notes from the spencenator

this about sums it up...

2009-01-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

I'm a fan of gapingvoid.com. Even more so now that he moved and is blogging/drawing from West Texas.

I feel the need to print and hang this in my cube so I can stare aimlessly and ponder when i'm having one of those stress/chaos/panic! moments. It sums things up quite nicely...

for steph

2008-11-18T20:24:00.001-08:00

On November 13, 2008, baby Evan Alexander Athre was born. 6 lbs, 15 oz. On that day, our family forever changed. We joined together to celebrate the newest addition. The first grandchild. A little bundle of joy. My very first nephew. I can't wait to meet him!!

I feel that Harry Connick, Jr. said it best:

Now my heart is music
Such a simple song
Sing it again, the notes never end
This is where I belong

Just the sound of your voice
The light in your eyes
We're so far away from yesterday
Together with a wink and a smile
We go together like a wink and a smile
- "with a wink and a smile"

i'm an aunt!!

2008-11-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

All day Thursday I was distracted by texts, phone calls, IMs, all updating me on the status of the birth of my first nephew.

After 14 hours of labor, Evan Alexander Athre was born by c section.

We're so super excited to welcome him to the family. I can't WAIT to get to Texas for Thanksgiving and meet him. I'm taking my camera - so photos are coming soon.

Welcome to the world Evan Alexander. You're going to LOVE it here.

Jonathan + Crystal

2008-11-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

My friends Jonathan and Crystal are getting married next weekend at the Hollywood Schoolhouse in Woodinville, WA. They're super awesome friends and have a whirlwind romance - completely and totally inspired and led by God.

Last weekend they let me tag along during some wedding planning and I had a chance to poke around the Schoolhouse. As I'm shooting their wedding next weekend, I wanted to see what we had to work with. I'm so excited! The location is just as awesome as they are.

More to come...

i will vote

2008-11-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

i haven't done so yet, but i'm soon heading to my polling place.
i will soon cast my vote on all things federal, state, judicial, etc. that are up for election.

it's crazy to think that tonight will end the seemingly neverending string of campaign ads that have plagued the mainstream media lately.

tonight it will be decided:
an agent for change, or a maverick.
we will soon find out.

you're no one

2008-09-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

if you're not on twitter.
so says this song.

This one's for you, Colleen! :)

DIY firepits: City of Bellevue approved.

2008-09-15T14:51:00.001-07:00

Our housewarming BBQ this weekend was a big success. Much of which can be attributed to the last minute installation of a diy firepit in our backyard.

It brought up a lot of questions; however, about the legality of a firepit within the city limits of Bellevue, WA. Here's the official word from the City of Bellevue, I've bolded and italicized the relevant part (and italicized my comments):

Can I burn outdoors?heck yeah you can. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency regulates indoor and outdoor burning in the urban areas of King County. The Bellevue Fire Department works closely with PSCAA to help enforce regulations specifically concerning outdoor burning. Small, recreational fires are allowed with restrictions. Open burning is prohibited in Bellevue.

Open Burning Defined
The burning of materials wherein products of combustion are emitted directly into the ambient air without passing through a stack or chimney from an enclosed chamber. Open burning does not include road flares, smudgepots or similar devices associated with safety or occupational uses. A chamber is considered enclosed when, during the time combustion occurs, only apertures, ducts, stacks, flues or chimneys necessary to provide combustion air and permit the escape of exhaust gas are open. Open burning is prohibited at all times within the city limits and other areas served by the Bellevue Fire Department.

Recreational Fires Defined
A small outdoor fire made for pleasure, warmth, cooking or for religious, ceremonial or similar purposes, burning materials other than rubbish, where the fuel being burned is not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, barbecue grill or barbecue pit and has a total fuel area of three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height. Fires lit in chimneys, fire pits, fire bowls or similar free-standing devices are also considered “recreational” and should use only charcoal, dried firewood or manufactured logs.

Outside of a PSCAA regulated burn ban, a small "recreational fire" is allowed, without a permit, with the following restrictions: most of which we followed.
1. Shall not be within 25 feet of a structure or any combustible material(s). true.
2. Conditions which would cause a fire to potentially spread within 25 feet of a structure shall be eliminated prior to igniting the fire. done and done.

