Monet meets Vinnie

Why I love Vinnie:
1. He's soooo adorable- who couldn't love that just smashed into a wall face?

2. He's the sweetest Male Yellow Labbie EVER! (never mind the first 14 months of his life that we had him- it doesn't count- we were first time raisers)
3. He's such a fabulous honorary co-raiser. He teaches the puppies what is good play.

Why I love Monet:

1. She's pretty adorable herself- I'm not gonna lie- I think she's the cutest Black Lab in the house!
2. She's SUCH a nice dog... for being only 6 months old she really is SO good!

3. She loves Vinnie and learns quickly from him.

I <3>

I think we'll keep them :)

It's a puppy! It's a puppy!!

Yup That's right... now that the puppy is officially picked up I can now tell you I'm getting a puppy! She's currently on her way home with Lindsey (we'll be co-raising)... I'll let her tell you more about the newest puppy. I'm super excited and will get to meet her next friday when I get home from Disneyland. She will be home Tuesday morning- but I'll already be gone. :( So keep an eye on Lindsey's blog.

Peter Pan Syndrome

Did anyone ever see the old Merrie Martin Peter Pan? You know the song "I won't grow up"? That's my dream. I don't like growing up-- and I don't like other people growing up. Having to worry about life stinks. The thing that triggered this is a conversation I had with my Best Friend. She's dating a guy pretty seriously and it's a huge problem for me. I don't know why. It's like I'm super jealous... So I just decided today I want to be 13 again. Where I could do what I wanted (I wasn't a bad kid so what I wanted to do was just raise Guide Dog Puppies, hang out with friends, and just be 13), there were no boys to get in the way- they were all just crushes, and if I had to do something- my mom would just tell me to do it and that was the end. When I was little I used to tell my mom I never wanted to grow up-- well... I think it's happening... If anyone learns how to time travel let me know :)

Puppysitting

This week I get to hang out with Missy the Pug and Cricket the Guide Dog...

They are both fun dogs... even if Missy is a little old and poor Cricket just wants to play with her! We're lucky to have the park to go play in this afternoon... Cricket was in heaven! It reminds me why I love dogs-- Cricket is such a happy girl and LOVES everyone. She just loves people in general and would love anyone no matter who you are. Missy is just cuddly- I don't remember her being that way when I watched her last but she really does love it. She will just sit near me while I'm on the floor breathing on me until I pick her to pet her...I'm crossing my fingers for a puppy soon. I don't know how much longer I can last!

Extreme Makeover

Hey everyone-- so I got really motivated this morning and decided why not give my blog a remodel? I deleted most links- so if youw ant yours added leave a comment and I will hopefully get around to having a list again. :) Let me know what you think... It took me forever to figure things out but it was fun :)

A week off?

What? How does that happen? I don't even know what to do with myself- good thing I don't have to decide what to do because I already have a million people asking for when we can hang out. What can I say... people love me. Just kidding. They just want to remind themselves of why they are glad I'm gone for most of the summer ;)
Last week was one of the most eventful weeks of EFY- and also one of my favorites. I am in love with last week. I had a great group (as usual) and some awesome experiences-- and only slightly fell in love with a toy pufferfish named Seth from the BYU bookstore. You know you're jealous.
Next week is Deaf week and I'm really excited for that. There is a chance I might not get Deaf kids but I reallllllly hope I do. Plus it would really help with the fact that I'm taking an interpreting test next week as well.
So, after next week I will have one more week then I'm home for good (mostly) I'll be in and out housesitting with a trip to California right in the middle of all that. Then school starts. This is my life-- We are hoping Lindsey will be able to bring home a transfer puppy with her in August. So, that's the excitement of it ll. I really miss going to puppy classes while i've been out of town- but I really have had one of the best summers so far!

