Dog Training: Week 8

We had our eighth and final training class tonight. We were to teach our dogs a trick to demonstrate in class. Annabelle learned to crawl, stand on her hind legs, and roll over. She actually demonstrated all of them in class and everyone seemed very impressed, especially Robert. Buckley shook hands with Robert with a little coaxing. Pablo and Pete just watched Annabelle and Buckley show off.

Everyone got a small pouch of treats, a frisbee, and a certificate. After taking a few photos, we played a little game where we practiced sit, down, and stay. Everyone did really well with sit and down, with the exception of Pete - she just stood and watched. Annabelle and Buckley were in a staying contest when we were practicing the stay command. They both excelled in this class.

Robert was very impressed with Annabelle's progress and thinks she would make a great therapy dog. He really wants her to take the intermediate training class. We're kind of thinking about waiting a little while before we enroll in another class. We really enjoyed this one, but we'd like to practice with her a little more. The intermediate class is at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning in a few weeks and I'm not sure that Justin or I would be able to leave work to get her to class on time. He said Pete was more than welcome to join, but that he didn't think it would be completely beneficial to her. Robert was proud that Pete actually walked some in class.

I took this photo just after getting the carrier ready to go to class tonight. I put a clean rug (I use small rugs in the bottom of the crates and carriers - they don't seem to slip around like blankets and towels) in the bottom and left it on top of the crate. Since they couldn't get inside the carrier, they got into the crate. They wanted to make sure I didn't forget them.

Pete graduates! She did not like that cap.

Here's her certificate:

Annabelle graduates!

Robert, Pete, Annabelle, and Justin. Robert is such a great instructor. He seems to really enjoy working with dogs.

Pablo is on the left and Buckley is on the right. Buckley loved the frisbee!

This is Robert's dog, Sky. She is such a well-behaved dog.

Thanksgiving Vacation

Justin and I headed to South Georgia Thursday morning to spend Thanksgiving with our families. We decided to leave Thursday morning instead of Wednesday evening because of anticipated traffic. I think we made the right decision because traffic was fairly light.

Since Justin and I are from the same town and our parents still live there, we are able to easily spend time with both families. I eat lunch at my mother's house and Justin eats lunch at his parents' house. After lunch, I head over to celebrate Justin's and his mother's birthday. We usually eat supper with my mother and then we head back to Justin's parents' house for some visiting.

We even took Pete and Annabelle with us and they had a ball. They travel really well and seemed to enjoy exploring their old yard at my mother's house. We also took them to visit their other grandparents. They enjoyed exploring Brad and Janice's newly renovated house. I think they approved.

My sister and her family decided to take a mini vacation in Atlanta over the Thanksgiving holiday. Since Justin and I headed back to Atlanta on Saturday night, we were able to visit with them that evening and Sunday morning before they headed home. We had lunch at Flip Burger Boutique on Sunday. I figured it would be easy to get in and out of there and not spend an hour waiting for a table. We went at noon and were able to immediately be seated since they weren't super busy.

I ordered my usual po boyger and shared an order of fries with Justin. He ordered the philly burger. It's kind of neat because they use cheese foam on it. My sister and niece each ordered the bacon + cheese burger, but my niece ordered hers with only the burger, bacon, and cheese. They shared an order of fries. Paul ordered the gyro and said it was a typical gyro. He also ordered parmesan zucchini fries. I thought they were very tasty. Justin and I shared a turtle milkshake. My niece ordered one for herself, although I did drink some of it. Carrie and Paul shared a nutella and burnt marshmallow shake and seemed to enjoy it. A milkshake is such a nice ending to a yummy meal. Everyone was full and satisfied when we left.

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love Christmas, but I like how you don't have the stress of providing the perfect gift at Thanksgiving. It's about spending time with family and eating, two of my favorite things to do.

Dog Training: Week 7

Warning: the first paragraph might be gross to some people since it contains vomit talk.

