Sunny Huny

A Year in Review...

2010-01-17T13:19:00.001-08:00

It's been almost a year to the day that I blogged last and I feel like it's gone by so quickly! I feel like we didn't have a lot happen but here (in a very abbreviated form) is what we did: went to St. Louis several times; fostered a very sweet dog named Joey who was abandoned at my clinic and then adopted him out to Michael's secretary's family (but he got out of the yard right before Halloween and hasn't been seen since); took a mini-vacation to Vegas near our 6th anniversary; our AC broke towards the end of summer so we put in a completely new HVAC system; we had friends move into our neighborhood; I finally got on the Facebook bandwagon (but Michael still hasn't and refuses to do so); our TCU Horned Frogs did AMAZINGLY well during their undefeated season and went to the Fiesta Bowl...but lost; we went to the Fiesta Bowl to watch our Frogs after spending a week in StL for Christmas and celebrating my awesome gma's 92nd birthday (go, Grandma!!); I was diagnosed with acid reflux (again!) after having 3 months of stomach pain and nausea almost every single day and enduring an endooscopy as my first ever anesthetic procedure; we finally have furniture (and plants!) in our front room and our beautiful crystal and china is also on display; we have friends that have gotten married and are getting married and friends who have had babies and are having babies, which brings me to my next thought...

There are babies EVERYWHERE right now!!! I swear, I know about 10 women who are currently pregnant and they're all due between the end of May and the middle of July! I love my friends and I wish them all the best and I want all of them to have healthy babies and safe deliveries...I guess I've entered the baby phase of my life. You know how it goes: first all of your friends get engaged, then all of your friends get married, then all of your friends have babies and so on and so forth. Sometimes I feel like I'm the anamoly because we've been married for almost 7 years and don't have children yet but the honest truth is that I haven't been ready and I don't think it's fair to either you or the baby if you're not ready for such a big, life-changing committment. And it really is a committment, you have to be dedicated mind, body and soul to have/be ready for a baby. I think too many people nowadays just aren't responsible about having a baby and it infuriates me--how can you treat a life so casually? And I'm not talking about anyone in particular, I'm just saying that I think our country, in general, acts this way. Maybe I've been watching too much Teen Mom lately. It's easy to say, "we'd be great parents" but you need to be responsible about it, you know? Anyway, right now I've enjoyed being "us" and I've loved travelling on our schedule and working and playing on our schedule but I think I'm almost, almost ready for that next step in our lives....if nothing else, a child of ours would certainly have a lot of friends to play with a few years down the line and they'd all be about the same age to do so!

So anyway, I'm turning the big 3-0 in t-minus 9 days (on the 26th) and I've been thinking: turning 30 for a guy is a lot different than turning 30 for a girl. For a guy, they're like, oh, who cares, it's not a big deal, 30 isn't a big deal at all. It doesn't even phaze them! Now me, I'm like, oh no, I'm turning 30! My eggs are drying up, I need to lose weight before I can't lose it anymore, is that another wrinkle?, is that another gray hair? I need to have 3 kids in the next 5 years, how am I going to do that? I'm getting so old. But the truth is, it's just a number, that's all it is. It's a number in the book that's the passport of my life. I think I need to focus on the fact that my 20s are over, my 30s are here and I just need to enjoy it. The 30s can be my chance to learn more about myself, to enjoy my time, to make my house a home, to be the mature, responsible adult that I am. So long 20s, hello 30s!

This One's For You, Billy

2009-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

So now it's been almost 3 months sincy my last post--AGAIN! So much has happened and I feel like my life has been so crazy lately, though I'm sure an outsider wouldn't see it that way at all. At the end of Oct./beginning of Nov., we went on our first cruise and, I must say, I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone! As I was mentioning to our friend Billy this morning, a cruise is wonderful because you don't have to plan anything, rent a car or find a hotel, you just get on the boat and that's it, it does everything else for you!!! We had a wonderful time on our Holland America boat, The Westerdam: we went to their private island in the Bahamas, to Turks & Caicos for our first foray into the amazing world of snorkeling and to Costa Maya, Mexico for some sightseeing of real Mayan temples. We were also supposed to make a stop in Grand Cayman (and, as it turns out for some more snorkelng since we switched our excursions) but the weather was pretty bad and the captain deemed it dangerous for us to get off the boat. We had a brief hello and farewell to the island, that was it. In Costa Maya, we were actually the very first boat to come back to the port since it was devastated in a hurricane last year--the shop owners were so desperate for us to buy their wares (and pictures with monkeys, which Michael did) that it was sort of sad. But, we did buy several souveneirs and presents there, so I guess we did our part. Oh, and I had my first karaoke experince on the ship, that was interesting. for anyone who wants to know. If anyone wants to see pics of our vacation, let me know and I'll put some up....

In November, we started making some home improvements! We hired a great company to paint the rest of the rooms in our house (9 rooms total that we didn't have to do!) and I love the colors we picked out. I'll do some befores and afters later. We also finally got our fireplace repaired (actually, that migh have been in Dec., I can't really remember right now)!!! We had to get a masonry cap put on and some gaps filled. After that, we had to get a chimney sweep out (insert Mary Poppins music here) to clean everything, there was a lot of debris and we weren't sure when or if it had ever been cleaned out before....it's likely that it hadn't been cleaned in quite some time since the sweeps found a rusty hammer in the chimney during the cleaning. How that got there I'll never know. My parents gave us an early Christmas present in the form of a beautiful new fireplace screen so we (and by "we", I mean Michael) ripped out the horrible old '60s brass one, then we (and by "we", I mean I) painted the exposed brick to match the rest of the surrounding brick and voila! An updated fireplace! Gorgeous!

December was busy, busy, busy! Ever single weekend we were doing something or going somewhere, which explains why we had to get our Christmas tree the Sun. after Thanksgiving and put up our lights the first weekend in Dec. (Michael is awesome for all the hard work he did--the house wouldn't have looked nearly as festive without all of his help!). I hosted (hostessed?) not only my work party but also a smaller PB party. The Banfield party consisted of about 16 people and 10 dogs, while the PB party was about 10 people strong with lots of wine! Both Christmas parties were very fun, each in their own way. For Christmas, we switched our families this year and again went down to Wimberley to be with Michael's family: I always have such a good time down there with good fun, good family time, good games and good pirate-themed murder mystery dinner theatre! And even though I missed being with my family this Christmas, I had so much fun in the Hill Country that I wasn't too sad for too long. New Years Eve was quiet for us this year: I had to work during the day and was so tired at night that I just wanted to sleep. We did end up making it until midnight (I kicked Micahel's butt at Scraable!) and Sam and Max enjoyed drinking some Ballatore Asti. We, on the other hand, hated it.

That brings me up to January! We just finished another big home project: replacing our old, sliding glass patio doors. As Michael jokes, you could predict the weather just by standing near the doors, they were that drafty! So, we had 2 sets of french doors installed this week: one from the den to the patio and the other set from the office to the patio. They look so nice and they're just the kind I wanted. Plus, we have screens now so we can open the doors whenever we want--somehow I'm the only one of the four of us who hasn't run into a screen yet...

My New Years resolutions are pretty simple this year: I'm trying to be more healthy this year by eating better, cooking at home, eating more fruits and veggies and drinking more water. I wouldn't mind losing some weight but mostly I just want to be healthier. I also would like to get my back in better condition so I'm not constantly in pain. Oh, and I'd like to make my house more of a home, maybe with another little addition later this year but that's a long way away and I still need to do a lot of mental preparation before I'm even willing to discuss that. So here's to 2009: may it be a healthy, happy year for all my friends and family and we'll see where this year takes us! Cheers!

Ridiculous

2008-10-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

I realize that it's been absolutely ridiculous that I haven't blogged for almost 3 months! So, I'm sorry for that, I didn't mean to miss most of autumn! The weather is finally starting to cool off here, it actually got into the 40s last night! Cooler weather means windows open and nights underneath the warming blanket--I love it!!! Of course, cooler weather also means that we'll finally get to use our new (well, new to us) fireplace...once we get it fixed. *sigh* everything has a price. Autumn also means it's Fair time!! Techincally, the Fair ended last weekend (with perfect weather!), but I'm going to be lazy and copy a comment onto my blog that I hope you'll enjoy. I was commenting on another blog (Homesick Texan) who was maing corny dogs and since we were going to the Fair that very same day, I felt compelled to comment. Plus, if you know me even in the slightest, you know my feelings about the Fair. Without further ado:

"First of all, I'll admit it: I'm not a native Texan. I grew up in St. Louis but I met my husband at TCU right before freshman year began, we married 5 years after we met and I've considered myself a Texan since then (2003). Thing is, I had NO idea what a state fair really was until I went to TCU. I think my husband-to-be (Michael) and I went almost every year we were in school. After we got married, we moved to Austin so he could go to UT Law but we still managed to make the drive and come to the Fair once a year. Now we live in Dallas and we buy season passes for the Fair at Kroger (it pays for itself if you go 2 times, plus you get a free AMC movie ticket AND a ticket to Holiday in the Park--that's when our Six Flags is open during our not-too-cool "winters"). We're actually going today for the last time this year, as the Fair closes again tomorrow. This year I've had the CFB (chicken friend bacon) which made me nauseous when I first heard about it but didn't taste too bad, fried grilled cheese (delicious!) and a Fletcher's corny dog smothered in mustard. Today I think I'll have some or all of the following: fried pickles with spicy ranch dipping sauce (can only be found over by the Cotton Bowl, alllll the way over on the right side, next to the entrance to the CB on the Midway side--look for Ruth's Tamales and keep heading back), fried s'mores, fried truffles, funnel cake and another ubiquitous corny dog. Don't worry, I'll be sharing with my husband. When August rolls around, I go to www.bigtex.com to see how many days are left on the countdown! Then my sister-in-law (who also lives in Dallas) and I squeal with delight and get excited that another Fair adventure is right around the corner.

I should also mention that the Fair holds a special place in my heart: it's where Michael asked my dad for permission to marry me. In the car pavillion. We still tease him about it to this day. He claims it was the only time he had to get my dad alone to ask him. And it was my parent's first trip to the Fair. How much more of a Fair lover could I be?"

