Friday 5/31, Susan met me at the house and the three of us took off for Daly’s so I could pick up paint for the condo. We chatted in the car quite a bit and next headed up to Crossroads to the GO. It is very nice and we all really cleaned up. I left with several overflowing bags. We got a ton of snacks and I had a ton of fun. We headed home and Susan took off for Jon’s. Eric and I had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Thursday 5/30, I stayed a little late at work and luckily the day went pretty quickly. Eric made a delicious veggie quiche for dinner and Cherry gave us a whole bunch of kale from her garden that Eric sautéed up. I spent time putting things away and doing things around the house. I got quite a bit done, including setting up Jorge to come over Saturday to paint the condo. We went to bed at a decent time.

Wednesday 5/29, We were up by 6:30, packing, getting ready and I went out and tried to clean up the car. We said goodbye to auntie and were on our way. We stopped at the smoothie place where we both got one and a cookie for the road. We were super low on gas and were trying to make it to Kapa’a to fill up. It was a close call but we made it. I dropped off Aubrie and went to return the rental car. Caught the shuttle, dropped my bag, went through agriculture and security and then called Aubs who was waiting for her flight. We went to the gift shop and looked around while looking for Amos on facebook. No luck, but we’re going to do some more work when we get home. We sat at her gate until it was time to go then said our final goodbyes and I headed to my gate. I got a sandwich for the flight. I read during the flight and watched Bridesmaids then started another movie before landing. My luggage came out super fast and Eric pulled up shortly after. Eric had made a quiche so we had some of that when we got home. The dogs were very excited to see me. We went and sat out in the backyard and talked and hung with the dogs. We went to the store to get a few things then home and into the shower. Eric wanted to get a party started so we chatted in the shower then into bed and messed around. It was late by the time we got to bed.

Tuesday 5/28, We slept in a little but eventually got up and headed into Hanalei to get some breakfast. We went to the coffee roasters place where we both got smoothies and I got Eric a rooster bookmark. I also got a blueberry muffin. We sat for a long time and talked and people watched on the lanai outside the gift shop. We perused all the cute things in the shop before walking over to the bathing suit shop so Aubrie could get another bikini bottom. We stopped at Foodland on the way home to get a cucumber for auntie then we picked up some souvenirs like chocolate covered macadamia nuts, a shot glass, some serving utensils and gummy hula dancers. At home we got ready to head down to the river. I called Web again and then Auntie did but no answer. We headed down anyway. Amos was down there and we were both so excited. When I walked up he was like “Back for some more, huh?” so he clearly remembered. We reintroduced ourselves and he said he’d get the paddle boards ready. We went out but the wind was stronger than the prior time so we kept getting blown over to the side. We went in a few times to warm up and take some pictures and eventually went in for good. Aubrie asked Amos if she could get a picture with him and he was happy to oblige. I got two and they’re both cute. She was shaking as we walked back to the car. He gave Aubs his number and we said we’d hang later that night and maybe walk the bay. Aubrie and I went into Hanalei to get a milkshake and we sat and people watched until it was too cold. We sat in the car and AL came and met us. We went to Darcy’s to walk the beach and went all the way to the river. Aubrie and I got in and she got a couple underwater photos. Jake caught up with us on his run and ran all the way back to the pier. Aubs was texting with Amos and were going to meet up later. We rinsed off at Darcy’s then I headed home with Czar while Aubrie went with Jake to go to Queen’s Bath. Auntie came home and I showered and started packing. The two of us went to Kilauea to get pizza with Ahmet and Tracy Ann. Dylan was there, hot as ever, and gave us some of his special kambucha that he’s selling for $50 a gallon. Aubrie and Jake arrived and we had pizza and salad. For dessert we all shared a piece of chocolate cake. Aubrie’s phone had died so there were no plans with Amos, unfortunately. I was really looking forward to seeing him one more time, but it wasn’t meant to be. It started raining so we ran to the car and headed home. I kept packing and Auntie wanted to watch a movie so I picked Scoop. Aubrie and Jake went to hot tub at one of the resorts. I finished packing and got ready for bed. Auntie and I talked for a long time and she showed me a bunch of pictures. I was falling asleep and it was 1:30 so I told her I was tired and eventually started dozing off. Set my alarm and said good night. Aubrie came home at 3am.

Monday 5/27, We were up early so I could take Eric to the airport. Aubrie had just come from home from sleeping on the beach and was accompanied by Jake. They were going to go paddle boarding so I said I’d call when I got home. We made good time and had a nice chat on the way in. I dropped him off and we had a nice goodbye. On the way home I stopped at the little smoothie place and got one. At home I decided against calling Aubrie right away. I did some stuff on my computer then fell back asleep for a couple hours. Aubrie came home and I was tired and didn’t know what I wanted to do. We decided to make a move and to go into Hanalei to get some lunch and hit the bathing suit shop. We ran into Kalei and Moki who were just sitting hanging out. Kalei is so intense, but he’s attractive so it’s alright. They gave us some recommendations on shops then we took off. Aubrie got a new suit then we decided to try the new Brazilian / Mexican restaurant. I had a veggie burrito with purple squash, broccoli and carrots. It was delicious. We went to Hanalei Coffee Roasters so I could get some coffee to take home and decided to get an aloha bar while I was at it. We decided to go to Lumahi and Jake drove. He had what looked like a brownie taped with electrical tape to his clutch. We parked and walked down and it was beautiful. We were on the tourist side. We chatted and got in and out of the water. We took some pictures and Jake wore Aubrie’s bikini top in some of them. Jake jumped off the rock and shortly after we packed up and took off for home. Jake went home or somewhere else and Aubs and I decided to look for Kalei’s nasty video and also listened to clips of his songs. We did not find the video, but we did listen to a song that had the lyrics “put on your cutest panties” and we were dying laughing. Auntie made veggie pie and we watched Don Juan de Marco. Aubrie took off to hang out with Jake to watch a movie and hang out at his place. We watched the movie then put on The Artist in the bedroom. I fell asleep in the middle of it. Aubrie came home at 5am.

Sunday 5/26, We were up by 8 and out of the house and to Jake’s by 8:45. He hooked us up with an umbrella for our visit to Polihale (Bud Light). We stopped at the smoothie place on the way south and Aubs and Eric got smoothies while I got fruit and yogurt. We all got cookies for later. We kept on and made our way around the island. When we hit the dirt road for Polihale state park it was super rough, rougher than I remember, and it took us forever to make it to the beach. We made it there after a two-hour drive. We found a nice spot and set up camp. Lathered up on sunscreen and relaxed. We went in the water and drew things in the sand and took pictures. We stayed for 2.5 hours and I mostly stayed under cover. We packed up so we could get something to eat and to see Waimea Canyon. Luckily there were two places to eat right in Waimea and we decided to do Island Taco. The prices were over the top, but the food was excellent. After lunch Eric got a shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream while Aubrie bought a new pair of underwear since she’d bled out in her bathing suit. We headed up the mountain and I kept wondering if we’d passed it or missed the turnoff because I didn’t remember it taking so long to get to the lookout. It was 10 miles up, but it was gorgeous when we got up there. We took pictures and just stood and marveled. The breeze was wonderful and the view was amazing. We stayed for a while then headed back down then north. We drove through Hanapepe and made good time on the way home. We showered and got ready and decided to do Dolphin for dinner. We had a bit of a wait so we did some window shopping. We had a nice dinner and I got the beer battered fish and veggies. It started raining as soon as we left the restaurant so Eric went and got the car. At home Aubrie took off with Jake while Eric and I packed and got ready for bed. Auntie and Jay watched Crazy, Stupid Love which she loved. We went to bed and we were out.

Saturday 5/25, We got up and we had our day all planned out. Aubrie and I were going to paddle board and kayak down at the river mouth and Eric and AL were going down to the Monsanto protest in Kapa’a. The three of us went to the farmer’s market and I got an acai smoothie with granola. We sat on a little grassy knoll and ate our breakfasts. It was hot and I felt like I was burning so we headed home to meet up with Auntie. By noonish or so we went down to the river to find Web’s place. He wasn’t there but he told the guy down there, Amos, to give us anything we wanted. He was super cute and Aubrie and I kept making jokes about wanting to get a look at his famous cookies. First we did the kayak and went up river a bit then went into the bay and just let the current take us. It was really nice and we were having a great time. We did a lot of laughing and talking and looking at Amos from afar. Aubrie wanted to try the stand up paddle boards and I reluctantly agreed. We lathered up with more sunscreen and talked to Amos while we waited our 15 minutes. He’d only been on the island for two weeks and some other stuff. He is so cute. He got the boards ready for us and gave us a short intro and let us go. I just paddled kneeling and sitting on my butt. It was really fun and we went all over. Mostly we would go up the river and then float down. Amos would come out and check on us on his board and we’d chat. We started to get hungry so we decided to head in. We asked Amos to take a couple pictures of us and he did a pretty good job. We told him maybe we’d be back and he said no problem. We left feeling a little lightheaded because of Amos’ charm and good looks. We called AL to see where they were and she asked if we could pick up Czar at the gallery so we did, but ended up being there for an hour as Mercedes finished everything up. She gave us some extra paintings for nothing and mounted them on the pretty paper and backing so we can pack them with no problems. We were really ready to be home and eat. When we got home we heated up leftovers. We were all so tired we crashed. Like, out for two hours, dead to the world crashed. None of us were hungry so we decided to postpone dinner and invited Jake over for a movie. He brought popcorn and homemade mochi over and we watched Skyfall. After the movie we all went to bed.

