Spring has Sprung

As previously mentioned, I have a great deal of gratitude towards my new best friend Punxsutawney Phil for getting spring to come early.  I am not a cold person and therefore care very little for winter.  Working outside this weekend helped me remember how wonderful the sun is and how happy it makes me.  And, I captured two pictures as proof that it is spring.

Devin has been promising me that he will plant grass in the front yard "in the spring."  One whole side is now planted!  The rest should be taken care of later this week.  Also, my beautiful husky has decided to shed his winter coat.  I brushed him on one side of the yard while Devin worked on the other.  As a side note, this massive pile of fur was pulled off less than 18 hours after his last brushing.  Crazy huh?  The beagle was brushed after this and also let go of a small clump of fur.  He was last brushed at the same time as Blue.  I hope everyone else had just as wonderful (and hopefully as warm) of a Saturday!

Oh My Goodness it's FINALLY Friday!!

This has been a rough week.  At the beginning of the school year, I counted ahead to see how many times a test week would coincide with a "hormonal week" for me.  These overlaps led to some near self destruction during Devin's first year of medical school.  So, I wanted to be prepared.  Knowing they were coming, I could plan for them and be okay.  However, soooo many other things happened this week to through off my groove that I just turned into a train wreck.  I don't know that I ever want to relive the past three days.  I am already questioning whether I have a stomach ulcer from the anxiety of it all.  There are a few things that helped me survive it all, though.

* Yoga was my salvation on Tuesday.  I have two amazing friends that I take the class with, and that makes it even better.  I didn't even get a complaint when I showed up to class grumpy and venting.  By the end, though, I was feeling amazing.

* Running has become very therapeutic.  I've tried out some new routes and have been learning to run without music (or with only quiet music).  The time has turned into a decompression session for my mind.  Plus, with my new running sunglasses on, no one can see when a tear slips out.

* I love my dogs.  As I have mentioned before, Blue is very tuned in to my emotions.  And, Max is constantly sweet and affectionate.  One night this week, Devin came to tell me goodnight before staying up for a marathon of studying and called Blue up on the bed to sleep with me for a while.  He was kind enough to snuggle right up to me and pass out without question.

* Music is wonderful.  While doing chores last night, I popped in my ear buds and sang along.  It. was. awesome.  I actually enjoyed doing my chores while wondering what song would pop up next with my whole mp3 player on shuffle.

* Even with his test coming up, Devin was so tuned into me.  He has learned when to suggest solutions, when to be a sounding board, and when to just listen.  I love how he can always make me feel better.

* Friends are wonderful.  I love that I can vent to them without judgement and with complete understanding.  I will always be grateful for my wives club for helping me find such awesome friends.  Seeing and spending time with these friends multiple times this week was wonderful.

On an even happier note, Devin is taking his test right now.  And, he always calls me when he's done to let me know how it went.  Plus, he was very prepared for this test, so he should be in a pretty good mood when he is finished.  Then, we have a lunch date at our very favorite deli that is only open for lunchtime!  We also have very little planned for this weekend, which I love.  Our run is only 8 miles tomorrow, I've been promised a fro-yo date, and we will enjoy some awesome weather at the dog park.  Life is good.

The World's Most Awesome Bowler

I know that this title doesn't actually belong to me, but I'm pretty sure that I deserve something close to it.  I have never, ever, EVER done this well bowling in allll my life!  Granted, I have enjoyed it and have been decent enough at times to not be terribly ashamed.  However, before tonight, I think my high score was in the low 130's maybe?  Look at it now!!!!

That's right people!  I scored a whopping 158 this game!  How did I do it you ask?  I bowled a turkey...and then got another strike right after that!  Tic Tac Toe, FOUR in a row!  Here's my proof.

Now, lest you promote me to hero status or something, I will show off that this was not a completely perfect game.  Four strikes and two spares isn't anything to scoff at, though.



Honestly, though, the best part of this night was that I was able to spend some quality time with other wives from MSA.  This was definitely an activity I was glad I didn't miss!

