20th Anniversary (or, celebrating between other stuff)

So, what happens when you try to celebrate your 20th wedding anniversary during a really busy month in between classes and family visits and various other commitments and can’t get away for a “real” trip? You sneak away for a night in wine country, of course! That’s Mt. Rainier on our anniversary, Glenn harvesting u-pick lavender at Woodinville Lavender farm, me holding a kir royale at the outdoor wine bar while live music plays in the background, and Glenn and I playing around in a very warm but pleasantly fragrant lavender festival! (Glenn had chocolate Chardonnay ice cream! There were kids running through sprinklers and lavender cooking demos!)  The Willows Lodge in Woodinville has always been great as a quick getaway, they upgraded our room and gave us complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries, and we basically tried to relax for 24 hours in between the crazy goings on in the rest of our lives. In summer, as you can see, Seattle is pretty much as beautiful as the South of France and Northern California combined. Now, the rest of the year…well, that’s why we have coffee shops and bookstores.

We have a string of 90-plus days going on here, which is pleasant if you either have a pool or air conditioning…or both. I’ve been taking my nightly walks after 9 PM to avoid the sun (as you can see, I never tan, I just turn red!) Trying to get the house ready for visitors again, as we’re playing host to my little brother and his wife as they transition to their new home here in Washington. And I’m also applying for jobs (!!) and trying to get my exercise levels up (anytime I’m relatively healthy, I try to this, and of course it helps to get outside a lot, which is not as pleasant in January as it is in July!) I’ve been optimistic I’ll be able to find something, but MFA low-residency jobs are hard to come by. I’ve been sending out freelance writing queries, and even sending out my (gulp) fifth book manuscript. It seems I am riding a little wave of energy and optimism, and of course celebrating 20 years with my sweet husband, which makes me very thankful! I’ve written some poems I’m happy with in the last few weeks as well.

So, if you’ve been anticipating an e-mail or other correspondence from me, I’ve got a crazy July going on, but I promise I’ll get to it just as soon as I can! Enjoy the sunshine!