Rupert and the milk jug

We don't have a separate bin in our house for recycleables so they get set on the floor next to the trash can until it all gets taken out. One of rupert's favorite thing to do is to grab a milk carton and run all over the house playing keep-away from Ted. It's pretty funny/adorable.

Ted and Rupert

Ever since Cale and I got married, we've wanted our own dog. While it's easy to choose a dog you like- they're all pretty likeable- reason is what stopped us from getting a dog. When we first got married we were both in school and working and pretty much never at the apartment. Not only would the poor thing be alone all day, but it would also be trapped in a tiny one bedroom apartment. When we got a house, the yard was dry and dirt. Not that it's much better now, it's still an overgrown mess, but there is green in the yard and it is a nice spot for a puppy to explore. An added bonus to not doing much to the back yard yet is that there can be no real casualities as far as puppy damage.

Anyways, One of my favorite things to do after church is to go to barkworks or petsmart and look at pets that you can adopt. A couple months ago, at petsmart we saw these two black pomeranian looking furrballs. We fall in love with them Cale gives me the go ahead to fill out papers to adopt one (YES), and the lady says "which one do you want" and then proceeds to tell us that they are the last two out of a litter of 8. The thought of leaving one behind as the last one- the one nobody wanted, the last one with no siblings to play with or curl up to sleep with- broke my heart and I ask Cale if we can get both, expecting for him to say no. I am reminded once again how much this man loves me when he says yes. So we get all the necessary things for them- food, collars, leashes, toys, and a pin and take them home with us.

When we got them they were only 2 months old and now they are coming up on about 5 months (poor guys got 'altered' yesterday) they grow rediculously fast. They were about 5lbs when we got them and 30lbs now. In my opinion, they are really good for puppies, yes they chew and dig(this drives me the most crazy) but they are almost fully potty trained, they sleep in the kitchen and don't go potty all night long. While I think Cale only wanted one, I am glad we got both because I think they keep eachother busy when we're not paying attention to them. There is a constant wrestle mania match going on with the puppies.

Without further ado, meet Ted and Rupert.

(this is the first day we got them)

Ted is very calm and well behaved for a puppy, he is Cale's favorite. He is also a big cuddle bug he will let you pick him up and hold him and scratch his belly.

Rupert is my favorite, he is much more spirited and crazy, and he gets in a lot more trouble than ted. We named him rupert so that when he gets in trouble, we say Ruuuuuuperrrrrt and he hangs his head in shame. We actually worry that he may think his name is NO. When we tell him no, he runs over to us and wags his tail. He makes us laugh because when we pick him up he can't hold still for two seconds so he just wiggles and grunts the whole time.

And this is more recent:

It is a little unfortunate that I love to take pictures of our critters because: 1. they are all black, and black animals are hard to take pictures of, and 2. I'm not a very good photographer in general (I really wish I were).

Letting go

I knew the day would come when I would have to let it go but I've been coming up with excuses to delay it. As I write this post I'm pretty bummed out because I know it is the last thing I will do before it happens. The christmas tree comes down today. I love love love the smell when there's a fresh christmas tree in the house, and I love how perfectly it fills the void in the corner. But I have to accept the reality that it is dried out and dead. To be perfectly honest, I won't even plug it in anymore for fear it will catch fire, and a slight breeze can make hundreds of needles fall off. If it weren't for having a house warming party on Sunday, I would leave the tree up, but I don't want to have to defend myself. Cale said if it's still there he will not take the blame for it. I didn't realize that having a Christmas tree up this late was weird, until upon surveying people I've realized that I'm quite possibly the only one on the planet with a real tree still standing in our living room. On the same note, the outdoor lights have been taken down, but with great pride. I was so excited when I realized that upon driving home late at night that we were the only house on the street with our lights still on, though the other houses had them up, but they were just not turned on. The next day Cale took them down, with the pride of knowing that we have the most Christmas spirit for keeping them on, but we weren't those lazy neighbors who still have them up. *sigh* I love the holidays...

Long Overdue Post

This last year has flown by, and I cannot believe that in a few days we will begin a new year. Even still, I will remember 2009 as it brought about a lot of firsts and accomplishments. Cale and I celebrated our first anniversary, purchased our first home, and we both graduated with a BA in economics. We are very thankful for the opportunities and blessings granted to us by the grace of God. We are also thankful for our health, and for the support of our loving families. Here are a few highlights from the year.

