Blog About a Dog-Kato's Tumors

My poor Kato-Potato, or Tater Bug as we've been calling him lately, has had a really, really hard 2 weeks. I was going to wait until tomorrow to blog, after we go the vet for the millionth time, but I just want to get this out now.


The whole ordeal began back in early October when we picked him up from a few days at the kennel. We noticed he had a spot on his back right leg, that looked like maybe he had been nicked or bit by another dog.  It didn't bother him, and life went on as normal.  Within a month, the spot developed into this:

And I think it was even bigger than that by the time we got into the vet.  

My internet research told me it was a histiocytoma, a benign tumor.  We went ahead and made an appointment at a vet's office down by our new house, which is an hour from where we live right now. We also wanted to get his vaccinations updated, as he was due for some in January, and well...we've got other fish to fry in January. ;).  We took him in 2 weeks ago, Monday, Nov. 16.  I say we, but Ben couldn't get out of work so I took him by myself.  (Maybe mistake #1 looking back on it.)  Kato was given his vaccinations with no issues, and was his usual bouncy, excited, loving, Boxer self, even though they were poking him all over.  The vet was really concerned about the spot, especially because it had grown quickly.  She wanted to take it off right away.  So he was scheduled for surgery on Thursday, Nov. 19, first thing in the morning.

Silly pup did get tired at one point during the visit, and laid down. Just for a moment, until he heard someone outside the door, and then he was on full alert! 

I didn't sleep at all the night before the surgery, perhaps I had a premonition, but I was just really nervous about it, and nervous about the logistics.  Again, Ben couldn't miss work, and I was taking him by myself. I knew he would have to be lifted in and out after the surgery, and I knew he would probably not be as calm as he was supposed to be, because that's our Kato. He's a wild man, even after anesthesia. (Or at least he was the last time he was put under). At 7.5 months pregnant, there was just no way I was going to be lifting this 75 lb. dog in and out of the car by myself, so I was stressed about that.  I was stressed about everything going okay, and stressed about what they would find.  

Ben put the crate in the car in the morning before he left for work, and helped me put him in there when we were leaving.  (My kangaroo/dog mix can jump up 4 feet off all fours when he's excited, but refuses to jump in the car. Yeah. He's special.)  I dropped him off for surgery with no problem, other than his typical refusal to get on the scale, (again, special, special puppy dog), and then I wandered around for a few hours until I got the call from the vet's office.  I had been to our house, Starbucks, and Target when I got the first call, about 2 hours after I dropped him off.  They said Kato was under anesthesia and doing well, but they had found another spot, this one on a toe on his left front paw.  We had no idea this was there, but gave permission for them to cut that one out too.

An hour or so later, when I had just sat down for lunch, they called and said Kato was ready to go home.  I wolfed down the rest of my lunch and headed back.  When I walked in to the office I could hear his typical "I'm sooo alooooonnneeee" cry from where they had him in the back.  He does this cry when he's sad or lonely, and we know it immediately.  They gave me post-op instructions for his leg, (keep him calm and try to keep him from moving as much as possible. Ha.), and toe, (it was wrapped up and we were given a plastic bag thing to put over it to keep it dry), and brought him back in.  Thankfully they helped me get him in the car.  Poor boy had a cone of shame, that was flexible so he could get in the crate. He slept the whole way home. 

 When we got home, I backed in to a spot so it was just a step down to the grass.  I opened the crate door and Kato just stared at me. It took me a few minutes to convince him to step down from the car.  Once he did, more staring and not moving.  I coaxed him gently, and after about 10 minutes of "C'mon baby.  Kato! C'mon sweetie, let's go inside. Come! Kato Come!", the zombie was finally in the apartment. Completely zonked out.  

Just pitiful.

The rest of the evening went alright.  We attempted to put him in the crate for bedtime, but the first thing he did was take off his cone.  So we let him sleep in our room on that green bed in the picture.  (Maybe mistake #2). He was up and down a few times during the night, mostly wanting to get on the bed with us.  Sorry Potato, there's no room! And you are not allowed to jump! Eventually the night was over, and Friday morning I went to a baby appointment while Ben stayed home with Kato.  We didn't trust him to stay by himself and leave his wounds alone.  Friday night we took the wrap off of his foot and the incision looked great.  It has looked fine and done fine ever since.  The leg on the other hand.....

I took these 2 pictures a couple hours before the drama started.   

The incisions were looking pretty good.

On Sunday night, Ben was at work, and I was making dinner for myself when Kato came running in the kitchen with blood running down his leg.  There was blood all over the carpet where he'd been laying, all over the kitchen floor, and all over him.  I freaked out, and ended up taking him to an emergency vet. (Yes, by myself again.) Because of course this is Sunday night and the regular vet is closed.  I managed to keep the mess contained in car with lots of towels. At the ER they assured me that it was just fluid leaking from the incision, and not really anything to be concerned about. I just needed to keep him calm. This is laughable really, and even with sedatives, keeping him still is 100% impossible.  The worst thing, they said, was keeping it off of everything. A task that has also proved totally impossible btw.

By Monday afternoon, the leaking was no better, and I had a a horrible day of cleaning up after him, so it was back to the regular vet.  Kato was a good boy all day, (as he usually is, and has been every day), and just laid around.  At the vet, they confirmed it was just fluid and there was nothing we could do.  We could try to keep it covered, but it is a VERY hard spot to wrap or cover. Everything we do just falls off.  They did give him a laser treatment, and instructed us to do warm compresses. These seem to help quite a bit. It's also a tough spot to have an incision, because it gets pulled every time he sits, walks, squats to potty, or wiggles.  Which brings me to this past Friday.

