New addition- Giovanni "Gio" the Morkie

The puppy situation has been an emotional roller coaster! First, we were hoping to get a dog in September/October but we found out by both breeders that the dog was available now and they might not be breeding again this year. So we decided to get a dog early within a week. Our first attempt to get the dog was unsuccessful because our schedule conflicted with the breeder. No big deal we waited another week. The following week the breeder told us that the puppy lost weight and wasn't really eating and went through sugar shock. He said that we could take her but we would have to hand feed her with a syringe. We decided to leave it to him since he was experienced in these type of situations. So we waited another week. He said we could get the puppy last week but since we were going out of town for the wedding in Santa Barbara so we asked him to hold onto the puppy a little longer. He agreed and I was excited about getting the puppy the following week. Elliot called the breeder on Monday only to learn that the puppy was losing its hair. He [the breeder] didn't know what to attribute this to so he said he was taking her to a vet and wouldn't release her to us. Turns out that the puppy had a staff infection and was on antibiotics for the next 10 days. Talk about a high maintenance dog lol! We ended up forgetting this dog and looking at dogs from a different litter that’s when we saw pictures of Piper (later changed to Giovanni).
This dog has been AMAZING!!! He has such a calm personality to him. Everyone who has seen him and hung out with Gio say he is the nicest dog they have ever seen. We’ve been able to sleep through the night without a problem of him whining or crying when we put him in his crate. I have to set my alarm to wake up and take him out because he is either sleeping or playing in his crate by himself content. We just started to hear him bark but its only when playing and having fun. We’ve had several people over to meet him and he hasn’t barked at any of them.
My favorite part of having Gio is when he is tired or if I am taking him somewhere new he just sits in my arms and doesn’t fuss at all! We’ve been all over the place in the short period we’ve been together. We have gone on doggy play dates, the store, to the vet, and he is just a doll! He is a little nibbler which is understandable since he is a puppy!
The only issue we’ve had is that he developed a little cold where he has been sneezing. We went to the vet and got antibiotics for him to take the next 10 days. She said it is just a precaution since he is so young that it doesn’t turn into pneumonia. She said it is very common in small dogs since their immune systems are not fully developed and he probably contracted it the same way you or I would. We took the dog in again because he was hacking a lot and learned that he has a collapsible trachea which sounds worst than what it is. This problem is very common in about 40% of all Terriers. What happens is that his trachea is pinched at the upper part which makes it difficult for him to breathe if he runs or plays too much. We have to pick him up and calm him down to catch his breath again so he can play. Its almost like having asthma which I assumed he had. We got his condition checked out by two different vets and both reassured use of the same thing- he will live a healthy long life and he is a healthy dog.
It has been a huge learning experience for me taking care of a dog on my own. There is so much to think about that it is almost like having a baby. I worry about what kind of flea medicine to give him, if he is eating something that will make him sick, if he is too lethargic, etc. I have been relying heavily on raisingspot.com as a guide for tips on raising a dog. I have also become friends with a lot of doggie owners in my building because we all end up at the doggie pooping area at one time or another. Giovanni tends to go more frequently because he is a small puppy so I tend to meet more people. Lol
We have been a little extra tired which is why Grandma Sue took the dog from us for an entire weekend. Elliot and I were able to catch up on our much needed sleep without having to wake up every three hours. It has been a little tiring so we are teaching Gio paper training in addition to going potty outside. We live on the 5th floor so when you have to go up five flights of stairs ten times a day it can be exhausting especially since ours are a little steep.
Regardless, like Elliot said this week "we're attached to that little thing [Giovanni]". We love him to pieces and everyone who has met him or seen him thinks he is absolutely adorable and can't believe how calm and easy going his it.
In November we have plans to take our first flight out to California together for all of our west coast friends and family to meet the little guy. So be excited because he is coming soon!
I am so excited for what the future holds for Elliot, Gio, and I. I feel like a new person!

