Life and Times

changing it up

2010-06-08T06:45:00.002-05:00

If you're one of the unlucky souls who have managed to endure me over the past (almost) three years, maybe you remember this? Well, I lied to you. Sort of.

You can now find my witty and awesome opinions on life, love and Indy over here. That's http://sierralifeandtimes.blogspot.com for those of you Internet inept folks. Just a slight change to my URL, but everything else remains the same. So, if you would be so kind, update those Google Readers and Feed Burners and Bookmarks and whatever else the kids are into these days. I figure this will really weed out the non-believers.

And, I absolutely promise that I will be posting pictures and stories and the like about the new house. Remember? The new house that I think of with every waking moment and then dream about all night? Yeah, that new house!

Indy's Halfway Point

2010-05-13T19:36:00.005-05:00

Indy is doing really, really well. So well, in fact, that it's easy to forget that she's still only four weeks out from surgery. Yes, four weeks, which means that we've reached the halfway point of the eight week ~~lockdown~~ recovery period. We are all counting down the days until we can run around and play like we did last year. It's going to be great.

Also this week, Indy started her physical therapy sessions. We initially planned on doing a session once a week for the next six weeks or so. However, the therapist, Amy, thinks she's already doing really well and that we may not need the full six and could probably do with four sessions. We'll just play it by ear and see how she does.

In these sessions, Amy puts Indy on a treadmill in a tank of water. And then it's mush, puppy! The water is warm and provides excellent resistance for building up strength in Indy's leg. Matt was able to capture a short video of the session before Indy completely lost it and decided that this was NOT for her and Matt volunteered to leave. We are hoping future sessions go a little better and that Indy learns to enjoy doing this.

May I Have Your Attention, Please?

2010-05-10T20:24:00.001-05:00

Oh, hi there. You may or may not have seen some rumors floating around the interwebs. Well, I am here to tell you that the rumors are true.

After the 21st, we'll be calling this place home. We are over-the-moon excited!

indy: postop week three underway

2010-04-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already been two weeks since Indy's surgery, but it has. She was pretty miserable the first few days (as were we). We struggled that first weekend with her whimpering, not knowing if she was in pain or having a reaction to her pain meds (which, ironically enough, make her react the same way she would if she were in pain). After a few calls to the vet for reassurance, we relaxed a little and felt like acceptable doggy parents for giving her pain meds twice a day. We didn't want to drug her out, but we also figured that we'd rather she sleep than suffer through pain. After all, she HAD just had the bone in her leg sawed in half, so chances were it really was pain she was experiencing.

We just kept telling her that every day would be better than the day before and while she probably didn't understand what we were saying, we said it for our own benefit too. As I mentioned, we're camping out on the floor with her and it's been really tough on us. The entire couch has slowly been deconstructed as the cushions are being moved to the floor and we have a very interesting fort of pillows and blankets set up in the living room. It's every small child's dream, I suppose.

Indy never grew to like her cone and actually escaped from it the first day that we had to leave her. Again, this surprises no one but did lead to a frantic call to the vet to find out if she could have done much damage infection-wise. Since her leg was still bandaged and the bandage was just as we'd left it, they assured us that she was probably fine.

Today, two weeks out from her surgery, she had her staples removed. Her incision looks really good, if I do say so myself. Now that she's staple free, she also gets to drop the e collar like it's hot. Two weeks also means that she gets to start in on some light activity. This mainly means that she gets to take a five minute walk twice a day. But, compared to what she's gotten the past two weeks, I'm guessing she'll take it. And, in keeping with our "mantra", each day will get better than the day before. In two weeks, we'll get to slowly start increasing her activity time. And increase it again in another two weeks. And then again and again and again.

Now that we are two weeks out we are also starting Indy in a physical rehabilitation program.This was recommended by our surgeon as something that will help her heal. At this point, we have two main goals: 1. to make sure that Indy recovers fully from her surgery so that we do not have to go through this again and 2. to make sure that Indy does not rely so much on her other leg that she injures that leg and needs surgery. So, if the rehab program helps with one of these two goals, we are all for it. Plus, when people have a knee replacement, they go through physical therapy, right? Why should our dog be any different?

So, that's where we're at. I won't say these two weeks have been easy, but they've been easier than I anticipated. Indy really bounced back very quickly from the surgery and I'm really impressed at how well she's doing. She is already putting more weight on her leg than she was before we had the surgery, so that must mean she's feeling better. While she seemed like she was in pain at times, she never seemed like it was overwhelming. Now, I know she was in pain, but I was expecting it to be really, really bad. Maybe she has a really high pain threshold like her mama? Or, maybe the drugs were the right "balance"? Either way, we have been pleasantly surprised at how well things have gone thus far. And, since every day will be better than the day before, it's only getting better from here on out.

oh my word!

2010-04-19T18:35:00.000-05:00

So, I was just browsing around craigslist because that's what I like to do. And, I just cannot get over how many people take pictures of their stuff in a house that is such a disaster. Sure, I understand not everyone's home is as neat as a pin (mine certainly is NOT). But, come on. You're taking pictures of your stuff to sell. How am I to determine whether I want your white painted dresser when I can't get past the pair of underwear laying on the carpet in front of it?

