Good & Bad News

Good: We're back in Provo! Hank and I had an amazing Christmas vacation, which I will write about later...

Good: George is back in our presence. We missed him like crazy but were super lucky that he had a loving family to stay with over the holiday season (most of the time...I will not discuss my poor decision to allow him to stay with 15 other dogs under the supervision of one old woman, because that would be under "bad" news.) Hank can now stop asking, "When are we going to see George??"

Good: I just checked my grades. This was inspired by Paul Dean's gmail status as "best grades ever." I got competitive and wanted to know if I received my best grades ever. Not sure why I thought this could ever be possible, seeing as how this was the semester from hell. The result? Almost my best grades ever. A special thank you is in order to my team members and professors for being so understanding.

Bad: I turned the heat off before leaving town 2 weeks ago. At the top of my mind was the opportunity to save on utilities! Not sure why I temporarily forgot that Utah is FREEZING, which often leads to the freezing of items inside the house. Luckily, our pipes are fine, all except for the refrigerator. Unfortunately, all liquid items such as detergent, olive oil, etc. are completely frozen. Even the food inside the fridge is frozen. Not my smartest move.

The end.

The Big Bang.

No, not the theory. Me. This morning as I carried Georgie down the stairs half-asleep, I wasn't watching where I stepped. His fluffy body was in the way and I didn't have contacts in anyways. I slipped on the edge of the stair and flew out from under myself, landing flat on the middle of my back. Sweet George went flying and I wailed in pain. My apologies to any neighbors that were woken up as a result of the loud bang. How embarrassing.

While this may eliminate the possibility of a spa massage on the cruise, I sincerely hope it does not hinder my ability to relax on the beach, snorkel, or climb ancient ruins. That would be pretty lame.

The Hospital Bill is in....

Total cost to reconstruct a middle finger: $1,058.20.

Christmas George

Christmas George can hardly contain himself with so many new elements in his environment. A Christmas tree. Presents. Doo-dads on every present (thank you, Barbie). Ornaments that act like balls. Ribbons. Christmas tree stems to chew. Snow to pee on. Snow to play in. Candy cane collar. Christmas commercials with barking dogs. Christmas bells (unfortunately the tool we used to potty train him).


This puppy is in heaven.

We are going to miss him so much over the Christmas break. He will be staying with the woman we purchased him from for a few weeks. I know he'll be in great hands, but I cannot fathom being without him for so long! It breaks my heart knowing we won't celebrate his first Christmas together.

On a similar note, we will be spending Christmas here:

Belize, Honduras, and other places I need to research. This upcoming vacation has definitely served as a much needed light at the end of the tunnel. Now all I need to do is recover from the bloody swine flu, somehow pass my classes this semester, and drop Georgie off in SlC.

Christmas cruise, here we come!

Could the Bad Luck Spell be Over?!

With massive amounts of snow on the ground this morning, Hank made me take his car to work. I didn't object since my sweet car can't make it out of the parking stall without getting stuck. I love that my car refuses to be useful for an entire season in Utah and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! Anyway, as I pulled into the work parking lot today I made a few quick decisions that were actually good ones!

I went straight past the first few spots that are actually "reserved" for guests of the building, mostly because this is where I backed into another car a few weeks ago. Additionally, I could foresee a possible accident based on the positioning of the spots...I'm still not completely clear whether I'm in reverse or in 1st gear. It helps if there is a bit of an incline so I don't go shooting forward or backward, I can feel the roll first! So tricky.

Next, I came to a fork in the parking lot. Do I go right, or left? If I go left, I'm closer to the building and its freezing outside. I went right. Why? I don't know. It made no rational sense. I had open flats on and snow would surely find its way in, not wearing a coat and kind of far to walk, no particular reason to compensate for my inability to drive Hank's car on the right side. I did it anyway. I did get snow in my shoes and I did freeze my butt off. But it wasn't all for nothing.

At lunch time, we pulled out onto University towards Magelby's Fresh and saw a car driving south had slid on ice and fallen down into our parking lot, right onto the tops of cars! My heart goes out to the people who were involved in this accident; I know it could have been me! I am so grateful I listened to my irrational nudges this morning and that we will not be paying for another "accident" for the next few years.

