scary but now ok

Sunday afternoon my mom called me to tell my my grandpa doody was having chest paints and called 911, and was rushed to sparrow. he had a heart attack but they got him stabilized, and put a shunt in on monday. yesterday i went to go see him and he is doing much better; is color is coming back, and they are putting him on some blood thinners. It was a big fright for me, since I am so close with him (and my grandma). Hopefully he will be home soon in a couple days. :-/

I GOT IN!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE NURSING PROGRAM!!! I recieved my letter Dec 26 that stated I have been accepted to begin clinicals. There were 51 applicants and 30 seats available, and I am soooooo glad I was accepted (yay high gpa & hesi admit test!) it is such a relief to be accepted. Now to begin preparing for what is to come, and to enjoy my two weeks off left of break, before it's back to a REAL hard grind. Hooray!!! :)

post holiday greetings

the holiday season was great; very busy, but great! i was able to see lots of friends and family, and was lucky to get some amazing gifts! money will go for house stuff and school, but the power tools we got will be great!! my mom also got me these amazing bowls:

the are made from recycled plastic, and are fun nesting bowls! :) i am very excited to use them!

everyone else was in good spirits, and the holidays really flew by. last night i took down all the holiday stuff, and today i took the lights off the house, as it its very warm and all of the snow has melted.

a big thanks to everyone who helped me enjoy the holidays!!

:) happy holidays!

we had our holiday party on saturday, and had a pretty good turnout. quite a few family and friends were able to come, and i am glad to see everyone who did make it. i had stomach cramps from 6-12 (intestinal cramps, not "those kinds"), so i didn't drink at all- and they felt ok if i was sitting, so i did not stand to chat. It was fun, and Remington was so tired from all the extra attention he slept most of the day yesterday as well!
Yesterday I bought some of the plastic stuff you put in the windows; our energy bill was super high last month, and we need new windows (most are original to the house, so from '61), but when its less than 30 out, it isn't a great time for that. So i got the stuff and Ry & i did most of the windows yesterday (all but the ones rem shoves his face into hard, as I figured he would rip the plastic). It may just be my mind, but it feels warmer already (and hopefully less energy loss). If i save more than $10 on our next bill, it paid for itself!
All the snow has melted here; it rained and was warm yesterday and this morning. :( forecasters are calling for dropped temperatures and hopefully snow on the horizon-- i wanna go snowboarding while i'm on break!

over the past few years, i am really beginning to understand what it means to be a good friend, and what to expect from the friends i have. lately, i've been disappointed in my friends. it's not just forgetting birthdays and not getting together on holidays, its the fact i put time and effort into maintaining friendships, where it seems i am the only one putting forth that effort. i understand people are busy; we all are. but while most of us have a few commitments, none of us have huge major ones different than the others. the simple fact is, i am sick of putting out more than i get back, and end up hurt in the process. if we can't get it together now, when are we going to? probably never. so why am i wasting time and effort finding the perfect bday gift and card, when they can't pick up the phone to say hello? why?
the solution? I don't know yet. But, I'm going to work on it.

in holiday spirit

our home is decorated, i hung all of our lights outside (all blue; easy to find us!), i've been enjoying holiday spirit, and yes, wearing a cute pink santa hat to work (it's also very warm!). i love the holiday season!

you've gotta see it to believe it

i have told some people that the squirrels have been into my pumpkins, but i hadn't taken photos of them. this past week, they ate the fourth one, ending fall for me. here is a photo of the destroyed outdoor decor:

next year, i'm lacing my pumpkins with poison. goodbye, vermin with bushy tails!

We're registered!

Last night Ry & I went to Target to do our registry. For month's we've kept a list of things we would like to put on it, so we wouldn't go trigger-happy and put stuff on we don't really need. We were going to do it after thanksgiving, but decided that there would be too many shoppers. When we went it was pretty dead which was nice, and we got it all done in about an hour! We are also going to be registering at Lowe's, but we thought that can wait until next week or so. It was pretty fun. Some things are a bit pricey we put on, but we thought it may be a good idea to do some "group" gifts, and maybe some people want to go in together for, such as some of our single friends or Ry's co-workers. All of the stuff we want are practical, and would use on a regular basis. :) Anyway, we had fun doing it, and target made it easy to do and easy to view in the store and online!

holiday cheer!

today i'll really begin to spread holiday cheer. i'm going in to work a half day at baker to get up all the xmas decorations (they have a lot!), which is fun. then i'm going over to my grandparents to take them out to lunch and any other errands, and then get their xmas stuff up! i love doing it, and a good "work" day as well!
as ry is a stickler for the post-thanksgiving decorations, we will be doing ours next weekend, hooray!
:)

lake effect snow

I had a very fun weekend in TC for girls deer camp. Kayla had no fear of the water/waterpark this year, and ran right in as soon as we got into the park! It was a lot of fun, and hopefully next year she'll be big enough for some of the bigger slides too. All of us girls had fun, and enjoyed pedicures as well. I did some shopping solo, and drove down by the waterfront down town. I was going to walk the beach, but it was very windy & snowing, and decided against it. I hit some lake effect snow as I left on Monday, but the drive wasn't too bad.
On the drive back, I stopped in BR to have lunch with amy, sarah, and crystal at peppers. it was nice to visit, and great to see the girls as well. :)
now i'm back, and about to go to class. next week i'm off for the whole week, as baker gives a week off for thanksgiving. yay, time to do home projects! :)
time for a snowy drive to class, :-/

holiday fun

Ryan & I decided to have a holiday party; many of our relatives and friends keep telling us they want to come see our home, but haven't b/c we're all so busy. We thought it would be easiest for us to have one and kick off the holiday season all at once. The invites have been sent, food & drink lists have been made, and to-do projects before han are in the works. Hopefully lots of people can come & have fun! :)

how bout that

Today, I filled up my tank for under $20 (I still had a fourth of a tank). Gas was $1.98 a gallon. I can't believe it!

WHOOOOOT

Michigan, you've once again made me proud.
America, you've made me proud for once.
:)
Change for America!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

This year, we celebrated Halloween a bit different; no drinking (minus some in cider), and were able to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters for the first time! Jeremy came over to help too. Rem really liked his costume (especially the cape; I think it kept him warm), and we had fun. We handed out about 10 bags of candy (Jer had to run to the store after 6 and buy some more before we were completely depleted) to cute kids everywhere.

The only burr in my side, was the large amount of adults trick or treating. I'm not talking about high schoolers, but real adults-- older than me. Some had their own bags while taking their kids around (over a dozen of these people), and a few adults trick or treating themselves. WTF?! I gave these people one piece; I did not want to refuse, as I thought these people would be the ones to come back and egg my house. I'm all for kids through high school trick or treating, but adult?! C'mon! It's tacky and trashy, and left a bad taste in my mouth. I wonder if this happens all over and I just never knew, or if it is a thing cheap people in Grand Blanc do to nicer suburbs...

falling gas prices?

The falling price of gas for the past two weeks has made me very suspicious. How can it be over $3, and now today down to $2.36 when I filled up? Why can it fluctuate over a dollar in less than a months time?! WHY HASN'T OPEC been brought down by now, and regulated price instilled?!!!
If you don't know what OPEC is, brush up on your world information, and see why it is not Iraq's fault.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/gas-price3.htm

They've still got, the right stuff, baby

Saturday night Ryan, Jeremy, and I went to the Palace to see New Kids on the Block. We got tickets and Jeremy's was his bday/xmas gift from us as well. Jerm and I went and saw them at the Breslin in elementary school with our mom and it was awesome then. It was awesome this time too! The first time we went mom helped us make shirts, so as a surprise I had some shirts done up while at work at Baumans, and we wore them. It was a great concert (Natasha Beddingfield opened and was great), and it was THE l o u d e st concert I've ever been to, fan wise. I thought my ears may bleed (where was mom with the ear plugs this time?!). The guys were still great, and we enjoyed some old goodies, as well as a few new ones. I may even buy their CD (first time in years for that).

We had a great time!!

