First pour

It's been beautiful for months... well, all except for when Taryn came to visit. Anyway, it's fall here now. Awesome. Rode our bikes home the other night after dinner and got to feel the crisp air. Our windows are still open, as they have been since April, but now we've put an extra blanket on the bed. It rained a bit yesterday and is supposed to through the weekend, but I wasn't expecting the downpour we've had here since I woke up this morning. solid rain for eight hours. I've never seen it where it just hasn't stopped. I rode my bike in this morning like a damn fool. My feet are just now drying out. Although the thick rain is kind of cool -- it looks like the plague ran through my workplace. I'm the last one to leave today... and it's 3:30.

So I guess the rain has some advantages. Well that, and my beloved flowers getting a thorough soaking before I mulch them tomorrow.

It's been a while

Ken and I have been all over the place lately. Richmond for Whitney & Greg's wedding two weeks ago and then Tucson last weekend for Marsha & Brian's. We had a blast at both, but it's great to be home. Slept at least 10 hours each night since and I'm still tired. The weekend will be awesome. Going to a friend's house tonight with Ken to watch the Yankee's game (blecht... the fans, not the team... ken included). Then tomorrow is mulch time. I love mulch. Filling the pickup truck and spreading it around. sigh.

Thanks so much to Christy & Jon for letting us stay with them while we were in Richmond as well as to Dave & Kristen for their awesome Silver Street Bed & Breakfast. It was so awesome to see everyone while we were in their respective towns: Whitney & Greg, Rachel, Justin, the UVa crowd (Darcy, Tom, Sarah, Kimmie)in Richmond and then Marsha & Brian, Dave, Kristen, Taryn, Paul, Julie, Caroline, Kyle, Karl, Misch, Lent, Sara, Drew, Stew, Monty, Rob, Jana and Jackson in Tucson. Kristen & Dave held a brunch for all of us last sunday. Football, mimosas & eggs. Nothing quite beats a 14 hour brunch. Seriously. 14 hours.

Oh, and we celebrated our 1st anniversary too! Hooray!

Free at last, free at last...Thank the Lord I'm free at last!!!

Not sure how many of you had/have student loans, but if you have/do, you know what a pain the ass it is to write that payment check each month. And if you don't know yet, you'll know soon enough.

At the time I took out my loans each year, it was the largest purchase I ever made in my life. Though oddly enough it wasn't scary to be taking out those loans. Probably because I knew it was going to some worthwhile...an education.

Well, at the beginning of the year, I made a resolution to pay off my final two loans and finally be done with the monthly payments. And as of last Thursday, that resolution came true. It feels so liberating.

Free at last, free at last...Thank the Lord I'm free at last!!!

Another great reason why I married him

Candy. Flowers. Jewelry. All things men give to their sweethearts to show their affection.

Ken?

He brought me a cubic yard of mulch in the back of his pickup truck and was spreading it around the new front flower bed.

I was so excited to ride up and see that beautiful sight.

Ow

We had an awesome week with Chuck and Dana this past week. I think probably the most fun I've had with them ever. It just worked. Totally fun, felt right and easy. I actually miss them now -- not bad at all for weeklong houseguests. (Note: making dinner earns major points. Extra extra points since they brought chocolate home after they read that day that my snickers was stolen).

Their last night, we hit Voodoo doughnuts before we started Ken's 1000 bars tour of Portland (a la his original 1000 bars trek). I think it should speak volumes we haven't posted about it yet.

But that's not the "Ow" part.

That involves the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's plant sale, the ripping up of many many square feet of grass on our parking strip (strip between walkway and street), the rototilling of said parking strip, removal of said rototilled dirt, reincorporation of a 1/2 yard of cow manure. Swirl. Mix. Wet. Mix. Wet. Mix. Wet. Mix. Dig up plants that I've been collecting and hoarding for months in the backyard. Carrying said plants one by one to the front yard and placing them in the new parking strip. Plant. And then 1 cubic yard of mulch.

Ouch. My muscles just hurt. All of them.

But did I tell you it looks beautiful? And it's all low-maintenace perennials.... meaning hopefully I get to sit back and relax this time next year.

Yeah right.

