Wednesday 5/30, When I got home I had lots of energy and lots to do and Eric was surprised at how good I was feeling. I started packing, putting laundry away and other general craziness. We went to the store to pick up some stuff for lunches the next day and also for dinner (roast chicken). I talked to both Kassie and Mom. I worked off and on with cleaning the bathroom, packing and lying around doing stuff online. I finally got in bed by 10:30 and watched the news until after 11. I accidentally kicked Brizo off the bed in the early am and think I stunned her (she was under the covers by my shins). I felt so bad I brought her back up and kept her right against my chest.

Tuesday 5/29, I almost didn’t go to work but forced myself up and in. P came back after noon and filled me in on her trip to Vegas. She let me leave at 3:30 and home I went and into bed to watch Sex and the City (movie) in bed. I ordered a couple presents off etsy for Kass, Alix and Alishia. I watched it then watched it again with the commentary. I didn’t intend to watch the whole thing all the way through, but I just never turned it off. Eric made me a grilled cheese for dinner and picked up a ton of cold stuff and forced me to take a bunch of stuff. I got ready for bed, showered and into bed to update this. Eric slept in the other room again to try and make sure he won’t get sick.

Monday 5/28, Nyx woke me up early because she had to go to the bathroom. I went back to sleep then Eric woke me up at 8 to ask if I would take him to work. He brought me tea in bed, I got dressed and off we went. When I got back I had some cereal and got back into bed. I fell in and out of sleep and told Kass that I wouldn’t be meeting them for breakfast because I didn’t feel very good. I got up around 10:30 and threw on some clothes and headed out to her space. It’s a lot more put together than I expected and it looks good. Meghan was there so we chatted for a minute. I felt like garbage so I didn’t go when they went to the airport. I headed home and stopped at the store on the way and got some soup and a salad for lunch. I ate, talked to Mom then put on Can’t Hardly Wait. I had to pick Eric up at 3 so I set my alarm since I was dozing off. I got him and back home to finish my movie. I then put in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which I slept through part of. Eric went to the store to get some more things for our fried rice dinner. I watched some tv, ate my dinner and went into the bedroom to watch Bachelor. Eric slept in the back bedroom and I updated this then to bed.

Sunday 5/27, I woke up and went into the motorhome at 8:30 and Mom and Dad were just waking up too, which shocked me. I let Kassie’s dogs out. In the motorhome I had breakfast and Mom and I chatted for a long time. Kass came in and I went and got dressed and ready to go. We got going on starting our burn pile and cleaning up the section of shoreline that’s pretty rustic. Kass was a machine while I was a bit slower and needed to take a lot of breaks. I was in charge of the fire. We went up to have some lunch then back down to continue. We went back down and continued working. I went up after a while because I was so exhausted. The rest of the day I didn’t push it. Packed, put stuff away and got ready to head out, which we did by 6:15. We made great time and there was hardly anyone on the road. We got home and Eric arrived just at the same time. We showed mom and dad the yard then inside to admire the windows. Lucia let Dad pet her on the head and we all held our breath because he did it subconsciously. We took off for West Seattle to meet Kass at the old Spring Hill. It was 9ish. We ordered a ton of food and ate almost all of it. It was all very good and we had nice conversation. We asked one of the guys to box up the rest and he was like, “So we’ve got a half a roll, a piece and a half of chicken and less than a bowl of rice” and we were like “Yep!”. It was so funny. Mom and Dad stayed at Kassie’s so we moved their stuff to Kassie’s car and went home. I was exhausted and went to bed soon after we got home.

Saturday 5/26, I set my alarm to get up early and get the house cleaned, but forgot to turn it on. Eric had already started, so I fed the dogs, got dressed and went and got gas. Back at home I asked what I could help with and he said it was all done. I packed, had breakfast and hit the road. Traffic outside Sultan and then slow drivers kept me from making decent time. When I arrived Mom made me a sandwich and the three of us sat and chatted over lunch. Mom showed me the new trailer and it’s much nicer than the other but the smell of smoke lingers. I told Mom I’d bring the Odoban. She finished cleaning the blinds and I read my AD in the sun. Kass arrived and shortly after and wanted to get milk shakes and French fries so the three of us girls went to the 59er Diner while Dad continued to work. We had fun then back to the property and we continued to relax and do the blinds. Dinner time rolled around so we all changed and went to Gustav’s. We had a nice dinner, except for the weird persistence of her trying to get me to give up the dormer bed, and over to Safeway for gas and so Kass could get some things. Back home and I was ready for bed. Kass and I talked for a while in the loft before going to sleep.

Friday 5/25, Pretty quick day at work since P was in Vegas. At home I took it easy because I wasn’t feeling good, though not as bad as the day before. Lucia was ok with two small meals of tripe, but then I fed her the Nyx’s raw and she vomited within two minutes. I waited a while and put her back on tripe and added Go kibble. I spent the rest of the night feeding her really small portions of one or the other every 20-30 minutes. She kept it all down. I watched 48 Hours and went to bed. Eric slept in the other room again.

Thursday 5/24, My throat still hurt when I woke up plus a stuffy nose. When I got in I felt fine but as the day went on I felt shittier and tired. Peggy didn’t want to get sick for her trip so she sent me home at 12:30. I had lunch and put in Stealing Beauty in bed. I fell asleep right as it was ending and slept for an hour or so until Eric got home. I continued to rest and finally got up to let the dogs out and feed them. Lucia vomited up her dinner and then blood. Eric said the same thing happened that morning. I started freaking out and called Janell and she had me call Sue. I couldn’t get through so sat tight. Her energy level was normal and once the vomiting stopped she seemed ok. Sue called me back and said if it gets worse to take her in otherwise wait until her vet appointment in the morning. I heated up some leftovers and watched tv. Talked to Kassie and texted with Mom about the weekend.

Wednesday 5/23, When I got home Eric had finished his run and we went to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner. We went home and he started on dinner while I packed up Chauncey’s things. They landed at 7 and I took off for MI to meet Karyn and Bruce. Had some chips prior to leaving. I handed off Chauncey and they were all happy to see each other. Back home I had an enchilada and watched the Sounders game with Sky and Eric. I went into the bedroom to watch Modern Family at 9 and fell asleep afterward. My throat started hurting, which pissed me off because I always fucking get sick during or after a vacation. I got ready for bed and fell asleep shortly after 10.

Tuesday 5/22, First day back at work went fine. I put on Bachelor and watched what I missed. Eric wasn’t feeling great so he fell asleep on the couch around 8 and slept all night. I went to bed by 10:30.

Monday 5/21, We slept in and I made myself get up at 9:30. We ordered room service again and packed up our stuff. We watched the rest of Midnight in Paris and now Kassie wants to go to Paris for their honeymoon. Sky called down and got us a late checkout. Alix went with Mom and Dad to look at furniture while the three of us went shopping down on Newbury. Kass bought quite a few things at a little boutique then at Rag and Bone. The guy at R&B was very helpful. Kass tried on some tricky shoes that took three of them to get them on. We took off and went back to Cambridge to get some sandwiches at Darwin’s. Sky was getting nervous about the timing of getting to the airport so we went back to the hotel, grabbed a cab and went to the airport. We didn’t get to say goodbye to Alix, which bummed me out. We got through security and all that and to our gate. Kass got us some gelato then we went and got provisions for the plane. Our flight took off on time (6:25) and it was a long 6 hours. I watched The Kids Are Alright and Tropic Thunder. When we landed there was some drama with Mom rushing through to get out to the curb without saying goodbye to Kass and the residual fallout from that. Eric picked us up and the car ride home was pretty uneventful. When we got home Eric had cleaned the house and there were a dozen roses and two cards. He was so sweet. We went to bed pretty much right when we got home because it was already after 10 and it was super late Boston-time.

