SNOW!!!

Bellingham is swimming in snow, snow and more snow. I still can't believe that we have gotten this much:

Saturday: 3-4 inches

Wednesday: 5 inches

Thursday: currently snowing, therefore, more inches

When I heard "Winter Storm Blast" on the news, I said to myself: Yeah right. But low and behold...here it is and it isn't going anyware, anytime soon!

I have always loved the snow. I prayed and prayed for it to snow each winter when I was younger. I even thought singing: "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..." would prompt those beautiful white flakes to fall from the sky. Needless to say, my hopes were annually crushed...living in a town directly on the Puget sound coast didn't allow much snow. But this year, it has blown past that barrier and now we are basking in white fluff everywhere. Piling up on the fence posts, clinging to thin tree branches and covering the streets thick.

Sunday's sunny shot.



Nick and I have ventured out on many walks with Charlotte and quickly discovered that she, in deed, is a snow-loving dog. Being a natural burrower, plus a pup with tons of energy, she frolicks to and fro with great pleasure. Charging up hills, cramming her face in the walls of snow, spinning around quickly to run back to us to say hi...then heads off to do it all over again. It is really quite refreshing to watch her excitement. I brings back all those childhood memories of me hanging out with my cousins and spending hours sledding, snow mobiling, fort building, snow man building and slushy making. For some reason when you are a kid, you just don't feel the cold. It interests me to know why the novelty of it wears off as we age. Yes, I do love to do a snow angle here and there, and sled on little hills, but the overall gut-wrenching excitement has definitely simmered down significantly. Now a' days, I enjoy keeping the blinds open at night to watch the sky glow and drink hot cocoa and snuggle with my man in our warm home.

Today I will go on a walk with Charlotte...perhaps my inner-child will come out for a little snow frolicking myself. She's always excited to head out there!

Is there more to life than a dog?

Little bear LOVES to kiss dad.

I know I have been blogging mostly about the dog lately...but truth be told, I honestly had no idea that I could actually love a dog this much. I guess I am shocked by my very own behavior and adoration for our new puppy. I never wanted to be one of those people who doted over their domestic pets...talking about them endlessly to anyone who was willing to listen. Last weekend I was afraid that I was in deed turning into one of those people. I had to candidly ask the bf, Anne Marie, her honest opinion if the above was true. She ever so confidently confirmed that no, I am not yet at that point. After all, Charlotte is still very new to our lives...she is still a puppy and learning new things each day; how to appropriately live in the Vann household. PLUS, people are still asking about her. So...AM says...it's OK for now; just be sure to check yourself in a few months when the newness wears off. If I'm not careful, I could easily be one of "those" people.

Lately, I have been wondering if I talk to the dog more than I talk to Nick. After a objective look (as objective as a girl can get with herself), I have deduced that it's situational. Sometimes I just want her to sit on the floor and entertain herself for hours as Nick and I share life together. Then there are times when I just wanna scoop her up and never let her go. To me, this is normal...just like all the other things in my life; all things come in cycles. At times I have a high need for daily exercise, then other times the mere idea of exerting myself exhausts me. Or those one-off days when I NEED to a certain type of food that I usually never crave...like Chinese food or oranges. Either way, I am sure a balance will be discovered.

Nick and I have noticed a pattern with Charlotte's preferred resting spots in the house. She has a tendency to settle in anywhere that resembles a cave. Her favorite place when we are in the common area of the house is under the table:

Then sometimes, when we can't find her, we head towards the bedroom and often see this:


During my working hours, Charlotte sits at my feet under the desk:

And of course during movie time, she gets the best seat in the house.

She's a funny, funny doggy.

Ring that Bell!

