Preparations are under way

Tomorrow will be the 2nd annual New Year's Eve party in the 'burbs!!!!  I'm so thrilled that our friends will once again make the trip up to ring in the new year with us.  This year, I'm excited to welcome both old and new friends into the mix and a couple of canine pals as well!  As I'm learning more about the in's and out's of party hosting (hostessing?), this process has been getting more and more efficient.

One important lesson:  people WANT to bring stuff, so let them!!!  Instead of saying, "bring whatever", I've given out assignments, in sort of a divide and conquer type of approach.  Since I made assignments, I know that only the A-game goodness will be showing up for the celebration.  A few highlights...Sheila's veggie pizza, Brian's buffalo chicken dip and of course the New Year's Pretzel (custom ordered without the maraschino cherries, which make the whole thing a sloppy mess).

Cheers to 2009!

The spoils of a wonderful December

When Nick and I returned home after approximately 4 Christmases (New Lex-twice, Our Christmas and Pittsburgh), this is what our house looked like.  Every available space was covered in one or more of the following:

a.  Christmas presents

b.  Trash

c.  Mail

d.  Dog paraphernalia (toys, treats, hair, etc.)

e.  Christmas decorations

f.  Laundry

g.  Dishes

When we took a step back, all we could do was laugh.  Before we began the massive clean-up, I had to snap a few pictures because the mess was even beyond what Nick and I are normally capable of.  Yes I know - hard to believe but even the two slobs have standards.

The first phase of clean up happened last night, which was mostly general organization, trash and recycling.  Tonight, we begin Phase 2:  putting away (hopefully). Tomorrow is Phase 3: cleaning and tumbleweed removal.  Our incentive:  not subjecting our friends to this disaster area and knowing that drunk people sometimes don't navigate through these types of obstacle courses all that well.

I smell bacon....

Do you smell bacon?  Why yes, I definitely smell a pork product of some type. (WAYNES WORLD!!!!).

How much fun is it to take otherwise dry and  boring websites and add a big ole' slice of bacon!!??!  

Click here to try it - c'mon, you know you want to.  Just sit back and bask in the ironic bacon goodness.

My Happy Hubby

Here's a snapshot of Nick's afternoon off.  This unplanned 1/2 day vacation interrupted Chino's 12 hour nap with bright lights and loud noises.  Chino's revenge? Going all Gene Simmons on Nick to show him who's boss.  After which, he immediately went back to pretending not to care. What Chino doesn't know is that these spontaneous bursts of affection are quite enjoyable, since it gives us a small inkling that Chino likes us, just a little, even if he chooses to fake indifference.

In the holiday sprit

To the right of the monkey, beneath the palm tree, on top of part of my napkin collection and to the left of the Buddha, orchid and stress ball, you will find my contribution to the office cheer. Incase you're wondering, yes coffee does taste better when sipped from this mug (on sale at Kohl's with a coupon of course)!

Scandalous

Tonight is our self-declared night in.  Nothing on the agenda except staying home.  I took the opportunity to catch up on some DVR and Friday night trash TV.  The evening evolved into an episode of The Biggest Loser with a side of pizza and chocolate chip cookies.  For dessert, I tuned into Celebrity Rehab with a splash of Yuengling.  Does that make me a contestant for the next reality show?  Probably, yes, but not for the reasons listed above.  I promise that I will not gorge myself to the point of food coma, followed by a drunken incident resulting into me doing the tango across the kitchen floor with the dog.  Amen.  

Voyeur

With part of his Christmas bonus, Nick decided to buy a web cam.  He was inspired by Top Dog Daycare's web cam, which lets us watch our boy in action. Action is a bit of an understatement, its more like a state of awake.  He's not so much running around as he his monitoring the perimeter, taking things in, occasionally jumping into the action.  Awake is good though, and is worth the $25 we pay because it beats his normal state of sleeping on the couch from 7:30am-6:00pm.  

The web cam is capturing what we already knew was going on.  Aside from the occasional shredded piece of paper or chewed up pen, Chino pretty much passes his day with a series of naps on the couch, love seat or floor.  He used to call our bed his own, but the baby gate put an end to that in the interest of preserving his knees.  So today, I tuned in to see which cushion he'd be occupying or which side he'd be flopped onto. Yesterday, he seemed to favor the middle and the right.  Today it looks like he's feeling a little lefty...left cushion, left side.  Thank goodness the woot-off! is over, I'm not sure my workday could handle any more excitement.

In need of a serious attitude adjustment

Sometimes, I tend to act out in manners that are unlike my normal personality.  This could include anything from being short with friends/family, to playing into bad attitudes and contributing to gossip and overall cattiness.  I'm not proud of the way that I've been acting, the things that I've said or the way I've been feeling.  Some of this I will attribute to a lack of sunshine brought on by ugly Ohio weather, the rest, I am attributing to bad form.

When I give into this behavior, I enter into a funk or an overall feeling of the blahs.  I begin to internalize a lot of bad things around me, some of which are completely out of my control and beyond anything that I am capable of fixing.  So, rather than hearing a story or about a situation and letting it go, I have to psychoanalyze to figure out the "woulda, couldas and shoulda's" for everyone involved.  This is complete opposite behavior from my typical, "glass half full" attitude, which will usually lead me to the conclusion that everything's going to be ok or that everything happens for a reason.  

Contributing to my overall stress and frazzled behavior has been a combination of work and personal situations - some of which I'm capable of changing and some of which I'm not. Perhaps the most frustrating situations are the ones that I'm putting major effort into rectifying, but haven't been and likely will not be successful.  Unfortunately, these are the situations that can dictate my mood, resulting in a trickle down effect.  This attitude that I've developed lately is affecting all areas of my life, including my health, marriage, work, and friendships.  Being resentful of people and things that I have no control over will do me no good.  Rest assured, I've identified one of the major problems, have accepted that its beyond my control and am moving on and no longer bringing myself down to its level as its not a place where I feel comfortable because really, I don't belong there.

