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I have had several friends ask me how to subscribe to my blog. And up until a few days ago, I had no idea how. But just recently I found a “widget” to add to the right side of the blog that allows readers to subscribe. You just have to put in your e-mail address and then an e-mail notification will be sent to you whenever I post a new blog. So, for those of you who would like to subscribe please feel free to do so and let me know if it works! Hopefully I will start blogging more frequently!

The Cutest Pup In America!

After 8 weeks of anticipation, Fender finally came home today! And he is the cutest thing I have ever seen. He is very curious and likes anything he can pull on with his teeth, especially my hair! He also loves to chase Erik back and forth through the house. It is so cute. But the poor guy wears himself out quickly. I don’t think he is used to so much play time. He took three long naps today. When he sleeps he crosses his front and his back legs. It is adorable. He has a very fun and playful personality. His eyes are the coolest green color with a splash of blue. So far he loves toys, he loves treats, he loves the Christmas tree, but I don’t think he is a big fan of his crate. But I read that it takes some time to get him used to it. I am so in love!

He is the cutest dog in America!

He was peeking in his treat basket.

Peek-a-boo

Then he decided to hop in!

He is a stud!

He is pooped!

Such a sleepy pup!

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Erik and I are really looking forward to our first Christmas in our new home. We were especially excited to get our first Christmas tree together. We were originally going to go to a tree farm and pick and cut our own. But we got home from Thanksgiving in SC late Sunday night and wanted to get our tree monday morning. Unfortunately the tree farm was only open from Thursday-Sunday. So we ended up getting our tree from a cute little plant nursery down the street from our house.  It was really cool!  They had all the trees on display, hung from strings on a trellis so you could spin them around easily and see all sides of the tree.  I had never seen that done before, but it was a great idea and saved lots of time. Plus, we found the perfect tree! It is about 7 feet tall and didn’t even have a “bad side.” Here are some photos: (click on them to make them bigger)

We found it!

Getting the tree down to bring home!

Putting it up in the house!

This was the first year I decorated the tree without the help of my mom, dad, and sister. So I was a little nervous. I knew my family always had a certain method of putting our tree up and decorating it but I didn’t really know where to start. So I did what every other person nowadays would do, I googled “how to decorate a Christmas tree.” Then I watched “how to decorate Christmas tree” videos on Youtube. It helped a little bit. I learned the “proper order” of putting the things on the tree. First, you put up the lights (you are supposed to use 100 lights per foot of tree.) Then you do the garland…. we probably should have bought one extra strand of garland but we managed without it. Then you put up the largest bulbs and then the smaller. Next you place the tinsel or the picks on the tree. Finally, you place the star or angel on top. Easy enough right!? Wrong. It was a lot of fun to decorate but a little tedious when you are a slight perfectionist like myself. But Erik and I love the way it turned out!

Decorating!

We thought it would be a fun tradition to decorate our own ornaments every year. So we each made one. We just bought red plain ornaments at Target and drew on them with a silver paint pen. Then we decided to make one for the pup. We ended up liking his the best. We looked up the Fender guitar logo and tried to replicate it. Then I drew a little bass guitar on the back. I think it is pretty cute.

I made Fender an ornament!

The back of Fender's ornament

This is honor of the "hungry monkeys."

We are MARRIED!!! YAY!!

Our cute ornaments with our pretty star!

The top of our tree.

Our 1st tree!!!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou tree most fair and lovely!
Oh Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou tree most fair and lovely!
The sight of thee at Christmastide
Spreads hope and gladness far and wide
Oh Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
Thou tree most fair and lovely!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou hast a wondrous message:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou hast a wondrous message:
Thou dost proclaim the Saviour’s birth
Good will to men and peace on earth
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou hast a wondrous message

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
You stand in verdant beauty
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
You stand in verdant beauty
Your boughs are green in summer’s glow
And do not fade in winter’s snow
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
You stand in verdant beauty

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How laden are your branches
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Your presence here enhances
Your silver star does glisten bright
Reflecting all the candlelight
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How laden are your branches

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
You fill all hearts with gaiety
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
You fill all hearts with gaiety
On Christmas Day you stand so tall
Affording joy to one and all
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
You fill all hearts with gaiety

Looking up!

