Katie Met Santa Today

Katie and I went to the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah today. We hung out for a couple of hours to check out everything. Our first stop was to visit with Santa and feed his reindeer. Katie was a little starstruck by Santa and wouldn't sit on his lap, but after quite a bit of coaxing, she was willing to stand in front of him long enough for a picture. He gave her a piece of chocolate afterward and she said she got to touch his glove when she took the candy from his hand. It was soft, she told me.

On our way out of Santa's house, we stopped to say hello and feed the reindeer. Katie threw small pieces of apple on the ground near them and they promptly gobbled them up. Rudolph wasn't there, but all the others were.

Next stop was to get Katie's face painted. She got cute Rudolph on one cheek and a beautiful snowflake on the other cheek.

Then we heard quite a noise over in the tiger cage, so we rushed over to see what was going on. We discovered that the two tigers in there together were playing rather roughly with each other. There was lots of growling, hissing, swatting, rolling and pouncing happening. It sure was fun to see such activity from zoo animals. That doesn't usually happen, in my experience anyway.

When we got home, Katie rode her scooter and played with the neighbor, Tyler, while I put up some Christmas lights on the bushes out front. Then for dinner, we headed over to Mel and Courtney's, after stopping off at Home Depot for more lights. Our yard looked dull compared to our neighbors, I thought. Anyway, we enjoyed the evening with Mel, Courtney, Stef, Jack and Avery. Mel whipped up a yummy breakfast for dinner consisting of pancakes, hash browns, bacon and a creamy orange fruit salad leftover from a batch Mel's Mom made recently. Good food and good company. Doesn't get much better than that. Thanks, guys.

Looking North

It's sunny and cold today. Just the way I prefer it to be. This is the view this morning of Mt. St. Helens from the highest point up here near our apartment complex. It didn't show up as clearly in this picture as I'd hoped it would, but it's the best I could get.

Night Splint for Plantar Fasciitis

I ordered one of these to treat the plantar fasciitis that still pains me in my right foot. It arrived today and I'm wearing it now. You're supposed to sleep with it on at night so the foot stays in a stretched position, allowing it to heal properly and more quickly. I'm skeptical that I'll be able to sleep with it on, but I've got to give it a try to get rid of this pain. It's been 5 months now that my foot has been hurting. I'm ready for it to go away!

LOVE those post-season clearance sales

Regina's anniversary bouquet isn't looking so great anymore. It's time to throw out the dead ones. But these lillies are still looking pretty so I decided to save them for just a little bit longer. Couldn't help but take a picture or two of them.

This morning after dropping Katie off at school I ran over to Bed Bath and Beyond to get a couple of neck pillows (as recommended by our chiropractor) and came across a clearance bin of Thanksgiving things. So, for a fraction of the cost I bought cloth napkins, napkin rings, placemats and a table runner for next year's feast. Katie will enjoy decorating the table with these new things.

The Sun Has Broken Through Today!

The sun came out early this morning and burned off all the fog. What a pleasant surprise! We even have some trees still holding on to their fall colors.

Advent Calendar

We decided that this year would be a good time to introduce an Advent Calendar to Katie to help her count down to Christmas (and her birthday). I wanted to get something that would become an heirloom she could take with her when she's grown up and she could pass on to her own kids someday. There were several to choose from on Amazon and this is the one we got:

Christmas 2005 Video Flashback

This morning after I dropped Katie off at school I continued on to run a couple of errands, one of which was to shop around Linens and Things to take advantage of their going-out-of-business sale. I volunteered to get some things for Christmas for two needy families in the area. I figured I might as well save some money while I'm at it, right? Anyway, I was walking around the store and of course they're playing Christmas music now. The Christmas Canon by Trans-Siberian Orchestra came on and I was overcome by emotion. My eyes welled up and I had to pause and listen. Sounds corny, I suppose, but this song immediately brought back memories of when we had just moved to Fall City and Katie hadn't even turned two yet. In my Christmas 2005 DVD I distributed that year in Christmas cards I used that song at the end when Katie was experiencing her first snowfall. I adore that part of the video. As soon as I got home, I put it in and watched it. Seeing Katie, my sweet baby, again at that age filled my heart with such fond memories. I can hardly believe she's turning FIVE this year! Anyway, I figured out how to transfer the DVD to a format I can upload to the blog. Don't worry, I'm not uploading the entire 30-minute DVD. Just the last 3 minutes. So, if you're interested, here it is.

I was also reminded of some feedback I received after I sent out that particular DVD. A family member who does not have any kids said that after seeing all the footage of Katie, especially the end where she discovered snow for the first time, he realized why people have kids.

Where's the Sun?

This is what it looks like outside pretty much every morning lately. I don't mind it, actually, I just wish it would burn off and let the sun in every once in a while! Regina had an eerie experience on Sunday morning when she was driving to her co-worker's house to workout with their trainer. It was foggier than this and she was driving over Portland on the bridges and raised freeways. She could barely see 50 feet in front of her, causing the city and everything else around her to disappear. It was a Sunday morning, so there were hardly any other drivers on the road, causing it to suddenly seem as if she were all alone. It can be quite disturbing, that's for sure.

Zoo Lights Video

Today we decided to walk around the Christmas Bazaar at the Portland Expo Center. It was two huge buildings full of booth after booth after booth of vendors selling their products. We really didn't buy much, just a couple of things, but it was fun. Katie made it a little more difficult than it had to be though because of course she wants to buy everything that interests her, so we spent a lot of time negotiating with her. She did get to buy one special thing, though.

We ate an early dinner at the Hall Street Grill and then headed over to the zoo for Zoo Lights. It was the perfect evening for walking around outside enjoying the light displays. It wasn't too cold and it was rain-free! I took some video so I could share it here. Enjoy...

In Search of Firewood

We have a wood-burning fireplace in this apartment, which is more fun, in some ways, than one equipped with gas. It's been ages since we've had a wood-burning fireplace. If I remember correctly, it was the early 1990s and we lived in Pasadena. I'm sure Regina will correct me if I'm wrong, which I admit I often am.

