Hitting the Books...AGAIN!!!

Oh, how I wish this really worked!

Yes, I'm studying again. But this time is the LAST TIME! I'm posting this promise here so I don't forget & decide to do this crazy stuff in the future. My big registrar exam is in September. The bottom line is getting a good enough score to pass. I figure I can get a 70% at least. And if I study really well & memorize some things, I should do better than that. So...wish me luck. And if you don't see me blogging, it's probably cause I'm buried under a book somewhere. Cheers!

Side story: Lily is an opportunistic little dog. I was putting on my makeup the other day in our bathroom while she was out in the living room unsupervised. I didn't think anything of it. When I came back out, Lily was slinking around the table as if she did something naughty. I noticed she'd dragged her blanket out to chew on it (a no-no) so I got after her for that. As I went to the kitchen to clean up, I went to reach for the plastic wrap to put our leftover waffles away. They suddenly turned invisible. Oh, Lily! I think she enjoyed them. At least that is what her big belch would have me believe. =)

Whoa! It's Been A While!

Yes, we're still alive. Here are some updates from our little corner of the world. Enjoy!

1. Work is busy. My boss asked me the dreaded "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" question last week. I never know how to respond to that one. You can't lay out all your plans since they might not involve work at all. So you sidestep it as best you can. Luckily, she just wanted to give me a chance at doing a new project. She said I was the first one she thought of. Pretty good, right? I'm grateful for an awesome boss who values her employees.

2. March Madness is killing me this year! Yes, I still have time for a comeback, but the Big East teams were a major disappointment. I shouldn't have listened to the "experts" this year. They don't know SQUAT! Plus all these po-dunk teams are coming out of nowhere.

3. I'm wondering what the weather is doing these days. Snow, rain, sunshine, repeat. I guess that's about the norm for us in Utah. I'm just ready for sunshine, STOP.

4. I dropped off some chicken enchiladas to Lacey & Travis. Max is a cutie & Adyson is so funny. Kids have the darndest expressions, verbal & facial. Kills me!

5. Twenty-nine already? Yes, that's right. St. Paddy's came again this year. My co-workers decorated the office & shared some chocolate chip brownies. Yum! They got me a cute picture frame for Lily. Brian and I enjoyed burgers at Red Robin on Thursday night (I got a free one; can't beat that!). We also went out to Texas Roadhouse on Saturday night with our parents. Delicious ribs for me & 16 oz. steak for Brian. Yum! Good birthday with people I love.

6. Bridal shower/old friend get-together: Friends from my old ward threw a shower this weekend. Luckily, I got to see Chelsea, Susan, Breezy, Lisa, Dawn, and some other old friends from my Young Women's days. It was fun to see all these ladies who helped me grow up & make good choices in life. It's amazing how people can touch your life, & you can still be comfortable with them after all these years.

7. Lily story: We got home from church yesterday and fed Lily. A few minutes passed, and she started growling & her scaredy ridge popped out on her back. I kept asking her what she was looking at that was so scary, and obviously she didn't answer me beyond growling more. She kept backing up from our sliding glass door with her tail between her legs. Finally, I caught on & saw a plastic bag floating around in the wind outside on our porch. Lily has seen these bags before; I bring them home every week, & she rummages through to find her toy that day. I have no idea why she was so freaked. Maybe because it appeared out of the sky or something. I brought it in to take it to the garbage & the growling continued. Crazy dog!

So Prepared...

If you ever see this dog at 3AM with a pajama-clad owner in the snow, do not be alarmed. All is well. We are pros at this winter weather. Plus, we look so fashionable!

Watch Out for Rolling Things & Flying Food...

Brian broke out his roller blades yesterday to see if Lily would join him on a walk. It sounded like an okay idea, but that little pup HATED it! I gave her leash to Brian, and she freaked (barking, body shakes, etc.)! She managed to wriggle out of her harness and bolted down our driveway. At least, she came back. I think we'll try again in a week with me holding her leash & Brian rolling in front of us. Poor Lily!

To Brian: I'm sorry that I keep spilling food all over you. First, I spilled my milk all over the table & his jeans. Of course, it was spilled in spots that always look charming and make people wonder. Second, my mashed potatoes & gravy somehow jumped off my plate, onto the table, waiting for Brian's arm to glide through it. There was gravy all over his sleeve & side. Somehow I also was wearing the gravy. We looked awesome!

I think you might want to find a new neighbor to sit by at dinner.  =(

Lily Moments...

Who would've known a dog could be a comedian? We get a kick out of her A LOT! She is so funny! We love when her mouth is full, and she hears something. Immediately, blah! Everything comes out: toys, food, whatever. She's gotta be heard!

The other day, Brian was trying to coax her to eat her breakfast (sometimes she's just not in the mood...definitely Brian's girl; I LOVE all breakfast any time!). Brian tells her that he'll give her a Milkbone after she eats it all gone. So Lily goes into the laundry room and stands next to her bowl for a minute. Brian is in the bedroom so he isn't watching. Lily comes back out, licking her chops as if she's eaten. Brian goes to inspect and low & behold...nothing is missing! What a little sneak! How does she get so smart and sneaky?

Beware of Men In Black...

We own a scaredy dog. At times, she is even scared of US!

Last night, we got home and went to our bedroom to change. Lily followed us like usual. Brian grabbed his cap & gown (all black) to try it on. Immediately, Lily's "nervous ridge" on her back popped out, her tail was on full alert, and she barked like crazy! She even ran out of the room and came back to bark some more. Plus, she pittled a little on our carpet. Highly traumatized! Brian took the hat off, and she relaxed. The robe didn't bother her, but the ridiculous grad cap was EVIL! Poor Lily...

Dogs...

Since Lily is feeling better, we decided to take our chances with the weather and the dog park on Saturday. Diane met us over there with her dog, Jack. We don't really know what Jack is, but we liked that he and Lily had some play time. After 2 hours, Lily really comes out of her shell!

Best parts of the excursion:
We made a new friend named Brutus. He was a fat, little Basset hound who somehow waddled & jumped up to our rock bench. He wormed his way under Brian's arm to get some pats. I later noticed black dog hair all over our white shirts!

While we were sitting happily with Brutus, a brindle-colored bulldog somehow got to my lap. I gave her some loves as well. Lily was ousted from the rock bench since these two dogs maneuvered themselves up there. How those little, stubby legs managed that, I'll never know.

We must have been dubbed the favorite humans in the park that afternoon!

Doggy Heaven...Sort Of

So...Lily got her first experience at the dog park last night. Quite entertaining for Brian and me. Poor Lily, she's a shy girl around other dogs. No problem with other people. She kept walking up to the owners around there and got a pet. But man, if there was a dog pack headed her way, down went the tail and ears. She kept going underneath Brian's bench to hide. We even uttered the words, "Lily, stop being such a wussy!" The best part was this little white dog wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and came barreling into Lily...crash! They both had startled looks. Then he barked at Lily as if it were her fault. So funny! We'll try it again, probably at least once a week when the weather is nice. Lily WILL be a PRO!

Runaway Dog...

I know the title gives it away, but I'm going to share anyway. On Sunday, we were all slumming it a bit so Brian could get feeling better. We had watched a bunch of Pixar movies, and Lily had had enough. So...I took her outside to do her business. Much to my dismay, she kept finding every twig, leaf, or pinecone to chew on. Plus, she's a lot faster than me so she ends up eating some of them. (It's hard to get those jaws open when she's determined!) When she was finished, I pulled her to go back inside. No way, she thought. I pulled more and more and.....BAM! FREEDOM! Her harness slipped over her head, and she was gone. So happy, she thought. I was not amused, mostly because I don't want her going out to the road or running further away from me. We played the follow-the-leader game. Luckily, she complied with that plan. She stayed far enough away that I couldn't catch her, but at least we were headed back toward the house. And of course, I didn't have my phone on me to call in reinforcements. I ran into the house to find the only enticement that would work...FOOD. I pulled out the breath bones (she needed some anyway, whewee!) and marched back outside. Lily wasn't ready yet. She snatched 2 bones out of my hand before I caught her. Little brat! I'm sure Brian and my neighbors had quite the amusement on the front lawn. It's always funny seeing grown humans outsmarted by a dog.

Slow mo...

Currently, my computer program at work is in turtle mode, so this pic sums up my feelings at the moment. Plus, I really love posting pics of Lily; isn't she sweet? Get ready for some updates as well.

Brian and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary 3 weeks ago. Hooray for us! Since Brian had a math test, we celebrated early with a trip to Tucano's on Saturday. We filled our mouths and tummies, and still managed to eat dessert a few hours later. (Try the Snicker's cheesecake - heavenly!) We didn't do gifts this year; Lily counted for that.

My new job is awesome. I just feel badly that my co-workers have to babysit because it is very involved and complicated to learn all this stuff. But I am getting good reviews from everyone so that is a good sign. Plus my schedule allows me to have Fridays off which is always a bonus!

Lily is growing and growing! Brian wants her to continue and be a huge monster. She gained another 10 pounds this last month; up to 33 pounds now. She got her rabies shot and her first grooming done. I let the professionals clip her nails; I'm a woos! They put a little Halloween bandana on her after her bath and stuff; so cute! It remains to be seen how she'll do with a costume or if we get one. She's going to play with Dexter again and will meet Zoey on Saturday. That should be interesting…what a fun life for a dog!

Brian's doing well in his math class. Since it's word problems mostly, it is right up his alley. I hated word problems! I'm glad he has other resources if he gets stuck.

So…there's our life this past month. Hope all is well out there. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Meet Lily...

For those of you who don't know, we finally broke down and bought a puppy. We really wanted an English bulldog, but the price was crazy! Plus they can be stubborn and have medical problems. Enter Lily, the golden retriever. I found her on KSL.com. I liked her larger head and bigger body out of her litter mates. Plus, she was really mellow. She has been with us for over a week, and we love her! Isn't she cute? She has been such a good dog so far. She doesn't cry at night or during the day in her crate, she knows how to sit, she goes outside to do her business, and she's just GR8! We hope you enjoy the photos.

First bath

Loves Brian's smelly shoe

So tiny...

Nap time...loves that cold tile