Adventures of Blue & Maximus

In honor of Max turning 6 months old today, I figured I would break down and blog about my dogs.  I try not to do this too often, so I appreciate the excuse.  First off, a cute video of them playing together.  This could go on for hours.  In fact, my favorite version of this video was several minutes longer, but I doubted anyone would actually want to watch all of it. 

Now that we have come to know Maximus a little bit better, I feel much more able to write about who he is as a person...er, dog.  Max is a mischievous little guy with the best set of puppy dog eyes I have ever seen.  He is charming, social, and loves to have fun.  Once he is asleep, he is is such a sound sleeper.  However, it can be difficult at times to get him to wind down.  At the dog park, he is the life of the party.  He has no fear, and will try to entice even the biggest dogs to play with him.  While there, he is most often found in the middle of a large pile of dogs playing some game that he initiated.

Max's name has led to a pile of different nicknames including Maxy-moose, Maxi-poo, and Moose-a-max.  We also call him "The Tubby Puppy."  If there ever was a puppy fitting the description of "tubby," it would be Max.  He's a little tank who is now tipping the scales at 18.5 pounds!  He loves his food more than any other dog that I know.  We sure are glad to have him, though.

Blue is still the same wonderful dog he has always been.  He is patient with his brother, while still asserting his dominance.  He is independent but loves attention.  He is laid back, content, and very aware of his surroundings.  Blue still continues to amaze me with how perceptive he is to my mood.  On Blue's birthday, I tried to describe how Blue's attitude streak has reappeared in pictures as a puppy and an adult.  These two pictures, taken today and roughly 13 months ago, help show what I am talking about.  Crazy, huh?

This afternoon at the dog park, Devin and I discussed the differences between the two dogs.  To best sum it up, we decided that were they to attend college, Blue would be an athlete, and Max would be a frat boy.  It's the best way we could come up with to describe them.  However, you have never seen two dogs who loved each other more than these to do!  And, I wouldn't trade either of them for the world...

Websites I'm Loving...

My internet has been taken over by a small handful of websites.  I realize they actually provide a pretty accurate window into what is occupying my mind these days.  For anyone who is curious, I thought a would share.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/

This website allows my to count down the days until my cruise as well as read about and book shows, dinners, shore trips, and more.  As the most accurate information about our sailing is here, this site is checked at least once per day.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/

On this site, I can get nearly any random question answered to help my plan for the cruise.  It's a whole community of know-it-alls, which I love!  Plus, there is a whole board just for our sailing...awesome!!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

This lovely hack of Google Maps is used by runners and cyclists across the country to plan routes, track elevation, and can even be used to calculate calories burned.  While training for my race (coming up in 2 weeks!), this has been very useful.

 http://www.runnersworld.com/

After I complete my runs and workouts, I keep a log of them on this site.  I love tracking my progress and seeing how far I've come.  Plus, the articles and blogs here are pretty interesting to read.

http://www.weather.com/

 Of course, I also love to see the weather lately.  It has just been so beautiful and just keeps looking better.  Not only is this bookmarked at work and at home, it is also a quick link on my phone.  I just love to see a little sun with a glorious warm temperature underneath!

Now, since my web exploration has become so limited, does anyone have a site to recommend to shake things up?  Of course, I didn't include my email, Google Reader, or facebook, but I think those were pretty much a given.

A Lovely Day

Yesterday was by far my favorite Valentine's day ever.  Before work, I surprised Devin with his favorite breakfast served in bed.  It was fun to enjoy sausage biscuits, eggs, and orange juice to start the day.  Of course, I didn't get any pictures.

After work, Devin told me I wasn't allowed in the master bathroom.  As I got changed, my mind was running through all the possibilities of what he could be hiding in there.  As it turns out, he just wanted to redirect me to hall bathroom where he had been able to hang my present.  My sweet husband had decided that I didn't need to just but a cheap pair of managable sunglasses to run in but deserved some with quality.  He spent time researching the best ones before running around town trying to find them.

Because the day was beautiful, we headed to the dog park.  Obviously, our dogs are pretty much our favorite pastime.  We had lots of fun watching them with the big crowd there.  Afterwards, we loved watching them fall asleep cuddled up on the kitchen floor.