*Side note*-On Tuesday, I got a voicemail about the pathology on the tumors.  The big one, causing all the problems, was a histiocytoma, like I thought. Completely benign.  However, the mass on his toe had come back as a Mast Cell Tumor, which is a malignant skin cancer type of tumor.  Not good, but they were adamant on the voicemail that they had gotten the entire thing. I'll be asking lots more about this tomorrow.  We have to be very vigilant now about any bumps or lumps we find. If we see anything, it has to be looked at right away. 

Back to Friday.  We had gone home for Thanksgiving, and Kato was a really good boy, the whole trip he was calm, and he was mostly calm at my parents as well.  In fact, the incision was looking great by Friday morning and had scabbed over.  It didn't leak at all on Thursday, so we thought a visit to Ben's mom at the pet store she works at would be fun (Mistake #3? But he loves his Nana so much and she was very happy to see him. And he was happy to see her!).  We aren't sure when the scab tore, or when he popped the stitch, (maybe jumping out of the car? Maybe wiggling in the store? We will never know), but he ended up leaking all over the store. Taaaaater.  He leaked the rest of the day Friday, and Saturday while my parents watched him while we were at Siegel Thanksgiving.  

The frustrating thing is, he wasn't even crazy! All he has done for 2 weeks is lay on his bed. He gets up now and then to stretch, see what Momma is doing, go to the bathroom, or eat.  Sure, he got wiggly on Thursday when all the people were at my parents, and walked around all day with his 2 year old (human) friend Zander, but other than that, he has been totally calm. By Sunday, the incision had completely torn open and we could see inside his leg. Back to the vet, this time in Georgetown. This proved to be worthless, they said again, it's just fluid. We don't want to close it, the fluid will build up underneath.  Ben asked what we could see in there, and the response was, "Oh, that's his calf muscle." And that's how it remains today, Wednesday.  The incision is torn open at the top, and we can see his calf muscle.  The vet in Georgetown assured us that he would be fine until our regular vet visit Thursday, when he is scheduled to have the stitches removed.  He is still on antibiotics and I think that is the only reason it's not infected.

Kato's life for the past 2 weeks. 

This has been the most frustrating, expensive, and stressful ordeal with Kato so far.  I feel so very sorry for this fur baby, and I feel like I can't help him.  The good thing is, none of this seems to cause him any pain.  It only bothers him when fluid leaks down his leg, or on to whatever blanket he is laying on. He doesn't like to lay back down on a blanket when it's been leaked on. And I don't blame him. I wash blankets and sheets 700 times a day, but that's okay. Anything for my baby to be comfortable. 

  Say a prayer for us tomorrow, hopefully we can get some answers about what to do. Kato needs to get better, we've got lots of exciting things coming up this month. We are going to a cabin for Christmas, that has a fenced yard where he can run and play, and we are REALLY hoping he is better by then.  Plus, his little sister is going to arrive sometime in the next 6 weeks or so, (!!) and he needs to be great by then! 

Sweet Kato, snuggling his sister in my belly.  We love this big bouncy Boxer dog so much!

30 weeks...a butt-kicking

The third trimester of pregnancy is kicking. my. butt. Shoo-eee....


Weeks along:
I am 30 weeks, 3 days today, November 11.  Officially in the last trimester and really feeling it's effects.  It's intense.

Baby Size
Baby Girl is somewhere between 2.5 and 3 pounds, the size of a winter squash. (Which looks like a small pumpkin? This is just what my app says..).

Symptoms
I feel pretty awful these days, and just try to get through each day. And to think I still have 2 months to go! I am exhausted, and every task takes twice as long as it used to.  I have to be careful to not push it with the activity level.  Twice in the last week or so I have done way too much and really paid for it by being really really tired, (but I still can't sleep!) and in a lot of physical pain all over my body.  I have been trying to pack our apartment, because we are moving in March, and Lord knows I won't want to (or be able to to) pack when Baby Girl is here, so I am trying to get ahead. It is not going well.  I pack and clean one shelf or dresser and it puts me down for the rest of the day.  Or, I've been doing grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and Walmart because it's honestly the most economical/best thing for us right now (that's drama for another post..), but grocery shopping at 2 places is the only thing I can do for the entire day.  Also, I have to walk the dog really slow.  This is  hard for me to deal with, because I consider myself a do-er, and not being able to DO things is mentally killing me.  I am learning that I need to just slow everything down, and chill when I physically feel the need to chill.  It's hard, but with so much time left in the pregnancy, slowing everything down is the only option I have.  Also, drinking water seems to make me feel better, so I've been doing that a lot.  All you Mommies who work right up until you give birth, God Bless You. I don't know how you do it but so many of you do, so maybe I'm just missing something?  Also, how does this work when you have other children around?  I hope that next time I will be in better physical shape at the start of the pregnancy and maybe that will make me feel better throughout.  We'll see.  I kind of feel like because I didn't have morning sickness, this third trimester exhaustion/difficulty is karma for a relatively easy first trimester. Idk if pregnancy works like that, but whatevs, it feels like it. OR maybe I'm just a wimp, which is totally possible..

Movement
Little girl is really active these days, and I love it.  Feeling her move is the coolest thing. I try to talk or sing to her when she's moving. I also read her some books the other day.  :)I need to start counting the kicks this week.  The craziest part of her moving is when I can feel it from my ribs to my hips all at once.  She is the most active in the morning and in the evenings, and after I drink cold things. Her movements have gotten really strong this week!

