day 211/365 and we're off!

photo, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Yeah! It's vacation day one! We're off to Hawaii! Here we go! Got my backpack and my bear-bear!

day 210/365 kimo

day 210, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I thought I'd give equal time to Kimo since I posted Yuki the other day. It was so sad, we took the dogs in to board them today because we go on vacation tomorrow! When we put their leashes on they got so excited because they thought they were going for a walk. Little did they know...I feel bad. I wonder what they're doing right now?  At least they're boarded together so they have each other.

day 209/365 me & my shadow

day 209, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

day 208/365 peeking

day 208, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

day 207/365 mmmmmmmm...

day 207, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Mmmmmmmm...chocolate cupcake...wait...where did it go?  I turned around to grab my camera and it was gone!

day 206/365 apples!

day 206, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I love apples...especially fuji apples. I bought a bunch of them from Costco the other day and had this crazy idea that I would dehydrate them using my mom's dehydrator machine. They were a bit difficult to cut without an apple corer. So I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and found the BEST thing EVER! An apple corer that peels and slices! The BEST! Now I can core, peel and slice with the turn of the crank! Perfect!

day 205/365 smiles

day 205, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

After school today, Cassidy played "tea party" outside with her imaginary friends (and imaginary tea)! She took a break long enough to let me take a quick picture of her big smile.

day 204/365 good sunday

day 204, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Today was a pretty good day. We visited friends at their new house, hit the crocs store for some summer shoes, and then had a lazy day hanging out in the pool. I love days like this!

day 203/365 jmk

just my kid sitting on the stairs, waiting to leave the house for piano lessons.

day 202/365 make up

When I get ready for work, Cassidy often sits on the bathroom counter next to me and pretends to apply make up of her own. She's such a girly-girl, but I'm not complaining!!!

day 201/365 back with my princess

day 201, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I'm so happy to be home from my trip! When I got home, Cassidy was waiting for me in her ballerina dress and princess crown and put on a ballet and magic show for me. It was so sweet. Notice her bottom tooth in the picture...it is wiggly!!! Looks like the tooth fairy might pay a visit soon!!!

day 200/365 view

This was the view from the window in the conference room I was working in today. Beautiful clouds...as captured by my phone. I wish my day 200 post was more exciting or meaningful! Oh well.





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day 199/365 away

I'm on a 3-day business trip in Portland. That means NO SALES TAX = shopping!!! Oh, and a little work too.




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day 198/365 grandma and the girls

day 198, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I love it when Cassidy gets to spend time with my parents and her cousin!!

day 197/365 ladybug ladybug fly away home

day 197, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I made these ladybugs out of mini babybel cheese for Cassidy's snack for school tomorrow! I hope they like it.

day 196/365 hiiiiiii-yaaaa!

day 196, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Cassidy went to a birthday party today at a karate studio. It was for a girl she used to go to school with and was "Barbie Style" according to the invitation. Totally up Cassidy's alley! She had a blast!!!

day 195/365 chasing fireflies

day 195, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

The chasing fireflies catalog arrived in the mail today. It's the one with the Halloween costumes in it.  And similar to my reaction when the Nordstrom sale catalog arrives, Cassidy immediately confiscated it and sat down with a pen and marked each costume she wanted. She marked at least one thing on nearly every page! How is a girl to decide? We don't really buy her costumes from chasing fireflies...she just dreams about it. (It's way too expensive for such a brief wear! BUT their stuff is soooo cute!!!)

day 194/365 happy birthday

day 194, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Today is my birthday!!! And my girl (with help from daddy) baked me a cake! And boy, it was the best darn cake ever!

day 193/365 R.I.P. snoopy

day 193a, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Today was a hard day. My beloved Snoopy cat finally passed away. I got her from the SPCA when I started my 3rd year of law school in 1996. She was my companion, my study-buddy, and my baby. She died tonight at about 10:30 p.m. I think she was about 16-17 years old. She had a very very long life.

About three weeks ago, she was diagnosed with diabetes. She spent two weeks at the vet while they tried to regulate her glucose levels. They finally let her come home and we gave her insulin shots twice a day. She was also on a special diet for diabetic cats. The vet said she could become "undiabetic" because of the food and, if that happened, she could go into a coma after an insulin injection. I think that's what happened to her.