I always catch myself studying people's photos (on blogs, on craigslist, in the news...you give me a picture and I'm studying it) to see what is going on in the background. And, time and time again, I just cannot get over it. Like I've said, I'm ~~a messy~~ not as neat of a person as others. But, since I study others' photos, I am so self conscious of taking my own. I make super sure that I don't have anything too revealing (you won't ever see my underoos on the floor in front of my dresser!) peeking out in some of the pictures.

But, seriously. Some of these CL pictures are just too much (and that isn't even speaking to the stuff some people try to sell--that's a different post for a different day). I don't kid. Pictures with pets, pictures with clothes, pictures of unmade beds, kids making faces in a mirror.... Unreal. But, always good for a laugh.

indy: postop days 1 and 2

2010-04-17T17:34:00.000-05:00

After getting past the emotional roller coaster involved in Indy's surgery, we got to pick her up Thursday night. She could not WAIT to get out of there and practically dragged us out of the building and to the car, barely stopping to potty along the way. So, really, Indy? Guess you didn't like your stay then?

We have had her home for just about two days now and we are all doing just fine. We spend our time in one of two "camp out" locations in the house: the living room floor or the bedroom floor. Matt had the genius idea of attaching her leash to the entertainment center in the living room to keep her from jumping up on the couch (her favorite spot). In the bedroom, we took our bed down and we are sleeping on the mattress on the floor. Either way, we've got a rockin' floor party going on in either location. I know you're jealous. Shoot.

Baby girl does a lot of sleeping, because, well, what else is she supposed to do when we don't let her move and force her to lay down twenty four seven? She came home with strict instruction that she is not to use her leg. She can go outside just to do her business and then must come right back inside (sorry baby, no sniffs!).We have a "thing" (technical term, of course) to help get her outside and while she is definitely frustrated that she can't run around, she really doesn't mind taking it slow and coming right back in. We will have to restrict her like this for the next two weeks. After that, she will get her staples out and she will get to start going on some VERY short walks. She'll also begin some physical rehab, which, hopefully, will help her get her strength back. We'll really do everything that we can at this point to prevent us having to end up back in surgery for this leg OR the other leg.

She is on some pretty wicked pain meds. One is a patch on her butt that will come off in a few days and the other is basically morphine which she gets "as needed" and comes with some pretty wild side effects. Basically, she'll be tripping mad balls. So far, she hasn't seemed to be in much pain though, which is good. The fun part is guessing whether she is experiencing pain or a side effect from the patch, as they carry the same symptoms. Either way, she seems to be okay. Between the patch and our icing her leg a few times a day, everything seems to be pretty hunky dory for baby girl.

She also gets to wear a cone! She LOATHES this thing and us for making her wear it. But, since she's a licker and it will keep us home and not back in surgery or on more drugs, she'll be wearing it. We're to the point now where she only wears it at night and when we can't be right next to her. Otherwise, we're right here, ~~watching her like a hawk~~ closely monitoring her activity (which, who are we fooling? it's sleep) to keep her from licking.

A few noteworthy points:

* When we picked Indy up, they informed us she was wearing a cone. They also mentioned she was VERY good at getting out of said cone and that they had to develop and implement an elaborate tie system to keep it on her. This surprises no one in our family. Indy? Can wriggle out of and/or escape from something? Shocking.

* I expected that she would be shaved, but not like this. Not only is her butt completely bare (to accommodate her above mentioned patch), but so is her rear leg and her front legs. She looks like she's wearing socks on the front and like a blind person shaved her rear. Such a hackjob. I can tell she's self conscious about being all "exposed" though, so I try not to draw attention to it.

* And, speaking of her patch. We are not to let any small children lick it, apparently. Whew, that was close!

* We have a baby gate set up at the top of our stairs to keep her up there, which I am fondly referring to as my nemesis. It's supposed to be a really simple, one-handed release. I beg to differ. Who knew something so simple in theory could be such a brain buster? After a few tutorials from Matt, I still don't understand how to operate it and have taken to simply stepping over it. Good riddance!

* Yesterday, Indy decided she only wanted to hang out in our bedroom, on our bed. I was bringing a few necessities (iPhones, computers, snacks and water) upstairs. Since my hands were full and the baby gate takes ten hands to operate, I was going to drop everything in the room and go back to set it up. At this very moment, Indy decided that she had had enough already, looked at us both and said "screw you guys! Peace out!" and made a break for the stairs. This promptly sent both Matt and me into cardiac arrest.

* I've mentioned we're hanging out on the floor. Did I mention that our floors are all hardwood? News flash: hanging out on hardwood floors for two days straight will do a number on your back. I promise. We have some camp chairs set up in the living room, but those can only help so much. And, wait. Indy is taking up an entire half of the bed. This, in turn, means that Matt has taken to sleeping on the floor. The hardwood floor. He is using a camping pad, but, again, that is only doing so much. I never thought I'd want to sit in my uncomfortable work chair so badly, but I'm kinda sorta looking forward to being back at work on Monday just so that I can sit in a normal chair.

So, anyway. We are all doing just fine and taking it slow. It's actually really nice to have all three of us home with nothing to do. Matt even got a chance to organize his sock drawer yesterday! I snuck out of the house for a little while to go for a run today. It certainly felt good to stretch my legs. Since the weather was so nice here, we also decided to move our floor party out into the grass for a little while and laid down some towels for Indy to lay on. I think she really enjoyed being outside, but was likely frustrated that that was the extent of what she was allowed to do out there. But, I think she's getting used to not being able to do much right now.

