This picture is

... misleading.

They are NOT best friends.  They tolerate each other.  Yes, sometimes they play fight, and that's actually pretty funny.  It's slow motion fighting.   I'll need to post that someday.

In the last few months Tobey has been peeing on Fitz's bed.  What a jerk.

We've purchased 5+ beds in recent months for Fitz.

I finally bought a waterproof bed and slipped it inside a Costco outside lining (he prefers the soft outside), and it's like Tobey knows.  He hasn't peed on the bed since.  Like I said ... what a jerk.

Fitz's first 5K

I just ran the fastest 5K I've ever run -- and I have my dog and my 10-year old to thank.

We ran in a benefit race for my good friend's sister's family.  

Mo was a rockstar.  She placed 4th overall for ALL female runners in the 5K.

Seriously impressed by Little last weekend.

hot dog

Working from home has its perks. 

Except for when it's hot and you have no air conditioning.  It has been uncomfortably warm for almost 3 weeks now. When it's hot consecutive days like this, the house never gets an opportunity to cool down.  

Today I wrote a press release about a mushroom knife while a fan blew hot air at me.  

I'll be honest, it was probably not the best work I have ever produced.

But then, at least I'm not wearing a fur coat.  

Poor puppy has been laying on the floor next to me all day -- switching sides every so often (presumably when the floor gets too warm underneath him.)

On the right side of me...

And, later on the left...

The only place he is really happy when it's this hot is here:

But, unfortunately it's a less conducive place to write and work.

As Songer said: It's hard being big and hairy.

the state of things

Summer can be hard when you work from home and kids have to stay busy (and quiet) while mom writes and conducts phone calls.  This is especially difficult for my non-homebody KT who itches to get out and "do something."  The days she is not in a camp/clinic during the day is seemingly torture for her.  She is always sure to let me know about her agonizing state -- repeatedly.

But, she sure is cute.

Mo on the other hand is fairly content playing with slime and watching YouTube slime videos in between doing her mom-mandated-stop-your-brain-from-going-to-mush curriculum.

Part of this "curriculum" is doing music daily.  For KT, I never had to employ any type of requirement so I was a little worried about doing so for Mo this summer.  To my relief she has taken to it beautifully -- and, has progressed immensely as a result.  I can't tell you how much I love hearing  both of them play and sing...

Dog, and dog-cat have been well, lazy as usual, mostly in part because it has been hot!

If not sleeping, this guy just looks at me with sad eyes throughout the day. 

Dog-cat sleeps in his perch in Mo's room through most of the morning, and then sneaks onto dog's bed in the afternoon for some rays.

Have to say though, would way rather be with these characters than in an office any day.

the calm before the storm

This weekend is going to be a bear.

8 a.m. soccer match for Mo
10 a.m. Relay for Life event for Mo's teacher
1 p.m. soccer match for Mo (in Goleta)
3:30 p.m. soccer match for KT
6:30 p.m. soccer match for KT
8 p.m. Cyrus de Mayo party

And, that's just Saturday.  There are more games on tap for Sunday!

Maybe someday I'll look back, my life a little slower and think -- wow, we were busy then.  But, for now, I'm going to grab a gulp of air and head into the weekend!

Vintage Rugs and Yellow Labs

I keep thinking I'm going to "catch up" with my blogging.  I haven't chronicled my adventures in Paris with Katie, the holidays, Mo on a rip-stick, Katie playing the bass, and now clarinet, Mo joining a club soccer team ... none of it.  It's just so daunting when I think about it.

So, I'm just going to post when I can and it will probably be more simple things -- you, know how I wish things were.

Today my new kitchen rug arrived.  I had to lock the dog and cat up in another room while I was trying to get the rug situated on top of the rug pad because they kept laying on it.

I like it.  Fitz seems to like it.  I hope everyone else does too, although, it's from Turkey so more than likely I will not be returning it even if they have objections...

Dog Cat

Yes, we have a dog and a cat.  But, that isn't a typo in the heading.  Toby is a "Dog-Cat."  

What I mean by this, is he comes to the door to greet people, like a dog.  

He likes his belly rubbed...