Last night was our next to last training class. I left the house at the usual time, but traffic was awful, so Pete, Annabelle, and I were ten minutes late to class. I was embarrassed, but there was nothing I could do. Justin was on time. Robert, the instructor, was super nice and waited for us. When I was pulling in the parking lot, I heard what I thought sounded like one of the dogs throwing up (I guess my driving really is bad). Soon after, my suspicions were confirmed by the odor coming from the backseat. I called Justin before we arrived so he could come out to the car to help me. As I was getting the dogs out and trying to avoid the vomit, I managed to drag Pete through it and some of the vomit ended up in my seat. It was on Pete's paws, so as I was carrying her inside, I got it on me, too. It was great.

We mainly talked about grooming and first-aid. Someone also asked how often to bathe the dogs. Most people in class said they bathe when the dog smells, which is usually every five to six weeks. He said that's a good schedule. I asked if weekly was too often and he said yes and that frequent bathing can dry out the dog's skin. I bathe them frequently because they smell and because of Annabelle's skin allergies.

Robert told us that when a dog is in extreme pain, like after being hit by a car, you should always muzzle a dog to prevent bites. He said even though you are trying to help the dog, they are very likely to bite you due to the pain. He told a couple of stories that made me nearly cry.

After the discussion, we practiced walking around the store. Pete actually walked quite a bit last night. She didn't want to walk in line with the rest of the class so I kind of let her do her own thing for a little bit. She seems to like to sniff out potty accidents in the store, but she was walking and that's a big change. When I tried to direct her walking, she would sit down and refuse to move.

When we got back in the classroom, we practiced our sit-stay-come command. Everyone did really well, except for Pete. She sat, but wouldn't come. I've started taking her off the leash when we're in the classroom and practicing commands. She seems to do better without the leash, but she's got to learn to do stuff on the leash.

Next week is our final week!

Justin's last night as a 29 year old

I decided to give Justin his birthday presents from me a day early.

The presents came in the mail and I wanted to get them before Justin saw the packages, but danged if he didn't retrieve the mail on both days presents arrived. I smiled and took the presents to another room to hide. I wrapped them yesterday while he was at work.
I asked him to smile for his last photo before he hits thirty.

Justin loves the Broadway musical Rent. He's seen it live three times. He asked for the recording of the final Broadway performance. The show closed last year and I think Justin secretly mourned.

Unwrapping the second present. What is in that box?

Headphones! I joked that the cord is long enough for him to walk all over the house while the headphones are plugged in.

Miss Pete enjoys hanging out in the living room with us. Annabelle likes to stay outside in the evening and we usually have to chase her inside the house because she refuses to come in.

Later, Justin and I were watching television and I pulled out my blanket. Everytime I would try to put my legs under it, Justin would growl like Pete does when you're doing something she doesn't like. I told him to stop or the photos would end up on the blog.

Happy birthday, Justin!

Justin is thirty

My sweet Justin turns thirty years old today! We are getting old.


Happy birthday, Justin! I hope you have a great day. I love you!

Justin gets married and I get to hold a baby

Justin and I headed to South Georgia last weekend for a wedding. My former co-worker, Marissa, married her fiancee, Justin. Whenever Marissa and I would talk about our Justin, we would always say "my Justin" to keep things straight. Their wedding was beautiful and she was a gorgeous bride! The weather was great (not too hot or too cold) and the sun wasn't horribly bright. I know the photos are going to be wonderful. They served ham, turkey, cornbread dressing, green beans, rolls, and cranberry sauce. It was yummy! I love cornbread dressing. The bride's cake was red velvet and tasted so fresh and looked very lovely, too. Marissa and Justin looked so happy together and I'm so excited for them.

I borrowed the photo below from someone's Facebook page. I really hope that was ok.

I felt just awful leaving before telling Marissa bye. When my Justin and I needed to leave, Marissa was dancing and I didn't want to interrupt her. I felt just awful, but we needed to go. Based on the other pictures, I don't think she stopped celebrating just because we left.

We did meet up with Justin's parents and brother and his brother's wife and daughter. The little cutie pie below let me hold her for a while and didn't even cry. Isn't Miss Olivia adorable?

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I wanted to make sure I got our Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving. I realize putting up our little tree doesn't take days, but in all honesty, I am kind of excited about the holidays this year. I don't know why.

This is the Christmas tree corner. I need some wall prints or something on the walls. This corner is pretty boring without the tree.

