Home stop.

The Hahn Family reunion was a lot of fun! There were pool and air hockey tables which got plenty of use; as well as a few board games that were played. Much of my time was occupied running around with my cousin's 7 and 2 year-old that were always full of energy. It was nice to catch up and relax.

Anyway, we have stopped home to collect ourselves before heading on part 2 of the winter vacation. Unpacking, washing and then repacking. I know you must feel horrible for us...

Hocking Hills.

We are headed to Hocking Hills today for the Hahn Family reunion! Hopefully as we head toward southern Ohio we will drive out of the snow that was dumped on the Cleveland area last night. Although it is very pretty, it makes the roads a bit more perilous when traveling.

Gingerbread Contest.

Last night, my mother held the Unknown-th Annual Gingerbread Contest here in Solon! The competition was quite stiff and closer this year than last. In my opinion, Joe and I had one of the most ingenuous ideas that showed real creativity and preparedness. However, it was hard to beat the presentation by Ellie and Gracie whose use of gummy bears was inspiring. The double decker, which took 3 grown men to put together, did not look safe and seemed only to succeed because of their over the top attempt to woo the judges (I think there was bribery involved too).

Here is the log cabin Joe and I so masterfully assembled:

Merry Christmas!

One day belated...Merry Christmas one and all! Hope everyone had a very nice day.

Last Day.

Today was a busy day at work! It is the last day before the holidays and before we go on our winter vacation. Tomorrow we are headed back to Solon, then go to Hocking Hills for the Hahn Family reunion, then to Florida and lastly the Bahamas. I'm looking forward to it all!

Winter Solstice.

Today's advent:

"Today is winter solstice,
Shortest day of the year.
It can mean only one thing-
Christmas is near!"

I'm very glad the days will be getting longer from here on. Let there be light!

Wrapping.

I finally got around to wrapping presents yesterday. I sat down with 4 rolls of wrapping paper, scissors, tape and the presents and wrapped while watching The Holiday. The movie made it fun and some gifts under the tree make it look a bit more festive!

Advent.

Over Thanksgiving, my mom surprised Joe and I with a box and within that box were a bunch of little boxes and containers with dates on them. A homemade advent! We have had a blast opening them everyday.

Ugly Sweater.

Joe and I went to the Salvation Army today to pick up some garb for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party we have tomorrow night. We both got some good sweaters and immediately came home and threw them in a hot wash. I knew the risk of shrinking...but didn't expect it to be too bad...


At least this makes it uglier I guess...

A new toy!

And yes, it has to squeak...

Video of the Month.

Penguins!

Joe and I are going to the Pittsburgh Penguins game with his dad tonight - they are playing the Flyers so it should be a good game. It's the first game we will have been to this season and hopefully it won't be the last!

Bailey's First Christmas

Setting up our Christmas tree last week:

Tables have turned.

You're Beautiful.

My older sister, Katie, sent me this link which I found very interesting. Click on Portfolio in the top menu and several small photos will appear across the bottom. Click on the photo and a larger photo will appear...

The changes are pretty amazing and it just goes to show that magazines really do set bad body (and face) images for us to look up to.

Puerto Rico: Sunday

On Sunday, we had an excursion to El Yunque, the rain forest in the middle of Puerto Rico. After a 40 minute drive, we arrived at an observation tower where we had a great view over top of quite a bit of the rain forest and we could see all the way to the ocean!

Next, we made a stop where we were showed to a trail that took us further into El Yunque and finally to La Mina Waterfall. It was nice because we were able to go along the trail at our own pace and there was often no one in sight or ear shot so we were really able to take in the sounds. We stopped at a second waterfall and then had lunch before we were dropped back off at our hotel.

Puerto Rico: Saturday

On Saturday, we had breakfast on the terrace overlooking the pools and ocean while we discussed what to do that day. We decided to take a cab and explore Old San Juan. The taxi driver, Miguel, was very nice and gave us a tour on our drive and suggested we see the fort in town. Fort San Felipe del Morro was very neat to see.

After that we walked through the streets of Old San Juan, stopped in some small shops along the way and finally stopped in a brewery for a refreshment. After that we went to a local restaurant called Raices for an authentic Puerto Rican lunch. It was delicious! We finished off our excursion with a little more exploring and then took a cab back to our hotel.

Puerto Rico: Friday

Joe and I arrived Thursday evening so we really didn't delve into our trip until Friday. We had an aggressive plan of relaxing the entire day - and we did just that. Starbucks coffee started our day off right (Starbucks is everywhere in the world) and followed it up by lounging under one of the cabana/beach chairs.

