Just a smidgeon of catch-up.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I don't even know where to begin with filling you in on everything. It's been a whirlwind of activity in the Heinrich Household. And I am proud to say (tooting my horn here) that I have had zero issues with me (you know what I mean). My perspective and outlook has been positive and going strong. It's been nine months since any downers. I don't know what has changed or what I am doing right. It seems things have "clicked". I am weary tho of saying all this. . . it's like walking on eggshells. . . do all good things come to an end?

 I got a job. Yup. I did. I'm working for Limeberry in Lacey. It's a bit of a commute for me, but I gotta do what I gotta do. The work is fun and easy. There's a lot of customer service which tends to be my strong point, if I do say so myself. I really like my boss, Alex. She's very fair and personable. We are becoming fast friends. Her and her hubby, Chris, are a hoot! They have the greatest sense of humor! I started working July 5th and really haven't slowed down since. I feel bad for the kids because they have been cooped up at home while Scott and I are gone during the week. So, on the weekends, we've been blowing off our seven thousand projects and doing stuff with the kids. One of the weekends, we took a day trip to Ocean Shores. 

 The kids kept their fighting to a minimum. When Scott fell asleep, Nina took pics. 

 Usually Scott's mouth is hanging open, catching flies when he sleeps. LOL 

 Now I'm gonna back up to before work and before Fourth of July. June 30th I threw an eighth grade grad party for Nina. The theme was Milk and Cookies for a Smart Cookie! I baked, I think, eleven different kinds of cookies. I had so many cookies, people took some home and we still had leftovers. 

 I didn't get any close-ups, but on the chalkboards I did Dr. Seuss quotes from the book, Oh, the Things You Can Think! I decorated with vintage books and pics of Nina. I also dotted her awards and Honor Roll stuff on the table. It was all about my Smart Cookie!

 I thought it was pretty cool. . . I used Starbucks frappucino bottles as milk bottles.

 I think Nina had a good time. She was nervous with all the attention being on her. I kept reassuring her that she's worth it!

 So, Angel has been walking into stuff and walking slower, using her paws to feel around before she takes a step. We believe that she is going blind. She's never had the best depth perception (when we throw a ball, she waits to hear it land before she goes after it) and now we know why. We have to lead her sometimes to places and she follows the sound of our voices. It's really a heart breaker.

Another heart breaker. . . on August 3rd, we put down our (almost) fourteen year old cat, Reagan. We were forced to do this because she would potty all over the house, in our shoes, in our dirty laundry, randomly any where. Then she'd throw up everyday for a couple of weeks at a time. She was losing weight and drinking a lot of water (and then turning around and peeing everywhere but the cat box). When we took her in to be euthanized, the vet told us that she more than likely was diabetic and had possible renal failure. She reassured us that we were making a good decision because cats with diabetes cost about $400 a month in insulin and vet bills to keep her alive. We just don't have that kind of money. The vet tech gave us a paw print on clay with her name and date. We also had her cremated so we could bring her home and bury her. We miss her, but we know that she would have suffered.

On a brighter (literally) note, Scott and I ran the Seattle Color Me Rad race August 10th. Actually, I take back the race part and substitute it with Fun Run. They didn't even keep time! I had Scott keep time for me tho. I can't help it. I run intensely and I need to know things like time. When I ran, I picked people off and passed them one by one. See that guy? I passed him. Uh-huh. Notice Scott is behind me. Lol.

 Part of the race, as you can see, was color bombing. 

 When I was on the starting line, I was kinda emotional. I couldn't believe that I was actually doing it! At this point, I lost ninety pounds to be on that starting line. I've worked my butt off. Really. I still got a ways to go.

I think it was the Sunday before the race (I'm not sure because it all blurs together), I woke up and yelled for Scott. . . the kitchen and living room floor was covered in water. Scott, of course, went running to his fish tank. It's his pride and joy and he didn't want an empty tank. That, however, was not the cause. Apparently, our fridge has a drain issue and water backed up and froze. It froze the filter and the filter exploded, somehow freeing all that backed up water. It was all over. It took five days to dry the sub floor and our kitchen is now gutted. Our floors are ripped up all the way thru the living room. Our kitchen cabinets are salvageable so we plan on refinishing/painting them. I think we get a new dishwasher and floors out of it. But they (insurance) won't pay for the fridge. We've been told that even if we fix it, it will happen again. It's a bad design in the Samsung fridges. We told our insurance company the prognosis but they still won't help out there. 

 Meanwhile, when all this happened, my summer squash, zucchini, green beans, and beets were ready. Scott has made a makeshift kitchen for me so I can do my canning. It's been an experience. I think I'm doing green beans tomorrow. It'll be my first time using a pressure canner.

 The ice chest is my "sink". Crazy. I have now a small inkling of how it was to can back in the day when there weren't conveniences like today's kitchens. I now have a huge appreciation for how and what they did.

That's that for now. I know there's more to say and write about, but I'll fill you in as I remember. Oh, Nina is in California this week. She's enjoying her Aunt Ayla. She texts me like crazy tho. I think she's homesick. If I can get any pics of her trip, I will show ya! Time to get ready for work! Bye!