The Adventures of Oscar and Alley

The baby gates have been removed, and Oscar is now left to fend for himself against our ridiculously playful and persistent puppy. He's been doing pretty well, and I would by lying if I didn't admit Oscar doesn't enjoy being chased a bit. Like any good older sibling, he does his fare share of instigating too.

Two weeks ago, we gave in to Oscar's demands that he be allowed to venture into the great outdoors, and fastened him into his harness and tie rope to prevent tree climbing or other heroic escape and instead enjoy Friday evening appetizers and cocktails in the backyard with Jon, Alley, and me.

We've started taking Alley hiking on Sqwauk Mountain, about 15 minutes drive from our home, on Saturday mornings. I get Starbucks in hand and we when nobody else is around, and it's pretty quiet, we let Alley run off leash. She does a great job staying close as long as she isn't distracted by people or other animals, and it's a great way to get her tuckered out. Jon and I can't really complain about the beautiful scenery either!
Last weekend, we spent Friday night learning to play Pinochle with our new friends from church, Rosemary and John, and on Saturday the Stefanski twins turned two! They had a crazy, over the top celebration as usual, and we were honored to be included.Tomorrow night we fly to Michigan to reunite with our family at a lake house. We're looking forward to seeing everyone, relaxing, and getting a much needed break from our menagerie.

Up next: Stories from our big trip home! Stay tuned!

My Best Friend Annie

...has CANCER. AGAIN. It's devastating and all encompassing. She is 24 years old. WHAT!?!?!?

This is Annie with me at our rehearsal dinner. Who's the cute guy smiling at us in the background? ;)

After finding a cantaloupe sized tumor named Harold in her abdomen last July, Annie was finally diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cellular Cancer.

This happened JUST before our wedding, but she was still able to stand by us on our special day before she began treatment. It was incredibly special. Isn't she STUNNING?
She went through 6 rounds of preventative chemo, which she was assured would leave her good as new. Her scans were clear in April and she started to rebuild her life again, Cancer free. She even came to visit Seattle. She LOVED the fish (and the guy selling them)! But Annie seemed to know that things weren't ever quite right.

The first week in June, Annie rushed to Mayo hospital in Rochester, MN in horrible pain, which finally led to the discovery of 5 new tumors. Chemo season two, round one is scheduled to begin this week.

It's sad and scary and extremely stressful, all emotions which are multiplied by the fact that I am so far away. Luckily, I am just one small part of Annie's HUGE support system and group of amazing family and friends. We've come up with some fun ways to support her as she beats Cancer again.

Meet the Flat Annies! I helped to create and organize a Flat Annie program, inspired by my Flat Friends program that I used at church this winter. People all over the place are sharing their adventures with Flat Annie, taking pictures for proof, and then sending them along with notes, cards, and letters to REAL Annie. Cancer may have knocked her Flat, but Flat Annie will keep living it up, until real Annie bounces back!

So far, I've taken Flat Annie to the Ministry Faire at church and with me babysitting. No, I was NOT a Disney Princess. It's a Renaissance costume!
Here's Annika. She made her own Flat Annie, and her baby sister Rachel and I posed with her.

We're also selling Team Annie T-Shirts like the ones the Flat Annie's are wearing. Let me know if you are willing to buy one; all the proceeds go to Annie and her family.
The best way to keep up on all the news and information about Annie and how to help is to join the Flat Annie Facebook Page and read her Blog.

There are many more ideas to show support and love for Annie in every way in the works, so stay tuned.

Newlywed Weekends

Isn't this just the cutest picture ever!?!?!? Awwww.... Sorry, we're just so not photogenic that there's reason for excitement when we actually have a success! This shot was taken on Memorial Day overlooking the ocean on West Beach in Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island.



We left after church on Sunday, and took Alley on her first big overnight trip. She loves riding in the car and spent a lot of time hanging out the window, sleeping on her seat, and scrunching herself into a ball on the floor when it got too windy!
Alley experienced sand and ocean for the first time! After we took the ferry over to the island we stopped in Langley for gelato, and the puppy began her exploration.
We stayed overnight at a hotel, and Alley took a nap in her crate while we ate an absolutely fantastic meal at The Oystercatcher in Coupeville.

On Monday, we took a two hour long 4-5 mile hike around Deception Pass and then ate lunch on the beach.



The weekend before, Jon graciously helped me babysit for the Stefanski three all day long on Saturday. I have stopped working as their nanny on a regular basis because I have a puppy to attend to now, so it was so nice to see them again!
Kaitlyn was going to town with their new kitchen set.
That's Jenna! She REALLY loves Jon.
Andre offers Jon a piece of cake.
On Mother's Day weekend, we spent Saturday hard at work in our yard. Jon modified his railing planters he made for our deck in West Bloomfield to work on the railing in front of our house here, and I filled them and this big round container with flowers. So far...I think they are looking good! Summer flowers have to stay in the front yard this year to prevent Alley from eating them. :) We also dug out a bunch of dead/overgrown/weedlike plants in our backyard, spread things out and added a few new things. It looks great!

May was full of sunshine and adventures! I'm hoping a rainy June doesn't seek its revenge. Not a lot of excitement for us here on the west coast, just a lot of love!

Ted & Terrie See Seattle!

You read that right, Folks! Mom and Dad finally made their very first trip to see our home on the West Coast! My baby brother, Neal, came from Minnesota for part of the time too. He had made one brief visit on a business trip in December of 2007, but there was a lot more for him to see.