P.S. I have to add to this that we did NOT end up eating all those foods! We had: corny dogs (regular for me, jalapeno/cheese for Michael, both smothered in mustard), fried s'mores (delicious!!), fried pickles with spicy ranch and fried waffle balls (which, in essence, is a fried chocolate covered strawbery). And then we had some caramel-nut covered apple wedges. You know, to break up the monotony of the fried stuff. :)

P.P.S. AND The Killdares were at the Fair this year!!! We discovered them at the Fair many, many moons ago but, sadly, they've been absent from the Fair these past few years (which is a shame and I expressed my disapproval to the State Fair higher ups via a letter). Thank goodness they're back! The Killdares are a Dallas based celtic rock group and they're amazing! Michael, Steph and I saw them at a St. Patrick's Day concert this year and we all had so much fun! If you live in the Dallas are and get a chance to hear them, take it!

P.P.P.S. I swear, this is my last postscript of the night: we're leaving for vacation on Sunday! We're going on a (much needed) week-long Caribbean cruise and I probably won't be blogging during that time period. The lovely Stephanie will be staying at our house, taking care of things and watching all the sweet puppies (both hers and ours). Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!

Books, Books, BOOKS!!!

2008-08-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

The story is that apparently the National Endowment for the Arts estimates that the average adult has only read six of these books. Here are the markup guidelines:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Mark in red the books you LOVE. I marked in PINK--red doesn't show up too well on my blog!
4) Reprint this list in your blog

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (1-4, then I lost interest)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. The Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (I have it but I've never read it!)
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (part of it)
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan (part of it)
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel (I have it)
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (I think I have it)
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert (part of it)
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Wow, so I've read 43 on this list!!! Then again, I did major in English (and History) so this isn't too surprising! Interestingly enough, this list made me realize how many of these books I own but have never read (or have only read part of them and then got distracted, probably by life)--I need to get cracking!

A Picture Extravaganza!

2008-07-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

We Did It!!!

Our House

Getting Ready to Paint Color for the First Time Together!

Pretty Yellow! (Sorry, "Honey Moth")

Formal Living Room

Den and Kitchen

Den

Fireplace in Den

1/2 Bath off Kitchen

My Beautiful Kitchen!

So, Michael finally hooked up the printer which means I get to post new pics of the house! These are the beautiful, newly-painted house and newly-shorn gigantic bushes in the backyard (they're completely gone now but I haven't taken pictures of those yet...I guess I'll have to later!)! The pics at the bottom are of Michael and our newest purchase, the kinda cute lawn mower (and thank goodness, our lawn desperately needed to be cut!)!! I never thought I'd get so excited about a lawnmower. Enjoy!

Interesting....

2008-07-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

I stole this from a friend of a friend...the 100 words I use most on here. Enjoy!

P.S. New house pics coming soon, as soon as Michael gets his office set up. Cross your fingers!

Ever Have One Of Those Days?

2008-06-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I sure did today. Today was awful, just awful. I had my whole day planned out and it was going to be a productive one and then...WHAMMO! I got sucked into my own personal blackhole that is work. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my job: I love the clients, love my vet, love the people but I detest being at work when I'm not supposed to be and I REALLY hate it when someone leaves 4 hours before they're supposed to b/c they have to get their car recall taken care of (which could, and should, be done on their day off!) and everything else is secondary to their spoiled, selfish ways. And so, instead of doing my very tardy computer training and packing today, I was at work for 7 hours. Plus, it was one of those days where we were insanely busy and 2 receptionists were truly needed--I'm only one person and I can only check in and out so many people at one time, while 3 phone lines are ringing and I'm taking payments and filling meds. Oh, and did I mention today was a Wellness Hours day? Yeah, that's when we open up our clinic for 2 hours in the afternoon and anyone who wants (usually new clients with new pets) to come in, can. And that means more paperwork and longer checking-in times. At one point, Dr. P ordered me to sit down and eat while he answered the phones for me! 10 min. for lunch for me and I was still doing work the whole time. Woo hoo. The silver lining was that when I talked to Dr. P at the end of the day, he thanked me for coming in and helping out. I wanted to cry. What a day.

HOUSE PICS!!!!

2008-05-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

So Much To Say....

2008-05-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since my last post that I don't even know where to begin....

After much house hunting, time, tears, stress and loads of support from our friends and family, we finally found a house!!! It's in a great area of Dallas, much closer to work for Michael but not so much closer for me....soooo....I'm transferring to a different Banfield! I'm a little nervous, just because it's a new hospital with new nurses, new CSCs, new doctors (they'll have 2 about the time I start), new clients and new pets. The good news is that it's only 4-5 min. from the house, the bad news is that it's only 4-5 min. from the house so I won't have an excuse to bring Max to work with me anymore. :( I'm really sad to be leaving my Banfield, I've made such great friends and I love my coworkers, Dr. P, clients and pets--I've been telling my favorite clients that I'm going to be leaving and pretty much all of them have said the same thing, "No! You can't leave!" It makes me feel loved and today even Dr. P told me that I'm welcome to come back and work there anytime, it was really sweet of him to say that and it meant a lot to me. I think I'm going to keep Sam and Max there, mostly because I don't know if I could ever find a vet that I like and trust as much as him. So, next Sat. will be my last scheduled day and then I'll go the following week off and on to work on my training stuff on the computer.

What else...we went to Chicago for a few days of vacation, which was great! We were so crazy busy going to all the museums and seeing all the sites but, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Plus, I got to see my very best friend, Kristy, whom I haven't seen since her wedding 3 years ago. After Chicago, we drove over to Notre Dame to see my youngest brother, Joe, graduate. We got to see my whole immediate family, which was nice because I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving. After spending 3 days in South Bend, we headed back to Chicago and spent our last few hours of vacation going to the Hancock Observatory, eating deep dish pizza and getting some ice cream at the Ghiradelli shop. By the way, I haven't yet mentioned how COLD it was in Chicago!! We would wake up to about 45 degree weather and it might, just might, hit 60 during the day, if we were lucky--it was a big shock for this Texas girl, let me tell you! And coming back to 90 degree weather was an even bigger shock--I had to cut my hair off!

That's it for now. I'll go and post the new house pics! Bye!

Please Vote For My Dog!

2008-02-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

Well, after a few scary days, everything is right in my world! Thanks so much to everyone (especially you, Miss C!) for their loving thoughts and prayers and support--it means the world to me that I have you as my backbone. On another note...

I've entered my oldest rescue dog, Sam, in the Bissell Contest! If you would go and vote for him, I would love you even more than I do now! You can vote at: http://www.bissell.com/Products_by_Lifestyle/Pet_Products/MVP_Pet_Photo_Contest/Vote_on_Photos/Voting_Period_6/Page_id/47076/Default.aspx?ImageUrl=http%3a%2f%2fimages.bissell.com%2fimages%2fIncludeContent%2fMVP2fPeriod6%2f8008.jpg

Or at: http://www.bissell.com/Products_by_Lifestyle/Pet_Products/MVP_Pet_Photo_Contest/Vote_on_Photos.aspx

On the 2nd URL, click the contest that runs Feb. 12th-19th and vote on #8008 (currently he's 5th from the top on the right-hand side). PLEASE vote from now until the 19th!! THANKS!

Love, me

Prayers Needed

2008-02-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

To Anyone Who Reads This:

Please pray for my family--we're going through a really, really tough time right now and I could really use some prayers for strength, understanding and compassion. And please don't ask me what this is about, I'm not allowed to talk about it (sorry), just know that any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

Goodbye to 27

2008-01-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

So, it's the day before my birthday and tomorrow I will be 28. It's a typical January day for me: cold, rainy, dreary but I'm excited because tomorrow it's supposed to be sunnier and warmer--hooray for January birthdays in Texas! I've been thinking today about how different my life is at this point in time than I imagined it when I was younger and how much my life has changed in the past year.

When I was younger, I thought I would be married by 26 and have my first baby when I was 27 or 28; I had no thoughts of my living situation or anything pet-wise, since I didn't really grow up with pets (unless you count fish, a bird and a hamster that was my brother's--I count none of the above, really). Let's see: I was married when I was 23, I have no baby (or babies) as of yet but I do have 2 wonderfully amazing dogs and, hopefully, we will be buying a house in the next several months, with, perhaps (!!), a baby on the way afterwards (and notice that I am NOT saying how long afterwards either!).

I left my job at Williams-Sonoma in Oct. and started with Banfield in July, which just sort of happened, but for which I am extremely grateful and blessed--I love pretty much everything about my job. I was able to go to D.C. again in Feb. and then we travelled to Carmel and San Francisco in Aug./Sept., a place I had never been before. (Well, technically that's not true: we dipped our feet in the ocean outside of SF on a family trip once but that was at least 14 years ago and that was the only time "spent" there.) I've lost friends and gained some new ones and my husband has always stayed by my side, loving me, supporting me and giving me flowers for no apparent reason (case in point: 2 days ago I received flowers at work from him because I had been sick for so long and they were to cheer me up--what an amazing husband I have!). And, of course, how could I fail to mention that my fine, furry friend, Max, joined our family in May!

So I'll be 28 tomorrow, so what? I considered myself to be in my late-twenties last year and I'll consider myself in the same category again this year. 28 is just a number, just an age, and hopefully I'll have many more years ahead. It's 30 that freaks me out.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-27T15:47:00.001-08:00

Sorry I'm so late but Merry Christmas to all!! We've had a wonderful, semi-lazy Christmas thus far and both of us are off until Jan. 2nd, a Christmas miracle, to be sure!

We left on Sun. morning to drive to Grandma IveLene's house (Michael's maternal grandma) down in the Hill Country. Since her house is only about an hour and a half from Austin, we stopped in our old hometown to eat the most delicious fajitas ever at Serranos, followed by pumpkin ice cream at Amy's in the Arboretum. We also made a brif stop into my old Williams-Sonoma, admired the wonderful and new renovation and expansion of that store and saw some old friends. We then continued onto Grandma's and arrived in the afternoon, just in time to make tapas, which I think is going t be a new Christmas tradition: each person/couple makes 2 tapas that we've never had before and then each person puts $5 into the pot. The tapas are rated based on taste, originality and presentation and the tapa with the highest score wins the pot! This year it was Cory and Sylisha, Michael's cousin and his wife--congrats! Christmas Eve dinner was the traditional fondue and Christmas Day dinner was delicious, as always! On Christmas Day, we all open our presents, one at a time, in order from oldest to youngest. I was the youngest this year and it's always so hard to wait! Plus, there were 7 of us, so it took about 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Usually there are somewhere between 9 - 13 of us so this was a short year! I received some absolutely wonderful gifts from everyone but my favorite gift would have to be my beautiful caramel colored hobo Coach purse with burnished gold hardware from my amazing husband. I might have to put a picture on here at some later date.

