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.

Meet Jetta

Dan and I have gone back and forth for a long time, debating when we would get a pet. We agreed that when the time timing was right we would adopt a pet from a rescue shelter. From that moment on, we were watching rescue shelter websites and Facebook pages for potential pets -- especially Dan.

A couple of months ago we came close to adopting a darling medium-size dog. It's a long story, but she got adopted before we got a chance to officially meet her. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

On Thursday, October 18th Dan found some Chihuahua puppies at Joliet Township Animal Control. I went in to visit the puppies the very next day. I used my break from work to meet the puppies and to see if any of them stood out. First of all, they're all super cute and it was hard to narrow down my top choices, but I had two little girls in mind. I tired my best to describe the puppies to Dan and I even snapped a few photos and video with my phone. Dan really wanted to visit the puppies, but the shelter is only open when he is at work -- and they're closed on the weekends. I wanted Dan to help pick the puppy, but we weren't sure how it would work out.

The next week Dan talked with his supervisor and got an extended break so he could visit the puppies at the shelter. I went with a friend and co-worker (Debbie) to visit the puppies while Dan was there. I showed him my two favorites and we considered them all while we were there. In the end, we both agreed on one female.

I was warned by a couple of people that the shelter gets lines the morning certain animals go up for adoption, so if I wanted a specific pup I'd need to get there bright and early to snag a spot in line. Seriously? Well, since Dan and I had our hearts set on a specific puppy, so we did just that. The puppies were going up for adoption on Thursday, November 1st, so we spent the night at our friends' house (Jason and Rachel) since they live very close to the shelter.

It was dark and we were the first ones in the parking lot -- at 6:00 a.m. Another lady came at about 7:30 a.m. She also wanted a female. Thankfully, we had different females in mind. Dan had to leave for work, so he left at about 8:00 a.m. I stood outside and had a friendly conversation with my fellow Chihuahua fan.

The shelter opens at 9:00 a.m. but they let us in at about 8:45 -- it was cold outside. Sure enough, me and the other lady each picked out a different pup. Shortly after we scooped up our girls, another lady came and picked out the last girl. Phew! Getting up early and waiting in the cold proved to be a most excellent idea.

Our puppy has to make one more stop at the vet to get spayed before we can take her home. We'll be taking her home (to her "forever home") tomorrow evening. I forgot to double-check when the puppies were born, but I do know that they're 2 months old today. I'll have to ask when I pick her up.

Well, as you can see from the title, our puppy's name is Jetta. As a kid, my sister and I were big fans of a cartoon series called Jem. It's a television series about two all-female rock bands: Jem and the Holograms and The Misfits. Well, one day (many years ago) I was watching the series on DVD and I watched the episode called The Talent Search. During the two-part episode, Jem's band got a new Hologram and The Misfits got a new, spunky Misfit -- Jetta! It was then that I saved Jetta in the back of my mind as a future dog name. I shared the name with Dan years ago and he became an instant fan.

So, finally, I've got my little Jetta! I am so excited to bring her home and give her lots and lots of love! She is so precious and so sweet! I'm sure she'll be a very special addition to our family. Now that's what I call puppy love!

Jetta from The Misfits

If you're curious, here are the Jem episodes:

Jem and the Holograms: The Talent Search (Part 1)
Jem and the Holograms: The Talent Search (Part 2)

Las Vegas and Turning 30

Well, needless to say, this post is way overdue. My lack of up-to-date blogging made me hesitate to write this post, but I decided it would be worth it. So here it goes...

REWIND!

Since June 2012, Dan had been planning a special birthday vacation in honor of my 30th birthday. Since 30 was a rather significant age, he wanted me to have a birthday that I would always remember. With months of planning, he surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada -- a first for both of us.

On Friday, August 24th we went to work, as usual. Once we were both home we gathered our belongings and prepared to depart. Our neighbor, Steve, drove us to Midway International Airport.

Dinner options became limited once we arrived at our gate, so we got some McDonald's while we waited for our flight. We are both seasoned Southwest fliers, so we were excited when we got to wait in a new Southwest terminal and also got to fly in a brand new Southwest plane! It's the little things that can make all the difference.

During the flight, I watched The Simpsons Movie and You Again on Dan's laptop while Dan relaxed and chatted with his flight neighbor -- a young man on his way to his brother's bachelor party.

Our plane landed at about 10:30 p.m. (Pacific Time). From the moment we landed, the Las Vegas Strip was bright and visible from the runway. I was especially excited when I noticed David Copperfield's sign on the MGM Grand Hotel. There was so much to see and our plane hadn't even arrived at the airport gate yet.

After we got off the plane, we went straight to baggage claim and waited for our luggage to arrive. This proved to be a rather lengthy wait, so Dan pulled out the video camera and started filming. His timing was perfect! Shortly after he started to film me, I noticed Stefanie and Thomas were there to greet us! I squealed with joy as I ran to them. This was another fun-filled surprised planned for me.