I'm not sure if this is how other people put up their tree, but I fluff the bottom layer and put the branches on the tree trunk. Then, I wrap lights around the individual branches. This takes a while and a lot of lights, but it's how my mother always did her tree, so it's how I do ours. Several years ago when I worked at Vivian's Gift Shoppe, it was my year to put up Christmas trees. We had a rule that you didn't have to take down trees if you put them up. When the other employees took down the trees that year, they said I wasn't allowed to put the lights on the trees ever again. My trees looked good, though.

That top section is all one piece and it is kind of hard to put lights on it.

Another thing my mother does is use coordinating ornaments. When my sister and I were younger, our mother would decorate the tree with juvenile ornaments and the painted macaroni ornaments we made at school. As we got older, she started using prettier and more fru-fru stuff. My tree is very bare compared to hers. I do use the four or five non-colored ball ornaments Justin and I have acquired since we've been married. I think these will always be on our tree.

The bow and streamers have been used for seven Christmases and passed their prime about five years ago. I bought a roll of nice ribbon last year after Christmas to use this year. I started searching for my floral wire last night and never found it. I was going to use an ornament hanger instead of wire but decided to just wait and get the proper wire. The old bow and streamers will make do until I hit the store.

I'll probably jinx myself by saying this, but the lights on our tree are all as old as the tree. Some of the bulbs have stopped working, but a blown bulb here and there isn't a problem for me. I just hide them with ornaments. The tree is the first Christmas tree Justin and I purchased after we got married in 2003. We paid full price ($16.88) at Wal-Mart that year. Yeah, we were big spenders.

Queen of the Road

I mentioned my Explorer in a recent post and thought I would elaborate. If Justin is reading this right now, he's probably rolling his eyes. I know he's so tired of me whining about how much I loved the Explorer and how much I miss the Explorer. I'll start from the beginning...

Around the middle of 2004, Justin and I began talking about purchasing a new vehicle for me. We looked at Honda Elements, Toyota Highlanders, and Ford Escapes. We both liked the Element, but it just wasn't cutting it for us. I think it was too bare (I'm not sure if Honda has changed this, but at the time, Elements didn't have carpet - the floor was vinyl or rubber or something like that).

We went to a Toyota dealership and drove the Highlander. Justin and I both took an immediate dislike to the salesman. He was pretty pushy and arrogant about the Toyota brand. I'm not knocking Toyota, but please don't tell me how all other car brands are inferior to your brand and how the brakes on GM vehicles will fail (he actually said this!) and how I'd be so unhappy with a Honda. When I test drive a vehicle, I want to drive it where I drive on a daily basis. At the time, I was driving on the interstate a lot. He insisted on dictating where I was to drive. I don't drive on little tiny country roads with lots of stops. I want to see how it handles on the interstate. When I did get on the interstate, he kept insisting I "get on it". He was basically telling me to get going really fast. The speed limit at the time in that area was 65 mph. I was going nearly 80 mph and he was telling me to go faster. I think Justin turned around and looked at him like he had lost his mind. This stretch of interstate was notorious for being patrolled heavily by the GSP and local sheriff's department. Needless to say, we immediately left that dealership and never went back.

We dropped by the local Ford dealership to look at the Escape. We were looking at small SUVs because they were in our price range. I would have loved an Expedition, but it wasn't in the budget. When we were talking with the salesman, he asked why we were looking at the Escapes and not the Explorers and we said it was because we could afford the Escape. He showed us that due to current specials, the Explorer was actually cheaper than the Escape. We drove an Escape and Explorer and both loved the Explorer. We did a little research and purchased my new vehicle soon after the test drive.

The photos below were taken in 2007 when we were in the process of selling the Explorer.

I loved the Explorer! I can't explain it, but it was a fun vehicle to drive. I felt like I was on top of the world in it. I did sit up higher than in a car, but I wasn't as high as larger SUVs and big trucks. I still thought of myself as the Queen of the Road. She served me well until November 2006 when the transmission died. You can read more about that here. We got her repaired, but I was still so afraid of being stranded on the side of the road. This was especially scary since I was driving on the interstate so much and the area where I was driving was a construction zone with no emergency lanes. If something had happened, I had no where to go.

