One month done!

Fifty-eight days to go!

I've successfully completed my first month of work, and I still don't like the job. In fact, as I've ticked item after item off my list of things to do, I have slowly come to dislike it more because it's gotten increasingly dull. Now other park aides are coming back and, while their company does add a bit to the socialization (and thus the speed) of the work day, they're broken-in presence means that they are going about their many projects while I get to sit at the kiosk desk and hope for visitors day in and day out. And this week, I had no campers whatsoever on Saturday and only one on Sunday. Talk about dull. C'est la vie.

The biggest, bestest squash ever, that made the best squash soup ever, courtesy of Jack's friend Jordan

But this past week I also had the company of Jack to keep me entertained! He came up on Sunday night and surprised me - we were going to meet in Ft. Bragg on Monday, but he figured that there wasn't any point in spending any more time apart than we had to. :) So he came up on Sunday and bought tickets for us to see "American Hustle" in the old theater (super cool!) in Garberville. Monday we were able to take our time unpacking, sorting, and repacking into my car for the trip. We were in Ft. Bragg in the afternoon after I drove the long and twisty road to the coast, during which I thoroughly enjoyed watching Jack get excited about things he saw out the window. Since he tends to drive his truck the majority of the time on our past trips, I wanted him to have the opportunity to enjoy the ride, and he most certainly did, all week!

My Valentine's Day present to Jack - hand-embroidered, handmade hankies!

Three days in Fort Bragg were spent "wining and dining" - only more like "cidering and dining" on our part. It was beautiful while we were there: a touch warm the first day, cool and foggy the next, and windy with an edge of rain on the last so that as we drove that coastal stretch north of town on our way back to the 101 we had to stop and watch the massive waves crashing into the shore.

During the work week, Jack made me lunch, cleaned house, and made me dinner, while I sat on my bum for 10 hours a day. We watched a couple movies, went up to Eureka and Arcata to get groceries and dinner one night, and generally enjoyed each other's company for the partial seven days. On Saturday morning he was off to the south again, and I was left to my own devices once more, though to his credit he did a great job of cleaning up the mess we had made of the kitchen so that I didn't have to after he'd gone.

Next weekend I'm planning a visit to my first cousin once removed in McKinleyville, just a couple hours north of here, and the weekend after that will be my birthday weekend and Jack will be up again, though I've heard next to nothing about the surprises he has in mind for the weekend. I think this is the first time in years that I haven't been the one to plan my birthday weekend adventures.

So that's what I have to look forward to for the next couple weeks, and after both those March will already be more than half over! This weekend is mostly errands and cleaning up the house and whatnot. There's duff everywhere - even in my bed... probably because I have a tendency to wear my shoes on it and use it as a couch....

Until next time!