This week has gone by fast, but the individual days have passed slowly.  Each morning I have gotten up early with the puppies (since Bryan's out of town) and each day I have rushed home after work to let them outside.  Season 4 of Desperate Housewives came out on DVD on Tuesday, so I have watched two disks of that trying to get ready for the new season that starts on September 28.  I am not sure if I am ready for commercials...  We need TiVO!

Bryan comes home today!! :)  His flight lands at about 2:30 at Detroit Metro, and I can't wait to see him.  This weekend I plan on going to Eastern Market with Katie on Saturday morning, and I think Bryan and I will go out to a nice dinner at the Whitney tomorrow night.  I look forward to it.  And I (grudgedly) agreed to re-paint the door a more somber color.  Bryan thinks our neighbors will complain if we leave up the teal much longer.  I don't necessarily agree, but it's not worth arguing over.

Today's my first full-day Friday in over a month, and I think it's going to drag on, especially since I am very ready for the weekend to start.  Oh well, 4:15 will come soon enough. :)

Today is a backwards edition of WFMW where I get to present you a dilemma that I am having and you can help me out with ideas and suggestions.

My dilemma is how to train a stubborn puppy. Before Graham and Thatcher I'd never had a dog.  Now I have two puppies, and one is responding quite well to training (sitting and staying) and the other just doesn't get it.  He gets incredibly excited about the idea of a treat that he cannot sit still, but without treats in the picture he has no interest in anything that I am doing.

So my question is what are your best puppy/dog training tips?  I am looking for any tips, from leash walking, to sitting, to not jumping.  Thanks!

My husband is out of town for the week (three nights!).  He’s in Boston for the Business of Software conference, something he’s been looking forward to for the past month or so.  I am excited for him – he’ll get to talk to a lot of the big names in the business, and enjoy time with geeks like himself. ;) 

It’s weird not having him at home, though.  I don’t know that we’ve ever spent three nights apart since we started dating and especially since our engagement.  Last night was puppy training and I could only take one dog since he wasn’t there to work with the other one.  I brought Thatcher, the stubborn one, since he’s more difficult when it comes to training.  I am not sure if that was such a good idea, because he refused to do ANYTHING last night!  I mean, he wouldn’t even sit for me or the trainer.  It was ridiculous.  I hope he comes around soon.  Graham is so good, and Thatcher has no interest in training. 

In Bryan’s absence I am going to try and watch the fourth season of Desperate Housewives, or at least a good chunk of it.  The new season starts at the end of September and I want to be all caught up.  Last night I watched the first of four disks… Three more to go!

Before getting dogs I would hang out with friends or family if Bryan was busy, but now they need to be taken out and fed right after work, so I usually can only hang out with people if Bryan’s home.  It’s hard to take them out and put them right back in their crate.  I much prefer letting them hang out all night, and they do too.  So tonight, other than watching some DH, I would also like to take the dogs to the park.  They love running about and chasing birds and other dogs.  And at least I have two puppies to keep me company.

Beautiful Lake Michigan:

Sunset

Kevin, my brother:

The cottage we stayed at:

Thursday Thirteen #11

Thirteen pieces of clothing that make me excited for Fall. I dress simple, most of these follow suit. 

1. Cute Purple Dress! I like the color and I like the simplicity. I think I could wear this to work or on the weekend. (From Macy's)
   

   

2. I love the classic style in this outfit from Ann Taylor Loft. It's very nice for work.
   

   

3. This outfit makes me want a bold purse in matching shoes! Another one that's fun for work and the weekend. (Ann Taylor Loft)
   

   

4. I like this outfit for work - I love purple, and the small details make it very cute. (Ann Taylor Loft)
   

   

5. I hope I can pull of the black tights because they're all over the place. (Ann Taylor)
   

   

6. I really like bows, and this bow dresses up an otherwise simple cardigan. Oh, and I like teal. (Ann Taylor)
   

   

7. I think this could be really cute to take into the Fall - if it's warm you can wear it alone, or you can throw a nice black cardigan on for a chilly Fall day. (Ann Taylor Loft)
   

   

8. This is just adorable! I will definitely go to Gap to try it on and hope it works! It could be paired with nice pants or jeans depending on where I am going...
   

   

9. And now here are a few sweaters and sweatshirts that I like for cozy weekends. I like the color of this sweater, and the nice style. (AE)
   

   

10. I went a long time without shopping at AE, but I really like their hoodies and I am in need of a new one
    

    

11. Who can resist polka dots? :) This is from AE, but I have seen a very similar style at Gap.
    

    

12. Scarves are everywhere! I like the brown and purple combo that this one from Gap offers.
    

    

13. This is a nice style and size, but I am not a big red person. (Macy's)
    

    

I am ready for Fall clothes and I am sure lots of these styles will make it into my closet this Fall!

I really like shoes, especially really cute ones (of course). :)  And I love bows almost as much as I love shoes!

I was thrilled to find the perfect pair of black shoes for my friend Jamie's wedding this morning!!  The bridesmaid dresses are a nice simple black, and I have been searching for the perfect pair of black shoes to go with it.  Luckily I have found just what I was looking for - a comfortable dress sandal without too much of a heel with a bow!  Beautiful!! :)  I love the purple too, as shown in the picture.  It's such a vibrant color.  The ones I ordered from Macy's are black, though, to match the dress.

