Straight out of Compton

Sushi Challenge..

2010-04-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

The quote of the night was "Do I want to be known as the guy that didn't make his goal of eight rolls or the guy that made his goal but threw up on the table?"

Challenger #1: Eric the eaterator

Challenger #2: D the stomach

Tony: the funny guy.

Chris: first bite of sushi guy.

Goal of 8 rolls reached by either contestant=no. Two guys eatting 7 1/2 rolls= yes.

Throwing up on the table=no. Sushi guy happy we left=yes.

First Vegas then this?

2010-03-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

D and I went to the renaissance festival last weekend! We thought people watching in Vegas was fun!! D got a green beer for St. Patty's day and we got to throw some Chinese Stars.. very fun.. next year it's the ax throwing!!

While walking around we found a stand with rock candles! Pretty great idea I think. It's going to look great on our lanai!! Can't wait till FL finally warms up and acts like a Southern state and we can actually go out and use our lanai!

Vi Va Las Vegas...

2010-03-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we met up with our great friends Kevin and Teresa in Vegas! It was a lot of fun.. and so no one has to wonder.. NO we didn't win but we still have our house and cars so that's more then some people that leave Vegas can say. I mean really if you go to Vegas thinking you're going to win.. I hate to burst your bubble.. but you're probably not. Here are just a few pictures.. this is Kevin and Teresa with the Flamingos (guess where we stayed)..

This one is my personal favorite. This guy was great.. he did the robot motions and even had moving sound effects AND he let me hold his gun!

This was the biggest slot machine.. we thought maybe it'll give us BIG winnings.. wrong.

D and Joe Lewis..

The Penn & Teller show was awesome..

We didn't get to see the real Blue Man Group so these guys were good enough..

It was a great trip! I even got my favorite salad ever at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant, where you can watch a grown woman come out of a volcano, slide down the side of it and splash down into a HUGE blender.. Dinner and a show .. can't beat it! Only in Vegas! ha!

Goodbye Janet Taylor..

2010-02-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

If you've never come down to Roscoe's casa on Compton.. then unfortunately this post isn't going to mean too much. I was sooo excited to start painting that I forgot to take "before" pictures.. oppsy! Anyway just close your eyes and imagine mixing together the nice bright yellow of an egg yolk with maybe pond scum add a dash of dog barf and you have the ugly yellow that was on the walls. Then put in that "yellow" room one burnt nasty orange wall.. and you have what we started with. (Maybe it's better that I don't have pictures) Then since we didn't know what to do with the room we had two mismatched pictures on the walls.. trust me.. it was a hot mess!

D had a work trip that he had to go on and I thought it would be a nice surprise to come home to a re-done room. I picked up some of that there paint with the primer in it.. yup I never had a favorite paint brand till now. It might be a little more expensive.. but doing it ONCE is so worth it! I made my own curtain and hung some picture frames (right now they don't have pictures but that's the next project). The rest of the furniture had been in the room before but looks so much better now!

So come on down to visit.. the guest room is ready...

OK so we don't have children...

2010-02-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

This might be the FUNNIEST video of the dogs yet..

Sauerkraut makes every New Year.. HAPPY..

2010-01-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well 2010 is here.. and yeah I can't believe it either! HOWEVER.. no New Year's would be complete with out the PA Dutch tradition of Pork and Sauerkraut.. well ok it's a tradition only if you like sauerkraut I guess. ANYWAY.. well here in FL I don't believe the love of sauerkraut is as great as it is in PA.. so I had to really dig deep to find a place that served this deliciousness on New Years. And where did I find it Yoder's of course! Yup I found an Amish restaurant in Sarasota. So I convinced D that it definetly was worth the drive. I found out before we got there that they didn't have Pork and sauerkraut but yet Sausage and sauerkraut.. close enough.. I'll take it! Those Yoder's didn't let me down.. it was great! And I felt right at home around all the Amish! They are apparently Indiana Amish.. so a few things were definetly different from my home town amish.. but no matter.. it still felt like a piece of home! (Please note the Amish gentlemen over my shoulder.. so cute with his big beard)

Then there is the subject of Shoo-fly Pie! I understand not everyone likes it.. which really I don't understand.. but I LOVE it! I mean so much so a friend of mine brought a whole pie from PA to CA when she came to visit me! It's just sooo good! Well I feel that I am somewhat of an expert on the subject. You see there are two different kinds.. wet bottom and cake bottom. For me it's wet bottom all the way.. and for me it's one particular maker of the wet bottom that wins hands down. That is Willow Valley bakery in Lancaster, PA. Holy cow good! Well being in an Amish restaurant I KNEW they had to have some shoo-fly pie.. and yet again they didn't disappoint! It was good.. if Willow Valley's is a 10 .. I'd give this a solid 8! Not bad... especially since it's the only place I know that has it around these parts!

So over all .. Sauerkraut and Sausage and 8 out of 10 Shoo-fly pie.. not bad for New Year's in FL!!!! Thanks Yoder's!!!

A White Christmas..

2009-12-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

Wow.. we didn't think we would get it.. I mean a White Christmas in Florida.. but here it is! A Christmas Miracle.. OR channel 300 something on the Brighthouse network.. which ever! LOL! So we pretended for a little while that we were looking out our window! And you know what the great thing about pretending is.. NO shoveling!!
Here are the Christmas Balls D and I made a few weekends ago! We thought they turned out pretty good and look great on our tree! This might become a Roscoe family tradition!

We hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Momma gets her present..

2009-12-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

Momma took off with her gift.. then left it still wrapped and went for the unwrapped bone. I guess that's smart.. why waste the time in unwrapping something when you have the same thing already unwrapped!

Fill takes his present and runs..

2009-12-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

Here's Fill and one out of 5 nyla bones that the dogs got this Christmas.. SPOILED! Plus they got vegetable treats from the Roscoe's in NC, and Turkey Hill Iced Tea caps from Kevin(which unfortunately we can't give them.. as much as they want them.. they would eat them whole.. which would not be a good thing).

Funny that even with 5 new Nyla bones and 2 we already had.. they still want the same one.. dummies!

Gingerbread houses and a HUGE sugar rush...

2009-12-08T17:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I decided it was the perfect time to make some gingerbread houses.. yeah yeah they're not gingerbread they're graham crackers.. but to me same difference. Anyway.. my mom has done this since I can remember and I've decided to keep the tradition going. So D and I got all the sugary goodness together and we started decorating. OK so we ate a ton as we went.. but whatever. This first one is one of D's creations.. it was my favorite of his. I love the double porches.. they make me laugh..

I decided to make one of mine a traditional FL house.. what does that mean.. a pool of course!! And I added a raft (yup the owners of this house definetly don't have a dog like Fill cause if they did this raft would be deflated in the trash can at the side of the house!)

Here's my wreath above the garage door.. I thought the gum drop bow came out pretty darn good!

And here's shots of the whole neighborhood. We made a HUGE mess, had a pretty good sugar buzz going.. but we had a great time! And now.. at some point we get to EAT them.. ahh the best part!

YPEL.. Fill's pick...

2009-10-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

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..

2009-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-08-04T15:16:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-07-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-07-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

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!

No Job.. what do you do???

2009-06-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

That's right.. I quit my job about three weeks ago.. WOW.. time is going by fast! It was the best decision for me and I have not regretted it one minute!

Now that I have so much time on my hands.. lots and lots of time.. I've been able to start some projects I've been meaning to get to and finally finish some projects I started a long time ago. One of those projects was putting my grandpa's tie in a better shadow box and fix it up a bit! I really like how it turned out!! He was a barbershop singer.. hence the music in the background.. and two of pictures are from his concerts! The other picture is him when he was younger and I love the photo because it shows that his second toe crossed his first like mine does.. I guess my mom is off the hook on that one.. Thanks grandpa! Ha!

Other then the little projects around the house.. and a LOT of weeding.. I've been looking for jobs and trying to find other things to do! Thankfully I have three friends that don't work either.. although two out of the three have children and the third is about too.. however I have two INSANE dogs.. so that's enough! TRUST ME!!

How did Noah do it????

2009-05-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

So "Sunny" Florida has been everything but sunny! I think we're into day ..ummm 5 or 6 of rain and over cast skies. (Actually this morning I did squint for I think a second cause one ray got through the dark clouds.. oh what a moment that was.. pure joy) OK now I am the first person to say WE NEED IT! Cause we most definitely do... I mean when you see a "No Fishing, No Swimming" sign and there's no sign of water anywhere near it.. yeah there's a big problem! HOWEVER, maybe a day of sunshine every 3 or 4 days.. just time for the earth to soak up what was given to it and prepare for more... time for people to stop complaining about how many days of rain we've had... time for Momma to finally go outside and do #2 (yesterday apparently it was ALL over the crate.. poor D got home first.. what a welcome home early gift that was).. Even Fill is now starting to act like being wet.. only from rain.. bothers him.. you literally have to drag him into the grass! ~ Anyway I've heard from family and friends that they got their fair share of rainy days in a row too.. which makes me think.. How long was Noah on the ark for.. how many unsunny days did he go through.. how many animals did he have on that ark that couldn't even try to go and do their "business" outside?????? Oh it just hurts me to think about all that.. God along with giving him the guidance to build that ark.. must have also given him a healthy portion of PATIENCE! Can you even imagine! Also you'd have to think that after the flood.. there was probably a lot of sun to dry up the land.. so then they were probably so hot.. and had an ark full of animal waste cause well the animals couldn't still go outside till the water went down.. WOW! Noah might have slipped into the spot of my favorite Biblical Hero!!

Projects...

2009-05-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

I apparently like to have many projects going on at once.. I mean so many that if I listed them here you'd understand.. but really that would just show me all the things I have to do. But when I do finish one..and it turns out pretty good.. I am pretty excited about it.

We were looking for a filing cabinet for our office.. however the metal ones are ugly.. and others I've seen just seem so expensive just for a filing cabinet. Thankfully, I found a girl at work selling one for pretty cheap.. and it was a good quality piece. I hate painting nice wood.. but this light wood wouldn't go at all with our office decor.. so of course I got the brilliant idea to paint it.

So here's the original piece (actually I had already sanded it a little at this point..and taken off the knobs.. but you can't the point)

And here's the finished piece.. it turned out really nicely! I didn't get all the knicks out but I like them.. gives it character. So now we just need to get the rest of the office together.. ha.. another Project..

Surprise Birthday Weekend!!

2009-05-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

For D's suprise birthday weekend we went to New Smyrna Beach on the east coast of Florida! I thought it would be fun to get away for the weekend (aka put the dogs at the doggie motel and head out of town)!! I got us a room at the Night Swan B&B.. and the biggest surprise was that his parents were coming down to be with us.. not coming on Sunday night like he thought! The picture below is of him after he realized who was walking into our room.. it's blurry but trust me he was surprised!!!
His other surprise was the cake I had made with a picture of Fill on it!! We all thought it was SO cute.. and it tasted awesome (yeah I had some every time we went back to our room.. even before breakfast.. he he)!

This was the scene off the B&B's dock.. It was very relaxing to just sit out and watch the boats go by!

This is the view looking back at the B&B from the dock! The Night Swan was beautiful.. I forget when it was built but it was back in the day!!!

They had a hammock set up between two of the houses there.. (yeah I fell out once.. whatever.. too bad there's no pictures of that!) It was beautiful though looking up at all the trees surrounding their property!

So another one of the surprises I had planned was a couples massage! OH GOSH..it was great! These people use hot stones as part of every massage... we both had never had that kind of massage.. but let me just say.. I will probably never have a massage without them! It was AWESOME! The other great part was they were right on the water.. so not only did they have the "spa music" going.. but you could hear the waves crashing! So relaxing... this was the view from their place!

After the massage we met back up with D's parents and went on an Eco Tour.. the tour guide was so full of information! The best part of the whole tour was the first like 10 mins. They take you to this "island" and it's where hundreds of birds go to mate and nest! We could have sat there for hours.. HOWEVER the smell probably would have killed us all.. so it's good we moved on!

At this point in our trip our camera's battery ran out! UGH.. I always forget to take the stupid charger! On Sunday we went to Kennedy Space Center.. and when we got to our first camera worth destination.. D's parent's camera went out too.. so no pictures! But it was very interesting and we had a great time! There's definetly enough there to go for an entire day.. and I think when you buy one day you get a second free (which is great cause it isn't cheap) but definetly worth the it!

The trip was AWESOME! We loved this little beach community! Not too built up but so much to do! Next time we go we are going to rent kayaks, go on the shark tour, go sailing, actually go down and drive on the beach, maybe go to Flip Flops.. the restaurant owned by the Hell's Kitchen Contestant Danny(who we now believe is the runner up.. cause why would he be opening his own restaurant if he got one free.. yeah the massage guy ruined it for us so I just ruined it for you.. sorry)

So if you are ever in Florida.. we recommend heading over to New Smyrna Beach and staying at the Night Swan B&B.. it'll be a great weekend.. PROMISE! (Just remember to bring your camera battery charger!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY D!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

I used to work for a restaurant in Ardmore called "Gullifty's" and we had to learn a birthday song that was written by the owners wife.. yeah it's cheesey.. but for some reason it's stuck with me for all these years.. I bring it out on almost everyone's birthday just cause I think it's funny... Sooo let's all sing a Birthday song to D... (to the tune of yankee doodle dandy)

happy birthday from Gullifty's
happy birthday to you
from all of us here and the management
this day is just for you
so kick your heels up and enjoy it
birthdays come but once a year
Happy Birthday from Gullifty's
cause we think you're special
Happy Birthday to you!

