Anna & P-doggy's Pretty Ordinary Adventures

Happy Easter!!!!!

2008-03-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter. It was so nice being home with my family, and seeing the kids enjoy all the fun Easter brings. They were dressed up, had lots of Easter egg hunts, ate lots of candy, and played with their new Easter toys. In our family, we always give bubbles for Easter and this year the kids got some pretty cool bubble toys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

2008-03-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today is Tyler's 27th Birthday, and boy is it an exciting one. Him and his roommate have been sitting on the couch watching b-ball since Wednesday night. Kendall has decided he is a rock star and is wearing the clothes to fit and Tyler has decided not to shave. YUMMY!

Although, it is Tyler's birthday and therefore, his opinion that counts I will give you mine. This has been his best year yet(at least the last 6 months), and he only has more wonderful years to come (as long as he is with me) :)

If he is not with me, than life just won't matter as much. So, Tyler celebrate (me) and just remember if you want this much to celebrate for every birthday after this one - - - keep me around - oh and keep buying me dinner.

Happy Birthday Honey!

F.y.i
I am going home tomorrow to see those wonderful nieces of mine and my very cute nephew, so I may not be able to blog for at least a week.

Happy Easter!

Happy Early St. Patty's Day

2008-03-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did a little celebrating and puppy visiting. Yesterday, Tyler and I went to visit his family because his sister was in town from Texas. She is preparing to move back to Colorado, which is very exciting because she is pretty awesome and I know it will make Tyler really happy. Recently, his mom's Chihuahua had puppies and so I spent a lot of time holding them. Also, his brother's lab got knocked up by a mastiff and I spent a lot of time begging Tyler for one. The one I love is left, and Tyler is such a softie he would have totally let me have one, and help me out with it. But, it is such bad timing so with a lot, and I mean a lot, of willpower I said no. For all of you that know my craziness, you understand how hard it is for me to say no to puppies especially ones that are going to big teddy bears. A lab-mastiff, how did I ever say no. Here is one of the chihuahua puppies.

Then last night, Tyler and I went out with his roommate Kendall and friend Chris. We just went to a local pub to celebrate St. Patty's Day.

And then we proceeded to play a lot of RockBand. Only the coolest thing ever! You can have two guitarists, one drummer, and a singer. I rocked my face off! I ampretty sure I was a rock star in another life!

LOST - WHAT????

2008-03-13T20:16:00.001-07:00

Tyler and I have been religiously watching Lost and really it is the only thing we have to look forward to during the week. However, I am completely mad about tonights episode. How can Jin die, that is not fair and is not part of my Lost fantasy. Of course, he may not really be dead because Lost can do whatever it wants to screw up my mind and melt Tyler's face. It sort of put a damper on a perfectly great evening - we did make an awesome Spinach, Rice, and Tofu casserole and had coffee.
I hate waiting a whole week to watch Lost!
I need some more exciting things in my life!

A new blog...

2008-03-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

So, Tyler has a lot of time at work to do absolutely nothing. Of course, I am completely jealous of this; however, during one of his extended periods of nothingness he found this blog. Although I do not like to tell him he is right often, this can be an exception because it is pretty darn funny. This blog highlights the various things white people like, and actually goes into an explanation.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Pics from Friday...

2008-03-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

Wazee's Supper Club...Y UMMY!

Half -time du ring the game
Go Nuggets!!!!
I think Tyler is afraid of having a double chin in pics :)
Stephanie, Tim my, and Sean
Kendall, Chris, Stephanie, Timmy, Sean, and Tyler
Tyler and I

Porter trying to get out of a dilema

2008-03-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Tyler and I took Porter to the dog park. A lot of snow had just melted, so it was muddy and wet. Porter got stuck on a little "island." He decided instead of crossing the deep and dangerous water again....

Porter decided to try and dig a tunnel so he wouldn't get wet....

When that genius plan failed...he decided to jump. Needless to say, he didn't make it and landed in a big mud puddle. Oh, the hardships of being a scared y cat dog

Go Nuggets...

2008-03-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

Last night I took Tyler to a Nuggets game for V-day. I wanted to take him out to dinner and share in his love of basketball. First, we went to dinner at Wazees which is the only place in Denver that serves pizza and fries in the same place. It's weird but apparently people in CO don't think pizza and fries go together or sandwiches and fries. I am craving a veggie grinder, fries, and honey mustard. After dinner we walked to the basketball game. It was a lot of fun. After the game, we met his friends and Kristin out for awhile. One of his friends, Sean, is moving to AZ on Monday so it was sort of a good-bye get together. I know how those go :)
I have pictures I will post later...my connector is in the car and I am too lazy to go and get it

You've got to be thankful for everything you've got!

