Halfway there!

After much scolding from my mother, I have finally found some time to sit down and update the blog. The last couple of weeks has been pretty hectic for us; me in particular.  My Grandmother passed away on Valentine's Day and on the very same day my dog got reaaally stoned (more on that one in a minute).  Now, I know that most of you have been religiously checking the blog everyday for a new post filled with riveting and exciting stories and waiting with much anticipation, so without further ado:

20 WEEKS!!!

My Gammy

My Grandmother, Gwen Leake, peacefully passed away on Valentine's Day at 86 years old in my hometown of Pascagoula, Mississippi.  Her health had been in decline for quite some time so it was not a surprise, although such news always comes as a shock to the system.  I hopped on the first flight I could get booked into Houston, which was ridiculously expensive.  There I met my aunt Linda at the airport and the next day we made the long 8 hour car ride to Pascagoula.  It was good to catch up as I couldn't remember the last time I had really gotten to spend any time with her.

The funeral in Pascagoula was very nice and my Dad and Linda both gave wonderful eulogies that, at least for me, seemed to capture the essence of what she meant to all of us.  The whole family then piled into the car again to make the trek back to Houston where she was laid to rest next to my Grandfather, Charles.

Handsome Devils!

It was all pretty exhausting, but I feel like it was a worthy tribute to a woman who had such an impact on all of our lives.  It was also really great to see my family.  One of the downsides to living up here is that I don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like to.  I even got a chance to eat some excellent Gumbo, which is pretty much impossible to find up here. :)

Stoner Dog:

OK, for those of you who don't know about our dog Jax...he's a very "special" kind of dog; and by "special" I mean "dumb as a box of rocks".  Don't get me wrong, I love this dog to death.  He is the most loyal and loving dog I've ever had, but I think that Jax would ride the doggy short bus, if there were such a thing...that or have to wear a doggy helmet.  I can't decide which mental image is funnier. Needless to say, he is a bit of a handful.  To make things worse, he's a really big dog! We think he's a cross bethween a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a German Shepard.  Basically, this means that I have about 95 lbs. of  stupid running around my house on a daily basis.  But he is sweet.

With the prerequisite background out of the way, I can get to the real story.  I got home around 4pm and let the dogs in from the backyard.  Everything seemed to be just fine as both Jax & Cody were really excited to be let in, as usual.  About half an hour later I noticed that Jax was acting pretty strangely.  I got up to investigate and as I watched him swaying and staring at the garbage can, he fell right over!  I quickly scooped him up and rushed off the the vet.  

"Welcome to Banfield, we're here to take your money!"

On the way to the vet the only explanation that I could think of for Jax's behavior was that some a-hole from the apartment complex behind my house had thrown over some kind of steak filled with poison or something.  I was livid and really worried at the same time.  The vet took him in right away and ran all kinds of tests to try and find the cause of his erratic behavior.  Well, after 3 hours and $650 all the vet could tell me was that she couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.  She thought that it might be antifreeze poisoning, but they didn't have the test needed to see if that was the case or not. She told me that I would need to go to another Vets office to get anymore help.  I was pretty upset that I had spent all of that time and money for them to tell me that I had to go somewhere else because "we just don't know whats wrong with him".  Note to everyone:  DO NOT waste your time with Banfield Pet "Hospitals".  They must hire all the vet school rejects or something.  Total scam. So, I begrudgingly pay my bill and get Jax into the car to go to the other Vet.  On the way to the other hospital is when I get the call from my Dad about my grandmother...

Well, once I get there the Dr. seemed to instantly know what was wrong with him.  The conversation went something like this:

Dr: "So, I think I know what's wrong with your dog, but I need to ask you something"

Me: "That's great!  What do you need to know?"

Dr: "Yeah, so I'm going to ask you this and I want you to know that I need the truth in order to help Jax here.  I just want you to know that I won't judge you at all, OK?"

Me: (Uncomfortably) "Uh, yeah...sure, whatever Doc"

Dr. "Has Jax had any access to some Marijuana?  Like, maybe he accidentally got into your stash or found a pipe or something like that?"

Me: (Relieved) "Ha ha ha! Do you think he's stoned!?  If he did get into some, it wasn't from me.  I bet that someone could have thrown it over my fence though!"

Approximate representation of Jax on the ride home.

The Dr. ran whatever test they run for that - a doggy urinalysis or something, and sure enough...he was baked out of his gourd!  They just sent me home and told me to keep an eye on him.  I guess someone threw a sizable chunk of weed over the fence and Jax got to it.  I still can't figure out why they would do such a thing.  If it was a joke, that would be an awfully expensive joke.  Maybe some kid was ditching his stash before Mom caught him or something...who knows.  It turned out to be an expensive joke for us, though.  Close to $1000!

In other, less dramatic, news; I start my new job on Friday!  I had to go down to Boeing Field today to do some HR stuff and get my picture taken for my badge.  Friday is my official first day on the job.  I'll have to drive back down to Boeing Field for the orientation seminar which is supposed to take half the day and then back up to the Everett Plant to my new office after that.  Malia and I are both excited!

Speaking of Malia, she is still feeling pretty good despite being 5 months pregnant.  Her knee is giving her some trouble though.  That particular knee has given her trouble in the past, so I think that the pregnancy is exacerbating the problem.  She's got an appointment with the orthopedist on Thursday to get it checked out.  More exciting though, is that she and I both can feel our little girl moving around in there!  I thought I felt a tiny little kick before I left to go to Texas, but I for sure felt one two nights ago!  Very cool!!!

The nursery is coming along nicely as well.  We finally decided on a color - Cosmic Cream.  Its a very pale yellow with a peachy hue to it.  Its girly without being too overbearing about it. I think it will go nicely with all of the stuff we have in mind.

Mama & Baby