Where does the name "ChirpinBirdie" come from?
Well, the name does not come from a love of birds. Birds actually scare TERRIFY me! I think most birds are cute enough, but then they dive bomb you, fly out from under cars, or chase you when you are letting them out of their cage (I was once chased by a turkey, a goose, a few chickens, and a couple of ducks while house-sitting for some good family friends). Anyways, to get back to answering the question, the name "ChirpinBirdie" came about because of the noise Jixer makes when he wants in the same room with me. If he is trapped behind any door and knows that I am on the other side, he makes this really high pitch chirping sound. It is very cute! When people hear Jixer chirp for the first time, they have no idea who/what made the sound. The look on their face when they realize it is Jixer is quite entertaining.
This is Jixer's imitation of the face people make when they realize he chirps.
Where did I get the name Jixer?
This is one of my favorite stories to tell! Jixer is named after Christopher's sportbike. When Chris started talking about getting a motorcycle, we made a deal that when he bought a bike, I could get a small dog. At the time we had Maxxo (our black lab/german shepherd mix), and he went everywhere with us, but I also wanted a dog to cuddle with. Maxxo is not so keen on cuddling (unless there is thunder). So, Chris bought his 2006 Suzuki GSX-R 600 in July of 2008. I did not get my small dog right away because we were not allowed to have one where we were living. I decided when I was able to get a dog that I would name it after the motorcycle because of the agreement Chris and I made. In the sportbike world, a GSX-R is called a 'gixxer'. But, those who are unfamiliar with motorcycles do not know the 'G' in gixxer is not a hard sound like 'good' and that is why I changed the spelling to have a 'J' and one 'X'. Finally, in January of 2012, I got Jixer. Some people still have a hard time pronouncing his name (my grandma calls him Dexter), but I love when I meet people that hear his name and know exactly what he is named for.
Here is Jixer on the GSX-R he is named for.
Remember how I was saying that birds terrify me...well...
Penguins are my favorite animal! I love them and all of their cuteness. The way they waddle around cracks me up, and I can watch penguin videos all day long.
For our two year, dating anniversary in 2008, Christopher surprised me with tickets for the penguin experience at Sea World, San Diego. We were able to go back and visit the penguins!!! Here I am petting #94. I did not realize before petting him that penguins are so soft.
People in my family call me "Suzy homemaker".
This name comes because of my love of cooking and baking. I wish that my baking wasn't so good because then I would not be tempted to eat everything I bake! When I cook, it is mostly vegetarian meals because that is what I enjoy. Growing up, I hated baking and cooking, and never wanted to help out in the kitchen. As a teenager, I always said that if I get married, my husband is going to be the one doing all of the cooking. I don't know what changed all of the sudden as I came into my twenties, but I am glad it did! I love cooking, creating new and delicious treats, and the excitement my family has when I step into the kitchen.
This is picture of the Cinnamon Raisin Beer Bread I came up with. It is so delicious, and probably the easiest bread you can make. If you want to try it out for yourself, the recipe can be found on the blog.
Well that is all the fun facts I can think of now, but if I think of more I will be sure to add them!
