Meet Brooklyn...

Here she is! The sweetest little pug girl I have ever met. Just a pure snugglebug! We've only known her for a few hours but we have already fallen in love with her.

We spent about 2 hours today playing with her and about 14 other dogs. Both Yoda and Brooklyn are exhausted. And so are David and I! It's been a great day. We even got to meet Polly on our way home.

Now I am off to PetSmart to buy her some girly items. I can't go overboard but she definitely needs some things she can call her own!

round 2

It's been a little while since I've posted. I kind of forgot about this little blog :)

Christmas was great. We were able to see a lot of family and even made it back to our house to have Christmas morning in our own home by ourselves. It was one of the best Christmas day's I've had in years. And nothing really out of the ordinary happened. But it was great to just spend a nice lazy day together just eating, watching TV and snuggling.

Now for the reason why I'm posting today.

Yoda may be getting a sister!

This morning I received a very unexpected phone call. It was from the pug rescue. Turns out a pug just came in that apparently would be a perfect fit for us. And I really trust them this time. What happened with Chewy was heartbreaking and I know that they wouldn't think of us for a pug unless they were absolutely sure it would be a good match.

Well, obviously we won't know if it's a match until Yoda meets her but her temperment and everything is exactly what we are looking for. We know her entire background and that's something we didn't know with Chewy. She is crate trained and housebroken. And she just turned 1. Still young enough to be a puppy but old enough to know a few basic things like it's not a good idea to pee in the house :)

We are both trying to not get our hopes up but we have yet to hear something that raises a red flag. We get to meet her tomorrow. It should be an interesting day. Lots of dogs will be there to run around and play together. I can't wait! And if all goes well, we will come home with her.

Oh one last thing, her name is Brooklyn. Yeah, after hearing that I knew that she belongs with us :)

it's that time again!

Shopping is done.
Presents are wrapped.
Three different kinds of cookies, brownies and bars are baked.
I am officially ready for the Christmas festivities to start!

We are headed up to NJ tomorrow for the start of our extended weekend with our families. I can't wait. I've been working my butt off tonight trying to get all the last minute things finished. And now I can finally concentrate on just having fun and surrounding myself with the people I love most.

So, Merry Christmas to everyone out there. Have a safe and happy holiday!

all about Christmas

I'm sitting here a little bored so I decided to do this since I was tagged by Bri. David is asleep after a long day at work and I'm not tired at all yet thanks to the fabulous sleep I got last night. Thank you Advil PM!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? absolutely wrapping paper, it's part of the gift as far as I'm concerned, you have to work for it a little :)
2. Real tree or artificial? Hands down real. I love the process of going out and hunting down that perfect tree. And nothing beats the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree.
3. When do you put up the tree? No real specific time, whenever we have a free day on the weekend. This year it was the second weekend in December.
4.When do you take the tree down? When it's really REALLY dead. Seriously, I wait until David bugs me to take things down. I love my decorations so it's hard when I have to pack it all up.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My first bike. There is even a picture of me at the top of the steps on Christmas morning when I first saw it. Priceless.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? nope.
8. Easiest person to buy for? my mom
9. Hardest person to buy for? My brother-in-law, poor guy gets a gift card every year from us.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? a sweatshirt with a unicorn (or horse) on it. Handmade mind you. I'm pretty sure it had my name on it as well.
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? people really send Christmas e-cards?
12. Favorite Christmas movie? I have to pick two. 'N.ational L.ampoon's C.hristmas Vacation' and 'A C.hristmas S.tory'.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I always have the best intentions to start early but it never happens. I started shopping today.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Hmm, I don't think I have.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? cookies and spiral ham...not at the same time of course :)
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear, everything has to be clear. Ask David, I freak out about colored lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Dominick the Donkey. Can't listen to that song without smiling and singing along.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? both, we do the few days before Christmas with family and then drive home Christmas Eve so we can have Christmas morning in our own house and spend all day in our pj's :)
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? if I thought about it I bet I could.
20. Angel on the tree top, or a star? Angel, dating back to who knows when from David's family.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? one on Christmas Eve before bed, the rest on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? all the freaking people at the mall and every shopping center. People lose their minds this time of year.
23. What I love most about Christmas? that warm, fuzzy feeling. Kind of like being a kid again when things are magical and you have tons of hope.
24. Church early or late Christmas Eve (midnight or 7pm service?) or not at all? I can't remember if we went last year but I went to a midnight service once and never again. I get way too sleepy.
25 Have you ever NOT burned yourself when doing the candle thing at church? If this is the candle thing I'm thinking of, I've never burned myself.

Ok myfablife, it's your turn!

sitting, waiting

I've been waiting for D.irectv to show up since 7:30 this morning. It's now 1pm and their window was supposed to be from 8am-12pm. Why do they even give windows? And this one was a pretty big one and they still couldn't get it right.

Grant it, the guy was nice enough to call and say he would be late but he said he would be here about 45 minutes ago.

Now I realize that I don't have a job anymore but this has prevented me from doing anything today. Like cleaning the basement (I'm afraid I won't hear him knock). And I haven't eaten lunch yet because I don't want him coming in while I'm in the middle of eating. Ok that one may be a little irrational.

Anyway, I just wanted to vent. I'm a little cranky because I haven't slept in like 5 days so forgive me :)

Happy Monday!

I'm pretty sure I was just judged by the 75 year old cashier at the grocery store. All for buying shake and pour pancake mix. The one that you only have to add water to. It was on sale and it's easy to make! Anyway, I don't really care, but her face was hysterical when she picked it up to scan it. It's as if she was saying 'is it really that hard for you to make pancakes from scratch?'

