Heather checked out numerous animal rescue displays at pet shops and the SPCA.  She finally found a kitten that matched what my mom was looking for, a calico, long-haired female kitten.  Success!

Next she had to figure out a way to give my mom the cat.  After considering multiple options Heather finally settled on having my mom come over to her house on the way home from the ranch to see how my mom would react to the cat.  If she liked the kitten Heather would give it to her.  If she didn’t, well, she didn’t have to worry about that because my mom absolutely loved her.  =)

Meemers and her new baby cat she named "Patchwork." What a cutie. =)

Aw, I think they're going to be very happy. I'm glad my mom has a new kitty to love. =)

Patchwork is much older and bigger now and looks just like my mom’s last cat Muzzy.  The resemblance is actually pretty uncanny.  I haven’t seen Patchwork lately, she hides under my mom’s bed whenever I come over, but it sounds like my mom is still completely crazy about her.  What a lucky cat.  =)

About 3 months ago I embarked on my first long (6 day) and distant (Olympic National Park in Washington state) backpacking trip.  At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go because I was kind of bummed that Marshall wouldn’t be with me.  Then I realized that with our hike ending on a Thursday evening I could have Marshall fly up and meet me so we could enjoy sightseeing in Seattle together.  Sweet!  Let’s DO THIS! 

The first thing I had to do after booking our flights was to go to REI and pick up a number of items that would be necessary for this trip.  Amazingly enough, Olympic National Park is home to a temperate rain forest, several glaciers and everything in between so the gear list was long.  I needed to purchase crampons (metal spiky things that attach to a pair of hard soled boots to keep you from losing your footing on ice), hard soled boots, a nylon sling (for a lightweight climbing harness), and rain gear.  I had most everything else so now it was just a matter of getting it all packed in and keeping the weight as light as possible.

My food (and drink) for 6 days. Peanut butter and jelly tortillas for lunch, oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, dried vegetables, M&Ms and bars for snacks, and mashed potatoes, top ramen and couscous for dinner. (BTW, I only took one bag of M&Ms)

All of my gear for 6 days of hiking (minus Sierra...she really wanted to go).

All packed. In total my gear weighed 51lbs with water. More than 1/3 my weight but I'm strong and was able to carry it. =)

After getting all my gear together and preparing for my flight I gave Sierra and Lotus a little attention before I left.  Kisses!

Little Muppy wanted to make sure I knew she loved me before I left. Aw, Sierra. =)

Ah Lotus! Bleh!! =P

Ok, I guess I’m ready for my trip now.  =)

Taking off from Oakland International Airport. What a beautiful day for flying.

Well it was a beautiful day. Rainy skies and the Space Needle welcome me to Seattle.

Once I arrived in Seattle it was time to meet up with the rest of the group, pick up the rental cars and head to the ferry to make our way to the park.

A view from the deck of the ferry. Although overcast it was still beautiful. It reminded me of "The Goonies" set.

The ferry was huge and super comfortable. I loved the view and as you can see there was plenty of room to spread out and relax. I could get used to this. =)

Another 2 hours of driving and we finally reached our destination.  At this point we consolidated from 2 cars into one to shuttle to the starting point of our hike.  Amazingly enough we were able to fit 12 people and all our packs into one E350 van.  Crazy right?

Venkad, Me, Magda (2nd row), Dylan, Rachel, Jackie (3rd row), Rita, Ilya, Craig Katharina (4th row)

"V" drives and Suji navigates (so jealous of their space).

We had to squish 12 people and their packs into this van (quite uncomfortable but we made it).

By the time we got to the trailhead of the Hoh Rain forest we couldn’t wait to get hiking but we couldn’t start without a proper group photo so I balanced my camera on a park bench, “Click!” and we’re off!  =)

Me, Dylan, Rachel, "V", Magda, Jackie, Suji, Katharina, Rita, Ilya, Craig, and Venkad

Beautiful scenery was all around. Love it! =)

After hiking in about 5 miles we stopped at our first campsite and good thing too because apparently Jackie’s 15 year old boots had finally given up the ghost.  Fortunately “V” brought some large rubber bands and duct tape so he was able to fix them up so Jackie could still use them.  Unfortunately this combined with a few other hikers not having the right gear forced us to have to modify our plans and put our trip to the glacier in jeopardy.  Stay tuned for more on this.

Jackie's boots say "Hello!..." =)

"V" always come prepared. I was pretty impressed with the fix he came up with.

The next morning we woke up with the rising sun and started boiling water for breakfast.  Craig eats only raw food so he had some kind of odd looking meal with blueberries that he soaked in cold water for a couple hours before it was ready to eat.

Craig you're awesome but your meals are scary.

After breakfast it was time to get going.  We had a long and uphill hike this day so we needed to pace ourselves.  Fortunately the rainforest offers plenty of beautiful scenery which made the miles pass quickly and the heavy pack seem a bit lighter.  =)

One of the many downed trees we had to balance on to cross rivers below.

An amazing mossy giant. Absolutely incredible.

A dandelion and a rock. I really liked this picture so I had to include it in the post.

These tiny flowers faced the ground but when shot from below revealed their beautiful design.

Totally loving this! =)

Everything went smoothly until we crossed a creek and Craig decided that even though everyone had been asking/telling/begging him to walk softly and carefully when crossing difficult sections he was going to “mountain goat” it across the rocks and fell to the side cutting up his whole left arm.  It felt good for me to be able to help him out but I wish he hadn’t gotten hurt at all.  Craig you ridiculous guy.  I guess I owe you for helping my buddy Mike by giving him a banana when he cramped up and giving me water when I ran out. 

You're one tough guy Craig. Glad it wasn't worse. =)

Bears weren't a big risk here but squirrels and other animals were so we made sure to keep everything packed away in bear cans. Guess which one is mine. Hint: It's the one with the M&Ms.

After hours of debate at dinner the night before, we finally decided that we’d head up to the glacier and give it a shot. Hurray!

Gotta love a hike that includes both a temperate rainforest, snow and a glacier. =)

Our first glimpse of the snow covered mountains we were traveling to.

Resting on the way up to the glacier. So cool. Literally. Do you see the snow?

A panorama view of the glacier. Too awesome...

Hurray! Although we weren't able to cross due to snow we did get to go down and walk on the glacier. =)

A crevasse. This is why we didn't cross. With freshly fallen snow we couldn't see the crevasses in order to avoid them so we carefully ventured to the edge of the glacier and then headed back. Totally worth it still. =)

I had balanced my camera and went to take the shot only to realize my battery had died so Ilya swooped in with his Nikon to save the day.

At this point my camera died so I didn’t get any more pictures until the end of the trip when I was able to charge the battery in the hotel.  Fortunately Ilya, Magda and others took lots of great pictures so the rest of the trip which played out on the beaches of Washington was captured on film.

On our final day before heading to the beaches for another two days of backpacking I took an opportunity to lay back, take in the skyline and fall asleep to the sound of the rushing river. Awesome...

Even on the coast it was 90+ degrees and with 40lbs of gear I joined the other girls in shedding a layer before continuing on to our next campsite. Ah, so much more comfortable. =)

Having fun on the beach doing handstands in the stand (Me, Magda, Venkad)

In several locations the tide blocks passage across the beach so you have to climb up and over like we did here. On our way out we made sure to leave early enough to catch that section at low tide.

I had an absolutely amazing time on the backpacking trip but I’ll be honest, I couldn’t wait to see Marshall.  When I got to the hotel he gave me a big hug and I probably said something like “Oh Navin!..” which is a reference to The Jerk and the fact that I smelled like someone who hadn’t had a shower in 6 days. 

After an awesome shower/bath and getting into some clean clothes I was ready to hit the town for a walking tour of Seattle.  Marshall was not as excited to go out and walk for hours.  Seattle was experiencing an abnormal heat wave (in the mid-90s) and we were already sweating because our room didn’t have air conditioning.  Oh well, here we go!  =)

Marshall and me getting ready to head out for our walking tour of Seattle. I was so happy that he came up to meet me at the end of the hike. =)

Our walking tour lasted about 6 hours and took us to a bunch of neat, off the beaten trail places in Seattle including the Arctic Club and Seattle Library.  I thought the tour was awesome.  Marshall found it a little less impressive and was just eager to go see the Space Needle.  Fortunately there was enough time left in the day for us to head on over for a drink and amazing view of the city.

