Gideon is a little man!

February 6th, 2010, 9:43 pm by Miranda

Gideon gets to go home tonight and Uncle Dryan and Auntie Toot got to pick out his coming home outfit. Since I happen to love a man in a sweater vest…. of course that’s what I picked :) He’s such a handsome little devil!!

What a lil stud!

What a lil stud!

Welcome to the world!

February 5th, 2010, 9:52 am by Miranda

Welcome to the world, Gideon Scott! Yep, that’s right- IT’S A BOY!! After months of anticipation, we finally have a nephew. A whopping 9 lbs 8 ozs and 22 inches long. He was born at 8:57 yesterday, Feb 4th! Mom and baby are both happy and healthy.

Ihop

February 2nd, 2010, 1:54 pm by Miranda

Pit Bull Terrier Picture

Ihop is my most recent obsession- she is a 1-1.5 year old pit bull/american bulldog mix ( my other 2 favorite breeds besides the German Shepherds, of course).  I found her picture online at the humane society and think she’s absolutely adorable. The only problem is convincing my other half that she would be a great addition to the family. She had a broken leg when she was brought to the shelter- hence her name “Ihop” (creative, huh). I look at her picture every day (and sometimes send it to Ryan again). There are so many pets in shelters- it’s so sad. I would adopt them all if I could! Imagine not having a family, or not being played with often, not having someone to come home and love on you. No one being happy to see you. Cold in a lonely crate. I occassionally catch the commercial for the Humane Society of the United States and I’m always upset when I do. Ryan and I have sent in volunteer applications to help at the Humane Society in Peninsula- just waiting to hear back. Maybe I’ll get to play with Ihop and the other abandoned dogs and make their lives happier until I can bring them home. They have all kinds of pets, from rats, hampsters, guinnea pigs, dogs, cats, and even pot belly pigs (they’re better pets than you’d think!). Consider adopting or donating (there are more important things then that new pair of shoes)…

I’m also collecting old cell phones to donate to Petco- proceeds from the donated phones help create responsible pet owners, reduce the number of animals euthanized, rescue animals in crisis, and rehabilitate behavioral issues in pets.

Nali Loves to Learn!

January 29th, 2010, 12:44 pm by Ryan

Nali is currently in two classes. One for clicker training and one to help her become a therapy dog. It’s a lot of fun being able to take her to two different classes every week. She’s learning so much and becoming better every day. We’re learning quite a bit too. One of the coolest things about clicker training is something called “free-shaping”.

Basically, the sound of the clicker tells the dog that they’re doing something good. So, by introducing different objects or situations and clicking at specific points, you can let the dog think through the scenario and try to figure out what you want them to do. Miranda has been working with Denali quite a bit on the free-shaping. The other day she laid our laundry basket upside down and clicked Nali through the situation. This is what ended up happening…

nali_on_basket

Yep... that's Nali on top of our laundry basket.

The coolest part is that Nali came up with that on her own. She figured out what we wanted as Miranda clicked at key points – like when she looked at the basket, when she sniffed the basket, when she put a paw on the basket, when she put 2 paws on the basket, etc.

This Saturday our therapy dog prep class (through VK9TA) is meeting at the South Park Mall in Strongsville. Nali will be working on concentrating with distractions, dealing with lots of people and greeting friendly strangers. Should be pretty interesting… and a good indicator of how she’ll do in large hospitals.

9 lives – 2 lives = 7 lives…

January 13th, 2010, 10:11 am by Miranda

We think Jelly maybe telling us he wants to join the circus. First his stunt of catching himself on fire and now with his death defying leaps. Last night, Jelly jumped from the ledge upstairs to the living room far below. Once again, he’s fine. Maybe he’s in his adolescent stage- testing his limits (like when teenage boys jump off garages and try to set themselves on fire)… or maybe he wants to join the circus… or just wants to scare his father and I to death.  Either way, 2 lives down… 7 to go. Oh, that Jelly!

Curiosity Killed the Cat… Almost

January 11th, 2010, 2:45 pm by Miranda

Dryan saved Jelly’s life on Saturday by pushing him off the counter after he burst into flames… while trying to watch the fish once again. Moral of the story– Cats + Candles = A really stinky house…  Luckily, he is fine and only looks alittle stupid on one side- where his hair is atleast an inch shorter than everywhere else. The flames didn’t reach his skin… good thing he’s so fluffy. Unfortunately, I don’t think he learned his lesson- so from now on, all open flames go on the mantel- not on the counter.

