Konnichiwa!

Just returned from an incredible vacation in Japan!

Here's a link to our photo album.

Weekend Trip

We had a whirlwind trip back east to visit family.

First, we got to meet our new niece, Evie.



And then it was down to Oakland for Roby's 60th birthday party!



We even managed to work in a tree planting in honor of my grandmother for her work at her local library.



And of course, it wouldn't be Oakland without music.

Christmas?

Yep, I am just that far behind.

If I had gotten my act together enough to send out Christmas cards this year - this is what you would have gotten.



We went to see this amazing light display at a Botanical Garden. It was less Christmasy than I was expecting. They had made tons and tons of plants and landscapes out of lights. It was pretty amazing.

Also for Christmas, we had a family portrait done by a local pet photographer.

Nutritional Update

I got some good news recently that I thought I'd pass along. I've been struggling for a while with getting enough nutrients - probably because food usually goes through me so quickly. Anyway, in order to have enough calcium in my blood for basic functioning, my body was having to steal it from my bones. This is what your body is supposed to do on the short term so that your muscles and everything keep working, but not such good thing chronically as I don't want osteoporosis before I'm 40. Well, I just got the latest round of blood work back and my bones are no longer dissolving! Hurray! On the flip side, I'm now anemic - but that is much less serious. Everything else is good, so I'm pretty happy.

TGFI

No, that's not a typo - it stands for Thank God For Imodium!

I think I mentioned a while back and I had to stop using Imodium because I developed some sort of sensitivity to it where I would get awful pains that made the lack of diarrhea hard to enjoy. Well, I went almost 2 years without taking any and decided to give it another try. I seem to be handling it ok now. I'm very leery of developing issues with it again so I'm careful to not overuse it. It is a fabulous tool though and it has helped a lot with traveling.

Here is an overview of the travels we've been able to do:

We took a road trip out to Glacier National Park. The drive out was about as interesting as the park itself. Back in ice age times, the glaciers in that area formed an ice dam, blocking rivers, and forming a lake over much of the western part of what is now Montana. Periodically, the pressure would build up to the point where the ice dam would burst and the water would all drain out of the lake. The sudden release of water flooded all of eastern Washington and down into Oregon. There are huge gouges in the land and ripple marks so large they just look like rolling hills.

In the fall, we went to western NC to see Mike's family and some old friends.

We also went down to Oregon for a very cold Muddy Buddy race.

All in all - it was a good fall.

Happy Birthday Max!

Max is two years old today!

Not that Max is a "big" dog, but it is hard to believe that he once fit in my hand.



We had a birthday party at a dog park with his friends. He got lots of toys.


This toy makes a weird noise. I think it is funny how he waits until it is done to pick it up.


He finally wore himself out with all the fun.

Butch's Visit

Max's sister Butch stayed with us for a few days.

(Pics are at the end of the current Max album.)

There was something in our hall closet that she didn't like. We aren't sure what it was, but it must have been bad.



We went to a dog show while she was here.





They weren't in the show, but we did have a few people ask who our breeder was. Just sayin'



The agility competitions were our favorite part.

Roby's visit

My mom came for a visit last month. Pictures are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/vickirwilliams/RobySVisit#

While she was here, we went to the international kite festival in Long Beach, WA.










Max LOVED the beach.