Way to go, me! I sincerely hope this is a sign that our bad luck spell is on its way out! Cross your fingers.

Amazing Friends

During a routine g-chat this week with Taylor, she mentioned a few times how "cool" it is that I have friends. (We were discussing all the kind things people have done for me the last week.) I thought she was joking, but I quickly realized she was serious.

The fact is... I'm surprised too. I have amazing friends and I have done nothing to deserve them! One blog post and an absence on a school day led to an outpouring of service! Some people brought over dinner. Others dropped by with get-well remedies: soup, movies, orange juice...you name it! Many sent emails or called to see how they could help. MPA teams rearranged assignments, taking on much more work to give me time to recover. Over the last week, I have been amazed by the kindness of so many people.

Words can't express how grateful I am to everyone for their service in a very hectic time! You know who you are.....thank you.

The Hog Flu

Why not? This is perfect timing. Doctor figures I picked up this beauty in the ER on Saturday during Hank's visit.

I been taken advantage of by a dirty hog.

My Thanksgiving List...

Over the break, I pondered on all the things I am thankful for. The list actually got quite long, and I thought about blogging it but never got around to it. Today, my list is pretty short.


1. Hank is alive.


2. Yesterday is over.



My wake up call consisted of "Kate, there's been an accident..." Not a car accident... an explosion. While Hank was putting up some shelving in his shop, a spark flew and hit a box, a box apparently full of powdered peroxide. Luckily Hank's dad saw the white seeping out of the box and told everyone to get out! Shortly after exiting the building, the fire caused an explosion so big it blew out the 2 industrial garage doors and front door.




See exhibit A.

I am very grateful Hankie wasn't inside the shop when it blew. He is so little I can't imagine what would have happened to him.

Hank, his uncle, and dad spend all day trying to salvage the situation. After Hank saying "this is the worst day of my life" I packed up my stuff and drove down to Provo to be with him. After seeing him, I went home to put George and luggage away. There was nothing I could do to help at the shop.

The next phone call came about an hour later. Hank dropped an engine on his hand and needed me to go get medical supplies. I went and got them but after seeing his hand decided Urgent Care was deserving of our business.

See exhibit B.

It wasn't just the nail. It was the top of the finger. Urgent care began digging into it but once they realized the bone was completely exposed, they wouldn't go any further. Apparently with the bone exposed like that, the risk of infection is so high they may have to amputate it. Sick. Rewind to last week at church-- I rudely commented to Hank about a man's hand that scared me. He was missing fingers. Karma. Ugh.-- Amputation is not an option (for me) so we go to the ER as we had been told.

We saw Dr. Elmo in this room, for which I'm still confused. Hank said, "they think I'm a little boy and you are my mom." *To all you single women out there, please do NOT marry a man younger than you.*

See exhibit C:

Dr. Elmo took great care of Hank. He stitched up his "hamburger" finger so that a nail can possibly grow back. Let us pray. The picture below depicts how Hank spent his time waiting in the ER.





See Exhibit D:









We are still dealing with the fact that fingers don't ever stop bleeding, but other than that, (and the part where the shop is in shambles) we are doing well! We hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. If you're looking for something to pray for, please pray that he doesn't get evicted and that insurance will pay for those pricey garage doors.

The Hardest I've Laughed in a Long Time!

Paula Deen gets hit in the head with a ham.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2009/11/23/dore.paula.deen.hit.by.ham.wsb

You Know You're Poor When...

an unused side of salsa at Cafe Rio determines your next meal.

Just for Hank

As I walked out the door for accounting in SLC, Hank specifically asked me not to write a blog post. Apparently writing a post signifies I'm not paying attention. Well today he is right. Bonds? Encumbrances? Appropriations and OFU? Retained Percentage Contracts Payable?

I'm in for a real treat in 3 weeks on the final exam.

Y is for....

While I was making dinner right after church, Hank asked me if I could think of an adjective describing myself that started with a "Y." I thought for a few minutes but couldn't come up with anything. After racking my sweet little brain for a few minutes, I asked "why!?" There obviously had to be a reason Hank was trying to find a word to describe me that started with a "Y??"

