Saturday 8/31, We woke up and watched Amelie for a while before getting ready for the wedding. Dylan heard us talking about the nasty magazine in the downstairs bathroom. Whoops. We thought he was still at football practice. Aubrie and I headed to Dick’s and had caramel rolls and I had a piece of quiche. Soon it was time for all of us to caravan to the wedding in Big Lake. Beau and Molly were getting married. We rode with Mark and Kelly and talked about Aubrie and Z*ch. The wedding ceremony was a little odd but they looked really nice and it was nice to see everyone. Afterward we headed to the hotel to check in and freshen up. Next we went to Chatters to meetup with family and the wedding party. We went over to the reception a little after 5:00. The party was full of food, dancing and lots of laughs. There were some hilarious one liners from Kelly, most notably the comment about the 17-year old who, as rumor had it, had a huge wang, said that unless it touched the floor she wasn’t going to be all that impressed. Aubrie asked him about it and he asked where she heard that and she said the red-haired kid and he just turned around and walked away. Later I saw him ask Reed about it and he was cracking up. Aubrie was determined to dance with him and she ended up doing it a lot, much to Mark’s chagrin. His name was Keegan and he was so nervous and didn’t want his three older sisters giving him a hard time. We had fun. Kassie was wasted and Sky was not around for a lot of the night. The lights came up at midnight and we headed out. On the way out Kass hit Danny in the jaw after he tried to grab her boobs (she grabbed his nipple first). Kass, Sky, Aubs and I drove back to the hotel and we went to bed. I got out the itch gel, which I didn’t realize how much I’d need it later that night.

Friday 8/30, I slept in until almost 9:30. Yikes! I was like, we need to get up! Aubrie reminded me it was 7:30 for us so I didn’t feel so bad. We had some breakfast and game-planned our day. Us girls all got ready then took off for our errands (sticky bra!). We went to Target first so Aubrie could get Beau and Molly a present and they also had the bra I needed so I got it there and saved forty bucks by not buying at VS. With our chores done we headed back and Mark was shocked to see us. He started trying to pack and get ready and we were all just waiting for him and he was flustered. We went and dropped Fred off at Gaby’s and met her (cavalier). We got on the road but stopped at Bunny’s for lunch. I got a veggie sandwich that was very good. Finally on the road to Litchfield which took over an hour. We talked about Aubrie and Christian moving in and Mark was in shock and said he had to talk to Dad. When we arrived there was no one in the house. I grabbed a bar and went out to the deck and saw Derek on the speed boat. I yelled to him and he asked if we wanted to go out and that he’d wait while we put on our suits. He was towing Brett and Brice and it was the five of us on the boat. It was a beautiful day and not too hot. We sped around the lake and I felt so happy. Sun, family, out on the water. I don’t know if I’ve been that happy for a while. We parked and dropped anchor then Uncle Dick and crew came on the pontoon and we tied up. Aubs and Kelly got into the water on their floaties, Dad and Roxy swam around, Pete got in and was going to try and get me wet but wisely thought better of it. We sat out there for a long time then decided to head back in. We sat and talked outside on the deck for a while. Aubrie and I went on a walk and talked about Ryan Gosling and making out with him. It was fun. When we got back there was more snacking and eating. Kass and Sky arrived later in the evening. For dinner we had the most delicious ribs I’ve ever had along with a bunch of other stuff. I was stuffed and of course more bars for dessert. We made our way down to the campfire and all stayed down there for a long time. Mark and Kelly want to set up Aubrie with Z*ch Shim*ta, Mark’s protégé. Mark was so excited he was day dreaming about it and couldn’t stop saying how excited he was. We finally decided to head to Clint’s for the night and followed Stacy and Derek into town. From there I knew how to get to Clint’s. We went upstairs and bunked in Casey’s room for the night. We were tired.

Thursday 8/29, We were up super early, I got ready and threw everything in my bag and we were off for the airport by 5:30. I checked my bag quickly and headed through security. I had time to get a yogurt and banana for breakfast to tide me over until my arrival in Minneapolis. I went to my gate and they were already boarding so on I went. I read for most of the flight (my Russell Brand book) and laughed enough that the woman next to me said she was going to get that book because of how often I was snickering to myself. When I landed I texted Kelly and talked to Mom on the phone until she arrived to pick me up. She brought Fred and he sat in my lap for the ride home. When we got there I freshened up and we headed to Yums for lunch. I got a delicious blueberry and chicken salad that I ate all of. For dessert I got a chocolate chip cookie. We went to wash the car but the wash was broken. We stopped at the cat clinic and played with the kittens and they were so cute. I took some pictures and they were climbing all over us. I wanted the one that hadn’t already been adopted, dubbed ‘Fatty’. Gray and white female. I loved her. I knew Eric would kill me. We went to the store and liquor store and the grocery store lets you drive up to pick up your groceries. It’s hilarious. Kelly never carries her groceries out herself, she always drives to pick them up, and they load them into your car. It was only two bags and I offered to carry but she said even if she only buys two things she does the pick up. We went home and hung out talking for a few hours until Aubrie called to say she was on her way with Pete and Alishia. When she got there we got ready and headed out for dinner at Psycho Suzi’s. We decided to just get appetizers so we got the tater tots with sausage gravy, the pickles wrapped in cream cheese and ham (they had those), cheese curds and lastly little smoky type of weenies, wrapped in bacon and cooked in brown sugar and bourbon. It was super hot and humid, but sitting by the river was nice. We talked about relationships and making out and other boyfriends and going to Mexico to just get it all out of the system. We headed home and Mark was still not home because of a big new client and all the extra work associated with it. They’re not doing too bad though; a nice house, lake cabin and newly built corner unit condo in PV paid for in cash. We were all tired and went to bed a little after 10. Mark came home after 11.

Wednesday 8/28, I had a facial after work and it went well other than the products they use are tested on animals. I got home at almost 7 and called Dad back and coordinated plans for MN. Eric made a salad for dinner and I had two helpings plus some bread with balsamic and olive oil. We ran out to the bank and Super Supplements so I could take care of some stuff then home where we had our pear tart that Eric picked up from the French bakery. Next I wrote an email to an app and started packing. It took me a while between the clean laundry and getting everything together. We needed to get to bed early since I had to be to the airport by 6:00 the next morning for my flight to MN.

Tuesday 8/27, I went to the bank after work then home where Eric was feeding the dogs and getting dinner ready. We walked the dogs around the block and Fae is still all over the place and an anxious mess on walks. Back at home I changed and got everything ready for our final spa night at Stef’s. I ate some dinner and soon we were on the road to Office Depot to pick up a memory card for my camera and case. We got to the hotel first and waited for everyone. Peter was home so we went up to their room and talked for a bit then down to the pool and hot tub. We spent a couple hours down there then needed to get going since Eric had to be up early the next morning for work. Said goodbyes and drove home. Got there a little after 10 then to bed.

Monday 8/26, Long day at work and P asked if I would stay late. I stopped to pick up my dry cleaning on the way home and didn’t get home until after 6:00. Eric was making dinner and I tried not to be too negative (effects of being tired grumpy) so I shuffled some laundry, cleaned off the bottom of my orchid pots and brought them inside and hung the new Bergstroms in the living room. I laid down with Fae on the bed and Eric brought in my dinner. I watched tv for a little bit then Eric and I started talking about Tim O’Brien and I talked him into reading “The Things They Carried” which I think he’ll like. I showered and shaved my legs in anticipation of spa night. Afterward I painted my toenails, took out the dogs and climbed into bed.

Sunday 8/25, Eric was off to work early again, so I got up all the dogs, had breakfast and put on a movie: Tenure. It was okay and Luke Wilson looked half-way decent in it, so that was a bonus. I went out into the courtyard and repotted the orchids and gave them their fertilizer. I got a call about a car but then the guy never followed back up. Fae was still not great but Eric told me to give her some banana and after that she was like a different dog and the vomiting stopped. I finally got an email about the collages and suggested meeting at 5:15. Eric came home and brought me flowers, little roses, all colors. They were beautiful. I told him the plan and we prepared also for the Sounders game. We set out for Maple Leaf, got the pieces (they are tiny!) and went to Sky and Chrystol’s. We chatted for a minute then piled into Sky’s car and drove down to the game. We found parking pretty far away and walked forever to get to the stadium. We got some kettle corn outside then went in. We were way up top. The sunset was great up there. I wasn’t very into the game and had to be talked in to even going. Chrystol and I talked and joked through a lot of it. The boys were enthralled. I got some garlic fries in the second half. The Sounders won then we had a long walk back to the car. We navigated back to their house, picked up our stuff and headed home. It was almost 11 so we were into bed and asleep quickly.