This time around, Neal arrived first on Wednesday night, and I took the day off on Thursday for some sibling quality time. Neal wanted a massage, so we tried out this new franchise, Massage Envy, that has opened up in Renton. My expectations were low, but I have to say, it was awesome! It was a super nice place and one of the best massages I've ever had. I liked it so much, they sold me on a year subscription, but the first massage was only $39. I recommend you try it out too! I took Neal to experience the best Mexican food ever at La Fuente, a favorite local spot of ours, and then we went to Fremont to explore. Neal loved The Troll and all the funky vintage shops. Check out his new duds!
We finished our first fun day together with Jon, Gretchen, Ryan, and Addi at a sushi restaurant for dinner and then had Dairy Queen for dessert. Finally, it was off to the airport to pick up Mom and Dad.

Can you guess where we spent the first day of the Meyer reunion Seattle style? Of course! Pike's Place Market. We introduced the fam to one of our very favorite parts of the city; fish, fruit, flowers, and much more! Mom did some shopping of course, a great new purse for her, a great bottle of wine for Jon, and the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for me!


Friday's weather was almost 70 degrees, sunny, and so clear that the mountains were out in all their glory. A day this beautiful is a bit rare around here, so Jon and I were so happy our visitors were greeted this way! After the market and lunch with an amazing view at Lowell's, it was to the top of the Space Needle. We normally wouldn't rate this attraction as a must do, except when the weather is good...and it sure was! We could see Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, the Olympics, the Cascades and everything in between. Gorgeous!
Mom decided on Saturday that she wanted to check out the Woodland Zoo. This was a first trip for Jon and I too, so we were happy to go and explore. It started out pretty rainy, but in the end we saw the sunshine once again!


My family's visit wasn't all about the tourist traps. Our friends Gretchen, Ryan, & Baby Addi joined us for a couple home cooked meals ala Chef Nicole. On Monday night, Addi came over all by herself, while her parents had band rehearsal. My Mom also made a special guest appearance at my church Moms' Group with me on Tuesday morning, so when it was all said and done, she had chalked up HOURS of blissful baby holding time. I'm hoping this helps my case for persuading the grandparents to be (no not yet, eventually!) to move a little closer!
Neal had to head back to Minnesota Sunday afternoon, so we said good bye to him after a yummy steak dinner at The Melrose Grill on Saturday night and a visit to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church on Sunday morning to see what my job is all about.

Mom and Dad spent lots of time getting to know the grandpets, spoiling Alley and Oscar with tons of attention even when Jon and I had to work. They said they enjoyed just lounging around our house, which we hope was true. I snuck out of the office a few afternoons for some more fun. On Monday afternoon, Mom, Dad, and I did the Underground Tour and had lattes at the cafe in the basement of the Elliot Bay Book Company. Did you know that Seattle streets and sidewalks were built up around the buildings leaving lots of crazy history in its dust?

On Tuesday night, the rain stopped just in time for a trip to Bainbridge Island on the ferry. You HAVE to ride a ferry when you visit Washington! I love them SO much! Here's a few shots from the trip over. Then, we had dinner at the The Harbour Public House and then saw the beautiful lights of the Seattle skyline on the boat ride back.


The grand finale and most important part of this adventure to note is the Euchre game that occurred after an amazing dinner of fabulous wine and crock pot pork tenderloin when Jon and I WALLOPED my parents two games straight. Woohoo! Go team VanderMeulen.

Mom and Dad and Neal...thanks for an amazing week together in our world here in Seattle. We love you so much, and we hope you'll come back much more often, or stay permanently. It's ok if you want to decide this is the best place in the world too!

Alley's Adventures

Yell0oo! It's Alley here. We had a little situation yesterday and my Mama and Papa are still a bit upset, so I'm here to tell you the story. This is the downstairs laundry room/bathroom at our house where I stay at night or when Mom and Dad are away. See my big bed? It's pretty nice. They leave me lots of toys and bones too.
I miss Mama and Papa so much when they are gone. I sit at the door to the garage and wait. Sometimes when I get too lonely, I just chew a little bit on the door frame.I've also chewed a bit on the cabinets. YUM! Rental houses are extra tasty.

Saturday I woke up at 4am. I really had to go potty and I was feeling really lonely again. My Papa was nice enough to let me outside, but when he put me back into my room because he wanted to go back to sleep, I was not happy. I wanted to play with them! I was sad, so I chewed a huge hole in the wall, and then I pawed at the doorknob until I had locked myself into the bathroom. Mom had to use a butter knife to get the door open and was mad when she found me.

This is my new crate. My new doggy babysitter gave it to me. Theresa is a lifesaver! Mom took me to meet her yesterday. She runs a dog sitting company out of her home. http://www.lepetconcierge.com/ She has an awesome backyard and was so much fun to play with! I can't wait to visit her again. I get to stay with her when Mama and Papa go on vacation and maybe some other times too. I'm not sure why Mama and Papa didn't buy this crate for me sooner. I like it so much that I go in there and sleep even when they are home! I also get to sleep in my crate in their bedroom at night now and I am MUCH happier.Last night, we all watched the movie Marley & Me together. I was really well behaved and took a long nap on the floor. Mama and Papa cried a lot at the end. I think they have forgiven me for now.

Until next time...woof! Woof!