Pig-Sitting

We are currently baby-sitting our friends' Chad & Bryan's pig, Hampton.  They had some issues with their neighbors and landlord, and decided it was for the better to move into a different place.  While they are looking for a new place and for someone to take over their current lease, they needed someone to watch Hampton.  We agreed in a heartbeat!  We are entering into our third week with the little pig and it has been super fun.  He is a funny little animal, and very smart.  Since I'm home most of the time, he's connected with me a lot (Zak gets a bit jealous, but Hampton loves him too), and is pretty demanding of me cuddling with him a lot.  Sometimes it does get a bit tiring, but then he makes the cutest little sounds and looks up at me and I melt.  He loves to root around on our inner or outer legs, arms, basically wherever he can.  It's funny but after 5 minutes and your arm goes numb, it's a bit much.  He also loves our soft purple blanket, he knows that's the cuddling blanket, because we usually have it on our laps when he's on the couch with us.  If I leave it on the ground while I run Zak to and from school, he'll just curl up with it and sleep.

Hampton also loves the baseboard heaters, oh my goodness.  He will sleep next to them, rub his butt or face on them, he is so funny about them.  I think he just loves to be warm.  Chad told us that about a week before he came to stay with us, Hampton had just figured out that when he or Bryan were eating, it was also potential, possible food for him as well, so he tries to get at our human food when we eat.  We have to use some creative maneuvers, like Zak will wrap him up in the blanket and put that next to him, with his elbow near the entrance.  My tactic is to sit on Zak's chair (he rarely jumps up onto the chair, he is almost an expert at jumping onto the couch) or have Zak hold him while I eat.  Or stand and eat.  As of today, he has conquered going up and down the stairs, if he wants or needs to.  It's pretty funny to watch him pull himself up the stairs and tentatively go down them (pigs don't like their feet off the ground

He is a sweet little animal and it will be sad to let him go in a few weeks.  He makes the funniest sounds, from deep grunts to high-pitched squeaks and squeals.  He's very communicative.  We also love to play chase with him; he loves it as well.  He will even wait for me and look up as if to say, 'Well, are we playing or not??'.  But then he'll hide under the table so we'll stop, and then he'll wait for us to get him again.  When he's on the kitchen floor it's like a scene from any cartoon, his feet will be going a million miles a second, but he can't get traction, it's so funny.  It's been so much fun having him around.  We love our little piggy!  And here are lots of pictures because we don't have kids yet, so I feel justified in sharing twenty pictures of Hampton! 

we tried putting a little baby booty on him (secured with a rubber band), he was not having it; once we got it on, he didn't care but it was a struggle

his favorite activity after breakfast

both hamster and Hampton could care less about the other

doing homework with Zak

Professor Pig

I covered him up in the scarf I was working on so he'd be warm

his little snout is so funny

loves this blanket

this picture just makes me giggle!

coyly smiling

Chad told us that we could put some peanut butter on our finger to give him a treat; he went nuts for it! Such a happy pig!

A Rainy October Starts

It has been raining a lot lately, which is fine, because that means snuggling, soups and hot drinks.  And I'm a fan of that.  It's nice that it is finally starting to feel like fall.  We are hoping to go pick apples at an orchard about 30 minutes away the next chance we get.  I grew up going apple picking up in Sonoma (an hour north of my town, just west of Napa, in wine country) every fall.  I have such good memories from those trips, eating apples and cheese in the park downtown and visiting all the orchards with my family.  I haven't been able to go back since I've been in college and married, so I'm really hoping Zak and I are able to go pick apples ourselves soon!  I can almost taste the apple crisp now...

Zak has been doing well with school, his grades are all good.  Although it has been a bit of a stressful week or so for him, trying to get everything done for school, and the regional manager was visiting work last week, so that added to everything.  But he's getting it done and I am doing my best to not be nagging, but gently reminding him of everything that needs to get done.

Work has been going alright for me.  A few weekends ago it was U of I's Dad's Weekend, so those nights were absolute mayhem.  Last weekend it was U of I's Homecoming (we lost), which was busy, but not so busy I about had a panic attack.  This weekend it's WSU's Homecoming and then it will be not so crazy for a week or so.  I'm finally getting into the swing of things, and it's fun working with just about everyone there.

Next month, my brother Kenny and Zak's sister Delaney will be coming up to visit for Thanksgiving!  We are all super excited to see them, even for a brief amount of time.  They'll stay with us and we will go visit the grandparents in WA for Thanksgiving.  I don't know what my work schedule will be, but I'm sure Zak will have to be at work early for Black Friday (the joys of retail, right?).  Nevertheless, we are glad we'll be able to see our siblings for a few days.  

