hi

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Friday, October 16, 2015

one year employed

Wednesday & Thursday & Friday

Wednesday I finally caved and bought a wifi booster. Drove into town just to run ONE stinkin' errand. I bought some toilet paper to make it a little bit more worth while. The booster connected just fine, but then came the test of plugging it in at my house (you initiate it near the router, then move it to where ever you need a few more bars/strength) and it worked! And not only did it connect but my internet has had a discernible improvement around the house. It shows up as five bars but I'd put it around 4 in terms of overall strength. I'm glad it worked because I'd hate to bother with returning it. Hopefully it continues to work, I still have time to return it.

Thursday I slept in and went into town to meet Ma and Pa for Crimson Peak. I loved the sets and costumes. Such beautiful design through and through. It was less spooky than I was anticipating, still cool though. Ma and Pa presented me with s'mores fixings and old papers of mine from school and a box of childhood photos. I certainly don't look like I used to!

Friday I met my boss at Hakata for a one year Jobiversary lunch celebration! We talked work and weddings and other things. I have such a nice, great boss. She's very appreciative. And she gave me a gift! A copy of #Girlboss SIGNED TO ME by Sophia Amoruso (the author)!! And she had a great story about getting it signed. Originally they said no personalization but she asked the author. Sophia wrote "always ask for what you want" on the front page. Booyah. And there was a gift card, but it was not from my boss and just a signing freebie. Though I have to spend a certain amount to utilize the discount. Hmmn. Bummer. Maybe I'll have that amount to blow by March, when it expires. There were some cool sunglasses on the website.

I swung by Trader Joe's and did a food run. Yay for munchies! Then went back home and did computer stuff and non computer stuff. Lots of parent time coming up in the next few days! And wood chopping. Hurray.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

lovely to be in love

Do forgive the lateness of this post, I've been out and about having fun as well as catching up on sleep.

Saturday was fun and full of popping around town and seeing people. Madeline and I went to New Order Cafe for brunch. We walked the blocks on a crisp fall day, and grabbed a booth. Both had egg/toast/bacon meals. The cafe had reusable mugs you pick out from a wall and help yourself to the coffee. I like that system. I went with the Hoover Damn mug.

Post food, we drove downtown. I swung past the old PNCA building to show Madeline how it was gone, and parked on the park blocks and we walked up to Powell's. I got a photo with Douglas Adams' signature in the Gold Room and picked up the Sci-Fi Author themed waterbottle. Didn't buy any books and felt like a tourist. I dropped Madeline off at her house and went to the PSU area and met up with Amanda McA at a McMenamin's. I gave her back the shoes she left at my house during Friendsgiving. We had a pint and chatted and she dropped me off at Oranj's gallery for Yoshi's show. It was a hair salon/gallery space. Beautiful wallspace and large movable mirrors. Yoshi's paintings were wonderful and I ran into Kate and her partner. Kate was on my thesis panel. There were some cute dogs at the show too, and I gave them a pet. I met up with Daniel and Heather at the gallery, and watched them eat dinner (I was full from my meeting with Amanda). They in turn dropped me off at my car, at which point I went to hang out once again with Madeline and her friends Mark, Ben, David, and Meredith. We played an Alien theme card game that was based on deck building, like Dominion. The game had a traitor assigned too, and I had the first chance of figuring out who it was and I went for Mark who WAS the traitor! We all lost though. It's a very difficult game. Mark made really good cookies.

I dozed to sleep back at Madeline's. Then it was Sunday. The big day!!

Slept a little bit in then got up and had snacks and got to prepping. Took my sweet time doing my makeup. Skin, brows, contour, blush, highlight, primer, eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick. Straightened my hair a little bit too, so dang I looked good. Put on the green dress I wore to Nathan and Helen's wedding. I accessorized with a yellow leaf brooch, not the peacock belt, the gold square earrings Mom gave me, and my new watch. I miss my old watch. I still have it, I just need to see about getting it fixed.

Karen and Rob picked me up, and we drove to pick up pies for the wedding. We thought it would be a ton of food, but it was just 5 gluten free hand pies for the people who couldn't indulge from the pizza catering the wedding would have. Very NICE pizza!

We weren't let in to the hall till 3, so we milled about. Checked out Reclaim It, a store that resells stuff found in the dump. Had some neat stuff, and some good stuff that just needed a fix. They've resold about 100k pounds of things, which is neat.

