about the preservation of the land and what the future plans for the land are.  It was really interesting!

Guemes Island Fall Festival

We visited the community fall festival and just fell in love with Guemes Island-even more!  Everyone was very friendly and talkative.  The small town feel was very obvious and we enjoyed all of it.  We spent a total of $26 and this is what we bought:  2 hotdogs, 5 small gift cards, 1 beautiful bowl and my anniversary gift a special peace pendant necklace.

Sweet woman who sold pottery with her husband: Eikeland Pottery

We bought a beautiful bowl and roasting dish.  It was discounted in price and a perfect fit for our kitchen.

Lovely photographed greeting cards