Saying goodbye...

Thanksgiving morning, they announced that this season is, indeed, Alias' final. My first thought was, THANK GOODNESS!!! It's just been downright painful to watch this year. But then I think back to the first two years and how amazing they were and I realize that we said good-bye to it a long time ago. Of course, in this day and age, when truly quality shows are cancelled on a producer's whim- Arrested Development, Kitchen Confidential, Family Guy, etc..., Alias' five seasons is a pretty impressive amount of time for a show to last.

We shall always have the DVD's!!!

Thanking

So, I've been mulling over a post on thanksgiving and thankfulness, unable to say anything new about it. Then I checked my email this morning, and read my daily e-devotional from [get ready for a shameless plug...] www.purposedrivenlife.com and it said it all! I thought it was great- and wanted to share it all with you! Happy Thanksgiving!

What Thanksgiving Can Do by John Fischer

The worst moment for an atheist comes when he is really thankful and has no one to thank. - Unknown

Thanksgiving is the theme song of the Christian. For a Christian not to be thankful is like a dog not to wag his tail at his owner's approach.

Thankful Christians walk around grateful for every breath, every sunset, every new morning, every color in the color spectrum, and every star in the sky. Like an alcoholic who is clean and sober, noticing beauty and taste for the first time, we are grateful just to be alive because we have been dead for so long.

It's hard to think of one vice that the virtue of thankfulness cannot render useless. One does not need to steal when one is thankful. A man does not covet his neighbor's wife when he is thankful for his own. No one craves more when he is grateful for what he has.

In the same way, a thankful heart cancels out pride and arrogance. No need to judge other people when you are thankful for who you are. No need to measure yourself by and compare yourself to others when you are thankful for what God has done in your life. No need to keep anyone out of the kingdom of God when you're overwhelmed that you got in. (God can let in anyone He wants. I am simply glad to be counted among the saved.)

You don't care if you get the important seat at the table when you are overcome with gratitude at simply being invited to the dinner. You don't put heavy weights on other people's shoulders when you are thankful that God has lightened your own load. You are not obsessed with what other people think of you when you are overwhelmed with the fact that God is thinking about you all the time. You don't demand respect when you are thankful for your place. You don't have to hide your own sin when you are already thankful for God's forgiveness. You don't have to protect your image when you are already number one with God. You don't have to condemn other people's blindness when it's only the grace of God that has allowed you to see. You don't have to try for the highest place when you are already grateful for whatever place you were given. You don't have to make a show of spirituality when you are thankful for having received the Spirit. You don't have to clothe yourself in holy robes when you have been already clothed in righteousness. You don't have to be full of yourself when you are thankful that God has filled you up with Himself.

Not only do we have a lot to be thankful for, our thankfulness can accomplish much.

This is Flirting. This is Flirting on Chaser and Endorphins.

So, from my cockpit-like view of the goings-on of Life Time Fitness, I witness exactly what an excess of caffeine and endorphins can do to (hopefully) single men and women trying their darndest to flirt. There are three specific situations I've noted, so choose your favorite. They are all clearly winners.

1. The Playful Towel-Snap: It's not really hard enough to sting, and it's usually met with the "snapped" grabbing the towel and pulling. Throughout the giggly exchange, the towel may be passed back and forth between the couple until a third party walks by and interrupts the conversation.

2. The Seemingly-Witty Observation:
Woman- "Those lights look like donuts to me!"
Man- "What?"
Woman- "Donuts! Or bagels, maybe."
Man- "I can see that."
Woman- "I've never noticed that before!" (twitter...)

3. The "Clearly-I'm-in-here-every-day,-you-don't-think-my-butt-looks-this-good-by-itself-do-you?, but-will-tell-you-I-can-never-make-it-because-my-busy-social-calendar-just-sucks-up-so-much-of-my-charismatic-time" Conversation Starter.
Enough said.

Brilliant to the Bitter End

So, those of us still mourning the eminent demise of The Best Show On Television, Arrested Development, can rest assured the cast, creators and writers know how to take their bow. This was recently on tvguide.com:

In the News: Arrested Development, 24 and More!
Friday, November 18, 2005

HYSTERICAL DEVELOPMENT: Leave it to Arrested Development to mine the tragedy of its imminent death for laughs. Per Variety, series creator Mitch Hurwitz is planning an episode that will poke fun at Fox's decision to reduce the show's episode order from 22 to 13, effectively canceling it. In the episode, titled "S.O.B." for "Save Our Bluths," the Bluth clan considers throwing a fund-raiser to save their construction company from shutting down. In one scene, Jason Bateman's Michael notes, "Our backs are against the wall.... It's just hard for me to accept that it's really come to begging." There's even a conversation about whether the Home Builders Organization (HBO) might be willing to come to their rescue. That idea is quickly nixed though, leading George Sr. to say, "I guess it's Showtime. We'll put on some kind of show at the [fund-raiser]." Meanwhile, after reading this item on TVGuide.com, the American public released the following statement: "Huh? I don't get that last joke. I told you this show was dumb."

