Wednesday 7/30, I woke up to my phone ringing and it was Sos saying she was going out of town and wouldn't be able to attend my bday party. Then I saw I had a text and it was Alishia saying Aaron broke up with her and to call as soon as possible. I called on my way to work and we only talked for a few minutes and I told her I would call later. I worked a bit late then went for a short walk and arrived home by 6:30. I received some weird flirty messages from LPC and kind of brushed them off and briefly considered inviting him to my party but then thought better of it. I did not think better of calling Eric and inviting him and Nicole. Oh, plus Zach is coming. I decompressed at home then called Court and talked with her for a long time since it's been forever so we're all caught up and she might come up in November. I ate some dinner then hopped in the shower. I called Lish but she didn't answer, then Ian and left a message since I haven’t talked to him for a long time, then Eric called and we talked for a while but I wanted to get to bed early so we hung up and I read for a bit about Dubrovnik before going to sleep.

Tuesday 7/29, I headed home and found Mom and Dad waiting with Aubrie. Dad showed me how to research stock and trade and invest on Schwab so that was helpful but I still need to read that book. We went to dinner at the Chinese place and had a nice dinner. We talked about Eric and Alishia and Aaron and how Dad offends people at the restaurant. We went to the bank after that and Mom started chanting "US Bank! US Bank!" and told me to tell Eric. At home I said bye to everyone then went upstairs and talked to Eric and did some things around the house then watched SatC. I called Chrystol and invited her and Schuyler to my birthday but they're not sure they can make it because of a wedding on Guemes. We had a long conversation and got all filled in on each other's stuff. I showered and went to bed.

Monday 7/28, After work the bank boys were flirting with me and I was like "Still got it!" to myself and flirted back. Oh those boys. I talked to Kassie and made plans to meet up to swap Aubs so I called Kay-See about a meet-up to trade items and we decided later in the week then discussed dinner with Ky. I called him next and proposed my party and dinner on Friday; he might be camping so he didn't know. I talked to Susan for a while and caught up there then headed out the door and heard from Eric on my way over to MI. I had to hang up with him when I got there and Aubrie yelled "Shut the fuck up, Pepsi" to him and he just laughed. We sat there talking for a long time, the three of us, then Dad called so we talked with him and Mom too and continued talking and joking about the boys in the Audi, "Excuse me, would you like to make a deal?" Aubs and I eventually left and went grocery shopping and were cracking ourselves up and Aubrie was dancing down the aisles and we were both singing. When we got home I made dinner and we put on Stealing Beauty and she really liked it and thought Osvaldo was cuter than Nicolo. We went upstairs and I was showing her all my fancy underwear and she wanted to try it all on so she did a fashion show and ran past me in my bathroom at one point I didn't even see her, only heard a flurry of running feet behind me, and she was waiting for me in bed and we both laughed hysterically for like 45 minutes. It was hilarious and much of my underwear fit her better than it fit me. We eventually both turned in.

Sunday 7/27, The morning of the big breakfast - Aubrie and I got up and went down and sat in the morning sun. I read a People or something. Ate breakfast and continued sitting in the sun. We started cleaning up upstairs and getting ready to leave then I sat in the motorhome for a long time talking investments with Papa then with Grandma. Some good advice there. We took some family pictures then loaded up the cars (Dad cleaned my air filter and put fuel injection cleaner in) and said byes and took off. Lish and Aaron were in my car and we had a nice ride back and made it home by 4:00 and Eric arrived shortly after. We sat in the living room and talked and filled Eric in on the weekend and showed him all my gifts and gave him his fake cigarettes and he loved them. We took off for Mom's for Sunday night dinner and arrived before Kass and Aubs. Grandma was there and we all sat down to eat and Kassie gave me four new cds which excited me. We had a fun dinner filled with hilarious conversation and stories about "Pak-i-stan! Pak-i-stan! and how Eric almost got Kassie a shirt that says "Ur-a-guay! Ur-a-guay!" Mom made angel food for dessert then Lish opened presents and we sat around talking for a while before needing to leave to take Lish and Aaron to the airport. Aubs came with us and the five of us drove down, did the drop off and back to my house. We settled into the living room and put on Darjeeling Limited and Eric cracked us up with his fake cigarettes especially when he ran to his secret hiding spot to grab the one Kay-See used for her costume. Aubrie liked the movie and we turned in not too much after. Eric and I both showered, him first then I joined him and it was very nice. He washed my hair which at first I thought was hilarious but he took his job very seriously and made sure all suds were out. It was cute. We laid in bed and talked for a while about my fam and he said he liked everyone but who he really liked was, and then he pointed to the other room, and said Aubrie, and that she's really funny and really nice. It was cute. Then we made out and did it. The end.

Saturday 7/26, Kay-See and I woke up at the same time and she alerted me quietly that Dad was already making pancakes and that she could smell them. We got up and went down and Dad served us up and we both thoroughly enjoyed our gooey pancakes. It was announced that rafting would be immediately after breakfast so K and I went upstairs but ended up lying around and socializing rather than getting ready. Everyone was suddenly ready and we were not so we rushed and got down to the raft but everyone kept forgetting things and Dad was about to explode. We took some pictures and off we went with four of us squished in the backseat. We got the raft down but it was a bear and Kassie f-d her neck up and Kay-See almost went down. Finally we were in the river and having a fab time. We brought Casey's rock and in a super deep spot at the turn in the road we all started chanting mean things about him then Hailey threw it overboard, face down. I got soaked again, despite switching sides halfway down. We radio-d home and it totally worked. Back at the ranch we all helped bring stuff up then sat down to work on our flower pots. Kay-See and I busted ours out then we were told to get ready because we'd be leaving for Gustav's soon. K and I went upstairs and I sat while she packed and picked with the tweezers then headed out and said good-byes. The four of us (K,K,H,A) rode in and let Papa have the good spot and parked down the way. We walked up to Gustav's and found the parents upstairs. Had a nice dinner and Aubs and Kass went looking for Ross at the swim meet, no luck. After dinner we walked around and looked for the fudge shop and got a tip from some kid in the ice cream place. Kass embarrassed Aubs by loudly announcing in front of the cute ice cream guy that Aubrie loves to get her hands on a wiener any chance she gets. He smirked and looked right up at me. We made our way up to the shop and people who wanted fudge got some then we left for home. I called Eric to try and get him to "Eh" in the phone to Aubrie but he didn't answer. On the way back Kass was playing Dr. Dog and the part where he's like "Oh yeah!" several times Hailey said sounds like a guy getting a bj so every time he did it we'd laugh hysterically and Hailey's laugh makes me laugh even more. At home we hung out in the motorhome for a long time then my cake was started and we all went outside and I was sung to and opened presents and got some very cool gifts. Gift card to The Depot, recycled art-portrait thing of David Bowie and a Starbucks card, plus that bird I liked from the hardware store. Soon Harry and the Henderson’s was underway and we had a really fun time watching that then went upstairs for pirate Mad Libs and that was really fun and really hilarious.

