Vacation / One Year of Marriage and how I'm DYING to get back to work!

ONE YEAR! Lars and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary on 8.15.16 in Chelan when the world wasn't burning around us. I had the great (eyeroll) idea of getting up before the sunrise, getting dressed in our wedding clothes and going down to a dock to take some photos in the golden hour. Each year on our anniversary we will take photos with the years we've been married. 

But you know what sucks? 

Waking up at 445am on your vacation. 

Getting dressed like you want to look presentable in any way. 

Putting on YOUR EFFING WEDDING CLOTHES WHICH ARE ALL LAYERS AND ZIPPERS AND BUTTONS UNTIL YOUR EYES FALL OUT. 

So, I had this great idea and then the alarm went off and I was like "nope." 

Luckily, sweet dear Lars knew I would kick myself in the afternoon hours (which I said multiple times later that day) if I didn't get some photos. And to be truthful, I'm DAMN PROUD of what we got. No photographer, no fancy equipment, no selfie stick and no editing. We got some pretty good shots of each other! 

Here are a few of the shots we got!: 

I could tell you that our year has been testing and full of ups and downs but honestly, THATS A LIE. 

Lars and I are pretty different than most newly married people because we have been together for 10 years prior to finally getting married. We understand each other almost TOO well and when I'm frustrated or upset with anything it's almost like Lars solves the problem before I even realize I'm having it. Sure we bicker, but mostly jokingly and shortly after we both say something to the tune of "How do we still not have a TV show!?!?" (Because for real: we are funny as hell.) 

If this sounds a little "my married life is perfect" to you, I assure you it's anything BUT. However, I don't like to pretend or make believe anything. We have a solid, sass-filled, love-filled, LOUD marriage. And the first year overall has been smooth sailing. Mostly me freaking out over things I have no control of and Lars reminding me I have no control and telling me to breathe. 

It was nice to unwind and get tan and eat all the fresh fruits but I am SO READY TO GET BACK TO WORK. I miss all my babies at Pasados and I hate when I'm away from them for so long. 

Thursday before I got to Chelan I did a shift at the chimp house and we had a morning breakfast forage on the hill. Here are some photos I got: 

LOVE that blue sky! 

Jody snacking. 

Annie finds an orange. 

Jody taking her haul inside. 

Jamie 

Annie with some pea tendrils. 

Foxie with troll baby. 

Annie, Missy. 

Annie leaving, Missy. 

Missy taking the haul. 

And of course, Mr. Bub.

I LOVE Young's Hill forages. Watching the chimps head out and go to their favorite spots and seeing where they end up. The quiet of no sounds but munching mouths. There is nothing better! 

I'm ready to get back to Pasados and snuggle EVERYONE. 

But mostly the real love of my life, Norman cow. 

All the for sale lots on the east side were greeted with "Oooh! Norman and Hank would LOVE this pasture." 

because that's how much I love them. 

MORE SOON! 

b

Playing with B and INDIANA JONES!

If there's one thing I hold dear to my heart and know is forever true its this: playing with Burrito chimpanzee will never be boring or old or a "oh well I guess I have to." 

As the years go by at CSNW Burrito continues to be the goofball, the dood, the most handsome and lovable chimp I've ever known. I still "aww" to myself when Bub comes over for a kiss or turns around and lets me give him some knuckle rubs. And I still experience genuine shock when we play for many minutes and Jamie hasn't come to break it up yet. 

Here's the link to the CSNW blog with the video of us playing!
Burrito and Becca play!

Lars and I are up early this morning headed to our favorite place again: 

This time- for a real vacation! ha. 

It's birthday month so my art is up at Tin Umbrella Coffee! 

Originally, a year ago when I decided to do an art show, I was going to paint all of the Cle Elum 7 and make accompanying wreaths for each chimp. 

and then I got busy. 

So, once the end of July rolled around and Jamie Chimpanzee's painting looked like a sad old man, I decided to go a different way. I take tons of photos for Pasados, and I wanted some to hang in my house, so I decided to print some big ones, frame them and use them as the art show. Its a mix of CSNW and Pasados friends, and there is 1 actual painting up and 1 actual wreath! 

