The last few nights the dogs have been waking up in the middle of the night crying. We make them go outside but it always turns out that they (Siri mostly) is cold and just wants to cuddle.
Siri has also been pitching a little pity party in the mornings when it's time to go for a walk.Her little pity party is super pathetic. She sits perfectly still, her knees pulled up to her chest, and just shakes. But she has to walk in the morning or she is buck wild when we get home!
So we decided we should get Siri a shirt or coat to wear when walking and a bed for her crate to help keep her warm at night.
Cakes needed a new collar because her big fat neck is growing.
And Siri needed something reflective for when we walk in the dark.
So we took a trip to Petco and $213 later we walked out with...
* 2 new reflective collars
* 2 new dog beds
* a new chew toy for Cakes (which Siri has horded since we got home)
* a thunder shirt for Siri to wear for walks and at night (I am not going to call them her pajamas!)
* a pack for Siri to carry stuff in. Cesar actually says this is a good way to tire your dog, make them carry stuff! And as a bonus, it is reflective.
In the end I think it's all worth it. Even though my sister in law, who dresses her dogs in pajamas with trap doors, said Siri is wearing a fanny pack. And my uncle asked if she needed to bring pencils and notebooks to dog school.
Bring on the teasing. I can take it now because she slept through the night last night and I am well rested!
Wednesday night on my flight home from Ohio, I finished reading the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
This is yet another in a very tall pile of books I purchased many, many moos ago but never got around to reading. But a few weeks back I finally picked it up and was not disappointed at all.
The story starts with Amir being called back to Afghanistan by his fathers business partner telling him there is a way to make it all okay.
Then the story quickly jumps into Amir's life as a child living in Kubal with his father, their servants, and all of the people his father surrounded himself with.
We follow Amir and his father as they flee to America, witness Amir's adjustment to the America but most importantly we witness his fathers adjustment to America.
At the mid way point we are brought back to the phone call that changes and shapes the direction of Amir's life and let him begin healing for past sins.
This is a coming of age story turn a story of making up for life long regrets.
I believe my life is fuller now that i have read this story. It was heart wrenching at many, many points but it also touched my soul.
I give it five out of five stars and recommend it to all my reader friends.
I was just watching a story on the Today Show about a ride at Knots Berry Farm called the Windseaker. Yesterday this ride triggered a safety alarm and came to a halt leaving the riders stranded high up in the air for three hours.
They spoke briefly to a woman named Donna who went on the ride at the urging of her husband to help her with her fear of heights. She said the first 30 minutes were daunting but then, with the help of her husband, it got better.
This story brought me back to last summer when Erin and I took the kids to Valleyfair, the local amusement park in the Twin Cities. The girls wanted to go on rides that required adults to go with them. I am NOT a ride person at all but there were four kids and two adults so I had to buck up and get on some of those rides.
The one that really sticks out in my memory was the Mouse Trap.
"Is it a roller coaster, because I DO NOT do roller coasters." I say.
"No! It's not a roller coaster" they assure me.
But guess what!! It most certainly was a roller coaster and by the time I figured it out there was nothing I could do but get on that ride.
It jerked.
It twisted.
It went really fast.
I hated it.
I screamed.
I might have cried a little bit.
I laughed hysterically (because that is what I do when I am freaked out).
It totally sucked.
Then I was told we would have to do it again with the other two kids.
I panicked.
But then I was saved. It started to rain and they shut the ride down. And it stayed that way until we left.
And I swore I will never get on that ride again. Because unlike Donna from the Windseaker, going on that godforsaken ROLLER COASTER did not help me beat my fears but sealed them as real fears for ever more.
I am talking to you live from the Dayton Ohio Airport! And I am so excited!
No, not because I am able to talk to you from the Dayton Ohio Airport but because this means I am on my way home.
There are people there who are excited to see me. And I am equally excited to see them.
Heidi and Shawn are such troopers, they get big hugs when I get there.
Probably after Siri and Cakes who are going to attack me at the door.
I am pretty sure Siri thinks I abandoned her with this being my first trip.
Or she didn't even notice. Shawn says I project my feeling on the dogs.
He might have a point...
While sitting here, eating my Sbarro Stromboli (yes it's my second pizzaish item of the week, shut it please!), I am thinking about all the stuff going on at home.
I am thinking about my Aunt Kitty who had surgery yesterday to remove a tumor. Her battle is still in the early stages but she is a strong woman who has won a lot of battles. I know she will beat this one to. I am sending her love and positive energy. I hope to get to see her in the next day or so.
I am also thinking about my best friends dad who is in the hospital recovering from a string a strokes brought on by two blocked pulmonary arteries. Six days ago his family was called to the hospital to say their goodbyes but he rallied and is now making positive steps towards recovery. His battle and road are also very long but he is on the right road now and that is what matters. I am sending him love and positive energy. I am sending his kids, my friends, all the love and support I can find.