Moving on...this weekend was really good. We finally went out and bought our Christmas tree. And the best part, it was $5! Hehe, yep, 5 bucks. Turns out we're pretty good at this saving money because I have no job thing. I went to a nursery yesterday and saw a tree that was pretty much the same as ours and they were charging $76 for it!

So, now the whole house is Christmasy. The decorations are out, the lights are up outside and the only thing left to do is put the ornaments on the tree. Whoo hoo, bout time!

I couldn't take it anymore!

There is a tiny bit of Christmas in our house now. I took out the only Christmasy things I could get my hands on. So now when I need to fill that Christmasy feeling I just have to step into my dining room. (click on the photo to get a better idea of what I'm talking about)

It's not much but it's all I have access to right now and it still gives me that warm, cozy feeling. Complete with chocolate chip cookies! This photo makes me want to go in there and fill one of those mugs with hot chocolate and stare at the snow that's still left from yesterday.

a trip back in time

When I was younger, my sister and I always looked forward to Christmas. Shocker I know. But we would also look forward to December 1st. There is the cutest little village of shops by my mom's house and we'd visit after Thanksgiving to see the lights, visit the gazebo filled with gingerbread houses and do a little shopping. (you have no idea how much I miss that place!) One item on our list was the chocolate filled advent calendars.

Just like regular advent calendars but with the bonus of a piece of chocolate! The hardest part was only opening one a day. My sister was always like 5 days ahead, ok maybe I fell victim to temptation once or twice as well.

Anyway, the point of this story is that I recently went outside and saw that there was a package. I instantly recognized my mom's handwriting. I quickly opened it and found an advent calendar! She was at the village recently and decided to pick one up for me. So, I've been sitting here reminiscing about Christmas from years passed. But all that is doing is making me want to decorate the house! Damn you stupid attic!

first snow!

I woke up this morning and instead of looking at the clock and rolling over to catch a few more z's I leaped out of bed to look out the window. Snow! I was all gitty like I used to get when I was younger. Turns out, I'm ready for winter to start.

However, this is just making me want to put up Christmas decorations even more! Nope, that has to wait until this weekend. Long story about needing a ladder (that we don't have) to access our attic and all the fun Christmas stuff.

So, today I will spend the day making cookies instead. Sounds like a good alternative to me! I went to the grocery store and bought a few things to help me make some fantastic cookies. Including some Christmas themed cookie cutters. This not having a job thing isn't so bad. :)

a year ago today

It's our first anniversary! And although it got off to a rocky start (someone was a tad hungover from the birthday party last night) it finished beautifully. We had dinner where David proposed and had a fantastic time. They even threw in a few complimentary things like glasses of champagne!

When we came home, we cut a few slices from the top tier of our wedding cake. I was extremely nervous to taste it, thinking that the chocolate mousse would never hold up after a year. But it tasted great! I give total credit to David's mom. She packed that thing up so well there was no way it was going to get freezer burn. So, I look forward to sampling some more over the course of this week. :)

All in all it's been a great year and I can't wait to see what this next one holds for us!

what better day to slack off!

Bri had tagged me (I think!) and it's such a unique one that I think I will indulge on my last day of work. No better time to slack off then now!

The Rules:
1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT(this is in capital letters, so it is very serious. No hiding your showtunes, folks!)

After you’ve answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they’ve been tagged to do the meme themselves!

**Ok, let me start off my saying that MY ipod is pretty much David's ipod. He puts anything and everything on that damn thing so most of these songs will probably not be music I would ever listen to in a million years. **

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
'Laid' James - Um, yeah, I burst out laughing when I saw this song come on. Ha!

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
'Of the Girl' Pearl Jam - I have to admit I've never heard this song before, I was tempted to go to the next song and just not tell all of you that I cheated :)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
'Everytime' Britney Spears - WHY GOD WHY IS THIS SONG ON MY IPOD!?

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
'Waltz #1 (Nunley's Carousel) Billy Joel - Somewhat appropriate lately since I've been listening to more classical music.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
'Just the Way You Are' Billy Joel - (hmm, another Joel song) Perfect!

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
'Rock Star' Nickelback - Hehe, well ok then, that's good to know.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
'9 Teen 90 Nine' Limp Bizkit - One guess who put this on my ipod, let's just hope this is not how my friends think of me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
'Polly' Nirvana - I just looked up the meaning to this song and it makes me want to cry. How incredibly awful and no this is not what I think of my parents.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
'Heart of Glass' Blondie - iiinnnteresting.

WHAT IS 2+2?
'Drops of Jupiter' Train - old and overplayed song but still love it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
'Lost Horizons' Gin Blossoms - some of these are definitely making me think...I think this one is appropriate.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
'Naked' Goo Goo Dolls - ;)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
'Superman' Five for Fighting - true, very true.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
'Heart Attack Man' Beastie Boys - yeah, umm...I think I found a new project for when I have enormous amounts of time to myself...clean up ipod.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
'Long Black Veil' Dave Matthews Band - creepy

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
'Julia' Chocolate Genius - yeah, I give up.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
'Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head' Gorillaz - I don't think it takes a genius to figure out if I danced to this at my wedding!

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
'Hero of the Day' Metallica - I cheated for this, I just couldn't put another Nirvana song down, so I skipped to the next one!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
'Two Step' Dave Matthews Band - LOVE this song...and it's true if you count reminiscing about freshman year of college as a hobby.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
'Cold Contagious' Bush - "You have no right to calm me down, you were never that around" speaks volumes.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
'Virginia Moon' Foo Fighters - to all my VA peeps ;)

WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
'Meet Virginia' Train - Umm, seriously, 2 things with Virginia and repeats of artists? What is wrong with my shuffle function! Hehe!


