Wednesday 4/30, We kept going on doing stuff but not for long because we had Colbie’s home visit in West Seattle. Traffic was bad so we left early. It went well, though it was a little cluttery and I’ll worry about Colbie and the resident dog, but I have to let go. So, when I got home I hurried and sent off the HV and FP pass and luckily the adoption approval went out that night. I worked on her medical info and putting together her take home paperwork. Only a couple of days left before leaving for vacation and putting all this stuff behind us.

Tuesday 4/29, We did stuff around the house and in the yard. Jojo was picked up before 6:00 so then we had the rest of the night to relax. We may have gone to the store; I don’t remember. I think I started packing for our trip to CA and got into bed early and read before lights out.

Monday 4/28, When I got home Eric was out in the yard working. We took Jojo and Colbie for a walk and Colbie loves to run. Jojo wanted to run too and went to go right around a garbage can but switched to the left at the last minute and made me run into the can. Well played, Jojo, well played. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t run. When we got home we went in the backyard and I planted the dahlias. The dishwasher was acting up so Eric spent time trying to fix it. I had my dinner then relaxed and talked to mom. I watched DwtS and did stuff online then went to bed.

Sunday 4/27, Eric was up early with the dogs but had to take off by 8 to go in for a work meeting. I got up and fed the dogs then ate some breakfast. I did a couple things around the house then went outside to keep going on the yard. I got quite a few more plants in the ground and dragged all the yard waste bins to the curb. One of them had some red butt bees flying out of it, which told me that can had been full of grass clippings all winter on the side of the house and there was probably a bee hive in it. I asked Eric to empty it some time ago, but of course he didn’t. Urg. When Eric came home I was feeling exhausted so Eric made me a breakfast burrito so then I was ready for a nap. We headed down to Pacific Topsoil and picked up some more compost for the front beds. When we got home I was feeling a lot better and ready to get back to work. I changed the sheets on the bed and started cleaning out the back bedroom and closet. I got the bed stripped and remade and got everything arranged and ready for company. I went outside and planted some more plants, trimmed up the rhody by my bathroom and placed a few for Eric to plant. He spread all the compost and it looked good. It was 2:00 and Jojo was coming at 3:00, so we quickly went over to Home Depot, picked up the amber / quartz stepping stones, stakes and ties for the plants/trees. We did the stones when we got home and I think we got the perfect number, then we tied up trees and plants. We went inside and Jojo showed up shortly after. I went back out in the backyard and planted a couple more plants and finally finished up in the yard for the day. I was exhausted but Eric reminded me we needed to go to the store, so we hit the GO and Super Supplements then I got to relax. I showered watched Your Highness while working. Eric made dinner and I watched the special features. I did some research on the red butt bees and determined they’re not bad and that we should put the can back on the side of the house and either call someone or leave it there for the summer since they are bumble bees, not hornets or wasps. I made Eric help me move it back, even though it was dark. I got into bed, read for a while and went to bed not much later.

Saturday 4/26, We were up early and Eric got a ton of yard work done before Mom even arrived. I did stuff around the house and got some laundry folded. Mom arrived right around 9:30 and we took off for T&L. I got everything on my list except the Princess Victoria Louise poppies; couldn’t find them. I gave myself a budget of $100 and spent $99.60. I was very proud of myself. Plus there were a ton of bachelor buttons that they were tossing so I grabbed like 10 of those. I got two bleeding hearts (alba, valentine), five hosta (2 brim cup, 2 so sweet, and one mystery one that may be a great expectations or maybe wide brim?), fuschia (tangerine), three lavender (strawberry ruffles), two Japanese forest grass, two golden wood millet, three salal (wintergreen), three geum (cocktails Alabama slammer), and three golden oregano. I think that’s it. When we got home we unloaded and Mom took off. Eric got ready for work and we got into a fight before he took off on his bike. He apologized before he left and then again when he got to work. Nothing major, just squibbly stuff. I went out in the yard and planted about half of the plants then kept weeding the backyard and discovered a little strawberry coming up. Also, two of my dahlias have little sprouts so that’s good. I spent a good portion of my day outside which felt good. I talked to Candace about Colbie’s app and it sounds good I emailed her to set up a time for the home visit. I went to the store to pick up a few things and had a ramshackle dinner, including an apple and chips and salsa. I baked some pre-made cookies and settled down to work and watch Family Stone. I watched some of the extra features then Eric called so I went and picked him up. It was raining and he was tired and didn’t want to ride home. When we got home I climbed into bed and didn’t stay up too much later.

