Renaissance Fair Experience!

I've been meaning to make this post for days now.  I've had some technical difficulties preventing me from posting pics.  So that's why I was waiting until I could post the pics to mention this experience.

Last weekend we went to the Renaissance Fair.  I've heard of the Renaissance Fair before but neither of us had ever been.  It seemed like fun and something different to do so we went last Saturday.  We spent 6 hours there looking at all they had to offer.  Now here comes one of the exciting parts of the day...guess what we did?  Yep, we ate a giant turkey leg!  They sell turkey legs and we each got one just to have the experience.  And when I say giant turkey leg I mean giant turkey leg.  It's quite the thing to go up and buy a turkey leg in that manner.  Certainly felt very Renaissance!  For dessert we shared a funnel cake.  You can't go to a Fair of any kind without eating a funnel cake!  It's mandatory! 

Okay, now guess again as to what we did? We went to the turtle races.  I really wanted to go to the turtle races.  It was funny!  The turtles are of course not that active but they had some good comedians hosting the show which made it a fun experience.  We also did some archery.  I got to let my inner-Katniss come out.  Katniss is the main character from the movie The Hunger Games, she's great with a bow and arrow!  I actually did fairly decent with the bow and arrow!  We also watched some jousting, sword throwing, and shows that featured tricks with fire. Including a guy that breathed fire!  Weird! 

The entire event was like taking a trip back in time.  Alright one last guess as to the most exciting experience we had last weekend?  It's quite awesome! Drum roll please.....We rode an elephant together!  Yep, we rode an elephant!  How awesome is that?  My only complaint was that the ride didn't last long enough.  Soon after we got there and saw they had elephants to ride I told my boyfriend I wanted to go for a ride.  Towards the end of our day we did! In the last pic below, I took while we sat on the elephant.  At the bottom edge of the pic you can just barely see my hand as I gripped the seat on top of the elephant.  So the view of the elephant as I looked down at him was of the top of his head and his ears.  I also took a pic of another elephant that was out there.  Unfotunately no pics of us on the elephant since we had no one else with us to take the pic.  It was an amazing thing to do.  I was truly excited to take a ride on an elephant.  We felt like we were going through a safari for a brief moment. 

Awesome event!  We had a great time at the Fair last weekend.  And finally I got to share the experience on my blog! 

Cute Pic!

My boyfriend's aunt sent this pic to him.  He saved it to his desktop on his computer.  And now as you can see I've uploaded it to my blog.  It's hilarious to me!  When I first saw this pic I immediately hit the internet looking for those little pug booties.  In the face this pug reminds me of Simon.  That's a total Simon look on his face.  This dog is saying, "Why am I standing here in these booties while you snap my photo?".  Simon does the same thing with his ears when he's confused about what I'm making him do.  Simon's ears did that for an entire photo session many Christmases ago. That was the year I wrapped the boys in Christmas lights and snapped photo after photo.  Man, my boys and this pug above put up with a lot as it seems!

NFL Draft Night!

Alright it's finally here, a much anticipated night for any NFL fan like me.  I'm ready for the draft which is tonight, tomorrow night, and Saturday.  I can't help but notice my 3 teams I look follow the most are making their selections at #12, #13, and #14.  Each team has 15 minutes on the clock to make their pick.  So for approximately 45 minutes I better not be interrupted!  Do you hear me, pugs?  No getting into a quarrel or doing something gross that requires me to clean it up immediately. LOL!

I think for my Cards, Kolb needs more help so an offensive player is most likely.  The Cowboys according to my boyfriend need help with their defense.  I do still watch to see what Seattle does, I wouldn't root against them unless they were up against my Cards or Cowboys. Therefore, I'll pay attention to their pick but I don't keep up with them like I once did.  I'll also be looking forward to Houston's pick.  And of course I'll boo Pittsburgh's pick...the only way I wouldn't boo their pick is if they take a Sun Devil!  Otherwise boos! I'm also curious to see where Osweiler from ASU ends up...hope it isn't a team I hate.  Although I doubt he will be picked tonight, more likely to see him picked tomorrow night.  And of course, I'll also be paying attention to any players drafted from Texas schools. 