He got awkward and said he wasn't allowed to tell me. (I wasn't going to let that happen...) After agreeing that I wouldn't be offended, he said that in church they did an activity where he was asked to spell out my name and come up with adjectives to describe me. It is apparently supposed to be a surprise that the Relief Society will deliver to me next week. I have a feeling mine will never get to me based on the content. I sincerely hope mine won't ever find me in the distant nursery room. It is on the other side of the chapel.

As far as I've been told, it will look something like this.

K
A
T
H- hungry
R
Y- yappy
N

You can only imagine my response. Dear Relief Society sister, please intercept this card. I am probably better off without it. The possibilities for the k, a, t, r, and n are limitless.

Clearly, Hank just needed more time. He said he almost raised his hand to ask others if they could think of a different "y" word....but they collected the cards too quickly for such a rational idea to occur. Next time, maybe I could just go by "Katie," thus eliminating the chances for words like "hungry" and "yappy."

2009 Brooke Rieder Day

I love this girl...

and so does every body else. Who wouldn't? She graces the MPA program each day in a never-before-seen colorful outfit, head to toe in matching accessories with a big smile on her face. She brightens the day of all she comes in contact with, leaving everyone questioning the source of her happiness.

In honor of our beloved friend, the MPA women dressed up as Brooke yesterday. The Tanner building halls were filled with the color pink, bows, polka dots, hounds tooth, heels, and lots of accessories. Some women reported being "looked at funny" for their seemingly "loud" outfits.

I must commend Brooke on the time and commitment she endures each morning to produce such a fabulous ensemble. I can honestly say the extra work added a good 20 minutes to my daily routine, something I have vowed to never do again. It was extremely stressful.

However, I learned very valuable lessons from my experience dressing like Brooke for a day.

Dressing like her

1. is uncomfortable. This exact phrase was repeated by a number of women throughout the day.

2. takes a lot of time. Commitment is required.

3. requires a closet the size of Lavell Edwards Stadium. Its just not practical.

4. turns heads. Obviously, those who "talk" are just jealous they don't have the guts to wear such a fabulous outfit.

and the take home lesson....

5. makes people happy. The morale of the MPA program has never reached such heights. Smiles were rampant. Giggles quite common. Squealing about outfits nonstop. Everybody was happy.

Even professors...

Marriage

The Little Red Hen

Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who lived on a farm . She was friends with a lazy dog and a sleepy husband.

One day the little red hen found an empty fridge. The little red hen had an idea. She would go to the grocery store.

The little red hen asked her friends, "Who will go grocery shopping with me?"
"Not I," barked the lazy dog.
"Not I," groaned the sleepy husband.

"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen went to the grocery store all by herself.

When the groceries were purchased, the little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me unload the car and put the groceries away?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog .
"Not I," groaned the sleepy husband.

"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen unloaded and put the groceries away all by herself.

When meal time came around, the little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me prepare the meal?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog .
"Not I," groaned the sleepy husband.

"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen washed, chopped, grilled and prepared the meal and brought it to the table.

The tired little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me eat the meal ?"

"I will," barked the lazy dog .
"I will," groaned the sleepy husband.

"No!" said the little red hen . "I will." And the little red hen ate the meal all by herself.

Bee-Chon Frise

** I apologize for the poor quality pictures from my iphone. I took real professional looking ones, but for the purposes of entertaining myself in a 3 hour accounting class, these will suffice.**

Thanks to crazy dog and Target lovers, George wasn't able to be a banana like we had hoped this Halloween. A complete disappointment. I checked back faithfully to place my order in time for the big day, but the site continually indicated they were back ordered. What they didn't say was that they weren't trying to meet demand, so they actually "SOLD OUT!" Perhaps they should consider using that term in the future, as to not instill hope in the hearts of sane dog mothers.

After coming to terms with the fate, I began looking around at other stores. Who pulled through in my time of need? WAL*MART! They always do. While they didn't offer a banana, the did sell pumpkins, hotdogs, bees, mailmen, doctors, etc. Not the cutest costumes in the world, but for ony $4 I no longer cared! Forget Target and their stupid banana.

