Well, we just finished watching a movie with my parents, and brother, over at their house. It was declared Pizza & Movie night, and well, we couldn't resist the free food and a movie. ;-)
Today was fantastic. I called in to work this morning, saying that I needed another day off to tend to Ryan. He probably would've been alright, but I'm sure the dog would've annoyed the heck out of him. Tucker would've had to be crated all day, (thus, would've whined all day) since Ryan can't go up and down the three flights of stairs all day to let him out, nor get down on the floor to play with him. That dog craves constant attention! Ryan's also still on the vicodin, which makes him pretty sleepy, so I am needed. :)
After a good breakfast, Ryan asks, "So, what are we doing today?" "Uh, what would you like to do today?" I asked, a little puzzled that he wanted to do anything! We decided to head down to our apartment's pool, where Ryan could relax, and I could swim and get some sun as well. The Dr. told him he should be (carefully) walking around without the crutches today, so he did walk around quite a bit. Apparently, a little too much, because his knee was rather swollen later in the afternoon.
Anyway, we've had a really nice evening over here. Ryan has kept his knee propped up, and I've been making sure he has ice on his knee to help with the swelling. He gets to take off his bandages tomorrow, and get a shower, so I know he'll feel a lot better from that. We may even go back to the pool. :) We'll see.
Congrats again to Becky, who gets married tomorrow! Congrats to Amanda, who just got home from her 1st anniversary trip with her hubby! :) I hope you all have a GREAT weekend! Thank you for caring so much about us as we deal with a slight "in sickness" rather than health. I'll definitely be sure to catch up with you all on Monday!
Well, everything has gone very well today. As I write this, Ryan and I are over at my (empty) parents' house. We didn't think about the fact that 1) we live on the 3rd floor, and 2) Ryan is not only on crutches, but 3) still pretty groggy from the anesthesia. Thankfully, my parents were okay with us staying here for a few hours. :) It's easier for Ryan to get around.
We got to the hospital this morning by 7:30, (miraculously, we were on time) and Ryan read and signed about half a dozen forms. We went back to pre-op around 8 or so, where he got into his gown, into bed, and they started his IV. The nurse was very, very friendly. :) After that, we waited for about an hour before meeting the Dr., some guy, (don't remember his role in the whole thing) and the two assistants, who wheeled him off to surgery.
Just before 10, the Dr. came out to meet me in the waiting room, and told me that everything had gone well. Once he got in there, he saw that there were small bone fragments, and scar tissue floating around, so he cleaned that up. Also, one of the three screws in there had been bothering Ryan, (pretty painful if the Dr. touched that part of his knee) so he removed it. There was a small tear in his miniscus, so he trimmed that up a bit. All in all, it didn't look too bad, and it's great that he was able to get in there and clean it up, so it shouldn't bother him now. Ryan is hoping that after some physical therapy, he'll be able to slowly get back into sports. (he misses basketball terribly!)
While I was getting Ryan's prescription (Vicodin) filled, I wandered over to the 9.99 DVD rack, and guess what I saw! Actually, I seriously doubt anyone else has ever heard of it, but it's a movie called Milo & Otis. It came out back in the 80's, and I absolutely ADORED this movie. Even my Dad talks about what a funny movie it was. The main characters are Milo, a tabby cat, and Otis, a pug. :) It's not a cartoon... it's kind of like the movie Babe. Real animals that "talk." So, I went to checkout, and it rang up as 7.99! Not bad, I thought. Anyway, I loved this movie as a kid.. so much so that for my 6th or 7th birthday, I got a kitten from the shelter, and I named him Milo. :) We'll be watching it later tonight!
Well, it's nearly 2:00 already, and I haven't eaten since 6 this morning! Too busy running around taking care of Ryan, BUT I wanted to give you guys an update. :) I can't thank you all enough for all of the prayers you sent his way today. I am so thankful for you guys! Hope you're all having a great day! :)
In spite of the beautiful sunshine that peeked out yesterday morning, it rained to beat the band shortly after I posted. Today, however, looks much more promising! I definitely need my sunshine... how do people in Seattle deal with all of that rain? With the mudslides, the flooding, and this whole week of rain behind us, this is a good day. :)
Today may be my last work day of the week, but I'm not sure just yet. Tomorrow morning, Ryan will be having arthroscopic knee surgery. The surgeon will be inserting a small camera inside his knee, and will be looking around for any damage since his last surgery. Obviously, I will be there. We'll be arriving no later than 7:30 AM, his surgery begins at 9:30 AM. They expect the surgery to last 50 minutes, and then he will be recovering till roughly noon. I'm prepared to be there longer, since Ryan is very sensitive to anesthesia.
If you would, please pray that the surgery goes smoothly, that God will guide the surgeon's hands, and that Ryan will recover from the surgery as soon as possible. It's a very minor surgery, but it's still surgery, and he'll be under for it. As of right now, Ryan wants me to go back to work on Friday, but it all depends on how well he's able to get around. I hate seeing my husband in pain, and I know he won't be very comfortable for a couple days. :(
With that said, I may or may not be updating till Monday. We shall see! Unlike some lucky people that I know, I don't have the day before the 4th off from work, nor will I have extra personal time to take it off, so I will definitely be here Monday. I can't believe Tuesday is July 4th already! This summer is going too fast. :)
Becky, I hope you have a wonderful wedding on Saturday! I'll be praying that the weather holds out, and that everything goes perfectly. :) I'm sure it will all be beautiful! Enjoy your honeymoon!
