Palmer's First Tow

En route to a 7-year old's birthday party, Johnny noticed smoke coming from under the hood. We immediately pulled over and the boys diagnosed my car with a cracked radiator shortly thereafter. Unable to drive any further, we called for a tow and about 10 minutes later, the four of us squeezed into the passenger seat of the truck. Palmer sat on my lap, Johnny chatted with the driver, and Matty napped the rest of the ride home.....

Why, hello!

Yes, I'm still alive, world. I've just been insanely busy. This is what my life is like... wedding planning, new membership to a gym, wedding showers, baby showers, birthdays (my mom, sister, dad, future mother-in-law, future niece) all scattered between a new job, small consulting gigs, and of course holidays, holiday dinners, and holiday shopping! Help!

Poor Palmer is getting less of my attention because rather than spending the entire evening oohing and aahing over how cute Palmer is, I usually rush home to walk him, and then rush back out to make it to the gym. Throw in some intensive work training for 2 weeks and you get one sad puppy. The great news is that he gets some extra quality time with my mom and dad and we all know how spoiled he is when he's visiting them!

No pictures this time around but I'll try to take some cute ones over the next couple weeks! Happy Thanksgiving!

Tag, I'm it!

Apologies for being MIA lately, I've started a new job and would hate to be caught blogging or on one of my million wedding sites my first few weeks! I kick myself because I was SO on a roll with the birthday updates and the daily Palmer entries and now 2 weeks later, I've got no Palmer pictures and am tagged by Aileen to profess 6 random facts about myself.... here goes!

1. I watched Say Yes to the Dress today and secretly (or not so secretly) yearned to wear my very own wedding dress in anticipation of next June. Does this make me crazy? Quite possibly...

2. I sweat so easily that I have to get ready with a fan pointed directly at me (most times). I'm not quite sure if its because I'm always in a darn rush to get ready, if my condo is abnormally warm, or if its just my metabolism but if I don't stand in front of a fan I will look as if I just came back from a quick run. Gross, I know.

3. I make scary sounds when I sleep. Only the very lucky few that have heard my sleeping sounds in person can attest to how indescribable it is (and how it can keep others in the room from sleeping). It's a cross between a repetitive cough, gag, and snoring and I THINK is triggered by allergies or cold temperatures. It must run in the family because the only other people that I know make the same sounds are my brother and my cousin, Dereck. (I now realize that this 6 Random Things List is slowly becoming a 6 Unattractive and Horrific Things List...)

4. I am allergic to coconut. Yes, its true. I have no desire to dip any of my filipino desserts in shredded coconut because I will make aforementioned sound (see item #3 above) 'til the end of eternity. Or I will go into anaphylactic shock.

5. I am incredibly indecisive. I've always known this about myself but not until I started planning my wedding and was faced with decision after crucial decision, did my indecisiveness thoroughly urk me. I used to think I was just being thorough and thoughtful but now its just another annoying trait that I wish I could get over.

6. And since this is Palmer's blog, after all, I'll make my last 'random fact' a doggie one. There have been two (and counting) instances where I've given into temptation and in the last moments of falling asleep have called Palmer into my bed. Granted, I've only done this on the last night before I'm due to change my sheets and I'm always sure Palmer lays on top of the flat sheet (so there is a layer between the two of us) with the comforter pulled down... but there is really nothing better than falling asleep with your precious pup cuddling with you through the night. And yes, Johnny was jealous (of me, not of Palmer).



The rules of tagging are:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post

Tag Lina, Dereck, Genee, Cher, Janet and Jamie (couldn't link to your personal blog for some reason, so I linked to jacshoot blog, Jamie)! You're it!!

I won!

A non-Palmer related post again... I was one of five winners from one of my regular wedding blog reads Blue-Eyed Bride! I submitted the photo above from Johnny's proposal and won a gift-certificate for a blurb.com photo book. My initial excitement came from actually winning something but after discovering that my picture and story were posted on the blog entry announcing the winners, I was happy that my story was shared with so many people. Johnny really went out of his way to plan a proposal I could never have dreamed up myself and he deserves all the compliments in the world! I am one lucky gal who's got one perfect proposal, a sweet sweet fiance, and now, a free photobook! Yay me!

Don't leave me

I'm killing myself on a project I waited 'til the absolute last minute to get started on (which is why I'm up at 3 am). I feel like I'm in college cramming for a final again so I will do what I always did in college... procrastinate even more.

This weekend we were watching TV and, as always, Palmer fell asleep on the couch. The cutest thing, though, was when we noticed he had his paw on Johnny's arm so he would know if Johnny ever got up to leave. Maybe I'm just projecting human emotion onto a dog, but that's what I like to think Palmer was doing. See for yourself...

