DUKE AND DEXTER UPDATES!

HER: Keeping up with the new addition to the fam.
Duke and Dexter just turned 5 months! And we are so excited to share some new pictures with you all!
As you can see they keep growing.
They have been so good and so much fun too. We have added to our busy schedules, play dates, walk at the beach, dog parks.
A few changes due to their size and just because they are so pretty to look at =), we recently move them to our changing room. where we can see them from our bedroom, while reading or when we are computerizing.
The potty training has been quite an adventure. Since they are such a large breed, the puppy pads didn't quite work for us, we would take them every 2 hours for a run and a quick potty break. they had a bell that they will ring when they were ready for the "quick run", which turn out to be rang more like every half an hour than every two. Then Frank curious for the mind learning suggested "the litter box", all I can say is that it has been such a fantastic idea since both of us aren't home most of the day during the week. They both are pretty much litter box trained by now.
Our apartment complex tennis court was turned into a dog park too. So it has been wonderful to take the pups out for a run and socialize with the neighborhood canines.
As far as nutrition, we remain with dog food, vitamins, milkbones as incentive and every now and then I will through a piece of fish, steak to their plate of food, They remain pretty content with their eating habits.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

HER: We hosted thanksgiving dinner at our apartment this year. A few of our friends decided to join us for this event.
Excited and anticipating this special dinner, feeling the holiday spirit ;). I started preparing a few dishes late on wednesday evening.
- The stuffing (a mixture of garlic confit, sausage, goat cheese and fresh parsley and other herbs to keep the tradition but with a hint of excitement add to it).
- Cherry salad (no offense to the cramberry lovers, we like cherries best!)
- Crab and mushroom duxelle dip.
- Marinating the turkey.
- Searing the pork loin, preparing for roasting, wrapping it up with bacon =).

Trying to get over the flu, we had a late morning start, but manage to get everything going just in time =).
That included a pumpkin cheesecake, oyster stew, mashed potatoes, haricot verts in garlic butter and everything in the oven just in time!

Nothing feels better than sitting at the table and being able to enjoy dinner with a table full of friends and your love right beside you.
With a glass arising, hope your thanksgiving was as much fun and enjoyable as mine was.

Pictures will come as soon as we get them.
Special thanks to our friend Roshaika for the wonderful Mac and cheese and the beautiful collard greens, to Jacob for the rolls and salad and to Jason for the delicious teas and tasty sweet potatoes!

NEW CAMERAS!!!!!

HER: So as simple and exciting as it sounds... WE HAVE NEW CAMERAS!!
Frank decided to surprise me with an early holiday gift =). Got him and myself matching cameras for our trip and daily adventures!.
And they are so pretty and so blue, I love them!

Now, we don't have an excuse why not to keep this abandoned blog on the go.
So be on the look out, we will keep you posted with our adventure taling again!

Barristers this year!

HER: Barristers ball, a night of social event between Florida coastal students and their dates.

I personally find this night very exciting. I get to pick up a pretty dress and do my hair and my date as gorgeous as always, quite a princess - girlie night ;).

Hang out with your friends, share some laughs, enjoy some wine and some live music, while you dance a little. The happening is at the Stadium downtown, so the view to the field is spectacular too.

Here are a few pictures of the event this year.

The boys, the girls and us!

Election Disconnection

HIM: It's Election Day. I voted at 7:30 this morning. The democrats finally got their act together this year. I find it amusing that democrats get their act together 4 years after the Bush re-election, but are still trying to sweep the to-be-former President into the debates as a central issue. We all know that it's just silly. Similarly, I find it amusing that the republicans are so unprepared for this election that their best response is the candidate is a terrorist supporter. We all know that it's just silly.

Luckily, the election year pony show falls short of being meaningful for me, as it does for many individual voters. The essence of "what is democrat/republican" should be guiding. We all know what good and bad the parties stand for. Each of the candidates appear to be generally oriented toward those political tendencies. Don't get caught up in the ridiculous frenzy of mudsling. But: DO GET YOUR LOUSY BUTT TO THE POLLS AND VOTE FOR SOMEONE!

The Last Straw

HIM: I apologize for this blog in advance.

Okay, so I don't spend a lot of time checking out video game hype or surfing the web for game news (except for Resident Evil on the Wii...), but I came across this article and it made me remember why today's consoles make my blood boil. First, I want to preface this discussion with the note that I currently own an Xbox (the OLD one, not 360) and a Wii (which I am VERY happy with). My aunt borrowed my PS2 and it turned up missing... Regardless, I was lucky enough to have a Commodore 64, Atari, and Nintendo in my more formative years, and a Sega Genesis later on. Having been there since the beginning of console gaming (and the discovery of the wheel, as some of you may suggest... ;) I can say with a clear, unbiased view that some companies in today's gaming industry are disturbingly irresponsible (dare I suggest, much like certain finance organizations) and unworthy of the benefit of a bargained for exchange of cash for goods...

