Tuesday 12/29, Got not great news at work about bonus and raise. Bah humbug. I pretty much let that ruin my day. Eric was home sick and kept Castor, but also didn't rest like he should have and ended up doing a bunch of cleaning and laundry. I stopped at the house on the way home and vacuumed the upstairs and cleaned the bathrooms, except showers and filled my car up. Got home around 6, talked to Dad about neighbors car then filled Eric in. We unloaded the car and I put stuff away. He heated up dinner for me and we sat on the couch and ate. I ate an apple, more caramel corn and some cookies. Stress eating? Probably. Watched some tv, then put clothes away and got some laundry going. So much to do still. Showered and in bed by 10. We talked a little before he fell asleep and I wasn't far behind.

Monday 12/28, Felt like a long day. Left my phone at home. Went home and Eric wasn't feeling great and didn't have energy to go to the other house so we puttered around and I put away all my xmas presents while he made dinner and I continued to try and go through stuff. Found some stuff of Kassie's and put away what couldn't be used but took out all the stuff that could (ipod docking station, extension cords, alarm clock). Fed dogs, ate dinner and watched Community marathon. In bed after 10, determined to get my checkbook balanced and finally figured out the mystery. Thank god. All squared away now. Asleep after 11.

Sunday 12/27, Up earlyish again with Eric and Nyx and in for some delicious pull-aparts and other breakfast goodies. We all got ready and hung out. Grandma and Papa rolled out and we weren't far behind to get home to the pups. It was after 11 when we left, which is when we told Alix we'd be back by. The drive went quickly and at home the puppies were very glad to see us. Alix packed up and we relaxed and took it easy for most of the day. There may have been a nap in there. Mom and Dad were going to come park in front of the house for the night. I took Nyx to her appointment and she was better and scheduled an appointment for two weeks. On my way home I stopped at the house to help Eric load up the cars and get the rest of the stuff packed up and moved over. We pretty much got all of it. We got the new light up in the dining room but it wouldn't turn off. Mom and Dad showed up and Dad side swipped the neighbor’s car so that was awful and put Dad in a bad mood, plus Mom hit her head on the tv. Dad helped Eric get the light squared away. We went to Outback for dinner and had a nice time with lots of laughing. Back at home Mom and Dad went to bed and we said our good byes. Eric and I sat on the couch with the big tub of caramel corn from Auntie Heidi and sat and ate and watched the Sound of Music. Good ending to the day. In bed fairly early.

Saturday 12/26, Eric got up early to take pictures of the sunset, of course. I ate a ton for breakfast and everyone loved the quiche. Dad even ate the mushrooms and Papa tried it. Apparently Grandma's been trying for years. We all decided on a movie, Sherlock Holmes, and locked down the 3:30. Kass and I went to Everyday Music and I got a few new cds and some movies. We were there for a bit then over to the theater and got seats with Mom and Auntie Heidi. The movie was good and Eric and I laughed at Grandma's commentary through the previews. We went back to Auntie Heidi's and she was getting dinner ready while I stayed in with Nyx for a bit. She was so much better, back to normal it seemed. We ate dinner then decided to watch Hangover. I brought Nyx in and she sat on my lap while we watched and everyone laughed so hard, even Mom and Dad at various parts. We made Dad leave during the credits and Uncle Brad almost passed out he was laughing so hard. It was off to bed after that and we both slept better.

Friday 12/25, Eric was up at like 6:30 and woke me up at 7:15. I was totally out of it. We got all the dogs situated and Nyx was still sluggish but I wasn't too worried. We rushed over to the house and only Mom and Dad were up; everyone else was still in bed, which if I'd known I wouldn't have rushed over. Oh well. Everyone trickled in and we picked at breakfast and tried to get organized then the presents started and luckily Mom got me that light I wanted for my dining room and Alix got me a big pot with a plant for by the front door. Got some movies from Jake and Sky gave me an Artemis statue and Kassie a cute shirt. It was a good Christmas then the food started and it was all really good, though I didn't have a huge appetite, worrying about Nyx and all. Alix followed us back over to the house and I showed her what needed to be done. We grabbed Nyx, loaded up the car and took off shortly after. Kass texted asking us where we were and was trying to catch up with us. She eventually did right as we were pulling in the driveway. I got Nyx settled right away in the motorhome and Mom was excited to see her. I stayed in there for a while visiting with Mom then I locked Nyx in her little carrier and went inside to say hi. We were able to open our socks but had to wait a long time for Ryan to get there from his family's xmas. We ate and visited and I talked to Susan and Auntie Lauryn throughout the day. I check on Nyx a lot to make sure she was ok and Eric and I took her temp and it was a little under 100 so we were relieved. Finally we started opening presents and it was dark so it must have been after 4. A first for that. Got a lot of good stuff and everyone seemed to like their presents. Alishia was like "Karrah, who's Chuck Bass?" and Aubrie was like "MEEE!" so that made me laugh. Mom's was last and she cried and so did Papa and Grandma so the video was a success. Mom cried when she was dishing up her dinner too and she was like "I'm just thinking about my video" so we all got a kick out of that. Dinner was really good and all us kids were down below in the living room and laughing about this and that. After dinner there was dessert but I didn't eat any, for some odd reason. I was tired and wanted to go to bed so I went in and so did Kass and Sky and Kassie was upset because Sky was drunk. He was like "Am I forgiven, Kass?" and she was like "You're drunk" and him "That doesn't answer my question". I was laughing so hard in the back it was hilarious. I fell asleep with Nyx. Eric came in much later.