Next year I will start looking a little sooner than September. Remind me. Does anyone have a size small banana they would like to sell?

I Won a Prize!

Those of you who know me well know that I hate competition. I hate playing board games, entering contests, anything that involves a winner and a loser. I hate the thought of setting myself up for disappointment. I know the whole wisdom "you never know until you try," but I'm not very talented at most things, allowing me to "know" without trying. Until now.

I won a contest! Not first place, but third place and I'm thrilled!

A month ago I entered some of my Ghana photos in the international study program competition. Not really so I could have my picture hung in the center, but more for the cash prize! You can imagine my excitement when I got an email inviting me to the reception to tell of my experience/pictures and accept my cash prize.

A few things running through my mind:

1. Is there any chance the money will be given in the form of a BIG check? I've always wanted one of those. The Food Network gives them away all the time, it shouldn't be too much for the Kennedy Center to arrange.
2. What the heck am I supposed to say in my speech? "Thank you dad for buying me an expensive camera?"
3. Will I start crying during the alleged speech? I may once I find out the amount of money on the big check. If its less than $50, I might be sad cuz I have been anticipating more. If it is more than $50, I will likely cry seeing as how I need help paying my $1000 deductible from the accident I was in. Crying is more likely than you'd think.
4. Will I be embarrassed? The picture they chose is NOT good! :) Seriously. The audience will surely be thinking "exactly why did they choose this girl?" To which I will respond"maybe only 3 people entered the contest, and I just so happened to be the third? Back off. I need the money."

Way to go me! This is the first thing I've won since my 4th grade invention--a toothbrush with a clear plastic tube of toothpaste attached beneath--which if I remember correctly, only received an honorable mention. Only to be seen in stores about a year later! Coincidence? I think not. Crooks.

Living a Double Life

When I attempted to enter my Rapid Rewards number on Southwest, it gave me an error message saying the names didn't match. I contacted the airline and they explained the need for a physical document verifying my name change. This will take a few weeks. Oh contraire-it will take much longer that that-months even years-because the chances of me ever finding that on the top of my to-do list is highly unlikely.


As I moseyed around the airport waiting for my flight today, I saw a woman in a red shirt behind a table signing up new Rapid Reward members. She was walking away from the table to chat with the worker of the Oxygen Bar (still so confused by that business), so I thought I'd run to the bathroom first before talking to her. She was still chatting when I got out, so I approached her to ask if perhaps I could just show her my license, avoiding the entire mail-in process.


As I walked up to her, she and the oxygen woman stared at me with the ugliest expression on their faces. I immediately got self-conscious: maybe they are judging my headband adorned with a medium sized flower? or my footless tights? (thanks dad for not saying anything about them today!) or maybe they were envious of my cute Target dress?...I just simply don't know what warranted the ugly looks!


I began by explaining I had seen her behind the Rapid Rewards counter and just had a quick question. I apologized for interrupting their ever-so-important conversation. As I started asking my question, she interrupted me saying "I don't work there." I looked down at her red shirt and airport employee badge around her neck: Southwest. She looked down and turned it over. Since she didn't know what I was talking about, she was unable to help me. Naturally confused, I gave her a dirty look (long past due) and walked away.


Way to go Southwest for hiring hard-working, dedicated employees.

Where You Can Find Me.

People always put where they will be traveling on their blog, as to solicit business during that time frame. For all those interested, I will be in Las Vegas tonight (Wednesday) at 9:10 pm until Thursday at 12:30 pm. I am open for business, although I haven't yet nailed down my product. Please contact me if you're interested.

Mission Accomplished

If his mission in life was to bring joy and laughter to those around him, he certainly accomplished it. I cannot quite comprehend why he had to leave this earth, but I do know he left a positive lasting impression with all those he came in contact with. I'm extremely comforted knowing he lived his life in such a Christlike manner.

We love and miss you Robbi and look forward to seeing you again.

Moving Up in the Ranks

In my 25 years of life, I have only found one thing I am good at: being involved in accidents. Today I took it up a notch, from poles and garage doors to an actual moving vehicle. I couldn't be more thrilled.

