Happy September!!
You haven’t heard from me in a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been compiling photos for ya’ll to enjoy!!!! :) Yes, I’ve been a busy girl. Birthday parties, a race, the canine cruise and happy hour, walks in the neighborhood…you know, just generally good, fun stuff!
What a wonderful summer it was. Now the katydids are quieting down and the thermostat is dropping (thank goodness!), so we know fall is nigh. I know pretty soon my desire for iced tea will switch to apple cider and hot chocolate. Tonight, while driving the pups around on our evening survey of the neighborhood (after our walk), I saw my first pumpkin. Not ever in my life, but my first one of the year. :) Thank you Butlers for being the first to start decorating!
So, it’s hard to believe it’s September, don’t you agree? I will be in Washington state in a week and a half. I got my schedule a few days ago, and I thought I’d share it with you, because a lot of people are curious as to know what my one-year check-up entails. So, here you go: Monday, the 28th, I start at 7:30 AM. I register, go to blood draw (and I’m sure they’ll be taking lots of tubes!), then head to the gynecologist, followed by a dentist, followed by a pulmonary function test, a meeting regarding a respiratory study I’m participating in, and finally a bone marrow aspiration! My day should end around 2 PM. Tuesday, I have an “axial skeleton with radiology”…a bone scan, perhaps? After that, I have a two-hour meeting with a long-term follow-up physician, physician’s assistant and nurse, and finally an appointment with an ophthalmologist. Wednesday, I have the day off. Thursday, I meet with the nurse regarding vaccinations, the long-term follow-up physician and the pharmacist (separate meetings, by the way). And that’s that! I’ll have some busy days, and I’m excited about it. That’s right…not only am I thrilled to be going back to Seattle, but I can’t wait to walk through those clinic doors and get the SCCA two-thumbs up, clean bill of health, thorough check-up! Plus, there’s no bone marrow like a Seattle bone marrow. Yup, you read right! Picture yourself lying on a table with heated blankets and classical music playing softly. You can have as many pillows as you need, and you’re encouraged to relax. Sure, it’d be more relaxing if there weren’t any needles involved, but life can’t be perfect. Dr. Kales, you will ALWAYS have the highest rating for painless bone marrow biopsies/aspirates, but Seattle beats ya on the ambience. Perhaps I should suggest that my doc’s office provide similar luxuries.
On the job front, well, there’s nothing on the job front. As I wrote previously, I just did it, as Nike recommends, and I called Rachel from Washington Women in PR. She never called me back. It’s possible she’s on vacation, but considering it’s been almost a month since my e-mail, and taking into account that her contact information is on their website with regards to the volunteer project, I’m pretty darn sure I won’t be hearing from her. Some PR person she is! :) Anyone have a friend in PR? Remember, it’s all about contacts, contacts, contacts.
I did fill out the Myers-Briggs assessment test today, as well as the Strong Interest Inventory, both offered to me for a small fee through UVA alumni career services. Now I’m just waiting to hear from someone in the office who will interpret the results. I’ll let you know what I discover…it’s exciting, isn’t it?
This is a relatively short post tonight (although you have lots of pictures to peruse). Laura, if you’re reading this down in Costa Rica, Indie is quite happy here! We’ve been taking walks every day, and she especially enjoys the car ride aferwards, when we tour “English Hills Game Park”. I thought she was going to jump out the window when she saw a groundhog…in fact, they all went crazy!! Now, why does a little groundhog get them more excited than the many deer we see every night? Bella’s been a bit more bold, showing herself in broad daylight. Indie fixes her eyes on little Bella-bell and sits very still, her muscles tensed. I don’t think they’ll ever be BFF’s. :) In other Indie news, she is frustrated that she can’t sleep in bed with me. She puts her enormous paws and head in my face and just sits there. I put a purple bandana on her, and one of our neighbors commented on how stylish all the pups were. I think I’m mastering the art of walking three dogs at once, and I’m having a lot of fun! To be honest, Indie, myself, Mom and Dad will all be sad to see Indie go back home with you and Tiso. Jameson and Guinness might be OK with it though. hahaha Although Guinness has had several play sessions with her!
