Thursday, July 31, 2008

a beautiful, sunset view

michael and i sat on our front porch tonight watching the sunset. it was stunning. and relaxing. and comfortable.

fantastic.

i am now, however, sitting on our bed with two baskets of unfolded laundry in front of me, watching the holiday (on our tv that will go in the family room as soon as we get the hookups figured out above the fireplace). i spent the afternoon looking for one more chair, then i came home and gave jules another bath (smell is better but still not totally gone), and started dinner.

after our wonderful sit on the front porch i cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and carried the 40th pair of michael's flip flops to our closet. now, i just can't make myself fold all this crap. :)

and, have i mentioned how much i love this movie? the holiday with cameron diaz, jude law and that girl from titanic. it really is good.

i guess i better go, i just had about an 8 minute pause where my fingers were still on the keyboard.

how random i am...

so, good news

jules got sprayed by a skunk.

what? oh, not what you wanted to hear?

ME EITHER!

michael, jules and i went on a walk last night and we made sure to take our leash. we've walked the past two nights and jules has been a little defiant and super confident. she walks where ever she wants and it takes several calls of her name before she walks next to us. now, usually she is very obedient and will walk right next to us with little or no reminders or leashes. however, i think having her own place again with yards that are clearly hers has given her a bit of adolescent stupidity.

last night on our walk we purposefully paid special attention to her and made training her the reason for our walk. after she did really good walking next to us, we let her run. she ran for a short bit and came right back and walked next to us again. we walked a little further down the road, and mind you there a lot of open lots right now, when she took off without warning. we yelled and yelled and she stayed away. until...suddenly there was slight scuffle and she can running back to us, stopping here and there to rub her nose in the ground.

she stunk horribly. we immediately started walking to the house. jules stayed right next to us. we actually followed the skunk down the street a little ways because he was running straight for the drainage spot next to our house. thank goodness he was way ahead of us and running fast.

skunk smells up close are way worse than you smell driving down the highway. it's way more sulfuric smelling and it burns your nose badly. it is terrible. the only thing more terrible than smelling that is smelling that on your dog's head. gross.

anyway, we walked straight home, through the living room and straight into the backyard. i immediately looked up a skunk spray remedy and the first five sites said the same thing. mix 1 qt of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of dish soap. we started jules' outdoor bath about 8 minutes after she was sprayed, threw away her collar and then left her outside for the night.

jules has never spent the night outside. never. since we've had her she's been more of an inside dog than out. about 45 minutes later she started whining at the back door. she's not a dog that makes a lot of noise or fuss and we felt terrible. we let her sleep on the bathroom floor. besides the fact that michael and i still had that horrible smell in our noses and i kep worrying about jules smell taking over the house, we slept fairly well.

i woke up this morning, to jules shaking her hiney by the bed. i reached over to pet her and had to get all the way to her head before i could smell anything. of course, once i got there, the smell was still pretty strong, poor thing.

i think i'll go back to the store today and get enough stuff for one more bath with a sponge. maybe i'll be able to adequately bathe her without getting anything in her eyes. we'll see.

so, good news...not so good.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

also

i've had fresh tea in my refrigerator all week (no it hasn't been the same pitcher, that wouldn't make it very fresh now would it)!!

on the day of sarah's baby shower, we went to crystal's to eat lunch and set up. crystal poured me the most delicious glass of tea i've had in quite some time. as soon as i had my kitchen set up and a tiny bit of free time on my hands, i whipped up a pitcher and each time it empties, i fill 'er back up.

it's sooo good and refreshing.

ahh.

that reminds me, i think my glass is empty...

a dinner remembered

my mother had made, for as long as i can remember, delicious food. while she was here last week, i asked her for some ideas for dinners for michael and myself. i asked her to remind me of what she made when we were little and she did, with ease.

when she mentioned the vermicelli burrito, i was taken back to a better time and place. :) it is a burrito made with hamburger meat, vermicelli (which is little noodles), rotel and onions. you saute the onions and then add in the hamburger meat. you season it deliciously and add in the vermicelli to toast a bit. after a few minutes, add in your rotel. cover the pan and let the stuff simmer for about 15 minutes. put into a toasty tortilla with some cheese and hot sauce and presto! vermicelli burritos!

they're very simple and yummy with a tiny bit of spice. i tried my hand at them tonight. as simple as the steps were, i still called my mom three times. i just wanted to get it right.

did i get it right, you're wondering?

