Nothing like a year break!

Wow, nothing like taking off an entire year from the blogging world. Guess I better get my butt in gear. So, just in case you have been living under a rock, here is our year in review...We're pregnant! (well technically I am... but you know)


Yep that's it, nothing else has happened much or at least nothing that gets notable attention. Wait.. Wait.. Wait.. I lied.. my brother Graham got engaged (so exciting!) to the most wonderful girl, my other brother Jordan got his driver's license, we actually went on
vacation, our darling nephew Oliver is growing like a weed, Patches almost died and our monster pup now proudly weighs a "tiny" 238.9 pounds.....Ok so now you are up to speed.


We are adding another dimension of drool to the household and couldn't be more excited! Our estimated delivery date is March 12th, 2011. We are expecting a baby girl and we are planning on calling her Georgia Cate. (She needed a delicate Southern name to go with her daddy's strong German heritage) Pregnancy has been an exciting experience thus far (minus the 13 weeks of morning sickness). I must say given my low threshold for pain tolerance, I am amazed that I have made it this far... although its not lost on me that the biggest test is yet to come.

So we are in the final weeks of the baking process and she's almost fully cooked (however the turkey timer, aka my belly button, has yet to pop out)! The nursery is almost finished, I've read every book cover to cover and the hospital bags are packed. We are gearing up for one of life's greatest adventures and are so happy to have you along for the ride.

And we're back...... 2010 Mercedes Relay Marathon Weekend

For those of you who have been impatiently waiting, the Drama of Drool is back. After two back-to-back weekends in Birmingham, life is slowly but surely returning to normal! I am happy to report that Nana is home from the hospital and is getting better every day. Thanks for all your prayers!

So while I am sure most of you were snuggling up with your sweetheart this Valentine's Day weekend, my brother and I, along with several friends, thought it would be fun to spend V-Day running the 2010 Mercedes Relay Marathon (26.2 miles!).

My brother Graham has his own personal training business (G57 Fitness & Training) and put together a men's & women's relay team to run the Mercedes Marathon. I was honored to be asked to participate! So while Dan, headed to Nashville for a swim meet, I put the dogs up at the pet spa and headed towards Birmingham.

The goal all along was obviously to beat the boys, and we sure came close. So while Graham recruited the Samford University Offensive Line to run the men's relay, the girls team of course consisted of super speedy gorgeous models! The night before the race, Coach Graham whipped out his notebook (which meant business) and announced leg assignments. Then we were promptly sent to bed. We only had to be up 5 hours later, so what was the rush?

Luckily, I was running the second to last leg which was only a 5K. Any more than that and you would have seen this one laying in the ditch somewhere in downtown B'ham. However, poor Graham and his girlfriend AJ drew the dreaded 12K legs which not only were the longest, but were the last legs of the race!

Race day came early (5:30 am to be exact), and I was only 15 minutes late. Just enough to give Graham a mild heart attack to think we weren't coming! Got to start the day off with a bang!

Adrenaline was pumping, and the thousands of people & news cameras everywhere made it even more exciting! We each went off to our starting points of the race with anticipation. As the race progressed, it was finally my turn.

As I began to run, I was instantly transported to my past. I ran by the B&A Warehouse where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner, then I jogged past Bartow area, where my college graduation was held. Next I was passing the UAB pool, where I spent many of hours life guarding and swimming. Then it was through the UAB campus, and that's when I started daydreaming of my college days. I began to drift back into consciousness when I saw my dad standing on the sidewalk cheering me on! As I turned my final corner, I saw my finish point. It came much faster than I had anticipated. I guess the scenery and the daydreaming helped.

Nearing the finish, I knew we were behind the boys, but the look in AJ's face as I passed off the baton made me think she was going to track Graham down and leave him in the dust. At the hand-off, I looked up and saw the best Valentine's Day present of all, my husband! He drove all the way from Nashville, just to watch me race. That friends, is a true expression of love :)

We headed to the finish to watch Graham & AJ bring us home. Graham hauled it across the line for a total relay time of under 4 hours, with AJ finishing shortly after. The boys finished 12th & the girls finished 13th! Not bad for a days work. Next year, the girls will come home with the title I feel pretty certain.

It was one of the best weekends ever. Nothing like having your family & friends cheer you on!
I am so proud of my little brother for pulling together this event. He is truly passionate about fitness and its contagious. I highly recommend you checking out his G57 personal training page.



Sweaty Siblings!


