Hendrix: Progress Report 1

I've been working really hard with Hendrix. And so far so good. We have been taking walks, and spending time training according to the animal behaviorist. I got his full report and to be honest, it made me really sad.

Statements like: "Hendrix's lack of confidence in the world, coupled with his learned aggressive responses, are unlikely to improve without a significant level of intervention" Awww. |

A lot of people are giving me flack for getting this service for Hendrix because the cost is so great. It's hard to explain, but I really love this dog, and no matter how awful he can be, I love the heck out of him. So, I am hoping the training will work.

I did buy the muzzle this week, and some really yummy treats. (Hendrix is loving the dehydrated liver treats) and he inspected the muzzle but he didn't mind wearing it. Although I got the wrong size, it's a bit too big and he does look menacing wearing one. The roommates call him "Hannibal Lecter" :)

I will keep y'all updated on how its going. I am not going to even think about doggie prozac till May or later. I want to exhaust all options before drugging him up.

This makes me seriously reconsider being a mother. Jeez.

xoxo,
Kelly

Inspection Time!

I had the inspection this morning! It went really well and I learned SO much from my certified home inspector, Scott. He is a partner at Scheunemann Home Inspections.



To be honest, I was kinda nervous about the entire process. This is a make or break if you are buying a house and it’s kinda like the last line of defense before the home is really, really yours. I even called a few friends to ask ... what to expect? One of my friends said that her and her realtor just sat and chatted while the inspection was going on, but with Scott it was different I was all up in it.


The best thing was that I got to "figure" out what everything was. Yes, I could identify a furnace but now I know what to do if something goes wrong. I can correctly go into the basement and re-lite my pilot light. (Oh -- check it out. Scott says if you don’t have a long match you can use raw spaghetti COOL HUH?) He was knocking on windows and showing me window panes, he used his flashlight, measured a bunch of stuff. It was a great time.


Getting down and dirty and measuring inside of a toilet tank, or watching Scott go through a crawl space was pretty neat. Scott also made the time to point out the best ways to figure out the defects on the house. (There were only a few minor ones) All fixable and easy to do. He also suggested simple fixes to make my future home more valuable and increase the market value of the house! Woot!


Long story short, the house is great. A few minor repairs and things that I might want to strongly consider for the future. Things that I am slightly freaked out by: water heater, crawl spaces, and the chimney. Please... birds stay away from my chimney.


For all of you people out there looking for a House Inspector go with Scott. Especially for the young ladies, and families. Also -- he does Truth in Housing reports. So if you are planning on selling. He is an AWESOME resource there too! Good Luck! Click Here for a Link to Scott's website!


Also Scott was a great because he does Truth In Housing reports and that was really good because he would tell me how the report related to what he was finding in his inspection report. It was all very relative and made a lot of sense. I was very happy. Onto the next step!!
Kelly

Home Sweet Home

I am going to be a homeowner!
I have been looking for a house for the past 3 months. And it has been a long process. But, I think I have finally found my dream house! Its definitely a starter home but it will be a great fit for me. Its in Minneapolis. Very close to everything and I am so excited to move in and paint, and do all the things homeowners do.

I am really looking forward to getting down and dirty: Changing air filters, fixing things, a little planting, maybe I will do a few do it yourself projects! I am in the very early stages of the end process. I have my inspection tomorrow morning and the rest will be lots and lots of paperwork. I will try and keep everyone updated on the happenings of buying my first home. I am sure there will be many questions and many answers!

Any advice for a first-timer?? In the meantime, I am so excited and very hopeful that there are NO surprises in the following weeks. Hearts and Hugs!
Kelly

My Take: Healthcare Reform

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Rant! Rant! Rant! Rant!



So this healthcare bill just passed. People are clearly livid about this whole thing.

Rich people are mad because they will be taxed more on Medicare, Some Americans don’t want to modify the healthcare system that we already have going. Other people who don't have insurance will now have insurance- Apparently. It’s a lot of information to swallow at once. I, for one, don’t know quite as much as I should for such a significant change.

