Sunday 7/25, Eric got up super early to go into town to get something for breakfast. I stayed in the tent until 9 or so. Went upstairs where everyone was busy packing and getting ready. I fed the dogs and started getting ready too, then Dad called up that breakfast was ready. Kass was filling me in on Sky and I told her Eric wouldn't tell me anything. We went down, had breakfast, then continued cleaning and packing up. I wanted to get out by 11:30 but it ended up being more like noon. We took some family pictures and I took off with the dogs. Eric was taking Alishia to the airport and Grandma and Papa to their hotel. Kass was bringing Aubrie and Christian to my house. I got home, took the dogs out, noticed all the stuff Mom did: arbor, gables, new door in. It looks so good. I started unpacking and they all showed up. Did a tour since there were lots of changes since the last time Aubs and Sky had seen it. Kass took off and the three of us hung out, talked about their ride with Kass, Christian looked at a photography book that I ended up giving him because I never look at it then Eric came home. We packed up the car and took off for MI where we got some bagel sandwiches then went to the skate park. Christian skated around and did the "eating a bagel sandwich while skating trick" which made us all laugh. Then a redhead showed up so I had some eye candy. We stayed for about 45 minutes then headed off to the airport. Dropped them off and headed home with a stop at the store for groceries. We hung out for the rest of the evening and I think I put some stuff away and finished up my book. Talked to Mom some more about the house and drama of the day before. Showered and went to bed around 11.

Saturday 7/24, Eric and Skylar went to breakfast with Papa while the rest of us had pancakes. We got ready and went river rafting and for once I didn't paddle and just enjoyed the ride. I sat in the back with Uncle Brad, Dad and Eric. We had a nice time and the temperature was perfect. We had snacks when we got back. Mom, Heidi and Grandma were all back too from going into town. I ate my fill and went upstairs to read for a while. I probably ventured down to the swimming hole as well but the water was still too cold for me. By the end of August it will probably be just right. Kass and Sky got into it and it was so ridiculous. So much drama every time we have a family event. Kass and I went for a drive and were gone for almost 2 hours looking at the Lake Wenatchee houses, exploring into the state park past the fields and then up some other roads. So beautiful. When we got back we had missed a lot and Mom was in a bad mood. Dinner was ready shortly after and Eric was helping after he got back. We had ribs, corn on the cob, potatoes and salad. I used my birthday glass for the occasion. After dinner Eric and I got all the stuff into the tent that we would need later. My movie was put on which was fun to watch then I opened presents and Kass went way overboard: 3 facials, one massage, 6 cds and little chico produce bags. Plus she gave me Joe's shorts at the beginning of the trip. Money Pit was started and while we watched most of it we were just too tired and packed all the dogs down to the tent by the river and settled into bed. All the dogs were freaked by it at first but eventually settled down. I did not sleep well and kept waking up to Nyx shivering so finally got her into my sleeping bag where she warmed right up. Also had disturbing dreams about making out with Beau.

Friday 7/23, Woke up before everyone and soon Alishia was up too so she could ride with Mom, Auntie Heidi and Grandma into Leavenworth to meet up with Mikayla. The rest of us got ready and eventually headed into Leavenworth. The boys, except Skylar, went golfing. Found parking and looked in shops until we went to meet at Pavz to meet up with everyone for lunch. Hailey was on her way and joined us toward the end of the meal. We had a fun lunch even though there was a boy crashing the party. After lunch we all split up and the four girls (Kass, Aubs, Hey and me) went exploring. I showed them the Purple Pot and we talked to a guy who took our picture and told us where to get good coffee. We stopped in one of the little home stores then headed back to the car and stopped at the little boutique before getting in the car and heading out to Cashmere. We stopped in the antique mall and poked around for a while then into Cashmere where we picked up donuts and walked around town before getting back in the car and looking at more cute houses then back toward Leavenworth in search of blank dvds. Stopped at Safeway and they told us about Paper Platz where they luckily had some. Aubs and Hey took off in Hailey's car and Kass and me picked up the dvds then home. It was so hot we were excited to get home and go in the swimming hole, but it's always so much cooler in Plain and especially by the river so by the time we got down there it was cooler and I only put my feet in. It was cold. I probably read part of the day and eventually it was time for dinner. Chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob. Plenty of food and everyone ate well. We watched City Slickers after dinner and went upstairs where the dirty mad libs started. Uncle Brad came up and got way into it, providing "erectasaurus" as a noun. We laughed a lot and eventually he went back down and we all settled down and went to bed.

