The Melting Pot

OK. So Dad is mean. Today, he told me all about what The Melting Pot was like last night-- remember? That place where he took Mom for their anniversary. And it sounds soooooooo good. And he didn't take me. Or bring anything home. Gggrrrrrrr...

Apparently it is awesome. Mom and Dad had a booth off in the corner, with flowers ready at their table. The lighting was really low and the music was the same kind that Mom and Dad had at their wedding-- Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr.: all those guys. So they felt right at home. They got this four-course meal which started off with cheese fondue and bread (3 kinds), apple slices, and vegetables to dip it in. CHEESE! So yummy... Then they got a salad. Mom got a house salad, and Dad got a California salad-- gorgonzola crumbles, rasberry vinagrette, field greens, chopped nuts on top. Then, they got the main course. Just a second.

[sound of chomping and scarfing, punctuated with much snorting]

Sorry about that. Before I embarked on the main course, I had to eat something myself. It sounded so yummy. Mom and Dad got a plate of pork, shrimp, filet mignon, chicken, sirloin, and cheese ravioli. They cooked it all in a burgundy sauce with mushrooms and garlic, then dipped it in 10 different sauces! I'll spare you the details of THOSE. Mom said she was pretty full by this point, but that was before the dessert-- a dark chocolate and marshmallow mix, with Oreo cookies and white chocolate shavings. They could dip cheesecake, brownies, marshmallows, pound cake, or strawberries in that! I don't know much about the chocolate; I can't eat that stuff. But Mom was going nuts over how good that part was, so she must have enjoyed it.

Dad also had a three-course wine selection he picked out. For the cheese and salad he had a Chateau St. John Gewurtztraminer, the entree a Mirassou Pinot Noir, and the dessert a 1997 Taylor Fladgate vintage Port. Mom is so-so on wine (not like Dad-- he's obsessed!), so she had a banana daquiri and a Godiva white chocolate martini.

So that was their anniversary. I'm glad they had fun; Dad had better just pick something next year where I can go too. I still love them, though. And just to prove it, here are some pictures from their wedding, to celebrate their anniversary. These were taken by one of the attendants, not the professional photographer. If anyone wants, they can visit HER website here. The pictures from Mom and Dad's wedding aren't there anymore, but it still shows how good of a photographer she is. So here are the non-professional pics.


Mom and Dad walking down into the reception.


Mom and Dad eating their cake. Unfortunately, that was the only piece of cake they ever got to eat from their wedding! Too many people to see, and then they forgot the top of the cake in their suite.


Mom and Dad and some of their guests dancing.


Mom dancing with Grandpa


Mom dancing with Dad


Mom with Great-grandpa (Grandma's dad). He just died this past April.


Mom and Dad with Grandma and Grandpa (Dad's mom and dad)


And finally, THE TABLE! So much wrapping paper...

And finally finally, a picture of Snoufer and I because... well, this is my blog!

Mom and Dad's Anniversary!

Hello everyone!

Dad's been really busy lately with getting some projects done for his Master's degree, so I've been busy doing my duties as Assistant Director of Morale and Welfare. And boy am I good at it!

Today is Mom and Dad's second anniversary! I wasn't around for the original, but Dad showed me some pictures from it, so I'll share them with you in a separate post, because I'm so proud of how great my humans looked! Who'd have thought they clean up so well?

I "helped" Dad wrap presents last night. Usually, I would tear up some wrapping paper, and would have a pile of glorious carnage to show you. Instead, Dad decided to wait until 11:00pm to do that, and I was tired! So, I just sat and watched.


Dad is taking Mom to this fondue place called The Melting Pot. It's really fancy. Mom is pretty excited about it-- she's been spending a lot of today already getting pretty. Personally, I think she already looked good, but what do I know?

The temperature has been soaring here! It's into the mid-high 90s, which is tough for Snoufer and me because there's no air conditioning in our house. Dad does a good job each night of opening the windows to let in the cool air, then closing up the house for the day. Lying on the tile floor also helps! Overall, it just makes for lazy days.



One of my ADMW duties is making Dad laugh; he thought this was hilarious.


My good friend The Devil Dog ought to like that one!

I prefer this picture of me, personally:


I'll keep you all updated on stuff as it happens. Thank you all so much for commenting and emailing me! I love hearing from my friends out there.

Dog Park Super-fun!

Yesterday, Dad took Snoufer and me to the dog park! I take back all the bad things I said about him and Mom.

It was a beautiful day, so Dad decided to get himself and us out of the house. Unfortunately, Mom was not feeling well (Dad has been sick for the past two months; it finally got passed to her), so she stayed in. The sky was gorgeous!


There was no one in the small dog area, so Dad took us to the big dog part. I'm very glad he did-- there was so much new stuff to explore!

The best part were the small ravines and the creek bed-- lots of shade there! Dad says it was called Bear Creek. I didn't see any bears, but I saw several dogs big enough to be bears.



In addition to these guys, there was a whole family of Airedale Terriers-- if you look closely, you can see him trying to hide behind a bush. The big dogs loved the water. Good for them, I say. Snoufer and I have had too many baths to love water. We stayed on the shore.

But we spent a good bit of time exploring the shaded areas further downstream.



Once we got tired of exploring the ravines and gullies, we moved out into the trees, where Snoufer and I made some more big dog friends.




Dad has a thing for Huskies; he's wierd like that. Big dogs are so... big. How would they fit on a lap? Anyway, Snoufer isn't so sure about him, as you can tell.

Then, Snoufer and I branched out and explored the open spaces of the dog park. Which was interesting, because it was pretty toasty that day. We liked being out in the open, running around, but we liked the shade a whole lot more:




It wasn't too bad, though: Dad brought a couple of cold water bottles along and a travel dish, and filled it up several times for us. As you can see, Snoufer wouldn't share at first.




After all that, I was pooped:



So we headed home, but on the way ran into a few more Westies!



One of them even jumped in the creek-- apparently, he likes the water (wierdo...)


That was it for me: I was hot, so was Snoufer, and Dad had to get back home. So, we climbed in the car and drove back. When we first got in, Snoufer tried to take the "cold spot"-- underneath the dashboard where the air conditioning blows right on your back.


Dad thought it was cute, but he made Snoufer sit on the seat and put me there, since I'm a pug and needed cooling off more. No complaints here!

When we got home, we crashed hard. What a fun day it was! That's it for now, but I'll leave you with pictures of the beautiful Colorado scenery, so you can get jealous at what I get to look at every day!

Baths bite

I hate baths. I hate my humans for giving them to me. OK, I don't really hate them-- it's hard to hate them, with their wierd little noses that stick out and how their eyes are so close together and their hairless bodies: they're so ugly, they're cute! But right now, I don't like them.

They gave me a bath yesterday. I got wet. It was humiliating...



I tried to escape several times, but to no avail:



Oh well, at least Dad gets in there with me. Funny, though: Mom wouldn't take pictures of him, just of me. I guess it had something to do with those wierd fabric things they put on their bodies-- Dad didn't have any on. And here I just thought they were for making soft areas to sleep on the floor, and burying rawhides in.

Speaking of rawhides, I have found a new love: real bones! Petsmart has these great bones that are real live boniness, and they're awesome! It's great, because Snoufer chews on them until the big, hard nubbies on the end are gone, and then I finish off the middle. It's the best part anyway, with its yummy and chewy marrow... Mmmm... yummy bone yummy bone yummy bone...

What? Oh, sorry. Got a little distracted there. I still like rawhide bones, though.



I'm settling down a bit in the morning and sleeping longer, which is great because now Snoufer and I get along better!


Other stuff going on with my humans: Dad is looking for a job because his contract expires in September, Mom is still waiting on word for what class she will teach next year, and she is getting ready to leave on vacation back in Michigan with her family. She will be gone for a whole 3 weeks! Dad and I both are pretty bummed we can't go with her (Dad can't leave work for that long), but at least he and I can watch lots of movies together and maybe go hiking while she's gone!

That's all for now! I'll do my best to keep the updates coming-- Dad's getting a new computer soon, so maybe this one will not be discriminatory against persons of paw and will have oversized keys. I hope so. Typing with your claws can be really jarring...

Oh, and since Snoufer got a closeup last time, here's mine:

Dates and updates

Hello everyone!

I promised I would update more. So take that, procrastination! Grrr.... I'll chew you to a mushy pulp if you come near me again. And then I'll swallow you when Mom and Dad aren't looking. And then you'll come out my butt in one long string. Because that's what I do.

So yesterday Mommy and Daddy went on a date and saw "Wall-E", which is about this robot who cleans up trash. Which is silly, really-- the best part about trash is rolling around in it and seeing the carnage you have caused. Dad really liked it, but Mom was so-so. They both REALLY like animated movies, especially Pixar stuff. They're OK. I just like seeing the pug in "Pocahontas". Someday the humans will treat me to that kind of luxury. Aaaahh...

Speaking of luxury, Dad was pretty psyched that he saw a pug in the trailer for "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," which up to this point he had no desire to see. He's such a sap and a sucker. Which means I've done my job.

Snoufer continues to do much better. He's back to his usual self, playing with his rubber ball:



Acting like a vicious watchdog:



And generally indulging his terrier instincts:

I like rodent toys, too:


Speaking of pests, Snoufer and I have been on the hunt for spiders lately. Several have crawled into the basement, which is a source of no end of frustration for Dad (since he finished the basement) and terror for Mom (since she hates spiders). We'll keep her safe, though.

That will do as an update for now, especially since Dad is about to sit down to watch one of my favorite shows: "Firefly"! I'll put up more pictures next time. Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and kept up with my blog! Suggestions are always welcome, so bring 'em on!