Busiest Summer Yet! I'm a New Mommy!

I'm EXHAUSTED!!! So let me tell you where this summer went in the House of Jensen this year.

This summer was probably one of the nicest weather summers we have had in the Pacific Northwest for YEARS. I mean, just gorgeous sunny days. Ok, maybe towards the end of summer it was a little on the humid side but other than that, it was great! But I really didn't get to enjoy the weather outside as much as I had hoped. I got some jogging in but virtually no hiking. :'(

I did get to do a tiny bit of this: (La Wis Wis & Mt. Rainier)

But that was not even until SEPTEMBER!!! And it wasn't even a hike! I miss hiking and I HAD hoped to do a great deal of it this summer since my cousin had whipped me and our friend Candi into shape last year. But this was a busy summer none-the-less.

My buddy Candi got married at the very end of September and both my cousin and I were also in the wedding party. so we were pretty wrapped up in the planning all summer. No joke, she had her wedding the first week of Fall and it stormed like a berserker! 40-50 MPH gusts of wind! Power outages aside, the wedding was beautiful and the reception was really fun!

This summer was full of baby showers, garage sales, visiting family, and even my very first (and possibly last) Mud Run!

Planning wedding showers and attending bachelorette parties kept us all pretty busy, but the biggest distraction, or commitment I had this summer, starting at the beginning of July was Henry.

No I didn't have a baby, or even adopt, but we did get a new little puppy. Not just any puppy, a hound puppy. Yes, the whole, Roo-Roo-Roo bit and everything.

Henry, as we have so named him, is a Walker Coonhound, bread for hunting and chasing down large prey animals like bears and cougars, as well as racoons or other small animals.

For those of you who might not know me all that well, I have been trying to convince my husband that we need a dog for at least 12 years. I just assumed we could rescue a potty trained angel looking for their "forever home." My husband thought otherwise, believing we would do better training a puppy from the get go and avoiding any possible bad habits... while of course, ignoring the fact that we would be creating them ourselves. 

I wanted a dog I could eventually jog with but not necessarily one that would chase all manner of small critters. So far, he hasn't shown much interest in chasing other animals... but he's only 13 weeks old.

So here is the real reason I have found time to write this update blog post. I am having separation anxiety about Henry's first day alone (in his Kennel). Up until today, Henry has spent time with either my parents or myself or an occasional kind auntie. Thank goodness he's so cute, or I probably wouldn't have had as much help in these first few weeks. I am in serious debt to my supportive family and friends for all their time and advice as well. Henry was a little young when we got him, so he needed tons more babying than a dog you would get at 9 weeks, Henry was only 5!

Puppies that young take a serious amount of effort for potty training and just reassurance. But like a protective mommy that I am, I watched every poo, monitored  his food intake and tried to mold his sleeping habits. We are crate training, but I had a tough time not just snuggling him back to sleep out on the couch. I still take naps with him that way.

The reality is, no matter what dog we would have gotten, they would have to learn to spend some of the workday alone. This is not unusual, and I totally accepted that it was going to happen. Eventually. But my baby is now at a point where he either learns to adjust to some lonesome time, or I pay buco-bucks for puppy day-care. And we simply cannot afford that.

I'll keep you posted about his progress much like new parents do on their mommy blogs, because in a way, I too am a new mommy. My best friend Kyla even sent me a new baby congratulations card, complete with a gift card to PetSmart to get Henry a special prize. (Thanks again Kyla!) 

Here is what Henry looks like as of 13 weeks: 

I work from home one day a week and this is what it looks like: (Hey mom, when can we play again? Whatever you are doing can't possibly be as cute as I am, right?)

Who could say NO to that face? It's tough I tell you!

I'm pretty sure there will be hundreds more photos of Henry to share in the coming months. So please stay tuned. I also have some fun crafts that I made shortly before bin Hank's arrival that I hope to post on here as well.

Thanks for reading!

