Monday Humor

She calls him "Zoh" and Xyno is "Ee-oh".

We were about to get ready to go somewhere, and I was going to grab her pants and a new diaper. When I turned around, this is what I saw. :-)

Puppies Behind Bars

I saw this program featured on Oprah on Friday. Puppies Behind Bars is a program in which prison inmates (and I mean hardened criminals) train puppies to become service dogs for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is such a touching and beautiful program; I bawled like a baby throughout the entire segment. Just ask Stephen if you don't believe me! (Okay, you already believe me. You probably don't need proof. ;-)

Also on this particular episode are heartwarming stories about other animals (animals other than dogs) that have made a difference in people's lives. There's a story about a couple who took a female hippo into their home (they treat her like she's their daughter), and a young man who started raising a Grizzly bear from cubhood. All of these stories are sweet, warm and fuzzy. I recommend seeing them if you get a chance.

I recorded the entire show on a DVD if anyone's interested in seeing it. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the waterworks!

All-in-One

Below are thoughts that have been stewing around in my head the past few days for quite some time. Rather than write 30 separate posts, I decided to just post an "all-in-one". I warn you... it's overkill!

1. There's this blue bird that hangs out around our house all the time, and I've named him Bluey. Of course I can't be sure that he's the same bird every time, but I like to think that he is. He's very pretty. He has a bright blue streak that goes down his back and he has some of the same on his head. He has a whitish/grayish belly. He may be a Western bluebird, but I really can't be sure. He seems to have some black on his head and body, and it doesn't look like the Western has that. Anyway, whenever we go outside to play, he makes an appearance. I would love to get him (or make him) a birdfeeder. I like him very much and I wish I were a better photographer than this. Hopefully one of these days!


2. Emily starts soccer a week from tomorrow, and I'm SO excited! I can't wait to watch her first Pee Wee "game". (I say "game" because the kids are so young and are just starting to learn, so I doubt it'll be much of a game; it'll be more of a lesson, I bet.) She's going to play with her friend, J, who she's known since birth. Stephen and I met J's mom and dad at our childbirth preparation class in the fall of 2004. Lisa and I ended up having our girls only three days apart!


3. My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is a little over a year from now (in July of 2010). My brother and I were talking Thursday morning about how we really should start making plans! I need to create a Yahoo! group for us siblings so we can start researching, discussing and planning.


4. That same brother, Jaime, and his wife, Debbie, just bought a beautiful new home in Massachusetts. They moved in this week and sound very happy. (They're in the same town they were in before, so the kids didn't have to change schools, which is nice.) I'm very happy for them and wish we could go see the house (and throw them a housewarming party)!


5. Since he's on a roll, I'll mention one more Jaime thing. When he graduated from Harvard Medical School in the early '90s, PBS aired an episode of Nova which had, up to that point, been following several of his classmates, documenting their journies. That original episode was called So You Want to be a Doctor?. I remember getting excited when I saw my brother speaking in a scene or two. Anyway, when I couldn't sleep the other night and was flipping channels at around 2 a.m., I flipped to PBS and somebody caught my eye. I soon realized that he was one of the young doctors who was featured in So You Want to be a Doctor?. It had been years since I'd seen that original show, but I still recognized him. I watched this episode (called Doctors' Diaries, which is a follow-up on the doctors some 20 years later) as long as I could, hoping to maybe see my brother, but I never saw him (and I ended up falling asleep at around 2:40 or so). At one point I wanted to get up and go program my DVR to record the show, but I didn't, because I didn't wanna disturb Leah. Fortunately, Jaime gave my parents a heads-up a few days ago that the show was about to air, and they ended up recording it. I hadn't realized that it's actually a two-part show. I'm looking forward to seeing it in its entirety. (And in case you're wondering, my brother IS shown a couple times, but very briefly. His coverage isn't as good as it was in So You Want to be a Doctor?.)


6. I'm loving AI this year. I think the order should end like this: 1)Adam Lambert, who's from my neck of the woods, by the way, and is a BRILLIANT artist and performer; 2) Allison Iraheta; 3) Kris Allen; 4) Danny Gokey; 5) Matt Giraud; 6) Anoop Desai and 7) Lil Rounds. (Poor Lil Rounds is not very good. For some reason there was so much hype surrounding her in the earlier weeks of the season, and she was so overrated. She really isn't that great of a singer, and is a pretty bad performer, in my opinion.)


7. Facebook's addictive! (MySpace is obnoxious; Facebook, I like. And Twitter, I just don't get.)


8. Angie, one of my best friends, (we met during my short year in Illinois, when we were sophomores in high school), is over 35 weeks pregnant right now with her third child -- a (third) baby girl. Her babies tend to make early appearances, so Baby Girl J #3 could come any day now. I'm very excited for Angie and wish I could be there to meet the baby!


9. Fallbrook is hosting its annual avocado festival tomorrow, and we might go. I *love* avocado, and besides, it's an excuse to get outside and walk around with the kids in what I'm sure will be fabulous weather. Fallbrook's not my favorite place in the world, but for an avocado festival, I'll try to overlook its faults and enjoy myself. ;-)


10. Since I'm on the topic of food... a couple days ago, my mom made an old family favorite for dessert and sent some home with Stephen. (He picked it up from her house on his way home from work.) It's banana pudding with Nilla wafers, and it's yummy!! My sister, V, used to make it all the time when I was a kid, but it's been a while since any of us have had it. Thanks for making it for us, Ma!