We just keep telling her that every day will be better than the day before and eventually she'll be all better. She just stares at me when I tell her that. I imagine she's thinking "YEAH RIGHT, MOM! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!" Sigh. Teenagers.

indy: the surgery

2010-04-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

We spent the days leading up to Indy's surgery prepping our house and trying to think of everything we might need to do to make this entire process easier on everyone involved. We had no idea what to expect, but we both felt much better about everything this time around than we did back in January. This time, we really felt like we were doing the right thing, whereas a few months ago, we were seriously second guessing our decision to have the surgery and were very hesitant to follow through. Now, we knew that we had given her leg a fair chance to heal itself and it hadn't. There was no longer that doubt of whether or not the surgery was necessary.

All week, we showered Indy with love and cuddles. Since her last meal needed to be 12 hours before her surgery, we made her an extra special dinner on Tuesday night. She got her regular Canidae with some soft food, beef sticks and bisteca (a.k.a. steak for those of you that aren't hip with our own freaky language).

Our appointment was scheduled for 9:00AM, so we tried to keep our routine as "normal" as possible. We didn't want to stress Indy out any more than necessary. When she realized that we were leaving and that she got to come with us, she was super excited. She trusts us implicitly and loves us unconditionally and she never ever, not in a million years, would have thought we were going to do anything bad to her. Poor baby.

We got to the clinic and started checking in. Up until this point, I had been able to hold myself together and I was surprisingly okay. Part of the check-in process is letting the facility and doctors know how you would like them to proceed, should something happen during the procedure. There were three options: do anything necessary to revive the animal, including administering CPR, use only medical intervention, but nothing invasive, or do not resuscitate. This was when I lost it. Of everything I had thought I'd considered, this one had never crossed my mind. Of course, I realize that there are risks associated with any surgery and that things do happen, but this totally took me by surprise.

After waiting for a little while, Indy was weighed (our little porker weighed in at 50 lbs! That's 10 pounds higher than she was before she was injured and adopted a sedentary lifestyle.) we were taken into an exam room and met with the nurse and our surgeon. This is probably where I should mention that our surgeon is pregnant. Like, so pregnant that if we didn't schedule Indy's surgery for this day, we would not be able to have the surgery with this doctor because she was going on maternity leave. So, anyway. They examined Indy, walked us through the surgery and answered any questions we had.

This was also when we found out that they would not be doing Indy's surgery right away that morning. While our appointment was for 9:00, that, apparently, did not mean that she would be having her surgery at 9:00. They told us that their schedule was determined based on how many animals they had in that day. I was a little disappointed at this news, as I didn't want to have to think of Indy sitting there, without us, waiting for something and stressing herself out. They assured us that she would be fine and offered to call us when they started the surgery. After they started, it would be about four hours until everything was finished and she was awake. She has a stuffed squirrel toy that she is absolutely in love with and we brought it with us for her to have throughout her stay. When it was time to say goodbye, Indy was in such good spirits. She was all smiles and I really lost it. Our sweet girl was so trusting and would never have suspected that we were doing anything to hurt her.

We both went off to work, expecting a call to let us know that they were going to start. I wish I could say that they called right away, but, unfortunately, they did not. If I'm being totally honest, I was really bothered by the fact that they weren't doing her surgery right away. When 4:00 rolled around and we still hadn't heard anything, Matt decided to call and check in. They told him that they were just about to call us and get started on Indy. I was slightly annoyed that they hadn't gotten to her yet, but happy that they were finally starting. We met some friends for dinner Wednesday night and while I NEVER keep my phone out at dinner, I left my phone on the table, expecting a call letting us know that they were through surgery. Dinner ended and we still had not received a call. I wasn't ready to start worrying quite yet and figured Indy was just taking a while to wake up from the anesthesia.

At 9:00, after not hearing anything, I started to worry. After debating for a split second whether or not I should call to check in, I picked up the phone. I spoke with the on-call doctor who told me that they had not started Indy's surgery yet! Our surgeon had a complication with the patient before Indy and that surgery took much longer than anticipated. This was when I completely lost it. My poor girl had been sitting there all day long for nothing (and was likely annoyed, as likely demonstrated by her pulling out her catheter). We could have kept her at home, fed her breakfast and taken her in later had we known she wouldn't be having her surgery until after 9:00 at night. Also, considering that our surgeon and her team had already been on their feet for 12 hours, we were slightly concerned over whether or not they'd be fresh enough to do the surgery. (AND, take into account how pregnant our surgeon was, I cannot imagine she was very comfortable at this point.) But, at least she had her squirrel--every time we called, we made sure to ask if she still had it. Since I was too much of an emotional mess at this point, Matt called back and spoke with our nurse. She assured him that this was a standard surgery day for the team and that they would be more than able to do Indy's surgery.

At around 11:30, our surgeon called to let us know that they were finished and that Indy was awake. She did just fine and there were no complications. She did have a full tear, not a partial like we had previously thought, and there was no way she would have been able to recover fully on her own. This definitely reassured us in our decision to have the surgery. And, our surgeon is a total champ--based out of Madison, after that horribly long day, she drove back home! While I was (and am) still really upset over how things played out the day of surgery, I was glad to hear that it was past us and that Indy did just fine.

Already on Thursday morning, we got a call saying that Indy was doing really well and that, barring any setbacks, we would be able to pick her up Thursday night!

