Just Hit the Eastside of the LBC on a Mission Trying to Fnd Mr. Warren G

Yeah. Molly in the G-Nali. She's thinking of putting 26''s on it. Murdered out. Damn it feels good to be a gangsta...

Speaking of gangsta, or, actually, more ghetto than anything, Joe found this note that had blown into our yard:

"I only came by to get my money, you need to just give it to me and stop playin since I'm stressin you. I will be back. - your baby momma"

No fucking joke. When he read it to me, I thought he was making it up and just trying to get me to laugh. But then he handed the note to me, and I could see the check's hand writing and comma splices. However, the handwriting itself is quite lovely. It feels like we struck gold with this one. I feel very fortunate, as it is so hilarious. Thank you, Jesus.

As for Thanksgiving, it went well: (Mom, you can click on any image to make it bigger.)

I brined the turkey, and then applied this "crust" to it. It came out well.

The entire meal was quite tasty, as well as aesthetically pleasing:


My pie was less visually appealing, but was still a good time. Joe said it was his favorite part of the meal, what with the homemade crust, the layer of cheesecake, the layer of chocolate, and the pumpkin pie top.



We had a good looking table as well, and used my Oma's old china:







Yep. The only downside to it all was that I chopped one of my damn fingers. I never cut myself, but of course I did that day. It bled pretty good and hurt like hell to put pressure on it in doing things like lifting the turkey in and out of the oven, etc, so I had to put Joe to work a bit. It worked out well either way. We ate, and my ultimate compliment was that Joe ate himself sick. My number one goal was to impress him and feed him well. Mission accomplished. It was a good first Thanksgiving.

The rest of the weekend has been good. Ironically the very next day after Thanksgiving our new dining set arrived. It's very pretty, and I feel good in my choice. One small problem was that one of the chairs was broken. What a debacle. We had wait forever to get in touch with customer service, then take it back, and switch it out with a floor chair. Blarg. Then we waited for it to be tightened up (floor chairs tend to be loose). When it was ready, it began to mist, so Joe quickly loaded it into the car and off we went. Since it was full on raining when we got home, we waited until evening to unload it. Just before bed, Joe brought it into the house, and as I was straightening up around it, I realized it was broken in exactly the safe place. The day flashed before me, and I wondered if it had really happened. I showed Joe, and he looked on in disbelief, as it was the very same chair we'd taken in. WHAT THE FUCK. He was pissed. He thought they tried to screw us and quickly agreed to take care of it the next day himself. I was elated because I really didn't want to deal with it. Yay for angry Joey. Indeed he did take care of it, and somehow it had ended up being an honest mistake on the part of the furniture store. Finally, on the third try with this chair, we got one that isn't broken. However, I do notice that it's a slightly lighter color. Ha. It's just going to have to be a story piece. We ain't going back.

It has continued to rain for most all of the weekend. Little Dex is going stir crazy, and it's all we can do to not kill him. Seriously, he dumped in the house for the first time ever. Asshole. Ah well. He's curled up now by my feet to my left, and Joe's reading next to me on my right. It's a good Sunday. Ooh. Spoke too soon. Now Dex is eating his bed. Bastard.

I think we may go pick up a Christmas tree today. We went out last night and got some more Christmas decorations. It was truly fun shopping with Joe during that outing. He just kept cracking me up. Christmas stuff really is his forte.

"Kate, Do Push-Ups."

Excuse me?

I found this to be part of our banter this evening. Apparently, I'd said something sassy; however, I did not do push-ups.

With regards to Thanksgiving, I feel like an adult making the old college try. However, my college try is procrastination. Which really sucks for Thanksgiving. I really like cooking, but I swear Thanksgiving seemed a long ways off and then suddenly it's right here. I wish I would have prepped more and planned out a menu more, but oh well. As it stands, we're having a spicy roasted turkey breast, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto with bread crumbs, garlic mashed potatoes (and gravy), southern corn bread dressing, rolls, and one or two pies for dessert - a pumpkin layered cheese cake pie for sure and possibly a traditional apple with it. It's not a lot of food, but it's just the two of us, so I think it'll be good. Now I just need to set up the dining room and wash the china. Oh yeah, we're totally using the china that I've lugged all around the country. And ya know what? If it breaks, it's not too earth-shattering because it's the china from Oma's marriage that ended in divorce. In the end she didn't care what happened to it and didn't bat an eye at giving it away.

