Baby Cousin Gets Married.

Kate & her bridesmaids at the Bridesmaids' Luncheon

Lauren (my cousin's wife) & me in our vintage hats at the Luncheon

Ann (my other cousin's wife) and me at the Luncheon--the hats were Ann's brilliant idea! Aren't they fun??

My awesome Aunt Cynthia and me before the wedding

Baby Cousin Kate is ready to get married!

Trying to get a decent picture of the Boss-man.

a whole lotta stuff

So, my bad. I've been gone awhile.

Well, life got busy.

For one, the dang Human Subjects division decided to grant permission for me to do my dissertation. Happy frickin' hallelujah. Then, I realized...oh crap. I have to actually go and FINISH this thing. So I've been out and about, recruiting participants and starting to interview.

For two, I'm working a full-time job that tried to strangle me by the throat starting in November. I think it's a combination of students actually doing what we want them to, coming in earlier and not waiting until the last minute (January), combined with the fact that we are down three advisors, that has sent me into a neurotic state.

For three, Chad entered my life. No, I'm not cheating on Jesse. Chad is my new personal trainer that came with my gym package. And he's awesome. But if I don't want him to kill me, leaving me to rot on the gym floor at the end of our sessions, I had better get my tail to the gym nearly everyday to keep up.

For four, I went to Texas (yee-haw!) for my cousin's wedding and Thanksgiving. It was my first holiday to be apart from Jesse. Sob. It was also my first time to be away from Boss. And I know he's not a child, but I really missed him. Sob again. But, Cousin's wedding was gorgeous and my diet went straight out the 70 degrees-and-sunny window.
Chick-Fil-A? Check. Three times.
Whataburger? Check.
Stole Whataburger ketchup? Check.
Mexican Food? Check. Check.
Thanksgiving-Itschner-style? Check and check.
Ever so slightly thicker Texas accent upon return? Check.

Stay tuned for:
The Tale of Texas Trip
The Awful Sound Boss Makes When We Leave Him Alone (AKA: Why the Neighbors Left Us a Nice Note Rather than having us Evicted on the Spot, We have No Idea).

open letters II

(For open letters, the original go to mrs. darling's blog.)

***********************************************
dear college kid who thinks it's your last quarter,

you should know by now what degree you are seeking. if you don't, you probably aren't graduating this quarter, you yahoo.

advising you,
peggy

***********************************************
dear lauren graham,

the one fan who has something actually meaningful to tell you can't figure out how to contact you. which is probably good, since you're famous and don't want to get stalked by crazies. but i'm not crazy. your characters on gilmore girls and parenthood have inspired and encouraged me for the past 10 years. you have brought into my world a taste of family, especially my mom, who has been gone for 14 years. thank you.

your biggest (no seriously, your biggest) fan,
peggy

**********************************************
dear creators of friends,

when will you make a friends movie? i don't think you would ruin it. just don't do a sequel like Sex & the City and it will be fine.

ross & rachel forever,
peggy

**********************************************
blake shelton,

marry me.

love,
peggy

ps. miranda & i have talked. she's fine with it.

**********************************************
dearest jesse,

if you learn how to close the shower curtain and wash your dishes, i'll love you forever. okay, so i already do. but seriously, can you just close the shower curtain and wash your dishes?

love,
me

*********************************************
dear bossy-boss,

please shut the hell up when we leave you alone so we don't have to pay $450/month for doggy day care.

love,
mommy

ps. you're still the fiercest Westie in the West. even if you're a total co-dependent wuss.

Jonesin' to write...

So, I have gone through periodic bouts over the years where I really get the itch to do some writing. For me, it's primarily personal narrative writing. Examples of previous writing include experiences with boys, having an eating disorder, or simply Grandma. After living in Africa, I started to write about that (didn't get too far, and now I fear it's been too long...I went there TEN years ago on October 30, 2001, which is pure crazy).

Today, I got the itch again. I start doing rather drastic things, as I tend to do in my melodramatic, black-or-white, all-or-nothing way, like researching MFA Creative Writing programs. Why would I do that to myself? I'm still in my EdD program!

Instead, maybe I should just enjoy it...but in truly type A fashion, I have created a mental list of the less formal approach to "becoming a creative writer" which includes:
1. Write. About anything that comes to mind.
2. Show it to friends. Preferably ones who know good writing when they see it and are good writers themselves.
3. Try to submit it to some sort of writing contest or publication. See if they think it's any good.