Quick Pupdate

2010-04-15T07:38:00.000-05:00

We didn't find out until late last night (and there is more to the
story that I will tell you) about Indy. The surgery went fine and when they called at 11:30, she was awake. She did have a full tear (not partial like we had thought) and she never would have been able to recover from that on her own.

They have to keep her at least 24 hours after the surgery and they didn't finish until around 11, so we probably won't go to get her until tomorrow morning.

It's so weird not having her here! :(

Thank you to everyone for thinking of us. It's been a rough 24 hours.

- Posted from my iPhone

today is the day

2010-04-14T07:11:00.000-05:00

Last night, we showered our girl, Indy, with love. She got a special dinner AND dessert and we even let her watch an extra hour of TV (just kidding on that last part). We spoiled her rotten because this morning, instead of following our normal routine, she'll be leaving the house with us. But, she won't be coming back home until tomorrow night at the earliest. Today, Indy is undergoing the TPLO surgery that we've put off for far too long.

Wish us luck!

change of plans (again)

2010-04-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

Remember my dog, Indy? My dog, Indy, who injured herself last fall? My dog, Indy, who was scheduled for surgery in January? The same dog, Indy, who wowed the vet with her improvement and caused us to postpone her surgery? And, the same dog, Indy, who continued to improve causing us to think that we could completely take the surgery option off the table? Yes, that dog, Indy.

My dog, Indy, will be going in for surgery on Wednesday. Yes, Wednesday. Ok, hold up, right. Back up the bus (beep, beep, beep). We took the surgery option off the table because of her improvement, right? That's true. We did think we could eliminate surgery all together. She seemed to be improving and it was great. But, in the past two months, she has not improved at all.

She has not gotten worse, which is a good thing. But, we've been limiting her activity all of this time in the hopes that it would help her improve. After discussing it with our vet, we all agree that if she hasn't improved by now with the restricted activity that she's as good as she's going to get without surgery. It is not fair for her to stay in pain and continue to limp around if we can do something about it.

Over the past few weeks, we began discussing the need for surgery. Following a lengthy conversation with our vet, we feel better about our decisions and feel we are doing the right thing. We, of course, feel horribly about this. But, we also feel like we owed it to ourselves and to Indy to at least see if she could improve on her own. And, since she seemed to be doing great, we were really optimistic. Our surgeon assures us that she will be back to the level of activity (basically non-existent) that she is at currently within a few weeks. She is optimistic that Indy will have the ability to run and play at the lake, per her usual, this summer.

So, if you don't mind, keep baby girl in your thoughts on Wednesday. We won't get to pick her up until Thursday night, but I'll try to post an update on how she's doing when we know more.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've been informed that my blogging performance is subpar, at best. I know, I know. I have been so caught up in other things (ahem, me, duh) that I've kind of forgotten about my blog. At any rate, there has been quite a bit going on and I hope to be able to share it soon and it will, in turn, provide lots of blog material. I hope.

Anyway. You probably even think I still have ratty hair. I do not. I made the drive to a salon that I visited several years ago. I had stopped going because it's pretty far from my house. But, it was totally worth it and I feel like a new woman.

And, speaking of new, we hit up the new Dave and Buster's here in Milwaukee and I am here to tell you that it rocks. We used to go occasionally when we lived in Boulder and I loved it. It seemed like such a genius idea. However, I remember the prizes being really awesome things like blenders, power tools and even TVs. You know, grown up prizes. I don't know if it varies by location or if they've really cheapened up, but the prizes here were mainly stuffed animals. Kind of lame.

I do believe I may be so bold as to say that Spring has officially graced Wisconsin with its presence. In fact, the temperatures the past few days have almost bypassed Spring and feel downright Summer-ish. I like it! We had such a lame Summer season last year (honestly, I have pictures of us on the boat in August in sweatshirts and sweatpants and we were FREEEEEEZING) and I don't know if I can handle another year without Summer.

That's about all I have. Happy Easter, everyone!

it's a nest, thank you

2010-03-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

I don't like getting my hair cut. Sure, I love how it feels afterward, but I really dislike making the appointment, taking the time to go and sit for it and then having to pay for it. As a result, I go long periods in between cuts and usually leave it up until my hair is so bad that I JUST CAN'T STAND it and call in a panic begging for the first available appointment (sometimes calling several different places until I find the earliest possible appointment).

Once upon a time (circa 2007), I was looking for a new hairstylist. Going off of a recommendation, I landed in a cute little salon a few blocks from my house. My stylist was a cute, hip little girl with black and blue hair. We talked and chatted and there was even a picture of Telluride on the wall. Perfect, right? She finished up with my highlights and started on the shampoo. Unfortunately, their hot water heater went out and the water was FREEZING. I am not kidding. Their solution? To boil some water and use that to wash my hair. They were so embarrassed and probably figured that I'd never be back. Fortunately, for them, I loved my cut and color and returned. And, during this time, I was able to stress about things other than my hair and the above mentioned panic seemed to be a thing of the past.

Fast forward almost two years, a few months before the Presidential Election. I walked up to the door for my appointment and was faced with a (rather large) politically charged sign occupying the entire storefront window. Great. Fine. While it is my own personal opinion that business owners should refrain from voicing their political opinions to the community that they serve, it is my opinion and others are more than welcome to do how they please. Again, fine. What I could not excuse were some of the comments made while I was inside the shop about certain "types" of people. So, I stopped going there.

