The Mustache is Coming Off!

We've reached our goal of $500 in donations to AASK, Aid to the Adoption of Special Kids!! This means that Chris will be shaving his 'stache before the wedding! Thank you all for donating to a wonderful charity and keeping the 70's out of my wedding pictures. Chris will be shaving it on Friday, May 30th and I'll be sure to document the momentous occasion.

Thanks to everyone who donated! AASK is truly a special organization. I know this because for the past two months I've been a part of their Special Friends program. It's a program to match adults with youth in foster care to provide them with healthy relationship.

I'm a mentor in the program to an awesome, awesome young women. Her privacy is important so I can't share any details, but she's awesome. I see her about once a week and we just hang out. My focus is to be her friend and just have fun with her. It's a good way for her to get a break from the group home and to broaden her experiences. We do the things typical teenagers like - go to the mall, eat out, go to the movies, play on the Internet.

This last Sunday when we hung out, we ran into some of her friends and she introduced me as her "homegirl." That was one of the best compliments I've ever received. This relationship is enriching my life so much. I'm learning about unconditional love and withholding judgment. I'm getting out of my comfort zone. I'm realizing new levels of gratitude for my parents and my childhood. It's giving me a realistic view of my city and this entire country. It's blessing me.

I am so thankful for AASK and the opportunity to help someone else while learning so much for myself. Thank you all who donated to this wonderful organization.

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The Dogs

I'm spending lots and lots of time thinking about our dogs right now. As of March, Chris and I now have three dogs, which means the dogs outnumber the humans. I've been feeling like the house is somewhat out of control and have instigated some changes. Credit should go to Cesar Milan who wrote an awesome book and has an awesome show. I've learned so much about dogs and am better able to do the right thing with my dogs.

If you've ever watched The Dog Whisperer, you'll know that Cesar preaches three things.

1. Exercise
2. Discipline
3. Affection

He says that most dogs don't get enough exercise or discipline and way too much affection. I know that's how our dogs were. Now we're trying to tip the scales into the correct balance.

The biggest impact on the dogs' behavior has been exercising them to exhaustion. Chris and I haven't been able to give the dogs enough exercise until we started riding bikes with them. Now we ride our bikes between 8 and 10 mph with the dogs running beside us. We find they can run for about 1.5 miles and then they begin to tire out. Luckily it's only a 15 - 20 minute ride, which is easy for us to do each morning.

Now that the dogs have been getting this consistent exercise for the past week, the energy around the house is significantly lower. The dogs are more relaxed which in turn makes me more relaxed. They listen and behave better. Plus they seem really happy! I'm quite pleased with the improvements.

The only thing we're still struggling with is Stewie's desire to steal things while we're out of the house. He likes to grab dish towels, pillows and blankets off the couch and drag them through the dog door. When we come home, we typically find these items on the porch. They're not chewed up, but they're outside. I'm at a loss as to how to make him stop this behavior. If anyone has advice, I'd love it!

In the meantime, we'll keep making sure the dogs have enough exercise so they can be more relaxed when we're not there.

Parents' Vacation Update

Mom and Dad are on vacation. With all the Internet cafes around the world, my sisters and I occasionally get updates. Today's update was awesome.

We're spending the afternoon in Salerno, walking around, seeing sights. The cruise is going great, but we only came in 3rd in the dance contest last night. Personally, I think they favored the Italians and we should have come in Second.

I can't wait to hear the full story about the dance contest!

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Sick

I'm sick. It sucks. I must have caught a stomach flu. Yesterday morning before work, my stomach was in all sorts of knots. After breakfast I felt a bit better. Later in the afternoon I started getting a backache. It progressed to chills and I decided to head home. When I finally got home, I was freezing despite it being 77 degrees inside and I was under three blankets. I immediately fell asleep for a couple hours. Last night I just laid around and took it slow. Today I'm not much better. I've got a lot of stomach cramping but the body aches aren't as bad as yesterday. I sure hope this passes quickly and I get back to normal. Health is so much better than sickness and something I definitely take forgranted.

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