but lately i'm beginning to find that i should be the one behind the wheel
Well, two weeks after the fact, it is high past time that I posted about my cottage weekend! It was fantastic, which is no less than I expected. Friday the 1st I picked up Lynn, Ilana and Gabe, and after a brief stop at Metro to pick up discounted Halloween candy, we were on our way. Even with that stop and a stop for lunch, the trip only took about 2.5 hours, and we got to the cottage around 3 pm. No cottage weekend would be complete without some kind of misadventure, and this year's started right off the bat with the power being out. Parry Sound had had some high winds and rains the few days prior to our visit, so there were power outages across the area, but they were working on restoring power, and when Lynn called (using a landline! and a number she had to look up in a phonebook!), they told her we should have power back by 11 pm. Because knitting itself is an activity that requires no electricity, we were fine for a few hours just knitting and talking. Lynn got a good fire going in the wood-burning stove so we had heat, and it was all good until the sun started to go down, at which point it became increasingly harder to see our knitting, so we resorted to sitting around in the dark talking. :p Erin and Sarah went out to get pizza for dinner, and thankfully while we were trying to identify pizzas by flashlight, the power came back on and we all cheered.
From that point on, the weekend revolved around the consumption of ridiculous quantities of food, and obviously lots of knitting, laughter, conversation and fun. I made a pumpkin cake and a batch of salted caramel pretzel bark Friday night so they would be available for snacking all weekend. Besides those things, there was a crapton of cheap Halloween candy, fudge that Gabe made, brownies that Kim made, several bags of chips and smartfood, and an apple crisp that Erin made on Saturday. Pretty much everything we ate that weekend was either sugar or covered in cheese, as the meals included pizza, omelets (with cheese), grilled cheese sandwiches, and lasagna. :p There was a spinach salad with the lasagna for dinner on Saturday, so I can honestly say that I ate some vegetables that weekend, though clearly they were overwhelmingly outnumbered.
I slept terribly the first night at the cottage, partly because my room was absurdly hot and I couldn't get it to cool down, even with the window open, and partly because I just kept waking up all night and never felt like I got into deep sleep. I got up early Saturday morning after giving up on getting any more sleep, and sat out on the deck reading for a bit until I was finally cooled off enough to want to be back inside. Erin made breakfast for everyone, and then somewhere around early afternoon, we all decided to go for a walk. We explored around the area where we'd found an old rusted out car last year, then went in the other direction, the one we'd chickened out from exploring last year due to the size of the hills. This year we tackled them, and then Lynn and I went running down them, which was both fun and mildly terrifying. The weather was gorgeous on our walk, too; it was around 2 degrees, but sunny and not windy, so that it never felt bitterly cold or anything, and we were even able to warm up after trekking up and down the hills. We also got to play with a puppy! At one of the other cottages on the road, a dog was outside, and he came running up to sniff all of us as we walked past. Then on the way back, he came out to play with us since he'd already established we were friends, and he found a big stick that he kept dropping at our feet for one of us to throw for him. Clearly, I was only too happy to play with him, as was everyone else, and that was definitely an amusing bit of the day.
After the walk, I made grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone for lunch, with some help from Gabe and Meghan. Then we piled downstairs to watch Moulin Rouge and sing along loudly, of course. Likewise for watching The Little Mermaid the next morning. :p There was Lynn's lasagna and Nicole's spinach salad for dinner, and somewhere around 11 pm, we decided to head out to the fire pit and see if we could get a fire going for s'mores. By 'we' I mean Lynn, as she did all of the work of trying to start and maintain the fire, while the rest of us provided moral support and encouragement for the struggling fire. :p It was really awesome to see the stars there, though, as we could see SO MANY more than what you can see from the city. Ilana pointed a few things out to us, but it was also just cool to stare at all the stars without knowing what they were, just for the sheer magnitude of them. Lynn tried for almost an hour to get the fire going, but while the kindling burned, the logs just refused to catch, until after most of the rest of us had given up and gone back inside to warm up, when apparently it finally happened. :p I was still glad that we'd gone out and tried, since we hadn't done it last year, and it was worth it just for the view of the stars.