Anyway, we figured instead of paying $6/bundle of wood at the grocery store, we should buy a larger supply from someone, but who? My first thought was to search craigslist for sellers and that led us to a guy and his kid in a rural area near here who had some for sale. We got a little lost trying to find their place, but with the help of our cell phone, we found it. We filled up the back of the Jeep and now we have several evenings worth of firewood.

But before we did that, Regina and Katie (sort of, anyway) spent the morning watching the Hokies play football. Katie thinks that anyone playing football on TV are called Hokies, even though we've tried to explain it to her, she doesn't get it yet. We'll just let her think that for now, anyway. So while they did that, I headed out to Michaels with my email coupons in hand. Both coupons were valid only today. One of them before noon and the other one was valid after noon. The afternoon coupon was a greater discount, so I saved that one to buy a higher priced item. I was there to buy a scrapbook and scrapbooking accessories. I'm taking advantage of this free time I have during the day in the apartment to catch up on Katie's scrapbooks and I'm starting a new one that will contain nothing but her artwork. It was starting to pile up on me and I needed a way to not only manage it, but make it accessible so we could enjoy it.

After I finished my shopping at Michaels, I headed over to the grocery store and shared with them my story about leaving behind two items I had paid for yesterday during checkout. I was worried that they wouldn't believe me and they'd think I was scamming them to get free stuff. The customer service rep said cashiers usually bring the items to them when that happens. But, my items weren't there. She asked to see my receipt and didn't miss a beat before telling me to go find the items in the store and take 'em. Thank you, Fred Meyers for giving me the benefit of the doubt.

Black Friday

That sounds like such a negative term - black friday. But it's good, financially speaking. Right? Black means positive numbers on the books, which translates into profits while red indicates negative numbers, which represents loss. In this economy, I hope it truly is a black day.

Regina, Katie and I are NOT those (crazy) folks who get up at oh-dark-hundred hours (that's a military term, right?)to stand in line and fight the crowds to get the best discounts. I, for one, just don't have it in me, but I admire those who do.

Regina's company didn't get today off from work, this year. They will get it off next year, though. So, she went to work today. Of course it was a slow day and not many of her co-workers were there. She got her top priority tasks done quickly, allowing her to leave early. She met Katie and me at Red Robin for lunch. We then decided to brave the crowds at the mall, which was just across the street from the restaurant. We chose to walk over there rather than waste time and risk frustration trying to find a parking spot near the mall. We walked around the mall for a couple of hours and it wasn't too bad. It was certainly crowded, but it wasn't completely obnoxious. I'm sure we missed out on some incredible deals by not getting there at 5am, but I can't worry about that.

Of course, we had to stop by the Disney store to see if they had Bolt merchandise in yet. You'll be relieved to know that Bolt is in stores now. Katie got Bolt (the dog who thinks he has superpowers), Mittens (the sassy, street-wise cat), and Rhino (the oversized hamster) stuffed toys. We're thankful they price their stuffed animals quite reasonably.

Regina and I made some progress on our Christmas shopping. I'm pretty proud of our purchases and our savings. Although my favorite purchase wasn't on sale, darn it. I got it anyway because it is the perfect gift for this particular person!

Regina and Katie went home and I stopped off at the grocery store. Even though I was exhausted and my plantar faciitis was extremely sore, we needed several things. The only reason I mention this is because I'm upset with myself for leaving the store without two of the items for which I paid. I'm sure they were sitting there at the cashier's station, unnoticed by him, and completely forgotten by me, as I left. So, what do I do now? I checked my receipt and I definitely paid for them. Will they believe me if I return and tell them what happened? I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I go back and tell my sad story to the customer service staffer.

When I got home from the grocery store, Katie and Regina were already there since they went straight home from the mall. Shortly afterward, Regina put up our artificial, pre-lit Christmas tree. Artificial trees are pretty much taboo here in Oregon, the country's largest supplier of fresh Christmas trees. (I admit I haven't necessarily confirmed that to be true, but that's what I heard, and I find it easy to believe.) Anyway, in our defense, we bought the artificial tree when we lived in Phoenix where we learned that fresh trees don't last long in the dry climate. We also liked the idea of not having to install lights anymore, so we opted for artificial, pre-lit trees. We bought them at Frontgate.com in their after-season sale. So they're really nice and we didn't pay a fortune.

Once the tree was up and ready to receive ornaments, we fired up a bundle of wood in the fireplace, put on some new Christmas music I recently downloaded from Walmart.com (it's a little cheaper than iTunes and I can still load it on my iPod)and we decorated the tree. It was great fun.

Then at 8pm we all watched "Polar Express" on TV. This was the first time I'd seen the entire movie and I loved it. Check it out, if you haven't already.

Happy Thanksgiving

After our turkey soaked in a brine solution for about 14 hours (1 hour for every pound of turkey), I removed it from the ten-gallon zip lock bag, dumped the solution down the drain and had the turkey in the oven by about 8:30am. We ate our Thanksgiving meal at about 12:30pm. While I was preparing our meal, Regina and Katie walked to a nearby park. Katie was bouncing off the walls and needed a release. Fortunately, it wasn't raining, so it was a good time to go outside.

Because we are in an apartment this year with a minimally-furnished kitchen and we didn't want or need all the calories, we didn't have all the traditionally excessive side dishes this year. No stuffing, no mashies, no green bean casserole. I did make gravy though and we opened a can of jellied cranberry. Instead of potatoes, I made a batch of brown rice. We did have green beans, but not in casserole form. We also had a yummy orange cream fruit salad that is actually the perfect companion for the cranberry. The two tastes are so satisfying together.

After we cleaned up from the meal, we got into our matching Christmas pajamas. It might sound corny, but it's incredibly cute and we like it! I set up a make-shift photo studio and we took our family pictures we'll send out in Christmas cards in a couple of weeks.

