Long Time No Type!

Five weeks since my last post! That's embarrassing. My apologies everyone! It's been a busy month, and I've spent most of it fighting off one illness or another, so that's my excuse. What have we been up to? Here are the highlights...

The end of April brought the beginning of our onslaught of visitors. My dear friend Annie made Seattle a stop on her cross country road trip in celebration of kicking cancer's ass! We spent five fun days exploring, chatting, shopping, eating, and drinking. It was so wonderful to be together! Two more college buddies, Abby and Broghan, also ended up bunking with us the very same weekend. They were very busy meeting with chiropractors as part of Broghan's job search, house hunting, and looking at grad schools for Abby. They will be getting married in June and we are very excited to see where their next adventure leads them. We'd love to have them here with us in the northwest!

Annie and Alley

Broghan and Abby

Unfortunately, I experienced a sudden, horrific bout of the stomach flu in the middle of our guests' visit, causing me to vomit repeatedly for two days, spike a fever of 101, and be stuck in bed missing out on work at church Sunday morning and a lot of the fun. I think the highlight was when I puked in the trash can on the ferry.

As if house guests and the stomach flu wasn't enough, this weekend was also the first of two baby showers I helped to organized for Gretchen, Ryan, and Baby Addi. I helped their friend Colleen host a private shower at her home, and the last weekend in April we celebrated at church with over 80 guests and a mountain of gifts.

The Private Shower at Colleen's House

The Church Shower

The mountain of gifts. This might have been half...maybe...

After I recovered from 48 hours of hell, it was back to work. Lent is a super busy time for me at church. I spent six weeks of it coordinating the Flat Friends and Big Buddies Program at St. Matthew. I was inspired by the Flat Stanley book to spice up our annual pen pal program a bit, and it was a huge success. We had 34 child/adult pairs participate, and ended with an awesome party complete with pizza, ice cream, pictures, crafts, and a slide show. I'd love to email all my plans and documents to anyone who thinks they might have a group of kids at church or elsewhere that could would enjoy doing this too!

Each child made themself into a "Flat Friend" which I gave to their secret adult "Big Buddy". The Big Buddy took pictures of their Flat Friend in all sorts of places and sent them along with letters back and forth to the child for six weeks. Here's Annika at the space needle!

Baby Addi is growing so fast and Jon and I are really enjoying the opportunity to be part of her village! We had the great privilege of hosting her birth mother Cassandra and her daughter Chelsea who came from Portland for Addi's baptism at the Holy Saturday service on April 11. Cassandra is one amazing woman, and her presence made the service all the more powerful. Of course Gretchen and Ryan rocked the music too!

Addi and her beautiful birth mother, Cassandra; look at that tongue!

Cassandra and her oldest daughter Chelsea at our house before the baptism.

The stomach flu was just the beginning of my spring sickness and two weeks later I was blessed with a virus that included a horrible sore throat that morphed into ear pain, a cough, congestion, exhaustion, and pink eye that spread into not just one, but both of my eyes. Easter was right in the middle of this debacle, and I led hundreds of children in Sunday's festivities with no voice at all!

Easter Sunday. Do I look deathly ill? I was!

After a miserable two weeks, I'm almost better. My right ear continues to be a bit plugged, and my eyes are better, but still red. Jon bought me a new pair of glasses out of the deal, so at least I'm enjoying sporting my new specs! Oh there's more...

Last weekend, Jon's good friend Andy and his wife and two children stayed with us for three nights of their Spring Break trip to the Northwest. They are hardcore tourists and kept us busy hiking at the waterfall, visiting the Olympic sculpture park, traveling to the top of the Space Needle, spending hours in Pike Place Market, and playing in the arboretum at the University of Washington. The kids also spent lots of time playing with Alley in our backyard.

The Christensen Family: Andy, AJ, Jen, & Shelby at Snoqualmie Falls

Jon with the kids after our lunch at the Crab Pot. He's holding AJ and Shelby's cousin Ania, who came with her family from Bellingham to explore Pike Place Market with us last Friday.

Speaking of Alley...she's doing well! Look how big she is! Over 40 lbs now! I really hated her for awhile, but the I believe the worst is over and I really have fallen in love with our adorable dog. She graduated from puppy kindergarten a few weeks ago, and we just made her first trip to the off leash dog park, where she did remarkably well. She's also learned to jump over her baby gate that holds her in our laundry room at night and when we are away. Alley really seems to listen and respond to Jon and I most of the time...now we are just working on getting her to get along with Oscar Meyer and not pounce every guest who comes to our home.I think I can leave you at that for now. I promise to make an effort to avoid epic updates in the near future and post much more frequently. Our love to you from Seattle always!!!

Meet Addi!

Our dear friends Ryan and Gretchen have a new baby girl!!!

Advent Evangeline MertesThey are calling her Addi. She was born on Tuesday, March 3 at 4:28pm in Portland, Oregon, weighing almost 7 lbs and 20 inches long. Addi has been adopted by Gretchen and Ryan and here is the Mertes three with the birthmother, Cassandra. She is one of the most amazing, strong, and brave women I have ever met. Gretchen and Ryan began the adoption process back in October, and after one other situation that didn't work out, were connected with Cassandra in December. She graciously allowed the proud parents to be a part of the pregnancy, attending all of her medical appointments and being present for the birth. Unfortunately, Ryan was unable to always get time off from work to travel to Portland with Gretchen for Cassandra's adoption appointments, but fortunately, that meant I was able to accompany Gretchen on the adventures three different times, and get to know Cassandra up close and personal myself! It's been a crazy, emotional, joyous up and down adoption journey for sure. Gretchen and Ryan did their best to keep all of the details private until the adoption was finalized, which finally happened Friday afternoon. This is pretty difficult when you work for a church! Jon and I have been absolutely blessed to build such a close relationship with Gretchen and Ryan and we truly are "family" now.

A tearful Gretchen called me on Thursday night, looking for comfort and support and asking that Jon and I join them at the hotel in Portland! We scrambled to wrap up loose ends at work and find an emergency pet sitter, but by lunchtime on Friday we were on the road. I cannot find the words to describe how special it was to be able to hold Addi at just days old, and to give Gretchen and Ryan some much needed reassurance and opportunities to rest. Don't we look good holding babies? So sorry to all of you who thought I was going to say I am pregnant, because I am not, and we're not even trying just yet, but let me tell you, I am very anxious and excited for our time to come! We have been very wrapped up in the Mertes adoption journey, and although it's been crazy, it is truly a joy, and we are so very excited to be Uncle Jon and Auntie Cole for precious little Addi. It feels so good to finally tell you all about the adventure that has been consuming much of our time, energy, and emotions over the past week and even months.

One more picture....here are Gretchen and Ryan with the 5 ft tall stuffed giraffe Jon and I gave to them for the nursery the night before they left for the birth in Portland; another special evening, sharing dinner and spending final time together before we were a party of 5 instead of 4! This is just the beginning of the presents. Jon and I will be busy helping to plan and host both a personal and church baby shower for The Mertes Family over the next few weeks. There is MUCH to celebrate!

Oh Baby!

Jon says we don't need to have a baby because we already have one. She's on the hairy side.
I owe you all a thank you and an apology. I am so grateful to have heard several reports this week that our blog is being read, enjoyed, and appreciated, and I am so sorry that my posting has been so sparse. There's something pretty huge and fantastic and exciting that's been building in our life over the past few months, weeks, and now days, but unfortunately, it's not quite time to release the breaking news to the world wide web, so stay tuned. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true, there's bigger news than our adorable new puppy...
Is it just me or is Alley HUGE already!!???! You can even tell from pictures how big she's grown! I took her to the vet on Friday for her required second set of shots before our first day of school the next day (Is it just me, or is a puppy eerily like a child?) and she has gained 7 pounds in the last three weeks, weighing in at a whopping 30 lbs.

Here we are on our first day of Puppy Kindergarten...

I'm unsure about one dog, so you can imagine that an hour and a half in a room with 30 dogs was just a party for me. We sat around the edge of the room, and each dog was given a bone to preoccupy themselves with while the proud parents were loaded with a lecture, mostly focused on housebreaking. Praise Jesus that Alley hasn't had an accident in days. *crossing my fingers* The first lesson was a bit anti-climactic, but hopefully things will liven up in the weeks to come. We did learn what the absolute most important thing for a dog to know is; do you know? Guesses? It's their name. Alley almost always responds to me when I call her name, but unfortunately has gotten used to my high pitched tone, and doesn't seem to understand Jon as well. We learned a game to practice her name for homework. I must give Jon absolute props for being puppy Daddy of the year. He scoops the poop, and dutifully walks the dog every morning at 6am, usually after being out of bed once before at 4am to let her outside. What more could a newlywed wife ask for? Tonight he even walked Alley in the pouring rain! I missed a great picture of the dripping wet duo. Darn it! Another school assignment accomplished; get your dog used to the rain...check!

