Adventures in Dog-Sitting: PART TWO

I'm pretty sure that this second part isn't going to be as exciting as part one, so I apologize. By the time we'd hit a week, the dogs and I mostly had a routine down...which was nice. But during this time with the dogs I began to notice how much like siblings they are. Rusty is a big tease, and sometimes I can almost hear Jake saying "Moooom...make him stop!"

Day 8-Tyler was back in town, which meant the dogs were on the floor at bedtime. I gave them each a blanket on opposite sides of the room. (Funny side note: Jake loves to be tucked in like a baby when he goes to bed. So I tucked him in to the blanket for bed). In the middle of the night Rusty stole Jake's blanket, so Jake decided to get in bed with us. Tyler pushed him off and he made a loud THUMP that woke me up. Then we couldn't find Jake so we were afraid he was dead. After turning on the light, we discovered that he was alive...just scared of Tyler (and who can blame him!)

Day 9-Jake was upset when Tyler and I wouldn't let him sleep on our legs while we watched a movie. So I got him a blanket to lie on by our feet. And then Rusty was trying to get on the blanket too, but there wasn't enough room. So I had to pause the movie and get both dogs a blanket so they would stop fighting like little children. Who knew blankets could cause so many problems???

Day 10-At 2 a.m. I woke up to the sound of Jake peeing on the carpet. Again. And Tyler woke up to me yelling at Jake.

Day 11-Both dogs decided they wanted dinner two hours early. So they spent those two hours until dinner time following me around, panting loudly, and hopefully running to their food bowl any time I stood up. (Oh, and slobbering on my computer).

Day 12-The weather was nice so we all spent the afternoon outside. There were no real adventures and their momma came home that night, which led to lots of happy dances and loud "roo-roo-roos" (which is how Jake expresses happiness at seeing someone).

Right now I'm breathing a sigh of relief that I am no longer in charge of keeping an eye on their antics, but give me a day or two and I might actually miss the silly dogs!

Adventures in Dog-Sitting: PART ONE

I never grew up around dogs. We had a few cats, a bunch of fish, and then my rat...those were the kinds of pets I am used to. They are small and mostly keep to themselves. My interaction with dogs was limited to a few hours once or twice a week if I was hanging out with a friend who had a dog. For a long time I wasn't even sure I liked dogs. They get up in your face and lick your feet. Gross.

However, when Tyler and I moved to South Carolina, we spent the first two and a half months living with Tyler's mom and sister...and also two dogs and a cat. I decided at the end of that time that dogs weren't so bad. They have funny personalities and you can teach them not to lick you...for the most part.

So when my mother in law asked me to dog sit (Miss Kittycat has moved to Utah with Tyler's sister) for two weeks while she was out of town, I thought "no problem! This will be a breeze!" Apparently being the sole caretaker to the dogs is a lot different from just living in the same house as them.

Meet Jake and Rusty. Partners in crime.

Jake: Mini Schnauzer.
Eats Acorns.
Will put up with just about anything as long as you are giving him attention.
Has a very deep, snore-like breathing pattern when he sleeps.
Whines when he wants something.

Rusty: Labrador.
Licks the carpet almost constantly.
Loves to tease Jake.
Takes up a lot of space when he sleeps.
Has a very funny "happy dance".

I have had myriad adventures with these two during my dog-sitting excursion. My mother in law was worried about me making her sound bad by sharing the dogs' naughty little tricks. We all agree it's not her fault, right? I would promise not to share anything bad but...what fun would that be? I'll try to keep it simple....

Day 1-Rusty decided he didn't like staying in the backyard or the house....and took off around the neighborhood. He came back the next morning when he was hungry.

Day 2-Jake tried to show me who was boss of the house by marking his territory indoors. *Note: A big thank you for Tyler for taking care of it for me.

Day 3-Tyler was in town...the 2 of us+2 dogs+1 bed=very uncomfortable sleeping arrangements!

Day 4-Besides not being able to make up their mind as to whether they wanted to stay inside with me or chase squirrels in the backyard...it was a good day.

Day 5-I vacuumed and as soon as I finished both dogs began tearing their toys to bits all over the carpet. Of course.

Day 6-Jake took a liking to my underwear...and ate some of it.

Day 7-It rained throughout the day so when I let the dogs in, I have to wipe their paws off first. They know that's the drill, but Rusty decided he's too cool for that. So he jumped over me and the towel and ran around the house, spreading muddy cheer. Only...it didn't make me very cheerful.

I have learned one very important lesson from all of this....I have a long way to go before I'll be the perfect, always patient, parent I had created in my head.

