Falling for Fall

It was such a beautiful day today! So warm and sunny....yet crisp and full of rainbow colored trees. And I had so much fun. Josh and I had brunch at Maltby and then we checked out an antique store. Josh hates shopping and I don't like to go antiquing on my own, but when we shop at an antique store together, we both have fun. After that, we went for our annual pumpkin hunt at Craven Farm in Snohomish. It was a beautiful day for a drive and even more beautiful for a tromp in a pumpkin patch. I got some farm-fresh salsa and unsweetened apple butter to go with our family of pumpkins.


See? There's Josh, Lulu, and me!

We stopped at Mud Bay on the way home and I tried some things on Lulu, like this adorable fleece and corduroy coat:




She rocked it like no other, but it was a splurge buy I wasn't willing to make. Another day.

Now we have laundry to tackle and I have some things to do for school. I want to ignore it all and watch Earth, the Disney movie that just came out on DVD and snuggle with Josh on the couch. I might find a way to do it all. We'll see. First step: Get off the computer!

Rescue

Just got back from camping. I got all the laundry sorted, the food put away, and I'm showered and fresh. Camping would be more fun if it wasn't so filthy. My car looks like I went four wheeling.

I might post more about the weekend, but right now I'll just settle for posting about Friday night. We had the biggest scare and I haven't told Josh since we didn't have cell service and he's at the station for the weekend.

Shortly after we arrived at the campsite and got the tents set up, Jeff went into the river next to our site to do some flyfishing. Lulu mistook his bobber for a ball and thought when he was casting, he was playing fetch. She dove right into the rapids and started getting swept into the falls. I saw the panic on her face, her little legs treading to swim against the strong current. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to save her.

I ran into the river, fully clothed, tripping over rocks to get to her in time. Just as she was swept underwater, I grabbed her collar and pulled. I was swept over the boulder, but my parental survival instincts kicked in (seriously!) and I used everything I had to push her over the rock into shallower water, then surfed up over to the same area. When I got out of the water, dripping wet, I was shaking from the cold and the adrenaline. I lost both of Josh's adidas soccer flips to the current, but I realized quickly that was ridiculous to be upset over.

I was so glad he wasn't there. We probably would have had to pack up the car and go home. Poor guy has been through too much in the way of my safety lately. In fact, I'm debating telling him about any of it even. I am just glad it turned out okay. I could NOT imagine losing Lulu or telling Josh that she was gone and I couldn't save her.

Sweeping the clouds away

Today was a glorious day of fun in the sun. I had planned to hike at Annette Lake today, but we had trouble motivating. Josh decided to make chorizo and eggs and pancakes for breakfast, so we had to sit on the couch for a post-food coma snuggle after that. Then we decided to take Lulu to Magnuson for a swim instead. The place was packed of course, with wet dogs passing us as we headed towards the water with looks of complete exhaustion on their happy faces. Swimming season for the pups has only just begun and none of them are yet conditioned to handle the energy their excitement encourages them to unleash.

Lulu proved once again that her breed was once a water dwelling animal as she swam great distances to retrieve everyone's balls, and sometimes her own. When it was obvious she couldn't take it anymore, we headed to the U district so I could do a quick workout at the gym and Josh could browse the books at Half Price. By the time we were done, we were starving so we headed to Fremont for some MAD Pizza to go and took it to GasWorks to picnic with a view. I almost convinced Josh to stop at Molly Moon's for dessert on the way home, but he insisted I'd have to eat it myself because he was full. I know ice cream is a bad decision on my part, and I won't allow myself to indulge alone. It's a good policy to have, but I'm still thinking of what flavors they might have had today in dairy-free sorbet....

Photo essay from the day:

Lulu opening swimming season with a vengeance!











Oh Gasworks, how I love thee...





sea plane landing



lulu soaking up belly rubs and sun kisses





Man, it sure was gorgeous today. I love, love, love you, sunshine! This week is going to be LONG, so I am especially thankful for today having been a treat. 4 interviews within the next few days is going to wipe me out. To prepare, I'm going to bed at a reasonable hour. Like 10. Or 11. Or...okay, 11:30 tops. For real.

picture pages

Just a couple of photos I want to take off my camera before I dig in to pizza and LOST Season 3 with Josh tonight:


my parents got me these flowers from Pike Place as a thank you on their last day




I made these cupcakes for Easter. I used this recipe from Ina Garten/The Barefoot Contessa. Thank you to Brooke for posting it and lending the jelly bean idea! They turned out great. Not too sweet and just the right consistency. I made them dairy-free. If you need to know how, just ask! I have a severe dairy allergy and Josh has a slight one. It was easy to do and the result was rockin'!