uh...some what. i don't think they're as good as my mom made them, but still pretty stinkin good. who can ever be exactly like their mom anyway.

thanks mom!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

the better part of the day

and by better, i do mean better.

we spent yesterday afternoon getting a few more things for the house. things like towel bars, toilet paper holders, and most importantly, ceiling fans. we spent hours driving around from target to target and lowes to home depot. it was crazy. our feet were dying by the time we got home but according to michael, our work was just beginning.

we stayed up forever hanging all of the things we bought plus a few pictures. things are looking better every day.

with that new ceiling fan in our room we slept a lot better too.

i guess yesterday made everything a little better.

how nice. :)

Friday, July 25, 2008

little brother

i'm thinking about you today and i miss you terribly. could you and your beautiful wife please come see me and my beautiful husband?

you would make me oh so happy...

i love you so much. jo

three majors down

i have hot water to my kitchen sink.

i can now turn the ac on downstairs and it not be in vain. there is insulation above my bedroom. we may sleep cooler tonight, baby.

three of my non working electric outlets in my bedroom now work. they didn't work because one of the electrical outlets was covered by sheetrock. now that makes me feel extremely safe.

whoa.

another day of waiting

i thought once we closed on our house the waiting would be over.

boy was i wrong.

i've spent at least 4 of the days i've been here waiting on someone. the cable guy. the first round of furniture. okay, maybe just 2 days so far. but hey, today marks the third.

today i am waiting for the house people to come fix a few things. for instance, to put insulation in the attic above our bedroom, bathroom and closet.

WHAT?! you ask. HOW CAN A BUILDER FORGET INSULATION?!

exactly. aren't they supposed to have a checklist or something? walls...check. sink...check. hot water to the sink...check. carpet...check. toilet paper roll holders...check. garage door closes properly...check. water isn't spewing out of the sprinkler...check. INSULATION...CHECK!!!!

anyway, they missed several of those things. our cable guy informed us of the missing insulation. i figured out that hot water gets to the dishwasher (praise the Lord) but not the sink because i've had to boil water to mix with the regular water to wash my pots and pans. what the heck?

so, here i sit, waiting for things i should already have.

oh well, at least they're coming to fix it right?

right.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

half done leaves a lot to be desired

i started on the closet this morning (because, no i didn't do it yesterday). when i started the closet, my headache had been in full swing for about an hour.

i tried everything to fix it: advil, dr pepper, water, sunlight, utter darkness, inside, outside, eyes closed, movie watching, blog checking, etc.

nothing worked.

in spite of the pain, i worked on michael's side of the closet first. i had just finished his side when i couldn't take it anymore and decided to lay down.

now, of all the work i did this morning, i don't get to enjoy any of it. my side of the closet sits in shambles while michael walks freely around his beautifully organized masterpiece.

don't worry, i've learned my lesson. from now on, my stuff comes first. ;)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

lost somewhere in time...

i finished the office.

well, mostly. to completely finish, i need file folders, three candles, curtains, and one picture hanging on the long wall. but, other than that...done.

i thought i'd take some pictures and share them with you. what do you know? i can't find my camera-to-computer cord.

you know what...nevermind. i have a new computer and i can insert my memory card. i know, it's sad i didn't think of that first, oh well...

a brief pause...

when you're cleaning, do you ever find things that you've been missing for a long time, or haven't seen in a while, or didn't even know you had? well, i was just going through my drawers of pre-file cabinet filing and happened upon a cd that my aunt gave me. it's from my wedding shower and instead of being filled with pictures, it's filled with short video clips of everything there.

it's kind of funny how during that wedding time of life, you seem to forget everything very quickly. especially the wedding. well, today during this brief pause from cleaning, i am reminded about how beautiful that shower was. the decor, the food, the guests, the hostesses...all beautiful. and wow, did i have some hot bridesmaids!

what a sweet memory, now even sweeter.

sigh...

a slice of yumminess

last night i made my first loaf of banana nut bread. my very first. so sad. but, it was so good! we ate some of it warm slathered with butter.

wow, was it good.

it might almost be time for another slice...

my first full day

well, it's my first full day here alone. michael just left for work and jules and i are sitting here watching a little tv, checking in on the blog world and making our first major to-do list. well, i'm making the to-do list anyway, i don't really think she's gonna be that much help.

i told michael earlier this week that i was going to have the entire house organized and put away and the garage clear by this weekend. he sort of laughed and then got a very serious look on his face and said, "okay, baby." i'm not sure, but i think that was a challenge.

my parents have been here for the past two days, so today is the start of the "rampage" as my friend so lovingly put it. as with taking her word, i'm also going to take her style and just start doing something. today? office and my closet. the office is pretty bad but the closet is worse. you know me, my hangers have to hang a certain width apart. the clothes have to be facing the same way. all things have to be separated by style. jackets, pants, long sleeved, short sleeved. everything put up nice and neat. it should be a doozy.

i think i'll be ready to get started right after this movie is over. the lakehouse. it's so good. don't worry, michael's challenge will be met and i'll be able to say "i'm not gonna say i told you so..."