Food/Cravings
Sugar is still my number 1 craving.  I have been TRYING to eat well because I know that has a direct effect on how I feel.  It's tough though, especially when I am so tired and don't feel like cooking food or going to the grocery.  Lots of crockpot meals and spaghetti going on around here right now.  I am trying to keep up with cooking good food, because even though the physical act of it is tough, when I'm done, (and by done I mean the meal is eaten, the dishes are done, and the kitchen is clean) I feel very satisfied and like I accomplished something.  I've always felt that way about cooking a meal, so I will keep trying.

Sleep
Lack thereof. Still.  Even though I am tired, I don't sleep through the night. I've accepted that I probably won't sleep for a long time-maybe ever again. My hips and back hurt a LOT at night, so I'm using 3 pillows...1 under my head, 1 that I hold, and 1 between my knees.  This helps my pain a lot, although it does drive my poor husband nuts.

Maternity Clothes
I think I finally have a handle on this! I finally have enough to get me through the week without doing laundry twice.  It helped that I got some clothes from my mom and mother-in-law, and I bought some clothes on a recent trip to Indianapolis.  I finally have enough casual clothes for just being around the house and nicer clothes for going out. (Going out means something completely different than it did 5 years ago huh? By going out I mean-to the grocery, to Target, or the movies. Or Texas Roadhouse when we are feeling crazy..)

Classes
A new category! I've been in yoga for about 6 weeks, and I really like it.  It's hard, but again, I have to remember not to push it.  I think I have a friend in class too, she's nice, and just 5 weeks ahead of me. :) Yoga makes me feel pretty good, and I am feeling more prepared for birth than ever.

We also started birth class, which has been great. It's really informative and encouraging.  It surprises me how much of what they say aligns with what I have been wanting and thinking about for this birth, (being in control, doing things the way I want to do them, dealing with pain, etc.).  It's really a great class, and again, I am starting to feel really prepared.  Woo!


Although this has been a little negative type post because I don't feel good, I really am excited to be this far along, and thank God for my good health and my baby's good health. I really can't wait to meet our girl.  I can't wait to see who she looks like, figure out her personality, and see the dynamic she brings to our little family.  I also can't wait to see how she interacts with her Daddy, and his reaction to her. =)



Note to self: Growing a human is really hard work, but it WILL be worth it!

24 Weeks!

It's been almost 2 months since I've done a baby post and update....so here it is!

Weeks Along: 
Today I am 24 weeks, 4 days! Only 16 weeks to go, which is fantastic.  Time seems to be going by pretty quickly!

Baby Size/Weight Gain:
The baby is the size of an eggplant this week, and my app says that baby's size will double in the next 4 weeks! As far as my weight gain...ugh I don't even want to to talk about it. I have been trying to get it under control the last few weeks, but the struggle is real.  I plan on doing a 5K race at least once a month in 2016, to be sure to get this baby weight off.  Running is the best way I know how/the most realistic way for me to get good exercise, and the only way I will run is if I have something to train for, so that's my plan. I am banking on that right now because that scale number is truly terrifying.  Oh, and this week I started a prenatal yoga class.  It was great, and I didn't want to leave.  Very relaxing and nice, but also kind of hard....there were a few exercises and poses that I've done before but they were much harder than they used to be.  I hope yoga will be a good way to get some exercise. Also, I hope it will help with the whole birth process, because that, my friends, is scaring me.  Good news: we are signed up for birth class in November at the place we will be delivering, so hopefully that will help ease both of our minds.

Symptoms: 
Holy heartburn batman.  Almost every day I have heartburn.  It's not always severe, but it is sometimes.  This week I learned that if I take 2 Tums as soon as I start to feel bad, it won't progress into the horrible stage.  Dairy also helps, so more than once we have had to stop for a milkshake while we are out and about.  It makes this Momma feel better k?  Luckily, my dear husband understands that its just science, and I NEED it.  Love him. :)  Other than heartburn, I feel okay.  My joints are often achy from the extra weight, and I get weird random pains in my stomach.  I am hopeful yoga will help with this!

Movement/Heart Rate: 
This baby is pretty active! I was told at my appointment last week that I have an anterior placenta. Apparently this is normal and nothing to be worried about, but I might not feel as much movement as someone who has a not-anterior placenta. (Posterior?).  I mostly feel kicking when I first wake up, but also at other random times, like the other night at the movies. 90% of the time I feel movement on my right side. The midwife was able to tell as soon as she looked at my belly that the baby was laying on my right, which I thought was cool. My app says she can hear our voices now, and will jump if there is a loud noise.  Last night she was moving around like crazy while we were just sitting on the couch, and Ben was able to feel her move! Super neat!

Food/Cravings: 
Sugar. Sugar. Sugar.  I need sugar all the time.  It's not good.  I have been eating as much fruit as I can...but it is HARD to not eat candy with every meal. And for every snack. I have been really good about not buying the Halloween candy that taunts me in every store I walk into...but at Ikea the other day I just had to have Swedish Fish. I mean..we were in Ikea! Sigh. I had a slight sugar addiction before I was pregnant, so we'll just blame it on that. I have a glucose screen next time I go to the midwife, we'll see how that goes....

Gender: 
IT'S A GIRL! I honestly thought we were having a boy before the gender scan.  It was awesome when we found out....the midwife didn't even say anything, she just typed "GIRL PARTS" on the screen. I said "It's a girl??!!" and Ben said "I was right!".  It was an amazing moment, and I cried a little.  This house is gonna be filled with bows, ruffles, pink, baby dolls, Barbies, doll houses, etc.  I am absolutely thrilled. :) :) :) It is very hard not to buy every outfit I see...everything for girls is just so dang CUTE.  I believe it when people say girls will break your bank!