The next activity on our schedule, we decided should be a trip to the movie theater to see the new animated Disney flick, Bolt. Ever since Katie saw a trailer for the movie about 6 weeks ago, she's been patiently waiting for its release. Today she was out of her mind with excitement. Fortunately, it was a good movie and I get the impression it met all of her expectations. She didn't leave her seat for the entire movie, which is pretty remarkable for her!

Happy Anniversary, Regina!

This week marks the year anniversary of Regina's employment at Epiq Systems here in Portland. To recognize the milestone, the folks to whom she reports sent her this gorgeous, oversized bouquet of flowers. I thought I'd share it with you here...

Pre-K Thanksgiving Concert and Feast

Katie's class invited parents to school today for a brief concert and a Thanksgiving feast put together by the kids. The meal turned out to be more for the kids than for the parents. But we managed to sample a few things on the table before it was all over.

Here is a short video of the festivities:

Weekend Houseguests

This weekend, we enjoyed the company of our friends, Melanie, Courtney and their 8-month-old twins Avery and Jack. They drove down from Seattle on Friday and left today after lunch. We loved being able to spend the entire weekend with them and look forward to the next time. Of course, we had our video cameras out and running. Here's just some of what I got. Enjoy...

No Rain Today!

I could have sworn the weather forecast last night said more rain for today. So, imagine my surprise when we woke up to sunshine this morning! It's been raining non-stop for several days now, so everyone is certainly ready for a break.

Katie was home today due to parent/teacher conferences. We met with her teacher at 11:20am and went to Red Robin afterward. Regina went back to work while Katie and I found a nearby park. I took my video camera. Take a look...

Music: Below Freezing by T. Michael Coleman

Video of Our Apartment

I've been meaning to post a video of our apartment and the surrounding area, but the weather has not been very cooperative for the outdoor shots. Today I went ahead and did it anyway, because there's no telling when this rain will ever stop! Additionally, I was motivated to do it today because the cleaning lady came so the apartment was neat and clean for filming. Anyway, here is a video of our current, but temporary, living arrangements...

Music: Yasmine by Shahin & Sepehr

Get Your Vitamin D Level Tested!

I had a physical the other day and part of the bloodwork included a test to see what my vitamin D level was. I came in at 32 and the normal range is something like 40-75, I think. So, I'm taking 3,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily for the next three months, at which time I'll be retested. I also take a tablespoon of Cod Liver Oil every day which includes 1,200 IU of vitamin D, but I mostly take that for the fatty acids.

My doctor said that most of us are deficient in vitamin D and don't even realize it. There are very few food sources that provide us with vitamin D and most of us don't get the right amount of sunshine (without sunscreen) per day to supply the vitamin D our bodies need. Studies are beginning to show that vitamin D deficiency is major factor in several cancers, depression, heart disease, chronic pain, and numerous other conditions. So, get your level checked! It's just a simple blood test. Do it the next time you see your doctor.

Today we saw Hood River, Oregon

Mel, Court and their family visited Hood River to stock up on local fruit canned nearby. Hood River, we learned, is only about an hour drive from our location here in Portland, so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to see them. This morning we loaded up the car and headed east on highway 84 through the Columbia River Gorge. Boy, talk about a beautiful drive! The fall foliage is out in full color, but it was raining most of the time, so I failed to get any still shots or good video of its glory. Anyway, we ate lunch together and walked around the shops a little bit before it was time to hit the road. It was such a treat to get to see them, especially since we're now spending most of our time down here in Portland and they live in the Seattle area. I used to go over there every week and spend several hours visiting and playing with the babies. I really miss being able to do that.

Below are a couple of pictures of Katie I took today. In the first one she's modeling this new outfit we got her last night. I just love dressing her. Everything looks good on her slender little 4-year-old body! The second picture is Katie on the foyer floor putting together her new 100-piece puzzle. She really enjoys putting puzzles together and this one is her biggest challenge thus far.

P.S. What do you think... should we get a puppy? And if so, what kind?

Day 19 of 21-Day Cleanse

Well, I guess the cleanse is over. Unless Recees Peanut Butter Cups and Baby Ruth and Kit Kat candy bars are on it! Um, don't think so. I didn't go crazy though. I took them from Katie's Halloween candy, so they were all bite-sized rather than full-sized candy bars. Anyway, I don't know what came over me. I had just finished with my very healthy lunch and I suddenly had an overwhelming desire for a peanut butter cup. After a couple of minutes of contemplation, I figured one peanut butter cup isn't going to undo all the good I've done, is it? So, I allowed myself to have it and then I decided that one little bite-sized baby ruth isn't going to kill me either, right? So I ate that too! Anyway, you get the idea.

I think now what I'm going to do is try to eat the way I've been eating for the last 18 days, most of the time, while allowing a treat now and then. I doubt I'll go back to drinking coffee every morning. For me, once I'm drinking coffee every day, if I miss a day I get a horrible caffeine-withdrawal headache. I'll still drink it, because I love coffee, just not every single day. Also, I'd like to NOT add diet soda back into my diet. Maybe one now and then, but I should really stay away from it. There are no redeeming qualities in diet soda, whatsoever.

Time For Bed

It's time for bed, little mouse, little mouse,
Darkness is falling all over the house.

It's time for bed, little goose, little goose,
The stars are out and on the loose.

It's time for bed, little cat, little cat,
So snuggle in tight, that's right, like that.

It's time for bed, little calf, little calf,
What happened today that made you laugh?

It's time for bed, little foal, little foal,
I'll whisper a secret, but don't tell a soul.

It's time for bed, little fish, little fish,
So hold your breath and made a wish.

It's time for bed, little sheep, little sheep,
The whole wide world is going to sleep.

It's time to sleep, little bird, little bird,
So close your eyes, not another word.

It's time to sleep, little bee, little bee,
Yes, I love you and you love me.

It's time to sleep, little snake, little snake,
Good gracious me, you're still awake!

It's time to sleep, little pup, little pup,
If you don't sleep soon the sun will be up!

It's time to sleep, little deer, little deer,
The very last kiss is almost here.

The stars on high are shining bright --
Sweet dreams, my darling, sleep well...

Good night.

Day 17 of 21-Day Cleanse

I really, really want a Diet Dr. Pepper and a handful of Katie's Halloween candy today! Maybe it's because I was too lazy today to fix myself a decent lunch and now I'm dissatisfied, though not necessarily hungry. Well, maybe I am actually hungry. Even so, I still don't feel like cooking my usual lunch. A snack of apple and peanut butter sounds good though. That's what I'll do...

Day 15 of 21-Day Cleanse

I'm almost done and I can hardly believe I've actually managed to stick to it! Since starting 2 weeks ago, I've lost 5.2 lbs and although I don't really feel all that different yet as far as chronic issues go, I have eliminated food cravings that have been making it difficult to manage my weight. Even Halloween didn't tempt me with all the yummy treats given out so freely. I successfully abstained and don't feel like I missed out on anything. Hurray!

Katie and Me in the Morning

Wearing our matching Christmas PJs from 2 years ago.
I'll never get tired of Katie's hugs!

Happy Halloween!

Today didn't happen entirely how we planned it would. Regina woke up with a pretty bad headache. Thankfully though, I woke up feeling fine. That was a pleasant surprise, since I've been strung out on headaches for about the last 10 days, due to various things - not food, though (I've been very good about eliminating my "bad" foods). Anyway, Regina and I had appointments today with the same doctor at 10:00 and 10:40am. By the time we got there, Regina was feeling worse, it seemed to me, anyway. So, she saw the doctor first. I went in for my appointment later which was just a routine annual exam. The plan was for Regina to watch Katie while I did that, but as it turned out, Regina was unable to do that. So, Katie accompanied me for my (GYN) exam! The doctor was good about not exposing me directly to Katie - thankfully. We also got our flu vaccination. Instead of the shot this year, Katie and I both got the nasal mist. Katie took it very well, although she was not a willing participant. Of course, now after the fact, Katie is quite proud of herself for doing such a good job taking the medicine in her nose!

Okay, so meanwhile, Regina is in the room next to us, having received an injection of pain medicine and anti-nausea medicine, lying down with the lights low. She said later that her pain was almost gone, but she began throwing up and they had a hard time getting that under control. By the time we left, around noon, they thought she was vomitting less frequently so she might be feeling better soon. At home, she went straight to bed. Unfortunately, I heard her throwing up on several occassions after that. Katie and I had to leave and run the errands. When we got back, Regina wasn't any better. In fact, she was getting worse because the pain was returning because the pain medicine was wearing off and she was still nauseous. Argh! Well, there wasn't much I could do for her, so I let her rest and focused on getting Katie ready for trick-or-treating. At a little after 6pm, she and I headed out the door to hit up the neighbors for candy. Since Regina wasn't able to answer our door, I put two huge vats of candy on the porch. Fortunately, they were empty when we returned 90 minutes later. We teamed up with our immediate neighbors who have kids Katie's age and walked around as a group. We all had a good time. And even though it had been raining all day long, it dried up just in time for the outdoor festivities. Here are a few pictures of the kids:

When we returned from trick-or-treating, Regina was just miserable so we took her to the ER. They gave her their "migraine protocol" and she came home feeling much, much better. She even had an appetite for some of Katie's Halloween candy. Not long after that, she went to bed. No more pain, no more vomitting!

Field Trip to Pumpkin Patch

Katie's pre-k class climbed aboard a mini-school bus at 10:00 this morning and made their way to Lee's Pumpkin Patch for their first field trip this year. Parents are allowed to attend, but we don't get to ride the bus with the kids. So, I met them there, as did several other parents and siblings. Each of us was armed with our camera, and together we became the "mom-arazzi"! Here are some of the pics I got of our little celebrities:

Day 8 of 21-Day Cleanse

Well, I've made it a whole week eliminating caffeine, alcohol, animal products (including dairy and eggs), gluten and sugar. And you know what? I feel like I can keep going. It's not quite as miserable as I imagined it would be, honestly. Although I don't necessarily feel great, yet. Which is why I want to keep going. I'm actually thinking about doing it until I do feel good, if not great, however long that takes. Oh, and I lost 3 pounds since starting the cleanse a week ago. That's not necessarily why I'm doing this, but I'll take it, of course!

Day 6 of 21-Day Cleanse

I'm continuing to stick to this 21-day cleanse (no alcohol, caffeine, gluten, animal products or sugar)and am doing okay, minus this stubborn caffeine-withdrawal headache that continues to linger. Tonight, however, I'm really fighting the urge to cheat on cheese pizza and ice cream. Regina also bought some evil cupcakes that she and Katie enjoyed with their ice cream. So far, I've not allowed myself to indulge.

Today we bought 2 new car seats for Katie. One for each of our vehicles. Katie has been in the Britax Marathon since she was about 8 months old and recently we've noticed that she's just too big for it. Regina did some research and since we like the Britax brand, we agreed to get their Frontier model.

We drove over to the baby-stuff store and bought two of them, only to discover that it cannot be installed in our Jeep because the seat belt isn't long enough! I'm so thankful we took them up on their offer to install it for us because if we had taken it home and tried it ourselves, it would have driven us crazy trying to make it work. It would have never occurred to me that the seat belt might not be long enough to strap the seat into place, so I would have assumed we were doing it wrong. AND, if we'd taken it home and tried the installation ourselves, they wouldn't have let us return it. But, since the seats never even left their parking lot, they knew we hadn't done anything to them and were willing to take them back. So, per their recommendation, we bought the Graco Nautilus which they said is of equally good quality, at about half the price. Katie says she's more comfy in the new seat and she's especially excited about the built-in cup holder and it also has open space inside each armrest for her to stow things away for easy access during a car ride.

So now, we're wondering about what do we do with these two used car seats? Do people buy used car seats?

Happy Birthday Alex (Dad, Grandpa)!

Day 3 of 21-Day Cleanse

On Monday I began a cleanse I read about in Kathy Freston's book Quantum Wellness. She recommends doing this cleanse for anywhere from 7 to 21 days, at least once a year. It's really pretty simple. Just cut all of these things out of your diet: caffeine, alcohol, gluten, sugar(artificial sweeteners too), and all animal products (meats and dairy products).

