Finally back!

I know I've been away from this blog forever.  However, it's been a very busy month.  We moved over 1,000 miles to my hometown of Plymouth, Indiana.  My dad and sister and a friend of ours came to Colorado to help us finish packing, cleaning, and painting and then we loaded up the truck and drove to our new home. 

It took us a little bit to get settled and then we began our job searches.  Philip got a paper route almost right away.  However, he hates it and will probably not be keeping it much longer (until he gets another job!).  I've turned in about a million resumes but it is paying off.  I had an interview within a few days and I have two more this week.  I have a job beginning at the end of the month as a server for a new restaurant in town.  I'm actually really excited about it.  

I'm hoping to do it in the evenings/weekends and still have another job for days.  The interview I have on Thursday is for an insurance agency.  It's really promising but only part-time (25 hours a week).  It has potential to be more though and I'm really looking forward to the interview.  The interview that I have on Tuesday is not nearly as promising, but you never know!  

I'm not freaking out about my lack of job quite yet.  I've been keeping busy (and reading A LOT) and our funds are still holding out -- especially with Philip able to contribute now!  I've had quite a few bites on resumes and things are still pretty positive.  I am just going to keep thinking good thoughts about this week and hopefully I'll have a job soon!  :)

As far as flight school for Philip goes, things are on temporary hold.  We visited the school and it was fantastic.  We purchased the starter kit and Philip has begun online training.  However, he can't begin actual flight instruction until we have jobs so that we can get financing.  Philip is really eager to get started, but he seems to be enjoying the online stuff so far!  

As I said, it's been a long month.  But, so far, I haven't had any doubts about our decision.  I'm sure it will be the right one for us.  Of course, it helps that my family has been amazing.  It's been so nice to be home.  Today we planted trees.  Last night, mom and I went to the movies (Cabin in the Woods -- SOOO good!).  Friday I went to a doctor's appointment with my mom and then we went to lunch.  I had forgotten how wonderful it is to be with my family.  

The dogs are adjusting really well.  I was a little worried since Jippy doesn't really like change, but once we got everything unpacked and have a kind of schedule, they've all settled in nicely.  I think we're all glad for our new home.  :)

Dream House: The Dog Room

Philip and I have four dogs:

Jack

Cody

Jippy

and Daly.

At this point, they are our children.  Obviously we won't always have these four dogs.  I wish they would live forever, but they won't.  However, we will always have dogs.  I love dogs too much to be without them.  In fact, we will always have at least 2 dogs (they will always need a partner in crime!). 

Right now, they spend almost no time alone.  I work during the day and Philip works at night.  Usually the only time they're alone is when we go out on Saturdays.  When they are alone, they are in their crates in the basement.  It's usually just for a few hours, but I still don't like it.  

What if they suddenly have to tinkle?  What if they just want to walk around for a while (not likely -- we have the laziest dogs ever).  What if something happens to Philip and I -- who is going to let the dogs out (seriously, a truck pulled out in front of us a few weeks ago and my first thought in the split second I thought we were goners was, "if we die, who is going to let the dogs out and feed them?"  I know that's nuts, but we live a thousand miles away from my family.  How long would it take for them or one of our friends to find out and take care of the dogs?)? 

So, in my dream house, there will be a dog room.  This room will have tile floors and be tiled at least half-way up the wall (like a bathroom). It doesn't need to be enormous.  It just needs to be big enough to fit their crates (even if they aren't going to be locked in their crates, they still like to be in their crates... it's like their bedroom... their safe place), with a little room to roam around in.

It should also have an area to store their food and treats and leashes, etc.  And maybe even a doggie shower.  Most importantly, it needs to have a doggie door.  I don't really think it needs to have a full sized door, but they definitely need to be able to get outside.  And outside there will be a kennel/run for them to be able to do their business.  It doesn't need to be enormous; just big enough for them to walk around a bit and go potty in. 

Okay, enough chit chat.  On to the inspiration photos!

Source: myhomeideas.com via Tara on Pinterest

This one just has sealed and glazed cement floors and aluminum paneling.  It's not really my cup of tea, but it's the same kind of idea for my tile floors/walls -- easy clean up!

Source: spokesmanreview.com via Tara on Pinterest

This one has the tile floors and walls, but since we have multiple dogs, I'd like it to be a little bigger... and less like a jail.  ha!  But I do think that might be a doggie door on the right side of the photo. 

Source: petdoorstore.com via Tara on Pinterest

Did you know that dog doors don't have to be put into doors?  This one can be put right into the wall of the house!  They can also be put into any kind of door, even sliding glass doors!

Source: amazon.com via Tara on Pinterest

This is what I think of when I say kennel/run.  It doesn't need to be enormous.  Preferably just something to fit against the wall of the house for them to go outside if they need to.  

And that's about all I've got for this room.  It's next to impossible to find dog room inspiration.  Apparently I'm more nuts than I thought.  ;) 

I am happy

Lately, I've been in kind of a funk.  I haven't been motivated and I'm been more of a complainer than normal.  Typically, I'm an optimist.  If I don't like things, I change them.  That's how I roll.  I think that I've been hanging around too many negative people lately.  

