Monday, January 31, 2011

Attention, Google Reader-lovers!

Lou alerted me to a new blog. http://www.urlesque.com/

This particular post toasts new, weird, awesome blogs in the blogosphere.  You could look at this post, or just peruse the blogs I have linked below.  Some of them are AWESOME!!! http://www.urlesque.com/2010/12/08/best-new-single-topic-blog-of-the-year-2010-urlies/

Here they are.  

1. Hungover Owls

2. Faces of the Last Season of Oprah

3. Seleck Waterfall Sandwich

4. CAPTCHART (captions you have to type to proceed on the internet somtimes)

5. Album Tacos

Enjoy the giggles!

Here is the post that made me laugh out loud: you-look-a-look-a-little-raggedy-this-morning

Heh Heh heh

Yes, that's Hugh Jackman... and yes, that's his daughter.  He just officially became the coolest ever.


p.s. I'm over this snow.   Pretty though it is, let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming, please

Saturday, January 29, 2011

A Little Graduate!

Well, Pheebs just graduated from 8 weeks of adult dog basic training!  

She learned:  sit, down, come and voluntary attention.  We're still working on stay, leash-walking, and a few other things.
 As part of her graduation celebration, she got to choose a dog toy out of their toy box.  She picked this bone-- and she loves it!










When we got home, to celebrate her graduation, we played in the show a little bit. :)
















Good job, Phebe!   Now we have more training to do...

Friday, January 28, 2011

Powerless

We were.  In a lot of ways!

So, let me take you back.   It's a lovely Wednesday night.   TONS of snow was falling... and falling fast.

Look at this fun time table:

3:15-  I'm doing dishes in the kitchen and hear the sleet start to fall on our skylight.  Then I thought I saw lightning.  Shook my head, thinking it was just a light in our kitchen flickering.  Then I heard the thunder.  THUNDER!?  Thunder and sleet?

3:30- The sleet got harder.  And bigger.  And it was still thundering.

3:45- Lou gets home from work (they sent her home early, thank goodness!)   She told me they were calling it "thundersnow" at her office.

4:00- the Snow starts.  It starts coming down FAST

4:30- already an inch and a half on the cars.

5:00- moving toward 3 inches.   We start to get worried about the boys who live with us who were traveling on the roads.  After a few texts, we learned that they were both already stuck in massive traffic within 5 miles of our house.

6:45- the first boy returns!   He says that people are stuck all over and he's going to help push people and dig them out.  He also says that he had to abandon his car a mile from the house because he couldn't make it up the hills.

6:45- Lou and I decide to go investigate the weather.  It's Crazy snowing!  And a line (we think it's phone, is hanging SO LOW!)


6:50-We literally walk down to the end of our street and happen upon a wayside traveler-- our other roommate!!   He had to abandon his car about a mile away, too, and walk.  We chatted for a minute, then sent him home to get warm while we continued on our walk.

6:45-7:45 Walked. SO cold!  Such crazy traffic and bossy humans we saw!
 the next 3 are phone pictures because my camera died.  Lovely.




7:45- back home with a frozen dog (my bad!!)  Got warm, got comfy, watched the crazy traffic on route 50 out our window and whatever was on tv.

11:30- all in the living room, hanging.   BOOM! zzt.  No lights anymore.  That kind of spooky quiet.  Naturally, we looked at our neighbors.  Out front- dark as we were.  Behind us-- lights and warmth.  MAN!   It was a cold night, but pup and I were warm as can be under the down comforter.

Thursday Day was a different story.  Lots of digging cars out provided some heat for awhile.  Then I built a fire, did my report cards in front of it.  At one point, Phebe had had Enough and gave me a Look. Here are some pics and video of my day...

The laptop still had some juice, so I watched a movie that arrived from Netflix.  Yes, it was Pride and Prejudice.  Yes, I love that movie.  Yes, I cried.
 The Look:
This was my little situation.  And sorry for the gratuitous dog footage.  But her little face was so sweet, I couldn't stop filming until she needed some snuggles.