Saturday 8/24, I was all excited hoping I’d have a response on the pieces, but no luck. Eric was off to work early. I lounged in bed for a little bit then got up and ready. I went to an estate sale where I bought five new wood hangers for a buck then headed up to Bothell to pick up more of my tile to get the bathroom remodel back on track. I went home and ate lunch and relaxed for a little bit before my next project. I went out in the courtyard and brought the dogs out with me and started to repot one of the orchids, but I needed a new pot so I put that on hold and did some pruning and dead-heading. Fae was not feeling good and kept vomiting so I would only give her a little food at a time throughout the day. I went to Fred Meyer to get an orchid pot and had two keys made. Back at home I was feeling very sleepy so I closed my eyes a little and waited for Mary to call. She did and let me know they were on their way. The pick up of Pop went well and afterward I laid down and relaxed. I tried to do some cleaning up so Eric wasn’t coming home to a mess. I spent time on the computer while Eric watched tv in the den. I asked if he wanted to go up to Crossroads so I could sell some dvds so we headed up. I didn’t get much for them, but I got some credit and the new Moondoggies album. We went and got some lotto tickets next and people-watched as we made our way back to the car. We put on Eric’s new cd (Electric Guest) and we drove around on side roads slowly so we could listen to it. It was a beautiful night and we had the windows down and chatted. At home we stayed up late each doing our own thing.

Friday 8/23, Rio was picked up after I got off work. Everything went well and suddenly I was feeling pretty good. I had all kinds of energy. I found two Bergstroms on craigslist and inquired immediately. I was all pumped up so I went to the bank to deposit my condo insurance refund and took out some cash. When I got back I was still feeling restless but eventually calmed down and did something, like maybe I watched a movie or something. I didn’t hear back from the Bergstrom people that night. Much to my dismay.

Thursday 8/22, In the morning Rio was dropped off. I worked a few hours again as well as watching some SatC. I did something else, but I don’t remember what. Susan and Jon came over and dropped off a “fucking 20-pound bag of rice” and a new little lunch bag. We hung out and talked for a long time then they took off. I showered and went to bed.

Wednesday 8/21, We were going to Stef’s to go swimming and have dinner and Eric was making the delicious tomato, cucumber salad. I walked Poppy around the block and he peed on a plastic wrapper which made me laugh. I showered and we took off shortly after, arriving right at 6:30. We had an all vegan dinner which was really delicious (except I had feta on my salad). We sat and talked forever then started the process of getting suits on and heading down to the pool. Chrystol had lots of taffy so we took that down with us too. Stef and I got in the pool first and did some working out in the deep end and ate taffy. Eventually we moved to the hot tub and stayed there for a while and eventually back into the pool. We were down there until 9:30, maybe. We went back up, changed, chatted more and eventually took off for home. Let the dogs out for a while then to bed since it was late.

Tuesday 8/20, When I got home Eric and I made up the bed and started some laundry. Susan arrived in the middle of it and shortly after we headed out to run some errands. First up was Fred Meyer where I picked up some produce and Susan wanted to use up a $20 gift card and managed to get her purchase to $20.01. It was crazy. Next was Goodwill where we dropped off our stuff then went in and looked through cds, dvds and clothes. I got Go and Sam’s Town. We went to Taco Time next and I haven’t been there for a million years. We took a trip down memory lane and were really laughing it up talking about the old Neighbs regulars. We headed home and chatted there for a bit. Susan took off a little after 8. I worked for an hour and watched SatC and also texted with Chrystol and Stef about the next evening. Into bed after 10 and to sleep by 11.

Monday 8/19, Worked for three hours and watched Notebook after seeing a hilarious buzzfeed list about why it’s the worst movie ever. Went to bed afterward.

Sunday 8/18, Eric was up early and out the door to work. I got up as he was pulling out of the driveway. I let the dogs out, read some Den / WA group stuff, including Suri having to be put down, wrote an email to Genie saying how sorry I was, texted Stef to see if she wanted to go to Costco and eventually got up and dressed. I headed out so that I would be there right as they opened. I picked up a few things then over to the bank then home. I started some laundry and vacuumed out my closet by my shoes and discovered two pair of old adidas I had and completely forgot about. Oops. I called Mom to give her the dimensions of the fireplace and we talked for a while about the revised house plans and other stuff. When we hung up I turned on SatC and worked for a while. I had lunch and went outside with the dogs a few times. One of the episodes wouldn’t work so I put on Drive and watched that. RG is so hot. Still. Eric came home right as it ended. We talked then took off for some errands. We went to Goodwill to drop off some stuff, but the line was too long so we headed up to the GO but on the way passed Haagen and apparently the store is closing so we stopped in there and got some stuff before heading over to the GO. After our shopping trip we headed home and I kept going on my laundry and started watering plants while Eric whipped up our greek salad, per my request. I sat down to keep working and popped in Elvira. After it was over I put work away and hopped in the shower. Eric was reading a book about Horiuchi, which was lent to him by a man who is friends with Horiuchi’s son. One of Erika and Ernie’s pieces is in the book. He followed me around the house as I put away my laundry then into bed for me and I updated this.

Saturday 8/19, Eric got all the dogs up and fed and let me sleep in. Mary texted that they were running late, so I got up and dressed. We did the Poppy exchange and settled in. I had some breakfast then got to work. I watched SatC until a little after 10. Eric was out in the yard cleaning up so I headed out and worked on the blueberry patch and transplanted the mint. We talked with the neighbors quite a bit, who had a bunch a navy and coast guard volunteers helping them with their deck, yard and inside their house. I didn’t get a ton done, but I at least got that part weeded and cleaned up. We went in and cleaned up to go to Mom’s. We got to her place at 1:00 and looked at her new floor plan, which moves the master into where the living room is and moved everything else into the kitchen, eating nook, den and pool room for one giant kitchen and living area. It’ll probably be 900 square feet, just in that area. I like the design, but we’ll see what happens. We headed home where I laid down and tried to nap and eventually got up and kept working and watched Wedding Singer. I showered and got ready for Kristel’s bachelorette party and eventually headed out by 8:45 to Vin’s. I talked to Alix on the way there. When I arrived at Vin’s it was just him and Beth. We chatted and had some drinks. Kristel and Michelle arrived next, then Lesley, Mat and Haley. We talked, took pictures and toasted. We stayed for a while then headed out for the Hill on foot. We went to Unicorn and hung downstairs. I hadn’t been down there before. I made friends with a couple short guys. One asked me if I was a model. I laughed. It was very sweet, but no. We got a table and sat for a long time. Beth and I did a lap to see who we could see. Good people watching. By 12:30 most of us girls were ready to head home. Kristel and the boys had other plans. I caught a cab with the girls and we walked together to our cars and I drove home. Eric was asleep and didn’t wake up when I came in.

Friday 8/16, Eric let me know Jojo had gone home that morning. I thought I’d found a car I liked online but then realized it was the wrong edition. I had the idea to go down to Ikea after looking at the catalog and Eric was game so we decided to do it. We went to Super Supplements first so I could grab a few things, then headed down there. We walked through and while some of the stuff is super cheap, I didn’t get anything and wasn’t really all that tempted anyway. We drove home and took it easy for the rest of the night. I think we went to bed early, since we’d have to be up early for Pop’s drop off.

Thursday 8/15, I brought work home and did a bunch of that for the evening. I started SatC and got through a few episodes while I worked away. Eric went to bed early and I eventually went to bed after I finished up my project.

Wednesday 8/14, Eric was home when I got there but I was annoyed because of the tabs on his car so then we got into an argument which wasn’t even what I wanted. It was cleared up quickly. I got some administrative stuff done and I mulled over going to Dirty Dancing at Lincoln Square. I decided against it. We took Jojo, Clancy and Fae on a walk then I made myself some dinner. I put on Silver Linings Playbook and laid with the dogs. Showered then went to bed.

Tuesday 8/13, The tv and internet weren’t working when I got home so I called Comcast and they were no help. Eric made dinner again and we sat in the dining room and he said he was glad nothing was working because now we’re eating together every night. I asked Eric if he wanted to go down to Nordstrom Rack and he agreed to go with me. I needed a new pair of shoes to go with my dress. Luckily I found a good pair and also picked up some socks and underwear. We went home and talked for a little bit until it was time for bed. Slept like shit because Jojo would not just lie down and go to sleep. She was up and down all night.

Monday 8/12, Jojo arrived and was funny as ever. I did some reading in the bedroom and hung with some of the dogs. We went to the store for a few things then home. Eric made dinner and we sat at the dining room table for once. I brought home a bunch of kitchen stuff from Peggy’s so we worked on cleaning it and putting it all away. I relaxed for the rest of the night.

