Jesse and Dodger

For those of you who might be unaware, Jamie and I have two dogs. Two wonderful dogs. Their names are Jesse and Dodger. Here is their story:

While living in our shithole cottage in West Seneca, I persuaded our landlady to let us get a "small" dog. She always said that there were no pets allowed but Jamie and I were good tenants...she conceded. That day, literally THAT day, Jamie and I went doggy hunting. We went to the SPCA in Erie County to no avail and then decided to trek on out to the Niagara County SPCA. We walked in and saw a beautiful, blond Shepherd mix. She was the only dog not barking and she sat there looking at us like she knew we were going to choose her. Mind you: we had looked at and walked about 30 other dogs that day...how she knew is beyond me. Well...

We asked the man-on-duty if we could take her out to play. (Tangent: the Niagara County SPCA is MUCH nicer than the Erie County one. They have a gated outdoor play area where the dogs don't have to be leashed...it is cleaner and the people are nicer.) We took Jesse out and she was wonderful. She loved us and we immediately fell in love with her. She showered us with kisses, rolled around on the ground with us, came to us when we called "here girl". She was a dream come true. Jamie and I looked at each other and we knew. (Tangent #2: I didn't tell Jamie that his landlady said we could get a "small" dog.)

We decided that she would be our dog. I signed my life away and we paid $60 for her. We immediately went to PetSmart (I THINK they had PetSmart back then), picked up a few things and went home. While we were driving home, we tried to come up with a name. We already had Joey and Jamie...I was determined to name her a "J" name as well...but a name that wasn't gender specific...sort of like Joey and Jamie. Jesse stuck. She was, and continues to be, a wonderful dog. Granted, we've had some hurdles to cross but, all in all, she's been great.

(Tangent #3: in between Jesse and Dodger, we (I) got a cat. Jamie hates cats. We named her Jordan. They got along just fine but (long story short) after we moved things didn't work out. I mention this only to reiterate my penchant for non-gender based "J" names.)

A few years later, I decided to get another dog. I really wanted a Jack Russell (Eddie looked so cute on "Frasier") and I was determined to get one. I had researched Jacks for a while and came across a breeder in Medina. She was awesome and (again, long story short) I picked out Dodger when he was only 6 days old. We spent WAY too much money for a dog but he was/is worth it. Now...how did I come up with Dodger, you ask? Well...

Jack Russells are very mischievous, smart and sneaky. I once played an equally mischievous, smart and sneaky role: The Artful Dodger. "There are no "j's" in that, Joe." Yeah, I know. BUT...the Artful Dodger's real name was Jack Dawkins...hence the "J". Not to mention, it is SO cliche to name your Jack, Jack...so I refrained.

I promise to bore you all with some of their good and bad stories...for now, however, I have to go give our puppies a big lick on the nose.

King and Queen...

What makes the difference between a good night's sleep and a great night's sleep? Space and comfort. Right? Well, yes and no.

Jamie and I recently got a California King sized bed. It is gigantinormous. Humongous. Gargantuan. Big. So big that we need an intercom system to hear each other. Big as in it is a bed so big that it requires multiple zip codes. Big as in we needed to get rid of a dresser and two night stands big.

It is 78 inches wide and 80 inches long. It is nearly as big as two full sized beds put together. It requires two separate box springs mattresses. It is huge.

Our dogs can lay between us, spread out, and we won't know we have dogs. Hell, we can buy 4 more dogs and not know the difference. Jamie can be snoring and I won't hear him. I can move like an octopus and he won't know. It is a damn big bed.

It is luxurious and...big. It never occurred to us that we would need to buy sheets for this mammoth-sized bed, however. We spent over $80 in PILLOWS alone. Had I not found a phenomenal sale we would have spent $50 per sheet set and over $100 for a comforter. And I'm not talking about gourmet pillows or sheets either. I'm talking about your run of the mill, pillow-pillows and sheets-sheets. Well, I got a deal and saved 20% on top of that. We totally feel like royalty. Honest to God. We even have "decorative pillows" and "Euro shams".

Needless to say, we are sleeping better on our Sealy Posturepedic than we ever have before and we love it.

Why in God's name am I writing now? Who knows. I should be in bed luxuriating in my luxurious bed.

I'll take a picture when the room is painted...hopefully this weekend.

Sabres colors, anyone?? The bed is gold now and apparently we need a theme.

Family dinner.

Jamie and I had my Mom, my Grandma Dem and my Grandma Kelley over for dinner tonight. We planned this for just one week and I think everyone had a great time.

We decided (actually, I decided and begged Jamie to go along) to make lasagna. Jamie makes the BEST lasagna. So our menu included wine that my Mother brought (actually I used a wine that I had, she just added to our stock); a fresh salad prepared by Grandma Dem; Jamie's awesome lasagna; and Grandma Kelley's German Chocolate Cake (my personal favorite) and Slush Cake. I provided the semi-clean house and the beautifully set table.

Why am I posting this you ask? Well, because I want to damnit.

In addition, I think it's important that we share these special moments with our friends and families in an attempt to promote future dinners of this sort (not to mention the fact that we all go by a much faster-paced life right now...it's great to sit down to chat for five minutes let alone enjoy a great meal with loved ones.) I know that Grandma Kelley said that she'll be having me and Jamie over for a Turkey Dinner and we can't wait for that. Grandma Dem already has Jamie and me over once a week. My Mother is always asking us to come over. We will be well fed, indeed.

Special moments deem special blogs. Many wonderful stories were shared and I will forever remember this great evening...not to mention that my Mom and Dad have been divorced for over 20 years and that our two families can meld as one just as easily as ever before.

I am a happy, and completely stuffed-bellied, boy.