What's better than a dog falling asleep?  (or possibly dying from the cold, just kidddding)


I went out for a little while at 5:00 (with LOTS of guilt for leaving my puppy in the 57 degree house), but when I got home at 6:20, WE HAD POWER!!!    Whew... back to everything I love about warmth and tv and cooking and my computer and warmth.  And warmth.

:)



Wednesday, January 26, 2011

My Body Thanks You, Kelly

Today I'm giving a special shout to Kelly.   Thanks for making me go to our gym today!!!   I definitely would have stayed on the couch had you not made me go.  Love Love.
this is pretty much what we look like when we run, too.

Insomnia- 2, Mee- 1

Well, the red wine worked.   Or maybe the moving furniture around.  Or maybe the previous two nights insomnia.

But it came at a price.  I woke up and was SHOCKED to hear that school was canceled today (anticipation of the storm to come?  I guess?) but that means that because I actually slept last night, I'm wide awake this morning.  I've been up since 7!?  No sleeping in.  Phebe slept in.

Maybe I'll catch a nap.  I wish I could visit Owen.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Heavens to Mergatroids

Tonight two big things happened here:

#1:  I labeled ALL my blog posts.  All 222. And now there is a label link on my blog.  That took a ridiculous amount of time.


#2: We rearranged the living room.  It looks awesome!    Pics to come.


(also trying out a new insomnia combatant:  red wine)

Monday, January 24, 2011

Well done, States

My roommate just sent me this.


Yikes, Washington state.

I beat you, Cold.

Mee: 1

Cold: 0


nice try.

Haircut Monkey

New mom Joy asked about Phebe's haircut today...
 She does have a body.  She's not just a head.
 Teeny tiny body.
I know this picture is blurry, but you can See her through the blur.  She makes that face a lot.

  I think she is a little embarrassed about it.
 She gets mad static in the wintertime.
 Puffin face.


I'm not a huge fan of her short haircut.  So let's look back at pictures I love...
 Naughty tiny puppy.
 Quizzical tiny puppy.
My beloved Sloth.

Fun in 3rd grade

oreo cookies + the moon phases = delicious, delicious fun

Home

Love this band, Love this song. It means a lot to me right now.



And then I saw this cuteness today...

things I should be doing

#1. Sleeping

Things I am actually doing:

#1.  Hoping for the weather to warm up.
#2.  Planning trails to walk and hike with Phebe once the weather gets warm.
#3.  Adding new hiking shoes to my ever-growing amazon wishlist.
#4.  Hoping I keep the gumption to hike the trails.  It's fun, beautiful and excellent exercise.
#5.  Hoping to find some Nova friends who want to go on a hike with me.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

I will defeat you, Cold.

Weekend stats:

10- number of hours slept on Friday night (thank you, nyquil)

1- number of hours that phebe had obedience class on Saturday morning

10- number of miles, total, that I drove this weekend

12- number of hours slept on Saturday night (thank you, nyquil)

4- number of cold medicine pills I took this weekend to force the cold away

6- number of calls I missed this weekend because I had my phone on silent and was sleeping/laying around preserving energy

0- number of days of school I will miss because of this cold

Saturday, January 22, 2011

This reminds me of Coleman's Nursery...

Those of you that know Coleman's will understand!


Monday, January 17, 2011

Changes

A lot of changes in 2011. 

Some I don't understand.

Some it will take me time to get on board with.

Some I don't know if I'll be able to get over for awhile. 

Some I know that I need to work on.

Some are joyous news.

I'm figuring it all out and looking within a lot recently.

2011... growing and changing and hopefully learning



Sunday, January 16, 2011

Thanks, Universe

A few years ago, my stepdad signed me up to receive emails from the universe.   They come in overnight and are completely motivational.  They make you try to focus on the good things and the idea that the universe is on your side and not out to get you.

This past week I received two messages from the universe that I hope will stick with me:

Whenever something doesn't work out the way you thought it would, Caitie,
instead of thinking that something went wrong, see it as something that
went unexpectedly well, but for reasons that are not yet apparent.

