Fixed Dogs

Yet again I find that my story revolves around my dog and his crazy antics and ways. Luckily, this time I am able to report that he did not eat anything. That does not however mean that he did not possibly destroy something.

While I was singing at church a week or so ago Brandon was home alone with the dog. It is common in our house to let the dog on the couch or up into our lap in our Lazyboy chair, so I was not surprised to learn that the dog had been in the chair with Brandon for most of the night. Brandon did mention, when I got home, that the dog had gas and smelled; he even mentioned that he had made the chair smell. We febreezed the chair and opted to not give the dog any people food for the next couple days. Later that week Brandon, while in the chair, complained again that the dog had gas and was stinking up the house. We laughed and thought nothing of it; thinking Tiko was just a gassy dog.

Last night was the first time I had really sat in the chair since Tiko "farting" on it. It's Brandon's chair and I usually prefer the couch. As I lounged I also noticed a fowl smell and noted that the dog was not even in the room. I sniffed around and noticed a white spot on the arm of the chair, when I got a big whiff I gagged. We're still not completely sure what happened; however, my theory is that Brandon got the dog a little too excited while cuddling in the chair and Tiko leaked a little of that excitement onto Brandon, the blanket (which was washed the night of) and the chair.

I was totally unaware of the fact that a fixed dog could do that but the smell caused me to believe otherwise. Febreeze did nothing but add a hint of flowers to it and the Resolve Pet Orders only removed the flower smell from the Febreeze. The smell was so bad we talked about possibly having to get rid of the chair; my theory is that since Brandon was unaware of what happened and it didn't get it cleaned up it had sunk into the padding of the arm of the chair; the stain was deep and so was the smell.

When I called my mom for advice she laughed hysterically at the idea that my fixed dog had come on my chair and the smell was toxic enough for us to want to get rid of it. When she learned that the resolve didn't work she recommended bleach or ammonia; we were desperate to not have to get rid of it (it's Brandon's favorite chair!). I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed the spot with Febreeze and Resolve and made plans to find some ammonia at the store the next day.

Then I had an epiphany: Lavender Spray! Lavender neutralizes most harsh, and in our case toxic, smells! I doused the arm of the chair with the lavender relaxation body spray I keep on my nightstand and left it dry. Brandon thinks the lavender may have worked but I have yet to do a smell test; I'm hoping for the best!

Lesson learned: Fixed dogs CAN still generate sperm or a come like mixture that reaks of something NASTY; be sure to clean up right away and possibly follow up with a little bit of lavender or ammonia.

Birthday Fun

Friday was the hubby's 27th b-day so of course I had an evening of fun planned. I made "reservations" at The Great Stony River Legendary Steakhouse and wrapped his present in 6 different boxes.

Since I got home earlier than planned I scooted his big present over to him wanting him to believe it was heavy and breakable. Although he didn't believe it was heavy he was surprised to find another wrapped box inside. After unwrapping 4 boxes he began to glare at me, hehehe, after 6 he threatened to throw me out the window if there was another box. I got him the first 2 seasons of The Big Bang Theory and even those were wrapped separately. After 6 boxes and tons of wrapping paper later he was pleased to see that we could spend the next couple days watching our new favorite show! We had to promise one another that we would not watch any episodes in the other's absence.

With the evening starting out on such a good note we headed to the Stony River with high spirits. Since the restaurant is in The Summit it took us almost 10 minutes to find a place to park, but even then we were 5 minutes early for our "reservation". I say "reservation" because it's not really a reservation; it's what they call priority seating. You put your name on the list for a certain time, if a table is ready at that time then you are seated right away but if there is not a table you are told that you will wait no more than 30 minutes before being seated. The place was packed when we arrived but due to our priority seating we were told it would be no more than 30 minutes; however, a HOUR AND 15 MINUTES LATER we were finally lead to a table.

At one point we think we over heard the hostess tell someone there was over a 2 hour wait and where did all those people wait, in and around the hostess stand and bar of course. It was hard to walk around and getting to our table was like walking through a maze so the hostess had to lead us all the way around the parameter to get to a table that was right next to the hostess stand. Our table, although not next to the bar, was fairly close to it and the noise level was insane. Even though Brandon was sitting right in front of me I could not hear a word he was saying. We spent the whole meal leaning across the table and yelling at one another.

We couldn't help but chuckle when they brought us the bread; the dinner rolls were the size of donut holes and kinda of tasted like them. We only got 4 rolls and the waitress seemed shocked when we asked for more; after a hour and 15 minute wait we were hungry and the bite of bread we received had not pacified us in the least. The food was good but not something I would write home about or rave to my friends about; Brandon got the prime rib and I chose one of their signature filet's. We enjoyed the food but I doubt it will be a restaurant we go to again. One of the main reasons we chose that restaurant was because we had a $20 off coupon; it's a 5 star restaurant so the prices are high and $20 off really helped. We opted out of dessert, nothing looked good, and decided to eat the cake and ice cream we had at home.

