This is a both sad and a little funny

For the second time in about 6 months, the fifth member of our family, Zeke, has had to wear a device we affectionately call the "Cone of Shame." In both instances he has had some medical issue and the vet has required him to wear it to prevent him from licking or biting the affected area.

Poor Zeke looks absolutely defeated when he roams around the house, bumping into walls and furniture with the cone. He gets these really sad, depressed eyes and just skulks around the house like an emo teenager who just listened to Elliot Smith's entire catalogue.

This morning I snapped this pic of Zeke trying to eat with his cone on. Poor guy.

A few photos from this weekend

Had a great weekend and decided to take a few minutes to post a few photos. The awesome Newton fam make their triumphant return to Seattle after moving down to Roseburg, Oregon last fall for a job change. They stayed with us one night and we loved having them and their great dog Jack with us.







On Saturday morning we went for a short hike right here in Newcastle and the dogs (and kids) decided that the water looked too good to pass up!








Suffice it to say, we're enjoying taking photos with our new camera!

Saturday afternoon Drew and I had a baseball scrimmage. It went OK but we still have quite a bit of work to do.

This morning I had a blast running the Seahawks 12K fun run with a few great friends from here in Newcastle/Bellevue. Brian, Chad and Curtiss did a great job and we managed to run at a much faster pace than we had had been training at.



If you're wondering what I'm wearing, you really had to see the whole get-up for the total effect. Let's just say there were spandex, short running shorts, and tube socks involved.

It was a great weekend!

Random Musings

While relevant anytime, it is especially important during this Christmas season to visit The New American Dream and Advent Conspiracy.

I recently re-connected through Facebook with an old friend from high school, Serenity (Thornburg) Coulombe. She and her family are traveling across the country in an RV named Big Buster and "loving on homeless people." You can follow their journeys either through her blog or her husband Andy's blog.

Speaking of blogs, several friends from Eugene recently started their own. If you're so inclined, check out the Wallace blog and the Lavassaur blog.

In a display of sheer geniusness, our friends Ryan and Susan have finished their annual Christmas music video.

I wish I could be in San Diego on December 30.

I sure feel old when I get sore after sledding and having a snowball fight with the kids. And it wasn't like we were doing this type of sledding.

I really apologize if anyone reading this blog does this, but I really don't understand why anyone would put a wreath on the front grill of their car.

My dog loves the snow.

Seattle absolutely shuts down when they receive any snowfall. Like as in, shutting down over 100 bus routes when it snows! But if stuff like this happens, I guess its no suprise that the city shuts down.

I love that my son calls a "toboggan" a "tog-boggler."

With the snow falling outside, and more expected tonight, I'm excited to make a big pot of warm chicken noodle soup for the family.

We've been listening to a lot of Pandora lately. Check it out if you haven't done so already.

I'm currently trying to work my way through three books:

1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski
3. Chasing Daylight by Erwin Raphael McManus

Looking for a gift for the person who has everything? Might I suggest a Snuggie?

Happy Birthday Zeke!

It's kinda crazy to think that our dog Zeke turned 2 today! We celebrated by taking him to the AMAZING dog park at Marymoor Park, and then we went to get him some special bones as a birthday gift (which he is chewing on right now as I type this).

Here are some pics, both old and recent, of the fifth member of our family...