Very Unhelpful

Munch really enjoys himself when we rake the leaves. And I'm glad he's enjoying himself, because Garrett and I are usually annoyed. If he's not attacking the rake, he's blowing through our well groomed piles or my very favorite, peeing on them. Can I just say how nice it is to pick up a scoopfull of leaves still dripping in dog pee. Its lovely, very very lovely.

The Lone Star State

Thanksgiving week has arrived. Today is my last day at the only job I have known in Salt Lake. Tonight is the last night I get to spend with my pups until Sunday :( Tomorrow we arrive in Austin Texas for a week full of festivities. I can do this.

The husband and I had a nice weekend as usual. We mountain biked Saturday with our buddy Joe. After the ride, we went to our neighbors house to watch Utah beat BYU. While we're not Utah fans per say, I did want to see them kill BYU. That school creeps me out. Seriously. Anyway, it was a good game and I got to play with cute little Mazzie. Playing with babies is fun, especially when you get to give them back. Even Garrett did his fair share of bouncing. ha

Sunday Garrett and I maybe outdid ourselves a tad with a really long trail run. We're in pretty good shape but holy cow, it was still really hard. We took Mogs along for the run and he was such a good boy. He ran off leash the entire time, staying about 4 feet behind us. What a good little running buddy. Afterwards, we raked leaves for like the 400th time. Seriously, where do all these leaves even come from? Its absurd.

We're off to Austin tomorrow afternoon. It will be a nice break for us and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing everyone, but I must admit, I'm going to miss my boys...a lot. Poor Mogs, his first Thanksgiving as our pup, and we're leaving him. Oh well, such is life and he'll be in good hands. I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving!!

Funny Story

A recent telephone conversation:

Me: Garrett, bad news buddy, there is something alive...IN OUR BASEMENT...AGAIN!!

Garrett: What is it?

Me: I have no idea. I am not going down there. Whatever it is, it sounds mad and its scratching.

Garrett: What do you mean mad?

Me: Growling, squeaking....

Garrett: Shit. I'm coming home. (Garrett leaves work in a panic)

Me: I'm outta here. (I left the house)

ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER GARRETT CALLED ME

Garrett: I can't find anything in the basement. I'm down here with the flashlight and the dogs...I can't find anything, living or not living.

Me: Well I'm not crazy. There was most definitely something. Something very angry.

Garrett: Well I'll look again.

Me: Good Luck!!

ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER I GOT ANOTHER PHONE CALL

Garrett: (Laughing hysterically) I think I found your monster.

REWIND ONE DAY

Me: Garrett, have you seen the famous Shibu Inu puppy cam? Its live video feed, 24 hours a day.

WE PROCEED TO WATCH IT. WE LEAVE IT UP ON THE COMPUTER, WITH THE SPEAKERS BLARING ALL DAY SO WE DON'T HAVE TO MISS ONE MINUTE OF THE CUTENESS. WE FORGOT IT WAS ON.

BACK TO CURRENT DAY

Garrett: Yeah, you know that monster that I rushed home from work for...it was scratching, growling, yipping PUPPIES. Scary I know. (The monitor had shut off but the speakers were still blaring...anyone's mistake)

Here they are...monsters.

http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.45.swf?cid=317016

Catch Up Time

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. Its not that I didn't have anything to post about, its just that I haven't had the time. I'm sure it will be back to random thoughts and cute Munchie pictures in no time.
Here is what has been going on with me:
First of all, I got a new job. I wasn't really out looking for a new job...one just kinda presented itself to me. I'll be working for Black Diamond, a company whose gear already has a home at my house. We have their skis, their skins, their gloves (several pair), their poles, their ski packs and I think maybe even a headlamp or two. BD is a local Salt Lake company...they are known for their awesome skis and climbing equipment and its a company that is not terribly easy to get a "real" job at. So, when I got the job offer, I just couldn't turn it down. Its a whole new direction for me and I'm more than happy to not be a paralegal. There are lots of people that work there, most my age and almost all share my hobbies and way of life. I think it will be a fantastic opportunity for me to make some friends, a task that has been virtually impossible at Sinclair, with the exception of Hilary. They have some pretty sweet benefits...no dress code which means flip flops in the summer, Ugg Boots in the winter, and Miss Capezio cowboy boots in between. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be able to wear jeans to work. Hallelujah...a company that cares about the employees. Another cool thing is your dog can come to work with you. How fun! While I dont think I'll be taking Mr. Grumpo, I do think Mogs will really enjoy himself. Anyway, I start December 1st. Wish me Luck!!

