Andy’s Recovery

So the blog posts have been severely lacking the past few months for several reasons, including our desktop computer committing hara-kiri, Andy’s thyroidectomy surgery, Andy’s recovery and low-iodine diet, and Andy’s recent radiation treatment. The past 2 months have been difficult, wonderful, scary, and relaxing all at the same time. We believe we are through the worst of it and can begin to refocus on work, our house, the holidays, and Andy being cancer-free. Well, and Goobers! Poor Gooby has figured out that something was wrong and he has reacted to the additional stress in the house. But now that Andy can be around him again (the radiation isolation was hardest on Goobers!) and we are back to normal work routines, Goobers has returned to his energetic, attention-demanding self, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

So, the past few and upcoming posts are catch ups from this summer and fall. Hope you enjoy!

Andy’s 30th Birthday! No party, as Andy was headed into surgery in 2 days and it just didn’t seem like a good time to be throwing a birthday party. I have promised him a big ol’ party once he has hit the cancer-free mark (in a year or so). Since it was an important birthday and I knew he would be stuck in bed recovering for quite some time, I could think of no better gift than a new PlayStation 3!

Andy’s mom was able to see our new yard and see some Seattle sights before the big surgery day.

Andy came home from the hospital on our 3rd Wedding Anniversary (Kinda depressing, isn’t it, that so many of the cancer treatments were around all these milestones? We were waiting on test results on my birthday this past summer and he had radiation the day after our engagement anniversary, too! I told him when our dating anniversary rolls around this spring, we better have GOOD news!). There was no fancy dinner out this year, but Andy gave me the best gift ever– recovering from surgery and coming home! My sister sent us a gorgeous bouquet for our anniversary (having a florist for a sister is mighty handy, let me tell you) and my whole family (Abbie and Rascal included, of course!) sent Andy a huge basket full of sore throat soothing food and other fun post-surgery items.

Andy’s parents were such a huge help! Andy’s mom stayed with Andy at the hospital over night (2 nights instead of the expected 1) so I could take care of the neglected Goobers, update people on Andy, and take care of the house stuff. Andy’s dad came once Andy was home and entertained him while I tried to get everything back in order. We were finally able to enjoy the final nice days of summer in our gorgeous yard!

My co-workers decided after I was done caring for Andy post-surgery, managing stuff at home, making 30 low-iodine meals, and getting through Andy’s post-radiation isolation and recovery, I could really use a stiff drink. We had quite a night out at Benihana’s!

Fall 2009

In the midst of Andy’s countless doctor appointments and hospital visits, we did manage to do a few fun things! We cheered on the dachshunds at an Oktoberfest “Running of the Wieners” dachshund races and found our way through a corn maze. Between Andy’s corn-fed childhood in Illinois and my 4-H expertise, we did a great job answering the farm-related questions to direct us the correct way in the maze. We enjoyed making fun of the city people who kept getting lost….. ah, nothing like self-righteousness to bring a couple closer together.

The Adventures of Flat Stanley

You may recall reading the story of Flat Stanley as a kid, the one about Stanley, flattened by a bulletin board, who is able to mail himself places and have adventures. I have received 2 Flat Stanlies in the mail in the past year as a part of school projects (living in Seattle when a lot of your friends and family live in the Midwest will cause this, as will being a Children’s Librarian!). I had a half day of work recently and spent the afternoon taking pictures of Stanley around Seattle landmarks before mailing him back to cousin Lauren in St. Louis. Here is what we did:

Came to work with me in Chinatown:

Saw the Space Needle:

Took a Monorail ride to downtown:

Visited Pike Place Market:

We stopped for a cup of coffee:

Bought some fish from the famous Fish Throwers at the Market:

And we ended our big day with a relaxing trip to the Pacific Ocean:

What I did during my week of unemployment

During The Seattle Public Library’s budget cutting furlough, I participated in the union rally at the Central Library (was briefly on the news and shook the mayor’s hand!). I also led a volunteer group to assist in sorting donated materials for the Friends of the Library book sale. If you are interested, here is a link to pictures of everyone working hard, including our City Librarian Susan Hildreth!

Volunteer Day Pictures

Duck Dodge Regatta

Every Tuesday in the summer, I drive home from work with a lovely view of Lake Union and the colorful sail boats celebrating after another successful Duck Dodge Regatta. This summer I actually took the day off in order to watch the race and have a picnic with Andy at Gas Works Park.

Normal Andy in front of Lake Union.

Yacht-owning, collar-popped Andy.

Picnic time with The Colonel!

Toast!

The race is on.

The barge that totally interrupted the race.

The near-collision with a pirate ship!

End of the night.

Summer Happenings

An accumulation of summer events.