1. Our 1 year anniversary

We decided to celebrate our anniversary by going to a baseball game and then out to a restaurant that serves ramen.

We can't believe that it's already been a year, it flew by so fast. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and I am so blessed to be married to him.

2. Jim and Peggy's 50th anniversary

Cale's grandparents celebrates their 50th wedding anniversary this year, and a big party was given in their honor. It was so much fun to celebrate and to spend time with the family. The party was given a couple days after thanksgiving and so the family spent the whole weekend together. Cale and I had to work so we had to drive back and forth a couple of times, but it was well worth it.

Cutting the cake together.

What a cute idea- the picture on the easel was signed by everyone who attended the party; it is their wedding photo. The picture on the table is of them now, 50 years and counting!

It was such a fun weekend, we also got to visit with Travis and Loretta, who will soon introduce a new murphy- baby Aydien. Cale and I are so excited to be Aunt Lauren and Uncle Cale!

What a wonderful family they've started.

3. Homeowners

It was such an amazing experience purchasing our first home. I cannot tell you how many meetings we had with our realitor, how many homes we looked at or the number of hours searching online through home listings on listingbook. What I can tell you is that we looked for about three months, a couple times a week, at what felt like a million houses. And it's not like we couldn't find one, but it was a rat race to get one. Cale and I made 7 offers before one was finally accepted. Even though it could be painful having a seller "go with another offer", finally having one accepted was so exciting. We were also amazed with the house we ended up in. Out of EVERY house we looked at, this house was by far the best, and also the best suited for us. We still are amazed that we got the house, as there were several other offers in on the house. Eventhough we wanted to be moved in before school started (we ended up moving the week after midterms) we are so thankful for God's timing. Here are some pictures of our home.

Cale and I re-did the bathroom: we painted it grey and hung the cabinet and a new light fixture and cut down the mirror and framed it. The cabinet and fixture were gifts from my grandmother.

Living room: our first big christmas tree!

4. New family member

No, not pregnant (sorry mom), but we did happen to get a new kitten. We were driving home one night, it was dark and raining and we had to swerve to miss this poor little kitten. We stopped to get her and took her home for the night. The vet said she is perfectly healthy and about 8 weeks old. She was a little shy at first, but spent all day Christmas attacking my family's toes from under the couch, and is currently climbing up the back of the couch to come sit on my shoulder, so needless to say she is very comfortable now. When we first got her, I though she still needed her mothers milk, but i think that is because our other cat Norman is so huge in comparison.

See what i mean???

5. Graduating

Cale and I finished our degrees at the same time. We both have our BA in Economics, he from CSUSB, I from UCR. It would have been much more enjoyable to complete it together at the same school, but either way, I'm so glad it's over. I'm not a big fan of school, but I do recognize its importance.

6. Christmas Eve, Christmas

Christmas Eve was spent at the Smith's home in Crestline, with delicious food, lots and family, bunco, and cupcakes. It was so nice to see everyone together and to meet little Claire for the first time and Rubie for the second time; and also to see Josh and Jen and Adam and Jen. Travis and Loretta also surprised the family by driving down from Fort Bragg. I am still kicking myself for forgetting the camera.

Cale and I were also able to host Christmas in our now home; I was a little nervous cooking for everyone, but everything went really well, and I was blessed with helping hands everywhere, with appetizers, baking, dinner, and even dishes!

Dinner: salt crusted prime rib, cheesy potatoes, asparagus, salad, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Vegas

For spring break, Cale and I chose to escape to Vegas for a couple of days. Here are some pictures of the trip!

ROAD TRIP (I looove long car rides!)

The view from our room.

The strip.

Little story: I played a slot machine for the first time and turned a dollar into $1.50!!!!

I was so excited!

FAO Swartz in Cesars Palace... You may think it is just a toy store but if you ever see one GO! It will change your life I swear.  It ALMOST makes me want to have kids. almost.

Me in front of the "Brooklyn Bridge"

America and Ireland =]  go irish!

  I have no idea why Cale plays along. 

Poor ol champ got jacked

I always come home late at night after work.  Last night I come home around 11 and park the car in the nearest space-- that late at night its near the front gate, our apartment is near the back gate.  It is a little bit of a walk, but its nice to enjoy the cool air....

Anywho, I was planning on visiting grandma and aunt lisa, and I took the hike to champ who was there of course waiting patiently.  

I get in.

I close the door.

I turn the key.

And VRROOOOOMMMMMMMMMM

It was the loudest noise I have ever heard from a car.

