Goodbye August

We celebrated August by treating a sick puppy. Tillie had some stomach issues that were giving her some trouble so I spent the day with her, giving her attention and monitoring her dietary needs. When Tillie isn't feeling well, she gets to eat a hard boiled egg instead of her kibble. Consequently, this is her favorite food in the world so I don't think she minds so much when she is under the weather. Only this time, I mixed her egg with baby doses of Pepto Bismal and she is doing much better. She is running and playing and pretty soon will be back to her old tricks.

We learned today that our YMCA has a competitive swimming league for people 18+ and Andrew is really excited about learning more about that and possibly getting back into swimming. I am going to be adding swimming to my workout which I think will help me gain endurance.

I've also discovered a place here in NLR that offers classes to get certified in scuba diving and I am trying to convince Andrew to do that with me. Maybe it's because of his fear of open water, but he doesn't seem as excited about it as I do.

Home Sweet Home

We're back from the wedding shower extravaganza weekend! We had a blast. It was good to spend some time with Laura and Dan again. We caught up, drank way too much wine, and did a lot of stupid things that we will be talking about for a very long time. Oh and Laura got some really nice stuff.

We've picked Tillie up and are back at home snuggled up and ready for bed. It's been a long day. We are ready for some rest.

Wedding Shower Extravaganza!

We are leaving for Ft. Smith this morning! We are going to celebrate wedding shower weekend with Laura and Dan. And this is the face of the puppy that has finally realized we are leaving and not taking her with us. It's sad but she will be fine. She is going to spend the night @ Nana's!

We'll be back tomorrow with plenty of stories, I'm sure.

Friday nights are perfect for procrastinating

This picture serves as a reminder to us that it is almost 11p on Friday night. We are heading to Ft. Smith tomorrow morning and we have yet to pack. What the heck is wrong with us?

Hung out with the rents today. Mom and I had lunch and did some shopping. I finally got the rest of my interview outfit. It wasn't what I had in mind but it is really cute and I look super professional. I don't care who you are, if I showed up at your office in that outfit, you couldn't help but hire me.

Our washing machine is broken. It won't spin out and leaves all our clothes clean but soaking wet. I guess I can't complain because we got it for free but I don't even think it's worth getting fixed because it's old and we are almost out of this apartment anyway and won't need it soon. Maybe I will freecycle it.

Have you seen the new Pedigree ads? They are cracking me up. Especially the one with the Chihuahua.

i hate everything about running

Today we:
watched TV with Tillie
had craft time with mom
went running around the lake
renewed library books
ate subway for dinner
tried to catch up on this past season of some of our favorite shows
killed a spider in our closet

Pizza is my favorite

I woke up at 3:00 this morning with a migraine. Two Excedrin Migraine and two ice packs later, I felt a lot better and got up with Andrew when he left for school.

He finally got his books but is still trying to get some of his financial aid straightened out. He is really enjoying his nutrition class still. He actually read his assigned chapters before class and took notes. I am so proud.

I went shopping with my mom this afternoon. I am on the lookout for a shirt to wear with my new pants for interviews. I didn't really find anything. But my mom did buy me two jackets/sweaters. After looking online, I think this cardigan may work.

We made homemade pizza tonight for dinner and it was incredible. We made the dough in our breadmaker, mixed up the sauce, and added meat, olives, and cheese. My favorite pizza ever.

We didn't run today -- I was way to full from dinner to even attempt it so we will run in the morning before we go our separate ways.

Back To School, Back to School

Life cereal in case you were wondering. It is a cereal that is both good for you and tastes delicious. Tomorrow I have my first full day of my Nutrition class and I'm pretty excited about it.

Today I worked, Meghan ran errands, and Tillie played. She is always playing.

I don't have a lot to post on but I do have a few links.

Lets explore the internets together...I promise there isn't a RickRoll in here.