I drove the Explorer for a few more months before we decided to replace it. It didn't give us any trouble, but I whined about the transmission a lot. Gas was also becoming a big issue. My average gas bill was about $500 per month. This wasn't me joyriding. I went to work and came home. It was obvious I needed something more efficient. We listed the Explorer in several area newspapers and eventually got a buyer. We were very upfront about the transmission and suggested the new buyers have it checked out, but they were comfortable buying it as-is.

I was so sad to see the Explorer go and get a little envious when I see one that looks like mine. The buyer only kept the Explorer for a few months before selling it. I'm not sure what the deal was, but they obviously didn't love her like I did. I saw it parked in a mall parking lot several times. I'm guessing the new owner works there (or has a serious shopping addiction). The reason I know it was mine is because of the scratch on the side. See the photo below:


Shortly after I bought the Explorer, it was scratched with a rock or keyed (the rock has my vote). It was parked outside the gift shop where I worked and a disgruntled employee of a nearby business scratched all the vehicles parked in the ally with mine. No one saw him do it, but it was obvious it was him. I never got it repaired because it was going to be expensive and would probably be hit by a car door or something like that in another parking lot.

It's that time of year again...

Dog Training: Week 6

Last night was our sixth dog training class at Petsmart. There were four dogs there (Quince was out again this week). We practiced sit with stay at the beginning of class. Pete still wasn't doing anything for me, but she was taking treats. The other three dogs did really well. We also reviewed puppy push-ups. Annabelle does these really well. Pete still doesn't go down, so no push-ups for her.

We reviewed the walking by another dog and owner with the wait command. Annabelle did really well. Pete wouldn't walk. Imagine that. We also practiced the leave it command while Robert walked around with toys and treats. Pete showed some interest in the toys. I did remember to take string cheese to class last night and Pete ate some of it.

After those quick exercises, we left the room again for the follow the leader. Pete and I were the caboose since she still wasn't all that interested in walking. Each time we would stop, I would put Pete down and she would walk a little. When Robert would start walking again, Pete would usually freeze. After a couple of tries, she finally started walking! It wasn't in any kind of purposeful line, but she walked. As long as she was walking, I let her go where she wanted. We did get away from the group a couple of times, but she was walking! This didn't last long so I carried her back to the room. Robert was so proud of her! He said if he had a most improved award for the class, Pete would win, hands down.

We practiced a few more exercises in class and Robert and his dog, Skye, demonstrated some intermediate class exercises. Everyone was so proud of Pete last night. She even got applause! While we were listening to Robert explain some items, Annabelle was wandering around the floor near where I was sitting (Justin was on the stool beside me). I carry a bag to class with treats, Pete's tennis ball, and a clean towel. The bag is usually on the floor beside my stool. Annabelle helped herself to the opened package of string cheese. I think she's feeling much better after the food poisoning Monday.


I took the photo below shortly before we left the house for class. I put the harnesses on the girls and waited a few minutes before I put the carrier on the floor so they could get in. I think they were afraid I was going to leave them because they sat on the sofa and didn't move an inch. They were facing the carrier and didn't take their eyes off it (except for when I took the photo).

Happy Birthday, Janice!

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. We hope you've had a fantastic day!


Happy birthday, Janice! We love you!

My Sick Baby

Warning: this post might gross out some people. It involves vomit. Dog vomit to be exact.

I had a 10:00 a.m. appointment Monday. I let the dogs outside, fed them, and ate my breakfast. I showered, did hair and make-up, and got dressed. As I was walking through the kitchen to leave, I noticed four or five puddles of throw-up. These were no ordinary puddles, either. They were big. Unfortunately, I couldn't hang around to see who the culprit was and I couldn't clean it up, either. I know, that's really nasty, but I couldn't be late for this appointment.

When I got home, the puddles had multiplied. There were now eight or nine. The new ones looked like watery mucous. I quickly figured out Annabelle was the sick one. When the dogs hear a car door close, they immediately run to the side door and begin watching and barking. Annabelle stayed near her crate and didn't move. She sat on the floor and looked pitiful. She was even shivering a little.