This reminded me of a Halloween costume I had when I was little.

We absolutely love our first Christmas tree!! I will try to finish decorating the house and post more pictures tomorrow!

Fun Random Song Mix

Well I love to make really random CD’s to listen to while I clean the house. The music keeps me going while I am trying to tackle all of the chores. Sometimes it ends up being a slight distraction, I tend to jump around the house and dance. But it is still a lot of fun. I made a crazy mix yesterday. Here are the songs I put on the CD. They are great and a lot of fun to listen to:

#1) “Sexy Chick” by David Guetta featuring Akon

#2) “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey

#3) “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon

#4) “I Know You Want Me by Pitbull

#5) “Mistletoe” by Colbie Caillat

#6) “Shut it Down” by Pitbull

#7) “Right Round” by Flo Rida

#8) “Hotel Room Service” by Pitbull

#9) “The Chipmunk Song” by The Chipmunks

#10) “Never Say Never” by The Fray

#11) “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band

#12) “I wanna Make You Close Your Eyes” by Dierks Bentley

#13) “Love Drunk” by Boys Like Girls

#14) “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey

#15) “I Can Transform Ya” by Chris Brown

#16) “Morning After Dark” by Timbaland

#17) “Wasted” by Gucci Mane

4 More Days and Fender is Coming Home!

This is Fender when he was one week old

It’s almost time to pickup our little puppy! I can’t believe he is about to be 8 weeks old. We are so excited to go and pick him up and bring him home. He has really grown over the past 2 months. Puppies are just like babies, they grow up so fast.

I remember going to visit Parson’s Place Stables for the first time. Dolly had just had her puppies and we had to pick out our pup. It was actually a really hard decision. They were all so cute and tiny and it was hard to determine what they were going to look like when they got older. They were so small, they kind of looked like hamsters! Their eyes were still closed and they were o so sweet!

I had been researching Mini Australian Shepherds for several months and I thought I wanted a red merle. We didn’t have a real preference between a boy or a girl but we loved the name “Fender” and that seemed to suit a male puppy better. When we got to the farm there was only one red merle in the entire litter and it was a little boy. So it kind of seemed like we were destined to pick him. The other puppies were adorable. There was one beautiful little Blue Merle girl and six Black Tri’s. We could also decide to hold off on Dolly’s litter and pick a pup from Lexi’s litter. But at the end of our visit we decided we had to keep Fender. And I am so happy with our choice!

Fender is a porker. His head is about two times the size of the little Blue Merle’s! He is so fat that he kind of waddles when he walks. It is so cute! He looks like a pony trotting in the front, he kicks his front legs up when he moves around. And his little booty and hind legs waddle behind him. I just love it! He has two beautiful blue-green eyes (just like me and Erik!) and I personally think he is the cutest puppy I have ever seen!

Since we decided to get an Mini Australian Shepherd, I have met and spoke to several people that are fans of the breed. And the first thing everyone says is, “they are such a smart breed of dogs!” Several people have said they have an uncanny intelligence and often times the dog outsmart the owner. So I am excited to see what kind of tricks I can teach Fender and what tricks he can teach me. I have a feeling we are going to have a good time at the obedience class I signed up for.

Fender at three weeks

When Erik and I were buying our Christmas tree on Monday, we saw a dog at the nursery when we pulled in. I told Erik that I thought it was an Aussie but then I realized it was all white and I had never seen a pure white Aussie before. But then I remembered reading about white Aussies. The book said that too much white is considered a defect on Australian Shepherds as far as conformity to the breed standard is concerned. This is because the white coat is actually a genetic defect that occurs when two merle coloured dogs are bred. It doesn’t matter if they are blue merle or red merle the key here is that the puppies inherit two dominant merle genes. The result of having two merle gene results in a homozygus merle or double merle puppy often referred to as a lethal white. The genes that are involved in determining pigmentation or coloring also have a dramatic affect on the development of hearing and sight. Often times these white pups are blind or deaf. We went and talked to the owner of the dog and sure enough, he was a rescue Aussie and was deaf. Apparently two merle dogs had accidentally bred and there were two white Aussies in the litter. Both had seeing and hearing problems. But the lady said he was the best dog she had ever had and even with his health complications, he was the smartest dog she had ever owned. I was excited to hear all of the good things she had to say about the breed!

