Birthdays....

The b-day card Dale gave me.

Birthdays just are not exciting anymore. At least mine. I can't remember the last birthday bash I enjoyed as I usually prefer celebrating with Dale, quietly in the comfort of my home.

This is not to say that birthdays aren't memorable. Trust me, I will treasure Kannon's b-day every year until the day I die. I celebrate week birthdays, month birthdays, and 1/4 of the year birthdays. When you see a 7 pound being come into the world, it is hard to forget that moment.



But I don't remember my birthday. What used to be a call to celebrate with booze, friends, and bars is now an excuse to sleep in and demand breakfast in bed and celebrate Kannon's 1/4 of the year birthday.

Which is exactly how I celebrated my birthday.



Dale, Kannon, and I drove to Bozeman after a sleepy morning to continue our celebration. We visited with some old friends, enjoyed time antiquing (a skill my mother has generously passed down), and eating at our favorite establishments.



Yet, the trip was less about me and more about showing off Kannon and his chubby cheeks. He met new faces, saw new places, and slept in the bed with us. He was spoiled.


Visiting Lei-Anna, my former teacher

He had a few minor fusses--mostly because he was tired and ready for bed. While he may have loved sharing a bed with us, Dale and I were ready to go sleep in the car! I kept getting punched in the face by Kannon, not too mention he used me as a pacifier the whole night. He woke up any time one of use moved and demanded to be fed. I have no idea how any one co-sleeps.



All in all, we had a good weekend, watching our little man discover more of the world but now we are exhausted and happy to be home, in separate beds.

Playing Hooky!

We realized on Wednesday with the upcoming arrival of family and baby that it was our last day to truly enjoy "just the two of us"--so we played hooky! Dale and I both took the day off, slept in, cleaned the house, went for a walk and enjoyed what will be our last movie for awhile by attending "Where the Wild Things Are". It was such a relaxing day and gave us a chance to celebrate each others company before the real party begins!

Thursday, my grandparents arrived giving me a few more days to get spoiled before this little one steals my thunder! We have enjoyed showing them Missoula, dining out, and of course shopping! And of course, we celebrated Dale's 28th b-day by first enjoying an afternoon happy hour riverside at Finn&Porter and then feasting ourselves on steak and potatoes (true Montana food!) at the Depot Restaurant!

Today marked the beginning of my maternity leave, as I packed up my office, changed my voicemail and announced to the world that I will be gone until December 1st!

Now that our bellies are full, our to-do lists accomplished, and our final moments together savored, we are ready for this little one to arrive!!!! Until then, we will take it easy, and celebrate the arrival of my mom (tomorrow!) who will surely help us get the party started!

Catheters for Cats? And the Inspiration Volcano.

Sasha appeared to be doing great. We thought we were almost out of the woods until I came home to find Dale in shock as he just witnessed Sasha pee blood into the toilet (remember our cat is toilet trained). I was frantic and immediately had our vet on hold. She explained that it is perfectly normal, because Sasha had a catheter stuffed inside his impossibly small urethra. I would pee blood too under those extreme circumstances.

Sasha is NOW feeling better. He is in better health than we are and currently on a 3-week dose of Prednisone.

Work is going unbelievable slow right now. I have all these great ideas but my supervisor wants to put everything on hold until we get back from our training in Helena next week. I completely understand, but for those of you who understand my work habits, when I get excited and passionate about something, I develop tunnel vision. All I can do is think about my inspirations. I think at night, during the day, during breakfast, lunch, and dinner...and god forbid, even when Dale and I, well, umm, busy. It is a terrible habit. Waiting a whole week to discuss ideas is making me even more anxious. I am spewing educational inspiration and I need a lake to fill with all these ideas.

