The other day, while routinely examining my humble garden, I lifted this:

Oh how the fruits of my labor have paid off.

Grow Zucchini Grow!!!

Well, happy Friday night.  I hope your weekend plans look delightful from this vantage point.  If not, do something out of the ordinary to spark some creative juices!  I smell the rice cooking for dinner, soon to be topped by green curry.  Leftovers, but so tasty.

The saint and I took a little walk today (actually to recover my lost lens cap from a walk last week.  we actually found it!).  As I waited for him to finish up work so he could take his lunch break, I reached into the pocket of a coat I often forget to wear (I have a delicious habit of collecting coats!) and found the happiest little present.  I went right back inside and grabbed my camera.

For some reason, it felt like hidden treasure.  It was magic and I refuse to interpret it as anything other.

So then I was joined by the saint for our little walk.





This guys seriously has a THING about having a walking stick.







But not today...today we were in sync.
Well, up until he took me on a new path that was so steep I almost puked.
Not really.
But kinda.

And then we had a great lunch with our friend and neighbor Scott.

It's the least we could do since he's hanging out with Missy Octavia next week.

We leave for Florida in T-Minus one day.
Guess I better go work on my tan next door (friends have a tanning bed we can use).
Not really.
But kinda.

On Monday morning, perhaps the most commonly dreaded morning in human history, I was awakened at some unnoticed hour by the most gentle rain on my roof, the most fragrant coffee dripping into my carafe, and my husband gently encouraging me to awaken.  As I stumbled out into the living room to sit upon my chair and read my book, I heard that the saint had also turned on NPR for me and poured me my coffee.

I really am reveling in this time, fear not, oh jealous ones.  I am most certainly not used to people envying my life, hell...I even envy my life...this is quite surreal.  However, I must assure you all that I am doing all that I can to absorb it, to live it, to make it everything it could possibly be.  Well, at least I am for today.  Tomorrow, I'll probably get antsy, have an existential crisis, feel lazy, and complain...but that's what the gin's for...

This weekend, the saint and I made it into the city to shop and dine...my life is such a paradox of headed to the mailbox in my pjs and headed to the city in my knee socks. 

Also, look at our most revered visitors last week!! The saint snapped these shots while I was out gallivanting at the illustrious Costco.

I've been kind of waiting for it to go away but since it's lingering, I suppose I shall extract it thus.  This aforementioned it is this gnawing, annoyingly cold-sore-like discontent that keeps distracting me from enjoying my life.  The little bits, the big bits, they both seem to be growing and swirling in the balloon-sized wine glass of my psyche...and the sulfites are giving me a headache.  Ensue rant:

I hate getting up.  I might be a bit notorious among my friends for waking up cranky...but I tell you my whole family is like this.  I am not sure what kind of happy annoying family you were raised in, but we Whitney's, we are late sleeping, non morning people S.O.B's.

Well, I married one of those happy annoying people, and he wakes up with a grin every.SINGLE.morning.  He has accommodated to my morning ritual of "please don't talk to me unless you have a cup of coffee in your hand for me," so he usually doesn't bother me.

You can therefore imagine my surprise when I awoke today to the saint pulling back our curtain window to shine the sun directly in my face.  Now, I have been getting up later than usual (which is already way later than the average person anyway), so I thought this was his sneaky way of waking me up to make him breakfast.  Alas!  It was not the case.

The goodly saint was waking his bride to reveal to her the season's first SNOW! I did not pop right out of bed, but I did snuggle back in with thoughts of snow and warm fuzzies.  After about 15 minutes, I got up, threw on my boots and toque, and headed outside for a few shots.

This is not a serious snow, but it certainly counts as snow and by god...I'll honor it because it got me out of bed before 10 a.m.  This is no small feat.

PS: Totally random and disgusting confession.  I made  a pot of coffee yesterday and didn't finish it.  So today I noticed it still sitting there.  Don't tell the saintly coffee and beverage snob, but I totally microwaved it and am now sipping on it.  It's gross, in a really good diner way.  Happy Wednesday!

Directions:

Turn left out of driveway,

 Follow the road forever.

My husband said, "Grab your camera and boots.  Let's go explore."
I had no idea he meant explore my very own backyard.

Talk about space to stretch your wings...

I woke one morning this week and rather suddenly felt adjusted to this country life.  I no longer pine daily for Seattle or the pitter-patter of smoking pedestrians in skinny jeans.  I miss my old life, but graduatlly, I feel my colors changing.

Though my feet are cold and wet, my leaved face is brilliant from the nostalgic heat of summer.

You may be curious...what DOES Candace do all day?  Well, around here, we are reading, shooting photographs, cooking EVERY.SINGLE.MEAL (hell, I'm even making my own coffee...how bumpkin is that?! ), sleeping more, listeing to our thoughts, taking country drives, falling into occasional existential crisis, taking hot baths, playing games, seeing friends more, and stopping each other in the kitchen to steal a smooch.  I am writing, scouring craigslist, writing letters, planting succulents, seeing my family more,  and getting damn good at building my own fires.  It's not a bad life, not a bad life at all.

During the saint's lunch breaks, we've been trying to get out and stretch our legs.    Sadly, Missy Octavia cannot accompany us on these walks....

(just to add insult to injury, this trail is exactly 20 steps from our front door).

{I got a new lipstick, and I thought that instead of being disappointed that no one would actually see how fabulous it was, I would show it off to the trees instead.  They swooned.}