Wow!! yeah I got nothing....

Whew, so in the past month, I've been looking at blogs going, "I really should update mine....but I want new pictures to do so and that requires getting up....ooo look...something else to look at!!" So, alas it stood un-updated...

Alright so lets start. I almost got a new job, then it was put on hold for 3 months....grrrr, we'll see where that goes. My sister-in-law graduated from college, Suma Cum Lade. My wonderful parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary; watching their relationship really is marvelous seeing as I can see a lot of similarities between Ryan and myself (just as many differences mind you...) I went and stayed for almost an entire week in Houston. One of my best friends came to TX from her current home in Maui, HI. We had a wonderful time catching up and I realized just how much I miss her.

In the past month Shiva has grown from the 10lber to over 20lbs currently (she was 20 last time she was weighed which was a week and a half ago) During my time in Houston, she GREW!!! I came back and my baby was HUGE!!! She did have a bad day a few weeks ago, emptied basically the entire contents of her stomach onto our kitchen floor, took her to the vet and she checked out fine; probably just ate something that simply didn't agree with her....puppies...just like small children...everything belongs in the mouth. Our darling baby is slowly being housebroken (seems MUCH slower than Sable - I think it's that "second kid" thing), but she is coming along. She will now "look" and "sit"; we're currently working on "down", "take-it", "leave-it", and "drop-it".

Sable's most recent accomplishment is that she "dies". You point a "gun" shaped hand at her and say loudly "BANG", she'll lay down and put her head flat to the ground. Her dying schedule fits her mood, if she doesn't really WANT to, she'll die very slowly and dramatically. BUT, if she's really eager (meaning you have a REALLY GREAT treat) she'll flop down incredibly fast. Her head doesn't always go down, generally she'll touch her head to the ground then pop back up to look at you like, "I did it!! Can I have a treat??!!! huh?! huh?! huh?!"

I will end with some adorable pictures of puppies:

Dogs Again - But This Time - a BOOK!!

So here goes my first blog that is more "my thoughts" driven as opposed to "hey my dogs did this this week". I warn you though, it's still about dogs....

After dinner on Sunday, Ryan and I walked over to Barnes and Noble (one of my favorite places in the WORLD); we wanted some drinks, dessert, and reading/browsing time. Now, I've set myself up for an hour or so of browsing the random books on the display table, to make mental notes of the interesting things I see....I'm attempting to branch out a bit from ONLY Sci-fi/Fantasy books. Then I see this little paperback book on the end cap, only about 5 minutes into my search. The book is titled, "Marley & Me" by John Groban, but it's not the title that gets me, it's the adorable picture of a yellow lab looking at me from the cover. I pick it up and look at it for a min, say to myself, "how cute!" then put the book back down and continue my search. Less than a minute later I go back to the book, pick it up, and proceed to sit down next to Ryan and read.

Let's get something straight first, since Ryan and I brought home our 1st bundle of joy we've practically dived head first into dog EVERYTHING. Petsmart every week, Dog Whisperer (National Geographic Channel) on Friday nights, and then even a few of the animal rescue shows. I rush out of work everyday no matter what I'm leaving for the next day, so I can come home to my adorable puppies faces that are so happy to see me (who cares if it's mainly because they've been locked up all day and really need to pee..they're HAPPY!!) We go on walks, I've even started a little running and Ryan roller blades. We've spent hours working on "sit" "down" and "stay". We continue to buy fancier and fancier treats to keep Sable's attention so that hopefully she'll learn to do what we want her to. Basically, we've dived head first and stayed submerged in the world of dog ownership.

Back to the book....really the basic message of the book is the story of a couples first puppy, a huge yellow lab and how nuts he is. From the time they picked him up, until he's put to sleep to ease the suffering of old age. The first two nights, I'm laughing myself silly, crying because the stories of the crazy lab are so hysterical I can't contain myself. The last reading session (today right after I got home) I spent in tears. After I finish the book, all I want to do is to sit and hug my puppies, tell them how much I love them and that I never want the day to come that I have to make a decision to take them home any other way than, alive. Of course all they want to do is play and have lots of hyper fun....and I would pick up Shiva and make her sit for a decent hug....but yeah..it's rained...she's kinda covered in slightly damp mud. So, my mood has been a bit subdued and really I want to stay home and play with my dogs, but I have a party to go to, that I really should attend (the Secret Sister reveal party at church). I think the biggest turning point was when the most amazing Secret Sister in the world (aka Joanna) gave me a huge bag toys for my puppies. Without even knowing it she gave me the perfect gift: new toys to go home and have fun playing with my girls.

So, I got home and worked with Sable on "fetch"...she loves to go get things that are thrown...but isn't so great at giving them back so you can repeat the entire process. Found that I also need to work with Sable on her nipping, since Shiva came around, Sable's been a bit extra nippy and just needs to learn that my skin is weak and needs gentle treatment. Which gives me one more reason to work with her. Ryan and Shiva worked on "look" and "sit" in the kitchen; she's doing quite well for an 8 week old.

And just so this post is not completely void of pictures....I've added a few from their fun in the mud yesterday: