Sunday 8/31, Mark slept in until like 11. We were all in the kitchen getting breakfast ready and I really ate a ton of food. The day was much nicer and a bunch of people came out again. Danielle and I talked about Zac Efron and Jared Leto for a long time and I had to break it to her that ZE is gay. At one point we went out on the boat and sat out in the middle of the lake in the sun. Some of the kids jumped in and after a while we headed back in. Kelly and Mark left and our fish house just wasn’t the same. We had more food and Uncle Jerome and Ron stayed late. It was nice. A few of us hung in living room and watched Scooby Doo. It was Danny, Danielle, the boys, and someone else. We all took pictures with Uncle Ron, and everyone turned in to bed pretty early. Aubs had really bad heartburn so we went in the house to try and find a cure. After she took some baking soda with water she was feeling a lot better. Jaime and I dug out the Metamucil since we were both all plugged up from the food and lack of veggies. We did some laughing and talking then headed out to bed and went to sleep.

Saturday 8/30, Eric was up early, but the rest of us took our time getting up. We had breakfast including lots of pull aparts and donuts and fruit and stuff. The day was not looking so hot and it didn’t get very nice as the day went on. We had a few sun breaks but other than that it was overcast. We went out on the pontoon and puttered around, a lot of family came over, including Carrie and her son Harley, who I don’t think I’ve seen for a really long time. He’s very cute. And, like, 17. Kass and Sky left by 3:00ish and later in the afternoon we had a birthday party for Ron. There were two ice cream cakes and I had a piece despite being totally full from all the food and bars throughout the day. We all went down to the fire and sat around and talked and laughed. We stayed down by the fire for a long time then went up and got ready for bed. We had the classical music playing in the fish house and got into bed and did a little reading before turning in.

Friday 8/29, Everyone was already up when I woke up but I felt good from my night of good sleep. It was about 9:00. Kelly went out and got donuts for breakfast and also made smoothies. We all got ready and eventually got packed up, took our pepto bismol and headed to the MN STATE FAIR. We parked at Dunwoody and took the bus in. Mark had printed out Fair Bingo for us so we all had hilarious things to check off. One of mine was “woman with no bra” which I actually saw on the bus, but the game couldn’t officially start until we were on fair grounds. Nuts! Once we got in we all started to check things off and we weren’t even looking at the new area of the fair. It was a good day and we didn’t actually eat that much food. The food consumed throughout the day: scotch eggs, cheese curds, deep fried pickles with cream cheese, deep fried snickers, sweet corn on the cob, blue cheese corn fritters, meatloaf on a stick, and walleye cakes. I may have missed something but I can’t remember. Eric won bingo and I got second place. I helped Mark find a guy with a rat tail and he was extremely grateful. I pointed and yelled “rat tail, rat tail!” We met up with Christian for a little while, who was visiting family as well. We didn’t do any rides, but we did a ton of walking. It rained a little but we just went into the coliseum and walked around until it stopped. We took off around 3:30 and just as we got off the bus it started pouring so we had good timing leaving the fair. Back at their house we all rinsed off the “fair gunk” and packed up to go to Dick’s. We got a little turned around on our way out because of the detour, but eventually found our way and made it in time for dinner. It was a full house when we arrived and everyone was eating. We dished up, being surprisingly hungry, and sat down with everyone. We just mingled around and chatted all night. I talked with Robert, whom we believe is Gin’s bf, but no one has actual confirmation. I don’t know how they can’t be. I think she just worries about being judged but no one really cares except Danny and Co. We decided to stay in Clint’s fish house with Kelly and Mark since it sleeps six! Eric and Kelly made up all the beds. We celebrated Dick and Roxy’s anniversary and had an ice cream cake, in addition to a million bars. We all went to bed relatively late and we were very cozy in our fish house.

Thursday 8/28, We were up early getting ready and getting everything squared away. I had a runny nose and sounded sick so I was taking a lot of vitamins. Stef was staying with the dogs while we were in MN for Labor Day, but Susan was coming over that evening to let out the dogs and feed them. We pretty much got everything wrapped up then the driver showed up right at 8:00 to take us to the airport. We got checked in, through security and to the N Concourse without incident. Just as we were about to go up the stairs from the train Kass and Sky were going up the stairs right at the same time. It was hilarious. We got some bagel sandwiches and sat and talked until it was time to board. They were in first class. The flight went pretty quickly and I watched the end of a movie I’d started on the last flight I was on. It went pretty quickly and soon we landed and, as a group, headed to baggage. Kelly picked up Eric and me and we headed to the other terminal to pick up Aubrie. She had the puppies with her so that was fun. We went back to their house and met Kass and Sky there. We hung out for a couple hours and when Mark got home we took off for Psycho Suzi’s for dinner. The food was good and we had fun, but the waitress was in a really bad mood. We took off and went back to their house while Kass and Sky took off for Litchfield. Eric, Aubs, and Mark took off for Bunny’s while Kelly and I stayed home and talked and went to bed. We went to bed around 11 and the others came home shortly after that.

Wednesday 8/27, Eric was working late so I was on my own with the dogs. When I got home we all went out and spent some time out there. I shuffled some loads of laundry and took care of feeding the dogs. I ate a little dinner and showered. I kept hearing little cries so I opened the shower door and in walks Plum. She kept walking in and out, in and out. She was lapping up the water and didn’t care about the water on her head or body. It was hilarious. I didn’t have my contacts in so I couldn’t see how wet she was but I eventually kicked her out. When I got out I put on my glasses and her head was all wet. It was hilarious. I toweled her off and got dressed. I put a few things in my suitcase and took off for my massage. I called Kass and we talked about MN and jewels then I had to jump off cause I needed to gas up. My massage was fantastic and for the second half of it we chatted. He’s still working on his house and lives out of a school bus, works on Subarus (said to ask if I ever have any issues!), has a motorcycle, may join the forest service, flipped a trailer, has family in IL, and has some debt but not as much as his friends. It was actually a lot of fun and my crush has been resurrected! And just when I thought I was over it. Frankly I’ll probably be over it again by the time I have my next massage. We talked about other stuff and laughed. I thanked him and made another appointment then took off for home. I started watering the backyard and blueberries. I talked to Susan for a while then Eric came home. I ran around and did a few things (made the bed, laundry) then climbed into bed.

