Visitor

Visitor, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

My friend and colleague, Kipp, brought his dog, Kayla, into the office today and she is hanging out with me, just the stress reliever I needed.

Weekend Wrap-Up: 1/9 - 1/11

It was a good weekend, here are the highlights:

• Slept in on Friday morning, oh how I love my 3-day weekends.
• Ran to the office to drop of the boxes of files I picked up from the former International Sales Director during our transition meeting on Thursday afternoon.
• Picked up one of the new tea drinks at Starbucks and took Barney on a walk atop Queen Anne hill.
• Walked down to McMenamins for lunch and a pint with a friend.
• Packed up some of the Christmas stuff.
• Smiled as Saturday marked six years cancer free! It was a far less emotional experience than 5 years.
• Met Kat for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue and then some shopping at Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square.
• Picked up a container for my artificial Christmas tree at The Container Store.
• Ran by the grocery store to pick up a few items.
• Took Barney on a long walk in the rain.
• Tried to add HBO to my DirecTV channel lineup but had to pick a new channel package before I could make any changes since I was on a package that no longer existed. I picked the "Choice" Package which is what I had before but now it contains E!, which wasn't in the old lineup. :-)
• Reprogrammed my TiVo's with the new channel lineups and downloaded all the new data.
• Marveled at the number of Christian networks are available for viewing now. I have 11!
• Watched Runaway Bride and Away From Her.
• Slept in a bit on Sunday morning.
• Organized the house and did a bit of ironing.
• Took a trip over to my brother's home in Port Orchard.
• Had a "comfort food" dinner with Don at McMenamins on Sunday evening.
• Packed up a few more Christmas items and then headed off to bed.

How was your weekend?

2008 - The Top 10 Highlights

It’s hard to believe but another year is coming to an end. As a child I remember my folks complaining about how quickly the years went by; I was unable to relate because they seemed to just drag on for me. But at the ripe old age of 35, I get it. The years pass by in an instant and with each one that passes the speed increases.

When I began thinking about 2008 my initial response was negative, thankful that it was almost over. After all, my faced another fight against cancer, my brother Jimmy had one of those “one bad thing after another years,” my job was more frustrating and challenging than previous years, my birthday sucked and Thanksgiving was a family drama nightmare. But then I decided to list the “highlights” from 2008 and my list numbered 15 after only a few minutes of brainstorming. Feeling better about my outlook on 2008, I decided to create a Top 10 list of my favorite 2008 memories, and here it is:

10. Replacing my 13 year old mattress with the most wonderful mattress in the world, even if it’s so tall that I can barely get up on it.

9. Being able to see clearly following my eye surgery in June. I had no idea what I was missing and I love being able to drive at night again.

8. Having my mentor, Pauli Marr and my mom in town at the same time, we laughed until we cried, we laughed until it hurt.

7. Creating a wonderful birthday celebration for Jimmy’s 30^th in May.

6. Sharing Seattle with my Cuz (Karri) and her Huz (Dale). We soaked up the sun, ate too much, drank too much and had a wonderful time.

5. Getting to know Barney, the cutest Beagle in the entire world.

4. Rejoicing on Election Night with the rest of the country as history was made and the wave of change swept across the country.

3. Paying off my debt to Oregon State University and finally receiving my degree.

2. Celebrating my 5 Year Cancer Free Anniversary with laughter and tears and a trip to my favorite beach in the whole world.

And my top memory of 2008….

1. Surprising Don with tickets to Vienna Teng in San Francisco on his birthday. I’ll remember the look on his face for the rest of my life. And the trip rocked too.

Here is hoping 2009 is filled with as many wonderful moments! Happy New Year!

Weekend Wrap Up - 11/14 - 11/16

My poor blog has been so neglected of late. I could give you the army of excuses, but I won't. I've just been introspective and haven't felt much like posting. I'm finally dusting off the draft folder and getting a bunch of these posts up so that I'm caught up. Here is the wrap-up for the weekend 11/14 - 11/16:

• Accompanied my friend Suzie to UW Medical Center for surgery on her hand.
• Listened to lots of little beeps for my annual hearing test.
• Spent more time in the waiting room for Suzie to come out of surgery.
• Listened to all the instructions and took Suzie home to rest.
• Played pool and drank beer with Don at Rock Bottom Brewery.
• Ran some much needed errands to Safeway and Pet's Mart.
• Picked up a coat for Barney to keep him warm and dry.
• Had dinner at Kipp's.
• Ironed and got myself ready for the week ahead.

