Life in 2010

For someone who doesn't have a job, I've had a busy and interesting year! (Which just goes to show that your job doesn't define you.) Here's to 2010, an all-around good year...

We moved from a teeny-tiny studio apartment to our lovely 1-bedroom apartment...

...and painted it some fun colors...

We went to birthday parties (sometimes in awesome costumes)...

We adopted a dog named Onyx from the Oregon Humane Society...

I read a bunch of good books (including my brilliant hubby's Christmas gift to me below)...

...and made a bunch of good recipes (including my all-time favorite drink, chai tea)...

I got a Nikon D3000...

...and developed an obsession with the Rose Garden...

I celebrated my 26th birthday with a monstrously large ice cream sundae and some slight age-induced panic...

 

We had a lovely, lazy summer involving the beach, swimming in my parents' pool, and wandering around the pretty countryside...

Three new nephews were born this year (including one weighing twelve and a half pounds, which may have caused some baby-phobia)...

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary (by forgetting it), and shortly after that we watched two of our dear friends, Eric and Bethany, get married...

We said goodbye to my wonderful Grandpa, which was the hardest part of the year, but I take comfort in knowing that I'll get to see him again in heaven...

We went to another wedding for my beautiful friend Kelsey in the seaside city of Astoria...

I ran the Portland Marathon (my first!) on one of the rainiest days of the year, in 5 hours and 12 minutes (and then spent weeks trying to recover from it)...

I became a little obsessed with autumn...

 Josh picked his first Halloween pumpkin ever on the beautiful Sauvie Island...

We celebrated Thanksgiving (twice)...

I went to the annual Benson Brunch with the women in my family...

Josh got his first Christmas tree ever...

And we did tons of Christmasy stuff, like a women's Christmas tea, a trip to Peacock Lane, and several family Christmas parties...

It's been a good year, and I suspect the new year will find us either snuggled up on the couch with our puppy watching a movie, or fast asleep. We're cool like that.

Etsy Photography Love: Maria Kallin Photography

I am constantly amazed by the number of talented photographers on Etsy. I just discovered another one the other day, Maria Kallin Photography, and she was kind enough to allow me to feature her shop on my blog. It was this photo of hers that first caught my eye:

I literally gasped when I saw it. It's so breathtaking. What I love most about Maria's photography is her use of open space. Most of her photos have a focus point that's only a small part of the picture, and the rest is just an open space of color or light. Her photos are lovely and uncluttered.

Please visit Maria's shop! And don't forgot to check out other Etsy photography entrepreneurs that I've featured in previous weeks:

Yvette Inufio Photography

Creative Apples

Raceytay

A Life Through the Lens

A couch and a half

I'm currently coveting this couch. I can't decide whether it's ugly, or just really modern, but I suspect that it's blissfully comfortable. Plus, I'm pretty sure my entire family could fit on it with room to spare.

This is how we do Christmas...

It involves lots of alcohol, food, gabbing, laughing, presents, and general merriment. Oh, and silliness.

There was also a sing-along on Christmas Eve, featuring the only song my brother knows on the piano: Don't Stop Believing.