Boo.

I wanted to spend this weekend doing yard work, but it's raining, and apparently it's going to rain all weekend, so instead we're cleaning the basement to make room for our new (to us, courtesy of Tony) piano. Woo!

Our big, open basement *should* be neatly organized into sections as a media area (tv, ps2, stereo), music area (keyboard, cello, music stand, clarinet, trumpet, and now piano), workout area (weight bench, treadmill, yoga ball, etc.), and art area (lots of art supplies), but right now it's all sort of mixed together in a messy, cluttered way, with my art area looking the worst, since right now it's more a landfill for holiday decorations than a real work space. I wouldn't paint my nails down there right now, let alone a large canvas. I have eleven canvases down there to paint right now, and three of them are about 3'x3'. If we actually get the place cleaned up this weekend, it'll be nice to start working on those, because they're *supposed to* go in our livingroom. That's why (in case you've seen and noticed) the walls are so bare up there.

Anyway, our trip to Bend this week was pretty nice, despite the fact that I was sick for most of it (maybe a stomach bug, maybe something I ate - we're still not sure), and despite the 16 or so hours we spent in the car. The drive was horrible, but the scenery was spectacular. I took pictures. I'll probably flickr them someday.

I thought that being in Bend this week would make me less excited about our trip to Sunriver in two weeks (since they're practically the same place), but I actually think it made me MORE excited. Bend was about staying in a swanky hotel at a swanky mall and shopping and eating out (and working, for Brett), and Sunriver will be a bunch of family (28 of us) staying in houses at the resort and golfing, fishing, rafting, spa-ing, etc. Very different. And it's fun to travel, especially when it's affordable. Well, these days pretty much ONLY if it's affordable.

Next spring, I think I want to go to California - to go to Maker Faire (in San Fran), visit Sam (in Sunnyvale), visit Shannon at Chapman (in Orange, if she decides to go), and go to my favorite "zoo" of all time: San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. It'd be a long drive, but we wouldn't do it all in one day, so it might not seem so bad. Besides, Seattle to San Francisco is a LOT cheaper than Seattle to...just about anywhere else.

Oh! Brett's home from work!!! :D