heather vs. summer

It's time for me to get something off my chest that I've been bottling up for over 20 years (that's right - years!). Are you ready for this? Here it is: Summer is my least favorite season. 

a day at the fair

this weekend, j & i went to the oregon state fair.

for self-preservation reasons, i probably shouldn't tell you about all the delicious things we snacked on throughout the day (if one can really "snack" on a pulled pork sandwich, that is). let's just say that soft-serve ice cream was involved, so regardless of everything else, it was a good day.

i would like to inform you that during this adventure, i discovered that j has an especially soft spot in his heart for baby goats. and miniature pigs! he was all about them in the petting zoo. (who knew!) he has since been trying to convince me that a mini pig would make a better nyc-apartment-pet than a puppy. i have since been questioning his judgement.
a mini pig?!

what else.

we spent most of our time walking around and looking at all the silly stuff the fair has to offer. it really is kind of hysterical. you tell me. is there anywhere else in the world that you can purchase a horse, a hot tub, a new mattress, cotton candy, kettle corn, a foot-massage, bacon-wrapped-oreos, and a deep-fried-twinkie all in the same place?

(no, there isn't)

despite the obvious temptation, we resisted all those fine delicacies (even the bacon-wrapped-oreos!). but we simply couldn't resist getting some game tickets. now. i don't know how you feel about carnival games, but let me just say. either j & i are the world's worst ring-toss-ers, or those silly games are built to make us all look like fools. you don't want to know how many tickets we spent trying to get those teeny tiny rings around those teeny tiny bottles. the grand prize was an iPad mini, and regardless of the fact that i have zero desire or use for an iPad mini, i was still one determined lady. but! c'est la vie. no victories for us. (we did however redeem ourselves later in the always-respectable game of 'balloon darts')

still. my favorite part had to be the ski lift. (at least, i think it was a ski lift.)
they have what is essentially a ski lift that takes you all the way from one end of the fair to the other (and for only $1 more, you can get a roundtrip ticket! hoo ha!). a brilliant idea, wouldn't you say? it was so silly but so fun. it slowly glided over the park, and we got to sit there with our feet dangling in the sky, looking down on all the little carnival people and all the little carnival rides.

it was a good sunday.
we left with full bellies and sunburned noses and a handful of colorful memories.

on disneyland, and why it really is the best

whenever i get the chance to take a trip home, it goes without saying that at least one day will be spent at disneyland. have i mentioned before that i'm a dedicated disneyland-goer? it's true. always have been. there are pictures of me in disneyland at every age. i could probably make a scrapbook of my entire childhood just with pictures from disneyland.

i've been trying to pinpoint when this romance really began - you know, the moment that disneyland and i gazed into each other's eyes and knew that we were meant to be. i think i have a rough idea. once, when i was in the fifth grade, my mom woke me and my brother up in the wee hours of the morning. it was still dark outside and she was whispering and all i could think was, does she know how early it is? fifth graders need their beauty sleep!  it was all very confusing. somehow she convinced us to come downstairs. for a few seconds, the three of us just stood in the quiet darkness of the living room and right when i started wondering if my mom had gone off the deep end, SURPRISE! all of a sudden, two of my aunts jumped out from behind the couch and announced that we were going to disneyland! (on a school day!!!)

i've never been so happy in my entire life.
the rest is really history. there's no turning back after a magical day like that, you know? up until i moved to oregon, i was even an annual passport holder. see? dedication.

now before you start thinking those thoughts that most people think when they think about disneyland, let me just stop you right there. because i know all about those thoughts that you're trying to think! putting my love for all-things-disney aside, i realize that for a lot of people (usually parents), disneyland sounds like hell on earth. and hey, i don't blame them! i know for a fact that my version of hell on earth would absolutely be standing in hour-long lines all day with screaming, ungrateful children nipping at my heels. (jim gaffigan knows what i'm talking about.)