And I am thinking of my friend whose wife is in the hospital as well. This is a better story though! I hadn't talked to him in a few days but something told me to text him before I started my drive to the airport.
My text - I am in Dayton and your name came up which made me miss you so I am sending you a text to just say Hi.
His response - Well, maybe you were thinking of me cuz we are in the hospital... L has been in labor pretty much all day.
This totally made my day! And I am sending them love and positive energy!
But I need to save just a tiny bit of positive energy for myself so I can get home and see my family.
So I just have one little favor to ask of you. If you are a prayer or a believer in positive energy would you please do what you do and send some thoughts out for these three families? And maybe a little bit to my pilot?
Looking forward to being home in a few hours!
Hugs,
Kara
Sunday night Erin and I took the night off from our motherly duties (and my packing) to attend the Jason Mraz concert. Boy, am I glad we did that!
We started our night off with a nice dinner of shared apps and soup at a place called Fire Lake Grill House in downtown Minneapolis. It was such a warm and cozy place that we later realized is actually the restaurant for the Raddison next door.
We went for wine and ended up with this awesome Crispin Hard Apple Cider in 22 ounce bottles. It was Honey Crisp Apple and I have been dying for another one since we left the bar. In fact we wanted to ask the bar tender for a paper bag so we could take it as a roady!
After dinner we walked over to the Target Center to find our seats and arrived just before Christina Perri started her opening set.
Let me tell you. That girl is amazing.
You may remember how much I love her via this post here.
To be completely honest, I went to this show for Christina Perri. I really do like Jason Mraz but for me, it was all about C.Perri. And she did not disappoint. She belted out every song and totally rocked Jar of Hearts.
My only wish? That she sang it twice.
Jason Mraz was pretty A.W.E.S.O.M.E too. Do your self a favor and watch this video. It was one of the top three songs of the night. (but don't let the kiddo's hear it!). Jump to the 2 minute mark if you don't want to hear the banter.
Erin and I enjoyed the people watching as much as the show.
There was the lady who stood the entire show. Which would have been fine but no one else was standing! She was just standing there, stick still, and then she left with about 3 songs and the encore left.
And then there was the lady who danced by herself.
And then four women to Erin's right. Two late teen aged girls and their mom's. We cannot figure out who from that motley crew actually wanted to be at that concert. One girl sat with her legs swung on the seat next to her and her head rested on her hand the entire show. The next girl stared at her friends across the stadium the entire show. Head resting girls mom did not speak, crack a smile, clap, or anything really at all the ENTIRE show. And starring girls mom sorta of got into it but she seemed like one of those people who would smile and nod at her neighbors grand kids kindergarten concert. They were really something.
The girl to my left was a bright flashing photographer so I am pretty sure my retinas are scarred for life.
And finally there was the super drunk girl who not only spilled beer on the lady in front of her and did not apologize but let her boy friend deal with it but she got in a screaming match with said boy friend during the encore then stormed out of the arena only to meet him at the top of the stairs. Bet she called in "sick" on Monday!
If you ever get the chance to see Christina Perri in concert please, please take it. Then tell her I sent you. Because we are BFF's now. She totally knows me because I follow her on Facebook and twitter. So, you know. That means I am like her favorite aunt now. Right?
I made that little leap last night and I am now an active Twitter user, not just a twitter stalker so if you want to follow me I am @HeidiNae. Let me know you are a new follower and I will follow you back.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I am writing to you from a hotel room in Dayton Ohio. Just away on another work trip. I think this is my sixth trip of the year and I have two more planned.
Let me tell you, I love to travel but traveling for work is not that much fun. It takes me a lot of time to prepare both my professional and person lives to be away. Then there is the packing which I have gotten down to a science and can do in under ten minutes. But the worst part is being away from my family.
This trip is probably the hardest one with the exception of three out of about 50. Those three being my first trip when Heidi was a baby, the first trip that Heidi got really upset about (I think she was 5), and the last trip I took a few months back which fell two days after we put Daisy Mae down.
This trip is hard because I know my family is at home tending to my buck ass wild dog, Siri.... I am so stressed about her jumping a fence when someone is there letting her out. I am stressed that all the progress we have made with her and Peter will go down the tubes. I am stressed that she is going to freak and hurt me with her tail when I return home!
That sure is a lot of stress! I think I need to go find a glass of wine to go with my Sabra Hummus and Pretzels I am having for dinner. Then I am going to kick back, read some blogs, and watch some tv without having to crank the volume to hear the Bones Season Premier over a dog fight in my living room.
I will leave you with a little video of my girls having a WWE match in my living room over the weekend.
