28 March 2010

Athena and Aidan, out for a walk

The word I probably hear the most often these days is "au-shide?" which in Aidan-speak means "outside," or "Can I pretty please go outside right this minute even though I was already out twice today and I really love to be outside. Outside? Outside!" My response is usually to ask him to get his socks (cocks), shoes (shhhooooos), hat (-at), and jacket (he has a really bizarre word for jacket I won't even begin to try to spell out). Yesterday he got a little ahead of himself. He thought he was ready when I took this picture:

What was impressive is he that got his hat on all by himself and without me having to ask him to put it on. Unfortunately (for him) he was still missing some things. Amazingly, he is extremely helpful getting dressed for outside playtime. I wonder why? In no time, we were off!


Ok, now we're rolling! Athena is a happy kitty because she gets to come, too! Aidan is very pleased to be holding the leash all by himself. He was so good, he didn't drop it once!


The pair even posed for a quick picture...


...before running off to find adventure!


Athena is Queen of the neighborhood. She made her rounds, ate lots of dried grass, rolled in the dirt, and helped teach Aidan how to let HER walk HIM. Much happiness, amusement, and fresh air was enjoyed by all. When we finally went inside about an hour later, Aidan begins his chant:

"Hot cocoa? Cocoa cocoa hot cocoa?

Of course he can say THAT clear as day.

18 March 2010

Accepted!

The waiting is over, and our offer was accepted! We close in late April, which is just fine: I'm not really in a hurry to own the lot, since it'll be 3-4 years before I get to build on it. In the meantime, it's time to dream about house plans and about all the lovely trees I shall plant on my 2.2 acres. Have a favorite type of tree or shrub? Do share! Just keep in mind that it must be hardy to zone 3 and like at least partial shade. I'll have to take a drive to see just how much sun the area gets with all the hills and trees surrounding it. Thus far every time we've visited the lot it's been dreary.



Happy Happy JOY JOY!!!!

17 March 2010

Waiting

Chad has spent the last two days running around in preparation for our "project". The result of said project was putting a bid on a piece of property on which we hope to build our future home. A financial risk, yes, but one we've decided to take.

So now, we wait.

And dream.

Meanwhile, the boys are down from their nap and *hopefully* will be sleeping soon, and Chad is (hopefully) busy at work. He started his new shift today, working 5am-5pm on a schedule so bizarre only his current employer could possibly dream it up. As this was Chad's previous schedule before being moved to 8hr 2nd shift, it's really nothing new. I am just thankful that he was not moved to night shift which, up until recently, was a strong possibility. It was the major source of stress I mentioned in this post. He works every other weekend but I have him all to myself every night, for which I am thankful.

BTW, did you know that food tastes better when consumed on tall bar stools? :-)

15 March 2010

Gaia-Gaia! is 7 years old!

Happy birthday to my sensitive soul-kitty and sweet shoulder cat!

14 March 2010

Welcome, Spring.

We are embarking on several new avenues of our lives, the specifics of which I hope to share soon. What I can say, at present, is that we are actively seeking a new place to live, and have found a lot that might just be perfect (and in our price range). Unfortunately, it seems as though each time we come to this point, the banks change the rules and requirements and we are left right back where we started. The value of our current house keeps dropping, so selling our house is no longer an option; we must either remain here, or move elsewhere and rent the house. The good news is that Chad won his place back on day shift. I will happily tolerate the ridiculously early mornings in return for having my husband back every night. I've been very lonely these past 10 months, and so having him home every night will be well worth the 4:30am alarm.

I feel vibrant! My health hasn't been this good since I was 17, I have more energy now than I've had in ages, and my weight is down to 130. My digestive system isn't perfect, but it's more than manageable now that I'm not in constant pain. My joints still ache when it rains, but somehow it just doesn't seem as bad anymore. It also helps that winter has melted away, the days are longer, and the air is warmer. After 5 months of snow cover, spring is definitely here, with all its puddles and mud. Of all the seasons, the spring thaw is the one part I wish I could just skip over. I tolerate it only because I know that soon the brown will be replaced by bright, new green, and all will be happy and new once more.

And in the meantime, I will enjoy watching Aidan discover the joys of jumping in muddy puddles.

06 March 2010

Iditarod Start!

Aidan, Chad, and I wish all the Iditarod dogs and mushers a safe, exciting, and successful race! Aidan is even wearing his "Top Dog" sled dog shirt today to celebrate the ceremonial start :).