It's 2 a.m. in the morning and I once again can't sleep. Why you might ask? Well it all started about a week ago. Last Sunday I woke up at about 6 in the morning with the beginnings of what I thought was a cold-scratchy sore throat. I spent all day in bed trying my best to feel better with no such luck. I still went to work for most of the week. They were giving me a farewell lunch on Wednesday so I was trying my best to stay well for that. By Wednesday afternoon however I was feeling worse than ever yet thought maybe I was also getting over my symptoms. The congestion seemed like it was going away and the sinus drainage had started. By Thursday morning I woke up feeling like I had gotten hit by a Mac truck (not the dog mind you, literally a Mac Truck!) I stayed home reluctantly since I had started running a fever. I went to the doctor on Friday and she said it had turned into Bronchitis. I came home, fell right into bed and wanted to die! I took the cough medicine she had prescribed, but the codeine seemed to only keep me awake longer than I wanted and I finally fell asleep around 1 a.m. last night.
That brings me to today. I spent all day in bed while my loving husband did as much as he could to clean the house before Delaney and Leslie arrive on Monday. I decided to take a bigger dose of the cough medicine around 1 p.m. and it decided to really set in around 4 p.m. not really good timing since Dan was just getting back from the store getting dropping Mac off at the groomer's, getting Father's day stuff for dad tomorrow and more juice for me. It was at this time he decided to fix the closet door frame...thanks honey! So while I tried to sleep then and get over the heaviness left from the codeine, it never happened. I did however take some Excedrin which seemed to help tremendously. It helped so well that most of my symptoms seemed to start disappearing around 8 p.m. That should be a good thing except now I am wide awake and for the second night in a row unable to sleep. Macintosh is trying to sleep right next to me as well but also seems restless. His breathing seems a bit odd since he came home from the salon (he went to get a good bath and summer haircut today). He seems to be settling down now though and hopefully whatever was in his nose or throat making him breathe funny is now gone. My cough seems to be coming back though. I am going to take some cough medicine again and hopefully it's the right dose to send me off to dreamland rather than keeping me awake much longer.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Time to check in
I've been so busy over the last three months that I have completely forgotten about updating our blog! I really need to try harder to keep this updated as so much has happened lately and will be happening over the next 6 months or so that I want to keep everyone posted on how we are doing.
We visited our Utah relatives back in late February since I needed to have a check-up with Dr. Schmidt at the same time. We also took this opportunity to fly with Mac for the first time. We decided to book a nonstop flight at night in hopes that this would be a better time for him to fly. He did magnificent going through airport security and even stood still while I had to be scanned by the TSA person. We had about an hour before our flight which gave me some time to see how he would do in the terminal. He did fairly well. There was a baby that was close by with her mom and other family members that kept wanting to come over to pet Mac and he handled her crying and all rather well. We boarded first and got settled. Mac fit perfectly in the bulkhead area just in front of our feet. He dropped off to sleep even while everyone was loading and wasn't bothered by them at all. I guess I must have dozed off as well because the next thing I remember was waking up and it was nearly halfway through the flight. Mac had panicked a bit during take-off and Daniel was trying to console him and keep him calm. His poor little puppy heart rate was through the roof! He finally calmed down a bit and decided that he would take treats which was good because it helped keep him occupied for the remainder of the flight. The return flight went better as we got some medicine for him to take beforehand, although he was still quite anxious during the flight. I am really hoping that the next time we fly he will be more used to the turbelence.
We enjoyed seeing everyone for the two weeks that we were there. The best part of the trip was having Mac with me. For the first time, we really had a chance to bond to one another. The hotel we stayed at was in the Sugar House district. Everything there is within walking distance of the hotel. Mac and I took walks to the park or to Petco nearly every morning. It was so nice to not have to worry about work or anything else. Dan usually accompanied us, but I did actually like the times I got to go by myself and just be with my puppy! We also had the opportunity to take some training sessions with Gateway for Canine Partnerships while we were there. We even made the news! That's a whole other story though that is too long to post here. The trainer we worked with is wonderful. While we were there they tested Mac on his Canine Good Citizenship test and he passed with flying colors! Lord only knows how because an hour later in the car he definitely was not acting like the same dog! Some days I do think he is bi-polar, LOL!
We went to the Gateway several times with Mac and I even went one time with my brothers for a shopping spree courtesy of Mike and Howard. I felt very lucky to have such wonderful brothers that waited on me hand and foot while in Coldwater Creek, which by the way is my new favorite store.
