A Sammy Update

I fell asleep around 7:00 last night. Then around 10:00 PM I woke up just long enough to put Sammy in his kennel and then go back to bed. This morning I woke up to assess the damage that happens when the puppy is left unattended for 3 hours inside the house.

Keep in mind that this is the puppy that has chewed up my hardwood floor and my hope chest, has broken a gel pen all over my carpet, has smeared pink play-doh into the carpet, has bitten into and exploded a can of white spray paint in the middle of my living room, has destroyed/shredded about four pairs of shoes, three dog beds, two of my bras, an entire garden hose, a couple of books, several sponges, many newspapers, and the barbecue cover.

My back porch currently looks like this:

That is not snow on my lawn, its fluff. And yes, that is a carpet sample hanging from the picnic table and the hose is in two quite small pieces. You may understand why I would be worried about the state of my furniture.

But my house this morning, well, it looked like this:

 

That’s right, its spotless! Nothing was damaged, not one item was out of place. I think my little guy may be growing up!

He sure is getting bigger. Remember this little guy:

Now its more like this big guy!

Sammy can “sit”, “stay” (for a minute), “come”, “lay down”, “shake hands”, and “go to bed”. He thinks that “out” means go out or come in. For example if he is outside and I want him to come inside, I say “out” because to him that means ‘walk through the doorway’.  He knows not to jump on people (though sometimes chooses not to remember), and is horrible at carrying in the groceries. He often jumps up on the couch and then poses like a swimmer on a diving board just waiting for the “down” command, which he promptly obeys.  He likes to go for long walks on his leash, gives good hugs, and will give kisses if you let him. He wants to grow up to be a lapdog someday. He likes to play hide-n-seek.

In his free time, he enjoys having staring contests with Frank, chasing Frank, and petting Frank. 

Frank, for the most part, seems a bit paranoid lately. I don’t know why. . .

Sammy makes friends easily. His two best friends are Norma Jean and Darco (spelling?).

  

Well, I’d better go.  Looks like it must be play time. Wanna play with us? 

What Is It?

It’s just sitting there.

Tempting me. . . Taunting me. . .

 

What is inside you little brown cardboard box? I want to know your secrets.

Is it my birthday yet?

Movie Reviews – if I can make the time

I haven’t posted any movie reviews for a while so I thought maybe it was time.  It’s been so long I actually had to go back to my Netflix account just to remember which movies I’ve watched!

I should have about four weeks worth of movies to update but I only have three. Unless you count the fact that I watched two movies in one week. I was going to watch a movie this week but there was a 2 hour special of Lie to Me on FOX and a new Castle on ABC and so basically my television watching got in the way of my movie watching.  This is going to be a continuing problem for me.  You see, I watch a lot of television.  Monday nights are Lie to Me and Castle. Tuesday nights are NCIS, NCIS:LA, and White Collar. Wednesday nights I go to mutual but I DVR Criminal Minds to watch on Friday nights. Thursday nights is Bones. Burn Notice was on Thursdays but that season just ended.  Justified will begin in February. That doesn’t even include Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, and The Defenders, all of which I’m considering watching as well. 

All of this leaves very little time for watching movies as you can see.  I might have a television addiction, but I’m not about to give it up.  It gives me something to look forward to every single night of the week.  Plus, its not like I totally rearrange my life around the TV (except for Thursday night, Bones, but that is SOOO worth it). I am perfectly okay with missing an episode. It’s not the end of the world – that is why the DVR and Saturdays were invented.

 

Anyway, despite my excessive television watching I have also seen some actual movies.  Here are the reviews:

In Love and War

Wow! Chris O'Donnell is cuter in this movie than he is in NCIS:LA and that is really saying something! I liked this movie a lot. It was loosely based on the story of Ernest Hemingway and his experience during WWI.  I don’t know how accurate it is but I do know that if Jacob hadn’t called me just as the movie ended I probably would have cried all night long.  It is a sad story. It is a love story. It is a war story.  (What was I thinking?) It was a very good story.  It gave me a greater appreciation for Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms and to his life in general.  As an English major I have read most of Hemingway’s novels and short stories. I can appreciate his talent but this story – however fictionalized- gave me a greater appreciation for his life.  I’d give it a 3/5 stars but only because it was so sad, and I really shouldn’t watch sad war love stories.

 

Oscar

While I was in Albuquerque over New Years, we watched Oscar. I give this movie 5/5 stars. It was really cute and very fun.  I think Sylvester Stallone did a great job in his comedic role.  This movie borders on slap stick comedy about a man who is trying to give up the life of an Italian gangster during Prohibition but can’t seem to get out of the business. He works it out to his advantage of course.  If you haven’t seen this movie I recommend adding it to your queue instantly. It’s a keeper!!

 

Inception

This is the other movie I watched the week I was in Albuquerque. We’re not going to count it because I’m still not sure I understood it.  It was exciting. The actors all did a good job. But just thinking about it makes me a little cross-eyed. I’ll watch it again someday with Jake. And we’ll pause it every five minutes so he can explain to me what just happened. Won’t that be fun, Jake?