And, my hair suffered.

Oh my word, did it suffer. I thought going to the big, flashy, upscale salon in town would be a good thing. A year later and countless number of cuts and having completely given up on their color attempts later, I am not so sure. I finally decided I had spent too much time and money letting the stylist talk me into something that would "look cool", only to walk out regretting not speaking up and suffering through the next few weeks until it grew out a little.

So, where does this leave me? With some sort of discolored, ratty nest atop my head that hasn't been cut in months and having gone without color for even longer, thank you. And I am also experiencing that familiar stress regarding getting an appointment again. Oh yes. I'm a pill, I tell ya.

tap, tap...is this thing on?

2010-03-09T21:13:00.000-06:00

Hello, Internet. Long time, no blog. We are still around, putting most of our effort into managing to make it through the doldrums that are February and March here in Wisconsin.

I'm right in the thick of busy season at work and, man alive, is it ever busy. I have fallen into a routine of going to work, working like a dog, coming home, throwing dinner down my gullet and watching some TV before passing out, only to wake up and do it all over again. Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? Shoot, I'm just living the dream. Anyway.

Mother Nature, however, did grace us with some warmer temperatures and we even broke out our mountain bikes on Sunday to take a spin down the trail by our house. It felt great to be out on our bikes and it reminded me that we're SO CLOSE to being able to ride every day if we so choose.

Also on Sunday, we went to see Alice in Wonderland in Imax 3D. Um, can you say awesome? Yeah, I loved it. Like, a lot. But, (and, really, should this surprise me?) I was shocked at how many little kids there were in the theater. A) Alice in Wonderland is not a kids' story and I think the movie would have been a little scary for kids and B) we didn't get out of the movie until after 9:00. On a school night!

Hmmmm, what else? Oh! My mom is coming to visit on Friday! She'll be here for a little over a week and I'm so excited to see her! I've missed her greatly and I love that I'm lucky enough to see her every few months.

The number of weddings we have to attend this year is beginning to grow exponentially. I can think of at least five right off the bat and that does not include a destination wedding in Hawaii that I would LOVE to go to but don't think we can and I know I'm probably forgetting some with that number.

I have several posts waiting in the wings for publishing. Just waiting until the time is right. I know, right? Super exciting! No? Just me? Okay then.

Until next time...

do you want to know a secret?

2010-02-18T19:44:00.000-06:00

Before we got married, we registered for fine china with no real expectation to get much of it. We were both a-okay with the fact that we may not end up with our full set of china. A of all, we don't really have a place to store it, B of all, when would we really ever use it? and C of all, I have a dishwasher for a reason and it sure as heck isn't to wash dishes by hand.

And, as expected, very few pieces of china came through our door. We got tons of totally kickbutt gifts and I am still amazed and humbled at the generosity of our friends and family. Also, very impressed that they all seem to know us so well and got us the practical, useful gifts, most of which we use regularly.

It's true that after the wedding, we had every opportunity to purchase our china if we so desired and that we chose to get other items on our registry (oh, and not to mention the fact that spending that much on dishes makes me feel naseous).

But, the secret is that sometimes, I wish I had my twelve place settings. When we live in our "real house", I dream of hosting fabulous family dinners and parties at which I use my elegant fine china. I also dream of someday giving these dishes to my daughter or granddaughter and that she will use them for her own fabulous family dinners and parties.

Let's take a look, shall we?

Sigh... Yes, I still love it.

Someday, I will have a need for these gorgeous dishes. And the means (and stomach) to buy them.

LoveDay

2010-02-15T21:15:00.002-06:00

In nine years together, Matt and I have spent many Valentine's Days together. I guess we'll say eight and a half.

In a crash course of all of them, here's the rundown: On the first Valentine's Day that I spent with Matt, he gave me a teddy bear and a box of chocolates and took me to see Hanibal. I know, right? That's what I said! It doesn't get more romantic than that! Not to mention that I was TOTALLY STRESSING over what to give him--you know, the perfect gift that wasn't too serious, but somewhat sentimental? Yeah, I agonized over it for weeks and eventually opted for a framed picture of us packaged in a box with lots of cookies and candy. I hear it was a huge hit with the other guys in the dorm. The year after that, we ate at Qdoba and I wrote a speech for my public speaking class the next day. And, the year after that, we went to dinner in Denver. The year after that, we were living together and I took the lucky guy to dinner at the Flagstaff House and he gave me the strand of pearls that I had really wanted and still wear almost every day. In 2005, I was living in Telluride and he was in Milwaukee. But I was taken by surprise by some gorgeous roses delivered to my office. The next year, we had just moved into our new house and I got a kickass washer and dryer and we caught a late dinner at Gil's (also our last--we miss that place!). And, apparently, 2007 was completely non note worthy, as neither Matt nor I can remember what we did. He SWEARS we went to the Melting Pot (we didn't) and I have no idea what we did. It was right before we got married, so maybe nothing? The next year, Matt surprised me by cooking a five course meal. And, last year, we spent the day with my parents who were in town to take care of family business.

The point of all of this? Some were good. Many were great. And all were worthwhile. But, so far, this year kicked butt.

Neither of us had anything special planned. Truth be told, I was hoping for something low-key. But, I also thought it would be fun to go out and do a bunch of stuff around town that we don't normally do. A few days before the weekend, I sent Matt an email with the things I wanted to do. Things like visit the planetarium at UWM, visit the Domes and go to the Art Museum.

