SMART puppy

Ice cubes are the only "people food" our dogs are allowed to have. So Tinkerbell thought it would be okay if she helped herself! We were eating dinner tonight and we heard something that sounded like water running. She had accidentally tried the button on the right which is that water. She obviously isn't allowed to do this, but we HAD to take a few pictures before we yelled at her! She never hit it hard enough to get an ice cube to fall out, but it sure was funny. That is one smart puppy!

On Saturday we took 2 very big naps, and didn't do anything else really. Sunday we got up and went to church, then ran some errands. They really weren't errands, mostly just shopping. We went to the mall, a ski shop, a frame store, and Barnes and Nobles. We got some knew clothes, I got some new snowboard boots, some picture frames for a project Steve has, and actually left Barnes and Nobles without buying anything! We didn't get home from "church" until almost 7:00! We also got to meet some neighbors that live directly across from us in the same unit. They seemed to be a lot closer to our age.

Today after work we went to a Christian store and got our very own Bibles. I have never had one, and Steve wanted one that was the same version we use in church (NKJV). On Wednesday we are going to the small group meeting for church. We already know a few people that will be there, and will hopefully meet some more! The small groups are supposed to be the younger people, so we will see!

Pastor's House

Last night we were invited to our Pastor's house for a Welcoming Reception. We left our house at 6:15, and it should have been there by 6:30. We got SO SO SO lost! After driving around for 2 hours, we finally arrived! YIKES! We were just going to knock on the door and tell them we were not going to stay, but we didn't want them to think we were blowing them off. There were still six other people there, so they told us to stay. We ended up not leaving until 11:00! It was mostly just getting to know each other, but at the end when it was only the 4 of us left (Pastor, his wife, Steven and I) we got the drilling of religious questions; mostly me! Not growing up with a church background, he was very curious on all of my thoughts. I told him the truth about what I really think and feel, even though I'm sure in his head he was going crazy. We talked a lot about the connection of science and religion, and he even let me borrow a book that uses science to answer a lot of religious questions. I also told him how this is something I really want (even though I couldn't give a good explanation on why!) and I was ready to work really hard to accept Christ. One thing I REALLY liked was he told me that people never want to seek out God on their own, that God gives them that idea that they want to. That no one just decides on their own, God has to first decide he wants them. I really liked that. He didn't think it would mean anything to me now, not until I had found Him. But it made a lot of sense to me, and kind of put me at peace a little bit for some reason. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day! I am really excited to have a relationship with Him! :)

Last night I had a little trouble sleeping, because something right under my rib was hurting. Today at work it was awful, and everyone said it was my spleen. A guy that works in the same room as me had mono a few weeks ago, and he said his spleen hurt. I feel like there is a grapefruit under my last rib pushing on it. OUCH! Hopefully it won't be like this tomorrow...

~*~ Ashley ~*~

Short Weekend

This weekend went by very fast. On Friday I fell asleep on the couch around 8:00 pm. Kevin called at 9:00 to see if we wanted to go out with him and his sister. Since I had already been asleep for an hour, I didn't really want to go, so Steve went by himself. The pups and I went to bed early! When he got home around 2:00, he asked if I wanted to go snowboard with him and Kevin at Arapahoe Basin. I need new boots (mine are a little small) and my binding got damaged during the move, so I not ready to go on such a short notice. I stayed home and read a lot in a book. He said it was really crowded and they only went down the mountain one time, so I am kind of glad I didn't go. They did see two big horned sheep however, and I have been wanting to see those since we moved here!

Today we got up and went to church. I really like it there. We got a hard time from every one for not going on the hay ride/bonfire tonight. Tomorrow night we are going to the Pastor's house for a new member welcoming party. That should be fun. We met a few more young people, and they actually live across the street from us. Maybe in the next few Sundays we can get to know them better. It would be nice to make some friends!

