Everything's bigger in Texas.

Well, we're back from our adventure in Texas. It was sooooo much fun, and so hard to leave! Teddy's visit with the school went extremely well, so now I just have to wait until its time for me to apply and see how that goes. If all goes well, we'll both be living there in about 6 months! In the worst-case scenario, at least Teddy will be living there by January, and I will follow a.s.a.p.

Anyway, on to the good stuff - unfortunately, I was having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures for first, like, 3 days. There is only one picture of me (taken on the plane home; and its not very flattering), and no pictures of Teddy and I together or me and my family together. Haha. In any case, we had a fantastic time. Thanks so much to my Grandaddy and Penny for having us and showing us a good time (like always)! It was also really nice to finally get to meet my aunt Shannon's 3 beautiful girls. The youngest, Gracie, is officially the first child to EVER think I was cool and want to hang out with me. Ever. She and her 10-year-old sister just fell in love with Teddy, too, so that was pretty amusing. Mackenzie took every opportunity she could to grab Teddy's attention. It was so cute.

We went to San Antonio one day. It was so cool to see the actual Alamo, and the cool architecture of some of the older buildings. It was a lot of fun, but it at one point it started storming, and we had to run across the entire city to get back to our car. I was so drenched, we stopped in the mall so I could buy a new outfit for the 3-hour ride home. People on the street chuckled when they saw me; if you know me at all, you know that there are few things in this world that I hate more than wet clothes, so I can only imagine the look on my face.

We sat by the river and ate Mexican, and got drunk on margaritas (by accident - we're pathetic light-weights)

The Alamo!

We went bowling on our last day in Texas, which was super fun. Afterward the girls (minus Misty, the 12 year old) went to the mall and the boys (and Misty) went to the movies to see Star Trek. It was cute to see how the 6- and 10-year olds shopped. I let them each pick something out at the mall, and I think they had fun. Gracie wanted to hold my hand the whole time; it was so cute.

At the bowling alley, Gracie tried to teach Teddy ballet, but quickly grew exasperated and switched to hip-hop. We went to Cavender's so I could find a pair of real cowgirl boots (yee-haw!)... I told Mackenzie to "look like a pioneer", and I think she thought that meant a pirate, because she did the Captain Morgan and said she was "on a boat"... hahahaha

You can see all of my other pictures here.

Again

OK, another picture-less post today...sorry. I've been pretty lazy when it comes to picture-taking lately. And I have no time. Yesterday I worked a nice, short, 5-hour day. Teddy got home from work about an hour and a half after I did; we changed clothes and drove over to Caledonia state park to have a cook-out with my grandma (who is currently camping there) and some relatives who are in town for a visit. However, when we got to the campsite, there was no one there.... it turned out that Grandma decided to go to some country music jamboree in another town for the evening, and forgot to mention to my dad (who was also on his way to the campsite) that there would be no cookout that evening. Oops.

So we cut our losses and headed up to my parents' house, which is only a few minutes away from Caledonia, for the evening. We ended up going out for Chinese with my parents, which was a blast. We got home pretty late last night, and passed out right away. Now I have to get ready for a long day at work....

Minus One

So, I've been absent for a few days because I've been pretty bummed-out. My Boo-Boo had to go live back at my parents' house. You see, he's a bit of a barker, and our neighbor (whom is really a very nice lady) left us a polite note requesting that we figure out a way to stop his barking. Well, I think its just darn near impossible, so at this point we decided it would just be best if he went back to my parents. I know it made my dad very, very happy because he missed Duffy; and even though I know Duffy misses me, he's probably just fine too because he's quite used to living there, and he has Roxy to play with, and everything is back to 'normal' for him. I miss him terribly, but at least I've got Daisy to cuddle with.

Beside that one bad bit, things have been pretty good around here. There's been a lot of working, cleaning, and even a small bit of gardening. We planted some spring-mix lettuce seeds a few days ago, and they've already sprouted and are doing quite well, thanks to all the rain we've been getting. As a matter of fact, everything seems to be blooming around here, which may explain my sudden head-cold/allergy-attack thing I've got going on. I don't really feel sick, I just have a sore throat and a runny nose. Yuck. I really hope this doesn't turn into a legitimate cold, since we're going to Texas for a visit next week.......

Anyway, just thought I'd pop in quickly to say hello; I'll probably be around again later, this time with some pictures to share....

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers, mommies, moms, and mamas out there!

Love you, Mommy....

Even though you used to dress me like this!!

And, happy Mother's Day to all of the grandmas, grannies, nanas, and nannies out there!

