Happy Birthday to meeee.....WHAT?? I'm 3?????

I celebrated my 25 birthday last Saturday!! Yep...the big 2-5. Wow. I don't feel 25...I don't even feel 21. I feel like I'm still the same ragamuffin kid, racing scooters down the hill beside our house w/ my brother. How am I 25 years old?? A quarter of a century old?? YIKES!!

The only thing I asked for my birthday was a white water rafting trip :) My parents granted my wish and we took a family trip Saturday morning to the Natahalia (sp?) river in NC. I had a blast...I hope my family did too. Chris and I were the only ones to "fall" out of the raft. We all took a break at one point to hop into the freezing cold river...well....everyone but mom, we sorta pushed her over :) It was so fun and a great way to spend my birthday! We made it through the class 3 "waterfall" (no biggie,haha) and then ended or trip on the side of the river with a pizza!! We all said we would go again if it wasnt for the 2hr drive back home and dinner plans we had later that day. My mom had a lovely chocolate cake ready to celebrate my birthday with...but...as she would like to put it "keeping up w/ tradition"....she forgot the candles. No fear...in the back of the cabinet...the top cabinet above the stove....the cabinet you have to climb on a bar stool to reach...farrrr back in THAT cabinet, in an old cool whip tub...was a candle!! A nice big candle. A nice big candle that sported the number 3 on it. So...in order to make sure I still got a birthday wish, I blew out my number 3 candle!! If you're wondering WHY we have a number three candle...don't ask...heaven only knows.
The next day I spent the afternoon w/ mom and Lexi (Chris's G/F). We caught a movie and did a bit of grocery shopping before heading home and getting ready for my family to come over and celebrate my birthday AGAIN!!
All in all it was a nice weekend :) I'm happy to be twenty...uh....three years old!!

Rewind Time

I wish I could!!

Last weekend was wonderful!! Why? What could we have possibly done over the weekend to experience such a "wonderful" weekend? Are you ready for this? We....did....absolutely NOTHING!! It was GLORIOUS!!! I really feel like we run around ALL the time!! I love my home. I love nothing more than to spend a friday evening relaxing after work, sleeping in on saturdays and getting house chores done at a slow and steady speed. THAT is what we did this past weekend. We scheduled a date night for friday and after I got off of work we headed to the local movies to catch...of course...nothing other than Batman :) It rocked. Then we headed home to do spend the weekend at HOME!! We slept in saturday...well, I slept in as long as the dogs would let me. Dogs??

Yes, that is Ali's news. He welcomed home a brother 2 weeks ago. They love each other and are the best of friends. They do fight occasionally but for the most part they arent seen far from each other. I had been debating on rescuing a dog. Ali LOVES other dogs and he has been such a great dog that we thought we could handle another one. I checked w/ our kennel/boarding facility to see how much another dog would cost to board if we were to board them for vacation or anything and it was actually not much more if they stay in the same kennel. So I started my search for a rescue dog. We reallllllllllly wanted another Brussels and I searched and searched for one. However, after looking over numerous dogs...dog breeds, dog rescues, dog pound...etc etc. and after turning down dog after dog after dog. We finally found and fell in love with Ren. I was set on not getting a puppy...I really wanted to rescue a dog and I know that puppies have a much better chance of getting adopted. Plus...I didnt really want to deal w/ the puppy stage. So after work one day I decided to stop by the local humane society and look around, I had just been there the week before and was not expecting to find anything...but I had also been going just to walk dogs and give them a little exercise...so I was thinking I would just walk a few. The last cage, down the long row of cages sat Ren. A skinny, flea covered, long eared, sad eyed, puppy. I said no no no...I was not getting a puppy, but I thought he looked sad so I could at least give him a walk. He was scared to death and just hid under my feet while I tried to walk him to the door leading outside. When I walked by the help desk the lady said "oh I see you have the newbie, he just came here from lexington county he was about to be put down there but we had room for him here and thought he could use another chance" I asked his story...and come to find out, Ren the puppy was actually Ren the full grown Doberman dog. He was THAT malnourished. He only weighed 19lbs and was only as tall as below my knees. If you know anything about Dobermans, they are BIG dogs...by 8months old (Rens age) he should have been well over 50lbs and standing at my hip. Come to find out Ren had been rescued off the side of the road. By the looks of his docked tail he was probably sold or born to be kept in a kennel to try and keep him small and then re breed to create a smaller doberman (think miniature pinchser breed). He either escaped or someone finally let him loose on the side of the road. Either way...he will never be the size of a regular healthy Doberman. Sev came to the pound after I called and told him Rens story and 3 hrs later we walked out with a very shy and timid Renegade, Ren for short :) He is so sweet...and still very skinny...but we're working on that. I will post pictures eventually. He loves to play chase w/ Ali. They created this game where Ali will run up to Ren and bite him and then take off, Ren takes off after Ali only to find himself stuck on the outside of our kitchen table while Ali hides under it. I swear Ali has a smirk on his face when he does this. Once Ren starts to loose interest Ali will bolt out from under the table and zoom around the house as fast as his little legs will carry him...Ren right behind....and then back under the table he will go...its their new game and it is HILARIOUS!!

