Uber Casual Koolaid

I've got a tri-fecta work wardrobe dilemma these days:

1. My new workplace is extremely casual.  And honestly, that's not something I've been exposed to super often the past 4-5 years at other various jobs.  Sure, there's a general type of business casual (which may bring to mind things like khaki pants with nice shirts/blouses) but this place is casual on a whole other level.  Jeans and polo shirts or t-shirts are de riguere and flip flops or sandals are just fine in the summer.  Even shorts this time of year are OK as long as they're not too short.  We're all about loose-fitting, cargo style here for those who choose to rock the shorts (we mostly leave that to the guys).  And all of this, believe it or not, is just not the norm in most workplaces around here, even in the casual Pacific Northwest.  We're far from the more urban vibe of our downtown city where you would likely see more people in suits and ties.  Ties are as rare as white tigers on our work campus - if I spot someone in one I joke that they are either going to an interview or a funeral.

2. I'm working hard to rebuild my savings after all these months unemployed so I'm reluctant to spend a whole lot on new clothes given that, plus the fact I've pudged up this past year (Stress?  Poor eating habits?).  This work assignment is slated to last a year and then could get immediately extended another year and so on, but anything can happen in the meantime and I'm just not sure - yet - if I will still be on board a year from now.  I'm looking forward to investing/putting down roots somewhere but as many of you might know it's been quite a zig-zagged work journey since about 2006. 

3. It's summer.  And whether I'm size 6 or size 14 I've always resisted dropping a lot of cash on summer clothes.  In the Seattle area it's just not worth it because our summers are pretty short.  Fall and winter clothes are a different story.  Around here you can rock the gabardine slacks, cashmere sweaters, boots, clogs, scarves/shawls pretty much three seasons of the year.  Not to mention jackets:  leather jackets, trench coats, heavier pea coats for the winter and, my all-time favorite, camel hair coats.

So...what's a girl to do?

J. Crew to the rescue!!

You know, looking back on it now it's starting to make sense.  Remember a few months ago when I was all pissed off about a comment an interviewer made that I was "overdressed"??  That comment actually came from a different hiring manager at this same company I'm at now.  And now that I've been at said company nearly three months (in a different department from that other manager but in the same building if you can believe it), I'm starting to chug more Casual Koolaid and understand the large bubble of this large, well-known company I'm working at.  It's very much its own world in tons of ways.  Dress code included.

My "overdressed" look for that interview that went nowhere was my typical interview uniform:  a grey Trina Turk light wool short-sleeved sheath dress that buttons up the back and is just above the knee, black Jimmy Choo pumps and very sheer pantyhose.  That look never failed me on countless interviews (well, up until that one time) and I could get dressed in two minutes.  Plus, a dress is a nice substitute for a suit; I tend to run a little warm in body temperature, so not having the extra layer of a blazer or suit jacket is perfect.

So, I admit, I now see how at this particular company that that outfit was too over the top, as understated as it is.  Le Sigh.  And if that was a deal-breaker for the hiring manager, well, I have no words.  But in the end it wasn't meant to be.  I'm with a different group in that same building and really enjoy my team.  We're all a little crazy and there's a common thread of adrenaline junkie woven in between us.

Now, back to J. Crew!  I've sung their praises for years both in the catalogue and in the stores.  Classic with a stylish twist.  My only gripe is that everything is cut small, so I have to go up one size from my usual - not very much fun psychologically but in the end we wear our clothes, not the size numbers advertised outside, right?

And the outlet store up at the Premium Outlets - a short drive north of here - has some real gems.  Outlet shopping is very hit or miss but when it's a hit it's a HIT.   Case in point some black wool gabardine slacks I snatched up last year.  They're cut with very flattering wider legs, fully lined and sit right on the hips - $140.  They're very flowing and slimming and I probably wore them 2 or 3 times a week at previous jobs.

Come to think of it, I wore those slacks at my interview for the job I now have!

But now, they're just too dressy around our team.  Plus the nice weather and all - well, summer's been a tad schizo this year but in general it's warm - makes them too warm.

So...thanks to the outlets plus clearance sales online I've picked up a few pieces that are my work mainstays right now:

Khakis!  I found a fun pair that are cargo-style with lots of pockets and zippers and with a drawstring tie at the waist.  And I even saw another woman on campus wearing this exact style too!  My other staple is a cropped pair (the Skimmer pant) which is menswear tailored but capri style.  These are a little dressier but look great with nice flats or high-wedged sandals.  So versatile!  And the fabric is cotton but has just a tiny bit of stretch which makes them even more comfortable.

As we get back into fall and crisper days I'll be ready to bust out my corduroy pants...found a couple in winter white and a light charcoal grey that are perfect for work.

Shirts and tank tops!  How can you pass up $5 ribbed knit tanks at the outlet store?  I grabbed one in light purple and one in light sea green which are wonderful additions to those I already have in tan, black and white.  These are awesome for layering and I typically wear them under a chambray shirt, about halfway unbuttoned at the top so you can see the tank peeking through.  Chambray is a lightweight denim-looking fabric and it's come and gone in and out of style over the years as I've noticed, but it seems to now be back "in" again so I'm happy to indulge.  The light blue color is very flattering for me with my skin tone.  I added a second chambray shirt in a much paler blue to my collection and recently discovered it has tabs inside the sleeves so you can roll them up and button about halfway up the arm!  So THAT'S what that funny thing was inside the sleeve!!

Denim.  Are you sitting down?  I have not worn a pair of jeans IN ABOUT ONE YEAR.  No joke!  Sounds absolutely insane, doesn't it?  In fact, I'm surprised none of my co-workers have teased me about how they haven't spotted me in jeans one single day at work.  And if they did I certainly wouldn't take offense - we routinely take small jabs at eachother and have very healthy, resilient senses of humor.

So why haven't I worn jeans in forever?  Back to part of the dilemmas I mentioned first off in this post - I can't fit into the jeans I currently have (grrrr) AND I am a bit of a denim snob and haven't wanted to spend a lot on the brands I like.  But given my weight gain I couldn't fit into them likely anyway, even in the largest sizes.  Yuck.

I finally caved and bought some motivation - J.Crew denim on sale!  I found a pair of jeans in their Destroyed wash, which already has some rips in it and a worn-in look like you've had them for years.  I've seen this trend in a LOT of denim brands and I really, really like it!  But nothing beats a pair of crisp, dark denim jeans - which is pretty much my signature look in the fall/winter paired up with black high-heeled boots or clogs.  In the meantime, these jeans are calling for me to whittle down that pudge.  They fit fine in the hips/butt, BUT the waist and tummy area is another story.  This was the largest size they had in the ones on sale so time to get to work.  I also found a denim jacket and a denim vest too.  These will be fun to pair up with t-shirts or cashmere later into the season!

So while this corporate campus' dress code is far from traditional "corporate," I'm adapting and slowly getting used to it.  Admittedly it's not how I like to dress for work but you can't deny the fact it's comfortable!

