Last day of vacation

My last day of vacation was yesterday.  I tried to make the most out of it.  After a morning at the gym and the farmers market, a couple of us hit up the Bremerton Blackberry Festival:

"wine tasting" at 25 cents a pop.

The place was so crowded though, we opted to take advantage of our adult status and hung out in the beer garden and talked for about 3 hours.

Afterwards, my friend Ben and I hit up a tapas lounge:

Goat cheese stuffed bacon-wrapped dates.  I'm trying to figure out how I can replicate them.  

Then a movie - the End of the World.  DON'T BOTHER.  Apparently we didn't read the movie summary well enough as we were left shaking our heads afterwards.  Silly movie.

Then some hard cider and fried pickles at a local restaurant, before we called it a day.

Unfortunately, I fell asleep in exhaustion about 11pm, waking up at 7am.  This will *NOT* help me return to the graveyard shift. Not at all.....

If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy I could have won.
~ Mumford & Sons

Friendship

We're tight like butt cheeks!
~ my friend Jermaine, when describing our friendship

Surrounded by badges

I had one of those nice days that reminds me of why I live here, and how lucky I am to have the friends that I have.  I had lunch with a friend, went and got my tire fixed (has had a slow leak for months - its been one of those nagging to-do tasks), then had pedicures with another friend.

It was a nice day.

I came home, played with Atticus for a bit, then got on the internet.

Right away, I knew something bad had happened...

No, I did not know him.

If we wait until we're ready we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives.
~ Lemony Snicket

Blessed

How amazing it is that an evening with a friend - pedicures, listening, talking, shopping, eating - can relieve so much stress.

How blessed am I!?!

Candy cane stripes!

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." 
~ Mister Rogers

Mini photo-dump

Its kinda hard to see - but on the left side of the picture there's a rainbow.  Some day I'll tell you about my rainbow story and what they mean to me.

I was invited to an ugly Christmas sweater party.  We don't have our own, so we made them...

Here's mine.

My friend Michelle and I modeling our sweaters.

Oh yeah, and I  made pumpkin bagels.  What!?!?  Easy and delicious.

So, I'm just sitting here in the comfort of my living room, 4:26 am, drinking coffee and listening to the comforting sound of a rain storm against the side of the house.  It's threatening to put me to sleep.  I'm in no particular hurry to start my 2nd 12 hour shift for this week.

"...it seemed too presumptuous to imply I'd made it out of the darkness, because if we keep going, there are always more tunnels, more challenges, darker darks.  But today I realized I have made it somewhere - I've made it to here.  And here's pretty good."
~a post from this week's Postsecret

Checking experiences off the list

Sounders game!

I didn't realize everyone stands for the entire 90 minute game.  Oi!

Jayme and I got our Sounders scarves.  They're kind of a  big deal.

Halfway through the drizzle changed to rain.  Good thing I was standing. 

The real things haven't changed.  It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

What makes a perfect fall day?

Having some peach-apple butter for breakfast.  (Yes, I made it!)

Spending the day with friends...

Figuring out the best corn maze ever....

We eventually came up with a semi-complicated system of arrows and Xs in the dirt....

And one time we actually ran into a couple kids who were willing to take our picture...

It only took us an hour and 20 minutes.  It was an exceptional maze.

And we went on a short hayride.  Yes, I made my hat.  Today.

Add in some apple cider, apple donuts, dinner in a chintzy kinda restaurant, and you have the makings of one fine fall day.

The best things in life are the unexpected because there were no expectations.
~ Eli Khamarov

A day in the life I suppose...

I surprised people at work by wearing a skirt and fabulous boots.  The first time I've worn these boots in two years.   

Mainly an inside joke, but this was waiting for me when I got to work this morning.  A message from a friend.

People feel the need to give me large zucchini they don't know what to do with.  Random.  

I don't think that picture properly conveys how big this zucchini is.  I mean seriously, this thing is huge.  Compare it to the dollar.  

Sunset in the parking lot as I left the gym after an especially hard workout.  A good ending to a long day.  

She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short.

~ Brian Andreas

What makes me happy part 23

Spending time with my two bestest pals.  

"What day is it,?" asked Pooh.
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.

What makes me happy part 19

Going to the state fair...

watching a draft horse show...

chainsaw carving...

Sleeping sheep...

signs that make me laugh...

Random collections people have on display...

And grange produce competitions...

...

Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?
~ Peter Pan

What makes me happy part 13

Catching up with an old friend over hamburgers and cokes...

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.
~ John Burrough

What makes me happy part 8

Starting...

Finishing...

Backstage passes...

Unique opportunities...

...and first pitches.

Wherever you are, be all there.
~ Jim Elliot

What makes me happy part 4

Wearing these shoes to work...

...and catching up over coffee.

"When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead."
~ E. Hemingway

What makes me happy part 1

Local festivals, homemade blackberry chip ice cream...

...and old men wearing tie-dye dancing to live bands.

Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman

The angry sea

Went paddle boarding with Jayme tonight.  The weather has been crazy all day - sunny, cloudy, drizzly, sunny, etc.  Hot one minute and chilly the next.  We took our chances and headed north to Kingston.

It was extremely windy on the water, and the water was choppy.  You couldn't stop paddling for a second because the wind pushed you back out into open water.  It was kind of scary at times, I thought I was going to hit a sailboat once. 

But, we both eventually learned to control the boards better, and basically battled the wind and rough chop for 45 minutes trying to get back to the dock - the wind had pushed us out a lot farther than we wanted to be.

Although it was a great adventure, I would probably not go out again in those weather conditions.  I like calm seas.  I don't need the sun, but I really need the calm.

Don't tell Jayme I put this up....she didn't know I was taking her picture.  Those are our SUPs (Stand Up Paddleboards) in the background.

I worked so hard at paddling today I'm tired and sore.  And we weren't even out for that long.  The tiredness could also be my 2am wake-up and full day at work.  Hmmm. 

Our reward afterwards.  According to Jayme this pizza is being sold in a whole foods store so it must be healthy, right?  Ignore the grease piling up on top. 

2am is going to come way too early in the morning again. 

You must do the thing which you think you cannot.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Saying goodbye

Fancy toes...

Fancy food...

Fancy girls...

I will miss you, Jenni!

Walking, I am listening to a different way.  Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me.  Be still, they say.  Watch and listen.  You are the result of the love of thousands. 
~ Linda Hogan