It’s that time of year…yet again

I gathered with some of my best girl friends last night to celebrate Amanda’s birthday–just a low-key night with wine, snacks, games and “Chic chat.” (Sarah taught me a new word.) There was even a cheese ball present; the equivalent to Cheese Whiz frozen and rolled in almonds…don’t see one of those every day.

Last night the weather and gathering with friends reminded of the transition phase that happens each year from summer to autumn–the sun is out, but the air is crisp. Dinner, movies, drinks at bars and “Girls’ Nights” with wine and reality TV start to replace frantically trying to catch the summer heat after work and heading away every weekend for camping, cabins and trips to Eastern Washington. And then, there’s always my favorite topics that crop up around the beginning of September–Halloween costumes and Oktoberfest in Fremont and Leavenworth–a sure sign that fall is in the air, my friends. Time to tuck away those short shorts, mini skirts and tank tops for another eight months and stock away money for new fall boots.

Summer is my very favorite season, so I’m always very reluctant to see it go. But, the transition is a little easier with the onset of my second favorite season. I get a little tingly thinking about pumpkin patches and carving, pumpkin lattes and beer, TV show premieres, cozy apartments and snuggly blankets with Stella, and being perfectly content with soup for dinner and a book after work.

How am I going to spend my fall this year? That’s still in the works… I’ll be living with a new roommate, which will be a change. I’ll therefore be reinstating some sort of weekly dinner ritual (similar to belly dancing and South Beach dinner nights I did last fall) with Sarah since we’ll no longer be roommates. Perhaps I’ll finally go to the yoga class at my gym that I’ve been putting in my calendar every week. More than likely I’ll be reading some great books and planning for the holidays. And as the leaves change every year around this time, I always start to think about the changes I need to make…so I’ll probably be working a little on those too.

All in all, I think I’m okay with the season change this year.

Currently Feeling: A little groggy and crampy.
Currently Anticipating: Mariners vs. Yankees tomorrow with my high school girl friends.
Currently Loving: The brand-new top my coworker passed down to me!

Do you think I have a career in videos?

I discovered the Web cam program on my computer last night, which was ridiculously, ridiculously entertaining. I couldn’t stop snapping photos for my boyfriend framed in cheesy hearts, and recording videos to send my friends. Since Amanda’s birthday party was last night, she lucked out with my first video birthday message. I think I might have a career in this… anticipate many more video blogs to come!

A most perfect Labor Day weekend

I spent this past Labor Day weekend in the most lovely way–minus the pasties and Disneyland debauchery, (my how times are a changin’)–just me and my man on a little island camping trip.

I’ve had an itch for riding the ferry and camping on Orcas Island this summer; it’s been approximately 13 years since I’ve been over there. So, I Googled “camping Orcas Island,” about a month ago, discovered the cutest little place called West Beach Resort and reserved a spot for this past Saturday and Sunday night. So, after the game on Saturday with my parents, we headed north to exit 230 (almost clear the way to Bellingham, the old college stomping grounds!), and made it just in time for the 5:30 ferry.

After a sunny ferry ride with a couple games of cards, we pulled into the campground around 7 p.m. and were met with a sign that pretty much summed up the weekend:

From there, my weekend followed their recommended leisurely time schedule–le sigh. It’s amazing what you can fit into a day when you don’t have errands to run, haircuts to get, laundry to wash, birthday and grad parties to attend, dinner to eat with parents, hours needed to sleep off a hangover, work to finish, cars to wash and oil to change, groceries to purchase and meals to cook…

We spent our first evening with Miller Lites, a sunset on the beach, an evening dip in the hot tub that had a view of the water, and hot dogs and marshmallows roasted on the campfire.

Saturday we woke up bright and early, cooked breakfast on the camp stove (how convenient that my boy loves big breakfasts and bacon just as much as me!), ordered lattes at the little dockside store and bought a crab pot to throw over the side of the dock.

From there, we explored Orcas Island, which is so beautiful! I’m amazed at how underdeveloped it is–tons of trees, parks, dirt roads, waterfront views and funky beach houses with property. The island is actually quite large, with a number of small little port towns. We drove through Moran State Park, hiked a little through the woods, then up to Mt. Constitution to the stone tower built there sometime in the 1930s. The weather was perfect, sunny and crisp…

From Moran we drove to Deer Harbor and ate lunch at the Deer Harbor Cafe before we headed to Obstruction Pass State Park to hike some more, walk on the beach and look through tide pools. We drove back to West Beach as the evening hours approached, and Mike fished a little off the dock while I read. We then spent the rest of our Sunday night with a couple games of Battleship and Yahtzee, another hot tub swim, a lot of brewskies, and more wieners, baked beans and roasted marshmallows (YUM!) before calling it a night.

So there we have it. The most perfect Labor Day weekend–a little camping, sunshine, crabbing, hiking and walking. A little beaching, hot tubing, eating, talking and reading. A little exploring, sightseeing and drinking. And a lot o’ kissing.

Currently Feeling: Like my right arm is a combination of asleep and achy – annoying!
Currently Anticipating: Amanda’s birthday dinner, drinks and game night tonight.
Currently Hating: Back on Phase One before Chelan and the End of Summer Bash.

I did something this weekend I thought I’d never do…

… I bought a PC.

I’ve been a Mac supporter and lover for years, but I’ve decided that it’s time for me to own both. You know – true computer geek form – a Mac for all the Mac-related stuff and a PC for all the PC-related stuff because they both have their pluses.

Truth is, my Mac is four years old, and I’ve been terrible at keeping it updated and in good-working order. So, now the battery is shot and the memory is severely lacking. Why not trade it in for something a little faster and sexier?! And boy, my new computer sure does have some very sexy features – a Web cam, DVD and CD writer that I can create and burn custom labels, TV capabilities with a remote control, a 5-in-1 digital media reader, high-definition screen, more memory than I’ll ever need, etc. And really, how can you beat the prices of PCs?

Anywho, I love computers and technology, so all I can pretty much think about is how bad I want to go home from work and do nothing but geek out on my computer. That’s probably what I’ll be up to for most of the week.

Currently Feeling: Well rested, amorous and satisfied.
Currently Anticipating: Uploading the photos from this weekend, so I can share our adventures…coming soon.
Currently Reading: “Breakfast with Buddha,” by Roland Merrulo. I’m thinking this buddha stuff interests me a lot.