At the Coulee, Coulee Cabanna-ahhhhhh

In May of 2000, Reg and I were scanning the classifieds as we routinely did in search of a Lab. Living in Tacoma we were in prime hunting lab territory, just a matter of finding the right pup. We had our eyes peeled for a AKC yellow lab, female, English style. The ad said they had black and yellow labs, males and females for a price well below our budget. We called to see what was wrong with the dogs that they were such a steal. There was a litter of 10, the yellow girls were gone but they had a few black. The following weekend we made the 110 mile drive to Chehalis, WA to meet the momma, poppa and their pups. Coulee was born on a beautiful farm to gorgeous parents. A tubby black male greeted us when we walked into an enclosure, he had just grabbed a mouthful of kibble and then waddled over to Regan and tumbled onto his feet. It was love at first sight, he had chosen us. We were told he was the runt and that they had bottle fed him to keep pace with his siblings. Safe to say he was never referred to as a runt again.

 Coulee traveled with us to 6 different states via airplane and car. He went wherever we went until Preston came along. Once he had Pres, he kept a close eye. While Reg was deployed he gladly took on security chores and made sure to get as close as possible when I cried. He loved to chase a tennis ball, sleep on top of you, wrestle with the closest person or animal, provide loads of unconditional love and bark.  There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't get in trouble for stepping, bumping or barking but always came back to heap on love. Really hard to write about him as he was the best companion we could have ever asked for. When we moved to Hawaii last year my parents took care of him for us. This last year he was showered with attention, we will never be able to thank my parents enough. 2 months ago we found out he had bone cancer, Friday it caught up with him. Hoping that when we get to Heaven he will be there to tumble at our feet once again. Love you dog-dog.

Coulee Cascade Halsted

March 13, 2000 - September 21, 2012

Otherwise, we are doing just fine. My mom went back to California on Saturday after being here for 5 weeks. She stuck around an extra couple of weekes to ensure Alexa transitioned in to daycare well and to attend grandparents day at Preston's school. Both events went over well. Check out the pictures to see our adventures and I have included some videos for some entertainment.