Mexico Hangover

Keep in mind when I mention "hangover", I don't that which results after a night of inebriation. Tho' if you wish to argue semantics, I could be inebriated but not drunk from alcohol. (Discuss.) Frigate Birds →

No, rather, I'm using "hangover" in this vein (from Wikipedia):

"Something remaining behind from a former period or state of affairs."

The 'State of Affairs'? Our vacation in Puerto Vallarta...the 'remaining behind' part? Yeah, there IS a part of me that was left behind. Sigh. It's pretty hard to leave 80s and sunny behind when you're venturing back to the cold, snowy North!

↑ The Malecón Arches
Unfortunately, I didn't sustain the blog-rythm I enjoyed pre-vacation...but that's because, inevitably, when you leave for a tropical vacation and put your "real" life on hold for a week (or longer), there are repercussions. In my case, catching up with work, photos (of which I took over 500), housework, etc etc etc.
We saw 3 humpback whales on the way to Yelapa ↓

That being said, I can only say it was a blast - even tho' Clint, poor guy, was suffering from a slipped disc (which he just found out "for real" today - I say "for real" because Dad diagnosed him merely off of description, but an MRI was a good thing to get to KNOW for sure). All that means is he was drugged on muscle relaxants, Alleve, and a fair amount of Negra Modelo most of the time :)

← Clint Parasailing

But, I digress.

The point? It took me awhile to get over being back in Minnesota after having such a GREAT time in sunny PV. Out of the almost-400 images I loaded to Shutterfly, I'll have to pick & choose which to send to family & showcase here. Although I had a lot of fun shooting down there - despite having been there off and on over the years since I was 11 - I was tempted to give the local kid-vendors $1 to go do it for me...after all, there were Piña coladas ( Lifeguard Stand ↑)
to be drunk. But not THAT kind of drunk.

The Making (and Eating) of a Snowman

Every Easter my Grandma Mahon (yes, my grandma is a Mahon - pronounced "man") comes to visit us in chilly Minnesota. I say "chilly" because she's leaving her 70ish degree North Carolina to brave the cold wonders Up North with her crazy family.

Crazy? Of course - Mom & Dad a) moved North of the Mason Dixon and b) still inhabit this cold Siberia even though they KNOW it'll drop BELOW ZERO every winter. Crazy.

(*Side Note - several winters into Mom living in Merrifield, the winter was harsh, and with wind chill, the temperature crept down to -80. As in, 80 BELOW ZERO. Grandma called, frantic, wondering how it was with all the horses in the house with us. Because, of course, we had 2 horses at the time and why would we leave them outside? Mom gently stated that they had a nice, warm lean-to and no, they were NOT in the house. *)

I digress.

Much to Grandma's chagrin, the Satterfields headed outside this past Saturday to make a snowman. Keep in mind, in order to have good "snowman snow", the temperatures have to climb above 32, so we thought it was a heat wave. We all tromped outside to watch the goings-on, while Grandma stayed warm and dry inside, where she could see everything through the window.

Everything including Princess Sophia ↑ posing with her snowman, "Frosty", (and subsequently taking a chomp out of him, of course), Amy & Clint throwing a giant ← branch for the dogs, and Mom and I trying to capture it all on camera.

Also, I'd like to add that not many households can claim the success in asking - and receiving - the simple obedient gesture of 3 dogs laying in a row and not moving until they're told they can...and it's not even done via Cesar-like methods! ↓


So, although I have no pixel-proof that Sophia loved her Easter basket (rife with jelly beans, chocolates, seeds and a pot - my sister is Martha Stewart - a new magic wand and a "skeid-a-scope"), suffice it to say it was a successful venture Up North. Lots of good food, chatting at the dinner table, plenty of laughing, hiking and relaxing (please see previous post).

Up at Mom & Dad's

When I was younger, I couldn't WAIT to leave "the country" and GO somewhere...anywhere, as long as it wasn't out in the middle of nowhere (and, as long as my parents weren't there, frankly).


Now I'm pushing 30 (still wearing jeans) and can't WAIT to head up North to Mom & Dad's as often as I can. My, how things change - it's amazing how city life can transform a person.




So, here I sit, in the comfort and relaxed atmosphere of the house where I grew up, and there's already a small part of me that's dreading tomorrow when we have to leave...





(These pictures aren't from this weekend, but I finally got the images loaded from when Clint and I were here in mid-January for Mom's belated "Christmas" party.)

Since I don't have time to monkey around with the code and making sure my picture captions correspond, I'll explain. (Sophia wants me to watch "Happy Feet" with her, so I'm on deadline :)

The first shot is of the house with the sunset reflected in the windows. I grew up in this house (well, from the time I was 13, anyway). The next shot (to the right) is Clint playing fetch with all 3 dogs (Zada, Tesa & Hogan) on the lake. Next (left) is Zada waiting patiently - albeit intensely - for Clint to throw the stick. The last is Clint tossing snow for the dogs (Tesa & Hogan). My dog hasn't quite figured out WHY we jump repeatedly, biting at snow that flies through the air.

Well, time to head upstairs for the movie...

I Want to be like Kleenex

Kleenex. Chapstick. Xerox. Google.

What do all these brand names have in common?

When was the last time you were a guest at someone's house, your nose was running, and you asked, "Do you have any bathroom tissue?" Note, not all 3 criteria need be met; the idea is what counts.

Or, if your lips were dry and flaky, did you ever turn to your (mom, best friend...insert someone whose lips you trust here) and ask, "Can I borrow your lip balm?"

Boss to underling: Go Xerox this document and bring it to the meeting.
Underling to boss: Sir? Don't we have RICOH copiers? I didn't know we had a Xerox machine.
Boss to underling: Whatever, go make a copy.

And, last but not least, earlier today while talking on the phone with my sister - I took a break from blogging long enough to answer the phone and set up a time to go for a dog walk - I tried to tell her what I'd been doing all morning, and she didn't understand what "social networking" meant. So, I said, "ugh, go Google me and you'll know what I'm talking about."

The thing is, all these companies have transcended mere brand awareness and moved into "genericized trademark" status. I purposefully didn't include the copyright symbols behind these brand names, not just because I'm lazy and I don't want to, but also because I'm trying to prove a point.

That is, once you've moved from brand awareness into becoming a "generic trademark" you no longer get the right to claim the trademark symbol every time someone writes about you. If you've earned the right to be the "colloquial description for (or synonymous with) a particular class of product or service*", then you've subsequently lost the right to your trademark symbol appearing in every publication. (Based on context, of course)

Anyway, my random thought happens to be the longing for someone, some day, to say "wow, that was a Bernier-ism". Meaning "wow, that was random".

On a side note, I think my dog is already nose-to-nose with me in this race, as I've already started to identify things that're stinky with a comment of "ish, that smell is so ZADA!" She innocently sleeps on at my feet this very instant, lost in some doggy dream and contentedly exuding a noxious gas from her rear end.

On a random other side note (since that's what I want to be known for, of course), my grandmother is coming to visit for Easter, and will arrive in town this coming Wednesday. Us girls (Mom, Grandma, Amy and I) are all going to lunch. Should be a fun time.