11. One more food post... I want NEED to try this place. It made the list of the five top American burger joints on CNN... and it's here in SD! Actually, it's in OB. Their burgers look AMAZING. To DIE for. We MUST go. NOW.


12. Kathryn's 40th birthday is today (happy birthday, Kat-ryn!), and we're going to her party tonight. She's renting a bouncy house for adults. Did you catch that? Bouncy house. Adults. Adults will be drinking yummy Stone beer... wearing funny hats... and bouncing. I'm there!


13. It's springtime. What does that mean, you ask? It means Xyno's hair is falling off his body in mad chunks and it's time to get him shaved! It's times like these that I am SO glad we have our new floors. (I also feel surges of gratitude for these new floors when someone spills something. Now when we have a spill, we think, "What, a spill? No prob. Bring it on.")


14. Speaking of springtime, the Carlsbad flower fields look cool. We should go. Maybe next month.


15. Emily learned about camping from Olivia. After she watched that particular episode, she asked me if we could go camping soon. I looked at her and said, "What a great idea!" After all, it's been YEARS since I've been camping. I can't even remember my last time camping, it's been so long. (I was definitely a little kid at the time -- possibly when we went to Yosemite when I was 10 or so?) So seeing as how Stephen and I have never been camping together, and it's been so long since either of us has been, and seeing as how Emily's NEVER been, I thought it would be nice for us to pack up and go in the somewhat near future. I told Stephen what I thought and he thinks it's a good idea. He thinks we should start out on a small scale and choose a local site. Maybe he's right. (I was thinking we should venture far out, but I'd be willing to go close by.) We bought a nice tent years ago, and we finally might have a reason to actually use it!


16. Another thing we've never done, even though WE LIVE IN SAN DIEGO, is Legoland. I hear all the time that it's ideal for kids Em's age, and I do think she'd really like it. They even opened a *really* nice-looking aquarium nextdoor to the park which I'd like to check out. I happened to see it featured on an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 (which I do NOT watch regularly, by the way; I just couldn't sleep one night and when I flipped to it, I saw that they were in San Diego, so I kept watching!) -- the Gosselins were on vacation here and they visited Legoland and the Sea Life Aquarium. They were actually the first-ever visitors to the aquarium; it wasn't even open to the public when they were there, but the officials let them tour it anyway. It's just all so gosh-darn expensive! Maybe one of these days.


17. Stephen and I are going on a date to see The Offspring in concert at SDSU's Open Air Theatre in early June. This'll be our fourth(?) time seeing them live. The last time we saw them was at Open Air, and I was about a week pregnant with Emily. (Didn't know it yet.) We really like the feel of OAT, because it's relatively small and kinda cozy. I'm looking forward to this!


18. G, my beautiful goddaughter/niece, turned 12 a few days ago. It happened to be a hectic day for me, and I tried calling her on my drive home from dinner out with friends, but she was unfortunately in the shower and would be in bed by the time I got home. I told her brother to pass along our love and "happy birthday", and that I'd hopefully talk to her soon. I'm glad I was able to send her a birthday card last week and that it got there on time!


19. Stephen's brother, Mike, has been coming to San Diego for business on a monthly basis lately. Sometimes the two brothers meet at a restaurant for dinner, and sometimes Mike comes to the house to see the girls. Emily always looks forward to seeing Uncle Mike. Whenever he comes knocking on the door, she hides from him and he has to go find her. He was just here the other night, and Emily enjoyed entertaining him like usual! :-)


20. Speaking of Lawlesses, it looks like all seven Lawless siblings and their spouses and kids will be descending on Oklahoma in August. I'm bummed because Em, Leah and I won't be able to make it. I'm glad Stephen's finally able to get out there to see his family and visit their properties, though. His brothers and parents have been out there for a long time, and this'll be Stephen's first time visiting, which is great.


21. I realized the other day that I haven't been to my OB for an annual well-woman check-up since my 6-week postpartum appointment after Leah was born. I really need to get on the phone and schedule that. (I'm surprised they didn't send me a reminder in the mail!) Oy, I also recently realized that I haven't scheduled Leah's 15-month well-baby appointment yet. Gotta do that first thing Monday!


22. How come when I feel like I'm "caught up" with my housework (like yesterday), I then slack off and let things go to heck again? On Tuesday I picked up and vacuumed in all the bedrooms, I swept and picked up in the rest of the house, I cleaned the kitchen, cleared off the hi-fi furniture piece in the entryway (the "hot spot" of our house), and cleaned the main bathroom. I felt pretty good about myself, but instead of maintain or tackle other areas, I totally vegged Wednesday, and come Thursday I was completely annoyed with myself. Speaking of cleaning house, I've heard good things about FlyLady, and I keep meaning to take time to thoroughly check out her website and ideas, but I never get around to it. Someday.


23. Another complaint... why is it that I feel like I'm exercising my butt off, but not seeing or feeling results? (I was doing so well with an exercise routine up until October of last year. For some reason I stopped working out, and I then went on to gain between five and 10 pounds between November and January. I'm just now getting around to doing something about it. Ugh.) I know it's only been a few weeks since I started a workout routine again, but I just hate how I don't see or feel any change. It's so discouraging. My gut says it's because I'm such a night-owl... I go to bed too late (and end up late-night snacking) and consequently I wake up too late, and I don't eat breakfast like I should. I don't think I eat poorly or too much; I just think I need to be better at my scheduling and I definitely should make breakfast a priority and I need to cut out night-snacking. The exercise isn't the problem (I've been enjoying regular activity, whether it's step aerobics or Tae Bo, and I look forward to jumping on the treadmill again really soon); the problem is eating right. *Sigh.*


24. The other day, I was reading a blog post written by a woman who's due to give birth to her second child any day. She said that a part of her wants the baby to hurry up and come out, but the other part of her knows that her first will be an only child for just a short while longer, so she's trying to savor every last minute of alone time with her. Reading this prompted me to think back to when I was due to give birth to Leah. I do remember making a conscious effort to lie down with Em and cuddle her. I remember trying to filter everything out and simply focus on enjoying her, because I knew our alone time was running out. They were beautiful times; precious moments. Until reading that woman's blog, I hadn't really thought about those days since they happened. I enjoyed going back and remembering what it felt like to enjoy my Em... when it was *just* Em. What's crazy is that we'll never have those days again.
    Along these same lines, I do cherish the time when Em's in school, and I get to focus on Leah alone. She and I do lots of cuddling and snuggling during those three hours twice/week. It's heavenly. I do it because I know time goes by so fast!


25. School has been SO GREAT for Emily. She's really thriving. Every Monday and Wednesday night, she looks forward to the following morning so she can go to school to see Mrs. M. and play with D, T, A, and all her friends. She loves it when they paint, and she still loves to "vacuum" her classroom. She also digs snacktime and playtime outside. Mrs. M. is a wonderful teacher (my goddaughter/niece, G, had her when she was in preschool, too), and Stephen and I are very happy with how Em's first schoolyear's been going. She's really come out of her shell socially, too. A year ago, she was literally hiding her head when we were in a social setting she wasn't comfortable with; but now she seems very confident, playful and friendly. We're thrilled!


26. I (we) really should be signing with Leah. She (and we) for some reason stopped signing poop after a while, and I never took off with milk like I wanted to. Just now we showed her the Mommy and Daddy signs. There's really no excuse not to do signs with her, especially now that I've found a nice site to refer to.


27. I *knew* I was a mom when I bought this. The first time I saw it at Costco I resisted, but a couple visits later I gave in to temptation. I thought, "This is the answer to transporting cakes and cupcakes!!" I mean, you know how you put cupcakes on a plate and then put Saran Wrap over the top, and the frosting comes off? Or you can only put one layer of cupcakes on the plate, because adding another row on top would also de-frost the bottom row? Well, this fixes all that. I actually have Snapware storage containers -- I bought a set at Costco one day, came home, cleaned out all my mismatched Tupperware, and vowed from then on to *only* use Snapware. (I gathered all the Tupperware and gave it all to my mom. Sorry, Ma.) Since that day, I've only had and used my Snapware... and I *love* it! It was a great move. Anyway, this cake/cupcake carrier is a Snapware product, so I'm pleased. It's great, too, because it comes with three tiers, and you can use one, two, or all three! You can even add on if need be! Oh, and I got it for a MUCH better deal at Costco. ($17 instead of Amazon's $25. Target's much more expensive, too. I think I saw a one-tier unit for $10 at a Target store.) I think this is such a "Mom" thing because I envision using it to take cupcakes to Em's classroom and such. Awwww. I'm a Mommy!! (Sometimes I still have a hard time believing it!)


28. My neighbor suggested I buy a long-handled dustpan for our new floors, since we now do much more sweeping than we used to. I bought one at Target (it was designed by Michael Graves) and I'm pretty disappointed in it. The concept is great (I hate bending down for my regular dustpan), but this model's not so great. The dirty stuff sweeps right underneath the pan and just ends up on the other side of it, rather than inside of it. I found one on Amazon that got good reviews... I'm debating whether I should return the one to Target and go ahead and try the Amazon one. (It's twice as expensive, and if I don't like it, returning it would be a bit harder since it's an online store, but I think I might go for it.)


29. Speaking of neighbors... I love ours! We live in a great neighborhood. I love our street (to be specific, our *end of the street). It's a pretty quiet area, and there's not a lot of traffic, which gives me peace of mind when the girls are playing outside. Even though it's pretty quiet around here, there are still kids around for Em to play with. In fact, two families moved into the house across the street (Steve, his daughter and their dog Scruff had to move out late last year, and we miss them, but I admit it's nice to have more little kids around for Em to play with). The families are related to each other: there are a sister and a brother and their spouses. Each couple has two sons: one's 5, one's 4, another was born just a few weeks ago, and one is due to be born in a couple months. Also, the nice couple who live two houses down have three grandsons (ages 7, 6 and almost 2), and those boys live just a couple streets over (but they're at their grandparents' house at least a couple times a week). They're very nice boys and Em loves to play with them. [As a matter of fact, she was playing with them today (they like to make believe in the playhouse), and I noticed they had a yucky cough. Man, I hope my girls don't get sick. I really don't want Em to have to miss her first soccer game next week!] Then there's Jean and Dearie, who I've known since I was born... their granddaughters (ages 10 and 8) are often over, and Em loves them, too. And THEN there's of course Dave and Lee, who have two kids: J (age 14) and H (almost 12). We've known them since we moved here five-and-a-half years ago, and we've always been pretty close. J and H are both very good with Em. So I feel very lucky to live around such nice people, and I'm thankful that Em almost always has someone to run around with outside! :-)
    * Down the street, it's not quite so peaceful. There's a house down there that's occupied by a bunch of older men who apparently like to drink, yell and play *really* loud music. And by play, I mean THEY do the playing. They break out their microphones, electric guitars and amps, and go to town. Oy. I'm SO thankful I don't live directly nextdoor to them!!


30. I wrote down 29 items, and I just had to write down a 30th, so here it is. Hmm. Did I mention I get to bed too late? It's almost 2:00 in the morning!!

Puppy's First Howl

He was only 2.5 weeks old when this video was taken. Isn't he precious?!

Emily's Conversation With Thello

Emily's in the living room and I'm in the computer room. I just now overheard her say to Thello:


"Thello!! Those are MY feathers, not yours! Uncle Daniel
gave them to me! He did not give them to you. Uncle Daniel gave them to ME. I'm a big sister. I'm not a dog!"


[The feathers belong to a pink boa Uncle Daniel gave her six months ago.]

:-)

Bully Love

Enjoy the adorableness of this Bulldog daddy meeting his baby girl for the first time.

This video melts my heart!

Mama & Boris

What a beautiful story. I choked up when I read the article to Stephen and when I saw the piece on TV.

The Lawless Elves

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Lawless Elves...

... and from the Elfin' Lawless Dogs!

[Make sure your sound is on.]

Enjoy! :-)

Courageous George

George, a 9-year-old Jack Russell is seen in New Plymouth, New Zealand in this undated photo. A plucky foot-high Jack Russell terrier named George saved five New Zealand children from two marauding pitbulls, but was so severely mauled in the fight he had to be destroyed, his owner said Wednesday.

Here's the rest of the story.

Bittersweet New Year

This time around, starting a new year is bittersweet.

It's sweet because we just came off of a really wonderful year. Watching Emily grow and learn is such a beautiful, rewarding experience. She brings so much joy not only to our lives, but to the lives of many. People literally beg us to let them babysit. I kid you not! (How lucky are we?!) She's got such charm, such charisma. Like my mother always says, she's a beautiful child, both inside and out.

Our travels were another highlight of our year. Stephen's parents celebrated 50 years of married life in June, and that gave us the perfect excuse to get out to the Midwest. Our first stop was Illinois, where we visited Angie (one of my best friends) and her family. Angie and I met my sophomore year of high school, when my parents and I were living in the small town of Morris, Illinois. We only lived there for a year, but Angie and I developed a very strong, lifelong relationship. We hadn't seen each other since I moved away in the spring of 1994, so even though it had been over 12 years, we picked up right where we left off. It seemed like not much time had passed at all.

Angie married her high school sweetheart like I did, and she and Chris now have two beautiful little girls. Their older daughter is a month younger than Em, and the baby was born in April. How nice it was to hold a newborn again! They have a great house in Minooka, which is very close to Morris (and even smaller than Morris!). We stayed in a beautiful guest room that Chris had just finished down in the basement, which I loved. (Why can't our houses in SoCal have basements?) It was so special going back to the area, seeing where Mom, Dad and I used to live, and sharing it all with Stephen and Em.

We of course did some sightseeing in Chicago, which was awesome. We enjoyed the view from the top floor of the Hancock Observatory, we walked around Navy Pier, we drove by Wrigley Field, and we ate dinner at Poag Mahone's Carvery & Ale House. (Gayle King declared Poag one of the best places in the country to get a burger, and boy was she right!) Stephen really liked Chicago. It's a beautiful city with wonderful architecture and lots of great sites. My Mom always said it was one of her favorite big cities (and she's been to a LOT of places, let me tell you!).

Angie also took us to the Brookfield Zoo, which is just outside of Chicago. We had a nice time walking around there. Emily and I even got our picture taken inside a kangaroo's pouch! :-) The best part of our Illinois stop was spending time with Angie, though. We spent five days with her and her family, which felt just right in terms of having enough time to visit without wearing out our welcome.

Our second stop was a quick one: we drove a rental car from Minooka to Hartland, Wisconsin to meet up with Stephen's sister, Alicia, and family. We stayed the night at their charming home and drove up to Duluth, Minnesota the following day. Before we left, though, we had to swing by Smoky's Club (a steakhouse) in Madison for dinner. Mom and Dad recommended we treat ourselves to the mouth-watering, corn-fed beef that the Midwest is famous for. It's interesting how the meat really does taste different. It's delicious! I think that if I were more of a steak person I'd have been able to appreciate it even more, but even still, it really was a scrumptious meal. Stephen was in heaven. :-)

I had always wanted to visit Alicia in her new home, so that was a special highlight for me as well. We had been to the home they lived in a few years ago, but never to this new one. The VHs seem very happy there, homeschooling, playing, and toiling in their beautiful garden. The kids have an acre to work with (right, Alicia?), and they seem to thoroughly enjoy planting and growing beautiful flowers and yummy vegetables.

We arrived in Duluth the day before the Big Party started. Sharon's is another house I've been dying to see, as I've heard so much about it. It's massive and has such character. There are numerous rooms and cute little stairways and doors and a cozy attic and a great basement, laundry room and wine cellar. I think the best adjective for this house is FUN! I had a lot of fun walking around the house, exploring.

It was also wonderful to see Monica again (we hadn't seen her since she left San Diego five years earlier!), and to FINALLY meet her two children! Her son will be four soon, and her daughter is Emily's age (11 days younger, to be exact). Even though they're the same age, I could hardly believe the difference in size between the two girls! Lexi looks like she's a head above Emily. My daughter's a munchkin, what can I say?

Mom and Dad's anniversary party started on Saturday, July 1st and ended Sunday, the 2nd. It was so nice to be around the family again, just sitting, relaxing, and enjoying Mike M.'s delicious food. (By the way, Sharon, those olives were to die for!) The wine flowed freely (Mike has an incredible wine collection and I found myself drinking a bit too much on Saturday night!), and there was plenty of laughter and conversation. It was a wonderful time. Unfortunately, Em and Stephen both got sick with the flu. Em's might have been more of a cold, whereas Stephen's was definitely the flu. He was feeling pretty miserable with aches, pains and a high fever. The poor guy slept most of Sunday, but we were thankfully able to rejoin the festivities that evening.

We sadly left Duluth on Monday and drove to Minneapolis. We visited the Mall of America that evening, and also the following day (which was the 4th of July). (I swear a person would need a good week to see everything in that mall!) We then turned in our rental and flew home. We arrived in San Diego late afternoon/early evening, just in time to celebrate Independence Day with my family. Mona was in town, and what a better way to end that special vacation than with tasty burgers on the grill? :-)

The other trip we made last year was to New England in October. Both my brothers live in Massachusetts (one in Boston, one in Marblehead), and it had been 12 1/2 years since I had been back East. I had always wanted to take Stephen there, and after many years of putting it off, we finally decided that now was the time to go. We figured it was an ideal time since Emily's at a good age, and she's currently the only child we have (well, that is, if you don't count our two furry, four-legged kids ;-). Since she was under the age of two at the time, Em flew for free. Stephen also had some extra time off he could spend, so we decided to just go. I'm so glad we did!

We spent our first few days with my brother, Jaime, and his family at their home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. We went sight-seeing in Salem and swung by Captain Carlo's Restaurant in Gloucester for a lobster (that rhymes!). Boy, was that good grub. We also took a road trip to Fitchburg to pick apples at Marshall Farm, and on the way we stopped at Walden Pond (where Henry David Thoreau lived), which was absolutely gorgeous. We had such a good time apple-picking, walking around and just enjoying the beautiful scenery, not to mention the spectacular colors of New England's Indian Summer.

The next part of our trip back East was a drive to New York City. Mom, Dad, Sister, Ken, Stephen, Emily and I stayed on a naval base in Staten Island for one night, and rode the ferry back and forth to Manhattan. (We actually rode the ferry that was involved in that horrible accident a couple years ago. 11 people died in the crash.) Stephen and I had never been to NYC before, so it was a real treat. We were able to ride the ferry and see Lady Liberty. We also checked out Wall Street, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Grand Central Station (I guess it's referred to as Grand Central Terminal now?), Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village (Mona recommended this one, and boy was the banana pudding and red velvet cake scrumptious!), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ground Zero and more. The weather was perfect (cool and crisp, but not too cold), and the sites were awesome. I kept thinking to myself, "So this is New York City! It's just as I imagined it to be." Emily enjoyed riding the subway (here she is having a ball with Grandma and Grandpa on a subway bench), and I had a fabulous time just walking around, people-watching. I'm quite amazed that we were able to see all that we saw in just one day; Stephen and I agreed, though, that we MUST go back. And when we do, we need to stay for no less than a week. I'm aching to check out Central Park, maybe a show on Broadway, and some of the museums. That would be a blast.

The Statue of Liberty was as breathtaking as I thought she would be. As my eyes fixated upon her, I imagined that I was an immigrant from a faraway land, catching a glimpse of her for the first time, knowing that I had finally made it home. What an experience it must have been for so many people, after enduring and surviving such a difficult, painful journey, to finally see Lady Liberty, the ultimate symbol of hope and freedom. Wow.

Wall Street was the site that Stephen was dying to see. That was a fun stop... my favorite part was when I asked one of the three cops who were guarding the New York Stock Exchange if we could take their picture, and he said, "Well, we're not supposed to pose, but if you wanna take one, I can't stop ya"... Uh, I beg to differ... ;-)

St. Patrick's Cathedral is gorgeous on the outside, but I found its interior a bit disappointing, to be honest. The colors and the things inside were somewhat dull and muted. Quite the contrast from the awesome architecture of the cathedral's exterior.

Times Square was unlike anything I’d ever seen. All the lights, the movement, the hustle and bustle, the chaos -- it was fascinating. I stood in the center of the Square in awe, just trying to take it all in. My eyes darted from one thing to the next: the huge television screens, all the flasing lights, the Nasdaq sign, the advertisments... it was truly something else.

And then there was Ground Zero. By the time we visited, the construction crews had started to clear out much of the debris (for lack of a better word) and stuff left over from 9/11. They were beginning to build again, so what we saw of Ground Zero was much different from what my parents saw when they were there a year earlier. Nevertheless, it was quite an experience just to stand there, to be there. I didn't expect to get so emotional, but I did. A very detailed timeline is posted in front of Ground Zero, and as I stood reading it, I was overcome.

After our very short stay in New York, we returned to Massachusetts, but this time we arrived in downtown Boston. The following day was my brother Rich's birthday, so we all (including Jaime) went to celebrate at his and Heather's favorite brewery, just a few blocks from their home. We had a nice time. Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I then camped out in Rich's living room. He and Heather live on the 28th floor of a high-rise downtown, with a magnificent view. What a glorious feeling it is to be out on their balcony, with a fabulous view of Beacon Hill (and practically all of Boston)! I just LOVE their view. If I lived in their apartment, I'd be out on that balcony all the time.