Tuesday 8/26, By the time I got home Johj had gone home so we were down to four. Ahh. It was so calm. I put on my suit and went out in the backyard to cut down the holly starts that sprung out of the lilac base. I pulled a couple weeds and trimmed a few other little things then headed inside. Eric went and ran some errands and when he got back he made dinner. We sat in the living room and watched Parks and Rec then I went in the bedroom to do some packing and watched Bachelor. I went to bed by 11.

Monday 8/25, I was up early and into work a little early since it’s a short week. Long day. When I got home we took Johj, Plum, Nyx and Clancy on a walk and Plum did so good considering she’s probably never been on leash before. When we got home we fed the dogs and Eric made me a burrito. I did some stuff online then watched Bachelor in Paradise and updated this.

Sunday 8/24, We woke up at like 7:45 then both went back to sleep and slept until 11:15. We got up and Day started making breakfast. We talked about the movie and got our suits on. We ate breakfast and when we finally made it outside and the lake was hopping. It was like 12:30. We went out on the paddle boards and paddled past the park and sat and chatted for a while. It was fun. As we made our way back Billy came up on his baby jet ski. We went out on Jess’ jet ski and Billy said he would be back later with the boat. We went on the jet ski to try and find Kevin and in the process watched some people do an ice challenge on their dock. We parked over by the warm water area for a while then headed back. We had some ice cream and were going to watch a movie but then Billy arrived so we went out instead. We drove around and some guy was trying to talk to Billy and he was like “I think the guy is casing me”. Jess and I thought he wanted to get a closer look at the two hot chicks on board. We had to go back in so Jess could go to the bathroom (“You better hurry up before I have diarrhea all over your boat, Billy!”) then we went back out and Day followed on the jet ski. Jess wanted to ski so we went over to the calmer part of the lake and got her all ready and in the water. She got up the second time and then a few times after that as we made our way back to the house. We laid out and worked on our tans a little bit then Day started making dinner. We had a nice dinner outside then I headed home. I called Alix on the way home and talked to her about insurance. When I got home I told Eric how much fun I had. I worked for about 15 minutes and he chatted with me while I finished up. I showered and got into bed and went to bed feeling really happy and recharged.

Saturday 8/23, We were up early and took care of the dogs. The den was a mess because Berrie had pooped in her crate and it was everywhere, including all over her feel. While I was cleaning her up in the bathroom Eric took off for work. It was a little bit hectic, but I got everything figured out just fine. Emelie came and picked up Berrie and it went well. One down, losing Pop later that day. I was doing some chores then heard from Jess and left about an hour later. Traffic sucked through Everett but what else is new. When I arrived we unloaded the groceries they had just picked up then got on our suits and went out to sit on the dock and start catching up. Day and the neighbor guy worked on the jet ski and eventually got it running. We took it out and cruised around the lake. We had so much fun. Jess hit this one wave wrong and it totally drenched her. I laughed so hard. Then a little while later she hit another one wrong and we were hit with a massive wall of water and then another immediately after. We were so shocked by it that it felt like my contacts had come out, but luckily they were just rolled up on my eyeballs. We just sat there shocked. We were cold so we went back. We decided to go in the hot tub so we were in there for a while. Billy came over (we had gone to his place earlier and talked for a while, he told us to watch “my drunk neighbor gets the hose”) and talked with us until dinner was ready. We all sat down and watched Chalet Girl which Jess and I enjoyed but Billy and Day were not that interested in. After it was over we walked Billy home and had him show us where cute, hunky Kevin lives. We were making hilarious jokes all the way past his house and wanted him to show us his big hose. Day was the funniest. When we got back we made ice cream sundaes and they were delicious. We got ready for bed and put on Adore. Jess fell asleep quickly and woke up intermittently for the rest of the film. I watched the whole thing and it was good, though a little unsettling. I want to watch it again. Jess and I talked for a little bit before going to sleep. It was about 2:30 when we went to sleep.

Friday 8/22, Chrystol texted while I was at work asking if we wanted to do dinner that night since they were going up to Mt. Si to pick blueberries. I said yes and let Eric know. When I got home I walked Jojo and Clancy then Nyx and Poppy, hoping it would help get some puppy energy out. I showered and they arrived right around 6:00. The Seahawks game was on so Eric was all jacked up. Chrystol and I went to Szechuan Chef to pick up dinner and we all ate in the living room and watched the game. We had a good time. They stayed until almost the end then took off because they were getting up early to go to Orcas Island. We got ready for bed and tucked all the dogs in. Two puppies going home the next day, and it couldn’t come soon enough.

Thursday 8/21, I met up with Ky after work at Tutta Bella and I hadn’t seen him in years. It was so fun. We did happy hour and just talked the whole time. He filled me in on everything going on with him and why he’s back. We talked about making it a regular occurrence. We had such a good time. I took him down to the park and ride and dropped him off. I headed home and told Eric how much fun I’d had and he was happy. I took out the dogs and played with them, watched them run around. Got the adoption stuff all settled and finalized for Berrie. Yay! She’s adopted dog number 21 over the last four years.

Wednesday 8/20, Susan came over after work to watch X-Files. Eric told me he’d be out with Sky so I’d be on my own, but much to my elation, he was home early and walked through the door with Susan just as I came in from outside letting out the dogs. Susan brought a pizza so we got that going and watched two episodes. The first was Oubliette then Nisei. I was too distracted during Nisei so I think I need to watch it again. Susan left right around 8:00 and I think I tried to get the dogs outside to run off some energy.