This past weekend was really refreshing for me. New job on the horizon, the hard part of telling my current job I'm leaving was done, and a weekend full of beautiful, perfect weather was just what I needed. Saturday, we did some backcountry skiing up behind Alta with our neighbor Trevor. The weather was great and up high, the snow was pretty great too. Its always weird strapping skis on for the first time of the season, but I'm so looking forward to it this year. Later that night, we went down to the Salt Lake Fat Flake Festival. It was fun...had a beer, got our picture taken and I was suckered into buying a tshirt to support the Avalanche Rescue Dogs. Those guys, with their cute, life risking dogs could probably get me to buy just about anything. Marketing geniuses.

Sunday, the day after skiing, we rode our road bikes...in shorts. Again, the weather was perfect. We spent the rest of the day raking leaves, pulling weeds, moving flagstone and ended the night with some much needed hot tub time. See, my weekend was nice. Told you.

Thanksgiving is coming up quick. We're traveling to Austin, TX to spend Thanksgiving with the family. This is the first time since we've lived in Utah that we will not be in Moab for Thanksgiving. While Moab is always fun, I'm very much looking forward to seeing everyone, especially Carlyn...I haven't seen her since last Christmas. I think it will be fun times and I'm getting pretty excited. It will be here before I know it.

Awesome

Awesome comes in many forms. Today, Awesome comes to us in the form of boots. Vintage, 20 year old, Miss Capezio Butterfly boots to be exact. You see, I've wanted a pair of these for a long time...only I'm much too poor and can't afford the asking price of vintage cowboy boots that haven't been made in 20 years. Anyway, I recently found a pair on Craigslist in Lubbock, TX of all places and the lady really had no idea what she was holding on to. I felt like I was stealing from her...excellent condition, my size, my kind of price, but other people's ignorance really isn't my problem. So I sent her paypal with a grin on my face, happily paying the extra $2.50 she wanted to charge me for gas to go to the post office (what the hell, really).

Yesterday was such a gloomy day here in Salt Lake. The world got a little better for me when I pulled into the driveway after work and there was a boot sized box sitting on my doorstep. I hurried to open the box, like a little kid on Xmas and, I was not disappointed. Awesome hardly describes them and they fit really well. They were meant for me.

So, of course, when Garrett got home from work, I had them on. I cooked dinner in them, I watched tv in them, I really never took them off except to get in the hot tub and when I went to bed. I asked Garrett if he was going to be embarrased if these boots are all I wear from now on, with everything. He said he'll just worry about that if it becomes an issue. Well get worried Garrett, a life of embarrasment is ahead of you.

P.S. Garrett thinks they are awesome too.

Mogs runs a 5k

Saturday, Garrett, Mogs and me ran the Chasing Tail 5k. It was a pretty fun event for all of us, especially Mogs. I felt really bad that Munch couldn't come but I just don't think he could run that far...shhh, don't tell him I said that.

2007 Pink Yeti For Sale

I am selling my 07 Pink Yeti, size small. Here is a link to the ad we have on TMBRA. This bike has been awesome for me, but Garrett says its time for it to go. You know you want to buy it...I mean, who wouldn't want a pink bike?

Snow Day

So, yesterday it snowed all day. We got at least 6 inches at our house and Alta racked up 34 inches. We heard Snowbird is opening on Friday. That's just crazy. While I'm not quite ready for the full blown winter, mostly due to the fact that I have 8 dog paws to wipe everytime the pups go outside, the snow really is pretty.