The next day (Rich's birthday), Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I took to the streets of Boston. We toured Cheers (the Bull and Finch Pub, which was the inspiration for the hit show Cheers), Boston Public Gardens, the Old North Church, the Granary Burying Ground, Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market and more. We had the best clam chowder I've ever tasted at a great little Irish pub called The Black Rose (it's been a family favorite for years). It rained a bit during the first part of our sightseeing, but the weather then got to be rather pleasant. The only somewhat difficult part was carrying Em around in her backpack, because she'd rather be walking herself than being lugged around in that thing. :-) Next time, I'd like to visit the John F. Kennedy Library, among other places.

That night, we all gathered at our friend Ron's house in Abington. Ron is my uncle's brother; that is, my Mom's sister's husband's brother. (Got that?) He's such a warm, loving, fun, kind, generous person whom I adore and love being around. He lives in a condo with his West Highland White Terrier, Theo. Ron invited his family over and we all enjoyed each other's company while eating a ton of delicious food. Ron made so much yummy Italian food, enough to feed an army! Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I ended up staying with Ron for a couple of nights, and we had such a pleasant stay because he's such a delightful host. :-)

The following day, Ron, my parents, Stephen, Em and I tackled Cape Cod. On the way, Ron surprised us with a stop at the National Monument to the Forefathers, which none of us had ever heard of. What a beautiful statue she is! Stephen was quite impressed with the monument and he took lots of pictures. Before we got to the Cape, we also stopped by Plymouth Rock (the monument is actually in Plymouth as well), and we saw the restored Mayflower and the actual Rock. It's amazing how steeped in history New England is (specifically Massachusetts)! Next time we’re there, I’d like to visit the Plimoth Plantation. My parents took me when I was a child, and I remember really enjoying it. By the time we got to Cape Cod, it was getting fairly late, so we unfortunately didn't have much time. We ate some Portuguese food (Ron's Portuguese and loves this little restaurant) and we walked around a bit in Provincetown. Not enough, though. After stopping in a couple little shops, we hurried over to the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Hyannis, but by the time we made it there, it was already dark. Stephen took a couple pictures with the flash, and they came out pretty decent, considering. Next time we'll have to devote more time to some of these places.

On Friday, Sister, Jaime and his family joined us and we trekked out to Newport, Rhode Island. For so long I've wanted to show Stephen the Cliff Walk, but unfortunately it was very stormy when we arrived, and we didn't feel comfortable taking the kids out onto the cliffs in such wet and slippery conditions. Instead, Jaime, Debbie, Stephen and I walked a very tiny stretch of the Walk and snapped a few pictures. It's absolutely gorgeous out there. The Walk is lined with amazing mansions, but the best part is the natural beauty of the cliffs, rock and ocean. I honestly did not want to leave. I wanted to stay and enjoy the peace and serenity for a while, but I couldn't. (Someone needed to pee! ;-) Before we stopped at the Cliff Walk, we swung by the home where my whole family lived before I was born. Jaime was very excited to stop and show his children the spot. My family said that the place looks different now, but we took pictures in front anyway. The smile on my brother's face was priceless. :-)

After the Cliff Walk, we stopped at the Newport Creamery for a treat before heading home. My family used to frequent the Creamery and remembered it being quite good. My Mom said, however, that it wasn't as good as she recalled. That's okay. It was fun having sundaes and splits with everyone.

That evening we went back to Ron's home, but just to pack up and head back to Marblehead to stay with Jaime again. Sister and Ken headed back to San Diego on Saturday, and Stephen, Em and I did so on Sunday. On Saturday, we all attended one of Ben's football games, which was a lot of fun. Jaime and Stephen helped out on the field, while Molly, Emily and I went back and forth between watching the game and playing on the swings. I was told that Ben made some good moves in the game, but I couldn't tell because I kept losing him in the sea of black and red uniforms!

Before we left, Jaime took Dad, Ben, Stephen and me around Marblehead to show us some of the sites. We got to see some incredibly old houses (some dating back to the 1700s!), and we took some pictures at Crocker Park, the place where the U.S. Navy was "born". He took us to the Marblehead Neck, where there are many gorgeous (affluent) homes. The scenery around there is stunning. Again, I didn't want to leave.

I think Em shares my love for Halloween. She caught on to trick-or-treating really fast, holding her little black basket out, over and over and over again. (She wanted to visit the same spooky house repeatedly! :-) Emily was a ladybug this year, which suits her to a 'T' because she loves bugs. She has a Baby Einstein DVD that features all kinds of animals and insects, and when the grasshopper appears on the screen (a particularly ugly-looking one, I might add), she runs to the t.v. and kisses him! (Strange child. ;-) She loves bugs SO much, that one of her first words was "spider". Okay, she doesn't quite say "spider" so much as "pyesh". But it's the cutest darn pronunciation of spider I've ever heard! It's hands-down my favorite Emmy word.

Welcoming Thello into our home was a wonderful part of our year as well. Xyno turned three in September, and Stephen had been mentioning that we might want to start thinking about getting him a baby brother. Xyno has always loved having friends (other dogs) around. Every time Mona would come to visit with Mylo and then they'd leave, Xyno would become depressed and would mope around the house. (No joke!) Same story when he'd go visit with Lily and then would leave. (He wasn't the only one -- Lily would actually go on hunger strikes when Xyno would leave!) Stephen always said that we should try to stagger the dogs in terms of their ages, because when one dies, it helps to have another one around to ease the pain.