The last few weeks have been quite the ride with our new little addition to our family. I would say that the three of us have found a nice rhythm to daily living. Granted there is still LOTS of things to teach, learn and adjust to, but overall, the past 5 weeks of having Charlotte has been nothing but a blessing. Nick and I have continually been impressed by her quick learning and people-pleasing tendencies. In fact, it is a no-brainer to say that Charlotte lives true to the reputation Wheaten Terriers uphold: Stubborn, yet loving. She responds to her name (most of the time, though, not outside where those leaves, rocks and 1,000,000 scents reside), sits when demanded (yeah, so it may take 4 or 5 stern "SITS" but she gets it), chews only on her chew toys (besides Anne Marie's slippers) and takes good care of the house when we leave (in her crate). The biggest accomplishment, without a doubt is her bell ringing. For the past 3 weeks, we have hung a bell on our back door that we ring every time we take her outside to go potty. Last week, the association finally clicked, and she nudged the bell with her nose, then turned, sat and looked at me like: "OK mom...it's time!" This was such a big accomplishment, I was ready to bust out the champagne, shoot off the fireworks and throw a party! You have no idea how much mental space this tiny behavior modification has freed me. Knowing that Charlotte now has the ability to communicate the #1 house recking problem I was worried about, is a tremendous accomplishment. Ever since we have had her, my productivity has decreased by 85%. The divided attention of working and watching the dog SLOWED everything down. She sniffs and sniffs and sniffs everything, all day. So I was constantly convinced that the minute I turned my head, she would decide it was time to do her duty. But alas, now I feel like a free woman! A woman who can go about her business throughout the day and take her outside when she decides it's time. Granted we are still on the 2.5 to 3.5 rotating cycle, but hey...she's only 15 weeks old, her bladder is still growing.

The next task at hand: Charlotte walking on a lease. Right now, our "walks" are more like us either dragging her and being extremely frustrated OR us trying to reign her in being extremely frustrated. Any suggestions are always welcomed. Otherwise, we are going to end up with a home-body puppy who runs tracks in our house due to lack of exercise.

Look! Matching beards!

A trip to the beach in Steilacoom.

Poux meets Charlotte!

Ami visits

Almost at the 6 month marker:

This weekend my sweet sister came up for a visit. It was so great having her here. She is one of those people who require no entertainment, no plans or no elaborate agendas. I have noticed through life, that there is quite a range of need for entertainment for people: From constantly at your side to "I haven't seen so-n-so for a while...are they still in the house?" I am forever comforted knowing that if she needs something she will get it and if she wants to do something she will tell me. Self entertainers are my favorite.

Ami arrived on Friday afternoon with a belly waiting to be filled. She spent some time getting to know Charlotte, then we were off on foot to Bellingham's finest burrito joint: Banditos Burritos. Afterwards, we did a little window shopping, which included a trip into Mi Shoes to see what was new on the shelves. Unfortunately our downtown excursion was cut short due to a puppy at home with a 2.5 hour bladder limit.

Saturday was quite different. Apparently Ami caught a bug during the night and after a few hours of "unpleasantness" woke up on Saturday exhausted and weak. She spent the majority of the day either in bed or on the couch. Selfishly, this was a bummer for me, due to the fact that Ami is so very fun to explore with, but my deepest concern was her and the baby's health...so I did my thing and checked in on her every once and a while. To her great credit, she was able to muster up enough energy for a short stroll in Fairhaven to check out a few baby stores.

Sunday, she was all healed, but a las our time had come to an end. She had a date to pick up Matt in Seattle in the early afternoon, so after church, a light lunch and a few last minute "tasks" that were planned to be a part of the weekend, she headed south. My heart was saddened because our time together felt so brief. But the beauty of timing was knowing that in 3 short days, we would be together again for the long Thanksgiving weekend!

I must mention that my favorite part of the weekend was late on Saturday night. Nick was reading in the living room and I was getting a creative burst of energy and decided to make Ami's baby shower invitations. After about a half an hour in the office, Ami came in all bundled up in a blanket and copped a squat on the floor next to me. We listed to a sermon on line (about the book of Revelation - so good, yet really intimidating to read by myself: "what do you mean 7 headed dragon???!!!) then chatted for a few hours about life. Times like these remind me of when we were young....living together in our parent's house. I wouldn't say that Ami and I "played" a lot together, but when we did, I remember it being so much fun. I looked up to her (and still do) so very much, that I warmly welcomed the opportunity to be near her at any chance. Though now that we are older and have our own lives, I still get the tingling feeling when we are together...that I can't believe how lucky I am to have such an admirable woman at my very disposal, to my very own, at that moment. Our times together may not be as frequent as I like (she is always welcome to move to Bellingham though), but when we are it brings so much joy in my heart!

Thank you Jesus for my sister!

