M.I.A.

Work is swallowing me up whole. Sadly this is no exaggeration. If you talked to me in mid-May, I was feeling sentimental about my job and sad for summer to arrive because it meant leaving my current post in the Federal Way school district for... well, good. Fast forward ~3 weeks and you will find me huddled over my computer on the couch, endlessly tip tapping on my computer keys, cursing under my breath as I wipe the sweat from my brow and devour cup after cup of green tea. The end of the year crunch is no joke. Plus, and this is a whole other posting, I have an impossible time saying no when others ask me for help. Just as things were getting busy at my home school, I made the mistake of agreeing to help another psych who was feeling overwhelmed. So here I am trying to bust out two more evals (one being the most complicated I've had all year) and I have only myself to blame. My end of the year review from my supervisor is full of high ratings and kudos, with the exception of one area... "Learn to say no, or you will burn out." Duly noted.

But soon I will emerge victorious and the good news is I have LOTS of blogging material! While the past couple of weeks have been busy, they have also been fun-filled & action-packed. There is much to be shared! Tea & Terrariums was a blast! Our very own Densmore "film festival" is starting up at the end of the month! My half marathon is just around the a corner! So stay tuned!

Before I peace out, I will leave you (my lovely Kate) with my "10 things to be happy about" this week... because even when you're up at 5am typing reports, there is still plenty to be happy about. :)

1. Tea & Terrariums

This event surely warrants a posting of its own at a later time. For now I will say just say that, in case you hadn't noticed, Seattle is brimming over with hilariously fun & creative women. I know this because they were at my house on Saturday!

Here's a preview of our (ok, my) clumsy crafty fun!

2. A round of "would you rather" on the car ride down to P-town.

"Would you rather have reeeeally reeeally long nose hair or reeeally reeeally long ear hair? Discuss." Followed by at least a dozen clarifying questions... yes, you can cut it, but it grows back almost instantly... yes it will affect your hearing/sense of smell... sure, braiding is an option...

3. Watching my hubby in "Uncle Danny" mode. Also known as super-hero mode.

Oh how our nephews adore their Uncle Danny! I thought I was a big Danny fan but the nephews might take the cake here. I have never heard so much giggling in my life! It helps that he supermans them all over Portland... but he also loves on those little guys fiercely and once again I am amazed at my good fortune to call this man my husband. He will make a superb daddio for sure. When? you ask. The PhD is in charge now.

4. A late night showing of Sex & the City 2 with the three amigas. To be clear, this was not a good movie, but it's a must-see tradition with two of my best lady friends. (don't worry we didn't get all dressed up in stilettos and hoot & holler at the screen) But a few years back we spent the rainy half of our wine tasting vacation on the couch (with wine in hand) marathoning it through 4 seasons of this show. We were hooked. It was one of the best times of my life so anything Sex & the City is a must.

5. Shoe shopping at Imelda's with my favorite sister-in-law!

Shoe-shopping at Imelda's on Hawthorne is already heaven for me. But being accompanied by my sista from another mista Emily, who is a regular & pretty much a celebrity at this store, is like the cream cheese frosting on the cake. We had an absolute blast trying on shoes- me, silly outrageous ones and Em, a little more on the practical side. Em walked away with an adorable hat (yes, they carry Goorin Bros. hats, local jewelry & Hobo bags there too!) and I left happy as a clam with these little Miss L Fire wedges straight out of London.

What's cuter than cute? These shoes. And they're comfy as heck.

sidenote: my getting these shoes was absolute kismet.

they sold out super fast and this was their last pair... in my size!

Shop till you drop:

http://www.imeldasandlouies.com/store/home.php

Here is a sampling of more Miss L Fire shoes. Love 'em!

http://shoostore.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-miss-l-fire.html

6. Amanda in Seattle.

It just feels right. I don't think this city really knew what to do with itself when Amanda left (4 years ago??) for medical school. Amanda has always been the best of what this city is about, so when she comes back for a visit, in her silver converse & trademark pixy cut, the city seems to let out a sigh of relief. And while we'll miss her (again) when she leaves, I just know she is going to rock the socks off of Phoenix!!

post-terrarium clean-up love

7. Miracle Noodles.

Strange? Yes. Tasty? They grow on you. Miracle? You decide.

http://www.miraclenoodle.com/

8. My new pillow cover.

I heart leah duncan designs.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/leahduncan

9. Watching the college lacrosse championship with the hubs & my dad. It was strange(ly awesome) to see my dad morph back into a Canadian and for my husband to actually understand what he was talking about. I decided that these two are similar in all the best ways. A perfect ending to my weekend. (the tri-tip that my Dad grilled was an added bonus)

10. New Arrivals from Spool No. 72

This might be my go-to summer dress.

check it:

http://spoolno72.com/category_11/New-Arrivals....htm

Back to it!

xoxo