Friday 5/24, We woke up kind of late and sat outside on the patio for a little bit. I was hungry so I petitioned for a move to Hanalei Coffee Roasters for breakfast. We got our suits on and headed out. Breakfast was good and I got the granola with yogurt and fresh fruit then a Mango Madness smoothie. We packed up and headed to Tunnels (end of the road) and it was packed. We made our own parking spot and it worked out fine. We walked down past the swimming area a little ways and set up shop. We went in the water multiple times then back in the shade. I still burned; however, my hair is getting bleached out. We went to swim in the calm part for a few minutes then headed back. It was after 1:00. We stopped in Hanalei, picked up some things, stopped at Art and Soul and bought some paintings from Mercedes and headed home. We ate lunch when we got there (leftover enchiladas for Aubrie and me) Auntie arrived shortly after. We decided to get ready and get some ice cream at Lapperts (I got Heavenly Hana) where Czar pulled Auntie and her sorbet went flying (“ahhhhh!”) then we went to see Jake at work. Auntie wants a water feature by the front door so she was looking around to see what tickled her fancy. We told him we’d meet up with him later and went down the road to Kilauea to see the little shops. Didn’t buy anything, stopped at the health food store to get stuff for the potluck, then heard there wasn’t a potluck but decided we were going to go anyway and eat our snacks on the beach in Hanalei. We got home, got everything together and headed off to see the sunset and lunar eclipse. We stopped at the lookout, took some pictures and headed down to Darcy’s. We went out, took tons of pictures, there was a double rainbow and we got in and out of the water for a while. It was pretty warm and the bay was so beautiful. We put out our blanket and snacks and chowed down. Auntie’s three friends came (Vilma, Tim and Kris) Jake showed up on his paddle board and hung too. We watched the moon rise and people slowly peeled off. We were going to stay down there so we drove Auntie to Vilma’s car so she could catch a ride then Eric and I went and found Jake and Aubrie. She’d ridden on his paddle board to the other side of the pier. He was getting a fire going and snacks out. We stayed down there until 11:30. Jake did fire dancing and gave Aubrie some lessons. We also did one of those prayer/hope/wish lanterns that you light and let go. It was really pretty and we watched it until it went out or was so far away it was not visible. As we were sitting there a helicopter kept flying over the bay and Jake said someone was out there and they were looking for them. As Jake started giving Aubrie the fire dancing demonstration we decided to go and Jake was going to bring Aubrie home. We drove back, talked with AL for a few minutes then to bed. I was more burned than I thought. Nuts.

Thursday 5/23, We got up early for a hike and Auntie had called someone to take us: Jake. Eric made smoothies and then Jake brought some too. We took off and while it was beautiful, it was a lot of uphill and I’m not in great shape. Jake told us a lot about the plants and terrain. Aubrie and I were lagging behind. When we got to the top the view was gorgeous. We headed back down then to Tropical Taco where we bought Jake lunch. The food was alright. We went back to Auntie’s and Jake took off. We didn’t shower because we were going to go to Auntie Angeline’s for the steam bath and lomi lomi. On the way over we stopped at the farm and picked lychee and met Dylan, the gorgeous blonde Brit with a bun. So hot. Aubrie pinched my butt as we were talking to him to signal her appreciation. So, so hot. We went over to Angeline’s but there was no steam so we just sat around and roasted on the deck. Diva and her friend Soleil arrived as well as a few others. Since it was off and it was so hot we decided to head back north. We stopped at the farm again on the way home and picked more lychee, avos and limes. When we got home we got ready and headed down to Anini with Czar. I got in the water to help my mosquito bites and we took some pictures. Czar was restless and we couldn’t find Diva and Soleil so we headed back after a half hour. When we got home Eric went to the store with Aubrie to get food to make enchiladas for dinner. A bunch of people came over including Jake, Diva, Soleil, Jay and later Mercedes. Eric made guac which we all enjoyed and worked on the rest of dinner. It took a while but when it was done it was delicious and everyone loved it. People started peeling off after dinner. Auntie served up ice cream with papaya for dessert. We all went to bed not much after.

Wednesday 5/22, The three of us were up early and decided to head down to the health food store and all got smoothies. We headed home and got our suits on. Auntie called Kalei and I talked to him and Mary and let them know we’d be down at Hanalei Bay lying out. We were out for a while then K and M showed up and K was wearing one of the most bizarre suits I’ve ever seen. It was like two layers of knit tights cut off mid-thigh. And white. When he came out of the water we could see everything. We sat and talked for a while and they did some swimming. I got something in my eye so we went to the store so I could get some contact solution and I could get my contact back in. We decided to go to Cold Pond, but when we arrived it was so crowded we went upstream via private property and sacred spot. It was chilly, but really beautiful. We stayed for quite a while then headed back into Hanalei. We dropped them off at the taco place and headed home. We filled Auntie in and all got changed and showered. We had Gangster Squad to watch and snacked on something, but I don’t remember what. We didn’t stay up too late past the end of the movie. We were all tired.

Tuesday 5/21, I woke up at 4:30, got ready, packed my bag and went inside to see if others were awake. Dad, Mom, Aubrie and I headed off to the airport and chatted the whole way. They dropped us off and the security line looked gnarly; all the way outside. We checked in, got our bags checked to Kauai (used MVP desk) and Aubrie went and stood in the security line. It moved quickly and we made it to our gate after each getting a breakfast snack. We boarded our long flight to Maui. We watched Your Highness and talked a lot. A lady next to us told us about biotin, which is great for hair, nails and skin. When we landed it was only 10 and we were starving so we went and got breakfast and headed to our gate. Our flight to Kauai was pretty quick but Aubrie still fell asleep. Eric emailed me to say his flight left over 1.5 hours late so he was going to be getting in later than expected. We got our bags, rental car (upgraded) and headed out to find something to do for a while. We ended up at the mall and got some snacks then waited in the car until Eric texted that he had arrived. We went and picked him up and headed up to Princeville. It didn’t take too long and the drive was gorgeous. We greeted Auntie and settled in. She had to run out to pick ferns so we stayed behind and decompressed. We decided to go into Hanalei to get something to eat and went to the health food store. No smoothies but AL called and said she’d pick up a pizza so we got stuff for a salad. Kalei and Mary were there so we said hi and that we’d see them later. We drove over to Pine Trees, saw the beach and surf, then back up to AL’s. We ate dinner and Mercedes came over to grab some for her mom. I showered while Eric and Aubs helped AL with her ferns. We were all so tired we were in bed by 10.

Monday 5/20, I was on a mission for shorts. We had some breakfast and got ready then Mom, Grandma and me went to Target. I tried on some things but nothing looked good except a little cardigan thing. I also got the new James Bond and Silver Linings Playbook. Next we went to Nordstrom Rack where I scored two new pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans and some new underwear all for like $50. We headed to Panera to meet Papa, Aubrie and Christian for lunch. I had a salad. We went home and Aubs took off for work. I did some laundry and started the process of packing and deciding what to send with Mom and Dad in the motorhome. Mom took a nap and I looked at dahlias online and made a list of the ones I want. Dad came home and him and Mom took off for the airport with Grandma and Papa. I read outside for a little bit then talked to Monique about listing the condo when I returned from vacation. Talked to Dad and Mom inside about Eric’s graduation present. Alishia and Pete came over for dinner and we had Kassie’s enchiladas. The conversation stayed civil but I know Pete and I don’t see eye to eye on many issues. Except dogs. He likes dogs and I guess I’ll have to take what I can get in that department. They left not too late and Dad made popcorn for us. We watched Castle, which I’ve never seen and it wasn’t too bad. I was doing stuff online while we watched. Mom was upstairs practicing her set. We all went to bed early to prep for getting up at 4:30 am to head to the airport.

Sunday 5/19, Aubrie decided against doing her school-wide grad ceremony. I made plans with Court to meet her and Ashley for lunch. I was out of the house by 10:45 and on my way south in Mom’s car. I met them at the Dana and soon we were off to lunch at a pizza place. I got to meet Ashley’s oldest daughter. We had fun and caught up and soon we were on our way back to the cars. Pat gave me a ride back to my car and then I got turned around getting back to the freeway because it’s like a gd maze down there and very poorly marked! When I got home I sat outside and relaxed and soon we were getting ready for the boat party. First we went to Aubrie’s to see her place and hang out and have some snacks. I talked to Eric on the phone out on her little deck. We headed down to the waterfront to board the Hornblower dinner cruise. We had a special table and had a very nice dinner. We were all missing Eric. The food was good and everyone did some dancing except me. Grandma broke off a piece and some black lady came over to tell her how awesome her moves were. I drove on the way home and we were all tired. Went to bed not long after we got home.

Saturday 5/18, I got up after sleeping in and Dad made pancakes for breakfast. Everyone was up and we started getting ready for Aubrie’s sociology graduation ceremony. We left around 1:30 and made our way down, parked and walked to the gym. It was indoors. It was a little bit of a long ceremony but some of the speakers made good points. Dad was beside himself. Afterward we took pictures outside then headed back to the car and back to Mom and Dad’s for the grad party. We talked about Pete most of the way home and I was not looking forward to meeting him, but Kassie said most of it on behalf of the rest of us. When we got back we started in on making guac and I was dreading him arriving. It went fine, but I didn’t say more than 4 words to him. The party was fun, but for the first part of it I was restless and didn’t want to be around anyone. I got over it and had a nice time. Food was good and I ate way too much. We all stayed up late; it was probably 11 by the time everyone left and around 1:00 before I went to bed.

Friday 5/17, Spent the day at work trying to get everything wrapped up before leaving on vacation (San Diego for Aubs’ graduation then to Kauai). Did a pretty good job and P let me leave a little early. I got home, showered, threw the rest of my stuff in my bag and had a little something to eat. Eric made veggie burritos so I didn’t have to worry about eating at the airport. We took off earlier than we needed to, but I was going to get there with plenty of time to spare. I went through the First Class line and checked my bag, then over to security where I got to stand in the short line. I made it through very quickly and walked around browsing. I stopped in Fireworks and got Alishia and Aubrie both something, then over to Dillatante, where the cookies were half off and the lady tried to get me to buy two. Kass and Sky changed their flight to mine so I met them at the gate. The flight was uneventful and it was late when we landed (11:30). Aubrie and Christian picked us up and we drove to Mom and Dad’s together. Kass, Sky and me were staying in the motorhome so we all sat out there talking for a long time before going to bed. I think we went to bed at 2.

Thursday 5/16, It was the night of Kassie’s spring open house. We got ready and headed out a little after 6. We stopped at Office Depot for some stuff then headed to White Center for the party. Sky and Chrystol met us there. The space was totally different from the last time we were there and it looked really nice. We stayed until 9:30 and headed home. Kass gave me a huge bag of hand-me-downs with some really good stuff. I did some packing and running around, checked in for my flight then to bed.