Last night, I realized what I've been doing.  I've been focusing on the negative in my life (car troubles after car troubles and then more car troubles,  large expenses, a huge to-do list, etc.) and not paying attention to the positives.  And, the positives FAR outweigh the negatives.  

I have a job.  A good job with a good boss with good benefits.  Sure, I wish I made more money (who doesn't?!), but at least I have a job that I like!  

I have four beautiful, wonderful pups.  They greet me every day when I come home from work. They snuggle with me while I watch Law & Order.  They are just happy to be near me.  It's a wonderful thing.  

I have a perfect partner.  He is absolutely wonderful.  Even when I'm in a crappy mood, he can make me feel better in an instant.  He is smart, funny, handsome, loving, and giving.  He is everything I could want in a partner.  Any time I see his face, I smile.  

Wouldn't seeing this face every day make you happy, too?  Too bad!  He's mine!  ;)  

I often think about how I don't think I could love this man any more than I already do. And then he does something that proves me wrong.  I apologize to all of my readers for how disgustingly in love I am.  I can't help it.  :)  

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 1-4

So, I've been meaning to start this, but when I go to my blog, I blog about something else and then completely forget about it. Well, I remembered today, so here goes!

I want to participate in the 30 days of Thanksgiving. Obviously, I'm a few days behind. I'm just going to combine my posts for days one through four right here so that I can save time and space!

November 1: I am thankful for my wonderful fiancé. He truly is everything I had hoped for in a mate. He is caring and thoughtful. He loves our four wonderful pups (I came into the relationship with more than just emotional baggage). He took to them as if they had always been his. He's even gentle and understanding with our "special" pup, Jippy (he's not really the brightest dog, but he's definitely full of love and eager to please). He is content. It takes so little to please him. I simply have to be myself. That is a wonderful feeling. He's nerdy and cute. :) He's hardworking and supportive. He is perfect.

November 2: I am thankful for my four beautiful pups. I don't know what I would do without them. They bring joy to my life every day. They are hilarious and cute. They are also loving and attentive (if I cry, all four of them want to give me kisses until I can't help but laugh). They truly care about me. They know when I have a bad day and they are there to make it better. They are so easy to please. They just want attention. Hell, the best present for them is the empty toilet paper roll (seriously, they play with it until it's in shreds on the floor).

They are all different and unique, and I love them all for different reasons. Jack is my buddy. He wants to be everywhere that I am. He loves to cuddle, but he also loves to play. He's the most "human" of the four.

Cody is my protector (as well as the protector of the other three pups). He is the most attentive to my feelings. He will sit with me with his head on my lap and just stare up at me until my heart melts. He is incredibly eager to please. He wants nothing more than for me to be happy (well, and for me to be with him).

Jippy is my "special" child. He is not the smartest pup, but he really does try. He wants to please me, he just gets confused easily. It is absolutely adorable. He is so full of energy and life. He can run for hours, but he still wants my love and affection. He needs me (not every person can handle Jippy's needs; I know from experience -- which is why I am so happy that Philip loves and understands him!). He makes me laugh. :)

Daly is my little girl. She is the most needy of the four. She constantly wants attention. She will shove the other three out of the way to get to my hand. She is silly. She is really sweet though. She will always remind me that she loves me (she makes me feel special because she doesn't love just anyone; she's actually afraid of new people). And, when she's feeling playful, she is CUTE. She can get the other dogs to play so easily. She is my adorable little girl. :)

November 3: I am thankful for my wonderful mother. She is there for me through thick and thin. When I need to vent, she is there to listen to the very end (putting in appropriate sounds to show disgust, of course :)). She may be hundreds of miles away, but she's still there for me. She is always supportive and understanding. She is sensitive just like me so when either one of us is upset, we can cry together and support each other. She spoils my pups rotten and I know that she will be a fantastic grandmother when Philip and I have human children, too. :) And, she makes me laugh. She's one of my best friends in the whole world. I am incredibly lucky to have her as my mother. :)

November 4: I am thankful for my job. I know this post may not seem as meaningful as the first three, but it is important to me (and I wanted to break up the "I'm thankful for my family" posts so that it doesn't just get repetitive -- no worries, family! I will get to the rest of you as well!). I know that I am lucky. Not only do I have a job that more than pays for my bills; I have a job that I really enjoy. My boss is wonderful and funny. My coworkers are hardworking and friendly. My job is not really that difficult, but it is fulfilling. I am fortunate to be able to say (finally!) that I really do love my job. For once, I don't dread going into work every day. I do really look forward to my weekends, but it's because I can't wait to actually see Philip; not because I can't stand the work week! I know that this makes me one of the lucky few.

To All of the Negative Nancies Out There:

Stop being a pain in the bum. Life is short. Live it. Love it. Don't complain about it incessantly.

Don't get me wrong. Everyone has their down days. It's normal. I get down in the dumps and negative once in a while, too. But, every once in a while is different from every day. And, of course it's normal to be negative through a traumatic event. However, people who are just negative people really irritate me.

I'm sure that your life is not as bad as what you seem to think it is. I mean, I am incredibly happy. I love my life so much. It's incredible. I am happier than I've ever been. Everything has fallen into place since moving to Colorado. However, I know that if I really tried to be negative, I could be a Negative Nancy, too. Let's give that a try, shall we?

What is wrong with my life?

1. I have had allergy problems for the time I've been in Colorado. It's kept me up many a night; coughing until I can barely talk because my throat is so raw.
2. I won't get paid until August 6th. I am broke and the bills will probably just have to wait because I just don't have the money.
3. I only see Philip on Saturdays because our work schedules are completely different. He goes in to work when I am coming home from work. So, I see him when he comes home at around 2-3am when I sleepily tell him that I love him. Then, I see him before I leave in the morning. He sleepily tells me he loves me before I go to work.
4. It's been incredibly hot. I hate the heat. I got sunburned this past weekend. I'll probably get skin cancer.
5. The house we are renting required a LOT of yard work. Philip and I spent hours weeding and cleaning up the yard. It was hard work; especially since it has been so hot.
6. The job that I got is in property management. I've never worked in the field, so it's probably going to be a lot of work to learn all the new things.
7. I have had to switch from a night schedule to a day schedule because of my new job. I hate to be on a day schedule; I am a night person.
8. My dogs are sad that I have had to go back to work. I didn't get to live with them for several months, and now I only see them in the evenings.
9. The zombie apocalypse is coming. We are all doomed. (Related: I have Macaroni & Cheese... yeah, I know... not the best weapon.)

Now, let us go through and see the positive.

1. Yep, I've got allergies. However, I was able to go to the doctor for $45.00. She gave me lots of samples and I have my allergies under control. She said this year was a bad year for most people, so hopefully, I will not have any problems once my body adjusts (that's what happened when I moved to NC... I had allergies, but then I got used to the cooties and didn't have any problems after my first year).
   
2. It is sad that I won't get paid until August 6th, but luckily, I have a wonderful boyfriend who will help me get through until then. And, my kitchen is stocked and most of my bills aren't due until after that point anyway. :)
3. This is the one that is hardest to be positive about. I really do miss Philip. Our schedules are awful. However, I still do get to see him on Saturdays. And, they are wonderful Saturdays. :) Also, it should be less than a month and then Philip will have Fridays off again. So, then we will be able to spend Friday evenings together, too. :) Also, I have a job! How is that not good news?!
   
4. This one makes me laugh. I was just being dramatic. I do hate the heat, but the heat in Colorado is not unbearable. It's a dry heat. It is a thousand times more bearable than North Carolina. I love it! :) However, I still can't wait for autumn and winter! I did get sunburned, but not badly. Philip got burnt worse. But, he's a tough cookie. I'm sure he'll be fine. Besides, it just means that I rub him down with lotion; where's the negative there? ;)
5. That was no lie. It was a lot of work. But, it was incredibly rewarding. I feel like we have accomplished something. And, it also makes it feel more like home since we've done a lot of work on it ourselves. :) Also, I'm just glad that it hasn't been humid so that we could be outside in the heat without feeling like dying.
   
6. The job is new to me. I know how to do probably 60% of the job. But, the 40% that I don't know how to do is just an adventure. I love a good challenge. I probably won't have to worry about being bored for a long time. That is a wonderful thing! And, it's a new experience; something else to add to my list of skills. :)
7. I really do not like having to be a normal "day-person." I love the night. But, I have found a good job with benefits (after 90 days), and it's something that I think I'm going to like. It is a job that will help me benefit our household. And, it's motivating me to get even more stuff done. :)
8. It does make me sad that they are sad. However, I am just thrilled that I get to spend every day with them. I missed them so much while they were gone. Now, I get to come home to them every day, and I get to sleep with them every night. It is a wonderful thing. :)
9. Ummm... yeah, I'm not really sure how to turn that into a positive. We are all screwed. lol Wait! I've got it. I can learn new skills! Zombie killing skills! haha... yeah, that's it! And, ummm... I will get to learn how to wield strange and interesting new weapons. :) It's a real test of character. hahahaha I love my life.
   

So, as one can see, anything could really be a positive if you choose to see that side of it. So, please, Negative Nancies, take the time to appreciate what you've got instead of complaining about how your life is just awful. I'm sure you've got plenty of goodness in your life. So, live it and love it. :)

Life update! :)

I HAVE AN INTERVIEW TOMORROW! XD I am excited... but very nervous. It has been a very long time since I've had to do a job interview. However, I'm normally very good at interviews though, so I'm sure everything will be fine. :) It's an admin position with a small company in Henderson. It's not very far away from home. I've been applying to positions I've found on Craigslist. It was less than a week (they called on Friday) of applying before I got a callback, so that's a pretty good sign, right? :)

Also, I went to the doctor on Thursday for my cough. The doctor is convinced that it is just allergies. So, I'm on Singulair for now. It definitely helps. My cough is not nearly as severe. I only cough every now and then and my throat is feeling much better (it was sore from the cough). The doctor visit was only $45.00. Without insurance. And, she gave me a bunch of samples to take home. And, I didn't have an appointment, but I still only had to wait about 10-15 minutes. Normally, even when I have an appointment, it takes at least half an hour! I just went to the small clinic here in Keenesburg. You can bet that I won't be going anywhere else now! :)

I love Colorado. I love our house. I love the people. I love living with our dogs. I just love everything. I am so happy. It's disgusting. ;)

Which house to pick?