Thanks for the distraction Bri! I'm not sure you left me anyone in the blogosphere to tag! Hmm, how about you myfablife! :)

temptation

I made 2 batches of cookies yesterday to bring into work today. Every week during our staff meeting someone brings treats. Since this will be my last staff meeting (tear) I decided to volunteer to bring something yummy in.

Well, there are still 2 hours left until the meeting and the two trays of cookies sitting next to me won't stop begging me to eat them. It's taking all the willpower in the world to ignore those pleas.

Make time go faster!

I can feel it

Reality is starting to sink in a little bit. After Friday my routine of 4 years comes to a screeching halt.

I still have no regrets but a sadness is starting to come over me very slowly. Yesterday I started taking things home from work. I can't do it all at once because it would be incredibly overwhelming. But I don't want to take everything home with me on Friday because again, too overwhelming. So, bits and pieces are coming home slowly. Hopefully by Friday I will only have a handful of things that I need to leave with.

I keep replaying what it's going to be like when I leave at 5pm on Friday. Half the time I stop myself right before I get to the part where I leave the building for the last time. It's just too weird. I wonder what I will be like. Depressed and crying or guns blazing with the gas pedal to the floor. I'm hoping for a happy medium :)

All in all, this experience so far has really made me stronger. And it's only just begun. I am still convinced that there is something really big I need to do. I feel like in the next few weeks I'll realize what my true calling is. I can feel it. I just have no idea what it is. I keep hoping that when I go to sleep a dream will tell me what I'm supposed to be doing. No such luck. I think I'm trying too hard.

The other day I realized that there are 8 companies in the area that all have a similar "mission" and it's something that I have always felt strongly about so maybe that's it. I keep checking to see if they have a job for me but no luck on that yet. I hate the waiting game!

I'm still here...

Things are a little slow at work right now so I have some time to breathe, eat my macaroni and cheese and watch The Santa Clause.

I know that when work picks up again it's going to be non-stop so I am taking full advantage of this little break. Aaaaah, feels nice to be able to do whatever I want.

Although, it is a little creepy being one of only a few left here and actually being at my desk when the night cleaning crew empties the trash. I'm pretty sure I scared the crap out of the guy when he turned the corner into my cube. Haha, wasn't expecting me were you?

Yeah, I'm loopy. Only an hour and a half to go!

must...stay...awake...

So, I'm sitting here watching some mindless TV, desperately trying to keep my eyes open. Tomorrow I have to work from 1pm until 10pm so I'm trying to change my sleep schedule a bit so that I'm not asleep at my desk at 9:30 tomorrow night.

It's very lonely though. The house is quiet and I'm finding it very hard to fight the urge to cover myself in a blanket and fall asleep in the recliner.

I've run out of things to do to keep me occupied. I'm hoping the TV will be enough for the next couple of hours.

Anyone have any ideas on what to do tomorrow or Tuesday night? I have a feeling this TV thing is going to get old :)

Happy Thanksgiving

First off, thank you to everyone who's been sending good vibes. I have some pretty great friends! :)

So, I just recently got back from my interview. I think it went well and I totally feel qualified for the position but I'm feeling a little deflated because there are a LOT of people interviewing for this. I should have figured based on the company (sorry I have to be cryptic again) but I just wasn't thinking. So here comes the same old same old about me doubting myself.

Either way, I will hear something by the second week in December. And if I make it through this round, there is another one, so it's not over yet! It's going to be a long couple of weeks!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

One down, one to go

Whew, halfway there! I had my first interview this morning and I think it went pretty well. I have some reservations about the place after hearing about it this morning but we'll see how things play out.

More importantly, I got all the nerves out of my system with this one and am nothing but excited for tomorrow. This is the one I really want to kick ass on so it was nice to have today as a warm up.

I have a few things jotted down that I make sure I say tomorrow and I'm just going to try be myself as much as possible. Tomorrow is the one that I REALLY want. So, keep those good vibes coming! :)

It's almost here...

So, by this time tomorrow I will be finished with my first interview of the week. I can't wait until that point. I've worked myself up so much over these interviews that I'm not really sleeping anymore. Not good. I need to find a way to make sure I get a decent amount of sleep tonight. Any suggestions??

And by this time on Wednesday I will be starting my next interview. This is the one that I'm truly nervous about. But I spoke with an ex-coworker that works there now and she gave me some insight into the company and the woman I will be meeting with and I feel a million times better about it. Still nervous as hell but a little confidence is peeking through. Finally :)

So, I still need all the good vibes I can get. Just thinking about these interviews nearly sends me into a panic attack!

pinch me!

So, my life is starting to feel a little bizarre right now. I've always had a problem with my confidence level, especially professionally. I never think I'm that good and when people tell me I am I just sort of brush it off like it's just them trying to be nice. I know, I know....I shouldn't act like that but I do.

The reason I'm writing about this is because I just received an e-mail from the company of my dreams and they want me to come in for an interview. I was totally not expecting this. And again, thoughts of me not being good enough have entered my brain. I am definitely more confident about the first company I am interviewing with. The second one intimidates the hell out of me. Honestly, when I saw the e-mail the first emotion was fear, not excitement. I feel like I'm going to go in there and they'll laugh at me. Why can't I just be excited?! They saw my resume, they wouldn't have called if they weren't interested. No one is holding a gun to their heads telling them to contact me.

