Doggy Bird Seed Bender

*Yucky details in this entry*

I haven't slept in 40 hours. Despite feeling completely drained, I know I won't fall asleep until I have emptied my head and let myself unwind.

Yesterday, after an already very long day behind me, I came home late from work (about 10). Honey (the dog) had only been home alone for about 5 hours. On previous occasions when she was home alone, she did very well. No major messes, nothing chewed up, no in-house accidents.

This time I noticed she had emptied her basket of toys which were everywhere. Which is OK, they are her toys, after all; and we haven't given her many so it took all of 15 seconds to put them back.

Then, I noticed, on our screened in lana'i, she had somehow jumped up to a 5.5 foot shelf and pulled off the sack of bird seed we keep to re-fill the bird feeder in our yard. Bird seed was scattered everywhere, though not as much as should have been given the size of the bag. In other words, she ate approximately 1.5 lbs of seed. She went on a bird seed bender!

This was all very educational for me. First, I had no idea that my dog was so agile and gravity-defying. The shelf is a wall shelf, bolted to the wall, nothing under or next to it to climb. Second, I had no idea a dog could eat so much bird seed; or that any dog would want to.

Dax knows when something is bad for him; and he rarely eats people food. He just does not like it. He is a naturally healthy decision maker.

Apparently not all dogs are like that.

Anyway, her activity level was still WAY up and she was happy to see me, so I thought nothing of it.

Until she got really fidgety around 11 am, and kept having to go out to go potty. Which kept me up because I have to escort her out at night so she doesn't lick a Cane toad (whole other story). This happened about every 15 minutes. I thought I could ignore her once and try to sleep, since I know she has the bladder control, but she could not hold it.

Then, around 2 am, she started getting fiercely sick. She was hot and vomity and well...I will spare details. I called the emergency vet at about 4am. He said if she got lethargic to bring her in ASAP, otherwise, bring her in around 6 or 7 am and they would start testing.

So I brought her in this morning.

Turns out, bird seed can go bad. Really bad. And with her size (30 lbs) and the amount she ate (2lbs) it impacts the small intestine in a really nasty way. It also ferments with germs and fungus and does all sorts of damage in there. The vet was glad I brought her in this morning, since she needed to be put on an IV and be admitted for monitoring. She's had several enemas today, and hasn't been off the IV yet. She has to stay overnight for more monitoring. (I, in the meantime, spent the day scrubbing and sterilizing my home, making it aromatic again, and buying and installing baby-proofing tools everywhere I felt necessary).

Who knew bird seed could be so potentially dangerous.

She might get to come home tomorrow if she "passes" a series of more tests. Otherwise, she'll stay another day, and possibly undergo slightly more invasive methods to clear out her tummy.

I am sad for my puppy, I really hope she is fully recovered so I can bring her home tomorrow. The only obstacle is that the IronMan triathlon is going on, and the highway I have to drive across to get to the vet's will be barricaded off for the safety of the athletes, and will not be open again until the evening of the 10th.

Trying to figure out that one hiccup has been preventing me from dropping straight into bed...

New things can be scary

I have taken for granted how scary or unexpected something can be when it's brand new to you. Honey, the new dog, has made me appreciate this again. Having been a stray whom we think never knew a home before, she spent the first 9-ish months of her life basically as a wild dog. There are several things in our home which have scared her; and every time I think she's fully acquainted, something else sets her off.

1. Stairs. The only way to get in our home is via stairs. When we got to our house from the shelter, we assumed she would follow us normally into the house. There was a pull. She stopped. She had no idea how to get her front feet up and make her back feet follow. We got her started and she just about stumbled back down, completely frightened. A few days later, after some coaching and placing treats on each step, she got the hang of it.

2. Soft surfaces (couches, beds, pillows, etc). The first time Isaac invited her onto the sofa to sit by him, she was extremely uncomfortable and skeptical. We let her stay in bed with us the first night because she wanted to be near us, but she had a hard time sleeping that first time. She tossed and turned. Now, she begs for a nap in bed every day around 10 or 11 am.

