Whipper

This is Whipper, my new dog!!! Ok well she's Danielle's new dog too but still. Hehehe!

She's a whippet/sheltie mix breed and she's 5 years old. Danielle and I drove out to Clarenville on July 25th to adopt her. She was on "urgent" and many of you know what that means when it comes to the SPCA. We couldn't believe that no one wanted to adopt this dog!!!

She is absolutely amazing. She's already housetrained, she is quiet - except for the occasional growling at any sudden noises, and she LOVES to cuddle. I mean, LOVES IT! And of course, Danielle and I don't mind that at all. We've been wanting a dog for a while now but it just wasn't practical because neither Danielle or I knew where we would be heading in the future. Now that I know I'm accepted at MUN and I want to stay here to work, I won't be moving away for a LONG time. This means that Whipper will have a home with us for as long as she's on this good god-given earth! We don't mind the little bit of extra work that goes into it. You need to brush them, bath them, walk them and pick up their poo. But it's all worth it when they look back at you with their big brown puppy dog eyes and snuggle into you for dear life. You can't help but smile. Plus they are great company. Danielle and I spend so much time in the apartment studying, and it can be very lonely at times. It will be great to have some additional company and something to take our mind of the books once in a while.

Ok so back to Whipper. She sleeps in the bed with either one of us - she shares herself. She cuddles right up next to you and goes to sleep. She also lays up next to you when you are lying on the couch and stretches out. She loves to be pet and follows you around everywhere.

She was very timid and shy when we first got her, but she is already growing very comfortable with us and with her new home. She jumps now at the thought of a walk, she loves her dentabone or any kind of treat. Although she's not a toy dog. She won't chew anything that isn't edible which is a good thing if we want to leave her home alone. She is very obedient. She pees on command, sits, lies down on her blanket when told, amongst other things.

As I have already mentioned, she was extremely shy and timid to handling when we first got her. We think she may have been abused with her previous owner, but this might just be part of her temperment. She is very scared at sudden movements or loud objects (like the Metrobus) or anything that catches her eye last minute, she jumps back from. It's kinda funny to watch but at the same time, it's sad. She's just a big scaredie cat and that just makes me want to protect and love her more! She is very calm and placid, which might not be everyone's thing, but for Danielle and I living in an apartment, she fits like a glove. We know when we come back from leaving her home alone, the place will still be in one piece and the neighbours will be left undisturbed.

The only reason she wouldn't have been adopted is because of her age. Personally, I think adopting older dogs is great. They usually already have all their shots, are usually spayed/neutered, and even housetrained. There is no hassle. I encourage anyone thinking of adopting to look at all the dogs, not just the puppies. You'll be so surprised with what you might find and you'll save a life. These dogs are usually only kept at the SPCA for a month, may be a bit longer if they find a foster home. After that, they are euthanized. So go out and save a life!

They'll thank you for it, trust me!

Now, I gotta go walk the dog and watch her jump up and down and wag her tail as hard as she can....tehehehehehhe.

Don't worry Oreo, we still love you too!!!

Days of Our Lives

Ok so, this is my weakness. Days of Our Lives. I love this show. And even though it has totally gone down the drain in the last several years, I faithfully tune in any time I get the chance.
Although the storylines have become repetitive and even somewhat corny, one thing that has improved lately is the eye candy. And as I've said before, I'm not one for celebrity crushes, but I can't help but to at least "appreciate" a good looking guy when I see one.

To the left is "Max Brady", real name Darin Brooks. He is a newer character on Days, and plays the role of a young and famous race car driver. Look at that smile. So cute.
Max is one of the younger favorites of mine. I can honestly say I do prefer the older ones, however I had to mention Max because he is just so darn hot.

This is "Patrick Lockhart" real name Brody Hutzler. He is sooo cute. He is also a newer character added to the Days scene. His hard bod is simply irresistible. I don't know what more to say. Words cannot explain what the eyes bestow upon.
He tends to play the mysterious type...pretending he is bad when really deep down, he's a softy.
Women love that.



This is Autin Peck, who plays as "Austin Reid" on the show. I was slightly disappointed to learn that he is actually married in real life and has some kids. Although, its funny how the family man aspect just makes him even more hot. He was an old character which they got rid of for a couple of years. Now he's back and hotter than ever. Days made a smart move to bring this guy back to the show.
He plays an understanding, loyal, and sensitive role, which again...women love.

