So busy!

Between work, sleep and work.. I've been really busy lately! I just got done working 11 days in a row. Crazy... I know! But I made it. I started 2 new jobs, so that took up a lot of my time. I really like the new places that I'm working though, so that made it easier. I've also checked off a few items on my list of the past few weeks, too!

1. I've eaten at 2 new restaurants. One was a Mediterranean restaurant called Cafe Izmir. It was pretty good. It's close to my house and they deliver. I even tried 2 new foods there. I'd probably eat there again sometime, but I wouldn't say it was my all time favorite place.
I also ate at Qdoba. Oh.My.Gosh. I can't believe I've never eaten there before! It was soooo good! I liked it so much that I made Grant go with me again a few days later and that's when I tried their vegetarian Tortilla Soup and fell in love. Seriously. It is to die for! It is going to be one of my all time favorite places fo' sho'. :)

2. We adopted a dog! His name is Spike and he is a 6 yr old Boston Terrier that we adopted from a BT rescue group. So far, he's been pretty good. Sick, but good. Poor little guy was heartworm positive and is going through treatment right now. It's really rough on a dog, but he's taking it well. Here's a pic of him riding in Grant's car:

 

3. I took a photography class. I'm going to take several, actually. They came free when I bought my camera.

4. I am now TNCC certified. YAY! TNCC stands for Trauma Nurse Core Course. It's a 2 day course with written and verbal tests that you have to pass at the end of the course. They teach you about how to accurately and timely assess a trauma patient and what to look for in those situations. I learned a lot through the course, and I'm really glad I took it.... and passed! lol

Well that's about it for now. I've actually got a few more things on my mind I want to write about, but I'm going to save those for later this weekend.

It's been a while

It's been a while since I last posted, but let me tell you... I have been BUSY! Well, actually, I'm lying. I have been a little busy, but more like lazy.

If you noticed my unfinished list (I know, I know) to the right has a few more items checked off. Yep, I have been doing things on my list believe it or not. I ran a 10k last weekend and blogged about it on my other blog for running. The link should be under my profile.

I also bought a new DSLR camera today. YAY! I'm so excited. I've always loved photography but frankly I suck at it since I've never had a good camera. Bella and I have been going to the indoor dog park a lot lately and I've been trying to get some action shots of her with my little point and shoot and it's just not working. So I took the plundge and got a good great camera. The place I bought it at also offers free photography classes every Saturday, too, so that will be one more item I get to check off soon! Hopefully I'll get to finish the list before my 1,001 days are up.

As for everything else going on in our life, it's the same ole', same ole'. We haven't found another dog yet, but we're still looking. We're not in any hurry (especially Grant!) so we're taking our time to find the perfect dog for our family. We have met a few, which obviously didn't work out, and some even scared us a little, but it's all good. Eventually we'll find one to love just as much as we love Bella. In the meantime, she will continue to be the spoiled brat she always has been. I'm sure she doesn't mind it at all. :)

I am obssesed with Pumpkin

Fall is my most favorite time of the year and it's almost here! I love seeing the colors changing on the trees (though we don't get too much of that here in TX), I love the smell of the crisp, fresh air, and I love love LOVE pumpkin! Pumpkin anything.. candles, pie, decorations... you name it, I love it. I have always saturated my house with the smell of pumpkin around this time, and this year will be no different. I usually use the Bath and Body Works scents, and I still will, but I may try to find a different brand, too. The only thing I don't like is that I can't decorate this house like I want to because there isn't much room and it's kind of ugly. lol. Oh well.. hopefully we'll be moving soon. Next year when we're in our new house it will look like a pumpkin puked in it during fall! I bet Grant

can't wait...hehehehe....

OSU vs. Georgia game

This past weekend Grant and I went up to Stillwater (his hometown) for the first OSU football game of the season. I'm not particularly a huge football fan, but I enjoy going to Stilly to visit friends and family. We always stay with his parents so it's nice to see them, and they have a huge backyard for Bella to play in!

Anyway, for the past couple of weeks, Grant has been getting really excited about this game and he kept telling me, "This is going to be the funnest weekend of your LIFE!" I told him, "I don't know.. Vegas was pretty fun. And so was my wedding. And also the honeymoon...." haha. Needless to say, he had some pretty big shoes to try to fill with over the weekend!

We arrived there on Friday night and spent some time with our friends, and nothing went as planned that night. Grant said we'd be going to a HS football game and then to see a concert and we didn't do either. I kept giving him the side eye all night and I finally said, "The funnest weekend of my life, huh?" In which he replied, "Ok, tomorrow will be the funnest DAY of your life!" lol. He's so funny. :D

Saturday we got out to the tailgating spot at around 11:30, which was much later than Grant wanted to be there, but a girl has to get ready! The game didn't start until 2:30 so there was still plenty of time to hang out. I decided that I would drink that day, and oh do I regret it! I ended up drinking too much, throwing up, and having a bad hangover on Sunday. Yeah, so much for the funnest weekend day of my life! Actually, I did have fun, minus the puking and hangover part.