I keep true to my love of accessories (shoes, handbags, jewelry) to really personalize these looks to my style.  I've spent a lot on shoes and sandals over the years and thankfully have invested in styles that are fairly timeless and classic and (hopefully) add a twist of extra panache to my casual attire.  My Hogan flip flops are amazing and have a crocodile type strap with a gold ornamental loop that's perfect with my J. Crew khakis (and shorts for home).  The grey Coach flip flops pretty much go with anything, and I really like my high-wedged Car Shoe sling backs (black patent leather uppers with a straw-like wedge heel).  Car Shoe is a sister line to Prada, actually.  I feel better when I'm in heels, not flats, actually as heels give me a longer-legged look (I was 'blessed' with super short legs, but that's fodder for another post).  I keep the higher heels and wedges for days when I don't have meetings in other buildings.  Heels slow me down when I'm dashing from building to building, laptop under my arm!

Jewelry!  I kinda feel naked now when I don't have a bracelet of some sort on my right wrist and have a pretty eclectic collection.  Silpada is one of my favorite brands, however it's a little on the pricey side (yet so worth it) so I am just enjoying what I have in the meantime.  Ummm, but I did splurge a couple months ago and picked up a J. Crew mixed bracelet (the pastiche, which is the picture up top except mine is silvery grey instead of gold). Isn't it a wonderful cluster of pearls, chains and twisted strands of rhinestones?  It looks great and doesn't get in the way being on a laptop at work.  A fun conversation piece!

I really like the trend of chunky, semi-precious stones or crystals in jewelry these days...things that are a little bold and brash, not trying to imitate "real" stones by any means.  And I really like pairing up stuff like that with casual looks - I see this a lot in J.Crew catalogues and it's just fabulous. I also like stacking multiple bracelets or bangles too - love the statement effect!  When the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale came around I scored a fabulous set of hematite bangles in random patterns.  36 thin bracelets for $36!  The entire stack is about 6" long or so, so I wear about a third of that when I go to work. 

What else do I do to stay true to my style?  I try to keep my hair and makeup simple, yet impeccable.  And I bring a handbag to work that makes me smile.  Kooba, Coach and Louis Vuitton are some of my favorite designers, and I'm proud of my handbag collection.  A collection which remains static for now as I rebuild savings.  Great accessories are great no matter what size we are, right?

That reminds me...I need to get at least one workout this weekend.  Because I'm really looking forward to being able to some day tuck in my shirts again.

Inspiration...where does it come from?

I just have to start out this post by sharing this is THE first time I've been asked by one of my followers to blog about a specific topic.  And no, no money exchanged hands before, during or after, ha ha ha.  Fivenineteen here, serving up responses to your requests hot and fresh!  So if any of the other three of you who tune in here have something you'd like me to ramble about, I'd love to hear from you.  I actually have the comments now enabled (baby steps, baby steps) or you can email me through my profile/contact info.

"...would you consider writing about having support and inspiration to be the best in your workplace (and in your life). Where do you find inspiration?"

Where do I find inspiration?  It starts even further upstream than that as I think through this. I think to be inspired you first have to have an open mind.  And that's something I'm committed to having throughout my life no matter how long I live.  People always have told me oh, just wait, when you get older you'll get more set in your ways.  I like to think - hope - that that won't ever happen to me.  I shudder at the thought of becoming a close-minded old crank someday - horrors!  But then again there are a lot of things in my life that have gradually gelled and crystalized - style, opinions - in very broad brush strokes.  Yet I am always curious about what's out there, what's new and up and coming and how others view things. And I think through that curiosity is where I glean inspiration.

Inspiration is multi-pronged in my world.  I get inspired on what to strive for as well as what NOT to do. 

Back when I was around 23 or 24 I worked for a freight forwarding and international logistics company not far from the major airport here.  We were essentially travel agents for cargo - air freight, ocean freight, you name it.  This was early on in my career and I was still very green in oh so many things, and it was only my second "real" full-time job after finishing college.  Admittedly I was still in that "hey, I have a college degree and why am I having to do this menial, clerical bullshit paper-pushing work."  Now I know -  it's called Paying Your Dues. 

And then there was my boss.

Talk about stereotypical red-faced, sweaty, obese, explosively hot-tempered - the list goes on.  I'm surprised the guy didn't pop a jugular or ever have a heart attack right there in the office.  He was a tricky one alright, for while he was VERY knowledgeable and experienced in the industry - truly someone I could learn a lot from - his delivery was all kinds of Asshole.  But I will never forget him for sure.  I learned SO much from that blowhard - I learned a lot about the shipping industry AND I also learned how NOT to treat people.  And I silently made a vow to myself that if I was ever privileged someday to have a staff of my own that I would NEVER treat them the way he treated me and the rest of our team.  Oy. 

And sometimes inspiration sits right beside you in the cubicle farm instead of hotly breathing down your neck at random times a la that Manager.  Case in point - my co-worker, J.  How she put up with my early 20-something brattiness I don't know but now looking back on it now she really took me under her wing.  J was about 10 years older than I and - what a small world - had been a student of my grandmother's when my grandmother taught Home Economics for many years at one of the high schools here in the area.  When we made that connection she even gasped, "I can see the resemblance!"  Wow.

When it comes to keeping an open mind and being curious about the world, my grandparents (Dad's side) take the prize.  Even into his 90s, my grandfather always kept up on current events and would ask us questions.  "So, fivenineteen, how does the war in Iraq affect your job industry?"  Ummm...let me think about that - I'm not exactly sure!  They always started out each morning doing a couple of crossword puzzles together - likely that's good 'mental' exercising as I've heard.  They traveled constantly, fully enjoying their retirement, until perhaps the bodies slowed down and it became too difficult.  And, counter to most all other residents in their retirement home, they took computer classes and learned how to surf the internet and do email.  At age 75 or so!  How many of you out there can say you get email from your 94 year old grandmother?  Yes, my friends, I do. In very, very large font, of course, as the eyes aren't what they used to be.  My grandfather passed away a few years ago but I am blessed - and yes, truly inspired - by the love, strength and tenacity of my grandparents.  And it wouldn't surprise me in the least if grandma ends up on Facebook some day!

I can only hope to have a small slice of that kind of open-mindedness as my decades roll by.  Who knows what is next around the corner in the world of technology, blogging, social networking, for example?  Will all of this current "stuff" be laughingly passee in 20-30 years?  Probably.

My Mom has taught me about the committment to volunteerism and service above all else.  I could go on and on about the multitude of things she has inspired in me but this is what first comes to mind.  Mom stayed at home raising my brothers and me while my Dad worked - your typical suburban family arrangement back in those days, as it wasn't very common in my circle of friends to have two working parents.