Except from dad's cus he drives his beloved 69 mustang and he wants it to be that loud.

I got scared so I immediately turned the truck off and I thought that maybe someone put something in my tail pipe.  Meanwhile, I call Cale who thankfully was home and he comes to the truck and I start it and show him how loud it is. Cale leans over and shows me some nuts and bolts on the ground and he shows me the big empty spot where something used to be.

After that, Cale collected the nuts and bolts and I decided to call my dad to ask tell him about the truck.  My dad is very familiar with cars and its parts so any wierd car things and I immediately call pops.  He is good at translating my girly car descriptions into information that will actually help get the car fixed.  The phone call went something like this:

Me: So I went to start Champ and it was really loud--it sounded like your car-- and cale came out and showed me that someone stole something between the tail pipe and some other pipe but a big chunk of something is missing from the middle.

Dad: Is it almost right down the middle but maybe a little to the right underneath the passanger seat?

Me: Ya.

Dad: Ok someone stole your catalytic converter.

Me: Is it expensive to fix?

Dad: It depends.  Call around and talk to some muffler shops.  Did they leave the bolts?

Me: Ya.

Dad: Pick those up you might need them.

Me: ok thanks dad.

and so on...

So all in all someone stole my catalytic converter last night and poor Cale was left with the stress of getting it fixed since I had plans with grandma and then school.  But, by the time I got home, It was completely fixed.  And this time the things not just screwed on, its welded on so thats good I guess. So, about $300 later it is fixed.  I also learned today that it is not uncommon for them to be stolen because there are precious metals inside including platinum, rhodium, and palladium.  There are even place that give "cash for catalytic converters".  I also learned that the two most popular to be stolen are from kia's and toyota 4runners (my truck uses the same kind).  

While it does suck, we learned from the unexpected car problem: It would be a good idea to save a little more money where we can.  This time it was a fairly small set back but if something big came up, we would like to be more prepared.  I consider it a blessing that the whole car was not stolen, and that the thieves didn't harm the truck other than removing one of its parts.  

 

crazy friday

I feel like I am only a few yards from the finish line this quarter. Today is my last day of lectures, next week are finals. One of my finals have been mooved ahead a week to 6pm tonight and I am grateful for it. It is going to be my hardest final and knowing it will be over before I go to sleep tonight is a huge relief. This week has been a little rough. Monday night at work I started to get a sore throat, so on the way home I go to Staters and get 2 things of OJ. I drink about half of one that night and the other half in the morning. I drink theraflu in the morning and I feel okay the rest of the day. Wednesday I feel a little better and I asuume it was just a 24 hour kind of thing but I was mistaken. Yesterday was the pits. I had even gotten 9 hours of sleep that night and yesterday I woke up feeling like Poo. Capital P. I got home from school at 11 and crawl back into bed and I am woken up at 230 when I hear Cale come home from school. He asked me if I wanted some threaflu and I told him that already drank the last one that morning. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he had noticed and picked up more on his way home from school. What a lifesaver! He always amazes me with how much he pays attention to me. Sometimes I think he may know me better than I know myself. It makes me feel loved! Anyways, I managed to study for a few hours while he was at work so I think my test should go fairly well. I am a little nervous though cus this is the only test in this class that I feel I am actually ready for, and my teacher is one to throw huge curve balls on tests. I worry I am not ready enough. Anyways, I left my home at 730 this morning and my test lasts until 9pm, so this is a lovely 13 hour day at school. Man, I hate school. But, by the end of this year, I will have my Batchlors in Economics/Administrative Studies with a focus of finance. ha ha I am the worst speller and I don't think I spelled batchlors right... maybe now is not the time to talk about being an almost college graduate. Oh well. Oh and another crazy friday thing. Let me just throw it out there that my brother is a nutcase. I love him dearly, but hes nuts. Yesterday morning he calls to ask me if he can borrow my truck from thursday night to friday night because he needed to pick up a motor or engine or something for this truck he's rebuilding for his friend. Of course I say yes. He comes last night to pick up the truck and proceeds to tell me that the engine is in FRESNO! I agreed to let him use the truck, so long as he promised that if he sees miss brita hay, he has to kidnap her and bring her back. He said he didn't really remember her well enough to be sure enough to kidnap someone, so I told him to at least try. I miss her. So right now, good ol champ is hauling back an engine on a 5 hour drive. Poor thing. Oh well, I need to go study a little more before this final tonight. Even though I would love another 3 hour nap like yesterday.