You Gotta Have Friends

Ever meet someone and think, "Oh, if I was only that cool!" Well, that's what we think every time we are near our friends, Needlefingers and Pilot. They are the kind of friends that you desperately wished lived closer so that you could pester them all the time. Both are incredibly funny, smart and talented people. These are the best guests of all: they bring their own entertainment, they are up for anything and they tolerate our cats.

They make us better people, I am sure of it.

For instance, the duo introduced us to not one, but two new hobbies sure to take over our lives: geo-caching and knitting. Yes, knitting, I am the proud producer of a fuzzy-wuzzy scarf loved by humans and cats alike. More on that later.

We were so giddy with anticipation and excitement last week that I think we nearly wore ourselves out before they arrived on Friday night. Yes, we were that hyped up over their long-awaited visit.

For once, the reality lived up to the hype. It's rare that you enjoy the company of both members of a couple and we took advantage of this unusual find. They, on the other hand, may have a different perspective and I worry they won't return out calls after we wore them out over the weekend with our incessant questions.

We started our weekend with of course, food, followed by a trip to the coffee shop and a little Halloween hunting. (I took advantage of our guests a little as Cynical will never grace the doorstep of most of the places we went this weekend. But if Pilot is game, Cynical is certainly game.)

Then it was onto knitting. May I first say that Needlefingers is by far the most patient and knowledgeable teacher I have ever encountered. I finally, under expert supervision, opened the "kit" and she guided me every step of the process without raising her voice once. Yes, I can now proudly knit and purl. I can't make you a sweater, but if you are in need of a scarf (a simple and unshapely scarf), I can fix you up. Trust me, we are miles from making this a knitting blog. However, I do believe, in Pilot's words, that she is pulling me to the dark side. I can no longer see the light. I even considered shopping for yarn on my lunch hour.

Saturday began our brush with geocaching. Simply put, it's a bit of a scavenger hunt centered around a GPS system. I am novice to this game. In the words of Napoleon Dynamite: "I got no (geocaching) skills." However, since we ordered our own GPS device, I promise to practice lots and lots. I promise to contribute to "the team" the next time we hook up for a cache adventure instead of just taking photos of flowers.

Saturday night meant a much-anticipate trip to Olive Garden, followed by a book store run (every girl needs Knitting for Dummies, right?) Then it was home to crash. We had to rest up for the Apple Festival and more geocaching.

The Apple Festival sucked. I really don't know what else to say. The chocolate covered banana was good, but not enough to save the festival. Sorry guys!

So, we redeemed the day by finding not one, but two geocaches. Darnit, I still haven't spied one on my own. I got no skills.

A trip to hunt for our own geocaching equipment came up empty, but dear old Amazon.com saved us yet again. (We get the added benefit of good mail!)

So much more to say, but alas, I have knitting to do.

Needlefingers, as a note to you, I am taking the following pledge as a fledging needler:
I promise to only use quality yarn and to be a yarn snob in my own right.

I pledge to knit happily and gingerly.

I will make more than just scarves.

I promise to ask lots of questions and seek help when needed.

I pledge to seek out yarn shops and drool each time I near them.

I will be creative in my color choices, cognizant of my work quality and diligent in completion.

I do solemnly swear.

The photo at the top was taken during one of our geocaching adventures. I shot it from a covered bridge. The other photo is of my first knitting creation. From kit to knit. Not bad, eh? Note the Knitting for Dummies book.