Friday 4/25, I got to leave work early and was excited to go home and work out in the yard. I took the dogs out and got my work clothes on and headed out to the backyard. I worked out there for a while and watched the dogs play. Eric came home shortly after and was planning to go into Seattle for a concert with Sky. He took off and I watched Dateline until Jojo’s person came to pick her up. I watched tv and made my plant list for the next morning and made a lot of notes. Eric came home after I had already gone to bed.

Thursday 4/24, After work Eric and I both did our workouts, separately. We ended up finishing at the same time and met at the light on our way home. We took Jojo and Colbie for a walk around the block and Colbie did very well considering how skittish she can be in new situations. Eric fed the dogs while I got laundry going then we headed up to the GO. Eric made dinner when we got home and I went through some emails while we watched Parks and Rec. I showered and climbed into bed to update this. I brought some work home but didn’t get to it. I went to bed earlyish because I was exhausted.

Wednesday 4/23, I got a call and Jojo was going to come for a visit sooner (that evening) than the scheduled Sunday visit. Eric and I talked while we waited for the Joj. He started dinner and I worked on sending out Colbie’s long bio. The woman looks a little out there, but we’ll see where it goes. Colbie was not happy about Jojo arriving and had to be put in time out a few times. Dinner was served and he made pot roast with mashed potatoes and broccoli. It was very good and afterward I got my bathroom put back together. I showered and worked a little bit while watching tv. Mom called and I talked to her about Grandma Dixie for a while. She’d had an aneurism and was in bad shape. It should have killed her, but didn’t. The doctors did not have high hopes for her. I went to bed.

Tuesday 4/22, I got a text from Mailen and she said they were about 40 minutes out so I rushed home and we waited for them to pick up Dora. When they arrived we talked for a long time and Eric wanted to look at J’s car so he did that for a while. Back inside I showered and started getting ready for Kassie’s birthday dinner. We left by 7:30 and headed up to Café Juanita where they had the party room reserved. When we arrived everyone was downstairs and there were about 20 people. The food was excellent and I was completely stuffed by the end of the night. Kass and I laughed through most of dinner. We finally left by 11:15 and made it home and to bed after midnight.

Monday 4/21, No clue, don’t remember. I may have taken a walk, or tried to get more Colbie pictures. I know I watched DwtS and maybe worked or did stuff online.

Sunday 4/20, Eric woke me up at 7:30 to go on a walk but I told him to leave me alone until 8:00. I woke up at 8:20 and we headed out for a couple laps around the lake. I needed to get my oil changed so we went down to Rainier but they weren’t open so we went down to the Columbia City Bakery where Eric got some coffee and I got a blondie. We went by the oil change place again but they were still closed, I assume because of Easter. I called Mom to stop by and see the yard, but she wasn’t there. When I got home I watched Mask and worked some more but turned it off to go have my massage. It was a great massage and we didn’t talk at all which was fine with me because I was completely relaxed. I headed home and finished my movie and working. I think the rest of the night was spent taking it easy.

Saturday 4/19, I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to get done so I was up and moving. Eric took the lawnmower in then stopped and got a half yard of Cedar Grove compost, which is twice as expensive as what we usually get at Pacific Topsoil. We spread it in the front two beds and need to get some more for the other beds and backyard. I talked to Mom for a long time and we decided to go get plants the next weekend. We went to Mutual Materials to look at stones for the walkway along the patio. We went next door to Home Depot and they had the same ones there but half the price. We vowed to go back and get some at another time. It was pouring so we skipped going to Molbak’s. When we got home I settled in to work and watch movies. First was Austenland, next was Bridget Jones’ Diary and last was Match Point, during which I fell asleep and woke up like 2.5 hours later. I finished my movie then got up to see what Eric was up to. We watched 48 Hours then SNL, during which I fell asleep.