“You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”

January 8th, 2010, 11:20 am by Miranda

That was something I learned when I was probably 6 years old, from a Children’s Message at church.  Reverend Russ taught us that you should never say anything you don’t mean because “you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube”. That was a life lesson I grew up with and I can still remember sitting on the step in the front of the church looking at the empty toothpaste tube and clear cup full of toothpaste–thinking long and hard about how to get it back in there. Until it dawned on me that you can’t (duh, that was the point).  When you say things you don’t mean, sorry can’t take those words back- they’re still out there, they were already heard by the person you said them to. In my eyes, you at least meant the words enough to say them -so it’s very hard for me to forgive or forget things that have been said.  So “you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”  Last night at our PMC (Pre-Marital Conversations), Reverend Horak said the same phrase… and I was kind of impressed, or touched. I think it’s awesome that the pastor that is going to marry us has taught the same Children’s Message that has stuck with me for almost 20 years.  :)

P.S. we booked a  cruise this morning… ahhh Caribbean here we come!

I’m an addict.

January 6th, 2010, 12:47 pm by Miranda

Hi, my name is Miranda, and I’m an addict. I’m addicted to vacationing. We’ve only been home from Alaska for 7-ish months… and we’ll be on our honeymoon in 6 months- but we’re definately feeling the need for a vacation. A February cruise may be in order! Caribbean here we come! We’ve been checking out cruises and airfare which just makes me want to get the heck out of dodge even more. I think I’m going to start seriously working on my base tan. :) On the opposite side of the country, I’m really looking forward to our 2011 trip to Alaska. :) We’re also trying to figure out where to go on our honeymoon. Some all inclusive resort somewhere… in the sun. 

Ahh, I wish I was enjoying a margaritta by the pool right now…   I’m off to look for some place warm and some good deals…

Thoughts for a Tuesday

January 5th, 2010, 1:40 pm by Miranda
  • Uggs make your feet just plain happy.
  • Pets make excellent BFFs.
  • Guys should NOT wear skinny jeans.
  • Screw me once-shame on you, screw me twice- shame on me.
  • Pink is fantastic.
  • Some people have double standards, some people have none.
  • Snow stuck to the trees is nostalgic.
  • Some of the best lessons in life, I learned from my daddy.

2010

January 4th, 2010, 1:31 pm by Miranda

Even though I don’t really believe in the big hoop-la for New Years (see previous post), doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about my (our) plans for 2010.  We’re officially getting married THIS year… which is totally crazy. So, of course, I plan on planning the BASH to celebrate our NUPTUALS. We also have some remodeling to do some time soon– painting the living room/kitchen/dining room and renovating the guest bathroom. I’m also going to be doing some MAJOR (re)organizing! It seems like no matter how much I organize… I still feel UNORGANIZED! (Drives me nuts, really). And now that the planning of my sister’s baby shower is over… I can spend a lot of time getting a handle on things. Speaking of the baby shower, my other big plan for 2010 is being a kick-butt Auntie to Baby Larlham (note: the use of “butt” and not “a** — also included in that is PGing my language)!! I can’t wait to FINALLY meet the baby!! Heeeewwwwooooo BABY!!!  So there we go- 4 big plans for 2010… wedding planning, remodeling, organizing, and being the best Auntie ever (which probably won’t be too hard)!! :)

Denali starts 3rd grade this week. She’s growing up so fast! She’ll be a year old next month! We’re also going to be doing some training with Scott this month- Therapy Dog Prep Class. We’re looking forward to working with him again. (and we’re still looking for sponsors for her other class, hint hint). Oh and P.S. Nali LOOOOVVVEEESSSS all this snow we’ve been getting!!

Ryan bought me a fish tank for Christmas and Jelly LOVES it. He likes to get up on the counter (of course he’s not allowed to be up there) and watch the fishys.  He even kind of caught himself on fire the other day because he got too close to my candle while watching the fishys. Dummy- oh well, he’ll learn- or we’ll just have to light more candles to get rid of the smell of burning cat hair. Good thing he’s fluffy!