Checked Santa Fe off my bucket list ;)

Santa Fe was never actually on my bucket list -- but it was a place that, if given a reason to go there, I'd visit. My parents have travelled several times to the American Southwest, and like Santa Fe quite a bit. So when they decided to go on a trip to the southwest this past fall, I decided to meet up with them during their stay in Santa Fe.

I arrived in Albuquerque, NM on a Sunday in early October.  My parents picked me up at the airport and we made the roughly one hour drive to Santa Fe.  They had parked their RV at a campground just a few miles outside of Santa Fe. During the week I was visiting, the Balloon Fiesta was going on in Albuquerque -- a hot air balloon festival where balloonists from all over the country, and world, come to get their balloon on.  So the RV park was pretty busy.  Lucky for all the balloonists, I brought the rain with me from Seattle. The week I was in Santa Fe it rained, torrentially, for like 3 days.  Yay! Vacation!

My parents and I didn't really have a set itinerary for my trip. We had a rough outline of what we planned on doing each day, mostly shopping and visiting churches.  There is one exact buttload of churches in New Mexico. My first full day in Santa Fe, we drove to The Plaza and checked out quite a few shops -- so much art and jewelry in Santa Fe!

Lots of adobe, archways, and crosses.

This is the San Miguel Mission -- apparently the oldest church in the United States. I was having a hard time believing this, but I guess it is true. I mean, oldest Catholic church maybe. I can't imagine the Native Americans didn't have some sort of place where they would worship their gods before Christianity was brought over.

Lots of ornate alters. Pews. All things Catholic. Peace be with you, and also with you.

Here's my mom next to, what I assume, is some sort of important historical bell. If you know my mom, you know that she pretty much says whatever she is thinking, as she thinks it. At least in front of people she feels comfortable with. Which makes for some pretty entertaining situations. One of my favorite lines of hers, from the entire trip, was said while we were in the San Miguel Mission. We were looking at some sort of ancient nativity scene, carved out of some sort of stone that looked weathered and falling apart, and she points at the baby Jesus in the nativity and says "Hey, look, they left the balls on that kid!" Love it!!

Across the street from the oldest church in the US, was the oldest house in the US. I'm still skeptical. I've been told I need to just have faith, but these claims seem somewhat hard to believe. I mean, really?!? The oldest house in the US is located in New Mexico? I'm not losing sleep over this, but lets just say I could probably write a 5 paragraph essay supporting my argument about why this house probably isn't the oldest house in the US.

Oldest house in the US had a pretty colorful doorway next door.

About a block from the San Miguel Mission is another church called the Loreto Chapel.  The Loreto Chapel if famous for it's spiral staircase that was built by a mysterious stranger who built the staircase then skipped town. Long story short -- when the Chapel was built, the genius who drew the blueprints failed to connect the choir loft to the main floor of the church -- so no one could actually get up to the choir loft without use of a ladder. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen. So the nuns prayed and prayed and prayed -- and what happened? Some strange man arrived in town and built a spiral staircase using no nails, only wooden pegs -- then boned out after he was finished. No joke. No one knows who the guy was or how the staircase hasn't fallen to the ground yet. A movie was made about the story called "The Inexplicable Stairs" and it stars Barbara Hershey as one of the nuns. It was playing in the gift shop while we were there.

Pretty impressive staircase. No nails people, no nails.

Outside of Loretto Chapel.

First day of my trip to Santa Fe? Success! In my next trip installment, I will cover our trip to Taos.

Bailey shot! While Spuzz was contracting kennel cough back at home, I was cheating on him with Bailey, my parent's cute lil' Westie.

Camp Huston Creations

After all the fun and craziness we had at the Camp Huston Scrapbooking retreat last year, it was a no brainer that I would be attending this year.  Oh man, I looked forward to 3 full days of scrappin' all year!  This year played out similarly to last year with a few differences -- 1. Colleen and I arrived on Thursday afternoon instead of Friday, 2. our friend Katie from our highschool days decided to come this year, 3. Colleen and I met Gina and Katie in Monroe Friday morning for breakfast and last minute supply shopping at Ben Franklin, and 4. our group of scrappers were in a different area than last year -- more cozy and closer to our bedrooms -- not that there was an abundance of sleep happening between the four of us!

