Black and white photos... dreams in color

     It has been a few weeks since I have wrote anything.  There are a couple reasons for that.  I got a virus on my computer (the one that makes it look like it deleted everything, but really didn't... good times), but  Cameron to the rescue and starting my new job at T-Mobile.  It has been a lot of fun so far and there is so much to learn I think it was just the push I needed.  My co-workers are fun to work with and get to know as well.
     I am in a little bit of a weird mood today.  I had a dream last night.  My dreams are to say the least...... vivid.  Maybe because I am creative or maybe because I read a lot I don't know.  This dream was so real.  I woke up crying because of what happened.  Cameron had to hold me in order for me to calm down.  Not fun and needless to say I was one tired girl this morning.  Dreams have always been very intense with me.  I have been having another one that is a reoccurring one that I don't like much either.  Sometimes I dread going to bed because I am afraid of what I am going to dream.
     Anyways on a lighter note I watched the girls a couple weeks ago and forgot I took a few photos of them that Martha and Shalisa might want to see.  These were taken when we went on our ladybug hunt outside.  One landed on Maddie's head, but that is all we found.  Enjoy!

The hike to the cabin

     Last week Cameron and I went to his Uncle Galen's (about an hour from our place).  Cameron really wanted to go on this hike to a hunting cabin out in the middle of no where that Galen and few others know about.  Anyways we drive to the trail head.... actually there was no trail what-so-ever at any point in time so I will just say he drove until the logging road was blocked by a gate.  If you were to measure from point A to point B it would be been a half mile hike in one direction, but you don't just go point A to point B.  You have to go down, and up, and down, and up, and up, and down, and up, and around, and up, then you have to cross the river in a canoe, then lots more ups and downs and arounds....... then you are finally at the cabin (total of 3 miles).  It was pouring during our little adventure so we got nice and wet so thank goodness there was a stove at the cabin where we could have a fire and dry out.  We dried out, told stories and had some snacks for a couple hours then we made the trek back.  It barely rained on the way back which was nice.  It was an awesome hike minus the rain.  Here are a few friends we made on the way.

   

Cabin fever

     Not much has been going on here.  Cameron has been sick the last few days so I have been laying low with him.  We have caught up on the movies and shows we have wanted to watch, but I think we are both getting a little bit of cabin fever.  He tried to work today, but felt too crappy to work the full day.  He says he is starting to feel better though so hopefully he is on his way to being snot free.
     The latest good news is I got the job at T-Mobile.  I start June 6th with a week of training.  I am looking forward to putting my past job experience to good use and hopefully learn more to add to it.  I love working with technology and all the changes that happen in the industry in such a short time.  There is so much positive to this job I hope everything goes smoothly and I learn what I need to quickly.  I haven't not know what I was doing at a job in over 8 years.
     Here are some pictures I took the other day before Cameron started to feel really junky.  Enjoy!

Getting out of the house

So I hear it was suppose to be one of the last nice days for awhile so I told myself I had to get out of the house.  Bonus is I found another way to get to downtown Olympia via back roads.  This isn't going to be a long post, just more of a photo post of my outing today.  Enjoy!

A little excitement with silverware

     We may not have kids, or a pet, or a house yet or really anything exciting to blog about..... but today I bring you a blog post about silverware.  You are now on the edge of your seat aren't you?  How can silverware be exciting you ask?  Well let me tell you they can be when you have husband trying to do a good deed and a wife that can be and usually is a bit klutzy.
     The first story I bring you involves ice cream, a spoon and a husband.  We hadn't had ice cream in awhile.... trying to be healthier and what not.... so we were pretty excited to sit down to some cookie dough chocolate chip chunk goodness.  In said excitement Cameron was serving up the ice cream and spoon goes in the ice cream and bends.  You think to yourself... well that wasn't that exciting.  A bent spoon?  That is all ya got?  Well a little discouraged, but still excited about having the much talked about ice cream Cameron gets another spoon (Yes we have an ice cream scooper.  Why aren't we using it?... I have no idea), anyways he gets another one, digs in to the frozen goodness and ends up flinging ice cream everywhere!  It lands on him, the counter, floor, stove, you name it.  After the laughter subsided he was finally able to wrangle the ice cream into the actual bowl without further incident and we were able to enjoy it.  Yum!