I was late coming home from work today, and we had a dinner with my in-laws and some out-of-town family. So I met Cassidy and my husband at the restaurant. My husband fed Snoopy and gave her insulin before they left. When we got home at about 9:30, she was laying down and jerking. So, I knew the end was near.

I am grateful that she held on long enough for us to say goodbye. I thought it would be important for Cassidy to say goodbye so she wouldn't wonder what happened to Snoopy. After a few gentle pets, Cassidy said her goodbyes, and then said, "when can we get another cat?" Hummm. I guess that's typical for a five year old.

I tried to look for photographs of Snoopy. Sadly, after Cassidy was born, I hardly took any of her. For some (weird) reason, I compiled this picture while I was in school. I was sitting on this huge bench in Napa, CA and I thought it would be funny for Snoopy to be around me. I don't know why I thought it would be funny. But I'm glad a found it.

Snoopy...may you rest in peace...I will miss you.

day 192/365 practicing

day 192, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Cassidy started piano lessons two weeks ago at Yamaha. I'm excited for her because that's where I learned to play piano...not that any of it stuck with me...I can barely remember anything now. Cassidy is in a class that requires parent participation. It's kind of fun for us because it's something we do together every week and I have to practice with her almost every day. So far, she seems to really like it.

day 191/365 best ice cream E.V.E.R.

day 191_edited-1, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I picked up these ice cream cones from Trader Joes the other day called "Hold the Cone". Here's an unfocused picture of the box.

 These are tiny ice cream cones -- but not too tiny -- enough to satisfy your ice cream craving. The ice cream goes all the way down the cone and the cone is, wait for it...chocolate-lined!!! Woo hoo. Comes in chocolate and vanilla!!!

day 190/365 pure joy

day 190, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Cassidy's favorite thing is to play at the park. This afternoon, she got to go with her cousin and aunt and she was in heaven! You can see it all over her face! Pure joy.

day 189/365 more puppet fun

day 189, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

The puppets are such a big hit! Cassidy can't get enough of them!

day 188/365 cousins

day 188, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Cassidy's cousins from Michigan came out for visit!! She is so exciting to have these couple weeks with them!!!!

day 187/365 puppet show

day 187, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

The other day, my mom discovered that she still had the puppets we made when I was little! So she washed them all and gave them to Cassidy to play with. There are about 25 puppets in all. Cassidy and her buddy Hsieh put on a show for us! They're not the greatest puppets, but they sure do spark the interest of 5 year olds. They played with them for about an hour!!!
(excuse the bad, blurry iphone picture...)

day 186/365 on the mend

day 186, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Snoopy, my newly diagnosed diabetic cat, seems to be doing ok. She's eating and drinking (could these be symptoms of diabetes?) and seems perkier. Overall, she just seems like she cares more, which I think is a good sign! Hopefully it lasts!

OH NO! I missed Saturday June 25 and I'm a day behind!

I was just noticing that I'm on day 185 and everyone else is on day 186...OH NO!  I just discovered I missed a day.  Should I go back and fix it?  Just let it be?  Darn it.  I thought I was being so good.  I even think I have pictures from last Saturday!  But it's going to take a lot of maneuvering to fix...UGH!  I think I'll just leave it and maybe go an extra day...Geesh.

day 185/365 summer

day 185, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

What could be more summer than eating watermelon in the pool? So happy summer is finally here!

day 184/365 the run

Cassidy did her first-ever run today in honor of the 4th of July! She was so excited to wear her new shirt (decked out with bows and crystals, of course -- her shirt was huge and we had to tie it up to make it fit) and her new running shoes. She did GREAT! I was so proud of her! These are some pre-run shots with her BFF.
And this is a picture at the finish line (with my iphone...excuse the blurriness)!!!  So proud and so happy to have received a medal!!!

day 183/365 nice day

day 183, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

I know you're not supposed to do these "up the nose" shots -- they're not flattering in any way. But I couldn't resist because the sky and the trees looked so pretty.

day 182/365 sun protection

day 182a, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

Apparently, there is more than one use for a baby sheep hat.

day 181/365 buddies

day 181, a photo by Darolyn Hamada on Flickr.

These last few days of school are bittersweet because some of Cassidy's good friends, like this one, aren't coming back for the summer.