The One Where Copper Chewed Everything

Before Brad and I got Copper many people warned us not to get a dog. But what was most surprising was that a lot of those people HAD dogs- and they were usually good dogs. So, we figured there would be good times and bad with any dog, but the good would outweigh the bad… right?

Wrong. At least for this week- the bad has been exceeding the good. For one, the dog hates the rain and won’t stop barking and whining at it. Secondly, she’s chewing us out of house and home. I’ve honestly never heard of a dog that chews things up like Copper. (Besides maybe Marley)

Exhibit A: This great, seemingly indestructible toy - the Kong Wubba is now long gone- along with its red-colored replacement.

Exhibit B: Our green garden hose never stood a chance.
Other items that have seen Copper’s chewing wrath:

- BBQ covers (yes, that’s plural. She’s gone through 2 or 3 of them already)
- Part of our staircase
- Corner of our couch cushion
- Several plush toys have had their insides scattered all over our yard
- 2 garden hoses (ours and my parent’s over Christmas break)
- 2 leashes

Really, this list could go on and on, but the latest household item to be destroyed happened this week while Copper spent the day in her fort. We came home to find this:

Not only did she chew and remove our cardboard barrier, but then she continued to chew the wires that power our sprinkler system. (This dog seems to have something against watering systems) She also worked her way through the door insulation padding for extra fun.

I’m not sure if she’s doing this out of boredom or irritation (because it’s raining) - either way, I’m hoping it’s a puppy trait she’ll grow out of soon because Brad might lose it the next time he has to buy a BBQ cover.

Moral of this story: we’re giving you fair warning right now. If you’re thinking about getting a dog, baby-sit Copper for a weekend and then decide.

The One With Football & Poker

Last weekend was the big weekend for football playoffs. Brett Favre (and the Vikings) was playing the Cowboys and the Chargers (amazingly enough) were still in the running for Superbowl as well. (Unfortunately, that run ended as quickly as it came, so we won’t talk about it anymore)

What really made the weekend fun (besides watching Favre sing “Pants on the Ground”) was having friends over on Saturday to watch football, play poker and eat dinner. Phil brought the chicken asada and Nicole made the brownie sundaes. (Thanks guys for hanging out with us!)
Sunday morning was then spent watching the Vikings game with this guy…
Lastly, this one’s for Brad…

The One With Too Much Oil

I’ve been putting off my car’s oil change for awhile now just because I didn’t want to spend the time or money doing it. I finally gave in and took the car to Jiffy Lube yesterday on my way home from work. I was the last customer of the night (I got there right before closing), so I was in and out in about 10-15 minutes.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that since it was my 3rd time there on the “star customer program”, I got half off my oil change – so it was only $20! I even called Brad right after leaving the shop to brag about my $20 oil change.

Unfortunately, I had to call Brad back 10 minutes later to admit that the car was now running funny. I couldn’t go back to the shop since it was closed for the night, so I had to drive the rest of the way home cursing my $20 oil change.

We dropped the car off this morning at the dealership and was asked about 3 times if I’ve been there before. (No- because my car ran perfectly before it’s $20 oil change!) I just received a call back from the dealership and not only did Jiffy Lube put TWICE the amount of recommended oil, but now I owe another $60 to correct the issue. I should have known that a $20 oil change was too good to be true.

Another lesson learned – Brad and I don’t make good work carpool buddies. For some reason he can’t stand it when I grab the side door and push on my imaginary brake pedal when I’m in the passenger seat. (I have my mom to thank for that move.) ;)

Update: Jiffy Lube is reimbursing me for my oil change AND the dealership service charges. Can’t be too upset with them now – out of my many oil changes (I go about every 2 months) – this is the first time there has ever been a problem.

The One Where We Finish Off 2009

Although we had a great time celebrating Christmas and New Years with family and friends, we don’t have many pictures to prove it. So, here’s a quick breakdown of our busy holiday schedule and why we’re so limited on pictures:

- Thursday, December 24th – Brunch at our house and shopping with Brad’s family (This is the only time we took pictures)

{Brad with his Mom and Brother, Scott}

{Copper was the most excited out of anyone to see presents under the tree}

{One of her many Christmas presents}

- Friday, December 25th – Christmas morning at my family’s with an afternoon movie showing of Sherlock Holmes
- Saturday, December 26th – Holiday gathering with my extended family of aunts and uncles
- Sunday, December 27th – Holiday gathering with Brad’s extended family of aunts and uncles
- Monday, December 28th – Morning vet appointment (apparently Copper had too much holiday fun), then lunch with Stacy and Jordan
- Tuesday, December 29th – Free Day
- Wednesday, December 30th – We both worked today, then Brad went to a bowl game with co-workers afterwards
- Thursday, December 31st – Dinner at Shogun and midnight countdown with Alex & Steve at our place
- Friday, January 1st – We started off the New Year by doing… nothing! We seriously never left the house or changed out of our pajamas that day!

The rest of the weekend was spent getting a head start on one of our New Years Resolutions – which is getting the house organized and put together. You can expect to see lots of before and after photos of this on-going project throughout the year.

Hope everyone else enjoyed their 2009 holidays and are looking forward to all that’s to come in 2010!

The One With Mermaid's Gold

Yikes - I’m so behind on my blog posting – this event actually happened a month ago, but I figured I’d post this anyway!

On Friday, December 11th, Brad and I made the drive to Sin City to spend the weekend with our friends Jason and Michelle. It’s been about a year since we were last in Vegas and usually (at least for me) once a year is plenty. I can really only handle so much of the noisy clubs, all night dancing, smoky casinos and other activities that keep me up past my bedtime and in extremely high heels.

Yet, after this past trip, I might be willing to visit Las Vegas a little more often. Here are some highlights and new favorite Vegas activities:

Taking Friday off of work to make the drive to Nevada not only saved us money, but it gave us a full 3 day weekend AND plenty of time to put Lady Gaga’s new CD on repeat!

We found our favorite penny slots (Mermaid’s Gold and Gold Fish) at our hotel. Michelle was the big winner on this game. Not only did she get the bonus about every 3 turns, but she was also up almost $50 at one point!


The first night we ate dinner at Serendipity – just like the movie and restaurant in NYC!

On Saturday, Michelle and I did some damage at the Premium Outlet Mall, while the guys played poker and tried to win back the money us girls spent shopping!

Saturday evening we ate dinner at the Mexican restaurant in the Venetian (we eat here everytime we're in Vegas, yet no one remebers the name!) and then went to the Jeff Dunham show - hilarious!

Final highlight- “mini” breakfast on Sunday. Michelle got mini french toast and mine was mini waffles with 3 dipping sauces- toffee, berry and nutella. Seriously, amazing.