2011 Recap

I'm sure if I dug around I'd find a post on my wedding blog about the last New Years. I was super duper excited for 2011. I was graduating and getting married, who wouldn't be? However, 2011 did not turn out nearly as well as I thought it would. 2011 sucked. Big time. I have a hard time looking back and seeing much positive.

The Good:
-My wedding day was the best day of my life
-Moving was fun (our new couch and TV are nice too) & we're closer to family
-Graduation day (I was never in school in 2011, I finished classes Dec 2010)

The Bad:
-I am on my fourth job this year. It was so hard to "start over" 4 times. Its made me so stressed and miserable. I hate it hate it hate it. Although I do like my current job even though I'm not making much $$! I believe there were 6 months in there where I loved the 2nd job I had this year. too bad that didn't last.
-Stress of planning the wedding in the last few weeks. I had headache nearly everyday the last week or two.
-Losing my good relationship with some family over wedding drama. Not worth it! If I could do it over again I would have avoided the situation and gave in. Now my family has been pulled apart.


I suppose there is more but I cant think of it right now I've had a headache since yesterday afternoon.

Google

Sometimes, finding the answer to something is as simple as a Google search. Sometimes it can save your life (or in my case, drastically improve it). 

Holiday Update

I'm sure its been a crazy week for most everybody and it certainly was in my household too!

Being that I don't celebrate Christmas, I worked on Christmas eve and Christmas day. Because I had to work Christmas eve I missed my mom's Chanukah party, but I was able to make it to an Iron Chef Latke competition at our synagogue! Russ and I got asked to go out for drinks afterwards with our young adult group but had to decline because I was tired and had to get up to work on Christmas day.

Christmas day was fine.. I work a total of 8 hours split into two shifts. While I worked the second shift Russ and our families went out to see Sherlock homes. After I was done I met up with them for Chinese food and then everyone came back to our place to open Chanukah presents and have dessert.

Monday, despite being asked to go into work (I declined) Russ and I had tickets to go to the Boston Aquarium. Yesterday was our 4th anniversary (of being together). Four years ago we went to the aquarium together, then out to dinner  and then had ice cream later. In between dinner and dessert that day he asked me if I liked him and by the time he dropped my off at my parents house I agreed to go out with him.

We wanted to recreate that day since we hadn't been to the (Boston) aquarium in those four yeas! But the same restaurant is closed mondays :-(  I think I might convince him to go there tonight.

So we celebrated our Anniversary and Hanukah combined when it came to gifts... Russ gave me a new watch  and I gave him some puzzles and a Star Trek poster. My parents and sisters gave me a cell phone pouch, a book, yak traks, toe warmers, new hat & mittens. Russ parents gave us a blanket and pizza cutter shaped like the enterprise! I think there was a theme this year to cure me of constantly being cold!

New years is just around the corner! And we have the evening planned to have friends over which I'm really looking forward to. Plus I don't have to work Saturday or Sunday! 

Vase Update

One month and lots of painting later, I'm almost done with my vase DIY Pinterest Project. It went pretty well overall and I'm pretty happy with the results...

ta da!
Do they look snazzy or what!
This isn't even all of them, I have a few more black ones i'm still working on and a brown one for our office/guest bedroom. 

What do I feed my dog? Part 3 - Why?

The easiest way to show "why", is to compare some of these high quality foods with a low quality food. I highly recommend reading this article http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/how-do-you-rate-the-foods.html to fully understand what I am attempting to explain (because I doubt I will explain it well).


The gist is... dogs should eat be eating meat and other foods that actually have nutritional value, not fillers. 


Good = meat, veggies and veggies, quality whole grains
Bad = by products, artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives


_____________________________________________________________


I picked two very common low quality I see many many dogs at the kennel I work at eat (per their uneducated owner). 


 Beneful Original dry dog food...
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, tricalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, salt, water, animal digest, sorbic acid (a preservative), potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried peas, calcium propionate (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
For a detailed analysis of why this is low quality read this...
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=69&cat=7


Hills Science Diet...
Chicken, corn meal, ground grain sorghum, ground wheat, chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, animal fat (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), natural flavor, vegetable oil, dried egg product, flaxseed, preserved with BHT and BHA, beta-carotene, minerals (iodized salt, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement). 
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=127&cat=7


