I lost my engagement ring.

Britt's entry -

Or, to be more accurate, Cooter lost it.

Cooter likes to curl up in the bathroom sink and watch us get ready, and he also enjoys digging through my things to find hair clips and rubber bands he can play with. He bats them around and carries them through the house. I usually take off my ring when I get ready for bed so I don't get soaps and lotions on it, and I put it under my makeup bag so he doesn't mess with it.

I woke up on Thursday morning and it wasn't there anymore. I looked under the bag, in the bag, all over the counter, all over the ground nearby - no ring. I spent most of the morning looking under the bed and in every crevasse in the bedroom. I took another, smaller ring and tried to fit it down the sink, but the stopper got in the way, so I knew the engagement ring wouldn't have fit. But, I took the trap apart just in case and found... nothing.

I was kind of hoping Sean had picked it up and put it in a safe place, or hid it from me to teach me a lesson, but nope, he didn't know where it was either. I got home Thursday night and he had scoured the whole house with a flashlight, and even taken apart the whole bed, but couldn't find it either. We looked with flashlights under all the cupboards and trim and edges we would think of. I found a lot of hair clips and rubber bands, but no ring. And Cooter just watched us, not saying a word about where it might be. We even told him that if he brought it back, he wouldn't have to get neutered next week.

So Friday night I cleaned out the vacuum canister and started vacuuming in every place I could think of, hoping I hear it getting sucked up. Still, lots of rubber bands, milk jug tops, and assorted other Cooter-toys, but no ring.

Sean and I started moving appliances, starting with the fridge. And there it was, way in the back, behind the wheel where we couldn't see it looking under with the flashlight.

What a relief!! That would have been a very unexpected wedding expense. And since Cooter didn't help, he'll still lose his balls on Wednesday. We had a deal.

A whirlwind. Well, more like a twister or Hurricane Katrina.

Britt's post -

Whew, it's been awhile since I put something up here, but that's not because there wasn't anything going on. We've been super busy preparing for the holidays and the wedding all at once. Last weekend we went to Sean's parent's house in Seabeck for their family Christmas, so we had to have all our shopping done early! Their family is really gracious about always holding Christmas on some other weekend so that no one has to choose between households for the holidays. The kids were all great, the family was wonderful, lots of food and fun! Nicholas won at Pictionary and Aleah showed us she's over her shyness - that girl opened up overnight and became a talkin' machine and a big ham to boot!

Christmas 2007

I think we're most proud, though, that Roscoe didn't pee on anything in the house - way to go buddy!! Such a special day *sniff*

Since getting engaged on October 31st, I bought my wedding dress, we picked our location (which comes with catering) and date, we booked our photographer and officiant and are working on a DJ/MC and the rehearsal dinner. All that will be left soon is to say, "I do! I seriously, really, really, do, baby! Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" or something along those lines. You can see more at http://www.seanandbrittgetmarried.com/.

This coming weekend we have Christmas festivities at Sean's sister, Tanya's, house in Sequim, with his dad's side of the family. Still not done shopping yet, but we're close!

I love the holidays, but man, I could use a nap. Mmmmm, nap. *drool*

Jumper makes a decision.

Britt's entry -

Last week, Sean got home and Jumper was sleeping in our bed. Now, normally, that wouldn't be such a big deal, right? I mean, cats like to sleep, and beds are comfortable, makes sense. The thing is, the day we brought Roscoe home in January, Jumper didn't step foot inside again.

We brought him in a few times to show him that it was ok, or to give him a break from the cold, but he struggled and tensed up and made a break for the cat door every time. The cat hasn't suffered, though. He has a nice perch on the workbench, complete with a towel over a heating pad, and, let's face it, this was his choice. Well, apparently he's changed his mind. He now walks right past the dog and into the bedroom and sets up for a nap. Go figure.

Riding the SLUT *giggity*

Britt's entry -

SLUT stands for South Lake Union Trolley, and I was the on the very first ride for the purple car! It waited at the stop outside my building during the opening ceremonies, and I got on and waited for it to start up, which was based on when the Mayor's trolley was ready at Westlake. I'm part of history!

Our neighbors like Christmas. And the Seahawks.

Britt's entry -

Every year our neighbors down the road go all out on their Christmas decorations. They staple lights across every inch of the front of their house and the roof, they spread lights across the lawn and all over the tree in their front yard, they have all the blow-up decorations one person can fit into 300 square feet - it's a Christmas bonanza.

But, it's probably pretty easy to decorate for Christmas when you never took down the lights from last year. Yep. I guess there comes a point when you're closer to next December than the previous and you just let go.

So Sean and I were driving past the other day and were surprised to see that they were building a huge framework in the driveway and getting ready to attach lights to it. But, we couldn't figure out what it was from our angle. It didn't take long before they mounted it on their roof and that Seahawks logo was a beacon of team spirit for all to see. Freakin' thing looks seriously professional. We're pretty impressed.

My new favorite site of the day - jibjab.com

It's up!!

Our wedding website has a permanent URL - bookmark it , baby!
www.seanandbrittgetmarried.com

Happy Tofurkey Day!

We're thankful for... YOU! Thanks for visiting : )

Our wedding website

Hi all! We've set up a blog exclusively about our upcoming wedding details, so check it out at http://home.comcast.net/~britt.anderson/
(This link is subject to change so check back here if it doesn't work later on down the line.