Exciting life I lead, I know.

The Dog Breed Test

You Are a Boxer

You are playful and energetic. You bring joy to everyone who crosses your path. You are hyper to the point of being a comedian. Everyone is wondering what you will do next. You energy can get the better of you if you're not careful. You can have a destructive streak when you're bored. You're very strong willed and powerful. You get you way without even trying to.

What Breed of Dog Are You?

Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm actually posting this on time, that never happens! It was a productive and busy weekend, here are the highlights:

• Took Barney to the vet for his second distemper vaccine.
• Relaxed at home and caught up on the backlog on my TiVo.
• Waiting anxiously for my new cell phone to arrive.
• Played with my new phone for hours. It's so different, but I love it.
• Ran to the grocery store to pick up a few needed items.
• Organized my contacts and synced them to the phone.
• Spent 30 minutes on the phone with Verizon to see why my short code messages aren't coming through and in the end they couldn't figure it out.
• Set the new phone down long enough to get some sleep.
• Deep cleaned the dining room and living room.
• Watered, fertilized and shined the leaves on all my plants.
• Finally watched the second and third Presidential debates. Now I finally understand why everyone was so annoyed by the "Joe the Plumber" references.
• Ran to the grocery store, again.
• Baked a carrot cake from scratch and made Chicken Enchiladas.
• Hosted a birthday party for my friend Christy.
• Stayed up past midnight which is a very rare occurrence for me, man am I getting old.
• Took Barney on a long walk around the Seattle Center and enjoyed the sunshine and fall leaves.
• Deep cleaned my bedroom.
• Organized the magazine holder, I still had magazines from 2005.
• Cleaned the fans (which I have to say is a truly disgusting job) and put them away for the season.
• Got ready for the week ahead.
• Relaxed on the couch and watched Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy before heading to bed.

How was your weekend?

Wish List

Things that are currently on my *wish list*:

• A manicure that would last longer than 3 days.
• An end to the political ads for the 8th congressional district race since I don't even live in the 8th district.
• A magic cure for Barney's separation anxiety.
• A new toaster at the office. One that would actually toast things.
• An end to the budget creation process at work. Ugh!

Barney is all a twitter

I got a request from Anandi yesterday that Spike (her beagle) would like more updates on Barney. I thought about the request while Barney and I were on our walk last night and decided that since Barney is already in a social network that he should have his own Twitter account. You can see Barney's updates here, or on the side bar of my homepage. And if you are a Twitter user make sure you follow BarneyBeagle so you can see his updates as they happen.

Lost Dog

Don, Barney and I headed up to my friend Kipp's for dinner last night. Kipp has a dog named Kayla who gets along well with Barney so an invite to dinner is bonus time for Barney because he gets lots of free-time in the yard to sniff everything he wants. When we arrived last night Barney wanted nothing to do with sniffing or being outside, instead he insisted on being underfoot while we all worked together to pull off dinner. Once the chaos of dishing up began I insisted that it was time to go outside and we coaxed him outside with the promise of treats only to trap him outside the sliding glass door.

We, along with Kipp's friend, Katy, enjoyed a wonderful dinner of grilled halibut, grilled vegetables, squash and ravioli with Kipp's homemade spaghetti sauce. Following dinner we cleaned up and then went outside to enjoy the cool night around fire in the outdoor chimenea. Upon arriving outside Kayla was curled up on her bed on the patio and Barney was NOT in the yard. The gate was partially open and Barney was gone. My brain immediately flashed to the article I read prior to adopting Barney when I was trying to acquaint myself with Beagles. It warned that Beagles when let loose will follow their noses and when they are finished they can't remember where they have been or how to get back. Barney is always on a leash except when he is in a confined/fenced in space. I had no way of knowing how far he may have gone but kept myself calm knowing the he was wearing identification, is micro chipped and licensed.

The four of us immediately set out to search for Barney. We headed out from the driveway in four different directions and within a minute Katy spotted movement in the front yard directly across the street. Sure enough it was Barney who was so busy sniffin' that he didn't respond when called and wouldn't come. Don ran down and dragged him away from whatever it was that he was sniffing and we walked back across the street. I was so relieved.

I am so grateful that he isn't hurt or lost. And if he never escapes again it will be just fine with me.