______________________________________________________


now lets compare these to Orijen, the only kibble I now feed Scout.
Fresh boneless chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, fresh pacific salmon (a natural source of DHA and EPA), herring meal, sweet potato, peas, fresh lake whitefish, fresh northern walleye, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E and citric acid), chicken liver, salmon meal, fresh turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil, chicory root, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=2299&cat=8


or Sojos
sweet potatoes, USDA turkey, whole egg, broccoli, celery, apples, flax meal, pecans, tricalcium phosphate, pumpkin, cranberries, basil, dried alfalfa, ginger root, dried kelp, zinc sulfate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin D3


or Stella & Chewys
Chicken Ground with Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Potassium Chloride, Organic Cranberries, Organic Spinach, Organic Broccoli, Organic Beets, Sodium Phosphate Monobasic, Organic Carrots, Organic Squash, Organic Apples, Organic Blueberries, Choline Chloride, Dried Pediococcus Acidilactici Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Taurine, Tocopherols (Preservative), Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Monohydrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement.


or Honest kitchen
Dehydrated free-range chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, basil, garlic, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.




Need I say more?

What do I feed my dog? Part 2 - other high quality foods

The following is a list of a few foods that I consider high quality pet food. Most of these are not kibbles. And yes, they can be expensive. In my case I have a 10 pound dog that only eats 1/2 cup of food a day so while I probably spend more than the average dog owner... I don't have cable TV. You get to choose what is important in your life. I choose my dog. This list is just a selection of some brands that I have come across and like....

Orijen

Sojos

Honest Kitchen

Stella’s & Chewys

Primal

Evangers

Abady

Aunt Jennies

Darwin’s

Only Natural

Grandma Lucy’s

Ziwi Peak

Addiction

Nature’s Variety

Back to Basics

Oma’s Pride

Bravo

Dogswell

What do I feed my dog? Part 1

Orijen (kibble) in the morning

Honest Kitchen 
Sojo's
Stella & Chewy's
Evangers
Addiction

at night

Ever heard of these brands? Chances are probably not.

Scout has gone from being fed Iams as a puppy to Wellness to Wellness Core to Orijen and now Orijen and these other brands (which are all commercially prepared raw food). They are usually freeze dried or dehydrated food, and I mix a bit of quality wet food with them.

All of his foods are grain free, some gluten free, most with no preservatives or by products. I also just started adding a squirt of salmon oil in (although he did get some salmon oil a few years ago too) and I brush his teeth every night.

I would really like to pull him off of kibble all together, but due to finances and time (I've been feeding him breakfast at 4am) its not feasible right now.

coming soon
Part 2 - other high quality foods
Part 3- why?

What Star Trek (and my husband) have taught me

Growing up my father watched Star Trek. I never really cared for it. Seemed like a sci-fi show only a dork would watch.  (yes I'm calling my father a dork... he's a computer software engineer with no social skills to speak of)

Then I first "met" my husband (via facebook) and saw that he was into Star Trek. When a friend asked me what I thought of him (this was before I even met him) I said (literally) "he's into Star Trek, nuff said". Needless to say I am now married to him.

Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this isn't to say don't judge people before you even meet them. Russ convinced me to watch Star Trek with him. First, The Next Generation, which is his favorite. I still couldn't get into that much until we watched a good amount of the show and I finally saw the series finale. The finale really got me, everything came around full circle and summed up the show incredibly. After that I didn't complain so much when he wanted to watch TNG.

I also watched the Original Series. which still sucks. Kirk gets on my nerves and the acting is soooo bad. I also watched most of the movies and slept through all but one or two of them. Although I think the new movie is good even though true Trekkies hate it.

However, what I have come to really love is watching Deep Space Nine. We've been watching via streaming Netflix for the last month and today we finally finished (7 Seasons!). Although I missed half the episodes because Russ watches them after I go to bed, I really got into the show.

What my husband loves about any Star Trek isnt the technical sci-fi side, he's always watched it for the moral values and deep characters. I have to say the DS9 is even less technical than TNG. DS9 is really mostly about the characters and their lives on the station. So many episodes are deep in moral values, heartwarming or just plain fun. A lot of tearjerkers if you ask me. To top that off most of the show they are deep within a very deadly war and you do see the dark side of war.


give TV shows a chance, give people a chance. Dont judge prematurely.
They might surprise you. 

What a week!

This past Tuesday was my 6 month wedding anniversary, today is the 4 month anniversary of the worst day of my life.


The day I lost something I loved very much. I lost a handful of people that I actually considered friends and over 100 maybe even 200 dogs that I treated as if they were my own. I lost a happiness that I can not get back. I really haven't been the same since, I feel like part of me has been missing these last four months. I've felt so lost so hurt. I lost a belief in myself and my goals. I felt like god had a plan for me and four months ago it got derailed. Somebody made a mistake that would set me off the path I was supposed to be on and I have no idea when I'll make it back on. 


