49 posts tagged “shadow”
This weekend was one of the few (ever!) that I (gasp!) actually had nothing on my calendar. I know, it's shocking. It was fantastically wonderful to not have anywhere that I had to go!
Friday night Mike and I met up with Sean and Erin to celebrate Sean's sister's (Sarah) 30th birthday. We went to sushi.
I'll pause to give you a minute to catch your breath.
Yes, you read correctly, I went to sushi. Did anything remotely fishy enter my body? No. But I did make it through a sushi dinner without barfing on the table. One small step for mankind. It was actually a lot of fun. Sushi is surprisingly pretty (at least Mikuni's makes it pretty). I had the chicken teriyaki, which I have to say, was fantastic. A fun time was had by all (especially those that did saki bombs).
I had decided that Saturday was my day to tackle the yard. Yes, I've been keeping up on mowing my lawn, but that's been pretty much it. My garden and shrubs all seriously needed some attention. Mom came over to help me... I have some beautiful but tricky lilac vines growing that she had great ideas about. We also made a trip to Lowe's. For those of you who don't know, the office supply store and hardware store are two of my favorite places to shop. I especially love the hardware store because there are all sorts of fun things that I have no idea how to use but totally want to buy because they look cool. I am now the proud owner of my very own Black & Decker 17' Coated Steel Hedge Trimmers. These things are fantastic! By the time my two large bushes were done, I was looking for bushes in the neighbor's yards to cut! My mom is a saint... we had the best time and my yard looks beautiful!
Sunday was my offical lazy day. Mike and I had delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then took Shadow for a little hike around Lake Tabeaud (prounounced like "taboo"). Shadow had the time of his life! We hiked for about an hour and a half, during which Shadow got several opportunities to swim. He's a ball of mush this morning - totally wiped out from his busy day yesterday! The rest of the afternoon was spent watching cycling (Mike) and napping (me). It was fantastic! Around five, Charlie (Mike's brother) made it back from Newport Beach with their brand new fishing boat! The boys have been looking for a while and finally found one they loved... and it's a beauty! It has a cool little cabin that you can sleep in (with a bathroom and little stove) and is going to be GREAT for fishing!
I've been trying to find a delicate way to blog this...
I have been told for years by my singer friends that the neti pot is the way to go. What, you ask is a neti pot? Click HERE to see. Basically, it's this little genie lamp looking thing that you fill with warm salty water. They come in a few different sizes and materials (some are fancy clay... mine is cheapy plastic). You then take the little spout and stick it over one nostril. While leaning over a sink, you tip your head and let the water run into your nostril, through your sinuses and out the other side. You then gently blow your nose and repeat on the other side. As Eva put it "Isn't that like waterboarding?". It sure did sound like it to me, but when you have the burning sinuses from hell, you'll do just about anything to make them stop. It is a little awkward and kind of an uncomfortable feeling. My advice is to make sure you're breathing only through your mouth (Mom, don't try this...). I've been doing it twice a day and it defintely does make a difference!
In other news, Shadow got a bath today... which is always hilarious. For some reason, the instant he's done he has to run around the yard like a crazy dog for about half an hour and then roll in the grass. Apparently the whole ordeal was a lot for him because he's been taking a nice long nap for the last half hour. Oh to live the life of a dog!
