Influenster and Dino Lingo

Recently, *Influenster introduced me to a series of language learning programs for kids. It's called Dino Lingo and it is a video series that teaches children several different languages - French, Italian, German, Russian... the list goes on. While the mixed graphics may annoy this adult, I'm sure it won't be an issue for a child. Truth be told, I can see myself enjoying the series of videos in effort to learn another language. I've always wanted to learn French or Italian, so if I can block out the fact that graphic style changes constantly, I could see myself watching this to pick up some foreign language experience. The videos are very basic and they're rather easy to follow, so I'm sure children will cheerfully pick up on what they're being taught. Seriously though, who wouldn't love to hear their little child say "Merci bocu, Mommy!" and other simple French phrases? Too cute! Dan knows German, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind being able to speak in German with our children from time to time. It's certainly worth considering.

 

*Disclaimer: I viewed this clip complimentary through Influenster.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2012

This year, Thanksgiving startled me when it unexpectedly snuck up and pounced on me. Geez, where has November gone? Well, ready or not, I embraced Thanksgiving and did my best to savor all of its activities.

Wednesday, November 21st

After work, Dan and I headed up to Wisconsin with Jetta. Jetta does much better in the car when Dan holds her -- or so it seems. So I did all the driving this weekend. It was easier this way.

When we arrived at Dan's parent's home, no one was there (which we already knew). Dan got right to work baking his sharp cheddar apple pie -- Jetta and I supervised. To get into the Thanksgiving mood, we turned on A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and watched it from the kitchen.

Later that evening, Jetta got to meet her cousin, Jake. Jake (pit bull/lab mix, also a rescue dog) belongs to Dan's sister (Stefanie) and her husband (Thomas). He was so good with Jetta! While the two couldn't do too much to play together, Jetta really enjoyed pestering Jake -- trying to get him to chase her. Jake knew he had to be gentle with Jetta and he never even opened his mouth when she was around. At one point he even brought his ball and dropped in front of Jetta as if to say, "Here, you can play with my toy." What a sweetheart!

Thursday, November 22nd

Happy Thanksgiving! It wouldn't be a holiday morning in the Nelson home if there weren't orange rolls available for breakfast. Dan's mom (Carol) couldn't even resist -- and she hardly ever eats foods that contain high sugar and/or flour.

At about 1:00 p.m. Dan's sister (Mandy) and her husband (Cale) joined us. We munched on appetizers while we watched some football. Later, we were joined by Dan's Aunt Diane, Uncle Ralph (Carol's brother), and their grandson (Aden).

Dinner was served at 4:30 p.m. Carol prepared a lovely spread of food! Everything was delicious and the table was dressed very nicely -- I helped.

 

After dinner we cracked open some special Thanksgiving crackers that Aunt Diane brought for everyone. They delivered a boisterous pop when broken and inside were a bunch of Thanksgiving goodies -- including the super stylish hats you see in the photo below. It was a blast! Even Jake got in on the fun.

We also spent some quality time celebrating Stefanie and Carol's birthdays -- Stefanie's birthday was actually on Thanksgiving. Together, they opened gifts and later we sang Happy Birthday -- as you can see below, our Thanksgiving desserts served a double purpose.

Friday, November 23rd

I was scheduled to work at 4:30 on Black Friday morning, so we hoped to be on our way home by 8:00 p.m. Yep, we were on the road to go home by 9:00 p.m. -- we're social butterflies, what can I say.

I was in bed by about midnight and my alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. Yikes! I may not be a morning person but I do prefer getting up early and getting the work day over with. Honestly, work flew by! The first couple of hours were slow, but I got to chat with my high school friend (Peaches) who took a break from her Black Friday shopping to stop in and see me. At about 7:00 a.m. things started to pick up and 10:30 a.m. came out of nowhere. It was an easy shift, that's for sure.

When I got home Dan had the house clean and ready for our company. Just after 12:00 p.m. my parents came by for a continued Thanksgiving meal.

While I worked on dinner, we snacked on appetizers. Among the appetizers were some cranberry infused cheddar cheese and sausages that we got when we were in the U.P. So good!