After I cuddled Anne for a few minutes, I began the task of cleaning up the den area (this is where the dogs hang out during the day). It was not fun at all. I went through an entire roll of paper towels. Cleaning up the watery mucous puddles was like trying to clean egg white off the floor. It doesn't work. I heated a can of chicken noodle soup to see if Annabelle would drink the broth. She wouldn't even go near the bowl.

I decided to keep an eye on Annabelle to see if she got sick again. If she did, I was going to take her to the vet. In the time it took me to step outside to put the vomit trash bag in the trash can, Annabelle threw up again. Once again, I got to clean up and huge puddle of egg white vomit.

I put a blanket in the front seat of my car and scooped up Annabelle for the trip to the vet. Normally, Anne is all over the car (when she's not in the carrier) and wants to hang out the windows. She curled up in a ball on my front seat and napped. I have heated front seats so I turned that on for her. It took about ten minutes for us to get to the vet. I found out once I got there that the vets all go to lunch at noon. It was 12:05 p.m. I made a 2:30 p.m. appointment and we headed home. Annabelle decided she wanted to sit on my lap for the ride home. She didn't try to look out the window or anything. It was obvious she felt awful.

On the ride back to the vet, she napped on the warm front seat. The vet examined Annabelle very thoroughly and said she suspected food poisioning since Annabelle wasn't running a fever. This seemed odd since Pete wasn't sick and they eat the same food. The vet asked if Annabelle eats stuff off the ground and floor and I said, "My husband and I call her our little vacuum cleaner." She thinks Anne may have eaten something that made her sick. She gave her a shot to help with the nausea and sent us home with some prescription food and probiotics to help restore harmony in her tummy. Once again, she rode in my lap for the ride home.

Annabelle curled up in her crate and slept for a little while. It was obvious she wasn't feeling great, but she did show an interest in some food after a couple of hours. Later that afternoon, she went outside with Pete for a few minutes. She did eat a little more food and a couple of treats last night. This morning, Annabelle seemed to be feeling much better. She ate her food and went outside with Pete, like usual.

I can tell she's feeling much better because her tail is pointed up. It was down, between her legs all day yesterday. I've even gotten a few wags this morning.

Our Mailbox

I realize the situation I'm about to describe happened over two years ago, but I still remember it and obviously haven't moved on or gotten over it. I also realize the situation involves a mailbox and wouldn't be a big deal to most people, but it is to me. Call me obsessive. You won't be the first.

Justin and I purchased our first house in 2003. We closed on it a week before our wedding. We know we were very fortunate to be able to afford to do this. Once we were confident the house would be ours, we purchased our first mailbox. Yes, the house did come with a mailbox, but we (actually, I) wanted one that was "ours." At the time, I worked for a gift shop that sold painted items. I asked the artist, Dawn, if she would paint the mailbox for me and she happily agreed. I love tulips so I asked her to include them on the mailbox. When she delivered the mailbox, she told me the painting was her wedding gift to us. I was beyond thrilled! It was beautiful!

The picture below is of the mailbox after it had weathered three years outside. It had faded a little, but still looked great. I probably should have washed the bird poo off before I took the photo.

I had to include this photo of our house. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was ours. I loved this house! We did some work in the yard so it actually looked better than it does in this photo. My beloved Explorer is also in the garage. I'll talk about her some other time.

I'll admit that I was not happy about selling our house on 48th Street. Did I mention that I loved this house? Well, I did! We got very lucky in that our house sold fairly quickly. We listed it in March '08 and we had a good offer by May '08. This was during the time when the real estate market was spiraling downward, so waiting six weeks for an offer was nothing.

I decided I wanted to take the mailbox with us, kind of as a memento of our first house. In reality, the mailbox probably would have stayed in our new attic or garage, but I still wanted it. I planned to tell the new owner we would leave the mailbox with him until he purchased a new one, but that I wanted our mailbox. Honestly, why would he want it? It had our name on it.

Closing was supposed to be on a Monday afternoon. We worked through the weekend and got our belongings out and the house cleaned. Justin and I walked around one last time before we left. It was just before midnight Sunday. I took off work Monday afternoon and Justin took off the whole day. The buyer's real estate agent made arrangements with us to give the buyer access to the house Monday morning so he could begin moving. We didn't have a problem with this. Unfortunately, closing didn't happen Monday afternoon. I was disappointed, but I understood. Justin and I signed some documents so we didn't have to come back Tuesday and he headed to Atlanta and I went back to my mother's house in Nashville. I did let our real estate agent, Melissa, know that I wanted our mailbox. I said we left it so the new owner would still receive his mail, but for him to let her or us know when we could pick it up. She said she would relay the message the next day at closing.

