i totally understand bailey's feelings towards nail polish remover

It's exactly the same way I feel about the smell that comes from the kitchen when Ryan makes eggs. Absolutely nauseating.

this blog is documentation that snow fell on seattle in winter 2008

Here are a few photos of what I woke up to this morning...

I only post these as further documentation that it DOES snow in Seattle. We have had a major storm all three winters I have been here. Ignore all locals who tell you it doesn't snow here. They have no idea what they're talking about.

When Ryan got home from work tonight, we took Bailey to the local tennis courts to let her run free in the snow. There was a couple there with the same idea we had, so Bailey had a few boxers to play with. Please note that Bailey has a white nose in all the photos. This is because she nose dives into the snow over and over. Most bizarre thing ever.

I have no update on the sexy baristas and if they were able to make it to work today. Apparently the local news didn't think that was important enough to report on this morning. Obviously I'm on the hunt for a different news station.

this is the soundtrack to my life

When Bailey attempts to play with Maggie, it sounds like the poor dog is being beaten to death with a stick. I'm certain our neighbors are curious about the activities that are happening on the other side of their wall. Mario Ryan and I are waiting for the day when the cops show up on our doorstep demanding to know what the hell is making all of that noise. And when I point at Snugglewugglepuss in the corner, I know there is no way in hell they're going to believe me.

To get the full effect, turn the volume up. Way way up.

trying to accept the fact that sam will spend hours grooming bailey, but not me. the woman who feeds her.

While enjoying our Sunday morning Arrested Development marathon, we were finally able to get some footage of Sam grooming Bailey. This is a regular occurrence in our household, and can last happen for hours at a time. While I find it adorable, it also really ticks me off. The world knows how much I hate to shower, and yet Sam chooses to spend hours each night cleaning Bailey, and not me. Do you know how much time this cat could save me each morning?!

cannon beach

Ryan and I spent the weekend at Cannon Beach for an early two-year anniversary celebration. It's honestly the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. It's a pretty well-kept secret, so there's not too many tourists, AND! it's SUPER dog-friendly. The Petting Zoo stayed with us in our hotel room, and Bailey was able to run the beach leash-free all weekend. I actually think Bailey had a better time than we did.

The first four photos from this set were taken from the deck off our hotel room. We had a fantastic view, and we spent a great part of the trip enjoying the view from our room while stuffing our face with way too much food, specifically cheese and hummus. Mmmm mmmmm.

bailey's newest trick

Bailey has now figured out how to open the front door. She has been able to unlatch and push open the bedroom doors for quite some time, but it took her some practice to be able to pull open the heavy front door. The good news is that Bailey has no desire to be outside if Ryan and I are inside, but if either one of us leave, ESPECIALLY with Snugglepuss, she will open the door and let herself out.

Notice in the video that after Bailey gets the door open, she peeks outside to see if anyone saw her, and once she sees the coast is clear, she heads right on out. That's because she knows opening the door is NAUGHTY, and she doesn't want to get caught. She didn't know I was sneakily filming here when Ryan set her up by pretending he was taking the little one for a walk without her. THE NERVE!

never been so proud

It only took us one year to teach Bailey to fetch a ball from the water. Only one year. I know how impressed you all are.

We have been taking Bailey to the dog park on a consistent basis ever since we adopted her. Ryan so desperately wanted a dog that he could play fetch with, but Bailey was a bit slow with the whole concept. Opening doors? Piece of cake. Fetching a ball? No.

After about a half hour at the dog park, Ryan and I noticed a tennis ball floating out in the water. He looked at Bailey and said "Bailey, go get your ball!" And do you know what she did? She retrieved it. She not only swam out to get the ball, SHE BROUGHT IT BACK TO US! And she did it over and over. It was a glorious day.

Did I mention how much I love the dog parks here? The views are to die for.

things that make me happy today

1. Thanks to George W's refund, Ryan and I are getting new couches. And of course I decided I have to repaint. So this weekend I will be painting the living room. Again.

2. Sarah and Chad came to visit for the weekend. It was a fabulous time. I think I was pretty successful at convincing Chad he needs to do his residency at the University of Washington. However, I was not successful at convincing him I know how to park a car.

3. Ryan and I bought tickets to see Jack Johnson at The Gorge Amphitheatre for our anniversary. We are actively recruiting some friends to join us. It will be a great weekend. Camping, friends, and Jack Johnson. What else do you really need?