G57 Fitness Women's Relay Team

On Hiatus

Well, Drama of Drool is taking a little break this week. It seems after all, I will be making that much anticipated trip to Birmingham, just wish it was under different circumstances. My dad called me Tuesday to let me know that my Nana had been placed in ICU. I have traveled down to come visit and just ask that everyone remember her in your thoughts and prayers. She is a very special lady and is the primary caretaker of my grandfather who is disabled and unable to care for himself.We are hoping that a visit from the grand kids will perk her back up! I love you Nana, and dedicate this post to you. I think God everyday for having you in my life. You have taught this girl some of the most important things in life, like how to shop and to properly consume chocolate! (its a piece in each hand for those of you who don't know) HA HA
You better get feeling better soon, because I am not sure I can handle it otherwise :)


On a lighter note, my husband has informed me today that Bukowski has officially learned to pee standing up & while lifting one leg (yes, he did previously squat to pee as he learned from patches). Just take a moment to visualize how funny its looks to see such a "manly" dog squat to pee.

I am not sure this new behavior is such a good thing. Having a dog this large lifting his leg to pee could be more like a weapon... but more on this later. I am pretty sure I prefer the squatting!

Winter Storm 2010: Day Two

So I guess I may have underestimated the winter storm.. Last night proved to be a new experience for this Southern Belle. Living in the South, I have seen several inches of snow, but 3.5" of ice is a whole new ballgame.

It continued to rain & sleet until about midnight, which of course made for impossible driving conditions this morning. Everything was frozen solid in a thick sheet of ice! We lost power the first time last night around 7:00 p.m. as we were in the middle of making Aunt Marianne's calzone recipe. Since the oven was out of commission, I lit my entire stock of candles, and we feasted on Bagel Crisps and Boursin left over from Christmas.

Not knowing when the power would come on, Dan and I resorted to placing bets how long it would take MLGW (Memphis Light Gas & Water) to sent out the troops. I said 8pm, and Dan said 10pm..... Guess who was right! Me of course, as if you had to ask!
The power came back on at 8pm, I jacked the heat up to about 72 degrees for fear we would loose power again. Dan was suffocating, but was a good sport. We got to enjoy an episode of"Dirty Jobs" before we lost power for good.

The wind was blowing and we could hear the branches breaking off. It sounding like shotguns were being fired in our backyard! Dan walked out side just as one of the large pine trees in the back yard was loosing most of its branches. With that close call we decided to call it a night. Phones were dead , no heat, and our power was out, so what else is there to do but sleep?

I guess the power came back on at 3am, as the alarm clocks and lights abruptly illuminated the house, but not for long. We lost power again, which made for a cold, sleepless night.

Good news is that we finally regained power & heat at 6am and have been going strong ever since. Dan is happily perched in front of the TV watching IU basketball, and I have plans of catching up on my reading & cleaning the garage. The pups have been passed out all day!

Here are some pics of the ice...

Our driveway was a solid 3" sheet of ice. Frozen trees everywhere!

I hope my poor Japanese Maple survived!

Before and after pics of my dead asparagus fern.

These were the branches falling from our pine tree last night! Poor tree! Bonfire anyone?

The Bradford Pear across the street split in half. Koswkers is helping collect the branches at least!

Our little ice babies!

Winter Storm 2010

Let me begin by saying, it would be my luck that the "winter storm of the decade" hits on the one weekend I am able to travel home... Mother Nature I shake my fist at your timing!! Although, it remains to be seen if this is truly the "winter storm of the decade" or just a media conspiracy to inflate grocery sales... Where is my James Spann when I need him?

So while I was at work today, my "Saint" of a husband was pulling a minivan out of ditch in front of our house. I guess that Monster Truck does come in handy.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of having us visit with the dogs yet, let me show you the condo my husband built to transport the monster pup. (Now, after seeing these photos I expect phone calls from all of you inviting us over!) To his credit, Dan did work very hard on this and it has proven to be a very effective solution. I will, however, take credit for the paint job! After the "Bukowski Box" was completed, Dan hopped inside of it, made me lock him up tight, and ordered me to take it for a test drive around the neighborhood (with him in the box).....

Redneck you say? No, just a boy with a heartfelt concern regarding the safety of his dog... I seriously cannot make this stuff up.. See for your self...


(If you look closely at the last picture, you can actually see Dan's face in the window.Keep in mind, Dan is approx. 6'4")

I am happy to report that we made it around the neighborhood safely, maybe a little too fast on the accelerator, but home in one piece nevertheless.

So you see why we decided to play it safe and just stay home for tonight? Can't have your baby in a box with freezing weather for a 3 hour road trip.. My friend Angela had an great solution to our winter weather driving concerns, she said "Morg, you can hook the dog up and pull the car out of the ditch if you slip and slide, so what's the worry?".... what a smart girl she is! We might resort to this solution should we choose to head home in the morning..

And now for some winter weather puppy pics (courtesy of the hubs this afternoon)...


Look at those babies playing in the ice.. yes not snow.. ICE!


Dan spent the afternoon throwing iceballs at the dogs, laughing at them being confused when they couldn't find it on the ground!



Mom, the Bama flag in the snow photo is for you! Roll Tide :)

Bathtime

Question: How do you bathe a Monster pup?

