186 - The Gum Wall

Welcome to the Seattle Gum Wall:

A little bit gross and a lot a bit intriguing. It's kind of a must-see if you're visiting Seattle. Just saying.

129 - Taste of India

So apparently, it's really easy to break a habit. I mean, it may take 21 days to form a habit... but if you get sick for a month, man!, it's a great way to break a habit. I'm attempting to reform it. Gonna do a bit of backposting in the process... let's see what happens.

Don't forget to check older posts, because hopefully I'll be churning 'em out in a fast and furious manner this week! =)




So, this past weekend (which was, ahem, um, yesterday, June 27, right?), Josh and I went to the Taste of Philadelphia food festival. I must admit, I was a little disappointed in how small it was (I think there were 24 vendors.... I'm used to the Bite of Seattle with 70+), but we still had a good time and some good food. 

One thing we really enjoyed was the stage performances, specifically one with girls and women performing traditional Indian dances. It's pretty amazing to watch - so precise, exact, and beautiful... not to mention really fun and entertaining! Oh, and yes, these are all SOOC - the colors really were that bright!

While these are just a hint at what the true beauty of India includes, you can check out a collection of incredible photos from my sister and brother-in-law's month-long trip in India. I'm pretty sure they need to be working for National Geographic. They're pretty amazing!

100 - Purple Orbs

Alright, I'm back! I've made a decision and I also need your help!

As you've probably noticed, I've gotten a little bit behind on some of my posting. I'm not a whole lot behind - just one week, officially - but it's enough that it's making me make slightly annoyed faces at myself. And when you start making slightly annoyed faces at yourself.... well... it's slightly annoying!

I had really hoped to catch up and be back on track by the end of April - you know, get a fresh start with the new month of May. But I really wasn't thinking too logically, because the big benefit dinner at work (our biggest event of the year) was May 7. Meaning the first week of May is now one big blur where I'm pretty sure I did things like eat and sleep and maybe even talk to Josh, but really only recall working, working, and well, working some more.

I'm still recovering, and there's still a lot of follow-up to do at work, but I'm hoping I can get back into a regular pattern of posting. And to do that, I think I need to extend myself some of that grace I promised myself way back at the beginning. 

So, you got it. My decision is that I'm starting fresh. I just need to stop trying to "catch up" and just start going from where I am. Hmm, sounds like a lesson I should apply to a few other areas in life, too. =) 

Now, here's the exciting part: I need your help!

Above is a flower I shot this week. I've obviously had a fun time capturing the colors and textures of different flowers and aspects of Spring this year, but this time I wanted to get a slightly different perspective of things. 

Below are three more shots of the above flower... I want to know which you like best (or perhaps your order of preference), what you find interesting about them (or don't), and your thoughts on why you do or don't like those things. Please leave me your thoughts as a comment on this post.

And.... da, da, da, dah! Since this is my 100th post, it seems like a good time to have my first giveaway! I know it's not that big of a deal, but this has to do a little bit with a project I'm working on, so if you help me out, you'll be entered into my mini-contest!

Leave a comment by Friday, May 14 at 11:59pm EST, and on Saturday (ok, maybe Saturday or Sunday) I'll use a random number generator to choose the "winner". I will then send you a high-resolution copy of your favorite image! Hooray!

So... here we go! For the best impression, you might want to look at the large version of each (just click on the photos to do so).

Image #1:

Image #2:

Image #3:

Don't forget to check back in next weekend to see if you're the lucky winner! ;-)

90 - Umbrella Joy

A momentous event has occurred in my life, and I feel it is only right and fair for me to share it with you:

I have bought an umbrella.

Now, some of you probably think this is a ridiculous statement... of course I bought an umbrella. Everybody buys umbrellas. They use them for a while, they break, you buy a new one. 

Well, not me. 

See, I'm from Seattle. If you use (or maybe even own) an umbrella in Seattle... you're pretty much labeled either a tourist or a wimp. Sorry, but it's just the way it is. 

But here's the problem. I live in Philly now. And the rain here? Well, it's a little different than in Seattle. As in, there are huge, fat, enormous raindrops that fall quickly and furiously to the earth below. And if you don't have an umbrella, you'll be soaked in about 2.7 seconds.

So, the confession is, that I have indeed been using umbrellas since moving to Philly four years ago. However! I had been using free umbrellas (I received two thanks to TD Bank and one from a friend), and hadn't bought one of my own. Sadly, though, my free umbrellas have run their course, and when I opened the last one to find that half of its spokes were broken.... I caved. It was time. And I bought an umbrella.