 

When in Rome

What is not to love about this movie? It is a perfect cookie-cutter stamped chick-flick movie.  The stars were cute. The plot was romantic. There was love at first sight. There was a miscommunication.  Then there was love again.  Yea for Happy Movies!!  I had never realized how tall Josh Duhamel is. He’s 6’3” according to IMDB.  He looks taller than that in this movie. I give this movie a 4/5. It made me happy.

 

Now, what’s on TV?

Farewell 2010 – Welcome 2011

Dear 2010,

You are leaving and to you I say goodbye, and good riddance.  Never before have I counted down the days until a year would cease to exist with such excitement.  I have never been so anxious to see a year end, as I am to say adieu to 2010.  As December is coming to a close I am ready to herald your leaving with trumpets – or at least one of those party noise maker thingies. 

Not every moment of 2010 was bad. Some of my most cherished memories have occurred during this year. Two weddings,two births, a death and a deployment all in one year! Whew!! But to be quite frank, that was exhausting. And I’m glad that it is over.

Adios!

 

Dear 2011,

Welcome!!  

I look forward to your arrival as it marks an opportunity for a new beginning.  You are fresh and untainted. You are full of potential just waiting to be discovered.  I acknowledge the truth that you may not live up to my expectations, but that thought does not concern me right now. Actually, my expectations aren’t really all that high anyway. I am just glad you’re finally here!

Sincerely,

Katie

This Is Why . . .

When we suffer a loss, of any kind, it is common to ask "why". Why did this happen to me? Why do I have to go through this? What have I done to deserve this? It's an easy question to ask, and an impossible one to answer. For some reason, we think that when something bad happens there must be a reason. However, when something good happens how often do we stop and ask, "Why? Why did this wonderful thing happen to me?"

Whether good or bad, the experiences that we have in this life are for one reason and one reason only: to help others. Christ suffered scorns and pain throughout his life and never asked why. He knew why. He knew that he was doing it for us. He suffered so that when we suffered He could be there to help us. We, too, suffer so that we may feel empathy for those who will also suffer.

When we lost Julia, Jacob and I were comforted by friends and family who had experienced similar losses. Our social worker in the NICU had lost a young child, both of our mothers had suffered late-stage miscarriages, and a good friend of mine had a baby with disabilities and so in her own way she was mourning the loss of the healthy baby for which she had hoped.

I was snuggling with my precious newborn niece today, but online I was watching and following another tragic loss of a newborn baby. I have been digitally following along as this young family and their extended relatives mourn and grieve for their loss. I feel their pain. I understand, in my own small way, their grief. I can appreciate the overwhelming magnitude of their sadness. I can appreciate it, I can even attempt to shoulder it for them for a while. And I can do that because I know the pain and I understand.

And this is why . . . this is why I lost my little girl. This is why I have felt sadness. It is so that now I can truly mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. Now, this young couple doesn't actually know me. They may not want me interfering in their lives, but I know that I can be there for me if they need me. This is why.

Confectionary Cheers

I love to learn new things. This week I have learned that my Sara has been holding out on me. She is a confectioner of fine chocolates and candies, and I never knew!

We've made chocolate covered caramels (pictured below), English toffee, chocolate fondant, and chocolate fudge! Yum!!!

She's been trying to teach Z and I how to do it too.

It's messy!

Merry Christmas to All, And to All a Good Night

I had a wonderful Christmas.  It was full of family, friends, fun, and food. 

It was a busy weekend for me and I completely forgot to take pictures, because I was busy running here and there and everywhere. I started by doing some last minute shopping on Christmas Eve – yeah, yeah, I know but there were extenuating circumstances. Then I went to Mom and Dad Fiala’s to help get ready for our big Christmas Eve feast, then out to Mom and Dad Schwab’s where we opened some presents and played fun games, then home for a few hours sleep before driving back to Mom and Dad F’s for Christmas morning and to Skype with my special someone. Then out to GHAD’s for Christmas dinner and finally home again.  I drove from one end of the Magic Valley and back again several times in the last few days. I loved every moment of it!!

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Isn’t that how the Christmas carol goes anyway?  There is a big emphasis on family and friends at Christmas time.  I’ve been blessed with both and I am ever so thankful for them.  I had wonderful girls who helped me decorate my house with ornaments and lights, I had invitations to lunches, and dinners. I had much to keep me busy.  I want all of my wonderful family to know that I appreciated your thoughtfulness and your love. It would have been very easy for me to wallow in self-inflicted sadness. I’m inclined to do that now and again.  But even busy and happy as I was, there were moments when I stood very still and listened to the quietness of my house. There are moments when it feels very empty and hollow.  I can’t imagine how I would have felt if I had been truly alone on Christmas. I know that there are people in this world who were alone and I feel for them.  I feel for our military who, though they are with their comrades-in-arms, are separated from family and loved ones as well.  It’s a hard thing to endure during this season of familial togetherness. I know I had to make an extra effort, emotionally speaking, to catch the Christmas spirit, but I’m thankful the people in my life who also made the extra effort on my behalf. 

