The Best Husband

There once was a husband who got in trouble...big trouble.  On a scale of the most important things in life, it really wasn't that big, but his wife was mad.  What did this husband do?  He locked his wife out of the house (inadvertently, in the back yard), and went to work.  How did this happen?  Wife was working on some important articles while she let the dogs play, Husband came home from work for lunch, and when he returned to lunch he locked Wife out.  Why is this such a big deal?  It most definitely wasn't the first time he had locked Wife out, but it was the first time he left the house afterward.  Wife was angry, upset, and (if you live in crazy girl land) was angry that Husband cared so little about Wife that he could possibly forget for even a moment that she was outside and that he shouldn't lock the door.  Wife was very, very upset.

Yes, of course, this story is about Hans and what he did a few weeks ago to upset me so.  I should also note that this was the week before Bark in the Park, and I was trying to get a Fall Newsletter out to all my clients.  Fussing obviously was not a solution to my problem.  I could have yelled a screamed all day, and I would not have felt any better, but more importantly Hans would have locked me out again anyway...proving that yelling did no good.  Don't get me wrong.  I did b**** a bit, but I didn't keep it going all day.  I had to figure out something that would make me feel better, but that wouldn't be ludicrous to ask Hans to do.  And then it dawned on me.  It came on like a flash.  I'd have Hans get the groceries.

You see, I'm generally the one to plan the weekly menu and gather the grocery list.  Lately, though, I haven't had the time or the brain power, so our diet was going kind of crazy, and we constantly had to run back to the store throughout the week to pick up items we had forgotten (like bread).  So, I told Hans that if he planned the menu and got the groceries AND kept it healthy and within budget, that I had no problem cooking or grocery shopping.  His "punishment" was that he had to do this for at least 2 months (which was later changed to 3 months when he locked my mom out of the house).  So far he's been wonderful!

He's fixed absolutely DELICIOUS dinners, he's packed healthy lunches, and he's even made a few breakfasts.  He's taken this menu thing two steps farther than I'd anticipated, and I love it.  We've definitely discovered some meals to add into the weekly rotation, and I am loving coming home to a freshly cooked meal (something better than tacos with just meat and cheese).  I'm also feeling better with all the extra fruits and veggies I'm getting.  Life is good!  So, Hans has most certainly won the Best Husband Award in my book, but, hey, I'm biased.

The Seminar

This weekend, I've been spending time in a seminar with Dr. Ian Dunbar.  Dr. Dunbar was the first person to create puppy training classes at a time when no one thought puppies even could be trained.  He's "kind of a big deal" in the dog training world.

I feel like I'm learning a lot, and I find it all very interesting.  However, I do have a few doubts about some things.  That said, though, I'd really like to incorporate some of his ideas into more of my training (some are already there).  I'd even like to use some of his methods entirely on my dogs.  Heck, it certainly couldn't hurt.  

Anyway, I have one more day left of the seminar.  I'm hoping my brain can retain all this info!  Otherwise, I'll have to follow him around the country until I've gotten it.  Next stop...MINNESOTA!  Ok, not really, but you get the idea.