A New Chapter

2011... that looks preposterous in writing. What is even more unbelievable is that it has been nearly a year since we moved here. Almost at the 365 day mark. Insanity. It doesn't even feel like a year has passed. It went so quietly, sneaking around on pointed toes, trying to avoid eye contact as if it were embarrassed. And now we are fully engulfed by yet another year that promises to be equally chaotic. Im not complaining, though. Now that we're down to the wire in our "365 days" I feel incredibly motivated to shape up and get things done. I also feel like we're finally in a good place financially. Before, we were still trying to sort things out and whatever and now it all seems to make sense. I am so determined to make it back for all the fun that 2011 has in store. Even though no matter where you live, life seems to find a way to disappoint you.

I keep in contact with my former life as best I can, trying to live vicariously though the people with whom I associated myself with most. And no matter how much fun they seem to be having in Facebook photos, there is always that underlying drama that never fully settles and constantly ruins your good time. Come to think of it, Will and I look pretty darn happy in all our Washington pics, even if we are lonely. Maybe the key to having a good time is looking good and smiling wide for photos because when all is said and done, photos are all you have left. Maybe if we stop trying so hard to make a memory, we wont be disappointed when the moment passes and you start feeling like a cheap date. Just look at those pretty pictures and remember it being glorious. 

So, the point I was trying to get at is New Years Eve- its never ever super-awesome-good-happy-fun-time. EVER. I spent the majority of the day wishing I was in LA with all my friends instead of making last minuet dinner reservations at a local hotel. It turns out, though, I probably had a better time then my friends in Cali. Mostly because, even if you are spending New Years Eve with people you love, you always tend to have the crazy high expectations, and you always have conflicting interests and you always end up a little bummed out. I had zero expectations. Therefore I pretty much enjoyed myself. And we took some pretty cute pics and I will look back and see smiles and butterflies and sunshine ;)

Now, New years day was a great day for me. i woke up at ten, slightly hungover, had some coffee and then went on a hike with Will and Penny in Washington Park. Gorgeous hike. Its shady and quiet and crisp. All was well until we were 1/4 of the way in and I realized there is virtually no sunlight the entire way... The trees are too tall... It was 27 degrees in the forrest. My nose started running like crazy and my ears pounded and my fingers were numb. Though we tried to keep up a brisk pace, my ears were so freaking cold, it made it impossible to warm up. My only saving grace was the North Bluff lookout that gets full sun a looks out over the channel and harbor. It was brilliantly sunny and a pod of porpoises were playing in the channel below... also, 2 GIANT bald eagles were perched in the trees about a hundred yards below. They may have been the biggest I've seen yet. We took a long nap after our hike and woke up just in time to see Mt Baker blazing as the sun set behind it. It was a brilliant shade of pink. I took it as a good omen for the coming year.

Now, I am on the last leg of my 4 day weekend. We just got back from Trader Joe's in Bellingham and Will is about to make BLT's for his family. I am not going to lie, the pancetta smells amazing in the frying pan. I may have to steal a bite while no one is looking ;) I am looking forward to seeing everyone in 2011... Home seems so much closer now. 

Pie and Happiness.

Will and I rarely have days off together anymore. It sucks. I spend my days off, lonely and introverted and he spends his time off visiting me at work - Which is great but... I still have to work. Yesterday was Veterans Day so naturally the banks are closed (they close for everything) and I already had the day off. Yippee! to celebrate, Will and I spent the whole day galavanting around Old Town Bellingham. It was super cold, cloudy and completely picturesque. Just the perfect day for strolling around in maroon colored tights and flirty dress. But it eventually started to rain so we raced back to our little island where it was surprisingly sunny... well, cloudy/sunny. See I hate it when the sun comes out and spoils my good rainy day and I hate it when clouds spoil all the sunshine. In my opinion, there are only 2 types of good weather: All rain or all sun. None of this "partly cloudy" crap. It is always "partly cloudy" here.