Here are my creations from this year:

Happy Dog

Sleepy Lil' Furball

Yard Dog

Blue Ball

Prisoner of Love

Spuzz

Sunshine

He's My Boy

Making Friends

He's My Little Bear

Watch Dog

Peanut Butter

Crazy Pants

Garden

Spring

Cabin Fever

Home Sweet Home

Rest In Peace

My Frizz

Goodbye Old Friend

I can't believe how many pages I finished!  Already excited for next year!!  Thanks for a fun weekend ladies!!

Ten Things..... "Finally a blog post" edition!!

1. You could say I'm behind on a few things.  This blog being one of those things I'm behind on.  I'm not really sure what is in store for this blog -- it seems like the amount of time between posts is stretching longer and longer and longer.  It is not that I do not want to blog anymore -- I guess I just need to light a fire under my lazy blog post writing ass.  Other fires that need to be lit?  I'm 3 months behind on my One Little Word project!!  I need to finish September, October, and November -- it's the push to the finish folks!  But you know what?  I'm really excited to finish up my One Little Word for 2011, so I can start on One Little Word 2012!  Yes, you heard that right, I'm going to sign up for the project again in 2012, and I couldn't be happier about it.  I am 99% certain I have my word for 2012 picked out too!!

2.  I must destroy the NFL by this time next year.  The NFL is destroying my Thanksgivings, so therefore, I must destroy the NFL.  I'm still working out the kinks in my diabolical plan.  I may also have to take down college football while I'm working on the NFL. And you know what else grinded my Thanksgiving 2011 gears?  The fricking National Dog Show!  They didn't even show the Bassett Hound OR the Shih Tzu!!!  They glossed right over them, as if they didn't exist!  And what is with those dog handlers and their crazy power suits? And the Best in Show judge was wearing an evening gown!  It's all so confusing!

3. So...... this happened on Halloween:

You're welcome.

4. I'm making a list of goals for my 35th year of life called "34 for 35".  It will be a list of 34 goals that I'll be working on during the year I turn 35.  I got the idea from Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess.  Elsie's blog is one that I follow regularly -- lots of fun DIY projects and funky fashion and photography ideas.  I may not accomplish all the goals, but I think it will be great to write down and have some goals to focus on in 2012.  Plus, I get to make a list -- and lord knows, I love making lists.  I run circles around a list!

5.  The beautiful and talented Kim Hayes of Kim Hayes Photography came over in late July and took some photos of Spuzz and Frank.  They turned out awesome!!  I feel so grateful that she was able to capture some pictures of Frank, because he passed away just a few weeks later.  Here are a couple of my favorites of Spuzz and Frank:

I used most of the photos Kim took during my big scrapbooking weekend at Camp Huston in early November.  Longer post on that weekend later :)

6.  My new favorite television show is The League.  Gina, Casey, and Kim have all been telling me that I need to be watching this show for like a year now.  I finally got in to it a few weeks ago when Casey and Kim came over one afternoon and Casey forced me to sit and watch an episode with them.  Best 30 minutes I've spent watching television in a long time.  Favorite character?  Taco.  With Rafi a close second..... "I'm gonna stab you..... offline...... with a real knife."  Total wild card!

7. Another thing from television that I can't get enough of:



8.  I did a little home improvement project a few weeks ago.  The overhead light in my bedroom has bothered me since the day I moved in to my house over a year ago.  The light was also combined with a fan that was definitely great during the two weeks of balmy weather we had this summer, but totally annoying because the only way I could turn on the light was with a remote control.  Plus, like two months ago the whole jacked up contraption quit working and I had no light in my bedroom for a few months.  My parents came to visit and they helped me replace the light.

Before:

After:

I'm pleased with the difference.  Best part?  I don't have to use a remote to turn on my bedroom light.  Pretty effin' sweet!!

9.  Kim and I saw Breaking Dawn Part 1 in the theater a few weeks ago.  Loved it!  Can't wait for Part 2 a year from now!  Anyone want to see it again?  I'm game.