Thursday 12/24, Up earlyish, like 7:15. I took the dogs out and fed them but Nyx wouldn't get out of bed which is very unlike her. I knew something was up. We quickly got ready and headed up to Everett to go to the Chuckwagon Inn for breakfast. Mom, Dad and Rose were already there and Chels came shortly after we arrived. We made fun of the Elvis French Toast and the sweet corn (cream) and had a good breakfast. We said our goodbyes then to Chelsea's for present exchange. Their kitchen is gorgeous. Left and home we went, picked up the pups and went to the doctor. Talked to both Mom and Alan and was thoroughly irritated at the accusations and decided not to tell Eric because I knew he'd never step foot in their house again. So f-ing sick of the bs drama. At the vet Castor was a baby, but his stitches came out but still has to wear the cone so that sucked. I bought a new one there but wanted to go to All the Best to see about a better one. Nyx was another story; fever and lethargic aren't good, they told me the best thing would be for her to be on iv and under surveillance. They gave me a thermometer for her and meds so I was freaked and stressed. I called Dad to ask if I could bring her up to Bellingham; he said it was fine. Stopped at ATB and got a better cone and it was cheaper. Went home and tried to get Nyx to lay down and relax and finally did. Talked to Alix for a long time about living situation and summer. Finally relaxing then Eric called and told me I better go to the store if I was going to so I went and got fruit and cheese and back home to hang for 15 minutes. I didn't want to go to Mom's at all, but did. I worried about Nyx the whole time. Dinner was good, prime rib was over cooked, goat cheese turine and fondue were really good. I don't remember if there was dessert. I think I skipped it. Very unlike me. I went home at 8 and tried to take Nyx's temp then there was blood in her poop and I just lost it. Cried on the phone to the ER lady and decided to take her in. I tried to call Eric and he wasn't answering then called Mom and Kass and cried on the phone to them. I felt so overwhelmed and shitty. Bah. Doctor was very nice and told me that she was ok, temp down, blood is somewhat normal. Calmed fears and told me to bring my worry from 100 to 20. Eric showed up and we went home and relaxed. Both tired and ready for bed. Had to be up early the next day.

Wednesday 12/23, I was up by 8 to let the pups out and feed them. I had some cereal and was quiet not wake the girls. Finally they were up and had plans for the day. I took Nyx and Castor for a walk around the block then showered and got ready. Aubrie and I wanted donuts so we went up to Westernco and each got two and proceeded to eat almost all of them. I felt sick. Back at home the girls finished getting ready and headed out. I had plans with Jess but they were getting pushed back. I left the house at 12:30 and went to MI to deposit some money then to Noah's and had a bagel. Talked to Jess and headed to Alderwood; parking was insane, finally got a spot and talked to Mom and Dad for a while in the car. Went in and wandered until Jess called and met her in Macy's. We shopped and I got a sweater for Eric and she got presents and shoes and a dress for herself for Ken's wedding. We finished up shopping and went over to Red Robin to have milkshakes at the bar. We had fun and Jess got two drinks for the price of one. We both wanted fries but didn't indulge. We walked to my car and I drove her to hers and we said bye and I called the girls to tell them I was on the way. Kassie had gotten humbow and I told her not to tell Aubrie what was in them. I had one for dinner. We decided not to go out because we had too much to do with the video. We sat on the couch and watched tv and worked. Aubrie tried to put Nyx on her lap and she cried, then Eric touched her stomach and she did it again. I thought it was just sensory overload but then before bed I picked her up and she yelped so then I knew something was wrong because she's never done that. I decided I'd bring her in to the vet when I took Castor the next day to remove his stitches. We finished up the video, burned it to a dvd, popped it in and it worked so we were relieved and went to bed. We didn’t want to listen to Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend”, Jem’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” nor Grease’s “We Go Together” again for a long time. It was 12:30.

Tuesday 12/22, Mom called during the day and let me know Dad was sick and they wouldn't be there early like they thought. That was good and bad for me. I rushed home and they arrived a few minutes after I did and got the motorhome parked in front of the house. We all went in and got settled and showed them around. Eric was making Shepard’s pie and that was done so we sat down and ate. Dad didn't eat much because of the vertigo. We cleaned up and sat in the living room talking and snuggling on the couch. It was fun. Kassie eventually showed up around 9 and Mom and Dad went to bed not long after that. Kass loved the Shepard’s pie and she wrapped presents for a long time then we started on the video. We figured out our three songs and worked on the timing of all of the pictures. Got the first song done and finally called it a night by 2am. Got Aubs and Kass all tucked in and went to bed.

Monday 12/21, Got some stuff taken over to the house and dropped Jan's stuff off and back to the old house to load up and Eric did a great job moving everything from upstairs to down and made it easy to load. At home we brought everything in and Eric showed me all the stuff he did and it looked great. I was so glad. We fed the dogs then took off fairly quickly for Mom's birthday dinner. We had cashew casserole and it was a good veggie dish, but the cake was terrible. We decorated the tree and it looked good, if not completely weighed down by ornaments. Talked to Alix about watching the dogs and tried to sort out the car and that turned into a big deal and Eric got mad and that turned the rest of the evening into a great irritation. We stopped at the store for some things for the next night then home. Jake texted an apology then called and we talked for a long time then Kassie and it was hard to get anything done around the house with all the drama. I was over it, Eric was pissed off. Ugh. I made Aubrie's bed then we tried to get the receiver and speakers hooked up but were unsuccessful. Finally started wrapping things up and got ready for bed. It was like 11. I was tired. Eric was still too riled up to sleep.

Sunday 12/20, More organizing and unpacking. I got a lot of boxes emptied and Eric fixed the gutter in the back and the lattice on the deck then totally organized everything in the garage and it's spotless. It looks great. We put a ton of stuff up in the rafters and it feels so good to have that extra storage area. We just did that all day until about 2:30 then I convinced Eric that we should go have Santa pictures done with the dogs at PetSmart. We showered and got ready and went down there and did it and got two, one for us and one for Mom. I went over to check out the Ginger's Rescue dogs and Patty was there, Brizo's (24 hour) foster and we talked for a long time about how she's doing and how Foxy Man (the little boy who was with Brizo at the time) finally got adopted by some rattie lovers, yay! Took off and went home and had to redo Castor's leg and Eric wasn't happy about his antics at the store (escaped in an aisle). Back at home we took it easy and I took a nap with all the dogs. Woke up just in time for us to go to Mom's for dinner. We had pork sandwiches with caramelized onions and some tarragon spread. We ate and had a good time around the table then Mom brought out the lemon bars and I had like 2.5. We had to play catchphrase for a while which I was irritated with, but played anyway. We took off after we went through Grandma's box and Kassie's hand me downs. Stopped at the store and picked up a few things then home. Did a few more things then got into bed and went to sleep.

