Merry Malibu Christmas!

Joe and I finally bought a new car!! Merry Christmas to us!! We've been wanting a new car for so long, but never got around to actually going to a car lot. Joe has been researching cars online and driving by dealerships for the past 2 months; yet nothing ever came of it. Well our friends, Dan & Elizabeth went and purchased a freakin' nice Subaru last week and we got to ride in it this last Tuesday. It was awesome!! Its such a nice car - you can go to her blog - she's got a picture. It had so many buttons and cool features. I had to push every button - literally!!! It annoyed AND distracted her! Anyway, seeing how nice a new car is and how smooth the ride was, got me thinking. And since Joe and I both had today off, we decided to go looking....and we purchased!!! A brand new 2009 Chevy Malibu!! Here's a picture: Ours is called Imperial Blue. Its like a metallic navy blue and it looks black in some light. Its just gorgeous! Neither Joe or I have ever had a new car, so its been very exciting. We have loved our "certified pre-owned" vehicles, but this is MUCH better!!

I am not the cleanest of people, when it comes to my car. (Ask Andee or Kalie - they constantly make fun of me. I'm sorry, my car is my second home. And sense there aren't any shelves or closets, my floor gets a little cluttered.) Now that I have a new, CLEAN car I have promised Joe to keep it looking spotless. Okay, not spotless, but semi-clean. Now eating aloud and I'm going to keep a garbage bag in there at all times. Other than that, I'm sure Joe will take care of washing the car. He's more OCD about that than I am...and since its a dark color, it will need to be washed frequently. So here it is Joe - in writing...sort of... - I'm vowing to take care of this car. No crumbs or garbage. Now makeup messes or clutter. Let's see how well I do! :)

Anyway - just wanted to share the news. We are so excited and thankful to Dan & Elizabeth for kicking off this motivation. Yeah for NEW CARS!!!

"Oh the places you'll go..."

Alright, so lets talk about the "Tetter-totter Salon" game. Its the funnest game and all the rage!! Unfortunately you don't win any prizes, but your income decreases, increases, decreases and then increases again...plus you get to confuse everyone you know! You get to meet new people and say goodbye to others and you get to enter each situation, like time was never lost! Its amazing. Now, I'm sure you are asking yourself, "where do I sign up to play this fun game?" Well the answer there is - you can't...this game is MY LIFE!!!

So starting from the beginning, you all know I switched salons back in July. Trying something new and possibly a better opportunity. Well you may not know...because believe it or not, I didn't blog about it...I moved back to my old salon in West Jordan. I switched back at the beginning on November. As awesome as the new salon in Riverton was, I just wasn't making money. They were good weeks and bad weeks, but the "cons" from that salon made life difficult and caused issues at home. Well, I thought long and hard and decided West Jordan was the moneymaker choice and I headed back. My WJ co-worker, who I love, Aaron is now managing that store and he is great to work for. Its been nice being back - I'm working in my old station and with some of the same people. Its like I'm part of a Twilight Zone episode...its like I never left. Kinda strange.

Alright, now fast forward 4 weeks and that'll bring us to December 3rd. Out of no where my area supervisor called to inform me that my manager at Riverton had put in her 2 weeks notice and she wanted me to apply for the position. No interview necessary, just saying yes got me the job; now I start training for management on January 2nd!! YES, I'm going BACK to RIVERTON!!! See where the Teeter-totter game comes in! My clients are so freakin' confused! Every time I see one, I let them know I'm headed back to Riverton and they just laugh. Most of them are cool with it, because its a promotion and they're happy for me...but some are still torn. I lost a lot of my clients when I moved in the first place and since coming back to West Jordan, I've gotten a few back. Now some realize how silly it was for them not to follow me - they've had some bad cuts/colors since I've been gone - and now they actually want to come with me this time. Others are still not convinced. I guess its just too far. We'll see how things go!