Also, I hung all the art without a level or a tape measure so BOOM. 

probably why they are crooked but WHATEVER. 

Anyway, I'm happy they are up and people get to see my friends I play with everyday. 

The end of July brought me, FINALLY, some good photos of Indiana! 

Indiana, or Indiana Jones as I call him, is actually one of the sweetest baby goats I've ever met. He is very lovey with humans and always very curious of what I'm doing. He likes to wait outside the door when I'm cleaning to observe or wait for a head scratching. Normally when I bring my camera in, he's right at my feet trying to figure out what I'm doing. On Sunday he was relaxing on this rock and didn't get up, so naturally I snapped a million photos of him. 

I also got to spends some time with this handsome dude, Banjo.

(who needs a home, if you are looking!) He's super friendly and loves cuddles! 

Off to the sunshine! 

B 

ShitStorm 2011 and the Cow who licks all the things.

Busy week full of new animals, birthdays and more adventures. 

This week I got a chance to visit our horses. They don't live on property but are about 15 minutes away and it was nice to finally meet them in person! 

Summer 

Annie 

Magic, Summer, Lola and Annie are all available for adoption! Magic is known as a giant dog and I couldn't get a photo of him because I had cookies and he was all up in my business trying to get them! And Lola was close up right behind the fence, but they are all so beautiful and majestic! I have to admit I was taken by Annie right away- she is beautiful and fragile but at the same time so fierce. I hope I'll have more time to visit her and the rest of the horses! 

Chelan, Mahale Mountains, CSNW and out at cows are my favorite geographical locations on this planet. Sitting in the sun with Norman, Bessie, Baby and Blue is the best place to be on the farm. I go out there for lunch and read and eat cuddled up with Norman as he slowly drifts to sleep. Sometimes I sit with Blue who prefers to eat the entire time and then there's Baby: 

My "baby selfie" 

Baby likes to lick me. Baby will lick my shirt, my arms, my face, my knees, my butt literally every part of me he feels like. He reminds me of a big dog sometimes, like maybe he's happy to see me? Who knows. But he is a big sweetheart who I love dearly. 

Bessie

Bessie hates my camera. When I come out to cows with my camera around my neck she is up and out of there. This photo was taken on my phone, which she doesn't seem to mind. Bessie is 20 years old and the only lady out with the 4 boys. They love her and protect her if anyone seems to be bothering her. Example: When the flies are bad and we need to spray them with some fly repellant, Bessie heads for the hills- she doesn't like anything being "sprayed" on or near her. (Your best chance at anything like that is to spray it into your gloves and rub it on her) but if you try to catch her for too long and keep bothering her, the boys will chase you our of the field. They love her, and will protect her from harm! 

and of course: BABY TIMES! 

Dudley

Radar

Marvin

Indiana 

Days with these guys are always crazy but always THE BEST. They are super sweet, love human interaction and are always ready for snacks! I'm sure I'm heard around the sanctuary laughing hysterically or screaming "CHEVY!" as he's chewing on my hair or trying to climb me. I'll be sad to see them go but so so SO happy for them to have forever homes! 

I'm prepping for an art show that is now Pasados & Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest themed! I've got some great photos blown up and getting framed. Details soon! 

Birthday week was a success. Queen Butters turned 5 and my best friend/husband/life partner celebrated 27 and we all survived to talk about it. 

The Queen Today

I've had Butters (then Bartholomeow) since she was just over 8 weeks old from a friend who's cat had kittens. Was I allowed to have animals at the house I was renting? No. Do you think I even stopped to think about what would happen if they found out I had a cat? Definitely not. Butters is actually truly my child, my first born fur baby and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. If you think that's crazy or weird, then you don't really know me at all. 

My favorite Butters memory was in the fall of 2011 shortly after I brought her home. Butts and I have a very similar character arc- we started out friendly and nice and now we hate everyone. Literally everyone. If you've ever come over to our house chances are you've never seen her or at least seen her at a distance. She's grumpier now that she lives with two more boys (I'll leave reading between the lines to you) but anyway. She always always ALWAYS slept on the bed with me, cuddled in real close on my pillow and now she won't even sleep on the bed (because Jasper and Raleigh sleep there now.) On the rare occasion she will cuddle while I nap but I do believe she feels outnumbered and is a little resentful to me for bringing home more boys. 

ANYWAY

I was working on some homework before we had to go to rehearsal for some show or another and Princess Butters was doing her post-poop exercise. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT: when your cat goes #2 and then needs to run around the house as though they just lost 10lbs in the litter box? YEAH THAT. At the time my keys were on a lanyard that I could wear around my neck, and they were hanging off my chair. In her running around like a madwoman she ran through the lanyard and was inadvertently wearing my keys. She was so scared that she had something loud and heavy around her neck that she began running faster and crazier trying to get them off. She was pooping and peeing and running into walls trying to get away from the lanyard. I couldn't get my hands on her to help and after they had fallen off she was growling/swiping at me perched on top of my rack of clothes while simultaneously pooping and peeing on all of them. The sweetest most cuddliest kitten I had ever known was hissing and growling at me like I had thrown the keys on her as a joke- and I couldn't get close to her to clean her up! I call Lars in a panic and he can barely hear me over her growling and crying. Dearest, sweetest Lars comes over and throws a blanket on her and we get her into the bathroom to clean the poop- while she growls and hisses at both of us. 

Needless to say we were late to rehearsal. 

Lars affectionately refers to that time as "ShitStorm 2011" and it's all too accurate.

My keys no longer live on a lanyard. 

She is sassy, headstrong, stubborn and the most beautiful cat ever, and I can't believe SHES FIVE. This must be how human parents feel at every birthday. 

The next day, this guy turned 27. <3 

LFJ or now LJ has been my best friend, main squeeze, ROCK for over 10 years. Celebrating 27 felt like celebrating 17 all over again- except this time finding a present for him was genuinely 10x harder.

My husband puts up with a lot- because in all genuine seriousness, I'm completely off my rocker. But day in and day out he is unwavering in support and love. Thankful cannot even begin to cover it. Lars and I are headed to our favorite place in the world for a few days, Chelan here soon and there will be MANY beautiful photos of the lake to come. 

More to come!

b

Harley my Grandpa and the never-ending honeymoon.

Photo: My goat friend Harley. 

Time moves differently on the farm. 

I'm not sure if people who have spent their whole lives on a farm notice that, but at least for me I can officially say that the days are an actual blink in time. I get to work on most days at 8:30 and after what feels like 45 minutes, I'm in the car on the ride home. 

In almost every other job I've ever had, there's a "honeymoon" period where the days go by fast because you are having fun and new things are still being learned and the excitement  of all that keeps you engaged and thoughtful about things happening around you. Then, it becomes just your "job"- the thing you do to pay the bills. Your days are the same every. single. day and you no longer are excited to get out of bed. You live for the weekend, and then you are happy and enjoying life again. 

Starting my 4th month with Pasados and I still LOVE when the alarm goes off. I'm still always excited and in general disbelief that I finally have a job like the one I have. Even on the "hard" days. Will the honeymoon die? I honestly don't think so- because I truly down to the core love the job. 

For instance: last week, spending some time with the Warrior Pigs. No, not forceably cuddling or interacting, but just sitting near them while they were napping and relaxing. 

(L-R): Gabby, Xena and Hercules.

Hercules getting some alone time. 

There are never boring or slow days on the farm. Some days are quieter than others, but all days move with such efficiency that I have a handwritten list along with a list on my phone of to-do's that sometimes I rarely get to. On every day of the work week I have eyes on 50+ ruminants who call the sanctuary home. And I am not of the belief that walking by the pasture a few times a day is "spending time." I like to hang out a while, check body condition, see if anything looks weird/different and just give them time to get comfortable with me. These are not chimpanzees who never be moved or adopted- these animals will moved to their new forever homes and need to be comfortable with people and interaction with humans if nothing else for the purpose of feeding and meds. Often times they need to be "re-trained" for lack of a better term, to like humans again- particularly if they were the victims of cruelty and/or neglect. 

