Molly the Giant is a big fan of the snow.  She was getting groomed this morning, so we made sure to play before she got her bath and hair cut.  She'll roll around in it, kind of like some animals do in the dust... oh wait she does that too.  

We enjoyed great weather in Colorado this week, although because it was so warm we didn't end up doing any skiing as we had planned when we originally scheduled this trip.

Today we went on a short hike at Sapphire Point overlooking Lake Dillon where we enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Therin's first match against a boy from Pittsville.

Getting help from Dad.

Therin's last match of the day, against another boy from Desoto, WI.

Another new year...

As with other years I can't believe the last year passed so quickly.  It seems like just last month we were moving to California and embarking on a new adventure, but no that was nearly a year and a half ago.  Last month we moved back to the Midwest.  We are living in Minneapolis, Minnesota now.  I have some ideas about resolutions and goals, but right now I am not jumping into anything too quickly.  I'll try to share and write more here in 2012.

1. Finish things
2. Take better care of myself
3. Do more and do less

I can't say that I was hugely successful, but I wasn't a complete failure either.  I had hoped that I would update the blog with how I was feeling and accomplishing these goals, but I didn't.  This is my first update since my orginal post on Janauary 7, 2011.

Finish Things

This is still a work in progress.  In January, I started a self portrait project which I had good intentions about, but when I began to do out of obligation rather then the love of creating photographs I stopped.  It wasn't meant to be an obligation.  It was supposed to be something fun to document my life.  I have started a 365 project multiple times, but I have yet to finish.  At the moment I am considering options for next year, but not making any commitments... yet. 

I participated in three Virtual Quilting Bees this year.  One started in October 2010 and the second in January 2011.  The third one ran for three months, January 2010 - March 2010.  I have completed them all or I will once I get the instructions for the last month in December.  I have had a lot of fun with it.  I've been challenged and realized something about my sewing style.  I like to sew things that are less precise.  I do like hand sewing better then machine sewing.  Part of me wants to sign up for another bee for 2012, but I am hesitant because towards the end it began to feel more like a chore then fun.  Now that I have finished what I have commited to through the bees, I need to finish some of my started projects.  Last fall I took a beginning quilting class and have the pieces ready to be sewn together for a finished quilt.  I also have the blocks form when it was my month for the virtual quilting bees to sew together.  For now I think I need to focus on these.

This semester has been particular tough for multiple reasons, but I am not going to go into detail on that topic.  One of the things I have struggled with is whether it is worth it for me to finish my degree in a time when libraries are closing and cutting back on staff.  I knew when I started in 2009 that the job outlook wasn't great, but it seems to be getting worse as time progresses.  In the tough times quiting, sounds so much more appealing then working through tough projects and exams only to move on to the next much bigger test of a finding a job.  I am not quiting!  I am going to finish this degree, if for no other reason to be able to say I have a Masters Degree.  I think I am becoming more realistic that my dream job may no longer exist and that I will have to settle, but I will finish and get a job!  I am not whining; I am reflecting on the state of my life and how those choices are playing out in the larger arena of life.  At the moment it looks like I will graduate in May of 2013.

This blog has been devoted to my musings and sharing what is happening in our life.  Lately, I have not been posting here because I have been busy working on a blog project for school.  I need to create a blog database of materials I would want to collect in a teen library of my choosing.  I have done a lot of reading for the project and now need to get writing and posting.  It is due on December 14 which is taking up a lot of my time and energy.  If you would like to take a peak, check it out here.  By the way it will be a work in progress until December 14 unless I finish early which is unlikely!

You can watch for follow-ups to my resolutions here in the upcoming weeks.

July 5 - On our first morning at Wonder Lake, we saw top of Denali (Mount McKinley). We couldn't believe our luck; we were told only 30% of visitors see it. The weather ended up being wonderful for the next few days and we got even better views the next morning (photos will be posted soon).

We saw this fox along the Park Rd in Denali National Park in Alaska. It looked like he/she had just brushed and styled his/her hair and was waiting for some tourists to take his/her photo.

Everything we are taking is in this photo.

Our bags prior to packing and their contents future contents.

Molly checks out the snail on our rug.This spring and early summer the ducks have been migrating into people's yards and hanging out in the nice green grass.  Today it rained and didn't get above 70 degrees which is very unusual for Sacramento and the Central Valley of California.  I noticed two ducks come waddling into the front yard.  I grabbed my camera and headed out the door to see what they were up to, but before I could see what the ducks were up to I almost stepped a snail.  This is not unusual when it is wet out. I have stepped on a slug with bare feet while leaving Molly out in the middle of the night, not a pleasant experience!  I was glad to have I avoided the catastrophe of stepping on a snail; I don't want to imagine the combination of squish and crunch of that under my bare foot.  Anyways, the snail distracted me from the the ducks.  I am certain my neighbors and people driving wondered what I was doing because I laid down on my stomach on the driveway, next to the house, in an effort to get a good angle and minimize my camera movement.  I was rewarded for my effort with the following photo which I played a bit with in Lightroom and Photoshop Elements.  I also used the Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Elements Actions, which I had never done before.   Actions automate the editing process and allow you to get a certain look 

There were two ducks, but the second must have been a bit shy. He hid in the bushes.I did end up taking a photo of the ducks too, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as the snail.  Plus, for the best view of the ducks I had to go out in the rain and my camera wasn't dressed for that.

For more photos, visit flickr.  For the record I took 127 photos, but only liked 6.