But I remember very vividly how busy my Mom was, in addition to taking care of kids and the house.  The phone.  The phone was ALWAYS ringing and ladies were coming and going in and out of the house constantly for what I didn't know.  More than likely it was a fund raising meeting of some sort; I just didn't understand as a young girl why everyone was gathered in the living room talking about things so passionately!  I can remember being barely tall enough to see over the kitchen countertop while Mom was sitting on a barstool on the phone with the calendar out and her scribbling stuff all over it.  Busy, busy busy!  So I've never understood the whole stereotypical eating bon-bons and watching soap opera lifestyle of a stay at home Mom.  Because my Mom sure didn't believe in that one iota.  Give your time!  Serve others!  Stay busy!

Dad is my career cheerleader.  As I've shared before, right or wrong my job satisfaction is a big cornerstone in my overall happiness and self-esteem.  So as a lot of you know, being out of work the past 12 months save for a couple took an ENORMOUS toll on me.  And yet, even in that darkness there was a twinkle of inspiration, for I truly think that had I not had all that time on my hands in addition to the job search I would not have been inspired to start up this blog.  And I guess it was meant to be, for I still make sure to carve out time to write in here even now that I'm - so gratefully - back at work!

But Dad has always been there to listen and give advice on how to navigate through challenging situations.  I got SO wrapped around the axle with people's drama and shizz when I first became a supervisor.  I felt very overwhelmed and burdened and Dad was always there to listen as I unloaded.  I didn't always agree at the time with what he had to say but more often than not he was spot-on every time.  And I still consider him one of the smartest people I know.

I think to more recent changes I've made in my life, like taking up hockey and training to run 5Ks...I can thank my friends P and D for that.  Sadly, D and I don't really stay in contact any longer, but I hope she knows how profound her influence was on me to give hockey a try.  Who knew a random question of "hey, do you want to try this beginner clinic with me" would turn into 7 years of skating?  And P's marathon training along with starting up a running club in her town too?  "Try the Couch to 5K program - it's great for beginner runners."  And as of a couple weeks ago I now have 3 5Ks under my belt and another one coming up here later this month.  These two things feed right into my desire to always be open minded to trying new things.  Who cares if I never did team sports as a kid, save for some track and field in junior high?  It's never too late to shake up a routine and try something new.

I learned about teamwork and self-discipline from not one but two of the choir directors I was blessed to have during high school and college.  Singing and ensemble performing was huge for me those years, along with competitions and lots of touring.  That was the kind of education you simply can't get by sticking your nose in a book and I am very grateful to have had the support to pursue this.  My directors were very different personality-wise but at the core they had the leadership and tough love a choir needs to continue to push to be their absolute best.  Can you perform at a top level after a long bus ride and you're feeling a little tired or dehydrated?  Can you drown out the noise around you on a stage or in a church while on tour as you're warming up before a big performance?  Can you rapidly adapt and adjust to funky room acoustics?  How about listening close for the pitch pipe to get started off in a complex chord pattern?  These are the things that carry over for me into my career today, even though singing now is mostly kept for the shower or the radio.  Focus, balance, teamwork.  Showing up on time with your A game ready to rock no matter how tired, distracted or shitty you might be feeling.  Those are the things that singing, touring and performing taught me.

I saw a therapist for awhile about 10 years ago when I was dealing with some depression and loneliness - kind of feeling lost in the sauce of the world and unsure about my life direction and purpose.  In that timeframe I took a 10-day cruise to the Caribbean with a good friend of mine and it was exactly what I needed to get a shot in the arm.  Sunshine, meeting wonderful people, exploring fascinating places in the world I'd never seen before...more food for my soul.

And as I recapped the trip to my therapist I remember asking her, "Where did all these feelings come from? Where can I find them again? I hadn't felt so relaxed and refreshed in years!"

I'll never forget her answer: 

"You don't have to search anywhere to find those feelings. They're already right there inside you." 

"Mostly sunny with a slight chance of a thunderstorm..."

So said the weather.com forecast for Cashmere, WA back around last Thursday or so, looking ahead to the weekend.

But hold that thought - we'll come back to it in a bit.

My good friend J's consulting firm hosted a river rafting trip on Saturday for their consultants and any friends, significant others and family members who wanted to sign up.  The total group was over 100 strong and ready for a day of fun on a guided tour down the Wenatchee River!

Those of you who know me well know I always love a good road trip.  On my 4th of July weekend getaway to the coast, the 4-hour drive was definitely part of the whole package of fun.  Same with this rafting trip as well, for it's about a 3 hour drive over the Cascade Mountains into eastern Washington to the town of Cashmere where we met up with the group and the rafting company.

I've always been in awe of the beauty of Washington State as well as its contrasts, for once you head over the mountains into eastern Washington you trade the lush green and marine climate for scrubby brush, desert-like surroundings and heavily-irrigated agriculture.  Two totally different worlds, each beautiful in their own right.

J invited me to be her guest for this outing and I was super-excited to tag along.  The last time I'd done any river rafting was as a teenager on the Truckee River up around the Tahoe area in California.  And it was pretty tame...super shallow and calm water and a few people goofing around on inner tubes.

This was totally different.  And now reflecting back on it, that's a total and complete understatement.

The drive over Stevens Pass takes you up to around 4000' elevation before dropping downward again and into eastern Washington.  Absolutely beautiful, and kind of cool seeing the ski chairlifts sitting quiet and and idle, just waiting for ski season again...

We met up with the rest of the group at Riverside Park in Cashmere and were kept occupied watching a large group of wildfires far up in the hills above where we were standing.  They were bad enough to where the side road up the hills was closed, but not so bad that we were blackened out in smoke as they were super high up.  Still, it was easy to see the smoke from the fires - most likely triggered by lightning strikes on the super dry brush and trees.  Helicopters with long siphons would swoop down in the river to grab water and then fly up in the fire to try to douse them.  Wow!

Now we were ready to get rounded up by the rafting company and get on our way!  I really have to hand it to these tour companies for I'm sure you need to have some deeply-rooted passion and joy for telling (and yelling at) large groups of people to do things in tandem who have probably little to zero idea of what they are doing.  Orchestration!  We each picked up a PFD (personal flotation device, something I've always called a life preserver but whatever) and a paddle.

Then we were transported by bus a few miles west to the town of Leavenworth.  The idea was to start back upstream and then raft back to where we started in the park in Cashmere.  Seems pretty logical, right? 

But no one told me that the transport method was by school bus.  Yes, my friend, I'm talking the old, yellow-orange school busses with the dark green vinyl seats, zero air conditioning, zero seatbelts...straight outta 1960.  And we had to board from back to front, which made sense I suppose.  Lucky me - I got a seat right over the freaking wheel well.

So now here I am on a packed school bus with 70-odd people or so.  And I'm feeling a flashback to maybe 3rd grade.  Only now I'm about 33 years older, with my knees under my chin due to that damn wheel well, in a t-shirt, shorts and sandals with a now-getting-sweaty pfd strapped on - oh, and a long paddle in hand.  And for some reason we waited forever before we left for Leavenworth.  Thankfully we got going after awhile to get some cross ventilation through those open windows!

