Mysterious Ways

Last Thursday Nic and I got tickets to see U2 at Giants Stadium. We have seen them once before and we know what a great show they put on, so we couldn't pass up the chance to see Nic's favorite band (or maybe its the Bangles...Third Eye Blind...), well we couldn't pass up the chance to see ONE of Nic's favorite bands. So we kissed the loved ones goodbye and headed down the New Jersey Pike.

We got there in good time and happened to catch the band making the entrance to the stadium and with my quick camera action I was able to catch the moment....

...After we found our seats and Nic grabbed a celebratory 250th birthday Guinness and some food, we watched the opening band, Muse, and patiently waited for the big show.

The stage is 360 degrees so there really is no bad seat. And because of that this was the biggest crowd ever at Giants Stadium, beating the Pope.


The show was great as expected, as they played songs from the new album and all of the old classic songs.

One of our favorites

Thanks Chuck for getting the tickets for us.

(And the picture of Nic watching U2 enter the stadium was a really just a picture of her eating her pretzel and talking at the same time, and when I took the picture we laughed so hard I just had to use it for something better) [side note by nicole: I wasn't talking with my mouth full, I'm pretty sure that was when I realized Dave was taking pictures of me while I wasn't paying attention so I was yelling at him to stop! And while I found it quite funny after I saw the picture and was ok with it being shared, I had to make sure people don't think I eat like a cow!]

Our little destroyer; aka Oliver

Smiling

People question how we could get so heated over such a cute little dog. And I agree at first sight he looks like a little angel with his white complexion and those blonde eyelashes who wouldn't wouldn't be fooled?! That is pretty much how his existance in our household began! And what a project it's been! Although I must say he's come a loooong way since we first brought him home (and Dave will be the first to say he's got a loooong way to go still!)

Plotting

Besides constantly stealing my dirty socks and underwear when I'm showering and then destroying them he's gotten himself into some bigger trouble!

Eating my flip flops, one pair I wore only once and I guess I didn't learn my lesson because then he ate my favorite pair that I pretty much wore every day. And if that wasn't enough he went on to eat yet another pair that I had dug up from storage because of the previous 2 tragedies!


Then one morning I stumbled upon this mess:

Yep, he put a nice hole in the foam pad in the spare bedroom! By time I found this it could have been days since he'd done the damage, I have NO idea! I'm sure he had a field day ruining it though!

Then there was the casualty of his dog bed. The morning of the 4th of July, we were outside setting up tables and tents before we realized it was taking us longer than we thought so I went back inside to crate Oliver and it was too late!! In 20 min. time his dog bed had been ripped open and gutted! There was stuffing alllll over the family room! And I think what made me the most upset was that I had to clean up and vacuum again after I just finished cleaning the entire house!

Since they don't fit [comfortably] on one bed together anymore I had no choice but to get another bed and they are not cheap! But since I had my sewing machine out to hem some curtains I decided I could make my own dog bed for cheaper! Well after my trip to Joann's it turned out it's not cheaper! It was actually about the same because I used the heavy duty home decor fabric and I also bought more than I needed because I didn't know what I was doing. The good thing though, is that I got to pick out fabric that matched our family room, not an option that Petco offers. And in the end that extra fabric came in handy because I've already had to sew on 3 patches!

His crate is a whole other issue! I can't even keep track of how many blankets, sheets, and towels he's shredded! It's honestly gotten to the point where it's not even worth replacing them! And the end of his crate training is no where in site! God knows what mess we'd wake up or come home to! In fact this is his latest crate mat:

He ate a hole right through it!

And then wore it like a skirt! That's my boy!!!

And I really, REALLY hope he's done putting holes in the pink carpet because we plan to get new carpet put in sometime in November and if he touches a single thread on that he may be in need of a new home!

A sad little rug thread that was sticking up slowly becamee a 3 inch wide hole!

And just the other day Dave realized that Oliver makes little daggers out of all the bones! Roxy just chews them flat while Oliver works very hard to perfect his art and they are very sharp!! I think the 3 of us need to watch out - he may have it in for all of us!

