Now that Labor Day has come and gone, signs of fall are all around us. The leaves have started to get that light yellow hue, signaling that they’re getting ready to turn. There’s a lovely crisp feeling in the evenings after the sun sets, reminding me that jacket weather is just around the corner. My mind is focused on sweaters and boots, hearty chili, apples, roasted chicken and slow cooked homey meals. I’ve had so many desires recently to just curl up on the sofa with a cozy blanket and my Kindle and a hot cup of coffee.
We have so much to look forward to this fall – the weddings of three wonderful friends, our trip to Breckenridge and a weekend getaway with friends in Leavenworth. While the days continue to grow shorter and the rain becomes abundant, I’ll be spending more time in the kitchen whipping up some good fall comfort food and counting down the days until ski season. I can’t wait!
We are so lucky to live in Washington. Not only is it the most beautiful place in the world but we’ve got some darn good wines. Wine country is only 2 hours away from Seattle and last weekend we took advantage of that and took Alex’s parents over to Yakima Valley to do a wine tour.
The Allens at Bottlehouse, gathering suggestions for our wine tour.
Our wine tour included stops at five tasting rooms in the Yakima Valley area. The first four were outside of Yakima where we went to the actual vineyards where the grapes are grown and the wine is produced, then the fifth was just a tasting room in downtown Yakima. The night before our trip we stopped at the Bottlehouse, our neighborhood wine bar, and asked for some recommendations. Thank goodness we did because the places Henri suggested were absolutely fantastic and have become our new favorites.
First stop: Bonair
We started the trip at Bonair, a winery that Alex and I went to several years ago. We loved Bonair on our first visit but none of us were impressed this time. I guess they got a new winemaker and things seem to have gone downhill, unfortunately. The Bonair estate is gorgeous and they have tapas, so we did get to enjoy sitting outside with some lunch to fill us up before we continued.
The second stop was our absolute favorite. We had never heard of Two Mountain Winery before, but we quickly fell in love. We tried 7 wines and they were all wonderful {and wonderfully priced, I might add!} – I would have gotten a bottle of every one of them. Alex and I may even join their wine club…..
Two Mountain tasting roomTwo Mountain
Our third winery was the most beautiful. We pulled up to Dineen Cellars and were amazed not only at the expansive views their estate offered, but the houses on the property were just adorable. The visit was topped off by incredible wines and great conversations with the owners.
Checking out the view at Dineen.
After Dineen, we drove back towards Yakima and stopped at Treveri Cellars. Treveri only produces sparkling wines. Alex and I had Treveri before and we love their sparkling syrah – so tasty! Their tasting room was really fun and we had a great time.
Gorgeous views!
Once we got back into Yakima we decided to head out for dinner and stop at a tasting room in downtown Yakima beforehand. Gilbert Cellars is a pretty large wine producer in Washington so we stopped in for a flight to finish off our day.
Such a fun trip.
We all had such a fun day exploring new areas in Washington and drinking some amazing wine. I can’t wait to go back to wine country again soon!
This week, a huge priority of mine and Alex’s has been on our cat Henry. After suddenly losing his brother last week we want to make sure that Henry is getting adequate attention, that he feels like we’re playing with him enough, and of course, that he knows we love him.
Such a cool cat 🙂
Being such a “cool cat” we are relieved that Henry seems to be doing really well with this adjustment. There are some moments that we can tell he senses Oliver and gets spooked out, but overall, it seems like Henry is doing okay, given the circumstances. He has been extra cuddly and it seems like he “checks in” with us more often. Alex did a little research on the cat mourning process for Henry and found that Henry may be looking for his brother for around 6 weeks, he might eat less and he might lose some hair, depending on how stressed he is. So far, Henry is eating completely normally and we haven’t noticed him losing any hair. He does seem to still be looking for his brother, though.
Henry.
We had considered getting Henry a playmate since he and Oliver were such good pals; however, we have decided, at least for a while, that we’re not going to get another cat. Hopefully Henry and Jackson will become BFFs.
Alex filling up the pool for Henry and Jackson.
Shortly after we got Oliver and Henry as kittens we made the choice to allow them access to play outside. We made this choice because we felt that the quality of life would be far greater for them to have outdoor playtime than to be confined to our home. Certainly we knew the risks and potential consequences with this were greater, but to us, their quality of life was a very important consideration. For this reason, I have no regrets in letting Oliver outside and we are continuing to allow Henry to play outside. I have so much joy and so many memories thinking about how much more fun the boys had playing outside, exploring and making friends with the other neighborhood cats.
Where did the time go?! Last I checked, Jackson was 25 pounds and 3 months old. Now he’s 50 pounds, has started to get feathers in his adult coat, is walking like a champ, is gaining more freedoms by the day, and is acting more and more like a dog every day.
Handsome man!
We survived Jackson’s teething and lived to tell about it. Honestly, the bulk of his teething took place in a span of about a week and it was the most difficult and trying week that we’ve experienced with him. He was absolutely miserable and wanted us to be right there with him. We got through it and his adult teeth are almost all completely in now! His mouth looks totally different.
Morning cuddles with Alex and Jackson.
Lately Jackson hasn’t been sleeping in a confined space at all – for a while he slept in the bathroom because it was too hot for him to be locked in his crate. Now, we just put a gate up to keep him upstairs and he transitions between sleeping in the bathroom and sleeping in his bed in our room.
He’s allowed on one chair…. this is it. I don’t think he’ll fit here for long!
Jackson continues to surprise us with the mature decisions he is able to make all on his own. When Alex and I retire to the couch to watch TV or read, Jackson usually knows it’s his time to go to bed. There were two nights in a row that Alex was on the floor holding his bone for him and Jackson just got up and walked into the bathroom and went to bed for the night. I can’t believe he can make that decision!
Finally turning into a Golden Retriever!
Our little man really wowed us at the dog park over the weekend. He was so independently interested in the water we could hardly believe it. Then he floored us when he actually retrieved sticks and tennis balls out of the water and brought them back to us! We were astounded that he’s finally turning into a golden retriever.
Jackson and Alex at Marymoor Dog Park
We continue to be amazed at what a great dog he is turning out to be. I’m looking forward to introducing him to Alex’s parents and my dad over the next week and a half. I can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store for us with this growing fur ball!
It has taken me a week to build up enough courage to look through photos of Oliver to write this post. With each day, life is getting easier to handle as I move towards finding solace after the loss of my “baby cat” Oliver last week. Today I am remembering Oliver and all of the fun memories I have of my spunky little cat.
Oliver.
Oliver was always there. Wherever “there” was, that’s where Oliver was. He was always up in everyone’s business needing to be the center of attention, getting pets from anyone who he possibly could convince to love on him.
Always into everything.
If I was making dinner, Oliver’s nose was in my face. When I sat down at the computer downstairs, Oliver would be right there ready for a cuddle. Like clockwork, when Alex and I would sit down at the table Oliver’s little face would pop up in the window next to the front door and he’d start meowing for us to let him in. in the middle of the night, Oliver would come and dig with his paws for me to let him under the covers so he could snuggle up in my arms and nibble on my cheek as he fell asleep. He was just always there.
Bed time in the Allen house.
One of the most challenging parts of moving forward is that since he was always so present in my entire day I find myself constantly looking for him and waiting for him to be there. I can still see his little face in the window. I can hear him meowing. I can feel him. I can hear the sound of him sprinting through the house. He’s still very much alive in my mind.
Such a helpful packer.
I have never met a cat who is as cuddly as Oliver. He was just the absolute best cuddle bug I could have ever hoped to have.
He loved to be held.
Some of my favorite memories of Oliver are of him showing off his acrobatic skills. He learned quickly that he could jump up onto a rail that we have running around our walls at about 8 feet off the ground – he would sprint around this rail and show off whenever we had company. Oliver loved to jump from our fence through the neighbor’s deck banister, which was several feet up and away from the fence. He was so agile.
Crazy cats!
Oliver and Henry had a heart warming brotherly bond. I fondly recall so many times whispering to Alex to come and look at Oliver and Henry cuddling together on our bed, or when one of them would be so gingerly licking the other one’s head, cleaning it, because it was out of reach. They loved to wrestle and chase each other around the house. They were just always together. They were best friends. My heart breaks for Henry’s loss.