Disgusted

I am not a liberal just because I do not have the same lifestyle or upbringing. Some republicans are fine and may be doing a great job (Terri Lynn Land, for instance). BUT. I really dislike Sarah Palin. She proves that being good looking can take you way farther than your mind can. That a pretty face can get you into (or out of) pretty much anything. That church and state are separated for a reason, and WHY people think Alaskans are idiots. Where else would someone become governor of a state when they were mayor of a town the size of laingsburg?! nowhere. and now, another reason to want to cause her bodily harm. her oh so wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars on clothing. c'mon, even republicans cannot agree that shelling out so much can possibly make her relate to the average american. check out the article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/21/rnc-has-spent-over-150000_n_136736.html

two-fold increase

Jer is moved in & settling into his new apt. I am going to enjoy having him around a lot more; plus with a 7 minute drive in between, it'll be quite handy! :)
I've been busy busy with schoolwork (nursing pharmacology), "actual" work, house work, yard work, and of course, all the other little bits that eat up a day! Is it Christmas break yet??

He's Hired!

Brother got a job in grand blanc, and is taking over our apt lease!! :) two wonderful things, and it will great to be in the same town (although 5 miles away still) for the first time since high school. Wahoo!!! :-D

this & that

a few interesting things...
i am going to get acrylic coats put back on. all my nails have already broken off, and my manicure is gone. i'll accept it; my nails looks better "fake," and i would rather pay to make them pretty all the time. :)
--
i had fun up north all weekend bird hunting with dad. it was very warm (upper 60's) so not the best for hunting, but great in general. we also went canoeing, and i did lots of studying and bonding.
--
yesterday i left to get back here to do some lawn work. i didn't eat much yesterday; i just wasnt hungry. anyway, i was out doing a number on the ivy on the side of the house (seek & destroy) for about an hour and a half. then the neighbor next door, nikki, came to her fence & we were chatting. all of a sudden i felt bad; i could feel my blood sugar was too low. so i was quickly trying to wrap up our convo to get inside quickly to eat some sugar, but it was too late. before i realized it, i was opening my eyes flat on the ground, and a very worried neighbor couched over me (and her 7 year old daughter, very nervous). I quickly tried to explain I was hypoglycemic, and needed sugar, pronto. so she helped/dragged me into the house where i almost passed out again, and got me candy and orange drink. after about 5 minutes i was able to sit/stand, and was much better. during that time ryan was calling me and she answered my phone & told him what was going on (he was at cadillac, on the way home from his cabin). i was fine, but just had a little episode. pretty much not the best way to get to know your neighbors, but good to know they can help revive you if need be. so, i'm fine. i haven't had a fainting spell from it in a year, but nonetheless, scared the crap of ryan and my dad, who ryan also called about it. good news: i'm fine, and made good friends with the nice neighbors. today i took over a rosebush plant i bought for them as a thank you. :)
--
i am so happy for fellow friends who are going through the home buying process. kayte & brody just closed on their cali home, which will be great for them, and for us next time we are our that way! also katie & louie are in the process of closing on a home in lbg, which is very exciting too. i'm glad that we are all hitting these great milestones already, and can share it with each other.
--
time to catch up on Gossip Girl online, then play with rem.. :)

au natural

for the first time in almost a year, i do not have fake nails.
i have had acrylic coats for almost a year (no fake tip, just the acrylic on top of my own nail). the techs file them waaay down b/c i like my nails really short, but longer than what will grow. i decided today to have them removed now that my nails underneath are longer, and just get a manicure. it feel weird, but hopefully my nails can stay this length & i won't have to get acrylic coats anymore, just a nice mani. we'll see!

Moved into our new home!

We are completely moved into our new home!
Closing went great, and I spent the next few days of few open hours painting before big stuff was moved in, and then dogsat in lbg all weekend.
Yesterday we, along with both sets of parents, siblings, and bff's (and two extra doggies), helped us move. It went much faster with extra people, and with the use of the giant truck & trailer one of ry's co-workers let us borrow. All the furniture is in it's place.
Ry took a couple days off of work to work on yard/ my to-do list, and we will be hanging stuff on the walls shortly.
I can't believe we have our dream house!!! :-D Now, hopefully sombody will be taking our lease over very soon!

Set to close!

We are schedule to be closed completely & get the keys this Tuesday!! :)
I just dealt with cable & electricity to have it switched over Oct 3, and a massive move will occur Oct 5 (since I'll be dogsitting oct 3-5am)-- so if anyone else is available to help, please let me know!
Horray!!

Waiting for closing to close!

This week we have been busy with house stuff. The inspection went great, and the appraiser was there at the same time. The inspector did not find anything big that needed to be fixed, besides cleaning the gutters (which I don't think anybody has done in the last 5 years or so...). We also went to State Farm and switched the renters insurance we had, over to home insurance, which will kick in on the 30th. Our mortgage paperwork is being processed, so we are just waiting for them! Once we hear from them we'll paint some before moving in, since as of now we're still stuck with our apt.
Yesterday I went over to have the water tested. The arsenic levels are right on the maximum line, so we will have to have a filter put on the water (waiting for my uncle well driller to get back to me!), which is a bit expensive but not *too* horrible.
*after all these tests it makes me wonder what kind of water we've all been drinking our whole lives without ever having it tested...
We've also been busy buying some small stuff we will need (window treatments, etc), and adding things to our "to register for" list for the wedding. I've also began a big To Do list. The top of that list includes painting some rooms, cleaning the gutters, and killing the ivy that's growing on the side of the house.
Classes resume Monday (baker is way later than everyone else, thanks to their term system). I'll have classes Monday/Wednesday, and be working for admissions in the mornings before class. i'll also be working at bauman's running & walking, AND yesterday Edible Arrangements called and hired me (yay!) for extra holiday help (which for them is sweetest day thru xmas), which will be nice b/c i was told baumans will slow down, and i will have a month off at xmas.
So i should be happily busy for the next few months. I'll blog with updates as we know!

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

The bank accepted our offer, and we drove to try to sign all the mortage paperwork. The bank hopes to close by the end of the month, & then we will be moving in!!

We & the home inspector are meeting tomorrow at 8:30 to go thru with a fine tooth comb to make sure there aren't any issues we do not already know about. I will also be measuring for window treatments, & doing inventory of the paint that is left there that is included.

YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

sunny fall skies

Today is a beautiful day; sunny skies, brisk temperature, and a little breeze. I took Rem to explore the nature preserve in Grand Blanc, which I had not gone to before. It's much bigger than I knew, and we didn't even explore half of the trails (maybe even less). I didn't run into anyone else either (therefore disregarded the "dogs on leash" policy"). :)
I'm really enjoying my new job. It's a fun place to work, and help new and old runners find new shoes & apparel. The boss is nice & easy going, and I like my co-workers. Plus I guess I get a 50% discount! :)
--
Amy came to visit this past weekend, and minus the nasty POURING rain, we had a great weekend of Ikea, garage sales, and other bargain shopping & wedding scheming. The dogs were happy to play with each other since they were cooped up inside as well!
--
We are still awaiting the answer from the bank if they have accepted our offer; I have been on pins & needles for days-- I hope for an answer by tomorrow... or I'll be stalking our realtor more. Rahhh!

job!

Today I got a new job! It's "Bauman's Running & Walking store," and it's about 2 miles from where we are (**HOPEFULLY**) buying a home! I start tomorrow!!

bidding!