* From Wikipedia

The Point & Shoot Camera Part Deux

Last night I raved about my new buddy, my Canon point & shoot. It takes some pretty nice images - i.e., professional looking shots (like the snow shot :) - but it also captures those fun "portrait" type pictures, as well!

← Here we see the "Ms. Zada Potato Head" with...unfortunately...NOT detachable ears :) I can't lie to ya...I LOVE the "nose-to tail" photos.

I'd have to say the majority of usage this lil' guy (the camera :) has seen has been outdoors, but the indoor images have turned out well, plus there's not a big delay between shutter and shot. Again, overall this guy gets 4 stars. (Probably not 5; the main "fault" is that it uses Double A batteries which don't last very long.)

Here's Clint cuddling with Zada while watching TV up in the TV room. → She's a huge fan of finding any blanket real estate available and curling up on it.

← Aaaaaand here it is. I taught my dog to "Heil Hitler."
Oops. Not on purpose - it started out as a "hello" / wave type trick; then morphed into the always-recognizable Nazi salute* because of the way she does it. It's not her fault, though, because it's in her blood...she IS German, after all!

Well...there'll probably be many more renditions of the "ratings & reviews" of my point & shoot camera, but this one HAD to be Zada-centric because, well, she hasn't made an appearance for awhile!

Self Portrait! →

PS: I'd like to add that my post last night has an error. It's not "a couple weeks" 'til Bon Jovi...it's one week FROM TONIGHT! Helmet Hair and Big Bangs, here I come!

* Side Note: I'm careful to whom I show this trick. Again, not a politically correct gesture to teach someone - even if that someone is a cute and cuddly dog.

The Point & Shoot Camera

It took me a long time to "go digital". Until the spring of '06, if I remember correctly. And, now I couldn't imagine NOT having at least one digital camera (so of course I have 2).






My first camera purchase - EVER - was my Canon 30D. Every other item - minus batteries :) - had been gifted from good ol' Mom & Dad for birthdays and Christmases throughout the years. I was pretty pumped not only to be going digital, but buying my VERY OWN camera.

After almost 2 years of practicing and getting spoiled with digital imagery, for Christmas this year Clint got me my very first point & shoot (digital). I'm enamored with it - another Canon - and it takes some pretty darned good pictures! It's an 8-mega pixel, which, by the way, is what my SLR is! (Only when shooting RAW, of course :) Although the zoom is quite a bit touchier than my single lens reflex, the point & shoot competes very well.

I'm thrilled with my little P&S Canon...fits in my purse a lot easier than the SLR for those spontaneous shots, but puts on the "big boy pants" and performs well for the professional images, too.

PS: We'll see how well it does in the murky recesses of the Bon Jovi concert in a couple weeks!

Doggone Class

I'm back in dog class for 8 weeks, but as an observer only - Clint's handling Zada and I get to watch. We (and by "we" I mean Linda and I) decided that Clint should take her through Level II obedience in order to get some formal training. He's worked with her before, out on walks and in the house, but this way he can start from scratch and have it be taught by Linda herself instead of me...because, having taken riding lessons from my sister when I was young, I know what it's like to have a loved one be your teacher. Doesn't work so well sometimes :)

Anyway - last Tuesday was his first class, and I was looking forward to merely sitting back and watching everyone, but Linda had a different idea. Since there are only 5 participants, that means since I'm coming every time I get to handle Elsa, Linda's 7-month-old Bullmastiff puppy. And, by "puppy" I mean 85 pounds of lion-like animal.

Before that class, I considered myself to be pretty adept at being a "dog trainer" because, well, Zada responds so well with me and I've even worked with Tesa and Hogan, etc...well, I received an eye-opener after having Elsa on the end of the leash. She was good, just VERY hard to work with as she had other interests in mind...namely, wanting to play with her 2 friends in class (Zada and Stanley, a 6-month-old French bulldog, and cuter than cute). She'd be working beautifully for me, but then would lose interest and start staring off at some other dog - which I'd let her do because frankly I was working my butt off and needed a break - when all of a sudden she'd LUNGE at the other dog.

That was fun. She's not mean; just exuberant and, well, HUGE. Finally the class ended, the other members cleared out and we could let the 3 dogs off-leash to have at it and wrestle. Should be interesting to see if Linda asks me to handle her again this coming Tuesday!

But, Clint and Zada did very well together - he was having fun, learned some things, and she was VERY good so I was proud of both of them. (Plus, he still had energy at the end of class because he didn't have a bouncing lion-cub at the end of HIS leash!)

I'm looking forward to the next class, if only just for the fun that's had afterward...I have to admit, both Clint and I think Stanley is probably the cutest thing EVER. His head is a bit large for his body (Clint's definition: "Look at that orange on a toothpick!"), and he's full of himself - just charges right into the thick of the 2 bigger dogs wrestling. I'll have to get a picture of him this next time and put it in here to prove my point.

Well, that's it for now. Nothing else of note to blog about except - of course - my dog.

PS: Read more about Dog Obedience Classes and Linda's method of training :)

Shake Your Tailfeather

We leave for Puerto Vallarta in a little over a month (March 29th!), and as our trip approaches, I'm fluctuating between being excited and exasperated at having to WAIT.

The temperatures have plummeted back to the "below zeroes" and I think we Minnesotans are losing hope it'll EVER warm up. Well, maybe just THIS Minnesotan. My skin is dry, I can't shake my cold/flu, and I have to give myself a pep talk just to take the dog for her walk.

But, there's light at the end of the tunnel - sunny Mexico!

I've gotten to thinking, though...the last time I went this late in the season, it was in college and I was there on spring break. The entire country was basically at the whim of thousands of 20-somethings hyped up on rum drinks and "shaking their tailfeathers" at nightclubs until the wee hours (before stumbling back to their hotel rooms or the beach to sleep it off and begin again at dusk).

Hopefully that's not the case when we're there - I'm too old for all that now. I want to relax, soak up the sun and hike around taking pictures. (PS: Hiking is really just walking...but us runners are loath to say we WALK; hence the covert term.)

In preparation of this vacation, I'm forced once again to start my oh-shoot-I-only-have-one-month-to-go-before-I-have-to-wear-a-
bikini-again diet and exercise regime. (Please see previous post about my new buddy, Ana.) Having the flu for a week helped out greatly with the "trimming down" process - I must've lost about 7 pounds on my chicken noodle soup and fruit diet in that time period alone :) And, there was a lot of shaking going on then, too...but only because I had the chills.

So, as I listen to Nelly's "Shake Ya Tailfeathers" on my iPod right now - hey, it's on shuffle - I'm thinking maybe the cold is my incentive to get in shape. Because, see, you've gotta jig and dance just to keep warm in this blasted arctic air.

Sigh...so I guess for the next month and change I have to keep in mind that at least I get to leave MN and head to my lovely Viejo Vallarta - if only for a week!

Ana Cabán is Kicking my @$$!

Before Christmas, I was in Target and bought myself a mat and a Pilates DVD - Pilates Core Challenge with Ana Cabán - in the hopes of getting myself back in shape by starting with my core.

