The Reason We Named Him Cassius.....

Pronunciation: (Cash-us)

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on January 17, 1942 in Lousiville, Kentucky. He was named after his father Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. He is a retired American Boxer and is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion. He won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. On February 25, 1964, twenty two year old Cassius Clay defeated champion Sonny Liston by a technical knockout and announced to the world “I am the greatest!” Two days later he stated that he had joined the Nation of Islam. The sects' leader Elijah Muhammad gave a radio address where he said that the name Cassius Clay lacked a divine meaning and gave him the Muslim name, Muhammad Ali. His new name was not popular with the media because they felt that he should not be preaching his views on what was considered a hate religion. The two fighters met again on May 25, 1965 for a rematch, and Cassius Clay won by a controversial first-round knockout.

“The sports world is filled with showmen and great athletes, but perhaps never were they better combined than in the young man who began life as Cassius Clay and became a worldwide phenomenon as Muhammad Ali. The man who bragged about his ability to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" went from being a curious oddity in the early 1960s to a national villain to an international hero. And now, his body limited by Parkinson's disease, he reigns as one of the most beloved men on the planet.”

Schwartz, Larry. He is simply…The Greatest. Retrieved April 25, 2009. from ESPN website : http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014063.html

The name Boxer comes from the fact that this breed likes to use their front paws in a Boxer-like style. These lively, spirited medium to large sized dogs love to romp, run, walk and play and wouldn’t mind doing it all day long. They are a happy and curious dog that is happiest when at play or at work. This breed makes for a great family dog because they are both loyal and affectionate. The American Kennel Club says that Boxers play well with children, are extremely loyal and are low maintenance dogs. They are devoted and intelligent and it is important to give them toys that will help with their mental stimulation. This fun-loving breed holds the record for the dog with the longest tongue. They are powerfully built and are exploding with energy, making them a true athlete. They are in the middle weight category of working dogs. Their roots trace back to the now distinct German Bullenbeiser, which is a mastiff type dog that was used to seize game such as bear and wild boar. Later they were bred with the English bulldog, which gave them the distinct skull composed of a short muzzle and big under bite. Boxers were introduced at the turn of the century and starred in some of the first motion pictures ever created. Boxer puppies can be born with three coat colors; fawn, brindle or white. They are cherished for their expressiveness and with a lot of attention can be trained to do anything. Their short coats are easy to groom, but they can become cold very easily. They do well in moderate climates. They are loyal guards and funny friends. Boxers are the sixth most registered breed with the AKC.

Dogs 101: Boxer. Retrieved April 25, 2009. from Animal Planet website: http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-boxer.html

Some characteristics of BOXERS are:

* Wag their whole rear end when happy "wiggle"

* Because of their short face, Boxers snort, snuffle, wheeze, grunt, and snore loudly

*Lie on their back, feet up, not a care!

*GAS...bad gas

*Boxer Woo Woo Song when playing

*Catching bugs

*Using paws in cat like movements

*Zipping around the backyard for no apparent reason.

*Bounces like a rabbit when running

*Lay their head on you like it is too heavy to hold up!

*Constantly following you wherever you go.

Our Family

We took our first FAMILY photo this past weekend. We are having so much fun with Cassius and he has grown so much! He sits and comes to you when you call his name. His eyes were blue at six weeks, and are a greenish-brown. His eyes will eventually turn brown. He is definitely keeping us busy, but we are having so much fun with him!

He was cold when we were taking this photo, so he snuggled up to keep warm.

Cassius loved chewing on his bunny that we gave him on Easter!

Happy Easter!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Have a great day with family and friends! Enjoy these cute photos of my friend's baby, Emma!

Wedding Rings

Wedding rings have been used as a symbol to represent emotions such as Love, Commitment, Happiness, Fidelity, Honor, and Eternity. A ring is in the shape of a circle, which has no break and no end or beginning. This signifies that it goes on and on; making it eternal. Rings were made from a variety of materials such as hemp, leather, bone, ivory and later stronger metals such as silver and gold. The ancient Egyptians and Romans believed that the vein from the fourth finger lead directly to the heart. That finger is known as the ring finger, and was called the “vena amoris” which is Latin for “the vein of love.” Science has disproved this theory, but it is romantic to think that our wedding rings are on a direct path to our hearts.

My husband picked out a Tungsten Carbide wedding band made by Triton, when we got married in May. We went to Elizabeth Diamond Company in Centerville to pick out his band and have mine custom designed. They have been so awesome to us, and I would recommend them to anyone who is trying to find a reputable jeweler. It’s so great to be able to walk into a jeweler and have them know your name. When Shaun picked out the ring he liked we did a little research on tungsten carbide. Tungsten Carbide is scratch proof and really good for men that are hard on their jewelry. We thought it would be perfect for Shaun. Little did we know that it can actually break…..and IT DID! Shaun bumped his ring on the vice at work and it shattered into at least 3 pieces. He was very upset and spent hours looking for the other pieces, but could only find three. We called EDC and told them what had happened and they agreed to replace it at no charge.

