We've Gone to the Dogs

We went to the Sheepdog Championship this weekend at Soldier Hollow. Here we got to see dogs do all sorts of amazing things. It featured the sheepdog herding competition, a duck herding competition, wild things animal show, the Ultimate Canines Dog Entertainment Show, and a splash dogs competition.
I think the splash dogs were my favorite thing to watch. We took video of a few of the dogs.

Splash Dogs 1

Splash Dogs 2

Some of the dogs weren't as enthusiastic as others to jump into the pool.

Since I am a big animal lover I loved the whole afternoon. It is amazing to see how well disciplined and trained these dogs can be. I was especially impressed with the sheepdogs ability to know what way to guide the sheep down the mountain just by the way the handler blew his/her whistle. I don't think Mojo, or very many dogs for that matter, could do what those ones did. It was cool!

The Other Patient

I know y'all are probably getting sick of hearing about all the cat drama going on, but this face just had to be shared. It is so tragically adorable!!
Chas got to come home this afternoon and has been feeling pretty good so far (probably because he is pretty doped up still!) We came home from the store and found him with his cone head in the water dish asleep!!! Unfortunately I don't have photo proof, but trust me, it was adorable! And don't worry, just the cone was in the water, not his face.

Kitty Update

Good news- I am not as bad of a mother as I thought I was.
Bad news- It turns out I'm actually worse!
Good news- Stormy's surgery was a success!
Bad news- Chas has to have surgery tomorrow! The vet examined Chas today and found he had the same problem Stormy did (but on only one paw). I guess Chas just 'manned up' to the pain, because he showed no signs of any problems.

Stormy's paw post surgery. You can see the incision and stiches

Good news- After Chas' surgery tomorrow, my cats won't be broken anymore.
Bad news- They'll have to be on pain medication and antibiotics for 10 days. That means risking my life and limb trying to get them to take it. (At least they can only get me with 2 paws now!)
Bad news- they shaved the fur away on Stormy's paw so that they could get a good look at the pads.
Good news- even though it looks a little silly, it is adorable!!
Bad news- Stormy has to wear a cone on her head so that she doesn't nibble on her feet and take out the stitches. She doesn't like it very much.
Good news- (I feel a little bad saying this, but...) It is sooo freaking cute to see her wearing her cone. It usually doesn't last long, but I was able to catch a few pictures with her wearing it.

Stormy does not look amused!

The Animal Diaries

I had seen these before, but just recently found them again. I loved them....but I'm kinda an animal freak, so maybe it's just funny to me.

A day in the life of a cat and dog

The Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine l avishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an Attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a \"good little hunter\" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of \"allergies.\" I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my
tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and Snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously Retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the Guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an Elevated Cell, so he is safe.
For now.

I'm a bad mother...

I'm sure all mothers have the feeling that they are a bad mother from time to time. I'm currently feeling this way. As most of you probably read, we got Stormy and Chas declawed a while ago. Chas was back to his playful self within a week of the surgery, but Stormy was still walking gingerly. I didn't think too much about it because Stormy is so timid, and Chas is just a little spas, it just seemed to fit their different personalities.
Well, weeks have gone by and Stormy was still favoring one paw. Finally I took her to the doctor today and they said she was not healed correctly because a little piece of bone was sticking out of the pad on one of the digits.
What a horrible mom I am!! I should have taken her in right away, but I figured the problem would just heal itself. So poor little Stormy has to go into surgery again tonight to stitch the skin so it will heal over the bone. (....or something along those lines)
Hopefully this surgery will fix everything and Stormy can get back to normal. I'll have to buy her love again with lots of play time and soft treats when she gets back home. And now instead of risking being a bad mother again, I'm going to turn into one of those crazy, obsessive, OCD moms....GREAT!!

the patient Stormy

Go Bees

On Saturday night Matt and I went to a Salt Lake Bees game. After talking about going to a game all summer long, we finally made it on the second to last game of the season. Better late than never! Matt hadn't been to a game since he was a very little kid, so it was like a first for him.
The Bees won the game, and best of all we got to go onto the field for a fireworks show. The grass was so soft on the field, it was awesome! If I were a cow I'd like to graze there.

Kristin Day!!

Friday August 15, 2008 was officially declared "Kristin Day" by Matt. We both had the day off, and after a court appearance by Matt early in the morning, we had the rest of the day to spend together! Kristin Day was nothing horribly fancy or elaborate, but it was perfect in every way!!

After a yummy lunch at Subway, we took a scenic drive through Provo Canyon. I didn't know what the plan was, and was trying to guess the whole time. A hike? Timp Cave? Picnic? Park City?
I was certainly surprised when we ended up in Heber City...at a bowling alley! Most surprising was how much fun we had. It was a "ma and pa" bowling alley with a quaint country feel. We loved it and had a blast!! Best bowling ever!