I didn't want our trip to end. It was so nice being there for almost two weeks and not really having anything that we absolutely had to do. The only thing we had to take care of was having a spinal tap done at the hospital. I can honestly say that I will never again have this done in my life! It was very painful and really didn't offer any insight to Dr. Schmidt as to why my legs still feel weak and why I can't seem to regain much more strength back than what I have. That being said, I'm glad we got to spend so much time with family and friends and just relax. I think I finally have Dan talked into moving to Utah because we both like the Sugar House area so much and it is really close to the hospital.
We got back and I immediately started work on paperwork needed to get Mac to be able to come with me to work. He has now been an official working dog for a month and a half. He picked up so many new skills while in Utah that I wanted to keep up his training as much as possible. He is with me nearly every day now. Everyone loves him at work and has the hardest time resisting their urge to pet him. He now has 100% profiecency in operating the push buttons for opening doors. That task really only took about a week for him to start learning consistently and as of todday he can and does do it for the most part without treats. He comes to work with me 3 days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and by Thursdays he is pretty worn out and it can be a bit harder to get him to do things. I'm so impressed though at what all he has learned. He now retrieves pretty much anything I ask him to pick up and get. He recently learned "keys" and knows to pick those up when I drop them. Today I taught him to help me take the sheets off the bed. This task will prove to be most useful among all the household tasks that I am teaching him. I now affectionately call him my "Saturday helper" because if he is really hungry then he'll do anything I ask just so he gets food. It is very cute to watch to see what he will pick up next and hand to me. He handed me a bottle of Frebeze last Saturday. He earned a big reward for that given how heavy it is. I am also teaching him how to carry things, especially the important items such as my Dr. Pepper bottle that I purchase on my breaks from the cafe and also his water dish. He now has carried that twice all the way to the fountain. Everyone loves watching him at work too.
Dan and I just had our fence built. Well, as of the date of this posting it isn't quite done even though I was assured by the contractor that it would be done by today. I'm hopeful that it will be done by tomorrow. We are trying to do as many household projects as we can to get the house ready to sell when we are ready to move. We still are unsure as to exactly when we are moving, but it will be within the next 6 months to a year is my hope.
Pixel is doing fine as well. She just had her first medical procedure done. She needed to have her teeth cleaned. She is still recovering a bit from the anesthia and where they had to shave her arm to put in the I.V. she looks a bit funny right now.
We are hoping to get out as much as possible this summer and hopefully have some visitors this summer. Anyone who wants to come to visit is more than welcome especially since this may be our last summer here!
We visited our Utah relatives back in late February since I needed to have a check-up with Dr. Schmidt at the same time. We also took this opportunity to fly with Mac for the first time. We decided to book a nonstop flight at night in hopes that this would be a better time for him to fly. He did magnificent going through airport security and even stood still while I had to be scanned by the TSA person. We had about an hour before our flight which gave me some time to see how he would do in the terminal. He did fairly well. There was a baby that was close by with her mom and other family members that kept wanting to come over to pet Mac and he handled her crying and all rather well. We boarded first and got settled. Mac fit perfectly in the bulkhead area just in front of our feet. He dropped off to sleep even while everyone was loading and wasn't bothered by them at all. I guess I must have dozed off as well because the next thing I remember was waking up and it was nearly halfway through the flight. Mac had panicked a bit during take-off and Daniel was trying to console him and keep him calm. His poor little puppy heart rate was through the roof! He finally calmed down a bit and decided that he would take treats which was good because it helped keep him occupied for the remainder of the flight. The return flight went better as we got some medicine for him to take beforehand, although he was still quite anxious during the flight. I am really hoping that the next time we fly he will be more used to the turbelence.
We enjoyed seeing everyone for the two weeks that we were there. The best part of the trip was having Mac with me. For the first time, we really had a chance to bond to one another. The hotel we stayed at was in the Sugar House district. Everything there is within walking distance of the hotel. Mac and I took walks to the park or to Petco nearly every morning. It was so nice to not have to worry about work or anything else. Dan usually accompanied us, but I did actually like the times I got to go by myself and just be with my puppy! We also had the opportunity to take some training sessions with Gateway for Canine Partnerships while we were there. We even made the news! That's a whole other story though that is too long to post here. The trainer we worked with is wonderful. While we were there they tested Mac on his Canine Good Citizenship test and he passed with flying colors! Lord only knows how because an hour later in the car he definitely was not acting like the same dog! Some days I do think he is bi-polar, LOL!
We went to the Gateway several times with Mac and I even went one time with my brothers for a shopping spree courtesy of Mike and Howard. I felt very lucky to have such wonderful brothers that waited on me hand and foot while in Coldwater Creek, which by the way is my new favorite store.
