7 Happy Years. . .

Well, 7 years ago today Dave and I were getting ready for our wedding. I had already moved all my things into Dave's home (and Dave was living with his parents.) Spencer and Heather came from New York and were staying at our home in Springville with me. I was in the guest room and Spencer's family had the upstairs. It was great to see all my family that weekend. What a marvelous time!

Looking back to 7 years ago I couldn't have imagined the crazy twists and turns our life would take. It really has been an amazing and happy time.

Then:





Now:



Our anniversary is on Sunday, but we will be going out tonight. We have tickets to the symphony. Here is the program:

Geroges Bizet - Carmen: Selections from Suites No. 1 & No. 2
Mark Adamo - Four Angels: Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky - Pulcinella

Keith Lockhart returns to conduct two brilliant works: Bizet's Carmen Suites and Stravinsky's witty Pulcinella. You'll also enjoy Adamo's beautiful and virtuosic Harp Concerto.

I am looking forward to it, we also plan on a nice meal downtown and that always helps make a perfect evening.

It has just been a busy and lovely week, this will be a great ending.

Last night was Book group and it was so much fun, we ended up with 12 ladies and I think everyone had a great time. I know I did :) I just have the most marvelous neighbors. Now I need to get started on a "Tale of Two Cities". . . (ugh) Dickens is not my favorite. It is our March book, I am about 20% into "Brave Companions" (our Feb. book.) I do love reading. . .

Weekend Scoop

Well, this weekend we spent some time with the dogs I mentioned last week, Maggie and Myles. It was pretty fun. But to make a long story short. . . it didn't work out :( We are all a little bummed but onwards and upwards! Our family has a crazy-busy month with work, traveling for a baby blessing and church stuff so the dog search will be on hold for awhile, but I will certainly keep you posted :)

This week is shaping up to be super busy, we have something every night this week! Hello crockpot! Tonight, Dave has a church meeting. Tuesday, we are going to the temple. Wednesday, Dave has a church meeting. I am hosting book group on Thursday (The Frog Princess) and on Friday Dave and I will be heading out for our anniversary. . . 7 wonderful years. We have tickets for the symphony and reservations at Ruth's Chris. Ahhhh it will be a nice break from the hectic week.

(Saturday and Sunday are also packed with events, Dave is setting up all the technology for Stake conference. He will be released from his calling this weekend so this will be his last stint as the technology director. . . it has been a lot of work.)

I got to try a new recipe on Sunday. For those of you that love salmon, you might want to give this a try. I modified it from a salmon cake recipe and it turned out quite lovely!

Breaded Salmon with Herb Mayonnaise

1 lb. Salmon fillet

mix:

1 egg
1/2 tsp. -1 tsp. dill weed
2 tsp. lime juice

Dip or Brush egg mixture onto salmon and sprinkle with Italian Bread crumbs

Bake @ 400 for 15-18 min. until fish flakes

Serve with Herb Mayo

1/2 c. mayo
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp dill
1 clove garlic

Yummy. . . Yummy. . . Yummy.

Prepare yourself. . . how do you feel about 2 dogs?

Well,

Last night Dave had to work late and when the lady with the dogs called me back I decided to head over with Spencer and take a look. I took some video for Dave to see. The dogs are really cute, well socialized but not trained. Well, they are house trained (mostly) but do not know any commands (sit, lay down, no jumping. . . etc.)

A little about the dogs. . . they passed the black shirt test. They are practically non-shedding. At the end of 30 min. I had one or two small hairs on my black shirt. I had them on my lap and stroked them and held them quite a bit. Their coats were also pretty long and in need of a cut. I would hope with a shorter cut the hair would be non-existent.



They were born Feb. 14, 2010 in the same litter, so are almost 1 year old. They are both "fixed" and micro-chipped. They just transitioned from puppy food to dog food. They are up to date on all shots with Vet records. They will be needed their 1-year shots soon. I assume they are up to date on heartworm too, but will need to clarify.

Dave is on board about two dogs, he says that two are really not more work then one. He had Milo and Melba growing up. So he is no stranger to two dogs. Don't you love a boy with his dogs?



I think that I could do two dogs too. These two dogs seemed to have a sweet temperament. The girl was a little more laid back then the boy, but both liked to be held and were well mannered.

It seems like a good match for us. They are young enough that we can obedience train them, not to jump on people, not to beg at the table (they are already not allowed table food), finished house training them. . . etc. But they already are full-grown, so no guessing on how big they will get. I also know I can deal with the amount of hair they shed. They have been spay & neutered, so we would not need to worry about that.

It seems like a good fit. . . what do you think?

As for names. . . We like Millie and would definitely change "Maggie" to Millie. As for Myles. . . I don't know if we would keep it or not. Dave has always thought that a good dog name was Clive. . .. but does Millie and Clive sound too much like "Bonnie and Clyde?"

Spencer likes Snowball :)

Too hairy

On Saturday we went to the Havanese breeder. . . one word. . . Hairy.

We had a great conversation with the breeders and the dog seemed happy and had a great temperament, but when we left we were all covered in hair.

So, back to the drawing board. I called today on a Maltese Poodle cross (called a Malti-Poo). I hope we can see this dog in person and get a feel for the shedding factor. I am just waiting for them to call me back. They live about 45 min. away and I would love to pop down tonight and meet the dog in person.

The seller is actually selling 2 dogs, 1 year old (a boy and girl). I am curious about this breed and hope to see it in person. Here is the photo from their ad:



The quest continues. . .