Once we had our luggage, the four of us loaded up in Stefanie and Thomas' jeep and we drove to mine and Dan's hotel -- Stefanie and Thomas had arranged to stay at a friend's timeshare. Dan waited until the last possible second to surprise me with where we were staying. Naturally, I was very surprised and super excited when I found out that we were staying at the Bellagio!

From the moment we walked into the Bellagio we were all blown away by the size, creativity, and detail that made the hotel so stunning. It is a beautiful hotel.

Without a doubt, Vegas was hopping when we arrived at our hotel. I enjoyed people watching with Stefanie and Thomas while Dan checked in. Dan managed to get a room upgrade so that we could have a lovely view of the Bellagio fountain and the Las Vegas Strip -- all thanks to a little tip he offered the lady who checked us in. Once we were all settled in our room, the four of us went out to sample the Las Vegas nightlife.

 

While we hung out in the Bellagio, the four of us took a stab at our first slot machine experience. Of course we went straight for the penny slots. It may sound silly, but it took us a moment to figure out how it worked -- you don't just stick a penny in a slot anymore.

 

Saturday, August 25th
Even though we were up until about 2:00 a.m. the night before, we didn't want to sleep too late the next morning. We were up at at 'em at about 9:00 a.m. While we waited for Stefanie and Thomas to meet up with us, we decided to explore the pool area at our hotel. Only Bellagio guests are permitted to enter the pool area, so we showed our room key upon arrival to gain access. Needless to say, the entire pool area was gorgeous and the sun was definitely heating things up.

We had plans to meet up with Stefanie and Thomas to enjoy brunch at the Bellagio Buffet. While they were a little tardy, it was certainly okay because we spent about 30+ minutes waiting in line just to get in. Stefanie and Thomas managed to stroll in just before we got seated -- perfect timing.

Inside, the buffet was stunning and the food was delicious! At first we were all rather overwhelmed with the variety and choices. It was very difficult for each of us to determine what would go on our first plate. Once we got going we were all very satisfied with our meal.

 

It was extremely hot outside -- upper 90's and low 100's the whole time we were in Las Vegas. We tried our best to enjoy indoor activities during the day to avoid the sun and dry heat. Still, we all had a fun time exploring the Las Vegas Strip. We made our way down the south end of the strip so that Dan could pick up our show tickets at Will Call.

 

 

Inside the New York, New York Hotel we bought a rather large margarita from Coyote Ugly and spent the entire afternoon sharing it. Stefanie and I also got some waters to stay cool and hydrated. While in the New York Hotel, we decided to enjoy the air conditioning and play some penny slots. We were all still very new at playing the slots, so we spent a bit of time slowly watching our money go up and down in total value. None of us had the courage to step up to a table to play Black Jack or Poker, so the penny slots were our only means of gambling.

 

 

At about 4:30 p.m. we all began walking back to the Bellagio so Dan and I could start getting ready for the two shows they were scheduled to see - David Copperfield at 7:00 p.m. and Criss Angel at 9:30 p.m.

Our original plan was to walk to the MGM Grand Hotel from the Bellagio. Once Dan noticed that the line for catching a cab was going quickly he suggested that we just take a cab. It was a brilliant idea! My make-up probably wouldn't have lasted otherwise.

David Copperfield's show is what Dan planned our trip around. Once he purchased tickets for David Copperfield's VIP Meet and Greet show, the rest of our trip fell into place.

Before the show started we made friends with our table mates. They were a young couple from California celebrating their one year anniversary. I can't remember their names, but the bride bought the tickets for her husband as an anniversary gift -- he is a big David Copperfield fan, just like me. We had such a fun time with them. Turns out the bride's parents are youth leaders, so we had lots to chat about.

As usual, the show was outstanding -- and having front row seats was a blast!

After the show we got to go on stage and meet David, take pictures with him and he even showed us a bonus trick. I got to be his assistant as he asked me (a couple of times) to carefully examine a dollar bill. The experience was the highlight of my trip! David even Tweeted me later to thank me for coming.

 

Immediately following our meet and greet with David Copperfield at the MGM Grand, we hurried outside to try and catch a cab to see our next show, Criss Angel Believe, at the Luxor. The line for a cab was very long and there wasn't a steady flow of cabs available. We decided to run (literally) to the Luxor -- one mile. I took off my heals and we ran the whole way. We managed to make it with some time to spare.

 

Criss Angel put on a fabulous show! We're both very new to Criss Angel, so it was great getting to know his style -- we weren't sure what to expect. His show is a bit darker than David Copperfield's and they do a lot of similar tricks (each with his own style, of course). Criss Angel's show was super funny and some of his tricks are virtually impossible to believe. At the end of the show, Criss invited guests to pull out their cameras and take pictures. What a great idea! We were pretty far away, but I managed to zoom in and capture this photo. I also got a picture with one of his motorcycles -- the one he used in his show that night. I'd really like to see his show again -- and do the meet and greet!