So now in just four days we are going to go pick up the little guy from the farm! I can’t wait. I made a list of things I will need to get for him before he gets here:

• Food Bowl
• Water Bowl
• Leash
• Collar
• Dog Food
• Local Veterinarian Chosen (new pet should visit vet ASAP)
• Shelter
• Dog Toys and Chewys
• Dog Crate
• Dog Shampoo
• Treats

Let me know if you can think of anything else that I should get for him before he gets here.

Fender at six weeks

I will admit it, I am kind of obsessed with T.O.

So it is true, I have a slight obsession with Terrell Owens. It is not one of those creepy, I want to meet him/marry him/be him obsessions… it is just one of those small infatuations. To put it simply- I think he is a heck of a football player and he cracks me up.

Now I will be honest, when he was with the Dallas Cowboys, I COULD NOT STAND HIM. But that was solely based on the fact that I HATE, yes I said it… HATE, the Dallas Cowboys.

(Off on a tangent- Ok, still a little bitter about their Superbowl wins in ‘92 and in ‘93 against the Bills! I am a sore looser and I tend to hold a grudge. The name “Troy Aikman ” still makes me cringe. And whenever the Cowboys play, I pull for the other team… regardless of who it is.)

T.O. talking to fans at the Titans game

So when T.O. was with Dallas he was on my “sugarbush list” (I know you like my G-rated vocabulary.) But then Dallas released him. At this point I felt like we shared a close bond, we were both screwed over by the Dallas Cowboys. (I took the Bills loses very personally! haha)  In May of 2008, Owens told The Dallas Morning News that he “definitely wanted to finish his career with the Cowboys.” He seemed very passionate about the team and his career as a Dallas Cowboy. He had just received a $12 million signing bonus. Then the Cowboys abruptly cut him from their roster. A few weeks prior to the release, the Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, indicated that T.O. was staying in Dallas when he told the media, “You and I both know that the one that you’re asking about all the time, if I gave you the answer that you want to hear, then you would’ve already had it. So the fact you don’t have it ought to tell you something. It really should.” Jones seemed to enjoy the publicity Owens stirred up as much as the touchdowns he scored. After T.O.’s Pro Bowl season in 2007, Jones signed him to a $34 million extension. Jones seemed like he was determined to make the relationship work. I think that is why his sudden release was so shocking.

On Rogers Sportsnet T.O. said, “”You hear all the speculation, and you talk to the owner of the team, and he reassures you, you’re not going anywhere and then, out of left-field … you get blindsided . I know whole-heartedly Jerry Jones wanted me there … There were some people I know who got in his ear that pressured him to make that decision. For that, it’s sad. You let two or three people conspire to get me out of the situation.” I think Jones should have been honest with Terrell. I think the way they went about releasing T.O. was kind of rude and honestly a bit stupid. Dallas took a $9 million salary-cap hit with his release. Why didnt they tell Terrell the truth and why didn’t they trade T.O. and get something out of it instead of just releasing him??? (If someone knows the answer to this, please comment!) I think Dallas messed up and the decision became more personal rather than professional.

In 2006, T.O. led the NFL with 13 touchdowns. In his three years with the Cowboys, Owens caught 235 passes for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns in 47 games. With those numbers it is pretty obvious that he wasn’t the main culprit for the Cowboy’s season’s demise. I think Dallas used Terrell as their scapegoat. The problem was obviously within the QB position and I felt the scrutiny in Dallas should have been directed towards Romo, not Owens. Dallas had a T.R. problem, not a T.O. problem. Romo had totally self -destructed the past two years. He led the league in interceptions and he was not able to perform under pressure.

