Effortless Imperfection

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything, so I wanted to make this a good one. Lots of pictures from last weekend’s trip to Mendocino – It was a refreshing escape from the city, with the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. We didn’t want to leave!

Many thanks to Miss Oblivion for hosting, as well as for the pictures. Somehow, she’s the only one that remembered to bring a camera and was nice enough to share with the rest of us. I don’t know who actually took which pictures, so forgive me for not crediting each one individually.

As the pictures indicate, we hiked, biked, cooked, ate, drank, laid in the sun, hung out in the hot tub, and generally just enjoyed the relaxed pace of the Mendo lifestyle. Elliott and I did yoga on the roof deck, out in the sun. It was sublime: fresh air, gentle breeze, lots of sunlight…Amazing.

Other particularly memorable events include the bike races around the property (complete with jumps and obstacles), which resulted in several bleeding boys; the creation of a new religion, of which Fritz is the leader; and the discovery of a crazy hitchhiker on the road, who was picked up by a car and then kicked out a block later. Good times!

I’m back from my Chicago/Milwaukee/New Buffalo trip! I ended up staying for 3 extra days – I was having such a good time, I didn’t want to leave. I did miss my cat, though, and she was very glad to see me when I got home. She was all, “Squeak!”

The first full day of the trip was amazing – I went with my sister, Christen, and my boyfriend, David, to Milwaukee. The three of us met up with David’s sister, Jeanna (she lives there), and she took us to a Cubs-Brewers game at Miller Park. Perfect weather for tailgating and an evening at the ballpark. Unfortunately, the Cubs lost. It was still fun, though, and we met some really nice Brewers fans while tailgating. They gave us a drink called Strip or Go Naked, which consists of PBR, vodka (Skol, of course), and frozen lemonade concentrate. Need I say more?

Anyway. Too many activities ensued over the course of my stay to detail them all here, but let’s just say that a good time was had by all. Included in the pictures above are my nephew, Kevin, and niece, Caitlyn, in some shots taken during our trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo. They are the cutest kids on earth, obviously. =)

I have a million other updates, but they’ll have to wait until after I’ve had dinner. I get crabby when I haven’t eaten, hehe.

I haven’t posted in a few days because I had to go out of town unexpectedly. My boyfriend’s grandfather passed away, so we went to Alabama to be with his family and attend the services.

Aside from the sad circumstances surrounding our visit, it was a nice trip. His family is very kind and generous, and also very fun. It was interesting to hear how a man’s wife, children, and grandchildren remember him and talk about him after he has passed away.

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On a lighter note, I begin sewing lessons tomorrow! I’m really excited and hope to learn a lot. I’ll be leaving town for Chicago on Thursday evening, though, so I’ll have to wait until after I return (the following Thursday) to continue the lessons. I’ll update the blog again after my first session. Wish my luck!