Answer: Take him to the groomer of course!

Since we are going to see my family this weekend, I thought I would be polite and try to remove some of the stench coming for our dog before we invade my mother's house for the weekend. One thing you learn when raising a dog this large, is that it only takes one time to decide you will NEVER attempt to bathe him again.

The first and only time I tried to bathe Bukowski was this past summer. I thought I would surprise Dan when he returned home from his trip with a very clean puppy. However, what I almost got that weekend was way beyond that...

Just imagine having a 200lb mini buffalo staked out in the front yard, not knowing what was about to hit him. As I gently sprayed him with the hose, he did fine for about the first 2 minutes. I was able to get soap on him and as I reached for the hose (while holding his collar in the other hand) I feel my body being dragged down the driveway. The next thing I know, he starts bucking out of his collar like a bronco at a rodeo. How he managed to get that tiny collar off his basketball sized head, I will never know. All I remember, is looking down to see I was holding just his collar and the beast was somehow not attached.

When I realized he was gone, I looked up and saw him running down the driveway towards the busy street in front of our house. However, me being in panic mode,it just looked like soapy dollar signs running down the road, as I could only imagine how I was going to explain this to Dan...

So lesson learned...off to the groomer he goes.

I am reminded of a candid conversation I had with my sister-in-law, while we were vacationing in Indy over Christmas. Dan and I were lucky enough to board the babies at the local pet spa, and yes I did say SPA, while we enjoyed our blissful sleep in Indiana. When leaving the pet spa the lady asked if I would like for Bukowski to have a bath, well my first question was.... how much is this going to cost? She replied, $24...... $24 I thought.....what a deal!!! So sheepishly grinning I replied YES!

I was explaining this to my sister-in-law (who by the way, has the smallest, cutest Boston Terrier you have ever seen) telling her what a deal this was... not knowing that the boarding facility she was keeping her dog at offered to bathe Bwindi for the same exact price! How can it be that it is the same price to bathe a 15lb dog as it is to bathe Bukowski??

When we returned home from Indy, I was excited about the fact that not only the house would be clean, but so would the Monster Pup!!!! Yeah!!!

However, it was not long before I was told, "Um Mrs. Schultz, we tried to give Bukowski a bath but, he wouldn't fit into the shower and he is really afraid of the water"..... so what I returned home too was a "wet, soapy.... i have been boarded for almost a week smelling dog.."

Needless to say, he hasn't had a bath since then, so you can just imagine how sweet he smells.
Too bad this blog isn't scratch & sniff!



Here is a picture I found of a lady trying to bathe her mastiff puppy.... all I have to say is just wait until he gets older!! She won't be able to use that tub for much longer..

Just a little history

At this point, I realize that you are probably questioning my sanity about why anyone would want a 200+ lb puppy as part of their family. Honestly, I asked myself that very same question, but the truth is that I wouldn't have it any other way. Not only is he a great conversation piece, but he has the sweetest face that would melt any one's heart. I realize I am at least a year late getting this started documenting the dog as he grows but, here's a little background on how we decided to bring home the Monster Pup.

My husband and I have been married for 4 years, and together for almost 10. When we first had our serious conversation about having kids, he "jokingly" informed me that he had list of things he wanted before we had kids. Little did I know what was in store. I agreed to his list of wants, as he is a man who never asks for much in life so I knew they had to be pretty important.
The list went like this:
1. Big Screen TV (as of course every man needs)
2. English Mastiff
3. New Car

So, after selling a few houses, we purchased the big screen TV, and then started working towards the dog. Since my husband travels often, he wanted to get a dog that looks ferocious, but that is gentle in nature. One thing you need to know about my husband is that no purchase is ever made with out him thoroughly researching it first... and let me stress the thoroughly! After three years of waiting & researching, the breeder we wanted finally had a male puppy. We had to wait six weeks before we could bring him home. Since the breeder was located in Michigan, we had to wait until he was big enough (can you believe that) to bring him home. He was the biggest, Brindle male out of the bunch. His mom and dad were both 200+ pounds, and he had AKC show dogs in his bloodline.

We got weekly updates and pictures from the breeder, as though we had just adopted a child! It was so exciting. So when he was eight weeks old, he was ready to fly home to meet us. When he finally arrived, he was a small thirty five pounds, and yet he was the biggest puppy we had ever seen. My husband decided to name him "Bukowski" after the great American writer, Charles Bukowski. Ever since that day, life has never been the same. Here are a few pics of how Bukowski has grown into the 220 pound, 17 month old puppy he is today...


(Bukowski is the large, brindle pup at the bottom)



Such proud parents!


Bukowski, 2 months old, is about the same size as our other dog Patches (pictured here at 4 years old)

November 2009, both dogs pictured here with my brother Graham (6'2", 250lbs)