As we headed toward Leavenworth I felt a few wet drops hit me in the face.  Did someone just spit?  Nope - it was a touch of rain. 

We got to the raft staging area and walked down a trail off the road to meet our guides and get a quick talk about do's and don'ts and basic safety.  Remember, this is a large group of 100+...one of the guides welcomed us and showed us some basics about paddle strokes, commands, everything you'd want to know...

...But let's hop back now to that forecast for a 'chance of a thunderstorm'.  Well, that chance abruptly opened up the sky with a huge bolt of lightning and clap of thunder.

The sky suddenly went dark and opened up with shower-like, pouring down rain.  Huge, dramatic bolts of lighting were striking down in the hills on the other side of the river and the thunder bolts were so loud the ground shook and the guides had to stop talking each time for a few seconds until they stopped.  And we stood there and stood there, trying to listen about safety-related stuff as the rain POURED down. "So if the raft capsizes you should...[a bunch of stuff I couldn't hear]"  Oh, great.  I was glad to be dressed mostly in synthetics...sports bra and the synthetic t-shirt I wore on last Sunday's 5K.  And I was ready with my Merrell river shoes - great rugged-soled sandals with ankle straps which are good both on the ground and in the water.

Below the waist was a different story.  I do have a couple of pairs of synthetic shorts I got from athleta.com awhile back which I just love - they're a girl's version of board shorts and are perfect in the water as well as casual strolling around town.  Sadly, both are too small for me right now so I had to resort to the good old J. Crew cotton shorts.  After a few minutes in the rain the soaking crept downward into my shorts - and undies too.  And folks, there is NO worse feeling in the world.  Good times.

After the safety lecture (I could probably hear less than 10% of what the guide was saying even between the thunderbolts) we walked down to the river where the rafts were waiting and grouped up into teams of 8.  Keep in mind the rain was still pouring down all this time nonstop.  And we all stood there in a sort of surreal daze wondering if this was really gonna happen or not.  Anyone remember the movie Romancing the Stone (with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner)?  Remember when they were in the jungles of Colombia and the rainstorm suddenly pounds down and they end up on a mudslide?  That was us, sans the mudslide - but I wondered what could possibly happen next.

We stood there for quite awhile and I thought for a split second that this whole thing might possibly be called off.  But then I thought, no, if the guides had any concern about us toodling down a river in severe thunder and lightning they would have scrubbed the whole thing.  We waited out the storm and I guess it was good in a way that by the time we launched our rafts we were already soaking wet.

Onto the river!  We had a 9-mile float down the Wenatchee, about 3 1/2 hours or so.  Absolutely incredible.  Our guide was awesome and did a great job steering us (our job as a rowing crew of 8 was to just paddle when he told us to), as he knew the right parts of the river to be in, where the big, hidden rocks were and on and on.  It was still raining somewhat but was starting to taper off a bit.  But for the first few miles we could still see lightning strikes in the hills around us.  Amazing.

The route was a fun mix of calm water and 6 or 7 sets of rapids, each a little different from eachother.  We got used to the bobbing up and down motions of the raft, learning how to paddle in synch when we needed to and the funny feeling of passing over the large, flat rocks where it was more shallow.  Maybe that's what it's like passing over a large whale?

And we peppered in a few water-related jokes:  "iceberg...dead ahead!!"   or, "...we're gonna need a bigger boat" [that's from Jaws if anyone doesn't recall, heh.].  And, "...what could POSSIBLY happen NOW?"  a la some old Scooby Doo episodes if anyone remembers those.  We had a razor-sharp witted group and really fed off eachother's humor.

When we all first got underway a bunch of people got into splashing eachother big time with the paddles.  And why not, given we were already soaked from standing in the thunderstorm for about 20 minutes?  After awhile, it got old and it died down.  Except for one dickhead who would NOT let up and just kept whaling on us from his raft.  I was thisclose to yelling at him to knock the fuck off but I thought hmmm, I'm a guest of this corporate team-building event and who knows if this douche is a major heavy-hitter in the firm?  He got my visual daggers.  Oh well - when his raft got stuck high and dry for awhile on a large rock I knew Karma, that gorgeous bitch with a capital "K", was watching close.

We saw everything from Osprey nests (complete with actual Ospreys in them) to old, beat up homes (which we jokingly called meth houses), multi milion dollar mansions, bundles of old garbage, a random guy standing by the side of the river alone and texting, a party with dudes cranking bass-loaded music and smoking a ton of pot - it's so funny and amazing taking in the world from the viewpoint of the river.  You trust the water, as our guide told us.  It knows where it's going.

Then at another turn in the river we spotted a woman on the banks by herself yelling at us about "jackets!!"  Some sort of jackets!  What??  Did she need help?  Was she hurt or did she need AAA?  We yelled back at her that we had NO idea what she was trying to say.  Finally the dry-witted guy in our group said "...OK...and YOU have a nice day."  We all roared laughing.  Then our guide explained that she was explaining how the rafting company sells splashjackets - and that she works for the rafting company itself.  Oops!  Here we were ripping on her like she was looney-tunes and turns out we were wrong.  But what were we supposed to do...just shout our orders and Visa numbers from the river?  Too hilarious.

By this time the rain had let up for awhile but it was still a tad overcast.  One of the guys up in the bow looked back at me and joked, "Wow, it's a good thing you brought sunglasses."  Dripping in sarcasm, of course.  At this point I was just glad they were still up on my head.  I'd made a point to leave the nice watch and rings at home but did bring a pair of my favorite sunglasses, knowing there was a teeny risk they'd end up at the bottom of the river.  Even through the roughest rapids, they stayed on top of the ol' head here.  Whew!

At one point we had to pull over onto the shore, pick up our rafts and walk for about 10 minutes on a mud trail to meet up again with the river further downstream.   Turns out this was to avoid having to go over the 8' drop of Dryden Dam, which I suppose was a good thing, ha ha.  We even saw a few crudely-painted wooden signs on the river that said "move right."  And one of the guys exclaimed, "HEY!  Movie night!!"  And we all cracked up.  Maybe he needs his eyes checked?  And maybe he shouldn't have been one of our leads up front?  We were dying laughing. 

As we were hauling the raft over land (called "portage" as I learned), I declared outloud:  "OK, this is the Lewis and Clark portion of our trip."  And everyone laughed again.  That's how it was this entire afternoon - nothing but water, laughs and an occasional sunbreak!

There were 7 or 8 rafts total in our group - turns out a few people out of the original group of 100 or so did opt out due to the thunder and lightning.  Our raft was one of the last ones to launch, so we had a funny view downstream of a couple of other rafts in our group who were well-equipped with water soaker guns and we laughed as they kept blasting eachother nonstop the entire time.  Ahhh, everyone loves a water-logged Gaza Strip!