Better Times

Its snowing outside...hard. I'm making an effort NOT to stick my head in the oven and am trying to think of brighter, happier thoughts. For one, ski season will be here before we know it. Second, hmmm, okay maybe there is only one good thing to come of this.


Even though it was like a month ago, I just got some pictures from 24 Hours of Moab. Jen, a girl on our bike team came down with a photographer buddy and the two of them managed to take some pretty good pics.

Me about to go out for a lap, dont I look thrilled?

My cute husband pushing my bike to the start tent
Focused

There's a smile, I must be almost done

Robin, Garrett, Me and Joe...please note my ski goggles

Our Team

Winter is Here

This is what I want to be doing today, lounging on the couch with a blanket. The weather has gone from nice to windy, rainy and cold all in a very short amount of time. Garrett and I got up at 5 this morning to take Mogs on a run. The weather was perfect. By the time I left the house for work, everything had changed. I think winter might be here and I don't think I like it.

Costume Contest Winner

While my tutu was extremely awesome, this little boy won the prize for cutest costume...hands down. Look at those cute little tusks, I didn't stand a chance.

WINNER

LOSER
Maybe next year.

Politics Smolitics

Can I just say that I am soooo glad the election is tomorrow. I'm sure people will still be talking about it, but good god, I hope they don't. We're Americans afterall and a week from now we'll be more interested in something else. (example: Michael Phelps who???) Anyway, this blog is not about politics and never will be. I just think people should get out and vote for the best candidate for them, whoever it is...that way, whoever it is, your voice will be heard and it will be over and we can move on with life. Garrett and I are voting for the candidates who care most about people like us and perhaps those less fortunate. So, do your duty, get out and VOTE!!

Halloween

Another Halloween has come and gone. We didn't really do too much, hung out at home and handed out candy. I wanted to dress up a little, so I made myself a tutu which I think turned out quite awesome. My goal for next year is to be prepared and really dress up. Dustin has said she will help me make a Poodle Skirt, a classic costume, not slutty in the least. And speaking of that, what's with the slutty costumes? It annoys the shit out of me, truly it does. Girls these days can turn anything slutty on Halloween....slutty bugs, slutty professionals, cheerleaders, slutty pirates, I could go on and on. I don't know, I just don't get it. Maybe someone can enlighten me. Anyway, here are some pics from our Halloween.

Injuries

Poor Munchie. Okay, poor me. Munch was not himself on Halloween so I was not fully able to enjoy watching him in his bat costume. He mostly layed on the couch. His foot procedure went well, but he was sorta out of it all night, hopped up on pain meds and such. The girls at the vet's office love little Munch and made a pumpkin for his cast. Adorable.

Happy Halloween

My poor little Munchie bat. He had to go into the vet this morning to have a fox tail removed from his foot. It was too deep and infected so he had to be sedated. Hopefully he will be feeling better by this evening so he can entertain us with his cuteness. He's going to make such a cute bat, not that Munch the bee or Munch the shark wasn't cute.

I love Halloween. It's such a fun holiday...grownups can dress like fools and no one cares, just for this one day. I'm not dressing up this year, but I did manage to make a Halloween tutu to wear over my jeans. Its better than nothing. 2 years ago today, Garrett asked me to marry him so that makes Halloween all the more special to me. Its my second favorite day ever, right after my wedding.

I hope everyone has a fun/safe Halloween. I'll be spending mine humiliting my dogs and truthfully, I can't think of anything better :)

Mood Swings

Munch is so happy sitting outside on one condition: A human is outside with him. I just can't understand his reasoning. He has so much fun running laps around the yard, rolling in the grass, eating mystery berries (don't worry, he's been doing this for years and he seems fine) and catching some rays. The second he's been left outside, he's banging on the gate and squealing like a little girl. The neighbors probably think we are dog abusers by the awful sounds he makes. And to him we probably are, putting him outside, in the yard, treating him like a dog and all. The nerve.