OK, I best be going. Laura and Tiso, enjoy your time in Costa Rica! Indie’s very comfortable here with us. In fact, she’s lying beside me on the couch right now, and she says something about how she loves me the most now. But don’t worry…I’m sure she’ll remember you when you get back. I hope so anyway.Â
Hope everyone is doing well!
Oh, one more thing! Here’s a link to the “Connection” article about “Bark for Life”. My comments sound rather childlike, but oh well! Check out the picture on the top right-hand page of the article.
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=332066&paper=73&cat=104
Lots of love,
Julie
PS Laura, don’t get all upset about Indie jumping out of car windows…I exaggerated a bit. =)
PSS Another message for you, Laura…Indie is quite a loud snorer! :) Somehow it doesn’t bother me when dogs snore though…just people.
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While I do my yoga video, Jameson looks on from the comfort of the couch.
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Then he decides it'd be more fun to cuddle up while I stretch. :)
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As you can see, his favorite part is relaxation. Here he is resting his head on the same blanket where I had been resting mine. He takes this relaxation stuff really seriously.
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Canine Happy Hour at Hotel Monaco!!!!
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Jameson might have had a li'l too much to drink...doesn't he look like he's smiling?
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Laura and Indie at the bar, as usual. hahahaha
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Beautiful, beautiful Old Town.
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Laura thought this was hysterical. I took Indie out for a walk while she stayed with Jameson and Guinny. When we were walking in, Indie practically dragged me to Laura. The minute she saw her momma, she went crazy!!
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And this is Laura's view...it doesn't accurately show just how hard Indie was pulling!!
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Whoa...this is craziness!! Lots of bum sniffing.
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It got crowded pretty early....notice who's sitting at our table...
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Scooby, the K9 Rockstar!! (remember, we met him at "Bark for Life")
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Jameson and Guinny-guin check out the fountain in Old Town.
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It was verrrrrry hot, so I picked him up and put him in. I think he enjoyed it...what do you thinK?
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He's in his glory....although, I think he'd be even happier if I took his leash off...not happenin' buddy...sorry!
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My little water boy.
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I feel like it was the hottest day of summer...look at poor Jamie!
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He didn't venture in, but he enjoyed the ambience nonetheless.
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Laura and Indie
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Hangin' out by the boathouse.
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It was a beautiful day...hot, but pretty!! Have I said it was hot yet?
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We went for a stroll before the cruise.
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Resting in the park.
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I absolutely love Crepe Myrtles.
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It's almost time for the cruise!
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Look at all those dogs waitin' in line!
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And we're on the boat!!
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The dogs did really well...I think next time they'd like to try a sailboat. :)
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The Torpedo Factory...this is a great shot, if I do say so myself.
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Look how cute we all are!
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Jameson acted as though he were the official greeter, stepping out to welcome passengers as they came on board.
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The beautiful Wilson Bridge!!
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And look at the moon!
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Laura and her "little" baby, Indie.
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Guinny's so happy to be on a boat!!
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Post-cruise. :) Everyone (including Laura) behaved so well!!
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Last weekend, I went to Katrina's house to celebrate Evie's first birthday!! Here she is with Ba, her grandma.
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Don't you love her dress?
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Marc stationed at the grill...it was a delicious spread---quite fancy for a first birthday party!
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I really like this photo. Katrina, Evie and Anh (AKA "Ba"...Vietnamese for "grandma")
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And here's Evie with "Opa", German for "grandpa".
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She likes to check out what's going on in her neighborhood.
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Gift time! Her very own cell phone. :)
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She is such a cutie, and I was really happy to be able to celebrate her special day.
