The Great Escape

The day I’ve dreaded has finally arrived: Edgar has figured out how to jump the fence in our backyard. While this may not seem that catastrophic to most, to me…it’s just awful.

I’ve completely taken for granted the fact that I could just throw Edgar in the back and go about my business while he frolicked around chasing bugs. Now he just sits by the door and constantly meows his irritating, obnoxious, Siamese meow.

When Edgar is allowed outside, (supervised now, dumb cat) Willis has to stay in. He's not a fan.

This is a perfect example of what I deal with on a daily basis: Edgar taunts Willis-Willis chases Edgar-Edgar jumps to higher ground-Willis waits patiently for the cycle to start again.

When we lived in Logan I would put a harness on Edgar and stake him out in the backyard with a 20 ft radius to roam, since the yard wasn’t fenced. When we moved to Springville I didn’t think I would have to use the harness again, but low and behold…stupid Edgar just HAD to figure out that he could jump the fence.

So now, Edgar gets to revert back to his beloved harness.

They're Best Friends...

This is the area that he's been escaping to. The house in the middle belongs to a sweet old widow who has been very good to let me into her backyard to fetch Edgar. A few mornings ago Edgar escaped out of the house at 6:30 AM so I was running around the neighborhood in my pj's, slippers, and robe trying to catch the stupid flea bag.

This is to the west of our house, where he made his first escape.

Bryant and I have been brainstorming ways to prevent him from jumping. Bryant suggested spraying cooking spray along the top of the fence so he can't get a good grip. Sadly, didn't really work. In the picture below you can see how gross the fence looks now.

Now my question for everyone:

What do you think we should do to stop the blasted cat from escaping?

-Obviously the harness thing works, but its a pain and Edgar doesn't really like it.

-I'd like to get a remote controlled shock-collar, but they start around $150.

-They have contraptions that you can install on the top of the fence that acts as a horizontal block, but those are super pricey.

And the final option: Leave the dumb cat inside.

Willis Jensen

On April 27, 2011 Bryant and I were pleased to welcome "Willis" into our little family. In case you're curious, Willis's name comes from the former Miami Hurricane football player, Willis McGahee.

If you want to be grossed out, watch this video:

Bryant insisted that the puppy's name be a former Miami player's name. I love Jeremy Shockey, but that didn't seem to fit. Neither did Ray Lewis, Ken Dorsey, Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Vinny Tesaverde, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.........etc. So Willis it was!

This was the day I brought him home. He was super excited to get out of Edgar's Cat Carrier.

Edgar and Willis still aren't sure what to think of each other

This was his first bath. He wasn't a fan...especially once I turned the hair dryer on him.

Bryant loves him though!

So does Wayne (Bryant's dad)

The first couple days that we had Willis, I switched his food on him too suddenly, which supposedly is really bad for dogs. On top of that, he's a little glutton who doesn't want to waste anytime chewing his food before it hits his stomach; he prefers to swallow it whole. Needless to say, Willis was one sick puppy. I ended up staying up with the poor little guy all night. The next morning I took him to the vet and when I got home, I took him downstairs and he crawled up on the back of the couch and went to sleep by Bryant and Edgar. I'm a little bias, but this is probably the cutest picture ever. :)

This is his massive crate. Obviously it's a little big now, but its so nice to be able to put him in the spare bedroom at night and not worry about him, rather than outside.

But during the day when I'm at work and with Bryant just starting his 5 week externship with a firm in downtown Salt Lake, leaving him outside was inevitable. And so I went to Walmart and bought him this Fisher-Price inspired dog house. I felt sooooooo guilty when I left this morning and it was pouring rain outside. At least this way he has shelter.

He doesn't completely hate going for rides in the car. In fact, his latest thing he enjoys doing is sliming my back windows.

He also enjoys lounging on his back under the bar in the kitchen.

After almost 2 weeks together, he's learned to sit and lay down on command and we can now go on walks around the neighborhood without him refusing to walk with me.

I love my baby Willis!

Coming Soon...

Paul McCartney (#3!!)

Paul McCartney announced this morning that his tour is coming to Las Vegas at the MGM Grand on June 10, 2011.

Guess who already has their tickets......?

MEEEEEEE!! (and Bryant and Garrett)

In honor of this momentous occasion, I decided to post some pictures from the previous "MACCA" Concerts we went to:

The Inaugural Concert: March 28, 2010, Glendale Arizona.

Our seats were amazing!

Concert #2 was July 13, 2010 at Rio Tinto in Sandy, Utah. It was fun to have my parents and Bryant's parents there to experience it too.

Again, we had great seats! (It was SUPER hot that day, but it was still great!) They had an amazing firework show during "Live and Let Die".

So now the Third (and probably final) Paul McCartney concert that we will go to will be in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand!

This summer is looking to be the BEST EVER!

Washington, D.C.

So...I'm pretty excited.

Bryant, Garrett (his brother), and I are going to Washington, D.C. in July!

Maybe all my excitement comes from the 7 SEASONS of "The West Wing" that I've consumed lately. (I love you, Aaron Sorkin...and Rob Lowe)

Maybe it's because I recently watched "All The President's Men".

Maybe it's because I was in D.C.for a day in July of 2006 and loved every second of it (minus the awful humidity and temperatures in the high 90's. Bleh).

Maybe it's because my sweet little husband is totally and completely obsessed with history and politics and it's been his dream to visit all the sites D.C. has to offer.........Pretty sure it's a combination of EVERYTHING.

