Pet Profile - Fang

Fang's Story:

A few months after moving from Texas to Utah, Andrew and I were browsing Petco. We were both excited to get a dog eventually, but for now we were renting a basement apartment and it really just wasn't an option. It didn't seem to stop us from checking out the adoption events though. And wouldn't you know it, there was an adoption event on that fateful Friday...but only for cats.

I of course, walked around and petted the kittens...but there was quite a little crowd around one black cat in particular. She was crying to get out of the crate she was in, and there was a non-stop supply of people willing to hold her. I watched as one older lady in particular kept fawning all over this black kitty. Then I noticed the teeth.

This picture was taken at Petco the day I met Fang.

She looked like a little vampire with her shiny green eyes and her white fangs protruding from her mouth. To be honest it was a little frightening, but fascinating. After the old lady finally put her down, and the crowd dispersed a little bit, I made my move. Fang was crying again, so I asked one of the volunteers if I could hold her. He of course said yes, and it was a love connection! 

The volunteer told me that this was his favorite cat. She was rescued from an animal hoarder...and they weren't really sure how old she was. Their best guess was that she was around 7 years old. (After getting her to a vet, we found out that she was actually about 10+) The volunteer also told me that black cats statistically have a harder time being adopted. Well there you have it, we would be saving her life! (At least that's what I told Andrew when I begged him to consider adopting her.)

Andrew wasn't really sold...we were more excited about getting a dog, and we already have a cat! Juliet is not the best at adjusting to change. The volunteer offered to let us take her home for a week as a trial to see if the two cats could get along...but Andrew put him off explaining that we would need to check with our landlord. It was so hard to put her back in that crate. The volunteer told us to think about it, and that they would be back at Petco tomorrow morning continuing their adoption event. 

The whole way home I was feeling pretty low. I pulled out all the stops, we're talking guilt trips, desperate pleas, you name it. Finally Andrew told me if I could get permission from the landlord we would give her a trial with Juliet. A text message later I was a happy girl! The next morning I was at Petco with my cat carrier ready to take home my new baby! 

Love at first sight! 

The trial week went by, and towards the end of it Juliet was finally starting to be OK with the idea of sharing her space with this senior citizen. So I returned to Petco to let them know that we would be keeping her. Guess who was there? The old lady asking after Fang. I overhear her saying that she wanted to adopt that cute vampire kitty and bring her home. Of course the volunteer saw me standing nearby and explained that we had already adopted her. The look of disappointment on the old lady's face I will never forget. 

So while I did adopt a black cat, I have no disillusions that I saved Fang. There were a number of people ready to bring her home. To me that just means that I need to be worthy of having her. I need to provide the best home possible, because I was lucky enough to adopt the vampire kitty. 

Now her teeth don't look scary to me, but more goofy.

In the end Juliet and Fang have become best friends. Every night we can hear them chasing each other through the house and playing together. Occasionally during the day you can catch sweet moments between them. Fang is a total opposite of Juliet, she is a lap kitty who adores attention. She is agile and loves to play, despite her old age. She has truly been a great addition to our family. 

Typical cat, obsessed with boxes.

She has an obsession with pens and pencils. She tries to bat at them while you are writing.

She's a part of the family! 

My dad hates cats, but even he couldn't resist her charms. 

Munchen Part 2

After settling in the hotel, we decided to head out as a group to explore the city. Most specifically the good old glockenspiel. We walked for what felt like forever until we got to this area with tons of shopping! After winding through the shops we found it, and just in time for the performance!

If you've never seen a video of the glockenspiel, here's a YouTube video! I tried taking my own video, but this things is really long and it was sucking down my battery like no one's business. I figured someone has to have a video of it, and sure enough! Thanks YouTube! :)

After watching the clock sound we split off in different directions to do some shopping and exploring. I found this awesome apron for Andrew. I just couldn't pass it up! (Plus in London I got him and King Henry VIII apron. I figure this was now our new tradition.) I also scored a magnet, 2 shirts, a hoodie, and some postcards. Here's some picture highlights of my day in Munich:

1. We climbed to the top of yet ANOTHER church (St. Peter's). This one was much harder for me. The stairs were open slats and that made all the difference. I felt like an old lady because I had to stop several times because I was dizzy. The view at the top made it all worth it though, and I was glad I decided to do it!