Sleep:
Not AS terrible as it was in the first trimester...but I still wake up every night. These days I usually fall back asleep pretty quickly...in like an hour instead of 3.  I do think part of my issue is my lack of activity...again, yoga should help with this.  Also, the weather has finally broken and it's bearable to be outside, so Kato and I have been hitting up the greenway and walking about 2 miles at a time.  I get SO worn out from that.

Maternity Clothes:
Expensive.  I need more, but I feel like I have shelled out so much money already.  Maternity clothes are not cheap, but literally none of my normal clothes fit.  Currently I have 2 pairs of leggings that I can wear, 1 pair of capris, a couple pairs of shorts, and about 3 shirts.  I did order some jeans.  The only place I can find decently priced stuff is Old Navy.  But I have to order it because our local Old Navy has pretty much nothing maternity.  I have been wearing Ben's clothes a LOT!



Well, that's what's happening these days.  We have signed a purchase agreement to build a new house, woo! It has been released for construction, but it won't be done until February, so looks like we will be bringing Baby Girl home to this apartment.  We have spent a few Saturdays purging and trying to make some space for her.  I will spend November deep, deep cleaning...and praying the person above us moves out before the little one arrives.  Seriously, I think an elephant lives up there...I don't know how this little girl is going to sleep here with all the stomping. She probably won't sleep much anyways, (neither Momma or Daddy were good sleepers, or so our mothers tell us..) so I am mentally preparing myself for that! Good news is, we should only be here for about a month after she is born, (assuming she comes around her due date), so hopefully it will go by quickly!

A Baby Post!

I am SO behind on blogging. I've been a little distracted, with the whole...ya know...being pregnant thing! A very good reason to be behind I suppose. :) I've also been distracted with a family cookbook that I am re-vamping/re-writing. When it's finished I will share all about it.  This post is all about Baby Siegel!!  A lot of people have been asking lots of questions, which I love, so I figured I should put it all out there, in 1 post, to satisfy everyone's curiosities!!

Weeks Along
  I will be 17 weeks tomorrow, August 9th!! My due date is January 17th, 2016 although as I told my mom today, my Mommy sense says we will not make it all the way to the due date. I could be completely wrong though, I know this is not up to me. :)

Baby Size/Weight Gain
 I've got an awesome app, which says at 17 weeks, the baby is the size of a navel orange.  Some days I don't feel pregnant at all, and other days I feel quite large.  Depends on what I eat! =P I have gained 8 pounds so far. I hate that part of being pregnant. I know how important it is, and that it means baby is growing which is wonderful, but the thought of 30 pounds (the average for a woman of my BMI) on top of what I was before really terrifies me.  I remind myself all the time that the important thing is the baby, and that it is growing and healthy.  I can deal with my weight when Baby is here and in our arms. :)


Symptoms
  In the first trimester, I didn't have real morning sickness. I only threw up once, after eating a bagel and a banana.  I thought for a long time it was the bagel, but then I ate another banana about a month ago and very nearly threw up again, so I think Baby doesn't care for bananas.  Sad day, cuz I really like them! Also in the first trimester, I had a real problem with smells.  There were several days when the smell of countertop cleaner, the dishes, or the dog food would send me dry heaving out of the room.  I also haven't been able to even LOOK at raw chicken, much less touch it to cook, but that has subsided within the last 2 weeks!

Now that I am well into the 2nd trimester, I feel really good.  I have to be careful with certain foods and drinks, because heartburn can get really bad.  It was really bad last night, kept me awake for a few hours actually.  I have been taking Tums for heartburn but it really doesn't do anything.  I need to find something else!

Movement/Heart Rate
It's still early for real movement, but I have definitely been feeling some flutters! I went to the doctor on Monday this week, and she found the heartbeat quickly, and I heard a little kick.  Very cool. :)

Food/Cravings
I have had serious sweet cravings for the last 17 weeks.  Okay, maybe like 14, but seriously, I want fruit or fruity candy all the time.  I try to stick with the fruit, but it's hard! Rumor has it sweet cravings mean it's a girl, so we shall see. :) On that note..

Gender
Don't know yet! We will find out on the 24th.  We are very excited for that appointment! I think it's a boy.  Ben thinks it's a girl.

Sleep
Sucks. I can't sleep. I am up for hours and hours every night.  It got better after visiting our house, (yeah still haven't closed...don't get me started on that! That is another ranting post for another day), but it's still bad.  I usually wake up between 2 and 4, depending on when I go to bed.  I always wake up because I have to pee, then I can't get back to sleep.  It's obviously better if I don't get on my phone, but I often lay there for so long, I just get bored and give up.  I should probably just get up and be productive, but...I honestly don't know what to do.  I don't want to wake up Ben or the dog, which is about impossible in this little apartment.  My sleeping (lack thereof) just really sucks. I guess my body is just preparing itself for motherhood.

Maternity Clothes
 At the beginning of the summer, I bought a bunch of dresses in a size up, because I knew that is what I would be most comfortable in, and I could grow into them.  That has worked out well.  I also bought 2 pairs of shorts and 2 shirts recently.  The shorts fit well, I just hate the way they look.  I have not found a lot of maternity clothes that I really like, but to my surprise, I found a bunch at H&M. Who knew they had maternity clothes? I will probably be back for more this fall when the weather changes!