2008-02-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

So, I was bitter this week. Kind of bitter all week. Of course, I felt like life was unfair and blah...blah...blah. I have to take some tests on Saturday for my license. I took them in PA, but they didn't transfer to Colorado. I mean, why would they accept the same exact tests?? When I took them last spring (as some might remember) I spent hours upon hours studying. And now I have to pay for them again and take the time to prepare. And to top it all off it is supposed to 70 some degrees tomorrow while I am testing and then 40 degrees and snowy on Sunday when I am off. So, yah I was a little cranky....until I spent 3 hours in the emergency room with one of students until his parents showed up. And then I realized how lucky I am to have what I have physically, emotionally, financially, medically, and so on. I am blessed because I can tell the doctors where it hurts. I am blessed because I can move all of my limbs and talk whenever I want. I am blessed because I don't have people standing around me talking about me and not to me. I am blessed because I am not disregarded as the child that can't learn.
Working with my kids always makes me remember to feel blessed for what I have, and not to worry about the little things. This week I feel I forgot that lesson until today. Mostly, I am blessed because I have family and friends and I get to work with the most amazing kids everyday that smile and laugh all day long even when they can not do things many people take for granted.

A Blog Game...

2008-02-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog game, and I am definitely not going to play by the rules because I don't know 7 blog people. I know 3 :) and pretty sure they have already been tagged, but I will list 7 random things...after I post the rules....
1. List 7 random things about yourself that people may not know.
2. Link the person who sent this to you, and leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours.
3. Post the rules on your blog.
4. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Random Things About Me....
1. I can eat a whole bag of popcorn by myself in one sitting in less than 20 minutes.
2. I love big and dumb looking dogs. I really want a lab/mastiff puppy that Tyler's brother has.
3. I love to walk. I would walk everywhere if I could.
4. I like my popcorn burnt.
5. I like Tyler a little bit :)
6. I love working with the population that I work with.
7. I own more toys than most adults without kids (oh, that does not sound right : ) )

Worst Blogger Ever!!!

2008-02-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I stink at this game. It has been almost a month since I posted anything because I am a horrible blogger. And, I am really busy :)

I have started a second job, working with kids with Autism so by the time I get home, play with the pup, and eat it is time for bed.

But, I will stop with the excuses and try to be better at this whole blogging thing.

To start off with - my sister and her kids came to visit me this weekend. They exhaust me. My niece, Mashaela, had a doctor's appointment and so they all stayed in Auntie Anna's one bedroom apartment. It was a little crazy. By a little crazy I mean I might get evicted from my not so kid friendly apartment because of all the laughing, jumping, screaming, crying, and banging.
The kids are all doing great. Mashaela is super smart and just loves to have fun. MaKenna is super cute and as Tyler says would smile at you while she stabs you in the back and you would have to smile back because she is so cute. Cyrus was sick and annoyed his Auntie with a lot of crying, but I still love him :)
Oh, and a 4th is on the way. In August I will be an auntie of 4. Seriously, I am going to go broke spoiling them the way an auntie should!

The National Western Stock Show

2008-01-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

This week we had our first field trip. It was to the National Western Stock Show - a long name for a rodeo. It is a pretty big deal here and everyone is talking about it. My adapted P.E. teacher got us free tickets so we hopped on a bus with our cowboy hats and headed to the rodeo. The kids were really good and we all had a great time. Except for the petting zoo, which the kids thought was torture. One of my students even got on a real live bull. There is a lot to do there, and it was a great way to help my kiddos learn how to appropriately act outside of our classroom.
This is the bull one of my students sat on.

Go team

2008-01-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our first basketball game and of course we won! Yahooooooo! I know winning is not supposed to be the main point of our special olympics team but really....winning does matter. Our team consists of about 10 boys and 1 girl. They range in age from 8 - 15 and have a variety of abilities. It was priceless seeing the smiles on their faces when they made a shot. It was great seeing the kids able to shine in something. I work with them all day and they don't usually feel good about what they do academically in the classroom, so now I have a new goal of making sure every student feels good about something they do at least once a day! Maybe we will just have to start playing basketball!