My Sleepy Bear

Charlotte (AKA...my little bear) is rather sleepy today. To me, this is a gigantic blessing. We have been working diligently on what it means to not pee in the house, how to walk on a leash and appropriate room edict. In other words, not licking, chewing or biting everything that even slightly resembles grass, sticks or her play toys: carpet, chords, the "boot cut" feature on my pants, socks, calculators, my stamp collection, oh how the list goes on. To give her credit she is an exceptional puppy, but honestly, I am whooped and have been craving a day like today.
To paint you a picture: Charlotte always goes outside 5 or 10 minutes after a meal...she is like clockwork and does her duty. After that, we take a walk to release some of that puppy energy. Once we get home, we spend some time playing, then (when behaving) she can follow me around the house as I go about my business, and a bit later, she goes back into her crate for a little nap. Well...today she has absolutely no motivation what-so-ever for any of the above except for napping. She will eat and then fall asleep by the time I get her to take her outside. She is rather resistant to the idea of peeing, and seems her preference is to hold it as long as possible (you know you have done this on a really cold morning while all comfy in your bed). Unfortunately for Charlotte, I know better, and insist that she follows me outside. When she finally straggles out of her crate, she looks like the worse bed head you have ever seen, but ALL over her body. With her hair is every which way, her slow blinking and straggling manor, I can't help but laugh...as this is such a perfect picture to a really, really tired and out of it human. After 3 or 4 full body stretches she finally makes it outside, squats in instant she is one the gravel, and heads back inside. Sometimes I wonder if she is even awake or just sleep walking. After that hugely laborious task, she straggles back inside to her crate, plops down and is sleeping again in 2 seconds. I have a feeling it must be growth spurt day and she needs all the rest she can get to keep up with her body working hard.
Today is the first day she has had the privilege to sit along side me in the office as I work. Typically she is chewing at random things (this is not a puppy safe room - too many small objects to chew on, not to mention the carpet that looks like grass...bad for many reasons). My favorite part is when I reach down to give her a little pet, she makes these really small squeaking sounds...as if to say..."Wow Andi...do you really have to interrupt my slumber...I was getting so cozy." Just now I tried to call her over to sit by me. From 5 feet away, I got a glance, a sigh and an immediate full body sprawl on the floor, eyes shut. Her back legs are fully extended behind her rear end and front legs tucked under her head. She looks like a real person laying on a couch. Amazing. Unfortunately Nick has the camera so I can't post a shot of her body position right now...but there will be many more opportunities...I am sure of it!

Kitchen Aid, Maytag, Kenmore, Oh My!

Nick and I decided not to get the Kitchen Aid oven. Instead...I bought a $47 coil to replace the one that burnt out on Monday in our current oven (what started this whole mad oven hunt in the first place). I don't know if I should be discouraged regarding the 8 hours I dumped into research...or just chalk it up further education: I am officially savvy on Consumer Report's analysis regarding ovens.

Will keep you posted when we do take the plunge.

"Would you like room in that..."

Fall is my favorite season...I am sure I have said that in the past. But not only are the colors outside enticing and the cool, crisp air invigorating (and down right chili in the AM), but there is another perk to this season: Eggnog comes back! The funny thing is I hate eggnog...in it's straight in a cup form. But not in coffee.
One of my favorite things is a good Americano or really strong drip coffee with some eggnog in it. It gives it it's own little zip of flavor, plus I feel like I am embracing the season that much more by celebrating seasonal flavors. So go ahead...try it. At any coffee shop...just ask them for a splash of eggnog rather than cream or milk in your Americano or drip. OR if you are on a budget (like us) get some at the store and make it yourself. I even add it to Vanilla tea instead of milk...delicious!
Karen Norris...if you are out there...I know you can attest to this delicious combination!

