At my house

Such a busy day today. I have barely spent any time at my house today. Since my oldest was out of school today we decided to go on a road trip to a wildlife park.

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is located in Eatonville, Washington. They have over 200 animals roaming over 725 acre. There is a naturalist guided tram tour throughout 435 acre of free-roaming area where you can be lucky to spot elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bison, woodland caribou, blacktail deer, beavers, ducks, geese, swans and the ever so elusive moose. They also have a walking tour where you can see black bears, brown bears, gray wolfs, red foxes, coyote, wolverine porcupine, skunk, badger, fisher, beaver, river otter, raccoon, bobcat, cougar, lynx, three kinds of owls and two kinds of eagles.

Isabel and I took the tram tour and got to see all the animals except for the beavers and the moose. It was so much fun to just be me and her together. She is so attentive and such a follower of rules, well at least as long as they are not my rules and I guess it is more fun to follow the rules when she actually is good at it and I keep breaking them. (Hm, I am sorry dear naturalist if I did talk to much behind you.)

My mom and Sofie took a long walk and got to see all the other animals. (Isabel and I did too except that we mostly just ran past them looking for my mom and Sofie.) They were having a really good time shopping in the gift store too. We met up in the cafe and had lunch before we drove back home again. I must say for the 4 hours I spent driving I got 3 hours at the park, but it was so worth it.

At home again I had someone waiting for me. Which is where we get to the small thing of today.

The fall and early winter of 2008 while I was in my first trimester of my last pregnancy I got very sick with hyperemesis. My very good friend and neighbor who was pregnant in her third trimester at the time with a very active toddler running around stepped up and helped me every day by taking Isabel to preschool several days a week and also picking her up three hours later. She would also go to the store for me or to the mall to get me anything I would like to eat or drink. She also took me out at times and brought me food. She was such a big help for me and I felt so bad all the time for asking for help.

Why is it that I always feel like I have to pay back to someone who helps me, but I never expect anything in return if I help someone else? I am not going to attempt to answer that question tonight though.

Anyway back to today. My friend lost her grandmother this week and early this morning she and her husband and two kids left to join the family for the funeral. Yesterday I had promised her that I would take her dog to the kennel where he will stay till she gets back. He had to be there by 6 PM, it was 5.15 PM when I got home. I cannot and will not take him in my car (he poops under stress and I cannot deal with that in my car, though I have no problem with my own dog throwing up in my car under stress). So I and the dog ran. We made it. He is now in the kennel and maybe not so happy, but I am and my neighbor is.

It felt good helping her and while she is gone I will be taking care of her cat. I just hope they had a safe trip and I pray for her and her family during this time of sadness.

I can't wait to go to bed tonight. I am so tired. At least there will not be any barking tonight. I will get some sleep. Maybe even some uninterrupted sleep. That would be nice.

Thank you to all of you from Home Sanctuarys Company Girl Coffee, I can't wait to come by, but it will have to wait till tomorrow because I am falling asleep right now. Good night all.