Hello 2010!!

It has been FOREVER since I've actually written anything so I decided what better thing to start off a new year with new resolutions...blog more. So, I have decided today is a great way to start off my renewed blogging spirit. Back up a little bit, Todd and I spent Thanksgiving with my family in Utah and had a wonderful time. The bad thing from the trip, I think the majority of us got sick...including myself with the flu and bronchitis. I have never actually had the flu as an adult and I have to say, I didn't think I could ever be sicker. High fevers, body aches, chest burning, and bad cough = MISERY. Todd started coming down with some of the same symptoms, minus fever, and I made him take the week dose of tamiflu and a variety of other mixtures of vitamins and cold medicines (his magical concoction that he swears by when he's coming down with anything resembling a cold), and he didn't get sick besides a day or so of chest congestion. I always thought I had the good immune system in the family but apparently Todd has me beat.

Few weeks after that, we made it to Oregon to spend Christmas with Todd's family. And, lucky for us, we got to see my family there for a little bit as well. We had a wonderful Christmas and are so grateful for generous and loving parents, siblings, and friends. Next on the list, New Year's. To be honest, we are one boring couple. Nothing too exciting and I fell asleep probably around 10. Todd woke me up around 11:58, we watched the ball drop, did the whole "Happy New Year" thing and I plopped my head back on the pillow and the couch and back to dream land I went. This happens quite frequently for me recently. Actually, who am I kidding?! This isn't a recent change. I have been falling asleep during movies, tv shows, etc later at night for years now...since I was kid.

One other monumental thing happened this past week. Fletch got neutered. It actually is one the most depressing things ever. I felt terrible. The vet says we had an easy recovery and so I thought to myself, "Wonderful, he's going to heal nicely, no problems at home with anything, right?" Not quite, within 24 hours of having him home, he chewed out all his stitches from his incision site, even with him wearing the e-collar. Which, is the most pathetic thing ever for any animal to wear. The "Collar of Shame." Funny thing, he kind of looks ashamed when he's wearing it. Went back to the vet the next morning, they stapled his incision (even though they said it wasn't necessary since it's stitched inside). Well, later on in the day, I took the e-collar off for him to drink easier and within minutes he had taken one of his staples half out. Ouch!! It was causing some bleeding. I called another vet that was open, they removed the half-out staple and everything is fine, for now. Fletch still acts a little funny and tries to lick, bite his incision area. But, we got a bigger e-collar so hope the problem is fixed and I really hope it doesn't get infected. Anyways, that's it for now and Fletch is adjusting well to his life as a "new man."

Craziness begins...

Well, it's been a couple of weeks which means it's about time to post something again. I have been trying to be better but it seems that my days are getting shorter and shorter, limited time for very much of anything...particularly with the dog. Fletch has turned cute little cuddly puppy to CRAZY DOG. Really he's only gets into his pyscho dog time around 8:00-9:00 p.m. when Todd and I want to just sit on the couch, watch one of our many tv shows we enjoy watching. But, nope, that ain't happening with Fletch. That's his "Let's go run around and get crazy time." It's actually really funny to watch him run around like a mad man but it means that he is "too overly stimulated" which obviously can not be a good thing. The only thing that will keep him occupied without getting too bored or anything are bully sticks. As our obedience trainer puts it, "They are the part of the bull that makes a bull a bull." So, if anyone has dogs, they LOVE these. They can be quite pricey, but they are so worth it. Some other items that he enjoys is a piece of roasted bone that is the back bone of the cow. Weird, I know. We have yet to try the cow's trachea but I will let you know how that goes.

That's our little update of the dog. He's adorable and growing so fast. We have started gradually switchinHe's pretty much potty trained (as long as we watch his signs and on occasion he actually goes and sits by the back door if he wants to let out). He is learning to play more and he loves going on long walks...even though he can be a little stubborn right now with walking on his leash. We started him on obedience training yesterday and we seem to really like the trainer.

Another monumental day for Todd was yesterday, his birthday. He turned 26 and as he puts it, "I'm on the downward slope to 30." We had a wonderful day, massages and all...

This is a picture of various bully sticks

Halloween and other things...

It was our first Halloween in an actual neighborhood so we had a lot of kids at our house for trick or treating. However, I had to send Todd out to get more candy in the middle of the night since we actually ran out. Oh well, we'll be more prepared next year. There were some really good costumes this year. I think one of our favorites was a little boy dressed up as a chicken...a Tyson chicken to be exact. Very cute. Fletch even had a good time. Actually, he was quite freaked out by the doorbell constantly going off but got braver as the night went on. He would poke his head out into the hallway whenever we opened the door. I honestly think the kids were more interested in the puppy than the actual candy.

Fletch is adjusting well to his new home :) We are getting used to him too. His current obsession is leaves. He loves to chase them, run through them, and actually eat them if he gets the chance. It has been absolutely beautiful here this past weekend so we attempted to take him to the dog park but he's too young. 4 months is the magical number. Well, we ended up taking him on a decent walk that wiped him out for the rest of the day. Here are a few pictures from our recent adventures...

