One is the Loneliest Number...

Lucy's still out on her longer walk with J, but I thought I'd post these pictures of Henry, miserably whining, waiting for her to get back...who says they don't love each other?

Play Fighting Over a Ball

It began something like this: a ball in his mouth, minding his own business. Until...

















...another potential ball boss appeared on the scene. She moved stealthily, and then...


















...the once dominant king of the racquetball found himself pinned helplessly, as he scratched, clawed, and whined his way back towards victory...















...which would ultimately not be his.

Road Trip

We went to Illinois for the day on the third, and I thought I'd just post a couple pictures of the dogs from when they were riding in the car. Lucy always throws a fit about riding that long in the car, but she still looks good while doing it...

A.

Top Ten Things/Moments of 2008

MOMENTS/EVENTS
10. Any and all golf rounds - with J, her grandfather, uncles, my dad, and others.
9. Applying for grad schools...not exactly fun, but noteworthy
8. August - Jordie gets her first job!!! (my breadwinner!)
7. End of July - King's Island trip with J and her family
6. November 14 - my birthday (what turned out to be a four day celebration...haha)
5. August 19 - Cubs home game for J's birthday; Go Cubs Go!
4. September 1st and on - moving into our home together
3. May 11th (?) and December 21 - J and I graduate with our BA's.
2. February 8 - the day I brought Henry home. 9 weeks old, and only 6 pounds.
1. August 21 - my youngest brother Kai was born

...also somewhere near the top, Obama takes America by storm and wins the Presidency!

SONGS AND BOOKS! (that I rocked or read this year!)
10. Jimmy Eat World's albums "Futures" and "Chase This Light", which I rediscovered
9. "Feathers" and "The End Complete", both by Coheed and Cambria
8. "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs
7. "Under a Cruel Star" by Heda Kovaly
6. Coldplay's new album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends"
5. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder
4. Ben Folds' new album "Way to Normal"
3. Keane's new album "Perfect Symmetry"
2. "World Without End" by Ken Follett
1. Guster's "I Spy" and Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know"...I stopped rocking them all the time somewhere around September, but for most of the year, they were a constant

This year's had more than its share of surprises and enjoyable moments - looking on my moments list, it's been a good year. I can't complain. We're going out for dinner right now, so I'll cut this short - but, before I go, may I wish you a happy new year and a true hope for peace and prosperity for all people. Not everyone is as fortunate as we wish the world could afford to be possible, so be mindful of those people and show care and love without reservation...well, to an extent.

A.

Animal instincts, don't leave your stuffed toys around

We've tried giving Lucy stuffed toys in the hope that she'll carry them around and play with them only to be repeatedly disappointed when she rips them to shreds and we end up having to pick up the fluff. Stuffed toys usually end up about like this:


Knowing how she reacts to stuffed likenesses of fuzzy woodland creatures, her response to the two guinea pigs residing in the playroom of Anthony's parent's house. We took the dogs up to Illinois with us to visit A's parents for Christmas and Lucy took careful interest in the large cage propped up just about dog-eye level. The slight rustle of guinea pig bedding caught her attention and her reaction was something to the effect of "omg that's the biggest snausage I've ever seen! don't worry guys, I got it..."




Watching Lucy eye the guinea pigs was amusing, but it shows just how much of a wild animal she still is. Despite being house broken and a domesticated pet, she still has a strong prey drive. We definitely need a large space where she can go out and chase the animals in the yard. Someday we will, but until then she'll have to settle for mutilating stuffed ducks.

Stubborn as a Bulldog

Our mutts are spoiled, I'll go ahead and throw that out there right from the beginning. Until the last month or so they had their own space, their own room even. It was just a side room connected to the living room, filled mostly with our storage, dvds and two worn out (but amazingly comfortable couches). For a couple of dogs, it was pretty much a palace. Every night they snuggled up on their own private couch and slept like babes. Then everyone's favorite season hit: winter.

That side room I was talking about? Yeah, it's not insulated and therefore an energy trap in the winter months. The room formerly known as "the dog room" is now "the cold room" and for good reason. The french double doors get opened only when something is needed from the collection of junk piled in along the walls and when they do, it's about 10 degrees colder in that room.

Back to the dogs, they lost their couch for the time being. They'll get it back when the weather is a little more accommodating, but for now they have to settle for the couch cushions on the floor, topped with a fleece blanket. Still pretty posh if you ask me, they don't deserve it. They can be brats. Seriously. I suppose for the purpose of this post I should say "he" is a brat, but that's just not giving Lu her full credit.



The transition was smooth at first. No confusion between dog couches and the people only couch. However, in the past week or so Henry has taken to sleeping on the forbidden couch whenever he can. He knows it's wrong and he completely sells himself out after every time he parks his ass in the corner of the couch. Even when it's not obvious he's been up there, when we walk into the room he lowers his head and sinks as low to the floor as is possible, he might even sink through if he keeps at it. We're going on about a week now of his sudden decision to ignore the rules, any longer than that and I might loose my voice from yelling.



He only looks innocent. Don't let it fool you.

Day Two - some laundry, a drive I'm fearing

You are privileged to have a view of one of the funniest phenomena in the state of Indiana: Henry's obsession with Jordie/me doing laundry in the basement. He sits at the top of the stairs, but will not immediately come down as I have countless times told him not to. Still, if you stand there at the bottom of the stairs taking pictures of him for an extended period of time, he eventually decides it's all right, and lumbers his stout little body down the stairs. Not an easy feat - they're narrow and steep, so for all of you who are claustrophobic and not too well coordinated, do not move into this house when we move out, or else have a friend handy to do the laundry for you.

Today's been a little lax so far - slept in, went to the gym - but now we are about to venture out into the white wonder-hell that has been whirling outside for the past day or so. Whoever says global warming is not happening is out of their mind - the weather's been up and down, windy and not, sunny and shady, for about a month or so. I was letting the dogs outside in a t-shirt the other night with no problem, and now I'm struggling against the wind even in a sweatshirt and a jacket over it. Ridiculous.

So, we're about to drive to Illinois to visit my family, which is always a fun adventure, especially in this weather. Lucy used to love the car, but in the past year (since we've had Henry) has started whining a lot more, getting antsy...and Henry's a pest. If you watch 'Heroes', he's the Ando - he supercharges Lucy's anxiety until the car's a death trap. In this weather, I won't be as tolerating (if I am at all), and I'm sure I'll be hoarse from yelling by trip's end. Oh well.

In any case, have a good day, hopefully I'll live through this drive and post tomorrow.

A.

I couldn't resist. She's so beautiful.