I love this picture because you can see the guy's camera

2. Street vendors are the best, and for a small tip they will get you an awesome photo. :)

Took forever because my friend couldn't figure out how to work my camera! 

3. The Market in Munich was full of all kinds of goodies. I seriously debated trying to take some sausage home with me.

In the Marketplace

4. St Peter's chuch in Munich was stunning on the inside. There were all kinds of beautiful things, only after I walked past it did someone tell me the jewled bones were real. EEK! Majorly creepy, but it was truly a beautiful church...

5. As we walked in a group we had to stop at the famous Brew House in Munich. I only peeked inside, but it was cool! We made a quick stop to the gift shop where Maurice got some nice collectibles, and got out of the tourist trap ASAP.

Image taken from Google

6. The best part of my day was definitely the time spent with my classmates. Up until this point we were all so busy trying to meet German friends and bonding with our buddies. Now that we were staying together it was very easy to be friends. Maurice is from Dallas so we bonded quite easily. We both laughed as our Minnesota classmates would stop to talk with panhandlers and we just kept on walkin. We both also tried in vain to teach them Yankees how to stroll. We were often seen in the back of the pack complaining about all the walking. :)

Some of my Classmates, and prof!

7. I almost forgot, but for lunch I had this delicious pretzel souffle. YUM!

The best part of it all was a fabulous late night chat with Ann and Kelly my roommates. I really do look up to them as professionals in the field of Tech Comm and now as friends. They offered some great encouragement and support that night. I feel lucky to have met them. I also blogged about the relationship of my classmates the next day for our school blog. You can read it here. 

Munchen Part 3 - Meeting the Parents!

Munich was a blast for several reasons. It was the ending to our trip, all of the presentations and industry visit were over. Now was the time that we could be tourists and friends and just enjoy the big city. For me this was the beginning of my tourist adventure. On day 2 in Munich we changed hotels...remember my Cocoon hotel?? And we were all splitting off to enjoy our own fun.

Some of the guys decided to take a train out to the concentration camp Dachau. I had seriously debated whether or not I wanted to do this from the beginning. I ultimately decided that while I do someday want to visit a concentration camp, this just wasn't the trip to do it. Instead this was the day I was meeting up with my parents! We set a meet up time and place. (Noon at the glockenspiel of course!) And I headed out all on my own to meet them in the busiest center of Munich. I  camped out at the restaurant directly across from the glockenspiel and did the awkward German dance of sitting at communal tables.

Cool view from my table.

An hour past our meeting time, I looked across the restaurant and saw a US Air force hat weaving it's way through the crowd. After 5 months of missing my parents, we were reunited. My daddy paid for my beer and french fries and we were headed out for our own Munich adventure!

My mom and I in front of the glockenspiel

True to my usual format, here are the highlights!

1. Shopping

Trying on a dirdle

2. The English Garden

My parents are just too cute!

3. Boating! My dad still claims that this messed his shoulder up...but he was a great sport and took us around the lake.

On a boat! 

4. Group dinner at the largest Bier Garten in Munich! I can't tell you how many people told us that my Mom and I look alike! All of my classmates had really nice things to say about me to my rents. Thanks guys!

I think that's the most I've ever seen my mother drink!

After our delicious dinner, I left with my classmates and my parents made their way back to their own hotel. I enjoyed my trek home with a few special highlights:

1. Lego machine in the train station

THEY HAVE LEGO MACHINES! 

2. Independent Ann taking off no matter who was following her. Somehow she ditched us in our indecision and hopped on an escalator taking her to the wrong train! We found her eventually...


It was a fun day in Munich with the promise of another Waggoner family European adventure starting after breakfast the next day. I know I've said it a lot, but this group of classmates and my prof was amazing. I'm so grateful I had this opportunity. I still hope to meet up with Maurice in Dallas someday!

