House Hopping

Last I wrote on this matter we were moving into our neighbors Blake and Cindy's house in January. Things have changed a bit.
We are STILL moving in, although not in January. They will not be done remodeling their other house until at least the end of Feb., and we cannot stay in the house we are in past Jan. 1rst.
Luckily, the universe is smiling on us. Our dear friends Kate and Jamie (who just sold the house we are living in) are moving back to New England in January and need someone to rent their house- which is right next door to us.
Perfect!
So, it'll go a little something like this:
In January we shall move out of our house (the red one) and move into Kate and Jamie's house (the purple one), which is directly next door to the one we are living in now. Then, once Blake and Cindy move back into their house and do some repairs on the house that they are in, WE shall move into it (the white one) which is directly across the street from the purple one.... whenever that may be.
It makes me giggle to think, that by the end of it, we shall have lived in three different houses on the same street that are no more than 50 feet apart from each other. I love it! We have such great friends and neighbors and I am SO looking forward to living in the adorable purple house that I have always loved. I shall miss Kate and Jamie dearly though, and wish them well on their journey.
That means we have exactly two months left to enjoy our fabulous red house. I better hurry outside and enjoy the sunset on the porch!

Seven

Today is mine and Dustin's seventh anniversary. Some years we go all out and spend $200 on dinner. Other years we go to Savannah, GA, or check out a dirty show in the red light district of Bangkok. Or go out to Edgefield, rent a room and drink ourselves silly. As long as I get spend it with him, I count that as a good anniversary. Tonight, after we both worked all day, we are going out for a night on the town. First to see the Pulitzer winning play Doubt (our dear friend Reggie hooked us up with FREE tickets!), and then out to dinner at a local bar in West Asheville that I hear has fabulous food.
I should add that I received flowers at work today: one of the most romantic things a girl could ask for. Nothing like a special delivery with "oohs" and "ahhs" coming from envious co-workers to make you feel special, beautiful and loved.
I count myself as one of the lucky ones and I am so thankful to have this hopelessly romantic, devastatingly sexy, fantastically worldly, and overall wonderful and amazing man in my life. Given his aversion to getting his photo taken however, I have no recent pictures of us available. I also tried to scan the picture of him at my fourth birthday party (back when I was a yurt dweller and he had an adorable bowl cut), but to no avail. No matter. Here we are, in love and frozen in time. Every year with this man is better than the last. May all the years to come be as fabulous.
Happy Anniversary Dustin. You sexy beast you.

Canning.

Yesterday we harvested the last of Dustin's beautiful hot peppers. The nights have been getting increasingly chilly and we were lucky to be able to salvage what we did. Then it was on to the project of canning. I chopped onions and put on gloves when it came to chopping the peppers (didn't want my hands to be burning for hours after!). Dustin sauteed the peppers and made the brine and did the actual canning (he's the pro, I'm just the apprentice). At one point the house was so filled with the smell of cooking hot peppers it was impossible to breath without a scarf over your face! We opened the doors and let some fresh air in from the beautiful day outside. Four and a half hours later, we had twenty two cans of delicious peppers. Or, as I like to called them: Dustin Peter's Pickled Peppers! They will make great Christmas gifts, and I can't wait to break into some of them myself.
Peppers anyone?

A fabulous Monday indeeed

Another fantastic weekend at the Lake Eden Arts Festival. Good friends, good food and great music made for a wonderful experience. Saturday night it dropped below freezing, a not so gentle reminder that it is indeed autumn. I for one am thrilled at the dip in temperature, and relish in the crisp, fall days. Pumpkins line the field at the church near our house and the ground crunches underneath my feet on the walk to work.
Today I cast my vote early to avoid the lines on election day. I just past my three week mark as a non smoker-(after fourteen years as a tobacco enthusiast), and I am about to go out into this glorious October afternoon with no specific intention but to keep feeling fabulous.

Obama in Asheville

Barack Obama made a campaign stop in Asheville yesterday afternoon. It was mine and Dustin's day off together, and we decided to brave the crowds and go down to Asheville High School where he was appearing. It was a picture perfect day, and there was literally a sea of humanity surrounding the area. People were lined up for close to two miles to get into see him speak. There were some who even camped out over night to get a look at him! Babies, granparents, students and teachers all crowded together to see the man that is inspiring thousands.
We did not go into the stadium, but perched on the hill overlooking it, where we had a view of the podium, and could still hear him speak (in the comfort of shady trees).
I know in my previous post I aknowledged that I do not get excited about politicians, but it was hard not to feel the excitement on that day. He spoke for only 25 minutes or so and then went off to his next engagment, but in that short time, you could feel the hope in the air. I am glad that we had the opportunity to see him speak. It was a day well spent.
(All the pictures here are from the event yesterday, taken from the local newspaper).

Fall Has Finally Arrived

And I'm All About It.