Seattle

As I have mentioned briefly in other posts I used to live in Seattle. The move to Seattle was my first big move away from my hometown. It was an eye-opening experience to live in a city with basically the opposite climate than what I grew-up with. I moved there in December right in the middle of their rainy season. The rain didn't bother me for the most part until April. By the time April rolled around I was sick of it.

Despite the cold dark rainy days, I actually considered moving back to Seattle before Dallas came into the picture. Well, I suppose I did a little more than consider it since I had gotten to the point of looking for an apartment. I had even narrowed the apartment search down to 2. For some reason though it just didn't feel right and I canceled my plans!

This past Sunday my Cardinals played the Seattle Seahawks. Months ago I would have cared a lot. I would have felt like both were "my" teams. Matter of fact my cousin Nick even referred to Seattle as being "my" team in a voicemail he left yesterday afternoon for me. Oddly enough though the feelings I used to have concerning everything Seattle I no longer have. When I changed my mind about moving back there I was finally able to close the book on Seattle, so to speak. Seattle is simply a place I used to live in but not the place I was meant to call home. It was a place where I was able to grow and mature for a few years. I certainly learned a ton about myself while I lived there. However, it doesn't represent the same things it used to. I've moved on! The idea to move to Dallas came out of nowhere about a month after considering going back to Seattle. I'm happy with my decision!

Below is a pic of Seattle's Puget Sound. Seattle Mariner's stadium is on the left and the Seattle Seahawks stadium is on the right.

Weird/Slightly Frustrating Week

This week had it's fair share of frustrating moments. At the beginning of the week I had an issue with a low tire. I truly couldn't figure out which tire it was that was low. Could I find my tire gauge? Nope! After making that statement I wonder how many of my male cousins will be on the phone to me about not having a tire gauge in my car? For future reference for anyone, air machines at QT stations are free!

I'm not sure what the deal was with laundry this week but I sure had problems getting it done. I had the right amount of quarters for 2 loads. But then one of the machines at the clothes center ate my quarters. Yesterday knowing that I needed to get the rest of my clothes done I went out to buy a roll of quarters at a bank. Can you believe the bank was out of quarters? I was shocked when the teller told me they had no quarters. I finally got my laundry done last night.

Simon was a little under the weather on Thursday. He had a cough. It was a cough but at the end he would make these weird motions like he was choking. When you take a dog into the vet with a cough they immediately freak out a bit in fear that the dog might have kennel cough which is highly contagious among dogs. So Simon and another dog that was in to be seen for his cough were segregated from the rest of the animals in the waiting room. Simon checked out fine. The other dog was a confirmed case of kennel cough. During his office visit Simon had to pose for a picture for his file which he loved because he was rewarded with numerous treats after his posing was done. Though the vet said his weight was fine he is a pound more than I would like for him to be. So Simon will be dieting in the near future!

To finish off the week, as I was walking my dogs last night I slipped in a huge puddle. I felt like such a klutz. My pants were soaked and muddy. The one thing that did make me laugh though was the look on Cody's face as he watched me slip. Simon didn't seem to care much but Cody had a look of panic on his face as he was trying to get out of the way so I didn't take him down with me. Anyone that knows Cody knows he has numerous "freak out" facial expressions he makes! Lol!

This week reminded me of another weird/bizarre week I had back in July. During that week I broke my blender, lost my keys in a recycle dumpster, and fainted at the doctor office. While using the blender the top broke and the ingredients of my smoothie went all over the kitchen, the dogs, and me. To get my keys I had to climb into the dumpster. And at the doctor office I literally became quite the sideshow for the entire office staff. Embarrassing!

Pug Standoff

Sunday night was quite the night in pugland. The boys get along great. In fact it's difficult to take one to the vet and leave one home without hearing the whimpers of the one left behind. Despite getting along so well, they do have their moments when things are not right in their world. They've had some serious squabbles in the past.

The issue last night started with a kong. For those that have no clue what a kong is...it's a heavy duty rubber dog toy in which you can fill the inside with peanut butter or some other treat. The dog then tries to get the treat out of the middle of the kong. I use peanut butter because it keeps the boys busy for hours.

Simon some how got a hold of a kong last night that had a small amount of peanut butter still in it from earlier in the day. Cody's kong had been cleaned out already. Cody sat there envious! At one point, Simon noticed me moving some furniture around and realizing he needed to get out of the way he moved him and his kong rather quickly leaving behind some peanut butter. Cody got to the left behind peanut butter first which didn't sit well with Simon. Moments later I turned around to see Cody had gained possession of the kong. While Simon was sitting around looking at me as if he had been robbed of his most favorite possession. For the next 2 hours before bed the pugs had a standoff. Simon didn't want to be anywhere near Cody. Later, when I told them to go to their bed, Simon refused and opted to stay on the opposite side of the room far from Cody. Cody took his kong and laid in their bed with it. After awhile I realized Simon was never going to bed if I didn't do something about the kong. So the kong came up missing thanks to me and I placed Simon in their dog bed alongside Cody. They seemed fine once the kong was no longer in the picture!

This is only the second time that they have had this type of a standoff. I'm not sure I deal with it in the correct manner but I do the best I can. It's actually a little funny to watch Simon move around the room in an effort to avoid being too close to Cody. While Cody appears to be glancing over at Simon trying to figure out what the issue is. Cody is a little slow sometimes. But still oh so lovable! LOL! Below is a pic I came across from their puppy days. They are playing tug of war with a bone.

Sightseeing with Mom

So my mom was here for an entire week. Which is why I haven't posted in awhile. It was a bit of a roller coaster visit. Some ups and downs. My mom and I are practically complete opposites which makes some things quite difficult. Not to mention I put way too much pressure on myself concerning everything running smoothly while she is here. But I can't help it! More tense moments than I would have preferred...the good news is we got through it.

Places we went to while she was here: the Arboretum, Cowboys Stadium, and Pioneer Plaza. We went on a tour of Cowboys stadium. It was worth the price of the tour. The tour guide our group had certainly LOVES working for Jerry Jones! As he went on and on about how great Jerry is! Note to any females that go to Cowboys stadium for a tour...leave your purse in the car, no purses allowed on tours. However, remember to take your camera out of your purse before leaving it in the car! My mom and I left our cameras in our purses and I had to run back to the car twice. Once to put the purses in the car then to go back and get the cameras out of our purses.

We also went to Fort Worth for a day. We found a cute souvenir store in the downtown area but my mom decided she wanted souvenirs of Dallas rather than Fort Worth. So we simply browsed. We also went to a chocolate factory. In my opinion the chocolate factory was the highlight of that day in Fort Worth! I regret not buying more chocolate however!

Overall it was a nice visit. There were some issues but what mother/daughter combo can be together for a full week and not have a few little squabbles? Possibly there are a slight few that can do it. I remember as a child my mom and her sister would always try and convince their parents to stay longer when they would come to town. Now that I'm an adult I can't help but wonder if my mom and her sister were truly serious about that? I like having my mom here for a few days but I also like getting my life back to normal once she has left Dallas....no disrespect meant to you, mom, if you read this!