Where did Summer GO? Part 1

So I can't believe how this summer has FLOWN by! It makes me a little sad even, to see the last post I had was in July. I have read/ listened to tons of books, at least six I can think of off the top of my head, and I might even review a few on here. This post won't be about books though, and it won't be about crafting, though I suspect I'll be doing more in the coming months. I have ambitious plans for this Christmas, but more on that later!

July was crazy, but August, that is the one that flew by. What I think I'll do in this post is just share some of the pictures from my summertime adventures.

July was full of, (miserable) Jogging, Hiking and Biking... Although I didn't do any of the biking. I'll start first with the biking... My step-father did the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride and my mother and I were the "support staff" for him. (I was there to take pictures and just generally be impressed.)

This, in itself may or may not sound impressive except that the bike ride is 204 miles (328.3 km). Crazy.

My step-father did this in ONE day. Crazier.

My step-father is 70 years-old. Has had two knee replacements and a stint put in. Ridiculousness.

They wrote an article about him in our local newspaper. Complete silliness. (but also kinda cool.)

I will share some of those pictures, plus some my mom doesn't like. I don't care because she posts pictures on Facebook of me every now and then, where I look absolutely terrible and this is my payback. :) (I Love you mom!)

I don't know ANY of these people, but I have MUCH respect for them.
It was quite HOT out when they were riding.

View from the road. I think this is in Kelso...

This is the finish line. Hollowday Park in Portland, OR. When people arrive they
immediate find a place to discard their bike then locate the nearest Beer Garden.

My step-father, Corky, pointing out his next destination, the Beer Garden.

Mom and I on the Support Staff for Corky. We got t-shirts. We really did nothing
but follow him and shop our way south but we had fun, and we took video of him
when he crossed  the finish line.

 And then there was the Hiking...  I've been personally making an effort to lose some weight and I'm have some success. Partly because I am driven see fewer crappy pictures of myself showing up on Facebook (thanks to others who clearly hate me), but mostly because of my two motivators, Jenny and Candi.

These two young women have been at it maybe only a couple months longer than I, but they are doing fantastic! I can't even explain how well they are doing, but I know the pictures you are about to see are a month old now. A month is a LONG time in terms of the amount of weight lost between the three of us. I'm not going to talk about numbers, but I want you to know, these girls are my inspiration, and these pictures don't do anyone any justice. With that said, here are a few that I'm willing to share.

First there was the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Hike near White Pass in Washington State:

Caityn, our Mascot, couldn't seem to get this photo-op together...

I love this view because it's so lovely AND it has
Caityn, my cousin's yellow lab swimming out to
a stick in the middle.

Me, trying not to mess up the picture too much. This is Lake
Packwood or maybe it's Packwood Lake. Either way...

The view from the trail! It's Mt. Rainier!

I'm clearly not tired yet... this should be the beginning
photo. I don't even look sweaty yet in this shot!

And then there was Pete's Creek trail in Olympic National Forest... This one was a beast, and we didn't complete it. Photos never do the wilderness ANY justice. I am so impressed by the beauty of this area.

Colonel Bob - Pete's Creek trail side. Steep but shorter than the
Northern side.

This is the GOOD part of this trail.

This is part of the NOT SO GOOD part.

Rain forest trees are huge.

We stopped when we reached the wildflowers. Apparently about
half way to the top. I hear the view is spectacular though.

I am already planning my next hiking weekend. One last hurrah before the end of the summer. We have such short summers here in the Pacific Northwest. This year might be a little longer.

August, what a whirlwind month! So much happened that I think it's worth a whole separate post.

If You Like PAWS...

Estimated reading time for this post: 2 minute 48 seconds. Read it Later?

My family has gotten our pet from PAWS in the past and although we currently do not have any pets, I respect what the Aberdeen PAWS is doing. I would love to volunteer time or money but just like many others, both are in short supply these days. I know I tend to forget that we are not a large community and there are not many options for stray or unwanted animals in Grays Harbor. That is why I believe it's so very important that we help keep these important organizations open.

I saw an article in the local newspaper this morning and they are so shorthanded/ understaffed that they are taking the month of March off from accepting animals. The article listed a few things that they are in need of so I'll list them here:

• Paper towels
• Dry cat and dog food
• Kitty litter
• Garbage bags
• Clorox(r) wipes
• Hand sanitizer 
• Copy paper

And of course monetary donations are greatly needed and appreciated.