Fletch's "Heaven": A pile of leaves

Yeah, I know, pretty ridiculous for him to be wearing a t-shirt but we (or should I say I) couldn't find any costume for him to wear so it's his Halloween t-shirt

Too many trick or treaters for him! He was exhausted by the end of the night

We have a New Member of the Family!!

Well, we actually did it. WE GOT A PUPPY! Yep, that's right. We probably have been talking about getting a dog since the day we got married (well, even when we were dating). We both love dogs and have always talked about getting one when we have a home of our own. Well, that time has come now. So, we debated between multiple breeds. And, after having the "Tucker" experience, we decided that a puppy was the way we wanted to go rather than a more adult dog (call us selfish if you'd like). So, after many weeks of researching various dog breeders from coast to coast and going back and forth between a cavalier king charles spaniel and a golden retriever, we settled on a English Cream golden retriever. Our new little guy (not little for long) is so sweet and adorable. We love him and are excited to be his new "parents." Life with a puppy is a new experience and we are excited to have this experience!! Here are a few pictures of Fletch...

Happy parents

Sleeping the ride home away...

We got this huge bed at Sam's for him to grow into. He seemed to have just toppled over but he seems to really like his new bed

Cake Decorating 101

Well, today was full of new beginnings...cake decorating new beginnings that is. A friend of mine's son turned one this past week and today was his birthday party. So, a couple of weeks ago, I volunteered to make him a cake. I have helped other people make and decorate cakes before but I have never done one completely by myself. I have been wanting to take a cake decorating class for the longest time at the Hobby Lobby here but have yet to get around to it. So, I ventured out into the internet world to try to find some cute decorating ideas. I settled on a monkey cake. Well, many hours in the kitchen prepping, baking, and mixing away, the result was as such: A monkey cake which consisted of a monkey head and a sheet cake in which the monkey was placed on, and a few large cupcakes and numerous smaller cupcakes. So, it was no perfection but needless to say, I got the job done and it was fun doing it too!!

3 Hours with Tucker...

As many of you know, Todd and I love dogs and recently have been thinking about getting one. Well, one thing led to another and we actually got in touch with a breeder in the area. Upon talking with her, she had an adult male bulldog named Tucker, 4 years of age, that she would sell to us. So, upon meeting Tucker, we fell in love with him and decided to make the plunge.

We made it home (even with a pit stop to pick up some supplies in Walmart) and Tucker just explored the outside and inside of our home. he followed Todd and me everywhere through the house to learn his new surroundings. Then, about 30 minutes later, he started breathing really heavy. Todd yells from the other room, "Angela, I don't think he can breathe." I run into the family room where Tucker and Todd were and low and behold, there was the dog, struggling for a breath, Todd gagging from the smell of the dog poo on the carpet, and a puddle of pee on the tile. Poor Tucker, I thought (and Todd, haha; Apparently Todd and the smell of poo are a bad mix. What on earth is he going to do with dirty diapers when we actually have kids???).

So, I skooted the dog to the tile flooring, I cleaned up both the pee and poo and then attempted to figure out what was happening. Asthma I thought perhaps? Todd was anxiously researching on the internet and he decided it could be acid reflux. We gave him some anti-acid pill, no help. Then, Todd called the breeder. The breeder said he was having a panic attack and to give him 2 benadryl. We gave him the 2 pills, with a little struggle but we did it, and no luck after 2 hours. For 2 hours, Tucker stood and struggled for breath. We tried to pet him and comfort him but nothing seemed to work. Finally, at 11:30 p.m., we made the trek back to the breeder to give him some medicine. Within 5 minutes, he was calm and breathing much better. Todd and I both decided that Tucker just couldn't be away from his home. We decided, along with the breeder, that he needs to be in a home with other dogs.

We left the breeder's home, sad that we had to see Tucker go but glad that the night finally came to a close. We chuckled slightly in the car on the way home cause we couldn't believe a dog could have a full on panic attack for 2 straight hours!!! How exhausting! Well, we tried. And, after that whole event, we didn't even take pictures of our dog that we had for 4 hours. We still want a dog at some point so we'll see what happens.

This is kind of what he looked like...but no brown around the eyes and his mouth/nose area was black

The Smell and Feel of Autumn is Upon on Us...

The weather is beginning to really change here...cooler, windier, a little more rainy recently (which I don't mind considering I don't have to water my plants). That means it is almost FALL!!! I love fall time. Everything about it...pumpkin flavors, caramel apples, apple cider, hot chocolate, the color changing leaves, the crisp air. Although, I love summer, I really like fall time too (Even though it means closer to dreary winter). Autumn officially begins on September 22nd so get your pumpkin and apple flavored candles out and let the season begin!