Friday 4/18, I did my walk after work then we went down to Renton so I could meet someone to sell a purse. On our way home we decided to go out to dinner but on our way there someone had hit a duck in the road and it was terrible because it was still alive but couldn’t stand up and was rolling all over the place. I was so upset when we got to the restaurant that I couldn’t stop crying so we went home. The scene just kept replaying in my head. When we got home I went in the bedroom and cried more. Eric left to go get Chinese food and texted me to tell me that he went and got the duck out of the street (dead at that point) and put his body under a tree by the lake and made me start crying all over again because he’s so sweet. He knew I was so upset and wanted to make me feel better by giving the duck a serene final resting place. When he got home he made me a plate of food even though I didn’t have an appetite. I think I pretty much just zoned out for the rest of the night and went to bed hoping the next day would be better.

Thursday 4/17, We got news that Colbie doesn’t have any bladder issues so that was good. At home I was determined to get Colbie’s bio and pictures uploaded. I also answered some emails before going into the kitchen to see if Eric wanted to do the dogs’ nails. We got everyone set and I had my dinner. We went to Fred Meyer so I could get a shower curtain rod and liner. I haven’t had a shower curtain since living at the condo. At home I had an apple and watched Parks and Rec. I showered then got into bed and updated this.

Wednesday 4/16, Kris came and finished up and it looked great when I got home. Eric took Colbie to the vet to see about her leaky problem and they were going to call us the next day with the results. After work I went and met a girl in downtown Bellevue and she bought the sconces so those were unloaded. Eric was home when I got there. We talked for a little bit before I hopped in the shower. I left to go over to Kristel’s for dinner. I met her new puppy who is very cute but very puppy-ish and sassy. She could have given Viktor a run for his money. We had dinner and talked and caught up but not on everything. There’s more to chat about. I left around 10:30 and Eric was in bed when I got home, but he wanted to chat about Copper. We talked for a little bit then it was sleepy time.

Tuesday 4/15, The tub guy was coming to refinish the hall bath bathtub. Eric talked to him and really liked him. When I got home the smell was pretty pungent but Eric had the windows open and fan going. Susan arrived and we chatted for a while before starting in on X-Files. We talked about Max and wondered what in the world I would have worn if I’d let him take me to that goth club. Mercury? I don’t even remember. We talked about his red leather cod piece and also his see-through back-pocket pants. He had so many different outfits; I never saw him wear the same thing twice. Susan said he would have let me borrow something to wear for when we went to that club. Part of me is still very curious about Max and wants to know more. I looked on Kyle’s fb friend list but there are no “Max”s. We watched the one where Scully is returned from being abducted and also the vampire one where Mulder is all moody and trying to get fresh with a wannabe vampire. Eric heated up leftover lasagna for us and we both had seconds. Susan took off shortly after our two episodes were over and I wrote to Kris about finishing up sealing the tub and putting on the hardware. Into bed.

Monday 4/12, A guy contacted me and wanted to buy the light so I told him we could be down to Renton to meet him by 5:30. Did that then headed home, but stopped at the GO first so we could get stuff for Eric to make lasagna. It took a while and I worked on trying to get some pictures for Colbie’s profile. It took a while for dinner but when it was it was so worth it. Delicious. I half-watched DwtS and went to bed.

Sunday 4/13, I was up early-ish because I wanted to get some stuff done before heading down to the auction. It was gorgeous outside. I took care of a few things then showered, got ready, ate a piece of pizza and headed down. I got there early and the doors weren’t even unlocked yet. I was the third on line. I got a number and went to scope out the crowd. I planned to stay for pretty much the whole thing. I got there at 11:30 and it was supposed to end at 5:00. All the stuff I wanted went for way higher than I budgeted. I did end up winning the piece I wanted the least, but it was also the cheapest. I don’t even remember who the artist is but it is a collograph called “The Seeds Grew!”. Chrystol asked if I wanted to go over to their house for dinner after the auction, but since I got done early I went home. Eric did the Poppy hand off and I had all the other dogs in the backyard running around to keep them occupied and got a lot of pictures. We took off for Ballard and when we got there we chatted about the auction and taxes then took off for Golden Gardens to have dinner on the beach. The food was delicious and the sunset was very pretty but it was a little windy. We walked to the car and drove back to their house and had dessert. More talking and eventually we left because it was a school night. Eric rode up to the store when we got home since we needed a few things.