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

hello!!!

i'm alive! and i'm HOME!

we spent friday morning closing on the house and moving all of our stuff here. i then, immediately left for san angelo. i got up early saturday morning and spent a few hours making cookies and then headed to crystal's for sarah's baby shower. soon after the baby shower, i loaded my stuff and jenny into my car and drove home. in 2 days, we've finished the kitchen. that's it. sad, huh?

but, when i walk around that corner, i smile. i'll post pics soon, but right now i don't know where my camera is. i will say that i'm loving being home.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

thursday's thoughts

i've realized that i do a lot more in the evenings. i've spent the past few days waking up about 10am (sorry mommies) and then watching tv and playing on my computer for a couple of hours. michael and i have done something for the house every afternoon and then i've started packing like crazy around dinnertime. michael sits on the couch and watches tv because he's a "last minute kind of guy", or so he says. i think this may be the only thing i've ever seen him be last minute on. i pack and pack and pack and stay up too late. it's okay though, right? i get to sleep in.

i've seen almost too much food network and john and kate plus 8. almost.

we have our final walk through on our house today at 1pm. i'm excited.

we are having people help move us. that's really going to help. because our original close date, we had scheduled a walk through on our apartment for friday at 4:30. i'll remind you that we are now closing on our house on friday at 9. i am supposed to get everything out of our apartment and clean it to perfection in a few hours. i hope michael realizes how much he is going to be helping. of course, sometime on friday, i will drive to san angelo and make a few dozen cookies for sarah's shower on saturday. it's gonna be a long weekend.

crystal and jenny have planned a few things for seph's shower that i know are going to be soooo cute. i can't wait to see it. everyone come to the shower. it's saturday at 2pm at crystal's house.

jules just saw a cat on the balcony and almost jumped through the window.

i miss my sweet niece, ellie belle. has there ever been a more beautiful baby girl?

i am so ready to meet my sweet nephew grayson. i often reread sarah's blog about what gray's middle name will be and what it means. i cry every time. grayson reed, i love you.

i love my new computer. thanks baby!

last night in this place! hurray!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

a reason to be proud of

jenny,

i know that you write your running blog for you. i also know, that everytime i read it, i cry. even on the post about you hating hills. well, i laughed a little on that one too. :)

i'm just so incredibly proud of you and i know your dad is too. keep it up, friend. i know you're going to run great!

you are amazing.

a wicked start

on packing that is.

i've been procrastinating on this packing thing because mainly, i just wanted to throw everything in the back of my jeep and drive to my new house. i didn't even care if it took 15 trips, i was willing to waste the gas to not have to wrap things neatly and put them in boxes. i have realized, however, that some packing is necessary. my bathroom, for example, has around 18 million bottles of lotion or bodywash or shampoo. the main reason i felt these things needed to be tossed into a box is because i have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to my car and back up the stairs to get back to my apartment. in 1200% humidity, that's just too much for me. :)

now, at this late hour, my bathroom is empty and spotless. the door is closed and i'm considering posting a "KEEP OUT" sign on the door. if anyone so much as nods in that direction, they will be surprised with a quick kick to the shin. don't mess with me people, i cleaned that floor on my hands and knees. i will take you out.

after that, i cleaned up our dishes and such from dinner. i thought michael might do it, but after working so hard on the bathroom, i come out to find him in bed with the dog and the dishes sitting just as we left them. oh well.

as i look around now, i can see only 5 boxes packed and the one room that is empty and clean i will probably never see again. i'll kick myself if i open that door. :) however, for only a couple of hours work, i'd say that's a pretty wicked start.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

4 years ago, today

my father-in-law passed away before i could ever meet him.

today, my husband and i are both sad.

bummer

while we were in colorado, our mortage company called and said they needed a few more pieces of paperwork. well, because we were out of the state, we couldn't actually get to that stuff until monday morning. unfortunately, because they were late in getting that stuff, our house closing has been moved back to friday.

i know, it's only two days and i didn't have a single thing packed anyway, but still...what a bummer.

