It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…

— Theodore Roosevelt

This would help explain why I’ve been quiet on this blog for three months. I lost my job in December. It took 5 and a half months to find another. During the search I said yes to a bunch of opportunities and events that seem to be all reaching their pinnacles by the 5th of August. Nothing like a deadline to motivate!

A short list of my accomplishments and on-going activities –

• Co-Chair of Quasquicentennial Committee at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (OSLC).
  • In April, we had a huge smorgasbord where we invited former pastors and members of OSLC to join us in remembering the history and cheering the future in our new Commons Building. I officially met and took a selfie with the man who baptized me, oh so long ago, Bishop Emeritus / Pastor Lowell Knutson.

• This weekend, the cumulation of months of planning, will result in an all-city church picnic at the AquaSox baseball game to celebrate the Quasquicentennial (125th) anniversaries of five churches in Everett and one in Snohomish. We have nearly 120 people attending. I’m thrilled and get to throw out one of the “first pitches.”

• I got a job! I’m working for Snohomish Conservation District as their Media and Outreach Specialist. I am daily using my photography and social media skills to get the word out there about our efforts to preserve the land beneath our feet and “save the world.” as they say. In fact, the last post on this blog was a part of my interview process. 🙂
• Chair of the Northwest Everett Neighborhood and Co-Chair of the Mother of All Garage Sales (MOAGS). Eek. I wanted to volunteer for the chair position to learn more about how to work in the City of Everett. Plus, I love my neighborhood. At some point, I also agreed to be Co-Chair of the MOAGS, our huge one day garage sale event held on the first Saturday of August. Our committee is essentially three people and we’re going to pull this off! A side note is that through my above mentioned job, I am learning Adobe InDesign so I’ve created all of the flyers / banners for the event. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun work. Join us for MOAGS!

• I shot a wedding on Father’s Day. (And, Yukari or Dan, if you are reading this, I am working on your images and I’m really pleased with what I captured!) Photographing a wedding, too, is a big undertaking while working a new full-time job. I don’t tend to shoot weddings, but I have done a handful over the years. They are both challenging and fun. It’s challenging to be everywhere to try and catch everything. They are fun event to cover because it’s a real sneak peek into a family – seeing the intimate details of a couple’s special day, surrounded by the people whom they love. The wedding I’m working on now was an especially cool mix of religion and culture, and I will be relieved to share the images with them. By my contract, I have a couple of more weeks to do just that. Whew!

Wow, to put that all in writing is both exhausting and exhilarating. I’ve been busy. I hope in a good way, but like I said above, I’m looking forward to the end of these journeys while attempting to really enjoy the ride. And, I’ve already asked many of my friends, and I hope to stay true to this, to not let me repeat this many big things at the same time again. We’ll see.

I hope your summers are off to a grand start and there is fun in your days. Peace.