Caitlin Colleen

The snow is here!

2008-12-17T00:52:00.000-08:00

We finally saw the first falling of snow! This has been a odd year as normally we would have had snow by now.. but winter is definetly here as the temps have dropped and the snow came down. This is a happy site for skiers like myself! We were starting to get a little worried :) The snow is all new for Maisy and she seems to love it! She buries her head in the snow and comes up with a muzzle full of snowballs! Her coat will definetly be a challenge to care for as the snow balls up on her feet and is difficult to remove... we have booties on order!

Martini Night!

2008-12-17T00:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Annie and Kent came over to cook dinner and have lemon drops! We made pad thai and curry with rice. It was a yummy dinner for a chilly, wintery night!

Visconti's Jazz Night!

2008-11-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

Annie and I were treated to a fun night out in Leavenworth... We had dinner at Visconti's with Kent's Jazz Band as entertainment! On the menu was fresh salmon, grilled vege's, salad, french bread, and the most amazing peanut butter ice cream! Brooke came along and slept through the entire performance... what a champ! Not the greatest photo's as Annie caught me off guard whipping out the camera :)

One strong little girl!

2008-11-26T19:00:00.000-08:00

At 3 months, this little girl is sure strong! Playing on aunty cait's shoulders turned into a fun hair and ear pulling game! Brooke is becoming quite the personality... so much fun to watch!

Before & After

2008-11-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Maisy can get quite muddy in this fall, rainy weather... So we decided it was a time to visit the groomer! Maisy wasn't quite sure of the whole thing.. neither was I as I entered the building and saw what they called their "party poodle!" The "party" poodle was black and white with poofs of fur everywhere! She had a pom-pom on her head and a big pom-pom on her tail. As I left my poor little Maisy girl, I was thinking "I sure hope I was clear when I gave directions for her hair cut!" It put me at ease knowing that this particular groomer specialized in cutting poodle hair, so hopefully when I returned I would semi-recognize my dog! As I arrived to pick Maisy up.. a wave of panic ran through me as all I could see was a poofy head and thought... "POODLE!" But to my relief the groomer did a great job. Although her hair is quite short, she is so soft and cuddly as she still has her puppy coat. She also has more of a golden tint to her coat... Well all and all the big cut went well and will be wonderful for this ucky fall weather.. although I do slightly miss my big fuzzy hairball!

Riverfront Run!

2008-11-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

This morning we threw on our running shoes and headed down to the Riverfront in Wenatchee for a run. It was a great fall run as the temperature is mild but not to chilly... yet! We took a few breaks for some fun photo ops! With snow on the distant mountain tops, hopefully we will have a few more weeks of great running weather... then on to skiing!

The Joys of Puppyhood!

2008-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

At 7 months, Maisy is still quite a puppy... Well behaved for the most part, but as you can see in the photo, she LOVES to dig and get messy in the dirt! Here are a few pics of her after a bath.. She is also quite a rascal. While over at my Annie's house Maisy managed to take 12 bones out of the box from the entry way out the dog door and into the grass before she was caught in the act!

Sew Fun!

2008-11-08T16:46:00.001-08:00

As the days are getting shorter with more rain falling, Annie and I have been busy with sewing projects. We have set up shop in my basement and it has become quite a cozy spot! Here is the latest completed project!

Saddlerock #2

2008-11-08T16:14:00.001-08:00

KC and Maisy scaling the rocks.. yikes!

This is the part where KC said I lost my right to choose the path we take... Oops!

So my friend KC and I decided we had one more hike up Saddlerock in us before winter gets here. We had hiked Saddlerock 2 weeks ago with Annie and Kent.. but decided to go solo this time... The hike started out great. We hiked up the front side, which is much more scenic with the views of the valley. As we made our way up, we had to make some choices in which path to take (there is a mnt. bike path along with a hiking path). Well, I assured KC we were taking the "right" way even though the scenery started to look a little "different" than before... Turns out I had us on a slightly steeper path.. little rock climbing here and there!! But we made it down in one piece and Maisy had a great time running and playing. She does very well.. will run up ahead but always sits and waits for us to catch up. Was a fun Sunday afternoon, but I got reminded of my horrible sense of direction.. guess this is the last time I get to pick the route :)

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Halloween was quite busy this year! The night before I heard a knock on my door... it was my neighbor letting me know that last year they had over 700 visitors knocking on their door! Glad to have the heads up, I headed off to the store to stock up on candy!!! Not quite believing that it was possible to have 700+ trick-or-treaters in Cashmere, I figured the 12# of bulk candy I bought, plus Annie's big bag would be plenty... Halloween night came and so did the trick-or-treaters! Our candy supply made it through most of the night.. but unfortunately we hit the bottom of the bowl just after 8pm... off went the lights, even though the kids kept coming! Oh well, we'll be ready next year!

Goldendoodles Galore!

2008-10-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

On our way down Saddlerock, we ran into two adorable puppies that just happened to be goldendoodles like Maisy! What a site, all of that fuzzy fur! Maisy wasn't quite sure what to think of it all... she is used to being the only puppy around! Come to find out, they were goldendoodles like Maisy... and they were from the same breeder... and they had the same father, making them step-siblings?! What fun it was, it brought back all the memories when Maisy was a pup.. I added an picture of Maisy when she was around their age! So hard to believe she is now a 40# dog!

Sunday hike up Saddlerock

2008-10-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Kent, Annie, our friend KC, and I went on a hike up Saddlerock. Saddlerock overlooks Wenatchee and has some great views of the valley. It was perfect weather for a hike and the dogs loved the chance to run free! We had lunch at the top, thanks to Kent! Hopefully there will be time for a few more hikes before the snow hits!

Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

As the trees have started turning color, Annie and I took a ride down to the pumpkin patch near Leavenworth to take some pictures. There were too many pumpkins to count! Annie made Brooke a pumpkin hat that is just too cute! Brooke was well behaved and let us take these pics!

April & Kyle's Visit!

2008-09-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

I was ecstatic when April and Kyle Gunderson decided to stop by to visit! April is one of my best friends and roomate from nursing school! We spent 16 months of intense studying together out in Illinois. April is from Montana, so we were both in a foreign world out in the midwest... Annie & Kent joined us for lasagna and lemon drops! We had a great visit, staying up late chatting and catching up!

University of Idaho comes to Cashmere!

2008-09-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

We were very excited when the director of the U of I marching band asked Kent if they could make a stop and perform their show in Cashmere, WA! The marching band was on their way home from performing at a Seattle Seahawks game. Kent, Annie, and I were all once in the band, so it was so much fun to see them perform here!

3 Alaskan's in Washington!

2008-09-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

I was quite surprised and excited when I got an email from Jonathan Litschiem, a friend and classmate who I grew up with in Petersburg, AK! Turns out he was visiting family in Ellensburg with family for the weekend.. Jon had flown in from Virginia where he is in the Navy... So we made plans to drop in on Monique (another pburg friend) who now lives in the Tri-Cities. I drove down to Ellensburg, about an hour away... and then Jonathan and I headed over to the Tri-Cities.. about a 2 hour drive. We met Monique for lunch and a softball game. We had so much fun catching up.. and remeniscing on the the past! Even though it had been 6 years since we had all been together, it felt like just yesterday..

Baby time!

2008-09-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

I love being an aunty! I am so glad that I am only a short walk down the street as I get to watch Brooke grow! She is already 5 wks. old and has changed so much in this short amount of time. I have been taking care of Brooke 2-3 times a week for a couple hours while momma gets to go to work! All is well except I seem to have quite the touch when it comes to burping.. and spit-up! I guess that's what it's all about though!

A Taste of Wenatchee

2008-09-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the "Wenatchee Taste of the Harvest." Many local fruit growers, wine cellars, and vendors lined the Wenatchee Avenue. There was also live music and entertainment. We had fun wandering the streets and tasting local, organic fruits.. yum!

Before & After

2008-09-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the previous blogs, Maisy has a keen interest in dirt and digging. My apologies to Annie and Kent as their yard has taken the majority of the damage...! So I thought I'd post a few pics from her bath. She sure looks like a different dog when she is wet! I attempted to trim her hair around her eyes as she tends to run into things when it gets too long... I got a little carried away and now she has quite the poodle-doo (or fluff) on the top of her head!

Dinner in Leavenworth

2008-09-22T08:32:00.001-07:00

Annie, Brooke, and I spent an evening down in Leavenworth, the Bavarian village located at the base of the Cascade mountains. It was a beautiful summer night as the sun was going down. We stopped at a downtown restraunt for soup and sandwiches. It was fun to get out and be one of many "tourists" for the night!

Maisy's Big Dig...

2008-09-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

25th Birthday!

2008-09-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

For my 25th birthday, I was treated to a homemade dinner at Annie and Kent's. On the menu was halibut beer-bits and strawberry margarita's (best dinner ever for an Alaskan girl!). For dessert it was chocolate cake and vanilla icecream. Yum!

Training...

2008-08-27T13:56:00.002-07:00

So for the last month I have been training to run a half-marathon! I figure it is a great way to get into shape and get ready for skiing this winter... I will be running the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Half-Marathon on October 4th. Seeing as how I finally have the time to commit to training, I figure I might as well go for it! My training plan has me running one long run a week (10-12 mile run) with short 4-6 mile runs during the week. I am very lucky to have a great running partner, Cassie, as seen in the picture above. I also added a few pics of the beautiful scenery I am lucky to see while running... 5 more weeks, the countdown begins!

Merritt Lake Hike

2008-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

We packed up and went on a hike up Steven's Pass yesterday. It was a 3-mile climb up to Merritt Lake where we had a picnic lunch. Kent also did some fishing and the dogs got to take a chilly swim. Brooke made it the whole way carried by mom and auntie cait in her sling. She seemed to enjoy the fresh air and didn't make a peep the whole way! We are all moving a little slower today...

Biking the Wenatchee Loop Trail

2008-08-24T10:08:00.001-07:00

I believe the pictures say it all, we had a blast biking the Wenatchee Riverfront Trail! The weather was cool, a bit windy at times but a great temperature for biking. We rented two of the new low-rider bikes for mom and dad... What a hoot! Dad picked it up fast and was zipping around in no time... Might this new bike replace his Petersburg "cruiser???" It was a fun 10 mile ride around the river with beautiful views!

Arrival of the new grandparents!

2008-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

My parents flew down from Petersburg, AK to meet Brooke Anne and visit for a week. It has been so wonderful to have family around during this exciting time! They have enjoyed meeting Brooke and hopefully will be visiting more frequently with the new arrival!

Miss Maisy Mae!

2008-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Maisy at 6 1/2 weeks!

Many of you have already been introduced to my goldendoodle, Maisy Mae! At 4 months and 25 pounds, she is turning into a full fledged dog who loves to romp and play! Maisy is a friendly pup who loves to make new friends, sometimes a bit too friendly! She is quite a swimmer and loves to play fetch. We are still working on our manners, but have mastered sit, lay down, turn around, and shake!

Welcome Baby Brooke!

2008-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Baby Chalmers made a fast entry into the world on August 9th, 2008 around 10:38pm! I was lucky to make it in time for her birth as I had been working all day and hadn't received the message that Annie was in labor! Both mom and baby are doing well, how exciting!