Attention Dog Owners

In case you hadn't heard, Snuggies are now available for dogs. I'm thinking of getting George one for Christmas and am wondering if anyone woud like to go halfsies with me. They are running a buy 1 get 1 free offer right now. Total cost would be about $7! Let me know if you are interested...we should probably get on it, they will certainly sell out soon.

https://www.snuggiefordogs.com/flare/next

* Not sure why they consistently use goofy looking Bichon's in their ads!

Damn Dog

We got home about an hour ago....took our shoes off, grabbed our laptops and plopped on the couch. Only a few minutes ago, we had this exchange:

Hank: Will you please tell George to stop chewing my shoe? I don't want to yell at him.

Me: What shoe? [looks over to the edge of the couch]

Hank: My flip flop. [Hank didn't wear flip flips today]

Me: Thats MY shoe!!!!! [long pause] George!

George: [Looks up from chewing, revealing a torn in half flip flop]

Hank waited and watched as my once-worn flip flip became George's new toy. Great.

First Campus Visit

This week George and I brought Hank dinner on campus. After we ate, George got to play with the ducks. Fortunately I learned this summer that ducks & geese aren't the friendliest fowl...my apologies again to Alison and Stuart. Still a bit sensitive from that experience, I yelled from the car like a crazy lady for Hank to save George, all while students walking down the campus stairs looked at me like an overprotective mother. Maybe I am.

Public Announcement

It has been brought to my attention that my previous post (and probably more) did not make sense. It was written under the influence of flu-like symptoms and more sleep than imaginable. I still feel miserable so until further health improvements, I will refrain from expressing my thoughts in this forum as to not embarress my loved ones.

Good Boy, Hank!

Thursdays are my busiest day. See schedule below. I dread the inevitable all week long.

9-5: Work at LHF & think of all the things I need to be doing for school

5:30: Meet Hank and George at home for dinner, naturally made by me

6:15: Meet Accounting buddies in Tanner parking lot for carpool

6:30-7:30: Drive to SLC

7:40-10:00: Accounting class w/ EMPA students

10:00-11:00: Drive back to Tanner parking lot to retrieve car

11:00-11:15: Return home to Hank and George

This Thursday when I got home from work, I couldn't find my boys. Hank took part of the day off to "rebuild" his relationship with George. After the battle (see previous post), George was not exactly happy with Hank's decision to THROW him outside. Neither was I. Kind of a touchy subject, clearly. Hank took George to PetSmart to buy him a new carrot toy and get on his good side. I could hear them trying to be sneaky and quiet and found them in my closet.

After a few minutes of cuddling with George, I noticed he had a dog tag on! I made fun of Hank for trying to buy the dog's love back, and complained that I never get anything like that. (For example, my diamond wedding ring has been sitting in the toothbrush drawer for months now, in need of a visit to Jared's!) As I continued to complain/make obvious suggestions for nice things Hank could do for me...he walked away and came back with a "present" for me! My wedding ring!

I am so happy Hank spent the day trying to mend bridges :)

George v. Hank

There was a battle. Not your typical battle, where the bigger, stronger fighter wins.

Remember When...

Remember the days you would stay home from school sick? I do. They were simply the best. I remember loving waking up feeling under-the-weather, thinking I could spend the day in my buttery bed or lounging around the house in jammies. I could hang out with my mom, doing what she does and forget about school for just one day.

Until 9:00 am rolled around.

A knock at the front door would wake me out of my second wind of sleep. No answer. Was Barbie not even home?! I could hear the garage opening and voices downstairs. Maybe she just ran an errand so she could stay with me all day. The Hispanic music suddenly blaring on the intercom system confirmed my suspicions: my mom wasn't home, but the cleaning ladies were! I can still remember the sinking feeling, the regret of having stayed home when I was only sort of sick. Listening to the loud vacuum, yelling in Spanish, and people in and out of my personal space was not what I had in mind for the day.

Fast forward to today.....

I started feeling weird last night. Hot head, freezing, weak. I knew my ever so weak immune system was giving up on me, not surprisingly. I woke up this morning, called into work and went back to sleep. Hank and George woke me up again around 9, which was fine because I needed to tackle homework. As obvious by this post, that isn't happening. I sat down to relax, opened my books and lo and behold, a fire alarm in the house is chirping. I couldn't focus. I had the same feeling from my high school days, should I have just gone to work?

