I just finished my antibiotics today. Last Friday, I was diagnosed with strep throat for either the 14th or 15th time in seven years. I told the doctor that I really want to have my tonsils removed because they cause so many issues. The answer I have received in the past has either been: tonsillitis, not strep throat, is a cause for removal or that my tonsils needed to be damaged. My latest doctor told that if I were to get strep within the next year, we would discuss removal.

On a positive note, I was weighed and found out that I am about 7 pounds lighter than I thought!

Anthony and I had a wonderful time in Vancouver. We went on a fireworks/dessert cruise in English Bay. We also had some great food at Lolita’s. Sadly, on our second day, we received a call from Anthony’s family that his grandfather, Nonna A, passed away. Nonno was such a huge influence in Anthony’s life. He has so many wonderful, quirky stories of spending summers with his Nonni’s.  Anthony gave the eulogy at his Nonno’s service and did an amazing job. He shared wonderful stories of his grandfather and conveyd the impact he had on Anthony’s life. This was one of the first services that I have attended that really felt like a celebration of one’s life, which was comforting.

Anthony and I are going to Vancouver BC this weekend for pride. We LOVE Vancouver. It is such a great city and is so welcoming of the gays! Even their coat of arms seems a little a too fabulous to be straight.

Last Thursday, Anthony and I went camping on the Olympic National Rain Forest. It is absolutely beautiful! Everything is so green and lush. We had planned to camp for 3 days, but stayed only 2. We got rained out… in the rain forest. Guess we should have seen that coming. However, we did have a great time! We went to Rialto Beach (Pacific Ocean) and hiked up the beach to a really cool rock formation called Hole in the Wall with large tide pools that were filled with cool sea creatures.

In regards to riding, we have been enjoying our scooters! Our commute has gone from 60-75 minutes to and from work to approximately 25-30 minutes. Plus, they are SO fun to ride.

The past few weeks have been rather eventful… although you would never know from my lack of postings.

First, a couple weeks ago, Anthony and I decided to finish our main-level flooring by having bamboo installed in our kitchen and guest bath. We decided to us iFLOOR to install. When we first moved in, they supplied to flooring for the rest of the main-level. At the time, they did not do installs. The quote came to $17/sf. For that amount of money, we were expecting the company to seamlessly blend our existing flooring with the new. What we got was the following:

• Scratches/gouges on our existing flooring
• Scratches on the new flooring
• Broken stove
• Improperly reinstalled fridge and toilet
• A pedestal sink not reinstalled, which left the bowl falling away from the wall
• Damaged kitchen cabinetry
• Mis-measured transition between existing and new flooring, resulting in a poorly, hand-cut, 1/2″ piece of bamboo with mis-matched wood fill to cover the extra gap
• Damaged trim in both the kitchen and bathroom

All of this happened on July 2nd. When we asked that the major items be addressed before the 4th (i.e. the stove, so our kitchen was operable) I was told that it was unrealistic that we expect their “hard working” employees to be inconvenienced on “our nation’s holiday.” Apparently it was okay for us to be inconvenienced due to their negligence… but heaven forbid they be inconvenienced. After more than two weeks of fighting via email and over the phone, the only thing iFloor would do is credit us the fee for the sink installation (perhaps because they didn’t do it…) and half the blending fee (existing with new). I have NEVER in my life dealt with such an unprofessional company. At one point, the claims manager told me to “look on the bright side, you can only see the damage to the cabinetry if you are on your knees.” First of all, I don’t give a fuck if you have to have a mirror under the cabinets to see the damage. They damaged it! Then, a fitting end to the cabinetry saga, our neighbor (who is 6′8″ mind you) saw the damage before I even pointed it out (and he wasn’t on his knees). In the end, all we got was a couple credits and then… the final slap in the face: a $75 gift card to Omaha Steaks. The idiots sent a vegetarian household a gift card to a meat company. Below are a couple images of their negligence. DO NOT EVER USE iFLOOR!!!

To make up for this horrible experience, Anthony and I booked a South American cruise!!! We will be going to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina in December. I am SO excited. This wasn’t a pity purchase, actually… We found an AMAZING deal on Travelzoo. It included the flight and cruise for only a few hundred dollars more than flights to Argentina. I have really wanted to go to Buenos Aires for a long time. The cruise ends there, which is perfect!

And finally. Yesterday, Anthony and I ended our 2 years of terror. No longer will we ride the bus in Seattle! It takes about an hour each way to go 10 miles. An hour of hell, dealing with inconsiderate asses on their phones, screaming children, drunks, crazies, funky smells, and standing while hurdling down the street. To remedy this, we purchased scooters! We have been researching the cost to own one for some time (insurance, gas, vehicles, etc.). It costs significantly less to own, maintain, and drive a scooter. Plus, we get a huge discount to park on campus and our UPass will be free. Here is a picture of mine (Anthony’s is red).

Last weekend, my mom, Anthony, and I made the long trek across the state to Pullman. Our oldest niece Jaslyn was turning 6 and our new niece, Jaylyn, had been born mere days earlier. We had a great time catching up with Jaslyn and learning about school, soccer, and such. We had an equally amazing time meeting the newest member of the family.

Jaylyn is SO tiny. For comparison, Jaslyn laid one of her dolls next to her little sister.

Anthony and I are uncles for the third time! Our new niece was born yesterday at 4:30 in the morning. Her name is Jalyn Giovanna.