Guilty Pleasure Night!

I am comfortably settled on the sofa, eating a burrito, watching Miss America 2010 and baking lemon, poppy-seed muffins. Mmmm! Yesterday was a mess of hormones and mood swings (I'm gonna blame that ol' Wolf Moon that was out), but today has been better. I was able to sleep in soundly and then visit a dear old friend. Reunited with my man for a delicious lunch (darn! I just remembered my left-overs are in in his fridge! Woops!)and then we enjoyed a movie and some down time. He's out playing law enforcement now, so I'm here trying not to worry. He sure seems to enjoy his nights out on patrol, but it definitely gives me a few grey hairs each time! I hope he has fun out there and I look forward to hearing any stories tomorrow. He sure tolerates a lot with me! An example being my roller-coaster ride yesterday. He let me talk out all the stuff that was jumbled up in my head, and always gives good advice. I feel a bit saner when I'm done talking to him. :) I am sure lucky to have him in my life, and feel so loved. He is quite the guy! And if he's lucky I'll give him one of these muffins when I see him next! Speaking of which, gotta go check on 'em!.........*hold music*.........They're done! And smell lovely! I have a lemon glaze to drizzle on them when they cool! Can't wait to enjoy one. Alright, back to Miss America I go. (Did I just hear someone sing Whitney Houston? I'm sorry, unless you're Whitney, you can't sing her music! Tsk tsk....)

Indecision

I've been playing with the idea of a new job. I've actually been doing this for awhile, since my current job isn't much fun anymore. To be quite honest though, the reason I haven't pulled out the newspapers, scanned the internet, or called any connections, is because, well, I'm a bit scared. I've held very few jobs, and got them very easily. The idea of going out and getting a new one, with people I don't know, from scratch, is daunting. I'm also very good at what I do. It's the reason I have "Specialist" at the end of my title. To transfer elsewhere and be a starter at something would be frustrating. I know everything here, I know where everything is, I know who all the faces are, and I know what I am going to do or where I'm going to go. Changing this up scares me to bits. I need to do it, and the sooner the better, but every time I check a listing I get nervous. I get nervous that I'll find a position I like and miss out on it. Or that I won't find anything that works. I get nervous about everything! I have another person to think about at this point in my life too. I have to take into account the fact that a far away job means moving him too. I have to try to find something here. Or, if the ideal dream job does comes along, I need to deal with the task of moving us both somewhere else. And I've been here for 20 years in this town! That itself gets me upset. I figure I just need to jump in at some point. Really look, and get my hands dirty. I am thankful to be employed right now, though. And the job isn't too terrible. But if I want a change, I have to create it myself. We'll see how far I get....

Ocean Dreaming

I am yearning for the coast this morning. My Pandora station is tuned to David Lanz, and the piano music is drifting heavily over my desk. Outside the window, past the brick, it's cold and snowy and dry. In my mind though I'm cruising down the coastal highway, high above the beaches, with a bird's eye view of the endless waves beyond. The Oregon coast, specifically, is where I'm at. Or, would like to be. Having gone there most years of my childhood, the coast evokes the best emotions out of me. That place tugs at my heart all year. And I haven't seen the sea in awhile now. I wonder if she misses me as much as I miss her. I was talking about the adventure of getting there the other day to my sweetie. With hand gestures and an excited face I explained entering the Van Doozer corridor, and the sweet smells that you must roll down the windows for. The cool breezes which are so welcome after an otherwise hot journey. Coming over the hill to Lincoln City screaming "I see the sea!" And then finding the nearest beach, running out of the car, past the seagulls and down to the sand, just to get a feel for it. And you smile. The entire time, you smile. On the drive, on the sand, looking at her from the window. Even in a downpour. Even when your clothes won't dry and you're salty and sticky. It's the ocean, and the west coast, and there isn't anywhere else such a magical place. I am so very tiny there. And I love it. The ocean feels like an immensely warm spirit, and the coast envelopes me completely when I'm there. That spirit sneaks in under your layers as a cool wind, and kisses your face with salt, and ruffles your hair, and sits on your shoulders and covers you constantly. Weather it be with sand, or stars, or warmth because you found your happy place. It's one of the best hugs you can get. And I could use one of them right about now. :)