Every type of metal has different qualities. Tungsten Carbide is a heavy metal-ceramic alloy and is virtually scratch proof. On the Moh’s Scale of Mineral Hardness, Tungsten is between 8.5 and 9, Gold is 2, Platinum is 4 and a Diamond is 10. Tungsten is four times harder than titanium, and is incredibly hard to scratch. A quality Tungsten Carbide jewelry manufacturer will offer a lifetime warranty against any visible scratches. This material has become extremely popular for men due to its toughness, steely color, heavy weight and wider widths. Due to the high durability of a tungsten carbide ring, it will always look new, bright, and shiny.

Gold is the most popular choice for wedding bands. The difference in the color of gold depends on the metals that are used in the alloy mix. Yellow gold is made of pure gold mixed with copper or zinc. White gold is an alloy of gold and several white metals such as silver and palladium. Gold carats used for wedding bands are usually 9kt, 14kt, and 18kt. The higher the proportion of gold in the final metal is, the more valuable and expensive it will be. White gold is usually more expensive that yellow gold, but will need rhodium plating every year. 18kt wedding bands hold up to wear and tear better than the other carats.

Titanium is a natural element which is silver-grayish-white in color. It is the hardest natural metal and is three times stronger than steel and yet it is lightweight. Pure titanium is 100% hypoallergenic and is safe for everyday wear since it will not react to the skin. Titanium cannot be soldered and resized.

Platinum is a white metal and is usually used in its pure form. It is extremely long wearing and very white so it does not need rhodium plating like white gold. However, Platinum rings are significantly more expensive than gold.

Sterling silver is white-grey in color and is generally less expensive than all the other metals used in wedding bands. It is softer than gold, platinum, and titanium and is not recommended for wedding bands. It is also prone to oxidation and can sometimes turn to black. When picking out your wedding rings it is important to keep in mind your lifestyle to find out which type of metal is best for you.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. A Diamond is Forever. Do these lines sound familiar to you? “Diamond’s are a girl’s best friend” is a song that was sang by Marilyn Monroe and also appears in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In 1880, John Rhodes formed the now famous De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd., to control the sales of diamonds throughout the world. They still control 65% of the world’s diamond trade. Sales of diamonds were dropping dramatically in the 1920’s and 1930’s so they created a new marketing campaign in 1947. Their slogan was “A Diamond is Forever.” This marked the beginning of a change in the history of the engagement ring. Marketing campaigns convinced families to hold on to their family diamonds, which created the demand for diamonds that De Beers was seeking. Jewelers were taught to instruct men that two to three months personal wages were an ideal price to pay for the diamond engagement ring for their prospective fiancée. This clever marketing campaign mixed with Hollywood glamour promoted the idea that diamonds are the only jewels to give your loved one as a sign of engagement.

I thought this was interesting, but I still love "BLING!"

A funny quote by comedian Ron White (This year I encountered something close to Truth in Advertising. The De Beers people used to say, "Diamonds are Forever." But now their ad says, "Diamonds Will Render Her Speechless." Why don’t they just come out and say it, "Diamonds--That'll Shut Her Up…..For A MINUTE!

Shaun and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary one month from today! :)

Cassius

On Tuesday, Shaun and I welcomed a new family member into our home. He is a six week old Boxer, and we named him Cassius! He is so much fun and we love him so much! We asked our parents how they felt about being Grandparents, and THEN we showed them Cassius! Ha! Ha! Shaun and I feel like new parents taking care of Cassius! We are learning about our parenting styles by having a puppy! We are researching information about puppies and how to properly train them. We have both had dogs growing up, but our parents did the majority of the work. I can't tell you how happy we are to have a puppy of our own! If you know me at all, you understand how much I truly love dogs! Here are some cute photos I have taken of Cassius this week! I will keep posting photos because he is growing so fast!
Enjoy! :)










"Happiness is a warm puppy."

Food. Fun. Friends.

Last Saturday we went to Cincinnati to visit with some of our closest friends. We celebrated Allie's birthday! It has been two years since we have got together to celebrated her birthday. She is such an amazing friend, and it's great because we share some of the same interests. She is someone I can confide in and trust, have fun with, and just be myself! I am so lucky to have her in my life!

We had dinner at the cutest restaurant, Pompilios, which is located in Newport Kentucky. The food was awesome! Jesse was cracking us up because he was acting like he knew Mr. Pompilio. We had a great time laughing and catching up! After dinner we went to The Pub, which is just like the one at the Greene. Shaun tried a beer sampler, which is a great idea! This was the first time that I have been to Cincy with Patty and Alex and they had a great time! It's so much fun to hang out with old friends and make NEW Memories!