Monday 10/8, I brought work home and reviewed while watching DwtS. When I got home I took Nyx and Clancy for a walk and put Brizo in the sling. I gave Nyx a bath and we did her nails and ears. I went out in the front yard and watered the plants. Eric made a wonderful dinner: steak with wine reduction and mushrooms, sautéed asparagus and squash, roasted fingerling potatoes and a caprese salad. Delish. After finishing up work I got into bed.

Sunday 10/7, Nyx woke me up at 7:20, needing to go out. I got back in bed for 15 minutes then up and packing. Nyx and I shared a banana and soon I was all packed up and ready to head out. I said bye to Mom and Dad and that I’d probably see them in a couple weeks since I was thinking about flying down for Dad’s birthday weekend. The trip home went pretty quickly and I made it home a few minutes after 10. I don’t think Nyx was happy to be home. She had so much fun at the property and is like a puppy out there. Eric said Clancy was pouting and depressed all weekend; I think it’s all the other dogs invading on his baby time. I changed my clothes and before long we were heading out to Schucks for the tail lights and got that all sorted out. Eric and I went over to Stopsky’s on MI for some coffee and pastries then to Luther Burbank for the rat terrier meet-up. There was something like 30 rats there. It was a tri-color bonanza. Perri did awesome and ran and played with all sorts of dogs. Clancy did pretty well too, peeing on everything and checking in often with us. The couple interested in Perri came and we hung with them and their dog for about 45 minutes, talking about Perri and letting the dogs interact. It was a very good meeting and hopefully they want to move forward. It was great to see everyone and to meet some of the new pups. We left by 1:15 or so and headed home, where Eric made me a roast beef sandwich before taking off for Seattle on his bike to meet Sky. I watched Project Runway and Parks and Rec online and relaxed with the puppies until I heard from Mary about picking up Pop. She picked him up but Cam let out Pop and Perri who went running across the street to sniff in a neighbor’s yard. Luckily both came to me as I chased them down. They left and I updated Perri’s long bio for the potential adopters. I took off for the store and made it back by 7. I made some mcclusky noodles for dinner and watched AFV and finished P’s bio. It looks like we already know our next little foster; Pippy, 9lbs, tri-color, type-b and very cute. Her best friend is a giant tortoise. I fired off some emails, showered, got ready for bed and updated this. Eric got home at 10; Sky dropped him off.

Saturday 10/6, I woke up at 9:30 and couldn’t believe how long I’d slept in. I took out Nyx, fed her and had some breakfast, myself. Dad and Brad were running around doing stuff to pack the place up and winterize. I took Nyx for a walk down to the first property on the county road, which is for sale. Two 1.1 acre parcels, $440k. A bit high. We walked down to the river and I snapped a few pictures. Mom, Heidi and I took off around 11ish for Wenatchee. The drive was nice and the weather was gorgeous. We went to the Public House first for lunch and I got the BBTA (bacon, basil, tomato and avocado). We walked down to the farmers market but we were a half hour too late to get a sweet treat from Sweet Kitchen Café. We walked the strip and I got a couple xmas ornaments, while Mom got a day of the dead apron for Aubs at Gilded Lily. We stopped at Napa for brake and turn signal lights for my car, Costco for a heater and gas, Walmart for antifreeze then Home Depot for dcon. We started back to the property but took a detour to Anjou Bakery. I got a chocolate chip cookie and tried a bite of mom’s marion berry pie, which was delish. We sat out on the back patio which is so fun. We drove back to the property, gabbing the whole way. Uncle Brad had already left and Heidi packed up as well. Dad helped me with the tail lights but they gave me the wrong turn signal light so that was a bust. Had to drive home with a tail light out the next day. Heidi left and we hung in the motorhome watching tv and relaxing. We ended up staying in and Dad made popcorn for dinner and we watched Pawn Stars or something. We watched until 9:30 then we all headed to bed. I called Eric upstairs and read a magazine until it was lights out.

Friday 10/5, I went home after work and started packing. Eric ended up not going to Greek fest in Tacoma so he was home when I arrived. We went to dinner at the French Bakery and each got a panini (I got the croquet monsieur). He bought me a strawberry croissant for the drive to Plain. When we got back I packed up my stuff and Nyxie and we hit the road. She wasn’t thrilled with the ride but for the most part she was quiet. We made it in two hours thanks to no traffic. Mom and Dad weren’t there when we arrived, so we relaxed upstairs and I showered as we waited. They pulled in 40 minutes later with Uncle Brad and Auntie Heidi in tow. I couldn’t believe it. So fun! We went in the motorhome and they drank and ate candy and we all chatted until almost 1am. I talked to Eric a few times after I left because he wanted to check on me, which was sweet. When we all decided to go to bed I headed up with Nyx and we settled into bed. We slept very well.