Sunday 8/11, I had plans to go get a new car, but ended up chickening out and did other stuff instead. I went to Nordstrom to try on the two dresses I found the night before. One was a small and the other a large and I was worried that neither would fit, but the small one did so I got that one. I went home to grab a quick lunch then headed off to the auction at Pacific Galleries. I previewed for 15-20 minutes then found a seat. I bid on a few things but not high since I wasn’t super crazy about anything. I didn’t win anything and I was fine with that. I stopped at Mom’s on the way home and ended up spending two hours looking at plans and rearranging walls and doors. I really like what we’ve come up with. I headed home and Eric was there. We went to the store but got into a “disagreement” so when we got home I made my own dinner and holed up in the bedroom. I watched Away We Go and after it was over Rio went home. I showered then it was into bed.

Saturday 8/10, I was up by 7:45 but was very tired from a late night. Eric took off for work early and I spent part of the day on the computer and finished watching the Bachelorette finale. I washed the rest of my delicates then mom came over and we talked about the pool room remodel.  She left after a couple hours and some taping off of dimensions. Eric came home from work and I took a nap for two hours. He was making lasagna when I woke up. I decided I wanted to see Blue Jasmine so I ate dinner then took off for Lincoln Square. I had some time so I went to Nordstrom to see what they had in the way of dresses for Beau’s wedding and found a couple but didn’t have time to try them on. Over to the theater and it wasn’t very crowded which was good. The movie was good, but also sad. I got home before Eric who went to see Elysium. We talked about our movies, into bed and watched some tv before going to bed. It was late.

Friday 8/9, I was so happy it was Friday and was in a great mood when I got off work. Rio was visiting for the weekend. We hung out at home for a little bit then got changed and headed to Kirkland for the art’s fest. It was kind of a bust so we walked back to the car and headed into Redmond. We couldn’t decide where to go so we went to Whole Foods and just hit the salad bar. We went home after and I had the rest of the cheesecake. We relaxed for the rest of the night and I think I tried to watch Bachelorette. We messed around and kept the dogs in the other rooms. Around 12:30 the thunder and lightning started and had me and the dogs up until after 2:00. Eric moved to the back bedroom so he could get some sleep and I moved all the dogs into the bedroom. Once I fell asleep we didn’t have any more problems.

Thursday 8/8, When I got home I started boxing up the auction luggage and got three out of four of them done. Kristel arrived and we talked for a long time, including about Eric’s knee and his ACL tear and pending surgery. We took off for Kukai for dinner on foot. We had a 15 minute wait, then it was time to eat. We got the traditional style and the food was great. We talked for a long time and then took the party over to Menchi’s .We talked about travel and I told her our Kauai stories. We walked home in the dark and I showed her the pictures when we got home. She took off at 10:30 and I got ready for bed.

Wednesday 8/7, I got a call from Monique at 4:00 saying the condo closed and I was so relieved and excited. I went home and we got ready and headed to Mom and Dad’s to meet up to go into Seattle for Jake’s birthday. We went to Kassie’s new place on Capitol Hill and got the tour then headed to Poquitos for dinner. The food was good and afterward we walked back to Kassie’s and had tikoi (however the eff you spell it) for dessert up on the rooftop deck. We stayed up there until the sun started to go down. We headed home and Jake couldn’t believe that Elton John is gay. We got home and it felt late. Into bed and to sleep.

Tuesday 8/6, Susan was at home when I arrived and also the cable guy who was trying to fix the connection, but there were several problems. Mom had more plan designs and ideas for the addition, which I liked better than her originals. Susan and I took off pretty shortly after I got home, for the condo. It took forever because of traffic, but once we got there we took a trip down memory lane. As much as I’ve been looking forward to having the condo close, it’s also really bittersweet. Every guy I’ve slept with, I slept with in that house. Crazy. It was a great place and I’m going to miss it and am sad I won’t go there anymore. I left little notes around the place explaining how to work things or what to do if something isn’t working. I left all the keys and the garage door opener, we loaded up all of my stuff and then locked the door and said goodbye. It’s literally the end of an era. We headed back to the house and I heated up some leftovers from the prior night and showed Susan the plans for the pool room. She left around 8 and I talked to mom for a few minutes. I showered then into bed, updated this and went to bed.

Monday 8/5, I worked until noon then was off for the rest of the day. Dad called first and we chatted for a little bit and filled him in on the weekend and on my bday plans. When I got home from work Eric had lunch waiting for me which was so sweet. Mom called several times wanting measurements of the pool room and asked if we would come over to see her floor plan. We headed over a few minutes later and stopped at the bank on the way there. We spent a little over a half hour with Mom going over her ideas and made a few updates. I wanted to see a different layout, but she’s opposed to it. Next we rushed to Bellevue so I could sign the docs for closing. Two more days! That didn’t take long and I was really happy to see what I’m netting because I can get closer to paying off what I owe Dad. After that we headed down to Kirkland to walk around. The sun was out and it was gorgeous so we took our time and wandered. Stopped to get some frozen yogurt and also into a few galleries. We drove home and relaxed for a few hours and I took a nap. Mama called and woke me up so we talked for a little bit. We got the dogs settled then went to Black Bottle for dinner (in Bellevue). I’m pretty sure the portions are bigger than the Seattle spot. Everything we got was very good and we skipped dessert because we had cheesecake at home. When I got home I turned on Bachelorette but the tv wasn’t working so we called Comcast and it basically went in and out of working over the next hour and a half. I saw the end but I need to go back and watch everything I missed. We went to bed around 11:30.

Sunday 8/4, We got up and ready and went to the Maltby Café for breakfast. It was delicious, of course, and since we got there early there was no wait for a table. I did some things when we got home instead of taking a nap. I feel like we did other stuff throughout the day, but I can’t remember what. We went to MI to meet Mom, Dad, Kass and Jake for Thai food for my birthday dinner. The food was good and we went to Mom’s for dessert afterward. She made cheesecake with a blueberry sauce thing. We sat and talked for a few hours about house stuff and other things then we took off for home.

Saturday 8/3, I got up and Eric brought in breakfast. I fell back asleep for a little bit and woke up in time to see Eric off to work and to get dressed and head down to Bellevue Square before it got too late and crowded. I went down, got some wine glasses for Kristel’s bridal shower and then back home. I put on Mini’s First Time while I organized my credit card statements. The movie was terrible. Like, really, really bad. I took out the dogs but still had some other receipts to file so I put in The Other Woman and kept going. Talk about a depressing movie. I felt a little blah after that one. I showered and got dressed and headed out to Kristel’s shower. I was the first one there but it wasn’t long before Kristel and her Mom arrived. We did the toilet paper dress game with two teams. My team won; I think it helped her future MIL and SIL were on my team. We ate a lot and had dessert which was all great. Stayed outside talking for a long time and I was one of the last to leave. Made plans for Thursday to hang out with K. Eric had just gotten home from Sky’s house when I got home. I was tired and fell asleep watching tv.

Friday 8/2, We had plans for dinner with Sky, Chrystol and Stefanie. Eric and I went to the store when I got home and picked up stuff to make portabello mushroom burgers for dinner. I talked Eric into making potatoes since we have so many of them. They turned out to be a crowd favorite. I helped with dinner and getting the potatoes all ready then showered before everyone started showing up. C and S arrive first and we all chatted and had some appetizers (hummus, gluten free crackers, peppers, tomatoes, etc). Stef arrived and we started dishing up and having salad. We had a nice dinner and conversation. After dinner we went into the living room and watched Eric’s video and everyone thought it was cute. We just sat and talked in the living room for a long time talking and eating dessert. Chrystol had made a gluten free, vegan cobbler with coconut ice cream that was delicious. Everyone started peeling off around 11 and we went to bed shortly after they left.

Thursday 8/1, I don’t remember what I did after work, but maybe I watched a movie. I know it rained which made me happy because the plants needed it and I was sick of watering.

Wednesday 7/31, Eric was home when I got home. I wanted to water plants and do some rose-trimming, but it was sprinkling so I got lazy. I took Clancy’s big crate down and put up one of the smaller ones since he didn’t like the big one. I don’t think he got it, plus it was massive and is meant for a dog three times his size. Oops. I did some stuff online and Eric brought in my dinner then watched Russell Brand videos Stefanie sent me. I’ve always liked him. I don’t know why he gets such a bad rap. I showered then updated this.

Tuesday 7/30, I was off at 4:15 and headed home. I dilly dallied when I got home and shot off some emails. Dora and Jojo are going to come for a visit (separately). I finally got ready and grabbed a bunch of suits for Stefanie to choose from. We hit the road a little after 5 and had medium traffic. Sky and Chrystol were delayed by Chrystol’s traffic rage from driving home from work. We went up to Stefanie’s new room and it’s very nice, despite not being one of the luxury suites. We sat and chatted for a few minutes then headed down to the lobby for cheesecake night. I got a nice piece and added some fresh blueberries. It was decent cheesecake and apparently there was a ton left over. We sat and chatted in Stef’s favorite lobby spot then back up to her room. Sky and Chrystol arrived a while later. We talked for a long time, until almost 8 I think. We finally got our suits on and headed down to the pool. We did a rotation of the hot tub, sauna and pool. The boys loved the sauna. We were down there until almost 10. Finally we packed it up and headed back up, where we changed and started our goodbyes. We walked back to the cars and headed home. It was 10:30 by the time we got home. I was so tired my eyes were closing as I tried to read my celebrity gossip. I don’t think all that hot tubbing helped. I felt very relaxed.

