Holy Friday Night, Batman!

A few minutes after 7 PM on Friday, I was sitting on the couch feeding Annika some milk and Eric was downstairs on the computer. Both of us heard a loud noise. I felt the need to investigate, thinking there was yet another car accident at the intersection near our house. I went onto our deck and saw a white van taking off.... AFTER HITTING OUR FENCE! The loud noise that we heard was the van hitting the fence in our back yard and one of our trees. I ran downstairs to tell Eric what I saw. We called the Seattle Police (7:20 PM) and were told an officer would be dispatched.

Around 9, we decided to inspect the fence and look for holes that might be an escape route for our dogs. I found a hole that they could fit through AND (here's the best part) part of the van's front bumper and license plate. WOO HOO!! Good things do happen to good people!

The police arrived at 11 PM (other higher priority calls kept bumping ours) and took a statement, looked at the damage, and celebrated the fact the license plate was left behind. The officer said in his 6 years of service, he's only had 4 license plates left at the scene of a hit and run. The officer ran the plate and told us that the van was a business' vehicle and hadn't been reported stolen.

The next day, there as a knock at our door and there was a man and a woman standing there. Low and behold! It was the guy who hit the fence/tree and his (not very happy looking) wife. WHOA! Didn't see THAT coming! He said that he had talked with his employer (the owner of the van) and insurance would take care of it. What insurance didn't cover, he would make right. Well, I'll be... in all honesty, I never expected to find out who hit the fence, let alone have him standing on our front porch.

Here are a couple of pictures of the damage. A portion of our fence will obviously have to be replaced and our gate will need to be repaired - it no longer has its full range of motion. The tree will also need to be removed. It was uprooted/shifted and the trunk was severely damaged (see 1st picture below).

Goodbye Mr. Tree. We'll miss you - RIP.


Poor ol' fencepost! You served your yard well.




This part of the fence used to be straight. Now it has a van-sized indent to it.

Counting down to Monday

A few days from now, Eric and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. How is it possible that 7 years have already flown by? If I stop and think about the things that have taken place over that time, it makes sense, but it still feels like a blink of an eye. We don't really do much on our anniversaries in terms of gifts or going out on the town; instead, we give each other a card and have take out for dinner. All-in-all, we keep it low-key and focus on spending time together and celebrating the fact we chose the other as a partner through life's journey. I love you, Eric; thank you for choosing me, being the best husband a gal could ask for, and for giving me the world's most incredible daughter.

Monday is momentus for reasons other than our anniversary. I have a follow-up appointment with the genetics counselor to see if I have the breast cancer marker. I had my blood drawn just over a month ago and should have the results on Monday. My best friend asked if I'm nervous about getting the results. One would think that I should be, but I'm really not. I'm kind of expecting to have the marker and will be quiet surprised if I don't. My mom, great grandmother and great aunt all were diagnosed with breast cancer at least once. If I do have the marker, it won't really impact things unless I get diagnosed with breast cancer down the road; if that winds up happening, I'd probably opt to just have both girls removed and be done with them. Will know more on Monday....

Say CHEESE!

We're going to Eric's aunt's house for dinner on Saturday. We're supposed to bring cheese and wine. Easy! I took a trip to Trader Joe's during lunch today and walked out with a plethera of cheese options. We've got everything from creamy cheddar to herbed something-or-other, to brie, to gouda, to pepper jack, and a fondue cheese of some sort. I may save the fondue cheese for Thanksgiving, just for the sake of simplicity and due to the fact I bought a lot of cheese and probably won't need it all for Saturday.

In addition to stocking up on cheeses, the Olson Trio has been busy (ok, mostly me) purging stuff that we don't need or use any longer. One of the various charities called and said they'd have a truck in our neighborhood soon and did we have anything. YES WE DO!!! So, I'm not gathering our unwanted items and am stacking them by the front door. Now we wait for the day the truck will arrive. Counting down to having less clutter in our house!

Annika's 15 month dr appt

Last night, Annika had her most recent check-up. She's weighing in at 19 pounds, 2.1 ounces and measures 29 inches tall. The pediatrician said this is Annika's best height to weight ratio to date. Aside from still recovering from an infection in her right ear (3 more days on the antibiotics to treat it), Annika is in tip-top shape. Next stop, 18 month appt.

Oktoberfest fun, fun, fun

On Saturday, my brother and his family hosted their annual Oktoberfest party. It was a little late this year, but incredibly fun all the same. We saw friends (some of whome we haven't seen in over a year) and had fun showing off Annika. It was loud and so much fun! Incredible and authentic food was eaten (Troy, you rock!) and plenty of beer was consumed throughout the evening.


Of course, the Olsons couldn't arrive empty handed. Eric made beer for the party and I made a cake that looked like the German flag.

How symbolic

As I drove home on Tuesday (election day), I was stuck in a slowdown on the 520 bridge. I was completely stopped mid-span and had a few moments to take in the beautiful scenery. I noticed a bird circling just north of the bridge and was stunned to realize it was a bald eagle. I haven't seen an eagle within city limits in I don't know how long and then to see it on election day. How symbolic!!

Annika was in bed before the presidential election results were final on Tuesday. She did, however, wake up wanting some loves and something to drink right before Barack Obama made his acceptance speech. So, she and I snuggled up together with Eric next to us and watched our next president deliver his comments to the country. I know Annika had no idea what was going on or the importance of what was on our TV, but I am so glad she witnessed such a pivotal moment in our country's history. She'll be able to say, "I saw our first African-Americal president make his acceptance speech. I don't remember it, but I still watched it." This week's events went beyond "just another presidential election"; our country made history for itself.

Halloween Fun

Have you ever seen such a fierce lion? We bet you're shaking in your boots, huh??

"ROAR!"


Cute girl