Thursday 10/4, Poppy arrived in the morning and settled in easily. Perri loved Poppy and couldn’t wait to play, play, play. I went home after work and Mom and Dad checked in that they were waiting for Kass to pick them up. I showered and we took care of the dogs and waited for their call to meet up for dinner. We went up to Calcutta Grill to enjoy the beautiful sunset. We had a bit of a wait for our table and the one we got wasn’t great. Dinner was excellent as usual. Kass broke to Mom that her and Sky might not come to Thanksgiving so Mom was in a bad mood for the rest of the night. We had a nice dinner otherwise. We headed back to our house so Kass could meet Perri. Mom and Dad were staying with us for the night. We sat in the living room and talked. Kass left around 9 and we stayed up talking until after 10. Mom and Dad said the dogs are well-behaved and I was like “Huh?”. I think their expectations keep getting lower. Got all the dogs settled and went to bed.

Wednesday 10/3, I stayed late at work to finish something up. P was out of town for the next couple days. At home I started right away on chores and laundry. I watered plants and made up the bed in the back room. Folded sheets and towels and Perri kept me company the whole time. She is the sweetest. I talked to Kassie briefly. Watched Project Runway online, updated this, showered, took Perri out and went to bed.

Tuesday 10/2, Susan was in Bellevue so I told her to come over to hang. I started doing some cleaning and laundry in preparation of mom and dad coming Thursday. Perri is still doing great and she is so sweet. Susan and I chatted about her weekend with Andrew and also about the email she sent about our Neighbours adventures. Eric made us dinner and we sat and watched WoF and Jeopardy. DwtS came on and we watched a little of it before she took off for home. I stayed out and watched and did stuff online while Eric watched tv in the bedroom. I showered and tried taking Perri out multiple times. That dog never pees. We finally went to bed without her going out again. Luckily she didn’t go in her crate over night. She can really hold it, which I don’t necessarily think is a good thing. I was asleep by 11.

Monday 10/1, Perri was up around 4am (she hadn’t pottied the entire evening before) so I took her out and she pottied which made me feel a lot better. In the morning I took her on a short walk around the neighborhood then she was crated all day, which worried me. When I got home the blanket had been chewed, so now I know she gets bored, understandably. Eric got home at the same time and we took all the dogs outside. We stayed out there for quite a while and introduced her to our dogs. Everyone did fine but no one’s impressed. Eric took off for the store and I stayed and chatted with Cherry and introduced Perri. She loved her too. I fed the dogs, started some laundry and worked on some emails and paperwork. Eric made some dinner and I ate in the bedroom with Perri. Watched some tv, did stuff online and updated this.

Sunday 9/30, I was so tired and woke up around 8ish because Brizo was making all kinds of noise. Eric got up at 6:30. I had a slow start to the day. Eric left around 9 for work and I went to get some gas then stopped at the store on the way home. I had some breakfast then laid down to look at some stuff online and me and the dogs all took a little snooze. I watched a bunch of Lana del Rey videos and finally forced myself to get up and do something. I took the dogs out and finished planting the last plants and moved one hydrangea. I composted a bunch of stuff and was glad I’d gone outside. I did some things inside and went up to the bank. Eric got home early and I heard from Janell about Perri’s arrival plans. Stef and Peter came over right before 3 and we took off for Rattlesnake Ridge for a late afternoon hike. It was gorgeous. Stef and I were way in the back and huffed and puffed slowly up the mountain. I saw Bob Rivers as we were going up and I was like “Hey! Bob Rivers!” so he turned around and I told him I loved him and that I listen every day. He said he was sure 50% of that statement was true. I assured him I did and we kept going. I told Stef who he was because she had no idea. I told the boys, who were way in front of us. At the top we sat for a long time and talked and basked in the sun. It felt so good. We made our way back down and to the car then home. We chatted in the car and Janell let me know she had Perri and we agreed to meet at 7:30. It was 7 when we got home, we fed the dogs and took off for Southcenter. We picked her up and OMG she is so sweet and cute. I was like, “Uh oh, I’m in trouble with this one” because I knew I’d want to keep her. I bathed her when we got home while Eric went out to find dinner. He cleaned her ears then I followed up and we both got a ton of stuff out of them. Ish. We were both exhausted so Eric was out by 9:45 and I was asleep by 10:30.