So, you're probably wondering just what IS on the list of foods that I CAN eat. It seems like there is nothing left, after excluding all those things. Basically fresh, whole foods and water. That is, fruits, vegetables, non-gluten grains like rice, beans and nuts.

This is my third day of doing this cleanse and I'm doing okay, considering. I love coffee, so I really miss that. I tried drinking decaf, but since I can't put any sort of sweetener in it, I've chosen to just not have coffee at all while I do this. The other thing I really miss is sugar. I love the sweets, which is just one of the many reasons why I've battled my weight all my life.

Yesterday I woke up with a throbbing headache which I'm blaming on caffeine withdrawal. Imitrex gave me some relief, as did other pain medicines taken throughout the day. I went to bed feeling okay last night, although it wasn't completely gone. This morning I woke up with the same sort of headache, but less intense. Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up headache-free.

Multnomah Falls

We decided this afternoon to drive along the Columbia River Gorge to see the Multnomah Falls.

Pumpkin Patch

Today we spent the afternoon at Lee Farms in Tualatin, not far from our apartment. They had some kiddie rides, most of which Katie went on and enjoyed them all. They also had lots of animals, some of which we got to pet, like the baby chicks. Only grownups were allowed to pick them up, so I held one in my hand while Katie stroked its fuzzy little back. One of them didn't appreciate being held very much and tried to jump out of my hands until Katie touched him and he settled down almost immediately. We now call her "the chick whisperer"! I was impressed with how gentle she was with such a tiny, fragile animal.

They also had a litter of puppies. We counted 7 of them. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to touch them, so we just watched as the Momma dog nursed them. They were still pretty small. I don't think they were walking yet.

We also enjoyed some treats they had available. Donuts and kettle corn! Yum.

Katie, Regina and I picked out a couple of pumpkins, which we made into jackolanterns. Here's a picture of our creations... Regina did the first one and mine is the second one pictured here.

Happy Birthday Edy!

We love you!

Baby Gina and Her Sister Sue

A few years ago I had Regina's family's home movies transferred from 8mm film to digital cassette tapes. Then I transferred the footage from digital cassette to DVD. I made copies of the DVDs and Regina's parents gave a set to each of their kids. I think it's so wonderful they can now look back at their childhood so easily, anytime they feel like it! It's a good thing we did it when we did because the 8mm film was certainly suffering damage due to the natural aging process. Eventually, it would be impossible to transfer.

These pictures I've posted here are still-frames I extracted from the footage after it was transferred to digital. The bald-headed toddler is baby Regina and with her is Sue, her older sister. In the last picture Regina is being held by her Mom. The year is either 1961 or 1962.

Birthday Party for a 4-Year-Old

Katie went to a birthday party this afternoon for one of her friends. It was held at KidzBounce in Preston, WA. I love parties there because it really gets all the "crazies" out!

On the way to the party, Katie was so proud of herself because she pointed out that I was about to go in the wrong direction to get to the "bouncy room", as we like to call it. I was sitting at a light, positioned to go straight, when she said, "Momma, you're supposed to be going that way," as she pointed with her thumb to the left. I immediately realized she was right! She knew that we needed to go left to get to the bouncy room and that if we wanted to go to her "old" school, we would go straight. And, she knew I was in the wrong lane to go left at that light. That was the first time she'd ever given me any clue that she knows how to get to places when we're out driving. I guess she DOES pay attention, even though it sure doesn't seem like it most of the time!

Looking Back - May 3, 1966

Two-year-old Suzie already in love with cats!

Hudson, Where Are You?

Katie and I went out to get some lunch at Red Robin (which we both enjoyed) and then to the bookstore for some new books. We ended up at Target before coming home. Anyway, when we left we closed both bedroom doors as the cats have been running and jumping on the furniture and knocking over things.

When we came back after about three hours, we didn't see either cat. As I was putting some kitchen things away, Mater came flying out from behind the microwave on the counter (which by the way made me jump). But where was Hudson?

Katie searched under the couch and chair, I looked in the bedrooms -- although we were sure they were both out when we left. After giving up -- worried he ran out the door when we were unloading -- I decided we earned a ghost (the Halloween version of peeps). As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the drawer to the ovwn was open. We got a flash light but nothing was in the drawer. I decided to pull the draw all the way out and there was Hudson -- under the oven. He came out and I put the drawer back. I noticed that there is about a three inch by three inch "hole" in the corner base board (the oven/stove is near the corner and where the cabinet meets the corner and the oven meets the corner is open). I am still not sure how he fit!

Fun times!

Katie & Regina's Saturday

As you saw from Suzie's post, Katie and I are in Portland spending the weekend together without Suzie. I have to say it is a little weird to be watching Katie all by myself for so long! A day, a night - no big deal... but Friday, Saturday and Sunday plus Monday morning...!

We are having a great time... but Katie keeps talking about getting things for Mama! Our weekend has been full of playing computer games and the matching game, some TV shows, eating dinner (Friday night) at MacDonald's, reading books, running around, and going to a movie (Beverly Hills Chihuahua). By the way, she loved the movie and so did I. She is already asking for it on DVD.

Hopefully, tomorrow, the weather will be better and we can play outside. We found a great shopping area on the way to the movies so now this area (Lake Oswego) is starting to feel like home. I am not sure where the parks are but we will drive around and see if we can find one. We just found a great one by the old apartment so I hope we can find a good one here..

Katie needs help as her dinosaur got hurt and she needs to take care of the bleeding (pretend of course) which means I need to get her a wipe and an ice pack! And, some gummy bears, too!

The Wind is Howling

I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store when all of the sudden everything went black. In that instant, there was no noise, nobody moved. My first thought was that I wouldn't be able to buy my groceries and I really needed them for dinner tonight! Then, I realized that if the power failed here at the grocery store, then it could possibly be out at the house too and that would be no fun for me when I got home! And then I wondered, are they going to ask me to put everything back, if they can't check me out? Isn't it amazing all the things that can cross your mind in a split second? Within a couple of seconds, maybe even less, a few of the lights came back on. The cashier said they have a generator and he could, indeed check us out. Another second later, all the lights came back on. Whew.