At about 1:30 p.m. dinner was served! On today's menu I featured Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna, romaine lettuce/dried cranberry/strawberry/almond salad, Pillsbury Grands, and sparkling Welch's grape juice. This was my second attempt (ever!) at making a lasagna and I was very impressed with how this one turned out. I highly recommend it! to make the meal extra special, Dan and I even used our China! Now that we're in a house, we no longer have to keep the China stored in boxes. Yay! That means it'll get used more often.

After dinner we relaxed and sipped coffee/apple cider while we enjoyed leftover desserts. It was a lovely afternoon. It was really nice to see my parents over Thanksgiving weekend.

Later that evening, Dan and I got to work decorating the house for Christmas! We turned on some Christmas movies while we dressed the house up in our Christmas decor. I love this time of year!

Jetta got into the Christmas spirit by putting on one of her Christmas sweaters. She was a busy bee and crashed on the couch before we were even done.

Saturday, November 24th

Saturday evening we got together with some of Dan's former co-workers for dinner at Aodake. Dan's former supervisor (Olga) was on her way back to Russia, so our gathering was a little good bye see you later dinner.

While out to dinner we got some exciting news, Dan's other former supervisor (Jeff) just got engaged to his lovely girlfriend (Jen)!! These newly engaged love birds weren't even engaged for 24 hours when we saw them, so the news was very fresh and we couldn't be more excited for these two! Congratulations Jeff and Jen!

Sunday, November 25th

Sunday was another busy day. First, Jetta gave us a tiny scare when we discovered she ripped into her bed during the night. There was stuffing everywhere and her belly was bloated. To play things safe, Dan took her to the emergency vet -- she was okay.

While Dan was at the vet, I went to music practice. Dan was supposed to work on A/V, so his partner (Justin) scrambled to work everything by himself during practice. Dan was also supposed to teach the Youth Group Sunday School hour, so I took his place when I was done with practice. Normally, I run through the music and slides during Sunday School, but since I was occupied I couldn't double-check everything. Yeah... things didn't exactly go smooth during the service and I felt awful. Ugh! Despite the fact that I was attempting to hold back tears at the end of the service (out of sheer embarrassment) I was still encouraged by all of the kind words folks shared with me after the service. God is good!

After church I went to work at the mall... and after working at the mall I went home to edit video. Sundays are usually very busy for me, but I made it through the day.

As expected, Thanksgiving weekend went by way too fast, but I must say, I had a wonderful holiday weekend with family and friends! I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am very blessed!

Getting Through the Fog

Yikes! This morning I woke up to very thick fog outside my house. I had a difficult time viewing the other houses in my neighborhood and driving to work was quite slow. Even as the morning progressed the fog still linguered. Not exactly ideal traveling conditions.

During my drive to work, the fog got me thinking about my walk with Christ. Sometimes, walking with Him is like walking through very thick fog -- you can only see what is around you, not what is ahead. Also, just like walking in a thick fog, you have to take your time and not rush down the path God has for you. Going too fast can result to harm or could throw you off course because you don't know what's ahead. As long as you take your time and trust the *light that is with you, you'll be fine.

I feel like I'm in a dense fog with my walk right now. Slowly and surely I am going down this unknown path with Christ, not sure where He is leading me, but I trust Him. I trust Christ but sometimes not seeing what's far ahead causes me to worry. How much longer must I wander down this path? What is my destination? No, seriously, how much longer??

Philippians 4:6 is one of my favorite verses. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I know I worry way too much, but because of my faith in Christ I worry much less. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Truth be told, I really have no reason to worry if I've placed my faith in Christ -- I know. I try to live each day with little or no worry, but some days are harder than others.

I may not know what my future holds, but I know who holds my future! So, for now, I will continue down this unknown path, praying for wisdom and the strength to be brave. In the end, I know it will be worth it.

*"[Jesus] said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" John 8:12

Counting My Blessings

As I scan through the news feed on my Facebook page, I've noticed that several of my friends have decided to share something that they're thankful for, every day in November. While I haven't jumped on the bandwagon for this particular Facebook fad, I have been creating a list in my mind. Well, truth be told, I do attempt to count my blessings every day -- not just in the month of November. I am so blessed and all too often I take for granted the things God has blessed me with. So, since Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away, I thought I would list some of my blessings. I don't want this post to be forever long, so I'm going to attempt to make a "Top 10 Blessings" list.