And finally, a list of potential topics that I could write about from a personal narrative perspective:
A. Africa...rather than the entire time, some poignant experiences though I still dream of a memoir (previous planned title: Memoire d'Afrique)
B. Family...losing, gaining, what IS family, anyway? potential title: Who is the "we" in We Are Family?
C. This body I call my own...about gaining and losing 30 pounds, TWICE; eating disorder and beauty issues; potential title: The 30 Pound Yo-Yo, and All that Comes with It
D. Faith, or the lack thereof...probably titled...that.
E. Boss...focusing on how raising a puppy is like having a kid; title: The Dog as Child
F. Just some miscellaneous Misadventures that incorporates all of the above, sort of in Anne Lamott fashion; potential title: How I Stole Anne Lamott's Idea and Wrote a Miscellaneous Book about the Things that Matter to Me. What, too long?

By the way, my favorite part of writing is coming up with titles.

So, that's what's on my mind today. Writing. Incidentally, I'm reading The Help. Fantastic book. Makes me want to write a novel. But I think I would suck at fiction.

Weigh-in

Background:
May 2011: Cousin Kate asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in her November wedding.
Late May 2011: Tried on dress at David's Bridal. It is fitted through the hips...really, Kate? This requires a size larger than the size I had grown to, and was already unhappy with.
June 8, 2011: Peggy joins Weight Watchers Online. Goal: lose 25 pounds.

Since then:
I have weighed in each Wednesday morning, making steady progress. Following the WW plan and being active, thanks to the lovely Seattle summer, playing kickball and softball and walking Boss around Green Lake.

This morning:
The family weighed in.
Peggy: has lost 20 pounds...WOOT!
Boss: has gained 2.5 pounds since his last vet visit in July--he's now 14.5 pounds--WOOT!
Jesse: the bastard has lost 12 pounds unintentionally since June, just by living with me and making healthier choices because I have been. Woot. Boys suck.

finally replaced my iPhone and ain't it a good thing...

So, remember how my iPhone was stolen back in April and I had to use a crappy flip phone from the days of yore until my contract was up and I could replace it without, as Mrs. Darling would say, paying a kidney for it?

Well, that was officially on September 5th, but I kept hearing about how the iPhone 5 was going to come out in September so I thought that was lovely timing. Until September came, and they started saying October. When I started hearing possibly next year, I decided to stop waiting and get an iPhone 4 this weekend.

Other important info that ties into this little story: Jesse has been on his break between his internship and returning for his last quarter of school, which means that Boss really hasn't been left home alone (or crated) much at all. Basically, on Friday nights when we go on date night. Like, last Friday and this past Friday. Well, we came home Friday evening to a *very* nice note from our neighbor (no sarcasm), letting us know that Boss has a shrieking/yelping tendency that sounds like someone is beating him.

Awesome. I thought we were past this.

So, Saturday, we bought the iPhone 4. And we were supposed to go to the engagement party of one of Jesse's friends and his new fiance. Except after the Friday night note, I didn't feel like we could just leave Boss home alone. So, I called my friend who agreed to dog sit for a little while so we could make an appearance at this engagement party.

I used my new iPhone to find our way to the party location, the apartment of the newly engaged that we had not been to before. We parked, in the rain, about 3 blocks away and made a run for it. When we arrived, we found a secured entrance. So, Jesse tried to buzz the apartment. No response. Called his friend. No response.

Then some dude that lives there came out, so we went in. This "apartment building" was a converted old mansion with no apartment numbers, just names of suites. Jesse thought the party was in "apartment B", but clearly that didn't help us. So we just wandered around the old mansion trying to listen for anything that sounded like a party.

Then it hit us that we could use the iPhone to look at the Evite again. The whole smart phone thing really is a lifestyle change (both ways...I was a very frustrated Pegs back in April when it took 10 minutes to send a text). So Jesse looked it up and...

the party is NEXT Saturday.

Are you friggin' kidding me, Sharp?

I told him he could go get the car by himself in the rain and I would wait for him to come pick me up.

Thus begins...life with Jesse. But thankfully, also life with the iPhone.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It's my favorite time of year...when Jesse is on break between school and work! We have big plans, such as:

1. Eating dinner together
2. Walking with Boss around Green Lake
3. Oil changes for both of the cars
4. Watching Angel on Netflix
5. Solidifying plans to go to Senegal (yippee!)

Most of these are the little things. Jesse and I have officially lived together for about 10 days, and I LOVE IT! I can't even explain it...there's just something about him being there when I get off work or eating dinner at OUR dining room table.

My favorite sight this week: walking out of work and seeing Jesse & Boss waiting for me outside. I love my boys.

Story time: Boss pees on the down comforter

Story #2. (Although I really shouldn't reward you people with a second story since exactly 0 of you have commented on the first. I'm not bitter. Not even a little bit.)

