Thursday 13

I have really learned a lot from my Lent fast this year. I have never done it before and never realized how hard it would be. I have done my best to stick with it, and have prayed everyday for the Lord to help me through. I have to admit, though, that I am looking forward to a few things when Lent is officially over. Here are 13 things I can't wait to have on or after Easter:

1. SWEET TEA!




2. Girl Scout Cookies - we have 5 boxes in the freezer right now




3. my last couple of pieces of Godiva Chocolate




4. a Starbucks venti Mocha Frappuccino




5. the top of our wedding cake - our anniversary is 2 days after Easter!!




6. Marble Slab Creamery




7. Easter candy- especially the Reese's Cup eggs!




8. Starburst Sour Jelly Beans




9. Chocolate milk




10. Paula Deen's Kentucky Pie - I'm making one for Easter lunch.



11. Oreos and milk



12. Cherry Coke



13. Key Lime Pie - Hal and I are going to Hank's in Charleston, and I hear they have a great pie!

I really love desserts, and 40 days without anything sweet seems like a long time. Of course I will not have all of these in one day, and probably not in one week, but they are things I am looking forward to incorporating back into my diet slowly.

I love the outdoors!

Hal and I had plans to go to the gym tonight once we got home from work. I called him earlier and told him that I didn't want to go to the gym, I wanted to get out and walk at home. The weather is so beautiful here in the Upstate today.

I am thrilled that Spring is just around the corner. As I drive down the road, I see the tips of all the tree branches are pink with buds, and I get all excited inside. Spring is my favorite time of year.

I can't wait to get my Spring flowers planted, get our sod put down, and be able to enjoy this beautiful weather that God so graciously gives us.

I hope y'all are having a great hump day!

Wii Had A Blast!

Hal and I got back last night from our trip to Gatlingburg with our friends Loren and Chad. We really did have a great time, and as I hoped, got a lot of rest!

Friday night we got up there about 8:30. We had to drive up those curvy mountain roads in the pouring down rain so that slowed us down a lot. When we got there I cooked tacos really quick and we finally ate dinner about 9:00. After dinner we set up the Wii and I learned exactly what everyone has been raving about. Hal and I are thinking of making an investment in one very soon. After about an hour on the Wii, we decided to jump in the hot tub. It was so nice and warm but the wind was whipping outside, so we had to go back inside after about 15 minutes. The hot tub really made us tired, so we all hit the rack pretty soon after that.

Saturday morning we got up, and Loren and I made a big breakfast feast. We had french toast, grits, eggs, and bacon. It was so yummy. After breakfast and some more playtime on the Wii, we all set out for some Pigeon Forge fun. We only ended up going up the the Bass Pro Shops and out to lunch, and then we headed back in for the evening. As soon as we got back I got in the hot tub again and everyone else eventually joined me. After an hour in the hot tub, and 4 wrinkled bodies, we decided it was time for dinner. Since Loren and I had made such a big breakfast, we thought it was best that the boys do the cooking this time. They made us steaks, baked potatoes, and salads. They did a great job and it all tasted great. We ended up staying up until about 1:00 playing cards and Wii, before we decided to turn in for the night.

Sunday morning we got up really early, packed the car, and headed out for breakfast. We ate at IHOP, which I have been craving for a month now. After breakfast we headed over into Gatlinburg to ride the tram up to Ober Gatlinburg where we would ice skate. Hal had never skated before and he picked it up SO fast. He was a natural at it! He only fell once, and he only fell because he was trying to be fancy and do a spin. After a couple hours of ice skating we decided it was time to head back down the mountain to SC.

Our trip was really great, and the greatest thing was that we spent a lot of our time resting and relaxing at the cabin. I felt rejuvenated when I got home, so much so that I actually unpacked our bags as soon as we got home. If you know me, you know I NEVER do that. It was really nice to get away for the weekend, with no plans tying us down.

Here are a few pictures:

We learned how to box on the Wii, it was super fun and a great workout!

Hal learned to ice skate for the first time, and he was great at it!

Me and Hubby on the ice.

We had to take a "tram" up to Ober Gatlinburg...basically its a suspended cable car. Hal was terrified. Here's a view from the tram.

I didn't take many pictures actually, so this is all you get.

Frustration

I became quite frustrated on Thursday evening and I wanted to share with you why.

Hal and I had been preparing for about 5 days for our weekend away. We had lots of little errands and things to do before Friday to make sure that all of the loose ends were tied up before we left. We had been planning on boarding Layla (our dog) at the Petsmart Petshotel in Greenville since we started planning the trip. We wanted her to have a fun place to go where she wouldn't be stuck in a kennel all day.

On Monday I called Petsmart to make her reservation and ask them what I needed to board her. They told me to send over her shot record. Well I actually forgot about it until Wednesday, and finally remembered to fax it over. As soon as I faxed it over a lady from Petsmart called and said they had a question about one of her shots. They asked which round of Parvo Layla had last. They said that she would have to have 3 rounds to be able to board. Well since I am no veterinarian, I had no idea about "rounds" of anything.

When I got that call I immediately called the Spartanburg Humane Society where we adopted Layla. They do not have a direct line into their phones, they just have an answering machine that takes all calls and says that someone will call back as soon as possible. After I left 2 messages and the lady at Petsmart left 2, and never received a return call by Thursday afternoon, I was pretty furious. We were supposed to be boarding our dog in 24 hours and NO ONE ever called us!

From there, Hal and I got in the car and drove down to the Humane Society to get some answers. Here is what they told us: Layla had ONE Parvo round the day we adopted her, and they were SUPPOSED to tell us to bring her back in 3 weeks to get the 2nd, but guess what, they didn't tell us anything. And guess what else? NO ONE would board her for the weekend! The Humane Society didn't even admit that they had made a BIG mistake, and did not do anything to compensate us in any way.

Had this never come up, we would have never known that Layla was missing TWO Parvo shots, and we would have never gotten them. She could have died because of this, and we would have never known. The Humane Society didn't tell us ANYTHING when we adopted her, they just sent us on our merry way, without any further instruction.

We expect a place like the humane society, where animals are their business, to be professional and informing. They failed majorly. Petsmart and our vet's office, Dr. Patch, were both extremely accomodating, but when they found out about her shots there was really nothing they could do. Thankfully, Hal's parents were in town and took care of her.

I am still extremely frustrated with the humane society, and will probably not adopt another dog from there again. The quality of service is quite poor, and unfortunately the animals are the ones that suffer.

We did have a great weekend away, though! I will post more about that and some pictures later tonight or tomorrow.

Its Thursday!

I have a crazy evening ahead of me, I have a lot to do before the weekend. Here are 13 things I have to do before tomorrow at 3:00.

1. Go home and cook supper
2. go to small group
3. go to the grocery store
4. call and check on my grandma who has been in the hospital
5. straighten up my house
6. pack for our trip to Gatlinburg
7. do some laundry
8. write a discussion for my online Psych class
9. pack a cooler for food
10. come to work tomorrow to check the messages and close everything up
11. make a few last minute phone calls and tie up loose ends
12. take Layla to Petsmart Petshotel, where she will spend the weekend
13. pack up the car...and off to Gatlinburg we GO!

I am really ready for a weekend of R & R. I hope you all have a great Thursday evening and a fantastic weekend. I'll catch you on Monday!

Blah Blah Blog

As you can obviously tell by my lack of posting, not too much has been going on around our house lately. I am fully recovered from the nasty flu, and Hal has finally gone back to work today. Here are just a few things that have been going on.

* Thursday night I went to my very first small group meeting at church. A few young ladies had the great idea to start a young couples small group, and we start our first Bible study this Thursday. We are going to be using the study devotional Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti. I am pretty excited about this.

* The beautiful Spring-like weather we had on Saturday had me itching to raise the windows, plant some flowers, and spend the day outside. I really am ready for Spring to get here!

* Today, Hal and I have been married for 11 months! It has been the fastest year of my life! We leave for our anniversary trip 4 weeks from Thursday!!

* Speaking of trips, Hal and I are going to the mountains with some of our good friends this weekend. We are staying in a nice cabin near Gatlinburg, and are planning lots of R & R and playtime on the Wii. I can't wait until Friday!

* I had to clean my house AGAIN this weekend because Layla is losing her winter coat. There was dog hair everywhere!

* Hal and I watched the skins (golf) game, played in Hawaii, yesterday. We are big fans of Jay Haas. It was pretty great to see four golf legends, Fuzzy, Gary, Jack, and Arnold, playing together again. And Maui, wow, it looked so beautiful!

* We went to see Fool's Gold on Friday night, it was really great. I love both Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, and they were great together in this movie. It has a very interesting and intelligent plot too. Hal and I both loved it, and would definately recommend it!

Thats pretty much it. See, I told you not much has been going on. Hopefully I will have something more profound to post this week. Happy Monday!

Have you heard?

George Strait's new song called "I Saw God Today"

You have to hear it, its a really great message, one that everyone will appreciate. Hal and I heard it in the car last night, and it brought tears to my eyes.

I think all of the mommies and daddies will especially appreciate it.

Here is a "video." Its actually just a slideshow of George Strait pics, but the song plays, and I want you to hear the song.