My dad - a wise and patient man, used to tell me that "Self control is the key to a happy, healthy and successful life."  This was usually after he made me repeat that "I am irresponsible" after doing something well, irresponsible.  He's right.  I have the power to control my bad behavior and break through the blah's to return back to my loose interpretation of normal.  I'm promising to look at the glass as 1/2 full with unlimited refills and to make the most of my situation before I assume the worst.  Let me introduce you to my new motto, straight from the wall of a bar.  Isn't that where all good mottos come from?

Walrus

My sister's dog, Louie the Yorkie-poo (aka Uncle Louis) does this funny trick that her and my parents call Seal Pup.  Seal Pup consists of Louie, all 4.5lbs of him, holding onto a toy and being dragged across the floor.  He loves this game so much that he will bring a toy and tuck his front paws under himself, with his back legs sticking straight out, hanging on for the ride.

 

Chino has a similar variation to this same game, but that it takes a little bit more elbow grease. Since Louie is the seal pup, we only find it fitting that Chino is the walrus.  You can tell that he's enjoying himself, since his tail is wagging the whole time, unless he was trying to use it as a rudder to steer because he didn't trust the one who was pulling him backwards, by his teeth....I'm going with happy.

Dragging a little

Last night, around 2am, Chino decided to sound the alert.  By alert, I mean that he rose out of his fleece lined slumber, walked out of our bedroom, to the top of the stairs and started barking.  The barking echoed down the stairs, amplifying the "white trash hound dog" sound that is unmistakably his.  I heard Nick mumble to Chino to shut up and I did the same.  In typical Chino fashion, he completely and blatantly ignored the both of us and continued woofing at whatever it was that had the nerve to make a noise in the middle of the night.  

Nick got up to escort Chino back to bed and I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the whole situation.  As he went to the hall to retrieve our watch dog, Chino must have turned quickly, headed into our room and jumped on the bed - at the end of the bed, on Nick's side.  I heard Nick tell him NO and to move, to which Chino got up, walked down to Nick's pillow and laid down with a dramatic (overly, if you ask me) *sigh*.  Again, Nick told him that this little arrangement was NOT GOING TO WORK, so Chino go up, again and plopped himself between my legs, as if to say, "fine, are you happy, now?"  Well, Nick sure was happy because Chino became my problem at this point.

I'm a bit of a finicky sleeper - I like things how I like them and like to lay how I lay, so having a 70lb mutt laying between my legs severely restricted my sleeping options.  I was so tired, that I went back to sleep and decided to just enjoy my oversized leg warmer.  A couple of hours later, I woke up to find my legs all twisted and Chino slowly trying to kick me out and off of my side of the bed, by leaning his entire body weight onto my legs.  Compounding the problem was Nick's sleeping position - in which his legs mimic the position of a jumping jack-open-from corner to corner on the bed (that sounded dirty, but you know what I mean).  So here we were....Nick - taking up 3/4 of the bed, Chino - feeling like he deserved the ENTIRE bed and me, arranging and rearranging my legs around a huffy mutt.

For reasons that I can't explain, I didn't kick Chino out of bed.  My brain wasn't functioning at that high level of reason.  Rather, I continued to huff and puff and scoot him around, trying to reclaim my side of the bed and the covers that his body was swallowing up.  Finally, 6:30am rolled around, after a long evening's worth of bed wars.  I got up to brush my teeth and get ready for the gym.  By the time I got back into the room, Chino was completely spread out on my side, watching me go about my morning routine as if to say, "see, if you had  just gotten up awhile ago, we could have avoided that whole song and dance."  

Chino Diablo - living the tragedy, one day at a time and taking us along for the ride...oops...I mean walk.

Just like old times

I have some old friends (not OLD friends, but friends from a long time ago...) that I rarely get a chance to see.  Thank heavens for facebook, because at least I have an inkling of what's been happening in their lives, since I know that I'm slacking in both the email and phone call departments.  On Friday and Saturday evening, I caught up with a friend that I met in Jr. high, neighbors that I've known since I've been in 1st grade, a girl that I've known just as long (found out she reads my blog - HI LAUREN!), my best friend since forever and another friend from CCD and beyond.   The greatest thing about this group is that although we've all scattered in different directions, when we get back together, the conversation is effortless and natural.  We still reminisce about the good old days, but also take the time to catch up on what's been happening SINCE the good old days.  This includes everything from jobs, to friends, boyfriends, husbands, parents, siblings, children (only one of us so far!) and all around gossip.

Whether or not they know it, this group of girls has contributed to who I am today.  Nick even mentioned that he "gets it" now that he's had the chance to meet and begin to get to know these great people.  He didn't specify exactly what he gets, but I think he was able to piece together some stories that I've told him - now that he had faces and personalities to liven them up a bit.  

Thanks to these girls, I can say that I had a great childhood, a normal middle school experience and wonderful and silly memories throughout  high school.  All of my memories from "back in the day" include at least one, if not more of them, and most of those memories will still make me smile.  I'm so thankful to have them in my life - even though lately its been "virtually".

I'm hoping that these little reunions can happen more often, even if over a quick cup of coffee instead of beer, wings and martinis and even for an hour instead of 5.  I don't think I even realized how much I missed them, until I saw everyone this past weekend.  

Thankful

If you're one of the three or so readers of this blog, I'm sure you've heard me complian about the hecticness of the next month or so . The craziness kicks off today with Thanksgiving with Nick's family, followed by a drive to Pittsburgh to see my family, a reunion with some old friends on Friday and my 10 year high school reunion on Saturday, followed by a drive back home on Sunday. December is shaping up to be a similar month of packing the car, heading out, coming home and repeating.

What I've neglected to say out loud, amongst the complaining about miles driven, stuff packed and demands on our time is that I'm truly thankful that we have TOO MANY places to be this year and that so many people really want to spend time with us. Although some members of the family have to work on their invitations (making them more of an invite than a demand), it all boils down to good intentions.

Nick and I miss both families terribly and wish that we could spend equal time with both, but also want to give our own little family of three its fair share of time as well. For now, that time is spent in the car, reflecting and laughing about our tri-state tour and multiple dinners in one day. As silly as it sounds, this is one of my favorite parts of the holiday - piling into the car, Chino in his bed or on my lap, Nick behind the wheel, carrying on the most random (and sometimes blog worthy) conversation.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I'm truly thankful for being over committed and for lower gas prices, which makes it a lot easier for us to spend time with everyone that we love.

