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.

Made my Day

This is a conversation that Garrett and I have ALL the time when he gets in my car:

Garrett: Brittany you are going to run out of gas.

Me: No I'm not, the gas thingy says 14 more miles and in the owner's manual it says that even when the gas thingy says 0, you still have 2 more gallons of gas. So even though it says 14 miles, its practially full.

Garrett: You shouldn't let it get this low, its not good for the car. You better not run this thing out of gas.

Me: Don't worry. I never have. I'm on top of things.

This is the conversation I had this morning when my husband called me not long after he left for work:

Me: Hello, what did you forget?

Garrett: Nothing. Guess what? I was almost to the gas station and I ran out of gas...so my truck is stalled in the road. (I hear honking)

Me: Wait, what? Do you mean to tell me that the gas nazi himself ran his truck out of gas?

Garrett: shut up.

Me: Just checking. I just wanted to hear it again. Wait, where's Mogley? Did you drop him off at Daycare already?

Garrett: No, he's in the truck.

Me: I'm embarrased for him. Poor little dude.

Sandblown

This past weekend, Garrett and I raced in the 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike race. This is our final and toughest race of the year, one we always look forward to. It's kinda the Disneyland of cycling for us. Moab is such a beautiful place, but one thing I've learned, the weather is either awesome or miserable. There is no in between. This year was WIND. As you could imagine, wind and sand are an awful combination. There was sand in our tent, our food, our ears, our mouths, our eyes, our car...pretty much everywhere. There were several instances where I was sure our tent was going to be launched across the desert, but it managed to stay put.

The Race:

So I raced 3rd on a team of 5...Garrett raced 5th. The race went well, we all got 3 laps in for a total team mileage of 225 miles in 24 hours. Not too bad. I really do like this race. It's just really hard to think that when you're having to wake up at 3 in the morning to go out on your mountain bike for a 15 mile lap. And its not just an easy, mindless pedaling type lap...it's technical and sandy and requires your attention at all times.

So, its officially over. This really marks the end of mountain bike season for us. I've got snow on my mind and am more than ready to break out my skis. Till next year Moab, it was fun. That's why I waited a couple days to post this, I wanted to put that last part. Had I posted right after the race, it may have been more like Fu#% this Sh*%, I'm never putting myself through that again. 24 Hours of Moab blows, literally.

Family

I have been playing around with some photos I took of my niece Alicia at her soccer game and I am now thinking of stealing her for a photoshoot. For some reason, I am all about the up close, in your face shots. They really say alot about the person. Isn't she the cutest?

Welcome to Moab

No matter how many times I have been to Moab, the scenery is always just as breathtaking as the last. The wind was torrential, the sand was everywhere, I didn't get to shower for 3 days, I didn't sleep for 2 nights and I had to wear a five year old's ski goggles, but man, it sure is pretty.

Us

I'm always posting pictures of my pups, so just to mix it up a bit, here's a pic of the husband and me. I know we're not as cute as Mogley and Munch, but our mom's read this blog and they will appreciate a decent picture of us that does not involve spandex, helmets and tires.

Work It

As I'm sure everyone knows all too well, our economy has gone to crap. Gas prices are off the charts and it seems that even going to the grocery store these days will break the bank in no time. We're not getting adequate raises but we are expected to pay more for EVERYTHING. Lovely how that works. In an effort to keep my family afloat, I have informed Munch he is going to have to start pulling his weight. I mean, one should not have the luxury of expensive cheese and unlimited dog biscuits and expect to do nothing for it. I have proposed modeling or acting, an easy way to make a quick buck if you ask me. We did his profile shot and I think it turned out quite nice. We're on our way, I just know it.

Oh he cares

This is Munch laying within "striking" distance of Mogley's new prized possession. Notice the size of the ball and notice of the size of Munch's mouth. It is almost impossible for him to even pick that thing up so he usually just pushes it around with his nose. He's trying to act like he doesn't care about that big red ball, but Oh, he cares. He doesn't fool me.

Red Ball

See this red ball...we didn't buy it. Nope, Mogley has taken after his brother, become quite the toy thief. This particular ball belongs to our neighbors and was sitting on the other side of our back fence. Mogs managed to dig a little trench, just big enough to get the ball through. While I generally don't condone stealing, I figured it would be pretty rotten of me to throw it back over the fence...you know, after he worked so hard to steal it and all.

Weekend Storms

I had such a great weekend. Sure it got cold. Sure it rained the entire weekend. BUT I HAVE A HOT TUB! A HOT, WORKING, BEAUTIFUL $300 HOTTUB. As you can imagine, I spent most of my weekend lounging in that baby. I realize it's a novelty thing and the awesomeness will likely wear off, but right now I can't get enough. Friday was the big day...just a little bit more wiring needed to be done and chemicals needed to be bought. Garrett flipped the breaker and WA-LA! He has officially fulfilled my hottub wish and managed to score some major points. Maybe I'll stop harassing him about the kitchen floor...ummm, maybe not.

Well it was a great weekend for a new hottub, rainy and cold. Garrett and I (me definitely more) spent a good majority of the weekend in that thing. We're bound and determined to get our money's worth and we're loving it so much we're wondering why it took us so long to get one in the first place...except then we remember we're broke now and know exactly why it took us so long to get one.

Update: Still no Hottub

Who knew that getting a hottub up and running took so long? For whatever reason, I thought you just brought one home, plugged it in and away you go, soaking all your troubles away. Not the case. Not the case at all. Garrett is telling me maybe today so I'm taking that as definitely today because you don't just tell someone who has been waiting for a hottub for 3 years "maybe today." Unless you are sure its today, that would be just plain mean.

Last night we went to Brewvies. While we have talked about going there many times, we just never have. Maybe its because Garrett has absolutely no interest in doing something fun. Nah, it couldn't be that. Anyway, it was pretty cool. They have really decent beer specials during the week and the food was surprisingly good. We went to watch Powderwhore, a benefit movie for the Utah Avalanche Center. You know the kind of movie...loud music and crazy ski bums. All in all, it was a fun night...we missed you Robin.

Well the dog days of summer are now officially over. Tomorrow its supposed to snow in the mountains and just be freakin cold down here in the valley. While I'm looking forward to ski season, I would like to enjoy a pleasant fall, with nice weather, pretty colors, etc. since we were completely robbed of spring. Our spring consisted of snow, cold and me having horrible thoughts about the local weather man. I realize our unfortunate weather is not his fault, but somehow it makes me feel better to blame someone.