Bye Bye, Puppy. Hello, Doggie.

Happy birthday, Winter! One year ago today she was born in the snow. This is what ten months of expensive dog food will do to your puppy.

Winter at 8 weeks.

Winter at 12 months.

Dog Brushing Follow Up

Sean never posted a photo of dog brushing. Well, here's Winter and her new grooming table. She hates it. We love it.

Letter

Dog Brushing

Winter is nearly a year old. We have gone from a small puppy jumping gleefully up and down to a massive polar bear roaming around our house. Grooming her has become a twice weekly event. We need to do this, or her big beautiful coat stars to get matted, so tonight Marci and I assembled a new grooming table that helps a lot.

She has also taken to burying her bones in various places in the yard. Strange since we give her more than enough food. Last night Marci watched as our dog skillfully and carefully tried to bury her rawhide in the couch. Very cute I'm told.

We hope to transition her from the crate soon - just not sure I trust the massive beast alone in our house all day by herself. The fear of coming home to pieces of our furniture is still all to real.

She loves the snow - she romps around outside in the cold loving every minute of it, I guess with that big coat she doesn't feel the cold too much. Winter is still in love with the neighbor dog - "lucky" When she was a pup he used to knock her right off her feet, now at a full gallop towards him from Lucky runs for cover.

If I get home early enough and let her out, her favorite part of the day is to sit on the front lawn and wait for the school bus to drop off the kids. A few of them walk by and give her a nice pat on the head and a hug. She just sits there, and then trots off to the backyard, ready to give Lucky a good stare down.

We love her, she's full of character. Marci tells me all the time that she thinks she's the cutest dog ever. I cant help but agree.

Sean.

Tree Time

It's that time of the year again. Christmas tree and decorating time! I love this part of Christmas. The tradition of getting a tree. When Sean and I first were married, my sister-in-law and I made the men go with us to pick out and cut down a tree. While it was fun for us to do it together, I don't think Sean fully got into the spirit of it all. Having come from South Africa where Christmas is during their summer time and they don't have a Thanksgiving that marks the beginning of the holiday season, he didn't quite understand the importance or tradition of it. For the past several years, we just chose a pre-cut tree from the local nursery. This year I was determined to have the "experience" of going out and cutting our own tree. This was something my family had done many times and I loved it. Instead of braving the shopping foolishness on Black Friday, Sean (a little reluctantly) and I ventured out to Elizabeth Farms, north of Lititz. It was windy and cold, but I think that added some excitement. The farm is fantastic, very old and historic. Sean and I spoke with the owner himself and learned that it had been in his family since the 1750s. There are 3 or 4 farm houses throughout the farm and a huge manor house. For the past few years it has been run as a Christmas tree farm. So, we sipped hot chocolate in the basement of the old barn to brace ourselves against the elements. Next, we hopped onto a large wagon pulled by two very docile mules. We were taken out among the thousands of trees and left to our own devices. Grabbing a saw, we traipsed here and there over the hills and muddy ruts in search of the perfect tree. Not too wide but fairly tall with fragrant branches but not too many dead spots in the center and few holes among the branches. Finally we found it, our 7 foot tall Fraser fur. Lovely. It had a few imperfections, but don't we all!


Then we loaded it back onto the wagon to return to the barn where the tree farm workers would shake off the loose needles and bale it for us. We wandered through the gift shop and Santa's workshop while we waited for our tree. It was much warmer inside. Finally, we carried the tree (it was a bit heavy) and shoved it into the back of the Subaru (which, by the way, is great for hauling Christmas trees) and headed home for some decorating. On the way home, Sean commented that I was right, getting the Christmas tree was fun! I think the pungent smell of pine was going to his head! Or maybe he truly was getting into the spirit of it all.

New Look Take 2

Looks like I fixed the blog look. I have nothing really to blog about but I'm glad I could "pretty it up" again.

Blog Troubles

I'm not sure why, but my pretty new blog design went missing. Hmmm? Until I can come up with something else new and pretty, plain old is what you get.

Organization

For those of you who know me well, know that I'm the queen of organization. I can't help myself. It's the only way I function. So, this weekend I completed a new organization project. My closet. I've been wanting some sort of system since we moved in two years ago. Finally, I found a nice little DIY system at Lowe's. It's nothing fancy, just Rubbermaid. But it had all of the little components that I wanted and a low price tag. Sean helped me hang the hang rails and uprights and I finished it off with the shelving, rods, drawers and bins. I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the final result.

Now if only I could get Sean to let me organize his closet!

Blog's New Look

Notice anything different? I wanted to change the look of our blog for some time and just haven't had time to play and figure out all of that html code and other tech stuff. I found Simply Chic's blog with simple designs and very easy instructions on how to change the background. So, for now, here's our new look. It's different and still not too girlie so that Sean can blog on it too. :) I may have to play some more and see what I come up with.

My Favorites

I took these photos a few weeks ago. Sean and Winter were just sitting together on the front porch, hanging out. I do believe the saying that a dog is man's best friend. Sean loves her (so do I). She's a handful, but she is so much fun too.