But since the temperature has definitely dropped, I have definitely been craving comfort foods. Anything with a pastry crust or with a rich creamy broth, or anything covered in cheese. Last night we made another veggie pot pie (this time with peas and corn and extra butter) and simmered cider on the burner, and today I made a caramel apple pie which is currently cooling on the stove. I am a little bitter that I have to wait for Will to get off work before I can eat it, though. But I am going to try and be considerate that he had to work all day. Also, I really don't like the idea of eating a huge piece of pie by myself... I equate it to alcoholics who drink alone.
I've been wearing big sweaters and socks all week yet I refuse to close the windows. There is something about the crisp fall air that makes my skin prickle and my lungs feel infinite. And I love the romanticism it encourages. Big cups of steaming coffee clutched between your hands and cuddling under huge blankets and giant scarves and mittens. Pie, whipped cream, fall leaves- all things that are made more vibrant by the freezing air. For now anyway. I am sure that in a few months I will be sick to death of the cold. I check the weather down in Costa Mesa almost every other day and am amazed that it's so warm still. It's hard for me to imagine anywhere being 80 degrees when the high here is 48. I do miss the sunshine, tho. Whoever decided that Florida is the "Sunshine State" is crazy. Florida is the sticky, muggy, old people state. California is the epitome of sunniness.
Well I am off to pick up my hubby from work and then I am going to race back home to eat my pie. I will let you know how it is.

October Update

The holidays are literally haunting me. I can see them looming closer and closer with their menacing stare and impending destruction. Ugh. Now, I love the holidays. Usually. It's just that this year I wont be able to host my own festive parties, decorate my own tree or make Martha Stewart-ey crafts for my house. And I'll be missing Thanksmas... my favorite of holidays. However, Will and I  started brewing our holiday beer which we  appropriately named "Hoppy Holidays". We ordered cute labels for them too and we can't wait for it to be done!

Well, I guess I just have to work super hard to get my own place by next holiday season. On another note, Will and I just got back from Oahu on Saturday. It was amazing to get away from the cold and escape into a warm, tropical paradise. Hawaii is great for kayaking, snorkeling, hiking and sun bathing- all things I can never find time fore here in Washington. Sometimes I get really overwhelmed when I'm there. Like I'm wasting time lying in the sun all day... which is great- but there is so many exclusive things to do that you miss out on if your a bum on the beach. Luau's can be lame but a few years ago Will and I went to the Fia Fia luau at Ko 'Olina and it was rad. Guys jumping from the tops of palm trees and catching flaming torches mid air, comedy, drinks, pure entertainment. I love Hawaii. I don't know that I can see myself living there unless I lived at a 5 star resort but I still love it. I love waking up super early because of the time difference an watching the sun creep over the mountains, staring at the at the glassy pools and waving palm trees as I walk down to the steam room to swear out all the alcohol I drank the night before. I love how my hair gets all salty and wavy and shiny. I love the way my skin gets all dewy and glows. I love that I wear a bikini instead of underwear and I love that its acceptable to drink a beer at 10am because "its like, 1pm in LA right now."

 

Sadly, all those things I love are now over and I am back in Anacortes with more rain and cold than I know what to do with. It's October. Like clockwork, the freezing air crept in and took up residence. Blech. Today I am going to look at a cabin on the water just a few miles away. I know It's not realistic to rent a house right now, but I saw the add in a local newspaper and I cant help but dream. Plus the rent is only like 875 a month so I gotta check it out. Just for fun.

So here is what is going on the next few months with us:

Will starts school in January for his Masters in Accounting. We are really excited about this. He plans on taking courses at Cal State Dominguez Hills Online because we are technically still Cali residents and there are no good online programs up here. Anyway, it should take him about a year to finish but the beauty of the program is that we can move wherever we want and the school moves with us.

We are flying down to LA in January for Dan and Lauren's wedding for a whole week! I am super excited. Their wedding is on the 29th of January and mine and Will's anniversary is on the 24th.So we will be in town to see all my favorite OC peeps soon soon soon!!

This weekend is Halloween. This makes me sad. I keep thinking of the parties we used to throw with all our best friends... the talk of the town kind of stuff. This year I will be working and the going to bed early. But it makes me all the more motivated for next year!! We will make it out of the storm!! We will!! 