Everything plays to your favor.

Score!
   The Universe


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Always speak of the past, gratefully.
Of the future, excitedly.
And of the present, Caitie, with bobbing eyebrows and a Cheshire grin.

Spiritual politics, baby -
   The Universe







Thanks, Rick and the universe.  I need these reminders.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Yes?

This is really a church near me...



Is that really his last name?     

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

phone pictures

With all the new information about the iphone coming to Verizon, I thought this would be a fun post:   To show some of the ridiculous pictures I take on my Blackberry.  (the blackberry camera isn't very good... as you'll see)

In ABSOLUTELY no order...


One beautiful fluffy dog:
 Sperm Shoes from Skymall
 3rd grade reading book... yikes...
 Yiiiiiiikes!!
 My school picture this year.  (I took a pic of it on my phone to send to my mom, y'all.  She still likes my school pictures, you know)
 A SUPER happy Christmas elf...
 What What in the butt pants...  Want to see a ridiculous youtube video?   Youtube "what what in the butt".   Anne, I think you, ESPECIALLY, will love this.
 The ultimate in Holiday relaxtion... Pheebs stretched over to the ottoman.
 Kitty in the sink.
 Learning their nines any way they know how!  (Use those strategies!)
 Kitty in another sink.


Hope the randomness entertained you as much as it did me.  Just be careful, YOU might make the next round...

Monday, January 10, 2011

Fingers Crossed


Keep your fingers crossed that a certain program at school gets funded appropriately.   It could be VERY helpful to this teacher.

P.S.  shout out to Carm for her organizing.   I'll always help you, lady, in any way you need.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Most Important Thing To Do

Counting blessings.

With all that's been in my head for the first 10 days of 2011, this is the most important thing I need to do right now.

In the order in which they pop into my head:

1. My mom.
2. My dog.  Especially that warm ball of pup in the mornings.
3. My health.
4. My job.
5. My good friends.
6. The use of my legs. (I've been watching Friday Nights Lights on netflix)
7. My family.
8. I have a car that runs.  *fingers crossed*
9. A warm home.
10. I get perfect advice from Joy.
11. The ability to laugh.
12. The ability to make others laugh.
13.  I can teach kids.  Not just be there with them, but actually help them learn.
14. I know what to do to take care of myself.   In many, but not all, ways.
15. My gym usage has quadrupled in the past 10 months.
16. I got my strength of conviction back.
17. I found my voice again.
18. I can take care of people again.
19. Netflix.
20. I can run at 6.7 mph for up to 2 miles.
21. I love to be in the classroom with my wonnnnderful class this year and don't want any snowdays!
22. I can cook better than I used to be able to.
23. My dog is in the first stages of calming down and not being SO puppyish anymore.


There are so many more things.   Sometimes I get nervous when I put all the things I'm thankful for out into the world because I feel almost like it invite a target on my back---to test me.  I hope not.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2011 is challenging

Among a lot of other things that have been difficult this year so far (5 days in!?), today we said goodbye to a part of our family...
 Our sweet Maggie was almost 15 years old (that's 105 in dog years) and she has been ailing for awhile.  I don't really know how to stop crying about losing my dog, so I am going to celebrate her with a blog post.
 I said goodbye to her when I was home for Christmas, but I didn't think we'd have to put her down so soon.
 Out of all the dogs we've had, she was by far the sweetest and most accommodating.
 Clearly.
 She and Tucker were good guard dogs.  Mom says they are probably already playing together right now. (in dog heaven)
 Mags liked to sleep anywhere.  And in every position.
 Here are the dog heaven friends.

 She LOVED to burrow on my mom's bed.
 And put up with being decorated for Christmas.
 Tiny puppy legs dangling.
 Getting a little wild with the scissors.
























I hope these two sweet pups in dog heaven know how much we loved our time with them.  They were such good dogs.

I love you, Maggie.  (Feb. 1996- Jan. 2011)