Back to work.. I have oh-so much to do today! Have a great day everyone! :)
The sun actually came out this morning on my way to work. With the incredible amounts of rain we've been getting, it's a welcome change! We're still supposed to get thunderstorms today, but after today, there are only small chances of rain, thankfully. I do like the rain, to be honest, but I love some sunshine, too. Also, this is the only time that having a dog, and living in an apartment, isn't exactly thrilling.
While I was at the grocery store last night, I noticed that the adirondack style two-seater lounge chair was finally marked down. Ryan and I had been eyeing it for at least a month, but we refused to buy it until it was put on sale. Problem is, they were selling them so fast, I didn't think they'd last long enough to go on sale! There were only two left last night, so, after mentioning the sale price to Ryan when he got home, he went and picked one up. :) It looks great out on our deck, and I can already see us sitting out there together in the mornings.
I had my 40,000th visitor last night.. whoever lives in Dayton, Ohio, and uses Road Runner, congrats. :) Hard to believe I've been journaling since April 2004! Even harder to believe that my little journal has become somewhat popular enough to draw that many hits.
Were any of you popular in school? (before college, that is) Even though I was a little shy, I was friendly with everyone, but I wouldn't say I was "popular." When I was younger, I was chubby, and not the most attractive, but I genuinely liked everyone, and wanted them to like me as well. I had lots of friends. Though, I think my definition of popularity used to deal more with whoever was the most attractive/sought after, rather than the ones who were friends with everyone. I think my definition may have been incorrect. College was different, though.. women were harder to become friends with.. I saw a lot of backstabbing, gossiping and cattiness, and really saw no need for friends like that. I'm thankful for the friends I have now because of that.
Last night was incredible, for many reasons. To be honest, I really never knew I could ever experience so much joy as I do being married. Actually, I should probably rephrase that... I really never knew I could ever experience so much joy as I do being married to the right person for me. He blows me away. I'm excited about our future, and moreover, I'm excited about the here and now. Each day is a treasure.
I'm extremely reflective and sappy today ... better get my mind back to work. :) Hope you all have a great Tuesday!
I'm awfully sleepy this morning. I guess that's what happens when your hubby can't come to bed when you do, and then wakes you up around 2 AM to say that 495, and all roads around it, were closed due to mudslides. Mudslides? Yes, I was extremely out of it by the time he came to bed, but I'm pretty darn sure he said mudslides. He had to meet a new employee out at a jobsite last night at midnight. I pretty much tossed and turned without him there. He's still at home, sleeping, as I type this. :)
We really had a GREAT weekend, I must say. We drove down after work on Friday to visit Ryan's parents. Mom S. and I headed to the gym on Saturday morning, and met up with Kendra, my sister-in-law. I've gotta say, the gym they belong to is awesome--I was like a little kid in a candy store, looking around at all of their equipment! I'm used to the little gym at our apartment complex, which is really well equipped considering it's an apartment gym, but still.. it's an apartment gym. I did just half an hour of cardio, then a routine with free weights, lunges, and ab work, then we went around using all of the different weight machines; legs, arms, and abs. We ended up working out for about an hour and a half. I was in heaven!!
We gardened after the gym, since we were already sweaty. Cut back some overgrown plants, pulled weeds, and put down mulch until it began to rain about 3 hours or so later. The rain was pretty much a blessing, though, because I was incredibly sore by then! Gardening in and of itself is quite a workout, and that was on top of our morning workout.
Ryan and his Dad worked on their master bathroom, adding the base, shoe molding, chair rail cap, chair molding, and side beads. (or something like that) It looked fantastic!
Sunday was interesting. When I woke up, I decided to quickly run to the store for coffee cake mix, to have with our breakfast, and some orange juice. It was raining, so I grabbed my umbrella and headed down to our parking lot. I was looking around, and didn't see my car anywhere. Then it dawned on me.. my car was at Ryan's office, because we met there on Friday before our trip! :( Ryan, being the amazing husband that he is, drove me to the store. I can't drive his truck, because it's manual, and, well... I can't drive manual!
The coffee cake turned out excellent. I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, and went to put the carton of eggs back in the fridge, when it slipped from my hands. The nearly-full carton of eggs spilled all over the floor. If you've never had the pleasure of cleaning eggs off of tile floor, (which I hadn't) I can honestly say that it's not very fun.. I didn't even know where to start. Once I finally got it all cleaned, and disinfected, I noticed Tucker at the door. No sooner had I noticed him, when he decided to pee right there at the door. (At least our entryway is tile.) After cleaning THAT up, I decided that my day was not going well at all, and it would've been better if I had stayed in bed!
The afternoon turned out to be nice and relaxing, though. It was mainly spent in our living room, listening to the rain, as Ryan watched the race, and I read my book on the couch. The rain alternated between slight drizzle to downright downpour throughout the day, with the storm climaxing around 6 in the evening, with thunder, lightning, and a torrentual downpour that caused the field behind us to flood. It didn't let up that much before Ryan had to drive out to that jobsite 6 hours later, thus the cause for the mudslides, and road closures. Fun night, eh?
I'm determined that it will be a great day today, though. :) I may head to Starbucks for a mocha frap. in just a bit. Work is busy as ever, but it's nicer now that my supervisor is back from paternity leave, so I only have to worry about MY work again.
For one, it's FRIDAY!!! If that's not a happy thing, I certainly don't know what is.
I couldn't mention anything yesterday, just in case my Mom would get suspicious. See, it's her birthday on Saturday, and we'll be visiting Ryan's folks over the weekend. She called me yesterday afternoon, and was asking, "So, did you guys decide when you're driving down yet?" I had to lie, and told her, "no, we're still deciding between either Friday night or early Saturday morning.. I guess we need to figure that out soon!" She seemed a bit down about that, because I KNOW she was thinking that I was forgetting about her birthday. I felt so bad, but I didn't want to let on that she was going to be in for a surprise a bit later. :)
I ran around yesterday like a chicken with it's head cut off, not only getting things ready for Mom's surprise, but also getting our apartment in order, and starting to pack. I headed over to my parents' house, and met my Dad.. we chatted while I got things ready. Shortly after that, Ryan arrives. I fix the guys some pizza, and we wait for Mom.
We hear the garage door, so we all get in place, and....
SURPRISE!!!
We sang Happy Birthday as she stood there, totally shocked. :) "Where are your cars?!" she asked. "We parked them over at the tennis courts," I said. It took her a little while to unravel the story, and she was so surprised!! Here she thought I had forgotten all about her, but I really was planning her a little family party. :)
The table set up with her fresh flowers, balloon, CHEESECAKE, (decorated by me) and pink everything! It was kind of a pink theme. :)
Close-up of the cheesecake..
So, it was just a little something special to make sure she knows that I love her, and did indeed think about her on her birthday. :) Over the years, my Mom really has come to mean more and more to me... she gives me incredible support, great advice, and she truly is my friend. I don't know what I'd do without her! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!
As I mentioned, we'll be down visiting Ryan's parents this weekend. :) Should be fun! Going to the gym Saturday morning with Mom S., and maybe doing some gardening? Hopefully the rain holds off! :) Also, Ryan will be helping his Dad with some trimwork in their master bathroom, which they're re-doing.
Well, hope you all have a GREAT weekend! Feel free to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday in the comments, (on here, preferably not xanga) since she does read my journal. :) See you all Monday~!
I just checked my e-mail, and my Sephora order is being shipped today!! I ordered my Frederic Fekkai Glossing Shampoo (a splurge, but my gosh, the difference it makes) and Smashbox Foundation Primer. I had received a free sample of the primer in my last order, and it's a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Especially in heat of the summer, it helps keep my make-up from running during the day. Ryan said it was okay if I got it. :)
Ryan really doesn't like make-up at all. He'd much rather me be wearing nothing, or little to do nothing, on my face. At first I thought, "yeah, sure, that's what you THINK," because, lets face it, make-up helps, and no one has a completely perfect complexion. Certainly not me! Last Saturday, when we went to King's Dominion, I wore just some tinted moisturizer, a little blush, and waterproof mascara. He LOVED it, and said he wished I'd just wear that all the time. So, guess what I'm doing? Yep, he's pretty happy about this.
After a long, hard look at our budget, we've decided to pay more per month towards Ryan's student loans. We're trying very hard to get out of the debt that we have, and if we kept paying the minimum they ask for, we'd be paying those things off for YEARS!! So, rather than $50 a month, for each of the two loans, we'll be doing $200 a month per loan. At that rate, we'll have them both paid off in less than 2 1/2 years. :) Hooray for no more loans!!
I know I'm probably off my rocker, but I enjoy paying bills. I'm not sure why that is, really. So I guess that makes today a good day, since I have a few of them to pay. :)
We decided to renew our lease at the apartment for one more year. We had wanted to do a month-by-month lease, until we could find something we want to buy, but the difference in monthly payments was absurd. So, we'll have one more year of lower-than-a-mortgage payments, in which we'll be able to pay things off, put some in savings, and look at possible homes without being rushed.
The really GOOD thing about this is that, this year, our apartment complex decided to give everyone an incentive to stay. If you renew your lease, which we are going to do, you get $500 bonus bucks, which you can use $100 at a time, each month. So! Our rent will be $100 less, per month, for 5 months! How great is that? Plus, with Sarah and Keith moving in, we're getting a referral bonus. :) I forget how much that is.. $300 or something.
There are other happy things, but I'll save that for tomorrow. I've got lots of work to get to! Hope you all have a GREAT day! :)
I was listening to the radio on my way into work this morning, and two radio personalities were talking about the first songs they danced to with their wives at their weddings. When asked what one of the guys danced to, he replied, "Something stupid." Of course, this caused loads of callers to phone in, telling him that he should expect to sleep in the dog house tonight. "No, really, the song we danced to was, "Something Stupid." It's a Sinatra song," he replied. They played a clip of it for one of the callers who didn't quite believe him.
Ryan and I had some difficulty coming up with a first dance song.. it took quite some time! I had always had my heart set on "The Way You Look Tonight," but I love the Steve Tyrell rendition. Ryan, however, used to work in catering, and he was sick to death of hearing that song at weddings. We eventually picked "I Could Not Ask For More," by Edwin McCain. (one of the best concerts I've ever been to, incidentally. That guy sings his heart out.) True, quite a few people use it as their first dance song.. but it's the kind of song that really makes me happy. Other choices on our playlist, however, I can almost guarantee you either no one, or very few people, have played at their wedding.
Happy First Day of Summer, everyone! It's supposed to get to 90 today. Hello, summer. It was about the same yesterday.. and hotter last weekend. Of course, I love summer thunderstorms, and they're pretty much calling for a chance of showers for the next week or so. Should cool things off a teeny bit. :)
After dinner last night, Ryan and I headed to Lowes to pick up some screws and wall anchors.. we've got our BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC guest signature frame from the wedding that we need to finally hang up in our bedroom. Also, we've got the plate rack to hang up in the dining room. Now, Ryan absolutely adores Lowes. He could spend days, even weeks, in that store. Oddly enough, I really like the place, too. I know I'll love it even more when we actually own a house, which we can do things to. I can't even tell ya how badly I'm itching to paint! (obviously a no-no as apartment renters)
Speaking of renting! GUESS who is moving to our apartment complex! Sarah & Keith!!! I am so, so excited about this. It's hard making friends at an apartment, because people are always leaving, and new people are moving in. For instance.. we met a couple in February, and they moved out in April--that kind of thing. Anyway! They move in in August, and little Baby M. is due in November. So exciting! :)
I haven't placed background music on my journal in a looooong time, but I'm just kind of in the mood for it today. :) I've been listening to the 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems' Kenny Chesney CD lately, and I loooove this song. The whole CD really is made for summer. Enjoy! I'll probably take it down soon, because I know it's annoying when it restarts every time you open a new page. I'd make it a pop-up, but most people in this day and age have pop-up blockers.
Work was crazy busy, as usual. Afterwards, I grocery shopped and went to our new Home Goods store, which I just LOVE. I could do some serious spending in that store... but I don't. I did, however, finally find 4 plates for our pretty plate rack. (which is still sitting in the laundry room, waiting to be hung up) $2.99 each! They're all different, but match, and they kind of reminded me of a "Perfect Pear" theme. I'll post pictures once they're up!
I made almond crusted chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus last night, served with some white wine. I was just in the mood to make a nice meal, and it's kind of like comfort food. It was all delish. :) It was also the first time I've ever used my cuisinart chopper (to chop the almonds) and my gosh, what a difference that thing makes. It used to take me 30 minutes just to crush the sliced almonds by hand..
I was telling one of my coworkers the other day how my all-time, must-see place that I'd LOVE to travel to (some day) is Bora Bora, Tahiti. "Oh my gosh! I was watching a special on Bora Bora recently!" she exclaimed. Not 5 minutes after our chat, I get an e-mail from her with a link to one of the resorts in Bora Bora. I just HAVE to share this... click here. They have the overwater bungalows, which are, of course, amazing, but they also have links to webcams! (middle of the left side) Bora Bora and Moorea are so beautiful. Anyway, it's unbelievably pricey.. not just for the accomodations, but even the meals, and the boat ride to and from the resort. On the one hand, I'd love if we could save for a trip like that... it'd be a trip of a lifetime! But on the other hand... I then think of what we could put all of that money towards.. something tangible, and real. (like.. a contribution to our house fund!) It's an inner battle. :)
What's the one place you guys would absolutely just love to go to? I'm curious!
Well, it was definitely a great weekend! Ryan and I headed down to King's Dominion with my parents and my brother on Saturday morning, and spent the day with them. It got up to 90-something degrees, but the heat (surprisingly) really wasn't that bad at all.. the park wasn't too crowded, we got to ride a lot of our favorite rides, and play a couple of games. This was the first time we've all gone to King's Dominion in YEARS, and we had a really great time!
Word of advice... it is a BAD idea to do a really intense workout (including running, which I haven't done in MONTHS) the night before King's Dominion.. I was so incredibly sore after walking all day around the park. Plus, I really need new athletic shoes, which didn't help matters. Of course, I did manage to take a few pictures. :) Here we go..
My parents in line for the Volcano (Yes, my MOM rode the Volcano! We were all so impressed! :)
The Hypersonic
Ryan & I with our loot! (Yeah, Ryan won them both... I suck at games. March of the Penguins, anyone?)
The new for '06 Italian Job roller coaster It took the place of Diamond Falls... :( But it was a pretty good ride!
Sunday
Did some heavy duty cleaning, laundry, dishes, and dusting.. then we headed over to my parents' house to celebrate Father's Day. Brought a french silk pie. :) I gave my Dad a black and white, framed picture from the wedding... the one where he's giving me a hug after our Father/Daughter dance. It's a treasured picture to me, (really captured the emotion of the moment) and I knew he'd really love that, too.
Later in the afternoon, in the 95 degree heat, Ryan and I decided to wash and wax his truck. :) I definitely got a little bit of sun this weekend!
Here are a few pics from Sunday...
Jungle bird, Bella (incidentally, last night we accidentally left her out here all night!)
Some of the geese out on our pond
And now... the many sides of Tucker :
Curious Tucker
Playful Tucker
Big Dog Tucker (sporting his new harness)
Well, that's pretty much it. :) Had a fantastic weekend, and I'm ready for this new week ahead of me. Hope you all have a great day!
I found out last night that my cousin Brad is engaged!! He proposed to his girlfriend, Liz, on the beach in Florida, where her family lives. (the picture on the right is of them on the beach earlier this year) All I know is that they'll be getting married next summer sometime. I am so, so excited for them! Ah, weddings. :) I haven't met Liz yet, but hear that she's really nice. Brad will be the fourth of "the cousins" in the family to get married, (I was the third) unless, of course, one of my other cousins elopes or something. Possible? Yes. Not likely, though.
Even though it feels like we've been married forever, I have pretty fond memories of the planning of our wedding. Sure, it was hectic.. we had all of 5 months to get everything together! I had a lot of help, though.. my Mom, and Em, mostly! My cousins (and bridesmaids) were a huge help, too. And of course, I made sure Ryan had a say in everything, since it was just as much his wedding as it was mine. I'm just so, so, so very thankful that we didn't have a long engagement! Our one year anniversary of getting engaged hasn't even occurred yet, (it's coming up in July) but we've already been married over 6 months.. that is pretty cool.
Tomorrow, we'll be heading down to King's Dominion! I'm super excited, because I absolutely love roller coasters, it's the best park of all the ones I've been to, and we haven't been there since '04. My Dad's company is having their summer picnic there this year, and they still consider me as my Dad's "child," even though I'm married, which means I go free. Ryan's ticket was discounted, too! It's crazy how much ticket prices have gone up over the years... my family and I used to go every single year as my brother and I were growing up, so I remember when ticket prices were in the 20's. :) Of course, they have tons of new rides now, and the water park..
Anyway, it's supposed to be a really hot weekend... high of 93 tomorrow! We're thinking our strategy may be to ride a water ride, then a roller coaster, then another water ride, etc. It'll be fun regardless of the temperature!
PAY DAY!!! Thank the good Lord... it has been a long two weeks. See, Ryan and I have different pay schedules.. he gets paid every other week, while I get paid precisely on the 15th and 30th, unless those days fall on a weekend, in which case I get paid early. Regardless, this generally means that Ryan gets paid on a Friday, and I get paid sometime in the following week, which is nice when it comes to bill paying. However, this month, it worked itself out to where we both get paid the same week, which is not fun at all. I want the old schedule back!! ;-)
Last night was nice.. Ryan got home at a decent time, which is always great. He's beginning the interview process in his quest to find yet another sales rep, now that his latest rep is getting up and running, and showing progress. Ryan has really turned the office around, and I'm so proud of him. His hard work is not going unnoticed, either.
I made a yummy dinner of tomato and mozzarella chicken with corkscrew pasta and okra. Mmm, okra. I hadn't made it in a while. I got a great buy-1-get-1-free deal with fresh strawberries, so I've been slicing up strawberries with whipped cream for dessert. Mmm! Definitely a good summer dessert.
Took Tucker for a walk after dinner.. he really is becoming a great little dog. We're really glad we got him... he's the perfect fit "for our lives right now," in Ryan's words. The weather was great.. so nice and warm! Just when I think I love one season more than the others, the next season comes along, and I love it just as much. Virginia is great for that reason--you can experience every season, none of which are too extreme.
Currently, I'm sitting up front covering phones for our receptionist, who had to make an emergency trip to the vet for her poodle. Hopefully the little guy is okay. :(
A few days ago, I came home and found a brand new dog toy tacked at our door, and we had been wondering who dropped it off for us. Tucker has two really good dog friends, (though he loves EVERYBODY) so it had to have been either Figaro's mommy, or Willy's mommy. Poor Willy is looking rough these days... he has really bad arthritis, and is unable to use his back legs. His front legs really aren't too much better. He's old, and she knows the right thing to do would be to put him down, because he is in pain. He's on a bunch of meds, and goes for 'water therapy' every week, but he's getting worse. She usually has to carry him. She's older herself, though, and lives alone, so I think the idea of losing Willy is just a tough thought to grasp right now. Anyway, ran into her at the grocery store, and she apparently had left the toy for Tucker. :) I thought it was really sweet of her.
I went tanning after work last night, and the regular girl there that I talk to pretty often says to me, "You know that car that meowed at you?" (referring to this weekend) "Yeah.. I was in that car," she told me, looking embarrassed. I had been outside walking Tucker, when an SUV slowly drove past me. I had all my attention on the dog, because he was trying to head out into the street, when I heard a "Meooooow" behind me. I had come inside, shaking my head, and told Ryan, "I think a car meowed at me."