I mustered up the energy to get on sweats to go get 9 volt batteries from Wal Mart. My look fit right in and I'm not proud of it. Turns out 2 9 volt batteries are $5.50. I got one package. It seemed silly to "stock up" on something that pricey right now.

Once I got home, I changed 2 alarms with the new batteries. Still chirping. I switched around batteries in every alarm upstairs, full of satisfaction that soon the annoying noise would be gone. Hank will be so proud of me when he gets back.

Maybe not. Now 2 alarms are chirping. I am about to lose it.

Stick to What I'm Best At.

I had the opportunity to fund raise for a nonprofit organization tonight. They have the script all prepared, you just need to call and read accordingly. As most of you know, I HATE calling. I will text or email basically anything but I shut down when it comes to calling. Unfortunately, you can not email a donor asking for money; it just doesn't work that way.

It took a VERY long time for me to warm up to the idea of asking for money. My parents will laugh at this, but thats a different story :) Once I finally decided to make my first phone call, my fears and suspicions were confirmed in less than a minute exchange with a 'potential' donor.

I started off introducing myself. The entire time I am thinking of not what I'm saying, but rather what she is thinking. Turns out, I didnt need to anticipate what she was thinking, she simply told me. For example:

Me: Say- "Are you aware of what our organization is up to?"
Me: Thinking- I'm not even aware of what our organization is up to!
Woman: "I couldn't care less."
Me: Long pause. This is not on the script! How exactly do I proceed?

The conversation only got worse. I hung up the phone defeated and unwilling to give it another shot. I am terrible at asking random people for money. I will go ahead and never do it again. Except, obviously my parents. I will stick to what I'm good at. :)

BRRRrrrrrr.

Last night I had the A/C and fan on. Farewell A/C. Welcome heater. Bring it on, utility bill!




(picture compliments of BYU Marriott School Facebook picture-taker. Snowy Timp is visible within the clouds)

Heaven.

There is nothing better than a much needed Sunday nap. Especially when cuddling with the one you love.

Shameful Parents.

George spent a large portion of the day in his crate. Our work and school schedules just didn't work out as planned today and George suffered as a result. Naturally, when we got home in the evening he was completely riled up. He needed attention.

Again, unfortunately I was so tired and exhausted from work, school and lack of sleep that I just wanted to lay down in peace. George's jumping on me and licking weren't well received. After a few minutes, I felt Hank grab him and place him on the floor. A few minutes of silence caused me to awake from my pre-sleep and ask where George went. Hank wasn't sure. I layed back down.

Seconds later, we heard high pitch chirping (attempts at manly barking) coming from outside. My motherly instinct told me something was seriously wrong, but I didn't even have to move from my comfortable position. He bolted inside and jumped in our arms, only this time our arms were wide open.

Damn hornets.

The Best Mom. Ever.

Barbie finally made the mecca to Utah to meet George. Even though he was born months ago, he doesn't seem too bothered by her late visit. He loves her just the same.

As do we. She does the sweetest things. See below.

Barbie recently started making decorative pillows. I have no idea why. But she is good at it. I hope you are lucky enough to be invited to stay in our guest room and enjoy these precious gems.

Oh what do you do on a 1/2 Birthday.

1. Your sweet wife makes your favorite breakfast, homemade animal waffles

2. You watch a really stupid movie about finding treasure in the Bahamas, simply because Jessica Alba is a main character gallivanting around in a bathing suit

3. You eat Costco pizza

4. You open presents and express hesitated excitement about seeing Blink182, even though the tickets are for Brand New (in his defense, Blink is advertised on the tickets)

5. You get an Audi cake....obviously a first attempt in using fondant by your wife

6. You get a scrapbooked birthday card due to financial constraints

7. You get to go out to dinner at Red Robin and get a special "treat.". . Chocolate malt w/ sprinkles

All in the name of a milestone marker that no one else in the world celebrates!