A Trillion Dollars and Related Interesting Video (a little old)
Washington (the last minute or so is crude..sorry)
Fifty People One Question
Excellent Star Wars Parody

Enjoy!

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

Since the day Tillie came to live with us, she has slept in our bed and it has never been a problem. But lately we are having major shedding issues. I'm not really sure what is going on but it's bad. And every morning our bed is covered (and I do mean covered) with her hair. We have been changing the sheets and comforter but it is just getting ridiculous. So tonight, we set her little bed up on the floor right by my side of the bed and put her to bed. She isn't exactly too excited about the idea of losing her comfy place on the bed but until we can figure out how to resolve our little issue, this is the best solution we can come up with. Anybody know a better way?

I was so productive today. I'm proud of myself for being so on top of things. I woke up when Andrew left for class, went to two different banks, went cabinet shopping with my mom, paid some bills, took care of some paperwork, and started applying for another job. Then Kat and I went to Panera for lunch (I'm sorry, Tammy) and then to Easy Runner -- a specialty running store in West LR. They study your feet and show you how to correct any running problem that you might have. Apparently Kat rolls her left foot in a little when she runs which makes her calf muscle hurt and they helped her correct that so that was neat. And then we checked out a few other stores in the Pleasant Ridge Shopping Center and then went to the mall. I got some nice brown high waisted trousers from the Limited for my upcoming interviews -- in anticipation of those I know are coming. And of course we hit up Forever 21, but I didn't get anything. I was incredibly proud of myself. I don't know if that has ever happened before.

Andrew had classes again today and got to go to his first Nutrition class of the semester. He loves it already and says it is going to be a really fun class. And by what he has told me about the things he is going to be studying and his projects, it seems like he is really going to enjoy it a lot. I think this is going to be a good semester for him.

I skipped yoga tonight and we made mexican for dinner -- tacos and chips and salsa. I know I was supposed to stretch and strengthen tonight, but I didn't -- Sorry Kat!

Isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest?

We have had such a busy day.

This morning, my mom called and invited me over for breakfast. Andrew was already at work. So I came over and we ate. And then we messed around and discussed things. My dad went outside to mow the backyard and came in with two baby turtles that he found. He ran over one of them with the lawn mower but it was okay. So my nephew put them in a box with grass. He named one Captain Price (from Call of Duty 4) and said I could name the other. We decided it was a girl so I named her Bridget, which means strong. I thought it was appropriate since she was the one that got run over. Tyler liked the name but decided to call her Bee for short. So we looked at Captain Price and Bridget for awhile and read about how to take care of them, even though they were going to let them go as soon as the mowing was over.

Then Tillie and I went over to Kat and Gary's. Tillie came to play with Lola (her BFF) and I came to have Crafternoon with Kat (my BFF). We did some scrapbooking, drank some tea, and caught up. We actually got a lot done. And when Tillie got tired, I called Andrew and asked him to come over and get her and take her home. So he came over but instead of getting Tillie, he ended up helping Gary rip monkey grass out of the front yard -- in his good dress slacks.

Then Kat and I went down to one of the lakes in Lakewood and ran. Kat ran 3 miles and I only ran 2 so she totally kicked my butt. I'll get there though.

When we came back, we went and picked up Subway for dinner while the boys showered. Then we ate, talked, played guitar hero, and hung out. Andrew figured out what was wrong with their Xbox. He's so smart.

When we got home, we gave Tillie a bath and now she is passed out beside me on the bed. She has had a long day and it wiped out. I think we all have.

Just about as ideal as you can get.

For some reason, we have been majorly slacking off in the blogging department lately. It's not that we aren't taking pictures and making mental notes of things to mention, it's just that we haven't been getting around to doing it until well after midnight. And by then, well, the day has already passed. But I guess better late than never, right?

This morning Andrew woke up feeling pretty awful. The stomach virus I had last week has claimed another victim and so he called in sick to work. Their loss was my gain. We got to spend the day together eating bland foods and lounging around. I had a little craft time this afternoon with my mom and then Andrew and I took Tillie for a long walk. We tried to come visit you and Lola, Kat, but you weren't home. Lola, however, was very pleased to see us.