All is well on the West Coast at the VanderMeulen's. Alley is still a puppy, but has finally become "real" and not just what at first felt like a figment of my imagination, clumsily bounding around our house.

I promise to fill you in on our secret great joy very, very soon...hopefully within the next week. Peace and love...always!

Damn It! I think I kind of like the dog.

I believe I actually uttered those words last Saturday, while I was cuddling with Alley on the kitchen floor. She thinks she's a lap dog, but already doesn't really fit into mine, and I'm curious about how this will pan out when she weighs 70 pounds. We had a lovely Valentine's Day, up at 6am with a whimpering puppy, but a lazy morning on the couch filled with phone conversations with family and a yummy waffle breakfast. We took Alley to Greenlake, a popular area to walk in Seattle. It was VERY busy with people and lots of other dogs, sensory overload for a puppy, but everyone just thought she was so adorable and kept stopping us to ask about her. About 2 miles into the 2.8 miles around the lake, I felt a sudden strange tug on the leash that was trailing behind me, and turned around to see Alley LAYING DOWN, back puppy paws sprawled out behind her, in the middle of the busy trail, with everyone else giggling at Jon and I hysterically. I guess she was tired. Jon had to carry her 25+ pounds the rest of the way! The good news is that she was pretty tuckered out after that, so we were able to enjoy making an artichoke appetizer, beef wellington, squash, and chocolate fondue and strawberries, plus a great bottle of wine from our Napa honeymoon to celebrate our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife.

We've had a good couple of weeks. Alley is truly a sweet dog. She loves to cuddle and has beautiful puppy dog eyes and droopy ears that when she cocks her head to the side will just melt your heart. She is asking to go out and pottying in the backyard almost all the time. She settles down and doesn't cry through the night, and she definitely has "sit" down, even if she doesn't know any other command. A Sprite can filled with coins has been the noise that has helped us get her to stop biting us, which may have saved her from getting kicked back onto the streets last Thursday when I was pretty fed up. Alley loves to play with all of her toys, and she's pretty good at fetch in the backyard already. Many areas still need improvement, like walking on a leash...in one direction, without lagging, pulling, stopping. etc. Alley will be goind to her first day of Puppy Kindergarten, a six week obedience class, next Saturday. I can't wait!

Today's my day off, and we were up at 5am with the whimpering dog, and we were out of coffee beans. I'm hoping for a nap before the weekend begins with a ski trip with Jon's company tonight, dinner with a family from church tomorrow, and work on Sunday morning and then guests at our place for the Oscars.

It's quiet...I gotta go see what the puppy is destroying!

Happy Valentine's Day!

DOUGHNUT make you want to be her valentine? She's ours!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love,
The VanderMeulen's
Jon, Nicole, Oscar, and Alley

We're Parents!!!!?!?!?