Easter Weekend

I had an amazing Easter weekend. There are only two things that could have made it better. 1-No snow...and 2-my husband. But all things considered, it was fantastic. And thanks to Spring Break for all my clients at work, it started early.

Friday I spent the day in the Salt Lake/West Jordan area. My friend Stephanie and I (and her baby Garret) went shopping for an outfit for my sister-in-law's wedding in May. After a successful shopping trip, we went to Steph's house and visited. Later, when she got off work, our other friend Sarah, joined us. It was nice to catch up (and see Sarah's baby bump!).

That evening I went to the Salt Lake temple with my family and witnessed my cousin and his wife get sealed for time and all eternity. What a beautiful promise! It was a nice reminder of my own sealing, and the covenants Tyler and I made.

Saturday and Sunday my family watched General Conference. We are very blessed to be able to watch it on television from the comfort of home. The messages of the general authorities really touched my heart, and I'm so glad that I was prepared for what they had to say.

Easter morning I woke up to this outside my window:


The good news is that by the afternoon, most of the snow had melted. Still, I was not amused.

And here is a picture of some of my Easter loot (the stuff from my mom...this doesn't take in the stuff from my husband or my mother-in-law...I was super spoiled this year!)


Between conference sessions on Sunday, I spent some quality time with my brothers. Of course we HAD to take a few ridiculous pictures...


We also played Harry Potter Uno. Which, in my opinion, is the best form of Uno. Unfortunately, I don't own it and now it's a collector's item so I can't find it for much less than $80. And I don't quite love the game that much!


We won't mention who won most of the games *cough, cough...Tenika...cough, cough* Or who lost most of the games *cough, cough...Devin...cough, cough* We had a lot of fun...

Even Selwyn joined in!

Being with family made my Easter truly magnificent. But of course we can't forget the reason behind Easter. It's more than just yummy candy (best of the year!) or family dinners...it's about the world's greatest show of love. The Atonement of the Savior, which allows us all to return to our Heavenly Father again someday, and be with our families forever.

Fall Trip

This weekend Tyler and I took a trip down to Utah. My little sister was performing in her first college play, and we thought it would be fun to see it. We spent the night at my parents' house in Spanish Fork, and then drove down to Price on Saturday for the play. The trip to Price was really neat because we drive through the Spanish Fork Canyon. And while it may be one of the 5 most dangerous canyons in the U.S....it is super pretty in the fall! So here are a few pictures of the drive down...

Rock walls on either side!


My grandmother (whom we also visited while we were in Utah) said that she heard on the radio that this last weekend was the best time to drive through the canyon.


I just love all the fall colors!


I wish we could have stopped the car and got out to take a bunch of pictures. But at least these aren't too blurry!


I just noticed you can see my shirt being reflected in the window. How funny.


The play is called "Room Service" and it's a comedy. She did a good job.


We spent Saturday night at my parents house as well, and went to church with them the next day. Tyler discovered a new way he'd like to do his hair....


And of course, I was very happy to see my pet rat, Selwyn. I think she was happy to see me too. I'd like to think she'd missed me as much as I've missed her...but since she can't talk it's hard to tell.

We had a good trip and enjoyed our time there. On the way home, I was getting very restless and so Tyler suggested that we sing Hymns. It was really fun and I LOVE how Tyler can harmonize sooo well! I wanted to record some of it, but when I got the camera out, Tyler protested. Maybe next time. :)

Gotta catch up! It's the last day of May!

Selwyn (my rat) is jumping from my shoulder to the keyboard while I write this. So I apologize for any random letters that might appear. I'll try to edit this!

We are now less than two months from the wedding date, and things seem to be coming together fairly well. A friend of mine saw our engagement pictures and asked to use us as models to help her build her photography portfolio, so now we have two sets of engagement pictures to choose from. I don't have the CD from her yet, so I haven't posted any of those pictures. We really need to get started on the announcements soon though!

Today my dad and I went over the guest list and (following the suggestion of our caterer) counted the "yes", "no", and "maybe" guests for the reception in Utah. Holy lots of people! I guess I shouldn't expect any less considering the size of the family I come from. We have a little over 300 "yes" guests and over 80 "maybe" guests. For anyone who may be interested (or need to use this little skill for planning a reception or other party in the future) we take the "maybe" list and divide it in half, because our caterer says in his 30 years of experience, that's a fairly accurate guess at how many will actually show up.

Also, my sister and I started making lists for bridal showers. I'm going to have two. How lucky am I? My sister is in charge of one for the family (so aunts, cousins, etc.) and one of my best friends from high school is going to do a bridal shower for friends and coworkers. It will be interesting to see how it all works out. The family bridal shower is going to be a breakfast, and it will be more of an "open house". So come, eat food, talk, whatever. I don't know what is planned for the other one yet, but I'm guessing it will be more like the traditional bridal shower (meaning games and such). That will give me a nice variety.