Sunday was more food and knitting and fun, but also the clean up and distribution of leftovers before we all had to head home. It was so calming and relaxing being up at the cottage, and Lynn and I decided that it is our spiritual home. I really hope this is a tradition we can continue for years to come, because it's such a nice break from the hectic busy-ness and stress of regular life. Going back to work the Monday after that weekend was a bit of a letdown, but I have lots of great cottage memories to look back on and make me smile. Not to mention, the pictures of course!
Hello, cottage! (Ilana's picture, shamelessly stolen)
I brought my Lego person (actually I think most of us did, but we sort of forgot to do anything with them), and took a few pictures of her hanging out, this one is in Sarah's knitting.
It may have been a tiny bit delusional to think I'd actually finish the cardigan before or during the cottage weekend, but I still wanted to get pictures of it there. This is me trying to cleverly hide the fact that the second sleeve still isn't done, by having Gabe take pictures of it from the other side. :p I really love how the colors look in the natural light, though!
A close up of the cable detail.
From our walk on Saturday:
Gabe and I demonstrate our favorite sign near the cottage. We really wish we knew what was back there.
Lynn and I were highly amused by ourselves for thinking of this picture. :p
I really like this one that Lynn took of me and Ilana on our walk. :)
Puppy! :D
Wait, you mean I'm not supposed to just climb up and sit in random gigantic equipment that's sitting by the side of the road? Pssh!
I think this is us deciding to be the back up singers to Ilana's awesome rock band, while standing on rocks by a tiny waterfall on the side of the cottage driveway. And if that doesn't perfectly sum up the ridiculous awesomeness of that weekend, I don't know what will. ♥
I actually took very few pictures myself, as I was more focused on enjoying the weekend than on documenting it, but you can see the rest of Lynn's pictures here and Ilana's pictures here.
Since the cottage weekend, I haven't been up to a whole hell of a lot, other than settling back into the normal routines of life that don't involve having nine million things to do at every waking moment. Last weekend, I finished the cardigan, so here, have some pictures of that! :D
I am really really proud of myself for this sweater, and I absolutely will be wearing it ALL THE TIME. If I'm hanging out with you at any point this winter, you will probably see me in this. I love it, and I'm super excited that it's finally done and I can wear it. I already loved the color of the yarn, which is why I bought it in the first place, but I even more love how it appears to change color depending on the light it's in (compare these photos, taken at work, to the ones from the cottage, taken outside).
So yes, that is my major accomplishment of the last little while. I've also finished book two of the Song of Ice and Fire series, which means now I can watch the first season of Game of Thrones! I've started reading Orange is the New Black, which finally came in to the library (I've had a hold on it since July), but I'm pretty disappointed with the book, honestly. As I mentioned in an email to lone_thoughts, the book is very disjointed and doesn't have much continuity to it. The author also doesn't really describe or go into much depth on any of the other people she introduces in her story, just sort of mentions a million names and then expects you to remember who they are when she randomly mentions them again later, even though she's told you next to nothing about them. So yeah, not enjoying the book nearly as much as I enjoyed the show, which is a shame.
Current plan: I need to dust, sweep and tidy up the house before Nicole brings her cat over later today. My wedding gift to her and Rami was that I'd watch their cat while they go on their honeymoon, so she's bringing the cat over this afternoon, although I'm not sure what time. Tomorrow, Becca, Amy and I are going to MoRoCo Chocolat for their "torch at the table" s'mores, which should be delightful. Any time I get to play with a tiny can of fire, I'm always excited, and I can't believe I haven't done it at all since I've been up here! Sometime next week, I'm going to take my car to get new tires (grumble, grumble), and next weekend, Amy and Amanda are hosting a potluck Thanksgiving at their place, which should be fun. I'm all about getting to have two Thanksgivings instead of one! :D Hey, could you tell that I like food? I haven't made that at all apparent, have I? :p
The other exciting thing is that I am actually going to be able to go down to the States this year for winter break! It'll have been two years since I was last in Jersey by the time the trip gets here, so I'm really looking forward to it. It's been way too long since I've seen all my Jersey friends, and even my sister I haven't seen since she came up here for Thanksgiving last year! I'm hoping to also pop down to Maryland/DC/Virginia to see some people there while I'm down, so it should be a good trip, once I get it all planned. Currently, all I've got is when I'm leaving and coming back, and that I'll be spending Christmas with Kira and I think New Year's with Kelly. Otherwise, everything is still up in the air, but I've emailed everyone to try to figure out dates that work.
