BUON COMPLEANNO AMORE MIO!!

...talk about a find...if you're going to guest blog (aka hack) into someone's blog, you might as well go big...if not strange.  And nothing says strange like a Smurf.  Like a Smurf saying Happy Anniversary.  Like a Smurf saying Happy Anniversary while holding a Beer.  I mean, that just SCREAMS guest blog, no?  It does to me.  Again, a total find.
...and speaking of a total find ... Have you met Sunshine?  She's a TOTAL find.  A Great mom, a GREAT wife, a PERFECT friend, and an all around DARN GOOD WOMAN.  For 14 years ... TODAY ... I've had the pleasure, honour and joy of calling her my wife.  The Wif.  La Bella Numero Uno.  The Boss.  Okay, so maybe we're all laughing when I said 'joy' ... because life isn't a perfectly Blue Smurf with a perfectly white chef pop hat holding an always full beer.  But it's pretty dang close.

So today, June 22nd, in English AND Italian...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Sunny!  Here's to the next 14 (+)...  WITH MUCH LOVE... your Hubs (aka Chris)

(for)

Sunshine DAaAaAy!

This is what it's been looking like outside my front porch for the last 40 days and 40 nights (or roundabouts)--

I love the rain.  That picture is beautiful to me.  As long as I have one of these days (or 10) in the mix--

Stoller Vineyard

Rain is good for cleaning, watching ten episodes of Fat Albert with the kids and napping. Rain does a few other good things.  Truly--I love opening the windows when it's raining and letting my senses take over.  I love to hear it, smell it and watch it. I love that I don't have to water my flowers and how very lush it makes Oregon.  BUT, for the good of everyone around me, this girl needs some sun too. 

After a month, plus, plus, plus of the wet stuff, I get to the point where I can talk myself into less cleaning, less Fat Albert and more naps. You'd think I'd be all cheery and beautiful with all that extra sleep.  Nope.  Think the opposite.  That's me. It's amazing what ONE day of sun can do for my soul.  It can make me feel new. 

I started debating my justified crabby attitude with a couple people who were giving me the, "You live in Oregon" excuse and making me feel all wimpy,  because I need some sun.  I threw out stuff like, "It's June IN OREGON, too!"  And "Do you even realize how many pairs of flip flops I own?" And  bringing in the big guns in like, "My kids need to be outside now, every time...do you realize the percentage of obese children in America?"  Like kids can't play in the rain or something.  I know, I know...none of that worked for me.  It still made me all complain-ey and wimpy.  I hate that.  So I just broke it down like this--my name is "SUNshine".  Period.

I also broke down and bought plane tickets for my girls and I to go someplace where there is sun.  A lot of it.  Yes, I will even pay for sun.

So when you have a day like the picture above in Oregon (notice the tire swing hanging in the tree?), YOU USE IT.  You find something to do outdoors.  You work in the yard, you bike ride, you walk the dog, you go to the coast, you go to the river, you camp, you hike, you sit.  in a chair.  in your backyard.  You get yourself out there.

 I was lucky, lucky, lucky enough this past Saturday (when the sun finally came out), to be outside all day and go wine tasting with a good friend. We threw on our sundresses and drove up to Dundee. She packed a cooler of water, cheese, olive tapenade, bread, strawberries, almonds and chocolate, so we didn't have to stop and leave the sun by going indoors to eat.  We didn't want to waste one drop of sun and blue sky. We got our first sunburns of the year and love that we got our first sunburns of the year.  I probably said, "I'm so happy," about 100 times that day. 

When Sunday came, and it was pouring again, I was okay with it.  I opened the windows, kissed my children, made them cake, cleaned a toilet put on Fat Albert and napped. 

 

Domaine Serene Vineyard

 Domaine Drouhin Vineyard

Domaine Serene Vineyard

Very good friend and Domaine Serene Vineyard

Chehalem Vineyard

Stoller Vineyard

Yawn.

The coffee cannot get through my veins fast enough this morning.  I almost started blogging three hours ago (that would be 4:30 a.m.), since that seems to be my new wake up time.  I have absolutely no problem power napping at precisely 2:00 p.m. if need be.  Or falling asleep on the couch at precisely 9:35 p.m.. Or dragging myself up to bed at 10:00 p.m. and falling asleep two pages into Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. The going to sleep part is soooooo easy. It's the staying asleep part that has proven quite challenging.

I could blame The Hubbs for his You-Blink-You-Miss-Him, approach on life--and that he snores.  Or I could blame my teeny child, who somehow makes it into my bed at some point every single night, knees positioned in the middle of my back. Or I could blame my dog, staring me awake at 2 a.m..  I could do this.  But really, all of that isn't new. So.not.new. I sleep, and sleep well with all of that.  Just not lately.

Maybe it's all this rain.  Maybe I need more exercise. Maybe it's both.  Yesterday, I found myself daydreaming about a 14 mile bike ride.  That is so true.  Maybe I just need to shut my bedroom window at night so I don't hear the rain. 

I'm a dreamer too.  You know this.  I dream very real, very vivid stuff.  I don't go all Sci-Fi. I'm very Lifetime Movie Network. Lately I've been having a lot of bad dreams.  Like, stuff you do not want happening in real life. It's freaking me out a little bit too, because sometimes my dreams come true.  My dreams aren't consistent enough to say...give you winning lottery numbers or anything, but I've had enough happen--exactly like it was going on in dreamland, that it worries me. At 3:00 a.m. 

So, I've had a lot of that going on.  Which is strange, because my life is pretty chill right now.  Even though I've recently ground holes into my mouth guard, I don't feel stressed or anxious in real life. I've managed to shower every day, my house is super clean, clothes are clean, folded and put away, I know what we're having for dinner all week, and my girls have been top notch. What I'm saying is I've got free time and everything.  I think I'm actually busier in my dream life than real life. 

Oh, and for those of you that follow my blog, You Know Who made it to my dream...again. What is UP with this guy?  I can't say who it is, because Facebook is alive and kicking and there is potential for him to at some point read this.  And I would be embarrassed (though not enough to stop typing this out).  And for those of you that have no idea who I am talking about, let's just say there's this guy that has been making my dreams for years and years.  I knew him from back in the day, but didn't know him-know him. It was never like that. He's a perfectly great guy, even today, but I'm surprised every single time I see him in dreamland.  Clearly, he's confused, and supposed to be in someone else's dream. And every time it's very G-rated, but hints of Disney Channel mushiness.  And that's all I'm gonna say.  So that part wasn't bad, just way curious.

Can someone please analyze my stuff?  Maybe I just need a new mouth guard.

Before you go, check out this trailer for Date Night.  I know you've seen it a million times, but just watch the first 30 seconds for me.  The mouth guard/"Let me just get my head around it..." part.  It's just so...accurate.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aspBKFz2dBI

P.S. Somewhere in here, there is a blog post (or two) that gives more details on You Know Who.  I know some of you that know me from back in the day are TOTALLY curious and sure I'm talking about you.  I very well may be, but I'm gonna make you search for it.  (see how i do?)