That kind of bleeds into another theme here: peace within. I watched Oprah today, and they covered the earth's "blue zones," which basically are some of the healthiest places to live as evidenced by the age of those still alive in those areas. A lot of the qualities of those people were those that Oma had: having a purpose everyday, exercise, opening your heart through volunteering, etc, eating well, and surrounding yourself with friends and family. I think I need to work more on my personal peace, as it is I feel like I'm bitter a lot. I spent a while in the car the other day, and instead of focusing on stuff everyone else has that I don't, I tried to focus on what I do have. Sounds easy and cheesy, but I felt a tiny twinge of change for the better. In thinking about all the wedding stuff that others are getting that I didn't, I switched over and thought of Joe. Nobody gets to have Joe but me, and that makes me very lucky. I have this man that I love dearly, and who loves me back. At this time, I also thought back to my ideas of marriage when I was in college: I never thought you could feel 100% confident about someone; I thought doubts were a part of the deal. Not so. With Joe, there are no doubts. What we have together is what's important, not a bunch of materialistic crap. I must remember that. You don't get happy because of all the crap you have; you get happy because you love your life. And that doesn't mean your life is always good or fun or that it will come easily and freely. Shit, you gotta try, and I need to work more on that instead of thinking I'm entitled to something because I had a hard year. Yes, I feel a good change coming.

Speaking of a change coming, Dad flew to Pennsylvania today to aid his sister in the start of working out crap with his parents. Apparently, after his last trip out there, he'd vowed not to go back unless his parents were dead or dying. Having said that, it must be a big deal out there right now. One of the last things he said to me on the phone yesterday was, "Please, call and check on me. Please." I'll call him tomorrow or the next day. I can't wait to hear his tale. Yay.

In closing, I haven't said I hate Dex in the last week or so. I'm really starting to dig that little dog. Also - we potty-trained him in a week, and he has slept through the night since his arrival. He's actually very awesome. Yes.

You Did What While I Was Gone?!

The weekend feels like it was parts of several all in one. And I'm pretty flipping tired. Friday night was great. Joe and I went out with our couple and hit a sushi bar. We had a blast. At one point or another everyone laughed. Hard. We ate great food, had drinks, and genuinely seemed to get along. I'm realizing more and more the importance of military friends. They understand you. Period. The wife, my friend Sarah, is completely on the same page with me on things. Most importantly we understand how much it means to spend TIME with our husbands. If one of us has the opportunity to hang with their respective husband while we're hanging out together, the other always offers to bail. That time together is like gold, and neither of us got enough of it in the past year. Also, we've had to sacrifice in ways that partners in non-military couples will never understand. It's quite a comradery. I'm really glad I have her as a friend. Speaking of, they have a little bloodhound puppy, so Dex has a friend too!

On Saturday morning we made an unplanned trip to the vet because Dex's eye was oozing. He has a tiny scratch on his cornea, so we have to give him antibiotics for a bit...on his eye. Not too difficult, actually. I like our vet; she's a no nonsense kind of gal. By that, when she said something to the effect of our dog having a great home, it made me so happy. It was wonderfully reassuring to know that we're not fucking our dog up. Woohoo.

