The Fray at the Paramount 2.28.12

OK.

Just like I promised.... Pictures from The Fray

( chance shot! yay for strobe lights!)

(This is my favorite! you can't really tell but that black mark the blocks out the guitar player was actually the arm of someone standing in front of me clapping... you know what that means... I got this picture between a clap!!! Now would be an appropriate time for a BOOYA!)

Volunteer Park Pictures

They say a picture is worth 1000 words.... let's test that, shall we?




So you know what I did all day by now?

That's at least 3500 words already!

No?...You must not be trying very hard

Well.... you got the garden part right... but the main issue here is either that quote is wildly inaccurate or it only pertains to the people who were there when you took the picture.

Today was a day of picture taking. I went up to Seattle with the intention of visiting this amazing water tower in a little park...and although I made it to the water tower none of the shots I got of it specifically tickled my fancy... so you got my pictures of the conservatory. Just a little FYI on this conservatory specifically, it was first completed in 1912! Most of the exotic plants have been donated to the green houses... I say green houses because there are 5 different parts to the conservatory... I've got to say, I'm a big fan of the Cactus and  Bromeliad areas. SUPER RAD!! Anyway, this place has been undergoing renovations since the 80's and I'm glad I stumbled upon it a while back. It really is a perfect taste of paradise (and warmth!) on a cold, gray day in Seattle.

Anyway, I'm exhausted... after the trip to my tropical paradise I got to see The Fray at the Paramount! Not to spoil part of my next post but....

Can you say money shot?

I got a lot of nice pictures from this show that I can't wait to share!

but for now.... I'm going to sprawl out on my CLEAN bed and see what I can dream up for tomorrow.

One Sock at a Time

WARNING: the photo you are about to see may not be suitable for all audiences.

Viewer discretion is advised.

OK.

I have a confession...

The mattress, well what you can see of the mattress in this picture...doesn't belong to some crazy spoon and toothpick hoarding, cat loving, old woman...

It's mine.

YIKES! what a mess!!!!

let me just say... this is 95% clothes and 5% art...that's not meant to justify this distaster...it simply serves as reassurance that I'm not in a bio-hazard area. I'm gonna be honest... I've always struggled with keeping my clothes hung up. Do people REALLY use hangers? I'm not entirely sure but...we can save that for another day.

Today lacked productivity (except for my now awesomely clean bed)...I spent the morning being mostly lazy. That laziness seeped into the afternoon and I really needed my coffee around 2:30. About 2 cups into  my fresh brewed pot I decided to make some finishing touches on a canvas I'd been working on... my paint pen however... had disappeared into the mountain of clothes that consumed my bed early last week. This meant I had two options... continue to ignore the pile of clothes, lighters, paint pens, paper, pictures, sharpies...and dare I admit this, peanut butter- OR - actually clean up this dump.

You guessed it. I cleaned up.

You're still probably wondering what the point of this is.... well other than being the most productive thing I did all day, it got me thinking.

When I was a kid, my mom was constantly fighting with us (I have two sisters) over our rooms. "just start at the door, pick one thing up, and work your way in" Now that's excellent advice! A mountain is moved one rock at a time... or in this case one sock at a time, but regardless... I took time to practice a very basic concept, a concept that I need to remember to apply in more aspects of my life.

I often get too caught up in worrying about how something will get done rather than just doing what I know needs to be done...Instead of doing what I can, I let the overwhelming big picture hold me back from just handling the little  doable things, little things that make me happy (like this clean bed). 

But I think we all struggle with getting going at some point or another, and if you don't, PLEASE tell me your secrets.... unless its dark magic ;)

For me, I guess I'll just have to keep reminding myself to just put one foot infront of the other... take one load at a time...cross each bridge as I get to it... You can only plan so many things in life... and even then, the unexpected always comes out of nowhere.

Ugandan Orphan Choir

 -tap tap- Is this thing on?

Ahem!

Good evening everybody!

Welcome!
Hi, I'm Shauna.

So here's the plan: I've got a lot of ideas... projects to be done, places to explore, pictures to be taken, things to be made... and I want to be able to share those with, well everyone! So that's what this is for...right? Right. We'll have to get over the awkward first post thing, and hopefully, soon, we'll be well on our way to having a plethora of awesome recipes, photos, crafts, ideas and discoveries. I don't want to waste time with some crazy introduction so lets just see where this thing takes us. Deal.

 How about today's pictures?

Today I had the pleasure of going to see a Ugandan Orphan's Choir sing at a local church; talk about a beautiful group of kids. Their ages ranged from 11-15 and there were 10 kids in the choir so it was a rather small group. I'm trying to be more diligent about bringing my camera with me and taking pictures and today I'm definitely glad I did.

Best part of this evening was watching the kids interract with each other. These children had such a depth to them...something inspiring, something hopeful, a story that was dying to be told. I'd be lying if I said I was fully aware of the music the entire time, my attention was often drawn to facial expression, the background laughter of the performers when something didn't go right, and the idea that the audience in the room saw these children, as orphans who have no  hope outside of what this choir group provides. I looked at the faces of those children and saw hope and strength.

Can you imagine the experience those children are having... traveling the world... I don't want to glamorize anything but WOW! I wish I had the chance to sit down with them off-stage and talk about where they came from and where they hope to go..I'd love to learn their stories.

This really reaffirms my need to travel the world. My need to immerse myself in other cultures and learn about the people who share the earth with me. I want to give back to those around me... I want to help carry those in need and give love, support and compassion to all who cross my path.

Speaking of compassion... the almighty Pinterest dropped a very inspiring idea that I'm putting on my "To Do" list this week. Essentially it's a basic needs kit for the homeless... so a bag that has a few snacks, something to drink, maybe a pair of socks, chapstick... I'll need to make a trip to Costco and the Dollar Store to make things cost efficient, but I'd love to make up some bags that I could keep in the car and hand out when the oppurtunity arrises.

I believe we can make the world a more beautiful place. It just takes some hope, love, and sensiblity

Uh.. thanks for reading?
I'll catch you guys later :)