*** This group doesn't even have a website! Imagine how many more animals might be placed in homes if they had pictures on the internet! ***

For those who have time but not the money, they can use your help. If you only have an hour a week to spare, which is NOT much at all, they will be glad for the help. Simple things like doing laundry, cleaning pens, feeding and watering the animals are all easy tasks that anyone can be shown how to do.

My main reason for writing about this is that I know the core group of volunteers are getting older. The time is coming soon for them to pass the responsibility of keeping PAWS' doors open to a younger generation.

It breaks my heart that animals are neglected, abused or forgotten. I might not agree with every political view involved with animal rescue services, and this blog isn't about that anyways. What I do agree with is that we humans, created this domestic animal problem, and (particularly if you are a pet owner) it's our job to help correct it. Maybe I have seen too many episodes of Confessions: Animal Hoarding but I really want people to be responsible pet owners. If you have a pet, why not buy two bags of dog food and drop one off at PAWS. If you have a cat or two, maybe pick up an extra bag of kitty litter. I am sure every little bit helps.

I don't currently have any pets but I have every intention of calling Val West (360-533-1141) and donating a little bit of money. And when we get ready to adopt a dog, I know that the money I pay for my new little buddy will go towards spaying and neutering more just like him. All in helps to control the pet population and to give these animals a second chance on life.

If you'd like to make a donation of any kind please call Val West at 360-533-1141. I wouldn't recommend dropping anything off unless you have called first to make sure someone is there and available to accept your donation.

PAWS
800 W. 1st Street
Aberdeen, Washington 98520
Phone: 360-533-1141


And in the immortal words of Bob Barker,
"Remember, have your pets spayed or neutered!"

I LOVE October!

Estimated reading time for this post: 2 minute 30 seconds. Read it Later?

I love October. I am not entirely sure why but my suspicion is that I have visions of beautiful fall colors, orange pumpkins, apple cider and warm fuzzy scarves. In western Washington though, you are lucky if you get a few fleeting days before the leaves are blown and rained into oblivion, only to clog gutters and get stuck to your shoes. I refuse to admit that it's entirely possible that my affinity for October lies in the fact that it is also my birth month. I'd sooner admit to enjoying dressing up for Halloween. No, I am certain my longing for the autumn is based on the promise of those temporary jewels that disappear as quickly as they arrive.


This year has been totally different. We had a rough start, with a weak showing this summer, but just as I had been dreaming and hoping (for a couple years actually), the month of October has been simply wonderful. Just yesterday, I was staring out the window while forcing myself to jog on the treadmill, (not a happy point in my day), when I noticed something. Outside it was the beginning of sunset but across the parking lot of the gym was a street lined with maples that had turned yellow. At this time of night, they looked almost luminescent. It was a total trick of the eye but it was like the trees were glowing and I was captivated. It’s moments like that where a picture could hardly do it justice but the memory will stick with me.

There is nothing I love more than crisp, sunny mornings where the leaves are starting to turn yellow and you can see your breath!  Defrosting the ice on your windows only takes a few moments because the air really isn’t as cold as it first seems. And I don’t even mind because I know that bright blue cloudless sky will be worth the extra few minutes of warming the car.

There is another reason I love this time of year and it helps me get over the very short window of color October provides me. I must confess, I am a bit of a scarf wh*re, (my family reads this) and I have probably 20-25 different colored scarves, although I haven’t counted in a year or so. And yes, I try to wear them all at least once. Blues, oranges, pinks and greens, you name it. And all these colors cheer me. They give me joy on the grayer days of winter and I’m pretty sure I’m a little addicted to buying them.

So for this October, I’d like to thank Mother Nature, Steve Poole, and my mom, because without her, I might have been born at some other time of the year. I hear the rains are about to start at the end of this week so enjoy these short days.

Now let’s all get ready for one heck of a La Nina this winter. Get ‘cher umbrellas and boats ready!
Thanks!