The Verdict: Horrendous

Hank sweetly took George to the groomer and picked him up at the end of the day. I was so anxious to get home from work and see the results! His hair was getting so long and out of control, so anything would be good, I thought. I was wrong. He turned out exactly like the second picture featured in the post below entitled "The Hardest Thing I've Ever Had To DO!"

See for yourself.

I recognize its difficult to see the imperfections of a white coat in a picture. . . but I believe you can see the divot on top of his head and the chunk of white fluff protruding off his right ear. So much for asking the groomer if she had groomed a bichon before...she either lied or George wiggled uncontrolably, forcing her scissors to take chunks out of random spots. I'm not sure which, but we will definitely not waste another $35 + tip on a cut that Hank could have done a better job on. For Hank's skills on hair cutting, please see his head.

Not a good picture, but you get the idea. Tears were shed.

The Hardest Thing I've Ever Had to DO!

Finding a groomer for George.

I didn't know where to start! So naturally, I googled "groomer in Provo" and "groomer in Orem," only to find lists of businesses in the area. No reviews, nothing. How do I know if they are good?
How do I know if they will cut my bichon to look
like this?
Or this? Since this will be his first hair cut, I'm worried I will choose a groomer that will butcher his sweet "puppy cut." How do I know if they've really groomed a bichon before? Are they just lying to win my business in this rough economy? I feel like they are. Should I judge the quality of the groomer on whether they have a website? Surely, every successful business establishes a website these days, right? Wrong. I called every groomer with a website, only to find they were all out of business but one: a mobile dog groomer. Creepy!

After failure with my current strategy, I decided to give non-websited groomers a chance. Maybe they are using the money they could have used to buy an expensive website to purchase excellent grooming tools? After spending WAY too much time on this task, the first non-websited groomer who answered the phone won my business. I scheduled an appointment for Friday at 10 am at Stylin Pets Salon....it sounds cute, right? We will see.

Pannie

My heart is pounding. I can even see it. Each strong beat reminds me of the need to calm down...but my current tactics aren't helping. Are my arteries clogging from the treats I have baked this weekend? Or am I about to "lose it?" After a few days of this intense beating, I would like to share with you a few of the solutions I have come up with.

1. Quit school: make my parents proud
2. Quit my job: lose "bread winner" status and ability to buy clothes sporadically
3. Quit school and my job, eliminating all stress. Be poor.
4. Be a full time mother to George and a Kank. Get cabin fever & post-partum.
5. Continue baking treats for all the neighbors to relieve stress
6. Continue to never deliver these treats...piling up until Hank complains, then throw away. Repeat.
7. Open a shop where people pay for the treats I throw away. Hire Taylor as the Baker....my treats aren't very good anyways. What will my job be? Crap.
8. Go do my homework that is piling up while I brainstorm these genius ideas for Hank to consider
9. Continue with school + work and possibly suffer a heart-attack in my mid-twenties

Done.

A few updates...

Every time I sit down to update our blog, I realize that nothing substantial has occurred to write about. This time is no different. See for yourself....

1. School started last week. It's going to be just as difficult and time consuming as I had anticipated. I started out with 18 credits, only to drop a class by Friday. I could foresee a very dark semester, hopefully this will lighten my load. Even so, certainly working 20 hours a week with do me in.

2. George is getting bigger. We love this puppy more than we could ever have imagined. Hank has taken such good care of George. He bathes him every other day, brushes him out in between, and still wakes up in the night to take him out to relieve himself. He has been a dream and I hope his nurturing state isn't exhausted by the time we decide to have Kank.

3. Hank's half birthday is this Saturday, the 12th. This is a very big deal...a much more important event than his actual birthday (in his opinion!) Mine was 2 months ago and failed to even be acknowledged. Despite my anger, I have found the best gift available and can't wait till Saturday!

4. Barbie and Chaddie are coming up this week and we are so anxious to see them! Barbie hasn't even met George yet, and we are hoping he will forgive her absence since his birth. Lucky for her, he seems to forget pretty quickly.....which leads me to the next point.

