spring is here!!

And that makes me very, very happy!!

photo by kirsten.michelle

this is a first for me

One of my photos made it to Flickr's Explore page!!

For those of you scratching your heads and saying, huh?, Flickr Explore is a page of the top 500 interesting photos uploaded to Flickr on a given day. 500 may seem like a huge number, but keep in mind that the number of photos uploaded by Flickr users across the globe numbers an average of 3 million on a daily basis. So to be in the top 500 is saying something.

Nobody really knows the precise things that land a photo into a particular position on Flickr Explore. It has to do with how many views and how quickly you get them and where they come from, how many comments and favorites you get and the timeframe within which those are posted, the number of groups in which you've placed your photo (too many groups = a very bad idea), and who knows what else. All these things can change your ranking as well.

Like I said, it's complicated. It involves algorithms and things far above and beyond my expertise.

As of right now, my photo is ranked #31. This could change (when I woke up this morning, it was #291), but for my first explored photo, this is HUGE.

And it humbles the heck out of me.

UPDATE @ 11:24 PST
The photo is now at #4. Holy moly!!

Photo by kirsten.michelle
Available for sale on RedBubble

warmth

It is cold here, and wet. My fingers went numb all through when taking these pictures. But I get all warm and glowy feeling when I look at these.

Holding on to a latte is helpful toward that end, too.

I hope you are all warm and safe ... peace to you!!

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

View from Cougar Mountain
Canon 40D
Issaquah, WA
September 2009

Looking down that hill/mountain there ... see those buildings? This is where we live ... kinda behind those trees in the lower right-hand corner. Ish.

Yep.

Anyone wanna come over?

coming up for air

Apparently, it takes a snow day for me to be able to write a blog post!! Like many areas of the country, we're experiencing some severe winter weather. We got 8 inches of snow yesterday and for today that means that I'm still in my pajamas, have played several solo rounds of PathWords of Facebook (so addicting!!), washed the dishes, and also did some laundry. There are thick sheets of ice where a driveway and a road used to be, and we are in no hurry to test the limits of my roommate's all-wheel-drive vehicle.

Transition time at work is starting to draw to a close and I am so thankful for that! Since I arrived here a month ago, I've not had a work day that was shorter than eleven hours. As for me and my house, we've been doing our best to break down cardboard, get settled in and set up, as well as navigate our way around this new place, discovering where we can find some good sushi or the best pho in town.

And speaking of new places, I have to say that I'm really digging this one. It's been amazing to see how those things I was concerned about leaving behind have also been provided for in this new place. From a mountain view to a good chiropractor, the Lord has provided for every thing I knew I was going to miss.

Last weekend, we took a walk around our new town and were utterly taken in by its charm. I hope you will be, too!

photos by kirsten.michelle

politicking & pumpkin patching

Like many of us, I'm on the edge of my seat in this election year. Like many of us, I'm eager for this process to draw to a close. And (again) like many of us, I'm sick of the campaign ads, the conflicting claims, the mudslinging, and the propaganda. Much of it turns my stomach.

I'm keenly aware of how impassioned people are about the candidates they've chosen to support; this includes me as well as anyone I know. Ever since I became a registered voter, I've maintained a personal vow not to allow any political associations interfere with my friendships. It's a vow that's still important to me, but in this political season, is increasingly difficult to maintain. So if I'm your friend and I've offended you, I apologize. While I may vehemently disagree with the political convictions of some friends, I see no sense in letting these views interfere with my relationships. And I really hope my friends feel the same. We can do that for each other, can't we?

I was thinking of all this last night as I was watching the final debate. And I know we all realize this election is important, but I was also thinking that perhaps now more than ever, a lot of responsibility lies with the man who is next elected to this office. While the position is a high-ranking one, neither candidate is going to be able to lift this country out of a recession, reform healthcare and education, raise the minimum wage, and bring to fruition the plans and promises that have been made thus far all on his own.

Along the same lines, I also wondered what I might do to be a part of the change this country needs. I can't single-handedly end the war overseas, and I'm pretty sure I can't do much about the current mortgage crisis. I've got to let presidents do what presidents do. I can, however, make thoughtful choices about where and how my time, energy, and financial resources are directed in my community. My vote is an important part of that, but it strikes me that there are things I can do right where I live. It is not going to make headlines, but it will be something.

I can't figure it all out today, but if you have any ideas for ways to serve in the community, I'm game. I've got a couple of my own, but I bet we will get some really good ones if we put our heads together.

So. Enough on that. It's October and that means a trip to the pumpkin patch. After this visit, I'm convinced that amidst all the things that are wrong with the world, pumpkin patches are at least one things that's right with it. Here are some photos from last weekend's venture to Whidbey Island ...

just in case you wondered where you were ...


a family together at the pumpkin patch


me & my friend peggy


bippity boppity boo!

P.S. I found a new place to live today, and I think it may be perfect. Hooray!!

summer dreamin'

Hi friends!!



As you can see, I've had some fun redesigning some things around here. A techie I most definitely am not; I could not have done the three-column format without these instructions. Easy as pie really (even if you are HTML-retarded like me), which means that it was simple enough that the change was accomplished without heaping curses upon my laptop or Blogger, and that is definitely saying something when it comes to making changes in this space!!

Until next time, I hope your summer days are dreamy and relaxing and that someone out there is having a hammock-swinging good time ...

dreaming & hammock photos by kirsten.michelle

i heart summer!!