We've been organizing and going through stuff in our apartment -- getting rid of stuff we don't need or could possibly ever use. It's a good feeling, this purging. I am a big fan. I highly recommend it to anyone.

The World As It Is

The world is getting a little too interconnected for my taste. I don't much like they idea of having a cell phone...or any phone at all actually. If I could use e-mail exclusively to communicate I would be happy (although I'm not very good at keeping up with that either). Almost everyone I know is buying into this "constant communication" idea and facebook/text/twitter is a huge part of their day. I hate it. I don't want to know when everyone is wiping their a**. I know, you are saying "But Andrew, you are blogging so how are you different?" There is a difference. I believe that there needs to be a healthy distance between you, what you do, and what other people know about what your doing. There are only a few privileged people in the world who get to know that information and they are my family and my wife. I'm aware that my kids will hate me because I probably won't easily allow these things in my house. I'm being pulled into this technologically connected world kicking and screaming. Online communities like Twitter seem needy and egocentric and allow the people using them to over-glorify their existence by making it all about them and what they are doing. Maybe I'm an old grouch but I think that it is all ridiculous.

Oh and Meghan had a cute hair do today. See above.

I heart damask

Don't you just love it when you find something that is so incredibly cool and it just also happens to be on clearance? That's what happened to us today. We wandered into Pier One because I love looking at all the stuff in there. I especially love their plates and napkins because they are so cute and realistically priced. So there on the clearance were these bad boys -- white damask glasses. So pretty. I love damask. And I love these glasses.

We planned on working out tonight and sat down to kill time by playing a video game. And then next thing I know, Andrew is asleep. He was complaining of his head hurting so I went to the gym solo and met up with Kat. We had a pretty good work out and when I came home, Andrew was passed out. I hope he feels better tomorrow because it's his first day of school.

Made the decision to run the Rollin' on the River 5k in September with Kat. Should be fun. 3 miles is easy now and it will be good practice for our half marathon coming up in December.

Oh yea and we totally saw two girls making out in the parking lot the other day. Never a dull moment around here.

The Days Ahead

These are my workout shoes. They are old and worn out. I've run several miles in these bad boys and sadly they will never see an actual race. I plan on running several of the 5k runs here in Little Rock but I hope to have new shoes for that.
I had a busy day of working and trying to figure out last minute school stuff. (Some serious set backs happened but don't worry, I'm registered and enrolled for all the classes I need) Then we hit the gym with the Grants. It was a good time.

It is late and I forgot to call my mother back. Again.

Today we dig:
Working out
Cooking at home
Terrible TLC TV shows

Proof that today wasn't a complete waste

Met up with my mom this afternoon and had lunch @ McAlister's. And we took Tillie to get some new treats since she ate all of hers. Then came home and did job stuff -- applied for a job with the Arkansas Department of Heritage. And I found Andrew an amazing part time job at UALR that he is totally qualified for. We are going to work on getting his resume ready for that job this week.

Tonight we made Macaroni Grill Garlic Chicken Penne Pasta in the comfort of our own home. And I watched the National Womens' Gymnastics competition again.

I looked in my mailbox and guess what I found? A postcard from Kristin's recent trip to Korea! It completely made my day and made me feel a little closer to those crazy globe trotting twins. Kristin comes home in just a few weeks and I am so excited, I am literally counting the days until she arrives.

I was supposed to go running but Schuck came over so I had a shake from Sonic instead. Real good, I know.

And I figured out what I am getting Maggie for Christmas. It is going to be fabulous and so stinking cute you can hardly stand it. Get ready.

Good Morning Monday

Went to Panera with Tammy to catch up and do some job hunting. I did find two jobs that I think are really cool and will be applying for them tomorrow.