Lu and Daddy cuddling in the kitchen (of all places) :)

That's it for now. Maybe I'll post more later. Right now, pizza and snuggles are luring me away....

Oh! I can't believe Bea Arthur passed away! I am pretty sad to know that her presence will never grace another show. I loved the Golden Girls, even more after they reran them. R.I.P. Dorothy Szpornak.

the girls

the girls, originally uploaded by maus.

Todd babysat Lulu the day Mom, Dad, and Josh and I went to the San Juan Islands. She and Bella had a playdate at Discovery Park. Those two are beach bunnies all the way!!

peektures

my finger, post-surgery

cross country skiing during the girls' weekend in Leavenworth

beautiful mist in the mountain tops

Lulu's chosen stick for fetch-playing (apparently, size does matter)

this is why I love where I live

Lucinda Williams, herself

second position avec snowshoes

And a video... Lulu met a lab named Hush whose "dad" is someone who was skiing in the same area we were snowshoeing. Hush wears a cowbell. You can hear it clang as she and Lulu play. Josh kept saying "More Cowbell!" (which doesn't make sense unless you watch SNL)

On the Horizon

Lots of exciting things in the works for Josh, which makes me happy too.

Within the next few days, he'll be fitted for hearing aids that will dramatically affect his life for the better.  Words can't express how much I await this with anticipation....

Potentially only slightly less life-affecting, he has a new, exciting job prospect that has breathed life into him it seems. We went out for breakfast on Sunday to Chace's and he picked up the classifieds to browse while we waited for food. There, in the Employment section, was an ad for Firefighters for Tukwila FD.  He read me the details and it stated that all that was required was experience.  When we got home, he hopped online and found that EMT cert was also required.  He's planning to get the cert this Spring, but he's not slated to test for the program til next month...almost one month after the app is due.  After a series of phone calls, he learned today that they may hire for entry level in addition to the lateral FF positions, which would mean he could apply without being EMT certified.  Essentially, he got the go ahead to apply and then test for the IFSTA exam.  He began pouring over the phone book-sized text yesterday.  I want to help him any way I can, so I'm typing up his chicken scratch notes as he covers each chapter. The test will occur in a couple of weeks.  The EMT program entry test will occur a couple of weeks after that.  So basically, it'll be: cram, take test, cram, take second test, wait for results.  All excruciating steps.  But it could be totally worth it.  He could potentially be in a job he loves, with a good salary and/or have a certification that could allow him to work in a variety of positions and even seek another firefighter position should this one not work out.  I'm going to remain optimistic.  Especially since Josh is ever the half- empty-glass kind of person.

My job situation continues to drive me to an early grave.  One of my kindergarteners never arrived at daycare after taking the bus home, so naturally her parents were notified and her dad came to school in search of her.  We had no info. I had to call other children who road that same bus with her. One confirmed that she was on the bus, but did not get off at the stop with them like she was supposed to. Another confirmed that she got off at another stop, and they delivered her home.  The brother at home was called and said she never arrived. I was left no other option but to call 911. In the midst of describing her clothing that day, the father rushes back in to the office to tell me and the other teachers working on finding her that he reached his son again on his cell and she had just arrived at home. Apparently, she got off the bus at the wrong stop, on purpose, to play with her friends.  Where she was between then and the time she arrived at home (45 minutes) will probably remain a mystery. Arrrrrgh.  I hope she is taught how horrible this decision of hers was. She is the type of child that just doesn't seem to "get it".  

I watched Idol tonight and found it somewhat boring.  I hate Hollywood week.  I am anxious for it to get down to 10.  That's much more manageable and interesting to me. During our viewing, Josh and I put Peanut Butter on Lulu's nose and watched her in amusement (we sound like horrible dog parents, I know).  But it's so funny and cute!  I leave you with a photo: