My Wish List for 2012

Posted in Thoughts & Stories by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

This year Mumbles and I had a very happy Christmas weekend spent with family eating, chatting, laughing, playing, and cuddling with our pup. Every year we are overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of our friends and family, and this year was no different. As we put away the beautiful gifts we’ve received, I spent time thinking about all the many blessings in our life, and thinking of the love and quality time together we experienced over the weekend, I was reminded (as the saying goes) that the best things in life aren’t things. With that in mind, I’ve put together a wish list of what I’d like for 2012:

A house well worn from the traffic of friends and family.
A rug dotted with the crumbs of appetizers and specks of wine unnoticeably spilled during laughing fits.
A worn down remote control from too many nights snuggled on the couch watching tv.
A carpet imprinted with the shape of a small dog curled up by the side of the bed.
A few more freckles from time spent out on the water in Lake Havasu.
More miles on my car from frequent visits to Mom & Dad’s house.

What’s on your wish list for the New Year?

New words: Caffiend and Caffriend

Caffiend
noun

A person extremely devoted and addicted to liquid in the form of soda or coffee.

Also inspired the word Caffriend, a person – possibly at the office – with whom you share your caffeine addiction. I will not comment as to whether this is the sole reason you are friends with this person, but caffeine’s a real addiction. It bonds people.

24Oct2011

Meet Baxter

Posted in Thoughts & Stories by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

Our nameless new dog quickly stole our hearts and our household is forever changed. I’m routinely getting up early for walks, talking to the dog like he’s a person, and the matter of canine bathroom behavior is a regular topic of conversation. Definitely gearing up for parenthood, I’d say, and a whole new level of connection with my dear Daddy who really quite seriously treats his two pups like toddlers. It’s adorable and makes you want to roll your eyes all at the same time. And now I’m one of those people, too.

So, now our happy house is home to three, including our darling, mischevious pupster, Baxter. Here’s what we know so far about Baxter:

likes to make chase after bunnies and birds.
aforementioned behavior has given us quite the scare a few times over, as we believe Baxter to be a runner.
because of above point, Baxter is now microchipped.
looks way better shaggy than he does groomed.
does not understand “sit,” “stay,” “come,” or any other regular dog command.
also, much to our disappointment, does not understand Spanish.
favorite ways to be entertained: running up and down stairs, chewing toys, stealing towels, pawing away at a rolls of toilet paper, eating toilet paper, pulling trash out of trash cans, army crawling across grass, watching traffic go by.

New word: ridicute

ri·di·cute

–adjective
ridiculous + cute = ridicute

Inspired by my dear Gold Friend‘s surprise engagement photos, I present to you the word “ridicute,” to be used to describe something that is intolerably darling, precious and pleasing.

Go ahead and enjoy this new, fabulous word. Use it in a sentence. Impress your friends and coworkers with its cleverness. You’re welcome.

Our [nameless] new dog

My dream has finally come true – we have a dog! Mumbles found a stray dodging cars and wandering around in his office parking lot. He sent me the photos and although his white fur was practically black and a matted mess, he had such a sweet face. I demanded he bring that dog home and that’s just what he did. Good husband.

Poor pupster was covered in fleas so Mumbles lovingly gave him a flea bath and we could tell he was relieved already. Over the weekend his personality really started to shine through. At first we were a little concerned; he didn’t play fetch, eat treats, or make any noise, and he was extremely mellow. Now he’s playing ball, gnawing on bones, running up and down the stairs, and rolling over on his back for lots of lovin’ and giving kisses like crazy. He’s a goofy guy and Mumbles is enamored. So am I. I even wake up early to take him for walks, which, if you know me, really means something as I am not a morning person. We’ve been crate training him and it’s breaking my heart to leave him for work. Your heart would break, too. Just look at his little face.

Perhaps the funniest thing about this fluffball is that sometimes he sticks his tongue out and his lips move so it looks like he’s mumbling. It’s a match made in doggy heaven!

So, what do you think we should name him? I always wanted a dog named Ravioli, but he really doesn’t look like a Ravioli. I might get over it because I love the name, but here are some other names we’ve been trying out too, and feel free to suggest your own: