A couple more cute items

Label of Hope

I'm trying to clean out some of my crap before going to a New Year's Eve party. I skimmed through an old craft magazine and found a link to a vendor that I really like. More girlie than you think I would like.

Here's a few items I found on their Etsy site that I adore.

You can see more at http://labelofhope.com/

Rufus

Lucky for Rufus that he is a super sweet and mellow beagle.

We almost didn't get him.

Here is the photo that was posted on Craigslist.

What the owner didn't say was "Not actual size."  Beagle in person is much larger than in the photo. Um, 42 lbs


What Rufus actually looks like:

Size comparison to Byron, at 14.2 lbs.

Beagles!

Upset and wide awake.

I can't sleep. well I might have, if I hadn't scared Byron. I think it's been quite awhile since I've been so upset.

Screaming and yelling never did my mother any good when she was upset. I guess I tend to take after my dad. Trying to tuck my anger away.

I would really love to break something right now. Throw some dishes on the floor. Punch a hole through the wall.

I am too stressed out about everything, and feel really fragile.

Is this the feeling of being middle aged? Being worried about relationships and career choices? Wondering who I am? what do I want jn the future? Do I get too obsessive?

What did I used to want in my future? Be married. To travel the world. Own a house.

What do I want now? To be in a happy relationship. Hang out and have a good time. Play with my puppy dogs. Go curling.

Curling became a big part of my life 3 years ago. It has filled a hole that I didn't realize I was missing when I was younger. In junior high, I participated in track. I ran hurdles and jumped the high jump. there were people to socialize with that you had a common denominator with.

With curling I have that and the bit of competitiveness that I missed. Has it completely taken over my life? In a good or bad way? How do I leave the good alone and fix the bad? or is it too late?

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Sick Rufus

Rufus was very sick Monday and Tuesday.

I ended up taking him to the vet for some anti-nausea medication and to be rehydrated.

He seems to be fine this morning though! No more shaking!

A couple of photos of Byron, Rufus, and Jeremy hanging out.

Sleeping puppies!

Both the pups are sleeping right now. Hurrah.

However, one of them is doing his best to gas me out of my office.

Puppy farts. Ew.

Two dog family!

Yesterday, Jeremy and I adopted Rufus the beagle from Craigslist. His owner, Jim, is moving out of the country.

Rufus is a big boy, weighing in at 42.2 pounds. After picking him up and letting him get accustomed to his new surroundings, I took him to the vet to get him current on all of his shots and to get his nails trimmed.

So far, Rufus has been a pretty good dog. Byron and Rufus have been tearing up the town. Rufus will play with all the toys that Byron has ignored, and Byron will suddenly become interested in them again. They like to play chase in the backyard and wrestle in the house.

Byron is only 14.2 pounds, so I have to keep an eye on Rufus to make sure he doesn't squish her. His idea of being gentle is to sit on top of her.

I'm pretty sure Rufus misses Jim, but its tough for him to be sad because Byron is constantly harassing him. Keeping him on his toes.

At this moment, I'm glad we made the decision to go to two dogs. Byron is enjoying her new buddy, pestering him instead of being destructive. We just have to keep an eye on her until she gets a little bigger.

2010 Thanksgiving come and gone

A quiet Thanksgiving weekend.

I have a new job as a software tester for a small virtual company that has been around for 7 years. However vacation, sick, and holidays are all rolled into one. Because I have to save my vacation for Mixed Doubles Nationals and Womens Nationals, there is currently no holiday time available.

I worked on Thursday. Jeremy worked on his iPad application. The beagle harrassed us both. Jeremy made a tagliatore sauce for dinner. Nom nom nom.

Friday Jeremy headed up to Langley for some curling. I dropped the beagle off for a half day of day care while I worked. I had some connectivity issues off and on, that were very frustrating. No true Black Friday shopping. However, I did order a down jacket from Eddie Bauer. Need to keep warm in Duluth, Minnesota and Grand Forks, North Dakota this winter.

