As usual, music helps me get into the mood for anything, especially to celebrate Christmas. Aside from my perma-love of the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown's Christmas music, I have found a few great tunes for this season.
The first one is a work of love. The World of Color Honor Choir was created this year to be a part of the Winter Dreams show in Disney's California Adventure Park. This show has been around since 2010 but after seeing the work Eric Whitacre has done with his virtual choirs, they decided to bring that performance to their show. So this past September, a call went out for singers to submit video for this choir. The videos had to be submitted by early October and I'm proud to say I made the cut! Out of the over 1,400 singers who submitted video, 703 singers were chosen. As you look at the video, I have no idea where my image is amid all the snowflakes but I'm there! It's just such an amazing piece of music, really just gets you into the holiday mood. Here's the official video. And here's what it looks like in the official show:
So cool.
And finally, one of my favorite songs that really snaps you back to the meaning of this holiday season is Francesca Battistelli's "You're Here". What beautiful lyrics, and what a great message. This is a video someone put together but it so perfectly shows the emotions captured in that first night.
This month, heck, this year has been difficult. Amid good things like getting through the quarter at school (with acceptable grades yay!) and an adoptiversary, it's still been difficult to do things like get into the holiday spirit... but we're getting there! A little recap of the highs and lows...
Sink-gate 2013
This past week hit an all time low when our kitchen sink started to leak... and then after being "fixed" wouldn't drain. To confess, I have a bit of OCD so to deal with three days of dishes and not being able to use your kitchen sink and all the clutter, it was very difficult. And of course, my slumlord landlord doesn't care or in all honesty, know that I have this problem. I mean, it's extremely emotionally upsetting and stressful. Luckily, things are doing pretty well now as it's fixed with only minor draining issues and last night we actually made dinner... and I actually cleaned the kitchen. While the crap is still all over the floor as they are coming back to patch up the hole, it's better than no sink.
Amidst all the difficulties of the quarter, I had to get my root canal redone... an ongoing saga that never should have happened. While that was an incredibly money-bleeding and awful experience, let's pause to do a public service announcement here.
Dear dentists everywhere,
When you have things in your patients' mouths, please don't ask us questions that can't be answered with a grunt or shake of the head. It's really just cruel!
We got to foster quite a few dogs and recently adopted out our last one for the year, Phayth. We had some trying times, even having two dogs at a time for a bit which is very stressful, but it is all worth it when you 1) realize you're saving lives and 2) get a chance to see them like this:
Phayth visiting with Santa
What an angel.
And amid all the hemorrhaging of money as my car and teeth received much-needed repairs as well as the dogs, I think I did pretty well in my first drafting class...
This is my final project and I'm very proud. To go from not knowing how to do any of this to creating a semblance of a planting plan, to be able to create this from my head, it is awesome.
And finally, we celebrated another milestone. My little man Milo celebrated his four-year adoptiversary! Aside from some tasty treats he received as well as a new sweater, he just received lots of love. I can't believe it's been four years that we've had this little guy. Although it can be difficult dealing with a senior dog... or two... as I know this day or year could always be his last, I cherish every moment with him.
Milo... trying to hide the fact that he's terrified of Santa
I'll write a little more later about getting into the Christmas spirit. For now I'm looking forward to getting away for a little vacation as we head south to the mountains for Christmas. I can't wait to see the snow and hang with the fam... Good times.
If there's one thing I love more than music, it's finding new music. And thanks be to Jesus that technology has progressed to free "radio" stations that play a bunch of music that you may never hear otherwise. If you listen to the typical radio stations, if it isn't an independent radio station, they play mostly the same popular music within that genre over and over. It can get a little redundant and definitely kill a song you thought you were excited about.
So, per the usual, let me give you a little background on where I come from with music. It's always defined me and been a huge part of my life. I can relate, as I'm sure so many people do, certain songs to significant moments in my life. Music is what I listen to throughout the day and it helps me to work, do chores, and focus on homework among other things. And then there's moments, brought to you by music, that have been some of the most amazing experiences in my life. A few of the greats?
Singing or playing in a dark church...
I think it is one of the most spiritual experiences to, for me, play the piano or sing in a dark church. One such time my friend and I were preparing to sing a duet while on a mission trip in Scotland and we were alone, in a mostly dark space with only a bit of light coming in from the windows, bare walls so lots of echo, and the harmonies just lifted and it was as close to heaven as one can get. Amazing.