Sunday 5/20, We woke up at 7 and it felt way too early. Sky ordered us room service and I had some yogurt to keep me going through the day. We had to be in our seats by 8:45. Emily’s parents had extra VIP tickets so we got to sit in the third row from the front, which was in front of all the grads. Phase 1 went an hour and 40 minutes. I loved the speaker who was a Seal Team 6 guy who wrote a book. It was funny but also really inspirational. It was so warm and I was burning so for Phase 2 we sat in the shade. While they did all the Engineering PhDs and Masters Kass and I went to try and find some food and managed to score a box lunch by saying her husband was a diabetic. Finally it was time for Alix to walk so we yelled and cheered then waited for the ceremony to end (2 hours 20 minutes). We took pictures then found her and walked back to her house. Mom was acting erratic and frantic so we sent her and Dad to go back to Cambridge. The four of us made our way over to Flatbread, one of Alix’s favorite places where they serve all organic pizza and have candlepin bowling. Dad came back and we had a really nice lunch. Dad dropped us off at the hotel and we relaxed for a while then Alix came and picked us up to go see some furniture Kass had found on craigslist. The guy was from Turkey and a little full of himself. Rich boy. Sky low balled him on the furniture Alix was interested in but the guy didn’t take it. We left and went to Jerry and Pam’s for dinner. It was taco night and there were a ton of desserts and we sat outside on their back patio and it was so nice. We had a lot of fun and stayed until 9:30ish then walked back to the hotel. We put on Midnight in Paris again to try and make it through but Kass fell asleep again. I called Eric and talked to him for 45 minutes or so then turned the movie off and went to bed.

Saturday 5/19, I woke up at 8, but fell back asleep until 10:15. We needed to be out of there by 11. Sky ordered some room service and I was ready to go. Kass wasn’t but that wasn’t a shock. We went down and met Mom and Dad and took off for a bbq place to pick up some food then to Alix’s place, got a tour and then up to the engineering building. They had a lunch for all the students and their families. We saw her lab, final project and got to talk with one of her professors over lunch. It went well and she pointed out the only reasonable looking guy in the bunch. A redhead, just my style. We went back to her place for a little roommate get together where I ate a bunch of Emily’s mom’s cookies and a shitload of papaya. We had to clean up in a hurry because the girls wanted to attend baccalaureate. I had no interest so I caught a lift with Jerry and Pam back to Cambridge. I relaxed in the hotel room for a while until Kass and Sky came back. We took a cab to Alix’s new place and got the tour; it is very cute. The five of us took off to go to dinner at Carie and David’s. We played some games with Adrian to get some of that energy out. We had a nice evening and the food was good. We stayed kind of late and Dad hung with his brothers. Back at the hotel we talked with Alix and told her and her roomies to meet us down at the hotel bar, Noir. We had some fun cocktails and chatted. They left by 1:15 then back up to the room where we crashed. We had to be up early the next morning.

Friday 5/18, We got up early, fed the dogs and then were on our way to Mom and Dad’s to pick them up to go to the airport. Eric had a really narrow window to get us to the airport then back to MI to walk some dogs then to work. He dropped us off and we got through security and on to our gate. I got a bagel sandwich and it was time to board. The flight was five hours and went fairly quickly because I had magazines and watched Le Divorce and Midnight in Paris. We landed and took a cab into Cambridge. We were dropped at the Charles in Harvard Square and Mom and Dad went to Jerry’s. We relaxed for a little bit in the room then walked over to Jerry and Pam’s for dinner. It was 7ish. Dinner was excellent and Alix brought her friend Emily and she was very nice and had a real southie accent. We didn’t stay too late and took a long walk around the beautiful neighborhoods and hunted for the Longfellow House. We finally found it and went around the back. We walked up a couple driveways thinking we had found it, but quickly figured out each one wasn’t. Back to the hotel, talked to Alix and bailed on going out then put on Midnight in Paris and everyone fell asleep.

Thursday 5/17, At home I spent most of the evening packing to go to Boston. Brizo sat in my bag for about 20 minutes watching me. We went to bed fairly early.

Wednesday 5/16, Don’t remember, probably watched Modern Family and had dinner in the living room.

Tuesday 5/15, Got an app for Lucia and sent off the long bio even after they were informed that she’s a bit of a special case. At home I knew I needed to run the dogs, but called Eric first who said his car battery died and he was walking home. When he arrived we chatted for a few minutes before taking off to get a new battery. Eric put the new one in and off we went for home. We went to the store to get stuff for dinner and Sky called to ask if Eric could do him a favor over the weekend. We got stuff to make pork chops, roasted potatoes and cauliflower. At home I looked up places for Eric to meet up with the guy towing the trailer on Saturday. Eric made dinner then took off on his run. I sent off Lucia’s bio then turned on the tv, but remembered I hadn’t watered the plants. I went out and Eric ran up while I was watering. We went inside and opened up the doors to cool it down. Updated this and climbed into bed.

Monday 5/14, I got ready to go out with the dogs when I got home. Eric came home right as I was leaving so he went around the block with Clancy, Nyx and me. We chatted about our days. When we got back I roped Lucia up and took her to the master garden again and ran back. We went there and back in a half hour. It was so hot so I took a shower and sent Eric a few provocative texts to get him in the bedroom. It worked. We frolicked about for a bit. It was 8 by the time I was dressed and digging around in the kitchen for dinner. I watched some of DwtS then Bachelorette. Yikes, what a train wreck. Eric went to bed after it was over but I stayed up for a little bit. Sent off my bank statement and paycheck to mortgage broker.

Sunday 5/13, I got up at 8:30 and took Lucia to the master garden and took some pictures. Eric called to say he was almost done with his run so I rushed home and fed Lucia then took off to go pick him up. I made it to Sammamish and we talked all the way home. I ate breakfast then showered. I called Mom Kristen and we chatted for a while. We had to be at Monsoon at 1 to meet up with Kass and Sky; we then drove over to Volunteer Park to walk through the greenhouse. That was fun and I think Mom enjoyed it. We went down to Monsoon and had lunch / brunch. I had a scramble that was good, but I think I enjoyed the humbow more. We headed home and relaxed for the rest of the day. I laid in bed and watched SNL. We went to the store and got stuff for Eric to make the turkey lettuce onion patties. We watched An Education and Eric liked it which was a relief. We went to bed after that.