Should be an interesting night!  I've watched the draft since I was a kid.  That likely sounds strange to some people but then again I'm a bit of a different breed!  Just ask the pugs!  

Movie Night part 2

Well I couldn't handle the movie War Horse.  We watched maybe an hour or slightly over an hour before I decided I needed to do something while watching the movie.  I went to get my boyfriend's laptop.  The laptop is a great tool to work on while watching a movie that isn't too pleasing. Because your concentration is divided! Soon after I started working on the laptop though my boyfriend decided to turn off the movie. 

Way too many dead horses lying around for me to be able to stomach it.  I found myself to be so nervous the whole time we were watching it too.  Just constantly preparing myself for something bad to happen.

To be honest though me dreading this movie for the last week.  Yeah, the last 2 Wednesday's we've tried to watch this movie.  As a result the last 2 Wednesday's I've dreaded this movie for days and days. Of course it isn't going to be much fun when I've psyched myself out of it. I simply have to change my mindset in order to be able to watch it.  Like my boyfriend said last night the ending of the movie is probably very good making it all worthwhile.  So after thinking that part over I do want to try it again.  But I think I need a little break for now from it.  Who knows though I could psyche myself up for it and want to watch it this weekend. 

Here's the dork that I am.  Get this, last night when my boyfriend decided to turn off the movie since I wasn't enjoying it.  What did I say?  Well I asked if him turning off meant I had to watch it with him again at a later date.  That's horrible of me!  I was just so disgusted with the dead horses at the time I couldn't imagine sitting through it again.  Now this morning has come and my brain has marinated on the fact that the movie must have a splendid ending or else it wouldn't be worth making. Therefore, I'm now willing to watch it all the way through.  And I will!

Side note:  One thing that may have helped this movie in my opinion would have been some known actors!  I didn't recognize a single actor in the movie.  It has a well-known director in Steven Spielberg but no starring actors!  Slightly odd!  I guess they didn't want to take focus away from the horse.

Movie Night!

Tonight is reserved for a movie.  Blockbuster movie night, we'll be watching War Horse.  We rented it last week and still haven't watched it, good thing we have the blockbuster movie pass that allows us to keep a movie as long as we want.  I have noticed though since we got the movie pass we aren't as quick to watch the movie we get sometimes.  Which bugs me a little that we are like that.  Sometimes I just want to get it watched and get it back to Blockbuster.  Be done with it. 

I'm a little iffy on War Horse, I'll be honest.  I'm not sure why but I'm not too into movies that center around a particular animal.  I think it's because I don't want to see anything bad happen to the animal.  I went to Marley and Me a few years back, I came out of the theatre balling my eyes out.  Oh sure it's a heart-warming movie but then Marley crokes.  It left me feeling sad.  I know I was supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy inside that Marley had a great life with one family, however, my thoughts kept going back to them putting Marley in the ground. 

We did watch Zookeeper recently.  That was a good movie. I can handle movies like that where the animals aren't doing completely real things and are being voiced by other stars. It's a comedy not a drama, so I don't fear for the animals.  I'm much more into comedy.  I like to have fun with a movie not be grossed out or sit there hiding my eyes for half the movie. Now with War Horse I have to deal with a movie centered around a horse plus the subject of war....oh geez, wish me luck!  Well whether the movie is good or bad, I can at least look forward to the popcorn!        

Cody's Injury!

Well my dear sweet Cody had to visit the vet yet again.  We've been to the vet clinic way too much lately!  I know Cody is in agreement with that as well!  Even Simon would agree for that matter, since he hates being left at home alone!

I've noticed that Cody has a bit of a limp when he first gets up to walk at times.  He isn't exactly a young pup so I've been figuring it to be arthritis.  However, I've been watching him close to see if he gets any worse.  It's been such a slight limp that I haven't been able to tell which leg he's having problems with.

Today it became crystal clear as to Cody's leg issue.  I noticed this morning while brushing his coat that he has some puffiness on his front right leg.  The puffiness felt very strange to me.  I called the vet and was able to have Cody seen this afternoon.  He has a mild sprain.  How he sprained it I have no clue!  It is way too hard to pinpoint when it occurred.  We go up and down stairs all the time.  Cody is super playful with toys and has been known to get into a squabble with his little bro.  No way to guess when the sprain happened.  It's not like a kid that can instantly tell you when they get hurt.  So Cody's leg will need 4-6 weeks to heal.  He'll be re-checked at 4 weeks.

He really isn't letting it bother him too much.  He's been acting fairly normal. He isn't as playful as usual of course. Otherwise though, he's been typical Code-man. Then again, what exactly is typical for Cody?....Good question! ;) 

TGIF!

Finally it's Friday!  Was this a long week or what?  It seemed long to me! I'm ready for the weekend!  We have plans to go to a Fair tomorrow so it should be fun. 

Woke up today to rainy weather.  I did hear there was a small chance of rain predicted.  I doubted much would come of it though.  That was wrong on my part because it's sprinkled off and on for most of the day. The boys and I almost had to turn around and go back home during the morning walk due to the rain.  I'm the type though that's not into skipping the walks so we powered through it.  I'll only skip a walk if it's pouring and/or lightening is present. The boys have metal leashes so I can't walk them in the lightening.  Besides lightening freaks me out!  For the entire mile walk today it was sprinkling.  I nearly froze too!  It's been a day where I had to opt for slightly warmer clothes. 

Oh geez!  Guess what Cody did?  I think I've mentioned before that when Cody first gets up in the morning he has to rough something up.  Sometimes it's his blanket or a toy.  Today however, it was his bed.  He flipped his bed over then bit into it like he does with a toy he then vigorously tossed it from side to side.  Well the bed didn't hold up to Cody's vigor!  There's now a large torn section on the bottom of the bed and the stuffing is falling out.  Nice going Code!  This is a daily morning ritual Cody has followed since he was a pup.  He's sometimes late to show up for breakfast because he's still busy roughing up his blanket and a toy or two.  Obviously by now I'm used to his excitement over the fact that it's time to get up. However, I'm still slightly irritated that one of their beds will have to be replaced.   

Round 2!

Well I'm happy to report that when I took Cody back to the vet yesterday for round 2 of his shots there was no nasty weather in sight. Not a cloud in the skiy, no threat of a tornado! Much different than 2 weeks ago when I took Code-man! It's the policy in the city of Dallas to split up the shots for pugs, hence the second trip to the vet in 2 weeks! It has helped pinpoint which shot gives Simon problems. As he's been known to have reactions. The vet clinic bugs the heck out of you so you don't forget to bring your pug back in for the rest of his shots. I've received emails, postcards, and even a phone call as reminders. A little much! I'm the type that doesn't need reminders!

Cody's so cute! When getting his shot he was at first reluctant to go to the back of the vet clinic with the nurse. He pulled towards me a few times before deciding that he had no choice in the matter. Then when he came back out to the front he was walking with a bounce in his step as his eyes quickly scanned the room looking for his mommie. The look on his face when he saw me was one of such delight! Like I said a second ago, he's so cute!!!

A little side note: In my opinion they can not get the freeway around the former sight of Texas Stadium done fast enough. I can't stand driving on the makeshift narrow freeway. Only two narrow lanes at high speeds. I feel sometimes like I'm training to be a Nascar driver when I drive around the city at times. The speeds are much faster than I've ever driven before. I've adjusted for the most part but there's a moment here or there that freaks me out with the speed of the traffic not to mention the fact that lanes are merging all the time so you have to think fast. We originally heard when Texas Stadium was blown up that a new shopping center was going to be built in it's place. It's obvious something worthwhile will be put there as they are building freeway connections in many directions and rail connections are already finished.

