Hello?

Today my friend Dan sent this to me and I thought it was the greatest thing I'd seen in months. So it goes on the blog. Why not? Erin and I used to sing this song non stop in her Jetta in college. Ahh, good memories.

Ok I havent blogged in... well,

567 days
OR 1 year, 6 months, 18 days
OR 48,988,800 seconds
OR 816,480 minutes
OR 13,608 hours
OR 81 weeks

Well that's not exactly true because I actually have about 4 other blogs that I actively write on including but not limited to: a) my Duck tailgate blog b) 2 different Girls Night blogs and c) my work blog.

But that is no excuse. What have I been doing?
Ok, I'm back.

Some Worthless Information.

Today at 12:34 and 56 seconds, it will be 12:34:56 on 7/8/09.
Pretty cool.

Oh! Oh! 1 more thing I like!

11. http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/

10 Things I like right now

1.Summerlike weather in portland
2."So You Think You Can Dance" just started up again
3.The fact that we are having a 'frat party' this weekend
4.My new work computer because its fast
5.UberTwitter on my blackberry
6.Van Duzer Pinot Noir Rose (perfect for a summer evening)
7.That Kellie, Heidi & I went on a spontaneous trip to Vegas last month (and we were really good at it)
8.That we're bringing Shasta back in 09
9.My cute husband doing yardwork
10.www.ihategreenbeans.com --Funniest blog ever (ok, not ever. but right now FOR SURE!)

I'm a Guest Blogger

Here is a guest blog that I wrote for Jackie's wedding website
http://jacquelineroux-abel.blogspot.com/



I'm a Wife.

Yep, that still sounds weird after almost 10 months. Wiiiiifffffe? Uh Huh. Still weird. Sometimes I think Jeff & say it to eachother just to see if it is starting to sound normal. For example, "Good Morning Husband" or "Would you like a bite of my ice cream Wife?". I think its just that I can't believe I'm actually old enough to have a real- live HUSBAND!

Ok, so after 7 years of titles... friend, buddy, crush, 'the guy I'm seeing", my boyfriend and then fiance, we made it official last August and I have to say it was the greatest day of my life! It was so much fun to have all of my friends & family there and to be able to spend some of these little moments with Jeff where I'll truly never forget exactly what he looked like and exactly how he looked at me--it was unbeatable. I only hope that every bride felt as satisfied and happy as I did the morning I woke up after it was all over. I was sad that it had ended (because it was all so fun!) but I wouldn't have changed a single thing about the day or the time leading up to it. So, I guess thats a good thing :)

So now its 10 months later (Time flies! WHOA!) and looking back over my first year as a newlywed, these are my observations.
For us, life is fantastic but to be honest, isn't much different now than it was the Summer before we got married. We bought a house and lived together for about 2 years before the wedding. Moving in together was definitely much more of transition in our relationship than the wedding itself. But thats not to say that marriage doesn't change things. Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 things that I think change the most when you get married (in my experience only of course)

1-People stop asking you when you are going to get married.
2-People start asking you when you are going to have kids
3-Your fiance's parents and family? Yep, they are your family now. Start planning Holidays accordingly.
4-You get a few nice new items in your kitchen that make you want to cook more
5-You get to go on a honeymoon (ahhh, Belize, I heart you!) and a little more bling to add to the hand
6-You have to think a little bit more about buying that SECOND pair of shoes because you now have someone else to think about when it comes to your finances and grown up financial goals
7-You get asked why you did or did not change your last name
8-You talk about your future children and realize it's not so far off anymore. Freeeakkkky. (but still pretty far off for me. don't worry).
9-When you make decisions regarding your career, your car, your investments etc, you have to discuss it with someone else first
10-And a nice little sappy one for good measure....After the wedding is over, you realize that the you get to spend the rest of your life with that person and it makes you smile. Ahhhh.

To all of the future brides reading this blog, enjoy your engagments and your wedding day and may the best be yet to come.

Cheers!
Danielle

Pregnant Women are Smug

Ok, so this is in no way a reflection of my friends who are or have previously been pregnant BUT I thought it was totally entertaining and just true enough to be Hilarious.

