DUMB DOG

I don't know what to do about Jack. I spent over 200 dollars on this dumb dog door, and every time he needs to use the bathroom he will go stand by it and whimper until someone opens it for him. I decided one day that I would be as defiant as he was, and just ignored him, but he peed on the floor instead (that was not a good day). When he was outside I decided I would leave him out there until he came in on his own. He barked and whined for almost an hour, which isn't fair to my neighbors, so that was the end of that. I've done everything anyone has told me. Treats. Pushing him back and forth through it. Getting unrealistically excited when he went through on his own. This dog is just stubborn. I think he's scared of the loud noise the magnets make, and the fact that he can't see through to the other side. Still, there is only so much I can take. I guess I'm going to have to leave him in a field.........

GOT THIS TOY

Thanks to Black Friday, I finally found the right timing for a decent camera. I bought it this morning so the rest of the day was spent taking pictures of random objects so I could play with the lighting and settings. I'm like a kid in a candy factory! Here are some of the pictures I took. They're pretty boring, but eventually I'll have something more exciting to post. These are the 'practice' ones: The dog basket full of chew toys - an essencial when you live with two dogs

I put the Christmas tree up this afternoon. It is pre-lit and has little fake pine cones in it. The rest of the decorating is going to have to wait.

My friend, Christina, gave me this vase as a house warming gift - I love it

Ode to Asia: This is my little wooden buddah that I bought when I lived in Taiwan. My buddy from work gave me these vases and they fit the theme perfectly

Jack the Dog trying to jump up in my lap - the close up shows a little too much detail. I'm going to have to start bathing him more regularly

WEEK OF THANKS

I've been thinking about some of the things this week that I'm grateful for and that make me happy. There are the significant ones like family, the gospel, JTD, friends, etc.. Recently, I've found that I really enjoy these little things:

1. Heated car seats when it's cold outside
2. Medicine that takes away ear aches
3. Remote controls so you don't have to get up to turn the channels
4. Internet access
5. Airplanes
6. Indoor washer and dryers
7. Being able to park in a garage
8. Eggnog milkshakes from Jack in the Box
9. Living right off of a freeway
10. Interest earned on savings accounts
11. Christmas music
12. Getting pedicures
13. Having a backyard
14. Ceiling fans
15. Getting letters in the mail
16. Clean sheets
17. Watching good reruns
18. Going to a movie in the theatre
19. Experiencing Fall at the end of November
20. Fresh flowers on a kitchen table
21. Diet coke
22. Red paint
23. Reconnecting with friends
24. Talking in Spanish and being understood
25. Having a snack drawer in my room so I don't have to go downstairs to the kitchen
26. Piano music
27. Finding exactly what you want on sale
28. Mon Ami Gabi
29. Starting food storage and feeling like I'm finally getting on board with it
30. Bathtubs
31. Walk-in closets
32. JTD going through his dog door without me holding it open for him
33. Having a job that I still enjoy going to after 5 years
34. IPODS
35. Having the capability to watch a movie in my car
36. Big, dangling earings
37. My buddah from Taiwan
38. Looking out my bathroom window every morning and seeing blue skies and palm trees
39. Candles that smell good when you light them
40. Chewy, sour candies
41. Waking up before my alarm goes off and feeling rested
42. Going in to work early and getting off early
43. Being in a motel and someone else making your bed
44. Being on vacation
45. Dinner with friends you don't get to see very often
46. A good book
47. Listening to people talk who have accents
48. Using random phrases in Chinese (Dway bu chi - wo ting bu dong)
49. A story or joke that makes me laugh really hard
50. Kleenex with aloe
51. When fresh fruit is in season
52. Fuzzy, warm socks
53. Clocks that set themselves when the time changes
54. Grandparents
55. Watching elderly couples holding hands
56. Having a window in my office
57. Christmas decorations
58. The smell of freshly mowed grass
59. Chew toys that keep the dogs occupied
60. Homemade meals, preferably made by someone else

There's just so many things in my life that make me happy :)

JTD

So on Monday morning I was walking into the door at work and Jack did a quick U-turn and ran down the hill. No amount of calling his name made him turn around, and I was wearing heels, which made it almost impossible to chase him. Long story short, he ran into the road and was hit by a truck. It was a sickening thing to experience. I heard him yelp, and watched him get nicked by the wheel and thrown across the road. I have no idea how, but he came out of it with just a road rash and some pretty minor injuries. No broken bones, no internal injuries. Nothing. I saw what happened, and it makes no sense to me that he survived. I think the Lord knows that I need Jack the Dog in my life, even though other people may not understand why.

