Excuses, Excuses

I really hate it when I'm following someone's blog or other work and suddenly there's a huge break in the posts! Yes, I broke that cardinal sin of blogging. So let me start this long-awaited post with a few "excuses":

1. Summer sunshine
2. Summer adventures
3. Summer roadtrips
4. Summer visitors
5. Summer leaving
6. Fall starting
7. Fall fun
8. Fall finishing
9. Winter arriving
10. Annoying health problems
11. Life

How's that? Summer is the biggest excuse, mainly because it kept us so busy that I almost forgot the existence of my blog. (Almost.) Also because sun is so scarce, we spent every available minute, it seems, outside! The grandest adventures took place in the mountains. I undertook my very first backpacking trip with an amazing group of friends in the Olympic Mountains. (Earning myself, albeit loosely, the title of "Olympian.") I also took countless day hikes with super-husband and the in-laws, and while I'm still not even close to matching their stamina, I've enjoyed each trip. Throw in an afternoon on our very own lawn, drinking Italian sodas and reading travel magazines and it's no wonder why I LOVE WASHINGTON SUMMERS!


Super-husband also took me on an incredible road trip of the Oregon coast. I couldn't believe how incredibly beautiful and unique each stop turned out! Plus, car camping is my favorite. OK, I hate unloading the car, and if you're stuck with a parking spot more than fifty feet from your site, it can get a little tedious. I knew I liked car camping before this trip, but I never knew how much I love it! I blame the slow pace, clothes that smell of campfire smoke, and quiet mornings around the cook stove. Granted, the weather was beautiful every night we were in a tent.

Summer made its exit with "Lawn Destroying 101." Due to the lovely lack of rain all summer, our poor lawn turned brown by late September. Don't label us "Green Thumbless" just yet! We managed to keep a mini-garden of carrots and tomatoes alive all summer. (Technically, there were still tomatoes on the vine in early November, but they wouldn't taste too good. We couldn't get them to stop growing!) The peas were a failure this time around, but the real autumn harvest treasure came when...

...we got to go apple picking in our back yard! These sweet, juicy gems were almost too much for us! We couldn't eat, freeze, or give them away fast enough. (There may or may not be a bag of smooshy ones in our garage still.)

Fall flew by like the blustery days that brought back the rain. *sad face* In spite of my lack of faith in super-husband's wisdom, the grass in our lawn DID grow back by November! (He forgave my doubt. I'm a stubborn New Englander after all, who knows that once the grass withers in autumn, it's gone until spring!) That brings us to my favorite season of the year (at least in snowy climates): WINTER! Our little home turned into a winter wonderland (at least on the inside), mainly with all the silver-and-blue snowflake-themed decorations from our wedding. We've enjoyed countless Christmassy events with friends and family, and are looking forward to flying back east for Christmas. (There's another blog post or two bound to come out of that trip, if not before!)

Now that we're all caught up...oh, you want to know about the annoying health problems, huh? Suffice it to say that my Native American (only 1/32, mind you!) and Scandinavian heritage inspired my gallbladder to create precious stones! Frankly, it should've stuck with bile production. Now I'm one more organ short and unable to enjoy all the fatty treats of the holiday season with reckless abandon. Oh well. There's always next year.

Speaking of next year, this would be a good time to introduce my hopes for a little blog revamping in 2013. I don't have nearly as much time to write and reflect as I used to (pre-job), but I hope to continue chasing a few goals and writing more than a few musings about the journey. You still with me?

P.S. Sorry about the delay...now 'fess up! You didn't even know I was gone! *wink*