A Coach's Life

A new job

2012-01-20T15:28:00.002-05:00

Though I've been working from home for the Hospital and one other company, I was finding myself bored and also in need of some extra money that was predictable. Danny and I threw out various ideas of what I could do and one that was at the top of the list was work at Starbucks. I love their coffee, it'd be flexible and I'd get to meet a variety of people. Perfect for me!

Early last week, I filled out the online application. On the application, you can only select 4 stores to apply to and you don't know if they are truly hiring. This week, I followed up with the 4 stores and none of them were hiring. I saw online though that a store in West Palm Beach was hiring. So, Wednesday afternoon, I drove up to the store to introduce myself and make sure they were able to find my application. I ended up having an impromptu interview with the sore manager and then was sent to another store to interview with their manager. I got the call yesterday...I now have a part time job!! I am really excited and looking forward to trying out something completely different from what I've done in the past. Hopefully I like it as much as I think I will!

Those that don't know Him

2012-01-10T11:42:00.002-05:00

"Some of the most Christ-like people I know don't even have a relationship with him... somethings not right there."

The above was the Facebook status a couple weeks ago of a good friend of ours. Danny and I both saw it but failed to talk about it until a few days later. During the days in between, we were both thinking separately about how true of a statement that was and how much it rings true with the daily interactions we have here in Florida. One night last week, we were on the way home from dinner with some friends of mine who specifically drove over from Ft. Myers to visit us and our new CF gym when this conversation came up. (It was so nice to spend time with people from home and we were both floored that they'd taken the time to drive over 2.5 hours to visit us just for a few hours then have to drive the 2.5 hours back to her dad's place.) The more we talked, the more we realized how many people we know that aren't believers, but act more like they are than those that do believe. (Did that even make sense?) It saddened us to think about all the people who claim to know Christ but act dishonestly, cheat to get ahead at everything, lack integrity and many other things. Yes, we are all sinners and redeemed by God's grace if we just ask, but that doesn't mean life is a free for all and we can act and repent later. We are called as believers to follow Christ and life as Christ-like as we can. We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

Our conversation really made both of us reflect on how we act and what people will see. We both strive to set Christ-like examples and be witneses in our daily lives. We are surrounded by people from all walks of lfe and we are really learning to love them for who they are now and pray for who they can become. We may not always agree with their life choices or decisions, but we shouldn't stop loving them. With the power of God, anything is possible so we are just wanting to do our part. We'll never really know the way we've impacted people, but we can sure strive to do our best at being Christ like.

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

2011-12-12T20:14:00.002-05:00

Living in South Florida for six weeks has taught me one important thing about myself. I am slowly learning to be less judgmental of others. It was always something I inwardly did and occasionally shared with others. But, meeting such unique and different people has opened my eyes to reality. We've met a lot of people since moving here and the majority of these people are nothing like those in Indiana that I would've even taken the time to meet. A lot of these people we've met at our gym, Crossfit Hardcore. We're there 5 to 6 days a week so we encounter a lot of people. Here, there are people from all walks of life. And each one of them has opened my eyes a little more. We're building relationships with all kinds of people and that's what it's all about. Some of these people wouldn't typically be "accepted" in the church, but they're still a Child of God. Whether they follow Him or not, they are still one of His. Who am I to judge what is normal and what is acceptable. My role is to show Christ's love regardless of the situation they may be in.

Being stretched is challenging but rewarding in its own way.

Differences

2011-11-25T17:39:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking on this post for awhile and I think it's time to write. Wheter or not it comes together like I've envisioned, who knows. Oh well...let's try it out.

We've been down here for over three weeks now and I've noticed a number of differences from life in Northern Indiana. The obvious difference is the weather. We've had some rain since we've been here, but I've seen the sun every day and it has been warmer than 70 degrees at all times. It's pretty easy to get used to.

South Florida is in its own category for uniqueness. There is such a melting pot of nationalities everywhere you go and that's just in our own area, not Miami. Lynn, the school Danny works at, is 25% international students so on his team alone, there are girls from 8 differnt countries. I love talking with them and learning a little bit about their cultures. We have 2 girls from the US, one from Canada, one from England, one from Spain, one from Peru, one from Australia, one from Egypt and one from Belgium who is Filipino. Such fun personalities and life experiences. The gym we attend, Crossfit HardCore, has people from all over as well. It's fun to hear the different accents and figure out where they are from.

The amount of money in South Florida is insane. The school I had club tryouts at last weekend is a private school, where kids can board...it only costs $20,000 to attend. And, it's K-12 so there are a lot of stuents. What!?!? The vending machin here at Clif bars, Coconut Water and other various health foods. Not a Snickers or Twix in sight! I've never seen such a thing! I've also seen more luxury cars than ever before. Maserati's, Lamborghini's and Ferraris are the norm around here. The kids at Lynn drive them!

But, my favorite difference of all is how much freedom we have. Now that Danny is only coaching golf, he has all kinds of free time. His job is flexible, especially now that they're not in season. He's home every night for dinner, he's home on the weekends and we get to hang out as much as we want. I know he does miss basketball, but we don't really miss the amount of time it required. Being able to do whatever we want when we want has become an enjoyed luxury for us.

I'm sure there are many more that I could list if I took the time. We'll leave at this for now.

Who is this guy??

2011-11-16T16:37:00.001-05:00

Ever since we moved, Ollie is a whole new dog! It's hard to explain, but Danny and I both have noticed a difference in him. He has become much more confident. He walks everywhere with his tail straight up and has a little extra pep in his step. He has also become athletic! Where did this come from? It is so amazing to see the difference! He can still be a jerk at times, which he proved yesterday in our dog park, but all in all, he's like a brand new dog. Apparently, Florida agrees with him! I hope this new guy is here to stay!!

A New Life

2011-11-12T20:14:00.001-05:00

We've been here 10 days and it is already starting to feel like home, though occasionally we have to pinch ourselves to make sure we really live here. We've had great weather every day and it is easy to forget it is almost the middle of November.

When we got here last Tuesday, we weren't sure when our furniture and other items would arrive. We were able to move into the condo right away and borrowed an air mattress from one of Danny's coworkers. Outside of that and some clothes, we pretty much had nothing. Danny had to be back to work on Wednesday so the Duo and I spent a lot of time together over the following days.

Ollie really enjoyed the air mattress!!

I haven't taken pictures yet of the condo, but we really lucked out. The couple we are renting from live in Colorado. They were in town last weekend so we got to meet them and they're great. I think they're going to be great landlords.

Directly across from our unit is the community dog park. Flash and Ollie love to go in there and explore. I wouldn't say they play or run around much, but they do like to sniff every square inch! There are a lot of dogs in our complex so it's fun to see them out and about.

Flash and Ollie are slowly settling in. For the first couple of days, you could tell that they were afraid we weren't going to come home. They get a kong every time we leave and for the first week or so, they went completely nuts when we'd come home. We try to get them quiet and outside as soon as we can so they aren't too much of a disturbance. It didn't help that when we didn't have our furniture, the sound just echoed off the tile floors. Earlier this week, I started to notice that they were becoming calmer when I'd get home during the day. I tried to get out each day for a couple hours to run errands, work out or go down to Lynn to work with Danny's golfers. I think they're settling in better now and realize that we're coming home.

Our furniture finally arrived on Monday! It was so nice to have our belongings. I wish everyone could've seen how happy the Duo were to have their couches back. I really think that helped them settle in more. We still have a lot of boxes, but they're hidden in the second bedroom. Hope we don't have any guests anytime soon!!

The Duo anxiously awaiting the arrival of their couches!

Watching our furniture come in!

We were all happy to have our real bed again.

As usual, Ollie loves to look outside. Now, he just has to do it from the second floor!

Here we go!!!

2011-11-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

Warning...lots of pictures! :)

Friday, October 28, this guy was delivered to our house! Once it arrived, the move seemed extremely real. Saturday morning, my parents and our wonderful friends loaded up the truck. With all of our great help, it went pretty fast and we were able to get the house cleaned for the new tenants. Within 30 minutes of having the truck loaded, our friends arrived with their U-Haul. We all helped unload their truck before lunch. When it was all said and done, we moved out of our house, cleaned and moved our friends in to the house in under 4 hours. Talk about teamwork!! The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with friends and saying our good byes.

On Sunday evening after our going away party at church, we picked the Dynamic Duo up at Camp and hit the road. We needed to get to Elizabethtown, KY that night. Flash and Ollie wore their harnesses and afer just a little bit of whining, settled in for the drive. They did awesome! D and I were both a little surprised at how well they traveled. Prior to leaving, they each got one dramamine pill and one benadryl. I do think this helped considerabl and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Prior to the move, I had done some research and learned that LaQuinta Inn & Suites were extremely pet friendly and had a great pet policy. So, I booked a room in Elizabethtown, KY and Jacksonville, FL. Both hotels were nice and clean, but the Jacksonville area was a little sketchy. We probably wouldn't stay there again!

I was definitely nervous about how the Duo would do in a hotel with all the different smells and noises. Once we got settled in our room the first night, they each got a kong to help them relax.

Ollie wasted no time settling in on the bed. Flash on the other hand, took awhile to settle in. We didn't sleep too well the first night. She would perk up every time she heard a door open and close. We got a couple of decent stretches of sleep, but it was pretty rough.

Day 2 was off to a great start and the Duo settled right in and relaxed. We pretty much only stopped to let them out when we needed gas. They were the ideal travel companions!

I'm still trying to figure out how this is even remotely comfortable! But, he slept this way for a good while.

Our second night in a hotel was much better than the first night. The Duo settled in right away and we all got a great night's sleep. They didn't budge until it was time for breakfast. There was never any barking or whining either!

Ollie loves to ride with the windows down, so once we got into our new hometown, he was in heaven. Here he is welcoming us to our new apartment/condo complex. He seems pleased with our choice

And, he definitely approves of the great Florida air!

All in all, our trip was extremely easy. D and I were both very pleased with how well the Duo traveled. It was actually really enjoyable and the trip went by fast. I am glad to know that the Duo are good travelers so maybe we can do some more traveling with them.

And I'm back!

2011-11-09T16:12:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the short hiatus!! We made it to Florida!!! I have lots to update and plan to do that this evening now that we have internet in the condo. Yippee!!! I finally feel connected with the real world again! I've hated not reading all my favorite blogs, but we're getting back to it!

More to come...

Strange Things are Happening

2011-10-24T16:16:00.001-04:00

The countdown officially began yesterday. We're now down to 6 days until we begin making the long awaited drive to Florida. I can't believe the time has already come. I have two days left of work, D comes in on Thursday morning and life just gets crazier from there. At times I think I'm ready for this; other times I'm not so sure. Volleyball ended last Thursday. Though I was sad and emotional for a little bit, it is somewhat of a relief to be done. That was what I stayed here for and now it's over. We have our banquet Wednesday evening; then it's officially done and I can hand in my keys. Weird!!

The house is getting more and more packed each day. I have nothing left in my kitchen except for a skillet and spatula to make eggs, which is about all I have in the fridge. The moving truck arrives Friday and we load it on Saturday. It will be nice to have lots of hands helping. So thankful for our friends!!

