YPEL.. Fill's pick...

The YPEL is the You Pick 'Em League. This is my family's football picks challenge. Pretty much you pick the winner for NFL games trying to beat everyone else. For a few years the members of YPEL were Me, D, my dad and my bro.. recently the addition of canine picks came into play. The original pooch member of YPEL was Kassee.. God rest her soul! Now Momma and Fill are joined in. Two pieces of food are layed down in front of them, one representing each team. Which ever team they pick (aka eat) first is their pick. Unfortunately, Fill is in last right now. As you can see from the video he now takes his choices very seriously. We'll see if this week he does better, we believe his bookie has been out the last few weeks! So this is Fill picking his winner for the San Diego vs Pitts game... so funny! After much deliberation ..PITTSBURGH is Fill's winner!

GREAT DEAL... sorry guy that lost your job...

So yesterday for the big 31.. D took me to the Melting Pot. Oh how I love that place! And actually to tell the truth about the whole thing.. I could really go there just for the cheese dip and the chocolate.. everything in the middle I feel is just fluff! It was sooooooooooooo good!

But here's where the story takes the crazy turn... So we get mailings and inside are coupons to different local restaurants (by the way took us like an hour to get there.. so really not that local).. anyway.. so I like to go through them to find new places to eat AND get coupons. Ok so about 3 weeks ago we got one and as I was going through the 800 for discounted Chinese buffets, I found one for Melting Pot. Now the deal on the card said "4 course meal... $35 a couple"! So I thought HOLY COW.. that's a great deal! I told D and he just thought that there had to be a catch (and I am the eternal pessimist).

So then the ol' 31 comes along and D makes reservations not even thinking about the coupon. But of course I remember it.. and take it along! Well D is still very skeptical. We ask the hostess about it and she says yup that's it.. $35 a couple no problem. WHAT!!!?!!!?!!!! That is a $43 savings!!!! So then the server comes and explains to us that it was supposed to say $35 PER PERSON! UH OH some one is in trouble.. she told us that that was sent out to 80,000 people.. and people were coming in with multiple couples using the deal (cause it didn't specify how many couples you could use it for). So Not only did we have a great meal BUT we also didn't pay an arm and a leg for it.. like you normally would there! Yeahhhhh!

So to the guy (or girl) that got fired over this whole thing.. I liked to give you a big shout out and a thank you! Made my 31st just a little more special!! ( I just thought to myself.. maybe they were going to get fired anyway and just love Melting Pot.. so they got those printed up saved a few 100 for themselves and then left... BRILLIANT!!!)

Kassee Girl..

The Wood family will NOT be watching Marley and Me or reading any forwarded emails about little boys losing their dogs... Last week was a hard one at 2558.. we lost one of our own!!Kassee was old.. was having some problems.. she's in a better place now with no pain and running free I hope.. no chain to keep her back!!

We've had her for about 10+ years now.. and she's been a great dog! Granted she shed a small dog about every day.. had some anger management problems.. didn't quite get the "run away from home" thing.. had sneezing attacks when asked "whose is this?" and she got excited.. tooted sometimes causing a gasious mushroom cloud.. BUT she was our dog! She survived many spins of the "let's get rid of her" roulette wheel that my dad would spin.. lost a fun-to-chase enemy a few years back.. suffered through some crazy medical conditions that no one could figure out. But she was so sweet to those she knew and loved.. she was a comedian in her own way.. made us laugh many many times!

We'll miss her.. our friendly bear!!

I am sorry...

I forgot to write about our trip North! So a few weeks ago we went up to the LBI in NJ to visit D's best friend and stay at his families beach house. This is our third year and yet again we had a great time! This year we got to meet some new people and play a GREAT game. So I don't know it's official name but it's a cross between pictionary and whisper down the lane (aka the telephone game) ... oh goodness.. it's just sooooooooooooo funny what people draw for things and how others take those drawings! We went to AC but sadly enough didn't win anything.. although at one point I really did think the machine I was on was HOT and was going to pump out some big winnings .. It didn't! (Another sucker is born)

After NJ we drove over to good ol' Lancaster PA to visit my family! We had a great time... took D to his first smorgasboard.. YUM! .. I got my standard shoo-fly pie from Willow Valley.. DOUBLE YUM! We played lots of games.. killed several forrests I am pretty sure playing the pictophone game.. helped my parents come into 2009 and ordered them a brand new computer so they wouldn't have to wait 4 years 7 days 13 hours and 6 minutes to get on the internet! Yeahhhhhh! One of the craziest things for us was sleeping with no AC but the windows open.. that doesn't happen in FL in July! It was great to see my family and we also got to visit some friends... and meet some of my bros friends! It was all a great time!