By Saturday afternoon, I was headed for a quick trip to SC. Since Joe couldn't go, I decided not to make a weekend out of it. So it was 4.5 hours over yesterday evening, and another 4.5 back this morning. Too.much.driving. PUKE. But, I took care of my business, and everything was safely accomplished. I got back at around noon today, and I'd really missed Joe and Dex. I had not been apart from Joe since our most recent reunion until this weekend. It was weird. When I walked in the house, Dex made his howly bark and ran over, happy to see me. There is no other feeling to compare to that of a dog happy to see you. Last fall when I was pretty sad and lonely, I'd walk in my aunt's house after working a temp job, and her dogs would run up to me, tails a' waggin'. It actually made me cry once. Very cool feeling. Aside from Dex, Joe was happy to see me too. It seems he missed me as well. Not only that, he ran the dish washer, folded laundry, cleaned up the dog poop in the backyard, downloaded Rosetta Stone off AKO so that I can learn French to speak with him, and generally straightened shit up. It was awesome. I was so caught up in all of that and the dog that I almost didn't catch something else that he was trying to tell me. I really don't even remember how he said it - something to the effect that he "zipped himself" at some point on Saturday night. I didn't get it at first, but then it clicked. My eyes grew wide, and then I cracked a smile and asked, "Did ya get the beans above the frank?" He said no beans were involved. And that children, is why Uncle Joe opted to wear underwear today. Good stuff.

Tonight we took Dex to his first training. I think it went well. Jeffy, the trainer, is a little bit sassy, but when I think about the PetSmart clientele, I have a better understanding of why. I'll spare you all the boring crap, but we did get help on how to walk him on a leash. Also, we ended up buying Dex a mini kiddy pool for the backyard. It's for digging, not swimming. He's a fantastic little digger, but so he'll stop digging up the fucking yard, we're going to fill the little pool with sand and treats. And in the summer I can fill it up with water and park my ass in it. Oh yeah.

Not much more to the weekend than that, except for a few new developments with the fam. A couple weeks ago my grandpa (Dad's dad) was diagnosed with alzheimers. I guess crap in Pennsylvania (where my Dad's fam lives) has been an on and off mess since then. When I called on Saturday to talk to my uncle, he said that earlier in the day Pop had made the claim that the woman he's living with (his wife - my grandmother) is in fact not his wife and as such, he couldn't live with her. My uncle brought him down to his (and my aunt's) house, while my aunt stayed at the g'parents' house to talk with my frenzied grandmother. Uncle Jim said once he got Pop to their house he was fine - knew who everyone was, joked around, and was watching Penn State play on the TV. The theory is that due to my grandma's bullying for the past 50+ years, Pop's now returning the favor. Also, when I talked to Pop he was completely coherent. He actually sounded younger, and for a minute I didn't know who I was talking to. He had to tell me, "This is your grandpop." Ha. He asked how Georgia is and Joe (whom he's never met but remembers). We had a good talk. I know alzheimers can go in and out of spells, but if you've ever met Mimi, you might be inclined to think it IS something more right now. Either way, I wonder if I can put all of this into some sort of David Sedaris style book one day. Mom has always told me to write about the family. Maybe I will.

WASSUP

It's another day in Columbus, Ga. I've decided to write now instead of later tonight while I'm in bed. It's sunny out, but pretty windy. I just checked the weather, and it says 42 degrees, but feels like 36. The low tonight is 27. Holy crap. Is this normal for Georgia? I don't know, but it makes me feel more at home. Now, if only I could find some firewood. Where is David Shore when I need him??

I don't think Dex knows quite what to do about the cold. He goes out and then comes in and lays on his bed and passes out off and on - being good for the most part. I should take him for a walk, but I'm trying to see if it'll warm up any more. I really like the idea of a lazy dog, though. :-) Even though Cesar says it's an unbalanced dog.

So Joe and I went back to the furniture store last night. We're gonna get the table soon. Mmm Hmm. As well as a new mattress. We laid on mattresses for over an hour I think. We're going to get a nice one, but they are f'ing expensive. Right now the store is working with Wells Fargo (a bank not to go under) with some 0% financing for 50 months. Now, everything in my Dave Ramsey modified brain tells me to avoid financing like that and pay for things outright. Ummm. But I maintain that we're not retarded, and therefore will not actually spend 50 months paying it back. Also, the state ended their hiring freeze, so I'm going to start more actively looking/applying for a job. Christ, if only my car will last a little longer. I really love that car, even if she's about to be 12. I don't think of her as old.

Anyway. A new turn in the Army lifestyle came about yesterday: having a life together, but being apart at times. We got the dates for one of Joe's five week training and found out that it runs over the date of my friend's wedding. I really wanted Joe to go to that with me. Even though he pissses me off, I really am proud to be married to him, and I want others to see us together. I want to show off Joe. However more often than not (hey, we just did 13 months apart) I find myself doing the single married thing. I guess I'm just not ready for that to begin again. Also, it seems he'll be available for all of his functions - just the wedding that I wanted him to be my date to, he'll miss. Of course. It sucks. Also, five weeks alone in this town!! We'd better be bearing arms pretty freaking soon. I just know I'm going to get stabbed before our four years is up.

The good news is that he's going to try to take leave in March after his training - possibly to go to Europe!! I may finally get a trip with Joe! But of course, it has to be approved. So we'll see. If not then, it will probably be 2010. The summer is full of weddings, and the fall looks like Joe may not be around. I am DETERMINED to have some sort of trip with my husband. I didn't have a real wedding - didn't get all the hoopla that others get - but I am married just like all others. MY marriage counts too. At the very least I should have a little time with my husband to do as we please.

To end on a lighter note, um. Let me think of something funny. I got nothing.

I'm Not Allowed to Talk About It

First, why if I put clean sheets on the bed (straight out of the dryer) an hour ago did I pull the covers back just now to find a live spider in the bed?

Second, if you know you're developing an uncontrollable cough and share a bed with someone every night, why don't you pick up some cough syrup?

Third, I'm not allowed to talk about the fact that we're not getting a dining room table from Kinder's furniture tomorrow - the Jafron model for only $498. I'm not allowed to write about the fact that we WILL be getting a 46 inch Samsung LCD TV. Even if I have to order it my damn self. I'm not allowed to talk about the fact that I'm not cooking shit for Thanksgiving dinner or that when Cody and Carla come to visit in December, they will have to sleep on the floor (or on the new TV since according to some, Cody will be okay with it). I'm not allowed to write about the TV not being able to suffice as a honeymoon or that I'll apparently just have to wait until my second marriage before I take that sort of trip. I'm not allowed to talk about the fact that the money isn't mine, even though it's in a savings account that Joe can technically only get to if I'm dead. I'm not allowed to talk about the fact that I'm going to get my own job AGAIN, make my own money AGAIN, pay off MY debt instead of JOE's and buy the rest of the stuff needed to settle in this house. I'm not allowed to talk about the fact that most of the stuff in this house that Joe pays the rent on came from me or my family. Or the fact that I scouted out this house, managed the money to be set aside for the deposit and first month's rent, and set up the renter's insurance for it. And since I'm not allowed to talk about it, I won't.

Dex is doing better. He didn't growl or bite today, and I took a kleenex away from him twice. Later, I even stuck my fingers down his throat to retrieve what I discovered to be an acorn. No problem. Perhaps this is because whenever he does get in a bad way, he is separated from the pack immediately and is left that way for what probably seems like an eternity to him (approx. 20 minutes outside). Additionally, every meal for the last week has been hand-fed to him. He may not even touch the hand with food in it until a verbal command is given. Further, while he's eating from the hand, a verbal command is given randomly for him to stop eating mid-chew. If this command isn't followed, he won't get any more food until it is. Booya. He's doing better it seems, but who knows. We're still going to do some obedience training with a professional. Since we spent our time out today looking at tables that we're not going to buy, we didn't have time to go to PetSmart. But we will tomorrow since we won't be buying any tables from Kinder's Furniture. Oh, and Dex still won't walk in the neighborhood unless we're both present, but Joe did manage to take him to the park today so I could spend a few lovely uninterrupted hours cleaning. The dream, right ladies?

The muffler seems to be rusting out on my car. So that's neat. Part of me is really pissed off that every time I turn around, my car is fucking up. I also now have a transmission leak, and it's getting harder for my car to go in and out of gears. Fuck. But about the muffler. I figure I'll just leave it, and it'll be my gift to this fine city of Columbus. I'd actually like to have the house/vehicles go ahead and be broken into, so I'm not so anxious about it anymore. But I guess I won't be able to shoot an intruder with the new TV...

A Two-For

Today ended up being a pretty douchey day. I knew my last blog was too friggin' cozy. Ha. See, we're having some troubles with our boy, Dex. That little shit has started this possession aggression, and Joe and I don't know what to do. He doesn't really get possessive over his toys or even food (unless he's thrown it up, which did happen), but usually it's random shit - like a kleenex he grabbed or gravel from the road. Yeah, he randomly picks when he's going to flip shit, and then he snarls, growls, and bites at you. He got me today - drew blood. I was shocked and nearly cried. Not to mention this was while we were on a walk that already wasn't going well. At first this dog would walk, then after a while it got to be that we were dragging him. We realized that it improved if we walked him after he ate rather than before. Okay, whatever. Well, now the little shit will only walk if BOTH Joe and I are present. And so this afternoon, I was dragging him (because Joe works during the day), got frustrated, stopped to call my mother, noticed the dog was eating something, tried to get it away, and BAM. He fucking bit me. Really? This little creature is going to be what protects ME when Joe's gone. Something's gotta change, but this is beyond anything I've dealt with previously. I spent some time at the library today trying to research it, but there wasn't a whole lot for his specific issue. I think it's time to talk to a dog trainer. Seriously. These are the same behaviors and tendencies of a dog that ended up mauling me when I was a baby. Teensy bit scared, yes.

Further, I am becoming increasinly frustrated with this damn chili cook off tomorrow. Team leaders are not properly delegating. No one really knows who's bringing what, and I couldn't get any details until the last minute. It's always the same damn story with the Army. No one can give any information until everything's already a goddamn cluster fuck. It's possible someone will get dunked in my crock pot o' chili tomorrow. Or at the very least I'll be a little verbally inapproriate as I witness in person the disorganization in which I am forced to participate. That all aside, I still intend to make the best damn chili there.

I forgot how much more satsifying a blog is when you're pissed. Writing about happy shit just doesn't feel right. And on that note, one last thing: every fucking wanna be gangster (and true gangster) in Columbus, GA can go to fucking hell. You drive around in your douched out cars, riding on 'dubs,' sporting your ridiculous paint/tint job, and my personal favorite, you blast your god awful bass so that when you pull up behind me, I damn near have a panic attack. Why in the hell do you need that much bass? When did that become a status symbol? And are you aware of what that status is? It's dumb ass. You're a complete moron. And the only way to be more moronic is to start robbing shit. Stop it. STOP STOP STOP IT.

Mom Says I Should Write a New Post

So I am.

I find myself without a lot to say lately. Things have become pretty domesticated. For example, I got up a bit ago and kissed Joe goodbye (he went in late today). Then, almost immediately after Joe left, the dog threw up, so I cleaned up vomit. That does not a blog make. I need more David Shore stories or something. Who knew?

Well anyway. It's almost the weekend again. Joe had a four day last weekend, so that was lovely. He took me out on a surrender date - a date where I have no control, and he plans everything. Yeah, we saw the idea on Oprah. Joe even picked out my outfit (I looked good too). He took me to the fancy Chinese restaurant in town (liken it to Q's in CoMo), Chef Lee's, and then to see the movie Role Models. It was a lot of fun. He did a great job. AND, in researching for this date, he got a lot of ideas for others, so there will be more surprises to come. I think it's pretty awesome, and I'm glad he actually enjoys doing it. Makes me happy.

The rest of the weekend we just kinda hung out with the dog, grocery shopped, and chilled with our other couple. It was swell. Joe and I also scouted out for dining furniture. I took him to the home ware section of Macy's (no furniture, but lots of other fun stuff). Good lord. Joe enjoyed it more than I did. We first went into the little Christmas section (Joe loves Christmas), and then we looked at knives - he counted out the Hinkel men to find the best ones, then on to coffee makers where he only found one that trumped ours and made me look at all the features on it, then on to juicers/smoothie makers (cuz he thinks he could make a smoothie before work every morning), and a few other things. It was like I took him into a Gamestop. He was insane, bouncing from one thing to the next. It was pretty hilarious to watch.

So that was that. I should tell y'all some about where we live. Yes, children, Columbus, GA is glorious. Everyday something gets robbed, etc - usually a place of business. I've even seen cops in my neighborhood twice now, but I don't know why because the neighbors barely speak to each other. Also, one night at about 10 pm there was a knock at our door. I informed Joe that I would not be answering that, so he did. I was in the next room and could hear him saying "No one lives here by that name. Do you want to see my ID?" Yes, a bail bondsman came looking for a Robert Keyes, and I guess he thought Joe could fit the bill. I don't think our neighborhood is that bad, though. People keep telling me it's not and that there haven't been any problems. Although, I do think a drug dealer lives down the street on the corner. Or maybe they just smoke a lot of weed there. Whatever. We're buying a gun before Joe deploys. That's for damn sure. Oh. OH. And on base during the O days,(Organizational days they have 2-4 times a year) wives get to shoot almost ALL the stuff the soldiers in Joe's unit use. So I'm looking forward to that. Um. Because cooks use a lot of weaponry. Anyway...

And so today I'm enjoying a rainy day inside with the dog. Little Dex is passed out on his bed by my feet. I gotta go to the store later to pick up some stuff for chili. Joe's company is having a chili cook off tomorrow, which the GUYS are supposed to cook for the WIVES. However, the various divisions within the company have decided to make it a competition, and in doing so, it was realized that many of the dudes can't cook, thus I was recruited to cook a batch for them. I think I'm just going to make it unbearably hot to test all the guys' egos. 'Hey, Sgt, why are you crying?' Hahaha. That goes down at lunch tomorrow, and then I think Joe may be off afterward. Woohoo. Almost the weekend again! Hopefully we'll look for dining furniture more seriously. Because as I told Joe, if we're to have Thanksgiving dinner on the coffee table, I will not be cooking it. :-D Cheers.

What the Funk?

I want to start off just by typing in expletives, but I know that's inappropriate. Tonight was dumb, and worse than that, it began with what seemed to be a pretty positive outlook. Quickly did it turn.

The good stuff was that Joe got home; we ate and took the dog for a walk together. Even though we had to steadily pull Dex, it was nice to hang and chat. I heard about Joe's day o' briefings, and he heard about my adventure with Dex to a new park and hanging out with an old southern lady named Betty ford and her dogs. Then, after we got back from the walk, fed Dex, and piddled around for a bit, we decided to watch Bones at 8. About that time Dex decides to go fucking crazy and begins doing laps around the living room, pretty well biting whatever the hell he wanted. I wasn't all that phased because it's just how it goes. Hell, I'm here all day with this little dude. However, that's not to say I allow the biting. Hell no. His ass got pinned again. BUT, it is all in how you handle him. Well, Joe hasn't slept much this week, and he became pretty mad with the dog. The negativity began with the dog and ended with the Army. I should also mention that he has meticulously prepared for his Class A inspection tomorrow and realized tonight that his new belt buckle is wrong or something. He literally spent more than four hours last night on shining his boots and putting shit on his uniform. That doesn't include the nights prior. Further, at one point in that evening I found him in the closet with my soft measuring tape measuring the space between his pins, etc and checking them off on a list. So anyway. I guess tonight was just the last straw. It just went to shit. Bones never got watched, though I think I DVR'd it. Joe went to bed at about 9, and I stayed up to clean the kitchen and rotate laundry. Dex got put away early, though I did get him out a short bit ago to pee. And so relaxing with one another turned into family war. I guess I should be used to that, and in fact, realizing that that's no longer my personal norm is a bit refreshing. How neat.

Dexi-Doodle

Um. Oh my god. I've been fighting the picture layout on this thing for about fifteen minutes. I wanted to put three up, but one continues to eat another. [Note: when I tried to attach the third at the end when I was done with the post, it added it to the top, properly, the way I wanted it all along. ] Fuck it, I guess. Here's two. Geez, at this point, I'm ready to just describe the damn dog to you and give the website the finger.

Calming down.