Microsoft Xbox 360
I loved playing Halo in co-op mode with my little sister Annie on the original Xbox system. She rocked and I'd love to have her at my side in a deep space firefight. "There's a grenade on your LEG!" =) However, the current system's stole away my faith in the franchise. At a $400 minimum for Microsoft's Xbox 360, the company wouldn't let purchasers return it to retail stores for a refund because they new gamers would take their business elsewhere. Junkbox 360 owners had to mail in their machines to a central storehouse that would process it and then mail them back someone else's defective and "repaired" machine. It was offensive to me, hearing that so many friends were waiting months for their 2nd or even 3rd "refurbished" Junkbox. I was a faithful Xbox owner before the 360's release, but wouldn't trust Microsoft to make a widget now. This article shows the depth of executive problems at the heart of Microsoft's management. This won't change, no matter how they try to sweep it under the table. I imagine shareholders should be rightly sceptical of in-house research suggesting "gamers have largely forgiven" Microsoft's poor development and support, no matter how tightly the company clings to the Halo franchise. Unless I can get a WORKING (1 in 10 still are not...) model for $10, I doubt I could forgive execs for knowingly shoving a broken product out to the loading dock. In the course of typing this paragraph, my Internet Explorer (also a Microsoft program) nearly crashed twice... lol

Nintendo Wii
Sebastian and I visited a game store and played a demo version of Mario Galaxy (which we still haven't purchased yet!) we had a hard time finding a Wii when we were looking. That seems to be a huge marketing strategy for Nintendo. If demand is high, then prices will remain there also. At the time that the other systems were being consumed, they were clearly aware that it was possible to keep a half-next-gen system on the same shelves. If it weren't for the fact that the wiimote is so darn cool (think arcade games in your living room) it would be hard to compare the system to the other, clearly, next-generation consoles. Developers seem to say that Nintendo, as a whole, is not very accomodating. Also, it appears that the company is not very good about getting the same new releases as other consoles. Good stuff. We'll be using our Wii for a while.

Sony Playstation 3
I don't have much to say about the Sony Playstation 3, it seems the least offensive of the three other current-gen systems. I had a playstation 2 (which seems to be going stronger than it's latest incarnation...), so I had a stake in Sony's success, but Great graphics, effective marketing, lots of supported new games, and a GIANT price tag to reflect it ensure that you're probably better off keeping your PS2 under the TV and your cash in-hand.

Consumers: All this being said, the market determines how much a console system goes for (or used to anyway...), and if consumers actually want to pay the money for a shoddy product it's their own fault for not letting demand fall flat and waiting for the inevitable price drop. Every three-to-four years, companies release a new system at temporarily laughable prices with plenty of bugs. Plan accordingly.

Developers: We'll wait for a good product. Don't sign off on it when it's not ready. It makes us mad. We won't buy your next-next-gen system. =) Seriously.

This Semester...

HER: Finally back!!! Hopefully this time we will be able to sit and keep up with narrating the latest from us in Jacksonville.



Like everyone, life has been pretty busy for us. Trying to fill in fun activities in between of our busy schedules.



Sebastian started going to a new school.

After returning from Peru, we took the decision of finding what was best for Sebastian's interests and education.

Being born late September, it was known to us by Florida Legislature that he would be losing the school year, so it became a bit difficult for us to find a place where he would feel encourage to keep learning. Notorious change with language expression, behaviour, interests and developed skills. Sebastian at 4 was reading, had become bilingual, had developed deep interest in science and knew a few concepts like precipitation, evaporation and had become a very enthusiastic learner. We picked a private Jewish school (http://www.jcajax.edu/), two months into the school year, I can honestly say it has been such a great choice. He absolutely loves his teacher and she has done such a fine job in keeping the kids interested by stimulating them with a number of fun and interesting activities. About a month ago, they brought an incubator to the school and kept a few eggs. The kids were counting down the days for the eggs to hatch with much excitement. Sebastian was thrilled that the eggs were probably going to start hatching a couple of days before his birthday was thinking double calculations daily. Finally the day came and he start announcing the birth of the chicks and that is all he talked about at home. They also keep a garden with organic vegetables and herbs, which he loves to talk about also.

Daily prayers at the table during dinner... Sebastian in many occasions has volunteered to say the blessing. Recently we noticed he started praying in Hebrew and English.

We were lucky to find a safe and fun environment.

Weekly routines like Monday or Tuesday nights at chick-fil-a, book store, Starbucks, baking at home.



Duke and Dexter have adapted very well to our family =). We are so lucky they are so awesome and so much fun too !!!. I am thrilled and extremely joyous we have incorporated new fun family activities... We take them for walks to the beach, doggy parks (which they have absolutely love to play at, obstacle courses, freedom to run and water! THEY LOVE THE WATER! they are so funny, I just enjoy watching them play. It is incredible how safe I feel during my late-night walks around the neighborhood and they are just puppies! I am very proud to say I am also fighting my fear against bigger dogs.



Work at Bistro Aix is just so much fun. I absolutely love what I do everyday. It has been busy too. We have recruited a whole new line crew after struggling with constant changes I think we finally have a solid group of team players that are willing and that is exciting to announce.