My now-former apartment had a free washer/dryer in the basement, and the new place has a coin-operated washer/dryer available. This means, we will be scouring every nook & cranny for quarters while we live here. It also means that the day before moving out, I washed EVERYTHING with the free washer/dryer, including the bedding--sheets and down comforter. Once dried, it went in the car and was transported to the new place.

So, on Sunday night, with the bed set up by the 4 Fabulous Moving Dudes, Jesse & I went to put on the bedding. On went the fitted sheet. On went the regular sheet (what do you call the other, non-fitted sheet?)...but wait, what's that? Please tell me it's water...sniff, sniff...well, maybe it's just on this sheet...pulling out the comforter, NOOOOOOOOO...pulling the down out from inside the comforter, NOOOOO...

BOSS! BOSS, where are YOUUUUUU?

Crouching in the corner, looking down, one paw over his eyes.

Guilty.

And that's the story of how, at 10pm on our first night in the new place and both having to go to work the next morning, we began the 2 hour journey of washing the sheets and comforter in the coin-operated washer/dryer.

If only it ended there. Jesse came back upstairs from the laundry room, carrying the freshly-dried down.

Jesse: Does it still smell like pee to you?
Me: Yep. But it's probably just how you get a bad smell in your head and then it just smells like that, even when it doesn't really.
Jesse: Okay, I guess. Maybe. But smell this (the comforter).
Me: (sniffing). Well, we washed it. It must be fine. Let's just put it on the bed.

So we do, and crawl into bed.

A few minutes later...

Me: (whining) I can't sleep like this...it smells like pee! Did you put the detergent in the right spot? (The new washer has these three different things for detergent, bleach, and something else).
Jesse: I think so. (laughing) But this is gross.
Me: Okay, get up. We're taking the down out.

So, the down came out and earned a spot in the second bedroom until I could wash it again the next day.

Good thing Boss is cute.

Story time: Pegs blows up at the U-haul place.

I asked, you responded. So you get 3 stories.

1. Peggy's explosion at the U-haul place.

On Thursday, I called and reserved a truck for Sunday. The man said I could come pick it up at 8:30 am and have it until 2:30 pm. This was great, since I had friends meeting to help with the move at 9:00 am.

On Sunday, I arrive at the U-haul place (with Jesse & Boss). U-haul Dude can't find my name. I give him my confirmation # (sometimes being Type A comes in very handy). He finds my name, but says no truck is assigned to my name and I'm not on the time schedule. Then he says he has to process all the trucks that came in that morning before he can tell me if he has a truck. About 20 minutes have passed, so I call Roommate and tell her I won't be there by 9 and to tell the guys to just start moving stuff down to the curb.

I ask U-haul Dude why he can't just count the # of trucks he has and # of people already reserved to see if he has enough to give me one. He says he has to actually process them.
I still have not heard an apology. What I have heard is "I wasn't the one you talked to on Thursday, so this isn't my fault."

SERIOUSLY?

So I lose it. I yell at him that he needs to tell me RIGHT NOW if he will have a truck because people are arriving at my house NOW to help, he has my name right there that I made a reservation, and I need to start calling other U-haul places if he doesn't have one. He tells me to "have some patience."

I gave Jesse a LOOK and told him to "handle it."

Then Boss and I went outside and paced in the parking lot.

Fast forward to 9:20. U-haul Dude finally says he has a truck for me, but I have to bring it back at 1:30. So I am getting the truck an hour late and being told to return it an hour late. That, my math geniuses, is two hours less time with the truck. I ask if I will get a discount for the poor service and having the truck for less time than I was promised. U-haul Dude says he doesn't have the authority to do that, but I can pay in full today and contact the supervisor for a refund.

U-haul Dude then spends a good 10 minutes taking down my information. The same information that I already gave Thursday U-haul Dude on the phone.

When we returned later with the truck, we were early (thanks to Jesse and 3 Super Non-U-haul Dudes who moved me soooo fast) and U-haul Dude wanted a high five for the way things worked out.

SERIOUSLY??

I hmphed.

What do you want to hear about?

1. How I exploded at the U-haul rental facility on moving day?
2. How Boss peed on the just-washed down comforter that we didn't notice until it was nearly time for bed?
3. How Jesse researches EVERYthing to DEATH, and we will probably not actually buy a TV until 2015 because of it?

So, my pets. What would you like to hear about? Because ALL of those were in the last 24 hours. As well as moving all my schmack from Old Apartment to New Apartment.

The weak link. And a sore loser.

I've been trying to decide whether or not I should continue playing softball. I play in a recreational league (read: non-competitive-at-least-in-theory). Last season, we won the league championship.