Their offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett had a predicatable season and in my view he and Tony Romo were and still are overrated.Garrett did not get creative in many offensive plays. I don’t think Roy WIlliams or T.O. were used effectively. I am not surprised that T.O. did not hold back his discontent with the playcalling and lack of leadership. He is a very passionate player and I can imagine it would be a very difficult to keep your strong emotions and concerns to yourself in that situation.

As soon as I heard T.O. was released, I secretly hoped the Bills would pick him up. Then my wish came true. I was in Charlotte, NC for my bachelorette party and I got a call from Erik. He told me that Buffalo had picked up T.O. I was thrilled and had a great night celebrating my engagement and the new addition to the Bill’s roster.

The city of Buffalo welcomed T.O. with open arms. We had been waiting for something, anything, to bring excitement to the Bill’s franchise and T.O. was defiantly the excitement we needed. He wasn’t overly productive at the beginning of the season. But I think that has a great deal to do with our old coaching staff (cough, cough… Dick Jauron), and our old QB (couch, couch… Trent Edwards). They really didn’t give him much to work with. And I was really irritated when people would criticize him for dropping a catch when it was uncatchable. But the few games that Fitzpatrick has been in as QB, he has connected with Terrell on some really HUGE plays. Their win against the Dolphins last week was awesome. Our team is really starting to improve. I think Buffalo fans are starting to realize what an important asset Owens is to the team and how much potential he has for the future.

And on a more personal note, I am really impressed with Terrell’s online interaction with his fans. I posted the photo below on my Twitter account. I never expected T.O. to see the photo, let alone comment on the picture. But to my surprise… he did! He took the time out of his day to send me a direct message on Twitter. He just said, “Nice pic Jaime ” but it totally made my day. Then he started following my Twitter page. If you look at his Tweets, he usually responds to several fans every single day. There are not many players in the NFL that take that kind of time to reach out to their fans. And for that reason alone, I think he is awesome! Plus, you have to admit… he has really handled the media quite well this season!

Closing thoughts about Terrell Owens-

As Ryan Wilson once said, “I do appreciate that, at 35, he’s still one of the NFL’s best deep threats, and, despite all the negative pub, he’s never been arrested, murdered a puppy, or made it rain while simultaneously shooting up a club. There’s something to be said for that.”

.

Hey Life, Will You Please Slow Down!?

This is me in my "glory days!" HAHA

Do you remember when you were a kid and you would count down the days until Christmas? It seemed like an eternity. I always wanted the days to go by faster. I would start counting down the days in July, right after my birthday and December would never come soon enough. Compared to my life now, everything back then was in slow motion. I can’t figure out if it was because I didn’t have much to worry about when I was young… life consisted of school fun and softball. Or maybe children’s perception of time is just off?? But whatever it was, I miss it. I liked those carefree and painfully slow days.

As I age, the days seem to fly by. I mean one day it is Sunday and then next thing I know it is Friday. There are days when I struggle to remember what I did the day before. I feel like I just got married but my wedding came and it went, and I have already been married for 8 months. When asked my age, sometimes I still respond, “22!” That is 2 whole years off! HA I feel like everything in my life is running full-speed ahead and I am trying so hard to jump on it’s back and slow it down. But I am coming to realize, that is never going to happen. So I better light a fire under my butt and try to keep up.

Thanksgiving is over. Now I am desperately trying to decorate my house for Christmas before it is too late. Next thing you know, we are going to be struggling to get down the Christmas tree, put away all of the jolly decor, and figure out our summer vacation. How on earth do people keep up with it all? I wish I could just tell my life to slow down.

Well a few months ago,  a good friend, Canaan Smith, introduced me to an awesome band. They are called “Love and Theft.” Canaan actually helped write their first single, “Runaway” (which I love, so check it out!) I was listening to some of their tunes and I came across a song called “Slowdown” and I could definitely relate. Here are the lyrics. Let me know what you all think! If you are a Love and Theft fan, what are your favorite songs on the album?

Love and Theft “Slowdown” Lyrics:

Life, I need to talk to you
Can you spare a minute just to tell me what to do?
And I’m trying to climb this hill
I can feel you pass me by like I’m standing still

The things I gotta do
I’m feeling you leaving me behind
And I know I don’t wanna go down this road alone
And I’m running out of time

So slow down, you’re losing me
And I can’t see what you want me to be
So slow down ’cause all I know is I can’t go
As fast as you have got me spinning round
I’m barely hanging on, slow down

Why the moments pass me by?
Memories that I can’t keep as hard as I may try
Oh life, you’re so beautiful
I wish it wasn’t so but I can only stay until

Though you say I gotta go
God only knows when that’s gonna be
With all my might I’m trying to keep up with you
And now you’re running away from me

So slow down, you’re losing me
And I can’t see what you want me to be
So slow down ’cause all I know is I can’t go
As fast as you have got me spinning round
I’m barely hanging on, slow down

So slow down, you’re losing me
And I can’t see what you want me to be
So slow down ’cause all I know is I can’t go
As fast as you have got me spinning round
Oh, look at how you got me spinning around
I’m barely hanging on, slow down

Black Friday Blissful Bargains!

Dad and Erik waiting in line at the Coach store with the special coupon!

I am a serious shopper. Some people shop for necessity, I shop for pleasure. I get a rush when I find a good bargain. If I am upset, depressed, sad… I shop. It makes me feel better every time.

Luckily I am a smart shopper. I love TJ MAXX, Ross, and Marshalls. I search the Sunday papers for good deals and I cut coupons religiously. I have figured out the tricks, buy one get one free purchases at Publix, doubling coupons, price matching at certain retail establishments. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.

The men with "the goods!" haha

As you can imagine, Black Friday brings me great joy. I love waiting for the massive paper to arrive the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I decide what I want and I make lists of the stores I want to make it to. I usually find the best deals at Best Buy and Wal-Mart. The best part about shopping at Wal-Mart on Black Friday is the fact that they will match any other doorbuster sale. It is a little tricky because it has to be the EXACT item but sometimes it works and it makes life easy!

I always start off my “Black Friday” experience at the “yellow mall” in Gaffney. It is one of the Prime Outlet malls and they open their doors at midnight on Thanksgiving night. If you are one of the first 500 shoppers, you get a bag full coupons and a pair of PJ’s. All of the outlet stores have special discounts off of their already discounted prices. My sole purpose of going to the outlet mall is to hit up the Coach store. Last year they had an extra 40% off their outlet price for all of their luggage. This year they had an extra 20% off the outlet price of the entire store. Dad usually gets me, mom, and Jenna a few fun gifts from Coach every year.

This year I managed to convince my dad, sister, Erik, and Jenna’s boyfriend, Hunter to join me on my shopping extravaganza. My dad and sister  have come with me before but it was the boys first time shopping on Black Friday. They were a little apprehensive to say the least.

We arrived at the yellow mall at about 11PM (in our pajamas). It was packed. There were lines out of the parking lot and police officers directing traffic! We decided to skip the line for the free goody bag and head straight to the Coach store. We were in luck, they were letting shoppers in early. So after a quick 5 minute wait in line we went inside. It was heavenly! Purses and wallets everywhere! And everything was on sale. So after a few minutes of searching, Jenna and I decided on the same exact purse but in different colors. (Its funny, I feel like we always end up doing that and it is completely accidental.) Dad also got me a matching wallet and passport holder. We were off to a great start!

Me and Dad shopping!!

Then we headed to Banana Republic. The entire store, 50% off! I loved every second of it. We bought gifts for ourselves (of course! haha) and for our loved ones. Then we hit up J Crew, they had an extra 40% off the entire clearance section. Found a few fun pieces of jewelry there and made our way to the Nike outlet. I got a great pair of pink sparkle shock shoes… they were so “me!” And they were sooo cheap! We ended our trip at a few men’s clothing stores so my dad could get a few things.

At this point, most people would head home and hit the sack… well not us. It was about 3AM and we were ready to head to the west side of Spartanburg. Best Buy and Wal-Mart were up next. They didn’t open until 5AM so we decided to have a little detour and head to Dennys. We were still stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner but decided to share some nachos and chocolate mint pie. We also had peppermint hot chocolate and coffee. So we were rejuvenated and ready to go.