Penelope Sophia

Washington has taken us for yet another wild ride... a short while after we moved to town, my best friend from my childhood, Brittany, and her husband, Shaun Wagoner moved to Bellingham which is about 20 miles north of Anacortes. They, moved here, away from all their friends and family to start a new life apart from California. Just like us. But life never goes the way we plan. Brittany found out she was pregnant, then went into premature labor and gave birth to a 1 and a half pound baby. Baby Penelope is now fighting for her life at the Seattle Children's Hospital. It makes all my issues seem mediocre.I may hate where I live, but Penelope Sophia Wagoner would love the chance to be alive, anywhere in the world. So please pray or the Wagoners little girl. Recently, she underwent surgery for a torn intestine and may possibly be at risk for another tear. Pray for baby Penelope and read the Wagoners blog here and enter "penelopesophiawagoner" to see how they are doing. They need all the love they can get :)

Biker Mania!!

I just experienced my first Oyster Run. Over these past months I've realized that Anacortes likes to have a lot of "Festivals". I use quotations because most of the events are laaammmee. Like super lame. For example: Anacortes Festival of the Arts was basically a few mediocre, overpriced artists selling pieces they created in 1992 and local volunteer organizations selling overcooked burgers. Shipwrecked Days was supposed to be a "super awesome giant garage sale" but in reality it was people trying to sell their JUNK. Which people DO do at garage sales but, 'cmon, a semi-functional espresso machine from 1980 for only 50 dollars? Seriously? Then, there's The Waterfront Festival, some weird Pirate convention and a Croatian Festival (uhm, excuse me Anacortes, but putting the word "festival" at the end of everything doesnt make it "festive) . So all this talk about Oyster Run never really had an impact on me... until Saturday morning when all the bikes started pouring into town. I watched bike after hog after trike cruise by in countless numbers. Convoys of them! Bikers decked out in leather and tattoo's with crazy custom bikes.

(above)They don't call it Oyster Run for nothin'. Oysters Rockafeller is the way to go for all you novice oyster eaters.

As far as the eye could see...

Sunday, on which Compass was closed (thank the Lord), over 30 thousand (yes, thousand) bikers found their way into town. And all up and down Commercial Ave. there were tents selling leather jackets, giant skull rings, custom saddle bags and even a tent with a tattoo artist ready to go!!

check out this bling, yo! Im thinking about upgrading our wedding rings to one of these bad boys.

Just one of the many custom bikes. I like to refer this one as: My Little Indian Pony.

And here we have some crazy stunt guys. (And take a gander at the awesome, leather pony cuff sported by the blond in front)

Good fair food and crazy biker people. My only regret was dressing too conservatively. While I consider myself to be stylish by Vogue's standards, the biker community seems to favor high-healed boots, short leather skirts and leopard print faux fur. Today, I sported none of these items. I felt like a little girl in my tights and pointy toed flats. Mer. However,I made it better by consuming a couple of beers and head-banging to a mediocre cover band. That and, I'm not gonna lie, I took a substantial bite of a stellar looking hotdog. It was exhilarating and well worth the 3 hour stomachache that followed. At one point while the band was playing their rendition of a Jethro Tull song, a drunk biker stumbled on stage and demanded a mic. He then began to wail on his harmonica in a totally awesome, semi-cohesive solo. When he finished, I cheered as if I were one of them. I may have even gotten a little teary eyed. So to sum it up, Oyster Run might be the only thing that Anacortes does right. In other words: Take note from the biker peeps and get more awesome. Stat.

Summer's End

Will got the job. He got the job!!! He starts on monday at the US Bank in Anacortes. Though I am less than thrilled about him working in town, I am still wildly ecstatic about him being employed. Ideally, he would get a job closer to the 5 freeway, making it easier for us to move out and move on... Since Anacortes is so far west, with nothing but 20 miles farmland between it and the 5, moving away gets tricky. But we'll worry about that later.

In a final attempt to celebrate the short summer we've had here in the Northwest, Will and I decided to go camping. The weather this past week had been really amazing, so why not take advantage of it? So wednesday evening, after work, we drove all the way to the North Cascades to Baker Lake. As we are pulling in to the remote forests of the Cascade Mountains, the last glimmer of light had disappeared behind the trees, leaving us to set up camp with minimal visibility. While we were frustrated that we had spent precious daylight buying last minute junk foods at the local grocery store, we weren't frantic or anxious. Until we realized that all the campsites we either reserved or occupied. My mind flashes back to the phone conversation I had with the park ranger:

"Hi, can I make a reservation for this wednesday?"