I finally unfurled the mat and popped the DVD in this past Tuesday. The workout took ~40 minutes, and no less than 3 times I had to pause the dang thing in order to rest! At first I thought it was going to be a bunch of sit-ups and stretching.

Whew. This woman is SERIOUS about Pilates - and she's just sitting there serenely on the tape, looking like she's not even working and I'm on the other end of the TV, sweating, cursing and muttering under my breath, "Are you KIDDING me, lady?"

I've done the workout twice now, and the 2nd time I still had to pause it - but only twice! - and when I do it again today, maybe it'll be a bit easier yet...my goal is to be back in shape by Mexico (beginning of April). Meaning, no IT band problems or having a sore back from just standing/walking for more than an hour.

And, Ana, you're going to get me there...let's just hope I have the fortitude - and time - to keep with the program!

Maggots & Leeches and Blood, Oh My!

I recently read somewhere that "bleeding is not an acceptable form of healing". While the days of Hippocrates and ancient Egypt are long past, certain things still remain as a way of coping with problems in the 21st century.

Take, for example, the lowly species Theromyzon, more commonly referred to as the leech, and don't forget baby Diptera (i.e., the larva of the common fly).

First, let us take a peek at the leech. Way back when, the "medicinal" use of bloodletting was popular, as doctors believed it would clear a person of their bad blood and thus be less likely to die / get sick from diseases. While not a form used today, very similarly, physicians will employ leeches in the promotion of healing tissues after a surgery (especially with grafted skin). Their bite produces a mild "anesthetic" while also thinning the blood to promote flowing. Doctors place them at the boundary between new skin & old so they can rid the area of excess blood and clotting, thus allowing the new skin the ability to connect with the veins in the old.



Disgusting as that may sound (a leech or three sucking away at your surgery site for the sole purpose of eating your blood), let us proceed, if we can, to the thought of the fly larvae mentioned earlier.

Now, no one can deny if we stumble across a rotting carcass in the woods, crawling with maggots, it's a sight (and smell!) which is nothing short of repulsive.

HOWEVER, keep in mind what maggots do - they eat dead tissue. So, not only do they aid in cleaning up said rotting carcass (from which we will hasten as if the Devil himself chases us), but according to USAToday (in a dated article I stumbled across - this is also where I found some of the info on the leeches), they're also approved as "medical devices".

That is: If after a surgery a wound is not healing and drugs cannot help, maggots can be brought in to "treat" the area by removing - as they do by EATING - the dead tissue, thus allowing the new tissue to get blood flow and promote growth. This is known as "Maggot Therapy".



Mmmm, yummy.

Admit it, it's gross, but it works. If - Heaven forbid - I were ever to find myself in a predicament to need the aid of such humble origins as the leech or the larva of a fly...could I, WOULD I allow myself to be subjected to their creepy "therapy"?

Indeed. Who'm I to judge?

Gift Cards - Good or Bad?

Most everyone seems to be strongly opined as to whether or not gift cards are a good idea. I recently read an article coined "Gift Cards are the Worst Possible Present to Buy Someone This Christmas". Evidently that person thinks buying someone a gift card for a present is nothing short of Satan worship.

Tsk, tsk.

It's fine to purchase a gift card for someone - within reason, of course.

Take, for example, my sister. She's the sort of person who buys people really creative gifts...BUT not always useful gifts :) Instead of "settling" for a gift card to a place she knows I shop, she'll go above and beyond to find a gift that's really neat - but I don't want/use/need.

On the other hand, a year or so back, she gave me a "gift" of sorts - she cleaned out her closet -and presented me with a sweatshirt I'd given to HER for Christmas one year when I was in college. So, what, now my college isn't good enough to wear on a sweatshirt? Her excuse: "Well, it's so BIG on me, and it's just not in style anymore." What? It's a sweatshirt!

Once, when I was younger (she's 5 years my senior; I think I was 13-ish) I gave her an abstract pencil drawing of a horse. The next day, when I saw it on her desk, it had been altered. Shocked, I asked her WHY she'd change my drawing - "you didn't get this part right" was her reply.

Guess what dear sister gets for gifts these days - GIFT CARDS. If she wants to buy something at Target and then give it to me a year later, great :)

Or, another example would be my father. He's a very hard person to buy gifts for - someone who likes really obscure things I'd have a hard time deciphering from the scant occasions we actually have a chat. So, the first year I got him a $100 gift card to Fleet Farm and he actually gasped, his eyes widened, and he blurted out, "THANK YOU!" I thought, we have a winner. I haven't gotten that reaction since, but of course it's because he gets one every year now. He can then do what he LOVES to do - go browse the "Man's Mall" for odd little knick-knacks.

Now, that being said, there are certainly times when a gift card is a cop-out gift. There are times when someone is purely lazy and doesn't want to take the time to pick something out, or leaves the gift purchase to the last minute and has "no choice" but to settle for the little plastic card.

Hey, at least when I buy gift cards, I make sure I know the person will like the store. Sister and Dad, for example, have their favorite haunts and it's quite simple to know they're just waiting for an excuse to walk in and catch sight of all the goodies lining the shelves (and have an excuse to purchase said items - "well, I have this gift card!").

So, this Christmas (or whichever holiday season you celebrate), keep in mind that there IS a time for gift cards...

Happy Purchasing!

Kozies Shepherds are NOT Family Dogs!

There lies a delicate balance between energy, intelligence, and calmness when you're deciding on a dog to bring into your home. Having been raised with German shepherds, I always knew my first dog would be this breed. As much as I don't like to tout the "sameness" of dogs within the same breed, there's something to be said about certain clichés holding true – shepherds are intelligent, high-energy dogs who need a "strong" owner. I.e., someone who'll take charge and be a leader.

Since I research everything before buying, I'm not sure how I let myself get suckered into buying a Kozies shepherd. As I've stated before, Mark Kozitza rubbed me the wrong way from day 1, but I persisted in gathering information about his dogs because they seemed – at a glance – to be just what I wanted. (Intelligent, energetic yet calm, and good-looking.)

However, a person who breeds "European working line German shepherds" and says he introduces every puppy to many things shouldn't also promote his dogs as "good with children" if he keeps it for you past 8 weeks. I didn't purchase my pup until she was 3 months old, and due to some circumstances I didn't bring her home from Kozies until she was 4 months of age. What I did NOT know was he had discontinued working with her to socialize her. Let's look at why it's important to continue that with puppies beyond 8 weeks of age:

"My breeding goal here at Kozies is to consistently produce dogs with the genetics and temperament to be a trustworthy family member (by that I mean living with children) and at the same time a strong working dog with solid nerves, good drives and is structurally sound with a rich dark pigment that is pleasing to the eye."

Let's see.

Genetics to be trustworthy? Possibly – although he's breeding "working line" sheperds...i.e., HIGH PREY DRIVE dogs.

Temperament to be trustworthy? Absolutely. Until one day that lovely temperament – with kids, no less – turns into a nasty debaucle between you and your family friends, because your dog with the good "genetics and temperament" just stalked, pounced upon, and bit the neighbor girl. With no warning. And in spite of being raised around different ages of children.