While we were in Massachusetts, we came across a couple Boston Terriers and we fell in love. They were the cutest things, and so friendly! (Here's the picture Stephen took of Lucky, a friendly little guy we met at the Boston Public Gardens. We unfortunately don't have one of Rose, who was the sweetest little dog!) While Stephen was hoping for a huge dog (like a Mastiff), I've been wanting a lap dog. Since Xyno's a big dog (not like a Mastiff, but still big), Stephen decided to let me get my lap dog. After much research, we tentatively decided on a Boston Terrier. When we got home from our New England trip, I began to look for breeders. We set up an appointment with a breeder in Escondido (she had a 10-week-old male named Bobo who needed a home), but first we went to see a litter of three male Boston Terrier/English Bulldog pups in Tierrasanta. Needless to say, we instantly fell in love. These guys were adorable. Only two were available, because the breeders were keeping one. Of the two left, one was a little chunkier, and he had a black spot on the top of his head. He was also more mellow, and liked for me to pick him up. Actually, he fell asleep on me as soon as I did so. I knew right away that this guy was the one I wanted.

We left this couple's apartment with me thinking that Stephen wouldn't want this puppy. I was in for a surprise! He loved this baby just as much as I did. To make a long story short, Stephen ended up saying, "Let's get him!", and we did. After much consideration, we named him Thello, which is short for Othello (because he's black and white). (In case you were wondering, Xyno is 'onyx' spelled backwards.) Thello's mother is the Boston and his father's the Bulldog. He's got a great mix of both breeds, and is very well-behaved for his age. He was born in September (he's three years and three days younger than Xyno), so he is now three-and-a-half months old. His potty-training is going really well at this point (the first month was rough!), and he's getting MUCH better about not chewing everything in sight. Actually, he's really good about chewing on his toys, something that I can't say about Xyno when he was a puppy.

Em and Xyno really dig having Thello around. It's the cutest thing to see the two doggies cuddled up together, Thello curled into a ball in Xyno's arms. Thello makes Emily laugh with his antics. The only thing that concerns me is when she tugs on his ears or legs a little too hard!


Stephen has had a great year working as a software engineer for General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc. He's very happy there, and they treat him well. Actually, they love him over there, seeing as how he does such great things for them! The only downside of his job this year was the fact that he worked such long hours. In the fall, he participated in the "Extended Work Week" program, during which he worked 54 hours/week (10 hours Mondays through Fridays, and four hours on Saturdays). It's okay though, because participation was optional, and he was compensated for it. He's also been on a bunch of trips to the desert this fall/winter. He was gone for over a week in mid-December, which for us is a really long time! We've only been apart that long two other times: when we first started dating (in June, 1996), Stephen was up in the Bay Area for Daniel's wedding and was gone for a week or a little more; and when we were engaged, I traveled to China to visit my parents for about three weeks (that was in January, 2000 -- wow, seven years ago!). So being apart was tough for us. But we made it!

As for me, I've been having the time of my life being home with my Emmy. Sure, it's hard at times, but she's so much fun, and we have the best time together. (It's amazing to me that she's been in our lives now for two years!) The dogs are joys, too. All three "kids" are best buds. It's so neat to see them watch out for each other and take care of each other. Especially Xyno with Emily -- he's so protective of her! If Stephen (or anyone else for that matter) is playing "rough" with Em, Xyno is not happy. He barks and cries and begs for him to stop. I think my Mom takes comfort in the knowledge that Xyno's here, "just in case". (I know I feel better having a big, scary-sounding Black Lab around when Stephen's away!)

It’s also been a sweet year because of our family and friends. Stephen, Emily and I are incredibly lucky to have so many people who care about us. Thank you to all of you who love and support us. It means so much.

Now for the "bitter" part. I say "bitter" because bitter's not really the accurate term here. Sad and painful are more appropriate words to describe the situation.

We're beginning this new year without my sister and her three children (H, Z and G). They moved out of state on December 30th due to various circumstances. As most of you know, we (my parents, Sister, Ken, Stephen and I) are all quite attached to these three yahoos, and out of everything that could possibly happen, I don’t think any of us ever thought that the day would come when we’d have to say goodbye to them. This is painful for so many different reasons. It was extremely difficult to let them go, and we will miss them immensely (we already do). My sister says that they plan to only be gone for 18-24 months, and I hope that this turns out to be the case. Even so, it’s going to be an awfully tough stretch without them.

Needless to say, we spent a lot of quality time with them before they left. They stayed at my parents’ house the few days before Christmas and the five days after. During this time, Mona baked cookies and the kids and I helped her decorate the sugar ones; Z helped Grandma make tamales; Mona, H and I went shopping for a new dress that H could wear to her new school; Mona, G and I went to see Charlotte's Web; and we all just spent a lot of time hanging around, talking, watching DVDs, playing games, and even a little time crying.

Sister, Ken, Mona, Stephen, Em and I all spent the night of the 29th with the kids at my parents’ house. G seemed to think that that was awfully neat. I heard her say several times, "Every single person here is spending the night tonight!!" The morning of the 30th was rough, as we knew it would be. My sister came to get the kids at about 10:00 a.m., and they were on the road close to 11:00. We all embraced and sobbed, and those of us left behind waved goodbye from my parents' driveway.

It's amazing to me that when Em was born, she had close to 20 cousins living in the area. Now she has ZERO. All of Stephen's family moved away (Mom and Dad moved away in October, 2005; Mike, Kathy and family moved away in December, 2005; and Tim, Therese and family moved away this past September), and now my three are gone. It's really quite depressing. I do realize that this happens in life; people come and go and there’s nothing I can do about it. But that doesn’t make it any less sad.

