Bread Makin'

My grandma gave me a bread machine for Christmas and, as soon as we moved into our new apartment, the bread making began.   I think I've already made about 6 loaves of bread in 2 and a half weeks!  I have to test out all the recipes and variations so I know which ones are my favorite.  I've also made good use of the timer feature, so I have warm, fresh bread when I get home from work or wake up in the morning. I absolutely love it!  Thanks Nana!!

Baxter's Redemption

Toren said the video I posted made Baxter look like a wuss, so I'm posting this one to redeem Baxter's doghood (at least the first half of the video should).

At the Dog Park

Poor Baxter spends a lot of each day cooped up in his crate, so we like to take him to the dog park every chance we get.  He absolutely LOVES it there.  He spends about the first 10 minutes sniffing and greeting all the dogs.  Then, he goes into prime Baxter mode: wreaking havoc.  He starts running all through the park, getting all the other dogs riled up.  He turns into the ring leader instantly (see picture 2).  The dogs start going wild!  And Baxter just can't get enough of it.  The funny part is that most of the dogs are at least twice his size.  Below are a couple pictures and a video from our last trip to the dog park.

As you can see in the video, Baxter does sometimes get a little pushed around by the big dogs, but he usually holds his own (see picture 1).  

Our favorite part about taking Baxter to the dog park is that when we go home Baxter is so worn out that he sleeps the rest of the day.

Get Excited...

Well, we've been busy as usual and blogging has become a back burner (as usual).  We do have a lot to blog about though.  To get you excited, here are a few things coming down the bloggin' pipeline:  getting hired as the math lab teacher at the high school, moving into a new apartment, taking Baxter to the dog park, and making the most delicious bread in my new bread maker.  Get excited!

Bloody Eye

So I woke up this morning with a bloody eye.  I guess I popped a blood vessel in my eye somehow.  I'm not sure when it happened.  I just noticed it while I was putting on my makeup.  It doesn't hurt or anything, but it looks kind of dramatic.  The funny thing is that it's curving around my contact.  If I didn't have my contacts in would the blood just slide right into my iris?  Kinda gross.  The good news is that you can't really see it unless I look down or pull my eyelid up.

Sea Kittens

This is really funny.

Apparently the other day PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) announced that they want to start calling fish "sea kittens."  They hope the name change will "make the vertebrates more endearing to those who would eat them."

"A lot of people don't realize that fish are capable of feeling fear and pain, that they develop relationships with each other, and even show affection by gently rubbing against one another," says Ashley Byrne, PETA's sea kitten campaign co-ordinator. "Knowing that the fish sticks in the school cafeteria are really made out of tortured sea kittens makes most kids want to lose their lunch"

I think it's ridiculous, but hilarious.  Perhaps I'll even have some sea kittens for dinner!

Sea Kitten Article

Happy Birthday (to me)!

Warning: this post gets a little gross in the middle. Read at your own risk, and probably not prior to or while eating.

We have just been busier than ever since Christmas. Mostly working. (Just for the record, on Christmas day Toren and I saw a movie and enjoyed a Christmas dinner at Chevy's...it was the only place open. It wasn't a traditional Christmas, but still enjoyable. My family was in Seattle and Toren's were on their way to Las Vegas and Lake Havasu). We didn't do anything too exciting for New Years, either!

But then, January 5th arrived -- my birthday! Luckily, I had the day off from both of my jobs and no other responsibilities. So, how did I spend the day? I took Baxter to the vet. He had been oozing really bad from one of his eyes, shedding A LOT, and scooting around on his bum. The vet rinsed his eye out to check for any scratches, talked about his diet (his cheap dog food is most likely causing the shedding), and emptied his anal sacks (I'm still not really sure what those are or what they do). Anyway, he had bacteria built up in his eye (and she prescribed eye drops), she told us to change his food and prescribed allergy medicine for the shedding, and she let me know that his anal sacks were VERY full (of what I didn't ask, nor did I really want to know), which led to the bum scooting. She thought the better food would also help this problem. It thanked her and walked back to the reception area to pay. The lady there, in her sweet voice, says, "That'll be only 99 dollars." I nearly fell over. I paid the lady and considered the visit my birthday present. After this, we went home, took a nap and later enjoyed a delicious birthday dinner of enchiladas and cake!! I know the story is a little gross and uninteresting, but it's what I did on my birthday!

In honor of my life, I thought I'd post a few fun pictures of me from the last few years. Originally I wanted to add more, but I'm at work and these are the only pictures I have access to. At least they might make the boring/gross post a little more interesting.

Me and (best friend) Amanda in New York City

John, Laura, and me at Disneyworld.

Dumbledor's Army (Our Harry Potter Book Club)

Me with Kelsey and Lael at Ocean Shores

One of our Engagement Pictures

One of my Favorite Wedding Pictures

Sunday Night Monopoly

The Little Terror as a Baby (doesn't he look so innocent?)

Cedarpoint in Ohio

Under the Caribbean Waters in Mexico