Let me just say, I love my new umbrella. I love that I got a big one (because I'm often carrying stuff to/from work and Josh and I can both actually fit under it), and, well, I absolutely love the colors of it. Big surprise coming from me, huh? =)

And, Josh thinks this picture is a bit silly, but I rather like it: 

I think this also marks the first official self-portrait I have on this blog... though it's not the typical, artistic, "this is me", introspective kind of self-portrait. But hey, it is still me in the photo. =)

And, just in case you were wondering, it keeps the water off fabulously well. Again, this is one of those photos that looks better if you click on it for the large image -- then you can see all the water droplets (which make it look pretty cool). 

With that said, I hope if you have to endure rainy days, you at least love your umbrella as much as I do. I know that will be hard to accomplish, but it will at least mean your grey day with be much happier. =)

82, 83, 84 - Paint the Rainbow

So, I'm combining three days' posts into one, but before you think you're getting the short end of the stick -- trust me -- you're not. 

Now, I don't have much experience, but in my 4 years of living in Philly, I'm going to throw it out there that we don't get much of a spring here. Usually it's just a really long, cold, and often miserable winter (this one was slightly less so because we got so much snow which kept it fun/interesting), then about, oh, 4 1/2 days of spring, and then, bam! it's summer! Hello sweltering heat and constant sticky humidity. The lovely, fresh, cool warmth of Spring is lost. There's no time to stop and smell the flowers because, well, you're just running back inside where the AC is... and all the "Spring" flowers are already dead. Sorry, depressing, but sadly true.

This year, though, it's been different. We started getting Spring a little early... and then it got really hot (remember the 91 degree weather last week?), and then it got cold again, but now it looks like it's going to hover in the 50-70 range for a while. And I'm pretty excited about that. 

I wanted to share some of the color we've been getting, because really, it's quite incredible. As in, really, truly breathtaking. So I decided to paint the rainbow of Philly for you. These are all photos from right around my school... so it's not even anywhere "special". Yet these are the colors present. I know there's a lot of green thrown in, but hey, that's just how plants work. Chlorophyll, friends, chlorophyll. 

So, with that said... I hope you enjoy these spectrum of colors -- and the three posts combined into one rather long and colorful one. =) Let me know what you think! Which one(s) are your favorite(s)? Why?

66 - Adventures in Yellow

Even though we've had some absolutely beautiful March days this year in Philly, we've also gotten quite a lot of rain. And while I'm used to the grey days of Seattle, these are a bit different.

When it rains here, it rains. You can't really go outside to do anything, you're cold and miserable, and really, the day only feels good for curling up on the couch in front of the fire, wrapping up tightly in a blanket, and reading a good book with a steaming mug of hot chocolate to sip.

Sadly, we don't have a fireplace in our house, by the time I get home there's not really any time to "just sit", and I'm usually so tired that if I read before my actual bedtime, it'll just put me to sleep (reading is a necessary part of my bedtime ritual).

As you might've guessed, yesterday started out as one of those rainy Philly days. We've actually had a number of them the past couple weeks. So, I decided to try and cheer myself up with some good doses of brightness. And what better color to use than yellow, right?

So, here's a bit of yellow happiness from photos over the past couple of weeks - and even some from yesterday. Once the rain went away and the sun decided to come out, that is...

(One of the lovely roses Josh gave me... he's just good like that.)

Now, don't you feel better? I sure do. =)

65 - Buds of Spring, Part II

Last week I wrote about how Spring was popping its head out a little bit in Philly, and put up a few posts sharing some of the blooms and buds.  

Well, one week ago exactly I posted Buds of Spring. I walk by these shrubs as I go between two of the campuses of our school, and as I went by a couple days ago, I couldn't believe how much change there had been. Thus, today's "Part II" of the post. 

I went back and did my very best to take photos from about the same angles - I think I may have even found the same broken stem. But, check it out, and be amazed at what can happen in one week... 

(I'm re-posting last week's photos at the bottom so you don't have to go back and forth between the posts.)

And here are last week's photos...

59 - Blooming Whites

Here are a few more Spring blooms for you... in white!

I found this little trio and it made me think of the nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. I don't really know much about anything in regards to gardening and flower types, but I at least know these aren't lady bells. However, they still make me think of bells and spring and gardens and dew drops and early mornings and happiness, right?

Now... take a look below... can you believe the orange in the center of these?! Most of the shots from this week have come from my walks between our elementary and middle school campuses, and each time I passed by these flowers below, I just couldn't get over the brilliance of the orange and its contrast against the white. Kind of breathtaking, huh?

58 - Buds of Spring

So, we've had a week of March weather that really isn't typical of Philadelphia until mid-late May. It's been wonderful, and lovely, and fabulous, and everything good. I just wish it was here to stay. But, we'll enjoy it while we can, and that includes taking in all the beautiful buds and blooms around us. Although, it's not just the flowers that are starting to bud and bloom here in Philly...

I never thought I'd find shrubbery interesting... but I guess I was wrong! I actually really like the buildings in the background. I don't know why, but it feels a little bit like the wild west meeting urban city life.

Pretty amazing, huh? What is spring looking like where you live?