1. My Salvation
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He is also the bridge between us and God. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The penalty for sin is death. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." That is exactly why we need Jesus Christ! Here is the best part... Christ died for you! Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." You too can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Trust me, having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is life-changing! He is our direct connection to our Heavenly Father. We were created for one true purpose: to love, worship, and live for our God, our Father and Creator. I wouldn't trade my relationship with God for anything.

Begin Your Relationship With God Today- Admit that you have not met God's standard of perfection (Romans 3:23).
- Believe that Jesus Christ is God, as He claimed to be (Romans 10:9-10).
- Ask God to forgive your sins on the basis of Jesus Christ's death payment on the cross (Romans 4:25).
- Accept God's love for you (John 3:16) and His offer of eternal life.

2. My Family and Friends
I cannot begin to express what my family and friends mean to me -- there are just not enough significant words. Relationships are very important to me and if it wasn't for my family and friends I would be lost. I am blessed to have close relationships to share in the good times and feel support during the dark times. Thank you to all my family and friends for being such an important part of my life! You truly mean the world to me!

3. My Husband
Yes, of course my husband is my family, but still, he really deserves his own slot. At this point, Dan and I have been together for over eight years (non-stop), and I still look at him and think, "Wow, how did I get so blessed?" Seriously! When I think about how well Dan and I compliment each other, I can only thank God for bringing us together. While Dan and I have our share of ups and downs, I am thankful that is doesn't matter if we had an uneventful day, a big scare, or a major fight, we always come together in prayer. I absolutely love watching Dan grow with God and become a strong spiritual leader. Not just for me, but for the teens and young adults that look up to him at our church. He is a man of God and I praise the Lord that he is my husband.

4. My Church Family
While this blessing can be easily placed within My Family and Friends category, I felt that my church family deserves to be in a category all on their own. Why? Because they're an exceptional part of my life. My church family looks out for me much like they're my immediately family. I absolutely love watching my church family come together to support each other -- in both the good and bad. We celebrate together. We grieve together. We're they're for each other! I am blessed to have a church family that goes above and beyond to be the hands and feet of God.

5. My Home
Dan and I have been in our house for just over a year now and I still walk inside and feel absolute awe. I am so blessed to have such a gorgeous home! It is a home that I got to build from the ground up, a home that is in a neighborhood with wonderful and thoughtful neighbors, a home that has plenty of room for me and Dan to start a family... I can go on and on! I love my home!

6. My Jobs
Yes, plural. I have many jobs -- sometimes too many. While I work six days a week (most weeks) and some of those days I work nearly 15+ hours, I still can't help but be grateful for the work I am blessed to have. Just this past year my husband lost his job and in those dark days I felt secure knowing I had enough work to get us by -- and, of course, trusting God had a plan for us. Now that Dan has found a wonderful new job, I am thankful for God's perfect timing!

7. Our Puppy (Jetta)
Dan and I have wanted to get a pet for sometime. So when we were blessed with the opportunity to adopt a sweet rescue puppy, we were thrilled! While Jetta can test our patients while we house train her, she also brings us so much joy as she cuddles and plays with us. She is one very happy puppy! Within this category I will also say that I am very grateful that my sister (Kathleen) and brother-in-law (Brad) adopted one of Jetta's brother, whom they named Lovie. I look forward to reuniting this brother and sister duo over the coming years!

8. Photos and Video
For those of you who know me very well, this blessing probably doesn't surprise you. Photos and video have been a passion my entire life! I am grateful that I can relive memories by looking at old photos and video. It gives me a chance to laugh along with family and friends as we view these memories together, but it also gives me an opportunity to see and hear loved ones who have passed on.

9. My Car
I currently drive a 2000 Chevy Cavalier -- who goes by the name of Roxy. Considering my car's age, I am very happy that I have a nice, reliable vehicle that gets me from A to B with ease. While Roxy has some bumps, bruises, and a couple of quirks I know to to watch out for (or ignore), she still gives me a comfortable ride. So long as Roxy holds on, Dan and I will continue to have no car payments -- which is certainly an added blessing!

