Not With A Drizzle, But With A Bang

Spring weather has finally arrived in the Boise area, putting us in the 70s for most of the next week! To celebrate the nice weather, we had a few friends over for a Korean-style BBQ and evening around the fire pit (which was our first time using it despite the fact that we've been here over a year!). One couple brought their 9 month old retriever mix and Jake was in play date heaven! Zoe couldn't have cared less - so long as no one touched her tennis balls.

Other than that, it was a low key week in our neck of the woods. We found a piece of art that will tie our bathroom redo together and I'm almost finished with the design board for it. More to come on that project soon! Oh, and I finally have an official start date for my upcoming transfer: 38 days and counting!

"It can be said of optimism that while sometimes mistaken, it is never sadly mistaken."
Robert Brault

To Everything There Is A Season

Spring masquerading as winter is a reality that I ignore every year, yet it proved undeniable this week. The first day of spring dawned, tentatively clear and hinting at the promises it held, the second day of spring brought hail, the third day provided an inch of snow, and then I realized that the faint chuckle I had been hearing on the wind was, in fact, winter laughing at my naive optimism. Trying to keep two active dogs entertained indoors until the weather cooperates is also an exercise in futility since optimism regarding outdoor conditions is apparently not restricted to humans.

Snow? Wind? Hail? I fail to see a problem...

Despite the bipolar weather, we decided to take on a new trail this weekend that offers views normally reserved for mountain goats. All in all it was a nice hike; the sun offset the chill of the wind and the footing was solid aside from a few muddy spots.

Bargain Buy of the Week:

After spending an afternoon in a local furniture store discovering that it would cost $2000 - $3000 to get an actual bedroom set, I happened upon this craigslist gem for $100. Even though it necessitates an update of the nightstands and lamps, it still feels like we will be coming out ahead!

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours."
Mark Twain

Remember Me...?

I'll admit, I feel pretty sheepish about such a long absence... but the only way through is forward! I haven't been posting for a number of reasons, the main one being that the amount of chronic stress and frustration I've been dealing with at work really saps my inspiration and energy by the end of the day. The good news is that I've secured a transfer to a different branch in May, which will be a good move for both my sanity and career.

Not much is new since the last time I posted - life goes on as it always does, although we did take our planned vacation in February. Two days in San Diego to visit friends, eleven days in Maui, and three days in Oregon - it was amazing!

Six hours of this wasn't as bad as I expected

Land!!

Ka'anapali Beach

Toes in the water...

I'ao Valley

I'ao Needle

These were everywhere in I'ao Valley

Halfway up Waihee Ridge Trail

View from Waihee Trail

Northwest Maui Coast

Northwest Maui

Pools of Ohe'o

Ohe'o Gulch

Haleakala

The trip was incredibly relaxing and the weather was lovely. I learned how to snorkel (loved it!) and managed to go sailing without getting seasick (win!). February is one of the prime months for migrating whales so we were able to see plenty of activity, including a cow and her calf swimming right under the catamaran we were on! The only downside to the trip was that our underwater camera broke a few days in, so no pictures of our snorkeling trips.

"No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness."
Aristotle