10 things I like right now.

1. Headbands (and I don't think I'm too old to wear them)
2. Talking about swine flu
3. Sushi (because I'm about to have some for lunch)
4. Photobombing: http://thisisphotobomb.com/
5. Nick Reed (I love him actually)
6. I'm going to Arizona in 3 weeks
7. Being on fire (oh wait. No, I don't like)
8. Keb Mo playing on my Pandora
9. My Kentucky Derby Hat for tomorrow (even though I look like Blossom)
10. Blossom. Why not? Mayim Bialik rules.

Baby Bjorn Meets THE SNUGGIE

I'm sure you know the Snuggie from the fabulous informercial that I personally first remember seeing during ARCTIC BLAST 08. Well the Snuggie (aka the blanket with sleeves) has become quite the sensation.

For a while it was sold out and I'm just guessing it might be a prime 2009 Halloween Costume and a White Elephant gift this Holiday Season. I recently heard about (and would like to start one of my own) Snuggie Pub Crawl"!

Well, for Spring 2009, there's a new member of the Snuggie family -- the baby Snuggie! Actually, it's called the Peekaru, and it's actually an awesomely sleeveless vest/baby carrier. Just as the Snuggie has holes in the blanket for your hands, this one's got a hole for your creepy looking baby's head. It's like a Baby Bjorn meets Snuggie. I, for one, can't WAIT to have kids now.

My Celeb Meeting

Today at KGW, we had a special visitor in Conan O'Brien, the new Tonight Show host on NBC. He was very tall, SUPER Skinny and purrrrred in my ear when we took the photo.

Awesome Friday.

A Great Pop Culture Halloween Costume Idea

Yes, I know Halloween is over 7 months away but I'm always looking for the best new idea. Here's a very 2009 Halloween costume: OCTOMOM!

My dog has separation anxiety.

It's true. Doug is crazy. He FREAKS out when people leave the house or sometimes even the room. And he really hates it when Jeff gets in the shower. Lucky for me, Good Morning America recently did a feature about this problem and apparently we are not alone. Here is some valuable info. I don't know if we'll actually be able to 'cure' him but I guess we can try.

Here is a video that illustrates this problem.



WHAT DOES DOG SEPARATION ANXIETY LOOK LIKE?

Typically the dog paces, whines, chews or scratches door and window sills, makes housebreaking mistakes, barks and generally gets stressed out. It doesn't matter if you're gone for five minutes or five hours, your dog stresses the moment you leave.

Separation anxiety (SA) dogs are often "owner addicts." They want to be leaning, touching, sitting on, gazing up at or sitting their owners every moment. This needs to change. Get a dog bed. It doesn't have to be fancy -- a folded blanket will do -- and give him all his petting and attention there. Treats are given there. Meals are given there. Make this the best seat in the house. Do not call him off of the bed to come to you, and leave him be when he is on it. This may be hard for you at first but things have to change, right?

2009 Resolutions

I've never really done the New Years Resolution thing before. I think it kind of sets you up for failure to be so public about that sort of thing and whats the point of that?

So, rather than getting all "OFFICIAL" with resolutions, here are some goals for 2009. They aren't going to define my year by any means but what the heck? Some are ongoing things and some are just things I want to do this year.

-Use reusable grocery bags when grocery shopping
-Speaking of grocery shopping, let's add a little more though to that part of our week, shall we? Plan ahead a little perhaps instead of randomly shopping after work for dinner that night while hungry? Yes. Good Idea.
-Brush Doug's Teeth (easier said than done)
-Clip Doug's Nails (MUCH easier said than done)
-Watch a Blazers Game @ The Mission
-Go to Edgefield/Grand Lodge/Hotel Oregon
-Bring SHASTA Back!
-Figure out my video camera/computer capability issue
-Help Jeff build a firepit in our backyard
-Paint the living/dining room

Does Todd look like Chuck Bass? You be the judge.

Doug on Youtube...

I know. I'm so lame. I actually posted a video of my dog on youtube. Who am I? Twenty-something professional Or Closet crazy Cat Lady? Hmmm. The world may never know.

We watched this video that my sister sent us called "Pug Head Tilt" on Youtube last night and while we were watching it, Doug was very intrigued by the dogs on the screen. Here is the original and his reaction.

Enjoy,
Crazy Old Dog Video Lady

Thanksgiving

I've been called Un-American several times lately (jokingly of course). But for a girl who was at one point referred to as "The All-American Girl" in college, I must admit this feels a little strange.

The first was during a recent discussion about breakfast cereals. I admitted to some colleagues that when I ate cereal, I had to eat it without milk. Judging by the reaction on their faces, You would have thought I told them that I ate dog food for breakfast.

Anyway, the second instance was during a discussion about the upcoming holiday when I admitted that I didn't really enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal. It's not that I have some hatred toward turkey or the holiday or anything like that. In fact, I enjoy it! Especially the time with family and the whole 'giving thanks' part (and even the football!) But the point is, I don't really see why everyone gets soooo excited about it. There are SO many things that I would rather have!

So, In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Un-American girls would like to create a list of meals that I would be very thankful to eat instead of Turkey & Mashed potatoes:

1. Salmon with fruit salsa
2. Pad Thai with shrimp and tofu
3. Greek Salad with fresh baked pita and tzatziki sauce
4. Shrimp, Mango & Avocado Stack
5. Papaya Salad
6. Seared Ahi Tuna
7. Sesame crusted Scallops
8. Yummy fish tacos from Mexico taco stand
9. Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
10. Steak with a delicious BBQ Sauce

Now, just TRY & tell me your mouth isn't watering from that list.

As a side note, I'm definitely not whining about this years Thanksgiving dinner, just bringing up the idea of broadening our horizons a bit. I had a lovely Thanksgiving this year with Jeff's parents down in the Arizona Sun. I definitely appreciate the effort that both Suzanne and My Mom have always made to make add some special non-traditional Thanksgiving dishes that I do enjoy.

Lesson From my Father In Law #1

I recently got married and I'm currently spending Thanksgiving weekend in Arizona with the In-Laws, who I adore by the way. After Day 2, I was telling Jeff that his Dad has so many interesting (and humorous) theories and ideas, he should have his own blog.
But, alas, he is 70 years old and not quite comfortable with the world wide web SO I, his daughter-in-law, shall take on this responsibility and include his advice/thoughts/factoids in my blog...Through a new chapter, I like to call

LESSONS FROM MY FATHER IN LAW

Lesson from my Father-In-Law #1:
"If your dog is misbehaving, you can show him that you are the pack leader by biting him. When he does something wrong, just throw him to the ground and take a little nibble out of his ear". {SHOWN BY BITING HIS 95 POUND YELLOW LAB RIO ON HIS LEFT EAR WHILE PUSHING HIM TO THE GROUND}

A Guest Blog about my Fish.

GUEST BLOG. By Kellie Perez

Upon starting my new job at KGW/NWCN, right around the cubicle corner to my sister, I was given a new responsibility---a fish. This beta was nameless up until its last day of life. This, I believe, is the reason for its death.

Danielle has had this fish for about 2 and a half years and it has been expected to die for about 2 years, 3 months and 12 days. However, even with all the spectators that would daily walk by and taunt this fish into suicide, it remained among the living. Danielle fed the beta twice daily and cleaned its water occasionally...but mostly, it sat lonely on the upper portion of her cubicle without much love or attention. She decided that with her busy schedule and inability to provide for the beta, that i would be a much more suited mother...especially because of my love for animals and my desire to own a sea-creature (okay, a turtle in reality.)


On my first day of work, the beta made the big move 3 cubicles away...danielle maintained responsiblity for 3 more days to ease the transition (and because i was in seattle for 'business') and i came back to care for her on Thursday morning. I even said to danielle as she walked down the hallway, 'So dani-I'm taking over responsibility now, right? Ill feed her? name her?"


