Painting fireplace and a new puppy!

Trav and I started off the weekend right! With dinner and movies. It was a nice relaxing Friday evening.

Saturday we slept in, and went jogging first thing in the morning. After our jog we got ready, and decided to tackle painting the fireplace with our brick-a-new. We worked on it from 2 - 7, and we are very pleased with the results. It really updates the fireplace, but without taking away from the brick. We are happy with how it turned out! And it's one more thing we get to mark off the to-do list!! That evening we went to visit Trav's co-worker Bob's new puppy.

We’ve been talking about getting a dog for a few years but we just never felt the time was right. They are a LOT of work and require us to be home more than we usually are. We were going to wait until we had children since I’m planning to stay home with the kids and we thought that would be easier with the puppy/dog as well.

Bob got a new puppy for his 15 year old son for Christmas. He got him a 6 week old AKC yellow lab. Trav and I are pretty good friends with his co-worker Bob, and his wife and we've been over to thier house several times for dinner. I LOVE kittens and puppies so of course I wanted to go meet her! They just picked her up 1/17/09 so she was still so tiny when we went to visit on 1/24/09. She was such a good girl, and very smart. They had already taught her to sit, and to stay on the kitchen floor and off the carpet. She did well in her kennel already to!

Trav had been telling me all the things Bob had already gotten for her….a huge kennel that she could still use when she was full grown, a couple blankets, food, food dishes, treats, a brush, a collar, shampoo, urine neutralizer, bitter apple spray to put on things so she wouldn’t chew on them, toys, bones….the list when on and on. Not to mention how much SHE cost, $650! Ouch! AKC dogs are expensive! It confirmed in my mind that we couldn’t afford a dog right now! All those things were very expensive, not to mention the food we’d always have to buy, and the vet visits.

So, we went to visit the cutest little puppy in the world. My husband fell in love and the whole way home talked about dogs. There are a lot of positive sides….I’d love to have a dog for protection. Even if it’s not a guard dog, the bark will usually scare predator’s away. I’d also love to have a dog to go jogging with me, and get me to go at least for a walk every day. And to go spend time at the park with, playing fetch. A dog would be a great companion for going to the beach, camping, or to the lake! But, the expense and the work involved pushed the idea out of my mind.

Sunday morning Trav got a phone call from Bob. His son wasn’t taking care of the puppy and they had a talk with him about it. They said if he wasn’t going to commit to taking care of her, they were going to have to get rid of her. He said he just didn’t know all the responsibility involved and with sports, friends, and school he just didn’t have time to take care of her. SO they wanted to offer her to us before placing an ad in the paper. They’d give her to us WITH all the things they had bought for her, for $400. I knew that was a great deal but it was still a lot of money and still a lot of work.

Trav and I talked about it for hours, and finally decided that we were ready for a dog. We called Bob back and accepted. We picked her up and brought her home, and she is pretty much the cutest thing ever. We named her Emma. We are already in love.

Emma at 7 weeks old

We are enjoying raising a puppy. It is a lot of work, just like everyone says. We figure it’s good practice for having kids!! We are getting up 2 - 3 times a night to let her out, and she keeps us busy from when we get home until we go to bed. Luckily she is very good in her kennel and she is great about waiting until we can let her out before using the bathroom. We are able to come home for our lunch break everyday which is great for letting her out. She is a blessing.

A visit to the beach

We had a great weekend. Friday our friend Ladd and his dog Zues got to our house at 7. We did our gift exchange. He got us beef jerky seasoning so we can make jerky, and he got us an OSU blanket. It was awesome!

We played Rock Band until it was time to meet Mon and JD for dinner. They ended up calling at 8:15. We were STARVING.

They came over and brought us more gifts because we'd given them theirs but they hadn't had a chance to get us ours yet. They got us a great 6 piece wine set with a cool cork screw that is super easy to use, and a foil cutter and 2 stoppers and a pourer. And a martini mixer that you just push a button and it mixes it for you. It's cool. We tested it out later in the weekend. :)

Then we left for Mongolian Grill. Trav and I haven't been there forever so it was really fun and delicious.

