Maui Photos

Photos from our recent trip to Maui are now up on our photo gallery.

We had a great trip. Check out the photos, and imagine yourself there. :)

3rd Anniversary / Surfing

We were married 3 years ago today! I can't really tell if that feels like just yesterday or forever ago - life as a married couple is so normal feeling, I guess. To celebrate (and because we both needed vacation pretty badly) we're in Maui, Hawaii. Today, we tried something new and took surfing lessons at the Royal Hawaiian Surfing Lessons in Lahaina, Hawaii.

I (Becky) took 4 waves on 3 trips out to sea. I was incredibly nervous, but our guide was reassuring. I got up to my knees on the first try, then managed a few nanoseconds standing up on the next trips before plummeting (without much finesse) into the water. I actually enjoyed being up on my knees better than my feet, but that wasn't quite the point. :) Matt took a few more trips and also managed to get up on his feet, though he had a close call with another surfer (nothing serious but it did interrupt his progress). We got photographic proof, but I'm still debating whether or not anybody else gets to see them (and I need to show them to Matt first, who's out getting lotion for our sunburns). Mine pictures show me falling off - not at all gracefully. Matt's are a bit better -- the photographer caught him with a good smile.

Tonight, we're going out to dinner to continue celebrating our anniversary. Just 3 years - but it's still good to celebrate. Being married is good. :)

Tomorrow we're taking a kayak/snorkeling trip. The next day we plan to go up to Haleakala (the mountain on Maui - a dormant volcano/crater). Friday, we take the road to Hana. Saturday, we'll wake up in Hana, then we head for home that night.

More updates from Maui and some pictures should be coming soon. (Oh, and by the way, I realize I'm writing this while the pres. debates are on, and no, I'm not watching them -- nor am I going to do any more work today -- this is vacation after all!)

Quilting & Sewing Stuff

Links & thoughts about some quilt or sewing-related stuff:

• Trends & Traditions - new blog from Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures. I really like her patterns -- good/logical directions, fun style, work well in so many different color-ways. Her blog frequently features pictures of her home & quilts - as well as give-aways. One of her quilts (featured in a Quilt Sampler magazine probably in 2001) was probably one of the first quilts I did all by myself - with no help from my mom - and I still love the patterns (want to make another one, actually). The quilt for our neice (shown here unfinished) is also from her pattern.
• My new sewing machine - Janome Magnolia. I've been working way too much to do a whole lot of sewing, but what I've done with the new machine has been so good! It's really smooth sewing and makes a nice stitch. I gave away the old Bernina - a coworker got it and she's now having great fun sewing purses. That machine caused headaches for me as a quilter, but great for a beginning sewer.
• Thinking of sewing (not quilting), I've been reading a bit more about women in the Congo (who are victims of sexual abuse, typically) getting help getting back on their feet by setting them up with sewing machines. They get training and equipment, so when they have finished a program about healing them emotionally/physically/spiritually, they can go back to their villages with a trade-skill. This website seems to be missing some info, but shows an organization - hope for the helpless that we hear is doing good work - both for those women and also for children.
• Believe it or not, I bought a purse pattern. Yes, apparently I want to be like Colleen (pics here). :) I chose carefully to avoid zippers! I picked out the pattern in New Mexico - my step-mom-in-law (is that the right term?) also got a pattern - though her's looks way harder than mine!! I'm going to make a test one first (out of some scraps) before I try it with some fun Amy Butler fabric.