We joked on the way home that it was, yet again, my fault that things didn't turn out quite as planned (Kennedy Curse). Brandon teased that my expectations were too high; however, I think having an expectation of being seated with in the 30 minutes I was told was reasonable. Plus, I have medical issues that require that 30 minute time limit to be met. Oh well, it makes for a good story and I told Brandon that we just needed to realize that we are not high class, do not have high class taste, and need to just stick with Japanese because it would taste just as good and be much cheaper! We finished off the evening with a Big Bang Theory marathon.

The evening was full of laughter and Brandon had a good birthday, from what I've heard. :)

Winter Weather

Oh the weather outside has been frightful and I wish I had a fireplace that was delightful; and I have to go to work today. Let it snow, let is snow, let is snow.

Since the new year the temperature has reached record lows. It has gotten down into the single digits with wind chills below zero and the small amount of snow on the ground has caused panic among the people in my city. Milk and bread are hard to find in almost any store, there is not a single snow shovel for sale, and bags of salt are impossible to find. The worst of it all, Brandon threw the dog's ball on the roof and got it stuck in the snow. Brandon threw the dog's ball on the roof?! Sounds crazy, right?

For over a year Brandon has been wanting Tiko to learn how to catch. It doesn't matter if you throw food, a toy, or a treat Tiko will NOT catch it. He doesn't even try to catch it; instead he just stands there and allows it to smack him in the face until it hits the ground so he can pick it up. Call Brandon crazy, call him determined, call him whatever you like but he refuses to give up on teaching Tiko how to catch.

In his determination last summer Brandon came up with a great idea, throw the ball onto the roof and let it roll off. In the process encourage Tiko to catch it off the roof and bring it back, teaching him to catch! Granted the ball rolling off the roof is the ONLY thing he'll catch but I think this little bit of progress has greatly encouraged Brandon in his goal and Tiko LOVES doing it. Tiko will anxiously await for the ball to hit the gutter and fly into the air so he can jump up and catch it in his mouth. Although he is only successful in actually catching it about half the time he still struts around the yard showing off what he's done each time, even if he picked it up off the ground.

While I was out of the house the other day Brandon took Tiko out to play in the snow. When Tiko began to tire Brandon picked up the ball and threw it on the roof. Tiko perked up and waited for his cue not missing a beat as to what he was suppose to do. Tiko caught the ball and brought it back to Brandon; not thinking that the roof was covered in snow Brandon threw the ball a second time and Tiko got in place to catch it. Due to the snow the ball got stuck and never rolled down the roof. At first Tiko stood still listening for the ball but when he didn't hear where it was "rolling" he started running around the house trying to find where it had fallen and obviously thinking he had missed something. Brandon said it was hysterical watching Tiko running around confusion clearly written on the poor dog's face.

I guess Tiko will have to wait for the snow to melt before he'll be able to catch his ball...

Charity Wrap

While decorating the office for Christmas the group of us decided that the tree in our lobby needed something more. While a co-worker went out in search of flowers and candles I hunted down some boxes to wrap and put under the tree. It was while wrapping a bunch of empty boxes that a couple of us came up with the idea to wrap presents for money. A few co-workers had walked by and asked if I would wrap their presents for them. Teasing them I responded that I would for $2 a box. :) We all thought it would be a great idea to have someone wrap presents for our pilots to raise money for our foundation. We all talked about for a time and went out separate ways thinking it would never come to pass due to lack of time to put it together.

On my way home from work I thought it through and decided that it sounded like too much fun to pass up. That night I put together a flyer and worked out some prices and made plans to send out a blast email in the morning. I love to wrap presents and in the past have wrapped numerous Christmas presents for my mom, including my own. For a small fee to the staff and pilots I would wrap their Christmas presents for them and donate all the money I made to our foundation. I provided 6 different types of wrapping paper to choose from and bows. People could bring me their presents in boxes or I would try and box it for them if I could; they could even bring their own wrapping paper if they preferred. I set a goal for $100 and hoped for the best. For three weeks I wrapped presents for my co-workers on my lunch breaks and loved every minuted of it. In the end I raised $150! The fact that I not only met my goal but surpassed it made my day!!! After the first of the year I will get the opportunity to present our foundation with a check of all the money I raised; I can't wait.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Book Smell

All through high school whenever I went out with friends we would usually end up in one of two places; a coffee shop or a bookstore. Call me a beatnik, I don't care. Yes, I used to write poetry and love to sit and discuss philosophy over a cup of a hot whole milk mocha latte, an Irish coffee, or a cappuccino. We thought ourselves to be so cool as we perused the isles of books always stopping to give a careful look in the classics section. Even my last 2 years of high school were spent working at the local library; doing everything from shelving books, dusting, and checking books in and out. I loved it, I love the women I worked with, I loved the regulars who would frequent the library to read the daily paper or peruse the DVDs. More than anything I loved the smell; quirky, I know. The smell that radiated the walls of the library, outside of the random bum who would wander in every now and again, was the smell of old paper and cloth bindings. The smell of books that held a history, a story, and a secret.

The women at the library tried so hard to get me to stay and get a library science degree at the local University but the need to get out on my own and make my own life pushed me to stick with my college of choice, 3 hours away from everyone and everything. Yet, even in college I ended up in the library working through my financial aid program. I spent one year in the Acquisitions department and one year helping to catalog. I loved it. I loved the people, I loved the work, I loved the smell.

After finishing an Education degree and teaching for a little over six months I knew I wanted back in a library. I wanted to be surrounded by books and by that wonderful smell. Although I love my job as an Executive Reference Assistant, where I spend my days cataloging, I miss being surrounded by books. Just last night I visited the library, a first in months, and I walked in with nothing particular in mind but just wanting to take pleasure in slowly walking each isle and looking at each book in turn. I inhaled deeply as I stood in the non fiction section taking it all in: the quite chatter of the library patrons, the little beep as a book was being checked out, the slight rustle of a page being turned or a book being opened, and the incredible smell of old books and cloth bindings.

I miss working in a library. Last night, more than ever, I missed working in a library. The people are always different and yet you always have a few regulars that can always make you laugh or smile. The opportunity to care for each book as if it were my own, shelving each one with tender care. Unfolding page corners or taping up a book cover so that it will last just a little longer.

Call me a nerd, call me a dork, I don't care. Bookstores and libraries are my happy place. They calm me when I'm upset and make me happy when I'm down. A quick trip after a long day can melt my stress away quicker and better than any bubble bath. It had been a long time since I had step foot in one before last night and that one trip made me yearn for my old job back in a library in a way I didn't know was possible.

I love being a cataloger but I miss working in a library.
I miss the smell of books.

Another Blog

As if I don't have enough to do in my daily life I have set forth to create and maintatin another blog.

This blog will follow me daily through the trails and tribulations of caring for my long and curly hair. There are so many people out there with so many ideas but I have chosen the most recent phenomenon; I am going to stop using shampoo. Following Lorraine Massey's method from her 2001 book Curly Girl I plan to document my findings, the products I use, and the method in which I care for my hair over the next 6 months to a year.

I do not plan to stop writing about Brandon and I's crazy antics, I just plan to also write about my experience about no longer using shampoo. It is my hope that a day to day walkthrough of this method will helps others with curly hair learn to care for their curls and hopefully make them healthier, shinier, and better looking. :)

Be sure to check it out:
The Daily Life of a Curly Haired Girl

There are no words...

Grand Canyon is...

Monday morning Brandon and I headed out for the Grand Canyon National Park unsure of what to expect. We knew it was going to be beautiful. We knew it was going to be on a large scale. We knew it was going to be completely unique. We never imagined what we saw. There truly are no words that would give justice to the creation of the Grand Canyon; beautiful, incredible, and amazing just don't sound good enough. As we entered the park and found a spot to park the car our view was blocked by trees. After getting out and walking to the rim we both just stood in complete silence and in awe of what was before us. Once the shock wore off we continued down the rim trail only stopping every now and again to snap a picture or two or watch as tourists stared out with the same dumbfounded look that I'm sure we wore more than once while there. Despite spending 3 days at the canyon, every time I took a moment to look out over it all I still could not take it in. Never in my life have I felt so insignificant to my creator and His plan or stood in such complete awe of something.

The Grand Canyon was not made over night. The fact that God knew what the outcome would be as each year passed and the beauty it would behold atounds me. Over thousands of years God waited and watched as His creation was molded; I imagine Him anxiously awaiting for the incredible reveal when it reached it's full potential.

It was during out 12 mile hike into the canyon, which I highly recommend to anyone who has the energy and time to do while there, that I am like the Grand Canyon. No, people don't flock to come and see my beauty (what little I have) on a daily basis but I am slowly being molded on a daily basis. Christ is axiously awaiting for me to reach my full potential and patiently creating me into something He finds beautiful; something He is proud to look on daily. My hope is that people will be drawn to me as they are to the canyon. The beauty they find there, although some don't know it, is Christ. I hope that others are drawn to the beauty of Christ in me too just as they are to the Grand Canyon.

My husband laughed at me all three days for "glowing". He just couldn't seem to get over how much pure joy just radiated out of me while we were there. Even after 10 miles of hiking, extreme heat and exhaustion, and 2 miles straight UP to go I still "glowed".

As I've said there are no words that would give justice to the beauty that the Grand Canyon holds. It has always been a dream to go and to hike down into the canyon and I couldn't be more content to have fulfilled that dream. The hike was nothing like I've ever done before. Although my husband may not agree, I found it to be well worth the pain and exhaustion we experienced. It was one thing to stand at the rim and look down, it was something completely different to be 300 ft. from the bottom of the canyon looking up at it's walls. To be completely immursed within the rocks and see the formations and cliffs up close; there is nothing like it.