Link

Assortment

We have been so busy these past weeks. Sean has been recording another CD and has spent some evenings in the studio and work has kept him moving as well. We keep finding projects to do around the house and end up decorating, organizing, and fixing way too often instead of just relaxing. And I started school this past week. Whew! What a whirlwind! In addition to the normally crazy start to a school year, it seems I have "that" class. You know, the one that makes you re-evaluate your career choice. I've heard the rumors since they were in Kindergarten and now it's my turn to teach them. It looks like I have my work cut out for me.

So, this long weekend was a welcome respite from the fast pace of life that we got ourselves into. Saturday was spent celebrating with our friends, Brian and Melissa, at their beautiful wedding. What fun! Yesterday, after sleeping in (a rare event) because Winter was at the kennel while we were away at the wedding, Sean and I fit in our old tradition of brunch together. He still fit in some household maintenance (touch up painting, hanging shelves and mirrors) at home and I spent some time at school getting things in order. Last evening, we were able to relax with his family. Today we were again able to sleep late because Winter was exhausted from her fun at the kennel (thank goodness!). Later, the three of us drove out to Mount Gretna and hiked the rails to trails. Winter loved it! She got to sniff to her heart's content, and many people stopped to say hello to her while receiving a few sloppy kisses for their friendliness. She was exhausted when we came home, so the three of us too a long afternoon nap. Ahhh! What a wonderful weekend! I feel refreshed . . . although not ready to go back to work.

Enjoy these few photos of our fluffy friend from today.

Ready to go on our excursion

Too tired from our hike to even stand up to drink

Ahh, refreshed!

Twas the Night Before

'Twas the night before school . . . and I'm feeling a bit blue. It's funny, but I get like this every year. I really like my job and I like to think that I'm a good teacher. Yet every year I get those "post vacation blues." So, here I am again at 8:40 pm on the night before the first day of school and I'm feeling a sadness come over me. Okay, I've been feeling it all day (ask Sean, I'm pretty sure he's been tip toeing around most of today). But I need to be thankful. Sean reminded me that I have a job and there are those in this country who have been out of work for some time. I also am reminded that this year I start out with a smaller class size than the past few years. Of course, I work with a fabulous bunch of teachers in a wonderful school. So, on this night before school, I am changing my tune and counting my blessings. Go away blues!

Big Dog

Winter is 8 months old today and around 60 pounds. She has truly become a little beast. Lately she has reverted to some of her not-so-acceptable behavior . . . digging holes in the flower beds, eating my petunias, stealing socks, carrying around the lawn sprinkler, chewing the watering can, chewing open a motor oil can and spilling oil everywhere. But in spite of it all, we love her. We keep saying that she's getting by on her looks. Here are a few new pictures. They prove that she sure is cute and that's why she's getting by. Enjoy!

Link

Happy "coming to america" anniversary, to me.

My mom reminded me earlier this week that we very recently celebrated our 16th year living in the USA. The exact date we arrived here was August 3rd, 1993 - or something close to that anyway. Every year at this time, a few memories glance across my mind as I recall those early days of us moving here.

1. Landing at JFK after a 24 hour flight from South Africa. We stepped out of the plane into the summer humidity, and for some reason the only thing I remember about that moment was hearing the Concorde take off behind us. It sounded like 100 tons of dynamite going off.

2. Seeing my Dad for the fist time in a few months. That was cool.

3. Feeling too tired and jet lagged to really absorb the moment, and the realization that I was in a different country on the planet.

4. MTV - the first season of "the real world" remember?

5. Beavis and Butthead. Funny no matter where you are from.

6. Thinking a big mac was just a huge meal, too much food. Now I supersize em.

7. Remembering that every time I spoke a word, my accent would give me away as a foreign person.

8. Remembering that every time my accent gave me away, I would soon be answering the craziest questions about where I was from.

Top 5 questions asked of a person from South Africa, now living in America.

1: Are your parents missionaries?

2: Are you from Australia?

3: Do you know (so and so) She/he lived in South Africa too!

4. Why did you come to Lancaster County?

5: Are you British?

6: Are there like, Tigers and stuff in Africa?

Here are the answers:

1. No. White people have been living in South Africa for 5 generations. Imagine that.

2. No. If I was from Australia, my name would be Bruce, and I'd be putting shrimp on the "barbee"

3. No. I don't have a clue who you know, or who you are even talking about. When we left, there were 42 million people in the country.

4. Because we just did.

5. No. But they sure do make great breakfast over there.

6. There are no Tigers anywhere in Africa. Tigers live in Asia.

So there you have it. I am now a taxpaying, voting citizen of this great land.

God Bless America.

Sean.

