MIA

Wow, I can't seem to get to my computer lately. I've been so busy I haven't been able to get a look at the computer much less turn it on. It's only been 17 days since my last day of worked and it has flown by! There has been so much going on, it's truly unbelievable. We'll start at the beginning and make it in bullets so we don't have a ridiculously long post.

- Unpacking! Tons and tons of unpacking and organizing and I'm still not done. There has been so much to do and it's been nice taking my time doing it. I've always hated moving and trying to fit things in the couple hours at night or the short weekend.


- Trip to the Jersey Shore. We went to Ocean Grove, NJ with my family the Sunday after the Fourth of July and had so much fun. Hubby had never been there before but I spent my summers growing up here. It was nice to show him where some of my childhood memories were made.

- Camping trip with his family. It was mostly cousins but some of the aunts and uncles came as well as his parents and we had a blast. The weather was great - no bugs! Nice and warm (but not too warm) during the day and chilly enough at night to put on a sweatshirt and sit around the campfire. We made s'mores, played games and swam in the lake. Great memories were made and we plan on doing it again next year.

Here comes a big one...


-We're opening up a salon! Hubby is a master stylist for many years now but took a five year hiatus. He's been interested in getting back into it but nothing seemed like the right time. We over the past few months everything has fallen into place. We found a great little store two blocks from our house in a perfect intersection that we have been remodeling now for about a week. It was completely empty when we signed the lease but a lot needs to be done. I've been taking pictures along the way and will create a post to show everyone the transformation process. We're so excited and this is what has been taking up a great deal of my time. That and finally getting some QT with hubby. It's nice that we're on the same sleeping schedule again :)


-Trip to Florida. Which is where I am now. Probably the reason why I have the time now to finally get a post out. It's been nice spending some time with my family even if drama has ensued occasionally. Well that person is gone now and we can all have fun! I have a couple more days (leaving on Sunday) with my dad, step-mom and two step-brothers (that are like my own) here in St. Petersburg before I head down to Naples/Ft. Myers area to visit my mom and my grandparents and the rest of the family. I'll be there until next Wed. when I head home. I'm actually really looking forward to going home (sad, I know) since we have so much to do wth the business. I'm going to try and get some work done from here next week - lots of phone calls to make!

I'm pretty sure that's it for now. I've been taking tons of pictures from everything we do, I just have to fnd a little time to get everything in order. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!!!

P.S. Athena is doing great! Definitely enjoying her summer and new home. She's very excited to have Mommy home more often to play and lounge around with. She wasn't able to come down with my, she's at home with the hubby (who also couldn't come down either. Some on had to stay and work :P). I miss her so much!

Summer Vacation To Do List

I will be taking the month of July off before going back to work. Or job hunting is more like it. Here are the things that have, so far, found their way on my list of things to do over vacation.

1. Unpack! We're moving this weekend and my first day off will be filled with copious amounts of unpacking, organizing and telling my husband he's not allowed to put away/organize my kitchen stuff because he just can't seem to get it right. In my brain, he's not organized enough. Could be my OCD.
2. Begin writing my first novel. I've written many short stories and some poetry along the way, but I feel the need to challenge myself to a full fledged novel. Still debating on whether to start my idea or co-write with a family member on the games & imagination of our childhood.
3. Finally finish scrapbooking my wedding/honeymoon albums. It's horrible that we've been married almost two years now and I'm less than halfway through the wedding album. It takes me so long to choose the "right" pictures to go in there. I always feel like I'll be leaving something out. Not to mention, they only have so many wedding scrapbook decorations and I've probably used them all!
4. Trip to the Jersey Shore! I will be taking a one and a half day trip to the Jersey shore. This quaint little Victorian town is where I spent every first week in August during my childhood. So many great memories and some of the family will be going back. We've changed it to the weekend of July 4th to coincide with: 1) missing jellyfish season and 2) most of the extended family will be there as well. Last year was the first time we've been back in about 10 years.
5. Trip to Tampa, Naples & Ft. Myers, FL. Very excited to go down to FL and see my family. I haven't seen them since the beginning of April and it's been far too long. I'm so excited to see my new baby cousin Avery and be able to spend much more time down there. I will not be looking forward to the heat and humidity though. But it will be nice to see some sunshine and listen to the ocean.
6. Camping trip with my husband's cousins. I guess they used to take these great camping trips together (as did my family) and we all want to do that again this year. I'm looking forward to it. I always have such a great time with his cousins and again haven't been camping here in NE since childhood.
7. Trip to Cape Cod. My husband and I will be visiting some friends and having a little bit of a romantic trip to the beach. We need a little time for ourselves :P

I'm seeing a trend here...lots of trips!

I think this is about it...so far. We're very spontaneous people and love a good adventure. Not sure if we'll have time for more but if it's something we want to do - we'll make it work.