Came home, cleaned, played with Tillie, then went to yoga tonight with Kat and her mom.

And when I came home, Andrew had made dinner for me -- chicken spaghetti and a glass of white wine. So we sat down to eat and watched Mamma Mia again. I'm such a nerd. I've watched that movie almost 8 times since Saturday.

We are laying low for the rest of the night -- playing a computer game in bed and relaxing.

An eventful uneventful day

We pretty much did nothing today but somehow we were busy.

Andrew worked this morning and I ran errands with my mom. Then we watched Mamma Mia making it the 4th time I have watched that movie in two days. Had Sonic for lunch and they gave me a hamburger instead of a grilled chicken sandwich. How do you mess something like that up so badly?

When Andrew came home, we grabbed dinner @ American Pie Pizza and hung out. He had a meeting to go to for work so while he was gone I finally got to watch the 2009 U.S. National women's gymnastics competition. It was incredible. I will probably watch it a bunch more times so its a good thing I recorded it. Nastia Liukin was fabulous, of course. I'm pretty sure we could be friends.

There are two new gymnasts that I am really excited to see more of: Rebecca Bross and Ivana Hong. I definitely think these girls will make the U.S. World's team. And I think that we will probably even see them at the Olympics in 2012.

I'm just going to go ahead and call it now -- the 2012 U.S. Women's gymnastics team:

Nastia Liukin

Rebecca Bross

Ivana Hong

Kytra Hunter

Chellsie Memmel

Sam Shapiro

Bridget Sloan

Alicia Sacramone

Now that I'm older, looking back, I wish I had never quit gymnastics. I wish I had stayed with it. I wish I had competed more. I think I could have been great. I had all the passion and drive of an Olympic gymnast. I still do.

Mamma Mia!

This afternoon I watched Mamma Mia! How did I not know about this movie? Set on a Greek island to all Abba songs -- fantastic. This movie puts me in a better mood just thinking about it. I want to run around barefoot singing disco songs and go swimming in the ocean.

Andrew and I went out for drinks after he got home from work. And then we went to my parents' for dessert and played Phase 10. I won. We were supposed to stay only a little while there and then get back and hang out with Schuck but before we knew it, it was almost 11p. Sorry about that Schuck.

Today we love:

organic face wash

painted stucco walls

chips and salsa

dancing queens

Another Late Post

Not much to post. It is late and we forgot to post earlier. We rented I Love You, Man. I watched it on one of the plane rides around Ireland. I liked it a lot and was glad to hear Meghan wanted to watch it.

School starts this next week. I'm excited. (which is a big deal, I'm not one of those weirdo students that likes school...like my wife)

Also - Hung out with Schuck. Fun times.

Walker Thursday

Tyler came to spend the morning with us. We watched TV and played video games.

And to my surprise, who should log into Skype but good ole Rim. It was great catching up with her. And then I got to chat with Krit as well. They are incredible, those two. And I miss them.

We took a trip to Toys R Us with Tyler, brought my mom lunch, took naps, watched movies, and vegged out. This week has pretty much been a vacation for me -- a chance to catch up on rest and destress from everything that has happened these past few months. Monday I plan on hitting the job trail hard. I did email my resume to my dad. He gave it to his HR department and they agreed to take a look at it and give me some pointers about how I can improve it. I'm always up for contructive criticism.

Andrew had a meeting at work today. He has been having a lot of meetings lately, which is fine when he is already there, but when he has to drive 30 minutes on his day off for nothing, it is pretty annoying.

They played the last few episodes of Friends on TBS tonight and it reminded me of just how much I love that show. The older I get, the better it gets. I love it.

September 17, 2009 - A Great Day In Life

I just learned today that on September 17 of this year Nico Vega will be preforming at a place called Sticky Fingers here in Little Rock. I'm pretty excited because they are one of my favorite bands and I have been a fan for quite some time. If you have time for some great experiences you should head over to YouTube and watch a few music clips of theirs. Medicine Man is a good song.