as a self-proclaimed disney expert and someone who would rather drop dead than take a five-year-old to disneyland, let me set the record straight once and for all: there is a very simple way to avoid this nightmare. all you have to do is leave your kids at home.

now you can have some fun!
you'll save enormous amounts of money, you can leisurely meander through the park, grab a margarita, catch some fireworks, have a caramel apple, and by the end of the day, you'll realize that this really is the happiest place on earth.

maybe i should write a book about this.
heather's guide to disneyland happiness: 100 reasons to leave your kids at home

eh eh?

fortunately i don't have any children so i can enjoy disneyland in all its glory all by myself. and with lauren.

by the way, this is lauren! we've been best friends for more than 10 years. she and i met on the first day of sixth grade. our teacher was a real stickler for seating charts, and by some miracle, she sat us side by side. we didn't know it was a miracle at the time, but it was. we owe a lot to that seating chart.

when we discovered our shared love for disneyland, well. let's just say neither of us were in the market for another best friend after that. no matter how far apart we live from each other (now and in the future), disneyland will always be our meeting place.

this was easily one of the best days of summer so far. 

despite not having seen each other for 8 months, once lauren and i were reunited and finally back in our favorite place, it was like no time has passed. of course, while those 8 months away from each other seemed to drag on and on and on, our day at disneyland went by in the blink of an eye. like the true fanatics that we are, we arrived when the park opened and didn't leave until midnight (naturally), but somehow the time still managed to fly. 

hopefully we can make it back around christmas time. any true disneyland fan will tell you that december is the best month to visit. 

(check back in a few months and i'll tell you why)

free at last, free at last

ladies and gentleman! 

children of all ages! 

feast your eyes upon this spectacular miracle: it's me, as a free woman!

free at last, free at last. YOU GUYS. i am free from summer school at last.

i really have fallen off the face of the blogging world lately (sorry, little blog!) and i blame my silence on the fact that i've been buried under a monstrous pile of homework. but alas! after 10 painful weeks, i finally climbed out! i am finally done with homework and tests and all those other terrible things that should never happen between june and september. as i'm sure you already know, school and the summertime do not mix well. i really don't know what possessed me to take summer courses, but i can say with full confidence that i will never voluntarily give up that sweet, sweet summertime again. i mean really. is there anything more painful than having to study in the middle of an august afternoon while everyone else is running around and playing outside? 

well, there probably is. but you get the idea. 

it feels like a giant weight has been lifted. i can finally be a real person again! a real person who does real things! amazingly, i still have quite a bit of vacation time left, so i plan to squeeze every last summery drop out of the next couple weeks. 

as you can see, i didn't waste any time diving into the spirit of summer. 

it's always a rare delicacy for j & i to have the same day off from work, so this weekend we decided to take full advantage. in celebration of my newfound freedom, we took a daytrip to the coast. and oh, how i love the coast. 

even the drive up there felt like a giant sigh of relief. if you didn't already know, i am a professional - the queen! - when it comes to taking on too many things at once. most of the time, i like to try and spin all the plates. but man. having one less plate to spin felt pretty amazing. just being able to sit down and watch the road pass by felt luxurious. 

anyways. 

i'm starting to wonder if growing up alongside the california beaches has turned me into a bit of a beach snob, because i was legitimately surprised at how nice the oregon coast really is. wait, only california is allowed to have nice beaches! granted, i didn't walk away with the same sparkly bronze tan that i would have at home (in fact, i was sporting the classic oregon-summer-outfit of jeans and a sweater), but c'est la vie. the coast certainly has its perks. there was hardly anyone else around which made it feel like we had the whole beach to ourselves. it was quiet and cool and peaceful. even after a few hours i wasn't ready to leave. 

we ended up stopping at a handful of little tiny beach towns throughout the day. needless to say, some serious fish & chips were involved. and maybe (handfuls and handfuls of) saltwater taffy. mmmm. it was fun to explore new parts of oregon (and shameful that i haven't done more exploring in the last couple years!). it was definitely my ideal kind day - not having a plan, and letting little adventures unfold along the way. 