Saturday 12/19, Eric got up early and started painting the ceilings; I stayed in bed until a little after 9. Unloaded the dishwasher and unpacked some boxes before helping Eric. We got all that done and it felt GREAT! Finally f-ing done with the ceilings after 2 weeks. Started clean up and big push to get shit organized, cleaned, unpacked. Mom came over and helped me with furniture placement ideas. Cable guy was super late, mix up with our order, waived fees and $20 off bill, plus he hooked EVERYTHING up and put in extra jacks from under the house. Nice. Plus hooked up my wireless router, which they’re not supposed to do. I took Nyx to the doctor but we were early so we perused the store and I got Brizo a toy and also some training treats for the last class. Finally Nyx's time to have her vaccines which was pretty quick. Home and kept moving on stuff then we took off for Brizo's last class. It was a small class and we did the obstacle course and there were cookies and juice. Delicious. The class was cut short and Brizo won the contest for most spins and did 10+ and the closest anyone else did was 4. We nailed that one at least. Thanked Cheri and we'll probably see her again. We dropped Brizo at home then went to the new All the Best in Bellevue and it's very nice and we got a gigantic goodie bag full of all sorts of treats. I bought stockings for the pups and lots of stuff to fill them with. Hit Home Depot next to return a few things, then Best Buy where I picked up Jake and Alix's presents. We went home and Eric made some really good chicken and we worked and moved furniture until it was done. We ate dinner and watched Cops in the living room and that room looks so good. I'm really happy with how everything is turning out. We continued watching tv for a while, then I climbed into bed from exhaustion and surfed the web until 11. Passed out. Eric was still out watching tv.

Friday 12/18, Castor opened up his leg a bit from licking when I wasn’t there (maneuvered around the damn cone) so I called frantically to the vet and asked to bring him in on my way home. He has to have the f-ing thing on for ANOTHER WEEK. Arg. Susan called on the way home and she was scared to go in because it was dark and Eric had his head lamp on and was getting the lights put back together. She waited for me and we went in and I showed her around. It was still a mess of course, but an organized-ish mess. One of the little dogs shit by the back door and Susan stepped in it and it smelled terrible and then I couldn't find it to clean it, but luckily Eric took care of it. Chrystol and Schuyler called to say they were on their way already and so I knew we needed to get to the store and get a move on. We loaded into the car and went around the corner to the store and it is soooo close. Good. Susan and I found snacks (her - baked potato pringles, me - cheap cheeto puff things) then we checked out and Susan kept spilling her chips all over the floor. Home and C&S showed up almost immediately; we all said hi and started the tour then Susan left. Chrystol took the tour while I was outside. We sat in the dining room and talked while dinner was being made and the boys were in the kitchen. I held Brizo and Chrystol held Nyx. Dinner was really good and we sat around the table talking forever, like until 10:15. It was fun but I was so tired. We walked them out and took the dogs out and got into bed and went to sleep.

Thursday 12/17, Day off. Up before 8 and the sun was actually coming up. I took the dogs out, fixed breakfast, painted, unloaded the dishwasher, got the little bedroom completely painted, did the edges in dining. Took off for other house, packed for 30 minutes then Mom arrived and she packed up rest of kitchen while I loaded the cars. It took about an hour, back to the house, unloading, met chatty Kathy the neighbor. She gave me the entire run down of the neighborhood. Finished unpacking, finished the dining room, started putting stuff away, moved furniture into dining room to surprise Eric, rolled the damn table over my toe. Finally sat down and got on the net, Eric arrived home, ready to work, we painted most of hallway but couldn't quite get the second coat from the paint we had. We went to HD, I ate dinner, cleaned the bathroom, showered, got ready for bed and in by 9. It felt so good, sent out emails and checked online for stuff, lights out by 10.

Wednesday 12/16, Finished priming the dining and family rooms. I cleaned slate floors and they look so much better and were so dirty. Eric made a ton of pasta, more organizing. Probably to bed early.

Tuesday 12/15, Primed the two other bedrooms and hallway. We ate dinner and went to bed earlyish again.

Monday 12/14, Took it easy, went and got the frame and other stuff. We set up the bed, Eric made dinner and put the door on the master bedroom. Went to bed early.

Sunday 12/13, Despite giving ourselves permission to sleep in we were both up before 8 and quickly ate breakfast and headed over to the house. We finished painting with me doing the edges then home to pack. I called the rental truck place and scheduled the pick up for noon. I called Kay-See and Sos for back up and both would come, thank god. Eric arrived home and we took off for Redmond to Penske. We picked up the truck and off we went bumping all the way down W Lk Samm Pkwy, hilarious. K called and said she was brining Ryan and I was all kinds of conflicted but if he offered then that's very generous and I should just accept that generosity. So we got home, figured out the lift, got the couch, bookcases, piano, and one mattress before Jake and Sos arrived then Sos helped me fill boxes. K and R showed up and took boxes down and helped with mattresses and soon the truck was full and we were all heading to the new house. I rode with K & R and his truck was filled with boxes. The dogs were freaking out and shuffled from room to room, I felt terrible. Unloaded the truck really fast and sent K and R off after thanks, then Jake and Sos helped us load the blue hutch and some other stuff in the garage then they drove over separate. We unloaded and off they went. Back home and filled the truck one last time and started getting short with each other because we couldn't disassemble the beds because we had no tools, bah. Loaded a lot of everything else, headed to the house and I drove his car with the dogs, unloaded, and off to gas up and return the truck, all the way to Totem Lake for bs diesel. Dropped off the truck, home, Mom and Dad arrived at the same time with pizza, thank god. We were starving after not eating all day, talked for a long time on the couch and in the kitchen, fed the dogs, they left around 8:45. I called Dad back as we tried to get things set up in the bedroom, talked for a few minutes, then hung up and got ready for bed. Made the bed up, showered, snuggled with the dogs. I started drifting at 10. Castor kept acting crazy and waking me up. Not a good night's sleep.

