Happiness is a new blue sweater.

Thanks Liz for the parcel we recieved today with this yummy blue merino wool sweater and Pete's Book. The book looks awesome.And as for an update on the travel pictures. Smugmug won out and I am uploading the first 418 as we speak. Hopefully I can do a country a week for the next month before we move into our house and unplug for while before getting internet again. So those should be up in the next day or two and I will link over to them. Here is a teaser.

Our travel photos. What to do?

the leaves have really come out this last week

My traveling shoes that look tired but still feel so good. Which brings me to another point. Most of Saturday I tried to figure out how to upload our travel photos into a web gallery on our photo program Lightroom only to realize that you had to have webspace to put the web gallery on...duh. There are just too many photos to put on this site and I really wanted to have them in their own gallery but blogger doesn't have a batch upload so it would potentially take 10 years to do it. I looked at dot mac and even signed up for the free 60 day trial and found a thread of someone who had exported their lightroom gallery onto their dot mac account but it isn't working for me and subscribing seems like an expensive option. So I was thinking flickr although I was hoping to customize it a bit as the pictures just don't look as nice in the flickr galleries. I know, I am being very picky and I should just put them somewhere but I just can't, its the aesthetics of it all. Does anyone know of a nice photo hosting site or ideas of what to do with them that is easy? I will figure it out, no doubt, but I took Saturday off to do it and it didn't get done...arrrgh.

Scar nose.

This afternoon Mike and I went over to visit a Bed & Breakfast in the area. It is on a beautiful 170 acres and the owner took us on a tour of the property (in his rugged Mule jeep thingy) which included journeying up the hill to see a killer view. Well he hadn't been up there since winter and there were several branches dangling down. We stopped or ducked for most of them but one got me...right down the nose. It's actually a miracle that my glasses didn't get wrecked (which would have been a serious bummer because specs in the states are expensive and I love my new ones I got in India that were 5 cents). It didn't bleed much so we kept up towards the view and as we stopped, the owner said to me, "It's a view worth bleeding for" and it actually was. He felt pretty bad but it's fine; accidents happen and now I can go by scar nose. I don't actually think it will scar but it is quite the scrape and my glasses rest right on top of it, ouch!
Happy friday.

Recovered!

The other night we were able to recover 250 of our Tibet to Nepal photos which we thought had been ruined. It was incredible to look back at them for the first time since being there and having that wee adventure that day, still one of the most memorable days of my life.


Mt. Everest. It was kind of odd to drive by the turn off to Mt. Everest. Just drove on by.
Dust Ball Kid or French Bread Boy (we gave him a few packets of "french bread" that were like fake sweet bread. He was so happy.
This was the guy who welded our jeep back together with nails they found in the dirt.
Heading up towards the pass looking back down on the dusty road we had driven.
We were nearly as high as the peaks of the Himalayas. Incredible . And we were above the sunset.
The pass.
Our rock star driver (no really). We got out for some pictures and it was so cold. It was after this that the trip really got interesting, sorry no pictures, it was too tense. I am really glad we were able to recover these.

Birthday BBQ Goodness.

Austyn had her birthday party BBQ today and all the fam (plus our adopted sister and her 2 sons) were there to enjoy the beautiful spring evening.
The cousins enjoyed some wrestling.
I love all their faces.
Austyn didn't really get to blow her candle out as the wind got them first but that is a homemade Stawberry Fairy Cake (with real strawberries inside). Go K80!

She could be angry in that picture but that is a grin of pure joy.
the cake was very popular
but soon we returned to football.
A looks more like a cheerleader here while M and W are fighting for the ball in the back.
S is reaching high for the ball that isn't there but I love her little stretch.
Missy Moosey is gearing up for a run. That's right, you can see it in her face and boy is it awesome to see.
All cousins and McK take the field. (Mike was kicking the ball to them)

She kept taking Mike's hand and then falling to the ground and loved it.
Then we went for a little stroll to check out the lake. Everyone holding hands.
The winter melt off has made everything gush!
Lake Kennedy. This weather is just amazing but soon all those hills will be popping with green green green leaves. Just 2 weeks ago that was all snow. Things can change fast in these parts! Now I am exhausted after all the SILS and myself completed our 8 mile run today. It was a great run with great weather and we went to the actual place it will be held so good to run part of the course. Good weekend.