I stopped off at the grocery store on my way home from seeing a movie at our favorite theater in Bellevue. I saw Nights in Rodanthe with Richard Gere and Diane Lane. I was in the mood for that sort of movie and I enjoyed it.

I'm here in Seattle for the weekend without Regina and Katie so I can do some cleaning and bring another load of stuff to the apartment in Portland. I haven't taken any of my clothes to the apartment yet and there are some additional things Katie needs too. I just didn't have room in my car last weekend for everything. I don't mind this time to myself, in fact, I completely enjoy it. But it is very quiet except for the howling of the wind. Even the cats are in Portland now, so I have no one to take care of for these couple of days. This is only the second time I've spent the night away from Katie since her birth.

Looking Back - May 3, 1964

Awww, there I am, 2 days old, with my very young parents.

Surely they must have been freaking out a little bit

about what they'd gotten themselves into!

Katie's Last Day at Bright Horizons

For the last two and a half years, Katie has been going to Bright Horizons in Issaquah. It was truly a wonderful experience and their influence on Katie has helped her to become the self-confident, healthy, happy child she is today. Katie loved going to school there and I felt comfortable taking her there everyday.

For her last day, she wanted to take cupcakes in to share with her friends, for a sweet goodbye. Now, I knew that I needed to make sure the cupcakes were peanut-free, but in Katie's class there is a child who is allergic to wheat. So, I needed to make wheat-free, peanut-free cupcakes. Well, that's not a problem for the frosting, but it is a challenge for the cake. I ended up finding a recipe online which turned out really yummy and passed the "kid test". So, if you ever need to make a gluten-free cupcake, try this recipe for yellow cake.

Okay, so I was so proud of myself for accomplishing the task of making a batch of yummy cupcakes that all the kids could eat, even the kid with the wheat allergy. But, my bubble was burst when Katie told me after I picked her up tonight that the child with the wheat allergy is also allergic to eggs! Well, of course the cupcakes had egg in them. Unfortunately, it was not communicated to me that he also had an egg allergy, so he had to eat a popscicle while everyone else ate the cupcakes. I felt terrible when I heard that. Katie said she told her friend she was so, so sorry, but her Mom didn't know he couldn't eat eggs. Well, I suppose he is used to that happening. I was just hoping we could avoid a situation where he gets left out because of his allergies.

Here are some pictures I took of Katie and her friends today, on her last day of school at Bright Horizons in Issaquah.

Camping With Our Friends

It was a perfect weekend for camping. We went to the Wenatchee Confluence State Park with our best buddies, Mel and Court, and their 7-month-old babies, Jack and Avery. They brought their little dog, named Katie, who was a constant source of entertainment for our Katie who insisted on being with her as much as possible. Our Katie also had fun digging in the dirt and making volcanoes. She's definitely a tomboy!

Of course, we completely enjoyed visiting with Mel and Court, but I also loved having full access to the two babies. What a joy they are!

Camping Time - The Real Kind!

I head up to Seattle tomorrow (Thursday) so that we can take off Friday to go camping with some friends for the weekend. I grew up camping (tent - no trailers) as a kid sometimes on our own as a family and other times with family friends. They were some of the best times we ever had - as far as I am concerned.

While we stayed at campgrounds -- yes with electricity and showers -- we never brought a TV and cooked on an open fire and camping stove. Suzie and I have camped on and off over the years, too. I have always insisted that we tent camp with no TV.

We have grown from a 2 person tent to a 4 person tent to now a 7 person tent. When they say 4 person they mean just enough room for four people to sleep. No extra room and I need some room to move around and keep my clothes in the tent! Katie likes the new tent because you can put up a wall to divide it. She has only been backyard camping with me in the 4 person tent so this will be a new adventure for her. She is excited, but I don't think she realizes what it will actually be like camping outside the entire time. I am sure that she will love it and want to go again.

As I get older, I realize that I am not the best at sleeping on the ground. We are bringing an air mattress for the first time! Katie will bring her Aero travel bed, too!

We will upload pictures when we get back!

Driving Toward Mt. Ranier - Sept 23

Relax and enjoy!

Here's a 3-minute video
of the beautiful Pacific Northwest...

Katie Is A Three Blanket Gal!

Just before Katie was born I searched for the "perfect" blanket for her. I actually found two different kinds but soon realized after she was born that the soft, Oprah recommended one, was her favorite. As a baby, she would rub it on her cheek and then her belly to put herself to sleep. Later, it was her blanket for "good night time."

Worried that she would be without it, or it would get lost, we bought a smaller version of it for the car -- thinking we could keep one in her crib and one in the car. Well, Katie had other ideas. She always wanted both! So, we had to carry around both blankets. As she got older, the smaller one was placed on her pillow for her head and the larger one covered her up.

This past summer, we vacationed on the East Coast and visited her cousins - Paige, Katelyn and Mathew. They gave her their Care Bear blanket so now she needs all three! The Care Bear blanket now is in the bed with her, too. Yikes!

TV Starts Again!

I am not sure if I am as excited about all the new shows starting or just the reality shows starting up again! Today it is Dancing with the Stars but Survivor and the Amazing Race start this week too!

I had a weekend of not feeling well... started with a weird headache all day Saturday and then Sunday I felt dizzy for most of the day. The good news is that I at least felt better when Suzie, her Mom and Sister, and Katie were here. Katie and I spent Sunday together while the rest of them drove up the Columbia river and saw some falls. I can't wait to make the drive, too, before the weather rolls in and we can't make the drive. They drove back today and were thinking of stopping at Mt. St. Helens. Since I haven't heard from them I am assuming they did.