All of the guys are great. All of the girls, myself included, played competitively in high school. But I am, by several years, the oldest of the girls. Translation: I am the furthest removed from my high school glory days. The days when people cheered because I made a sliding catch in the outfield. This was 1995-96.

Fast forward to 2011. Sliding catch? Puh-leaze. I would settle for...well, a catch. Or getting on base legitimately (read: without the assistance of errors made by the other team or them choosing to get another runner out instead of me).

So, on a team of haves, I am feeling like a have-not. And I am one of those people that is NOT satisfied just to have fun and play. If I suck, I'm not happy.

Yesterday, Dude Pitcher kept trying to cover home plate while I was catching. But IIIII wanted to cover home plate. Then we switched to Dude Pitcher 2.0 who did let me cover home plate. And what did I do? Botched 2 easy pop-ups and missed a throw coming into home. Granted, the two pop-ups were off the fence so: A) wouldn't have counted as outs anyway and B) off the fence is not actually easy and the throw to home was way off the mark and would not have resulted in an out anyway. Still, I'm my own worst critic and was annoyed with my (lackluster) performance.

Did I mention that we were making a comeback in the last inning and I made the last out with the tying run on 2nd base? Granted the other team had scored 15 runs which certainly were not all my fault but still...I HATE to be the last out when it results in a loss.

So, I'm thinking of quitting because I feel like The Weak Link. Because clearly I can't just live with these plain facts:
1. It's 2011, not 1996.
2. My team is called That's What SHE Said, not KHS Mustangs.
3. It's rec league, and I don't have a coach screaming at me to "Catch the next damn fly, Itschner!"

Ode to Fremont.

In Seattle, the neighborhoods have names (along the lines of the burroughs in NYC). My neighborhood is called Fremont, and I love her dearly. As a local of Fremont for 2 years, I have favorites that may not be what you would read about (though some certainly are) in the media.

Fremont fondly calls herself (and others have picked up on the nickname) the "Center of the Universe." There is a Center of the Universe sign six blocks south of my place which indicates all the lovely places you can go and how far they are from the Center. It can also can help you if you've gotten lost. (Milky Way? Sure, we can get you there.).


There's some of the best food in Seattle, nay, the COUNTRY. Paseo, a Carribbean restaurant, has been featured on The Food Network as having the #2 sandwich in the country (I beg to differ) and is, fortunately for me, located at the end of my block. I get the Rice, Bean, Thigh Trio each Wednesday evening...extra thigh, please.

One place I could NOT live without is Norm's Ale House & Brewery. It's a short walk down the hill from my place so we get a warm-up before inhaling some of the best food in the area, like Norm's fried chicken. Since adopting Boss in March, Norm's has become a staple in our household. Why? Because Norm's is one of the VERY few restaurants where Boss is a welcome guest. What you see below is the common experience at Norm's.



If I want to rent a movie, I have no need to drive to Hollywood Video or Blockbuster...I actually have no need to drive at all. Video Isle is a local video store with any tv series or dvd I have ever searched for (which is amazing because it's teeny tiny), is 3 blocks from my place, AND gives you a free (and HUGE) milk bone for your pooch. Boss is a fan of Video Isle. And Video Isle is a fan of Boss. During our last visit, the owner attempted to teach Boss to shake. (It's a work in progress.)



Need some toilet paper, but don't want to go ALL THE WAY to the grocery store? It's Marketime to the rescue! Located just two blocks from my place, it has an espresso stand where I can pick up any drink for under $3, awesome donuts/pastries, fabulous ready-to-eat items like a sesame noodle salad, or that "quick-I-need-ice-cream-now" moment.


Those are my regular haunts, but there are countless other amazing restaurants, shops, and charming local stops that I visit infrequently but still adore.

Finally, on my "To Try" list, a new eatery called Pie. I mean, how yummy does this look?


You can just imagine my excitement when Jesse and I found the perfect apartment just 3 blocks from where I currently live (which, if you have kept track, places me NEXT DOOR (literally) to Marketime, ONE block from Video Isle, TWO blocks from Paseo, and EIGHT blocks from downtown Fremont). Also? It has hardwood floors, which means I am going to continuously laugh my tail end off at Boss sliding around trying to play with his toys. Move-in: less than 3 weeks.

PS Image of Paseo from here, Norm's from here, Video Isle from here, Marketime from here, and Pie from here.

Transformation.

10 days ago, Boss lost his cajones.

Yesterday morning, he looked like this:


By evening, he had transformed into this:

My bad, Boss.

The beauty of it? If I did this to, say, a human, he/she would be plotting revenge. But Boss? Boss just came home and cuddled in bed with me.

Screening letter rant.

So, I finally re-submitted my Human Subjects application.