No offense to the Christmas season, but I do believe this is the most wonderful time of the year.

kaari soaks up some sun

I'll be posting part 3 of the this unnatural fog series soon, but wanted to share some yummy summer goodness first. :o)

Happy first week of summer!!

all summer-y photos by kirsten.michelle

clear blue skies

Though the calendar says it's spring, that belief might be challenged were you to visit the Pacific Northwest right now. We've been experiencing all manner of unusual weather here: over the course of the day yesterday, it was overcast but dry in the morning, raining and hailing in the early afternoon, and the sun was shining boldly through a clear sky by the late afternoon.

And this morning before my icy car had a chance to warm and before the sun had a chance to drown out the dark shades of night, I passed the grocery store whose digital display told me it was just 26 degrees.

All I can say is that it better be a fabulous summer! In the meantime, I am rather enjoying these clear blue skies and coming up with creative & delicious ways to keep warm.

barn photo & moonrise photo by kirsten.michelle

snowflakes & flip-flops

Don't get me wrong: I am so ready to go to Florida to visit my dear friend (and yours), Christianne. According to Accuweather.com, I can expect temperatures in the mid- to high-70s during my stay. I do so need to thaw out. Here in my corner of the world, the red line of the thermometer has not been able to push much past 20 degrees. My attire these days is regularly comprised of gloves, scarves, thick socks, and my favorite black puffer vest. I come home with icy white hands and toes purple and tingling from the cold. So it seems ironic to be packing a suitcase with short-sleeved tops and contemplating the question of whether or not to pack flip-flops (in which case my agenda for today had better include a pedicure) when there is a fresh dusting of snow in my backyard, resting on the flat and frozen surface of the little pond outside my window.

We got some more snow here yesterday. Having had a couple of unfortunate driving experiences in this kind of weather over the past year or so (nothing major, just those slippery and icy situations you don't want to get into), I typically respond to those first few flakes like an old and wrinkly Scrooge, crossing my arms and sticking out my lower lip, thinking bah humbug. I don't want to drive in this stuff (said with spit and disdain), or I will most certainly slide into a ditch (which, for the record, has not happened).

Yesterday wasn't like that. I ran outside to the snow like a nine-year-old, wondering if this means school is going to be canceled. As those first flakes fell, resting on my arms and eyelashes and nose, something playful and mischievious was awakened in me. My brother and sister felt it too. We played right along with our littlest neighbors. We knew it was magic.

So we just went with it.

see all the 27 jan 08 snow day photos by kirsten.michelle

frightful & beautiful

We received our first snow of the season yesterday. Pacific Northwest snow tends to stop everyone in their tracks; whoever drives does so at his own peril. Because it is wet and heavy, it always turns to a treacherous combination of compact snow and ice when cars pass over it. Add hills to the mix, and there is plenty of slipping and sliding for ill-prepared drivers.

I worked a few hours yesterday and made the decision to leave early when I could see conditions were worsening. No matter which of three possible routes I chose to make the mile and a half drive home, there would be a hill to climb at the end. Were I able to maintain momentum, it would have been fine. But when the cars in front of me stopped, I knew I wouldn't be going anywhere (and given the slick and icy conditions, I was particularly thankful for the fact that I wasn't going anywhere). I had chains in my trunk, but had always had one of the more adept masculine set nearby to do the dirty work. No such luck on this day.

The long and the short of it is this: I'm thankful that there are still people in the world who will pull to the side of the road and help a stranger put chains on her car. It took nearly an hour to get there, but I made it home safely.

And here I stay, enjoying the quiet magic of the snow.

Backyard photo taken by kirsten.michelle, 01 dec 2007
See more of my first snow photos here.

stellar autumn day

instead of typing, my fingers have been busy snapping photos.

we had a beautiful autumn day here yesterday; it seemed about half the city turned up at my favorite local waterfront park to take it all in. [hard to believe this, as things were so very different a year ago at this time ...]

taking the opportunity: i stopped, i looked, i listened

raucous laughter on the playground

park bench affections

leaves crowding around my ankles,

crunching underfoot

fiery displays of red, yellow, orange

sun piercing through the chill

clean sharp salty air

wide open space in which to breathe deeply

thank you, LORD for bathing me in this goodness
these moments of light.

October Anomalies

While the weather is not the most interesting thing about what I'm up to these days, it certainly is giving us Pacific Northwest natives plenty to talk about. This is not typical October weather at all!

Yesterday was sunny, clear, and warm: as in 74 degrees. And this morning as I drove to work at 5 am, the temperature read 57 (non-natives, read: warm). Last year at this time, we had sideways rain, hundreds of felled trees, and several thousand homes without power for days on end. I don't know whether there is some rational scientific or meterological explanation for it all, but you won't find me complaining about all this ...

The Great Thing About Rain Is ...

rainbow photo by kirsten
16 october 2007

A Sunny Afternoon ...

... is good for chilling on the back porch

So why would you care

To get out of this place

You and me and all our friends

Such a happy human race

Eat, drink and be merry

For tomorrow we die

Dave Matthews Band

Tripping Billies

back porch photo by kirsten

08.29.2007

When Friends Meet

On Tuesday, I had the blessed privilege of being able to meet Jen, Gary, & Kate a relatively short distance away from home where they were vacationing at her parents' timeshare. I have seen very little of my chums since graduation, so I jumped on the chance to reconnect for the day. The weather was warm and gorgeous, and we enjoyed a delightful lunch.

Here are a few pictures from the day ...

I look forward to a few short weeks from now when I get to see Christin, Adam, & Luke for a few days!! I'm the most blessed blogger in the world ... :o)