And last but not least, my favorite. EJ! Plus he has a British accent. And he's incredibly fit. He always wears business suits or he's working out with no top on. Both are glorious sights. He's brand new to Days and boy am I glad that they brought him aboard. Just when I thought Days was going down the drain, they save their butt by bringing in all these new, hot men.

Yay for Days of Our Lives!!!!

Trip to Halifax

Back in May, I went to Halifax for an interview with Dalhousie - College of Pharmacy. I took several days prior to my interview so that I could tour around, shop, and see some sights. Stephen came with me, and we both just had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures from the trip.

This picture was taken in Dartmouth, where we stayed. This was a little boat that we drove by and I took a picture as the fog began to roll in. To the right, you can see a tip of Halifax city.

This is a better picture of Halifax city, via Dartmouth.

This is a picture of the bridge that we took nearly every day from Dartmouth to Halifax, and back. If anyone ever complains about the confusing layout of St. John's, I'll just tell them never to go to Halifax. It is soooo confusing and took a while to get used to.

Here is a picture of us going over the bridge. The lanes switch, depending on what time of the day it is. At night, we would be driving across this bridge in the further right hand lane, while the bus and other on coming vehicles would take up the middle and further left lane. Weird.

This is an attempt to take a picture of the IMAX screen, in which we saw "Posideon". It was an alright movie. I would have prefered to see "Superman" on this massive screen, but oh well. You can't win em all. hehehe.

This is Stephen trying to look tuff and buff. You can definately see the "cop" in him.

This is at Dalhousie's main campus. If you can't make it out, this is a picture of a bunch of hedges cut out to say "DALHOUSIE". I thought it was neat.

This is me coming from the School of Pharmacy, behind me. This was just after my interview, which took nearly 2 and 1/2 hours! And, God I love those pants. Haha! So yah, It's a pretty small school. The Nursing, Medicine, and Dental schools are located behind it. Not as cool as MUN though.

And those are all the pictures we took. I kinda wish I had taken more. I'm not much of a picture person. Next time, I'll try to do a post on MUN! It's way better than Dalhousie, in my opinion.

Later.

ANGER!

Ok so, I was walking to class today, distracted by admiring the posters on the wall regarding the one remaining all-male residence and the push to go co-ed. All of a sudden, I bumped into another student barrelling towards me with a look to kill. Of course I didn't notice her until the moment when we collided, and I responded quickly with "I'm very sorry, are you ok?" She responded with words I do not care to repeat and reminded me to pay closer attention to where I was going. After I realized that I wasn't in a bad dream, I began to think of how many other people she had run into today or how many more she possibly will. And I wondered if anyone else would just shrug it off, or actually fight back and tell her where to go. So this got me thinking. I had to ask myself,what has made her so mad that she had to interpret my motivation for running into her as purposely planned instead of purely accidental? I mean, people run into me sometimes but I don't bite their head off, especially when they apologize. After all, it was partly my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings just as much as it was theirs. So this made me think even further...what is it about anger that is so inviting?

In the words of Meredith Grey, "In life we are taught that there are seven deadly sins. We all know the big ones... gluttony, pride, lust. But the thing you don't hear much about is anger. Maybe it's because we think anger is not that dangerous, that you can control it. My point is, maybe we don't give anger enough credit. Maybe it can be a lot more dangerous than we think. After all when it comes to destructive behaviour, it did make the top seven."

We think we can control it, but it's not a matter of just thinking but actually doing. I always try to keep my anger in check. When faced with a stressful situation, you have a choice. You can choose to get angry and act out, thus usually resulting in embarassment. OR you can take a deep breath, smile and realize hey, it just isn't worth the time or effort.

And anger takes a lot of effort. It has many physiological and biological changes that are not good! The most common include raising your heart rate, raising your blood pressure, and causing certain hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline to rise. It takes a lot of energy and drains you. Plus it just makes you feel crappy overall.
I think it is important to note that "worry" can be considered a type of anger since it causes the same physiological changes.

I don't want to discredit the natural and life necessity of anger. We need anger to survive. It causes us to defend ourselves when we are being attacked. It gives us that famous flight or fight response, which has been essential in our survival as a human race. HOWEVER, it can be taken too far.