But YEAH ME!! I'm going to be managing a salon! I'm pumped! I'll still be doing hair, but I will now have other responsibilities. Hiring/firing - eek, training, ordering, scheduling etc... I even have to "recruit." Its going to beauty schools and putting on an hour presentation about our salons. Its so scary to think of me doing that in front of strangers, but I know it works. That's how I got signed on to work for this chain in the first place. They did a presentation on my last day of school! It was fate!!!

Anyway, sorry this blog is crazy and all over the place. But I just wanted to inform you all that I'm headed back to Riverton...I'm sure some of you didn't know I left in the first place!! hee hee

Thanks for stickin' with me!

Our new addition!

Welcome SIMON!!

We're suckers! Even with Edison's passing, I still find myself addicted to dogs! Knowing that I may have to go through the same thing with Lucas one day, I still couldn't fight the urge to get another one! I've heard from a lot of people that its very common to acquire another pet, shortly after losing one. It definitely makes coping easier! It completely takes your mind off of it, actually! Joe is doing well with the grieving. Simon really takes all of our energy right now. Running after him and jumping when he squats is our only focus it seems!

After only 2 short days I "casually" started looking for puppies via ksl.com. To my surprise there were thousands of dogs listed!!! More were added every minute. I found this cute little guy, the last of his liter, on my first search. Something just kept bringing me back to his picture! He's exactly what I wanted. He's a miniature dachshund, just like my Lucas. However his coloring is different. He's black with "dapple" markings and brown paws. (I didn't know what dapple meant until after I bought him.) It wasn't really the deciding factor! ;)

So here Joe and I are...puppy parents again. We haven't had a puppy for almost 3 years and we've forgotten how complex they are. Chewing EVERYTHING, potty training, whining and that constant need for attention. Guess we weren't really prepared! But you forget all that once you see him. I think he weighs about 2 pounds right now. I've posted a picture with our Lucas (weighing in at around 15 lbs) you can really tell the size difference.

On the right, is a good picture of his coloring. The breeder says these spots will get lighter as he grows. I'm hoping most of the black stays, but who cares!! He's adorable!

I guess we're just dog people. We love them!! Even through the sad times! I can't wait for you all to meet him. He'll melt your heart!

P.S. - THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for your loving words of support. Edison was a joy in our lives and having us in your thoughts, means so much. I'm so glad you all stop by my blog, even in its silliness. You guys are fantastic and really put a smile on my face! (My wonderful aunts, Sharon and Lori - thank you for commenting. Its wonderful to hear from you and I appreciate your kinds words - much love) LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Nelda

I was just notified that Nelda Jensen passed away this week. She was the previous owner of our home and the reason for our house title "Villa de Nelda." Here is a link to her obituary. Our condolences go out to her entire family. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

http://www.legacy.com/saltlaketribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=121030916

You can also read more about Nelda and our new home from a previous blog I wrote back in August, titled "Villa de Nelda." I was lucky enough to get a comment from Nelda's grandson Mike Parker, who shard the sad news.

Edison

We had an emotional Saturday at the "Blackstroms." Joe and I finally decided to put Edison down. His health hadn't improved - in fact it seemed to get worse. But we finally set up an appointment, last minute, this afternoon. Unfortunately I had to work, but Joe asked his friend Geoff to tag along for support.

Oh my gosh, I can't stop crying about it. Its just so sad!! I asked Andee to snap a few pictures before Joe took him in. (She has the better camera!!) And she got some amazing photos. This one is my favorite:

She snapped quite a few and there isn't a bad picture. Even the ones, where our other dog Lucas, felt like jumping in. He was feel a little excluded apparently!

We're doing okay though, just sad feelings going around. Andee & Kelly said their goodbyes and I guess Andee was crying pretty hard...I'm glad I wasn't there, because that would have made it worse. Then Joe took Ed in at 3:00. Our vet was amazing and gave him a sedative pill before hand to relax him. Joe got to hold him the entire time. They gave him several minutes of alone time with Edison. (Joe even snapped a few pictures with his phone.) Then the vet came in and gave the final shot. Edison died right in Joe's arms.

Joe paid a little extra to get a "paw print" pressed on paper. They'll put it together for us and mail it later. But at least we have a few things left to remind us of Ed. Pictures, his blanket, that silly orange sweater I made him wear, and the paw print. Its amazing how much he affected our lives and how empty we are feeling at this moment. I'm sure we'll move on and start feeling more positive soon. I just had to get the story out. Thank you for all your well wishing and kind words. Ed was part of our family and we'll miss him forever. We know he is at peace and running around, cough-free, all over doggie heaven.

Wow, I really can't believe how much this little guy is affecting me. How could I even go through this again? I think I might be too attached to my dogs. Their my kids though!!

Too anyone who has lost a pet - I can now sympathize. This is too hard.

Edison smiling!

5th pic - 5th folder

Tag - I'm it...thanks Andee. Okay here is my 5th picture in the 5th folder on my computer.



Obviously, this is my Lucas. This was taken the first day we brought him home. He was 10 weeks old and with all the fun stuff we bought for him, this was his favorite. Of course we underestimated (or overestimated rather) his size, so I purchased a very large bone. He was too small to do anything, other than hold it in his mouth! I took this picture, lying on the ground, hoping to get a good shot...and this is what I got!!

Now its my turn to tag my 5 victims...

Chandra
Susie
Meghann
Sara
Manda T

Let's see the pictures ladies!!

New kitchen for her...maybe new kitchen for me!

If you read my last post, you would know that my stepmom Nancy blew up her oven on turkey day. Now, with a broken over, her and my dad went shopping for a new one on Black Friday...hoping to catch a deal. Well not only did they purchase a new stainless steal oven, they also purchased a matching fridge and dishwasher!! Nancy is getting a whole new kitchen for Christmas! Nancy showed me pictures of the new appliances and we've now noticed everything will be stainless steal but she'll still have a white microwave above her stove...guess that'll have to be replaced as well!!

And since she will be getting rid of her current fridge and dishwasher, Joe and I have put an offer on them. We haven't negotiated a price just yet..(we're not even sure her fridge will fit down our stairs!!!) but Joe and I have the need for an upgrade. For those who don't know, our fridge is ancient!! It came with the house and I'm sure the old lady who lived here before got it as a wedding gift or something, because it's from like the 1950's. Even our stove is old!! But they work, so we've never complained. Even though I've liked the "Retro" feel of our house and the appliances, Joe and I want to re-do our kitchen and a new fridge/dishwasher would be very helpful. We currently don't have a dishwasher!?!?
This is our stove. No one we know is getting rid of one, so we're keeping it for now. :) Only three burners...its awesome.

And our lovely fridge. Our freezer is TINY and can't even fit a bag of ice in it. Oh I can't wait for the bigger one! We can finally go BIG grocery shopping!

Once Nancy gets her new appliances we'll talk pricing. Apparently we love hand-me-downs!! We pay for them of course, but thanks to Dad & Nancy constantly upgrading their home, we've really profited from it. We have their old entertainment center, which fits Joes big screen TV so nicely and over the weekend we picked up their old sound system. Dad just bought a Blue-ray DVD theater in a box! I guess we'll take what we can get. My parents always upgrade before their current objects break, so they're always in good condition. And since we don't care that we have "used" things in our home, what a gain it is for us!! Thanks Dad and Nancy, for constantly making your house better and up to the latest technology! Your kids love the cheap ticket prices you put up. They can't be beat!!!

So yeah for us!! Nancy will get a new kitchen and hopefully, if the price is right, so will we!! Now all we need to do is take out the cabinets and put in new ones. Hey Dad, are you in the mood to completely remodel your kitchen? We'll talk!! :)