It's like this...

Once upon a time there was a tubby lil beagle by the name of Chip. I'm not sure exactly how she got that name but I heard it was due to her love of potato chips. She should just have been named Food, since she couldn't ever seem to get enough of it. She was the first dog I ever remember as a child. Chip begged scraps, she stole food and she made a weekly tour of the neighborhood in search of neighbors who couldn't resist those big brown begging eyes and would give her food. Due to her love affair with food, she became quite chunky--but it never stopped her from waddling around a four block radius in search of yummies. This was in the days before leash laws and Chip was a free spirit who loved not only food, but people. Through her our home became a puppy nursery. Litter after litter of wiggly little doggies were born and loved and given away over the years. As time passed, she began to have issues with her back legs until finally she was paralyzed and couldn't walk ...

or despondent or depressed or heartbroken or lost....

I had my job interview this morning. I thought it went well, but I'll only know if it went well if they call and hire me. They said they'd make the decision this week. Then it was off to grocery shopping with the entire family, sans The Boy then home to put things away. A quick lunch and then it was off to take hubby to work---again with all three girls in tow. After dropping him off up in Everett we went to see the skin doc who informed me that I'm just fine and there is no skin cancer. Wheeee! Then it was to my sister's house for a bit before going to the back to school barbecue at Ashley's new school. We met her teacher and toured the school. Here's Ash and Steph at our picnic table munching on the burgers and chips. Here's Ally at the same table. Have I mentioned how much fun she is since she decided she's a teenager? Yeah, not so much. Then it was off to the mall for some back to school binge spending. My bank account was screaming uncle b...

Today hubby and had to run several errands. First stop, my doc where I had to sign more forms to release this and that and I may have signed an agreement to hand over my first born. Did I mention that yesterday at the same doctor's visit I was told I have skin cancer? Yes indeedy. Tomorrow I visit a skin cancer speshulist for a biopsy. I hope they just remove the entire thing. After the doc's office we stopped at my sister's to drop off my niece's laptop. While were sitting there in our suburban, my sister came out to talk to us. She started talking about the whole job situation and how she's been applying to the school district and she knows I have as well. "Pam, I'm sorry to tell you but they're not going to hire you you know" "Really? I---" Rrrrrrrrrr-ing goes my cell phone. "Yes this is Pamela. Sure, wonderful. I'll see you tomorrow at 8 a.m" "Who was that?" "The school district Human Resources. The...

I mean what would a birthday be like without a trip to Children's Hospital? Thankfully it was nothing serious. We got the results of Ashley's MRI back and there has been no further brain damage but the Neuro wanted us to go to the lab and get a blood draw and urine sample. So it's Lance's birthday and that's what we did. Ashley and I had a good conversation about the blood draw. "MOM! You KNOW I hate needles! Call that doctor back and tell him I HATE NEEDLES!" "I think the doctor already knows that honey" "I don't want to do it!" This is followed by her pretty blue eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Sweetie, put on your big girl panties, suck it up and get it done" Now there's a look of shock on her face as if to say how could you NOT sympathize with me when a blood sucking fiend is going to POKE ME AND TAKE SOME OF MY BODILY FLUIDS!! She then began to pitch a fit and I gave her the 'big girl panty' pep ...

Every August we spend time getting pricked and poked, fighting off bees and spiders in order to take advantage of the juicy blackberries that abound here in the Pacific Northwest. Today my husband and I (alone!) went picking at Discovery Park up on Magnolia in Seattle. We used to pick berries there when our first two kids were little and even before that when we were dating. If memory serves, the berries were big and plentiful back then. Today, they seemed a bit sparse and much smaller. The weather, thank heavens, is much cooler than it usually is in August so the picking wasn't as hot and sweaty work as it was last year when we picked them along the Orting River. THOSE were some enormous berries, probably due to their close proximity to the water. Here's a gratuitious shot of hubby picking this morning. Isn't he cute? Later tonight I'll bake those berries into a pie and serve it warm and gooey with some vanilla ice cream on the side. If he's lucky there might...

We left it behind at our house for our renters. There is no room here for it. We need to find a house to rent so we can bring it home to roost with us. I miss waking up to Allison playing her heart out in song each morning before school. Here she is playing Pirates of the Caribbean... And here she is playing another favorite...