Who rescued who?

This is a poem that was sent to me today by the owner of Bark 'till Dark Dog Park in Delaware (aka, Chino's country club).  If you're ever considering adopting a shelter dog, rescuing a random mutt or if you already have - read below.   

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY

 

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering

apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew

I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she

wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view

from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want

her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter

keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about

my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make

a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made

little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head

up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my

neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her

cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I

instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I

would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do

everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her

eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many

more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to

be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

 ~Author unknown~

Left to my own devices

I typically require a three ring circus, complete with a side show act in order to be fully entertained and engaged.  Leaving me to my own devices, typically means that I'm up to no good or up to nothing at all.  Yesterday was no exception.  

Nick was at a basketball game with his co-workers; wining and dining, schmoozing and rubbing elbows.  The whole shebang!  I got to go straight home after work - which is a rare occurrence because of my oh-so-busy purse peddling schedule.  After fighting heavier than normal traffic because of some railroad crossing closures, I arrived at home around 6pm, to a very rambunctious mutt.  Chino had slept the entire day before, recovering from a doggy-type hangover after playing with Max and Nala for an entire afternoon and evening, so this behavior wasn't shocking.  By accident, he had been given the run of the house, so based on the crazy antics that I was observing, I was a bit fearful for my belongings upstairs.  So, before he would think about doing his business, he got down to business by shoving a squeaky toy in my face as if to demand, "YOU. ME. TUG. NOW".  And tug he did, we played in the kitchen, me dragging him back and forth, before he would even consider the notion of going outside.  When he was done, he resumed his puppy games with his racquetball from Sunday's walk, frantically playing fetch and catch with me.  

When he had calmed, ever-so-slightly, I headed upstairs.  I wasn't sure what (if anything) to expect, but I went from room to room, with Chino on my heels, inspecting and checking for anything that was shredded or chewed during the course of the day.  Sure enough, Chino's good behavior came through and there was no damage.  After every successful inspection, I made a big fuss over him, telling him what a good boy he was.  He seemed genuinely proud of himself as he pranced around the upstairs.

Now that was the extent of my activity last night.   I take that back, I did go out to get the mail. (Keep in mind, I did get up, bright and early and worked out before work, so I'm not a total schlep.)  But, if Nick were home, I'd have probably been barking orders or facilitating the cleaning of our kitchen or the completion of the laundry.  If Nick were home, stuff would have gotten done, I would have been a willing participant and progress on our disaster area would have been made.  But since Nick wasn't home, I munched on Doritos while I made myself dinner (Mexican-esque, of course), watched episodes of Super Nanny, Top Chef, My Super Sweet 16 and The Real Housewives of Orange County while lounging happily on the couch.  I didn't feel bad about it at all until I found the chocolate  morsels.  So to avoid dumping the entire bag into my mouth at once, I grabbed my knitting project and got to work.  Here's a picture that I'll paint for you:  me on the couch, knitting in my lap, remote to my right, morsels to my left and fire place right in front.  A more perfect evening, I couldn't have envisioned.  See what happens when a boss has no one to boss around?

Paying off his debts

Last night, someone asked me what Chino's middle name was. Immediately, I said, "Diablo". I thought a second and then added "Visa", making his full name, "Chino Diablo Visa Lollo". Appropriate, considering the first 6 months of his life we dealt with mange, neutering, allergies, daycare, separation anxiety, puppy shots, chewing, pooping (and hiding it in the closet), eating innappropriate objects (shoes, light bulbs, etc. - see prior post), whining, housebreaking, biting, a couple of parasites (eeeww) and the general growing pains of owning a dog. Needless to say, he changed our prior view on puppies as a source of Rainbows and Sunshine. In fact, the very first night that we got him - both Nick and I thought that we had made a HUGE mistake and if one of us would have said the word, the other would have jumped on board and returned him, blaming graduate school and an upcoming wedding for us not being able to take on one more commitment. Needless to say, neither one of us spoke the word and didn't find out until months later that we had been thinking the same thing. By this point, it was too late and Chino had us wrapped around his little paws. So, here we were, the July before we were getting married and we decided to get a puppy. He was free after all (yeah right!) and needed a home so badly. I tried to rationalize the whole situation by saying that Chino found us. Actually, Nick's aunt Michelle found Chino's two sisters, Annie and Avery, fell in love and took them home. The entire litter was living in such horrible conditions that Michelle couldn't, in her good conscience and big heart, leave them like that. So, she adopts the ENTIRE LITTER plus MOM AND DAD and decides to reach out to her network of friends and family to find homes. I saw the picture of Annie and Avery and couldn't resist asking to see the pictures of the other pups. Pictures led to a meeting and a meeting led to us picking one out for our very own. We had already decided on a name, Neato Pa-Chino...Cap, Frap and Al Pa...so the only fair way to go about picking one of the boys was to give him a choice in the matter. So we both squatted down and called to both of them and our little yellow furball came running over. We remind him that he chose us, especially when he's giving us dirty looks for some reason or another.

