Kayaks and Compromise

One of the most surprising, and most rewarding, things about my relationship with Seth has been our collective willingness to compromise. We're both hard-headed by nature, and were pretty set in our ways when we met- so it's been a series of pleasant surprises to both of us, I think, the number of times we give a little... and get a lot. For example, there is exponentially more taxidermy, football, processed food, and dirt ground into the carpet in my life than I ever thought possible before I met my husband. Conversely, though, I am overcome with appreciation for the fact that he meticulously makes the bed every morning (something I firmly believe he hadn't done for years prior to our marriage), did all the legwork for my purchase of another hybrid "hippie car," and acquiesces to Meatless Mondays. He does not love them, and the leftovers are all mine- and there is no cause for concern that the big caveman will start eating tofu regularly. But this week's quinoa-stuffed red peppers were pronounced edible at least, and just this morning he called to tell me he had eaten my Morningstar breakfast sausages (not realizing they were meatless, I can only assume) and they were not half bad.

The give-and-take definitely pays off in spades, and means that even with a very-pregnant wife, the big guy manages to spend non-class evenings in tree stands whenever possible. He's on a quest for Sika deer this year- his concession to staying closer to home in case of an early arrival- and, unbelievably, it's already bow season. So he's been trekking to the Eastern Shore, and I've been... well, I do bring work home, but as the countdown continues my evenings more often look like this. (Facials and "Daily Show" reruns before an early bedtime.)

I skated out of work early Friday, and we snuck in a bike ride along the canal, all the while feeling like we were playing hooky. It was a great way to kick off the weekend. We spent most of it sleeping in and enjoying the not-at-all-fall-like weather. I've been a little disappointed that it doesn't feel like apple pie and pumpkin spice season (my absolute favorite) yet, but it's hard to turn up one's nose at warm, sunny afternoons on the water. As kayaking is one of only a few of my favorite outdoor activities I can still do without feeling too slow and lumbering- although, as evidenced by the photo, there are lots of breaks taken- and Seth does love to fish, we managed gorgeous afternoons on both the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Both were spectacular, and Mr. OneMoreCast himself ensured maximum sunset-appreciation time as well.

I also finally got Seth to Harpers Ferry, where we spent a little time reading historic signs and a lot of it enjoying the warm weather and the first signs of fall over the old arsenal from our outdoor table at The Potomac Grille. We did some walking around, too, and- in true Walters fashion- I seem to have "forgotten" about all the stairs...

At any rate, it looks like it's going to be a nice fall (with or without the arrival of sweatshirt weather), as we trade our big adventures for lazy mornings and daytrips and enjoying sleep and spontaneity while we can. It's crazy how fast the weeks are flying by. Just yesterday, Lisa mentioned something about a hospital bag- we hadn't even thought about that yet!- and we finally completed our absurdly expensive "last few things for baby" order. Car seats are installed, though, so we're probably as ready as we're going to be. At least that's what we tell ourselves.

The photos of the week are two things that cracked me up. The first is what I grabbed (and got all over my hands, sadly) out of the back of Seth's truck when searching for bug spray. Off! it isn't (and I seriously can't believe this is even an actual product that people buy.)

 

And the second is Seth's idea of dinner when I'm too under the weather to cook. Making up for all the salads and quinoa in one meal!