High Maintenance Doggie

Earlier today, Johnny went back to Palmer's original adoption post and told me that after his initial shock at the pictures (is that really Palmer?!)... it hurt to read that Palmer caught the rescue group's eye because of his gentle demeanor in the middle of a chaotic and noisy dog shelter. The thought of our precious little pup in a cold, harsh shelter just kills! Not knowing his past is the hardest part because I'm sure if he could just talk for 1 minute to tell us where he's been and what he's been through, we'd know in an instance why he behaves the way he does.

One things for sure, Palmer is one high maintenance dog. I can't blame him if he's had the horrible experience our colorful imagination thinks he's had and is now in a loving home that he fears abandonment every day that I walk out the front door... or that when we're sitting on the couch, he begs to cuddle up next to us.... or that when Johnny's sitting on the carpet to watch TV or put on his shoes, he rests his head into his leg or climbs right into his lap. Why wouldn't you soak up all the lovin' that we have to offer? We have a lot of it to give! I wonder, are all rescue dogs like this? Do all rescue dogs come jaded and skeptical?

Probably not... but we love this lazy dog anyway!!

Training Slump

Ok, ok .. I've been terrible at updating you all on Palmer and his progress. To date, we've had him for a few days over a year and I have to admit that we've gotten a little lazy with his training. It's hard .. without a scheduled class or private lesson to prepare for, we have no structure in the house to maintain his doggie manners or skills. When he was taking classes at the Pasadena Humane Society, every afternoon was a mini-training session since we had to complete our homework and report back the following week. Now, nothing is pushing me to train Palmer except for the occassional naughty behavior or whiny bout. I will get back on the training wagon and before you know it, he'll be performing a choreographed song and dance for you. I'll be sure to post it on YouTube, too. Stay tuned!

(I was kidding about the song and dance.. but maybe some really good stays or a nice calm walk on the leash will do.)

HILARIOUS!

I hate to do 2 non-Palmer related posts in a row but OMG this is hilarious.

Not Palmer-related, sorry!

Totally unrelated but as you may know, Johnny and I are getting married next June. I'm blessed to have 2 wonderfully creative cousins in the invitation business but I'm also a huge fan of letterpressed invites. I stumbled across the Dingbat's Agenda contest via Budget Savvy's wedding blog. For other brides-to-be that are reading this... check it out!

Nap Time

Last night was a lazy night for both me and Palmer. It must've been a delayed food coma from his birthday celebration the night before. I usually let him nap on the carpet or at the other end of the couch but he gave me the cutest look (his fresh haircut didn't help, either) as I was curling up to nap. So, I decided to snuggle up with him on the couch instead. When he was snoring I looked down and saw that he fell asleep in the most adorable position. Check it out:

The Party Pics

It was a grand party celebrating Palmer's 4th birthday (and 1st with us). We had birthday decor, presents, yummy food and, of course, dessert (for both human and doggie alike)! ....And ok, I'll admit it, I did feel a little silly throwing a birthday party for a dog but it was fun and no doggie deserves it more than the Palmerpie!

Let's start out with a pic of the birthday doggie with his birthday hat. Sorry the pics a tad blurry. He's so good at holding poses for pictures but what you don't see is that he tried to take it off the moment he came out of his sit-stay.

Here's a picture of Palmer posing with his presents. Talk about spoiled!

It was a small, intimate party with no other dogs allowed... Johnny, Cher, Thomas, and Dereck all came to wish him a Happy Birthday!
And here is Palmer with his cake.
This is a funny picture because it looks like he's closing his eyes to make a wish! Hahah!!

Cher made matching cupcakes for the guests!

Here are some pics of the chicken that Johnny has been waiting ALL year to give him and Palmer scarfing down his birthday cake. Talk about gluttony!

And lastly, Palmer enjoying his gifts. He got treats from Johnny, me, and my mom, treats and a bone from my sister, a toy ball/teeth cleaner from Dereck and a little puffer jacket from my brother (for those cold winter walks). What a lucky dog!!

Happy Birthday, Palmer!!

It has been one year since Palmer joined our family and on Monday night we will celebrate! In honor of our one year mark and Palmer's newly established birthday (according to the vet, he's about 4 years old), we will be having doggie cake and opening some doggie presents! I was prepping for his party Sunday night and couldn't help but let the birthday celebrant lick the spatula! Johnny and I also brought him in for a grooming on Saturday for the 'Puppy Cut'. He's lookin' mighty handsome for his birthday. Happy Birthday, Palmer!! We love you!
I promise to post pictures of the party! Stay tuned.