I believe it all boils down to a state of mind as well as making choices when faced with an event that could possibily result in anger. Instictively we want to respond aggressively, but obviously this isn't the healtiest response. This is why we have to make a conscious effort to control our anger in a more healthy way. Finding an outlet to release our anger in ways such as exercise, writing (like I'm doing now), or whatever works best for you as an individual. The bottom line is, it isn't ok to take it out on other people! Those people didn't do anything to you, and just because you many not see them ever again doesn't give you a right to try and ruin their day too. What does this accomplish? This kind of thinking is vey externally focused. Why blame others for upsetting you just because there are other events in your life that have put you on edge? Stuff happens, people make mistakes every day. If you believe the world is out to get you then that's exactly how these simple mistakes will be perceived.

If someone does something wrong to me, I give them the opportunity to correct it or at least apologize. This doesn't always happen and I will admit, it does upset me when people do not acknowledge their accountability in events like this. Mainly because I view it as ignorant. But I'm not gonna start cussing them up and down just because they don't "know better" or simply don't care. I just walk away, shrug it off, and go on with my day. Why let people like this control your life??? I just refuse to let it get the better of me. When anger takes control, you lose control. Not to mention, life is too short to be tied up with who said what, who did what, and why they did it to me.

"So what makes anger different from the six other deadly sins? It's pretty simple really, you give into a sin like envy or pride and you only hurt yourself. Try lust or coveting and you'll only hurt yourself and one or two others. But anger, anger is the worst... the mother of all sins... Not only can anger drive you over the edge, when it does you can take an awful lot of people with you." - Meredith Grey

Stupid Logo change at Memorial

Yah I really need to vent some fustration. So here's the deal.

We went from the Left Logo...professional, classy, typical of a University...to the Right Logo.

What the hell are they thinking???? We are no longer Memorial University of NEWFOUNDLAND, it's just MEMORIAL university. How can you not expect that to tick the newfies off? Not to mention the "sideways" Alberta-looking formation for the logo itself. What kinda message is this supposed to send to prospective students? "We are the land of 'wanna-be Albertans' who have absolutely NO sense of innovation and creativity? We don't want the world to notice that we are geographically located in Newfoundland because this could somehow give us a bad image?" What kinda crap is this?

The reasoning given to us infuriated students is that this will " simplify global communications by making our name more open and easy to international countries". They compared this to Dalhousie, short hand DAL, and the McGill University, Shorthand McGill. First of all, Memorial isn't popular or big enough to just have a shorthand like these universities. Most people kow where McGill and Dalhousie are because they are highly prestigious Universities. Memorial isn't quite there yet. I mean, it's like Harvard or Yale. They don't NEED to include where they are geographically located because everybody has heard of them. If I say, "yah I go to Memorial" people are like, Huh? Where is that? But if I say I go to Memorial University of Newfoundland they say oh in Newfoundland? Wow never heard of it, how do you like it there?

In regards to simplicity, Memorial Unversity of Newfoundland already had a short hand - MUN. This is simple, a lot more simple than MEMORIAL. Now what is it going to be? MEM??? MU????? Wow that sounds even better! And what does this simplify? How does this attract international students? Now, prospective students have to LOOK UP where Memorial is actually located and THEN try and find it on a map. Before, all they had to do was look at a map! Basically, this idea is suppose to set Memorial University apart from all the other univerisites by being the first to really change their logo into something more modern and simple in a more globalized world. I think it sets us apart alright, and not in a positive way.

The old slogan used to be "Come East. Go Further". Now it's just "become". Become what?????? Become a welfare case? Become a prostitute? I mean, seriously! Become what? "Become" has absolutely no sense of direction what so ever! There is no competitive edge to the word 'become'. Even the old slogan, which I admit was kinda gay, was at least somewhat motivating. Go further, as in, come here instead of somewhere else. Now it's just become. I can become whatever, anywhere. I don't need to go to "Memorial" to do that. How does this set us apart from the other universities? Why should I choose Memorial over say, Dalhousie or McGill? That's what a slogan should address! I mean, common. The point of a slogan is to motivate and navigate people TOWARDS whatever you are marketing. This slogan does nothing of the sort! "Become?" How about this: I BECAME very mad when I read about this, and I will BECOME even more furious if it is not changed! Ok ok, I'm not that mad about it, but you get the picture.