Puppy Research

Time to take the research to a new level. After reading tons of books and researching online we have a field trip scheduled!

Tomorrow we are going to visit a Havaense (pronounced: HAVA-Knees) breeder. They are about an hour away from where we live. We found that there are about 4 Havanese breeders within an hour of us. These breeders seemed very nice on the phone and we are excited to see this dog in real life. Here is their website if you want to take a peek: http://www.joyfulnoisehavanese.com/index.html

This breed seems like a winner, but you never know until you know :) They have a sire named Strider. He is quite handsome:



I think I like these markings the best. The Havanese come in a variety of colors, white, black, parti. . . etc. I like this look the best, the confirmation is called Tan and Black. I like the all black with white/tan beard and white feet. Too cute! (Althought this dog has a "breed standard" cut and our dog would have a "puppy cut," see the pictures on the previous post.)

This breeder has some puppies that are due in the next week or two (Strider is the Sire.) They would be ready to go home in about 10 weeks, the end of March-ish. I am excited to see the dogs in person and how they react/behave/feel. I will be sure and post a report!

Havanese?

As the search for our dog continues we are looking at another breed, the Havanese.

After my friend Amy mentioned some behaviors that her schnoodle exhibited and thought maybe a more "loving" breed might be a better family dog we started digging deeper into more options.

What do you think of this little girl?



Some basics:
non-shedding
Weight is 8-15 pounds and height 8½ -11½ inches
smart/trainable
more laid back

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havanese

A new family member

After 7 years of marriage, I think I have been persuaded to get a family dog.

Dave is a dog lover and on our first date he told me so, good thing we had so much chemistry that I (almost) didn't mind. I was very dubious of the idea of having a dog. I am not a "dog person" so it was intimidating to think about being a dog owner. Dave told me he would like a dog, but only "when the time is right." To me, I thought. . . good, the time will never be right and I won't have to get a dog.

Eventually I warmed to the idea of a dog and moved to, "When the kids are old enough to ask for a dog and help take take of her, then it would be okay." Then Dave started singing "Spencer wants a pug" and was teaching him to ask. Oh boy, Dave REALLY loves dogs.

At first we talked about getting a pug. Dave had two pugs growing up and loved them dearly. I got to meet Milo when we were dating and about a year later Milo died. He was a sweet dog. So we talked about getting a pug. . . some day.

My primary concerns with having a dog are 1) shedding and 2) ill-mannered (jumpy, barky, slobbery. . .)

Well, this Christmas we spent time with my brother and they have a Yorkiepoo (a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle). This dog did not shed. It was amazing, I was quite impressed with that. Also, this dog was very well trained. He was polite, no jumping or begging at the table. . . just well mannered and friendly.

It really got me thinking. If we could get a dog that did not shed and was trainable that would be the perfect combination. So the research phase started. We looked at pugs, a host of terriers, poodles and a few other smaller dogs.



I think that for the pure breeds the Schnauzer is the best fit for us. But the Schnauzer is know for being "feisty" and "territorial." When a Schnauzer is bred with a poodle it mellows out the temperament a bit, but poodles are still hypoallergenic (non-shedding) and extremely smart (easier to train.)

This is from Dave:

We are intrigued by the Miniature Schnauzer and also the “Schnoodle” mix of Schnauzer and Poodle. I’ve always been a big fan of purebred dogs for the consistency and the notion of supporting reputable breeders, avoiding backyard breeders and other ethical questions about dog treatment, etc. However, my wife has more than half-convinced me that a Schnoodle would be a great way to go. My only concern would be finding a reputable breeder who would be knowledgeable about the health of the puppy, detailed health knowledge of the sire and dam, and generally be on the ethical side of dog breeding rather than just trying to make a buck. We are not concerned about championship bloodlines, showing or AKC registration (obviously not relevant when mixing breeds) but we would want to avoid as many problems as possible.

So. . . Ladies and gentlemen. . . I think we have a winner! The Schnoodle!



Both Dave and I have been reading a lot about the Schnoodle.



Books, websites and contacting breeders and chatting with neighbors who have schnauzers. It has been good, we are also reading books about how to best train your dog. I got the two highest rated books from Goodreads about dog training. One is traditional, "How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners"(3.91/5 stars.) And one is more modern, "The Power of Positive Dog Training"(4.29/5 stars.)



The schnoodle has lots of different colors (black, white, brown, solid or two colors) and size (7-25 pounds depending on the parents.) Now we do more reading and are keeping our eyes open for the right dog. It may take some time to find the right dog, but she will be part of our family and we can wait until "the time is right." But I would say 2011 is the year of the dog.

Year in Pictures

Every month I do digital scrapbooking. It is one of my favorite hobbies. Each month I sit down with the photos from the last month and put together some pages.

At the end of the year I complete the book and order it. I have been using Shutterfly for 3 years and love it! I have used other sites as well, but Shutterfly is my go-to service.

When I order my book I wait until there is a 30% off with free shipping. They just happen to have that offer, "there was no danger. . . so I took it."

My hard copy should be here in a week or two. It is about 100 pages and I always love the quality.

Until then. . . here is a digital copy to share. . . again it is 100 pages so you were forewarned.

Click here to view this photo book larger

54 books

Another year has passed, I read some great books in 2010.

54 books in all.



For 2011 I think I will shoot for 2 books a month. . . that sounds reasonable :)