Saturday 5/12, I was up kind of early but didn’t go running because I thought we would be doing a lot of walking throughout the day (we didn’t). Fed the dogs and Eric made sandwiches and snacks for our day trip. C&S cancelled. I showered and we took off to pick up Stefanie at 9:30. We picked her up and we were on our way down to Tacoma. We took the scenic route and went through Federal Way and Brown’s Point. We stopped at the lighthouse and cottage there and it was so cute. We picked up a flier because it might be fun to go stay there sometime. It was a gorgeous day. We kept going and wound our way into downtown. We went up to Stadium and showed her around the school, then up Yakima where we looked at the place I lived senior year and all the other houses too. I saw an awesome mid century modern house that was for sale (with a crazy view) and reminded myself to check the price when I got home ($399k! So cheap!). We continued to go through the different neighborhoods and look at the houses. We went to Met Market and picked up some things for lunch then headed down to Point Defiance. We stopped in the rhody garden and ate lunch there. We continued on and stopped at some of the lookouts so Eric could tell us what we were looking at. We stopped at Fort Nisqually last then made our way up to UPS. The campus looked great and there’s a new OT / PT building which is beautiful. We drove around campus and I showed them the theme houses and Stefanie was like “I want to live in one!”. We drove by the nipple house and the Washington house before heading down to 30th and up to Annie Wright and back down to the waterfront. We drove all the way down and back then back onto the freeway and headed home. It was 3:30 or so. We dropped Stefanie off at home and called Karyn and they were going to bring Chauncey over. We took the dogs out and got everyone settled before they arrived. We visited and talked about the dogs and they were stayed about an hour or so. We relaxed for the rest of the night and I went to bed early; fell asleep while watching tv.

Friday 5/11, P let me leave an hour early, yay! I was so excited, it was beautiful outside. Eric had the day off and I knew he had been working on projects. When I got home he wanted to show me his handiwork. I think we just took it easy. I watched a couple episodes of Curb Appeal online. C&S said they were in for Tacoma the next day, so I knew that would be fun. Went to bed early-ish, I think.

Thursday 5/10, I got a call from my loan broker and he said the appraisal came back at $40k over what I paid for it, and $30k more than the last one! I was so excited. I texted dad and Eric and let them know the good news. At home Eric left a note that he was at the gym. I went out with the dogs and cleaned up crap. Called Stan about some paperwork, Kass about Mother’s Day and Mom to let her know about the appraisal. Answered some emails from Janell about Lucia and transferring to Blair and another from Karyn about watching Chauncey. Eric went to the store while I answered emails and came home with taco fixins. I put on LDR and danced around and filed some stuff. Dinner was done and we watched Jeopardy. We had Lucia and Nyx out together and Lucia grabbed Nyx by the lip and wouldn’t let go. Separation followed. I showered and got into bed to watch Office and Parks and Rec. Answered more emails and updated this then to bed.

Wednesday 5/9, Eric didn’t make my breakfast then didn’t answer my email so I thought maybe something was wrong. At work I was on a total Lana Del Rey and Bradley Soileau kick. Eric was home when I got there which made me glad. We went down to Glassybaby to get presents for the moms. Back home we fed the dogs, I heated up some pasta and went through Arches. I emailed Blair to see if she still wanted to foster Lucia and she does. I sent Stef a message seeing if she wanted to go down to Tacoma on Saturday. I showered and updated this.

Tuesday 5/8, Doug was at the house when I got home and Eric was home too. We hung out until the windows were finished, paid and off they went. They look great and I’m so glad we did the black on the outside. They have some special feature where when you hose them off it cleans them and no water spots (“Neat Glass”?). We fed the dogs then took off for Super Supplements and the store for dinner supplies. At home Eric made dinner and I put on Lana del Rey and put the furniture back into place. I took down the hardware for the curtains in the living room since we don’t need them anymore. Eric made pasta and we watched Tim Allen’s show and Eric made fun of it. Before DwtS I showered and climbed into bed. I updated this and watched the show.

Monday 5/7, After work I rushed home to check out the windows and progress. They stayed until 8:30 and got the two hardest windows in. We chatted with them some but tried to let them just work. Eric started dinner and it was done around 9. He made some herb lemon / pepper chicken with asparagus and a delicious salad. Watched DwtS and got ready for bed.

Sunday 5/6, We were up early and ready to rock and roll. We went up to Ace first but they didn’t open until 9 so we went down to Home Depot with our paint sample and they did a color match. Back home we opened up the can and it looked super grey instead of brown. We tested it and it was definitely the wrong color. It was 9 so we headed up to Ace and I saw a duck on the side of the road quacking into nothing, and I knew instantly the babies had fallen into the storm drain. I told Eric and he said to flip around so we did and parked. Eric pulled the grate up and sure enough there were about 8 babies in there. The mother was hysterical. I ran to the car to get the reusable shopping bags since Eric couldn’t reach the babies, even while lying on his stomach. A couple cars pulled up and inquired but no one really wanted to help. I tried calling the fire department, no answer, humane society, no wild animal issues, city of Bellevue, no answer (weekend). Just then a cop pulled up and was all about helping. Eric ran to the church across the street to get a bucket and soon after he returned the cop got three ducklings out and into one of our bags. Two more cops came and one went to Samena to get a pool skimmer. Eventually the fire department showed up (two trucks) with a shit load of hot firemen, who were, unfortunately, useless in the duckling-saving department. We got some more ducklings out and I was in charge of holding them in one of the bags. The mom was so distraught and kept flying back and forth over the road and walking into the road and I kept going into the street to stop traffic to herd her back to the sidewalk. The firemen were called away and there were still three ducklings left. The neighbors and guys who were helping were still there with us. We lowered Eric down so he could see down the drain and he said the remaining ducklings were gone. They must have wandered down the drain and were lost. I took the babies into the corner fenced yard and let them out hoping the mom would come down off the roof next door; she did. She had been watching from afar after the firemen kept trying to capture her to lure the ducklings out. The whole family was so happy and took off for the backyard of he house. Me and the wife of one of the guys were standing by the hole saying how sad it was the ducklings were gone and of their inevitable slow death when we heard a few little quacks and yelled to the cops and Eric, who rushed back and manned their positions once again. It was only a minute before Eric and the original cop got one; I ran down toward the backyard to reunite the little guy with the rest of them, when they yelled to come back and they’d gotten another! I ran and grabbed the second one then the female cop gave me a “police escort” to the backyard and I put them down and soon they started peeping and the mom perked right up and came from the other side of the yard to find her babies. We watched the happy reunion. When I got back up they yelled that they got the last one, so I ran up and there were two more! I grabbed them and ran to the yard to drop them off too. Their little voices were so hoarse from peeping so long that their peeping wasn’t getting the attention of their Mom and she started to leave. I slowly herded them toward her and eventually one let out a loud peep and the Mom perked up. I backed away and waited until she was reunited with them. What a success. The cops thanked us for being good citizens. I was exhausted. We continued up to Ace. It was 11. Two hours to save those little ducks. We got our paint and headed home to do the doors. I called Mom and filled her in on our day then went out to help Eric with painting the garage doors. We finished the doors then put up the screen for the maypop passionflower. We finally went inside and sat down and had some lunch. I drifted in and out of sleep and Eric did too. We went over to Mom’s around 6 for Kassie’s birthday dinner. D&A came and Kass brought Lesley and Jason. It was a nice dinner and we were there until 9. I wanted to get home to get the stuff in front of the windows moved so Doug could start on them the next day. We went to bed shortly after getting home.