on another note, i hardly know what to do with all this free time! i've gotten so used to my routine of coming home from work and diving straight into homework that now, i'm really at a loss. after work today i came home and just sort of sat on the couch for a couple minutes and stared around the room.

free time? what does that mean? 

well.
here's what it means!

i'm going to read all the books that i bought at the beginning of summer. i'm going to ride my bike. clean out my closet. bake something. cook something. eat popsicles. spend more time outside. spend more time with people, and not with textbooks. watch movies. swim. put my sunscreen to good use. and my camera. go on walks. try a new restaurant. read some more. blog some more. enjoy some more.

a week well spent

it's amazing how quickly times goes by when you're with the people you love. it almost seems unfair, doesn't it? i mean, really. i would have sworn that five minutes ago I was rushing off to the airport, daydreaming of California sunshine and yet - somehow - I'm already back in Oregon, unpacked, and wondering where the week went.

it's times like these that I really wish life had a "pause" button. wouldn't that be great?

the thing about having a really good time is that, when it eventually has to end, it's a million times harder to say goodbye. and goodbyes are the worst! but we won't think about that right now.

this week was everything I could have asked for and more (a lot more). i must have really been needing this trip because I felt spoiled just being home. being with my mom. spending every day with my best friend. finally seeing my family. finally being with my people. we all have our people, don't we? you know the ones - the people in your life that make you feel rejuvenated and calm and loved and happy and grateful just by being in the same room together. i sure love those people.

the theme of this vacation was definitely relaxation. i have a handful of fun adventures to share, but the moral of the story is that this week was all about taking it easy. enjoying the simple things. like not having to set an alarm. and going on walks. riding bikes with my mom. hanging out with my dog. listening to the ocean. reading. maybe dedicating an entire day to eating cupcakes and watching the whole season of orange is the new black with lauren. (you know, life's simple pleasures)

sweet, sweet vacation. i've only been back for a few hours and i'm already feeling nostalgic and sappy and all sorts of melancholy. i suppose that's to be expected, after a trip like that.

damn you, sweet vacation! 

home sweet home

hey blog!

things have been extra quiet around here in lieu of a top secret mission. I'm spending a week at home in California and decided it would be fun to surprise my best friend a whole week before she thought I was coming to town. knowing me, I'd wind up spoiling the whole thing by posting anything on here or instagram or facebook, so I figured total internet stealth-mode was the way to go.

after lots of plotting and planning, I'd like to report that the suprise was a great success (and really, is there anything more exciting than a surprise reunion?). we haven't seen each other since Christmas, so this has been a long awaited day. there was lots of screaming and jumping and hugging involved. reunited at last!

it feels so good to be home. there's always something therapeutic about it, as I'm sure you know with your own homes. it's so easy for me get caught up in a routine of work and responsibilities and to-do lists, that coming home is like a little escape from reality. everything seems to slow down. these past few weeks have been pretty hectic, so I'm looking forward to a week's worth of friends and family and doing a whole lot of nothing. sometimes no plans are the best plans, you know?

so stay tuned! lots of California-y photos coming your way. be prepared for a bombardment of sand, sun, and sunburns.

speaking of sunburns. this photo was taken the first day of my trip. my mom and I went straight from the airport to go ride bikes along the beach (classic Californians!) and somehow it didn't occur to us to put sunscreen on until we were a few hours into our ride. needless to say, I think I got more sun (and burns) within one hour of being back in California than I have my entire summer in Oregon. oops.

sundays are for skydiving

would you believe me if I told you that J & I went skydiving yesterday?