My Pumpkin

I didn't buy any new Halloween decorations this year. Hell, I didn't even buy a pumpkin. Who needs 'em when you have a dog rocking a pumpkin collar. He probably thinks he's off the hook with a costume this year. Not so my little bat, not so at all.

Another Monday

Weekend = Over. Me = bummed the weekend is over. Weather = awesome. Me = bummed I'm stuck inside my office enjoying the perfect weather from a window.

We had a really nice, relaxing, no committment weekend. Friday we had plans to go see the new Warren Miller movie, Children of Winter, but our cheapness changed the plans. When it came down to it, we just couldn't stomach the $44 it would have cost for the movie so we bagged it and had dinner at Stella Grill, one of our very favorite places.
Saturday we went for a mountain bike ride on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the trail was pretty empty. Following the ride, Garrett hung some shop lights in the garage while I cleaned it. Luckily for Garrett, the shop lights worked. Here's why:

Conversation from Thursday:

Garrett: I bought some lights from the auction, I hope they work.
Me: What? You bought broken lights, are you kidding me?
Garrett: Well I only paid $7
Me: Oh good, well I'm glad those broken lights were so cheap...thank goodness.
Garrett: Well they might work, they don't have plugs, they have to be hardwired.
Me: Well they better work, for the sake of your well being.
Garrett: Is that a threat?
Me: Absolutely. But actually, its more of a "I am now going to tell everyone that you bought broken shop lights from that damn junk auction"...the broken patio table story will be so 6 months ago.

So, even though I had HUGE doubts, the lights worked out well. Its not that I doubt my husband, its just that many of his wonderful auction purchases now reside at the Dump. I was expecting the lights would join them. I was wrong.

Saturday night we went to Brewvies for pizza, nachos, beer and a movie. Sounds pretty awesome, huh? We saw the Coen Brothers new movie "Burn after Reading." It's really similar to "Fargo", many of the same actors, same dark humor. I really enjoyed it and and would like to see it again. I think its one of those movies that is probably much more funny the second time around. Brad Pitt was really great in the movie, but isn't he always?

Sunday mornings are always lazy in my house. We drink coffee, hang out, play on the computer and usually, by noon, we get some motivation to change out of our pj's. By the looks of my dogs, it would seem they didn't just wake up from a full night of sleep. This Sunday, I managed to drag Garrett and Mogley out relatively early to go for a run. The weather was just too nice to sit inside. After, I went out and did a little shopping and Garrett worked around the house, doing some painting and more garage light hanging.

Here are some pics of the pups (and me) Sunday morning.

About Time

So, come April, Garrett and I will have been in our house for 3 years. I can't believe its been so long. Anyway, for 3 years we have had absolutely nothing hanging on the wall above our couch...it has looked so bare, but I could never find anything I thought would work with the rest of our home. I was at the Pecan Street Festival in Austin, TX a year ago and bought 2 posters, bright and colorful yet they have kind of a vintage feel. Garrett really liked them and I had them framed. They have been sitting, framed, on my basement floor for a whole year because I just wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. Then my Mom2 went to the Pecan Street Festival again this year and bought me a 3rd poster, and I had the idea to have it framed and put the 3 of them above the couch...they are all different sizes but I think it turned out great.

Supporting a Cause

For anyone who wants to participate in a 5k Fun Run, that does not benefit children, Garrett and I will be participating in the Squatters Chasing Tail 5k. Its not that I'm against fun runs benefitting children, its just that I don't have kids and would prefer to donate to a cause that I feel strongly about, cause lets face it, a 5k is hardly even worth the money so you might as well just consider it a charity. The registration is $20, your money goes to the Utah Animal Assisted Therapy Association, you get a cool Squatters Chasing Tail long sleeve tshirt and you get to bring your pups along for the run.