Puppy Classes!

I'm doing this post because I was recently asked what I thought about puppy classes. So if you don't have a puppy you can likely skip over this post!

I'm not much of a fan of puppy classes. It's a pricey side business that Petco's and Petsmart's have going. They are filled with lots of info but problem is most of the info is common sense or doesn't pertain to your dog. Or at least that was my experience!

I took Cody a few times. He never completed the program. The trainer was very much against hitting a dog. Which I understand in today's world. However, I will pop the boys on the butt when they do wrong. I don't go overboard, still they get the message. I personally don't have a problem with one hit to the backside when the boys do wrong. Most of the time with my two boys all I needed is a stern tone to my voice and maybe threaten to spank.

In one class I went to with Cody the trainer suggested hitting a wooden spoon against a cookie sheet EVERY TIME you told your dog "no". Now that's a lot of banging on a cookie sheet if you really follow that advice especially with a puppy! I tried it once! Literally once! I annoyed myself so much with the noise of beating a wooden spoon on a cookie sheet I decided that advice was not going to be used. Cody was a very good dog from day one. I could tell him "no" firmly and he respected it. I'm glad Simon was the second dog because from day one with Simon he's been the mischievous one. I can at least count on Cody to always set a good example! I can't remember when Cody got in trouble last! I mean real "trouble" not just simply needing to be told "no" or "stop". I remember the last time Simon got himself into major trouble! Not that Simon finds his way into trouble much! But he does find trouble more than Cody. Cody's such an angel that it's somewhat entertaining to read the disappointment in Cody's face when his little bro gets in trouble. That's a sight in and of itself!

When Simon was a puppy there was one issue beyond the usual "puppy stuff" that needed attention. I simply called his vet and the vet told me how to correct the behavior. No class needed to correct him. So much of the advice or "training" as they call it in puppy classes is practical advice. It's not anything stupendous! Oh I remember the trainer that I took Cody to, she hyped up an upcoming lesson about teaching the dog to "come" to you when called. I literally laughed out loud in my chair as we sat there that day. Really? A lesson on how to get your dog to "come" to you when called? It's a natural innate ability that dog's "come" when they're called! Cody never once sat in a corner refusing to come to me when I called his name or even motioned him. Puppies and adult dogs are way too curious of creatures to not "come" when they are called on. I know with my two boys even today I can call Simon and I usually get both of them. Why? Because it's natural to come when called on! And when you have two well the other one has to come along to make sure he doesn't miss out on anything! Think about it,we are the same way. My boyfriend may stand at the top of his stairs and call downstairs to me....I answer him. It's natural! That's just the kind of stuff that they are advertising at those classes to be monumental and groundbreaking of lessons when reality is....it's either innate ability or rather practical no-brainer advice. I say go spend $15 to $20 on a book containing practical tips on how to train a new puppy and skip the Petco/Petsmart classes! Then again if you've had dogs before you likely don't even need the book.

However, I will add that I do have moments with Simon when he won't come to me when called. But that's only because he knows what's going on. Moments when I just want him to come over so I can cuddle him or clean his face. The only solution to that issue is to remind him I'm in charge! Time to get your face cleaned little one and that's just how it is! I'm the mommie and he's the dog...I always win out!

No dog is perfect even with a bunch of training! You just have to stay consistent with what you are teaching them. Consistent with the type of things your dog needs to know to fit into your environment. The dog is the one that needs to fit into your environment not the other way around. You are the one in charge of showing them the ropes, so to speak! Quite frankly dogs are what we make of them. We make them into decent dogs or not so decent dogs. I see it a lot around my apartment complex, owners that have taken the time to instruct their dogs as to how things will be versus owners that have let the dog rule the environment.

Just one of those days!