Boys

My nephews came for a visit! They live in Arizona and unfortunately, we do not see them very often. My mom flew out to bring them back to PA for about a month, so Sean and I took the opportunity to have them stay with us for a few days. If you are not familiar with little boys, let me tell you that it's non-stop action and words. But we loved it! We visited a friend's farm and pet the calves, climbed on big machines and had a picnic. We went swimming in our neighborhood pool and played on our neighborhood playground. We watched movies and cartoons. We chased Winter around the yard and played fetch with her. We read books together. We played airplane games on the X-Box. We went to the park and played on the playground, did art projects and visited the petting farm. We went for walks. We ate at McDonald's. We went to Hershey Chocolate World and Zoo America. Like I said, it was non-stop fun! Now that they are gone, I'm having a day of rest. Although, I will miss them. Winter does too. She spent some time yesterday looking for them in the bedrooms and on the couch. Where did those fun boys go?

Here are a few pics from our time together . . . Boys

Vacation

Why do vacations have to come to an end? Why isn't there someone here to make my bed for me every day or turn down the covers and place my slippers by the bed, take my order at one of five resort restaurants, or bring me a mojito by the pool? I want to go back to Mexico!

Sean and I spent 7 fabulous days at Dreams Resort and Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We had a lovely suite overlooking the pool and the ocean. We would sleep in and then wander down to the restaurant of our choice to have breakfast. Then we would walk around the resort for a bit before heading back to the room to get ready for a day relaxing by the water. Sean would swim and float around while I basked in the sun or under an umbrella with a good book (or a good book that I downloaded onto my new Kindle 2). Many times we would take a late afternoon nap and then get dressed for dinner at one of the 5 restaurants at the resort. We did spend several hours one day riding ATVs and then another day down in Cabo by the marina. Sean spent a morning on his own in San Jose del Cabo, taking in the sites and snapping pictures while I lounged some more by the pool. I also treated myself to a massage . . . ahhh! The weather was a perfect, dry 95 degrees every day. The food and drinks were delicious. Life is good in Mexico.

Click to check out our photos . . . Cabo

Winter's New Do

Sean and I returned home from Mexico late Tuesday night (more on our trip to come) and were looking forward to picking up Winter from the vet where we had kenneled her for the week we were away. After last week's trauma, we were excited to have our puppy back. So Wednesday morning Sean headed off to work and I headed off to pick up the pooch. When they brought her out to me, this is what she looked like . . . (kind of like a black and white lion, big mane, skinny body).


Let me explain. When we dropped off Winter, we received the red carpet treatment. They were falling over themselves to accommodate our needs. After our horrific experience of having Winter's incision open up and thus having emergency surgery, the vet's office gave her a free stay in the canine courtyard. They also were having a vet check on her every day that we were gone. Great, we knew she would be in a good place and have time to heal. Before we left, Sean asked if they would be able to clip her down while we were gone. He specifically said that we'd like a little fluff on her, so clip her to about an inch or so. If they couldn't do it, that was fun with us. We'd schedule a grooming appointment after her stitches were removed. Sean called the vet while we were in Mexico to just check up on her. Sean again asked if they could schedule a hair cut and gave specific instructions indicating how we wanted her groomed and if it didn't work this time due to her incision, we were fine with that. I had a message on my cell when were laid over in Houston, saying that the groomer didn't feel comfortable clipping Winter at this time due to her stitches and Winter's "hyperactivity." Yes, she is a bit hyper, so we were fine with that decision. You can imagine my surprise to see my dog clipped down to her skin on her body and with a full head of hair. It was explained to me that since the groomer wasn't comfortable doing the clipping, a nurse did it so it's not as good as it would normally be. The nurse also did not do Winter's head since Winter starting biting at her (apparently something we need to work on). So our fluffy puppy is no longer. We have what looks to be a malnourished, rescue dog. Her fur is clipped completely to the pink skin in some parts, and in other parts there are clumps of thick longer hair. Why they just didn't follow our instructions to let it be if she couldn't be groomed, I'll never know. So Sean and I tried to at least make her head look like the rest of her body and this is the result of that undertaking . . .


She looks a bit pathetic. It's just hair and she'll grow out to be all fluffy again. But I'm pretty sure she's enjoying the "cooler" new do.

Winter's Week

Our puppy has been quite the entertaining little beast for the past 4 months. However, this week took an interesting turn. Each day held its own little surprise.

Tuesday morning: Winter has routine spay procedure since she is 6 months old. Procedure goes smoothly and vet calls to say that Winter is awake and standing in the crate staring at her. No lying down long for this little doggie.

Tuesday evening: Winter comes home and sleeps a lot. (She also comes home with medication for skin infection.) She has a few episodes of, well, vomiting. Winter vomits every hour and a half from 2:00 am until about 8:30 am the next morning.

Wednesday morning: Return to vet. Winter gets a shot to settle her stomach and goes home with more medication and a bland diet to eat over the next day or so.

Wednesday evening: Winter perks up a bit. We need to keep her from running and jumping.

Thursday morning: Winter has her appetite back and we work hard to keep her from running and jumping.