Saturday 12/12, Up at 7, got going and over to the house by 8ish. Eric cut down the holly blocking the living room window and the light is so much better in there. Cherry came out and was cheering him on. We went to HD to pick up cleaning supplies, squeegy, paint supplies, etc. Home and spent a ton of time cleaning but had to go home to get paint trays and something else we'd forgotten and had leftover Chinese then headed back. More cleaning until Brizo's class, good class, though her sits and downs are interchangeable. We dropped her at home and fed the dogs. Back to the house to finally start on painting, got primer coat on both living and master bedroom, I was starving so I went home and had some eggs with cheese then went back over and Eric had the first coat of paint on the bedroom ceiling then we finished off the living room. It still needed one more coat. We called it a night at 10:30 and went home and decided to do the final coat in the morning. Showered and crawled into bed.

Friday 12/11, Home and met Eric there and soon took off for the house and clean up and more sanding, I worked on the living room and Eric did sanding and I came behind him and tried to clean and eventually helped sand and it really hurts the arms. I don't know how he's done popcorn removal for three days, then sanding and next painting. Biceps of steel after this is all said and done. We were there fairly late and I was disappointed to see the shit was just being moved around on the floor and not coming up, I went over all the floors twice with the mop and still tons of residue, ughhh, frustrated. Everything sanded though and cleaned some at least. We went to Factoria to go to OE She, closed at 9, it was 9:10, I wanted to cry I was so hungry. We found a Chinese place by TCBY, got food to go, went home, showered, ate dinner, missed UB, went to bed earlyish.

Thursday 12/10, Dropped Castor at home, headed over to the house, we took it easy and just got the living room sanded then tried to clean it up and it was a mess. We should have left the plastic down. We were out of there by 7:45 probably and went home, watched shows, went to bed.

Wednesday 12/9, Castor was doing better and his appetite was healthy and he had a good day at work. Freezing temperatures all week. Home, dropped him off and over to the house to finish up: dining room, then family room. It took forever; the ceiling in the family room is shitty. We were finally done, rolled up all the plastic, careful not to get it on the carpet and did a pretty good job. We cleaned up and headed out, 8:45 ugh. Went home and ate dinner, watched Modern Family and Cougar Town, to bed.

Tuesday 12/8, Dropped all three dogs at the vet in the morning. Castor was the biggest problem with mass removal in his mouth and tumor on his leg. The other dogs were having comprehensives. I talked to Eric about plans for the evening then Mom about watching the dogs in the evening since Castor will be coming out of surgery, poor dog. I picked up the dogs and Castor was super out of it and had a cone on and couldn't move around well. I dropped the pups and unfortunately Castor still couldn't eat until the next day and he was hungry. I felt terrible. Went over to the house and Eric was there getting prepped, we did the hall, entry and living room which was a huge job. Done and out of there by 8:20 and so excited. Home, Eric probably whipped something delicious up, watched the end of BL. I was distracted trying to talk on the phone and catch up on emails. To bed.

Monday 12/7, Went straight home to drop Castor off, fed him and gave the little dogs a snack and took them out. I changed and booked it to the other house and it was freeeezing, so cold. Found Eric in the kitchen getting respirators set up, lots of taping fell down; the entire second bedroom. We started the spraying and scraping in the back bedroom and it went pretty easy. We cleaned up and moved to the master because all the tape was still up but some starting to come down so we wanted to do it before any more did. Lastly we did the middle bedroom and had to put all the plastic back up and it ended up falling down 5 minutes after we started so it was a gigantic mess unfortunately. We made due and will just have to do an extra good job of cleaning up, 6 bags (55 gallon) in the garage so far, I predict 8 more bags. Took all our gear off and had marks all over our faces from the respirators. It was so cold; only 50 in the house and like 15 outside. My arm and side were soaking wet from the fucking leaky sprayer. Eric said he'd go to the store for food and I'd go check on the dogs. I talked to Dad on the way home and filled him in, then talked to Mom just before GG started. Eric came home a half hour later with a giant pizza (pepperoni and pineapple), cheesy breadsticks and groceries. I told him he was my hero, had to call Pemco because of cancelled homeowner's policy, missed a lot of GG from interruptions, upstairs and took a long hot shower and finally for once I was warm that day. Got ready for bed and climbed in with the heating blanket on, fell asleep watching Seinfeld.

Sunday 12/6, We were up early and over to the house with the dogs. Eric called Schuyler to help us out and we quickly ran out of plastic and tape as we taped up the floors and walls to remove the popcorn. I ran to Home Depot in Bellevue then over to Whole Foods for snacks and back to the house. We kept going and Schuyler showed up so I sent Eric off to help him. Mom showed up shortly after and we did the floors in the master then Sos showed up and we started doing the walls in the bedrooms. After a few trials and errors we got a great system down and it went quickly. Sos left after we did the living room and Mom and I finished the dining and family rooms. Schuyler took off and then Mom and we left too to take the dogs home and go to Home Depot for more plastic and popcorn removal tools (sprayer, scrapers, respirators, booties, body suits) and back to the house. We finished in two hours and ended with the whole house taped up. Went home and heated up leftovers and relaxed and talked to Mom one more time. Watched EHM and DH and went to bed.

