Tuesday 9/1, Dad couldn't sleep past 3:30 so he got up and him and Eric started the day at 4 and got going. I went back and climbed into bed with Mom and we slept until about 7 through all kinds of craziness, apparently. It was a turn-y and bumpy ride. Drove to Hungry Horse, Montana. We had lunch at some local place and three of the four of us had the elk, but it was overdone so I wasn’t very impressed. We drove to Glacier National Park and stopped at the Canadian tourist center and looked at the t-rex, crazy! And then wondered whether or not we were in Canada (no, but you can access it through the park). We went into the park ($25 for a week pass – the only kind of pass available) and drove north along Lake McDonald to the lodge. We went in and it was really cool with lots of animals (from long ago) and then outside to the lake and the water was so clear you could see the bottom from 20 pounds up. We took off and kept up the Road to the Sun drive and stopped at a beautiful waterfall that looked manmade it was so perfect. We walked down and across the bridge. We continued up and headed up, up, up the mountain. After lots of construction we made it to the top and saw deer, prairie dogs, and mountain goats. At the top there was grizzly watch, which made me nervous, but Eric brushed it off. The four of us walked up to what felt like the heavens, it was so beautiful. Little outgoing gophers everywhere. We wanted to stay but a storm system was coming in from one direction, while the sun was still hitting us as we descended. It was absolutely beautiful. No words can describe. We walked back down to the car and into the rain. We drove back down and the view was amazing from our incredible height. We drove out of park and stopped for dinner and had a really funny waitress. The food was disappointing, but at least we were entertained. We went home and I sent some emails and checked facebook then all of us to bed.

Monday 8/31, I left work at 1:30 to finish the process of packing, getting the dogs ready and house more organized. LPC sent a flirty message that made me giggle and want to show Kay-See. At home I checked flight info, traffic, packed dog stuff and relaxed for a little bit before heading over to Mom's with everything. Went over the dog stuff with Mom and watched the dogs settle in. It was time to go so I told them to be good then headed out and got a text from Dad that they'd landed. I went straight there and the timing could not have been more perfect. They came out literally two minutes before I pulled up. We had a good time talking on the way back and when we got to mine they tried to figure out Aubs' ticket and Eric showed up 15 minutes later. We packed up and took off. There was a little traffic and soon we were moving and stopped at 59er Diner for dinner and had milkshakes then over to the property where the whirlwind began. Eric and Dad worked furiously and I transferred food from the garage. Soon we were on our way (9:30) and headed to Safeway where me and Mom both fell asleep temporarily. We went in the store while Dad gassed up and got some food and soon back on the road talking about family dynamics and inheritance issues spurred by the past weekend’s events. We finally stopped at Coulee or something and it was midnight and we were all tired and ready for bed.

Sunday 8/30, I was up by 9 and made a run to goodwill, PetSmart to return the crate, Office Depot for bubble wrap and back home to finish with boxes and packed up the car. I went over to Mom's to drop some things off and we talked for a long time, especially about Kassie's floorplan and house planning process. I eventually went over and we started finally making some headway with a little encouragement to stay on task. I left by 4:30 I think and headed home and said we'd be back later for dinner. At home I took the dogs for a walk and they enjoyed that then home and more sorting, etc. Eric showed up and cleaned the car and got ready and off we went to pick up AL and to Maggiano's for dinner. There was so much food and I overate, but it was very good. We headed home and I confused Eric and told him the wrong exit and we ended up going to my house to meet Brizo then went back to Grandma's with B in tow to introduce to Grandma. We loaded up two shelves and Grandma's bachelor chest and I love it and totally am going to use it. It was so late by the time we got going, like 10:45 so we said goodbye and hugs and kisses and home. I took the dogs out then we got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Saturday 8/29, I got up at like 7:30 and couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and went to get gas then home and washed sheets and all the bedding and put clothes away and did house stuff. Eric was working overtime all weekend. It felt good to get some things done. I called Auntie Lauryn to check in and offered to go over to help. I talked to Mom later that morning and she asked me to pick up a dog crate so I ran into Issaquah then over to MI. The crate was too big so I went over to All the Best and got a different one. I was there for about three hours and there was all kinds of drama between Grandma, Mom, Alan and AL. What else is new? I helped Grandma decide what she wanted to take vs give away. I took six boxes and a couple bags and headed home to check on the dogs and told her I'd come back later. I went home and took the dogs for a walk because Eric was on his way and just wanted to relax. The pups were good and I think enjoyed getting out. I relaxed for a while then went through boxes to figure out what I wanted and what could go to goodwill then eventually headed back over around 8. I was there until 10:30 I think but had fun looking at old computers and want Grandma to write on the backs so I know the who, where, when of the pictures. I went home and Eric was asleep so I relaxed downstairs then went up and eventually went to bed.

