Home decorating

I am having SO MUCH FUN decorating our new home. We have a house party coming up in a few weeks, and I want to have everything some what completed by then (even though I know decorating never stops).

I bought the greatest rug today on Overstock.com. I love this web site. Isnt it so pretty? I cant wait to add it to our brown and green "Asia" living room. More pics to come for sure!

Puppy Plight

Matt and I (80% me, 20% Matt) have decided to get a puppy. Maybe its to fill this baby void I have inside of me, or maybe I am so jealous of my brother for having the cutest pup, but it is something I have been thinking about for a while. We have a yard now, and heaven knows Brisbane needs a friend to play with so I think its a good time to make an animal addition to the family.

Here is our problem.

The dog will mostly be Matts dog since Briz is rarely interested in him (shes a mommas girl), so I have kind of turned over the breed decision to him.

Matt wants a "mans" dog and so we thought of Boxers. I have always liked them, and when I worked at the vet one of my favorite patients was one. So we have been researching the breed to find out the traits and personalities of them. We read that they are good family dogs, very social and good with kids and other dogs. However we also heard that they are messy, slobbery and gassy. Hmm....

Last night we got to play with 2 male puppies at the pet store by our house. They were SO sweet and very cuddly. (Although not as cute as the picture above. He is so handsome!)

The other dog we like is the Australian Shepherd. We know already that we love the breed since we own one, my mom has two and my brother is new to the club with Dundee. They are not destructive, aggressive or slobbery, and shedding is not very bad either.

However, they are very stubborn and intelligent (which can be a bad thing). Not to mention, they aren't really "manly" dogs like a Rott or Boxer would be.

So, let us know what you think. Any information about either breed would be good. Its a hard decision! Is there anyone out there that has had the opportunity to get to know both types of dog? We want an obedient, playful but not hyperactive, sweet and loving dog that will get along with kids and our anti-social Brisbane. Is that too much to ask?

Fun with Photoshop

Our friend Brett got me Photoshop CS2 to go with my new computer. I am having a great time using it, and I am happy to be back at work designing wedding invites and blog pictures :)

Here is something I did for fun to test out the new program.

Photoshop makeover. Never believe anything that you see on a magazine cover and this is why (and I'm not even a pro!)

And congrats to Louise and Brad on their up coming marriage. I hope that they love their invite as much as I do! (First is the original picture, second is the final proposal.)

Yay for Adobe Photoshop!

A new Year

Happy New Year to everyone! Matt and I are very excited about 2008, and I hope that we can get as much done this year as we did last year.

Here is a quick recap.

Last winter Matt took on the challenge of skiing, and did way better than I could have ever imagined.

In March, to escape the cold, we took an enjoyable trip to Mesa Arizona to see some of my family and we got to spend some quality time together at the zoo.

In April we celebrated a full year of marriage followed by an exciting (and AMAZING) trip to New York City.

Shannon and Tyler Hunnex were hitched in June after a fun Bachelorette Party and lots of planning.

Matt and I took Briz on a trip to Ocean Shores to fly kites and play at the beach. Brisbane got sick from inhaling salt water.

Once the weather started to warm, Matt and I took advantage of "friends with boats" and tried our skills at wake boarding. Matt accomplished while I failed with a memorable face plant.

We spent Independence Day with our family and friends at the Hunnex's home and then took our first trip to Las Vegas for 7-7-07.

Shannon and I decided that we had been wishing for them long enough, and bought ourselves Kayaks. Both of us were unemployed at this time, and had a great (and humbling) time laying out in the sun and rolling down the river.

Matt and I were able to do a lot of camping and play with the Dillon kids in our apartment pool.

Armani passed away after a hard decision made on my part to put him down. He had had many urinary tract problems, and he was in a lot of pain. We still miss him a lot.

I found a job working in-house for VOLT, a staffing company in Redmond.

Another successful block party at the Baileys!

After battling cancer for 2+ years, Selden returned home to his Father in Heaven. We were able to be with him during some of the last hours of his life, and attend his memorable funeral.

We made a fun trip to the ER after Matt complained of abdominal pains. We are still at a loss to what caused these.

With our good friend Brett, we headed down to Portland to hike Multnomah Falls. It was a lot of fun.

Matt and I found the perfect house in Lake Stevens, and offered, payed for and moved in. We still love it!

Matt joined a dodge ball team in the area, and came in as one of the top teams in the end.

Cory and his girlfriend Alex got the sweetest puppy named Dundee.

We were able to attend "The Pied Piper" starring Malcolm and Laurel Dillon.

We had a very merry Christmas complete with great gifts and lots of food.

This year, we hope to make a trip out to Utah for Matt's mission reunion and to see the Blocks new home in St. George. We are also planning on heading up to Calgary for the Stampede and we are both in dire need of a week on a beach. We will be working hard on things around the house such as a garden, a storage unit in the garage and some more furniture. We also wouldn't mind needing a nursery, but that will come in time :)

Lots to come in 2008!