City Dog Mutt Mixer

On Wednesday last week Joe and I (and Ava!) went to an event in downtown Seattle. The event was put on by City Dog Magazine, called the "Mutt Mixer" and it was so much fun! We had all gone three years ago, before we moved to the East Coast, and it was so fun to go again. This time we were joined by my two co-workers, Stacy and Akvile, and their dogs, Ellie and Batman.

Stacy, Ellie, Akvile, Batman, me, Ava, and Joe

Love this picture!

Where's Waldo? Do you see us in the way back?

Batman... duhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh.... Batman!

A DJ was spinning tunes, and they had free apps and a cash bar. It rocked!

It was a packed house.

Batman and Ava - where are our treats?

Gorgeous Ellie girl!

Ava taking stock of any food she can scrape up.

The Trupanionistas!

Ava battling it out with Magnum, a Great Dane.

We had so much fun! We even saw our friend Amanda, who was there with her new puppy Wren. It's nice to have an event with other dog lovers. Everyone is on the same page!

Gelato Tweetup

I went to another social media event last night, and this time dragged Joe along with me. It was a fun night, and it was great that Joe got to finally meet one of my coworkers. Even though this particular event didn't serve wine (whaaa?), they did serve authentic Italian pastries and gelato. The event was sponsored by Gelatiamo, and they unveiled a new flavor - raspberry honey cream. (I didn't care too much for it, but Joe ate two bowls, so he gave it a thumbs up.)

It was held at Microsoft Studios, so we also got a tour of the facility. It was really interesting. I had no idea about all the things they did there. They had a few studios that they filmed in, they had voice over rooms, and millions of dollars worth of equipment. I kept telling Joe to watch me, because I have a tendency to knock things over. I'm clumsy that way.

So here are some pictures of the night:

I was so cold, and I know I look it in this picture.

My coworker, Akvile. She called us the Trupanionistas!

The green screen in one of Microsoft's studios. We were pretending we were in Paris.

I love Seattle because it seems like there is always something like this going on. Tonight we are headed to another event - a Muttmixer in downtown Seattle put on by City Dog Magazine. Ava will be attending as well!

*Thanks to Akvile for taking the photos last night!

Ava Turns 4

Ava turned four on August 22, 2010!

Which means I adopted her about 3 years ago, when she was 9 months old. It's been quite an eventful 3 years. She has traveled all over the country with me, scared me with her major health issues, annoyed me with her food obsession, made me laugh with her crazy antics, and overall has taught me so much.

So, we celebrated with a very small family party at home. Her birthday was MUCH calmer than Jackson's, but she got exactly what she wanted:

1. A special dinner of apples and carrots (two of the only things other than dog food that she can eat).




2. Naps. She napped with me for a couple hours and napped in her bed under covers for most of the rest of the day.

3. Her mom! Ava loves Joe to death, but she will always be a mommy's girl.

Happy birthday baby girl! Here's to many, many more years together!

It's a Dad's Life

In honor of my dad, who is visiting this weekend...


It's A Dad's Life - Watch more Funny Videos

More Photos From Joe's 40th

Joe's sister just sent me some more pictures from Joe's 40th birthday. Enjoy:











We had such a great time that weekend! And I love these new photos that show it. Thanks, Cindy!

Jackson Received a Package

Last week I won this contest that @iLoveDogsInc was having on Twitter. Last night I got our prize in the mail! Well, I should say Jackson got HIS prize, because really I won it for him. The prize was a tennis ball, frisbee, lanyard, leash, vitamins, and a tote bag! (Well, the tote bag is for me!)

Checking out his winnings.

Looooving the tennis ball.

Thanks @iLoveDogsInc!!

Ava Back at Work

Ava went back to work with me yesterday and had another tough day of laying around. I'm really hoping that if I keep bringing her, she'll actually open up and get social. It would be really good for her.

This looks like my 'Monday Morning' face. I must have woken her up.

She never stays awake for long, though. She kept laying her head on my hand as I was trying to move the mouse.

She did venture outside in the courtyard to go pee a couple times, though.

