"Stars and Stripes"
My first 'real' quilt is done. I finished the binding tonight and am so excited! I'm really working on a finish of the projects push and this is the first accomplishment.

Window shopping for sparkles. There is a lighting store across the street from my office and it sparkles at night and early morning. Kind of makes me want to buy a big chandelier for the entryway.

Apple picking day! It was raining, but we made the best. We could have just gone to the orchard and bought a bag of apples, but that wouldn't have been very much fun. So we braved the rain and picked away.

Kelly was my side-kick in this adventure - it was an all out sister day! We went shopping too and found her some gorgeous boots...I made her buy them, so I could drool (if they had been in my size, I probably would have bought a pair too!)

Kelly is my sister 6 years younger and has been a truly great side-kick for 22 years of my life. (I hope she calls me her side kick too). We are pretty much the same, except for some very important differences:
She has a bit more of the Irish fierceness in her from our Grandma.
She is taller by 4 inches.
As I said before, our feet are different sizes.
She is a nurse and a really good one, I'm sure of it.

Its 11:54 and I'm still awake. I just wanted to post a bit about my sister Kelly. I take pictures of things and trees and randoms, but people are a huge part of my life, so I want to start featuring those people too. More to come about Kelly on Monday, because we are going to an APPLE ORCHARD together!!! But I must say that having a sister in the city is great. I am so thankful that she is a phone call and 6 blocks away...I will miss her much when she moves on to great things in her future life, but right now, I'm absorbing all my "sister time" with joy!

A view from under the umbrella and a story:

Walking at the University of Minnesota is a daily endeavor, and while there, I got caught in foul weather while walking, but it was sporadic throughout my tenure at the U. During my last summer semester in school I had a class on the other side of the river at 8:00 in the morning everyday and there wasn't a bus that ran between my front door and the classroom building. Also, this particular summer it rained every morning. So I walked through the rain. I had a dinky umbrella and I was usually on the bridge when the thunder and lighting started, at which point, I ran. (The dinky umbrella never helped keep me dry). It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th time I got to class soaking wet that I decided that umbrella was no friend of mine and I left it in the corner for someone else to wrestle with in a storm on a bridge. After that, I went to the store and got the biggest, strongest, most expensive umbrella I could find and it was worth every penny. Six years later, I still have that umbrella, it still keeps me dry and it has never failed for another windy, rainy walk across a bridge.

I went to a middle school to talk to art students about architecture today - both the career and the buildings. After showing them a lot of old buildings and talking about what I do on a daily basis, a girl asked me "what's your inspiration?" and I kind of fumbled. I observe the world daily through my eyes and hopefully absorb the view, but some days, certain weeks it fails to recall. I guess that's partially why I started this blog; as an inspiration to myself. To find the unusual, the inspiring, the absurd and the beautiful. Lately its hard to find. Maybe its not there, but more likely, I'm not looking hard enough - busy, busy, too much to do. So today I pull out this picture that is from our recent vacation. Trees so big that they have always been there and they force you to stop and absorb.

ps - I didn't score the most in the blackout round of Sarah Palin bingo - my boss actually got bingo with "hockey mom".

I got on my running shoes today and decided to go back to the gym. Ugg. The gym. We started going at the begining of the year and I have a love hate relationship with it. I love it because I do feel better when I go regularly and my waist is trimmer than it was last year. But I hate the timing thing...try to go in the morning and I can't get up. After work and I'm starving and after dinner (and dinner settle-time), I'm up all night. Also, I refuse to do sit-ups at that place - I don't like people to see when I do sit-ups. I'm making a goal to go regularly again and letting you all know so I hopefully keep the goal (for a while). Looking forward to tender muscles tomorrow.

Two other notes of the day. 1. Its fall - see picture below. I picked up this very perfect leaf on my way home. They are sprouting up all around. I think taking its picture may have broken my camera...stay tuned for that one. 2. I didn't win at Sarah Palin Bingo tonight, but maybe scored the most in the 'blackout' round tomorrow. Wish me luck.