A week in the life.

// Previously mentioned early morning jog. My body said Get Up! last Saturday morning, and so I did. (It also said Let there be Shinsplints, Side Cramps and Achy Hips!, and so it was. Though to be fair, what did I expect after so many weeks on the lam?) //

// The world is vastly different at sunrise, I've come to realize on those rare occasions when I dare to leave the house on foot at such an hour. Only a select few attended the party, so I had the streets mostly to myself. I noticed things like the glitter of morning dew on the grass, sparkling like millions of tiny diamonds. And the first signs of changing leaves in the uppermost branches. Then there was that family of impossibly fuzzy rabbits darting across the schoolyard. Even the high school, a vessel for so many anxious thoughts over the past couple weeks, seemed tame in the early morning light. Dare I say, approachable. Anything seems possible at sunrise, which is why I simply must become a morning person. Let it be so. //

// Introducing our favorite salvage/antique/oddities store to good friends. // Remembering our first awestruck visit. // Shenanigans. //

// Our new favorite Saturday morning activity: the Portland Farmer's Market. I love, love, love this place. The neighborhood, the vibe, the amazing booths. It's not your typical farmer's market. (Says I.) Mario stood in line for 30+ minutes just to score a chicken + biscuit sandwich. Worth every second. // Finding out what real, freshly-grown ginger looks like. Quite beautiful and nothing like I surmised. // Jellies and jams to the moon and back. // A kiddo who eats tomatoes like apples. I find it entirely charming. And confusing, considering he won't eat a turkey sandwich. But mostly charming. // Crepes filled with fresh lemon curd. // I bought this house in my mind one hundred times over. //

// Sweet relief from my allergies. When something works this well, you don't even complain about gulping down a mixture of raw honey + raw ACV + bee pollen + nettle + herbs. You just do it. //

// The "Edgefield Fizz" // Chocolates almost too pretty to eat. // Waking up to this furry face on a Sunday morning. // A boy who still picks flowers for his mom. Sometimes he'll come across a lovely bud during his cross-country run and will carry it around with him until I come to pick him up. If that isn't the best thing, I don't know what is. //

 // Dinner party prep. //

// Gummy bear sangria that was a huge hit. So much so that when we ran out of white wine, we started improvising ingredients so the party would never end. //

// So many new recipes. I've never had such a long run of new meals without experiencing a dud or two. The recipes in this cookbook are so simple, yet so awesome. (They aren't paying me. I swear!) //

// The fiddle leaf fig lives on! No new leaves, but no dead ones, either. *knock on wood* Also, it is clearly Vista's favorite place to be photographed. //

// Stay with me forever, Pumpkins on a Stick. // I couldn't wait until September 21st, try as I might. A fall drink made it into my morning. I've never warmed up to the taste of Pumpkin Spice (blasphemy!, and yet another reason I should be kicked out of the blogosphere), but this vanilla-cinnamon latte made me feel all fuzzy inside. // 

// Revisiting an old favorite. (Can it be an "old favorite" if we've only lived here 2 months?) A few weeks ago Husband and I made the mistake of setting up camp in a local coffee shop on a scorching day and nearly died of heat stroke. The charm of being in an old garage is, well, less charming in the throes of a heat wave. All that aside, their coffee is awesome. So is the vibe. (Think coffee island in the center of an industrial building + vintage tables and chairs/church pews.) I could spend (cooler) days and days in there. //

Last weekend some great friends, most of which we've known for over a decade, came to town. We had dinner, toured Portland, and in general had a merry time. 

I made a makeshift guest room out of the office; a bed fashioned from two carefully chosen pieces of "camping foam" (a wonderfully random Fred Meyers find) which, when stacked, made a twin-size memory foam mattress for one. How very domestic of me.

And as these things always go, we had the best of times but also sacrificed the usual restorative qualities of the weekend. Monday came before we knew it and we have felt a bit off-kilter ever since. Laundry is just now being acknowledged and counters wiped and I nearly wept openly which I switched my alarm to the "off" position this morning. 

Three cheers for the weekend!

I decree: there will be pajamas worn longer than socially acceptable, pizza delivered, and mindless television watched. Hear, hear!