Let's get the dog drunk!

Today is our dog Paxton's 21st birthday.  Our furry little buddy is officially a man and can now legally drink.  Ok, so he is only 21 in dog years and feeding him a whole beer would probably kill him.  But it's funny to think about where he is in life in dog vs human years.  Naturally we spoiled him all day with yummy wet food, duck jerky, milk bones, bacon pieces, and plenty of walks and playtime.  Our manimal sure has it rough. 

It's also our 2nd year anniversary of adopting him from the rescue shelter.  Two years isn't that long but we cannot imagine life without him.  He brings a smile to our faces and warms our hearts each and every time we see him.  Everyone thinks their dog is the greatest, but there really is something special about this dog.  His energy is unmatched and his personality is so unique.  Just try to look at his happy puppy face and not smile.

Told you so!

Bleeding Blue

Time to refill my prozac prescription as another football season ends too soon with the Colts losing to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs.  All the west coast Indy boys gathered at Chris Leys Stadium to drink, eat, high five, armchair quarterback, and yell at the TV.  There were 6 Naptown natives, 3 neutral individuals, and 1 lonely degenerate Jets fan who barely escaped with his life.  Halfway through the game I took inventory of my environment and it was a spectacle to behold - a room filled with Colts jerseys, a stack of pizzas, a mountain of chicken wings, and lots of empty beers.  God damn I love sports!!!  Despite a slow start, the Colts were looking decent and held the lead for most of the game.  Unfortunately the Jets were able to kick a last second field goal to take the win.

Allison loves to quote something I said early in our relationship.  After two years of dating she had finally realized that she must become a football fan, more importantly a Colts fan, if she wanted us to work.  She watched every game and became emotionally involved in the 2007 season.  The Colts made it to the playoffs and lost in the first round to the Chargers.  After the game she was truly upset and I turned to her and said:  "Welcome to the world of the professional sports fan - get used to being disappointed".  If you are a sports fan you're guaranteed to ride an emotional roller coaster each and every year.  But that's part of the fun, isn't it?

Overall it was a good season though and I'm proud of my team.  We had so many important players injured it's amazing we pulled it together and went as far as we did.  Now it's time to look towards next year.  Indianapolis is hosting the 2012 Superbowl and I think it will be perfect timing for Peyton Manning to get his 2nd championship ring and solidify his place as the best QB in history.  Go horse!!

No resolutions only goals

Instead of the obligatory new years resolutions, I prefer to set goals and make a gameplan for the year.  Last year this worked well.  Before you go on a cross country trip you're probably going to map it out and set a route, right?  Resolutions are always vague and according to a study done in 2007, 78% of people who set them fail, 50% by the end of January.  People can't even make it one month, how pathetic!  When S.M.A.R.T. goals are set the success rate increases 22%.   That figure increases 10% when goals are made public and you have support from friends/family.  So, I've decided to share some of my 2011 goals.  Since I am turning 30 this year I'm really pushing to step it up and become the person I truly want to be and have the life I have dreamed of living.  Given that, I have a lot of goals.  I'm sparing you all some of the details of each goal (the whole "smart" part...so are they "dumb" now?) partly because it's too much typing and partly because some of them are personal and somewhat embarrassing.  I'm not going to write "kiss my wife daily and write 2 sweet notes per month" because I sound like a complete wuss.

1. Increase business production by 50% - close 36 deals
2. Treat my wife like the princess she is (ie be a better husband)
3. Be more active outdoors with my dog - at least 2 trips to a park or hike per month
4. Get back in shape - gym at least 2x per week
5. Eat healthier - fruits, vegetables, lean meats every day, daily vitamins, and minimal fast food
6. Purchase 2 properties
7. Be more social - go out with friends/family at least 2x per month
8. Find a better work/life balance
9. Focus on enjoying the moment instead of always focusing on the future
10. Show more appreciation of the important people in my life
11. Go on 2 vacations

So, there they are for all to see.  Please hold me to them, I could use the support.  And feel free to share your goals with me.  We can be accountabilibuddies.  South Park anyone?

-Peter

Things just got real

Allison received her new social security card in the mail so she in the eyes of the government, she's a Stewart.  No more "Al Bundy"...now it's "Alligator Stew".  Needless to say, she's thrilled with her new moniker....Peter may be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Game Day

Sunday was the Colts vs Titans game.  We had a large group of Colts fans at the Sawtelle house and at least 6lbs of Pete's World Famous Chicken Wings were made.  The Colts pulled off a last second win thanks to the magic leg of Adam Vinatieri.

Although our Christmas "vacation" is over, it was nice to end it with good friends, a colts win, and bad food gorge-fest. 

One-One-One One

Started the year off right with 7/11 coffee and blueberry muffins.  Ghostbusters was on TV.  Got the standard bug up our asses about cleaning, decluttering, etc, so we did a thorough house cleaning and even cleared out the pantry and fridge.  By 2pm we decided we really needed to get out of the house.  We ended up with our default get-out-of-the-house location, the mall.  Wandered around for an hour without buying anything accept orange julius and some candy.  Then went to Target to spend our recently acquired gift cards on boring crap like tylenol, band aids, and razors.  Exciting way to spend a Saturday afternoon, right?  Like usual we fell into the Target trap and bought way more items than planned ("oh yea, I forgot I needed that") and spent too much money.  Later in the evening we went over to our good friends house, the Goldsteins, in North Hollywood.  Had a great dinner, some drinks, had some fun with their baby Sydney, and we all taught Allison how to play Euchre.  She actually caught on quickly and played pretty well.  Once we got home Allison fell asleep right away on the couch (as usual) and I watched a random movie on Netflix called "Bitch Slap".  It was low grade b thriller mixed with amateur lesbian porn.  Needless to say, I watched the whole thing....

Picture Book

Wedding Day 8/21/10

Oahu Honeymoon August 2010

Colts game at Lucas Oil 11/28/10

Our lovely ladies

Where did the year go?

2010 was an exciting year for both of us.  So much happened - Peter's successful first year in real estate, Allison's job change, the Vegas wedding and Hawaii honeymoon, a Thanksgiving trip to Indianapolis, good friends/family having kids (Snyders, Graves, etc), Allison's Florida trip, Peters start in home brewing, the list goes on.....It feels like the year just flew by, and every year goes by faster than the last.  Why is that?  Is it an age thing?  It's kind of scary though - like I'm going to blink and I'll be 50.  It's time to slow things down a little and enjoy the present day instead of always planning for the next.

New Years Eve

Here we go, 2011

Since we always seem to forget what we did all year, we've decided to start this blog to keep track of all the fun stuff we do out here in sunny california.  Ok I'll be honest - it's our attempt at being "hip" by joining the blogsphere.  It's like facebook but more detailed and intimate...Keep in mind that neither of us are professional writers or comedians so just bear with us.  We got married on 8/21/2010 and life has been great so far.  2011 will be our first calendar year together and we think it'll be the best year of our lives to date.  Stay tuned for vacation updates, random thoughts, and lots of pictures of our dog Paxton.  Happy New Year!