WE'RE ENGAGED!!!

Britt's entry -

Our proposal

It was Halloween night and after a long day at work and an evening at the gym I arrived home in my sweaty workout clothes and pulled into the garage. Sean met me at my car door and said, "Here, put your things down." I asked him if I could put them down inside and he said to just set down all my bags right there on the garage floor. With a slight sigh, I followed instructions. He handed me a glass of Chardonnay, smiled and said, "This is your goblet of courage," then handed me a small flashlight, "and this is your torch."

"These are your instructions," he added, giving me a Halloween napkin which read: Welcome to the Chamber of Doom! A very dangerous journey lies ahead…collect all the clues along the way to complete the key.

"Hidden in the house, at eye level, are clues to help you complete the key, which will get you into the treasure chamber, " he continued.

I thought to myself, "Man, Sean must have been really bored waiting for trick-or-treaters to show up. But I'll play along." I opened the door and was greeted by the "Demon Dog" and the "Cat that steals your soul". The lights were all out and every candle in the house was lit, and playing on the stereo was some not so scary Halloween music, which, he assured me, was very scary music a minute before.

A Halloween napkin was taped along each wall, every few feet, with a letter written on it. As I pulled each one down we kept getting interrupted by kids at the door and had to stop what we were doing, set down everything in our hands, Sean grabbed the dog by his collar, I grabbed the bowl of candy, and we gave them their treats. We were probably interrupted 5 times.

Finally, I got all the "clues" together and laid them out on the coffee table. Based on the letters themselves, I had a pretty good idea of what it would say, and sure enough, it spelled out "I LOVE YOU MOST," which we all know isn't true since I obviously love him the most. (Note: Yes, we're goofy like that. We say this to each other all the time. And yes, we know its nauseating, which is why you probably haven't heard us do it much in front of other people.)

Anyway, I filled in the hangman squares on the napkin "key" I found on the guest bedroom door, opened it up (because the key was correct, mind you) and saw a bouquet of flowers and a card sitting on a storage container. It was really sweet of him, and not at all out of character to get me flowers just because or to make a show out of it. I smiled and thanked him and went to give him a hug, but he told me to read the card first. I turned the flashlight onto the card.

On the front was a jack-o-lantern that said, "Thinking of you…" and on the inside read, "…gives me a warm glow inside. Happy Halloween!" and hand-written at the bottom was, "And will you marry me?" I stopped smiling, shocked, and turned around to flash my light at him. Sean was down on one knee with the ring box open in his hand. "Willyoumarryme?" he said at the speed of light.

I paused for a minute, frowned, and told him I'd need a few days to think about it. No, I Didn't!! Jeez! Of course I immediately said yes and threw my arms around him!

We went out in the light so I could get a look at my new engagement ring and we could call friends and family to let them know immediately.

At one point some kids saw us kissing and turned back down the driveway before knocking. FYI - apparently that's the most effective method keep them away if you've run out of candy.

So now Sean and I are engaged and starting to plan our wedding! That is so cool to type out! Wedding, wedding, fiancee, wedding, engaged, husband-to-be, wife-to-be, engaged, married! Whoo! Trying to get it out of my system.

Crazy Cooter: My personal memoirsChapter four: My Training Begins

I wasn't always a champion fighter. I know that sounds difficult to believe, but biting and clawing my way to the top didn't come naturally to me. Since I started so young, it did appear to be second nature, and I never bothered to correct the people who called me "Evil Kitty" or "Troublemaker", so the reputation stuck and helped instill fear into the hearts of my enemies and eventually the giants.

I started off small, the way many champion fighters did. When the male giant reached to pick me up, I would bare my teeth and whip my head forward so my little jaw landed on his finger or wrist. It took several weeks of practice before I could get him to recoil in surprise at the sudden pain. He called it, "Jeez!" and I felt that was an appropriate term. Once I was more mobile, I could hide in the folds of covers and Jeez! their noses in their sleep, or under the bedskirt and Jeez! their ankles. I was an attack cat learning the trade and Jeez! was my specialty.

After mastering Jeez!, I moved on to hand-to-hand combat skills. My paws weren't even as big as a piece of the Roscoe's food when I began learning how to do the "Ow! Dammit!" The essence of this move is to impale your victim with your claws as many times as possible before they say, "Ow! Dammit!" But the particulars of how to accomplish this are far more complicated than can be described in writing. It involved everything from becoming one with your environment to the art of deception. In fact, deception was one of my strong points. Especially as a kitten, I was able to transform my appearance so as to seem, as the female giant called me, "a cutie-patootie". This would inevitably put me in close proximity to a vulnerable place - shoulder, face, hand, it didn't matter. The longer I held up the charade, the more vulnerable they became, until, at a planned, precise moment, my razor talons (sharpened on my climbing tree, a matter for a different story) would instantly torpedo into their skin. Palms were more difficult, but wrists and chests were like pulling a hot knife through butter.

At a certain point, the giants came up with what they probably thought was a deterrent to the Jeez! Ow! Dammit! combination - they would toss me into a pile of clothes, blankets or pillows to get me away from them as quickly as possible. Well, if I could have shouted "Whee!" I would have. Those trips soaring through the air were some of the most fun a kitten could have! It only enticed me to practice my tactics on them further.