This was so cool. Beer at the top of the Space Needle. What do you think Marshall?

Oh my gosh! Is Marshall actually drinking beer? What do you think?

Ha! You're so funny. =)

Hurray! More for me. Hehehe...

The fountain outside of the Space Needle. What a great day. =)

Our second day of sightseeing was an homage to great food.  Let me rephrase that.  It was an homage to ALL food because I literally ate everything in sight.  We stopped at the “Cow Chip” for huge chocolate chip cookies, had mini-doughnuts from Pike’s Place and clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl on the wharf.  Oh wait, did I say we?  I meant me.  I’m a bit of a food piggy.  Oink oink!  =)

Let the food hedonism begin. One Cow Chip please! =)

Ugh, I'm so terrible. I ate all 6. ALL 6!! It's not my fault though. I'd eat one and then forget what it tasted like.

Topping off the day with delicious clam chowder. So good... =)

All in all a totally awesome time although I did almost have to pay for an extra seat on the plane after all that food. 

Had a great time in Seattle with Marshall. Can't wait for our next vacation. =)

Thanks to “V” for organizing a great backpacking trip.  I had a lot of fun and can’t wait for the next one.  Maybe Marshall will even join me (foreshadowing?) for the next one.  =)

What’s great is that Sierra actually seems to like getting in the shower so all I had to do was turn on the water and say “Sierra!” while pointing to the shower and she obligingly walked right in.  It took me about 10 minutes to wash out the mud clumps and then it was on to a luxurious Pantene Pro-V treatment.  Nothing but the best for my muppy. 

Wet doggy after getting Pantene Pro-V shampoo (and conditioning) treatment. So cute... =)

I started using Infusium shampoo and conditioner and still have some of my good Pantene shampoo and conditioner left so I decided to use that on Sierra.  Holy cow that stuff works so well on her.  She’s all shiny, silky and smooth.  I think I’ll use her for a pillow tonight. 

Fully dry, what a beautiful doggy =)

Doesn't that just make you want to pet her? She's so soft! =)

Sierra is tired of modeling and just wants to go to sleep. Good idea. Goodnight everyone! =)

Still smiling after 8 awesome years of marriage. =)

This June marked Marshall’s and my 8 year anniversary (hurray!) AND I didn’t screw it up this time like I did for our 5th (my idea of “thoughtful” didn’t exactly translate, I’m such a dude). 

Normally Marshall makes me a lobster dinner on our anniversary but because that’s a lot of work and I normally end up eating his lobster too, (Pinchy would have wanted it that way…) I thought it would be nicer for him if we went out for a nice meal instead.  With it being the middle of the week we thought The Cheesecake Factory would be easier to get into and we both love the food so we decided on that.  Mmm, stuffed chicken tortillas, here I come.  =)

Before heading to dinner I made Marshall and the dogs do a family picture. Sierra was distracted by our neighbor Mike (she also doesn't like looking at the camera). Silly Muppy.

The Cheesecake Factory is at Stoneridge Mall which is also where Marshall works as an employee for the Apple store.  I mention this because as we were approaching the mall Marshall told me about how everyone had been asking the Apple employees to see the new iPhone 4 even though it was still 2 days until the release.  I said “Don’t people know you guys don’t get the product until the day of” and Marshall got quiet.  I said “You guys have the new iPhones??” and thought to myself, wouldn’t that be freakin’ sweet to get a sneak peek of the new iPhone.  Marshall said “Yep, and they came with two guards who are going to stay with the phones until they’re released.”  Bummer I thought, but still that makes for a good story.  I almost got to see the iPhone 4 on my anniversary (what am I saying, Marshall’s the fanboy, not me, right?)  =)

Ok, now on to dinner!

Marshall sporting his Apple shirt and his wedding ring. I like it. =)

My sour apple martini. I only had one and although it was tasty, it had nothing on the crystal light vodkas Marshall makes me so it was not responsible for knocking me out. That honor goes to my order of stuffed chicken tortillas, beans, and corn cakes. =)

Dinner at The Cheesecake Factory was delicious however because they have such big portions and I seem incapable of leaving anything on my plate, I ate the entire meal and put myself into a food coma.  Seriously it was ridiculous, I got all hot and then super sleepy.  I actually had to ask Marshall to drive me home in the Jetta, MY Jetta. 