3. Mirrors and window reflections. This was especially funny to watch. We know not to baby or pander a dog when it's frightened because it fosters those feelings of fear and anxiety. So we watched amusedly. We have a big mirror door in our office to the office closet. The first time she followed us in there, her hackles went up and she began to growl and bark, and pace back and forth in front of the mirror, occasionally going in for a warning nip to "that other dog." She then started to try to outsmart the dog by slowly turning her head and walking away, then quickly snapping back at it...then would whimper because (we assume) she saw that the other dog was just as fast and sly as her! She still barks any time she sees her own reflection in a glass door or window at night, but she's becoming more and more friendly with her mirror reflection.

4. Remote controls and other similarly shaped electronics. This one seems a little more random than the rest. She seems to be OK with other small objects for the most part. But when we use the remote or point it at the TV, she runs to the other side of the room and barks excitedly. We've managed to get her to calm down quite a bit, but she still refuses to be near one.

5. Anything that squeaks. Dax also hated squeaky toys. But Honey will bolt in the other direction with her tail between her legs if we offer her squeaky toy to her and it squeaks. She's so afraid of it now that she won't even go near it if it's not squeaking.

6. Window blinds.  I think she may have survived off bugs before she was rescued. She chases them around our house and catches them every time she sets out to get one. But one went behind the blinds and she couldn't figure out how to get to it. In the spirit of being helpful, I pulled the blinds up. She did a backflip off the sofa, onto the floor, then scrambled into the corner, tail down, hackles up, and started barking and whimpering.

Those events aside, she is becoming more and more adjusted every time she sees something new. Our vet suggested introducing her to something new and unusual every few days with treats so she can acclimate and get adjusted; it's a suggestion that has been working really well. Honey is starting to feel more and more at home. We start obedience training class next week, and once that is done, she gets to start agility training! We're hoping we can do more things right and less things wrong than we did with Dax, for an especially balanced, happy, and friendly dog.

Evolving

I don't know what it is about being married that suddenly makes me feel that I am changing so much as a person, and that my surroundings are changing too...or maybe that is just my perspective.

As much as Isaac and I got to improving the art of communication before our wedding, we're getting even better at it now. I think that part of that is the mentality that we are officially bound to each other for life, so we better get started on making that life easy on ourselves and each other!

I think we have both also gotten into the mentality that in order to take truly good care of each other, we need to take good care of ourselves first. We've really been fostering wellness in ourselves, each other, and our marriage. Never in a million years did I think my husband would take up yoga, but we're both really into it now...going to classes six days a week and even having a private instructor come over and work with us another two days a week. I think the yoga lifestyle is starting to reach out into every part of our routine.

Along those lines, I've become one of those people who treats sugar like the devil. I don't want it in my house, in my food, or on my mind. It has never really been a secret that sugar and sugary foods do damage to the human body; but I've been seeing that damage in action with people I know, and have been reading more and more about it. I crave it less and less.

Isaac has been fostering my need to be creative and meditative, and has also been feeling more drawn to home and time together. I think the first year-ish of his big plate full of chief pilot duties kept him away long enough that the importance of a home life sunk in. Having Honey in our home makes everything feel more whole as well; and we're really beginning to feel more like a family unit than simply a couple.

All of this growing wellness in our heads, souls, and bodies has been so nurturing for us. I am finding myself more attracted to my husband, and more relaxed with myself. I hope we are both able to continue to foster all this good energy and watch it grow. He is away for two weeks on the mainland right now; so it will take some work and testing to see how well we can both continue to foster these positive improvements while we are apart. I miss him already and am really looking forward to him being home.

Beach Dog

We have on our hands a beach dog! An ocean-loving, wave-riding, sand-sprinting little beach dog. Her stitches have finally dissolved after being spayed, so we can take her into the water now. Not that we have to pressure her into it. Once she hears the waves, there's no stopping her from running straight in and riding the waves back.

This time, we brought her other obsession: a ball. Throwing a ball into the waves for her to fetch seemed to provide her with pure joy.

She also loves sea turtles...from a distance. When she sees their heads bobbing on the surface (as we always do at this particular beach), she swims right up to them, thinking they are a ball. But as soon as she gets close enough to see that they are about 170 lbs bigger than she is, she tries swimming backwards and turns around quickly. It's clear that she loves the water but is terrified of sea creatures.

We're pretty happy to have a beach babe. What a perfect little Poi dog she is!

What the Stork Found...

A little stork found a cute little girl. She was alone, skinny, and bony in a park. Just about starving to death. He took her to a shelter, where we saw her in her stall and thought we'd take her on a walk. We had been visiting frequently and taking various dogs out for exercise. We had no idea we'd end up loving her so instantly.

The walk turned into instant love. We were smitten.

Meet Honey. We cycled through lots of names to which she didn't respond, cute though they were. (Amongst them: Gidget, Peanut, Luna...). When we gave up, we affectionately started calling her "honey" (lower case "h"). But, sticky as honey is, it stuck and is now Honey. Which fits, as she is a very sweet girl.

She loves to cuddle, and thinks that the ball is the greatest invention of all time. She already knows how to play fetch and bring the ball back, and is getting very high marks in house training. She was once a homeless, stray Poi dog (like the rez dog version of Hawaii). The first time she saw her reflection, she couldn't stop growling and barking at the mysterious pup she was looking at. She is about a year old, and still learning how to climb and descend stairs.

We are told she LOVES the water, but can't find out until the 24th, when her spaying stitches are healed. We've got a fun beach day planned for her!

The Biggest Change of All!

Even though Isaac has been begging for months that I stop using facebook so often, the level of importance it held to him didn't click until recently.

I need not go into the series of events and conversations that led to my realizing that I had a problem [hi, my name is Natalie and I spend too much time on facebook...], but suffice it to say, it finally hit me. A little bit like a ton of bricks.

So I left facebook. Or, I deleted my account. Did and done! Isaac put my name on his account simply so that I can log in and see photo albums once in a blue moon that our sisters post of our nieces and nephews (since they rarely e-mail them). But that's it!

I am facebook free! 2 days and counting. I hope to discover a myriad of healthy and beneficial changes in my life as a result.

Toasts

My favorite part of our wedding was the toasts. I have been trying my very hardest to remember them as well as I can; so that I can reminisce about them later. Needless to say, this entry is more for my benefit than for the benefit of anyone who may actually read this blog.

All of these are paraphrased (obviously, darn blasted non-photographic memory).

Bonnie: My sister's was great. She talked about how, as a young' un, I was always on the out-look for adventure. She talked about how I'd always get into trouble for climbing up to high places (counter tops, trees, random semi-perilous structures) and how after being berated for it, I would always say, "It's ok. I'm an EXPERT climber!" She then went into how Isaac and I started our relationship off rock-climbing, camping, back-backing, kayaking, and mountain-climbing. [I suppose we are a dirt-under-your-nails kind of couple, aren't we?]. She then wished us a lifetime of adventure and, "as many children and as much happiness as me and Ben!" *clink*

John: Kept his short and sweet, and congratulatory. Just like Isaac's was for his. :-)

Peter: Talked shortly about his first memories of me and Isaac when he met me, and how he knew that Isaac "chose the right guy." I love Pete.

Alicia: Started to cry almost right away, to which a Schaefer relative from the peanut gallery shouted, "It's ok, you're a Schaefer!" [Schaefers are notorious for wearing their hearts on their sleeves during such occasions]. She talked about how, when Isaac decided to become a pilot, they were all a little scared. Not only because of the danger of being a pilot, but because pilots move and uproot themselves so often, they knew it would be hard for him to make himself at home and to meet someone who could do that for him. She said that she knew I was the right girl when I called one day, and said I knew Isaac had been having a hard week, and could she please give me the recipe for his favorite dessert so I could have it ready when he came home. It was a sweet toast. I think we all got a little misty.

Madeline: Also started to tear up right away, saying immediately "Hi everyone. Well, I'm a Schaefer too...." She spoke about how whenever anyone told her how much she reminded them of Isaac, she thought it was the best compliment in the world, and her favorite compliment to receive because she looks up to Isaac so much; and has always loved that they have so much in common. She said that she has always been extremely selective of the people she surrounds herself with and keeps few friends; but that she and I bonded quickly and even if she had met me outside of my relationship to her brother, we'd still form a close friendship. She said she was glad that Isaac met someone who fit so well with his family, and toasted our love and our friendship. (We all cried)

Karl: Karl spoke about how when Isaac was a tot, he LOVED to prank people. His favorite thing was to hide out and make people worry and then hop out and scare them (or in some instances just make them mad). Then he fast-forwarded a ways. And talked about how when Isaac met me, he kept me a secret for a really long time. They didn't know he'd been dating me for a few months until he canceled a family dinner with them one night to get to take me out. Something uncharacteristic. They all got a little curious about who that girl was. A few months after that, Karl received a phone call from Isaac about that girl he'd been dating. He invited her on a date, and she (that's me) was supposed to meet him at his house first. He told her he'd be busy upstairs getting ready, but she could let herself in. [Switching to first-person for a bit here for the sake of my mental sanity]. I knocked once. No answer. I tried the door. Locked. All the while, Isaac was hiding behind a curtain giggling at how clever he was. I walked away, thinking it was pretty rude to blow a girl off like that after making me drive all that way. Nobody had ever done that to him before. (He is a catch, after all). He called his dad, not sure of what to do. His dad's first thought: "This girl has got some spunk! She might be just the thing he needs!" Then told Isaac that if he really was serious about me, a phone call wouldn't be enough and he had better make the trip to my house to explain himself. Ah, history...

Catherine (and I can't remember if this was at our wedding or rehearsal dinner): said that when Isaac was a little guy, he loved to run around. In fact, he NEEDED exercise in order to be well behaved and relaxed. She said that when he was little, they would always joke that he had better write exercise into his marriage contract. And when I started training for the Portland Marathon, she had a good feeling we were well-matched.

Grandpa Pete: Funny, sweet, and charming as always. One of my favorite wedding photos is of him toasting us. (To come later...when I have a copy of my own to share).

My dad: a toast not only to us, but to the US Marine Corps. I should ask him for a copy of it. It might need to go into a post all its own. :-) The thing I remember the most from it was, "Well, my wife told me not to recite this one. But I took that as a challenge, so here goes..."

All photos Copyright of Sarah Tunstall

5 Things we didn't get photos of (or that photos couldn't do justice)

Another wedding blog!

Things we couldn't get photos of, or that photos didn't or couldn't have done justice anyway:

1. The arch built by Isaac and his best man. I don't mean the one we stood under, I mean the first one they made. An engineered spectacle of bent and snapped bamboo and about a roll and a half of duct tape. It did not pass the Schaefer Wedding Standard. The arch that took 3 hours (and, I repeat, a roll and a half of duct tape) was quickly replaced by a beautiful square-shaped arch held together with beautiful twine. The one we actually got married under (and that was completed in about half an hour) is pictured here in the background (another thing of which we didn't think to take many pictures of). I am so proud of Isaac and his buds for it, because after all the hard work (and frustration on their part, I'm sure) it was beautiful:

2. The tuxes. Ok, well the tuxes that we spent several weeks deciding on, picking the right place to rent form, and finally getting sized for and renting. We went to Men's Wearhouse (a place whose business we are not likely to be patrons of again). We had ordered heather grey 3-button tuxes. When Isaac went to pick them up, 6 hours before the ceremony: they were black (or navy blue, we can't fully decide) 1-button tuxes. This is one time when I will say GOD BLESS Isaac's half-Irish temper. They ended up with free tuxes...even if they weren't the ones he had really wanted he and his groomsmen to wear. SIDE NOTE: So glad Isaac was ok with it in the end. He could make a brown paper bag look sexy.

Photograph by Sarah Tunstall

3. Our place cards. Suffice it to say, the package arrived, but was quickly lost and forgotten because it was signed for by someone who was neither a part of the family, or whom had a good memory. I spent a couple hundred buckaroos on those babies. But even better: the time and hard work put in by my sister in law, mama in law, and several farm school girls, who cut out all 160 little airplanes and hand-wrote the names on themselves. I don't deserve that kind of labor and attention to detail, but it sure felt special. (Can you spot the airplane hanging off the wine glass??)

Photograph by Sarah Tunstall

4. Champagne toasts. Because we have pictures of the toasts...just not of the 4 cases of champagne we purchased or all the champagne glasses we paid for. Whoops! Good news: we got a return on the champagne (and nobody complained about it missing). 

4b. Pictures of Isaac and his best man trying to get the money's worth out of the undrunk champagne after everyone went home. About 2 (shared with others) bottles in, they admitted defeat. He is an adorable tipsy man, by the way.

5. Our photographers. Because both of our photographers (Sarah Tunstall and John Givot) are two of me and Isaac's nearest and most-loved friends. I have one or two photos of them that were shot either by the other photographer or by other friends (god bless 'em). On the uphand: Sarah and John were both extremely attentive to detail and about as wonderful and artistic as we could have dreamed of our two dear friends being for a wedding.

The REAL Wedding Week Sneak Peek!

Ok, so I'll post a few pictures and anecdotes about the wedding. Not all of the (wonderful) photographer's pictures are up yet, but here's a few to start...

Dax managed to make it into our ceremony. I was really glad he could be a part of the big day. I haven't seen any of the actual ceremony photographs yet, but I am curious to see if and how he was captured during the ceremony.

Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner:

 

Here were are, rehearsing the process, practicing the act of getting married. 

 

Isaac's parents, Catherine and Karl, at the rehearsal.

I like this sneaky little peek, she caught my parents holding hands. So cute.

At the dinner, there were many funny (and a few slightly embarrassing) stories told about me and Isaac. Here is Catherine telling a story about Isaac when he was just a toddler. Very animated!

 

All the stories held everyone captivated and provided a lot of fun and laughter (in case you couldn't tell by all the laughing going on).

Finally, I will close with one bridal portrait. There will be more pictures and stories to come!

All photographs are copyrighted and are the property of Sarah Tunstall of Sarah Tunstall Photography. 

www.sarahtunstallphotography.com

Post Wedding Wind-Down

The wedding was great! There were just a few glitches, but mostly lots of wonderful memories, and it went by so quickly! Pictures will be up SOON! There are already some on facebook, and the photographer has been posting one or two sneak peeks on my facebook a day... I just want to make sure I get her permission to post them here before I go ahead and do so.

So many great people came, and lots of friends were missed, but there in spirit. I was oddly relaxed. Dax got out of the Hops Barn, in which he was locked up, and walked down the aisle with me (but not before walking across the back of my train with muddy paws. Oddly enough, it was more funny and memorable than irritating).

Isaac's dad was our officiant AND our caterer. The food was great! We didn't know what we would be able to serve until a few days before. The rainy season lasted so long and then it got so hot, that the best produce wasn't what we thought it would be. Still, we had: Salmon with Beurre Blanc sauce, ratatouille, and wild rice with onions and hazelnuts.

The cake was my favorite: lemon cake with lemon curd and freshly picked raspberry filling. I want the recipe. I've been craving it daily since!

The band was great! I got more compliments on the music than anything else. Everyone wants to hire them, and the family is thinking of asking them to play for a family reunion next summer. ahhh...bluegrass!

The wine went quickly: St. Josef's wine. Glad I went there. I just stopped in for a tasting the week before and loved it so much I bought several cases for the wedding. Goooood stuff.

Isaac and I danced and laughed all night. He got pret-ty drunk and fell asleep in his tux. Good times. We went to our hotel suite the next night and got to unwind and eat and sleep off our hangovers.

My favorite part of ALL were all the toasts given by family. They were all laced with memories, humor and sweet wishes.

That's all for now. Pictures in a week or so!