Okay, I'm sure this entry is nine million years long by this point, but I guess that's what happens when I don't write in forever. :p I hope you're all doing well and having a great weekend!
From that point on, the weekend revolved around the consumption of ridiculous quantities of food, and obviously lots of knitting, laughter, conversation and fun. I made a pumpkin cake and a batch of salted caramel pretzel bark Friday night so they would be available for snacking all weekend. Besides those things, there was a crapton of cheap Halloween candy, fudge that Gabe made, brownies that Kim made, several bags of chips and smartfood, and an apple crisp that Erin made on Saturday. Pretty much everything we ate that weekend was either sugar or covered in cheese, as the meals included pizza, omelets (with cheese), grilled cheese sandwiches, and lasagna. :p There was a spinach salad with the lasagna for dinner on Saturday, so I can honestly say that I ate some vegetables that weekend, though clearly they were overwhelmingly outnumbered.
I slept terribly the first night at the cottage, partly because my room was absurdly hot and I couldn't get it to cool down, even with the window open, and partly because I just kept waking up all night and never felt like I got into deep sleep. I got up early Saturday morning after giving up on getting any more sleep, and sat out on the deck reading for a bit until I was finally cooled off enough to want to be back inside. Erin made breakfast for everyone, and then somewhere around early afternoon, we all decided to go for a walk. We explored around the area where we'd found an old rusted out car last year, then went in the other direction, the one we'd chickened out from exploring last year due to the size of the hills. This year we tackled them, and then Lynn and I went running down them, which was both fun and mildly terrifying. The weather was gorgeous on our walk, too; it was around 2 degrees, but sunny and not windy, so that it never felt bitterly cold or anything, and we were even able to warm up after trekking up and down the hills. We also got to play with a puppy! At one of the other cottages on the road, a dog was outside, and he came running up to sniff all of us as we walked past. Then on the way back, he came out to play with us since he'd already established we were friends, and he found a big stick that he kept dropping at our feet for one of us to throw for him. Clearly, I was only too happy to play with him, as was everyone else, and that was definitely an amusing bit of the day.
After the walk, I made grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone for lunch, with some help from Gabe and Meghan. Then we piled downstairs to watch Moulin Rouge and sing along loudly, of course. Likewise for watching The Little Mermaid the next morning. :p There was Lynn's lasagna and Nicole's spinach salad for dinner, and somewhere around 11 pm, we decided to head out to the fire pit and see if we could get a fire going for s'mores. By 'we' I mean Lynn, as she did all of the work of trying to start and maintain the fire, while the rest of us provided moral support and encouragement for the struggling fire. :p It was really awesome to see the stars there, though, as we could see SO MANY more than what you can see from the city. Ilana pointed a few things out to us, but it was also just cool to stare at all the stars without knowing what they were, just for the sheer magnitude of them. Lynn tried for almost an hour to get the fire going, but while the kindling burned, the logs just refused to catch, until after most of the rest of us had given up and gone back inside to warm up, when apparently it finally happened. :p I was still glad that we'd gone out and tried, since we hadn't done it last year, and it was worth it just for the view of the stars.
Sunday was more food and knitting and fun, but also the clean up and distribution of leftovers before we all had to head home. It was so calming and relaxing being up at the cottage, and Lynn and I decided that it is our spiritual home. I really hope this is a tradition we can continue for years to come, because it's such a nice break from the hectic busy-ness and stress of regular life. Going back to work the Monday after that weekend was a bit of a letdown, but I have lots of great cottage memories to look back on and make me smile. Not to mention, the pictures of course!