Cuddle bears
I can’t even express how much I miss Oliver. My heart was shattered and it will take a long time to mend itself, but I’m working on it. It’s overwhelming, though I am comforted by these photos and the endless memories I have of my kitty, who will forever have a piece of my heart.
Oliver cuddles.He sure loved sun bathing.Oliver in his Halloween costume last fall.Oliver.I can still see him sitting up here, perched on the rail, looking out the window.My Oliver.
Being introspective and reflecting on life is something I think is not uncommon after dealing with loss or something difficult. I have spent the last two days really dwelling on life, not just my own life, but life itself. We often hear the phrase “life is short” or “stop and smell the roses” but after going through an experience where I can literally say that my life changed in the blink of an eye, I truly get it now. I understand how short and how precious life is, and unfortunately, I understand how quickly it can change.
Serenity.
I have always been a person who has enjoyed my life and not sat around waiting for it to pass me by, making excuses and saying “I’ll get to that later,” but now more than ever, I really will savor the details of my life. The little things, the big things, nature, the sunset, the sunrise, the smell of the air after it rains, morning cuddles with my puppy, the few moments when Henry will let me hold him, goodbye hugs and kisses from my husband, bites of food, sips of wine, views of Mount Rainier, laughter, hugs from friends, the sound of the wind, and most importantly, the time I spend with those who matter most to me.
Majestic Mount Rainier
There are things in everyday life that matter and things that don’t. I would like to focus my energy on those things that do matter and make each day and each moment meaningful. I am not saying that I need to climb a mountain or go on an adventure every day, but making the minutes and hours count, not just passing the time.
Lake Shamineau
Living in the moment is something I’d like to strive to do more often. I’d like to continue checking things off of my bucket list {perhaps I should actually write my bucket list down first!} and really make the most of every day. I just never know what tomorrow holds, let alone the next minute, and I don’t want to give myself the opportunity to live in regret that I did or said something I shouldn’t have and can’t take back, or that I didn’t do or say something I should have and can’t now. Life is just too short and too unpredictable to hold grudges, to lose your temper, to be mean to someone you love, or to to just let it pass you by, missing those moments that make life full.
Today has been a very sad day for the Allens. Our cuddly, wild, spastic cat Oliver got hit by a car outside our house and died right away. It’s a good thing I have a big heart filled with love for our four legged friends because these animals we have totally dominate my heart. Unfortunately two of them have broken it. I know that time will help put the pieces back together but for the time being I am just very sad at the loss of my beloved Oliver.
Love this little guy.
Both Alex and I just knew that Oliver wasn’t going to have a long life. He had so many close calls that it’s a miracle he allowed us to share two years of memories with him. Something just told us that he wasn’t going to be a cat that lived to be 20. This morning was the final straw, I guess.
He had all sorts of crafty tricks up his sleeves.
Losing Oliver is hard enough to deal with on its own, but if it’s possible to have your heart broken twice in one day, Henry, Oliver’s littermate, is succeeding at breaking my heart as well. He knows something happened to Oliver and he can’t find him. It is crushing me to watch him looking all over for his little brother, wondering what’s going on. The first time Henry came outside after we buried Oliver in our backyard, he walked straight to the spot where Oliver is resting and it was as if he knew that’s where Oliver is, but still remains confused. I am so sad for Henry.
These two were so close to each other. It devastates me to think of how Henry is doing.
Now that we have had to say good bye to our puppy and our young cat in the same year we have certainly learned that life is short and that you really need to savor every moment of it. You just never know – my life changed in an instant this morning.
One of Oliver’s favorite places to sleep in the winter – our ski gear basket. It was the perfect vantage point for him to look outside in the backyard.
I will miss Oliver so unbelievably much. He was the cuddliest little cat a person could imagine. He was so needy and loving and constantly wanted attention and cuddles. At night Oliver would either sleep in my arms with his head on my shoulder or down at the end of the bed curled up with his brother. Oliver was such an acrobat. He could climb trees and jump like it was nobody’s business. But most of all, I will miss the joy he brought to me.
Cuddles with the baby cats.