I'm starting school soon and I am pretty excited about it. I'm ready to gradutate and now that I have everything hammered down (as far as decisions go).

Now I have to go. We've almost discovered the secret lair of Count D. and I am eager to see if we actually catch him this time. (Those slippery vampires!)

Too much rest never hurt anyone

This picture pretty much sets the mood for today: slow and easy. Tyler came over this morning but Andrew had a headache so I entertained him while Andrew lay in bed.

When my mom came to get him, we grabbed some lunch and then came home and took a nap. Then we spent the rest of the evening cooking dinner, watching tv, and taking it easy. Tillie did a lot of sleeping. So did Andrew.

And even though we have spent the day resting, we are probably going to call it a night here in a few minutes. Everyone is exhausted. And tomorrow is looking like it will be a long day.

Today we love:

ice packs

Tai silk scented candle

raspberries

cuddly pillows and blankets

I get by with a little help from my friends... and delicious desserts

Today, I met my boss and we went down to the unemployment office. We spent 5 hours sitting in that effing waiting room. It was one of the most horrible days of my life. I never want to do that again. Awful. Just awful. And perfectly unnecessary.

When we got done, we went to Panera to eat because we had been there since 11 and hadn't had anything to eat. So we grabbed some food and then I headed home. Andrew and I went to Kroger and picked up the ingredients to make an amazing fruit parfait dish that I learned how to make this weekend at Laura's. And yes, it was delicious. Thank you Laura's mom.

Kat came over and we chatted and caught up. It was fun talking about everything that has been going on and plans that we have for the future.

And Kristin, I missed your call this evening but I absolutely LOVED the song that you left me on my voicemail. It made me smile on a day that I really needed it.

I need to run. But I can't get motivated.

I'm back!

First things first, a quick run down of the weekend:

Drove to Ft. Smith on Friday for Girls' Weekend with Laura and Leslie. We got her invitations really to mail out, did wedding crafts, had facials, and caught up. It was fun and I know Laura feels an incredible amount of relief having those huge tasks off her back and I was happy to help.

Today we went to church and had lunch @ Marketplace. I helped her pick out some super cute swimsuits for her honeymoon to Hawaii. Then I headed home to LR where I was greeted with fanfare by my little family.

We had a nice little chat, cuddled with Tillie, and then picked up dinner. When we got bored later, we picked up a new computer game. We love to play mystery games together and we have tons of them (if someone ever wants to borrow one). Our new one is called Dracula Origins. Andrew has been trying to convince me to get this game for months now. I'm glad we waited because the price was marked down dramatically. And we picked up a copy of Clueless for $5 (love that movie, btw). So, we spent the evening playing games and snacking. And now we are tired and going to bed.

It's good to be home.

Table For One

Fine dining? We've got that. Dinner was a little boring this evening with Meghan away so I decided to have a fill in. Tillie and I sat and ate for a while but then before long she started to get that look on her face. You know the one. The "I should have gotten what he got, not this kibble crap" look. I decided to finish my dinner after she did.

Today was completely uneventful. I worked Tillie played and at the end of the day we both missed Meghan.

"I cried for an hour"

Meghan is gone and Tillie misses her. She is just sitting around looking extremely sad. It's pathetic.

Meghan is in Fort Smith this weekend hanging out with Laura, our soon to be married friend.

Schuck came over tonight. We watched a little GSN and Dragonlord, a Jackie Chan classic.

He also showed me this glorious shirt. Be sure to read the comments, READ the comments and check out other shirts. Great stuff.

You dropped a bomb on me

"I cursed myself for being surprised that this didn't play like it did in my mind."

Had the bomb dropped on me today. The BIG bomb. The one I have been dreading for weeks.

