Hanukkah

We just concluded the festival of lights, Hanukkah. It was a beautiful eight days filled with many adventures. It started out with a bang at Steven's first horn recital. It was such a blessing to light the first night's candle with Steven's mom and sister, Michelle.

The middle was a little sad as we had to give Ohana back to the vet to find another home more suited for her needs. She was a wonderful, sweet dog but couldn't handle sharing our love with anyone else and Copley was suffering because of that. We knew that we couldn't do that to him or her, so we thought it was best to let the vet find another family, without any other dogs, for sweet Ohana.

The festival concluded with a potluck at the temple. It was a fun affair filled with 27 chanukiyot and a klezmer band. This was the first time I got to hear the songs and watch the children run around screaming. And, of course, the latkes were fantastic!

The Story of Ohana

(side note, I've run out of storage on Picasa so it's not allowing me to put anymore photos on the blog. For now, I'll use facebook until I decide if I want to bite the bullet and pay for storage)

I saw a post by a friend the other week on Facebook that had a picture of the cutest Yorkie and a story about a vet in Waverly, NE that was rescuing adult dogs from a puppy mill. The vet essentially had the backyard puppy mill shut down and agreed to place all the dogs. She also incurred the cost of spay/neutering all the dogs and doing any other medical treatment needed. After hearing the story, I felt compelled to get more information and see if they might have a dog that would fit with our current situation. It so happened that a family who had adopted Ohana had an emergency of some sort and had to return her. The vet tech thought she might be good for us since she was already house trained and a very calm dog. These dogs had never been out of kennels for their whole lives and had really lacked any human interaction. That made us both nervous, but the glowing reviews of Ohana made us feel a little more at ease.
I went and met her several times and then we decided to bring Copley for a little visit. Copley is usually the life of the party at the kennel he goes to so we weren't too worried. They got along really well, so we decided to try a play date at home (which, must to Steven's dismay) turned into a permanent visit. Little Ohana hasn't left since.
There are a few little kinks to be worked out, but we're all doing great. Ohana is having a little trouble doing all her pottying outside. We don't know if it's age/mother related that she leaks a little, but we're hoping to get it taken care of. She has found her night-time spot, which makes the night so much smoother.
The next task is to get her groomed and get them both switched to another food. We're having some allergy issues and hoping the switch cures it.

Copley's New Bed

Copley was a little sick last week, so I felt bad for him and decided to make him a new bed. It will also help cut down on the "doggie on couch" thing. 

I bought a yard of fleece and a bag of pillow filling. I cut the pieces of fleece into little strips on all sides and then tied them in knots. I started with a square but cut the corners a bit round, so it ended up like a circle. Before tying the fourth side, I filled it and then tied it. I used less filling than a pillow so he can sleep on it easier.

I think it was a huge success. Although sometimes he likes to sleep near it and not on it. Silly puppy.

Fall Update

I wish I had more pictures for you, but my phone was acting up and I got a new one. In the process I lost all of my photos from June to now. It seems odd being that I had an external storage card in the phone. So all you're left with is photos of Copley since he's always an available subject. However, you'll still get a recap!
In the beginning of October we headed to Cleveland to visit the Kings. We got to see an Akron Symphony concert, Charlie's soccer practice, Amelia's cello recital, and a Cleveland Orchestra concert. The weekend was jam packed with events and it was so great to see the kids in action.
The following weekend we jetted off to Chicago for the Nebraska vs. Northwestern game. It was a thriller (as they all seem to be these days) and the weather was beautiful. It was great to catch up with Steven's aunt and uncle who live in the Windy City.
Then we took a deep breath and let the fun roll on. We had a great time at the Nebraska vs. Michigan game and attended one of the best tailgates to date.

This is Copley's Halloween costume, corn on the dog. 

less than thrilled.........

waking up one morning.

A little pumpkin carving action at Kim's house. My owl last 2 days before nose diving into the back of the pumpkin. 

As I sit and write this Steven is in Lansing, Michigan where he watched the Huskers pull out a narrow victory over the Spartans.