Currently we're in Houston and will be for the next couple of days. Michael is in a wedding on Sat. night (it's our best man that's getting married) and he's actually at the bachelor party right now. Mom, Dad and I are getting ready to eat dinner (veggie lasagna, yum!) and then who know what the night will bring? :) We'll be back in town on Sun. afternoon/evening, if anyone needs anything!

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful holiday season!!!

Countdown to T-Day!

2007-11-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

So, I looked at my calendar today and realized that it's only 10 days (counting today) until Thanksgiving!! YAY! I love Thanksgiving, not just for the food (though it does play a big part!) but being with family and friends for a whole day is nice. I like helping Mom and Grandma in the kitchen, it's a wonderful, homey feeling just chatting and cooking. Thanksgiving makes me realize how blessed I am: I have my own wonderful family, full of dogs and our love for each other, lots of supportive, loving friends and a pantry full of food; I have no reason to complain about my life when there are others who are so much worse off. Michael's firm is having a food drive at work and he signed up to bring potatoes and rice--4-5lb. bags of potatoes and 4-2lb. bags of rice! At first, I was like, "WHY did you have to sign up for so much stuff?" But then when I was shopping today, I realized how much these items are going to help some families and I wished there was MORE I could buy for them! Every year, Christmas seems to creep up more and more (this year I saw decorations up before Halloween!) and I always feel like Thanksgiving is the forgotten holiday and I wish it wasn't: Thanksgiving isn't a day for families, it's a day for all humankind. It's a day where we count our blessings and thank God for the gift of life. I just wish we could help all the ones out there who need it...

Ok, enough rambling.

I can't believe I didn't even blog last month! I guess a lot has happened. For one thing, I'm not going to be Office Manager, which is fine with me. My other co-worker only temporarily stepped down from the OM position (which I didn't know at the time) and she's planning on stepping back up very soon. Plus, she has 5 kids, 4 dogs and other assorted animals so goodness knows she needs the money more than I do (not that I couldn't use it, but still)! We haven't sorted out if I'm going full-time or not, mostly because we hired another receptionist and payroll was tight before that, much less now. I don't say this to be mean but I really don't know how much longer the new girl is going to last. I was hoping things would work out but she's not really picking up some of the simplest tasks and it's been over a month now. I guess I'll have to wait and see. My boss, who hired me and whom I loved, decided to get back together with her ex-girlfriend and move to Kansas City, MO. It was a huge shock and hard for me to bear, at first, but I wish her luck and love and hope she's made the right decision. I'll stand by her if she ever chooses to come back, I really miss her.

What else? I got over my sinus infection and then got a cold a week ago. I've been trying to lay low and get lots of rest and drink my liquids since then and I'm happy to say that my cold is almost gone now! I also started physical therapy on my back today. Ever since I randomly hurt it waaaay back in April, it's been bothering me off and on and more so these past few days. So, I'm supposed to do therapy twice a week, for now, and my back exercises twice a day. Keep your fingers crossed!

Sam and Max are great and are making the journey to St. Louis with us next week! Sam's been to StL once (and my Grandma LOVES him!!) but Max has never been--it'll be his first road trip with us (and I'll have the Benadryl on hand, believe me!)! Hopefully all will go well!

This past weekend my Banfield participated in the 2nd annual City Wide Pet Day and it was a HUGE success! We did microchipping for only $15 (normally $29.95) and it made me feel good to see how many people were willing to pay to keep their pets safe--what good pet owners! Stephanie got Oliver chipped and he was SUCH a good boy!! It always nice to see a friendly face at these kinds of functions!

Hope everyone out there is doing well. Love to all and have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!!!

Updates

2007-09-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates in my life!

1. I talked to my grandma last week. She had been to see both the Pacemaker expert as well as her cardiologist and both gave her a clean bill of health! Hooray! She said she was going to move back to her own apt. this past weekend--I'll have to talk to my mom tonight to see how that went.

2. I'm sick. :( At first, I thought it was just my allergies acting up (which it probably was) but now I think it's developed into a sinus infection/cold. Michael also had a cold last week and I'm hoping I didn't catch what he had--it was a really bad chest cold that didn't sound like any fun at all!

3. Say some prayers for Max, please: I saw some bright red blood in his stool this morning. I called my Banfield and talked to one of the nurses and it could just be some constipation (since he's acting fine, eating and drinking normally and doesn't have any vomiting or diarrhea) but it's still really scary to see blood on the carpet, especially when I'm already not feeling well anyway.

4. My boss wants me to become the Office Manager at my Banfield! It's a really big honor just to be asked (since I've only been working there for about 2 months) and both my boss and Dr. P want me to take the job! I'd get another $1.50/hour plus benefits, vacation time and sick time and I'd only have to work 1 extra day. The only thing that's holding me back (which is quite selfish, I know!) is that I like having my 4 day weekends. I'll probably take the position but first I need to find out what all it entails!

Ok, my tea's ready so I'm going to go enjoy that--here's hoping I can taste it!

Going Home!

2007-08-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm leaving for home in about 45 min.! It's always bittersweet leaving but knowing that I get to see Michael and the boys this afternoon makes me so very, very happy. Grandma seems to be doing well: she had her first in-house physical therapy session yesterday where she had to walk and the caregiver also checked how strong her resistance is (i.e. having Gma push and pull on her, etc.); when she found out Gma's age, she was very pleased with the results! Grandma has to remember to walk every hour, at least for a little bit, so I'm going to try and call her to remind her to do that when I can. Like I said before, I'm SO glad that I came here. What with everyone else's lives going crazy, sometimes I was the only one who was free to spend time with her and I'd much rather her have someone to talk to instead of watching tv all day. Everyone keeps thanking me for coming and, honestly, it's a little embarassing. I mean, who wouldn't come knowing that their grandma was sick? I'm just fortunate that I had the employment and financial abilities to do so. So anyway, I'll try to keep blogging about how Grandma is doing but it might be a little while. Just say some prayers that she gets stronger and stronger each day, without overdoing it. Love to all and many, many thanks.

More Grandma Stuff

2007-08-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

Grandma's home!!! Grandma was discharged today from St. John's and she'll be staying with my parents for probably a month or so. The stent surgery and recovery went well and she'll be having physical therapy 3 times a week for her to get stronger. We met a whole slew of people today (I was there for about 7 hours today) and got tons of information, it's just going take a while to process. The home health caregiver (i.e. physical therapist) will be coming for the first time on Sat., so I'm going to stay at least until then to help out wherever I can. I still don't have a place to sleep right now--hopefully we'll figure out something pretty soon! Later taters!

Update on Grandma

2007-08-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, after I got done with work last night (at the lovely hour of 8pm, nothing to do with my amazing coworkers, don't worry!), I talked to my mom who told me that grandma was going to be getting a cardiac cath done today (which is where they put something up through the leg, to the heart to see how much blockage there is). If there was only a little blockage, there were going to do either an angioplasty (balloon) or stent (to hold the vein/artery open and widen it, from what I understand) (I think I blogged about this before--and if I did, sorry for repeating myself) and if there was too much blockage, they wouldn't be able to do anything and grandma would basically be a walking time bomb b/c they wouldn't be able to do another bypass due to her age. So, after I cried (again), I bought a ticket and wonderful Michael and I left for the airport at 4:50am. I got in around 8am, dad picked me up, and we were in the hospital room by about 8:45am.

Grandma was SO surprised to see me (they didn't tell her I was coming in so she worry about that--she always worries when I fly) and she actually said, and I quote, "If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake!" That's my grandma for you!!! I laughed so hard and it was nice to be happy again. I'm really glad I came up here, it's been good for my heart and soul just to be with everybody and not worry (so much that I wasn't eating) about the phone ringing with bad news and to be able to see grandma face to face has really put my mind at ease, at least a little. Grandma and I got to talk for a while (about 2 hours) before they took her to get her cardiac cath done and when she came back, they said they had put 2 stents in already too (vein and main artery)! We were so happy b/c if something had to be done, we had been hoping that it would be a stent and not an angioplasty, since that's supposed to be better.

Now grandma has to rest for a while and needs peace and quiet while she's recovering. This is a critical time for her so most of us left the hospital, except for Mom and Uncle John. We'll probably go up again tonight to see her. I still don't know how long I'm going to be here--I bought a one way ticket since I was (and still am) unsure of the prognosis. Grandma will be staying at my parents' house when she's released which means I should leave shortly after that since we're running out of beds! (This is also due to the fact that both Joe and his girlfriend, Rose, are here right now--she's sweet, I've never met her before--taking up 2 of the 5 beds available). That's where I am right now. Please say some more prayers that grandma stays healthy and recovers well--prayers really do work! Later!

Say Some Prayers

2007-08-13T15:53:00.002-07:00

My grandma (mom's mom) was taken to the cardiac ICU last night: she'd been feeling very, very weak and no wonder, her pulse was at 38! (I don't know what a normal pulse is supposed to be but I'm sure it's higher than that!!) Apparently, her atrium and her ventricles weren't "talking" to each other so her heart was beating all out of whack. She had surgery this morning and they put a pacemaker in her--so far, so good. The scary part is in the next day or so: tomorrow they're going to do a chemical stress test where they'll see if anything in her heart is blocked. If it is, she'll probably have to go through another bypass (like she did about 15 years ago) or angioplasty or they'll have to insert a stint. None of these are good options because her body probably won't be able to handle it (she is turning 90 this year!) and there's a good chance she won't make it. And if one of these options has to happen, we'll probably fly to StL immediately to be with my family. So please say some prayers that tomorrow will go well and she'll be able to go home soon. My grandma's had a good, long life but I'd hate to lose her in a hospital room. Grandma, you're an amazing, good woman and I love you. We all love you.

On another note, today's our 1 year anniversary of living in Dallas--I can't believe it, this year has flown by and we love Dallas (so much better than Austin!). Whoopee.

Dog Park Time!

2007-08-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the dog park finally dried out enough for us to take the boys! I was a bit apprehensive since Max is a little unpredictable sometimes but we were that at 9am before a whole lot of people got there (and before it got too hot though I was sweating after about 45 min. in the sun) and we walked him around on his leash for a few minutes before we released the hounds! Max LOVED it!!! He was whining and yipping when we first got there but I think as soon as he saw that Sam was fine then he was fine too! It was actually pretty sweet because he followed Sam around for about 10 min. or so and then he realized he could play on his own with the other dogs!! He ran around and then bounded back to us, all the while being very sweet to the other dogs. What a good boy!!! We did have to leave because the boys were getting overheated (thank goodness they're getting groomed next week!) but we'll be back!