Most of these plans went out the window when I came home on Friday night. Most of the time, I'm burnt out when the work week ends and there's not a whole lot I am interested in doing. So, we scrapped our plans to go do stuff in favor of staying home in our sweats and ordering Chinese food and watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics (because, you know, I am a Winter Olympics junkie).

Saturday, we lazed around the house for a while, cleaned a little bit and then headed to the Domes. Neither of us had been since we were little kids and figured it would be a fun thing to do. Plus, I could use some "warmer weather" and if I had to get it through standing in a faux tropical environment, then so be it.

The Domes are three, well, domes: a tropical, an arid and a show dome with a rotating display.

The show dome had several model train tracks set up with trains circling through the gardens. The flowers all smelled incredible and the trains were really neat!

Even though it wasn't as warm in there as I anticipated, I thought it was a fun afternoon. On the way home, we got crazy and even picked up Starbucks and then spent the afternoon watching the Olympics.

With no definite plans for dinner and little chance of getting a table anywhere at a reasonable time, we decided to stay in and cook dinner.

We made the Chicken Cacciatore that we'd seen on the Biggest Loser a few weeks earlier. And, coming from a non meat eater, this was DELICIOUS! We skipped the mushrooms because Matt can't eat them, but I love 'shrooms like nobody's business and they would be the bomb in this dish. We have lots of leftovers and plans to make it again soon. Yum! Plus, we spent time together preparing our meal and we both commented a few times how much we liked doing stuff like this together.

We also had ~~a few bottles of~~ some wine and that paired with the women's moguls competition (YEAH! Hannah Kearney!) made for a pretty fantastic night if I do say so myself. Much more fun, cheaper and probably better than anywhere we would have gone that night.

Sunday, Valentine's Day, we had plans for making a delicious brunch with mimosas, but I was feeling that wine and we postponed the brunch part to lunch and had toast for breakfast. Before that, I gave Matt his card and present and I got some cute Team Edward candies and a teddy bear from Indy. Then, we did something oh-so-romantic and went to the shooting range. I know, right? That's what I said! Anyway...

We came home and made our lunch and spent the rest of the day being lazy and watching....what else? The Olympics! The men's moguls were on yesterday and I was totally digging it.

Any weekend that I get to spend time with Matt is a good one. After having worked together for quite some time, I still miss him throughout the day. I love spending time with him and those two days flew by much too quickly. Sigh...

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day, y'all!

Winter Olympics

2010-02-12T19:35:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh, you guys, the Winter Olympics are here! I am a freak about the winter games. I absolutely adore them. While I enjoy the Summer Olympics, I LOVE the Winter Olympics.

Perhaps this is due to growing up in a ski town and having my entire childhood and early life revolve around winter sports. Eh, maybe. I guess I can just relate to winter sports a little easier.

Really though, growing up skiing, my idols were the winter olympians. Donna Weinbrecht. Trace Worthington. Chuck Martin. Liz McIntyre. Nelson Carmichael. Ann Battelle. Even Suzy Chaffee and the newer names like Jonny Moseley and the racers like Alberto Tomba, Hermann Maier and Bode Miller. I grew up wanting to be these people.

Now, due to spending years competing and trying to be those people, I know many of the members of the U.S. Ski Team who are in Vancouver. It is really exciting and I can't wait to see how they do. I know they will make our country proud.

My DVR is set to record, my schedule is cleared and if you need me sometime in the next month, you will find me glued to a TV with NBC or, should there be no TV nearby, checking updates on my iPhone. Seriously, I love the Olympics. Did I mention that already?

However, before I dart off to watch the Opening Ceremonies, I would be remiss if I did not mention how sad I am at the news today from Vancouver. My thoughts are with this young man, his family, teammates and nation as well as all of the athletes competing in the luge event. This was a horrible tragedy and I can only hope that he passed doing something that he loved and that the rest of his team will continue on to make him proud.

V-Day Came Early

2010-02-11T20:18:00.000-06:00

Look at what found its way to my desk today:

And, yes, they're from my husband. Because he's totally awesome.

Love you, honey.

- Posted from my iPhone

pup-date

2010-02-07T10:59:00.000-06:00

Get it? An update on the pup. Pupdate! I kill myself.

Anyway.

Indy had her one month follow up appointment with the doggy ortho-vet this past Wednesday. It was, as we hoped, great news. Or, as great of news as could be expected.

In short: the doctor felt that there was improvement from last month and that she is "cautiously optimistic" that Indy could pull through this without surgery. Of course, we are to keep her as quiet as possible and we will follow up again in another month.

If I may be honest (and, let's face it, this is my blog, so I will be), I think it's safe to say that Matt and I have completely taken the surgery option off of the table. We have noticed a tremendous improvement and there is no way that we would volunteer Indy for the surgery at this point. Of course, should she experience a major setback, we may reevaluate.

We are so relieved that we didn't go through with this. I would have hated to know that we put her through surgery unnecessarily.

Baby girl is doing just fine. Sure, she hates us and the fact that she can't run and jump and play and she will never know how much worse it could have been. But, on the other hand, this sedentary lifestyle has turned her into so much more of a cuddler and a lover. She's been spoiled rotten but is such a sweetheart that we don't mind it at all.

avatar

2010-01-30T11:07:00.000-06:00

After hearing all of the hype, I knew I wanted to see Avatar. I was curious what the hype was all about. And I wanted to see what a movie can be with ~$250million thrown into it. So I went. Not expecting much of anything story-wise and refusing to buy into its propaganda. It was pretty cool.