Homemade plum thyme iced tea:

Wrapping up the library’s summer reading program with staff favorite Masao:

Only in Seattle… half a house.

Dinner out in the Madrona neighborhood with 3 inspiring and lovely friends. They are a wonderfully bad influence on me, for which I am deeply grateful.

 

They wisely refused to be photographed once we had launched seriously into the wine and cocktails, so I opted for an appetizer photo.

Andy and I made our annual summer trek to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. I love how relaxed the gorillas look, especially the one with his tongue hanging out:

Yard Update: Final Report

The last update of our yard, but mostly about my surprise success with potted plants:

See those red circles???? Those are french beans, baby!

The sunflowers kept growing and sprouting leaves, but never a bud and I was getting worried. At last! A flower!

Bloom!

Never ending basil and mint:

Unwelcome yard guests:

My new bird bath, courtesy of my birthday money:

Our pear tree, which we never touch, water, prune, or do anything to, is producing a huge quantity of pears this year. Dare we eat them?

Weekend Adventures

I took Andy to see Distant Worlds: Celebrating 20 Years of Final Fantasy at the Seattle Symphony. I knew Andy would have a great time, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, too. Andy played a lot of video games when I was doing homework in grad school, so during the whole symphony I had such an urge to do homework!

Afterwards we enjoyed late night snacks and drinks at the new 4 Seasons Hotel in Seattle. We felt very chic.

We also watched Mo, a dachshund who looks like Goobers got into a sack of flour:

It was so fun to have a matched pair of dachshunds!

Some of Goobers’ toys, however, didn’t survive the weekend of fun.

For being such a good doggie-host, we bought Goobers a shirt from a pet company that has a familiar-sounding name.

Fourth of July

Andy, Goobers, and I had a great weekend relaxing at home on a RARE sunny Fourth of July in Seattle. We ate yummy Cuban sandwiches at the beachside stand Paseo and then visited the Phinney Ridge Farmer’s Market. We bought 2 flats of berries and should be set on pies, muffins, and pancake toppings until next summer!

Andy raised the flag on our front porch. We often forget to do this (like on Flag Day), so we were darn proud of ourselves for remembering.

We were finally able to enjoy our new backyard! And I think my little container garden may actually make it!

I was excited to start using the mint in some of my favorite drinks, and I made a caprese salad with our basil. I felt incredibly capable and cool, even though I know that if I lived on a Depression-era farm with only my gardening skills to feed us, we would starve!

Andy enjoyed the view from the patio:

Goobers enjoyed the sun in the backyard. We were airing out the duvet in anticipation of my birthday gift (which I knew about, having made Andy take pictures of it at Crate and Barrel with a list of what sizes to get!) and Goobers did a good job of not getting on it. Instead he sat right next to it, inching closer to it through out the day!

It was time to open the much-anticipated, not- surprising birthday gift!

Andy shucked fresh oysters and I enjoyed them in the hammock with some champagne!

Then it was time to downshift from fancy to patriotic– brats and beer! Andy mistakenly tried to grill ALL of the hotdogs present!

We enjoyed our food while watching, appropriately, Yankee Doodle Dandy. And then it was time for cake! My favorite– Mint Chocolate Chip cake from Baskin Robbins. 

Jeanne and Nathan visit

Jeanne and Nathan came up for the weekend to visit the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum’s exhibit of the muppets. We had a great time, but alas, we couldn’t take pictures inside.

We had a little too much fun in the Science Fiction Museum’s gift shop. I will admit that we bought a Yoda car freshner, but resisted the Star Wars paper dolls. Just barely.

As it was two days after the death of Michael Jackson, it was neat to see how EMP was honoring him, with sidewalk chalk memorials, banners to sign, music videos playing, and a glass case with one of his famous white gloves in it (I didn’t take a picture, it felt weird. But it was cool to see.).

We had been around a lot of people, so after a Starbucks run, we headed out to the Ballard Locks to enjoy the sun, the park, and watch the boats go by. We were thrilled to see a seal catching fish and an otter playing in the water.

We were about done oohing and aahing at the yachts going through the locks when a huge research vessel (Atlantis) came in, complete with a submarine  named Alvin on the back. Jeanne later found out that it had been out researching underwater volcanoes and that it had also been to the Titanic wreckage.

It had been a busy day, so we stopped by our favorite neighborhood watering hole, Oliver’s Twist, for their killer garlic truffled popcorn, and then headed home for Nathan’s famous grilled cheese sandwiches. I was lucky enough to also get a Monte Cristo, my favorite sandwich in the world. Nathan thoughtfully provided appropriate head gear, which we decorated.

Goobers, as usual, was Nathan’s special helper.