Now that that is out of my system.. I just want to say what a wonderful husband D is...
He's....
Smart.. I mean how does he cram all that info in his head?
Cute.. Don't you just want to punch him in the face (In the good way of course)
Caring.. He might make fun of me when I cry at commercials.. but he's one of the most empathetic people I know!
Funny.. A lot of times he has tears rolling out of my eyes.. and his voices are fantastic!
Driven.. He knows what he wants to do and that's exactly what he'll do!
Patient.. I mean he deals with me on a day to day basis.. and doesn't complain at all! (no side comments from the peanut gallery.. aka the Wood family.. on this one.. thank you!)

How can you not just love him!!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY D!!

I'm taking him on a SURPRISE weekend this weekend! He doesn't know really anything about it.. which has been VERY hard for me.. but I am SOOOOOO excited! So if anyone has found that magic wand where you can fast forward time... Friday at about 1pm would be awesome! Thanks!

Oh soooo good.. and of course the dogs..

2009-04-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

D and I just ate some Guinness Shepard's Pie.. and it was great! Very tasty! I got the recipe from the Hungry Housewife's blog at http://thehungryhousewife.blogspot.com/ .. she has a lot of great recipes.. you should go over and check it out.. D and I highly recommend the Shepard's Pie!!

This was the sight out back of our house the other morning.. it was awesome.. this picture doesn't even fully show the brilliant colors! I mean I hate pink.. but God's pink.. It's just beautiful!

I wanted to get a picture of Momma with her ears up cause she looks so cute.. so here she is in all her big ear glory!

How do you get two hyper dogs to stay still for a photo shoot.. hold their tennis ball ransom! Works every time! (I love Fills face in this one)

We have a peeping tom.. uhhh Fill.. he he! This is out our bedroom window.. the prior owner put window tint on it and during the day you can see out of the bedroom but not into the bedroom! Well the dogs have gotten smart and know we go over there.. they can hear us but just can't see us! This is Fill listening in on our conversation but not knowing where we are!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2009-04-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

#1 The New Hot Water Heater... oh how I love having unlimited HOT water! Still have to wait 5 years for it to reach the shower.. but at least once it's there it doesn't go anywhere!

#2 Momma(aka GG) and Fill.. ESPECIALLY when they are sleeping! *Please note Fill's light colored butt.. we call it his blonde butt! We assume he dyes it cause we've never seen another dog with a butt like that!

#3 Guests... We love having guests and going on adventures in Florida with them. Here we are back at the air boat tour. This time we saw a bunch of these little guys(2 years old we're told) running around and the "cap'in" got us really close!

#4 Laughing at the craziness of our dogs. This scene was taking place as I was uploading the pictures (the first time..ugh)! I didn't understand what was happening.. I mean how tough can you be with a diaper on and a cone on your head?? Well turns out Fill was hiding a rawhide and she was standing over him.. I guess making sure he didn't do anything with it! His face was the priceless.. it was like "what are you doing..you crazy??? Get away from me!"

#5 When craft projects turn out like I had them pictured in my head! These are for a baby shower later this month... for the Burger's.. hence the first one! I was so proud of myself when I thought it up. The Lil Sis one will have a matching Big Sis t-shirt.. for well.. the big sis! The other one is just something I thought would be cute! These are all designed and painted by me and they turned out pretty good .. if I do say so myself!

#6 Our new church! We are currently attending Baylife Church in Brandon and LOVING it! The Pastor.. Mark Saunders is fantastic.. and I never leave there without taking something with me! This week the sermon was titled "Gotta Have Faith".. and the quote that I really liked from it was "Never fail to distinguish between God's Will and his ability"!

PS.. These are just a FEW of my favorite things. Of course #1 favorite thing is D. And #2 is a tie between mint chocolate chip ice cream and my family.. haha.. kidding!

YES.. I am bored...

2009-03-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes my parents friend Susan White.. however don't know if her middle name was Elizabeth.. and I think if they didn't name me Susan it would have been Deborah5

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Oh please.. I could cry everyday if I let myself.. however I've gotten really good at holding it back

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No.. but seems like everyone around us is having them.. (I don't touch them..it might rub off.. ha ha)

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? No.. who me... sarcasm.. ha...

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?Yes…

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably not.. ok maybe.. but jumping out of perfectly good planes .. ABSOLUTELY!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? good question.. ummm... all time fav is LC (Lucky Charms).. but I really do like Publix brand Raisin Crunch.. I think that's what it's called.. YUM!

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I THINK I am strong.. I AM not very strong.. except I can wrestle with the best of them!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Hands down.. Mint Choco Chip.. Turkey Hill.. but any brand will do (almost) throw in some marshmallows or marshmallow topping.. HEAVEN!

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Maybe .. eyes

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Some food from the Columbia Restaurant here in Ybor.. it was good but definetly needed gum afterward!

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The people in the lobby.. probably walking out the door to go home... LUCKY!

FAVORITE SMELLS? Rain, cut grass, my husbands cologne.. ok my perfume.. it's Bath and Body Works something Amber.. and I LOVE it!

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Seeing as I answer the phone as part of my job.. some random person who probably didn't know who they were looking for and didn't listen to their voicemail to find out who called them ...UGH! .. but the last person I knew that I talked to was D.. we got our new water heater installed today.. no more cold showers.. woohooo

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I love to watch anything live and in person.. on TV I can do football.. maybe some baseball..

HAIR COLOR? DirtyDirty blonde.. except some guy here at work descriped me as having RED hair.. don't know about all that.

EYE COLOR? Hazel.. love them

FAVORITE FOOD? Probably sweets and fruit.. yes I have to go back to the dentist!

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Hmmm.. wow.. OH I watched Taken with D (it was my second time..) good flick

SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer (thankfully.. seeing as I live in FL)

FAVORITE DESSERT? *see answer to "Favorite Food" .. and if you can take fruit and make it better by dipping it in caramel or chocolate.. I am all for that!

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks.. I've read it before but didn't have time to get to the library .. so here we go again

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Hell's Kitchen.. watched Lacy get booted half way through and then they still kicked off Carol!

FAVORITE SOUND? D's laugher.. and I love hearing D blow his nose.. I know it's weird but it makes me giggle

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? I don't know distances so Zimbabwe is probably up there and maybe Prague

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?Arlington Heights, IL

I am not going to "tag" anyone.. cause I think that's kind of silly.. but I would love to see others answers and since I know my parents read this.. I think they should answer and send them to me!

Here on Compton...