God is Good

2007-08-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, I just got this email a few minutes ago from my younger brother, Joe. Praise God, He is truly good! Calls can't get through right now but hopefully I'll be able to make contact sometime tonight.

Hi everyone, I don't know if you have heard yet, but one of the major bridges that crossesthe Mississippi in Minneapolis collapsed into the river earlier this evening. This bridge is the route which connects the University of Minnesota to downtownMinneapolis. For the summer, I have been living in an apartment at theUniversity, and I take this bridge to and from work every single day. I amjust writing to let you know, that I am ok and all my friends and co-workers(thus far) are ok too. Coincidentally, I was pretty tired at work today anddecided to leave a little early. I crossed the bridge about 45 minutes beforethe accident. If I had left when I usually call it a day I would have been onthe bridge right around the time of the accident. God truly works inmysterious ways. I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer months. Please keepthe people of Minneapolis and their families in your thoughts and prayers. with love,Joe

P.S.

2007-07-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

Max and/or Sam ate 3/4 of a bag of tear 'n share plain M&M's while we were at Wal Mart for 15 min.. Sounds like a fun night (and possibly day tomorrow) for us, huh? My little scamps...

Update: the boys were fine, nothing bad came out of either end (though I decided to bring them both to work with me, just to keep an eye on them...and I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon--they were whining and howling anytime they saw someone, which was often, since they were near the fridge! And, it turns out, Max is the howler. Weird.). Crazy boys but I love them!

Just Piddlin' Around

2007-07-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, the new job is GREAT!! I love all the people I work with (at least, the ones I've met so far in my first 2 days) and the customers have been great too. I'm learning, slowly but surely, and everyone has assured me that they won't leave me at any task until I'm absolutely comfortable with it (i.e. all the closing stuff at night, doing the deposits, making sure all the money has been squared away, etc.). I've already had to deal with one puppy death on my Observation Day (which is not to be confused with my first official start day) that was very unexpected and I've also had people offer me: a) a gentle Rottweiler (no, thank you! where would I put it??!) and b) a kitty that was left in a crate by the Petsmart doors and was found when they were opening the store last Wed. (again, no thank you--I'm allergic!). It makes me wonder if I'm going to be tempted down the line to take some poor soul of a puppy home, knowing my penchant for rescue dogs.

I also love that I get to wear scrubs and tennis shoes to work! The scrubs are so comfy I could actually see myself sleeping in them (but I wouldn't, really) and the tennis shoes, while less than comfortable right now since they aren't quite broken in yet, will conform in a couple of months and I'll be better than ever (and, in the meantime, I get to buy a foot massager--not a bad thing to have around the apt. anyway!)

Max just peed in the house (hence the title of this entry) and I'm so tired of the smell!! If anyone knows how to get rid of doggie pee smells, PLEASE let me know!!! I want to actually get rid of the smell, not just cover it up, but the problem is that I think he pees on the floor when I'm gone and then by the time I come home, it's already dried up. And smelly. I never had to deal with this with Sam and I'm starting to run of of products to try!! HELP!!!

That's it for now. Time to make some chili.

I Got (Another) Job!

2007-07-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

I had my interview with Banfield in Richardson yesterday and they offered me a job! It looks like I'm going to be working Tues.-Thurs., 10-7, possibly with some rotating Fri., so that I can keep a couple of days open for WS work. They're also closed on Sun. and holidays, which is nice, and I asked for Sat. off so I can spend some time with Michael!! I have my observation day this Fri. so wish me luck!!

SIlver Lining?

2007-06-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

After the debacle of yesterday, I decided to update/post my resume on Monster.com. I did this a while ago and got some responses but I really wanted to start looking again. So, I did that and applied for a couple of jobs and I've already got 2 responses! Last night, a vet doc asked me to come in and fill out an app and just a little while ago another Banfield (about the same disctance as my current one) emailed me and asked me to call to set up an interview (and she said she looked at my resume and she thinks I'd be a great fit)!!! Things are looking up!

In more exciting news, Chris DeYoung is engaged!!! For those of you who don't know Chris, he was our best man in our wedding and he's one of Michael's best (and oldest) friends. We love Chris and couldn't be happier for him!

This Day Sucks

2007-06-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

So if life wasn't hard enough right now, I also just found out that I am NOT, in fact, going to work at Banfield. I called to talk to my guy, the one who encouraged me to apply, and the district person answered so I just asked if the position had been filled and she said yes but that she would keep my resume on file for 6 months. Blah blah blah. It's not fair b/c it's like I'm being penalized for going out of town on a trip that I had planned for a while to see my family. But since I couldn't interview with her when she wanted, that apparently throws me out of the job pool. It's not like I could do anything about it, you know? If I could have done anything to go to the interview, I would have, I really wanted the job. And if you're going to penalize me for that, then just tell me. Don't say you'll call when I get back, then not call at all. That's just rude. This day sucks.

It's Like Missing A Limb

2007-06-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

So it seems as if I have lost my cell phone, *sigh*. I've never lost a cell in the 10 or so years that I've had one and, I have to say, it's not very nice. I lost it on Sun. night and I think it's officially gone now. I checked my Cingular account yesterday after work and someone had found it and made calls all through the night and morning and most of yesterday as well. Oh well, at least they were local calls! They even listened to the cell phone message that I left (where I gave our home phone number 3 times and asked the person to please call it if they found my phone) but decided not to turn it in for whatever reason. So, my service is suspended and I'm waiting to hear if I'm up for an upgrade now (which I think I am). And I've got the manager of The Porch (where we ate on Sun. night w/ friends) helping me out as well since I think it was probably a busboy or valet guy who took it. He had me fax over the phone numbers list to see if he could track down someone and he was going to talk to the supervisor of the valets. All in all, I think I've done all I can. Oh, and I'm going to file a police report--not b/c I want anything done, just to have on file. This stinks.

Anniversary Pics

2007-06-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

My Gorgeous Anniversary Earrings

(not to scale, lol)

My Beautiful Surprise Flowers

Mini-Vacay, Part Deux

2007-06-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

So, overall our mini-vacay was great! We went to a Trivia Night on Sat. to help fund an inner-city school (which, btw, they were hoping to raise $8,000 and they made $13,000--pretty good for their first Trivia Night ever!). This was not the kind of trivia we were used to. First of all, there were TONS of questions about StL that I would have had to have been born 40+ years ago to even consider knowing. Plus, they had a Jelly Belly round where you had to taste aforementioned Jelly Bellies and pick which flavor they were from a supplied list. Jelly beans aren't my favorite anyway, so this was hard. But the money was for such a good cause (sidebar: my parent's really good friends' son teaches there) that you couldn't really get help but feel good!

Let's see..what else? Oh, Sun. was Father's Day so we hung out around the house and played Bags (which I'm not going to explain here but it's kind of like Tic Tac Do (the kind where you throw beanbags) or washers, if you've ever played either of those), while listening to some music and being happy for Shiner on a hot day. AND we met John's new girlfriend, Angie, who I really like! She's the kind of girl who seems like she'd be up for anything and she's really, really nice. She's a dance teacher and super skinny and cute. We'll see how it goes... And yes, we ate the ubiquitous Father's Day bbq.

On Mon. we played some Scrabble with John and Dad (I got my butt kicked) and left around 4:30pm to make a 6:50pm flight. We almost didn't make it. Even though it's never taken me longer than 45 min., max, to get to the airport, traffic was backed up as soon as we got on the highway and didn't stop until we got the rental car place, 90 min. later. Thankfully, our shuttle driver flew to the airport, we ran through the terminal (which I absolutely hate) and made it with about 5 min. to spare. Well, 5 min. if our flight had left on time, that is. God must have been looking out for us b/c the incoming flight didn't show up until about 7:15pm so we didn't start boarding until 7:30pm-ish. So, we were made it after all. I'm just glad I had the foresight to ask Steph to pick up Sam and Max on her way home since our flight didn't even get in until 8:45pm and there was no way in the world we could have made it by 9pm. Thanks, Stephsie, we love you!!!!

That's our trip in a nutshell. We had a good time and my parents will be here to visit in 17 days (hooray for great StL to DAL fares!) and I think fake mom will be here too, right about the same time. :D Max is getting some private training lessons for socialization, as well as learning basic commands, and he already knows Sit and Down, such a smart boy! In late Aug./early Sept. we'll be taking our real vacation (i.e. longer than 4 days) to San Francisco, Carmel and Monterey and if anyone knows of a good (and safe) hotel to stay in in SF, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

Mini-Vacay

2007-06-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

So, we're in St. Louis now! We arrived yesterday morning at the godforsaken time of 8am. I say godforsaken because do you know what it means when you've arrived in StL after a 90 min. flight? That's right, it means you've had to get up at 3:30am so that you could leave by 4:30am so that you could get to the airport by 5am to make a 6:30am flight. Ugh. Thank goodness for free doughnuts provided by Southwest since McD's didn't open until 6am and we were already boarded by then.

We went to the Art Museum yesterday which was great (and free!). I thought we were going to be able to see this cool Napolean exhibit for free (free on Fri.'s) but, yeah, it doesn't open until tomorrow. Bummer. We were also going to go to the Zoo (also free!) but it closed at 2pm (we think for a private party) and since we had just arrived at Forest Park at noon (after making a lovely detour to Mom's Deli, hooray!!) and still had to eat said sandwiches a la picnic style AND since it was 93 degrees out, we had to forego the Zoo. But that's ok, since we went today! We were there at 9:15am (though it opened at 8am) and didn't leave until 1:45! It was great! We always see things that we've never seen before. This time, apparently, the mating scene was upon us (i.e. wild asses, tortoises and dwarf mongooses--mongeese? I don't know). It was very...interesting...to see all this frolicking. Anyway, we had a good time. I think I got some sun on my shoulders. It's all good. Now we're just waiting for my parents to get home so we can go to Trivia Night and you KNOW we love our trivia!! More StL trip blogging to come later, I'm sure.

Oh also, we had our 4th wedding anniversary on Thurs.!!! It's hard to believe it's been 4 years already but there you go! I'll post pics later of the earrings and flowers Michael got me. They're all gorgeous. I still have the most wonderful guy in the world!

And I adopted a warthog in his name from the Dallas Zoo as my present to him. I'm so thoughtful.