Friday 8/28, I talked to Miska and she wanted me to come by after work so when Sos called to see if we wanted to do dinner she offered to go with me to try and alleviate any weird / awkward pressure moments. I went home after work and dropped the dogs then back over to her house and we took off right away for Fall City. We found her place fine and it's absolutely beautiful, and huge. She had art EVERYWHERE. I loved it. I even loved some of her Madonna and Child pieces. She showed me the goat and I liked it but didn't know about the colors. I told her I'd buy the rabbit if it was there so she told me to call the gallery and see about it. We stayed a while and talked art then took off for her house. We sat in the car talking about plans for the evening and Jake showed up so we discussed options and decided on Indian and went to get a movie for after dinner. We picked out Adventureland. I went home and got ready and waited for them to come over. We fed the dogs and took them out then left for Crossroads for the place Droohv recommended. There was hardly anyone there so that was good for us. We all got different things and weren't sure what we were getting. They were all good and we all finished. We walked over to QFC for candy then found the boys in Half Priced Books. I went over to Silver Platters and looked at cds and got She and Him and an older Dr. Dog. We were there pretty late, observing. Went back to mine and watched the movie and it was good, not great, and we ate a lot of candy. They went home and I think it was close to midnight. That might have been the night where I-5 was closed down because of a couple gunmen. Maybe it was Saturday night.

Thursday 8/27, I went home and did some stuff around the house and Susan called to say she was on her way over. It was really warm out so we didn't go on a walk and instead stayed inside where it was nice and cool. We talked about our boys and the dogs, etc. Eric came home then went to a meeting. After he got home Susan took off shortly after. I think I made something easy for dinner, like oatmeal, and we relaxed for the rest of the evening. I don't really remember.

Wednesday 8/26, Dad called during the day that Kama wasn't doing well and was having trouble breathing and that she may have to be put down later. He called after 3 and told me they'd put her down. Mom was a wreck. I didn't talk to her and I could tell by Dad's message he was upset too. It was pretty unexpected and extremely sad. Poor Kama. I went home after work and called about the goat painting and left a message; we'll see if I hear back. Eric came home and I told him about Kama and he expressed his sympathy. We took the dogs up for a walk and I got some good shots of Brizo to send to David. We took our time and headed home. Eric started dinner and I showered and looked at stuff online. He made really delicious turkey burgers and used bread crumbs, onion and egg with it then topped with cheese and all sorts of accoutrements. He made some big steak fries too and I ate way too much. We watched WoF and Jeopardy then went to Barnes and Noble to get a dog book. I couldn't find one I really liked and Eric was infuriating me telling me Brizo is really a Toy Fox Terrier because that's what they show in the books. I was irritated and after we went home he continued. He eventually apologized, but now I'm wondering, perhaps she is fox and not rat. Ha. Temper tantrums a plenty! If you search for rats on petfinder you get dogs that look like Brizo and if you search fox terrier you get only one or two that look like Brizo and the rest look nothing like her. Don't know. Someone’s off; either the dog books or people posting dogs online. We went up and got ready for bed and talked for a while then went to sleep, by 11.