Another awesome perk to visiting D.C. is we will be able to hang out with the cutest couple ever: DAVE & BECCA!Dave is a high-rolla, working for Senator Bennett's office at the Capitol Building, while attending law school at the same time. (Incredibly impressive!)

So far we've applied for tours at The While House, Library of Congress, U.S. Capitol, and the U.S. Supreme Court. We have our conformation for the Library of Congress and we're keeping our fingers crossed on the other three.

Bottom line: I'M EXCITED!!

Addendum to "Dewey Dog"

I FOUND IT!!!

I actually found the picture of Dewey and I that I was positive I had lost!

Look how ADORABLE he was!!

(Ignore how hot I was. I was 11, give me a break!)

Here is the picture demonstrating how he earned his name.

(Also pictured is "Daisy", our Red Bone Hound. Still not sure what happened to her. There are conspiracy theories floating around that my dad "took her for a ride" in the back of his truck. I'm not pointing any fingers.........*cough*)

I thought this last picture was cute.

Growing up, my mom was notorious for bringing in the cats from the garage and letting them curl up on her feet while she took a nap on the love-seat. Dewey wanted in on the action!

Ok. I'm officially done with Dewey pictures.

:)

Top 5 Most Wanted Puppies

Alright everyone, first I'd like to apologize for the super depressing Dewey post. (It's all out of my system!)

Since Dewey's passing, I've had an unquenchable urge to get a puppy. I know, I know...it's a bad idea. All they do is poop, bark, eat, chew EVERYTHING,...and love you to pieces! Baah! It's ridiculous how bad I want a dog. I've even purchased two books to prepare me for motherhood...of a baby puppy: "Training Your Labrador Retriever", and "Labrador Retrievers for Dummies." They're actually pretty interesting books.

And so I've compiled a list of my Top 5 Most Wanted Puppies:

5. English Mastiff

Big, huuuuuge dog? Yes please! For some reason I've always prefered big dogs to little ones. Maybe it's because I associate little dogs with excessive barking. Also, my next door neighbors own 3 little yappy Yorkies. I'm always tempted to drop kick them when they start barking...which is ALL.THE.TIME. Mastiffs are normally good natured, calm, easygoing, and surprisingly gentle for their size. Bryant seems to think it would be "awesome" to have a dog this big. I think it would be a great dog, if we had a pasture for it to graze in. Also along with having a big dog, so goes the saying, "The bigger the dog, the bigger the poop!" Also, could you imagine how expensive it would be to feed that beast?

4. Great Dane

I guess I'm continuing on with my large dog obsession. All of the problems that go along with the Mastiff would be almost the exact same with a Great Dane (minus the obsessive slobber). I attached the picture of the Great Dane and the chihuahua to show what it would look like when Emily Gladfelder's puppies play with a Great Dane. Great Danes are adorable though. (Who doesn't love Scooby Doo?) Another downside to large dogs: Shorter life expectancy: Somewhere around 8 years. :(

3. It's a Tie: Alaskan Malamute & Blood Hound

Ok, I actually know where the Malamute obsession comes from. When I was little, maybe 4 or 5, my aunt and uncle lived in Alaska. One summer when they came to Idaho to visit, my uncle brought me a t-shirt that had a pack of Malamute puppies on the front that said, "Almost a Team" or some other cheesy line. I looooved that shirt. I thought it was the coolest thing ever...then I discovered "101 Dalmatians" and that started a whole different obsession, but that's another topic. A few people have mentioned that Utah's climate is too hot for a Malamute. Are you SERIOUS? Have you ever been to Logan? The warmest it ever gets is low 90's and that's only for a few weeks in July. The rest of the time it's somewhere in the 40's from September though May. (That's not even an exaggeration.) So as much as I'd love a Malamute, they are very athletic dogs and require a lot of exercise. For that I'd get the "PetZen Dog Tredmill." Great idea, right? :)

The other dog that is a definite tie for 3rd would be the Bloodhound.

Look at those ears!! And that wrinkly skin! Ahh, so cute! When I was growing up we had a Red Bone hound named Daisy. She was the laziest dog you had ever seen, but she was also the cutest!) The problem with hounds is their loud, distinct bark. And they're nocturnal. I could just picture being all curled up in bed in the middle of the night and having my hound freak out over any noise. Not a great idea. And again with the slobber. Yuck.

2. French Bulldog

Meet "Princess Ruby Beth", named after my niece: Camri Beth (see photo), who was named after her mother, Reesa Beth, who was named after her mother, Ramona Beth, who was named after her aunt...Beth. Random? Most definitely. But Ruby has quite the pedigree! French Bulldogs are super fun as pets. My sister has had both English and French bulldogs and I seem to like French a little more. They're obviously a lot smaller and more energetic. The biggest problem with French Bulldogs is the price tag. Most go for $2,500+. Maybe my sister will let me have a puppy for letting her stay at my house while she brings Ruby to Orem for her vet visits? (HINT! HINT!!)

And the number one spot goes to...(shocker)

1. (Yellow) Labrador Retriever

You have no soul if you look at this and tell me it doesn't make your heart melt! Yellow labrador retrievers aren't the most popular dog choice of families for no reason! They're mellow, super loving, good sized, and the best dogs ever. I don't care what anyone says. I'm right.

Now I just need for people to help me convince my mean husband to let me get a puppy. :) Any help is greatly appreciated. :)