ciao for now

it's been a busy week.

with our trip to seattle looming in the air, we had some things to take care of.

like selling all my things at a garage sale.

and making some money (which will inevitably be spent on our upcoming feasting).

we also had a pre-birthday celebration with daddy.

and had to say our goodbyes to our baby, as he will be in san diego while we're away. 

i didn't think leaving chase would be so hard. but it was. like on-the-verge-of-crying hard. fortunately, he's in loving care with my parents, but geez, we're going to miss him. we just have to remember that this trip to seattle is all about making plans for the big move. and more importantly, scouting out the parks for chase to play. 

since we'll be gone for a good while, i'll have to say ciao for now. but until we meet again, wish us luck as we take our next step home.

seriously?

seriously, who would post a sign like this? it baffles me how people - particularly in la - seem to have this self-entitlement that oftentimes belittles others. yes sir, i want to allow my dog to squat and leave a steaming heap on that beautifully manicured lawn of yours. please, that's the last thing i want. if anything, we are trying to train our dog, not let him run wild pooping wherever he damn well pleases. and on the subject of poop, did you really have to say it's "gross?" sure, poop is ugly, smelly, and pretty nasty, but that's no secret. sir with the manicured lawn, you didn't have to go that far. who are you, anyways? the man with perfectly angelic poop? didn't your mother ever read to you "everyone poops?" i suggest you buy it, so then perhaps you might be more open to life's natural phenomena.  

okay, i'm finished with my rant. have a lovely evening!

it's official

it's official. i am totally and completely moved in with g! even our good ol' usps confirms it. 

thanks to mama, g, and chase's moral support we emptied my studio in less than a day. but let me be honest when i say the day wasn't short of its emotional moments. it could've been the outrageous heat wave outside; Mother Flow working herself ruthlessly; or the mere packing away of MY things. no more will i need that salad spinner or pillow. and that lamp - hasta la vista. i now share a life with g, and together, we are creating our space.

needless to say, i was a very happy camper when mama spent the rest of the afternoon with us in our home, eating dinner outside, enjoying the indian summer night. and to end the night with my official address change - well, that just settled my heart. i said it before, and i eagerly say it again: this has been one of the surest moves i've made. i couldn't be more joyful.

we're "those" people

i hate to admit it, but g and i are quickly becoming "those" people. you know, the ones who take way too many photos of their dog. the ones who call each other during breaks at work to "check" how he's doing. oh, and you can't forget those people who raise a questionable brow at those places that don't have water bowls out for ol' champ. how inconvenient.

but it's true. we can't get enough of chase. i promise this blog won't be all about him. please just bare with me, though. chase is a huge part of our lives now, and with any new mama, there's bound to be a bit of pride. and obsession. i mean, when you can map out the exact locations where your dog will inevitably have a bowel movement, you're probably really invested in the little guy.

so let me just tell you about chase's first vet appointment.

clearly decorated by the designer of the brady bunch

because we knew zilch about chase, we made an appointment to get a general idea about his health. according to the veterinarian, he's about 1 year old and is some type of doberman mix. and at a whopping 26 pounds, he's reached his full size! we got information about vaccines, flea treatment, and neutering, which by the way, is no cheap affair. 

g and i walked away feeling like proud parents. our little stinker was reported to be healthy, active, and quite the charmer. we fully understand the responsibility of caring for chase, and we're ready for whatever it takes to keep him happy and safe.

now i just want to know how he can be so damn clever. manipulative. so good at pushing the limits. example: he knows to stay outside, but will test us by standing halfway in the door. hey mama! hey papa! you never specified which part had to be outside...

brat

respect

i hold so much respect for those who do what they want to do. really go out of their element to pursue something implanted in their heart.

g is one of those people. he feels like learning to sew? so he borrows my mom's sewing machine and heads downtown to the fashion district for material. he feels like brewing his own ginger beer? so he buys some glass bottles, pours in his concoction, and waits patiently for the fermentation. how about hiking half dome in the middle of the night without permits or sunlight? yeah, well he'll do that too (and  he'll also convince me to go with him). 

of late, g has been interested in playing the guitar. so he fastened that dream tightly to his soul, bought a guitar and enlisted himself in guitar classes at the community college. just like that.

i like to think of myself as that person who also takes the leap and does what she wants to do. but am i? i have dreams like harvesting my own garden and apprenticing as a baker and taking ceramics and becoming a doula and raising rabbits for slaughter. but why the heck am i not doing these things? part of me feels that i have my heart set on seattle, and that i'm afraid to invest in some of these dreams here in la. oftentimes i feel like a coward for "waiting" for the move north, but a bigger part of me says screw it, hold onto those dreams for the place you can call home. at the moment, i have to agree with the latter.

in the meantime, i will continue to find joy in the miracles that have been blossoming lately. and i will sit back sipping ginger beer, listening to g practice his guitar.

what i come home to

any day is a great day when you come home to this. g and his crafts. it's little things like this that bring me so much joy that i can hardly contain myself. that ridiculously stressful day at work? please, nothing even matters when you come home to love. moving in with g has been one of the surest things i've done in my adult life. i mean, who can complain when the controversial battle between peanut butter vs almond butter is settled ever so gracefully? i'm one lucky gal.