Tuesday 8/25, I asked and was generously rewarded. More than twice what was requested. Castor will have his surgery afterall! I was in a terrific mood all day and couldn't wait until Eric got home. I called Miska and talked about the goat and rabbit paintings and I don't love the goat painting so I don't know what I'm going to do. I emailed David Walega and I'm going to do 16x16 so those should be perfect. Eric got home and I told him my news and it blew his socks off, even though the dogs playing tug of war was holding his attention more than my story. He went in the other room and finished rearranging and got the filing cabinet into the little closet and arranged all his clothes on the shelves. We went up for a walk and apparently there's another coyote up there and it was a good thing I was carrying Brizo for a good part of it. At home we fed the dogs and took off for Noodle Boat for dinner. We sat outside by the paramedics and had a nice dinner. We got an appetizer and I got the curry. It was very good. Chrystol called to see about picking up her camera. At home I did some research online, art, real estate, dogs, etc. Chrystol came and we sat in the living room talking about camping, hiking and other stuff. She left around 9:30 and I went back upstairs and continued on my internet quest(s). Eric came up at 10 and we looked at some things online for a while and he wanted Brizo on the bed but I told him no. We went to bed by 11.

Monday 8/24, I wanted to ask Peggy something and had been formulating but chickened out and was mad at myself. After work I was home for a while before Eric got there. I read emails from the pet portraitist and did some other things then Eric arrived and up to the park we went. We did one and a half times around and that was fun. We stopped at the store on the way home and Eric grabbed a few things and started a big salad when we got home. I had the rest of the Chinese food and snacked on a bit of his salad while we watched Friends. I did some more stuff upstairs and we went to bed by 11.

Sunday 8/23, Got up and took Castor for a walk at the park and he loved it. At home I got ready and called Kay-See to confirm plans for brunch. I took off before 11 and got to her house quickly and picked her up and headed down to Dahlia Lounge. We checked out the bakery first then to the restaurant and seated. We ordered monkey bread to begin and it was so good. I got the two eggs breakfast and ate it all and it was sooo good. We caught up and gossiped and it was really fun - more of that needs to happen. After breakfast we went back to the bakery and each got a fig cookie (like a fig newton on steroids) and I got a chocolate cookie. We walked to the Rack and perused accessories then upstairs to the shoes. We were up there forever and I started getting crampy again so I sat on the floor and spotted shoes for K from that unorthodox vantage point. I tried on some really cute ones and there were some comfy mary jane chocolate brown pumps that were very reasonable but I didn't buy them. I should have, looking back. Oh well. Maybe I'll go down this weekend and see if they're still there. We left and walked back to the car and talked the whole way about guys who send out texts to predetermined contacts (ahem, D*n O'Neill) in the middle of the night or whenever just to see who writes them back. I drove K back and dropped her and headed home. I remembered that I wanted to see some open houses so I went home to see the puppies and took them out, looked up addresses and hit the road. First I went to my favorite neighborhood for a $639k and the main floor was great and 2 car with carport on the side, but the basement was a little basement-y even though it was huge and all redone. Lake view was good. Next up to one off Bellevue Way, much smaller but $10k more and not in as good of shape, needed major remodeling. I went home and relaxed and fell asleep until Eric got home from his movie. He'd done all kinds of chores for me whilst at home. We went to return the extra breaker, then Costco where we went aisle to aisle but then my period cock blocked us from seeing the rest and had to go home. We went to the store sometime later and took the dogs for a walk up at the park. I think we ate leftover Chinese for dinner and hung out. I did a little rearranging in the guest room and it's slowly coming back together. Went to bed.

