My friend Nancy has a way of drawing me waaaaay out of my comfort zone. In hindsight, this has been going on for nearly two decades. Exhibit A: In our pre-kid days we spent a leisurely afternoon hiking the Winner Creek trail in Girdwood, only to cap it off by spontaneously launching ourselves off Mt. Alyeska in tandem paragliders. I wish I had better photos, … Continue reading Branching Out
Lord help us, there’s a new puppy in the house. What have we done? We already have Tess, our 5-year-old practically perfect pooch. She adores the kids and is a legit member of their backyard soccer league. She is friends with all the neighbor dogs and loves rigorous ear rubs. She was happy. We were happy. But no, we couldn’t leave good enough alone. We … Continue reading Introducing Remy {edit: Riley}
You know that moment when your daughter kinda sorta thinks she got a horse for Christmas, when in reality she got a JOB helping to care for someone else’s horse? Yeah. that happened here on Christmas morning: It all started a few months ago when Clark had an epiphany about Maggie: “She’s a 4-H girl!” he exclaimed. It’s so true. How had we not seen it … Continue reading Tuesdays with Rosie
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. ~Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird I’ve been home sick a few days this week. The first night I was worthless, shivering under the covers with a high fever and sleeping for nearly 16 straight hours. … Continue reading Mockingbirds and Meano
We have officially survived a full year of puppyhood with Tess! In retrospect, we should have purchased stock in Costco paper towels, Resolve carpet cleaner, and ridiculous Petco dog toys. Maybe we still should? Our little Labrador may look full-sized, but she is still a puppy at heart. She likes to pop soccer balls, chomp on XtraTufs, and play hide and seek with our socks. … Continue reading A Puppy Party
I can’t believe it, but our little girl has a boyfriend. (Don’t worry, I’m not talking about Maggie. That would warrant counseling, not blogging.) It’s Tess. Now that she’s 10 months old, I guess she is practically a teenager in dog years. For the past week, our neighbor’s dog has been stopping by around 8:30 each night. He sits on our front porch and gives … Continue reading Gratitude 13: Puppy Love
Today I offer up two strange and seemingly contradictory items of gratitude. Bear with me. Gratitude #7: Dry Pavement. Oh how I miss thee! This morning I woke at 4:30 AM to nearly a foot of unexpected snow. I say unexpected because yesterday the kids were roaming the neighborhood without coats, and Clark drove his ’67 Camaro (note: not a winter vehicle) to the grocery store. I … Continue reading More Gratitude: Dry Pavement, First Snow
Last weekend we brought home a new family member. I’d like to introduce you to Talkeetna Tess: She was born in the Talkeetna Mountains near Hatcher Pass. We first met her at two weeks old, and visited her every weekend until we brought her home. She traded ten litter mates for these two, who give her twice as much love: Poor thing. It’s only been a … Continue reading Introducing Tess
This year was a little rough for the Easter Bunny. He’s magical and all, but it’s hard to compete with eleven little Labrador puppies. Judging by the smile (or lack thereof) on our son’s face, chocolate labs bring much more joy than chocolate eggs: One of these little pups will be coming home with us on May 19, and the anticipation is already killing the kids. I must … Continue reading Puppies and Bunnies, Oh My!
For the first time ever, we haven’t had any house guests this summer. Well, except for Oreo: Oreo is a teddy bear hamster who belongs to our 8-year-old friend Emily. Emily is currently visiting family back in Michigan, so she asked Maggie to babysit. Maggie, who adores Oreo, jumped at the chance to have a two-week slumber party with a hamster. They are both nocturnal … Continue reading A Rogue Rodent
Profoundly Ordinary 