Another time I was singing with the Western Washington University Concert Choir. I didn't know it until a year later as I compared experiences but we had one of the best collections of singers. We were singing for a special function at Seattle First Presbyterian Church Eric Whitacre's song Cloudburst. To hear those voices, singing this song, in this amazingly acoustic church was amazing...
Ah...
Now back to the present. A look onto my Pandora radio page shows music for all different moods. Thanks to a mom who worried about the smut being played on the radio when I was a kid, I have a vast knowledge of "oldies" music. Thanks to my adolescent years being spent in the Tri-Cities, home of classic rock, I have a profound appreciation for bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. And thanks to my grandmother for instilling in me a love for Paul Simon, classical music, and a wee band called the Irish Rovers who gave us this true gem...
And of course I picked up a love for everything else, especially R&B and jazz along the way.
So every once in a while, through listening to the radio at work, I find new fabulous music. And apparently, the latest toe-tappers I've grown fond of are from the country genre. So in honor of sharing the wealth of my love for music and in the spirit of discovery, here are a few of my new country favorites for your listening pleasure... enjoy!
Get ready mom, I think you're going to like these...
To keep in the spirit of the fall, I thought I would shed some light on my new re-discoveries. Last year, at this time, I was taking a class called Broadleaf Plant Identification. This class focused on plants that mostly stayed green and did not lose their leaves during the winter. Because you are so focused on learning the plants, you tend to ignore all the other plants out there. The broadleaf plants stand out, everything fades into the background. So the fall colors were okay but they weren't important to me as I didn't know the trees and was focused on something else (a typical problem encountered each quarter with a new ID class).
And then we finally got to the deciduous plants in my spring ID class. But they weren't changing colors then, just leafing out. And while it was great to learn the plants and see their blossoms, we didn't see them in their truly colorful stage. So now that I know these plants, the world has opened to me, much like it has with every new thing I learn. And of course, because it's education about my outside world, it literally means the world around me is opening up. It's a very cool experience and one that I enjoy sharing if you couldn't tell from my posts throughout the year :)
So, I would like to point out a few of the plants that I have been walking by lately that have made a great impression on me...
First off... Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' or dwarf winged euonymus
Uh yeah, let's just look at that color. This is not photo-shopped and, like all these other photos, is taken by my phone! This plant can seem rather boring all other times of the year but in the fall, it stands out in this hot pink color. And when I say hot pink, I mean it! It is one of the more vivid fall colors out there. This bush is just cool and although most of its leaves are gone, it's had quite a run!
Next we have Cornus kousa or the Kousa dogwood
Close-up of leaves
Kousa dogwood in front of a red maple
Although the Kousa dogwood is in the shade in front of the red maple in this picture, you can see from the picture of the leaves above it, it has a very rich coral color. The leaves are also unique and it provides such a nice pop of color in this smaller-growing tree. And of course, let's not ignore the red maple (Acer rubrum)... stunning as well.
And last but not least... the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
Colors from beautiful gold to...
Hot oranges and corals
This tree has such a stunning array of colors! It is best when the light catches it... so beautiful. And now I put it all together... this is a dominant tree on the east coast and probably one of the reasons the fall colors there are so beautiful...
Conway, Massachusetts
I'm not sure if these trees are sugar maples, but this is the beautiful scenery that greeted us when we visited a friend going to school near this spot in 2010. And, on a side note, it just so happens the same college is the top contender for my next scholastic school move... Conway School of Landscape Design.
But back to here... just a few more... here are the kids enjoying their afternoon stroll...
Milo in his new hoody
Fynn checkin out the scene
Happy fall everyone!
PS. If you get a chance, go see a fabulous fall-themed show the Seattle Women's Chorus is presenting. This weekend is the last weekend for Hallows in the Cathedral. Truly a VERY cool show... I mean just look at the scenery...
Ah let's set the stage... because I love me some music from the Forrest Gump soundtrack and we need a little background music, please...
It's definitely a new season... Fall, back to school and all that it brings with it. This weekend I took a break in studying (read procrastinated on school work) and we went to a nearby pumpkin patch. It was gorgeous weather and so much fun albeit we were the only people there without kids.