We signed our bid yesterday for the big house we wanted orginally. the realtor gave the orginal people until 10am yesterday to retract their bid or to finish buying. Apparently they did neither. The bank agreed to take accept other bids (from us!), so we signed the paperwork last night. Now our realtor has to fax it to Texas for the seller to sign, and then wait for the bank to accept it.
!!!! Hopefully sooon!

new colors

I got sick of the beige colors of my blog; hello pink!
We'll see how long it lasts!

job possibilities

Since I have not been working much the last few weeks, I have been on the job hunt again. I've applied any and everywhere, from Panera to Home Depot. For once, the Michigan Talent Bank website has gotten feedback from me, and I've gotten some interviews. Tomorrow I have an interview with a company called "Mad Science," which is an after school/birthday party/special event for kids, about science programs. The job with be in Grand Blanc, but I have to drive to their HQ in Rochester Hills for the interview, at 1pm.
Thursday I have an interview with a debt collection agency. It's phone & mailings, not in person. Yes, it's an "unsavory" job, but it pays well, & in this economy, needed! They want a full-time person, but hopefully I can convince them to hire me anyway as part time (they won't have to give me benefits this way!), but we shall see.
Hopefully something pans out! :)

housing yo yo

So the sellers countered, and we decided to counter their counter. Before putting that bid in, our realtor called us back to inform us that the first house we liked is not completely sold; it may be going back on the market b/c the buyers are backing out. So we decided to at least do a walk thru since we were not able to do that, and go from there. Both sets of 'rents also came out for it. In short: we love it, it's huge. Al (realtor) is going to be calling us tomorrow once he makes the potential first buyers basically put up or shut up. In the meantime we are holding back counter-offering on the house we did and the sellers didn't give us a timeframe on which to response. Lets hope we hear back within 24 hours!!

Ahh!

So,
we put an offer in today. They have until friday at noon to accept, or, ( more likely) counter offer.
Ahhh!

Trying to not get our hopes up

Our meeting with the broker went great, and he said we can more than afford the house we want & housing costs as of now, even without my big girl job-- yay!! So Monday we have another walk-through of the house which both of our parents are going to come for, and, if it goes well, we plan on making an offer!! :-D It's very exciting & scary at the same time!
Our agent also told us that the other house we liked hasn't finished selling. The people have not estimated their costs and may not be able to cover it all, and asked if we might be interested. We said we are, but we don't want to wait about seeing if they are able to scrape enough money together or not. I know if it were us, we would be doing anything we could to get the money since they already "closed" on a price. I asked what it went for, and, the closing price was $105,000, and they were asking $129,000 when we found it listed online... it was originally was listed around $200, 000, in michigan's market they have kept lowering it. As a (possible) buyer, this is good news for me! :) So, lets be hopeful for monday.... it's hard to try to not get excited!!!!

Many exciting updates

I haven't updated in awhile, & I have lots to catch up on!
Last Tuesday-Thursday morning, I dogsat in Laingsburg. I was able to catch up with my grandparents, parents, and other errands. Plus, mom made me potato soup, mmmmm.

Thursday-Sunday Ry, Rem, & I, along with 5 others, went camping in the UP. It rained a bit, but we still had a great time. We went up to Tahquamanon Falls for a day, Mackinaw Island, taught Amy how to fish, and romped with the doggies.

Monday was my last day nannying for the family I have been working for in Linden. She quit her job, and she thought she would have 2 more weeks when she put her notice in, but I guess her boss did not take it well (i'm not sure how they didn't see it coming). She told me for months that this may be coming, so I understand... but I'm bummed still! Baker begins in 3 more weeks, so I will resume my job at Admissions, and I am still registered for substitute teaching. Of course, I am also back on the job hunt!

Ry & I went and looked at another house. We first went last week & really liked the area (more than the last house we found and loved) b/c it's safer and still in central grand blanc township. today we had an appointment to go walk through, and loved it! as in, enough to want to buy it. now. SO, tomorrow we are going to meet with a broker that ryans aunt recommend, who is in the banking biz as well, and we shall go from there. We are trying to not get too excited... but that's really not possible. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!

ignorance may be bliss

A few months ago ryan planted the seed about buying a house. of course we would like to buy a house, but i feel the house we can afford right now is not the range of houses i want, and in less than 2 years our income will double. but, he began looking & sending me links. so finally, i began looking too. we have found a couple we like, and i found a house i really liked. this one: http://www.coldwellbanker.com/servlet/PropertyListing?action=detail&ComColdwellbankerDataProperty_id=13500477&page=property&brand=CB
we went to drive by and look at it today. the property is gorgeous, the house is huge for the price, and its basically move in ready. but, we called & i guess an offer is already in, and they and the bank are going back and forth (the broker said for 37 days so far, which seems quite long for a price to be agreed upon). so now we found this house that is great, and we probably will not get it.
i wish i never began looking at houses at all, because i see this happening numerous times before we can buy the one we want: finding a great house and location, and watching others buy it. it's very frustrating, not to mention heartbreaking.
:(

booked!

Ryan & I booked our officiant Tuesday for our ceremony. She seems great, has done lots of weddings, is not a churchy, and has a take charge attitude. Another check off the list! :)

for the next 30-45 days

This morning ry & i awoke to metal grating & large things dropping. think: loud noise. we both had the day off, and were hoping to sleep in together, a rarity. instead, construction that began on the road outside of our apartment began today. yes, the road needs to be redone (it was cement, and every crack was filled with black top. whomever's idea this was, hopefully they no longer work for the road department. anyway, this is the view outside our window:

Hopefully, they stick to the schedule they set out, and are done in the next 30-45 days. In the meantime, we cannot park in our parking lot, so we are forced to park further away (it reminds me of living in the dorms again...). Hopefully Ry is able to sleep through this, but I doubt it... It'll be a rough next couple of weeks. But, when it is done, I won't have to weave all over the road when we go rollerblading for the first 200 yards until we turn the corner; it will be smooooth. . .

Six Months!

Today marks the six month anniversary of Remington's adoption. It seems like we have had him so much longer than that, and I cannot imagine not having him in our lives. We will be celebrating by some extra snuggle time, & perhaps a big rawhide. :) Ahh, the warm & fuzzy feelings. . .

becoming trendy

today i finally gave in to a trend, & bought a pair of skinny jeans, and a pair of leggings. the leggings are to wear under a dress when the weather cools this fall, & for with my uggs. the skinny jeans are for my uggs & other tall boots- its become too hard & doesn't look good to tuck bootcut jeans into boots; it leaves a glump of jean material above the boot. so, i am giving into the trend for comforts sake. :)

family fun

Saturday Ry & I had each of our parents, Jeremy, & Ry's grandma who is in the state for the summer, over for a bbq & out to a movie. The guys went to see Batman on the Imax, and us girls went and saw Mama Mia (i still have the great songs in my head!). After we went to the movie, the guys still had an hour left in theirs, so we went to Jo-Ann to pick out & buy materials for my veil. I asked Rys grandma to make it because shes really great at sewing and such, and it will make it a personal touch that is important to me and to her. :) It was a lot of fun, plus it was nice to get attention from my mom, rys mom, and grandma! :) After which we came back and the guys were already grilling. We had a great dinner & tasty ice cream cake for dessert in celebration of my moms bday which was Sunday. Everyone stayed until about dusk, then we walked the dog & relaxed on the couch. It was fun to see everyone and have them come here, and it was a good time for our families to bond; usually where both sides of our family are together, there are lots of other people around too. This gave them time to get to know each other a bit more. Everyone had a great time, and warm & fuzzy feelings had by all. :)

lets not repeat

Thursday night, i sat for the baums. usually they are very excited for me to get there, but i got there within an hour of bed time, and ryan is in his terrible twos... anyway, he began to fake-cry, but then really worked himself up. i told his mom (and grandma & sister who are visiting) that its fine. within a minute of them leaving, ryan proceeded to throw up. luckily i was leaning against the couch and he was facing out, so only some got on my capri's and the rest on him and the floor. that calmed him down, so i clean him up and put him to bed, then had to rifle through her drawers to borrow shorts while my capris washed & dried. When they got home I told her what happened & she was horrified & said she would've came home if I had called! I told her it wasn't that big of a deal; I'll be dealing with projectile bodily fluids for the rest of my life, and that made her feel better. But they did tip me!
But, it got me thinking; this is the first time in my sitting history that I've been puked on, which is surprising. It's also the first time I've dealt with other peoples vomit that was not alcohol related.
Nonetheless, I hope it doesn't happen again!
:)