Wednesday 5/15, Blair was at the house after work, and was there to evaluate Fae. She was there until after 6 and gave us some good tips for building confidence and setting some boundaries. After she left I ate some dinner and worked on getting things together for our trip and also put some stuff away. Cindy and Andrew arrived after 7 and met Fae. We sat in the living room and talked until 8:45 so that was really fun. I think Fae will do ok there. We took off for the Rack where I got some new underwear and a new pair of shorts for Hawaii. Back home, folded some laundry, took dogs out, organized my bag, went online and saw I got upgraded to first class for my flight to San Diego. Yay! I wrote some emails and updated this before going to bed.

Tuesday 5/14, I stayed late at work then sat in a ton of traffic trying to get home. Eric had dinner waiting for me, but I had plans to get the peonies planted first. Eric said to just put them where I wanted them and he’d do it. I cleaned the bathroom instead. I had dinner after, then hand washed a few things. I did some things online then onto work. I worked for two hours then got ready for bed.

Monday 5/13, Eric took Jojo to work so B could pick her up. P confirmed I was still getting a raise all because she wants to reduce her taxes. Win-win. Power went out around 1:45 at work so I couldn’t get done what I wanted and asked P to send me my spreadsheet so I could work on it at home. Her power never went back on so I couldn’t do any work. I started packing and putting clothes away. Eric went to a movie and I watched Blue Valentine with the dogs. Eric was home not long after my movie was over. I went to bed by 11.

Sunday 5/12, Eric let me sleep in and got up with the dogs. I had a lot to get done but didn’t really want to. I did laundry, got out my luggage and spent some time in the backyard with the dogs. Eric went to work when I was talking to Mom on the phone for Mother’s Day. I went out in the yard and planted most of my new plants and did some trimming and pruning. Alix called and needed to talk so that took a little over an hour. I went to the store and picked up some things. At home I fed the dogs and did some other things, including bagging up a bunch of electronics to recycle. Eric arrived home just as I was making some dinner. I was tired and cranky and he told me I am the love of his life. It was so sweet I wanted to start crying. We took it easy for the rest of the night and went to bed.

Saturday 5/11, I was up early because Mom and I were celebrating mother’s day early. I tried to get a few things done before she arrived. We went to Brown Bag in Kirkland and had a nice breakfast then off to T and L where I got three new peonies, three lemontini hostas, three different hellebores, three cosmos and one blueberry (Reka). I wanted to get more but I refrained, especially since I didn’t know where I was going to put what I’d purchased. We went home and unloaded then into the house where we discussed the bathroom plans and out to the backyard to talk about those plans. We waited for the contractor and we went over everything then he took off. Doug and Ryan showed up and we went over window designs for the master bath and I think we came up with a good solution. They left and Mom stuck around for a little while longer then took off. I was tired and laid down for a little bit then Eric came home. We got ready for dinner and took off for The Saint to meet up with Roberto and Hisam for dinner. We stopped by Stefanie’s to pick her up and did some catching up on the way there. Dinner was fun and there were some others that were there as well. We decided to go up to Von Trapp and five of us decided to walk. We found it and went in. The place is huge and very unique. I liked it even though it was very loud and crowded. We were there for 45 minutes or so then the three of us walked back to the car. We dropped off Stefanie, went home, got into bed, watched the first part of SNL then fell asleep.

Friday 5/10, I was so happy the week was over. We were having people over for dinner. Eric was cooking when I got home and I took the dogs out to run around and play in the yard. Eric joined me for a while then we went back in. I showered and got ready and helped with the risotto. Susan and Jon showed up first and brought gelato. The risotto was taking forever. Sky and Chrystol showed up a little after S and J. We all talked in the kitchen while dinner was being finished. We ate in the dining room and had a lot of good conversation. Eric made brownies so we had those with the gelato. I doubled up on the brownies. Susan and Jon left around 10. We moved into the living room and talked for a long time and thankfully Fae came around and wanted to be pet by both S and C. It was a big relief. They left after 11 maybe, and we were both tired. Went to bed.

Thursday 5/9, When I got home I talked with Eric in the backyard because he was mowing. I went in and brought the dogs out into the backyard and played around. I went out in the front yard and planted the last dahlia. I split it into two and Eric got the big shovel out to get out a rock and old tree roots. Got them in and watered, then into the back to water the dahlias from the day prior. I worked with Fae in the backyard then we took off for the store, on foot. We picked up stuff for dinner the next night, then to get teriyaki for dinner. Walked home, ate dinner, watched tv and updated this. We had a couple of dog incidents, got them cleaned up and watched tv. Eric went into the den with Fae and I went into the bedroom with the other dogs. I worked a little and went to bed.

Wednesday 5/8, When I got home I was really tired and couldn’t fathom a run. Instead I laid on the bed and started to close my eyes. Then Fae jumped up and submissively peed on the bed. So then I was up and washing bedding. I decided to not be lazy and to get out and plant my dahlias. I got eight of them planted and split one so I hope it takes. Eric heated up dinner for me. I sat in the den with Fae and worked on keeping it quiet. I did some work and watched Modern Family. Went to bed not too late.

Tuesday 5/7, Eric and I did a walk / run and afterward I transplanted two of the euphorbia from the pots on the patio to the backyard. Eric made fish tacos for dinner and they were good, but I would have preferred steak. We watched Splash and I did a little work. We went to bed early-ish.

Monday 5/6, When I got home we busted ass in the backyard and pretty much got the rest of the backyard cleaned up. We finished around 8 and we each just scrounged for food. I may have brought some work home with me and worked on it in the bedroom. I wrote a long email to the NR ladies about Fae and some of the issues. I got a lot of responses from the ladies about Fae and Janell said Cindy would take her while we’re in Hawaii. They gave me a lot of good advice too. Watched some of DwtS then to bed.

Sunday 5/5, I wanted to do yard work and get the back cleaned up. Eric wasn’t interested which I wasn’t happy about, but headed out anyway. It wasn’t super warm but it was beautiful outside. I continued on my weeding and when Eric came out I got all my ranunculus planted. We’ll see if they come up. He did some weeding and fertilizing and I continued with my weeding. We made some good progress before heading in. Sky and Chrystol were coming over for dinner and bringing all the food. I laid down to relax and ended up taking a really long nap. I felt out of it but we needed to get going. We did some grocery shopping and got ice cream. Chrystol called to see if they could bring Jason, since him and Jen broke up and he’s sad. I was a cleaning machine while Eric went out for a run. They were running late, but when they arrived they got dinner going. We had bbq tofu on the grill, delicious mushrooms, a fancy potato salad and lastly some other kind of apple / carrot salad. We sat out on the deck and ate. It was a beautiful night. We went inside and sat in the living room. Fae wasn’t very happy with Sky and Jason which started to freak me out. They left around 10 and we got ready for bed.

Saturday 5/4, Jojo had us up at 6:30. Christ. Eric got the dogs fed and brought some of them back into the bedroom. I went in and out of sleep for a couple hours and finally got up to get my day going. We drove out to West Seattle to drop off work stuff to P. Back at home we walked up the French Bakery and each got a little treat. The weather was gorgeous. Eric and I got into an argument about half way home that lasted until we arrived. I wanted to get some yard work done so I changed and headed out in the backyard. I was out there for a few hours and Eric came out off and on (and apologized) and kept me company. He went to work and I continued on. I got a lot done, but was exhausted. I showered and headed out to the bread outlet and picked up a whole bunch, then to the lighting place where I perused nightstand lamps and found two I liked. Back home I fed the dogs and sat on the couch and relaxed. I watched tv and eventually heated up some dinner. I watched Cops and 48 Hours until Eric got home. We watched another one together then into bed. I couldn’t stay up for SNL.

Friday 5/3, When I got home we took Nyx, Clancy and Jojo to the blueberry farm for a long walk to hopefully wear Jojo out since she’d gotten us up several times throughout the night. It did the trick. When we got home Eric made me a burger with fake meat and it was excellent. Plus yam fries. We went to Fred Meyer so I could pick up a couple things then went to DQ via the old Paldo World shopping center to see the construction. It was nuts; they’re really digging down and whatever’s going in there is going to be huge. When we got to DQ it was packed, despite being like 8:30, so we went to Menchis instead. We did some people watching while we had our desserts. We went home and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Thursday 5/2, Jojo was dropped off earlier in the day when Eric was home. When I got home I did my run really quickly and hopped in the shower. I left after getting ready to go meet Kristel at Lincoln Square for Place Beyond the Pines. We both liked it, but it’s not a really uplifting film, though we weren’t expecting it to be. We chatted afterward on the way to our cars and I caught her up on the Alix saga. It was about 10 and I headed home. We got into bed and went to sleep shortly after.

Wednesday 5/1, I got into work super early and left around 2 for the funeral. I rushed home, let the dogs out, changed and headed back out to pick up Eric on MI. We drove to the temple and talked with everyone out in the sunshine before heading inside for the service. It was nice and all the sons gave nice tributes, then Alan’s ex-father-in-law got up there are really talked it up for a long time. After the service we drove to the graveyard for Ernie’s burial and everyone took turns shoveling dirt with the idea being your friends and family and all those close to you bury you rather than a stranger. We went back to Erika’s for the shiva. It was catered and the food was excellent. We were trying to get Alix’s secret out of her but she wouldn’t budge. We decided to head out and it was 7-ish maybe? We said goodbye to everyone and started back to Kassie’s house since Eric had taken my car back to MI so he could get his car so he could go to his town hall meeting. Alix started telling us and it continued well into when we got to Kassie’s. Alix had warned us it would take us 1.5-2 hours and it did, and then some. It was what we all thought it was, with some caveats. I’m glad it’s out in the open and we don’t have to pretend anymore. It was almost 10 so I said I needed to go and Kass took Alix and me to MI where I picked up my car. When I got home the dogs were very ready to be out and to have their dinner. I started the process of taking them out and feeding them and Eric walked in. We ended up sitting in the bedroom and just talking and spending time with them, which really helped Fae calm down. Went to bed by 11 and Eric stayed up.

Tuesday 4/30, I went to my appointment in the morning and she prescribed a topical, which I started that night. We were meeting with Jojo’s owner to see if it was going to work to have her stay for a week and a half. It went well. We went for a run afterward then Eric went to the store to get some stuff for dinner. I walked with the dogs up the street. The neighbor dog came after us, again, but this time I fended her off by kicking in her direction. Another neighbor came out and helped. I was in the bedroom looking at stuff online and watching Splash when Eric brought me dinner. I turned in early again because I had to be up early again because of the funeral the next afternoon and going in early to make up for the time off.