Greatest American Dog

My mom called me frantically this evening to remind me to watch 'The Greatest American Dog' on CBS. I'm not that much of a TV junkie but I do have my fair share of favorite reality shows.... and this one has totally got me hooked! It is so heartwarming to watch the strong relationship each of the owners has with their dogs. I always catch myself smiling and cheering for the dogs as they atempt each challenge. Tonight's episode was so amazing! The winning dog was able to hold a sit-stay as a live elephant (yes, a live elephant!) was charging at him. There is NO WAY in the world Palmer would be so disciplined. Anyway, today Bill and his doggie, Star, got kicked out of the house and it was so sad to see them go. Star is not the same breed as Palmer but his face totally reminds me of him! What do you think?

(sorry for the older, lower quality picture of Palmer)

Quick Day & AA

Upside Down Olympics

When I was a little kid, I used to run around the house like a monkey. I'd walk across the back edge of the couch, I'd balance on the rear legs of the dining room chairs, I'd tumble from the couch's arm across all the cushions, and I'd backbend over the back of the sofa. Little did I know, little doggies enjoy the same exhiliration in life -- even if its just watching the Olympics on TV with your doggie daddy! Check out Palmer and Johnny watching beach volleyball:

And a close-up of the silly dog:

Sorry, I meant the *award-winning* silly dog. :D

Guess what?!?!

That's right... Palmer won the Cutest Pet Contest at work! I'm such a proud doggie mommy. The feline winner was Buster and the 'other' winner was Tess. Check out the original pet finalists here.

Time for bed...

It's almost 1 in the morning but I can't seem to get myself into bed! We had an interesting weekend...we, meaning Johnny and I. You see, we both grew up in Southern California but for the first time (ever) we went to the La Brea Tar Pits. It was so amazing and educational and um, in desperate need of an update. Regardless, we were enlightened and vowed to never let our future kids go that many years before visiting the La Brea Tar Pits. If you haven't been, do yourself a favor and go! USC "students" get in free, too!

Alright, I should take Palmer's lead and hit the sack! Good night.

A finalist, two times over!

The inspiration for entering Palmer into the online Cutest Pet Contest was actually a similar contest we are having at work. They released the results for first round voting and guess what, Palmer is a finalist! Check out the canine finalists:

There is also a 'feline' and 'other' category:

What do you think? Palmer's got a chance?

Cutest Dog Semi-Finalist

I got an email from CutestPetContest.com:
Congratulations! Your Photo Of Palmer Has Advanced To The Semi-Finals & Has Won A Chance To Appear In Our Next Cutest Pets Photography Book! The Votes Have Been Pouring In For Your Photo of Palmer. Therefore, It Has Received Enough Votes To Appear In Our Next Photography Book! We have chosen to publish your photograph of Palmer in the "The Cutest Pets of 2008 - The Best of 2008" coffee table book. (ISBN# 978-0-9770401-6-2)

And what's a post without a picture of Palmer sleeping? Saturday he fell asleep with his ear propped up like a little bunny rabbit!

My little helper

It was laundry day yesterday and Palmer got into the laundry. It was so cute watching him try to wiggle his way out of the pillow case!
Phew!

Cutest Dog Contest

We have a Cutest Pet contest at work so there was no question that I'd be entering Palmer. It was really hard to choose which picture to submit since there are just so many cute ones of him. Should I submit a sleeping photo? A photo of Palmer wearing clothes? One of Palmer cuddling with my dad? What a dilemma! Haha. Anyway, I decided to stick to simple and classic and one that showcases Palmer's all-time favorite trick.

After I sent the pics to my brother, he sent me a link to an online contest at CutestPetContest.com. They have some really cool prizes including a $100 gift card to Pet Smart & $1,000 cash... and winners are chosen from online votes! For all you Palmer fans out there, support his candidacy for Cutest Pet by clicking on the link and voting for the photo. Wish us luck!

Smarty-pants

Every day I'm so amazed at how smart dogs can be.

The other day, as I flicked the plastic applicator for Palmer's monthly flea treatment, he ran straight into his crate and planted himself firmly inside. I guess Palmer started to associate that flicking sound with the cold trickle of flea medicine down his back. If I were a dog, I'd run and hide too!

Yesterday, Palmer heard Johnny parking his car from our balcony and, again, ran to the window to verify it was him... then ran anxiously to the front door anticipating his arrival. What a smart dog!

Here's a picture of a happy, but lazy, dog. Don't you just love how his tongue hangs out the side of his mouth?