Back From Canada

We are back from Canada, & had a great time!
Thursday night Jerm came and spent the night here so we could get a jump start in the morning.
Friday Jerm was up around 6 to run, shower, and repack, and I was up at 7 to finish packing and such. Ry got out of work at 7 so he was already packed & began loading when he got home. We left around 8, and after a few readjustments to the kayak, we were on the road! We made pretty good time, with only a few pit stops along the way, and made it to Rys cabin around 3. We unloaded our stuff & put it away, played with Rem, then got the boat out and took it to go swimming. The water was chilly but it was warm out so it felt good! We spent the rest of the day swimming, hiking, eating wild blueberries we found, showing Jerm (and Rem) the Crooked Tree, and eating. We also enjoyed s'mores on the camp fire, but only for a while due to wind & being tired!
Saturday I awoke early & read outside with my coffee as morning grew sunny & warm, with Rem. Saturday turned out even nicer than Friday, and we were able to swim more, and do some rock jumping, along with some cabin maintenance. Ry also decided to see how Rem does in the boat, and got him in there and took him for a short ride. He was not wild about it. We made a short trip into "town" 20km away for a few sides for our dinner as well. Then back for some more swimming, kayaking, dinner, poker, camp fire (shorter than the night before due to skeeters), and we were tuckered out.
Sunday Jerm awoke early to go on a long run. I slept til 9 then had breakfast & woke up, and took an early kayak trip before we had to start backing up to go. We left about noon. Ry drove since I drove the whole way up. A few pit stops & we got back to GB around 6:30, and Jerm left shortly after we unpacked so he could get back to his place too.
We had a great weekend!

summer fun

this weekend ryan, jeremy, remington, & i will be heading to ry's family cabin in canada. yay! :)

Vicious

Thanks to a new article & real results & not stereotyping, maybe this will make people less wary of bigger dogs that are of the "vicious" type.
"According to the results of research published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, the breed most prone to aggression is the dachshund."
Check it out:
http://www.parentdish.com/2008/07/07/dogs-breeds-to-be-wary-of/?icid=200100397x1205428207x1200270679

And leave pit bulls, dobermans, and rottweilers alone. :) most of 'em are great!

a fun weekend

4th of July came & went; I didn't go watch the fireworks. Rem does not like them, so I stayed home with him. Plus GB does not set any off thru the city. Of course, some of the neighbors did their own. I did sit by the pool in the afternoon; the weather was a in the 70s and sunny. it was even nicer that less than 10 people were at the pool the entire 3 hours I was there, and those who were there were not loud white trash-- quite unusual & a good surprise!

Saturday Kelly turned 21. Christy & I planned a party & everyone had a great time! ...not such a great next day; I think everyone was moving pretty slowly, myself included. But I had a blast, and I think Kel had a great 21st as well! Rum Runners was a blast, and there was around 20 of us. :)

This pic about sums it up:

Hooray!

so much is done

we've gotten a lot done these past couple weeks.
the centerpiece materials are all bought & ready for putting out when we set up the room.
the dj is booked & the deposit paid.
we're meeting w/ my great aunt grace about cakes next weekend and stopping in to talk chair covers at event depot.
the hotel is selected for us & other people to stay at.
waiting to hear back from the photographers.

still need to go look at tuxes, meet & decide on an officiate, and many other small details.
:)

my carbon footprint

Today I decided to check out what my carbon footprint is (www.carbonfootprint.com), to see how i am killing the earth. the results are skewed since i cannot use public transportation nor do i know the amount of gas and such i use a year (as i only pay electricity & heat is included in every place i have owned). but my results:
"Your Carbon Footprint:
tonnes of CO2
House
0.511
Flights
0.762
Car
11.826
Motorbike
0.005
Bus & Rail
0.000
Secondary
7.154

Total
20.257"

Now. that seems like a lot! but I have both the F150 & the Mazda listed. The differences between them are significant:
"15000 miles in MAZDA MAZDA3: 4.608 tonnes:
15000 miles in FORD F150 PICKUP 2WD: 7.218 tonnes".
I am trying to make Earth-friendly choices, such as 90% of the time using Trader Joe's reusable grocery bags, walking or biking close distances, turning lights & appliances off, and recycling when I can (the county won't give us a recycling box since we are not homeowners, and there is not a drop off site in the county. BOO.). I am striving to do more, and open to suggestions. I feel like I will be able to make greener choices in the home once we buy our own home, and can control the appliances we put in, etc.

What is your carbon footprint?

weekend with amy

this weekend amy (and snoop) came to visit for work & play.


work being her excellent duties of maid-of-honor, aka, super helpful lady! we worked on some projects, the biggest being the card box. i looked up card boxes & i did not want to spend more than $15 because it is not something we are going to save/use again, but all cheap ones were very tacky. (think doves, wire bird cage, ickyness). so i decided to make my own. i sketched it out & bought supplies. amy checked the math & measurements to make sure we had the right amounts, and we set to work! it turned out great, and only took us a little over an hour to make. now that it is dried it is safely packed away in two bags to keep out dust & crap. i think it turned out great, and it cost only about $12! we also discussed bridal shower plans, and many other scheming-ness.


play being lots of shopping! we went to great lakes crossing & genesse valley malls, as well as ikea. we found lots of good deals, and had a lot of fun. plus yummy snacks all over! snoop & rem also happily romped together all weekend.
they are so cute together, especially since of the size difference! i'm glad they get along so well, and keep each other company when we cannot play with them!
we accomplished a lot this weekend, and ry is working on cake & dj stuff (he's on midnights still so happily did not accompany us on an 8 hour shop day!). this week i will be working on hotel stuff, and other various things.
i would like most wedding stuff to be taken care of by the time classes resume late September, so i can focus on school & not be stressed! :)

wtf is wrong with girls?!

As if there wasn't enough evidence that the sex education programs being taught in America were horrible & in need of a modern overhall, a story like this comes out:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25272678/

fathers day fun

I had a nice short visit in laingsburg. claytons open house was nice & had great food, and i saw a lot of people i hadn't seen in awhile. for fathers day, jerm and i took dad out to bob evans for a tasty breakfast, & then we stopped by to see grandpa & grandma for a short while. jerm & i both headed out around noon. I did forget to repack my book I was reading (which was a library book), so mom will have to mail it to me--whoops!
once i got back i unpacked a bit, & amy came for a visit on her way back to ann arbor. we went to walk around the flint art fest. i saw many things i liked, but didn't buy anything (although I did get some great ideas for making jewelry!).
Next week I'll be nannying 4 days, yay!, and enjoying reading poolside :)

love it

I went & saw The SATC Movie Sunday morning (i was the only one in the theater!), and it was great! I almost cried about 10 times. It nicely ties up loose ends from the show, and was fab!
--
Bridesmaids dresses have been choosen! Dena found some really great dresses that she found on the JcPenney website, and I went and tried them all on (and karley), and I chose the one I thought would look best on everyone, and all of the girls really like them too! :) They are around $60, which is pretty reasonable, plus its really cute and can wear again (I almost bought one for myself, but resisted!). Amy may wear a slightly different dress (maid of honors often do), so she is looking into that as well.
--
I have been nannying a whole lot which has been great! It's keeping me busy & building that bank account back up! :)
--
I will be in LBG Saturday/Sunday morning. Clayton's open house is Saturday, then some family time for Fathers Day. :) Plus Rem! Ry has to work so he wont be coming.
--
Off to 5/3 bank. My first car payment, according to the paperwork, should be tomorrow. BUT I haven't recieved a "statement" (aka, bill), in the mail or anything, which concerns me. Luckily there is a 5/3 in Grand Blanc so I am going in to straighten it all out. I don't want to ruin my credit before I build it!

Will The Real Nomine Please Stand Up?

Well, it is no official yet, but I believe Obama has clinched the Democratic nominee. As much as I was hoping it was going to be Clinton, I am still happy with the nominee, especially since they are most hinting at Clinton running as Obama's VP. I think that would be best, and help unite the Democratic party, and grab more interest nation-wide. Either way, I'm ready for the Official nominate already, so I can slap on a bumper sticker with pride.
That reminds me; are YOU registered to vote yet?!
http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_register.html?ms=googlevr7&gclid=CKmgqZbn2pMCFQqFGgodbS7uZA

love is patient, love is kind...