PS: We had the BEST meal of my life on my birthday! We went to Pearl, one of the restaurants that Dale wants to work at. We started with a delicately bold red wine. Ventured on to escargots, which were cooked perfectly and tasted more like mushrooms in an earthy bath of garlic, butter, and Parmesan. We got a crock of french onion soup, which you could smell from four blocks away and coated our stomachs for the next course. Our entree was smoke bison tenderloin in a huckleberry-red wine reduction. This was the most fantastic entree I have ever tasted. The bison was lightly smoked, perfectly cooked and the huckleberries were so fresh they popped essences of wine, sweetness and tartness in your mouth. We could have stopped at dinner, but we continued on to dessert, feasting on a homemade lemon custard tart. It was the perfect way to end our evening. Thanks to everyone who called on my birthday, I apologize if I wasn't alert, but I had a great meal digesting through my stomach, veins, and heart. Bedtime that night: 8pm.

***Note: this is the lamest post ever.

Veterinarians, Birthdays, and my disillusionment with Seattle

On Friday, Dale called me worried that Sasha was sick. Now, Sasha vomits frequently mostly because he loves to eat anything that crosses his path....he is the world's biggest garbage cat. Anyways, I was thinking that maybe he just ate some garbage or maybe had a little cold, nothing too major. When I got home Sasha refused to move. His usually energetic and happy personality was clouded by obvious severe discomfort.

We took him to the vet and as it turns out he has what is really similar to kidney stones, caused most likely by the difference in water, change of diet, and stress from moving. Sasha had to be catheterized and hospitalized over night.

Dale and I hardly slept through the night. We were mostly amused by the thought of Sasha, attached to a catheter, waking in the middle of the night to find a toilet to use (he is toilet trained!). After we paid the $268 vet bill on Saturday, we were able to take him home.

Sasha now has better health care than Dale and me. He is currently drinking distilled water and eating specially formulated food that is grain-free. In addition, he is on prednisone and antibiotics and gets to use a litterbox so we can monitor his urination. Sasha previously behaved like no other cat, he has always been more human than cat. Now, I think it is safe to assume that he thinks he is human. Especially now that he thinks he belongs in our bed under the covers like a real human being.

Today is my birthday. I never enjoyed celebrating New Years, because my birthday always seemed to feel like New Years; New year, another year older, make promises I know I cant keep. I have always struggled with becoming an adult. I know compared to most of my friends and relatives I am more responsible and mature...more adult. However, inside I never feel a day over 16 and struggle to see myself as an adult.

I guess that is the beauty of turning 23. For the past year I have felt 24 and have even on some occasions told others that I WAS 24. Today, I recognize that I am 23. Not only am I 23, but I also am finally beginning to see my life in terms of adulthood. I am married, live in a house with a spare bedroom, go to work everyday at 7:30, come home to make dinner, complete domestic chores, and go to bed. I know many of you may think I am crazy--that this is no life to be envious of.

What about the bars? Parties? Dates? Men? I have really never been one in favor of all those adventures rather preferring a quiet night at home cuddled up with someone warm. So today, on my 23 birthday, my gift to myself is the reconciliation of my internal struggle of trying to be an adult and actually feeling like one.

Dale had a job interview yesterday. It went very well. The restaurant is a very quaint breakfast and lunch place and serves Cafe Vita coffee (Seattle coffee shop). One of the servers questioned Dale's relocation from Seattle..."why would you want to move here???"

I have been disillusioned with Seattle. Five years ago I wanted nothing more than to walk to bust city streets with a cup of Jo in my hand and my cell phone in the other. After four years of trying to live a life that I really was not made for I became depressed feeling like the cloud cover in Seattle existed over my brain as well. Dale and I have had many long talks about this. Ultimately, we are simple folks in need of simple lifestyles. That is why we moved to Missoula--to enjoy the beauty of solitude, the freedom of space, and the opportunity to grow gardens, hike, and become self-sufficient.

Having only been in Missoula for three weeks, we feel as though we have settled into a life style worth living. In Seattle we went out to bars and dinner 4-5 nights a week. We have gone out to dinner ONCE in our three weeks in Missoula. Some of the luxuries, like 24-hour grocery stores, late night diners, and bars within walking distance are just not available. We dont miss it. Instead, we go to the brewery to fill up our growler (which is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective), make dinner most nights, sometimes even our own bread, and cuddle up to watch movies on our GIANT HD Projector. Jealous? We are too.