Tyler and I have our apartment now. We took over the lease of another couple and start paying rent the middle of June. I'm glad we are doing it this way (though it means spending money for an empty apartment for a month) because it means we can start putting the apartment together before we have to move in. We already have a dining room table (with chairs) and a couch. We are lucky to be moving into a college town with lots of married couples! We've gotten good deals on both the dining room set and the couch because couples were moving away and anxious to get rid of things. It has really worked to our advantage.

Outside of wedding plans, there's not much going on right now. Tyler just started mid-terms this last week, which is keeping him pretty busy and stressed. He's doing a good job though. He's also caved in and will be starting a telephone research job this coming week. Money is money, and we desperately need it!

For myself, I am just working. For the next few weeks I'll also be playing Mom. My mom and my youngest brother have gone on a trip to New Zealand for the next two and a half weeks. My sister and I are taking turns cooking and cleaning. Dad was given one night a week to cook, but he's already found a way out of that! In his defense though, his excuses are legitimate.

My sister graduated from high school on Thursday and it gave me a chance to reminisce about my own high school days. Especially because we graduated from the same high school and she went to school with the younger siblings of some of the people in my graduating class. I can't help but wonder what everyone is up to four years after high school graduation. I guess if I go to my five-year class reunion next year, I will find out! I can't believe how much time has passed since I was in high school. I'm starting to feel old!

And for anyone who might wonder...Selwyn just stuck her nose in my mouth and then started licking my teeth. EWWW!!! Maybe she wants to be the first rodent dentist???+ <--this plus sign compliments of Selwyn

Fun Trick :)

Selwyn has the cutest new trick! He has a deep love for Cheerios. In fact, whenever I open the box he knows he's getting a treat and he jumps up the side of his cage and sticks his little nose out. It's really cute. So today I tried something new...you'll probably think I'm sick but I found it cute. :p

Fun and Happiness!

Oh my gosh, I just finished up the best seven days yesterday! Tyler came to visit and it was soooo fantastic! We were talking about how often we actually get to see each other and it works out to about one week every year. Depressing. BUT he'll be in Idaho starting April so then hopefully I'll see him more often.

Tyler's plane arrived about 7:30 last Tuesday. I picked him up at the airport. And because I HATE driving at night/at all...I had two friends come along. We all went out to dinner afterwards, then Tyler and I went home to see the family. He didn't stay at my house, he stayed at his old bishop's house. It's a bishop he had when he lived in Idaho eight years ago, and how lucky for us his family now lives a few blocks from me!

Thursday night Tyler and I went to the open house of the new Draper Temple. There were A LOT of people there! My dad had told us the whole thing (not driving, just walking through the temple) would take about an hour. It took us close to two. But it was worth it. The temple looks absolutely gorgeous and there is such a feeling of peace within those walls! And it was definitely nice to walk into the sealing room where people are married and think...this could be us someday... :)

Friday was my birthday and guess what my family got me! A rat! He is super adorable. I know a lot of people think of rats and go...rodent, ew! I used to think that too. Until I took a class where we trained rats. I absolutely fell in love with the rat I trained and have been wanting one of my own ever since. The only down side is I'm allergic to his tail--it gives me hives. No biggie though, I just wear long sleeves when I hold him. Oh, his name is Selwyn. I know it's a weird name. My dad actually came up with it. Here's the story...My parents got my name from a New Zealand television program. The "Tenika" on the program was kind of the equivalent to Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. The host of the show was named "Selwyn." So as Dad puts it, "Selwyn and Tenika are finally reunited."

Saturday was an eventful day as well. One of the primary kids I teach was baptized. I don't think I'd been to a baptism since my little brother was baptized...that was almost 5 years ago! So that was a neat experience. And I was pretty proud of myself because I made her a little pearl bracelet...all by myself! After the baptism, Tyler and I went to Ogden to see his mission president and his wife (super nice people!) and then to Tremonton to visit a few families from his mission. It was really nice to catch a glimpse of that part of his life. You could tell he'd really made a good impression on all of those people, and for some of them it was probably the highlight of their week to see him.

Tuesday I took Tyler to the airport. We left at 4:30am. Sick, I know. And sad that he had to go. He's starting a job in Georgia on Thursday, so really what choice did we have? I'm doing alright though, because this seperation is much shorter than the others. Two months isn't that far away! And thanks to modern technology we can talk on the phone and email all we want!

So there is an update on my life!