Yesterday was Sarah Adams & Ray Cole's wedding, which ry & i went to. sarah was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l, and her and ray were very happy and lovey (minus the cake smashing face ordeal). the ceremony was at a methodist church in dewitt, and the reception in the south room at eagle eye. everyone was in a great mood; no stress! there were tons of people there, and awkward conversation turned to comfort of old friends who have grown apart. everyone had a great time, and we stayed until last call-- we dropped remington off at mom and dads beforehand, and spent the night there last night. we had a great time!
--
nannying is going great, but i am still trying to find another side job for summer.
finals week is next week, and as of wednesday, i'm free until sept, yayyy. :) to enjoy books for fun for awhile again, yay!

"so, what did you get?"

There are many things that annoy me about classmates, but one of the top is getting asked what I got on a test/quiz/project, etc. It has always annoyed me, even in grade school when it wasn't considered so rude. If you wish to tell me what you got, okay, but do not ask me. If I wish to tell you, nosy persons, then I will. So every time you ask me, and I reply honestly and your face drops since I have outscored you once again, shouldn't you just STOP asking? Apparently, no. Apparently, some people are still in high school, and think they are in the Top Ten. What does it matter what I got? As long as you aren't beaten by 30 people a term, you'll be fine getting into the program. Other than that, stop pestering me with your middle school questions, I have better things to do.
GAH.

hooray!

Saturday night we surpised mom rouse with a 50th birthday bash in Troy. She was surpised, and it was fun to catch up with friends and family of the rouses.

Sunday mom doody me and amy went to davids bridal to browse wedding dresses. we didn't think we would find "the one," but wanted to see what was out there & check out their $99 dresses on sale. the first one i tried on, i fell in love with, and was The One. I love it! It was in a photo i tore out of a bridal mag & put in my dress folder of possibilities, and love how it fits and looks. Of course, then I tried on 20 more, but this one was the keeper! :) very exciting!! it's hanging at mom & dads in safe-keeping, until next spring when i will have it fitted.

Sunday Ry also built the rest of our deck. For some reason, the apt's here only have half decks on the ground level, but full balconys on the upper floor. So, ry and i decided to build onto the measley one we had.

Before:

After:

It's the best looking deck on the buildings, and the flowers are too. :) Lets hope people leave them alone (so far so good)!

Our new tv also arrived today. ry spent his stimulus money on it, along with $200 extra, and bought the best HD out there. I only agreed to a 37" (which is huge enough for us), and it looks nice, and the picture is so crisp!

time for some watermelon, and to catch up on shows on dvr--

zoom zoom!

-we're all moved into our new apt! after many bumps, bruises, and sore muscles, we are settling in and adjusting to having people above us. so far, so good!

-i've begun my new nanny job for the 4 month old boy. he's pretty good, and the family (and the pay) are great. :)

-we opened a joint checking, and i opened a new account separate as well through Chase, and i like it a lot so far; still phasing the old bank out.

-we went up north for the weekend to manistee, which was a lot of fun! we were originally going to gabbys for her grad party, but unfortunately we were not able to. :( so we went up north instead, which was fun and we were able to spend time with rys mom early for mothers day, and rys dad, who was in the country for a few days. remington loved being off a leash and behaved very well; no shocking him with his collar even! the second day we didn't even put his shock collar on. :) amy also came up (and snoop) for sat day & night, so it was doggie central with ours and rys parents and rys grandpa, who came to visit, dogs. the weather was great fri and sat, and we all spent a lot of time outside.

we spent part of sunday with my fam, and then came and finished moving stuff sunday night. (not so fun in the rain).

-i bought a new car!!!!! it's a 2007 mazda 3, and i really really love it. it was only $1,000 more than the focus' (so, only $20/mo more), and for $1000, I am really glad I made the choice I did. plus the 07 mazda and the 07 focus get the same gas mileage (double what my truck was getting, by the way), and I love it. . . . it goes really fast though, so i gotta watch out!

zoom zoom. :)

times, they are a changin'

There are some somewhat big changes in store for me in the near future.
- Changing home. We are moving to our "new" apt beginning Thursday; they are giving us the whole weekend to keep our keys. The new place? About 50 feet away. Mmmhmm. New address is 7-9, the rest is the same.
-Changing banks. It's time for me to find a bank here. As much as I love NuUnion, there are no branches here and its annoying for check cashing from babysitting. Friday Ry & I are going to open a joint checking at Chase, and I am opening a separate account as well for just me.
-Changing vehicles. I am looking for a gas-friendly car. Car. I know. But, I am spending a lot on gas, around $300/month, and that is just commuting in my truck twice a week, and taking Rys once a week. After this semester, I will be commuting a lot more, and gas is just going to keep going up. It'll just get worse. With $300+ a month, that's a car payment & gas, and I don't have to worry about my truck going kaput; with 151,000 miles on it, it's life ticker is ticking. I know I am going to really really really miss my truck. I love it. But it's no longer practical. I wanted a Prius, but to buy is much too expensive, and to lease allows only 15,000 miles per year (45,000 for three years), which wont cover half the miles I will drive just to class and back. I am looking at new and used vehicles; whatever I find is best gas-wise, and will have a payment of around $200/month. So far, looking at Grand Ledge Ford's website, I found a 2007 Mazda 3 I like (it's red, manual, $14,000, and gets 24 city and 32 highway), and a 2005 Ford Focus (silver, automatic, $10,000, and 22 city and 29 highway). We will keep looking. I'm not too picky. I'd prefer a stick, but we'll see what I can get for what I am willing to spend.
With all these changes, it makes me a bit nervous; it's all very Grown Up. . . and I guess it's time. Lets hope these changes don't lead to to any anxiety attacks (so far none!), and any advice, let me know!

chilly spring morning

As wonderful as the high 70s for weather was last week, it did not last, and is back in the 40s and 50s. I would be happy with 60s for the next month. :) Remington and I have been rollerblading a few days a week as well, which is great for both of us.
The meet & greet with the new family went quite well, and I have a trial sit today from 10-2. They said they are also considering one other person, so I will have to wow them with my wonderfulness! :)
Tomorrow I sit for the Baums for a few hours, then Karley is going to stop by to visit, which will be great!
Saturday I am going to a mother/daughter banquet with ryans mom & dena, which should be a fun girly time :)
Classes are going pretty good; I am doing really well in mirco, which is surprising, but all this studying is really paying off! Patho I am doing well in also, but we have less quizzes so its harder to eyeball where my grade will be. It's weird to just have finished up midterms at Baker, while most other schools are done. This "term" system is throwing me off! I won't be done for the term until June!

I researched wedding officiants this week online. There was one recommended on an Eagle Eye sheet we received after booking with them, and she seems good, and I found 2 others I really liked. I didn't think I would be able to find a non-churchy-but-not-crazy officiant, but so far it is going well! Ry & I will schedule times to have a meeting with each of them this summer, and then make our selection. I want somebody who is funny, not long-winded, takes the time to get to know us a little bit, and doesn't preach. Easy enough, right? :) We'll see.

morning

i'm about to leave to go sub for Bentley high school, social studies and biology. should be fun!
after that i am headed down to aa to help jerm move some of his stuff, stay the night, and see him graduate tomorrow, yay! :) mom & dad are coming down too of course, and the groves for gary, so it will be a nice time!
i also sit sat night, and sunday evening.
and had a meet-and greet with a family in linden, as a possible summer job. my sweet nanny job this summer? eliminated. apparently she took a "buy out" which means she will be home this summer. not only am i bummed that my job was eliminated, i'm pissed that i went thru all of this work to get this job with this family, so early before summer, and she took a buy out; which i assume she knew the possibility of a buy out may occur, so why waste time and effort of hers and mine, i do not know. so hopefully this other family works out!

fun experiences

I had so much fun playing soccer yesterday! I was the only girl (all the teams are co-ed; they must have one girl at least on the team & playing), and the youngest, but I think I did pretty great! I'm learning the lingo, not very sore today (hip flexors & back muscles only), and had so much fun. Plus it's great to play another co-ed sport with Ry; we had so much fun playing ultimate frisbee in the fall, but it was a drive to Troy & back each sunday. all the games are in grand blanc, so they are 10 minutes away, which is much nicer. :) Yay for learning and playing sports as adults!

random

today i began to get used to ry's motorcycle. i sold mine last summer, b/c it was too big for me; among other things i could not stand flat footed. ry's is smaller, a 550 (rather than a 650), and i plan on using it to commute to owosso. so i'm getting used to it today. but it randomly will stall/die, and take 10-15 minutes before it will restart. not good. ry found one on craigslist just like his for $500, so we are going to go try it out later this week!
today on our way back to our apt, we saw a woman get attacked by a dog, who lives at a house across the street from our building. she was bleeding on her hand and back but seemed fine and wasnt angry. another car car of people also stopped who saw it, and rang the bell to alert people who lived there of the problem. ryan encouraged the woman to file a report-- since we run by there too, as well as run, walk rem, ect, i'm on the lookout.
rys soccer league started today, and i went to watch him play. he did great, and their team asked me to join! i've never played, but it looks fun & most of the peopel on the league have limited expierence or haven't played in many years, so it should be fun! the league plays saturday and sunday evenings, so i'll be able to make most of the games except when i'm babysitting. it should be fun-- i have to go buy cleats tomorrow (and refresh myself on the rules of the game!). :)

its good to be home

after a week away, its good to be home. i had fun with balto, but being in a big house by yourself with just a dog and two cats is a bit lonely! plus balto is not much of a snuggler like remington; he's more of a licker. as in, loves licking my lotion off of me. i don't enjoy that!
my truck is fixed; turns out it was just my back shackle that was broken, not the spring, ect. it only cost $30 to have it fixed, yay! so the truck continues; lets hope it makes it until i'm done with nursing school!
ryan and i have been doing lots of plans & figuring out crafty ways to keep costs lowered. for example, we planned on doing simple invites/rsvp's; the kind you buy at the store and can print them on the computer. usually they are $30 for a box of 50 invites/rsvp with envelopes. i found a nice simple style at joann fabric clearanced out for $7.97 a box of 50; a HUGE savings! so i bought 5 boxes (all we will need), and that is taken care of. plus the style is nice and clean; no doves or rings or whatever in sight. :) and mom rouse said we can print them all on their computer, which is great!
Ryanbegan for training for a Urbanathlon (http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/) today, which is in Chicago this fall; anyone else interested in doing so check it out! it has running and strength training. i'm excited for it, and i may train for it too.... i just don't need as much time to "get into shape." but i am glad he is doing it & it gives him a goal to work on!
i'm knee-deep in patho & micro this semester. i am really enjoying patho; learning about all the diseases and whatnot is really interesting! micro, not so much. plus i don't enjoy using microscopes. good thing baker is on terms & i only have 8 more weeks to go! :)

updates

friday i went to see Riverdance at the Wharton with my grandparents, and it was great!! i'm glad i was able to see it before they stop touring this year.
i'm dogsitting in okemos all week until saturday, which has been great so far! plus, their neighbors asked me to watch their cat for today-friday while they are out of town. :) bonus!
working on wedding planning/organization, and all of that great stuff. i went and turned in our signed contract & the deposit yesterday, so the "where" is alll set! (hint hint to those out of staters!)
tomorrow my uncle kevin is going to fix the back springs on my truck, so they do not rip a huge hole into the rusty bed causing more damage. plus he's doing the labor for free, horray!
time to get to class though-- more in a few days!

We Set a Date!!

We Set a Date!!
June 12, 2009 at Eagle Eye Golf Course. (That's a FRIDAY). It will be in the evening (reception and ceremony). We're going to be married in the Grand Garden outside, and then the reception will be in the Lakepoint Room (or MR if you've worked there!). We set the date yesterday, when Ry, my mom, and I went. This is all very exciting and scary, and it will be a nice change to be at an event there, and not be working it.
Wahoo!

moving woes

so in a month we will be moving. to the building next to us. 50 feet away. WHY, you ask would be want to do that? because we are being FORCED TO. when we moved in we told the person we would be getting a dog; they said no problem, just to tell them when we did. two persons across the hall also have dogs, so we thought, no biggie.
when we returned from AZ we had a notice on our door that we had 24 hours to get him out; that sign was dated for the friday before. we went in steaming tuesday to the office, explaining we were told that we could have one; turns out the signing agent we dealt with was fired since she didn't know how to do her job, and did not put us in a "dog building"-- could've fooled us since there are other dogs in there!! arguing and whatnot for days with these people, and apparently the other dogs are getting evicted and we have to move to the "dog" building, right next door. and they wont make our building a "dog" building.
i am PISSED. i do NOT want to move, let alone just to the next building. so in may, we will be moving. i am still going back in to work out the painting situation; they said we could give the painters the colors we have and they would paint them as they prep the apt for us, but we don't have that much paint left so we'll have to buy more, & they told ry we will have to "prime" our apt before we move out, which will NOT be doing, since in our lease it says we do not have to repaint the walls before we move out.
it is a very very VERY shitty situation, not to mention a huge hassle. and i will be making sure those other dogs will get kicked out as well.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

exciting!

thank you to everyone who has given us their well wishes, via phone, email, in person, or along with wonderful notes & gifts. this is a very exciting time in our lives, and i am glad that i feel such great feedback & enthusiasm from my closest persons in life!

now that we have talked to everyone in our wedding party, check out the wedding page i've begun to work on!
http://www.mywedding.com/ryanautumn/
more info will be added as we set a date, ect. but for now there is some info on there! :) wahoo!

Down Time?

Since we've been back from AZ I feel like I've been on the go go go!
Tuesday: Began uploading pics while Ry went to court for a case he was involved in, until late morning when we left for Troy to go to the jeweler to have my ring re-sized (it was about a half size too big), then to Richmond to pick up Remington from Ry's parents. Finished uploading most of the pics to webshots (now completed), and began working on our wedding website (Joe & Allison had one which was very helpful and interesting to look at), plus lots of phone calls with friends and family!
Wednesday: Babysat in the morning until about 3, then drove down to Troy to pick up my ring. Back to GB to shower and get ready, then Jer & 'rents arrived, then we all went to dinner at Damons at 7 with Ry's mom, bro in law matt, and kayla (rys sis, dena, and dad were both out of state for work), which was great! Ryans mom got us these beautiful crystal candlesticks, and it was great getting the families together.
Today: Babysat in the morning til about 4, then to the post office, bank, and nail salon to have my nails repaired/fixed (they got beat to hell from the acid in the all the oranges i ate in AZ & the massive amount of dirt in the desert quadding), then to Kroger for some groceries. The rest of today consisted of working on the wedding site (to be launched soon), getting clothes ready for tomorrow, lots of snuggling with Remington & Ry, and catching up on shows on DVR.
Tomorrow: Friday: subbing for Bentley HS, then Amy & Snoop are coming to spend the night!
Saturday: spending the day at Ry's parents watching their dogs, then babysitting at night in GB.
Ahh, spring break.
:)
All in all: had a great break, glad to get back into the swing & saving money & staying busy!

an amazing trip to AZ

I had an amazing trip to AZ! We had a Flint-Atlanta-Pheonix flight both ways, and no lost luggage or hassles along the way (besides weirdos sitting next to us on all flights).

Wednesday: Flew out and arrived in AZ mid afternoon. Talked with Rys aunt & uncle & laid poolside while the sun lasted, then out to yummy mexican with everyone. early night to bed b/c of the 5:30am wakeup and 3 hour time difference, we were pooped by 9.

Thursday: got up at 6 to eat & head out for the grand canyon. we were out the door & had a beautiful car ride there, and arrived around 10:30. Checked into the hotel & had a great start out by 11:30 of hiking. I've never been to the grand canyon & it was breathtaking. We planned out our hikes & headed out with our day packs. We decided to hike to Powells Point, about a few miles hike; Powell is ry's mom maiden name & his middle name, so that was neat. It was a great hike out there and enjoyed it. Once there we took more pics and while resting, ry was rummaging in his bag. He said "Autumn," and i turned around, and he was down on one knee and asked to marry me. I was suprised & excited & said YES!! and cried of course. It made the day that more perfect! :) The ring is beautiful, ry is wonderful, and it's all very exciting!!!

We contintued hiking (i skipped about for some of it, hehe) for a few more hours until about 5, and then headed to the hotel to shower & go out to dinner. We went to a neat western-themed place, and then retired back to the hotel for celebrations. :)

Friday: awoke very early (i was excited & couldn't sleep!) and went down to breakfast. by that time ry awoke too, so he called me & my solo hike turned to duo (much better! :) ). We had a great morning hike and for the first hour or two we saw very few people about. We went back to the hotel and to clean-up, check out, and grab some lunch, then headed back to Pheonix. We got back late afternoon & caught up with his family, and then ry & i and his aunt & uncle & 1 cousin & boyfriend met up with Kristy & her boyfriend Justin for dinner; it was great to see Kristy, who I haven't seen in a year since she moved to AZ, and catch up. :)

Saturday: Uncle Duane, Kristyn Corey & Jaime (the 3 az cousins) ry & i went quadding all day in the desert, about an hour outside of pheonix. it was beautiful (although VERY dusty/dirty), and we rode all day; we packed food & beverages for it too, so it was great & lots of fun!

Sunday: We spent the last full day of our vacation pretty relaxed; no alarms, and me & the girls enjoyed laying out in the sun for a few hours, before ry's grandma (who migrates during the winter in az) came for easter dinner, and then us kids played Life afterwards which was a lot of fun.

Monday: Ry & I got up early to say goodbye to kristyn and jaime before they left for school, then we got around & went to the harley store & then to ikea since there was one a few miles away :) we then finished packing & left for the airport about noon. all of our flights went well, and we got back into flint around 1am (and then a short drive back to grand blanc).

we had an AMAZING vacation. :)

spring forward!

did you remember to SPRING FORWARD last night? It was nice to wake up with it even sunnier outside (although very windy...), and I am sure it'll be nice to have it be sunnier later as well. :)
--
This week will be busy.
It's finals week (Baker operates on 10 week terms; most programs do fall/winter/spring, and then summer is optional for extra classes, ect), so I am studying to rock my a&p II final (lecture & lab). Tuesday is my last quiz, then we can retake 1 quiz we did worst on earlier in the term. Thursday is the lecture & lab final.
Tuesday I am nannying for 5 or so hours. Friday I've already booked a sub job at GB West MS all day. after that, ry remington and i will be headed to lbg for the night for a birthday dinner with the family (and a meeting of remington & aspen, we'll see how that goes).
then we will head out saturday. I nanny sat night, and ry will head to his 'rents for the night.
sunday i will get up & around, then head to ryans 'rents where his family is having a co-bday part for Dena, Ry's sister, and I (her day was the 6th). Sunday night we will be heading to Ann Arbor, to prepare for an early wake up call to get to the bar by 7am for Kegs & Eggs.
:) Wahoo!

$

yay for getting my tax returns, a few nanny jobs, & a few sub jobs lined up. :) My nest egg continues to grow!

a taste of warmth

today was 50 degrees. rediculous. wonderful. sure, it'll be 30 and snowing tomorrow, but it was nice to feel a glipmse of spring!
--
Craigslist is really helping my income; i've been booking quite a few jobs with a few families; it's great! now i've gotten ry hooked on craigslist!
2 weeks left of winter classes, then 2 weeks of spring break.
st pattys on the 17th in ann arbor,
we fly out the 19th for AZ.

can't wait!! :)

amusing

the first time i saw this commercial on tv i was falling asleep... and instantly cracked up. bud light is notorious for funny commercials, and this one is no exception. plus the dog looks like & really reminds me of remington.
have a laugh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UHKB6nQrzM

on the horizon

i'm ready for sunny skies, warmth from the sun on my face (not sub zero wind), skirts, & flip flops.
Three weeks to go! :)

reflection on gifts

i love christmas-time, and i enjoy giving gifts. i also love receiving gifts, especially those that are thoughtful and make me mushy because i have such great friends. i received many wonderful gifts this past season, but two i use numerous times a week (well, three, but the third was a steamer i bought myself with money from the steamer i returned that my mom got me b/c it wasn't the one i wanted);
one are the Trader Joe's reusable grocery sacks kayte got me. these sacks are great because i hate using plastic 1-time bags & end up with tons of them under my sink that i only use as trash liners in smaller bins in our apt (but too many bags for the amount of trash we have). but now i have these great bags i can use and use and use! i make sure to always keep one in my truck for when i just go to kroger for a few things (or when i forget to grab them out of the pantry), or i take all 5 when doing a bigger shop for groceries. i just go thru the u-scan so i can pack them myself & not hassle a cashier with it (and truthfully i would rather do it myself anyway).
my second most used gift is the shower radio amy got me. i've always wanted a shower radio, and was very happy she got me one. it works great and i love being able to sing along off-key in the shower, especially when an older song i love comes on.
so, thanks kayte & amy!

*this is not to say i do not love or use all the gifts i have received, these are just the two that are used the most & felt the need to share. :)

book review

i am reading a very interesting book right now. it's called 'the scorpions sweet venom,' and it’s a narrative/memoir of a Brazilian call girl. it received a 'we're so over it' review in this months Women’s Health magazine, and i thought it sounded interesting. it is very graphic, titillating, and interesting. i recommend it.


also, the spellcheck function keeps "failing" on blogger. wtf?! i switch to blogger, and it fails me. good ol microsoft has my back. how annoying....

oxox

Valentines Day has never been a big "holiday" for ry & I (or for any lover and me); I view it as a day to show extra love to those closest in your lives. Plus our anniversary is the 26th, so that trumps Vday! :) Anyway, we had a small celebration, plus I came home to find a balloon attached to this:
I don’t know if everyone knows about Edible Arrangements, but I love them; they look beautiful AND taste great! Ry's mom introduced them to me, and they have stores scattered throughout Michigan at least. They're not terrible pricey (as much as a nice bouquet), plus you don't feel bad they "die" after 3 days. :) This bouquet is 24 dark chocolate dipped strawberries, and they are yummmmy!
This is just a cute shot of Remington and I snuggling. :)

I know some people cannot understand how to fall in love with a "pet," in fact I haven't as much before this because it was more of shared pet with the parents. But, now I understand so much more, and he is making Ry & I's home so much more so. We are enjoying being "parents," and its making our relationship stronger as well. (and no, please don't ask when we are "getting engaged/married," I do not know. ask him, not me!)

snow snow snow

Michigan in February is as peachy as ever; lots of snow & cold, and everyone (aka, ME) is sick of it & ready for warmer weather. I don't want 80 or anything.... but a solid 30 with not much wind would be good. As well as clear sidewalks. I've definitely been walking much more now that Remington is here; its good bonding time between he & I (bonus when Ry comes too), as well as burn off energy both of us build up. Since it's been so cold we've been going on shorter walks since I'm bundled up like a snowman, and he only has short fur & I don't want him to freeze. Things are going along wonderfully with him, and although I feel guilty when I have to leave him in his crate, I know I must get over it because he will be fine for a few hours. . . but still! :(
Tonight I am getting CPR/ first aid certified via Baker; it was supposed to be a 2 part class (2 Wednesdays in a row for 5 hours), but due to horrible weather last week Baker closed Wed & Thurs, so we will be cramming it all in to one week, which is even better in my book. I'm only taking this class so I am at least half time so my financial aid will work (I comp'ed/transferred all classes I could take this tri-mester except one 5-credit, so I had to pick up at least 1 more credit. CPR happened to be offered, and it's actually useful).
Friday Remington has a big day at the vet; he is going to be neutered, rabies vaccine, county fees, microchipped, a small wound on his ear looked at, and his nailed clipped. It will be an expensive visit, but very worth it all; plus I'll get a partial refund from Isabella County since the adoption fee I already paid included neutering & rabies. This way he will be checked out for anything else, and microchipping I think is really worth it. Just about every animal shelter/vet/ect has a microchipping machine they check animals with, and all animals are microchipped in the same place (below the neck between the shoulder blades), and since he was found & turned in to the animal shelter, he may be a runner; I don't want to risk losing him!
Other than that, I am staying busy with school, babysitting a few different families, and looking up stuff to do in AZ for spring break. I'd like to bungee jump, but I haven't found anything close by the Grand Canyon (by close, I mean less than an hour). I'm excited to go to AZ; I've never been to the desert, & it'll be good to get away for a week. :)
That’s all for now; study time before the gym.