4. Bailey's UTI has resolved. At least for the time being.

5. Two people have commented on my blog that my hair is getting long. I feel like it doesn't grow, so this makes me happy. Although I'm sure when it's finally long, I'll just cut if all off again. That's just the kind of person I am.

6. The Office starts again on April 10th. Life will once again be complete.

we're home!

Ryan and I just returned from our week-long cruise to Mexico. It was absolutely fabulous. As soon as I finish the 19 loads of dirty laundry, sort through a foot-high pile of mail, and have a chance to compile my thoughts, I will be sharing stories and photos.

I do apologize to all of you Ryan and I have been ignoring the last week. It was not intentional as we had no phone service or connection to the outside world. However, that does not apply to Marcus. We have been intentionally ignoring Marcus and we intend to continue ignoring Marcus. I look forward to many more angry voice messages.

Oh, and another thing. The Pet Hotel called Bernie last Thursday. Bailey had come down with another UTI during her stay. So, just add another $300 to Bailey's current total of $1000 medical bills. Welcome back to the real world!

working through bailey's identity crisis

bailey is going through a bit of an identity crisis. lately she has been engaging in behavior that would only be natural for an unneutered male dog. (i hope you understand. i really don't want to give more details.) it makes for an awkward situation at the dog park when bailey jumps onto the back of another dog and we have to explain to the other dog owners that we don't know why bailey is doing what she's doing because she's a female dog, and yes we do realize that it's not natural, and yes we are really sorry she keeps doing that to your dog. i can only imagine what the other dog owners must be thinking about us.

bailey has now brought this habit home with her. ryan is her main target, but she will be all over pretty much any person at our place. and although it's quite funny, i'm starting to get a little freaked out over the situation.

bailey must be a little confused about her identity right now. and that's ok. we can give her the time she needs to work out her problems. maybe she's in need of a doggy shrink.

a few updates...

1. bailey has figured out how to open the bedroom doors. it doesn't matter if she has to push or pull, she will eventually get the door open. as much as i love being the owner of the smartest dog in the world (and she is), i am pretty frustrated. bailey, however, is pretty proud of herself.

2. i have almost completely recovered from my near-death experience in minneapolis. although i am still a little traumatized from the experience. food poisoning is NOT the most elegant time in a person's life.

3. ryan and i are paying off the civic this week. that's right. no more car payments. life is good.

4. ryan and i are going to the billy joel concert thursday night. i am beyond excited. this must make me fifty-years-old. i am ok with that.

the unveiling of bailey's halloween costume

after much debate between yoda and a lobster, bailey finally settled on being a lobster for halloween this year.



many thanks to nicole for the tip on this great costume. bailey now feels one step closer to being part of three's company.

a few things...

1. my ipod shipped today. it was scheduled to ship next thursday. i look forward to next tuesday, the official arrival date.

2. bailey is getting much better with her new dose of antibiotics. we have a few more tests to run to see what the problem is, but for new we're keeping our finger crossed.

3. after many years of searching, i have finally found the perfect pair of jeans. sexy and classy. i especially think reade will appreciate these.

the thousand dollar uti

bailey's reoccurring urinary tract infection has just about hit the $1000 mark. we took her to the vet today for the fourth time this summer. the first time we took her, our veterinarian said her urine looked healthy but gave us a low-dose antibiotic just in case he missed something (i think he did). ten days later we're in the pet ER with one very sick dog. bailey had the highest white blood cell count the vet had seen in years. they gave her two antibiotic injections, two bottles of antibiotics, a pain killer, and prescription dog food. they gave us a $300 bill. bailey only improved for a short time. two weeks later we're at our vet once again, and once again he found nothing. we decided it was time to find a new vet. we called the pet ER for a recommendation and luckily they had a veterinarian there who agreed to see bailey as a regular "patient". this veterinarian actually made us feel like we may be one step closer to solving the UTI mystery. and this makes me happy. as much as i will miss cleaning up puddle after puddle after puddle from our new carpet. for now we are waiting for the rest of bailey's test results. i will let you know what those results are when we hear them. in the meantime, i have set up a nest on the couch for bailey to use until she feels better. just don't tell my husband about it.

and one last thing...we will now be accepting donations to the what the hell is wrong with our dog? fund.

back seat driver

even bailey appreciates the view