2009-03-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce the newest member to our family... Baby Momma! Ok.. so she's not new but her accessory is. Momma is currently in heat.. or from what I read the proper term is in "season" (which actually makes her sound like something you could get at the farmer's market.. but whatever) Anyway.. I won't get too descriptive about all that is going on there... but I will say that for a dog that doesn't have much of a tail.. the Pupsters (doggie diapers) tail hole doesn't really do much.. her tail doesn't stick out of it and the diaper slips down quite easily. So tonight we went out and bought regular old baby diapers! Yeah it's ridiculous.. and YES we are going to get her spayed and have planned on it for awhile.. but because she was a mom.. we had to wait a bit and then we were trying to figure out when we could take her to get her surgery that would fit in with our schedules.. needless to say we waited too long and now have to wait another month and change diapers every day! ~ So to all the parents out there.. we are currently getting a small taste of what you go through: Fill wakes us up at all hours of the morning.. and then we are changing diapers! OH my!

(See the tail hole.. see how it is way way lower then it should be.. yeah.. so we had to start taping up the tail hole.. haha)

This video is out the back of our house on the lake/pond! These birds.. swans or storks(I really don't think it's either but I can't come up with anything else to call them.. might have to look that up) or something .. come every day.. and do this synchronized fishing.. I LOVE watching it.. it amazes me how they all know exactly when they are going to go down. I tried counting to see if maybe it's always the same amount of time between the times they go down... well it's not! It's just nature at it's finest! I love our backyard/pond.. listen to all the birds!

Beverage napkins, tu-tus, and mojitos

2009-03-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

For a great weekend start out by going to a Greek restaurant where they have live Greek music that is played so loud all of Florida can hear, a belly dancer that doesn't mind having money stuck in her cleavage by old men, waiters that throw beverage napkins whenever they feel the need, a dancing owner and some broken dishes. Then travel down the road to the Cuban cigar shop for some garden-tasting mojitos, a rockin' Cuban band, and some good quality cigars. Further down the road hit the Brewery where you can sample a shot glass of all their beers, people watch out their huge windows.. where you can see the girl in her white Tu-Tu and blue hair, the guy with about 6 inches of hair stinking straight out, the pregnant girls with a postage stamp size dress on or maybe the people dressed up for the ren-fair. But the best place to people watch is at the Indian smoking place (I forget the name), just sit back and watch the craziness walk by you. All this and more can be yours when you visit Ybor(pronounced E-bore) city!!! We did have a great time.. and were so glad to see some old friends and meet some new ones! (that's right "make new friends but keep the old.. one is silver and the other gold"!!- yeah i was a girl scout)

I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

Ok.. I have a confession.. while I am at work I go meandering through blogs. When I find good ones.. I stop.. look around.. read through peoples lives.. get ideas for crafts or recipes. It's actually a lot of fun to see what other people all over the world are blogging about.

Anyway I think it was Thursday I came upon "Nature Knitter"'s site! She has wonderful pictures of birds and nature in her backyard.. but the day I went there she had posted a contest. It was to create a caption for a picture she had posted. Well i thought what the heck.. I'd enter and see what happened. Well I WON!!! I'm soooo excited! What is the prize you ask.. Well I chose the homemade Venison jerky! I am SUPER excited to try it! Anyway here is where you can find my winning entry and all her wonderful nature pictures....

http://rjknits.blogspot.com/2009/03/caption-contest-1.html ! Thank you RuthieJ!!!

This one's for the Andrus boys...

2009-03-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

Since Danielle's kids loved the first video of the dogs fighting.. I mean "playing".. I thought I'd put one up of the new game that Fill plays. It's called "keep away" however Momma ALWAYS ends up with it! There's no match for her underbite! Yet again all the noises you hear are coming from Fill.. no not an alien .. just Fill!

Hope you enjoy!

A Wood Family Vacation

2009-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

Well my parents have left and are heading back up North to the 10 degree weather and about 5 inches of snow on the ground! Too bad for them it's supposed to warm up around here later this week! My mom uttered the word "brrr" a few times while she was here and had to be reminded that this was nothing like what it was back home.

We had a great time while they were here.. although we didn't get to do everything we wanted to.. but it all worked out in the end. They got to visit some friends that live down here and then we all got to go to Orlando to visit some extended family that lives around there. One thing we learned from that is that if you don't share a grandparent but do share a great grandparent you are considered second cousins. It took us awhile to figure all that out but we did. So now I have three cousins and two second cousins. Oh and if your cousin has a kid that's a "once removed" scenerio.. so count me in for one of those too. Anyway.. we had a great time with them doing the free stuff in around Disney.. yes there is some free stuff to do! BUT.. here's my money saver of the day.. I found out from one of the consultants that came in today...

DISNEY WORLD GIVES OUT FREE TICKETS TO MILITARY PERSONS WHO SERVED OVERSEAS. ALSO SEA WORLD GIVES FREE TICKETS TO MILITARY PERSONS WITH A VALID ID.

This lady said that she believed the other attractions gave discounts as well.. you'll just have to look into that. I said that was good info to know. Free and discounted is always good!

Ok.. back to my parents time here! We got to play games, cook for them, go out to eat, show them some places, see the "potatoes of the ocean" (aka manatees.. cause truly that's what they look like floating potatoes), get some awesome Campbell's Dairyland ice cream, just relax and watch the dogs fight and just spend time together. They did a lot around the house as well.. my mom weeded, my dad helped fix a clogged up sink.. which i am pretty sure had been clogged since the civil war and tried to fix a toilet that is broken (still is but we tried), he also edged our front lawn for us and got information about our weeds in our yard. They also really helped out with the dogs.. taking them out and drying off Fill when he would get in the pool(which is almost every time he goes out there)!! Now don't get mad.. I know they were on vacation.. but I didn't ask them to do any of this.. they just really wanted to! (I swear they did). But it was great to have them here.. we tried to convince them to move down here.. but I think that's a lost cause. My favorite parts of their trip was me and my parents laughing till we had tears coming out of our eyes, playing mexican train, watching them interact with our crazy dogs! Hopefully they'll get to visit again soon.. although they did say they were never flying again!

I pray they have a safe flight home and don't have to dig under too much snow to find their car at the airport!

FAIR FOOD!!!!

2009-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

OK.. I have a slight obsession for fair food. I LOVE IT! I wish I had a bigger stomach so I could consume more of it. I pay the crazy amount of money they charge you just to get in the gates.. and then I pay ridiculous amounts of money for food that I could find else where for much much cheaper. But it's not just the food itself.. you need the environment to eat it in. Cause eating cotton candy while sitting on your couch isn't the same as eating it while walking around the fair being bumped into by the guy trying to chase after his kid or the lady not watching where she is going as she tries to make her way to the funnel cake stand. Also who doesn't love eating their roasted corn while smelling the manure of the fattest pig you ever saw. What about munching on your funnel cake while watching some cloggers go to town on stage. These are all things you just can't get at home. I didn't eat as much as I would have liked.. but I got a good fill. Here's the run down of delicious fair food I consumed:

After walking about two feet inside the first building.. I bought sliced apples with caramel drizzled all over it and peanuts on top (an obsession that was started on the OCMD boardwalk). This is a nice variation to the caramel apple on a stick cause it's not as messy AND you don't have to worry about pieces of apple getting in your teeth. I shared this with D cause it was SOOO good and cause I didn't want to waste my stomach space on one thing!

