Dog Whisperer?

Dog Whisperer? I'm in if it means avoiding paying someone to teach our dog some obedience. But, really it isn't obedience.. I don't know HOW to label it. She is a MYSTERY this one.

If ever you meet her it will be difficult to put together the two 'dogs' in your mind. Maybe we should have a bad dog name for her. Sadie when she's sweetie; Afraidy, Fadey, No Lady, Malady (doesn't rhyme but really works) when she's bad?

On to the newest update. So, as mentioned, she ripped up the carpet again. It REALLY is shocking since she is so docile and sweet always, she just has REAL difficulty being censored it seems as yesterday since she has lost her 'roaming free' priviledge, I put her in the crate and put the door against the wall so she couldn't bang out of it. To our shock and, truly, wonder, since she couldn't get out through door, she CHEWED A SADIE SIZED HOLE in the back of the crate. I'm talking the HARD plastic kind! I don't know HOW she did it, hence the bad dog name since it's like she's a completely different animal.

I was talking to some friends, and one said, "This may sound weird, but I watched these Dog Whisperer videos and it really helped." Our neighbor confirmed and so now I am looking for said videos.

I left her out today and have ZERO concerns. I know the house and all it's contents will be completely fine when we get home ... That's what is SO WEIRD and really makes me mad. She won. HARUMPH! This all started because we don't want her to sit in the guest bedroom chair so we closed the door. NOW, we have the door open and I have zero doubt she is either sitting happily at the guest bedroom window, OR on the guest bedroom chairs stinking it the HECK up.

Any other suggestions? Oh, my mother in law IS bringing a metal crate. But, that only concerns me for her safety ... we've seen that she pretty much won't stop when she sets her mind to it.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Sadie Saga, Part 2

Welllll, I got home from work yesterday and she had done it again. No need for severe discipline, as soon as I hollered her name she ran to me and rolled over on to her back.

SO, today she will be spending the day in the kennel with the door facing the wall and a blanket between the door and wall so that if she decides to bang, bang, bang to get out of the kennel it won't gouge our wall. The first day we had her, we put her in the kennel while we went to work and she greeted us at the door when we got home. She's a bit of a houdini.

Anyhow, we LOVE this dog. Please pray that she starts being good and gets over this major separation anxiety. We have to take her in to get her final heartworm treatment and is going to stay for two nights... I honestly don't know how she's going to do it.. Eep.

Poor, POOR, Sadie

Sooooo, I was gone all weekend with two of my VERY besties! It was sooooo good and just WELL with my soul. Thank you, Lord! It had been much much much too long!

So, I get home and Ryan and I decide that we want to lay low with some Pluckers and Mama Mia. Good times, right?

WELL, Sadie almost got the PERMANENT boot from our house. Seriously.

Since we got her, we just let her roam free in the house while we're gone. She has never chewed on anything/given us pause to our letting her stay out of a kennel during the day.

That was before today, my dears.

We get home from picking up dinner and a movie and Sadie had CHEWED UP, nay, PULLED BACK the carpet in front of the room she loves. I mean BACK!!! We closed the door to the guest room before we left because she's getting in a habit of sitting in our chair in there and we don't like that. SO, we closed the door and left. We were 'welcomed' home with Sadie's hugs and love and THEN the great discovery of the carpet COMPLETELY pulled back in our hallway leading into our guest room. GEEZ LOU FREAKING UISE, this dog! She is a determined pup!

She was pretty much IMMEDIATELY excommunicated from our home, and if it hadn't been SO dire I would have taken a picture of what she did. Severe punishment ensued, screaming of our not keeping her was declared, and when tempers cooled a bit we realized we could give her another chance.

Pray for this sweet pup. She is SUCH a gentle little spirit, but when she has a mind to it there is apparently no stopping her. Please pray that she will see the error of her ways so we can keep her.

And if someone happens to have a carpet stapler they're willing to let us borrow, please let me know.

We do love you, Sadie.

Poor Sadie.

So, I've been home sick since Sunday and sweet Sadie got SO excited Monday morning when I didn't go to work only to realize my being at home didn't mean extra fun for her. Same today, she smiled her little dog smile and then realized she just needed to go about her normal 'day business' as though I wasn't here. AND, we ran out of dog food yesterday so I am home AND not feeding her.

How's that for bonding.

It's a Wonderful Life.

So, all Christmas season I've been wanting to see "It's A Wonderful Life." I really don't know why... maybe it's because it seems like classic Christmas, warm and fuzzy. AND, I've never seen it.

I was just out shopping, came home and made chilli cheese nachos, and sat down to see what was on T.V. We don't have cable so I'm flipping through and the ONE thing on T.V. right now is "It's A Wonderful Life!" I just smiled at God's sweetness.

