Farewell Furry Friends

Some of you may know that I have been searching for a new home for my two sweet little kitty boos. They really are terrific cats, but with my schedule I don't get to spend much time with them, so they don't get the attention they deserve. I'm pretty much the opposite of a homebody. I get stir crazy after staying in too long. In fact, I don't think I've ever stayed home for 24 hours straight. Okay, that might be a stretch, but definitely not for 48. The cats do pretty well on their own and can entertain themselves and each other, but I think they would be happiest with someone who is home often to care for them.

With the move coming up, I also realized I wouldn't have anyone to watch my cats if I were to leave on vacation or even just a weekend trip. My neighbor Anne has been a big help with that, as well as my mom who drives by my apartment on her way to and from work, so it has been easy. With all this in mind, I actively started looking for a new home for them.

The hard part was knowing that not just any home would do. I wouldn't feel right giving them to just anyone. I researched some places, like Purrfect Pals, that will take cats in and guarantee that they will find a home for them. This didn't sit well with me. Who knows how long that would take, and I can just imagine what the shelter looks like that they hold them in while they wait to be adopted. I also wanted to be certain that they were not split up. They are brother and sister, best friends, and don't know what life is like without the other. So, I crossed that off as an option.

I decided to make a flier and post it at my local vet who was also nice enough to email it to some other vets around the city so they could post it as well. I also had my friend Ko print it out and post a few at the Boeing factory in Everett where he works. Lastly, I posted an ad on the Boeing classifieds. As time passed I was getting anxious. The move was getting closer and I had zero leads.

Then, last Wednesday evening, my prayers were answered and Lindsay called. She had seen the flier Ko had posted and was instantly drawn to them. She tore down all the fliers she could find so that no one else would see them and call before her. She sounded a little younger on the phone, and said that she worked the early shift at the factory and was home early in the afternoon. Since she lives alone, she had been looking to get a pet so she could have a companion. We emailed back and forth that night answering her questions and sending her more photos, and she made plans to come meet them on Saturday. She sounded so sweet, asking me to please not let anyone take them before she had a chance to meet them.

Saturday came and Lindsay showed up with her mom. My mom had also come over to see the cats again in case Lindsay decided to take them home with her. So there we were, four cat ladies chattin it up in my apartment. Boy cat was on his best behavior and extremely charming. He greeted them at the door, stood on his hind legs to be picked up, sat on the couch to be pet, chewed on Lindsay's hair, and showed off how he plays with his toys. Girl cat knew something was up. She sat under the dining room table watching everything. Lindsay was in love, and so excited to have me let her take them home. I handed over every cat related thing in my apartment...litter box, food dishes, toys, scratching post, and even a carrier my mom had bought (as a parting gift, ha). I gave the kitties one last snuggle, and off they went to their new home in Everett.

I was definitely sad to see them go, they have been such good pets for the past 4+ years, but I couldn't be happier with the home I found for them. I know Lindsay will be a perfect crazy cat lady and give those kitties tons of love. She even sent me a text thanking me for the best gift ever, how sweet is that?! I told her to keep me posted on how they settle in, and I've already gotten word that they are doing great. So good to hear!

Here are a few photos to reminisce on my own crazy cat lady years...

self imposed time out

Superman stretch

cat nap

will miss waking up to this...

helping me with some emails

cat box

Desert 100

The Desert 100 is a big time motorcycle race for endurocross riders. It's basically a smaller version of the Baja 1000, if you happen to know what that is. It takes place over in Eastern Washington in a little podunk town called Odessa. It's out in the desert, and you basically ride (with 1,000+ other riders) two 50 mile laps...hence the name, Desert 100. It's a weekend long event with a poker run, pee wee race for the kiddos, and awards on Saturday, then the main event on Sunday morning. People come from all over the place and set up the RV's and take over the town. It really is a fun time, and a good excuse to get muddy, drink beer during the day, and pretend you're white trash.

This past weekend was my third time out to watch the race (I missed out last year). My cousin Jami and I both had obligations on Saturday in Seattle (see previous post on the oh-so-fun Chi Omega brunch), so we decided to drive over together that afternoon. Jami picked me up, we made a pit stop in Cle Elum for her to grab a change of clothes, then headed to Moses Lake. Clint and his buddies stay there in the fine Ameristay Hotel establishment every year. It's a 45 min drive to Odessa, but you're able to come back to an actual hotel room after riding all day Saturday to get out of the dust cloud, take a dip in the hot tub, and shower in a full size bathtub as opposed to an RV closet. Jami and I were able to get a room next to the boys (crazy that they had vacancy on short notice), and we headed out to dinner.