Next came some nice roasted corn.. VERY good.. and seeing as I figured out my dad's trick in eating corn .. no pieces were left in my teeth to try to pick out with the corner of the fair map or a used business card from my husband's wallet.

(Clearly I have a thing about having stuff stuck in my teeth.. I just think it's really annoying)

Then ... we picked up some kettle korn.. however we do not eat said kettle korn right away.. this treat can be saved till later.. again leaving room for other fair food goodies.

Next was funnel cake. You MUST get funnel cake while at the fair. I mean we went to a rinky dink fair and we still got funnel cake. Oh and wearing a black shirt while you are eating funnel cake.. always fun.

At this point I am feeling the tummy get real full.. so I had to decide what my last treat would be. I did think about going back to get another caramel apple.. cause it was SOOOO good.. however walked by an ice cream stand and they got me with their mint chocolate chip.

All in all very good. Other treats I wanted but knew there was no room for.. hot dog with kraut.. YUM! French fries with vinegar!! Cotton candy! OH they had barrels of candy just waiting for me but seeing as I have a dentist appointment next week (arghhhh) I decided against it. OH and the cheese steaks.. although I know they wouldn't have tasted as good as a fine Philly Cheese steak.. looked really good as well!

I had a great time at the fair.. D said he enjoyed it as well. Oh and people always ask me when I go to the fair if I ride the rides... My answer is and always will be .. HECK NO! My oldest brother was once a carnie (is that how you spell it) And at one point he said to me.. NEVER ride carnival rides.. I guess he saw how they were put up and what kind of people put them up.. and well.. I take that warning very seriously (plus a full stomach and getting on a ride.. that could only be disaster)!

Oh.. the other funny thing.. well kind of funny. While we were walking by some of the games.. TWO of the guys working them said to D "Hey why don't you play with all that money you are saving on shampoo?" To that I'd like to say.. well we really aren't saving money cause we have to buy way more razors then the regular man. We didn't play the games anyway!!!

SO here's till next year... I'll be waiting.. but at least I saved the kettle korn!!

For the Plumbing Pastor...

2009-02-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

OK well as you can see this is our toilet.. it's having some issues..and thankfully for me.. my bro is a plumber.. unthankfully (is that a word) for me.. he lives ehhhhh 14+ hours away! Sooo the viewing public of my blog get to see the inner workings of my toilet! Hey maybe this will help you some day too!

Okay so.. first off is the bubbles coming up.. why? second is the dripping noise with no known area of dripping.. none in the tank and none in bowl or on the floor. Also if you listen you can hear the back ground noise of it.. weird.. but in the last little bit you can see my hand and how I can make it all stop.. for a little while anyway. Weird huh? What do you think?

Reason #745,684,523 I'm glad I live in FL

2009-01-28T11:07:00.001-08:00

Granted the first 745,684,520 are having to do with weather.. but whatever.. this one is too.

Working at this job I talk to people from all over the US.. India too on occasion. But today I talked to one guy from Ohio that said they are getting 7-9 inches of snow and he wanted to know if they could close down the office (I jokingly asked "why?"). I also talked to a lady in TX (somewhere) and she said they were having a lot of ice there. My mom said in PA they were having some snow.. that my poor dad was out shoveling away.. and our friend Reen said she had a two hour delay!

Now let me tell you about the weather outside here in FL... SUNNY... a bit of a cool breeze... and around 78 degrees. The birds were chirping away this morning just as happy with the weather as I am. People ate lunch outside today... D and I will probably go running tonight. It's amazing what a move in the Southern direction can do for you!!!

This wasn't meant to make you jealous... I am just saying that I LOVE IT! And I know some cynics out there will say.. "Well we'll talk when it's summer there in sunny FL" To that I say "Ok... talk to when I am lounging in my pool"!!

Ha ha he he.. te he ha ha...

2009-01-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery ... It's one in a series of the Anne of Green Gables books! I read it online at work when there is down time between phone calls or whatever. ANYWAY... found a quote in it that I love.. wish I could really apply it to every day life... I guess it can be a goal of mine!

"Humor is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them."

I don't know whether Ms. Montgomery came up with that or some long ago author did, but I really like it! So Laugh a little!

Sushi Bridge, Gators Win!, CSI Miami.. Reen's trip down to sunny FL!

2009-01-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

Our great friend Reen came down to visit us for an extended weekend! We had a great time while she was down... good times and lots of laughs. Thursday after she got here we decided to go get sushi for dinner. It was GREAT! We found this little place here in Brandon called Kabuki.. it's never busy and has awesome sushi (OH and the sweet tea is fantastic!) So if you ever come down we'll definetly stop by and sit in "our" booth and get either a bridge of sushi.. or if we're feeling wild.. a boat of sushi! YUM!

That night we met up with some friends at World Of Beers for the Florida Gators game!! Thankfully they won cause I don't know what the bar full of people would have done otherwise! We high fived when everyone else high fived each other and gave some "yeah's" and "woohoo's" at the appropriate times.. but mainly we were just catching up!

Friday was what we dubbed our CSI:Miami day! We took a air boat tour and yelled "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH" (watch the beginning of CSI:Miami). We did see one Gator.. he was back a little ways.. but we saw him! We laughed cause the guy could totally just say.. "OH look over there.. a gator!! ...Oh shoot he went under water" and we would have never known! It was really fun though.. our guide was doing all kinds of crazy maneuvers!

We escaped the air boat ride with no incidents with the gators.. but then we went into gift shop and things turned dangerous! Ha ha! I can tell you from experience.. DO NOT SIT on this thing.. maybe pretend you are sitting.. but don't put your tushy down.. his scales are sharp.. OH and his teeth.. REALLY sharp! Just some tips! It's a great place.. if you have a chance to go.. Do it!

Then on Saturday.. Reen and I head to Universal Studios and had a great time! As you can see we became pretty close with the Simpsons!! HOWEVER.. another tip... DO NOT go on the Simpson ride after you've eatten lunch! It seemed like a good ride.. very entertaining.. however all we thought about was how we hoped we wouldn't throw up! The rest of the park was great as well.. I think we would both agree that one of our favorite parts was the Horror movie makeup show! HYSTERICAL!

I loved having Reen here for weekend! I think she might have started thinking about staying when she found out that the weather back in PA was a chilly 30 something! So Thank You so much for coming Reen!! We miss you already.. oh yeah and the dogs.. they miss you too! SO come back soon!

PT OCD-ADD????