Ava's First Day at Work

So my job at Trupanion, a pet insurance company, is one where I'm allowed to bring my dog to work. How great is that, right? I thought about which dog would be best to take (Jackson is super friendly but a little rambunctious, Ava is kind of bitchy, but sleeps a lot), and decided Ava was the lesser of two evils. (I'm sorry, best of two angels is what I meant!)


Today was the first day I felt comfortable enough to bring her to work with me. My mom is here for the week, so I figured if something went wrong, she could come rescue Ava and it wouldn't be too disruptive.


Well, I didn't need to worry, because Ava did great! She wore her pearls for her first day and got a lot of compliments (well, okay, she got made fun of a little too, but mostly compliments). She started out on her bed on my lap, so it was a little harder for me to work on the computer than normal. But by the end of the day, she was a 'desk dog', hanging out on her bed on my desk. It was so cute!

Desk Dog!

She ventured away from me to drink some water.

Saying hi to her new friend, Ellie!

I am so lucky to work at a place where I can take her. I love my job!

Jackson's 5th Birthday

It's amazing to me that Jackson is already five years old! It doesn't seem like that long ago that I tried to convince Joe to 'sleep on it' when he said he wanted to adopt him. That was three years ago now, and thank goodness he didn't listen to me!

Jackson is a fabulous dog. He is such a lover and has such human expressions that every day Joe and I wonder what he could possibly be thinking. He's one of those 'dog's dogs' who sleeps by your feet as you are watching t.v. I just love it.

He had a really good birthday, starting with a special duck and potato breakfast.

Preparing breakfast.

Served on a pedestal. :)

He definitely enjoyed it.

I distracted Ava with pieces of apple.

Then came gift time! A brand new lamb toy!

For me??

*I loves it.*

Unfortunately, Joe and I had to go to work all day, so Jackson was stuck at boring home with his boring sister all day on his birthday. But we made up for it that evening with a trip to the dog park. And to make it even better, there were other dogs to play with already there!

Checking out the puppy Oliver.

Ava deciding if she wants to play.

*I guess this guy isn't too scary.*

Then we walked next door to watch Joe finish playing tennis. He was invited to a club and since he hasn't played in a while, decided to take the offer. I guess he got beat 6-0 and 6-1 and had to work for that 1, but he came home tired and happy and will be playing again next week!

*Dad's pretty good at this tennis thing.*

*Go Dad!*

It was a really fun night. We'll have to do it again next week!

First Work Event

I was invited to my first work event the first week I started at Trupanion. I'm in the social media department, and we rely on Twitter to connect with customers. A Twitter application, called CoTweet, hosted an event at the Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle and I attended, along with one of my coworkers. I had such a great time!

Hotel 1000

The panel of speakers, including @Starbucks, @AlaskaAir, and @Microsoft.

My coworker (on left) and her friend, tweeting away at the tweetup. So geeky. (Okay, so I was doing it too!)

My company goes to these events a lot, so I'm really excited to get involved. Yay for working at a company that actually believes in social media!

My Niece's Wedding

I can't believe my niece is a married woman. I remember when she texted me to tell me she was engaged. In this day and age, hardly anyone makes actual calls anymore, but when I got that text, I called her right away! It really doesn't seem like that long ago, but I guess it was. August seemed like so far off back then, but it sure snuck up fast.

Anyway, on to the photos of the day.

My family all met up at my cousin's house before heading to the wedding, since we were all carpooling with each other. We had a toast to the couple and then headed out.

Me and my dad (the birthday boy!)

Me and my mom

The wedding was held in Ohme Gardens in Wenatchee, an absolutely gorgeous venue. The wind picked up a little, but the weather held out for the happy couple!

Me with my brother, the father of the bride! (I totally look like his 'little' sister in this picture!)

The bride walking down the rock path to the ceremony. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful entrance.

My niece with my brother and her biological father walking her down the isle. (How gorgeous is that dress??)

The happy couple, making their grand entrance at the reception.

Cutting the cake.

My cousin and his family at the reception.

Joe and I at the reception.

Everything went off without a hitch and my niece and her new husband just glowed with happiness. It was such a fun night, and I hope they are enjoying themselves on their honeymoon in Disneyland!