Chino continues to be one of the dumbest things that we've ever done, but we are so grateful for our little mistake. He's a constant source of laughter and joy in our days and has done such great things for Nick and I. He pays his debt to us each day when he makes us laugh or forces us to take a walk in sub zero temperatures. His two mile per day requirment has likely saved us both many of those "just married" pounds, which from what I hear are similar to the freshman 15. So every time we take him to the vet, or bundle up for a walk, or buy 20lbs more of the desinger food that he likes, we add to the tab that he's been running for the past two years.
Today he made a big dent in his tab. In the middle of my lazy Sunday, one that I would have otherwise enjoyed TBS movies all day long, I decided to take him out for a nice little afternoon walk. He was so excited, especially since he truly enjoys the fall weather. Off we went, and we had the neighborhood to ourselves. Everyone else seemed to be hybernating or elsewhere. As we rounded a corner, he spied an abandoned raquetball, laying in the street. He walked up to it, batted it with his paws, and picked it up. He pranced with that ball in his mouth, all the way home, only dropping it when lifting his leg and maintaining his grip on the ball were too much. He'd drop it from his mouth and dribble it down the street, jumping with joy when he grabbed it. His happiness guage is his tail, which when happy normally resembles a question mark. When he's elated, it curles into itself and the tip rests on his back, springing along as he walks. The blue raquetball brought him such joy that it was impossible not to laugh with him, every time he dropped it, or it rolled or I threw it to him to catch.
When we got home, he pranced into the house with his ball and resumed his game of soccer for one. In the basement, it sounded like a stampede as he galloped across the kitchen floor. Before long, I heard the PLINKO-esque sound of the ball bouncing down the basement stairs and the elephant-esque sound of Chino bounding down after it. When the ball rolled under a shelf, he walked over and looked up at me like, "HELLO....fix this, woman!?" I tossed the ball up the stairs and he resumed the game.
This is one of those simple pleasures that he brings to our home every day, the sound of his nails running across the floor and the sight of his tail, curled over itself, bouncing along on the walk, happy and amazed that the blue raquetball was just waiting for him to find it. Every time he makes us laugh, or pretends that he doesn't like to cuddle (even though he does), he chips away at the debt and restores our belief that puppies actually do come with a bit of rainbows and sunshine.

Something is wrong with this picture.

Last night, I got to spend some quality "me" time at home.  Nick was out of town, so it was just me and my mutt.  He didn't count though, because thanks to daycare, he was down for the count. We got home, he wolfed down his food and then proceeded to take the PRIMO spot on the couch. He remained there until I moved him to the other end because I was sick of being scrunched on the love seat.

So here I am, after a busy day of work - I had even dragged myself to the gym - on the couch, eating my Boca burger and watching The Biggest Loser (DVR'd from the other night).  I'm done with dinner and what do I do?  Grab some M&M's.  Yes people, here I was, on the couch, after the gym, watching The Biggest Loser, EATING M&M's....what is wrong with this picture?!!?!?  In my own defense, I felt mildly guilty but it was one of those guilty pleasures that I couldn't pass up.

The inner workings of the male mind, set to music.

Absolutely hilarious.  Thanks Marci!

Funny couple-ism

Saturday night, Nick and I went out with two other couples for dinner and drinks.  After dinner, we ordered dessert - Liberty Tavern has Jeni's ice cream!!!!!  As the ice cream was brought to the table, one of the girls told her husband that he could only have one bite.  She proceeded to tell us that it grosses her out when he takes a bite and then puts his spoon back into the ice cream.  He knew about her policy, but couldn't resist pointing out how silly it was saying, "wait, we can make-out, but we can't share desserts?"

I have to take her side on this one - making out is one thing, but dessert is a whole other ball game.

The walk of shame

I've discovered my own personal method to motivate (shame) me into getting my lazy butt up in the morning to go to the gym.  Once I'm up, its o.k., my primary problem is getting from horizontal to vertical and kicking things into gear.  The night before, I make sure to pack everything that I need for the morning routine.  This includes the normal toiletries, make-up, flatiron, outfit, etc.  Unlike some of the women at my gym, I don't have a complete separate "gym" set of things aside from travel size shower stuff, so if I wuss out in the morning, I'd have to UNpack everything that is so nicely packed (STUFFED) into my bag.

So this morning, my alarm goes off, I smacked it, and it went off again.  It was harder for me to get up, especially since my gym buddy wouldn't be waiting for me this morning.  If I skipped, no-one would know!!!! Well, no-one, except me!  As I'm laying there, somewhat conscious - in between snoozes, I'm arguing with myself about getting up or not.  Going to the gym tonight was out of the question, since tonight I have to be the Bag Lady, meaning that I won't be home until after 10pm.  This morning was now or never.

Finally, I think to myself (on this morning and many others) that I'd feel like total schmuck if I didn't go and if I had to UNpack everything that I packed the night before, only to have to REpack it tomorrow morning when I met my gym buddy for our 7am wake-up call.  Reason won over, I rolled out of bed, stumbled around and out the door - even managing to pack my lunch.  No walk of shame for me today, just a wog on the treadmill with HSN, The Offspring and Kenny Chesney.

Complete indifference

I know that you're not supposed to teach your dog to jump up on people.  In fact, this behavior is highly discouraged.  BUT....and there's always a but...don't you kind of enjoy it when you haven't seen him for awhile and he gets all excited and rambunctious and happy to see you? Me?  Well I wouldn't know.

We picked Chino up last night after a little over a week with his Gramma, Grampa and Uncle Mark.  He looked at me and promptly marched himself to the car, jumped in and climbed into the back seat.  I was a tad (ok more than a tad) huffy about it because I  missed him and it was only fair that he should have missed me too.  Nope.  Just another day in Chino-land.  I think he was actually annoyed to have been brought out in the chilly weather, in the car to some strange gas station and then transferred to another car.  He barely wagged his tail at the sight of his loyal owners who feed him, pet him, love him and rearrange their sleeping habits to accommodate his 70lbs of mutt in their bed.

He briefly redeemed himself by climbing onto my lap and falling asleep for the ride back to Delaware.  I'm pretending that I didn't have to rustle a Target bag to pique his interest and lure him to the front seat.  Nope, he would have come eventually, I just expedited the process, right?

Fast forward about an hour and we get home.  I'm trying to pet him and he's looking at me like I'm some sort of crazy woman (NO COMMENT - NICK!).  He gets fed and watered and promptly settles down on THE OPPOSITE site of the room, lays down and proceeds to begin snoring.  Loudly.  Just for funzies, I laid down on the couch next to him and pretended that it was his idea.  

Fast forward again.  This morning.  He's sleeping in his bed while Nick and I go about our morning routine.  I walked over and petted him nicely and said "good morning, buddy".   He stretches out, lets me pet him some more , get up and walks downstairs to resume his slumber on the couch.  I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and presume that he's discombobulated because his routine has been interrupted, but seriously Chino, throw me a freakin' bone already.  Lord knows that I throw enough to you.