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Anh, Evie and I...Anh is not only special because she's Katrina's mom and Evie's grandma, but I also worked with her for many years at the flower shop. Whenever we really liked a customer, we would make sure Anh got the arrangement so it could be extra pretty.
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Cupcake time!!!
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I LOVE this photo!! It was so funny. Everyone had left, and Evie walked over to Katrina and basically fell into her arms...she was out within seconds!
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Time to relax!! hahaha
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I went out with Rachel to Arlington last week for her friend's friend's birthday party...here she is smiling big for the camera. What's that? Looks like you have a li'l brownie in your teeth! :)
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Too bad it's not scratch and sniff. I love butterfly bushes!!
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One of my favorite trees in the hood. I love the bark.
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You have to click on this, but this is one of my favorite shots from our many walks. Good thing I took this before they mowed the field!
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Beautiful, beautiful evening for a walk.
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Remember Sasha? Look how big she is now!
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This is from April. :)
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When we were little, we would decorate the tree on the right during Christmastime...look how big it is now!! I love that trees can be reminders of our youth...you never pay much attention to them, and one day you think "Wow....when did that get so big?!!"
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I love walking in the evening...guess I better enjoy it before it starts getting dark at 5 PM!
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Rachel joined us for a walk in the 'hood...here she is with little Jamie.
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Playing with Bella.
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Now we're up to this past weekend. Jack turned two!! Here he is showing off his new driving skills!
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Posing with Uncle Mark.
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"But how come I can't have a beer, Uncle Mark?!"
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Time for the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K...what a wonderful race!
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Fairfax County Fire Department...woohoo!!!
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Do you know I've never been inside a fire truck? I'd like to go to one of the events where they bring the trucks to show the children...and push all the children aside so I can get up in there. :) Better yet, I'll go with one of my cousins so that it looks like I have a legitimate reason for being there. :)
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I just thought this was a cool shot of this Arlington police officer.
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I love it...two fire trucks held this flag up, a clear reminder of why we were doing the race.
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Self-portrait. :)
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Porta potties, a very important part of any race.
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Just doing a little stretching!
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This is Tiso's first race!
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I like this photo of Laura and Tiso.
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We're ready to run (well, I'm walking, but Tiso's running)!
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Sporting our New York gear. If you notice, I'm wearing my special 9/11 Yankees hat...red, white and blue Yankees emblem with stars.
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It was quite a warm evening, but it was a great event, and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.
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And we're off! While still in the pack, I thought it'd be cool to get a good shot of the crowd with the flag and fire trucks in the distance.
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Look, that little girl is faster than I am!! hahahaha
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Recruits in a police academy.
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I absolutely love this photo. Now, I didn't photoshop it so it looked black and white with highlights of green trees. Everyone happens to be wearing black and white. I didn't notice how cool it turned out until I saw the photo later. Damn, I'm a good photographer!! haha ;)
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Congrats, Laura and Tiso!!!!!
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Gooooo Katie!!!!!!!
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And here I come, bringing up the rear! :)
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hahaha OK, do you think I look like I have t-rex arms in this photo? They could not stop laughing, but I think I look like an expert speedwalker. OK, maybe not expert.
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The guy who took this photo for us was really friendly and assured us "Great photo! All your eyes are opened!!" When he walked off, we noticed that Katie's eyes were completely closed!! For an awkward moment, we thought about asking another passerby to take the shot, without the first guy noticing it, but Tiso couldn't take the heat of a long-sleeve t-shirt.
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Soooo, we decided on just a sister shot. :)
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And here I am with some Arlington firefighters!! By the way, if you're wondering about my pants and the white marks, well...apparently this fabric doesn't take too well to bug spray. It did wash out, however.
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My new facebook profile pic. Laura took this one, and I love it!
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Laura, as you requested, a picture of li'l Indie. Here she is sleeping and snoring beside me while I work on the computer...she looks happy, don't you agree?