Saturday 9/29, Eric and I worked out in the yard with him hauling and dumping compost and me planting most of the rest of the plants. I worked mostly in the backyard. Eric took off at 11 or something and I kept going in the back. I talked to Cherry about some of the plants I got and Darryll gave me the bill for my share of the fence. It was half of what I thought it would be. That was exciting. Eric and Sky went hiking and came back here afterward. Eric made his roasted veggie dish which Stef requested. We hung here for a couple hours then took off for Stefanie and Peter’s for their party. Peter was home for a few days. We were there right on time and sat and caught up with Peter. Chrystol arrived shortly after we did. They had lots of snacks and I filled up on those. We met Eva, from Slovakia like Peter, and her husband Kenny, who’s American and works for one of the news stations and gave us the lowdown on all the anchors. Diana came too. We ate dinner and had good conversation. Most everyone took off but Stef and Peter asked if we were going to stay so we did, for another 45 minutes or so. We planned to go hiking the next day and packed up. I was tired and Eric had to be at work by 9:00 the next morning. I think we went to bed by 1ish.

Friday 9/28, I came home and continued to read through all my old myspace messages from forever ago. I was laughing so hard and reminiscing. Eric would occasionally ask me to read him whatever I was laughing at, so I’d have to give background. He never thought they were very funny. Ahh, the good ole days. I finished after 9 or something and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Thursday 9/27, Susan came over after work and we finished watching SatC. We laughed at how bad it is. We started talking about the old days and all the trouble we used to get in. We were laughing so hard. The old cast of characters. She left later in the evening and I reminisced for the rest of the night. Eric went to bed but I wanted to read old myspace messages so I did it on my phone while he slept. Laughing and having tingly feelings about LPC again. Uh oh. Ridiculous, I know.

Wednesday 9/26, Sky’s birthday. Eric went to see Sky and got me Chinese food for dinner. I did a couple minor things then hopped in the shower and got in my pjs. It was 6:45. I ate dinner then worked on my visa statements and watched tv. I talked to Mom for a while then jumped off and watched Modern Family. Eric came home at the end and we talked about his night. He went out to watch tv at 10:30 then I updated this and watched Seinfeld.

Tuesday 9/25, Eric wasn’t feeling good and he relaxed while I vacuumed the house. When I was done he went outside to empty the compost out of the truck. He got it all done and because Kristel hadn’t arrived yet I started helping by arranging some plants. We talked to Cherry in the backyard and moved some of the hydrangea to pots into the front yard. Kristel arrived after 7 and I showed her the yard then we went to Super Supplements and talked about Troy’s job options. At home we ate chips, pizza and a caprese salad. We sat in the kitchen and talked for a long time then moved into the living room where we continued to have discussions. She left after 10 and I got ready for bed.

Monday 9/24, I stopped at Costco on the way home and Eric beat me home. The big Seahawks game was on so he’d stopped to get pizza. I ate some chips, guac and salsa then a caprese salad awhile later. Went out to see the fence had been knocked down and talked with Cherry. I had a piece of pizza then retired to the bedroom to watch Charlie’s Angels 2. I showered then into bed to update this.

Sunday 9/23, Eric slept until almost 8; I was awake at 7:30 and laid in bed looking at stuff on my phone until he woke up. I wanted to get going on the day but ended up taking my time getting ready. Finally I headed out after giving Eric a hard time for not coming out with me. He wanted to watch football. I was out there for a while trimming lavender and other plants then he came out and said he felt guilty and wanted to show me up by planting all the plants. He started with the canna then I went around and placed plants and he put them all in, including moving plants around and putting on fish fertilizer. I went in to have lunch and Eric left not long after. I called Dad and we talked about the foster pups, yard and free plants and their plans for next week when they’re up here. Afterward I went out and cleaned up, placed some other plants and planted one heuchera. Back inside I cleaned up and watched Project Runway. Eric was home by 8 and I had a simple dinner since it was late. Went to bed not too late.

Saturday 9/22, I got up around 8 and took care of things with the dogs. I called Mom and she was interested in going to T & L but it wouldn’t be until after 10. I took my time getting ready and started laundry. Mom arrived and we took the truck. I had a list of plants and we found most of them. I took it easy and ended up with two Canna (Pretoria), three saxifraga crustata, three acorus gramineus (miniature golden sweet flag), three Magellan wheatgrass, three armeria pseudarmeria, a dahlia (Vancouver) and two hosta (lemontini). After checking out a woman working there confirmed we could go through the piles of discarded plants, so we drove around picking up aurea, heuchera, tons of euphorbia (like 25, 4 varieties), a bunch of hebes (tri-color), a bunch of ground cover little vines (for the rock wall), dianthus (coconut surprise and shooting star about 20 of them) which are not really my thing but they were free and I’ve got space in the backyard that needs filling. We stopped at the French bakery on the way home and each got a veggie panini. At home we unloaded and Mom took off. I kept going on laundry then bathed Otto and put together all his paperwork and go home items. Eric came home and I showed him all the plants and we walked around with Otto. The Clinks arrived and we talked outside for a while then inside. It all went well and we went over everything again. They took off and we relaxed. It felt good to be down to three dogs again, even though we only had him for under three weeks. Eric left a few hours later to go to the Sounders game with Alan. I watched Velvet Goldmine which I haven’t seen in years and years. Some of it is so ridiculous, but still an interesting story. It brought back a flood of memories, both musically and visually. Good times. Eric was home by 10 but I didn’t last much after that. Eric stayed up and did homework.