Strong working dogs? Absolutely. I knew that from the beginning – Zada can run ALL DAY LONG and actually NEEDS to in order to be content.

Solid nerves? Maybe. With some things, she's pretty solid. With most things, she's average. In brand-new situations, she's a coward, tucking her tail between her legs. (Yes, I realize this could be due to the way I handle things, but when there's a bag in the middle of the street and I don't even notice it; she's spooking at the end of the leash.)

Good drives? YES. In this category, Kozitza, I give you 5 stars. She definitely DOES have strong drives. Pronounced PREY DRIVES, that is, which started out "innocently" enough being focused on other dogs, and have evidently graduated to young children. The reason why she's intent on "dominating" other dogs? She's TERRIFIED of new dogs. This is most likely because this man kept her segregated in the whelping pen, away from all the other dogs, and when he'd let the adult dogs out of the barn, they'd all rush the fence and she became very afraid of approaching dogs. Mind you, I take this dog to obedience classes, and I have been working on this from Day 1. (5 years later, we're still working on introducing her to new dogs.)

Structurally sound? Not at all. Initially (when she was young), I thought she might have a stretched/mildly torn ACL, which COULD have just been from landing on it wrong, bending, twisting, etc. but it could also be a genetic defect in the knee. The vet said it wasn't enough of an issue to consider surgery (yet), but once something like that occurs, it normally doesn't return to its original state. She also started displaying signs early (around 2 years) of some problems in her elbows – although the X-rays came back clear, she was young yet AND I only did the front end; not her hips. She seems to favor a front leg after exercising; it also makes a clicking noise. This wouldn't normally concern me (as I have a hip tendon that "pops" occasionally) but since it's also the leg she favors, it makes me wonder why a dog bred for working goes lame after 20 minutes of running. Granted, it doesn't happen all the time, but it's been occurring with greater frequency lately. She was also diagnosed with (low grade) luxating patellas. That's right, BOTH of her "knees" are affected by this. She's been displaying progressive signs of this in the past year and I fear this genetic disease will create many problems for her in the future.

As of February 2012, she has also been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. That's right, my "structurally sound" German shepherd will now – at the age of 5 – have to be watched constantly for signs of pain in her right hip and will suffer arthritis as she gets older. Nice job, Kozitza.

And, lastly - rich, dark pigment which is pleasing to the eye? Again, yes. 5 stars on that. Thanks for delivering. She's wonderful to look at while she's either a) holding up her leg because it hurts, b) getting reprimanded for chasing after dogs (again), c) honing in to "stalk" a child/dog, or d) barking, terrified, at the neighbor dog across the road, whom she's seen since she's lived in this house...

The point with all this is, DO NOT BUY A KOZIES SHEPHERD after 8 weeks of age if you want a "family dog." And, if you do, always, ALWAYS watch the dog around kids and other dogs! Just yesterday, my sister and I were on a walk – with her dog, my dog and my niece – and at the end, we went to a small park to let Sophia out of the stroller to toddle around and let the dogs stretch their legs. I was throwing a "flippy-floppy" for the dogs and they were getting worn out.

After a while of being there, Sophia (my 2 1/2-year-old niece) started to trot off towards a different area of the park. Zada was near me (thank GOD), and when she saw that baby running, her ears perked, she got "the look" and started after her. She didn't get more than a few strides in before I recalled her (again, thank the Maker and obedience classes).

She'd NEVER done anything like that – which is why I trusted her with kids...but now neither I nor any member of my family will ever trust her again...and rightly so. She'll constantly need to be watched. To be honest, I think my sister breathed a sigh of relief when we left for the evening. I have an inkling she'll feel that way until the dog either dies of old age or I have to put her down due to failing health.

Let's hope I don't have to euthanize her because she attacks another child. If she does, that's the only course of action – she's already had her 1 "freebie".

Again, DON'T BUY A KOZIES SHEPHERD after 8 weeks old if you expect a kid-safe German shepherd! This is how he markets them, but if not socialized correctly they probably will NOT be safe around children! Zada was in a kennel by herself up until she was 4 months old, segregated from other dogs...which is why she has "fear aggession" issues with new dogs. You have to be ready and willing to have a dog that always needs to be watched around kids and you must devote a LOT of time to dog obedience/behavior classes, proper socialization, and numerous hours every day running/exercising, etc.

In fact, let's just cut right to the chase – with this new development of her hip dysplasia, don't buy a Kozies German shepherd AT ALL. He doesn't breed sound dogs, nor does he title his dogs...in short, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE for a well-bred German shepherd dog. You will not find it at Kozies shepherds.

Sigh. I'm writing this to inform; I've wasted enough time and energy defiling this man who sells these "strong drive" dogs as children-friendly (and structurally sound). I hope I can think on him no more. After all this, I'll always trust my gut feeling in the future when picking a dog breeder. And, of course, I'll NEVER recommend his dogs to anyone.

Vitamins

I've found two simple things are needed in order to maintain healthy hair/nails:

• Drink milk
• Take vitamins

P.S.: Watched "Walk the Line" for the first time last night...GREAT movie. I'm not even a Johnny Cash fan, but I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

P.S.S.: Weird how the bullet points above actually LOOK like the One-A-Day Women's I take every day...

Ciao!

Oregon Trip Photos

Our Oregon trip in September was SO much fun. I touched on the highlights of it in my previous post about this topic, but didn't at the time have any photos saved to this computer (my laptop).

Here are a few images:

In order (left to right, top to bottom) they are as follows:

1) Clint & I at the coast

2) View of the coast driving up the mountain towards Mt. Hood

3) Multnomah Falls

4) Multnomah Falls view from the Trail

5) Our footprints on the beach

6) Mt. Hood

7) Cheesy Waterfall Kiss

Yes, we took a cheesy photo. Whaddaya do. Next time I'll bring my tripod and set it up properly - but this wasn't a bad job for having my camera teetering on a rock and hurrying up because there was a group of "tourons" that all of a sudden showed up and was waiting to photograph the falls.

All in all, it was a BLAST and we can't wait to go back - especially to the coast. It was gorgeous.

That's all for today - - -

TTFN!

More on Why NOT to Purchase a GSD from Kozie's Shepherds

In my previous post about why NOT to choose a Kozie's German shepherd, I might have touched on health issues, but that's another consideration with what the guy does wrong - in my opinion - in breeding the dogs he does.

Zada has been limping off and on over the summer - at first I thought it might be Lyme's, but she's not displaying the traditional characteristic with her limping...i.e., limping on different legs. Her problem seems to be coming from her left front elbow - where the clicking noise originates. Yup, a clicking sound - which has been getting progressively worse.

I've talked to 2 vets about this - and their first response was that it could be elbow dysplasia. This could be due to various factors, some of which include growth abnormalities (different growth development of the 3 bones comprising the elbow), trauma, nutrition (probably causing the growth discrepancies) or genetics.