The last set of rapids was the most intense and we screamed and whooped the entire time.  Our guide would give us the command to row "forward!".  But there were times we were tilted over so much I had nothing to row but air for a few split seconds!  Too funny!

Afterwards we met up in Riverside Park again to be welcomed by a fabulous steak barbecue with the whole works - corn on the cob, rolls, potato salad and lemonade.  But before all this, J and I and a few others REALLY wanted to change out of our wet clothes.  The funny part was was that we were about 20 miles away from the hotel where we were going to be staying and hadn't checked in yet.  What to do?

Turns out there was a community clubhouse not far from where we were parked with restrooms inside, but the restroom was packed full of a bunch of girls in evening gowns getting ready for a Sweet 16 party.  Oops!  Where else could we change?  We did it one at a time and old school, wrapping in polar fleece blankets hidden between the car and some large trees.  One changed while the other stood guard.  Hilarious!  But so worth it to get into dry clothes.

After the barbecue we headed further east into Wenatchee to get checked into the hotel, unpack and get some well-deserved showers.  Turns out the fiance's brother of my friend's co-worker (how's that for Six Degrees) was the GM of the hotel where we were staying and not only picked us all up to take us out for pizza and beers but also made sure we had the lowest rate possible on our rooms.  Love that!

So we had a few more laughs recapping the day at McGlinns in Wenatchee; well worth a stop if you are ever out that way.  Good food and nice people.

I was so glad we had decided to stay overnight in town rather than drive back 3 hours over the mountains so tired and drained.  J and I grabbed breakfast in the morning and had a wonderful drive back, complete with a surprise fog cover over Stevens Pass - so thick we barely knew when we'd gone over the summit! 

What an amazing 24 hours....it felt wonderful getting out of town after pretty much feeling like a homebody the past year or so. 

Sign me up for next year!

T, Me and my Mosquito Bite do a 5K

Something bit me.

On Thursday night I decided to do some jogging outside to prepare one last time for this upcoming 5K.  I really fell behind training outside - it's very different jogging on asphalt and on uneven surfaces rather than the treadmill.   So I got home from work, changed into running gear, waited a little for the heavy commuter traffic to die down and headed up my main street for about 3 miles or so.

I don't know exactly when I got bit but by the time I got home the area behind my left knee was itchy and starting to swell.  By Friday I had about a 4 inch swollen disk-like welt forming and I was wondering if maybe it was a spider bite.  Hideous.  I just kept piling on the cortizone cream so I wouldn't scratch and make it worse.  I'm hugely sensitive to mosquito bites so I figured I'd just given an extra pint of blood that night out jogging.

My friend P inspired me to try running a little over a year ago.  Some of you who have followed my posts from the beginning in here may recall me mentioning her a few times.  She recommended the Couch to 5K program as a way for a beginner runner to, yes, get off the couch and slowly get into running by walking and jogging in various intervals a few times a week.  Gradually the amount of walking decreases as the jogging increases.  At the end of the program it's pretty much jogging 30 minutes 3 times a week, which is right around the time one can complete a 5K at a decent pace.  Don't you love the name "Couch to 5K" - ? 

In fact, it was my plunge into the Couch to 5K program last summer that got me into what is now this Blog.  I started posting my weekly progress in my Facebook Notes, and some people started leaving comments, cheering me on, and seeming to like what I had to say and how I injected some humor into my recaps.  So combine a few good strokes and being out of work last summer and fall and - ta daaaaaa - here we are nearly a year later in fivenineteen!

Today's 5K was the 16th annual Swedish SummeRun, a benefit for ovarian cancer research underwritten by Swedish Medical Center, a highly-renowned, non-profit medical provider in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, just east up the hill from the downtown core.  A couple of months ago my friend T asked if I'd like to do this with her and I said YES without hesitation. 

I went to the registration site online, paid my fee and then saw the fine print:

6:30am.

Ummm...are you kidding me?  Start time is at 6:30am?  I'm a terrible morning person, even moreso on the weekends.  But it made total sense to get an early start as it's usually pretty hot here this time of year and the course is on asphalt.

Side note:  if you are planning an outdoor event in the Seattle area, plan it for this last weekend in July.  Statistics show it's only rained here once or twice that weekend in about 70 years - no joke!  And even this year where our summer's been a little shy, soggy and schizo, she delivered the goods this weekend.  Sunshine!

This was only my 3rd ever 5K (I did two last summer) so I'm still perfecting my routine of what to wear, eat and how to get a good night's sleep the night before.  Given I suck at mornings, I tend to freak out that my alarm is misset or won't go off when it's supposed to.  And I toss and turn like a dumbass the night before, when normally I'm a very sound sleeper.  I do this whenever I have a special occasion early the next morning, like a flight to catch or some other event.  And I have to rely on adrenaline to get me through the next day.  So while my routine may still be gelling, I know how I'll behave the night before and how I'll get through.  And I laugh at myself too - that helps.

Thankfully that 6:30am was for the start of sign-in, not the run itself.  And thankfully there is zero traffic at that hour on Sunday mornings.  I met T at a park and ride lot and we carpooled into the city. I left my house a little later than I'd planned but it was eerily quiet on the streets and I pretty much zoomed to the park and ride and didn't hit any stoplights (I took surface streets).  I guess it was too early even for the cops as well.  Lake Washington was calm and gloriously glassy.  I spotted tons of street barricades in downtown Bellevue just waiting to be lined up again for the arts & crafts fair later in the day (a HUGE event).

It was a postcard-perfect day...blue sky and zero clouds.  T and I got our number bibs, timing chips for our shoes and just hung out for awhile soaking in the surroundings.  The hospitals go on for blocks and blocks in the First Hill neighborhood.  I looked upwards at the buildings and wondered, wow, somewhere in this neighborhood was where I came into the world!  Deep.

This was a well-organized event with an emcee telling us where to go and when, and a live band keeping us entertained while we waited.  The 10K race kicked off first, followed by the 5K runners and walkers.

And as we got underway, I remembered what I told myself on my inaugural 5K last summer:  run your own race!!

I was really excited to try this course as I'd never run in Seattle proper before.  My prior 2 5Ks were in much more rural areas.  The route took us through part of First Hill and up north into Capitol Hill toward Volunteer Park and Seattle Preparatory School.  What a trip jogging through what are usually jam-packed city streets.  I could really take in and admire the beautiful homes in these well-established neighborhoods. 

How can you not have fun and be in a great mood on a gorgeous morning, outside exercising, knowing this is for a great cause?  Well, one douchebag bystander apparently had a big glass of Grumpy for breakfast, for as I passed him he was bitching to a cop, complaining about his street being closed!  For the love of all things holy, dude, I'm sure you and your neighbors were notified up the wazzoo about this!  "I'm gonna complain to the Mayor about this..." he yelled.  Umm, sure, you do that, Dude.