On a sidenote, I picked up my dress for Whit's wedding today at the tailor's today. Fits and ready to go with my awesome heels. Unrelated dentist cleaning today too... twice. Crappy HMOs... initital screening + cleaning. No cavities though. Just finished indian food from around the corner for dinner -- officially capping the most peaceful yet accomplished day in a while.

Yum

SATURDAY
Bones and Brew Festival
This year’s Bones and Brew Festival covers the Pearl District with a smattering of live music, barbecue sauce, microbrewed beer and microdistilled spirits. The family-friendly event spans four city blocks and is a benefit for the Zimmerman Community Center. Each leg of the four-legged festival offers a different theme — one for six barbecue vendors, one for 15 microbreweries, one for music and one for the first-ever gathering of eight microdistilleries, including Rogue Spirits, Doleman Distillery, Indio Spirits, New Deal Distillery, Sailing Star, Sarticious Spirits, Side Pocket Foods Co. and Bendistillery. Strawberry shortcake, Italian ices and handcrafted sodas sweeten the deal for the kiddies. Scheduled musical performances include Stephanie Schneiderman, John Gorka and the Bobby Torres Ensemble. — Suzie Ridgway

Noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10-11, festival entrance at Northwest 13th Avenue and Glisan Street, 503-222-5910, $1

(via Portland Tribune & ExtraMsg)

Happy Day, Happy Day

This Saturday is The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's annual Fall Plant Sale!

I have been looking forward to it for months. And now it's here. I can't wait. Maybe I can suck Ken and/or Chuck & Dana into going too. Either way, I can't wait to go.

At the top of my list? Hellebores. They stay green year-round and flower in the winter when everything else is dormant. But I'm sure I'll be sucked into bringing more than a few 'friends' home.

Also this weekend -- tearing up the grassy parking strip between the sidewalk and the street. Then comes the compost, double digging and planting. Hmm... where ever will I find the plants to fill the space? tee hee.

I can hardly wait.

And my head spinneth around

It is 3:30 pm. Right around now comes the late afternoon chocolate craving. Not everyday, but when it comes I listen and head upstairs to the vending machine.

In goes my dollar. Out comes my change and the wheels turn to give me my snickers bar... before it gets stuck on the ledge. You have got to be kidding me. A girl comes up behind me to get to the machine. She sees my frustration and me walk into the coffee shop across the hall to ask for help. I am told by the barista to go down to the office and ask for Faye. OK. I get back not 30 seconds later. She's walking down the hall the other way and my snickers bar is no longer perched on the ledge NOR is it sitting where candy falls. You have got to be kidding me again. Did this girl actually take my snickers bar when she knew I was frustrated about it and not 20 feet away?

I follow her because I'm crazy like that.

Then I realize I am going to the bad place and probably mistaken anyway, so I turn back around and check the machine again. Nothing. Rage ensues and I go back down the hall to try to find her. Nothing.

I end up getting my money back from Faye so it's not really a big deal, but I'm very irritated because I know nobody used the machine between her and when I got back. I take solace in the knowledge that: 1. She's a large girl and I know what she looks like. 2. I'm spiteful in circumstances like this. 3. I will see her again.

Kind of reminds me of a scene from Better Off Dead. Does this make me that kid on the ski bike?

The Cher of Cycling

What the hell -- he gets teased so he's thinking of coming back? I love how they say "He's still fit and very much in his prime."

Um, yeah... think that's because he won the tour de france (for the seventh time) only weeks ago?

grrr.

I'm with Kyle when he says that Brian got it right with this post.

Lisa and I have been talking about this topic for days. Way I see it, I'd do what I needed to do to make sure my family and I were safe. If that meant stealing a bus or walking/wading/swimming out of the damn city. I sure as hell wouldn't be waiting around and crying for someone to come rescue me while my family and I starved to death.

Brian, your third paragraph of that post says it all for me. Thanks.

Craziness

Found this link showing a satellite photo taken yesterday of New Orleans. Zoom in and scroll down to the bottom center and you can see how close the lake waters are getting to the city center. The dark streets are actually underwater. Madness.

(Thanks to DigitalGlobe for the link)

September Birthdays & Anniversaries

September Birthdays - Craig Hansen (9/1), Brian Lipscomb (9/2), Randy McCall (9/11), Joe Connell (9/25), Eddie Madocks (9/30)

September Anniversaries - Whitney & Greg (9/17), Brian & Marsha (9/24), Us(9/25)