Adventures In Dog Sitting

One of my husband's coworkers is out of town for the week, and kind of a last minute thing they needed to find somebody to watch their dog. Gus can't blame me for accepting, since he asked me if I wanted to do it and I said sure. She's cute and all, and I like dogs, but my adventures in watching a young Golden Retriever has me contemplating getting a dog of my own, something I've been considering for the last few months, if we can find the right dog.

Abby, the dog, is an adorable little snot that loves attention. She also likes to be outside and enjoys running around on five acres of property while I go about my errands of feeding the horses, where she harasses the chickens and hasn't quite figured out that the cats do not like her. I'm waiting for her to get that lesson down, but to save her face from being mauled, I try to intervene. Of course, I also intervene when she decides to take a dump in the hay barn, NOT the place for her to do her duty.

So, we go to the trials of dog sitting, and the reason I'm kind of mum on the idea of getting a dog. See, she's young, still a puppy, and it turns out, not entirely housebroke. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't poop in the house, but when she gets excited, like when she meets a new person, she starts wagging her tail and piddling on the floor. That gets annoying. She could have just peed outside and she will still piddle on the floor if she gets super excited. I don't know if that's something that will go away in time or if she's just a nervous dog with an uncontrollable bladder.

Then there is the play bites, which I think I'm getting into her head is not ok. She tries to jump on the couch with me and I push her off, she thinks its a game and she puts my arm in her mouth. Not breaking the skin, but I have had to work with her that no body part goes into a dog's mouth, ever (unless somebody is breaking an entering with the intention of harm, then go right on ahead!) But the most disgusting thing I have seen her do is eat horse manure. It almost made me vomit the last time she did it. Dang dog.

But she is cute, in her I'm not quite a puppy anymore but I'm not a full grown dog sort of way. Still, it has made me realize with the constant craving of attention (thankfully we have a kennel for her at night) that I really am a Cat Person at heart.

As long as the Cat is halfway sane and not a murderous fiend of course. Anyway, I think I'll let a future kidling try to talk us into getting a dog when I actually look at getting one. I'm glad petsitting is only a week.

Style Blogging, Like Only I Can

So what makes up this ensemble?  Hmm, starting from the top, Foot Traffic Half Marathon T-shirt from 2009 because they were on discount and I was to cheap to buy the 2010 version (which I actually ran) over a black long sleeve T I picked up at a thrift store a few years back, because T-shirts over long sleeve is just a style I picked up with that usually goes for teens that I don't care, I like.  Even if they bunch up around the belly and give me a few extra pounds, it adds extra warmth in the spring time.  Tommy Jeans that I think I got for Christmas when I was 20 that I have worn the snot out of and has holes in numerous places to include the knee, complete with Muck Boots, which probably has manure on them.  The outfit would not be complete if I didn't have one pantleg tucked IN the boot.

Don't know what I've got my nose up in the air for.  Sun must be in my eyes.  I've never been much of a modeler.

This is about what I wear every day.  It's damn near surprising I don't have a couple pieces of hay sticking out of my outfit in random places because hay always completes the look of living in the boondocks and working out in the yard tending to the livestock.  Today I raked the front area of the millions of pine needles that gets dropped every year from our trees and makes me contemplate how nice it would be if there were NO trees anywhere to be found on our property.  But then I say, no, I like the trees, they provide shade and wind blockage, and then I keep raking. 

But Damn, they are called Evergreens, aren't they?  Aren't they supposed to keep their ever greenness, not shed them all over the place? 

So basically, my style says practical, and I don't give a flying rat's behind if I mess this up by getting something on it.  Because dealing with moldy hay, riding horses and driving riding lawn mowers while doing spring cleaning in the front yard screams for a chance to show off my pizazz.  Hah!  Like I ever had any.

