Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Beach Trip
On Saturday Ryan and I couldn't take the heat anymore and Hank wasn't enjoying it either, so we headed to the beach. We went up to Rockaway, which is just above Tillamook, and visited Ryan's grandparents who live up there. It was perfect there at about 60 degrees and almost no wind. We left before 9:00 am and avoided the crazy traffic that arrived a few hours later. We hung out at the house and let Hank roam around the yard and sniff and explore. He loved being off his leash and laying in the grass (which we don't have in our yard at home). After eating some lunch and watching Ryan help Grandpa with some yard work we leashed up Hank and took him to the beach. Our challenge at the beach was avoiding dogs who were not on leashes so that they didn't come say hello and get eaten by Hank. We were successful and had no encounters :) We took Hank down to the water to see how he would react because he seems curious but nervous about water at home. Apparently he had his superman suit on and just waltzed right into the incoming tide with no hesitancy. The humor came when he got distracted and didn't the see large tide come in which hit him about belly high. Once it hit his belly he wanted out and started to walk toward the beach, but then just sat down in the water and froze. It was such a funny reaction considering he wanted OUT of the water not in deeper. After the beach we went to dinner with the grandparents at a nice little place and then headed home. Hank was tired from his long day of travel and adventure and slept pretty much the whole way home. We now wish we had planned ahead and stayed overnight, but hindsight is always 20/20. I put up new pictures in the sidebar from the trip for you, enjoy!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Next Week
Next week Ryan and I officially start work. We both have to attend a week long "New Teacher Academy", mine starting Monday with all the new teachers meeting with the principal and then meeting with our Job-Alike-Mentors for a few hours. The Job-Alike-Mentor is a retired teacher from our content or grade speciality. They are going to basically help us get familiar with the districts curriculum, policies, assessment, etc. On Tuesday I get to sit through speeches by people I will probably see never again and through some mumbo jumbo on assessing literacy (which does not apply to me), through another benefits presentation (redundancy is this districts speciality apparently) and finally a discussion on legal responsibilities regarding TAG, ELL, SpEd, etc. I helped myself out for Wednesday though and took one of the classes today so I do not have to attend it then, which means my day won't start until 12:30, only 3 1/2 hours that day! Thursday is a "Diversity Summit" from 8am until 3pm....boy I can't wait for that. I am not sure of what exactly Ryan's schedule looks like next week, but I know he was not required to attend the Monday presentations for his district, so he obviously opted to not go. He will be going to a bunch of BS all day like me for majority of the week though, and I'm sure he will have similar sessions and speeches to mine.
As I mentioned above, today I went to a "class" about the e-mail and grading system we use in our district. Really, the only purpose of this class was to get your log on information, at least if you are tech savvy like me ;) For three hours the instructor took us through the e-mail program we use and how to do silly things like unsend an e-mail or attach a signature to your e-mail...I was sooooooooooooo bored. Then she took us through how to use the grading system, it's called eSIS, if you were curious. Although that information was important, most of it didn't apply to me because I am a specialist and don't do grades for multiple subjects and only 25 kids. The last two minutes of class she showed how a specialist would do grades for their subject. So, to summarize I sat in a computer lab for 3 hours, oh but she let us out 6 minutes early! Woo hoo! It can be frustrating being a specialist because most of the seminars and staff development we are required to do does not apply to us or it's computers 101 for dummies in today's case. After that wonderful waste of 3 hours of my life Ryan and I had to go to Target to exchange our Airwick Scented Oil warmer because it didn't get warm and then we headed to Petco (where the Pet's go, although Hank didn't go this time) to get the big guy some food and treats. We got a 32 lb. bag of food for $21, yay for Petco P.A.L.S. cards and we are hoping he will enjoy this new food better than the last. We decided to get the bulk treats so we could mix and match, and it was cheaper that way (He liked the "fruit loops" and "chicken leg" so far). When we finished there we walked down to La Fogata, a yummy Mexican food restaurant, for lunch. I got the chicken taquitos with rice and beans in place of guac and sour cream, and Ryan got the biggest burrito I have ever seen...and he still has most of it.
I concluded my running about by going to coffee with the music teacher at my school. I thought it was nice of him to want to chat and discuss some school stuff, and he bought my coffee! I also met the other secretary at my school and the evening custodian. I was planning on doing some inventory and organizing of my equipment room after coffee, but they are waxing my floors so I chose not to. The current layer of wax was dry and we could walk on it, but he was getting ready to put on another layer, apparently they are putting a trillion coats so my floor will shine. The rest of my day has been relaxing by taking a nap and taking the dog on a W-A-L-K. Now though, I will probably go watch some more Olympics. I can't believe that girl on the US gymnastics team choked on the beam AND floor and lost the gold for us, hopefully she'll be able to try again in 4 years, although she may be too old and past her prime at the point. Anywho, hope you're staying cool in the hot weather!