Thursday 7/22, Woke up and Dad made French Toast for breakfast. Aubs and I had ours and made lots of jokes with Dad. It was going to be a lazy day so I spent a lot of time upstairs reading with the little dogs (Daily Coyote). Castor spent most of his day in the water and running around. Mom made sandwiches for lunch. I don't remember doing much else. For dinner Eric was in the kitchen for a lot of the time. We had pork roast and twice baked potatoes. Mom and Eric did a lot of sampling. We had dinner around the fire then dessert but I stayed inside with Mom and Aubrie because of the mosquitoes. Dad and Eric managed to get the movie screen put together and working so we watched some Magnum PI Season 4 before most of us kids went upstairs to hang for the night. We did some mad libs and joked about Eric's little penis (not really). We were laughing so hard and the next day all the adults were asking what we were laughing at but we said we couldn't remember. Ha. Eric wanted to sleep in the tent but the sisters talked him out of it.

Wednesday 7/21, Eric was up at 4:30 and out of the house by 6 or so down to Tacoma to take care of some stuff with his car. I was about to walk out the door to gas up and print out the Saturn value at Kinkos when Eric walked in. We went together to do it and ended up at the DMV 10 minutes before they opened. I got the nice gal again and she told us what we needed to do. We set out for home, picked up the Saturn, drove down to MI and back then to the emissions, which took like 5 minutes. We headed back into Issaquah, paid the fees and were on our way with new plates. Back home we both took care of our own stuff. Eric got the car washed and packed, I vacuumed and packed. We set out for the airport to pick up Grandma, Papa and Alishia and gave them the Saturn to take to Leavenworth. We went to Kassie's next and Mom was there. I honked and scared the shit out of her. Kassie’s place looks great on the outside, a train wreck still on the inside. Aubs and Christian were there so we talked until Kass and Sky showed up. Hung around a little longer then went home. We ate some leftovers, I picked up dog poop and took the dogs out. We loaded up the car to the brim and headed to the property. It was later than Eric had wanted but it was around 4 so not terrible. We had a little traffic up until Sultan or so then it was smooth sailing. No one on the pass in the middle of the week. We beat Brad and Heidi and just hung out and got settled. Looked at the floor in the garage and it looks so good I want to do it in the kitchen, den and garage. We had a semi late dinner with burgers and chips. The rest of the crew showed up around 9 and they had their dinner too. I think we did some mad libs before going to bed.

Tuesday 7/20, I worked only part of the day and took Castor to his surgery consultation. Some good news, some bad. Total cost of everything is around $5k. Had to cough up $1,100 just for the CT Scan, but sounds like only the back part of his jaw will be removed and his canine can stay. We'll see. They have to do an aspirate to see if his swollen lymph node is cancerous or not. It was a hard day. I picked him up after work and was hoping Eric would go with me. I started to cry when the dr was talking to me but did a pretty good job of holding back. It's all just so fucking expensive. He was really out of it from the anesthesia so when we got home we went outside and sat in the grass and I paged through an Architectural Digest and he slept. The other pups joined in too and eventually Brizo was shivering but didn't want to not be with the rest of the gang. Eric came home with a haircut and an iphone. He helped me get Castor in. We all took it easy and I didn't do much packing, but did some laundry and I think picked up a little. I tried to feed Castor his late dinner but he wasn't hungry. Once I let the little dogs eat out of his bowl then he wanted it. Thankfully he didn't throw up from the nausea. We all went to bed.

Monday 7/19, The end of my workday was stressful with 5500s and the filings not going through. I went to the DMV and figured out what was needed to transfer the title on the Saturn. Back home and Eric had plans for a rental car. I just wanted the Saturn finished, I had a headache, was stressed, started crying (reoccurring theme these days), talked things out, picked up poop, made the bed and made the dogs’ dinner. After our talk Eric made dinner and we watched tv. It was 8:30 or so, showered, called Peggy, more crying, got in bed, took dogs out, Eric fell asleep, read a little then to bed.