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, one of those days where strange stuff just keeps happening to you. Not that anything serious really goes wrong but it's just one weird/annoying incident after another? I had one of those days this past Tuesday. What is it with Tuesday's lately for me? Tornadoes hit on a Tuesday and a week later(this past Tuesday) I have a small issues type of day.

First a carton of orange juice fell out of the car. That was a mess! Then once I got inside while trying to make room in the fridge I knocked the eggs out. And a bigger mess was created! Now normally Simon is right there to help clean up "kitchen" spills but he wanted no part of this one! An hour or so later while preparing dinner for the crock pot I cut my finger. Which it refused to stop bleeding. I hate the sight of blood! I'm surprised I didn't pass out....luckily I kept it together. Yes, I've been known to pass out at the sight of too much blood. Just ask my mom!

Next up for small issues, ones that all can sympathize with....computer and fax machine issues. First a small pop-up window wouldn't close. I couldn't even move or "hide" it. It just remained in the middle of my monitor's screen. Irritating to say the least! Then I had issues with the fax machine! The dumb thing kept telling me my documents weren't loaded....umm, yes they were! After restarting the computer and troubleshooting a bit with the fax machine all was good. Thank goodness for the ability to restart a computer. When I can't get it to work properly I'm not hesitant to restart it.

Just one of those days! I never got truly upset about any of the issues. Which is pretty typical for me. I simply laugh at those kind of days. That's about all you can do is laugh and roll with it!

Events of Last Tuesday(Tornado Tuesday)

So the events of last Tuesday! There I was with Cody on the edge of downtown Dallas in the early afternoon. As we sat waiting for his appointment at the vet we watched the storms beginning to roll in. I was getting anxious by the minute for him to be seen so we could get out of there. As other patients were strolling into the vet clinic they were mentioning how bad it was getting outside. Finally Cody was seen. Let me tell you Cody behaved the worst he's ever behaved for the vet. I know it was because of the scary weather outside but he was still a little embarrassing. Took 3 people to hold him while he got his bordatella shot. Can you imagine one small pug putting up such a fight? Soon as the shot was over he leaped off the examination table and into my arms...good thing I was ready to catch him!


Back to the storm, we got in the car to leave for home. Regular radio programming was no longer on the radio they were broadcasting only from the national weather service. The worst of the storm was heading for our area. Simon was at home alone. He hates being home alone! So I could only imagine how he was behaving while Cody and I were out. If there was any positive to consider as far as Simon's whereabouts...he was confined to the hallway next to the guest bath far away from any windows. He was likely confined to the safest area of our home. That was the small positive thought running through my head as I decided to go towards the storm in an effort to get home to Simon. If I had been out with both boys my thought process would have likely been different!


By the time we got home, the storm was intense. Within minutes of arriving home I got both boys together and went back to the car to load them up. I most likely should have left Cody in the car but he's such a nervous-Nelly it's hard to leave him when a horrible storm is passing through. As I was opening the door to put the boys in the loudest thunderous boom was heard. I jumped a mile! The boys jumped too. Simon was trying to get his wits about himself to figure out how to get in the car. And Cody was paralyzed with fear. Simon jumped in as I grabbed Cody to put him in. We then started off for my boyfriend's place. Both boys stayed huddled in the passenger seat. I didn't even try to put them in the cargo area. We all looked like 3 drowned rats when we arrived at my boyfriend's. Geez! I was so soaked my hair was dripping with rain water. Not to mention I was freezing!


After a little while at my boyfriend's the worst seemed to be over and we went back home so he could finish up his work day. In all there were 13 tornadoes that passed through the Dallas area. By far the craziest afternoon of intense weather I've witnessed!

Tornado Outbreak in Dallas!

We're all okay here in Big D! I can't get a signal to call or text! I was near downtown Dallas when the storms started. It's been an insane afternoon! I was very close to 2 tornadoes that touched down while I was in downtown Dallas area. After many hours have now passed I realized I actually never ate lunch! My adrenaline has been pumping! Getting some lunch took a backseat to getting home and then getting the 3 of us to a safer location.