I think it's more of a coping mechanism. This way if they pass on hiring me it won't sting as bad. But if I do get it, it will be that much sweeter. Although, I can tell you right now, if I get either of these jobs I'm going to think that they hired the wrong person for at least the first two months.

Quite a scary time in my life but I am so incredibly grateful that the two companies I would LOVE to work at have asked me to come in to meet them within the past 2 days.

And here comes the shaking again!

!!!!

I have an interview next week! I can't stop shaking!!

trying to hold it together

I'm really not trying to get my hopes up but thanks to recommendations from the director of my department and my manager there is a woman at a very large company that wants to meet with me.

Uhh, yeah...trying to hold in my excitement but it's not working. Please keep your fingers and everything crossed for me. This would be fantastic if it worked out!!!

Just waiting to hear back about when and where. The refresh button is my friend today :)


**And I just wanted to thank everyone for their support through this. It means the world to me to have friends like you. Thanks!!**

I did it.

So, remember that other big news I vaguely talked about in previous posts? Well, here it is. I decided to give my notice at work today.

It was an incredibly hard decision but it's what's best for me. I have some leads, and I have some good ones thanks to the people in my department. I was overwhelmed when my manager said she would contact someone at a very big company on my behalf and that she would definitely like to be reference when I apply to other jobs.

Honestly, this couldn't have gone better. I did not expect the level of respect I am getting. Just goes to show you that I really did work at a fantastic company with incredible people. The reason I'm leaving such a great place is that it's changing, and not in the direction that everyone wants it to. And no one can stop it. I can't do the work I did for 4 years anymore and I can't do the work that I was told I needed to do moving forward.

So, there you have it. My only option was to move on. And I have no regrets. Something in my gut is telling me now is the time for the next step. So, I'm listening.

Should be an interesting journey ahead. I'm sure I'll have some stories, or at least a few venting posts soon :)

Wish me luck!

sorry

I'm sorry about the teaser. I really didn't want to make it seem like I was holding out. Things just got to a point today where I felt like I was going to scream and I needed to post a quick vent. I didn't want to get into details because technically nothing has happened yet but last night two VERY important decisions were made in our house. Two very hard decisions.

Our beloved rescue, Chewy, will be headed back to his foster home tomorrow. It was a truly heartbreaking decision but it's what's best. What's best for him. I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow but he needs a better fit of a home. I could go on and on but I won't because it hurts.

The other decision is in regards to my job. But since things are still developing I'll hold off on talking about it until after Monday.

I just figured I should leave those who read this blog with a little more info so you aren't scratching your heads.

So, stay tuned still. There is definitely more to come. In the meantime, back to watching The W.izard of O.z, I need to get lost in a little fantasy for a while.

stay tuned

EVERYTHING is about to change.


PS: Since I got a frantic e-mail from Supermom I will clear something up, no, I am not pregnant ;)

a teeny tiny vent: update!

I feel like my entire life is revolving around one thing lately. In fact, I know it's revolving around one thing. Chewy has taken over our lives. And I'm really not complaining, I just wish his transition into our house was smoother.

The poor thing gets so anxious when we leave the room, and it's exponentially worse when we leave the house. I feel like I've read every article on separation anxiety and have contemplated buying every pill, drop, collar, etc. I just want the little guy to get better.

He honestly is the sweetest, most loving dog in the world. And I guess you could say that's his problem. He's too needy. All he wants to do is please you and when you leave, his whole world crumbles. It's heartbreaking.

We still have a few tricks up our sleeves to try and alleviate his anxiety so we aren't giving up. Although, I have to admit, there have been a few times I've broken down thinking that we just can't do this. My driving force is David right now. He's my strength. He's the one that keeps reminding me that we can in fact do it and it hasn't even been 2 weeks with him yet.

So, I'm trying my best to be optimistic because the last thing I want to do is give up this dog. He deserves the world and we are going to do whatever it takes to make sure he knows that this is in fact his home forever.

I just think things would be much easier if my work and home routines weren't flipped upside down at the same time! Just trying to roll with it as best I can.

Update!

So, I spoke with one of Chewy's former fosters on the phone tonight and she had some very encouraging things to say. We discussed him and his antics for about 20 minutes and I really got a sense of how much this dog is loved by so many people. There are a ton of people at the rescue that would love to have Chewy in their family. It really makes me feel blessed that he's with us. It really could be worse, he's the sweetest most loveable dog, just gets a little upset when we leave. Hopefully in time he will realize that we always come back. I'm a million times more optimistic than I was earlier today!

I'm going to be...

This weekend was very interesting. David and I headed up to Delaware for his cousin's wedding. We ended up getting there a little late on Friday so we missed the ceremony but made it to the reception. There was TONS of family drama but it's too complex to get into. Let's just say it was a bizarre wedding. However, it was entertaining.

The fabulous news from the weekend though is that I'm going to be an aunt next year! David's sister is pregnant. I am so thrilled for them. They've had too many negative things to deal with lately. I'm happy that they will finally have something positive to look forward to.

Oh, one last thing. Of course since everyone found out that she was pregnant at the wedding, that meant that numerous family members came up to us asking when we were going to have a baby. Fabulous. The highlight of this was when David's grandmother came over to us during the reception and proceeded to tell David (numerous times) to 'get busy!!' Oh and the famous grandparent guilt of 'we won't be around for too much longer'.

David kept trying to convince them (unsuccessfully) that we already have two babies :)

want some candy?