Sunday 7/18, Woke up after 8 or so. Eric slept in the tent so I had the bed to myself. Kristel was already out of bed so I got up and went down. Dad made pancakes and there was a lot of fresh fruit. Ate a lot. People were packing up and getting ready to go when I wasn't even dressed. First Kristel, then Peter and Stefanie and lastly Schuyler and Chrystol. Kass, Kate and Sunshine were all staying behind to relax. Eric and I packed up and left around 1 and didn't have too much traffic. The dogs were happy to see us when we got home. We lounged and I talked to Mom on the phone. Later that evening I went to the store for some things, but not much since it was only going to be a 2 day workweek. I think I read and spent a lot of time by myself. Can't remember the rest. Probably just watched a little tv and went to bed.

Saturday 7/17, Up at like 7, went down and Mom was about to leave for town. Dad was working, I dressed and started bringing chairs and deck stuff out. Kass was up around 8 and we went to the Hardware store for coffee. Eric hadn't arrived yet and I was starting to worry. He was there when we returned. Kate was still asleep. We all worked and got things ready. Mom was back a little after noon. Eric and I went to the Hardware store for supplies and passed Sunshine on the way. We got oars and a piece of thin plywood for our movie screen. At home we started back up with the prep work. Kristel arrived next then Peter and Stefanie. Everyone hung out and mom put out snacks, Eric was trying to fix the valves on the raft. It was a long morning. We finally got going with the raft and headed down the river around 3. It was a quick trip (hour) because the river was so high. It was fun and both Kate and Stefanie gasped when Dad told the silver mine story. We told them it was fake afterward. Schuyler and Chrystol arrived just as we got back. We all started getting into our costumes for the murder mystery party and snacked. The game started and Kass and Kate were hilarious as Barbie Kew and Billy Kanne (George Bush impression). It was fun but I didn't guess the correct killer. It was Guy Ropes (Peter). We had dinner afterward and sang happy birthday and had cupcakes. Dad tried to get the video to work but couldn’t so we went in the motorhome and he couldn’t get it to work in there either, then Eric tried and it worked. It was a great video but I didn't know the songs. We had fun. Eric, Schuyler, Chrystol, Kate, Peter and Stefanie all stayed down around the fire and made smores and talked and the rest of us went upstairs to lay and talk. We did a mad lib and Kristel fell asleep, Kate came up and we all eventually fell asleep.

Friday 7/16, Worked until 1:30 then took off for home. I was feeling really down and wanted to crawl under the covers and not get out of bed. Instead I packed up the car, showered, ate some trail mix and eventually set out for the airport. There was traffic which had me freaking out but made it ok and waited for them to call me from the lot. I picked them up and off we went. Traffic sucked from Bellevue to Woodinville, then in Monroe we stopped for DQ treats. I started crying when Dad got all sentimental and said he was so proud of me and all this stuff and all I could say was that it had been a hard week. I chilled out and finished my blizzard then we took off. Traffic was stop and go for a while and finally we were going. We arrived at the property well after 6, unloaded and got everything situated. Dad mowed down below and Mom and I were ready for dinner. We went to Headwaters and had a really nice dinner. The waiter gave me a compliment saying I take care of myself because apparently I look younger than 29. Dad wanted him to look at his id too for a compliment. We stayed until 10 then headed out just as a ton of people were showing up. We got home and talked in the motorhome for a while then around 11 Kass and Kate showed up so we stayed up a little longer then up to the loft. Kass gave me a bunch of clothes and in there was this denim / corduroy hippie maxi pad which throughout the weekend ended up in people's shoes and beds as practical jokes. We stayed up for a while out there and eventually fell asleep.

Thursday 7/15, Took Nyx to have her teeth cleaned. She was out of it for most of the rest of the day. I felt so bad for her she kept almost falling over. I mostly packed and organized. I was feeling a little better about everything and Eric and I had a talk about everything and he told me not to worry and to stay positive. He fell asleep early while I was in the shower. I went to bed not much later.