"Aw, I'm sorry but you've missed the reservation cutoff for wednesday," he says in a surprisingly Australian accent.

"..."

"We need at least 3 days to reserve a spot for you. But don't worry about it, mate, no one camps during the week," Yep. He's definitely Australian.

"Really? So I just show up, then?"

"Yeah. Half of the camp is reservable and the other half is first come first serve. I don't think you'll have any problems."

"Sweet."

Back in real time, Will and I are growing more and more frustrated as each campsite is marked RESERVED and then a date is tacked to the post OR it is packed full of tents and dogs and kids. Will is getting increasingly more foul mouthed as it gets darker and darker and we have yet to find an available space. Finally, we check a "Reserved" space for the posted dates, and it appears the people have left early. Score!!

I start feeling better immediately, though the forrest gets awfully quiet after dark and it's intimidating. The campers turn in as soon the light dissipates. It's pitch black before you know it. But at least we don't have to sleep in our car! Will, on the other hand is still stressed because we haven't paid for the site... We had some cash on us but we were a few dollars short of the site fee. So we did not fill out the "Camping Permit" as the signs at the park entrance advised, instead we were going to wait until morning to figure everything out. Meanwhile, we are realizing all our camping gear is malfunctioning... Lanterns are busted and folding chairs are collapsing, air mattresses are leaking. All of this caused our mood to plummet. "Let's just go to sleep then," I suggest, hoping that in the morning, all will be well. As we start getting ready for bed, Penny, our tiny Yorkie, starts pulling and tugging on her leash and frantically trying to grasp at something just out of reach. Finally she succeeds and quickly chews whatever it was. I then notice that there are many pieces of what appears to be carne asada strewn everywhere, along with pools of grease by the grill... "Great."

We finally settled in to our tent on our limp mattress, trying to distribute blankets evenly and find a position that was semi comfortable... and from the woods, I hear a low growl/grunt. Penny is panicky and shaky nervous, which in turn, makes me nervous. "What was that?!" I whisper to Will. His response is "Well, we're gonna die. Awesome."

Needless to say, that night was a sleepless one. All night long, we heard shuffling of feet and, heavy breathing and sniffing from inside our tent. We knew better than to have food out in the open, but the greasy meat the previous campers left attracted plenty of wildlife. We woke ("We're alive!") the next morning to find large claw marks in the dirt around our tent. I was incredibly thankful for the dull morning light that cast a gray hugh over the forrest and made last night seem very far away. And even though there was a thick, misty cloud cover hanging above the trees, it was not at all ominous the way rain clouds are. It felt early and still and serene.

After some coffee and a TRUE california style breakfast burrito (soyrizo scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, avocado and Tapatio wrapped in a warm tortilla) We were feeling pretty optimistic about the remainder of the trip... we just needed to find a mini mart with an ATM so we can pay for the site. Now, I feel that in this moment, when I am most certain that all is right in the world, there is a mischievous leprechaun spying on me from the woods, rubbing his stubby hands together and saying "Not so fast, missy!" and then, with his evil magic, he makes everything go awry again. Because no more than 30 seconds of me feeling at ease did I hear Will curse from behind me.

"SHIT!"

"What now?" I want to roll my eyes at his constant over dramatization of everything, but I refrain, knowing it's childish.

He pulls another red "Reserved" slip from behind the Carne Asada Camper's slip. The dates are for today through Sunday. My heart sinks as I realize we have to pack up everything just hours after getting it all set up. I sigh. Then start packing in silence. Damn that imaginary leprechaun!! He ruins everything!!

By the time we get everything back into the car, it's 10 o'clock and all the campers are out and about, making bacon and chasing after their kids. Our plan is simple: Find a grocery store and get cash, buy a map of all the trails in the area, get back to the lake and hope to find a suitable campsite. Now, Will swears there was a mini mart a few miles down the road. Nope. All there is are trees. We realize all too late, that the closest store is at the bottom of the mountain about 20 miles down the road. And as we make our decent, a caravan of SUV's and minivans, fully packed with gear and kids, races up the mountain towards the lake. By the way they were moving, you might think they worked for the FBI on their way to a drug bust. We are screwed.