I'll talk more about the many storms later tonight or tomorrow. The count so far is 12 tornadoes have hit the Dallas area. The worst outbreak since April 3, 1979! Very odd that the month and day match! I've seen 2 story homes with the 2nd story completely gone! Lots of cars damaged in the parking lot. One car is so badly damaged it looks like it got shot several times! Our place is fine all except for a broken window and no water. Power has been on and off! My TV is having issues...at times I don't have a picture but I have volume. There's been no regular TV programming it's been all tornado coverage. I think it will be a rainy night with some thunderstorms mixed in and they say the tornado activity is still a possibility but just a slight one. Seems as though the worst is over!

I totally meant to call my aunt today as she is celebrating her birthday. Obviously, that didn't happen. So I'll say a special happy birthday here! Happy birthday Aunt Carol! Hope you had a great day celebrating!

Countdown Has Begun!

Let the countdown begin!...The countdown to Easter...the countdown til I can have soda and ketchup again! I'm not missing soda too much. Especially since I have good substitutes for it, like lemonade and Hawaiian punch. But ketchup....oh man, I will never give up ketchup again. I'm way too American for parting ways with my ketchup.

In France and many other European countries they don't use ketchup on their fries. They use mayo or vinegar. Ketchup is thought to be too "American" in Europe. Well, American I am and I want my ketchup back!!!!!! It's one of those things that when I chose to give it up I didn't think it through all the way. I thought it would be easy to simply not have ketchup on my fries for 6 weeks. I didn't consider that I wouldn't be able to make my special meatloaf due to the ketchup that's in the sauce that goes on top, not to mention I can't have ketchup on my burgers. I haven't wanted to deal with tasting a burger without ketchup so I actually haven't had a burger in 6 weeks. Now how un-American is that? Geez!

I went shopping today for some items as I prepare for Easter. I want to make an assortment of cupcakes but I haven't decided exactly what types yet. Chocolate with chocolate frosting is for sure...since that's what my boyfriend likes the best! I also want to make lemon cupcakes. As for the 3rd type it's still up in the air, either strawberry cheesecake or red velvet! We'll see!

This is a total side note but as I type this post, Storm has hidden herself in a large paper bag. Cats love bags. Cody is laying at my feet just a little ways away from Storm and the bag. He's fast asleep. He has no clue she's in the bag! When she pops out Code-man is going to have a panic attack! LOL! Perhaps I should wake him up before that happens!

"Olive Garden" and The Hunger Games!

I have quite the nice boyfriend! On Friday around lunch time he texted me to not worry about dinner plans for our Friday night. Later on he called to ask when I would be arriving at his place. I told him I was a few minutes from being ready to walk out the door to come over. When I arrived at his place I saw a sign hanging above his front door that read "Olive Garden". When I walked in he had ordered in an amazing Olive Garden meal complete with salad and breadsticks. It was a pleasant surprise, for sure! Since he had told me not to worry about planning out dinner earlier in the day, my mind had been racing over what he could possibly have planned. I love those sweet little surprises he comes up with! Thank you, my sweetness!

Well the millions and millions that the movie The Hunger Games has made now includes some of our money. We went to see it yesterday afternoon. I wasn't that interested because the plot just didn't sound so good. However, due to it being talked about so much lately and the many box office records it's broken, I became intrigued enough to want to see it. I'm glad we did too. Yes, the plot is based on something that none of us wants to comprehend....kids killing kids so their family can eat. It is deep and well put together. Definitely worth seeing! I have a friend that is completely fascinated by costumes and movie makeup so I would certainly recommend the movie to her. The makeup on Elizabeth Banks character makes her almost unrecognizable. As I said earlier today to my boyfriend I would rather see a movie that has some depth to it like The Hunger Games versus the raunchiness of a movie like The Hangover or Bridesmaids. And even a person like me that has trouble watching long movies did just fine sitting through the 2 and a 1/2 hours.