10. Skype/FaceTime/Video Chat
Whatever method is being used, I am very grateful that I can not only hear from family and friends, but see them as well! I have used video chat to get a tour of someone's new home, to meet and greet new family members, and to see loved ones during the holidays. It is amazing how much closer you can feel to someone when you can hear and see them. The distance apart will suddenly feel so much smaller. Considering how important family/friends/relationships are to me, this method of keeping in touch is an absolute blessings.

While my list of blessings (down to the smallest details) will be virtually endless, I hope that my Top 10 Blessings has shed some light into your heart and got you thinking about how you've been richly blessed. Take the time today (and everyday) to thank God for your many, many blessings.

Chicago's 2012 Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

Saturday, November 17th

"Jetta," I called out to my pup as she lay in her bed. She looked up at me with curious eyes. "Do you know where Daddy is?"

She promptly replied, "Woof! Woof!"

"That's right, Jetta! Daddy's on the roof putting up Christmas lights," I replied as I gave her a gentle scratch behind her ears. Her little tail wiggled with joy. She is one smart pup.

The weather was quite mild this weekend. Sunny and in the 50's makes for an easy fall. Dan got up early so he could work on the outdoor Christmas lights. While I am not someone who approves decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, I also believe that it's wise to put up the outdoor Christmas lights when the weather is favorable. So while Dan was on the roof putting up our Christmas lights, I spent the morning with Jetta.

Dan got most of the outdoor lights put on the roof just after 11:00 a.m. He made plans to finish the rest of the lights once our neighbor (Frank) is home and can lend Dan a very tall ladder to reach the roof peaks.

A couple of days ago I stumbled across the news that Chicago was having its annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival over the weekend. Once I found out Colton Dixon was doing a free outdoor concert on Saturday, I just had go. That's really why Dan got up early. He wanted to put up the Christmas lights, but he also wanted to take me to the festival so we could see Colton.

At about noon, we left the house. Our first stop was Orland Square Mall so I could get some Ghost Armor put onto my new iPhone 5. Dan had Ghost Armor put on his iPhone 4S and it has held up beautifully, so I knew I wanted the same protection -- plus, I'd get to turn my phone purple. While my phone was being worked on, Dan and I grabbed some lunch at Panda Express. It took about 20-30 minutes for my phone to be done, so once I got it back we departed the mall and were on our way to Chicago. Normally we take the train into the city, but since we wanted to make sure we'd get home in time to tend to Jetta, we decided to drive.

We made it into the city with no problem. As we were walking towards the BMO Harris Stage I noticed a bride and groom strolling through the crowd.

"Aww, happy wedding day!" I said to Dan as I pointed to the bride and groom. Just then, I noticed a familiar face. I grabbed Dan's arm and exclaimed, "It's Robb! Robb's the wedding photographer!"

Sure enough, there he was! Our longtime friend Robb Davidson, leading the bride and groom down some stairs, snapping their picture as they approached him. Dan and I both pulled out our phones and snapped photos of Robb so we could tag him on Facebook and Twitter. We didn't want to interrupt him while he was busy, but at one moment we did notice that they seem to be taking a moment to regroup. Dan whistled really loud and we both hollered, "Robb!" Sure enough, he saw us and gave us an excited, "Hey! What's happening?!" and a friendly wave. Running into him was excellent timing!

We arrived at the BMO Harris Stage at about 2:00 p.m. They were setting the stage for a group called R5. Neither of us had ever heard of them, but we snagged a spot in the crowd to make sure we had a good spot for seeing Colton Dixon -- who was scheduled to be on stage at 3:00 p.m. There were a lot of little kiddies who were in the audience. Many of them were hoisted up on their parent's shoulders for better viewing. Towards the end of the mini concert, most of the kids were off their parent's shoulders and I had a better opportunity to snap a photo of the band.

Once R5 was done and the stage was adjusted, Colton Dixon took the stage! A majority of the kids and teens that were standing in front of us moved on to follow R5 off the stage, so Dan and I got to move up in the crowd and get a better view of Colton.