SO...after the dogs woke me up saturday morning, I let them outside to get an hours worth of shaded outside time. I made pancakes and woke sevy up. I took the day to clean the house. I caught up on laundry, dusting, vacuuming, dishes, and I even threw in a nice bathroom scrubbing. Sev worked on his truck and tended to the garden. I left to go to the grocery store and then stop by blockbuster. I picked up ingredients to make homemade pizza and two movies before coming back home. Sev and I LOVE homemade pizza!!! However...saturday nights pizza was even better!! Why? because we used all the veggies from our home grown veggie garden!!! Yep...thats right...home grown veggies!! YUMMMM-O!! We watched Drillbit Taylor and then ate icecream. Sunday morning we woke up and went to Shandon Baptist church together for the first time. I was really excited to visit this church with Sevy. I had gone alone before and I had gone w/my mother...but Sevy had never attended this church w/ me so that was a real treat!! The pastor I grew up with is actually at Shandon and thats another reason I've enjoyed visiting that church. I really enjoyed the message for the day, Sevy said he did too. We left church and went to get Mexican for lunch. We headed back home and finished doing what we left off on Saturday...NOTHING :) Just a little cleaning here and there, rough housed w/ the dogs and then said goodbye to the weekend and went to bed after watching Army Wives on Lifetime.

THAT was our glorious, wonderful, much needed weekend :)

My parents made it back from Canada...I'm excited to see pictures from that little adventure. This weekend I hope to have a re-play of last weekend. Then the following weekend is...drum role....my BIRTHDAY!! Hey I have a few more years to be excited about my birthday before I start hiding when my birthday is, haha :) :)

Crawling out from under my rock :)

Actually...I wish I had time to hide under a rock. We've honestly been super busy with life.

I really need to catch this blog up...whats the point in keeping a blog if you're not going to write in it...right?? No wonder I have a thousand journals that are only filled up on the first couple of pages, geez!

Anyways, we had the best time planning and participating in the activities leading up to Jessies wedding. I was at the beach three weekends in a row. The first weekend was for my families vaca. We really had a lot of fun! I must say the BEST part was parisailing with my grandma, she rocks, lol. Oh...and watching my dad on the banana boat, that was hilarious!! Ohhh AND I did a swing thing with my cousin and her husband...scared me to death!! You free fall for a few seconds before the swing actually catches you and then takes you back up to the other side...it was fun and I can now check that off my bucket list, lol.
The next weekend was Jessies bachelorette shower in Charelston. We had ALOT of fun hanging out with Jessie before her big day. Jess is very fortunate to have a very sweet best friend, Jessica Foy. Jessica planned the entire weekend for Jessie. We rented out a room at the double tree and walked downtown Charleston. Jessica made reservation at two different lounges and we ate and drank our little hearts merry. I guess I won't go further into detail there. Oh...I will say that we all wore buttons...some said "buy jessie a drink", "sing for jessie", "kiss jessie" and mine said "spank jessie". Jessies said "I am Jessie"....I won ;) It was lots of fun going out for one last single celebration with Jess...it was bitter sweet :( The next weekend was the wedding and we were once again back down at the beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding, I was so happy for Jessie. Sev and I took Friday off of work and drove down on Thursday night. We staying in a little beach house that his parents rented for us and shared it with Sevs sis Angie and our nephew Eddie (whom I ADORE!!). Eddie carried the ring and I made the pillow for him to carry. I pretty much spent the weekend rushing around doing last minute things with Jessie...it was actually alot of fun and def. a great way to spend time together before her big day and her big move. Sev spent the weekend hanging out with Don and the boys...golfing, goofing around and keeping Don calm, cool and collected. Friday night was the rehersal dinner...it was wonderful!! The mullen family flew in from all over the country, they are ALWAYS a hoot to be around. We ate and enjoyed each others company until late in the evening, then the bridal party all went out for drinks. Jess and I went back to the beach house and relaxed...by this point I had lost my voice completely and she needed some beauty rest!! The boys took Don out for one last night out on the town. The next day came quickly...we rushed around getting everything ready for the big moment. We prayed for NO rain...as the wedding was planned to be on the beach. I did a few tourist things with Angie and Eddie and then we all met back up to get ready. The girls met at a beach house and took pictuers, toasted jessie with champagne and cried a little. The weather turned out to be PERFECT and Jessie could not have looked any more gorgeous. Sevs uncles played guitars while jess walked down and a close friend of Jessies sang a beatiful song before the "I do's" were exchanged. The reception was a blast and the best part had to have been the song Jessies family (her three uncles, dad and aunt) wrote and preformed for her and Don. The title of the song is "Mullen Prison". Please feel free to go to You Tube.com and search "Mullen Prison" it is HILARIOUS!! I will post pictures and a link to the videa soon. After the wedding we all went back to Sevs parents beach house and hung out with the entire Mullen crew. My parents joined in for the fun...and lets just say my mom can no longer say she things OUR family are nutts!! We had a blast just catching up and singing along with Sevs uncles, both of which are musicians. A little bit of background info. Sev's dad, Dave, has three brothers and one sister. His baby brother Andy lives in Alaska with his wife Lynx and is a local musician there, they also run a B&B. His middle brother lives in Colorado with his wife and is also a local musician. He also has a brother, Don, whom lives in WV with his wife and two children. He is a pilot. Then there is Diane and thats Daves sister. She lives in Cali with her husband and two daughters Amanda and Emily. If you can imagine Daves personality times 5..THATS the Mullen family :) I absolutely love them. Then Sue's brother Dan, from Montana was also in tow, he was Jessies photographer and is a retired pilot. We really enjoyed the wedding/family reunion.
We woke up Sunday to have breakfast with Jessie and Don before they departed for Texas. It was sooo sad and not the way I would have preferred to end our weekend. Jessie and Don reported that they enjoyed their honeymoon and are getting settled into their new home. We really miss them...its like the old saying goes "you don't know what you have til' its gone".