A Quiet Highway

I just got back from being on the road. I didn't have any set appointments today which was great. It's the first Monday in a long time that I haven't had at least one sampling home lined up. Instead, my houses start Wednesday this week so I have two days where I don't have to leave campus if I don't want to. Got antsy though, and took advantage of some of our employees needing supplies down the Bitterroot. Hopped in the car and headed south. I took the Eastside Highway for the scenery and enjoyed it. I was one of the only cars on the road. I love having no one behind me or in front of me. I just cruised and smiled at the cows I passed. Saw lots of hawks too. It's sunny down there, even though it is just barely above freezing. The fields are gold, if not covered in snow, and the blue mountains look wispy. There's one creepy tree that I love that sits right off of the highway on the east side. It died many-a-year ago, but the black trunk and 5 thick branches remain. Two of these are suspended over the highway like arms. I like this tree. It stands out drastically against the farmland and looks so wildly out of place. It also always reminds me that I'm just about to drop to 55 mph and enter Stevensville. :) Today on that tree, perched proudly, was another hawk. Looked fitting! My supply visit went quickly today (especially since my two contacts were out at lunch!) I left a lot of post-its and a pile of new stuff. Works for me! I hit up my favorite Hamilton deli and headed home. Nothing like a yummy sandwich, chips, and a soda. (And this time a nosy little cat won't sneak into my car and eat it!) My trip home was just as free and easy on another empty stretch of highway. So heavenly! I felt even more alone without my GPS unit today. I knew where I was going, so I definitely didn't need it, but I'm so used to glancing at it when I drive. It was nice to glance at nothing but front windshield. Using that thing can be great, but it is dulling my Road Intuition. I use it when I need a second opinion, and I don't go with my gut instinct anymore. I really gotta start turning it off! Well, back again, I was treated to a parking spot, which is a hot commodity when all the students come back. My man starts his last semester ever this week and I'm so proud of him. I can't wait for him to graduate and put this behind him. He wants so much to be done! I remember the feeling vividly. :) Alright, back to the grind behind the desk.

A Productive Sunday

What a weekend! Now I'm comfy on my couch watching the Jets and the Colts. Like my mom, I'm not too picky about who wins this one. I'm all for the Vikings later though! My man's favorite player is Favre, and he's extremely excited for today's game. My gift to him for Christmas was a Favre Viking's Jersey so he'll be wearing that with pride! Yesterday I got to enjoy some quality time with my mom. I was happy to make her some fancy coffee with my Keurig and then we went shopping. It was great to chat and look at pretties in the stores. I lucked out with some great scrapbook supplies that I'm looking forward to using soon. I bought an electric blanket, finally, and had one heavenly night under it! I should have done that a long time ago! I got a new Valentine's shower curtain too which made me smile numerous times today while shampooing my hair! I absolutely love themed shower curtains, and I'm not sure why. It's become a bit of a silly obsession. At least my bathroom is festive! I put some Valentine's Day window stickies up today too. I'm a little early, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I love this fluffy holiday. My sister's cat watched me curiously as I put them on the window she was sitting in front of. I don't think she quite understands. :) My cat, today, has been sweet and very photogenic. :) Mind, you this is rare. Well, at least the "sweet" part! She always likes the camera!

The rest of my day so far has included breakfast at Perkins (yummy!) and then cleaning the house. Feels good to get it done. Lots of little things to do, and I have a some stuff to hang on the walls before they day ends. After our trip to Peru, I printed off some pictures from the trip and framed them. I've been needing to hang them. I found some old shelves of mine recently that I'm going to put in the living room. They have scroll-like supports that double as hooks. I am excited to put our Peru photos on the shelves and hang from the hooks our ice-axes and crampons. It will be our mountaineering wall! Ok, it's half-time, so time to get to work!

The Week is Over!