However, the older I got, the more the giants began to learn my giveaways - the butt wiggle, the ears back, the huge eyes - and prepare themselves for attack. It got so that I could only get in brief moments of combat before the day was through. Luckily, the Roscoe rarely defended himself past walking away… which helped with my target training.

Our kitten's Cooter than your kitten

We have so much stinkin' fun with this cat.

Our kitten's "Cooter" than your kitten.

Crazy Cooter: My personal memoirs Chapter three - Bonding with the "Roscoe"

Early in my life I was separated from my loving mother and my many brothers and sisters. It was a difficult transition - I lost a nurturer and provider who had been there since my birth, kept me warm and fed and gave an unending love I have rarely known since. I lost the litter that taught me about family and sharing and cooperation. It was a traumatic time.

But from the shadows came my lifeline: a large, black friend that the giants called "Roscoe". He was my light when the world seemed cold and frightening. At the beginning Roscoe was fascinated with me. He would lick me at every opportunity, even helping with the task my mother used to do: encouraging my bladder to release. That first time was the moment I knew for certain that I had a friend in the house.


When the giants finally accepted my independence and allowed me to roam freely through the house at night, I would crawl closer to him and snuggle into his fur, feeling the warmth and comfort that only he could provide. (The giants were relatively hairless -the female more than the male.) Normally, I would have suckled my mother in those moments, but try as I might, I could never locate the source of any food Roscoe could offer. Usually the best I could get out of him was a yelp.

Roscoe was usually quite patient with me in those early days. I could crawl across his body over and over, slumber against his belly, follow him throughout the house and still he would not protest. After several weeks, though, he seemed to grow impatient with the activities that once brought me such joy. When I crawled up next to him on the couch, he would move to the other chair. When I playfully batted and nipped at his face, he bared his teeth at me and opened his mouth as if to devour me whole. When I tried to share the toys in the house, I was met with barking. It was unsettling that my attempts at friendship were so ill-received, but it did not deter me from continuing. If nothing else, it made me more determined than ever to share my life with him.

I decided to increase my efforts and show Roscoe how much he meant to me. On many days, the giants would say the word "kennel" and Roscoe would go willingly into a metal holding area until they returned in the evening. I don't know what kind of mind control tricks they used, but it seemed to involve a carrot. My friend needed me. I couldn't break the code to release him, but after the giants left the house, I would use my new-found mobility to crawl up the sides of the container and keep him company. I would stick my paws through the slats and offer him my support, but he always seemed just out of reach. I think he really appreciated my efforts in spite of our limitations and I certainly relished the time we spent together, separated by just a grid of metal and our differing species.

Weekend of Whiskey (Creek).

Whiskey Creek Sep 2007

Britt's entry -

Sean and I packed up our gear and Roscoe on Friday afternoon and headed to wait in line at the Edmonds Kingston ferry. While sitting in line, we saw a huge van creep up near the beginning and nose its way in. Not a minute later, a Sheriff's car pulls up, talks to the driver, and the van pulls out of line and makes a U-turn to go back to the end! The remaining cars started honking and cheering! It was like a tailgate party to see someone finally get caught! (We think someone must have called it in and the officer just happened to be very close.)

Another 5 hours and a car-sick dog later, we pulled in to the campgrounds and up to the cabin. It was very dark and since it’s a rustic cabin, only our flashlights lit up the path while we unloaded. Teri and Bud had their camper, Tanya and Darian used one cabin, and Sean and I got the loft (with a VERY comfortable bed) in the second cabin. Roscoe raced right up the steep stairs, but getting him to come down was a different story. We were only about 5 yards from the beach, so we went to sleep with the sound of the surf crashing right outside our window - very relaxing.
When we woke up, I got to see Whiskey Creek for the first time and it was beautiful! The two cabins were side by side with a small courtyard in between where we could set up our chairs and relax together.

Tanya, Teri, Sean, Curtis, Roscoe and I spent the morning heading down the beach looking for "round rocks" - rocks that had been rolled around so much that they were nearly perfect spheres. The guys found a shale hillside and completely exhausted Roscoe running up and down, while Curtis did flips (intentionally) on the way down.

When we got back, the rest of the family had pulled up! Everyone settled in and had some lunch, then the kids went to another beach and gave themselves "mud baths". Competitions for who can get the dirtiest seem to be a theme when these little guys get together!

Sean and I had also brought some party "clickers" for the kids to play with - and by kids I mean Bud, Sean and Curtis. : ) They clicked those suckers at every opportunity and attached them to earlobes, eyebrows, nostrils, you name it.

For dinner, Tanya cooked up some delicious smelling salmon that Sean had brought, and everyone else pitched in a dish or two, like corn or noodle salad, and we were all quickly stuffed.
Everyone was pretty worn out by the time the sun went down, so Teri, Tanya, Scott, Sean and I sat by the fire keeping warm and chatting. Pretty soon we looked down at a watch and realized it was… 9:30. Hmmmm. But Tanya, Sean and I got a second wind and finished the night talking and gigling (me) in the cabin until about midnight. Hope we didn't keep Marcus and Zoe awake in their tent!