As I mentioned above, today I went to a "class" about the e-mail and grading system we use in our district. Really, the only purpose of this class was to get your log on information, at least if you are tech savvy like me ;) For three hours the instructor took us through the e-mail program we use and how to do silly things like unsend an e-mail or attach a signature to your e-mail...I was sooooooooooooo bored. Then she took us through how to use the grading system, it's called eSIS, if you were curious. Although that information was important, most of it didn't apply to me because I am a specialist and don't do grades for multiple subjects and only 25 kids. The last two minutes of class she showed how a specialist would do grades for their subject. So, to summarize I sat in a computer lab for 3 hours, oh but she let us out 6 minutes early! Woo hoo! It can be frustrating being a specialist because most of the seminars and staff development we are required to do does not apply to us or it's computers 101 for dummies in today's case. After that wonderful waste of 3 hours of my life Ryan and I had to go to Target to exchange our Airwick Scented Oil warmer because it didn't get warm and then we headed to Petco (where the Pet's go, although Hank didn't go this time) to get the big guy some food and treats. We got a 32 lb. bag of food for $21, yay for Petco P.A.L.S. cards and we are hoping he will enjoy this new food better than the last. We decided to get the bulk treats so we could mix and match, and it was cheaper that way (He liked the "fruit loops" and "chicken leg" so far). When we finished there we walked down to La Fogata, a yummy Mexican food restaurant, for lunch. I got the chicken taquitos with rice and beans in place of guac and sour cream, and Ryan got the biggest burrito I have ever seen...and he still has most of it.
I concluded my running about by going to coffee with the music teacher at my school. I thought it was nice of him to want to chat and discuss some school stuff, and he bought my coffee! I also met the other secretary at my school and the evening custodian. I was planning on doing some inventory and organizing of my equipment room after coffee, but they are waxing my floors so I chose not to. The current layer of wax was dry and we could walk on it, but he was getting ready to put on another layer, apparently they are putting a trillion coats so my floor will shine. The rest of my day has been relaxing by taking a nap and taking the dog on a W-A-L-K. Now though, I will probably go watch some more Olympics. I can't believe that girl on the US gymnastics team choked on the beam AND floor and lost the gold for us, hopefully she'll be able to try again in 4 years, although she may be too old and past her prime at the point. Anywho, hope you're staying cool in the hot weather!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Hank Update
Hey everyone. I thought I would let you all know how our big boy Hank is doing.
I mentioned in the previous post that Hank was not wanting to eat and I was going to add wet food to his kibble. Well, SUCCESS! He obviously LOVES the wet food and scarfed all the kibble down and licked the bowl clean. We have since been reducing the amount of wet food and tonight I was able to get him to eat his kibble with no wet food. It took some persuading, but I think after a few more meals of dry kibble he will make a smooth transition.
We take Hank on at least 1 walk a day, but we usually get two in. He knows the word walk and gets excited and wags his giant tail ferociously when we ask him if he wants to go on one. He is also very good on a leash with minimal pulling, which usually ceases after the first block and he calms down a bit. We also play tug-of-war, fetch/chase (he's working on his drop command still), and then we just play with him by running around and play "boxing". After a long walk with Dad this evening he came home, got some water, and got his ball out of his toy basket and wanted to play! I couldn't believe this guy wanted to play so soon after his walk.
A few days ago we also decided to take Hank to the dog park and see how he reacted with other dogs because we had no history on his socialization. He always seems very excited when he sees other dogs and will sniff them, but then he starts to growl and bark. We believe that he was not socialized as a pup and he will need lots of positive reinforcement around other dogs, and to only be exposed to one dog at a time. He does well on walks when he sees other dogs and doesn't bark or growl, which is a good sign.
Hank also has a little separation anxiety, but nothing serious. Being a stray, then having a home, then going to OHS, then to our home, it's understandable. He just wants to make sure we aren't leaving him. We tried leaving him in the yard when we went to run errands the other day and he whined and barked before we even left. He does fine when left inside though and doesn't chew on anything or sleep on furniture, YAY! We are working on getting him used to staying outside and he seems to making progress. Other than that though he is a gentle giant. He has found his voice in the last few days as well. If Dad comes home and startles him awake with the door he'll bark or if he sees something he doesn't like out the front door window (he can see out of it when he's upstairs) he will give us a good healthy bark. He actually saw my reflection in the door window the other night and was barking. I couldn't figure out what he thought he saw, then I realized it was me! It was so funny.
