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| Happy! |
Everyone here in Portland seems to be on the grump side. Frumpy, grumpy, grouchy and just stuck in a funk. At least I am. I'm convinced it is the constant GREY Cloud looming over our heads day in and day out. Oh wait, the sun just came out! Oh, gone again. And here comes some more rain. Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining...just stating the obvious. We have nothing to complain about. At least I don't. Life is good. No tornados, happy family, we don't need air conditioning, we are not dying in 100 plus degree weather plus humidity. We're all fine. I do however think there is some truth to the idea of seasonal depression, and when you live in a place that is gloomy and grey for all of winter and then that gloom moves into spring and now summer, we just start missing the SUNSHINE!
My husband and I had planned on making an effort to go to happy hour this evening. A way to leave the house, UNPLUG from our computers or the distraction of them and let the kids play with someone other than us. We had hoped to find one of the many fun little bars or restaurants in the Pearl District, have a couple drinks and some yummy food and catch up with each other. Reconnect. Beat this weather and have some HAPPY hours for happy hour!
NO such luck. Babysitters are all enjoying their summer social life. But I'm determined to create a happy hour for us anyway. Even if the kids are involved. Here's my plan for creating my own "HAPPY HOUR" tonight:
- Pretend there is some sunshine. Even if it is too cold or wet to go outside...I will be the Sunshine if I have to. Sunshine Amanda.
- Take a shower (doesn't usually happen before my husband comes home).
- Put some make-up on, do my hair, shave my legs, and put on a summer dress.
- Try to cook. Nah, order in.
- Have some cold beers or a bottle of wine ready and waiting.
- Put some Ben Harper or Jack Johnson on.
- Turn all computers OFF!!! Yes, we have more than two. And Phones off too.
- Make sure the kids are already fed, happy and involved in something fun.
- A clean house. Okay, this might be stretching it...how clean can it be for longer than an hour with three little kids.
- For the sake of tonight, I have these cards that are fun conversation topics. Or a book of interesting questions. This will help to spice up the conversation and keep things new since we won't have the ambiance of all the Portland peeps and the city life to talk about (love people watching in Portland...we have the weirdest people to watch!).
So the sun may be missing here in Portland and Happy Hour in the Pearl District might not be happening but I'm determined to make the most of it and still make this a wonderful "summer" (using this term lightly) night!
Good news:
The sun does plan on coming for a visit and making things Hot again for the 4th of July, just in time for our fun race coming up. How nice of the sun. Wouldn't want us to get cold while running in those short shorts. Thank you sunshine! :)
Hope your day is filled with many happy hours today! How do you create your own "Happy Hour" when you can't get away and you're just in a cloud of funk? How to you "cheer things up" and change the energy?
Amanda
aww perfect, hope you enjoy your night! When I'm in a funk, putting on upbeat music and dancing around helps me feel silly and in a better mood. Then surrounding myself with people I care about, no matter what we do, always seems to help!
ReplyDeleteNo need for a clean house to have a happy hour! Do all that other stuff... but don't worry about that cleaning thing :) Enjoy!!!
ReplyDeleteOh but the clean house makes me HAPPY! Our house is way too small to not keep it picked up at least a little. Toys on the floor are a given though. and since I'm dog sitting for my mom, so is the dog smell, and dog hair. :(
ReplyDeleteLOVE the new header!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Amanda! And love, love Ben Harper. I dedicated "You look like gold" to my hubby at our wedding! We'll celebrate 11 years tomorrow and have been doing a bit of 'self care' in preparation. Hope you are having a great night.
ReplyDeleteOh, and good luck with the race, how did I miss that?
Love your plan for "Happy Hour" I always put a little music on to help improve my mood. By the way, I forgot to mention before, I really like your new header!
ReplyDeleteFor me outside =happy and indoors = not-so-happy. When I'm stuck inside it's easy to feel down and it's easy to feel like you have to stay indoors if the weather isn't great. But some of my happy times have come from taking the kids for rainy walks and jumping in puddles or just getting out of the house.
ReplyDeleteHave a great night in. Sounds like it couldn't be anything else but great with your plan.
That is a fabulous plan young lady. I totally approve. In fact, it is now 5:19 p.m. and if you reading this now you are in big trouble.
ReplyDeleteSince my relationship is new, things are still pretty fresh. We both love the same beer (Chimay) and like the same music so happy hours should be pretty easy.
Hope you had a nice time.
Bud and I always have happy hour at my house! We'll make some drinks and supper then enjoy watching a movie. It's way cheaper than drinking at a bar.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a clean house--that would make me very happy--somehow it gets very messy with just little 'ole me living in it.
Love the idea and your ever positive attitude. The sun is supposed to appear tomorrow and stay for a while, YEAH!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo when are you going to let us in on the race you are running? Wouldn't by chance be the Foot Traffic Flat, would it? If so I am excited that I will finally get to meet you :)
I love that. Sunshine Amanda! Music always helps me - we have "dance parties" on wintery/rainy evenings in our kitchen after the kids have dinner and before bed/bath. It's a great way to put smiles on our faces and have the kids get that last burst of energy out before bed. Some of the best memories are made on those nights. Happy weekend, Amanda!!
ReplyDeletegreat idea! Making lemonade once again. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI guess that's the "Making Lemons out of Lemonaid" thing, eh? :)
ReplyDeleteWill be thinking of you on your little fun race this weekend, go knock 'em dead!!! :)
Sunshine Amanda! That you are:)
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great little date night there! A shower and shaved legs-watch out! Oh-I am a firm believer in seasonal depression. April is always my roughest month after the snow melts, but everything is brown and it's still cold and wet and miserable. I spend all month researching new places to live and telling my husband that this is the LAST year we will be here-ha! Fortunately, I always snap out of this and realize just how good I have it!
So, glad you're having a little detox night from all the electronics. I've been having more and more of those lately!
I see you've decided not to keep your little fun race under wraps!
OK-my head is dropping on the computer keys, I'm so tired! I'll chat with you in the morning:) Have a great night!
Your posts are always so wonderfully introspective that I rarely comment because I feel I have nothing in addition to add.
ReplyDeleteBut today I have to CONGRATULATE your fantastic attitude.
I truly believe that life what you make it. Grey clouds may abound (literally and figuratively) but you are making the best of it.
"Happy hour" can be more than that drinks and good company - although that is definitely happy hour in my book - it can also be a time that you consciously decide to be grateful for what you have.
You're such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your heart in a real way. Its very refreshing :-)
~Veronice
We had weather like that for a while too...our own little midwest monsoon. Glad to hear the sun is coming out for the holiday and that you guys were finding a way to brighten up your evening without it. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that first picture! There's definitely so much to be happy about...people should pull themselves out of a funk! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! My hubby and I need to do this. Sometimes we don't have the budget/sitter available for us to go out, but taking some time to unplug from computers, phones and listen to some good music along with some great wine sounds fabulous! I think I might do this tonight after a crazy week. We tend to have the opposite of Portland. Too much sunshine + heat makes you just want to stay inside (or in the pool all day) to avoid melting!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds incredible!!!!!!!!! I love the new header.. how the heck do you do that? how do I do happy hour? Uh... As for sunshine.. I can't NOT live without it. It's the reason we didn't try to get stationed at Alaska, I'd prb shot myself.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your at-home Happy Hour! Hope you had a wonderful night with your hubs (sans kids - kind of..)!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you will link up to my first "Fitness Friday" link party! You can see it here: www.sparklesandbugs.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI will host it every Friday! Love to have you join in.
Sounds like a fabulous plan! We've done similar before when we've had sitter cancellations...
ReplyDelete