Since she's been getting very good nutrition, and hasn't had any trauma to the leg, I'm banking on genetics. Oddly enough, her guarantee (from the breeder) mentions hip dysplasia only. VERY convenient. Which means a) he's breeding dogs that he knows could be prone to elbow dysplasia and/or b) he's not checking for this disease, which is VERY common in shepherds - even European working lines like he's trying to reproduce.

I just find this all so very frustrating after purposefully hunting down European GSD breeders for this very reason...to stay away from all the afflictions of the American-bred shepherds. What's even funnier is he was pretty adamant about telling me there's always a possibility the dog could wind up with some health problems... I realize no breeder can guarantee the dog won't have any problems, but you'd think he'd guarantee for dysplasia in general; not just hips.

The point is, I'm going to have to have her in to get tested for her front legs - most likely X-rayed - in addition to taking care of her stretched/torn ACL. Which is MOST likely a sports injury, but can also be genetic.

OH, and she also has skin allergies, but at least - so far! - they're pretty mild compared to what I've seen in other dogs. Plus, of course, all the GI issues she's had since I got her!

Bottom line - DO NOT spend the money on a Kozie's German shepherd. They're NOT worth the money, and they're going to be prone to MANY problems, obviously health-related as well as behavior-related. (i.e., stalking and pouncing on dogs AND children) If you're rich and don't care that you'll be spending wads of dough on surgeries and vet bills, and know that you'll have to watch the dog at all times (never trust them in any situation, even after you've worked with them on obedience), then by all means, go ahead.

Don't get me wrong, I love the dog - if I didn't she'd be LONG gone by now - but she's been the source of myriads of trouble in my life thus far. *SIGH* And she's only a year old.

The Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood & Portland IPAs

I'm writing from Portland, Oregon right now. We flew out Wednesday afternoon to Seattle, then rented a car (a silver Chrysler Seabring convertible) to drive down here. We stayed with Chris & Rachele that night, then Thursday morning took off for the coast to a B & B near Depoe Bay:


After seeing all we could see in 1 day, we took off yesterday morning for Mt. Hood - taking the scenic route - and after ~6 hours in the car, we arrived in Sandy at the other B & B:

We couldn't actually SEE the mountain from there, but it was a very pretty, rustic spot. It was a relatively short drive before we started wending our way up the twisting road to Mt. Hood this morning & we saw some pretty incredible views (no worries - a more lengthy description with pictures is yet to come).

Now we're back at Chris & Rachele's (after putting at least 1,000 miles on the rental car) drinking some IPA (India Pale Ale, for those of you who don't know good beer) and relaxing. Tonight we'll be heading to downtown Portland to eat, drink - more pale ale beers, since microbreweries abound here - and in general sightsee and have a good time. Chris & Rachel are super-cool people as well as excellent hosts, so we're having a good time just hanging out here.

Speaking of beer, this is probably the best place for me beerwise...now that I'm so picky with my brews and prefer a good ale to anything. For IPAs to date here I've had Long Hammer, Bridgeport Brewing Co., Terminal Gravity, Mirror Pond & Multnomah Falls; also we had Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale at Old Chicago (the first night) and so far it's my favorite!

We're looking forward to a night out with Chris & Rachele and I'll definitely write more about the trip once I get back and upload all my photos...I've only taken 497 thus far, which is crazy considering all we've seen!

TTFN,

DO NOT BUY A KOZIE'S GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG

When I first started researching European-bred German shepherds, I was amazed at how many breeders there are in the area - Minnesota as well as Wisconsin - so I had my work cut out for me to start looking into them.

Dani was also looking at the time, and we BOTH discounted Jeralyn Kennels in Wisconsin because the guy wouldn't even acknowledge that we wanted to do research before buying...he wouldn't even let us see any of his dogs! He said, "come back when you're serious about purchasing a puppy". It would seem he also runs a puppy mill - it's full of European-line GSDs, but it's a mill nonetheless. I'm not even sure that's the name of his outfit, since I can't even find the guy online so obviously he has no search marketing aptitude - that and the fact that his site is built with a flash entry page. But I digress.

I finally opted to purchase my pup - at 3 months of age - from Kozie's Shepherds in Mankato, MN. Although I wasn't crazy about the guy - Mark Kozitza - himself, the dogs were stellar (or so I thought at first) and the pup sounded perfect for what I wanted. He said that he exposes his pups to all sorts of stimuli at a young age, as well as people of all ages.

What bothered me was that she was in a separate kennel all by herself - away from all the other dogs - and she'd started to get scared when strange dogs would come up to the fence (i.e., when he got other juveniles in for training). I'm fairly positive he has no clue how to introduce new dogs into the "family", so in essence she learned to go berserk and bark uncontrollably whenever a new dog came around. And he did nothing to correct the situation.

I worked on that for a couple months after I got her, and she seemed to get over it. However, at the dog park she'll advance on another dog and if they run, she'll give chase. Then when she catches up, she barks intimidatingly and bites at the other dog's neck/back. If they retaliate, she quits; if not, she torments them until I can get her away.

Now, this might seem intuitively that it's my fault for letting her do this - but in the beginning, when she was 30-40 pounds, she mostly got nipped at and reprimanded by other dogs...which is what I wanted. Nowadays, she doesn't do it often - but if a dog starts running, she still will take off after them if I'm not right there to stop her. Again, the majority of the time, she's a great dog-park dog, and I have no problems, but sometimes she...almost "snaps".

Even more lately, she's started stalking other dogs - lying in wait and running at them - and then pouncing on them, while barking and biting. I've been trying to circumvent this...either by taking her the other way or just breaking her attention. I find if I can do that, she loses interest and merely runs up to the dog, but not in "stalk" mode.

Keep in mind that this dog gets a LOT of exercise. She's out for at least an hour and a half every day - which doesn't seem like much, but she's not hyper and actually is very calm. Most of the time :) Also, when we're at the dog park, we're there an average of 2 hours - so she gets plenty of running/walking time.

This is all leading up to this past weekend out at the Anderson Wisconsin Farm, where we had 8 dogs, 8 horses & 16 people...but 400 acres to run around in. Well, Zada was behaving pretty well, considering it was an entirely new situation, but she was stalking/pouncing on Tesa (which is normal, and Tesa can handle herself) but she was also doing it to an Aussie she'd never met until this weekend. They were playing somewhat rough, and when I was present I'd break it off because I don't want her doing that.

Well, needless to say, there were also 3 kids there - Sophia and 2 girls, aged 8 and 4. The 8-year-old was constantly running around, and whenever we were all in one area, Zada would be trotting behind her, normally with a stick in her mouth. At times I'd see the girl throwing a stick for the dogs - normally Zada & Tesa - but there was no fighting over the stick, and I'd watched them closely to be sure everyone was behaving. I didn't worry, since Zada loves kids and I trusted her implicitly with them.

That all changed on Saturday afternoon when she decided to stalk and then pounce on - while biting - the 8-year-old girl. I didn't see it, but I have eye witnesses who say that's what happened...plus Mom said she saw Zada stalking the girl earlier, but it broke off and she thought it was because of a fake goose by the girl. What broke her attention that time was Zada saw me walking a ways off, and came running to me (but didn't see it). The girl is fine - thank GOD! - Zada didn't break skin, in fact, I'm not sure she "bit", per se, but it was the same sort of "attack" she launches on other dogs.

SO. Now I have a dog that I cannot trust around kids - as well as some situations with dogs - so I called the breeder to talk about how to kill her prey drive around other dogs (I want to get rid of it in that situation, since I'm sure that's what led up to her jumping on the girl). Thing is, he didn't even sound very surprised when I told him what happened - when I asked if he'd ever heard of one of his dogs doing this before, he said, "well, not really". NOT REALLY??? He promotes his dogs as being kid-friendly and kid-safe, but the fact that he can't tell me "No, I've NEVER had a dog do that before" is VERY unnerving.

Also, on a side note, he says that he has a dog in each of the main police departments up here in the cities - St. Paul & Minneapolis - but I met a K-9 officer from the St. Paul PD, and he'd not only never heard of Kozie's, but he said they never get their dogs anywhere but directly from Europe. As in, they buy adult dogs and have them shipped. He does have a dog in the Minneapolis K-9 department, BUT, I'd be damn sure about information before I spout off about it to a prospective buyer.

The point is, I'm working with Z on the issues - had my dog instructor come out for a lengthy consultation...turns out there are things I can do better, such as mentally stimulate her more, that'll help with this. But, the fact remains - she's been bred for a high prey drive AND she's extremely dominant.

All in all, I'm very disappointed that I got bad vibes from this Kozie's guy from the get-go but didn't let that stop me. When purchasing a dog - especially one that's a working line, intelligent creature - you need to be ABSOLUTELY sure that you're comfortable with everything. He rubbed me the wrong way from Day 1, but again, I was so impressed (at first) with the dogs that I thought, "once I buy her, I'll never have to deal with him again".

Well, now I never will. I will never, EVER recommend Mark Kozitza to anyone - in fact, I'll steer people AWAY from him if they're in the market for a German shepherd. I'm keeping Zada, and will continue to work with her on this kid issue because, overall, she's a good dog and I do love her. BUT, if she ever shows a tendency towards children like she showed this past weekend, she's gone. PERIOD. No ifs, ands, or buts. The only reason I'm giving her "one chance" is because I want to believe she did it out of a false sense of "play". If she does it again, I'd thought about simply dropping her off with this Kozie's guy and leaving her so he can deal with her issues. But, I simply dislike him so much I don't ever want to see him again.

Long story short - if you're in the market for a European-line German shepherd, DO NOT BUY A DOG FROM KOZIE'S SHEPHERDS IN MANKATO.

Anniversary of Nascency

Q: On average, how many birthdays does a woman have?

A: One.

Q: On average, how many birthdays does a woman celebrate?

A: Hopefully more than 28.

Ha. That's my attempt at humor - which is pretty good, considering my blood sugar is rapidly plummeting. It's almost time to dive into the erstwhile-full bag of Jelly Bellies sitting at my desk. It's a vicious cycle, though, because you eat something, and you get all jacked up on sugar, but then you have that much farther to fall when you "come down". I should know better by now.

Anyway. So I'm turning 29 - though not until 8:05pm tonight. I'm enjoying my last precious hours on this earth as a mere 28-year-old. *Sigh* Who'm I kidding - this birthday is just like a myriad of others that don't "mean" anything.

Now, NEXT year, that'll be something else. I might have to be sedated to make it through the day. Kidding. Maybe.

Enough about me - Lil' Z's birthday was this past Tuesday...she's 1 year old! I still consider her a puppy, but I swear she's changed in the past week again to look more streamlined and mature. Keeps changing colors, too - some days I think she'll end up being dark, others she has almost a strawberry-blonde tone to her fur. It's weird.

Speaking of Zada, I can't believe I haven't updated her pictures yet...maybe tomorrow I'll take a portrait of the 2 of us - the birthday girls!

Hopefully the weather's nice tomorrow...supposed to be heading up in a hot air balloon over the St. Croix. Evidently it's tradition to have a glass of champagne when you land; I'm thinking I'm going to ask for it beforehand so I'm calmer. Not quite sure how I'll handle being WAAAY up in the air in a tiny basket! Fingers crossed that I can let go of whatever I'm clutching onto long enough to snap some photos. This is all if the weather cooperates, because there's only about a 20% chance we'll even be able to go - since they're pretty strict with wind speed and the like.

Well, I'd best get back to work...yes, I'm at WORK on my birthday. How sad that all my friends are here, so what'd be the point of taking a day off anyway?!

(PS: I'm thinking of you today, Kwistin!)

Random Thought

Why is it that of all the days to have an inner ear blockage, it has to be the day that the whole company will gather at Nicollet Island for an afternoon of drinking and conviviality? I.e., this morning, after I slunk out of bed at 4:47am and was making my bed, I almost fell twice, and later, while walking Z, I couldn't walk a straight line for the life of me. Not sure if it's the sinus cavities that're pressing on everything or some random head cold...either way, the equilibrium ain't what it normally is today.

Which circles me back to the point - I'm going to look like a drunken sailor at the work function, even though I won't have had a drop to drink. Now, this begs the question - do I go around telling everyone that I have an inner ear imbalance, or do I just not say anything?

Maybe a couple drinks will balance me out. Then again, maybe not.

Either way, I got 2 free T-shirts from the company for our event. Which is gouda.

Like the cheese.

The Great Clean-Up

It's almost time. I've been putting it off this morning, but the cleaning is about to commence. I've spent the greater part of this summer heading up north to the Bernier Spa & ranch to ride Ky and Joon in order to prepare for the 2 horseshows in which I participated the last 2 weekends. (Wow, that's one heckuva sentence.) Speaking of, here are a few images of me showing Ky ---

English:

Mom & I with our blues:
Western:

Re: clean-ups...notice the picture of my mother with ONE of her blue ribbons. Out of 3 classes, she took away a 2nd and TWO first-place ribbons. She rode well, had a blast, and cleaned house! I'm VERY proud of her :) Me, on the other hand...well, let's say I placed in all 4 of my classes. I walked away with a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Ironically, the western classes were my best performance-wise yet I WON my english pleasure class - in SPITE of Ky deciding he wanted to buck during the canter the first way. Evidently the judge missed that :)

Anyway, in short, I've been spending a lot of time NOT at my house on weekends while having fun horsing around. Which translates to NOT cleaning my house. For a long time. By "cleaning" I mean DEEP cleaning. I dust every nook & cranny (even on top of the doors/windows), then sweep (even under furniture), then mop, THEN I vacuum*. And, normally I do this every Saturday morning. EVERY SATURDAY.

Why on earth do I subject myself to this, one might ask. Well, it's my house, and I need it to be clean. Plus, before I had to because my roommate's dog was a Golden and shed like it was his job; now with Zada it's the same thing - only spread throughout the entire house is her ever-present German shepherd hair.

Needless to say, my little house is in for an overhaul cleaning day. Unfortunately for Z, who must remain outside while I clean, it's currently raining. Bummer for her. Oh well.

