A Boy and his Toy

My new source of entertainment: Garrett throws toys out of the yard, and Mogley brings them back into the yard...almost before they hit the pavement. Its frustrating for Garrett, trying to keep the grass alive and all but downright hilarious for me. What can I say, I'm easily amused.

Relaxed

Munch is totally loving his new backyard...so much so that's its getting him into trouble. Garrett doesn't want the dogs racing around the yard until the grass has a chance to attach and Munch is pretty sure that our yard is the doggie version of Nascar so as you can imagine, we have problems.

Relief

So ever since we bought the hot tub, I have been having severe mental conflict about what I was going to do with it...how was I going to make this thing look better. Garrett thought I should paint it but I have been skeptical. I was thinking that re-staining it would be more appropriate but I wasn't sure that it would even look good after I was done. You see, the people that owned it before us were not the best of handymen because rather than just shoot some nails through the wood slats, they tried glue which was a horrific idea and left the tub aesthetically scarred. I didn't think stain would fix all the problems. Sooo, I went with paint and I must say, I am pleasantly surprised. I think it looks great. I have only done one coat and it will need at least one more, but all in all, I am really happy with the way its turning out.

BEFORE

AFTER

Finally, a Yard

Thank you jesus, we have a yard. The green grass looks so much better than the dirt, go figure. The dogs love it because its new and soft. I love it because its pretty and the dogs don't get filthy every time they go outside. Garrett loves it because he doesn't have to hear me complain that the dogs are filthy AGAIN and if I have to clean up one more giant dog print off the kitchen floor there will likely be a doodle up for adoption...oh yeah, he likes it cause its pretty too.

Betrayal

...And this would be Mogs, right after he learned of Munch's plot to sell him on Ebay. Mogley has such a good heart, really he does. He loves that little french jerk more than anything else in this world. Mogley would totally give Munch a kidney if he had to and the only thing Munch would ever give him is a shove into oncoming traffic or perhaps a ride to the pound.

Budgets

This is the look of a very concerned Munch. This picture was taken right after I told him his father was spending all of our hard earned money on the yard, YEAH THE ONE THAT CONSISTS OF DIRT, and we were going to have to cut back somewhere and the cutbacks were likely to affect him and he may be having to switch from Eukanuba to Ol' Roy. I just wanted to let him know. He then suggested we sell the Doodle on Ebay for some extra cash. Such a thrifty little guy.

Rainbows

Garrett and I spent our entire weekend putting in a new sprinkler system. The fun times just seem to never end in the Kener house. I was hoping to sip cocktails in the hottub while Garrett worked on the sprinklers but my plan failed. Garrett said filling the hottub would likely cause a crack in the concrete so instead of handing me a cocktail, he gave me gloves...and a shovel. I was duped.

Anyway, on one of our MANY MANY trips to that horrible place they call Home Depot, I was able to catch a glimpse of this fabulous rainbow...you don't see too many of those around here. It was really pretty awesome outside and for a second, it took my mind off of freaking out about the fact that I actually know what a 1 inch to 3/4 inch reducer is AND I KNOW WHICH BOX AT HOME DEPOT TO FIND THEM IN. My life is now officially LAME.

My Family

Me: Are they ready for us?

Garrett: Don't you mean ready for the dogs?

Me: No us. I want us to stamp our hands too.

Garrett: Do we have to?

Me: Why are you embarrased because those men outside doing the concrete will think you're totally lame?

Garrett: Yeah.

Me: Haha. Yes you have to or I'm not writing a check.

Garrett: Well I could get a new checkbook and write one myself.

Me: Fine, I'm telling everyone that you sing the "My Buddy" song (you know the one...My Buddy, My Buddy, Where ever I go, you're gonna go...My Buddy, My Buddy, My Buddy and Me" only you sing it to Munch and replace the word "Buddy" with "Munchie." Now we'll see who thinks you're totally lame...EVERYONE!!

Garrett: I'll go see if they're ready for us.

After

TaDa! Here it is. I think it turned out great, even better than expected. We have to wait a couple days before we can drop a hot tub on it, so I'll just try to enjoy it as is...which is somewhat difficult. For me, it's kinda like visiting the Grand Canyon. Yep there it is, awesome, now lets do something else...hottub anyone?

Before

In the quest to see exactly how much money 2 people can spend in one month, we are having a really large patio put in today. Here is the before picture...pretty pathetic isn't it? I'll post some "after" pictures tomorrow, complete with Munch and Mogley's paw prints.