welllllllll believe it sister, cause it's true!
for my birthday this year, that handsome devil of mine surprised me with two tickets to jump right out of a plane (which either means that he thinks we're especially adventurous, or, thought this would be the perfect way to get rid of me. muahaha)

we didn't have the time to do it during the school year, but now that summer is in full swing, we decided it was finally time to take the plunge (literally). for someone who doesn't even really like roller coasters, I was amazed at how un-terrified I felt the whole time leading up to the jump. there came a point during our flight up (just to a casual 8,000ft) that I decided it would be best to stop looking out the window. the higher up we went, the more I wondered exactly how many doses of crazy it takes for a person to do something like this. and then! all of a sudden! the door to the plane flew open, J scooted to the edge, and in the next second, he was gone! he went from sitting right in front of me to being a teeny tiny dot with a parachute attached, miles and miles beneath us. (I guess free-falling at 100mph will do that to you)

and then, it was my turn.
if you haven't ever been skydiving, let me just tell you. it was the absolute best experience. ever ever ever. there is no leap of faith quite like jumping out of a plane. free-falling was cra-zy. crazy. but for those of you (like me) who think the idea of swan diving out of plane at 8,000ft sounds borderline insane, take comfort in knowing that the free-falling part only lasts about 20 seconds (a glorious 20 seconds, mind you). and then! your parachute comes out, and you get to leisurely float down to the ground (that part takes about five minutes). it's kind of hilarious, to be honest. you're just there, in the middle of the sky, sight-seeing and floating around like it ain't no thang.

if you haven't done it, do it.  we're already itching to go back.

the definition of a 'summer-y' day

Yesterday unexpectedly turned out to be the best day ever.

One of my best friends was in from out of town which automatically made it a good day. The not-so-good part, however, was that I was supposed to spend the whole afternoon and evening at work, which meant that we only had time for a quick breakfast date. It's a rare delicacy that we get to see each other, and as much as we both love breakfast, it just didn't feel like enough time. 

Then! Like the most miracle-y of true miracles, one of my co-workers offered to cover my shift because she knew I had a friend in town. She offered! Offered, I  say! Who offers to work on their day off!? It was a serious Christmas (in July) miracle up in here. 

So magically, our quick breakfast date turned into a long, leisurely breakfast date. (I felt like I was ditching school or something, you know? It was so exciting!) We were both pretty thrilled with the idea of having an entire day to do whatever we wanted. Since days like that only come around every so often, we decided to take full advantage. After breakfast we went and got pedicures (I got this color) and left feeling like queens of the world, because we were! 

Later on, we went and saw The Great Gatsby (because who doesn't love a $5 matinee?). I went in feeling pretty skeptical because Gatsby is one of my favorite books (and the movie is never as good as the book) + all I had heard were bad reviews (Gatsby + Jay Z? Hmmm) But hey! Turns out, it's not terrible! I actually really liked it. You really can't go wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio.

(also, I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie)

A new tea parlor recently opened up in town so we decided to give it a try. It was ridiculously cute, and only cost a few dollars for a giant glass of Kombucha. Have you ever tried White Rose Kombucha? (you're welcome in advance) 

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around town and really, just basking in the glory of an unexpected day off. She had already made dinner plans (she's always in high demand when she comes to town) and I had been invited to my own dinner party, so we ended our deliciously luxurious day with a little grocery shopping. Thankfully, she shares my enthusiasm for leisurely grocery shopping - we like to admire all the cute packaging, smell all the breads, etc. (J is not a fan - "get what you need and get outta there!") So after aimlessly wandering the aisles, we both left with baskets full of baguettes, cheese, and red wine.

Another one of my good friends recently moved into a new apartment, so I spent the rest of my evening  lounging on her new porch. Baguette, cheese, wine, and all. It stayed light out until 9:00, but we stayed out there well past sunset. It felt very summer-y indeed. 

If you ask me, that was the epitome of the perfect 'summer-y' day. 

summer.y (adjective)

the feeling of effortless happiness that can only occur between the months of june and september; usually accompanied by good friends, warm nights, and great music; goes well with freedom, red wine, bike rides, and inside jokes.