Wednesday 7/14, I had a dream I made out with Jason Segel and it was gooood. Also, LPC wrote a book on Norwegian finance and was on the cover wearing a suit with his arms crossed. Perhaps they were the same person in my dream. There was also a fold out centerfold of him in the middle. I told him as much (in real life) and he said he'd give up his best seller proceeds for some centerfold dreams of me and reminded me I'm always invited to come over for a nap. Eric took Brizo to the vet and didn't put the correct amount of time down for when she ate. Geez, that shit drives me nuts. Anyway, they had to pull 4 of her little teeth and now she doesn't have any on the top front. It went fine otherwise. When I picked her up she was so out of it and stayed that way for a while. Went home and grilled Eric, he had the day off and had been doing something for Mom for me for my birthday. She walked around a little in the yard then we went inside. I made the bed and hung with the dogs. Eric came in and knew I was still upset and I told him it's because he doesn't tell the truth and he was defensive but we eventually saw eye to eye. I fed the dogs and took them out and we went to Super Supplements then over to Bento Box (went there with Susan a million years ago!) where we ordered food and took it home. We watched I Love You, Man and it was hit and miss with Eric (needed a Jason Segel fix). We got ready for bed and I read a bit of the trashy tabloids before bed and Eric was out by 10 or so.

Tuesday 7/13, Heard from Aerowood and they recommend a place in Kirkland and to explore surgery. Chemo doesn't work with sarcoma. Called SVS and made an appt for following Tuesday. Went to the bank then home. I told Eric Schuyler and Chrystol were coming over for dinner. We both ran around cleaning and picking up and eventually showered and got ready. They arrived around 6:30 and we talked for a little bit before heading down to Purple. We had a nice dinner and the baked brie was delish. I got soup and a caprese salad. For dessert I had a little creme brulee. Back to our house and it was like 9:30. We watched the talent show because Aubrey knows one of the guys in the air guitar band and Chrystol wanted to see them. A little after 10 they took off and I got ready for bed. I was exhausted. Read only a couple pages then went to sleep.

Monday 7/12, Called the oncologist but did not receive a call back. Called Aerowood to get their opinion and Banfield faxed Castor’s info over and their dr. would call me back. I stopped at All the Best and they helped me get some immune boosting supplements for Castor and one is specifically good for dogs with cancer. It was another effort not to cry while explaining his predicament. At home Eric was making bbq chicken, casear salad and gluten free cornbread. I did some laundry and picked up a bit. We had a nice dinner and watched a little tv. I started Middlesex before bed.

Sunday 7/11, Woke up and got ready by 9. Called RH Eric to see what we were doing but he never called back. I laid on the bed, Eric said he wouldn't go to Schuyler's so I wouldn't be alone. I told him to go and after talking for an hour or so he did. I stayed in bed until 1. Finally got up and moved around, made a little lunch, went to Home Depot to pick up some peel and stick flooring samples to replace the carpet in the kitchen and den; a temporary fix. I like the cork but we'll probably go with the cheapest since it's only temporary and to get the smell out. I took Castor and Nyx on a walk when I got home and when we returned Eric was home. We sat and talked a bit and I fell asleep again. Eric woke me up and we went over to Mom's to pick up the big pots. Also picked up some rugs and other odds and ends that were in Grandpa's storage unit. We stopped at the store and picked up stuff for dinner, headed home and I fed the dogs and Eric got the grill going. We unloaded the truck and eventually had dinner around 8. Steak, whole roasted potatoes and salad. I think we watched some tv and I probably finished off a back issue of AD before going to bed.

