Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 21, 2007 in
Our Goldendoodle Puppies I can’t say enough how much I love Daisy, our goldendoodle puppy!
She is just so sweet and so smart – we had our Intermediate Puppy Class at PetSmart the other day and she was SO good – she had no problems executing any of the commands. She was the only dog in the class that would do a Sit-Stay while I walked all the way across the ring and back – good dog!
Here are a few photos taken today…
She loves to sleep on her back and when she stretches out, she’s so LONG! I think she’s going to be a very tall dog like a standard poodle.
And here’s another idea of how big she’s gotten at 5 1/2 months – here she is with my almost-13-year-old son Andrew. They are best friends – she looks up at his top bunk bed and cries whenever he’s not here…
Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 21, 2007 in
Family Stuff We had a GREAT day yesterday – it was Matthew’s 8th birthday party! We celebrated at Lake Kandle where the kids could come and swim and play all day. I just love it there – between the lake, the pool, the playground, the arcade, the volleyball and basketball courts, the snack bar…there’s just so much for the kids to do.
Plus, we had a GORGEOUS day – it was supposed to rain, but the skies cleared and it was nice and breezy all day with a bright blue sky and puffy white clouds. It felt almost like a fall day – cool in the shade, but still warm in the sun.
I think everyone had a great time – here are some of the kids at the lake:
And at the pool:
And Matt with his cake:
I made the cake with a beach theme using blue icing, graham cracker crumbs for sand, gummy sharks, Swedish fish and a few beach candles I found at Target. You can see how uncomfortable Matthew is being the center of attention. He’s such a shy kid.
I also gave the kids buckets filled with beach goodies – a beach mat, sunglasses, a visor, squirt gun, shovel…the usual play stuff. Here they are trying to get their mats to lay flat in the breeze:
Matt said it was the best birthday party ever!
Posted by Kathy Torrence on Jul 21, 2007 in
Books I'm Reading Well…yesterday I read The Reluctant Fundamentalist for my book club – I read the entire book in one day. It’s only 184 pages long (and did I mention that I’m a fast reader? Never took the Evelyn Wood speedreading class, but I’m quick nonetheless).
While it was interesting enough to keep my attention, I think I was hoping for some sort of different ending. I kept thinking that the book was going to wrap up into some sort of definite answer about who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, but given the world we live in, it’s not that clear cut who is who anyway.
The book is about a Pakistani man named Changez who was educated in the US at Princeton and who takes a prestigious job in New York City after he graduates. He is working for the New York firm when 9/11 happens and he notices the changes toward him from the people around him. He also begins to worry about his homeland, and expresses anger at the US for not providing protection for Pakistan.
The entire book is written in a weird sort of dialogue – Changez is talking to an American in a cafe in Pakistan. The American never speaks and the dialogue is told as though Changez is telling his story to the American. Kind of a weird way to tell the story. It had to be short – the format grows tiring after a while.
There’s also a side story about Changez and a lovely American woman named Erica. Erica is already on a downward mental spiral after the death of her boyfriend and 9/11 only intensifies her confusion. This story could probably be left out entirely without changing the book too much.
I felt like I never really got to know Changez or Erica – perhaps because the book was so short. Or maybe it was the way the story was told…while I’m glad I read the book, but I don’t know if I would recommend it for others to read.