How Lucky Are We...

I know I have nothing to complain about in life. Though I know there are days that I find fault in something and wonder why. And then I snap out of it and laugh at my own absurdity!

But then I am always reminded of how fortunate, lucky and wealthy Michael and I are in comparison to so many who strive just to make it through one day, and the next and the next.

One of the American Dream is to own one's home. Which is a homestead, piece of land with a building in place, an abode, a castle, the dream home, the place where one sets roots and traditions, etc.

For many in the American Dream, we are able to 'shop' for this new place we will call home. But in our case, that did not happen and I suppose, in my own selfish ways, wish that is the one thing we had been able to do. But it didn't and I should just shush about it all righty!

We were very fortunate to have been able to rent the home, we now own, two years prior to finally being able to purchase it from the brother and sister who owned it.
The mind set of renting and owning are just so different. When the paperwork went through that said we were now proud owners of 1079 Sierra Vista Way, all I could think of was this is going to be a money pit and we didn't get to go shopping...wah, wah, wah...

It's been over a year since we've owned it and all the money in the world to call it our own. But when you look at the various properties for sale, the price of homes, and the little land included, I have nothing to complain about.

We sit on a third of an acre, albeit next to Hwy 99, but are only three blocks from Bidwell Park at One Mile, and near downtown and the freeway. So, it's all good.

And indeed it is. We are currently in the process of refinancing so that we can pay off debt and have some things done to the house like new windows and hopefully a real A/C system. Obviously it will add to the value of the home if/when we should ever try to sell it.

So far the house has gone up in value quite a bit. We paid 259.5 and it is valued at 320. So the math is good. Hopefully when we decide to sell, the market will still be good and the house will be worth soooo much more. But one never knows...

And the other thing we are in the early stages of choosing paint colors for the living room, looking to put crown molding on the wall and possibly encase the fireplace. So far this is the only room we are revamping at this time. I hope to do more soon after the living room is done.

So all in all there is definitely nothing to complain about but life just wouldn't be interesting enough if I didn't complain a little bit, right?!

So when the living room gets done, I will be sure to have photos posted.

I'm A Little Bummed...photos by kim

I have one photo in the digital camera that apparently has an error. It was a photo of a shadowed bicycle. I'm bummed. It looked like it turned out fine on the camera but when I went to download it it gave me an error and would not load it. I wonder how I can get it out of the camera. I guess I'll have to ask my techie hubby, Michael. Hopefully he will know how. He usually does...

And then there are those photos that you wished had turned out better than you had envisioned. But it didn't and one just has to say, "Oh well!". Better luck next time...

Different Eyes...photos by kim

I just love how everyone has a different eye for photography. There are so many talented photographers out there showing their stuff online and at craft fairs that it's a bit scary to me to even put out my photos for folks to peruse, let alone buy from me. Yikes!!

Our friend Don found a site online, http://photo.net/, that allows for photographers to show their works as well as be critiqued. I look at some of those photos and say, "No way, Jose!" Although I realize it would be a great experience to have others critique, particularly those who are more experienced and professionals, to look at your body of work and help you(me) to do better each time I take a new batch of photos.

So, I'm thinking about putting in a few photos just to see how I do.

It should be interesting.

I really look forward to our trips to Kenya and Vietnam so that I can take photos of these amazing places and people. So, hopefully by that time I will have vastly improved in my technique and eye for the unusual.

Thank Goodness For The Four Seasons...photos by kim

Though I would like to be living in Portland, Oregon or in Washington State, there is something about the seasons in Chico. We usually get all four of them and are typically able to enjoy all four of the seasons each year. But like anything, there may be changes in the weather pattern so some years we may skip Spring altogether and rush right in to Summer, which sucks. Or we may have a mild Winter and a long Spring. One just never knows. But typically we are fortunate to at least have a taste of all four seasons.

And since digital cameras are all the rage, and downloading them is immediate, it's silly not to be using it and enjoying what we do have in Chico. It's always easier to stay cooped up in one's house but then we can miss a lot of nature's floral and fauna that is contained in just Chico alone.

So, as you can see I am enjoying today's latest technology, as well as enjoying yet again a season of Chico.

So Much...photos by kim

I was only at One Mile the entire time I was shooting photos. There was so much to shoot in just that part of the park alone. I barely covered maybe a sixteenth of Bidwell Park!

Which is so amazing to think about how much land was held as open space for folks from all over to enjoy. And I am one of the lucky ones. I look forward to tracking other parts of the park and seeing what kind of goodies that I will see through the view finder.

There is so much out there to see that I often wonder what it would be like to be blind. I know Helen Keller and many more lived and continue to live such amazing and productive lives. But I wonder some times if I would be able recall such beauty before having gone blind. It seems like I would but then other senses would be highly enhanced due to the loss of one of the senses. So I wonder how I would do. Just a thought...

Bicycles...photos by kim

Today is just so beautiful in Chico. Though I would prefer it to be a bit colder and more crisp. But it's not and I needed to enjoy what we have. So I went to One Mile, in Bidwell Park, and took a bunch of photos.

I always have fun just enjoying the smells, the sounds and whatever catches my eyes.

Bicycles seemed to one of the themes while I was out and about. So hope you enjoy!

Just Two More Fall photos...by kim

I really enjoy using our digital camera but there are definite limitations to using one.

I love the 'instant' usage of the photos, though I really miss the handling of an actual photograph. But of course there are trade offs to everything.

Today, I thought I'd have more photos to take on my way to Los Molinos, to Michael's parent's house, but there really wasn't much to shoot, surprisingly. I guess if I had walked to Los Molinos, I may have found tons of things to shoot.

I took a few tree photos but they did not turn out at all. I was apparently moving so they were all blurry. Oh well. So I only got two other shots that did come out. But not as I would have liked them to. Bummer. I'm such a perfectionist that I hate to not have every shot come out fantastic. Woe is me...ho hum.

And More Fall Photos...Same Day As Previous Blog