The Battle of the Blanket

I love pets. What is not to love? They love to play and cuddle. They listen and seem to understand. Most importantly, they are genuinely happy to see you when you get home! I know there are some disadvantages too. Like kids, you must feed them, clean up after them, brush them, bath them, make sure they have medicine, take them to the doctor's, and you have to invest time in them. Still, I love pets!

If you have made the choice to have pets, there are still decisions that you will have to make. What type of pet? There are so many options but most of the time, people decide between cats and dogs. Dogs are usually thought to be submissive and playful. Cats are more cavalier and finicky. You can train a dog. Cats are NOT so easy to train. The list of differences could go on but the truth is that I love them both and like the typical woman, I have a hard time making up my mind. So If you haven't figured it out yet, we have a cat and a dog! Adah is an adorable but confused pekingese dog who sometimes thinks that she is a cat. BJ, well, He always comes when called....Really what cat does that? Together, they bring us many laughs in the Johnson household! Hence, the battle of the blanket begins.

Bryce and I each have our own comforters which we relax and curl up with after a long day at work. We've had them for a few years. These blankets have been ate on, slept on, used to clean up spills and who knows what else! We probably should have replaced them a long time ago. Trust me, they have seen their share of wear and tear but with that wear and tear comes great memories. We are very fond of these comforters. Apparently, so are our pets! 

It all started with Adah, we noticed that she would always come sit at our feet. At first we thought that she just wanted to be close to us. How sweet!? But soon we noticed that she would get on the green blanket no mater what, even if there was only a corner barely touching the floor. There she was. I feel that at this point I should mention the fact that she has her very own bed in another room that is very fluffy and seems like it would be much more comfortable. Anyways, Slowly, she become very protective of this blanket. We come downstairs in morning and she is on the blanket. We come home from work and she is on the blanket. Now, Adah is a small and lazy dog, she cant really jump on the couch by herself. So, It was is an extra special treat if we happen to forget to push the recliners all the way  down because then she would be on the couch with the BLANKET! Honestly, if you try to take the blanket from her, she gives you this pitiful look, almost, like a fight is about to break out! Bryce started to this think was cute! 

Being the sweet and caring man that he is, Bryce started to purposely leave the blanket on the floor at the end of the night for her. He even started to fold the blanket up neatly, just so it would be more comfortable! Adah ate it up! Immediately, She would jump on the blanket wagging her tail. Again, like the typical woman, this made my heart melt. I bet you are wondering, what happened to the cat? 

Well, you see, BJ can jump wherever his little heart desires. He has a favorite spot on the couch that he can get to without any help. He has a chair at the dining room table, he has a house with a scratching post next the sliding door that leads to the backyard which he can strategically watch for birds and squirrels... probably dreaming about doing unearthly things to them. After many years of having pets, I think that they are just like kids. They fight for our attention and clearly get jealous of each other. Adah will snap at the cat, if the cat tries to get pet while she is on your lap. BJ will intentionally walk by to be pet when the dog is getting attention. He will, also, jump Over the dog to get on the couch. After jumping on the couch, he will lay right in front of her and drag his tail in front of her face. Despite all of this, I think that they secretly like each other!  I decided to put this put this theory into an experiment and it was hilarious what happened the next few days!

This is what the scene usually looked like before Bryce started to make Adah a blanket out of the bed.  

This is the bed that Bryce made just for Adah!

The next morning this is what we found!

BJ had taken over the Blanket, leaving poor Adah on the floor! Well, the next night, I decided to fold the blanket much bigger, just to see what would happen. Would BJ or Adah claim the blanket?!

Turns out, they might just like each other! Although, I have a feeling that this will not be the end of the battle! I mean really, did I mention that this is MY blanket!

Who Loves Mrs. Butterworth?

Who loves Mrs. Butterworth? She has been around for quite a few years! She always has that cheerfulness and sweetness that make kids smile. Check it out, Mrs. Butterworth has even learned how to "pound it"!

But I think the most brilliant advertising use of Mrs. Butterworth has to be in the Geico Commerical. Yes, I know this commerical has been on TV for quite some time but it makes Bryce and I laugh every time we see it! It just  has a magic touch. The lines are so classic:

" Broken glass send shivers down my bottle" 

 "It was a piece of cake, or more like hot pancakes!"

 So I thought I would post it for you all to enjoy again! "Oh, oh, oh, someone has put a logo right over my face!" Who loves Mrs. Butterworth, We do!

"Palli Palli"

Like any other day, I decided to go on a run after work. There is a stoplight at the end of Colony Road about 1.5 miles from home. It was beautiful outside, the sky was clear, it was warm with a nice breeze, I was relaxed and in the zone. I reached the light and it was time to turn around to head home. This is where I usually kick it up a notch but my knee had been hurting so I decided it would be better to walk. Let me just say it was a surprisingly interesting walk home. 

I was in my own world, when I hear this woman say "excuse me". Yes, I stopped,it is just the type of person I am. She looked very lost. Hardly understanding what she was asking because of her choppy English and Asian accent, I put together that she was asking me how to get to "e-mart". It was in the complete opposite direction then where she was headed. I redirected her and her daughter which just happened to be the way I was going. She continued to tell me that her and her daughter just came from Korea yesterday. To my surprise,They kept walking with me and continued talking. Feeling somewhat like a host, I felt like I needed to be polite. I found out that her daughter would be attending HRA to study English. She pointed out schools and churches to make conversation. Her daughter would be staying with a pastor of a small Korean church and the lady herself, would be returning to Korea to be with her husband and other daughter. She was determined to take me with her!

She tried to convince me that Korea would provide a home, a job, and lots of money to teach English. I jokingly asked if I would be able to learn Korean, because it seemed like a hard language. She assured me it wasn't. We laughed about it and for the next mile we shared stories about our lives. Her Daughter, Emma, told me what subjects she was looking forward to school, we talked about pets, traveling, family, friends and of course the Olympics! As you can tell, the pace of the walk became leisurely. I mentioned that Bryce was probably wondering where I was. I proceeded to share that it usually didn't take me this long. Smiling the women patted me on the back and said "Pali,Pali". What!? Apparently, it is a very common phrase in Korean which means, "Hurry Up!" It was one of those moments where you just stop and start laughing. 

I walked with them (briskly) to end of the road, pointed them to the E-mart (also known as the Korean Wal-mart, another interesting fact which I learned on this trip), bidded them farewell with a handshake, a smile,and a new phrase "Palli, Palli" . I dont know that I will ever meet these beautiful women again but I am thankful for those wonderful moments we shared on that unexpected day! I guess, you never know who God will put in your path to brighten your day! On another note, I certainly hope that they found their way HOME!