I went to the doctors today to check the pressure in my ears (need to be healthy for camping this coming weekend). Turns out all looks good. My tubes are not formed "correctly" (I am not the only ones) and so the pressure I feel is like being up in an airplane. I can't pop my ears very well and she said this is why. Right now, the pressure is just building up. It could indirectly cause my headaches as the pain may be causing me to tense up (thereby giving me tension headaches that cluster into a migraine). So, for now, I take Sudafed and she gave me a muscle relaxer to help me sleep and relax those neck and shoulder muscles.

It was great to see everyone and I am looking forward to everyone being together in October. Next weekend is the big camping trip so I am sure there will be pictures forthcoming soon!

Off to watch some TV.

Multnomah Falls

My Mom, sister and I spent an afternoon driving along the Columbia River Gorge and came across many waterfalls. This one was the most impressive.

Columbia River Gorge

My Mom (Kathleen), my sister (Bonnie) and I took a drive along the Columbia River Gorge, even though it was misty and gray outside. It was pretty, even without the sun, so I can't wait to drive it again on a sunny, cool autumn day when the leaves are changing.



Our first stop was at the Viewpoint Inn for lunch. The building was constructed in 1924 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Our lunch was delicious and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. I'd go back anytime! Mom took this picture of it.

We kept on driving, came across numerous waterfalls and about a gazillion photo ops. The most impressive of the waterfalls was the Multnomah Falls. At the gift shop, I bought a huge poster of it for Katie. It stands about 6 feet tall and looks great on the wall here in our Portland apartment. Mom was our photographer during the drive and took this picture of the falls.

Ron and Kathleen's Visit ~ Day Two

After I dropped Katie off at school, ran a couple of errands and returned home to shower, we all ate some lunch and headed toward Seattle today. We ended up visiting the Impressionist show at the Seattle Art Museum. It was quite enjoyable. Afterward, we walked a couple of blocks over to the Pike Place Market. We looked around and ate an early dinner there at Lowell's where we enjoyed a view of the sound while we ate.

Ron returns home tomorrow, unfortunately. Mom will stay for another six days. After we drop Ron off at the airport, we'll continue driving on down to Portland to spend the rest of the weekend with Regina.

Ron and Kathleen's Visit ~ First Full Day

I took Katie to school and we (Kathleen -my Mom, Ron - her husband, and Bonnie - my sister) all piled into the jeep and headed East. We were all hungry and opted to eat out instead of at home. It's more fun, afterall! I wanted them to try Twedes Cafe in North Bend. I enjoyed the fish and chips, while they each tried one of the 26 different hamburgers offered on the menu. They call it their Hamburgers A to Z. I'm not a big burger fan, so I'll just take their word for it that they're good.

Then, we got on I-90 East and ended up at Snoqualmie Pass. There we just drove around a couple of the exits, admired the beautiful vacation homes, and walked around Alpental even though the facilities are currently closed to the public.

Around dinnertime we picked up Katie and grilled salmon at home. It was a perfect way to end a day of showing Mom, Ron and Bonnie some of the scenery we get to enjoy every day living here.

I wonder which apartment is on fire? Oh, no.

I drove home tonight from work tonight - my first time -and as I was driving up the hill to my turn I could smell smoke. I was talking with Sue and thought to myself I wonder which apartment is on fire as there are apartment complexes all over the place. As I turned onto Jefferson Parkway and worked my way to the top (where the complex is located) I thought the smoke and smell died down. I was just thinking - well it is not me - when I turned into the complex and saw all the fire trucks.

I quickly got off with Sue and tried to find a place to park as there were at least four fire trucks in front of my building (and beyond) blocking the road and my path to my parking spot. After finding a parking spot, I walked towards my building. Suzie, Katie and Bonnie had already gone home (they arrived safely) so I knew they were safe. But, was it my apartment?

After getting closer, I saw people walking past my building and to the building on fire. I didn't walk too close to it, but it looked under control but an ambulance was coming in so someone was hurt. Well, I thought I should at least go check in on the apartment so here I am.

Safe and sound. What a first night by myself!

Preschool Test Drive

We're spending an extra night in Portland this weekend so Katie and I can spend tomorrow morning (Monday) at her new preschool. There are three classrooms for the preschoolers and they want to make sure Katie is placed where she'll fit in best, so they invited us to come in for a couple of hours prior to her first day of school. Katie can "test drive" each classroom so hopefully on Oct 1 when she begins attending, we'll already have determined which classroom will be best for her.

We'll head back to Seattle as soon as we're done at school. Hopefully we can begin driving right after lunch.

On The Move Again

It is moving weekend, again, as I move into a bigger corporate apartment so that Suzie and Katie can join me in Portland. This one is in Lake Oswego so I am excited to learn a new area. I have now lived in Beaverton, Hillsboro and soon Lake Oswego. I really like the Hillsboro location for walking, shopping and eating, but the apartment is very noisy (and hot as I get direct afternoon sun without air conditioning).

The new apartment is in Mountain Park so it is higher in elevation and full of trees. I can't easily see shopping but have already found a grocery store. It will be a new adventure for sure! Suzie and Katie will be down at the end of the month as Katie starts school on October 1st. Everyone is coming down this weekend to help and see the new place.

We will have great weather for the move - 80s and sunny, but I have to say I am not looking forward to the actual moving. I mostly have to move clothes and personal items, but we have a few things that are heavy and bulky that we moved down here so as to not have them in the house for showing. Plus, there are Christmas stuff and a tree to move, too!

I will send out address and phone information via email once I get settled!

Finally, Relief!

Yesterday Katie, Bonnie and I left Portland around 3pm. I was debating what to do about my lingering head pain. I decided we needed to stop in Bellevue at the Overlake ER on our way home. The pain in my head was the worst when I moved around and/or sat upright. When I would lie down, it was okay. So, I reclined for the whole drive back to Seattle while Bonnie drove and Katie watched her new favorite movie, Robots, on her portable DVD player in the back seat.

It seemed to take forever to get treatment at Overlake and I almost didn't stay, thinking I could just come back the next day after dropping Katie off at school. Right as I was getting up to leave, they assigned me to an exam room and took us back. Turned out that they agreed with me that I was probably leaking spinal fluid as a result of the lumbar puncture procedure they performed at the ER last Wednesday. I had two options. Wait for it to heal itself or get an epidural blood patch. Well, the pain was really horrible and prevented me from functioning normally, so I decided not to wait for it to heal on its own. I had the blood patch done.