The three of us had volunteered to help set up. It was an easy peasey set up. The rented hall didn't leave much room for hardcore installations, so it was mostly moving tables, putting tablecloths on tables, setting out chairs, putting out centerpieces. The centerpieces were cigar boxes with succulents and candies. There were smaller centerpieces, succulents in vintage silver, that were placed around on the tables. Lovely very Mel and Alain set up. There were large banners too, that Mel had printed using Spoonflower.

Everything got up and out and we had plenty of time to go. I got some coffee for myself from the nearby cafe. Met up with Serenity and Ian, and Jim and Catherine, and Zaneta and Drew. Lots of fashionable people looking their best for dear Melissa.

I secured a spot in the second row aisle, next to Karen. The ceremony was lovely and sweet. Melissa looked gorgeous in a vintage tea length dressed that poofed way out. Her hair was done up in swirls with a veil. Gorgeous bride. Alain looked very dapper in his suit and boots too.

They did a wine box ceremony: BT made a custom box and they put love letters to one another in the box, along with a bottle of good wine. They nailed the box shut together. It will be opened again in 2020 on their anniversary. It's a really gorgeous box too. Dovetailed and all that.

BT was the efficient and did a great job of it. A poem was read. Vows written together were exchanged. They were declared married and they kissed and I started crying.

I was at table 8 with Karen, Rob, Kyle, BT, Serenity, and Ian. I had a brewski during cocktail hour, and then the food was out and everyone got a plate in an orderly fashion. I grabbed pasta and salad and pizza and pita bread and OH it was delicious! The pizza was from Dove Viva...Vivi? Something. It was scumptious. I ate and drank and was merry. Speeches were said. I drew in my sketchbook. I chatted up people. It was a wonderful night. The dance floor opened up and I got down to a couple songs. I was behind Cidney and in front of Alain's dad in the conga line. I hugged and kissed people on cheeks and it was wonderful. The frosting on the cake was very rich. I piled up a plate with leftovers for Madeline, and rich rich brownies.

I'm so happy for Melissa. She is sweet, nice, smart, driven, and just good. Alain is nice and friendly and I like him for Mel. It makes me so happy to see my friends happy. Happy and in love. Life moves forward, slowly but surely and magnificently.

Karen dropped me off at Madeline's and I gave her a pile of food. We watched a few episodes of Rick and Morty and chatted our lives from the past year. Wonderful conversation,

I slept right through Madeline leaving in the morning. I packed up. Ordered a lapel pin that dropped in the store (Ma and Pa, be on the lookout for that)(I'm still waiting for this Lisa Hanawalt pin to drop as well, it's so cool)(I need a denim jacket, whatever happened to my old one?)

My car was packed and I headed off to meet Daniel and Heather at Tasty n Sons. Took a couple wrong turns but I got there. It was a swanky food spot with communal food type plates and tasty little artisan coffee bevvies. I got eggs and bacon and biscuit, Daniel got a Dutch Baby, and Heather got an open face monte cristo. We nibbled from each other's plates and drank each others fancy drinks. Love my meals with those two goobers. I've said it to their face and I'll say it here: I always leave our time together wanting more to say.

Hugged goodbye and off I went north. I got rest stop coffee. I was really wiped out and tired during the last hour. How did I do so many hours of driving? Three is just so tiring! Dang! Listened to podcasts and refilled my tank in Hoodsport. Unloaded at home. Parked my car in the garage. Crawled into bed and took a nap. Woke up. Had some green beans and snackums. Went back to sleep and slept in, as ya do.

Today I unpacked a bit, had some noodles, talked to Celia and Corrine a little bit. I drove down to the Quilcene Community Center to watch the GOP Debate. Nice crowd there, but the stream wasn't coming through so the group bifurcated to two factions to watch it at nearby food places. I was in a group at Loggers Landing. A whiskey beerback really made the debate fun to watch. I think Bernie's gun measurements got misconstrued as soft, and Hillary just seems to be saying what Bernie has been saying for a while. The other three dudes seemed to be going for Vice President. We gathered again at the Towana Roadhouse and at the center for some chat. Everyone is pretty Team Bernie, I grabbed a button. Chatted a little with two 20-somethings. There are young people around here too!!! I didn't give them my info, but hey maybe I'll see them around. Anna and Emily?

My internet is so bad right now.

So much fun. Will be back to work in a moment but for now: such fun.