Totally forgot to mention that my Mom (read: the best Mom on God's green earth) surprised me with a little gift on Sunday: a springform pan! If you don't know what that is, please click here. :) Since we typically come over for dinner every Sunday night, she suggested, after I had brought over my chocolate pie, that I bring dessert each week. Nooo problem. :) Also, the pan came with a "Little Book of Cheesecakes" recipe booklet, which includes healthy alternatives that I can apply to all of the recipes. Watch out world!
My gosh, I love my husband. Last night just proved even more how he was made specifically for me. Our senses of humor, though different!, mesh so well, we're constantly laughing. Most of the time, it wouldn't be as funny if I tried to explain it. Like, last night, there were several things that just had me dying from laughter, but it wouldn't be nearly as funny if I told you all. Anyway, we were snuggling shortly before 10 (I had to get up at 5:45 this morning) and I was practically asleep when he says, "are you tired?" "Ummm.. yeah.. I think I was dreaming," I told him, "I closed my eyes and saw chocolate covered cows.." I guess in my sleepy stupor, I didn't realize how bizarre this was, till he starts cracking up. "Chocolate covered cows?! That was random. Are you hungry, honey?" he asks. Ha!
And he's seriously the only man I know who encourages shopping. Whereas I've tightened my grip on the checkbook, he's extremely lax when it comes to things I need. Like.. um, socks. I have maybe 6 pairs, two of which have holes. However, I make sure Ryan has plenty of pairs, without holes. I guess I tend to look out more for his needs than my own. I'm always running out of stuff because I don't feel like I should spend the money to replace it. But when he finds out I need something, or even would like something, he'll say sweetly, "well honey, maybe you could go get such-and-such tomorrow." Granted, it's never something super extravagant.. we do have a budget. :) But he looks out for my needs, too. I love him.
He helps me relax, that's for sure. Lately I've noticed how many things I pile up on to my to-do list, knowing full well that there isn't enough time in the day to get it all accomplished, then I feel like I failed when I don't get it all done. When I got married, I swear there was an internal switch that suddenly was switched on after "I do." Suddenly, my priorities shifted, and I was blessed with an extra boost of daily energy to get things done. Sometimes, though, it's just too much to try and tackle in a single day, and I need to learn to space things out so they're more easily manageable.
Well, there you go.. a big post about a whole lot of nothing. :) The president of our company is flying in from San Francisco today, so we're having a cookout and company-wide meeting a bit later. Oh, and I need to go mail out a Father's Day gift. :) Work will be super busy as well! It's going to be a busy day, no doubt about it.
I'll leave you with a picture of my supervisor's new baby girl, Samantha. He's out of the office till Monday, and as of yesterday, is tempted never to come back. :) With a baby this adorable, who can blame him?!
I've been looking around (ever since we brought Tucker home, practically) for a pug-themed decal for my car.. just something cute. I'm anti-bumper stickers, but I like window clings. In my search, I've noticed something... there are some very ugly pugs. Whoa! I just want something simple, but cute.. not finding anything. Anyone know of any good ones?
I did find, somewhere along my search, some really cute conversational note-cards.. they're very simple, with two pugs touching nose-to-nose, and the caption "Pugs & Kisses." I would've bought them, but they're sold out. Then I saw an old-fashioned treat tin with a painted fawn pug on the front, and "Biscuits" painted on top. So. very. cute. If it weren't $25.99, (for a tin BUCKET!) I may have gotten that!
Our pug is a handful... he's a daredevil, a charmer, a comedian, an acrobat, a troublemaker, an energizer bunny, and a lovebug. He's a real character! I once heard the pug breed referred to as the "class clowns" of the dog world--and boy, were they right! Last night, after we got him good and tired, (which included a finale of me chasing him around the sofa for close to 10 minutes straight) he became a more mellow pug.. sweet, cuddly, loveable---just a GLIMPSE at what he may be like once he's a little older. ;-) I gotta say, it was pretty nice. For about 5 minutes, anyway.
That's our pup, a week after we got him. Hard to believe he was ever that little! Still one of my favorite pictures of him..
Busy as ever today.. hope you all have a great day!
What a weekend! It was our first weekend in a long time with absolutely zero plans, and it was fantastic. I woke up a bit after sunrise on Saturday morning, while Ryan was still snoozing, and thought, "Ooo, I could go work out! Ooo, I could water all of our flowers!" Then I promptly fell back asleep. That's what Saturdays are good for.
After getting ourselves presentable, we hopped in the car, not knowing where we were going. After some deliberation, we wound up at Carmax. :) Yep, we decided to look around and test drive a car or two. The one thing I love about Carmax is that the sales people don't pester you! I've been on lots where you haven't even stopped the car, and already there were sales people headed towards you, like vultures. No thanks, I'll just keep going.
We looked at the Ford Escape... we weren't impressed. Looked at the Honda Pilot.. pricey. We looked at the 4Runner.. in our dreams! Then we looked at the Ford Freestyle.. which I didn't even know existed. Sapphire blue, '05, black leather seats, all-wheel drive, limited edition... yep, we were in love. We took it for a test drive, and took turns driving. Less than 5k miles on it. It's at the top of our price range, but my gosh.. we loved it. However, we have a Consumer Reports subscription, and Ryan wanted to check out what they said about it.. and look around a bit to make sure it's a good price.