Nanny

Grandma

Unfortunately I have to work this evening, so I won't get to see my mom today, but I do plan on coming over one day this week, and I have a little present for you (if you're reading this)!

Love you!

I finally did a little gardening on Thursday. Grandma came over and gave us this awesome platform-garden thing. I transferred some of my little basil seedlings, and we planted some Jalapeno pepper and mixed lettuce seeds. We also have 2 upside-down tomatoes growing... its really weird, but cool. Grandma gave me a lavender, too, my favorite!

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To:

1. Starting work at a new store today

2. Visiting my grandparents (and Texas A&M) in Texas later this month

3. Taking a class at the Marine Science Consortium in June/July

4. Gardening some more

5. Payday!!

6. Yard sales

7. Going grocery shopping this weekend...our cupboards are bare!

8. Going hiking one day soon...

8 Things I did Yesterday:

1. Drove 45 minutes to work for the last time

2. Ran into like 10 people I know at work, which was weird

3. Watched a basketball game on TV (and I think I liked it?)

4. Cuddled on the couch with my little family

5. Ate the rest of my awesome vegan pizza

6. Talked to my mom on the phone for a good long time

7. Got scared because there was a big spider AND a stink bug in my bathroom...at the same time (Teddy caught them and put them outside)

8. Went to bed with one dog on my head, and one dog on my feet.

8 Things I Wish I could Do:

1. Never work again, but still get paid steadily...

2. Graduate from college sooner!

3. Have more time/inspiration to draw or craft

4. Write a book

5. Teach my dog not to bark his fool head off at everything that moves

6. Go thrifting every single day

7. Live near the beach

8. Talk to animals

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Ninja Warrior

2. House

3. 24

4. ESPN Sports Center (OK, I don't really watch it, but its ALWAYS on our TV, and I'm usually sitting on the couch with Teddy while he's watching it, so it sort of counts)

5. Today

6. Carnivale

7. Dead Like Me

8. The Blue Planet

Friday

We've been having lazy days around here...

Lazy nights (of video game-playing), too.

As you can see, Ms. Daisy has adjusted quite well to life with us redheads (and one furry prince)... she is one happy dog. She knows our morning routine now (and stands on top of me, right next to Duffy, to wake me up at about 5:50 every morning to go outside), she's getting used to apartment life (and not barking at the neighbors when they walk by outside), and she has discovered squirrels. She and Duffy get along like a house on fire, and when they start playing, watch out! This apartment is perfect for them; they can run from end-to-end without stopping (which they do, and it is quite amusing to watch). Mostly they just like to be couch-dogs, though.

We finally got my bookshelf from my parents' house at the beginning of the week, so Minky has a home now. The shelves are still a little bare; I haven't brought my books over yet. For now I'm using the bottom shelf for dog toys, haha.

I finally hung the steer skull, too. And yeah, I was watching Cool Runnings. Sweet.What else...? Umm... last night I made pizza from scratch (for the second time this week; we both love this stuff!) using the dough recipe (with a few of my own little touches) from this book. So delicious. Its half-cheese, half-tofu cheese. :D

Oh yeah, and today is my last day at work. I've been at my current store for over 2 years, but since we live in Shippensburg now, its a 45 minute drive, and that's just too far. I'm transferring to a closer store, only about 5 minutes from here, so that's great. Less gas = more money!

Happy Friday!

Do you believe in Fate?

This is what my morning- or, rather, Teddy's morning, has been like...

That's right, we are officially the proud parents of TWO dogs now! Meet Daisy. She is Duffy's daughter.

(OK, let me give you a minute to process that.....)

That's right, his daughter. About 4 years ago, in July 2005, Duffy and my mom's labrador Roxy (Duffy's wife, of course) had puppies - eleven of them!! They were so cute and funny, being half-Westie and half-Lab.... some had long legs like a labrador, some had short little stubby legs; some had wiry beards, some had smooth sleek fur. In any case, they were super-cute. My parents gave them all away, and we haven't seen any of them since.

Flash forward to now. Since Teddy and I got this apartment, and decided that we wanted to bring Duffy here to live with us (I am his mommy, after all), my dad has been sort of depressed. He loves Duffy and his feisty terrier ways soooooo much, so he decided that he wants to get a puppy.

So this past Saturday, my parents went a-looking at the dogs at one of the local Humane Societies, to see what they could see. Not finding just the right one, they were heading out the door, when lo! and behold! A couple was walking toward the shelter with a little black terrier-ish dog on a leash. They said that they had just gotten a new puppy and they no longer wanted their sweet dog Daisy. (Terrible!!)

"Oh, what breed is she?" Daddy asked.

"Why, she's half-Westie and half-Labrador" the people explained.

"Wow, what a strange coincidence!" my sister exclaimed, "we have a Westie and a Lab at home. Where did you get her?"

"Well, we got her up on South Mountain a few years ago" said the people, and with that, my family knew that Daisy was their grand-puppy, for you see, my family lives on South Mountain.

They continued their conversation and realized that Daisy was, indeed, the daughter of Duffy and Roxy, and phone numbers were exchanged. My dad told me the whole story over the phone, and asked if I thought my family should adopt her. "Of course!" I shouted, "she's part of our family!"

So my dad called the people that very evening, and went to pick Daisy up. He did so with secret hopes that Teddy and I would want to adopt Daisy ourselves, but even if we decided she wasn't the dog for us, then my parents would keep her. She is family, after all.

So I went over to their house after work Saturday, and again on Sunday, to play with Daisy and get to know her a little. She's a very sweet girl, indeed, who looks like her daddy (except for her eyes, which are pure Roxy!) and has a temperament of both Roxy and Duffy. She is, you might say, the best of both worlds!

Yesterday, I took Teddy to my parents' to meet Daisy, and...we did decide to bring her home, hurrah! The poor girl was very confused and shy though (after all, she has met so many new people and been to many different places in just a few days), so we had a relaxed evening last night. She and Duffy seem to be getting along just peachy, though. I knew that Duffy would be OK with her (he gets along fine with most dogs, he just gets a little hyper sometimes), but he has been AMAZING. Didn't get hyper at all, hasn't barked at her once. Just as good as can be. They both slept in the bed with us last night (with Duffy on Teddy's head, and Daisy right between us), and both dogs went out to go potty at 5:55 this morning. Whew. So I think this is good. Teddy and I are both home all day again today, so I think Daisy will be much calmer and less shy today. If not, I have a cabinet full of treats to pursuade her otherwise. ; )

(Sun?)day

I'm lazy today, and too tired to take any pictures, so here's something else that's new in the shop this week.

Eww, its all icky and rainy outside. Not a very pretty day (so far)... but it is only 6:20 a.m., so I guess there's still hope. :) I'm not looking forward to the rest of the day, though - my youngest sister was at a school function here in Shippensburg last night, so I volunteered to pick her up at 10:30 last night, and she came back and spent the night here. I have to be at work at 9:00 this morning, so that means I have to leave extra early and drop her off at my parents' house before heading to work, so... we have to leave here by 7:40 at the latest. Gahhh.

At least Teddy will be home most of the day, so poor Duffy won't have to stay in his crate for too long, probably just about 1 1/2 hours (unlike yesterday when he was in there for like 8 hours, poor little guy). He's been doing SOOOO WELL, its unbelievable. He has never been 'crate-trained' before, but we don't really have too many other options. We tried a baby gate to keep him confined to just the kitchen area (wood floors instead of carpet, in case of an 'accident' while we're gone) but he barked his head off the whole time. I'm just afraid the neighbors will complain about his barking, and he's on a month-to-month lease here, so that just doesn't work. However, when he stays in his crate, he only barks for a minute or two and then he settles down and goes to town on his treat-bone. We put the crate right in front of the TV, and put it on Animal Planet, haha! I know that sounds ridicuously silly, but honestly, I think it helps! Anyway, I feel bad and I don't want him to get bored. But anyhoo, he has just been doing great. He hasn't had any accidents, except for one morning when he did try to wake me up and I just rolled over and went right back to sleep. This is a major step for that little dog.

Speaking of little dogs..... last night after work I stopped by my parents' house because there was a special guest that I wanted to meet...

More on her later! Its quite a long, wonderful story, and there's just no time to tell it this morning! Gotta get ready for work. Happy Sunday!

New shop items!

Woo hoo, I finally added some more stuff to the shop! I had to go up to my parents' house yesterday (because I did something stupid, and had to drive all the way over there when I had just been only a few minutes away earlier in the day...grrrr), and I figured while I was there I could grab some of the stuff I've stashed away and been meaning to add to the shop. So that's how I spent my evening yesterday, taking pictures of stuff for the shop. I really kind of like the way the pictures turned out, with the plain white walls and kind-of shadowy lighting. I hope potential customers like the pictures too......

Other than official shop stuff, I also brought over a few other things from my parents' house, including this awesome vintage sheet which I just knew would be the perfect futon cover:

Luckily, the boys approve.

This morning started out rainy and dreary, but it looks like the sun might peek out in a little bit. I have to work from 11-8 today, no fun. At least breakfast was delicious.