Friday 7/25, The dads were all gone and K got up and ran four miles as I laid in bed reading magazines and perusing cereals to eat for breakfast in the motorhome. I opted for the Coco Puffs. We all got ready for the girls day in Leavenworth and headed out around noon. Five of us girls rode in Kassie's car and talked about what to do with balls and laughed hysterically all the way there. Hailey and I were particularly amused with Kassie's demonstration with her hand and imaginary Chinese stress balls. In town we parked and all walked over to the new boutique and ooh-d at all the cute stuff but didn't get anything. Aubrie ate the last chocolate though and the girl looked all confused and I'm guessing was trying to figure out who ate it. We headed down to get a table at Pavz and they set one up in the back. We had a nice lunch and Kay-See and I shared the chicken and spinach crepe, then ate half of Kassie's french dip, then polished off Hailey's crepe, then Auntie Heidi's ham panini and some of her chips. We weren't done yet - we ordered the pear crepe for dessert and polished it off too. Everyone was amazed. Or horrified - your pick. We perused the little shop next door and Kay-See, Kass and I all tried on the same shirt and Kassie bought me one for my birthday and her and Kay-See got the one I loved with the red stitching. Mom bought a va-va-voom-y red dress. Some of us girls went on a mission to find the other photography place and found it quickly under Willie's Sausages and determined that this was the place for us. We made calls and ended up heading down to Inside and Out to tell everyone. We were in there for a while and I bought some coasters, fancy matches in a fruity sleeve and some heart earrings from the jewelry guy in the back. Kay-See ended up buying me a vessel we both loved for my birthday. It's so beautiful. Next up we all headed down to the photo place and started picking out our outfits and getting all our accessories squared away. It was so fun and they let us do pretty much anything we wanted. Kassie kept yelling all the things she wanted but eventually settled on the whip and gun. I had the stein of beer and a heavy gun. For the second shoot I had an enormous rifle. We had so much fun and laughed through so much of it. People were looking through the window and you could see everyone mouth "Oh my god" and it cracked me up every time. We hit the candy store afterward and I got some treats and fake cigarettes for Eric that I knew he would love. We left there and headed to another cute shop where I bought some silver rabbit salt and pepper shakers then we headed up to the book store on the hunt for Mad Libs. Kass ran across the street to find some at a toy store while we all sat and waited on a short wall. We decided to go back so we walked to the car and headed home, all kind of falling asleep in the car. Dad was prepping dinner at home and all us girls decided to go on a walk with Cotton, Ryder and Lance. They listened for the most part. On our way we saw the kid who used to have the rottweilers down the street go by on his dirt bike lots of times and he just isn't very cute but we smiled anyway then caught him looking back. We laughed when he went by standing up. Next we saw a hot guy in a white pickup and after I waved I realized who it was and turned around to face Aubrie who had just realized too: Ross. We were all like, "He's looking GOOD!" and Kay-See was ready to hop on the bandwagon as well. We walked down to the tracks and down to the river and Cotton almost floated away with the current. Queen B picked up the dogs and Kay-See, Kass and me all hustled back and dinner was almost ready. I ate until I was stuffed then it was time for the golf awards and drinks and stuff and Kass got upset that Mom pulled Dad away from her floor plans. It was eventually resolved and then it was time for Alishia's graduation celebration and cookies. Dad was setting up the projector and screen to have a movie so I razzed Kassie to get the crew together to go over and see if Ross wanted to come over for smores and a movie. Kassie kept announcing through a rolled up magazine that it was neighbor time, smores time, time for neighbors and smores. I was laughing so hard. We all went over and Aubrie was so mortified and Kassie yelled at Kay-See to get up on the front porch with us. He answered the door all chipper and Kassie was asking him over for neighbor smore time before the door was even open. He was very receptive to our invitation then Kassie put the rolled magazine up to her mouth and told him to come over and we all laughed and he agreed and said he'd be over soon. We walked back laughing and getting some dinner together for him. He came over and we chatted and Dad chatted with him and Aubrie and I got all his siblings' facts wrong and felt embarrassed but whatever, it's not like we've ever hung out with any of them except him. So we started Burbs and Aubs and Hailey sat next to him and it was cute. A huge june bug was on my head and I freaked out and yelled at Kay-See to get it off and the look of horror on her face was enough for me to know I didn't want to know what it'd looked like. We had smores during the movie and after the movie Ross said he didn't have a curfew but 5 minutes later his sister “Rhonda” came over and told him he had to come home so that kind of burst his bubble I think. We all went upstairs to go to bed and did like 5 Mad Libs and laughed a lot then went to sleep.

Thursday 7/24, We woke up and Dad made French Toast and I ate three pieces and we got into a “discussion” with Dad about the war, oil companies, the environment and people jumping on the hybrid bandwagon. We went upstairs and laid around and got ready. We went to the store and Queen B asked us to pick up some Pepto so I wandered trying to find it and some little squirrelly guy was lurking until he heard me ask for the tablets behind the counter. He did a very quick about face and went the other direction. I laughed very hard. Back at home I laid down and read some of my mag then took a nap for a while and Mom woke me up and asked me what kind of sandwich I wanted and said she would make it for me. We sat around in the sun then got ready to go to the swimming hole. Hailey, Kass, Aubs and I set out and I called Kay-See to see where she was then we started playing the motorhome game and the Diplomat was probably the best one we saw. We parked and hiked in and found the swimming hole easily and with lots of fish jumping. The water was freezing so we sat there and laughed at guys honking at us as they passed on the highway. Everyone showed up and we sat on towels talking but it was kind of cold and the sun was down so us girls took off for salad supplies and I tried to call Kay-See several times. I called Eric and talked to him for a long time and he seemed really good and really happy to talk to me. I hung up as Kassie and I were going into Safeway and noticed the white camero with orange racing stripes and Eric said it was a guaranteed good time as well as STDs. I didn’t stay in the store for long and quickly returned to Aubs and Hailey in the car. We headed home and Kay-See was there talking to Mom when we returned. We talked and hung in the motorhome and prepped dinner and drooled over the enormous pork loin. Dinner was ready late, like usual, but definitely worth the wait. Kass, Kay-See and me ate in the motorhome and we laughed at the many shouts of praise over her goat cheese, avocado and fresh apricot salad with lemon vinaigrette. Dad even tried a bite and didn't hate it. Until he got a bite of avo. I was a little sad my cornbread didn't receive more recognition, but I suppose an empty pan is recognition enough. Aubs, Kass and me played the game with Dad where we make him pick his favorite and Kay-See kept laughing and shaking her head. We were being ridiculous but it was hilarious. I think it was pretty late by the time we were done so we went upstairs foregoing campfire time for sleep. Lish told us to be quiet because we were talking about waxing and vaginas and all sorts of other blow job-y type topics and I think she was tired of holding her hands over Aaron's ears. It didn't stop her from piping in though.

Wednesday 7/23, I woke up early to gas up then called Peggy to make sure everything was ok and she said we’d gotten in some things so I offered to come in (on my day off) and work for a little bit to help get it out the door. I was there for an hour then raced home, finished packing and we were all running around the house, showered, got ready and headed out the door in three cars to meet Karen in Monroe at Red Robin. We all got out of our cars and Karen was walking over and we all went over and got big hugs and instantly recalled the tone of her voice. It was really great. We went in and got a big table and started talking. It was really great and I feel like I learned so much just from that one lunch and had so many memories come to the surface. It was great. We took some pictures and headed on our way. Aubs and I stopped at DQ and both got blizzards and drove over making pretty good time. Kassie caught up with us on River Rd and we pulled in together and Dad came out and greeted us and we hung out for a little bit then decided to go into Plain for ice cream, fun and jewelry. Kassie picked out Coco Puffs and we almost keeled over from shock -- she explained she had the munchies. We had a good time and picked out bfs who were perusing the store as well then headed back. We were around for a little while then Mom came home and we helped her unload. Hailey, Auntie Heidi and Uncle Brad showed up and Mom and Dad were getting dinner ready and we were talking and hanging out. Bacon wrapped hamburgers and chips for dinner and Kassie told us about S’ crazy mom encounter then Aaron agreed with Kassie. We talked inside the motorhome until like 11 then went to bed.

Tuesday 7/22, Eric gave me a kiss and left then I got up and at em and to work. At home I relaxed and called Aubs and Kassie to see where they were and Lish was having dinner with a friend so I laid low until hearing from them. I did a little cleaning, packing and a bit of laundry. I waited at home until 8:10 then went to Best Buy for Burbs and ended up getting Tudors Season 1 and Darjeeling Limited. Then I drove to MI to pick up Aubrie and her and Kassie drove around the parking lot trying to fool me and I was getting frustrated then called them jerks when they made fun of me. We raced home and I made cornbread then we put on DL but Aubs fell asleep about 20 minutes into it so I went downstairs and talked to Lish and Aaron for a while and fixed the air mattress then went to bed.

Monday 7/21, Eric took me to work because he'd offered to take care of getting my tire fixed. I called him partway through the day and he said he had a surprise for me and I told him he was sweet and he would pick me up at 4:30. When I walked out my car was washed, tires armoral-d, vacuumed out, interior cleaned and armoraled, clutch pedal cover fixed and floor mat hook fixed. I couldn't believe it. When we got home he told me he cleaned all the toilets, vacuumed the living room and bedrooms, took all the garbages out, did a bunch of laundry, cleaned all the floor mats and rugs and spot cleaned the kitchen floor. I told him I'm very lucky then I opened up my birthday present from Court she'd brought back from Costa Rica then Eric was like "By the way, there's some dude sitting on the bed upstairs" like totally casual, then he said he figured he must be with one of my sisters. Alishia was asleep and Aaron was on the computer then found Aubrie sleeping on my bed. The three of us talked for a really long time then we went downstairs and hung out down there until it was time to go meet Kassie at Purple downtown. I woke Lish up and her and Aaron came down and off we went in the Denali with Eric driving since he's used to big cars. We got rock star parking in front of Purple and Eric fit it in like a glove. We walked down to Westlake and looked at shops then some black girl with a group of other hooligans smoking weed yelled at me that she liked my belt then started coming toward me asking me where I got it so I told her H&M and avoided mentioning London. Eric took a picture for some tourists and we continued on smirking at some trannie hookers. We walked back and the trannie hookers flirted with Eric and he was like "That's right - still got it!" We got our table and sat down and perused until Kassie arrived. We talked about different terms for bjs (fun job or suck job) which ended up being an ongoing joke for the next week. We had a wonderful dinner and lots of laughing and it was just a really great night. We paid and headed to the car and it was after 10 so we pretty much got everyone settled (minus Kass) then went to bed. I was too sore for us to do anything really fun.