Doesn't that look like fun? There were lots of activities and it was fun to get lost in all the pumpkins. I was a little saddened by the fact that I didn't find too many imperfect pumpkins. I always enjoy picking the "Charlie Brown"s of trees or pumpkins... the ones that aren't as attractive. But alas, mostly perfection. So I had to make up for it with some mini gourds, warts and all.
And here they are displayed proudly around our doorstep...
And I must say, even though it was unintended, they go very well with our hold-out flowers that grace the stoop...
Diggin the orange...
I always love the fall. The chance to get back into things like squash and sweaters. And drink fun drinks like pumpkin spice lattes. On that note... I'm not one to plug a product but I must say, Starbuck's ad campaign this year for their version of the pumpkin spice latte is very funny... I'll even go so far as whitty. This is my favorite commercial...
Oh my lord, too funny. I just envision doing that myself... opening up the door in the morning and yelling "Pumpkin spice!" Never gets old.
This quarter I have now embarked on the more serious horticulture classes: drafting, business management and weeds. I am putting in the building blocks for grad school and will hopefully be heading that direction next year. While I ponder the differences between Landscape Design and Landscape Architecture and how that will influence my future career, I would like to share a recent experience in my weeds class. But first let's take a trip down memory lane.
In college I was a youth group leader at a local church which was so much fun. Every fall we would take the kids on a rock climbing/camping weekend at Mt. Erie. Each year I would be the good leader and let all the kids get up on the rock and I would support from below. But in my final year, I decided to take the plunge. Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult. Picture it...
I'm not sure what the name of the face we were climbing was called but it did look like this. Anyway, when I got to the top, it was one of the coolest feelings... you truly felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Titanic where he says "I'm the king of the world!"
On a side note, heading to Mt. Erie (which you can drive up) is defintiely worth it as you have some of the most amazing views...
So, back to the current situation. In my weeds class, we are supposed to bring in samples of weeds with ID cards we make. Don't worry, there is a connection to these two stories. Well I didn't know quite a few weeds in my yard so I took pictures and then asked my teacher. She gave me hints to help me figure out what they could be. While that was frustrating at first, it turned out to be a good thing. With the clue, I was able to figure out what weeds I had which was so exciting, a true feeling of triumph! It turns out I have wall lettuce and nipplewort growing in my backyard. If you're worried, these are very common weeds in this area. Anyway, it was a very exciting accomplishment indeed.
That's it for now, just thought it was time for an update.
On July 31, 2013, I started my day as usual around 7:30 AM, letting the dogs outside and then bringing them in to feed them. Right after their breakfast, I noticed that Fynn's disposition was a little off - she didn't seem comfortable. She wouldn't take her morning pill and looked uneasy... like she needed to go outside. So I let her out and immediately noticed her tummy was slightly enlarged. Normally, I keep her fairly lean. Now some people may think she is underweight but due to her legs having problems, it is best to keep her that lean and it's actually healthier. So it was really easy to spot that her tummy was slightly more round than usual. I woke Shane up to get her opinion and she confirmed Fynn looked a bit odd and that I should call the vet. Fifteen minutes later I was at the vet and Fynn's stomach had swollen to the size of a very large medicine ball. My poor baby could barely walk and was crying out in pain. And then the vet confirmed my worst fear... Fynn had bloat.
Now my family has had fila brasileiros for a while now and I am well aware of the health issues that plague not only this breed but all giant breeds, bloat being one of them. That said though, I still never though this could happen to my kid! And when talking to my friends and extended family about her situation, I came to realize that most people are actually unaware of the risk of bloat. So I write this partly to share Fynn's story but to also spread the word so that maybe more canine lives can be saved.
Bloat is a condition where the stomach distends with gas and fluid and then twists. This traps the gas within the stomach preventing the dog from vomiting. As the food within the stomach ferments, it creates more gas and eventually the stomach wall begins to die. According to the vet, it looked like Fynn hadn't digested her last two meals. And all of this happens VERY fast. It took about half an hour from when I noticed her not being herself to me being at the vet with a very sick dog. Bloat is very dangerous.
Dog with bloat
Bloat occurs mainly in large dogs with deep chests but can also occur in small dogs with deep chests like dachshunds. Other symptoms besides the ones I already mentioned include pale gums and pacing. It is extremely important to catch this early on. Luckily, we did so with Fynn and not much tissue had died. You can read more about bloat here.