I think I might actually be starting to get home sick. Not really for Ohio, but for people. It stinks not knowing anyone, and having anyone to talk to. I was really excited about maybe going to New Hampshire for Thanksgiving, but we don't have anything to do with the dogs. Guess I will have to wait for everyone to come here for Christmas! I am already really excited for that!

That is about it for the weekend. This week is going to be no fun at work. I am only in the lab TWO days this week, instead of four. So I will probably be cranky all week :)

~*~ Ashley ~*~

Finally the Weekend

This week started going really fast, then came to a crashing halt around Thursday afternoon! I learned two new things at work this week: batch staining and C-banding. I'm not going to describe them because they are not all that exciting, but I do like to learn new things, so it was fun for me. I got kicked out of the wet lab on Fridays so I can read cases. "Reading" is what we call when we are looking at someone's chromosomes. So Friday all I do is read. I have done three real cases now. All three didn't have anything wrong with them, so that was good! At this point in my training, I feel like I will only know if they have an extra or missing chromosome. I don't think I would notice if just one band was missing. But everyone says "Oh you will know!" So we will see! They said it doesn't really matter if I know which band is missing, just as long as I know it doesn't look like it should. On Friday I voluntarily gave blood to help with Quality Control (we have to test all of our products before we use them on patients) so I will get my chromosomes read for free. It costs around $2,000 if you get it done through your doctor. I am kind of scared, what if they find something wrong?!?! But they said that has never happened, and they test two employees blood every month. I will put a picture of my chromosomes up when I get them :)

Thursday at puppy class wasn't as beneficial as the first week. We mostly learned loose leash walking. We were also supposed to learn sit, but the puppies all already knew how to do it, so we didn't. Instead she taught us "spin" which we both thought was pretty stupid. Maybe next week will be better!

Today we took Tinkerbell to get her third set of shots. We also found she has a yeast infection in her ears. Since we brought her home, her ears have a ton of dark dark brown wax that smells. When we took her to the vet last time, he didn't notice though. The vet today gave us 2 ear medicines for her. We might use it on Lilliann too, because she always scratches her ears. She said it will only take three to five days to get rid of the infection.

Today's plans are to clean the house, since I have planned on it the past three weekends, but kept putting it off. Then tonight we are going on a date! Dinner and a movie together. It will be fun! We haven't done that in a really long time. I hope everyone has a good weekend!

~*~ Ashley ~*~

Puppy Class

Sorry I have been slacking with the blog! Not much has really happened since my last post. Working, eating, sleeping, and going to church on Sundays! I will mention a little bit about church last weekend. It was their one year anniversary, and they fed us a great lunch. We sat at a table with 2 other couples, and ended up talking for 2 hours! We looked at the time and realized we had been at church for 4 hours and didn't even notice!

Last night Tinkerbell had her first Puppy Class at PetsMart. It was really fun, and she actually learned a lot her first day! They gave us one of those little metal "clicker" things that you click to tell her dog they did what you wanted. I had never really thought that would work, and always thought it was kind of stupid, but Tinkerbell caught on VERY quickly! The first thing was to "load the clicker" which was pretty funny. You don't say anything to the dog, just click and give a treat, click and give a treat. We probably gave her 20 treats (pieces of Lilliann's food) while loading the clicker. This teaches them that when they hear the click, they get a treat. I am now her best friend, because she associates 20 treats from me in about 5 minutes! Next was to teach her "look at me" which is supposed to be the best thing to teach your dog. You hold the treat in front of her face, then hold it out. She stares at it, and you say "Tinkerbell look at me" and she is supposed to look you in the eyes. So the very second she makes eye contact, you click the thing, and give her a treat. She does it every time! I even tried this morning without a treat or the clicker, and she did it! Even though she really didn't learn much in class, she listens a whole lot better now. Just one hour class has helped a ton. I am excited to see what all she learns.

This is a picture of both dogs looking at the treat before I said "look at me."

~*~ Ashley ~*~