*I bought my first vacuum cleaner yesterday! It's a Bissell bagless - I'm pumped. Yes, my first one, by the way. Up until the last time I cleaned (I'm desperately trying to remember when that was...), I'd been using a borrowed vacuum - which, sadly, has finally "bit the dust" for the last time, so to speak. I'm going to have to tell OB that his little sucker is dead. I owe him a new one - if he even remembers he lent it to me in the fall of '03, when I moved into my first apartment :)

Well, that's about it for now. Hopefully the rain clears up...if it doesn't, I'll just have to walk Z in the rain. Pretty sure I won't melt.

Hasta la proxima vez - - -

A Breakthrough!

Since I've joined a gym, the dilemma has been getting home to let Z out and exercise her, then feed her, make sure she's done her "thing" and then bundle her back up again in the crate while I go work out.

I feel guilty having her in the crate all night (granted, she's sleeping), all day while I'm at work, then AGAIN while I'm at the gym. A couple times I've blocked her in the kitchen for short periods of time, but the last time I did it, I didn't think it through...took her down to Crystal Lake and threw a stick in the water for her for half an hour, then came back (she DID pee) and threw her in the kitchen. Well, when I got back she'd emptied her bladder on my floor - but, it was the linoleum floor so that was better than on the wood. Anyway, that put the kibosh on leaving her out for a while (even though it was my fault :).

Well, since my foot's been hurting (I accidentally did a 10K a couple weekends ago) I haven't been walking her; merely throwing the ball in the yard for her all the time...she didn't get much play-time in yesterday before it was time to head to the gym, and I was feeling guilty, so I left her in the kitchen - "blocked" in with 2 of my cheapy Ikea chairs. I took the rugs out and put her dishes up (the less the temptations the better) and left her a rawhide. I got back in an hour and a half to a busily chewing dog and a clean kitchen!

I was VERY proud of her. She is almost 11 months old (this Saturday marks the official date) but nonetheless, it's a bit nerve-wracking leaving a puppy out in the house - albeit a small part of the house - while I'm gone!

Anyway, I just realized I never posted her 10-month pictures, so before she turns a month older (and therefore I have new ones - yes, I'm "that mom") here are some images of my pretty girl...

(The last one is the image my mother thought HAD to be entered in the fair back home...so we'll see how it does. Yes, I realize it breaks the omnipresent Rule of Thirds - but let's be honest, rules are meant to be bent, if not completely broken, right?)

Horsin' Around...

While I watch one of the myriad of episodes featured on 2007's Shark Week, I'm sipping a beer and recovering from my gym workout today.

In addition to bench, flys (flies?), incline press, and abs today, I've added 2 new leg machines (for inner/outer thighs). Whew! Even with the addition of horseback riding into my exercise regime this summer, those things kicked my...legs...today.

Also, I'm working a lot harder (able to work harder?) on my arm muscles, so it's an all-over makeover :)

So, why all the working out - as well as the addition of the new machines - you might ask? Well, I need to strengthen everything for rehab in order to be able to run again...and the inner thigh machine is strictly for the 2 horse shows I have coming up in the next 2 weekends...well, ok, to be honest, if I'm working the outer thighs, I need to balance, but mostly I'd just like to have the leg strength to get good rides out of my mounts this weekend (and possibly next).

Yes, I'm riding TWO horses at the Crow Wing County Fair...my new horse, Ky, was so well-trained back in the day that even after sitting - unused - in a pasture for 4 years, he's doing VERY well with flexibility and collection. (Not to mention being steady as a rock and taking his leads consistently.)

I'll also be riding Joon, my mom's horse, even though it's been Mom who's been riding her for over a year and getting her in shape enough for me to even think about bringing her into 2 english classes. She's doing much better - still not consistent with giving me her leads right away, but I'm confident that even if we don't do everything correctly we'll still have a lot of fun.

The last time I did this much riding was the summer I came home from Spain and lived at Mom & Dad's while I job-hunted online(via dial-up, no less). It's a lot of driving, but it's fun and the weather's been great - so getting to relax on the lake isn't bad, either!

Hopefully I'll have plenty of non-geeky pictures to share after this weekend's events...oh, and another thing - Mom thought I needed to enter some photography as well. Should be interesting. I want to have fun and get back to my horsey roots, and then I'm looking forward to an Oof-da Taco (in essence, a walking taco on a fried flatbread-type shell). YUM.

Hasta la later -

A Horse! a horse, My Kingdom for a Horse!

Since even before last fall - when my horse was put down at the ripe old age of 27 ½ - I've felt horseless. I hadn't used Kamell (the old boy) in a few years because he was retired, had a bad leg, etc.

Well, the equine gods have smiled upon me and presented me with my very own, very LARGE new horse!

(This post has been interrupted by a very important team meeting...)

Time for Change...

As I alluded to in yesterday's post, times are a-changin'. I'm no longer 18 (insert mental humming of George Burns here) and my body tells me this every day; I'll be seeing my high school buddies in Crosby for my 10-year high school reunion next weekend...and I'm thinking of getting a tattoo.

Boy, I sure hope my grandma's not reading this blog...

While I was in Miami (at SES) a couple weeks ago, I visited Miami Ink - just to look around...well, also to see if those guys'd be willing to sell their art (in order for me to bring it back to MN to have some INFERIOR tat artist re-create it)...the answer was, of course, "No." Figured so, but thought I'd give it a whirl - the only reason I didn't get it done right then and there was because I just don't think a tattoo should be an impulse purchase.

*Sigh* Besides, Ami wasn't working that day :)

So, a diamond is forever...but it can at least be passed from person to person on down through the generations. Now, a tattoo, on the other hand, THAT'S forever - forever imprinted on YOUR body. Period. If in the back of your mind you're thinking "but I can always get it removed with that laser thingy if I get sick of it", think again. No one's going to do that - I hear it's a very painful, long process and there are no guarantees they can totally rid the skin of the ink.

Anyway. The point is - it's a permanent thing, and you better be damned sure what you want and that it's relevant to you today, tomorrow...forever.

For anyone who knows my mother (or if - God forbid - Mom, you're reading this) I'd say a) don't tell her and b) I'm merely CONSIDERING it. I've thought about it off and on over the years, but have never found anything I'd want imprinted on my body...but I think I've found "the one"; now it's just a matter of getting used to the idea of FOREVER.

To quote Mötley Crüe, "...nothing stays the same / now it's time for change / not tomorrow, but today..."

Of Legs, Life and Love

Random Thought: Remember when people used to keep diaries and keep them locked up in a safe, secure location so NO ONE could ever read their deepest, darkest secrets? I think I kept a "journal" while I was in Spain...every once in a while I'll take it out of the closet and re-read my thoughts, frustrations and ideas. Now I just put them out for anyone to see. My, how things change.

Speaking of change, I also remember the good old days of being able to lace up the Nikes and head out for a 5-mile run and not think a thing of it. Now I struggle to walk my dog 2 miles without my IT band sending stabbing pains up and down my leg. Very frustrating.