Ok so back to the Logo. What the heck is that blocky thing? As my sister said, it looks like someone tried to draw a square, but got distracted and looked down to realize they had drawn nothing but a wavy line. Then this person decided to say OH MY GOD! What a great idea!!! This can symbolize the transition of student life....from rocky and hard in the beginning and lower stages, to a more smooth path in the later and higher stages. How freaking GAY! It would look more professional if it were just a solid, straight-lined, rectangular shape instead of jagged and messy. And I'm sorry but many students all over world go through this, not just Memorial students. This is a known fact. We do not need to market this type of information. If anything, it can be discouraging. Not to mention, not EVERY student will experience this type of transition. So this logo will mean NOTHING to them. Again, it does not set us apart from the other universities. This is just wrong! And they spent $165,000 on this!? The money obviously didn't go into the Logo itself, but into someone's POCKET instead!

I agree with and even like the motivation behind the change. I just don't like the finished product and I certainly do not think it represents or justifies spending $165,000. Something MORE could have been done here. Something that truly symbolized, in a modern way, what MUN is all about. And I don't believe we have to change the face of Memorial to accomplish this. Personally, I think that they should of just had a competition for the students at Memorial. Give a small money incentive and save yourself $165,000. Then let the people who matter, the people who KNOW what Memorial is about through first hand experience, decide what the logo should be and what it should represent. The students are what matter, not some stiff-necked marketing board. Hell, I would do it for free if it meant we'd have a better logo! I feel ashamed to be represented by this image and slogan. It's absolutely dreadful.

And the worst part? Changes are already set in motion. There is no turning back at this point. No one wants the change but Memorial doesn't want to feel like they've wasted their money, so this fall the logo at the top right corner of this post will be plastered on every pamphlet, booklet, and even the merchandise.

So now, I have to run to the bookstore on Tuesday to buy a sweatshirt that says "MUN" on it before they all sell out and replace them with new crappy-logo ones. But at least this way I will have some kind of university memorabilia that doesn't SUCK!

Later.

If my Dog were a Human...

This is Oreo. He's the family dog. He is loved and cherished by all who own him.

He loves food. His favorites include pizza, ice cream, Tim Horton's timbits, peanut butter toast, and cheezees. If he were human, Oreo would be very fat.

He loves his toys. He has hundreds of them and knows each one by name. But his favorite toy is the one Danielle and I bought him a few Christmas' ago. "STAR". If Oreo were human, he probably wouldn't share much. He tends to keep his toys to himself.

This is Kevin, my Dad, and Oreo. Oreo loves to hug. He will hug you even when you are feeling down. He tries to cheer you up when you are sad or crying. Or sometimes he just gets "sucky" and wants to cuddle just because. He is a very sensitive dog. If he were human, he'd be the kind of guy who would provide a shoulder to lean on, and wipe away your tears. He would be the kind of person who would listen to all your problems just so you could vent out all your fustrations. He wouldn't judge or comment...he would just hug you instead.

This is Oreo and Kevin's golf stuff. He LOVES golf balls. Kevin has to hide them away because otherwise, Oreo will eat them all. If Oreo were human, he would probably play golf with Kevin a lot. He would probably do pretty much whatever Kevin did.

If Oreo was a human, he would most likely have no trouble with the ladies. He already prefers women to men as a dog, but if he were a human I think this trait would be be magnified substantially. He is a cute dog, so most likely he would be a cute human. He would probably be one of those cute guys with all the good looking girls as friends. I don't think he would be a player though. He's way too loyal for that kinda stuff. He'd find one chick that he really cared about and stick with her.

Oreo loves to play. If you won't play with him, he will just play by himself. If he were human, Oreo would be very independent. He would entertain himself whenever no one was paying attention to him or had no time to hang out. He sometimes prefers to be alone. So I guess he would kinda be a loner at times. Although this isn't always a bad thing. People who constantly need to be around other people are just plain "needy". Oreo isn't like that at all. He likes to balance social life with time for himself. In fact, I think he would be one of those guys who go to the salon or spa every so often. He already goes to the Doggie Spa, and he seems to really enjoy it. I don't think he would have a problem with his masculinity and would probably attend the spa with some of those good looking girls as friends.

Oreo and Danielle. Oreo loves to walk and run. Whenever you leave the house, Oreo wants to go. If you say 'walk', Oreo leaps up in hope that it means he gets to go too. When he is on a walk, he loves to check everything out. He is very aware of his surroundings. He would be the kind of guy who never misses a detail. He always wags his tail a lot too, which indicates that he really enjoys when he's on a walk or run. I think if Oreo were a human, he would be a marathon runner or something like that. This would probably help combat the body fat he would gain from his love for food. Plus, if he were a human, he wouldn't have to wait for someone else to walk him. He would just go whenever he felt like it when means he'd probably go several times a day. So maybe he would be a little more lean overall.

