Weekend Update (without Tina Fey & Jimmy Fallon)

Happy Sunday everybody! It's almost 2:00 p.m. here & aside from a few phone calls I'd like to make, this posting is the last thing on my "list of things to do today". What will I do with the rest of the day? It's absolutely beautiful outside & I'm dying to be out in it. It's the type of day that makes you want to go apple picking...hey! Maybe that's what I'll do! Actually, I've promised myself a walk once I get through my list.

Having a few hours of empty time feels like a real luxury right now. It makes me want to spend them well. Work has been keeping me very busy (in a very happy way though) lately & the fact that I've had an entire weekend off has been wonderful. I've managed to be quite productive with my time, but a few things still keep getting moved to the bottom of the list. Time spent outside & time at the gym (or getting some form of exercise) are areas that are definitely suffering. Something to work on.

A few other little items of interest:

• My little Lean Cuisine lunch bag (www.leancuisine.com) arrived on Friday & it's just as cute as I had hoped! You know when you order something online, thinking it's going to be wonderful, then it arrives & it totally sucks? Well, that didn't happen in this case. It's a great size & the style is perfect for toting around to appointments.
• Fall in Portland continues to be a thing of incredible beauty. I find myself admiring the colors of the leaves every single day & I wish they'd stay on the trees all the time.
• Deb, Dado & Steffano Bruno will be coming here for Thanksgiving at the end of November!! How excited am I? VERY!! I'm already planning the menu...any suggestions? I think it's going to be so much fun to show them around & I hope they'll love it out here as much as we do.
• We went out for dinner on Friday night with Alison & Dave. They're so funny! I started calling them George Burns & Gracie Allen b/c they work so well off of each other humor-wise. I haven't laughed that hard for such an extended period of time in a long time (probably since our fabulous girl's weekend last February). We went to a McMenamins pub (www.mcmenamins.com) near our place called The Rock Creek Tavern. It was the perfect, fall-type place to go! It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it only takes about 15 mintues to get to the middle of nowhere! Great atmosphere, warm fireplaces, soaring rafters, live music & good food. Definitely an ideal way to end the work week.

I can't resist the call of the outdoors anymore, so I'll sign off. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods (do woods really have a neck?) & that life is being good to you.

Good night & have a pleasant tomorrow,
PortlandGirl

Ancient Chinese Secret

Remember a few months ago, when I was complaining about the fluke (even though it happened 3 times) heatwave in Portland and how we had to come up with new & interesting ways to keep cool b/c we don't have air-conditioning?

Well, now I'm here to give you a hint about how to warm up quickly when you're cold. Because fall is alive & well in Portland! And along with colorful leaves, foggy mornings and a touch of smoke smell in the air, fall brings chilly nights...those nights where you just need to snuggle down under the covers while an open window lets in a constant, crisp breeze.

I think I've done pretty well in making the transition from Orlando's tropical conditions to Portland's more seasonal atmosphere (actually, today is the first day it's rained all day since we moved here). But every once in a while, usually when I'm sitting at the computer, my thinned-out Florida blood kicks in & I start to get chilly. But by the time I actually do something about it (like put on my pink Gap booties or fuzzy socks), I know it's going to take a while for me to warm up.

However, the other day, I figured out a great way to get instant relief! As I was pulling a load of laundry out of the dryer, I hugged some of the clothes to my chest b/c they were so warm and comforting. They smelled good too! The clothes felt like a hug & I wondered how I could hold on to that feeling. Short of riding around in the dryer like we used to do when we were kids (Holly Brown holds the all-time record for going around 40 times), I wondered if it was possible.

Suddenly, it occurred to me. I knew what I had to do. I pulled the entire load of laundry out into the living room, I lay down on the floor & I put the clothes on top of me so that they covered my entire body. I was a jumble of shirts, jeans, pants, socks & towels with just my head sticking out. And I was completely warm! It was nice to just stay there, in my human laundry pile, & enjoy the relaxing after-effects of such warmth. Of course, the relaxing parts were interspersed with a lot of giggling b/c I felt like a little kid & it just made me laugh. And I think that feeling like a little kid is something we all need to get in touch with every once in a while...just so we don't forget.

So, the next time you're shivering, or you can't stop your teeth from chattering b/c you're so cold, remember this simple process: warm up a load of clothing in the dryer, pull out the contents, lie on the floor & become part of them. Then, laugh your head off, make some hot chocolate & eat a few graham crackers...just like kindergarten.

Warmly,
PortlandGirl

Aaahhhhhh!!

If you could read the post that's been in my head for the past few days, I think you'd really enjoy it. I promise to get it down in writing by Sunday, or I'll give each of you $5.

Peace out,
PortlandGirl

Eight isn't Enough

The number 8 isn't a big one when it comes to numbers. It isn't used that often in pricing (how many items in a store do you see for $1.88?). It doesn't get recognized like 16 and 21 do as a commemorative birthday. It's not even in the land of double digits (Marnie wrote "Welcome to the land of double digits" on my birthday card when I turned 10 & I thought it was the funniest thing ever). But when you tack on the word "years" after the number 8, you get "8 years" & THAT seems like a big number...8 years is a long time.

Think back to what you were doing 8 years ago (for those of you with the understanding there would be no math, that would be 1998). Can you remember?

I can. Because 8 years ago today, I met John.

October 3, 1998. I always describe that time as "feeling like yesterday, but feeling like a long time ago all at the same time". Very similar to the description you give when telling someone about your dream last night..."We were in your house, but it wasn't your house."

It's unbelieveable to me that we've only known each other for 8 years b/c it's hard to think of a time when I didn't know him. At the same time, the fact that we HAVE known each other for 8 years is insane! How could that time have gone by so quickly? I can't quite wrap my head around it.

And so, in honor of our "We've Known Each Other for 8 Years Anniversary", I'm going to go hang out on the couch with my husband. Because since going back to work, I haven't been able to spend much time with him & he's been totally supportive & understanding.

A few other things of note that were happening 8 years ago today...

Jay & Chris were getting married - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY YOU GUYS!
Whit & Nick were getting married - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY YOU GUYS TOO!
Les was having a birthday (much like she is today) - HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOGI HUNTER!
Laura Donnelly & I were unveiling our new dance number, "Wipe Out & Act Natural", at Jay & Chris' wedding.

What a great day!
PortlandGirl

This posting was brought to you by the letter "M" & , of course, by the number 8.