Maxwell Seymour Emerson

2007-05-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Max finally got groomed today (BIG hooray)!!! He was supposed to go last Fri. but circumstances were tricky. Firstly, the groomers required Max to have a rabies shot. This was no big deal since he was supposed to get his rabies shot that Tues. before. Instead of his rabies shot, though, he got an upper respiratory infection. And a mild ear infection. And he was licking his neutering area which meant no rabies shot for Max (really, the cold was the main culprit), only antibiotics and another check-up appt. for this past Mon, 5/14. So, he went and saw Dr. Pedone (LOVE her!) this Mon. and even though he's not completely well, he was well enough to get both his distemper and rabies shots! I wanted to get him groomed yesterday but the groomers said they were required to wait 48 hours after the shot was given. So I dropped him off before work and then picked him up when I was done--he looks like a completely different puppy--and who knew he had so many spots?! Anyway, he's still got the sniffles and is sneezing a bit but his ear infection is all gone and his neuter site is almost completely healed. Both puppies are on antibiotics until next Mon., just to be safe (and b/c Sam was starting to wheeze).

Oh, I also wanted to explain Max's middle name, Seymour. In the tv show Futurama, the main character, Fry, gets accidentally sent 1,000 years into the future, leaving all of his friends and family, including his beloved dog, Seymour, behind. Seymour sits outside the pizza parlour where Fry worked and waits and waits and waits for Fry to return but he never does and Seymour dies without ever seeing him again. A faithful friend to the end. It seemed appropriate.

I'm going to enjoy the beautiful, cool weather now. Later!

Meet Max!

2007-05-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

Max Emerson

This is our new puppy, Max! (I use the term "puppy" loosely, he's actually just over a year old.) We're getting him from Operation Kindness later this week (he has to be fixed first--yikes) and he's just as sweet as can be! Sam and Max had an hour long meet & greet yesterday and everything went VERY well! There was much "doggy handshaking" as the woman called it and Sam wasn't a bit aggressive. Max is an incredibly shy dog, which makes me think that he wasn't given much love at his previous owner's house. He was an owner surrender and the reasoning was, "too many pets". Poor thing! Well, I have the time, love and TLC to give him so he should be good with us! The OK worker noticed how calm Sam was and said that he, more than the 2 of us, would really bring Max out of his shell because he'll imitate Sam. Good thing Sam's such a good dog!

Strangely enough, while we were at the meet and greet, some professional photographers came over and asked me if they were brothers/siblings (no checking of the undercarriage was involved, obviously). They were they taking pictures of shelter dogs for a book they're writing--what a great idea! Sam and Max were both quite photogenic and I had to sign a waiver for Sam, SO funny!!

Anyway, so this is Max and I'm sure I'll have many more pictures to come soon! Have a good day!

Why Sometimes I Really Hate Being A Responsible Adult

2007-03-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

First there was the house thing and now there's the car thing. So, in order for you to understand the forthcoming information, you must understand that my brakes squeak really badly. Not just kind of badly, REALLY badly. It's this horrible, high-pitched squealing noise and people are always looking whenever I'm stopping or slowing down. At least, I think they are. It could just be my hotness. Or something. Anyway, so this problem has been bugging me for about a month or so and I finally decided to do something about it today: I went to Just Brakes and got them partially fixed. I saw partially because $300+ dollars was all I was willing to part with today. I got the major stuff (brake pads and shoes, leaking braking fluid) fixed, I'll go back another day and get the rest done. When it's not such a major blow to my wallet.

On a better note, Sylisha (Michael's cousin's wife) graduated from culinary school on Monday--hooray, Sylisha!!! We're all SO proud of her (plus, now I know we'll have amazingly good food at all family holidays), she's worked very hard for 2 years and she graduated with honors! PLUS, she's opening her own business--that takes a lot of guts and determination but I know she can do it! Congrats again to her!

Oh, I also found out that my friend Kristin in Kansas is having a baby girl! I swear, everyone's having baby girls these days--we'll see what my time brings at some unknown point in the future! :D Later!

Sad News

2007-03-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed the post about the house and all the pics are gone. There's a reason for this: we decided not to buy a house at this time. It wasn't financially responsible of us to do so right now. And even though we could have afforded it, we wouldn't have been able to enjoy it what with all the subsequent scrimping and saving rather than the fun decorating and furnishing. So, we'll see where we are in a year or so. We're both very sad about this major decision that we've had to make but we're happy that we're responsible enough to see past the emotional ties and we'll get through it together and with our friends and family. Thank you for all of your wonderful support and maybe our dreams will come true someday. C'est la vie.

It's Been A Long Time

2007-03-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how long it's been since I've lasted posted! Not that much has happened in my life, mind you. Here's a quick rundown: birthday was great & Cheesecake Factory was muy delicioso, Valentine's Day was lovely (I got pajamas--and if you know my obsession, that's a good thing) and Michael took me to this FABulous little Italian place called Adelmo's in downtown Dallas--I think you could blink and miss it.

D.C. was GREAT! My feet and knee didn't hurt as much this time (thank goodness!) and we got to spend a lot more time doing what we wanted to do instead of whisking through all of it (though that was kind of fun too). The weather went from cold and windy to cold and windy and SNOWY (we're talking approx. 3-4 inches in about 2 and 1/2 hours and it was the good kind too, perfect for snowmen, big flakes, wet and heavy) and, as a result, we got stranded in good ol' D.C. a day longer than planned. Thank goodness I always bring extra clothes! I'll upload pics later since my computer is being cranky right now.

This weekend I'm St. Louis bound! I'm excited since I haven't seen my mom since Christmas and I haven't seen dad and John since mid-Jan. The roundtrip airfare was less than $100, so I couldn't very well pass that up! Our friend Tyler is taking me to the airport (my hero!) since Michael's also leaving on Fri. (from a different airport, of course!) to go to a bachelor party in Vegas. I figure the timing's good too since he'll be gone all weekend anyway (and I'll be gone until Tues.), plus it's my dad's 60th bday on the 14th so I'm a early present! I feel badly for leaving Sam again since we just picked him up on Mon. but he'll be staying with his girlfriend and BFF this weekend (thanks again, Stephanie!!!).

That's all for now--loving this warm, sunny weather!

Of Birthdays and Quality Time

2007-01-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

So, today's my birthday! Actually, it's not that big of a deal. 27 isn't a big milestone, it's just another reminder that 30 is creeping closer and closer. Not that I mind 30, mind you. It doesn't make me feel old or anything like that...my point is, it's a milestone birthday and 27 is not. That's it. The end. Anyway, it's my birthday. Michael's present to me was taking the day off!!! Well, that and giving me a GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers!!! AND I got flowers from my friends Brooke and Jen. It's a very floral kind of day. We ate copious amounts of Indian food for lunch. Gosh, I love chicken tikka masala!! And now we're getting sushi to balance out said copious amounts of Indian food and all will be well in my world. So that's it. I'm 27. TA-DA!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

We hope all of our friends and family have a safe, happy and blessed new year and for years to come!! Stay in touch!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

I hope this blog finds you and yours happy and safe. Please have a wonderfuly, blessed and joyous Christmas and New Year. To all of my friends and family, near and far: I LOVE YOU!! And thanks for everything you've done this year and for being a special part of my life. God truly is great.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

May everyone have a safe, happy and food-filled Turkey Day! Love to all!!!

It's Official!

2006-11-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Michael's an attorney now!!!

New Aranda Pics

2006-11-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hooray!!!

2006-11-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Michael passed the Bar exam!!!! Cheers all around!!!!!!!

Kitchen Wonders

2006-10-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

This week I've tried cooking several new dishes and the results have been excellent both times! Last week, I made pork with a mustard sauce. Doesn't sound like a big deal except here's the thing: I don't eat pork. Bacon, yes, maybe even the occasional ham but I rarely eat pork and I've never made it before. So I made pork tenderloin pieces in a white wine-stone ground mustard sauce with egg noodles (Cooking Light, of course). Accompanied by roasted asparagus and baked apples. Delicious!

Last night I was more adventerous and made chicken tikka masala. Let me back up: when we were at The Fair a couple of weeks ago, Clay Pit (a local Indian restaurant) was there giving a cooking demo and the dish they were making was chicken tikka masala. Now, I love chicken tikka masala. It's really one of the few Indian dishes I've tried but I say stick with what you like. Problem is, it's in this really rich tomato-cream sauce. Not so healthy. But I looked at the recipe they handed out and they said you could substitute the heavy cream with plain, nonfat yogurt. So that's what I did! Granted, it wasn't quite as creamy as in the restaurant but it was still delicious and flavorful (at least, that's what Michael and Stephanie told me)! So really, it was chicken, yogurt, tomato sauce, only 2 T. of butter and spices. The spices were courtesey of Central Market, thank goodness! Did you know that WalMart wants $3.58 for a bottle of ground coriander?? I don't think so! I bought mine at the spice bar section at CM and only paid $0.13 and I still have more than enough for another round of cooking, maybe even two rounds! I bought all my weird spices (tumeric, garam masala, fenugreek) there--it's not so wasteful of money or spices this way!

That's my story for today. Michael's in DC until tomorrow night for work training so it's me and my little fuzzy boy. Cheers!

Puppies of Cuteness!

2006-10-12T13:47:00.001-07:00

These are my friend Ashley Rae's dogs, Ellie and Lucy. They're shih tzu/pomeranian mixes. How cute are they?!?!

My Space

2006-10-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm totally addicted to My Space. At first, it was just a passing fancy, I thought I'd check it out, see what it was like...and I wasn't very impressed, mainly because it took about 30 miilion years for my old dial-up to upload one, single, solitary picture for me. So, I forgot about it for a while. Left it on a dusty shelf, if you will. Then Steph started harrowing me about my "closet" My Space account, which it really wasn't since the only thing on the entire page was my picture and basic info.: name, age, location, etc. I decided, therfore, that after I got high speed 'net, I would try this whole "My Space" thing again. Now I can't get enough. I've put up the maximum of allotted pictures, changed my background several times, updated my interests, set my slideshow and have now begun finding old college friends. I probably spend at least an hour a day working on this thing. I love My Space.

http://www.myspace.com/sunnyhuny1

Sick Puppy

2006-10-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

I took Sam to the vet on Thurs. b/c he had this scary-looking bump on his side that started looking worse as the week progressed, so, of course, I wanted to get it checked out. I took him to the Banfield (in Petsmart) near me, where Stephanie takes her Liberty and Oliver. Dr. Rachel was very nice, as were all the technicians and they drew some cells to have them analyzed. I also signed up for a wellness plan from them that covers vaccinations, dental cleaning, routine check-ups, office visits, etc. and they said, "hey, why don't you get these 4 shots since he hasn't had them and they're covered under your new wellness plan?" And I said, "sure, why not? It can't hurt him, right?" I was wrong. Not only did he cry and whine in pain when he actually got the shots but he also had an allergic reaction. At first, he was just lethargic and shaky but then he started whining when I picked him up and he wouldn't put any weight on one of his legs. So, I took him back that same afternoon. They said, "that's normal. Only worry about him if he starts vomiting or has diarrhea." Ok, so, I took him back home.