What's On My Kindle - January 2014

Reader, you may remember that my sweet husband bought me a Kindle Fire for our Five year anniversary last year. And it has been my new best friend! For Christmas Andrew gave me a Kindle gift card as a stocking stuffer, and I wasted no time downloading as many books as I could.

So far in January I have read 3 books. (Give me a break there's only 15 days so far! A girl has to work sometime.) Here are the books that I have read and my own reviews. I'll do my best not to put any spoilers. I hope you enjoy!

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

We'll start with the best. I haven't read a book this good in a long time. You all know my favorite genre is YA, and this one fits the bill. But it still provides some very adult themes and situations. And a very high literary maturity. (It's not your typical teeny-bopper literature.)

The book is told from the point of view of Hazel who is a "miracle survivor" of cancer, but ultimately is a ticking time bomb who must carry around an oxygen tank with her everywhere. It's a love story, but more than that it's a very realistic look at cancer and those who are dying. They also take a trip to Amsterdam in the novel which was fun to read and helped me add it to my travel list.

 I highly recommend this book. I even forced my parents to download it. It's a great read for adults and teenagers.  As a bonus it's being made into a movie this year. You'll want to read the book before the movie inevitably changes things. 

2. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I found this book because a friend of mine was posting a ton of quotes from the novel on her Pinterest. After the hype about The Fault in Our Stars was well deserved, I figured I would give this one a chance. If The Fault in Our Stars gets 5 out of 5, this one gets a 4.

 It is also a YA novel that has some adult themes and situations. It focuses around the relationship of Eleanor and Park. Eleanor has some serious familial issues and struggles to deal with her insecurities, and Park must deal with his need to fit into society.

 It's a coming of age story with a rather ambiguous ending. As much as I hate those, I totally applaud the author for the last sentence of the book. It's a literary move that I can appreciate. (Sorry for the vagueness, but no spoilers remember?!) 

3. The Predicteds by Christine Seifert

I heard about this book while I was listening to the radio one morning. The author, who is a professor at a University in Utah was speaking to a radio station about something totally unrelated, but mentioned that she authored a YA novel. Well of course I was all on it! I would give this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars. It's a really neat concept (a person can be predicted to be a criminal) and asks a very important question (should we treat someone differently because there is potential for them to be a criminal) while alluding to historical injustices (Nazi interment camps, racial segregation.) 

But there were a few things that turned me off. First typos. UGH. I found several...which seems to be more and more of an occurrence these days. (Please understand, I know that typos will happen. Hell, I've edited a novel and later found typos. It's really hard to not find any these days...but it's just so distracting while you are reading!!!) 

The more serious issue though, is that when I read it, I felt like there was some underdevelopment. I just didn't see the teenage characters as being very realistic. Some were super stereotypical, and others were too mature. There were some other situations in the book that weren't very believable. Like the main character gets her head thrown into a window...but nobody sues. The mom doesn't even seem upset, and no one gets the blame. It's just an accident...however, the mom is a strong female role model. I have a hard time believing any mom would just let something like that slide as an accident. Things like this are my biggest pet peeve when reading novels. I can let a lot of things slide, but when there are multiple situations that are unrealistic..the book gets a lower ranking. Again I loved the concept, and hope this author publishes more...but there needs to be some more development of the characters and some reality checks. 

If you want to know more about the things I'm reading, friend me on Goodreads!

If You Like Downton Abbey...

I don't know if you like Downton Abbey as much as I do reader, but it's been a fun ride for me so far. I've always been a bit obsessed with England's aristocracy, (well with London in particular) and it's been a new adventure into the post-Edwardian era, which I have known very little about.

But alas, we moved and when we said goodbye to cable we also said goodbye to tv in general because we don't own any bunny ears. I have had to make do with my Netflix subscription over the last few months. While we were moving I fell in love with the show "Call the Midwife." I myself have a strong interest in midwifery...it's something I like to hope I will be brave enough to do when I get pregnant...you know have a natural birth, not be a midwife. :) But the show is fabulous! (Did I mention that it's based on a book?) Poor Andrew was only ever unpacking in different rooms and could hear the screams of laboring women, but the show is really a fascinating look at life in the East End of London during the 1950's.

