Thursday, February 19, 2009

Jack





Today marks week two with our new puppy, Jack Sparrow. I'm happy to report that he is doing GREAT and is a perfect fit for our family!

He is very sweet, and has managed to survive the past 2 weeks without committing puppycide from Sophie's constant attention. It's a good thing we got this dog young - now he will never know a life apart from the obsession of a child. He is getting bigger each day and is so smart! I tied a bell to the door to train him to ring the bell when he needs to go outside and potty. Believe it or not, he started ringing the bell a couple of hours later! See what I mean? S-M-A-R-T. However, he still likes to pee pee in the house. So, I'm trying to bribe him with treats even though the vet told me not to. What do they know? They don't have to keep cleaning up after him.

Jack likes to eat, sleep, play, and follow me around (the perfect dog!). However, Sophie is jealous of the attention that Jack shows me when I come into the room. She has been known to say, "Don't pick him up, Mama! Go away!" I can't imagine why he runs under the couch when I'm not in the room and he is alone with Sophie. Oh yeah. It's because she stalks him. She likes to yell, "MAMA, make Jack come out from behind the couch!!!!" But all in all, they are doing well together.

I told someone earlier this week that God has always blessed my family with good dogs (I'm not even joking), and that Jack has just been added to the good dog list of Mako, Mickey, Judas, Scout, and Sydney. Thank you, Lord!

Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph Pistone


For the 5 people out there that read my blog, I know you have been waiting with baited breath to see what book I will review next. Well, today is your lucky day!

Last week I finished Donnie Brasco. (Yes, they made it into a movie in the 90's.) It is about an FBI Agent who infiltrates the mafia for 6 years (yes, you read that right), and it was intriguing. First of all, kudos to Agent Pistone who was willing to risk his life for this assignment. He barely saw his family during this time, and was at the beck and call of his partner, Lefty. And AMAZINGLY, he didn't commit any crimes during those 6 years! To read about how he walked and talked the part of a wiseguy is really fascinating.

Okay, here's the bad part. It is FULL of bad language. I knew this before I purchased the book (because I scanned it), but I really wanted to read this story so I bought it anyway. So even though I tried to skim past the yucky words, it got old. Fast. I'm talking off the charts bad...

I would definitely recommend this book. But just know what you're signing up for.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Happiness is a warm puppy...


and his name is Jack!

Yesterday, we added an adorable yorkiepoo to our brood. He is 7 weeks old; weighs 1.7 lbs.; has black and tan coloring; and is a s-w-e-e-t-i-e pie! Sophie and I are beyond excited that we have a dog in the house again (I think Brian just tolerates it.). Where did I get the name? After Capt. Jack Sparrow, of course! Also, it didn't hurt that my name was Jill and I thought "Jack and Jill" would be cute.

This picture was taken by the breeder when we picked him up yesterday. Sophie kept saying that Jack was her "puppy brother." More pictures soon.