Tuesday 8/19, I went to work early so I could leave early. When I got home Eric already had everything squared away and Johj had arrived. We loaded up Berrie and started the long drive up to Bellingham for Berrie’s home visit. I was nervous about it because she seemed young in her application and also on the phone with Genie, plus she has a youngish son. We arrived before 7:00 and met her and her son. They were so sweet and he was so well behaved. We saw her place, it was very cute and homey then we took a walk to her mom’s house. Her mom’s place was really cute and she had a beautiful yard. Ber did great and she ran around the yard a ton and tried to play with the resident TFT, Dante. He looked and sounded just like Breezy. The mom may possibly be interested in Plum. We stayed until just before 8:00, walked back to the car, loaded up Berrie and headed home. When I got home I sent off the FP approval and got a bunch of emails back with “congratulations” type messages, especially if we can get the mom to adopt Plum. We relaxed for the rest of the night and I took the dogs out in the backyard so they could run off some energy. I was glad to have the HV over and be home.

Monday 8/18, A guy came to pick up my old dresser so now that’s out of the house. Yay! Slowly getting rid of shit and cleaning stuff out. Eric had dinner ready so I ate that and showed him stuff on etsy that I want to get for the bathroom. I showered and watched Bachelor in Paradise. It’s so bad. But so good. Updated this. Alishia and Pete got engaged. It was Grandma and Papa’s 53rd wedding anniversary.

Sunday 8/17, I was up early and we got the dogs going. Eric had to work and shortly after he left Susan came over and we chatted and watched two episodes of X-Files. One was more disturbing than the other (2Shy). I’d seen the other one way back in the day when it was actually on tv (The Walk) so I remembered a lot of the plot points. Susan took off and I started up my chores. I did a ton of laundry and changed the sheets, cleaned up the couch, vacuumed, scooped poop, played with the dogs in the backyard, ran to the store to pick up rubber gloves and other cleaning supplies then got to work on the den and kitchen. I was in the middle of washing the floors when Eric got home. It was super hot and I was exhausted by the time I was finished. Eric was watching tv so I went in the bedroom and took a nap. I slept so hard that when I woke up I thought I was at Dad and Mom’s and was convinced I lived with them because living on my own and supporting myself would be too scary. Such a weird feeling. Eric made me a delicious grilled sandwich for dinner. He left to go see a movie and I posted up in the living room and watched Shame while working. I tried to keep the dogs in line but they were so irritating and pissing all over the place. When Eric got home he took them all out and left me in the bedroom with only Pop I think. I watched some tv and went to bed.

Saturday 8/16, We were up early because Poppy was coming for a visit. They dropped him off and he was much calmer than in the past. I ran to the store and by the time I got back Eric had already moved the dresser out and was working on the storm doors. We moved the big planter from the yard up onto the deck. Eric took off for Mom’s to help her clean up the apartment. I talked to Dad for a while and filled him in. I got the stuff listed on CL and soon got an email response for the storm doors. I spent a lot of time in the den with the dogs and looked at stuff online. I found a shop in Issaquah that has a ton of mid century furniture and told Eric I wanted to go check it out. We took off and I remember seeing it when Sos and I used to hike by her house. They had a lot of great stuff but it was very expensive. We stopped by PCC on our way home. Eric worked on cleaning up the house while I hung out with the dogs in the bedroom. The people came and picked up the doors so that felt good. Sky and Chrystol came over for dinner and to meet the puppies. We ended up going to the Vietnamese place since they have better options for someone on a limited diet since Chrystol was on a cleanse. Food was excellent and I would definitely get my crispy noodle stir fry thing again. We went to Whole Foods and picked out desserts, but I didn’t get anything. Back at home we tried to decide on a movie, but ended up just watching an Ellen stand up special. I was falling asleep because I was so tired. When it was over they packed up and took off. I got into bed and watched a little bit of SNL but fell asleep pretty quickly.

Friday 8/15, Eric took Sucia with him to work and Anna picked her up. I told Eric what I wanted to get done the next day chore-wise. He was watching the game all evening and I tried to keep the dogs occupied in the bedroom. I put on the fifth Harry Potter and tried to catch up on my celebrity gossip. I don’t think I went to bed too late.

Thursday 8/14, I went into work early again and had to leave at 3:00 to take Sucia to the vet in Kirkland. Made it there early and they did bloodwork to make sure everything looks good. Anna came and got to go over everything about the surgery with the doctor. She is so nice. We headed home and it took us over a half hour. I talked to Mom, Liz, other people? I don’t remember. Eric had to work late but he went home in the middle of the day and made me bbq pork. I did a few chore-y things and got into bed. Eric came home and I went to bed shortly after.

Wednesday 8/13, I went to work early and stayed late. Eric took care of Jojo getting picked up. I got home a little after 6:00. Eric made dinner, though I don’t remember what. We were down to six dogs and two days later we’d be down to five because Sucia was going to go live with Anna. I think the evening went fine but I honestly don’t remember.

Tuesday 8/12, Jojo came in the morning so we were up to eight dogs for the day. When I got home from work we hung out and waited for Tulp’s person to pick him up. I walked him up and down the street until she arrived. We got a good app for Berrie so Genie and I were back and forth all day. It’s in Eastern BC, but it’s on acreage and they have another dog. Sounds great for her. After Tulp left I started on the long bio and Eric made me dinner. I finally finished and sent it off right before 8:00. I did some stuff online, took the dogs out, showered and got ready for bed.