BUT if I don't get to my lists, it's because other pertinent time sensitive activities come up. 
OR I haven't seen an animal for more than a few minutes that day and I want to spend some time, checking in on everyone. 

For example, my friend Harley Goat. 

Harley with his buddy Alfie Alpaca. 

Harley is an old guy with old joints and spends most of his days with his buddy Alfie who lives in the pasture with him. Sometimes they have words, but most of the time they ignore each other in opposite sides of the pasture. Alfie is not a huge fan of humans, but Harley likes people once he gets to know them. When I first started interacting with Harley he was very standoff-ish and not sure about me. Now, he will walk right up to me and demand rubs between his horns, which I of course oblige him with. Harley is as smart as a whip- he knows exactly how many crackers you are putting on his meals and when we need to trim hooves he scoots away as quickly (pretty slowly) as he can. 

Harley smells like a grandpa- in the best possible way. I've never met any of my grandfathers, but I've known plenty of older folks and Harley smells exactly like the smell you are imagining when you think of visiting your grandparents. His beard is glorious, and some days I'm convinced he managed to wash it, when it's extra shiny and soft. 

Wanna foster or adopt Harley? YOU CAN! http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/adopt/farm/#petid-27011170

(also; I love Harley A LOT and he deserves the best of the BEST. SO you should probably plant some sunflowers, because he loves sunflower leaves as a treat.) 

Most of my days are closing shifts now, which means I do PM meds/ closing in other animals as needed. It's my ALL TIME FAVORITE thing ever. I have a unwavering and true love for ruminants but some days you want to go see the dogs, or the cats, or the pigs but you just don't have the time. Closing means I usually go to all parts of the farm to check on everyone one last time before bed. Goodnight snuggles with almost everyone on the farm? OH YEAH IT'S HAPPENING. 

Perhaps one of the best parts of being at Pasados is that sometimes Lars comes to help me with all my chores, and sometimes that just means playing with babies while I clean.: 

Louie and I: 

Lars and baby Ichabod.

The baby goats are very much a huge, time consuming, cuddly part of my day. These guys are still getting over some upper respiratory infections so wiping noses is a must- but after all that is done, we get to run around in the field and jump on rocks (and mostly me) and relax in the grass. It's a pretty sweet life, being a baby goat at Pasados. 

Jamie taking a walk around Young's Hill. 

Jamie (and the other beautiful souls) are all doing well- including avoiding fires already this summer in Cle Elum. Flames were making their way towards the chimp house but the firefighters in the area did another excellent job getting things under control. 

Annie napping in the greenhouse. 

Annie spent some time last week grooming my bare feet, and head nodding during the event- happy to see some naked feet! Shortly after, Jamie let Annie and I know we were done hanging out, and then demanded we walk around young's hill. 

Having a real weekend means real trips to REAL PLACES. I finally got to visit my friend Meg who is going to Veterinary School at WSU and see all of the cool things she is up to. Seeing and hearing all the things she's doing and learning makes me want to go back to school! Classes like "Small animal anatomy" sound so interesting and super helpful for my current job. I could have stayed in the Anatomy museum for HOURS soaking up all of the models and information about muscles and what part of the foot moves the other part and ALL THE RUMEN I mean GOODLORD I could have looked at all the rumen in there for forever. 

We also got to visit Palouse Falls, and it was beautiful! One of the places I've been wanting to visit in Washington State. 

I am actually genuinely addicted to the heat. While its 90 degrees and no wind out and everyone is miserable, I'm in HEAVEN. When it's 65 out and sunny- I'm in a sweater. So being on the east side where it's all sun was great. I saw an acutal movie in an actual movie theater (which hasn't happened in a long while) and it was glorious and I sobbed throughout the movie. #gorillasmakemeemotional #tarzanisahunk 

July will be a quiet(er) month as most of our vacations are in August/Sept but it is the month of Lars' and Queen Butters' birthdays. Stay tuned for the madness! 

B