Time flies when you're having fun

Nick and I just returned from our long anticipated vacation.  During the week, we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary (on November 4th).  Even as I type it, I can't believe that we've been married for two years.  I don't want to say that it seems like forever, even though it does...it just seems like yesterday that we had the conversation about him NOT taking this relationship seriously and then he had the conversation that ended in "Will you marry me?".

My time with him has been and continues to be the best times of my life.  I am so grateful and lucky to have found my soul mate so early on and before either of us got too damaged or jaded by life in general.  I need to be careful when I use the word 'lucky'.  I do believe that luck or fate brought us together, but we were handed the responsibility to make this work.  We work hard at keeping the lines of communication open and at truly listening and understanding one another.  We've had some ups and downs, but the ups are high enough and  make the downs not quite so low.  The most important part is that we fight for each other, make time to laugh and take time for the important stuff, like photo opportunities with Monica Lewinsky.

A romantic walk with his mistress

At lunch today, Nick decided to take his mistress for a walk.  Proving her worth once again, she was able to some great pictures of the walking trail in Mount Vernon.  I'm adding the great scenery to the list of why Mt. Vernon isn't such a bad place to work, behind gourmet coffee, pepperoni balls, giant cookies and cheap beer.

Like sending an alcoholic to buy wine

Off I go to Giant Eagle at lunch.  Mission:  to pick up Halloween candy (among other things).  I'm prepared for this excursion.  I've got my coupons in hand, ready to seek out the best deal on some yummy goodness.  Last year, we bought too much since we had no idea what to expect.  The best part of over-estimation is the leftovers!!!

So off I go to the candy aisle.  One of the coupons is good for Nestle products - Reeses, which so happen to be Nick's favorite.  I know he'll open those LAST on Halloween...just incase we end up with a surplus, and I'm sure we will.  The other coupon was for Mars products - M&M's...my favorite.  I couldn't find ANY fun size packages of M&M's, so to be totally fair, I picked up my version of fun size, which yes...is a big bag.  But in my hormonally clouded mind, it was only fair that if Nick was going to have a big bag of Reeses Cups, then I should have some of my favorites, too, right?

Growing Up

On my way to the gym this morning, I was thinking philosophically.  I'm not certain of what exactly brought this on, maybe it was sleep deprivation.   Anyway, I'm thinking to myself - yikes!  I have a gym membership (THAT I AM USING!!!), an SUV, a house in the 'burbs, a lab mix and a husband.  When in the world did I turn into a grown up!?!?!?  I hate that word, grown up.  

Not that I want to fight the idea of growing up, I just think that its an interesting concept, partially, because its both a noun and a verb.  I am a grown up or I have grown up.  Or I will grow up.  Or I refuse to grow up. Grown up seems so straightforward.  Like you are or you're not, you will or you won't.  I'm the queen of gray areas, and I think that grown up seems to fall right into one of those lovely shades.

I for one, feel like I have grown up several times, yet I still have more growing up to do.  I hope that I'm never a grown up because that would imply that I'm done and if you know me, I'm never done because there is always more.

Growing up seems to evolve as you well, grow.  When you're little, growing up literally means getting bigger and older and being able to do and experience things you haven't done before. When the physical growth is complete, it lets you dedicate yourself to the mental growth. Mentally and physically, you go from childhood to adolescence to teenager to young adult to adult.  Once you reach the dreaded "adulthood" is when it seems that you're supposed to start acting like a grown up (whatever that means).  For me, I think that this was the time when the good times really started rolling and when the fun really began.  It helps that I now have a salary to play with and no curfew to worry about.  Now is the time to begin learning, visiting new places and experiencing new things. 

Its hard to avoid getting caught up in the responsibilities that pile on as you become a "grown up"; mortgages, car payments and trips to the grocery store and other necessary evils.  But part of the process seems to be managing these mundane tasks and responsibilities, balancing them and making sure that you don't lose yourself in overtime, credit cards, laundry or housework (ha ha ha).  Although, I'm not the same person that I was 10 years ago, when my parents dropped me off at Ohio State and said goodbye (at the time, I thought I was a grown up, but I was sorely mistaken), I think that its a good thing to see that girl and visit with her once in awhile, letting her get acquainted with who I've become and remembering that I've still got lots more growing up to do.

Envy

Let me paint you a picture: I'm sitting on the recliner, firing up the laptop, checking on LILL fabric status. Nick is sorting the LILL fabrics according to color - its his way of participating in the "fun" money that comes with being married to the Bag Lady.

Chino is laying on the floor next to Nick. He happens to be licking his part. I say part instead of parts because the other parts that would mean he had parts were removed at the ripe old age of 6 months. Because I really don't like the idea of part licking and then any other licking involving me, I say, "Chino, quit licking your di$k". To which Nick responds, "he's a dog, he can lick his parts if he wants to". I couldn't resist clarifying that he has a part and not parts...see above.

Anyways, I think Nick is a bit envious of Chino's ability to check in "down there" at a moment's notice, so he proceeds to tell Chino that he can lick whatever he wants. And then proceeds to tell me that Chino's parts should be the least of my concerns because Chino eats poop. Unphased, I asked when Chino was eating poop. Nick responds that he eats rabbit poop (see prior post), mulch, bugs, licks fence posts, garbage, eats and sniffs random turds (dog turds, goose turds), sticks, licks concrete, licks floors, eats fuzz, licks feet, tried to eat paint, actually enjoyed the anti-chew bitter juice that we tried to use when he was a puppy, not to mention the dead bird incident from a few weeks ago. You get the idea. He's 100% right, I have to say. It made me want to share this picture. It also makes me chuckle a little when Ithink of where that tongue has been. By the way, the bald head in this picture is Nick's brother, Mark.

Taking care of his momma

Nick was in Alabama for the day yesterday - yes, Alabama, for one day.  It was a pretty long day, he left early in the morning and rolled in around 1am last night.  With him gone, I'm on Chino duty, which is fine.  When its just the two of us, Chino acts like a softer, cuddly version of his usual self.  He's subtly different and I like to believe that he knows that I don't enjoy being home alone and takes his responsibility of being a *gasp* companion, very seriously.