In the past few weeks, I have been attempting to find houses for Philip and I to live in (rent) when we arrive in Denver. As you might imagine, it's been quite difficult since I have four dogs. It has been incredibly frustrating. I mean, my dogs aren't destructive or mean. They are cleaner than children! So, I was bummed out for a while.

I talked to Philip and we decided to have a little bit more give in our budget for the house (and pray that I find a job IMMEDIATELY).

Today, I have the best sort of problem. :) I have SEVERAL houses to look at when we go on vacation (which is now 9 days away!!). I am trying to schedule them. It's a bit crazy, but I am super excited because the more houses we have to choose from, the more likely it is that we will actually have a house to live in! lol

*sigh of relief*

So, life continues to be great in Tara's world. :) Keep your fingers crossed that one of these houses is livable and doesn't break our bank!

My Gloriously Fantastic Life :)

My life is wonderful. Sometimes I am just in complete awe of it. I have the most wonderful man in the world as my partner in life. I have four beautiful pups. I may be jobless right now, but I know that it will look up. I have amazing friends. I have a slightly crazy but incredible family.

Vacation is in 2 weeks now. That's 8 days in Denver and then coming back to go to the beach for a few days. Two full weeks spent with Philip without him having to go to work. That's hiking, exploring, swimming, and wonderful bliss. :)

We are moving in 64 days. That's a new start in a new state 1,600 miles away. That's new friends and new places and new experiences. And it will all be shared with the love of my life.

My life is absolutely amazing.

Life... and love.

I will be in Gatlinburg for the weekend. A long weekend. A FOUR DAY WEEKEND. Oh my goodness... I can't even express how excited I am about this weekend. My parents and my sister are coming down and we're going to go hiking, shopping, and white-water rafting. And Philip is coming with me. It doesn't get much better! :)

I found someone to take my job. I've been training her for just over a week now. It's going really well. I think she'll fit well... for at least a while. She can keep the guys in line... I hope. And she has no attachments to the family, so she shouldn't be torn in a million different directions. Also, she has lots of administrative experience and is used to dealing with bulls**t and having to babysit her bosses.

I have the most wonderful boyfriend in the world. Sometimes I think about Philip and wonder how I ever stayed with any other boyfriend. I mean, Philip is wonderful to me. He tells me that he only treats me the way that I deserve to be treated. Why did I put up with any less?? lol

The dogs. Always so much drama. Ugh. Hopefully I can figure out something to do with them. I don't want to find them new homes because they are MY babies. But, Joe makes things difficult a lot of the time.

Joe. I swear, things go up and down more than a rollercoaster. Some days I think he hates me and then the next day, things are peachy-keen and he wants to be friends. I hope that things will be different when I'm not working with him anymore. Then we will either have to be real friends or just completely go our separate ways.

Most of the time now, I wonder why we were together for so long. I don't mean that in a mean way. I just mean that now, I can't figure out what I saw in him. We are so VERY different. He drives me crazy for the most part. I still care for him, but sometimes I sit down and think about everything we went through and wonder how we made it as long as we did. The heart is a scary thing. I stayed with Joe through a lot of crappiness and unhappiness and gave everything I had to try to make the relationship work. But, I don't honestly know why. The only thing I can come up with is love. I loved Joe with every fiber of my being. But why were we in love? What made us fall in love? What made us stay in love? It wasn't what we had in common... we actually had/have very little in common. We mostly just had a mutual love for each other in common.

I used to think that was fine. I thought every relationship would require a lot of sacrifice and that being different made things interesting. What I didn't realize is that I was giving FAR too much of myself to the relationship and not getting nearly enough out of it. I'm a sucker for the underdog. Stray puppies, geeky teenagers, losing teams, or anything else that needs help... I get sucked in. I can't look away. I have to give what I can to help. That goes for relationships, too, apparently.

I have recently realized that my previous two boyfriends were sucking the life out of me. I gave everything to the relationships and had nothing left for myself. It's not a problem for me to be giving freely to a relationship but it's unhealthy if the partner is not reciprocating. It royally sucks to be taken for granted.

I think it's probably never going to sink in for Michael, but I think that Joe sees what went wrong with our relationship and what he needs to do differently to make a relationship work. And, I learned things from both of those relationships. It's just taking a while to sink in... ;) I can't let my partners walk all over me. I need a give and take relationship. Not just a give relationship. And, I can't let love make all my decisions for me. Love is not enough to keep a relationship alive. It requires work from both partners and for there to be some common ground. A relationship cannot work if only one person is in it.

Philip and I have been dating for almost 4 months. We have yet to have a single argument. I didn't know that was possible. Seriously. I honestly did not know what a healthy relationship was before now. I thought I did. And it scares me because I think there are probably lots of people out there who think they are in healthy relationships and they really aren't. And that makes me sad.

Philip is supportive and sweet and loving and thankful and generous and easy-going and wonderful. Ugh. I'm disgustingly in love with him. He makes it easy to be in a relationship. He wants me to be happy and I want him to be happy. And we make each other happy. And it's so effing wonderful... it's indescribable. I'm sure we disgust people. lol We just have a lot in common and have common goals and it's just SO EASY. How can it be so easy? I love it. :)

Life...

I swear, every time I think things are going well, something else falls onto my lap.

Joe and I agreed that the dogs would stay with him until I could get on my feet. I couldn't find an apartment that would let me keep the dogs, so I got a cheap apartment where I could hopefully save up some money and be able to afford to buy a house next year. I wasn't thrilled about it because they are my dogs and I would like for them to live with me. But, I thought Joe would take care of them.

He told me this morning that he's decided to have them all be outside dogs. He says it keeps the house cleaner. Well, the house would be cleaner if he never went home either, but I don't see him doing that.

I am absolutely livid. The dogs have always been indoor dogs. And now, suddenly they're supposed to be outdoor? They are scared to be outside by themselves at night and now they're supposed to have to sleep out there? And Jack gets cold if it's below 70 degrees. He is definitely not an outdoor dog. And Cody is already taking everything so badly that he's going to be even more traumatized. He misses me and doesn't know what to do. And now he's really going to feel abandoned.

It's days like today where I wonder what I ever saw in Joe.

Last Evening...

I was very proud of myself last night. I was very productive.

I've noticed that I've put on a few pounds in the past few months. I've become a bum, so my bum has gotten bigger and I have noticeable love handles. The bum I can deal with, but I am not a fan of love handles. Especially when they're only there because I've been lazy. It's too easy of a fix to let myself get love handles.

I'm lucky. I have a high metabolism. When I am relatively active, I have no problems keeping weight off. By relatively active, I mean go for a walk a few times a week. I've had more problems with laziness since graduating. I go to work. I sit at a desk for most of the day. I come home and don't want to do anything. While at Catawba, I walked everywhere. I was really active. So, weight wasn't a problem. And I ate a lot because I worked it off. Well, I've kept the same eating habits, but not the same activity habits.

Yesterday, I weighed myself. I have never ever weighed more than 118 lbs. Usually I'm between 110 and 115. I told myself that I would never let myself get over 120 lbs (without extenuating circumstances like pregnancy). Well, I am really ashamed to admit this, but I know that telling other people will motivate me to work harder to get rid of the weight. The scale showed my weight as 121.5 with clothes on. I don't know how much my clothes weigh, but I hope it's a few pounds!

It was scary for me to see. I know that some of you will think, "Boo hoo. That's not bad," but it is bad for me and I'm the only one who counts. I don't let my weight get too low and I don't let my weight get too high (by my standards). Below 108 is far too low and above 120 is far too high, for me. Yes, I know. It's not fat. I'm not saying that I'm obese or even overweight by most standards, but it is more than my ideal weight. I'm not trying to make people to feel bad because they are heavier or say that 120 lbs is fat (I don't think it is). I just think that 120 is to much for me (also, keep in mind that I'm only 5'3" and I have small bone structure).

Blah, blah, blah... Anyway, moving on... Last night, I worked out. For about 45 minutes. I did a 10 minute run. Then I did crunches. Then I did the inversion table. Then I walked for 20 minutes at a steep incline on the treadmill. Then I did more crunches. Then I did weights. Then I did a cool down stretch. And, afterwards, I was really proud of myself. :) I also did not have dessert last night... which I've been having a lot of lately. lol

And, after my workout, I played with my boys for a little while. Then I went to the office and worked on my book for about an hour. It's the most work I've done on it so far. I know, I'm bad. I've been doing lots of brainstorming before bed, but I actually started doing some writing and outlining and organizing last night. I was very impressed. And I like where my book is going. :) Oh, and as a very, very, very, very small teaser... the name of the planet where the aliens are from is going to be called "Aleutia." So, the aliens are actually Aleutians. I'm very happy with that name. It took me a little while to figure out a name that I liked. And, the main characters names will be Alex (or Lexix as he is called on Aleutia), and the human's name is June. I may actually change June's name. What do you think? Give me some feedback.

