Lucy had knee surgery...AGAIN

Lucy's right knee has been giving her troubles lately and we feared it would require knee surgery, like her left knee that we did over a year ago. Apparently Lucy suffers from a hereditary condition called patella luxation, which means her kneecap pops in and out and has a difficult time staying in because the alignment is not straight...(also known as "bow legged"). We had her left knee surgically repaired in the fall of 2008, right about when she turned one year old. She recovered very well and now you cannot even tell. But then her right knee started giving her trouble. We would notice that after a day playing at the dog park, Lucy would be a little stiff and sore and limp a little. It usually didn't last long and she would be back to normal after a day or so, but our vet was concerned that given she is so young (she is only 2 and a half years old) that this condition would only get worse and she would develop arthritis at an early age. So despite the high expense, which by the way is not covered by the pet insurance that we have, we decided to go through with the surgery because this condition is repairable and can prevent pre-mature arthritis. However, the recovery is very long. That means for 8 weeks after the surgery, Lucy is on "home confinement" by her vet's orders. "Home confinement" means she is not allowed to go up and down stairs, or be active in any way. No walks and no running. So that means we moved into the downstairs bedroom since Lucy cannot climb up the stairs. It also means that Lucy has to be on a leash to be taken out to go potty to prevent her from running around. The rest of the time Lucy has to just rest, which let me tell you is not easy on a young lab who is used to daily walks and runs and weekly trips to the dog park. The success of her surgery is really dependent on her recovery, so for the next 8 weeks that is what we will do. If her post-surgery x-rays check out good, she can be cleared to go on leashed walks just in time for the 4th of July and by August, she will be able to finally romp around with her boyfriend, Roscoe.

So far, so good. We brought Lucy home and she is on pain medications and a little tired, but seems to be doing well. She is already putting a little weight on her right knee, which is good.

Cheers to a successul and speedy recovery!

Lucy's surgery incision held together by stitches (eww...gross!)

This picture is not posed. The first week after surgery, Clark insists on sleeping on the floor next to Lucy to comfort her and make sure she knows she is not alone. What a good daddy dog!
Lucy loves to be warm and loves to have her head propped up on the pillow...again, not posed, she laid down like this and wiggled her way underneath the comforter. Too bad she gets too hot in the middle of the night and we wake up to the sound of Lucy panting.

Lucy relaxing with her purple bandage...Clark was not happy about the color of her bandage!

After Lucy got her bandage off, her surgery incision site had to heal, but to prevent her from licking her wound and ripping out her staples, she had to wear this cone (we called it her "halo") while we were at work since we couldn't supervise her...she HATED it

5 Month Countdown...until "I DO"

5 months from today Clark and I are going to be saying "I do" in front of family and closest friends and I couldn't be more excited! When we set the date and picked our venue last October, we thought we'd have plenty of time (11 months), but with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we really put off all the wedding planning until this year...then January came and went...February came and went...and before we knew it, it was March and the 6 month countdown was upon us! So, the last month we (okay, me) have been making "to do" lists and as the days pass I am of course excited, but starting to panic a bit with all the planning and decisions that need to be made. Big recent wedding planning development - we finalized our guest list and ordered our wedding invites! To save money, we are not sending a "save the date" and in lieu of that, we will send a "save the date" email and paper invites will go out in early June.

So here is a list of what we have accomplished so far:

• Set the wedding date (Sunday, September 19th, 2010)
• Picked the ceremony and reception venue (McMenamin's Edgefield)
• Figured out the catering menu (brunch reception w/ mimosas and bloody mary's)
• Purchased wedding dress (see post from last fall re: Brides Against Breast Cancer)
• Created wedding website (www.mywedding.com/andreaandclark)
• Finalized our wedding party (see wedding website)
• Picked wedding colors and theme (red and asian accents)
• Picked bridesmaid dress (red, of course!)
• Finalized our wedding guest list
• Ordered invites

Here are the things we hope to accomplish in May:

• Finalize honeymoon plans
• Register
• Research vendors (DJ, florist, cake, photographer)

Cheers to wedding planning! 5 months more months...

Ryann's First Birthday

One year ago today one of my dearest girlfriends, Heather, gave birth to her first child, a cute and adorable baby girl, Ryann. Can you believe one year has gone by? WOW...time flies! Clark and I joined Heather, Josh, Ryann, and their family and friends for a birthday celebration.

