Another Fall in the Books

I'm not going to lie.  I'm sitting next to a Christmas tree right this second, one that I put up over the weekend.  It has sparkly lights and it's making my heart happy and I don't feel bad that I jumped the gun on the twinkle this year.  I can blame a great many things on this early red and green.  The blame list follows, in no particular order. 

1.  I moved.  Moving creates this insane feeling of must have everything organized and must try to find some calm.  And apparently, in my case, must throw the chaos of pine needles and lights that don't work in the mix.

2.  Carla (Kiel's mom) gave me boxes of Christmas hand me downs.  This doesn't mean the same as getting hand me downs from most, because Carla is the queen of red and green.  She put up 23 trees this year.  Yes, there are 23 full size trees already up in her house and it's the beginning of November.  

3.  Tomorrow I start traveling and won't be home until much into December.  Selfishly, I didn't want decorating to be on the return list.  Rather, I wanted to walk in the front door and say ahhhhhhh and where's the hot cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps?  

4.  My family is celebrating Christmas on Saturday of Thanksgiving week this year.  For weeks, I've been preparing my gift for the exchange so I feel it must be December.  No?  Oh.  

5.  I received the always cute invite to the annual Cookie Exchange brunch at Danae's earlier this past week.  There's nothing like planning what you will make ten dozen of to get you in the holiday spirit.  I found the cutest treat bags to put my goody in this year too; they make me say yes!  Because they are tiny and festive and it just doesn't get better than that combination. 

6.  This is a mountain house in Montana.  It screams and begs to have wreaths hanging on the front porch and wooden Santas riding reindeer, bears, and ducks on the mantel.  It just does,  you would understand if you were here. 

There you have it, the list of blame. 

Christmas is up and I'm saying goodbye to another fabulous fall season that included this hike to the second highest waterfall in Oregon - Salt Creek Falls.  I am saying goodbye to fall but that doesn't mean I want icy roads for travel, okay roads?  Work with me.   

Haystack for the Heart Picture

My cowboy boots pushed the sand down with a squish, my one hand held my camera and the other was being held, the sun warmed my face as we made our way to the water edge while my eyes tried to take it all in.  

A lighthouse to the right, Haystack Rock to the left, the blaring yellow light in the middle, the sound of the waves lapping in, a toddler running in his diaper into the water being chased by his barefoot dad...

Dear Bird,

Thank you for flying across at just the right time.  I appreciate you.

Sincerely,
Me

Dinner with blankets wrapped around our legs to take the chill off the evening air, a glass of white wine each, fresh seafood, and this sunset as the view.  There was a time when I would have spent most of the experience trying to capture it all through my camera lens.  There is value in creating memories that can be looked at in the future, but there is also value in snapping one quick picture and then setting the camera down to create memories in the heart instead.  I remember watching a movie when I was a teenager.  I don't remember the movie title but I do remember this part - it has stuck with me and for some reason, it's something I think of often now.  A mom was watching her son and husband interact with each other and she said with her hand over her chest, "My heart just took a picture."  

My heart took many pictures that evening in Oregon on the coast and I will forever cherish them in the same way I cherish this orange and blue. 

Currently

Currently I'm...

Sitting in a rocker in the front foyer looking out at the sunrise watercolor strokes through the wreath pine edges.

Sipping coffee from the pot I had to MacGyver with a toothpick to brew this morning - I guess the small plastic piece was indeed important that broke off in my hands. 

Reflecting on packing up my entire house on Saturday and moving here on Sunday; it was a crazy whirlwind but I'm like a kid in a candy store having all my things in one place again.  

Thanking my kick-ass family for stepping in and helping me get the job done - could not, could not have pulled that off without them.  My sister-in-law saved me on Saturday, pure and simple.  A crew came in after deer hunting to load the trailer in the dark night.  My cousin Austin drove here and back basically in one day.  What would we do without family?  Turns out, I don't want to know.   