The burning of yard debris, construction materials or trash is not allowed at any time. The Garbage and Recycling Services web page tells you how debris can be picked up through normal disposal. For more information on indoor and outdoor burning restrictions, call PSCAA at (206) 343-8800.

reduce, reuse, recycle

2008-07-31T13:14:00.001-07:00

i recycle.
i also drive a hybrid.

Further, according to trendcentral's latest News You Need to Know, Seattle, following in the footsteps of countries such as China and Russia, is one of several US cities including San Francisco and LA that has announced plans to fight the plastic bag issue.

Starting on January 1st, 2009, Seattle residents will have to pay a fee of 20 cents for paper or plastic bags. LA also has plans to ban plastic bags by July of 2010, offering consumers a paper or biodegradable bag for 25 cents. Hopefully, this will encourage consumers to bring their own reusable bags, drastically cutting down on both the amount of non-biodegradable wastes and the amount of oil used to produce them.

get out there people. do your part.

Bethany + Scott

2008-07-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

I took my friend Bethany's engagement photos this week.

She and her fiance Scott were truly a joy to be around. They kissed and laughed and loved each other so vibrantly in front of my camera. I can only imagine that their life together will hold much of the same - vibrant love and infectious laughter.

Congratulations you too. I wish you all the best from the bottom of my heart.

time flies

2008-07-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

it's the third week of July and i just now changed my calendar.

man, time flies when you're having fun.
or when you're just out of your mind crazy busy...

full story

2008-07-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

perfectly timed quotes are nice.
this one recently came to me by way of the end of the book; the end of an era. or i suppose just a segue to the next chapter.

"my point is that this is not the full story...
full stories are as rare as honesty, as precious as diamonds.
if you are lucky enough to uncover one,
a full story will sit on your brain like lead.
they are difficult.
they are long winded.
they are like stories God tells:
full oy impossibly particular information."

~Zadie Smith, White Teeth

small world

2008-06-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

so, my new roommate's old roommate's girlfriend is a former roommate of one of my girlfriends who might soon be another one of my roommates.

it's a super small world.
what are the odds.
seriously.

too early

2008-06-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

today started a bit too early.

especially considering that I was up and gone before the coffee shop in my building even opened.

but considering that I was up, dressed to impress, at the office early enough to park on level C, built an entire fy09 planning powerpoint deck and chatted it up with Melina - all before my first cup of coffee - i'll say that my ducking out at 4:40 p.m. is completely justified.

can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow. :)

ergo chair

2008-06-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've made it with my new ergonomic chair!

it's like sitting on a cloud, i tell ya. i've thought so since the first time my tooshie ever had the pleasure of landing in one of these amazing things. My friend Mark got his early in my early days here at Waggener - he's been here like 4 years. another colleague received hers after only a few weeks, but was returning after a four-year or so sabatical. my old manager recently received hers, but vacated it when she moved to another office. sad that the chair could not accompany her, but you leave, you lose. ;)

best i can tell it's a mix of seniority and longevity that leads to someone getting an ergo chair, and it looks like today was my day!

i want to take a moment, perched at the perfect height and angle, with the lumbar support positioned ever so perfectly in the small of my back, to say - thank you to all those who knew that my day would come - that i would ever get to fully experience this level of comfort.

here's hoping my productivity increases as my back pain decreases. now if only i could score a cube with a window...

barrel curls

2008-06-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

when i curl my hair, i feel pretty.

and girly.
and fashionable.
and young at heart, even though i'm only 26.

and it kind of trumps my otherwise tired, overworked, dreary days of late and jolts me into some sort of fun, fabulous, freespirited mindset, which makes me sit up straighter and talk smarter, thus generally improving my overall contributions to society.

i should curl my hair more often, i think.

emotions and lessons

2008-06-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

i cried at work today.

it wasn't really a work related whatever that pushed me over the edge, but the feeling that things had gotten so far out of control that i couldn't find it in me to do anything except cry. and call my dad.

upon which the mere act of trying to find the words to explain the situation only made things worse. and made the tears come that much sooner, from a place much deeper. it wasn't about the money. it was then about disappointing my dad, which is my least favorite thing to do. i'd rather do anything else in the world. i know i should know better, and so does he.