We had a slight rain shower first thing in the morning, but we powered through and had everyone pitching in with cleaning the cabins before we headed home. Another great trip!

A short-term love affair

Britt's entry -

Driving home from the mall on Wednesday night, I came to a 4-way stop and noticed a medium sized terrier trying to climb up on a motorcycle at the stop to my right. The biker took off and the dog ran alongside for a few blocks. The whole time the biker kept looking down until she (that's right, she!) finally pulled on to a side street. I pulled alongside, thinking that if it was her dog, I, having a car, might be able to help get the pooch home. But it wasn't hers. No collar or tags. No one in the area looking for her. So sad!


We held the dog by the scruff of the neck and she didn't struggle or bark, she just sat there smiling up at us. She was being a very sweet dog! After 7 phone calls to various places, I finally had a Sheriff's deputy pull up. (We're in an unincorporated area.)

The officer said that Animal Control closes at 4, PAWS at 6, and he couldn't transport any animals, which left me with three choices: I could take her and try to find her owner myself, take her and drop her off at a shelter the next day, or leaver her to wander the streets. I called Sean and he was great about going along with whatever I decided - to take her back to our place for the night. Of course I wasn't going to allow her to run back into traffic!!

I put her in the backyard and she and Roscoe carvorted, frolicked and ran circles around each other. (You read that right. How often do you get to use the words cavort and frolic?) They went into playful stance - front elbows on the ground, butt raised in the air - and tumbled across the lawn. It was adorable! Then Cooter came out and joined the fun. The new dog was fascinated yet gentle with the kitten, which was very encouraging.

Since she was smelly and wet when I found her, we gave her a garden hose bath with shampoo, and she took it patiently; pretty surprising considering we were two strangers soaking and scrubbing her!

We gave her treats and she "sat" for us, no food issues when Roscoe tried to steal them! All in all she's a pretty great little dog! Oh, and in keeping with the Dukes of Hazard theme, we gave her the name "Lulu", Boss Hogg's wife. We may use that one again at a later date, though!

We put flyers up at the intersection where I first saw her, and posted Found ads on Craigslist. Luckily, the daughter's owner is a savvy young lady and went online this morning and saw their dog! They gave me a call and I took "Missy" home. Apparently she is quite the escape artist. She had jumped off the back deck and on to the roof of a nearby shed and then took off for an adventure!

Oddly enough, I got a call a few hours later from a man who said he had "rescued" Missy a few weeks ago and had the impression it was far from her first time. He actually told me that if the owners hadn't called, he was going to offer to take her because she was such a great dog and didn't deserve to keep having this happen to her. Well, hopefully they'll get the message this time, because next time she might not run into someone who wants to help!

Crazy Cooter: My personal memoirs Chapter Two - Permanent Damage

Cooter's entry -

After a few weeks of settling into my new home, I realized I had the world at my fingertips. It was a remarkable feeling, really, knowing that with a small noise I could bring the whole house running or that the slightest action would bring peals of laughter to the room. I was on stage. They watched my every move for hours. I had found my calling at last.

At first I would waddle from room to room, occasionally going for a short sprint, but as my strength and balance improved, the sprints became longer and soon I was running to each destination. Of course, my agility and stopping capability were not at their height yet, which led to a variety of errors. I ran quite quickly into the sliding glass door, but from then on I stopped and checked before trying to go outside again. I also failed to negotiate corners very well, having to stop and turn before continuing on my way.

But by far my worst injuries were not my own fault. I was a tiny kitten in a house filled with powerful and negligent giants.

One evening I crawled into bed with the giants and cuddled snugly next to the female's shoulder. The next thing I knew, she woke up suddenly, grabbed the corner of the blankets and whipped them away from her, tossing me against the wall in the process. The thud my body made could be heard across the house. I gave a long startled squeak and sat there bewildered. She immediately picked me up, undoubtedly aggravating the serious injuries I already suffered. I'm sure her heart was in the right place, but just to ensure she didn't wake up suddenly anymore, I decided to keep her up as long as possible at night using my claws and teeth to nip at any exposed skin. I must say I enjoyed it immensely.

Just a few days before, I watched the female giant open the silver door of the large box in the kitchen. Curious about what the giants do in there, I crept closer and peered in. My view was quickly gone however, because the light went off as she closed the door. Little did she know, my entire body was still in the way of that door, keeping it from closing entirely. Luckily, my head, crushed from the weight, kept most of the bodily injuries to a minimum by preventing the door from squeezing my tiny little ribs. I gave another panicked and painful squeal and at that moment the door bounced away and closed yet again! Would this torture never end? She came to what I will call my rescue, although I'm not sure it can be called rescue when she caused the situation in the first place. The male giant cradled me in his arms for a few minutes while the white of my eye turned red and the swelling ensued.

It is still unclear whether the damage was permanent - due to my youth, who knows what potential I missed out on.


The next chapter: Bonding with the "Roscoe".

Britt's Birthday Extravanganza

Britt's entry -
I had such a wonderful birthday weekend, and so many people to thank, but most of all Sean! I couldn't ask for a more incredible boyfriend!

On Thursday afternoon I left work a little early (exhausted from being kept up by the kitten all night). When Sean got home he said that I had a surprise waiting for me at work. Apparently the beautiful bouquet of flowers he had delivered arrived just after I was already gone! Whoops.