Monday 8/11, It was really hot. When I got home we just kind of hung out and managed the dogs. I talked to Dad then Mom and discussed MN and all the dogs. I talked to Genie next and we talked about the two apps for Berrie and neither of us like either one so we’re going to stall and see what else comes in. I talked to Liz about Sucia going to live with officer Anna and she’s on board, now we just need to figure out the surgery and price and all that. Eric made dinner and we ate together in the living room. I watered the front yard which took forever then went inside to watch Bachelor in Paradise but ended up not really watching because I was trying to manage all the dogs, especially the puppies. It started thundering and we gave all the dogs some anti-anxiety stuff and waited for it to stop to take them out to potty. I updated this a little and got ready for bed. Eric and I ended up making out, etc right before bed.

Sunday 8/10, Didn’t sleep well with dogs getting up repeatedly. We got up and ran errands: Home Depot, Office Depot, Super Supplements, BB&B. We did a few things at home then I took a nap. Eric made plans for us to go over to Chrystol and Sky’s for dinner. I showered and we took off. They made dinner and a whole picnic so we got in their new-old Acura and headed to Golden Gardens. It was a very nice evening. We sat on a hill so we could watch the boats coming and going through the locks. There was one loud irritating New Yorker that I wanted to tell to shut up. We all wanted to. Dinner was great and soon we packed up and headed down to watch some boats. We wrapped up our trip and headed back to the car. Eric wanted dessert so we went to Cupcake Royale and I got ice cream. It was okay. We sat and chatted about a blog that Sky and Eric can start and all the different things it would cover. Back to the car and we headed to their house. Grabbed our stuff and headed home. Took the dogs out and put them to bed.

Saturday 8/9, We were up early and I went out and started watering the backyard and playing with the puppies. Eric came out and loaded up the truck for our dump run. We headed down there and we were done quickly. I saw a guy dumping a ton of perfectly good furniture, including a mid-century modern dresser. I wanted to get out and tell him I’d take it, but didn’t. Wah. When I got home I relaxed for a little bit then called Liz and made arrangements to meet at her place at noon. We went over some stuff and she paid me for the time watching Sucia so far. When I got home I had a little something to eat, relaxed, showered then eventually headed into Issaquah for my massage. It was fantastic, of course. At home I got ready for dinner over at Mom’s for her and Dad’s anniversary. We headed over right around 6:00. Eric made the pork for the entrée. They had several couples and we all talked and ate outside on the deck. It was very nice with a lot of laughing. We had dessert then Eric and I had to take off so he could make it into work to take care of some paperwork before 11. I got ready for bed and got the dogs figured out then watched SNL. Eric slept in the other room again with Tulp.

Friday 8/8, When I got home Eric suggested we go out to dinner to get a burger. I wanted to walk Clancy and Nyx down to WF to get some cash so I took them on a walk and they enjoyed it. When we got home Eric fed them and we took off shortly after. We went to the burger place on Main that I’ve always wanted to try (since my Tower days) but always forget about. The food was awesome and I tried the deep fried zucchini. We sat outside and had a really nice time. We went to Crossroads after, specifically Silver Platters where I picked up the newest Beck and also the last two Harry Potter movies. Back at home we relaxed and juggled dogs for the rest of the evening.

Thursday 8/7, I got home a little early and took all the dogs out and cleaned up puppy pee and all that. I got an email that Tulpen was coming to stay that evening for five nights, which I had totally forgotten about. That takes us up to seven dogs. Jeez. Susan came over and we went outside and talked while the puppies did their thing. Eric arrived home and had the pre-game stuff on. Susan and I went to get some pizzas for dinner and Eric made them. We sat on the deck and ate then went in the bedroom and watched one episode of X-Files and it was the second one that I know I’ve seen, out of two entire seasons and five episodes. Susan took off and Tulpen arrived right when she left. We split up the dogs and I took six of them into the bedroom with me and worked until 10. We got the dogs ready for bed and chatted for a few minutes before we split up for the night and went to sleep.

Wednesday 8/6, When I got home I went out in the yard with the dogs then back inside to clip the puppies’ nails and they did great. I had a date to talk to Court and we finalized our plans to go to Denver to visit Sos and Ashley in September. Eric and I went to the store and when we got home I put in some laundry and took all the dogs out. I ate my dinner then went out in the backyard to dead head the dahlias and roses, then watered the backyard. Inside I scanned all the puppies’ paperwork and sent it in. I finally got to sit in bed and update this. Eric wanted to talk about the Superbowl in AZ.

Tuesday 8/5, My birthday. 34. Yikes. I was tired from another night of bad sleep. I chatted with Dad and Eric before taking off for work. They must have gone home earlier that day. The day went quickly and when I got home we played with the dogs in the backyard for a long time. It was getting late and Eric went for a run then made me dinner. I caught up on some of celeb gossip, showered, and went to bed after Office.

Monday 8/4, Kass had picked up Aubs and Christian and taken them to the airport. Christian took a bunch of pictures of the dogs for me for their bios and they were all very good. Mom and Dad were at the house when I got home and Dad was on a business call. Eric told me we were going to the golf course for dinner so I showered quickly and got dressed. Mom and Dad gave me a card and some money for my birthday. We went up to Newcastle and sat outside. Kass and Sky arrived and we had a nice leisurely dinner. A bagpiper played a few tunes and Kass did a jig. After he finished his song he told her he enjoyed her improvisation. Sky gave me a gift card to Habitude and put it in the envelope of one of Kassie’s parking tickets. We went home and talked in the living room for a little while and brought all the dogs out. A little after 10 I turned in and worked on Berrie’s bio. Went to bed before midnight.

Sunday 8/3, I got up at 8:30 and breakfast prep was in full swing. The morning was a bit of a blur because we were trying to get packed up and ready to leave. We had breakfast and it was excellent. We said bye to everyone and took off with Pete and Alishia around 11. The drive was fine and when we got home I made arrangements with Troy to pick up Plum in Renton. On the way back we stopped at Whole Foods to meet Alex to pick up Berrie. We went home, dropped off the dogs and headed to the vet to pick up Sucia. That took a little bit then we headed home and I took off for the airport with Alishia and Pete. Back at home we got to relax for a little bit before Mom and Alan showed up and we sat with them and talked in the living room for a long time. Plum climbed up onto the table next to the Wassily chairs and fell asleep, and hard. Outside she was really good with peeing and pooping, thankfully. After they left Christian and Aubrie arrived with Kassie. Kassie stayed for a while then took off and we continued playing with the puppies for a little bit. I went to bed and it was close to or after midnight. Had a rough night with the dogs.