Thursday evening: Winter jumps from back step onto driveway. I discover a drop of blood on our kitchen floor. Return to vet once again. Winter has 2 staples put in to keep her incision together and must now wear the lovely "cone" to prevent licking and biting at the wound. Oh boy!

Friday: Winter wears cone all day and runs into everything. We hate the cone!

Saturday: Pleasant start to the day. Winter behaves, so we remove the cone that evening.

Now here's where the graphic part begins . . .Winter didn't bother with her incision at all and it seemed to be knitting together. We let her lay in the front yard. I had checked on her and she was simply laying there watching cars go by. About 5 minutes after I looked out, I heard her barking excessively (unusual for her) and Sean went to see what she was doing. All of a sudden, I heard him say "Oh, God!" and I race down the stairs. Brace yourself . . . I ran out the back door only to see my puppy running in circles and yelping an unbelievable yelp of pain that I will forever remember. As I looked closely, I saw Sean trying to grab her at the same time I also saw that her intestines were hanging out of her abdomen. Her incision had completely come apart. We will never know what happened. She had just been laying on the grass, now here she was completely coming undone. Sean and I spring into action. I grabbed towels, keys and my phone from inside of the house as Sean somehow managed to pick up Winter. He in some way managed to slide into the cargo space of our car as I ran out of the house. Sean had her in such a tight grip against him. I jumped in the driver's seat and just took off, calling the vet as I went to get the pet ER number. We arrived in a matter of minutes. I'm not sure how I got there. I ran inside to get help. The vet techs came out wheeling one of those restaurant bus boy carts covered in a towel. I guess that is a pet gurney. As they put Winter on the cart, she reached up and put a paw on either side of the young man's face. That was the last we saw of her until after she woke up from her surgery. As we waited, I cried a lot. I truly lost it when Sean told me that as he sat in the back and her insides were on the outside, Winter looked at him and started to lick his face. This is the dog we love. After what felt like an eternity, the wonderful doctor got her all put together and stitched up. She was fine and we were elated. She did have to stay overnight. When Sean picked her up today, the nurse said it was a good thing because Winter was standing up in her crate and barking every time the nurse walked by. She wanted out. Our little pup also decided she did not like her IV and tore it out herself. She's a tough one.

Winter is home now. She is doing well. Her incision is stitched tightly together and she's back to her usual shenanigans. I do believe Winter is going to be just fine. Thank goodness!

Sean displaying our large and unexpected medical bill

Birthday Puppy

Winter is 6 months old today! She's been a great puppy . . . most of the time. I have to admit, there were many times that we second guessed our decision to get a puppy. She's a handful, but we love her anyway. How could we not love that cute face! As I type this, she is at the vet's office ready to be spayed. Poor thing. They told me that we'll need to keep her calm and not allow her to jump for the next 3 to 5 days. Yeah right! Do they know Winter? There's nothing "calm" about this dog. So happy birthday, Winter!

Winter at 6 weeks, the day we picked her out.

Winter at 6 months. Look how she's grown. She's 48 pounds.

Click here for some new photos of the beast . . . Winter
Click here to see what she was like at 6 weeks . . . Baby Winter

School's Out

Yes, another year complete! We said goodbye to the kiddos on Thursday and yesterday was a teacher day to finish packing up our rooms for the summer and tying up all of those loose ends. Now the summer is before me and I can't wait. I know it will go fast. It always does.

Huh?

We haven't blogged in a while.

We're just to frikkin' busy. So a big sorry to the 3 of you that actually read this blog.

We shall return soon, I promise, as soon as this all slows down!

Sean.

9 Days

9 days left of this school year! It's the last day of May and I'm wondering where time has gone. I remember as a child thinking that time tended to stand still and adults were silly when they said "time flies by." I must be getting older, because time does fly by. For me, at least, it seems to be going at rapid speed. So welcome, June and summer. I'm so very ready for you!

40 Pounds

That's how much the "puppy" weighs. 5 months old and 40 pounds. She still has about 50 more to go. Yikes! She looks more and more like a big old Sheepdog every day. But she acts all Puppy! Here's the latest proof of size.

Life

Life is crazy, isn’t it? It never stops and one just has to hold on for the ride. I have been reminded of this over the past few days. My dear, little Grandma, who is almost 84 years old, took a spill this week. The result of which has been some severe injuries to her aging body. I have had to think about how I take my youth for granted. I wish for slimmer hips and a tighter stomach, better defined muscles in my arms (you know, Hollywood leading lady arms), smoother skin and better hair. Yet, I have health and youth and energy. I am able to run 5k and probably still go for more (but am too lazy to push it). I have also been reminded about faith. My aunt and great aunt who were with Grandma most of the day in the hospital said that as she was in pain and all of the “stuff” of medicine was going on around her, Grandma still prayed with faith. I think I would have been laying there asking, “Why me? Why can’t I get a break?” She is such a good example of calm surrender, but active faith. I often think of her (and my mom) when I think of the kind of woman I really wish I could be. So, now I take her example and see if maybe, with God’s help, I can learn to have that peace and faith that Grandma has. Content in letting life take me on a ride, but knowing that God is there all along.