Then we went to the store to get some beef to start curing some beef jerky with our new seasoning. It takes 24 hours to cure. We watched Burn After Reading and I snuggled on the couch with my new blanket and Zues while Ladd and Trav drank themselves silly.Until 4:30 am!!! I was to tired to drink! I did stay up with them though. It's been a long time since we've been up that late.

Which would have been fine but we had planned to get up early and go to the beach the next morning. We were tired, but we still managed to get up at 9:45, had french toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and got ready to go.

We were heading out at 11:30 which was good. I wanted to be there at noon, but 1 was ok

We loaded up my car and when we got down the street a light came on that said low coolant.

eeek, We went back to put coolant in it and found that it only takes a special kind that we didn't have.

So we moved everything to Ladd's car, since his got like double or triple the gas mileage that Trav's did and he offered to drive.

We got it all loaded up and went to close the trunk and it wouldn't close. So we tried to close it for about 20 minutes before we gave up and pulled it into the garage, and moved everything to Trav's car....wondering what was going to happen to his!!!

Nothing did, thank goodness, and we were finally on the road. At 12:15. So we got to the coast at about 1:30. But it turned out that the struggle getting there was worth it. It was so beautiful! And 60 degree's, which is just unheard of on the Oregon coast! Especially in January!

We walked on the beach, and ate at mo's, and then went to another beach with tide pools and drank wine while watching the sun set. It was beautiful!

Trav and I at the coast






Trav and Ladd






Ladd and I






Sun setting....






Sunset at the Oregon Coast

When we got home we drank wine and played Yahtzee, and Uno, and Apples to Apples before watching Appaloosa at midnight.

Oh, and we cooked beef jerky and it was SOO yummy!

Sunday I slept in until 1! HA. I needed it

Trav and Ladd fixed the dryer and Ladd's trunk and then we watched and NFC game. The Cardinals won which is who we were rooting for. It was a good game.

Ladd left at 4 and Trav and I cleaned and went grocery shopping. We finished at 8 and watched tv until 11.
Now it's back to the work week. I'm already looking forward to this weekend! We have a packed week this week, but the weekend we plan on getting things done around the house and relaxing.

Loving this fireball!

I'm having my first atomic fireball in probably 15 years! And I love it!
We survived our first week back! Barely! Working a full 5 day week was defiantly difficult! To celebrate, we had a very laid back weekend!
Friday we had a dentist appointment....just an exam and cleaning. It went well. They found that one of my sealants was coming off and something had slipped under it and given me a small cavity. Silly, because the whole point of a sealant is to avoid cavities. Such is life. I'll have to get that filled soon. I don't like getting cavities filled at all! I seem to get one once every 8 years or so.
After the dentist Trav and I went to check out a new BBQ restaurant in town called Bomack's BBQ> It is so good! The BBQ sauce is amazing. I got pulled pork with a Caesar salad and garlic mashed potatoes and I was very happy! They bring you cornbread as an appetizer. And we got endless sweet tea. YUM! We will be going back for sure.
We headed to FM next to get treats! We got ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and york's! We watched a couple movies at home before bed. It was a nice relaxing night.
Saturday we slept in until noon. We got up and had grilled cheese sandwiches and cream of mushroom soup. After lunch we took a nap, and finally around 2 we got ready and headed to my parents. Our dryer is still broken (waiting for a part) so we took some laundry with us to get a few loads done.
We had a great time at my parents. We talked, ate steak, played games, and watched movies until 11. Trav and I watched another couple movies at home!! I told you we laid low!!
Sunday we did our normal errands and chores after our jog. We finished the evening watching the season premiere of 24 (so good) and the end of the Golden Globe awards.
I thought a laid back weekend would go slower than our packed ones do, but it still seemed to fly by! It's already Monday again!
Back to it! Have a great week!