New Bike

Introducing the 2009 Trek Top Fuel 9.8 WSD, my new mountain bike. Well I don't have it yet, but it's ordered and I've paid for 1/2 of it. It probably won't show up until February-ish but thats fine...race season doesn't start until April. Isn't it lovely? I'm pretty excited about it. I love the look of it...good job Trek! After years and years of producing crappy, ugly bikes just because you can, you have finally got your shit together. The carbon fiber frame and sexy pink/black color scheme make me smile. I love the fact that these things are still made in the USA. My pink Yeti was the last year for the Yeti's to be made in the U.S. Now they're made in Taiwan so the novelty of owning a Yeti has kinda worn off for me. I'm ready for something new.

Holy Hottub

So we are now the proud owners of a hottub. It's definitely used but it works, doesn't look too terrible and only cost us $300. I've been wanting one since we moved into our house, so I'm pretty excited. As you can see from the picture, its currently sitting on a trailer in my driveway, doing me absolutely no good, but all in good time. The inside is perfect, so I think it will look good as new with a coat of paint to the outside, I'm thinking a funky green. The new patio is supposed to be poured on Wednesday, so maybe, just maybe (but I'm definitely not getting my hopes up) we can use it this weekend. Garrett mentioned something about working on the sprinklers this weekend and I'm not feeling very confident that my SAD FACE and sigh did the trick to make him reconsider. We'll see.

Anyway, so this weekend was very labor intensive, preparing the backyard for a hottub, I mean patio. Saturday morning we got up, went for a 5 mile run, filled a truck full and trailer full of crap and went to the dump, one of Garrett's very favorite things to do. I'm not sure if my favorite part is the horrible smell (Garrett's truck does not have a functioning a/c so we get to ride with the windows open) or the blood sucking flies. Toss up. So after unloading all our garbage, we headed back home to attach the trailer to the 4Runner so we could go pick up our new (new to us) hotttub from ParkCity. This is the part where things get tricky. Garrett measured the trailer and we realized it was about 4 inches shy of being wide enough. Super. After some thought, Garrett's idea was to prop it on some 2x4's and strap it down. It worked, thank god, but I'm not going to lie and say I didn't cringe the entire way home, waiting for the hot tub cover to launch off or the hottub to slide right off the back. Luckily, we made it home safely.

Sunday sucked. Garrett and I spent the ENTIRE day putting in window wells. You see, almost a year ago, when we dug out the windows, we never bothered to put in the wells. Not so smart and we payed the price for our laziness yesterday. My husband bought the window wells on Friday and decided to go with the 4 foot deep wells, not the 3 foot ones as discussed. So not only were they $20 more per well, but that meant some very serious digging and pickaxing. The wells are 4 foot deep and they have to sit a foot under our windows so you can just imagine a very deep hole. After the holes were dug, we had to screw them into our concrete foundation. I didn't do all that much for this part, but I was an essential part of the process, the hander of tools. I think I did a fantastic job and as in normal Brittany fashion, managed to burn my hand on the drill bit. After they were screwed in, it was back to Home Depot for gravel. We put gravel in the wells and had to back fill the holes. I'm trying to see the bigger picture here...see the weekend as productive but I'm having a hard time today, well my sore body is anyway.

Haircuts

After over an hour of fighting and frequently taking the lord's name in vain, this is how Mogley's haircut turned out. We borrowed some friends' dog clippers and gave dog grooming our best shot and I think after this experience I have a very deep respect for dog groomers across the nation. The way they can take our furry loved ones, and have the patience not to ring their necks is really quite admirable.

Happily Ever After

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read this if you plan to read"Breaking Dawn." It will totally ruin it for you. I've been waiting a while to post this to give people plenty of time to finish it.

I have mixed feelings about this book for sure. While I really enjoyed the read, maybe even the most out of this entire series, the ending made me want to bang my head in the wall. Lets start with the vast majority of the book.


This epic long book was a fast read for me. Stephenie Meyer really dumbs it up for us so even if you're not paying the closest of attention, you still totally get what's going on. So cheers to her...I can officially read while watching TV. Anyway, I enjoyed the fact that there was a lot of different things going on in the book, meaning there were not chapters and chapters of the musings of an undecisive, hormonal teen. Meyer really sped things up and did a great job of keeping my attention. While it did keep my attention, the happenings were a little bit ridiculous...a mortal getting pregnant by a vampire, a baby chewing its way out of its mother's womb, an adult werewolf falling in love with an infant...now that I'm writing this, I can hardly believe I enjoyed it. But back off, it was good.


Now the bad part, the ending. Some people thought the ending was perfect and I do give her credit for tieing up all the loose ends. But for me, it was way to Disney movie-ish. For so much drama going on, everyone being near death at so many points, it was just too happy an ending for my tastes. Call me horrible but I was really hoping someone would die...at least one person. I don't think I'm being negative, I think I'm just trying to be real because you know vampires and werewolves are totally real.