I didn't want our trip to end. It was so nice being there for almost two weeks and not really having anything that we absolutely had to do. The only thing we had to take care of was having a spinal tap done at the hospital. I can honestly say that I will never again have this done in my life! It was very painful and really didn't offer any insight to Dr. Schmidt as to why my legs still feel weak and why I can't seem to regain much more strength back than what I have. That being said, I'm glad we got to spend so much time with family and friends and just relax. I think I finally have Dan talked into moving to Utah because we both like the Sugar House area so much and it is really close to the hospital.
We got back and I immediately started work on paperwork needed to get Mac to be able to come with me to work. He has now been an official working dog for a month and a half. He picked up so many new skills while in Utah that I wanted to keep up his training as much as possible. He is with me nearly every day now. Everyone loves him at work and has the hardest time resisting their urge to pet him. He now has 100% profiecency in operating the push buttons for opening doors. That task really only took about a week for him to start learning consistently and as of todday he can and does do it for the most part without treats. He comes to work with me 3 days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and by Thursdays he is pretty worn out and it can be a bit harder to get him to do things. I'm so impressed though at what all he has learned. He now retrieves pretty much anything I ask him to pick up and get. He recently learned "keys" and knows to pick those up when I drop them. Today I taught him to help me take the sheets off the bed. This task will prove to be most useful among all the household tasks that I am teaching him. I now affectionately call him my "Saturday helper" because if he is really hungry then he'll do anything I ask just so he gets food. It is very cute to watch to see what he will pick up next and hand to me. He handed me a bottle of Frebeze last Saturday. He earned a big reward for that given how heavy it is. I am also teaching him how to carry things, especially the important items such as my Dr. Pepper bottle that I purchase on my breaks from the cafe and also his water dish. He now has carried that twice all the way to the fountain. Everyone loves watching him at work too.
Dan and I just had our fence built. Well, as of the date of this posting it isn't quite done even though I was assured by the contractor that it would be done by today. I'm hopeful that it will be done by tomorrow. We are trying to do as many household projects as we can to get the house ready to sell when we are ready to move. We still are unsure as to exactly when we are moving, but it will be within the next 6 months to a year is my hope.
Pixel is doing fine as well. She just had her first medical procedure done. She needed to have her teeth cleaned. She is still recovering a bit from the anesthia and where they had to shave her arm to put in the I.V. she looks a bit funny right now.
We are hoping to get out as much as possible this summer and hopefully have some visitors this summer. Anyone who wants to come to visit is more than welcome especially since this may be our last summer here!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Mac's big Saturday out
Okay, okay so I know I brag all the time about Mac, but today was such a great day I just had to share.
We started the day off at the vet to get his pre-flight checkup and make sure we had everything in line for the flight. He did so amazingly well this time at the vet. He is usually good at the vet, but of course has always been a bit rowdy going in and has had a hard time just relaxing especially if other dogs are in the waiting room. Now that he has his official vest though he just radiated with obedience for the most part in the waiting room. Everyone commented on how well behaved he is for his age. It made me feel good knowing that I've been doing well with his training despite still having to work (hopefully that won't be the case soon!). It's a good thing we went to the vet after our morning training session anyways. Someone (I won't say who..cough, cough *hubby*) left the hot dogs on the counter. Well I was distracted on the computer and Mac was in the living room I thought chewing on a chewbone....nope, he was downing 8 hot dogs! So needless to say he has had a bit of a tummy ache today too! The vet said he will be okay.
Then we went to Costco for a quick trip. Things went great at Costco. We came home for lunch and a bit of a break. Then we needed to go get my husband's haircut so we took him there too. When we first came in there were two little kids there with their mom and of course the first thing the little girl asked was if she could pet Mac. I told her that he was working right now but maybe in a few minutes. Her mom also tried to rein them both in. When we checked in for the haircut Mac was very good to the receptionist who of course thought Mac was very cute. I got him to do an "up" command and practice that for when he is ready to start handing things to cashiers and that went well. We went and sat down and I thought maybe having the kids come over would be a good idea to help socialize him to kids more. He really likes kids plus I was wanting to practice with some distractions. It went pretty well. The kids were a bit bratty. The little boy about drove me nuts! So I don't think I'll do that again. Mac did great though. He did a very good down, did some good eye contact with me when I did "watch me" and then actually fell asleep for a bit. I'm surprised he was able to with that kid being so talkative and walking back and forth. The one thing he did there and at Costco though was more of what I would call a neat sprawl. He was pretty close to the chair laying down, but definitely not in like a curled position. I worry still that his tail or paws are going to get stepped on. He curls up here at the house when he is really tired and I've been trying to reward that behavior, but I don't think he gets it as he is half asleep when I tell him good curl.