Saturday 5/5, Up at 6:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep thinking about what plants I wanted for the different parts of the yard. Eric got up first and I followed about a half hour later. I fed the dogs, ate breakfast and got dressed. I worked on my plant spreadsheet and drew a picture of the front yard to decide where I need new plants. Mom arrived by 9:30 and off we went to T&L. She dropped us off to get started while she went down the road to another nursery on a search for purple passion heavenly bamboo (nandina) and ended up buying all six that they had because they were the best she’d ever seen. I only wanted to buy three but she bought me the other three. Eric and I found the hosta, heuchera and gardenia, but came up missing on the passiflora maypop. We picked up some euphorbia (ruby glow) and another variegated colorful flowering-plant; mom got some candytuft and I came up empty on the ‘absolutely amethyst’. While checking out we asked for the maypop and were directed to it; picked the best one and checked out. I came in right on budget despite not keeping track of any of what I’d picked out. We went home and got going on placement and Eric made lunch. We ate and headed back out to do the courtyard containers (hauled the one from the side of the house) then the front bed, but not for long because Dad called and needed mom to go home right away. We got busy on the plants and I did most of the little ones. We hauled up the fountain from the side of the house and Eric got the pressure washer out and blasted it clean. We put it into place and it looks good. I was tired and went inside to lie down. Eric planted the nandina, gardenia and maypop. We went up to Ace to pick up paint samples then to Crossroads to go to Silver Platters to pick up my cd then to QFC for dinner provisions. We got stuff for breakfast burritos and I got my lotto ticket. Back home Eric made dinner and I relaxed until it was time to eat. Eric watched tv and I put on Zorro, but it was the frickin second one, which I didn’t want to watch at all! I put on Crazy, Stupid Love and fell asleep half way through.

Friday 5/4, I was super excited leaving work. C&S were coming for dinner and I was excited to go plant shopping the next day. At home Eric told me he’d used soap to clean the couch, which you’re not supposed to use. I felt exasperated since I’ve told him before you can’t use anything on it. He doesn’t listen when it comes to cleaning, I guess. I went and took a long hot shower to decompress. I told myself to be a in a better mood. I asked Eric if he wanted to go up to the bank; he did, so we took off. We went to Trader Joe’s too for some drinks and chocolates. Back home Eric cooked while I relaxed in the bedroom going through the gossip sites. C&S showed up a little after 7. Eric got out all the appetizers: olives, pita, roasted red peppers, hummus, taziki and fresh tomatoes and cucumber. It was all very good but I ate too much and stuffed myself before dinner was even ready. We talked in the kitchen for a long time and dinner was finally ready at 9. We put on Happy Gilmore and dug in. Eric made a Palestinian dish with seasoned chicken, tons of onions all baked onto a humongous naan. It was delicious but I wasn’t very hungry so I only had one helping. I cleaned up the kitchen a bit while the movie was on then we had dessert: pound cake with fresh berries. After the movie I showed them the funny yearbook photos on Heavy. It was a little after 11 and they took off not much later. I got ready for bed and cuddled with Clancy and Nyx while Eric watched tv in the living room and Brizo chewed on Lucia’s antler. I fell asleep not long after.

Thursday 5/3, I talked to Mary and received confirmation to watch Poppy in June. We came to an agreement on the cost. When I got home Eric wasn’t there so I fed the dogs and sat down to keep working on my plant spreadsheet. When he got home we talked in the bedroom. Eric started dinner (Moroccan / Indian / Mediterranean fusion) and I called Dad and Mom to talk about the patio, house projects and landscaping. We ate dinner in front of the tv, as usual, and I had strawberries for dessert. We brought Nyx out again and the dogs did well so we brought Clancy out too. Pretty good. Watched the Thursday shows and I finished my spreadsheet then started doing price comparisons between T&L and Molbaks, including checking inventory. Into bed to update this and watch Seinfeld before bed.

Wednesday 5/2, Eric was working out when I got home and apparently I had just missed Philip after finishing the chimneys. We chatted when Eric came home and decided to go down to Your Local Market to use up my amazon coupon. We picked up a bunch of stuff for nachos, some veggies and fruit. On the way home I told Eric about my very disturbing, very lesbianish dream the night before. I was all over that chick. Yikes. Back home Eric started dinner and I worked on constructing a spreadsheet for all the plants I want and am interested in. Made a date with Mom for plant shopping on Saturday. We sat in front of the tv and ate our nachos and watched the Wednesday shows. We went to bed early. Doug called and asked if we could push the window instillation off until Monday. We had Nyx out with Lucia and Nyx must have put the smack down because Lucia didn’t go near her. Don’t remember the rest of the evening but I’m sure there wasn’t much more.

Tuesday 5/1, Mom dropped off an extra computer cord for us to use, thank goodness. I updated this and Eric and I talked before having dinner. I hung in the bedroom, showered and half-watched the DwtS results show. I think I was up until almost midnight.

Monday 4/30, Got up and did stuff around the house in anticipation of the appraisal guy coming over. House and yard looked good. He came, assessed the house and took off in about 20 minutes. I let the dogs out before taking off for work and Clancy got out the side gate because it had swung open after the guy measured the house. I chased him almost out to 8th and was pissed by the time I caught him. After work Eric was at the gym and I tried to fix my computer but it didn’t work. I fed the dogs then went out in the backyard to work with Clancy and it went pretty well. The replacement window panel was delivered along with the screens. Eric and I showered, separately, then laid on the bed together and talked. He said he would go to the store to get stuff for dinner while I went through an Architectural Digest from 2005. Eric made a stir fry and we ate in bed while watching our shows. He got roped into DwtS. Afterward we kicked the dogs out and messed about for a while. Went to bed around midnight.

Sunday 4/29, Eric had to be up a lot earlier than I did (work at 9:30) and I didn’t wake up until 10:15, yikes. I needed to clean the house but was super tired. I got up and fed the dogs then to the store for milk and some other things. I had some cereal then laid back down and didn’t want to get up at all. I watched a couple episodes of Office then forced myself to get up and going. I did laundry, vacuumed the entire house, cleaned the kitchen, mopped the den and kitchen, finished cleaning up the pool room and finally Eric came home. He was exhausted too. I talked him into running errands so we went to Home Depot to return the remaining spikes we didn’t use on the patio, bought some ranunculus bulbs (yay!) then up to Goodwill to drop off a bunch of stuff and lastly to Silver Platters to pick up the Lana del Rey cd, but they were out. Curses! Oh well. At home Eric was sleepy so he took a nap and asked me not to let him sleep past 7. I made some rice for dinner. He got up a half hour later, mowed the backyard, cleaned up some of the beds and tidyed up. Back inside we both relaxed. We looked at the patio and I want it bigger but Eric thinks it’s just me never feeling satisfied with anything or any project. I just envisioned it being bigger, and we have extra pavers, so why not. I think we were both in bed by 9:30 and went to sleep not much later.