Regardless of how you feel about democrats or republicans I think what we have all lost is a form of respect. Using the N-Word? Spitting? Yelling things on the Senate floor? Really? No wonder we have such an incredible problem with the youth. They don't have positive influences in their lives. And they are certainly not getting it from our latest crop of Politicians. I try very hard not to revealed whether I am a Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Tea Party or Independent, and there is a good reason why: I respect other people’s opinions and their right to chose who they feel best represents their interests and values.


To you: Republican Rep. Randy Neugebauer of Texas Yelled “Baby Killer”
To you: Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina Told President Obama “YOU LIE”
Shame on you! Shame on you for being an elected official and not representing your states in an honorable fashion. And finally shame on you for not having respect or decency in a place that carries so much history for our country. Its just plain disrespectful. I thought throwing a shoe at President Bush was disrespectful, this falls right into that despicable category.


And for those of you who say “it’s a sad day in the history of the United States” Really? Really? I challenge you to go back in the history of the United States and look back on “sad days” Or I say to you if you cannot live with the latest healthcare reform measures – pack up your families and head on over to another country that you think will better suit your needs and liberties as a human being.


I am so proud to be an American and proud that I have freedom to express my opinions and live in a country where I can vote, drive, pay taxes, and so on. The cornerstone of being an American is caring about the welfare of its people. I love my freedom of speech and not being censured if I have something to say. So many other countries around this world don’t have the same freedoms that we take for granted. We have prosperity, we have security, and we have law. I am not going down a pro-America rant here; I am just saying at the end of the day, I think that we are going to be okay.
Respectfully Yours,
Kelly

Hendrix = Cujo

I have a beautiful dog. His name is Hendrix, and you will hear many a story of my doggie. He is a maniac. I don't want to even candy coat it. He started to bite strangers, and become aggressive within the last year or so. It’s unfortunate because he is a cuddly sweet dog. I wish that I didn't have to take Hendrix to the vet or the groomer but I do. These trips to the vet started to get a little bit tough within the last 6 months or so. He has tried to bite every vet tech at the wonderful VCA Animal Hospital, and we've visited a few Pet Smart stores and Petco stores because you can't go back because they hate Hendrix. My vet finally thought a good choice would be to have an Animal behaviorist come to my house to diagnose Hendrix.

Dr. Terri Derr from Veterinary Behavior Options came over this evening. This was just the first of many visits, and phone calls and consults we will have to modify Hendrix's behavior. After a lengthy discussion she figured out that my boy, Hendrix has some anxiety issues. He does have issues, and gets kind of obsessed with certain things. I thought this was just cute, but now I am starting to believe it’s a lot more. We now have a plan of action to get the help Hendrix needs. It kind of sucks, remember when we were growing up --and you just had a dog? And you fed it, washed it, and it and you lived happily ever after?? Not anymore. We even discussed doggie Prozac. Can you believe it? Yeah, I am hoping it doesn't come to that but it is a very far, far away option. For some reason this evening, Hendrix was completely adorable, very well behaved and totally calm. I was thinking Hendrix is usually a maniac with crazy tendencies that usually end up with you being bitten and possibly growled at. This didn’t happen, but she did take his "normal" behavior in to account.

This is the first meeting, and I am into it. I will do whatever it takes to make Hendrix a happy and healthy puppy. I am hoping by May 1st I will have some great results. I feel a little bit apprehensive but I am completely down for this transformation. Wish me LUCK!

Kelly

1-2-3 Baby Shower!

The baby shower for my friend Melanie was a success! & I was exhausted. All week long, I was running errands to make sure the event was a really memorable one for Melanie. I was pretty much freaking out over the food choices. I am not much of a cook so making sure that the food was sufficient, tasty, and plentiful. With much discussion I decided to re-create a very popular buffalo chicken dip recipe, and make chicken salad sandwiches. Gotta give a shout out to my roommate Sarah and Tiffany for last minute help. I surely needed it. I also made some bacon wrapped breadsticks. For the dessert, I was going to picked up mini cheesecakes, and the cookies Amanda (the mommy blogger) created.
I decorated the first floor of my house, along with the help of my roommate Sarah. I decided to do a safari theme, but really the theme wasn't well represented. I used yellow crepe paper, and I went all out. Sarah had the idea of printing off the words "Baby Boy Dawkins". We used "BOY “on the glass of my buffet, and "Baby Dawkins" on an empty wall, I completed the look with helium balloons in some bare corners of my living room. (FYI: if you need helium balloons, show up at Party City in the morning of your event, they are fast, friendly and knowledgeable -- about all things balloons) Sarah also had a grand idea of cutting up some of the monkey napkins and we created this wall banner that went vertical on the wall. It was tres chic. In the baby shower decorating biz.
We played games, ate food, opened presents. It was all in all your run of the mill baby shower. By the WAY I want to have a kid just for the crazy amount of stuff you get. Jeez. She cleaned up. And this was 1 of 3 baby showers. Everyone seemed happy for Melanie-- there were 2 other new babies in attendance, and Mel's grandma had one working hearing aid. If that is not a good time I don't know what is.
1 cool thing: I didn't create this idea, but when I sent out invites I asked each guest to buy a book to create a library for Melanie and Rusty and the new babe.  Everyone really got into it, and it was so neat to see the different books that everyone chose.  Someone even picked one of  Rusty's favorites "cloudy with a chance of  meatballs" I suggest this request for your next baby shower. Mel totally walked away with a dozen or so books!
I've always thought of myself as having an eye for decor and event planning. Could I do it as a career? Probably not. But it sure was fun to try. For all the complaining, I was so happy to see the smile and happiness on my dear friend, Melanie's face. I can't wait to meet the little dude.
xoxo,


Kells


PICS SOON-- I hope!

Mamma Mia!

I know I am behind the curve of this whole musical business. My first musical I ever saw was "Grease" and that was in high school. I loved it. You wouldn't peg me as a musical theatre person but I totally dig it. I love the music and seeing live stage performances. After every performance I see I am convinced that I could do it, and that I should just merely add on "actor" to my already full plate. Some community theatre would have me, right??

Tonight, I was lucky enough to go to the Opening Night of Mamma Mia! At the Orpheum theatre in Minneapolis. I actually won the tickets (THANKS VITA.MN) & I was really stoked, I had heard a little bit about the show and of course was a fan of ABBAs music. But not clear on the exact plot line.

I really enjoyed it. The theatre was jammed packed with women, and a bunch of young(er) people. So it was very evident this story was one that resonated with a younger crowd. I was really feelin' the music, the dancing, and the dialogue. I spoke to a few of my coworkers there and we agreed that we really wanted the actors to belt out the tunes.... It’s ABBA for gawd's sake. Get jiggy with it. (I went there. I am sorry, it’s late) I wanted them to turn it up a notch and just get funky -like Swedish funk. One actress stood out from the rest: Kittra Wynn Coomer. She played "Rosie". She totally stole the show. She could play this character with her eyes closed, the mannerisms and life she put into this show was superb.

My roommate Sarah who went with me, sang along to most of the songs, and I think she said she teared up with one of the songs, I don't remember which one (Oops). I really liked the 1st act, as it moved a lot quicker and the music was really fun, light, upbeat... I won't ruin the story but there are some fun twists and turns at the end. Am I the last person on earth to experience Mamma Mia!?? I hope not, but it was a really fun ride.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!


Kelly

I LOVE DIRK!

Anyone who knows me KNOWS I LOVE Dirk. If you are new to the basketball court, I am talking about Dirk Nowitzki, #41 Dallas Mavericks. Dallas was playing the Timberwolves last night at the Target Center, and I got the opportunity to go to the game with a few of my buddies. Here's a few pictures... I was trying to concentrate on the game so not too many "good ones"

 It’s always a good time to see the Mavericks playing well late in the season. It’s almost a given for them to be included in the playoffs although, they haven’t been as successful as Mark Cuban or myself would like.

I have been in love with Dirk, for the past 10-plus years. I know, I know, I have heard the naysayer’s talking trash about my 7 foot German Lover but it’s not all about what is on the outside. I am a huge NBA fan. I love the game, I love watching how the game has evolved, and while some of the Superstars of the game have changed, I do have such a huge amount of respect for SOME of the players. Not all.