Monday 7/29, Got the closing documents and filled them out when I got home. Work was busy and I stayed a little late. Eric had just arrived home when I got there. I put together two of the new wire crates for the dogs and they are huge; a lot bigger than I was expecting. Oh well. We went outside and he helped me water the plants in the front yard while also getting dinner going. He made me pasta with the leftover grilled chicken. We had some cheese and fruit too. Continued watering the plants while I watched Bachelorette and updated this.

Sunday 7/28, We were both up early to help clean up and pack, but Eric got up about 45 minutes before I did. The big breakfast was underway but I was still nervous we wouldn’t be able to have any because we needed to leave by 11 for the New Rattitude reunion. Eric and I both ran around helping where we could and doing laundry. Breakfast was finally ready at 10:45; we both ate quickly, threw the last of our things in the car and loaded up plants and food and took off. The drive home went pretty well, with some traffic in the usual spots, but made it home a few minutes after 1:00. I got everyone’s tickets printed and checked in. We changed then grabbed our stuff and headed down to Robinswood. Sadie Mae, Percy, Otto and Perri’s people were there so it was nice to catch up with all of them. Per needs to lose some weight, but otherwise everyone is doing great. Eric won the one raffle prize he really wanted with the RT mug. We didn’t get out of there until almost 4:00. At home we relaxed and talked to Mom who was with everyone trying to get to the airport for Alishia’s flight, but she ended up having me check her into a later flight. They dropped her and Pete off then came over to our house. They were exhausted. Next I was on my way up to Bothell to pick up Aubrie and Christian since Kass decided she didn’t want to get her from Hailey. We hung out at home for about 10 minutes before the four of them and Eric headed to the airport. I relaxed and ended up just grazing for the evening for dinner. We were both exhausted and went to bed super early.

Saturday 7/27, Eric and I got up early to go into Wenatchee to the farmer’s market and also to pick up a memory card for Dad’s video camera. We had a nice drive and had fun exploring at the market. I finally found the girl whose pastries and sandwiches were so good and I got one of her cinnamon rolls. We went inside Pibus and Eric got a crepe and some coffee. We walked around a little more then headed to the car. We went to JCP so Eric could get some new chucks then to Hastings where we spent a lot of time. I got 7 new-used movies and a cd. We got a hold of Mom and she asked me to pick up some things at the store, so we stopped and got those things then to Office Depot for the card. We headed back and stopped for lunch at the Anjou Bakery where we each got a sandwich and I resisted the dessert case. We arrived home by 1:00 and felt like we’d already had a full day. We got on our suits and headed down to the swimming hole and spent the rest of the afternoon down there. Skylar had gone to the doctor earlier in the day to have his back checked out. The whole group spent time down in the water and Kassie rowed her dogs around on one of the mattresses. Late afternoon we started to head back up and get dinner ready. The beer pong tournament was resumed and was rousing. Mom and Aubs were getting Eric’s surprise ready. Mom had all the signs ready and singing the graduation song, put on funny grad glasses and a grad mug. We had a toast then up to the deck where he opened cards and presents and was very excited about his Seahawks tickets and our new shirts. We had dinner and toward the end they put on Eric’s video and it was really good; very cute. We had fruit cobbler after dinner and watched Overboard on the deck. I made it through! We all headed to bed around midnight.

Friday 7/26, It was our town day and since so many of the boys were sick a few of them went with us into Wenatchee. We went to Public House for lunch and Hailey was playing with a ghost app that kept talking and saying random things. Afterward the boys took off (Eric, Christian and Skylar) while us girls and Pete went down to the Pibus Market and when we passed a tree it said “green”. It was so weird. We picked up a few things and checked out all the shops then walked back up to the car. We ran some errands and eventually headed back to the property. I did some reading inside the trailer while everyone else played badminton. Hailey organized a beer pong tournament and it all began. Kassie and Pete were “Team Twerk” but then Mom reminded us girls, “Don’t twerk in front of your father”. The game didn’t last long because it was time for dinner. We watched a movie after dinner but I don’t remember which one. I went to bed early probably.

Thursday 7/25, It was supposed to be golf and lady day, but since all the boys were hurt and no one was moving at any speed that would get us out of camp earlier than 1:00, we decided to stay put and enjoy the swimming hole for the day. Plus we had to be to Headwaters by 4:00 to get a table for all of us. It was a really hot day, but felt good. I was up early-ish, but not as early as Eric, of course. I went in the motorhome and had a bowl of cereal and stayed and talked to Mom and Dad in there for a long time. Soon it was almost noon and food started to be prepared for lunch; I wasn’t even remotely hungry. I went and got ready, we grazed for an hour or so on the “light lunch” then down to swimming hole. We spent some time floating on innertubes and old air mattresses and the water felt pretty nice. Eric got out there with me and took it easy with his knee. It was relaxing and the weather was perfect. By 3:30 Dad was up and out to Headwaters to get us a table. We rode with Heidi and Mom. We had the tables outside which we’ve never had. Dinner was fun and was pretty loud and spirited. We got like 5 pizzas and had an entire one left over. Two groups of us wanted to get ice cream at Plain Grocery so we caravanned over. I got birthday cake and we sat outside and chatted. Mom bought like $125 worth of floaties while we were there. We went back to camp and Dad put on one of those animated movies, um, the one with the minions? I don’t remember what it’s called. I was tired so I went in to bed and I think Eric joined me. Good day.

Wednesday 7/24, The alarm went off at 6:30 and I was up and busting out the remaining items on my list before we had to go. I helped Eric around because he couldn’t put weight on his foot. I watered plants, got ready, finished packing, vacuumed, picked up dog poop, finished up the bedroom in the back, etc. We headed to Virginia Mason for his doctor’s appointment at 9:20. Luckily the appointment went really well and the prognosis is good but he still has to see a sports / medicine doctor (found out later: torn ACL; surgery needed and scheduled for 12/5). We got out of there and Eric was so relieved. We went home where we put the finishing touches on everything, loaded up the car with luggage and food and took off for the airport for Alishia and Pete. We picked them up and off we went over the mountains. We took our time and stopped in Sultan at the Bakery for lunch. We still had fairly rude service, but the food was good as always. We took off again and made a stop at the Harry and the Henderson’s coffee spot. On the road again and finally made it to the property; it was 3:00. I was surprised Aubrie and Christian weren’t there yet from hiking, but Eric said not to worry until night fall. We threw on our suits and headed down to the swimming hole with Dad, because it was so fricken hot. Like mid-90s. We talked about remodeling and Dad votes for turning the pool room into the master suite. We’ll see. We headed up and Uncle Brad showed up next, with Mom right behind him from errands in Wenatchee. Aubs and Christian finally arrived and dinner was out soon. I was in the motorhome for most of the evening because of the mosquitoes. We were staying in the fifth wheel so Eric didn’t have to go up and down the stairs. There was a vote for which movie to watch but I didn’t want to be outside with the bugs and I was exhausted so I went to bed early and read for a little bit.

Tuesday 7/23, Eric and I had a chilly morning toward each other and I knew he had a game after work so I didn’t know when I would see him that evening. I was on my own for dinner and with the dogs, which was fine. It was a quiet night and I kept expecting him to come home. I did a ton of cleaning and preparing to go to Plain the next day. I went to Office Depot for some things then over to Walgreens and on my way got a call from Schuyler’s phone because Eric’s was dead and he told me hurt his knee playing soccer. I picked up stuff for his knee. He beat me inside from his car and had hobbled inside. We were kind of curt with each other at first then apologized to each other and I helped him with his knee. We got him all set up in bed after I helped him in the shower. He was really nervous he’d really hurt his knee and compromised his ability to continue training for his ride over to Plain and also for the Seattle Marathon in December. We talked for a long time while I did chores and packing and then as we laid in bed before going to sleep.

Monday 7/22, After work I called Aubrie to see how her day was going, then Ray to change the timing for the walkway. I did a few things until Eric got home. We went and dropped off the tables and luggage at Cindy and Andrew’s. At home I heated up some dinner and watched tv in the living room. Watched Bachelor and watered the plants and got into a pissed off mood, which pissed off Eric. Updated this and went to bed with him in the den.