Right when I brought Fynn in, the vet techs rushed her in to get x-rays of her belly to see what they were dealing with. They were unsure of the image results as there was so much gas in her belly so they intubated her to get a lot of the gas out, then re-did the x-rays and sure enough her stomach and spleen had twisted. The vet then told me that there was a 70% chance of survival with this surgery. That was a hard pill to swallow. You see, once they un-twisted the organs, that would release a lot of toxins into the body and some dogs are unable to recover from that shock. As usual, I asked the vet if she thought it was worth it and she said yes. I felt that I owed it to my dear Fynn to at least try to save her. This was all so sudden, I wasn't ready to let her go. Even with such a big risk, I decided to move forward with the surgery. It's a good thing I did... Fynn pulled through just fine. She was very lucky though... lucky to have this happen when I was home and lucky that she was healthy enough to pull through such a difficult life-threatening situation. You see, all the bloat cases I have ever heard of never ended this well. I was truly amazed that she lived.
After the surgery, Fynn had to deal with a new set of problems. I decided (on the vet's recommendation) that she should go to an overnight vet to be monitored as there were possible unseen issues that could occur. That facility sent her home with a pain medication. My personal vet had only prescribed an anti-inflammatory. Not only that, but during the surgery, my vet had not emptied her stomach. I'm assuming this was to be as minimally invasive as possible. The overnight facility's indicator on whether a dog is well enough to go home is if they are able to eat. So regardless of the records that were sent over by my vet showing this, they fed her and gave her pain medication that slowed her elimination. None of these things helped the food that was still in her stomach to move through her system. All of this was completely counterproductive (and really frustrating). Finally, after two days of no solid waste, minimal food, no pain meds and walking, Fynn showed that her system was digesting and getting back to normal. I was the happiest mama in the world!
Now it has been a month and thankfully she is doing just fine. While her hair is growing back very slowly, her energy level and appetite for not only food but life was practically back to normal the moment she left the hospital. I have a pretty amazing and resilient dog!
Fynn in Neah Bay, 3 weeks post-surgery
My hope is that we can save more lives if we get the word out there. I count my blessings every day with Fynn. I don't believe that it was her time to go. But every day she is here is a day that I almost didn't have so I am extremely thankful for the miracle that her existence is. And to commemorate her new lease on life, I have started a mini-journal of her life... tweeting pictures. You can follow me on either instagram or twitter and see all the pictures.
There are times that things just slap you in the face and astound you and this would be one of them. This happens often to me with music. Can you recall a place where you heard a song or had something musical happen that just made you speechless? I have written about something similar before. Speechless, in awe, floored... it all applies.
Let me first give a little background. I was introduced sometime last year to one of my favorite choral composers Eric Whitacre's pet projects, the Virtual Choir. This concept is the first of its kind. He composes a piece of music, puts training materials online and has thousands of people submit videos singing to the same piece of music. Together, all these people from all over the world create a collective vocal choir that is pieced together to create finished projects like this:
This would be Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 3 singing his composition 'Water Night', one gorgeous piece. So you can imagine my joy when I heard he was coming out with #4. Unfortunately, due to a busy schedule, I was unable to sing but I learned about the process. Here is a taste of how it started. You download the sheet music online as well as all sorts of tools to help you learn like videos of Eric conducting or audio of your parts or all parts to help you learn. That combined with the forums and other tools on the website are a fabulous way to get comfortable with the process. After practicing, you then record yourself and upload your video to the website to be a part of the choir!
So this is the audio that we started out with. It seems pretty straight forward with a typical "choral" sound. Well, this is the finished product:
Fly to Paradise - Virtual Choir 4 by Eric Whitacre
I AM SO AMAZED. It's a different take for sure. Luckily I like electronic music so I'm not as offended as some are. Regardless, I love it. It's a great song with ethereal haunting melodies and a great message. I'm just so amazed with this production and had to share.
On another sad note, a friend of mine passed away on July 2nd. This is Greg Carroll.
I met Greg in the music department at Western Washington University. We studied music and sang together in choir for a few years. He was one of the sweetest guys I know with the biggest heart. Since that humble beginning, he has gone on to be a successful tenor in the opera scene with such an amazing voice. He was only 35. This is such a tragedy and it's heartbreaking.
