Mysterious, Horrible Smell

A couple of weeks ago, we were driving to Emilie and Doug's when Carrie noticed a strong odor in the car. Something like a mix of wet dog, burnt hair, and manure. We decided that it was Emilie and Doug's sleeping bags, which we were taking back to them after they'd been in our garage for a while. We debated whether to tell them or just put the sleeping bags in their garage before they could smell them. Here's a shot of the way over.

As we got in the car to leave their house about six hours later, we were instantly alerted that it was certainly NOT their sleeping bags. Doug and Ben (Emilie's brother) made the mistake of sticking their heads in the car to check it out only to end up dry-heaving for five minutes afterward. Apparently having the doors and windows shut for six hours gave it time to strengthen in pungency to an almost lethal level.

Some searching around in the car led me to an old water bottle in the backseat floorboard that had once held Carrie's protein shake mix - Cookies 'n' Cream powder plus cranberry juice. What it now held was a fermented draught of evil. I opened the lid to confirm that it was the culprit and it almost burned my eyes out.

We threw the bottle away, went home, and googled every home remedy we could find for odor removal. Charcoal was the winner, and I drove my car around for the next week with two baking pans full of charcoal briquettes. No dice. I finally got my car detailed, complete with carpet shampooing, and that took most of it out. The smell is lingering but getting better with each Febrezing.

Moral of story. Cookies 'n' Cream plus cranberry juice is the worst combination ever for a protein shake.

For Holly

Yes, we are back in the blogosphere. Hopefully with a little more regularity this time :)

Many things have happened since our last post in March 2009, but most of them have happened in the past four weeks. Soooo....

1) I finished my post-doc in Boulder! As of August 12, I am happily self-employed and building my private practice here in Fort Collins! Feels great so far - it's definitely where I want to be putting my energy.

2) Carrie started back to "real work" - no more summer vacation (if there ever was one in the first place) - she was hard at work starting August 1, prepping to teach all the new interns at the counseling center how to lead groups. Tons of work, but she's the best one for it - as anyone who's seen her in action could attest, she has got some group-leading skillz.

3) I passed the dreaded licensing exam...the last professional hurdle or test that I will EVER have to take is done! This brings credibility and opens a lot of possibilities for me - always a good thing.

4) We moved! To a new house on the western side of Fort Collins near the stadium. We love it so far - tons of room and a yard :) I like the trails nearby too. It's a little bit longer bike ride, but totally worth it.

And of course.....the wedding! On August 29, we made it official. No more living in sin - we're totally legit now. Check out some pictures by going here and scrolling about a third of the way down. We had a complete blast with all of our friends and family over the weekend! Some karaoke, some drinks, a LOT of love and fabulous weather made for a perfect weekend - thanks to all of you who came to celebrate with us :)

The next month or so looks to be pretty busy too - hopefully a party in the new house, a couple of friends' weddings, and a marathon in October...