This week we are starting a new menu as well. New sexy dishes coming from the kitchen!.



Now that we are balancing the activities and getting some sort of routine, I am planning to squeeze in some yoga to my Monday nights. I can't wait!



Frank's school is going very well. He has been occupied working on an ALWR paper and putting his resume together.

I am very excited for him. He really seems to be enjoying this semester very much.

There are a couple of classes that much of his interest and I am thrill to hear that.



Sebastian and I are very proud of him for his imput and taught work he puts towards it =).

TE AMAMOS!

Star Wars MANIA!

HER: I get to wear The SMILE , everytime I see this picture, so hope you are smiling too =).
We decided to have this picture taken while we were at Magic Kingdom the weekend before Sebastian's birthday. Sebastian has become a HUGE fan of Star Wars and often wonders what it would take to become a Jedi. We posed one at a time and they "cropped" our faces into each of the characters. Sebastian as Anakin, Frank as Obi -Wan Kenobi, and I as Padme. Note -- Sebastian is still a little shorter than I in real life and that isn't Frank's real hair!

HIM: As you may know, inter alia, Sebastian has taken a serious liking to Lego Star Wars thanks to a Wii game by the same name. For his birthday, in addition to some super hero action figures and random Matchbox cars, we picked up a boatload of lego sets for him. His grandparents in Peru even got him the Lego police station. Most of the lego sets are for 7 year olds, but he loves treating the sets like 3D puzzles. We further incentivize him to complete his puzzles by reminding him that after he completes one set, he'll "unlock" the characters or special items that came with it, just like the Wii game. He responded really well and is currently working on a space ship "puzzle" so that General Grievous (a character from the game and movies) will return to find that his ship has been "fixed" by Sebastian.

His fascination with building is just one of the latest indicators that 1) Sebastian is very smart, and 2) Vanessa has done such a great job raising him. Sebastian is able to look at the numbered Lego instructions step by step and piece together the parts all by himself. This takes both patience and fine motor skills, as the pieces are usually quite small. We are so proud of him.

Sebastian's Cake

HIM: Sebastian is now a 5-year old! He asked us for a Lego Indiana Jones cake for his birthday, so we made one.

Disney Family

HIM: We had the good fortune of an Orlando trip. My sister Angela was on vacation there for a week with Brian and they invited us to stay with them at the Disney resort. We drove down for the weekend and went to the Magic Kingdom the next morning. After breakfast, we left for a day at the happiest place on earth. Here are the pics!

Maggiano's Dinner

HIM: We succeeded in getting another group of F'ers together for a nice Maggiano's dinner! Calamari, pasta, salad, and salmon...

Sebastian, Cullen, Leslie, Adriana, Sam, Stefan, Shelley, "Rambo", Me, and Vanessa enjoying the evening.

Sebastian's best buddy. =)

Tropical Storm: Fun

HIM: As you may know, we got smacked around a little by the tropical storm (Fay) that blew through Florida last week. Things didn't appear too bad out and about, but there was the occasional palm tree falling on our stairs. That's all...


It didn't actually cause any damage, in case you were wondering. Just strange having to duck under it to get in the apartment. It was there for several days as the chain saw people were elsewhere diverting other storm-time crises.

More Puppy Pics!

HIM: We have had the puppies for two days now and they are great!

To start with, we had to make sure that our apartments allowed them. We knew that the contract specified that no huskies or part-wolf breeds were allowed. Our friend Tierney's complex specifically names malamutes as allowable where huskies are not. Also, we did our online research to make sure that they are not considered wolves in the scientific community and were glad to find there was a clear distinction. We will be filling out the necessary paperwork and doing the pet deposit within the next couple weeks.

In the meanwhile, we have been training them for life with our family. Our routine has averaged 2 play times and 1 major walk each day, with potty breaks every 3 hours during the day. At night, the puppies sleep very well and only really cry when they are separated for their periodic potty. We had to do this because if we tried to let them out together one gets distracted and tries to go before we make it out the door. This way, we can keep an eye on one and make sure it does its business outside.

We have a chest harness for each so that they are at leash-length without having to yank on their necks. So far they are obedient enough that we don't have to yank them around much. They're so friendly, too. We found a few good websites on what to expect about our new additions. This one discusses malamutes in warmer climates, and this one information about the ancestry of the breed. Then, of course, there is Wikipedia's info. Don't forget that he's only part malamute as well. He's a lab/malamute mix from a litter of 9.

We took them to the beach yesterday and they loved it. Duke seems a little shy of the ocean waves, but Dexter is more adventurous and will follow me in paw-deep. They'll both run through it as we're running up the beach, though. I'd love to get some pictures of it soon. Keep your eyes out. We should have some more pictures with Vanessa and Sebastian up soon as well.

Asleep in the car on the way home from the beach at night.

Puppies'-eye view of the dinner table.

Children AND puppies love Lego Star Wars for the Wii...

As soon as Sebastian turned it on, they were riveted by the sounds and colors.