RIP Keala 2004-2015

My heart is broken.  You were the smartest, bravest and sassiest dog I have ever known.  I am proud to call you my first Baby.  Love and miss you forever!

 

 

RIP Ikaika 2005-2014

 

Thank you for choosing us to be your Mommy and Daddy.  There is no more pain, Baby.   We'll miss you forever!

Christmas 2012: The Chury dinner

We had enough time to load and run the dishwasher with all our pots and prep bowls before Cookie and Ken arrived for dinner, part two.

 Keala hung out with Eric.  He's my college student worker staying with us over the winter shutdown period.

Kyle arrived just as we started eating.  Ikaika is happy to see his Uncle.  Eric's flan was a hit!  Next came our annual gifts exchange and relaxing with a movie.  Kyle picked Expendables 2.  Relaxing, right?  Aaron, Eric and I ended the evening with some Assassin's Creed III.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas 2012: The Brlas dinner

 The food is ready!  Almost right on time if the ham didn't have to rest.  The good smells is making me dizzy.

This year we had only Rick over for early dinner.  Grandma is in Wesleyan Village and Kyle was still doing his last minute shopping.

As usual, we got our yearly flannel pj's and snacks, and the pups got their big rawhide.  Thank you, Grandpa!

Keala did her parading around the house with her rawhide looking for a spot to dig and bury it.  It was a big task to take it away from her because she was very, very possessive of her present!

Christmas 2012: Cooking and baking

This year is a simple, blue and silver Christmas.  The lights are out on the house and bushes, we got a beautiful, good smelling 10 feet tree, and the village is lit in the living room.

The cooking started the night before.  I made a firehouse chicken stew with a cream and lemon sauce ...

 ... for 12 people apparently!  I had another pot of stew on the side.

 There is about 7 veggies in it!  Ono!

 Aaron woke up early in the morning to start his ham.  Ikaika was supervising.  That's a mighty big ham there, Dad.  Is half for me?

 The glaze was make with bourbon and ginger snaps!  The house smells wonderful.  I'm hungry!

Eric made dessert... flan!  One of Aaron's favorite!  We also made mashed potatoes and biscuits.

Taking a walk

Aaron and Keala took Ikaika and I for a walk around the neighborhood!

 

The dogs love going through East Rec woods.

 

 

Goodbye Spring... Hello Summer!

I survived finals week!  I was getting a little tired at the end, not because of work but because I would stay up all night and end up getting less sleep than my body needed.  But overall I felt clear headed and positive.  I want to thank the acupuncture for that!  No Emergen-C needed this time around!

Now I'm on vacation for a week.  I'm not going anywhere.  Just trying to use my vacation time before the end of my academic year in June.  I'm so lucky that I usually have time leftover!  I'm going to do more gardening since the weather's nice.  I even thought about going to a golf range to hit a few.

Ikaika actually out in the backyard, cruising with me and Keala.  Hawaiians!

Aaron's out of town for the weekend -- a mountain biking festival in Pennsylvania with his buddies.  Just me and the dogs at home now!  What to do... relax in the sun?  garden in the heat?  catch up on my favorite TV series?  plow through the new movies I borrowed from the public library? go shopping?  or just cruise/sleep with my dogs?  Let's see what I end up doing!

2012 SPRING: Ikaika on a walk

My St. Bernard Ikaika is such a funny dog!  He decided to go on a walk today; decided because he doesn't go if he doesn't want to.  Aaron, Keala and Ikaika walked through the park and down 7 more blocks, a longer route than usual, and they ended up at my bro-in-law's house.  My dogs activated Kyle's dogs and unfortunately Kyle was not home.  Ikaika decided he didn't want to go home yet, wanting to play with Gabby and Simon, plopped his okole on Kyle's front lawn and didn't budge.  Aaron had to call me to come and pick them up with my car!

When I drove over both Keala and Ikaika was sitting nicely together in front of Kyle's neighbor's yard and Aaron couldn't budge them.  Adorable!  I wish I had my camera!  I'm sure the pups are sleeping snugly tonight with all that exercise!

2012 SPRING: Keala and the front yard

 

My Azalea bush is still alive!  The dogs keep walking over it so it's split in half.  Most of my flowers survived the winter.  Some didn't.  Aaron and I are happy because our lawn and flower gardens look healthy.  So does Keala!  Weeds are under control...

Ikaika makes a new friend...

with our new puppy sitter Joyce!  He's gotten a lot of treats already.

Apparently he likes strawberries.

Spring (Summer) is in the air...

I know they are Magnolia trees but I like to think of them as
Cherry Blossoms in my back yard!

Christmas 2011: Holiday after-party

Love, Keala and Ikaika

Everyone should be taking their lead and relax on this beautiful holiday!

Christmas 2011: Decorations

The lights look nicer with snow...



We went for simple this year. We placed our big bulb lights on our mantle and beautiful tree.


I found a new way to hang the Christmas cards!

Happy 44th!

Well I had a delightful birthday this year! First my student workers surprised me by covering my evening shifts so I didn't have to go to work. Then Aaron agreed to take me shopping at Aurora Farms Outlet Mall to buy my birthday gifts!

Sadly I didn't find my Fendi sunglasses I wanted but we found a nice pair of Gucci ones that looks hot. I didn't find a pair of waterproof boots I liked but I did get a nice black winter coat for a price steal. I can finally say goodbye to my Landsend coat that I had since 1991! It's still in good shape but it just doesn't fit me right. I think I'll donate it to someone who needs a coat.

We ended up not having dinner as we planned because I felt really tired all of a sudden and got nauseous while riding home in the car. When we got home I took a pill and passed out on the couch for an hour. Aaron was nice enough to finish our errands while I rested and I woke up to a nice bowl of saimin for dinner. I felt better. I even went to sleep EARLY! Thanks Brlas for a nice day out!

Hanging out with the Andrewskis

Aaron and I had Big Al and Tasha over for dinner and drinks and the kids for movie night. I'm glad we got to catch up with friends. We definitely don't hang out enough! Needless to say Emily and Matthew got bored with the movies quickly asking to switch between Rio and Beethoven and Rango, then asked for crafts and other toys to play with, which we didn't have. We definitely have a non-kid friendly house! The dogs did a good job of being substitute toys to play with.

Keala with Trevor, our godson

Matthew giving Ikaika a big hug

Matthew giving Keala a tight hug

Emily hanging out with Ikaika in his crate

Emily, Trevor, Aaron, me and Matthew

No more talk of short tails!

After cutting away the hairs around the sore spot and wrapping this tail in his "wrap cast" a few days so he didn't keep licking it, Ikaika stopped irritating his tail further and is back to his ol' self! Thank God! Now if his ears would just stop waxing up...

Ikaika has another booboo

We had to bandage up Ikaika's tail last night. He licked it until it was raw. Thankfully the dogs were scheduled to go to the vet for their heartworm test today. We think its a hot spot but Dr. Cobb thinks it may be broken. My poor puppy! We're going to try antibiotics and wrapping his tail up for a week. Hopefully it will mend itself.

See his bandage?

The bandage has his name on it (Khyla's design) but you can't see it since his tail is so skinny

My beautiful family

Aaron with our babies Keala and Ikaika

[I had a nice video but it was too large for me to download right now.]

Tita does Strongsville

Guess what my sister wanted to do today? MORE SHOPPING!!

Helping my niece find her first pair of heels -- success!!

I showed her where Khyla's cooking class was held before going to the mall. Had a fast lunch at Five Guys Burgers and ice cream from Hershey's before heading home.

Time to walk the dogs!

Oh lord she's cleaning my house again...