The next morning we got up bright and early and headed over to Odessa. We parked with a couple more of Clint's friends who were actually staying at the race in a trailer, and the guys got ready to head out to the starting line. Now, the start of this race is pretty crazy. All the racers ride their motorcycles out the start line and line up their bikes next to each other and stretch out across the desert. Once your bike is positioned, you stand about 10 feet behind it. Here everyone waits for the cannon to sound and you sprint up to your bike, hop on, start er up, and get er done. It looks like mayhem. You're so close to all the other riders, and if someone were to go down in front of you, there isn't much time to maneuver around them. I found this video on youtube of someone who had a helmet cam. It's kinda long, but you get the gist of it. I have a hard time not getting anxious just watching this, so I can't imagine actually living it.

the guys chatting while busy body Clint works away

Matt getting his bike ready

Pepper keeping a lookout

me being a happy helper...yes it's 9am

all ready to go

off to the start

The start for the spectators is a little different. They have a couple big gravel piles that people climb to get a better view. From here you can barely see the tiny bikes starting to line the hillside. You then see the cannon smoke rise, and start to see the tiny riders race down the hill towards you. Most years it's incredibly dusty and hard to see. It had been raining for the past couple days this year, so visibility was better (even though the mud made it difficult to ride in). It's crazy to watch a thousand bikes race down the hill toward you, all funneling into a narrow passage way they call the "hole shot" to start the race. What's even crazier is how fast the top 3 riders come blazing through there. Again, I found a video on youtube that someone recorded from up top of the gravel pile. The one I took was incredibly shaky, so I'll let you watch this one instead.

yeah, stay off

RV city

bikes all lined up

As a spectator, there's nothing else to see after the start until the guys come around after the first lap to the pit stops. Jami's brother in law who was racing took a fall right after the start. She headed out with him and her in-laws to the hospital to get him checked out and make sure everything was okay. Fortunately it was, but definitely a scary time for her family. This also meant I didn't get to spend as much time with her that day, which was a bummer. I'm happy we got to ride over together though. She cracks me up, and we laughed (at ourselves) the whole way.

Fortunately, a couple of Clint's friends didn't do the big ride, so I was able to warm up in the trailer as we waited for the guys to finish the first lap. We headed over to the pits a little early to wait for them. This is a fun thing to watch too. The really fast guys have their own crews who get them in and out of the pits in about 30 seconds. As we're waiting, Clint's friend Matt shows up first and decides to stop at 50 and not finish out the full 100. Seeing him come in first had me worried. Clint is usually faster than Matt and should have been to the pit stop by then. I started to think either something went wrong, or he cut to the finish line early and also decided to only do 50 miles. I headed back to the trailer with everyone to see if he was there, but didn't find him. We headed back to the pits only to find out that we had missed him! There were a few guys watching where we were standing that helped him refuel his bike and hand him a Powerade. I felt so guilty! The one job I had, and I failed. I even had his set of clean goggles around my wrist, so he had to do the second lap with the mud covered ones, whoops.

After missing him in the pits, I knew I had to at least get a photo of him coming in to the finish. This is something I had failed to do the prior two times I was there, so maybe I could redeem myself. I got there earlier than I would expect him and waited it out. I even bought him a bottled water to make it even more thoughtful of a gesture. The bikes were lining up as they clocked each person in, and then came Clint. He was happy to see the water (and me probably) since he didn't take any along for the ride. I also made sure to get about 10 pictures of him getting his time clocked, coming over the finish, and getting his t shirt.

finishers lining up to clock in their times

you made it!

crossing the finish

thumbs up to 100 miles

Turns out Clint took a fall towards the beginning which slowed him down quite a bit. It's hard to get back up and headed the right direction when hundreds of bikers are comin at you. At the half way point he decided that he wanted to finish it out, and had a much better time on his second lap. I'm happy he was able to finish the whole thing with no major setbacks and no injuries. We headed back to the trailer so Clint could eat, change, and get the bikes locked and loaded to head out. After a long day, we were ready to get out of there and get home. Great job Clint!

packin up

a little dirty after the ride

Matt's muddy helmet cam

Desert Warrior Clint

Eleusinia(n)

Eleusina (or maybe it's Eleusinian...I hear it said both ways and don't really know the meaning of the word let alone the proper way to say it) is a banquet held every year to celebrate my sorority's founder's day which is April 5, 1895. This past Saturday was the annual Eleusinia Brunch, and was held at Maggiano's in Bellevue. It's an event for all Chi Omega alums in the area to get together with the active members of the UW chapter for some brunch and networking. We also recognize the anniversary members, have a couple guest speakers, and the graduating senior class is welcomed into the alumnae chapter with a little ceremony. It's a fun way to stay connected to Chi Omega, and see what's new at the sorority.