So Greg, this song goes out to you as you fly away to paradise. Your heart, beauty and spirit will forever be missed.
While I'm not a regular watcher of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, he so often does the funniest sketches. I just had to share one I thought particularly amusing.
So first off I'd like to share the progress that was made this weekend with our yard... very exciting things. We worked quite a bit in our yard this weekend. To preface this, let me tell you where we/I've been. It all started this last winter when I took a soils class...
I found that our tiny yard is so polluted with animal waste that its phosphorous levels were astronomically high. I happened to do my final project on this issue so that I could help to deduce what could be done to improve the health of our yard. The dogs not only helped to eradicate grass in areas with their paw traffic but our naturally acidic soils combined with way-out-of-balance other chemical levels made a difficult condition for grass to grow to not only make the yard more attractive but to also help mitigate the phosphorous problem.
I must interject here, this whole issue produced a great book/research idea... it would make a lot of money if someone did the research and wrote a book to help the average lawn-caring dog owner better manage the pollution problems that come with animals. That would have been handy for my report!
Anyway, aside from the yard-wide full-summer re-seeding plan, we also had some other beautification projects that were goals for the summer. Let me just share some "lovely" photos of how our yard looked this winter. Please be ever-abundant with grace... ;)
The "trashy" distant view would be the neighbor's yard, an unfortunate sight we have yet to overcome.
The view as you enter our yard.
So my lovely girl Fynn likes to look in our main window seen in the first picture to monitor where we are and if we're going to rescue her from being outside. So pitiful. That has caused a depressed area in the yard to become even more so with compaction. This has turned into a semi-hydrophobic situation in the summer when the soil completely dries which is not ideal to say the least. A long time ago I dreamed of putting down pavers to create a small patio. So we got to work making the magic happen and here's the result...
Of course, it helps to have things growing in... I'm just sure Fynn loves her new platform. And the hope is that this will reduce the mud tracked inside during the fall/winter rainy season. The plan is to put mosses in between the pavers to help with erosion and beauty. Next step after finalizing the mini-patio... re-seeding this sadness.
And can you believe my classmates suggested to just cover the whole back yard in mulch? Preposterous!
In other news...
When I first moved to Seattle seven years ago, I got an orchid that was used to brighten up my windowless office. I've done such a wonderful job keeping the leaves growing this whole time but alas no buds graced my presence. I had many people give me advice over the years. I finally started a fairly regular 4x/year regimen of fertilization and low and behold it paid off! Here she is in bud...
And voila, here she is in all her glory!
So proud. Look what can happen with a little patience.
No longer this cute gangly puppy, my sweet girl is now considered a senior citizen in the extra large dog range at the ripe old age of eight years old.
One of the hardest things about being a young animal owner is taking care of your pets financially. I'll admit it's not easy to stomach vet bills while you're trying to work and go to school at the same time. And you take your dog in to be seen and know they need the care being offered but it's a hard pill to swallow when you hear the bottom line.
As Fynn gets older, that is the other hard thing to watch. I realize I never had it so good as when she was three - fit and happy, agile and no real issues to speak of. I think this hits closer to home having just experienced her mama Vida's death. For a while now I have been looking at Fynn and getting really sad about where she is at with her health and age. She is not as stable anymore on her legs. She will sometimes fall when the floor is slippery. It's sometimes hard for her to get up into the car on her own and her knee that she injured when she was younger bothers her more. And like all filas that long to please their owners, even though she knows you're telling her to get up, it is difficult for her to do so and she gets so worried. It is so hard to watch.
So I took her in today to get some care and come to realize she needs more care which will in turn cost more. Of course I will give her that care and thanks to student loans I can. Regardless of that, the blow financially followed by the blow of watching her age was really tough. And then I heard this song come onto my ipod...
Aside from the lyrics referring to father and the cheesy video, Paul Simon puts it perfectly. "As long as one and one is two, there could never be a mother who loves her daughter more than I love you." And snap, it's all in perspective. As the doctor said, she could live quite a few more years and I want to have her feeling as best she can so she can enjoy those years as much as she can. And true enough, nothing matters when it comes to her. I would do anything to care for her... she is just that important to me. Thanks Paul, for not only making me cry but for the reminder.