Colton wasn't on stage as long as R5 (or so it felt), but he did manage to sing a couple of his news songs and I fun version of Jingle Bells. Colton has released two singles so far. His first CD is scheduled to be released at the end of January, but he has two singles available Never Gone and You Are. He preformed Never Gone at this mini concert and it was beautiful! I am very excited about getting his CD, I'm sure it's going to be amazing.

After the show, Colton stuck around for about 5 minutes to meet and greet his fans. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to say hello, but Dan did manage to snap this photo of us waiting. Oh well, maybe next time.

Dan and I decided to stick around and enjoy Chicago. We went into a couple of stores to look around while we waited for The Magnificent Mile Light Festival Parade to start. When we went into Zara Dan found a jacket that looked, oh, so good on him! Since the price was surprisingly affordable, Dan got the jacket as an early Christmas present. He was so excited he swaped jackets once we were outside the store.

At about 5:10 p.m. we decided to claim a spot to watch some of the parade. Waiting wasn't too bad since it wasn't super cold. It was in the 50's during the day, so we were quite comfortable being outside, even after the temperature dropped.

The crowd wasn't too bad, but once 5:30 hit the streets were extremely packed. Where did everybody come from?

We had a pretty good view of the parade as it started to come by. Mickey and Minnie led the way, lighting the The Magnificent Mile the whole way. Mickey and Minnie have certainly gotten better over the years. Now they blink their eyes and move their mouths as they talk! It's quite remarkable and very entertaining to watch.

We didn't stay too long, since we had to get home to Jetta, but we got to see some fun Christmas characters, a marching band, and Colton Dixon come by before we left.

It took us about 30 minutes of battling the large crowds to get back to our car -- which wasn't too bad. Getting out of the city was a breeze. We had no trouble getting home.

When we got home we decided to make pizza for dinner -- and when I say "make pizza" I mean, make the dough, add the topping and everything. It has been a while since we've made a pizza, so it was fun putting it together. We even made the crust stuffed with cheese! Dan is a pro at wrapping the cheese in the dough, so that's usually his job.

Once the dough was ready and the crust was stuffed with cheese, we topped the pizza with sauce, pizza cheese, green peppers, mushrooms, and apple wood smoked ham. We baked the pizza on our pizza stone and anxiously waited for it to be ready.

The pizza was delicious! We usually dine on a lot of frozen pizzas, so this was especially delicious! We even had two slices leftover. It may be a lot of work, but making homemade pizza is always a good meal. I don't know about you, but just looking at those pictures is making me hungry!

We spent the remainder of our evening cuddling with Jetta and watching D2: The Mighty Ducks. It was a nice way to wrap up an eventful day.

I think next year we'll make another attempt to view The Magnificent Mile Light Festival Parade -- and we'll plan to stay for the whole thing.

Operation Christmas Child

This year, Dan and I were blessed with an opportunity to put together two boxes for Operation Christmas Child -- organized by Samaritan's Purse.

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief and evangelism organization led by Franklin Graham. Read about our history here.

For Operation Christmas Child, we there are three ages groups, per gender, to chose from. Financially, Dan and I thought that we could afford to sponsor two children -- one for each of us. While selecting one gender and one age group can be quite difficult, I chose a 10-14 year-old girl and Dan chose a 5-9 year-old boy. It was a rather delightful challenge trying to stuff as many goodies as possible into two shoe-box-sized boxes. Now I can't help but wonder where our boxes will end up. I just wish we could be there when the children get to open our boxes!



On Saturday, November 10th I wrapped and packed our boxes. I took my time and carefully placed each item into the correct box. There were toys, candy, sunglasses, toiletries, gloves, hats, etc. We even bought plastic boxes that snap shut so the children can reuse the boxes however they would like. Within each box we each wrote a letter and included photos of our family -- including Jetta.

On Sunday, November 11th we dropped off our boxes at church. It was so exciting to see so many boxes dropped off at once! These boxes are more than a Christmas present, they offer hope and a chance to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. With every box, Samaritan's Purse provides the gospel message in the preferred language of each child.