After a week/weekend of being quite busy, I was very lazy last night.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I had planned to work out and instead all I did was take the puppies on a slow walk, then watch a movie.

On the bright side of laying low, I watched The Jane Austen Book Club and really enjoyed it!  I enjoyed all of the characters' stories, and now I want to read all of Jane Austen's novels.  I think I read one or two of them years ago, but I don't remember much about them.  So after I get done reading what's currently on my list I think I will move on to those. 

The Jane Austen Book Club made me think a little bit of The Hours.  I only saw parts of the movie, but I did read the book by Michael Cunningham.  I enjoyed the book, and just the way the characters are all woven together, reading the same novel (Mrs. Dalloway), makes me think of it.  I understand they're completely different, but in a way they're quite similar.   

I would definitely recommend The Jane Austen Book Club. :)

I am very tired right now.  This past week has been incredibly busy.  I have a four-day weekend coming up and it couldn’t come soon enough!!

Last week Bryan and I had something going on every night – it was crazy.  Tuesday night’s dog training went well.  We were able to try out these gentle leader harnesses that worked so great that we purchased them.  We are also working on sitting and staying with them.  I have barely had any time with them in the past week so tonight I would really like to work on that a lot!!

Wednesday night we had an association meeting with the condos in the development south of us.  They’re adding to their development and we wanted to be sure that it wouldn’t affect us too much.

Thursday night we went to the Switchfoot and Third Day concert.  It was really good.  I like Swithfoot, and enjoyed seeing them live.  Bryan was familiar with Third Day and I was not, but they do put on a good show.  I don’t think I would ever go to a concert just to see them, but it was enjoyable.  The tickets were great.  I got them from work, and they were very good seats so that can’t be beat.

Friday after work (around 1:00 p.m.) Bryan and I dropped the puppies off at Aunt Becky’s for the weekend and took off up north to Bay Harbor, Michigan.  It was very nice up there!  I will post pictures this week.

We stayed in a cottage with my parents and three siblings and had a very nice time.  We just hung out and had dinner on Friday night, then Katie, Kevin, and I went to the hot tub/pool that’s open 24/7.  Saturday morning Kate, Kev, my dad and I all worked out at the gym in the hotel.  It was a very nice gym that makes me miss Lifetime Fitness!!  I did an excellent upper body workout that I only wish would make up for all of the food that we indulged in throughout the stay. J

Saturday afternoon we had lunch at the Weathervane in Charlevoix then went to Petoskey State Park.  It has a very nice beach on Lake Michigan and my mom and I took a nice long walk along the shore!

Saturday night we barbequed for dinner and then headed down to the hotel area for the bonfire then to do some swimming at the pool.  We also saw a beautiful sunset over the water!

Sunday was a bit crazy of a drive home, but that’s okay! 

This was the first weekend that my whole family has been together on vacation since my senior year of high school in 2003!  We hope to do it again next summer for sure.

After a very busy week and weekend I hope that this week will be a little less hectic.

Not too much has been happening lately, which I guess is not a bad thing. 

I took last Friday off and it was great!  I definitely enjoyed having a three day weekend.  On Friday I took the dogs to the bark park, got some stuff done around the house, went to the doctors, and visited the Township to get information about a potential new development next to my subdivision.  It was quite productive. J

On Saturday Bryan and I took the puppies to the bark park again.  It’s so funny to see their personalities come out around the other dogs.  Graham is a little scaredy-cat around other dogs, but he’ll be friendly and give love to every person he sees!  Thatcher has very little fear at the park, even around huge dogs.  He runs right up to play with whomever he chooses - it’s very cute.

Saturday afternoon we went over to Becky’s to lay out at her pool and visited with her, Paul, Sharon, and Greg.  Their kids were running around as well, but we just sat and talked for the afternoon while enjoying the wonderful weather.  Bryan and I had reservations to go to The Whitney at night, but we cancelled (for the third time) when we didn’t feel like leaving the pool.  At night we went down to the Woodward Dream Cruise instead.

Sunday we visited with my parents for a BBQ in the afternoon.  We brought the pups – they are definitely bigger than my parents’ dogs Millie and Darla!  It’s so sad – they’re growing up.  Two months ago they were so little comparatively.  Now I think both Graham and Thatcher have surpassed 25 pounds. 

Tonight we’re starting puppy training in an attempt to calm the beasts.  Maybe then Jamie will like them, because right now she looks at them in disdain and it breaks my heart. ;)  Let’s hope it goes well and we don’t get kicked out on the first day because we’ve got some wild puppies!!

Next to Darla on May 26.  Thatcher's head is now bigger than her's and he's now taller as well...

Thursday Thirteen #11 - Thirteen authors that I like.

Eleven authors that I tend to follow... That is, I have read almost all of their books and am always anticipating their next novel.

1. Janet Evanovich. Her Stephanie Plum series is quite funny.
2. Sophie Kinsella, author of the Shopaholic series
3. Jane Green - good chick lit
4. Emily Giffin - good chick lit
5. Marian Keyes - more serious chick lit
6. Jennifer Weiner - good chick lit
7. Jennifer Crusie - good chick lit
8. Mia King. She’s only had one book so far, but I can’t wait for her second (it comes out this Fall)
9. Jayne Ann Krentz - mystery romance for the most part
10. Linda Howard - mystery romance
11. Elizabeth Lowell - mystery romance

And two authors that I would like to read more of:

1. Catherine Coulter
2. Whitney Gaskell