Meet The Maiden

Miss Iron Maiden Walker (the 'Iron' is silent) was adopted into our family on August 28th, 2010 at 12:57pm from the Star Valley Humane Society in Thayne, Wyoming.

Weighing in at a whopping 1.7 lbs, this 10-week-old brown-eyed, gray and white tabby won our hearts by gingerly kissing Jeremy on the chin the first time he held her. She has the perfect balance of spunk and affection, has already pooped on our carpet and is still trying to figure out who that funny looking cat in the mirror is.

For those who don't know, I have been wanting a kitten for quite some time now. To be honest, ever since I moved out to Jackson I've been desperately in need of some company around the house when Jeremy's at work. It's questionable whether or not I'll be able to concentrate on my work now, but I can already tell that I'm going to love having Maiden around.

We're Engaged!!

On August 19th, at the top of Mount Mansfield in our beautiful home state of Vermont, Jeremy Walker told me there was a question he would only be asking once in his life. Sitting on a rock ledge, sweaty and jet-lagged, he asked me to marry him.

It was so surprising, yet expected and so silly, yet serious that I didn't know how to react. He was visibly nervous and I was in shock. I was experiencing my once in a lifetime proposal; the answer was so painfully obvious I was speechless. Finally, I came to and managed to say, "Yes, of course!"

Twenty minutes later, when we had finished crying and laughing and embracing, we got to our feet and had someone take our picture. "Sweet! Let's go down and start planning our wedding!!!"

The Full Report

My Love has been gone for over a week now and I barely know what to do with myself. It's been interesting, though, because this is really the first time I have lived by myself. Our babies are still alive and being watered everyday and the dishes are remarkably clean. However, I do have to say that there is a bit more clutter around the house without Julie here to keep me organized and I have been taking full advantage of leaving the toilet seat up. I really miss her terribly and can't wait for her to come back. The house is too silent without her here and I need her back to color the silence.

As Julie mentioned earlier July was a very busy month for the two of us. It was also an incredible month for us. We are getting very good at living together. It's been easy for us because we complete each other. My dad and his partner Gale visited us for five days. This was very important for Julie and I as now we have both met each other's parents. I think I can speak for my parents when I say that Julie has their overwhelming approval.

With my dad and Gale here we did what we always do best: being active in the outdoors followed by cocktails. I took my dad on a great mountain bike ride on Teton Pass. He survived without too many cuts and bruises. We also went on two great hikes. The first hike we did was an out and back up Granite Canyon. The second hike had to be one of the most memorable hikes I have experienced. We hiked up Teton Canyon to Teton Canyon Shelf to Alaska Basin and back down Teton Canyon. It was about 16 miles of some of the most gorgeous scenery the world can offer. The hike took us about ten hours and the conversation was never dull. After the hike we we ate Mexican food in the "Mexi-Bus." A perfect cap on a perfect day.

The last night of my dad and Gale's visit turned into a good old fashioned Jackson night including farmer's markets, great food, and pig wrestling at the County Fair. Classic!!

So that's the "full report" on a great visit. DAD, thanks so much for coming and spending time with us. We welcome other visitors with open arms. You just have to be ready to experience an almost gross amount of love in our house of love. As of now I am just waiting for Julie to come back from California. It's not natural for us to be apart like this. She truly is my other half. Before her return I will have my work cut out for me: cleaning the clutter, bathroom, kitchen, and of course making sure the toilet seats are down.