Monday 4/29, Mom let me know that Ernie died that morning. I called Dad on my lunch break and told him I was sorry. He took it pretty well. We ran after work then Eric made dinner and I half-watched DwtS. I may have written Fae’s bio, but that could have been the next night. I went to bed early because I had a derm appointment in the morning.

Sunday 4/28, We had a rough night sleep, with Fae bellowing from the kitchen then Brizo shitting in her crate. It was touch and go. Eric put Brizo in bed with me then slept in the back bedroom. I got up around 7:30 and took out all the dogs and fed them. I got ready and went out in the yard where I did more weeding and tilled in some more compost into certain areas. I went inside after it started raining. I had some lunch and showered. We went to Lowe’s and HD to price check countertops for the bathrooms and while it’s more than I expected for solid surface it didn’t shock me. We went to the store on the way home to pick up stuff for dinner and the week. Back at home I called Mom to fill her in and watched James Bond. Eric made dinner and I finished my movie. At 8 we took Fae and Clancy for a walk around the block and Fae did ok, considering. I folded like three loads of laundry then got ready for bed, updated this and watched some movie on the Hallmark channel. Went to bed before 11.

Saturday 4/27, I was up by 6:30 and Eric had already been up for a while. I got dressed and we did some small things around the house before leaving to go pick up Fae. We met Julee and Genie at the Newport boat launch and the girls were sweet but very nervous and under socialized. We chatted for a little bit then we took off for home. We got Fae medicated and our dogs flea-treated. Eventually we headed outside to the front yard where we weeded, but it wasn’t long before Mom arrived so we could go look at tile for the bathrooms. She came earlier because Ernie had to go to the ER in the middle of the night so she wanted to get back for a nap. We went to the tile place and looked at everything and went back and forth between different options. I ended up getting the floor tile for both bathrooms and being close to picking out shower / bath tile. I have to make decisions on the kind of pan next. They loaded up my car and off we went. Mom took off right away and I went in and had some lunch. Fae was super conflicted about asking for affection and being scared to actually get it. She’s very sweet but will need some confidence-building. I laid down on the bed and took a nap with the dogs. I had dreams and everything. Eric called to say he was on his way home. He made pasta and probably some of the best asparagus I’ve ever had, for dinner. We watched some tv and I continued to do remodel research. Watched 48 Hours and then a few minutes of SNL before falling asleep.

Friday 4/26, I ran on the trail after work and was glad my workout was over. I headed home and arrived around 6. Eric was working in the yard when I got home and it looked great. I heated up leftovers for dinner, showered then we went to Home Depot to pick up some stuff. We looked at bathroom stuff and I found my new toilets then it was on to gardening where we got some bags or Cedar Grove compost and stakes. We went home and I watched Batman and did some bathroom remodel research and updated my spreadsheet. I went to bed early and was excited to get going the next day.

Thursday 4/25, Eric’s six year anniversary of being sober. I gave him a card in the morning and he didn’t think I’d remembered. After work I did my run by myself and pushed myself at a few points and did a smidge more than usual (in order to avoid running by some roofers). When I got home I showered then Eric and I took off to see if the new Crossroads GO is open yet (nope) then to QFC for groceries. We got stuff for brownies and tater tot casserole, but with no meat. It was delicious and I gave it a 10, but to give it a really solid 10 I told Eric he’d have to put bacon in it. Back at home Eric made dinner while I worked on the brownies. We watched tv and after dinner had our brownies with vanilla ice cream. We watched our Thursday shows and went to bed afterward.

Wednesday 4/24, P let me leave a half hour early so I went home and got into some clothes to work in the courtyard to weed. Eric came and sat out there with me and kept me company while the dogs milled around. I got quite a bit done and moved the euphorbia by the door to over by the patio screen. Eric clipped the dogs’ nails and said he’d bathe Nyx later. We went inside and fed the dogs then Eric got going on dinner while I paid bills. He made gnocchi with a sage, kale and tomato sauce. It was delicious. Dad called and had just returned from his Asia trip that evening. We caught up then I continued reading up on my online gossip. I updated this and had Frasier on in the background.

Tuesday 4/23, When I got home Eric and I went for a run and I wanted to do more but just as we started on the extra portion I felt a pop and got a crazy cramp in my abdomen and had to walk it. I showered and Eric heated up leftover pasta for dinner. I talked to Mom for a while and caught her up on my trip to CA. We watched tv then Eric wanted to get into some intellectual art conversation based on reading his most recent C. Hedges book that I got him. I didn’t understand the point he was trying to make so we were kind of at an impasse. I put the dogs away then we fooled around for an hour and a half and went to bed not long after.

Monday 4/22, I went for a run after work and Eric did not join me. When I got back Eric was making dinner; pasta, heavy on the veggies. It was good and I couldn’t stop eating. We watched DwtS and got into bed shortly after. Eric hadn’t been feeling good earlier in the evening so we went to bed early.

Sunday 4/21, I woke up by 7:45 and read and packed until about 9. We got up, called Hertz and found out we couldn’t add me to the reservation so I was going to drive Lesley’s car against the rules. I had some breakfast and before long it was time to go. I said goodbye and wished I was staying another day. I headed out at 10:45 and stopped for gas in town then started the long drive. The drive was beautiful, but long. I stopped in Santa Rosa to go to the bathroom then kept on. I hit traffic just after the Golden Gate Bridge and the low fuel light came on. Drat. I had to find a station and that created a problem. Got it figured out, found the airport, returned the car with no problems. Called Kassie and Eric to let them know I made it. Got through security then sat down to have a sandwich and yogurt. Got to the gate and was plenty early. Read and listened to music. The flight was delayed, but short once it got going. I called Eric when I landed and he picked me up minutes later. We drove home and I got into bed right away because I was exhausted. We continued to talk for a little bit then lights out.

Saturday 4/20, I woke up around 7:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. I did some reading and looking out the window at the scenery. Everyone finally started stirring after 9. Kass made breakfast tacos that were excellent. We took our time getting ready and went for a walk up to the yurt to meet Rio and Bridgit and so I could finally see the place. We walked up to the water tower then back down to the house. We had a little snack and chatted for a bit then made a list and headed into town to do some shopping. First up was Chataqua, next was the liquor store, then the feed store and lastly the Shop Smart or Smart Saver or whatever. All in all over a grand was spent in the span of about 2 hours. Back at the house we unloaded all the groceries and Kass cleaned out the fridge to make room. Soon she started on dinner, though we knew it would be a while so we had some pizza to tide us over. Michael L. showed up and I groaned. I mostly ignored him, though he wouldn’t have any idea why (the hot tub splashing incident at K’s wedding). Ely was next and the boys all trekked up somewhere to do something, but I don’t know what. Lesley turned on Pretty Woman so we watched that while Kass cooked. Next was Eat, Pray, Love and we half-watched it until it was time for dinner then Kass made us turn it off (“seriously”, she responded to LT). We had enchiladas and it was like 11. It took ~3 hours to make dinner. It was good, but seriously took forever. We packed up dinner and did a little tidying then us girls headed upstairs to Kassie’s room and laid on the bed talking about relationships. Kass eventually fell asleep so L and I talked about our respective relationships and different aspects. I enjoy L and think she has great insight. No drama. It was 1:30ish so we decided to head to bed and I read for a few minutes before falling asleep. All the boys had fallen asleep in front of the tv in the living room.

Friday 4/19, I worked until 1:00 then headed home where I threw the rest of my stuff into my bag, ate some lunch and loaded up the car. Eric showed up right at 2:00 and we took off for the airport. He dropped me off and was really sweet as I left. The line for security was so slow, but finally made it through and to my gate. I called Mom to see how she was feeling after her oral surgery and we were chatting when Kassie walked up to the gate and right past me. I had to do a double take then turned my head and scream-whispered to Mom “Kassie just walked up; she’s on my flight!”. I slowly turned around to see where she was and she had sat next to the window. This was going to ruin the whole surprise and I couldn’t believe that Sky didn’t know which flight Kass was booked on. Mom was like “Go in the gift shop and buy a hat so she won’t recognize your hair”. I told her I needed to call Sky and hung up. I texted him and he was like, “Yeah, I know. I planned it that way. Go say hi. And don’t tell her about Lesley”. So I sneak up behind her and say in as deep of a voice I could muster, “Is this seat taken?” and she slowly turned around and was like “Oh my god. Are you serious?!” and her face turned all red and she started to tear up. She clarified that she was on her period. We caught up and I told her the whole back story. They started boarding so I went up and boarded as MVP for the first time. We asked the woman next to Kassie if she would switch. We had a nice flight and it went really quickly. When we got off the plane in Santa Rosa it was in the high 70s and it was 5:00. Sky wanted Kass to rent a car so we did that then drove it to the long-term lot to wait. She thought we were waiting for Sky but we were waiting for Lesley. We talked and caught up and the windows were down and it was just wonderful. Finally LT pulls up, radio blaring, swigging from a champagne bottle. Kass turns around and is like “OH MY GOD, LT?!” so she got another surprise. It was pretty funny. We loaded up L’s car with all our stuff and left the rental car in the lot for Jason when he came in on Sunday, though Kass didn’t know yet. We headed north for a long 3+ hour drive and the scenery was gorgeous for as long as it was light enough to see it. We talked the whole way and the 90s station kept us thoroughly entertained. We stopped in Garberville at Metille for two pizzas and four salads then started the windy drive to Kass’ house. Sky met us on the quad at the top of the turnoff and we followed him down and they’ve installed two different gates, one on the main part of the dirt road then another one on the perimeter of the house. We saw a huge camp site Sky had set up and then down to the house. I got a tour and it’s really beautiful with tons of original details and touches. We sat down and ate and I inhaled my dinner. We sat up and talked for a while then LT and I flipped a coin for which bedroom we each were going to get. I got the one with the nice mattress. I read a few pages of my book then turned in. It was 1:00 maybe.