Well, it was a very good price, apparently, and it has gotten good reviews to boot, but by the time we looked at the website again, it was gone. Darn!
I surprised Ryan by making a chocolate pie on Saturday. I'd never made one before, and was trying out a new recipe. It smelled delicious, and looked good coming out of the oven.. but I was still worried it wouldn't taste good, and it'd all be a flop. We had steak, (our staple "special meal" choice) mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob on Saturday night, outside on the deck, then I brought out the pie. A bit of whipped cream on top, with a hershey kiss, and voila! It got Ryan's seal of approval... as well as my parents', when we brought it over to their house on Sunday. Mmm! Here's a link to the recipe. :) Very rich, and oh-so good.
The weather was gorgeous all weekend, but a bit too cool for swimming. Last night, we took Tucker out for a good long walk. I'm really loving this cooler weather, because I know the super hot weather is right around the corner. ;-)
Ryan called not too long ago... and the Freestyle is back on the carmax website. I guess the pending sale didn't go through. Hmmm. Well, we shall see what happens.
Last night was lovely... lightning, thunder, and hearing the rain beat against the windows. I love, love, love summer storms, even more so since getting married. When I was younger, we had a big front porch that my Dad, brother, and I would all run out to, and we'd sit outside watching the storms. Both my Dad and my brother have always been into weather, which I guess is why I have weather.com bookmarked, and know what they're forecasting at all times.
Our bank credited our account for the double-posted rent check yesterday afternoon, but still hasn't credited back the 96 dollar NSF fee. The nice rep I talked to said that those fees take about 48 hours to be posted back to our account, but at least I was able to get gas and take Tucker to the vet, after all. (he was due for two vaccines) We are definitely switching banks, though.. it's just not right for a bank to make such a royal screw-up.
After the last few busy weekends, and a very busy week, we're both really looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. :) It's our 6 month anniversary on Saturday, which is hard to believe! It has gone so, so fast. I'm going to attempt to make a chocolate pie with a new recipe I found... Ryan was talking about chocolate pie recently, so I'm going to give it a whirl. It should be nice and sunny all weekend, so we'll hopefully make it out to the pool, too! Aside from that, we really don't have anything planned, which is lovely. Yes, that's my word for the day.
Busy day ahead of me, so I should get going. I hope you all have a great Thursday!
Ryan just called me about 30 minutes ago to say he had tried to buy something at McDonalds (he forgot his breakfast at home) for 3.00-and-something-cents, and it declined our bank card.
My response, "WHAT?!?!"
So, I checked our account over the phone, and it said we were overdrawn by $740.20. If you know me, I am totally anal about what goes in and out of our account, and I am completely in control of it, so I KNEW without a doubt that something was very, very wrong. I checked our account online, and spotted the problem: our rent check posted to our account TWICE. Well, yeeeah, no WONDER we're overdrawn!
So, I just got off the phone with a rep from Suntrust. Apparently, they have double posted things on EVERYONE'S account. He said they were working feverishly to get it all corrected. "How long will that take?" I asked. "Usually it's corrected within 24 hours."
Grrrrrrr. Definitely didn't need this today.. Ryan was supposed to see a knee doctor at 9:00, and now can't, because he only has our bank card. I'm supposed to take Tucker to the vet, and I'm trying to decide whether I should put it on credit card.. I KNOW I'll need to put gas on credit, because I'm very, very low.
Suntrust may be losing two customers today, one of which (me) has been with them for over ten years.
Yesterday was rather busy, so much so that I ended up working a little later than usual. Ryan called me to see where I was, and he was happy to hear that I was still at work. "Stay there," he told me, "I'll be there in a few minutes." So, I waited.. he wouldn't tell me why he was coming over, though. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he comes driving up... In a new car! We've been talking about possibilities for a new car, and he decided to test drive one of the ones we like. So, I got to sit in it, and check out everything for myself. Definitely still a contender! We won't be getting a new car for a little while, but it's good to get an idea of what we'll want. :)
After work, I headed to the grocery store. As I was picking up a carton of fat-free pringles, I noticed a guy walking down the chip aisle that looked awfully familiar. Around the frozen foods section, I finally ask, "Is your name Brian?" Apparently, he thought he knew me from somewhere, too, so we finally figured out that we had gone to school together in the 6th grade! He looked pretty much like I remembered from back then, (over TEN YEARS ago) except a bit taller and a bit bigger. I'm scared that he recognized me, though, as I hope I look nothing like I did in 6th grade! Ick. Anyway, we talked about what we've both been up to over the years, and found out that his girlfriend lives in the same apartment complex as we do! So, I told him that Ryan and I would love to have them over sometime, and I got his number so we can arrange that. Small world, huh??
I was watering all of our flowers out on the deck after I got home and had played with Tucker till he was worn out. When I water them all, I take out a watering jug as well as a 4-cup glass Pyrex measuring cup, so I can do refills while I'm outside. I've done this for weeks with noooo problems. Well, I set the Pyrex glass on the ledge as I was watering one of our potted flowers, and it fell.. on my foot... handle down! Yeah, within a minute, I had a nice, big welt rising up in the middle of my foot. I tried to ice it as much as I could for the rest of the evening, but I had a welt the size of half a golfball on my foot. Not much fun, lemme tell ya.