Saturday 8/2, For most of the day it rained and stormed. We spent a lot of time inside and some did puzzles. We played outside quite a bit when it cleared up and there were some rousing games of badminton. Uncle Brad and Hailey and Ryan showed up but Hey had a wedding to go to in Wenatchee so she was gone for most of the day. Eric helped with dinner and eventually we all ate; it was pretty late. There were rumors that we were going to do some mad libs upstairs but we all ended up going to sleep instead.

Friday 8/1, Dad made pancakes for breakfast then we mostly hung out down at the river. We had a lot of fun and it was really hot. Christian’s grandparents and brother came and hung out as well. We spent a lot of time later in the day watching everyone play badminton. The rain started and we all had to pile into Kass’ trailer. It eventually stopped and everyone went back outside. We had dinner and sat outside for a long time. Heidi arrived late while we were hanging out inside. Aubrie was lying on the floor and fell asleep, then woke up and had heart pains. We went to bed not too late.

Thursday 7/31, I didn’t wake up until 9:00 and went in the motorhome where Dad made us French toast. We got dressed and Eric helped Mom clean the carpet in the trailer. We took off for Wenatchee while Aubs and Christian went into Leavenworth. We stopped at Anjou on the way into town and had a little lunch then kept on and went to our favorite shop. We didn’t buy anything but we were there for a long time looking around. Mom and Dad found a couch they really liked. We walked down the street to another furniture shop and we looked around for a long time and checked out some beds and chairs. I got a couple chocolate chip cookies then we hit the bricks. We gassed up then took the high road back to the highway. When we got back Kass was there and we waited for Christian and Aubs to return so we could leave for Headwaters. It was a packed house but we got a good table and checked out the local talent. Pizza was good and we had a good time. We headed home and hung out on the deck and looked at the stars for the rest of the night. We stayed up until Sky arrived then went to bed. Alishia and Pete showed up later that night after we’d all gone to bed.

Wednesday 7/30, I went to work for a half day and Eric and the kids were home by the time I arrived. They had a good camping trip. Eric took Sucia down to the vet for her stay while we went to Plain. Eric and I ran down to the airport to pick up Pete, who was staying at the house with the pups for the night. Christian and Aubs were pretty much ready to go when we got home so we loaded up the car and headed over to the property. We arrived a few minutes before we thought we would and Mom started crying because she was so happy. We sat in the motorhome and chatted while dinner was being made. We had burgers and sat outside. There were a few mosquitoes but much better than earlier in the month. We didn’t stay up too late and got into bed by 11 I think.

Tuesday 7/29, I drove home at lunch to let out Sucia since she wouldn’t go before I left that morning. When I got home from work for the day I jumped right in to getting stuff done around the house. I made up the two guest beds, washed towels and a comforter, watered all the plants, and trimmed up some of the dahlias and roses. I talked to Liz for a while. Showered, got ready for bed, closed up all the windows, took the dogs out, answered some emails, etc. Too tired to stay up late.

Monday 7/28, Talked to Jean and didn’t really get anywhere with the Sucia situation; however, Eric arranged with Aerowood to have her stay there while we’re gone. That was a huge relief. I talked to Eric a few times and then on the way home and he had Aubs and Christian in the car. They were hiking up to Snow Lake and maybe up to Gem. When I got home I let out the dogs and called Liz. Let her know the plan and that I’d talk to her Sunday. Talked to Mom and got the DL about the forest fires and all that. I fed the dogs and did a couple things while watching tv, ate dinner, had dessert, watered the plants in the front yard, etc. Watched Bachelorette and only half paid attention since I cheated and looked up who wins. Some dipshit was setting off fireworks until 1:30 am so the dogs kept barking and waking me up just as I would doze off.

Sunday 7/27, I set my alarm for 7:00 and we both got up and started making the parmesan shortbread. We got a double batch whipped out pretty quick then Eric took off for work. I was not happy he had to work, but what can you do. I got dressed and took care of some stuff in preparation for Rattifest. I talked to Aubrie for a long time while I wrapped up the shortbread. Bruce came to pick up Dexter then he followed me down to the park. I didn’t do much to help set up. People started showing up and it was great to see all the dogs. I saw Peggy and Rudy (the Rude Dude), Jen and Brett with Percy (now Lucy) and last but not least, my Fae (with J and T). I spent some time in the corral and then around chatting. I was so glad to see some of my puppies. I spent more time with Fae during the raffle and she was rolling all over me and crying and licking my face. It was wonderful. After it was over I didn’t really help because Bruce was bringing Dexter back to my house. He chatted for a few minutes after we got back there and made arrangements for the next day’s pickup. I got the dogs all settled down, put on Elizabeth: Golden Age and worked for an hour. Eric arrived home right as it ended. He made the dogs’ dinner and I ran around doing stuff. He went to the store and picked up some stuff to make dinner. I ran to the bank and when I got home dinner was ready. I had a lot of anxiety around what we were going to do with Sucia and we were game-planning our options. Eric was taking the reins the next day. I was exhausted so I got into bed and went to bed early. Eric was packing backpacks for his camping trip with Aubs and Christian the next day. I slept with all the dogs in the bedroom with me except Clancy.