i will say that while it hurts my heart to call and ask for the kind of help i called and asked for today, and it hurts my pride to have someone see me cry at work, i am so thankful that i have someone in my life who will help dig me out of whatever i dig myself into.

as kids i suppose we have to learn our own lessons, have to pick ourselves up when we cause ourselves to fall, sure. but the big things, the ones with the deepest rooted lessons... how do we solve these problems?

so i'm standing in this 10-year deep hole, watching it fill up with rain and shit that's downpouring on top of me. and the best thing i did today was call my dad.

the thing about my dad is that he throws the rope first. he helps me dig myself out of the hole. he teaches me the lesson as we're walking back to the house talking about how i got myself there to begin with. i'm so thankful that i have this ridiculously supportive, can-always-call-upon dad who will first throw me the rope.

it never comes without a lesson, be sure. but the lesson only comes when i'm standing out of harm's way. thank you, dad. and happy belated father's day!

campaign 2008

2008-06-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tim Russert of NBC News has died at the age of 58, the network says.

this is very sad. he was one of, if not my favorite campaign 08 commentator. the 2008 election will not be the same. God speed, Mr. Russert.

insights

2008-06-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

i am a "helping inspirer" according to the Insights Discovery personality test.

in the 19 page explanation of why i am the way i am, it says I'm "warm, open, realistic and radiate optimism."

well, some days, for sure. other days, not so much. it's very insightful, the definition of my insights. the report notes that this should be used to gain a better understanding of my approaches to activities, relationships, and decisions. it would be helpful, i think, if i wore this report around my neck. i also think that finding all this out is half the fun.

i went on a date recently where the guy said, "you have a very unique sense of style." he didn't get to know me very much after that...

plus one

2008-06-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

today is my one year anniversary at the agency.

"i can't believe a year went by so fast"
-Rent

a year ago today i started a new job, in a new industry, in a city that i'd never been to. i powered down my powerbook, started using a tablet pc, freaked out a little because i didn't have a place to live, and embarked on a journey to conquer what's next.

a year later, i'm settling into a groove at work, keeping a pulse on today's youth, exploring the hip new city i now call home, and continuing my yearly tradition of finding a new place to live. and while i haven't yet found a "plus one" to accompany me to parties and weddings and such, i couldn't ask for much more as i hit my "plus one" year in seattle...

coffee

2008-06-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

i have a crush on my barista.

during this very busy season of work - where I'm over-utilized and can't get things done quick enough - coffee is apparently the window to my soul.

communication

2008-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Communication. It's the first thing we really learn in life. Funny thing is, once we grow up, learn our words and really start talking the harder it becomes to know what to say. Or how to ask for what we really need. - Grey's Anatomy

me + you

2008-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

hugh's cartoons sometimes hit a nerve. this one struck a chord because there are people with whom i'd like to talk. not conversations that i'm particularly interested in actualy having, but i'd like to talk to them. give my side of the story. one way communication. that's what i need. let's make it happen :)

and yes, i'm talking about you.

fear

2008-01-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

i'm sure i've posted this before, but it seems relevant yet again. so. a repost.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frighten us.

We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. As we let our own light shine, we unconciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson

goal for 2008: make it happen.

FotoFriday: Oh sister, don't be troubled...

2007-11-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

Twenty-five,
All of these mixed emotions,
Tangled up in pure confusion,
It’s hard to let go of the past, but it seems,
Easier as time is moving,

Well you said he makes you laugh,
And he makes you happy,
He sees you smiling back,
It is everlasting,
And so he’s tailor made for you,
...
Your persistent beating heart it’s just a start,

And I, have seen you everyday,
You’ve never been like this before,
He’s tailor made, tailor, tailor made,
...
Oh sister, don’t be troubled,
Oh sister, please be calm,
...
And I, have seen you everyday,
You’ve never been like this before,
He’s tailor made, tailor, tailor made.
- Tailor Made by Colbie Caillat

Texas was tailor made for me, it seems. Or maybe I for it.
At any rate, He kissed my cheek, shined upon my shoulders, and inevitably saw me smiling back. "It's is everlasting." "You've never been like this before."
How was I to know, until I left?

Texas, our Texas

2007-11-11T14:45:00.001-08:00