Braaaaaad.
Sorry Brad, I know I'm always pestering you 
Brian's been docked 10% of his hours between feb. & april [ I HATE consultant firms, & I esp. hate IBM even moreso now because of this ] but...neways. Essentially, we are thinking about having him take a one-week [ unpaid ] vacation which will amount to the 10% he needs off.
It'd be in March, around my spring break time. [ from Mar. 6-14 ] It's not 100% positive, & it's mostly dependent on if we get this house we're going to put a bid on.
Neways...we were wondering if you & Jen were up for a visit? We figured we'd take a nice drive / roadtrip out there & get to finally meet you guys
That & the ulterior motive is...I really want to finally meet a kai & shika~! [ but I'm also scared, I'm already in love with these breeds WITHOUT having met them...imagine after I HAVE! The wait will be 100000x MORE painful LOL ]
Neways, if you guys are free around that time, & don't mind an incredibly obsessed Osy out there visiting, let me know.
& if you guys are busy at that time, any recommendations on who we should visit? [ Marion? Peggy? Kris? I've no idea...haha ]
I'm really at the point where I've read enough, I've talked enough, I've seen enough photos...It just really feels like it's time to meet the breeds I've fallen head over heels in love with! & Brian's just as excited. [ Do dog-lovers always marry eachother? LOL ]
Or maybe I've just converted him
Let me know! We'd like to do something that week other than sitting around the house going crazy. ~
Brian's been docked 10% of his hours between feb. & april [ I HATE consultant firms, & I esp. hate IBM even moreso now because of this ] but...neways. Essentially, we are thinking about having him take a one-week [ unpaid ] vacation which will amount to the 10% he needs off.
It'd be in March, around my spring break time. [ from Mar. 6-14 ] It's not 100% positive, & it's mostly dependent on if we get this house we're going to put a bid on.
Neways...we were wondering if you & Jen were up for a visit? We figured we'd take a nice drive / roadtrip out there & get to finally meet you guys
That & the ulterior motive is...I really want to finally meet a kai & shika~! [ but I'm also scared, I'm already in love with these breeds WITHOUT having met them...imagine after I HAVE! The wait will be 100000x MORE painful LOL ]
Neways, if you guys are free around that time, & don't mind an incredibly obsessed Osy out there visiting, let me know.
& if you guys are busy at that time, any recommendations on who we should visit? [ Marion? Peggy? Kris? I've no idea...haha ]
I'm really at the point where I've read enough, I've talked enough, I've seen enough photos...It just really feels like it's time to meet the breeds I've fallen head over heels in love with! & Brian's just as excited. [ Do dog-lovers always marry eachother? LOL ]
Or maybe I've just converted him
Let me know! We'd like to do something that week other than sitting around the house going crazy. ~
Comments
Yea, you guys can visit, that would be great! We are always open for visitors. We can even board the guardians so you will feel welcome. ;o)
Those dates are fine, too. Let me know if you need any info on the area. Keep us posted.
I'm stoked!
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This will be Brian & I's first time away from home together, so if you could give us a recommendation of some nice hotels & things to do there, places to eat, etc. that'd be awesome too. [ we're hikers! LOL ]
Haha I would prefer not to be eaten by Big L, Masha, & Leila [ tho what an awesome way to go! Devoured by LGD ]
I'll let you know the details as we get closer to the date so you know exactly when we'd be there
Jen's going to be a bit farther along in her pregnancy by then huh?
We'll keep you posted!
Going to be a good long drive! [ Mapquest says appx. 28 hours, so should be fun! I love roadtrips ] We'd fly there but...I'm terrified of flying. It'll depend on what we decide, but if we end up flying I'll come bug you for which airport
I'll get some names of other hotels in Taos. For hiking, we may be up for a hike... err, I may, Jen probably will be too pregnant at that point.
Give me a day or so to get the info for you.
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[ I tried to google hotels & stuff but...I've NO idea where exactly in Taos you are
Re: Jen. We'll just drag her out to dinner to make up for lack of a hike. ;p & maybe do some other stuff. No idea what's out there, but I'm sure we can think of something.
Thanks Brad! We're super excited
[ btw. Do you realize how jealous all the forum people will be? LOL <--- Thought this was funny.] ~
We put an offer on the house we're looking at, & they have until 2 days after we get back from NM to tell us if they accept / counter / decline, & closing date will be sometime in April. [ hopefully, they'll decide not to counter / accept / decline when we're actually over there tho LOL ]
Dad's going to watch the cockatiels & the snake, so all we have left to do is plan.