Saturday 4/28, Eric left for work and I woke up at 7:30 to get going on chores. I ran down to Home Depot for the spikes and the guy said the 8” would probably work just fine since it’s not a large patio. I bought 60, just to be sure, even though we thought 50 would work. Back home, picked up dog poop, talked to Mom and started shoveling dirt from the patio area and moving it into the courtyard. Mom arrived and suggested I dump the dirt into the smaller bed in the front yard. She shoveled, I dumped. We game planned the bed and where the rocks would go (from the backyard). Jose and his guy showed up and got to work on the patio. They were there all day, but didn’t get the rocks moved. Mom and I worked on getting sod out and taking trips with the yard waste bin into the backyard, back and forth, saving the sod to dry out and use the dirt. My whole body was tired. We got Chipotle for lunch, then back to work. I started working on cleaning up the pool room. Eric stopped at Mom’s and got her chainsaw and cut up the big branches and old lilac then helped take out the rest of the sod to expand the bed. I was not happy with it and liked how it was before they got into cahoots. Oh well. They moved some plants around so it looked ok. Mom took off and we finished up in the yard after Jose left. The patio looked great and we laid the remaining pavers next to the patio for now. Inside Eric showered and left to hang with Sky. I slowly got ready for Kass’ birthday dinner and dancing event. The evening got pushed back to 7:30, which was fine with me. I stopped at the bank in W. Seattle. Arrived at Kassie’s just as they arrived from Nordstrom. We hung there for a while before leaving for dinner (late) for La Bete. Our reservation was for 8:30 but we arrived at 9:15. Dinner was good but very expensive. We had cake from Macrina and took off. Headed up to Havana and parked in some lot that Kassie always parks in and walked over. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but the night was interesting, nevertheless. Got in the middle of some swinging couples meetup and removed ourselves about a half hour later. I thought I saw Max in a platinum blonde bob wig. He was too far away to confirm in person. We danced for a while then I took off. It was about 12:45 and the girls walked me back to my car. I headed home and Eric was still up so I filled him in on the evening and we went to sleep a while later.

Friday 4/27, I was glad it was Friday and it was sunny which helps. Eric wanted to meet up with S&C and Austin for dinner. I changed and we headed out around 6:30 for their place. We hung out there talking for a bit, trying to decide where to go to dinner and eventually Austin suggested Jade Garden in the ID. We piled into my car and headed out the long way. Dinner was ok, I got cashew chicken but it wasn’t what I wanted. I ate a bit of Eric’s chow mein and broccoli. We had a good time. Drove back to their house and dropped them off since we had to be up early, Eric to go to work at 7am and me to get up and be ready for Jose to come do the patio. We got home and into bed and crashed out not much later.

Thursday 4/26, Eric bought tickets for the Gauguin exhibit at the SAM so when I got home I puttered around, cleaning a little in anticipation of the next appraisal on Monday, took a shower and we were off. We got downtown and parked right in time for our scheduled entry. We took about an hour to go through the exhibit and I liked it, but some of the most famous Polynesia works weren’t there. We wandered through some of the other rooms and I heard one gentleman remark about a Leta and Swan work “Beautiful painting” and his wife commented, “What a big goose” in admiration. We decided to go up to the market for dinner and two women from LA asked for a dinner recommendation so we walked them to Pink Door. We went to Steelhead Diner and had a very cute waiter. I got the potato leek soup and a spinach salad, while Eric got the catfish tacos. We skipped dessert and walked back to the car. We got home and missed Office, but watched Parks and Rec. Into bed. Good anniversary date, although late.

Wednesday 4/25, Eric and I took a trip to Home Depot to get some spikes for the patio frame, but couldn’t recall how many we needed. Had dinner, did some stuff around the house, watched Modern Family and went to bed. Discovered Lana del Rey and spiraled into an obsessive, video-watching, internet searching frenzy. Bradley Soileau is so f-ing hot.

Tuesday 4/24, Got an email that the window delivery was on and scheduled some time between 11 and 1. I called Mom but she couldn’t do it, then texted Eric who couldn’t. Called Cherry and she said she could. Thank god. Got a call to watch Poppy Jack in June. Also got a call to have the next appraisal on Monday. Got news that the windows were delivered, but one slider was broken and the screens were missing. Great. I stopped at Hallmark on the way home and got a bunch of cards. When I got home Eric wasn’t there, but I took a look at the windows and they look good. Took the pups out then noticed Eric had left me little presents on the table. I took Lucia out and when I got back in Eric was home. I opened my new iphone case and water bottle and cute card. Eric was making gyros for dinner for our anniversary, though it’s two weeks after. I took Nyx out and trimmed her up then brushed Clancy. Back inside I got a call from the chimney guy who quoted $1,500 to do the chimneys but then lowered it a $100 after I charmed him. Wish I was better at charming. We had dinner and it was excellent. He also made roasted potatoes and asparagus. We watched our shows and cuddled with the dogs while Lucia looked on from her crate. I got into bed and took our dogs and updated this.

Monday 4/23, We were up by 7 and got ready and packed everything up. Had some breakfast and waited for Kass and Sky to arrive. We all did the tour when they arrived then we hit the road to the airport. Most of the ride was fine but Kassie said something about the house and I could tell Sky was mad. Mom and Dad dropped us off and we got checked in and moved up to exit row seats, yay! Talked with Kass and Sky for a while after checking in and got into a semi-argument with Kassie about her ho down party and that she was acting bratty and ungrateful. We ended on a fine note but I still think it was all a bit much. Eric and I headed to our gate and got to board early. The flight was fine and I went through a bunch of magazines. We landed 25 minutes early, got our luggage quickly and Mom picked us up. The weather was great and we looked forward to relaxing for the rest of the day. It was about 3. We went home and took the dogs out and talked to Cherry. I showered and laid down and eventually took a nap. Eric did too. We got up and went to the store to get stuff for dinner. I watered all the plants while Eric cooked dinner. We ate and watched tv, I unpacked then turned in early. I was ready for bed.

Sunday 4/22, Eric, Dad and Mom all went on a morning walk through the desert while I stayed in bed. I got ready and made up the bed. They got back and Eric told me how they saw a rattle snake and Eric loved it. They saw a coyote and some other wildlife. He was thrilled. We went and sat on the patio for a while and talked. We all finished getting ready, packed up the car with a shitload of food for dinner later then headed out. Kass wanted to go to brunch but we had to make some stops first. We went to Sprinkles to pick up birthday cupcakes for Kass. Next we went to pick up Grandma and Papa. Went to the Farmhouse and everyone had just been seated. Eric was exasperated with the situation and drama. We had breakfast, which was very good. Next we went back to Grandma’s. I rode with Alishia and Mike. We changed into our suits and met up with everyone at the pool. I sat in the shade most of the time but hopped in and out of the pool a few times. The rest of the gang played badminton and floated around. I went through some magazines and chatted with the sisters. We left the pool a few hours later and ended up back at Grandma’s for snacks and dinner. We all sat outside under the misters and discussed all of Eric’s nicknames: Rat Rick, Rattler Rick, Ringworm Rick, EB, Ranger Rick, Butthole Benson, Rick Bitch and Rapist Rick (“Don’t sit on his lap!”). I ate way too much. We had a good time and stayed relatively late. Sang happy birthday, took some pictures and headed out, saying goodbye to everyone. It took us an hour to get back to the property and we chatted while I packed. Went to bed after 11.