Friday night after work, I headed to Bellingham to hang out with Jeremy's cousin and his wife. Byron got some beagle play time in. We only stayed until about noon on Saturday.  I had to get home for the Chin/Go/Eng Thanksgiving dinner. Dinner was tame compared to normal. There was lots of food. I restrained myself to one plate and skipped the cheesecake my mother brought for dessert.

When I got home, Byron and I played for a bit and then I rented a silly chick flick and went to bed.

Today, there was more daycare for Byron. I cleaned the master bathroom, washed three loads of laundry, and cleaned dishes. I also spent some time in the yard hacking down some dead bush and briar branches that had encroached into our yard from the neighbors.

Now, to pick up the dog and go to Mixed Doubles curling!

Annoyed at doggie daycare

Why post that you have hourly rates, but then when someone tries to schedule their dog for 2 hours in the evening say that you don't take them after 2 pm?

Stupid.

2010 PIC Photos

I received my DVD last weekend of the photos from the 2010 PIC. I spared for them, as one of their teammates could not make it. Here are some of my favorites.

My funny little beagle girl

A couple of Byron photos

Photo used on Seattle Weekly blog!

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/10/jon_pontrello_got_lost_in_the.php

You can see the photo I took of Jon P, the street musician in Ballard with the article that comes along with it!

No new puppy...yet.

No puppy yet. Looked at them. Went awwww. Jer had sappy "oooo puppy" eyes. If I had said, let's get this one, I'm not sure he would have said no.

However, the Mixed Doubles spiel is this weekend. Byron is now at weekend dog camp. Quick post before I try to finish cleaning, beagle puppy proofing the house, and getting everything ready for the new Monday work week.

Tried to set up the new HP printer and failed. Its on, but not recognizing the wireless or the USB cable. Poop.

Got an email from the street musician Jon P. My photo might make the Seattle Weekly. That would be rad.

Tonight, tonight...

My life may get easier or crazier.

We go to check out more beagle puppies. Our little girl Byron is going to get a buddy to keep her busy while I work. Hopefully this means no more four hour trips to the dog park. Gah. More potty training. Byron isn't completely potty trained yet.

I have a boy's name in mind. Not sure what we'll end up using if she gets along better with a girl.

Lunch and the Ballard Market

Had some tasty beef ravioli in a spicy tomato sauce last Sunday at this Italian restaurant in Ballard. Nom nom noms.

Afterwards, we walked through the Ballard Market. Unfortunately, they were busy closing up. I have this great shot of a street musician who was tipped with produce.

Window shopping.

This little bin made me think of my team mate's 'animal'.

Looking for a beagle or a beagle mix playmate.

Jer and I have decided that we are going to get Byron a buddy. We would like to get a dog or puppy 2 years or younger. Someone that will get along well with her, likes to wrestle and play chase.

Spoiled beagle pup.

More trips to the dog park. Byron the beagle girl vs Bella the labrador puppy.

Dog park photos from Oct 14th-15thish.

Trip to the dog park.

Everyone loves Byron. She is beagle puppy cute. Hard to get by without someone asking if they can pet her or pick her up. Children especially like to follow her around.

Here are some vicious beagle puppy shots.

Practice in Richmond!

More curling practice in Richmond last Saturday. And wouldn't you know it? Em and I finally managed to score some Dim Sum after 3 prior visits, and the Chinese men's national team was practicing. Almost deja vu, but not quite.

Em and I saw the guys on the way in and said Hello. While we were practicing, Beth's partner Amber was watching in the warm room. An hour into it, the Chinese men's team grabbed seats at the same table and were watching. As Amber said, "I might not understand what language they were speaking, but I definitely understood what they were talking about." LOL.

Here's a photo of us with them last about the same time last year.

A photo of Em walking by the Chinese men's team. I'm still curious to know if they recognize us from last year, or if they were just checking us out.

A photo from after our lesson. Watching them practice while Em is shopping.