Massive beast

Our dog continues to expand into a massive animal. I took Marci to Rita's tonight for some ice cream. We saw a cute little German shepherd that was 4 months old, the same age as our puppy. Winter absolutely dwarfed this dog in size. She was at least twice his size. I got a cold shiver down my spine. A German shepherd is not a small dog.

She is cute though. Here is the latest pic. I'm not supposed to let her up on my lap, but I cant resist it. Included is a picture taken from only 2 and a half months ago. Yikes.

I guess all that organic, expensive dog food is really working.

Busy busy

Hi Folks,

Not much to update you on except that we have both been quite busy. Marci has had a bunch of school stuff going on, and I've been kept busy with work, rehearsals etc, etc.

Winter is now getting huge. We love her, it seems that the small puppy phase is slowly slipping away and we are approaching the adolescent years. She sleeps most of the time, and if I had doubled my size in 8 weeks I would be sleeping a lot as well.

I am being kept entertained by watching this circus we have now, called the government.

What a joke, and yes that includes republicans as well.

American idol? Hmm lets see, either Danny or Adam. I cant stand Adam, because everytime I see the guy perform I feel like I'm at a dinner theater. Anoop, sorry buddy, you just looked too much like any regular dude.

Ok, gotta go.

S.

New Car

Somehow Sean and I managed to get ourselves back into debt. We now have monthly car payments on a brand new 2009 Subaru Forester. Little did we know when we began this Easter weekend that we would be driving home a new car. Yesterday we started out with a little trip to the Subaru dealership to "just take a look." We were sold after a test drive and talking with our new sales-guy friend Derek. We did a little more comparison shopping today but still came back to the Forester. Lest you think we are impulse buyers, I want to assure you that we have been talking about a new car for a while. However, this weekend it all just came together. We got the price we wanted on the total package. So, happy driving!

Space for big doggie (and Sean's amps, guitars, etc). It's supposed to be my car.

Beastie

Our puppy is growing. We brought Winter home when she was 8 weeks old and about 12 pounds. Tonight we had her 16 week vet appointment, and after a struggle to get her to simply stand on the scale, Winter weighed in at a whopping 28 pounds. The doggie is becoming a beast.

8 Weeks

16 Weeks

Floating shelves

Quick word of advice to those of you who want to hang those nice "floating" shelves you see on HGTV. You know, the ones that look like they are magically not attached to anything on the wall....

Don't do it.

They don't float, they sag and then sink. And then when you try to re-attach them they rip huge holes in your drywall.

You will end up trying to convince yourself they look nice because you put 4.3 hours worth of your time trying to hang them. Then one day you will realize that you really hate them, because they look pitiful, and now you are going to have to spackle, sand, paint, repaint and paint again.

Sean.

Here He Goes Again

Sean has this need to keep perfecting the study. First, we purchased the desk that created quite a stir in our house over the deliver of said desk. Then Sean hung the shelves and re-hung the shelves. After that, he decided he didn't like the shelves and we needed to find a piece of art to hang on the wall. Yesterday we found the something that we both agreed on and now Sean has removed the shelves, spackled, and is in the process of repainting. Oh boy! Finished product pictures will be shown in the near future. Let's hope this is the true finished product.

Getting bigger

Winter baby is getting bigger. By the minute. It seems that we put her in the crate at night, and she wakes up, bigger. Soon she will no longer be winter "baby" but winter "middle school."

After that I'm sure she is going to want the keys to my car.

I'm being told by everyone to "enjoy the puppy years." Those people have obviously never had to get up at 2 am in 12 deg f to let her out.

She is still a love bug. All you have to do is sit on the kitchen floor and she'll come over and flop into your lap. The barking in the crate at night has (mercifully) come to an end. She simply walks in after a bit of persuading and goes to sleep. I guess a puppy's life can keep a pup busy most of the time, what with all the smells in the yard that need investigation, all the sitting for treats that need to be done.....

I have come to the realization that my beautiful grass is going to be destroyed this summer.

Oh well, look at these pictures and tell me she's not worth it.

Sean.

Click Here

Puppy Kindergarten

Puppy Kindergarten just may save our lives! We thought we were getting a cute, fuzzy little angel of a dog, but no, we got a dominant and slightly aggressive little you-know-what. Our hero, Kaye Ames, has graciously invited us to an extra class a week to work on Winter's dominance. We shouldn't be too surprised considering she is an Old English Sheepdog, a breed known for their bossy-ness and take charge attitude. For the most part, Winter is a love and just wants to be near us and play with us. But when we take charge or expect her to do something she doesn't want to do she makes the switch from Jekyll to Hyde. Good thing she's cute! Here are some photos of her now at 12 weeks. Cuteness!

Photos

At 8 Weeks

At 12 Weeks

Puppy meltdown

Last night was no fun. It was a pure battle of wills. Canine 1. Human 0.

Winter's schedule was all messed up due to me being in and out of the house all day. Sometimes my work keeps me in the area, and I use home as well, "home base." The result?