Creative Sisters

My sister, Lindy, made this bracelet for me after seeing one and quickly snapping a picture. I failed to get a shot of the back which hooks with a cool button. It doesn't look crocheted, does it?!

My sister-in-law, Susan, is a fantastic writer and recently wrote an article about the Jewish holiday, Sukkot. Here's the link to the article and a picture of the sukkah that she recreated.

And last, but not least, my other sister-in-law, Michelle, is now a board certified physician. What an amazing family!

Happy September

We finally got some rain today and the heat has subsided for the moment. It feels like fall and I can't wait. I'm going to my first Husker game of the season on Saturday and then it will definitely be fall. 

I drove up to Minnesota with my parents last weekend to visit my nephews. They are so full of life, I can barely keep up with them. Martin, who is 5, is growing up and he even had a sleepover at the motel with us. We played in the pool, visited a farm, and watched some football.  The photo above was taken right after Matthew said, "watch, I can do amazing tricks."

A big yawn during our afternoon walk.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was delicious and nutritious. Mac-n-cheese with spinach.

Malmo Q125th Celebration

We visited the bustling town of Malmo today (population 120). It was their Q125 Celebration. My mom grew up here, well just outside in the country. 

This is our new Malmo t-shirt being displayed in front of the old Lutheran church that had an exhibit in the basement.

At the display was a picture of my grandpa who was a volunteer firefighter for the Malmo Fire Department. He's the 4th from the left with the buzz cut and farmer's tan.

Here's today's firemen having a water fight.

My favorite part of this picture is the sign for the bar in the background that says "free beer tomorrow".

Fish update

Much to my surprise (I hope you can sense my sarcasm) the fish we won at the Lancaster County Fair have died. Pest passed away first on Thursday and Buda Friday morning. I think Buda may have been stealing all the food from Pest and then died of heartbreak. We'll never know!

Absence

First things first, sorry for my absence. I've been a little busy working full-time and taking 2 classes. I'm in a Chemistry and Sociology class. They are both VERY interesting and although sometimes I want to rip my hair out because I don't have the time or energy to read another chapter or do another problem, I am enjoying it all.
I guess I have a little explaining to do about one of my 2012 goals too. You'll notice that the running total on the top of the screen has not changed in a least a month. The first reason is because I'm really into Reformer Pilates and Nia. The other is that it is too darn hot! We've had temps in the 100s for the past month. My mom told me that we received only 1/100th of an inch of rain for the month of July. That's ridiculous. I've stopped watering the lawn because I feel like it's not worth it. If the farmers crops can't make it why should my grass? I am still watering my plants occasionally because they were a touch pricey.
Back to the Reformer Pilates, if you haven't tried it, don't, because you will be hooked. It's a way of doing pilates on a machine that provides support and takes some of the strain out of the exercise. For me, it's been a godsend on my back. It has also helped strengthen my core. Nia is a new dance-type workout that can be customized to fit any body or level. You really work on freeing up your back and feeling connections. I love both of them and do not miss pounding the pavement. I will try to get back at it once the weather cools down.

Copley is excited to announce that we have two additions to the family. We won them at the Lancaster Co. Fair. Their names are Buda and Pest. Like Budapest. My friend, Susie, was in town and we traveled there in 2009 so we thought the names were appropriate. 

4th of July

I was supposed to be in Minnesota for the 4th of July, but after the many trips of June I realized it was just too much to be gone again. So we stayed in Lincoln (well, kind of) for the 4th. I missed my sister's family a ton, but we made the best of it. Mom and Dad came down for a lunchtime bbq. We made bison burgers and some of us (not Steven!) had asian slaw and marinated cucumbers. Then we had some incredible brownie sundaes. We topped the day off going to the weirdest movie I've seen, Moonrise Kingdom. My mom thought it was hilarious. After the movie I made some unsuspecting teenager take our photo. Everyone was confused why I was doing this, but of course it was for the sake of the blog. 

