Diet Pills

My friend gave me this little bottle after I asked her how she managed to whittle down to a size 2 for her wedding day. She wasn't big by any stretch of the imagination, but after having three children, she wanted to shed a few pounds. I've known her for almost 15 years and figured she was harboring a little secret. This bottle has no English writing. I have no idea what's inside these dark purple capsules. I may be swallowing Asian cat poop. I don't care. I love them. I want to hug them; I want to marry them. My boot camp instructor is catching on though. She figures it must be something besides her gut-busting exercise regime. Since I can't get any more, I guess the poundage will find me again in the near future. Oh well. Note to Japan: Will you please convince the USA that we need your wonderful little purple capsules?

Favorite Web pictures

These pictures were found somewhere on the Internet, and at various times, I've saved them to my computer. They always make me smile no matter how many times I see them.

Ah, yes, the Taco Bell pup. If you are having a difficult day, just look at this photo. It's been popular for a long time. I think I probably got this off of cuteoverload.com.

This Princess Di puppy is a real crowd-pleaser. It's been all over the Internet. There's so much expression in that little guilty face. Who knows what the puppy did, but I'm absolutely sure he/she got out of it without being disciplined!

A baby gator...or crocodile, whatever. This picture is just too cool for school.

Ear-biting puppies. Yes! This is Adorableness 101.

Gollum's day care center photo caught my attention for obvious reasons. Although it was repulsive at first, somehow, over time, I've grown to love this picture. It makes me laugh sometimes; at other times, it gives me the warm fuzzies.

A baby hippo! Score.

I have a real soft spot for pit bulldogs, A.K.A. American Staffordshire Terriers (American Kennel Club rennamed them because of their negative reputation I guess.) These last three I got off of loldogs, I think. Dressing your pit bull as a kitten....hahahahahahahaha

Just carrying my pups ma'am... OK, so I feel better. Have a great day peoples!

Lumpy Gollum

I noticed this "lump" on Monday. It doubled in size by Tuesday, so I made an appointment for Thursday.

Of course I'm not worried! Why would I worry before tomorrow? Why would I worry before any lab results come back?

This is the baby who curls up on my pillow as soon as I get up in the morning.....

This is also the same guy who has broken both of his two front legs, contracted Parvo somewhere between his breeder's kennel and my house (yeah, right), lived in a cast for 5 months straight, and has vet records the size of a phone book.

This won't turn out to be anything, right? Of course not. That's why I'm not worried.

PF Changs patio time

Tom took me to PF Changs a couple nights ago, and the night was beautiful. I had forgotten to make dinner, sometimes just presuming we will slap together some sandwiches or take out some microwave TV dinners.

I'm so glad we went out, because everything lined up for a fun, romantic evening. He ordered the crispy wontons for an appetizer and honey shrimp for the entree. I wasn't hungry, but I got a side order of Asian slaw, and Tom convinced me to eat some of his unbelievably delicious wontons and shrimp. I drank warm Sake and remembered how much I love it. The honey shrimp has such an amazing sweet flavor without being overbearing. The warm weather and stormy-looking sky set the mood. We had a great table without other guests crowding us. It was semi-private (unusual for this place) and Tom had me going with his quick wit and devilish charm. I laughed so much! Thanks babycakes!

Hand & Foot

Last night was fun. I love playing cards. My family loves playing cards, and now I have three great girl friends who love playing cards too. Every month we will try to get together to play a game called Hand & Foot. You don't actually play it with your feet, but we thought the picture was cute. =)

Facebook

Facebook replaced MySpace as my social networking time-waster. It provides a variety of really fun games too. Word Challenge mirrors Text Twist, and Scramble is just like Boggle. Tom and I love word games. Danell and my brother-in-law, Josh, can compete in head-to-head challenges now through Facebook.
Tom combines the two and just calls them MyFace. Hahahahaha! Too funny. It seems like Facebook has a better reputation than MySpace. It's been fun to see who is on there. Now, what about this newest phenomenon....Twitter.

Dogs on a Treadmill

I took a million pictures of this; believe it or not, this shot is the LEAST blurry of them all. I should probably drag out my nice camera, but the Iphone is just so darn convenient.
I used a video clip of just Artimus, but they usually walk together.
We taught them how to do this a couple years ago. Artimus and Gollum lack the FAT or FUR to keep them comfortable outside during the cooler temperatures. They certainly don't go out in the rain, ice, snow, or even windy days. So we were stuck with these dogs who needed exercise.