A puppy who had no sleep, and no set mandatory time in the crate. The effects of that were a very grumpy dog that barked, and barked, and barked, and barked from 4 pm until 12 midnight.

Puppies are like babies. They need their rest. We have since discovered this. I guess since dogs also develop 7 times faster than people in human terms Winter is almost 2 years old. As I recall from common psychology this means she is currently going through the terrible two's.

It is a good thing we have a strictly enforced "no weapons" policy in this house. At about 2 am when she finally settled down I would have been ready to use one. I know that sounds awful, but you live with a dog that barks non stop for 8 hours, and tell me how you feel!!

So today we had 45 minutes of Puppy Kindergarten. Our teacher, Kaye Ames is a gift from God. As we walked into the the puppy school today, more than a few people standing in the entrance with their dogs were "oohing" and "aahing" over out beautiful puppy - (she is cute)

Some nice old lady remarked out loud "oh look as this lovely sheepdog." I just walked by, dragging Winter by the leash as I replied, "this dog is the spawn of Satan."

Anyway, Kaye pointed out everything we are doing wrong, and she told us that she once had a dog that barked so much she wanted to give it back. This left me felling encouraged as she has been training dogs for 45 years. She has this mythical way of just putting pets at ease, its really cool to watch.

So little Winter has redeemed herself. We love her again. She just really needs some structure in her life, even more than what we were giving. She is quietly hanging out with me after a nice long nap. She is much better today. Treats really work to make her behave, its like bribery. You relax, and you get a treat.

Kaye also enforces the use of earplugs for a barking dog. I just haven't figured out how I am going to put them in Winter's ears.

Sean.

A Breakthrough

Winter slept through the night last night! Wahoo! We put her in the crate at 10 pm and she made it to 6 am. I woke up at 5 am paranoid that she died because she hadn't woken us up in the middle of the night. Apparently, I wasn't too paranoid because I continued to lay in bed until 6 am when I thought I had better check on her.

Do I think this will continue? No! I'm pretty sure it was just a tease, but oh that blessed sleep was wonderful!

Sleeeeepy

We are a little sleepy these days. Winter gets us up every morning at 3 am for a pee. I have a quick change of clothes that I have at the edge of the bed. They get thrown on in a sleepy daze and then the little pup goes out to take care of business - with me at the end of the leash.
She is a good girl, and we love her very much. She knows how to sit, play catch, and she even knows to come when we call.
So, were tired. But its worth it!
Sean.

Homecoming

Winter is home! And life as we know it is over! Yesterday Sean and I drove the 3 1/2 hours to Athens, PA to pick up our puppy. Then we made the trek back home. After whining a bit and moving from one side of the car to the other, Winter fell asleep on my lap in the backseat and slept most of the way home. She spent the evening exploring her new pad and then proceeded to poo on the living room carpet. We're pretty sure she got into some adult dog food before leaving the breeder's house. The gaseous fumes emanating from her backside were a testament to that possibility and the poo further proved it. Our wonderful neighbors offered a re-sizable gate which we have gladly borrowed. Winter can only move about in the kitchen and dining room, where the crate is located, until she is house-trained. Cleaning poo off of a carpet ain't fun, I tell you! Sean's gagging reflex kicks into high gear. Our first night went well. We did a trial run in the crate before bedtime and there was all kinds of whining, howling and whimpering. However, she managed to calm down and fall asleep for a bit. We got her out to play a while. Then when she just couldn't stay awake any longer (nor could Sean and I), Winter walked herself right into that crate and laid right down on her blanket, closing her eyes! Woohoo! Sean and I took ourselves off to bed and managed to sleep, albeit not-so-soundly, for about 5 1/2 hours until we heard her moving around in her crate. Sean got up to take her for that potty break at 2:30 am (yes, AM!). We played with her for about 10 minutes, put her back into the crate, and listened to her whine and howl for a bit. She settled down for another hour and a half until she decided to wake us up again with her whimpers. My turn for potty duty. By then she was wide awake and I was indeed exhausted. I brought her to bed with me and we played with her rope a bit. She settled down and all three of us slept for another 2 hours. Except I didn't sleep well because Winter apparently dreams she is running and her little paws go round and round. She would start "running" and scrape her claws on the bedding and I would think she was waking up so I would wake up. I do not want pee or poo on my bed! So far so good. Today we played a lot. Winter met one set of grandparents (who think she is quite adorable). We tried to figure out potty time and eating. Not quite there, but we'll get it. The first full day down and we survived. We're tired, but know that this is just the beginning of a fabulous relationship with our doggie. Tomorrow we'll try some more crate time and a visit with the other grandparents. I'm sure there will be more stories to tell in the near future!

