Marley and Me

Steve and I have now both read Marley and Me and absolutely loved it. If you're looking for a good read about an adorable dog, this is your book. I heard about it from my dad's friend, Don Engdahl, who also had a yellow lab (Buddy). I finished it before we picked up Lucy and was a bit frightened, but I think everything will turn out fine- Lucy doesn't seem to like drywall.

Here is the info taken from http://www.amazon.com/:
Labrador retrievers are generally considered even-tempered, calm and reliable;and then there's Marley, the subject of this delightful tribute to one Lab who doesn't fit the mold. Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and his wife, Jenny, were newly married and living in West Palm Beach when they decided that owning a dog would give them a foretaste of the parenthood they anticipated. Marley was a sweet, affectionate puppy who grew into a lovably naughty, hyperactive dog. With a light touch, the author details how Marley was kicked out of obedience school after humiliating his instructor (whom Grogan calls Miss Dominatrix) and swallowed an 18-karat solid gold necklace (Grogan describes his gross but hilarious "recovery operation"). With the arrival of children in the family, Marley became so incorrigible that Jenny, stressed out by a new baby, ordered her husband to get rid of him; she eventually recovered her equilibrium and relented. Grogan's chronicle of the adventures parents and children (eventually three) enjoyed with the overly energetic but endearing dog is delivered with great humor. Dog lovers will love this account of Grogan's much loved canine. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No Hoopfesting

Steve ran into a bit of a glitch with Hoopfest this year. For those of you who don't know, Hoopfest is a large 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Spokane that happens the last weekend of June each year. Steve has been a part of this iconic Spokane event as long Hoopfest has existed (I'm not quite sure how long that is...). His usual team of hoodlums decided to run off and be fathers and can no longer make the trip. So, Steve decided to join up with his buddies Grant, Sean, and Sherlock this year. The only trouble was that Steve didn't quite get his registration form in on time and the rest of the team was slotted in the 5'10''-6'2'' bracket and they would let Steve play (he missed it by just a few inches). Steve was quite bummed, but we decided to make the journey to Spokane anyway and support the team as much as possible. The Jefferson Street team lost their first, won the second as well as the third. This gave them an another game on Sunday morning, but they decided to forfeit and sleep in. Wise choice boys!

This was also Lucy's first visit to Spokane and both the Walther and the Brooks sets of parents enjoyed hosting her for part of the weekend. They were amazed at how calm she was and easygoing and cooperative she seemed to be. If they only knew... She had a great first swim in the Brooks' pool and enjoyed being with everyone. She was so exhausted after the weekend that she slept all the way to Ellensburg on the way home. Looks like Lucy Lou is turning out to be a great dog. She's konked out on the deck as I type.

Lucy didn't mind the water, but didn't really want to fully get in either.

This beautiful bed of ornamental grasses is now flat. Sorry Ma and Pa Brooks...

Does anyone know where I can get some food around here?

The Brooks Boys

I had to publish this rare photo. As you can see, all of us seem to enjoy each other's company. Rarely caught on film, this occured after each of us had a few drinks to loosen up our minds and accept each other for who we are: Brothers that joke around a lot.

Thanks for coming to the party and thanks for being my bros.

Damn I'm tall.

That's more like it.

Phoenix Man Cons Mechanical Engineer

PHOENIX - Reports state that an electrical engineer working for a Phoenix company has convinced a young mechanical engineer into marriage. The cross connection of electrical and mechanical engineering has been known for some time to be problematic. Historically, mechanical engineers have preyed on electrical engineers for their knowledge of circuits and impedance and little else. ME's then take this info and build really cool stuff.

Editors Note: So to the ME here, beware that this guy, although highly educated at a very prestigious Seattle university (not naming names) this guy has a few things to work on; namely finding work in Seattle - I just can't take the heat of PHX.

I am thoroughly excited to see both of you together and so happy. I wish upon you a forever of happiness and adventure. The later comes guaranteed with the purchase of an Avery and the first part will come easy.

Jen and I look forward to spending more time with the both of you. Cheers to you!

Jenny's Big Day

Long time no blog! Lots to update here...

Jenny had her 9th anniversary of her 21st birthday on June 23rd and we had a few folks over to help ring in the new decade. The Stottlemyres brought their adorable new <5 week old baby up from the great south end and even The Avery and his new fiance (as of June 22nd) were in town to celebrate.

My beauitful bride has had mixed feelings about this milestone in her life. I keep reminding her that I'll always be older and that makes her feel better. Makes me feel old though.

I did my best to stay in the kitchen and help to let the guest of honor mingle, but my social skills sometimes get the better of me and I end up by the cooler debating the benefits of lighter beer after 10pm with "colleagues". Unlike parties of old, this one didn't run into the morning or get a visit from the local authorities. Our neighbors from across the way came by around 11:30 after a party of their own and we sat and talked about all the places they had lived and heard some of their adventurous histories. Who knew this now florist was such a troublesome kid?

The Skippers stopped by late and it was great to see them. They had family in town and we were thrilled they could break away and stop by.

Evidence:

Courtney and Meagan bringin' peace to the world.

Matt and Jenny take a break between cocktails.

Our deck is a perfect summer hangout.

No party is complete without a drunk 3 year old hopped up on chocolate! Ahhh... Belgian chocolate goes great with Heineken.