We finally made it back to the lake, about an hour or so later, to find the camp was crawling with newcomers, claiming their precious reserved spots. With little hope of success, we scoped the rest of the camp.... low and behold, a small site was vacant on the south side of the loop. Like our last campsite, the previous campers at this site also left behind a mess... of cigarettes! These people just flung their butts everywhere, like it wasn't even littering. Like the birds were going to collect them and use them for their nests, or they were going to disintegrate and fertilize the earth with their nutrient rich core. Seriously?! I was peeved. But I got over it. The rat race was over. And if I ever meet that Australian ranger, I am going to punch him in the face for offering such bad advice.

Once we finally got settled for real, it was awesome. Though there are a lot of campers and camp sites, it didn't feel as crowded as it was. We had a lot of room and there were so many trees and ferns that we still felt like we were in the wilderness. Which we were. I have the bug bites to prove it. I knew there were going to be bugs but... it was nuts. And as much as I hate using bug spray, I had no choice. Will read the label on the can and exclaims, "Oh, I see, mosquitos hate poison. The stay away from you because you are covered in poison." True statement. But what can you do? Although, if the mosquitos didn't kill us, the bug spray would. I saw a fellow camper set up a canopy over the picnic table that had netting on all sides to keep the bugs away. I envied that canopy.

So what exactly does one do on a camping trip? If you travel all the way to the beautiful National Forests of the Cascade Mountains, you would do things like kayaking, hiking, bike riding... you know do outdoors-ey stuff. But for me, I like to eat an drink. And then, when I have a good buzz going, I like to explore a little... but nothing too strenuous. I recently discovered that I hate physical activity. Eating is also a favorite pastime of mine. Did I say that already? So Will and I have come up with all these great semi-gourmet-but-mostly-just-awesome camping foods. I will post some awesome recipes soon!!

Smores!!

This and That

Life has been slow here in the northwest... not to mention cold. It rained all day on Saturday, yet hundreds of people flocked to the Arts Festival downtown. And no one had an umbrella. Funny, isn't it? That an outsider is distinguished by their use of an umbrella? As if it's a preposterous and frivolous luxury. But every time a townie stumbled into the wine shop, shivering and drenched, all I could think was, "You are an idiot." And still they bitched through chattering teeth about how all these tourists are crowding the sidewalks with their umbrellas. Good grief.

I guess I have taken a break from blogging simply because, in an effort to "just get by" we have forgotten to enjoy it a little... but at the same time, I would much rather wake up one morning and realize that we made it back to Orange County, safe and sound. Also, the novelty of living in the northwest has sort of lost its charm. Now the dense reality of overbearing liberals and Obama-loving extremists has finally set in. And what's with this "3 Minute Shower" campaign? Seriously? I am all about saving the planet but not at the expense of cleanliness. Oh, I also discovered that California is one of the "greenest" states in the country. They use the same amount of energy as they did 30 years ago, yet their economy has increased by 80 percent. So booya, California haters!!! So with that said, blogging about our lives up here without gushing on the queerness of it all, leaves me with little to report. Everything is more mundane and routine. 6 months in a new town feels like forever.

There is, however, a bit of news on the job front. We have our fingers crossed for a potential job for Will... I am praying and praying that he gets a positive call in the next few days from US Bank. Our lives are on the brink of change!!! But while I am extremely optimistic about this prospect, I am still trying not to jinx it by being overly presumptuous. So enough of this topic!!

Remember that bike I bought?? I have yet to ride it. The breaks are weak and need to be changed, which isn't terribly hard to do, but I cant seem to motivate myself. Also, I need to make a few pricy aesthetic changes like a new paint job and saddle but those are a low priority as far as spending money goes. So it sits in the garage , lonely and pouting like a puppy in time-out.

There are a lot of things in my life that I struggle to find motivation for.... reading, organizing, exercising. The list is extensive. But no matter how much I need to do these things, I always find myself succumbing to the call of Netflix... "just veg out," it says. And I agree. Oh, how I need to go to the gym!! In a mere month and a half I will be sunbathing on the beaches of Hawaii with all too flabby arms... gross. But as long as there is plenty of wine, I suppose it doesn't matter. Wine is the root of all my laziness.