complete

it's funny how a dog can make a home feel complete. as g clears his things from the studio and as i bring in my things, chase makes the transition feel so right. he bids us adieu when we leave and welcomes us with those playful eyes when we return. our days feel full as we set time aside to take chase to the park, mingle with his playmates, and continue this journey of discovery - discovering our frustrations, our boundaries, our love. we have yet to make our final decision, but damn it's hard when we enjoy what we have now and can foresee our lives up north, together.

meet chase

g and i would like to introduce chase, the dog we rescued on the highway.

little did we know that our last-minute, spontaneous trip to yosemite would lead us to this dog. as we were driving home on the I-5, g caught glimpse of a little head popping out from the median of the highway. at the time, i was asleep, but soon awoke when g exited. look! a dog! we have to go back! so we drove back onto the freeway, put the emergency break lights on, and approached the dog. g coaxed the terrified pup with beef jerky and stale bread until he gained his trust. no collars, no tag, just a helpless, thin dog. once we got him into the car, the dog jumped onto my lap and slept the rest of the way.

we had no idea what we were going to do with him except to give him water, a bath, and someplace safe to sleep. he also needed a name, so we decided on "chance" since this was his second chance at life. once we reached west la, we stopped at the store for a collar, leash, dog food, shampoo, and poopy bags. still, clueless as to what to do with him. at home, "chance" drank three bowls of water and devoured a bowl of food as if he had never eaten. g then gave him three good washings in the tub. he needed every. single. one. we set up a makeshift bed and went to bed.

the next day, we discussed the pros and cons of keeping "chance." we wanted to see how he interacted with other people and dogs, so we took him to the dog park. and oh my goodness, was he the charmer! people were amazed that we had just rescued him because of the way he responded to us and the way he interacted with others. yep, our pup gets along with others. at the park, we changed his name to "chase" because that's what kept coming out of g's mouth when he called him. so chase it is.

although it's only been 48 hours, we are becoming attached to chase. but there's  problem here: we still don't know if we're going to keep him. raising a dog is a huge responsibility. a joint responsibility. isn't there already a big transition happening with me moving in? how will we continue to live the way we enjoy with this extra life to care for? and what about our move to seattle? having a dog will limit our choices of apartments. 

BUT within those same 48 hours, chase has made tremendous progress. he is everything g and i dreamed of in a dog. of course, in the "right" timing. really though, when is the "right" timing? maybe this is perfect timing. i'm moving in, so it will be our dog and our responsibility. we are moving next year to a dog-friendly city, where we can make new friends and build a community. just as a man said to us last night, dogs come into our lives when we need them most. perhaps g and i need chase in our lives to reinforce the commitment we have for each other. 

we decided we will give it a week before we make a final decision. so far, we feel great about chase, but let's just see how it goes when we get back into our schedules. to be honest though, i am falling in love with him by the second. and you better believe g is too. we feel complete.

we just had to

if you read my post about our last trip to yosemite, you might recall me writing about how we weren't able to do half dome because a.) we didn't have permits and b.) it was bloody hot. and if you noticed the blessed full moon the other night, then keep with me...

g had an idea implanted in his head ever since our last trip. why not hike half dome the night of the full moon? then we can watch the moon and sunrise atop a glorious rock? at the time, i brushed it aside because of work. and sanity. but a couple days before the full moon, i had a change of heart. how could i NOT experience something like this? so we made a last minute call to REI for camping rentals, packed our bags, and committed ourselves to half dome. we just had to.

we spent the first night in a hostel near yosemite. bear bones, but a perfect place to prepare for the next day's grueling hike.

the next morning, we headed out to the trail. we were prepared for the strenuous 18-mile hike with water, trail mix, headlamps, and a tent. the plan: hike to the campground for backpackers, set up the tent, sleep for a couple hours, and finish the hike to half dome around 1 am. then we could climb the cables without a permit/park ranger AND experience half dome under a full moon. magic.

everything went as planned. hiked (labored), took plenty of breaks (considering we were carrying 30+ pounds each), set up camp, slept for 4 hours, and back on the trail to half dome in moonlight. we met two other night hikers and finished the hike with them. once we reached the insane cables, free from park rangers and other hikers, the four of us made our way up. and let me just say that i've never done anything more difficult, more frightening, or more rewarding in my life. the sight at 8,800 feet was mesmerizing. indescribable. with the lighting of the full moon, i felt like we were standing on top of the moon itself. just the four of us. the adrenaline kicked in so profoundly that we didn't feel the exhaustion or the tiredness. we felt proud.

on top of half dome. freezing and excited.

unfortunately, we didn't take many pictures of our journey to the top, but for good reason. climbing the cables needed utmost focus since we were literally holding onto dear life. and not to mention, the only sources of light we had were from the moonlight and our headlamp. BUT we did get to watch a stunning sunrise as we headed back down.

this spontaneous adventure was physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. g and i not only accomplished a great feat, but also gained newfound respect and support for each other. if we could do this together, we could do anything...

...which leads me into my next post...