Best birthday ever!
Next year is the big one…five-oh! So this year I completely expected to fly under the radar and have a quiet, relaxing weekend with family. Mike is always so good at planning fun things for me to celebrate my birthday. After knowing me for over 25 years he’s learned that my lack of hints on what I want to do is not indicative of what I want to do. I admit I like to feel special and my birthday is no exception. His hints were subtle, “I have plans for us this weekend so maybe run the Roomba if you have a chance.” What? My sister invited me to a paint night at a local art studio and we met Mike and Derrick at a bar after. In the middle of a stupid story I was telling about how Mike has been snoring lately I hear familiar voices, “Hi!”. Two of my closest friends, Jen and Katie, flew up from San Diego and surprised me. I was so surprised and so happy it took a minute for me to realize what was happening. Once I gave a million hugs I started crying because I was so blown away by their thoughtfulness and it hit me how much I missed them. We spent the weekend sharing stories, having girl time, shopping, hiking, and eating great food. It was a perfect weekend and I was so happy to share all of my favorite things with them. I hope they got a chance to see what a special place this is and maybe understand why we moved our family up here. I was so sad to see them go and so happy that I will be back in San Diego in December and February to visit them and the rest of my friends. Love you guys!!!
Kendall has been busy the last few months rehearsing for her play, “Peter and the Starcatcher” with her high school theater group. It was an adaptation of Peter Pan and I was blown away by their talent. It was a fantastic show with amazing acting. Kendall played a pirate and donned a beard so it was hard to recognize except for her booming voice. She has a future in acting and I’m so glad she found her “people” here. Despite a rough start once we moved here I heard her admit that she likes it better here. What? It takes time to get settled but I think she’s getting there.
Alex is doing well at Boulder and has even signed a lease for a house for next year so I guess he’s officially moving out after summer. I’m so happy for him and Boulder is an amazing place to live. He’s currently home for Thanksgiving break and it’s so nice to see him again!
Mike is enjoying the mountain biking here and has invested in warmer gear so he can battle the low temps while riding. He made a good time on his last ride until he looked up his stats and saw that ‘Out of Shape Fat Guy’ beat his time. Haha!
I have been enjoying the tennis scene up here and have been playing a few times a week with my new team. The women are all very nice and I feel right at home. I like playing indoor and am getting used to not wearing a visor or sunscreen. Also, since it’s cold we wear pants and I’ve discovered leggings with side pockets hold the tennis balls well. It’s a good thing because I’m not exactly tan anymore.
Mike and I are exploring fun restaurants and spend fun times with our next-door neighbors, Jen and Chello. Bonus, they have a boat and invited me and my sister for a spectacular tour on the Columbia river and happy hour at a dock in Portland. I can’t wait until summer for more fun times with them.
My sister, mom, and I went to several holiday fairs last weekend and got a taste of local artisans and their talents. My favorite was a young couple that owns a farm in Washougal and make wood and metal signs with a CNC machine. They had their holiday signs on display in their quaint barn with a potbelly stove, music, and fresh coffee cart. It gave me big dreams of relaunching my crafting business once we’re settled. I already added my craft studio to our new home design!
Speaking of home design, we are well on our way to getting our new house plans created. After a few versions, we decided to take a machete to it and start over. It’s not easy when you want so many things and then realize you’re looking at a huge home to fit everything but that’s not what we want either. The reality is, by the time our home is completed we will likely be empty nesters so we don’t want to have a large house to maintain. We also want a space for them to come to visit and bring their own families when they’re older so we need to find a balance. Designing a home is a lot of fun but it’s also a lot more difficult than I expected. We’re getting there and I will share our plans once we get close to decision time.
The weather has been so beautiful lately and I’ve heard many locals say it’s one of the nicest Novembers they remember. It’s sunny and 60 most of the time and I’m loving it. As I’m writing this it’s in the ’30s and snow flurries are expected so I guess Winter is here? I’m getting ready for it and will share my puffer jacket collection soon. I go to Costco and find a cute puffer jacket for $20 and it ends up in my cart every time. It’s the little things that make the weather bearable, right?
Sending all of you wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo!
Michelle