Tuesday afternoon came and went. I was really sad all day since I didn't want to let go of our house. Our agent called Justin to let him know that closing was complete. She also wanted to give him some news about the mailbox. She knew I was probably not the person to tell this information to. At closing Tuesday afternoon, she mentioned that we wanted the mailbox. The new owner said his young son was at the house Monday with him and was in the way. The son asked if he could paint the mailbox with some of the paint Justin and I left in the garage. The father agreed. Our beautiful mailbox was now a putrid green color. Justin told Melissa he would relay the message to me. I was so mad and sad. That was our mailbox. Our agent offered to buy us a new mailbox, but it wouldn't have been the same. People tried to justify it to me by saying that we did leave the mailbox at the house and it was his house. I politely informed them that when the painting occurred, we still owned the house. I eventually stopped obsessing over it, but I still think about it.

I drove by the house a year or so after we moved and the green mailbox was still there.

Farm Burger

Yesterday afternoon, Justin and I ate supper at Farm Burger in Decatur. Farm Burger is a hamburger restaurant that is very proud of where their meat and vegetables come from. Their meat is from 100% grassfed cows. I couldn't tell you if this means the beef tastes any different because I don't eat meat. It seems to be very important to them so it must be a big deal.


You walk up to the counter to order. You are given a number to place on your table so your food can be brought to you. With the exception of food delivery, everything is self-serve. This is actually nice since you aren't being interrupted by someone asking if you need anything. The screaming kids at a nearby table were pretty annoying, but that's not the restaurant's fault. We seemed to get there at the right time because there was no line when we arrived. After we were seated, the line began to quickly build.

Justin and I both ordered the #2 Blackboard Burger. It is a vegetable quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) burger with arugula, feta cheese, house-made pickles, and dijon mayo. Justin ordered his with sweet potato fries and I got regular fries. We both enjoyed our burgers, but I think I'll build my own next time. This one was great, but there were lots of other toppings that I'd like to try.

(photo source)

Dog Training: Week 5

We attended our fifth dog training class last night. We had a fifth dog join our class in week two. Quince is a Welsh corgi mix. Quince and Pablo (chihuahua) weren't in class last night so it was just Pete, Annabelle, and Buckley (Boston terrier).

Buckley and Annabelle do really well in class, especially Buckley. Pete still stayed close to me, but I did get a few sits out of her. She was also taking treats from me, which I was thrilled with. I tried to get her to walk in class and in the store, but she just is not interested. We did an exercise in the store last night where Robert (instructor) and his dog, Skye led the line. Annabelle and Justin were behind them. Pete and I were behind Anne, and Buckley and his owner were behind us. Robert would stop and get Skye to sit or sometimes go down and we were to follow with our dogs. Everyone did really well except Pete. She did walk a little, but I carried her about ninety percent of the time.

When we returned to the room, Robert pulled out some squeaky toys to use as distractions and Pete perked up. She was very interested in the toys. I even pulled out her mini tennis ball, but she simply would not go to the ball or touch it. All the other dogs wanted the ball and toys, but not Miss Pete.

We also practiced walking toward another dog and getting your dog to stop right beside the other dog. The other dog and handler is a distraction and we're teaching our dogs to pay attention to us, not the distraction. Annabelle and Buckley did really well. Pete wasn't the least bit distracted. We joke that she has stay, wait, and leave it down pat since she just sits on the floor and won't move.

We were introduced to something called puppy push-ups. A puppy push-up is when you get your dog to sit, then go down, the back up in a sit, then back down, then back to sit. Annabelle gets the sit and the first down, but we have a hard time getting her back up to sit. I was practicing with her this morning and she would sit, go down, and then roll over. I did get a couple of push-ups out of her. I still can't get Pete down, so I obviously haven't gotten any push-ups from her. She's getting very close to down and I'm sure she'll have it any day now.