Link for photos - Winter Homecoming

Marketing

I got a nice surprise in the mailbox tonight. Apparently I qualify for an AARP membership.
I even have my own shiny new card with my name on it.
The brochure tells me that I can get big savings and discounts wherever I travel, and access to "AARP endorsed group health insurance." Sweet. I didn't think I was that old yet, but this is awesome!
Oh wait - it says something about being "over 50" to join. Ah dangit.
Maybe if I just pretend I belong, and then I flash the card surreptitiously and various retail locations when I purchase something. When I do this I'll accompany it with a nice grin and a wink and I might just get a discount or two. I'll say something like, "its fine, I'm with AARP." Wink.

Perhaps carrying this card will make me feel more cool. Just like those nice medication commercials you see on TV (you know, like the one about *cough* "genital herpes") All you see on those ad's are people canoeing, biking, roller bladeing, holding hands, smiling, and having a great time. By the end of the commercial you are convinced that having this disease could make your life way cooler, fantastic even!
(Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrea, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, depression, anger, anxiety, dry mouth, temorary hearing loss and possible blindness.)


Sean.

Snow Day

A bit of a surprise this morning . . .


We were not expecting snow. Here's how much we got at our house . . .

Some folks at other ends of the county didn't see a flake. One friend got 12 inches. Very strange weather. After we shoveled the drive and sidewalk, Sean had some fun.

It is a beautiful, snowy day in our neighborhood.


(It is trash day. I hope they come and get it. We do have a recycling bin under the snow somewhere.)

Africa

I saw a documentary on a blog tonight that tore my heart to shreds, and then gently put it back together.
It was of a small village in a dark corner of Uganda, with two little children whose bodies had been ravaged by starvation and polio. They were left hopeless, and abandoned cared for only by their older sister who walked a few miles just to get water to bathe them. With no food or hope in sight, she knew the least she could do was pick them up out of the dirt and dust and cleanse their broken bodies. I sat here as the tears welled up.

Fortunately, the children were rescued in the nick of time by a charitable organization that took them from the shackles of their deadly circumstances and put them in a home where they received medical attention, and rehabilitation.

I am trying to process the deep confusion I have as to why this is a scene all to familiar from Africa. Why does the continent with the most natural wealth and resources on the planet have so many parts that suffer like this. Why? Civil war, famine, AIDS, dictatorships, polio, rebel fighting, government coups, corruption...the list goes on and on.

I spoke for hours with an old friend of mine last night. They emigrated from South Africa to Canada 2 years ago. His story is amazing. They left their home, (like me) to find a better life elsewhere. He told me that his whole outlook on life has changed. No longer is he living in a constant state of stress, wondering when his house is going to get broken into again, or if he is going to be carjacked on the way to work. His wife can play with their daughter in the park, and he knows they will come home that night.

While I love the USA, there are times when my heart yearns for Africa. The smell of the sweet air after a rainstorm. The feel of the warm, dry Drakensberg winds. The sound of the Indian ocean crashing onto a rocky beach. Looking up at night and feeling the Southern Cross looming safely over me. We left our home for a better life, and we found it but all in all, why did it have to be that way? Why couldn't we have had a better life on the continent of my birth, of 5 generations of my family.

Africa's problems run deep into the earth. I don't know the answer. Perhaps it is the hapless victim of the human nature to take, take, take. Almost as if God gave all humanity this wonderful gift brimming with life, color and variety - and all we've done collectively is to pull it to shreds.

If there is any doubt that man is born with a sinful nature, I present Africa as compelling evidence.

Sean.

Winter Baby

Sean and I are getting an Old English Sheepdog. Right now she's small. Fairly soon, she'll be big. We have to wait for another 2 weeks to bring her home. Ugh! That's so long. Let the photos speak for themselves. Our Winter is adorable! Link

We are geeks

Here are the top 5 best geek toys I bought in 2008.

1. Iphone. If you don't have this device yet, you need it. It will change your life. You will become hopelessly addicted to the ability to be in touch all the time. You will lie in bed at night quietly tapping the screen and surfing the web while desperately trying not to wake up your wife.
You will roll over as you wake up in the morning, and make a half-eyed reach in the dark for your phone. Yes, its that bad.

2. Apple TV. Simply put, brilliant. Stream your entire music library to your living room. No more CD's or CD cases laying around. Download HD movies, view your all your photos (from your flickr account) directly on your big screen TV. We love this thing, and use it all the time. It looks nice too.

3. 42" Toshiba HDTV. Need I say more? Sweeeeet.

4. Tamron 17-35 F2.8 wide angle lens. Take my word for it, this lens takes pictures so sharp its ridiculous. I love it - the F2.8 part is pretty nice too.

5. Flickr Pro account. Ok, so this was $24.95 per year. But, you get unlimited uploads, and anyone can view our photos online any where at anytime and download them to their hearts content. The interface is fun, and easy to use. If you are looking for a service like this, I highly recommend it.

Special mention goes to: Facebook.
While being completely free, I am amazed at how this little application has taken off. Its so much better that Myspace because, well, Myspace sucked.
For those of you who have it, you know you are addicted. Come on, admit it.

I am such a geek.

Sean.