summer job & loving dog

I've had a pretty great week!
Things are settling in with Remington; he's a wonderful dog, and I have no regrets about adopting him. Ry & Rem are best buds too :) He's very active, so we are taking more walks (a good thing), and throwing tennis balls and his Kong about a million times a day. :) Although the kong we got is already breaking apart; so much for indestructible! His teeth are just too powerful. So we'll have to buy a bigger one. And he's learning to not be afraid of the hard floor (he doesn't like the sound of his nails on the tile), although it's a work in progress!
Craigslist is really turning out to be great. I was contacted about a summer nanny job for a family in GB. We talked terms, and agreed to them, and today had a meet & greet. They seem like a great family; 2 boys ages almost 4 & 6, and in a verrrry nice neighborhood. We agreed on $10/hr, and its Wed/Thur/Fri about 10 hrs a day. It'll be a niiice paycheck, close by, & hopefully fun summer! It fits perfectly with my schedule of summers off from school June-Sept, and I'll be able to bank some money. :) A BIG thanks to Michelle for getting me hooked to craigslist and meeting some great families in GB!
The weather has been crazy; my CPR class via Baker was cancelled Wed, and my classes were cancelled Thurs as well! As nice (and strange) as it was, I would have rather had class, so we don't have to jam more info into a short amount of time.
Time to go to petsmart, then some babysitting tonite. :) Then off to Alma tomorrow for Kaylas Third Birthday party!

A GREAT WEEKEND!

Ryan & I had a great weekend!
We left for Big Rapids Friday around noon. On our way we stopped at Isabella Humane Society to look at a dog we saw on petfinder.com; Remington, a German Shorthaired Pointer mix (and by the looks of it, I think the other part of the mix is pit-bull, based on his eyes & tail). I feel in love. As soon as we got to his kennel I immediatly teared up as he looked at us wagging his tail. We weren't able to adopt until the following day (dogs have to be there for 7 days until able to be adopted), so we went & bought pet supplies & continued on our way to Big Rapids.

When we got to BR we went to Gabbys, where we were staying. Adam was also visiting so that was great too! We went to pizza hut for dinner, and then ry & i went over to schubergs for a bit for the wedding rehersal dinner, b/c larenda had a gift for me (i volunteered to cut the cake, because their hall they rented were going to charge them an extra $100 just to cut the cake, so when i found that out i told her i would do it, thanks to two years expert cake cutting practice a la Eagle Eye), so it was nice she got me a gift (even though it was not neccasary!). She got me this really pretty compact silver mirror from things remembered thats magnfied on one side when opened and normal on the other, with my name engraved on it!

After staying for awhile we headed back to gabbys to shower and whatnot, and after a little pre-drinking we headed out to Shooters, where we met up with some other friends! We all had a good time but I didn't drink too much (and Ry had 1 or 2 only) since we had to get up early the next day.

When 6am rolled around ryan & i were up and at em, with 4 hours of restless sleep. We ate a little bit then headed out to Mt. Pleasant to get our little bundle of love. Its a first come first adopt process, so I wanted to be there before 8am opening. We were there at 7:30am, before the workers! So we waited & were allowed in at 8:10 when they got there. We immediatly got Remington out to play with him. Then we found out we couldn't adopt til 9, so we waited...and then we couldn't adopt until 9:30, so we waited some more.

At 9:10 another woman & her daughter came in to the adoption room where we were playing, and she wanted to adopt him too. So she rudely said "well if more than one person wants to adopt a dog they put names in a hat and draw them out." My heart sunk to my feet. I became so nervous we were not going to be able to "win" him! I tried to not get emotional, but based on my history of never winning gambling situations, I was very anxoius. But to my very very happy surpise, at 9:30 they called my name, and when I went to the desk they said we could adopt him! That brought about another round of emotional tears and happiness! So we signed the paperwork & paid the fee, put on the great new collar we bought, and were on our way!

We stopped to get breakfast, since by that time with all that emotion (and time) we were starved, and stopped by Ryans friend, Karlys, to eat & so she could see him! After a little visit, we had to head back to BR. We went to Amys, who vonteered to dogsit while we were at the wedding, and he and Snoop, Amys dog, got along great from the get-go. We sadly had to part but we were getting pressed for time, and I had less than an hour to shower & get ready & get to the church!

After a quick prep, we were off to the church... until we got there & nobody was there. Turns out, Big Rapids has TWO catholic churchs. Luckily I called Gabby & she google mapped it, and we got there in the nick of time, whew! It was a nice ceremony, minus the crying flower girl for most of it. We went back to gabbys for awhile after that b/c there was a 2 hour time b/t ceremony & reception, and then went to the reception. The food was really good, and it was a fun time, but we only stayed until about 8; we were both pooped, & wanted to play with Remington!

We went to Amys to spend the night, and we all got along great! Sunday we got up slowly, the dogs played, we went to breakfast at A la Mode (mmmm), then to Big Lots to buy a dog bed (Remington kept trying to sleep on Snoops, and he's too big for that!), then off to Alma for the superbowl at Matt & Denas.

Remington & Kayla got along well, and we're glad for that! We left their house shortly after halftime, b/c we were ready to be home! We got back last night around 10:30, and after a quick shower & some playing, we were all ready for bed. We tried to put Remingtons crate in the living room, but he does not seem to not like to be able to not see us, & was whimpering. So we put his crate in the bedroom for now, and he was fine & went to sleep. :)

We are so happy with our doggie!

Big Rapids bound

Tomorrow Ry & I are off for Big Rapids for the weekend. Our friends, Kyle & Larenda, are getting married saturday in Big Rapids, so our main reason is for that. But we are also going so we can see our friends who aren't going to be at the wedding! Gabby is letting us stay with her, so that will be great too :)
On our way up, we are stopping at the Isabella Humane Society to check a dog out :)
Michigan is supposed to be dumped on (snow-wise) for the next 24 hours, so hopefully its not terrible driving. Either way, we'll make it somehow!
Sunday we are going to stop in Alma on the way back through for Matt & Denas superbowl party.
Should be a great weekend!! :)

No german shorthairs

Well, getting a German short haired pointer has been eliminated from our search. the rescue place basically said that they do not find apartment living to be good enough for their dogs. This really angers me, because who is to say that a dog would go outside more in a house than in an apartment? Plus, these dogs are rescue dogs; do not put on petfinder that this in an "URGENT" dog, if you reject good & loving homes for them like us!
We are still waiting to hear back from the boxer rescue, and we found a couple at the humane society we want to go see; one of which is a miniature pinscher. Craigslist also had a 2 year old beagle listed for free that we emailed, so hopefully we hear something back soon! It's just frustrating to see all of these dogs & we call or email them; if it were a real urgent situation it should take someone a small amount of time to respond. And if you are NOT going to respond, then don't list an e-mail or phone number.
Grrr!

Searching for a doggie!

Ryan and I have decided we are ready for a dog! We've been looking at the Humane Society dogs on Petfinder.com, and we went to PetSmart today. I found a brother sister set of pit bull pups (5 mo) that were super friendly and adorable, and I really loved them!!! We aren't necessarily going to get a hunting dog; if we happen to find one we will. We are looking for short-haired; beagle, boxer, pit, whatever we find that we fall in love with.
We are trying to wait until after spring break to get a dog since we will be gone for 5 days & don't want to have to hire a dogsitter! haha.
Wish us luck! :-D