 

After this stunning photo, Steven and I headed to Seward, Nebraska home of "the 4th of July" to visit with Amy and watch their fireworks show. 

Disney World

We took a belated 1st anniversary trip to Disney World last week. It was so nice to get away, just the two of us. You would think life would have slowed down when we move to Nebraska but we are keeping extremely busy. I'm not complaining, though, I love being busy and I love living in Nebraska. However, this trip was a great recharge.

Steven wanted to get a silhouette done while we were in the Magic Kingdom. This artist was amazing. The picture below is the result.

We saw the Electrical Light Parade our first night at Magic Kingdom. It was been years since I'd seen it.

Magic Kingdom has a new show before the fireworks. It's called Memories and they use the castle as a backdrop. It was a very cool show.

The "wishes" fireworks!

We had a little breakfast with Mickey.

And, of course, ate an anniversary cupcake at 8:30 in the morning.

Steven's "other" girlfriend.

Someone was extremely happy to have his parents home. He also got the cutest haircut while at the kennel. We just love him!

Summertime

We've been trying hard to get the yard in shape this summer. It's quite hard with giant Maple trees in the back and front yards dropping spinners and growing everywhere.

Here's a little yard tchatchke that we purchased in Portland. It's a glass piece on top of a piece of rebar. 

A closer look. I think the blue was a good choice to compliment the "somewhat" green lawn.

The newest lawn ornament courtesy of the antique shop in Fremont is Mr. Alligator the trumpeter. I find him hilarious.

Denver Trip

Mom, Steven, and I made a quick trip to Denver to visit cousin Norma. She took us out to a wonderful meal after 7 hot hours on the road. 

This is my amazing dinner. Chicken stuffed with cheese and roasted red peppers on a bed of arugula.  

The next night it was pizza on the porch after a trip to Leadville, CO at 10,200 feet. Norma's husband, Wayne, was inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame last year and it's located in Leadville.

This picture does not do Norma's backyard justice.

One of Steven's great fires. Norma's fire pit is the best!

A wonderful exhibit at DAM (Denver Art Museum). We also saw Madeleine Albright's pin exhibit.

Our wedding gift from Norma made by her friend Ella. She is a talented artist and this picture does not do this mosaic any justice.

Portland Trip

We took a little family trip to see my Aunt and Uncle in Portland, Oregon.

Here's a photo of my delicious Ethiopian food from the Portland Saturday Market. Definitely a staple in every Portland visit.

Martin was little cold watching the Starlight parade so I repurposed a toga and made him this fancy blanket. We all took turns putting the boys on our shoulders for them to have excellent viewing.

A little tire horse on one of our walks. 

This is Martin's shopping style during our trip to the Columbia outlet. I was so happy that they came in my size too. Steven, the voice of reason, was sure we didn't have room to pack these beautiful boots.

Mr. Copley keeping guard.

Kitchen Remodel begins among other things

 This is what our kitchen looks like right now. We're waiting on the person who's coming to redo the ceiling. Then we rip out those lower cabinets, redo the floor, and start putting in the fun stuff!

However, for now we're all going crazy. All the stuff from the kitchen and dining room (which has to get a ceiling redo as well) are in the den and living room. We're crashing into stuff all day.

Springtime

It's been quite an eventful spring. Steven and I just celebrated our first anniversary (5/7/11)! We enjoyed all the messages and cards we received. I especially enjoyed my beautiful red roses and our trip to Kansas City to see the Yankees play the Royals. It was a great weekend with perfectly timed rain and some quality time with Amy.

I believe it was still about 80 degrees at 7 pm when this photo was taken. If it's this hot in May, what's it going to be like in July?!

We got Copley a new toy and he's in love. Here he is sleeping with his buddy. He's already busted it open and I just finished performing some surgery. I'm guessing this could become a common thing.

Our yard is starting to look decent. We need to do some major landscaping renovations at sometime, but not this summer. I pruned this rose bush in March and it looks great right now.

Who knew we had these peonies? They just bloomed last week and they look fantastic!