But, the weirdest thing of all...the Dynamic Duo. I keep catching them this way...

Or like this...

Or this...

Sometimes like this...

And even like this..

What I want to know is...when did they start sharing the couch? Does this mean they might actually like each other? And, this is all from this past weekend! They're starting to worry me. I know I'll really be worried when they are actually touching. Maybe some day!!

Speaking of the Duo, they got a special treat Friday evening. I had purchased a $10 gift certificate from LivingSocial.com for Urban Swirl, an amazing frozen yogurt place in town. They sell Yoghund and I've always wanted to get it for the Duo, but never wanted to spend the extra money. Well, E and I went and only spent about $6 and they don't give change for the gift certificates. What's a girl to do but buy the Dynamic Duo some Yoghund. The flavor was Papaya and Peanut Butter. I think they liked them. What do you think?

Oh My

2011-10-05T11:03:00.001-04:00

I ca't believe how bad of a blogger I've been lately. I have good intentions every day, but then never actually get around to it. It probably doesn't help that I have to do it at work since we don't have internet at home.

Brief rundown on what's going on in our lives:

Volleyball - currently we are 17-10 with just a few games left before sectionals. Tomorrow night is senior night and I can't believe it's that time already. I really can't believe these girls are seniors! They were just 8th graders playing on my club team. I've really enjoyed coaching this year, probably more than any other year. The girls want to learn and want to try new things. We don't always succeed, but they try hard most of the time. It definitely doesn't hurt that two of my best friends are on the bench with me as assistant coaches. I'm a lucky coach to have them with me! The worst part about coaching is the tournaments where I have to drive one of the mini buses. The picture below describes my feelings about parking in the transportation lot. That space was super narrow and I had to back it in. But, totally nailed it on the first try!

I gotta back this in there? Are you kidding me!?!

House - The house is no longer for sale. Good friends of ours are going to rent it for a few months, then buy it from us once they have the money saved that they need. We are really excited that we can help them out and it helps us out. Though it wasn't the ideal situation we had dreamed of, this is the best outcome. We're extremely thankful to not have to worry about that!

Flash & Ollie - the Dynamic Duo are living quite the enchanted life these days. They are lucky enough to go to Camp 4+ days a week and usually Aunt Sarah or Aunt Jessica picks them up and brings them home. This all means they are extremely well behaved when I get home...that or they're just too tired to do anything. I feel bad that I don't spend that much time with them, but I think they're still happy. I make an effort to snuggle with each of them at some point each day. I do feel bad for Ollie...I think he misses D. D was always his snuggle partner since Flash has to be with me. Since D left at the end of August, I think Ollie has slept in bed with Flash and me maybe three times and it's only after breakfast. I haven't quite figured out his reasoning since he would always sleep with us after breakfast when D was home. I'm not sure if he's playing Mr. Protector or if he is just too tired to move.

Just another relaxing day at Camp!

Ollie is completely exhausted after spending the weekend at Camp.

Florida - I spent this past weekend in Florida. It was nice to spend a couple of days with D after being apart 24 days...but who's counting!?! Our main goal was to find us a place to rent for the next year. I wish I could say we succeeded. We looked at 6 or 7 different places and made an offer on our top choice. We learned yesterday that the HOA in the community we wanted to live only allows dogs up to 30 lbs. Poor Flash and Ollie were too big to live there! And all this time, I thought our two were small bassets! Evidently not! D has found a couple of other places to check out in the next couple of days that do not have size limitations for dogs. Hopefully one of those works out! The rest of our time was spent walking the beach, going to South Beach, my first time meeting the golf team and just hanging out!

We are falling in love with the ocean!

The last major highlight is the release of a great new book! A friend from an online community that I partake in wrote her first novel and it has been on the shelves for the last 8 days. I was finally able to buy my copy Sunday night. I read the entire flight home and finished it within an hour of getting home. Though it is in the YA section and also paranormal romance, I still loved it! I don't typically choose books from either of those genres, but it was well worth the read! There is some strong language and sexual references so I'd be hesitiant to recommend it to young readers. The worst part is that the second one isn't realeased until Fall 2012. That's forever from now!!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Enjoying Fall

2011-09-20T16:12:00.003-04:00

Ollie absolutely LOVES when the front door is open. Saturday was a perfect day and he hung out in that position for a good hour. He was happy as could be!

As you can see, Flash is patiently waiting for Ollie to finish his Kong so she can clean out anything he missed. And don't worry, she wasted no time once he headed to get a drink. Love Kong time at our house! It's so peaceful!

This is what I woke up to yesterday morning. It's not quite the same as waking up to D, but she's still awfully cute. She had no desire to get up and go potty either. It was like pulling teeth. She's so lazy sometimes!

Whirlwind

2011-09-08T16:01:00.001-04:00

It seems like the past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! Between work, volleyball and trying to corral the Dynamic Duo, time is flying!

I did get to see my hubby this past weekend! We had a couple of important wedding so I picked him up Friday morning in Indy then drove to St. Louis. It was a lot of fun to be a part of Steph's wedding. I of course failed to take any pictures to commemorate the event. It was a little weird not knowing anyone at her wedding besides a handful of people. We still enjoyed ourselves!

Sunday, we left the Lou and headed back to Indy. D met with a golf recruit then we hustled to get ready for another wedding. We were both really excited for this wedding since it was one of his former golfers. These girls are so special to us and it was fun to see almost all of them back together.

Still haven't sold the house, but we've had a couple of positive showings and we do have friends who want to do a rent to own process. So, I feel good about things...just want to get it finalized!

The Dynamic Duo are enjoying life. They spent EVERY day at Camp last week and also a couple days this week. I could tell yesterday morning that Flash needed a break so they stayed home today. One of our former golfers was coming over to let them out and hang out for a bit. They've been exhausted almost every day. It's great for me! Flash had some severe allergies last week so off to the vet we went. She got her typical prednisone and seems better. Unfortunately, prednisone makes her extremely thirsty and when she's exhausted she has accidents without realizing it. Tuesday night I had to wash our sheets, then a couple hours later had to strip the guest bed, then just finished the night on the couch. Not much sleep in our house that night! But, I think we're doing better.

Flyin' Solo

2011-08-26T16:47:00.003-04:00

It is official. I'm flying solo for the next couple months. D left yesterday for Florida and is still driving! He made it to the ATL area last night and should make it to Boca Raton by 8pm or so today. Hopefully Hurricane Irene doesn't get in his way!

In some ways, I really don't feel like he's gone. I'm so used to him being gone for a few days during the fall that it seems normal. Yesterday, I left for work before he had packed up the car so it seemed like any typical day in our house. No emotions for me yet but I'm sure after a few days it'll become more real. I did gain about 3 dresser drawers and another closet through all this. Guess I should do some more shopping!

In all honesty, I think the most difficult part of this all will be handling the Dynamic Duo. With being in volleyball season, I don't get home until after 7pm each night and leave the house at 7:30. That's a lot of days and money at Camp K9! Plus, on game days, I gotta find somebody to pick them up and take them home! Geesh, being a single parent is going to be tough!

What's funny is that I'll see D next weekend. We're a part of a wedding in St. Louis then have another wedding in Indy for a former golfer. Then, I'll head down there at the end of September for a couple days. So, I know there will be some long stretches but somehow we'll manage!

I'm extremely thankful for my friends, who I know will keep me busy! I'd be lost without a couple of my girlfriends!

Sleepy

2011-08-24T15:45:00.003-04:00

We've had some sleepy pups at our house lately. With D back and forth to FL, the duo have spent a good amount of of time at Camp playing with all their friends. It's a good thing they like it there because they are going to be there often once D leaves for good tomorrow. I forsee many good night's sleep in my future!

Update

2011-08-16T13:27:00.002-04:00

I flew down to Florida early Saturday morning so we could begin the house hunting. What an adventure! The first houe we saw was actually decent, just very quirky. So, that was a quick no. Then houses 2 and 3 were AWFUL! We did find an apartment complex that was nice so we added that to the list.

Saturday night, we ate dinner on the beach. That is definitely something I will have no problem getting used to! It was a gorgeous night and we ate at a fresh seafood restaurant. My mahi mahi was so good! I can't wait to go back there to eat again!

Sunday, we went to church at Boca Raton Community Church. We enjoyed it; it was just much more traditional than what we're used to. Not bad, just different.

We attempted to see a couple of rental homes, but nothing worked out. To say we were a little frustrated would be an understatement.

Highlights of the trip were meeting various staff members that Danny will be spending a lot of time with. He will be working with a bunch of great people, so that is nice.

Looks like for now, we'll be renting for the first 6-12 months until we know exactly where I'll be working and where we would like to live. There are a lot of great areas to choose from so it may take some time. Renting with the Dynamic Duo will definitely be an adventure that I'm not looking forward to. But, I know we'll survive.

It was hard coming back to IN yesterday. I fell in love with the area we'll be in and I can't wait to get back there. I'm thankful that I have volleyball to occupy my time over the next few weeks. Time will fly and I know we'll be extremely busy. Fingers are crossed that the house sells and sells FAST!

Flash and Ollie were very excited when I got home yesterday afternoono. Their friend Sarah came to stay with them while I was gone. Thankfully, they did pretty well. They did have one major adventure last week when she picked them up from Camp for me. For whatever reason, they both jumped in the front seat with her, which caused her to swerve and hit a mailbox. Some paint and part of the door handle on the front passenger side came off. I guess we're going to have to get more serious about those seatbels. Though they are trying to maintain their innocence, all of their allowance and extra spending money will be going to Aunt Sarah.

News

2011-08-09T09:11:00.003-04:00

I have clearly been a poor blogger this summer. I could give all kinds of excuses though, believe me! I spent 9 long days working at our County Fair for the hospital...I clocked about 60 hours that week. Overtime is a great thing! :) Then, last Monday, summer officially ended. Volleyball is back in full swing and I couldn't be happier! Though I was dreading it initially, I am really excited and enjoying it. I've said it before but this time might be the truth...I've got the greatest girls you could ask for. They want to work hard and they want to be successful. Who wouldn't want to coach them...I am lucky!

But, the biggest news of all that's been in the works for a bit...we're moving! D got a new job here...

He will only be the Women's Golf coach. No more basketball, no more teaching; all for better pay and more freedom. What's even better is the location...Boca Raton, FL! Finally, no more snow and cold weather!! We are extremely excited about this new opportunity!

You can find the official Lynn release here and the BC release here. I'm awfully proud of this guy! It's a huge challenge, but it is something we're ready for. D will leave on the 25th for good and will come back to help me move everything else after volleyball season is over. Come November, we will become Florida residents. Crazy!!

But, I'm not sure if these two fully grasp what's going on. When D asked Ollie if he wanted to move, all he got in response was some growling and rumbling. I don't know if it was positive or negative though! I'm not sure if I'm ready to tackle the task of moving them. That's a lot of time in the car for these two!