And then I couldn't sleep. I thought working out was supposed to help you be able to sleep? I guess I'll have to do some more before I see a difference. :)

UPDATE: I forgot to say that I lost one pound after just one day. My weight on Wednesday was 120.5. :)

Blahhhhhhhhhh

I am depressed. I thought I had a home for a pup that I fell in love with at a shelter earlier this month (a previous post is devoted to her), but it fell through today. Now I just want to cry. Her time is about up and if she doesn't get adopted, she will be put down. It's very upsetting. If you know anyone interested in adopting her, please, please, PLEASE, let me know. She's incredibly sweet and I'll pay for everything she needs to get started. :)

My mom called about an hour and a half ago. My sister is out of surgery. She was supposed to be in recovery for about an hour, so she's probably awake now. She had breast augmentation. She's only 20, but she's wanted this for a long time. And she paid for it herself. She worked hard to earn the money for it. I would NEVER in a million years do this, but I support her decision. We come from a family of large breasted women. I am a C cup and I am one of the smallest breasted women in my family (except for my sister). She is a small B cup. She just wanted some boobies... lol. Anyone who met my sister would tell you that she is a strong woman and secure in who she is. She doesn't take crap from anybody and she loves her body (she takes care of it). She is doing this for herself (ligitimately... her boyfriend and several of her male friends do not support her decision), and no one else. So, I say go for it.

In house news, we are no longer using Paul. He's about as worthless as handymen come. It was pathetic. But, we have someone who is doing an excellent job. The tile guy has finally gotten going and the half bathroom is about finished (he's slower than Christmas!). Joe gave him until Monday to finish the tile in the kitchen (as of yesterday, he hadn't even started on it). Our cabinets will be arriving on Wednesday. They will take all day to be put in and then the countertops will be installed on Thursday. Our appliances are in. As soon as the kitchen is finished, we'll have them deliver the appliances (so probably Friday). So, by this time next week, our kitchen should be finished. :) And then the only thing that should be unfinished is the master bathroom. I have hopes that even it will be finished, but it's not likely with as slow as Buddy is. We'll see.

This weekend is homecoming weekend at Catawba. Joe and I will hopefully be going. There is a wine party in Salisbury that we will probably be going to. Especially now that the dog thing has fallen through. :( And after the game tomorrow, we will be coming back to work on the house. I will be painting all of the doors in the house (except the entrance/exit doors to the house -- they will stay the way they are). The doors are ugly, so I'm painting them all white. We can't afford to replace all of the doors in the house, so we're just giving the old doors a new look. They'll go much better with the wood floors and white trim then. :) Also, I have to paint the places in the hallways where the baseboard heating was. Luckily it is low to the ground so it won't matter that the paint won't look exactly the same (no one will be looking that closely at the wall a few inches from the floor!).

Our house is a very, very, very fine house!

We had a frustrating first weekend. We spent a lot of time at Lowe’s but in the end, they didn’t have the kind of paint that we needed for the tile in the bathroom. Well, they did, but with the paint they had, it could only be tinted a very light color and we did not want to go with something that light. So, after all of that aggravation, Joe and I decided against painting that bathroom. Lol… I’m going to look around and see if we can find anything, but if I don’t find any paint that we can use, then there is nothing that we can do.

Paul Kitchen started on Friday and has almost all of the baseboard heating out of the house already. Luckily, the holes are in the walls and not the floor! :) So, that was good news. And they are just tiny holes in the wall. However, there were thermostats in each room for the baseboard heating and they came out leaving holes in the wall that have to be patched. :(

They will be back again today to finish demolishing the downstairs bathroom and to take out the rest of the baseboard heating units. I think the new A/C unit is being put in today as well.

Our doorbell started working! The inspector said that it didn’t work. Well, I pushed on it a few times and it didn’t work. Then a few minutes later, it rang. It scared me. It turns out that something was just stuck and it unstuck itself. Now it works perfect. :)

We cleaned a bunch. It was me and a crew of three men. :) Joe, Dan, and Philip. Lol… it was amusing to watch them scrubbing the walls because I don’t think they’d normally be doing that sort of thing. I got all of the caulk off of the tub in the upstairs bathroom. It was disgusting. Then, I tried to recaulk the tub. So far, it’s just a mess and I’m probably going to have to remove that caulk and try again. lol

The bathroom floor has stains in the grout. I’m still not finished in there. I couldn’t find a brush at Wal-Mart so I had to use a toothbrush to scrub it. That was working, but I wore out quickly. Joe went last night and got be a good scrub brush, but I was busy playing with the caulk at that point and then we went back to Gastonia. So, the floor in the bathroom still has grout stains over ¾ of the floor. Joe doesn’t want to go back over there tonight. I’d like to go back over and get more done! I understand that he needs a break though.

I found places where the wallpaper is peeling. I pulled and it came up easily. I think that we may be able to get it off there!! :)

My mom comes in on Wednesday to help me do the painting and the other stuff. She'll be here until the following Wednesday. It turns out that my ex-boyfriend and his parents will be in town at the same time. His parents have asked if we could go out to dinner on Sunday, so I'm hoping that they don't mean with Michael and his girlfriend. That could be uncomfortable. I'm not even sure they'd be comfortable this way (especially if Joe goes with me). And, they invited us to dinner at a Barbecue place. I checked out the menu. Not Veg friendly. So, I'm probably going to have to pass on that unless they don't have their hearts set on that restaurant.