Varying opinions can really confuse a girl

I am feeling a bit irritated at the moment. I just keep on shaking my head and wondering: Why? Why does it have to be like this? You yourself may be asking what the heck are you talking about...so here goes:
There are times in life when purchases have to be made. I am not talking about the day-to-day stuff...like a cute shirt or yogurt or a plant. But I am talking about big, important stuff, that may or may not break and would be expensive to fix: like ovens for example. Nick and I have decided that it is due time to get a new oven. Obvioulsy, since I am the head cook in our household, this gets me really excited about picking one that is just right for me! Yesterday I spent some time on consumer reports getting the overview of what brands are out there, how reliable they are rated and how much they run. If that wasn't overwhelming enough (not to mention completely unsatisfying since I am a kinisthetic person who likes to touch things), I decided to do a little on-line shopping to see what was available. From Sears to Home Depot, Lowes and Deward and Bode...I was up to my head in ovens. Being completely overwhelmed, I shut off the computer and walked away. I needed a break.
This morning, I decided to actually go touch a few...so I headed out to the DeWard and Bode scratch and dent outlet. Turns out they only had 2 viable options for me, one of which was very enticing; a Kitchen Aide - even with it's big ouchie it has on the left hand side. I started drilling the sales guy (who by the way is younger than me - not that it discredits him at all...I just begin to wonder..."how long have you worked here...how many ovens have you seen come in and out of this joint due to failure etc...do you even care about your job or are you just trying to sell me anything to make a buck?) with questions that once answered I can begin to compare with what consumer reports had to say. As it turns out, he strongly disagrees with what consumer reports reports on some equipment. He says he sees more GE than anything else coming in there for repairs than any other brand (CR rated it lowest likely to be repaired). He then took it upon himself to educate me on the difference between the European Convection and the American Convection, on the style of the coil, the durability of the knobs and the elaborate features ovens have...all of which I greatly appreciated. He even discouraged me from buying a more expensive oven because the one I had leaned toward may be a better fit for what I am looking for. I am beginning to really like the sales guy and begin to wonder if CR is really as good as they say they are. I ask him about their delivery fee, how quickly I can get it and the extended warranty plan. I ask him to put it on hold for me and I will let him know...then I move on to the next victim.
Now that I have a pretty good idea of the standard Q&A exchange, I feel well equipped when I walk into Home Depot. I began to wonder through the oven section...opening each one and checking out the options. This behavior obviously attracts sales people, thus "Larry" (the names have been changed to protect the innocent) approaches me. He asks if he can help me and I begin to probe him with a similar line of questioning that I just experienced at D&B. Contrary to what the other dude said, Larry has quite a different opinion: GE to him is the very best. In fact...when he redoes his kitchen next year, everything will be GE. Now I am getting a little concerned. Is he going off of personal experience? Is he just going off of consumer reports? What are his qualifications? So then I ask about delivery/warranty/tow away of the old oven, etc and he gets really salesie on me. Starts talking about 0% interest for one year (Dave Ramsey would have a fit) and how "he" has 2000 more ovens on-line, "he" just doesn't have the floor space to fill it with ovens. I don't mean to sound horrifically judgemental, I am just getting a little confused and information overloaded on the varying options out there. So I thank him for his time and head out. Next....Lowes.
Now I am really determined to drill this oven guy to see how he feels about different brands. I feel well equipped with the 2 conversations I just had and hope that this guy can keep up. As it turns out "oven guy" was not much of an information supplier. First he had to look up if the Kitchen Aide they had on display was an European or American convection (unlike the other two guys...they could tell by looking at it). Secondly, he thought all the ovens did "pretty good" and don't really test the difference between the baking vs. cooking capability (obviously he had never been on consumer reports because those are two big comparisons, as well as broiling, low heat and high heat). But he did raise a good point...the more bells and whistles you get the greater chance of needing to repair it. Especially now a days with the internal computers that operate the digital temperature mode. Yikes! Guess the extended warranty is a good idea...I have a hard enough time with the computer I am typing on, I couldn't' imagine an oven computer. I thanked the guy and went on my way.
When I got home I pulled up the specific model from D&B that I really liked from consumer reports. Low and behold: not tested, therefor no report. This bummed me out, then I got to asking myself the "Why does it have to be like this" question. I mean really. There are as many opinions out there as there are people. To each their own as the saying goes...but how is this supposed to help me make an informed decision? Do I trust the information from the guy who is most likeable? Do I trust the guy who takes the most time to teach me stuff, even if it is different from consumer reports? Can I even make a good judgement from consumer reports if they don't even analyze the product I am wanting to purchase? Ahhhhh....it is all just so frustrating!
So now, I have resorted to the best decision making process that works for me in the past: I ask people I know and care about for their opinion...and...not only listen to what they are saying, but also listen to myself asking about it. I can get a pretty good gut check by verbal processing things....sometimes I will be in the middle of asking Nick something and they stop mid sentence and say I have figured it out; never mind. This of course doesn't bode well with him so I give the whole thought process just to give him mind rest. But really and truly, saying things out loud really helps. Thus far, I have talked to my dad and Nick about it. And thus far, I have felt good about the Kitchen Aide option. Nick and I are going to check it out once more tonight before we commit. This will help me too...seeing things for a second time always reinforces my decisions. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for listening...blogging is another way for me to "verbally process."