One question for you Brad, if we decide to fly...
o1. Which airport are we flying to?
&
o2. How far is said airport from you guys? :P
I'm sooooo stoked!!! haha You've no idea how exciting this is!!
If we drive, we'll leave Fri. Evening [ the 5th of March ] get there Sat. Night [ the 6th of March ] Stay 4 days: Sunday, Mon, Tues, & wed. then leave on Thursday [ the 11th of March ] & hopefully be back on Friday. [ the 12th ]
Exciting!
The plan sounds good. If you fly you would probably fly into Albuquerque, which is about 3 hours away. You can sometimes connect and fly into Santa Fe, which is about 2 hours from our house. If you wanted to have a really pretty drive you could fly into Denver and drive in, but that is a 6 hours drive.
This is our house: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.486183,+-105.688998&sll=36.486388,-105.6889&sspn=0.003067,0.004613&ie=UTF8&ll=36.488109,-105.686417&spn=0.196253,0.295258&t=h&z=12
Our address is 221 Tune Drive Taos, NM 87571 - but it doesn't come up correctly on google maps. I just wanted to give you an idea of where we live. Taos is a neat place, but I want to warn you, there isn't a ton of stuff to do here - FYI.
Taos, the city (very small) is about 15 minutes from our place. You can stay in Taos, which will put you closer to things to do, or you can stay just outside of toas in the B&B I mentioned earlier or any of the places toward the ski valley (Taos Ski Valley).
In Taos, the nicest hotel is El Monte Sagrado: http://www.elmontesagrado.com/
Then there are other nice places, but not as "fancy pants", here is a list:
http://www.taosinn.com/
http://www.lafondataos.com/
Then cheaper options (but still nice):
http://sagebrushinn.com/
And really cheap (but unique): http://www.snowmansion.com/index.html
If you want something you will only find in Taos: http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/vacation-rentals/Taos-New-Mexico-vacation-rental-home-proID-35160.html
I hope that helps.
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& no worries about not much to do, we'll find something. & afterall, we are mainly coming out to visit you guys!
Really, if we wanted a vacation with tons of "stuff" to do, we'd take a 1.5 hour plane ride to the Bahamas LOL
[ btw, we have entirely stumped me dad & in-laws. They're like..."New Mexico....WHY???" & we're like..."Uhm......uh...we want to hike. Yeah, that's it...hike...!" ]
If we told them why we were really going out there they'd really think we've lost it LOL
[ it's kind of funny actually. Since Brian & I are both big dog lovers they're all pulling their hair out in suspicion trying to figure out why we haven't got one yet. They suspected it'd be the first thing we did when we got married. But we know as soon as we show them their new puppy "grandchild" they're going to go into shock LOL Kind of one of those...you "suspect" it but aren't "prepared" for it. ]
Our poor parents, we just keep confusing them. Fortunately, both sets of parent's are huge dog lovers [ me dad's the one that first introduced me to JA yeaaaaarssss ago. He met a JA WAY before I did haha They're his favorite dog breed, followed by Shiba ] but they're the type who say "We LOVE them...but not in OUR house." *insert eyeroll*
I am WAY too stoked. Brad, I don't think you & Jen can comprehend just how EXCITING this is for me!!! If we end up driving, I think I might have a seizure by the time we get to Taos haha.
~
I was talking with my father in law [ who apparently KNOWS about Taos & has wanted to go there haha ] & he mentioned weather, how it might be cold, etc. etc.
Well, it occurred to me that, being a Floridian...I have no winter clothes. [ or at least, not since we moved back to FL from Jersey 8 years ago haha ] Just jeans & T-shirts. So...how cold do you reckon it's going to be there around mid-march when we go?
Snow? 20 degrees? 40 degrees? 70? 90? LOl
Just want to know so I can pick up some winteresque clothes & shoes while I can. [ They've already gotten rid of much of the cold-weather clothes already down here ]
Thanks Brad! ~
Also, one thing to keep in mind is mud, it could be VERY muddy that time of year due to snow melt, and we live 2 miles down a very bumpy dirt road out on the mesa where there is now grass - so it is very muddy at times.
So, pack hiking boats (if you got them) and jeans, jackets, and long sleeves. Don't pack anything you would be really upset about if it got dirty. Taos is a rugged "old west" kinda place, its really unique and different from any other place in the USA, but with its "old west" charm comes some "old west" un-coolness, so just keep that in mind. You may get dirt on your pants just simply getting in and out of your car here.