So, we may not have had a pumpkin this year for Halloween but at least I did something festive for Halloween.


I made these goodie bags for the trick or treaters in our neighborhood and they were a hit! Not a lot of effort or money but totally worth it.

Now of course, I made over 50 of these and we had like 15 trick or treaters. So, if you want some candy in a cute little bag, come on over!

taking a nap under my desk never sounded so good

I have never been this tired at work before. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since Friday night. I've also been non-stop stressed out as well. And it's all because of the new pup.

Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy to pieces but he has seperation anxiety. If you leave, even to go to the bathroom he flips out and starts to whine and whimper. We tested out how bad it gets with a video camera when we leave and yesterday I was gone for a half hour. The first 17 minutes I was gone he was freaking out. Running around, barking, howling, whimpering, climbing on the table. By the 27 minute mark he wasn't really making a peep and at the 36 minute mark I came home.

When we walked through the door he once again freaked out, so excited that we came home. And who can blame him. All we know about this guy is that he was a stray then moved back and forth between 4 houses after that. Of course he is going to be anxious when people leave, thinking that he's got to start all over again.

So, I've been reading up on how to break him of this habit and it's not a fun road. The hardest part of the training is that we have to be home. Not so easy when we both have full time jobs. We are determined to make this work, and I'm confident that it can be done but I'm worried that I will lose my sanity before then.


Oh, Happy Halloween! I completely forgot about it. We have no pumpkins and no candy yet. Jeez!

Goofball

Ok, since I am on like no sleep thanks to 2 dogs in the bed the last two nights I don't have many eloquent things to say so I will share another pic of the newest addition to our family.

This photo was taken this morning as Chewy was rolling around on his back having a blast on the couch.

Seconds later the goofball rolled himself off the couch and landed on his back on the floor and the bottom of the table. Like I told numerous people already, I really hope these antics are because he's still a puppy and not that he has a teenie tiny brain ;)

Meet Chewy!

This afternoon went really well. As soon as I saw 'Arthur' I knew he was for us. Such a sweet face and such an adorable personality. We took a short walk with him and Yoda and then went back to the foster and told her that we would definitely like to take him home.

The car ride back was very interesting. Turns out Chewy is quite the explorer. He didn't want to sit in the back with Yoda, no he preferred climbing all over. Jumping down below David's feet, trying to climb onto the dashboard and occasionally he made it onto my lap. Not the safest way to drive!

He definitely is a little firecracker when he wants to be. He's not afraid of anything and will trample whatever is in his way. We've already encountered a few things that will definitely make things interesting for a while but it's nothing that a little training can't take care of. He may be 3 years old but this little guy acts like a puppy!

Yoda is having a little bit of a hard time with this, definitely making it known that it is HIS house, but it's getting better. He's starting to tolerate him in small doses, and can it can only improve from here!

Anyway, onto the pictures :)

How could you not love this face?

The boys, getting to know each other.

This is when we learned he is quite the acrobat!

Poor little guy's lip constantly gets stuck under his teeth, makes it look like he has an underbite :)

Delaying the inevitable...

I hit snooze for an hour this morning. Nope, I wasn't late for work. I knew when I went to bed last night that I would want to delay the inevitable this morning so I accounted for it in the time I set my alarm for. By 7am I knew I couldn't procrastinate getting ready for work any longer.

So, here I sit, going over tons of training to prepare myself for the new area I start to cover today. I want to make sure I have enough information about the process before I start working on anything. The last thing I want to do is look like an ass when I complete something and get called out on how it's wrong. That's it, that's my biggest fear. And I mean, I've worked on this area before, on holidays when it's extremely hectic and I've gotten through it. I don't know why I'm so scared. Change, that's why I'm scared. I've lived in my comfortable bubble for 4 years and now that it's popped I feel lost.

Anyway, on to the good news. Yesterday after work David and I headed out to PetSmart to pick up some goodies for the new pup we will hopefully pick up tomorrow. A bed, leash, harness, toys and a shiny new tag with his name and phone number on it. We are ready. I am just hoping that things go smoothly tomorrow and he and Yoda get along well. I can't wait to be a 2 dog family and that thought is what is helping me through today.

I leave you with another pic of what will hopefully be our new dog!

miserable

I received some news at work this morning that I was dreading. It turns out that the area that I did not want to work on is now the area that I'm going to be forced into as soon as tomorrow.

I have already started to keep an eye out for other opportunities in the area but this news is pushing me to be more active with that. The job they want me to do I would never apply for in a million years. I can't be expected to do a job well that I'm basically forced into.

And the thing is, I feel bad about this. I know there are 9 people who would kill for this job right now but it's just not for me. Maybe I'll get used to it and it will get better. But I can tell you that I was totally not expecting that news this morning. I was told earlier this week that what I'm doing now I'd be doing until at LEAST the end of this year.

I guess I need to realize that things said in this building are not always true. You think I'd learn that after 4 years.

Can I just sit around and do nothing for a little while?

I really wish things would just settle down a little. I haven't been able to relax since we got back from camping. Yesterday after work we went grocery shopping, came home, walked the dog and then we were out the door for yet another vet appointment.

Doesn't sound too bad does it? Well throw in the fact that I locked us out of the house. David was talking to our neighbor outside and I didn't even think before I slammed the door shut. So, there we were, stranded and we needed to get to the vet.

Thank god for our fabulous neighbors. They let us take their car and we remembered that our friends still had a copy of our key. So, we breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the vet.

It turns out that poor Yoda hurt his back during his recovery from anesthesia. So, we came home with meds and were told to keep an eye on him and limit his activity this week. That should be interesting once Saturday rolls around and he meets his new brother. Sigh.