A nice 3 mile stroll along the beach was the most strenuous activity of the day. We were quite warm from sunbathing in the 80 degree, humid weather so we took a dip in the pool and swam up to the bar to get a refreshment. Fruit in a drink always makes you feel healthy...we were very healthy this trip.

Back!

We are back in the cold New Castle region. We had a very good time in Puerto Rico and would definitely return! The only negative part of the trip was that I ended up getting bit by bed bugs...Joe somehow didn't at all? Itching set in which is never enjoyable. I will do a series of three posts over the next few days to catch you up on what we saw and did! It's too late to do any of that now - unpacking and then to sleep. Anyway, don't let the bed bugs bite...

goodnight.

Puerto Rico

It started raining today, so Joe and I decided to go to Puerto Rico for the long weekend for some better weather. We planned the trip quite a few months ago - so you could call us Nostradamus or just skilled weathermen...if you like. Either way, we are excited about the trip and will be back on Monday evening.

Expect pictures and updates if we have easy access to the internet...

I Love Christmas Time!

Holiday Party.

Suzi and Jon had a party at their house last night. It was mainly so that Suzi's parents could show off her new house to their friends but it was also a way to kick off the season of holiday cheer! It was a post-Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas bash. We took Bailey over to Suzi's around noon so that she and PJ (the pug) could get all of their playing out of the way and they would be tired when the guests arrived. We all had a very good time and we stayed way past Suzi's bedtime...

First Snow

Yesterday was Bailey's first experience with snow! She was pretty confused by it, smelling it and jumping away from that sniffed area. She ran and romped, pounced on the snowballs I threw - she loved it!

Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a very tasty thanksgiving yesterday. We did! I made lattes for us and then we watched the Macy's Day Parade while doing a puzzle. A yearly tradition.

We had a delicious turkey dinner and then watched the movie The International. We continued to work on the 1000 piece puzzle and probably will for a few more days.

Bailey the Crazy Dog

Joe and I had a meeting at noon in Wickliffe, OH. It worked out well since we are just staying in Solon for Thanksgiving! With my mom at work, we had to leave Bailey in her crate. We were gone for just over 2 hours and came back to this:


Don't ask how she got the plastic part out from the bottom of the cage. The only answer is that our pup is Houdini.

Mom, we will buy you a new rug...

Song of the Month II

Early Thanksgiving.

Joe's side of the family had an early Thanksgiving this afternoon. We went to his grandfather's house in Beaver, PA (about a half hour south of New Castle) and had the full feast of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc... There were about 12 of us and Bailey did well with the crowd considering the amount of food that was around. We did spoil her with a bit of turkey so that she didn't feel too left out.

A Small Breakthrough...

We have been avoiding leaving Bailey alone since she hates being crated so much. Before work we drive her over and drop her off at Joe's parents' house for his Mom to watch. We work around each others schedules so that Bailey will always be with someone. Last night we all went out to dinner. Instead of crating her, we left her in the weight room where there is laminate flooring and equipment I, let alone her, could not move. We were gone for about two hours and the only damage was that she had chewed the plastic water bowl we had left for her. We are excited that we can leave her in that enclosed area and she will be fine...we will just have to buy a metal bowl for her.

Workin' for the Weekend.

First off, Joe has finally returned - he got back around noon today. But in general, things at work have really picked up! For a while there wasn't a ton to do. CP Trading Group is a start up so sometimes it was hit or miss on whether the day would be full of activities. Now, we are busy throughout the day and still have more we know we will need to do the next day. It's nice to feel important!

City Dog.

Bailey absolutely loves the city. After causing ruckus while I was trying to clean, we went for a walk along Grandview. She loved it! All the sounds, sights and most importantly, the smells. Her nose was practically stuck to the ground as if it were a train on a track. She zigzagged from one smell to the next!

I apologize for the poor quality iPhone picture.

House Showing.

Our Realtor informed us that our house on Mt. Washington is going to be showed tomorrow afternoon. He said it is someone who is deciding between our house and a condo in downtown Pittsburgh. This is the most interest we have garnered so far and I just really hope they pick our home!

Bailey and I may go up there this evening to clean and make sure all is in order!

Independent Women.

Joe is off to San Francisco again with his Dad for a business conference. He will be leaving Bailey and me all on our lonesome until Thursday morning. It's good that we have been busy at work, so I should be entertained during the day. During the evenings, Bailey and I have discussed going on some long walks and watching chick flicks to keep us occupied!

Dog + Cat

Bailey has been to the house in Solon quite a few times now. My parents have two cats. Devo, the one in the picture above, was not happy the first time the dog invaded his home but he has now become pretty indifferent to Bailey. He puts up with a lot!