Sunday 7/21, I set my alarm to get up and make up the back bedroom bed, get the dogs ready and finish cleaning up the kitchen. Eric was home right at 8:00 and the dogs were so excited. We talked about his weekend and soon were off to pick up Aubrie and Christian at the airport. We stopped at QFC to get donuts for them (and ourselves) and hit the airport. After picking them up we headed home where they settled in and Eric got ready for work. The three of us went to Goodwill to see if that chair was still there; it wasn’t. Christian got a Polaroid camera and then we went to a camera store to get some film. For lunch we headed up to the French Bakery then to the GO where I blew their minds and Aubrie found one online down by her house. We went home and relaxed for a little bit and Christian took off for the blueberry farm where he took his first picture. I was out in the hammock for a while then Aubrie woke up from her nap and we walked over to meet Christian. We did a little walking then back home. We went over to Mom’s to get the tables for Rattifest then to see Eric at work. We looked at the cat stuff and told him we’d pick him up from work in 45 minutes. We took off for QFC for snacks, then to the Lid and walked around looking for the next good picture to take. Back to pick up Eric and straight to Kukai, but it was a 45 minute wait so we went to Szechuan Chef for take out. We stuffed ourselves while watching Lost in Translation, which they had never seen. They liked it and we went to bed after it was over. Fun day, back to work in the morning.

Saturday 7/20, I set my alarm for 8:00 because I had to get everything ready with the dogs, get gas and be to the condo by 9. I was there right on time; however, the painters were not. I went through some magazines, packed up my car with some stuff that was in the garage and watered the plants. I was about to leave at 10:30 when they arrived. I ran outside and asked if they would start with my place and they said yes. After they finished I had to wait 45 minutes for it to dry before I could close the door. After leaving I went to the store on the way home and picked up stuff to make a large caprese salad for dinner and picked up a ready-made salad for lunch. I didn’t do much for the rest of the afternoon, but later in the day I went to Goodwill and found a cool mid-century chair I really liked, but I didn’t have any way to go get it home. I told myself I would go back the next day and if it was still there I would buy it and use the denali. I went to Half Priced Books where I picked up a few movies and talked to Eric. I went to Silver Platters next and bought two more dvds and two cds (new Dandys and Shelby Earl). I said hi to Jeremiah but he was super weird and pretty much ignored me. Ok. Back at home I made myself dinner and watched one of my new movies, Baxter. Ehh. It was ok; the main character wasn’t all that likeable. I watched a lot of tv for the rest of the evening and just took it easy with the dogs.

Friday 7/19, Mom, Dad and Eric took off in the morning for Plain; Eric was going to be helping them over the weekend to get things done. I was on my own and I knew I would just be relaxing. When I got home I went out in the backyard and laid in the hammock for a little bit while the dogs milled around. I picked a bunch of pears and scattered them throughout the yard to keep them all busy. I made myself some mcclusky’s noodles and watched Garden State because I haven’t seen it forever. I also watched Nightline until it was pretty late. Went to bed.

Thursday 7/18, Mom and Dad weren’t getting in until almost 7, so we put some finishing touches on the house and got ready for our evening in Georgetown. We left the house a little after 7 and went to Kassie’s new shop to meet everyone. We went down to Brass Tacks so they could show Mom and Dad. Food was great and we had a nice evening. We were there pretty late then headed home. We got Mom and Dad all tucked in and went to sleep.

Wednesday 7/17, We were going to hang at Stef’s “luxury suite” that evening. We did a couple things around the house before showering, getting ready and heading out for the party. We made a detour on MI to get some fruit. Found parking just fine and went up to her place. It was huge and had a gorgeous balcony overlooking Lake Union. There were a couple other people coming and Sky and Chrystol too. We sat out on the balcony, ate, talked and took pictures. We played some dirty form of Apples to Apples that was fun. I invited myself to “Cheesecake Night” on the 29th. We headed out around 10. It was a lot of fun and the evening was really nice. At home we got the dogs ready for bed then put them in the den so we could have some alone time. We went to sleep by midnight, maybe?

Tuesday 7/16, Eric had a game so I was on my own for the evening. I had a lot of stuff to do and went through the list: laundry, washing sheets and making beds, hung the new painting, moved a piece to the hallway, watered plants in the front yard, moved chairs up from the pool, cleaned up the kitchen. Made dinner, watched tv in between chores. Eric came home at 9 and calmed my nerves about the house and getting things done for Mom and Dad’s arrival. Went to bed before 11.

Monday 7/15, I went to Super Supplements in Redmond after work then over to Susan’s new place. It’s really nice and seems like a pretty good setup. We chatted and she showed me everything. Dad called while I was there so I chatted with him for a little bit. We went to Chipotle at like 6:30 and it had been a super long time for both of us. It was very good. We drove back to her place and I dropped her off then headed home. Eric was out with Sky for the evening. I logged on to the auction and checked all the sold prices and texted with Chrystol. If I had registered I probably would have bid on a couple things, but didn’t want to go through the process. I watched Bachelorette simultaneously. Eric didn’t get home until almost 11, I think. I went to bed soon after, but told Eric about my call with Dad.

Sunday 7/14, I slept in until 8 and Eric was off to work early so I took care of the dogs then climbed back into bed and watched Easy A. I talked to Chrystol and we coordinated for the afternoon. I left the house at 11:30 and headed down to Ballard. I picked up Chrystol and we talked all the way down to Pac Gal. C had never been so we walked through the mall first and found Kass’ space then in to get my number and a catalog. We went and previewed for a minute before they closed the back and started. C told me she would be encouraging me to buy a bunch of stuff. I bid on a few things because the prices were so low, but was outbid and didn’t want to go higher. The one piece I really wanted, an Allen Wolf, I won and I didn’t even get close to my max. I bid on another one, but didn’t want to go any higher. We stayed for a while just to see what some of the items would go for. We checked out and the cute little guy I love thought I was Kassie and was going on and on about how much he loves “my” stuff but it’s too expensive, and also about the email of the pop up in Georgetown. Chrystol had to walk away because she thought it was so hilarious. I paid, picked up the painting and off we went to Georgetown to see Kassie’s pop up. It’s a great space and she’d already sold some things in the day and a half she’d been open. We talked and she showed us the back. We coordinated family coming to town and I brought in my painting. We took off around 4 maybe and weaved our way back to Ballard. When we got to their house I showed Sky my painting and we flipped through the catalog a little to show him how much the Russian boxes were going for and how cheap the furniture was. I left and ran into awful traffic from the I-90 interchange until mid-span. I was irritated by the time I got home. Eric was home from work when I arrived and he went to the store and got pizza for dinner. I watched tv, updated this, showered and went to bed.

Saturday 7/13, Eric was up and out of the house early which had me up at 6. Luckily I was able to fall back asleep until 7:30. I fed the dogs and had breakfast then put on The Last Word which is a movie Mom sent me for Valentine’s Day. It was not great. I got dressed and headed out for the bank to get out cash for the auction at Pac Gal, over to the GO where I picked up just a couple things and home. I did some laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and took a little bit of a nap. Eric came home from work and we went to the store to pick up some more fruit for our fruit salad to bring to H*sam and R*berto’s for game night. We took off at 7:30, found parking easily and headed up. Stef was already there and Rebecca showed up at the same time as us. Gina was there and some other friends Stacy and Jason came as well. Erik and M*rissa came part way through the first game. We played some game first with a psychiatrist trying to guess who we all were. That one was hard for me, though I did have a couple good ones. We did Reverse Charades next and that was easier and had less pressure. We didn’t play that for too long before we all packed up because they had a karaoke room booked. We were skipping out on it. We gave Stef a ride to her hotel and she invited us to go to her place on Wednesday to see her luxury suite. We went home and climbed in bed. Watched SNL for a few minutes then to sleep.

Friday 7/12, I came home after work and we had an appointment for a guy to look at putting in pavers along the side of the house to the driveway. The quote was a lot more than I want to spend and I’m not even wanting to do it right now, but for some reason I agreed. It will be nice to have it done but not exactly the desired timing. It was almost 8 by the time we went inside. We fed the dogs and Eric made me a pizza that was very good. Just relaxed for the rest of the night.

Thursday 7/11, I took our dogs for a walk around the block, then walked Fae up and down the street to try and get her more used to walking. She did ok and I didn’t push it. I heated up leftovers for dinner. Eric was working late and I just hung with the dogs for the evening.

Wednesday 7/10, Eric had the drip line on the blueberries when I got home so that made me happy. I made a few admin calls and shot out some emails. We took the dogs on a walk around the neighborhood and Breezy did the best. Fed the dogs and Eric made me dinner, including asparagus! Saw on the news Stef’s apartment building burned up so Eric called and I texted to make sure she’s ok and also to offer our place for her to stay if needed. Watched tv and did some stuff online, then to bed.

Tuesday 7/9, Eric worked in the yard while I stayed indoors and tried to nap. I got up at 6:30 and fed the dogs then had leftovers. I made some cookies and cleaned up the kitchen. Eric didn’t come in until almost 8 and got a lot done. We went to the store for a few things. I watched one of those weight loss shows and did stuff online. I got the dogs ready for bed and watched Frasier.