So, it was 15 minutes until the movie was over, and I started watching when he was in the cab and the cabbie didn't know him. By the time he chased his wife into the crowded room and she didn't know who he was I was fighting back SOBBING! I don't know WHY this made me so emotional... All I can say is, "What a GREAT MOVIE!!" My GOSH! Then he gets home and doesn't even care that he supposed to be arrested, owes all this money, he is RIVETED with his children, his wife bursts into the house and they embrace... geez. No wonder this is a classic.

Oh man, it just makes me so thankful for all that I have. To realize and think about what life would be like if those I loved didn't even know me... had never known who I was. Horrible. What a GREAT movie to remind you that what matters is knowing and being known. Maybe that's why I was touched so deeply ... to see a man who knows each person SO well and they don't know him at all.... don't know he exists. Ow.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share about this. I LOVE this movie and I can't wait to see the first three fourths of it :O)

I can't BELIEVE it!

SOOOOOO, I was just reading a friend's blog and found a saw on his blog a video clip that I saw YEARS ago and have told sooooooooo many people about because it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

SO, here is the link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMS0O3kknvk What a wonderful surprise!!!!

Also, we had our Staff Christmas Party tonight and I had so much fun! :O) I will post pics as soon as I'm able :O)

Two Words

Macaroni Grill.

Thank you Christmas Party Season.

Shrimp and Artichoke Dip
Bruschetta
Mushroom Raviolli
Cute Christmas Mugs as party favor

A GREAT party!

In abundance.

Grace and peace in abundance.... Grace and peace in ABUNDANCE! Grace and peace be YOURS in ABUNDANCE through the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ!

2 Peter stopped me in my tracks this morning and I was barely even into it.... To say "grace and peace be yours in ABUNDANCE" is no small thing, and it is through the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ! If that is true, why aren't we constantly living in abundant grace and peace? What keeps us from that?

I wanted to look up the 'root' of the word "knowledge" because I am thinking the key might be there... WoW! I jumped over to Crosswalk to get the root, but to do that I have to first look at the verse in the New American Standard Version and it reads:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

Love THAT!

So, back to "knowledge" ... That's what I thought.

Strong's Number: 1921
Browse Lexicon
Original Word
Word Origin
epiginosko
from (1909) and (1097)
Transliterated Word
TDNT Entry
Epiginosko
1:689,119
Phonetic Spelling
Parts of Speech
ep-ig-in-oce'-ko
Verb
Definition
to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly
to know accurately, know well
to know
to recognise
by sight, hearing, of certain signs, to perceive who a person is
to know i.e. to perceive
to know i.e. to find out, ascertain
to know i.e. to understand

I specifically love "To become thoroughly acqainted with, to know thoroughly."

Our grace and peace will continue to grow, and even into ABUNDANCE as we grow to know God and Jesus Christ more and more... that is just SO TRUE! How could it help but multiply in realizing, learning and having GOD HIMSELF write on our hearts who He really IS. Worthy of trust, fully loving and good, in complete control and GOSH those are just a few.

He is SO rich!

Anyhow, I just wanted to dive into that you with you a bit this morning. Lord, one little half of a verse and there is just so much of You. Draw us deeper and deeper into Your word, Father. Help us to stop and sit and think and talk to you about it and ask you about it when we are impacted by something you have spoken to us through your Word. There is SOOOO much of you to take in, thank you for the depths!!! Thank you for drawing us in.

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!

I do not doubt that God loves me in the details :O) Case in point would be that Ryan and I had to run to Lowe's and Wal Mart today after work and I was soooooo hungry. I said as much to Ryan that I would probably have to grab something to rip into while we were there. SO, because I was hungry, we divided the list to conquer and go faster. I grabbed my goods, went to the front, didn't see Ryan and couldn't reach him on his phone so I thought MAYBE he had already paid and was waiting for me. I very last minute grabbed some sour cream and cheese chips to add to my purchase, bought it, then proceeded with my bag of goods to the open area at the front in front of produce. I know, it's the same in every Wal Mart. I proceeded to open my bag of chips, and I am not even kidding, I don't know that I could have been happier. Just standing there in the middle of Wal Mart, holding my grocery bag, munching on chips. THEN, I turned around and there were FREE HOLIDAY TWINKIES at the bakery! Can you even BELIEVE that?! I have NEVER seen something wrapped FOR FREE at Wal Mart. BUT, there they were. A big bowl with long twinkies, white icing and Christmas sprinkels. Hello. Obviously for me.

So, I grabbed one, opened the wrapper and proceeded to eat the twinkie.

LOL oooooohhhhh gosh! Wal Mart stereotype hello, Anna Johnson! Ryan walks up and I am SURE he was thinking, "For real? Is this my wife?" For I was standing, still in the open area, alternating between my bag of chips, and my free twinkie. I was L-I-V-I-N-G and more than one child stopped walking and stared at me in flat out envy.

As they should have.

It was a great moment :O)