On Friday he took me out to dinner, but not before a special secret errand he wouldn't explain until we got there...to his old house where another gorgeous bouquet of flowers was waiting on the front porch! His parent's, Teri and Bud, had them delivered special for my birthday! After picking them up we went to Stella Mia, a little Italian restaurant in Country Village where we had an outstanding dinner and an even more outstanding bottle of Cab. *drool*

Sean had given me part of my present a few weeks before - the new tiny little Ipod Shuffle - and followed it up with a Nordstrom gift certificate so I can pick up some new gym clothes. (Mine are getting pretty ratty. The fabric of all the shorts looks like Swiss cheese and the elastic is just barely holdin' on.) What a great birthday day!

On Saturday, we had about 25 people over to our house for beer and pizza. (The house held up surprisingly well for hosting that many people, so it bodes well for future par-tays!) We got a chance to get people together who had heard all about each other but had never met before, and we even had people there we hadn't seen in far too long, so it was really nice! Several people brought me bottles of wine (they apparently know me well), and Sarah, Max, Garrett, Kristina and Annie got me a new purse and matching carry-all bag, which are FAB-ulous.

Later on we crammed as many people into as few cars as possible and went to Robin Hood Lanes for some Moonlight Bowling. For those of you unfamiliar, there are a series of situations in which you can win cash for strikes or picking up spares. We didn't quite make our money back, but Sean made a strong showing and Angie really showed us all up!

On Sunday, after taking a 3.5 hour nap (just like heaven, in case you were wondering), Sean and I headed over to my grandparents house for a family birthday party for my mom and I. Her birthday is the 19th, mine the 17th. Dean really branched out culinary-wise and made shish-kabobs for dinner! Yum.

All in all, a practically perfect birthday weekend thanks to all the wonderful people in my life!

Feeding Time for Cooter

Cooter is transitioning to eating from a bowl! Note that it says "transitioning", not "mastering".

We've been feeding him wet food mixed with rice ceareal and kitten milk replacement with a cough syrup syringe. We started showing him the bowl of food mid-meal since he was licking the food off our fingers, in the hopes he would lick it in the bowl, too.

The good news is that he did start to figure it out.

The bad news is that he puts his whole body into the effort. Literally. He crawls into the bowl, mashes his face against the bottom, snorts it up his nose, cakes it over his eyes - when he is done, there is kitten food from the tips of his ears all the way down his body.

Which means that after he is done eating, he gets a bath. Not his favorite thing, so maybe it will motivate him to be more clean at meal time. : )

Cooter's Feeding Time

Congratulations Damian and Chelsea!!

Sean's entry -

Coming Soon.... In the meantime, we highly recommend that you watch the proposal on YouTube. If only to embarass Damian further.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vEoYr71i98

Damian and Chelsea's wedding

Cooter (Ok, I give in) Update

Britt's entry -

Cooter has settled in nicely with us and is starting a routine that goes something like this:

5:30 a.m.

• Mews at the morning alarm clock. Scratches the side of his box.
• Poops in his litter all by himself (yeah!).
• Britt gets out of bed and takes him out of the box. Cooter is still in mid-poop.
• Britt cleans up poop from a variety of places.
• Britt puts Cooter on Sean's chest, where he crawls around happily, exploring and nibbling along the way.
• Roscoe leaps onto the bed and begins to search for the kitten.
• Roscoe finds kitten and proceeds to lick his butt which makes Cooter pee involuntarily.
• Britt and Sean strip the bed and throw everything in the wash.
• Cooter gets put on the ground and scurries around the house. He occassionally turns on the after-burners and speeds up in order to get somewhere faster. This lttle guy is getting more agile with each day! (For the first few days, when he tried to clean any paw it involved several attempts and several topples.)
• Cooter mews as he realizes he is alone. He hates to be alone.
• Roscoe comes running and licks Cooter's butt again. No pee this time as bladder is empty.
• Cooter attacks Roscoe's face/tail/feet. (He's a vicious predator with teeth the size of grains of salt.)
• We warm up Cooter's food - a mix of rice cereal, Science Diet canned kitten food, and kitten milk replacement.
• We feed Cooter with a cough syrup sryinge. Cooter goes into a practical seizure at the excitement of food. He's now starting off with the syringe, but progressing to a bowl mid-meal.
• We clean Cooter off. There are approximately 4 cc's of food smeared on his head.
• Cooter scurries around the house. Roscoe licks his butt. Cooter attacks Roscoe. (Repeats indefinitely)
• Eventually Roscoe lays down and Cooter tries to suckle on him. Use your imagination for how that works with a male dog. Roscoe patiently allows this.
• As Britt leaves, she puts Cooter in his box with a warm rice-filled sock.
• Cooter falls asleep nearly instantly.

10 a.m.

• Teenage neighbor girl (Ashley) comes over and takes Cooter out of the box.
• Feeding process is repeated.
• Cooter uses litter.
• Ashley takes Cooter over to her house for a series of adventures which includes terrorizing their small dog and grown cat, meeting new people and impressing them with his impossible cuteness. (Repeated throughout the day.)

5 p.m.