Santa Barbara June 26-28th, 2009

The last weekend in June Elliot and I traveled to Santa Barbara for a wedding. My cousin Alejandro Castano who is on a full ride scholarship to attend UC Santa Barbara to get his masters in Art is marrying Bianca Brigidi who is earning her PHD in Latin America History and is from Brazil.
It was a wonderful family weekend as my cousins from Colombia flew in for the wedding, my parents drove up from San Diego, and family from San Diego came. As always, it was a Griswald Family vacation. I booked a hotel room at the Summer Inn through the UCSB Alumni group which we never found. I will start off by telling you that we arrived in Los Angeles at 9:40pm because our flight was delayed and then drove two hours to Santa Barbara with my parents and grandma. When we arrived in Santa Barbara we began looking for the Summer Inn. We drove and drove and drove around that university for about 30 minutes before we decided to call the Summer Inn. When I called no one picked up and they directed me to call the emergency phone number. It took me 10 calls before getting the number right because either the message recording was too fast or someone in the car was talking so loud I couldn’t hear the number. About an hour later we still didn’t find the hotel and it was midnight so we called Alejandro, the groom, and asked him for help. He directed us for a while until he got frustrated and asked us to come to his condo.
Well, in Santa Barbara the University had done a lot of remodeling and building so I was completely lost driving at night. We ended up at a dead end so my dad decided he knew how to get to an apartment he had never been to again no where. While in the process my mom is cracking jokes and my grandma is asking me “What kind of hotel are you taking me to?” It was chaos to say the least! Lol Finally we find Alejandro and my dad gets out of the car so frustrated but half laughing and invites Elliot to drink a beer with him. Poor Elliot was so tired because it was past 2:30am for us.
Again, we start looking for the hotel with Alejandro’s map and found nothing even after talking to a security guard and students walking through campus. It was getting to be 1:30 in the morning and we decided to give up and drive to a hotel. I started calling hotels and they are all booked expect for Extended America where we could book two rooms. As we were driving on the freeway my dad sees hotels on the left hand side and instead of driving to Extended America he pulls off the road. So then we began driving from hotel to hotel looking for rooms. We finally end up in a Holiday Inn where my dad gets us one room with two double beds and a rolling bed for my grandma to sleep. Yeah, we all ended up in one room! I don’t know if its because that was all they had left or my dad was trying to save money. He also ended up with a coupon for a free breakfast because he said he was with some group staying at the hotel. Lol
The next day we decided to tour around Santa Barbara and visit the Mission. My grandma's first comment on the idea was, "Find the Mission? Last night was a mission impossible. You really think we'll find the mission?" So that was the beginning of four hours driving around Santa Barbara with no real plans. We stopped for Starbucks of course, a Saturday morning Cottrell ritual, and enjoyed all the little shops on State Street.
In the afternoon we drove around looking for the wedding ceremony which was going to take place at Goleta Beach. Because the wedding was very non traditional they didn't use any chairs or big set up. Again, we drove up and down the beach for about 30 minutes looking for the site. Finally, my cousin David called me back and mentioned that it might take place closer to the bluffs which turned out to be right. The wedding ceremony was as intimate and non traditional as could be but one of the neatest weddings I had been to! We stood in a big circle on the sand as two Latino guys played a drum and a cow bell encouraging everyone to join in on the ceremony along the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful and the couple couldn't have looked more beautiful! Bianca threw her bouquet into the ocean as an offering to the love God for peace love and a happy future.
The reception took place at the UCSB Alumni center. Lucky for us we drove around and found it before the wedding started to make sure that we'd be able to find it! It was a very nice reception with Gerber daisy flowers on the tables, paper table covers, and a wonderful display of simple appetizers my cousins had prepared. They had a cheese and meat tray, mango seviche, shrimp seviche, and all kinds of fruit. It was absolutely delicious! Their wedding cake was a couple different fruit tarts from a local bakery. Simple yet elegant the reception was beautiful! In addition, they had an ipod with music playing in the background instead of a DJ. My cousin Laura sung of course in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Later in the evening, I ended up catching the bouquet which turned Elliot beat red as he was embarrassed to have to kiss me in front of everyone.
The wedding reception ended at 8:00pm so we made plans to go out in Santa Barbara later that night. We (Elliot, my parents, and I) ended up at a bar/club called “Wild Cat” in Santa Barbara with all the young wedding goers. Let me paint a pictured of what this place looked like dark, vinyl 1950”s apparel on the chairs and walls, and decorated with red and black everywhere. We had a blast dancing until a go go dancer came out to dance on stage and I was embarrassed for my parents to be seeing this. My dad and mom laughed about it and enjoyed dancing the night until midnight with the family before departing The weekend was fabulous! We got lost a couple more times and never did find the Summer Inn. It was sad to say good bye to my parents but I was happy and ready to go back home to Minneapolis.

New Job- Account Specialist at GradStaff, Inc

I started my new job at a company called GradStaff. It is a staffing company that specializes in filling entry-level positions with recent college graduates. My official title is an Account Specialist. My duties include interviewing candidates, screening resumes, coaching, and business development. It has been a great learning opportunity for me since I am seeing business from a different angle called sales. I am not totally in love with my job but I enjoy the paycheck, learning experience, and my co-workers. Did I mention that I walk to work? Yes, you heard me right. I literally walk about 300 yards to work. I leave home for work and it takes me no more than 5 minutes to arrive at work. I have been taking advantage of this and eating lunch at home to save on costs and because I can nap afterwards.
Recently, I scheduled my first meeting with a possible new client. I am very excited about the opportunity to fill the position. It calls for a bilingual customer service specialist, which my candidate just happens to be from Colombia. What a small world right?
In addition, the CEO has set up teams to work on various tasks of a Marketing Campaign. I have been assigned to the Social Media which includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the website. My first goal is to set up an alumni group for previous candidates who have been placed on assignments. Next, I think our website could use a lot of work to make it user friendly for 2009.