5. George rang the bell!!! We were told that by placing a bell on the door, we could properly train a dog in no time. Well, about a month later....we have heard the fruits of our labor! The other night as Hank and I sat glued to our laptops, I heard a clanking noise...what sounded like George trying to get into his crate. After a few minutes of this, I got up to see that he was ringing his bell to go outside and go potty. I know this sounds lame, but this led to a very happy evening at the Iroz household. High-pitched praises went on for hours.

Thats all.

Good News

I don't have cancer. They did a biopsy and it was 'pre-cancerous' but the 'margins are clear.' In other words, I no longer have to worry about dying prematurely from a stupid decision I made to burn my skin under ultraviolet light at Beaches Tanning Center.

My Dog is Cuter than Yours

I got back from Las Vegas last night. I spent the week working at a convention at the Paris for LHF. Seeing as how I couldn't leave George unattended (or under Hank's care), I brought him along to dump on my family members.

Traveling with him in the car provided a little insight of what it will (someday) be like traveling with a child. Note to self: once he starts crying, PULL OVER! 2 minutes later will not suffice.

My sweet dad took George to work with him....2 days in a row. I was a little worried about how he would behave while at work with grandpa. My suspicions were confirmed when I received an email with the title "George resting after eating all the electrical cords in the office"...picture follows....

He is such a little turd! Here are some pictures Chaddie shot of George this week....he is simply the cutest puppy ever, I don't care who you are :)

Shushing Up Hank

Say Goodbye to Big Hair and Tanning!

My hair is falling out. There is no cleaver way to say it. As I shower, chunks fall out. My brush needs emptied every time I comb my hair. And the bathroom rug, well its covered in hair, disturbingly covered in hair. I've been trying to convince myself its just from stress, but I needed an expert's opinion and needed it immediately. The fact that I have an unusual mole on my breast (TMI? I don't care.) gave me an excuse to go to the doctor yesterday.

After some questioning by the doctor, we searched for a "traumatizing" event that has happened in the last few months: physically, emotionally, or in my diet. It didn't take long for us to conclude my deathly illness in Ghana was the trigger. Apparently it was a shock to my system which confused my hair follicles beyond belief--so now they are all falling out at the same time, instead of all having their own time-line. Fabulous.

He gave me the name of the condition, so I looked it up today to learn more. I found this very reassuring! :)
"Often, the knowledge that the hair loss will not progress to baldness is comforting to the patient. The patient should be encouraged to style the hair in a way that masks any perceived defects in hair density."

After a look at my mole, he concluded that needs to come off right away. It has irregular borders, unusual pigment, and is growing at a rapid rate. Thank you tanning. I never had this mole before and suddenly it is scaring the living crap out of me.

In summary, please do not comment if you notice I am styling my hair a bit differently. This is because I am masking any perceived defects in hair density. haha. And if you notice I am as white as my younger sister who wasn't born with pigment, well....at least I am not speeding up my life span under a neon bulb, although it did look good while it lasted!

Financially Irresponsible....

But worth every penny.

Do I have a DOG or a SUPERDOG? by Hank

Okay, So I came home from school today to check on the little rug rat to see how he is doing. I must admit that he is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Last night I tried to hog him all night long. While Katie was doing the paperwork for the dog, I got to spend 45 minutes with him, and we bonded a bit better. Naturally, he seems to like me a bit more. Anyway, when I left for school this morning, Katie was stressing out about his crate and his play area. She made me set up the crate and then make some sort of barrier so he could not run through the main floor of the house pissing on everything. I put a suitcase welder in the way thinking that he can't hop up a stair that is 8 inches tall. I figured that there would be no way in hell that he could jump up a slick, 15 inch tall box.. I came home to this..








Sometimes control freaks like things their way!!! :) What was George going to do at the tender age of 7 weeks? Walls like that kept the Chinese in their own country for years!!!

Now, we did get this Bichon book in preparation for the dog. Katie needs very little for an excuse in order to start buying things. One of the pages talks about ideas to keep the dogs in shape, and there was this picture..



Oh sweet girl. He is just a little guys still. Kobe Bryant did not have 10 foot walls in his crib as a young lad! We will chalk this one up to "lack of sleep". Katie says that the dog had her up all night. All I know is that it put her in a bad mood this morning. IF this is what it is like blogger community, I do not see kids in our near future. :) Love Hank