Turn up the music

Lyrics from some songs really speak to me. And it's funny how I can listen to a song over and over and not really hear it, and then one day I will really listen and the lyrics really pop out at me. I heard this song today, and it really spoke to me. It's such a good reminder to just enjoy your life. Stop and smell the roses, love each other, and spend time doing the things you enjoy. In the end, it doesn't matter how much money you made, or how many cars, houses, and nice things you have. It doesn't matter who you knew or how powerful you are/were, all that matters is how you live. How you spend time with your loved ones.....thats the important stuff.

Wake up to the sunlight
With your windows open
Don’t hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
Wear your red dress
Use your good dishes
Make a big mess and make lots of wishes
Have what you want
But want what you have
And don’t spend your life looking back

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won’t regret it
Looking back from where you have been
Coz it’s not who you knew
And it’s not what you did
It’s how you live

So go to the ballgames
And go to the ballet
And go see your folks more than just on the holidays
Kiss all your children
Dance with your wife
Tell your husband you love him every night
Don’t run from the truth
‘Cause you can’t get away
Just face it and you’ll be ok

Oh wherever you are and wherever you’ve been

Now is the time to begin

So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
E’en when you don’t think that you can
‘Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you
So think of your fellow man
Make peace with God and make peace with yourself
‘Cause in the end there’s nobody else

Happy New Year! 2009 is here.

Welcome 2009! 2008 has come to a close!
December 31st Trav and I worked.....if you can call it that. The Beavers were in the Sun Bowl this year, and it was on from 11 - 3. Our office had the pregame show on the radio starting at 10. At 1, when halftime was almost over, Trav and I went home for lunch. We wanted to be able to watch some of the game. We watched the 3rd quarter, and finished listening back at the office. Both teams had amazing defense, so the final score was 3 - 0 BEAVERS! The Beavs got the ball to the in zone several times, but never took it in. There was one play that we should have gotten a touch down out of, but it was ruled out. Either way, we won and thats all that matters!
After work Trav and I gathered up our wine, beer, and liquor and headed over to Shelby and Darrin's house. Air and K were there already. I drank way to much...I even took shots which I only do when I am really far gone. When I woke up I had no idea where I was...thats how bad it was! Granted we were staying at a house I'd never been to before, but still... ;) Anyway, I don't drink often so it was fun!
New Years Day we slept in until 2ish. I kept waking up just just didn't feel good so I kept going back to sleep. When I got up I just put on my jammies and Air and K came over and watched 3 movies with us. We ate leftovers from our Christmas dinner and just laid around in our comfy clothes! It was a great LAZY day.
I started getting a pretty bad sore throat on New Years Eve, and New Years Day it was getting worse. Friday it was really bad. Trav and I and my parents helped my grandma move and then I took a 3 hour nap.....I'm sure because my body was trying to get sick! Again we just watched movies that night. I was layin low to try and stop the sickness and the sore throat! I drank lots of tea, and hot cider...and took lots of vitamin C, ecinachia, and zicam!
Saturday we took all the Christmas decorations and the tree down. It's always so sad "undecorating" and knowing the holiday's are over and won't be back for another year! I listened to Christmas music for one last time until November 27th 2009 while I was putting everything away. The corner the tree was in looks so boring with it gone. While I was "undecorating" Trav trimmed some of our bushes to winterize them, and raked up some straggling leaves we had in our yard. Afterwards we went to my parents to do laundry. Our dryer belt broke. Trav ordered another one but when he got it he realized that there was another broken part and had to order it. So it'll be another 2 weeks till we can fix it and we already had 2 weeks of laundry piled up. Anyway, I was still feeling under the weather, but a little better. We had dinner with my parents and hung out till about 8. We went home, and you guessed it, watched a movie! And played some Rock Band. I like to sing and with my sore throat I haven't been able to so I haven't been wanting to play! But I played the bass and it was fun.
Sunday we went to church and my throat was feeling better finally! After church we went to lunch with my parents and then went grocery shopping. We cleaned the house when we got home.
Now it's Monday and I can't believe I'm back to working a normal 5 day week! I had 5 days off in the past 10 work days!!
We're settling in for a cold, wet winter now. Trav and I are already anxiously awaiting spring!