Wondering if the large area rug in the kitchen is too much.  

Keeping a balance of duck, geese, and elk art with my wonky vintage tendencies to tack aprons to the wall, sew buttons onto fabric and frame it, and hang pictures with glitter clothespins.  I believe in this house representing us both...the things we love, which means I'm determined to pull off the aesthetic of woodsy mountain deer meets vintage farm zebra.   

Telling myself that future me will worry about all of the winter travel in and out of here for work.  If I worry about it before it happens, it's a futile exercise.  

Remembering how the notion of actually saying in my mind, "Future you will worry about xyz..." truly works.  It's an exercise I picked up somewhere along the way and it keeps me from spinning on things that might not even happen.  Future you will worry about xyz too...give it a whirl.  

Pondering hooking up my big computer all on my own.  This is coming from the girl who once had her best friend's husband come over to hook up the DVD player.  I'm good at a great many things, hooking up technology simply isn't one of them.  But I want my pictures and my pictures live on the big one.  

Feeling thankful.  Really, really thankful.  Life is not perfect because nothing ever is, but my favorite orange bench is here and I have the best person ever to share it with.  

Warming up to the holiday season; I've hung a wreath on the front door and am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at the farm, a little time in early December in Arizona, followed by Christmas in the mountains.  I'm ready.  The boxes are unpacked and I'm ready for the best time of the year.  

Thinking about how I'm not as physically strong as I used to be; there was a time when I could lift and carry pretty much anything.  It was the farm upbringing, I'm sure.  I don't know if it's my age, the surgery I had this summer, or the fact that I don't get to go to Muscle Pump with Sara at the YMCA anymore...but I've definitely wimped out a bit.  It's ironic however, I feel the strongest I've ever been mentally.  Now, why can't I get that Christmas tree box up the freaking stairs? 

Reminiscing about the Oregon trip and these captures from Crater Lake.  To say it was breathtaking is an understatement and it's worth adding to your list of places to visit.  Please make sure you make reservations way ahead of time for Crater Lake Lodge, unlike us.  We tend to book flights and hotels the week of travel because that's just the season we are in.  The coffee by the fire at the lodge was our way of pretending we were staying and not driving.  

Multnomah Falls and an Ah-ha

If you give an Amy the highest waterfall in Oregon, she'll take pictures of the pretty sunlight filtering through the green and starting to turn gold leaves and she'll love the way the blue water looks behind the prickly branches.  But first she'll take care of business.  Because if you give an Amy the trail that goes to the top of said waterfall, she'll feel its her mission in life to get to the top as fast as possible.

Ironically, I didn't even realize what was happening until we finally reached the last switchback and I turned around to see Kiel with sweat running down his face.  "Did you decide we had to race up that?"  

"Well yes.  I guess I did."  

It wasn't a conscious decision but rather my body taking over as I felt the first shortness of breath and sting in my legs.  I crave that kind of challenge; it makes me push to the next little milestone.  Get to that tree.  Now to that bend.  See that person?  Catch them.  

It takes me over, whatever it is.  

Maybe it could be called a goal mindset or competitive or maybe even obsessive - call it what you want, it's something.  

Once to the top and after the call out of Race Hike 2015, I took my camera from Kiel and started enjoying the little things and the big things all around, the beautiful.  Yes, he carried my camera up because he's real good like that.  

I felt my breath return to even and the rush of conquering was tucked quietly in my back pocket - or at least it would have been had my pants had pockets.  Rather, it was tucked in my being.  

On the way down I lagged behind, noticing and capturing.  We got the giggles several times recounting the trip up and the looks from strangers that now made sense to me after hearing Kiel's side of watching me charge up the trail.  The looks of okay then, you are just doing this thing aren't you? 

I am a charger.  It's just a part of who I am.  It's why I can unpack my kitchen into an already stocked kitchen and have it all sorted and organized in a matter of hours.  I start to feel the shortness of breath...