So that's what's going on with Mama and Baby Siegel so far! We are coming up on halfway, which is so crazy! We are really excited for this new life and new chapter, but also very anxious and feeling unprepared. Most of that is because we still live in an apartment. We are hoping to get out of here before the baby is born, but that won't be an option until the house closes.  If we build a new house, it is going to be VERY close on whether it will be done before Baby is here. I am also very stressed about dear Kato's reaction to a new baby.  He is a wonderful dog, very well-trained and balanced, but he is also the complete center of our household right now, and I think it's going to be a tough transition for him.  If anyone has suggestions or books I could read about this, please let me know!  

It's stressful, but mostly very exciting to imagine us as parents!!

Pioneer Woman Wednesday #3!

I missed PWW the last few weeks because of the road trip and it's posts, so here's Pioneer Woman Wednesday number 3!


Today's Pioneer Woman Wednesday is her Fettucine Alfredo.  This is probably the easiest alfredo recipe I've ever made, and I've made a lot of them.  It doesn't even really seem like an alfredo recipe, because there are just so few ingredients. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of this recipe, but maybe when I make it again I will add some to this post!

After reading her recipe again I've realized I've been doing it slightly differently than she calls for, but it works just the same.

First, I melt 1/2 stick of butter (hers calls for a full stick, but I really don't need that much for just the 2 of us!), into 1/2 cup of heavy cream.  (PS this recipe is not high on the healthy foods list..).  As long as the butter and cream are equal parts, I think this can be adjusted for any serving size.  I add a dash of pepper and some salt to it, and that's it for the sauce.  I've made this recipe at least 5 times now, and every dag-gum time (currently listening to Farmer's Daughter by Rodney Atkins, I apologize for it's influence on my vocab. J/k. #sorrynotsorry), I make the sauce way too fast and have to wait 10 minutes for the pasta to cook.  It doesn't seem to matter, as long as I keep stirring the sauce every now and then.

Once the pasta is cooked, I stray from her recipe just slightly. I don't measure out the parmesan, but I put in enough to cover the bottom of the bowl. Then I pour in the drained pasta. Then I pour the sauce over the top and toss with tongs, as the recipe says.  I put more parmesan on top, and mix it again.  Ben and I add more parmesan to our individual bowls if we think it needs it.  Then it's time to dig in!  This dish is SO yum, and SO quick and easy!

Overall impression of this recipe: EASY and delicious. I make it about every other week. I also love that it is versatile, you could use organic heavy cream* (see my note below about this) to make it healthier, or maybe a healthier butter, and you can definitely use any type of pasta you have around.  Whole wheat, gluten free, whatever.

Challenges: There aren't any, except maybe being patient and not making the sauce too soon before the pasta is cooked.  Have I mentioned in this blog that I am impatient?  It's a problem.

Things I will change next time: The only thing I would do differently is to add something to it. Maybe chicken? Or peas? Or bacon? Or all of the above. That would be awesome actually, chicken, bacon, and peas with alfredo.  Mmmm mmm. I might even use prosciutto because it gets so crispy and is very yummy in pasta. (I know about prosciutto because I also love Giada de Laurentis. I love the way she says prosciutto-and a ton of other words- with the Italian pronunciation.)

Do I recommend this recipe?  Yeah! Especially if it is a night when you are super busy and need something quick and filling, or for company!



*I used organic heavy cream last time I made this....it tasted fine, but when I opened the carton, there was a solid block of cream.  Does anyone know why? Is it the organic thing? Was it in the fridge too long? It wasn't expired, and there was liquid cream under the solid block, which is what I used.  I tasted a bit of it and it tasted fine, and the recipe turned out fine. Idk why it was solid, but it was super weird!

Thanks for reading!

Kate and Lauren Make it West!! Day 7 & 8-San Francisco!

Day 7 
   We left Las Vegas around 7 am and headed for San Francisco.  We decided to shoot over to the PCH and go up that way, while avoiding Los Angeles and it's traffic craziness.  It was actually kinda cool because we elected not to use the GPS for the first few hours, and planned out our route on an actual paper map. It made me feel like a true explorer. :) We drove through the Mohave Desert and saw a LOT of random things. I can't remember what they were at the moment, but I know there were some strange things going on there. We stopped in Bakersfield, California for lunch...at In n Out of course! I had In n Out when we were in California in 2008, but I didn't care for it at the time.  Good news, I like it now.  It was SO delish, even if I did drop my root beer everywhere. (Me drop something? Never.)  We were lucky to get a table there, it was SO crowded!

We missed the California sign, so this had to do..

So yum! 

After we left Bakersfield, we made a plan for getting over to the PCH.  It took several hours to get to it, but the drive was neat.  We drove through a bunch of orange groves, and then through miles of vineyards, and then over glorious green mountains.  It was really beautiful.  We got on the PCH at Cambria, California.  We were SO excited to be on that road! We stopped at a park to see the ocean.  

Gorgeous. Just gorgeous.

We continued our drive up the PCH for about 2 hours.  It was beautiful and amazing, but very intense. It was twisty, and curvy, and cliff-y.  We pulled off several times to let cars behind us pass, because we were on the slow side for sure. Good news, we were jamming to the Beach Boys the whole time, getting in touch with our Cali side. :) 

Beautiful and slightly terrifying.

We also drove through Big Sur. We saw lots of restaurants and hotels, but we are still not sure where the Big Sur was. Or what it is really..

We made it to Monterey Bay around dinner time and stopped for dinner. We ate at a pretty fancy seafood place.  I don't like seafood, but I do like coconut shrimp, so that's what I had.  It was awesome, just like all of the food I ate on this trip.  We had a view of the bay during dinner, and it was just lovely.  

Coconut shrimp with a mango dipping sauce,  and sweet potato fries. Mmm-mm. 

We got a rose with our dinner. So nice. :) 

After dinner, we still had 2 hours of driving, so we got to it.  