Family

2011-07-18T16:40:00.008-04:00

After the U2 concert, we spent a day at home then headed to meet family in Angol to spend the day at the lake. My sister and family were in town from NE and we couldn 't wait to see the girls. I grew up going to this lake with my family to visit my parent's good friends. I have such fond memories from the lake, but since they tore down the cottage and rebuilt a new one, it was little strange at first. We had a great day on the boat, jet ski and relaxing. I failed to take any pictures except this one. The kids got into the toy closet and Miss S came out in these...

Friday morning, we got up and tackled the challenge of family pictures. All in all, it was pretty harmless and we all survived. We spent more time with the nieces in the afternoon...I made a mistake of teaching the two oldest how to play Angry Birds. That was all they wanted to do...totally drained my phone battery! But, it was fun to watch them catch on get pretty good at it.

Saturday morning, while D and dad golfed, mom and I took the girls to the mall. I started a tradition when the oldest niece turned 3 of taking them to Build-A-Bear for their third birthday. It was finally Miss S' turn and she was excited. She told me beforehand that she wanted a monkey. We ended up with a Fudge Pup that we appropriately named Mousse. She had a great time picking everything out and dressing her pup.
After Build-A-Bear, we had to find Miss M a princess necklace. Thankfully, we found a super cheap jewelry store where the majority of items were on sale for $1 and she picked out a very nice bracelet/necklace combo.

My favorite part of the morning was treating everyone to Starbucks. The girls had never experienced it before, so we ordered 2 "chocolate" shakes and 1 "vanilla" shake. They were so cute sipping on them and I think they really liked them! I have probably started a bad habit, but what's an aunt for if she can't spoil those sweet girls!!

During the afternoon, Dad, D and I took A golfing for the first time. She loves to drive the golf cart but had never played any. D and I bought her a golf club her size and she really enjoyed it! It was a fun time...I only took pictures on mom's camera though so I don't have any to share. It was cute, trust me!

We ended the trip with dinner at our favorite italian place and D got his first ever pedicure. He walked away with one red foot and one pink foot. Such a good uncle!

360 Tour

2011-07-15T14:32:00.004-04:00

About 18 months ago, my bff E and I thought it would be fun to go to a U2 concert since our guys love the band. We bought our tickets and anxiously awaited the concert in July. Lo and behold, Bono had to have emergency back surgery so our show was postponed until this July. Talk about waiting forever for a great concert! Finally, the day arrived! E and her hubby S had to take family to the airport in Chicago early Tuesday morning so D and I decided to take the train and meet them. It was our first time taking the train and what a piece of cake! It was so nice to relax and not have to worry about traffic or parking. We met up with E & S at the Field Museum, walked to a Giordano's for dinner then headed to Soldier Field for the big event.

When we orignially purchased our tickets, the concert was only a couple of months away so there weren't a lot of seats to choose from. We ended up in Section 428, Row 17...super far up. But, at Soldier Field, I don't think there is a bad seat. We had a great view of the amazing stage and the city skyline.

It was a perfect evening for a summer concert. D was convinced at first that it wouldn't be a packed house, but if you scroll down a few, you'll see how packed it was. There were close to 70,000 people in attendance. Crazy!

The entire concert was unbelievable! The stage was amazing, the sound was awesome and the effects were ridiculous. We had such a great time!

Still alive!!

2011-07-13T16:37:00.003-04:00

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe I haven't updated in such a long time...apparently it's been busy!! There is lots to update on, but we'll take it a day at a time.

As exepected, these two are still spoiled and cute as ever!

Six, already?

2011-06-24T15:24:00.010-04:00

Has it really been six years already since we got married? I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I bet if we tallied up the days where we've actually seen each other in the past six years, it'd total up to about 3 years! We love our crazy schedules and it totally works for us!

I consider myself very lucky to have this man in my life. He keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh constantly. He's also been the most supportive husband I could ask for. I am reminded constantly of how thankful I am to have a coach for a husband. He gets me and my crazy ideas for volleyball. He supports me but also gives advice when I need it....which tends to be often!

Six down, at least another 60 to go, right?!?

They're still cute

2011-06-22T15:48:00.003-04:00

D has been gone working overniht basketball camp at BC the past few nights. So, it's just been the Dynamic Duo and me. We've enjoyed spending some quality time together just hanging out at night.

Ollie was apparently tired the other day. I can't imagine what he'd done to make himself so tired, but he and his ear were just hanging out!

Sunday evening, Miss Flash was a little bit of a pest. Though she'd done EVERYTHING outside numerous times, she just wasn't quite ready to relax. As I posted on Facebook, it's a good thing she's cute because she was driving me crazy.

Night of a Lifetime

2011-06-20T16:38:00.006-04:00

After almost 7 months of waiting, the night finally came for the NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys) concert. I don't know the last time I was so excited for something! I was in love with the New Kids in middle elementary school and also really liked the Backstreet Boys in late high school. So, this concert was the perfect combination for me. I never went to "secular" concerts as a kid so I was making up for lost time. The night completely surpassed any expectation I had set. Both groups sounded the same, pretty much looked the same and did all the same dance moves to their original songs. I would totally go again tonight if there was a concert available. One word: AMAZING!!!!

We tried to do a general and informal crowd census...mainly woman between the ages of 25 and 40. There were a few younger or older, but the majority were my generation. And, I think we counted maybe 10 guys that we could see from our seats. Those poor guys got suckered into it somehow. Hope their significant others appreciated their efforts!

I was lucky enough to have this beautiful woman as my date...none other than my bestie Erica. She didn't know any of the New Kids songs but loved BSB growing up. Since she's 5 years younger than me, I could forgive her lack of New Kids knowledge. I did make her a CD though of both groups so she could learn the songs ahead of time. Yeah, I'm kinda thoughtful like that!

The first opening act was Ashlynn Huff, whom I'd never heard of and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. I didn't take any pictures...not worth remembering. Big thumbs down for her.

After her was Jordin Sparks, who I enjoyed. I knew almost all the songs she sang thanks to the radio. We'll give that one a thumbs up.

Finally, it was time for the real show. NKOTBSB performed for a solid 2 1/2 hours and I don't think I really sat down once. I perched on my seat a couple of times, but never fully sat down. They opened up together, then alternated songs and closed together. Did I mention it was amazing? :)

An outing

2011-06-14T16:13:00.002-04:00

Sunday evening, we got together at a local park with some of our church friends for a cookout. Since the park was only a couple of blocks away, we thought it'd be fun to take the Dynamic Duo for a little bit. If they got too crazy, we knew it'd be easy to take them back home. Surprisingly, they both did really well for the most part. We were able to hook their leashes to a picnic table and I sat right by the table. They were happy as long as I was in sight and close enough to come see me. The couple times I got too far away, Flash very loudly declared her displeasure. It was a lot of fun having them there! My good friend E even commented that they were calmer than normal! Yes! After being there for almost a couple of hours, D and I walked them home so we could head back to play Ultimate Frisbee with everyone.

My favorite part of the evening was seeing Ollie up on top of the table. He climbed up there and relaxed for quite awhile. He must've liked being higher up!

Final Day

2011-06-10T16:14:00.004-04:00

On our last day in Oregon, we visited Multnomah Falls. It's about a mile hike up to the top with 11 switchbacks. It was a lot steeper than we expected so it was a great workout! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Meeting Strangers

2011-06-07T16:26:00.002-04:00

Sunday, we slept in a little bit then headed to church. It was a great service and very refreshing. After church, D, Danae and I headed to downtown Portland to meet up with yet another one of my internet friends and her hubby. We ate at a fun little pub and enjoyed the company and food. I'm just glad D and Danae didn't think I was crazy!

After lunch, we walked a couple of blocks to Powell's bookstore. Holy cow, this place was HUGE and amazing! I could've wandered in there for hours! The craziest part about the time at Powell's was meeting up with my cousin and his wife, who live in Redding, CA but were in OR visiting family. We'd connected on Facebook Saturday night about our trips so it was really fun to get together. We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving 2009 so it was nice to catch up for a bit.

The highlight of Sunday was going to the indoor shooting range! Neither D or I had shot guns before so we were super excited about this. Danae's dad owns a few guns and enjoys shooting so he taught us the basics and off we went. Though a little scary and intimidating at first, I had an absolute blast. What a rush! We shot only handguns...a couple of revolvers and a couple 9mms. I can't wait to do that again!

Coasting and Cheese!

2011-06-06T15:56:00.010-04:00

Back to documenting our trip after a two day hiatus...

On Saturday, we all got up early and headed to the coast. It was about a 2 hour drive and we stopped just over halfway and had breakfast at Camp 18...soo good!

The coast was breath taking! I've been on the California coast and I was amazed at how different it looks in Oregon. It's just as beautiful though! I could have stood there all day!

After making a couple of stops at different turnouts, we parked in a small town called Manzanita...loved it! Lots of cute little shops, restaurants and coffee shops. I couldn't spent a lot more time there but I wasn't in charge! :)
**We fell in love with the dog in the picture above. We stood and watched him play fetch for at least 20 minutes. He was in absolute heaven and probably could have played fetch all day. It was really neat to watch him with his human. So cute!**

After Manzanita, we drove about an hour and stopped at Tillamook, a cheese and ice cream factory. We watched some cheese being made, sampled various cheeses and purchased some amazing ice cream. Best chocolate peanut butter ice cream I've ever had! I'm ready to go back again!

To finish out the trip, we stopped for dinner at Jake's Grill in downtown Portland. We were all worn out by the time we got home! Phew, what a day!

If it walks like a Duck and talks like a Duck...

2011-06-03T16:30:00.003-04:00

It's probably a Duck!!

On Friday, we got up way too early and headed about 45 minutes south to play golf. (I played one round of golf last year, which is not good for me. So, I wasn't really looking forward to this round because I knew I'd be bad.) We played at OGA and thankfully it was free. (D is the president of the NAIA Women's Golf Coaches Association and as a favor to the coach at Concordia University in OR, he checked out the course for possibly hosting the 2013 NAIA Golf Nationals. And, we don't turn down free golf!) I survived the front nine, then just hung out and watched while he and Danae played the back. It just wasn't worth my frustrations!

After the golf, we headed another hour and a half south down to Eugene so we could check out the University of Oregon's campus. For some reason in the past year or so, D has become a big Ducks fan. I don't know that he can really explain why, but now we're both kind of hooked. So, we were pretty excited to see their campus and buy some Oregon gear. Our first stop was the football stadium...

We couldn't get into the stadium, but it was still pretty impressive when walking around it. Oregon has some unbelieveable athletic facilities thanks to their sponsorship from Nike.

After making the loop around the stadium, we headed over the famous Hayward Field, where the Track & Field team competes. Track & Field is serious busines at Oregon. There happened to be an NCAA Preliminaries Meet going on so we couldn't go into the stadium, but it was still pretty impressive.

We followed up our tour with a trip to the bookstore so we could purchase some Oregon attire and of course made a Starbucks stop. We drove by the new basketball arena, then started the trek back to Portland.

We had to make a stop on our way back though...the best outlet mall I've ever been to! Apparently, I haven't been shopping in awhile since I was a shopping fanatic during this trip. I found some sweet $20 shoes at Adidas, along with a super cheap spring coat. Then I was beyond excited about the White House Black Market outlet! I love their jeans and was able to get a pair at a reasonable price. Woo hoo!!