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[ I'm kind of hoping for some light snow, haven't seen snow in 8 years!! ]
I'm not too considered about getting dirty LOL Haha this is going to be great!
I've been to Cali, but never the midwest, so I'm super stoked! [ if hubby & I had more time, we'd be heading up to Colorado Springs. Brian's been & loved it & i want to go hike there haha ] But, we plan on taking a trip out just for Colorado, maybe in a year or two.
Thanks Brad! If there's anything else you want to "warn" me about let me know
Can't wait!~
I was chatting with Jen, she mentioned that you guys could probably ski while you're here, if you want. I think the Ski Valley is still open that time of year, and so you may want to look at Taos Ski Valley for a place to stay too - TSV is about 20 minutes from our place.
If you don't want to ski, that is fine too, we can hike - but it may require snowshoes (depending on the snow level), if that's the case then you will need to rent some and you will need ski pants which we may have for you to barrow (snow shoots up the back of your legs when you snowshoe, so your jeans get frozen).
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Also, you guys should discuss our dogs before you come and let us know who you want to meet so we can make boarding arrangements if needed.
This may seem silly, but I want to be clear on something, we have a few dogs here that will make even the most seasoned dog enthusiast uncomfortable. We have had trainers who have worked with dogs for 10s of years outright refuse to work with some of our dogs due to their intimidation vibe. You guys have not lived with a dog in a while, so I do not know how comfortable you really are with them - I know you feel like you are totally comfortable, but you should ask yourself if you are comfortable around a dog that wants to kill you.
If you are comfortable with all of the above, and really want to see Luytiy/Masha, then we can keep them kenneled in the barn and let them out so you can see "The Luytiy Show", but if that is not interesting to you (which is fine and totally understandable - no worries), let us know and we will arrange to have them off-property. Obviously, you would only meet them through a fence or door/window on property, but its still a bit much if you are not into/used to that type of thing.
You also need to consider Blue, he is more biddable, but just as "scary", you can probably interact with Blue once he "knows" you, but you should talk about whether or not you want to meet him too as he can be very intimidating at first. Again, totally up to you - we don't care either way.
I also want to mention something about Kona, we did a poor job socializing him with visitors, so he may be an ass when you are her on our property, but we can take him hiking, or just for a walk, and he will warm up to you - he is most comfortable on trail as he has spent most of his life there. I just wanted to warn you of that as I know you like Kona and I don't want you to have hurt feelings if he acts like a dbag at first.
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Oh, skiing might be interesting! We'll look into it! [ I've never skiied before, kind of scared to actually haha. Brian's says he's done cross-country skiing ]
I've never done snowshoeing either, but it seems less scary
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As far as Luytiy / Masha / Blue. I think it'd be kind of cool to see Luytiy in person. As far as being scared / uncomfortable, I think we'll be fine. Where I grew up in NJ there was the sweetest Rottie that lived next door & I use to spend every day with right? Then, a few houses down, in the front yard of another house, was a PSYCHOTIC chowchow. We'd walk by & he'd be snarling, drooling, growling, trying to get through the fence, etc. etc. never bothered me. [ til this day I feel sorry for the poor thing ]
You know me Brad, I like dogs...correction, I LOVE dogs LOL & I have TONS of fears like heights and flying, but the one thing I've never been afraid of are animals. I have a respect, that can cause a bit of natural fear, like for Sharks, but at the same time I also have an understanding. Not all dogs are sweet, not all dogs are playful, and some dogs, like Luytiy, Masha, & Blue, have a specific purpose, & seeing them do what they're bred to do makes me happy more than scared
Now, will having 3 pups trying to kill me be interesting? Yes. I'd be much more interested than scared, TBH. I'd love to see what they do when they feel there is a threat! BUT, IF you guys think our presence there will cause unneeded stress for them [ or for you guys ] then please feel free to board them. But don't worry about us, we're more afraid of people than dogs
[ & Shame on those trainers! Just MHO, but you weren't missing anything if THEY were afraid of the dog. THEY are in the wrong profession if they can't handle a dog because they're scared. Pfft. ]
& Kona...my feelings won't get hurt if he's standoffish. One thing you'll note about my husband & I, we let the dogs we interact with come to us. We don't go chasing after them trying to pet them or anything. We figure if the dog wants our attention, they'll make it known, no need to pester them about it.
