So Stinkin' Cute

According to the shelter, Dexter was approximately 8 weeks old on July 12. Of course, being a dog, he can't tell them if this true or not, so I have to assume their expertise has prevailed. So......those that aren't counting that puts mister Dexter at approximately 18 weeks.

For those of you that have not met him yet, he is the biggest cuddler EVER. He would lick the skin right off your face if you'd let him. He continues to be very mellow puppy, which is the biggest "THANK GOD" I can yell and he is excelling at his training. He has been attending puppy kindergarten for the past month and is throughly enjoying every minute. His best friend in the class is Berkley. She is a wire-haired terrier who just runs him ragged every week. This class will end soon and his new class, Dog Adolecence, starts right away. I have to give some free advertising to Cindy, our trainer. She is absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend her for any training needs that you have. She can be found at http://www.thepuppyplayhouse.com/

Dexter is completely potty trained and still non destructive. (well, except for a leash handle. It ended up digesting just fine in case you were wondering. TMI... I know. I am happy that at least it was not my shoes) Lately there have been a few nights, or should I say stinkin' early mornings that he has woke me up with the utmost urgency to GGGGOOOO!!! I guess I should be happy he hasn't left a nice big mess in his bed, but 4:00am, really? Do they make doggy sleeping pills? LOL

His very best friend, by far, is Sadie!!! He absolutely loves her, even though I really don't think the feeling is completely mutual. Let's just say that she is very good at tolerating him. We go to a really neat, local dog park where Sadie sliced her pad open chasing after a ball. She limped and laid around for about 4 days. which is completely abnormal for her. Dexter was very concerned and had to be right next to her (or sit on her head, whatever was convenient for him) every chance he got. What nice loving pups I have. :-)

So if you are lacking some serious dog kisses, feel free to come over and stock up. Dexter is always more than happy to give them away.

Pepper Spray, Tasers and Guns..... OH MY!!!!

Eric's new world of being a police officer includes some daredevil activities. Target shooting, defensive training and simulated high-speed chases are the "adrenaline pumping" drills they have to do. During the academy all recruits have to be pepper sprayed and complete a make shift obstacle course, however, being tased while all your comrads watch is voluntary. If you don't, well...... I guess your police buddies won't let you hear the end of it. I don't know about you, but no amount of money could make me want to have either of these things done.

Eric's Big Dream

For as long as I have known Eric, (which was 10 years last October) he has wanted to be a police officer. When we were first married he didn't think that he would pass all of the requirements for the job, so he started taking courses to be a dispatcher instead. I don't really remember what happened to that venture.... something about typing...... but anyhoo, it went by the wayside due to all of the other things that he had going on. Fast forward 7 years, and he brings up the police thing again. He is gung ho to get in shape for the testing for a couple of local departments. This time he just wants to start out as a reserve. In case you didn't know, that's when you get to be shot at for free. Yeeehaaaa, just what the wife wants.

So last June, he started the process of testing. First there is the physical test. I guess it is was 5 minutes of hell, however Eric passed with flying colors. Then came the written test, which again was passed with no problem. He is one smart cookie. Next was the oral interview. Now.... this was the scariest for Eric. You sit in front of a panel of police officers and councilmen and talk about yourself like you were the best freakin' guy on earth. FUN!!!! with a capital "F". Most of us can toot our own horn once in a while, but it is not easy for Eric. Finally, once you have passed all of this, you are sent the background investigation packet to fill out. Talk about a nightmare..... 30+ pages of information. The best thing.... all departments need one if you make it through the first 3 tests. Thank God for friends that have been through this process as they passed on some helpful information to assist in the tediousness of these background forms. I do want to "halla" out to all those that sent glowing reviews of Eric last year. Thank you, thank you , thank you!!!

As anticipated, Eric passed the background check with flying colors,was sworn in at the department and started the reserve academy 3 days later.









From September to February, 3 times per week, Eric was shooting and studying, driving and cuffing, being maced and taised, having a blast and making new friends. He graduated from the academy February 9th, 2008 and has been consistently volunteering ever since.

In June, he decided that this was the career he wanted and began the process for a full time job with 2 nearby departments. I am happy to report that he did a phenomenal job and was all stressed for nothing. He was in the top 10 out of 67 applicants (they were only hiring 1 officer) for one dept. and he is currently ranked #1 for the other.

So here I am, the very proud wife, wanting to share this with you. He has worked so hard to achieve this dream and continues to surprise me everyday. Just as a word of caution.....you better watch out as Officer Graves might just be the one pulling you over.

Camping at Cove Palisades

We were so excited for our big trip of the summer. The meals were planned, all of the camping gear packed and of course my handy-dandy spreadsheet to make sure that I had not forgotten anything. (Remember - I am a little anal retentive.) We were going to spend an entire week in Eastern Oregon surrounded by sunny-warm weather, Lake Billie Chinook, great campfires with Smores and our friends.

What can I say..... it didn't quite turn out the way we had planned.
We shared our site with our great friends Lance, Michelle and their son Clayton.
Also there for the same week were Josie and Nate and their extended family.

We arrived on a Sunday, got camp set up, made dinner and took a walk around the loop. Immediately we were entertained by mother nature with an awesome lightning and thunder show. She unleashed the water works about 2am which continued throughout the morning. During the weather breaks we set up badmitton and croquet, rode bikes and played games. In general the weather was pretty crummy however we had one very warm afternoon so we hung out by the lake. Since Sadie was little we thought she hated the water but it turns out she LOVES it. Who knew???? Once the 40mph winds with rain came, we decided it was time to pack up and go home. Lance and Michelle were leaving on Wednesday and we didn't want to be without our security blanket known as their trailer. The time we spent with our friends was great and we hope that next year will be better for us in the weather department. The day after we got home we spent the better part of the afternoon looking for a new tent and checking out tent trailers. The old tent didn't make it past the garbage can so it will not make it to the next adventure.

Welcome!!!

To my first blog - EVER!!! I know, I know, I am way behind the times . With Myspace, Facebook and all the other web based "stay in touch" options, I thought I better start documenting my life and memories now. Most of you know that I don't remember squat, so what better way to capture all of these important moments than right here on my computer. Plus... it will make me start taking pictures of ANYTHING & EVERYTHING. Thanks to my wonderful friend Jodi and her very creative blog, I have decided to create my own.

Meet Dexter...

...Oh, what a cutie he is turning out to be. For those of you that haven't met the little man, he is a 3.5 month old American Pitbull Terrier. We began fostering him for the Multnomah County Animal Shelter. http://www.multcopets.org/ He was a mere 8 weeks at the time and was too little and too skittish to go onto the adoption floor. Mind you, we had just sent our former foster, Levi, off to his new home only 4 days prior. I will have to tell you about that wonderful boy too, but that will be later.

The first few weeks were tiresome. I did the puppy thing with Sadie, and boy, I didn't remember it being so hard. I was waking up at least once a night, sometimes twice. He was not enjoying the crate, so he would whine and cry for hours. Our trainer had great advice to help us out......they were called earplugs. hhhhhmmmmm...... not what I was looking for, but you do what you have to do.

Anyhow, sleeping has gotten much better. He is still very mellow, super cuddly and just loves to be with his Mom, Dad and big sis. From the look on Sadie's face most of the time, I doubt the feelings are mutual.
Except for a couple of casualties (a pair of flip-flops and shoelaces), he only chews on his toys and can't get enough of the barkdust. Thankfully all pillows and couches remain puppy-teeth free.

More to come on Dexter as he gets bigger. Check back soon