Good and Timely News

Well Matt certainly has taken the reigns with our blog lately. I love it. I love reading what he writes about our lives from his perspective. I hope he keeps it up.
I am very happy that this week is only 3 days long. I can’t wait to travel and see so many of each of our families. I can’t believe how well everything worked out, trying to organize 3 different Thanksgivings. Matt and I are going to be stuffed with food by this weekend. I am excited about driving and not having to limit what I bring back. It would be nice if we were making the trip in a nice new Highlander…but we are not done looking and test driving yet and my civic will really save us on gas. Plus, we want to compare prices in the Kansas City area. I am looking forward to heading to the Honda dealership to look at the Pilot.
Anyhow, I promised good news so here it is. Today I was officially accepted to Purdue University for my M.S. in Geomatics! My heart was beating so fast as I opened up that email. (Yes, it’s email now instead of the old fashioned mailed letter.) I instantly relaxed when I read the first word: “Congratulations.”Mixed in with my excitement is fear. I hope I can be successful with this program. I’ve seen some of the textbooks, and they look eerily similar to my meteorology texts with all of the frightening equations. It is also a distance program, so I will be responsible for downloading lectures and homework. I won’t have the professors available in person to ask for help. It will take a lot of work and focus on top of a full time job that already requires that of me. I think Matt and I better raise our coffee budget.

Weekend Update

Just a quick post about the weekend.

I am getting excited for thanksgiving break and seeing family and stuff. I have had a good amount of time off of work now and am going to be able to use it to actually go home. Plans are to see Lor's family first in Kingman and then head to KC for my family. It will be fun and filling as I'm sure we will get lots of food. Hopefully we can see some friends somewhere along the way.

This weekend we were just kinda lazy. It was fun. We did manage to do some research and test drove a couple of cars. It takes a long time to do that when the sales people talk a lot. We are looking at something a little bigger (SUV-type) so that we can have room to travel from here to the mountains to home with the dogs and other large objects (i.e. skis).

We started with Toyota because we have friends with the 4Runner who just love it, so we wanted to look at that. While we were there we wanted to look at the Highlander also. Both of the cars we liked. I think if we had to decide right now, we would go with the Highlander because of a bunch of little things; things like having a third row seat, and the fact that it gets better gas mileage.

Other than our trip to Toyota, we just hung out with friends and played with the puppies, who can never get enough attention. I am excited this week for all the sports stuff that is on (KU basketball Monday and Tuesday), so I will probably be busy watching that. I'm sure we will have more posts after thanksgiving, but since we will be out of town we will probably not do one between Wednesday and Sunday. But who knows. TTFN (tatafornow).

Puppy Picture:

Return of the Matt

So, this is Matt again. It had been a while (ok a really long time) since I last blogged here for y'all and thought I would start up again. I will try to do more regular posts to give everyone my point of view on the world as well as some more pictures that, at this time, are only on my computer.

First things first, the puppy!! Perdi is soooo cute. I know Laura felt bad a little bit about getting another dog cause we had it so good with Pongo, and he had it so good with us, but now he has a buddy to play with. They are really cute together, whether they are just laying there or chasing each other in the back yard. The thing that gets me about Perdi is her eyes. She has these bright green eyes. I just melt when she looks at me all tired with her eyes. Here is a pic that I took to demonstrate:



Here is another one with her just being cute, same day:








And now an obligatory picture of Pongo being cute. This is when we were driving with Susie to the mountains. I just love the picture and am glad I was in the backseat to take it. Pongo likes to face the back of the car between the front seats. Here you go









So now that i have mentioned the puppies, what else is going on. Well, I am working a lot and I like it for the most part. Sometimes it is really busy (it has been this last week), but if everyone helps out a little bit, it is not too bad. I think that when more people help, it really brings the staff together. There is sometimes a lack of cohesiveness between the staff, but when everyone is working on the same thing (like checking medications for the hospital for a 12 hour period) it brings everyone together.

I really like making interventions on orders that make a difference. It makes me feel like I am really there for a reason. When the nurses and medical residents make my job difficult or don't understand what I am talking about I feel as though I can't fully do my job. Just the other day, I was telling one of my managers about a situation that arose that I tried to make an intervention on, and she was really impressed. This happened in front of the residents who were impressed (as they should be because I'm awesome *wink**wink*) and they said that I always caught stuff. Made me feel like I was doing a good job. Eh, its the little things that count right?

The residents that I work with are pretty cool too. They work a ton and I do not wish to be in there shoes. Since I have worked with them, it made me realize that I did not work enough with the pharmacists at Children's Mercy. I did eventually get to know them, but I think I would have had more fun had I worked more with them earlier in the year.

So the other stuff that has been going on is that Laura and I are getting ready for ski season. We have our skis rented and are in the process of getting all our gear. I'm pretty excited to learn how to ski and I think it will be fun with Laura. I'm really glad that we got a good phone plan together with text messaging cause that makes my days better. When I can text her when I need something its great. I wish I wasn't as busy at work because I would talk with her more, especially since its night, but I try to talk as much as I can. Maybe with the next schedule I will land some shifts that have better hours so that I can spend some time @ home @ night with her. I think I would like that :).