Over the Christmas holiday we enjoyed watching the BBC's new series Sherlock. The first season was ok, but the second was absolutely perfect! They definitely hit their stride and hit the comedic marks right on cue. The third season is about to start airing!

Then this last weekend Amazon Prime recommended I watch Upstairs Downstairs. I couldn't believe it! It seemed like a perfect copy of Downton Abbey, until I found out that this series was made first. The original Upstairs Downstairs was a show in the 70's, and in 2010 they brought the show back centering around the same house, but with a new family several years later. The title refers to the life upstairs of a wealthy family, and life downstairs of all of their servants. Downton Abbey takes place during WWI, and the new Upstairs Downstairs prefaces the tension before WWII. The series is well done with fabulous sets and costumes. If you like Downton Abbey, I suggest you give it a try! The real shame is that it only lasted 2 seasons.

So this weekend I plan to catch up on the original Upstairs Downstairs. I'll let you know if it's worth a watch. I hope you like my recommendations. As someone without current tv, Netflix and Amazon Prime have been a lifesaver!

I'm starting to think that BBC can do no wrong...and Masterpiece Theater is becoming my favorite! It might be enough to make me start donating...who couldn't use a Downton Abbey tote? And just for your enjoyment, here are a few pictures of my BBC studio tour from my 2010 study abroad in London.

The building.

One of the studios.

Me in one of the dressing rooms.

Ice Fishing

Saturday marked a new Utah adventure as Andrew and I went ice fishing together for the first time. Andrew has been many times and loves it...but I have always passed. Fishing is boring enough, but the thought of doing it in 20 degree weather while sitting in the middle of a lake sounded even less appealing.

But I reminded myself that this is likely my last winter in Utah, and the conditions were really perfect. Weather was in the 40's, there was no snow in the forecast, and we wouldn't go until around 9am (usually Andrew leaves around 6am). It should be fine, plus we were meeting up with friends. It would be great company at least!

Getting Ready:

Friday night we ran over to Sportsman's Warehouse to get our fishing licenses, and few other essentials for our trip. I got the day pass, and Andrew went ahead and got a year. So we were well prepared with fishing gear, but obviously the gear you wear is just as important while sitting out in the middle of a frozen lake. So I made sure that I was prepared in layers.

1. Base Layer: Nike shirt and winter tights.

2. Thermal shirt, fleece lined jeans, wool socks.

3. North Face puffer vest, winter boots, and headband for the ears.

4. Coat, thin gloves, and my Zugspitze hat.

Lots of Layers! 

The most important layer of the day was definitely my sunscreen. I remember my dad telling me stories of growing up in Minnesota where he would get the worst sun burns off of the ice. He now goes and gets cancer spots removed regularly. I don't mess around with sunscreen. It's SPF 30 and reapplied regularly!

Ice Fishing:

When we got there we met up with our friends and their kids. For Christmas Andrew's friend got a fishing tent. Oh man was that ever nice. They set it up so that if the kids got cold they could go inside, but when the winter storm started blowing in...it became a great refuge from the icy wind while the men packed up!

All in all in was a fun experience, more for the social aspect than the fishing. (We only caught one rainbow trout all day.) Andrew tells me that when it comes to ice fishing when it's good it's good. He's caught as much as 45 fish on one trip. But other times you're not so lucky. I was hopeful to catch something this time, because I'll let you in on a little secret dear reader: I've never caught a fish. I guess that's why I dislike it so much.

The set up. You have to watch the tip of the pole very carefully to see if you have a bite. 

Some of the funny highlights of the trip include:

• I got the first nibble, but I was so busy eating a Slim Jim I lost the fish :/
• Andrew found a hot spring, with his foot! He was walking to his hole and his foot broke through the ice! We spent most of the trip trying to keep the kids away from that area. 
• Catching the trout was exciting, but we realized we didn't quite make a deep enough live well for the big guy. He spent the rest of the trip waving his tail fin at us from the well. 
• The guys were getting restless and wanted to cut out our poor trout friend's eyeball to fish with. Thankfully they decided not to...but I was a bit concerned at what I was going to witness. 