The other cat, Phantom, is just that...a phantom. He hides as soon as Bailey comes and will not be seen until the evil dog leaves. This past visit we had a slight breakthrough. Phantom showed himself and Bailey approached him for investigation. Phantom hissed an batted her on the nose multiple times. Bailey is thoroughly frightened of him now...scaredy cat.

A New Look & Name!

My blog has gotten a complete makeover! Melissa, of eliza grace design, did an amazing job creating the header, color scheme...everything! She also did a great job of putting up with me when I couldn't make my mind up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new look!

I also have changed, or I suppose actually come up with a blog name. I took all of the comments from my earlier post into consideration but went with Wren's Rambles. Wren is what my family and some friends had called me growing up. It started when my younger sister was young and couldn't say Lauren so she just called me Wren. It stuck.

She doesn't feel that bad.

Bailey feels a lot better today! However, we still need to keep her from jumping, running or playing. She's a puppy though...how do you keep from playing with her?

Poor puppy.

Snip snip.

I came home to Solon again last night with Bailey in tow. Little does she know that the purpose of this trip is to take away her womanhood. Poor girl doesn't know that in 45 minutes we will leaving for a car ride that will lead her to my Dad's clinic and then she will be spayed this afternoon.

Simon's Cat.

My dad sent the link to this YouTube video last night and I thought I should share. Watch them all - especially funny for cat owners! My favorite is 'Fly Guy.'

YMCA!

I joined the Y today! I decided since it is only a 2 minute drive (or a short jog) from our house, I should join. I tend to have better workouts when I'm away from my house.

Anyways, I put in my first workout in a while today. One thing that always makes me silently laugh while at a gym, is when I see guys in front of the mirror nonchalantly check out their muscles. For example, the guy today who had an itch on his shoulder so he had to lift up his sleeve to scratch it...while flexing.

Blog name...

I have recently realized that our blog does not have a real name. For a couple of days now, I have been trying to think of what would be a good title for our blog. We started out writing about wedding planning but it has turned in to a general update about life and travel. Since I am struggling coming up with a name that is fitting while still being creative, I figured what better than to ask the readers...

If you have any ideas, please share and help us find a name we love.

Penn State.

Joe and I went to Penn State this weekend. We had a fun night out in State College on Friday night - the bar was quite crowded as it always is on football weekends. On Saturday, my parents came up so we could go to the OSU v. PSU game. My parents quietly cheered for OSU as to avoid any adverse behavior from the proud Penn Staters. In the end, my parents enjoyed the game more than Joe and I since Ohio State played much better than Penn State. We had a tasty breakfast (Belgian Waffle!) this morning before heading back home.

Song of the month.

I changed the title to "song of the month" from "song of the week" since it seemed to be more fitting. This is a song from the movie 'Whip It.' I don't know why the song cuts out short but it was the best one I could find.

Bailey in the Fall.

I may not be hungry for days...

When we returned from Florida, we had a note in our mailbox from our neighbors inviting us to dinner. We accepted and had a nice Italian dinner this evening. Rose cooked a delicious meal that left us completely stuffed! I don't know what army she was expecting but she started off with a home made soup and a side salad, then for the main course she had made (take a breath here), penne noodles with a homemade sauce, meatballs, chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and a celery/olive salad. Phew. Then we had dessert - apple pie with a scoop of ben and jerry's ice cream on top. Chased down by a cup of decaf coffee and we were basically in a food comatose and had to be rolled out.

Florida.

Our trip has been very nice so far - the weather has been sunny and hot. Yesterday we golfed 18 and watched Penn State beat Michigan. This morning, Joe and I went for a run and then went to the lighthouse cafe. We always seem to wait longer for a table than we actually spend in the restaurant. Luckily our wait was only 15 minutes and we had finished breakfast and were out the door within 20 minutes. It was delicious!

We will be enjoying the rest of our day here and will be headed back home tomorrow.

South for the Winter.

Although temperatures have been high and skies have been blue this week, we are sensing a change in the weather. Therefore, we are headed south to Fort Myers for the weekend. We are hoping it will be one of many trips this cold winter - it's always nice to break up the monotony of gray clouds with some sunshine from time to time.

Home Video!

This is where Bailey likes to sleep at night. The squeeze is getting tighter so I don't expect she will be able to do this much longer.

The Game.

Joe and I had a great time at the Steelers game yesterday! We parked at our house on Mt. Washington, took the incline down the hill and walked to the game. The weather was great and our seats were as well. The Browns also put up a fight to make it a somewhat interesting game. Overall, a nice Sunday!