To review: I had submitted a "Certificate of Exemption" to Human Subjects for my dissertation research per my advisor. An Exemption basically says that my research either doesn't use, or so minimally uses, humans that the study really shouldn't have to undergo the Human Subjects scrutiny that most studies do.

I was told my study didn't qualify and to re-submit as a "Minimal Risk" application. So, I took my sweet time (because everyone else seems to be) and submitted a Minimal Risk application at the beginning of July.

Last Monday, I had an email from Human Subjects. And found out the reality of what I was dealing with.

I had a THREE page "Screening Letter" waiting for me. The letter said, "Ms. Itschner, your proposal sucks. Re-do it. Sincerely, Your Enemies in Research" And then listed all the things that I should specifically re-do.

Okay, it didn't really say that.

It did say that there were 12 things I needed to revise, add, remove, or otherwise change. And I FLIPPED the crap out. I hollered for 30 minutes at Jesse about quitting the program and how ridiculous these people were and if I suck so much, why was I even admitted to this program.

Then I contacted my peer mentor from when I started the program who graduated last year. She assured me that EVERYONE gets this letter. She did have an Exemption and got a 2 pager. She's known people who got 6 page letters. She's known people who have had their entire theoretical framework questioned.

Then I felt better.

Apartment Hunting in Seattle: Part Two

The ad on Craigslist boasted of a "cute 2 bedroom apartment in the U-District."

In our price range? Yes.
Dogs allowed? Yes.
Close to 520? Yes.
Overrun with college students? Maybe. But let's look anyway.

On Wednesday, Jesse set an appointment for us to view the apartment on Saturday at 1:00 pm. The woman asked us to call first when we were on our way. The same woman who, when we told her it was a boyfriend/girlfriend couple, said in her thick Asian accent, "Oh! That great! Boyfriend girlfriend live there now!"

On Saturday, we decided to get lunch in the U-District. As we wrapped up a delicious lunch at The RAM, Jesse called and got a voicemail. He left a message and we drove over. We drove to the street number before...and after. Where was this place? We backed up. Oh, it must be this "thing that looks like it used to be a tool shed" (quoting the Great Jesse Sharp). THIS is a 2 bedroom apartment? It was built on a hill and surrounded by trees, so I said maybe there were stairs we couldn't see leading to a bigger space than we were looking at.

Jesse called again. Left another message. We waited in front, and at 12:58 pm, an early 20s guy parked and walked into the apartment.

At 1:05, we knocked on the door. We explained to Early 20s that we had an appointment to see the apartment at 1:00 but were apparently being stood up. He said he thought Asian Landlord had already rented it out to someone who saw it earlier in the week, but we could see it if we wanted.

#1: How rude are you, Asian Landlord? I don't want to rent from you anyway if you can't even pick up your phone to tell us not to bother going to the apartment. Now, I didn't expect her to initiate a call to us...but I did expect her to answer her freaking phone when we had already set up this appointment. Yahoo.

#2: You are a massively false advertiser. Your "cute 2 bedroom"? Newsflash: It's a not-so-cute TWO ROOM apartment. Even this low maintenance college couple had only one room that could be used as a bedroom. And there's NO WAY my queen bed was fitting in there. The kitchen? A galley.

Pssh. Shame, shame.

Back to the drawing board. Stay tuned for Apartment Hunting in Seattle: Part Three (otherwise known as Peggy climbs a freaking wall doing hours of research).

Apartment-Hunting in Seattle: Part One

This post begins a series called "Apartment-Hunting in Seattle".

Jesse and I are moving in together in September (announcement!), so we have started looking for an apartment. We have a few criteria:
1. Under $1000/month. We want to prioritize paying off his student loans and saving up to buy the next place. So this would be "below our means" but would help us meet these two goals.
2. Dog-friendly. It's shocking how limited our options are with Boss, considering that every other person in Seattle owns at least one dog.
3. Easy on the commutes. I work in North Seattle and Jesse...well, we aren't exactly sure where he will end up after he graduates in December. But chances are he will be on the "Eastside" where Microsoft is if his internship there this summer goes well (which it will), which means across Lake Washington, requiring him to take Hwy 520 which gets crazy clogged with traffic and will have a toll starting in September. So we need to get as close to 520 as possible, which presents the next issue...
4. Not overloaded with college students. 520 is right by the UW. I work with students all day, and let's fact it...Jesse & I are getting old. We don't want to live on Greek Row.

I forgot what an absolute pain in the neck apartment-hunting is in Seattle. The last time I had to look was when I found Leah, or rather when Leah found me, in August 2008. The ridiculousness of shopping for shelter here led me to actually reverse the process on Craigslist and post my own ad.

