The Dog Conversation...Conclusion.

Hi again, friends. My apologies for the abrupt hiatus on the ol' bloggety-blog. Life 'round these parts doesn't get any less boring, that's for sure! Kendall is rolling around and scooting, and boasting two new "toofers"- all of that has kept me on my toes lately! She's doing well...happy, doesn't seem bothered much by it with the exception of her sleep schedule.

Now, the bigger changes at hand: Many of you remember chiming in on this post back in 2008. The dog advocates had a convincing enough stance, so we thoughtfully tread into dog ownership. We adopted an adorable Siberian Husky named Luna. The DAY before we were scheduled to pick her up from her foster home, THIS news was dropped on us! So, for nine months, Luna was an only child. And, aside from some mild neurosis and excessive shedding, it was pretty tolerable.

THEN CAME BABY. Luna's often noisy attention-getting methods just didn't fly anymore with a sleeping newborn. Chris' work hours found him craving baby-time in the evenings, and Luna had to now share his affections. She is a jealous lover ;) And although Kendall is thoroughly entertained by the doggy, Kendall's mommy is weary from pulling dog hair from her fingers...and mouth...and clothes...and toys....and food... We just haven't been able to keep up with the maintenance necessary for an infant and large dog to cohabitate. That's all secondary to the fact that we don't feel like we're giving Luna a home environment in which she can thrive.

Therefore, we have made the difficult decision (it WAS difficult, and it WAS "WE") to find a new home for Luna. We have contacted the rescue organization who is assisting us in the process, and she is now listed as "adoptable". It's not fun to make such a major change like this, especially when it involves a living being, and I'm not looking forward to the day we have to say good-bye. I especially feel for Chris, who has been Luna's primary caregiver. It's not going to be easy. However, we're both looking forward to the advantages of a dog-free home again, especially when it comes to our precious baby girl, on whom we'd like to concentrate our time and energies on right now.

Please say a prayer for us as we conclude our time with Luna, and for God's provision as we look for the perfect family to be her forever home.

I Thought I'd Never Consider It.

I get them ALL the time...requests to "VOTE FOR MY BABY" in whatever the contest-of-the-day is. Sometimes I'll oblige...but I have to think the baby is pretty darned cute to jump through all the registration hoops they usually require to vote.

I ALSO get comments all the time about how I should enter Kendall in a baby contest (most recently, the two business men sitting next to me on the plane!). The idea of soliciting others for votes is- well, enough for me NOT to do it. But after looking at some of the other 19,000 entries, I figure she's got a legit shot (pshhhh!) :) So, I'm kicking around the idea of entering a photo in the Gerber Generation Photo Contest. You'll have to twist my arm, though. And you'll definitely have to choose which photo I should submit. The idea of choosing ONE blows my mind- the girl has mad modeling skills! (Skills you'd all love to see on a Gerber ad, right?! And we wouldn't mind the $25,000 scholarship, either.)

Here are the top five finalists:
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5

In The Name of Love...

We have the best friends and family. This week, they again overwhelmed us with love and generosity as we gathered on Derek's birthday to remember him, and to honor his memory by making a difference in the lives of others. Donations streamed in for the Children's Tumor Foundation, and we enjoyed great food and fellowship. Derek was surely smiling as he looked down on this wonderful celebration.


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I have been HIJACKED!!!!

Yes, the time has come for me, Chris, to take over this thing for a guest blog. The reason? First, Jamie has always wanted me to surprise her. Second, I was a bad husband yesterday and added to her misery and frustration at the airport. So this is kind of a "I'm sorry" blog as well. I had all these great ideas to write about including: 1) My rules for the grocery store (ex. not taking up the whole aisle by placing the cart right in the middle and not moving it when you see other people coming) 2) Road Rage 3) Airplane etiquette. Instead, I will give 5 reasons why I love my wife! These are not in any order and rest assured, there are an infinite number of reasons, not just five!

1) Jamie, you have made marriage so easy and enjoyable even after two years. We both thought after a couple years, things would become routine and quite boring. We have been wrong! I love every day I am married to you because it is different from the day before. My love just keeps growing and growing for you.

2) You make it so easy to love you. The things you say and do make me laugh. The little surprise notes, showing up at work to say hi, and thinking of fun little dates are just a few of the ways. After a bad or long day at work, you are ready to give me a big hug and make me forget all about it. You make marriage easy!

3) You have given me the cutest baby ever! I don't know what we did to deserve such a cute kid, but, WOW!!! When complete strangers everywhere walk up to Kendall and mention to you or I how cute she is, it makes me smile. Seeing the joy in your face when you hold her or when someone says how cute she is, you light up. You sure do make one heck of an oven! You baked Kendall to perfection!
4) You know how to calm me down. What made me think of this? Yesterday in the car on the drive to Minneapolis, there was a car in the left lane going slow. Obviously I was frustrated because there was no one in the right lane where this car should have been (FYI: Ask Jamie about me and stupid drivers). You calmly took my hand and held it while I passed the slow car in the RIGHT lane. Yes, the lane where the slow cars are supposed to be. You looked at me after this incident and said, "Good job, Honey!" This was because I would usually mumble something to the car about moving over to the right-hand lane where they should have been. But this time I said nothing. I'm not sure how you do it, but you have some kind of magical powers over me! I love that about you!

5) Back Rubs!!!! I usually ask you to give me one a week. Now if you ever have been given a back rub by a piano player, you know that those fingers are not weak. If I could, I'd have one every night. Let me tell you how hard it is not to ask you for one every single night. But when I do ask, I always do it in a certain way. "Sweetie, do you want to EXCHANGE back rubs?" I've learned to use the word "exchange" so that I don't look bad asking only for myself. But, every once in a while you'll let me get away without returning the favor. One of the many reasons why I love you!

I hope you don't mind me hacking into your blog!