Welcome, Einstein!

After one horrible doggie experience after another, there is finally a new addition to Ann's family. Welcome, Einstein! Palmer hasn't met him yet but I think they'll get along just fine... he is just so precious!!!

Snore!

Yes, that's right... another *adorable* picture of Palmer sleeping. This time, he's sleeping behind the bend of my leg while I was watching TV on the couch. Can you ever get enough of his cute little snout and paws?
Also, happy -1 year anniversary to the fiance! I love you. ♥

Smile for the camera!

Is it bad when your dog knows to smile for the camera?

To croissant or not to croissant?

We're generally good about not giving Palmer human food in fear that he'll stop eating his gourmet doggie food all together. The huge gaping flaw in this effort is when we bring Palmer over to visit my mom and dad. For those of you that know my dad, you'll find it completely ironic that he is infatuated with my dog. He greets Palmer with baby talk, he plays chase with him in the backyard, he takes doggie naps with him on the couch, and even wipes his butt every single time he poops! Needless to say, my dad eats up the attention he gets when he waves human food (usually croissants) above Palmer's head. I try to tell him that all that fatty bread can't be good for a dog but my dad insists! He even puts a little peanut butter on the bread sometimes to make it an *extra* special treat.

Is it just me or is anyone else having difficulty telling others to stop being so "nice" to your dog? I can't find a balance between being thankful that he loves Palmer so much and being a good mommy that cares for the health of her dog!

Palmer Loves My Dad

Its sorta hard to see this but this is a wonderful picture of how much Palmer loves Grampies!

Big Brown Eyes

I was perusing pictures again and this one caught my eye. The picture was taken from high above Palmer and perfectly shows his big brown eyes! He fits perfectly into my family because of the big eyes we're all known to have (except Cher). I think, in this picture, he's looking intently at the camera because whoever took it is probably waving some sort of doggie treat out of his reach and when there's food nearby, Palmer tries all kinds of tricks to earn his food reward. His immediate reaction is to sit, and then lie down, and then if nothing works, he'll lay his doggie head down and sigh.

A true Palmer at heart.

In honor of his namesake, Johnny rushed to Petco and bought a toy football the moment we adopted Palmer. Johnny had dreams to train Palmer to wait along his side until he said 'HIKE!' and then pass the toy football to his running doggie receiver, who was running several yards away (I guess Bush would've been a more appropriate name since Palmer was actually a QB, huh?). As soon as he brought home the football, he tried to toss it to Palmer to retrieve but for some reason (perhaps the size or the squeakiness or the smell) Palmer didn't care one bit for the ball. Heartbroken, Johnny tried a few more times but Palmer never chased the football like all the other balls in the house... until the other day! Auntie Cher was playing ball with Palmer in the house and, I don't know what she did, but she got Palmer to retreive the football. Now, he is completely enamored. He likes to retrieve the ball, guard the ball, chew the ball and step on it to make squeaky sounds. Now we can say that he is a true Palmer at heart... and Johnny can get back to training his doggie receiver!

Major Migraine

I left work early today because after a series of visual auras, the onset of a piercing migraine prevented me from functioning. I had horrible pains in my head and ended up throwing up my entire chicken salad + baked lays lunch. Sorry, I know that's a bit graphic for Palmer's blog but I'll get to my point soon enough. So I made the best of a project that was due at the end of the day and left for home. All I wanted to do was turn off all the lights and bury myself in my cozy, comfy bed. As I was sleeping (right around the time Johnny was supposed to come over), I heard Palmer run from the living room to my bedroom and whimpering. He ran back and forth a few times so I sat up from my bed and watched to figure out what the problem was. Just a few seconds later, Johnny was knocking at my door telling me he saw Palmer staring at him through the balcony window! Palmer was running back and forth whimpering because he saw Johnny parking his car and walking on the sidewalk. The thoughts of Palmer trying to get my attention because he saw Johnny just melt my heart!

Sweet Daddy

Palmer fell asleep on Johnny's chest the other day. I remember when he would fidget around because he didn't know how to sleep on such an uneven surface... now its record time before his eyelids droop and he starts to snore! He's really picking up on my bad habits. What a truly lazy dog.

The Palmer Pillow

My mom loves Palmer so much she decided to turn an old comforter into a doggie bed pillow! Here are pictures of Palmer on his new bed (personalization compliments of yours truly)...

As I tried to get a good pic of Palmer on his bed, he started to fall asleep...
Eyelids are getting heavy...

And finally giving in...

Tonight will be his first night on the new bed. Looks like he won't have any trouble getting a good night's rest!