Fri. morning he had some diarrhea but I thought, "well, I DID give him wet food yesterday, I'm not too worried." So, I'm getting ready for work, putting my lipstick on and about to walk out the door, when he throws up on the bathroom floor. That freaks me out b/c it's all chunky and he's only ever vomited that foamy-looking stuff before (and even that's very rarely), so I call the vet, they tell me to bring him in. I bring Sam in for the 3rd time in 24 hours. They tell me he's having an allergic reaction and give him a shot for the nausea (which didn't really work, btw, since he threw up all over the bed about an hour later and then on the couch and floor again that night) and that I should give him Benadryl and Imodium and if he's still acting like this in 24 hours, to bring him in again.

Great, now I'm a basket case. I give him the meds but he throws up, so I'm not sure if they're in his system or not and I decide to wait a few hours to give him another dosage, since I don't want to over-medicate my dog! I put the Benadryl in peanut butter later--no dice. He doesn't want it. I put it in bread, turkey, a tortilla, cheese, yogurt--nothing. I call the vet; I have no idea what to do. They tell me to throw it in the back of his throat. That doesn't work out so well. He keeps spitting it out. And then he refuses to even open his mouth for me...now I can't pry his jaws open at all! I call Michael at work and tell him to come home ASAP, I'm at my wits end. He gets it in without many problems and we go buy some liquid children's Benadryl and a needle-less syringe, just in case (I didn't know that was an option since the vet's kept telling me to give him half a tablet, but whatever.)

Sam's fine now but I hardly ate or slept for 3 days b/c I was so worried about him. And he gets to get his boosters in 3 weeks. Lucky us. Oh, the god news is that his cyst is benign. Hooray!

Why I Love The Fair

2006-09-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

NEW FOOD ITEMS FOR THE 2006 STATE FAIR OF TEXAS

(These are the new items only--they don't include all the good ol' stuff like corn dogs and fried pickles with spicy ranch!)

Beef & Beans Fire Bowl – A fired-up, one-dish meal made from ground beef, spicy beans, corn, crushed red peppers and Hotter N Hell seasoning covered with a baked-on jalapeno cornbread top. Not for the weak-hearted.

Cajun Shrimp On A Stick – Spicy shrimp in a custom Cajun batter, fried and served with a choice of dipping sauce.

Candy Apple Turnover – A flaky turnover, filled with apples, crushed red candy and brown sugar, is deep fried and topped with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries On-a-Stick – Fresh strawberries are skewered on a stick and dipped in deliciously warmed chocolate.

Cinnamon Praline Bananas Foster -- Caramelized banana rum sauce poured over Blue Bell Cinnamon ice cream, covered with whipped cream and topped off with a rich pecan praline sauce.

Deep Fried Cosmopolitan - Contest Finalist – A delicious fried pastry is filled with rich cheesecake and topped with a sweet & tangy cranberry glaze and a lime wedge. Served on a stick.

Donkey Tails - Contest Finalist – Large all-beef franks, slit on one side and generously stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, are wrapped tightly in a large flour tortilla and fried until golden brown. Served with mustard, chili, or Ruth's salsa.

Down Home Banana Pudding Cheesecake – Created for people who like the rich flavor of homemade pudding or the elegance of cheesecake, the ingredients include bananas, pecans, cream cheese, brown sugar, coffee liqueur in a vanilla wafer crust. Served on a small plate.

Fernie's Fried Chicken n' Waffle – A toasted 7" round waffle, brushed with melted butter and topped with three extra-crunchy honey-battered chicken breast tenders. Served with syrup or white cream gravy. Sweet and salty.

Fernie's Fried Choco-rito - Contest Finalist – A flour tortilla – stuffed with marshmallows, coconut, candy bar pieces, caramel morsels and cinnamon – is dipped in pancake batter and deep fried to a crispy, crunchy outside and sweet, gooey inside. Drizzled with honey and topped with whipped cream.

Fernie's Fried Mac 'n Cheese - Contest Finalist – Texas-sized bites of macaroni & cheese, covered with a layer of garlic & herb-flavored bread crumbs, are deep fried until crispy outside and hot & cheesy inside. Served on a stick with a side of dipping sauces.

Fried Avocadoes – Hand-battered chunks of scrumptious avocado are breaded and fried to perfection. Choice of dipping sauces. A culinary hit in California.

Fried Baked Potatoes – French fries right out of the fryer are topped with a choice of queso cheese sauce, bacon bits, chives or butter.

Fried Cinnamon Crispas – Hand-cut strips of flour tortillas are crispy fried and dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Fried Coke - Contest Finalist – Smooth spheres of Coca-Cola-flavored batter are deep fried, drizzled with pure Coke fountain syrup, topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry. Served in souvenir contoured glasses.

Fried Pancake Sundae – Tasty country sausage bites wrapped in a light pancake batter, deep fried to perfection , topped with whipped cream, lightly glazed with hot fudge sauce and finished with a cherry on top. Pineapple and strawberry glaze options available.

Fried Praline Perfection - Contest Finalist – Guaranteed to melt in your mouth. Plump coconut and pecan pralines, battered and fried to a rich golden crust. Served warm with powdered sugar.

Hast Texas BBQ Nachos – Fair-famous Hast Texas Nachos are topped with BBQ beef and covered with a special-recipe sauce.

Melon Monroe – Honey dew melon sauce ladled over chocolate chip ice cream, topped with whipped cream then garnished with two fried-dough, shaped "legs" filled with a special caramel sauce. Served fresh out of the fryer. "Some like it hot !"

S'mores – A new twist on a campfire favorite. Two graham crackers are pressed together with a marshmallow crème filling, skewered on a stick and dipped in delicious chocolate.

Texas Cajun Steak On-a-Stick – Tender morsels of steak coated in a spicy Cajun batter, fried golden brown and served on a stick with red or white dipping sauce.

Texas Waffle – An extra large waffle is freshly cooked and topped with whipped cream and a choice of chocolate, strawberry or pineapple sauce.

Texas Trash – In response to fairgoers' requests, this to-go sack of less-than-whole Hast Texas Nacho chips is served up in a white doughnut-style bag.

Wedgee's – Frozen chocolate-covered Wisconsin cheesecake-on-a-stick offered in Turtle (caramel) and Key Lime flavors.

Make New Friends But Keep The Old

2006-09-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today I got an email from one on my old bosses and good friends, Christina. It was so good to hear from her! She was always more of a friend than a boss to me, which made my work life much more enjoyable. She now has a second son, David, which I'm so excited about! I remember when she was pregnant with Joey and I got to see him at the hospital the day after he was born--such a cute little guy! I'm only sorry that we're so much farther away from her now or I'd go and see her right away!

I start working at my new WS tomorrow. Pray that I meet some great people and enjoy the new management! I had such a great team at my old store and I miss them but I'm hoping my new team is just as wonderful. Stop by if you're in the Galleria, I just might be working! The demo area in my new store is quite a bit bigger than my old space so I'm hoping they remember how much I said I love doing demo. I think I'll print out some WS recipes today to show some initiative. Gotta go do some work around this place--I think Sam is calling my name to go outside!

4 days until the Fair, the Fair!

Cool Weather

2006-09-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

The heat has finally subsided! Last I saw the weather this morning, it was a cool 67--that's amazing for middle-of-September Dallas weather! Yesterday couldn't have been prettier for Stephanie's moving day: it was sunny, but not hot, and there was even a little bit of a breeze. Of course, the night ended on a good note: a trip to IKEA! Hooray! Stephanie needed some CD/DVD holders (the same ones that we got--we've now spread the joy to both Becca and Steph) and a tv stand since her current one is a bit rickety. I hope everything is going ok at her new place; I haven't talked to her yet this morning...

Michael's new job is going well. He got his new laptop and case yesterday and had his first "real" workday. He also had to wear a tie and suit all day since he got his picture taken for the website (www.pattonboggs.com but the picture's not up as of this morning). He also had to do a draft of some sort of legal document (I don't remember what he said, sorry) that a partner wanted by this afternoon but he got it done yesterday late afternoon/evening! (Can you tell I'm proud of him?!) Oh, and he has a secretary! Her name is Bernice and he shares her with 2 other attorneys but still it's very fancy schmancy. And I'm sure she's nice and helpful. He does have his own office (with a window!) on the 28th floor but he'll only be there for 3 weeks, after that, they're moving him up to the 32nd floor so he's waiting to put pictures up and whatnot. Smart move, I think.

That's about it for now. I'm going to venture forth and try and find the closest Kohls today, I think. I also have some cleaning and wrapping of baby presents to do. Oh, and I start working at WS next Mon. so wish me luck that everything goes well with my new team!

10 days until The Fair!!!

Ireland Photos

2006-09-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Powerscourt Gardens

Powerscourt Manor

Newgrange Passage Tomb

Guinness Factory

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

We're Baaaack!

2006-09-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Well, we survived 4 plane flights and the perils of jet-lag and being without luggage for a few days and are now back to an almost-normal life! Ireland was WONDERFUL!! So gorgeous, so green, so rural (outside of Dublin and Shannon, of course). I'll post pictures later when I'm on a faster connection. We both highly recommend visiting Ireland but only if you're going to be brave and drive around the countryside by yourself. You really can't see Ireland any other way. Once you get past the initial terror and nervousness of driving on the wrong side of the road (which only took us 1 day to get over!) you can revel in the joy of being able to stop wherever, and whenever, you want. You can get a million great pictures on your own (or, in our case, almost 800) and it's a very freeing sensation. I just can't believe we're back already. As all vacations go, after so much planning, it's over too quickly. I wonder where we'll go next...

We missed our adorable Sam, of course, but he says he had a grand old time with Aunt Stephanie, Aunt Bunny, Aunt Keri, Uncle Nathen, Gracie, Teeny and Sadie. Thank you for taking such good care of him!!