1 BOX = 1 LIFE = 1 SALVATION

This is a wonderful organization and I hope to make this a Christmas tradition for my children -- someday. After all, Jesus is the reason for the season and I want my children to understand that and feel the pure joy of generosity.

To God be the glory!

 

Puppy Love

After work on November 6th (Election Day) I went to the vet pick up Kathleen and Brad's little pup (Lovie). He wasn't quite ready to get fixed, so they'll be taking care of that when they come into town next month.

When I got home with Lovie, Dan and I reunited the siblings. At first Jetta seemed rather confused to see her brother, but of course she warmed up and ran over to greet him. The two spent most of the evening playing/wrestling. Jetta is quite good at pinning Lovie, but I swear she was letting him win here and there. It was so cute! Jetta even took the time to groom her smaller brother.

Later that evening Dan went with our friend (Derek) to pick up a couch that was given to us by some other friends. I was now home alone with two very tiny puppies -- one on the verge of being house trained and the other not-so-much. Eventually the two got comfy and they snuggled with me while I watched updates on the Election.

LOVIE

JETTA

Later that evening Dan got a chance to snuggle with the puppies while I cleaned up the house and took a shower. Yep, these two are great for parenting practice!

LOVIE (left) and JETTA (right)

Thankfully, we had a very peaceful evening. Dan put Jetta to bed in her usual spot and she didn't put up much of a fight. In our room, I put Lovie in a large box with a towel, some t-shirts that smelled like me and Dan, and a puppy pad. I stayed with him until he fell asleep. Both puppies slept through the night!

Today, Lovie is getting picked up by my parents and tomorrow they will be driving him to Kathleen and Brad. I hate to see this little guy go, but I'm excited that he'll be in the family and we'll get to see him (and his parents) next month. Oh how I love these precious puppies!

Little Lovie

On Monday, November 5th my friend Rachel posted a link on my Facebook wall that featured images of Jetta's three brothers who were still at the shelter -- suggesting Dan and I adopt a playmate for Jetta. Wait... what? How are these precious pups still at the shelter?! My heart broke in an instant! While I seriously considered the idea of adopting a second puppy, I just didn't think it would work. However, I wanted to ensure these little guys got a lot of attention, so I re-posted Rachel's post, hoping someone would rescue these sweet, little babies.

Shortly after mine and Rachel's posts, my sister (Kathleen) sent me a text message, "I want one of those chihuahuas!!!" I lit up instantly! Perhaps Kathleen and Brad would adopt one of these cuties? I ended up calling Kathleen and we discussed Jetta's oh-so-cute brothers. Turns out, Kathleen and Brad were considering adopting one of Jetta's siblings for a couple days now. Kathleen admit that she became hooked watching videos of Jetta and would spend a long time staring at her photo. Under one video she posted, "omg... i haven't even met her yet, and i already miss her!" So when Kathleen found out that there were still puppies that needed to be rescued, she got very excited.

"They just re-posted the photos, what if they're all taken by the time you get there?" Kathleen asked, sounding pretty nervous.

"Kathleen," I replied with confidence. "The shelter is only five minutes down the road. I haven't taken my break yet. I can go right now and claim a puppy for you."

"Really?" she exclaimed with excitement. Silence.

"Go call Brad and call me back," I instructed with a big smile on my face.

"Okay!" she replied with pure joy.

A couple minutes later Kathleen called me back and proudly announced that they wanted a puppy! I burst with excitement as I started to gather my things. Kathleen and Brad gave me full permission to pick out the puppy I felt would be the best for them -- since I've already spent so much time with them.

I got to the shelter and explained Kathleen and Brad's situation -- living in Minnesota and wanting a puppy. Thankfully, the shelter was very sweet and, after calling Kathleen to confirm our arrangements, they let me adopt one of the pups on Kathleen's behalf. Woohoo!

"Back for another puppy?" one guy asked -- yeah, all the employees recognized me.

"This one is for my sister," I proudly announced as I continued to fill out the paper work. The folks at the shelter seemed pretty excited to hear that two of the Chihuahua siblings were going to be "together" in a very loving family.

It was total deja vu! There I was, back in this little visiting room with three adorable, playful puppies, getting ready to claim another baby. I was overflowing with joy! While I wish I could just take all three home, I carefully selected the "runt" of the family and claimed him for Kathleen and Brad.