Now the craziness of the holiday rush is over and life can go back to business as usual. Kind of, anyway.  I’m going to celebrate the New Year somewhere warm, or at least warmer.  I’m heading to New Mexico! Yea!!

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

Next Blog

Blogger has a feature called “Next Blog”.  This feature seems to be solely for the purpose of finding random new blogs to read and “blog-stalk.”  I love this feature. As many of my TV shows are on a holiday vacation, I have been entertaining myself by “Next Blogging”.

I have discovered that many times the blogs begin to follow a pattern. Sometimes I read blog after blog of potty-training, ward party, and ‘it snowed in Rexburg’ stories. Other times I have hit a streak of budding writers, who are sharing their literary genius with the world through blogging – mostly because publishers probably won’t accept it. One time I got on a soccer kick that began with some family blogs about soccer camp and led to a string of blogs from South America about professional soccer players and were written in Spanish. I’ve also seen many photography blogs, artsy-crafty blogs, and medical issue blogs. 

Writing is a form of therapy.  It is a wonderful outlet for me when I am overwhelmed with life’s challenges, and many other people feel the same way.  I have read blogs written by women with infertility, men and women with clinical depression, and quite a few blogs from families who have lost children to diseases such as children’s leukemia. These stories are moving and powerful.  Some of the bloggers are religious and use their blog to bear testimony of their faith (much as I have done, I suppose). Some of the bloggers are looking for answers to life’s big questions and send their queries out into cyberspace in the hopes that a reader will find them and help them.  Some bloggers simply want to vent their anger and frustration to the world at large.

When I “Next Blog” I look for several things on each page. First I look for signs of the writer’s religion. It’s not hard to spot the ward Halloween party pictures, missionary updates, and family history stories from LDS authors. Other religions are trickier for me to figure out because I don’t know what tell tale signs to look for on the blogs. I have found Jewish bloggers, Catholic bloggers, atheist bloggers, and several hippie pot smoking bloggers (that’s kinda like religion, right?) The second thing I look for is a connection with the blogger.  There are trillions of people in this world and millions of them are blogging. “Next Blog” picks random blogs out of the tangled world wide web and once – only once so far- one of the blogs I was randomly reading had a link to a blog written by my sister’s college roommate! What a small world!

What I have learned from this is that I am not alone in the world. None of us are. Sometimes we think that we are the only ones who have ever suffered one particular trial.  This is not true. It doesn’t matter if you live in Bologna, Italy, Calgary, Canada, or rural Twin Falls, Idaho you are not the only person in the world who has ever had food poisoning, got stressed out at work, been lonely, sad, or sick.  Nor are you the only person who has ever been surprised, happy, in love, or successful.  “Next Blog” has taught me that I am but a very small speck in the large microcosm of this universe.  My problems may be big to me, but low and behold they did not change the world in its entirety. Nor am I the first person to write about them. Millions of people are doing that every day. They are allowing us a glimpse of life from their perspective.

There is a very large world out there, just full of people who are sitting in front of their computer screens bearing their souls to the world.  All they need now are readers.  So take a minute and move your mouse up to the top left corner of your screen and click on that “Next Blog” link.  You never know where you will end up. But beware – it can be very addicting.

Spirit of the Season

It’s the spirit of the season

 

You can feel it in the air

You can hear it if you listen

Everywhere, so much care, like a prayer

It’s the spirit of the season

Filling hearts with love and care

Like a shining star it glistens

 

Everywhere, so much care, like a prayer 

Merry Christmas!

Quick Cinema Catch-up

It’s been about four weeks since I lasted reviewed any movies, and in that time I’ve watched three Monday Night Movies. Some were good, some not so good. Here’s how they line up:

First off, Last Chance Harvey

Well, I gave it a chance. I watched it all the way through. Then I turned it off and gladly watched something else. I like movies that make me feel good, not annoyed, then stressed, then annoyed again. I give it 2 out of 5 stars. And that’s all I have to say about that because I wish it had been shorter and sweeter, much like this review.

 

Next, was The Duchess

Does Keira Knightly ever do a bad job?! I really liked this movie.  I like any sort of historical romance, but this one was fabulous! Keira Knightly was beautiful, and the costumes were amazing.  I totally got into all of the characters, even the Duke. I really liked that movie. It’s one that I would like to add to my collection someday. I’d give it 4.5/5 stars.

 

Finally, tonight’s movie was How to Train Your Dragon

WoW! OMG! AMAZING! I got two new movies in the mail this week so Alex helped me pick which one to watch tonight. The choices were this or a sappy love story.  I was hesitant because it’s kind of an animal movie, but it was awesome.  I don’t like animal movies because I hate, hate, hate, when something bad happens to the animals (can you say Where the Red Fern Grows?) and even cartoon animals like animated dragons can get to me. But this was such a good movie that I know I will be adding it to my movie collection.  It’s a movie that I could watch over and over again. It was really witty and clever, the animation was good – although it resembled Avatar a bit, and it had me hooked from the very first scene. This is one of those movies that proves you’re never too old to love cartoons! 5 stars all the way!