Michael got his diploma today and it says "High Honors" on it, which is FANTASTIC!! I can't wait to frame it and hang it in his office downtown! I call in to work on the 18th (yes, I transferred to another WS here until I figure out what I want to do next) and Michael starts on the 14th, so he'll have a very short first week. After sleeping all of yesterday away, Sam is now...sleeping...again...on our couch. Such is the life of a dog. Our upcoming events include: Stephanie's birthday (hooray!!!), packing/moving Steph, going to the Fair (the Fair, the Fair!), and then going to Sea World for our 2nd ticket day once it cools off a bit. Not sure how holidays are going to work yet with Michael's schedule. We'll see how that goes soon, I suppose.

Maybe I'll go swimming today...Slainte! (Slan-cha...Irish for cheers!)

Condensed Version

2006-08-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here's the condensed version of the last 48+ hours: plane from DFW to Chicago was late because of stupid air traffic controllers in Chicago. Bumped plane to an hour and a half late. Could possibly miss connecting flight b/c of this, so change flights. This flight also gets delayed but only leaves 10 min. after time of original flight. REALLY annoying people on flight to Dublin--spoiled loud preteens and whatnot. Arrive in Dublin. Luggage does not. Pretty much wear the same clothes and shower in the worst shower in the entire world for 2 days. Luggage arrives tonight at 8pm. Happy dance!!

Ireland, Here We Come!

2006-08-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

We leave tomorrow for the Emerald Isle! We are SO excited--please say some prayers that all legs of our flights go off (and land) smoothly!

This week has been a teensy bit hectic but it's all been fun. Well, 90% of it has been fun. The 10% that wasn't fun was that I got an ear infection on Tues. It hurt like the dickens both inside my ear and down the side of my neck, near my jawline, and it hurt to move my head in certain directions. After 2 days of pain, I decided that it was necessary to see the doctor for several reasons: 1.) I haven't had an ear infection since I was probably about 7 years old or so, 2.) my throat was hurting too, 3.) with flying I really didn't want my ears to be hurting beforehand, much less in the air with pressure and 4.) I remember why I hated ear drops so much as a kid. Not fun. So, I saw the doctor, got some antibiotics and a decongestant and have since finished taking the antibiotics (which is good because I'm apparently part of the 5% of people who get stomach pains, nausea and intestinal distress from this medicine).

The 90% fun stuff was, in this order,: 1.) our new chair-and-a-half and ottoman were delivered and we now have a real living room, 2.) almost all of our pictures and whatnot are hanging on the walls, 3.) we've ordered toll tags so we'll be able to get around Dallas even more easily when we get back, 4.) our washer and dryer got delivered!, 5.) I was told that I'm going to be working at the Williams-Sonoma in the Galleria, right by the apt.!, 6.) my dad came to visit for a couple of days, which is always fun (except I got my booty kicked in Scrabble and Upwords) and slightly boozy (LOL!) and 7.) Stephanie spent the night last night (there were plumbing issues at her house--it wasn't pretty) and we get Liberty Grace today.

Cheers to all and we'll be back in September!

Finally in Dallas!!!

2006-08-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

WE'RE HERE!!!! Admittedly, we've been here for 1 week and 3 days so far but with the sluggishly slow dial-up that we currently have at home, surfing the 'Net has not been so very fun lately. We just finished eating at Atlanta Bread Co. and are using their fast (and free!) Internet--hooray!

Moving day went quite smoothly. Abracadabra Movers ("Poof! You're moved!") did an excellent job (loading us in in Austin at a rapid 1 hour and 15 min.) on both ends. I highly recommend them if you're moving from Austin to Dallas. Stephanie and Becca were troopers and helped me do some major unpacking before Michael ever got here. Much obliged, I'm sure. We only have a few boxes left and most of those are DVDs and CDs that have no home (we got rid of our holder that we had in Austin) and Michael's done a stellar job hanging up almost all of our stuff. Best of all, our chair and a half comes tomorrow!! And, hopefully, our washer and dryer will arrive as well! My dad comes to visit this Thurs.-Sat. so he'll be the first parent to see all of our new glory! And Sam got groomed today so he'll be nice and pretty for his grandpapa!

Stephanie and I have already hit Roomstore, Ikea, Target, Walmart, BJ's and Luna de Noche--I love my sister!! And when she moves she'll be even closer than before--so exciting! Also, everyone needs to be proud of me: I got to and from Steph's house in Plano this weekend for Kris' baby shower (love you, Kris!)--I'm a big girl now!

We leave for Ireland this upcoming Mon., the 28th and we'll get back on the 8th. If anyone can either take us to or pick us up from DFW airport, we'd be much obliged!!!! We're incredibly excited about our trip and now we're going horseback riding there too--something I was really wanting to do! (Seriously, doesn't a 90 min. mountain ride in the beautiful Irish countryside sound amazing??) So, we're getting all organized for that (spreadsheets and lists, anyone?) and trying not to get too stressed out.

That's all for now. Michael's going to kill my if I keep hogging the computer. Much love to everyone.

More Moving Pics

2006-08-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Sam Look Alikes!

2006-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

We saw these cuties today at Town Lake Animal Shelter, Austin's city pound.

Packing Up

2006-08-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

T-Minus 6 Days and Counting (that's including today)

2006-08-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

We're moving to Dallas! We're moving to Dallas! This thought hits me at the most random times, I swear. I had my last day at the Austin WS this past Sat. It was sad but we had a good time together. I got to work with some really great people (you know who you are!) and had a lot of laughs. My love to all!

Packing is coming along. I still feel like we have a ton to do but we still have 4 days to go so I guess we'll be ok. Our travel agent, Doug, emailed me on Fri. with our list of all our Ireland lodgings, minus one that he's still working on. Plus, we have our rental car now too! Things are chugging along in all aspects of our lives, it seems.

Cooking dinner is what's going on right now: Kung Pao Chicken, yummy! I'd better go before Michael burns down the kitchen. Again.

The New Aranda Family

2006-07-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

So Happy Together

2006-07-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Michael's finally back!!! It's wonderful being together again, especially without the stupid Bar hanging over our heads. :) Now we wait until Nov. to find out the results, so keep praying! I did finally start packing on Fri. night and now our walls are mostly barren, sad! But we're moving in less than 2 weeks so it's ok!!! Hooray! Yesterday we went to the city pound--not to get a dog--just to see what cuties they had. We saw a little Yorkie who was adorable and he could jump incredibly high from a dead standstill. Cutie pie! I gave him some treats. Then we went to the new art museum on UT's campus, the Blanton. It was fun and pretty cheap and the gallery is beautiful. We got some dinner (mmm, Jersey Mike's) and played Smash Bros.--I even won--twice!

In very exciting news, my friend Jeremy and his new wife Molly (they got married last Oct.) had their twins!! Both are boys: Jacob James and Joseph Powers (Molly's maiden name). They were born pretty prematurely (i.e. supposed to be due in Aug./Sept. and Molly's been on full bed rest for 3 or 4 weeks now) and only weighed in at about 3-4 lbs. each, both have tubes up their tiny noses and down their throats and Joseph has an IV in his head. Both were in NICU as of 5 days ago so please keep this new family in your thoughts and prayers.

Love to all!

The Bar Exam

2006-07-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Bar Exam is finally upon us. Michael leaves for Houston tomorrow and then is taking The Bar this upcoming Tues.-Thurs., that's the 25th-27th. Almost surprisingly, we haven't killed each other yet. These past few weeks, well, few days, really, have taught me that there's stress and then there's stress. Michael was so nervous today that he made me nervous! Fluttery, clenching stomach, the whole nine yards. Just in the last 2 weeks, we've had to deal with, "my time of the month", studying, finding a mover, studying, me being sick and then more studying. If we haven't killed each other yet then I'm guessing we never will!! Now we just want this whole ordeal behind us so that we can move, go to Ireland and start our new lives in Dallas. He'll have the computer for a week so this will probably be my last blog for a while.

Say some prayers, please, that Michael passes with flying colors.

'Za

2006-07-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting.
You focus on living a quality life.
You're not easily impressed with novelty.
Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

I Hate Being Sick

2006-07-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

It all started about 2 days ago...suddenly, I started sneezing and sneezing. Then my sinuses started hurting and the coughing began. Now I have a full-blown mini sinus infection: sinus pressure, headache, coughing, cracked nose and lips and I'm alternating between having a stuffy nose and a runny nose. So today I've been drinking my tea and going through old magazines, which is productive since I've been wanting to do this for a while and continue on my de-cluttering process. Unfortunately, it always takes me a week to get over these, no matter how poorly I feel. Sad. Oh well, it could be worse--I could feel this way in 2 weeks when the moving insanity really begins! There's my silver lining.

SO HOT

2006-07-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days where you just feel like you can't cool down at all. I have to say that I'm surprised that it took this long to feel this way. It is already the middle of July, after all. Today it's supposed to be a heat index of 106. Last night, at 10pm, it was still 95; now that's hot! This makes me more and more glad that we've hired movers to do all the sweating and schlepping. Speaking of which, here's my desperate plea for money: if you have any just laying around, that you happen to not need for whatever reason, feel free to send it to us! I don't really expect anyone to respond to this, it's just my way of slowly going crazy.

And what have I decided to do this hottest of all hot days? You know, the usual: lug boxes in 3 or 4 trips from WS to my steaming car and do all of the laundry--not in the air conditioned paradise of my apt., of course, but meandering my way across the parking lot multiple times.

Enjoy your day and I hope that wherever you are, you're cool!

Yarrrr!!!

2006-07-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Your Pirate Name Is...

Dirty Jenny of the High Seas

What's Your Pirate Name?

I actually had a few but this one was my favorite!

Everyone Should Take This Test!!

2006-07-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty.
At work and school, you do best when you're researching.
When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often.

In friendship, you are considerate and compromising.
Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking.
You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

The Birth Order Predictor

I Think I'm Officially Addicted to These Things

2006-07-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core.
You often find yourself on the outside looking in.
Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works.

You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Cookie

2006-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

You Are a Black and White Cookie

You're often conflicted in life, and you feel pulled in two opposite directions.
When you're good, you're sweet as sugar. And when you're bad, you're wicked!

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

Totally True

2006-07-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern

At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent

You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet

Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

My Fave!

2006-07-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable.
You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Allison Blevins

2006-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Isn't she a cutie pie??

I'm Home!