Oh, and Tyler and I make a pretty darn good coaching team - I think swimming will be next :)

I love Sundays

2008-01-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. There are many things I like to do on Sundays.
Such as: sleep in, let Tyler cook me breakfast, watch lifetime movies while I clean, get coffee, take Porter on long walks, organize, craft, get school work done, read, etc.... Today I did not get all of that accomplished, but Tyler did get to cook me breakfast and I did get to watch some crappy lifetime movies. Sunday is just a great day too relax and get caught up on life. And I love it! Plus, I get to start a whole new week with my students, which is always exciting. This week Tyler and I are going to start helping coach basketball for my school districts Special Olympics team. We are both really excited. I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Trying to play catch up....

2008-01-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Well, it has been awhile since I posted so I thought I would give everyone a little update. I went home for the holidays and Tyler joined me for New Years. My family loved him, and I don't think they freaked him out too much so that is reassuring.

While I was home:

1) Tyler and I took the girls rollerskating and to the movies

2) I cut my hair off for locks for love again

3) Porter enjoyed playing with my parents new puppy Wee Willie

4) Tyler got to see the big city of Billings

5) I got to have a sleepover with my nieces and cousins

6) I got to meet my new cousin Joleene

7) We had our first family photos www.bearbuttephotography.com

8) Cyrus turned 1

9) It turned 2008

I don't have to go back to work until the 7th so now I am just trying to get all of the boring house stuff done that I never seem to get caught up on. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

4 reasons I am finally in the Christmas mood

2007-12-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I finally started to get in the holiday mood. I haven't felt very festive lately, probably because it has been pretty warm here, and I can't believe that it is already December!
1. Yesterday it snowed all day long! It was cloudy, and snowy, and WONDERFUL! I like the sunshine, but they were not lying when they say it is sunny in Colorado 300 days out of the year.
2. I got my first Christmas card in the mail. It was from Sue and Charlotte and made my day. It actually got me motivated to start my Christmas cards. I haven't been stamping in awhile, but started on some Christmas presents a couple of weeks ago and now my Christmas cards are already half done.
3. Tyler surprised me by showing up at my house with food, hot chocolate, peppermint schnapps, and wine. We spent all day watching season 2 of The Office and eating and drinking. Then we got bundled up and went to the Denver Zoo for the light show. The light show was awesome because as you walk around and look at lights you can also look at the animals. Not too many were out, but the Mountain Goats were running up and down their "mountain" chasing eachother. I am pretty sure they were more excited about the snow then I was. It was a very nice surprise and we had a really good time, even though it was 20 degrees out and we were frozen when we got home.

Tyler and I trying to stay warm, which is hard when you are caked with snow!

Some of the lights

The hippo is going to eat Tyler!!!!

4. I only have 9 more days of work before I get 2 weeks off! I love being a teacher! Plus, I have lots of fun Hanukkah, La Posada, Christmas, and Kwanzaa activities prepared for the kiddos for the next two weeks.

Happy Holidays!

Update - last week

2007-12-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Well, this week I was sick. It was not fun; however, Tyler took care of me like a champ. He cooked me soup both nights, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Plus, kept me company while I was laying on the couch suffering. What a sweetie! Trickie and Porter are bonding! Well, not really I put Trickie on Porter's back because I want them to be friends. They really dislike eachother, but I am determined that they become friends.

On Friday, I met Tyler's parents for the first time. I guess he decided to throw me to the sharks because not only did I meet his parents but I also met about 12 other family members. We had a really nice dinner minus his mom's test - a practical joke played on none other than me and his uncle's very loud announcement that I was a vegetarian beware. The good news is I passed his mom's test, and we really did have a good time.

Update - Thanksgiving

2007-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in soooooo long, but I have no clue where the time goes. Let's see....Thanksgiving was great. Kristin and I made it to Montana in one day. The roads were really bad in Colorado but only bad in spots throughout Wyoming.

Kristin - white knuckling it on the way home.

I spent lots of time hugging and kissing my nieces, nephew, and cousins. Porter enjoyed getting Thanksgiving treats from my family members who think that they can sneak him food. My sister made my mom and I leave the house at 4:30 AM to go shopping with her the day after Thanksgiving. She has 3 kids so she is the best bargain shopper. We actually didn't have anything in particular we needed to get on sale, so we didn't stress about getting places. We took our time and had fun. Going home for Thanksgiving helped reassure me that I made the right decision leaving all of my friends in PA to be closer to my family.

the kids table - Morgan, Megan, Mashaela, and MaKenna

I am thankful for my family and friends

MaKenna and Cyrus playing after dinner

Girls will have fun!