My last day of work is tomorrow. And I'm not even sad about it really. I don't want to go in the direction that our station is headed. I don't want to be associated with what is coming. I want to break away and do something different. I'm angry. And it's because of the way they chose to tell me. It wasn't professional. It wasn't anything. A lot of miscommunication led to a phone call (not even to me, btw) that led to an iffy conversation that eventually led to a very late afternoon meeting when the human resources manager stopped by my office to see if I had heard the news that I had been let go. Yes, I had, but shouldn't I have heard it from her? It just makes me angry how no one bothered to get their facts straight or approach me about this until this afternoon. What a bunch of losers. I am dunzo.

So I came home without much of an appetite and worked out. Then I ate pizza. That's right, pizza. And I undid everything I did at the gym tonight. And I really don't care. Today has been an incredibly crappy day. Andrew made me muffins though, so I guess that's one good thing.

Now I have to pack for this weekend -- heading to Ft. Smith for a girls' weekend with Laura.

Still working.

Just an update: still working. Don't know when that's going to change. Still looking for a different job. I have a few more that I will be applying for this week. We'll see what happens. Still working out too. We did eliptical and weights tonight. And then we came home and ate cereal. So maybe we just undid it all, who knows.

Found some great websites today that have all sorts of nutritional and dietary information. Check them out:

www.nutritiondata.com

www.fitday.com

Today we are loving:

hot tea (we need an electric kettle now, thanks Kevin)

exercise

hydrangeas

candles

Tillie has been real bad today, btw.

Hashing Out New Plans

We started roughing out some basic workout plans this evening. I have my own idea of a workout plan and what it is that needs to be done to get results. I am quickly learning that Meghan is a very different person than me and will require a schedule that I am unfamiliar with. It should be fun.

It was hot today. August is quickly becoming my least favorite month in Arkansas.

I'm sure there is more to say but I can't think of it. It is late.

Something I read that got me thinking:

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"

a little better now

Woke up this morning with a headache still plaguing me. 3 real cokes and an insane amount of ibuprofen and Excedrin migraine later, it is mostly gone. I'm glad to finally have some relief but I can feel it still lingering around above my right eye ever so slightly. Yuck. Migraines really are the worst. I hate getting them. I feel like I waste a day of my life, sitting in a dark room with a cold pack on my head.

Kat, Gary, and Lola came by while out for a walk. Tillie and Lola had a good time visiting. But then Tillie was kind of grungy and since she missed her weekend bath, we decided to go ahead and wash her. She hates the actual bath process but really enjoys being squeaky clean afterwards. She is sitting beside me right now, licking her paws and making sure they are immaculate.

I am eating toast for dinner. It's what I've eaten for the past 2 days. It's the only thing that really sounds good to me when I have a headache.

Migrane, Yourgrane

Today Meghan had a migrane all day. It was pretty awful. She doesn't have really bad ones all that often but when she does they are really strong.

Today: I worked, Meghan ached, and Tillie played. Shuck was here for a little while as well. Not much else happened.

I've been very forgetful lately. I forget a great multitude of things and today I didn't realize that I had forgotten to give a buddy a ride home from work until I was home myself. I feel pretty bad about that. I'll need to apologize big time for that one.

Also:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIN AND LAUREN. We are wishing you two the best.

The face of a winner

We were watching TV tonight with Schuck and saw this face -- a 2 week old child forced to perform in a children's beauty pageant. WTF. Ridiculous. This kid isn't even a kid yet, it still looks like an alien. How the heck is he supposed to be judged on beauty?!

It rained for the majority of the day today so we lazed around the house, snoozing and watching movies. Andrew worked but got off relatively early. We got some popsicles and Schuck came over. They played video games. Andrew rented some movies for the from RedBox -- Rachel Getting Married is the worst movie in the history of movies. Never watch it. It will make you want to slit your wrists. That is 2 hours of my life I can never get back. We'll see if the second movie, Revoluntionary Road, can redeem.

Oh, and I shaved Andrew's head again tonight. And we learned Tillie is scared of people's hairlines. What a freako dog.