Program

For the past two years, the Alums have started a new program called Alum Chums to connect with the new members of Chi Omega. Each new member is paired with an alum who sends them small gifts a few times throughout the year. Eleusinia gave us the chance to meet the new members we have been sending gifts to by designating tables for us all to sit at. It was a fun way to mix it up a bit and actually get to meet some of the new girls and see how they are enjoying sorority life.

Alum Chum table

Senior Ceremony

This year the house went under a renovation during the Summer. The girls came back to the house in the Fall to find the bedrooms on the top two floors completely redone. New paint, carpet, furniture...the works. The rooms were in desperate need of updating...I mean they were even in bad shape when I moved in 12 years ago! Even though the remodel was very generous of the House Corporation to have done, I'm still not completely impressed with how it turned out. The furniture is not my favorite and seems to take up more space than before. Oh well, at least the girls are happy!

New furniture at Chi Omega

room renovation

Even though the food was only so-so, the guest speaker lost my interest shortly into her presentation on Italy, and the program ran longer than expected...it was still nice to see and catch up with some of my Chi Omega sisters that I don't regularly get to see. Lysico!

Dexter Living

As I've been preparing to move...cleaning out closets, making trips to Goodwill, packing up boxes...I've become sentimental over this little apartment that I've called home for the past five years. This really has been the perfect place to live for me and the two kitties. I first moved in when my friend Blaine was moving out. She had found this little gem, and couldn't bear to give it up to just anyone. The timing was perfect. She and Paul were getting married and buying a home together, and my lease on the Belltown apartment I was living in with Brooke was coming to its end. The landlords were thrilled to have a referral for someone to move in right away, and I was excited to be living in my very own place, with no roommates, for the very first time.

I got settled in and right away took advantage of the gorgeous view and patio by having a 4th of July party. This really is the best spot in the city to watch the Lake Union fireworks over Gas Works Park. I soon met my neighbor Anne and became fast friends. The next year her friend Alicia moved in to the unit above her, and the Dexter house parties began. Solstice Parade BBQ's, 4th of July, any reason to be out in the sun in our backyard taking in the view of the lake.

first 4th of July party

This little apartment has been the perfect size for me. I loved decorating every room when I first moved in, and will definitely miss coming home to it everyday. On the up side, I will now have a new even bigger place to decorate and make my own!

I took some pictures to post here so that I can come back and reminisce on my little quaint apartment.

my little oven, just big enough for a frozen pizza

And of course the view...here are some good ones.

ahhh Summer time

Christmas ships

snow day!

Tuesday Duck Dodge

sunrise

I'll miss you Dexter apartment! Hope you bring the next tenant as many memorable moments as you did me.

Recovery

My wisdom teeth removal surgery was yesterday, and I have to say it went much better than I expected. I was in and out of there in 45 minutes and barely remember a thing. It's a good thing Clint was there to remember all the post op instructions, as I was experiencing a bit of "amnesia" from the anesthesia. I asked several questions (more than once) but still couldn't retain anything I was told.

Clint took me back to his place and took very good care of me. He set up a spot on the couch for me (where I drifted in and out of consciousness), made sure that I was taking my meds on time, swapped my gauze out every hour, kept me supplied with a cold ice pack, and fed me soft foods. So I basically got to be waited on while drugged up on Vicodin...recovery ain't half bad!

Today I'm back home resting up with the kitties. My mom brought over some goodies for me, including homemade chocolate pudding, YUM, and made sure I was comfortable for the day. My friend (and co-worker) Melanie also came over this afternoon for a visit and brought a frozen yogurt treat. Gotta say I'm lovin the diet so far.

I've experienced a little bit of swelling, but have been continually icing my cheeks hoping to prevent the chipmunk effect. The bleeding has subsided from yesterday, and I don't have very much pain, just a bit of soreness. All in all, recovery is going well. Here's hopin it just gets better from here!

chubby cheeks and fro yo

Wisdom teeth

I'm getting all four of my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow, and am so nervous about it! I've heard all sorts of stories about how people recover from it, and am scared for the worst. The teeth are all close to the surface, and two are even poking through, so I'm hoping that's a good sign that they won't have to dig too far. I'll be put completely under (thank goodness) so I won't remember a thing about the surgery, but it's the aftermath I'm worried about. I already picked up my Vicodin prescription and have stocked up on food for my liquid diet. I plan on going into hiding if my face swells up like a chipmunk. Cross your fingers for me, and I'll see you on the other side...a little less wise.