Sunday 7/20, I can't remember much, it's been too long. Dad made French Toast and Don started making some stuff but we had had enough so we all went upstairs and laid around. K and I got our tweezers out and Eric let me get a couple of renegades then K found one under my chin that was so long and I wish I had a picture of her face - complete astonishment. Eric fell asleep but not for long because Dad was calling to us to get ready to go rafting. We loaded up and said bye to Deb and Don and drove down to the drop off spot. We had a hell of a time getting it down the hill and Eric scraped his back on a stump. We eventually made it into the river but ended up forgetting the car keys and camera in the bed of the truck. Then I snapped at Eric for splashing K and he was pretty quiet for the rest of the trip so then I felt bad plus is sucks to be frozen out. It was fun but not particularly eventful. I got really wet and was splashed the most of course. Dad, Eric and I drove down and got the cars and Mom got the grill going. We had ground steak burgers for lunch and chips and some veggies. We eventually got on the road but later than we'd wanted. Traffic was non-existent until Startup then it was stop and go for a long time. We eventually made it back and K took off right away and Eric and I probably watched SatC or something then both showered and started making out. We did that for a long time and finally sealed the deal and I was definitely sore afterward but it was very good. We cuddled for a long time and eventually drifted off to sleep.

Saturday 7/19, I woke up and Eric was dressed and ready for our hike laying next to me looking at the ceiling. It was really cute. We all got up and went down and Mom and Dad were getting ready too then Dad pointed out Cesar, Don’s baby German Shepherd, and I started playing with him because he's like the cutest dog ever. He looked like a little possum or something. Don didn't want to hike and K forgot her sneaks so the four of us headed out. We guessed which trails we were supposed to take and soon were climbing and gaining elevation like crazy. We were all so tired and could only hike for a few minutes at a time before having to stop and rest and take pictures. I kept getting light headed because I didn't eat any protein, only some muffins, so finally I had to sit for a while which felt good with the breeze and the view was amazing. I kept yelling for Kristel but never saw her. We made it so close to the top and I feel bad because Eric wanted to go so badly and we were probably five minutes from making it. We headed back down and were careful because it was so steep and a straight shot down. By the time we got down it was really heating up and we were all sweaty and walked with Chloe back to our place. We needed syrup so Mom, K and I went to the grocery and checked out the ice cream selection first then over to the hardware and admired the veggies (multicolored carrots) on the way in. We raided the clearance in the back and both K and I got hats and I got a new necklace with a heart and a flame on top that's kind of arty and Eric thinks it looks like the heart has a mohawk. We headed back and the boys were all working and Eric was running the chain saw, Dad the tractor, hauling the cut wood and Don was splitting it with the new splitter. Breakfast was started not too much later and K and I changed into our suits because it was really hot already. Dad and Don made breakfast in the form of pancakes, two kinds of sausage, fried potatoes and eggs. We all ate a lot then hung out for a while reading magazines and relaxing. Eric helped Dad some more then got his suit on and we went down to the river and waded across with Cody and found sparkly rocks. We eventually got dressed and headed into Leavenworth to go to the fruit stand but stopped at the Plain Grocery for ice cream and I got the birthday cake kind and it was really good. We sat outside and ate then went to the fruit stand and ran around sampling and marveling over all the fun items. I bought some nectarines and corn for dinner then headed to Safeway for some more stuff for Mom and K and I picked up aqua socks and I got the new Architectural Digest and we headed back. Mom and Dad started dinner and K and I went upstairs and read mags and talked about boys and I reassured her then Eric came up and we continued talking. We eventually went back down and sat outside for a while but the mosquitoes were terrible and I was getting eaten alive so we went in the motorhome and Mom said we could eat in there. Everything was really good, especially the prime rib. After we helped clean up a little we said good night and went upstairs and watched a couple episodes of SatC and Eric's not a fan of Carrie. It makes me laugh. We went to sleep and Eric was out.

Friday 7/18, I unexpectedly got a raise at work so that kind of made my day. Then Peggy and I talked about blindfolds and hard-ons. It was hilarious and I kept saying "TMI, TMI!" I went to REI after work for a Sigg and was rung up by the hottest guy, Chip, and formulated a missed connection or whatever. He complimented my hair in my driver's license picture and I kind of giggled. I might have to go buy something else. But probably not because I'm kind of cheap. At home I continued throwing things in my bag and trying to get things organized to leave then got an ETA from Eric and hopped in the shower. I was getting ready when he arrived and I told him about my raise and he was very congratulatory and we stood there in our skivvies talking until I realized what time it was and told him to hurry up and get in the shower! I made a salad and K showed up as I was telling Eric a story about something (don't remember) so Eric helped me finish off my salad and I got the rest of my stuff together, packed up the car, and off we went. We stopped at DQ in Monroe again and I got a blizzard while the other kids got dinner stuff. Eric invited K to a wedding with lots of good eligible bachelors because I will be out of town that weekend. When we arrived it was still light but the parents weren't there so we sat in the motorhome and talked and discussed how great "The Quake" is because they played hit after hit. Finally Mom and Dad arrived with Don and we talked in the motorhome for a while then finally turned in around 11. We were all tired so we went to sleep.

Thursday 7/17, I got off work early so went home and waited for Susan to arrive. We sat in the living room for a long time talking then put on the Tudors and drooled and catcalled JRM. He's so hot, and so is Henry. Mmm. I steamed some veggies and we reheated rice and enjoyed that as we watched a second episode. I'm in love with it already and want to buy it on dvd. Susan left around 9 maybe and I think I may have talked to Eric to firm up plans for the weekend. I probably went to bed somewhat early.

Wednesday 7/16, Kay-See was coming over after work so we could hike Little Si but she wasn't going to be there for a while so I cleaned and added some more items to my bookcases. She arrived and we got down with the stories and headed up to North Bend gabbing all the way about the wedding and Eric and bfs. It felt good to be outside hiking and we made it up fairly quickly considering I felt like we were going slower than usual. We sat up at the top and caught our breath but then started hearing weird noises in the bushes so we were like "Um, let's go" so we kind of hurried for a while then it was fine and we were making good time. We talked about perspective and respect and being able to objectively look at yourself and make changes and a whole lot of that kind of stuff then continued with bf talk back to my house. The key is to find someone who respects you. We got back maybe 9:30 and I started dinner and we continued our convo then Susan called to say let's bag War Room and I was glad because I was exhausted and so didn't want to go out. K and I ate dinner then she took off pretty quickly because it was after 10. I showered and went to bed.

Tuesday 7/15, Eric left early and startled me in my sleep when he was saying bye, but told me I looked pretty. After work I walked / ran the trail for an hour and I was so exhausted and hot I didn't think I would make it back, but I did. At home I decided to start a salad and Eric called so we talked for a long time while I ate and we discussed the weekend and the rest of the week. I played on the computer and half watched tv while I ate some chips and salsa then talked to Susan and made some veggies and more sitting on the couch. I updated this and watched an Oprah special and moved some things onto the bookshelves and organized so that made me feel accomplished. I showered and watched Seinfeld until 11.

Monday 7/14, Eric left in the morning after just a bit of leg and back kissing. I went to Grandma's after work and she was just coming back from dinner and I started right into the duvet. She said the brand was a good one and I got going. I was inside the cover, sweating my ass off, when my phone rang and it was Eric and I told him I was in the middle of it so he said he would call me later after he met up with Rich. Grandma and I continued going through some things in her closet (scored a flashlight Grandpa had sent away for) then she told me I could have her white elephant teapot, which I'm pretty sure I gave her. We watched some CNN and talked about Mom's trip and my weekend then I got her mail for her. She suggested I call Mom and go over there for some dinner and take her mail as well. I went over and Mom asked if I wanted a sausage curry dish and I said yes and started in on the baguette and brie while we talked about Skylar and Kassie and Mom's desire to live halfway between her kids then about me and Eric then he called and sounded a little weird then said he wanted to talk to me so I asked him if he wanted to talk later that night then asked me when I would be home and I told him in about an hour or something then asked him if he meant he wanted to come up and he said yes that he had to talk to me about something face to face so I was like "Ok...is everything ok?" and he said nothing was horribly wrong but he needed to talk to me. I told him an hour and he said he was going to head up and would probably beat me. I told Mom I thought something was wrong and we conjectured while we ate. I left around 7:45 and called Susan on the way home and told her and we made plans for Wed and conjectured some more then I got off the phone because I was home. When I came up the stairs I said hi and he looked all anxious on the couch and I half-kiddingly told him he was freaking me out and he said he knew and to just come in the living room so he could tell me. I sat next to him and he told me and I thought it was fairly mild and told him not to worry and I don't feel any different and put my arms around him for a long time and we continued to talk about it. He seemed very upset and at one point started to get teary and said he didn't want anything to jeopardize us and that he cared less about how it was going to affect him but more how I was going to react and how we would be affected. I again told him not to worry and he said he just needed to vent. He made me tear up and we talked some more then I told him really it was ok, and climbed onto his lap and gave him a kiss then he expressed how sorry he was again and it made me start crying and I told him to stop it then we laughed. I asked him if he would go to the store with me and wasn't it exactly what he wanted to do?! And he said yes. We had a nice time wandering around and him carrying things for me and telling me a story about snapping at a screaming little girl at the park. We each picked out an ice cream and went home. We put on SatC and watched three or four episodes and he thinks it's funny and loves Big. I had to sneakily write a short message to Susan then we decided to go to bed. I showered and climbed in and we talked some more before making out for a little while and going to bed. I slept like a rock.