So while I didn't catch a fish, I still had a really good time. It wasn't as awful as I imagined, and I think if the conditions were favorable I would definitely go again. It was fun to be huddled outside talking with friends. Here are the very few pictures I took from the trip. I hope you enjoy!

I hate this picture, but it's the only one of the two of us that we didn't take ourselves. 

It was beautiful out at Mantua

Being goofy

That hat kept me warm, but made for some funky hat hair!

Texas Trip - A Chance to Play Aunt

So as I'm looking through the 20 drafts I have for this blog, I found this gem from my Texas trip back in September. It's amazing how many posts I have completed, just never shared. Well, I suppose there is no time like the present!

September 2013:

This past week I was able to fly home for four days to visit my family. I originally planned it so that I would be home just after my sister's due date. However my newest nephew Kody was 10 days early, so instead of a one day old, I met an 11 day old. Seeing him so small made me realize that I have really missed a lot since I moved to Utah. It also made me wonder why it was so hard to visit when I was only one hour away. How could I have missed this?!

I have two sisters and a brother. Each sibling has their own set of children, one boy and one girl. Now my sister Heidi has three kids with the addition of little Kody. Not to mention that Andrew's sister had a baby 6 months ago. I am an aunt to 5 boys (Bradley, Kolt, Carlin, Liam, and Kody) and three girls (Tabitha, Cosette, and Kora). The oldest is Bradley coming in at 7 years old.

So on Wednesday I headed down on a super early morning flight, and landed (after some delays) around 3:30pm in the great state of Texas. I was greeted by my Momma who is home from Germany for the month of September. And the we had some good old fashioned girl time! As always here are my highlights from that first night.

Wednesday:

1. Abuelos - My favorite fancy Mexican food restaurant is Abuelos, and my sweet Momma was nice enough to cart me right from the airport to Abuelos. We got to talk and eat all the Mexican food my little heart desired. Then, even though I was stuffed...I just had to order flan. I finished that sucker all by myself. Dear God, thank you for flan!

This is the reason I will never be skinny.

2. Shopping - Not just shopping, but shopping with a woman. Not just a woman, but shopping with my Mom. Not just shopping, but shopping at Sam Moon. Like the world's biggest accessory store. I scored myself a nice chunky, trendy necklace. But the best was that my mom let me gush about everything I saw, and never once told me I was crazy. :) I forget how frustrating it is to shop with boys.

This is not my picture, I took it from the internet, but it gives you an idea of how overwhelming this place is.
photo cred: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2011/03/28/the-dallas-must-do-list-sam-moon-shopping/

3. Meeting Kody - Kody was asleep when I first got home, but eventually Heidi went and grabbed him just so I could hold him. He was amazing! His facial expressions and hand movements were absolutely precious. I'm so glad that I could see him while he was still in this newborn stage.



4. Spelling with Kolt - Somehow Kolt and I started a spelling game. He had me teach him how to spell everyone's names, but we made all of the letters with his body. Twisting him into an O, and curling him into a C. It was great entertainment and quality time with my nephew. I loved it!


I say that I "played" Aunt on this trip because I just don't get to see these kids enough to live it every day. Obviously I am their Aunt, but I so cherish the times I get to spend with them because it is so special. This was a great start to my short time in Texas, and I'm so glad I got to make the trip!

Resolutions

Some people are big into making New Year's resolutions. I seem to change my mind every year whether or not they are worth my time. The obvious stigma of never keeping to them seems to hit me whenever I do decide to. However, I think there is something powerful about getting your goals in writing. It seems to make you more accountable, and therefore successful.

My general rules for making resolutions are simple. They need to be realistic. I aim for this by establishing a general goal and including at least one specific sub-bullet that acts as a plan of action for achieving it. I also like to have one goal in each of the following categories: Health, Hobbies, Relationships, and Spiritual.

So I guess 2014 will be a year for resolutions! And lucky for you dear reader, I've decided to share them with you.

My goals for 2014

Health:

To improve my health in 2014 I will:

• Challenge myself to go the month of January with no cokes in an effort to drink more water. 
• Reduce portion sizes.