Dinner consisted of a quick stop at Five Guys for a good burger and fries. When we got back to Danae's house, her mom had her knitting friends over. D didn't spend much time with them, but I hung out for awhile and they were hilarious! They had me laughing non-stop!

All in all, a great day!

So it begins

2011-06-02T16:44:00.003-04:00

We left super, super early last Thursday morning so we could catch our flight out of Chicago. We headed to Portland, OR to see the DaNanny. During Danae's last year of school at BC, she played one semester of golf for D and spent numerous hours with the Dynamic Duo. She saved us tons of money and the Duo loved her! We decided it was time to visit her side of the country so off we went.

The main event for Thursday...

Danae's mom has a friend who works at Nike and was able to get us "Friends & Family" passes to the store. In all honesty, we were somewhat disappointed. There weren't quite as many deals as we had hoped or envisioned. Items were typically 50%, which is great, but since Nike is expensive to begin with, we didn't get any steals. No complaints though...I still walked out with a new pair of shoes!

We also visited Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, which was also somewhat disappointing. They had some cool things in the various buildings, but it wasn't very exciting. People weren't very friendly and we were nicely informed that the athletes didn't work there. Really? Thanks Captain Obvious! While D was asking an employee a couple questions, he mentioned he thought he'd see Michael Jordan. That's when he was rudely told that the atheletes didn't work there. Wow, we were shocked! We thought for sure since they all had parking spaces that they actually worked there. What an idiot!

Day 1 wrapped up with dinner at Bajio's...yum and a lesson in gun safety, which was to be used at a later day in the trip!

Vacation

2011-06-01T10:14:00.005-04:00

D and I spent the last 5 days in Portland, OR visiting a friend. What a great trip! I actually took lots of pictures so my goal is to do a daily post on what we did each day. We'll see if I can succeed or not.

I think it is safe to say though, that these two missed us...

They got to spend three nights and four full days at Camp, then Uncle Caleb picked them up on Sunday and stayed with them until we got home last night. They thankfully were much better behaved for him this time then when he watched them last July. I was shocked he was willing to stay again after his last experience!

This cute girl would not leave my side last night...

Busy Days

2011-05-25T16:31:00.003-04:00

Look what I found in my laundry pile on Saturday morning. I have a feeling this wouldn't go through the washer very well.By looking at him, I think it's pretty safe to say Ollie was tired of being with just me for 8 days. He was ready for his daddy to come home. I took this Saturday night while we were waiting for D to get home from a long golf trip. Poor guy really missed his daddy!

Learning Part 2

2011-05-19T15:54:00.003-04:00

(I had to use this picture of Flash...it cracks me up! I have always wanted to take a picture of her facial expressions when I'm at the bottom of the steps and she's at the top. This wasn't quite what I wanted, but it makes me laugh.)

Life Lessons from Flash

The best time to ask for a potty break is right after Mommy sits down and get comfy. It makes her happy.

If you know Daddy is going to be gone for awhile, get extra bonus points by telling him good night when Mommy tells you to. Last week, they thought it was the cutest thing ever. Mommy said, "Tell daddy good night, Flash." So, I walked over to his side of the bed for good night kisses. I was told numerous times how cute that was. The next night when they tried that again, I stood on top of mommy...so much easier than walking ALL the way around. She grunted...I laughed.

Throw a HUGE fit every time Ollie is snuggling with Mommy. When it is time to go night night, I want to be next to Mommy on the couch. Silly Ollie still hasn't figured this out yet. Geesh!!

Thoroughly inspect every inch of the car on the way to Camp, especially under the driver's seat. I am convinced there is something there; I just haven't found it yet.

Learning

2011-05-18T10:38:00.002-04:00

Life Lessons from Ollie:

The best place to sneeze when in the car is on the driver's side. Mommy complains when I get sneeze juice all over her. I think it's funny.

Be SUPER loud when someone gets home. Never let them forget that you've been locked in jail all day. Protest as much as possible.

Wake the humans up every morning at 3:30am. If possible, jump in bed with them and lay in a spot that makes them uncomfortable. Guaranteed attention!

Stalk every bunny you see. Look super cute in the process so mommy lets you chase them for a few feet. Someday, you'll catch one.

Expect that every day is a "Camp" day. It's super fun to bounce around and get excited.

Tolerate pesky sisters. If you "play" nice for a few minutes, they'll leave you alone rest of the day.

Good morning!

2011-05-11T12:44:00.001-04:00

The Duo and I slept in the guest room the other morning after they ate breakfast. This is how I found them after my shower. Think they're comfortable?

A Chance to Breathe

2011-05-05T14:44:00.004-04:00

After a crazy week and weekend, I finally feel like I've had a chance to breathe this week. I've actually been home every evening and made dinner every night. What a relief! It'd been over two weeks since we've actually been home for dinner. It was nice to spend time in the kitchen again.

Flash and Ollie have certainly enjoyed the evenings at home. We've had the front door open so there has been lots of spying on the neighborhood. Unfortunately, we've spotted a couple of bunnies, so the door gets shut and locked up tight.

I love, love, love Flash's feet! I wish this picture was not so dark, but my phone was almost dead so the flash didn't work. I still can't get over the size of those things...Someone was not amused the other evening when I was talking to her. Evidently evenings naps are not to be disturbed. What a princess!
And, this was too cute to pass up! This is how we found Ollie when it was time to go to bed last night. It's a little blurry, but still cute.

Anxiously Awaiting

2011-04-27T16:23:00.003-04:00

I love being home with the Duo before D gets home. It's so fun to watch their reaction when they realize he is outside. On Monday, I was cleaning the kitchen and Flash was laying right by me. As soon as I saw D drive by to turn around so he could park in front of the house, I looked at Flash and whispered, "psst, I think Daddy's home!" She looked up at me, paused, then took off for the couch. As soon as she hopped on the couch, Ollie joined her and they waited somewhat patiently. I love how they wait...

Easter went to the dogs

2011-04-26T16:33:00.004-04:00

The Dynamic Duo were lucky enough to spend all day Wednesday, all day Thursday, Thursday night, all day Friday, Friday night and Saturday morning at Camp. D was out of town Wednesday - Friday evening and I was out of town Thursday - Sunday. Needless to say, there was not one complaint as I dropped them off Thursday morning for their big sleepover. And as evidenced in the picture below, I'd say they had a pretty good time!

It's pretty safe to say there were treats involved, which explains Ollie's monstrous tongue. But, poor Flash evidently was done with the bunny suit and ready to get on with her day. Could she look any more miserable?

A New Friend

2011-04-26T14:02:00.002-04:00

Two weekends ago, I had a volleyball tournament in Indy. Instead of staying two nights in a hotel, I saved some money by spending Friday night with one of my friends. E and I met through the Pets Forum and have gotten together a couple of times. I always love going to her house because besides the two resident hounds, she alwasy has a multitude of foster doxies. This time was no exception! The little guy above is named Kodee. Isn't his face adorable! Kodee is available for adoption through DRNA. Learn more about this handsome boy here. He was super excited to meet me and we spent a lot of time together since he slept with me! He's a great snuggler and will make a great family member for that perfect person. Maybe it could be you?

Busy!

2011-04-21T16:18:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting! This week has just been crazy! Between being slammed at work and having something every night after work, it has been nuts!!

Dynamic Duo are doing great! And, maybe they do like each other!

Next week will be better...no more volleyball!

Drugs Galore

2011-04-14T12:59:00.003-04:00

We had a good trip to the vet yesterday. Flash and Ollie weigh the exact same and had the same temperature...strange! They both behaved very well and the vet wasn't too concerned. They are being treated as if they got into some plants or something like that. We have three pills to give them, along with some liquid medicine. The liquid medicine is not very fun to give to them, especially Flash. I added it to Ollie's food and sweet potato last night and this morning, which he gobbled up. I tried that with Flash and she just walked away from it. So, she got it shot down her throat with a syringe...I don't think she liked that too well!

We slept much better last night, though we still went out a few times. I think we're slowly starting to see some improvement. Or, at least I hope we are! I just want to sleep in my own bed again!

And more...

2011-04-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

The Duo are still not feeling well so we are headed to the vet at 2pm. I'm hoping it's nothing major and we can get them back on the right track. Poor Flash has zero interest in food! And, I want to sleep in my bed again!!!

GROSS!!!

2011-04-12T13:05:00.003-04:00

The Dynamic Duo aren't quite so dynamic right now. I believe that something I gave them for breakfast yesterday morning did not settle well as they both have had numerous upset stomachs over the last 14 hours. Needless to say, I did not get the greatest night of sleep. At about 12:30, I decided I might as well sleep on the couch so we could get outside quicker and D would at least be able to get a good night's sleep. Poor kiddos didn't even ask for breakfast this morning, which is unheard of! I'm just hoping we make it through the day ok. We left Flash out as usual, but put Ollie in his cage. He just makes me nervous and at least the cage is easier to clean up than the wood floors. Please cross your fingers that there aren't any accidents when I get home!

Before & After

2011-04-11T14:02:00.003-04:00

The Duo spent the night at Camp last week, plus three straight days of daycare. Thanks to crummy weather, they were slightly wet and dirty when I picked them up on Friday afternoon. You can't really see it in the picture, but the counselors messed their collars/leashes up so Ollie is wearing Flash's girly pink/green/purple plaid collar. He wasn't real thrilled about it. Once we got home, I removed their collars and decide to put their new ones on. Apparently being naked makes Ollie act like a crazy man. He flew up and down the basement steps numerous times and sprinted several laps around the main level of the house. After the crazy zoomies and some much needed cleaning, he became very tired and did not move the rest of the evening. Little Miss Flash sat nicely on her way home from Camp. She didn't seem to mind that she had Ollie's leash and collar set on, but it isn't too masculine. Once Ollie became a crazy boy, Flash immediately joined him. She chased him everywhere he went. Unfortunately, she doesn't realize she can chase him with her mouth shut. She believes she must talk to him the whole time. She has such a loud bark...I'm sure our neighbors love it when she gets going. She also got the much needed cleaning, which was apparently exhausting. She really didn't move a whole lot either. And there you have it. A typical Friday night in our house when D is gone.

At the door

2011-04-06T11:08:00.001-04:00

We braved the cool weather for a bit last night so the dogs could enjoy sitting in front of the door. It makes my heart happy to see them sitting together. Prior to the picture, they'd been hanging out there together for a few minutes. I waited too long to get a good picture. Flash was just getting up to head back to a more comfortable spot.

