life has been a bit out of hand lately . . .

so as i'm sure you've noticed, my daily postings about life and the happenings have come to a screeching halt. suffice it to say, life's been a bit crazy . . . in a good way though. i've been spending most of my free time with mac and have been having the time of my life.

we had a wonderful time in the willamette valley a few weekends ago visiting several wineries and having a romantic weekend away. the 2005 pinot noir release party at sokol blosser was outstanding. ended up buying a few bottles of 2005 estate cuvée pinot noir and yet another case of their 2006 rosé of pinot noir that is so highly drinkable. paid a visit to the torii mor winery and picked up a 2005 late harvest gewurtzraminer before stopping through at argyle to pick up their outstanding 2005 brut rosé to put up for a special occasion.

after all that fanciness, we decided that a down-home lunch was in order so we stopped in at huckabee's bbq right next door to argyle. they weren't quite open but i guess we looked cute enough that they let us in anyway. had a great tri-tip plate with some good collards and cornbread. we did a bit of shopping at the dapper frog and at dundee garden art (where i found really cool brass numbers for my house).

we kept on to mcminnville and checked into the hotel and had a lovely evening of strolling through town and lounging in each other's company. had a fantastic breakfast at the crescent cafe and did even more shopping at cowgirl mercantile (got the coolest shirts there!) before heading back to our *normal* lives. i honestly can't stress enough how good breakfast was ... no, really! i sat there over a plate of biscuits and pork gravy that had chunks (and i do mean chunks) of smoked ham hock and the hash browns were to die for. we'd started breakfast with mimosas made with argyle brut ... we were in wine country after all.

after a lovely dinner at home that night, we went back to the normalcy that is the work week. fortunately, it was a short week! we got the good news that mac had friday and saturday off so we planned a long weekend together. we'd invited some friends for thanksgiving dinner (yes, we made *all* the fixins) but they ended up getting hung up in seattle. despite that, we had a really nice quiet thanksgiving at my place. luckily we got the call early enough in the day that we could scale the menu & portions back enough to not have enough to feed an army!

friday was spent just hanging out and cruising the racks at the goodwill in beaverton. you'd be amazed at some of the shit you can find out there. i managed to walk out with 5 bags *stuffed* full of stuff and a crockpot! the find of the day was a leather trench coat for $40! it's beautiful and fits like a dream. that night we had leftovers and watched bring it on as mac had never seen it - and that's just not right in my book. saturday was a quiet day hanging around the house. suki had an eye appointment (they're still doing about the same as last year - best we can hope for at this point) and then we met mac's friends (who'd finally made it down from seattle) for dinner at green papaya for some thai food. they had the most beautiful 1yo little girl who was a blast to hang out with. we had plans to meet up with some friends for double down at holocene so we got there around 10p. we thought dj harmony was going to be on that night and were looking forward to it. turns out she couldn't make it and the dj they got to replace her wasn't what we were in the mood for so we headed home early.

sunday we met up with the seattle friends at their hotel (they were staying at the ace and it was very nice) for coffee and more hanging out with them and their cute baby girl. ended up hanging with them until 1ish and then dropped by powell's and buffalo exchange because we were in the 'hood. i met up with my friend cg for a wine tasting around 4 and then was off to the grocery store for supplies. made dinner and hit the hot tub to round out an amazing 4 day weekend together.

i have to say – it was probably one of the best of my life ... and the funny thing is that i said that the weekend before about our weekend away. bodes well as far as i can tell. ;-)

so today i'm thankful for . . . an amazing woman in my life and the great memories we're making together

anticipation . . .

can be sweet and torturous. mac left to visit some friends in california yesterday and i've been missing her since she left. we've exchanged some very sweet text messages and had some nice phone calls but i still miss her near me. she'll be home tomorrow night and it's not soon enough for me!

we have our first weekend getaway planned this weekend. we're headed down to the willamette valley wine country for the 2005 pinot noir release at sokol blosser winery then plan to spend a night at the hotel oregon in mcminnville. am very much looking forward to getting out of town with her. only thing that would make it better would be the weather being nice enough to ride our bikes down there.

today i'm thankful for . . . the perspective gained from some distance

seasons change . . .

today i'm thankful for . . . the changing seasons and someone to cuddle with

i am the proud owner of a motorcycle license . . .

so this weekend was another crazy weekend. i spent the majority of it in a motorcycle safety class so i could get my endorsement on my license and be a *legal* motorcycle driver. turns out most people don't bother with getting their endorsements. i was the only person in my class of 12 that *hadn't* been riding illegally for quite some time. who knew?

spent fri night, saturday, and sunday in class and walked out with all the necessary credentials to go the dmv and get my license. was very cool. felt very comfortable by the end of the weekend and was able to go for my first ride on my precious new bike with mac on sunday afternoon. i can't even begin to describe how cool it is to ride a motorcycle . . . much less be able to share that experience with your lover while she's on her own bike. the first ride was cool. i felt like i'd been riding my bike for years. what an adrenaline rush to be on a bike.

went for a ride again after work yesterday. am trying to ride as much as possible before the bikes get put away for the winter and i have to spend a week in may remembering how to ride the damn thing! we're already planning some bike road trips ... bc here we come!

so today i'm thankful for . . . sharing experiences and creating new memories

movie night . . .

i love small independent films and i also really enjoy seeing movies in comfortable theaters. a few months ago, the living room theaters opened in portland. they only show independent films and have a great bar/restaurant/cafe. the seats are comfy and you can lift the armrest between some seats and snuggle up in a loveseat with your date.

i had been wanting to see the new parker posey movie called "broken english" since it came out a few months ago. mac and i had discussed going to see it for a few weeks and last night we finally made a date to go. she picked me up around 8p and we headed off to the theater. we had a very nice date and really enjoyed the movie.

i thoroughly enjoy the time she & i spend together. we enjoy each other's company and have lots of common interests. it's nice to be dating someone who likes quirky movies, 3 hr meals, and music/dancing. our connection over music is just amazing and thrilling. we love the same kind(s) of music and love to dance . . . and we do so for hours sometimes. the way she smiles when she dances is so damn attractive that i can't help but smile as well.

so today i'm thankful for . . . dating someone with whom i have such a deep connection