While they were sleeping, we were making a delicious dinner.  Eating out is so commonplace for us, that we decided there was nothing special about doing it.  And, we didn't want to fight the crowds we faced last year.  Plus, we have learned to really enjoy cooking dinner together.  On the menu was filet mignon on the grill, fresh green beans, roasted potatoes, mini cheesecake pudding pies, and sparkling white grape juice.  Once again, I didn't photograph the food.  But, I did capture the desserts.  We laughed at Devin's strawberries and my flop with the chocolate.  (Note to self: dark chocolate does not melt to a drizzle consistancy like milk chocolate.) 

After dinner, Devin opened his presents and we got some quality down time together.  I had planned on getting a picture of us together (we haven't taken one since Christmas and Jessa still has not even sent those to me!), but again I forgot.  That seems to be a theme these days...

Life is Beautiful

Thank you Punxsutawney Phil.  I might actually start to believe you from now on.  At least, I'll continue to consider it if you keep promising me early springs.  This is beautiful, and I love it!

Birthday Blue

My baby turned two years old yesterday!  How did this happen?!?  It seems like just last week I had a 5 week old puppy who would only sleep at night if he was laying on my head/pillow.  He was chewing up my cell phone charger as the low battery light was blinking, tearing up my toilet paper, and shaking on the floorboards any time he had to ride in the car.

Now, I have the most wonderful, well behaved, beautiful dog there ever was who lets me know any time his little brother (or any visiting dog) is doing something he's not supposed to do.  Honestly, Blue trembles at the idea of misbehaving.  He loves chewing on bones, tearing through rawhides, and only shakes when he's getting a bath.  He never did like those.

Over the past two years, Blue's personality is one thing that hasn't changed.  I feel it has developed some, but in pictures you can see the same streak of attitude that has never gone away.

Blue still believes he is a human.  There is nothing he loves more than laying on the bed with us, sharing the pillows.  He certainly loves to play with Maximus, but he often prefers to sit on the couch with me and growl as Max if he tries to join us.  They have learned to share his foof chair, though.

I feel like we are so lucky for having Blue come into our home and into our lives.  We could not have asked for a better dog.  We made sure his birthday was special and delicious.  He and Max have feasted on ice cream, treats from Fetch (a dog bakery), and even got a little bit of real bacon.  For his birthday breakfast, Blue ate an oversized birthday bone.  Of course, Blue also got a new toy to celebrate.  We love you Blue dog!!

Salad Challenge

We have been in a bit of a rut lately with what we are eating.  Sometimes, we will get to the point where we are eating out waaay too much because it seems easier.  Recently, we have been trying to be better about eating quick, healthier meals in, but this led to a dinner of Chocolate Cheerios and Goldfish one night recently.  Seriously though, when your meal could be consumed independently by a baby, it probably isn't that well balanced.  Last week, we decided to try a salad challenge.  On Monday, we stocked up on enough stuff to make 4+ dinner salads that were all very different.  This will probably work better once it's summer and we have a greater amount of produce to choose from, but we still got creative and made it work.  Here's a look at how it went...

Monday: Asian Salad

Devin used his firebox as a mini grill to make us some sweet ginger glazed shrimp.  This was put over a bed of a spinach mix with pineapple, mandarin oranges, chow mien noodles, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and carrots.  It was topped off with a sesame ginger dressing.

Tuesday: Green Salad with Chicken

Due to the rainy day, we were unable to use the grill for our salad.  So, we simply baked a chicken breast in our toaster oven to slice up.  With assorted vegetables, a little cheese, and roasted red pepper vinaigrette, this salad was delicious!

Wednesday: Mexican Salad

The reason we called this Mexican salad and not Taco salad is that there are no chips.  And, you don't need them!  This salad was made with grilled steak, black beans, corn, peppers, onions, cheese, and pico de gallo instead of dressing.

Thursday was supposed to be a chicken parmesan salad.  I was really excited about this one.  However, it was a beautiful afternoon, so we went to the dog park and stayed until they closed.  By that time, we decided that we were hungry and just wanted to go out to eat.  The rest of our salad stuff was used for a lunch salad on Sunday (not chicken parmesan!), and I did not take a picture.  This was a fun experiment, though, and we plan to do it again!