Puppy parents!!! Meet Alley!!! She is the newest member of our family. Bored? Did I utter that word in my last post. Hmm...I should have known that would come back to kick me in the ass. That was fast!
Last Thursday, Leya (the woman I nanny for) stopped by church with this GORGEOUS, SWEET puppy in their van. She had found her in the alley behind Goodwill, drinking her own pee. Leya has a heart of gold and couldn't possibly leave her, but the Stefanski's also already have two big dogs, and three small children, so she knew she couldn't keep her. Leya put up posters and sent around pictures on facebook and through email and took the dog to the vet to check for a microchip, but had no luck. The puppy immediately befriended her babies and her dogs and was nothing but sweet and loving, but she was still going to need a new home.
I don't really like dogs. I've never had dogs, and I really prefer cats. I know dogs are a ton of work, especially puppies. I totally prefer cats, especially Oscar, who is loving and friendly, but also quite self sufficient. I want a baby not a dog. Jon wants a dog and isn't quite ready for a baby. The problem is, I met the dog, I listened to her sad, sad story, and I caved. I emailed Jon the pictures and of course he was interested. He met the puppy Thursday evening when we were invited to Grandma Rita's house to celebrate Leya's birthday with their family. We are SO grateful to be included by them! Jon was holding her just like a baby. We asked Leya to keep her for the night so we could think about it, but we were only home minutes before we were brainstorming names for our new puppy, and we knew we'd have to have her. On Friday morning, I convinced our landlord to alter our lease agreement and allow us to have a "small" dog (not so much!); one more hurdle overcome.
Alley (because she was found in an alley!) came home with us on Friday evening, after we promised the Stefanski's that I would be bringing her to visit when I come to babysit ( a win-win situation for all of us I think!). The first night was a little rough with three potty accidents within the first few hours, but she slept through the night in the laundry room without crying, and on Saturday we really started to fall into a good routine. We go out to the backyard after we eat, after we drink, every time we sniff the carpet, and sometimes in between. Last night she slept eight hours with no accidents. Hooray! Alley is also learning to "sit" and "come" quite well, and we've found that if we shriek when she play bites with her baby teeth that she stops because she really is so sweet she doesn't want to hurt anybody. We've gone for walks, and are already practicing not tugging on the leash, and tonight we met Nina, Gretchen and Ryan's dog. Alley also plays independently with her toys on the floor from time to time, and she desperately wants to be friends with Oscar Meyer. The kitten is assertive, which is good, but still timid. He has spent the last few days in the safety of our upstairs, mostly under the guest bed. The way things are going we think they will eventually become friends. We hope!

The last piece of the puppy puzzle fell into place yesterday with a trip to our veterinarian (who randomely is from Grand Rapids, MI, lived in Ann Arbor, and worked in Saline for years!). Alley is completely healthy! Alley weighs 23 pounds and our guess is that she is three or four months old. Basically, everyone who talked me into taking this puppy for Jon lied to me when they said she would be a "medium" sized dog. Remember, I don't like dogs, especially big ones! The vet things Alley is a boxer, pitbull, "something else" mix, and the "something else" may be Mastiff, which if you're not familiar is a HUGE dog. The current guess is that Alley will eventually weigh 70 or 80 lbs. Luckily, her sweet, obedient temperament should not change, and knowing how large she could grow has made Jon VERY devoted to making sure she is trained really well.

I have to admit, Alley is a gem, completely adorable and has already made wonderful strides toward earning her spot in our family. No doubt, we'll be posting pictures and updates here often. Now it's time for these exhausted, new puppy parents to get to bed! Come see Alley soon. She can't wait to meet you!

No News Is Good News

Go ahead call us lame, but it's true, we are just boring newlyweds now. People keep calling and asking me what's new and honestly, we don't have much to report. Since our holiday guests left and we survived our cross country beach trip, our lives have really settled down. We've had two weekends in a row with no real plans or obligations. It's been heavenly, actually; out for sushi, dinner and a movie with Gretchen and Ryan, small Super Bowl gathering, leisurely grocery shopping, new shelving for the garage, a walk in a new spot, and sleeping in! I'm already beginning to feel "bored". I know I should not complain about that...but Jon and I have really never experienced calm, leisurely, drama free time together. It's strange!

Our Oscar Meyer kitten remains the light of our life. And while he is consistently adorable and cuddly....see?He also seems to have come down with a sudden naughty streak. What you see below is a picture of not just one but two ziploc bags containing two leftover pieces of cornbread that Oscar removed from the counter, drug all the way upstairs underneath the far corner of our guest bed, and then chewed through the both bags and ate half of each of the pieces of bread.
The cat has NEVER bothered food on the kitchen counter before. Two days later, I was attempting to make turkey sandwiches for lunch, but the loaf of wheat bread was mysteriously missing. HE DRUG THE ENTIRE LOAF OF BREAD UP THE STAIRS, UNDER THE BED, CHEWED THROUGH THE BAG, AND ATE THE TOP HALF OF EVERY SLICE OF BREAD. I'd have a picture to share as evidence, but Jon was so angry he threw the bread in the food waste before I had a chance to capture the moment.

Needless to say, we will not be leaving ANY food on the kitchen counters anymore.