Seriously, Shadow cracks me up. If he gets super hyped up (for example, doesn't get walked because it's raining) he sometimes burns off energy by running around the house like he's crazy. Occasionally, he gets a little bit out of control and launches himself at the sofa. He's learned that if he twists mid-air, his body actually bounces off the back of the sofa. For those who have never witnessed it (which is pretty much anyone that is not me or Kati) here is some video for your viewing pleasure:
Friday was a pretty nifty day... I ran seven miles, which for some reason (along with 26.2) just sounded like a lot to me. The mileage went really well... the legs are holding up and so far I haven't had any repeat performances of the disaster from last Monday. The best part of my run (besides it being lucky number seven) was that I discovered the wonder that is GU. Let me preface this with the fact that I suck at eating and drinking while I'm running. I'm getting better with water, but I have a very hard time with sweet stuff, such as sports drinks. The problem with that is once you're doing this kind of physical activity, you need to replenish your carbohydrates, electrolytes, and calcium levels (along with a ton of other stuff that helps with recovery). I was terrifed that this stuff was going to make me barf... it's pretty much got the consitancy of snot. The good news is that it comes in like a zillion flavors (I picked up Chocolate Outrage, Vanilla Bean, Tri-Berry, Espresso Love and Strawberry Banana as testers). I decided that my inaugural run should be something I would think I would like, so I went with the safe choice of Chocolate Outrage. Around mile 3.5, I popped the packet open and sqeezed it into my mouth. It was like eating chocolate frosting... and seriously, after about 3.5 miles, who on earth doesn't want chocolate frosting? A few minutes later, I no longer focused on my legs hurting and focused more on how I could squish that last little bit of GU out of the packet. And sure enough, little energy boost. I spent the rest of my run pondering whether it would be safe to have Mike hook up a GU IV.
Saturday I did some EMT work in the morning - there was a kids duathlon out at Folsom Lake. It was a blast - some of these kids were so tiny that their bikes got stuck when they tried to go off curbs. Fortunately, I had no patients and just had to deal with the chilly wind. After the race I headed out to Back Wine Bar for Jessica's surprise party. It was loads of fun - in fact, Andrea brought her twin boys out (they're six months old) and we got to play with them! Then Mike and I headed out to see "Gran Torino" starring Clint Eastwood. Now, I'm not a huge Clint fan, but I have to say, this was an awesome movie. Until the very end when he sings for the ending credits. Imagine his rough sounding voice talking. Now imagine that same voice singing. Yeah. But seriously good movie... I think it's going to win awards!
Today Mom and I headed out to the Home and Landscape Expo... it was a blast! They basically had all sorts of contractors, vendors and demonstrations on how to improve your home. Of course, I love all of the little gadgets! I did buy some awesome flowers - they're plumerias (the ones that they use in Hawaii to make leis) - this San Diego based company was selling a bunch of different varieties. They smell great - so I got the yellow and the fuschia. They are bare root right now, but should bloom in 8-12 weeks. I can't wait! We also found what I've been looking for since I moved into my house... a key rack that makes sense:
For those of you that don't know, I have these great little frogs that live in my backyard almost all year. They jump up and stick to the screen door and all over the side of the house. Shadow loves to chase them and tries to eat them. They sound beautiful - my own personal symphony - when it rains!
You might notice that that's a very clear and crisp picture of the frog key rack. Well, that's because I finally got my new camera today! It's the Canon PowerShot SD790 IS. I absolutely love it... I still have some reading through the manual to do, but it's super easy to use and takes amazing pictures:
I'm so excited to have a new camera - my old Sony was good, but it's been fading over the last couple months. The picture quality definitely hasn't been there and the battery hasn't really been holding the charge. This new camera also takes video, which is something I wanted again (it came in handy in Europe!).
I plan to spend the rest of tonight totally relaxing... I've done all of my running for the week, all of my blog/Facebook updating and am going to take some time to just chill and watch TV!
Marathon Update
Miles This Week: 16
Total Miles: 48
Well, the last few days have been pretty cool... I had a fantastic birthday. I celebrated my birthday with Mom, Dad and Kati on the 1st because Kati had to work on my actual birthday - we went out to dinner at the Olive Garden and had a wonderful time! On my actual birthday, I had the whole day to do absolutely nothing, with (this should be a HUGE surprise) I actually did! I stayed in my pjs until almost 4pm! Mike came down to take me out to dinner but wouldn't tell me where we were going. We went downtown to The Broiler Steakhouse for a fantastic dinner. Well, the waitress did try to poison me with mushrooms, but I managed to survive! :) After that, Mike took me down to the Community Center Theater to see Stomp! If you ever have the chance to go see them, DO IT! It was a great show! We did have a pretty funny dude sitting in front of us... he was a super loud laugher and laughed at weird parts of the show that weren't funny! All in all, it was an awesome night! Mike rocks!
