Adventures in Puppy Sitting...

So Friday I had to be at the daycare by 7:00am.  Sounds daunting, but I really didn't get up any earlier than I would on a typical work day.  We ended up with 32 dogs total.  As Lee said, with very large eyes and a surprised face...that's above average.  I stayed in the "little dogs" room all day, as I am still not entirely comfortable around the big dogs.  And big dogs they were.  Throughout the weekend, we had at least 3 Great Danes, one huge Geman Shepherd, multiple black labs, and who knows how many other ones I can't name.  And there were more than enough little dogs to keep me entertained.  Friday there was one very pushy dog that bit me three times...never breaking the skin, but certainly enough to be annoying.  And there was a little black Chihuahua, Lola, who adopted me as her temporary mother.  Saturday started at 8:00am...a little better.  And we had about half the dogs.  There was one giant dog...I don't remember it's name.  But I happened to be the one out in the lobby to receive him...and I'm going to be honest, I turned aruond and ran a few steps.  This thing was the size of a horse...well, a pony at least.  Either way, I pretty quickly called for Lee to take over.  It was raining out, so all the dogs (and the humans) were very sleepy.  Overall, it was pretty uneventful. Longer hours than I'm used to, but uneventful.  Here are some pictures of the weekend. 

Sadie, Mocha and Emma on the stairs.

Rupert, a pug with asthma.  Well not exactly, but his breathing is so loud and erratic!

Lunchbox...the sweetest old bulldog.  And my mom's favorite. 

Greta Garbo...well, at least her owner thinks she's cute, right?

The big dogs on Friday

More big dogs

Mocha.  So sweet, and her fur is exactly like Kota's!

Lola and Chalupa fighting on Lee

More Lunchbox

Everybody pile on Lee!

Ganging up on Greta

Sadie chillin on the stairs. 

Having fun.

More Lunchbox.  He was easy to photograph becuase he sat pretty still :)

Sadie and Gabby.  In withdrawals from missing their momma.

Angel and Whisper...it was their first time, and they were pretty scared.  They spent most of the day in the corner, but warmed up eventually.

American Idol

I love American Idol.  I really do. But something is seriously up tonight.  I am bored!  I even fell asleep.  And while I will admit that doesn't mean a whole lot most times, however to fall asleep during American Idol is something serious.  What is wrong with these people?   They are picking the worst songs!  The highlight of the night was Nick Mitchell, aka Norman Gentle.  He was hilarious, and one of the best "hidden" vocals of the night.  I was laughing so hard I cried.  So at least he entertained me...unlike everyone else.  He does make me sad though, because I can see in his eyes how little he really believes in himself.  But that's another blog for another day.  I hope next week is better. 

Adventures in Puppy Sitting...Preface

Almost a year ago, at the ripe old age of 50 (no offense), my mom began a new business venture.  A doggie daycare called Paws and Play (yes, you have me to thank for the awesome name).  I will admit, I am pretty impressed that when most people are winding down and preparing for retirement, my mom started a new business after 25 years of not working full time.  Since then, she has spent 12+ hours a day there 6 days a week.  Talk about exhausting.  

So when she called me a few weeks ago and told me about a very inexpensive vacation opportunity in Hawaii, but she couldn't go because she had no one to watch the daycare, what could I do but volunteer?  So this Friday and Saturday I am driving down to Columbus to help run Paws and Play to give my mom some peace of mind.  

Now I love dogs.  But in the few visits I have made to Paws and Play, I have come to realize that I love my dogs.  And few others.  Others people's dogs are dirty, drooly, and I simply don't trust them.  There are few exceptions.  My family has 5 dogs, and I don't even like all of them.  So suffice it to say that it will be a interesting, and exhausting weekend.  Stay tuned for what are sure to be some amusing stories, and cute pictures.  

I Tried...

Since Kevin and I got married, I have opened myself up to many foods that I never would've eaten before.  And am eating better than I ever have.  I'm no health food nut, but I am eating a little better.  I'm also trying new things.  Some I like, some I don't.  For example: Salmon (thumbs up), apple pie (thumbs down).  Tonight I tried blueberries for the first time.  I'm going to have to give blueberries a big thumbs down.  Every one that I ate tasted different, and they were full of seeds...which are now stuck in my teeth.  Great picture, right?  So I guess at least I can say I tried them.  

New Things...

Tried a new church this morning.  Actually, this afternoon.  It's called 12Stone and it's in Lawrenceville about 10 minutes before you get to the Mall of Georgia (good news for me).  We'd heard a lot of things about it and thought it was time to try it out.  Well if it was up to Kevin, this would be our new home church.  Which is funny, because I thought the drive would really deter him.  But overall I'd say it was a pretty positive experience.  I wore khakis, flip flops, a t-shirt and jean jacket, and felt like I fit right in.  The music was good (although it's always a little off-putting when you don't know the songs).  Loved the message and the style of the pastor.  We jumped in right in the middle of a series called Wii Marriage...There's no Mii in team.  Very current, and very good.  It even kept Kevin's attention the entire time...which is very difficult to do.  The media aspects were very cool I must admit.  The sanctuary was very large and built to model a sports arena.  The entrances to the sanctuary were actually labeled Tunnel A, B, C, etc.  

Here are my personal highlights:

comfortable atmosphere (not stuffy)

great teaching

lots of young people

1:00 service (I thought I would hate this, but it was pretty nice)

And low points:

drive time

size (it's a very large church, and I worry about getting lost in the crowd)

Definitely worth going back.  

I LOVE To Shop...

That says it all.  Window shop, spending spree, or wandering aimlessly around the mall.  I love it all.  Most days I spend my lunch break browsing through Target, Ross, Bath and Body Works, or even the Dollar Tree.  But I am not the big spender in our family.  Between his obsessions with guns, electronics, and physical fitness, Kevin has been the one behind most of the big ticket items purchased in our marriage.  Well occasionally I decide that it's my turn.  And this weekend was one of those times.  Kevin went with me to the mall, and agreed on what I thought was a very reasonable budget.  And it never fails.  Every time we plan to go shopping for me, it just doesn't happen.  In fact, after driving all the way out to Discover Mills, here is what I walked away with...

One jade tank top for a whopping $3.50.  Woo hoo!  Needless to say, I made my plea to drive back to Snellville to more familiar territory.  After an hour or so at Target and Old Navy I ended up getting four more shirts.  But Kevin still spent more money than me.  Considerably more.  No worries, I still love him :) The most expensive item I purchased was $9, and my grand total for the day was around $35.  Oh well, at least I tried.  I don't know if I'm becoming more selfless with age, or just really stingy with my money.  Either way, I guess it's a little better for our bank account.  

Grocery Shopping on a Friday Night...

That's exactly how I spent the Friday night before Valentine's day.  Grocery shopping.  Woo hoo.  Actually, it was kind-of nice.  Other than the hordes of men frantically searching for last minute cards and gifts, the stores were pretty empty.  And it was nice not to have to rush to meet a timeline or be somewhere else.  

Grocery shopping is one of those funny parts of marriage that is very different than I imagined when I was single.  Maybe it's just me, but I had silly dreams of Kevin and I grocery shopping together every week, and it just being one of those cute couple things.  But it's not.  In fact, after three and half years of grocery shopping, I know now that I would much rather go it alone.  There are many reasons for this.  One is that I find it much easier to stick to a list, and stay on budget when I'm by myself.  Granted, every few items I end up stopping to add up how much I've spent so far and how much I have left.  It's almost become like a game.  

Another thing I've learned from grocery shopping is that the little things don't matter as much as I once thought they did.  Like brand names.  If my mom had brought home cereal in a bag, I wouldn't have so much as touched it.  Now I realize how silly that is.  Most of it still tastes the same.  My clothes are still clean, not to mentin I'm saving money.  So I took a picture of some of the generic items that were purchased at tonight's trip to the grocery store.  Actually stores, because I start at Wal-Mart to get essentials, and then move on to Publix and Kroger to buy what's on sale.  

And here's one of my pantry...with a little bit of Meah in the bottom.

Now here are some random pictures that I found on the camera tonight that make me giggle.  The first is Meah sitting in time out...all Kevin's doing.  And the second is Kevin "hiding" from me.  Good times. 

SURPRISE...

I startle easily.  I'm easy to scare.  Last week a co-worker was standing behind me and simply said my name and I nearly jumped out of my chair.  But I digress.  I don't often get surprised.  I'm willing to venture that the reason I don't get surprised is because no one ever tries to surprise me.  But let me tell you, today I was surprised!

I was sitting at my desk minding my own business when my co-worker walks over with a big box from Pro Flowers.  And it had my name on it!  I'll be honest, I stared at the box for a few minutes and read and re-read my name before I ventured to open it.  And much to my surprise, it contained a gorgeous display of roses, a beautiful vase, chocolates, and a teddy bear!  If you know Kevin, you probably know that he is not exactly mushy, and thinks Valentine's Day is the most ridiculous holiday ever.  I've been teasing him about remembering to buy me a card.  I definitely never expected this.  Surprise for me!

