Cannon Beach

Yesterday’s photo of Haystack Rock was from my Blackberry (in fact the past three posts came from my Storm, thank you MMS blogging!). However, I also took my Cannon Powershot S5IS. So, even though the lighting was really bright and I have no UV filter (and my camera was covered in sand) I got a few cool pictures.

I can’t wait to go back over with the sole intention of taking beach photos. Cannon Beach is only an hour and fifteen minutes away, so it’s easily a day trip – after all, Holly and I went yesterday with the sole intention of having lunch on the beach.

Needless to say, I can’t wait to get a panorama of the rocks at sunset, but that will have to wait for another day. Of course, next time I will have to scout vantages free of power lines.

Oregon Coast staycation

Today the misses and I had a spiffy little picnic on Cannon Beach next to Haystack Rock. This was our first trip back since April Fool's Day when I proposed, and the weather was waaaaaaay nicer: Instead pf spring's horrendous wind and rain we basked in sunny 70-plus degree warmth.

It's no Lake Coeur d'Alene, but I guess the Pacific Ocean is a close second...

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Geico

Somebody's watching you!

Holly cutout the pile of cash with eyeballs from a Geico ad the other day, and it has since been floating around our house. This photo is now the wallpaper on my phone coupled with a new ringtone: the Geico commercial's techno theme song, "I always feel like, somebody's watching me."

Dinner for Holly

While Holly was finishing up her photo shoot for Terra Del Sol Spa's new TV commercial (starring her ... in a bathing suit!), I made her our new favorite dinner: shrimp, crab and alfredo pasta with artichoke and garlic-basil mayo -- ALL homemade, thank you very much. For my first endeavor into the wonderful world of the amazing artichoke, we both declared success.

Damn, even this one impressed me!

The best part? This whole post & photo came from my BlackBerry. I'm back, baby!

Coeur d’Alene Winter

I was flipping through the old pictures on my blackberry after updating my new phone with the old phone’s info, when I stumbled upon this little guy. Last December when it snowed record amounts in Coeur d’Alene (three feet in 24 hours!!) I woke up to our driveway looking like this, with both cars covered completely – you can see the side mirror of my red Buick in close to the center of the picture.

Wild Ammo

Thanks to fellow Poynter alum Mike Higdon of Reno, Nevada, for pointing out a very, very amusing website care of Facebook. The site is called Wild Ammo (click here for their homepage).
Anyway, what originally caught my attention was Mike’s link to this page: “What Stormtroopers Do On Their Day Off.” Below is a picture that I couldn’t stop laughing at:

After delving a wee bit deeper into the site, I stumbled upon another hilarious (yet albeit weird) grouping of photos: Painted portraits of a naked President Obama frolicking with a unicorn.
I kid you not. There’s a whole series! Don’t believe me, then go here or just look at one sample below:

I’m baaaaaaack!

After more than one month of grueling cell phone hell, I finally received my new Blackberry Storm. Thanks to Holly, my adoring fiancée who is today also the proud new recipient of her own BB Storm, as well as the fine people over at Asurion (my cell phone insurance provider), I’m back in action, baby!

It was a rough six weeks, believe you me. After getting used to sending e-mail at any second, check live-to-the-second ESPN updates, YouTube on the go, not to mention Twitter and Facebook access in my hand, I was indeed a Blackberry drone.

(My old phone, after a bachelor party volleyball game at a biker bar) ------>

What’s worse: I had just learned to blog from my phone – then it broke! Coincidence? I only hope so. Besides, you know that feeling when you lose your wallet or keys and you feel so naked?

That was me. Everyday.

Photo Gallery

Click Here for the link to an online photo gallery I've made through Google's Picasa albums. They're photos I've probably already posted, but still some extras. Nevertheless, I'm going to keep adding to this album every time I put a photo online.

Got another job

Thanks to the temp service I signed up with right when I moved here, I finally landed a job that won’t end when I finish designing a book. What’s great about the position is that it’s part-time (20-30 hours per week) and I can essentially set my own schedule around other freelance design, writing or editing work. This is great, trust me.

Now, a little about the job: It’s through a company called Strands:

Their primary function is a website where runners, swimmers, bicyclists – essentially any athlete or fitness-oriented individual – can track progress across multiple spectrums: workouts, mileage, nutrition, you name it. What’s more, you can share all this information with others due the community-driven nature of the site. It’s much like Facebook and Twitter in that sense.

More to come later.

Wedding Party

I’ve had a bunch of people recently ask me who all the groomsmen and bridesmaids are in my wedding with Holly. While we have yet to pick a date, location, time or pretty much any other detail, we have picked all of the wedding party.
So, without further adieu, here they are (all photos thanks to Facebook, since my external hard drive full of good photos is out of commission at the moment).
There’s 7 groomsman, 7 bridesmaids, 2 ring-bearers and a flower girl.

Best Man: BEN LEE

HOMETOWN: West Linn, Oregon
WHY: My best friend since Fall term 2003 when we joined the frat at Oregon State. He’s been planning a “Best man” speech for years.

Groomsman: JOHN MONNIER

HOMETOWN: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
WHY: December 2008 pretty much sums it all up: Absinthe, raw oysters, gorilla mask and a wheelchair.

Groomsman: GENE MATCHETT

HOMETOWN: Hayden, Idaho
WHY: My older cousin – taught me to hunt, fish, drink.

Groomsman: MIKE DONAHUE

HOMETOWN: Seattle, Washingington
WHY: My older brother. I was a groomsman in his wedding, also, in 1998 when I was 12. (His two sons are the ring-bearers).

Groomsman: ZACH MATCHETT

HOMETOWN: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
WHY: My little cousin, more like a little brother.

Groomsman: ROD MATCHETT

HOMETOWN: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
WHY: My uncle, also like a dad to me my whole life.

Groomsman: GARRETT STANDISH

HOMETOWN: Junction City, Oregon
WHY: A good friend of both Holly’s and mine, we went to high school together, graduating in the same class.

Maid of Honor: EMILY ISKRA

HOMETOWN: Junction City, Oregon
WHY: Holly’s best friend for as long as I can remember.

Bridesmaid: LEIA SPILLMAN

HOMETOWN: Junction City, Oregon
WHY: Holly’s oldest sister.

Bridesmaid: DARCI SPILLMAN

HOMETOWN: Junction City, Oregon
WHY: Holly’s youngest sister.

Bridesmaid: KATHY ADELMAN

HOMETOWN: Junction City, Oregon
WHY: One of Holly’s other best friends for as long as I’ve known both of them (all three of us took French together in high school).

Bridesmaid: EMILY DONAHUE

HOMETOWN: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
WHY: The oldest of my three younger sister.

Bridesmaid: ABBY DONAHUE

HOMETOWN: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
WHY: My little sister (the middle one).

Bridesmaid: AUDREY DONAHUE

HOMETOWN: Junction City, Oregon
WHY: My youngest sister.

Ring-Bearers: Jack & Ryan Donahue

HOMETOWN: Seattle, Washington
WHY: My two nephews. They’re a couple of studly lady-killers.

Flower Girl: Meg Whaley
HOMETOWN: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
WHY: Holly used to babysit her when living in Coeur d’Alene.