Autumn Equinox, Fall, & Randomness

Tonight at 10:29pm (in Raleigh) the Autumn 2014 Equinox will occur. It will mark one of two days during the year when the length of day and night is almost equal. Of course, after that, the days will become shorter and the nights will become longer. I've heard many people say that they experience seasonal depression during this time (and into the winter) but I'm the absolute opposite; I LOVE fall. It's my all-time favorite season with spring coming in a close second. And what happens the day after the equinox? That's right: fall officially starts.

The weather cools down, but not so much that I have to break out my beloved down jacket. We're still able to squeeze in some more lake days, but the dogs can now run around without overheating. The leaves start to change, especially in the mountains, and the night time temperatures up there make it the perfect time for camping and hiking. You can drive with the windows rolled down and it's perfectly acceptable to wear boots or flip flops.

Also, it becomes the season for apple cider, pumpkin EVERYTHING, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. I've always been a fan of Halloween, and while I don't go out to parties or have kids to take trick-or-treating, the decorations alone make me happy; Alister and I even have inflatable Halloween decorations for the yard! Thanksgiving is synonymous with family in my life, and I always look forward to stuffing my face while spending time with loved ones, whether the crowd this year grows smaller or larger. As for apples and pumpkins, I can never get enough. If I'm not eating it or drinking it, I have candles that smell like some or gourds stacked up in and around the house.

So, for those of you who are mourning the passing of summer, don't worry- it will be back. For those who love the fall like I do, I suggest a trip to the mountains while the leaves are changing, a campfire, and some fresh apple cider. If you can't do that, a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte may suffice.

Random Updates:

• Indy went to the vet on Friday. He lost another 1.5 pounds. On the flip side, his kidney values had all improved and he's not considered in kidney failure anymore. We also did full body x-rays and he doesn't have any masses or blockages. On paper he looks healthy so the vet said for now keep offering him all different foods and eventually he'll eat something b/c she can't find a reason why he's not.
• I went to the urologist today. I have 5 small stones in the right (from the broken down large one) still and apparently one forming in the left. Sigh. I told him we could do the ureteroscopy over winter break.
• I worked all weekend. I love my job.
• Alex, Laird, and Kris seem to be adjusting well and now have a place to live on the AF base. She has a blog so if she's invited you and you never accepted the invitation, please email her; her pictures are very pretty.
• I have 2 exams this week, a discussion board, and a case study due. I think this school is trying to off people in the first semester.
• #100HappyDays

Chocolate torte

My parents

A hat my coworker made me

My poopers

EDITED TO ADD: Today I found out that my Groupon acct had been hacked. Someone got access to my account and tried to buy a laptop. Luckily my AmEx that I had saved on there for purchases denied it. When I attempted to logon to Groupon it kept denying me, and when I requested a new password it told me that there was no account with that email (which is bullshit). After doing some research online I discovered that Groupon hacking is not only common but that it occurs on the weekends usually when Groupon customer service is closed. Long story short, Groupon says they were unable to give me access to anything because the account with my email "wasn't traceable" once the hacker changed it so I just called my card companies (that had been used with Groupon) and had to report them stolen. I've lost any unused purchased Groupons too (grrr). While I still love the website, I HIGHLY suggest that no one store ANY cards on there for quick purchases, which may be common sense but sense which I ignored and then paid for. I will say that I'm disappointed in Groupon's lack of security. Someone can log on to an account, change all of the basic info, but use the cards without having to re-enter any specifics (card's full number, security number, etc)? Fail.

Brewery Tour

Yesterday evening, AB, my parents, and I went to Angier for a brewery tour and beer flight at The White Rabbit Brewery. It was a place that had been offering tours through Groupon and since I love beer, I figured it would be fun to try something different and local. I enjoyed the atmosphere there; not too crowded, plenty of places to sit, clean bathrooms, and both a dartboard and corn hole set. This brewery is smaller than others I've been to- they just started out recently but seem to be doing well for themselves. Plus, who could resist a place that serves beer named after the characters of "Alice in Wonderland"? The tour included a 6 beer flight with the choice of a pint of the flavor of your choice afterwards (including the glass). The beers were all fairly tasty; there were a couple I was not fond of but I ended up loving the Rabbit's Nutbrown Ale the most. 

After the tour we headed over to Applebee's for some dinner; I was attempting to get a Weight Watchers dish (which I did) but nothing could save the amount of points I used for all the beer!

Flight of Beers

I love beer flights. They're a great way to sample multiple beers from light to dark without getting absolutely shit-faced by drinking a full 12 ounce serving of each beer. After buying a brewery tour on Groupon the other day (which of course offers a beer flight as part of the tour) I got an itch to make one for AB and I. Following a hike with the dogs to Umstead the other day we dropped by Earth Fare where I chose 4 single 12-ounce beers (2 I've had, 2 I haven't) with the intent of creating a home beer flight. Last night seemed like a good time to do one in celebration of my running accomplishments so below are the 4 we tried:

Most favorite: Hell's Belle (of course)
Least favorite: Double Pale Ale

23 Things About Me

Borrowed from another blogger:

1. what are your current obsessions?
Blogger, reading, figuring out how to quit my job and become a writer, losing weight, Groupon, E News, LOST reruns, de-cluttering, clearing my acne

2. which item from your closet are you wearing most often?
By default, my scrubs. Second to that, my Rainbows

3. last thing you bought for yourself?
A Starbucks grande iced soy caramel macchiato

4. what’s for dinner?
I had a turkey and cheese sandwich, almonds, and some key lime Greek yogurt at work

5. say something to the person who tagged you:
I wasn't tagged. I have no friends.

6. what is one item you could not live without?
Unfortunately my phone. It sucks as a phone but it does everything else!

7. vacation spots you must visit before you die?
New Zealand, Africa, Ireland, Italy, the Galapagos, Patagonia, Fiji

8. three things to do before you die:
Write a published novel, travel (see #7), sail around the world

9. what are you reading right now?
An HP Mallory book and one about writing a novel (which is funny because AB told me to stop reading about writing and just do it

10. what is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? rate it out of 5 stars.
The Avengers. 5 stars. How can you not love a movie with Robert Downey Jr and Chris Hemsworth???

11. what’s your guilty pleasure?
Alcohol and chocolate covered Dove almonds

12. what are you eating/do you want to eat right now?
Actually nothing- it's late and I'm not hungry

13. best thing you ate or drank lately?
Fried cheese sticks from the hospital cafeteria (I won't be able to starting Monday)

14. care to share some wisdom?
No matter how bad you think your life is, someone else has it way worse

15. describe one of your happiest moments.
Our wedding. It was awesome.

16. what was your best halloween costume?
I don't actually remember the last time I wore a costume

17. what do you have an addiction to?
Isn't this the same as #1? Blogging, reading, drinking (hey, my job is stressful), Amazon.com

18. what do you do that you would be embarrassed for others to know about?
If it's something I don't want others to know about why would I put it on my blog? Believe me, I have something!

19. what was your first screen name?
Foknrayofsunshyn

20. do you have a weird talent?
I can pop my ears

21. what is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

22. what was the last email you sent?
I forwarded some amazon emails to AB

23. what on on your calendar this upcoming month?
The lake, another laser hair removal session (it works!), boat show, work