2009-01-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to have Part Time OCD-ADD??? Last night we finally started moving our stuff into our master bedroom and were getting ready for Reeners to come down for a visit! Well once I get started cleaning or organizing I can't stop... and usually I go from one thing to another sometimes never finishing the thing I started doing .. like I was arranging the clothes in the closet and found some that were dirty.. so I took the dirty clothes to the laundry room.. then seeing that the hamper was becoming pretty full I started a load of laundry.. then seeing in the dryer that there were some blankets for Fill and Momma I took those to the living room... in the living room I saw that my cell phone charger was laying on the counter.. so i grabbed that and went to take it in the bedroom.. there I saw that at some point I had stopped in my pursuit of organizing the new dresser and clothes were on the bed.. so I started again putting stuff in the dresser.. but I found there are socks without matches..so I leave the rest of the clothes on the bed and take the socks over to the laundry room and see that the laundry is done so I switch it to the dryer and head into the guest bedroom to make sure everything is ok.. I redo the blanket... take out some books to put in the library.. and on and on it goes! (PS.. I think the laundry is still in the dryer.. dang.. now it's going to be wrinkly) HOWEVER.. on the other side.. I can come home and sit on the couch in front of some "good' reality tv and see that things need to be put away and it doesn't really bother me too much! Maybe it's not OCD.. but it's definetly something!

2009...

2009-01-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

Our New Year's Eve was spent around friends at the Burger's house. We had a great time seeing everyone and just having a relaxing evening. D was excited that we could watch Anderson Cooper countdown the New Year (he he.. that's just a joke)! And I tried not touch the three prego women at the party ... I've been told it's contagious! Ha Ha! It'll be a big year of babies down here in FL.. I am so excited to see all the little guys and girls... and to play with them and feed them lots of sugar and then give them back to their parents.. te he he he!!

It's odd to think how different this New Year's is compared to last year. Last year I was living with my parents, D was in Afghanistan and we were counting down the days till he came home. We talked about Fill but didn't know where he would come from.. then we found him in a trailer park in NC! We had no idea that we would giggle under our breathes when people at Petsmart asked us if we wanted to donate $1 to homeless pets.. thinking they should just donate to us! Who knew that we would be living in FL and have a house with a pool! I didn't know I would find one of my best friends at the dog park! D didn't know just how many places his job would take him!

But this year I got to stand next to D as the ball dropped. It's a great feeling! We're excited for 2009.. A whole year together.. it's just AWESOME to think about!! We're excited for all the things that we'll find out this year.. things that we may never have thought would happen. The good Lord has a plan for us and we are very excited to see where it takes us!

Happy 2009!

PS.. To see what our family is up to.. my bro posted a pretty good summary on his blog.. it's lionstigersandpenguins.blogspot.com! (Plus he has some pretty good movie reviews over there!)

It might be New Years Eve.. but it's also.....

2008-12-31T06:29:00.000-08:00

my mom's birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

I believe today is also her last night of work.. HAPPY RETIREMENT!

Anyway I just wanted to say what a blessing it is to have her as my mom. I know that anyone that knows her would say she is supportive, caring, the best letter writer EVER, a Godly woman, an example. She can laugh with the best of them but has a truly tender side as well. She cares for her friends and family with an unmatched love and would help a stranger if possible. She can sit and be quiet or play crazy games and laugh for an entire night about nothing with the rest of us. I look up to her for the strong woman she is and the huge heart she carries with her.

She makes great desserts (ex: chocolate cake with lemon icing) and can throw a meal together like no one else I know (making it look so simple in the process)! She gets the best stocking presents and has the ability to use wrapping paper 35 times. She knows what a good nap is and understands that you don't have to have your eyes open to be watching television. She's a great multitasker.. able to watch a movie, write a letter, pay the bills, and read her book almost all at the same time. She doesn't need a lot.. just put her in her "command center" and she's good to go. She keeps the instant tea and the liquid sweetner people in business. She can drink coffee at 8 o'clock at night and still go to bed 15 minutes later.

I wish I had a picture of her to post.. maybe one when she was a baby .. one from when she was in nurses training... one from recently (HINT HINT KEVIN)! Anyway... So I am thinking of her today.. and wishing her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

We love you mom!

Just an ordinary Monday night on Compton St...

2008-12-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

Who loves having a talented husband that can cook an awesome meal for her when she gets home on a Monday night! PICK ME PICK ME! I mean look at this bird it's just beautiful and tasted just as good! Now I just have to have some kids that I can make clean up the dishes and I'd be set.. haha! (and no there's no hints in there... i just thought it was funny)

Here is a fine picture of our water heater.. why you ask would I post a picture of our water heater! Well look at it.. it's one fine looking machine! HA.. just kidding! Actually... my bro is a plumber and we have problems with our one bathroom's water heating up.. You could turn on the water go eat breakfast, do the dishes, make the bed, vacuum the entire house, pick out your clothes for the day, take the dogs out, watch a full episode of some water-saving-"green" program and the water might be luke warm. Sooo.. let's see what the dx (for those of you not in the medical industry that's diagnosis) is!!!

And finally.. Fill and Momma have become good friends.. and when Momma feels like playing this is what happens.. the sounds that you hear are Fill... they are CRAZY!!! They could go like this for hours...

And then Monday is of course Intervention on A&E... it's a sad show but usually they end up going to rehab and getting better... plus D likes the music at the end.

It's over .. and I'm sweating...

2008-12-29T05:20:00.000-08:00

So Christmas came and went.. and I can hardly believe it was here! For 29 years.. Christmas time was full of snow, ice, shoveling, scraping, scarfs and coats, staying inside so you didn't loose any fingers. This Christmas was short sleeve shirts, long walks outside and a little bit of dabbing at the brow line. I mean Christmas in the 80's .. who does that? Well the answer is now.. WE DO! I do love the weather here in Sunny FL.. HOWEVER.. just on Christmas I wish a snow storm would come a long and we could watch the flurries come down for the whole day. (Then of course the next day .. the sun would be out the ice would melt and we would be a little closer to being out of this drought! )

Anyway... Christmas was nice. D and I woke up (well I woke up first with the dogs) we had some breakfast, opened our presents to each other and some stocking presents from up north (thanks mom.. it really wouldn't be Christmas without some candy and shampoo wrapped up.. ohh and maybe some silly string) then called D's family.. then my family so we could all open each others gifts while on speaker phone (definitely a first for Christmas). We then headed over to our friends the Heads. The four dogs did great.. right up till about a half hour till we were going to leave.. then Momma and Kaylee.. well they got into it! We don't know who started it all .. but they could no longer be around each other. Meanwhile Sofee and Fill didn't know or care what was going on cause they were still playing. But while at the Head's we had a great meal... Ham, green bean casserole, mashed tatoes, rolls, stuffing, and Sawdust pie!! It was great! We had a lot of fun just spending time with them.. and of course their pups!

It definitely was a different kind of Christmas... and I guess somewhere a long the way we started our own traditions.. but we missed our families tremendously!!!

We hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!! Now it's on to New Years!!

Guess who's coming to dinner...and breakfast...and lunch...for a long time to come...