A Year Ago Today

Well, now that I think about it, a year ago today I wasn't posting a lot on my life, because I had a lot going on.  But a year ago today I was in the City of Sin, Las Vegas, enjoying Red Rock Rendezvous with my then boyfriend where afterwards we stayed in the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino and walked the strip and went sight seeing all of the crazy sites of Vegas.  It was a fun time, and definitely blog worthy, but life was just really crazy and blogging really wasn't a priority for me.

I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what really happened, as though guys don't really put much sentiment into dates, apparently girls do, and March 22, 2010 was an important date for me. 

It was kind of funny actually, we had been planning on going to this Climbing Conference for a couple of months (we were hoping to go back this year) and had an absolute blast.  We had only been officially dating for a little over a month, but had been hanging out for longer then that.  So anyway, we decided to head to Vegas for the weekend plus a few extra days, enjoy the sites and each others company, and let me tell you, Vegas is the same damn thing over and over again.  We did the roller coasters, and the casinos, and the slots, and the casinos, and the more casinos, and what, this one has a Mideivel theme?  That one over there is french?  Wait, they all have the same freakin' slots and games! 

That got old after a while, in truth, I liked the old strip better, it has more character.

Visiting the old strip, the new strip, and the wedding strip, well, we're in Vegas, what else would a couple who people back home would speculate might elope do but pose in front of the Little White Wedding Chapel?

Reactions back home when we posted this gem on facebook?  Hilarity abounded, but my mother was skeptical.  Her reply 'Yah, right.'  I think at the ripe old age of 29 and avoidance of the dating issue had most people believing that, me?  Getting married?  Ain't going to happen, way to stubborn, independent, and stuck in my ways to give my life to another person.  Right?  RIGHT???

Well, I had to do homework holed up in our hotel room and he left to do whatever it was he wanted to do, and afterwards we decided to have dinner.  He made reservations for dinner at the top of the Stratosphere.  That should have been a clue, but I was all thinking, 'ok, guess you live once.  Are you sure we can afford dinner where you pay by the portion?  Ouch!'

Could somebody knock some sense into my head that we might have been setting a mood?  And for dinner at a nice restaraunt, we probably could have dressed a little nicer for the occasion, but being the people we are, what you see is what you get with us both.  Before desert, he looked at me with that twinkle in his eye.  "well, now for the reason why I brought you all the way up here."

My first thought was 'duh, why didn't I figure this out sooner?  Am I really that oblivious?'  My words were, of course, 'You're proposing, aren't you?'

He just smiled at me and then brought out the ring, which was a little heart felt nicknack he had made while I was doing homework.  I had told him before, don't get me a ring unless it means something special (ie, he got the diamond himself, it's a family heirloom, etc), and going to DeBeres and buying a ring for three months worth of pay is to me a serious waste of money, especially since I will likely never wear a diamond due to the fact that I'm a chronic loser of Jewelry.  The ring he gave me had a little heart etched out between a G and a K, and I loved it.  it's sweet, simple, practical and totally fits our relationship. 

"So, will you marry me?"

The next question out of my mouth was, "you know what you're getting yourself into, right?"

Apparently he knew, well, I hope he knew what he was getting himself into, because I said yes.

So a year ago today, Gus transitioned from being my boyfriend to being my fiance.  In a whirlwind rush of things, barely a month later we tied the knot.  I kind of knew if I got married, things would go quickly.  I'm not a girly girl, and planning a wedding is not my forte.  Good thing I have the family I do, because I don't think I would have survived if I hadn't, and I don't know if Gus would have stuck around if we took any longer. 



Style Blogging!!?!

Oh My GOSH, you guys, I know you have been wanting to hear from me and everything and I've been horribly neglecting my poor blog but I have figured out what I'm going to blog about!

Fashion!  Because I am the Fashion Queen of Fashion and all of the cool house wife bloggers are doing it so I think it's time I fell into sync with what is hip in the blogging world.  And holy cow it's going to be EPIC!!!

(please note there is not an ounce of sarcasm in the tone of this entire post)