When we brought him home he did have kennel cough, but he has since finished his meds and we haven't noticed any symptoms so we believe he is cured. We have a vet appointment for him on Monday though, just make sure he's healthy. We think he may have hip problems, being a large dog it wouldn't be surprise, because after a big day of exercising he doesn't like to move much and pretty much refuses to go up the stairs. This could also be due to lack of conditioning. Due to his previous owner not being well we don't think he got out of the house a lot, and his muscles may not be in prime shape (maybe sore muscles?). We will ask the doctor about this though and check it out. Ryan's aunt has a friend who is a vet and she recommended a vet in our area for us, which makes me feel good knowing my pup is going to be in good hands.
Let's see....some interesting facts:
1. Hank is baffled over the heater vents in the floor. He truly has no clue whether to be scared or curious over them. The giant one in the hall doesn't bother him one bit, it's only the small ones.
2. Hank overcame his fear of the bathrooms and helped himself to a drink out of the toilet while we were downstairs the other night. Ryan did not find it as humorous as I did. He just wasn't sure if that was healthy for Hank or not.
3. Hank LOVES soccer. If we are kicking the ball around he will play monkey in the middle forever or we just play one on one with him and he likes that too. He can pick the ball up in his mouth!
4. Hank burps like a manly man AND his farts don't stink...yet.
5. If you lay or sit on the floor Hank will cuddle with you and love every minute of it.
Alright, I think those are the updates we have thus far. Here is a great picture of our Hankasaurus.
I mentioned in the previous post that Hank was not wanting to eat and I was going to add wet food to his kibble. Well, SUCCESS! He obviously LOVES the wet food and scarfed all the kibble down and licked the bowl clean. We have since been reducing the amount of wet food and tonight I was able to get him to eat his kibble with no wet food. It took some persuading, but I think after a few more meals of dry kibble he will make a smooth transition.
We take Hank on at least 1 walk a day, but we usually get two in. He knows the word walk and gets excited and wags his giant tail ferociously when we ask him if he wants to go on one. He is also very good on a leash with minimal pulling, which usually ceases after the first block and he calms down a bit. We also play tug-of-war, fetch/chase (he's working on his drop command still), and then we just play with him by running around and play "boxing". After a long walk with Dad this evening he came home, got some water, and got his ball out of his toy basket and wanted to play! I couldn't believe this guy wanted to play so soon after his walk.
A few days ago we also decided to take Hank to the dog park and see how he reacted with other dogs because we had no history on his socialization. He always seems very excited when he sees other dogs and will sniff them, but then he starts to growl and bark. We believe that he was not socialized as a pup and he will need lots of positive reinforcement around other dogs, and to only be exposed to one dog at a time. He does well on walks when he sees other dogs and doesn't bark or growl, which is a good sign.
Hank also has a little separation anxiety, but nothing serious. Being a stray, then having a home, then going to OHS, then to our home, it's understandable. He just wants to make sure we aren't leaving him. We tried leaving him in the yard when we went to run errands the other day and he whined and barked before we even left. He does fine when left inside though and doesn't chew on anything or sleep on furniture, YAY! We are working on getting him used to staying outside and he seems to making progress. Other than that though he is a gentle giant. He has found his voice in the last few days as well. If Dad comes home and startles him awake with the door he'll bark or if he sees something he doesn't like out the front door window (he can see out of it when he's upstairs) he will give us a good healthy bark. He actually saw my reflection in the door window the other night and was barking. I couldn't figure out what he thought he saw, then I realized it was me! It was so funny.
When we brought him home he did have kennel cough, but he has since finished his meds and we haven't noticed any symptoms so we believe he is cured. We have a vet appointment for him on Monday though, just make sure he's healthy. We think he may have hip problems, being a large dog it wouldn't be surprise, because after a big day of exercising he doesn't like to move much and pretty much refuses to go up the stairs. This could also be due to lack of conditioning. Due to his previous owner not being well we don't think he got out of the house a lot, and his muscles may not be in prime shape (maybe sore muscles?). We will ask the doctor about this though and check it out. Ryan's aunt has a friend who is a vet and she recommended a vet in our area for us, which makes me feel good knowing my pup is going to be in good hands.
Let's see....some interesting facts:
1. Hank is baffled over the heater vents in the floor. He truly has no clue whether to be scared or curious over them. The giant one in the hall doesn't bother him one bit, it's only the small ones.
2. Hank overcame his fear of the bathrooms and helped himself to a drink out of the toilet while we were downstairs the other night. Ryan did not find it as humorous as I did. He just wasn't sure if that was healthy for Hank or not.
3. Hank LOVES soccer. If we are kicking the ball around he will play monkey in the middle forever or we just play one on one with him and he likes that too. He can pick the ball up in his mouth!
4. Hank burps like a manly man AND his farts don't stink...yet.
5. If you lay or sit on the floor Hank will cuddle with you and love every minute of it.
Alright, I think those are the updates we have thus far. Here is a great picture of our Hankasaurus.
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