Saturday 12/5, I woke up at 5 and couldn’t go back to sleep forever thinking about everything with the house that needed to be done and also the P thing. I finally fell back asleep after 6 a little after Eric got up. I woke up at 9. I ate breakfast then we went to Home Depot for supplies. We stopped home and picked up the dogs and Sos met us to take some boxes. She saw the house, the first friend, and she liked it and laughed at all the funny stuff. She left and we got down to it. Removed all curtains and shelving, nails, etc. We were at it for a few hours and Castor hated it. He kept barking and was very anxious. I took the dogs out and met Cherry, my backyard neighbor and she confirmed the fruit tree is a pear and that I have a lilac. She hates the holly so we’ll take it out. Talked for a while then back inside. I took Castor and Nyx home and ate some lunch. I made a sandwich for Eric, fed the dogs and left them. We got everything ready for taping the next day. I filled some holes and bagged up all the trash in the garage. Like 7 giant bags and various boxes. Goodwill boxes too and a bunch of stuff for the recycle. We walked around and talked about all the possibilities and it was really fun. The back bedroom is gorgeous late in the day with sunlight pouring in. Stayed until 3:30 and took off for Brizo’s class. She had a good one and showed off lots of her tricks and got praise from Cheri. Stopped by the store on the way home and picked up tater tot casserole fixins and home where Eric started it up. I packed up some stuff in the kitchen and showered. Sos and Jake met us there (after trying to ditch out) and followed us up to Bethany’s. Not many people there. Chatted and ate. It was a fun party and it was good to see K and get to celebrate her big 3-0. Hakim, Carmen and JP showed up really late but it was good seeing them and chatting with JP a lot. A little jealous of “Miyong”? Maybe. Or just a dick. I was surprised he was so bothered by my saying it. Hm. Note to self. Michelle and I talked a lot and we had tim tam slams but didn’t drink the coffee. Didn’t see Eric for most of the night. Lots of eating and drinking and Mandy’s cupcakes that were just like hostess cupcakes with the filling in the middle and the little curly q on the top, except waaay better. Apparently there was a mountain climbing incident and the guy called Jake a hippie and apparently it was hilarious. JP relayed all the details. He’s hilarious. Eric and I left by 12 and headed home and got ready for bed and watched the end of SNL. I fell asleep before too long.

Friday 12/4, Castor’s only day at work. Alice called to say that they didn’t pick it all up and that there was more garbage than would fit in the can. I called Rabanco and they said to put it on the curb and it will be charged to them. Perfect. Sos called to ask if we wanted to come over for lasagna but we were going to the house and I didn’t want to be there all night. She said a dine and dash would be ok. I went home and Eric had had a bad day and the end of my day wasn’t all that spectacular (xmas present). We fed the dogs and went over to Sos’ and had dinner and chatting. We left by 7:30 or so then home to grab some boxes and over we went. We saw all the garbage in the garage and that was upsetting, so had to plan how to take care of all that. I talked to Mom for a long time as we unloaded the car and I told her the P news and she was mad and wanted me to talk to her. I can’t remember how much more we did over there. Went home and got there just in time for Ugly Betty. Eric and I talked about the P thing and he helped me with what to say. I went to bed shortly after.

Thursday 12/3, Left work at 11:30 and called Alice and changed the garbage too. Drove downtown to the RC for the ladies holiday luncheon. I was there until 2 then home to the dogs. I took all of them up the hill and we went for a nice miler walk and everyone was very good. I packed a few boxes and watched Two Lovers. Eric had car troubles and just barely made it to class. We watched the NBC shows and went to bed.

Wednesday 12/2, I talked to Alice and she scheduled St Vincent de Paul to pick up the stuff in the garage on Friday. I got the PSE changed over then the water. P told me we were taking a half day the next day, which was quite a departure from the day before. I went home and Eric had stayed home and watched the dogs. We went to pick up more boxes at Donna’s then we went over to the house. We went through the garage and tried to fix the garage door but couldn’t, though Eric got it to work better. I found the mail key and it was fun going around but it was cold. We headed home after 7 and I was tired and hungry. I fed the dogs and Eric heated up dinner. We watched tv and failed to practice Brizo’s tricks. Went upstairs, watched Cougar Town, started falling asleep, got ready for bed, updated this.

Tuesday 12/1, The house closed and I got official word from escrow. Apparently the realtor put the key under the pot. P was out for most of the day and it was a much better day. I went to work at 6:45 and had a very full day. I was tired and called about free boxes when I got home. I scheduled a time to pick them up and ate some dinner. Packed a couple little boxes of trinkets and picture frames then went by the house to get the key. I talked to Mom and Dad the whole way there and they want to get me a house warming rug, but I told them no. There was a car in front when I drove by so I turned around and came back and went up and met Alice and her son and they were cleaning out garage and picking out the stuff they wanted. We talked for a while and she gave me the house plans and told me stories about the house and her time there. She told me to take anything in the garage then left. I couldn’t get the garage door down and had to manually pull it down and it was so f-ing heavy. Started freaking out because I had to go and didn’t even check for the key. I rushed to Clyde Hill and picked up as many boxes as I could cram. I was laughing and so exhausted then headed home calling Eric on the way. Practiced Brizo’s tricks and she’s doing really well. We watched tv until late.

Monday 11/30, What a day, oy. I didn’t want to go to Kent to sign and Dad said I shouldn’t have to, so I went straight to work early then got a call that I had to go down there due to a deadline. P was not happy that I’d have to be gone and traffic and all that, but it went pretty quickly. I signed and was done quickly, but then the wire couldn’t be done over the phone so I had to do it in the office after getting back. It was extremely busy at work, 150 emails to catch up on. P was not happy I left at 5 and made a comment about working extra the next day. I was irritated, tired, exhausted and didn’t want to deal with reality. I went to Office Depot for packing tape and talked to Dad. I had very mixed feelings and he told me to buck up and asked if he should call P. I said no. I went home and ate dinner but I don’t remember what. Brizo practiced her tricks and she finally caught on to laying down; doing well. I watched GG and went to sleep.

