Barkley has finally learned to play dead, see here!
BTW Asa said he willl try to fix the comments when he gets the chance. Thanks for your efforts!
I love my dog Barkley just in case you are one of the few who didn't know. This evening I saw this youtube clip and felt that I HAD to teach Barkley to play dead too.
So we practiced about fifteen minutes and here's what we have so far!
Just so you know, Barkley is very talented, here's the evidence!
Dog's Rule!
Oh, these jeans drive me crazy!!! Tapered leg, heart shaped pockets, very high rise! Oh!
I'm keeping busy these days but most of it isn't too exciting.
I did finally remember to check the grade for my BGSU class, an A, hooray! Now maybe, just maybe, I can finally get my liscence to work in the schools as long as they don't change the rules again! I'll have to act fast.
I survived the surprise oberservation part of my first evaluation at work. But I'm afraid that I'll mess up on the scheduled one because of my nerves. Being surprised may actually have been easier. I'm happy with how I did so far. What the results mean I have no idea.
Asa has been and will be gone over the weekends. He found somewhere (see his blog) to go skiing last weekend. So I went home and spent the whole weekend with my family. It was a great time but so wierd I am no longer used to the chaos of moving five people in the same direction. Fitting all of us into one car, deciding what music to listen to, what kind of food to eat, everything was an issue we are all becoming so independent now! But it was a really wonderful weekend. The highlight had to be getting some mouthwatering Cassano's Pizza and playing three games of scrabble with my gradparents. I lost, lost, lost but I'm learning, I just can't get 300 points like them.When I go to there house I feel like a kid again and everything seems right with the world. I didn't want to leave.
Asa brought home a cute "Snow bunny" t-shirt for me. I love how he does that, and thinks of me. And something tickles me about being thought of as a snow bunny!
Where is the snow!?!?! One reason I went through the trouble of a job shift, and the BG class was just the idea of HOPE for snow days. Now I don't even have hope!!!
That's all!
Lately some things have delighted me:
1) The Magic Eraser- this is a sponge featuring the bald-headed Arm and Hammer Guy himself. This looks like a gimmick but does so much more than it promises. This has taken marks and stains off of nearly everything in the house and has damaged nothing. I recommend it, especially for marks on walls and counter tops. It is really fun to use!
2) Victor Garber- The last season of Ailias is finally out on DVD each time we get a disk from Netflix we usually watch all 5 episodes back to back. Vic as Jack Bristow is a badass, so awesome. Also awesome is the new show featuring Vic called "Justice" it is like any other crime show but at the end they show you what really happened. Again, Vic is awesome. It is so easy to forget he was also in movies as totally different characters such as, "Titanic, Sleepless in Seattle and even the Brandy version of Cinderella!" Yea he can act. Glad he's back on TV.
3)Wicked the Musical- what a neat concept. A story about what happened before Dorothy got to OZ, when Glinda and the Wicked Witch were roommates in college. It is full of surprises and makes you think about how politics and rumors bend the truth. After all the witch just wanted the ruby slippers to remember her sister by, is that so "wicked"? BTW I liked it a lot more than the original novel.
Chrissy and I left for Chicago Dec. 26 at about 4:30 in the morning. We didn't get lost going to the train station in Toledo and even had time to stop for a McMuffin. We were amazed that unlike an airport, we were able to park right by the station, we went in, then were admitted to our train immediately. The only problem was we had no idea where to board it! After walking quite a way in the wrong direction we finally found our car.
I slept a long time, making that first trip pretty easy despite arriving late (apparently that is standard on Amtrak as they don't own the rails so they must stop for every freight car that comes along). We arrived in Chicago's Union Station at about 11 in the morning. We got our first cab and had a very friendly driver (I hope I paid him enough) when we got the the beautiful Intercontinental on Michigan Ave. our room was ready! We were on the 20 th floor and had a nice veiw of tall buildings and the lake.
We had lunch at a Chipolte type place called Burrito Beach, I like Qudoba the best! We shopped a bit and then just sort of crashed at the hotel (those beds were so comfortable) After more browsing and shopping that afternoon, the concierge recommended Gino's East for good pizza. It was a long wait for our deepish pizza to cook but it was well worth it. We enjoyed reading all the graffiti on the walls, all permitted! Walking the streets was fun, the weather was great and everything was decorated beautifully. Chrissy really cheered up when she found a new coat at the Gap for $50.
The next morning we headed to the art museum but found a massive line. We ate across the street at Bennigan's (excellent service!) and kept an eye on the line. We shopped at a nice poster store (but more) and got some great goodies for those we left at home. Knowing that if we got into the museum, we would have to leave early to see Wicked we decided to try it the next day. We did more walking and browsing. Chrissy's purse broke as we walked down the street , so she bought a bigger one to put the broken one into. We enjoyed the more affordable shopping in the theater district.
We then saw Wicked at the Oriental We had great seats in the orchestra and just couldn't say enough good things about the performance. Everything was amazing, especially the singing and the amazing metal dragon over the stage that angrily moved about with horrible claws and red eyes.
We looked at the Macy's store windows next, they were all animated and featured scenes from the original Mary Poppin's book.