Saturday 7/10, Got up early, did a bunch of laundry and tidied up. Kristel, Stefanie, Peter and Jacqueline arrived right around 9. We locked up the dogs and took off about 15 minutes later. We had to stop in North Bend to get a parking pass and ended up taking another half hour or so before we hit the road. Up to the trailhead of Snow Lake and soon were on our way. The trail wasn't too busy but I was shocked to see a good amount of snow. We had fun hiking and J really liked to be in the front. We made it up in a little over an hour and sat on the big rock and determined we would not be going down to the lake because it's covered in ice and snow. I couldn't believe the amount of it up there. We ate our lunches on the rock and it felt so good up there. We lingered for maybe a little under an hour and started our descent. We had fun going down. We gave our pass to some women in the lot who didn't know they had to get one. We looked over the edge to the river below and it was beautiful. Back in the cars and headed home. Eric took off shortly after we got home while I showered and relaxed until it was time to take Castor to the vet. Bad news: his sarcoma is back and worse and he needs to see an oncologist to remove part of his jaw and perhaps radiation. I was in shock. Got some antibiotics for the infection and headed to the park. We did one lap and it was hot. I called Eric and he told me not to freak out yet and we need a second opinion. Drove home with the windows down and Castor loved it. Once I got home I started crying. It was off and on for the rest of the day. I sat outside for a while and Castor laid in the grass and slept and looked so sweet. Eventually I went inside and put on a movie: A Good Year which was decent; better than I expected. Setting is beautiful. I moved into the bedroom and read for a while then Eric came home. I started crying again when we talked about it. Eventually went to sleep.

Friday 7/9, Made appts for all the dogs, Brizo and Nyx teeth cleaning, Castor mouth tumor is back. I did some stuff around the house until Eric got home then we went outside and I picked up crap while he relaxed on the deck. It was so nice out. We watered the plants and enjoyed being outside. I ate leftovers for dinner. I don't think we stayed up too late because we were hiking in the morning.

Thursday 7/8, Mom was home when I got there and her and Eric were getting everything ready to plant the trees and getting the areas marked out. I closed all the windows and put on the ac in the bedroom to try and cool it down. We got both dogwoods planted in the front yard and all the dirt offloaded. Eric went to get some stuff at Ace and also to get some dinner. Mom and I talked sat in the back and talked with the dogs while we waited. By 7:30 / 8 it was gorgeous out and we sat and talked back there for over an hour. Mom left and we got ready for bed.

Wednesday 7/7, Hot day. Went home and beat Eric, the house was nice and cool. Thanks flagstone and hardwood floors! And no insulation under the house! Took the dogs out, watered a couple plants and back inside to call Mom. Oh, and the new front doors arrived, gorgeous! Mom put in the order for me and Eric and I took off in the truck to pick up the top soil. Got it wholesale, yay! Back home and left the dirt in the truck, showered, fed the dogs and went out to dinner. He'd never eaten at PF Changs so we went there and got too much food. I hardly ate any of my entree. It was freezing in there. We drove over to Mom's with the windows down to drop off her phone. We stayed for quite a while and she showed me which pots she's giving me. We left after 9, stopped at the store and got home right around 10. The house was hot, compared to outside so we opened all the windows and doors and brought out the a/c but only used the fan. It was cool in no time. I climbed into bed, figured out the parts for the murder mystery party, responded to Kristel, Peter and Stefanie about hiking and gave them their parts. Went to bed a little after 11.

Tuesday 7/6, Got home and Eric was already there mowing the lawn and had taken the dogs out. I asked if he wanted to go get the table from Peggy's so we got in the truck and sat in traffic for a long time trying to get on the freeway. Finally made it over, loaded in the table and back home. I showered, got ready, got a call from Kass and took off for Capitol Hill. Parked on 14th, her and Sunshine came to pick me up and we went over to Monsoon. I was hoping Jason was working and he was! I haven't seen him in ages. Megan pulled up just as we were. We wanted an outside seat but were waiting for a long time so Jason hooked it up. We bagged sitting outside and got a nice table inside. We started perusing and came up with a whole bunch of food to order. Jason gave us hints at the baby's name but none of us guessed it. Kate was supposed to come but she wasn't feeling it, so we sent her the riddle and she guessed it on the first try! 8 letter name, Old English style, something an old man would be named, starts with an A. Bam, she got it, but didn't spell it right. We ate and ate, and laughed and talked and we were very loud, but what can you do. It was fun. Jason brought out a plethora of desserts and eventually when everyone else had left he sat down and chatted with us. Brought out the ipad to look up vajazzle and found some pretty pictures. It was so funny. We finally wrapped it up around 11:45, sat out in Kassie's rental (little Prius) and talked some more before they took me back to my car. Got home right at 1, Eric was still up which I couldn't believe. We talked while I got ready and finally lights out. I knew I would be tired, but he would be more since he's up at 5.