Saturday 7/26, I got up around 8:00, got dressed. Eric ran to Mud Bay to pick up some bullies to distract the dogs when Dexter came later in the day. After Eric went to work I ordered some wedding gifts online for AA and JJ then found a recipe online for a savory snack to bring to the NR Rattifest. I did a few things around the house and talked to Mom and Liz before preparing for Dexter to arrive. The handoff went well though he was quite nervous for a few hours. I went up to the GO to get stuff for the shortbread I was going to make. When I got home I hung out in the bedroom with all the dogs and Dexter finally calmed down and relaxed and went to sleep. I took a catnap before starting to get ready for the wedding. I got all the dogs situated and took off for Mom’s for the banquet tables for Rattifest. I went to pick up Eric but he sent me across the street to get him a kambucha. We took off for the wedding which was at Sodo Park and we were late, but snuck in quietly. It was a really beautiful ceremony and reception. We didn’t actually stay late because of all the dogs at home. We left right at 9:00 and stopped at the store on the way home for some ingredients. At home Dexter took right to Eric. We drove back to MI so Eric could grab the car then I talked to Alishia on the way home about our plan for getting over to Plain. We stayed up for a while but eventually fell asleep.

Friday 7/25, I was on the phone most of the day with Liz re: Sucia since Liz went into the hospital and didn’t have anyone else to watch her. We’re not sure what we’re going to do after Tues / Wed but we’re trying to figure it out. Eric picked up Sucia after work and she was there when I got home. We moved her into the bedroom so we can take her out in the front yard. Oh yes, the ACL in her other leg is now torn. So she needs to have surgery again and Liz doesn’t have any way to take care of her. Ugg. Kristel came over and we did a quick tour around the house to see the changes then we decided to go get dinner. We went to the Vietnamese place in Factoria. She’s doing a kind of Paleo thing so she needed meat and veggies. We chatted through dinner and I filled her in on everything. When we went home we sat in the living room with Eric and talked until 10, maybe? It was fun and I haven’t talked to her forever so it was nice to spend some time together. After she left we got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Thursday 7/24, I got home I let out the dogs and Susan arrived right at the same time. We chatted while I put a pizza in the oven then we started X-Files. The first episode had Giovanni Ribisi and Jack Black in it. The power went out during the second episode and that was a little creepy. I went over the dog stuff with Susan and she took off before 9:00. I cleaned up the kitchen and did laundry. I got ready for bed and took care of a few emails before Eric got home from work. He took Mom and Dad over the mountains and came back and went to work and got stuck in terrible traffic. We talked for a long time then he went in the den while I went to bed.

Wednesday 7/23, The bathroom was finally done and Eric was excited to show me when I got home. We cleaned up the bathroom and other parts of the house in preparation of Mom and Dad arriving that evening. For dinner Eric made tostados and luckily he only gave me one because that’s all I needed. Mom and Dad arrived at 8:15 and we went to pick them up. We talked all the way home and then talked in the living room until 10:30.

Tuesday 7/22, When I got home I asked Eric if he would go for a walk with me. We took the dogs through the neighborhood. Eric made pasta for dinner then we went to the GO and got stuff for the week. At home I answered a lot of emails and watched some tv. Went to bed early since I was exhausted from the weekend.

Monday 7/21, Half the group was up and out early. Aubrie and I went down and got breakfast in the lobby then finished getting ready. We took off and helped put finishing touches on things before heading to the church. The service was nice, though incredibly sad. There was a party at the country club afterward which was very nice and there were a lot of nice things said. We had lunch and cleared out when the older crowd all headed out for their afternoon naps. We went back to Grandma and Papa’s and hung out there for the rest of the day. Roz and Jerry came over with the daughter and grandkids. Mom was having a hard time with everything. We had to leave for the airport so we changed and said our goodbyes. Kass, Sky and I headed out and Sky dropped us at the terminal since he was on a later flight. We made it through security very quickly and our flight was still delayed when we got to our gate. We boarded and I was in the bulkhead. I watched a couple movies and when we landed and got down to baggage my bag was already there. Very quick. Kass drove me home and chatted the whole way. She had my framed Beatle print in her car so I took that home too. Eric and I talked for a while before bed. I was exhausted. Went to sleep.

Sunday 7/20, We were up at 5:30 and Eric took me to the airport to fly to Phoenix. I upgraded to first so that made for a nice flight. I mostly read, though I did have some breakfast. I finished my book finally. When I landed Alishia picked me up and we drove around talking for a little bit waiting for Sky to arrive. We picked him up and headed to Grandma and Papa’s. When we got there it was pretty chaotic and people were running around doing things and since we hadn’t eaten, Alishia and I headed out to get lunch. We went to this cute little place and each got a “protein bowl” and a juice. Next we went to the Rack so she could get a shirt for Pete. It was hot as shit outside and every time I walked outside it hit me like a ton of bricks. Like 105º. Yuck. Listen, I like it warm but that is just oppressive. When we got back we were going to go swimming but then Aubs called and said Mom wanted us to all get mani/pedis so we went and did that. It was this crazy super upscale nail place with a bar. After that Alishia and I headed back to Grandma’s but got a call that we were doing dinner instead. We went and waited for a table and it took a long time for everyone to get there. Kass didn’t come to any of this and instead stayed at Grandma’s all day and night to do the photo collages. We left the dinner place late and headed back. We ended up staying there until almost 1:00 am. I fell asleep on the couch and they woke me up when we left. We went to the hotel and checked into our rooms. I was bunking with Hailey. We went to bed and had the alarm set for 7:30 am.

Saturday 7/19, Up at 9:00, dressed, breakfast, HD for paint supplies, Eric left for work when I got home, started taping and texted Susan to come over, she kept me company while I primed, she left by 12:30, I went to Daly’s for paint, then store for veggies for lunch, made a salad for lunch, laid down for a while then back up to start painting bathroom, it took two coats and Eric came home when I was doing the edges, I finished up shortly after, he made dinner, we ate in the living room, watched Office, started packing to leave for AZ in the morning, did stuff online then updated this while watching 48 Hours and Dateline. Went to bed around 11.