Saturday 4/21, Sky called at 6am to ask for the keys because he needed to take Kass to the emergency room. Eric took the keys down to their room and came back to say Kassie looked awful. She’d been puking and shitting since 1am. We tried to go back to sleep but by 6:45 Sky called to give us an update then Mom called and assumed Aubrie was sick too because she’d had a burger as well. It was determined that she had food poisoning and the burger was the culprit. Aub and Sky told her it looked too pink but she ate it anyway. Eric went to work out and I got ready and started packing. We went down to breakfast after he was done and Sky had just returned and was having something to eat. He gave us the update. Yikes. Aubrie called me and I filled her in and she wasn’t sick and met us out in the hallway when we came upstairs to see Kassie. She was in bed. We chatted for a bit then let her rest. Eric and I packed then he took off with Sky to run errands and get Kassie’s meds. Aub, Christian and I went down to the pool to hang out and chat. We went upstairs so I could check out and move our stuff to Aubrie’s room then we took off with Eric to get lunch. We went to In-n-Out since I’d never been there. It was good; no complaints. As we got back in the car Mom called and asked where we were and she thought we were still coming up for lunch, oops. We thought everything was on hold since Kassie was sick. We went back to the hotel, grabbed our stuff and headed out. Texted Alishia to let her know what we were doing. We arrived and got a tour of the house, which is bigger than the other houses we’ve had but doesn’t really feel like it. We sat outside on the patio and just talked for hours. The event for Kassie’s birthday was still on so we got ready and headed out when Sky called to say they were there. When we arrived Kass was pissed because she didn’t feel good and it’s not what she had wanted to do for her birthday. It’s all I’m going to say about it. We went on a stage coach ride and Eric and I sat up top with Ron. He was quite a character and has a Chihuly bull bell from when he brought his bull to the Tacoma Glass Museum for a promotional photo. After the ride we did old west photos and they turned out ok. Eric and I got one, just the two of us. I liked Aubrie’s and Alishia’s better. Next was the cookout and bonfire. We had steak, potatoes, veggies, corn on the cob and a biscuit. S’mores for dessert. It was a nice evening and it finally started cooling down by the time we left. Everyone headed out and we went back to the property with Mom and Dad. We stayed up and chatted for a while before all turning in for the night. Eric and I watched some Repo Man.

Friday 4/20, I was up by 7, got ready and called Kass and Aubs to see if they were coming to breakfast. Eric and I headed down and started and the rest joined. Eric had been texting with Christian and called him “sweet prince” and Christian was sending funny messages back that didn’t make much sense. When Eric showed Aubs the texts she said it didn’t sound like C and checked the number and it wasn’t him. We laughed so hard and Eric let him down easy. Eric took a hilarious picture of Kassie with oatmeal smeared on her face to send to the guy, but Eric didn’t send it. We got going 15 minutes later and got to Grandma’s right on time. The eight of us (Mom, Dad, Kass, Sky, Aubs, Christian and Eric and me) took off for the mountains to do four wheeling, in dune buggies. Eric was freaking me out in the beginning and wouldn’t let off, so finally I really let him have it and he settled down after that. It was much more enjoyable after that. The scenery was beautiful and we went through all kinds of terrain, from rocky, to sandy to streams to mountains. We stopped at a beautiful lookout and took a bathroom break (while watching for rattlesnakes) and some pictures then headed back. We were out for two hours and we were filthy and sweaty. We wiped off with wet cloths and loaded up into the car then headed back to the hotel. Dad and Mom took Aubs’ car back to Grandma’s and we all went up to shower and get ready. People were hungry but Eric, Aubrie and I had some leftover pizza so that satisfied us. We took off for Whole Foods and got some lunch there. Eric got Dad a “Dale’s Pale Ale”. Got a little dessert then back out to the car. The AC wasn’t working so the Acadia’s nickname became “The Incinerator”. It was so hot. We drove with the windows down everywhere that day. Next we went to Target where Christian got some Corona swim trucks and Kass bought a whole bunch of pool toys, including a “Subskate”, which Christian ooh-ed and ahh-ed at. We went to the pool and the whole fam was there. We set our stuff down and got into the pool. I didn’t stay in too long because I got cold. I sat in the sun and warmed up. We left around 4:30 to go back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. It was my third shower for the day. We went to Keegan’s for dinner and I sat at the end by Alishia and Mike. We chatted and it was nice to spend time with her and get to know Zim. Dinner was alright. We went back to the hotel and drove with the windows down and a packed car. Felt like summertime as a teenager. It was fun. Dad went to DQ and Mom called to tattle on him. Back at the hotel we settled into our rooms and Kass and I looked for places to get our toenails done the next morning before going out to Mom and Dad’s. Eric went to work out and did six miles. He hadn’t run in over a week because of his ankle. I was watching Your Highness when he got back. We watched a little tv before going to sleep.

Thursday 4/19, Eric was up early, no surprise, and I got up before my alarm went off at 7. We got the dogs situated, finished packing, showered and then out the door by 8:20 over to Mom’s. We took off for the airport and Sky texted that they were already there, which I couldn’t believe. Mom dropped us off, we sailed through security and then headed toward the gate. Apparently we went right by Kassie and she was like “Hey, there goes my sister!” to Sky. He asked her if she was sure. They got our attention and Kassie was asking what we were doing there. We walked to the gate and she guessed where we were going (Phoenix) then the two of us went to get a bagel sandwich for me and coffee for her. We boarded the plane and they were in the back and sitting next to us is a very well known Seattle appraiser and antiques dealer. We talked to him the entire trip, like from the time he sat down all the way until Dad picked us up on the curb. We chatted about Palm Springs, the business, iphone apps, the education board, all kinds of things. I asked if he would mind waiting to meet Kass after deplaning and he said he would. We all chatted down to baggage claim and then he and Kass really got into it. She showed him some of her stuff and he offered to buy her gossip bench (tete-a-tete) right there. He gave us his cards, hugged goodbye, offered his Palm Springs house and asked if we could all do lunch when we were back in Seattle. Got into the car with Mom and Dad and we headed to the hotel to check in. Got our rooms, put our stuff away, went and hung down at the pool and talked for a long time then called Dad to come get us. We went to Grandma and Papa’s and sat outside for a long time talking and drinking fun sodas. Alishia and Mike (Zim) showed up then left to check in and eventually we all took off for dinner at the pizza place (Nellos). Dinner was fun and I got a little pizza and shared a salad with Kass. We went back to the hotel after dinner and got in the hot tub. We waited for Aubs and Christian to arrive and they finally did after like 40 minutes. We were out there for a long time and that was really fun then inside and to bed after some horseplay and wandering from room to room. To bed by 11 maybe.

Wednesday 4/18, P was in and out of the office all day with the planting of trees and such. She let me leave at 3:30 to run errands and then home to meet the tree guys for the drop off. Eric was home so we got ready and went in the backyard to get it all set up for the new trees. The guys wheeled them back and we got the snowbell in with no problem, but the maple was another story. The hole was too far back in the corner so Eric dug a second one a foot forward and then we struggled to get it out of the hole and rolled into the new one. We had to transplant the black tulip magnolia, the little red leafed bush and one of the hydrangeas. We were done by 6 and the trees had been fertilized and looked really good. We went inside and cleaned up: Eric vacuumed while I put laundry away, packed and fed the dogs. Next, it was time for the dogs to get baths, then I cleaned my shower and lastly took a shower. We had salad for dinner. I kept packing and was in bed by 9ish. Went to bed early to get a good night’s sleep. Kass called to chat, but I didn’t call her back because I was afraid I’d spill the secret.