Sunday 11/29, Thank goodness for a day off. Ate cereal and took it easy for the day. I fell asleep and got mad because I slept too long. I think I took Castor for a walk and I practiced Brizo’s tricks. We watched AFV and DH.

Saturday 11/28, I woke up around 8 and went downstairs and Dad was making pancakes and I think I only had one while I chatted with Grandma and Papa. We went up and scanned pictures until time to decorate the tree. We were having fun until the new ornament of Kass and Sky broke and Kass got mad because apparently Dad was like “I guess it wasn’t meant to be!” and she hit me in the arm and made a big deal about it so I got upset and started crying because it’s not like I meant to. Then I couldn’t stop because everyone kept saying it wasn’t a big deal and trying to console. Finally got over it, after Mom started crying too because I was upset. I don’t know why I was so upset. We finished decorating and took some pictures. Kassie and Skylar left with Mom and Dad for the airport and me and Aubrie went to Lou’s. I got a cd for me and one for Eric and on the way home we stopped and I got a donut and Aubrie had a bite. We had lots of turkey, potatoes, stuffing and gravy for lunch and Aubrie piled hers up like a mountain. Aubrie was pumping Mom and Dad about what they knew about Kass and Sky and she was like “The jig is up” and we were dying laughing. Dad looked at us like we were nuts. Grandma, Lish, Aub and I watched Richie Rich and Aubrie and I were fake fighting and I kept showing her the food in my mouth. She tried to tattle but Mom didn’t believe her because I played such a convincing part. We worked on the video up until it was time to go, and I went outside to talk to Dad for a little bit then said bye to everyone and had hugs and kisses. Aubrie and I chatted the whole way and after she dropped me it was pretty easy. No wait at ticketing, through security in 5 minutes, to gate and waited to board. The flight went by fairly quickly and I got through all my magazines and landed safely. Called Eric and texted Aubrie then met Eric outside at baggage claim and got my bag. Eric had alluded to a night of passion when I’d talked to him earlier in SD. Sure enough he was dressed very nicely and all clean shaven. We went to Mom’s so I could pick up my car and I talked with her for a minute then home. Eric made me a sandwich because I didn’t have dinner. Then the romance started. He lit like 100 candles and had music on and we, you know. And I, you know, twice. Nice. Tired, went to sleep.

Friday 11/27, Kass woke us up a little after 8 and told us it was time for French toast. Went down and Dad was busy cooking and we talked with Grandma and Papa. I got ready and Aubrie and I scanned pictures until it was time for me and Kass to leave. We had researched bistros the night before and Kat liked the sound of Zanzibar for lunch so we called and they were open. We left with Sky in tow and he was going to do his own thing while we had lunch with the Belize crew. We had a great lunch and so much fun chatting. They want to do a Bahamas trip aboard a replica schooner. It would be so much fun. Everyone is good and we’ll see what happens. Said bye and headed home. We continued scanning and did it all day, all while trying to hide from Mom. Kass went out to get ready with Sky at 4 and soon we were getting ready too. I got ready quickly (Dad’s ‘Mega Mega Hold’ and Aubrie’s eyeliner for a widow’s peak and dark eyebrows) and soon it was party time. Pat, Court and her Mom were first to arrive. Lots of pictures and food and soon everyone had arrived, except Kassie. I finally had to go out and get them and they looked so crazy. Yikes. Crazy and hilarious outfits. There were like 25 of us and the game was fun but I mostly hung with Court and Kass. Pat was pissing Kassie off and I know Court was getting frustrated. In the end the killer was Skylar and awards were given out to Sky, Kass and Dad. People filed out then we looked at pictures of George on Court’s camera and Kass and Aubrie were in love. Courtney laughed. They left and Grandma, Mom, Dad and I sat and talked for a little bit then we peeled off to bed and I called Eric. It was like 11:30. I was tired, showered to get the widow’s peak and super jelled hair rinsed. Aubrie was on the phone for a while then we went to sleep.

Thursday 11/26, I was up at 8 and talked to Mom and Grandma for a bit then went up and got ready super quickly because we were going to be late getting to the finish line to meet Alishia at her 5k. We found parking fairly easily and ran all the way down but unfortunately we were too late and missed her crossing the line. We walked up to a little coffee / smoothie shop and we had a little refresher. As we were leaving Kass and Sky got into a fight because of a conversation during the prior evening’s dinner and Sky said he loved the chemical they put in McD’s fries and that pissed Kassie off. It got blown way up and Sky went off with Alishia and that really set Kassie off and she took off so me and Aubrie followed her down the alley and we had to talk her off the ledge by the dumpster. A hot tattoo guy pulled up and then we left. She knew she was off base and I’m glad I was able to shed some light. On our way home we stopped at Cream of the Crop and Aubrie and I practiced our frown faces and had a good time walking around and looking at things. Kass smoked part of her j in the parking lot and a kid in the car next to us shook his head. We didn’t know if it was because of Kassie or because Aubrie was smelling her armpits. We finally made it home but Sky and Lish weren’t there yet. Kass started on her guac and I had a little cereal. We went up and watched SatC and did more pictures but not for long before going down and starting on snacks. I had quite a bit and ate a lot of apples and pears and eventually a lot of weenies. (weenie time, weenie time, little tiny weenie time). I was tired so I went upstairs and took a nap on the couch upstairs but not for long. I took a shower and when I got out Aubrie texted me asking where I was. I talked to Eric and he was on his way to Schuyler’s parents house. I had a few more snacks then went on a long walk with mom and Grandma. Got back and watched more SatC with Aub and update this thing. Waited downstairs while dinner was finished up and sat out by the fire pit for a little while and talked about snakes and spiders and scorpions. I went back in and we watched Home Alone until dinner was ready, 7:45, a record. Usually it’s more like 9. Dinner was very good and I had two helpings but we hardly put a dent in the food and Mom commented that there was hardly any gone and it must be because Eric wasn’t there and that they miss him. Aubrie and I moved into the family room and were watching Home Alone again and Mom was in a bad mood for some reason and didn’t dish up my dessert. I had peach and apple pie with ice cream. We finished Home Alone from where we left off (tv was back to that part since it was cycling) and then we watched Love Actually from about the middle and Skylar and Kass kept wanting to go out to bed so we played Truth or Dare on the commercials to keep them up. Aubrie had to text a boy that she had a crush on him and Kassie picked some guy in Palm Springs and Aubs didn’t even remember the guy and he didn’t remember her and asked who she was then called her in the middle of the night. Kass was going to be dared to text Eric that she had a crush on him but it was 11:45 and I didn’t want him to be woken up. It was over at midnight and we went up and went to bed afterward.

