Me against the Water

I have an inground pool. Be jealous for all of .03 seconds, then come to terms with the fact that owning a pool is less fun than having a friend/family member with a pool. You see, this particular year, the hubatron and I have both been working a garbage ton of hours. Combine that with a late opening due to weather and then a hole in the pool liner, and we are sitting pretty on June 22nd still unable to swim in the pool.

I also work an off shift and am usually not home until around midnight. So last night, the big man decided that we should really make an effort to get the muck off the bottom of the pool. So out we go in our suits attempting to clean leaves and muck and possibly dead animals from the bottom of the pool. We didn't get very far before the mosquitoes made a 5 course dinner out of me, I started to whine and we called it a night.

Needless to say, I'm just rooting for a pool party sometime before the end of July...

Since this post was kind of lame I will leave you with a picture of my cutie girl. She takes after me and is quite serious about her reality TV.

The day Kona went to Lighthouse Pools and Spas

So, my husband has a bizarre love of taking the dog with him on errands. He gets to be the "fun one" because whenever he goes anywhere he's all "come on Kona..let's go for a car ride!". And she runs to the door tail wagging like he's her hero.

Well, my husband also has a knack for being less than observant. See Kona is like a shark. You can't turn your back for a second or she seizes the opportunity to make a break.

So today, the big man needed to get a bag of filter stuff. So off we go in the car. When we arrive to Lighthouse, Adam opens up the door and Kona makes her move. She takes off like a banshee and runs through the parking lot like a wild wildebeest.

We both chase after her but quickly realize the only way to get her back is to lure her into the store (note, I'm not sure the employees agreed this was a good plan). So that's what we did. She went to check it out and we were able to wrangle her back into the Rogue.

Moral of the story, Kona's car privileges may need to be revoked. Or Adam needs to realize that Kona is smarter than him and act accordingly.

2010 Year in Review - Better late than never...

I did one of these in 2009 and I like to look back and read it, so I wanted to do one for 2010 as well. In January, this seemed too hard to write. I have no idea why, but it did so I just didn't do it. Now, it didn't feel so daunting.

So without further ado, my 2010 Year in Review

January

I was still knee deep getting my masters degree. I decided to double up this term and take 2 classes at a time to finish with the summer to finish up planning the wedding. This was a crazy decision that ultimately made me a happy graduate in May. We started looking at videographers and I went to a bridal show…it was winter and yucko.

February

I was actively on the hunt for bridesmaids dresses. My MOH and I made a point to make all Thursday’s wedding planning/drinking wine and munching on food I shouldn’t have been Thursday’s. It was a really fun time in the week.

My husband to be turned 35 and we did it up right. I took him out for a great day of indoor golf, a Food Network Star lunch and a night on the town.

March

I was hell bent on finding a florist that wasn’t going to cost me an arm and leg. In the end I found a great one that was CHEAP (and turned out beautiful). We ordered bridesmaid dresses.

The end of the month held the official last day of the term. I was thrilled to death to have tackled 2 classes at once while working full time. I felt accomplished but also relieved it was over.

April

This was a kind of quiet month. I travelled a bit for work and spend a weekend with my mom and dad in New Hampshire. I started my new and final class in my program and it proved to be a doozy.

I went to Missouri for work.

May

May was one of the craziest months of the year. I was finishing up school. I had four papers due. I went to Salt Lake City for Work. We had visitors from Salt Lake out here for a week. It was nuts.

We also travelled home to New England to watch my very best friend get married Memorial day weekend. It was a beautiful wedding, but a whirlwind trip. We tried the BEST Mai Tai’s I’ve ever had.

We also had our food tasting and selection this month and had our engagement pictures taken. It was the hottest day of the year and we made each other laugh talking during each picture while sweat dripped down our backs…they came out cute none the less.

June

I officially finished my Masters program on June 12, 2010!!! It was a very good day.

I tried on my wedding dress for the very first time the day after our wedding day cupcake consult. The cupcakes were divine but my dress didn’t fit and I spent the next 6 months starving. It was also too short, so I spent several weeks petrified I was going to have to wear flats. Oh the things that make a bride sweat.

July

Our nephew turned 1 years old! We spent a day celebrating with him (while I ate celery because remember, I was still starving).

My birthday happened and went by without much attention. I was very focused on getting all the wedding stuff taken care of, and it just kind of slipped by. I think I ate cake with my MOH and we took a half day from work to have crappy Mexican food.

August

I had two wedding showers this month. One in Ohio the other in Massachusetts. My Ohio shower was wonderful at a winery with all my friends and work friends. It was a very hot day, but very special and I will always remember it. My Massachusetts one was equally wonderful and special. It was at my godmother’s house. There was yummy food and a whole lot of love. It made me view showers very differently.

I had my hair and makeup trial this month and was extremely happy with it. I also called an organist to play music at the ceremony.

September

I tried on my dress again (after they called and tried to cancel on me…I had been starving for months, I was putting that dress on if I had to break in and steal it). IT FIT!! And they were able to adjust the hem so I could wear my AWESOME 4 inch heels.

I had my bachelorette party in Kelley’s Island. It was such a great time. A weekend to remember with a lot of special ladies. A good time was had by all.

We were officially 1 month out and I was 100% wedding centered.

October

I feel like my year stopped here. I became officially married and it was the greatest most awesome day ever.