Our Weekend

2011-04-04T15:50:00.008-04:00

As is becoming the new normal for spring, D was gone again this weekend. From the beginning of every April to mid May, D is usually gone every weekend, typically Thursday through Saturday. In all honesty, I don't really mind it. I am able to get things done, but also do what I want. It doesn't hurt to have great friends who jump at every opportunity to hang out. Friday evening, after doing the Crossfit Games Workout of the week at the gym, I cleaned up and headed over to some friends. There were quite a few of us able to get together and play some Kinect. I thoroughly enjoyed the Dance game, but the Track & Field was the biggest hit of the night. It was hilarious! I love hanging out with our friends...always entertaining! I spent all Saturday afternoon and evening home with the Duo. Since they'd unexpectedly had an overnighter at Camp on Thursday, they were even more worn out than usual. While I did lots of laundry and things around the house, they slept. Shocking, I know. I had just finished telling D that Ollie had spent most of the day on his bed, when this happened... After some time in the kitchen, Ollie had taken my spot on the couch so Flash and I hung out on the loveseat. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how this could be a comfortable position to sleep. Yesterday, a BC trackster came over to watch the UConn game from the night before. She had to do an assignment for her Coaching Basketball class so we were able to help her out. Flash and Ollie LOVED her! Flash loves to steal things, but gets bored when we don't chase her. Apparently, she'd given up with K's flip flop and decided to rest a bit.

Too Quiet

2011-04-01T10:21:00.002-04:00

It was entirely too quiet at our house last night. D was out of town for a golf tournament and I got home earlier than planned from volleyball. Uncle C (one of our bball players) was to pick up the dogs from Camp in the early afternoon. D got a text a little before 7 from C saying he was the worst uncle ever. He forgot to get the dogs and was on the 17th hole. Camp closes at 7 and there was no way anyone could get there. The Duo got an unexpected slumber party. I really don't think they will mind too much! I, on the other hand, had an evening at home in a house that was way too quiet. It's not that the Duo make a lot of noise, but it is super quiet without them. It was weird not to hear them walking around, getting water out of their dish, or groaning in their sleep. I missed my kiddos and will be happy to pick them up tonight.

One of my favorites

2011-03-28T11:43:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite desserts to make, though I don't take the time for it very often, are hamburger cookies. They're super easy, just a little time consuming. No matter where I've taken them, they are always well received and disappear. I took them to small group last week and didn't have any leftovers to bring home!

Ingredients:

Vanilla Wafers

Grasshopper Cookies

Frosting

Food coloring to make "cheese", "mustard", "lettuce", "tomato/ketchup"

Oh, Flash

2011-03-22T16:32:00.002-04:00

This girl may be cute, but my word is she ever embarrassing! I don't know if I'll ever take her out in public again!

Last week, a friend of mine from Indy asked if I'd be willing to do a home visit for a future DRNA foster that lived here in town. Of course I was more than willing to help so I contacted the couple and set up a time to meet them. My friend requested I take along one of the droopy hounds so I chose Flash. I knew they had two dogs and I don't trust Ollie around new dogs, especially on his leash. Flash is my good girl and loves everyone she meets so I thought she'd be great! She was great...just extremely embarrassing!

After I got home last night, I rounded up Flash and set out to meet this potential foster family. She got along great with their two dogs so I let her off her leash. She immediately finds their food dish and helps herself to some food. Of course, she'd already eaten dinner but that didn't seem to phase her. Not 10 minutes later, she got out of my sight and proceeded to go #2. This dog NEVER goes in the house unless she is sick. I don't knowwhat her deal was but I was so embarrassed. It didn't phase the family at all thankfully and they responded probably exactly how I would've had I been in the same situation. I just couldn't believe my "good" dog betrayed me! I'd expect that from Ollie but not Flash!

All in all, we had a great visit and the family is approved to become a foster family for some sweet doxies at some point. But, if I do this again, I think I'll just leave the dogs at home.

Is it really here?

2011-03-18T15:14:00.004-04:00

We have had wonderful spring weather the past couple of days. I am really hoping it is here to stay! Besides going to Camp and eating, there is nothing Ollie loves more than sitting in front of the screen door. He is so happy to just sit and watch everything go by. I am always amazed at how long he'll sit there. Sometimes, he'll lay down, but the majority of the time, he just sits and chills.

Weekend Days

2011-03-14T17:17:00.008-04:00

D's been gone a few days, but the Dynamic Duo and I had an enjoyable, relaxing weekend at home.

At 4:45pm Saturday afternoon, Flash let me know it was time for dinner. She was quite persistent, but I was able to hold her off until 5pm.

For a few minutes, the Duo thought it was necessary to play "Guard dog" and bark at anything they deemed necessary. Flash doesn't seem to like my "Be quiet" instructions.

I sent this to D to let him know that the Duo missed him and to tell his mom that she needs to come visit. They are clearly bored with me. After sleeping for what seemed like a gazillion hours, Flash finally found the energy to be ornery on Sunday. I tried to tell her there was nothing exciting on the table, but she refused to believe me. She had to check things out for herself. People say dogs don't do things out of spite. I'm not 100% convinced on that. They've yet to live with Flash. After being gone the majority of Sunday, it took her quite awhile to settle down once I got home. Once she finally did, this was the view I was left with. I'm not even sure how this was comfortable. And, this is what I woke up to this morning. I had to pull myself out of bed and this is how I found them after getting out of the shower. Weekends at home are apparently exhausting.

The Dells

2011-03-10T15:53:00.003-05:00

The last two years, my club team has played a tournament in the Wisconsin Dells. It's by far my favorite tournament and this year was even better than last. Due to some unfortunate family circumstances, our 18's coach was unable to go at the last minute. D was already going with us since it was spring break and for whatever reason, our Club Director thought he should be their coach. D has never coached volleyball but figured it'd be fun. He co-coached with one of the player's dads who is a high school jv coach. They had an absolute blast together!

As usual, my team struggled some but we definitely had some good moments. The weekend was a blast and it was just nice to get away for a couple days, even though the days were busy. We decided this year to stay closer to the gym and in a nice resort. We stayed at the Chula Vista and had a 2BR, 2BA villa with a full kitchen. It was nice to be able to make breakfast in the morning and eat lunch there as well. We even played a bit at the water park, which made me feel like a kid again!

Here is our villa...

What in the world is going on?

2011-03-09T15:21:00.002-05:00

Flash and Ollie were slightly baffled on Monday night. They just couldn't figure out what was going on! And in all honesty, it wasn't too much. D was doing a few things around the house and brought up the other set of tires from the basement. They just couldn't understand why they could hear him traipsing up and down the stairs but then couldn't see him. All in all, it took about 10 minutes, but they were elated when he came back in the house. I live with a bunch of weirdos!

A Late Night Adventure

2011-03-07T14:32:00.004-05:00

Last week, Danny spent a couple of days in the Indianapolis area. He got a ride down with a fellow coach on Tuesday and got a ride back with his head coach on Wednesday. The only problem...his car was at our house and Coach doesn't really live in our area. I volunteered the Duo and me to pick him up when they got back to Coach's house.

I couldn't give the Duo any warning because they would've been too excited all evening. They love seeing Coach. So, around 9pm, they passed out for the night so I knew I'd have to rouse them from their slumber to get them into the car to leave. Around 11:00, D let me know they were getting close.

This is what the Duo were doing at this time: (well, not exactly, but it was something similar to this)
The first time I asked if they wanted to go for a ride, they barely lifted their heads, but once I asked if they wanted to go see Coach, Flash was up in a, well, a flash! :) It has been awhile since they've been on such a long car ride. It took us close to 30 minutes to get to Coach's house, then we had to turn around and drive right back home. Thankfully, they both did very well. Ollie rode on D's lap the whole ride and after a few minutes, Flash laid down in the back seat and slept the rest of the way home.

Needless to say, once we all got home, it only took a few minutes for us all to head to bed. Talk about a late night!!

Club Ball

2011-03-02T15:00:00.007-05:00

I am about halfway through my club season and it's not gone quite as well as I would have expected. Don't get me wrong, I have a great group of girls who are a lot of fun to coach. We just struggle to play well at times and haven't had quite the success that any of us would like. We've got four big tournaments left and I'm hoping we can finally put all the pieces together and have a good run.

A father of one of my players loves to take pictures and always takes a ton at our tournaments. Last night at practice, she brought each of us a disc full of pictures. What a sweet gesture!

At our last tournament over President's Day Weekend, my team had more double contact calls made than all other teams combined. Apparently our ref thought we were all horrible setters so she continued to make call after call. After awhile, it got comical. We worked on setting at our next practice, though we all do a pretty good job.

Practice

2011-02-25T14:53:00.004-05:00

Last night, since my volleyball practice was cancelled, I went to golf practice with D. I have hardly seen any of our girls this semester so it was time to spend some time with them. The last few weeks, the team has been using Notre Dame's indoor facility so that is fun for them. To say it is a little better than what BC has would be an undestatement.

And, I had to throw in some cupcakes from Mini Delights just because. The kids needed them, really, they did!

How we roll

2011-02-23T16:06:00.002-05:00

Riding in the car with the Duo sometimes involves a little bit of chaos. I know they should wear seat belts, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm lazy. It's so much easier to just load them up then deal with Ollie who is scared of the harness. Yes, he is the world's biggest baby.

Typically, Ollie takes the front seat and flash sits in the back with her front paws on the console (or not according to this picture). On the rare occasion, they will mix it up and trade spots. But, when this happens, not just Ollie's front paws are on the console, his whole body rides up there. I am not sure how he balances or how he even fits. But, he finds a way! This is my view of them as we rode home from Camp on Friday.

Crazy Boy

2011-02-18T11:17:00.002-05:00

Ollie was ready to go to Camp at 4:30 this morning! He has a new routine of coming into our room at 3:45am. It is always 3:45, not a minute earlier, not a minute later. So weird! This morning was no different. Thankfully Flash was still out of it, so he just hopped into bed and slept with us. My alarm was going to go off at 4:30 to go work out. Silly boy got me up at 4:25 and was ready to go for the day. When I put my jacket on to leave the house, he jumped off the coach and thought it was time to go. The boy was crazy!

Unfortunately, he hadn't settled down by the time I got back home from the gym. He followed me everywhere he possibly could. We just figured he wanted to make sure I knew he was there and that I didn't forget him. By this point, Flash had given up and was happily sleeping on the couch.

Sometimes, I really think Ollie is smarter than we give him credit for. He just seems to know the days he is going to Camp. On days they don't go, he is passed out sound asleep on the couch when I leave. But, when they are going to go, watch out!

A Special Dinner

2011-02-16T16:25:00.002-05:00

Friday night, the Duo and I had a very special dinner together. Back in January, a friend from Facebook had sent out invitations for a special night of remembering another friend. Though we NEVER eat Arby's, I figured I could splurge for this special occasion. Friday was the anniversary of my friend B adopting her best friend Benny. Benny lived to be about 18 years old and passed away this past year. Throughout his life, any time he refused to eat, B could always manage to get him to eat some Arby's, specifically the roast beef sandwiches. So to honor B and Benny on their anniversary, a bunch of us from across the country enjoyed an Arby's meal. I even let the Duo share a sandwich and they definitely liked it! Ollie and Flash anxiously awating their Arby's. I just noticed the blur behind Flash that is her tail. I'm thinking she was excited!?!

Vow Renewal

2011-02-15T15:11:00.003-05:00

The Duo went to their big Valentine's Day party at Camp yesterday. They were so excited to go and so tired when they got home! There is a whole lot of match making going on at Camp during the party. Two years ago, the Duo got hitched, but over time, have decided they are better off as friends (siblings). So, last year, they got hitched with other campers. Thankfully, I still only had to take care of my two...there was no cohabitation. Well, I guess our counselors decided yesterday, that the Duo needed to renew their vows. It sparked quite the debate at Camp on whether or not they could get married since they were siblings.

