Star Gazing

Last summer my roommate and I drove 1,210 miles to watch the Perseids meteor shower. It's true that you could watch it any place on Earth but we wanted to go where there was no interference from moisture, air or light sources. We drove to Great Basin National Park and watched the show from Wheeler Peak at 9,886 feet.

It was unbelievable.

We saw over a hundred meteors in a little over an hour.

This year the moon was full and ruined any chance of real excitement. Those meteors were out there and they were igniting oxygen in the atmosphere but who's going to notice with the moon stealing the show? Other than an astronaut taking pictures from above?!

So cool. Picture taken from here.

But luckily my life is full of fellow lovers of science and one of my friends invited me to watch the Delta Aquarid meteor shower which peaks on the same night that the Perseids are just begining to ramp up, sans the moonlight getting in the way, making a double combo event. We headed out to Snoqualmie Pass in the SUPER early hours of Saturday July 30th and watched the shower from 1 to 3 a.m.

We forgot to count but we saw more than 30 an hour.

We got back to Seattle around 4 and headed straight to Beth's Cafe because we were starving. My english muffin had easily 1/4 cup of butter melting out of it leaving behind this dangerously delicious puddle of butter for my hashbrowns to soak up.

Last week I went to Girls Camp (!) and they let me teach a star gazing mini lesson to the campers. We had fun laying on our backs staring into the sky and soaking in the beauty above us. Of course the moon was approaching it's fullest phase (waxing gibbous for those of you who know a thing or two about the moon) so we didn't see much; and for half of the time there were large clouds obstructing our view. But we did see two amazingly bright meteors which is always a delightful surprise.

Star gazing is one of those experiences where every human eye and heart can feel the awe and amazement that, to me, testifies of a Creator.

Charlotte Brontë expressed it well when she wrote, "We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence."

The following is a video I came across that captured both my attention and the essence of what I think Charlotte Brontë is saying. Certainly, if nothing else, it echos my own heart.

Blastoff!

. . . for the last time.

Atlantis final launch.

7-8-11

Drill, baby, drill!

Last night I went to Home Depot with one of my roommates. Yeah, it was friday night at 10 p.m.. Don't judge. This time we weren't both wearing high heels so we didn't get anywhere near the same attention as last time.

So we were walking around, and we discovered a board covered with screws and a line of power drills waiting to be tested! Awesome. Just awesome.

Also, for any of the dudes out there looking for a handy girl: my roommate knows quite a thing or two about power drills. She was explaining about torque adjustment of hammer drills, which settings worked best for different drills, which brands were best. One drill that was making all this noise and flying off the screw--she switched some buttons and dials, and voila! perfection.

Where are the Donuts?

Yesterday morning I left Seattle with the commuters, but not to go to work (yippee!). I came to visit my sisters and their 9 (almost 10) kids. I showed up and was greeted with enthusiasm.

"Aunt Karen's here!"

"She is?!"

"Yay!"

"Where are the donuts?"

Uh?

So I looked into their shining expectant faces and said, "Oh, I stopped here first so I could find out which ones you wanted".

Correct answer.

"YAAAAAYYY!"

My Dad is Rad

Some things you should know about my dad:

• He has a gentle soul and loves people easily
• He is dorky on the coolest level but gets uber geeky about gadgets: cooking or computer
• His cheerful temperament and ready sense of humor has been a blessing in my life

Cool things I loved about my childhood with my dad:

• Pancakes on Saturday morning. He made them from wheat that he'd grind up for the occasion. I still remember being woken up on Saturdays from the insanely loud noise of the wheat grinder. That is the best sound to wake up to. I remember him pouring batter in the shape of a K sometimes too. That's a tricky letter to turn into a pancake. So delicious.
• The wheat grinder played an important role in my childhood memories with my dad apparently because when I think of the pancake breakfasts I also remember his homemade bread with a lot of fondness too. He used to make little fried scones with some of the bread dough. I remember my first Puyallup Fair scone as a severely disappointing experience because I was expecting my dad's scones.
• Being pushed REALLY high on swings.
• Advice he gave me when I was 12 about how to recover faster from a surgery so I could be released from the hospital. Something like: "You can decide if you want to stay here and feel sorry for yourself or stop moaning and go home. Bravery is a choice." I still remember it anytime I feel myself starting to freak out about blood and doctors. I try to think--how would my dad want me to handle this?
• Discussions about science and eternity. Deep stuff.
• Teaching me how to play checkers.
• Loving me even when I was 17 and knew way more than him. Thanks Dad.

Things I learned from my dad

• Perpetual motion is impossible.
• You can change your own oil, but it's easier to let someone else. Just be sure you change it!
• Being nice to people is a pretty awesome way to live your life.
• If you take care of your Teflon pan, it will take care of you. Never put it in the dishwasher. EVER.
• Loving your family is a full time job. It involves sacrifice, tenderness, consideration, compassion, and loyalty. But we're all so glad he is so good at it.

I don't understand how I got so lucky in the parent department but I am grateful that I did.

Happy Father's Day to the

best

dad

in

the

world!

Thank you so much Dad.