The dogs were with us at the house in Shelby all weekend. They seem to really like it. It's quieter so Jippy seems to be quieter. Not as much to bark at, I guess. And that is awesome. Speaking of Jippy, he went in to be neutered today. He will be neutered between 12:00 and 3:00. He has to spend the night at the vet. It will be the first night that he's not spent at home or with us since he's been with us. I hope that he won't be too traumatized.

Oh! and Joe admitted that he'd probably miss Jippy if he were gone. It's a huge step. Joe has had a lot of trouble getting attached to Jippy and Daly. He's still not close to admitting love for Daly, but I have high hopes. They're doing well now, so it's easier to love them. Daly is still such a needy puppy that Joe gets annoyed with her. And Jippy isn't the smartest dog (Jack and Cody are really smart), so Joe has had trouble bonding with him. But, Jippy tries really hard to be a good boy (and Daly is a brat!), so Joe is getting closer. :)

Also, while we were in Shelby this weekend, we ate (again) at this awesome Mexican Restaurant. It's called Mi Pueblito. It's got a vegetarian section on the menu! :) And it's absolutely delicious, and FAST. It's a wonderful place, and should you ever find yourself in Shelby, North Carolina, I highly recommend it! :)

Appraisal + Gas shortage

The appraiser finally called yesterday afternoon. It was like 3:00. And it still wasn't final. She had questions for Joe. At that point, she was at $165,000. That's very good. Joe flirted with her a little to try to boost it up a little bit. :) He wants it to be higher. The higher the appraisal, the more we'll be able to borrow for remodeling (we can only borrow a certain percentage of what it will be worth).

Joe is at the bank right now meeting with the banker and trying to get things set in stone for the mortgage so that we can close on Tuesday! :) I am so incredibly excited. So long as everything goes well with the banker (we don't expect any problems), we will just have some final paperwork to complete, and on Tuesday, we will own our very first house!

Joe and I were supposed to be going to Salisbury this weekend to hang out with some very cool people (They know who they are :) ), but this stupid gas shortage may cause us to cancel those plans. Last night on our way home from work, there was a gas station which actually still had gas (all grades), so there were lines clear down the streets at all the entrances to the station. My car is at about a quarter of a tank right now. Joe's truck is at like 3/4 of a tank, so even though it gets less gas mileage, we're driving it. They don't want people to get gas unless they absolutely have to, so we're trying to hold out on filling up my car. Besides that, Joe's truck is a diesel and diesel seems to be easier to find right now.

If we have to cancel our plans, I will be going to Lowe's to pick up supplies for the house... like paint and other such items. :) Also, I have to pick up some stuff to repair the house we're renting right now. Daly chewed on the cabinets in the bathroom and I have to sand and stain them again. :( Also, I have to replace the floor trim that she chewed on. And I'll probably start packing up the stuff that we don't use regularly. Joe and I have decided that even if we aren't finished remodeling the house in Shelby, we're moving in by October 31 so that we won't have to pay another month's rent at the house in Gastonia. I am so incredibly excited that I can't even find words! No more Crackton. It's the best news ever. :) Besides finding the love of my life, Joe, and the adoptions of all four of my babies, of course. :)

Sad Story

I've put up a link to a news story from the ASPCA. It's about a man who while fighting with his ex-girlfriend, threw all of her stuff out of his third floor window -- including her Shih Tzu. The dog was seriously injured and later died. The man was on the run for almost a year, but was caught earlier this month. He's likely going to spend 7 years in jail.

Well, he's lucky. He's lucky because he's just going to have to spend 7 years in jail rather that what I would have done to him. It took the police almost a year to catch him. If he would have done that to one of my dogs, he'd have far less time than that to live. When I found that son-of-a-bitch, he'd be tranked (Dexter Style), and then when he woke up, he'd be tied up so that he couldn't escape. I'd chop off his testicles and feed them to my surviving dogs. And then I'd beat the snot out of him. I'm not sure what with, but when I'm done with him, he'd wish that I'd just thrown him out of a third story window. He wouldn't survive to mess with any of my babies again.

I'm a pacifist. But I'm also a mommy. And no one messes with my babies.

Vacation...

Well, I got back from Indiana today. I had a wonderful time. I wanted to blog multiple times, but my parents only have dial-up internet and it wouldn't work right (they live in BFE, so they can't get high speed).

My family was wonderful. We went to the Blueberry Festival (my hometown's annual Labor Day festival), to the racetrack, shopping, eating, vegging out, and plenty more. It was quite splendiferous. :)

I watched the second season of Dexter while I was there. I was disappointed through much of it, but all's well that ends well, I guess.

Jack came with me. The other boys stayed with Joe. My mom loves Jack. She is one grandma who definitely plays favorites. I met my mom's new dog. He's sweet. He's the one who was temporarily paralyzed. A bit annoying at times, but he seems to be good natured. However, he's not the cutest dog... I said goodbye to my old dog, Magic. She died in June, but I hadn't been back to Indiana since May, so it was strange to be there without her. I was okay for the most part, but when I was playing with my parents other boxer, Tank, I started to miss her. He reminds me a lot of her.