Oh, and this morning I saw the weather forecast called for rain today. So, before heading to work I had to pack up 2 tents, a screened in canopy and a tarp. They had been outside drying since Sunday. I finally got in the car to go to work a half hour after I was supposed to. It was 8:30am and I was already exhausted.

Ughh, and tonight we have to start cleaning the house. It looks like a bomb went off because of all the camping gear and general laziness from the past few days.

Sorry, if this came across as whiny, but I'm so tired and I think I'm getting sick. So, apologies for this vent!

I'll be sick in a week, guaranteed!

I am exhausted! This weekend was great but it was also incredibly tiring.

Friday's weather made me want to pack everything up and head to the nearest hotel. It took us about 3 hours to put up our new tent. And it started pouring, and I mean POURING before we could put the tarp up. Long story short, the rain eventually stopped and it took 4 rolls of paper towels to make the inside of the tent nice and dry.

Then the wind started. And I'm talking serious wind. We were happy that the rain stopped but now we were freezing and hoping that our tents didn't blow away. However, this wind brought clear skies with it. I haven't seen that many stars in the sky in I can't remember how long. It was truly worth suffering through the horrible weather.

Even though I didn't get much sleep Friday night, because it was literally freezing, I got up on Saturday feeling good because the sun was out. Not a cloud in the sky. Once again, suffering through Friday was worth it.

We all got up and ate a fabulous breakfast and then headed out for a hike. We picked a 3 hour hike to a few waterfalls. 1.5 miles straight down and 1.5 miles straight up. You can guess how we all felt after that. If you can't, see picture below.

I'm making this sound like it was a crappy weekend. But it really wasn't, I swear! Even though there were a few obstacles we all had a blast and it was great to hang out with friends. It was definitely a weekend to remember. I know I'll never forget the interpretive dance we were all treated to! Once again, look below for pictures :)

Skyline Drive in the fog.

Yummy breakfast!

Our campsite

A gorgeous view from one of the bazillion overlooks.

The gang, still fresh with energy before the hike.

One of the many tiny waterfalls along the hike.

When we finished the hike, a few of us were a little tired :)

One of the overlooks on the way home today. Once again, beautiful weather!

And last but certainly not least, A's interpretive dance. Seriously, side splittingly funny. Definitely the entertainment we needed on Saturday night. I don't think any of us will forget this!

nature here I come

Tomorrow morning David, me and some friends will be on our way to Shenandoah National Park for the weekend. We can't wait to get away from it all for a while and just chill out with friends.

We've been dying to break out the new additions to our camping equipment. And I can't wait to see what fall has in store for us in the mountains. I love Shenandoah in autumn and it should be a great weekend for it.

I will also be doing the re-shoot of engagement pictures. And I can't imagine a more beautiful backdrop. So, all in all it should be a fantastic weekend. And once again, I'm sure I will have photos to share. Especially since there might be an interpretive dance involved!!

Things are looking up!

Work was rough today but I got an idea of what I will be doing over the next few months and I'm thrilled. So far, there are no plans for me to work on the area that I can't stand. Knock on wood, let's hope it stays that way.

More importantly, the BEST news from today is that we were finally contacted about a possible match from the rescue organization! And we are currently making plans to meet up with the little guy next Saturday. We are so excited and are keeping our fingers crossed that he and Yoda get along well so we can take him home.

Perfect timing...yesterday was hell but this news completely changes my mood. I'm on countdown mode until we meet "Arthur". Yeah, we are changing his name :)

Isn't he adorable? He looks a lot like Yoda (aside from the fact that he's probably about 8 pounds lighter!)


Yay!

...

Went to a meeting for 15 minutes...came back and my coworker was gone. We'll definitely keep in touch but it hurts a little that I didn't get to say goodbye.

the end of an era

Coming to work will never be the same after today.

Most of you know where I work and if you've looked online recently you may have seen what's going on here today. This morning I knew it was going to be a hard day as I drove into work. What I did NOT expect is that it would hit as close to home as it did.

I'm currently listening to one of my closest coworkers pack his stuff up. In a few minutes he will be off to an HR meeting. Then after that he will be gone.

We were led to believe that we were safe. Not so for 10 people on the team I work for. Happy it's not me but I have my own problems now. Yes, I still have a job, but I will soon find out if it's one that I would NEVER even apply for if I was unemployed. Time will tell how that plays itself out.

But for now, I'm sad. I'm sad for the hundreds of people who will pack their belongings up in boxes and leave this place today. They don't deserve it. I can speak for at least 30 people who I know worked their butts off everyday and were handed their walking papers.

Yeah, I know this is how things work in this business but that doesn't make it sting any less. I'm sure I'll have more updates as the day goes on. I need somewhere to vent.

nightmare

My biggest fear as a photographer was realized this weekend. I went out with C and S to shoot some engagement photos for them. By the end of the shoot, 500 images were taken. When I was previewing them as thumbnails on the camera everything seemed to be coming out just fine. However, when I returned home and uploaded the images I realized that the worst had happened. One of the settings was wrong on my camera and the majority of the images were ruined. If I had been shooting at night the images would have been fine. Yeah, not the case, it was completely sunny out. The perfect day for a shoot! So, I had a pity party yesterday and almost convinced myself that I was the worst photographer ever.

However, I was reminded by my wonderful husband that even though I went to school for all of this, I haven't photographed regularly since college and have only recently begun shooting a lot again. So, mistakes are bound to happen. And that I shouldn't let one incident prevent me from shooting again. But still, all yesterday I felt like crap. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint friends.