Monday 7/8, When I got home Eric started making me dinner and I went outside with the dogs for a few minutes then into the front yard for some yardwork. I pulled weeds and fertilized the rhodies and alazleas. I started on the fish fertilizer but Eric told me dinner was ready. I went inside, ate dinner, watched some tv then started watering the plants. I showered and rotated sprinklers for two hours. I watched Bachelorette and they definitely had some false advertising last week. Updated this then to bed.

Sunday 7/7, I slept in until 8:30. Yikes. I got up and took out the dogs and Eric was up and dressed already. I got going on chores and into the yard. Eric came out at 10. I started in the backyard and made some good progress. Eric took up weed whacking and grass cutting. We pruned, transplanted, weeded and staked. We went inside by 2. We’d had some disagreements but overall we did okay working together out there, which isn’t usually the case. Later in the day we went to the GO for stuff and got wayyyy too much. Eric made guac and the rest of our Mexican dinner, but first we took Lady home to MI. We stopped at Mom’s to water her little limes on the deck then home. We had dinner when we got home and Eric made some cookies as well. Relaxed and headed to bed.

Saturday 7/6, Eric was up early and made me breakfast and brought it to me in bed. French toast, bacon and fresh fruit. It was all very good and I ate everything. I got up and got my day going since we had a cleaning lady coming and I wanted to get the house ready, including all the dog beds. Eric took off for work and not much later I went and picked up Lady on MI. I also watered Mom’s plants on the deck. Got Lady and headed home where I set her up in the bedroom with the fan on. I slowly introduced all the dogs and they weren’t too interested. When the cleaning lady arrived I went outside with the dogs and read some mags in the hammock. The weather was really nice. After an hour or so I moved the whole crew into the bedroom where we stayed for the rest of the time. After she left I went to Fred Meyer where I picked up some orchid stuff, sprinklers and Easy A. On the way home I stopped at Goodwill to drop off some stuff. I put my new movie on and had all the dogs with me. Eric was home before 7 from work. He was next door talking with the neighbor and I spent a good part of the rest of the night moving sprinklers around the yard. Eric made me a panini for dinner at like, 9. Not sure when I went to bed.

Friday 7/5, I was really happy that it was Friday and I was in a great mood. When I got home Eric was making a delicious fruit salad and I asked him if he wanted to go to a movie and showed him the trailer for Francis Ha. He said yes. For dinner he made a mushroom, cheddar and mozza quiche. The app for Fae fell through, but I was ok with that. I photographed the Eagle Creek bags and found them online then sent all the info to Sue and Meghan. We got ready to go and headed out via 520, but didn’t realize the bridge was up. We sat for probably 15 minutes then were on our way again. We got popcorn and good seats. The movie was good and definitely resonated. We talked about it for a while on the way home and listened to RH’s In Rainbows. It was after 11:30, into bed, watched Frasier than part of a Golden Girls episode.

Thursday 7/4, We had to get up early to take Nyx to the vet for her comprehensive. We went to Top Pot afterward for a donut and mine was delicious. We went back to the vet since they had just called and had some questions about Nyx. I did some working out in the yard and made some decent progress. I think we took it easy for most of the day and maybe even napped. Or maybe I spent time outside in the hammock. I don’t remember. Dotty was picked up by 5, which was nice. Down one dog. The fireworks weren’t too bad, but I shut the dogs into the bedroom with me anyway, turned on the fan and had the tv on. Didn’t watch any fireworks and went to bed relatively early. 

Wednesday 7/3, Susan came over to drop off the crate after work and I had aspirations of yard work but didn’t follow through. Eric made pasta for dinner for me and cookies. Susan and Jon stayed for a bit and we all talked in the dining room until Eric left to go watch the Sounders game with Sky. S and J left not long after that and I relaxed with the dogs. I probably spent some time in my hammock and maybe watched a movie. I don’t remember. Eric was home around 10.

Tuesday 7/2, Eric left not long after I got home for his soccer game. I did stuff outside and fed the dogs and all that until Kristel arrived around 7ish. She brought food and I made a quick salad. We chatted in the dining room while we ate. We headed off for Menchis and talked the whole way, catching up. We each loaded up and grabbed a table by the window. Talked about life and depression and the wedding and all kinds of other things while enjoying our froyo. We headed back and continued talking. Eric was home when we got there so we spent time chatting in the dining room until 10:30ish, maybe? K headed home and into bed we went.

Monday 7/1, Dotty went to work with me and did pretty well. We went on lots of walks, but we ended up staying late because there was someone on the property taking air samples. At home Eric had dinner all ready for me knowing I’d probably be tired and wanting to relax. I watched Bachelorette and vegged for the evening.

Sunday 6/30, Still felt like shit when I woke up and for most of the day. Eric went to the pride parade so I was home solo all day. I did some yard work, gave Nyx a little haircut, laundry, other household stuff. I started to feel incrementally better as the day progressed. It was hot as hell and I kept the ac going all day. Eric got home in the late afternoon and said Stef and Peter might be interested in the Alaska cruise with us, so that would be fun. Later in the evening Melanie dropped off Dotty, now Coco. My mood improved drastically; I guess puppies can do that. She was running all over the house and Eric and I were laughing so hard. She ran from water bowl to water bowl and at one of them she whipped her head out of it and water went everywhere. I felt a lot better. She is so funny. We strategized for the next day and I decided to take her to work since P was out of the office. We walked over to Menchis for a sweet treat and enjoyed the ac. We had a good talk and it felt good to cool down. Not sure what happened the rest of the day.

Saturday 6/29, I was up early and headed to get my oil changed. I also got my radiator flushed and it solved my temp gauge issue. When the guy looked at the goop in tank he did a double take then poked at it. I was laughing quietly inside. I talked with Court and tried to figure out our dates and airports and I vented about Kristel’s wedding date. I took off for Susan’s to help her move but Jon had not been successful in procuring a moving truck yet, so we went and picked him up and headed up to the Columbia City Bakery for some treats. We headed back to the truck place and stayed there until we got one. Susan was ready to give the guy a piece of her mind, but luckily it didn’t come to that. We got everything into the truck in less than two hours, so we were all feeling pretty good about that. It was really hot so we were very sweaty and tired, but we were done! I headed home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I showered and got ready to go to Kristel’s engagement party. We went to dinner at a thai place on MI first. Eric wanted to know what was wrong and why I was in such a funk lately. The conversation continued all the way down to Westlake, where the party was. I felt like shit and didn’t even want to go. When I saw K she asked how I was and I just burst into tears. I went outside and she followed, even though I told her I’d be fine. I pulled it together and in we went. I just felt so depressed and hopeless, even though I really had no reason to. I think it’s PMS, which seems to have gotten increasingly worse as I’ve gotten older. They were finishing up dinner so we went to the party room and hung there. We talked with Bethany, Mandy, Kristel’s parents and also her parents’ friends we went on the cruise with. By 9:30 we took off because I was exhausted and not feeling great. I went to bed shortly after getting home.

Friday 6/28, P let me leave early and it was beautiful outside. My car started to heat up again so I managed that and hopefully an oil change and radiator flush the next day will help. My new hammock came so Eric put it together and I relaxed. He brought out some water and Clancy jumped in with me. Back inside I did some shopping online and bought two more outdoor lights for on either side of the garage then outside to water some of the courtyard plants. Eric left to go to a movie with Sky downtown. I fed the dogs and took them out a few times, ate dinner and watched tv.

Thursday 6/27, I was fish-sitting CC’s fish so P suggested I leave early. On the way home the temperature gauge in my car started to rise higher than I’ve ever seen it. I freaked out and pulled into the DQ lot when I got off the freeway. I called Eric and he came down to take a look. The only thing we could tell was that the oil seemed low; however, the car hadn’t cooled down enough to really judge. We went to O’Reilly’s to pick up a quart. My car was fine for the drive home. I cleaned up dog poop, got the fish all settled and vacuumed the bedroom. Eric made dinner for me and I relaxed for the rest of the night. Eric slept in the other room because he got all worked up about my sister and couldn’t go to sleep. I’ve vowed to keep stories to myself going forward.

Wednesday 6/26, When I got home I went outside with the dogs. I'd talked to P earlier in the day about Pete and she agreed that there shouldn't be any guns at the property. Eric and I sat and did separate reading for a little bit then he made me dinner (burritos with shredded pork, cheese, eggs, onion and peppers). He took off for a run and I noticed one of the baby robins from the nest by the bedroom had flown the coop and was now in the courtyard just checking things out. I watched him for a while. I took the light that I'd bought for the townhouse back to Lowe's. When I got back I called Dad and talked to him for a while and all is good. I took a shower and Eric and I talked a lot about his dad and then his grandma. I was tired so I went to bed a little after 10.