Of course, we saw it in 3D. You know you're jealous of our shades:

I am also happy to report that I am not depressed after seeing this movie and I have not had suicidal thoughts. Success! Er, whatever.

just a little amusing to me

2010-01-28T20:20:00.000-06:00

Tonight, while watching television, I noticed two different pieces of clothing that I own.

It's always amusing to me when I notice my own clothes on television. It's not like I own stuff that is super trendy or fashionable (or, I didn't think so anyway).

Matt's response to this? "I think that means you have way too much clothes". Yeah? What of it, dude?

so, here's the thing

2010-01-20T21:04:00.000-06:00

or, the thing is this...

I have just too many thoughts going through my head and I feel like there is not quite enough time to get them all down on paper. Er, blog? Anyway. I realize I haven't recapped our Telluride trip. I realize I haven't memorialized my 2010 goals in this blog. Nor have I reminisced over 2009, let alone the last ten years. All of the blog posts that I've wanted to write and publish just haven't happened.

In all honesty, this time of year pretty much sucks for my profession and will continue to suck right on up until, oh, late April or so. This means that every ounce of my brain power goes toward ~~crunching numbers~~ work and by the time I get home I am left with a messy jelly-like substance that can barely form coherent thoughts, let alone sentences, let alone full on blog posts. For serious. Take yesterday, for example. I caught myself complaining no fewer than five times that my brain hurt tremendously due to such hard thought. Anyway.

After all of that, surely I can manage a list, right? Right.

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I think that 2010 is going to be a great year for us. And, if not for us, at least for the friends and family that are having babies, getting married, getting engaged, getting pregnant and otherwise having great years. All joking aside, we do have friends having babies and we do have friends and family having babies (that we know of so far!). As far as for Matt, Indy and me? We will just have to wait and see and hope it turns out as we've hoped.
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One of my goals for 2010 is to kick my butt in gear and run a lot of miles and really get in shape. There is so much that I want for this year. Yet, I really feel as though getting in awesome shape is the only one that I absolutely, without a doubt have 100% control over. As stated, we have weddings to attend this year. We also have this pesky little ten year high school reunion coming up and, yes, I am one of those freaks that doesn't really want to go if I don't look good.
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As a part of this "get in great shape" kick, I'm committing myself to do a few more triathlons this year. My husband committed himself to at least one, which I am over the moon ecstatic for. Except, OMG WTF! I started planning out my race schedule and it totally sucks! The triathlon that I did last year has moved from August to June. The same weekend in June as our HS reunion. Maybe you would be just fine swimming, biking and running after a late night out* with your old friends, but not me. So, that one is out. Then, another tri that I found for us to do and is highly recommended is the weekend we are in Colorado for summer vacation. So, that may just leave our fall back in September. Which is fine, it's just that it's SO far away...
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Another goal I have? So, in 2009, I did not drink a single soda. I'm not much of a soda drinker anyway, but there are times when I like a Diet Coke. So, it wasn't that hard, but hard enough. I tell ya, the Sprite Zero that I had on January 2 tasted sooooo good. So, for 2010? I'm thinking of not drinking any beer. Yes, that's right. I'M THINKING OF NOT DRINKING ANY BEER. Crazy, right? Yes! Yes, it is insane. Especially when the summer rolls around and Summer Shandy hits the shelves. Or, right now when all of the delicious winter ales are on the shelves and on tap. But, I haven't had any beer yet this year and I'm going to try and see how I do (but, I fully reserve the right to cave and drink up).
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So, ever since I picked up a copy of the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels, I've been into the Biggest Loser. However, does anyone else agree that this season kind of sucks so far? I don't really like any of the contestants and I think many of them need a swift kick in the butt. I hate that so many of them "play the game". I understand it, but I hate it.
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I had to have blood drawn the other day. Matt and I are getting new life insurance and part of this is having blood drawn. Now, before this past November, I'd never had blood drawn before and had no idea what to expect. But, I went in for a routine doctor appointment and suggested it. Apparently, if you tell your doctor that you are thinking of starting a family in the next year or so, she will send you straight to the lab for bloodwork. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. And, since I had no idea what to expect, I agreed and went along with it. The ginormous bruise that I sported on my arm for the next week and half taught me my lesson. So, when I had to have blood drawn this week, I was squeamish at best. I may or may not have whimpered in defeat, but only after being stuck several times. I am now the proud owner of TWO ginormous bruises--one on each arm.
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My sister-in-law, Julie, is in Guatemala this month working at a small clinic. We miss her greatly, but are so proud of her for doing this and so happy that she was given this opportunity. We enjoy hearing from her every once in a while and can't wait to see her pictures and hear more stories when she gets back. She started using Skype and we LOVE being able to talk to and see her on a regular basis. There are times when technology completely blows my mind and rocks my world and this is one of them. Matt and I even have Skype on our iPhones. How cool is that?

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*Not even taking into account that at the 5-year HS reunion** I was slipped something (possibly a roofie, but the jury is still out on this one) that put me out of commission for the evening/part of the next day. Yeah, I know.