That evening the concierge was able to make quick reservations for us at the Signature Room at the top of the Hancock Building. We hopped a cab and got there right away.
The view was breathtaking. Chrissy wondered out loud why one side of the place faced out only onto darkness. I informed her that was Lake Michigan! We ordered a Raspberry Royale each and I got the pork chop ( the veggies that came with it were horrible), Chrissy was brave and got Grouper. They brought four kinds of bread with three kinds of butter. For desert I got peanut butter mouse and Chrissy the cheesecake. Overall the food was great. We did not have an assigned waiter but rather all the waiters on the floor took care of all the tables. We often found ourselves waiting with empty glasses. The waiter taking our order made snide comments after we didn't order an appetizer, but we explained that we both wanted room left for dessert?!?! One waiter even asked us if we would like more bread but never brought any. That was frustrating. Chrissy was a bit freaked out by the bill, she had never spent that much on a meal before. Next time we will just go enjoy their bar and an appetizer (we discovered afterward that you get the same view).
Thursday we thought we would go over to Navy Pier for our first meal then head over to the museum. There was a free trolley sign on State St. so we waited and waited, more people came to wait and we kept on waiting. 20 min wait the sign said. 20 min. later we were still waiting, looking to the horizon for any sign of it. Finally, I said, "if I see bus 29 go by one more time, we are taking that!" At the 35 minute point a bus pulled up, right behind it the trolley pulled up, but before it could completely stop it passed the bus and drove away!!! Soon bus 29 was there. I walked past the waiting crowed who stared as though they were ready to keep waiting but didn't really want to. I asked the driver, "how much?" and yelled, "$2" to everyone else waiting. I tried to feed the machine my money but felt silly as I realized I was trying to put it in a card machine. Almost everyone followed us on that bus and we were there in no time.
At Navy Pier we enjoyed all the stores and got more deep dish pizza. At the toy store we bought some hilarious howler monkeys after being pelted with about thirty of them and laughing. We decided to give up on the museum and stay there. I talked Chrissy into going into the Fun House, I have always wanted to do that. We got lost in the maze of mirrors and fell over in the rotating tunnel. It was lots of fun! They had a stained glass museum and a Winter Wonderland Carnival. We stoped for supper at a little cafe area overlooking the lake, we ate hot dogs and really enjoyed the meal.
We caught the free trolley at the end and it took us to another stop with tons of people and sat there for ten minutes before letting anyone else on. But eventually it brought us back, and we were happy we got on where we did.
It was time to go, the Chicago station was much more crowed and confusing than Toledo but the train was nicer. We were on the second story and we made reservations for dinner on the train. We met some nice people. Two retired people who were showing pictures to the African-American Southern ladies behind us who kept exclaiming, "That beautiful baby's got a fat face just like you!" They meant it as a compliment of course. They were so much fun to listen to, especially when someone would near the back of the train. Not wanting anyone to walk off the end of the train they would tell anyone approaching, "There's nothing back here, go on." Including a drunk lady who wandered down after happy hour asking us where her car was.
We talked a long time to Yolanda in the seat across from us who was travelling with her 13 year-old daughter who kept getting embarrassed and asked her mom, "Why don't you ever stop talking?"
These ladies and Chrissy and I were about the only one's to go to the dinner car for the last seating at 9:30. Yolanda hugged Mike the waiter upon seeing him. He was very surprised but she explained that he was her waiter before and he was just great. And he was, we all talked and laughed together and he gave us all free dessert! The train staff began to come in and we talked to everyone most of the night. We headed back to our seats at about 12 hoping to get an hours sleep. It was more than that, we arrived at the station about 3 hours late! But it was lots of fun and recommend Amtrak for anyone who is patient!
Maybe my next trip to Chicago will include the art museum....
I had a wonderful Christmas, my first being married and that made it special. Asa and I went to his Aunt Anna Lou's house on Christmas Eve. As always, that meal was spectacular, dish after dish of homemade goodness. The desert and appetizers were also unforgettable!
The annual Christmas gift exchange was larger than ever this year, it took over three hours to complete. This year they went alphabetically so I had to wait for the M's. It worth it though, I got so many nice things: gift baskets, TONS of toys and treats for Barkley, and of course from Asa, a stuffed adorable Horton the Elephant, a video I-pod AND reservations to El Dorado in Mexico a beautiful seaside all-inclusive resort.
http://www.locogringo.com/kantenah/eldorado.html?name=El%20Dorado%20Seaside%20Suites
That's amazing I just can't believe it! We are going in July!!!
We went to a lovely midnight mass and then Anna Lou gave us her Master Suite to sleep in so beautiful and comfortable. However, Barkley was so excited and worked up that he was jumping around on us all night.
The next day we arrive at my family's house in Sidney with just about a half hour for all of us to exchange gifts, mom had bought new stockings for all of us and they we all stuffed. It was lots of fun.
At 2 we headed down the street to the Hoersten's house. They put on a lovely party! So beautiful and so many good treats everywhere you looked. I got so many nice things again.
I must have been very good this year!
I am so thankful for Asa, Barkley and all of my family, and to have such a nice, new family to be part of on Asa's side. The warmth of the season and God's love has filled my soul.