Favorite Things

I have joined Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap!

I will be partnered up with another blogger and swap a package with our favorite things. I am excited to be a part of this for a couple of reasons:

#1 Dandelion Wishes is a blog I have enjoyed for while, Mamarazzi is a strong woman and I respect her for organizing this swap after everything she has been through this year.

#2 I love the sense of community that blogging and the Internet can have. I love meeting new people, hearing their stories and getting to know them. This swap really is one of my favorite things!

I will update more as more becomes known to me.

Valentines Day and Emergency Contacts

Let’s imagine for a moment.

A fun Valentines Day morning, I woke up early to go to the store for some berries to complete our “heart-healthy” Valentines breakfast. While I was out I picked up a small bunch of wildflowers for the table. When I got home I made breakfast. Whole-wheat French toast made with 2 eggs whites, 1 egg, skim milk and agave nectar.

For Valentines I had attempted to give Dear Hubby a valentine everyday for 14 days leading up to V-Day. I didn’t quite make it but here is a run down of what I did:

“I am nutz 4 U” on a can of almonds
“I ‘chews’ U” with a package of gum
“U R my sweetie-pie” on a small pie
“I have a ‘crush’ on you” attached to a bottle of Crush soda

Then I had to go to Colorado for my Sister-in-Laws baby shower and that messed up the flow but when I got home I resumed with:

“U R so HOT” with a bottle of hot sauce
“U make my heart glow” with glow sticks
I made little paper fortune cookies that said “I am ‘fortune-ate’ to have you”
“You Rock” I wanted pop-rocks for this one but they are so hard to find, instead I found a rock in a gift shop.
“I love you a latte” with a new coffee cup
When I was in Colorado I had picked up a book 1000 Places to See before You Die, I gave that to him with a handwritten note.

On V-Day, I gave the Rapscallion a card, a small box of chocolates and a little bear that said “Happy Valentines Day” for Dear Hubby I gave him a card, a box of chocolates (that said “you are too sweet too me!”) and a Hayes manual for our truck with a note that said “You drive me wild!” It was a great day, we went on a bike ride, and we had Chinese take-out for dinner and watched TV in the evening with the Rapscallion before bed.

Last night was the evening for Dear Hubby and I to celebrate together, we went to a little Italian place that we love. We had Cioppinni, which is an Italian seafood stew and crème brulee for dessert. I was a wonderful quiet evening, just what we needed.

When we got home, we were laughing and talking and when we walked in the door we discovered that Puppy Butt had eaten the remaining 4 chocolates that were in the Rapscallions box. I freaked out, I have always heard that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, I immediately “google” MY DOG ATE CHOCOLATE.

Turns out she is fine, but it dampened the evening. So for you my friends, here are some numbers you should keep handy in case of an emergency with your furry little babies:

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 1.888.426.4435

National Animal Poison Control Center 1.800.548.2423

if you need to speak to a veterinarian there, this service will be billed to a credit card. An alternate number is (900) 680-0000. A veterinarian's services on this line will cost a flat fee for the first five minutes, and an additional fee per minute for each additional minute. These charges will be billed to your phone bill. (Call them for current pricing)

Kansas State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital 1.785.532.5679

FREE 24 hours poison control hot line for pet owners and veterinarians. Be patient. The person answering the phone may have to take a few minutes to consult the vet on duty.

Hope you all had a wonderful V-Day!

14 Days of Valentines Day 3

Dear Hubby loved the "I 'chews' you" valentine, I got a text from him at 5 a.m. that said "I chews you too" he loved that I snuck outside after he went to sleep to hide the valentine in his truck. It has been so fun to think of these little valentines and most of them are very, very affordable. Tomorrow's valentine "U R my sweetie pie" only cost me about $.60.

I got a little pie from the store and made the valentine, I attached it to a stick and stuck it in the little pie. I am going to place it in the fridge, with his keys so he will find it, I am leaving a note on his cell phone about where his keys are.

Someone also asked me how my hearts looked so nice, before anyone thinks that I am talented with a pair of scissors I should admit that I have a cricut. I got it for Christmas and it has been the coolest craft accessory I have ever gotten!

I can't wait to show you what I have up my sleeve for the next few days, I have a challenge because I will be out of town over the weekend and I am trying to think of sneaky ways to surprise him.

14 Days of Valentines!

I got this idea from a friend of mine, she guided me to Love Actually where I got a tons of ideas!

I am trying to leave Dear Hubby a little Valentine everyday until February 14th, nothing large or expensive but just little ways for him to know that I am thinking of him during the day.

I will try to take pictures and keep you guys up to date on the ideas, if you have any please leave me a comment it would be great to have a few extras!

I didn't have alot of time this morning, so excuse the glue you can see under the letters, on the "I am nuts 4 you" valentine. I left it for Dear Hubby on the counter, on top of a jar of almonds, I was at school when he came home and saw it. He said it made him laugh. I can't wait until he see what I have waiting in his truck for him tomorrow!

(his truck is pretty dusty, maybe I could clean it as a valentine... 'nahhhh, not until he fixes the squeaky belt on my truck)

2 Girls 1 Dental Cup

I can see a scary future for the time being, if you don't want to listen to me prattle on about Dental Vocabulary you may not want to start a conversation with me any time during the next few weeks because right now I have a one track mind and that one track is playing all dental hits, all the time!

Classes for my Dental Assisting program started Tuesday. I was 30 minutes late to class because of the torrential rainfall that Las Vegas has had recently, again another semester with me impressing the Professor right off the bat, at least this time I didn't also point out that she wasn't wearing matching shoes.

Today I heard a story that I am not sure if it grosses me out completely or makes me completely weirded out that I am not scared off by it. One of the students who is ahead of me and already completing her internship at the dental clinic was talking about assisting when a badly infected and abscessed tooth was extracted. She was describing the putrid smell and how it was her job as the assistant to hydrate and suction out the area, she said afterwards she couldn't get the smell off her tools fast enough. When relating this story to my SMIL, I just expressed the hope that if I am ever in that position that I won't vomit into the patients mouth, no thought of changing majors, just the hope that I never puke in someones mouth.

I guess I found my calling.

Quickie

Overwhelmed a little... tomorrow I finish the kitchen, Thursday is class again. Tonight was my first Dental Assisting class... I showed up late (go me) I got stuck in the rain, not the best way to make a first impression... I would like to clean my carpets by the end of this week before the rat comes back over, then I would also like to get runners to cover the hallway and front walkway... I need a spending spree at Target to make my house feel more grown up (not everything being a hand me down) oh and the Coachella lineup was announced, I want to go to Friday and Saturday as my 30th birthday present to me and Dear Hubby...

I promise to give you guys a real update later this week... until then you get...

Sypien

I went to a vocational high school. My class was the first class to come in as Freshman, previous students did not come to the school until they were Sophomore's. My first period class during my freshman year was a computer class taught by a teacher who had taught at the school since it opened in 1965, I didn't know on that day how influential that teacher would become to me.

When we entered our Junior year we began to study our chosen vocations, we spent 3 to 4 hours a day in our vocational classes. For me this meant spending all of my time haunting the computer animation classroom, drawing, learning, playing and laughing. My teacher was Don Sypien, the same teacher I had known since my first day in the school. I had him as a teacher all four years I was at the school. He was a laid back teacher, he spoke to a goofy bunch of teenagers like we were his friends, giving us his opinions on everything from Disney's style of animation to buying stock in Microsoft. Even more than sharing what he thought was the fact that he listened to us, he took interest in who we were as individuals and encouraged us to follow our passions in life.

I wasn't the most talented student in the class, I was creative but not as knowledgeable about the technical side of computer animation. Sypien always pushed me to compete with the boys and paired me with the most technically skilled student to help me learn. After high school, when I knew I wasn't going to pursue computer animation as a career, I remember him encouraging me to go into health care. He knew I was a people person and enjoyed helping people. I laugh that it took me 10 years to see what he saw then and can only imagine he would approve of my choice to become a Dental Assistant.

Last year he became my Facebook friend, it was wonderful to have contact with him again. I loved seeing his opinions on movies, all the old photos he had from his school days and all the pictures of how he was spending his retirement. His wife Joanne, passed away on November 4th. I sent my condolences and my last contact with him was in December. He passed away on January 4th, 2 months after his beloved wife.

It is always sad to lose someone who was such a strong part of your life. My thoughts go out to his family, who I know he adored, he will be missed.