Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Spring Fever

Yep, I've got it. Which I think is pretty sad. I don't remember feeling spring fever when I lived in Wisconsin and that's a colder, longer winter than Virginia. Maybe that's it...since VA gives us hints of spring all winter long (60 one day, 30 the next) it just makes it seem like spring should come right now at full force. No more of this back and forth, warm and cold weather...it just needs to stay warm. I want to walk the dogs at dusk and just need a sweatshirt instead of the winter coat, gloves, and hat. I want to be able to sit outside and read my book, instead of curled up on the couch. Oh well, I guess I'll appreciate it that much more when it really comes for sure.

Monday, February 27, 2006

We're Ba-aack!


And what fun we had. We got back from our honeymoon at about 2am on Saturday morning. Whistler was absolutely beautiful and we took about 150 pictures. Yes, I already had them printed at Costco :) Now, I just need to burn CDs of the pictures for our families. I made them a CD of our wedding pictures and put it in a cute sarabinder. They can just add the new CD to that binder. Who knew it would come in handy. So, it's Monday, we've unpacked, cleaned the house (damn that feels good), and tryed to "reset" our clocks. I took today off because I knew I wouldn't be ready to work fully. I've got a busy week ahead of me with lots to do and many pressing issues. Hopefully, it will be challenging and fun...I'm so tired of being bored and frustrated at work. I spent today running around with the dogs and spent way too much money on scrapbook supplies for the honeymoon scrapbook...but everything I got was 25% off so I still feel like I scored. Took Basil & Jenny to the dog park for about 40 minutes (the dog park is simply a part of our life). I'd have like to stay longer but it's COLD outside, as cold as it was in Canada.

So...what did we do in Whistler? John skied everyday nearly all day. I took four lessons but never got off the training hill :) I didn't fall too much and I had fun learning. We went out to dinner everynight then walked through the quaint village arm in arm...so romantic. We ate at some ok places, some good places, and one gourmet meal. I had so much fun eating out and didn't have much anxiety which is amazing! After our walk, we'd stop by the Starbucks near the hotel for a hot chocolate. We both had reflexology massages (yeah...they were necessary because our feet and legs were so sore) and I went in the hot tub nearly every day. The only disappointing part was that I never got good enough to ski with John. John was super supportive and patient. He had an absolutely wonderful time!

The scenery was beautiful, gorgeous, amazing...God's work. The best scenery was on the bus ride from the hotel to the airport - we drove along the coast...oceans with snowcapped mountains and waterfalls...too cool. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures because the bus was moving pretty quickly and the windows were dirty. I did get a few pictures at the airport...there is just beauty everywhere there.

The dogs were boarded at the same place they have doggy day care so they played all day long. I picked them up around 9am on Saturday. They were so happy to see me (and later to see John). They needed baths, which they got last night and they were tired. They slept all day Saturday, only waking to go to the bathroom, and most of the day Sunday. We only had to take them to the pond for about 30 mintues to tire them out. Today, they are still a bit tired but much more back to themselves. Basil lost quite a bit of weight because he doesn't eat much when we're gone. I'm sure that if a vet saw him, they'd think we were underfeeding him :) He is making up for it though...getting lots of treats (from both of us) and eating about 4-6 cups of food each day. We don't feed our dogs on a schedule...they always have full bowls of food available to them. Now, we do this because neither of them has anything close to a weight problem and they only eat until they are full. We're very lucky in this respect. But, I digress.

So, we're home - happy, safe and sound. I'm off to make steaks, asparagus, and red potatoes for dinner.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

We're Packed!


Well, as much as we can be at this point. We still need some basic stuff to get through the night. All told it will take four pieces of checked luggage :) And I'm guessing that one or more of our pieces will be overweight and we'll have to pay extra money. You see, we're traveling to the West Coast of Canada and we live on the East Coast (mid-atlantic) and we're going skiing. This means that we have regular clothes AND ski clothes for each day. There is actually a bit of room in each of the suitcases and some of the stuff we're bringing will be gone before we return. I'm really hoping we'll have room for the stuff we buy...either that or we'll have to ship it back.

I've been feeling pretty good today, not too anxious. I will be hungry for dinner which is a good thing :) We don't have to leave for the airport until 10am so I won't feel rushed in the morning. I think I'll take the dogs to the kennel around 8:30am...I'm still trying to figure out how much food to pack and how to pack it. I think I'll figure three cups per day, maybe less. I might just stop and buy a smaller bag of dog food to bring with them. I also pack a scent item (t-shirt I've slept in for a few days), a few soft toys for them to sleep with, and treats. The kennel provides the bedding, which is fabulous.

Ok, well, I need to call my mom then pick up the dogs, and then I'll shave and shower and try to rest for the remainder of the evening. Oh, remember that 12" of snow we got? Yea, it's now pretty much all gone. It was 64 degrees today :) I'm really beginning to appreciate Northern VA more because the weather is so moderate...some cold days, some hot days, but nothing I can't handle. Ok, I'm really off now. Not sure if I'll post while we're vacationing...I made a honeymoon journal so I'll probably write in there. Take care...

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

This is different...

I don't have to go to bed "on time" tonight :) JT and I are leaving for our honeymoon on Friday so I took tomorrow off to pack and make sure we have everything together. We were married in September but are going to Canada to ski. September and skiing don't really go together, so we decided to wait. I think it was a great idea. I'm leaving my Blackberry from work home so they are on their own! So, tomorrow, the dogs go to doggy day care (hey, don't laugh ;)) so they'll be nice and tired tomorrow night. I should be able to rest a bit. I have a anxiety and panic disorders so being able to rest is key to my emotional well-being.