2008-12-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Well I think it's pretty official that for now atleast Momma has a home here on Compton St. She's doing really well.. had a vet visit today and the vet was very happy at how she is coming along. Fill and Momma are starting to play.. although the cone we have on her head right now restricts that somewhat. (Plus Fill gets scared of it sometimes.)

Christmas should be interesting. We are going to the Head's house and they have their own two Bostons. So if you are counting that's four dogs.. 3 1/2 Bostons. It will be an interesting day.

OH.. also.. I think I've found out her other "part" ...atleast one of them. I am saying she is a "Brat" (I did not make that up) which stands for a Boston Terrier/Rat Terrier mix. I could be very wrong.. but just by her ears.. that's my guess.

And the funny thing continues...

2008-12-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

So its days later...and yes, our mystery dog was there waiting for me when I got home from work that day. And she got her doctor's visit, her three square meals a day, a new little brother named Fill and a new name...Momma. She's not doing too badly, though her health concerns are unique. Besides being malnourished and mistreated, she's still getting over the birthing process of her litter and has a few infections. Yet, despite the rough hand dealt to her, she's been a sweet new companion for Susan and I. Little steps along the way signify the progress, particularly in the realm of her accepting her new home. She licked me the day after we got her, and yesterday she wagged her tail when I got home. Despite the pains of her treatment, she's been a very brave patient, never taking out the discomfort out on us.

She's a good dog, who now has a good home and a hyperactive little brother. Susan and I both cannot believe this has happened. It seems even more unbelieveable that its only been four days since we stepped outside and saw her lying there at our front porch. It feels like its been two weeks already. She's been some work, no doubt about it. But there's an unmistakable look of gratitude in her eyes when she trots up to you, and I am looking forward to the time when I see that gratitude through a plumper face and eyes less sunken in. That time will come.

Funny thing happened to me when I stepped outside...

2008-12-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

I stared at the invitation in frustrated disbelief...I had forgotten to RSVP and the dinner was less than 24 hours away. Susan and I had been looking forward to this rare opportunity to dine upon the collective cuisine of over forty nations that have a relationship with my employer - the Department of Defense. The multi-national allies of the United States who find themselves pulling a tour in Tampa, Florida at United States Central Command have annually held a banquet dinner that features various dishes from their native lands. My work with these allies had earned Susan and I an invitation to this cultural event, and we were earnestly looking forward to it. Arrangements were made to have Fill stay at his doggy daycare (aka Pre-K) overnight so we could indulge and socialize without having to check the clock. It was going to be great.

So, naturally, when I realized that my wife's prophetic (albeit, belated) caution that an RSVP may have been necessary (something that I had utterly failed to consider) was right after all, it hit me hard. Susan had been so excited at the opportunity to see this eccletic gathering of the nations, and I had blown it. There is nothing more I hate than letting her down. I certainly don't make a habit of it, and its never with malice. But every once in a while, as we all do, I screw up. She, of course, was both understanding and forgiving, while I beat myself up mercilessly...even after I assured her that I had let it go.

Fast forward to the next morning, when our little four-legged alarm clock beat the official wake up device yet again as he pined for the outdoors and a release of his bladder. Susan was kind enough to answer the call and take him out while I tried in vain to salvage the last 15 minutes of sleep alloted to me. I don't remember if she exclaimed when she came in, calling my name, or whether she was calm about it and conversational. What I do know is she informed me of an odd situation on our front porch. Lying on our 'welcome' mat, as if she belonged there, was an emaciated and pitiful looking dog. Her, Fill and the mystery guest were all taken completely by surprise and proceeded about their respective business with very little fanfare. Fill didn't even flip out as he normally would, but rather walked past the hobo pooch, relieved himself a few yards away and walked back.

Susan filled me in on the details and we parted the blinds of our front window to see what the new dog was doing. I had to get a closer look, and stepped outside to examine it. I established a few key facts right off the bat. One, she was female and a recent mother. Two, malnourished would have been an upgrade. Three, despite her condition, she was cute. Four, and this is what really baffled me, part-Boston Terrier. Now what are the odds that we, as proud Boston owners, would find a Boston mix on our front porch by sheer random chance. Is it possible, sure, but its one hell of a coincidence.

By now, Susan had made a make-shift bowl out of a dixie cup and we gave this mystery K-9 some much needed fluid. Our bleeding hearts were in full effect, and despite the acknowledgement that following up that initial cup of water with some food and a little affection would more or less cement in this dog's mind that sticking around that tan house on Compton Street was an excellent strategy...we went ahead and did it away. But, the road to unemployment is paved with good intentions, and it was approaching that time to start our respective commutes and enter the rat race. Neither of us knew what was going to happen next, or what we would do with our visitor. After some consideration to leave "dog" in our fenced in back yard, we decided against it and figured if she wanted some more food and drink, she had our address. Susan left first with Fill, who despite my gaffe with the invitiation was still going to be treated to a day with his fuzzy buddies at Pre K. I had to block doggy from accidentially going behind Susan's car as she backed out, then it was my turn. She trotted behind my car as I drove away, limping her left hind leg slightly. Yeah, wanna tear jerker vision...picture a skin-and-bones, mother dog trotting pathetically behind your car as you watch her in the rear view mirror, trying her best to keep up because she has no one else in the world.

Of course I turned around! What do you think I am, made of stone?

So she spent the day in the fenced back yard, with food and drink and chance to relax in the sun without a care in the world. I told her (out loud, yes, I talk to animals) that if she stuck around, she'd have another meal and medical care that night. I left the fence door open, so if she wanted to leave and try her fortunes else where, it was up to her. Best of luck! And with that...I left for work.

To be continued...

And the stockings were hung...

2008-12-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

.. by the sliding glass door leading to the lanai and pool.. on the curtain rod that has yet to see a curtain! Atleast they are easy to see for Santa.. just in case his eyes are getting bad.. no fireplace to find here!! If you can't see Fill's stocking it says "Dear Santa.. I can explain" .. perfect for Fill!! The others were knit by my Aunt Linda.. we miss her a lot but are so thankful we can pull these out, hang them up and think of her!!

Good Times..

2008-12-13T18:20:00.001-08:00

D's friend from MD, Kevin, and his girlfriend, Teresa came to visit for the weekend.
4 friends + 2 hand guns + a fort on the beach + some nastiness from sonic+ an "exciting" game of Axis and Allies= a GREAT time!!!

Teresa and Kevin shooting... it was Teresa's first time...

Here I am... my best shot was two in the mouth.. (yeah i didn't try that.. just happy i hit the target)

D.. definetly has the best form.. and if you look closely at the picture you can see the muzzle flash..

We're trying to pursued them to move down. After they get back to MD and the cold.. they just might do it! Thanks for coming.. we had a great time.. it was sad to see you go.. but we know you'll be back!!

This Holiday called Christmas...

