Death of a Squirrel Toy

So Lola is into destructive chewing. My "parenting" web sites say this is because she is lonely and bored, and possibly stressed (she does have a lot of separation anxiety, so that makes sense). So I've been trying to get her toys so that she has stuff to play with. She has a Kong, and a rope toy (which has also bit the dust as of last night) and occasionally I get her stuffed animals. The problem with stuffed animals is that she tears them up in no time flat. So I bought her this one that was considered "indestructable". MmmHmm ... sure. I wish I had taken a picture of it before, but it took her about 2 hours to render it "destructable". Here are the pictures of it now:

The week

When you tell stories do you start at the beginning and work forward or at the end and work backward? I started to write from today backward but that seems illogical, so instead I’ll go back to Saturday: the engagement. I still don’t have pictures (I guess I’m going to have to email Kyle and ask for them) but here goes anyhow. I generally never make plans on weekends that Christen and I have off together. However, this time my sister called earlier in the week and asked if I wanted to go shopping with her and Mom and I agreed. Then, Thursday I decided I wanted to get my hair cut and made an appointment for Saturday morning. Christen said, “Are you doing everything on Saturday?” but I didn’t think anything of it. I told him we’d have Saturday evening and all of Sunday together. So I got up early on Saturday and got my haircut (it looks way cute, I’ll have to post pictures of that too) and then went shopping with my mom and sister as planned. I bought 4 books and a straw hat – isn’t that the way? So I get home and Christen said that his mom wanted us to go to dinner with them, and I said that was fine, and he said that Kyle wanted pictures of me for the web site … this is a long story, but it did seem plausible, so I got dressed up and we went out for pictures and ended up at the park where we had our first date. We had also been back a few times, so it still made sense that we were there. I sorta had the feeling that was something was going on, but I wasn’t sure – girls just know these things. But Kyle and Shea snuck up behind us and Kyle handed Christen the ring and Shea had the videocamera. It was all very sweet and amazing –Shea’s video was hilarious! So then they tried to trick me and say that we were going back to our house for a drink before going out to dinner and I knew at that point that everyone was going to be at the house, but I played along for that and when we got home everyone was there – all of his family and my mom and sister. It was such a wonderful night! I drank a lot of red wine and ate cheese and hung out with the family. Sunday: we drove all day doing nothing, and went to a craft show in Dunedin that was alright but horridly sweltering. I freaked out a little bit because I was trying to come up with a date and Christen kept playing his computer game, but finally he came out with me and we decided where we wanted to go for a honeymoon and set a date for the wedding. Monday I told everybody at work, and then went home and freaked out about money, because we don’t have any and either does my family. Which, of course, I knew – but who thinks about these things when they’re getting engaged? My mom helps, though, being the rational one who can help me decide about caterers and alcohol and venues … Mom is very good at being rational when others aren’t (namely, when I’m not) just as I’m the rational one when she freaks out. It’s a good balance. Monday and Tuesday night I went to bed early – I think the excitement of all this is getting to me – I get really tired really early. Wednesday Shell came over and we tried a new sushi place (the atmosphere was awesome, the sushi was only so-so) and looked at a couple chapels and talked a lot about weddings. This is my problem: I don’t like being the center of attention. I don’t like making decisions. I get selfconscious and worry about pleasing everyone else. I have a feeling that I am not going to get through this whole wedding thing. My friends are going to have to prop me up here.

So things I have decided: the date, the honeymoon, the colors, the dress (sorta), the bridesmaid dresses. Things I have yet to decide: everything else!

Anyhow, this morning I got to work and the power was off for an hour, so now I have lots to do and less time to do it. Woohoo for work!

The ring :)

Thanks to those who wished us Good Luck! I'm going to need it (all you who know me know how much I hate making decisions; do you know how many decisions I'm going to have to make?)

engaged!

So I was going to hold off and tell everyone on Monday, but y'all know I'm terrible at that.

So. ...



I'm engaged! Christen asked me to marry him tonight, and of course I said yes! Pictures of the ring to follow as soon as I'm sober enough to find the camera, and pictures of the engagement to follow as soon as Kyle's sober enough to email them to me!

I love you all!

Yay!!!! I'm engaged!

Huzzah for new books, coming soon!

So I was killing time at work before I got out, and I was perusing the internet (fancy that, eh?), mostly looking for luau-related recipes and items ... and I ended up on Amazon searching my favorite authors to see if any new books have come out ... and look was I found! I'm so excited! Yay, September! (that's when they both come out)

Thugs

Current mood: scared

So I was almost asleep awhile ago after finishing off Broken for You when Lola started barking. Not a big "there's an apossum afoot" bark but a "there's something amiss" low woof ... followed by a few whisper woofs. She kept pacing and whisper-woofing, so I got up and laid on the spare bed with her to calm her down. I looked outside; nothing seemed off. I wasn't convinced, though, and neither was Lola because she wasn't calming down. So I laid on the bed for a few minutes and I'm drifting off again when she gives a start back at the window and starts her low barking again. I looked out the window just in time to see a guy running across the street in bulky gray sweats and jump in a gray SUV -- maybe a late-'90s Jeep or Pathfinder and tool off around the corner. I waited a few minutes and went outside, mostly to make sure Christen's truck was okay, and the lady from next door was outside too. Her husband had followed the guys, and they had assault rifles. He got a cop to go look into it, but the guys were gone.

So now I'm completely freaked out. Anyone for reading me a nice calm bedtime story? No Hans Christian Anderson, please. I need no nightmares.

Oww, my ear!

So last night was a blast -- Shell, Rich, Shea and Kyle all came over and we drank a lot and played Trivial Pursuit and watched Family Business and Big Love ... I drank the better part of 3 bottles of wine (Yellowtail Shiraz Reserve, which I think is worth the extra couple dollars from regular Yellowtail, Kelly's Revenge Chardonney and Goiya South African Shiraz). I woke up this morning and I don't have a hangover, but my ear hurts really bad. I took a shower and went to dry my ears with a q-tip and it hurts to even touch it! I have no idea what happened to my ear last night, but the sucker hurts more than my ear has ever hurt before -- except maybe from the passing ear infection when I was young.


Anyhow, I was going to hang out with Matt but I never heard from him, so I'm going for lunch and antiquing with Shea ... or maybe down to the Ellenton outlet. If my ear doesn't completely put me off. ... I swear, it hurts so bad, there's no way I can even listen to my iPod this weekend, and you know how much I'm addicted to that thing -- I even have dreams about stealing them from dead girls!