• Ashley brings Cooter back as Sean arrives home.
• Cooter gets put on the ground and scurries around the house.
• Cooter scurries around the house. Roscoe licks his butt. Cooter attacks Roscoe's face/tail/feet.
• Feeding process is repeated.
• Cooter uses litter.
• Cooter curls up on Sean's lap/tummy/shoulder or some combination and falls sleep, purring tremendously.
• Cooter gets put on the ground and scurries around the house.
• Roscoe licks Cooter's butt. Cooter pees a little. Cooter attacks Roscoe.
• Cooter mews when he realizes he is alone. Roscoe comes running and licks Cooter's butt again. Cooter attacks Roscoe's face/tail/feet. (Repeats indefinitely)

10 p.m.

• Feeding process is repeated.
• Cooter uses litter.
• More cuddling with Britt and Sean.
• Cooter goes in his box with the warm rice-filled sock and falls asleep promptly.

It's a boy!

Britt's entry -
I was talking to my friend Sarah on Friday afternoon and she mentioned that she had been taking care of a litter of 7 kittens that a stray cat had abandoned in her backyard. The kittens were young, maybe 3 weeks old, and a lot of work, so she finally ended up bringing them to the Everett Animal Shelter.

Sean and I have been talking about bringing another kitten home, one that would be young enough for Roscoe and Jumper to adapt to, so I was excited when I heard that Sarah had ones that needed homes, but I was too late.

Little did I know, when she had gone to collect them, one was missing. Later that day, she heard a small mewing from somewhere around the house, but it took her all afternoon to find it, hiding behind the water heater. She called me to ask if I was serious about wanting one and I said, "Absolutely!"

Oddly, I had brought home some boxes from work the same day, so I had the perfect temporary home all ready to go! It's like it was meant to be - ooooooh.

So now we have a new kitten that needs a name - can you help? Leave us a comment and let us know your preference!! We're going with a Dukes of Hazard theme, so our two choices are Cletus (Britt) and Cooter (Sean). Which name should we go with?

Roscoe has adapted well, even keeping him clean with lots of loving licks, but he plays a little rough, so we can't leave them alone together just yet. Jumper hissed and turned his back, so we still have a little work to do with him!

New Kitten

Chelan Vacation: Building a case for sunscreen

Britt's entry -
Sean and I loaded up Roscoe on Thursday and headed over Steven's pass for our first (and only) vacation this summer. As soon as we crested the pass the sky cleared and the blue sky welcomed us to Eastern Washington. There was practically a choir singing.

Chelan trip, July 2007

Once we got to Chelan, we stopped at Chelan Falls Park, a big grassy park along the Entiat river with an offshoot that fills a swimming area. It’s the only park in the area where dogs are weclome, so we wanted to take the chance to try to get our water-phobic dog swimming. Sean and I both waded in with Roscoe on the leash, until he couldn't touch any more. He panicked a little and tried to use me as a raft, clawing my leg with his powerful paws and leaving a lovely bruise on my thigh. But he soon realized he could lift his head out of the water and we had him ACTUALLY SWIMMING! WHOO-HOO!! It was awkward, but he was doing it. Sean threw a tennis ball across the water and Rocoe couldn't help going out for it. Soon, Sean was out in the water calling for him and I stood in the shallow end and grabbed his leash each time he returned the ball so he wouldn't make a break for it when he neared the shore. Can't say he was all that pleased to be swimming, but he humored us.

Later that night we tried out a new Chelan restaurant called Woodfire Grill. They had a great outdoor patio that was shaded and had misters and Sean and I started to relax and got a chance to really just have great conversation. Somehow it seems like we hadn't done that in awhile!

The next day we took Roscoe back to the river to swim and then waited in the sunshine for our guests to roll into town - Sean's sister Tanya, her kids Darian and Curtis, and husband Scott. It was roasting outside and they had taken a picturesque (read - LONG) route to Chelan, so they were eager to get up to the house. They launched and moored their boat and then we made dinner and started to settle in.

On Saturday we took the boat out and decided to find a nice private little beach up the lake, drop anchor a few yards out and swim in with our gear. The spot we found didn't look like much from the water, but it had a tree for shade and a shore we could walk on. Once we got there, we saw that it was some sort of small campsite with spots cleared for tents, a firepit, a makeshift bench and a sign that said "Grade Creek". The creek ran down one side of the site. We drifted on the inner tube and body board, swam in the water and soaked in some sun. A little too much. It was easy to forget in the cold water that it was 97 degrees and the sun was beating down on us. We reapplied sunscreen a few times, but apparently not often enough because there was some seriously pink skin when we got home.

We scouted out other sites on the boat ride back to Chelan and on Sunday we tried out a more established park about 10 miles west of Manson - complete with a docks, simple bathrooms and a nice little shelter. We spent a little less time in the sun that day, going in the water for short periods to cool off and then hanging out under the shelter. I think everyone was a litle sunshined out at that point! Scott even took a nice nap under the awning of the boat.

The wind picked up Sunday night and Tanya and her family were treated to the strong gusts that hit us up on the hill. Its pretty impressive! You can throw something over the edge of the ridge and have it fly back at you.

We headed home on Monday, but we're already eagerly planning a trip for next year!

Getting High. 2,200 feet to be exact.