Sleep Deprived

Yes... that is what it is. Sleep Deprivation... 3 weeks of going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 5 am is not a good thing. But what do you do? Nothing... that's what you do. Why? Because I love my summer job.
Anyway... I talked to Lindsey today. She is alive and gets to go to the beach tomorrow- for which I am only sightly jealous. I get to stay here in Utah and go camping. Now I'm TOTALLY not a camper- honestly I don't even like it. When I was younger my requirements for camping was there had to be a) a shower and b) flushing toilets. These demands were pretty set in stone- not flexible. There were a few times we ended up with no showers (the toilet one is non-negotiable) but not as I've gotten older- I'm willing to leave camp for a few hours, find a shower, wash all that grime and smell off, then come back to camp. How's that for being a non-camper? Yeah. That's what I thought. Okay maybe I have a problem...

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!... E-F-Y!

Hey Everyone... so I've had a pretty stinking amazing week. What makes it so stinking amazing you ask? Weeeellll... I get to be a counselor for Especially for Youth (EFY) this summer at BYU and I just finished my first week. I'm soooo tired but it was a blast and I met so many amazing people. My company (group of kids) consisted of 22 girls and 12 boys- although I was just in charge of 12 of those girls (there were 2 other counselors) all of them were 16-18. I love my girls so much- they are so amazing! Our company was named "Full of Love"- Remember how that was the best name on the plane? Yeah, that's what I thought. So let me give you a small taste of what EFY is all about.

Monday was nuts- about 2,500 kids trying to check in for a week of EFY is crazy. Amidst my crushing of boxes and handing out of handbooks/CD's/DVD's I got the chance to talk to and get to know the other counselors before my first real week. I met my girls later and we got play some awesome games (in the rain I might add) then set some goals for the week.

Tuesday we had some pretty fantabulous classes. All by amazing intelligent, spiritual, talented, and FUNNY teachers. Afterwards was a super amazing dance where we partied like rockstars! Can I just tell you how much I LOVE EFY dances? Well, I do. They are fantastic. This is a Mormon dance unlike any other. Really- Everyone dances!

Wednesday I was sure my feet would fall off because of this amazing thing called 2 blisters on my feet (Darn 3 song jump challenge)- thank goodness for sitting down in classes after which was GAMES. We played some awesome relay games and performed an amazing cheer created by our kids (complete with banner). Fortunately, I made it to what we lovingly refer to as PIZZA NIGHT at EFY. We partied it up ONCE again... as we got 6 pizzas and 2 breadsticks for 12 girls... 2 1/2 pizzas ended up in my fridge for later munchies for late night chats. (Okay so late night is 11 pm- lights out. I'm so grateful for that though- I have to sit in the hall until they fall asleep and I had to wake up at 5:45 for a meeting every morning. I still got an average of 5-ish hrs a night)

Thursday is everyone's favorite day- we party hard again- in the spritual way :) We have some great classes- We all wear our church clothes and have a musical program and testimony meeting. It's pretty great.

Friday- everyone is drained. The counselors are in charge of teaching classes today- I didn't have to this week so I was off the hook. It was really hard to stay awake though. I started getting a little loopy- you know when you'er so tired you get to the point that EVERYTHING is funny- and ridiculously funny? yeah- that was me... times ten! I went to bed at about 1:30 am then was up at 5:45 ready for...

Saturday! Checkout. All kids had to be out by 7:00 am. Awesome I know. What for? So Counselors can head to eat breakfast and off of a final wrap up meeting. It's pretty hillarious to watch the counselors stumble around after a looooong week. Why do I love this so much? I don't know... but It's amazing. From now on anytime anyone says "alright" I'll want to finish it off with the EFY cheer... "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT hey...."

Hiking and Puppysitting

I've decided that one of the saddest things of having a dog is watching your dog get old. This week we took Vinnie up on the Moutain for the hike I've taken him on hundreds of times. It's his favorite because of the creek a few miles in. He loves just chilling in the water and being a dog. Watching him take the hike made me realize my boy is getting old :( He had a little bit of a hard time at the end and was quite glad to get to the creek- more than usual. Although after a nice cool down he was off to more exploring- trying to run off without me- past the point we normally turn around at.