So anyway. The labs didn't work out. I was trying to do a good thing for them, as well as for the person that was kind enough to take them in. As it turns out, though, I would have had to pay a $375 pet deposit for each dog, and then have two vet bill and two mouths to feed, etc. Also, we would have had to figure out how to get one or both from Mississippi. In the end, we figured we'd just adopt one from here. And that's exactly what happened.

Joe and I checked out Dexter together on Thursday night at the Muscogee County Humane Society. I'd found him out a while back on the internet (even before the labs). He is a doberman mix, and in his online pic, he was wearing a little camo hat. Well, those two things seemed like fate, so I figured we'd at least go meet him. When we went in, he was one of the only dogs to remain calm in his cage while the other dogs were flipping shit about having "guests." Still, when in the play room, he would bop around, smell for cats, and of course play. We decided then that we wanted him, though given the option to take him home that night, it was with wide-eyes that we declined. Instead, we paid for him, and then ran around town picking up all sorts of dog paraphernalia. By Friday night, we had him home, but with the barrage of trick or treaters coming and going, Dex spent most of the evening under the coffee table scared out of his mind. He survived.

Yes, he is a bit timid, though that may not be too uncommon for four month olds. Everything is new to him. Cars, dryers, people, doorways and so on. Walking him is a bit difficult right now, as I literally have to pull him forward, but he seems to be getting somewhat better. I try to hold his tail up at times to give him a confidence boost. Saw Cesar do it once. A major confidence booster was taking him to the dog park on post today. He got to 'meet' and run around with several other dogs. He also met a few new humans, including a baby. He did very well considering he was too freaked out to leave the car on his own accord, and after I pulled him out, he climbed underneath it. Yeah. He's a wiener. But he did find his confidence, and even humped a lab while we were there. Good lord, Dex. I had a good time too. Well, maybe not that good. But it was nice to meet a few other women (who happily gave great dog advice), along with my first Army wife friend, Sarah, who came with me. We're to all meet up again on Friday. Woohoo!!

And so I came away from the dog park victorious in that I'd managed to network, and also in that I managed to completely wipe Dex out. He passed out in the car almost immediately on the drive home, so tired that he was snoring. He also behaved much better this evening and was way less bitey. That might also be because I've pinned him down several times as a Mama dog would. NOTHING ELSE WORKS and that little bastard is not going to keep biting me. Not even playing. Hell no.

Well anyway. That's my life right now. Getting this dog used to us and as my dad would say, helping him to become an upstanding citizen. Yeah, all the training, etc. It's a good time, and he's definitely got me on a schedule. We walk, eat, play, pee/poo all at specific times. With all this investing, he'd better be badass when he's older . Until then, we'll just embrace the puppyhood.

My Hair is Soft

That's right. And it's because I started using the Dove "Shine" conditioner. It smells amazing, and my hair feels as soft as Dexter's. Yeah, that's the new dog. Remind me to blog about him in the next one. I would tonight, but it's too much to write; I'm too tired.

Tomorrow is Monday, so no more Joe during the day. Blarg. I'm starting to ever so slowly return to the gym, so perhaps I'll do that. And of course continue to develop my relationship with Dexter. I really should write about him. But no.

Speaking of hair, I trimmed Joe's up just a bit ago before we got into bed. A sergeant major noticed that his hair touched his ears. BAD PRESS!! Haha. He can have his hair pretty long right now for the Army, but it canNOT touch his ears. So. We trimmed all around the ears - even shaved a bit above them. It sounds retarded, but it's not. It looks good. Trust me. I'd be the first to tell you and him if it looked ridiculous. Just not the case. Truly, it's glorious to see him with hair again. But yeah, who knew I'd ever shave above his ears? Good thing they're super flexible and stick out a bit. I love you, Joe. But God gave you a little less ear cartiledge than most. My special, special boy. :-)

Let me think. Did anything funny happen this weekend? The new dog humping my leg? The whitey neighbor blasting his greek dance music? The trick or treaters who asked if I was 'grown'? Joe running around in his special Army panties? Yeah, probably, but I'm going to bed.

Good night.