Sometimes days of pampering are in order! This “pampered day” I had yesterday was one of those instances. Alex’s Christmas gift to me was a gift certificate to get a facial. I had been dreaming of getting a facial since mid-summer and I was so excited to have a gift certificate to go and do just …
Author Archives: Alison Allen
Bryan & Sarah’s Trip to Seattle
Alex’s cousin Bryan and his bride to-be, Sarah, just came out to Seattle for a long weekend visit us. Alex and I went to college with Bryan at Iowa State, so I know him quite well. It was a treat to get a chance to spend some time with Sarah since the two of them …
The Flu
In case you haven’t heard, the flu is going around. It’s a mean and nasty virus and unfortunately I did not escape it. I spent all week in bed and missed the entire week of work. I don’t think I’ve been so sick since I was a child. Being sick still, I missed out on skiing …
Jackson’s Adventures with the Cone
Not 30 minutes after Alex picked Jackson up from being boarded after Christmas was he sitting in the vet’s office waiting to be examined. Jackson had extremely bad hot spots on his genital region, likely from anxiety, that had gone unnoticed while he was boarded for 5 days. The vet cleaned him up and sent …
Start of the Washington Ski Season
The weather in Washington has been awfully dry this winter which means it hasn’t snowed much in our Cascade mountains. This is quite disappointing for the skiers here! Our ski season started with two days in Breckenridge over Thanksgiving, and thankfully yesterday marked the end of our dry streak. Usually our ski season starts in …
Ringing in 2014
Hello 2014! I am happy to see you! 2013 was not my favorite year, so I’m not too sad to see it go. While we had a lot of really incredible experiences and learned a lot, 2013 was a bit of a sad year for the Allens. Neither Alex or I have ever been much …
Goodbye 2013…
2013 has been a year of joy, anticipation, tears, exploration, loss, new friendships, travel, happiness, a newfound love of wine, laughter, dreams for the future and enjoyment. We said some goodbyes and introduced ourselves to new people, new experiences and new jobs. We learned a lot about life, loss and love this year. I think …
Christmas in Minnesota
This year we braved the bitter cold and headed east to spend Christmas with my family in Minnesota. Our trip began on Monday morning with a journey up to my family’s cabin on Lake Shamineau for a quick 24-hour stint. It was very, very cold for our first couple of days, but that didn’t stop …
In Memory of Grandma Tia
After a whirlwind of health issues over the last several weeks, my maternal grandmother Elizabeth took her last breath this morning. She certainly didn’t go without a fight. There were at least three times over the last few weeks that I was sure it was the end but she rallied around and pulled through, not …
Early Morning Walks
One of my favorite parts of the day is when we take Jackson for his morning walk. We generally take Jackson for three walks a day, but the morning walks are the best. It’s so calm and quiet in our neighborhood at 6:30 a.m., but the best part is seeing the sunrise. When we start …