Sunset over the PCH.

We got off the PCH and headed in-land.  We finally arrived in San Francisco around 9:30.  We were SO happy to be there and SO happy that we made it to our destination.  We unloaded Kate's car (with the help of her nice new roommate) in about 10 minutes, which was awesome.  We set up some beds in Kate's new room and went straight to bed, happy to be in Kate's new home!

Day 8 

We woke up on the last day of our trip, happy and sad.  Happy that we made it, happy to be in San Francisco and doing some touristy things, but sad our trip and time together was coming to an end. That morning we went to downtown SF and grabbed some Starbucks.  The baristas at Starbucks were hilarious and fun, saying things like "Kate, it's Vanilla Latte time!" when her drink was ready.  This made us laugh and really got our day off to a great start.  We headed for Muir Woods after Starbucks. On the way, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge! This was a bucket list item for me, and I'm really glad we got to stop.  Unfortunately, we were at the Golden Gate at the same time as about 1000 Girl Scouts.  No joke, everywhere we looked was a sea of Girl Scouts.  Random.

The weather at the Golden Gate was cold and windy! 

We had to take a shuttle to get up to Muir Woods, because, as usual, the place was PACKED.  There was also a running (and maybe biking?) race going on on the road to the park. Odd.  

Bus selfies, my favorite kind. :) 

I don't know what I expected or what I was thinking, but I wore flip flops on this day.  So we did a mile hike through the redwood trees, in flip flops.  But it was great! I would have loved to hike further, but will have to save it for next time. Obviously, I don't always make the best shoe choices.

The trees were really awesome.  SO massive, and it was cool to be with nature.  After our hike, we got back on the shuttle and headed back to the car.  We went to Alamo Square next, the famous park from Full House! It overlooks the Painted Ladies, and was super neat.  

Had to take some Full House pictures! 

The streets in San Fran are just as crazy as I imagined. Straight uphill.  We even parallel parked on a rather large hill to go to the park.  I wasn't sure we were gonna make it without hitting something, but Kate did a great job. :)  Plus, we were desperate to find parking.  Parking is super minimal in SF.

After our photoshoot and exploring (we saw a dog park with no fence!) in Alamo Square, we walked a few blocks to a little place called Fly Bar for lunch.  We both had sandwiches and salad and it was quite yummy.  After lunch we went back to the car and drove to the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, which was really cool.  I would like to back sometime when it is less crowded and we can walk around. We also drove by the Full House house, which is now blue apparently.  Still fun to see! 

Full House house!

We drove down to Fisherman's Wharf next, which was really neat, but again, there were SO many people.  We didn't have a chance of finding parking, so we just drove through.  After Fisherman's Wharf, we drove by Kate's new office downtown.  Then we went back to Kate's and chilled for a bit. Kate needed groceries, so we did that, and grabbed some dinner while at the grocery store.  When we got back, Kate's roommate was having a pre-party for a costume party, which was funny.  There were probably 10-15 people in this apartment, but everyone was very nice.  We spent the last night of our trip eating Ben and Jerry's and watching Crossroads, of course.  If you've never seen it, Crossroads is a ridiculous Britney Spears movie about 3 girls and a guy who go on a road trip to LA.  We had to watch it, it was only appropriate. :) We went to bed pretty early, because my flight the next day was at 6 am.  The trip was over. :(

HIGHLIGHTS

Here were the highlights of the trip for me: 

-We saw 48(!!!!) of the 50 state license plates! Ah! We had an app and were keeping track the whole time.  The only ones we missed were Rhode Island and Delaware.  

                 

Awesome!






-Seeing so many friends and family members.  It was absolutely amazing that we didn't have to stay in 1 hotel (okay sorta 1 motel but that doesn't count!), because we have such great friends and family that let us stay the entire way.  Plus, the people we saw are not people we get to see often, so it was just wonderful to spend time with everyone!

-The Grand Canyon

-Las Vegas



The whole trip was, in a word, amazing.  We didn't have any trouble, we got along the whole time, and saw some really incredible sights.  I am so grateful Kate invited me, and so grateful I was able to go.  It really was a trip of a lifetime, and one that I will never forget!!

Kate and Lauren Go West-Days 5 & 6 (Grand Canyon and Las Vegas)

Day 5
  On Day 5, we got up early, (after an awesome night of sleep on flannel sheets!), and headed for the Grand Canyon! The drive to the Grand Canyon was just beautiful.  We even drove through a Navajo Reservation which was pretty neat.  My phone didn't know what time it was the whole time we were driving through it, we must have been between time zones or something!

Artsy fartsy photo that actually turned out kinda cool! 

Grand Canyon-bound! 

We got into Grand Canyon National Park, and pulled into the first Visitor Center.  While Kate was off taking care of a few things, I made a plan for our .7 mile hike.  We had to drive another 25 miles to the main visitor center, but it was SO worth all the driving. The hiking path we took was great.  It was paved and provided wonderful lookout points.  Two words to describe the Grand Canyon: Mind-boggling, and selfie sticks. (Okay 4 words).  Seriously, the Grand Canyon didn't even look real to me, it was just so....insane. And beautiful.  Oh, and EVERYWHERE we looked were selfie sticks.  Everywhere. So random.   The park was really busy.  This surprised me because it was a Wednesday at the end of April.  Who knew so many people traveled this time of year?  Everywhere we went on this trip was busy I think.  Weird.  Anyways, the Grand Canyon was absolutely fabulous.  People were being ridiculous though, going out on places they weren't supposed to and just not being very smart.  There aren't a ton of guardrails, (another thing that surprised me), and people are just stupid.  That didn't take away from our experience though, I loved every minute of being there.  Apparently I have been to the Grand Canyon before, although I don't remember it, and apparently I cried the whole time.  