I'm going to try to remember to take some cheese to class next week to try to entice Pete to walk. She's never been all that interested in walking on a leash, but she won't even move at Petsmart. I usually drag her behind me, but her paws slide across the floor since it's smooth. It's pretty funny, but sad at the same time. I'll stop after a second and pick her up. While I was trying to coax Pete to come to me, Robert suggested I call Annabelle and then call Pete to see if she would join Anne. Anne came right to me, but Pete just laid down. Annabelle kept trying to get the treat from my hand that I was using to call Pete. I said "sit" to Annabelle and she sat and stopped trying to get the treat. I was very pleased!

I am determined to get Pete to walk in class by week eight. That is my goal. She may not have down, leave it, or anything else, but she will walk.

What happens when I try to change the time on the alarm system?

Answer:
The alarm company calls Justin and wakes him up on Sunday morning to let him know that the fire department is en route because the silent alarm was triggered signaling a medical emergency. You're welcome, Justin.

I can't imagine why he turned down my offer to change the time in his car.

Murphy's

For Sunday brunch, Justin and I headed to Murphy's in Virginia Highland's. I love brunch and apparently all other Atlantans do, too. You are pretty much guaranteed a thirty minute wait at any brunch restaurant in the city on Sunday. The restaurant offered complimentary valet parking, but we opted to park on a nearby street and walk. I don't know why, but I just don't like valet parking. Maybe I'm cheap but I also don't like letting random people have access to my car. It's a personal thing. I'm also weird.

We waited (outside in the cold) for about thirty minutes before our table was ready. We could have waited inside with the other twenty or thirty people, but we weren't afraid to brave the cold. We also didn't want to be in the way like the twenty or thirty other people inside. We were seated on the outdoor patio, but the sides were covered and they had heaters inside there. It was very comfortable except for my left side that was near the outside "wall".

Our waiter was pretty attentive, but they were super busy, so we did have to wait a minute or two before we could get his attention a couple of times. After we placed our order, we were served a basket of baked goods. There were two muffins and a biscuit. They were all exceptional.

I enjoyed the crab cake sandwich with hashbrowns. The hashbrowns came with onions and peppers, which I probably could have done without, but they were good. The sandwich was delicious. Justin enjoyed the Eggs Virginia Highland. He said this was probably his favorite brunch that we've had in Atlanta. I'm still kind of partial to Ria's Bluebird, but Murphy's was very good. I definitely want to eat here again. They also serve lunch and dinner and those menus look yummy.

(Photo credit)

Holy Taco

Justin and I decided to eat an early dinner Saturday. We headed to Holy Taco at 4:00 p.m. I know, we're like two old people. Holy Taco is a taqueria in the East Atlanta community. This was our first visit and it was tasty. There were a few other patrons in the restaurant, but not many. We were seated immediately and got great service.

I started off with a house margarita and it was perfect. Margaritas are just right for tacos. I ordered two tilapia tacos on flour tortillas and a side of black beans. The tacos were substantial in size (compared to Taqueria del Sol tacos) and super yummy. The beans were spicy and topped with cotija cheese. They were also delicious. My tacos were only $3 each and the beans were also $3, which is well worth it in my opinion.

Justin ordered a tilapia taco, young goat taco, and a third one that I can't remember (maybe pork?). He enjoyed his tacos, too. We shared a pan de chocolate for dessert. It was a piece of bread grilled and topped with nutella and toasted fruit. It was delicious!

I definitely want to return and try more food and maybe another margarita.

Chomp and Stomp

Saturday, Justin and I attended a festival in Cabbagetown called Chomp and Stomp. Cabbagetown in a neighborhood in Atlanta that is northeast of the I-20 and I-75/I-85 intersection. Chomp and Stomp has a chili cook-off, bluegrass music, and art booths. The festival officially begins at 11:00 a.m. and the chili serving begins at 12:00 p.m. Justin and I arrived at 11:40 a.m. and purchased our tasting spoons. Each person pays $5 for a spoon and that allows them to get samples of each booth's chili.



Due to limited street parking, Justin and I rode MARTA. As one of the sponsors of Chomp and Stomp, Fur Bus was shuttling people from the MARTA station to the festival. We piled on the Fur Bus with about twenty-five or thirty other people and zoomed through the streets.