But C and S were very understanding and we are going to try a re-shoot later this week. And I will make damn sure that everything is properly set on my camera this time!

There were some shots that escaped the massacre. I've shared a few below. My favorite one though I will not be sharing on here because it is the most intimate moment I've ever captured. And I feel as though C and S should be able to enjoy that one all for themselves for a while :)

I'm famous! (well my hair is anyway)

Ok, so I don't have anything exciting to say but I am so completely bored at work today I need to do something to pass the time, even if it's only a 5 minute post.

Did I happen to mention that my hair is famous? Yeah, if you are bored, check out the whole gallery. Especially if you've been pondering whether or not to get that cool 'as seen on TV' gadget.

And if you have no interest in the products but want to see my glorious hair, skip to page 17.

click me, click me, click me!

Thank you, that is all.

::insert witty title here::

I'm sitting here watching the Yankees game with David and I need something to distract me from how awful they are doing tonight. So here I am, buzzed from a lovely margarita and posting to keep me from watching the TV.

This weekend was nice (what a fantastic, boring word to use). It was great to hang out with my mom and sister. Actually, my sister and I fought a little more than I would have liked but sometimes that's what happens. Regardless, it was a fun weekend, aside from the blistering heat, and I came away from it with 2 pairs of boots, sunglasses and the softest robe imaginable thanks to the trip we took to the outlet mall.

The rest of the week should be an interesting one. Things are brewing at work and not in a good way. I can't really elaborate but it's been hell sitting and waiting for news that is bound to come in the next few days. I also have a vet appointment to look forward to. I'll get to sit in suspense while Yoda is under anesthesia keeping my fingers crossed that they don't have to pull his tooth and empty my wallet.

So much fun! I think I need to drink more of my margarita to help those thoughts exit my brain.

Back to the game :)



P.S. Apologies if this post makes no sense, I have a pretty low tolerance for alcohol lately. And hopefully I won't post tomorrow about hungover I am!

Only 7 hours until the weekend starts!

David and I left the house at the same time this morning. That never happens. He is usually gone and off to work an hour and a half before I even get out of bed. But this morning he was off to the airport for a trip up to Rochester this weekend.

I have to admit, I really liked having him around to get ready with. Makes for a nice start to the day. I wish it would happen more often.

Anyway, since David isn't around this weekend I'm having a full on girls weekend. My mom and sister are heading down for a visit tomorrow morning and they'll be here until Monday. I can't wait. I have no idea what we are going to do though. I was hoping to get to a few festivals in the area but that doesn't sound appealing anymore now that it's supposed to be 90 degrees! (where the hell is fall??) But I'm sure we'll figure out something, it really doesn't matter what we do. I'm just happy that I can get a dose of mom in, I need it.

Because I'm bored...

...and no one seems to care about my blog lately anyway (tear), here are some fun results from quizzes I just took since I'm too lazy to come up with something meaningful to write about today.

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Your German Name is:

Kerstin Britta

What's Your German Name?

You Are 28% Paranoid Schizophrenic

You're pretty grounded, though you have your occasional paranoid moments. Just make sure to ignore those voices in your head!

Are You A Paranoid Schizophrenic?

Warning! **Large photo post below**

I'm exhausted! This weekend was a lot of fun but it was also filled with things to do. My legs are still screaming at me for all the walking they had to endure!

We learned a lot, enjoyed a weekend of fabulous weather and had a great time. I just felt bad because David was suffering with a cold all weekend. This was taken on Friday night at the battlefield and gives you a sense of what David wanted to do next:


But Saturday morning he seemed a little better so off we went to tour the battlefield and cemetery.

Pennies were placed on the gravestones of unknown soldiers.

David and I on top of the Pennsylvania Monument.

Sachs Bridge...apparently VERY haunted. I wasn't about to come back here at night.

Gorgeous Irish monument

David and I at Little Round Top.

At night we went on the ghost tour which was actually pretty cool. Here is a photo of one of the most haunted buildings on the seminary grounds. It was used as a hospital during the Civil War. Our guide says that sometimes photos come back with mysterious things in the windows. No such luck for me!


Sunday we walked around town for a little bit, took a tour of the Shriver House, enjoyed some homemade ice cream and of course bought a souvenir (we buy Christmas ornaments to remember the places we visit together).

And last but not least, we made it to Boyds Bear Country. I made David take a pic of me in front of the Fall display. I'm a dork.


All in all it was a great weekend. Even if we didn't have any ghostly encounters!

Off to Gettysburg

Today, after work, we are on our way to Gettysburg. I can't wait. A weekend away from the routine of life. Just what we need.

We've both wanted to go to Gettysburg for a while now and it's not even 2 hours away from us so off we go. David was kind enough to drive me into work today so that we can leave straight from here after work. That should get us into Gettysburg before 6pm. Plenty of time to walk around, find somewhere to have dinner and relax before our busy day tomorrow.

I really want to soak in as much Civil War history as we can so Saturday should prove to be an exhausting day. The battlefield, cemeteries, historic houses and of course the ghost tour are on our list of things to do. It won't all be running around though, we will definitely take in some time to just sit back and relax. If we can't fit in everything we want we aren't worried. We just want to have a great weekend together. The weather is supposed to be perfect too and I'm hoping the leaves are in the early stages of changing color.

I'm really looking forward to wandering around with my camera this weekend. It'll be nice to get out and shoot again. There is so much to photograph so I'm pretty sure the card will be filled with images by Sunday evening.