When its the three of us at home, Chino keeps it casual.  For example, when Nick and I are watching TV, Chino will lay in the kitchen or on the rug behind the love seat.  This is his way of keeping tabs on us, but not letting us think that he really cares, even though he does.  He has a similar routine for when Nick and I are working around the house - he has an air about him of nonchalance.  If I'm upstairs and Nick is downstairs, he'll lay in the hallway, so he can monitor our movements with minimal effort.  Its pretty funny and he's a pretty good actor, trying to make us believe that being a loyal companion is beneath him.  

Last night, it was just the two of us, so rather than lay in the kitchen, he laid on the floor, next to the couch.  Every time I moved, he perked up and eagerly watched where I was going, making sure that all was well.  He eventually moved up onto the couch (voluntarily!), laying on my feet, sound asleep.  It seemed like this was his time to relax, since he knew exactly  where I was and knew that he'd know immediately if I chose to move.  When it was time to go outside, he got up begrudgingly and went into the chilly fall night to do his business.  I was so warm and toasty, that I hated to break things up, but business is business.  As if the cool air woke him up, he came running into the house, full force, tennis ball in his mouth, ready to play at 12am.  Since he humored me, I humored him and we played a short game of chase and fetch before bed.  

When it was time for bed, he headed up stairs and jumped into our bed immediately.  Typically, he'll lay at the foot of the bed, trying to dodge feet and legs.  Last night, he snuggled right up to my leg, as close as he could get.  This isn't normal for him, and Nick and I always joke that cuddling makes him uncomfortable.  He was content, snoozing in bed with me while I watched WE and waited for Nick to come home.

Sure enough, he snapped back to normal Chino as soon as he heard Nick's truck in the driveway.  When he came back upstairs for bed after properly greeting Nick, he didn't resume his spot next to me, he laid on the floor at the foot of  the bed, acting cool and casual.  I know better though, because when I woke up this morning, he was snuggled up next to me in bed, that is until his breakfast hit his bowl and then he was off!  

Its hard work keeping tabs on his people without his people knowing that they're being kept track of.  He does a good  job and having him around, makes me feel safer when its just me and him.   This morning, when I came downstairs, he was resting comfortably on the couch, obviously tired out after being on high alert for most of last night.

Oktoberfest - Lollo style

Saturday evening, Nick and I hosted our first and hopefully annual Oktoberfest. We supplied the food, and everyone brought beer to share! The party was a resounnding success. Everyone managed to bring something different and new, which added to fun each time you returned to fill your (giant) mug. The mugs, we're especially proud of because they were a last-minute addition to the extravaganza. Nick found them at the Dollar Store on Friday...guess how much they cost!?!? Everyone had such a great time. This sounds so corny, but old friends met new friends and everyone seemed to bond over beer and food. Of course, after a few giant mugs, everyone was BFF, but the atmosphere was more than what I could have hoped for. The night kicked off with a massive amount of food, including German Potato Salad, Beans (for my dad), Brats ala Nick, and a wide variety of dips and goodies to snack on and fight off the grips of drunkenness.

My favorite part of the night was when Nick's dad started playing a drinking song: "Here's to sister (or brother) Linda, sister Linda, sister Linda ...Here's to sister Linda, who's with us tonight. She's happy, she's jolly, she's messed up by golly. Here's to sister Linda, who's with us tonight. So drink, chuggalugga, drink chuggalugga, drink chuggalugga.....here's to sister Linda who's with us tonight. The song was a hit. Once the lucky chugger was done, he/she picked the next lucky chugger and on and on it went. He ended up doing two "acts" separated by a halftime. Everyone was excited to be the next one picked, and when the chugger finished chugging, fingers were pointing around the room, helping to pick out the next one up.

We are very lucky to have such great friends. I've said it before, but my core group of friends are the girls and Andyroo that I met during my first quarter at Ohio State. Somehow, some way, we've all stayed together, have grown up together and have remained integral parts in each other's lives. We've had the additions (and subtractions) of husbands and boyfriends, sons and daughters...but the group has stayed together. We've also welcomed some new friends into the mix, and it seems that they join in on the fun in such a seamless and effortless way. This party allowed these groups to finally meet each other and toast to a fun and new October tradition. Even Chino got in on the fun, with Nala, Emma and Lilly - joining in for some dogtobefest action and some rawhide fun! We're excited for next year's festivities, which, no doubt, will be bigger and better. Here's hoping that the hangover wont' be quite as bad.

For the rest of the pictures - check my flickr page.

I sure could go for a good "buger!"

Hello everyone, this is Nick and I'm making my first "guest blog!" Though, I'm not sure how you could consider this a "guest" blog seeing as I'm logged in as Linda. In any case, Linda has been somewhat bugging me to guest blog and I finally got something worth guest blogging about. So here it goes....

On my way to lunch today, I saw this sign in front of a restaurant....



Is it just coincidence that you can order a buffalo" buger" from the menu??

Ok, there it is, my first ever "guest" post!! Hopefully just one of many to come!!

ps - the buffalo buger is really tasty - I suggest you order it if you ever find yourself at Barb's Diner in Mt. Vernon, OH.

The Hospitality Commitee

Nick's dad spent the night at our house last night because we live closer to where he had to be for a conference this morning.  It was fun spending time with him, we ate dinner and sat around the table drinking red wine, just because.  It was a fun and random Tuesday evening.  Our wine selections were courtesy of my wine exchange with my mom and a random selection from Nick called Mad Housewife.  Their website is pretty fun - and they sell their wine online.  I just noticed that they have a PURSE PACK and its on sale.  The wheels are turning.

After dinner and some TV time, it was time for bed.  Chino did his nightly duty outside and then headed straight up the stairs and turned right - into the guest bedroom to spend the night with Nick's dad.  This morning, we woke up and he was still in there.  Instead of noticing that we're chopped liver next to house guests, Nick put a positive spin on it, calling Chino the Hospitality Committee.  He takes personal responsibility to make sure our guests are nice and warm, by sleeping in and taking up half of their bed. 

Shopping

Nick and I decided to go to Kohl's on Sunday in search of some dress shirts and ties for him for the cruise.  If you know the two of us, you know that we're both pretty casual people, so the ins and outs of menswear are lost on us.  