He lays on the bed and chews on Fitz's bone...

And, he's a rascal...

We did go on an amazing vacation, which I will post about later when I have more time!

mo versus fitz

Mo has been playing soccer with a new team the last few months.

Today she tried some of her moves out on the Fitz.

Yellow card on the Yellow Lab in the 35th minute!

Days Like These

Facts:  Song is out of town.  We scheduled the furnace to be replaced this week.

Presumptions:  The furnace company was supposed to come on Tuesday and replace the furnace and ducts in one day, starting at 8 a.m. and finishing at approximately 2 p.m.

Reality:

• It takes two full days.  They end up leaving at 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
• A City inspector shows up on day 2, and writes our project up for not having a permit.
• When I ask about the "ticket" Robert from the furnace company replies he doesn't think it's in the contract that they pull the permit.  Songer says he was told by Ben a permit would be pulled.  *plot twist*  Ben no longer works for the company!  

More Reality:

• I take Fitz for an outing in the orchard after dinner because the dog has been on leash when inside for 2 days because the furnace guys were working.  He runs around like a happy maniac.

• They are watering some of the trees, and his paws get muddy.  I rinse them off when we return, and find....
• KT is trying to take a shower but there is no hot water! Apparently, when they turned the gas off yesterday, the pilot light went out, and hence our water heater was not... well, heating water.
• I try to light the pilot with no avail. I follow the directions, I google how to do it -- no go.  I have to call Ray.
• I get off the phone and the kids are screaming.  I go and find Fitz rolling in the now small mud puddle that was created when I rinsed his paws off.  He's now covered in mud.

• Ray who seems a little annoyed graciously lights my pilot light -- in like, 2 seconds -- making me feel like a stereotypical completely incompetent woman.

To add insult to injury, we have apparently lost the wine opener, and I am forced to drink beer utilizing the opener screwed into the trellis.  Nothing like having to go outside every time I want to open a beverage.

Calling it a night. 

Mother's Day - 2017

It's literally been years, but I'm making the effort to blog again.

The girls are big, I'm working more and more, and we have a wild and crazy (newish) lab.  His name is Fitz, and he's just over a year old.

I love that I've been able to capture so many of our family's memories in this blog, and realized I've been missing so much not blogging the last few years.  Blogging provides a greater context and hey, I'm a writer, so the more background, the better.  You don't get that with the Facebooks and Instagrams.

Facebook and Instagram are for other people -- many of whom you used to know -- to keep up with what we're doing.  Blogging is for me and my family.  I think I'm going to stick with the latter.

Ever since I was a little girl I kept a diary.  I kept a diary all the way through undergraduate school.   I threw my diaries away years ago, but wish desperately I would have kept them.

There was one particular entry I wish I still had.  It was from the day I met Song.

I still remember what I wrote.  I was (still) pining over the loss of my ex-boyfriend who lived (literally) 30 feet across a cement path from me.  It was all about how much I missed him, how lonely I felt, how I didn't know if I'd ever feel that way again, etc., etc.  And, then there was one little blip about how how I met my neighbor's visiting friend, and how he might be transferring to UCSD the following year.  I said he was cute, and that I hope he did transfer down.

Well, wish granted.  And, *poof* 21 years later, here I am.

I cannot reiterate how much I wish I had that particular diary entry.  More than just sentimentality, I wish I had that entry to show my daughters that a lot of us go through heartbreak (there were, I'm sure dozens of nauseating entries about that ex-boyfriend in there).  So they could see  how blind I was to the fact that I had met the man of my dreams and had NO IDEA at the time.

I know they are young, but I think it would be valuable to show them today, so they could tuck it away in their memories, and hopefully remember it when someone breaks their heart.  I don't wish heartbreak on them, but I'm not ignorant to the fact that it happens to most of us and those with a strong constitution, and sense of self tend to fair better.

Today I had a lovely mother's day with my girls.  Songer was gone on a business trip.  They picked flowers from the garden, and decorated the house before I woke up.  I played soccer, we took the dog out, we ate Persian food, and we watched a movie together.  Barring Songer not being here, it was perfect.