Soo that brings us up last weekend...the 4th of July.
Sevy and I drove to Rock Hill and stayed with some friends and their family on the lake in their beautiful million dollar lake house. It was so nice and relaxing. We played on the water all day friday...ate some great food and watched some awesome firework displays!! Saturday I went to a gun range with Sev, Danny and Kyle. Danny is part of SWAT and just recently recieved a new gun...not just any gun but an M4. This is the type of gun Sev carried in Iraq, so of course the boys had to take it out and shoot it. I got to tag along. Let me just say...no matter how many guns you have heard on the television...or out hunting...NOTHING sounds like an automatic M4. I was NOT prepared for the sound. We all had ear protection and now I understand WHY it is SO important to have that!! When we first got out on the range I was going over gun safety with Kyle (he has a glock). I had yet to put my ear protection on because we were far enough away from where Danny and Sev had gone to shoot the M4. I was paying close attention to Kyle when Danny unloaded his rifle. I have never in my life...honestly....jumped that high and thought my heart was going to come out of my chest so fast!!! After I promplty put my ear protection on, Kyle and I took off to the other side of the range to shoot his glock...I decided I would start out small. Let me just tell you...it is NOT as simple as just pulling a little trigger. That sucker is HARD to aim and keep steady!! It kicks!! However, I am very proud to say I hit my target on the first try :) I decided it was time for the big gun!! The boys taught me how to hold the gun properly and shoot from the laying position...I decided I was much more comfortable laying down and shooting the M4 at first. It was a crazy feeling and actually pretty emotional...I never really took the time to think about what it was like to be in a war torn country. I mean, I knew sev was at war. I new he was fighting. I knew guns were being shot and bombs were going off around him. However, I never thought of the sound and actual feeling that went along with the idea of being at war. Just the sound and smell of the gun was enough to have me on my knees praying that we as Americans NEVER have to face war in our homeland!!! It's so different on TV. I know anyone reading this is thinking, "well duh"...but it really was eye opening for me. When we got back from the range...after going through a couple hundred dollars worth of ammo (which also blows my mind!! we're talking about billions of dollars of ammo being shot in Iraq weekly!! I never knew bullets cost so much!!) luckily Danny got all of his for free and we paid nothing. We went back to the lake house and Sev sat around and starting talking "war" stories. I've never asked him much about Iraq. I had been briefed a million times by the Army FRG to "let your soldier speak about the war on his time". So we rarely talk about Iraq. I knew a few things...but not nearly as much as I learned after the gun range. He had his thumb drive that he carried with him in Iraq and he started sharing stories and pictures with us. I realized why he had never shared the pictures with me. I honestly don't know how he carries around the effects the war had to have had on him. All that I have seen are pictures and all that I have heard are stories. Just like I was saying earlier about never really knowing the sound of a gun...I can never really know what it was truely like to be there. I'm glad Sev opened up to Danny, Kyle and I. He was even able to laugh at a few of the videos....videos of actual bombs going off and near death experiences....not a haha laugh but a "I'm lucky to be alive isnt that crazy!!" laugh. Which is much better than stone silence. I'll never ask him to see those pictures again...but I'm glad he finally shared them with me. It might be small...but I feel like I have a better idea of what his life was like in Iraq. I remember thinking about how the gun had such a distinct smell when it was being fired...gun powder and hot lead smell. I can't imagine what that smell was like on top of death.

Okay!!! Enough of that :) Over all the weekend was great...we were able to catch up with friends and let loose!! We were able to really experience what 4th of July means and for that I am greatful.


Oh...Ali...How could I update my posts without the mention of little man. He is doing okay, he actually came down with kennel cough two weeks ago and is finally getting over that nasty little cold!! He has some news he wants to share with everyone...but I think I'll hold off and post about that a little later on ;) This post is already a bit lengthy.

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July...I can't believe its already the middle of Summer!!

Happy Late Birthday!!!