It’s incredible to me how people and animals can form such a bond, and my bond with Oliver and love for him will never be forgotten.
This weekend we are being especially nostalgic. August 17th and 18th both hold special places in Alex’s and my hearts for a number of reasons.
Our first day with Aspen, August 17th, 2012.
Last year on August 17th we got to meet our little puppy Aspen. Alex’s mom flew her out from Illinois to come and live with us.
I’m pretty sure Alex fell in love with her the first day we met Aspen.My little pup Aspen!
August 18th comes with some bittersweet memories. On August 18th, 2004, Alex and I met for the first time when we were moving into our dorm at Iowa State University. While we didn’t start dating for over a month, it really a day that opened the door to the rest of our lives.
Freshman year at Iowa State.
Three years ago today we closed on our first house! We have lived here longer than anywhere in the last 9 years and we are so happy and thankful to be here. Being a homeowner is an enormous responsibility, but we are loving all of the pros and cons that come with the territory.
Our new front door.
And sadly, last year we said goodbye to Alex’s beloved grandfather “Papa” who passed away on August 18th.
We are so thankful that Papa was able to come to our wedding. We have such fond memories of him there.
There are always memories to celebrate and dwell on. This weekend we’re doing just that!
Mister Jackson is going through a pretty rough teething phase right now. I don’t really remember Aspen teething this much at this stage; however, I remember her being particularly challenging at 4 1/2 months, so she was probably teething and I just didn’t realize it. Our poor buddy is not very happy this week, given the fact that half of his mouth is toothless and he has his adult teeth poking their way through his sensitive gums. Hopefully this passes quickly!
Chewing on his kong. We stuck peanut butter inside of it and then froze it.
We are providing a lot of ice for him to chew on, as well as his kong toy with frozen peanut butter and his usual bones and other hard chew toys. Hopefully this helps him feel more comfortable!
I wonder what he’s thinking??
In other Jackson news, he is doing great. We are missing puppy class this week due to a work conflict, but I am hopeful that the remaining sessions will hone in on “stay,” “emergency recall,” and “drop it,” which we have not learned yet. I do really like our puppy classes structure; however, there are a lot of things I had expected we would have worked on by now that we haven’t, so that is disappointing. Last week our puppy class was canceled due to the “oppressive heat.” It was 80 degrees. Give me a break!! We are so looking forward to getting back to class and hope that they can teach us something new next week.
Jackson and me hanging out in the shade.
Fun facts about Jackson as a 4 1/2 month old pup:
Jackson weighs 42 pounds (as of 8.12.13).
Our little guy’s coat is getting so much darker! He has a beautiful golden tone to his soft coat.
The cats continue to amaze us with how well they are doing with their dog brother, even as he gets bigger and bigger. I am waiting for the day that I find Jackson curled up in his bed with Oliver or Henry.
Probably going along with his teething, Jackson has been particularly whiny for the last week or so. He may also be going through another period of fear.
After many weeks of digestive issues we finally figured out that Jackson’s canned food was causing him an upset stomach. It seems like we’ve gotten that sorted out by eliminating the canned food and sticking to kibble.
Since there is more nutritional value in a lot of canned/dehydrated foods than most kibble I am hoping we can find a canned or dehydrated food to supplement his kibble in the future.
Jackson discovered {i.e. remembered} that he can jump over the seats from the back of our SUV into the backseat while we were driving to our camping location last week. We were not thrilled that he reminded himself he could do that since it’s not super safe. We’ll be looking into one of those annoying barrier things to put up to keep him in the back…
Action Jackson still has yet to fall in love with playing fetch. We’re going to keep working on it….
Since we haven’t had puppy class for a while, Jackson hasn’t learned anything new. I have decided to take matters into my own hands and this week Jackson will be learning “stay.”
Jackson jumped over the seats in the car and passed out right behind me.Alex & JacksonAction Jackson on the move!Jackson loves his cat brothers.Such a sweetie.
Another great weekend away spent with wonderful friends in the wilderness! Our latest camping trip was up in the North Cascades at a campground called Horseshoe Cove.