Are you ready for some football?

Today I'm going to my first NFL game! It's the Steelers vs. Browns in Pittsburgh at 1:00! Joe got us tickets for our anniversary which was a perfect gift for the two of us to do together. Who will I root for you may ask? The Steelers. Although I do feel a bit traitor-ish. My excuse is that it is so difficult to be a Browns fan and easy to be a Steelers one.

GO STEELERS!

Song of the Week.

Sleeping Bailey.

Squeak!

Shortly I will regret purchasing this toy...

A Solon Visit.

I came home to Solon yesterday to visit with my mom on her day off. She likes seeing Bailey since she tends to be quite an entertaining dog! It was unfortunate that the weather was so overcast but the constant mist and drizzle didn't slow us down too much. We went to the The Holden Arboretum to walk the trails - even with gray skies, the scenery was beautiful. I can only imagine how nice it would be when the sun is out.

Last night, Suzi and I met at Bahama Breeze for dinner before going back to her house to hang out and catch up with another high school friend. My mom brought Bailey over so that she could play with Suzi and Jon's dog, PJ. They got along well and wrestled for quite a long time!

Indoor Soccer.

The new season of indoor soccer started last Tuesday. Joe and I both went to play and our lungs and legs were burning after about 60 seconds! Needless to say, it was a rough 49 more minutes of play. This week we have a double header. We doubt it will be much easier. At least we have a good time!

After the dog park.

She makes great eye contact.

...

It's been a long week and I'm looking forward to this weekend - especially since it's not supposed to rain as it has been all week. We're going to see a movie tonight and have a dog park visit planned for tomorrow.

Weekend Review.

Penn State was a good time except for the loss. PSU had lost to Iowa last year so this was to be a pretty big game since Penn State was ranked 5th. That is not the case anymore because they have plummeted down the rankings. We will still be going to the Ohio State game in State College in November.

Otherwise, it was nice to walk around campus again. It made me miss the college life!

Penn State!

We dropped Bailey off at my parents' house and are headed to State College this weekend. We are going to the PSU v. Iowa game on Saturday night. Hopefully it won't rain and we will win!

Dog Park.

This was our second time to the dog park. The first time was last weekend and there were about 7 dogs there! This time only 2 were there while we were but 3 more were showing up just as we were leaving. Here is Bailey v. the Black Bear:

This dog loves her bone.

She chews with attitude.

Song of the Week.

The beat gets stuck in your head.

Conference.

Since work doesn't require us to get dress up very often, we actually enjoyed putting on some business clothes for today's conference.

Metals Day.

Tonight, Joe and I will be joining our work crew for a Welcome Cocktail Reception for the Metals Day Conference being held in Pittsburgh. Then tomorrow we will have a full day of seminars, speakers, etc. I haven't been to a conference like this before so it should be an exciting interesting time.

Late Night Adventure.

At 2:30 AM, Joe woke up to use the restroom, so I decided to go as well. Bailey seemed as though she might also like to go potty. So I hooked her to her stake out cable and watched as she took about two steps then...bolted! Out loud I said "No, Bailey, No!" In my head it was "shiiiit."

When she got to the end of the cable she kept on flying after what I assume was a rabbit. Her collar was left broken on the ground, still attached to the cable. I grabbed my shoes and some treats and headed out in to the night to find the hunter. There is a small patch of woods near by and when I whistled, I thankfully heard a rustle in the leaves. I whistled again and again and the rustle got closer and closer until a small puppy came sprinting out of the woods towards Joe and me. She got a treat and a ride home in my arms.

We are going to purchase a better collar today. I've also learned I need to check the yard before I let her out. I don't want her breaking her neck trying to catch something.

The Head Tilt.

You had to see this coming - of course, I am going to post videos of our new obsession! Now that she has learned her name, she will tilt her head inquisitively when called. I think it is a common characteristic of a beagle which very well could be in the mix. It's quite adorable. Try to ignore my squeaky voice:




We are in the process of teaching her not to jump up. She's harmless at this size but she's going to get big!

Family.

Anniversary picture.

Made it!

Today's our anniversary! We just got back from a weekend in Columbus. Joe's friend, Bob, proposed to his long time girlfriend on Friday night so we were there for the surprise engagement party on Saturday evening. I didn't post about this earlier as to not ruin the surprise. It was a nice weekend! Tonight we will be going out to dinner to celebrate.

Here we go!

found at sodahead.com

How Bizarre!

I found this online and thought it was quite a unique idea for jewelry. At first I wasn't sure what to think about it but my opinion has formed and...I like it! "Living" jewelry could be the next hot item - thoughts?