Cyrus thinking he needs an after dinner drink - apparently we need to put the beer up higher. What a stinker!

Of course it snows now!

2007-11-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

Today it snowed, of course the day I want to drive to Montana. It has been snowing along the highway I need to drive from my destination to my starting point. So, this should be fun. Kristin and I wanted to leave early because it is a nine hour drive, but we are waiting hoping some of the ice will melt. Hopefully, it doesn't take us 16 hours to get there. At least I have someone to drive with. I haven't been home for Thanksgiving in 8 years so I am super excited, although I am missing the annual group Thanksgiving, which makes me very sad. Wish me luck as I travel through the wonderful state of Wyoming.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Suzie Homemaker, what????

2007-11-14T18:49:00.000-08:00

Ya that is right, I was called Suzie homemaker. I made dinner, and Tyler called me Suzie homemaker. Now, that may not seem like a big deal unless you know the real Anna. The very undomesticated Anna. I am undomesticated in pretty much every sense of the word. I don't clean, cook, shop, sew, etc.....the only thing domesticated that I do partake in is taking care of kids, and I get paid for that. Last year, I used the oven twice. I microwave EVERYTHING! The only time I use the stove is to heat tortillas or spaghettios. The kids I teach (with severe/profound disabilities are better at cooking than I am! Alright enough. Apparently, I am changing. I have been cooking dinner lately (more than grilled cheese). I made this very yummy General Tao's Tofu (recipe from Vegweb.com) and Tyler thinks he is dating someone domestic. Ha! I have him fooled. There is no way I am cleaning though!

P.S. If you look close enough you can see the pile of dirty socks under my coffee table. And yes, we are eating on a coffee table. Who needs a real table when you have a coffee table and a couch. No one can convert me!!!!

The news

2007-11-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

So, I never watch the news mainly because I am a MTV addict (according to Tyler). Hey, I can't help it if I am in love with Cohutta and can't get enough of the weirdness of Jessie Bobby. Well, for whatever reason I had the news on tonight, and I learned a lot of important things.

1. There is some hope for kids with the antibodies or kids at risk for Type 1 diabetes. Apparently, they are testing a new insulin pill, that would delay or prevent the onset of diabetes. They say that it has delayed the onset up to five years in humans. It is never a good time to have the onset occur, but I would have been very grateful if my 4 year old niece could have been a kid for a little longer before her world was turned upside down. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=health&id=5657058

This could also help my other niece and nephew who are at high risk for developing diabetes. MaKenna was just tested for the antibodies and she does not have them, which means there is a good chance she won't have diabetes. Yea!!!!!! Cyrus has to be at least a year old to test, so we don't know yet if he has the antibodies.

2. There is a test to see what kind of mutt you have. That is very exciting to me because I have no clue what Porter is. Every one has their own opinion, and they are so different. I have heard Great Dane, Grey Hound, Ridgeback, German Shepard...the list could go on. I just say he is Porter, but this test will tell you what breeds make up your dog. It sounds crazy, but I would spend the $150.00 just to know. Hmmm...maybe that should be Porter's x-mas present. Although, I am pretty sure he would be happy with just a bone. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/family/14562676/detail.html

I was really watching the news today to see if it was ever going to snow here. Don't I live in Colorado now? It was like 75 degrees yesterday! Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather, but I can't get into the x-mas mood when it is that warm, and I am ready for the holidays!

Go Eagles!!!!

2007-11-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know this hasn't been our best season, but I haven't given up. Today, I went to Gov's and watched the game with some old friends. Actually, some old friends' brothers. I have been friends with Kenny since highschool, and his older bro lives in Denver so he entertains me on days when I am feeling lonely and bored. It really stinks being an Eagles fan in Colorado because I can't watch the game at home unless it is a night game or Monday game. I have to go to the bar and beg them to turn it on even the smallest TV. The good news is they usually do put it on for me. I am happy I can go through the week with a win. GO EAGLES!!!!!

Our first post

2007-11-11T17:01:00.001-08:00

Well, I guess I finally gave in and decided to journal the exciting or not so exciting adventures that Porter and I share each day. In reality, I thought this would be a good way to keep everyone in PA updated on our lives. I read other blogs and it helps me stay connected to those I miss on a daily basis. So, no promises this will be exciting, but I will give it a try. Bear with me as I figure this blogging world out.