The Little Jerk

So it's official. Mogley is now staying at home, free from the confines of his prison (cage). We decided one day about 2 weeks ago to give it a shot. Not because I suddenly felt trust that he wouldn't destroy the house, but because he was becoming WAY too big for the cage and I was trying to avoid spending $100+ dollars on a new one. One day I think he'll thank me for being such a cheapo. So far, he's doing really well.

Except I know there is a war going on while I'm gone, a war of the rawhides. Mogs loves bones, always has. Munch has never given them the time of day...he's much to sophisticated to sit around and chew some stupid bone, I mean there is a house to protect here people. Since the addition of Mogs to our house, Munch has decided that rawhides are the shit, and he doesn't want to go another day without them. Only he doesn't chew them. Nope. He takes more pride in sitting on them...stashing them away in his couch corner and parking his butt on top of them. While I wouldn't consider this normal behavior, I find it fitting for him. So here's the problem: I've been coming home to perfect rawhides, completely unchewed...which I know would be completely impossible had Mogley been given one second with one. So here is what I figure: the little jerk is hoarding them while we're gone...sitting on them so they can't be chewed which is bad for Mogley b/c that would give him something to do all day and bad for me because he just may decide to chew the legs off the coffee table instead. Quite the predicament.

Thank You Jesus

So today, after 2 horrible weeks of a leg rash that makes me want to scratch my skin off, I think I have an answer. I went to see a dermatologist which is exactly what I should have done in the first place. I know better than to trust the diagnosis of a family practice doctor, but I did it anyway. The creams, the sleeping pills, the antihistamines were not doing the trick and when the doctor suggested I come in for a blood test, I decided to go a different route. I feel like a blood test is something they do when they have absolutely no idea what is wrong with you.

So yesterday I called the dermatology office and begged for them to see me. She said she could get me in on the 16th of September and I assured her that by that time I would be a sleeping pill addicted alcoholic so hopefully they could just try and pencil me in. They did. Anyway, she said I have "foliculitis"...an infection of my hair folicles. I wanted to hug her but I resisted. An answer at last. I desperately need to get better. Give me pain anyday but this itching has got to go. I'm on a really strong antibiotic and a $40 foam so hopefully this will do the trick. Once it gets better, I'm making an appointment for laser hair removal on my legs b/c I just can't go through this crap again. EVER. So, DEAR GARRETT: PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PROCEDURE IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND I MIGHT DIE IF I DON'T DO IT. WELL MAYBE NOT DIE, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO START BUYING WINE BY THE BARREL IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET SOME SLEEP AT NIGHT...AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR BARRELS IN OUR LITTLE HOUSE. LOVE - YOUR VERY DRAMATIC WIFE.

Olympic Withdraws

I am so sick of hearing about the upcoming election. In my opinion, it's a big joke and I think the candidates we have to choose from are an even bigger joke. I have no opinion on the whole matter, democrat vs. republican...it keeps me out of trouble. All I know is that our current president has done a piss poor job for 8 years...so bad that I don't think it matters who we pick, they will just not be able to repair what has been so badly broken. I think I'll just turn the tv off until November, its probably better for my brain anyway.


All this garbage on tv is really making me miss the Olympics. By Olympics, I mean Michael Phelps. I'm fairly certain I could spend an entire day watching his perfectly toned torso move ever so easily across the pool. His breaststroke was one of this year's greatest source of entertainment for me. Any dude who can pull off a speedo, and pull it off well, is a superhero in my book. A very very HOT superhero. I don't care about his big ears, I like them even... but I'm bias you could say...I have one very cute Frenchie with giant bat ears and I just can't seem to get enough of them. I think I took Mr. Phelps for granted, getting to watch him 1/2 naked every night right from my very own living room. I miss him. Come back.

Help

Mogley. He sure is cute, but my god, he's a mess. He's such a sweet guy and I know he means well, but sometimes, I just want to pack him a bag and send him on his way. I'm sure Munch would even part with a toy or two if it meant saying a permanent GOODBYE to the Doodle.

Lets start with his face. Immediately after going in the backyard (which is nothing but dirt now thanks to Garrett), he buries his face in the dirt. His cute little goatee is not so cute anymore when its dripping with mud. Lovely. Once he gets a dirty face, he comes in the house, submerges his face in his water bowl and manages to drip the dirty water over every square inch of our house. I get pissed that I have to clean up his mess AGAIN and Munch gets pissed b/c his water has massive amounts of dirt in it. I don't blame him.