So today was Ali's yearly check-up. It breaks my heart to have to leave him at a kennel next week while we're at the beach :( I really struggled with the idea of sneaking him down to the beach with us or just giving in and boarding him. He really is so much like family...like a child to us. However, I decided it was for the best that he stay in a local kennel here. I searched, researched and searched some more and finally ran across a wonderful little farm in Irmo SC. The place is more like a pet spa/resort. He will have his own little bedroom with tv and music. He will also have his own access to outside and will be taken out of his room 4 times a day to be given special attention and play time with other doggies. So I feel somewhat comfortable leaving him. Of course our FAVORITE Ali sitter in the WORLD will be at the beach with us...so unfortunately he couldn't stay with his foster parents :( In order to board him he had to be up to date on all of his shots. So, this morning, Ali and I visited our local vet. Poor Ali. He is so innocent and sweet. I hated handing him over to our vet to...well...pretty much violate, poke, prod and feel every part of him. After 2 different objects were placed in the most uncomfortable places on his body to check his temp and stool, he was then stuck with 5 different needles. I HAVe to walk out of the room when this is taking place b/c it not only makes Ali more anxious but it KILLS me to watch him get poked!! While the vet was filling out his records he said "oh, he just turned three, what a big boy!!" I had TOTALLY forgot!! May 12th, Ali's birthday, passed without so much as even a pat on the head!! So........Happy Late Birthday little man :) I'm going to give him a special dinner tonight...for birthday and post vet exam.....celebration.

On another note...we had Jessie's couple shower at our house Saturday. It went great. They received some awesome gifts and we all enjoyed ourselves. We played a version of the "newly wed" game and died laughing at some of the answers. Sunday Sevy and I woke up, told my mom and dad adios and headed over to Jessies house to eat a blueberry pancake breakfast with Sevs family. We came back home and I took a quick nap while sevy submitted his application to USC and then ran to Sumter for a work meeting. When he returned home we went back over to Jessies to eat homemade pizza with Don and Jess. We also played a friendly game of "corn hole"...(this really random game where you throw bean bags into a wooden board with a hole cut in it.)

That pretty much sums up our weekend!! Please keep sevy in your prayers as he makes some pretty big decisions for his life.

Yay for vacations!!! 4 more days of work left before its beach time!!!!!

Ali and the Peanut Butter

We were very excited to have our friends come and spend the night with us tonight. Sadly one of our best "couple" friends live in Rock Hill and we do not get to see them nearly enough. We were all sitting around playing Wii (got the new Mario Cart, WAY COOL!!) when I decided to give Ali a little treat. Enjoy, we laughed at him enough...so I thought we would pass the video along for you to laugh at him a bit too :-)

Just say "no"

it was hard...but I said it..."no".

I've been pretty busy with work and not had much time to post lately. I'm really enjoying my job. After work friday I went to a bicycle shop with some co-workers of mine and looked at EXPENSIVE bikes!! Yikes I didnt know a bike could cost as much as my CAR!! I've thought about getting into bike riding, I go to the gym almost every day after work...but I would much rather be outside!! So when a co-worker of mine came to work on his bike friday, we started chatting and I decided I would try riding. Luckily he has a bike I can borrow...because I DONT have money to buy one!! A few people in the office ride so I thought I would give it a shot :) Wish me luck on my journey and maybe I will find a new hobby!! (since I cant get a horse just yet). After I left the bike shop I hit the gym and then headed home. Sev and I met Jessie at her house and the three of us all went into downtown Cola. to celebrate another friend of ours birthday. We had a good time and came home to Jessies house to crash. Jess and I woke up this morning around 6am to head to the local flea market to sell some random items that I've had stored in my office and garage since moving back from hawaii. MAN what a day!! The SECOND I opened my truck bed and started unloaded stuff I had people pointing and grabbing stuff from the truck!! Jessie and I both had tables beside each other and after the first group of people picked through everything they wanted, before we could even get our vehicles unloaded, we FINALLY put what was left out on the tables. It was actually sort of fun. Jess and I were able to hang out and chat a bit...while earning money :) There are some interesting people at flea markets!! While we were setting up our tables the lady at the table beside us started unloading her truck....and just our luck....what could this lady be unloading?? oh....none other than SHRIMP,CRABS, and FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh..........my.............gosh.............by mid day I thought I would die from the smell, LOL....what was even funnier were the people that would walk up to our table looking at our stuff and then get a whiff of the odor once the wind blew...LOL, the faces people make when they smell raw fish, YUCK!!! (I came STRAIGHT home and took a shower, I knew I smelled like nemo after that experience,lol!!) All in all we made the best of it and sold just about everything we had out on the tables...together we walked off with about $400 bucks in cash (NOT BAD!!). We only had a few clothing items left and that will be hauled off to Pets inc. in the next day or two, the proceeds from what they make off of donations goes to homeless pets (my kinda place!!).