Treasures and Updates.

We are all signed so as long as the building inspection goes well this week, we will close on the house May 28.

Whoa. Wow. Weird. Wonderful.
On the same sort of note. We went to some Yard Sales today (as it was another gorgeous day) and picked up some goodies for our house to be and are storing stuff in N and M's garage along with the few things mom sent up from NM. This included a very nice table and chairs, a cool brass lamp, a three piece desk set that I am going to sand down and refinish for my little home design centre AND this incredibly cool vintage (for real, it was made in 1974) vanity for a real steal. I love finding treasure for cheap and knowing I am soon going to have a space to make our own and put them all in :) ( I got that blue rooster at another sale for 50 cents) Tomorrow we are all going to run 8 miles on the road the half marathon will be on. Not so sure about that but we'll see how it goes.

Short sleeves and Sandals.

Gloriousness is today. It got into the mid 70's today. Yum. Life is better when the sun is shining and the weather is warm after many months of cold. As it was my first winter back, I didn't get that down but it was the coldest and snowiest winter Vermont has seen in many years so we made it through. The grass is greening, the buds are pushing out on the trees and the green glow that Vermont becomes in Summer is emerging. I am so happy to be back and hopefully Mike enjoys the summer here as well :) I feel like we are all sort of like this potted plant today, loving the light but not quite used to it.

Missing Michael Johns.

Something new for us since coming to the States this year is watching American Idol. We first began watching out of curiosity but there is a certain enjoyment that comes each week when its on and the anticipation if Paula will look like a drunk stripper or kind of pretty. As I watched this week's Mariah Carey week (very weird) I realized that something was missing, Michael Johns who was voted off last week. He really had an ease about him on stage, a really cool bluesy/rock voice and just plain personality. He seemed genuine in his ability and his performance and I liked most of what he sang. I don't necessarily know that he was the best or anything but he was my favorite style of singer and I would happily download his music ;) We miss Michael Johns.
First off, his performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was hot. Loved it. This was in the audition phase and unlike many of the idols who have sort of eeked their way through and started to get better, Michael Johns was always good. Perhaps not idol material (which is probably better) but great. Plus, I love this song.



Then this performance of the Dolly Parton song (she wrote some goodies for a plastic doll but I have a weird soft spot for Dolly) "Its All Wrong But its Alright" was fantastic and sexy...Mike thinks so too.




I could go on about this and how David A needs to not smile with his mouth closed, Brooke needs to stop doing the weird lip thing, Dread boy needs to just stop, and more but enough said. I have work to do.

This is clever.

Brother number 1 sent this to me today. Very clever.

Spring is trying to emerge.

i love the shape and color of snapdragons :) There is something really unique about their shape, almost like an iris but as the cluster up the stem, they are delightful and the colors. I have been spending a lot of time looking at snapdragons.


Our town has this great wilderness reserve and as the snow has melted away, we have begun to enjoy all the trails. I love it.

My life: at the moment.

my favorite thing: ( I got these shoes at the Silk Road Market in Beijing for 5$ but it was a hard day of haggling...remember that Lucy? I wish I got 5 pair of these very same shoes..yes I do.)
my favorite tool: Wacom drawing pad ( i am getting better with it...I've had it a year thanks to Mike.)
my favorite books: Color and Pattern references...that middle one I got in India and it is brilliant!
my necessary bits and bobs: I finally got a cell phone but I don't know that I can ever give up my planner. I like actually writing and crossing stuff off. Oh and my favorite key chain from Liz.