Junior game warden and wardenette

Rigby has been a junior game warden for a while.

He loves going out with Todd in the work truck.  He sits so proudly on the front seat, watching for animals and helping Todd spot bad guys.

Todd has pinned him a junior game warden, a title Rigby takes very seriously.

Last weekend, Lulu went out for half a day on her very first trip as a junior game wardenette.

It was so cute to see Todd loading all his helpers in the truck...

Rigby actually doesn't need loaded.  He just jumps right in and gets settled into his seat...

All loaded up!  Lulu is checking out her new assigned seat.  I asked Todd if that console folds up so Lulu had didn't slide around and he said yes, but then she couldn't see.  Oh...

Here they are!  Ready to roll out for a very early morning (I think this was around 5:45 a.m.) of sage grouse counting and checking fisherman on Pathfinder Reservoir...

I joined them for a picnic lunch that afternoon and got the report that Lulu did great on her first outing.

She's a natural.

A so-sew job

I do not sew.

My sewing days ended in 5th grade as I was preparing a quilt block for the 4-H fair.  The stress of trying to shorten my stitches late into the night before the fair was all I could take.  I don't even like to sew on buttons if I can help it.

But every now and then, as in the case of buttons, I have to pick up a needle and thread (don't get me started on how antsy threading a needle makes me!).  Twice since having Lulu I've had to do this, which is two times more than I've done in the last several years.

The dogs have two stuffed pheasants they like to play with.  They're very good about not just sitting down and tearing them to shreds, but a stuffed animal can only take so much tug-o-war before something gives; and recently both have needed some repair...

This poor bird's guts needed sewed back together.  I never said it would look nice, I just want it functional...

Attempting a nose job...

Aren't you glad I'm not a plastic surgeon?  It's FrankenPheasant...!!  lol

Finished!  This photo is like one of those "can you tell what's different in the identical pictures" games...

One bird doesn't have feet...and never will again.  The feet got pulled out which is why his gut was open in the first place.  I had enough patience to sew the seam together, but reattaching feet...?

That's someone else's job.

Happy Easter!

(A little late!)

We didn't do much at all over the weekend, but we did decide to get out and about a bit beginning with a picnic at Pathfinder Reservoir!

Todd took the dogs with him that morning to count sage grouse and I met him at the lake with Subway sandwiches for lunch...

The dogs hanging out with us.  Lulu has the LONGEST tongue...!

She also has the BIGGEST feet!  Look at those honkers...!

Lulu the billy goat contemplating the cliff's edge...

A warden and his dogs...

A public relations girl and her dogs... (ha)

Sunday morning we went to church then had a family photo snapped outside the house...

Happy Easter!

Happy birthdays to us!

Todd and I were born almost exactly one week apart.

Oh - and two years.  I'm the older of us.  (Go ahead and say it...I know you're thinking "cougar," and "cradle robber!")

This year, instead of going out to a big elaborate dinner for each of us we combined forces.  We invited folks to celebrate with us jointly - at a bowling alley.

Neither of us have been bowling for a while and we thought it would be a fun night out with our friends and their families.

Problem was...we haven't been bowling in Casper since we've moved here and we didn't know which place was the best one to go to.  There are at least two alleys in town.  We stopped by both to check them out and decided on the one with the restaurant attached and Glow Bowl! You know, where there are disco, white and neon lights, and top 40 dance music playing...?

We went to Sunrise Lanes  which also has the restaurant Prime Time right next door.  We've never eaten there before, but they boast the best burgers in town and how could we pass that up?  You can order from their full menu and it will be delivered right to your lane.  That's service, I tell ya'!

Todd bowled awesome - as to be expected, and I bowled terribly - also to be expected.  But we all had fun!

On Todd's actual birthday we went out for a few drinks and I also made him a special birthday breakfast and dessert.

For my actual big day, we had lunch at the Lime Leaf Asian Bistro.  I'd seen on their menu they have Pho soup, a Vietnamese soup that I LOVE and haven't found since leaving D.C. - not even in Fort Collins, Colo.!

Just look at this deliciousness...!

And summer rolls?  I love, love, love them.  I'm going to make them this year...

A very satisfied birthday girl...

That night we layed low with pizza and movies.

Do we know how to party, or what?

Drop out

About a week ago I made the decision to drop my classes.

I'm only taking two classes, but they equal six credits and I just can't manage that right now.

Part of me is very relieved and a part of me feels like a failure. 

I never dropped a class in college this far in.  I remember dropping an art history class that was just way over my head.  I wasn't an art major and it was more than I could take.  Any time I made a change in my schedule, which was basically never, I did it within the first couple classes.  This time, I'm nearly through the spring semester and am going to loose a lot of money on tuition and books.  That sucks.

But it's better than getting Fs, which is what I was heading for.

With wedding planning, house renovations, travel for work, a new puppy... my time was just too scarce.  This upsets me also because if I'm going to ever make a career change I need to get these classes done.  I have an entirely new degree to earn and at the pace of one or two classes a semester I'll be 40 by the time I get my own classroom.  

But I was three papers behind in one class and who knows how far behind in the other class.  I haven't looked at it in a while.  

So, here I am.  A beauty school drop out (name that movie!).  Ok, I wasn't going to beauty school I just couldn't resist that Grease reference.  

Real meaning

We've been having potty training issues with the new girl, Lulu.

Now, she's just over seven weeks old and I certainly don't expect her to be perfectly trained overnight, but we've missed the door and hit the floor on almost every single attempt today.

Including two number twos.

There's something about our torn up entryway that makes Lulu want to use it as a toilet.  Todd and I think it's because it kind of resembles those puppy training pads - absorbent squares that are stuck to the floor and give puppies a consistent place to go.

This morning, I saw her sniffing around in the entryway - an indication she may need to go.  I jumped up, scrambling for her treats, but it was too late.  She was squatting.

I scooped her up and ran her to the front yard to finish.

When we came back in the entryway I noticed a little poop pile on the floor.  Then another.  Then another...

Uuuuuggggghhhhh.

I got the cleaning supplies and went to work, but the smell still lingered.

A quick investigation revealed poop on the top of one of my cowboy boots and dripped on the sole inside.

They're not called "shit kickers" for nothing.

Introducing...

Tallulah Alcova Kittel or...LULU!

The cute little addition to our family...

We had to give her a "formal" name for her papers, so we used the name of the town/lake where she was born as a middle name.  Since we don't want Rigby to feel left out we've decided to do the same for him - assign him a middle name based on where he's from.  He is now Rigby Hermann Kittel!  haha

We've had her two nights now and aside from a few run ins and several potty training accidents...so far so good!

Here we are picking her up...

Rigby didn't really like this whole new puppy business...

There was an "altercation" on the car ride home regarding a twig.  And as you can see, Rigby wanted as far away from the puppy as possible...

But then we had a moment.  Ok, it was completely accidental, but it made a cute photo that I thought would represent their future bond.  If there is one...

They did have a breakthrough in the yard during bathroom time.  They played quite a lot and Lulu loved pouncing on Rigby from the bushes.  But don't be fooled - this photo was totally posed...  Todd tried to get them to snuggle together in hopes of fostering some love...

Here's where she's sleeping.  Rigby has a bed on the other side too.  The family we got Lulu from told us she would need let out every two hours and that they'd heard from the other new puppy owners they cried all the first night.  We lucked out!  She went down at 11 p.m. and didn't wake up again until 5 a.m.  And not a peep all night...

This is the start of her first walk on the first morning we had her.  I love this photo...

She wants to run with her big brother.  She can't take being behind him and tries really hard to keep up.  In fact, she tries to keep up with everything he does.  She really watches Rigby and follows him everywhere.  We think she couldn't have a better role model...!

This picture cracks me up!  This is what walking with Rigby is like - stopping to sniff evvvverrryyyy where.  Now her too...

Getting ready to be let loose at the park...!

Today, the puppies got baths.  Rigby needed one because it had been awhile, and Lulu needed one because she has never had one.  Rigby was SO good in the shower today!  Normally, he freaks out, but he just stood there and let the water flow over him.  Doesn't he look cute...?

Next...Lulu.  She really did very well too.  There was some squeaking going on, but no freaking out.  And once she realized it was water on her she didn't seem to mind at all...

We had another breakthrough this afternoon - they played HARD in the house.  There was pouncing, sliding, ambushing, tug-o-warring... and after bath time they went at it again!  That's why she's sleeping so hard here...

Nap time at the Kittel homestead...

And for fun, a picture of Lulu I messed with on Photoshop...

She loves that stuffed pheasant just as much as Rigby does!

They must be long lost family!