Finally, I love sports. College basketball has started and I'm already eating it up. I can't wait so see how my Kansas Jayhawks do this year after losing a starting five that won a national championship. On that note, as I said earlier I will post more, but I will also be starting my own sports themed blog with my opinions and insights into as many sports as I have time for. It will most likely have a bunch of stuff about KU, but seeing as I graduated from there, it should. I will post a link in the comments and will put it in a post later. Talk to you all soon and comment, comment on our blogs (especially Lor's). Adios and Aloha.

Puppy Dog Tails

Life is certainly more entertaining these days. I am so proud of Pongo for getting over his jealousy and becoming a great "big brother" to Perdi. I have received some great tips from friends and the internet today for crate training and Perdi is already making good progress even though she is still a bit young to be left in the crate for significant periods of time (aka, an hour) but she is just starting to understand that she can go in there and hide from Pongo. He sometimes gets a bit too rough with her. We'll see how tonight goes, sleeping wise.



She's chewing a puppy approved bone.

Sleeping in the sun.

I'm still contemplating options for thanksgiving. My mom sarcastically said we certainly picked great timing to get this dog, with the holidays coming up. She is right, of course. One of my co-workers offered to watch Perdi, which would certainly make things much easier. The only drawbacks are that she couldn't meet all of her Kansas relatives and we also risk losing whatever progress we have made with her training at that point. We will definietely bring Pongo back with us. I can't believe we'll be leaving in a week!

New Girl

Well call us crazy but we brought another little beagle home to join our family last Friday. Her name is Perdi (to go along with the 101 Dalmations theme) and she is a dream to train so far compared to Pongo. For example, she sleeps in the car instead of panting wildly. Her biggest downfall is the crying (shrieking) at night. It gets better each day though. So we are going through the stresses and sleeplessness of puppy training again. I think this must be like what having a second child is like. Luckily, the weather is cooperating wonderfully for potty training.



Pongo is sharing his things well, including his water bowl. At first, he just wanted his space, but he is warming up to her and even plays with her quite often, even though she is so small.

I love having a girl dog! Here, I have her dressed up in a little pink hoodie. I know she'll grow out of it, but I wanted to have a keepsake of her size when we got her.

Almost everyone I have asked advice about beagles on has told me that they are much better in pairs. I can NOT imagine training two at a time, so I'm glad we waited until Pongo is fully trained to do this. I am hoping that when she gets older, Perdi will help Pongo get over his seperation anxiety. I'm sure it will either help or get twice as bad. I guess it's a bit of a gamble. I'm hoping I'm a little wiser this time around with the training. We are going much slower with the crate. Do any of you beagle owners out there have any suggestions for crate training? So far, we are just feeding her in her crate and giving her treats and a stuffed Kong with the door open. She sleeps in the laundry room, so she is not spending significant amounts of time in the crate yet. I'm hoping we can make some progress by the time we leave for our travels next week. Yikes!

Anyway, for those of you who think we are nuts for doing this, I was feeling the exact same way as I lay awake listening to her cry the first couple of nights. But I have Pongo to prove that things get just better with patience. So if anything, this dog is giving me a lesson in patience, which I need to be reminded of every day.

In the world of work today, I attended the Pecora conference (a remote sensing conference) and got to spend time visiting with some of my former co-workers. It was so cool to see them and a little weird to be in the same room as old and new co-workers. It was also great to get away from the desk for a day!

A Hike, Kansas Style

Here are some of the pictures from our latest trip back to Kansas.


A view of the plaza from atop the Intercontinental Hotel. (That was where the wedding and Sunday brunch were held.)


Ahhh Kansas City, we miss you!

Sunday evening's hike on the Konza Prairie with my family.

My camera is horrible at night, but I thought this picture of my mom was cool.

The brother and I.

Posing with my husband. I LOVE THIS PICTURE.

I still love the view as much as any out here in Colorado.

Yikes, a HUGE wolf spider! I almost stepped on it.

Crossing the bridge, no more than three people at a time as the signs warned.

Automatic Bathrooms

Here’s a new topic, strange as it may be: automatic toilets. We have them at work, and while I understand the idea behind them, I think they are dumb. Maybe it’s just the ones I deal with every day, but these things are so sensitive that as soon as I am one second from sitting down, they decide to flush. Not only is this a waste of water, but it’s annoying, especially if you really have to go to the bathroom. I’d rather just use my foot to flush…
Now I am a good girl and wash my hands after I use the bathroom. But some of the ladies in this office building crack me up. They won’t even touch the door handle after washing their hands. (Sorry if you are one of these people.) I hate germs as much as the next person, but the reality is that they are everywhere. We are constantly in contact with them and no matter how many precautions we take, they are going to get on us unless we live in a bubble of Purell. Using the handicap button to automatically open the bathroom door is silly. And it leaves the door wide open for an extended time, taking away the privacy of the bathroom, even though there are still the stall doors. I admit, I am shy in public restrooms. So it’s hard enough to go there, especially with the main door wide open!
On to other topics: Matt and I rented our skis for the season. We have our first date set for skiing in a couple weeks, in which we plan to spend a lot of time taking lessons. I really want to buy some ski pants. You know, the kind you used to wear when you were a little kid. The kind with the straps that go over your shoulders to keep them up…hopefully we can find some on sale. I think we missed the big ski sale already at Sports Authority. Honestly, we have no idea what we need and will just learn as we go. We did get some good thick ski socks though, so that’s a start. At least all of the resorts on our ski pass are open now. We definitely have a choice of where to go. I am very excited about this and other things that will be coming up in posts in the near future…

General Post

Yep, that's the most creative title I could come up with today. There really is no theme to this post so I guess it's fitting. I feel like I always talk about the same things anyway. I am in a major posting rut with new stuff to say. Anyway, here goes...
I can’t believe it’s November already! The Christmas decorations are going up and it’s getting colder, yet I have not seen or heard any songs or commercials via TV/radio. Perhaps this is because I don’t watch nearly as much TV as I used to and I listen to talk radio almost all day. I read a lot at night for fun. I am going to miss that if/when I start school again. I still haven’t heard anything, but it’s only been 5 days since the application due date. I hope I can finish the Twilight series before then. I am on book 2 of 4 and can’t put them down! I’m sure many of you know what I am talking about.
I am anxiously and selfishly awaiting the upcoming weekend. It’s going to be a Matt/Laura weekend unless we get any invitations from friends. We don’t have any major plans other than movie-going and KU Basketball watching. I also plan on doing some cleaning and organizing. The Halloween decorations still need to come down! We have had so much going on lately with weddings and visitors, for which we are very lucky. I would not trade that for anything. In the past few weeks, I have been able to shop and do girly things and explore Colorado and see family and friends whom I miss dearly. I’ve had so much fun. I’m just also looking forward to having my husband to myself for a couple of days.
Work was much easier today after getting so much sleep last night. I am on a good pace with the airports and have saved myself from working nights alone so far because of this. It is strange going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark now. I am having problems deciding what to do with my running habit. No matter what time I leave work, it is dark when I get home. I hate running by myself in the dark, but I also refuse to give up now. My three saving graces are that Pongo is a good running companion most of the time, there are many others out running and walking when I am, and our neighborhood is very safe and well lit in most areas. Still, I asked Matt to get me a little hand held bottle of pepper spray just in case.
I suppose I ought to join the gym near our house. Running a million laps around an indoor track is just so boring and offers no hills or changes in scenery and I can’t take the dog. Swimming is an option I am considering. That may become my winter activity. I sure will miss running my route though. It’s like an old friend. I always know what to expect.
I have some beautiful Kansas pictures to post soon. If I get motivated, they might be up later tonight or tomorrow. Also, I plan on doing a photo purge of pictures from Matt’s camera. I have a CD full of those just waiting…

A Huge Helping of Sleep

This week has not been the best for sleep, at least in my case. I realized it is not a great idea to start the week by hopping on a flight from KC to Denver on Monday morning and then jetting straight to work after that. We had to get up at 5 am Kansas time (4 am Mountain). I could barely make it the 8.5 hours I spent at work that day. Tuesday was normal, sleepwise, which meant I still only got 6.5 hours of sleep. Any progress I made was all for naught though yesterday night. I stayed up past midnight watching the election results. This was my own fault.
Tonight I got home and immediately fell into bed. No running, no dinner, NOTHING. It felt SO GOOD. I did worry Matt by not responding to texts or phone calls for 4 hours. But sometimes, you've just got to turn everything off in your life and let your body get what it needs. In my case, a huge helping of sleep.
Matt and I had a wonderful weekend back in Kansas. We were attending a friend's wedding, which was not only beautiful, but one of the fanciest weddings I've ever been to. Sunday, we were able to drive to Manhattan for dinner and some Kansas-style hiking with my family on the Konza Prairie. Being in Manhattan made me feel like we haven't even moved, although we have now lived in Denver for 4 months! It was so great to see both mine and Matt's families and I am happy we are able to get back two months in a row. We will be making the drive back to Kansas for Thanksgiving. This will allow us to take Pongo, as well as bring back as many trinkets from KC as we desire. It is hard to try and fly everything back, but a 1.5 hour flight sure is appealing over a 9 hour drive! I can't imagine how Karen and Valor (the couple who got married this weekend) will get all of their wedding gifts back to Seattle via airplane...
When we fly to KC, Matt and I usually opt to fly Frontier just because it's direct and we've never had any problems with them. Their planes are nice and I like the LiveMap, which tracks where you are in the sky. Our most recent trip began Saturday morning, Nov. 1 (Matt had to work Friday night). When we arrived at the Frontier ticketing counter, we were appalled to realize that we had to pay an extra $30 to check both of our bags. Apparently, Nov. 1 was the FIRST DAY that they began adding this charge for every checked bag. Great timing! It seems like the airline industry is getting a little out of control. It seems like they should encourage people to check bags so that there is less in the cabin, allowing people to get on and off the plane faster. However, I wish they would just add $15 to each of our tickets! I hate paying even more at the airport. Okay there, I'm done whining! :)