     Story number two.  This involves the klutzy wife mentioned above.  So it was a normal day.  I was doing the dishes.  You know the stuff that you can't put into the dish washer, but really wish you could and secretly dream of "forgetting" just to see if anything bad would really happen, because you feel like you wash the same thing twenty times a day?.... Well that is what I was doing.  So if I may paint you this picture... I was standing at the sink, sun streaming into the kitchen, bare foot, just finished loading up the dishes that could go in the dish washer and had hand washed the rest by hand.  So feeling good about the washing part I moved onto the drying.  I get to the steak knifes.  Cleaning knives always scare me a little.  You have the sponge and soap making things all slippy  and my imagination gets the best of me.  Anyways some how one of them jumped out of my hand and dove straight for my foot as I was drying them.  Luckily I was on high alert already since I had just finished washing the slippy knives and escaped unharmed.

                                                                        THE END

Something new

     Thought that the blog could use a face lift.  I like it.  It is fun.  Now if I can get stuff done around the apartment that would be great.  But today is one of those can't make up my mind/non motivating sort of days.  I cleaned up the living room so that is one thing down.  The dishes are looking at me kind of funny like, but I am a multi-tasker so I think the laundry will get started, then the dishes, then it will be time to do a switchy-roo with the laundry and then I can have lunch after that.  I think when one stays at home so much you feel like you do the same few things everyday and it gets dull after awhile.  But dull doesn't out weigh the accomplishment of a clean and organized place so I will truck along.
     Cameron's Uncle Galen stopped by yesterday for the first time since we have been in the new place.  We talked for a few hours about this and that, gave him the million dollar tour, then decided we were all hungry.  We took Galen for his first experience at Red Robin (he was nice to treat us).  He gave it good reviews and I think he will be going back.  Other then the nice surprise visit we laid low yesterday.  Cameron needed a rest catch up day since he was feeling a little under the weather with a scratchy throat when he went to bed the night before.  The rest did him good and he is feeling much better today.
      Well I am off to make the place sparkle.

Just another day

Well I was going to post the tulip photos from our day trip, but since everyone is on facebook now a days you can check them out on there and comment.  Don't forget to go to Tondre Photography on facebook because I post a lot of photos there that I don't on my personal one.
Today was a day of errands and checking out a book store that Cameron and I have passed by several times since we have moved here.  They don't have a Half Price Books here which is sad for me, the closest one is in Tacoma.  So I go in and the second I walk in I was smitten.  This place is great!   It has its own little personality.  I think what sold me on this place is the lady that was helping me.  I couldn't find a book that I had been searching for, I asked her if they by chance had one in and she turns around a picks one off the shelf of random books that weren't alphabetized in any way.  She is my Mary Poppins.  I couldn't stump her.  Needless to say I will be going back.  The place is called Lassley's Books and they have three locations.  Lacey, West Olympia and Shelton.  They sell used (MY FAVORITE!)  books and they give you store credit when you bring books in.  Books are 60% off retail listed price (without any credit) and if you turn in books for credit it takes it to 80% off retail.  Still not as good as going to Goodwill (but they are super organized so worth paying a little more), but if you are turning books in on a regular basis then you can't beat it.
Anyways I really don't have a lot to update you guys on, just thought I would share the bit of sunshine I found in my day.

Made these cookie brownies for Ryan, Shalisa and the girls for when they come over tonight to play games.

I....can.....do.....this

I am determined to push myself and see where this passion of mine will finally take me.  I want to stop talking about what I love and start doing what I love.  Photography. I ordered (and just received!) my business cards, made a facebook site, got a business phone number and created a business email account (the email and new phone number are tied into my cellphone so I know what is work and what is personal... have to stay somewhat organized).  I can't make up my mind on the website so I think I will hold off for a couple months.  The time will also allow me to hopefully build up a current "digital" portfolio so I have photos to put on the site.  I am loving the new camera... so much to learn when you change cameras let alone mediums you are using.  It has helped me so much to have sold cameras for the last 8+ years, but with that knowledge it has also held me back too.  You get caught up in the consumer side of things were you tell yourself you need the best camera, the best this, the fastest that, but really you need a solid knowledge of photography and your gear and with that you can get amazing results.  When I did sell cameras I had some of my best sales and customers when I helped them realize they didn't need a camera, but that they needed an accessory whether it was a lens or a flash or a filter and to learn their gear better.  What I am trying to say is I have held myself back long enough and I need to put this stuff that is raddling around in my head and make it come alive in photographs.
Right now I have downloaded Lightroom 3 and am teaching myself the side of digital photography that I have been dreading... (duhn, duhn, duhn!)... editing.  I have really impressed myself that I haven't needed Cameron's help (he is good at the tech stuff) and I have created some finished products that I am happy with. 
If you are already my facebook friend I am sure you have seen them already (I originally posted the photos with no edits, but I deleted those and re-posted the ones with the edits).  Check out Tondre Photography on facebook.  I will post photos from shoots as well cool stuff within the photography industry.