Thursday 4/18, I went straight into Seattle after work because I was getting my hair cut at 6. It went well and I showed Sean the picture of the Victoria Secret model’s whose hair I wanted. He referred to it several times throughout the cut (it was only a headshot). We talked about Big Foot, addiction and the ramifications, Al Anon meetings / prostitutes anonymous, Scare Tactics and Portland. I was done by 7:15 and headed home. Eric had a quiche and a salad waiting for me then went on his run. I watched the Thursday shows and started to fall asleep on the couch. I had to write KR an email about her last month’s rent and deposit. Updated this and went to bed. It was 11ish.

Wednesday 4/17, Eric rode his bike down and met me at work so we could run on the trail. We did a couple miles and because it’s flat it really makes it easy. When we got home I put away laundry and showered. Eric heated up some pasta. I had strudel and ice cream for dessert. I started to pack and got most of it done. It’s going to be a short trip. I watched Suburgatory and got into bed. Asleep by 11.

Tuesday 4/16, I had a date to talk to Courtney after work. I proposed my idea of going to see Sos in November and it sounds like she’s totally on board. We chatted and caught up a little then made plans to see each other when I’m down there in May for Aubrie’s graduation. Eric and I did our run, even though Eric had already done his run before I got home. Eric brought home from work some dog stairs to put by the bed so the dogs will stop jumping up and down and ruining their joints. I worked with Nyx and Brizo to try and get them used to it by using treats. Brizo got it quicker than Nyx, which didn’t surprise me. Mom called while I was doing it and we talked about dates for MN and airfare for Thanksgiving. Eric was making pasta and I hopped in the shower. We ate in the living room after I got out and it was almost 8. The pasta and sauce were delicious. For dessert I had more strudel. We watched Splash then into the bedroom where he read and I updated this.

Monday 4/15, I stayed late at work and when I got home I went for a run. Eric had dinner ready for me but I wanted to shower first. After dinner I had some of the strawberry strudel Eric made, with the homemade vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. He made lemon bars too but I didn’t have any of those. I watched Two Days in Paris in the bedroom and fell asleep watching Frasier.

Sunday 4/14, Eric was up early and finished cleaning up the kitchen. He had a coworker’s wedding to attend late morning so he got ready and took off for that. I got ready but took it easy all day. I wanted to watch Wedding Crashers but it was missing from my collection, of course. I’m missing like 8 movies and have no idea where they are. They all just disappeared! Yay! Not even the shitty ones that I don’t like. Instead I watched Before Sunrise then went out to pick up dog crap in the backyard and wondered where Eric was. I ended up falling asleep with the dogs. He was home around 4. I had a hard time waking up. He took a nap in the den and I started working on my visa statement and got things all squared away. For dinner Eric roasted the remaining veggies and I ate a TON. We watched AFV. Eric and I got into a snit and I stayed in the bedroom while he went and spent the rest of the night in the den. I fell asleep by 11.

Saturday 4/13, Eric was up early to get going on the cooking and I was up not long after. Maybe 7:30. It was my job to do the cleaning and his was to get the cooking done. I ran to the store to pick up a few things we’d forgotten the night prior. We had a lot of people coming over which meant a ton of food to cook. I worked on our bedroom first and eventually made my way through the living and dining rooms mopping and cleaning. I hung several paintings and cleaned out the front closet. I rearranged the buffet and cleaned it off. Next up was my bathroom and putting away laundry. Eric fixed the sink in the main bathroom and got some other things done in the kitchen. I helped him with the ice cream and folding in the whipped cream. We pretty much had everything done by 4:30 so we each took a break. I closed my eyes for 45 minutes because I was exhausted then received a text that Chrystol and Schuyler were on their way. We both got ready and I helped Eric with the risotto. Kass was the next to arrive and she did a fashion show trying on P’s giveaways. Stef arrived then H*sam was next and brought cookies from some bakery by their place and lastly Kristel and Troy. It was a full house and I was trying to help with cooking but also taking coats and calming dogs down. Dinner was ready not long after so we all dished up and sat down. Eric made roast chicken, roasted root vegetables, quinoa salad, a chilled asparagus salad with hard boiled egg, mushroom risotto, a green salad and some other baked dish with zucchini and tomato topped with bread crumbs. There was plenty of food and we didn’t even come close to running out. For dessert Eric dished up the ice cream and we had strawberries and blackberries on top. We had a good time talking around the table and there was plenty of laughing and conversation throughout the night. Everyone stayed until after midnight then Chrystol and Sky stuck around for another hour or so and helped clean up / keep us company and chat about the evening. It was almost 2 before we went to bed. We were exhausted.

Friday 4/12, Eric rode and met me at work so we could go do our shopping for the next night. We went to Costco and Office Depot then home. It was also our five-year anniversary. We fed the dogs when we got home, each showered and got changed and headed off to the greek place by our house for dinner. It was cheap and quick, but good. We went to QFC afterward and picked up all the stuff to fill in the gaps of what we couldn’t get at Costco. Someone kept screwing around with the intercom and playing this hilarious song (“A-ring-a-ding-ding-ding-dong, a-ring-dong-ding-ding-ding” etc) and we were cracking up. At home we were both tired and didn’t want to start the prep, so Eric got the chickens marinating then we sat on the couch and had some ice cream and watched tv. We went to bed early-ish, since we had to be up early and would have a full day.

Thursday 4/11, I had a dentist appointment after work so I didn’t get home until after 6. Susan called so we chatted for a while and I told her she should still go on her trips. I’m not sure how I spent my evening up until my shows were on but I know there was a shower and some dinner in there. Eric nailed down what he was going to make for dinner on Saturday night and we talked about going and doing shopping the next evening. I watched my Thursday shows and Eric was out in the garage working on his new-old bike, stripping paint and all that. He came in for Parks and Rec and Office then went back out to work on the bike. I went to bed after watching some Frasier.

Wednesday 4/10, I stayed late at work but knew I needed to go for a run when I got home. Eric went with me and I had more energy than I’ve had for a long time so I did an extra half mile. After cooling off on my walk up the street and back the neighbor dog came chasing after me down the sidewalk and nipped me on the back of my leg. I was like ‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!’ as she ran away. There was no one around. I just stood there with my jaw on the ground. I went into the house and told Eric. I hopped in the shower and when I got out he made me dinner. I sent out some messages and we watched our Wednesday night shows. Went to bed at a decent time.

Tuesday 4/9, I rushed home because Percy’s adopters were coming over right after work to pick her up. They arrived and we went over everything and they gave us a nice card and chocolates as a thank you which was so sweet. We did pictures and answered questions and off they went. We went to the store and picked up stuff for the week and also for Eric to make breakfast burritos. Kass called and we talked for a little bit before I got off the phone so that I could eat dinner. We sat in the living room for a good part of the night and watched tv and kept wondering how Percy was doing. Eric went to bed early and I stayed up and watched tv for a little bit.

Monday 4/8, It was a rough day at work and I was completely exhausted by the time I got home. I couldn’t even handle doing a run so Eric joined me on a walk with all the dogs except Breezy because we didn’t have an extra harness that would fit her. I had some leftovers for dinner and probably relaxed in bed.

Sunday 4/7, We slept in until almost 9, a record. We got going and I laid in bed and looked at some things online while Eric got ready and took off to go hang with Sky. Kass called and we talked about Alix and going out to Boston at the end of the month or in June. Mary beeped in and said she was on her way to pick up Poppy. After they picked him up I did a few things around the house and ate leftovers for lunch. I took off and picked up some fleece at the fabric store then headed up to Everett. I met Lindsay and Co. at Evergreen Lanes. Said hi and got hugs from all the brothers and met some of the kids. The boys’ friend Kevin was there as well, so I met him. They all kept giving Lindsay a hard time about BH. We had fun and L and I got to talk for a bit. A rumor spread that I have a tattoo of a vag on my vag. They were all going nuts. Most of the group wanted to get something to eat so it was decided we should go to Applebees. We caravanned up there and L rode with me. I sat at a table with L, Adam and Kevin. We had a good time and there was plenty of inappropriate talk. I took off afterward and headed home. Eric was making soup when I got home so I showered and we sat in the living room and had some. We watched tv and I worked on this.

Saturday 4/6, We got up and I went for my run right away then showered and got ready. We had Percy’s home visit in Seattle at 11. It went really well so we knew things would be moving forward. I called Mom on the way home and she met us at the house after we got home. Eric left to go get something for his car while I made my lunch. Mom came over and we talked about the bathroom plans and tried to pinpoint what we were going to do with the window and all that. Eric had to go to work. I wanted to go to the tile place but Mom had a headache so she left. I ended up taking a nap for a bit. I got up and ready to head into Ballard and stopped on MI on the way in to get some birthday cards for Stef and Peter. I went to Sky and Chrystol’s and filled in the cards then we headed up to Cedars in the U-District. It was a pretty big party including His*m and R*berto. I shared my lamb with H because he thought he and R were sharing dinner but R didn’t know so he only gave him one chunk of meat. It was a fun dinner with lots of talking and tons of laughing. After dinner some people wanted to go out so we decided on Liberty on 15th. I took Sky and Chrystol back down to Ballard so they could get their car and part way there Stef calls and says they’ve been following us and thinks we’re going the wrong way to get to Liberty. We all laughed. They followed us to their house and came in to see the place. We headed up to Cap Hill and I had to park a million miles away. Eric met us down there too. We got a couple tables. Diana and her bf were there as well. We hung there until after midnight, said goodbye then all headed home. We watched some SNL for a while until I fell asleep.

Friday 4/5, P let me leave early, at like 1:30. I went home, ate my lunch and proceeded to watch three episodes of Cold Case, which I’ve never seen. Eric came home and went about his activities. I fed the dogs and eventually showered. I was going to see Lindsay up in Everett at 7:30 at one of her brothers’ houses. Eric had plans with Peter and Stef so he could say goodbye to Peter since he’s leaving again for a job around which will have him traveling all over the country. I headed up north and stopped to get her girls a gift. I met them over at Eric’s and met his gf and their kids. Grace was there. We hung out there for the evening and I was there until almost 10, maybe. We had fun reminiscing and also just chatting about current events and various family members. I headed home and told Lindsay I’d plan to see her Sunday. At home Eric wasn’t there. I stayed with the dogs in bed and watched tv. Eric was home by around midnight and slept with three of the dogs in the guest room.

Thursday 4/4, I skipped my run. Genie emailed that Percy’s app was an AC pass and to call her. We talked for a little bit and I felt good about it. I emailed them and set up a time for Saturday morning to do the home visit. I worked on my visa statements and showered before watching the Thursday shows. Eric joined me part way through one of them. Went to bed not too late.