Upon arriving at home, we determined the wedding was a sham and we are much happier as siblings. Those crazy counselors...we love them, but sometimes they just don't know what they're doing!

**Sorry for the poor image quality of the picture. I took a picture of the picture with my cell phone while out to dinner last night.**

Blankies

2011-02-11T16:53:00.003-05:00

Our two afghans that we have at home have slowly been taken over by the Duo. Apparently, these are super comfy and must be used at all times for sleeping. It's gotten so bad that Ollie won't even sleep the whole night out on the couch or loveseat if he doesn't have an afghan to use. Pathetic I tell you!

Clean Bill of Health

2011-02-07T16:50:00.004-05:00

I now know what it is like to take both dogs by myself to the vet at the same time. It was no easy task! They were both due for a couple of vaccines and general check-ups so I figured it would make more sesne to just take them both. By no means were they awful, but they had their moments where I completely regretted my decision. Thankfully they'd both been to Camp for the day so they were a little more worn out than normal. I think that definitely played in my favor. I can't imagine what they would've been like had they been cooped up at home all day. Ugh, that just wears me out thinking about it!

They both did awesome on the scales and sat still at the approrpriate time. They each had lost a couple of pounds, which made me thankful. Ollie didn't really need to lose any weight, but Flash had a couple she could spare to give away.

I was so thankful for our Vet Tech who was very thorough in looking at our records and told me there were a couple vaccines we didn't need yet. So extremely glad they caught that! It saved us some money but also prevented the Duo from being over vaccinated.

While in the exam room, Flash had to curl up next to me on the bench, while Ollie hung out on the floor.

Flash was very cooperative on the exam table and passed with flying colors. Instead of picking Ollie up and putting him on the table, he got up there himself. He showed more athleticism doing that than he has ever displayed before. He completely surprised me! He was also very cooperative and got a clean bill of health. He also did very well when he left the room for his heartworm test. No worms for us and he came back from that excursion exhausted!

Of course we couldn't leave there without one of them attempting to embarrass me. As we were getting ready to go, Ollie hopped back up on to the bench, then on to the exam table, walked across the desk and attempted to stick his nose in the treat jar. The boy displayed no manners!

I am so thankful for a wonderful vet's office who takes great care of the Dynamic Duo. We've seen almost all the vets there and I've been pleased with each one.

Lazy Days

2011-02-03T15:42:00.003-05:00

We've had our share of lazy times around the house lately. Yesterday, the Duo were happy that D and I both had snow days due to the crazy "Blizzard" we had. BC cancelled all classes and I was told not to go into work. We definitely enjoyed a relaxing day at home wtih the Duo. By the looks of it, they enjoyed it too!

Monday night, we cleaned the house. While D was sweeping, the dog beds were put on the couches. Ollie took great pride in "going to his bed".

At one point before this picture was taken, I was laying in between the two of them on my side. It was one of those days where they both HAD to be with me.

A Fun Day

2011-02-01T11:29:00.004-05:00

I can't decide who had the better weekend: D & me or Flash & Ollie. They seemed a little more tired and worn out so maybe they played harder. On Friday night,we headed to the Fort to recruit a high school basketball game then stayed at my parents. There was no point in coming home since the bc game on Saturday was just an hour south of my parents. It was really nice to have a relaxing Saturday morning...that rarely happens in our house. Since we were gone, Flash and Ollie got to have a sleepover at Camp. I didn't hear any complains when I dropped them off Friday morning. Our only dilemma...how to get them home on Saturday. Camp closes at 6pm; we knew we wouldn't be home until well after 7pm. The joys of owning dogs!

We are so blessed that D has great girls on his golf team who are willing to help us out. J & M agreed to pick them up and bring them home. They stopped by on Friday, got the ground rules and were ready to go into action on Saturday.

Saturday was a rough day as the Pilots suffered a loss. The following pictures from the girls helped brighten D's mood a little bit. From the sounds of it, they had a blast picking the Duo up and taking them home. Their teammate S also joined in so it was a 3 to 2 ratio. The Duo were worn out!!

S caputure this picture of Flash just chillin' in the back seat. She typically rides with her front paws on the console, but this time, she just sat in her seat like a person.

J unfortunately got to have Ollie in her lap almost the whole trip home. The girls used our car to bring them home so once Ollie was done inspecting the back of the Trailblazer, he joined J in the front seat.

So thankfor for these girls and their willingness to help us out!

1097

2011-01-31T09:24:00.004-05:00

It has been 1097 days since we met Flash in a gas station parking lot way over in Westville, IN. Saturday was technically her Gotcha Day but I was without a computer so it's a couple days late! To read the full story of how Flash came to live with us, click here.

I LOVE my girl! And she's definitely a mama's girl! She'll hang out and snuggle with D some, but chooses me if I am available.

She makes us laugh on a daily basis with her silly antics. She's just a complete goofball sometimes. She still likes to steal things when given the chance. We came home a couple of weeks ago to a chewed up toothbrush. Evidently I need to brush her teeth a little more.

I think she has finally accepted that Ollie is here to stay. She's not always happy about it but I think she's finally adjusted. She does pick on him from time time and loves to try to get him to play. Occasionally he gives in and plays with her. Usually he just lays there while she attacks his ears. She is definitely the pesky little sister.

All pictures in this post are from her first couple of months with us.

730

2011-01-28T08:34:00.002-05:00

It has been 730 days since Ollie moved into our house. 90% of those days have been great, but we have the occasional day where I question our decision. We were never looking for a second dog. Then he showed up as a foster at Camp K9 and became Flash's friend. We resisted his charm for a couple of weeks, then had a play date. It was downhile from there. He made himself comfortable within a matter of minutes of entering our house. He took a nap and snuggled. What more could we ask for?! Two days later, he moved in.

He loves to be close to people. If given the opportunity, he will lay on your chest and take a nice long nap. I had that pleasure last night after I got home from volleyball. He is slightly suffocating, but also a great blanket.

He still growls, but not quite as much as before. It's such a weird growl. He growls because you're in his space, but then he secretly likes the attention. There are days I think he has multiple personalities.

We still can't have toys or super high value treats in the house. He becomes way too possessive and tends to resource guard. We've learned our lessons and just do without.

This weird boy has definitely worked his way into our hearts. Though we never thought we'd have two dogs, we can't imagine our life without him. He's a part of our family and will remain so until his dying day. He may always take extra work and may drive us nuts from time to time, but we will continue to love him anyways.

The Big City

2011-01-25T09:48:00.006-05:00

I think I am still trying to catch up from a busy weekend. Nutshell version, I took a friend to the Midway airport, met a blogging friend in real life, met this friend's pooches, ate the most amazing chicken pot pie ever, met up with two of our other club coaches at our hotel, hit a late movie, coached three volleyball games on Saturday, ate at the most amazing restaurant, then coached three more volleyball games on Sunday.

The longer version...

Friday afternoon, I left work a couple of hours early and took a good friend of ours back to the airport in Chicago. She'd been with us for about 9 days and it was time for her to go back to Portland. Flash and Ollie were not happy to see her leave. They love her and miss her when she's gone, which unfortunately is all the time now.

Since I was going to be in Chicago for the weekend and could not get into my hotel room until my fellow coaches arrived a few hours later, I had some time to kill. My first thought was that I would just do some shopping and such, but then I realized, the writer of my favorite blog lived in Chicago. Why not see if she wanted to get together! After a couple days of emailing back and forth, we came up with a plan. We follow each other's blogs pretty regular so we already felt like we knew each other. I have yet to tell Flash and Ollie that I met Miss M and Mr B because I think they would be upset that they weren't invited to come along. It was so nice to meet this family and spend time getting to know them. We hit it off right away and had a great couple of hours together. It didn't hurt that they fed me the most amazing chicken pot pie I've ever had. I don't even like chicken pot pie! Well, I didn't think I did, but after eating Hoosier Mama's chicken pot pie, I am now a fan. I think I could've eaten the whole pie by myself!

Here are Miss M and Mr B, two very adorable bully breed dogs.

After I left A's apartment, I headed a few miles north to our hotel to meet the guys. Though it was late, we went and saw The Fighter. I am still undecided on how I feel about the movie. I was super tired and cold, plus the story was kind of slow for me. It is an interesting story and the acting is unbelieveable. I just might need to see it again when it isn't 11pm!

Saturday morning, we got up early and headed to our tournament site. My team went 0-3 for the day. We definitely had our share of struggles but did improve as the day went on. After a full day in the gym and 45 minues of relaxation in the hotel, we headed downtown to meet up with J's cousins who live in the city. What a fun night ensued! We went to an unbelieveable restaurant for dinner and I can't wait to go back! They took us to the Burger Bar, on the corner of Halstead and Clybourn. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend going. I already told D that the next time we go to Chicago, we will be eating there. After dinner, we hung out and played Catch Phrase, which is always entertaining!

Sunday consisted of more volleyball and some more losing. We did get our first win though, so we all felt a little better about ourselves! By the time I got home late Sunday afternoon, I was ready for bed!

It's my 4th birthday!!!

2011-01-18T11:14:00.008-05:00

It's me, Ollie, and I get to write my own post today! Today is my 4th birthday and mama let me and Flash go to Camp for the day. I don't get a party though, which stinks. Mama kept saying something about how we only get one party each and I had mine last year and blah blah blah. I'm not 100% sure what she said since I kinda tuned her out. Mama talks a lot sometimes so I just have to stop listening or my ears get tired! Those things are heavy enough anyways and hard to carry, I don't need them getting tired and more droopy.

I'd say I've had a pretty good year. I've gone to Camp a gazillion times, took 100 billion naps, ate a million kongs, attempted to chase 1000 bunnies (though mama never really lets me chase them), laid on dad's chest hundreds of times and growled at Flash a handful of times. Wow, I've been really busy! No wonder I'm always so tired and need a nap!

I'll leave you with some pictures of me in case you forgot how adorable I am! :)

It's a pooches dream world

2011-01-13T16:49:00.008-05:00

Flash and Ollie seem to have the perfect life. They sleep all day, snuggle whenever they want, occasionally get to play with friends at Camp. Who wouldn't want this life!?!

Last Friday night, they were worn out from a busy week and crashed on the couch.

I can never be in the kitchen by myself. It doesn't matter if I'm cooking or washing dishes, these two are there with me.
Tuesday night, Flash was a little crazy and ornery. She loves to try and steal things off the table - gloves and stocking hats are a favorite. But after a bit, she finally settled down and relaxed. Apparently I make a great pillow.
They got their kongs last night so I could eat dinner in peace. There is nothing cuter than when they have their legs kicked out behind them. Flash does it regularly.

We've come a long way

2011-01-12T16:44:00.005-05:00

I was perusing an old friend's facebook page yesterday and came across some pictures of our childhood. KM and I spent millions of hours together and were always at each other's houses. Our mom's worked in the church nursery together so we've been friends longer than I can remember. As we got older, JT also started hanging out with us. The three of us were inseparable. Here we are over the years...
I'm sad this is so small. This is my favorite picture ever. KM and I spent many hours in our "swimming pool." We were maybe in kindergarten at this point.