 

 

Just after midnight, we met up with Stefanie and Thomas at P.F. Chang's for dinner. We soon discovered that Vegas never seems to slow down, so dinner after midnight felt perfectly normal. We all dined on lettuce wraps as our appetizer and then shared each other's main entrées. After a long and rather full day in Vegas, it was nice to sit and relax.

 

After dinner we went back to the Bellagio. There, we had plans to go back out, but none of seem to have the energy to do so. Instead, we continued to relax and visit with each other until Stefanie and Thomas headed back to their hotel for the night.

 

 

That night, I spent quite a bit of time scrubbing my black feet. Yep, this is what they looked like after I ran from the MGM to the Luxor. Nasty! Ha ha!

 

 

Sunday, August 26th

Since Stefanie and Thomas had their car in Las Vegas, we decided to venture away and visit the Hoover Dam. It took us about 45 minutes to drive to the dam -- not including our quick stop at Wendy's for lunch. Upon arrival, we found free parking just over the boarder in Arizona. Once again, the sun was hot and there were no clouds in sight. We walked the very windy dam and took our time (carefully!) looking over the edge. It was an incredible sight! We even took the time to drive over the Hoover Dam bridge, but there wasn't much to be seen since the walls were up so high. Still, we all agreed that it was worth it just to say we did it.



 

Later, we went back to explore more of the Las Vegas Strip. We went into Caesar's Palace and were completely blown away by how the hotel just kept going... and going... and going... and going!

 

 

 

Gelato is very popular in Vegas, so Dan and I got some. We also noticed that a lot of the stores are high end brands, so we didn't actually buy much. Once we found an H&M and Express we felt a little more at home.

 

 

Dan and Thomas were so excited about the escalators that curled. I'll admit, they were pretty wild. Now there's something you don't see at your typical mall.

 

 

While we were in Cesar's Palace we saw Da Coach -- Mike Ditka (no photo). He was signing autographs and taking photos with fans for $60 per person -- hence the "no photo".

 

At about 6:00 p.m. Stefanie and Thomas left for home. After we said our goodbyes, Dan and I decided to explore the northern part of Las Vegas Boulevard -- the end that we had yet to see.

 

 

We spent the majority of our evening walking through The Venetian Hotel. For dinner we dined at Enoteca Otto Pizzeria. Dan enjoyed a pepperoni pizza (featuring tomato, mozzarella, and cacio) while I had a delicious pesto pizza (featuring ricotta and olive oil).

 

 

After dinner we caught two outdoor hotel shows, the Sirens of TI (Treasure Island) and the Mirage Volcano. I was amazed at how many small children (and strollers!) were roaming the Strip late at night.

 

 

Of course, our trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't catch the Bellagio fountain show. By this point we had watched the fountain a couple of times from our room. There is a TV station that plays the music, so we can get the full experience. Each time we watched the fountain we heard a different song. It was really neat. The fountain is so powerful, you can hear the water fire into the air from our room and the water even sprayed higher than our floor! Amazing!

 

 

Now, seriously, who can watch the fountain and not think of Ocean's 11? I know we can't. That was part of the reason why Dan chose the Bellagio as our hotel. Great movie.

 

 

To wrap up the evening, we dressed up and hit the penny slots at the Bellagio. At one point Dan turned $1 into $10.28! Ha ha... it was his biggest win the whole trip. Score!

 

 

Later, we sat and sipped some drinks -- Dan finally got to order an Old Fashioned. It was a great way to relax and savor our last night in Vegas.

 

 

Monday, August 27th

Our flight wasn't until 6:10 p.m. so we had some time to just rest and relax in Las Vegas. We checked out of our hotel at 11:00 a.m. and had our luggage put in storage while we enjoyed our last moments on vacation. We went to the Bellagio pool and spent about an hour and a half laying in the sun and enjoying the cool water.

 

 

Later, we went over to the Miracle Mile to check out the shops and to have some lunch. After lunch we strolled over to Koval Lane so I could get her picture taken with the street sign. It was a great way to wrap up our vacation. We certainly got to take our time, enjoying our vacation to the fullest.

 

 

Our very first Las Vegas experience was a blast! While we weren't exactly excited about going home, we were both looking forward to catching up on some much-needed sleep.

 

My parents were kind enough to pick us up from the airport when we landed. As we pulled up to our house I noticed some balloons and goodies by the front door. I was so surprised! Since it was after midnight, it was officially my 30th birthday and the birthday surprises just kept coming!

 

 

Thank you Melanie and Floyd for the surprise! It was a great way to come home from vacation and start my official birthday. Surely this is one birthday I will cherish forever!