The Hardest Goodbye

Three weeks ago we had to make the hardest decision of our lives and say goodbye to our love, our life our perfect dog. Regis developed lung cancer and within three weeks he was having a very difficult time breathing and his quality of life was diminishing at a rapid pace. His cancer consumed his body so fast that we didn't have time to comprehend that we would never run on the beach, hike a mountain or spend a lazy summer in the sun with our Regis James. 

When we got Regis he choose us. We were looking at a different dog with a rescue group but he came up to us and demanded our attention, he was for us and he knew it. Regis came home with some anxiety about- well too many things to name. Together we braved the world and his fears began to fade. Recently he would approach other dogs, a huge fear in the beginning, and was learning to love children. 

He was the perfect pup for our family- very laid back yet full of energy in all the right moments. He knew when it was tv and popcorn time, curling up in the crock of your legs. But he was always up for an adventure in the mountains or a car ride to anywhere. On our move from Nebraska to DC he sat in my lap the whole ride- sharing the same hopes and fears of Scott and I. 

His unmeasured affection, countless kisses and compassionate heart will never be forgotten. He taught us that love is something that everyone deserves. That kisses can solve problems. And that sometimes you just need to go for a walk. 

Regis our sweet sweet boy- know that we will always remember your love and hold it dear to our hearts.

Regis James O'Banion

September 26, 2006 - October 9, 2013

August and September

Over our birthday weekend Christine, Paul and the Baby Bump came out for a visit. We had a lot of fun spending the weekend together. We started out with a visit to the Kennedy Center to see Book of Morman and ended it with a CIA adventure at the Spy Museum. 

The three of us ran away for a day trip to Frederick, MD and then ended up just driving around the hills of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. It was peaceful and just want we needed to set the tone for a wonderful fall. Regis always loves a good car ride!

And I was lucky enough to see my mom when she was in town with an Honor Flight. It was brief but perfect!

Well the school year is off and running. Scott is pretty busy between full-time work and full-time school but he is managing to pull through on top. He is pretty excited for his May graduation!

In other big news we are moving across the river to Virginia over Thanksgiving weekend. The move will save us some expenses and is to a larger apartment. I'll send our new address around via email. 

Here's to a busy October and November! 

And The Summer Is Almost Over

It's amazing how time ticks by at a faster rate the older you get. Remember when the days between Labor Day and Memorial Day never went fast enough, how were you ever going to get to third grade! Now it's August and I have no idea what happened to May, June or July! 

Our summer has been full of trips for work, classes and camping. Scott took two classes this summer which will put him at a May 2014 graduation. (270 days to be exact, but whose counting!) I have been traveling quite a bit for work; two projects in June and one in July followed by a site visit to Nashville last week. I am drained from so much travel and am looking forward to staying home for a while. 

This month marks a full three years of living in DC. I can't say it's always been peaches but we do feel like we have had some really fun experiences and are on an adventure that we will never forget. Mostly we have loved camping in this area and have discovered that we are mountain people. 

I made a killer mistake last time we went camping. We went to the Blue Ridge Mountains in southern Virginia and I booked us at a camp site near a river in the foothills of the mountains. Mosquito city!!!! And then it started raining. I woke up in the middle of the night, shoved Scott and we unzipped the tent to the neighbors cooler floating by. After bailing out the while camp site, we re-pitched the tent on higher ground. The next day we ventured up the mountain and found a great campsite next to a beautiful lake ON TOP of the mountain. 

Since I have been home I have been making a lot! 

Parmesan risotto with vegetable ragu

Almond-Ricotta-Lemon muffins

Paul and Christine are coming this weekend, stay turned for some fun pictures of that baby bump!

The June Adventures

In the beginning of June I was in NYC for a major project with Rebuilding Together (be sure to check your October/November issues of Better Homes and Garden, Ladies Home Journal, Fitness and More magazines for a complete story on the project). Scott was able to join me for a few days so took the opportunity to explore Coney Island and eat at the original Nathan's hotdog!

We celebrated our third anniversary apart this year, I was at a project in Columbus OH. Scott was sweet, sending flowers to the hotel.

After my last week-long summer project Scott planned a weekend get-away to Shenandoah Mountain and Luray Caverns. We toured the caverns which were incredible, pitched the tent, built a fire, hiked and got to change a flat tire. It was an incredible weekend!

This week we are off to camp at the James River State Park in Virginia which is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here's to a summer of fun!!!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Here's to a happy April!

A Visit From My Parents

Everybody loves it when their parents come to town! They bring you presents, take you out to eat, pay for your groceries and maybe you get to do something special. Well Scott and I were blessed to host my parents a few weekends ago. They flew in late Friday afternoon and left early Wednesday morning. During that time we....

-went to the outlet mall in Leesburg VA
-saw The Great and Powerful Oz in 3D while eating dinner and drinking beer
-took a drive through the snow capped Shendoha Mountains
-visited our local Ikea store to pick up two shelves and a small dresser
-built said Ikea products
-visited the Holocaust Museum
-saw the only blooming Cherry trees
-took in an art museum
-planted our patio garden

PLUS we got some much needed mother-daughter bonding time! It was a fast trip but I am so glad we had the opportunity to spend some time together.

You Know That Moment...

...when you are finally feeling crafty enough to break out the cutting/embossing tool your sister got you for your birthday, the moment you sit down the smoke detector starts to chirp. Not the 'OMG FIRE' kind of chirp, the annoying change the battery chirp. And now not only are you annoyed, but your dog has gone into a trembling fit that only sitting on your lap can solve. You remove the battery, the chirp remains. Now you are just pissed. The dog has now messed up your craft, causing you to ruin the H and I cutter things. The front desk claims it isn't an emergency, I say the dog would beg to differ. The husband suggests covering the speaker part with cotton balls and duck tape. This muffles the sound enough that the dog is satisfied under the bed and you can resume your craft. Never happen to you you say, of well then come on over...it's just a normal Sunday in my world.

These past three weeks have been down right zooish (it's a new word, go with it). On the 4th Scott had his wisdom teeth removed. Normally a pretty run of the mill surgery, but with Scott's age and since it was his first ever surgery the recovery was pretty slow and rough.

The next weekend Sadistic Skot made its debut at a local tattoo convention. The success was less than ideal but we learned about about the brand, tattoo culture and Scott did get a lot of interest in his personal design work. He is currently working for a client, if you can call it that, on creating a logo and images for a jewelry company.

The weekend after that was inauguration. We avoided the crowds as best we could. When you live in DC those big gathering of crowds happen so often that if you miss one another is two weeks away; one can get little jaded. Scott had to work Sunday so took in the craziness then. I babysat for old friends on Monday night, so I pushed my way to the metro as the masses where leaving downtown. The blue line below marks the parade path, just so the dippy band leader doesn't get lost.

Between all of that Scott started classes, I took on yet more responsibility at work and Regis slept.

Tuesday I am off to New Orleans for our big Super Bowl event. I will be wrangling 200 volunteers on 10 house projects while coordinating the marching band, BBQ teams and making sure all the press is happy. Sounds like a walk in the park!

Until the next moment I have a chance to catch my breath.