He's a handful but we love him none the less! I mean, just look at those ears and that "I'm sorry" face works every time!!

Fried Pickles and Big Poop

This past Saturday we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and go to the Big E! We both haven't been to the Massachusett's fair in many years and couldn't have had a better time (except that we missed out on the animal showcase, but that's just a reason we will go again).

After we bought our tickets and figured out our path, Nic immediately saw fried pickles and had to have them! If you have never had them either - proceed with caution. They are HOT pickles surrounded with deep-fried batter - enough to give you a heart attack - but she loved them!



After the pickles we headed to the Better Living Center which is like watching infomercials as you walk down the aisles, as the salesmen make you believe you getting the deal of a lifetime. Act now! But there are definitely are some good things to look at and buy.




We strolled on, passing the petting zoo and elephant/camel/pony rides (which wouldn't you know - Nic was about a minute away from running in the areas and setting the animals free).


We visited the many (too many) craft exibits to buy and get ideas (Nic) and catch up on the incredible developing VT-Nebraska game (Dave). We strolled through the CT and NH houses before deciding to head towards the animal exibits which we never quite reached due to the Mardi Gras parade developing before us. So we decided to head for the exits - but we had to watch our steps...

Wood crafting

When I was in college I fell upon these painted wood carvings in a small boutique in Portsmouth, NH. And sadly I couldn't afford a single one! And I had since forgotten about them until I went into a small boutique in New Haven, CT and found them again! And sadly now I just can't justify buying myself one! But I did find out a company named Sticks is who makes them and so now I can go online and look at all their amazing art and dream that one day I will have a piece of my own!

In the meantime though I was trying to figure out how they make their pieces, since they are all hand carved and hand painted! I don't know the first thing about making such intricate carvings so I decided I'd buy a wood burning pen and see if it would do the trick! And it does!! So I went out to our local craft store and got a little piece of unfinished wood, found a "simpler" design I liked on their website, drew it out on the wood, burned the design in and then did my best to paint the piece and seal it off with semi-gloss polyurethane! The painting was the hardest part for me! I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to things I make, especially if I'm going to give them away (which I knew I was going to do) so I'm still not entirely happy with the painting job but it's as good as I could get it having no painting experience. So I have some work to do with teaching myself some painting skills before I make my next one!

Freedom

Both Roxy and Oliver are FINALLY at the same point in our electric fence training! Which means they are FINALLY able to enjoy their backyard! Here's a little video of them from last night:

Roxy learned much quicker than Oliver. And for quite a while we really thought Oliver was never going to get it! But while he was wearing on our patience we tried to persevere and gave him lots of treats and praise even if he didn't really deserve it but the next day he would forget it all and continue to go through the "beeping" noises. After a few more days of that, I had it (because by this point Roxy was already running freely in the yard) and decided to put on the shock prongs! It may seem mean but we really were at an dead end and after threatening Oliver for a week that I was going to do it I finally just had to! I thought if he knew the consequence of continuing to go through the beeping noise he may finally get it!

Of course within minutes that day he shocked himself [and yes, I felt awful]! And surprisingly enough he turned around (well it was more of a leap in the air with a mid-flight turn) and ran back to our "safety spot" which made me feel good because that meant all that training wasn't a total waste of our time! After I hugged and kissed and praised him, I calmed him down and we continued to walk around the yard and wouldn't you know the dummy shocked himself again on the exact opposite side of the yard (there's not even anything interesting over there - just some big weeds that have grown into a boundary between the neighbors yard)! So we went through the same hugging and kissing and holding routine because it was just as sad for me the second time as it was the first! But by this point he really just wanted to get inside but I didn't want to take him in thinking the yard is a terrifying place so I got him to play a little bit and then tried to get him to walk around some more but he'd rather just go inside so we did.