Tho, dogs in general, tend to like me more than my husband. I think it's cause he's a big guy LOL 5'11, 270llbs, & a deep voice---he scared me too the first time I met him! haha [ My husband gets ENDLESS jokes from my side of the family, they say he's suppose to be tiny because he's chinese lol ] Likewise, I'm a little 5' tall person with a high pitched voice
As far as which pups we'd specifically like to see...Hubby has been ragging on to me the past year [ even before we were married ] on how he'd rather have 2 shika then 1 shika & 1 kai. BUT! Ever since you guys have brought Mochi home he's been RAVING about her! LOL When I asked him which pups he wanted to see, he said Mochi first
Oh, & you know, I'd never live it down if we didn't get to see the bear-cow!!! We have to see Hilo!
The thing is, even tho we want 1 kai & 1 shika for our "pack" we have talked about maxing out at a 3rd dog in a few years. We're not sure if it'd be a nihon ken yet or even what breed, so I'd like Brian to see a JA as I think he'd fall in love with them.
So in summary, Brad, we'd love to meet ALL your dogs [ moihahaha ] but, Mochi, Kona, Ahi, & Loa are highest on the list
Also, we're coming into your home, so please, do whatever makes you both feel the most comfortable / least stressed. We don't want to visit & have you guys stressed out!
Hope Jen & the future babe are doing ok! ~
Promise I don't ramble as much in person
I'm WAAaaaay too stoked!!! ~
Fuji and Hilo will mos def be here and will love you guys. Hilo will great you when you come in, from the couch, with wooo wooos.
Ahi and Loa will jump all over you and give lots of kisses. Ahi will growl and be a handful - you will get the Ahi violation.
we dunno how Mochi will do, she has never met a visitor to the house (we rarely get visitors), but outside of the house she LOVES meeting people. you will laugh at how small she is, she is tiny. I think she will be fine once she sees Ahi and Loa excited to see you.
Kona we will have outside, and then bring him in, and he will bark at you. I hate that we didn't socialize him better with visitors.
Blue may be in the house, I dunno. We will have to see. Be prepared for barking, the LGD bark a lot, even from the barn it can be loud.
Oh, the Shibees will be inside too and will be stoked to meet you. Kaia will be very silly, but she may have to be limited due to her hip issue.
As for the stress on the LGD, no worries, they LOVE to guard.
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I am always open for hiking, so its not a bother at all, I'm looking forward to it! Then we can take you guys to our favorite food spots, I hope you like spicy food - you can pretty much only get New Mexican food here (lots of green chili).
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Totally understand about Huna, JJ, & Lani. [ I'd already told Bri odds are we wouldn't meet Huna since he's so people-scared ] Leila would be cool to "see" even if we can't go up to her. She's so pretty! Like a mesh between Masha & Luytiy. She's my fav. of your 3 LGD
& I get to hear Hilo woo-woos in PERSON?! & get the Ahi violation in PERSON?!?!? Brad...stop torturing me!!! Our visit is still a month away!
& Kona barking...he just wants to show off his studly-ness
Ah...Mochi is tiny...so...we'll be able to fit her into the back seat of Bri's CR-V? or my Lancer? LOL
Kaia's just cute. I'm going to tell you Maui isn't the ass you make him out to be tho
Re: Barking. We actually went to a "pet hotel" a couple of weeks ago to "stake it out" & see how they were. It's a HUGE facility, super clean, positive reinforcement-only, etc. the owner was awesome & said when we get pups, even if we're not boarding to bring them by for her to meet. [ <--- Good socialization opportunity ] [ they also board intact-dogs which is cool, not many places down here do that ] Anyways, she gave us the tour of the facility & BOY were we greeted by TONS of barking. It was crazy! My ears were ringing afterward! LOL
This is so surreal! Kind of strange I'll get to see you & Jen, & your house & pups in person, rather than through pics!
& yes. You HAVE to give us the tour du Taos. Hiking, eating places, anything else you can think of, don't leave us hanging! [ & don't tell me how much you love Hiking Brad, I'll make you go every day we're there
But yeah, just want to make the whole thing non-stressful for everyone!
Hmm...I'm not going to bring the SLR, as I'll be worried about losing my crap! LOL But I remember you were thinking about pickig up the 50mm 1.4 You want me to bring that so you can play with it?
I am bringing my Canon s90 which you will fall in LOVE with & want one for your own
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On another note, everyone keeps asking me where I'm getting my pups. I've NO idea what to tell them. Some, like Gen or Dave R., I tell them since they're "in" on it. But, since I said we're ready to bring a pup home, everyone wants to know where! Arg. Should've kept my mouth shut, but I'm too excited >_> [ it's...extremely surreal for me haha ] Now it's Jessika asking me.
I'm going to tell her the truth: We have no idea where they're coming from or when we're getting them LOL! ~
I've been trying to get back into drawing / painting recently [ My tablet cries from lack of use ] So, hope you don't mind but I drew Kona & Ahi referenced off of a couple of your pics. They're just rough sketches, but would you like to see them?
Kind of random I know, but I like to draw dogs, & Ahi & Kona both have such distinctive features it makes it fun.
There's something I should probably warn you & Jen about Brian.
We're about 95% sure he has some form of sleeping disorder [ probably Sleep Apnea ] which means, no matter how much he sleeps, even for 15 hours a night, he can sporadically doze off during the day. He's done it playing video games, watching movies, in the car, & even in the middle of a conversation.
He literally has no control over it...so if he dozes off on you in the middle of a convo, please don't get upset or offended by it. He does it to everyone, & hates that he does it [ he doesn't even realize he's fallen asleep ]. We'll just give him a poke to wake him back up again.
Hopefully, we're going to get him tested & treated as soon as this house buying crap is done, but just wanted to give you a heads up in advance. Don't want you guys to get offended or think you're boring him or anything
And, yes, I'd love to see your art work!
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I brought it up as it use to frustrate the hell out of me [ I used to tell him "Am I THAT boring!?" ] but, now that I live with him, see how he sleeps, etc; it's definitely something causing a sleep disorder. [ TBH it's probably weight, he lost 40 pounds, then put 40 back on last year. When he was thinner, the problem wasn't as bad ] so thick neck = sleep disrupter! So just don't want anyone getting upset over it LOL
He's already said he's loading up on energy drinks for when we get there haha
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Arts! An explanation first...they're more "practice" sketches then anything else that I decided to "practice" painting on. I'm notorious for never being able to finish a painting.
Kona was drawn & painted in a Japanese program called Open Canvas. [ like a more artsy version of photoshop ] Ahi was drawn in Open Canvas, but painted in CS4. The originals are much bigger [ like, 2000x3000 pixels ] so if you want the big versions let me know
Also bear in mind...I haven't drawn anything in 6 months other than these two. Kona was about an hour, Ahi was about 4. [ & I had some vodka when I did Kona, & hadn't slept for 2 days when I did Ahi ] so...needless to say, they definitely aren't great
[ those "themed" rooms they have kind of creep me out tho haha ]
Ah I am WAY too stoked
I think you will like Taos, its an artist's community - everyone here is an artists in one way or another.
That's awesome you will be staying at El Monte Sagrado, that place is super nice! You may see some famous people there too - Taos is a popular for famous people that don't like to be in the spot light, people here just don't care who you are or what you have.
We are super excited about meeting you guys!
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Yep. We're officially booked! *stoked* We were going go with a cheaper hotel but, it's our first time staying in a hotel together, so why not? LOL
God willing, this house business will go smoothly & we'll see you all in a few weeks! Less than a month away now!
Hi to Jen & Fetus for me! ~
*TOO excited* Can't wait to finally meet you guys! [ in person!!! ]
So...anything you guys want us to bring from FL? Disney mugs? Mickey T-Shirts? LOL ~
I chatted with Jen and we couldn't come up with anything we need from FL. Thank you tho!
So what are the plans? Are you driving or flying? When should we expect you?
If you arrive during the day on the 6th we will be in Santa Fe doing training, if you are driving up from the Airport then we could meet you in Santa Fe and grab some food there. All depends on the day you arrive and the timing.
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We should get there on the Sat / the 6th, but it'll be night time. [ probably around 10 / 11pm...maybe a little later, like 12am ] So not sure if you guys want to meet up that day, it'll be really late lol.
We'll be there all day the 7th - 10th tho [ Sun - Wed ], then we'll drive away on the 11th [ Thurs ].
Let me know what you guys would like to do!
FYI - Always try the home number first as my cell get crap reception up here.
Home: 575.751.0207
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I'll call you Sunday too in case we can't find your house
So after we check-in, we'll stop by for a visit? [ after 2pm on Sun. ] That ok with you?
Too excited!
~