Mona went back home the following day (New Year’s Eve), and Stephen, Emily and I just took it easy. Actually, Stephen was finally able to sell Tim's car to a guy who drove up from Chula Vista. We've had the car since September, but due to his extensive work hours and all his traveling, poor Stephen just hadn’t been able to put in the time that was required to sell the car until now. He went ahead and posted the ad on craigslist, and in less than two days, the car was driven off of our driveway!

Christmas with Mona, Mylo and the kids was nice, like always. It, of course, was in and of itself bittersweet since we knew that the kids were just about to leave, but at least we got to share that last special holiday with them.

It was also wonderful to have Stephen home for such a long stretch, especially after all his trips to the desert. It was hard to let him go back to work on the 2nd! It's kinda nice having that guy around. ;-)

Emily got a lot of cool stuff, including: a tricycle from Mommy and Daddy (or I guess you could say Santa); a nice toddler table from Aunt Mona; talking animal blocks and a stuffed penguin she named "Chickachu" from Uncle Jaime and Aunt Debbie; a really cute Baby Einstein chair and an alphabet puzzle book from Grandma and Grandpa; and other neat things. Pictures will be posted on Flickr soon.

Em got sick about a week before Christmas, and Stephen and I took her in to the doctor on the 21st. (We took her to Ann Evenson, the nurse practitioner I love.) Ann said that all looked fine, and she told me to just continue applying vapo rub to Em’s chest and turning on the humidifier while she sleeps. Em seemed to be doing fine for the next week, but the past few days, she appears to be getting worse, not better. Her nose is still runny, she can’t breathe (and drools nonstop as a result), her cough is worsening, and the phlegm is evidently now settling in her chest. She can't sleep well, and I’m starting to get worried. Reason being, she came down with pneumonia this past summer, and from what I understand, if one gets pneumonia once, he/she is prone to get it again. It's interesting because Em seems to follow a pattern when she's sick. She seems to do better after a few days, but then she relapses (and that's what's happening now). If it continues, I’m afraid I'm going to have to take her back in to get her lungs checked out. (I'm sick of subjecting her to x-rays, though. No more x-rays!)

I never thought I'd write such a long-winded post, but I guess I needed to. Thank you for reading (if you got this far!). Please keep my nieces and nephew and my sister in your prayers if you can.

We appreciate each and every one of you.

Happy New Year!

Dog Rules

I'm happy to report that Xyno's alive and well. The chicken bones didn't do any harm, thank goodness. Thanks for the prayers. :-)

He's been his usual happy, active, hungry self. I've been dutifully checking his BMs (like I told Alicia, sorry if TMI) and everything looks normal. No vomiting, no strange behavior. Yay!!

In celebration of Xyno's good health and this being my 100th post, I'd now like to share an e-mail that's been forwarded around for years. My sister recently sent it to me. I don't know who wrote it, but I think it's so cute. I get a kick out of it every time!


DOG RULES
(To be posted very low on the refrigerator door -- noseheight.)

Dear Dogs,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm. For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, or try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I
have been using the bathroom for years -- canine attendance is not mandatory. The proper order is kiss me, THEN go smell the other dog's butt. I cannot stress this enough! To pacify you, my dear dog, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Dog Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our Dog:
1. He lives here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it FURniture.)
3. I like my dog a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal -- to me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
5. Remember: Dogs...
    a. Eat less.
    b. Don't ask for money all the time.
    c. Are easier to train.
    d. Usually come when called.
    e. Never drive your car.
    f. Don't hang out with drug-using friends.
    g. Don't smoke or drink alcoholic beverages.
    h. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions.
    i. Don't wear your clothes, and
    j. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college.

Please Pray...

... for our Xyno, who mischievously ate an entire chicken carcass tonight.

I admit I feel a bit silly asking for prayers for my dog, but we really love this guy, and we'd be devastated if he were to get seriously ill or die.

It was my fault; I forgot I had left the chicken out on the counter (one of those five-dollar, whole, Costco rotisserie chickens), and I had gone to lie down with Em at the tail-end of her nap. When I returned to the kitchen a while later, I walked in on Xyno licking the container sparkling-clean. I frantically searched the area, hoping to find the remains of the chicken, but they were nowhere to be found. They were, of course, in his stomach. OY.

I found a bunch of horror stories online about how many beloved dogs have died after eating chicken bones. (Apparently the chicken bones can splinter off and the shards can puncture the stomach or intestines. This would not be good!) I was really getting scared. But after I called and talked with the vet (I love the folks at Midland!), I felt much better. The doctor really put my mind at ease. He told me that Xyno has his large size going for him, and that in his 21 years at the job, he's never seen a puncture wound due to the consumption of chicken bones. I was instructed to just keep an eye on the pup (to make sure he doesn't seem to be in pain, vomit, or have bloody stools), and to replace his dry food with cooked rice and ground beef for the next couple days. I'm supposed to feed him the rice every few hours, so that food is constantly going through his body, working to push the chicken out of his system.

Sorry, I didn't mean for this post to be so lengthy. Please just say a little prayer for our Xyno. I'll let you know when he's in the clear.

Thank you!

The World's Ugliest Dog

Sam died late last year, but he has passed his torch.

Meet Pee Wee Martini, now the world's Ugliest Dog!