Wednesday 4/3, I got ready for my run after work and Eric decided to join me. We did three times around the block again and walked up the street to cool down. We chatted then went through the yard and looked at the plants. Inside Eric fed the dogs while I hung with Pop in the bedroom for a few minutes. I had some leftover macaroni then hopped in the shower. I brought Nyx and Brizo into the bedroom with me while I did some organizing of my credit card statements and filled out my sales tax worksheets. I watched some ABC shows and Eric came in at 8:45 to go to bed. I watched Modern Family but Kieran texted toward the end and wanted to talk. I was dreading it being about the stove; it wasn’t. They found a place and are on schedule to move out 5/31. I updated this and got ready for bed.

Tuesday 4/2, I got home before Eric for once and let all the dogs out, including Pop who was staying with us through Sunday. I got ready and went on my run solo, just around the block three times. Eric was making homemade macaroni for dinner and it was delicious. We ate in the living room and watched tv. There weren’t any shows on so I watched Elizabeth in the bedroom by myself with some of the dogs. We got an app for Percy and it looks decent and the man in the couple is a professor at UPS. They live on Capitol Hill. I updated the long bio and prepared to send it the next day after Genie’s intro email went out.

Monday 4/1, After work I downed a bunch of potato chips then went out in the backyard to do more weeding. Eric joined me to keep me company and to run the dogs around. Percy and Clancy played for the second time in two weeks. That was really encouraging. Eric ended up helping do some weeding and we got quite a bit done. Dad called toward the end of our weeding and told me the tabs were sent to the property. Back inside I shuffled some laundry and cut up some carrots to pair with hummus. The dogs got some carrots too and they wanted more. I made a salad then took a shower and got into bed. I did some online gossip reading and updating this.

Sunday 3/31, I was awake early because Eric got up around 6:30. We were going to do some cleaning and yard work but Eric decided to go to Mom’s to work for a few hours instead. We lounged in bed and did stuff until after 9 then he took off. I talked to Sos via skype and got to see Maia and she is so cute. She’s almost a year old (birthday is 4/21). My phone kept disconnecting us so I’ll have to do some troubleshooting. I went out in the yard and worked out there on and off throughout the morning. Eric came home right around 1 and we talked for a few minutes before I took off for the rat terrier meetup on MI at Luther Burbank. I left all the dogs at home. Genie, Janell, Julee, Carol, Karyn and Blair were all there. Also in attendance were some NR alum and some fosters. Moon did great and is so beautiful. I stayed there until 3ish? I went home, got my gardening clothes back on and out I went. I made some more good progress and headed inside by late afternoon. Eric came home and we both hopped in the shower and got ready for dinner at Mom’s. We took off and got there right at 6:30. There were quite a few people there. We stayed late because Eric was enjoying talking to Dad’s coworker. We got home a little after 10, took the dogs out and got into bed. Eric was all pumped up from the conversation at Mom’s so he stayed up and I went to sleep.

Saturday 3/30, We were up by 7 and getting ready for our trip over to Ellensburg to have Percy’s meetup. I fired off a few things for Dotty’s contract and adoption approval then we hit the road. First we had a pitstop at the store for a donut then we got on the road. It was a beautiful morning and the drive was really gorgeous. We made it to the Olmstead Place state park right on time and there was an egg hunt in progress. We did the meetup and it didn’t go well enough to convince them to want to finalize the adoption. I was really irritated because I thought I made it clear what her personality was and how she was with other dogs but it seems they want a dog with a completely different personality than Percy’s. Oh well. It’s for the best I’m sure. We started the drive back and stopped in Roslyn for lunch, sightseeing and to gas up. We ate at Cruise In and I got fish and chips and a chocolate milk shake. I couldn’t even eat half of it and felt sick the rest of the way home. Great. When we got home I laid down but Dotty was not about to let me close my eyes for even 10 minutes. Her adopters were going to come at 8 that evening to pick her up. Hallelujah! I went out in the backyard and did some weeding and the dogs enjoyed being out there with me. It was quite a task to keep Dot occupied and not eating things that she shouldn’t. I was out there for a while and Eric got frustrated with the magnitude of the job on the side of the house so he threw in the towel and headed inside. I got Dot’s stuff together and laid down for a little bit again. This time I was able to sleep a little and most of the dogs joined me. I got up around 5 and started cleaning up and Eric did the same. We got a lot done and we were ready for them to arrive. They showed up after 8 and through our conversation we learned their daughter is married to Fr*dy M*ntero of the Sounders. Crazy. So apparently Dot has a Sounders scarf and they said she will be the Sounders mascot and we’ll see her running around the field. It went well and off she went. We went to the store to get stuff to eat for dinner and Eric made breakfast burritos when we got home. I sat in the kitchen and talked to him while he cooked. We were both tired and in bed by 10:30. I told him we’d have to mess around in the morning. I got an excellent night’s sleep.

Friday 3/29, I went for a run with Eric after work and had a bunch of things I needed to get done. I wanted to get Percy’s paperwork all filled out and copies made of everything for her take home packet prior to our going down to Tacoma for Dot’s HV because we were going to be getting home late, I knew I was going to need to do the HV form before bed and we had to be up early the next morning for Percy’s meet-up. I got a lot of stuff done while Eric finished his run and ended up doing five miles. I fed the dogs and took them all out. Soon we were ready to go and took off around 7 for Tacoma. We found it with no issue and I got to see a different part of the city. They live in a beautiful condo overlooking Commencement Bay and also the not so beautiful Tacoma Dome. Their place was immaculate and warm and clean. They are a great family and we stayed for about an hour talking about Dot and asking them questions for the HV. We left there knowing this would be Dot’s home and so relieved. I sent off a quick email to Julee, Janell and Genie before leaving that it had gone really well and that I’d be doing the HV form when I got home to pass the adoption. I got it finished and submitted but forgot to put together Dot’s medical information. We got Percy’s stuff together and went to bed after 10. It was going to be a long day the next day. Dot slept with us again and I got another great night sleep.

Thursday 3/28, Dotty started crying and howling at 4:00am so after an hour I finally go up and brought her into bed where it took her a minute to settle down but soon she was quiet and snoozing away. I finally fell asleep but I knew it would be a long day because of being up with Dot. We ran after work and I was very tired at the end. Dot had her spay surgery in the morning and also her microchip inserted and she was a little whiny when I got home. I carried her around for most of the night and she seemed comforted by that. None of the Thursday shows were new so I did something else for the evening. We decided to have her sleep in bed with us and she did surprisingly well and I finally got a really good night’s sleep.

Wednesday 3/27, I knew I needed to run after work so I sucked it up and off we went. I called Genie and talked to her about Dot’s potential adopters and I was glad it was moving forward. Mom and Dad called next and we chatted for a while. Eric made some Indian for dinner. I emailed the applicants to see when a good time would be to do the home visit; set the date and time for Friday at 8. Watched Modern Family with Eric.

Tuesday 3/26, Dotty did fine during the night and after her initial whiney period she settled down for the night. We took Dotty and Clancy for another walk when I got home. We also took Nyx and Percy for a walk around the block which Percy enjoyed. I didn’t run even though I knew I needed to. I’m sure Eric made dinner and I took it easy. Maybe I took care of some emails and stuff. Probably watched Frasier until bed.

Monday 3/25, I had such a shitty night’s sleep worrying about Dotty and how we were going to work on her crate training and also how she was going to do during the day without us. Eric had a shitty night’s sleep because she slept right next to him all night. Eric called at 3:30 to tell me he was off early and that he was heading over to the condo to try and fix the stove. When I was on my way home he called to say he thought he’d fixed it by resetting on the back of the stove. When I got home he suggested we go on a walk to wear Dotty out. We headed out with Nyx and Clancy also in tow and Dotty did great. Wasn’t afraid of traffic, curious about other dogs and people and wanted to sniff and stop to look at things. At home we fed the dogs and Eric went on a run. I started to work on Dotty’s long bio since Genie had forwarded an app that wasn’t going to work for Moon. Eric insisted on keeping Dotty in the kitchen in her expen and I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out for the evening. We went to bed by 10:30.

Sunday 3/24, It was a busy day full of chores, laundry and changing the sheets. Eric watched tv in the den for most of the day; I took a nap for a little bit. Kieran called because of a problem with the stove so Eric did some research online and figured out the problem. I let her know he’d be over the next afternoon. Not sure about the rest of it. Dotty shrieked and screamed forever and finally put her in bed with us where she instantly calmed down and slept through the night.

Saturday 3/23, We were up early with Eric taking Brizo and Clancy to the vet for their six-month checkups and me taking Percy down to Kent to get her wheezing and spay site looked at. Got some meds for her and headed home. I semi-napped until Mom came over at 12:30. The vet called to say Brizo and Clancy were done so we left to go pick them up then back home to start to put the house back together. Eric arrived home and helped move the bookshelves, furniture and hang some artwork and a mirror. We took off for Southcenter to go pick up Dotty. We met Julee and she said our girl was super cute but full of spice. I put her on her leash and put her on the ground and off she went, running around and grabbing a little grass lump and darted around. It was so funny and cute! We chatted for a few minutes then loaded her up and headed home. She was not happy about being in the crate but settled down about halfway home. We did introductions and no one was happy about the visitor, especially, it seemed, Percy. Later on we’d find out she was fine and actually played with Dotty. Eric hung with all the dogs in the kitchen / den and I kept Pers out with me while I vacuumed and tried to clean up. Eric showered and Sky and Chrystol arrived minutes later. Chrystol loved Dotty and wanted to hold onto her for most of the night. Eric and Sky made nachos for dinner and we sat out in the living room while we ate them. They were watching the Sounders game and Eric had a basketball game on the computer. They stayed until 11:30ish then we got all the dogs into bed and Dotty shrieked and barked for about 15 minutes straight then finally settled down and slept through the night.

