Jenny

Hi all,

My very good friend Jenny is visiting from Puyallup and I'm so happy to have her here. We met when I was living in Puyallup through a mutual friend. Jenny and I just clicked and I realized how much I loved her company and how "real" she is. She's currently growing her fabulous photography business which is why she's in town...for a really cool photography workshop. We haven't spent alot of time due to her schedule, but hopefully we will have some time to catch up here and there. I'll post some pics.

Eyelashes continued

Okay, I LOVE my eyelashes. Michelle did an amazing job. They look beautiful. I don't need to wear mascara or curl my eyelashes at all, so that shaves off a little time in the morning.
If you are interested in getting eyelash extensions, please contact Michelle. You can get all her info at www.iluvlashes.com. She's cute and fun and fantastic.

Eyelashes

Today I'm going to get eyelash extensions. I don't necessarily need them...it's not like my eyelashes are super short, but it will be a fun girly thing to do...and I won't need to bother with mascara or curling my lashes every morning. They last about 6-8 weeks. I'm so excited. Mostly cuz I get to lay there listening to my i-pod with my eyes closed while she does it for 2 hours. Ahhhhh. I'll try to post some before and after pictures. If you are interested, here is her website.... www.iluvlashes.com

Glasses for Haley

Haley has worn glasses since she was 3, but she recently broke a pair, her prescription expired and with moving, holidays, snowstorms, etc, we put off her eye appt. We finally went yesterday and found out her left eye is lazy...again. She had a lazy eye when she was a baby and had corrective surgery at 16 months. I feel really bad because now she has to wear a patch again. She's very far-sighted in her left eye and so doesn't use it, so it gets lazy. We will patch her right eye (the good eye) so she is forced to use the left one. We only patch for 2 hours each day. Once she has her glasses, they will fit her lens with a patch so she won't have to wear the sticky ones too much longer.

Okay, I've started a new blog based only on my training for the competition. If you are interested, please go to www.dawnintraining.blogspot.com or www.bodyspace.com/dbrase.

See ya.

FIGURE COMPETITION

Hi everyone,

Well, I've gone completely mad and decided to enter a figure competition. I'll be meeting with my trainer later today to discuss a complete program that consists of weight training/cardio, nutrition as well as learning how to pose and what kind of swim suit to wear during competition. I know this will be hard work, but I love a good challenge. I believe we must challenge ourselves in order to grow. Of course the challenge depends on the person, but we will never know what we are able to achieve unless we go for it. So, I'm goin' for it. I will most likely start a new blog with just my training progress posted and yes, before and after pictures. This will be hard for me as well, because I'm not good at showing my body in a swim suit, but again, this is a totally new road for me so I might as well go all the way. More to come......

BUNCO

I hosted the first Bunco of the new year which was alot of fun. Each month a group of gals from our development get together to play Bunco. I'm rather new to this group since only moving here a couple months ago. I absolutely love these gals. Everyone is so warm and friendly and fun. I'm really looking forward to future Buncos as well as other fun get-togethers this coming year. Oh, did I mention I was a winner? Yep! Me and Sue. Yay!

Mackie

Mac is adjusting very well into the Brase household. Last night he was up whining, but after I got up to let him outside, he went right back to sleep. He's only 7 weeks old and doing a wonderful job with potty training. Big money well spent I say.

The kids love him, well mostly Haley. He chases them around and likes to chew on their feet. Jack gets a little scared, but he laughs the whole time.

He starts puppy training in a few weeks which will be alot of fun for our whole family.

John was hesitant about adding a dog to the mix, but he has since warmed up. It's hard not to when you see this little guys face.

Dinner Party

We invited some great friends over for a dinner party and it was a fun time. We invited John and Stephanie Wolmuth. They have a daughter, Sophie close to Haley's age and a son, Christian who is 10. John went to highschool and college with John W. They are both teachers and John is currently studying to become a Principal. Ooohhh, look out for Mr. Wolmuth. Wade and Michelle also came and they are expecting their first child in March. It's a girl, Ava. Julie and Wil were in town from Texas. John also went to highschool with Wil. Wil and Julie have two children, Ryan who is 4 and Courtney who is 6, I think. I just love how John has stayed so close with his highschool and college friends.
I made stew for the first time ever. It was okay...a bit flour-y tasting, but it was at least edible. Kids were invited as well and they hung out in the theater room most of the night playing Wii.
John and I are lucky to have such great friends.

Mac Brase

We brought Mac, or little Mackie home today. John named him after Mac Court ( some kind of Oregon Duck thing) and we all love that name. He whined alot, mostly because of the separation anxiety and trying to adjust but the kids have done a wonderful job with him.

After pooping on my floor immediately, he sniffed around a little and then made himself comfy on his new bed and then in Haley's arms. Soon, he found himself in his kennel (where he will be when we are away from home) falling fast asleep. I better wake him up or else he will be up all night. Great, a THIRD baby.

We have a wonderful park behind our house with great walking trails and lots of space for Mackie to fetch balls and run crazy. I'm just so excited. We will definitely post more here and add pictures as he grows.

Our newest addition

Meet "Puppy."

We pick him up tomorrow afternoon. He is a registered pure bred black lab and is the cutest dang thing ever! This will be the first puppy since our kids were born and my first puppy in 13 years. What was I thinking?

Anyway, we are excited, well me and the kids. John is a little apprehensive, which is to be expected. Afterall, he will be the one walking the dog in the rain and picking up poo. He's thinking of all the hard work and messes to clean up, but once he sees this little guy, I think he will change his tune.

I spent alot of time researching different breeds to find one suited for our family. I have an animal background. I am a certified animal techinician and worked in the field around 10 years. I know labs and goldens are great family dogs, so that's what I focused on. I didn't necessarily want or need a 'pure bred' dog, but knowing your dog has healthy parents and comes with a guarantee makes everything a little easier. It's worth the money.

So, we (I) settled on a lab. I know what I'm getting my family into. Sleepless nights, messes, lots of training, chewed up shoes (good thing I don't have any Jimm Choos) and chaos, chaos, chaos. But, I also know the love a dog brings to a family and I'm looking forward to all the fun times ahead and hoping my kids enjoy this experience learning responsibility and good dog care.

In the meantime, we are trying to agree on a name. Here are some of our choices. Feel free to help out and add your own name...

Charlie~Sam~Hobson~Tank (that's Jack's choice)~Licorice (Haley's choice)~Vincent~Zeus~Jazz and Floyd!

There will be more pics to come. Oh yes, waaaay more.