2009 year in review

What a year this has been!!!! So many ups and downs in my life since 2009 began, if it weren't for a calendar I wouldn't know where to begin.
The year started out with me having to make a tough decision that affected my heart greatly. Having a hard time recovering from that prompted some friends and family to say/write some things that were hard to, but neccesary to hear/read. Thank you.

In Feb I went to San Francisco with my sister and niece and we had a wonderful time despite mostly damp weather.



We went all over the city soaking in the moisture and the sights/sounds that SF has to offer. A return trip with more time is certainly in my future.

In March I moved from the suburbs into the city. I now live in a neighborhood called "Capitol Hill" It is a rather diverse neighborhood that is rather close to downtown and my job with the city.



As the months wore on I spent a lot of time in and around Capitol Hill with my camera at the ready. I got to watch a fundraiser game of softball between the "Dykes" and the "Drag Queens". It was most certainly the most colorful game of softball that I have ever seen.



In June my sister and niece flew back home to Michigan to visit with friends and family.



During the rest of the summer I spent most weeks in the mountains with friends. Up to this year most of my hikes were contained to established trails. This year I decided to challenge myself a bit more and dabble in "scrambling". Talk about a rush!! I found myself in situations that really forced me to stay in the moment and make some very precise decisions. There were a few moments in there that made me ask myself what the heck I was doing. Persistance paid off and we usually got to our intended summit, unless safety would be compromised, then we forwent a summit or two.





November found me celebrating my birthday back home in Michigan as I drove back to help a dear friend with some things. For the first time I took 2.5 weeks off from work and I relaxed and enjoyed life and the chance to be there for somebody who's been there for me a lot in the past year.

In December I re-took the placement test for college and I've enrolled in my first college class in almost 15 years. I'm a bit nervous, but also excited about the challenge of furthering my education and one day earning a college degree.

This is of course just a rough skimming of the surface from this year, but I've learned so much this year and am so grateful to those who have stuck by me and have been there when I needed them the most. Your continued friendships and love has helped me in ways that I can not fully describe.

I look forward to an exciting year in 2010 and the chance to continue to stregnthen the friendships that I have and make some more as I continue on in my life.

3 scenes from today

I don't plan on doing this everyday, but I thought it'd be cool to share some random images from my day with all of you. I don't plan on having any sort of theme to these shots, just if something catches my eye.
So with that in mind......

Bus ride to work


Crowds in the street for the Christmas Carol Contest.


Participants in the contest.


Have a good day!!!

Long time no update.......

It's been almost a month since my last blog posting and it's been a busy time with a lot going on.
My trip to Michigan went great! I had a lot of fun visiting friends and family. I was able to help a friend out around their house and that made me feel really good. Being able to utilize my skills and talents in a way that can help a friend is one of the best things that I could ever do, especially when it's for someone who is such a dear friend to me. On November 13 I was able to celebrate my birthday at a great restaurant with this same friend. It was a wonderful evening and one that I won't soon forget.
I made the drive back to Seattle in about 48 hours with some severe leg pain, which I'm still dealing with today.
On Thanksgiving my sister and I had some turkey and other turkey day foods and relaxed at my place while her daughter spent the day with her father. Lisa and I had had other plans for Thanksgiving, but the day before they changed so we figured things out and enjoyed the day together.
Lately things at work have been going pretty good. I adjusted well after being away on vacation and got right back in there and do the best that I can everyday.
While I was home my dad gave me an old bicycle that he doesn't ride anymore. Even though the frame is a bit small for me, I've managed to make it fit for the time being and I've been riding around town and to and from work. It's been fun to be able to ride again, but I've found that I have to be even more aware of what's going on around me as cars take less time to look out for cyclists these days, some don't even look for us at all. I've had a few close calls with cars and buses, but I do the best I can to keep my eyes out for them.
Last night my niece had a choir concert at school. My boss let me leave work a few hours early so that I could attend. She did great and I had a nice time at the event which also included vocal jazz, jazz band, concert and symphonic bands. It was fun to be able to watch my niece interact with her friends and to be able to meet a few of them myself.
So that about wraps things up for the most part. I've taken lots of photos but none that I really care to post as they don't seem to be as good as others that I've taken. Maybe I'll get some decent ones soon and I'll post those, we'll see.