Then on to VA where we stopped for the night to visit a friend from college who is prego with her first baby! We were also excited to meet their newest addition to the family, Sheba, their white boxer.. who is ADORABLE!

After we left there D dropped me off at the airport to come back to Tampa... and after some quick decisions... drove off to Charlottesville for a conference for work! All in all it was a fantastic vacation.. wish we could have stayed longer and done more things.. but it was relaxing.. and that's just what D needed!!!

This that and the other....

Well had to put some new pictures of the dogs.. here they are all cuddled up! See they do like each other...
A few weekends ago.. ok maybe like 2 months ago now.. we went to Sarasota on a day trip.. just cause! While there we passed "Mom's Bail Bonds".. thanks mom!!!

Then we went to this very random animal safari/zoo thing! It was in a neighborhood.. which was interesting... but they get most of their animals from individuals that could no longer care for them. So they have a bunch of birds and reptiles, a HUGE turtle, some flamingos... random but interesting.

Then we went to the Barnum and Bailey circus museum.. we tried to get a discount because of the family ties (on D's side) to Mr. Barnum... but that was a no go.. booooo! OH well it was pretty neat anyway.. I recommend the minature circus.. it's very detailed and so interesting! Here is D with Cousin Barnum...

On the way home we passed this statue.. I would love to know how tall it is.. We only got to see it from the road... but just look at it compared to the cars around!

We have a little pond at our front door.. and it's brought us many guests. The first was a red eared slider turtle.. we named Theo.. he stayed for a few days then left us for the bigger pond out back. Then we saw this little guy...

Then D saw this snake in our garden who then took cover in the pond... we found out he wasn't poisonous.. yet likes to bite.. so we chased him back to the big pond. Maybe he'll met up with Theo. We're on team Theo!!

Then we found this little guy... I think the word got out that we are suckers for homeless animals.. hmmmm!

On a very random whim... we drove down to Orlando to go to Sea World on Sunday! Now I just want to say that we did get in free.. due to D's military service.. which is SO nice of them! However.. the regular price for getting in is $74.. I was SHOCKED! WOW! Just make sure if you go .. you have a full day to be there so you get atleast part of your moneys worth. We had a great time though! The first show we saw was Shamu... now seeing those killer whales do their tricks was AMAZING... but seeing the trainers dance around with loud music and random images and songs about believing and other nonsense.. well I am pretty sure I stated more then once "Less Dancey dance more KILLER WHALES"! D got some great pictures of Shamu! We stayed for the "after dark" or whatever they call it... pretty much it's night time and you can stay at the park and see shows..and then they have a fireworks display at the end! Not bad for FREE (except for the $12 we paid for parking..and the $3.25 for the ice cream sandwich.. )

Next...

Here is the other project I've been working on.. it's finished and delivered!!

Our great friends John and Andrea are having a baby girl in August. We are SO excited for them and can't wait to meet baby Meredith!! She'll soon find out that her parents are definetly split on one thing.. their FL college pick!! Andrea goes for the Seminoles and John is a fan of the Gators. So I just wanted to let this new addition know that she's coming into a split household.. and one day might have to choose.. OR be bribed..

Here's the finished chair.. and I think it turned out fannn-tickity-tastic! I painted the logos myself and only almost threw the chair in the pond twice.. but it survived and has a new home!!

Another "I don't have a job" project and HOLY RAIN!!

SO this first picture is the bonus picture of the post.. D loves it!! He was taking pictures of Fill and just happened to catch Fill after he shook his head.. It's a classic Fill shot!

So yesterday while I thought it was going to storm.. I finished another one of my projects I wanted to get done.. This is my craft room wall.. It came out awesome!! I can't believe that i actually got all the squares to line up and all! I was going to put pictures on it.. but I might put them on the other very dull walls.. ha!

We've had a TON of rain lately.. and we've found ourselves having an almost infinity pool several times (Just in case: An infinity edge pool (also named negative edge, zero edge, "disappearing edge," or vanishing edge pool) is a swimming pool which produces a visual effect of water extending to the horizon, vanishing, or extending to "infinity".-from Wikipedia) If you're in the pool it's almost as if you could swim right into the pond! It's actually pretty neat..

I just finished another project and will have pictures up a little later! Man getting all these finished I'll have to start finding more projects to start! ha! Well I know one I have to do.. it's called Pee Rug.. don't ask!