 

Photo taken at Tumwater Falls April 23, 2011

Clay Muffin Pan

Here is the muffin pan I made in the class Shalisa and I took in Shelton.  Haven't used it to actually make muffins yet and it turned out a little shallow so it will probably will be a muffin top pan, but it still turned out cute.

Stormy Weather and To Do Lists

     Well it has turned out to be a pretty stormy day today.  Lights are flickering because the wind is blowing so hard.  But none the less it has been a great day so far.  It started with Cameron bringing me a coffee in bed as he was heading out the door to work.  I woke up and snuggled on the couch with coffee and current book in hand.  You would think I would have more me time since being unemployed, but my day never seems to turn out that way.  So this morning was much needed and a very nice start to my day.
      Yesterday I got a bee in my bonnet to do some "light" cleaning.  One thing lead to another and I emptied 5 more boxes from the office room, hung up a painting, vacuumed the whole apartment, did the dishes, all the laundry, rearranged/tidied the bedroom and then made dinner.  All in all I felt very good about getting some projects crossed off my list of to dos.  Today I am trying to get motivated to put some things on Craigslist that I have been meaning to do for the last few weeks, but keep putting it off.  My next big project I want to tackle is setting up a filing system for our import paperwork.  I am tired of the endless paper piles.  You check the mail and then you have another one!
     Update on the crazy robin that was diving into our window:  As long as shades are down it doesn't fling its self into the window anymore.  If shades are up then he is back at it.  Weird.
     Any who..... anyone want to come for a visit?  See the new place?  We miss everyone and love visitors.
(I made almond poppy seed muffins for Cameron a couple days ago and this is the coffee he brought me)

A birthday boy and a get together

     On Friday it was Cameron's 31st birthday.  Where does the time go?  I took Cameron to The Spar which is a McMenamins for lunch and then he went to his first ever boys game night with his brother in law Ryan.  Game night is where they play board games of all types (and I am not talking not chess and checkers, the games they play can easily take an hour to play) and can go into the wee hours of the morning.  And on Saturday we had the house full for a birthday get together with his parents, Shalisa and Ryan and their two girls and Brian and Shannon and their four girls.  It was cozy, but it worked out just fine.  Great meal thanks to Martha and Shalisa.  I baked the cake and 7 layer bars which were a hit as well.  Thanks everyone for making Cameron's day special.

      Cameron and I watched the girls afterwards while Ryan and Shalisa went out.  The girls picked out the movie we watched and then had snack time.  (last picture is of us watching a movie)  It was so much fun being silly and spending time with them. 

      

   

Olympia

     Ok I really am no good at this blog thing.  Writing whether blogging or commenting is not my strong suit.  I am afraid of sounding stupid or frustrated because I can't get my thoughts to come out right.  Well lets give this another go and hopefully I will be a better blogger both posting and commenting.
     Well we are in Olympia where there are a lot of ...... well lets say interesting people so I don't offend anyone.  Trying to get the lay of the land and getting settled in has been keeping me busy while Cameron is at work.  I have been cooking dinners every night.  So far I have mastered the crock pot (made beef, carrot and potato stew), made killer asparagus and chicken stir fry to name a few.  Cut Cameron's hair for the first time (yes he still has hair).  Started doing puzzles again.  It has been different switching rolls from full time worker to house wife.  It has been an adventure.
     Before we moved we went to the Harry Potter exhibit thanks to his parents for Cameron's early birthday present.  It was snowing the night we were loading up the truck and the day we were moving in.  After we got everything moved in it ended up snowing 7 inches.  Now living on a hill made it a challenge to go anywhere so we got a lot of the boxes unpacked the first couple of day we were here.
     We miss our friends the most.  We aren't that far away, but it feels like it is worlds away from what we know.  I also miss knowing where everything is and where I am going.  The GPS has never gotten so much use before.
     Cameron is enjoying his new store.  Very different from what he is use to, but he is settling in quite nicely.  Thanks to those of you who have called and texted to check in on us and keep in touch.