Weekend Wrap-Up

It was a rainy and much cooler weekend, you can feel the fall chill in the air. Here are the highlights:

• Started the weekend off with the OSU vs. Utah game on Thursday night at Don's. We made minestrone soup and watched a great game, too bad it didn't end 2 seconds sooner.
• Took Barney to the vet for his distemper vaccine.
• Ran a few errands.
• Completed some household projects and cleaning.
• Enjoyed the cool, rainy evening at home catching up with all the new TV shows my TiVo picked up.
• Woke Saturday morning to NO hot water which left me stuck at home until repairs could be completed to my hot water heater.
• Finally showered. There are Saturdays when I gladly stay in my pj's til noon but its annoying to do so when all you want is to get dressed and start the day.
• Took Barney on a long walk in the rain. He is a *weather wimp* and starts shivering after only a few minutes in the cold.
• Stopped by the grocery store and picked up a few things and then picked up dinner at Teriyaki Bowl.
• Watched License to Wed and a couple horrible Lifetime movies.
• Picked up a cup of coffee at Firehouse Coffee and then walked to Golden Gardens (4 miles roundtrip). I thought Barney was going to give up when we were only halfway done but I gave him some water and he got his second wind.
• Ironed my clothes for the week.
• Baked up some lemon dill chicken for dinner.
• Watched the Amazing Race and went to bed.

How was your weekend?

Barney on Dogster

Barney now has his own profile on Dogster. You can check it out by clicking the box below. Barney says, "Come by and leave me a bone!"

Join the Dogster community

Weekend Wrap-Up Catch-Up

Playing catch-up on my Weekend Update entries. Highlights for the weekend 9/12 - 9/14:

• Enjoyed a relaxing day at home on Friday.
• Cleaned the apartment and other necessary household chores.
• Took a sunset stroll around the Olympic Sculpture Park with Barney.
• Sorted through boxes of paperwork in an attempt to get more organized.
• Laundry, coffee atop Queen Anne hill.
• Saw The Women with Kat and Don.
• Oriented Barney's new dog walker.

Highlights for the weekend of 9/19 - 9/21:

• Took Barney to the vet for his rabies vaccine and a general checkup.
• Ran to Pet's Mart and the grocery store.
• Played pool with Don at Rock Bottom and then walked down to McMenamins and enjoyed dinner a few more pints.
• Worked a tradeshow at Swedish Medical Center on Saturday.
• Shopped at the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip where I got a new purse at the Fossil store and picked up a few new blouses and some underwear.
• Survived a trip to WalMart.
• Enjoyed a grilled dinner at Kipp's while Barney and Kayla played in the yard.

I really need to post these immediately because when I don't I forget the details and its much more difficult to put them together. I'll try to be better in the future.

Labor Day Weekend Wrap-Up

Better late than never, here are the highlights from my Labor Day weekend:

• Spent Thursday visiting some clients on the Olympic Peninsula.
• Supervised as Dave plank grilled some fresh salmon for dinner on his new Weber grill.
  
• Watched the OSU football season opener against Stanford, which they lost, painfully, with Dave, Kristen and John.
• Cancelled our planned day trip to Mount St Helens on Friday since the *cutest nephew in the world* had a virus so instead Barney and I relaxed at home.
• Did the usual laundry bit on Saturday morning. Only noteworthy aspect was the absence of the idiot barista at Peet's, maybe they got smart and got rid of her? We can only hope.
• Took care of John while Kristen and Dave went to a wedding on Saturday. Actually Barney did most of the work as he is the babysitting assistant ever.
• Drank some beer and played some cards at RedHook with Don and Kat on Sunday afternoon.
• Tried out yet another off-leash area, this time at Woodland Park, and have decided that Barney is just not ever going to fit in the "off-leash" scene and that's okay.
• Celebrated Labor Day with Don and Kat with a barbeque on Monday evening.

How was your weekend?

Bad Blogger

I've been a bad blogger of late. I've lapsed on my Photo of the Day posts and I'm now a full week behind in posting my Weekend Update. I don't really have a good excuse, I simply just haven't made time for it, but I'm getting back in the groove now, I promise.

I've been very easily distracted the past two weeks primarily by Barney and a new mattress. They are totally unrelated but both wonderful additional to my life.