:(

happy birthday, marme

i have got to be the most blessed person in the world, for i have the most fantastic mother. on this day, 29 years ago, she graced this planet for the first time. lucky us!

marme-
i love you more than words could express. you have always been the greatest mom and my best friend. i could not have asked for a better life from childhood until now. you have made my life grand. thank you for being so wonderful! i wish i could be with you on this day, but know that you're in my heart. i love you so much and wish you the happiest birthday ever! love, kj

Monday, July 7, 2008

help

yea-i hate this blog background and i need help figuring out how to make one of those scrapbook top looking things. is it easy?

fun valley=fun

42 hours and 3000 miles of driving later, michael and i ended up with a pretty good vacation. you see, fun valley is a pretty special place.

located in the beautiful, snow capped (yes, even now) mountains of south fork colorado, fun valley is a fantastic vacation place for kids. some of my best memories of being a kid, include riding my bike with amy through the roads of fun valley. we would spend hours at the rec hall listening to "i saw the sign" by ace of base and "love without end amen" by george straight while trying to whoop each other in pool. well, that and looking for the love of our lives. each year, we would take a black magic marker and sign our names somewhere in that rec hall (don't worry, we weren't vandals, it was expected). amy and i would always challenge landon and adam to a paddle boat ride and...we even beat 'em a time or two. i think. there were matching sweatshirts from the gift shop, cheesticks and ice cream from the snack shack, horse rides through the mountains, catching rainbow trout in the streams, rivers and meadow lake, square dancing at the entertainment hall, camp fires and aunt tammie's fried potato-squash-ocra-onion mix (yum!). don't forget flip flop wearing showers in the bathhouse, salt-water taffy, rainbow's grocery store and the best fried fish dinners in the camp. aahh. can't be anything better.

well, maybe there can. your cousin's wedding. we spent a week celebrating amy and alex before the wedding day. we spent nights around the fire and days fishing and watching the rain. it was cold enough for sweaters and jeans and that, is just good. we started the wedding day with a bridal breakfast thrown by marme at the rio grand country club. beautiful breakfast overlooking a beautiful lake and golf course with the mountains in the background. we moved quickly to a fun morning getting our hair done, make-up on and helping the bride get ready for her groom. amy was absolutely beautiful. her dress was gorgeous and her veil covered dark hair that curled down her back. her eyes were shiny and smoky and her super long eyelashes were curled perfectly. amy got married in the backyard (if you can call it that, with it's lush pine trees and mountains looming in the back) of the apple dumpling bed and breakfast. the back wall of the house is windows. when the music started for amy, she walked down from a balcony and flight of stairs that you can see inside the house. the view wasn't perfectly clear, but that made it even better. we stood under the canopy of the trees and watched the white silouette of amy make her turn down the stairs, walk through the living room on the arm of her dad, and come outside to meet her groom. it was breathtaking. she was gorgeous.

other than the wind blowing the candles out and the pastor asking both alex and amy to take each other as wife, hehe, the ceremony went perfectly. even down to alex's brother adam patting his tux while looking for the ring and amy's brother adam finally pulling it out of a small tackle box in his tux jacket. everyone laughed and it fit in so perfectly.

the reception was equally as perfect with amy surprising alex with bridal pics of her in front of a restored red mustang. he loves restored cars and his jaw dropped when he saw the pics sitting on his table with his godiva chocolate cheescake. so sweet. his reaction i mean.

i couldn't have wished for anything more perfect for my cousin. and what a great memory to be added to that special place.
amy-
i've been blessed to know you my entire life. you are so beautiful and i am so proud for you and alex. i hope your honeymoon was as wonderful as your wedding. something tells me it will be.:) hehe! i love you so much!

we finished our vacation in colorado with a day of fishing and our traditional fish fry dinner. it was a great week and i'm so happy to have been part of it.

new joy

i'm now blogging from my brand new computer! hurray!

it's so cute! michael tells people that we got this laptop based only on looks. while that is not entirely true, it does hold some water. i like this computer a lot. i first picked it based on looks. then, my sweet, darling husband ordered it for me and built it beautifully. it has some really great things that michael picked specifically for me!

i love it!

look forward to more frequent posting in the future (read: closing on house and moving it...can't wait!).