Our campsite at Horseshoe Cove in Concrete, WA
Traffic wasn’t as terrible this week as it was when we went down to Mount Hood a couple weeks ago, but we still got a slow start due to Henry cat not wanting to come inside. We arrived at the campsite around 7 on Friday night and got set up while waiting for Carrie, Patrick, Mary and Ryan to arrive.
Baker Lake
Our campground was beautiful – it was full of very tall trees covered in lush, hairy moss. We were situated on Baker Lake which was surrounded by evergreens that turned the water a deep shade of turquoise. It was quite a sight. The campsite we stayed in {#14} was large enough for each couple to have their own tent, plus a whole lot of room for Jackson to roam around on his long leash.
Baker Lake
After setting up camp and exploring our domain for the weekend we lit a fire and spent the evening chatting and catching up. We are so lucky to have such good friends!
The boys {Ryan, Patrick and Alex}
Very early Saturday morning we were awaken by an unexpected thunderstorm. It was SO loud! Thunderstorms are very uncommon in Seattle, I’m not sure if that’s the same in the mountains, but the sound of the thunder was reverberating off of the mountains and lake around us and it was quite a show. Our tents were pretty well protected under some tall trees so we didn’t get rained on too much, but of course we were all laying awake in our sleeping bags hoping that none of the trees fell on us.
Mt. Baker Wilderness
After a delicious breakfast of egg sandwiches on Saturday morning we set off to hike to Watson Lake. The drive to the trail head was quite precarious. We found ourselves literally driving over a dam. I was a bit anxious as we slowly eased our way onto the road that runs on top of the dam and then looking down on the other side was a whole new feeling of anxiety. Thankfully the dam was not running at that time, otherwise between me and the other girls, I’m not sure we would have made it over.
Driving up to the dam
As if that wasn’t precarious enough, we ventured about 12 miles on gravel switchback roads as we wound our way up the mountains to our destination. We made it safely over a very sketchy bridge and eventually wound up where we started our hike.
The road over the dam
The hike to Watson Lake was a bit challenging, but the biggest test was keeping the bugs at bay. I don’t think any of us mastered that task! The bugs were so bad we all got an arm workout by swatting them away for the 4 miles we were hiking.
Hikers!
Once we arrived at Watson Lake none of us wanted to stand still and get eaten alive by the bugs for too long so we snapped a couple of photos and made our way back to our cars.
Beautiful views on our way down to the lake.Watson Lake
We had worked up quite an appetite on our hike, so we laid out a very nice spread for lunch once we returned to our campsite. This is what happens when three girls who love to cook and eat go car camping!
Girls who cook!
All of us were fighting bug bites, covered in 10 layers of bug spray and dried up sweat so we thought that a dip in the lake was in order. It felt so good to clean ourselves off and go swimming. The lake was frigid, yet we swam out about 100 yards and Carrie and Ryan went even further and tried to climb up onto a log and jump off, some attempts more successful than others.
Mary and Ryan at Watson Lake
Jackson even took a turn swimming – he seemed to be enjoying himself. Since Alex and I were both in the water with him he seemed more comfortable and interested in paddling around a bit. Now we’ve just got to get him to play fetch in the water.
Carrie & Patrick on our hike.
After we got back from swimming we picked up an earlier knitting lesson while the boys played frisbee. Mary brought her knitting needle collection and some yarn and successfully taught Carrie and me how to knit! I’m excited to pick up some supplies for myself and try my hand at knitting a scarf.
Alex and me at Watson Lake
The rest of the evening was spent eating {Mary and Ryan made amazing pulled pork tacos} and drinking {note: next time we go camping we had 36 beers, 5 bottles of wine + vodka and scotch and we wanted more beer and wine} and hanging out around the campfire.
Gorgeous views on the drive back to our campsite from our hike.
Sunday morning we woke up to more rain. It was a little chilly and very wet! That made for an utter mess trying to break down the tent and pack up the car. Between today and yesterday I did 8 or 9 loads of laundry just trying to clean the pine needles and mud off of everything.
Such a fun time in the North Cascades.
We had such a great time camping! But now I’m looking forward to a couple of weekends in Seattle to catch up on things that got pushed back at home before we have some visitors and then travel for three weddings this fall.