Dad

8th grade Dad's Night at Sacajawea Middle School

1998 Sevilla, Spain

August 5, 2005...a very bittersweet day for both of us

I wanted to take some time today to give my dad his own special place on our blog, which has become a some-what diary of our married life for Steve and me. My dad has been a steady rock in my life- always someone I can count on and look to for guidance. I spent many years dating guys who were direct opposites of my father because that is what I thought I wanted and needed for my future. I ended up marrying Steve...my rock, but not my first rock. Steve is more like my dad each day I spend with him and I am thankful for that.

My dad is an honorable man who many count on for advice and support. He is trusted for his business practices and valued for his ability to plan an outstanding trip to Vegas for the Shmucks. I am very proud to call him my father and know that I am envied by many people in my past and present. Not many people are lucky enough to have a father who not only is a great teacher, supporter, cheerleader, and financial planner, but also a great friend.

My dad has been there for me as a softball coach, a math tutor, a waterski instructor, and my silent supporter from afar. He has also been there when I have needed a disciplinarian and advice giver. Through it all, I realize what a truly amazing person my father is. I hope he knows how much he means to me and how grateful I am that I was chosen by God to be his daughter. I love you Dad.

Luz de Vida

Lucy's full name is Mack's Luz de Vida, which translated into Spanish means (Mack's = last name of the breeder) Light of Life. One of our favorite teachers in Mexico was Luz, who was definitely one of our more lively instructors and had a flair for fashion, which I envied greatly. She always had a new pair of shoes or sunglasses and had a jacket for every outfit. Lucy is a great tribute to Luz as well as my dog Max, who died last year at 15 years of age. Hopefully Lucy will be better trained than Max, but just as full of personality.

Our instructors in Mexico. From Left: Alejandro, Carlos, Luz and Lupe

Lucy turned 10 weeks old this last Wednesday and she is growing like a weed. Her first vet appointment was on Wednesday and she was treated like a celebrity. They were awed by her beauty and funny personality. She managed to get stuck between the cabinet and the wall (going after an electric cord) and didn't want to come out in reverse, so she managed to get herself turned around. She received her second round of shots and had the rude awakening of having her temperature taken in her back side. The vet made up for it with plenty of cookies- she's now 14 pounds and getting rounder by the day.

Lucy is now sleeping through the night most nights and we are thrilled to be back sleeping regular hours as well. Her number of accidents in the house have decreased and she seems to know her name. She's doing better walking on a leash and has learned "sit", but has not yet mastered "no bite". Thankfully, someone was brilliant enough to invent bitter apple spray (Steve learned the hard way that it doesn't taste at all like apple) and Lucy absolutely hates it. It actually made her puke the first time I sprayed it into her mouth. Now, just shaking the bottle usually does the trick.

During the last week, Lucy met her first dog friends. Bill, Tracy, Kate, and Megan (Happy 3rd birthday Mego!) were kind enough to let us bring Lucy over last Saturday and she did a great job of taunting their 9-year old English lab, Boone. Boone is very patient, VERY well trained, and seemed to enjoy Lucy's visit. She spent 3 hours hiding behind the furniture where Boone couldn't fit and then pouncing on him. All 3 of us slept for 3 hours when we got home.

Lucy taunting Boone

Yesterday, Lucy met Samson, who is my friend Laura's German Shorthair. He seemed to also enjoy Lucy, but seemed a bit more annoyed by her antics. Nevertheless, he was extremely patient with her. Our friend, John Kuhling, is bringing his dog Aspen over tomorrow and she will be spending the night with us. Should be interesting!!

Lucy wants to play and Sam wants to hide in the bushes....

Steve is currently at a seismic engineering conference in Corona, CA and I am excited to have him back. I'm definitely not bored like I usually am when he's gone, but I'm looking for some relief with Lucy when he returns! Steve has been wonderful at relieving me when he comes home from work. Some days can be very long running after and watching over a puppy with an attention span of 2 seconds.

We're still fixing up the house and have almost finished painting the baseboards after having our floors refinished. They look great and we're thrilled that we decided to go through with it. Now that we have beautiful floors, the rest of our house looks a bit shabby. We're hoping to redo our kitchen before long, but Lucy is causing everything to slow down a bit.

I'm currently on break between spring and summer quarters at Seattle U. Summer quarter starts next week, so it was quite a short vacation! We're heading to Spokane later this month for Hoopfest and then we'll spend some time at Chelan with Britty and her mom. It will be Lucy's first time in the water. She'll get another chance in mid-August when we spend a week at my parent's cabin at Newman Lake (outside of Spokane).

Although Lucy's not human, her needs and schedule seem to be very "baby-like". Maybe it's good we didn't know what having a puppy entailed until we were in the middle of it. Her favorite activities are waiting to be fed, going to her "condo", and napping. She also enjoys digging up my hostas, chewing on bones, and curling up on our laps for naps (can there be a 60 pound lap-dog?).

Lucy in her "condo" (the bottom shelf of a bookcase)

Lucy waits for her next meal... She likes to pretend we starve her

On a funny note...Lucy's food bin sits outside our back door (since our house is lacking in space) and holds 40 pounds of dog food. When taking Lucy out in a morning a few days ago, Steve found her food bin in the yard with racoon prints and teeth marks in it. They didn't get it open, but it wasn't for a lack of trying! Her food bin now comes inside at night...yikes!

Lucy and her food bin that was carried away by bandits.