Sunday 7/13, Eric woke before I did and I found him downstairs reading his book and he asked if he could read me a story he identified with so I laid my head in his lap and listened. I'd like to hear it again when I'm not so tired because I remember most of it but would probably benefit from hearing it again. After he finished we decided to have some cereal and get a move on the bookcases. We quickly dressed, I did some more dishes and we were out the door to Mom's to get the keys for the van and Grandma's condo since I'd forgotten my set. At Grandma's we opened all the windows and moved the bookcases into the entry way then took the seats out of the van and Eric was in love with it especially when I showed him the mood lights. We moved it to the side and went back up and took them one at a time down the side stairwell and into the van. They actually weren't that bad and both easily fit in the back. We were sweating and panting by the time we were done plus it was about 11 and it was heating up. We took them to my house, got them up the side and into the dining room then back to Grandma's to drop the van and back to Mom's to drop the keys. She told us about her trip to Kassie's and her talk with Skylar and his mother and she said she had a great time and is now looking for property in Oregon on a lake to be closer to her. We stuck around talking for quite a while but were getting hungry so took off and headed into Issaquah to a little taqueria for lunch. It was very good and I kept pumping my arms in the air and Eric would chant "USA! USA!" and point at anyone in the room who wasn’t white. We crack each other up. Next up was BB&B for a comforter for Grandma and I got some dish towels then over to Home Depot but first Starbucks so Eric could get his jasmine tea fix. At HD I scoped out the toilets and called Dad about my birthday present then we looked at faucets and I found the one I want and Eric said he would put it in. Then I called Dad and he said Eric can hook up a toilet if he can do a faucet then said he better hook it up to the disposal if he's going to hook it up to a sink and I laughed so hard. Eric thought I was ridiculous for wanting the elongated bowl toilet, but Dad thought it was brilliant. Eric then told me his pet peeve is father's (or any older guy) who give him a hard time or try to tell him how to do stuff and he said he knows how ridiculous that is and I told him that's the first step to getting over it. We left and decided to go to DQ for treats and the line was insane and we were standing behind this guy with the strongest / veiniest forearms I've ever seen and we pretended to be him and order "Yeah, do you have anything to promote vein growth?" We ordered and sat in my car eating and Eric's spill guard made me laugh so hard but it came in handy. We went back to my house and I took my pants off because it was warm and we sat on the couch for a long time talking and snuggling and getting each other riled up and teasing. It was fun and I got him to change his stance on something even though he initially was reluctant. I told him I saw it as a challenge. We ended up spending most of the rest of the afternoon chatting and having fun with each other. We decided to finish off Season 1 of SatC so he popped in a pizza and we got going. After we finished the disc I started playing with ideas for the bookshelves and showed him the super old turn table I found at Grandma's and I went down to the garage and got all my vinyl and brought it up and surprisingly the thing still works so we played some Muse and Beatles and Paul McCartney. It was really fun and I'm glad he knew how to work the thing. Eventually we went upstairs and got ready for bed and watched the news a little then turned in. In the middle of the night some guy was making a delivery (3am) then some dogs wouldn't stop barking and I was about to call the cops because I was just laying there and it was incessant. I finally fell back asleep though.

Saturday 7/12, I set the alarm for 7:30 and we eventually got up at 8 and got moving to hike Little Si. The parking lot was about half empty which was good and we did some stretching then up the mountain. He claimed he doesn't like to go fast but he's up there with Kay-See and Chris and I was panting to keep up. We didn't see many people and we had a lot of interesting conversations and more about my outfit from the prior evening which he continued to bring up about every two hours for the rest of the weekend. It was cute and made me feel very appreciated. We made it to the top and I was sweating profusely and so out of breath. He was sweating too but clearly wasn't as exhausted as I was. We sat at the top for a long time by ourselves then slowly more and more people made it up. This couple with their kids was cracking me up but totally annoying Eric and the one kid kept saying "Nah" and it was killing me. After resting for 15 minutes we headed back down and we were cruising except Eric's quads were killing him from his two five-mile runs the prior two days. I bounded down though. Back at the car the lot was totally full and we got out of there and back to my house where he hopped in the shower then I started getting ready but felt cramps coming on. I took a hot shower but they didn't subside so I took some meds then laid in bed for a while and writhed around while Eric marinated the chicken for the evening's dinner. Finally went downstairs and he was reading and I laid across his lap and moaned and we both closed our eyes for a while. I felt better so I got dressed and ready and we headed out the door to the International District's Summer Celebration. It was pretty disappointing but we went to a place where he's eaten before and both got the duck lunch box and sat in the shade. It was so hot and we were both wearing jeans. Next up we needed something to drink so to Uwagimaya and passed Ronald McDonald coming out of the porta-potty and watched him direct the McMobile out of it's parking spot. Inside Uwagimaya we laughed and giggled hysterically about the drinks and each found a low priced one (orange and mango for me) then over to the desserts. He said he was going to throw the cheesecake platter at my butt later that night and eat it off. I was laughing so hard, then he showed me the yakisoba sandwich and I laughed even harder. We went over to Ming's where I almost bought a stool that was on sale then back up through the booths toward the car. I told him I would have Hector give him a thigh massage. We headed up to 15th and called Susan to see if she wanted to meet us at Remedy Tea to sit outside and talk. Eric ordered blueberry jasmine and we sat outside talking until Susan showed up. We talked about all sorts of things and Susan attempted to avoid the sun which slowly creeped onto her arm. We stayed there for a good hour and a half probably then we dropped her off at home and drove back to my house so he could make me dinner. I relaxed when we got back and he bustled away in the kitchen and a little before 8 it was ready. He butterflied the marinated chicken breasts and stuffed them with a pesto artichoke spread and lots of garlic and seared them then finished them off in the oven. Wild rice, zucchini and carrots sautéed in honey and butter, and a salad with red onion, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese. It was all so good, seriously better than most things you'd get in a restaurant. I cleaned a bit and he did the counters then we both changed and headed into Seattle for dessert at Dahlia Lounge. We had a nice walk and a nice table. I ordered the crème caramel and he ordered the triple coconut pie and both were extremely good. He started talking about his Dad and I started crying at the table and he apologized and said he'd stop because he didn't want to make me cry and look like a jerk so I took my ring off my right hand and put it on my left and said we'd just tell people he proposed and I was so happy. I pulled it together and we cleaned our plates and continued talking. Our waiter was awkward and kept hesitating before walking away. We walked back to the car laughing at how hilarious we both think we are and how simultaneously ridiculous that is. At home we both took showers and crawled into bed for a somewhat early evening because we'd had a busy day.

Friday 7/11, Started some heavy cleaning and organizing when I got home which felt super productive. I eventually took a bit of a break to surf and talk on the phone. I was back at it after eating some carrots and pasta. I had a sneaky plan for Eric because I thought it'd be fun and also since Alan had him running an errand in Tacoma for him and I wanted to make it up to him. He called a little before 10 and said he was running late but that he would be there not long after 10:30 so I busted ass and jumped into the shower and shaved and did all that then picked out black lacy underwear, did my hair and smoky eyes and put on my peep toe pumps that he loves and waited. I enhanced a play list for us to make out to and watched some Oprah about children who are products of artificial insemination. At almost 11 I saw him pull in and turned everything off and ran downstairs and hid behind the door waiting for him to either knock or use his key. He tried to use the key but I quickly unlocked the door and opened it up and told him he's supposed to knock. His face was hilarious. I think he may have eeked out a "My god" but I can't remember. Mostly he stood there with his mouth open, so I pulled him in and closed the door and he still just stood there in shock. I told him I missed him and we made out and he was like "Let's go upstairs!" and insisted on leaving all his stuff in the entryway. We went up to my room and made out and he kept stopping to tell me how beautiful I was and gorgeous and everything complimentary you could think of and how shocked he was and how he'd never forget it. Mental note: do this again, it's a huge ego boost. He said he was going to take his shoes off and I asked coyly if he wanted me to take mine off and he was like "No, I don't want you to take anything off" so we kept making out. We did all that stuff for a long time and three times later we snuggled into bed and talked and laughed and went to sleep.