Jesse and I have already had some experiences I could blog about in this process, so stay tuned for Apartment Hunting in Seattle: Part Two.

I'm one of them.

For approximately 5 years, I sought after a full-time student services position in Seattle. Beginning in 2005, I went on the hunt while planning to move to Seattle for graduate school. My UW employment search shows that I have applied for 162 jobs at the UW since July 2005. Of course that doesn't count the many jobs that I applied for at Seattle metro colleges.

For those 5 years, I networked like the schmoozer I wanted to be. I longed to be "one of them"--the Seattle higher education community. I thought how lucky they were to have a dream job in a dream city.

But let me tell you. The Seattle higher ed community is a hard nut to crack. I should know.

I had an assistantship where I worked part-time coordinating admissions for a graduate program at the UW. I had an internship with another grad program, and a temporary advising assignment at a community college.

Despite these feet in the door, the full-time permanent opportunity remained elusive. I went on 26-ish interviews after that assistantship. I finished 2nd 5 times. Are you freaking kidding me, Seattle.

Do you know how stressful it is to live in one of the most expensive US cities on a part-time salary and pay for grad school? No wonder my sanity remained far from me during those 5 years...I would have stayed away from myself if I could have.

Until...

In September 2010, I was offered an advising position at North Seattle Community College. For a job I did NOT apply for. How's that for irony?

And I have realized...now I'm one of them. Part of that community. I go to internship fairs now, to RECRUIT an intern for our office. I am schmoozed by grad students who are either seeking internships or jobs. I go to conferences where the people I used to schmooze are now colleagues, where I am even teaching them something new.

I am so grateful to be on this end of things. It took 5 years, but I love to get up in the morning and go to a job where I am able to work with students and develop professionally. And let's face it, the fact that I have a steady paycheck that's severely higher than anything I made in Texas makes cracking that nut worth all 1,825 days of insanity.

Happy half-birthday, Boss!

March 2011
Boss--3 months

Dear Boss,

Since you crashed into our lives on March 17th, you have changed our world. We were going to make a list of our favorite things about you, one for each year, like our friend Uyen did. Then we realized that our list would only be half of one thing long.That doesn't a good list make.

So, there is no magic number to count the ways you have become special to us that matches your age. Instead, this little list comes from our hearts.

1. You were 5.2 pounds when we adopted you to become part of our family. Now you are 11.4 pounds--big boy!
2. You lost all your baby teeth, two of which we found and have saved. Perhaps they will go in your scrapbook one day.
3. You have been asked to have your picture taken with strangers due to your extreme cuteness.
4. You whine in the softball/kickball dugout if one of us isn't paying attention to you. When you see Mommy, you squirm and reach for her even if someone else is holding you.
5. We have already been through your first disease together, giardia, and have all survived. Supposedly, it's tough to get rid of but for you? Gone after the first round of medicine. Good boy!
6. At 4 months, we decided you were a big boy and could go to the dog park with cousin Sophie. Dogwalker Erin says you love the dog park and playing with your friends each day.
7. You have already graduated from Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Commands class. You know how to play well with others, and can sit, stay, drop it, leave it, and come. We are still working on fetch.
8. You have gotten big enough to jump on the bed by yourself.
9. You have learned how to sleep in until 7:00 am. Mommy is very grateful.
10. Your 6-month birthday means you are now good-to-go to be neutered. Enjoy the remaining time you have with your teabags. They will soon be a distant memory.

We love you, little Boss. You have been good practice for us to think we can handle parenthood.

June 30, 2011
Boss--6 months

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

FY and I

1. Jesse, Boss, and I head out to Leavenworth, WA on Saturday for a lovely weekend on the east side of the mountains. Jesse & I are signed on for a whitewater rafting adventure Saturday afternoon, complete with BBQ near the river. Boss will hang out at the raft shop for the afternoon.

B. Boss is giardia free--woot!

D. I am much better at kickball than softball. Our kickball team is 3-1 (the loss came off a ridiculous cheating display by the other team that was even acknowledged by the ref--don't get me started), and we had a triple play in our last game.

48. I used to be good at softball. I played outfield in high school and was even on the all-district team my senior year. What the bleep happened? I suck now.

VI. I've been watching The Voice. Yes, ANOTHER reality singing competition. But I like this one. The contestants have a celebrity coach (Blake Shelton? Yes, please.) who mentors them through the process. Anyway, I'm catching up with the finale that aired last night and my bet is on hottie Javier.

One of those days that makes 10 months of Seattle's crappy weather worth it.

Best Friends: Boss & Sophie

Fierce Boss

Hi Boss

Boss & me

Up close.