This weekend I was supoposed to go with Lindsey and my other roomate, Lacy to take Ontario to his new home but a million things kept coming up so while my roommates are gone I'm watching Marlowe- a new FBL in our club. She's a sweet girl and is right now sleeping at my feet. She likes being an only dog I think. ;)

and last but not least- why I like Black Labs:

I puppysat Jared and Cash again this Friday and Saturday and I got to groom them. By the time I was done I think I had enough to make a sweater for each of them :) I'm like 500% sure yellow Labs shed more than black Labs... thank goodness for my fur-minator. it's pretty much the best!

Jared (was CC'ed for Eye Cancer) and Cash (CC'ed for Confidence) --and cute Marlowe in the background.

GOOD LUCK TO ONTARIO! It sounds like he's got an amazing home and I'm sure we'll get some updates from his new mom on how he's doing!

Party

Happy Birthday to you... Happy birthday to you...

It was 9 years ago today that Vinnie was born! Happy Birthday, Beans!

Eagles and changes

This past weekend we (Lindsey and I) had the opportunity to go to the Eagles Utah State meeting to represent GDB along with a couple other raisers around the state and a graduate from San Rafael. It was a pretty entertaining weekend to say the least, but the best part was I got to steal Teesha for the weekend. I love this girl. One day I'll get a current picture of her up. Really I just need to suck it up and admit to myself that my camera cord is never going to show up again- then go buy a card reader. One day... eventually. :) She's getting so big- almost 10 months now! Remember when I first came home and she was like 10 weeks? I can't believe what a good girl she is. She was absolutely perfect- even when a overly rambunctious 12 week old puppy was all over her at the dinner. I was so proud of her. I think that's one of my favorite parts of raising Guide Dog puppies- watching the little crazy puppies become what they are meant to be and I get to be a little part of something in their change (hopefully for the most part it's a good thing ;) ) Sometimes I like to look back at my puppies very first monthly reports and their last one and see how far they've come. It makes me feel so good for them and really does help me feel like I'm making a difference. Anyway- now I'm rambling- I shouldn't be allowed to do that. Thank you and goodnight- you can tip your waitress at the door.

Alive again...just in time for summer

That's right- the car is alive again. Thanks to an amazing dad who can figure out anything and everything. I love him. So now... Summer is underway. All the classes are done, the cerimonial trashing of the notes/old tests/handouts has happened, and the old books are sold (mostly excepting my Math book- anyone up for an old Math 1030 book for $45?) EFY starts in 2-ish weeks :) (YAY!) and I'm filling out an application for a new puppy this weekend! That's the excitingness of my life. I like it. Thanks for reading.

Today... and why I love cars

Let the good times roll... Yup, that's right. I took my last final today. Cleaned my car today (getting all that yellow dog hair out is pretty much impossible- but I tried. I still love my yellow boy). I also moved most of my stuff today---the best part of today being... my car decided to break. Awesome. I know. Pretty much I think cars really have intelligence. Seriously- I think everytime I have something else I REALLY need a car for- it dies and I "get" to shell out a couple hundred to fix it. Anyone up for fixing a water pump for free? I'm most def NOT a fan. I thought it was fixed but... nope. My dad is amazing though and "figures things out". He's a great mechanic. I'm impressed and leave it to him. If it doesn't get fixed by Monday it won't be fixed for like 2 weeks- no bueno. (My family is going to So Cal next week-- )Hopefully he has time to fix it tomorrow. Then I can drive to my new place, get a new puppy this fall, and life will be happy ever after, right?

