Last weekend I took a mini vacation.
Wednesday, I went to see Jenny Lewis at First Avenue. It was fantastic. She is fantastic. I saw her a couple of years ago after Rabbit Fur Coat came out and she seemed very rigid and nervous to be out on her own. But she has certainly loosened up. It was a great show.
So, I took Thursday off of work so that I could enjoy myself on Wednesday night, which I did. I also needed to prep for the camping trip we planned on taking that weekend. Friday through Monday.
My friends have been trying to convince my husband and I to go camping with them. They have a favorite site and go all the time. We finally agreed and this past weekend was the time.
We drove down Friday afternoon and set up camp. It was great. The weather was perfect. The campsite was great. We played games, drank beers. It was a good time.
I had checked the weather and new that rain was in our forecast and the weather was supposed to cool, but I packed responsibly and felt prepared.
As I crawled into our tiny tent Friday night with my husband and our dog, I suddenly couldn't sleep. And neither could my husband. It didn't help that parties started erupting around us at other sites. Then, a whippoorwill started to "sing". It sounded like a car alarm and went on for at least 2 hours. When it finally quit, the temperature dropped drastically. I was freezing. I had on sweat pants, wool socks, a sweatshirt and a hoodie and still froze under my sleeping bag.
Around dawn (4am) the whippoorwill started up again. It went on until about 6am, which is when I finally fell asleep. I slept for about an hour until my friends got up and it started to rain.
At this point, my fingers were frozen, I could see everyone's breath and I wondered where June went.
The rain began to fall heavier and the wind picked up. As I looked at my soaking wet dog, I began to imagine what that night would be like with the wet dog in our tiny tent.
I made a decision. Pack it up and leave. So we did.
It was a bummer. I was really looking forward to camping. I never do it and got really excited by the idea of being off the grid for 4 days. It was also just another milestone of my summer to cross off the list.
Here are other things I'm looking forward to this summer (in order of when they are happening):
1. Shopping for new bathroom and kitchen floors.
This weekend, our handyman is meeting us at Home Depot and we are going to pick out our new floors, toilet, and oven hood and all other supplies for our upcoming remodel. I am super excited. We keep planning things for the house that keep getting set aside for whatever stupid reason. It is seeming like this one might actually happen. I just want to get to the store and buy everything so we have no excuse.
2. Drinks w/ Mia
My cousin, who I adore, has invited me and a few of my other cousins and our significant others over for drinks and vinyl album listening in a couple of weeks. Mia is a few years older than me and an accomplished musician. I've always admired her musical talent. We've tried for years to establish a closer relationship, but our schedules never seem to match up. I'm excited to hang out with her and this side of the family, whom I never get to see.
3. Rock the Garden
My summer festival consists of Rock the Garden, hosted by 89.3 The Current and the Walker art museum. My husband and I are volunteering, which gets us in for free. Though I'm not super excited about the bands this year (I've never really listened to any of them besides Solid Gold) it is sure to be a fantastic time and a great place to run into old friends. Keep your fingers crossed for nice weather.
4. Regina Spektor cd
Regin -ah, Regin -ah, Regin-ah! Cannot wait for this album. I've already dedicated a whole post to her, though.
5. Remodel
Hopefully our bathroom/kitchen update will happen by the end of the month. I would like to have it done before...
6. 4th of July
The past couple of years, we've had impromptu bbqs at our house for the holiday. My husband's out of town friends always seem to be in town. Phone calls are made and people start to show up. I hope it happens this year.
7. The National
I've fallen in love with this band over the past year. Though I'm nervous that seeing them live might ruin them for me (I've talked about this elsewhere in this blog).
8. David Cook
Oh, David. I'm probably most excited for this. His shows look unbelievable - though short. Here's to hoping he tacks on another half hour of show time.
9. Wedding anniversary
On August 3rd, my husband and I will have been married for 7 years. Is this when the itch happens?
10. 30th birthday
Dear god, I'm turning 30. Not sure how I feel about it yet. One hand, I'm depressed. The other, I'm relieved. It's strange. We'll see how it goes.
11. Ani Difranco
Ani announced a show at First Avenue on Sept. 20th. I've never seen her in a club before. Should be a good time.