What are your plans for the summer?

All Dogs Go To Heaven...Rocks Do Too!

The first time I tried posting this, all the pictures loaded backwards. So here it is for real :) I'm sure this really didn't happen especially since the cars in the background didn't change. Either way, it's still wicked funny regardless of your religion.

Best Book Ever

Last year my brother gave me a book to read called "Rescuing Sprite" by Mark R. Levin. My brother hasn't suggested a book for me to read since...well, I can't even remember. We both grew up loving books and I do mean loving them, but we didn't usually have the same taste. When he suggested it he told me this one was one of the best books he has ever read and I really took what he said seriously. I read the entire book that night and have never laughed so hard and cried so hard at a book in a long time if ever. Reading the entire book in one sitting wasn't hard to do. It was a fast read and a relatively small book with print a little on the bigger side. It was an amazing story though about a man, his family and their relationships with their dogs. This is a true story that every dog lover and pet lover for that matter should read. I can't say anything more about it or I will give the story away completely. All I can say is when I was reading the book my husband was sleeping next to me on the couch. I was crying so hard that he woke up thinking something bad happened. I was in hysterics. But don't let that scare you away from reading this book. (I'm also a little bit of an emotional person so that could be why I cried so hard.) I can't say enough good things about it. It has touched me in so many ways and made me look at life differently. It also made me appreciate my little fur baby more than any words could ever describe. Dogs really do have a special unconditional love for their owners and the bond is one-of-a-kind. Either way, I recommend this book to everyone but make sure you have a big box of tissues next to you. Let me know what you think of this book after you've read it and if you have already, did you feel that same way I did? What are your thoughts about the book?

Click to read synopsis and reviews.

As promised...

...more pictures of Athena! We had such fun this weekend playing outside. There is a small hole in our fence that is the perfect size for her head. She loves to just pop her head through and see what people are doing on the other side. It's hard to get pictures of her when she runs so fast. Hope you all enjoy her as much as I do!

BBQ Fun

Friday night after work we had an impromptu BBQ. We came home to one of our neighbors grilling and it smelled so wonderful! Mind you, we don't even have a grill. So we started out evening with two destinations in mind...well three. The grocery store, local hardware/outdoor store and the liquor store. Hubby made some wonderful kabobs, burgers and rice pilaf to top it off. Athena had running around the yard and watching is out the window.

Pic 1 - Yummy kabobs hubby grilled
Pic 2 - Athena staring at us
Pic 3 - Athena watching our friends outside
Pic 4 - Smile for the Camera!

Good Doggie

My best friend made a good point in a comment on my last post that now I will have to start leaving the TV on for my little friend while I'm gone. (I pray that it never comes to this) I am lucky enough that while I'm out, my dog curls up in her little bed with her blanket (which I might add is a queen size blanket) and sleeps all day. Or I'm at least assuming that she sleeps all day because she doesn't even touch her food I leave out for her in the morning. And if I sneak in the house without disturbing too much air - she's still sleeping when I come home until she smells me. I'm curious to find out what my pint size friend does all day. I may just have to set up a video camera to find out. See, curiousity may have killed the cat but no one ever said anything about the dog :)

TV Time!

So what is it about my dog and TV? We just purchased a new TV for our living room and it sits at what seems to be a perfect level for who else? Our dog. While doing some house work last night I had the TV on for background noise. Athena usually follows me around like a shadow and I bump into her, trip over her and all-in-all try not to break my neck attempting not to step on her. Well my friends, last night was very different. She sat in front of the TV like a small child. She would occasionally look at me with her tiny little head cocked sideways and her right ear flopped over as if to say "What are you doing you crazy human?" But most of the time she watched in fascination the pictures flashing across the screen. When did my dog turn into a 5 year old?

Doggie Movie Night

I have to start this post off with a description of my little doggie. She's about 6 years old and her name is Athena. She is half Jack Russell Terrier and half Chihuahua. She was born deaf but has picked up sign language very quickly. She is such a smart and spunky dog its very hard to resist her. Her pretty brown eyes don't help either :)

So, on to my story...

My husband is out of town on business and to pass the time I've been watching tons of movies. Athena and I cuddled up on the bed the other night to watch the movie Bolt. (I love cute movies) I was watching it on my laptop and she was pretty close to the screen so when the opening scenes flashed across the screen - her eyes were glued to the movie. She sat and watched this movie and did not take her eyes of the screen once - except when I scared her with the flash on my camera. She even tried to paw at the little hamster. I don't know if it's just because she is my dog but I barely watched the movie because this was so hilarious! Watching her eyes dart around as pigeons flew around was more entertaining than this Disney movie. (Although, what I did see of the movie was quite cute)

Growling back at the dog on the screen

Hamster caught her eye!

Trying to attack the hamster

Chilling out towards the end of the movie