The line at Best Buy. About 3:45AM

When we arrived at Best Buy it was INSANE! There was a line that wrapped around the building to the very back near the dumpsters. It wasn’t even 5Am yet. So we decided to try Wal-Mart first. We were in luck. Wal-Mart was letting people in early. Technically the store is open 24 hours so they couldn’t make people wait outside. When we got in the special door buster items were all over the store in the middle of the aisles. Dad hit the jackpot and grabbed a big screen TV, Blue-ray disc player, 2 GPS systems, and a digital camera. Erik and I found the $2 DVD’s and $9 Blu Rays. I also got a flash drive for $7. We all had a blast  and got some really good bargains. And it was much less hectic then expected!

We headed to Best Buy after we left Wal-Mart but the line still wrapped around the building. So Erik, Dad, and I headed home. My sister and Hunter ended up staying and got the few extra things on our list.

Overall, we had a really fun time together and managed to knock out most of our Christmas shopping before December! Definite Success!

Droid VS iPhone

So about a month ago I finally upgraded my old ghetto phone to a Blackberry. And let me tell you, it has changed my life. It is so nice to get all of my work e-mails instantaneously. I just love it. And I love BBM!!! But of course, a month after I get the new Blackberry, Verizon releases The Droid. And now I am debating whether or not I should try it out. I love the commercials. And I went to Verizon yesterday to try it out. It seemed great. Unfortunately I was there with a 3 and 5 year old boy so I didn’t get to play with it as much as I hoped, but I liked what I saw. I also had two good friends get the Droid this week and they have raved about it. One even switched from his iPhone. So now I am asking the same question as most of America.. “Which is better, the iPhone or Droid?”

The Droid and iPhone seem to be very similar. The two phones are relatively the same price- $199 with a new contract. The only negative that comes along with the Droid is the fact you have to send in a rebate. But a trick around the rebate is to buy your phone from Best Buy. They don’t make you go through the hassle. Both have good voice quality when you have a good network signal but AT&T is notorious for bad coverage depending on the area. Both phones have touch keyboards. Here are some pros and cons for each of the phones:

DROID PROS-

• Vivid screen that is taller than the iPhone’s screen. The Droid clocks in at 4.6×2.4 inches, which makes it slightly longer than the iPhone 3GS (4.5×2.4 inches)
• Comes with a physical keyboard  that slides out and you can use at any time if you don’t like the touch keyboard
• Can double tap to zoom
• Navigating through the touch controls is smooth and easy
• You can have multiple applications running simultaneously. This way you can have things such as Facebook or Twitter running without having to open them separately.
• Tons of Android apps available to use! Google already has 10,000 of them up and running.
• 5-megapixel camera with flash and auto- focus features
• Droid’s Internet browser is fast and relatively easy to navigate
• Droid’s music player is serviceable and clean
• GPS is included in Droid, with turn-by-turn built in and working well
• The screen is 3.7 inches. It is massive! But the 480×854 pixel resolution ensures that the image remains pin-sharp. Quite simply, the Droid boasts the best screen I have ever seen on a mobile phone
• It is the first handset to use Android 2.0, the latest iteration of Google’s mobile operating system
• Has an improved version of Google Maps which essentially turns the Droid into a fully-fledged navigational tool
• Customers will have tethering option. Can connect a laptop to their new Motorola Droid and use the phone as a wireless modem
• Removable battery (if your battery dies, you won’t have to send in your entire phone to get it fixed)
• Longer battery life than the iPhone 6.4 hours of talk time compared to the iPhones 5 hrs
• Verizon’s network is just more stable and covers a greater area than AT&T’s
• Voice activated search
• SD card allows you to expand memory
• Can swap SD cards in and out which means more freedom (freedom of open platform)
• Can buy media and music through Amazon MP3
• Better/louder speakerphone
• Standard ports (micro USB port)
• Better video capture