Okay...so why did I have to say "no" today?? Everyone that knows me knows that I ADORE dogs...LOVE dogs....if I could I would have no children and 19293048430202 dogs...the no children part is possible but unfortunately my husband and the amount of land we live on will not allow me to have that many dogs :( Anyways, this man pulls up with puppies in the back of his truck and starts trying to give them away....sweet little, pink nosed, doe eyed, furry, little lab, puppies!! My heart melted...I'll admit I held one....but in the end.....maybe it was the fear of what sevy would do if I brought one home...or maybe......just maybe, I'm beginning to understand what "responsibility" means....but I said "no thank you" and ripped my heart away from the pile of puppies and RAN away!!! **sigh**

Oh...and because I had so much stuff to take to the flea market I had to drive the truck. Well, the truck is also for sale. The windows on our truck are painted with the words, in lovely white, FOR SALE. Wow...I was amazed by the amount of people that actually asked about the truck. Keep your fingers crossed we get a call back!! Anyways, this man walks up with his wife and she and I are talking and all of a sudden he says "how much is he asking?" I looked at him and said "excuse me?" He pointed to the truck and says "his truck, how much is he asking for it?" Well...I want the truck sold so my first remark was our asking price. When he didn't say anything after that I finally unbit my tongue and said "and why exactly do you think that is a mans truck??" LOL....I was by myself, no sevy...no man around...I was obviously the one who owned the truck (i was sitting on the tail gate) and yet he jumped straight to the conclusion that it must be a mans truck. hhhmmphhh. He mumbled something about I wasnt tall enough to drive a truck that big...I said "well, for your information, I'm only an inch or two shorter than my husband and you our semi correct it is mainly his truck, but it's half mine!" LoL, he looked a bit shocked...but I played it off like I was just kidding around with him...but when he left I was a bit miffed...Men, LoL.

Well...that brings me up to now :) I came home, got rid of my fish funk ;) and hung out in the back yard with sevy while he grilled up some chicken wings!!! My mother poured her love and sweat into my backyard and it is absolutely gorgeous!! Chicken wings, perfect shade outside in the perfect sun, among the prettiest flower beds!!! Life couldn't get sweeter!! ........ok, maybe if there was a puppy in the picture (BESIDES lil' man Ali)....lol.

Now sev is fishin' and I'm off to clean my house :)

Hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend!!

BAD TO THE BONE

Just wanted to share :-) LOVE IT!!!!

Thanks

For all of your prayers. Sevs surgery was a success...well, I guess it was....he is now passing stones on his own. He is in a bit of pain and on alot of meds. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.
I just wanted to get on here and let you all know he is doing well, but I don't know when I'll post again. Our life is so hectic right now...its hard finding the time. Hopefully I'll be back to posting in a week or two, but until then email me or call if you find the time :)

And thats the way the cookie crumbles...

of course! I KNEW once I finally decided on a job and took an offer TS would call me!!! Ugh. Oh well, everything happens for a reason.

We had a......interesting weekend. We left Friday evening and spent the weekend camping. I LOVE camping...I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing. We had a great time...unfortunately, I packed the camera but forgot to pack a memory card...so...no pics, sorry :( We spent Saturday four wheeling through the mountains. I was exhausted by the time we made it back to camp...every part of my body hurt. We ate dinner (a lovely homemade,campfire chili one of the boys cooked) and lounged around the fire for the evening. Ali was a hit!! Everyone said he was the ugliest dog they had seen...but by the end everyone loved him :) That's my boy!!
Saturday night I just about froze to death (sev stole the covers!!) but it was still nice to be in a tent under the star filled sky! We woke up Sunday morning and ate a big breakfast of eggs, grits, toast, and coffee warmed over the fire, YUM!! They also had fresh sausage which I tasted but I'm not much into meat, other than turkey and chicken. After breakfast we packed up and decided to ride a bit more before we left. BAD idea...I was hurting from the ride the day before, so riding again Sunday only emphasized my pain. Sev prefers four wheeling in old jeeps, but I prefer four wheelers...so we split up for a bit of the ride, but we all met back up at the end of the trail. After that we poured water over the campfire and said good-bye to the trees :( I hope to go back soon!!
I will try and locate a picture of the "restroom facilities" if someone emails me pics...it is HILARIOUS!! One of the guys actually rigged a toilet seat onto a hitch that they have hooked to the back of one of the four wheelers. They keep a roll of toilet paper on one of the handle bars...so when its time to...you know....you just hop on the four wheeler and ride off into the woods...hahahahahaha...this just cracked me up!!! I'm not prissy or girlie by any means...but I just couldn't bring myself to use that thing....it still cracks me up though and I'll try and hunt down a picture!! (of the four wheeler, not of someone using it!!!)

Sev has surgery Wednesday, so please keep him in your prayers. Unfortunately I start work tomorrow and I can't take Wednesday off, so it appears that his mother will take him in for surgery. I wish I could help take care of him, but I just don't want to take the second day of work off. He is having his 4 kidney stones broken up by a shocking procedure. His first surgery was with a laser. He also has gall bladder stones...but the doctor said he would be okay for awhile with those, so they are not going to remove that part just yet. Over all sev has been feeling okay...just ready to get this over with.

Happy Monday!

Say hello...

to my little punk rocker!!!

I know you're saying "NO SHE DIDNT!!!"..........yes...yes she did.

Ali and I lounged around outside yesterday in the beautiful sunshine. Sadly, we couldnt lounge long b/c Ali was burning up under his winter coat. I usually get him shaved right before summer...so I decided to shake it up a bit...give him a little attitude...throw caution to the wind and let his wild side show. He now rocks a little mohawk.

Note to his grandparents and foster parents: Don't worry...it's just a stage, you have to learn to let your babies grow up and express themselves ;-) His long hair will return shortly.

I have named this look, the Alitude.