Sean's Entry -
This hike has once again proven one thing, we have the best dog ever! Roscoe served as our tour guide, we were never in the lead. He was very happy to be out smelling all the new smells and meeting everyone on the trail. Short of a few spectacular tumbles on the trail when he chose to take a corner too fast or mis-judged a leap between rocks he was a pro. There will be many more hikes!

Britt's entry -
Sean, Roscoe and I went on a hike up to Bridal Veil Falls, then backtracked and went up to Serene Lake, too! The hike is 7.2 miles out and back with a cumulative elevation gain of 2,200 ft. The Forest Service classes the hike as "most difficult," and given there are 23 (!) steep switchbacks on the way up, it's tempting to agree, but mainly for the last few miles up to Lake Serene.

Serene Lake Hike

We packed up Sunday morning, planning for some wet weather, and we weren't wrong. It was slightly misty when we got to the parking lot near Mt. Index and the second we opened the back window (not even the tailgate!) Roscoe was out and racing around. We were all pretty stoked to be going on a hike, but Sean and I opted to conserve our energy. We put on our backpacks, including Roscoe's nifty little pack - this dog carries his own gear - and set off!

Most of the hike it was misty, drizzly, raining and/or pouring. The bonus was that it was hard to tell how sweaty we were! And we were sweatin', let me tell you!

We were kind of suprised at how much of the hike took us along a stream bed - not that we were next to a stream, but the trail was the stream. But, there may have been extra creeks because of the amount of rain that was coming down on the mountain.

One of the most impressive parts of the hike is that much of the stairs and reinforced trails are 4x6 pressure treated wood along with gravel and rocks in sizes from golf ball to football and bigger. I can see where the rocks came from, but I am mystified at the amount of effort it must have taken to schlep that wood and gravel up the rest of the trails and hills and get it in place. I could barely get me and my little pack up there, and there are places that no machinery or wheeled devices would have been able to travel. So a big way-to-go-and-thank-you to all the people who made that trail happen!!

The hike up to the junction for the falls and the lake is about 1.7 miles. Once there, we took the right fork up to the falls, and went up a lot of stairs to get there - a half mile of them, to be exact. Feel the burn! Yeah! We leashed up Roscoe at the top so he wouldn't frolic in the water and get swept down the hillside. Not that we weren't already soaked at that point!

Then we headed back down and decided to take the second trail up to Lake Serene. I'm not sure if Sean knew that was part of my game plan, but he was more than up for it. We started up the 23 steep switchbacks and met a lot of very nice hikers along the way who became close friends with Roscoe - and by "close" I mean that he is a bit of a trail hog. The pack adds about 6" on either side that can bowl you over if he is running past at top speed at a narrow point.

I gotta say, I was huffin' and puffin' up those hills. Apparently neither doing strength/endurance training 3 times a week (me) or running 3-5 miles several times a week (Sean) is enough to prepare one for this hike. The best way to be ready is to just do these more often : ) There were people passing us who never even paused for a break or looked out of breath. Damn them.

There were some gorgeous vistas once we got near the end of the switchbacks, looking out over the valley toward Index. And eventually, after 2 miles, and a total elevation gain of over 2,000 feet, we crested the hill line and came to the crystal clear lake, surrounded by granite cliffs. The temperature dropped significantly once we were there, so we didn't stay too long, just enough for a few slices of pizza and some pictures. It was well worth it, though!

Back at the bottom of the switchbacks, Sean's shoes and socks were so thouroughly drenched that he figured he would just wade through the streams from then on. It cooled him off and made crossing them easier, too. I had new hiking shoes and wicking socks that rocked (God Bless REI) so my feet were neat and dry in spite of dunking them more than a few times. But, I did wear a T-shirt that I could wring water out of at the end, in spite of being covered by a rain coat the whole trip.

The way down was much easier and faster, for obvious reasons. We figure Roscoe must have put in 4 times the mileage we did for the hike because the whole time he went ahead of us, circled back, went ahead, checked back, went ahead, said hi to people up the trail, came back for us, ran off the trail and up hills, etc. Nearly every time he stopped and looked back at us with a sideways head, like: "Ok, don't make me come back one more time. Come on on, guys! Hustle, hustle! What is taking so long?" Of course, once we were a mile or two from getting back to the car, he managed to stay pretty close, and even laid down on the ground when we stopped for a breather.

Once we were back at the parking lot, we opened the tailgate and Roscoe hopped in and immediately laid his head down and started to doze off. He was seriously worn out. (The next day he's licking his poor little paws and not too eager to move around.)

Sean and I changed into drier clothes and then drove away in search of a Slurpee. This was a great hike!

First full trip around the sun....

Britt's entry -
A very happy 1st birthday to little Jaine, Sean's youngest niece! Jaine's parent's, Jill and Marcus, had both their families over at their house in Seattle on Sunday and we got some great pictures!
Events included: a delicious lunch, a game where you had to throw balls onto the other teams side of the yard and have the least on your side before time runs out and a contest to see who could get the messiest eating their cupcake.

Jaine's 1st birthday!

Congratulations Brad and Colleen!

Brad and Colleen's Wedding

Britt's entry:
Sean's friend, Brad, asked him about a year ago to be a groomsman in his 7/7/07 wedding in Bellingham. This involved a trip up to Bellingham to get fitted for tuxes, which was really an excuse for a big "man-date", and a bachelor weekend at Whistler which ended up with most of the guys saying, "Man, my butt hurts," for days. (They mountain biked. Get your mind out of the gutter.)

