When Summer comes to an end and the days get shorter, I tend to feel a little sadness.  I know our evening walks on the beach will come to an end.  Our days spent outside in the garden will dwindle and we’ll find ourselves spending more time indoors.  But it hasn’t been that way since Fall’s arrival.  We have done so much!  I realize that Winter is just around the bend so I am enjoying these moments as much as I can before we find ourselves tucked beneath our blankets, hibernating for the Winter.  

I love living in an area where the beach, the woods, the city and farmland is just a drive away.  I never was much of an outdoorsy girl, but I appreciate it so much more as I grow older.  While I spent so much time in my teenage years wondering how to get the hell out of here, as an adult I have found a way to make something more from where I live – memories.  And better yet, someone to make them with me.

We went canoeing over the Summer and both really enjoyed it.  We said we would do it again in the Fall when the leaves changed.  A few weeks ago, we rented a canoe for a couple hours.  It was a beautiful, Fall day and the peaceful stretch of river not far from our home proved to be just as pleasing.  The leaves were just starting to burst with color and I probably did a half-ass job of paddling as I snapped photos with my iPhone.  

A true test to a relationship is being stuck in a canoe with someone for a couple hours while you travel up and down a river.  The pretend “let’s tip the boat” movements.  The playful splashes.  Whistling the theme to “Halloween” repetitiously and not getting knocked out of the boat.  You’re stuck, kids, unless you want to swim.  And who knows what’s lurking in those waters besides duck poop and the occasional beer can you spot along the way.  Still, I’d do it all over again because I love being out on the water.  And I love being “stuck” with my fellow paddler.

Over the Summer, we bought a kite.  I had never flown a kite before so we took our adorkable NASA shuttle kite to the park.  As I waited for my turn, I realized I probably wasn’t getting one.  My husband turned into a kid as he ran the stretch of the grassy section we had claimed with our the kite.  It was a bit annoying at first, but then I turned it into an opportunity to nab some photos and laughter watching my husband, the kite astronaut, enjoy himself so much.

After kite flying, we did one of my most favorite new activities – hiking.  There’s something so magical about the woods.  Especially when it gets cooler out.  Have you ever gone hiking while the snow is falling?  MAGICAL!  But it’s just as special when the leaves change and color is everywhere.  It’s quiet.  It’s peaceful.  And sometimes you end up finding secrets in the woods when you take a different path.

Like Marilyn!  The hiking boots I got for my birthday are definitely coming in handy this year.  I would love to find new hiking trails to explore before we turn into an icy wonderland.

We recently went horseback riding after I dropped numerous hints to my husband.  We got to the farm on a weekend morning.  There were lessons going so we got the two trail horses available.  I was given Rosa.  My husband was given Red.  Rosa is an old girl.  She is stubborn.  She needs a bit of budging and she knew she could play me.  So halfway up the trail, we turned around to switch horses.  I got on Red and felt so much more at ease.  We were a perfect fit!  Red was a such a good boy.  If I could have ridden him home and turned half our garage into a stable, I would!  I fell in love with this horse.  He was easy to handle and loved galloping, which I loved!  He was fun to ride, but also had quite a personality on him.  He HATED mud and as we rode through the woods, he would avoid muddy puddles.  I guess he didn’t want to ruin his pedicure!  As we got back to the stables, my husband said, “I guess Red is your favorite color now.”  If we visit again, I am definitely requesting my new pal, Red!

Most recently, my husband came home from work and asked if I wanted to go to a Devils game.  Like I would have said no!  So we had a rare Tuesday night date to see our team play the Wild.  When I thanked my husband for taking me on the way home he said, “I knew you wanted to go to a Wild game.”  Former Devils player Zach Parise (and definite hall pass) wasn’t there due to injury, the game wasn’t overly exciting although we won and yet the two of us sat in the stands talking and laughing most of the time and had those moments where we’d just look at each other and laugh.

As I hung up my #9 jersey in my closet, I smiled to myself.  While we may both have ongoing projects (me: establishing myself as a DIY designer and professional blogger, him: restoring a ’60-something Camaro) there are always going to be memories to be made.  We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs in our relationship, but those ups are OH-so-good!  So we hold onto them and look to create many, many more.

Last week I took a much-needed break from the overwhelming amount of work and projects I have been pushing on myself.  It’s been nice to be so busy again, but it definitely started to catch up with me in the form of stress and moodiness.  So last week I cleared my schedule, visited with friends and family, and took time for myself to regroup and refocus.

I made plans with an old coworker and friend to have a late lunch at my house.  She had never been to my home before.  I was excited for her company.  She brought me some beautiful flowers and I made us a little spread of cheese, grape leaves, olives, mushrooms and tiny little sweet red peppers served with warm, toasty bread and olive oil with an herb and cheese seasoning for dipping.  Truth be told, I could abandon actual meals and eat like this most days!  We visited for just a couple of hours, but packed in a lot of talk about our current jobs, our former, sometimes most times terrifying job, our families and many laughs.  We promised to get together again soon.  Most days you could have cut the tension in our former office with a knife, but somehow we still managed to not only survive, but remain friends!

Later in the week, I made a visit to see my cousin and her sweet little baby.  I brought her some homemade goodies and spent some time catching up with her, my aunt and, of course, that adorable baby boy.  It was nice to get away from the house and the computer for a few hours. 

Since I made the switch from Blogger to a website, I have been consistently working on some formatting issues.  I began to abandon the few hours at night spent with my husband to escape to the office after dinner to edit, edit, edit.  I felt guilty about it.  I felt like a bad wife.  But I really wanted to get it all done (including other projects I have yet to finish on the side).  For the record, I am still 30+ pages of posts away from finishing the editing I need to do and cannot figure out faster way to get it done than the manual efforts I’ve put in.  I am adamant about having this place run smoothly and look the way I think it should.  Once I have a goal in mind, forget it!  It’ll drive me crazy until it’s done!  But, like any job, there comes a time to clock out.  So I have given myself a schedule to work and I “clock out” by dinnertime and spend the rest of the night in my husband’s company.

My brain no longer feels like it might explode!  I’ve reclaimed some of my sanity and instead of saying “I can’t” and “no” to the people around me, I have been sticking to a schedule.  It’s nice to strive for better and reach out to your goals, but I realized how becoming obsessed with my work (’cause, yeah, I feel like a business now) was pushing people, the people I love, away from me.  9-to-5 is where it’s at for this girl.  I’m passing on the overtime!  I may have even spent some time on the couch over the weekend doing nothing and then picking up my book to read a few more chapters.  What?!?  Again, busy is good.  But so is a little personal downtime.