And that would be Oreo, if he were a human. Isn't he cute?!?!?!?

Superman is HOT

Ok so,
I just got back from Superman Returns. What an awesome movie!!! I am a huge fan of comic book inspired movies such as Spiderman, but Superman??? Superman was always a favorite.
Even back in the days with Christopher Reeve, I loved Superman.
But now he's back and I'm at an age where I can "appreciate" his hottness.

Behold:

This is Brandon Routh. He is the new actor that fills those big red boots.
There is nothing that can be said other than....
WOW!
There isn't a woman on this planet who will not be drooling through the 2 and 1/2 hour action packed movie. If you aren't a sucker for cute smile and bright blue eyes...you will either fall for the hot bod in tight spandex, or how he dodges bullets, or saves people's lives OR the fact that he can fly faster than the speed of sound.
I mean, HELLO! He's Superman!!! Everybody LOVES Superman!
How can you not find this hot? All I can say is that Louis Lane was one lucky chick.

OK OK OK, so it's not real. There is no "real" Superman. But there is a real Brandon who still looks damn good in that cape, regardless of whether he can really fly or not.

And in all honesty, I'm usually not one to drool over celebrities. I can only think of one other dude that I think is majorly hot, Jake Gyllenhaal. Other than that, I don't really find many celebrity men attractive. In fact, I'm not one of those people who really follows celebrity news. I never bother to watch all those information shows or read the tabloids and magazines. I just could care less. But then SUPERMAN comes along and I can't help but to comment!

My opinion? Two thumbs up. I recommend this movie to anyone young and old, and not just because Superman is hot. It was full of action and great special effects. The movie does not feel like 2 and 1/2 hours, not even close! It was absolutely fantastic and I would go back to see it again and again...

Oh yeah...again and again and again and again.

hahahaha!

Later.

Well-Deserved "thanks" to the Rents

So this blog is dedicated to my parents, Wanda and Kevin Ryder...aka Mom and Dad...and their influences and help that I received after moving to Newfoundland.

Three years ago, my sister Danielle and I enbarked on a journey to the unpopular province of Newfoundland. At this time, many newfoundlanders were moving westward while Danielle and I decided to try and balance the act by moving easterly.

Upon arriving in Newfoundland, we lived in a small community called "Clarenville". To my sister, this was hell on earth. For myself, it felt like being surrounded by thousands of horses with blinders. Narrow minded views and uneducated opinions encompass many small towns like this. Not to mention the immediate culture shock that my sister and I experienced.
I can remember many times thinking to myself..."What have I done?"
I found myself missing the simple pleasures that I had become so accustomed to in Calgary. Things like...roads with speed limits above 60km/hr, ginger beef chinese food, 7-11 slurpees, IMAX, and every store you can imagine at hand. Going back to Calgary for a visit was like stepping into another world. It's amazing at how much you can take for granted when it's in front of your face for most of your life.

Through that year, my parents helped me out as best they could. Primary financially but through constant phone calls, e-mails and the occassional visits, we have maintained and maybe even drawn a stronger bond as family.
I also came to know my extended family more closely. These people included my Nan, who I lived with, My uncle Alvin and Aunt Wanda, and our Cousins, Adam and Joanna. And we cannot forget precious little Alexis, Joanna's young one.

It was when I finally moved to St. John's and started to attend Memorial that I began to realize that this move was the best decision of my life. First off, St. John's is a city!!! I also began to realize my own potential and desire to become something "more". I started to challenge myself and one by one I began to overcome these challenges. It was amazing to me the power of ambition and will. Many people say that if you work hard and do your best, you will achieve your goals. I never realized how true this was until I began University. I busted my ass, to say the least. And I will not minimize the efforts I had to put forth in order to reach my high-set goals. I truly believe the encouragement of my parents were foundational in helping me realize my potential.