Saturday 4/12, Eric took the day off to help me with the dogs and make sure I wasn’t going to lose my shit. We got up early to go pick up Colbie from Julee at our usual meet up spot. We chatted for a while and Colbie is so sweet and shy. Very submissive and drags her body along the ground when she’s coming toward you. We went home and did some introductions. I did some stuff around the house and was trying to be productive. I did a little yard work then went to the bank to deposit some money from our dog fund. I went down to PacGal to preview the auction and there was so much good stuff. I decided I was back in and just had to set budgets for myself and started strategizing. I got a call from Alan saying that the people staying across the street just bought our old house on 88th. The house was on the market for one day at $1.1m and they paid full price with two other offers on it. I told mom they should buy it back, but she didn’t have any interest. Back at home I was jacked up and excited about the auction. I game planned my finances and went to the bank to take out the cash for it. The weather was nice so I went outside with the dogs for a little bit. It was our six-year anniversary. We didn’t do anything and didn’t exchange cards or anything but we did go get a pizza and Eric made it. We watched 48 Hours then stayed up to watch SNL. I fell asleep about 20 minutes in.

Friday 4/11, Poppy was over for the weekend. I got bad news on my taxes (to the tune of over $6k). After work I started feeling blehhhh. Eric was trying some tough love on me but that didn’t really do much so he softened as the night went on. Justin and Mailen came over to drop off Dora for 10 days and we chatted for a while. I decided I was going to have to skip the auction that I was planning to attend on Sunday (modern art and furniture). I was not happy since I’d been looking forward to it for a month and had given myself a very large budget for some new art and mid-century furniture. That went out the window with the taxes. Meh. Went to bed early.

Thursday 4/10, I had a dental appointment after work. I have a filling that needs to be replaced so I scheduled that for the end of May and also scheduled Eric a cleaning. When I got home I was feeling good and a little hyper. A complete 180 from the weekend. Maybe I’m bipolar. I took a shower and Eric made dinner: BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato). It also had cheese. With tater tots on the side. We watched a couple shows together then I read for a while before bed.

Wednesday 4/9, Doug came in the morning and hooked up the new sinks and put the faucets on. I had an eye appointment after work. I think my doctor was flirting with me. He said I was funny and kept laughing at my jokes. When I got home I told Eric and he was like, oh great, and rolled his eyes. He doesn’t like it when my ego gets too big. The girl came over and took the mirror, so it felt good to get that out of the house. The other girl cancelled, but that didn’t surprise me. We went to the store and got a few things. We had leftovers for dinner. I watched some tv and read before bed.

Tuesday 4/8, Eric had the day off so he was able to meet the counter guys. He sent me pictures after it was done and it looked good. Doug came over after work to take a look at what needed to be done. There was a girl who wanted the mirror but she ended up rescheduling for the next day. I didn’t really watch tv. I think I did some things online then read some of my book.

Monday 4/7, At home I fielded emails and talked to a guy who wanted the GPS. He wanted to meet at Walmart so Eric and I locked up the house and took off on foot. We made it there right on time, the guy took it and we walked home through the park. It was such a beautiful day that we decided to walk up to the store next. Eric made dinner while I talked to Mom and Dad on the phone and caught up with them. After dinner Eric took the master bath counter out. I watched some DwtS while doing other stuff that I don’t remember.

Sunday 4/6, I started waking up early and went in and out of sleep from 7 to 9. I had a very vivid dream about N*te C*mpbell and we were seriously making out and we were at a concert, wrapped in a blanket together, with out shirts off. Hmmm. I wrote him on fb to say hi and let him know I’d had a dream bout him, but not the details or anything. I read my book for a little while until I was paged to come down for breakfast. After breakfast we all took a walk around the property and Sky showed us the bath house and the two other cabins. We walked down to the river then over to the neighboring properties which Sky is most likely going to buy to expand the compound. When we got back we all started to pack up and said our goodbyes. It was about 12:30 when we took off. I made good time and tried calling mom and dad on the way. When I got home Eric had already pulled out the vanity countertop and sinks. Since that was done I just relaxed. I got a bunch of stuff on craigslist and waited for the offers to roll in. Sike. Eric and I got into an argument about something and I couldn’t stop crying. I took a shower and just bawled. He came in and we talked and I think I have some chemical imbalances in my brain or something. He brought me dinner and we smoothed things out. I was exhausted. Not sure when I went to bed.