Lovin'

This weather.
I'm also loving Leona Lewis, she is probably top on my "fav. singer/song writer" list right now :) She rocks. I just loaded my Ipod up with a few of her hits!!

Well, I went by UofP today to pick up my training manual. I'm pretty excited about starting next week. Everyone was out of the office this week, they are in Florida for a retreat. So I start here in Cola. next week and then go to Florida or Atlanta in the up coming weeks to train. This job is going to require alot of training, but I like learning new things.

I came home and changed into a pair of shorts...thats right SHORTS...yipeeee!! again...lovin' spring time!!! It really is my favorite time of the year. Flowers, fresh new grass, rain drops, sunshine, warm weather, baby animals ;) Love it.

Well, I'm off to spread a blanket on the lawn and go over this training manual.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend, we're going camping and I'm ready to dig my toes in the creek mud!!!!

who knew...

I wish I did.

I wish I knew that my LL Bean hiking boots don't fit me!! I wish I knew that BEFORE I wore them to hike 10 miles with my in-laws sunday!! I wish I knew this because now my toes are killing me!!
Actually, for that matter...my entire body is killing me, lol.
It was alot of fun though, so I can't complain much. During the first 2-3 miles of the hike I carried Ali in his little "hound bound" hiking backpack. Along with my camelbak and fleece vest. That combination led to a back full of sweat, eww gross!! So Ali took to the ground and made the rest of the hike on all fours like the little trooper he is. A little after 8 miles into the hike my feet were hurting so badly I was bringing up the rear with a limp. My sweet sister-in-law offered to trade shoes...so after taking a second to switch sweaty foot wear (lol, yuck I know) I was good to go and the remainder of the hike was a breeze :-) One of my favorite things to do is hiking. I love nature. Just being outside makes me happy.
We came back to Columbia Sunday evening and Sev, I and Ali crashed into our pillows. Yesterday was spent running errands and I actually went on another job interview. The hardest part of the interview was walking into the office with heels on while trying to pretend my toes weren't screaming at me!! All in all the interview went well. I was originally interviewing for a traveling job. I would love to have taken the offer...but being married with a house and a dog...it just didn't seem possible. I would have spent 6 months in Charleston, 5 here in Columbia and 1 in Florence. Home on the weekends. I went ahead with the interview but explained that it just wasn't possible for me to travel right now. They were very understanding and actually decided to continue interviewing me, but for a local position instead. We will see what becomes of that. UofP wants me to start next week...so either way....I will officially be a working woman soon!!! Yipee.
Sev has been working crazy hours lately, I'm ready to take on the work load and allow him to take more time to study. He and I are both ready for him to graduate from Embry-Riddle and start focusing on his flying. I can already tell these next couple of years are going to be crazy, I'm just thankful we're no longer apart and we're actually back together as a team and looking outward and forward in the same direction.

One decision down

I shouldn't have said I "hate" making decisions. Honestly, I'm glad I have the ability to make my own decisions, that no one else can make my decisions for me. I am my own person, with my own way of thinking and I can choose my own choices. However, uncomfortable decisions are difficult :-( I finally made one decision today.
I've been in the process of negotiating jobs (YAYYYY, prayer one answered!!!). It really was a difficult decision. Whenever I struggle with something I tend to call my dad. I don't know why...my mom is def. better in the compassion department. However, my dad and I think alot alike. Sometime good, sometimes bad ;-) So lately I've been discussing my options with my dad. He's a pretty logical thinker. After much thought, debating and flip flopping...I finally decided on a job. I do like to place everything in Gods hands...so last night before I went to sleep I prayed God would guide me in the right direction. This morning I called to decline one offer. MAN was that hard!!! I'm nervous and excited and a little sad to tell one company no. So I suppose, as of today, I am an Enrollment Counselor with the University of Phoenix.
Sev and I still have a few more decisions that have to be made, so please continue to keep us in your prayers. His kidney stones have not bothered him lately. He goes to the urologist on the 15th and from there they will schedule his surgery, yikes!!
**sigh** I'm so ready for this weekend...time to relax and stop stressing!!
Happy Friday!!

I need Love Love...

oooo to ease my mind....


LOL, okay sorry...that was the only title that came to mind. Actually I just need prayers please.
It seems recently a few major decisions have been placed before Sev and I. I won't go into great depth now...but if your prayer list isn't flooded with the rest of the worlds concerns, please add us :-) I believe in the power of prayer and I hate making decisions.
God is good, my little flowers are just soaking up this rain and sun we're getting this afternoon!!
Now if only I could convince Ali that the rain won't hurt him...man he hates to go outside in the rain!!
Have a wonderful day!!