With the Budweiser Couch Cooler. Classy.

I wish the two people here were Jesse and me.
Now THAT would be a great picture.

It took until late June, but it finally happened.
A summer (spring by Texas standards) day.

Father's Day

I don't know why, but Father's Day makes me super sad.

Mother's Day doesn't really.

Which doesn't make too much sense, since they are both gone.

But I have some theories:
1. Mama's been gone 14 years. Daddy's been gone less than 3.
2. Mama was super sick and it was less surprising. Daddy's was a tragedy of ridiculous proportions.
3. When Mama went, I still had Daddy. And Grandma. And my grandfather (we called "Dad"). When Daddy went, I had...

So, maybe that explains why on Mother's Day I don't have too much issue reading a billion Facebook statuses (stati?) and blog posts oozing love and sentiment about all the wonderful mothers out there. But the Daddy posts? Skip.

So, here's my Daddy post.
When I think of Daddy, I think of:
*his cowboy hat
*country music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s...a little 90s but he thought it became too "rock" to qualify as real country
*biggo belt buckles, countrified
*summer vacation at the ranch
*dependability
*naps!
*loyalty
*fried chicken--mmm
*quirky humor
*Nick at Nite
*the highest metabolism...EVER.
*love

the yin and yang of June

So, I submitted my Human Subjects application. Two weeks later, I was told that my research didn't qualify for that type of application and I need to submit another one instead. I'm doing that now. And you know what? I'm not hurrying. What would be the point?

Boss has giardia. I noticed when he started pooing bloody diarrhea. Awesome.

It's still barely making it to the 60s here in Sea-town.

And that's been June.

Wait, that's only one part of June.

The other part of June has been...
Playing softball and kickball
Being asked to be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding
Celebrating Jesse's (near) graduation
Boss waking me up in the morning with kisses

Okay, I feel better now.

What ever happened to that dissertation?

Well, I'm glad you asked. I always heard it would be a long process that would test your patience. I really hadn't experienced much of that until the last 6 months.

If you recall, I passed my General Exam (which was basically chapters 1-2 of my dissertation proposal, with a third chapter that would need quite a bit of work before it was included in the proposal) in November and completed my last courses in December. It's now late May.

I have...waited a lot. Written some. Waited more. Written a little bit. Waited awhile. Written a tweak. I was waiting on dissertation committee feedback, which always eventually came. I would deal with one question/comment, fix it, wait, and then receive another in response.

Finally, the proposal was ready. I filled out the human subjects application. Then I was told I also needed to submit my interview questions. Those, friends, are NOT in the proposal.

Wrote interview questions. And am now waiting. (For feedback from my advisor.)

So, in 5 months, I've written the equivalent of about 5-7 pages and created a title page and table of contents. And I've waited in one form or another for probably 4.5 of those 5 months.

BUT. If all goes well on the next round of feedback, all I have to do is get the signatures (in person, electronic not allowed) of my department chair and faculty advisor (finding 2 faculty in person when I work full-time? Sure, no problem.) and submit it to Human Subjects.

And then I get to wait.

In Seattle, it's hard to tell if it's May...or February.

And the winner is...

Thanks, Joanne, for the adorable frame!

Other favorites from my Cinco de Pegs birthday:

Ever heard of Rocket Dogs? Apparently, I have been missing out.
These are the best shoes I've ever purchased (thanks, Kerrville Itschners, for the birthday $!),
BAR NONE.

Rat City Roller Girls (roller derby) tickets--thanks, Roommate!

Favorite Middle Eastern cuisine with my favorite.

In other un-birthday news:
It's a very un-surprise birthday/Bon Voyage party for Roommate since I emailed out to her friends that we should turn the last monthly movie night before she leaves for the summer to the Philippines into a surprise birthday/Bon Voyage party...and included her in the email. BOO. HISS. This is why I don't spearhead these things.

I played right field in softball last Sunday and am proud to say that I caught both fly balls that came to me...and didn't break any fingers.

It has yet to reach 70 degrees since last summer in Seattle.

It's shocking how 59 degrees and sunny felt warm the other day. 65 was downright hot.

Boss is growing up. You know how I know?
1. His mouth is half adult teeth-half baby teeth. Very freaky.
2. He has obtained clearance to go to the dog park.
3. I have scheduled his pre-neuter appointment. That's right. We are nipping things in the bud on his 6-month birthday.
4. We walked Green Lake the other day, and he only received 3 direct compliments. An all-time low. I am convinced that many others just didn't approach us, but were secretly crooning.
5. He has had ZERO accidents in EIGHT days--WOOT!

I mean, seriously.

Which of these should I frame in my office?

Spring came to Seattle...or Boss meets a Clydesdale.

Either one of the above is an appropriate title for this past weekend.

My college friend, Joanne, came in town and it was the PERFECT weekend. 60s and sunny. Jo and the weather were very amenable to the fact that we had to find dog-friendly activities to entertain us.

Highlights:

We finally got a non-blurry picture of Boss in his Leavenworth hat.

I know this guy! I was walking along the Pike Place Public Market shops when I saw my friend Patrick featured as a model for a lady selling scarves.

My two favorites.
(I promise Jesse looks older in person. Promise.)

When we came out of the shops area, we heard a horse whinney. Wha...?
Turns out a cop was riding a Clydesdale through the park. So we introduced Boss to his first horse, who happens to be THE largest Clydesdale on the Seattle PD force.

This was Boss' Big Weekend. We went to Norm's Eatery & Ale House, which was created to be a dog friendly place where people can come eat and bring their dogs. In walked this BEAST of a dog, a Newfoundland named Cole, who was very patient but any time either of the dogs moved it blurred the photo. This was the best we got.

Jo & Pegs, est. 1998.

Why I do what I do...

My co-worker shared this video at a recent advising meeting. It's awesome, even for you non-higher ed folks. And it was even more special because it was of students from San Antonio College, so they look like my first students in Texas. I am so lucky to have a job that I love and find so much fulfillment from everyday!

Leavenworth and A Spring Day

Part I: Leavenworth

This past week, I went to a work conference in Wenatchee, Washington. Six of the advisors were able to attend and do some fabulous bonding...which may or may not have included 4 mixed drinks in a 2 hour period for yours truly as well as jumbo margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant for all.

The weather was gorgeous, as it tends to be on the east side of the mountains, and Friday was sunny with a chance of good times in Leavenworth, WA on the way back to Seattle. Since I had never been, the others opted to take this Texan on a tour of Leavenworth, which is basically Little Germany seated in the middle of Washington state. See for yourself...

Note: The mountain is real.

Downtown Leavenworth

Das Sweet Shop
Anna, me, and Felicia with our delectables

"Hat Shop"..."Wood Shop"...serious creativity going on here.

The six advisors: Judy, Felicia, me, Anna, Joy with Rina in front
I had so much fun getting to know them OUTSIDE the office!

Saying goodbye to Leavenworth...

Of course, I had to buy Boss a little something from Leavenworth. At the town's pet store, A Paw Above, they sell all kinds of German pet clothing. Not one to overdo it, I decided on this simple hat. I think it suits him rather nicely.

I know it's blurry, but you can still see how CUTE it is!

Part II: Finally, a Spring day!

In other Earth-shattering news, the temperature in Seattle SOARED today to...64 degrees! It was that first truly sunny, spring day when it feels like there is a glimmer of hope that you aren't going to die because in late April, it has STILL been cold enough to need your coat and gloves whilst your Texan friends are fine-tuning their tans. That first day of Spring hope is also when the Seattleites come out of the woodwork and load up the canines and babies for a day outside.

Leah and I took Sophie and Boss on a 2.5 hour walk down Fremont to the Burke-Gilman Trail and GasWorks Park (remember the paintball scene in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You? that was at Gas Works).

What happens when I take Boss, a 16 week old Westie puppy, out in public:
1. Approximately every third person stops to say hi, ask what kind he is, what his name is, and compliment how adorable he is. Let me be honest: I LOVE IT. I take it as a personal compliment to ME and love the attention. It's moments like those that erase his finest moment last night, which involved peeing on my down comforter at 8:30 pm, requiring me to stay up until 11 pm cleaning it after returning from the above work conference.

2. At Gas Works, a few college kids (I'm guessing) sitting on a blanket 10 feet away kept commenting on how cute he was. Boss kept pulling to go towards them, so I just let him go. He played for several minutes with the college kids. Who by the way, read his name tag which says "BOSS" on one side and "Peggy, cell#, SEATTLE, WA" on the other, and wanted to call him Peggy. Seriously? The future of America right there.

3. Walking back to our place, a guy backed out of his driveway and into the street, then takes notice of us. While in the middle of the street, he yells out his car window, "Is that a Westie?" So I say yes. We do the usual--how old, what's his name--and THEN he asks if he can take a picture of Boss for his girlfriend who loves Westies. I am so not kidding. So, Boss took his first celebrity photo. In the middle of the street.

4. Boss crapped out on the walk about 10 blocks from home, so I got to carry him the rest of the way. I'm sure he looked more than slightly spoiled. But at least he wasn't like one of those dogs in a stroller. (Or apparently, a Moby wrap is the new thing.)

Makes you want a Westie, right?