Friday 9/21, While I was at work Eric did a lot of yard work in preparation for the new fence going in. When I got home there were a dozen blush pink roses and a card. Very sweet. I took a shower and got ready for our evening out with Sky and Chrystol. We left at 6:45 and made it to their place pretty quickly. I went down Mercer for the first time. We didn’t chat very long before leaving to go to dinner. They picked a new little Mexican place on 45th right across from the Guild. Dinner was good, but there was so much food; I was full even though I didn’t finish my dinner. Chrystol helped me choose a name for our new foster pup: Perri. She’s one year old, tan and white and 11 lbs. After dinner we walked down to Molly Moon’s, which they love that I hate. I got the Baracky Road and it was pretty good. I joked that I was going to fall on the floor and curl up in the fetal position and groan to everyone in line that the ice cream was rancid. After that we walked back to the car and Chrystol and I commiserated about before-bed activities and how not efficient it can be when you just want to get things taken care of and off to bed. We both can get ourselves ready in no time. Those boys slow everything down. We went back to their house and talked for a long time. I think it was after 11 by the time we left. We took the dogs out when we got home then into bed. Eric had to be up early the next morning.

Thursday 9/20, When I got home Susan was there waiting for me. We took the dogs out and chatted, fed them then took off for Crossroads. I had to get some hair stuff then it was off to pick up a pizza from Papa Murphy’s. Back at home we talked some more about her potential new job and the building she’d be in. We put on Sex and the City 2 and ate pizza. We made it about an hour and 20 minutes into it then turned it off and she went home. I watched Office and Parks and Rec, which were new. Eric came home about 45 minutes later from work and we chatted a bit before I went off to bed. He was off the next day so he stayed up.

Wednesday 9/19, Otto’s official approval and contract went out so I had to prep the health info when I got home. I was a little stressed and just trying to get it done, but was being kind of a bitch and had a short fuse with the dogs. Eric kept the dogs out until I was finished. I set up the timing with Otto’s adopters for when they can pick him up. Saturday late afternoon. I watched a little tv then into bed. Early.

Tuesday 9/18, Eric had everything ready when I got home to go down to Spanaway for the Otto meet and greet. Traffic was bad and it took us a little under an hour and a half. It went well and it would be a great home for Otto. We were there for probably 45+ minutes then took off for home and made it back by 9:00. Got the HV and FP passes out to Genie then the apps manager. Glad this one went so smoothly. We went to bed awhile later.

Monday 9/17, I was tired from work and feeling a little blah as I got home. I showed Eric some pictures Sos sent from the weekend. He left to go on his run and I took Clancy and Nyx around the block and chatted with Cherry about her pumpkins. I fed the dogs and when Eric got back we made a salad. I had a ton then some chocolate. I hung in the bedroom with the dogs then showered and updated this. Scheduled Otto’s meet and greet and home visit for the next evening. Fingers crossed all goes well and that Otto’s got his new home.

Sunday 9/16, We woke up at 8 because there was quite a bit of noise from our neighbors; it sounded like there about 10 of them in that room. We all got up and ready and called Sos. We decided on Mother’s and walked down from the hotel. The wait was an hour. Jake and Sos were having trouble making it past the Komen walk. The wait took forever but finally we were seated. The food was excellent. We got a pecan cinnamon roll for the table then I got the omelet of the day (spinach, bacon, caramelized onion and gorgonzola) and substituted the toast and potatoes for biscuits and gravy. I didn’t finish it but I was close. On the way out we got chocolate chip cookies. Us girls walked back to the hotel while the boys got the car and drove over. The hotel gave us a late checkout thank goodness. We all went up to the room and hung out for 20 minutes then checked out. We took some pictures and said our goodbyes and Eric and I headed back to Seattle. The drive felt like forever. When we got home the dogs were so excited and we split our time. I watched Project Runway and called Genie to talk about her AC interview. I took a nap until Brizo woke me up. Probably only 20 minutes or so. Eric went on a run and when he got home we went to the store. Went to bed by 10:30.