Saturday 8/22, Eric was up earlier than me and got my breakfast ready and the dogs'. He woke me up at 8:30 because Chrystol and Schuyler were going to be there by 9. They didn't get there until 9:45 or so and we took off for Snow Lake, a 3 mile hike. The car ride took a while and both Chrystol and I were grumpy and determined to not have fun. It was a beautiful day and the hike was really pretty too. We made fairly good time and talked about linguistics and healthcare for most of it. I was hungry and at the top ready to stop but we still had to descend down to SL. The walk was great and when we got to the water Castor jumped in and drank forever. I went down to the lake with Castor because the rest of the crew were dilly dallying and I heard this idiot woman and what I'm guessing was her son, having an extremely offensive conversation about how all shelter dogs are "messed up" and I wanted to shout at her that she was a moron and how do you think those dogs got there? Idiot people who don't know how to take care of dogs. And if you can't figure it out from there then you're an idiot owner too. It's called training, ever heard of it? Such ignorance. Eric came down and goes "That must have been a great conversation for you to listen to" and I huffed. I loudly expressed my irritation, hoping they’d hear me referring to them as idiots. We ate our lunches and I was famished and in a fairly crabby mood but the food really helped. We talked and marveled at how beautiful it was for quite a while. We started our hike back up to the top and Chrystol got a great shot of Castor that would be perfect for his pet portrait and talked about me getting another dog on the way down to the car. Chrystol is all for it especially if it's another little dog for Brizo to play with. We made good time down and I got the other word (first was Celtic, second was soccer). I had nasty cramps by the time we got to the bottom and had to pee and wanted to get out of there but the boys were dawdling and I was getting irritated. Drove home, took the dogs out, went to the bathroom and had some snacks. We all vegged and relaxed and I thought C&S were going to go home but they stayed all day and hung out. After a while we went to Boehm's for chocolate and I got a few then over to XXX to check out the car show and picked out our favorites, Austin Healy and crazy old Bentley from 1926 when the cost of a Ford was $600 and Bently's cost $15,000 and only sold 25 out of 50 the year they were made. Crazy! We went to PCC next for dinner materials and so I could pick up feminine products. At home the boys made dinner and C and I looked at little dogs online. We ate dinner before 9 and continued to talk and half watch tv, some old time singing shows. They left after 10 and we both showered and got ready for bed and hit the sack.

Friday 8/21, I went home after work with intentions of naps and relaxing all evening, but also had in the back of my mind that Sos and Meggs might want to go out before she left the next day. Chatted with Kay-See and firmed up plans for brunch on Sunday. I relaxed and Eric got home and brought a bunch of Chinese for a surprise and also some pretty flowers, gerber daisies, like the first time. We ate a little of the food then headed up to the park and went on a walk with the dogs. Fed them, jumped in the shower, got ready, talked to Sos and headed out when they arrived. We went to Nickerson Street Saloon and Josh and a couple younger guys were there already drinking. We grabbed a table and started chatting, waiting for Meghan to arrive. When she did we all continued talking and her friends came too. We ate and talked and watched some guys fall while running on tv. About 10:30 we headed home and chatted all the way. We were both beat and probably went right to bed.

Thursday 8/20, I took Castor to the vet after work because he has some growth thing in his mouth, but the doc wasn't worried. I'm not thrilled with it though and am working on how I will pony up the cash to have them remove it before December, when my plan renews which would cover the dental. It will be expensive to remove so we'll see. Headed home and found Eric there. I talked to Susan and she got in a wreck as we were hanging up. I talked to Sos about plans for Josh's later that evening and discussed carpooling but it ended up not working because I was going dancing afterward. I went to PCC and got dessert and called Josh to tell him I'd be there a bit late, he was ok with that. At home I got ready and rolled out a little before 7. Called Dad and talked to Aubrie for a long time about BC and HP then to Dad about the power and our trip to MN. I went in to Josh and Lena's and talked to her for a minute or two and she wasn't going to move from the couch all night. Into the kitchen to say hi to Meghan and her bf, Ernesto, who made the best guac I've ever had (key ingrediant: mango). Most of us migrated down to the bbq and talked and laughed and avoided getting paint on Keemy's shoes. We went up to eat dinner, fish tacos, and sat around talking about the old days foreverrrr. I liked the fish, but it was halibut so nothing stinky. We chatted and it was a lot of fun. Hakim told us the story how "Keemy" came to be his nickname which had us all laughing. I kept cracking jokes and was on fire; Eric would have rolled his eyes a lot. We had some dessert then I took off a little after 10 and went to Susan's to see her new place which is super cute and feels way bigger than the last. We went to Neighbs and the only regular was the sweaty bald black tank top guy and Susan's clapping bf with a new bf of his own (good for him!). We were upstairs for a while, but mostly danced. We saw Chris but he didn't see us and seemed to disappear as quickly as he appeared. The music was good and we kept an eye out for people but NO ONE showed up. Not even the trannies and Margot, who's always there. The drag show started at 12:05 so we left by 12:15 out of frustration. Back to the cars and home in bed before 1, yay!