I'm guessing this was KM 's 6th or 7th birthday. Being a frosting lover, I would eat my piece of cake and eat everyone else's frosting.

We were probably in 4th or 5th grade and who knows what our snack was. But, I do know that was my favorite outfit EVER. Mom made the skirt for me when we found the vest. I thought I was the coolest thing ever with this hot outfit. More like hot mess!

I have no recollection of this picture but I know it has to be around 6th grade. I remember the outfit and being so excited to wear it to Atz's Ice Cream Shoppe after my last day of 6th grade. The shorts had dollar bills on them with pigs as the president. Really? Why did I think this was cute? Oh, and there were black biker shorts underneath the shorts...they had lace on the bottom. Sweet! Also, no clue who the fourth girl is!

Nice silk shirt and how much hairspray did I use for those bangs! I think this would be 6th grade, because the new gym was built that year. Wow, I am speechless over this one.
Finally a normal one! This is our senior year of college and was our first time together after many years apart. After 8th grade, I left our small Christian school and went to a large public school in the area. We kind of lost touch for awhile, but ran into each other at a basketball game in college. We spent a weekend together and it was just like old times.

I am so thankful for the lifelong friendships I have. We hardly ever talk or see each other, but I know it will be just like old times when we do get together. So many fond memories from our childhood. What blessings!

Spoiled?

2011-01-05T15:29:00.002-05:00

You didn't think I forgot about the Dynamic Duo did you? They were spoiled enough to spend 7 nights and 8 days at Camp K9 while we were gone. They were completely exhausted when they came home and barely moved for about 3 days!

These two are definitely loved by our family members! They got treats galore, new beds (yes!!) and a gift certificate to Camp. (Our personal favorite!)

This is as close to snuggling as these two will get...

Flash testing out a new bed...

Ollie likes it too!

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-05T15:25:00.003-05:00

We spent New Year's Even with some good friends from church. We had dinner at Friday's then hung out and played games. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. It was such a fun time and we were so blessed to be able to spend it with some good friends.

Sunny, but not quite warm

2011-01-05T15:16:00.004-05:00

On the 26th, D and I traveled with the BC men's basketball team to Miami for two games. This was my second year going with the team and this time, I at least got to travel with them. The sun was out the whole time we were there, but was maybe 55 our first day and maybe 60 the second. Finally, we got to lay out on our last full day there! My time was mostly spent with the other coaches wives shopping and hanging out together. I'm so glad I enjoy hanging out with these women. We have a great time with lots of laughing along the way. The boys went 1-1 on the trip, losing their first game on a last second shot. Heartbreaking, but I think they learned a thing or two and were able to bounce back the next night. I'm ready for next year's trip already!!

Time With Family

2011-01-04T16:56:00.003-05:00

December 23, D and I headed to Fort Wayne to spend the next couple days with my family. It was so nice to hang out, relax and see my sister and her family. I love hanging out with my nieces. They're too cute and always make me laugh.

Together Again

2011-01-04T16:47:00.005-05:00

On December 18, one of our former golfers tied the knot. It was such a beautiful wedding and so much fun to have all of our girls back together again! All of these girls took a chance on a new, young coach and found success. I always love all of our girls, but this group is extra special. We have a lot of good memories together!

Regrouping

2011-01-03T15:30:00.002-05:00

It appears I fell off the face of the earth the last couple weeks of 2010! I do have some pictures to organize and some posts in my head so I will get all three of you caught up to speed! :) Hard to believe it is 2011 already. Not sure what all this year will have in store for our family, but I'm excited none the less.

Happy 2011!

Tis the Season

2010-12-15T16:33:00.004-05:00

As soon as we left our small group Christmas Party, we hustled home to host the BC Women's Golf Christmas Party. I love our girls! It was such a blast to hang out with them, decorate cookies and do a $5 gift exchange.

We couldn't leave Flash and Ollie out so they each got a rawhide to enjoy while we decorated cookies. It made for a much calmer house. This was the first time we've given them something like this since we've had Ollie. The best thing they usually get is a kong, which Ollie doesn't resource guard. It will probably be awhile before they get another rawhide. It wasn't a bad experience necessarily, but Ollie does need to be a little nicer. At first, he took himself back to "his" room and laid in the doorway, but eventually moved out to the couch. He did not like it when D walked by the couch or even looked at him. He's a strange one and definitely still has some issues to work on.

U.G.L.Y.

2010-12-15T16:11:00.005-05:00

The season of parties has begun! Sunday night, our small group got together for our Christmas Party. We are so blessed to be part of such a great group of newlyweds. Outside of our leaders, who have been married 20+ years, Danny and I are the longest married ones at 5.5 years. But, they let us come since we don't have kids! (See, yet another reason not to have kids! We'd miss out on these great relationships.) Going into our first night of small group, we really only knew three of the 6 couples. Thankfully, our besties S & E were involved so that helped us feel comfortable. Since that first night, we now have added more friends to our circle. It's these friends D had come to my suprise birthday party last month. We're so thankful for them all!

Wow, sorry, back to our Christmas Party! In order to gain access to the house, we had to wear an ugly Christmas sweater. After trying unsuccessfully at three thrift stores in the area, we borrowed a couple sweaters from our BC students. You can always count on the college kids to have just what you need!

We had an amazing dinner, white elephant gift exchange, triple charades and lots of laughter. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

E and J, two girlfriends that I have gotten more and more close with this year...

The guys and their sweaters...

Our re-enactment of Christmas morning as a kid...

Another week gone by

2010-12-10T16:03:00.002-05:00

I can't quite figure out where all my days go!? The weeks are just flying by and we're only two weeks until Christmas! And, I have lots to do before then! I'm not quite sure when I'm going to get everything done since we have another busy weekend ahead of us. It'll be fun, but wow is it busy! Three Christmas parties, two basketball games and a partridge in a pear tree!

Flash apparently had a couple of rough days last week and crashed last Friday night. It's a tough life she leads, but hey, somebody's gotta do it!

For whatever reason, the Dynamic Duo do NOT mind the snow! They definitely don't get that from me or the mister! I do enjoy watching them jump around in it though. Flash kind of bounds from spot to spot. Ollie just trudges through while he searches for his perfect unloading zone.

I have no idea how Flash managed to do this last night, but she laid in this position for quite awhile. I tried to get a good shot of her facial expression but didn't quite capture the boredom that was on her face. Her tail just cracked me up!

It's that time again!!

2010-12-07T12:00:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it is time for me to start thinking about this year's Christmas cards! I finally became an adult two years ago and started sending out Christmas cards to our friends and family. Flash was lucky enough to make it in the first year, but there were no dogs in last year's pictures. I will definitely have to change that for this year! Too bad I think D and I took maybe 6 pictures together this past year. Talk about pathetic!

I've never purchased my Christmas cards from Shutterfly before, but I am going to give them a try this year. It doesn't hurt that if I do things right, I can receive 50, yes 50!!! FREE Christmas cards! How do you turn that down!! And there are so many cute options to choose from. I know it'll take me forever to decide what I want. This one caught my eye immediately, and if we lived in a true city, I'd use this one in a heart beat!!

Shutterfly became a friend of mine a few years ago when we had a lot of our friends moving out of town. It kind of became tradition that our group of friends would create a picture book for the family that was leaving. I love, love the picture books at Shutterfly. I just did a whole bunch for my senior volleyball players a couple of weeks ago. Super easy, but look so nice!

If I thought they would like it, I might make my parents a calendar of the Duo, but I know they usually get one of the true grand kids so the grand pups would probably just get shoved under a pile of clothes in the closet! Maybe some day their cute faces can be put on a calendar spread!

If you want to see what kind of cute cards we come up with for this year and aren't currently on our list, please let me know!

A night with the Duo

2010-12-03T13:37:00.006-05:00

The Dynamic Duo have been quite relaxed the past few evenings, especialy Ollie. He was so worn out on Wednesday that he completely passed out on the couch. It was too cute so I had to take a picture.

Last night wasn't a whole lot different. And, this was all before 7pm! Again, Ollie just completely sacked out on the couch.

They did perk up though when I told them D was home. They get so excited when we come home, even if we've only been gone a few minutes.

Unfortunately, I was mistaken and D wasn't home...it was a neighbor. So, they gave up after a few minutes and just chilled on the couch until he really came home.

Apparently all that excitement wore Ollie out even more. As soon as D was done eating dinner, Ollie didn't waste much time making himself comfortable. They stayed that way for a good hour or so, until I got up to do something and Ollie had to check it out. Can you say Daddy's boy?

A Break...

2010-11-29T15:22:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure who enjoyed the Thanksgiving break more, the dogs or us? They got to hang out at Camp from Wednesday to Friday evening. Once they got home on Friday, they hardly moved until yesterday! I got two nights of uninterrupted sleep, which is not normal in our house. I loved it!!

Wednesday as we walked out of the house, Ollie immediately spotted a stray cat and thought we needed to chase it. So, it took all I had to get him into the car. As soon as he was in the car, he was in my seat, watching the cat mosey down the street. Took a few seconds before he'd let me in the car without bolting!

While stopped at a light, Ollie was very focused in on the semi in the next lane. Not really sure why but it held his attention for a while!

Flash seemed to enjoy the semi as well!

Three full days at Camp makes for one very exhausted Flash. She did not move at all Friday evening.

I never get tired of Flash's paws! They always seem so big in comparison to the rest of her body. Ollie's are proportionate, but hers don't seem to be!

Snuggly

2010-11-23T16:18:00.002-05:00

Saturday afternoon, I decided to lay down on the bed for a few minutes while I waited to hear back from a friend. As you can see below, I was quickly joined by two basset hounds who do not leave much space for me. The tiny space between their rear ends is where I was laying...on my side no less. I like to call these two mirror twins because they do the same things all the time, just opposite of each other.

More and more lately, we're noticing that Ollie has become quite the Daddy's boy. He loves to snuggle with D on the couch or in bed in the morning. I had to take this picture the other night, because Ollie looked so cute. If you look closely, you can see a paw on each side of his face. He doesn't lay like that very often but I think it's adorable. He likes to be in constant contact with whomever he may be sitting with.

Deja vu anyone?

2010-11-19T13:04:00.002-05:00

Apparently, this is Flash's new favorite way to sleep. I might be biased, but she is pretty cute!

Our morning

2010-11-17T16:49:00.003-05:00

My morning started a little earlier than normal. I woke up around 3:30 to Flash cleaning herself. So, I started to get up so I could take them out when I noticed a wet spot on the sheets. Yep, the little darling wet the bed in her sleep. So, I had to move D to the guest room and get the bed stripped so I could start washing the sheets. Now I've got to keep an eye on her to see if I notice any other symptoms for a UTI. She's only ever done this when she has a UTI. Lovely. Just got one dog done and now the other has one. And they say they can't catch it!

One I got the laundry going, Flash and I settled in the couch. I covered her up with the blanket after I got up. She stayed that way until it was time to go to Camp.

