Odd places

Hi everyone!


My apologies for the lack of a blog post last night.  Sadly, it wasn't because I was with Amanda.  I was sick all day, and couldn't wrap my head around a good (or even decent) blog post idea.


Amanda and I took this photo last Saturday.

We were attending the birthday party for one of Amanda's niece's friends at the Comp high school gym.  We were sitting around having snacks and talking with the other non-3-to-4 year olds, and our non-camerawoman was sitting across from us.

I commented to Amanda that we should take a photo right then and there, and we did!  I'm not happy that half of my hair is missing in the photo, but I *am* happy that Amanda is dead center, and looking cute.

Missed Opportunity

Amanda and I were out getting frozen yogurt this weekend when we took a photo outside.  We were joking with each other, and I took a photo of just Amanda standing outside.  She looked really cute, and the photo turned out great, so I returned my cell phone to my pocket.


Just then, Amanda started doing a fake interview introducing herself to our blog readers.  It was cute and funny, and I *wish* I'd had my cell recording the whole thing -- it would've been great to post on the blog.


I briefly thought about us recreating it and doing introduction videos to post, but they wouldn't have the same spontenaity, and wouldn't have been as fun.


On the plus side, we did get a few good photos this weekend, and I'll be posting them over the next few days!

The Long Way Home

So this marks the final photo Amanda and I took together last weekend in Tumbler Ridge.  We went for a lengthy walk where we wandered by exactly half of the stoplights in town, along the upper bench, and then back home again.

Less than a few minutes from home, we stopped for this photo.  At first I tried taking one while Amanda and I were still walking (just one of us together -- not kissing), but she grabbed my arm and stopped me for a kiss and a photo.

At this point, I'm really looking forward to spring.  We walked by a strand of poplar trees and because it was so sunny and warm, we both looked up to see if we could see any buds.  No luck, but we haven't given up hope -- spring should be just around the corner!

And now for something different!

A few posts ago I talked about how Amanda and I both knit.  So I thought I'd show off what I'm working on right now.  It's a basic 2x2 ribbed scarf using the leftover yarn from the scarves I made for my grandparents for Christmas.  It's only about 1/5 of the way done, and progress is kind of slow.  If I want to finish it before spring (which seems to be getting extremely close even though it's still February), I'll have to start knitting on it while I chat with Amanda in the evening.


Anyway, I like the yarn I'm using (a bulky tweed), and the colours work for me.  It's fun to work on, and I'll get it finished one of these days.
 

Now, in-between knitting and playing video games, Amanda and I went for a wander on Sunday afternoon to enjoy the weather.  We took this photo at one of the two stop lights in Tumbler Ridge.  One of these days we'll visit the other one and complete our set!

Quiet, Dark Place

Amanda and I took this photo just before 9am on Saturday.  I had to work, and Amanda decided to walk me to work before returning to my condo.  She came into the library with me to take a quick look at anything that had changed since the last time she was in, and I convinced her to take a photo with me in front of the circulation desk.

I still had the main library lights off because I was an hour away from opening time, so we took this photo in low light.  It's not a great photo, but I think it turned out interesting.  Amanda and I aren't total silhouettes, but the colours are muted and it just feels different from the majority of our photos.

The only downside is that it looks like I need to shave.  This photo was taken less than an hour after I'd done so.  Is there such a thing as 9am shadow?

Composition Troubles, or The Need for a Cameraperson

Amanda and I need a cameraperson.  I came to that conclusion while reviewing the photos we took together this weekend in one location in particular.


For a while now I've wanted to get a photo of the two of us in front of town hall in Tumbler Ridge.  The building is iconic and will never be separate from Tumbler Ridge in my mind.


So on Sunday, Amanda and I went for a brief wander and ended up going by town hall.  We stopped for a photo, and I took a few attempts at it.  The first few ended up much like this photo:

They were set up great for showing town hall and you can clearly tell where we are.  But Amanda and I aren't framed very well.  In fact, when we looked at the photos on my camera, Amanda insisted that we try again to take a photo with the two of us more centered.  So we did:

This photo is much, much better for composition on the two of us, but town hall is hidden behind my head.  We could be in any town, in front of any building.


Now, if we'd had a third person to act as photographer, we could've gotten an amazing photo.  As it stands, the components are great, but neither attempt quite captured what I had hoped for.


That said, I *did* get to stand in front of town hall kissing Amanda for minutes on end while we took these photos, so I really did get what I hoped for!  :-)

Kissing Couple at home away from home

Amanda and I took this photo on Saturday morning just before we walked to the library so I could go to work.  Amanda drove out to Tumbler Ridge after work on Friday, enjoyed a quiet, relaxing day on Saturday while I worked, and then we spent all of Sunday and a little over half of today together before she had to return home.


It was a great weekend and we took a handful of new photos which I'll be posting over the course of the week.  Stay tuned!

Knitting ourselves in Knots

So far in this blog, Amanda and I have stuck to discussing our photos and such.  But I think it'd be a good idea for everyone to have a little bit better idea of who we are!

Amanda's been knitting for years, and she taught me the basics this fall.  She's working on four or five different projects (all of which impress me), and has bestowed on me an affection for yarn stores.  I'm only working on one project -- a red/white/brown ribbed scarf that I'll wear someday.  I need two or three weeks of steady work on it and for the colder weather to return if  I want to wear it anytime before next winter.


At some point we might share a photo or two of our projects, but for now I'll leave you with a text only entry and a promise for new photos of the two of us later in the week!

Clean! Sweep! Haaaaaard!

Good evening, good blog readers!


I spent the last hour and a half or so cleaning my condo.  Amanda's coming tomorrow night to spend the weekend, and I've allowed the messes around my place to pile up the last few weeks.  So when I got home from work, I sprung into action.


Garbage?  Out!
Rugs?  Vacuumed!
Floors?  Swiffered, both wet and dry!
Bathroom?  Quickly scrubbed!


My place isn't spotless -- my computer desk is still covered with papers, and my dresser has some stuff (spare change alongside other papers) piled up, but it's looking much, much cleaner.


But when Amanda comes over tomorrow night I won't say "Please excuse the mess."  I'll proudly tell her "I came home at eight last night and spent over an hour cleaning to make the place look spiffy for your visit!"

Late Evenings

It's funny, but when Amanda and I are together, we usually call it a night earlier than when we're apart.  On weekends when I'm in Grande Prairie or she's in Tumbler Ridge, we're often in bed and asleep some time between 10 and 11.


On nights when we're both at home, that's not the case.  Neither of us can sleep in excessively on work days (6:45 for her, 7:15 for me), but that doesn't always play as important a role in our evenings as it should.  Most nights we're chatting online until at least 11.  Part of it is that we've fallen into the habit of chatting right before bed.  One day last week we chatted earlier (around 7:30 or 8ish, I believe) and finished chatting by 9, but it felt extremely weird going to bed that night without talking to Amanda immediately beforehand.


I think the other part of us chatting so late is just us not wanting to say goodbye.  While we're chatting, we're together, albeit in a very limited way.  As soon as the chat window closes though, we're back to reality where we live three hours away from each other, and shortly have to go to bed alone.


So if you are ever in the library in the morning and see me yawning, it's not from a late night movie marathon, or from me staying up until 3am playing a video game -- it's because I spent as much time as I could chatting with Amanda and being in denial, refusing to believe that I'd be sleeping alone.