Oh 12th Avenue East, you sneaky little bitch.  This was the long, northward part of our course and dang if that oh-so-slight incline upwards didn't kick me in the ass (and lungs) at some point.  Yikes.  I slowed down and walked a bit.  Then I passed the 1st mile marker.  Only 1 mile down?  Holy moly I am out of shape.

The 5K course veered off to the west and then back south again along 11th Avenue.  And we suddenly merged in with the rest of the 10K runners - many looked like they hadn't even broken a sweat!  Wow.  At every corner there were volunteers cheering us on and random people passing by who were waving, thanking us - gosh that felt great!  And cops standing by as well - one was even blasting Lady Gaga from his parked car and I gave him a thumbs up.  I kept on jogging as I swooped up a cup of water at the water stop (thank you, volunteers!)  And then BOOM...another unevenly paved steep hill up East Howell.

And then at the top of that hill I suddenly saw a huge sea of walkers all in teal green (the color for ovarian cancer awareness).  Team Leslie.  The emcee had announced this Team was over 300 strong and by far the largest one participating!  Wow, how moving!  I wondered who Leslie is and if she's still with us or not.  Whomever she is or was, she is remarkable I'm sure.

And how wonderful are those neighbors who turned on their sprinklers and pointed them into the street for us!  The sun was rising ever higher and it was getting hotter and hotter minute by minute, so a quick dash through a few sprinklers felt amazing.

Well dang, we had one last hill to conquer and then we were onto the finish line at Swedish Hospital!  I didn't even notice the clocks or anyone cheering as we got closer to the finish line.  I tend to get into focused, tunnel vision mode at that point and everything goes silent those last couple hundred feet or so.  In the Zone I guess!

I had such a great time at this race and it was even more special being there with T as it was her very first and she did amazing!  Her friend J had joined as well and she is really interested in getting people together for triathalon training.  Ummm, sure I'll go swim a few laps perhaps, but baby steps for now.

My 5K time?  41:08.  Not bad for having fallen off the training wagon, walking a bit and a somewhat-hilly course! 

Someday I will finish a 5K in under 30 minutes.  Time to step it up!

Soaking in Those Compliments...Post #70!

Seventy posts??  How in the hell did I churn out that many these past nine or ten months?  I'm having a blast in here and if any of you out there take a little time to read or skim my ramblings my heartfelt and humble thanks!  If you found me here by accident, take a moment to check out some other posts as it's a big, fun ball of random in here.

It's a beautiful mid-July weekend and somehow I came down with a stupid cold just in time for it.  I woke up yesterday with a slightly tickly, sore throat but I thought it was from perhaps accidentally sleeping with my mouth open for awhile (meaning, my throat was all dry and irritated).  But hmmm...is it allergies or a cold?  Sadly, I don't have time for either.  I'm running a 5K a week from this Sunday and am woefully behind in my training plans.  And my energy level is going up and down in waves even as I sit here typing.  Methinks it's a cold.

So, since I need to get the neon white legs moving and prep for this 5K but felt a little rundown this morning I got a jumpstart:  I made a pot of coffee.  Forza Coffee in the Italiano blend.  Fabulous stuff.  I love it so much I even picked up an extra pound bag for a good friend of mine who loves her coffee and has been out of town for a week.  I swung by her house last night to water her plants and take care of a few things and put her coffee on the kitchen counter in lavender gift wrap.  A nice welcome back gift I hope!

What a difference a couple of months make!  Remember all my bitching and moaning about the job search and how once I got my current offer my start date was delayed over three weeks (causing me to re-resume connections with other opportunities I'd declined thinking I'd be at this new gig fairly quickly)?  I can't believe how fast the time has flown.  And how much I've soaked in and learned. And how while I won't soon forget the stress and anger from all those delays the layers are slowly sloughing away.

Getting comfortable in a new job takes time.  I haven't even begun to begin to understand all the nuances of my current work assignment and this company's business unit in general.  And it's refreshing to discover that a lot of what we're doing is actually new in general so even those who've been around since things got underway a couple of years ago (which is eternity in the world of technology) are also marching ahead into new, uncharted territory.  Yep, we're all in this together!

I can't quite put my finger on exactly when it happened, but in the past few weeks a bunch of things started clicking.  I suddenly understood more about different people's roles and what exactly that means, not just their titles.  I learned how to not get lost in the crazy, labyrinthian hallways - good grief these buildings are butt kickers.  And I started slowly carving out a few things to take ownership of, document and speak to in meetings.  How wonderful a feeling after all these months with no job and feeling like a ship without a rudder to start to feeling a little more stable.

And with that comes a more relaxed Me in general - and my humor and more layers of my personality come out.  I love friendly banter and having a good laugh as people get better acquainted with me and me with them.  I LOVE being around people in general - a strong team environment is absolutely crucial for me to feel productive at work, so while it's nice to have technology to telecommute (and a work culture that supports this wholeheartedly) I choose to come to the office and be fully present.  Plus I'm still developing rapport and relationships with the various groups, and the best way to do that is face to face.  After being at home and out of work for so long it's nice to get out of the house on a daily basis for a change of scenery (along with getting stuff done and real paychecks, woo hoo!)

Some of you may know I worked onsite at this same company for about 7 1/2 years, but in a completely different part of the business.  Those were transforming years personally and professionally.  I made the switch from having direct reports, managing technical teams of 15-20 or so, into Project Management and had about 4 or 5 job changes to get there.  I first set foot on the campus in 1999 a month shy of turning 32 and left in the fall of 2006 at age 39.  Lots can happen in those years and sure as hell did.  Y2K. An opportunity to move out of state (which I turned down).  A few relationships - some serious, some not.  September 11th.  The loss of two grandparents, my cousin's 2 1/2 year old son (a horrific drowning accident), and the welcoming of my 2 nephews and niece for starters.

So returning back to this company after a 4 year hiatus has been an interesting journey.  The culture is pretty much the same as I remember but maybe has a slightly softer edge to it.  Is this really true or is it just me with a softer filter - both physically and perhaps mentally too, ha ha.  Ah, the joys of early middle age.

One thing that I remember well is the "no news is good news" culture, especially for someone in a contingent role (my work assignment is slated to run a year).  That hasn't changed at all.  If you're doing as expected you likely won't hear anything.  But if there's a concern or problem you will and in extreme cases you will be excused from your assignment and asked to leave.  It's just that simple. There is a high-energy, silent vibe of restlessness deep in this company's core.  It's rare to hear kudos and praise - maybe a nice thanks or two - but expectations are high and when they're met that just simply isn't good enough.  Everyone is expected to constantly stretch, innovate and DO MORE.