Last Friday, I bought a new Christmas tree! Yes, I know it's Wednesday and still in the back of the Trailblazer. What can I say!? Ollie likes riding on top of it. Far be it from me to ruin his fun.

Interesting Morning

2010-11-12T16:29:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday morning as I drove to the gym, I noticed how cool the sky looked. It was freezing out and there was still a little snow from the night before. I hate the winter and hate snow even more, but I had to admit the beauty of the morning.

Bed Time

2010-11-08T15:23:00.002-05:00

For whatever reason, on Friday night, Flash decided to make a bed out of D's clothes that were on the floor. She didn't really stay there for more than a couple minutes, but she spent a lot of time getting it just right. I wish I knew what she was thinking sometimes. I told D that she missed him and his clothes smelled like him. We were on our second night of D being out of town, so she wanted to snuggle with her daddy and this was the only way to make that happen.

It's Raging

2010-11-04T09:44:00.006-04:00

My poor boy! Ollie and I had a special date yesterday afternoon...at the vet! I had noticed Tuesday evening, that when he would go to the bathroom, there was some blood in his urine and he was really straining to go. I knew immediately that something wasn't right. I did some research on Google and talked with a couple friends, and we figured the boy had a UTI. We were right!

I was so proud of how Ollie did at the vet. He's always nervous if he goes anywhere without Flash and the vet was no exception. His tail's between his legs and he just seems unsure. The tail did come out and even wagged a couple times for Dr. Logue and the vet tech. He survived having his temperature taken and was very good throughout the rest of the exam. I'm pretty sure he managed to sniff every square inch of the room while we waited.

When Dr. Logue came in with the urinalysis results, his exact words were: "It's a RAGING urinary tract infection." They were really surprised at the amount of blood that was in the urine, so Ollie is on a very heavy dose of antibiotics for 10 days and some pain meds for 5. He'll go back at the end of the 10 days for another urinalysis to see if it has cleared up. If not, he'll probably get an x-ray or ultrasound to make sure there aren't any bladder stones or crystals.

I love the vet office we go to. I believe there are 5 doctors and I've seen them all but one and been pleased every time. I love having a place that I can go to where it doesn't matter who we see. Both pups have been well taken care of by each vet and vet tech.

The first two rounds of medicine have gone very well. He gets them shoved in a couple chunks of cheese along with his meals. The Tech did say that the antibiotics could make him drowsy. I highly doubth there is anything out there that can make this basset hound any more drowsy than he is on a normal basis!

Just hanging out in the exam room, killing some time...

Lazy Weekend

2010-11-02T16:28:00.005-04:00

The Duo didn't do a whole lot this weekend. There was a lot of sleeping and just hanging out.

Saturday night, we had some friends over for games and dessert. They both made sure E and I knew they were on stand by to help us out. I've never actually seen them lay this close together before, especially by choice!

Apparently all that time spent watching us in the kitchen just wiped Ollie out. He had to take a break on the sofa...

On Sunday morning, Flash felt it necessary to follow me wherever I went. She hung out with me while I got ready for church. She's the helpful kind...

Sunday afternoon, after sleeping ON my chest for an hour or so, Flash spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on my knees...

Apparently something garnered enough interest for her to lift her head...

Barbells for Boobs

2010-10-29T13:57:00.012-04:00

Last night, I participated in the Barbells for Boobs fundraiser at our gym, Crossfit Michiana. What a blast!!! All money raised went to fund mammograms for women who can't afford them. The workout, "Grace" was brutal but so glad I was able to participate! We had people from 7 years old to 60 years young participate. Can't wait for next year!! And yes, if you see a couple of guys in pink bras, they made a bet and lost! Gotta love it!!

Coming Soon...

2010-10-28T13:19:00.002-04:00

Ollie is now a businessman. He also has a hat but that is reserved for special times.
Hot dogs...get your hot dogs!!

Field Trip

2010-10-28T13:11:00.007-04:00

Since last night was the 4th Wednesday of the month, Canine Crazy was offering nail trims. After work, I loaded up the Duo and headed to Granger. I love going to get their nails trimmed there because it's always fun to see the fun stuff this little boutique has to offer. I've never really bought much there, but they have some seriously great stuff. Plus, the girl doing their nail trims also taught our obedience classes and is our favorite vet tech. After nails were trimmed, I let the Duo run around the Barking Lot and play for a few minutes since there wasn't anyone else in the store. Flash loves to play...Ollie, would just rather chill.

Checking out the toy box...

Flash was pretty interested in the ball pit but refused to go in to play.

Flash thought she was the official welcoming committee for anyone that came in the store.

2010-10-26T16:51:00.004-04:00

Last night, BC had their Annual Tip Off Madness, where the student body gets to meet the Men's basketball team. I had a hard time the past few days accepting that it was already time for basketball season. Didn't it just end? I've been to at least 7 or 8 Tip Off Madness events and they're always the same. Same games, same prizes, etc. But, it is fun to see the guys and laugh at all the students. Last night was the same as before. Our first game is Saturday...I don't know if I'm ready for this yet.

Valuable Lessons

2010-10-21T09:26:00.002-04:00

Flash looks like this 90% of the time. The other 10% is what you have to watch out for.

I learned a few valuable lessons this morning when I took the Duo out to potty before breakfast. I'd just gotten home from working out so I snapped on their leashes and headed out to the backyard.

Here is what I learned:

Always keep a good grip on BOTH leashes, especially when it is dark out, you can't see the bunny loitering in the yard and you have scent hounds with very high prey drives.
Ollie is definitely more athletic than we've ever given him credit for. He did an excellent job of staying in front of me as we chased Flash who was chasing the bunny that stopped loitering in our yard.
Our neighbor's across the alley have a fence that is only on three sides, the side without the fence backs up to the alley. Thank goodness for that as it cornered the basset hound appropriately named Flash.
The couple of pounds that Flash has put on over the past few weeks/months have NOT slowed her down in any way.
Ollie has excellent tracking skills. Due to a row of very large pine trees, I could not see or really hear Flash. Ollie was able to catch her scent through the trees and keep us in line with her until we met at the end of the row. That is the positive side of a scent hound!
Flash, being the clueless blonde (haha) that she is, had no clue what she'd really done and was super excited to see Ollie. I think I heard her say..."Hey, what are you guys doing out here?"
Reward and praise Ollie like crazy for being such a good boy. Lecture Flash on appropriate behaviors at 6:30am. Chasing bunnies is not appropriate.

May the Lord help me if I ever truly lose her. I love both of my dogs, but Flash is extra special.

Cuteness

2010-10-19T14:59:00.003-04:00

Just some of the cuteness that is in my house on a regular basis....

Maybe just maybe...

2010-10-12T15:36:00.006-04:00

As I was hanging out with the Duo this morning, Ollie decided to join Flash on her end of the couch. Now remember, these two get along, but definitely are not buddy buddy and do not snuggle. So, I was pleased to see him get this close to her. Secretly, he just wanted the attention she was going to get, but I'll take it.

How can you resist this face? I know I can't, which is what has allowed her to continue living rent free in our house.

Apparently Ollie had reached his limit with this whole bonding thing.

On a separate note, this cozy afghan has now been claimed by Ollie. He claims it immediately every time he comes back into the living room. On the rare occasion, Flash will beat him to it but not very often. When D was gone last week for a couple of days, Flash and I had to share the couch, because Ollie owned the love seat.

Check out the semi buried kong. He has no shame.

Goodbye Sweet Boy

2010-10-06T13:38:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine lost her sweet boy Max this morning. My heart breaks for her and the rest of her family. She wrote an incredible tribune on her blog. Please go here to check it out.

Fun Visitors

2010-10-04T15:55:00.006-04:00

Flash and Ollie had some very special visitors yesterday. Grandmom and Pops came up for the day and specifically wanted to take the Dynamic Duo on a walk. Boy were Flash and Ollie excited to see them! They loved all the special attention and yummy treats that grandmom brought. Grandmom likes to make dog treats and share them with the Duo. They've yet to find something they didn't like! It was a little on the cool side, but if we were in the sun, it was a beautiful day. I really enjoyed not having a dog to walk for the majority of the time. I did feel a little bad though because you could tell the Duo hadn't been walked in awhile. Their manners weren't quite what they should be but we all survived.

All that walking left little Miss Flash a little worn out!

Angie

2010-09-28T16:15:00.002-04:00

I have met many nice Angie's in my time, but the Angie I will encounter tomorrow is brutal. I dread the day she comes around every three months. She leaves me sore for days and more often than not, she leaves holes in my hands. My hands will sting and burn for a couple of days then take a good two weeks to heal back up. Though our paths cross for less than 30 minutes, I am left breathless and laid out on the floor. Once she is gone, I feel a sense of accomplishment, though I know I will see her again soon. Thankfully, tomorrow is the last time Angie and I will meet for 2010. I wish I wouldn't see her in 2011 but I don't think I'll be that lucky.

Angie is the only woman I truly fear. I don't mind Fran, Helen is tough but likeable and Annie's my favorite.

Only at Crossfit do our workouts of the day (WOD) have names. There are the Heroes (named appropriately after soldiers who have given their life for our country) and the Crossfit ladies.

Friends, please meet Angie...

Angie
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

Though I fear her and dread every encounter we have, I know I can beat her. She won't kill me...just beat me up a little.

If you don't fear your workout....it's not hard enough!

Our Favorite Thing

2010-09-28T15:54:00.002-04:00

We get SUPER excited when Mommy makes her protein pancakes. We get to lick out the thingy she uses for cottage cheese and if we're lucky, we get to lick off the utensil she uses for the peanut butter. As you can tell, we LOVE peanut butter. Look at how crazy our eyes are! Especially silly Ollie!

Oh, the life of a dog

2010-09-20T15:15:00.008-04:00

I'll be the first to admit, Flash and Ollie are spoiled. I don't see anything wrong with it since for the most part, they are relatively well behaved. We have our moments, but overall they don't run around acting like idiots. Unfortunately, the majority of the pictures I take of them are the same...laying around the house. Yet, they're still always cute. So, to help start your week off right, here is how Flash and Ollie spent their weekend...

A Saturday Date

2010-09-13T12:00:00.006-04:00

Flash and I went out on a short date on Saturday morning. The poor girl has been scratching, licking and biting like crazy for the past few weeks. It wakes her up in the middle of the night and she'll scratch 20 minutes before being able to go back to sleep. I've tried benadryl, I've tried changing their food but nothing seems to help. Poor girl has just been miserable.

My little girl on the way to vet...

I have never been in and out of our vet so fast before! We were there less than 20 minutes! It was awesome! Apparently Ragweed has been especially bad this past month or so, so the doctor put her on some prednisone. We've been on this before so it's an easy adjustment! She is up to 46.4 pounds though so I'm going to have to watch what I give her. Can't have her weighing more than her brother!

She was pretty worn out on the way home...

She was tired until we stopped at the credit union for some cash. She perked right up and sat patiently while waiting for the treats that she knew were coming.

I am happy to report that after being on the medicine for a full 24 hours, there is no more scratching, licking and biting! Everyone will sleep better now!