Enter: The Dog Whisperer (National Geographic Channel)
He used the treadmill to rehabilitate many dogs, because an exercised dog is mentally much happier. He says dogs need exercise, discipline, and love in that order.
We never knew dogs could be trained to use a treadmill through positive reenforcement and a process called shaping. Basically, you take every step of the process and break it down in their little minds. Use lots of yummy treats. The first hurdle might have been the most difficult. Make them unafraid of this big, new piece of furniture that two strangers had just plopped down in the middle of the apartment. Next, convince the boys they want to get ON the treadmill. Then, start the treadmill. Baby steps baby steps. We used leashes at first, but they got the hang of it. I can actually walk on the treadmill with each of them individually as well.

Snail Mail

I happen to be a huge fan of the postal system. I love mail...the old-fashioned kind. I'm that person that loves to send greeting cards for all kinds of different occasions. My favorite part of Christmas involves the creation of our family greeting card. I love to take pictures and mail them to anyone I've ever known. Hey, at least it's not a bill or collection agency, right? It's something you can actually hold in your hand knowing that I've thought of you....whether you wanted me to or not. I love the idea that I can hand write something on a piece of paper and that for about 42 cents someone will hand deliver it to almost anyone anywhere. It's so personal. That's still pretty darn cool to me. As a kid, I really loved pen pals from other parts of the country, but I was always the one writing, hoping in vain (usually) that I would get a letter in return. Maybe this whole blogging, texting, Facebook stuff will eventually take the place of it, but the joy I get from sending and receiving actual snail mail will probably always remain.

Having explained my fascination for the USPS, you can bet surprise gifts arriving in the mail thrills the dickens outta me. (What are dickens?) My thoughtful husband likes to surprise me. About half the time, he will spoil the "surprise" part, because he's just so excited he has to tell me. But this time, he REALLY surprised me! For no particular reason or occasion, I got some great swag in the mail. How fun! Thanks sweetheart!

The T-shirts fit great, and the sign just cracks me up. The whole idea....an Italian greyhound who guards. hahahahahahaha YES! Because they are just so ferocious! LOL I'm so amused. Now, my biggest problem of the moment (as I see it), and since this is the most narcissistic thing to do. to blog. my perspective is the only one out there, right? So, as I see it, my biggest problem is where to put the darn thing. It makes sense to put it on our front door. Only 4 or 5 other people will EVER see it there. It's SOOO funny, I kinda want to put it in my car window. Yes, I think it will have to go in my car so the whole world can appreciate it. Tom, you made my day. Thank you!

The Veterinarian Appointment

Our canine children require regular maintenance. Toenail trims and anal gland expression require some nerves of steel. I leave these tasks to the professionals.

I imagine there aren't too many people as concerned about their dogs' anal sacs as I am. When they fill up, some dogs "scoot" to relieve themselves. Some dogs will naturally relieve themselves when they poop. I don't think an Italian greyhound can scoot; I've never seen it happen. It's favorable for our carpets, but unfavorable for Artimus and Gollum. They have to be manually emptied by a latex-gloved veterinarian. The alternative would be explosive, stinky, bloody, and requires sutures. I will spare you any other details.

This little appointment takes just a few minutes, but it is dreadful. The 6 -year-old baby, Gollum, will squeal "cry" like a little bird through the whole appointment while Artimus trembles with visible fear. They know what's comin' and it ain't pretty.

I'm tired of doctor appointments. Artimus and Gollum luckily live in the moment and have forgotten the trauma. They did kinda run to their cage and pass out as soon as we got home though.

Family Fridays

Nearly every Friday I get to visit my sister, Danell, and her kids. She lets me bring my dogs over. This not only allows me to visit for a longer time, but it also makes the day more fun. Her oldest son, Mark, isn't all that interested in the dogs, but my niece, Leah, is extremely intrigued. She says Artimus is her "baby," and she's slowly overcoming her trepidation toward their quick movements and flighty nature. She is fascinated by them but can't quite figure out how to interact with them yet. It's so funny to watch.

Danell's youngest son, Nathan, loves the dogs too. While we are eating, I close the dogs in their cage (crate) where Nathan will sit and stare and let Artimus lick his fingers through the crate door. When we finished lunch yesterday, Mark and Leah sat on the couch playing with the Iphone games. However, as soon as I let the dogs out of their crate, Leah focused on them. She follows them around and lets me and Danell know what she wants them to do.

Occasionally, the backyard will provide extra entertainment with rabbits, birds, and squirrels for the dogs to chase. Leah tells me when the "puppies" want to go outside, and she also tells me when they want to come in. She is only TWO years old! She tells me to hold them for her so she can pet them, but then she isn't quite sure that she wants to pet them after all.

Every week is an adventure at my sister's house as the kids and dogs seem to change and interact differently each visit. I have so much fun. Thank you Danell!

My Lap Is Not My Own

Once the warm temperatures of spring and summer roll around, my lap doesn't belong to me. Gollum will usually follow me around the apartment until I figure out what he wants. He wants me to sit on the balcony which is basically a brick oven now. Then he wants me to welcome him up, but even if I'm not welcoming...I will have a leggy, 15lb animal flinging himself into the air without concern...into my lap. If I'm not expecting this, he will use his eagle talons to dig into my clothing and just hang on. Fortunately, I am aware that it is now springtime and I must be ready to catch my baby boy at any time... if I venture out onto the balcony. Otherwise, Gollum pretty much ignores me.