So you can imagine my surprise when out of the blue a peer of my manager - I'm working with his team getting a new project framed up and underway - suddenly asked me, "How long were you at this company your last time here again?"  And when I told him he asked if I had been contingent or full-time permanent.  [I'd been contingent].  He asked if I'd ever considered pursuing a full-time opportunity here past or present and I about fell on the floor.  I did NOT expect to hear this and certainly wasn't fishing.  "...you're doing a GREAT job, fivenineteen, and you're definitely this company's type of material." Um...WOW. Now THAT was unexpected. 

He also mentioned he's noticed my tactic of just going in head first and going for it, whatever "it" might be with our work.  Yes, that's the life of a consultant/contractor...dive into the deep end of the pool and figure it out already! I joke that zooming in and out of different work assignments (this is my 5th in the 4 years since leaving this company in 2006) feels like being an Army Brat or an exchange student.  You get some thick skin and learn how to learn quickly. I may have floated through the rest of the day in a state of glorious shock receiving those compliments.

A few minutes later I got an email in response to some documentation I'd prepared following a kickoff session.  "My God, you are amazing."  This came from one of our technical gurus.  He admired how well I was able to focus and capture what we'd covered and how quickly the documents were put together and distributed.  OK, I'll take it!  Damn that felt good.

After months and months of No or Non-Responsiveness during these past jobless months I shamelessly eat up kudos with a spoon.  Because around here, they're few and far between.  By design.

And if that wasn't enough strumming of my strings I also received some good strokes from one of the journalists I met last weekend at a friend's dinner party.  Talk about uber incredible listening skills - she remembered many of the things we'd talked about and acknowledged them in an email to me after skimming through a couple of my posts in here.  Food for a part of my soul that didn't even know it was starving:

"Maybe you should think about doing more writing for public outlets as well."

Wonderfully Tired

Ever have one of those days that starts out fabulous and then just keeps getting better and better into the evening?  A day that is so scrumptious and delicious it feels like more than one day?  I pinched myself yesterday to remind me I still had one day left of the weekend...Sunday!

I actually kicked off the weekend with a beer after work with a few of my new co-workers on Friday.  The entire week had a funny vibe to it as not only was it a short workweek after the 4th of July holiday but the SUN and HOT WEATHER suddenly arrived like a hot bomb out of nowhere.  After a soggy, cold spring (including a wet, miserable 4th of July under umbrellas for those brave enough to head out to the fireworks shows) it was a breath of fresh, hot sunshine we so desperately needed.  So we headed over to the Three Lions Pub right next to the British Pantry in Redmond for a quick toast and some laughs.

Saturday was an amazing day both indoors and out.  I met my friend L for lunch and spa'ing - something we'd talked about doing to celebrate my birthday last year but we never got around to it.  And then *poof* another year went by so we decided THIS was the year to do it.  Had it really been an entire year?  Funny how when you get to be our age a year is a blink of an eye, not a long, drawn out period of Wait.

L is one of the 4 or 5 friends I get together with a few times a year for dinner.  One of my old friends going all the way back to elementary school.  I can look at her and smile and not say a word and I know she's remembering the same things I am too - walking to school together, boy drama, growing up issues in general...we sat outside for lunch overlooking Lake Washington and just relishing how gorgeous it was outside.  My default lunch drink order is (plain) iced tea and a glass of water.  But we jazzed it up this time and toasted with a couple of bloody marys.  Nice.

After a couple of ho-hum salads we headed over to the spa at the Woodmark Hotel for some major pampering...facials and manicures!  L was SO generous treating me to this!  The spa is newly-remodeled and just recently re-opened about a week ago so this was my first time back after it had been closed for a few months.  So fun seeing my long-time esthetician M and giving her a big hug!  She truly, truly loves what she does and it shows.

Now, I've been going to this spa for nearly 10 years but hardly ever have gotten a facial.  Just some periodic waxing (peach fuzz on the face and, ummmm, some 'downstairs' cleanup too - heh) and brow tinting.  Not real pampering like a facial.

And boy did I forget what I'd been missing!  The facial experience is not only steaming, extractions, masking and other treatments but also a neck, shoulder and pecs massage as well.  I guess I really was overdue for this as I literally felt like tensions were released and now flowing freely through my entire body.  I felt like I was floating on air when it was over.

Next, we changed out of our spa robes and slippers and headed over to get manicures.  I normally love to keep my nails polished and groomed but the past few weeks I've just kept it to clear polish and some filing to keep them neat.  So, it was time to bust out some bright pink!  And the forearm massage and heated paraffin treatment were out of this world.  Again, I felt the tension in my arms - which I didn't realize I'd had - release like an internal, freed-up logjam and just FLOW.  Just flowing away into nothingness.

Behind L and me were a couple of other women celebrating a birthday and I laughed when one of them started getting a little lively on her second glass of champagne.  "HEY!  Is that Pink #14?"  I smiled and looked over my shoulder..."why yes, it is!!"  HA!  Damn if that girl has an eagle eye for polish colors or what!  Too funny.

I gave L a huge hug and thank you for such a generous gift!  We both looked relaxed and glowing...this spa treatment stuff works wonders!  I strolled leisurely back to my car and drove home in a state of relaxed bliss.

But the day wasn't over yet.

I headed off to a dinner party at another friend's house (yes, another "L" and her boyfriend D).  L has a fabulous, large L-shaped backyard which is perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining.  And on summer nights like this Saturday it was the perfect showcase.  Dining outside by candlelight surrounded by wonderful people, incredible food, barbecued ribs, chicken, salmon, you name it...wine, roasted beets, salads...a foodie's paradise.  And the surroundings of her garden...the hydrangeas, herbs and other flowers in a secluded backyard was just, well, magical.  Humorous and sophisticated conversation...books, travel...I found myself enjoying incredible salmon and salad seated right next to two long-time journalists; I learned one had written one of the very first books about the greenhouse effect (which was endorsed by then-Senator Al Gore).  Wow!  What a ground breaker.

And while it may seem a little vain or silly, I gotta say it here:  I actually went totally bare-faced to this party.  ZERO makeup.  I stopped home after my facial to quickly change clothes, grab a bottle of wine and head up to the house.  I was running a little late - beyond what might be considered fashionably late - and I glanced at myself in the mirror.  Oh my goodness...I was glowing!  My face looked fresh and relaxed.  My skin tone looked even...the famous ruddy cheeks looked toned down and not screaming for a coverup of foundation or powder.  And my mood was so relaxed I didn't feel self-conscious at all.  What a fabulous day (and evening!)

And even today (Sunday) - that sneaky, ever-deepening vertical furrow in my brow?  Nearly vanished.

I may have found an alternative to a first-time Botox appointment after all.

My Radiating Forearms...

I haven't had a good road trip out of town - or ANY time out of town for that matter - in about a year.  OK, except for a couple business trips earlier in 2009, but those were truly just like getting off a plane and then working in a building with different scenery outside.  No time for any R&R to explore or spend time with relatives in those cities. 