Thursday 7/10, I forgot to write this day so will recap as best as I can remember. I went for a walk after work then got ready and headed to Susan's. For dinner she made a salad to start then pizza which we ate in bed as we watched My Blueberry Nights. It was pretty short and ok, not great, and I continue to love Jude. We took off for Neighbs and walked in to find it was pretty packed. We scoped out the floor for a minute then checked our coats and looked at the new dance floor setup. We actually didn't hate it and kind of made the corner our little nook. We got some water and my bartender bf asked where I've been and I assured him it wasn’t him, but the drag shows. It appears the drag shows have stopped now but in their place Von Trapp has been playing terrible 90’s dance mixes. Seriously terrible. I thought it was 80's Night. Apparently he didn't get the memo. I sent Michael a message earlier in the day and it sounded like he was going to show at Neighbs but he never manifested, along with Richie. Susan kept talking loudly about people because she was tipsy on her rescue remedy and it was cracking me up. We had fun considering the music was terrible and ended up leaving at like 12:30. I'm pretty sure I went to bed as soon as I got home.

Wednesday 7/9, Peggy let me leave a half hour early so I got a jump start on heading to Grandma's but the traffic was terrible and it took me almost an hour when it should have taken me 20 minutes. She was ready when I got there so we took off for the Chinese restaurant. They always remember her even when she hasn't been in for months. We had a seat in the back and decided to share the pork chow mein and some rice. We talked about the hillbilly living in AL's house and Grandpa and last weekend. Back to her place we watched CNN for a while about the woman who was released last week then about Jesse Jackson's comments about Obama. I asked her if I could go over to the condo and clean off the bookshelves so she gave me the keys and off I went. I was there for quite a while going through stuff and finding all sorts of interesting things. Chrystol called to ask me about my sunburn remedy then Eric called while I was still there and I told him about some of my finds and he laughed at the courage one. I got pretty much everything done so hopefully this weekend we can get them loaded up and moved. It'll be nice to have them in the dining room. We talked all the way home and he has a few ideas for the weekend. I caught up on some reading then talked to AL for a long time about the house and Patricia's wedding and getting a comforter for Grandma. I was getting ready for bed then Kay-See called, it was about 10:30, asking me about a passive aggressive Ky so we're not really sure. Chatted about a few other things then went to bed.

Tuesday 7/8, At home continued cleaning and doing stuff and talked to Alix who said she was running late. Called Grandma and made plans with her to have dinner the next night. Talked to Eric for a while until Alix arrived and told him I'd call him later. Alix and I talked then headed out for a walk and went down to the park to walk to the beach and back a few times while she told me about her trip. We headed back home where I got the pizza going and we snacked on blueberries and chips and salsa. I made a nice big salad and continued listening to stories. We sat on the couch and ate pizza and she showed me all her pictures and filled me in on her adventures. She stuck around until 9:30 then took off and I jumped in the shower and heard my phone ring. When I got out I called Eric back and we talked for a while. I had cramps coming on and was trying to control those while not falling asleep. I think I turned out the lights by 10:30.

Monday 7/7, I woke up to Eric kissing me all over again, like usual, but I was tired so I kept trying to sleep. He wakes up so early and was just laying there for a long time but finally left around 6 maybe. I went back to sleep. After work I picked up my rx and headed to Albertson's for grocery shopping. On the way home I texted Eric "Anal Prelude" because it made me laugh. I cleaned up my house and unpacked and did some laundry. I made a huge salad for dinner then some scrambled eggs to use up some stuff in my fridge. I talked to Susan for a while and tried to update this and upload pictures to flickr then watched Bachelorette and was semi glad she picked Jesse. I talked to Eric in the middle of it and he filled me in on his stressful and long day. Went to bed around 11.

Sunday 7/6, Eric got up early and went down on the deck, then Schuyler then I saw Sos out there and the three of us girls slept a while longer and finally I got up and joined the others on the deck. The baby's head was emerging and it looked disgusting. We sat and talked and tried to sit in the sun because it was pretty chilly. The time was 8:38 so I know Eric had to have gotten up super early. I ate some animal crackers and everyone just snacked. Finally the other two girls got up and the cleaning up started in between socializing. We had everything picked up and cleaned better than when we'd arrived and out of there around 10:30. K was hungry but decided she could wait until Zeke's so we talked and listened to JT to keep ourselves occupied until it was time for lunch. We tried Ky but no answer. Sos and Jake must've stopped too because on 522 they were right next to us driving and we kept up with them all the way back to Bellevue. K took off right when we got back and Eric and I laid on my bed and made out a little and talked about the weekend then K called to say she was locked out so we drove to the park and ride and met her to give her her spare set of keys then back to my house to lay around some more. We talked a lot and eventually fell asleep. Eric woke me up and I thought I was still in Plain and was wondering which day it was. We laid and talked about how “old school” Dad is then made out like crazy and got each other all riled up and got all naked and rubbed all over each other then eventually I talked him into going downstairs and watching some SatC. We watched the pilot and the up the butt one then I decided to make salty chicken and rice for dinner so I got that going as we talked in the kitchen. He said he wouldn’t mind watching another one so he got it going and I alternated between watching and checking on the food. We watched more as we ate dinner and eventually finished off the entire first disc. We laid talking for a long time and I was becoming increasingly tired and it was hard for me to keep my eyes open until the topic turned to weird sex stuff and we laughed a whole lot when I asked if he liked to have sex with fruit boots on, aka roller blades. We went upstairs and got into bed after showers and it was 11 and we went at it again and were done in record time: 40 minutes. I was doubly pleasured and we went to bed by midnight.

Saturday 7/5, We all started stirring around the same time and I was shocked Eric was still sleeping. It took some of us a while to get up but eventually we were all out on the deck talking and enjoying the sun. Us girls went for a walk and took Anu and talked about marriage and kids and Sos' secret talk with Schuyler the night before. Some dog came and licked Anu's butt a whole bunch and we eventually turned around because the mosquitoes were so bad. I slapped a bunch of the ones that kept landing on K's ass and legs. We sat on the deck some more and ended up doing that for most of the day. Around 11 I asked if anyone wanted to go to the Farmer's Market at the hardware store. Me, Eric, Kay-See and Jake went but didn't get anything at the market because it was just a picnic table with like 5 veggies on it so we went next door and got some snacks (sea salt chips, guac chips, yogurt). Back at the ranch Eric made some delicious guac and we all chowed down. The sun disappeared and the rain started a little so we made a mad dash to get everything out of the rain and into the garage and of course by the time we did that the rain stopped. K, Eric and I were up on the air mattresses talking and Eric fell asleep. K and I decided to go get ice cream so we snuck out to not wake up Eric and asked Chrystol if she wanted to come but she didn't so K and I set out alone. We parked by the bridge and checked out how high the river was. Snapped a picture and headed on our way talking and on the main road two kids rode by us and the one was clearly checking us out. We thought. The other one turned around and came back and asked us if we were 18 and when I asked why he asked us if we could buy them "swishers" and I told him I didn't even know what those were and he said they were like cigars and I was like "No, don't put that shit in your body" and he was like (a little pitifully) "No they're not for you, for us" and I reiterated, "Don't put that shit in your body. Sorry" and he rode off and I'm sure called me a bitch. The Meat Wagon was in full tilt but we cruised right by in pursuit of ice cream. The line inside was crazy but we waited it out and both got mint chocolate chip and sat out in front of the grocery. One woman walked by with her toddler twins and one was wearing clear plastic heels that must've been Cinderella inspired and I couldn't stop laughing because of how she was walking in them. I made K look when they came back out and then she couldn't stop laughing. Some woman asked another if her son was "floatin" that day and we laughed at that too. Then a Slim Shady type pulled up in his blue Cadillac and his Mom hopped in the backseat. The Plain Grocery pulled through again. We headed back and had multiple people waving at us. We talked about my conversation with Gary about having relationships and friendships that make you a better person and make you want to be a better person so that was interesting. Hopped in the car and headed back and Eric had just gotten up and Sos and Jake had just returned from the grocery store. Eric started getting the fire going but the bugs were bad so I went up into the loft and read my wedding mag for a while then Chrystol came up and we talked about Eric and his issues and all that and she was erring on the side of not being concerned. Then K came up and joined in and everyone started calling to us to come down so we finished up our convo and went down. The boys started throwing rocks hitting the trees down by the river and Eric wowed everyone with his aim and range and they all asked him the same question I asked on our hike a few weeks back "Why are you not playing for the Mariners?!" Chrystol threw the ball for Anu and K cut up veggies and we all tried to avoid the bugs and I got out the outdoor bug spray but it did little to quell the bastards. That was fun then everyone wanted to play badminton so we went down and I was in charge of Duke after Linda brought over more racquets. The boys won but the girls gave them a run for their money. We realized we didn't have enough chocolate bars for s’mores so Eric and I jumped in my car and took off because it was 7:45 and I was pretty sure the store closed at 8. We got there and bought two bars and barely had enough to cover it and walked out at 7:58. I called Dad and gave him the run down then headed back to camp. Everyone had eaten by the time we got back but they'd left us a few dogs so we scarfed and I made Eric show me his mouth before another bite. They all wanted to play another game but I stayed up to have some s'mores but before I could the sprinklers came on and the game was called off. Everyone came back over and I watched Sos eat like 12 s'mores. We sat around and talked for a while but I decided I wanted to turn in early and K did too so we went up and got ready for bed and put on Just Married and soon the other three joined us and Eric groaned about the movie selection (justifiably). We pretty much finished it but I fell asleep right at the end and he asked me to turn it off then we all started giggling because of how Schuyler was sighing and we couldn't stop. It was really funny.

Friday 7/4, Eric woke up early and was down playing with the neighbor dogs and reading and making tea with his little stove and exploring down by the river. At one point I asked him what time it was and he told me not to worry about it and to go back to sleep. Eventually K and I got up and started in on the muffins and had some girl talk. We eventually got up and dressed, in swimsuits of course, and headed outside. We brought down the magazines, towels and some snacks and dragged some cushions and chairs out to the deck. We laid for a little bit and talked and laughed then decided we wanted to go into Plain to check out the goods at the hardware store. We drove in and Kay-See and I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at all the cute trinkets and jewelry and both settled on matching silver necklaces with the letter K on a little silver pendant. We said they are for each other. I also got some cute robin’s egg blue bird shaped salt and pepper shakers and a bracelet comprised of little silver circles. We headed back to the property and laid out some more and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. More snacking then Sos and Jake showed up with the dogs. We showed them around and sat talking until Eric called Schuyler to find out where they were and they were just leaving so we sat for a while longer snacking and finally decided to go to Plain for some ice cream. We instantly noticed the “Meat Wagon” parked outside the hardware store and I squealed with delight at the prospect of grilled meat. As we were waiting (forever) this shifty guy was hovering around and acting really squirrelly. Finally I was up and got a dog and shared with K while Sos and Jake checked out the Plain stores and Eric got ice cream. We made quick work of the dog then got some ice cream as well; moose tracks for me. We all downed our ice cream and took our time driving back looking at the houses and pointing out our favorites. I think more relaxing and reading and talking and eventually Chrystol and Schuyler arrived. More talking and hanging out and deciding what to do for dinner. Chrystol and Schuyler gave me some egg that when submerged for days on end apparently hatches into a baby. We drove into Leavenworth in separate cars with Chrystol and Schuyler following. We passed a whole gaggle of turkeys on the side of the road in Plain. We parked and walked over to Gustav's and waited for a roof top table. While we were waiting some couple came down the stairs saying how bad it was and we all thought they were kidding but they weren't and I thought them to be extremely ridiculous. Our table was called so we went up and apparently the people's food was ready and sitting there but they'd just left in a huff so no food for them. We had a great table at the furthest spot on the deck and the sun was just barely in the sky and mountains all around us. We perused the menu, put our orders in and talked. Our food was out in no time and Kay-See and I shared the fish and chips and we ordered an extra basket of onion rings. We ate it all. A bunch of people wanted to hike the mountain behind Morey's so I said I would go over and ask him that night but luckily on our way out I noticed him on his usual stool at the bar. I went over and introduced Eric and hew as like "What is this? The 20th guy you've brought over?" and I confirmed. I asked him about hiking and he told me a story about bears and cougars in the area and we could take his gun if we wanted then told him Mom and Dad's plans and eventually said bye and went out to find the others. They were perusing the stores and we got psychedelic to an instrumental version of a Doors' song. We all went into the candy store and K bought some Zots and I forgot about those suckers and they're good! We continued walking and K and I went ahead to check out Pavz and the little shop next door. When we came out Chrystol had cotton candy and shared with all of us and we took some pictures as we made our way back to the old time photo shop. I was so excited and some other people too but Jake refused. We took a flyer anyway. Eric thought it would be a good idea for the boys to dress up as women and vice versa. We went to Safeway for s’more supplies then back to the ranch and playing a game Jake taught us. Any RV or trailer you see, put "anal" in front of the name, not the manufacturer, but the model name. Some of our favorites: Anal Pioneer, Anal Presidential, Anal Apache. Luckily there are a ton of RVs out there so we were howling all the way home. Eric got the fire going as some of us hung in the loft reading magazines and talking. Finally we were all around the fire roasting marshmallows and making s’mores and talking about why I don't want kids and how I don't want to be a god parent either and they gave me some scenarios that scared the shit out of me. K went to bed and I stayed a bit longer but eventually said goodnight to everyone as well and headed up. Sos and Jake were tenting it and not too much later Schuyler, Eric and Chrystol made their way up and into bed. Eric fell asleep within minutes and I cursed him.

Thursday 7/3, I was awoken at who knows what time by thunder and lightening. The thunder literally was rattling my bed it was so close and the lightning was illuminating my room through the shades with my back to the window and my eyes closed. I was like "This is cool and rare and all, but I need some effing sleep!". I had my derm appt then my annual and both were shorter than I thought they'd be so that was good. Kay-See called me to ask if she could ride with Eric and me over and I said of course, then Ky messaged me on facebook and was very moody and not happy we weren’t coming to his party, but I also think he was drunk so I'm sure that didn't help. K sent him a message in an attempt to appease him but it didn't really work. I got off work at 5 and headed home talking to Eric on the way who told me he was just leaving so I went home and continued cleaning and packing and had a little fruit then Eric arrived and soon after Kay-See. I made a batch of lemon poppy seed muffins and we wrapped them up, packed up the car and hit the road right at 7:30 after confirming directions to both Schuyler and Sos. In Monroe we stopped at DQ for a little snack and all shared. We made excellent time and there was no traffic on the way over which was great. It was just getting dark when we arrived and we attempted to go down to the river but it was too wet to pass so we went up to the loft instead and got settled. We found a dead mouse and made Eric take care of it then we checked all the sleeping bags. It was 10:30 or so, probably, by the time we unpacked and we got into a HUGE debate about gay marriage which was fairly heated even though we pretty much agreed with all of each other's arguments. K fell asleep before we did and we could tell because of her breathing. We fell asleep not much later.

Wednesday 7/2, I took a walk after work and talked to Kassie for a long time about life with her mother in law living right down the dirt road and problems associated with such a lifestyle. Her phone cut out so I picked up my pace on the way back and it started thundering but I thought people were lighting off fireworks, but it soon became apparent they weren't when it became louder and a huge crack of lightning manifested right in front of me in the distance. Then it started raining, big huge fat rain drops. It felt good because it was so hot out and I was all sweaty. Then it got harder, then it started hailing. The size of peanut m&ms which displeased me. Then it was raining so hard I was totally drenched and still 15 minutes away. I tried to run some of it but ended up taking cover under trees to catch my breath before sprinting to the next set of trees overhanging the trail. I was soaked through by the time I got back to my car, only to realize my windows were down and the contents of my car were wet. This threw me into a delightful mood. I was also hungry which didn't help. I called Sos on the way home and asked her if I could see her dress a different day because I needed to get home and dry off. Eric called right when I walked through the door and listened to me bitch for a while as I devoured fruit nut medley in his ear. He asked some questions about the weekend then we hung up. I made some dinner with stuff from my fridge, did a little cleaning, watched some shows, played on the net and eventually made it into the shower. I did some laundry and Eric called back. I told him I needed to talk to Kay-See about carpooling options so we hung up and I talked to her for a while and I could tell she wasn't pleased but she said it was ok. After hanging up I called Susan and she filled me in on interesting boy developments. I did some more laundry and went to bed about 11:30. Too late.