Monday 7/5, I slept in until 9, finally got up and fed the dogs. Took them out and found Eric and Peter chatting and eating on the deck. I got ready and started packing up and cleaning. K went for coffee and by the time she got back we were pretty much done. I asked P & S if they wanted to come to my murder mystery birthday party and they accepted. The day was beautiful and warm and it totally sucked we had to pack and head back. Put the final things in the car and off we went with me and the dogs in my car and Eric and the garbage in the truck. The pass was rainy and dreary. Bleh. I called Mom on the way and told her we'd be over as soon as possible but that we were still over an hour away. We got home by 12:30 and let the dogs out, unloaded the cars and took off over there. Kass was home and Alix was up from Vancouver for the weekend so it was nice to have everyone there. The weather was cold but got better as the day went on. We had mushroom soup and some kind of veggie casserole or quiche or something. I liked the mushroom soup better. We hung out for a while and people trickled out. Eric and I were the last ones left. We went home and relaxed for the rest of the day. We could have worked, but decided against it. I napped on the couch at like 5. I wasn't hungry for dinner so I don't think I ate anything. Showered and eventually went to bed.

Sunday 7/4, Woke up super early, unfortunately, because Eric was up at 6 and then the dogs kept being loud and irritating me. Fell back asleep and woke up at 8:00. Kristel and I got ready to go to the Hardware store while the rest of them got ready to hike the mountain. I had to be back by 9:00 so we rushed down there, got our breakfast (blueberry scone for me!). The crew left not too much later. Kristel told me a horrifying story about D*n while I was in San Diego. Horrifying. We got back in bed and talked until the others came back. Relationships and faithfulness and all that. Don't think it's easy or all that common but it is possible. They all came back and we relaxed a bit longer and laid out and talked on the deck. We eventually got ready and headed into Leavenworth around 1. Found parking and tried to find food, ended up at Gustav's. A few minute wait so we went to the little boutique and found some cute stuff. Lunch was good and we watched the Ghana Uruguay game, though we think it may have been a repeat and all our cheering and jeering probably cracked up anyone who already knew the outcome. We walked down to the candy shop but didn't get anything then back to the car and over to Safeway. Picked up a yogurt drink for breakfast and annoyed Eric as we walked around the store. Headed home and stopped for ice cream at the Plain Grocery. I got strawberry cheesecake then we sat outside for a minute before loading back into the car and heading home. Kristel, Eric and I decided to go for a walk while Stefanie studied and Peter started dinner. I showered when we got back and it felt good. I ran out of things to read in there so I finally got out. We had dinner and it was delish! Risotto, steak and a caprese salad K made. K and I were on dish duty which was interesting with no hot water. Then it was time for dessert! We had a big fire going and the mosquitoes stayed away so it was very enjoyable. After a while we all started getting sleepy so we put out the fire and headed up to bed.