Our rehearsal dinner was the best dinner ever. 62 of our closest family and friends came out and ate and drank with us. The next day was the day and it went without a hitch. I can’t even say enough about it.

A week later we went to Hawaii and it was outstanding. It truly was paradise and after all the wedding planning and stress, it was well needed.

November

We got a puppy! It was cute and black and we named it Pleepleus (everyone hated the name but me…I wanted to call her Pleeps for short). 30 hours after we got her, she started to throw up and seemed really sick. She was tiny, only 8 pounds. We took her to the emergency vet clinic where she was diagnosed with the Parvo virus. She died 5 days later. I was crushed.

We took a leap of faith and got another dog about a week later. We named her Kona. She is a beautiful German Sheppard/Border Collie mix. We love the crap out of her.

I also went to my first Browns game! It was super fun…minus the buttheads in front of us that yelled at me for talking about something other than football during a football game. That part wasn’t fun.

December

We attempted Christmas together again this year, but weather deterred us. We spent the day with Adam’s family and I was pretty sad about it. I actually barely remember Christmas this year.

Adam got into a car accident during a terrible snow storm. Kona was in the car with him on her way to being spayed. Thankfully everyone was okay! But Kona got a free pass on her surgery for the day.

She went in for surgery the day after Christmas. I missed her terribly that night, but she did great! I was very worried for her recovery, but she did fine. She’s now a happy doggy that isn’t able to have any puppies…which is a very good thing!

New Years was also pretty uneventful. We hosted a small group, but it was nice to ring in the new year with friends.

The Final Countdown

So, I have a pool. It is nice when it's running properly, but this year that has been few and far between.

Basically, I am faced with replacing a $5000 pool liner this week. That news kind of sucks monkey butt. But my options are slim since it's an in ground pool and to fill it in would likely cost several thousand more than just replacing the liner.

That type of spending is not something that I do very frequently. In fact, I don't think I've ever spent that much on anything before...so some aspects of my life must change. The good thing is that may actually give me something to blog about!

I'm starting a new weekly challenge starting this weekend, 6/19/2011. This challenge will be to spend $100 or less each week. To some people this sounds silly and should be easy. For me, not so much. I've never had to live in a budget. I've always just seemed to make due. I think this will be good for me, though.

So, each week I can recap how I did. The biggest challenge for me will be food. I am very picky and I like to eat what I feel like, not what is on sale or what is the most convenient. Also, entertainment will be an issue...we tend to enjoy our time away from the house. We will certainly need to make some changes to how we fill our time.

According to my calculations, this should work out for me and I should wind up with a pretty significant surplus that will help me with weeks I fail miserably or things just randomly come up.

So here we go! Wish me luck!

Let sleeping dogs lie...

So, it's no secret that I have an abnormal fondness for my sweet puppy Kona. She is the sweetest, smartest, four legged friend in the whole world. We adopted her from a shelter that was absolutely amazing. We had had a terrible experience with a horrible facility masquerading as a shelter just before that, so it was refreshing to deal with a place that is actually in it to find good homes for animals in need. In a nut shell, the previous place sold us a very sick animal and we wound up out LOTS of money trying to save her. We had great vets, but it just wasn't enough. But that's a story for another day.

Today we have a Kona and she is pretty.

Anyway, most professionals will tell you that dogs are den animals. They feel secure and happy in places like crates because it mimics their natural environment. My dog, not so much. Basically, she hates her crate and eats it. She will escape whenever possible. In fact, we had to buy special metal clips to keep her in the crate because she figured out how to unlock the doors by using her nose. We tried to leave her out, but that was no bueno...she ate every paper product in sight...again a story for another day.

See, this is the current state of her crate...notice happy toys in there to keep her occupied...also this crate is easily twice the size necessary for her...it is her puppy palace...that she feels the need to eat the floor of.

So, we recently moved our living room furniture around and lately, this is where we find Kona on a regular basis. Whenever we can't find her, check the little crevice between the couch and chair and sure enough, there she is. Notice the comfort hedge hog she dragged in there to snuggle with.

Basically, the moral of the story is that yes, dogs are den animals. Mine just prefers her den to not have a door on it. And that is allows her to raise her head up and get some lovies whenever she feels the need.

You had to have the front page, bold type...

I feel like I am consistently doing this, but I'm giving this another whirl. I think I get stuck because so much time passes, and I forget, and then I feel like I need to have a "where have I been" post for my non existent readers....So for this reason, I will not explain. Instead I will just post something random.

I need a hobby. My life basically consists of working a job (that I love) that has little to offer me. It's a declining industry that unfortunately doesn't allot me much room for advancement unless I choose to relocate...which I don't. So that being said, I work a garbage ton of hours without much gratification.

My recent obsession has been to try to create some sort of canvas cluster using pictures from my wedding. Here's the only dilemma, I don't want to be that girl that has pictures of herself all over the house. Now, if you happen to be that girl, I am not judging you or calling you a name. I am only stating that I am not, and thus I need another option.

So I decided to go with several detail pictures. There are some gorgeous ones of my flowers or our toasting flutes or my shoes (I die...I could have an entire hallway of pictures of my shoes). But as I'm thinking it through, I'm wondering will people think I'm weird for not wanting pictures of my face? I have no beef with my face, I just don't think people need to be bombarded with a 16x20 inch picture of me and my husband.

So, what do you think? To canvas or not to canvas? I'm biting the bullet...maybe I will make it a goal to post a picture once it's complete!