So major props to my wonderful hubby.  For remembering Valentine's day...for doing something super-nice just because it would make me feel special...and for making all my co-workers jealous!

I Love you Kevin!

Lots of Little Nothings...

I am feeling better.  I spent the whole weekend at home.  I didn't leave the house from the time I got home from work Friday afternoon until I went to work this morning.  Well, except for a quick trip to Sonic for a milk shake.  My throat was hurting.  Work was pretty daunting since I still wasn't 100% and we were half-staffed, but I made it through the day.  The hiccups are gone, but they have been replaced with some pretty serious sneezes.  The type of sneezes that can make my dog evacuate whatever room I am in as soon as she hears me take the first deep gasp for air.  But sneezes I can handle.  

Even though I was sick, I think I had a pretty productive weekend.  Well, a productive Saturday.  Sunday was restful.  I watched 8 episodes of '24' and never made it out of my pj's.  Of course, this was after being awakened by Dakota at 7am and realizing that I was so sick I could hardly walk.  So I let her outside and crashed on the couch.  After banging into the wall at least 4 times on my way downstairs, I was not venturing back up those same stairs.  I remained on the couch until about noon, when I decided it was time for Kevin to wake up.  

I am constantly amazed at the amount of drama that goes on in the people's lives around me.  Well, some of it is drama, some of it is trauma.  All I know is that I don't spend enough time thanking God for the lack of it in my life.  

Last but not least, I have a confession.  I am a stalker.  A blog stalker.  If you have a blog and I know you or find your life reasonably interesting, I probably read it.  Often.  I don't know why, but I love to read about other people's lives.  Especially people who are in the same stage/season of life as myself.  I like to know I am not alone.  If you are reading this now, and you stalk my blog.  Leave me a comment.  I'm always looking for new reading material.  :)  

My husband will think I am incredibly weird for posting this.  

It's Official...

Christmas is over.  Now I realize that for some of you, Christmas has been over for about 6 weeks or so.  But here at the Webb house, we consider Christmas to be more of a state of mind...or a state of decoration.  See, I'm  not so much one for decorating.  Don't get me wrong, I love a beautifully decorated house just as much as the next girl.  But I haven't quite perfected the art of decorating well on a budget.  There have been some good attempts, and there have been some failed attempts.  So for the most part, although we've lived in our house for almost three years, it is largely undecorated...unless you count furniture and dog toys.  

So when we put the Christmas decorations up mid-November, we grew pretty attached.  I'll admit, I was pretty proud.  So we left them up because they were pretty and they made the house seem more cozy.  It's almost become tradition around here to leave the decorations up until you have a really good reason to take them down.  Two years ago, we took them down for our SuperBowl party.  This year, we even outlasted that one.  But I found out last night that we are having some company in town tomorrow.  Company that I've only met once for a matter of minutes.  So for the sake of not embarassing myself or my husband, I thougt it was time to retire the decorations to the attic.  So two hours, one Rubbermaid tub and five garbage bags later, I am finally finished.  Until November.  

Not Even a Fever...

I'm sick!  And it's not even the good kind of sick.  You know, the kind where you get to call in to work and spend the day in bed.  Even if you feel terrible, at least you are getting some sleep.  No, I am just annoyingly sick.  The kind where my throat is tickling like it has feathers in it, I'm coughing constantly, I have a runny nose, and I don't feel like doing anything, particularly eating.  But even with all that, the most annoying part is the hiccups!  Everytime I get this head/chest sickness stuff, it is accompanied by a semi-permanent case of the hiccups!  I can be sitting at my desk working on my computer, and the minute a parent walks up...hiccup!  Talk about a conversation starter.  So I try to keep my mouth closed to hide them, but that makes my chest ache.  And when I open my mouth, they are loud enough to draw attention from across the lobby.  Enough is enough!  I've tried holding my breath, water, I don't know how else to make them stop!  

Fireproof

I'm assuming most people reading this have already seen the movie "Fireproof."  However if by some chance you haven't, and you're married, read on.  Kevin and I sat down to watch this movie today and let me tell you, I was impressed.  First of all, I had two hours of uninterrupted quality time with my husband (no computer even!).  But beyond that, this movie was great!  It had some great concepts for husbands and wives, and you can't help but re-evaluate your relationship while you watch this movie.  Yes, it is a Christian movie, made by the same people who made "Facing the Giants (which was also great, by the way).  And although there are a few moments of cheesiness, for the most part this movie was absolutely wonderful.  I won't say any more, except if you haven't seen it...go rent it now!