Good news of the night! I figured out what I'd really, really love to do for our one year anniversary.. so, Ryan asked what it would cost us... and he said that it sounded perfectly fine, and gave me the go-ahead to make reservations!! I am SO beyond excited! I'm keeping pretty much everything about it a secret, but he knows about how far away it is, what it costs, and that we'll be staying overnight. Everything else will be a surprise. :) Ahhhh! I can't wait!
I've got a 10 AM health insurance benefits meeting today, and I'll find out what kind of plan I'll have between July 1st and September 30th... yippee. I'll go on Ryan's health insurance after that, regardless of whether I've got a new job lined up by then or not. Apparently, this plan is better than the one we currently have, so that's good to know.
Tucker is doing really well, and was healthy and happy when he came home from the kennel. He was VERY excited to be home, though! Not sure if I mentioned it, but he can go up and down the three flights of stairs at our apartment now. He's officially a "big dog"! ;-) He's also understanding "no bite" now, which is wonderful, considering how much he loves to "play" with sharp puppy teeth involved.
We're back, and we had a great weekend! Grandpa S. is doing really well, and is cleared to come home today! Yesterday, they delivered a hospital bed and a machine that makes it's own oxygen to their house. Also, there will be a few medical people on hand at their home for a couple of weeks to make the transition easier. Thank God! We're all thrilled at how well he's doing. :)
Grandpa's room was just down the hall from the delivery center... every time we'd come in or leave, we'd check the nursery window to see if there were any babies. :) We only saw one until yesterday as we were leaving.. there were four! *sigh* Babies. :)
Speaking of babies.. my coworker just came in, and announced that his baby girl, Samantha Rose, was born last night! He was just grabbing a few papers, changing over his voicemail, and heading back out. She was born 4 weeks early, but they pretty much figured she'd come early. My coworker is over-the-moon excited!
Anyway, we got home yesterday around 4:30 in the afternoon. Ryan drove half of the way, and I drove the other half as he slept. (he didn't sleep well the night before) Got home and CLEANED, then we had some pizza and watermelon out on the deck. I'm going to need to go grocery shopping after work, because we have nothing at home. :) I'm finally feeling better... kind of so-so on Friday and Saturday, but I'm feeling 100% today.
Ryan's picking Tucker up today before noon.. it was kind of nice to have a quiet night without him, just so we could get settled back in and get ready for the week ahead. I miss the pug, though, and will be thrilled to see him when I get home tonight! :)
Well, I've got a ton and a half of work to get to, so I hope you all had a great weekend, and I hope you have a good Monday! :)
In just a few short hours, we'll be headed back up to northeastern PA for the weekend. We have the weekend shift. :) Grandpa is doing better, and they were able to move him to a regular room yesterday, out of the ICU! Please keep praying, if you think of it.
It's also Grandpa's birthday today, so we got him two balloons, a little plant, and a card. Can't be much fun having to spend your birthday in a hospital. We're planning on singing to him, though. :)
Tucker doesn't know yet that he's going back to the kennel. Poor thing is going to wonder if that's his second home. He had fun last time, though, and he seemed to make a good impression on everyone! Who am I kidding, he's going to have a blast. :-P
Anyway, lots to do before we leave, and I'm still not feeling well. Ryan wants me to get a Dr.'s appointment next week if I'm still not feeling better by then. I know I'm not pregnant, but what the heck is wrong with me? No fun at all.
Note to Northern Virginia drivers : No, justbecause you drive a Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, or a Hummer 1, 2, or 3 (or other applicable expensive vehicle) does not entitle you to drive in the left lane going slower than the middle or right-hand lanes. A left-lane-only driving pass was not included in the insane price tag. Thank you.
I'm feeling a lot better today! I think I may even venture outside of my dry cereal diet. ;-) I have a very busy day ahead of me, though. Ten million different projects at work, for one. Hopefully meeting up with her after work, and doing some grocery shopping, and packing for the trip to PA tomorrow. Ryan's got a meeting in Alexandria from 5-6:30, so he won't be home till around 8 or so. This week has been so busy!
Tucker and I stopped by to see my Mom last night--she said she had a package for me. "Just a little something," she said. It was a bag from Charlotte Russe, and inside was a baby tee with "My Dog is SMARTER than Your Dog" scrawled across it. I love it!! She and my Dad both love their "grandpug." :) My Mom had been out shopping yesterday; she got that shirt for me, while my Aunt got another shirt for my cousin Stephanie. Hers? "I'm an Actress.... May I Take Your Order?" :)
I'm already thinking about what to do for our 1 year anniversary. I KNOW it's still 6 months away, but I'm already looking around for ideas. :) I'm a creative romantic, let me have my fun. With as quickly as the FIRST 6 months have gone, I know the next 6 months will go just as quickly! And with some places, reservations should be made months in advance anyway. If you're interested in what I'm thinkin' up, let me know (via e-mail or IM) and I'll tell you. :) Obviously can't post anything on here.