10.  I *really* need some new blogs to follow!!  Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.  I have grown bored of the 10+ blogs that I look at a few times a week.  Have you fallen in love with a blog lately?  I want to know about it!  Or do you have a long-time favorite blog you look at multiple times each week?  I want to know about that one too!  

Can I catch a break ?!?!

As some of you know, I spent my vacation in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area last week.  Although it was fun to see a new town and get out of Seattle for a few days, I missed my little Spuzz ball while I was gone.  It was his first trip to a kennel.  I knew there was a possibility he could get stressed out being away from home, in a new and strange environment, but it never really crossed my mind that he might actually catch something while he was there.  Enter kennel cough.  Ugh.

Remember a year or so back when I had the great idea of starting a new, recurring blog segment called "You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?"  a la Peter Griffin from Family Guy?  And it lasted, uh, like, oh, one post (not surprising, sometimes I have a difficult time with follow through in my personal life, especially with the blog). Well, I'd like to change this blog post title to the aforementioned grinding of gears.  Seriously!!  Can I catch a break on the sick animal front here folks?  Thank you, my 5 readers, for sticking with me this last year because it has been a tough one as far as my pets are concerned, and I've written about it in depth.  I thought I was done with that part of my life for awhile.  I thought I was done with vet visits other than the annual check up and vaccination schedule.  Nope, I had to go on vacation and send my sweet lil' Spuzz to the hoosegow*, leaving him alone in a warehouse full of barking dogs.  Leaving him alone to contemplate his fate.  "Where did she go?", "Is she coming back?", "Is this my new home?", "Why can't I get some goddamn shut-eye in this frickin' joint!?!", "Quit coughing on me Baxter!", and "No I will not make-out with you Maddie!"  Pretty soon the stress wore his lil' immune system down and he caught kennel cough.

So anyway, I'm a little irritated, to say the least.  I know, I know, things in life could be a lot worse, I understand this.  But sick animals have been my reality for the past year and I'm ready to put it behind me.  Don't get me wrong, Spuzz could have caught kennel cough anywhere (groomers, dog park, greeting another dog, etc.), but it just so happens that he started showing signs of it literally the day after he came home from the kennel.  Coincidence?  Not really.  And I feel terrible that he is not feeling well.  We were up at 3am this morning to him coughing so hard he was gagging then eventually throwing up.  He couldn't breathe without wheezing.  He looked so incredibly miserable.  His usual appetite was gone.  So I decided to take him to the emergency vet at 6:30am because I didn't want to wait any longer for my scheduled vet appointment at 10am.  I know, paranoid animal lover over here.  Well, I didn't know for sure he had kennel cough, that was just what was suspected.  And when your dog is wheezing, vomiting, and looks like shit?  That's when the emergency vet is a good idea.

We were home by 10:30am with a confirmation of kennel cough.  He doesn't have a temperature, his lungs sound great, and his oxygen saturation levels are where they are supposed to be.  Meaning he is breathing fine, and getting enough oxygen circulated to all his wee vital organs.  I was sent home with some antibiotics in case it is bacterial, and some cough suppressants so he can get some rest.  He fell asleep immediately when we got home for an hour or so, and did me a solid by eating an entire can of his wet food.  Yay!!  I was worried he wasn't going to eat and it would be difficult for me to give him his pills.  After the struggle I had giving Frank his pills this past year, I am not ready for another pill battle with Spuzzers.

So send some positive vibes Spuzz's way, okay?  He could really use it.  And I could also use some positive vibe-age.  I'll quit being cranky about the whole thing soon.  As soon as he's close to being back to normal, I'll forget what my heart felt like as I looked at his miserable little post-coughing-fit-and-vomit-wheezing like a 90 year old man with emphysema-face.  Keeping my fingers crossed that he is on the mend, and he'll be back to his cheerful self in a week or so.
*did not know hoosegow was spelled that way, thought it was like hoozkow, learn something new every day!             

We did the Puyallup!!

When I was a wee little squirt, I remember having an absolute blast at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe.  Rides, animals, more rides, games, food, crafts, etc.  Admittedly, I haven't been to any type of Fair in over a decade, so you can imagine how pumped I was at the thought of going to the Puyallup Fair -- for the first time ever!!  Yeah, I've lived 34 years in this great state and have never been to the Puyallup Fair.  Mostly because I try to stay north of the King County line at all costs.  Unless, of course, it involves booze!! 

Puyallup Effin' Fair peeps!! Woot!!

Casey, Kim, and I set a date to do the Puyallup about a month ago, so I had a full month to charge myself up about how awesome it was going to be.  Forgetting that I'm not between the ages of 6 and 16.  And I don't need to buy a tractor, fireplace, or hot tub.  So by the morning of our Puyallup Fair departure date, Kim and I were busting at the seams with excitement!!  I think Casey is just humoring us in that photo.  I'd show you the other photo they took while I was in the bathroom before we left Seattle, but it involves a bare butt --

Photo courtesy of the internet

It was kind of like the Coppertone girl, but with Casey playing the part of the little girl, and Spuzz playing the part of the small dog tugging on the bathing suit bottoms.  But my picture does not include Spuzz or bathing trunks.  Anyway, we were *really* *freakin'* *excited* to get our Fair on!!  I was mostly looking forward to seeing all the animals -- pigs, horses, dogs, animals from around the world -- I had visions of it being a Noah's Ark of sorts.  Like an episode of National Geographic.  Complete with Morgan Freeman narrating the entire day in my head.  If Mr. Freeman is unavailable, I'd settle for Oprah.  Or Anderson Cooper.  

It seemed like it took us FOREVER to get there -- seriously, is Puyallup like 2 hours away? Well, it isn't 2 hours away, but when you've been chomping at the bit to chomp down on a corn dog, anything more than 5 miles seems like an eternity.  We arrived and were inside the Fair at like 10:30am.  It was at this time that we decided to have breakfast.  Kim went for a scone, and Casey and I went for a delicious corn dog -- or "Krusty Pup" as they are called in P. Fair speak.  And then, bellies full, we were off to explore the fair!!

Wee wee wee all the way home

We spent most of our time in the animal barns, the craft pavillion, and working up a nice sweat out in the overcast 80 degree muggy NW weather.  We checked out the dog barn first, and saw many teenage girls wearing power suits and getting ready to show their dogs in the Fair dog show.  I didn't get any good shots of the dogs.  So off we went to the pig barn!!  Who doesn't love a piglet?  And if one piglet is good, a pile of piglets is better!!  And a pile of sleeping piglets is best!! 

BLT's anyone?

Then piglets grow up and look like this.  Holy smokes, pigs get large!!  This little lady was tipping the scales at like 400 pounds.  Too many trips to the fried butter stand.  Unfortunately, there weren't too many pigs out for people to look at, they were supposedly moving animals around in the barns, so they were low on pigs.  So we checked out some of the other animals.  Photo montage!!!



Nice ass





Cute lil' pig butt

After we saw all the animals we headed over to the craft pavillion to check out the sewing and photography exhibits.  Kim and I have caught the sewing bug since starting our beginning sewing class, so we were excited to see the sewing machines and check out some of the sewing projects.  At this point in the Fair experience, I hit a serious Fair wall.  It was muggy as hell outside, and I was beginning to realize that I don't really like the Fair.  I kinda want to become a vegetarian.  And I'm tired of looking at people.  More photo montage!!!

By this time it was only like 1pm.  We were such Fair amateurs -- 2 hours in and we already want to call it a day.  But not before clogging our arteries with fried food!! 

I had heard about deep fried oreos, so of course I had to try them.  Kim decided to go for the funnel cake, while Casey took the safe route with a plate of yakisoba with sketchy fair poultry.  I think we all regretted our decisions about 30 minutes later.  Ugh. 

The deep fried oreos were pretty much exactly like I imagined -- gooey Oreo drizzled with chocolate and feelings of shame.  I ate two of the three then decided if I wanted to leave the fair with any self esteem intact I'd throw the third one in the trash.  Still felt pretty gross as I was hunting down a bathroom to wash off my chocolate coated fingers.  Ugh.  After I found a restroom to clean up, we headed back to Seattle.  I crashed in the back of the car -- napping all the way home.

So yep, we did the Puyallup.  I'm good now.