I wish these people and dogs knew that I thought about them everyday. I would kill to see them one more time. I just wish I had the courage to do so. I get so attached to the dogs I work with its not even funny. 


Its weird that at the 1,2 and 3 months anniversary I felt different than I did now. It feels so long ago. So much has changed since then, that's probably why. 


ugh. fml sometimes. I wished I had it all figured out. I really hope in the next year or two things will change for the better. 

Arizona wedding recap

All in all, our trip to Arizona was great! I loved having a long weekend away, seeing someplace new, spending time with Russ' family and of course holding that yorkie pup and baby!

The wedding itself was great. Friday when we flew in we went to the rehearsal dinner. Then Saturday was the wedding and on Sunday was a brunch. I met my cousin-in-law's fiance for the first time, I didn't get to talk to her very much because I can be terribly shy. Her family came over on the mayflower... how cool is that? But they were kind of waspy and I felt hat had something to do with it.

Anyway, comparing their wedding to ours and the few others that I've been to, it has really gotten my thinking about 1 thing... what makes a wedding good? memorable? fun?
 Russ and I are snobs. We like to say our wedding was the best. To our credit his parents couldn't stop talking about how much better our wedding was that whole weekend in Arizona. Especially saying that I looked prettier in my dress (and CIL's wife is gorgeous! like cheerleader or model pretty!) and that's saying something because the only time pretty told me I was beautiful was at my wedding.

So here a few things "thoughts" so to speak...

Arizona wedding--
-It was clear they spent a lot of money (it was paid for by the bride's family)
-The rehearsal dinner was at brides grandparents house. OMG the house was amazing. Had actual mariachi band playing outside and you could see the city lights from the porch.
-wedding itself- at the nicest country club in the city. amazing place, must have been wicked expensive.
-ceremony on lawn at sunset
- hills glowed behind them as the sun set
-we sat or dining room chairs on grass watered with water the state does not have!
-attempted to combine two religion for the ceremony
-had a episcopal minister officiate
-had a chupah, did blessing over wine, broke glass (that was the extent of jewishness)
-minister said that "Mazal Tov" means "to life" (it actually means good luck but can mean good job or congrats) MIL and I went up to him afterwards and set him straight.
-the photographers didn't use a flash the whole night and it was dark outside- are their pictures going to come out?
-cocktail hour was right next to where the ceremony took place. It was outside and it got cold out! I like that there were string lights over the area. the duck something or  other was good.
-then after what seemed like a cocktail hour that took all day we went into the reception. It was inside. table decorations were nice. they had mad-libs, cute, no guest book.
-doors opened to a patio that had the dance floor & DJ. so it kind let the cold air in.
-the evening went like this... salad, dinner, speeches, dancing & dessert
-the speeches went on forever. The bride's sister (picture a blonde Kate Middleton) sort of MC'd and she kept asking if anyone else had something else to say... and people did! it got so long and repetitive drunk and kind of stupid. Obviously I hated that part.
then the food- cold vegetables, grilled gnocchi and beef. I like the beef but it wasn't spectacular. Nobody liked the food. and for such an expensive venue. even the next day Russ' relatives all said they didnt like the food. Its literally all I remember. bad food. really ruins a wedding.
- the the real worst part .... the dancing. They started with their first dance. (oh and btw the couple was never announced in anyway). they just slow danced. then I beleive they did parent dance (mother son & father daughter). then we did they started the gorup dancing with the hora, a wonderful fun jewish tradition that Russ and I were very excited for... but considering we are the most observant jews on the groom's side... nobody new how to do the dance! I have ever in my life experienced that. ever. it was mind blowing (there are people that dont know the hora? I thought everyone knew the hora!) i'm so naive! so everyone on the dance floor just stood there in the circle surrounding the bride & groom being lifted on chairs and kept clapping and raising their arms and going into the center of the circle.
-that's all the dancing we did. the music was terribly loud. the DJ plays four bars if every song, no beginning no end, the dance floor was small so people were crammed together and just jumped around and grinding. it was like being at a club. gross. not while your grandparents are there thank you.
- and last but not least dessert... apple pie, pumpkin pie, ice cream and popcorn. cute, but no cake. eh. the couple isn't really into cake so its understandable.

so this has gotten long. I'll update again with a few conclusions about what makes a wedding good. and maybe get some pics of the wedding in here.