autumn is officially here. crisp air, leaves turning colors. i had to close the windows for the first time today, and wear gloves while biking. game night has been revived and planned for this saturday. pumpkin-carving is in the works for two weeks from now. the booze cruise knitters have been reunited and it feels so good to socialize with the gals and knit. i like having plans to look forward to. like ms. lemon's wedding in two weeks! i'm heading back to portland -- hurray! i will also be spending some time with my parents at their log cabin in central oregon. and seeing cohen, nicole and other great friends. but no kate, because she is in india. this might be the first time i'm happy not to see her!

i biked the barns on saturday. it was a benefit for the madison area CSA. we biked to four local farms and had lovely local organic homegrown homemade snacks along the way. it was an early birthday present to myself. a beautiful day for a bike ride on my road bike. 70 something miles including to and from the start/end point from our house. i like it a lot, but there were a few glitches. oh well. strangely, i wasn't sore at all afterwards...just very tired. of course, instead of sleeping i stayed up until 4am at katie's wedding reception. so fun. out in the country with a big white tent all lit up with candles and globes, a big bonfire and the best (and i mean it!) bluegrass music my ears have ever heard. so sweet. so good. loved em. and at the end of the night, after the last sips of alcohol, and the fire died down, colleen & i slept out in an open field under the stars and clouds. what a nice night.

Ok! It's the end of the month, and I've made me 30 before 30 list. Here it is in no particular order:


1-learn to polka and attend the pulaski polka days
2-tour the house on the rock
3-visit the world dairy expo, http://www.world-dairy-expo.com/
4-eat at smokey's & l'etoile
5-see a play at the american player's theatre
6-tour frank lloyd wright's taliesin, http://www.wrightinwisconsin.org/
7-spend time in the apostle islands
8-float down the wisconsin river and visit the bluffs
9-cheer on either the brewers or packers in person
10-bike to milwaukee
11-bike to the illinois border
12-tour the capitol building
13-learn how to wear makeup
14-donate to three worthy causes
15-become a mom
16-have an active lifestyle, regularly
17-obtain a nice digital slr
18-write thoughtful letters to friends
19-backpack in the cascades
20-return to glacier, tetons, denali
21-visit the olympics, yosemite
22-get past the basic knit & purl stage in knitting
23-go on a long solo bike ride at least twice
24-find a church family/community to participate in locally
25-send thank you letters to teachers of the past
26-figure out how to invest wisely and start the process
27-wear high heels at least three times
28-have art on my walls, with one or more originals from me
29-volunteer with children & the elderly
30-garden, either in my backyard or else in a community garden plot

my friend carrie recently posted a 30 things to do before 30 list. it's made me think of what i would put on a list if i had one. maybe i should start. i can think of a ton i would like to put on it, but what would actually be feasible for me? 3 years isn't so long form now and i can't do everything. of course, there should be some items that are a "reach" and lofty goals too. remember those writing warmups from grade school? maybe that will help to get me started. in nor particular order, as they come to my head: (i will try to create the real 30 list by the end of the month)

-actually remember paul's birthday and give him a creative gift
-obtain furniture that i am proud of
-bike in the snow, regularly
-cut my hair short and/or get bangs
-learn how to wear makeup
-learn how to invest
-donate/volunteer
-become a mom
-have an active lifestyle, regularly
-obtain a nice digital slr
-write long and thoughtful letters to friends
-travel to india
-travel to china to visit karin
-backpack in the cascades
-summit south sister
-return to glacier, tetons, denali
-visit the olympics, yosemite
-take up beadwork again
-get past the basic knit & perl(purl?) stage in knitting
-go on a long solo bike ride at least twice
-join the peacecorp
-become a foster mom
-change professions
-go back to school (in what exactly?)
-find a church family/community to participate in locally
-send thank you letters to teachers of the past
-create something and sell it on etsy
-garden.
-create a plan for redoing the kitchen, if not an entire remodel
-figure out how to invest wisely and start the process
-wear high heels at least once
-have art on my walls, with one or more originals from me
-volunteer with children



umm. the more i write this the more i realize i think i've done this in a past post. i should find it. just a big long wish list.

what is your 30 before 30? 25 before 25? 50 before 50?

currently, i may be the only person in wisconsin not watching the packers game tonight.
packers vs vikings.
i'm sure to hear about it tomorrow at work!

yes, i'm back. and hopefully on a more regular basis. the heavy summer recap will be coming. lots was accomplished and i wore myself out. now i'm back to my homebody self for a while, which means i need to clean this home up (house and body both)! the beginning of the schoolyear always excited me, and even though i'm not in school anymore i still feel that current of newness and tension and fashion and crispness in the air. i feel this will be a good one.

i joined the gym for a year membership. it was cheap because it's the school gym, but still a big commitment of money for me. i also had a milkshake for dinner tonight. not good. not at all. besides needing to work on my diet, i want to start some kind of training regime for my wimpy muscles. biking helps, but since i bike everyday it doesn't really feel like i gain much (although biking to waunakee yesterday was lovely and a great workout! 20 miles through cornfields and lake mendota. plus i think i got someone pulled over for buzzing me on busy highway m....i love you middleton cop). paul and i are on week 2 of the onehundredpushups program, which means i'm up to 9. still a long way off. i need to run though. i just need someone to run with! a running buddy. i am so self conscious when i run, it's nice to have someone to talk to to take my mind off of the running and to be encouraged. or find a beautiful spot to jog, like mt. tabor reservoir. i need to find a sweet spot in madison.

murray beat nadal(!), and i am currently watching jankovic do the splits. i generally dislike televised sports, but tennis is fun.