We decided to start with ties and then find some shirts that we thought matched.  I'm spinning the tie racks around - in the MEN'S department and what do I find?  I real life clip-on tie for big boys. Really!?!?!  Who wears these things?  Even my cargo shorts obsessed, stained shirt wearing, tennis shoes at all times husband knows how to properly wear a tie.  In this picture, he's only smiling because he wants to strangle me with the daisy tie that we did not purchase.

Girl Supplies

Prior to our grocery shopping excursion yesterday:

Linda:  Will you get the list ready?

Nick:    Yes

Linda:  Please put pads and panty liners on there for me please.

Nick:    OK

{{approximately 2 hours later - at Giant Eagle}}

I get the list out, and what does it say at the top?  Not pads and panty liners...it says...

SUPER SOAKERS and SUPER SOAKER LINERS.  

So off we go to the girly supplies aisle (that sounds bad).  I'm getting my supplies and as I put them in the cart, tell Nick to cross them off.  As I'm putting the pads in the cart, he yells..."Are those the Super Soakers or the Super Soaker liners?"  Yes, a 28 year old man, in the girly supplies aisle, asking for clarification.  Not that it even mattered at that point, since we were obviously in the right place to get both.  He apparently wanted to be precise in his list-crossing off assignment.  

10 years

This weekend we had the pleasure to celebrate Stacy and Marty's wedding. Its always amazing to me when my friends and I get together. Its hard to believe that its been over ten years since we all met in college. People ask how we know one another and to say, "we met freshman year in college" is so crazy. We don't realize how special it is that we've all stayed together until you hear that reaction of the people who ask. I appreciate these friends who have slowly become my extended family. Its so special when the stars align and when we all get to be together in one place at the same time.

Better picture to come - this one's pretty dark!!!

Dear Nick,

Thank you for your understanding and patience with me this week.  I know that I've been somewhat of a lunatic, so much so that chocolate and gummy worms weren't even able to return me to normal levels of sanity (understanding that "normal" is open to loose interpretation, but you know what I mean).

Love,

Linda

Marshmallow Death Rays

Chino tried his hardest to roast the marshmallow by shooting death rays out of his eyeballs, but, it didn't work.  Rather than reduce himself to eating a "raw" marshmallow, he chose to let it get stuck to the floor in the hopes that we'd give in and make him a real s'more - complete with all of the fixin's.  

9 people+7 dogs=1 fun weekend

Finally!!!! This weekend was the long awaited "Farm Gate 2008" out at the property!  I had been looking forward to this for quite some time, especially after the fun we had over Memorial Day!  This time, Moriya and Marci got to join in the fun with Olive and Sammy!  

We met up with them in New Albany to mini-caravan out to the property!  Nick and I arrived first and soon after, we saw the Moriya mobile pull up with Sammy and Olive hanging out the window, ready for some action.  Chino saw them too and proceeded to put himself on high alert, as he tried to figure out how to catch a ride in their car, since it was obviously the cool place to be.

Once we arrived, it was time to get everyone acquainted.  Chino knew everybody, but Olive and Sammy had to sniff a few butts before all was well.  As a precaution, Michelle had the place stocked up with air horns incase the pack got rowdy (which it did).  This is just inevitable when you've got a pack of brown dogs with strong personalities.  Chino and Sammy kept going at it - and since both of them are mouthy, grumbly dogs - you'd think that one was eating the other, even though both tails are wagging and they kept taunting each other for more.  Sammy would smack Chino to instigate a rumble.  Chino would happily oblige and hit her right back and then the wrestling and rumbling would start.  It was only when the others tried to join in that the air horns (or VODKA) had to be used to separate the pack.

Once all of the formalities were done (you sniff  my butt, I'll sniff yours) and Michelle and Sue met Moriya and Marci - we set up our tents and proceeded to enjoy a nice long day of eating, drinking, drinking, drinking and eating some more!  The set-up out there continues to evolve. The latest addition is a big TV wired with Direct TV for optimal game viewing!  Everyone enjoyed a relaxing day, watching college football, exploring the fall foliage of the property and dodging dripping wet mutts (brace your knees).  Moriya took the time to explore and take some AWESOME pictures of the farm, the foliage, the pups and the scenery.    Everyone went all out for this event: sloppy joes, Marci's chili, Moriya's veggies and hummus, Linda's man beans and more!   Nick was so outnumbered.  His only comrades were Chino and Moose.  Luckily, Michelle and her friends were into football and I had Marci and Moriya to NOT watch football with.  So he jumped back and forth between the game, the food and the fire, I stuck mostly with food and fire - checking in periodically.

I think these two pictures should be titled:  

Mommies and the doggies who love them!

Pretty soon, it was game time.  The sun had gone down and the layers were going on!  It was a chilly and starry night and perfect campfire weather!  The fire was exquisite and on more than one occasion it was noted that it was so perfect that it looked staged.  The heat that came off of it, made it so that you had to rotate yourself to avoid getting too "well done".  

Marci and I chose to hang out by the fire and sacrifice the front row seats by the TV.  We found the fire to be more entertaining for a variety of reasons which included:  1. Free career advice by someone who ALMOST had her associate's degree in HR (yes, we know about Careerbuilder.com, no, we will not join a union and no, $1500/quarter will not keep me living in the lifestyle that I've grown accustomed to),  2.  Moriya's interest/obsession with the stars (just lay down on the ground, they look better).   After the game, it was time for s'mores and then time to crawl into our tents with our doggies and go to sleep.

The next morning, we all woke up to another beautiful day - it was a little rough at first, but everyone slowly snapped out of it.  In typical Michelle and Sue fashion - breakfast was glorious - coffee, muffins, donuts, fruit and HOT DOGS!!!!!  Moriya had turkey dogs, which peaked the interest of the pack of brown dogs.  Here she is with her pack of BFFs...

The campfire was still burning, so that helped everyone wake up and re-animate.  Before long, it was time to get packed up and head home.  Between trips to and from the cars, Sammy kept watch, making sure that we were all cleared to enter the fence.  This picture is so funny - she looks such like a guard dog.  What you can't tell is that as soon as you walked through the gate, that tail of hers (and her butt!) started wagging like crazy, welcoming you back to her little piece of heaven.  I think she had the most fun out of all the mutts, as she was still going 100% on Sunday, when the others had laid down and chilled out.  