Tuesday 4/17, We still weren’t talking in the morning and he didn’t even sleep in bed for the majority of the night I think. He said bye but that was it. I was super anxious at work but I’m not sure why. P called the plant guys and they said they would deliver the two trees for free. So that took care of that. I got home and Eric was in the backyard weeding and had mowed the yard. I got my grub clothes on and headed out, transplanted two hydrangea and dug holes for the two trees. We went inside and went to Ace. We sat in the parking lot and “talked” for a long time but didn’t come to any resolution. We went in, got B-12, gloves and four bags of compost. Talked more on the way home. Eric went to the store to get stuff for dinner while I put the new rug liner under Grandma’s rug and I put the remnants under other various small rugs in the house. I made the bed, got laundry going, suitcase out, emailed about windows and mortgage and finally dinner time. Eric made a big salad with roasted chicken and for an appetizer he toasted baguette and topped with artichoke dip. Yum! I ate too much. Kept going on laundry and hung in the bedroom with Lucia. Never got around to taking a shower. Let the dogs out and put them to bed and climbed in to update this. Things were fine by the time I went to bed.

Monday 4/16, P said she’d give me two beautiful trees: Japanese snowbell and some variety of Japanese maple. I knew telling Eric would be a problem because we’d have to do it Wednesday, the day before we leave for AZ. When I got home I told him and he went nuts and was acting like a jerk. I went outside and got started on cutting up the pear tree branches. I got that all done then planted the hellebores (lenton rose) and transplanted two others. I went inside around 6:45, made myself a ramshackle dinner and hung with the dogs in the kitchen. I took a shower and got into bed to look at flowers and plants online at T&L. I updated this. Eric and I still weren’t talking when I went to bed. Whatever.

Sunday 4/15, Jose was coming at 8:30 so we slept in until 7:45 then got up. I fed the dogs and looked up and he was standing outside the gate and waved. It was 8. Shit. I ran to get some clothes on (thank god I was wearing my robe). I went out and showed him what we wanted to do and he quoted $400-$500 for the patio and ~ $200 to move the rocks in the backyard to the front. He’s coming back the 28th. It will be so nice to get that done. He took off and back inside I had breakfast and got dressed. My phone still wasn’t working so after Eric left I threw some laundry in and headed out to AT&T to get a new phone. Got the 4 though I didn’t really need it. Got that wrapped up and I’m pretty sure the sales boy was flirting with me. Or I’m flattering myself. He gave me his card and made sure to point out his cell number. Back home I synced up the phone and kept going on washing dog beds and headed out into the yard. I planted the bleeding heart Cherry gave me and dragged the can from the backyard up to the front. I took the dogs out and brushed them then gave Nyx a considerable haircut. I went inside and had some lunch (yogurt, fritos) then into bed to lie down. I watched a little SNL then fell asleep. Eric came home and he laid down too because he was exhausted. I finally got up at 4:30 and gave Nyx her pill. I fed the dogs 45 minutes later and took them out. I talked to Cherry for a long time about the pups and the prior owner’s grandson and that drama. We took off for Mom’s for dinner and talked about plans for the pool when we got there. D&A came over and we ate dinner soon after. We were there until 8:30 then went home. We both got into bed and crashed out not long after.

Saturday 4/14, Eric was up early and I was up not long after. By 8:30 I was dressed and ready to go outside and work. I started in the front yard by the bedroom trimming the hellebores and picking up leaves. I heard sawing and went in the back to find that Eric had already started pruning the pear tree. I helped him and told him which ones to cut. I worked on clipping some of the branches up and put into another yard waste bin. Filled it up quickly. I went in the house and texted Mom to come over. I ate a little lunch at 11:30 and she arrived shortly after. We moved the twisty baby out in front of the courtyard, moved the chocolate mimosa over to the side of the driveway and two of the roses to the corner bed. We looked at the rocks in the backyard to see which ones we wanted to bring up. Eric had cleaned up the sidewalk cracks and we finished weeding the front. I went around and watered the new transplants and nandina with B-12. We discussed the pool and have new plans for it and I showed Mom the inside of the house and she loved the color. She suggested we add a quart or gallon of white to the paint and paint the rest of the house with it. Mom left and I dug the dahlias out of the garage and got going planting them. Eric cleaned up the rest of the courtyard and watered the plants and trimmed up the hydrangea and magnolia. I had a hell of a time with the dahlias because of the rocky soil and plastic liner under the surface. We finished up and headed inside. We both showered and got ready to go to Stefanie’s for dinner. We arrived right on time and Stef was running a little late. We chatted and she said Kristel bailed. C&S showed up a while later and we all sat around and talked and ate chips. Jacqueline and Charlie came over and he seemed nice. We had dinner and dessert and watched videos online and laughed. It was a good time. J&C left and we got out the chocolates and continued talking. We finally left and when we got out to the car it was 1:30. Oh my. Didn’t realize it was that late. Got home around 2 and I finally went to sleep by 2:30ish.

Friday 4/13, P let me leave around 4 which was so nice because it was beautiful outside and it was Friday. I went home and Eric was out in the yard weeding. I threw on some old clothes and went out and joined him. We got quite a bit done and he got the lawn mowed as well. By 6:30 we went in, fed the dogs and took off for Ace. Got a pole saw and some black spray paint for the gate. We decided on Thai and tried the place by TJ’s. It was good and I had leftovers for lunch the next day. We went into TJ’s and picked up a bunch of sweets for ourselves (me) and also for Stefanie for the next night. We went home and I had some chocolates. I was in the bedroom and falling asleep when it was like 9. Eric came to bed and I got a spurt of energy and stayed up until like 11:30. I found some lights I liked for the front door and patio.

Thursday 4/12, Our four-year anniversary, except we forgot and didn’t celebrate. Also, missed Castor’s birthday on Tuesday. He would have been 10. A potential adopter called me at work and wanted to talk about Lucia so we chatted for a half hour and he’s not over the death of his dog’s (less than a week earlier) and is kind of all over the place. I emailed Genie to see if we could chat later that evening. I took Lucia and Clancy for a walk when I got home and Eric got their dinners ready while I was gone. We worked with the two of them when I got home and they did great. We went to Mud Bay to pick up bird seed then Safeway for a few things and home. Eric made dinner and I called Genie but she didn’t answer. We ate dinner and watched tv, then I showered and tried Genie again. We talked for 45 minutes then I talked to Alan. I got ready for bed and climbed in.

Wednesday 4/11, Lucia got an app so I sent her long bio out when I got home. We’ll see. He’s gung ho now, but after reading about her he might not be. Eric and I worked with Clancy and Lucia and she did well and gave us a couple of opportunities to correct her which was good. We clipped Clancy’s nails then Eric held Brizo and I did her nails. I made their dinner and Eric got started on ours (enchiladas). I went in the bedroom and called Banfield, ASPCA and Homeward Pet to update credit card information. Jose called me back and we set up a time (8:30) for him to come Sunday to give us a quote to finish the patio. We ate dinner and watched our shows then at 8 we hopped in the shower and talked a bit then made out. We got out and messed about and finished right at 9. I turned on Modern Family because it was finally a new one. I got ready for bed, read some gossip online and updated this before going to sleep.