2006-07-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back in hot (but not humid like my last day in StL) Austin! I've been reunited with Michael and Sam and all is right with my world again! Michael is studying furiously for the Bar (he takes it July 25th-27th for those who want to know--prayers are greatly appreciated) and I'm trying to get everything in order and organized for the upcoming move. Not all in one day, of course.

I had a great time in St. Louis, spending it with my family, and can now post my fireworks pictures!! These were taken literally in our front yard--Mom can attest to this! Enjoy!

Addendum

2006-07-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I did NOT get to eat Ted Drewes. This is very sad news, I know.

However, I DID: shop 'til I almost literally dropped, went to the Art Museum and Zoo with my family and saw Pirates 2. Yarrrr!!

I Think I Am Slowly Eating My Way Through St. Louis

2006-07-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have had so much good food here in the past week, it's unreal. Here are the places I can remember and what I had to eat:

St. Louis Bread Co. (aka Panera) -- turkey sandwich
Einstein's Bagels -- 1/2 turkey sanwich and salad
Sweet Tomatoes (similar to Fresh Choice) -- 'nuff said, I ate 'til I popped!
Zapata's -- cheese enchiladas and lots of margaritas! (I'm still surprised I didn't have even the smallest hangover the next morning...)
Lewis and Clark's in St. Charles (I think they tout it as "An American Restaurant and Public House") -- turkey sandwich and fries!
Cecil Whittaker's -- possibly some of the best pizza in the world!! Thin crust and made with provel cheese (a mix of cheddar, swiss and provolone, perhaps with some mozzerella as well, for you non-St. Louisans), reminds me of my childhood. I had bacon and green pepper 'za.

Today we're having MOM'S DELI for lunch!!!! I'm so excited! I always get the Mom's Special on french bread with everything except tomatoes. And sometimes no gravy. Always eat it hot, when possible. If you live in or near St. Louis and you haven't been there yet, go now! It's in South County/City at 4412 Jamieson Ave. Look how easy I just made it for you!

Hopefully, we're also having Ted Drewes today. Drewes is known for their frozen custard and concretes. A StL fave and right around the corner from Mom's Deli, a major plus! I usually get The Big Apple--a concrete with vanilla ice cream and a slice of real apple pie mixed in. Topped with whipped cream and a cherry, of course. On summer nights, the place is packed and people open their trunks to sit, chat and eat Drewes.

The only place left to hit on my list of StL faves is Pasta House. I need their amazing salad and lasagna. I can never eat it all. Maybe I should make sure to go there tomorrow for lunch and then I can have the leftovers before I leave on Tues....

Weight Watchers is going to hate me.

SURPRISE!!!

2006-07-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Surprise, I'm in St. Louis! I flew in yesterday to surprise my mom for her birthday, which is tomorrow. Only my uncle and my grandma knew that I was coming in (well, my dad, knew but not specifics). Anyway, Uncle John picked me up and we drove home, where mom was standing in the driveway (there was a suspicious-looking pest control truck outside), aand I just peeked out the window and waved "HI!". She was so surprised, it was GREAT! Then she hugged me and cried and hugged me some more....now that's a good surprise! So, I'm here for a week and I'll try to blog as much as I can but I can't promise anything!

Happy 4th of July everyone, be safe!

Knit One, Purl Two

2006-07-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start knitting, once again. I say, "once again" because I have actually knitted before...shocking, I know! My best friend Kristy taught me how to do this at one point in my life. I wanted to pick it up again but could not seem to find all of my knitting paraphenalia (i.e. yarn, needles...well, that's pretty much it) in the depths of my parents' house. So, I have started anew.

Luckily, my friend Katy from WS loves to knit and proceeded to come over and get me started last night. I have this wonderful new yarn that bright fuschia, purple, turquoise, green and blue (it's really not garish, I promise) and will look excellent as a scarf. That's what I'm currently creating, a scarf. I also got some soft yellow yarn today to make my Grandma B. a scarf for Christmas. I'm crossing my fingers that: 1. she would like a yellow scarf and 2. I don't lose momentum and creative energy to get this done before Christmas.

It's actually kind of relaxing, once you get the hang of it.

I Heart Samuel Troy

2006-06-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Sam (see below) is my precious "baby" boy. Some people get upset if I call my dog my baby, hence the clarification. I found him on www.petfinder.com (see link to the right) in Jan. of 2004. We'd been looking for a dog for a little while and I fell in love with his picture. He was so scruffy then that we didn't even know he had spots on his tummy and legs until we got him groomed for the first time! I digress. I asked Michael what he thought and said, "he's kinda ugly." I was shocked!! I persisted and we went to the rescue group where he was being fostered (shout out to Barbara at Westie & Eskie Rescue--we love you!) to meet him. He was kind of shy at first and didn't really want to play. Needless to say, we pretty much decided then and there that we wanted to take him home, even though we waited a bit to tell Barbara. We picked him up on Jan. 24th and that's now his birthday.

Sam always makes me happy. It doesn't matter if he's snuggling with me on the couch, sleeping in his bed, perching on top of the couch (one of his favorite spots b/c he can see out the window) or sitting and staying for a treat. Now, granted, he's the first dog I've ever had, but I love him to bits and pieces! I don't know what I'm going to do when we go to Ireland for 10 days later this summer!!! He came housebroken (whew!) and has always been very gentle. Plus, he's great with kids! They'll come up to pet him and he'll just sit and let them do so--what a good boy!

I do still want another dog, though. Let me clarify: I want another rescue dog. Preferably a girl but I'll take a boy (too). But Michael won't let me get another one until we're in a place with a yard. I agree, it's only fair. 2 people + 2 dogs in an apt. just won't work! There are so many dogs out there who need someone to love them. They could be at the pound or a shelter or a rescue group. Maybe they got lost or maybe they're homeless and they don't have anywhere to go or maybe their owner didn't want the responsibility anymore...whatever. Rescue dogs are great and I truly believe that they know where they were and where they are now and they're so grateful and appreciative, you can see it in their eyes. I *heart* my rescue dog.

That's my soapbox for tonight. Love to all.

3 Little Puppies, All in a Row

2006-06-29T19:02:00.003-07:00

Leave us alone, we're trying to sleep!
(L to R: Oliver Constantine, Liberty Grace and Samuel Troy)

Williams-Sonoma

2006-06-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

So I have to leave for work in about 15 min. or so. I love my job, I really do, and the people I work with are great. And I've probably made more friends since working there in the last 8+ months than I have in the rest of the 2+ years that I've lived here. My coworkers always make the days fun and we do get to laugh quite a bit but sometimes I hate the hours. Take today, for instance: 3-7pm. That's just a weird time to work, plus it kind of ruins my evening a bit, not that I would be doing anything that intersting anyway, but still, you get the picture. Thank goodness Michael can cook because I usually don't feel like doing so after dishing out samples to greedy people (adults and children alike) for 4 or 5 hours. You wouldn't even believe what some people will do for a cake sample. All I'm going to say is, my personal space has been invaded...more than once. The worst days are when I'm scheduled 11-4 or 12-5, it just throws my whole day off-kilter. Do I eat breakfast before I leave or lunch? Do I run errands before work or after? Stuff like that. But, like I said, the people I work with are great and most of the friends I've made here in Austin are through work or through their friends. Good times, good times.

On a more exciting note: we got approved for our Dallas apt. today!!! Our complex here finally faxed them back (after being faxed 3 times by our new place, but whatever) and now it's a done deal! We think Aug. 12 will be our move-in date but that still needs to be nailed down completely.

Gotta go. Makeup calls.

Samuel Troy

2006-06-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I'm adorable, aren't I?

Are you looking at me?

Sleepy cutie pie!

June 14, 2003

2006-06-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Our first kiss as husband and wife!

One of my favorite pictures...

Deep breath Here I go...

2006-06-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so, people have been telling me for a while now that I ought to start a blog. "Why?", you may be wondering, well, here's how I see it:

1. I'm an English major. Therefore, I like to write and "talk". I like both of those activities quite a bit...in fact, truth be told, I'm a bit of a gossip sometimes.

2. I have a lot of free time. Yes, I love working at Williams-Sonoma (and the discounts aren't bad either!) but I'm not exactly tied down to my job, except for 15-20 hours every week. And I do have quite a bit to do around the house (knitting, collecting recipes and ideas for a future home, along with other various projects) but still, you get the idea. Also, with the iminent move to Dallas (hooray!!!), I'm not sure what the work situation will be like once we get there.

3. I have friends and family all over the country and now they can keep up with me and my exciting life!

4. Where better to post adorable pictures of Samuel Troy???

So there you go for now. Please feel free to comment and question at will and I'll do my best to keep up with this thing!!

Sunny Huny

A Year in Review...

This One's For You, Billy

Ridiculous

Books, Books, BOOKS!!!

A Picture Extravaganza!

Interesting....

Ever Have One Of Those Days?

HOUSE PICS!!!!

So Much To Say....

Please Vote For My Dog!

Prayers Needed

Goodbye to 27

Merry Christmas!

Countdown to T-Day!

Updates

Going Home!

More Grandma Stuff

Update on Grandma

Say Some Prayers

Dog Park Time!

God is Good

P.S.

Just Piddlin' Around

I Got (Another) Job!

SIlver Lining?

This Day Sucks

It's Like Missing A Limb

Anniversary Pics

Mini-Vacay, Part Deux

Mini-Vacay

Maxwell Seymour Emerson

Meet Max!

Why Sometimes I Really Hate Being A Responsible Adult

Sad News

It's Been A Long Time

Of Birthdays and Quality Time

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Official!

New Aranda Pics

Hooray!!!

Kitchen Wonders

Puppies of Cuteness!

My Space

Sick Puppy

Why I Love The Fair

Make New Friends But Keep The Old

Cool Weather

Ireland Photos

We're Baaaack!

Condensed Version

Ireland, Here We Come!

Finally in Dallas!!!

More Moving Pics

Sam Look Alikes!

Packing Up

T-Minus 6 Days and Counting (that's including today)

The New Aranda Family

So Happy Together

The Bar Exam

'Za

I Hate Being Sick

SO HOT

Yarrrr!!!

Everyone Should Take This Test!!

I Think I'm Officially Addicted to These Things

Cookie

Totally True

My Fave!

Allison Blevins

I'm Home!

Addendum

I Think I Am Slowly Eating My Way Through St. Louis

SURPRISE!!!

Knit One, Purl Two

I *Heart* Samuel Troy

3 Little Puppies, All in a Row

Williams-Sonoma

I Heart Samuel Troy

Deep breath Here I go...