Ziggy

So, we have what are called "Member Advisers" at the gym. Essentially, they are the salespeople that are trying to get you to join. They aren't as bad as you think, in fact- I was most impressed with them when I joined a year ago. However, they have to hit these astronomical goals, and if they don't within 90 days, they're let go. Needless to say, there's quite a turnover.



There is a new member adviser here who looks, for lack of a better description, like Ziggy. I'm sure he's a really nice guy, but he walks by my desk at least 40 times a day and EVERY TIME he says something terribly original like, "Are we having fun yet?" (or "Smile!", which, not having a terribly happy neutral face is a comment I get often, yet always manages to illicit the exact opposite reaction out of me...I can't imagine why). My usual response is a cherry "Always!" and he smiles and moves on. Every day, it's the same... 40 times a day...

But he changed it up a bit lately. As I said before, Ziggy, albeit nice, is not very original, and now says- wait for it- "Still having fun?" every time he sees me. Are you KIDDING me? Please, DEAR GOD, help me!!! It's getting to the point that it's sucking whatever wit I may have had out of my brain and drying up whatever friendly smile I might have on my face. AND HE LOOKS LIKE ZIGGY!

So, friends, I implore you, help me regain the will to wit. What can I say to Ziggy the next time he says "Are we having fun yet?" And, remember, I have to see him all the time. Every day. 40 times.

And he looks like Ziggy, for the love of all things funny!!!

Noooooooooooo!!!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051111/tv_nm/shows_dc

I know...I know...

Nick's parents visited this past weekend, and mom and I got a little crazy with the cameras, and how cute Maeby was in her first independent trip into our backyard!


I have to admit, at one point, I did try to shove her hind end into this stump in order to achieve the ultimate in cute pictures...then, a few hours later, lamented that crazy nut Anne Geddes who shoves babies into women's hoisery, hangs them from the ceiling and takes pictures of them. What a hypocrite I am.











Then, after a long day...she sure loves to cuddle. And I certainly don't mind.

Disturbing Kids' Activities

So, I was searching today for Circus-themed preschool activities and found this. Does anyone else find this one incredibly morbid?

Bake a Buried Clown Cake:
1. Bake a sheet cake; cool.
2. Frost the cake with chocolate icing.
3. Make the Clown Cones: Scoop round balls of ice cream into sugar cones; turn the cones upside down onto a plate of cookie sheet; and doecorate the ice cream clown faces with frosting tunes, using the cone as the clown's hat. Keep in the freezer until cake time.
4. To assemble, place Clown Cones on top of the cake, ice cream side down, evenly spaced, one for each child, so the clowns look as though they are buried beneath the cake and only their heads are sticking up.

So, essentially, what you're left with is a clown graveyard. Ummm...I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if this is a healthy kid activity.

Ryan? Thoughts?

Attacks with roast pork...

So, many of you know that I have a great deal of respect for winemaking and winemakers. Nick and I are absolutely facinated by this ancient art that has spanned time, countries, and beliefs. We love that winemaking is, at its core, a community art that takes decades, and even years to perfect and is ALWAYS evolving, even as the bottle of wine evolves. And we also love that small-scale winemaking is rarely about the alcohol, drunkenness, or the amount you can drink through a keg while standing on your head, but is about that one taste that speaks of centuries of work. And, when you taste something that complex and that intriguing, you know that the next sip won't be the same, and if you have it again next month it won't be the same. So, sometimes, just one sip is enough. Which is what makes it so special.



We spent 5 days in Napa and Sonoma Valley with Kim and Kurt last spring, and had just a glorious time. I discovered that I have a pretty sensitive pallete when, paired with my outspoken nature, can result in some fairly humorous moments of me expelling a mouthful into the "excess wine pitcher" as the sommelier (wine expert) waxed poetic about the nutty vanilla of this or that.



One of the best things about wineophiles is the plethora of words they've seemingly invented to describe wine- check out this tasting notes generaor and describe some wine of your own!

http://www.gmon.com/tech/stng.shtml

And, do try the Elegant and over-ripe Cabernet. Attacks with roast pork, zelous fois gras and dainty green tea. Drink now through when the cows come home.

Yeah, So, We Think Our Dog is Pretty Cute.

She seems pretty relaxed here at this Double Dekker household.

People Training

So, we've spent a very entertaining last 84 hours. Maeby is just so cute we can hardly stand it. We have to keep reminding ourselves that she is just a baby, though. It's very easy to forget sometimes, because she looks like a small dog. She gets startled easily, and plays easily, and forgets things easily. She sleeps A LOT- far more than we had expected, and just LOVES her kennel. So, crate training is going well. House training is a challenge- but we never leave her alone- not even for one second, and she has started going to the door when she wants to go out! (See the previous post for a lovely mental picture...)