Today we went ot the Bay Area to visit Grandma and Aunt Sandi who were up in Washington over Christmas. It was so good to spend some time with them and see them for a while!
Tonight has been a super relaxing night - I've been chilling on the sofa with Shadow watching Season 1 of "ER" - I'm a happy girl!
Ok, I know it's a few days late, but apparently I've been really bad at blogging lately! Here's the 2008 recap:
January
- January 1st: Shadow breaks my nose. Happy New Years!
- January 13th: I get smacked in the nose again at a CERT drill and realize that my nose really is broken.
- January 17th: I started EMT school - so exciting!
February
- February 28th: My first of many encounters with the neighborhood turkies.
March
- March 8th: Houseboat weekend with Brigitte and Amber!
- March 15th: Mather Air Show Day One: lots of patients to practice on!
- March 16th: Mather Air Show Day Two: more patients!
- March 26th: My hospital rotation - a life changing experience!
April
- April 18th: Rivercats baseball game with Dad, Brigitte and Amber
- April 19-20th: CERT Mobex - disaster drill in Clovis
May
- May 10th: Kati graduates from UGA - Mom, Dad and I flew back for a fantastic weekend in Georgia!
- May 13th: NREMT exam - I passed and am officially an EMT!
- May 24th: EMT party - absolutely hilarious - everyone came dressed as some sort of victim... it was great!
June
- June 10th: Metro's CERT team is called up to help out with the local grass fires
- June 21st: Saved my first patient at a CERT event
July
- July 14th: Visited my customer in Houston. Hot and sticky. Ate more steak than a girl should!
- July 20th: Kati moves home from Georgia!
August
- August 8th: Joanna and Chris come to visit!
- The rest of August - Kati and I go to Germany, France, Italy and Greece... it's the trip of a lifetime!
September
- September 14th: Met Mike! :)
- September 24th: Had a close encounter with a tomato hornworm. Had to call Julie in for backup.
- September 26th: Went to the Neil Diamond concert with Kati!
October
- October 9th: Went to the New Kids On The Block concert with Julie, Mindy, Amanda and Chris.
- October 16th: Selected for the Sarah Weeden jury - little did I know it would last two months!
- October 31st: Halloween party!
November
- November 1st: Went to the Madonna concert with Adam and Eva!
- November 4th: Barak Obama is elected president
- November 26th: Thanksgiving vacation at Lake Almanor
- November 15th: Second Annual Friends Thanksgiving!
December
- December 11th: Sarah Weeden trial ends
- December 30th: Kings game with Mike
- December 31st: Mike's New Years Eve Party - LOTS of pig!
All in all, I'd say it was a fantastic year! Who can complain?!
Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! Mike's party was a blast - they roasted 120 pounds of pig! It took four of them just a few minutes to cut it all up (lots of practice apparently!). Here's a picture of the pig on the spit:
It was insanely delicious! The party was a blast!
As you probably know, today is my birthday. It's been fantastic... it's 2:30pm and I'm still in my jammies! I've watched a bunch of episodes of "ER" (thanks Mike!) and some "Friends" reruns. It's been wonderfully relaxing!
Those of you that know Shadow know that he can be somewhat of a pickle on occasion (read: pain in the ass), so generally on vacations he heads over to Archie O'Brians Summer Camp (read: the kennel). This Thanksgiving we ended up at Lake Almanor and since there was NO ONE else up there, I decided to take Shadow up to see how he did in the great outdoors. This pup had the time of his life... he sniffed everything, went in the boat, took long walks and just generally enjoyed being a dog. It was so nice to be able to let him have a little fun time too! That said, we had four people (mom, dad, Kati and I) as well as three dogs (Tucker, Darcy and Shadow) in a two bedroom cabin, so after a couple days, it was definitely time for us to go home!