Another weekend over :(

Wow, it was SO cold this past weekend!! Very depressing after such a warm week we were having! I have been organizing our bedroom and closet for the past week...yes WEEK. I have mild OCD and once I start something I am pretty much over the top with it. I am an All or Nothing kind of person...realllllllllly bad in some cases, Really good in others. For my bedroom sake...this past week it has been a GOOD thing. I finally got around to sorting out every single item of clothes I own. I have a ROOM (seriously, as I type this my office space is covered in clothes!) full of clothes to be sold at a yard sale or donated. When we purchased our home one of the nice things we loved was the size of our closet...its pretty big!! Ha, I actually thought it might be a bit overly large. Well, while we have been settling in I've been floored by all the limited space we have in our closet. I finally realized that it is b/c for the first time in YEARS I have all of my clothes and all of severyns clothes in the same place!! You see, once I moved out of my parents house, I still had clothes there (like whatever season of clothes we werent in). Then I moved in with my gma and I had clothes at her house. Then I moved to Hawaii and clothes went there...moved back here from Hawaii and clothes stayed in storage there. So for the past 5 or 6 years I've had clothes in numerous closets, drawers, houses, storage units. Now that everything we both own is under one roof...WE ARE OVERLOADED with CLOTHES!!! Ahhhhhh!!

SO...I am VERY proud to say that ALL of my clothes have been sorted through and put into their proper places!! (and yes this took a week!). I have all of my shoes in little clear Rubbermaid boxes, all of my winter clothes in Rubbermaid containers, and I even have a Rubbermaid container full of my "skinny clothes" HA..cause lets face it I've put on some extra weight since sev has been home (but I wont get rid of these clothes b/c I WILL fit back into them!!) However, also during that week I scrubbed my bathroom and bedroom (as my grandma would say "i got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the base boards, and Clorox everything!"), not that our bathroom was that dirty...but every bathroom and bedroom needs a good scrubbing once in awhile.

Thats RIGHT, I have Pictures of my new and improved closet!!!

I hung the shelves on the wall that you see my bluejeans on, while sev was still deployed.

So, I have been giving it alot of thought (have been for some time now) and I'm really considering going back and getting my masters. I've always said I would...but I really feel like the more I put it off the likely hood of me actually accomplishing this will slim. So, good news is...part of my negotiating with companies before I get hired is to have them pay for me to get my masters as a benefit. Luckily many employers are willing to discuss this benefit. I have yet to really pin point exactly what I want to get my masters in...I'm still researching that. I know I don't want to get it in my major, dont get me wrong I really enjoy Marketing...but it wasnt my dream, so I'm hoping my masters can accomplish my dreams. I really miss school, as weird as that may sound. I honestly enjoyed going to class and hearing lectures I was actually interested in. There were those classes that I dreaded...but overall college was an awesome time in my life. I've said before that graduating with honors was my biggest goal achieved so far...so getting my masters would only highlight my goals achieved.

Oh..on another note....I am sooo upset that airlines are now changing their checked luggage policy. Maybe some people don't have a hard time as is...but man, I do!! I ALWAYS used my two checked bags...plus my carry on was always stuffed to the brim (I'm not high maintenance, I just have alot of junk and never know exactly what to pack, so I pack it all). They just announced that NOW airlines will only be allowing ONE checked bag :( Boo!!! I think from now on we will rent a uhaul and drive to our vacation destinations!!

Our Life

Quick update.

So Sev is still carrying around 4 large kidney stones. Last friday evening we had a full night planned out with friends. It started with dinner at Jessi and Don's and from there we all went into the vista for a friday night out on the town. Sev started complaining about his side hurting shortly after we arrived at our first location. I knew right away it was his kidney stones...this happens frequently. The difference this time was the pain wouldnt go away. Long story short, we ended the night after only an hour after it started. We felt so bad as we left our friends out on the town while we rushed sev to the ER. He was given 2 ivs and some morphine. They took x-rays of his kidneys to see if he had a blockage and came back with the news that "no he doesnt have a blockage but 4 of the largest kidney stones we've ever seen, usually kidney stones dont even show up on x-rays it takes a CT scan." GREAT!! Poor Sev, it is the WORST feeling in the world watching your husband cringe, cry and curl up into a ball to try and make himself comfortable. So, this week has taken him in and out of the hospital on Ft. Jackson and back and forth between doctors. He is currently getting a scan done on his kidneys so that he can then be referred out to a urologist. He will have surgery AGAIN, thank the Lord we are covered under tricare (100% insurance via military). Sev has been feeling okay, other than the minor annoyance of being pushed around from doctor to doctor and poked and prodded by each one. Please keep him in your prayers as he not only faces another surgery but has to take time off of much needed work!!!
I have been going on interview after interview...I told my gma last night that I am going to start calling my profession a "professional interviewee"...only....I don't get paid :-(
Things are looking up...most of the interviews have been second and even third interviews, I'm just waiting...and I feel like it's getting closer. I pray by next week that God has shown me what plans he has for my career.
I must say that the interviews have def. only made me stronger and been to my benefit!! I have learned sooo much!! I have had to present a 5 minute presentation in front of possible employers, I have had to have over the phone conferences with employers located outside of the state, I have had to take proctored exams, I've gone through just about every "role play" known possible.
Hmmmm, other than that...not much has been going on. We were fortunate enough to spend Easter with my family. We didn't get to see Sevs family, so we're hoping to see them for an entire weekend coming up soon. Unfortunately we've had to cancel our plans to go to the Carolina cup this weekend and the charleston bridge run the following weekend. We have friends from Hawaii that are currently in Myrtle Beach so we're hoping to get the chance to see them in the upcoming days.
Ali is being as cute as ever...we're about to pop with excitement to see the Dangels knew addition.
I was able to see my brother yesterday. He was in Columbia for a business training program. We ate lunch together and talked about life. We're pretty good at annoying each other...but we're also pretty good at listening and talking to each other. Please keep him in your prayers as well, he is trying to find the path God has planned for his life.
Well, I guess thats it...I'm suppose to be organizing our closet, but I got side tracked :-) It's a common lindsey thing.