What an end to the week! It started out so lovely, and ended with being attacked by a rooster, an aggressive dog, dealing with families that aren't following the rules and a lot of bad drivers on the road. Oofta! I drove 600 miles this week, and that was over only 4 days! Yesterday I went down the valley and then back to town just to head up to Seeley Lake. It actually looks like winter up there still. It was nice! And small flakes were falling the entire time. Their roads are slippery and their hills are white white white! Lots of tracks out on the lakes and many-a-fisherman camped out. Lots of deer by the side of the road watching me curiously as I creep past. There were 9 of them on a hillside at one point and they were so beautiful to watch! Such cute (and tasty!) critters! :) A few driveways out there were slippery though, to a dangerous degree and it makes me want to ask "what is so wrong with using ice melt?!" People are odd. Oh well. My trip to the lake was half successful and I quickly turned around to head back home. The boy came over last night and we decided to attend a party a local radio station was throwing. We are big Country fans, so we thought we'd give 'er a shot. It was held at a hotel, and the crowd it drew was a very odd one indeed! Talk about a mix of people, but they had a country band playing and lots of inexpensive Bud Light! Ha ha. We danced for a bit and developed quite a little audience. A couple of ladies in the corner kept cheering us on. :) Thank goodness for a man who can dance! We stayed around till the band left and then headed home to a very welcoming bed at the end of a long week. It was a pretty early night but mighty enjoyable. It's nice to do some boot scootin' once in awhile. I'm hoping to get out and do the same thing tonight! (And it's great cardio!) Well, my mother is due any minute to visit and enjoy my new Keurig coffee machine. Gotta run and finish sprucing! :)

A Morning Break

Wow! Today is going to be busy. I just finished munching on a muffin and drinking some of the strongest coffee I could get my hands on. My first appointment in the field is in an hour or so. I will be all over the map today. Yesterday was a long one too, but I got to see a gorgeous sunset. The mountains and hills lit up pink that evening and flocks of silhouetted ducks kept flying over the road. It was great! The visits went pretty good, though a little messy after the rain. One of my houses is located on top of a field of clay. Talk about mud! I almost fell down a couple times, which would have been doubly terrible because they have angry chickens! I actually screamed like a little girl as one of the aggressive ones chased me back to my car. I'm pretty sure the family could hear me from inside the house too. I bet I was amusing! Not to mention the fact I had to take my shoes off in the home, and chose to wore my Easter Bunny socks.....oy. They must think I'm crazy! I was rewarded for my efforts with dinner out last night with my man and then a light snooze on the couch during a movie. What a relaxing evening. Made a quick trip to Wal-Mart too and found some scrapbook sticker letters. Oh how I love new letters! I am easily entertained. :) Alright, time to load up the car and hit the road!

So I just got back from my first appointment. What a funny one! There is a dog at this house that lives, and I mean LIVES to play fetch. He spits his drooly ball (or stick, or piece of wood, or pine cone) onto my tailgate as I unload stuff and stares at me. I throw it and he runs faster than the wind. There's a second dog, less amused with this game, that rarely gets to the ball first. Well, moment in history today, this dog got the ball. And didn't give it back. The rest of my visit it just wandered around with the ball in its mouth proudly. (While the other dog gave me a variety of other items to throw.) On one trip to the car from the house, after throwing the pine cone, I noticed a horse coming toward me. At this house, there is one horse that is not kept in the fence like the others. She's pretty chill. Apparently I was parked in front of the garage that housed her grain, however. Which meant, apparently, that I should feed her. Uh..... She walked right up to the car and stared at me. I moved around her to get back to the porch and later, with a load in my hands, she stopped me in my tracks and demanded to sniff what I was holding. She leaned in and decided that my extension cord and binders were not grain. Good girl. She was a sweetie and seemed content to watch me walk back and forth. Startled me at first though! My visit also involved a lot of conversation with a child I can only imagine is about 3. He likes to talk about their chickens. Chickens, that I learned, are named things like "Horse, Bull, Cow" and not surprisingly, "Duck." Gotta love it when kids have a hand in naming farm animals! Ha ha! What a day!