We recently found out that we are going to be very lucky and spend Christmas and my birthday in California with my family!  My mom mentioned it in an e-mail and once we cleared the dates with our bosses, my parents got the tickets as a gift for us!  I am beyond thrilled, because I had thought that going back home for Christmas was basically impossible, because we can't afford it and we already used up vacation time for Zak when we went home in the summer.  But my parents really wanted us to be able to spend a Christmas as an intact family, now that Kenny is home and not on a phone in Sweden, because it probably won't happen too much after this year.  But let's not think about that.  I am so happy that I can't help myself from listening to Christmas music (I usually restrain myself to wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but not this year).  And don't get me wrong, Zak is happy too.  It'll be nice to be out of the snow and be a little bit pampered by everyone.  And I'm very excited to have a family birthday!  So we are looking forward to that.  I might even make some kind of countdown because I am still so giddy.

Other news, hmm.  Oh, Zak bought me a beautiful 'harvest' bouquet after an awful weekend at work.  He is such a good husband to me.  :)  Zak has been loving his weights that he got with some birthday money.  I've been doing some weight exercises as well on my days off, and it's nice to see some progress for both of us.
Oh, I know!  Our friend Bryan bought a baby pig for his boyfriend, Chad (Zak's co-worker) as a surprise early birthday gift!  We went over to their place for dinner the other night and got to see the cute pig.  He's 8 weeks old and very warm, and likes to snuggle and sleep on laps.  He's so cute, and I think the name 'Hampton' is going to stick for him.  We would love to get a piggy if we had the money or were allowed to, but it's nice to be able to go over to our friends' place and see their cute pets.  Here are some pictures!

little piggy!

he loved Zak

pig in a basket, how cute????

snuggling while watching t.v.

he fell asleep on me a few times, awhhh

Jenna's Visit

My little sister came to visit us last week.  It was so much fun having her around!  She just turned 16 and is the only one at the house, so I know she enjoyed being around me & Zak.  She got into Spokane a little behind schedule, but that didn't deter us one bit. We stayed up playing games and watching Arrested Development. For the most part, we spent the day together (I switched shifts w/people at work in order to spend time with her, Zak worked a few days), watching AD or doing some project or eating.  Or a combination of all three.  My favorite project was something I had gotten months before from work and was dying to share them with her: piggy banks to decorate (we are 'piggy sissas', which started with our shared love of the Beatles' song 'Piggies' and then evolved from there)!  The piggies turned out very cute, as you can see.

 one side of mine

Jenna showing off her pig's glittery bum

oink oink

piggy sissas

One day we decided to have an impromptu picnic in the park.  I made delicious sub sandwiches and had grapes, chips and cookies in the park.  My favorite part culminated with Zak rolling up Jenna in our picnic blanket.

about to enjoy the food

a pretty good story through pictures

Jenna and I also made some necklaces with some fun charms I had found on etsy.  We also spent some time at Michael's picking out a few extras.  It was a fun activity, and they turned out pretty well.

                            one of the necklaces I did                                           Jenna's

we also did children's clearanced mosaics

and Jenna colored these wooden animals that represent her in our family

We also went shopping at the mall when Zak was there working one night.  We hit up Old Navy and of course, Macy's and ended up with some great buys.

We also ate a lot of delicious food.  We had chicken skewers one night, yummy homemade burgers the other night, pasta with spaghetti and cream sauce, coconut curry chicken, blueberry coffee cake, among others.  I love cooking and enjoyed having another person around to feed (less leftovers, haha).

burger night, yum!

color foods  (char sui, blue rice, zucchini & green beans)

Zak and Jenna enjoyed fighting/antagonizing/playing together.  It was definitely nice to have a break from all of that.  They are so funny together and just make me laugh.  Zak also gave Jenna a sweet (his word) tattoo on her arm the night before we took her to the airport.  All three of us used some temporary tattoos Jenna had (dinosaurs and butterflies), which were awesome.  It was nice to just be goofy and carefree, which is how I feel when I'm with Jenna.

 left-handed wrasslin'

comparing our hamster to a chicken nugget

Jenna's

mine - I like to pretend they're yelling at each other

Zak's are fighting vertically

giving her a tattoo

yes, he spelled it wrong (he didn't think to ask me)

It was a very fun week and it was sad to see her go, but we loved having the time we did have with her.  She is a very smart, adorable and fun young lady and it's crazy to me that she is already 16 and a junior in high school.  I'm not fond of that, but if anyone can handle the drama of high school, it's my sister.  Mom and Dad, thank you for giving up your baby for a week (& trusting her with us, ahaha) and Jenna, thanks for coming to visit.  It was so nice to have you here, you are such a person and I love being your older sister and perhaps smothering you sometimes. :)

 she is putting ketchup from a packet on her fries. this is why we are sisters.

(It's times like these that I really miss my family and being home in CA.  Boo.)