More than anything, however, we're learning how to train OURSELVES. One of the things that we've read (and heard from the MILLIONS of experts on dog training out there), is that, in order to train correctly, we must set routines and boundaries for Maeby. But she's a PUPPY and needs to test these boundaries. We just need to reinforce what the proper things are to do, and not just yell NO all the time.

For example, as part of the housetraining, we take her out when she gets up from a nap, after eating, and when she goes to the door. She got up from a nap last evening and we wanted to play with her. 20 minutes go by, and she squats on the floor and pees...we say no and promptly take her outside, confused why she did this. Then we realized our mistake. We hadn't taken her out right after she got up. Our fault.

Also, when Maeby starts chewing on stuff- such as curtain cords, rocking chairs, and tiny pumpkins, she has NO IDEA that these things are not toys. All she knows is that Nick and I yell NO! and then get all flustered as we remove the object. It dawned on us when we had taken Maeby upstairs and she started chewing on the hanging blinds cords in our room. We said NO! and took them away, but realized very quickly how ridiculous this must have looked to a puppy. "Oooo- look! Strings with little wooden balls on the end, this looks just like that thing I chew on downstairs- talk about FUN!...I think I'll chew on it for a bit...wait-why are they yelling?...?" It's a puppy's natural inclination to play with stuff- and our house is just at the beginning stages of being puppy proof.

We're reinforcing to her what our toys are, but the one thing we have to realize that when we're saying "good dog" to catching sticks in the yard, and then we go inside and we freak out when she starts gnawing on our amish rocking chair (fashioned out of what can only be described as sticks), that is CONFUSING to a tiny dog. Heck, that's confusing to ME!

Of course, we're not about to take the blame for this dog's actions for the rest of her life. We're really being strict with her, but praising the bejeezus out of her, too. We just need to make our house, and routines, more conducive to training a dog! And we need to stop just looking at her and saying "SHE'S JUST SO FREAKING CUTE!"

A Mental Picture Gift

So, one of the things about puppy training that anyone will tell you is that punishment and yelling don't work, but praise works wonders (I could take that to a whole other metaphysical level, but I'll spare you). So, most books say, make a HUGE deal out of a puppy doing something right. I have imagined a few times what it would sound like to get help on this issue. ***Ring...Ring..."Hello? Rockettes? Yes, I was wondering how much it would cost to hire a few dancing girls to perform a celebratory kickline every time my dog takes a dump..."***

I give you: Beth celebrating this blessed event...

I got up two nights ago to take Maeby out. (I have this incessant fear that her tiny, acorn-sized bladder is going to explode...) So, there I am, at 3:45 AM, in front of our house, in slippers, PJ pants and a t-shirt, waiting for this little dog to crap. A minute goes by...two minutes...three minutes...then, she goes! Well, I am just so thrilled that I can get back into bed, but remember that I have to praise her, so I proceed to clap and jump up and down and coo "Good DOG, Maeby, Good dog! Outside! Good Dog!" for like a minute solid. I'm petting her, and talking all high and cuddling her, and then, all at once, I realize I am making a HUGE amount of noise at 3 in the morning, and I should probably go back inside...but not before I think what this must have looked like to our neighbors, should they have been awakened by my celebration of the early morning dump of my little dog.

So, there. A Mental Picture. Merry Christmas from me to you.

Introducing Maeby Ray Magic!

Well, yesterday we added another member to our little family, in the way of an eight-week old Yellow Labrador Retriever! After a number of years of talking and praying about it, we decided it was time for a little discipline! And, boy, did we get it! She's a very good dog, very smart, and such a flirt!



We have talked a lot about treating her like a dog, instead of a daughter, so we're not going to call us "mom" and "dad," and try not to spoil her! But...we couldn't resist a cute little pink collar and leash!



She comes from quite a lineage of Labs- we recieved a 3 generation AKC litter certificate with her purchase. Some of these names crack me up! Her parents were Brutus Buckeye Boy and Sloopy Bethel Wenning, and some of her grandparents were Fast Fearless Fred of Wabash, Drooping Daisie in the Woods, Ike's Pride Kock D'Kreme, and Big Bad Buster Brown VI! You can't make up names like this! We wanted to give her a name worthy of such ancestors! Therefore, Maeby Ray Magic! Maeby is a nickname for Mae (and a character from Arrested Development), Ray is the name her breeders called her- and we wanted to honor them in that this was the last of a litter of 10 to give away, and it was very hard for them. Magic is in honor of my family's Black Lab, whose full name was Buddy Black Magic. He was a great dog, and had to be put to sleep a number of years ago. He's one of the reasons we wanted a lab!



Our first night with her was good- even though one of us was up every two hours to take her outside- but she really liked her kennel and was very good otherwise. We've gotten so much advice on having a dog; it seems like everyone has had a completely different experience! I've had stacks of books in my hand, each one saying something opposite the one before! We're trying to use information that specifically targets Labs, and we're being very strict with her.



She's going to be a huge dog- you can tell by her paws! And, we're having fun so far! She's a real sweetheart and we can't wait for everyone to meet her!