Wednesday 8/19, I went straight over to Mom's for dinner and to say bye to Alix who was leaving on Friday back to the East Coast for college. Mom and I talked and Brizo was so busy checking everything out and going outside and eating things off the floor. It was like I didn't exist and it totally shocked me. I figured she'd be freaked out, but nope, not at all. Fritz loved her and kept licking her crotch, but still hates Castor and follows him around and snaps at him. Dad kept wanting Brizo to come to him but that wasn't going to happen. We had dinner and dessert (brownies) and since I'd been there since 3:45 I hit the road to try and get the breaker figured out. I called both Lowe's and Home Depot and HD had one that sounded like it would work. The guy on the other line was trying to flirt but he was going to have a wake up call when I showed up with Eric. We drove down, bought two because we didn't know which one we needed and headed home. I called Dad and he guided us through why you can't just turn the breakers off and start messing with stuff. We had to find the main shut off and thank goodness Eric found it; at the meters and for all the other houses in my building. I tested to see if mine was the one we thought it was, yes. Eric started at it and I held the flashlight and about 10 minutes later we had the old one out, the new one in, flipped the power back on and power was restored to the entire house. It totally fixed the problem and no flickering and everything back on and I was so happy. Ecstatic, in fact. We celebrated by taking Castor and Brizo for a walk up the hill. I was so relieved it was finally fixed. At home I don't remember, maybe just cleaned up, read and went to bed.

Tuesday 8/18, Susan was supposed to come over after work but there was an accident by my house and traffic was backed up so she decided not to. We chatted on the phone instead. Eric came up and we had dinner. I took Castor for a nice walk just the two of us at 7:40 and did 2 times around. At home the power went out and I was agitated, then to top it off Brizo peed on bathroom rug and there was some brown shit on one of my other bathroom rugs. I couldn't deal so I went and read downstairs for a while. Eric came down and we talked and I apologized for losing it then we talked about doing it so we went back upstairs and got it on. Good ending this time.

Monday 8/17, Off work early and went home and went through like 5 mags from Susan and it felt good to get rid of some. Dogs snoozed. Eric showed up late, like 5:30 and showered then we decided to try and fix the power problem in my room. We disconnected and reconnected the new lights and took off all switch and outlet covers (but two) to check for arcing or burning but couldn't find anything. Frustrating. At first it appeared to have worked. It took a while for the power to go back out but eventually it did and we were both at our boiling point. Next stop: new breaker. We were tired and Eric didn't feel like cooking so off we went to Chipotle and watched as people sped through the parking lot and almost ran into each other over and over again. People are stupid. Dinner was good then it was back home where I went though more mags and took Castor up to the Immersion School. Eric wanted to go to bed early again so we talked and cuddled and I got the dogs ready for bed and couldn't check my email etc because the power was out again. I was agitated but we made the most of it and went to sleep by 10.