Solon.

Joe and I came to Solon for the end of Labor Day weekend. My sister is in from Chicago so it was nice to see her again! We went for a walk in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Sunday and another on Today in the Metro parks. It's nice to tire Bailey out now that she has her puppy energy back!

Her head isn't actually that big...

First Bath.

Bailey is feeling a lot better so I gave her her first bath today. And she decidedly did not like it. She successfully escaped from the tub twice leaving the bathroom floor quite wet. Then, as I expected, she shook water all over the mirror before I could throw a towel on her. I also ended up quite a damp and smelling like wet dog. I may consider a groomer next time.

1 year down...almost.

Our anniversary is quickly approaching! September 13, 2009 to be exact! I found this information about the yearly traditional wedding gifts:


I think the modern looks better to me. Otherwise for traditional, it seems like things don't get good until the 25th anniversary...guess I'll be in it for the long haul.

Improvement!

Yesterday morning, we got a call from the vet at my Dad's work and they reported that she had finally had something to eat! After 5 days on a liquid diet, she finally felt well enough to have a meal! Eating is one of the best signs we could have for parvo. The vet said we could take her home since she was responding to treatment and starting to improve. So I picked her up that afternoon and took her back to New Castle where she promptly threw up on the floor...nice to have her back.

It really is though, she's still sick and will throw up occasionally but she is healing and will hopefully be close to 100% within the week!

She's one sick puppy.

After visiting the vet on both Thursday and Friday, Bailey was still vomiting. The vet suggested hospitalizing her so that she could have a constant drip from an IV. At her practice, they are not there 24 hours a day, so I decided to take Bailey to the best doctor I know...my dad! Yesterday afternoon, I drove her to Akron Veterinary Referral Clinic, where one of my dad's colleagues took her in and started more intensive treatment. I don't like not being able to be with her 24/7 but I know she's in good hands which will give her the best chance of survival.

Feel Better Soon.

She still hasn't eaten anything but she has been drinking water and holding it down. She has been refusing human food - the vet had instructed to feed her boiled chicken, rice, and other bland foods. If she doesn't have her appetite back by tomorrow morning, the vet said to bring her back in.

Parvo :(

Well we found out today that Bailey has the parvovirus. Some of the signs were vomiting and diarrhea, and if that didn't set off a red flag, her not eating breakfast (never seen a dog turn down food) was a big signal! I called the vet and they accommodated us without an appointment. After some tests, they concluded it was parvo which she most likely picked up at the shelter. Joe and I are nervous for her now since it can be a very serious illness. Hopefully she will start feeling better after a few days!

We got her!

Please welcome the new member of the Patrick family! My mom and dad came in from Solon to join us in welcoming Bailey - we were very happy that she hadn't been taken on Saturday and that she was overly friendly when we met with her. Here we are on the way home from the Humane Society:

Getting acquainted at her new home:

Taking her first nap:

Many more picture to come over the coming weeks!

A New Addition...

Maybe. Last week, Joe and I went to the Lawrence County Humane Society...twice. After our first trip we had fallen in love with a 4 month old female Shepherd Mix. Our first visit had been on Tuesday around 3:00 and the Shepherd Mix (a stray) had been brought in at 1:00 that same day. We weren't allowed to interact with her yet because of the Humane Society's rules, but we applied for her anyways.

On Saturday, we found that our application was approved and we could adopt, however, we wanted to interact with her first before we finalized the decision. She might not be so cute if she bites. They said they couldn't hold her for us, that if someone wanted to adopt her on Saturday that she might be gone on Monday when we came. So, barring that no one came and swooped her up between noon and 4:30 on Saturday, we may be getting a dog...TODAY!

Portland.

We stopped in Ogunquit, and Kennebunkport (we saw Bush's vacation home) as we meandered our way up the coast of Maine Friday. We saw two lighthouses, the first was unfortunately fogged over, so pictures didn't come out well. The second is the picture I posted on Friday, it was so nice that it was difficult to take a bad picture!

Yesterday, we had breakfast at Becky's Diner and then made it to the 11 AM tour of the Shipyard Brewery! We saw a short film, toured the bottling line and had a tasting of their beers. Their fall pumpkinhead was my favorite and the XXXX IPA with 9.8% alcohol was Joe's pick.

After that we got ready for the wedding and headed off to my cousin't house, where they held her ceremony and reception. They had a huge tent set up in anticipation of rain but the weather was beautiful (humid and sunny...sticky). It was a great evening and was very nice to be a guest and not the honored one of the night!