After the haircut we took Mac to a small field for some play time so he could run around and get some exercise. Then we went to the airport. Mac did very well. He had a slight bit of hesitation going in because stupid me forgot about the main thing you see at the Anchorage airport at the Delta terminal....a BIG STUFFED POLAR BEAR...as in the real kind! It's in this big glass case. It's like 9 feet tall, bearing teeth and kinda scary for just a regular person! Mac didn't bark, but you could definitely sense his stress level going a bit higher. So we side tracked that area for a few minutes, toured the rest of the terminal and got his stress level back down. He never barked once while there so that was a good sign. He was also very interested in the escalator so I did some sit/stay commands there to get him comfortable with that and then took him into the bathroom with me because I've not yet taken him into a public restroom. I figured he wouldn't like it because he doesn't really care for the bathroom at home as far as laying on the floor. It went okay after coming and going a few times. He was a bit unsure about being in the stall with me and doing a sit or down. I think he'll get used to it soon enough. Then we went and circled and got used to the polar bear and he was much better. He also did a very good under when my husband sat in one of the waiting chairs in the area. He got under the seat that they have there in the terminal areas so I think that's a good sign if we can get him to do that while waiting to get on the plane. I think going out there one or two more times and he'll be all ready for the airport. Luckily when we went tonight it wasn't busy at all. There weren't any flights coming in at all so it was nice and quiet. We'll go back tomorrow night when it is a bit busier to see how he handles it when it is more crowded. Monday we are doing our bus training and potentially going to the courthouse to see how he handles going through security. My brother is a TSA trainer and said that they are only suppose to do a visual inspection of the dog unless they have longer hair and then they get searched closer from what I understand from Mike's email.
I was just planning on us being there for a few minutes or so, but since it was fairly quiet and he wasn't really distracted we went with as much as he tolerated and then called it a night. The vet did say he wouldn't recommend any kind of tranquilizers or anything like that and that most dogs of his breed do very well on planes. I am wondering though if it would be okay to give him his allergy medicine? It makes him a bit drowsy so I thought maybe it might help him sleep on the flight? It does make him pretty thirsty and since I don't want him to need to drink that much during the flight I am thinking of just waiting till after the flight. I'm really excited now for the trip and I actually think he is going to do very well!
We started the day off at the vet to get his pre-flight checkup and make sure we had everything in line for the flight. He did so amazingly well this time at the vet. He is usually good at the vet, but of course has always been a bit rowdy going in and has had a hard time just relaxing especially if other dogs are in the waiting room. Now that he has his official vest though he just radiated with obedience for the most part in the waiting room. Everyone commented on how well behaved he is for his age. It made me feel good knowing that I've been doing well with his training despite still having to work (hopefully that won't be the case soon!). It's a good thing we went to the vet after our morning training session anyways. Someone (I won't say who..cough, cough *hubby*) left the hot dogs on the counter. Well I was distracted on the computer and Mac was in the living room I thought chewing on a chewbone....nope, he was downing 8 hot dogs! So needless to say he has had a bit of a tummy ache today too! The vet said he will be okay.
Then we went to Costco for a quick trip. Things went great at Costco. We came home for lunch and a bit of a break. Then we needed to go get my husband's haircut so we took him there too. When we first came in there were two little kids there with their mom and of course the first thing the little girl asked was if she could pet Mac. I told her that he was working right now but maybe in a few minutes. Her mom also tried to rein them both in. When we checked in for the haircut Mac was very good to the receptionist who of course thought Mac was very cute. I got him to do an "up" command and practice that for when he is ready to start handing things to cashiers and that went well. We went and sat down and I thought maybe having the kids come over would be a good idea to help socialize him to kids more. He really likes kids plus I was wanting to practice with some distractions. It went pretty well. The kids were a bit bratty. The little boy about drove me nuts! So I don't think I'll do that again. Mac did great though. He did a very good down, did some good eye contact with me when I did "watch me" and then actually fell asleep for a bit. I'm surprised he was able to with that kid being so talkative and walking back and forth. The one thing he did there and at Costco though was more of what I would call a neat sprawl. He was pretty close to the chair laying down, but definitely not in like a curled position. I worry still that his tail or paws are going to get stepped on. He curls up here at the house when he is really tired and I've been trying to reward that behavior, but I don't think he gets it as he is half asleep when I tell him good curl.