Here are some pics from Saturday's game:

 

Grant & Me

Holly & Me

Our tailgating spot

All the orange!

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend, and OSU won. YAY!

101 Things in 1001 Days

As I've become obsessed with reading blogs lately, I've noticed a lot of people that had a list of 101 Things to accomplish in 1,001 Days. I got curious as to where this list originated from so I did a little searching and I came across a website called Day Zero Project. I'm still not sure if that is where it all started, but nonetheless, it has inspired me to create my own list.
 

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: 09/01/2009

End Date: 05/29/2012

I'm going to keep my list posted to the side of my blog and as I complete things, I will cross them off like this and also blog about them. My list is in no particular order, and it's not finished yet, but I'm going to go ahead and post what I have so far. I'm hoping to have the list finished by next week.

A buddy for Bella

If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I love animals. I love animals almost as much as I love life itself. And that goes for all animals, whether it be a cat, dog, skunk, squirrel, rat.... whatever, I love them all! I have great compassion for animals and I believe that animals were put on this Earth to bring us joy and companionship. I could not imagine my life without a pet. I truly feel bad for children and adults who grow up not knowing what it's like to have a pet as a family member. I think they miss out on learning how to love in a different way. I think animals depend on us, as highly intellectual humans, to care for them and to keep them safe. It saddens me like no other to see animals being abused, mistreated, or used for testing. Only a stupid person could treat an animal that way.

With that being said, Grant and I have a wonderful little Boston Terrier named Bella. Bella is a little over a year old and full of spunk! She's got lots of energy, and she's always making us laugh with the quirky things she does. And Bella loves, loves LOVES the dog park! I try to take her there at least once a week. She enjoys running around and playing with the other dogs her size. I've always thought it would be good for her to have a playmate, but we knew getting another dog while trying to plan a wedding was not an option. But now that we're married, I've really been hounding (pun intended, haha) Grant for another dog. He kept saying that we could get another dog once we get a bigger house with a fenced yard, but it's starting to look like that won't be for another 6 months or so and I want one like NOW! lol. Well last week Grant finally gave in and said that we could get another dog, but he had some stipulations. It has to be another Boston Terrier, it has to weight close to what Bella weights, and it has to be healthy. (She's small for a BT, only 15 lbs). I agreed to that. He would also really like a puppy and another girl, but those are things that might not happen. We are going to rescue one, and I am not going to narrow the choices down THAT much. Finding a girl puppy from a rescue place is near impossible, but I am trying to keep it under 2 yrs. That gives us quite a few more options.

So for the past week, I've been applying to all the local BT rescue groups, and I am happy to say that we have been approved at all the ones we've applied to so far! Now we just need to pick the perfect dog that will be a good fit for Bella, and go through the home visits that they require. I'm so excited! I can't wait to add another dog to our family, and give Bella a buddy to play with. We have a few dogs in mind, but we haven't met any yet. I'll keep everyone updated as things progress. :)

Disclaimer: For the people who know the story of Chassis: In no way, shape, or form has Bella replaced Chassis. I love Chassis dearly and I miss her and think about her everyday. She holds a very special place in my heart, and she'll never be forgotten. I still have dreams that one day she can be back in my life, but I know that might not be possible. :(

From This Day Forward

I knew after only a few dates that Grant was someone special to me, and it didn't take me long after that to realize he was the one I was going to marry. He obviously felt the same way, because 4 short months after we started dating, he proposed on August 17, 2008. 

After much deliberation, we decided on a June 6, 2009 wedding in Las Vegas. Vegas seemed so perfect for us because we both love it there, it was close enough for family to travel to, and it would be a fun vacation for our guests. 

We arrived in Vegas 2 days before our wedding day to prepare. We were both excited about the wedding, yet couldn't wait for it to be over after all the preperation we put into it.

Our wedding day was beautiful. The weather was perfect - high of 84 degrees - and everything came out just like we expected and wanted. The only thing that went wrong that day was that I was sick with strep throat, but that's ok! If that's the worse that could happen on my wedding day, I was pleased. I was just happy that I was finally getting to marry my best friend and the love of my life. Never before had I felt so confident in the decision I was making as I did that day. Marrying Grant was probably the best thing to ever happen to me. He is an honest, respectful, and gentle person. And he puts up with ME! haha. I don't know how he does it, but he does.

I decided to start this blog to keep track of the things that go on in our life. We don't have children, we lead pretty boring and uneventful lives, but I want to look back 50 years from now and be able to read about the little things that went on in our lives before children came along. That is my goal. From this day forward.....