So Sean headed up there with Garbs on Friday to attend the rehearsal, pick up the tux and give Brad one last bachelor stripper trip (encouraged by Colleen!). Apparently strippers at Honey's in Everett accurately reflect the impression you probably have of strippers at Honey's in Everett. Shocker.

The tux pick-up didn't quite turn out as planned, but I'm under strict instructions not to say, "I told you so". Does typing it count? Hope not. Either way, Sean looked hhhhhhhhot. And since it was over 80 degrees, I'm guessing he was pretty warm, too.

Garbs' girl, Natasha, met me at the house on Saturday afternoon so we could carpool up to B-ham together, and lucky it worked out because we kept each other laughing all night long! She is a ton of fun! Together we drank a lot, mocked the guys, fixed a fashion emergency with club soda and safety pins, rescued beta fish from certain mutilation, drank a lot, mocked the guys, took random pictures, and drank a lot.

The wedding party was a lot of fun, too - nearly everyone who wasn't family seemed to be around our age and once the DJ started up, there was serious dancing until we closed up at midnight. I never realized Sean was so anti-YMCA, but we danced for almost all of the others, and it's been far too long since I've been out dancing, so I was rocking!

After we cleared out of the Bellingham ferry terminal (actually a cool spot for a wedding), we went back to our hotel. **Note: AVOID THE RODEWAY HOTEL IN BELLINGHAM** I can't believe we paid money to sleep in that place. If only I'd known that the mattress was like a block of concrete, the pillow was less effective than a folded sweatshirt and they were out (OUT?) of extras, and the walls are paper thin (the people next door apparently had some stamina and didn't care who heard).

All in all it was one of the most fun weddings I've been to! So, Congratulations Brad and Colleen, we hope you had as much fun as we did! And Garbs and Tash - can't wait to hang out with you guys again : )

Spirit of Washington Brunch Train

Brunch Train with Sean's family

Britt's entry -
Sean's parents, Teri and Bud, thoughtfully invited their whole family on a trip on the Spirit of Washington Brunch train, and were kind enough to extend that inivitation on to my parents as well!

We all met down in Renton and hopped on the train, which zoomed us North, over a very tall and old wooden trestle, past Lake Washington and up to a winery in Woodinville. Along the way we were served a scrumptious brunch and we all mingled and talked. At the end of our train car, a door opened up to a kind of open air patio, with rails of course, that let us really see what was zipping by! It was beautiful and a lot of fun, and we all really appreciated how wonderful it was for Bud and Teri to treat us all!

It was especially nice for my parents to be able to get to know his family a little better and for all of them to find out more about me. It was a great day!

Way to go, Nicholas "the Grad" Anderson!

Britt's entry -
For those of you who missed it, Nicholas "the Picholas Anderson Anderson" graduated from WSU as class of 2007. Here are some pictures from Nick's graduation:

Nick's Graduation 2007

New Family Addition

Sean's entry -
We just wanted to introduce you to the latest addition to our family. We expect that our latest will bring great amount of entertainment and conversation. Though I expect many late nights and occasional loss of sleep in the future due to our latest, I am ready to take on this new challenge!

Britt's entry -

We've figured out that this baby can hold 6 corny kegs at a time, which gives us space to mature new batches and enjoy the ones we've got, too! Christian's dad, Jim, has the guys over to brew pretty regularly, and although Sean can't make it as often as he'd like, he is more than happy to provide extra storage ; P

Look what followed us home!

Britt's entry -
Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, we are pleased to introduce... Roscoe!


Yup! He is a two-year old, 55-pound dog! We went to the Everett shelter because when we looked online it was the one with the most dogs that interested us. Roscoe was surrendered by his family two days before, along with all of his gear, like a brush, bowls, crate, huge dog bed, etc., and there were even all of his past vet visits and immunization records! We think he must have come from a Navy family because of the proximity and his original papers showed he was adopted in Texas.

We chose him because he met the qualities we were looking for age, size, temperament, etc., and when we went into his kennel he walked right past Sean and leaned up against me and put his head on my lap. That sold Sean right there. I thought it was a sign that he has my great-grandpa T's name - Roscoe.

He is house-trained and crate-trained and responds to his name, sit, stay, bed, toy, etc. He does really well in the car and walks to the back door when he has to go potty, then turns right back around and comes back in when he's done! He loves to chew on his toys, but hasn't touched anything else, and when we play with him, his grip on the toys is really gentle - my fingers got in the way a few times and he barely touched me, so I feel very safe with him. He has no aggressive tendencies whatsoever, we've been testing him at random times to see how he'll react and he always surprises us with how mellow he is.

He is mostly lab but we think he has at least part Boxer because of his narrow waist and the way he leaps when he runs. He has a white chest and one white paw and is very muscular - someone was taking excellent care of him.

The first night he had some awe-inducing gas, possibly the shelter diet or stress, but he's been fine ever since. The cats are not fond of the idea, but I think in time they'll all settle in ok. He's still a little on edge with separation anxiety, so when we leave a room he'll stay by our side at all times, but pretty soon I'm sure he won't even notice! : )