2008-12-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

I'm excited for Christmas this year. D is home.. which in itself is a wonderful gift. There will be a lot of firsts this Christmas. Like our first Christmas in OUR house, our first Christmas with Fill, our first Christmas in FL, and sadly our first Christmas away from our families. It really does make me sad. I mean for 29 years I've been with my family for Christmas.. I know our routine and love it. I know it's time for me and D to make our own traditions for Christmas... but I love my old traditions. Candle lit Christmas eve service. Breakfast usually made my dad while we wait for my mom to get up or come home from work. Stocking presents galore. Making the dog "unwrap" atleast one present. My bro's witty clues on his gifts.. which I usually never get until the present is open (and sometimes until he explains it to me). Being with people that truly appreciate the deliciousness of sparkling grape juice. Laughing till we cry atleast once. Playing games. Watching a movie in the afternoon and being sure that my mom will fall asleep. My mom's 15 (might be an exaggeration) different kinds of cookies.. oh and hiding the sandwich cookies cause that's how much everyone loves them.

But I know that from now on we might not be able to make it back home for the Holidays.. so we'll start to make our own traditions. We have friends down here that like us don't have any family in the area.. so I think we're going to get together with them. There is a candle light Christmas Eve service at our church which I am super excited about and I did make some cut out Christmas cookies this week. Our decorating needs a little work.. but seeing as we've only had to decorate apartments before we don't have too much to start out with. Our tree looks so little in our house when in our apartments it was ok.. but it's cute! But I know as we live here and as I find sales on Christmas stuff.. we'll accumulate more stuff. So next year watch out.. !!

But for this year I am just thankful that D is home safe... that we have good friends to spend the Holidays with.. and that although we can't be with our families they'll still be with us through some of the traditions we'll borrow and make our own!

I love quotes...

2008-12-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Found this quote on somebody's blog (yeah i look at a lot of them) and really liked it.. so i borrowed it...

If you're going to be able to look back and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it NOW.

I love it.. hope you do too... you can borrow it if you'd like!

FUNNY STUFF...

2008-12-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Ok I found this story on someone else's blog and if I could only get back to see who's it was I would give her credit and tell her it made me laugh throughout the whole day.. but I have no clue what blog I was on when I found it.. but it's hysterical..

These are the days that make working at Pinnacle worth it. The last question asked on every survey we do is, "What do you value most in a skilled nursing provider?" The typical answer is something along the lines of good care, good food, a respectful staff, etc. So imagine my enjoyment when I was editing one that said "Basically, I don't want everyone to get all worked up when I poop* myself a bunch of times." Priceless.

*(this word was edited from it's original content)

Seeing as I have a HUGE love for the elderly it makes it even funnier to me!

Hope you Enjoyed.. have a good weekend!

There were THREE Bostons!!

2008-12-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

The three best friends.. Sofee (the littlest), Kaylee (sitting..the best trained) and Fill (laying down..the craziest)! This picture was taken by our friends the Head's .. you can check out other photos from them at photos2memories.com.

The Ring story...

2008-12-03T06:44:00.000-08:00

So two weekends ago I went out to take pictures for my friends for their Christmas cards. So it was Adam and Gleyce plus their two Bostons Kaylee (2 years old) and puppy Sofee (3 months)Well we went to the beach and the place we were had little briars or sand spurs as Adam called them. So these things are not fun and hurt pretty much to get them out of your clothes or when they get on your skin. Well we were getting them all over. So i was taking the pictures and wanted to make sure that the pictures were coming out the way they wanted them too.. so i handed the camera to Gleyce and she let Sofee go.. so she was just wandering around and started going for the larger area of briars.. so i go in to get her to make sure she doesn't get any in her paws.. so i pick her up.. and hand her back to Gleyce! So i start picking the briars off my clothes.. well one gets stuckin my finger and i can't get it out.. and it hurts.. so i shake my hand..thinking that maybe it'll come out by sheer gravity or something like that.. well it does!!! however SO DOES MY ENGAGEMENT RING!! So i stood there.. as still as could be.. and i say "ummm guys... my engagement ring just fell off" Well of course they didn't believe it! So we start looking for it all around.. but again there are briars everywhere so everytime you step in one spot to look you come back with briars in your feet and all over your clothes. So it's cold out...the dogs are shivering .. Gleyce's shivering.. it's just stupid to be out there so i say.. come on let's just go! cause OH.. at one point Adam takes off his wedding ring and throws it in the sand.. i said WHAT ARE YOU DOING! well he wanted to see how far in the sand it would go when dropped.. well he almost lost it doing that cause when he dropped it.. it went in furter then he expected. Anyway so he got his .. and we looked a little more.. and then went home! Well they felt horrible about the whole thing and were saying that we could go back the next day after work .. but there was no way i could.. cause i had so much cleaning and stuff to do before the Roscoe's got here for Thanksgiving. So they were talking about buying a metal detector and going out there. Well Monday they call me and tell me they are going to go out Tuesday and they got the metal detector. I didn't know if it would be found cause we had no idea what direction it would go and how far it would have traveled.
So here is Gleyce and Adam's account of what happened when they got to the beach: They went right back to the place we had been at and start looking using the metal detector... well someone from the beach patrol comes over and tells them they can't be doing it in that location because it is a sand dune or something and it is a protected area! Well they walk away a little bit and doesn't it start raining... so the beach patrol goes away and they go back to looking.. a little while later the beach patrol is back and saying "didn't i already tell you not to do that" So Adam says "Listen one of my wife's best friends lost her engagement ring here the other day and we can't leave here till we find this thing!" So the guy says ok .. but just be careful where you walk. So four hours into searching for my lost ring and finding aluminum foil bits and i think some coins .. THEY FOUND IT!!! So i was sitting at work thinking about them cause it had rained..and just checked my email and she said they had been there for four hours and unfortunately .. they had found it! She's a little trickster! I let out probably one of the biggest gasps of my life! I could not believe it! So on thanksgiving i got my engagement ringback! Incredible! The way the ring is made.. it's not a complete circle.. it's a little loose on my finger but it never goes over my knuckle.. it was cold out and i am assuming it slipped off cause of that! But the weird thing about it all.. i don't really have fat on my fingers.. so was it my bones that shrunk down in the cold??? Oh well..atleast I have my ring back and hopefully have learned my lesson about flicking my hand with the rings on it! UGH!

Our First Thanksgiving...

2008-12-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

Well we still have left overs taking up the fridge.. but that is fine with us!! Our time with the Roscoe's (minus Michael who had to work and couldn't come down) was great. D took them on some site seeing around Tampa and of course they got to see our new house and enjoy the wildlife out back in the pond. D cooked our Thanksgiving meal ..with some help from Sou Chef Roscoe (his dad).. and it was delicious! I made a "Sawdust" pie.. which is FANTASTIC (if i do say so myself) .. if you want the recipe let me know!! We had our friends the Head's over and their two Bostons, Sofee and Kaylee. Fill loved every minute of his girlfriends being there and they played the ENTIRE day.

It was a great first Thanksgiving for us.. friends, family and a whole mess of food! What could be better???