We normally go up to Almanor in the summer, so it was very strange being there in the "offseason". I think the entire time we were there I saw about one other boat on the lake. The water was flat as glass... but a balmy 49-51 degrees. It was killing me not to waterski, but I didn't bring my wetsuit and I think I would need more than a spring suit for that! That said, the weather was beautiful, but cold while we were there. Here's a great picture of the fog sitting on the lake:
It would hover there until about noon and then burn off. Beautiful! Here are a few pictures of Shadow enjoying his time at the lake:
His cute little ears kept flopping in the wind... then he would squish them down to stop them and the wind would sweep under and blow them back. Too cute.
He wanted to see EVERYTHING. The ducks, geese and various other birds really caught his attention!
As with everything else in life, he HAD to help fish!
The fruits of our fishing labors. Dad caught a nearly three pound small mouth bass! That sucker was THICK! Sadly, I got skunked this trip... a couple of good bites, but no fish for me. It's been a long time since that's happened!
It's nice to be back home... today was a day of relaxing for me... I did pretty much nothing all day long! I feel like the next couple of weeks are going to be busy, so I think it's well deserved!
It's that time of year again... that's right... turkey time! No, I did not get attacked by another turkey in front of my house. Yesterday was my Second Annual Friends Thanksgiving. I present to you, my table:
Lots of people, lots of food and lots of fun! Everything was covered up because we had a bit of a fly issue (I think Chris M. counted somewhere around 50) due to the fact that the back door was open all afternoon and apparently they thought it smelled good. Take my word for it, the food was awesome! This year I had the turkey done by 3:30 (last year I had a slight defrosting issue that caused my turkey to take about 10 hours to cook...) and we had a blast!
Shadow had such a fantastic time... he was pretty well behaved most of the night and only got a little too excited a few times. In fact, today I did a bunch of yard work and then pretty much hung around the house. It got real quiet, so I went hunting for him... apparently he partied too hard:
Note the maroon blanket to the left in the picture. That's his blanket and where he's ALLOWED to sleep on the bed. Also note how he's nowhere near it...
On that note, I'm off to bed myself!
I rock.
Tonight Kati and I officially installed a new microwave. Long story short, I had the microwave repair guy (who knew there was such a thing?) come out on Tuesday, only to tell me that whatever that main component (the magnetron or something space-age sounding like that) was dead and that it would cost over $400 to fix.
My new microwave cost $280. Yeah... no brainer. The only catch is that it everywhere charges an arm and a leg to come out and install it. I figure, hey, I have power tools...
Fast forward to around 8pm tonight when I'm cussing (I won't lie, I dropped the F bomb more than once), kicking at stuff and sweating a lot. Thank God Kati was there to help me! We finally got the sucker installed and enjoyed some delicious popcorn while we watched Grey's Anatomy. Hooray!
Here are some pics from our endeavor. The first is the gaping hole where the original microwave once stood.
The second is said original microwave (anyone know what to do with one of these?
The third is Kati and Shadow displaying the new, improved, actually works microwave:
Finally, here's where Shadow got bored:
Well, today was a lazy Saturday. Normally that's a good thing... unless you're super sick. In that case, you're lazy because you have to be. That said, it was nice to lay around and watch tv and take naps (yes, naps... I took two). My crowning achievement was giving Shadow a bath. It was really funny... I took him out back and turned on the hose. Of course, he loved getting wet. He also loved getting rubbed with shampoo. For some strange reason, he didn't love getting rinsed off. After I finally got him clean, he had this crazy puppy moment. He started running around the yard, growling and rolling on the grass. This lasted about 5 minutes and then he sat in the sun and dried off. Crazy dog.