Friday 3/22, Eric was up and out of the house early. I tried to sleep in and keep the dogs quiet and was pretty successful. I fed them and took them out and all that then brought them all back into the bedroom to relax. Danielle woke up by 9 and we both relaxed for a little while in bed then got up and ready. We went up to the French Bakery where we both got a pastry for breakfast. Next we headed up to Snoqualmie Falls. It was pretty cold when we got up there and snow on the ground, but the sun was out and the falls were really going. Danielle took a bunch of pictures and decided that she didn’t want to try and stand under it after all. The trail down was closed which was just as well because I’d forgotten to bring appropriate footwear. We drove through the town then headed up I-90 for a while to look at mountains and scenery. When we got home she heated up her lunch leftovers and we put on Midnight in Paris. She fell asleep about 30 minutes in and I finished it anyway. Eric came home from work right as it was over and we talked in the living room. We packed up the car and headed down to the airport shortly after 4. Traffic was not bad at all. We dropped her off and were back home within an hour. Janell said the transport might be in early so we were ready to go pick up Dotty but it ended up losing all the time they’d been ahead and we kept plans to meet up the next afternoon. I got into bed and was ready to go to sleep by 10.

Thursday 3/21, At the end of the day I decided to ask P if I could take Friday off and she said yes. I called Danielle and told her to bring her stuff and that we could hang out the next day before going taking her to the airport. I stopped by the store on the way home for some stuff for dinner. Danielle was there when I got home and her and Eric were talking in the kitchen. We traded family stories and she started calling Eric “Angel” which was hilarious. Dinner was delicious and Danielle had seconds. We watched Your Highness and she thought it was hilarious. Eric brought out the birthday cake (Betty chocolate?) covered in raspberries and blueberries and a ton of candles. He dished it up with ice cream. It was really good but I couldn’t eat all of mine and neither could Danielle. After the movie we talked for a little bit before getting ready for bed. We made up the bed for her and made sure she had everything she needed then all turned in. It wasn’t too late.

Wednesday 3/20, The weather was crazy so Eric decided no on riding to meet me at work then doing our run on the trail. I went home after work and Eric was looking up recipes for stuff to make for Danielle’s dinner. I laid on the bed for a little bit with the dogs then we went to the store to pick up everything. I heated up my leftovers for dinner then went in the bedroom and did stuff online. Percy has an app already and she’s not even on the web. A past adopter in Spokane. Hopefully it will be a good fit and we can get her to her forever home more quickly. AL isn’t coming this weekend after all. Showered and got ready for bed.

Tuesday 3/19, Hurried home from work to do my run and get ready to go to dinner for Danielle’s birthday. It was raining so it helped motivate me to do it quicker. I hopped in the shower and Kass texted that I didn’t need to be to her house until 7. I sat in the kitchen with Eric and talked until it was time to go. I called Mom to see if she wanted me to pick her up, which she did. We got to her house right on time and her and Danielle finished getting ready upstairs. We took off and chatted all the way to RN74. Kass knows several of the people there, including the manager, so they put a “Happy Birthday Danielle” up on the wine board and there was a bottle of champagne and birthday card on the table when we got there. They sent out several additional appetizers and for dessert they surprised us with three additional dishes. We were all so full. It was a lot of fun and we talked and took pictures throughout the evening. We left by 10ish and drove back to Kassie’s. We said goodbye and I took Mom home. Eric was asleep by the time I got home, 11, so I took the dogs out and got them into their beds one by one. Then into bed myself, and checked stuff on my phone under the covers so I wouldn’t disturb Eric.

Monday 3/18, When I got home I knew I needed to go for a run but I REALLY didn’t want to. Eric was right there to motivate me and make me get my running clothes on. He also wanted to increase our run by a half mile. We did it and I was tired but happy Eric pushed me. I showered and made dinner for myself then we went to Super Supplements to pick up dishwasher detergent. Back at home I answered some emails, read my gossip then got to work and finished up an SPD review. Watched tv, got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Sunday 3/17, Eric was up early and I was up by 7:45; however, I got back into bed and stayed there until 9:30. Eric went to REI and I made plans with Chrystol for them to come over for dinner (Irish inspired). I got to work touching up the paint, mostly in the dining room and Eric replaced several of the outlets with new ones. He also hooked back up all the speakers. I changed the sheets on the bed and washed dog bedding. We went to the store to get stuff for dinner and when we got back I vacuumed and continued with the laundry. I got pictures of Percy and wrote her petfinder bio and submitted them right as Sky and Chrystol pulled up. We had a nice evening and dinner was good (salmon for them, chicken for me, twice baked potatoes (a 10), salad and asparagus and Brussels sprouts). Sky made soda bread and we had ice cream with blueberries and raspberries. We watched Waking Ned Divine and it was over by 10. They took off and I worked for a half hour and went to bed by 11.

Saturday 3/16, We were up early with the alarm to meet Troy down in Southcenter to pick up Percy. Word was that she was sweet but not a fan of other dogs and would rather be an only dog. We chatted with Troy for a little bit then headed home. We got Percy settled and slowly introduced the other dogs and she did well considering. We gave her a little Sojos and she ate it with little prompting. I called Mom to find out what paint she had and told her we were getting started. Eric took off for Ace and picked up more supplies while I started taping and getting everything brought in. I got going and Mom showed up and started helping. We mixed in some white paint to lighten the shade after doing the first wall. We ended up just going and going and going and finished the living room, dining room, hallway and entryway. Eric had to go to work by 3:00 and we finished up by 4. Looked at pictures online of interiors and Mom left by 4:30. I was so tired I showered and half-napped. I got up right at 6 and fed the dogs then put on Bridesmaids. Eric was home by 9:45 and I tried to stay up for SNL but it wasn’t in the cards. He was in the den when I fell asleep.

Friday 3/15, Janell emailed early that the little tuxedo pup would most likely be coming up and to send a name (Dotty). We also set up a time to meet Troy the next morning to pick up Percy. I stopped by Costco on the way home to get movie tickets because Eric wanted to see Identity Thief. He was out on a run when I got home so I showered, fed the dogs and got ready to go because I wanted to catch the 6:35. After he got home we hit the road down to Bella Bottega and made it in time to find good seats. The movie was ridiculous and had funny parts but was a little loose in the plot department. Eric thought it was one of the worst movies he’s ever seen. I thought “This is 40” was worse. We went over to Whole Foods afterward to get something to eat and I ended up getting a caprese salad. Next we went to DQ and each got blizzards (Oreo for me). We went home and got into bed. Had to be up early the next day to pick up Percy.

Thursday 3/14, I was tired when I got off work and totally didn't want to run but Eric wasn't cutting me any slack. So off we went. I could tell my running was sluggish but at least I was doing it despite being tired and SO SORE. I was glad when we were done and we walked up and down the street to cool down. I picked up the dog poop in the backyard and Eric did all the dogs' nails by himself and gave them all bones with marrow for dinner. I asked him if he wanted to hop in the shower so we did and I showed him how appreciative I am for all the stuff he does for me. I made myself dinner and we watched Rick Steves in the den. I went in the bedroom and did my usual internet stuff. We watched Parks and Rec and Office. I watched Frasier on the Hallmark channel until 10:30 then went to bed and Eric was out in the den staying up late.

Wednesday 3/13, I wanted to get coffee for P for her birthday so we took off up to the French Bakery after I got home. They only sell espresso beans so we just went next door to QFC and Eric showed me which coffee was good. We stopped by Super Supplements on the way home. We put on our running gear and took off for our run. I could feel I was running faster and Eric confirmed it when we were done. He started on dinner and I played with Clancy in the living room for a little bit. I showered and put on my pjs and got into bed. I talked to Mom for a little bit and sent her a picture of the puppy that might be coming up next week and she liked her. She's going to come over Saturday morning to help us paint the living room. Eric brought in soup with broccoli. I did stuff online and didn't really pay attention to what was on tv. I think I went to bed early.

Tuesday 3/12, I had cramps as I was driving home, which sucked because I wanted to go for a run. When I told Eric my plan he said he’d go too. We did our quick route and I laid on the floor when we got home and focused on my breathing. I showered and we took off for the store for a few things. When we got home Eric made dinner while I kept him company. Janell wrote that we might be getting that little 3-month old puppy and will know by Friday. Percy comes Friday. After dinner I watched some tv and Eric joined me in the bedroom. He was ready for bed by 9 and I was up until after 10 updating this.

Monday 3/11, We had an employee lunch meeting at an Indian place and everything was delicious; however, toward the end of the day my stomach was not feeling so great. At home I got into bed and Eric went out to get some Mylanta. I stayed in bed for the rest of the night. I had some rice for dinner. I watched the Bachelor finale and Eric’s relieved it’s finally over. I peeked weeks ago at the winner and it was correct. I wasn’t in love with either of the final two so it was somewhat lackluster. Went to bed a little after 11.

Sunday 3/10, I knew I should start my running, but put it off. I think I stayed in bed for a while in the morning. I think I watched a movie. I don’t remember what I did. Nuts. Eric thinks I just laid around all day and relaxed. He’s probably right.

Saturday 3/9, Eric was up by 8 and went and got me breakfast (mango sally and fresh fruit) from Whole Foods. I got up and waited for him to get back so we could do it. We packed everything up and set out to walk around and find Eric something to eat. We went to Design within Reach and perused but didn't feel inspired enough to drop the big bucks. Despite no sales tax. We stopped in Ann Sachs and perused tile and kept on our way. We stopped in other little furniture and home decor shops but didn't buy anything. Nor did we find anything for Eric to eat. We went back to the hotel around 11:15, sat in the room for a little bit watching Cowboys and Aliens then grabbed our stuff and checked out. We punched in the coordinates of Lucia's house and headed to Vancouver. We drove around looking for something to eat for Eric again but came up empty. All fast food. We got to Maggie's a little early and Blair called to let us know she'd be an hour late. We went in and saw Lucia and she remembered us instantly. When I stepped through the front door she had her ears back and sniffed my leg and immediately her whole body started wiggling and she was wimpering. When I knelt down she tried to climb into my lap and was so happy. It made me want to cry. She was very excited to see Eric too. She has put on quite a bit of weight but I thought I'd leave it up to Blair to address. We went and sat out in the backyard in the sun since it was so gorgeous. Ray is Maggie's other dog and he was very sweet and mild mannered. She told us a story about Ray locking Lucia in the office when Maggie wasn't home which we thought was hilarious. Lucia was so busy, running from one of us to the next and hopping in and out of our laps. We threw her cat ball around a bit for her to chase. We talked with Maggie about Lucia and other things. Blair arrived and Maggie brought out cookies from the local Croatian bakery. They were delicious. We stayed until 3:00 then started the long drive home. I called Jennifer when we were about a half hour from home to let her know she could come pick up Teko. When we got home it was a race to get all her stuff together and to fill out all her paperwork since I thought they'd be there right away. Eric was still starving and while we waited I finally sent him up to get the pizza for dinner because I didn't know when they'd arrive. They showed up around 7ish and Eric came back shortly after. We talked for a while and Zac was very interested in Brizo and Nyx who were in the pool room barking. Teko was very excited that there were visitors to see her. They were concerned that I was going to have a hard time saying goodbye, but I'd been preparing myself all day and it was surprisingly easy. She's going to a good home and that makes all the difference. We said goodbye and they were off. Eric popped in the pizza and we put on Due Date in the living room. Eric liked it. We went to bed not much later. It was a long day. Felt good to be back down to three dogs for the next week.

