2009

So I've been reading some Facebook statuses of various friends and family today, and I saw a bunch that said something like "2009 was the worst year ever! Can't wait for 2010!". While I can't say that 2009 was the greatest year of all time, I think it had its highlights. We had a lot to be thankful for, so I'm choosing to focus on the positive in a year that was a downer for so many...

So in no particular order, here's a few of our memorable moments!

We finally got our puppy Bindi (you know, the one we had named before we were engaged!)!!


Speaking of pets, we were the proud foster parents of an adorable little duckling named Tweakers. She is currently living at Gilcrease Bird Sanctuary and doing great!


We both left jobs we had been with for three years for some new experiences. Judd's been having fun at ICM where he's working on the new pool nightclub for the Wynn, and I started my internship at Channel 8 on Monday! I love it so much, especially since all I have to do is ask, and they'll let me go on an interview or whatever!


Shows we saw include U2, Wicked, and we're seeing Flogging Molly on Saturday!


I learned auburn is a fantastic color for my hair, how to Photoshop, how to ride a motorcycle, train a dog, work a professional video camera, edit videos, and cook a turkey.


Judd learned that Blu-Ray looks better than DVD, patience, how to shoot, how to protect his 2nd Amendment Rights, and how to be a super shopper.


We became fans of Smiths, the Atomic Dogs team (which Bindi will be joining at the end of January!) America's Next Top Model, Buffalo Wild Wings, Phur Lovesac covers, Town Square, clean apartments, and Windows 7.


We were amused by Balloon Boy, saddened at the loss of Michael Jackson, avoided getting the Swine Flu, and survived the Great Recession.


We celebrated our one year anniversary and plan on celebrating many more!


We hope 2010 will be rewarding and our hard work will pay off. And that our dog will be better behaved. And that we'll eat better and work out more. And that we'll find a better place to live. And that I'll graduate and Judd can start on finishing his degree. And that we'll be better at keeping in touch with people we love.


And that your year is great!

Our Christmas Puppy Became a Thanksgiving Puppy!

Bindi has arrived!!!!

We went to Utah for Thanksgiving this year. I was wistfully hoping we would bring back our girl a bit early, because who wants to make that drive twice this time of year (snow and deer hazards?!?!?)? I had been diligently searching KSL (a fancier Craig's List for Utah) for a border collie puppy everyday hoping Bindi would pop out at me somewhere. There were so many different litters to go through. We made the drive up to Highland hoping we could find a few to at least look at, but we didn't have a litter we were really super excited about. On Thanksgiving morning, I came across an ad for a litter of puppies in Cedar Fort with this picture:

I was sincerely hoping the 8-week old cutie in the middle was still available...and she was! We visited her that night and fell in puppy love. Her mom and dad were both on site and we got to play with them. They were total outdoor farm dogs. I was a bit hesitant at first because the daddy dog came running at us with a limp and I worried he had hip issues. But as he got closer, I realized he only had three legs, and his owners explained he lost a leg in a cougar trap. They were both gorgeous dogs so I'm hoping Bindi will be too. My mom and Sam came too and approved of the newest family member.

We spent Black Friday looking for puppy supplies instead of electronics (but we did get a killer deal on a Phur Lovesac cover!!!). We picked up Bindi on Saturday. I kind of felt like a jerk taking her from her mom and dad, but I hope she got over it quick enough.

After an eventful night at various homes of Judd's relatives, we were ready to take Bindi on the six-hour drive home. For being such a young pup, I think she did pretty good!

So now we've had our little (for now!) puppy for a little over a week, and she's been doing great! She is so smart and lovable and pretty much potty-trained. Here's a few highlights of our week thus far... (I feel like such a proud parent; since I don't have a baby to post pictures of, you get my dog!

First bath (highlight for us, not neccesarily her!

Getting into trouble (it's a good thing puppies have such cute and forgivable faces...)

AND attending her first flyball event! Bindi can't officially compete until she is a year old, but she will start training with the Atomic Dogs in a few months! They invited us to a tournament and let us work some of the other dogs on the team. I keep saying this, but as much as I love baby puppy Bindi, I can't wait for her to be big enough to compete in sports!

Opportunitiy Hits!

Judd has been looking for change in his career field for a while while I've been looking for an internship with a news channel. Last week, both of those opportunities presented themselves on the same day! Channel 8 called me, and ICM called Judd. We both had interviews (I was super-thrilled to finally have an excuse to buy an awesome suit!), and we both got the jobs! We're really excited, even though it means we'll have to move again (third time in a year and a half, gotta love it!) just to be a bit closer to our new jobs. We can't wait to start! It's a nice feeling to be able to escape this rut we've felt like we've been in job-wise lately. I don't say it often, but I feel we have been blessed.