Happy birthday Ryann!

Josh, Heather, and birthday girl - Ryann

Yummy, that cake tastes GOOD!

That sugar frosting is going straight to my head!

It's my party and I will cry if I want to! Especially since there are a bunch of people staring at me, laughing at me, taking pictures - can't a girl eat some cake in peace?

Lucy at the dog park

The nice weather means Lucy has been going to the dog park on the weekends, which she absolutely LOVES. Lucy loves car rides and loves to stick her head out the window, sniff the air, let her tongue hang out sideways, and drool all over the windows. She must smell all the other doggies because when we pull into the dog park, she starts FREAKING out. I mean, whining, whimpering, pacing, the whole nine yards. She pulls me to the entry gate and once her leash goes off, Lucy takes off sprinting through the dog park. She loves making new friends and tries to find another dog to chase or chase her...sometimes her size is too intimidating for the smaller doggies (little do they know that Lucy is a big chicken!)

Part of our weekend ritual is taking to the off-leash dog park at either Ft. Steilacoom or at Point Defiance. We glady take her...even if that means muddy paw prints on my pants, sloppy drool stains on my car windows, and dog hair on the back seat. Oh well...her happiness is worth it.

This is Lucy's happy face...what the picture does not capture is her bootie wag. When Lucy gets so excited, she doesn't just wag her tail, but her entire bootie, hence the term "bootie wag." Note her tongue is hanging out the side of her face. She is looking at me saying "Thank you mama, I am so happy!"

This is Lucy's stalker stance...she gets into this stance when another dog is near and she wants to play...she is gearing up to run up and sneak attack
Lucy playing with some other doggies

Lucy headed straight for a puddle to drink, not the water bowl - OYE!

Date Night

Let me lay out the ultra-romantic date night scene Clark and I had tonight...

Mariners game, beer, hot dogs, peanuts, Griffey bobblehead night...AND the Mariners WIN 11-3! It was an awesome game of hits, hits, and more hits!

I wouldn't have date night with my Clark any other way.

Mariners Opening Day

You know it is springtime when it rains every day, the flowers are starting to bloom, and Mariners baseball games start up! Clark and I took the afternoon off and headed up to Seattle to cheer on Ichiro, Griffey, and the rest of the Ms. While they didn't win, it was an exciting time...at this point we still hold strong hopes that the Mariners will make the playoffs and with this being possibly the last year Griffey plays, we hope to watch as many games as possible this season.

Cheers to Mariners baseball!

Lucy sporting her Mariners collar on Opening Day - while she couldn't attend the game, she is an avid baseball fan and cheered them on from her crate in Tacoma

Lucy's Mariners collar
Clark and Andi at Mariners home opener at Safeco Field

the view from our 300-level seats

A special performance by Seattle-band "Death Cab for Cutie"

Announcing the lineup...Ichiro Suzuki!

Ken Griffey Jr

Mariner legend, Randy Johnson, returns to throw out the first pitch!

Mariner Legends: Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson, Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinex, Ken Griffey Jr

Ichiro at bat

Spring is in FULL bloom

Call me crazy, but over the last two years I have somehow managed to plant over 1000 bulbs in our front yard. They are a mixture of daffodils, tulips, and hyacythinths. It took quite a bit of time, an aching back that required some acupuncture treatments, and some skepticism from Clark, but come spring time, let me tell you...our yard is pretty spectacular. Even Clark will admit my "craziness" is well worth it.

And if that craziness wasn't enough, I recently bought some more bulbs from Costco to plant this spring for summer and fall blooms (lillies, calla lillies, begonias, peonies, and more). I just cannot help myself when I see them at Costco...the price is right and I can envision all the color in our yard.

Also this spring, Clark and I finally got around to putting up our new curtain rods, curtains, and hung artwork in our living and dining rooms. It really makes our house a home...I just wish we did it sooner (it only took us over two years!)

blue, purple, and white hyacythinths from our yard

Living room with new curtain rods, blue curtains, and artwork on the walls (also note the flowers on the coffee table from our yard) up close view of curtains and art front window with new curtains and artwork

living room

up close view of art in dining room

dining room

other artwork in dining room

tulips from our yard

more tulips from our yard

hyacythinths (they are so fragrant...they make the entire house smell so good!)

purple and pink tulips lining the flower beds

red and yellow tulips lining the other side of the flower bed

these red/yellow ones are my favorite

daffodils