Multiple trips to the car later, we were on our way home.  It was such a fun weekend!  This will definitely be a more than annual gathering!!!!  

**Thanks to Moriya for taking such GREAT pictures!!!  I pulled just a few from her flickr site**

Ding dong

Last night around 10:15, our doorbell rings and we hear Chino bark.  Nick goes to the door, and what do you know, it IS Chino at the door, being delivered to us by our neighbor, Jay.  Turns out that Nick forgot to close the gate when he was mowing the lawn, so Chino took it upon himself to march down the street to visit his girlfriend, Nala.  Thank goodness for puppy love, because we probably wouldn't have realized he was gone until he had a nice little head start on his expedition throughout the neighborhood.  I swear, when he came back in the house, he seemed a little bit disappointed that his little adventure didn't last longer.

Another post about my favorite topic

I went to PetSmart yesterday on a mission for dog food.  Of course, I come out with dog food and a new toy (ON SALE!!!!).  A new toy for Chino is kind of a big deal, because although he's spoiled rotten and has a ton of bones, rope bones, chewies and Kongs, we rarely buy him anything stuffed.  We've joke that we could give him a $5 bill to play with and it would provide more entertainment than some of those toys that last less than two minutes before they have to be thrown out.

Chino is very methodical about stuffed toy destruction.  First, he beings with grabbing the toy and running around with it, trying to make us chase him. It always works because he's so funny when he does it.  Then, he'll lay down and further examine his new prize.  Its at this point that he discovers any protruding items that shouldn't be there.  He begins by removing the tag and then the string that the toy was hanging from in the store.  Usually, one of these extractions causes a small hole in the toy.  He can't leave it alone, so now it begins the disembowelment of the toy - stuffing everywhere.  This is is favorite part because he just goes to town, ripping it out, spitting it out and going back for more. Finally, when the toy is only a shell (LITERALLY) of its former self, he lays there and waits for us to put the stuffing back in, so he can start all over again.

(This picture was from his birthday toy that lasted about 10 minutes-notice the tag has already been removed)

Because dog toys are so damn expensive, we tend to get him toys on sale or at the $1 store, rather than wasting our money on the ones that are supposedly indestructible (yeah right).  Its a shame, because he gets so excited over new toys.  The toy that I bought ON SALE yesterday was just too good to pass up.  First of all, it was called Fleecey McGee.  How in the heck could I pass something up called FLEECY MCGEE!!!!  I kept forgetting the name and calling it McFuzzers instead.  Either way.  He was so happy to get the new toy that he grabbed it and took a running fit.  When we didn't chase him, he came back in, toy in mouth, squeaking the little thing, waiting for us to chase him.  So it began, Nick and I chasing him around and around the couch - trying to get his "squeakers".  He was so happy - his tail was curled all the way up as he galloped around and around, playing keep away with the toy.  When he finally let us have it, he was at the ready for a quick game of fetch before the chase began again.  He even humored us and played a bit of catch with it.  We continued the game, getting him to chase us upstairs while we changed out of work clothes.  During this brief intermission of his game, he got down to business and removed the tag on the side of the toy and spit it out.  The game continued downstairs, Chino in the lead, with us in hot pursuit, trying to grab the toy.  Finally, he was done with the game and it was time for dinner.  He laid down with the toy and tried to get down to the business of disassembly.  Luckily, I distracted him with a piece of pepperoni, which means that the toy will live to see another day.  

No, we're not using Lysol on Chino

Last night, I walk into the house from the gym, expecting my big mutt to come running to greet me.  I take a couple of steps inside and he's laying on the kitchen floor, looking rather traumatized.  I say "hi buddy!!" and get a tail wag, but he doesn't get up.  Finally, I said, "greet me, damn-it" and he grudgingly gets up from the floor and puts on a good show.  I reach down to pet him and notice that he's a tad damp.  This isn't a big deal because he was in desperate need of a bath anyways, so I asked Nick if that's what he did (thinking how motivated he must have been to take on this endeavor by himself on a random Tuesday night - since Chino likes water on his own terms).

Nick proceeds to tell me that Chino rolled IN A DEAD BIRD!!!!  I'm so disgusted that I begin asking random questions, like it matters:

L-"How dead?"

N-"DEAD"

L-"What kind of bird?"

N-"A small one, sparrow or something, why does it matter?  I washed him with Old Spice body wash because I couldn't find his shampoo"

L-"What was he doing?"

N-"I was running and turned around and saw him flip himself over and go to town, so I walked over to him and saw it, hoping that it wasn't what it was..."

L-(smelling Chino) "He still smells"

N-"Get one of those Lysol wipes and clean him off"

L-"I AM NOT LYSOLING THE DOG"

N-"Why not?"

L-"How would you like to be Lysoled?"

N-"Then just wipe him off"

I proceed to get out the baby wipes (NOT LYSOL) and try to wipe the stink off of his face.  Its not working.  I found the dog shampoo and Nick lathered him up, right there on the kitchen floor.  We weren't thinking of rinsing - so I got the bright idea to put him on the counter and hang his head in the sink.  You know, like a beauty parlor.  He is clearly too big for such things, but we  made it work....all the while, I'm laughing my head off and water is getting everywhere.  Poor Chino on the other hand, was very uncomfortable and wondering what in the world he was doing on the counter, as is evident by the expression on his doggie face.  I know he can't talk, but this face just screams, "Ok guys, now what are we doing!?!?"  Once we got him down off of the counter, the counter was Lysoled and he took a running fit.  Just another Tuesday night at our house.  For the full effect - here's a couple of pre-rinse visuals.

Side note:  Chino is notorious for rolling in disgusting things, the whole dead bird incident brings to mind the goose poop incident of '06.  Equally disgusting, and he was equally proud of himself and totally annoyed when we washed off all of his hard work.

I love to see my name in print

Even if its not my "real" name, or my car, or my state.  At least its my school!!!!