I made my family vegetarian lasagna. They liked it. Even though my dad was extremely surprised that he did. :) He thinks that anything vegetarian has to be gross. He's a freak like that. :)

A house!

Okay... so Sunday night, some super sketchy people were walking in front of our house when Joe and I got back from Dairy Queen with the boys. It was Jippy's birthday and they always get Dairy Queen for their birthdays (The birthday dog gets a cherry dipped cone and the others just get plain vanilla cones -- small of course!). Well, we were letting the dogs do their business in the front yard before we went into the house. Then this guy came around the corner holding a shovel over his head. Jippy went nuts and I thought he was going to attack the guy. Then Cody started after the guy. The guy just kept walking like nothing was wrong, still holding the shovel over his head. I called the dogs into the house and then another guy came walking around the corner. He was fat and shirtless and carrying a box. He asked Joe if he did any construction and Joe said no. Then he cussed Joe out. We got into the house and Joe said that we were officially going to move. :) FINALLY. I'm so tired of crackton.

Anyway, I started looking for houses and I found one that I like that is reasonably priced. We're going to look at it tonight. It's in Shelby. It's about half an hour away from work instead of 15-20 minutes, but it's in a nicer town in a much better neighborhood. And it's got a fenced in back yard and lots of room inside. I'm really excited to see it.

Even if it's not what we end up with, I'm really happy that we're moving in the right direction to get moved out of South Gastonia. If I didn't have those 4 dogs there, I would be afraid for my safety. And all of those out of town trips that Joe makes: they wouldn't be happening. There's no way I'd stay there by myself.

Woot for making progress towards moving out of CRACKTON! :) I'm off to look at a house now.

I hate the heat :(

Yesterday was too hot. In fact, every day in recent memory has been too hot. Why did I ever think that moving to North Carolina would be a good idea?? I hate the heat. And on top of that, the sun hates me (I get sun poisoning at the drop of a hat). And further, I love the snow. And dramatic changes in seasons. I miss the beautiful autumn in Indiana. I miss the 6 feet tall snow drifts. I miss the crazy thunderstorms.

Yesterday, Joe and I went for a walk. Normally he does his run and I walk one of the dogs. His legs were sore yesterday, so we both walked a dog. He had Jack and I had Jippy. After one lap, I thought Jippy was going to have a heart-attack. I put him in the bed of the truck and poured water all over him. Joe did two laps with Jack. Jack threw up twice when he finished. It was just too damn hot.

I pretty much like everything about NC except the weather. Most days I feel that that is enough of a reason for me to move. Unfortunately, I am not currently stable enough to move, and Joe doesn't want to move. I'm thinking about moving to Washington (the state, not DC). I hear that Seattle is fabulous. :) It's cool and wet and that sounds perfect to me.

My boys...

Joe has grown tired of our 4 pups being inside dogs. Daly ruined it this past weekend. She peed all over the kitchen floor. I swear that her bladder must be the size of a watermelon. It had not been that long since she was last outside. And she holds it all day while we're at work. So, I don't know what her problem was. But she really pissed Joe (and me) off.

And Jippy has the same problem that Jack had when we first got him. If he gets scared or excited, he pees a little bit. It's sad. Jack got over his (except that he still gets excited pees on me a little bit when I have been gone for a few days), so I was hoping that Jippy would get over his problem. Well, after Daly peed all over the kitchen floor, Jippy got scared and peed on the living room floor. It was just a little bit, but Joe had had enough. Now he only wants Jack and Cody to be inside dogs.

Joe and I see the dogs differently. I see them as my family, and I would never expect my family to live outside (especially after living inside with us for so long). Joe sees them as just pains in his butt, and therefore, able to be kicked out. For now, Joe and I have an understanding. When indoors, Jippy and Daly will stay in their crates (at least while Joe is home). And, they spend most of their time outside. They are still allowed to sleep in the house in their crates and are allowed inside (again, in their crates) while it is storming.

I only pay attention to those rules while Joe is gone. If he is gone, then the house is mine and my boys are allowed to be out of their crates in the house. I'm trying to make him happy, but I'm not going to follow the rules that I don't believe in while he's not there to be bothered.

This rule is extremely bothersome to me. Jippy doesn't do it on purpose. And I don't know what Daly's problem is. I thought she was house-trained. She has done well for a long time. I guess she's just a brat. She's only 7 months old, though. We got her when she was four months old. How long does it normally take to house train a dog? I don't really know. Cody was easy. He basically house trained himself. I don't remember him ever going #2 in the house, and the only time I remember him going #1 in the house was when our roommate wouldn't let him go out. He tried to run outside, but she wouldn't let him. So he walked over to her, squatted, and peed on her foot. lol :) He tried to tell her.

But anyway, this is making for an uncomfortable living situation. I guess we'll just see how it goes.