Tuesday 6/25, I headed straight to Kassie's after work so we could go through her giveaways. They're moving to Capitol Hill into a much smaller apartment and renting out their house so she was downsizing. We talked and she put things in a pile for me. We were hungry so we went to Ma'Ono and got the half fried chicken, carrots and butter lettuce salad. It was all excellent and we downed everything except the kimchi. We decided on the butter popcorn ice cream for dessert. We were all riled up about Pete and him bringing a gun to the property this summer. We agreed to take it up with Mom and Dad. Back at her house we talked some more and I looked up how much the house across the street sold for ($780k) so Kassie was pleased and started contemplating selling her house. We looked at some artwork online and strategized for the next auction at PacGal. By 9 I headed home. Eric was watching tv and I hopped in the shower then into bed. Kass called to say she talked to Mom and it hadn't gone well so I needed to follow up. Eesh.

Monday 6/24, I had to stay late at work to finish something up. I was exhausted and Eric and I relaxed. I was excited to lie in bed and watch Bachelorette. I paid bills and vegged out. Mom called to say Fritz was back at the vet and that she was going to come over while he was being rehydrated. We chatted for a half hour or so then she took off. I finished watching my show and went to bed not long after.

Sunday 6/23, We woke up at 8 and got the dogs situated then headed to Pacific Topsoil to pick up a truck load of dirt. At home I got out the wheel barrow and got going on unloading it. Eric didn't want to help so I just did it myself and made pretty good progress, though there was probably one or two wheelbarrows left. I had to go in to get ready for Kassie's birthday brunch at Mom's. That started at 11 and we were there until 12:30. The food was excellent and Mom made the special sea salt and chocolate cookies. We were going up to Lynnwood to meet Rusty for the new collage and borrowed Dad's car because it was 4' x 3.5' and wouldn't fit in my car. The piece was huge and I liked it better in person than in the pictures. We did the trade and off we went back home. While I was taking the dogs out Eric was already pulling artwork off the walls to put the new one up. I decided I wanted to try it in the entryway and we both agreed we liked it better there. We took Dad's car back and hung the piece when we got home. Moved some other pieces around and hung them. Eric wanted to relax for the rest of the day. I did stuff mostly on the other end of the house and took a nap. We went to the GO to pick up a few things for the week. At home we chatted for a little bit then made out, etc. We went to bed by 11.

Saturday 6/22, We were up early and getting ready. Mom came over before I was even dressed because we were going to T&L. She had a specific list and I wasn’t interested in getting anything but she wanted me to get some geranium rozanne, which looks nothing like a geranium as I knew it up until them. We went and drove around and picked out plants and I got three of the rozannes. Eric went out on a bike ride so when we got home he wasn’t there. We talked about the yard for a long time then she took off. As I walked in my phone rang and Eric asked if I wanted to meet him down at the Issaquah farmer's market for lunch. I went to the bank then down to Costco. We walked over and he told me Sky and Chrystol were coming over for dinner so we bought a bunch of vegetables and fruit. We got veggie quesadillas for lunch and finished up our shopping. We went home and hung out for the rest of the afternoon. We went up to the Crossroads QFC to pick up some things then home. Eric started dinner and made a quiche. They arrived and we had a nice dinner. We sat in the living room and had the Sounders game on. We went for a walk over to the blueberry farm and to look at the new restaurants. The sky was beautiful. No one wanted froyo except me so I abstained. Back at home we hung out for a little longer before they left. We went to bed shortly after.

Friday 6/21, Eric was out with Sky for the night while I stayed home and watched a movie. I got a text from Rusty with pics of the large Bergstrom. He proposed a price, I countered and he accepted. We made arrangements to meet Sunday. That’s all I remember.

Thursday 6/20, No clue.

Wednesday 6/19, No clue. I know I went to QFC. Probably just spent time at home for the night.

Tuesday 6/18, No clue.

Monday 6/17, Work went ok considering I was still not feeling good and had stuffy and runny nose all day. Energy level was pretty low too. At home I went out with the dogs and played with Fae for a while throwing the whale for her and playing tug. Back inside we all laid down and relaxed for a while with the bedroom door open. Eric made a little dinner for me and went on a run. I showered, updated this and watched Bachelorette.

Sunday 6/16, Eric didn’t get home until after midnight. I was up by 7 am and took the dogs out. We fed the dogs and Eric took off for a meeting at work. I cleaned up the kitchen, folded laundry, emptied garbages and cleaned up dog poop. I was exhausted and laid down. Eric got home right around 10 and we took off for Lynnwood. I’d purchased an M. Bergstrom off ebay and was meeting the guy up there for the handoff. We met at Fred Meyer and I went in and got some fruit because I was starving. The guy showed up (Rusty) and we chatted for a few minutes. He’s got another one that’s much larger and said he’ll take some pictures and send them to me. We’ll see. I went online to see if I could find the one he purchased from PacGal and if it’s the one I found I don’t want it because it’s not one of the ones I like of hers. We went home and had some lunch. Fae’s eye was still bothering her from the prior evening and I did another round of the eye wash. Eric and I laid down, separately, and napped. I had all the dogs with me in the bedroom. At 1:00 he came in and got me up so we could go to the rat terrier meetup. Fae did great and surprised me with how many people she allowed to pet her. We took Clancy too and he enjoyed himself. We only stayed for about an hour then headed home. Quit while you’re ahead. When we got home I called Dad and chatted with him and wished him a happy father’s day. Eric and I moved some of the artwork around and I think it looks better. The neighbor came over to ask if Eric could help her get a tree at HD so he headed off to do that. At 3:15 Jojo showed up and that was a super simple handoff. Very quick. I updated this and worked on some stuff. I went over to Mom’s for father’s day dinner and we had Chinese. We had nice conversation and I stayed until 8:30. When I got home I started working again and finished about an hour later. Eric came home from soccer practice and watched tv. I got ready for bed and he slept in the room with me for the first time in a while.

Saturday 6/15, I felt like garbage when I woke up. Luckily Eric got up with the dogs and went over to the condo to take care of vacuuming the carpet. I didn’t wake up until 9:30. Eric was home from his run and errand-running by 10:30. He made me a morning smoothie with all my vitamins and fruit, yogurt and peanut butter again. It was delicious. I stayed in bed all morning. Eric left after 11 (Tacoma-bound for Ann’s retirement party) and I put on a movie (Hangover). Monique called at 1:30 saying there was an offer and asked me to meet her at her office in an hour. I finished my movie and got ready and headed down there. We went over everything and it was a good offer ($5k over). We changed a couple things, signed and sent it back. It was accepted. I went home and planted my dahlia tubers because it was now or never. We’ll see how they do. I went inside and tried to sleep for a little bit but ended up getting up at 5:30 to start dinner and feed the dogs. After I ate dinner I called Dad and we talked for a long time. I told him the good news about the condo and he was very happy for me. After hanging up I watered the plants in the front yard then laid down and watched tv. The dogs hung with me. I updated this. Finally turned out the lights at 11; Eric wasn’t home yet.

Friday 6/14, We went over before I went to work to try to dry the carpet and it made it smell worse. I stressed out about it all day. I felt pretty crappy all day and P offered for me to go home early. I left around 4:30 and headed home. It felt so good not to go to the condo and to be able to go straight home after work. I laid down to rest and Eric went on a run. After he got back we went to the GO and got a few things and Super Supplements on the way home. At home Eric made me pulled pork and tater tots. YUM! At 8:30 I called Chip to see if the coast was clear to bring over the carpet stuff. We went over and some people were just leaving and we ended up talking with Chip until 9:30. They’d had 8 showings and Chip said we’d have an offer by the next day. We went home and I stayed up until 10:30 doing stuff online, then to bed. Eric slept in the back room again.

Thursday 6/13, Eric went over in the morning to put up the new smoke alarm and do something else. After work I met Monique at the Issaquah office and we went through all the paperwork and looked at the pictures and all that. The listing went up. I was there for a while then home. I knew I was getting sick and had a sore throat. I started downing zinc, elderberry syrup, vitamin c and other supplements. I got in bed and had dinner in there. Went to bed early, but Eric slept in the other room.

Wednesday 6/12, I met Eric at the condo after work to try and put up a new light but I couldn’t figure it out and ended up getting frustrated and bagging it. Eric put the old one back up. We didn’t stay long past that and headed home. I was in a bad mood but felt bad and apologized to Eric. He was officially done with school, so that was good news. I’m not sure what we did for the rest of the night but I’m sure we just relaxed.

Tuesday 6/11, Monique let me know the photo shoot was earlier in the day than I expected, so I wasn’t able to get a few of the things done that I wanted prior to the pictures, but it ended up being fine. I went over afterward to take care of a few things anyway. It was a quick trip because I ended up needing to pick up another smoke alarm since I determined the one that was there was defective. I went home and I think I watched Bachelorette. Went to bed.

Monday 6/10, I left work early and met Eric over at the condo. We busted it out and had everything finished up by 9. I was so relieved that it didn’t take until 11. We had a couple of minor things to do the next day but the bulk was done. We went home, I don’t think I ate anything before bed and I’m pretty sure we went to bed early.