I've not been very happy with the effect of the sedentary life I lead...but rather than just say "I want to lose weight," or commit to an exercise routine that I know will be broken the first time I just don't feel good, I would rather commit this year to working on my unhealthy eating habits. Who knows, if I start to feel better, maybe I'll start working to find an exercise that I can stand. 

Hobbies:

In 2014 I will make more time to:

• Finish and publish my short story by the end of 2014.
• Post at least 8 times per month to this blog.

Writing is my first love. As a kid I would write stories, and it is a life goal to write a novel someday. I've had an idea for a short story brewing in my head for a couple of years now, and I even have a draft saved on my computer. It's time I reunite with my first love, and get something published! I've also greatly enjoyed working on this blog, so I hope to only do more of it in 2014. 

Relationships:

To improve/nurture my relationships in 2014, I will:

• Mail physical letters to my nieces and nephews at least once a month.
• Email/Call my long distance friends at least once a month.

Recently I became aware of the hurt that can be caused by losing contact. We often rationalize it as "drifting apart." I don't want the distance to be a reason that I don't know what's going on in my family or friend's lives. 

Spiritual:

To work on my relationship with God in 2014, I will:

• Read 4 devotionals this year. 
• Keep a prayer journal.

Last year I started growing again, and I want to keep this going. I don't want to be stagnant and comfortable with just attending church and praying before bed and meals. This is a life commitment and since writing is my first love, what better way to express my prayers to God? Plus a prayer journal is a great way to look back and see how God has answered them. 

So let it be known that I have written, and very publicly declared my goals. It should be interesting to look back and see how I did. Wish me luck! 

The Utah Symphony Orchestra

Greetings reader! While I was pinning on pinterest, you know my standard Saturday afternoon activity, I came across several examples of travel journals that use drawings. It was all images that came with detailed descriptions to capture details in a less boring way. By that I mean, the reader wouldn't have to read endless paragraphs explaining the minutia of one's trip...but rather look at tons of pictures that capture specific details from the person's day. Well we all know pictures make everything better. So I thought I would give it a shot. 

Today we had the pleasure of attending Pixar in Concert by the Utah Symphony Orchestra in SLC. And while I can tell you the concert was amazing...I would rather show you! I'll detail with images and short descriptions getting ready, traveling, waiting, attending, and my post concert activities. 

Keep in mind, this is my first attempt at something like this. I hope you enjoy!

Getting Ready:

My makeup drawer, eye make up, and lipstick.

My makeup drawer and essentials. Most used are my Clear nail polish, deodorant, mascara, my eye depuffer, and under eye brightener. Then on the top right my eye make up all applied. Almay eye shadow (smoky pallet for blue eyes), mascara, and liquid eye liner. Last on bottom left doing the finishing touch of red lipstick to match my red dress. I love how my A ring stands out....A is for Andrew of course!


Pre Concert Activities:

On the ride to SLC, mountains, and a quick stop for dinner.

Last night we had about one inch of fresh snow on the ground, and on our drive to SLC you can see that the mountains were lovely with snow covered peaks. As much as driving in snow makes me nervous, snow capped mountains are definitely my favorite, and I so enjoyed the view on our drive. We stopped at Chipotle for a quick dinner (my makeup application took a bit longer than planned) and shared a vegetarian burrito bowl. All the toppings. And in keeping with my new resolution/trial period of kicking cokes I enjoyed a refreshing lemonade with my dinner.

 Abravanel Hall:

The Olympic Tower sculpture

View of the temple through the glass wall. 

Salt Lake City is most hip and happening around Temple Square...the surrounding streets around the Mormon Temple. Abravanel hall is catty corner to the temple and across from a new outdoor high end shopping center called City Creek. We parked in the underground parking for the shopping center and walked over to the concert hall. You can see the famous statue of hand blown glass, and the view of the Mormon Temple.

The Concert:

Third level balcony, seats 1 & 2 directly in the middle

A very Gatsby chandelier!

I bought the tickets for this concert back in September, and picked out the best seats I could afford. Dead center on the top balcony. The concert was all Disney Pixar movie music. It was awesome. The screen above the musicians played scenes from each of the movies and the music was synchronized to match. The hall itself is lovely, and I simply adored the Gatsby-esque chandeliers. 

