It's Really Not the Dog

Dog obedience training can be so challenging (as challenging as the owner drags it out to be).

For a few years now, we've been dealing with two major behavior issues with Pellet and Cali:
1. excessive barking when outside
2. being all up in people's business when we are sitting at the table, or watching TV, or sitting outside carrying on conversations.

Norm and I have finally decided to take control of these situations and correct the behaviors (which, if we would've just stuck with obedience training while they were puppies, this process would probably not require correction because it would not be existant).

The hardest part for me of obedience training is realizing and coming to terms with the fact that Norm and I have full control of our dog's behavior. We need to be disciplined. We need to keep a strong determination to make this happen. We need to be consistant day in and day out with our actions and what words we use and how we correct the dogs. And overall, we need to maintain a positive attitude and not get discouraged.

It is so much easier to tune off their barking, or pet them when they rest their sweet heads on our laps while we are eating dinner, but the truth is that this is quite annoying - specially to our dear family and friends.

So with that attitude and determination, we embark in the lovely journey of correcting bad dog behavior. We have our techniques down to correct both problems - thanks to BarkingDogs.net for straight forward fixes for correcting issue #1 and a bigger thanks to Kerrie and Eric for setting an awesome example on how to correct issue #2.

A Real Saturday?

Due to the obvious nature of our jobs and lives, we rarely get to spend the weekends like "normal" people do. Usually we have to cram our grill outs, celebrations, dinner parties and outings into Monday evenings. This past Saturday, however, all stars must have lined up to our favor, because we got to spend an awesome (whole) day with our friends Kerrie and Eric out in the big city of Atlanta. 

We got up early - funny how getting up early to do something fun does not even compare to getting up early to go to work - and we headed to Your Dekalb Farmers Market (it's not "the", it is "your"). That was a mini paradise for Norm and Eric, although Kerrie and I enjoyed it too - I did not enjoy the part where they had the live fish and lobsters...

We followed that by an awesome lunch - best one in a while - at The Vortex:

Lunch involved Atlanta's Original Nacho Tots:

It also involved lots of laughter and exploring new beers. We discovered Innis & Gun - Oak Aged Beer...  

It also involved (we were there for a little bit) massive burgers all around. This was Norm's burger, also known as "Hell Burger" of course it involved habanero relish, pepper jack cheese, roasted jalapeno peppers:

Due to the pictures and details described above, we were beyond full, so a walk through Piedmont Park hit the spot.

We came across a group of people who were doing some sort of Brazilian martial arts. It was quite amazing.

From there (I think this day must have had at least 30 hours in it instead of 24) we went to:

Have you ever been part of a conversation, or witnessed a conversation, where one party has been to IKEA and the other party has not? Usually they go like this:

Person who has previously visited IKEA: I got this (insert whatever household item here: plate, vase, bed, comforter, cutting board, desk, lamp, shower curtain) at IKEA.
Person who has not previously visited IKEA: I've never been there
Person who has previously visited IKEA: WHAT?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO IKEA????? YOU ARE MISSING OUT. BIG TIME.
Person who has not previously visited IKEA: ........................................... (in their head they are thinking: I don't get what's the big deal).

Well, if you haven't been to IKEA, you are missing out. Big time. This was Norm's and my first trip to IKEA. I can only describe it in one word: overwhelming. The store is a world contained by the four exterior walls. You can buy food there (they have a cafeteria and just in case you really love their food, like my brother Pablo, you can buy it frozen and take it home and eat it in the comfort of your own home). That's all I'm going to say, because I don't want to bore the non-IKEA visited readers. Just go, you'll get it when you go.

To give you an idea, this is the hallway that leads to the restrooms (of the first floor). You can buy that couch. And those pictures on the wall. And the mirrors next to Eric.

This was our first (but not last) IKEA purchase!

We followed IKEA with dinner at the Graveyard Tavern which allowed for more beer tasting and great people watching. Sorry, no pictures of that, I was too tired by then.

All in all, our super packed day was a total blast! I don't know if we will ever get to relive something like that with our friends, so I am cherishing every memory and moment in the meantime!

Retirement Song? Why Not!

This morning Norm tells me: Love, yesterday I heard a song that is going to be our retirement song. Obviously I was confused, so I replied: what do you mean? He tells me: pull up Knee Deep by Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett. So being the good wife I am, I pulled it up and found this song (there is no official video (that I can find), then again, I am internet-searching challenged so the official video can very well be out there and I'm just not searching properly, so just listen to the tunes. Also, the first few lines, don't particularly apply to our retirement, FYI. And yes, yes it is a country song) :

Favorite lines:
* Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair
* Only worry in the world: is the tide going to reach my chair?
* My mind on a permanent vacation; the ocean is my only medication; wishing my condition ain't ever gonna go away
*This champagne shore washing over me; it's a sweet sweet life living by the salty sea

So what does Fernanda do best when she finds a song she likes? She plays it over and over and over and over and over - so that's what I did this afternoon! I almost know the whole song by heart! I love it!

My Food Went Missing

I guess there's a first time for everything... today was the first time that I've had food (that I was going to eat) go missing from the work refrigerator... It's one thing to have your food disappear because it's been sitting in the work fridge for a week and someone cleans it out... It's totally different to get up to grab your snack (that you just put in the refrigerator at 3 hours ago) and it's gone. Which is exactly what happened today.

The only thing I can imagine that happened (besides someone being totally clueless and oblivious to their surroundings as they removed food that they did not recognize) is that someone grabbed my food by accident. HOWEVER, I do have to include the fact that:

The top shelf of the fridge had a Publix Deli bag with deli turkey (laying flat, like a normal-looking deli baggie with deli meat in it).

The middle shelf of the fridge had my snack which consisted of: a zip lock baggie with two deli chicken, spinach and balsamic vinegar roll ups. Obviously the two deli chicken roll ups were not flat (like the turkey), they were cylindrical looking - with green centers and vinegar all about them.

HOW you get those two items confused and grab the wrong one by accident? [refer to first sentence of second paragraph above]. The only thing in common is that 1. they are both in a baggie and 2. the food in it is deli meat.

Regardless of whatever happened (that I'll never know), I was an upset (and eventually hungry) person right around 3:30pm this afternoon...

Stand Up

You would think he would stand up for himself, considering Cali is laying on his bed...

She Loves Her Uncle Pablo!

Cali absolutely adores Pablo - and even though it would take a lot to get it out of him, I'm almost 100% certain Pablo loves Cali girl too!

Cali joined our family while Pablo was away in Rome, so it took some adjustment on behalf of both parties to get familiarized with one another once they met. At first, whenever Pablo came to visit, Cali would get shy. She would hide behind the couch, or in the room. She would only come out to eat and to use the bathroom. She would go back to her happy normal self the minute Pablo left the house.

Finally, after 2 years, I she came to the realization that she does like to hang out with her uncle Pablo after all:

Last Week's Project

Last week's project was:

That's right, cleaning the fence - all 350ft. (give or take a few).

Note that the picture above has not been enhanced at all. It is shown with all of it's true colors. Quite amazing, I'd say.