I took this picture to remember what happened the last time. :) 

Amazing. Just amazing.

I was proud of my panoramic skills! 

This picture is probably my favorite of the entire trip!

After we left the Grand Canyon, (it took us FOREVER to get out. Another thing that surprised me), we headed for Las Vegas.  The drive to Las Vegas was beautiful, (we really did see so many BEAUTIFUL things on this trip), especially crossing over the mountains.  We saw Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.  We had planned on stopping at the Hoover Dam, but we missed the last tour by about 10 minutes, so we decided to wait until the morning.  We arrived in Las Vegas around dinner time.  

Our first sighting of Vegas.

I was seriously SO excited to be there.  Vegas was the place that I was anticipating the most, and the place I was most excited to see.  It did not disappoint.  We arrived at Kate's aunt's house, and she welcomed us with wine and snacks.  :) Oh, and one of those snacks was guacamole again, and guess what? I liked it.  I guess I like guacamole now. Hehe.  Anyways, we freshened up a bit, (I took a shower in the most amazing shower I've ever been in in my life.  Awesome.), and then Kate's Aunt took us out to dinner at a very delicious Italian restaurant.  I wish I could remember what it was called, but man it was good.  The food was up there with cruise ship food, which, in my opinion is the best food ever.  Yum.  

Again, I bit into it before I took a picture. Oops.  This was a pomodoro spaghetti with pesto on top.  SO delicious.  Did I mention this trip was all about the food?  

After dinner, Kate's aunt dropped us off on the strip!  The only way I can describe Vegas is this: If the very best parts of a cruise ship and the adult parts of Disney World had a love child, it would be Las Vegas.  What a COOL place. I wish we would have had more energy to party hardy, but we really enjoyed just walking around all the themed hotels and taking it all in. We saw the Bellagio and it's fountains, and a Japanese garden exhibit inside, as well as The Paris (my FAV), Margaritaville, (I won 25 cents on the slots!) and The Venetian with it's amazing river and gondolas.  Very awesome place. I loved how all the hotels kind of felt like malls on the inside with the big fancy stores, but also like cruise ships with all the beautiful decor, restaurants, and things to do.  We also watched a volcano show outside of Treasure Island (I think..) which was neat.  I can't wait to go back to Vegas again with Ben.  I love it there.   

The Bourbon Room from Rock of Ages! Ben loves that movie, so I must take him back there! 

Note: I was really running out of room on my phone by this point, so pictures for me became minimal about this point in the trip..:( 

We took a cab back to Kate's aunt's house that night.  We didn't last super long on the strip unfortunately.  We were super exhausted from driving and hiking, and I also did not wear good walking shoes.  They were cute though! :) 

The next morning, Kate's aunt fed us breakfast, and we headed to the Hoover Dam. It wasn't too far from Vegas, and although we got there early, it was already packed.  It was neat to see, and is another place I would like to take Ben.  My favorite part was going down the elevator into the mountain, and walking through the tunnels.  Super neat.  

It was HOT in Vegas and at the Hoover Dam.  

Even at night it was hot.

After the Hoover Dam, we met up with my cousin Sam, who lives in Vegas! It was so great to see her.  We went to lunch at Smashburger, which apparently is a chain, but it was SO good. Ben would love it. Then we all went back to the strip! We wanted to take a picture with the famous Vegas sign, and to do that, we had to park and wait in line.  I thought this was hilarious and kinda weird.  The line was not bad though.  

Me and Sam! 

After we took some pictures, we went to the New York, New York.  Another thing I love about Vegas-the parking at the hotels is FREE.  Brilliant.  We parked and went inside the hotel, and it was REALLY cool.  Looked just like NYC inside. The size of these places blew my mind. All the hotels and casinos are just massive. And beautiful.  Kate and I rode the roller coaster at New York, New York.  It was $14 to ride but SO worth it.  I loved it. Kate screamed her head off the entire time, but the ride was so much fun.  The views of the city were awesome.  They also had a New York skyline built on the side, which was cute and cool.  

I just loved this.  SO much fun. 

After New York, New York, we took a tram to the Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and the Luxor.  Mandalay Bay was so beautiful.  We went and peeked at the pool area, which looked so awesome.  They also had a wine elevator, which was so awesome.  We sat down in Luxor and had some VERY yummy beverages.  They must have been top shelf.  Mmm.  

When our tour of Vegas with Sam was over, she took us back to Kate's aunt's house. I am SO glad we go to see my cuz, we really had a great time with her!! She isn't a cousin I get to see all the time, so it was wonderful to just spend quality time together! Family rocks. :) 

When we got back to Kate's aunt's house, we left right away for Kate's 2nd cousin's little league game! It was really fun, and a nice way to relax and enjoy time with Kate's family.  The bleachers had giant umbrellas over them which I thought was SUCH a good idea, considering how hot it is there.  The weather at the baseball game was actually really pleasant.  After the game, we went to dinner with Kate's aunt and uncle and cousin. We had pizza, beer, (I tried Peroni for the first time, it was good, but tasted strangely like olives..), and amazing gelato.  Mmm mmm. 

We had an AMAZING time in Vegas, and I am so grateful for Kate's family for letting us stay, and to Sam for showing us around.  I really can't WAIT to go back again! :) :) 

Up next: We hit California!! 