Saturday 7/3, In the morning he was up early and got pastries from the French bakery. I was going to get gas and clean my car but he insisted and took care of it. I packed and texted Kristel, ate a pastry and started getting the dogs' stuff together. He came back, we took the dogs out, loaded up the car and set off around 9:15. We sat in silence the entire way. We unloaded the stuff, took the dogs out, checked on the motorhome and decided to get lunch. As we were pulling out of the driveway he told me to stop and pulled up the ebrake. He apologized and aired his frustrations at my frustration. We talked for a while and I told him I called Dad out of spite to get the truck. Eventually things were back to normal and we went to the 59er Diner and got a table right away and beat the rush. Nice lunch with a salad and oreo shake. Kristel and her friends were over an hour away. We stopped at the little fruit stand / nursery on the corner on our way back. The fruit lady had a dog - 1/4 malamute, 3/4 gray timberwolf. She was so sweet! 14 years old and HUGE. We got some fruit and headed home. I was walking with the dogs up to see the new garage and Dad's builder pulled up and I was like "shit" I forgot the money I was supposed to give him. He was not pleased. I wrote him a check and called Dad who told me where some cash was and I decided I'd pull some out in Plain before he came the next day to collect. That frazzled me. Soon Kristel, Peter and Stefanie showed up. We showed them around and they took pictures and we all got our suits on and sat on the deck working on our tans. We did that for a few hours and found out more about their travels around the world on cruise ships for the last 7 / 8 years. We decided to get ready for dinner and headed to Headwaters around 6:30 maybe. We expected it to be packed, but it totally wasn't. We got a table and ordered our food and talked. It was a fun dinner and Kristel's bf was there again playing darts with some hussy. We had a long dinner but eventually headed out after 8 because people still weren't showing up for karaoke. Weird. We drove down to look at the houses on Lake Wenatchee and picked up a flier for one of them. We took them to the meadow and Peter asked if we could take pictures. We drove up further and came to a huge gravel / rock quarry and said we'd stop on the way back to take pictures. We kept driving but came to the end of the County Road and into some park. Turned around, stopped at the quarry and the mosquitoes were so bad they were swarming around Peter, Eric and Stefanie. K and I stayed in the car and subsequently saw a deer on top of one of the huge mountains of crushed rock. We stopped one more time for pictures then into Plain to see the grocery, I pulled out some cash, we all went to pet the donkey and Peter took a bunch of pictures. Back in the car with a stop over the bridge so they could see the river. K and I talked about her dinner with Ryan a few weeks prior. Ish, I hate him. We made one more stop at the footbridge then home. We all decided to stay upstairs and watch Old School instead of having a fire. It was hard to stay awake but I did. Went to be around midnight probably.

Friday 7/2, I was sent home with a shit load of hellebores and some other little plants, 2 zero gravity recliners and a little table that needs a coat of rustoleum and it will be as good as new! The dogs were out when I got home which meant Eric had already been home and was hopefully out getting dirt so we could plant the last two magnolias. He pulled up in his car and I was like arggggg! He couldn't get Chris' truck, his car's "check engine" light came on and he cancelled his phone. I was beyond frustrated and disappointed. I didn't want to haul everything over to Plain in my car because there'd be no room and all the dogs. I was digging plants and he started doing it for me as I pulled off the dead stuff. We got into an argument in the front yard, he was jumping down my throat for being disappointed; I was quiet because I was mad. It wasn't pretty. Mom called and that signaled the end our talking for the next 15 or so hours. We went in the backyard and he planted the rest of the plants, I pulled weeds and dead stuff off the roses. He mowed the lawn and fertilized and I went inside to hang with the dogs and feed them. I called Dad and asked if we could borrow the truck for the next two weeks so Eric couldn't use that excuse against me again. I was being very strategic. Dad calmed me down and reminded me of the yin and yang. He was right but I wasn't about to go out there and confront him. I ate some pasta, stayed in the bedroom and he left to get food. He watched tv and slept on the couch. Good times.

Thursday 7/1, Eric didn't get the dirt for the trees and was running late. I played with the dogs outside in the back for a while and cleaned up the house while waiting for him to come home. We went for a walk with all the dogs and he made chicken masala for dinner with mushrooms, spinach and onions atop a bed of orzo. Yum! I cleaned up the kitchen and we hung in bed for the rest of the night.

Wednesday 6/30, I took Castor and Nyx for a walk at the park and Eric got Chipotle for dinner. Uneventful evening. Read and to bed.

Tuesday 6/29, Off work early and rushed home, took the dogs out, changed my clothes, fed the dogs, Eric came home, he started getting ready (for Josh’s surprise birthday party), took the dogs out again and left by 5:20. We arrived at like 6:02 and Hakim had texted that he had JP in tow. Yay! Kristel wouldn't be getting there until 8ish so I was looking forward to getting to chat with him. There was like no one there when we arrived so it was looking pretty dismal. There was tons of food though so that looked promising. More people trickled in and finally around 7 he pulled up and we all hid behind the bar for like 20 minutes as he took calls and waited to cross the street. JP almost stuck his hand in some disgusting looking mushroom or something and we questioned the cleanliness of the establishment. When he arrived we all jumped up and there were about 25 people by then. We all said happy birthday and food was dug into. We sat and chatted and ate and it was all very good (chicken katsu, rice and spinach curry). Plus she picked up a bunch of Mc Donald's stuff but I resisted the temptation. We sat as a UPS group and talked and I met a friend of JP’s who lives on Madison but they grew up together. Her name was Missy which is easy to remember. We talked a bunch and eventually we took off by 10 or so. Went home and to bed.