This was the first year we have attended and we were warned to be there right at noon because the good booths run out of chili very quickly. I was not prepared for the large number of people. I knew there would be lots of people, but the crowding was overwhelming to me.





View 2010 Chomp & Stomp Festival Map in a larger map



At noon, the booths began serving chili samples and people immediately converged on the three narrow streets with the chili booths. It was unreal to me. You were surrounded by people and no one could move. We quickly found several groups of people we know and began tasting chili. I was at a disadvantage since I don't eat most meat. There were some vegetarian chilis, but not many, and the booth signs couldn't be seen because of the sea of people. I would wait in line, only to find out that that particular booth was serving beef/pork/Bambi's Mom/goat/etc. chili so I would move to the next line. I think I tasted maybe four chilis before I finally gave up. Most people were walking around with twenty or more empty sample cups. I was envious.



Justin and I moved to the next street and discovered that a lot of those booths were out of chili. It was only 12:30! We moved to the food vendors and shared a pumpkin cupcake from Oui Pastries. It was delicious! The cupcake was moist and the cream cheese frosting tasted so fresh. Mmmm. We wandered around for a little while longer and then made our way to the Fur Bus pick-up. We rode with another couple back to the MARTA station and headed back to our car.



Chomp and Stomp was fun and I'm sure I'll attend next year, but I may hang out in the park and avoid the chili crowd. I don't like crowds and that was wild. I should also mention that it was pretty cold. The temperature was in the 40s and the wind was blowing a little. It was perfect chili eating weather.

Dog Training: Week 4

We attended our fourth training class last night. We reviewed the commands from last week and demonstrated our progress. Once again, Pete froze and wouldn't participate. She wouldn't even take a treat. Annabelle did very well. She gets a little distracted, but actually does really well.

Pete still hasn't done the "down" command. The instructor, Robert, said to catch her doing it and reward her. I guess it's reverse psychology. This past week, we tried to practice the "leave it" command. Anytime we would catch the girls barking, we would say, "leave it" and once we had their attention, give them a treat. I think they're slowly getting it.

We went out in the store again to practice loose leash walking. Pete didn't participate and yelped when Robert tried to get her to walk. He went and got Anne and Justin to see if Pete would follow them around, but that didn't work either. I even took the leash off her and walked around the corner. After a few seconds, I peeked around the corner and she was still sitting where I left her. I also tried to coax her with a tennis ball, but she was having no part of walking in that store.

We returned to the classroom and started working on "wait". This command is good when you are going through doors (like the doors at Petsmart) and another person or dog is also walking through. To avoid leash aggression, it's best to wait until the other person/dog walks through before proceeding. You tell your dog to "wait" and he/she is supposed to stop walking for a few moments. When you take your first step, the dog is supposed to continue with you. Annabelle did very well with "wait." Once again, Pete wouldn't walk.

Every week while we're listening to Robert discuss training, Pete sits in my lap. She seems to relax there and not shake. I don't want this to be stressful for her, so I'm glad to do it. I cuddle her and rub her and she appreciates this. I've tried to give her treats while holding her, but she isn't interested. She made LOTS of progress last night - she took a treat from me and actually ate it! Previously, she's taken treats, but immediately spit them out. Robert has even tried to get her to take treats from him, but she wouldn't. I was so shocked that she ate my treats. She wouldn't do anything like sit, stay, or wait, but she would take the treat and that's a big deal right now. She even took a treat from Robert and ate it! He was very pleased.

Now if we can just get Pete to walk, we'll have made a lot of progress.

I should also mention that Annabelle has started going in the crate at home. We got two crates a couple of months ago and began trying to crate train them. We put the dog bed in one crate and lots of blankets and towels in the other. Pete immediately went in the bed crate, but wouldn't go near the other one. Anne wouldn't go near either crate. The weather was stormy one day last week and I walked in the kitchen (where the dogs stay) and found both dogs in the bed crate. I was so proud. Since then, we've seen Anne get in the bed crate alone several times. Last night, we bought another bed and put it in the second crate. Annabelle went in there for a little while and got comfy. Pete and Annabelle have made lots of progress this week! Justin and I are so proud of our girls.