Speaking of pups...one little bulldog that I know is going to have the cutest costume for Halloween. I have been wanting to get him some bat wings for a couple years now, but apparently the Old Navy dog wings are in super high demand and extremely hard to come by. I have been outbid on Ebay 3 times for hell's sake. After they sold out online before I got a chance to purchase some and found nothing but empty racks in my local stores, I had all but given up. I started to worry that the Munch 2009 calendar just wouldn't be the same without a costume clad Munchie filling the page of October. So I decided to call all Old Navy stores within a reasonable driving distance asking them if by some miracle, they had bat wings in a size medium. Well I found a pair not too terribly far. I asked Garrett if I should spend the time/gas to drive for a pair of wings, wings our poor dog would likely hate. At first he said no, not worth it. Then after we thought about it more, we decided that our enjoyment from seeing Munch dressed up as a bat would be totally worth it so I went and got them. You'll have to wait for pictures, but I must say, it was definitely worth it.

Redemption

I really like this picture, to me it symbolizes change. Change is good. I feel like I'm needing a little change in my life right now so I'm just going to hope for it and we'll see what happens.

I'm so excited about this lovely Fall weather we're having. The 7 day weather forecast is very Pleasantville like, sunny with highs in the mid 60's. My weatherman has totally redeemed himself from all the bad news he delivered during our last, awful winter. A friend of mine who lives in Southern California informed me she was jealous of our seasons...I reminded her that I would be the jealous one come May when I was shoveling the effin snow off our driveway. Okay, watching Garrett shovel the effin snow off our driveway.

Yesterday, Garrett and I took Mogley on his first real run. I hope he enjoyed himself because he's almost a year old now and he needs to get his lazy butt off the couch. In other exciting Mogley news, I took the advice of Robin and purchased a Furminator for the doodle. It arrived yesterday and holy shit, I could totally make a doodle coat and scarf set from all the hair that came off of him. Using it is so rewarding and completely disgusting all at the same time. The furminator rocks, despite its rather hefty pricetag. And to all those breeders out there claiming doodles don't shed...liars, all of you.

To end, here is a picture taken in Millcreek Canyon, just as the sun was setting.

Millcreek Canyon

The weather in Utah right now is awesome. Fall brings the most beautiful colors and I finally get a chance to wear all of those fleece jackets I own. Yesterday, after work, Garrett and I took the dogs up Millcreek Canyon (about 5 minutes from our house) for a hike. The weather was perfect for the little Munchie, he ran full blast the entire time and not once did he fall over on the ground gasping for air. Munch runs fast, always about 50 feet ahead of us, annoyed when we yell at him to come back or wait. Munch has 3 distinct gears...stop, slow run and turbo. Mogs just trots along right in front of us, not wanting to get too far away. He only has one gear...poodle trot.

Cleaning Time

We had a very productive weekend, I must say. The house has never looked so clean, and not just visually clean, but really clean. My husband was such a trooper, helping with everything. And not that he shouldn't be helping, I mean, 1/2 the mess is his but he didn't complain once.

We cleaned cabinets and shelves and drawers and closets and everywhere else in between. It was spring cleaning in October. The back of my car is filled with donations, we have several items on ebay and I finally have sold my wedding dress...tear. I'm sad to see it go, but it will serve a better purpose being worn rather than hanging on my closet door. Doesn't this sound fun?

We did manage to do a couple fun things. Friday we went up to Park City to hang out and eat with Garrett's parents. Saturday morning, bright and early, Garrett and I headed over to the Black Diamond ski swap. For those who have never been, its basically a flea market for outdoor gear. We each picked up a new pair of Black Diamond gloves (we absolutely don't need new gloves, but couldn't turn them down for $5 a pair). Garrett bought a new bike saddle, yeah like we don't have enough of those, but that too, was too good a deal to pass up. Sunday morning we ran errands, rode our mountain bikes, and had dinner with Garrett's parents at Desert Edge, and a good meal was had by all.

I know everyone is totally jealous. Garrett and I are soooo FUN these days.