After the haircut we took Mac to a small field for some play time so he could run around and get some exercise. Then we went to the airport. Mac did very well. He had a slight bit of hesitation going in because stupid me forgot about the main thing you see at the Anchorage airport at the Delta terminal....a BIG STUFFED POLAR BEAR...as in the real kind! It's in this big glass case. It's like 9 feet tall, bearing teeth and kinda scary for just a regular person! Mac didn't bark, but you could definitely sense his stress level going a bit higher. So we side tracked that area for a few minutes, toured the rest of the terminal and got his stress level back down. He never barked once while there so that was a good sign. He was also very interested in the escalator so I did some sit/stay commands there to get him comfortable with that and then took him into the bathroom with me because I've not yet taken him into a public restroom. I figured he wouldn't like it because he doesn't really care for the bathroom at home as far as laying on the floor. It went okay after coming and going a few times. He was a bit unsure about being in the stall with me and doing a sit or down. I think he'll get used to it soon enough. Then we went and circled and got used to the polar bear and he was much better. He also did a very good under when my husband sat in one of the waiting chairs in the area. He got under the seat that they have there in the terminal areas so I think that's a good sign if we can get him to do that while waiting to get on the plane. I think going out there one or two more times and he'll be all ready for the airport. Luckily when we went tonight it wasn't busy at all. There weren't any flights coming in at all so it was nice and quiet. We'll go back tomorrow night when it is a bit busier to see how he handles it when it is more crowded. Monday we are doing our bus training and potentially going to the courthouse to see how he handles going through security. My brother is a TSA trainer and said that they are only suppose to do a visual inspection of the dog unless they have longer hair and then they get searched closer from what I understand from Mike's email.
I was just planning on us being there for a few minutes or so, but since it was fairly quiet and he wasn't really distracted we went with as much as he tolerated and then called it a night. The vet did say he wouldn't recommend any kind of tranquilizers or anything like that and that most dogs of his breed do very well on planes. I am wondering though if it would be okay to give him his allergy medicine? It makes him a bit drowsy so I thought maybe it might help him sleep on the flight? It does make him pretty thirsty and since I don't want him to need to drink that much during the flight I am thinking of just waiting till after the flight. I'm really excited now for the trip and I actually think he is going to do very well!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
It's a little late, but here's this year's Christmas letter
I didn't get our Christmas cards out in the mail this year like I wanted to and I am so mad especially since we have the best picture ever this year. So I am just going to post it here for everyone to read and enjoy (if you don't like it, blame Dan he wrote it!).
So without further ado u:
So without further ado u:
Twas the Friday before Christmas
And all through our home
All the creatures were stiring
while I tried to write this poem
Black and white fur was flying just past my head
with the cat finding safety on top of our bed
It seems that Mac had awoken from his short little nap
and thought to seek revenge from the last claw filled slap
Its difficult to write with such this clatter,
specially when you have to move to protect grey matter.
Just as pixel came in, she left in a flash
and with her, the dog ran out to continue the clash
Although not much happened in 2008 that I can name
However there is one event that unfortunately came
Buttercup passed away from us all, all too dang quick
The Feline Leukemia just had made her too sick
We got Mac to train as a service dog, just so you know
Although the puppy inside him still has some time to grow.
Guide books and trainers say this will take more then a year
I still say it could be shorter if we beat it through his rear.
Kristie and I are still doing the same old, old work
But hey, as the economy goes, a paycheck is still a nice perk
Maybe some day we will move where the snow no longer flows
but till then we're waiting to see where the market goes
I've ran all out of words and interested in this tale
and feel no need to continue until it is stale
So, as always, may your Christmas be jolly and bright
and to all our friends and family have a wonderful night!
And all through our home
All the creatures were stiring
while I tried to write this poem
Black and white fur was flying just past my head
with the cat finding safety on top of our bed
It seems that Mac had awoken from his short little nap
and thought to seek revenge from the last claw filled slap
Its difficult to write with such this clatter,
specially when you have to move to protect grey matter.
Just as pixel came in, she left in a flash
and with her, the dog ran out to continue the clash
Although not much happened in 2008 that I can name
However there is one event that unfortunately came
Buttercup passed away from us all, all too dang quick
The Feline Leukemia just had made her too sick
We got Mac to train as a service dog, just so you know
Although the puppy inside him still has some time to grow.
Guide books and trainers say this will take more then a year
I still say it could be shorter if we beat it through his rear.
Kristie and I are still doing the same old, old work
But hey, as the economy goes, a paycheck is still a nice perk
Maybe some day we will move where the snow no longer flows
but till then we're waiting to see where the market goes
I've ran all out of words and interested in this tale
and feel no need to continue until it is stale
So, as always, may your Christmas be jolly and bright
and to all our friends and family have a wonderful night!