My Sunny Day Off

The sun is pouring through my window and my cat is in kitty heaven. I am enjoying it too. I have the day off today and have enjoyed the peace and quiet. I slept in and since waking have baked a cake, made lunch and moved furniture around. Time to step it up a notch and get to vacuuming and organizing. I have some new photos to scrapbook with too which will be fun. I get comfy at my kitchen table with my box of stickers, glue, paper and such with a cup of coffee and the view out my big kitchen window. Always enjoyable. :) My cat usually shows up too, but only to sit on the paper or try and eat the smaller stuff. Gotta love her! She keeps me amused. Sounds like my man is working late this evening so I have plenty of time to get these things done. After an entire weekend of his company, however, I'll be missing him soon. The weekend was lazy but lovely, and it was nice to have so much cuddle time with my main squeeze. Now on to being productive in the house! :)

Muddy Travels

I winged myself South again yesterday, adding another 100 miles to the odometer---and another inch of mud to the side of my car. Roads were icy, but the air was filled with the fresh scent of living things. It was the same scent as the Van Doozer corridor in Oregon, when you're surrounded by trees and ferns and green and you're overwhelmed with gladness at the cool temps after being in hot western Washington on your way to the coast....*sigh* It reminded me of summer and I rolled the windows down (with the heater cranked LOL). It felt like things were growing. But it is only January! I felt like yelling out the window at the fields I was passing: "No! Go back to sleep! It will snow again and you'll freeze!" I figure they know better than me when to grow and sleep though. My visits yesterday went well. I went to see one of my study subjects that I do not know too well. She asked me if I would be coming back to sample the next time around. I said yes, it will be me. She then hugged me and said, "Good! I get to see you again!" It caught me off guard and made me smile, and I look forward to seeing her again too. I met smiles at the rest of my houses which lit up the rest of my trip home in the dark. Happily back, my beau and I went to dinner and chatted about our respective days and our eagerness for the weekend. I am looking forward to three days off, though I haven't the foggiest what I'll do with all that time! It will feel strange not being on the road. :) Oh, how I will be able to sleep in though! Can't wait!

Over Noodles and Brownies

I am just about done snacking on lunch--A simple cup of noodles and a home made brownie. The day is zipping by quite quickly, and I have been far too productive so far! I have found myself with some downtime, so here I am. It is the middle of the week, but it feels as though it is Friday. My days are all out of whack lately, I can't keep them in line. I've got Mondays sneaking up on Wednesdays, and my Thursdays have all wandered off. What a jumble in my head! My months have been so choreographed lately, and so busy, it's hard to function without my calendar in hand. I'm needed here at 9, and then there at 1, and then back here at 3 before I go over there at 4. Then dinner and sleep. My work day will end early this evening, however, and I will have a house to myself as far as I know. There are many little things on my to-do list that require a quiet home and some room to breathe. I will scratch a few off the list this eve! I hear that we may have a few snowflakes falling once the sun sets too. Though it will only accumulate in the mountains, it is relaxing to watch them fall in the valley, reflecting the street lights on their way down. I can't wait. With a glance at the clock, and the calendar once more, I am off to hit the road for my next appointment! Mud and mess, here I come!

A Quiet Evening

Oh it has been awhile since I've blogged, but am excited to start again! Right now I am sitting comfortably, enjoying the view from my couch. A few candles are lit and the scent of brownies is wafting from the kitchen. I am in the company of my Russian Blue who always sits close when I pull out the computer. She is less than social, however, and petting her is strictly out of the question tonight. She is looking at me unamused as I try to scratch her chin. Oh well, maybe later! My day was spent mostly on the road, which I enjoyed. I zipped down the Bitterroot Valley where it looked and smelled like Spring. I opened the window to take in the smell of damp earth and trees, and was reminded it was still only January. It was chilly out, only reaching 39 degrees on my journey. The dirt roads to my destination were muddy and messy after a night of freezing rain. I splashed my way over hills and through canyons, with the radio on and my mind in daydream after daydream. I love afternoon trips! They give me a lot of time to think, and be inspired by the landscape, the fauna, and the music. I mused today over how blessed a lady I am, which I am so thankful for. Now home and relaxed, it is time to make a late dinner and enjoy the company of my main squeeze before bed. What a wonderful day it has been!