On another note, I finished the last project from the Ali Edward's classes I took this weekend. It's called "Today I" and it covers 9 days in my life. I chose random days in the month of January. It was simple to do but I think it will mean quite a bit to the generations after me. We often forget about our day to day lives because, well, we do it every day. By doing this project, I realized that each day really is different and each day really is something to celebrate.

I'm already missing my pups. The place we're going is very dog friendly but they'd have to be on a plane for over 8 hours, which isn't something we're willing to do. They are being boarded in a nice big run at the same place they go to day care. They'll get to play with a bunch of other dogs each day they are there and the people there love them as much as we do *almost*. It's nice because, after playing all day, they're really to tired to miss us too much. My biggest worry is Basil (the boxer). He tends not to eat when we're gone and he really doesn't have any weight to spare. A loss of 5lbs on this dog makes him look anorexic. Yes, we feed him...pretty much anything he wants...he's got a high metablism :)

Wow, what a ramble, guess I've got a bit on my mind tonight. Ah well, I'm off to bed so I can cuddle with JT.

Saw this on BoxerWorld this morning

I just love this story and I often use it to try to comfort those who have lost a pet.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year- old IrishWolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and theirlittle boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hopingfor a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old, Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I had never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

I believe this just couldn't be more true. Dogs are God's gift to us...given to show a glimpse of His unconditional love. Really, you can do anything to a dog and it will still love you...you can turn your back on them, neglect them, abuse them, ignore them and they will still love you. The only other 'being' I know that loves that way is God.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Fun at 7am

So, I'm actually early as I head out for work. Basil and Jenny have had their walk and are happily chewing on their "good-bye" treat. As I walk into the garage, I see a car drive by and a flash of a four-legged creature. It's Beckham, a boxer that lives nearby. He used to get out all the time but I hadn't seen him loose in over a month. Beckham and Basil hate each other so I breathe a quick sigh of relief that I just put my dogs inside.

After having lost Jenny for 15 hours recently, I couldn't, in good conscience, leave Beckham running loose without at least talking to his owner. So, I try to coax him to me with a toy, then some food...he just isn't having it. I walk to his house and the doors are wide open waiting for him to come in. I was upset that they weren't frantically searching but she came out as soon as I walked up. Her son was quickly getting dressed. Meanwhile, Beckham is dancing in and out of vehicles, chasing them and biting their tires. See, Beckham likes to play chase me so there pretty much isn't a way to win...even if you have food. I try to help for a while but I become more of a hinderance. So, I wait until the son and neighboor have his attention and I drive away. I was frustrated, trying to think of what I could do about the fact that he runs...frustrated with the owner thinking she didn't care about him enough to train him. Then I realized, shit happens. None of us are perfect. My dogs have been off leash and run up to strangers...not cool. So, I say a prayer, a prayer that Beckham stays safe and a prayer that his owner doesn't give up on him. Hopefully, he will calm as he ages. I also say a prayer for patience and understanding and hope that the next time my dogs are a problem, someone says a prayer for me.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Great Weekend!

So, about three months ago, I learned that Ali Edwards (scrapbooking celeb) was going to be teaching classes at a crop nearby. I jumped at the chance to take her classes b/c she just seems so cool. I had no problem convincing JT that this was a fabulous idea.

It was a fabulous idea. I took three amazing classes from Ali this weekend. I even completed two of the three books while I was in class. Ali truly is a nice, genuine woman. The classrooms were packed and everyone was excited! I didn't do the crop part b/c after the classes (each one was 3 hours long), I just didn't have it in me. That's okay though...now I know what to plan for next time. I met up with a woman I know from Two Peas, Stephanie. She is such a nice woman. I really enjoyed talking and taking the class with her. Hopefully the whole VA group of us will be able to get together soon.

...now here is the really fun part. We got over 12 inches of snow last night. Oh, it was just beautiful! I am in awe of what God can do. I took Basil and Jenny out at about 7:30am and they had a blast playing in the snow. They ran, jumped, and played. They were both covered with snow...especially Jenny, who actually fell in above her head in one place. I just love to watch them when they are experiencing pure joy and happiness. Of course, the scenery was beautiful. It was so early that everything was undisturbed. I just hope a few of my pictures turned out well. I ended up rushing to my class this morning but I realized something...I would never regret being late for class, but I would regret not taking the time to enjoy God's work and my dogs play. When I took them back at 4pm, the trees had lost much of their snow, and the ground had been trampled...I was right, I didn't regret it.

Friday, February 10, 2006

First Post

Original title, I know. Well, I've tried this blogging thing once before and I just couldn't keep it up. I have had a lot of thoughts lately where I think to myself, "hey, I should really write that down". I do keep a journal but it is my "get fit" journal and I don't like to mix topics (can you say OCD?). So, here it is, my online journal. Perhaps I will invite our family to follow it...we live so far away from all of them, I wonder if they'd enjoy a peek into our daily lives...hmmm.

Well, I'm going to a big crop (scrapbooking term) tomorrow and taking classes from the wonderful Ali Edwards...so looking forward to it. It's supposed to snow so maybe that will keep some people away and I'll have more room ;) Anyway, I really need to pack my bags with all the stuff I want to take but I'm unmotivated. I won't have time in the morning so I better get on it. Maybe I'll even have time to watch some TIVO'd Monk.