And I'll be sure to share a few photos and stories when we get back!

poor pup

I once again found myself at the vet this morning. A couple of days ago I noticed that Yoda was drooling. He NEVER drools so I knew something was up. Last night I noticed that his back tooth was chipped. Fantastic!

Took him in this morning and the good news is that since we've put Yoda on a 'diet' he's lost almost 2 pounds! That's real progress and I'm thrilled. The bad news is that he will most likely have to have his tooth removed because she noticed that he showed signs of distress when she touched the tooth. For now, he has meds for the pain and we are supposed to watch him for any additional signs of pain.

But regardless, we're going to take him in next week to get this taken care of. I would hate to think he's walking around in pain from this. These are the times I wish he spoke english.

I looked it up online last night and we are expecting to pay about $1000 if he has to get that tooth pulled. Seriously? $1000?!?! For one tooth? I swear, I take better care of this dog than I do myself. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bring on that second dog! ;)

Can someone please tell me...

...why I have this theme song stuck in my head?



Seriously, for the past week or so it's popped in my head and is nearly impossible to get rid of. I have no idea why it's there but I'm beginning to think that it's finally happened.

I've lost my mind.

the waiting game

I hate situations where you are required to sit and wait patiently for things to unfold. Time seems to move at a snails pace and with each passing minute you get more and more impatient. Well, that's happening right now and it's in two aspects of my life, my job and the pug rescue.

The job part is absolutely no fun to talk about so we'll just skip over that for now :)

Last night David and I had our home visit from the pug rescue. Things went well and she said she wanted to take Yoda home with her. So, basically we've cleared all the hurdles and nothing is in our way now except time. Waiting until we find the perfect match. And I hate waiting. We are hoping to be able to adopt the cutest black pug you've ever seen but I refuse to post a picture because look at how that ended up last time. But if we don't get that guy I'm confident that we will find the perfect dog soon. They have had so many pugs come in this year which is good but also so sad that all of these people are giving up these wonderful dogs. Their goal is to adopt 100 pugs this year. We are VERY anxious to help them reach that goal :)

So, here I wait.....very impatiently. And to make matters worse, I have NO work to do today. Nothing. Seriously, not making that up at all. I actually headed out to a few stores earlier to break up the day a little.

Anyone have any ideas on how to distract me today?? Anyone?

Bruce!

So, recently I came up with a fabulous idea for a 1st anniversary gift for David. Bruce Springsteen tickets. He is coming in November so, I'd have to give his gift to him early but so what. He loves Bruce so it would have been perfect. Tickets went on sale today at 10am. Flash back to yesterday afternoon. David says to me that he and his uncle are thinking of going to the concert. Boo!!! I didn't think he knew he was coming and then he said that he read about it that day.

Ruined my whole plan! My perfect gift ruined because he read a stupid newspaper ;)

Anyway, today his uncle said he might not be able to make it. So, David headed out to a t.icketmaster outlet while I tried my hand at their website. After 3 minutes they were sold out. And David had no luck either. Well, that's what I thought. Turns out about 5 minutes later 100 level tickets suddenly showed up so the both of us are going now. Yay!

I don't even like Bruce that much but we've been to a concert of his in NJ and I can honestly say the man puts on a good show. So, yes it's back to the drawing board on an anniversary gift but hey, we are going to a concert so life isn't so bad ;)

wasn't meant to be

David just heard from the rescue about that adorable dog in the last post. It seems that his foster family has become so attached to that little guy that they are going to adopt him.

While I'm thrilled that he has found a home that he will be loved in forever, I am sad because I know he would have been an incredible addition to our family.

Sad day. David and I both got our hopes up. And I even said in my last post that I was afraid to post his picture. This was the reason why. We are both upset about this.

But the good news is that we are still being considered for another dog. This little guy has been living in HORRIBLE conditions and he's blind. My heart just breaks for this guy. Although I do have my reservations because I think he needs more attention that we could give him and I would hate to bring him in knowing that there might be another family out there that can give him better care.

However, the rescue organization thinks it might be a good fit so we will continue down this road and see what happens. Regardless, we are not giving up until we can give a pug a great home.

new addition to the family

Our family will most likely (hopefully) be expanding soon. Not in that way! Gotcha ;)

David and I have been wanting to get a second pug for a while now. Well, actually it was me that was stopping us until I came across the cutest little thing ever on a pug rescue site. We talked it over and decided to submit an application. Not just any application either. These people are serious about who they place their pugs with. And rightfully so. Most of these pups have had horrible lives and they want to make sure that where ever they place them they will be there forever and be loved unconditionally. The application was 7 pages. Filled with important multiple choice questions and about 4 or 5 essay questions. After 2 weeks of waiting we found out yesterday that our application was approved. Apparently only about 15% of applications get through that first hurdle.

So, now we are currently waiting on a phone call for an interview, our references to be contacted and hopefully that will then lead to a home visit. All this will help them figure out which pug would be right for us, if any. We have our eyes on one in particular and are really hoping that we get him but we will be happy with any pug that is a match for us. Just to know that we can save a pug from a horrible life or being euthanized at a shelter that can no longer wait for someone to adopt him is reward enough.

And we just can't wait to see how Yoda reacts to having a full time playmate his own size!

So, keep your fingers crossed for us :)

Part of me is hesitating in posting this pic of him but I just can't help it, I must share how cute he is!

outtakes

I went through some more photos last night and I've decided to post a few of the "outtakes" from the shoot. Just some fun for this boring afternoon :)

This last one is my favorite. Not shy in front of a camera at ALL :)