summer

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Starfish Wishes & Mermaid Kisses

It’s cliché but true – the ocean does wonders for both the body and soul.

When I lived in California, Okinawa, and North Carolina, I knew I took it for granted that I lived by the sea. I knew I would miss it when it was gone. I always appreciated it, and realized how special it was, but by the time I hit the one-year mark of living in DC, I was craving salty air and sandy toes something fierce.

Of course, the global pandemic has made every potential getaway more complicated and guilt-ridden than before. But when Chuck’s parents said they wanted us to join them for a few days in Kill Devil Hills, NC – and promised they felt comfortable exposing themselves to our cooties to such a degree – of course I jumped at the chance to escape.

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Endless Summer

Although this summer has been far too hot for my Coastal California girl sensibilities (you try 90 degrees with no AC!), I am still not quite ready for it to end. I’ve had a great time exploring the area, connecting with friends old and new, and – as always – enjoying the scenery from my own backyard. Two recent highlights were my visit to a Temecula winery and my very first music festival!

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Oki Adventures

It has been quite a while since I updated last, particularly about my adventures in Okinawa. Chuck has been away playing war games around the Pacific, while I enjoyed two weeks off from school (even if work continued to pound away at my sanity.) My weekends have been full of fun and sunshine, rather than papers and presentations. Here are a few highlights! Continue reading →

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Summer sure is going to be interesting…

ImageBefore we arrived in Okinawa, Chuck and I were warned about the excessive humidity on the island and advised to purchase de-humidifers as soon as possible. This was so novel to me, because I have generally dealt with overly dry homes and yearned for a humidifier to save my skin, eyes, hair, and nose from agitation (to include when I lived in the South.) I had never even heard of de-humidifiers! However – at at $230 a pop – these bad boys aren’t cheap, so we put it off and considered taking the time to find a used one. Besides, it’s only spring. How bad could it be?

Pretty bad, as it turns out. With humidity levels consistently in the 90th percentile already, Chuck and I realized we needed to stop procrastinating and bite the bullet. Our bedroom especially started to feel and smell oppressive. The sheets and towels were starting to reek of mildew, and sleeping was uncomfortable because the sheets actually felt a little bit… damp! Gross.

We ventured to the Exchange and purchased a brand new, 70 pint de-humidifier that was supposedly powerful enough to suck the moisture out of the entire apartment. We plugged it in and let it get to work. Right before bed, we emptied it. When Chuck arose at 6:30 AM to head to work, he emptied it. And when I dragged my lazy butt out of bed around 10 AM, I emptied it yet again. This is a machine capable of storing 9 gallons of moisture, and we’ve already emptied it three times in less than a day!! That’s 27 gallons of moisture it has sucked out of our apartment in mere hours…

It’s only going to get worse! This will never do.

What a fun weekend down in Surf City! I’m glad the week is over though. With family and friends in town since last Sunday, all while sick and working, I am beat! I woke up at 3:30 AM this morning to see off a friend catching an early morning flight, so I am chugging the coffee and pounding the vitamins to keep from relapsing…

On another note, this is my last full week at the Chamber. I am sad to leave, but more ready than ever at this point. The mental detachment phase is fairly complete, and I have “senioritis” like none other! I’ve transitioned all my work to my replacement by now, so I pretty much just putz around. I have a lot of meetings this week though, so it shouldn’t drag too much. Regardless – I’m excited for one more week’s pay, no matter how slow it is! 😉