I've Got Friends in All the Right Places

I've been noticing that I have a lot of creative and talented friends lately. So, I thought I would give them some love in the blogosphere.

Photographers

My cousin, Mike Folden

Casey Karbowski

Andrew Ferguson



Musicians

Of former Mathes Hall (@WWU) fame, Handful of Luvin'

Angus McDonell, Catholic Musician & Jazz artist

My niece, Austin Lenz, who dreams of becoming an Opera singer.

My friend from AHS and former college roommate, Chloe Pinckney plays bass in the Bruce Hughes Band around Grays Harbor.

Kris Orlowski, Seattle heart-throb and college friend.

And few people from the music program at my high school:

Roxi Copeland, Jazz singer and musician.

Ryan Dudenbostel, a conductor, arranger and clarinetist in NYC.

Ryan Stocks, former drummer for our jazz choir, now drums for The Back Row Kings.



Film/TV

Bao Tran of Persistence of Vision Films. Check out his article in Seattle Magazine too!

My good friend Elise Rooker from high school hosts a local cable show "On the Beat" and does some other acting gigs in NYC. Watch her get hypnotized!!

Ever have "one of those days" that turns into one of those weeks?

Bus(y)ness

Hey friends! Check out some ideas I have for my own business card and let me know what you think.

100 Days (or Summer by the Numbers)

I spent 100 days away from my job at Microsoft (well, 96 as of today). What did I do during this time?

I drove about 3,500 miles. I slept in 8 towns (Aberdeen, Seattle, Moses Lake, the Gorge, Snohomish, Joyce, Wenatchee, Shelton) and at 13 various places. I went camping 3 times, 2 of those times we set up the tent in the dark (always fun) and 1 time we think we may have found the last campsite in the county at the last second (in Joyce, in case you didn't guess). I stayed in 2 hotels, one of which was the presidential suite where we had 2 bedrooms, 1 conference room and 5 bathrobes. I slept on my airmattress 15 times (good investment), on 3 couches and 1 floor.

I cooked a weeks worth of meals for a total of over 100 teenagers from 9 parishes. I survived a kitchen with no ventilation in 100 degree weather. I watched 3 dogs and took 1 of them to the emergency vet after she ate a sock. I watched too many hours of television in the time I had nothing to do.

I moved 2 times. I only looked at 2 apartments, I decided on the second. I now live 3 blocks from my old house. It has 1 bedroom and 2 big windows overlooking Greenlake. I think there's some requirement that every address I have in Seattle must contain the number 7.

I turned 25. I complained about getting old at least 10 times.

I attended 8 concerts, 3 were bands you've probably heard of, 2 were free, 1 I got a free ticket to. I went wine tasting at 3 wineries. I visited 3 casinos. I gambled zero dollars. I won $10 and a couple of free drinks. I went to 3 weddings, 2 theme parties, 1 goodbye party, 5 birthday celebrations and 1 bachelorette party. I saw at least 8 friends from high school I haven't seen in years. I planned on going to Portland 2 times. 1 time I spent 5 hour in the ER instead - My back/stomach hurt for 7 days for unexplainable reasons. I had my blood drawn for the first time ever. 4 nurses tried to find a vein before it worked.

I watched sea lions play in Westport, pretended to be a Twilight fan in Forks, bought fruit at the orchards in Wenatchee, ate German food in Leavenworth, soaked in the hot springs of the Olympic Forest, relaxed in a backyard hammock, went antique shopping in Snohomish, hung out at coffee shops in Seattle, and ate birthday cake by a campfire on a foggy night.

It was a great 100 days, but I'm 100% ready to go back to work!

7 Things I Love

Nichole tagged me for this little Love Meme. My life has been all over the place, so let's see if I can find 7 things...

1. The changing seasons. I think the best change is from Summer to Fall. I really like sweaters, blankets, cool air and hot drinks.

2. My new apartment. After essentially living out of my car for the last 3 months, I'm really glad to have everything in one place again and to be sleeping in my own bed. I also love that it's my own apartment! It's exciting to get to decorate the entire place however I'd like (pictures to come) and have space. And a whole refrigerator! Although, I miss having roommates who always take out the trash. That's definately my least favorite chore.

3. Simplicity. I enjoy living a "less is more" lifestyle. Sometimes I toy with the idea of joining in the 100 Things idea - where you limit yourself to having only 100 things. I think I would have to count my books as one thing if I really wanted to adhere to the rules.

4. My friends. After being away for most of the summer, I appreciate them much more. We went out last night to send off Kaija to Germany. It was really fun to hang out with them again. I also really like that we can go nearly anywhere or do anything and have fun.

5. Work. I haven't started yet, but I've learned over the summer that I really like having order and routine in my life. I start again next Monday, the 28th and I can't wait to get out of the house everyday and see people. Making some money might not be so bad either.

6. Learning. I am constently reading at least 3 non-fiction books at a time focused on business or sociology or art. I'm fascinated by it and I'd like to be as intelligent on the subject of business as possible so I can someday start my own. Also, I'm going back to school to study advertising and design. I never thought I would return to school, but this is something I think I will enjoy learning about.

7. Trying to make myself better and the world a better place. Sorry for the Miss America answer, but I think most of what I do revolves around that. I have a secret dream of winning a Nobel Peace Prize in Economics. I like discussing how the world works and how people work and also how the world affects people. I try to take opportunities to give people some reasons to live more sustainably. So, shop local, drive less and live simply. FYI - I'm not a crazy environmentalist. I actually think these things are good for the individual as well as the planet. Not to mention they fit into Catholic Social Teaching.

I plan on giving an update on my summer vacation soon. Stay tuned.