**Maybe my problem was that I was lame enough to go to my 5-year HS reunion?

2010-01-16T10:29:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, words escape me. Try as I might to throw down something eloquent and appropriate for the situation, I cannot. There is little that I can say that can do this justice.

But, I can say this. The situation in Haiti is heart breaking. I truly have no words to express what I feel.

The people of Haiti need help. And because there is not a single reason not to, we're doing our part. We don't have time or supplies to give, but we do have some money to spare and every bit counts.

If you haven't already, and are considering donating to a relief effort, Charity Navigator helps detail different charity organizations to help with your decision.

it's in the bag

2010-01-11T19:48:00.001-06:00

Moving into a new purse for someone who only ever carries one bag everywhere can be tough work. I carry a lot of stuff in there. Sometimes, this includes some pretty random items.

Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself:

1. Sunglasses. A necessity for my fair eyes.
2. Extra sunglasses bags.
3. Loose receipts.
4. iPhone.
5. Trash.
6. Hair ties.
7. Notes and paperwork for something.
8. Glasses cloth.
9. Gym card.
10. House and office keys.
11. Spare change.
12. Wallet.
13. A wetnap from a restaurant.
14. Glasses cleanser cloth thingies. Technical term.
15. Rosebud salve. Awesome.
16. Burt's Bees cuticle cream. Another awesome.
17. Kleenex.
18. Gum.
19. Advil.
20. Checkbooks.
21. My car key. Yes, it's pretty awesome, I know.
22. Matt's car key.
23. iPhone earbuds.
24. Camera. Another necessity.
25. Miscellaneous holiday cards and mail.
26. Pink grapefruit Airborne.
27. Business cards.
28. L'Occitane shea butter hand cream. Loooove it.
29. Listerine Pocket Pak.
30. Nars lipstick in Dolce Vita.
31. Thumb drive.
32. Tide to Go stick. I use this a lot. A lot as in almost daily. What can I say? I'm messy.
33. Burt's Bees lip balm.
34. Notepad.
35. Pen.
36. My "personal" pouch. In it are items such as a contact case, rewetting drops, tweezers, a mirror and girly items.

What's in your bag?

faaaaaaabulous!

2010-01-07T15:50:00.002-06:00

Do you want to see what my rockin' husband got me for Christmas? Do you? Do you really? Yes, me too. I always want to see it. I find myself getting giddy when I see it. It makes me smile just thinking about it. I am in love with it. I get compliments on it and I instinctively hug it. Hmmmm, ~~maybe~~ I have issues. But, really. I love it.

Oh, what is it, you ask?

Um, just the Kate Spade that I kind of sort of wanted but never thought I'd ever get, not in a million years!

I don't feel that the pictures truly do it justice as it's absolutely GORGEOUS in real life. Oh em gee, I am in love. I never thought I could feel this way about some fabric and leather, but I do. This may be one of the most shallow, saddest things I've ever thought out loud, but I just feel better when I have it on my arm. I know. That's wrong, isn't it?

Matt played major supersleuth and tracked down this bag based on just the picture that I posted. Gotta give the man props for that! The funny thing was that he bought it from Zappos.com (love Zappos. If you are not familiar, go over there now and thank me later) and it came in a huuuuuuge box, so I really almost thought it was the boots I wanted. Sneaky, that one! Sneaky and totally awesome.

change of plans!

2010-01-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

To say that I was extremely stressed out over Indy's surgery is an understatement. I was worried sick. How could I not be? Any other pet owner should understand.

To complicate the issue, Matt had really started second guessing whether we were doing the right thing by going through with the surgery. All week, he kept going back and forth on it and arguing that maybe, just maybe, she was getting better. The next thing I knew, I started worrying about it as well. Were we doing the right thing? Was going through with this major surgery unnecessary? Was she getting better? When was the last time I saw her really limping?

But, we also convinced ourselves that we had researched it to death before and had already decided that, yes, this was the right thing to do. Yes, it would be hard and yes, it would be miserable for everyone but that we had to do it.

So, this morning, I said goodbye to Indy and made Matt promise me that he would text me as soon as he knew anything. I was on pins and needles all morning waiting to hear from him.

As I had fully prepared myself for the fact that our dog was having surgery this morning, I was pretty shocked (yet excited) when the text from Matt was not what I expected. The doctor examined Indy prior to surgery and thought that Indy had already seen significant improvement in the leg. Without knowing our concerns, she immediately suggested that we give Indy four more weeks to see how she does and re-evaluate at that time.

That's right! My resilient little puppy's leg has shown significant improvement in her joint over the past month. The doctor did say that when Indy runs around (which she did quite a bit in Colorado (don't judge us, we figured "she's having surgery next week, might as well let her have fun)), it sets her back on he healing front, which obviously makes sense. So, naturally, our goal should be to limit her activity as much as we can to help her heal.

We're certainly not in the clear yet. We have another month to go and we very well could have to go through with the surgery at that time. But, in the next month, we are going to do everything that we can do to make sure that Indy continues to heal. If she can show more progress on the road to recovery in a month, there is a very strong chance that the surgery option will be completely off the table. We've been keeping her on very light duty (with the exception of last week) and it's obviously helped, so we are going to continue with it.

I am really hoping that this is it and that we can beat this, but I will understand if it's not how this ends. So, I am remaining cautiously optimistic, but this really was the best news I've had this year!

And, I'm pretty dang happy to have my little pup next to me tonight instead of recovering in an animal hospital.