Sunday 6/9, Eric got up with the dogs and let me sleep in, which was until 8:30. I got up, had my breakfast and got back into bed. I didn’t want to go back over to the condo, but Eric gave me a pep talk and I got up and ready. He took off for work and I left and arrived by 9:30. The guys had a lot done which was encouraging and I ended up asking them to do a few more things which helped us out. I ran around doing little things until 1:30 then took off for home to have lunch. I told the guys I’d be back within an hour. When I got home I had some rice and sat out in the backyard with the dogs while they ran around and basked in the sun. It was a gorgeous day. Back over to the condo and they were finishing and cleaning up. We went over everything and off they went. I kept going and soon Eric was off work and showed up (4:15). We worked until 7 and were both exhausted. Dad and Mom called and we chatted for a little bit while I cleaned. We got a couple things knocked off our list so that felt good and game planned for the next day and the last push. At home I took the dogs out and was on poop duty while Eric made me hamburger helper which turned out delicious. I put some things away from the condo and started some laundry, washing rags. I showered then had my dinner. Talked to Lauryn and her place flooded from the neighbors so now she’s remodeling, though she wasn’t expecting to. We had just talked about it the night before I left; her saying she wanted to replace the floors and change the wall color but couldn’t ever justify the cost. Now’s the time. I wrote some emails and updated this. Didn’t last long past 10.

Saturday 6/8, Fae had us up super early being a whiney pain. Eric had to work at 8:30. I waited to hear from Susann about dog sitting but in the end Rio wasn’t totally better and she was ok with staying so we decided it would be better for us to not watch her this weekend. I called Dad to tell him to meet me over at the condo to look at the electrical. When I arrived the guys were busy at work getting things done. Mom and Dad showed up and Dad started on the electrical while Mom and I walked through and discussed finishes. I left to go home for lunch and heated up a piece of pizza then I was worried Clancy had been stung by a bee so I couldn’t leave for another hour to make sure his face didn’t swell up. It didn’t. By the time I went back over I only had an hour before I needed to go home again to meet Eric. I got a few things done then took off. Eric and I took the truck to Home Depot and got more trim, some quarter round, outlets and stove cleaner. Back at home we loaded up my car and he took off for Sky’s and I went back to the condo. Again. Hung there for another hour or so then took off for home. The guys stayed late. I fed the dogs and I wasn’t really hungry so I went up to Crossroads to BB&B where I got some sheer curtains, towels for staging and a shower curtain. Back at home I had a ramshackle dinner and watched the last episode of Office, then two episodes of 48 Hours. Eric came home and we watched tv in bed together. I fell asleep by 11:30.

Friday 6/7, I left a few minutes early and over to the condo. Two of the workers were there and things looked good. Eric had been there for a few hours as well and had almost the entire back bedroom caulked and repainted. The guys left around 6 and we continued on for another hour or two, with my chore being razor blading the paint off the shower edges in the second bedroom’s bath. I can’t remember. We decided to go easy and get a pizza for dinner. I watched Wedding Crashers and Eric finished it with me. Time for bed.

Thursday 6/6, We did some stuff at the condo after work for a few hours and I called Chip to see if he’d meet us down at HD and use his discount. We picked up baseboard trim and hinges. We took it all back to the condo and dropped it off then headed home for the night. I’m not sure what else I did but it probably wasn’t much.

Wednesday 6/5, I went to the condo after work again and Eric met me over there about a half hour later. I kept going on the baseboards and am almost done with the main floor, finished cleaning out the cabinets, washed the slider (inside and out) realized the painters hadn’t plugged the fridge back in so I pulled it out, vacuumed out behind there and plugged back in, cleaned the racks in the stove and microwave and cleaned out the lint trap which I’ve never done. It was so disgusting. Eric had to unscrew everything for me to really get in there, but you can’t get all the way down because it’s too narrow to reach. Eric took all the doors off, replaced outlets and tried to figure out why the outlets in the dining room aren’t working. We left at 8:00. I stopped at the store on the way home to pick up some things. Eric made pasta, green beans and a salad for dinner. I went and trimmed the peonies in the backyard then cut a ton from the front yard for vases. There are still a bunch out there which makes me so happy. I need to replant five of them in the fall because they’ve never bloomed. My dahlias arrived and I can’t wait to plant them over the weekend. After dinner I got ready for bed and updated this while watching Frasier. Asleep before 11.

Tuesday 6/4, After work I went to the condo and started to clean and go down the list of things to do. I spent time cleaning out cabinets and scraping paint off the baseboards. I left at 7:15 and got home right as Susann arrived to meet us about watching their dog over the weekend. We had a nice visit and I think she felt good about everything. After she left we had dinner: my favorite salad! I had two helpings. We took three out of four dogs on a walk around the block and Fae was anxious, but that’s to be expected. When we got back I watered some of the newly planted plants. We watched tv and then into the shower for me. I got into bed and was asleep before 11, I think.

Monday 6/3, We met Chip and Monique over at the condo after work and Eric said the place looked better. It had been cleaned, but not very well. C and M had a laundry list of things for us to take care of before listing it. We made lists and after they left we packed up and took off for home. We got the dogs settled and had some dinner. We went to Home Depot to pick up everything we would need to get going and we were home by 8:30. I watched Bachelorette and game planned in my head for the next day.

Sunday 6/2, We slept in until 8:30; unheard of. Got the dogs situated then I got my work clothes on and headed outside. I trimmed the peonies and went in the front yard to weed and do some transplanting. I was out there for a few hours and got a lot done, including getting Kieran’s herb garden box out of the truck (heh heh). Eric made me lunch and we sat on the patio while I ate. The woman whose dog we’re going to watch next weekend called to cancel our meetup because her dog was sick. We decided to head over to the condo to take care of a few things. We swept out the garage and cleaned out the old paint cans. We grabbed two bulbs for the master bath vanity and looked at the work Jorge and crew had accomplished, which was a ton. They were pretty much done, just needed to do some touchups and clean up. I called Kieran to ask about a few things. I wrote a check for the work done and we headed up to Super Supplements for a few things. Back at home we both relaxed and I put on Silver Linings Playbook. I downloaded all the pictures from Hawaii and uploaded to photobucket so Aubrie can see them. I talked to Dad on the phone and filled him in on Hawaii and other projects. We decided to get Indian for dinner and went to the place where the old Black Angus was. On our way home we stopped at the store for a few things then home. I updated this and shamefully watched the Bachelorette.

Saturday 6/1, We were up early because Fae was crying. It was going to be a busy day. Eric started taking the dishwasher apart to try and fix it, and while he didn’t finish it before we started our other chores, he did fix it before noon. We took the truck to get dirt and started filling in the area off the patio. I dug up several plants and Eric did the rest. We finished pretty quickly and it looks much better already, even though only phase 1 is done. Phase 2 will commence next weekend when we can pick up two pavers, several pieces of flagstone and another load of dirt and some gravel. The easy part is done. We dug up some plants from our yard and decided to head over to the condo ahead of when Jorge would be arriving. We looked around for a minute then got to work. Eric hauled up the dirt from the truck and started clearing shit out from the patio area. I started filling nail holes and collecting things that needed to be addressed. I was working on the upstairs when Jorge arrived. I showed him what I wanted done and he said I’d need a lot more paint so we took off to go home and then to Home Depot where we picked up a lot more ceiling paint and another gallon of white. We picked up more dirt and some little generic flowers too for the patio area. When we got back they were all busy at work. We were sent out for more texture and also some rollers. We went to Lowe’s in Issaquah and made pretty good time coming back. Jason was there hauling the rest of their stuff out and he said they didn’t want the curtain and rod in the kitchen, the cooler, the herb garden box in the back or the heuchera in the pot by the front door. Eric and I got the patio all squared away: hauled dirt in, planted plants (including heuchera from the front) and flowers, swept off the patio and removed the rest of the stuff. We took off and at home I fell asleep. I was so out of it that when I woke up I didn’t know where I was, thought I was still at Lauryn’s, then thought I was at my Mom’s housae then wondered whose house I was in (it didn’t cross my mine that it was mine). Then Eric came in and I asked him if Aubrie was in the other room. Yeah. He’d made me a quesadilla so I ate that then knew I needed to get up. It was 7ish. We went up to Crossroads. We both got some lotto tickets then headed to Silver Platters where all I walked out with was Wedding Crashers. It made me mad to have to buy because I used to have it but now it’s gone (along with like six others). Eric and I got into a tiff shortly after leaving SP and I walked back to the car thinking that maybe I would just leave without him. At home we got into a proper argument but then managed to cool off and have a rational discussion and resolved it. Eric went and got me a mint Klondike bar and I relaxed for the rest of the evening in the bedroom. We went to bed late.