Have a great week!!

This brings me to tears...

with laughter.

Okay, so for the longest time Sev and I have witnessed Ali's new talent. However, everytime I go to capture it on camera he stops, imagine that. Today Ali was sitting on the couch with us when sev started saying his name over and over...Ali started howling right along as usual. Now most of you that know Ali have witnessed his cute little howl (thanks to mer he does it frequently now), however, he usually only does it when he is excited to see someone and for only a short period of time.

I was finally able to catch Ali howling along to severyn's voice. He is sooooo funny. Thought you all might enjoy.

QUICK PRAYER REQUEST

Sev and I spent the night in the ER last night.

Long story short, he has severe kidney stones in his right kidney. He will go in for surgery next week.

Please keep him in your prayers. I will update later.

Lets talk Commercials...

I think my calling in life is to write jingles for commercials...weird?? That's okay, I've been called that a time or two.

Anyways...how many times are you watching TV when a commercial comes on and the jingle just gets stuck in your head?? If you ask Severyn EVERY jingle gets stuck in my head and I tend to walk around singing it for hours...annoying anyone within my vicinity. Lately the Saturn commercial has been stuck in my head sooo badly that I just had to google the words to the jingle and find out if it was in fact a song....and THEN I had to download it to iTunes...why?? b/c I didn't know the rest of the song after the commercial ends and it was driving me crazy only knowing a line or two. LOL...WHO does that????
So if you hear me singing "I just can't seem to get it right today...." THAT is why!!
The second commercial that I wanted to mention was the new Pedigree commercial. Now I don't know how many people have even notice...but being the animal lover I am...I spotted it the second they started showing the new commercial. The first one disturbed me sooo much so that I would find myself tearing up whenever it came on. I wonder if others heartstrings were pulled as hard as mine were...and thats the reason they made the second one...maybe....I def. thought about writing in to question the commercial.
If you are thinking "what in the world is she talking about???" Well......There is this Pedigree commercial and it shows this cute little collie looking mutt sitting in a cage. He stands up in the beginning of the commercial and runs to the front of the cage and just looks out with these huge, sad, big, brown eyes. He watches people walk into the pound and then walk past him...the whole time some sad sappy song is playing and then it cuts to Pedigree talking about how they donate a percentage of their proceeds to animal shelters. Well, thats all fine and dandy, but for those of us who break down every time they see that poor dog...it gets you thinking, "well what happened to the dog in the commercial??"
Apparently they understood my needs and concerns...b/c just the other day I noticed they changed the commercial to show the doggy in the cage and then he "says" something along the lines of "Thanks to pedigree donations and people like you I've been adopted and I'll never go back to living in a cage!" and then it shows him running around playing!!! YaYYYYYY....Thanks Pedigree, I don't know how many more times I could watch the original commercial without bawling.


okay...thats it, the end.

Just another day...

in paradise.

If columbia, the arm pit of SC, can be considered paradise!! haha.
So, after giving up on the watch and wait game that TS had me on, I've decided to send my resume to every office in Columbia (or so it seems). I have interviews lined up for this week...FINGERS CROSSED!! God has a plan for me, I just know it.

Hmmmm...what else....nothing new really. Sev and I came home this past weekend to help his parents move (literally like a stones throw away)...yet it took all day. It was nice spending the day with them. They are so busy with their house building and I feel like the only time we really get to spend with them is when they need Sevs help for something, and then I feel like I might possibly be in the way. However, this past weekend they needed an extra pair of hands...so I got to help them move. My mother-in-law has the coolest collection of antiques and it was neat getting to see and hear stories about different pieces. I really liked this little pie safe that was left behind by the previous owners and my father-in-law called me on our way home Sunday to ask if I wanted the piece...sweet!! My first antique!! On Saturday evening Ali decided it was high time he got to see his long lost foster mother. So he invited Mer over for a visit. She brought along her mom and dad and Perrin Bug. I know Ali was excited to see Meredith!! She told him all about the possibilities of a girlfriend/buddy in the near future, so our fingers and paws are crossed for a fellow brussels in the family!! After we helped move on Sunday, my parents came over and we threw a line in the pond and caught...mmmm....Dad caught....some fish!! A great way to end a weekend.

This coming weekend brings sev and I back to the upstate. We're driving up on Saturday to spend Easter Sunday with our family....I was fortunate enough to be home last easter but I can't WAIT to hunt eggs this Easter with sevy!! Last Easter Perrin was still in the baking stages (lol, nice term, huh) and its so weird to imagine him at the dinner table for holidays (I missed thanksgiving and Christmas with him) so this will also be new for me!! Watch out Perrin, I hear our family has an egg theif!!!!

Have a Wonderful Week and if I don't post soon...remember the reason for Easter and Thank God he is sooooo Good!!!!