Barney and I are getting into a regular groove and I'm loving having him in my life. He seems to be adjusting to his new home and to me pretty easily, in fact, he gets a little upset when I leave him home alone. :-( He is full on unconditional love for everyone he meets. I've loved getting out and enjoying these final days of summer on our daily walks and am amazed how different my neighborhood looks on foot.

After weeks of research and with the assistance of my brother Dave and Don, I picked up my new mattress on August 26th. My old mattress was purchased while I was in college when I moved out of the sorority and into my first real apartment. I had slept on it for nearly 14 years, set it up in 10 different homes in 5 different states. I was so excited to get my new mattress that I didn't even think about the fact that I may feel sad to let the old one go but I know that the cute couple who answered my ad on Craig's List will give it a great new home in their guest room. My new mattress is HUGE, in fact I thought I was going to have to invest in a step stool to get up on it but I've managed to adjust to it. It's a joy to sleep on. It's soft, yet firm and oh so comfy. I find myself craving bed time earlier and earlier every night.

Barney is reminding me that it's time for his walk and I'm craving my bed but rest assured, I won't be so quiet in the coming weeks.

Photo of the Day - Laundry Helper

Laundry Helper, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Barney's way of assisting with the laundry. Taken last Saturday while I was folding clothes.

Photo of the Day - Tired Barney

Tired Barney, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Tired from a busy morning of socializing atop Queen Anne hill. Napping on his new bed.

Photo of the Day - Barney

Barney, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Took this with my phone when my sister demanded a picture. I've been having a tough time getting him to look at the camera but then it occured to me that I could use treats which is why he looks so attentive in this picture.

Photo of the Day - His favorite perch

His favorite perch, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Barney checking out the activity on the street.

Weekend Wrap-Up

It was a busy and productive weekend, here are the highlights:

• Got an early start to the weekend with an early dismissal from work at the conclusion of our annual Summer Picnic on Thursday. I was chair of the picnic again this year so by the end I was cold, muddy and exhausted but glad it was a success.
• Ran home long enough to shower and change into clean clothes and then went to pick up my new dog, Barney. Snapped this pic moments after picking him up.
  
• Headed back home to get Barney settled in and fed and then we were off to my friend Kipp's for dinner along with Barney and Kayla (Kipp's dog) play-time.
• Woke early Friday morning (one of the benefits of dog ownership) and enjoyed a bit of lazy time around the house.
• Ran to Costco, Pet's Mart and Safeway to pick up dog supplies and other items I needed.
• Read my book while waiting in line at the ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth.
• Loved watching John (the cutest nephew in the world) follow Barney around their yard. They were instant buddies.
• Enjoyed a fun evening and yummy dinner at Kristen and Dave's.
• Completed the usual Saturday morning laundry bit but this time with Barney in tow. He loved meeting all the people and dogs atop the hill.
• Ran to Fred Meyer to pick up some more household stuff including a shelving unit for my utility closet.
• Cleaned everything out of the utility closet, set up the shelves and reorganized it. The before can be seen here, the after seen here.
• Cleaned the rest of the apartment while Barney slept in the sunshine on the deck.
• Decided not to cook the dinner and ordered a pizza. Watched some Olympic coverage and relaxed with Barney on the couch.
• Took Barney to the off-leash area at Golden Gardens on Sunday morning so that he could sniff and play with other doggie friends.
• Made another trip to Pet's Smart (to make an exchange) and a quick stop at Target and then we were home for the rest of the day just in time for the rain to start.
• Relaxed the afternoon away by watching the Olympics and taking a nap with on the couch.
• Grilled up some pork chops and fresh veggies (including tomatoes from my garden) for dinner while Don and Barney got acquainted with each other.
• Enjoyed a good bottle of wine and dinner on the deck in the rain.

Quite the whirlwind. How was your weekend?

Meet Barney

Barney, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

This is Barney. And Barney is my new dog! :-D

He came home to live with me on Thursday afternoon and I am thrilled. I've wanted a dog for a really long time and finally decided last month that all of my fears and apprehensions about owning a dog would be eliminated if I just got the "right" dog. And Barney is definitely the right dog!

Barney is a 4 year old, 15-inch beagle. He is house broken and well behaved (for the most part). He is very low-key and loves sniffing things, eating, sleeping and meeting new people/dogs. We have had a fabulous weekend exploring the neighborhood and getting him settled into his new home. Many more pictures and stories to come!