Charlotte update

Life in the Vann household gets a little better with each day. Charlotte is learning how things roll around here: Nick and Andi are in charge, she is not. It's a slow lesson...sometimes it is clear as mud to her, but in order to reinforce the #1 rule, we persevere, hoping that SOME ground is made each day. She is pretty much on the two and a half hour schedule...doing her duty outside that is. This is a great relief to me (well to us both...I am sure) because it allows me to get some work done, catch up on house stuff, as well as hit up the gym and run other errands during her crate time. We have gone on a few walks around the neighborhood. I use the term "walk" very loosely as it is more of a sniffing fest for her and a "Charlotte Come" chant for me. But no more...today I read up on how to walk with your dog, so hopefully a stroll around the block with take 10 minutes rather than 30. Yes, yes...book knowledge is very helpful when it comes to these sort of things. Luckily, I am wisely reminded by my loving husband that puppies don't go by the book, so I must remain optimistic even if she isn't perfect. Yeah, yeah...OK...I got it.

Charlotte has had a lot of interaction with people this week as we hosted our couple's group on Monday night and a church plant meeting on Tuesday night. She has taken to everyone really well, including Belle, Kristen and Trevor's 2 year old daughter. It must be "your the same size as me, therefore I will chase you around and sniff all over," kind of thing. It is so wonderful to see her interact with others. I SO badly want her to be a friendly to all kind of dog, yet obedient to her Alpha dogs. I realize that all these blogs about this dog may seem a bit over zealous and a perfectionist...which may or may not be the case. I am trying to balance the desires for having a well behaved dog, letting a puppy be a puppy, yet implementing the wisdom's that these books portray. I am sure that in 3 months from now, I will look back and laugh at my nervousness and compulsive attitude, but until then I will just persevere without overloading myself.

She is a bit of a lush when it comes to being in Nick's arms. I try not to get jealous.

Women who inspire me

Last Friday, my dear friend Cory stopped by with her kiddos on her way out of town. She is a Tupperware rep and a friend hosted a party at her home in Bellingham the night before, so Cory came up on business. I try to snag any opportunity to see Cory since she and her fam live in Port Townsand and our visits are few and far between. Kristen stopped by for the short visit as well and I was thrilled to have 3 of 4 old roomies together in the same room again.

I am always amazed when I reflect on how much can change in 5 years (we were all roommates our Junior and Senior years at Western). We had a lot of laughs back then and also helped each other through some tough times. I never would have imagined a few years later Cory would have 3 kids, Kristen would have 1 and I would be married and running my own business. Life changes so steadily, so quickly sometimes.

It encourages me so much to know that these women have taken what life has thrown at them and succeeded with flying colors. God absolutely has guided them, but it also takes a certain amount of faith and trust to persevere through the "stuff." I was sitting on the floor with these women and admired their strength. Being a mom is a tough job (not speaking from personal experience, but as you already know...I am challenged enough by the puppy). Cory has her 4 year old, 2.5 year old and 9 month old all in check. You can tell in the first 10 seconds of the kids playing that she is great mom...they aren't out of control or recking the house but instead enjoying their time at a house that is so not cool for little people - AKA: no toys. They listen and respect their mom when she is directing them and she even makes a game out of getting themselves ready to go. At the same time...Kristen swoops in, a natural mom, and sees how she can aid her friend in parenting: Picking peas off the floor, offering Cory some water, asking Zoey and Zac questions. It is really awe-inspiring to watch. I am honored to have these women in my life and even happier to see their enthusiasm for, what seemed to me, hectic and overwhelming lives (I think the photo above is an excellent snap shot of what everyday in the Feren's (Cory's house is like). How lucky and blessed am I to have their wisdom so very accessible.