The timing for all of this couldn't be more perfect! My parents are actually driving up to visit Kathleen and Brad this weekend. They're leaving Thursday morning, so that means Kathleen and Brad will have their pup in a couple of days! In fact, I get to pick him up later today. I am so excited to see him again!

Dan and I are thrilled that one of Jetta's brothers is going to stay in the family! Kathleen and Brad already had a name picked out -- Lovie. So now Jetta and Lovie have their forever homes and they'll get to see each other once in a while. Christmas is going to be AWESOME!

My Facebook has been blowing up with lots and lots of puppy talk these past couple of day. Now, I must say, I really like how Kathleen put it, "so very excited!!! all is right with the world... chihuahuas in the kovals' lives again :)".

Welcome to the family, Lovie! Don't worry, Jetta, I'll keep spreading the word until all of your siblings find their forever homes! Wow, I am overflowing with puppy love right now!

Our First Weekend with Jetta

Jetta is officially home! On Friday, November 2nd Dan and I picked up Jetta from the vet. Her surgery went well and she was successfully spayed. She was very out of it when we picked her up -- still groggy from the anesthesia. We wrapped her in a fluffy pink towel and I snuggled closely with her in the car.

Our first stop was Petsmart to pick up some puppy food for Jetta (Simply Nourish) -- we already had some toys, temporary food and water bowls, somewhere for her to sleep, a leash, collar, and harness. She was very quiet but was also very curious about everything around her. We had a very nice employee help us with our last minute needs. She was very knowledgeable and her suggestions were fantastic. Next stop... Jetta's forever home!

As expected, Jetta just wanted to be held her first night. She was quite playful as the evening progressed, but she did not like it when Dan and I went about the house without her. She was always close by (watch your step!), but if she wasn't being held she would cry. Our biggest accomplish of the evening... she learned her name! Once Jetta starting getting playful Dan and I stood on opposite ends of the family room and we took turns calling her name until she came. When she arrived, she got a piece of a treat -- which was smaller than a Tic Tak. Since she just had srugery we had to ease her into eating that evening.

Later that evening we enjoyed some FaceTime with Dan's mom (Carol). We had a blast! Carol would call out to Jetta and sure enough, Jetta would run to the phone. It was super cute!

When it was time for bed Dan and I thought we were in for a tough battle. As a temporary bed/sleeping area, we dressed up our large bathtub with old towels and bed sheets. We also included a plastic mat with a puppy pad on top (as a possible potty space), water bowl, food bowl, and some toys. By far, the best item in that tub was a couple of old shirts with mine and Dan's scents. Jetta whined and whined, but as soon as I covered her with my shirt she laid down and went right to sleep. She even slept through most of the night! At about 5:30 a.m. she whine for a minute or two and then went back to sleep. What a good girl!

Dan went to the Men's Breakfast at church on Saturday, November 3rd, so he was up first and spent quite a bit of time teaching Jetta she can't just cry. She made a lot of progress with him. I got up about an hour after Dan left. Jetta and I worked on being independant. Once again, she got better and better at wandering the house without having me close by -- even though I was secretly watching her. She really likes getting cozy under furniture, so I had to make sure she didn't go anywhere she'd get stuck.

Once Dan got home we spent a lot of time playing with Jetta. She is such a sweet and playful pup. Dan also noticed how Jetta liked to go under furniture, so we decided to make her a temporary "cave" out of a box -- complete with a little door and windows. We threw in some towels and shirts that smell like us and she went in for a little bit here and there, but she was more interested in playing.

Just after 11:00 a.m. we packed up Jetta's things, stopped to pick up some lunch, and went to my parent's house. My dad was in Peoria with the LT Boys Cross Country team for State (they came in 3rd place!), so my mom got to meet Jetta first. Dan and I want to make sure Jetta is comfortable with everyone, not just us, so we made sure she got some real cuddle time with my mom -- and they certainly did.