Saturday 4/5, I woke up earlyish and started getting ready to head over to Index. I showered and packed then took off around 9:00. I swung into Whole Foods for some cheese and a baguette. By the time I got into Index I had to pee so bad and the directions Kass gave me weren’t clear and I had no cell service. I parked in front of the post office and called Eric, who got online trying to find the address. Apparently my text to mom went through and she came and met me. I followed her back then hit the bathroom, which was like a sauna. Kass was making breakfast and mom and dad were sitting on the couch relaxing. I looked around and it was a super cute little cabin. Sky came in from one of the other cabins and we sat down and had breakfast. We ended up sitting around the table talking for a long time. We looked at magazines and landscaping books for a few hours. Mom made a delicious salad and I put the cheeses out. Eventually we put on Mud and mom went up to take a nap. All of us except dad liked it. It rained all day so I didn’t go outside. I went upstairs while Mom put dinner together and I sat in the big chair under the skylight. We ate dinner and ended up talking in the living room, mostly about Eric, for a long time. Eventually I went upstairs and climbed into my loft bed. I listened from up there but fell asleep. When I woke up everyone had gone to bed and some of the lights were still on so I got up and turned them off then back to bed.

Friday 4/4, I was feeling meh all day; however, I did verify with the counter top company that they had everything right then talked to Doug and he’s going to come over the next day to get the water all hooked back up, so I felt better about that. On the way home I started feeling really not great. By the time I pulled into the garage I was crying and just sat in my car for a while. When I went inside Eric was concerned and asking me what was wrong. I told him I feel depressed and frustrated and overwhelmed. I laid on the bed and cried for a while. He sat with me and just put his hand on my arm. Eventually I calmed down and got some perspective. Eric was going to go to the store so I told him I was going to go to the park for a walk. I went around the park three times and listened to music and fought off tears a couple times. Luckily I wore my sunglasses. At home Eric was cooking and I showered while he finished up. I ate dinner then asked Eric if he wanted to go to the mall so I could return the towels I bought. We sat on some of the beds while we were there so now I have an idea of what we’ll be getting soon. Back at home I started in on my tax stuff but hit a road block when I couldn’t find the closing documents from my refi. I didn’t get everything done but got it mostly completed. I went to bed.

Thursday 4/3, I talked to Jean on the way home and I was irritated by how the conversation went. Susan met me at the house after work so we could get started on X-Files again. Eric wasn’t home yet, but had implied we were doing nachos for dinner. I was telling Susan about my taxes and she was giving me her official tax advice. Eric told me to calm down and talk to Julie if I wanted additional guidance. The three of us ended up in the living room talking for a long time. Eventually Susan and I went to Papa Murphy’s and picked up a half Hawaiian, half pepperoni pizza. Eric made it for us and we started in on Season 2, disc 2. We watched two episodes and Scully has been abducted and Krycek is revealed as a bad guy. We talked for a while between episodes. Susan left and it was about 9:30. I showered and Eric was irritated that I’d been a brat about the nachos.

Wednesday 4/2, Finally got an email on the crate that was legit and made plans to meet after work. I rushed home and she let me know she was running late. Eric and I talked in the bedroom until she arrived and when she did she loved the house and was like “Lake Hills, who knew?!”. After she left I changed into my workout gear and set out for the park. I did my laps quickly and saw Eric on my way home and he was leaving for the evening to meet some people for a meeting. At home I ate dinner then took off for the GO and Office Depot. Back at home I showered and watched tv. I called Mom and talked with her for an hour then lights out and to bed.

Tuesday 4/1, I stayed late at work to talk about the new business. I left around 6:00 and headed home. Eric pulled dinner out of the oven right as I walked through the door. I got several emails about the crate but none were panning out. Eric had everything ready for Tulpen to go home. I dished up my dinner and had double helpings. Tracey showed up and picked him up and thanked us. She was surprised by his eye as well (cherry eye was gone). After she left I showered and got into bed for the night.