I love looking at plants, trees and flowers when we travel. I was surprised to see succulents growing in the rocks along a path in Seattle! I was also really surprised to see thistles everywhere! Some were small and some were HUGE! AND of c…

While we were in Seattle, we needed dog food for James. We like to look up stores that have brands we love and Mud Bay showed up in the Seattle area. It turns out that Mud Bay has stores in Washington and Oregon. I look forward to them expa…

We were recently at a vet in Cochrane, Alberta near Calgary getting bloodwork for James. I noticed they sold a LumaSoothe light therapy device. When we were in Ratzeburg, Germany earlier this year, th…

I love watching the leaves change colors. I just don't love the below freezing temperatures at night! Can you see the trees turning red on the mountain in the distance?

We decided to take the ferry from sleepy Bainbridge Island, Washington to bustling downtown Seattle! The ferry ride is about 50 minutes and there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating (as well as room for cars and bikes). And the ferry is…

Yesterday evening, James was playing like a 2 year old with his new friends that are both around 2 years old. James was running, jumping, chasing the ball and I couldn't believe how nuts he was acting! I decided he needed a break and I took…

We happened to be walking around Lake Union on a summer Tuesday night and there were a LOT of sailboats, boats, stand up paddleboards and more all in what appeared to be organized chaos. It turns out, this is a tradition called the Duck Dod…

When Chris started working at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, we asked our former neighbor Helga if she would be interested in sharing her story. I am so glad Helga agreed to be interviewed. Helga had told me …

I love reading memoirs. Recently, The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger was recommended to me. Dr. Eger survived Auschwitz and I knew this book was going to be hard for me to read. But I couldn't put it down. Even after fin…

There are some beautiful places to hike on Bainbridge Island. We stopped at the Grand Forest and hiked around a bit with James. James is reading all about the history of the park: More blackberries!!!

I noticed on the cruise that my beloved No 7 Airbrush Away BB Cream wasn't quite the right shade. I have been using a face self tanner lately so I am a little bronzer/warmer than usual. And I am finally getting a good summer tan. So the Air…

Right near Bainbridge Island is a casino resort called Suquamish Clearwater Resort and Casino. There are casinos all over Washington State. Some are really small - like the size of a convenience store. And others, like Suquamish, are big re…

Bainbridge Island is one of those places I always wanted to see and we finally made it! I knew it was a quiet island just a short ferry ride away from bustling Seattle. The island has a small town feel - the streets are painted where high s…

While we were in Ketchum, Idaho, we found a cute dog shop called Thunderpaws (link no longer available). They had so many toys and of course dog food and treats. They also had dog boots! And then we spotted this giant frisbee from Ruffwear.…

Back in April when James got sick , we knew he was feeling better when he wanted to play frisbee. Frisbee is J's favorite game! It is actually a game of keep away and James works on intercepting the f…

When my Dad first moved to Wisconsin, he told me he was training to be a firefighter! I was really impressed! My Dad's instructor even said my Dad is the oldest student he has taught (Sorry Dad! I won't tell everyone how young you are). My …

Pier 1 always has cute decorations featuring dogs for the different seasons. I just happened to see a Pier 1 store and I decided to stop in and see what they had and if anything featured Poodles. I was really excited to see one of their fou…

Luckily, I don't have any stories of airplane etiquette being ignored. But when I saw this old tweet from Izzo (@motaz_askar) I could NOT stop laughing!!!! So this random old lady i was sitting next t…

We were in Florida for the cruise and rented a Ford with CarPlay. I like CarPlay because of the larger navigation map and the fact that I get to play my own music but I don't like how it saves info from my phone to the car, specifically bec…

Royal Caribbean has a private island in the Bahamas called Coco Cay. It is called the Perfect Day and we really did have a perfect day there! The Mariner of the Seas pulled right up to the pier - it was nice not having to wait in line for a…