It was the most amazing thing. I felt relief immediately! My pain went from an 8 out of 10 all the way down to about 2 out of 10 in just the few minutes it took the anesthesiologist to perform the procedure. It was amazing. I was so grateful.

We got home last night around 10:30pm and we all went to bed shortly afterward.

Today I have a very mild headache, but nothing like it was before the blood patch and my lower back aches. My orders are to lie down as much as possible for the 48 hours following the blood patch. That's not a problem though. Katie's in school and Bonnie is here with me. I feel pretty wiped out and therefore don't have energy to do much else anyway. I'm just thankful that whole episode is over.

Okay, time to return to my spot on the couch, next to my two very protective kitties.

Suzie Update

It seemed that things were turning around on Thursday (almost back to normal) when Friday hit. On Thursday, Suzie decided that they would come back down to Portland for a change of scenery. Unfortunately, Friday hit and Suzie felt -- almost -- as bad as she did on Wednesday. The good news was she wasn't throwing up. The bad news was that she still had a headache.

I was worried that it was the result of the spinal tap. Everyone I know who has had that procedure had a terrible headache at the base of the head. I warned her of that when we talked on Thursday but since she was feeling better I assumed she was okay. Anyway, back to Friday, Suzie got Katie off to school and then she and Bonnie headed back to the ER. They, too, thought that since she was better on Thursday that it more than likely meant that it was not due to the spinal tap. However, they didn't see any issues with treating it like it was. There are two options - one meant going to downtown Seattle for treatment or the other was high dosages of caffeine and pain medication.

Suzie really wanted to get away so she opted for the latter and the three of them headed for Portland late Friday afternoon. I didn't know all of this was going on as I would have told them to stay and I would have driven up after work. They hit bad traffic leaving that late but Bonnie hung in there and got them to Portland with the directions given by a drug-induced Suzie!

She looked tired and drugged but pretty good when they arrived. All day Saturday, Bonnie, Katie and I worked to keep quiet and busy. We went to the pool, ran errands, and went to the park. Suzie slept most of the day and didn't say much so were were not really sure how she felt. We just stayed clear and tried to keep the apartment cool and quiet.

It is Sunday morning and she just woke up.... and looks almost like Suzie. She is moving and alert (always a good sign) and just said she doesn't feel bad. Let's hope she is back to new! I guess they will head back up sometime today.

A big thanks to Bonnie -- not sure how Suzie would have gotten through all of this without her help!

Dark, Black, Very Low Day

I woke up feeling awful. Horribly, terribly awful. My head was pounding. It was similar to my normal migraine, but worse. Much worse. And, unlike my normal migraine which is located on the left side of my head, over the temple, this one was the most intense in my forehead. It felt like someone had inserted a knife in my forehead. I thought that perhaps breakfast would help. So I had a banana and some orange juice. Then I fed Katie and got her dressed for school. Right before we were getting into the car, I threw up. Even so, I managed to drive her to school and even got back home safely. I lay down for a while and around noon I asked Bonnie (my sister is here for the summer) to drive me to Urgent Care. They gave me two shots. One to relieve the nausea and the other for pain. After about 20 minutes, the nausea was nearly gone, but there was still pain. They gave me another shot of pain medicine. 20 or 30 minutes after that I still felt the pain, but didn't really care. So they sent me home. When I got home I took an imitrex (migraine medicine) and lay down again. I slept on and off all afternoon. At about 5pm it was time to pick up Katie from school and I could tell all the medicine had worn off and the headache was even worse. I began throwing up again - actually dry heaving since there was nothing left in my stomach. So, I asked Bonnie to drive me to pick up Katie from school and then she took me to the ER. They quickly hooked me up to a lovely cocktail of pain medicine, muscle relaxant, anti-nausea, and anti-inflammitory. Suddenly there was a light at the end of this dreadfully dark tunnel I was in. Bonnie and Katie went out to eat while I hung out in the ER. My doctor was concerned that since this headache was not like my normal migraine, there could be something else going on like brain bleed. So, he ordered a CAT scan and Lumbar puncture. The two tests combined would let us know if there was any bleeding going on in my brain. It would also find any tumors that might be there. Fortunately, there was no bleeding and no tumor. At about 10:30pm, they sent me home. I was groggy and hungry, but feeling pretty good, considering. We all went straight to bed when we got home.

My First Adjustment!

Last week I had a bad, stay-at-home, migraine. It was the kind that I get two to four times a year and they usually end in a trip to the emergency room. I was hoping that after my hysterectomy that these severe ones would go away. The good news is that I have only gotten two in the last year and was able to "ride them out" without going to the emergency room. In both cases, I finally stopped throwing up enough to get some medication down. And, eventually, felt better. Unfortunately, after the one last week, I still never felt 100%.

I noticed over the last few months that my neck was popping and clicking more than I ever remembered. Several co-workers and the doctor I have been seeing in Seattle had recommended I see a chiropractor. The thought of someone cracking my neck seemed a little too scary. So, like most things that don't seem like much fun, I procrastinated about calling and making an appointment. After a weekend of not feeling well after the Wednesday headache , I decided to call the doctor that was recommended to me by someone I trusted in the office.

When I called this morning and said why I wanted to come in, they cleared a 4:30 appointment for me. My first thought was... oh, today? I needed more time to adjust (no pun intended) to the idea. But, I decided to just jump in and take the appointment. She explained everything she was doing and after some massage and sonar treatment, she adjusted my neck and upper back.

I didn't like the sounds of it, but must say it feels better. I will need to go twice a week for a few weeks, but so far it was a positive experience. She also said (I of course knew this) that migraines are hard to end due to the difficulty in finding the exact chemical imbalance -- there are so many. She has found that if you wake up with them that they might be caused by lack of oxygen. She may want me to get tested to see how much oxygen I take in especially during sleep.

So, I can now say that I am cracked!