My mother. Someone you grow to respect. She is a straight shooter; she tells it how it is regardless of if you want to hear it or not. I have so much respect for her utmost honesty. If you want the truth and you are seeking advice to change something, seek out this woman. She hates fake people, and that's what I love about her because when you get to know Wanda, you get to truly know Wanda. There is no smoke and mirrors and she will not put on a show for anyone, no matter if you are the Queen of England. This doesn't go to say she doesn't show repsect or compassion towards people. She does. But she does it with honesty.
She is not only wise but carries an amazing sense of power, especially regarding her soul. I cannot forget the many times growing up that I tried my hardest to hide something from her, only to have her confront me about that very specific thing days later. How she knew? Her gutt. She always taught me to follow my gutt instinct and listen to your conscience because in essence, your conscience is "God" speaking to you. And she is so right. How many times did I go against my gutt and end up with undesireable consequences?!?!? Well, that alone is another story in itself!
My mom was always my rock and still is. She has been that person who has been there since I can remember. She never left me, abondoned me, or made me feel lesser of a person. Instead, she made me feel the complete opposite. She always encouraged my sister and I to become the best we could be. Not only the best person as in personality, compassion, and empathy towards others but in terms of life, ambition, and career. She always wanted us to be independent women and that is exactly what we have become. She has always allowed Danielle and I to be ourselves, to become our own person, and despite the fact that she may not have always like our choices, she never judged us or looked down on us for it. She let us make our mistakes, although with guidance and advice, she knew it was our life to live and we had to make our own decisions and learn our own way.
Her strength, another important quality that I think makes her stand out above others. Do not get in her way, because she will run you down. She knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. I guess I got that determination from her because I've always seen through her that if there is a will, there is surely a way! My mom finds that way through think and thin. No matter what obstacle, she always comes out on top. And she has had MANY many obstacles. I look at her as one of the strongest people I've ever known.

Then there is my Dad, Kevin. Kevin is a quiet, sensitive, wise and patient type. He enjoys laid back activities and routinely norms. He loves our dog, Oreo. He loves my sister and I. And most importantly, he loves my mom. I look up to Kevin in so many ways. He has always been there for me and my sister. We have come to know Kevin as our true Dad...because it doesn't take much effort to be a father, but it takes a hell of a lot more effort to be a "Dad". And Kevin is our Dad.
His wisdom has always been something I've enjoyed and respected. He is so logical and rational. He is a real critical thinker and can see things that most people take hours to think through. He doesn't forget a thing. I wish I had only half the memory this guy has!
He is also great with people and even animals. Those of all ages, including kids, absolutely love Kevin. He is social, friendly, and kind. I admire this about him and I try to model myself after him in this area.
He is funny - a sense of very dry humour. There are times when I've busted out so hard in laughter, I nearly peed myself. Even his laugh is funny.
He is a good teacher. His patience shines through in this area. He rarely get fustrated or impatient with you, even when you yourself are becoming so. I remember learning to drive standard and parallel parking the huge Dodge truck. Kevin always kept his cool and tried to keep my cool too! I've gained a lot of automobile knowledge from him, and have come to realize how much I love cars! Whenever I have a problem with the Legend, I call Kevin. I also remember the many math problems and even philosophical english questions that Kevin always was able to help in answering. I don't think there is much you can ask him in which he cannot answer.
Even if Kevin is to insult you, which is very rare, he does it with class. How do you insult someone with class? Well let me tell you! Kevin will calmly and deeply speak concisely regarding his feelings. Usually a man of few words, that's all it takes for this guy to cut you down. There is no need to be vulgar or overly emotional...it's just a statement which says "this is how it is" and that's it. He never needs to stoop to another's level. HOW he does it? I have no idea.
He is the kind of person who never demands respect, but simply commands it. I have a lot of respect for him.

My parents have been there for my sister and I all through the past 3 years that we have been living away. We keep in constant contact and whenever there is new news, we are quick to share it with each other. They are so supportive and proud of us and what we have accomplished so far as university students.
And those are my parents. I cannot forget my brother. He is grown into quite the man. Danielle and I love him very much. I know he thinks a lot over us and hopes the best for us. Although, this is hard to see sometimes when there is food around. But we don't mind sharing once in a while, especially now that we only get to see him once a year.
He is very smart and so cuddly.
His name is OREO! And he's the family dog!!! HAHAHHA had you going there didn't I!
I wish I could load a picture of him but this blog thing isn't letting me for some reason. Maybe I'll dedicate a future post just for him so you can see how CUTE he is!

And that's my family who live far far away and why they deserve a very big "Thank You".

I love you!!!