A Quite Right Nite

Sometimes things just click don't they?

I looked up from what I was doing just now and realized that I was indeed quite happy.

Not ecstatic.

Not melancholy.

Somewhere in between. That comfortable space where who you are melds seamlessly with where you are and what you are doing.

I'm not one to ignore such occasions. I'll note these little details, and if I ever find myself on the melancholy side of the line I'll know where to come to.

Sewing.

Drinking wine.

Listening to my Adele station on Pandora.

Windows open.

Rain drizzling outside.

As frustrating as I thought doing my first sewing project would be (don't worry, a post will follow as soon as I am finished), instead I am realizing how peaceful this activity is. I've been sipping on the same glass of wine for an hour or two now, and it is a lovely wine that my friend Christina gave me when she came to visit last weekend.

Nothing fancy here, just a simple evening creating and relaxing and hanging with my pup.

These little days add up to something lovely, don't they?

 

Ellijay Apple Festival - 2011

Yesterday we got up early and made the drive up to North Georgia for the Ellijay Apple Festival. You may remember that we did the same thing way back in 2010.

We had fun again this year, even though we didn't try out the corn maze, and even though they didn't have the farm animals (lame! this is by far my favorite section of any fair). In fact, I almost don't need to give you a recap of Apples 2011, since it was so similar to Apples 2010. Except with better hair and without the cute jeans (they got an unmendable tear earlier this year - sniffle).

2010

2011

Yesterday was the perfect fall day - crisp cool morning, lazy drive into North Georgia, slowly changing leaves.... and then the mercury rose to 80 degrees. Sigh, I can't for a moment pretend that I am in New England with these balmy temperatures.

We had a lot of fun eating fried apple pies (Tom), people watching (me), choosing the perfect pumpkin (Tom), getting a New Orleans Sno Ball (me - woot! <-- anyone else love these things?), and eating fried pickles (both of us).

Yes, I know I need to moisturize. Srsly.

Handsome man and fried apple pie

Chainsaw Art in the works

I don't know what this is...but it makes me wish I was 5

Mango Sno Ball - Not as good as NOLA, but close

20 minutes picking out a pumpkin (and asking the attendant for advice)

On the way home we looked at leaves (naturally) and grilled out at a nearby state park. The second half of this post shall henceforth be referred to as: "Burgers, Bananagrams, and Beer"

 I would like to point out that I won our game of Bananagrams:

And that Tom lost:

But it was a close match. Playing Bananagrams in the middle of the woods, next to a river, drinking a beer, waiting for your burger* to be done, is amazing. We were both so quiet focusing on our game, and the peace just kind of settled in around us.

*These weren't ordinary burgers - these were Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burgers. And if you've never made them, you are missing out.

Warm weather, full bellies, fun game, Sunday by the river. Yup, the day was good. The day was mighty, mighty good.

Friends, Meet My Dog

It has been said that your dog's mannerisms and character traits can tell you a lot about yourself.

Perhaps that just means that people give themselves license to judge you based on what type of dog you own. Do your judgements vary for a Saint Bernard owner and a Chihuahua owner? Maybe, maybe not.

But I digress.

If people are judging me based on my dog....

Or, if this dog should be telling me a lot about myself...

Then I am one scared individual. Afraid of the unknown and ready to tuck my tail and run.

When I saw this video over at coldantlerfarm, I realized I never shared my own videos of Barley the Fearful. Taken from our recent trip to Cedar Key, FL.

You can laugh at my dog. I don't mind.

Home Day

Whoever planned the 2011 Calendar must have known that I would need a day off today. I won't thank Columbus - he gets too much credit as it is. (Check out the Columbus Day someecards for a little hilarity.)

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Either that, or the wrong side of the bed found me. Luckily, I am being cheered by these things:

 

 

1. Coffee. Usually I put cinnamon in my coffee. As it turns out, nutmeg is equally as delicious. Yum!

2. A book. Have you read anything by Michael Chabon? I literally just started the book, so I can't give a recommendation just yet (he won the Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay).

3. Comfort. Today I took a shower and then put my pajamas back on. I almost never do that because it tends to make me lazy, but today it is just right.

4. Rainy Day, Slowly Changing Leaves. It's pretty out there with a steady drizzle of rain. A couple of trees are showing their true colors, but for the most part everything is still green.

5. Music. Listening to my Edward Sharpe music station on Pandora today.

Bonus: A dear friend of mine had a baby girl today. Can't wait to meet the little love, and am newly inspired to buy a sewing machine and make some mini baby clothes.

Hope you are having a truly wonderful Monday, whether you are "celebrating" Columbus Day or not.

two weekends away

When it rains it pours, right? Well it's been raining vacation over here, and I'm finally at home hanging with the pup and cleaning my house. Let's do a recap, shall we?

First weekend vacation: Beachin' It

Two weekends ago Tom and I went to Cedar Key, FL. It was awesome, and we even got a new family photo.

Why the smiles? (seriously, even the dog is smiling.) As it turns out, renting a golf cart to drive from your decaying vacation trailer into town is gigantically entertaining. So fun! Really, we had an amazing time. We got our fill of fishing, drinking, boat riding, golf cart driving, football watching, relaxing, and reading.

An Aside: A Book to Read

Speaking of reading, I finished Hunger Games. It was amazing. I'm not going to tell you anything else about it, but you have to read it. I will prepare you for this fact though: the second book in the trilogy (Catching Fire) isn't out in paperback yet. Boo. And if your library is anything like mine, the wait on the book is so long you'll have forgotten the first one before you get to read the second. But still, read it. You must.

Second Weekend Vacation: I Thought About Wearing Flowers in My Hair

Last weekend I went to visit my sister and her Super Awesome Boyfriend Romey. They are amazi-cakes, and we had a great time. Seriously, how cute are these two?

San Fran was unreal. We had so much fun, and I can't believe we packed it all into 3 days. We saw Robert Earl Keen, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Chris Isaak, etc. We had great tapas at Cha Cha Cha, great Italian at the Stinking Rose, had a great taco at.... a great taco restaurant that Romey knew about. We saw the redwoods at Muir Woods, walked all over the dang city, saw the manager of the San Francisco Giants (Bruce Bochy) as we walked by the stadium. Ok, I admit, I had no idea who Bruce Bochy was until Romey pointed him out and then talked to him, but it's still cool right?

But do you know what was better than seeing a famous baseball person? Or famous musicians? Or eating amazing food? What was better than seeing the redwoods (bucket list - check!), walking around town and sipping coffee in the mornings? Eating Laura's enchiladas with a pumpkin beer in her tiny apartment? What was better than falling asleep to a movie every night because I was still on east coast time and couldn't stay awake?

Sister time.

Oh, how wonderful is sister time? How wonderful is talking to that person who knows what you're thinking before you say it, who shares your entire past, and who you never have to explain yourself to? I have had Laura by my side since I was 19 months 29 days old. And even though we had our share of fights in the way-back-olden-days, I'm pretty sure she's the bees knees. I love this lady.

Classy Robisons drink Tecates

There's no one who gets you like a sister does. I really lucked out in that arena - I've got two. And even though Laura, Lisa and I are spread pretty far in distance (Maine, California, Georgia), there's nothing that will keep me from those ladies for too long. Without them, I lose a part of myself.

Thank you Laura for hosting me and reminding me of who I am.

Thank you Tom for scoring last-minute Florida vacation rentals and for reminding me that fun exists everywhere. (And for reminding me that it is never a good idea to keep up with you when we're drinking.)

Thank you Romey for making me laugh and for keeping Laura safe from all of the crazy Oakland stories I'm always reading in the news. And for driving me everywhere - seriously.

Yup, September was a fine month.

And with Ellijay Apple Festival, a friend visit, and changing leaves on the horizon, October seems to be shaping up pretty nicely too.