After weeks of non-stop busyness, Andy and I spent two laid back weeks in a row doing not much other than relaxing at home. Not to say that all the various plans we've had over the last month or so haven't been fun, but after so much running around, we both needed some time to recover! Another positive shift recently - after weeks of what felt like a perpetual premature summer, just in time for the official start of the season we've finally had a handful of overcast, rainy days. It’s given me hope for a milder summer to come!
Read moreLife: Week 26
On vacation in Oregon, Andy and I decided to start the week off with a hike, so we headed an hour north for Smith Rock State Park, which came highly recommended by several of my friends. After a lovely hike through what felt like a tiny piece of Utah transplanted to Oregon (I'll be writing more about it soon!), we stopped in Bend for beer and lunch. Sadly, since I'd left my wallet back at the rental house I had to make do with iced tea, but according to Andy I wasn't missing much. While their food was smoky and delicious, Goodlife turned out to be his least favorite brewery of the trip. On our last day in Sunriver, we decided to make a trip to the nearby High Desert Museum which turned out to be much larger than we'd expected - almost like a hybrid museum and zoo. Their wildlife exhibits were everyone's favorite, and I was especially excited to see an adorable burrowing owl and an stunning golden eagle. Soon it was time to pack up the car and head home, and after a short work week, Andy and I were signed up for a full weekend of trailwork. After our lovely day spent working with Alpine Trails Book Club (read about that here!), we returned for a second day of trail maintenance in considerably wetter weather. As usual, even with the rain we still had a fantastic time!
Read moreLife: Week 26
Summer is off to a sweltering start! Thankfully when it gets hot outside, our gloomy, dark apartment stays cool. Since I've started working from home, our cool apartment has saved my sanity. I do miss working in an office with huge windows overlooking Lake Washington and air conditioning to keep the place cool, but I'll certainly take a cool workspace with no views over a stuffy one with lots of windows. Who knows, maybe soon I'll even manage to start taking walks in the chilly hours before my work day begins. I keep talking about it, but the coziness of my bed is almost impossible to escape - especially when there's a cat around to snuggle my face!
Read moreLife: Week 26
I'm trying to take advantage of every moment of these long, glorious days of summer. While the days feel long and slow, the weeks fly by! Soon Andy and I are going to have to take a weekend off, because for weeks we've been busy, busy, busy and I know we can't keep it up. The trouble is, every time I think of setting aside a day or weekend to relax at home, all the adventures we could have instead pop into my head, and getting them dislodged is not at all easy. For now, I'm thoroughly enjoying these jam-packed summer days. One evening this week, we met friends for a long, drawn out dinner on the patio of our favorite local beer shop. We stayed nearly until closing time, and between the good conversation, good beer, and late sunset, we hardly noticed the time passing. Saturday, with the holiday weekend, we got up early and headed for Whidbey. It's been too long since we've spent time at the cabin, and it was wonderful to be back. I had almost forgotten how peaceful it is there. There are never enough days in the summer, but hopefully we can make time for one more weekend on Whidbey!
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