We Lit up the Night!

Mike and I walked in the Light the Night walk last night. The walk is put on by the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society and we chose to do the one at Wash Park. The walk is targeted to supporters and survivors of cancer. We got up there around 6:30pm and the walk started at 7:00pm. I am never good with numbers for these types of events, but there were a ton of people at the event. Everyone got balloons that had little flashing lights in them to "light up the night". Survivors got white balloons and supporters got red balloons. Mike also got a survivor t-shirt. It was a great walk. At one point I turned around and it was such a cool sight seeing the mass of people at dusk with these balloons flashing. Even though he is someone living with cancer, Mike doesn't get a lot of recognition, so I think he really enjoyed being special for a while. I recognize you every day hon and I am proud of you and your fight with cancer. The walk, Tshirt, balloons and all the people were there to let you know they are proud of you, too.

Howie

We got some sad news last night. Our neighbor's puppy Howie had to be put down. He was only about 12 weeks old. He got sick, was throwing up and dehydrated, and I guess he took a turn for the worse and there was no hope. Tests have come back inconclusive thus far, so it is hard to know what happened.

This made both Mike and I very sad. Howie was a ball of fuzz. He was a little Westy who at his death weighed about four pounds. He was this little white fluffball who loved running after feet in search of a good shoelace to chew. We both feel very bad for our neighbors who spent months anticipating Howie's arrival from the breeder. They would always seek our puppy advice and tell us stories about Howie's antics. So, R, P and Howie, this one is for you. Thank you Howie for giving some joy in the few weeks of your short life, and thanks for being so darn adorable.

Fall is here

"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life." ~P.D. James

When I started the blog I wrote so much about summer, how I was looking forward to things like baseball and ice cream. Fall is here so now I can reflect on the summer, and look forward to things in the fall and winter. After January, I must admit, winter gets me down. I get antsy for long days and warm sun, I want to garden, I want to stop being cold. From here until around Christmas, I am a pretty happy chica. I love the fall. Already, trees are changing colors and leaves are crunching under my feet. My favorite colors-deep red, brown, deep green-are prevalent. I love hot chocolate and red wine. I love football and Monday night television. We watch movies. We walk on Saturdays to the coffee shop. The holidays give me pleasure...I get to be with friends and family, do things like see lights and go to craft shows.

My summer? Was great. Unbelievable. Mike had good PET scans and even though he is on interferon he is feeling okay. We went to Disneyland. We watched baseball. We went on lots and lots of hikes. We discovered the beauty of a gas grill. We sat on the patio. I got into a really nice work out routine. I planted flowers.

So, welcome fall, goodbye summer. I hope I can make the most of it and welcome winter with open arms.

Some Pictures

Man, I have been really busy lately. I started my new job and I am just slammed from the minute I walk in to when I leave. The day just flies by. To stop and talk to anyone means at least 30 minutes is gone, so I relish it when I am just in my office alone. I am also "training" the new advisor (does anyone think this is a bit odd? New training New?) which takes up at least half the day, and then I have appointments or need to troubleshoot current files so my day is gone before I even know it!

I decided that I do need to post just a few pictures from Alaska, although I would love to post all 100 of them.

Back to life...Back to reality...

Hello there. It has been awhile. We got back from Alaska on Tuesday morning and I am just now feeling awake and caught up. I am still having dreams...yesterday I awoke in a panic not knowing where I was (was I slogging to the Alaganik again?)...last night I had a dream that I was outside...somewhere outside...I keep waking up thinking I will be in Alaska when in fact I am in my own bedroom with my Mikey and the dogs.

We had a wonderful trip. Next posting will include pictures and more details. Suffice it to say...I am in love with Alaska. Some interesting facts: In the entire state, there are only 677,000 people. There are only a handful of highways, so to get to certain places people either fly or ferry. There are many types of salmon (Chinook, Silver, Humpy, etc) and fishing for the different kinds of salmon is good at different times of the year. The Ulu knife is the extention of the Alaksan woman's hand (I can't wait to chop garlic with this thing). Many people who live there are in my mind true environmentalists: Subsistance living. The vistas are fantastic. Alaska is the best of both worlds: Mountain and ocean. I don't think I could ever tire of visiting Alaska.

Next posting look for pictures and play by play descriptions of what we did. Just a taste: We saw Humpback Whales, a pod of Orcas; We slogged to the Alaganik; I flew on a plane with no bathroom and just 20 seats!; We brought home 50lbs of fish and are getting 30 cans of smoked salmon mailed to us...