Christmas 2008
Christmas at the Lent household this year was one of the best ever since we've been married. Christmas Eve we spent at mom and dad's for a few hours. I hadn't been feeling well since the day before so we took Christmas Eve easy so that Christmas Day I would hopefully feel better from my cold or whatever icky thing I came down with. We got home around 9 p.m. and worked on getting the rest of the house ready for Christmas morning. I still had a couple of presents of Dan's to wrap. I was also going frantic trying to find the present I had bought for my mom. We'd been looking for it all afternoon! Dan even went to several stores before we went to my parents just in case we needed a plan B gift. Yeah, funny thing...all the stores around here closed this year at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve! Yikes! Finally at around midnight we were ready to give up and go to bed....that's when it happened. Dan went to straighten out the sheets on the bed and found my mom's gift! Dan saves the day yet again :)
Christmas morning was so much fun this year, mainly because of the puppy. Mac did amazingly well. I had been training with him for the last couple of days to stay calmly on his mat when people came over and were at the house. He actually did it! He got a little nosy at first, but after we gave him his stocking treats he was happy as a clam and chewed on his rawhides and stayed out of the way while we opened gifts. Mom played Santa this year. Everyone got great gifts. Dan got me the wide-format printer I had been wanting for my scrapbook addiction. This way I don't have to spend as much money printing through Costco and can print out more pages than I usually do. Then he got me the one thing I didn't expect him to get at all (I already had figured out about the printer and knowing how expensive that is I didn't expect anything else from him). I got the new G1 android phone from T-Mobile! This is the best phone ever! It has more internet capabilities than any other phone I've seen or had. It can display 4 different browser windows/tabs at once on the screen. It has an application where I can scan a barcode using the camera and it will bring up where else you can by that item and at what price. I can go on and on about this phone! Mom and dad got me the IRobot Roomba too! We've used it a bit this morning and so far I'm impressed. It's charging right now so tomorrow will be it's first run for the whole house. The dog and cat are a bit leary of it which is funny.
Dan, mom and dad had some surprise gifts as well. Dan got Guitar Hero 3 and Wiifit from "Santa" which so far he seems to love...at least Guitar Hero. He played it so much Christmas afternoon that his eyes started to blur. Wiifit is hopefully going to be a great exercise motivator for him as well as me if we can figure out how to get me to use the balance board. My mom got a pretty jade necklace from us and my dad got a new power drill which is apparently one he didn't have and "needed"...LOL! Mom also got him a stationary bike which he was very surprised by and really wanted so he can continue his therapy from his hip surgery. Since they can't use their treadmill anymore we are going to take it off their hands and turn it into a doggie treadmill for Mac.
Dan and I went back down to mom and dad's for Christmas dinner. We had some very yummy turkey that Dad picked out. Apparently if you buy a fresh and not frozen turkey a day before Christmas it turns out very tender and juicy. Some of the best turkey I've had. Mom made her famous dressing that I could just live off of! She's going to finally teach me how to make it....yay! We had some candied sweet potato souffle (however that's spelled), mashed potatos and rolls. For dessert we had the chocolate cherry cheesecake Dan made for me for my birthday. It was the best homemade cheesecake I've ever had! We were talking last night about how he can go into business being a pastry chef or at least specializing in cheesecake! For my birthday I got more gifts from mom and dad...yay! I got some pretty new clothes and accessories and a very nice new jacket with a fur hood that is very warm. That will definitely come in handy up here!
Dan took me to see Marley and Me for my birthday. We were going to go see The Curious Case off Benjamin Button, but the theatre showing that was very packed at 7 p.m. so we tried the other theatre. I'd been wanting to see that one anyways for my birthday. It was a very good movie and despite the ending I would recommend it to anyone who is a dog lover. There were so many scenes that reminded me of Mac! I can say though that Mac is much more behaved than Marley is!
So that's the Christmas report from the Lent home. Pictures will be added when I can get them all sorted.
Christmas morning was so much fun this year, mainly because of the puppy. Mac did amazingly well. I had been training with him for the last couple of days to stay calmly on his mat when people came over and were at the house. He actually did it! He got a little nosy at first, but after we gave him his stocking treats he was happy as a clam and chewed on his rawhides and stayed out of the way while we opened gifts. Mom played Santa this year. Everyone got great gifts. Dan got me the wide-format printer I had been wanting for my scrapbook addiction. This way I don't have to spend as much money printing through Costco and can print out more pages than I usually do. Then he got me the one thing I didn't expect him to get at all (I already had figured out about the printer and knowing how expensive that is I didn't expect anything else from him). I got the new G1 android phone from T-Mobile! This is the best phone ever! It has more internet capabilities than any other phone I've seen or had. It can display 4 different browser windows/tabs at once on the screen. It has an application where I can scan a barcode using the camera and it will bring up where else you can by that item and at what price. I can go on and on about this phone! Mom and dad got me the IRobot Roomba too! We've used it a bit this morning and so far I'm impressed. It's charging right now so tomorrow will be it's first run for the whole house. The dog and cat are a bit leary of it which is funny.