Lunching with the Ladies

There's this wonderful phenomenon that happens when your husband doesn't expect you to work a nine-to-fiver. You get to balance your day between the tasks you need to do and the fun stuff you want to do. I went to lunch with a bunch of girls from my bootcamp class.

Holy wah-ca-moh-lee. How much fun was that!

It was totally fun, and I really love sitting on the patio with girls that could make the waiter blush. What was the man-kini comment? oh yeah, how about the voodoo conversation? I was totally scared.

The "female" appointment

Does anyone look forward to the dreaded gynecological appointment? Um, NO. I have to admit that some doctors have figured out that stirrups and cold instruments scream uncomfortable. I've had so many doctors. One asked me a really personal question, ...so NO. One complimented my breasts. Um, in-a-ppro-pri-ate. One put the copper IUD thing-y inside me which caused a really violent, unpleasant reaction. My sweet husband had to deal with THAT all night until he could rush me back the next day to have it removed. (Thank you for taking care of me, Tom!) One doctor forever overbooked herself, so I took naps in the waiting room when there weren't crying babies involved. That just got old. So I've settled on a doctor that my primary care physician referred me to. I've been really happy. Dr. Atkins on 8th Street. But don't go to her. I don't want to have to compete with you for appointments.
Yesterday was the dreaded appointment. I had to wait about an hour and a half to see the doctor. I won't switch doctors again though. I have an ultrasound on Monday to look for polyps. I worrying about the wait more than I am about the outcome of the bloodwork or ultrasound! =)

Oh my gosh. Sitting and waiting in the doctor's office tests my patience for all these patients. Ha! Making jokes to keep myself entertained. Thank goodness for these high-tech babysitters we have. I play games, text, facebook, surf, whatever... Then when nobody else wants to talk to me, I can now BLOG! How fun. I guess we ARE living in a narcissistic world. I have no idea how to spell that. When you are blogging, you are basically writing a letter to yourself that you anticipate others will be interested in! What an ego trip. Well, Tom lemme know when I've bored you to death. I'm aware you are most likely the only one that reads this. I wonder if there's a way to see if others read this. Unless you leave a comment, so far, I have no way to know. Maybe my brilliant sister can show me. Oh gosh, this elevator music combined with the crying child makes me want to reschedule this appointment. But after investing 25 minutes here, I'm reluctant to leave. What's with all the waiting rooms have "no food or drink allowed." I've never seen any waiting room police. Must be a suggestion, not a rule... Or meant for everyone else . Not me. There's that narcissism again! Ha!

Pizza sauce

My pizza sauce bombed. Sorry Tom! Apparantly, I performed onion overkill. I thought it was good, but sometimes when you work on something for so long and taste test it over and over, your perception is distorted. I guess if I had left the onions out, it would have tasted more like pizza sauce rather than really oniony-spaghetti sauce. I can hear Tom right now, "Why didn't you just BUY pizza sauce?"
Well, I ordered it with extra sauce, but it did not arrive that way.
Um, so did anyone see the truly disgusting video on YouTube with the two Domino's employees that did evil stuff to some cheese sticks? Apparantly the woman filming the whole thing was 31 years old. I didn't see it, but I heard about it on the radio. Dominos expects a significant profit loss. If anyone has ever worked in the restaurant industry, I think you either just get over it or never eat food that has been prepared by other people. I choose to ignore the health hazards of restaurants, but I really enjoy cooking at home anyway. So I think we've lowered our health risks. Has anyone read waiter rant? It's excellent perspective. Funny. waiterrant.net

First 2009 Spring Day with the Dogs

I spent most of yesterday romping around with my dogs. I took them to North Richland Hills for a walk/run with my friends from bootcamp. Then I took them across Davis Blvd for an hour or so at the dog park. What perfect weather. I love spending time with my "boys," but they have to have the right temperature, no wind, and the right combination of other canine companions to have fun at the dog park. Today we were in luck. A couple of squirrels made the outing spectacular.

up and walking fast

Ok, so I'm not up and running on this thing. I want to figure out some more about blogging, but it's been pretty user friendly so far. It's just that this user has some learning disabilities. I'm trying to live up to my sister's computer savvy blog knowledge. I need to get over the comparisons.

So, I guess I'll take a break and check on my homemade pizza sauce. I've never made it before, so I gotta keep testing it.

Sitting on the balcony with Tom. Can't wait to find out more about blogging and posting pictures.

I think I can post by texting from my phone. We shall see...

I'm trying to post a blog. Hello hello. Is this thing on?