End of Semesters

Well... I can't believe I've been home for just over 5 months. It almost freaks me out. A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to get the chance to head on back up to the Land of Port for a "vacation" (really it was to pick up a CC puppy in our club- hey they paid 1/2 of the trip! Yay!) It was really fun- but I wish much longer. The longer trip ended up to be impossible because it's the dreaded time of year... END OF SEMESTER. (dun, dun, dun) The time of year all college students and professors dread. It not quite over but so close there are a bazillion things to do before it actually is over. So thus... I've been working on a "few" projects plus getting ready for and taking my state interpreting test (finally! I have 2 months until I find out if I passed). As of this moment I only have 2 more finals and one "field trip" (awesome, I know- in college- actually I'm not looking forward to that one but I'm hoping for some extra credit)
This semester has been a good one- the mission helped me learn how to study alot more effectively, although i am glad to have it over. whew! Wish me luck!
In puppy news? Nothing really a WHOLE lot new. I'm moving out this weekend with Lindsey and her roomate- so I'll have 4 new dogs in my life-- My family would probably NOT be okay if I took Vinnie. (plus don't you think 4 dogs is enough ;)) I'm going to be a counselor for EFY (Especially for Youth) at BYU in Provo, Utah. That should be fabulous! So prospective puppy date? At the VERY earliest- End of July/Early August. So that's an update on my life. The End

What's up?

Hey all... So life continues to move on. Work... school... work... puppies. I'm housesitting alot for Cash and Jared's family- hopefully I'll get pictures up soon. How is life for everyone else? I'm sure I'm totally out of the blogging loop so catch me up... What's been going on?
Poor Vinnie is showing signs on getting older- I love this guy. I can't believe he's almost 9 years old! That is so weird! H's been limping alot the last few days so tomorrow it's off to the vet to have him checked out. We'll let you know how it goes :)

Lame Poster

So I really DO mean to update. and I really DO take pictures meant for the blog (which are now taking up space on the camera) and I really DO mean to do all this stuff- but alas- I am a slacker. I should join a support group or something.
What's been happening? Life. I've been puppysitting a little and house sitting a little... last week and this week I get to watch two cute Career Change boys- Cash; a Male Yellow Cross, and Jared; a Male Yellow Lab. (Cash is brother to Chapelle and Cordova) They are sooo sweet- This last weekend Edie joined us for the night. It was a fun time of competition for attention.
Just an example of my weekend: Jared is a sweet guy- about 7 years old who was CC'ed for Cancer in his eye. He's now a one-eye'd puppy (or rather has got a permanent wink going on). On Friday night he had his head on my lap while I was catching up on "What not to Wear". Once Cash (CC'ed for confidence- super sweet soft guy.) noticed I was petting Jared, here comes 75 lb Cash, both paws on my lap ready for some love too. Edie, of course, had to get in one the fun so she jumped right up on the middle of it and pushed the other two out the the way for her love. Needless to say I was covered in hair and puppy kisses. Who couldn't love dogs?

Puppy sitting :)

My Puppy-hunger is relieved for the moment I have TEESHA again :) She's so cute and is such a good girl. She has been a couple of fun places since she's been with me and has done pretty well... Right now she's in the backyard burning off some steam though. After a full day of outings she's gotta run. I will post pictures soon of how much she's grown soon! Must go search for my car keys now so I can get her food out of my car... I'm really good at losing my keys...

Lame update

Today... I miss my puppies. It's the first day of school and I don't have a puppy to take with me for the first time in I don't know how many years. It's kind of sad but hopefully I can borrow some puppies soon :)
I'm excited to start school. Is that weird? I've been out of it for 18 months and I'm ready to finally get back. School is at least something to do- plus I think I've got some pretty cool classes. So really that's all I have to update today...

This is way cute :)

PICTURES!!!

Alright... what you've all been waiting for... pictures. Sorry I forgot how to flip the pictures so you'll have to deal with that. This is pictures of my club from about a month ago- minus one dog- Orion. Enjoy! :)


Miss Edie- Lindsey's puppy TEESHA-- she's sooo stinking cute!


This is Teesha again... Cute girl! Nell... the cute puppy! I love her too... I watched her last week


This is Genova And... Zinfendyl I think that's how you spell it?

Sakari and Luigi

Last but not least... Gilly!

Of course I had to throw in a Vinnie picture... look what a cute boy he is :) I missed him soo much!