DROID CONS-

• The physical keyboard’s buttons are slick and don’t give much tactile feedback. On the Droid it’s frustratingly easy to press the wrong key because they’re packed in so closely.
• The delay between pressing the button on the camera and getting the shot is relatively lengthy
• Droid is a little heavier
• Lack of multi-touch
• Access to media is not quite as fast with an SD card compared to integrated memory
• Still a little rough around the edges

iPhone PROS

• iPhone is thinner due to the Droid’s slide-out keyboard.
• Supports multi-touch gestures like pinching and double tap to zoom in
• Hundreds of thousands of applications already available for the iPhone
• Faster camera
• iPhone’s Internet capabilities are even easier to navigate with multitouch
• iPhone’s media capabilities still make it the best digital music player period
• The iPhone design is classic thanks to its simplistic lines, tidy metal accents and glossy finish
• Aside from the volume controls and power switch, the only other physical interface is the Home button. Everything else is handled by the touchscreen and is easy to use!
• Docks and speakers are more readily available for the iPhone at this time
• Has iTunes store on phone to buy applications and music (more selection)
• Apple experience is easy to use, especially for Mac users

iPhone CONS

• 3-megapixel camera
• The lack of a physical keyboard
• Restrictive OS
• Customizing your phone is notoriously difficult: Apple doesn’t even allow you to select your own message tone, and using the music contained on your device as a ringtone is impossible
• Apple locks you in to using only their stuff, you have to use Itunes
• Bad network coverage

Well it looks like the two phones compete neck and neck. The main source of frustration of iPhone users seems to be bad coverage. “AT&T failed to invest adequately in the necessary infrastructure to expand its 3G coverage to support its growth in smartphone business, and the usefulness of its service to smartphone users has suffered accordingly.” If Verizon’s coverage is really as good as their advertisements claim, then it might be worth it to go with the Droid. But even those statistics are under review. AT&T filed a lawsuit against Verizon claiming that their ads are untrue. The Verizon lawyers responded to the AT&T’s Map for that lawsuit with this response:

“AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon’s “There’s A Map For That” advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon’s ads are true and the truth hurts.”

Do you have a Droid or an iPhone? If so, what are your thoughts? Any AT&T users switch over to Verizon? If so, what do you think about your new coverage and new phone?

New Photos of Fender

Well I just checked out the Parson’s Place Stables website and she had new photos of Fender up. He is still really tiny! I just love these pictures! Erik and I are going to go visit him again next week. I can’t wait. He will be five weeks old this Friday!

Wikipedia had some interesting facts about the coloring of the Australian Shepherds. They can be four different colors:

Black, Red (sometimes Liver), Blue Merle (marbled black and gray), and Red Merle (marbled red and silver or buff.) Each of these colors may also have copper points and/or white markings in various combinations on the face, chest, and legs.

Kathy told me that a full white collar on the Australian Shepherds is desired and when the puppies have the full white collar they tend to be more expensive. Fender is a Red Merle and has a partial white collar and it is really cute! I love when the Aussies get older because their collar tends to get thick and fluffy, kind of like a lion’s mane!

All black and blue merle dogs have black noses, eye rims, and lips. All red and red merle dogs have liver or brown noses, eye rims, and lips. But right now the little guy’s nose is cute and pink!

Aussie’s are also known for their beautiful eyes! An early nickname for the dog was “ghost-eye dog.” Aussie’s eyes can be blue, brown, hazel, green, or amber. Sometimes they can even have two different colored eyes. Kathy has one female with one blue eye and one brown eye. It looks really cool! Erik wants Fender to have two different colored eyes.

I hope he has blue eyes. Sometime the merles will even have “split eyes” (like a half-brown, half-blue eye) and merled eyes can occur too! The merled eyes one color mixed and swirled with another. Wikipedia says that, any combination of eye color is acceptable in the breed standard, so long as the eyes are healthy. In general, however, black Aussies (self, bi-color or tri-color) tend to have brown eyes, while red (self, bi-color or tri-color) Aussies tend to have amber eyes, though these Aussies may also carry the blue eyed gene. Aussie’s eyes start changing colors at about 6 weeks. So we should know what color eyes Fender will have soon! I can’t wait.