Hello, cottage! (Ilana's picture, shamelessly stolen)
I brought my Lego person (actually I think most of us did, but we sort of forgot to do anything with them), and took a few pictures of her hanging out, this one is in Sarah's knitting.
It may have been a tiny bit delusional to think I'd actually finish the cardigan before or during the cottage weekend, but I still wanted to get pictures of it there. This is me trying to cleverly hide the fact that the second sleeve still isn't done, by having Gabe take pictures of it from the other side. :p I really love how the colors look in the natural light, though!
A close up of the cable detail.
From our walk on Saturday:
Gabe and I demonstrate our favorite sign near the cottage. We really wish we knew what was back there.
Lynn and I were highly amused by ourselves for thinking of this picture. :p
I really like this one that Lynn took of me and Ilana on our walk. :)
Puppy! :D
Wait, you mean I'm not supposed to just climb up and sit in random gigantic equipment that's sitting by the side of the road? Pssh!
I think this is us deciding to be the back up singers to Ilana's awesome rock band, while standing on rocks by a tiny waterfall on the side of the cottage driveway. And if that doesn't perfectly sum up the ridiculous awesomeness of that weekend, I don't know what will. ♥
I actually took very few pictures myself, as I was more focused on enjoying the weekend than on documenting it, but you can see the rest of Lynn's pictures here and Ilana's pictures here.
Since the cottage weekend, I haven't been up to a whole hell of a lot, other than settling back into the normal routines of life that don't involve having nine million things to do at every waking moment. Last weekend, I finished the cardigan, so here, have some pictures of that! :D
I am really really proud of myself for this sweater, and I absolutely will be wearing it ALL THE TIME. If I'm hanging out with you at any point this winter, you will probably see me in this. I love it, and I'm super excited that it's finally done and I can wear it. I already loved the color of the yarn, which is why I bought it in the first place, but I even more love how it appears to change color depending on the light it's in (compare these photos, taken at work, to the ones from the cottage, taken outside).
So yes, that is my major accomplishment of the last little while. I've also finished book two of the Song of Ice and Fire series, which means now I can watch the first season of Game of Thrones! I've started reading Orange is the New Black, which finally came in to the library (I've had a hold on it since July), but I'm pretty disappointed with the book, honestly. As I mentioned in an email to lone_thoughts, the book is very disjointed and doesn't have much continuity to it. The author also doesn't really describe or go into much depth on any of the other people she introduces in her story, just sort of mentions a million names and then expects you to remember who they are when she randomly mentions them again later, even though she's told you next to nothing about them. So yeah, not enjoying the book nearly as much as I enjoyed the show, which is a shame.
Current plan: I need to dust, sweep and tidy up the house before Nicole brings her cat over later today. My wedding gift to her and Rami was that I'd watch their cat while they go on their honeymoon, so she's bringing the cat over this afternoon, although I'm not sure what time. Tomorrow, Becca, Amy and I are going to MoRoCo Chocolat for their "torch at the table" s'mores, which should be delightful. Any time I get to play with a tiny can of fire, I'm always excited, and I can't believe I haven't done it at all since I've been up here! Sometime next week, I'm going to take my car to get new tires (grumble, grumble), and next weekend, Amy and Amanda are hosting a potluck Thanksgiving at their place, which should be fun. I'm all about getting to have two Thanksgivings instead of one! :D Hey, could you tell that I like food? I haven't made that at all apparent, have I? :p
The other exciting thing is that I am actually going to be able to go down to the States this year for winter break! It'll have been two years since I was last in Jersey by the time the trip gets here, so I'm really looking forward to it. It's been way too long since I've seen all my Jersey friends, and even my sister I haven't seen since she came up here for Thanksgiving last year! I'm hoping to also pop down to Maryland/DC/Virginia to see some people there while I'm down, so it should be a good trip, once I get it all planned. Currently, all I've got is when I'm leaving and coming back, and that I'll be spending Christmas with Kira and I think New Year's with Kelly. Otherwise, everything is still up in the air, but I've emailed everyone to try to figure out dates that work.
Okay, I'm sure this entry is nine million years long by this point, but I guess that's what happens when I don't write in forever. :p I hope you're all doing well and having a great weekend!