The reasons why I love Dirk is because, he seems very unselfish. Not a common trait among NBA players. He is 7 feet tall, and he can still handle the ball. This is very unlikely for a player of his size. Oh, and he has a love for jazz music, plays the saxophone, and seems smitten with rap and hip hop. Favorite moment recently? He said "Jigga Man" in his post game interview because he went to the Jay-Z concert the night before. (Giggle)

Bottom line: He is one of the best in the NBA. He can shoot, defend, dribble the ball -- and I feel like he is constantly getting better. A true student of the game. There are certain players that you just know "get it" they just aren't settling for getting a fat paycheck. He is a student of the game. This guy has a sweet shot. He doesn't miss a ton of games, he is a team leader, and is underrated. I know he is one of the most EFFECTIVE players in the NBA right now.

I love his hustle. This is the same guy who got his tooth knocked out during a game. And returned the favor against Rockets Carl Landry this year. Plain and simple he is the epitome of a well adjusted and talented player who is effective on both sides of the ball. I can't talk about his personal drama that dogged him at the end of last post season. I am sure if you google you will find it. But, I do hope he is still single and searching... :)

So you're saying I have a chance?!!


Love You Dirk!!
Kelly

Few other observations:
-Najera is less of a threat, still made a defense impact
-Dallas has a decent chance in the Playoffs although, they don't seem tough enough to stop a tough Lakers team.
-Didn't realize Dwayne Casey was on the coaching staff
-Remember Dallas had a campaign "talent knows no border" When they had Najera, Zhizhi and Nash? Well they still got it going with (Najera, Barea, Dirk, and Beaubois)
-With injuries, Dallas bench wasn't deep.
-Al Jefferson was back after the suspension. Made his presence known.

Lost Friends

Sorry I have been off the blog-tip for a bit. I apologize. No excuses. But I have a lot more in my arsenal of blog topics. Maybe. Sorry RANT alert... Rant Alert... Rant Alert...



This is more of a RANT than a true blog but it’s just been on my mind for awhile. You know I have always prided myself on being a good friend. My family lives pretty far away and I have always needed my friends for support, guidance, advice-- you get it. So there is a greater emphasis on my friendships. So my main pet peeve with some friends is that they straight up leave when they gain a guy.

 Don't get me wrong. I am a big supporter of relationships and when my girls get a dude I am super hyped. I like handing out advice --even when it’s not asked or appreciated. I like being a sounding board, someone who isn't afraid to listen and not judge. So that is why I have such a huge problem with that "girlfriend" who completely ignores you and others because she now has a "relationship" Remember that valuable friendship that you shared? Remember the laughter and the fun, the teasing and drinks. The simple phone calls talking about a minor thing that made you laugh out loud? Yeah I guess not quite.

This isn't directed at anyone in particular but -- I don't know if it's the single girl in me that causes me to be the victim of this but ...yep I have been there quite a bit. And if I can be candid (why not it's my own blog, right?) Its one of the most riduculous things to have happen to a friendship. Aren't women multi-taskers by nature? Why would you ever ditch your friends for a guy? And let alone a guy you just met, or not even a person that you want to end up with. I have such a hard time with this instance because I know how I feel every time this happens. The sadness of wondering how your "friend" is, or just the loneliness of having a friend at one moment and going weeks without even speaking to her. Oh and I can't forget that this isn't a female-only thing. I have had plenty of guys that are ghost when they start dating a young lady. I can spout off about a dozen names of guys who have done this and I haven't heard from them since. I guess it makes you think that -- perhaps they weren't your "friend" in the first place, or maybe you were filling a void that the new partner somehow filled. I guess I will just reflect on what friendships mean to me. I love the feeling of new relationships and I love the feeling of being wanted, and having the thoughts of finding your mate. But can't you girls manage friendships, work, life, family, and a significant other? It doesn't seem too hard, right?


I am not a love hater....I promise. I love LOVE. C'mon girls. I have high expectations. I want you to be there for me and him. Anyhow, the bad thing is, they don't come back the same. They usually are jaded, or happy. Or chose to spend time with couples rather than the singles. I have a core group of very close, very strong women that I am proud to call friends. And regardless of experience, I would hope that my past will lead me to being a better friend to them.




xoxo,

Kelly