Wednesday 11/25, Up at like 7:15 so I went for a run/walk at the park and went two times around then home for some breakfast. Aub went to school for her final class and then to pick up Kass and Sky. I was bored and wished Aubrie was there but occupied myself the best I could. Grandma, Mom and Papa came home by 10 so I talked with them for a while. Kass, Aubs and Sky arrived home and Grandma and Mom had taken off to go find costumes so they said hi to Papa and we took off in search of lunch. We wanted to go to the little News Café but it closed 20 minutes before we got there so we went to a little Italian place with the guys excited for us to eat there. They told Skylar how lucky he was. I had a caprese and got quite a bit of color sitting in the sun so Skylar switched spots with me. Afterward we walked over to the bakery because the weather was so beautiful. Sky and I talked all the way over about real estate and having a winter home in Arizona or New Mexico or Palm Springs. 5 year plan. Kass bought us two cinnamon crisps and we walked back toward the car then went down to the beach for a second, but the beach was too crowded for what she wanted to do so we walked back with Kass saying she didn’t want Sky to censor her. We went home and talked to Papa then upstairs to start picture scanning and got quite a good start. Santer was open until 6 so Lish called us when she was done with work and we left and met her down there for pictures. There was no line and I insisted it had to be taken vertically even though they gave me an argument. It was the Santa from 06 and 07 and he remembered us. It was over before we knew it and we went back to the house and continued to work until dinner. Went down to find the table chock full of fondue fixins and I ate a ton. Lots of meat and French fries. I was surprised Sky ate as much as he did. We had fun convo about Mom and how much of a dictator she was about chores but how now we’re appreciative. Then Mom said she thought Dad would look cute in a yellow hummer and Grandma said that’s the kind of car a Nazi officer would drive. We died laughing. We had Grandma’s sugar cookies for dessert then looked at pictures from the trip on Dad’s computer. Aubrie went to see friends and everyone else wanted to go to bed so I went up to Aubrie’s room and called Eric because it was only 9:45 and I was bored and didn’t want to go to bed yet. Aubrie came home and was like WTF where is everyone. I told her they went to bed. We got ready and went to bed by 10:30 or so.

Tuesday 11/24, Woke up a lot but was so tired I kept going back to sleep and finally got up at 9. Aubrie was up not much later because Dad had come home and was talking to me before he went in to work. We got ready and headed into Old Carlsbad to Elyses’ or whatever for breakfast. We both had pain au chocolat and ate them in the sun while watching the cops file in for their morning snack. We went to 7-11 so Aubs could get her snack, Hi Chew, and it was delicious. We went to Ulta and talked about Mom’s video on the way home. After we got home we packed up with Mom and went to a few thrift stores and I got a onesie and some boots for my murder mystery outfit. Home we went and watched some SatC and Aubrie made Mom plug her ears and Mom actually did it. I talked to RH Eric briefly and now he’s working at Slim’s and doesn’t love it and the baby has a UTI, yikes. I told him there was something in the water and he said he doesn’t drink it anymore and that he drinks soda now. I hung out until it was time to go to Court’s and left and got a little turned around until I got the gps working. When I arrived George and Lynne were there and I forgot they’d be there and I was like “Hey George!” rawr. We sat and talked and I felt her belly and she’s getting big but not huge. We had dinner and chatted and had some cookies afterward. It was really fun and I told George he should come to the party too but he’s leaving on Friday morning. He asked if I wanted to stick around and play Guitar Hero; I kind of chuckled and declined. Hhit the road when they did to their parenting class and got home pretty quickly. Lish came over and Aubrie eventually came home too and they all had dinner and we watched football or something and eventually Aubrie and I went upstairs to watch the end of BL. Went to bed not long after it was over.

Monday 11/23, Up at 5:30, ready, took Castor out and Nyx escaped and ran all over the fucking place all the way down to the bottom parking lot and finally came back and I was so pissed and worried she wouldn’t come back. Took off at 6:05 and Dad took me to the airport. Checked in, security, talked to Eric, gate change, back to main terminal, boarded, went through all my mags but one, quick flight, no one in the two seats next to me, so nice. Landed and it was so sunny and beautiful. Texted Aubrie and she was like “Oh fuck, are you serious?!” because I got in 20 minutes early. Got my bag and stood outside in the 75 degree weather and it was so nice I instantly felt wonderful, and also like I was getting burnt. I went and stood in the shade after 20 minutes. Aubrie showed up and got out and looked just like Jenny Humphrey and the car full of guys parked behind us was ogling her to the max. We drove to the house and I had some spaghetti. We hung out and eventually we went to Barney’s and I got a pair of jeans that fit perfectly and they were on sale so my shopping mission is accomplished for the trip. Went home and relaxed some more until Aubrie’s friends started showing up for dinner. Dad came home and we all left for Wokery. Lish met us there. It was a fun dinner with a ton of food and lots of presents. I rode with Alishia home and we had dessert pizza, or fruit pizza or birthday pizza, whatever Aubrie calls it and it was really good. Sat around talking and looking at pictures for a while then I went upstairs after Nichole and Cassie left and watched tv and played on the computer (K’s birthday plans are getting out of control) and eventually fell asleep.