Mogley is a walking broom. I know its not his fault, but he picks up everything in his fur...sticks, grass, leaves, TREE SAP and anything else he can get himself into. Due to his being enormous, I just don't see it all and I'm always wondering how the 6 inch stick made it into the house and god help me if I have to pick up another leaf.

Ahhh and my personal favorite are his stomach problems. He is a puppy and puppies generally eat everything they come into contact with, food or not. Mogs is no exception. I mean, you would think he'd learn after many a syringe full of Pepto, but no sir. If he's not pooing every hour, he's puking. I got out of bed just this morning to a giant, puking doodle. I really can't think of anything worse.

Anyway, I suppose he can stay, but I hope he becomes a lot less messy in the coming months. I'm pretty sure Munch would like to push him into oncoming traffic so he needs all the support he can get.

Sharing the Love

I'm normally not one to promote websites, but I just couldn't help myself. If you love shoes, this website has some serious smokin' deals: http://www.6pm.com/ Last week all Born shoes were $39.99 and now all Roxy shoes are 19.95...All of them. All in all, they have great deals on shoes so check it out, if you dare!

Will he ever learn to Love?

Some friends of ours had a 1 and 1/2 year old puppy that recently died. How sad. I guess he got pneumonia and just couldn't shake it. Poor little guy. Anyway, I heard their older dog is having a really tough time, feeling lonely and depressed and it got me thinking, would Munch feel that way if that had happened to Mogs?

The following conversation pretty much sums it up:

Me: Do you think Munch would be sad if Mogley just never came home?

Garrett: Are you kidding?

Me: No, seriously?

Garrett: If by sad, you mean, break dance in the living room, pop open a bottle of cheap champagne and send out invitations to the biggest and baddest party of the year...then yes, I think he would be heartbroken.

I think this is the truth. The sad, sad truth.

Labor Day, Literally

Random Updates:

Yesterday, I had a pathetic realization...we have 2 Mondays off a year, Memorial Day and Labor Day. 2 MONDAYS. That's it. And in Utah, it rains approximately 2 days a year. That's it. And do you know what else? This year it has rained both of those days...and I think only those days. Talk about bad luck. In Texas, you are used to these instances and can usually make the best of a rainy day since there are so many of them. In Utah, I feel like we just sit inside wishing it weren't raining...wishing there was something productive we could do. Another holiday down the drain.

Before the rain started, Garrett and I were able to get some work done in the yard. You wouldn't know it by looking at it, but we did. The soreness in my arms and shoulders tell me so. My upper body was not made to swing a pick axe, sorry Garrett. We did manage to get a lot accomplished. We got all the old sprinkler pipes dug out, cleared the yard of all the massive roots, which by the way, totally sucked. Next step: Rent a trencher to trench the lines for the new sprinklers. Oh boy, fun times ahead.

What else? Oh I have a rash. Isn't that lovely. I first developed a leg rash in Ireland, who knows what from. Just as it was starting to go away, I got stung by a wasp/bee like 5 times in 2 places. A couple days later, a rash broke out on my face. MY FACE!! I freaked out and immediately went to the worthless doctor who had absolutely no idea what was wrong with me. Well the next day my face was getting slightly better and the rash was now on my legs (this was this past Friday). Well I went back to the doctor and this guy said I had a bad case of hives, probably due to the stings. My face is cleared up but the rash on my legs is still there. I'm really annoyed at this point and just want it to go away. I can handle pain, no problem but itching blows. Thank god for sleeping pills...I guess the doctor is good for something.

Garrett's uncle died. Its his dad's brother-in-law. Garrett really doesn't know him but the funeral is in Salt Lake this Saturday and Garrett's dad is coming so we're going to support him. I really dislike funerals but I really love my husband and my Dad2, so I'm going. Aren't I all grown up and stuff?

My Mom had her 2nd round of Chemo yesterday. So far so good. She hasn't had any major symptoms yet, so it could be worse I suppose. I think she's going to do great. Not because of some godly miracle, but because she has a positive attitude and wants to get this over with. I'm very proud of her. Go Mom!

Garrett and I are slowly gearing up for ski season. Slowly because my wallet can only take so much. We're both sorta over biking and ready for the snow. I guess its a good thing we live in Utah and not Texas. Sometimes I feel like I would like to move back to Texas, other times I'm really glad I live in Utah, its really a beautiful, fun place...you just have to make the best of certain things.

I guess that's it. Wish I had more exciting stuff. I'll leave you with a picture of my adorable Munchie. His cuteness is exhausting. Really, I think I'll never get over it.