Last I checked, I don't live in Alaska

So why is it then that it is July 31st and I am sitting here at my desk wearing long pants, tennis shoes, a long sleeved t-shirt, and TWO (yes, you heard me right, 2) fleece jackets and on my 3rd cup of hot tea? Why? Why people?

And no, the answer isn't just that I live in Seattle and the weather right now is cloudy and below average. The truly sad part is that this is NORMAL for my office...well, at least in my corner of the office.

Seriously, I don't even know why I bother caring about what I put on my upper half in the morning. I can't remember the last time I didn't wear the fleece jacket that stays at my desk. I could wear a shirt that says "This place sucks" or nothing at all for that matter and no one would be any the wiser because I ALWAYS have a jacket on...I may have on a cute skirt and shoes, but yep, still have the fleece jacket on top.

Not only is it cold, it's sad.

Tangled...

lots of thoughts.

but nothing to write. at least not right now. in the meantime, don't forget to check out my other blog - i've got some pretty cool info over there.

Meet Carlin...

The newest member of our family! We took Lucy to Rabbit Haven on Saturday to find her a boyfriend. Much to our surprise, the speed dating ended with the very first option!

A few years ago, for my 30th birthday, #4 got me Lucy, as I had grown up with bunnies as my only type of pet. We instantly fell in love. For a couple of years we've been talking about getting Lucy a companion, as bunnies are very social and love to have other bunny friends to play and get into mischief with! So...for #4's birthday I decided we'd finally take the plunge and try to find Lucy a companion.

Rabbit Haven is a wonderful organization run by Sue and Angie. These amazing women have dedicated their life to rescuing and taking care of bunnies and making sure they find a loving home. We were amazed when we arrived. They have a Bunny Barn and have so many cute rabbits, it was hard to not want to take them ALL home! Carlin came from a very bad situation in which a woman had way too many rabbits on her property and had stuck all of the males in a dark "pit." Carlin, being the smallest, ended up getting picked on, and came to Rabbit Haven very scared and beat up. Thankfully Angie and Sue know just what they are doing, and today Carlin is a very happy bunny. I think he and Lucy are going to do just fine. They are already checking each other out, batting around balls of paper, and chasing each other.

You can see more pictures of both Lucy and Carlin here. It's very difficult to get a bunny to sit still for a picture! :)

Learning your ABC...D's

When you ride the ferry daily you get into a routine. You tend to sit in the same place, with the same group of people. It's kind of like high school cliques! (there's the bicycle booths, the mom booths, the "silent" room, etc.) I'm not sure how I got in the habit of it, but I sit in two different places. One place in the morning, and a completely different place on the commute home. Mornings I don't really sit by "regulars" meaning it's not necessarily the same group of people that I sit with in the morning. I kind of see it as "my time" I read the paper, and in all honesty, don't want to have to be social that early in the morning. The commute home is a different story.

For about a year now I have sat with a couple and their young daughter Katie . She's almost 3. Now, some people avoid kids on the ferry. I've seen it with my own eyes. Someone will sit down in a booth, then a family with a young child will sit nearby and the childless person will promptly get up and move to another section. I get it. For the same reason I don't want to be social on my morning commute, I'm sure there are plenty out there who want the solace of a quiet commute with no screaming or rambunctious kids. But for me...after a long day at work...Katie is just what the doctor ordered. She takes my mind off of any worries or stress I might have and makes me laugh. In the year since her family started sitting in my booth (yes, we ferry commuters get possessive of our seats---kidding!) she has grown up a lot, as I'm sure any of you with children know. When I first met Katie she was only 2 and didn't have much of a vocabulary and you had to pry anything out of her shy little personality. Closing in on 3 however she has more energy and full sentences galore.

Here's a perfect example of why I love sitting by Katie and she makes my commute home so much more fun:

Dad (looking at note from preschool teacher): Katie, what did you do at school today? Looks like Brian came and sang songs for you.

Katie (with 100% enthusiasm in her voice): We did, he sang the ABCD's

Because really people, who decided that only A, B, and C should be included in the name of the song?

Happy Friday everyone...enjoy your weekend!

I'll have exciting news to share with you next week...stay tuned.

Ferry Tale: I love my commute...really!

With the cost of gas these days and increasing population out there on the roads, you often hear the moans and groans of people complaining about their commute. It's too long...there's too much traffic...the people on the bus are scary and stinky...it's too darn expensive...the list goes on and on.

In this category though, I have to admit, I have no complaints. I truly do enjoy my commute. Of course #4 has even less of a commute (bed to desk in living room) but even though my total commute time door to door is 1.5 hours each way I really do love it. Don't hate me, please.

I walk 1/4 mile in the morning to the bus stop, take the bus to the ferry, ferry to downtown Seattle, and then walk approximately 1 mile to my office in Belltown. I repeat in the reverse every evening. To many people that probably seems like a pretty long commute and a pain...afterall, I am using 3 different modes to get from home to my work and it's using up a total of 3 hours of my day. True, but still, I don't have a complaint.

I have coworkers who comment how early I must get up and it must be awful but truth be told, usually when I ask them what time they get up to leave for work, it's earlier than me! (of course my hair is usually thrown in a ponytail and I don't normally wear a lick of makeup, but hey, I'm getting my beauty sleep!) These are the same people who complain because they are stuck in traffic for an hour if there is a Mariner's game, or the occasional protest downtown, and the ones who complain of riding a bus with crazies.

But how could I complain? I mean really...how many people (ok, besides all the other ferry commuters) can say that they saw an Orca on their way to work? Or can see BOTH the Olympics and the Cascades every day (weather cooperating of course)? Seriously, how can I complain about this...

So, what's your commute? Do you enjoy...or loathe it?

HAPPY 4 0 #4!!!!

And to think I knew you when you were a mere 34 and programming my plasma! Now you are successfully self employed doing what you love and are meant to do. A very happy birthday and many more to come...I'm so happy to be a part of your life. I love you! ((((h))))

Ka- BOOM!

I know, I know...I promised I'd post pictures this week with details of our fun weekend. Well, I am...kind of. This isn't exactly my photo- but I was there when it was taken, does that count? I really will get some of my photos up (you can even see a couple on my other blog here). This picture was taken (by the one and only #4) while we were in Flores, Guatemala this last May. A wedding had just taken place and hundreds of firecrackers were set off as the bride and groom were exiting the church. I just love this picture! We're off next week for #4's birthday (so far I've been able to keep it a complete surprise from him- not his birthday...I'm pretty sure he knows he has one coming up...but where we are going!). I hope to post before we go but in the meantime HAPPY 4th of JULY- be safe and have fun!

Ferry Tales*: Never can please a Northwesterner

Overheard on this morning's commute: "What's it going to be, 80 today?" "No, I think only 78" "Oh good, I can handle that- this darn heat is just too much lately"

For those of you who live here, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. We Northwesterners bitch and moan all fall, winter, and spring long about how gray and rainy it is and then we get one nice day and are so excited you'd think that everyone had won the lottery...but let that "nice" day get over 80 degrees or so, or last more than 2 days, and there we are, bitching and moaning about the heat! You just can't win!

*I commute daily on the ferry and often times overhear, or experience funny, absurd, or sometimes just downright annoying things. "Ferry Tales" will be a semi-regular post featuring those things.