Before leaving we ordered two slices of cheesecake to go.  Marshall ordered the banana cream pie slice and I ordered key lime.  We were both very happy with our choices.  Marshall only ate 1/4 of his dinner so he still had room left for dessert.  I had to wait until the following day to have my slice.  Oh well, at least I had something to look forward to.  =)

Our families also helped to make our anniversary special with phone calls and gifts.  My mom and dad gave us a really cool stepping stone and my Grandma gave us a hand-stitched dish towel with an embroidered “8″ and homemade potholders.  How thoughtful.  Thanks everyone.  =)

So although it was low key, we had an awesome anniversary.  Here’s to many more great years together.  =)

• Knot tying:  Bowline, bowline on a coil, alpine butterfly, and double fisherman.  This will be essential for safe glacier crossing.
• How to treat blisters (I got to be the volunteer for this as I had developed large blisters on both my feet)
• What kind of gear to back (bottom line, don’t bring a pillow…with everything else we have to bring, you won’t have the room or be able to carry the weight)
• Better break in those boots now or risk being in pain the entire trip…good advice.  I guess I’ll be wearing mine to work tomorrow. 

Waddell Beach-a cool breeze and beautiful surf. Awesome...

I prepared my gear Friday night and then packed 25lbs of it in my backpack for the hike on Saturday.  “V” said we should pack at least 20lbs of gear for the training hike and although I’ll probably be carrying closer to 35 for Olympic I wasn’t going to overdo it since I figured the hike we would do Saturday would exceed any single day trip on the Olympic hike.  I also decided to try out a new pair of 3/4 length hiking pants and a sun hat to see if that would help combat my problems with heat exhaustion.

My hat.. it kind of gives me tunnel vision but at least it spared my face from getting totally sunburned.

The pants and hat worked out really well however it was still extremely warm.  It didn’t help that we took a trail clearly marked as “Recommended for horse use only, steep climbs” but that was ok.  I’m always down for anything.  Had it been overcast, the climb wouldn’t have bothered me at all but with the sun beating down it was definitely a challenge.  Still, I was the 4th person to arrive at the top (and the first one with gear).  Go horse legs, go horse legs, go, go, go horse legs! 

Ok so it felt great to get to the top of that climb however either because of how fast I hiked it or just the fact that I wasn’t used to my boots yet I got HUGE blisters on both feet.  Fortunately “V” had a nice big knife, some gauze pads and medical tape to relieve the pressure and get me going again.  You should have seen the look on some of the other hikers faces though when “V” pulled out the knife.  I don’t know why I wasn’t nervous or grossed out.  For some reason I just totally trust “V” so I knew it would be all right.  Thank goodness he has a steady hand though or that could have ended poorly.  =)

During lunch I ate carrot sticks, sucked down some luke warm water (least apetizing backpacking lunch I’ve had in a long time), and listened intently while “V” taught us how to tie knots four important knots.  Ilya then demonstrated how to use a nylon sling to fashion a lightweight harness that can be used to secure yourself to a tow-line for glacier crossing.  Here again things could have gone horribly wrong when “V” let go of the carabiner that he had been pulling on to demonstrate how the harness works and nearly missed hitting Ilya in the…well… let’s just say it would have hurt really bad and I probably would have laughed, not because I don’t like Ilya but because that kind of thing cracks me up.  I know, I’m tewwible..  =)

The rest of the hike was pretty easy compared to the climb at the beginning.  We hiked to Berry Creek Falls which I had visited earlier this year on a hike from Big Basin park and then hiked back down to Waddell Beach via one of the easier trails.

"V" and me at Berry Creek Falls. Oh and I'm not that much taller than "V". I was just standing on the incline. =)

The only real problem I ran into besides the blisters was that I ran out of water.  Fortunately Craig who had come to the aid of my buddy Mike by giving him a banana when he got really bad leg cramps on Rose Peak was now coming to my aid by giving me a nice cool bottle of water that he had carried the whole trip.  He also shared some electrolyte tablets for Mike and me to try to see if they stop his cramping and help with my heat exhaustion.  What a nice guy.  I can’t wait to try them out.  Thanks Craig.  =)

Craig sets down his gear in the shade to snack on a banana and share some water with me. What a nice guy. =)

At about 6:50pm we reached the parking lot again and shed our heavy boots in favor of more comfortable shoes.  I put on my new pair of Keen water shoes and felt amazing.  It’s so nice hiking when you have the right gear.