Sunday 11/22, Eric got up early and left and I cleaned up more dog vomit from Castor when I went downstairs to take the dogs out. Eric came back and made me breakfast, even though I’d already had a bowl of cereal, and it was a goat’s milk yogurt layered with crumbled lemon ginger cookies and topped with raspberries, blackberries and chocolate covered wafers. Yum! So sweet. Also bought me some beautiful roses. He said it’s because I’m going to be gone for almost a week and he sees me everyday but now he won’t. Sweetheart. I got dressed and took Castor to his appt and talked with the nurse forever, then the doctor and decided on a doggie prozac basically in a small dose to see if that works. I went home, gave him his first one and took off to go meet Mom and Dad at the house to take more measurements and check things out. Back home Castor was all chilled out, thank goodness. Eric was making lunch: warm croissant sandwiches with egg, bacon, tomato and cheese with a side of fruit marinated in orange juice, raspberry vinegar, balsamic and orange peel. Delicious! I went upstairs and relaxed then it stopped raining so I took Castor and Nyx up to the park and I dropped Nyx’s leash and she took off like a bolt of lightening and I couldn’t catch up with her and was dragging Castor because she was running so fucking fast and finally I caught up to her on the grass. The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful after that. Castor ran around in the field and loved it. At home we hung out some more (well, Eric was cleaning) and eventually later in the afternoon we were bored so we went to Up Front and there was nothing I loved, then BB&B and walked out empty handed then home. I talked to Jenifer to straighten all the final details out and talked to Court about dinner on Tuesday and Eric arrived with dinner from Chipotle and we sat and talked and ate. My stomach hurt afterward and we watched tv and Eric brought me Mylanta. I finished packing, which I’d been doing on and off all day. We went to bed after I talked to Dad.

Saturday 11/21, Eric was up at 7:30 and I got up at 8. Put on my workout clothes and took Castor to the park up the hill and we did 1.5 miles and got soaked. It was beautiful when we started and miserable by the time we threw in the towel. At home Eric got my breakfast ready (Tutti Fruittis) then he jumped in the shower and I wasn’t far behind. We were out the door to Target (return dog coats), All the Best (anti-anxiety meds, chew for the car and pee remover), over to Crossroads, buttermilk donut, Half Priced Books (got Aubrie Stealing Beauty for her birthday), Silver Platters (Ruby Suns for Aubrie), BB&B (dishwasher detergent) and eventually headed home. I had a hot dog for lunch, then some cookies. I went upstairs to practice Brizo’s tricks for laying down. I posted the Craigslist ad, then sent an email to Nyx’s rescue for an update. I updated this, talked to Mom about plans for the fence and dog door and relaxed before needing to go to Brizo’s class. We headed to class and she did very well again and Cheri has some new techniques for stay and touch. We went home afterward and Castor had obviously had a freakout because he ate the ends off his rope toy and then I stepped in the huge pile of vomit on the rug in the living room. Great! I don’t know what’s going on with him but his anxiety is off the charts. I immediately called the vet and made an appointment because he needs to be on meds and I’m not fucking around with this anymore. After that was done we hung with the dogs and I think Eric made dinner. I don’t really remember what else. I think we were going to watch a movie but then we were both tired and went to bed early, like 10.

Friday 11/20, I got off work a little early and went home to find a dark house, which was very odd because I expected Eric to beat me home. I cleaned up the kitchen and made cookies (bag) and called Eric for his ETA before hopping in the shower. He arrived home and went into a cooking flurry while I got dressed and looked at a magazine. Chrystol and Schuyler showed up at 7:30 then we got to start eating. Goat cheese and brie with lots of yummy toppings. Chrystol and I went upstairs to look at wedding magazines and we were up there forever and it was so fun. Brizo walked over C’s legs to get to me, which was very surprising. We heard silverware clinking and the boys had started on dinner without us! Actually they were already done. We dished up and ate as well. The quiche was really good. Schuyler got out the orange pound cake and it was really good and we continued chatting and I got to the bottom of a few wedding details, which was good. I need to start making spreadsheets. It was midnight by the time they took off. We were all surprised it was that late. Went up to bed and crashed.

Thursday 11/19, Susan picked up my contacts for me then brought them to me after work. We talked on the couch for a long time and she filled me in on what’s going on with her. I was getting hungry so made the dogs’ dinner and we headed out to Chipotle and I had a delicious steak fajita burrito. We went to Target next and I bought some cheap dog jackets that ended up not fitting the dogs at all. I also bought candy. Yikes. We went home and talked with Eric for a few minutes before Susan took off. We watched our Thursday shows and Eric made a weird noise that freaked Brizo out and she hid upstairs and she hasn’t been the same since, very weird. No more weird noises! Eventually retired.

Wednesday 11/18, Kay-See texted right before leaving work asking what I was doing so I asked her if she wanted to come over for dinner since I was cooking for Eric for once. She said yes. I had to go to the bank first and luckily that went very easily, then home. Eric was busy cleaning and I told him K was coming over and he jumped in the shower. We started dinner and K was very helpful since apparently I can’t cook and talk at the same time. Must be a blonde thing. Or perhaps a non-chef thing. We discussed Monday’s events in detail, then her trip coming up, then other relationships and weddings and eventually into the living room with lots of licorice and more discussions about verbal abuse. It was like 10:30 by the time any of us looked at our watches so K took off and I went up to get ready for bed, while Eric watched tv for a little while downstairs.

Tuesday 11/17, Got the Charles Schwab letter handled and luckily was in contact with a very helpful woman who made all my problems go away. Talked to Dad several times and got the appraisal and it didn’t come back super high but it was enough to not have to worry about the loan process being interrupted. I think I had leftovers for dinner and after Eric arrived home watched BL. Went to bed not long after.