Avalanche

I spent the past weekend at a camp with 150 middle schooler's from LCBC. To say I had a great time would be an understatement. It felt really refreshing to just get out of town for a few days, and hang around with some good friends. Getting to play some bangin' rock and roll worship didn't hurt either. I am amazed at the energy of middle schooler's. Its either full speed go, or a full stop - with nothing in between.

I took the trusty Canon 30D with me and snapped some candid shots of us spending some time backstage. I love that camera, almost as much as my guitar, Susan. After using it for a while now, it just feels like an extension of my eye - I just look, focus and push the button. Snap, there you have it.

Oh well, there's not much else going on these days. I can't believe its almost February.

You can check out the photos from the camp here

Not your fault

As I turned into the last corner on my long trip home tonight, my ear caught these words from a commercial playing over the car radio. It went something like this: "Are you in more than ten thousand dollars worth of debt? Do your credit cards have you locked down? Are you tired of calls from collectors? We'll it's not your fault."
"What?" I thought, as I felt for the button on the garage door opener. How is being in debt way over your own head, not your own fault?" I turned the car off, and left the radio on, determined to listen a little closer. In what can only be described as some brilliant Americanized marketing, the voice I was now hearing went on to explain to me that credit card companies have devised a scheme to "keep you in debt" because "that's how they make their money."
Wait a minute. If I spent over $10,000 dollars of someone else's money and I cant pay it back then just how does that profit them?
Well, to cut a long story short, this genius has devised a plan (not for free I might add) to get you out of debt, and a way to stop the "evil" credit card companies from calling you.

Why not just pay what you rightfully owe? Oh that's right, you cant because you don't have any money.

Personal responsibility. We seem to be missing that in our country these days. I remember amassing quite a large debt with a certain credit card company in my early twenties, but I don't seem to remember an "evil agent" from Visa putting a gun in my back, forcing me to spend money. Oh no, I did that all by myself. Because we are all taught that having debt is normal right? One needs to "build your credit" when you are young so you can take on more debt when you are much older. Spend now so you can be more in debt later - got it.
And why have a savings account for a rainy day - isn't that what a credit card is for? Yes, of course, because borrowing more money when you are flat broke is always a good idea. Especially at a 21% APR.

These days, normal is broke, or only 4 weeks away from it.

I'm proud to say that we (Marci and I) are free of all debt, but our home. You read that right, no car payment, credit cards, student loans - nothing. Why, because we got sick and tired of owing everyone else money. It took 3 years of hard work. Marci (a.k.a Minister of Finances) wrote out the last check for someone else, last year. I cant tell you how liberating this experience was. I firmly believe that one of the reasons we have a great marriage is because we are not under the stress of debt anymore. You should try it.




Sean.

New day

Ok.
So a few words on today's inauguration. Call it historic, "full of change" significant, touching, whatever. If it didn't remind you at least once somewhere deep in your soul that this is truly the greatest country in the world, and that we are truly blessed, you must have a heart of stone.

Whatever side of the fence you fall on, God Bless America, and may God bless our new President.

Lord knows he is going to need it.

S.

Cutting Boards

Sean and I have gone through about 3 wooden cutting boards in our 4 1/2 years of marriage. Apparently an owner of a cutting is supposed to treat a wooden cutting board with utmost care (ie. rub with mineral oil, wash properly, store in upright position), and apparently we are completely clueless. Our boards tend to warp and split apart, so we toss it out and purchase another one. On a stroll through the mall today, while sipping Starbucks, we ventured into Williams-Sonoma. With the intent to simply browse, we came upon the cutting board section. Then Jen, the very knowledgeable sales woman, joined us. After a little lesson on cutting boards, we purchased a not-so-cheap cutting board from said sales woman. Turns out it's the very low maintenance sort of cutting board - knife friendly, composite material, dishwasher safe - my kind of equipment. As I type this Sean is raising a racket in the kitchen as he tries to properly store the new board. I did a quick search on the care of cutting boards and came upon this site. I liked it first for the name "Men In Aprons," and secondly for the information. For your own education, have a look. Maybe you too need to know how to properly care for your cutting board.

http://www.meninaprons.net/archives/2007/04/3_keys_to_wooden_cutting_board.html

Man (I mean..) "hobby room" complete

I have almost completed construction of our "hobby room." I have to call it this since "man room" is not politically correct around my, I mean "our" house.

For years I have dreamed of this. A room where I can record music, set up my gear and leave it out, have some space to move around. No more practice in the cold, lonely basement, or dragging my amp up and down the stairs, ugh.

I think that poor Marci has dreamed of this too, a room where she can close the door on all of my junk without having to step over miles of cables and guitar stuff. At least now our nice study downstairs will stay that way - "nice." She can use this room for all of her scrapbooking as well.

Is it weird that we now essentially have 2 rooms with full scale desk's and whatnot in our home?
At first I was bothered by this, but then I realized that I could care less what people think.
There's only two of us in this big four bedroom home, we might as well use it all.

Here are the pics. We still need to paint, but you get the idea.