Sunday 8/16, Eric was up early and went out and got stuff for breakfast so I was up by 8:30 wondering what deliciousness he was going to make. He had other plans in mind, however. We messed around but it didn't end with the bang it usually does. I showered off and he started breakfast and made some of the best waffles ever (secret ingredient: cinnamon) and the most perfect omelet after watching Julia Child do one and to cap it off some sausage. Breakfast of champions. He cleaned up the kitchen and we decided to take the dogs for a walk but received a call from Sos asking about going to the 12:10 showing of HP so we made it a quick walk. We ran them around on the soccer field and they were both rolling around on their backs and Brizo followed Castor around peeing on the same things he peed on - hilarious. We did that for 20 minutes or so then headed home to drop them off but Castor puked and thank god Eric pulled him out of the living room onto the hardwood because holy hell, it was a lot of puke. Eric cleaned it up and off we went. Too much running around too close to breakfast. We bought our tickets and waited for Sos and Jake and went in. We laughed through most of the previews then the movie started. I'm not sure why they changed so much of the movie - like it wasn't a great story to begin with (?), but I think it took away from it a lot. Jake fell asleep and Sos and Eric were less than impressed. The book is way better and it makes me less excited for the last one, assuming they're going to just keep taking creative liberties that had nothing to do with the books in the first place. After the movie we parted and we went home where we relaxed a bit then I suggested a walk and to try a new park. I don't remember the name but it's off the Lake Hills Connector and it was pretty but we didn't do that much exploring. Eric and I got in a snit because he wanted to go over to the farm but I didn't want to because it said "No Dogs" so that put him in a bad mood. We took a trail down to some streams instead and walked around a bit then back up and down to the car. On the way home we stopped at the store and got stuff for dinner and the week. Almost home and Brizo puked on the floormat. Bad day for the pups. When we got home I started rearranging the guest room and like how it looks a lot better. Eric started dinner (turkey soft tacos) and it was done before long. I had two and cursed myself for not stopping at one. We watched some tv and I looked through some mags. Eric was ready for bed by 8:30 so we laid in bed and talked and I eventually went downstairs and read down there for a bit and did dog stuff then up to bed and more reading and wrote Kass an email on good international places to go in January then went to sleep - 11:00.

Saturday 8/15, I couldn't sleep past 7 so I finally got up at 7:30 and took the dogs out. Sue was going out for a walk at the same time so we talked about her break in, the dogs, Eric and some of our questionable neighbors. Back inside I cleaned up the kitchen then threw some clothes on and headed to the farmer's market to see about tracking down the Miska - no luck. I bought some veggies and apples though. Hit the vet for more of Brizo's meds then home. I took the dogs to Robinswood for a walk and as we were walking to the horse corral these people marveled at Castor "Look at how shiny his coat is!" and as we walked away I told him he was America's favorite dog. We hung in the corral for a while and Castor and Brizo both did lots of marking. We walked in the woods a little then out on the lawn and back up and around the trail to the car. Headed home and started my cleaning. Cleaned my bathroom, the kitchen sink and swept and mopped the floors downstairs and in the entryway. It took me a while but I had music and time to kill so I felt accomplished. Then I took a nap, or should I say many little naps? Eric kept calling for status reports and the dogs barked a few times. Eric showed up 45 minutes after he thought he would. He unloaded Dad's car then went and gassed it up. When he returned we left to meet Schuyler and Chrystol at the blueberry farm in Bellevue. They were heading out to the field as we drove up, got our bucket and headed out to find them. Everything was pretty picked over but we made our way around and got a decent amount, though Eric likes the tart ones so our bucket was filled with them. We did lots of laughing and talking and running around. We were there until 6:30 then back home. We decided to go out for dinner and Eric suggested Noodle Boat. We drove down and had a nice dinner with lots of fun conversation. The food was very good but I like the curry I had last time better. After dinner it was home again sitting on the couch and talking (including the pet portraits I'm going to have done) and ice cream and magazine reading. It was fun. I think they were there until 11 and it was off to bed for us.

Friday 8/14, Stopped at the pet store and picked up Brizo's bowl and headed home. I started on HP right away, hell bent on finishing it by the evening's end. I had over 200 pages. I read for a couple hours then took the dogs up to the park and walked around the trail and ran around on the baseball field and got Brizo going all over the place. She wasn't even panting. We went home and I fed them then made oatmeal for dinner (this is what happens when Eric's not around) and kept reading. I talked to Chrystol briefly about plans for the next night and kept on reading. I listened to the Across the Universe soundtrack and finished the book right as Eric was going to sleep. We talked for a few minutes then took the dogs out and headed to bed.