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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