Matt in action

Let's see him pick this spare up!

Having a good time

Cute? Scary? You make the call!

As always Matt and I put a small wager (housework, etc) on the game... and history repeated itself when I got my butt kicked by Matt!
I eventually turned to the helper ramp and finally picked up a spare! But it was too little, too late!

Matt was certainly excited that he beat me! (Especially since he doesn't have to do the housework for a while!)

After our time in Heber we headed into Park City to browse Main Street. I ran into some unique wildlife while we were doing our shopping...

A moose wearing pants? How silly!

I loved Franz the Bear. He's so cute!

After browsing Main Street for a while we wound up back in Salt Lake and ate dinner at The Macaroni Grill. (I totally recommend the Pinot Grigio chicken..yummy!!) Finally we ended up back at home and ended the Kristin Day celebration with some good old fashioned "America's Funniest Home Videos". (We love that show!)

And that was Kristin day!! It may not sound like much, but I loved it!! It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I just love spending time with Matt!! I just hope Kristin Day becomes tradition! Wait...he's so sweet that everyday seems like Kristin Day!!

What's In A Name?

Here's another tidbit of information so that you parents (and future parents) out there can avoid raising a promiscuous child. It's all in the name...

According to the North American Journal of Sexual Health, a survey involving over 5,000 guys found the top 5 names of women who are most likely to sleep with a guy on the first date. In no particular order, they are:

1. Lindsey
2. Jenny or Jenni
3. Christy or Christi
4. Nicole or Nikki
5. Erin

The survey also found increased odds with girls whose name ends in an "I" or draws a little heart over an "I". Women with two name first names, like Ann-Marie or Mary-Jo, are also in the top ten. What about girls who go by their full given name, like Jennifer or Patricia? They're less likely to go to bed on the first date.

I know there's already a lot of pressure in naming a child, I guess this just adds one more thing to consider!

Yummy!!

A few weeks ago my parents came over to the apartment and Matt and I made a gourmet meal. My mom has asked me for the recipe a couple of times, and since I'm kinda ditzy I keep forgetting. Well since I finally remembered I thought I'd put it up here for her and then the rest of you can enjoy it too!
Don't be fooled by thinking "I've had hamburgers, these can't be much different..." Oh, sooooo tasty, give them a shot! I've copied the recipe exactly, but then put my own notes from our cooking experience on the bottom! Enjoy!

Prize Grilled Hamburgers

• 2 Lb lean hamburger
• 1 Lb pork sausage
• 1 pkg dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup instant mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk

Mix all ingredients well. Shape into patties. Grill for 5 minutes on each side. Turn once (may be wrapped in foil after grilling and heated in the oven).
Makes 10 servings

***We did not add the milk to the meat mixture. By the time all the other ingredients were together the consistency was already really sticky, we couldn't imagine adding another cup of liquid to it.
***Some burgers shrink as you cook them...these didn't! The recipe says it should make 10 burgers, but I still think that is a lot of meat for one burger. So unless you are a huge meat lover I would make at least 12 patties.

Are You Doomed?

On the radio this morning they were talking about weddings (how much they cost, how many guests, etc.) and the DJ relayed a stat that he had either read or heard (I'm sure it was from a very reputable source. After all, he's on the radio, he can't just be making stuff up...) Anyway, what some study apparently found out was that....
people who spend over $20,000 on their weddings only have a 15% success rate!!
Which leads me to ask...is your marriage doomed? I'm not married yet, but I wish I had enough money to be doomed! Just kidding! If I had that much money I'd rather take half of that amount and put it towards a down payment on a house, but that's just me!

Teaching An Old Dog a New Trick

Have you ever tried to re-train yourself to do something differently than you have done it for the last 8+ years? It's kind of frustrating! I just got a new cell phone on Saturday and got one with a "Qwerty" keyboard. I didn't know this until I saw it, but a qwerty keyboard is just like the keyboard you use with your computer, but it's on a smaller scale on your cell phone. Whats the big deal you ask?
I'm a pretty big fan of texting and am used to the regular 9 key pad on a cell phone where there is 3-4 letters per key, and they are in alphabetical order. So it's quite an adjustment to have a totally different keypad. You might think that since I'm on a computer typing all day long that it would make texting easier...and you would be wrong!!!
I'm willing to bet in 3-4 days I will be loving life with my qwerty keyboard, but for right now it is just frustrating to readjust. Each key on my keypad has two letters on it, rather than just one per key like a computer keyboard, and this has been causing me all sorts of problems. It now takes me about 10 minutes to compose a simple text message so I feel about as uncoordinated as my mother trying to text! (sorry mom!)
So to those of you who I do text, please be kind and forgive me for taking a long time to respond and forgive me if I send you a totally jumbled message. We'll see if this old dog can't learn this new trick!!