Tuesday 7/1, I had plans to meet Gary in Ballard so I wasn't sure how that was going to go. I went for a short half hour walk down the trail then home where I showered quickly and talked to Eric. He called me a whore for going out with Gary then said he appreciated me telling him. I drove into Ballard, found parking and called Chrystol to find out if she was going to the HR show later that night and what I was up to and that I would call her when I was done with dinner. I walked up to Sonic Boom where I perused the used section but didn't find any treasures and saw Gary looking through cds so I went over and we did a hug and started walking around. I pointed us in one direction and he wanted to go in the other so I conceded because it didn't mean that much to me to go my way. I told him I don't like Indian or seafood so he said that's where we were going to eat dinner. We walked all over the place for a good 45 minutes or so talking about hs and people we knew and Deidre and musicals, and being successful and driving a nice car and Audis vs BMWs and eventually ended up on Market again and decided easily on Matador. We had a nice table by the windows and the breeze coming in felt good. We continued talking about drinking and religion and our exes and Eric and his divorce and interactions between people and happiness and real estate and being married too young. It was stimulating and fun and refreshing. I love meeting new people and really love meeting people who are on the same page and have something substantial to bring to the table. It was nice. One thing he said that has stuck with me since our meeting is that he says he wants to interact and build relationships with people who leave him feeling like he’s learned something or is a better person for having spent time with them and that he hopes they feel the same way or can say the same thing about their time with him. This is so simple, yet such a great way to view all relationships. So we stayed there until almost 10 then bailed and headed to my car. He'd walked down so I asked him if he wanted a ride and he said yes so we walked to my car and I stepped in a hole and told him to watch that spot then in the car he praised me for knowing how to drive a stick and off we went. I dropped him and we both agreed to do it again and I drove off calling Chrystol. She said come to her house and she would meet me. Inside she showed me her new purchases and decided to wear a new dress to the show. She gave me some rose water oil or something for my face because it was peeling like crazy. She showed me some guy she wants to set Kay-See up with then the pictures from the party and we laughed a lot. We set out and passed a guy walking to my car and I was like "Hi!" and he goes "Hey, how are you?" in this insanely deep voice and I was like "I'm grrreat!" then I exclaimed to Chrystol "Did you hear how low his voice was?!" and tried to imitate it. She told me that's who she wants to fix me up with next because he has red hair, and I was like "What?! I'm dating Eric!" so that was funny. In the car and over to High Dive where we saw some guy crossing the street walking really bizarrely. We had our ids checked and paid and found two bar stools at the end of the bar closest to the stage. They were already on and Sam was wearing his glasses and Justin was playing guitar with them. It was a totally different vibe and both Chrystol and I couldn't believe how different they sounded. Really fantastic. Not that they usually don't sound good, it was just so different. Chrystol remarked that Sam seemed to have a vulnerability and that his presence was quite mysterious or alluring or something. I like what they usually do but I preferred what they were doing that night; mellow, beautiful and audibly pleasing with bits of energy injected in all the necessary places. Empty Parking Lots was particularly amazing and blew Chrsytol's mind. There was a song earlier in the set (I think One Last Cigarette) that I absolutely loved and remember thinking "I'm in love with this song and this moment". It was great. Anyway, enough rambling. There was some short drunk older guy dancing and cracking us up and he was soo into it and eventually made his way over to us and asked if we were with the band and we confirmed. He would go out and dance then come back and was trying to flirt or something. He was with this bigger guy who was dancing with all these girls and I couldn't get enough, especially when he dipped them all the way to the ground and you could see right up their skirts. Fantastic! Then they came back over and the bigger guy kept telling Chrystol he wanted to book the HR but he would only do it through her and she was getting increasingly frustrated, especially when he put his hand on her leg. She almost pushed him over. My guy was intent on figuring out my name. He guessed Elizabeth and I was like "You guessed it!" but he was skeptical so I said, "Didn't you just hear that last song? It's called Elizabeth Street" and he's like "Noooo, it's about you?" and gave me the fist bump then I told him Sam was my bf and he said they had a good sound. He went off again and was pestering the sound guy because apparently he wanted Justin's guitar turned up but the guy was having none of it. When the guys were done they came over and I told Sam if anyone asked I was Elizabeth and he was my bf and he dutifully responded with "Oh, ok" so no worries there. Chrystol and I gushed to Sam about how much we loved the set and he seemed pleased that we'd enjoyed it. I met Schuyler's cousin and her bf and Schuyler came over and Chrystol was telling him about the drunk guys. Justin came over so I got a hug from him and we talked about Kassie, cars, breakfast with the P*nks later this month, his new cd and direction in which he's going, musically. He gave me a copy of his album and I told him I'd find him on myspace. It was late so I offered a collective goodbye and told Chrystol I'd call her later in the week about the weekend. I walked to my car and drove home and got into bed right around 1:00.

Monday 6/30, I was awoken by Eric kissing me all over and moving me around again and it was nice but I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open and just laid there. He eventually got up and ready and left but when I looked at the clock it wasn't even 6 so he was up extremely early. Must've been restless. Work was tiring and a thorn in my side. I talked to Eric on the way home and told him all about my frustrating day. At home I cleaned a bit from the weekend's events and Susan came over and we jabbered away and watched our usual old shows and Bachelorette and ate broccoli and rice and dried fruit. We both had our computers out and showed each other stuff and looked at the pictures from the party and laughed about how silly boys are. Especially ones who don't text back. We had a good time gossiping and trash talking the contestants. At 10 we both turned in to our respective rooms and went to bed.

Sunday 6/29, We woke up around 7 and both stirred and I griped about the crows and Eric told me to take it easy and provided some fun facts about the noisy creatures. We talked about my "robots" and I kept going "beep beep boop beep" which thoroughly amused both of us. We finally decided to get up and moving so I called Kay-See around 9:40 and she was done with her race so we told her we'd meet her at Brown Bag. We quickly got ready and out the door talking all the way to Kirkland. Her and her parents already had a table and I said hi to her parents who I haven't seen in a year and a half or so. Introductions were made we perused the menu while catching up. K seemed to be pretty energetic considering she'd just run over 13 miles. She convinced me to get the cinnamon roll french toast and it was really tasty. We took some pictures outside the restaurant and told K we'd call her in a bit and headed back to my house. We did some cleaning when we got back and Eric took out all the trash and threw away the grill cover and grate while I pulled down decorations and tried to clean the kitchen a bit more. I grabbed my suit and some towels and off we went with K letting us in to park in the garage. We put on some sun screen then, got some water and headed up to the roof to work on our tans. Luckily there were three free lounge chairs so we snaked them and laid down. It was really hot but there was a great breeze. I eventually got too hot though and moved over into the shade and when Eric woke up he dragged a table and umbrella over for me so I could sit closer to them in the shade. I paged through some magazines and I read them some hilarious male "facts" out of Cosmo and asked Eric the questions to see if he fit into the majority. We stayed out there until almost 4 then back down to use the bathroom and I called Dad and he wanted to know when I was coming back so we hit the road. When we got there all the rest of the decor came down and I vacuumed all the confetti up and Eric loaded the chairs into his car. The place finally looked respectable and I left the leaf in the table because it kind of looks nice. We went over to Grandma's and waited for Dad and I talked to Dad in SD about the 4th and the property and I confirmed, then in to Grandma's to move some stuff. Over to Grandma's condo where I found some little things to take home and some extra keys to my front door and started clearing off the shelves. Eric and I left and went over to the house where Grandma and Mom were sitting in the family room which was hotter than hell so I coaxed them into the living room. We sat in there and talked for a little while then Mom got dinner going and Grandma and I did her exercises and sat down at the table. We had lamb, cous cous, naan and Mom's delicious tzaziki which I slathered on everything. We did best and worst, which I had warned Eric about, then talked about recycling and garbage and eventually got dessert on the table - brownies and vanilla ice cream. Yum! We ate that and talked some more then back into the living room where Mom snipped Fritzy's dred and Tigre tried to eat it. Eric and I took off not too much later and laid on my couch when we got back and I gave him a key and we just laid together as it got darker outside and talked about his exes. We started making out and I said I needed to shower so we did that and it got very heated but still no sex, though it was incredibly difficult not to. We got into bed and continued and after another 45 minutes or so of messing around got all cleaned up again, laid there discussing technique, style and preferences so that was informative but also hilarious. We talk about everything and I love it. It was really hot so I got a cold wash cloth and wiped it all over his body then got it cold again and did it all over again. It was still hot so I got a different sheet for the bed and eventually fell asleep.