Dan, mom and dad had some surprise gifts as well. Dan got Guitar Hero 3 and Wiifit from "Santa" which so far he seems to love...at least Guitar Hero. He played it so much Christmas afternoon that his eyes started to blur. Wiifit is hopefully going to be a great exercise motivator for him as well as me if we can figure out how to get me to use the balance board. My mom got a pretty jade necklace from us and my dad got a new power drill which is apparently one he didn't have and "needed"...LOL! Mom also got him a stationary bike which he was very surprised by and really wanted so he can continue his therapy from his hip surgery. Since they can't use their treadmill anymore we are going to take it off their hands and turn it into a doggie treadmill for Mac.
Dan and I went back down to mom and dad's for Christmas dinner. We had some very yummy turkey that Dad picked out. Apparently if you buy a fresh and not frozen turkey a day before Christmas it turns out very tender and juicy. Some of the best turkey I've had. Mom made her famous dressing that I could just live off of! She's going to finally teach me how to make it....yay! We had some candied sweet potato souffle (however that's spelled), mashed potatos and rolls. For dessert we had the chocolate cherry cheesecake Dan made for me for my birthday. It was the best homemade cheesecake I've ever had! We were talking last night about how he can go into business being a pastry chef or at least specializing in cheesecake! For my birthday I got more gifts from mom and dad...yay! I got some pretty new clothes and accessories and a very nice new jacket with a fur hood that is very warm. That will definitely come in handy up here!
Dan took me to see Marley and Me for my birthday. We were going to go see The Curious Case off Benjamin Button, but the theatre showing that was very packed at 7 p.m. so we tried the other theatre. I'd been wanting to see that one anyways for my birthday. It was a very good movie and despite the ending I would recommend it to anyone who is a dog lover. There were so many scenes that reminded me of Mac! I can say though that Mac is much more behaved than Marley is!
So that's the Christmas report from the Lent home. Pictures will be added when I can get them all sorted.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Nothing too new, but figured I'd write something
So it's been over a month since I've written any new blogs. November was a fairly uneventful month so I really had nothing new or exciting to post. It's mid way through December and we are gearing up for Christmas, or at least trying to. This past Saturday we had family pictures taken with Mac (for those that are reading this for the first time Mac is the new dog). Mac also got to have his picture taken with Santa. He's not quite sure what to think of Santa, but was happy that he got treats for being such a good boy.
Dan was suppose to go out of town on his first business trip at the beginning of December, but due to weather it got canceled. I think the Lord was trying to tell us something because that same week he started getting sick. My back and legs also have been getting weaker and around Thanksgiving time they started getting really weak and I started to fall more again. So I guess you could say it was a good thing Dan didn't go out of town. The last few weeks seem to be one doctor's appointment or another for someone in our family. This past week there's been doctor's appointments for either me, Dan or the dog. It's been kinda nuts. Dan still isn't feeling too hot and now has a sinus infection. The neurologist still does not have a clue as to what is causing my leg weakness and wants to send me back down to Utah so I'm just waiting to hear back from him to see what the next step there will be. The latest update is a CAT scan that was done last week didn't show anything too new other than the start of degenerative disk disease at L4-5 which could be the reason for some of my lower back pain I've been having since April. If I do have a tethered cord or anything like that, they might have to do a spinal tap to make sure because the CAT scan isn't showing it. The neurologist doesn't want to do that until hearing from the neurosurgeon first since it is a fairly painful procedure.
Our poor puppy is on lots of medication right now. We took him to the vet on Tuesday after our doctors' appointments and he had a whole workup done. They did skin scrapes again to check for mites which they finally found this time so he is on medication for the next month for that. I am really hoping that it helps clear up his poor little face where he has been losing hair. He also has a small yeast infection. The vet has no idea how that happened and said it's rare to have that and mites at the same time. She gave us these medicated wipes (Dan calls them stride-x pads) to rub over his face and neck and any other effected area. He also has to take his allergy medicine again. Poor Mac really doesn't like the medicated wipes but at least he takes his meds like a good puppy. I think so far the allergy meds and the medicated wipes are helping. He just started on the other medicine for the mite problem tonight so we have to watch him closely for side effects from that.