I look back on the past 365 days or so and now I realize why I hadn't taken any time away - the good ol' job hunt.  I was so focused on networking, interviewing and finding a new job that I didn't carve out time to get out of town for awhile and just relax.  It might sound silly now, but I know myself well...if I HAD forced myself to take a short vacation I would not have been able to truly relax.  I would have been stewing and wondering if that weekend or week I'd chosen to go off the grid - out of cell phone range, say - might have been THE time a wonderful new opportunity would have come and gone unbeknownst to me.  Especially in this still-shaky economy and all.  Job hunting WAS my full-time job.  And there still is residual networking going on; this new gig is now a few weeks under my belt and I am slowing merging in the traffic and getting in a groove.  I do hope I can hang my hat with this team for awhile but I've also learned that nothing is ever given or constant.

So, at last it was time for a long-overdue break! 

Funny though, I really don't feel overly wound up or stressed about work just yet...when you've been at a job just a few weeks there still is a big element of "I don't know what I don't know."  Typical ramping-up stuff.  Seriously...in just 5 or 6 weeks we've already had Memorial Day and now the 4th of July.  I don't feel I've "earned" days off just yet but I'll take it!

And what better place to take a long weekend than at one of the getaways most near and dear to my heart...Ocean Park, WA.

No, no, not Ocean Shores - Ocean PARK.  Take a moment to find it on a map!

How can such a tiny, mile-wide peninsula be packed with so many memories and so much love?  Yes, this magical place is full of generations of goodness. 

And getting there is half the fun.  I cut my workday short on Friday, threw the laptop briefcase in the trunk of my car and blasted out of town.  I've always loved road trips and never got tired of watching the world go by when we'd go to Ocean Park every summer when I was a kid.  I couldn't wait to be old enough to drive - to drive that route myself.

Once I get off the main freeway full of RVs, campers and motor homes in the stop and go traffic and onto the more rural, 2-lane highways it starts getting even more exciting.  The highways zoom through beautiful farmland and mud flats...the extreme southern end of Puget Sound. I see political campaign signs for people I've never heard of.  Fireworks stands.  I'd forgotten to bring CDs for the trip but that's no worry...I blast the radio.  I smile as I keep driving and the radio stations begin to sputter and fight with one another.  That's when I REALLY know I'm getting away. 

I drive through the twist and turns of Highway 101.  How many hundreds of times have I driven or ridden this route - it's new to me every single time.  Glorious.  I pass through miles of stumpy stumps - trees cut down either from logging over the years or that blew down during the big storms last winter.  I spot a turnoff for a now ill-fated condo/housing development - how strange to have its access road look so desolate.  Gone are the huge, promotional signs; all that remains is the street sign turnoff which I nearly missed.  And the access road is smack in the middle of the stumpy stumps.  But why does that road intrigue me so?  I always toy with the idea of turning off the highway and checking out side streets to the smaller towns for random detours...Brooklyn, Melbourne, Bay Center...even the logging roads which look both inviting and ominous.  Probably not a good idea for those steep, gravelly roads in my sedan. 

I arrive at the family beach home and bring my bag and extra tote into the mud room.  I turn around and whammo!  It's my 3-year-old nephew ready to give me a big hug!  Melt my heart.  Follow that by my hugs from my other nephew and my niece and I tell you, YES this is going to be a great getaway for sure.

There is something about the sound of the ocean and the salt air; I always sleep like a ROCK at the beach.  Not that I have trouble sleeping in general, but out there I always feel extra refreshed and rested.  And when I wake up I smile...I could be 5, 15, 22, 35...I've been coming to this house nearly every summer since I was an infant.  The memories run deep.

I look out at the meadow in front of our family home out to the west toward the ocean.  I'm in awe at the changes the ocean and dunes slowly yet dramatically unfold over the years.  What was once open sand and a clear view of the ocean waves just a 1/4 mile walk or so is now nearly eclipsed by a whole new generation of growing sand dunes, covered in green beach grass.  In fact, the trail we used to walk through so many times to the ocean directly in front of the house is nearly grown over once you pass the mowed-down, groomed meadow area.  We use a semi-paved, public access road a short walk up the street to get to the ocean now instead.

Fabulous, slow-paced mornings coated in mist...morning mist so thick it's hard to see where it ends and the ocean's horizon begins. And it sprinkles so lightly on my sunglasses (I'm really sensitive to glare and wear 'em even on cloudy days).  I spent this time out jogging with my brother, sister-in-law and their 3 kids on bikes just cruising around the side streets of Ocean Park.  I remind myself I've got a 5K in Seattle mere weeks away! 

We had an amazing gathering at another family home in Oysterville - a small town on the Willapa Bay side of the peninsula about 5 miles away.  So wonderful seeing aunts/uncles/cousins and friends again to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my Dad's cousin and her husband.  Great conversations, food, relay races on the huge lawn for the kids.  And...SUNSHINE!  The sun has been incredibly elusive this spring so far, but holy smokes if it didn't bust out with some seriously blue sky mid afternoon.  And, as a result...my radiating (meaning, sunburned) forearms!  I'm one to bathe in sunscreen as a lot of you probably know, but the forecast was for heavy clouds and drizzle so I left the sunscreen at home. It felt good to feel warm sun especially since the Seattle area summer has been anything but.  Yes, my friends, yours truly can get sunburned even at 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon!

I watch the neighborhood fireworks sparkle and crackle against the soggy, grey, cloudy skies the next day and in the evening on TV after I get back home...like I told my young nephews and niece, the 4th of July goes on, rain or shine!  Happy Birthday, USA!!

So what to bring/wear at this laid back and fantastic, relaxing destination on the coast?  Key point:  LOW maintenance.

Now for me, "low maintenance" is always peppered with some luxuries...
What's in my getaway bag and tote?

• Burberry shimmer-check cosmetics case - the perfect size to hold just a few essentials.
• Dior Day 1 sunnies - these are my first real pair of super nice sunglasses.
• Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation (SPF 10).  Might sound a little silly to wear makeup at a beach home getaway, however this stuff goes on lightweight and evens out my super ruddy cheeks.  Plus, the sunscreen saved my (facial) skin that afternoon my forearms got sunburned.
• Lancome Bienfait Multi-vital sunscreen, SPF 30.  This stuff is so light it feels like a moisturizer, not a thick, high-powered sunscreen. It goes under my foundation and does its job.
• MAC Greasepaint Stick in Dirty:  a fun, thick taupey-brown liner with a tiny touch of sparkle.  Just a little on my upper lids is a nice, finished look without looking too "done."
• Makeup For Ever Smokey Lash mascara:  a little on the upper lashes is great.  A champ for travel.
• A little lip balm and that's it!
• Hair products?  I keep it simple...and leave the flat iron AT HOME.  Ahh, relief!
• A good baseball hat, windbreaker, polar fleece top, couple pairs of sweats, yoga pants, t-shirts and Merrell or Keen sandals and you're good to go.

Oh, and don't forget the sunscreen...even on those cloudy days.