Oddly enough, Lil' Z has been favoring HER leg (her left front - just like me!) the last few days so we've both been taking it easy - yesterday she was doing much better but I took her to the park and threw the stick for her in the water for quite a while ... then forgot about why I was exercising her that way and threw it a couple times up on land - she came back limping. Dangit. Needless to say, between that and my chiropractor appointment yesterday we didn't go for a walk this morning. (And, because I can't NOT put a picture of her here:)

But, that's life. Children definitely DO get older, as Stevie Nicks pointed out. Other than the leg (and some obstacles I'm surmounting at work - no need to delve into that here) I'm pretty happy with my life right now. Things are, overall, VERY good!

I'm heading home (i.e., to visit the 'rents) tomorrow after work and won't return until the morning of the 4th...sounds backwards but I need to save vacation plus I wasn't sure about being there for over a week. The 10-year high school reunion is the following weekend -I'm actually looking forward to it - so I'll be heading back up for that. It'll be fun to talk about being single & carefree amidst all my married-with-kids friends :)

Some people might think, "Aren't you worried about what people will think of you still being single while everyone else is married?" I say, HELL NO! I wish they were all single like me so we could go back to having fun - no offense to those who have a) husbands / wives; b) kids; c) all of the above.

I just don't see myself getting into any of that for a while...I love my life just as it is too much right now! Maybe someday I'll change my tune; for now I'll bask in the warmth of being "selfish" and cruising through life without a (major) care in the world.

Until the next entry...

The World is my Bane

Ever have one of those days that's just the WORST DAY EVER but it's only 7:30am? Yeah, today's one of them.

Let's forget the fact that yesterday I had to head to the chiropractor's for a thorough working-over of my IT band / glute (which has left me bruised, battered, and in pain)...but around 3:30 this morning, Zada decided she wanted to be REALLY loud about getting comfy in her crate, which went on 'til 4am when I finally relented & got up to let her out. Turns out all she wanted to do was head outside and lick the grill. Awesome.

Then, the thermostat isn't working in my house - the blowers were on for HOURS last night (which I didn't notice) but the thermometer never moved even though it was FREEZING in there. So I'd shut it all down before going to bed- didn't want the system to overload or something. Regardless, at 4am it was hot in my room so I fiddled around with the damned thing and it finally seemed to be working.

That left approximately 30 minutes to toss and turn before the alarm. There's more but it's wearing me out even e-complaining about it all...when I got into work, one of my co-workers asked me the somewhat-rhetorical "how're you today?" and I answered in truth. His reply: "Well, the day can only get better from here."

I almost clocked him.

On a brighter note, it IS Wednesday, which means I'm halfway through the week and that much closer to relaxing. Wait. I have to mow my lawn, fold "bushels" of laundry and pack for Miami. *Sigh* Nevermind.

Bienvenido a Miami

At the behest of my team lead here at FindLaw, I'm speaking at a Search Engine Strategies conference in less than 2 weeks.

Well, I was accepted as a presenter after she sent them a mock-up of what I'd be talking about...but either way - whoa.

The place: Miami. The event: SES Latino '07. I went last year, too - the inaugural run - but as a mere attendee. This year, I get to wear a special badge and might even get to "hang out" with the likes of Nacho Hernandez from iHispanic Marketing Group.

Last year, it took me a while to warm up and start chatting away with everyone - in Spanish, of course - mostly over Googlitos (Google's version of Mojitos) at the big soirée, so hopefully this year I'll just jump right back in where I left off. Should be fun, to say the least! And...as much as I adore public speaking (NERD!), I'm uber-glad I'm presenting the 1st day so I don't have to drive myself nuts WAITING for my session.

Well, that's about it for right now - of course I'll write more about it when the time comes...in the meantime mediocre stories about my dog will have to suffice.

Proud Mama

Being a 'single mom' is hard work, and oftentimes frustrating (because of the amount of time involved and happy hours missed) but when it all comes together and your little one offers up a 5-star performance, it makes it all worthwhile. I'm referring, of course, to my furry baby, Zada (also fondly known as Lil' Z, Zadar or "Hey Buddy")...

Yesterday, I attended a couple of Memorial Day activities - brunch at my aunt/uncle's home in Circle Pines and dinner in Rosemount at a friend's house. I brought Z to both, and tied her out for the brunch (they live by a 2-lane road and I was nervous about her wandering) but the 2nd one (a housing development in a quiet area) I let her loose and they even let her in the house...she was SO good! She even outperformed the 8-year-old hunting Lab (highly trained, from what I was told). I was SO proud.

She had quite the day and was just as amicable as ever - plus I received many compliments on her impeccable behavior.

I'm short for time (lunch break!) but here are up-to-date images of her:

This was after about 2 hours' worth of ball-throwing at my friend's house...in the 80-degree humidity. She FINALLY laid down for a brief respite before dropping the ball at my feet again :)

Ciao for now!

I'm Sore from Kickball...

That's right. Sore from participating in a 3rd-grade schoolyard game - granted, I'm not 9 anymore (closer to 29, therefore officially OLD), but I shouldn't have to take a long, hot bath and then stretch for 30 minutes just to be able to take my dog for a walk!

Ok, it's not that bad...but I'm definitely feeling it. See, with me, the debilitating muscle pain sets in 2 days AFTER the activity. So, the day after kickball (yesterday) I thought, hey, not too shabby for an old gal...and then I attempted to get out of bed this morning. Wowzas.

Anyway. This is all in the forefront of my mind because in approximately 15 minutes I'm heading out for the Walk for Animals in Golden Valley. Every other year (this will be my 5th) I've run it - but not this year. Too out of shape, too many problems with the IT band (for you non-biology people out there, that means Iliotibial band, and you can read more about my symptoms of IT Band Syndrome), and now too dang sore from kickball.

(Of course, I was voted MVP for that game, so that's something I'll always have with me...)

Well, it's about that time - I raised enough money by walking around asking "do you have a dollar?" at work in order to get the T-shirt. Gotta love "free" T-shirts!

A random thought: I read my personal "tagline" on a napkin this morning - "Dare to be Feisty."

Love it!

Hasta la later - - - oh, and HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

Puerto Vallarta Beachfront Condo

Need the perfect winter get-away vacation? If you love the beach, then this oceanside condo rental in Puerto Vallarta, México, should be your destination. Whether you're planning a romantic honeymoon or a kid-friendly family vacation, this beachfront location has everything you're looking for.

Located just a 30-minute cab ride from the Jalisco Airport in the Romantic Zone (Zona Romántica), this beautiful 3-bedroom, 3-bath condo is ideally situated within walking distance to authentic restaurants, shopping, the Malecón and many other fun attractions.

In addition to the 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, the Plaza Dorada condominium boasts a kitchen/dining room, living room, laundry (both washer and dryer) within the unit, a balcony overlooking the ocean and weekly maid services. The entire building - Plaza Dorada - is a "gated" community, with access strictly limited to registered guests.

This beach vacation rental is offered to you for your vacation stay by appointment through the owners only. Take a closer look and book early, the 'popular' winter months - December, January, February and March - fill up quickly!

For more information about the condo, please email us.