Tuesday 4/10, I talked to Mom on the way home. When I got home Eric had a card waiting for me and was ready to help me with the dogs. We took Lucia and Clancy for a walk around the block and Lucia was very curious of Clancy and kept sniffing him, which was a great sign. We stopped and talked to Cherry for a while then home. We worked with them in the living room and Lucia did great. Eric had picked up a pizza and popped it in the oven after we were done with the dogs. We got their dinner ready, took them all out then sat down and ate. I showered and put on Married Life, updated this and hung with the dogs in bed.

Monday 4/9, Blair was coming over after work and was there when I got home. Her and Eric had already gotten started with Lucia and I came in and put in my two cents. She brought Maya in and did some work with her. We talked for a long time and she said she’ll be fostering in June and that if we wanted to transfer her, she would take her and she also said she’d like to adopt her. Crazy. It was a good visit overall and we’ve got some things to try. Eric got dinner going after she left and I called Dad back and we talked for a while. I cut the stake off the black locust freesia and dinner was ready not much later. We ate and watched some tv, I updated this and went to bed soon after.

Sunday 4/8, My alarm went off at 7:45, snoozed until 8, got up and read the emails from Genie and the app that came in Friday. This family is awesome, but it still won’t work for Lucia. Whichever dog goes to them is a lucky one. I fired off some emails and hopped in the shower. I got ready quickly and watched some “8 Mile” until it was time to leave for breakfast. Hakim and Carmen were out but Josh and Matt were still in. Sos found a good place since Mothers was packed: Bijou Café. I took off on foot after texting JP. It took me less than 10 minutes and it was gorgeous outside. It was warm, sun was out and the city was very quiet. We were seated shortly after I arrived and we waited for Josh and Matt. We chatted it up and ordered breakfast. It was a lot of fun and so good to have a little change of scenery. After breakfast we took off for Voodoo Donut which is just a block down and left JP and Matt there in the long line. Jake, Sos and I walked through the Saturday Market on our way to the waterfront. I bought two t-shirts for Eric which Jake helped me pick out. We walked along the water and it was such a gorgeous day. Back down and to their car, they dropped me off at my hotel and said our goodbyes. I went up to my room, packed and relaxed for a little bit before checking out at noon. I took off for Beaverton to go visit Rose and Quincy. I was early so I gassed up and went to Big Lots where I got three new movies for $3 each: An Education, Volver and Married Life. I found my way to Rose’s and was so excited to see Quincy. I brought some toys and went in and we sat on the floor and talked and I pet Quincy a ton. He is still so cute and sweet and wanted lots of cuddle time. Clovis was a little standoffish, but I got a couple pets in which Rose said was a big deal. I was there for an hour and a half then took off for home. I made good time even though I stopped at DQ in Aberdeen for an Oreo blizzard. The weather was gorgeous and it was nice to just enjoy the drive. I got home at 5:30 and Eric was on MI walking dogs. He stopped at the store on the way home and my phone stopped working so I couldn’t talk to him. I was exhausted and started getting a headache so laid down and shut my eyes. Eric came home and talked to me but I was too tired so he took the dogs and shut the door. I couldn’t sleep so got up and had some cereal for dinner. I watched AFV, showered and eventually went to bed early.

Saturday 4/7, Eric was up early and I was up by 7 and thought he had already left to walk dogs; turns out he was up at the French bakery getting some treats. I took a palmier for the road. I showered and started packing and Court called about 45 minutes before I needed to leave. We chatted and that was nice. I took off after kissing Eric goodbye. He called when I was about half way down to Portland and told me the duct cleaning went well and they sucked three bags of dog hair and dust out. Ish. I checked my fb a couple times to see if Ian was up for lunch but never got a message. I called Sos and said I’d go directly to her place. It was almost 1. There were two accidents in the middle lane on I-5 which held things up a little in PDX. When I got there we were both ready for some lunch so we took off for New Seasons where I got a little asparagus and goat cheese quiche and Sos got a piece of pizza. We sat outside in the sun and it felt so good. We walked back to her house then took off for Lindsay’s. She was very nice and the house looked great and the food was excellent. She also made a delicious chocolate cake. We chatted inside then had our lunch outside in the backyard in the sun. I loved her dogs, but especially Archie who was very sassy. Sos opened presents and we talked some more before taking off around 6. Carmen’s mom, Pam, invited us to come over to H&C’s place that evening for a bbq and JP was also in town with a friend. UPS reunion! I dropped Sos at home then headed into Portland to check into my hotel, the Heathman. The women at the hotel told me that it was nice and that they had a doorman with a top hat. They were right and it had flowers on it, plus his traditional jacket made him look like a royal. I checked in and all the staff were so nice and helpful. I went up to my room and it was a corner, though on the small size. It would work just fine for my purposes. I called Eric and told him I was checked in and would be going over to Hakim and Carmen’s for a bbq. I called Susan next and chatted for a few minutes before I had to take off back to Sos’. When I got there Jake had just woken up. Sos called Hakim and we invited ourselves over. We went to New Seasons, picked up blue cheese and thyme infused burgers and some bacon to top them off, along with some chips and guac and wine for the partiers. We headed over and threw the burgers on after getting a tour. Their house is awesomely mid-century and they have the same bathroom lights as my bathroom before I replaced them. I met Matt, JP’s friend, and met Lyn again, Carmen’s dad and he was very nice when I reminded him we’d met at the wedding. We ate, laughed, talked, it was a lot of fun. Eventually we were in the den and watched the end of 40 Year Old Virgin then the beginning of American Pie. I had a great time. It felt like college, all gathered watching a movie, late night. Loved it. We stayed until 11 maybe then I took Josh and Matt back to their hotel which was only a few blocks from mine. I went up to my room, got ready for bed and called Eric for an update. I turned on the tv and SNL was on with Sophia Vergara, Eric’s favorite. I watched about half then fell asleep. We had decided to do breakfast in the morning but decided to do it early because it would be Easter. It was decided that 9 was the time. Yikes.

Friday 4/6, Ian’s birthday. I sent him a message wishing him a happy birthday and asking if he wanted to grab lunch the next day. He had something he had to do but was going to try and shuffle and said we’d see. While at work Lucia got an app that looked ok but I had concerns so all the gals elected that I send Lucia’s long bio and explain my concerns. I knew it would be a lot of work, but mentally started preparing throughout the day. He submitted the app on Wednesday but the apps dept forgot to send it, so I felt super obligated to get it out that night. Susan had some things going on with D and asked that we come over and help change the locks. When I got home I started right in on the bio and wrote to Blair about the house training issues with Lucia. Eric got back from his run and we talked about what we were going to do. We took off around 7, went to Home Depot and got the lock then headed to Susan’s. Eric got going and we chatted and Susan said she was the unicorn, but Eric thought he should be the unicorn, for obvious reasons. Eric got the lock in, we talked for a little while longer then took off. We drove to Overlake and went to 5 Guys and I got a burger and fries even though it was late. We went home and I knew I had to finish the email and bio and send them off. Genie gave me some tips after reading my draft and had some other words of wisdom about life in general. I just love her. I got everything compiled and sent it off. I got emails back from all the women and they were happy with my work. I put off packing until the morning. Went to bed after that.