And that's it. That's my summer.
Wednesday, I went to see Jenny Lewis at First Avenue. It was fantastic. She is fantastic. I saw her a couple of years ago after Rabbit Fur Coat came out and she seemed very rigid and nervous to be out on her own. But she has certainly loosened up. It was a great show.
So, I took Thursday off of work so that I could enjoy myself on Wednesday night, which I did. I also needed to prep for the camping trip we planned on taking that weekend. Friday through Monday.
My friends have been trying to convince my husband and I to go camping with them. They have a favorite site and go all the time. We finally agreed and this past weekend was the time.
We drove down Friday afternoon and set up camp. It was great. The weather was perfect. The campsite was great. We played games, drank beers. It was a good time.I had checked the weather and new that rain was in our forecast and the weather was supposed to cool, but I packed responsibly and felt prepared.
As I crawled into our tiny tent Friday night with my husband and our dog, I suddenly couldn't sleep. And neither could my husband. It didn't help that parties started erupting around us at other sites. Then, a whippoorwill started to "sing". It sounded like a car alarm and went on for at least 2 hours. When it finally quit, the temperature dropped drastically. I was freezing. I had on sweat pants, wool socks, a sweatshirt and a hoodie and still froze under my sleeping bag.
Around dawn (4am) the whippoorwill started up again. It went on until about 6am, which is when I finally fell asleep. I slept for about an hour until my friends got up and it started to rain.
At this point, my fingers were frozen, I could see everyone's breath and I wondered where June went.
The rain began to fall heavier and the wind picked up. As I looked at my soaking wet dog, I began to imagine what that night would be like with the wet dog in our tiny tent.
I made a decision. Pack it up and leave. So we did.
It was a bummer. I was really looking forward to camping. I never do it and got really excited by the idea of being off the grid for 4 days. It was also just another milestone of my summer to cross off the list.
Here are other things I'm looking forward to this summer (in order of when they are happening):
1. Shopping for new bathroom and kitchen floors.
This weekend, our handyman is meeting us at Home Depot and we are going to pick out our new floors, toilet, and oven hood and all other supplies for our upcoming remodel. I am super excited. We keep planning things for the house that keep getting set aside for whatever stupid reason. It is seeming like this one might actually happen. I just want to get to the store and buy everything so we have no excuse.
2. Drinks w/ Mia
My cousin, who I adore, has invited me and a few of my other cousins and our significant others over for drinks and vinyl album listening in a couple of weeks. Mia is a few years older than me and an accomplished musician. I've always admired her musical talent. We've tried for years to establish a closer relationship, but our schedules never seem to match up. I'm excited to hang out with her and this side of the family, whom I never get to see.
3. Rock the Garden
My summer festival consists of Rock the Garden, hosted by 89.3 The Current and the Walker art museum. My husband and I are volunteering, which gets us in for free. Though I'm not super excited about the bands this year (I've never really listened to any of them besides Solid Gold) it is sure to be a fantastic time and a great place to run into old friends. Keep your fingers crossed for nice weather.
4. Regina Spektor cd
Regin -ah, Regin -ah, Regin-ah! Cannot wait for this album. I've already dedicated a whole post to her, though.
5. Remodel
Hopefully our bathroom/kitchen update will happen by the end of the month. I would like to have it done before...
6. 4th of July
The past couple of years, we've had impromptu bbqs at our house for the holiday. My husband's out of town friends always seem to be in town. Phone calls are made and people start to show up. I hope it happens this year.
7. The National
I've fallen in love with this band over the past year. Though I'm nervous that seeing them live might ruin them for me (I've talked about this elsewhere in this blog).
8. David CookOh, David. I'm probably most excited for this. His shows look unbelievable - though short. Here's to hoping he tacks on another half hour of show time.
9. Wedding anniversary
On August 3rd, my husband and I will have been married for 7 years. Is this when the itch happens?
10. 30th birthday
Dear god, I'm turning 30. Not sure how I feel about it yet. One hand, I'm depressed. The other, I'm relieved. It's strange. We'll see how it goes.
11. Ani Difranco
Ani announced a show at First Avenue on Sept. 20th. I've never seen her in a club before. Should be a good time.
And that's it. That's my summer.
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