Saturday 6/28, I woke up at 8 and got moving. Called Mom and talked to Dad about coming over to borrow some stuff. I headed over and stopped at QFC first to pick out some papayas and onions then over to Mom's. I grabbed a bunch of platters, bowls, chairs and a few ingredients (coconut extract! and non-sweetened coconut flakes!). She gave me the little fruit plates and a matching round serving platter that's so cute! I stayed for a little while telling them about the party and such then headed on my way to finish getting ready. When I got home I busted it out. I got so much stuff done and managed to get the mango salsa done before Kay-See and Michelle showed up. Around 11 maybe. Then Sos called so I told her to come over and help. We started going on the cake (K on the cake itself and Michelle on the lemon curd) and the papaya, avo and pineapple salad. It was fun having a bunch of girls in the kitchen and I asked about ball play and Sos did an interesting demonstration then admitted, along with everyone else, that she had no idea. Lots of cooking and prepping happened then Sos left and we continued on and started in on decorating but Shell pretty much took care of all that and showed me her costume too, which I knew was going to be a riot. Eric showed up early at 3:30 and helped by bringing up the ac from the garage and other little things. He didn’t pick up the bird because he wanted to show Schuyler and Chrystol. I went and got ready and so did the others then Susan came over and hung out as we waited for it to near 5:30. The frosting and lemon curd had taken a little longer than anticipated and we were all cursing the frosting under our collective breath. We worked it out though and all agreed that spilled frosting and curd demanded to be licked off the counter. Sos and Jake were the next to show up and C & S said they were going to be a little late. It was getting pretty hot in my place but the energy was high. Eric put on his wetsuit and must’ve sweated out about 6 pounds. Michelle came down and was so hilarious and unrecognizable and thankfully Susan had her camera because I can’t find my charger so she let me get some pictures. Susan looked kicky as a golfer and pretended to club Michelle. Lastly C & S arrived so everyone was there and mingling and eating. I was informed my grill was not up to par so K and I had to improvise and use the broiler which was hotter than hell but it all turned out well. Eric went and got ice and returned with 4 bags like we needed ice for a compound or something. Finally we got the table set up and everyone dished up and started the game. It was fun and Chrystol was really good as a valley girl type swimsuit model and her reference to a bj had us all in stitches. About halfway through the confetti on the table and it’s ability to be used as mini flying weapons became entirely more entertaining than the game itself. I got nailed in the kitchen a few times and I watched as these sparkly things flew from one end of the table to the other hitting whoever was in the way. The game was fun and Schuyler did it and was only guessed by Shell. Afterward we got the cake out and sang happy birthday to Chrystol and the cake looked fantastic and she appreciated it. We chowed down but I don’t think anyone had any of the caramel. We all stood around talking for a long time while I cleaned up then K and Shell took off because K was running a half marathon the next morning at 7. Sos and Jake were the next to leave and took said they would probably go to Plain for the weekend and bring the dogs. C & S stuck around for a while and cleaning continued and they agreed they would probably come too then they took off. We did a little more cleaning but I was exhausted so I threw in the towel and we went up to bed. We kissed for a long time and talked but I was falling asleep so he let me just pass out because I clearly wasn’t listening to him at that point.

Friday 6/27, I went for a short walk and talked to Kay-See about plans and talked to Jess to see where she was at. I made plans to call K a bit later after getting home. I started cleaning and doing some things and got distracted and eventually called K and she had expected me to call earlier than I did and I could tell she was a bit irritated but I told her I’d hurry and be over as soon as possible. I showered, finished off some leftovers and hit the road. I was having trouble parking so she told me to park in the garage and let me in. She’d gotten a pizza and we started making lists of what we needed and set out. First up was Trader Joe’s where we got a ton of stuff and I successfully picked out a couple pineapples. Next we headed over to Safeway and K started dancing and all the employees were getting a kick out of it then Evan helped me pick out some mangos then he asked what we were doing that night and I told him he was looking at it. I tracked him down later too to help me find the lemons. K kept bringing all these things for me to buy but we couldn’t find coconut extract so we settled for rum extract. We checked out and the girl dropped my avos like I predicted. Lastly we hit Madison Market where we found the coconut and almond flour but no papayas. We were tired and it was late so we headed back to her house and unloaded into the fridge and started talking about the next day then realized that the frosting preparation required hours to make so we started on that and after freaking out a bit and a little fudging of the cooling times I left at almost midnight. I called Auntie Lauryn on the way home and told her about the party and hit the sack when I got home.

Thursday 6/26, I called Sos and went over to her place after errands and we went for a long walk around Issaquah. We headed out the door with the dogs and down the railroad tracks. She took me on a new route through a little park and we talked about autism and the effects and people who continue to have children even though they know their children will be autistic and that it's pretty selfish. I can't even imagine the quality of life never mind what it does to your relationships. It was interesting. Then talk turned to me and Eric and I gushed about him for a long time and she's glad I've found someone that compliments me so well and is so sweet and nice to me. Back at her place she told Jake to go to the store to get stuff for dinner and we sat out on the back porch and talked about guys and college and penis size and it was hilarious. Noah with the nostrils. The only trait I can remember about him apparently. I stayed a little while longer after Jake returned then I went home to start on cleaning and getting things set up. I talked to Susan for a long time then I think Dad and Mom and maybe Jess. I don't remember, it's a blur. I know I needed to catch up on a lot of phone calls but I don't remember particulars. Maybe some laundry and cleaning pretty much.

Wednesday 6/25, I got home a little early and Eric was on the couch and told me about his day then asked if I was ready to go run all my errands. We set out for the party store and got some tropical décor and I called Eric “clown” to the cashier and she didn’t even flinch which Eric thought was hilarious. Next was Target to take back the double sided tape and get a candle then over to BB&B to cruise through but didn’t get anything then over to the bank to deposit a check, then QFC for yogurt and attempted at some of the coconut cake ingredients but came up pretty much empty. Over to Costco next for a few things and Eric and I made a face at some lady’s back and she turned around so we fled, laughing all the way to the dvds. We found the lowest priced chicken then hit the bricks over to Trader Joe’s and came up empty there but got some other provisions and finally headed home because I was starving. He had prepped some amazing fajitas so all he had to do was throw everything in the pan. They were the most amazing fajitas I’d ever had with huge yellow and orange peppers and big chunky onions. I ate two big ones then called it good. We forgot the mochi in the fridge and instead he got out the coconut ice cream and cut up a bunch of mango making for a nice fresh dessert. We went upstairs and I was blindfolded and made to feel very good. Let’s leave it at that. Went to bed late again, making the most of the rest of our time together.

Tuesday 6/24, Eric was awake before me and was cuddling me and kissing me and when I woke up a little we talked for a while and continued to cuddle until I had to get up. I called him at lunch and he was shopping for dinner and I was getting excited to see what he had up his sleeve. I got Shell's number and texted her details of the murder mystery party and the blog to check out the deets. Peggy let me leave a little early so when I got home Eric wasn't expecting me and was in full tilt dinner prep mode. He got me some beautiful hydrangeas and lavender and a card and it was so sweet and he signed it "Eric B." which cracked me up. He's such a sweetheart. He said he had another surprise and we had to go upstairs and next to my bed were more hydrangeas and another card that said "You turn me on" and inside was good for one hand and foot massage, oooOOOOooh! I couldn't wait to cash in on those. We went back downstairs and he got out this HUGE platter of fruit he'd prepared. Pineapple, mango, papaya, grapes and kiwi. I was in heaven and couldn't stop eating. It was all so good and got me excited for the party. We sat on the couch and talked about our days then decided to go on a walk so I called Sos but she didn't answer so we got ready and set out. We went on the walk she took me on a few weeks ago and started our ascent. It was beautiful and warm out and we made that mountain our bitch. At the top we looked over Issaquah and could see Seattle and it was really stunning, enhanced by the sun shining. We continued walking and looked at all the beautiful wild flowers and talked about people who do philanthropic work and how admirable it is. Also about how much he appreciates me and I feel the same way about him and how sweet he is. We turned into the woods and talked about how small we are and how you can't explore everything or see everything and how much we don't know. As we were coming out of the forest Dad called and said he'd let me go because if you're talking it means you're not hiking hard enough. Eric nailed two electric poles with rocks from really far away and I asked him why he doesn’t play baseball because those suckers were really far away. Down the mountain we went after I teased him about stepping on his glasses so he couldn't see the view. We practically ran down the mountain and into the car and home. He got dinner going and made three different delicious stir frys: one with large red and green peppers chunks, onions the same size and pea pods, the second was tofu, broccoli, bamboo shoots and carrots and the last was soba noodles with chicken and green onion and each had a different marinade and sauces and we ate a TON. They were all so good I didn't want to stop but knew I needed to. We sat and talked then I got up and started cleaning up and we got ready to head into Seattle. I called Jess and we made plans to meet up and that I would call when we got in. We took off and found parking and went into TiB and started our discovery. Eric was blown away and we had a lot of fun testing things and we both laughed when the bullets started vibrating on the counter and made a loud noise. We walked around for a long time and giggled and talked slightly dirty to each other and I showed him the Sextrology book and he agreed with some but scoffed at others. Finally I decided on my purchase then he made a sneaky purchase as well and it was cute and pink and he was very excited about it. We walked down to Tango and got a seat in the bar and ordered the El Diablo and he said it’s probably the best dessert he’d ever had. We made quick work of it, paid the bill and headed back to the car and I texted Jess and she told me to forget about going into Fremont and to have a good time with our purchases instead. We went back to my house and stripped down and had some fun but not with my new thing, just the one he got me. Went to bed pretty late, maybe midnight.