Just had to share a post from one of my favorite blogs The Pioneer Woman. She talks sometimes about her basset hounds Charlie and Walter and takes the funniest pictures. So in honor of these amusing kids, here's a post to make you laugh;)
They are your biggest fan club.
They keep you company.
They make you feel good about yourself.
They make you laugh.
They know to comfort you when you're down.
One point dogs.
Humans.
We can do pretty awful things. Unfortunately in rescue, we hear about the worst. Recently, a dog within the rescue community had to be put down because her body had experienced too much to recover from. You see, prior to being rescued, she had been thrown against a wall. This poor little dog tried hard to overcome her experiences and managed to bless many volunteers' lives before she had to go. I've also heard of people moving and leaving their animals in their vacant home with no plan for rescue. I've heard of people dropping off their dogs in the middle of a desert area in the heat of summer where there aren't many people who pass by them. And these are the least gruesome of the stories!
Minus one point for humans. Boo!
This is why I work with animal rescue. I volunteer and give voices to the dogs that can't speak for themselves. And with my help and many others like me, we help to pull millions of dogs from terrible situations and help overloaded shelters by giving these dogs homes. This is why I foster. We all have a duty to take responsibility and unfortunately, we have to pick up where others are lacking. But I have the faces of over 50 dogs I've helped staring back at me saying thanks.
Oh, and making me laugh... and smile... and... well... just look...
Introducing Miss Jessie.
She's an owner surrender and is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever fostered.
I mean just look at this face... the face of an angel. Oh and did I forget to mention... she loves the sun?
I have a few of those sun baskers...
Yup, Miss Fynn loves herself some sun.
Anyway, Jessie was surrendered from her owner as she felt like she wasn't getting enough attention and thought it best to teach the babies in the household she didn't want to be tugged on. Crazy notion! So Jessie is living it large with us... and she's ADOPTABLE!
And it's a good thing we have her because she's really helped our newest addition acclimate to life in our home.
Without further ado... introducing... Linda Ronstadt!
Wait... are you saying you can't see the resemblance?
How about now...?
Well either way, this little girl is named after Miss Linda Ronstadt and she has the vocal chords to prove it. We are quite the talker! She's a 3 month old miniature pinscher and is just adorable. Jessie is helping her get settled in and teaching her the ropes. Linda is totally enamored with her big foster sis.
Both dogs are ADOPTABLE! Just sayin...
These cute faces keep me rescuing, including the one resting at my feet right now (Mr. Milo).
And to leave you with a video that sums it all up... let's savor every moment we have with these precious beings.
I am blessed. Amid the hustle and bustle of going to school and working full time, I was able to have an amazing birthday week. So amazing I just have to share.
It all started with this man...
Mmm mmm mmm, just look at this man. Let's just take a moment...
My amazing partner gifted me with tickets to see Prince at the Showbox Market last Thursday night. Now, to set the scene, the Showbox Market is a pretty small venue which made it pretty awesome. Prince looked just this good... still... and he sounded great. He put on such a show with all the theatrics you've come to know and love. Oh Prince, you slay me. I put my big-girl pants on, sucked it up and went to the late show that started at 11:30 PM. I was not disappointed with his rock set and two encores, one being a medley of some of his hits. I may have only gotten 4 hours of sleep that night but it was worth it.
Saturday the festivities continued at a bowling alley with friends, then dinner with friends. Lovely day. Sunday, my birthday wishes were actualized as we did gardening. Yes friends, I've turned into one who gets excited to garden. I'm sure blog posts totally devoted to favorite plants didn't clue you in. So my "study break" consisted of planting a couple of hellebores, moving plants around, pruning one of the trees and giving some compost love to some of our existing plants. Here are our two newest hellebore additions...
Gotta love putting the education to good use. Very gratifying. These kids will be perfect in the shady area we put them in... if Fynn doesn't trample them. One more gardening goal for the year finished! Check!
And then to top it all off, for my birthday yesterday, I got flowers! I am pretty sure I was delivered flowers for the first time in my life. That makes a girl feel quite special.
And then I went home to not only a freshly cleaned house but another bouquet! This girl here is spoiled!
We took a walk with our dogs (which is a little slice of heaven, my equivalent of smelling the roses) and went to dinner on Lake Union where mama got to have her wine... happy birthday me! Shout out to my girlfriend for supporting me through this time as well as making me feel extra special on my special day. Like I said... truly blessed.
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