Before we left a nice kite-surfer dude offered to take a group photo for us.  Most of the group had already left so this is just a subset of our whole crew.  It’s still a nice group photo and includes my favorite hiking buddies so it was all good.  =)

Back row: Craig, Ilya, Rita, Kim, Suji, (?-Dipak), Me - Front row: "V" (not sure what this guys name is, we'll call him Henry)

So my goal for the next few weeks before Olympic is to make sure I break in my boots really well and work on lightening the load.  I bought a foam sleeping pad to use instead of the heavy self-inflating one I have.  I may also use the regular sleeping bag sack instead of the compression sack since the buckles on the compression sack make it heavier.  Little things here and there.  I mean, I’ve still got to be able to carry a flask of vodka right?  You know it! 

Alright, I think that will do it for this post.  Thanks to “V” and the crew for another fun hike and I can’t wait for the next one.  Jettagirl, out.  =)

One of the things that I always liked about Josh was not only that he has a wicked sense of humor but that he seems to be, as Marshall would say, “good people.”  He’s a nice guy and that makes his style of humor even funnier.  I couldn’t stop laughing when he did his bit about growing up in Cameroon, Africa.  “That’s right, I’m a disabled African American.  Now where’s my scholarship…Shit….”  Genius. 

After the show Josh had some t-shirts, DVDs and other stuff for sale.  I bought a yellow t-shirt with my favorite Josh saying, “Inappropriate” (you have to cross your arms when you say that), and got a few pictures with Josh.  What a nice guy.  =)

You're awesome Josh. Thanks for the laughs. =)

Jeriah, Josh, Heather and Me. =)

If you have the chance to see Josh live, go for it.  He’s awesome!  Ah, now time to rest my sides.  They got an excellent workout tonight.  =)

Too cool, it's Josh Blue and Marshall, MY Marshall! =)

What!?  No way, that’s too awesome.  I immediately called Marshall back to say how cool I thought that was.  Of course I had to know what the interaction was like so I asked Marshall what he said to Josh.  He said he told him that we watched his show and thought he was awesome.  Ok, that’s normal fan stuff I guess.  The really cool part is that Josh noticed Marshall had an iPad shirt on and asked if he worked for Apple.  When Marshall said yes he said cool, and proceeded to ask him questions about some problems he was having with his iPhone.  I guess Marshall did some troubleshooting with him and took him back to the Apple store to get him setup with support.  Wow, my husband actually had a conversation with Josh Blue!  I can’t stand it, it’s just too awesome.  Ack!  Gene Parmesan! 

Apparently Josh is performing at Tommy-T’s in Pleasanton so I just booked tickets for Heather, Jeriah, Marshall and me to go to the show tomorrow.  I can’t wait.  For anyone out there who hasn’t heard of Josh Blue or is simply in need of a good laugh, check out this awesome clip from season 4 of Last Comic Standing.  The guy is hilarious!  =)

He's just resting...he wasn't where I left him so he must have been.

Although we found him in the field I wanted to bring him back home to get a better look at him (I was curious about the cause of death) so I put him in a baggy that I had on me and then placed him under a tree in front of my house.  By the way, I think he probably got grabbed by a hawk that lost his grip but had already inflicted fatal wounds.  When I went out to check to see if the bunny was still under the tree this morning I found him gone.  I’d like to think he was just napping and hopped away…  yeah, I like that.  See you in the fields bunny.  =)

Smiley Purppy! =)

Smiley Muppy! Ha Sierra, you look hilarious! =)

And who do you think is responsible for this humiliation of innocent Australian Shepherds?  Why it’s none other than…

Heather!!

My poor muppy. What torture. She looks like the freakin' Joker.

The dogs eventually forgave us and we all had a good laugh.

Our biggest smiles. Too funny Heffs. Thanks for coming over to visit. =)