Wait?  Maybe I'm just neurotic.  I can't not finish.  Yep, that's more it than anything.  No breaks here, unless it's for a slice of cheese mid-sorting the beans in the pantry.    

Plural Pineapple

A few weeks ago in Fargo, I wrote this. 

I wore high heels for the first time today in 5.5 months, three cheers for being normal.   

The internet didn't work this morning in my training.  The system I train for is only on the internet.  So in other words, it was awesome.  Insert extreme sarcasm here.  I sent folks on a seven minute break and came up with Plan B because the show must go on.  

Today, my outfit was a purple dress with a gold scarf.  I enjoyed it much and then I thought to myself, "Self, these are your high school colors.  If you were still sixteen and high school, you would laugh at this as a mom outfit trying to be school spirit-ish."  Then I moved on.  

My coworker invited me over for lunch today because I was in her town and fed me lettuce, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, and grapes.  In other words, heaven.  I find it funny that the plural of pineapple is pineapple.  I would like to say pineapples but it just isn't correct, so I don't.

I love the days and nights I work in the same town that my little sister lives.  I think I will bribe Em to always live there so I have someone to have patio rooftop pizza with and someone to braid my hair and teach me how to put on blush in the evenings after the work day is done.  It's so much better than sitting in a hotel room by yourself.  So much better.  Love that little nugget this much, arms open wide. 

The above picture is the evidence that yes, we went to Rhombus Guys twice in one week.  Once to sit on the patio and once to sit in a booth and color - both to eat their delicious Cuban pizza.

Portland Now, But Yellowstone Then

When I wished and wanted for a life of non-routine, I didn't realize quite all what that would include.  I just remember feeling trapped, driving to the same building every single day on the same road after doing the same exact thing the day before.  I remember thinking there had to be something different for me.   

Friday night, I sat on an airplane and wanted to be at home instead.  I had already been staying in hotels all week for meetings, two presentations, and one conference.  Kiel had joined me and we were set to take off for Portland because it had been planned as a "vacation" weekend to start our work trips that collided in Oregon this week.  However, I wasn't feeling vacation Friday night.  I wanted anything but an airplane.  And my attitude showcased those sentiments.  

If someone would have offered me the choice of drive to same building every single day on the same road, I would have jumped.  

Because let me tell you this - it isn't all fun, this travel working.  With its long days which often extend into night, it isn't all fun at all.  Nothing is.  That's the beauty of life, the ups and downs.  And normal sane Amy who has gotten enough sleep and who doesn't have to pack three different suitcases to coordinate two entire weeks of travel knows that and keeps good perspective on that.  But extremely tired Amy wants home with clothes out of a drawer and food out of a fridge.

Saturday morning, we woke up in Portland after finally arriving at 2:00 am.  I drank coffee out of a real mug, had the right amount of sleep in my bones, and felt human again.  I felt like I was getting a relaxing Saturday morning, even if it was in yet another hotel breakfast area.  

My attitude was on point, I apologized for my night before antics, and I was ready for a "vacation" weekend.  

I'm not really sure what the point of all this is.  Maybe it's to say that nothing is ever perfect and everything has its ups and downs.  Routine work life or nontraditional travel work life, it all just depends on what is right for life at the time.  It all just depends on what we are willing to give and take on and for.      

I just did laundry at a hotel in Portland and that was a down, but tonight we are driving to the coast to grab dinner and that is an up.   

Also, in case you are wondering...hotel laundry is precisely like college laundry.  The dryer doesn't dry completely with one cycle even though it blows so hot the clothes come out a size smaller.

On a Sunday in mid-September, we day tripped to Yellowstone to hike by the waterfall.  I don't think I'll ever tire of this kind of beauty.  I better not, because that would mean I am not taking the time to soak it up.  It also would mean Kiel has stopped schlepping the big camera on trails; I should note the selfies are not from the big camera, although I'm sure you can tell.