Friday 7/18, My goal for the evening was to prime the bathroom; however, Eric and I got in fight. All the painting stuff was jacked so to burn off my frustration I went on walk and left him a note. He came to find me at the park and that’s where we got in our fight. I got sick of his lip so eventually I took off in another direction and walked for another 15 minutes. When I got home I laid down and Eric came in and we talked for a long time. He made dinner and we watched the movie “Bernie”. It was interesting. I went to bed shortly after, not having primed anything.

Thursday 7/17, I went for a walk after work and helped Eric clean up a little from the bathroom construction. I relaxed and watched some tv and watered plants.

Wednesday 7/16, When I got home I started moving stuff from the dresser in my closet to the new dresser by the so that Eric can have the other one. We tried to figure out why the master bathroom lights won’t come on, but came up empty. I got the two old bathroom countertops listed on craigslist for free and they were gone within two hours with six total emails. I made myself a salad and eventually went outside to water in the front yard. I also trimmed up some of the roses, yanked dead tiger lily stems and pulled some of the obvious weeds. I booked flights for AZ on Sunday and also for Thanksgiving since the prices finally dropped from $800 to $385. The guy came to pick up the counters and, as Eric put it, he was a real squirrel. And he drove an El Camino. Old school. At least they’re gone. I put the bathroom mirror up for free later that evening. Eric and I talked about mid-century architectural design and I think we’re stuck with the baseboards for a while since they are definitely period accurate and we’d have to redo the entire house at the same time. I got into bed and updated this.

Tuesday 7/15, I stayed late at work then headed to my massage with Corey. I told him to do deep tissue and holy shit, it hurt. But I needed to be able to think about something other than all the garbage rattling around in my brain. It worked. It hurt so bad, but surprisingly I felt good afterward. We chatted a little during the massage, but not too much. I headed home and I could tell Eric was in a bad mood, most likely because of the bathroom situation (dust and stuff in a disarray, as a remodel goes), so I made myself a salad and ignored him. I went out in the backyard and watered the plants and talked to Mom. Eric came out and wanted to vent about the mess in the bathroom and I finally just told him I couldn’t deal with what he wanted to talk about and my brain and emotions are too overloaded. He went back inside and I finished watering. I started to get ready for bed and he came into the bathroom and pulled me out and just hugged me. I just cried into his shoulder for five or so minutes and he just held me. He apologized and we talked about the progress and Grandma and I felt better. I just feel exhausted. I talked to Aubrie and tried to figure out when the service was going to be. I went to bed kind of late and Eric slept in the other room.

Monday 7/14, Grandma Dixie died at 12:40 pm. Mom called me bawling to tell me. It’s really over. I’d been getting texts all morning and they thought she would go the next day, but she passed 20 minutes after hospice left. It was a rough day to get through. I tried to make an appointment with a psychiatrist but she’s not taking new patients. I was kind of a wreck on the way home. I got it together by the time I got home and Doug arrived to go over everything in the bathroom. We talked for a while and he asked me to get some stuff from HD. Eric arrived home after spending the day in Plain taking care of a bunch of stuff for Dad. I told him we had to go get stuff from HD and he was agitated, but it needed to be done. We got everything taken care of and back to the house, unloaded, and I sat down to watch Bachelorette. I moved the sprinkler around the front yard on the commercials. It was a long, sad day.

Sunday 7/13, I got up and started gardening in the backyard before it got too hot. Susan came over early to watch X-Files. We watched the first two episodes of the third season. I was getting texts that Grandma wasn’t doing well. Kass called while I was outside with the dogs and she was very upset about Grandma and said she was going to fly down to AZ that evening. I puttered around the house and tried to stay cool inside. I think Eric was at work all day. I laid out off and on for a while. Later in the evening I called and talked to Aubrie while she drove through the desert. She was freaking out because there was a lightning storm and she was by herself. I stayed on the phone with her until she arrived at Grandma and Papa’s. Eric didn’t get home until after I’d gone to sleep, I think. Can’t remember where he was.

Saturday 7/12, Eric left for work at 7:30 and I got up a few minutes later. I fed the dogs then went for a run and was so hot, sweaty and red when I got home I had to take a cold shower to cool down. It was 9:00. I went over to Mom’s and hung out there for a long time and she showed me all the plants and patio area. I stayed until almost noon then went home. I made some lunch and did some cleaning since Sky and Chrystol were coming over before a wedding they were going to at Robinswood. I managed to keep the house pretty cool, and especially the our bedroom where I had the AC running. They showed up at 3:30 and we moved all of the flowers into the bedroom and we hung out in there with the dogs. We had a “bedroom day”. Chrystol wrapped all of the bouquets then took them down to the park. When they got back we sat in the dining room and talked and ate chips. Eric came home while Chrystol was getting ready then she took off. Sky got ready and Eric took him down to the park. We went up to Round Table for dinner, which was entertaining. The food was good. We went home and hung out for the night. Sky and Chrystol came over afterward and dropped off some flowers and chatted for a few minutes, then we went back to bed.

Friday 7/11, It was a nice day and I was glad to be off work. Violet’s adoption was finalized and she was going to be picked up at 8:00 pm. When I got home Eric went to get a haircut while I got all of Violet’s paperwork together. Jojo was visiting for the weekend as well. When Eric got home he seemed to be in a bad mood, but it seemed better after visiting with Violet’s new people and she went home. They arrived and we sat for a long time and talked about her. After they left Eric went on a run. I hung with the dogs and I think I had something to eat. I watched tv then went to bed. Eric slept in the second bedroom with Nyx while I had Jojo with me.

Thursday 7/10, It was hot and I was tired when I got home but Eric wanted to do our walk at the park. I called Mom to see if she wanted me to come over to visit because she’d had surgery the prior week. I told her I’d call later in the evening. I agreed to do the walk and we took Clancy but only did one time around. When we got home I was tired and told Mom I would visit her on Saturday. I talked to Genie about Violet’s app and how it was taking a long time and she got it fixed.