That's pretty much it. I just figured I would ramble a bit since I have a few people who actually read what I write. More to come as we get closer to Christmas and my birthday!
Dan was suppose to go out of town on his first business trip at the beginning of December, but due to weather it got canceled. I think the Lord was trying to tell us something because that same week he started getting sick. My back and legs also have been getting weaker and around Thanksgiving time they started getting really weak and I started to fall more again. So I guess you could say it was a good thing Dan didn't go out of town. The last few weeks seem to be one doctor's appointment or another for someone in our family. This past week there's been doctor's appointments for either me, Dan or the dog. It's been kinda nuts. Dan still isn't feeling too hot and now has a sinus infection. The neurologist still does not have a clue as to what is causing my leg weakness and wants to send me back down to Utah so I'm just waiting to hear back from him to see what the next step there will be. The latest update is a CAT scan that was done last week didn't show anything too new other than the start of degenerative disk disease at L4-5 which could be the reason for some of my lower back pain I've been having since April. If I do have a tethered cord or anything like that, they might have to do a spinal tap to make sure because the CAT scan isn't showing it. The neurologist doesn't want to do that until hearing from the neurosurgeon first since it is a fairly painful procedure.
Our poor puppy is on lots of medication right now. We took him to the vet on Tuesday after our doctors' appointments and he had a whole workup done. They did skin scrapes again to check for mites which they finally found this time so he is on medication for the next month for that. I am really hoping that it helps clear up his poor little face where he has been losing hair. He also has a small yeast infection. The vet has no idea how that happened and said it's rare to have that and mites at the same time. She gave us these medicated wipes (Dan calls them stride-x pads) to rub over his face and neck and any other effected area. He also has to take his allergy medicine again. Poor Mac really doesn't like the medicated wipes but at least he takes his meds like a good puppy. I think so far the allergy meds and the medicated wipes are helping. He just started on the other medicine for the mite problem tonight so we have to watch him closely for side effects from that.
That's pretty much it. I just figured I would ramble a bit since I have a few people who actually read what I write. More to come as we get closer to Christmas and my birthday!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Grandma's 90th Birthday Party
Today was Grandma Drury's 90th birthday. Almost the whole family was there! I think there was only about 7 out of 22 grandkids missing from the big event. I finally got to meet my great aunt Luana who I've not ever really met I think. It was great to see lots of family that I haven't seen in quite awhile as well. We took tons of pictures so as soon as I get to it those will be up.
The big hit of the night was the scrapbook that I had made for her. I of course can't take all the credit for how beautiful it turned out. Thanks to my husband, my Aunt Marva sending me pics, my mom having lots of pics and about 10 or so wonderful ladies from around the world and the USA putting the pages together! The book came out better than I could have ever dreamed! When I was presenting it to Grandma and told her that she couldn't cry otherwise she would have me crying to she said she couldn't because her tear ducts weren't able to produce tears anymore. As soon as I gave it to her though and she started looking through it she did start to cry some! She was very very touched by the book and couldn't believe how many of you made it possible!
The book was such a big hit people were practically wrestling each other to get a look at it! Dan's BYU page was definitely one of the highlights (you'd have to understand how much our family is big on BYU to really understand). Each and every page though was very special and brought about new memories as I sat with Grandma listening to her recount her memories of each picture. Everyone definitely wants a copy now! Everyone has also told me that I should go into business doing this professionally now! I don't know how I could ever do such a book all by myself so if anyone of you that helped out is interested, let me know...we are seriously contemplating it!
The youtube video will be up as soon as we can recover!
The big hit of the night was the scrapbook that I had made for her. I of course can't take all the credit for how beautiful it turned out. Thanks to my husband, my Aunt Marva sending me pics, my mom having lots of pics and about 10 or so wonderful ladies from around the world and the USA putting the pages together! The book came out better than I could have ever dreamed! When I was presenting it to Grandma and told her that she couldn't cry otherwise she would have me crying to she said she couldn't because her tear ducts weren't able to produce tears anymore. As soon as I gave it to her though and she started looking through it she did start to cry some! She was very very touched by the book and couldn't believe how many of you made it possible!
The book was such a big hit people were practically wrestling each other to get a look at it! Dan's BYU page was definitely one of the highlights (you'd have to understand how much our family is big on BYU to really understand). Each and every page though was very special and brought about new memories as I sat with Grandma listening to her recount her memories of each picture. Everyone definitely wants a copy now! Everyone has also told me that I should go into business doing this professionally now! I don't know how I could ever do such a book all by myself so if anyone of you that helped out is interested, let me know...we are seriously contemplating it!
The youtube video will be up as soon as we can recover!
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