Monday 6/28, Eric and I took a walk at the park with all the dogs. Baby Brizo did ok; she had some funny moments of channeling her inner wild stallion. Back at home we had leftovers and I had pasta with then without sauce. For dessert I enjoyed some rocky road. I showered and climbed into bed to read. I finished the Mental Floss I started at the airport and started Bark, which Chrystol gave me for Christmas. There is an incredible story about a dog rescue in Guatamala and they take in and care for strays and ship a few lucky ones to the US. The one they had on the cover and her brothers in the story were ADORABLE. They did a dna test and they were a mix of like 6 breeds. Adorbs. Went to bed around 10:30.

Sunday 6/27, Up early again because Schuyler called Eric on my phone to cancel watching soccer. That made me angry. All I wanted to do was sleep in. Didn't happen. I got up just as Eric came home from Home Depot and he took the dogs out for me. I got dressed and we started going at it outside. I picked up dog poop, then inside and tried to get the bed made up. I took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill and when I got back finished the bed and unpacking from the trip. Started some laundry and then organizing my bills. Got almost done by the time Mom showed up with the new screens. We walked around a bit then went in the backyard to look at the fence. Eric was busy edging, feeding the plants, mowing, weeding and clearing out the roses. They look so much better. I finished my bills just as Mom was going to take off. I ate some lunch and fell asleep on the bed with the dogs. I woke up and was really out of it. I knew I needed to get up but my eyes kept closing. Finally woke up and Eric and I went to the store for some weekly provisions. I went through some more boxes from the garage, finished my property tax appeal, watched a little tv, ate dinner (delicious squash vegetable pasta) and eventually got ready for bed. Eric was reading in bed and I joined him. He went to sleep first and I followed around 11.

Saturday 6/26, I couldn't sleep past 7:00 so I finally got up. I took Nyx around the block for a walk then took Castor to the park and did 2 miles. A little jogging, mostly walking. Saw a coyote in the secluded field. I ate some breakfast when I got home then Eric and I headed off to Costco where we got some gift certificates for Chrystol and headed home. We went up to Crossroads next so I could get my lotto ticket (didn't win) and we could get cards for birthdays etc. Back at home I showered and washed my hair (what a concept). We hit the road right around noon and made it down to Golden Gardens by 12:50. Takes too long. So many people. Only Brandon and Jen were there so I made nice with B and talked a bit. He asked me if I need any cheap legal advice. Nope. Chrystol arrived and wished her a happy birthday. They set up a whole bunch of food and I ate mostly chips and guac. The sun was playing hide and seek but finally came out in full force later in the afternoon. Ken and Ann came and it was good to see them, and met Chrystol's Mom, Nancy and brother Karl (Carl?) finally. We played pin the tail on the donkey and it was hilarious to lead the blindfolded toward a bald guy on a bench. He didn't think it was so funny and watched suspiciously. We had cake and sang happy birthday. It was fun. We stayed until 5 or so then headed back to S & C's and saw their new rug and the dye job on the couch. There was a lot of wedding talk and we finally hit the road around 7:30. At home fed the dogs and did stuff around the house. Looked up hotels in Anacortes then called C to see which ones are the best. She will research and get back to me. I watched a bunch of 48 Hours and Dateline type shows and Eric went to bed early, like 9. I stayed up until SNL but started falling asleep 10 minutes in; it was a repeat anyway.

Friday 6/25, Only one day at work felt good, but also didn't go by very fast. I felt kind of tired after work so I mostly sat on the bed and did stuff online, like pay bills I think. Eric made dinner and brought it in to me (teriyaki chicken stir fry yakisoba thing). I think it was a late dinner. We talked about what to get Chrystol for her birthday then I showered and thought up a good idea. When I got out I told Eric I had something in mind and he made reference to "Boner City" which is gross, but at the same time made me laugh really hard. I think we just watched tv and went to sleep after that.