Bandit

I am ecstatic to say 

that I can now introduce you to a new member of our little Californian family.

Meet Bandit. Our new puppy.

Bandit is almost 7 weeks old now. He is a rescue puppy, and so we do not know exactly what breed he is, but judging by his looks, and the looks of his brothers and sisters, it's definitely

 safe to say he is part German Shepherd, and then something smaller, like a Lab. Our neighbors right across the street work for the Humane Society, and so a couple weeks ago, they brought home 9 baby foster puppies! Terribly chaotic, but also fantastically adorable. We picked (or, I guess I picked,) "Bandit" because he is the darkest one of the bunch. He has this mask over his eyes and nose, so that is why Geoff and I decided to call him "Bandit". We talked it over with our going-to-be new Landlord, James, and it all worked out pretty well. We are now adjusting our budget and all that we have saved for him to finance his food and shots and toys and such things. I bought him a couple of toys the other day, and some no-tears puppy shampoo, as well as some puppy treats, so he will feel very loved when he does come home with us. (He is still with his brothers and sisters right now, until he finishes getting his vaccination shots. This means, he will come home with us in about a week and a half, giving us time to finish up school before his arrival.) 

Anyway, we are VERY excited. Our neighbor even said that she would let us take him home for a sleepover before his release date, since she knows that Norman is up to date on his shots! But we are still waiting on his crate to come (which I ordered on Sunday, I think,) before we feel like we can have him sleep here. He is definitely going to be crate-trained, to make life easier on everyone, and so we can eliminate any chance of him getting the idea that the carpet is good for eating when we are away for any small amount of time. I have a ton of pictures of him and his friends, so if you're interested, feel free to check out the album "Bandit & Family" on my Facebook.

I started Bartending school this Monday, as well. And I must say, I am having SO much fun!!! I look forward every night to driving out to that class, and always set up my bar area early so I am ready to go. I was surprised at how quickly I picked it up, actually, and while my memory is a failure most of the time, surprisingly, I am having no problem remembering these drinks, and have already memorized over 40 different drinks, without studying my flashcards! I feel really confident already, and today was only my 3rd day! My instructor calls me "Hollywood", because I'm real fast with my pouring, and I add extra color to my drink mixes so they look bright and fancy. (We don't use real alcohol when practicing, obviously, just water with food coloring, but in the real bottles.) He says I'm going to make a great bartender. And I asked about their job placement program, and he said it was really good, and I had nothing to worry about. In fact, he is already looking at places that are hiring, and reports back to us who is looking. Unfortunately, none yet in Redlands that have called him looking for bartenders. But, I still have another week. There are only 5 people in our class this session, so that is great for me because we get extra attention, and I'm paying less, which means more toys for Bandit! :) Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I am doing really well in that aspect, and am having a REALLY great time with that aspect of schooling. 

Some of you already know this, but I sent out copies of my book on Monday, (finally,) and so you will all (or almost all..) be receiving a copy sometime... Grandma and Papa I know already got theirs, (which is crazy... I have no idea how that got there so fast, considering I sent it "Media Mail" which is like, slower than the slowest mail...) so hopefully yours will be coming in the mail sometime soon! Enjoy!

Love to you all.