Kate & Lauren Go West-Days 3 & 4 (Tucumcari and Flagstaff)

  On day 3 of our epic road trip west, we got up and headed for Tucumcari, New Mexico.  First things first, breakfast at Whataburger! We were in Texas, we couldn't resist!

  We hit our first traffic jam in Dallas, but it wasn't too bad, and didn't last very long.  

The big D! And I do mean Dallas! 

After Dallas, the weather was terrible.  The radar looked like this: 

Not cool.  That blue stuff is snow.  Not cool.

At one point, we stopped to get gas, and snowflakes were actually hitting my face while I was pumping gas.  It was also freezing.  

From East Texas to West Texas, the landscape changed a lot. East Texas was hilly and more wooded, where as West Texas was FLAT and we could see for miles.  At least until the rain started.  One awesome thing about Texas is that the highway speed limit is 75. That was nice.  

Flat, flat, flat.  We were watching for twisters! 

I drove some of the way through West Texas and the only time I was truly uncomfortable was when we were driving through Amarillo.  Pouring rain, huge trucks, and traffic, aka the worst possible combination on a highway that I didn't know.  Not cool.  (This drive may have been my least favorite part of the whole trip).   Outside of Amarillo, we planned on stopping at the Cadillac Ranch, but when we passed by it was SO muddy.  Not worth it, so we waved at the cars and carried on. Eventually, we crossed into New Mexico.  

New Mexico! 

We were about 30 miles from our destination when Kate made me stop at the mid-point of Rt. 66.  I got out of the car for a minute but ugh, it was freezing and windy and the rain/snow was hurting my face.  Did not stay out there very long! 

 She had to get over there and take a pic.

This is how I felt about it.

We finally arrived in Tucumcari about 4:00 in the afternoon.  Why Tucumcari? Well...a friend of ours from high school is married to a guy whose family owns a motel (The Blue Swallow Motel) on Rt. 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and we got to stay there! Her and her husband and in-laws take turns running the motel.  I tell ya, it was one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. Everything was SO retro but in a very classy, well-done way.  I loved it there, and again, it was awesome to see friends! 

We had a garage next to our room that was painted on the inside. Very cool! 

The inside of the room.  I slept SO well that night! 

Kate and I with Jessica and Cameron. Thank you all again for your hospitality, we loved it there! 

The Blue Swallow has a webcam, and my sister saw us on it! Fun! 

Kate walking to our room after a very yummy dinner.  

We went to dinner at a place on Rt. 66 called Del's which was so delicious. We also had sopaipillas  and honey, which is a New Mexico thing. They were great.  (We may have had these in Texas too, but I can't remember!)  

After dinner, we got the tour of Tucumcari.  Much of it is abandoned these days, a far cry from it's hey day in the 50's and 60's.  Here is an old park, that apparently used to be a hopping place, but is now completely overgrown and empty.  This place reminded me of somewhere an urban photographer would go.  (If you don't know what those are, they are people who take photos at old and abandoned shopping malls, cities, parks, etc. I find their work fascinating.)

After dinner and our tour, we hung out in the lobby for a little while.  The Blue Swallow was at full capacity that night, (as they are most nights it seems!), and yet there were still a few people who stopped in looking for rooms.  It was really neat though, to get to talk to people from all over, and hear their stories.  If you are ever driving on Rt. 66, don't miss The Blue Swallow. It's fantastic! 

Day 4

We got up early again on day 4 (time zone change probs),  and headed for Flagstaff, Arizona.  

Back on Rt. 66! 

It wasn't a long trip distance wise, but we took our time getting there, and got to see a lot of neat things on the way.  The landscape continued to change as we went West.  

Our first sighting of mountains! 

    The first stop we made was in Old Town Albuquerque.  VERY cool place.  Lots of Indian shops, restaurants, and beautiful Southwestern buildings.  We shopped some and bought some souvenirs and then had an "authentic" New Mexican lunch.  I don't know what qualifies food as New Mexican, but I can tell you my meal was SPICY.  So yummy but my mouth was on fire.  I had a bean and cheese burrito.  It was awesome.  Oh and we had soapaipillas again! 

I was starving apparently, excuse the fact that I had already eaten the rice when I took this! :)

The first church in Albuquerque, built by the Spanish settlers. (I think..)

Old Town selfie! 

After Albuquerque, we crossed into Arizona! 

 We made our next stop at The Petrified National Forest.  What an AWESOME place.  I was a bit skeptical, but Kate convinced me, and it was definitely worth the 2 hours of extra time that we spent there.  I can't even really describe it, but here's a couple pictures that might help.  They don't fully do it justice.  If you are ever close to this, you should stop.  It's awesome.  

 There are beautiful colored mountains all around, it is just glorious.  

    After the Petrified Forest, we made our way to Kate's Aunt and Uncle's vacation home in Flagstaff.  Flagstaff was not at ALL like the Arizona I remember visiting in childhood.  When I was a kid, we went to Tucson, which was desert-y and full of cactus and very HOT.  Flagstaff is wooded, full of pine trees and chilly.  Very odd. But very beautiful.  The home we stayed in was just lovely, in a beautiful neighborhood in the woodsy mountains.  Kate's Uncle George took us to a really cool restaurant for dinner.  It was a steakhouse, but all the servers were musical theater students at Northern Arizona University, and they all sang show tunes! It was so neat.  They even took requests, and sang Kate's favorite song from Les Mis.  Very cool place.  

I had this awesome prickly pear drink. Yum.

Our server was the tall one in the middle. So fun! 

After dinner we toured Flagstaff some.  When we got back to the house, we went straight to bed. It had been a VERY long day.  Next we were off to the Grand Canyon and VEGAS!! (My fav place).  Stay tuned!