"Yes," she replied. and it was on. the beta was now mine.


I had been brainstorming fish names for some time...mike came up with darby, britt came up with rhonda and kara wanted me to name is some other OLD MAN name....Jessica, my loving ex-coworker and ex-blog P.I.C (partner in crime) encouraged me to gift the name Beebs to my loving fish in honor of our fearless leader at our ex-employer. And so she was born...well, 2 and a half years later, as Beebs.


I like my job a lot. I'm busier than i was in old-job, I have freedom to walk away from my desk and live on my own schedule, and I like the people i work with so far very much...especially that bossy sister of mine...thursday morning was going swimmingly (pun intended) and I was enjoying the sight of sea-life to the left of my computer monitor. I was in the middle of some new contract input when Beebs suddenly starting thrashing around the mini-tank making QUITE the scene. Honestly, my thoughts were---'wow, people dont lie about betas. they are aggressive.'---but this fish was creating quite the ruckus. I didn't think much of it after that...just watching her run into the side of the tank was enough for me to CHOL (read: chuckle out loud) at the thought of OLD boss running around her office and slamming into walls...


I headed down to do something for the guys in Master Control. I came back up to my desk, log back into my computer and glance lovingly over at beebs' tank.


I'll admit: i actually did believe she was sleeping for a few minutes..I tried to disturb her and to let her know that new-mom was home...but to no avail. She layed on the rocks with no movement. I yelled over at Pam who works 1 cubicle away and she scurried over---she has been here since the betas life began 2 and a half years ago, believing that it was on its way to being flushed many moons ago. She grabbed a pencil, poked it and beebs remained still.


i had to call my sister and give her the bad news...she wanted to know what i did with the fish and wasn't thrilled when i told her that i put it back on her desk. It took us until the next morning to say a proper goodbye....and the womens bathroom on the second floor of the building may have some gravel stuck somewhere...


i mention this story for 2 reasons:


1)I went to happy hour with my ex-coworkers yesterday..and i miss them dearly. But to tip toe around the possibility that the beta committed suicide because of its association with old boss would be dishonest.


2) I like my new job. I like my desk, having my sister work nearby, the daily in's and out's of this place and the second floor womens restroom...okay, maybe thats not true. but the story had to tie in somewhere.

Google Talk Video Chat

I LOVE google talk. My love stems from the original AOL Instant Messenger back in the 90's. When I was in High School, (pre-myspace, facebook, youtube) we were all about the AIM.
Granted you had to wait for the 5 minute dial tone/fax machine sound and if the phone rang while you were online, it would disconnect you. BUT for e-flirting, it was definitely the tool of choice. (At WCHS anyway) Back then, I was Dani123@aol.com. Those were the days.

But anyway, Google Talk is like a much improved version of 90's AIM and the more mature version of myself loves it for these reasons:

1-Perfect for gossiping among cubicles while at work
2-Ideal for Laughing about funny/strange phone calls at the office while still on the phone with 'Funny/strange' person mentioned below.
3-Gives me the chance to chat with my awesome girlfriends (about important things and not so important things)
4-Great for stalking pets for adoption with Kara from www.petfinder.com
5-Checking in with the fam; With the exception of my Dad, the whole Perez clan are frequent'google-talkers'
So, Last night, Kellie and I were hanging out at my house and decided to use the new Video Chat feature of Google Talk and I have to say. It was AWESOME! We called my Mom, made a bunch of akward faces in the camera and used a lot of props and ended up cracking up on the floor after about 15 minutes. Just wanted to share some photos commemorating my first experience.

With my.....by myself.

I am obsessed...With a Saturday Night Live Video. I have watched it daily at work for 2 weeks and have shared it with at least 25 people and now, yes, I'm admitting it.... I've actually dreamt about it. So, if you happen to be one of the FEW people I haven't shared this with, google "SNL Lawrence Welk".
Also, please note that during a recent trip to San Francisco to see Erin & Ted, we not only watched the video 4-5 times, we also found The Lawrence Welk Show on PBS and watched the original show. (See Photos)