After:

Coffee and dessert at The Blue Lemon

At the corner of the shopping center, with an all window view of the Temple is a cafe called The Blue Lemon. Andrew and I discovered it the day we arrived in Salt Lake City. Our dads helped us with the 2 day trek and we wanted to do something fun with them before they left. So we toured the Temple museums, and at the recommendation of one of the missionaries tried out this restaurant. It has a contemporary feel, and the food is simply marvelous! It is on the expensive side, so more often we hit the cafe side for great coffee and treats like the carrot and German chocolate cake pictured here. The best part was that the pastries were all half off! 

My favorite Picture from the Night:

Waiting in the lobby before the concert.

I have a philosophy when it comes to picture taking. I take about a gillion shots in the hopes that at least one will turn out decent. This is the reason why my iPhone is too full to sync to the Cloud, and all of my SD cards fill up fast. This is not the way my husband likes to operate. In fact if he had his way we wouldn't take any pictures and just enjoy the moment. I see his sentiment, but would also like to have something to show our kids someday...

Anyway he was making fun of me and taking tons of pictures in rapid succession. In fact in this picture I am in the middle of telling him off, and wouldn't you know this awesome gem came out of the 16 horrible ones. Bravo Andrew, bravo.

Well I hope you enjoyed my new blogging experiment. In my normal format you would have just seen pictures of me at the concert, and I would have told you about it. This way I can show you small glimpses, like my Chipotle cup that help me tell the story in a more detailed, yet less text-filled way. 

Catching Up - November

Well reader, I'm afraid I've left you high and dry over the holiday season. It's amazing how these things can sneak up on you. My November alone was a crazy one, so allow me to catch you up!

November 23rd the Corbin's made a big leap and moved from an apartment into a rental home. The timing and situation were all completely divine. Our lease at the apartment was up at the end of November, and I wasn't sure what the right move for us would be. We were all tired of the apartment, and of the ridiculous fees and bills. BUT we might potentially be moving in July to wherever Andrew's gets into grad school. Our apartment complex is not high on less than one year leases and often charges higher rent.

Then out of nowhere we were offed a deal you can't refuse. One of Andrew's professors was away on a sabbatical to New Mexico, and he didn't want to leave his house empty all year round. His initial house sitter had to bail when he was offered an incredible job out of state, and so he offered it to us. Now can I first say that is completely impressive to me that a professor would trust one of his students to live in his house for a year? (Or in our case about 9 months.)

The rent was right, and the space perfect! We are now in a three bedroom house with a fully fenced backyard. So here are the highlights that we are loving about the new rental:

1. My Archer boy has room to run, and I don't think he's been on a leash since we moved in. :) There is absolutely no greater feeling than watching your puppy sleep the day away because he is worn out from some hard earned play time. Our favorite game is to play Frisbee and let Archer jump and chase for the Frisbee. It's been a great family bonding activity.

Archer jumping for the frisbee in his backyard! 

2. My cats have their own dog free zones. The cats now have their own room, which will double nicely as a guest room when family comes to visit. As well as an area downstairs that only they can get to. This has been awesome for keeping their food and litter away from nosy German Shepherds.

Dog gates are a great investment! 

3. Andrew's office! Andrew now has his own office where he can study away from my tv watching, and since it has it's own closet...guess who doesn't have to share the bedroom closet anymore?! It also houses his gecko in a secure area where kitties won't be tempted to try out a new exotic snack.

4. SPACE. The running theme here is space. 5 years in one bedroom apartments, slowing adding new pets to the mix has made us feel like we are living on top of each other. I know that I will look back at those apartments fondly, and I'm even working on a blog post about the lessons I have learned from each one. But this November we made a big step. We took on a house, and I hope that this will be where we are headed from here on out. I hope to never have strangers living above or below me ever again.

I have to also mention that the house is simply adorable. The houses in Ogden have a bungalow style, that has adorable built ins around the whole house. These have made quite lovely little nooks for the cats to sleep in and made decorating fun.

I love how charming a nice bungalow can be.