To those people rolling their eyes and saying in their heads 'he's just a dog,' I would remind you that I used to be you. I don't know why I like him so much. Maybe it's because he filled a significant void in my life at the right time and helped heal some of the hurt I was experiencing. Maybe it's because he doesn't shed, has fabulously multi-colored highlights, and is abnormally cute. Or perhaps it's the way that he crouches on the ground and wiggles his butt in the air when he wants you to play with him. I really don't know. However, what I do know is that even though he's just a dog, he's MY dog, and I'm just glad that he's still here!

SYTYCD TOUR

What's better than watching 'So You Think You Can Dance' on Tuesday nights? Watching the highlights from it IN PERSON!! Jeni - Karli - Megann - Brooke (not pictured - Jody)

Friday night a few of us went over to the Orleans and watched the top 10 (plus 2) tour group from last season
They did the best dance routines from season five and then had a few new ones that they choreographed for the show
Every time the music would come on for a new dance, everyone would get so excited and all around us you would hear people saying 'this was my favorite dance!'
There were some that I've watched over and over again, and still haven't gotten bored with yet

NEVER ENOUGH

I'm the kind of person that can eat the same leftovers for days in a row. It drives people nuts, but that's just who I am. As I found myself hitting the repeat button today to listen to a song again that I've listened to consistently over the years, I realized that there are a lot of things that I just don't get bored with. Here's a few:

1. The song '100 Years' by Five for Fighting - I even put it as a ringtone. I don't know why, but I just love that song!
2. Chicken Tortilla Soup - Recently my favorite is from Fresh and Easy. It's become a staple.
3. Organizing and re-organizing - It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something, even if I'm not!
4. Taking walks - Right now is the perfect time of year to go outside and walk Jack the Dog
5. Playing Tetris (and recently Mahjong) online - It's mindless, but entertaining
6. Watching 'The Nanny' - Her voice is ridiculous, yet I've seen the entire season 2 or 3 times.
7. Talking about social issues - It's the social worker in me.
8. Dumb teen movies - I'm a closet watcher.
9. Looking at pictures from places I've traveled to
10. Card games, board games, and game nights - I LOVE game nights!

I'm not a fan of living a monotonous life, but I'm all about having monotonous aspects within my life. It works for me!

ROYAL FLUSH

This year for Halloween we dressed up in playing cards and were a 'Royal Flush.' A little Kinkos, paint, tape, and we were good to go! It wasn't until AFTER I had them done that I found out that a royal flush in a hearts beats out a royal flush of diamonds. Who knew?! You can click on the pictures to see them better. They're sort of fuzzy this size. We went to Mon Ami Gabi (my favorite french restaurant) at the Paris on the strip and quickly found out that when you're a deck of playing cards, walking through the casino, you're a hit! We had people taking pictures of us all night and one guy even asked to take a picture with us for luck.

Since we had a 1 1/2 hour wait to sit on the patio we went over to the Bellagio and watched the fountains going off. The fountains and Mon Ami Gabi are my favorite thing on the strip. The best part of it is that as you sit at the restaurant you can watch them going off directly across the street.

They had some new songs at the Bellagio, and the classics that are always fun to watch. The higher the water, the better the show. It was good times!

So Halloween this year was pretty much a success! Such a fun night with such a fun group of people! Our last 'hurrah' before Calvin and Karissa move to California next week. Hooray for good friends and fun memories. Next up.....our annual Mexican fiesta on Thanksgiving Day! How I love the holidays!!!