long weekends . . .

today i'm thankful for . . . good friends

i know i've been thankful for them before but i could say that every day and absolutely mean it. this weekend has been full of good friends and i'm so grateful for my *crew* - all the different facets of it.

the weekend started with an amazing show by rodrigo y gabriela at the oregon zoo. if you don't know who these guys are ... go look 'em up. better yet, get to a show! just do it! trust me, you'll never be the same again. if someone told you that two mexican kids that used to play heavy metal then moved to ireland and all they play are acoustic guitars, you look at them and laugh. i understand. it's exactly what i did the first time someone told me about them. then i saw them and it was all over. amazing! it's the only word i have for it. what a way to start the holiday weekend.

saturday was spent with the masses at lowe's (returning unused concrete), home depot (buying the mini-fridge for the kitchen project), and the rebuilding center (looking for a used cabinet i could modify so i didn't have build from scratch - more on that later). i was successful in all places albeit unexpectedly at the rebuilding center. i didn't find a cabinet to modify but i did find a used sink and faucet for $10 - score! got home with the loot and then met up with abs to work on the evite for anunce's 40th bday party. ended up at the eroom with star and jenmc. it was the fob after-party and the place was *packed*! music was great and i danced for hours. was a great time. my friend kim even came for a bit despite her aversion to lesbians - never mind that she *is* one! ;-)

got up this morning at 10a despite going to bed at 4a - no good reason really. just got home and couldn't sleep so i started to watch a movie i'd tivo'ed. got moving around 11a when my boss came over to borrow some boxes for her move. sucks to have to interact with the boss after a night out and little sleep. met up with a friend for coffee at fuel cafe and then headed back to lowe's with c to buy the lumber for the outdoor kitchen. i wasn't able to find a cabinet to modify so i'm going to have to *build* one from scratch. oh, well. i tried. at least i found a used sink & faucet!

there were several bbq's being hosted this evening due to the long weekend. i made it to one - never quite made it to the other one. it was way across town so it was just too far to drive after a cocktail or two. was fun to hang out in the backyard on a beautiful summer night. the stars were out. it was quiet. home by 10 and am now hanging with the dogs on the couch. yes, multiple dogs. i'm dog-sitting this weekend for z and dk's dogs. they went camping to the coast for the weekend and always take suki when i travel so i have their 3 for the long weekend. crazy to have 4 dogs in the house. they're great and it's nice to be *surrounded* by snuggling dogs.

tomorrow i hope to actually build the cabinet. i now have all the materials and tools i need so i really have no excuse *not* to do the work. just got a call from jg - he's gonna come help me in the morning cut the lumber and then i can just build in the afternoon. shouldn't be too hard. it's going to be a simple cabinet - no drawers and just one door in the middle. i'm excited to finally have this thing done. will need to go back to the old house tomorrow and pick up the black granite i haven't picked up yet so i can use that on the countertop of the outdoor kitchen. i think it's going to be the best bet given the cost ne. so w (as in, i've already spent almost $500 on this thing. i've really don't want to spend a fortune more on a countertop. so whatever i choose has to be *cheap*.).

also tomorrow luscious, the former owner of this house and good friend of mine, is coming over to help me work out the plumbing and my friend sarah will be coming by to help me work out the electrical. i've decided to make this a full fancy outdoor kitchen. i even got a recommendation for a place just 3 blocks up the road that will make my awning that will cover the kitchen when it's done. i'm getting very excited to have this done. i know that time is limited for how much longer i'll be able to use it this year. but i know i'll be so grateful for it next summer when i'm remodeling the kitchen. after living through lea & finn's kitchen remodel, i understand how important it is to live without a real sink and fridge.

i couldn't have made it through weekend (and i still haven't) without my friends. nor would i have wanted to. i am so fortunate to have good friends. from the ones that i can hang with at the zoo for a great outdoor concert to the ones that will go to lowe's on a holiday weekend to help me haul lumber to the ones that host bbqs and just want to hang out to the ones that want to dance the night away. i'm so so blessed.

the whirlwind is over . . .

the last few weeks have been a total whirlwind. the trip to nashville and cincinnati was fun but i wasn't in any one place for more than 2 days so it felt a bit more crazed than a 7 day trip should have felt. am so glad i worked on the plane on the way home. made my 1st day back at the office much easier than it could have been. i had a few hours to myself after work to clean up the house and have dinner before i picked star up after her class. she had a little time to grab a cocktail and catch up. was a really nice time. i love talking to that girl. could listen to her for hours.

thursday the whirlwind became a hurricane! i left work at 1230p and picked up robyna at the airport. after a quick stop at the store for lunch & munchies we headed to the house. we had lunch in the yard and i logged back into work for a few more hours. after i was done working, we took a walk through my 'hood and headed down to the mash tun for a few beers. hung out for a bit chatting with 2 of my favorite bartenders and listening to leonard cohen on the jukebox. robyna's a big fan. i still can't hear an lc song and not think of her. headed back to the house and watched a movie. stayed up way too late but had some good catching up to do!

friday i had a day full of meetings at the office while robyna slept in and took the pudge for a walk to the park. i got done with work around 3p and we headed to the store to get ready for the bbq we had planned that night. was a lovely evening to be outside and we took full advantage of it. was great to have my local friends meet my old friends. had a ball, killed the keg, and finally doused the fire at 2a. even the dog had given up & gone to bed by then! ;-)

saturday was full of shopping - literally. a couple of my friends wanted to take me shopping because i've been saying i needed a new *look*. i generally hate to shop for myself but if a cute girl (make that 3 cute girls) want to pick clothes out for me to try on, i'm down for shopping anytime! got some great finds including an awesome black motorcycle jacket! robyna got some hot sandals. we headed over to the party at star's around 630p. had a good time - again another opportunity to enjoy a portland summer evening. we headed outta there around 845p to go get ready for the big girl4girl dance party going on that night. party was a little lame so we ended up at the e-room. hadn't been there in years but had a great time listening to some karaoke (some really good, some painfully bad). was chatting with jenmc and kc and robyna just had a great time. was getting checked out constantly and her drawl was definitely drawing attention! we closed the place down and robyna & i headed home. had another drink when we got here and finally crawled into bed around 3a.

took her to the airport this am. she had an 1115a flight back to atl. was so fantastic to see her and talk to her and drink with her - some of my favorite things with one of my favorite people. am finding it hard to get motivated to accomplish the 3 major things on my to do list for the day. am hoping to see star tonight or some night this week for dinner and some good company ... we'll see if the stars align for that to happen. (no pun intended)

i think i need a nap .... till later.