Mmmmm, wood.

Fresh wood smells good, especially when it means your yard is no longer a dirt patch. A load of 3 yards of cedar chips was delivered to our house (actually the guy dumped it right in our parking spot, gee thanks), and for the next hour Erik and I shoveled it into garbage cans and wheeled them back to the yard. Raking only took about ten minutes and the end result is awesome. The dogs immediately frolicked and sniffed all over their new terrain.

the new yard, complete with dog toys

the deluxe outdoor seating
bird's eye view

Tonight I'm going to a surprise birthday party for my supervisor at work. My boss is hosting it at his house and I'm told that there will be lots of food, beer, hard alcohol, and some hot tubbing. Meanwhile, Erik will be at home drafting his fantasy football team. Hmmm, I wonder which one of us will have a exciting night?

The forecast for today was rain, but it has been beautiful. It was slightly muggy earlier today but now there are clear skies and a refreshing breeze. Portland is a nice place to be. Tomorrow we'll be meeting up with a friend of Erik's from high school, Shari (or is it Sherry?, Sheri?, whatever). We'll probably go to the dog park because she also has a furry mutt.

Speaking of dogs, Captain has developed another funny habit. Anytime one of us comes home we always take off our shoes and put them on the shoe rack right by the door. He is so excited that we are home, he rushes over to the rack and takes one of our shoes off and follows us around with it until we take it from him. He doesn't chew on the shoe at all, only wants to offer it as a gift of some sort (which seems a little silly considering we just took the shoe off). At any rate, its endearing. Kinda reminds me of when he used to sneak into the bathroom if someone was in the shower and take every piece of clothing off the floor and place it in the living room. What goes through his head?

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!