After that day's training I changed the collar back to the rubber prongs because I figured he was going to go back to shocking himself all over again the next day and I wasn't ready to go through that again so soon but to my surprise he'd FINALLY GOT IT!!!! I even threw his favorite toy out of the boundary and of course he ran to get it but the first beep he heard he ran back and sat down to wait for me to get it! And after that he wouldn't even try to get anything that was outside the boundary! Ahhh, such relief! So we continued training them separately for a couple more days and then decided they should be ready to be out there together.

And boy do they LOVE it! It's so nice to see them running around chasing and slide tackling each other! I'm still not really sure if Roxy is just faster than Oliver or if he just likes trying to herd her!

Roxy has yet to get a shock herself, none of our trickery works on her! But it is bound to happen and it's going to sound really bad because she's a big drama queen (you should hear her when she goes to get her nails cut - it's embarrassing!) Yesterday she was the closest she's ever been to being shocked, I'm still really not sure how she didn't get a zap since she let the collar beep 3x before she backed away!

Cary and James, September 6, 2009

Sunday we went to Cary and James' wedding which took place at Tyrone Farm in Pomfret, CT. Tyrone farm is a hidden treasure in Connecticut's Quiet Corner and it is everything Cary and James' are about. It was honestly the perfect venue for an amazing couple!

For starters The Chestnut Barn, where the reception took place was repurposed as a gathering space after having been home to all sorts of farm animals for 150 years! While the family run farm is no longer a working farm they do maintain their own organic flower, herb, & vegetable gardens on their 160 acres of open space land. In 2008 the farm invested in solar panels which provides the vast majority of the farms electrical needs and is grid-tied to feed energy back into the electrical grid. Even the guest house on the premises is eco-friendly; insulated with recycled denim from blue jean manufacturing, fiber cement roof tiles, energy saving appliances, and lo-flow toilets!

Nothing was short of perfect that day! There were so many beautiful, well thought out, handmade details from the flower girl dress that Cary's mom made to the ribbons that held the flower bouquets together to the fabrics that made the wedding programs and dinner menus to the guest book they carved themselves! Not to mention Cary wrote the entire ceremony herself and they both wrote their own vows to each other!

All the food was local grown, meat was from grass fed animals, and fish was reel caught and melt in your mouth delicious! Honestly not a single detail went unthought of! Even their dog Summit had her own role in the wedding as Canine of Honor!

Curt, (Cary's brother) read, "Falling in love is like owning a dog"


Exchanging of the rings



Literally "tying the knot" in a handfasting ritual which symbolizes their coming together and remaining tied together.


Best first dance I've ever seen! (Dance lessons are totally worth it!)



We are so glad we got to share this beautiful day with them! Can't wait to hear about their amazing Galapagos adventures when they get back from their honeymoon!

Wedded Bliss

Today we are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary. So I took a stroll through our wedding pictures which I like to do every anniversary and I've picked out a few of my favorites to share.

Yes, I was terrified, not because I was getting married but because I realized I had over 100 pairs of eyes on me! Just looking at this picture gives me some knots in my stomach! Wonder if anyone was waiting for me to turn around and bolt out the door!? My father never would have let me, look how happy he is, he couldn't wait to pass me off to Dave! He's laughing to himself because he thought Dave had no idea what he was getting himself into!

It's official!!

And Mary even made it to watch the ceremony; 2 days after having gone through a natural birth! They literally were released from the hospital hours before! I know she hates this picture (sorry in advance, Mary) but it meant the world to us that she snuck into the church (they have some weird rule about a mother not being allowed back into the church until she is "cleansed" on the day of her baby's baptism) and sat on a hard pew for 45 minutes so she could see us get married.

We had a sweet ride!

We even did a little rock climbing before the reception! I can officially say I've rock climbed in heels!

And it was well worth it for the beautiful pictures we got!

While there were many great dance moves caught on film the 2 most shocking of the night had to be Dave's Michael Jackson moves. (No one knew he had that in him especially not me!)

And Dave's parents "Russian" dancing.

My favorite dancing picture of the night is of my good friend Taryn. We didn't call her Dancing Queen in college for no reason!

Happy ever after...

Now if only we were catching a flight to Tahiti in the morning.