Next, we made our way up to Wisconsin for our brother-in-law's birthday bonfire. During the drive up Jetta was pretty antsy. She just wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Although, her favorite thing to do was climb her way up to my shoulders and just stay there... and that wasn't go to happen. During a short trip, between two stops, she curled up on Dan's lap. What a sweetie.

Dan's sister (Mandy) and her husband (Cale) have a rescue dog (Vito) who is part sheep dog (and that's all they really know). He was very excited to meet Jetta, but Jetta was a little nervous around Vito. While Cale held Jetta, Mandy held back Vito and let him slowly get closer and closer to Jetta. Jetta kept sticking her face into Cale's coat -- it very obvious she was thinking "If I can't see you, you can't see me." Too stinkin' cute!

That evening she got passed around while we sat outside around the bonfire. Jetta was especially comfortable wrapped up in Carol's down blanket -- no surprises there. She had fun playing in the house with everyone. Dan's dad (Dan) really had her jumping around when he moved his hand around like a random creature. Sometimes she'd get a little scared and crawl up on his lap for protection.

Mandy and Cale have a train that go through their backyard and while Jetta got nervous when it came by (3 times!) she got better every time it passed by. What a brave pup!

That night we tried putting Jetta's large box/"cave" in her bed area. Nope. She did NOT like that one bit. We left her alone and she kept crying... and crying... and crying! Finally I told Dan that her crying really didn't sound right. So I suggested that he take the box out of her sleeping area. Once he took the box out and covered her with our shirts she curled up and went right to sleep. Interesting.

On Sunday, November 4th Dan had to get up early to go work A/V at church. Jetta made it through the night with very little crying. Apparently she cried once at about 5:30 a.m. Dan heard her but I didn't. That's doesn't happen too often, usually it's the other way around -- Dan sleeps through everything, including earthquakes. The next time we heard her it was time for Dan to get up so he took care of her and played with her.

After Dan left for church I played with Jetta and we tried potty training. When it was time for me to leave I brought her back up to the tub and she went right down. I can't even remember if she really cried.

After church my parents came over for lunch so my dad could meet Jetta. Jetta came as soon as my dad called her name. She is so friendly and loves the attention!

That afternoon I had to work and Dan had a volleyball game. Since Dan was going to be making a trip out by my parent's house after volleyball, to look at some furniture, my parents took Jetta to their house for the day. Later that evening, we all met up for dinner at mine and Dan's house. Of course, Jetta was showered with attention the whole time.

That evening she went down super easy! However, we must have had a successful potty training day because now Jetta cries to let us know she needs to go out -- a definite pro! However, she seems to think she needs to go out almost every hour. When her cries started to sound a bit more urgent Dan took her out. He took her out once and she went #1. Then, an hour or two later she went #2. About an hour or so later she cried again. She didn't sound urgent, so we made her wait. After a few more on and off little cries she made it through the night. About 15 minutes before our alarm went off I heard her whimpering, so I took her outside and she went a little bit. There was frost on the ground, so she was really quick.

After I left for work Dan took over playing with her. He called on his way to work to say she went outside once more and that he left her in the tub with classical music playing on Spotify through his computer. She went down without a fuss. He's going to check in on her during his lunch break.

We did learn that Jetta was born on Saturday, September 6, 2012. So she'll be two months tomorrow. On her paper work she is described at a Chihuahua short hair/mix. We're guessing she has some Dachshund somewhere in her. The Chihuahua portion is the most dominent, but we've noticed that her mouth/nose area is a little longer than most Chihuahuas and her torso is a little longer as well -- or so we think. In the end it really doesn't matter. She's a gorgeous girl and we love her! Maybe this means her ears will stay floppy?!

In other news, I don't know if you know this, but Dan is actually allergic to animals. However, Dan has virtually no reaction to Jetta! Praise the Lord! I think he sneezed a couple of time and his skin got a little red when she licked his face, but that was it. Phew! Once Dan saw Vito his allergies seriously kicked in. Hopefully this means he'll be fine with Jetta. She's still not allowed in our bedroom -- especially our bed.

I must say, I am so impressed with Jetta's progress. She's adjusting to her forever home very nicely and potty training seems to be going well. We may be running low on sleep for the next couple of weeks, but it's totally worth it. Jetta is a beautiful addition to our family and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.