Wednesday 7/9, Eric and I went and did three times around the lake. I showered and got dressed then we went to the GO to load up. When we got home Eric made me a salad and I relaxed in the bedroom. I think I half-watched some tv before going to bed.

Tuesday 7/8, Susan arrived soon after I got home and we tried to get X-Files to come on but something wouldn’t work. Eric came home from his run and fixed it. We watched the last two episodes of the season and ate dinner that Eric made. We chatted for a little bit before she left then I went outside and watered the plants in the backyard. I took care of some emails, including Violet’s medical info for the contract. Did some of my exercises, showered and climbed into bed to read my smut and update this. Went to bed by 11:30.

Monday 7/7, When I got home I went on a run right away and got that over with. Eric went for a run then made dinner. I answered emails and took care of rescue stuff. I watched Bachelorette and moved the sprinkler on the commercials. We also moved the new dresser in and I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either. I’m going to live with it for a few days and see how I feel. I like the function of having it right there, it just might not be the look I want. I went to bed a little after 11.

Sunday 7/6, I got up at 8:30 and Susan arrived at 9 to watch X-Files. We got through two episodes and we only had two left in Season 2. After she left I thought Eric and I were going to do some stuff in the yard but he didn’t want to so I put on my suit and went and laid in the sun. He joined me and I read some of the Russell Brand book in the sun, then moved to the shade. We did that for a few hours then I showered and we screwed around for a while. Afterward I watched Sarah Marshall. We went up to Everett to do a home visit for Violet and it went very well. They are a very nice couple and it was going to be a great fit for her. When we got home we went to the store and he made dinner. Eric went on a late run. I went to bed before Eric since he didn’t work that day.

Saturday 7/5, Clancy was being a real cry baby all morning and wouldn’t stop whining. Finally I got up and took the dogs out so that they would be quiet. It was about 8:30. Eric went inside to clean up the motorhome and took Clancy. I laid in bed for a little bit and waited for everyone to use the bathroom then I went in and showered. In the motorhome I had some breakfast then we left the property and headed into Wenatchee. We went to the farmers market first and wandered around. Chrystol bought a bracelet. Next we went to On a Whim and I bought a mid-century dresser and the lamp I wanted to buy back in May but was broken. Next we went to get lunch at Lemolo and it was delicious. I had a turkey sandwich. We took off and headed back but stopped at Anjou Bakery for dessert. I got a lemon bar and it was great. We went back to the property and started cleaning everything up and packing. Eric mowed the lawn and I focused on the loft. Chrystol and Sky pretty much took care of the motorhome. I packed up the dogs and took off. Sky and Chrystol were going to ride with Eric. I made it home pretty quickly and Eric got home about an hour later. I unpacked the car and tried to get most of the stuff put away. We relaxed for the rest of the night after Chrystol and Sky went home.

Friday 7/4, We got up early and finished getting everything ready. I went out and was watering the plants in the front yard when Sky and Chrystol arrived. We packed up the car then took off. The dogs were pretty good for the ride and Breezy didn’t throw up. We got there at right about noon. The mosquitoes were terrible so we barricaded ourselves in the motorhome when we got there. Chrystol made a nice big salad for lunch and we snacked on other stuff. As it got warmer the mosquitoes lightened up so I changed into my suit and laid out on the deck. Eventually everyone joined me out there, though I was the only one who stayed in the sun the whole time. We played some mad libs and talked. I was ready for ice cream so we all headed into Plain and I got some chocolate kind. We went across the street to spend some time with the donkey and he was really cracking us up. Next up were the chickens, but they weren’t as funny, except when they all came running across the barnyard because they thought we had food. We drove back and I sat upstairs with the dogs for a while and started feeling a little blah and melancholy. Eric came up and told me to come down and be social. That worked and I felt better. Eric made dinner and we all sat inside and talked. After dinner they all played Uno for a long time and eventually I fell asleep on the couch because the last round went on for a million years. I took two of the dogs out and then upstairs with me and got ready for bed. Everyone joined me and Eric told me he won. Into bed we went and off to sleep.

Thursday 7/3, I was so happy that it was a three day weekend. I got to leave work a little early and beat Eric home. I took out the dogs and fed them, packed and did some other stuff to get ready for our trip to Plain. When Eric got home we talked about menu for our trip and ended up bickering and that just put me into a terrible mood. Again, I just felt exhausted and shut down. Eric was apologetic but it’s just not that easy for me to get over it. I’ve always been like that. Anyway, he took off for Plain to pick up the Denali and I stayed home and relaxed. I looked at psychiatrists online and found some good options. I fell asleep before Eric got back.

Wednesday 7/2, I stayed late at work and went straight to my massage appointment from there. It was warm outside but not as warm as the day before. Corey is still out so I went with J*mila and she did a fantastic job. She got out a lot of knots. Eric told me while he was out for a run he went around a trio of high school kids, two girls one boy, and when he went around them he gently put his hand on the guy to let him know he was going around him, and the guy goes, “You can touch me anytime!”. Eric said he cracked up. I stopped by the store and ended up seeing the kid Eric told me about on the phone while I was at the store. At home we chatted while he made dinner then I talked to Genie about the Violet app and their phone convo went really well. We ate dinner in the living room and watched tv. By 10 I was falling asleep and went into the bedroom to shower and climb into bed.

Tuesday 7/1, Kelly texted at 5 am to let me know something was wrong with Fritz so I called Kass to make sure there was nothing left in the backyard then called Kelly to let her know. I went back to sleep, but another non-full night’s sleep. I felt tired but managed to get through the day. It was so hot outside but when I got home the house was relatively cool; about 83. Outside was over 90. I talked to Mom for a long time and sat in the front yard moving the sprinkler around because the plants needed watering. I showered and got into bed and tried to get a few administrative things done before going to sleep.