Friday 3/8, Eric was up super early and went off for a long walk. We’re talking out the door by 6:30 and back by 8:00. I slept in. Neither of us slept great and I was feeling anxious about Teko going home. Eric walked to Whole Foods while I got ready and got us breakfast. He got me orange juice, fresh fruit and some yogurt. When we were done we headed outside to start our day. We walked up to Everyday Music and I spent at least an hour in there running around trying to find cds and dvds on my list. I picked up 7 new cds and 3 dvds. We began walking back to the hotel but stopped at Blue Star donuts (donuts for grownups). I got the crème brulee donut but didn’t love it. Back at the hotel we dropped off our stuff then headed back out. We decided to walk over to 21st to go to the pet store. We got Lucia a treat and a cat ball for our trip to visit her the next day. We continued to walk down 21st then turned to walk back toward Pearl. We stopped at Super Supplements so I could get some moisturizer then walked further downtown to try and find TJ Maxx and Ross. We found one, walked through and it was a bust. Nordstrom Rack was next and I found several pairs of flats I liked and decided on one pair and off we went back to the hotel. We went up to Pittock Mansion and did the whole tour of the mansion, grounds and little caretaker’s house. It was a gorgeous day. The history of the mansion was fascinating and now I know why Eric always talks about it. We headed back down and stopped at some high end grocery store where we got a salad and some dehydrated veggie snacks to tide us over until dinner. Back to the hotel where we relaxed for a little bit and did some research to find a place for dinner. We decided to do dinner early and wandered down toward Al Amir and found it easily so we went there. We were seated and we started ordering. Everything was excellent and we both stuffed ourselves. On our way back to the hotel we detoured to Whole Foods so I could get a little sweet treat and decided on a cookie. We walked to Powell’s so I could inquire about a book I’ve had my eye on for years but is no longer being published. I found a couple good leads. We went back to the hotel and got into bed. We were both tired and ended up going to bed somewhat early after watching a bit of tv. Like 10 maybe?

Thursday 3/7, I was home by 3:30, we cleaned up the house, fed the dogs, left some instructions for Stefanie and were on the road by 4:00 on our way down to Portland. I was certain we would run into traffic until we were south of Olympia, but it only slowed down briefly in two spots. We made it to our hotel (The Governor) by 7:00. We checked in, found our room after taking the long way around and I showered and got ready while Eric went to get a restaurant recommendation. Apparently Tasty and Sons opened a sister restaurant downtown and it was one block down from our hotel. Tasty and Alder. There was no wait and the menu looked fantastic. We started with the broccolini and I ordered steak frites and Eric got the ratatouille, then had a hankering for the goat cheese dumplings. Everything was very good, but Eric’s was especially good. We skipped dessert because we were both stuffed. We walked over to Powell’s which was just two blocks away and I called Genie because she had called earlier and Jennifer wanted to pick up Teko while we were gone. I told her I’d email Jennifer when I got back to the hotel. At Powell’s we looked at a few things together then split up and I went up to the art section. I perused but didn’t get anything. I found Eric and we walked back to the hotel. We got into bed and watched some tv then it was lights out. We were both tired and wanted to get a good night’s sleep.

Wednesday 3/6, I did a few things in the morning to make getting things done in the evening easier. When I got home Eric had all Teko’s stuff ready and a salad made for me for dinner. I had two bowls and Eric had given the dogs bones for dinner and we were off right at 6. We made it up to Everett by 6:30ish for Teko’s HV. It went well and this is where Teko will live out her life. We were both relieved as we got in the car and drove home. We were there until 8:20. When we got home we made the bed in the back bedroom, I sent off the HV form, packed, hopped in the shower, shot off an email to Janell, sent all the vet / medical info to Debbie and climbed into bed to relax. It was 10:30. Eric was watching Robin Hood or something which I only tolerated because I love Cate Blanchett.

Tuesday 3/5, Eric went down to Elliott Bay Books to listen to some speaker. I went to the store after work to grab a couple things then home. Took the dogs out, made the bed, shuffled and put away some laundry, stripped the bedding in the back bedroom for Stef and Peter’s stay and fed the dogs. I had a bunch of salad and a piece of cornbread for dinner then showered and got into bed. I updated this and managed the dogs. Eric called at 9:15 to say he was on his way home. He took the majority of the dogs into the den with him while I finished up on this and went to bed not long after.

Monday 3/6, I stayed late at work (also went in early, so I can cut out early on Thursday for our PDX trip) and when I got home Eric was making dinner. I quickly cleaned my shower and threw some laundry in. Eric made a mushroom, potato, carrot stew thing, over a piece of cornbread. It wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned and the cornbread turned me off, but the stew had good flavor. I took a shower and climbed into bed to watch Bachelor. Scheduled Teko’s HV for Wednesday evening. Fingers crossed. Eric came in at 10 and I was out by 10:30.

Sunday 3/3, I was awake by 7:30 and Eric had been up for a while. I took out the dogs and fed them and had some cereal. I got back into bed and Eric brought in Teko. I ended up being super lazy and staying in bed for a long time petting Teko and cuddling with her. Eric left to go up to Crossroads (Tutta Bella is going into Crossroads Grill’s spot) where he picked up some groceries for Monday’s dinner. I finally got up, changed the sheets and Eric came home right as I was finishing. I wanted to get my new Architectural Digests all organized so I started and Eric wanted to help. I moved all of the 2000s out of the laundry room onto the bottom shelf of the entryway table. None of my bookends were strong enough to hold up a decade’s worth of ADs so I thought I’d go to Office Depot later to see what I could find. I talked Eric into going for a short walk with the dogs; it was Teko’s first one and she did very well. When we got home we put the dogs away and took off to run some errands. First to Mud Bay where we got a Toy Wonder Walker and an XXS Puppia-style harness (for the teenies) then to All the Best where we got some turkey neck sections, Honest Kitchen fish stick things for the green pickle and also a bunch of duck feet. Next up was World Market where my main goal was picking out some placemats (which I did) but quickly turned into getting a bunch of food and dessert stuff. Luckily I had a 10% off coupon, but I still spent more than I should have. We went home and totally forgot to stop at Office Depot. I cleaned up dog crap in the backyard then inside where I laid down and proceeded to fall asleep until like 6:30. Eric went for a bike ride. When I woke up I called Alix and talked to her for less than an hour and ate my dinner, which Eric brought into the bedroom for me. After that I called Dad and caught up with him and Mom. I wanted to update my AD inventory list on my phone so I went about doing that and irritated Eric in the process because I didn’t fill him in right away on my and Alix’s conversation. I ignored him for an hour or so after that. Genie emailed and said the AC interview went well (applicant in Everett) and I told her to call me and fill me in. She called a little before 9, we chatted, sounds good, showered and into bed. Updated this and watched Seinfeld. Sent emails back and forth with Janell. Getting next dog on the 15th. 9lb, 3-4 year old girl, very sweet, apparently. Need to pick out a name now.

Saturday 3/2, I was up early thanks to having eight million dogs. I got them all settled then out to Costco for gas and into Medina for the estate sale. I was the third in line and when I went in I went right to them and saw a “sold” sign. Fuuuuck! I asked if they’d sold for full price and they said they’d sold for $900. I was upset. I couldn’t believe they’d sold them for that. Oh well. I eyed an enormous collection of Architectural Digests but decided against offering $20 for the lot. I went home and repotted the orchid in my bathroom. Eric arrived home as I was inventory-ing my ADs because I wanted to go back and fill in the blanks in my collection. We drove down and it was empty and they were willing to wheel and deal. He said he’d give me the ADs for ten cents a piece. I bought $12 worth. I basically filled in the 90s; decided against taking the 80s issues. Not a great decade for architecture. Eric thought I was nuts, but was ever supportive and went out to the car to get the reinforced grocery bags and hauled them all out for me. We stopped at QFC on the way home for wine (His*m’s birthday) and stuff for dinner. When we got home we relaxed since we had a couple hours before we needed to head into Seattle. I showered and Eric made pasta for dinner. We drove into Seattle to Roberto and His*m’s place down in SLU (very loft-y). They had springrolls and other little appetizer things and a delicious-looking cake. We met Marissa and soon His*m and Erik arrived from their walk. We snacked and talked and wore party hats and took pictures. Soon “charades” was brought out and I groaned; however, since Stef was solo I suggested I play guesser for both teams. Soon I proved to be a very good guesser and got quite a few of the clues. Throughout the evening some other people arrived and they wanted to split up into smaller teams. I was on a team with His*m and Erik. We did pretty well, considering we rolled frickin ones every time. Around midnight we started to make a move to leave but got talking about a dating strategy class that one of the other attendees had volunteered in and we were all fascinated. We finally left at 12:30 and were home by 1.

Friday 3/1, I’d found an estate sale the night before in Medina with three Bergstroms and asked Mom if she would go and report back. She called to let me know that one was already gone and the other two were marked at $700 a piece. She put in a bid but I was determined to go back the next day. I was so happy the week was over. We went to the mall to use up some gift certificates we got for Christmas. First was Macy’s and second was Pottery Barn where we got a pitcher. We headed home and on the way an email came in for a new app for Teko and it looks much better. She has a dog whose name is Kiko. Teko and Kiko. Pretty funny. At home I gave my blessing and Eric doctored up my gyro from Wednesday night. Delicious. I put on The Kids Are All Right. We went to bed.