Giva-who? Giva-what? GiveAWAYS!

I have yet to win one of Jens giveaways from A Daily Dose of Davis... but im hoping for this time! She's giving away a fitness ball thingie-ma-bob! You know, the one I roll off of because I'm really sweaty while working out? Ha! You should try to win too! Go check it out at: http://littlebabyaddison.blogspot.com

Jen's SIL Diana, who is hilarious, is offering a giveaway too! What was this, family blog giveaway week??? ;o) kidding, you two! Go check her blog out too. She's the ultimate 'Do-it-yourself' in the kitchen, garden, chicken coop (ha!) lady! Http://theapplepiegal.blogspot.com

By the way... posting from my trusty phone's browser... so if there are misspellings or other whacky things, give me a pass... kay? :0) I know the blog addy's aren't going to pop up as links, you'll have to copy & paste! Remember how? I kid.

Not Much to Say

I don't have much to say tonight... but it's been a while since I posted.  I am on my last week of vacation from school for the summer (I got a whopping 3 weeks.)  I return to classes on the 30th and will have no breaks until I am done.done.done.... in DECEMBER!  Of course, I will have a break for Thanksgiving but other than that I have a crazy schedule!  My last classes are Theories of Personalities (not really looking forward to it...), Research Project I & II (Senior req), and another elective of my choice. I really am not looking forward to all of the writing that the next 16 weeks is going to have in store for me... icka!

I am so looking forward to being done with school.  I am looking forward to being less stressed and having more time to focus on myself and Brandon and living healthier lifestyles.  I have recently been thinking/realizing how much stress has an impact on our health.  Not only my mental health but my physical health too. Ugh!  I am looking forward to actually having time to do fun activities every week or even just be lazy on weekday evenings after cooking dinner MYSELF before ten o'clock.

Anyway, I'm being a bit negative I think.  I have just felt a bit more somber lately so I guess this is why... I'm just tired.  :)

On a brighter note... I opened another savings account with our credit union about six or seven months ago and I have been stashing money here and there throughout the months.  I have been *trying* not to remember the amounts I've been putting in and have only asked for the balence a couple of times. : !!!!!!!!!!!!!  (that's my excited face!)  We have enough stashed to use my mom's timeshare here in December after I graduate and we also have enough for airfare/car/hotel in Arizona (probably Scottsdale) for a long weekend this fall!!!!  Hubbs hasn't been on a vacation that was extra relaxing for two years... So, I think the long weekend in AZ will be great for him to golf and for us to visit old friends.  Even if its only for two nights, it will be awesome!!! I sure hope we can go... Running a family business tends to ruin our plans sometimes... *crossing fingers!*  I am super excited about going to Cabo.  My parent's bought into the RCI/Pueblo Bonito timeshares over ten years ago and the resorts are seriously amazing.  We stayed at this one for our honeymoon (thanks Mom & Don!) and we never wanted to leave the resort... dreamland.  Anyway, so I'm glad I decided to write about our possible upcoming vacations because that put positive thoughts in my head!!!

I'm off to look up flights... :)

Oh, and to TAPG.... I still have more Jackson Tales! I will get to them.  For goodness sakes, I haven't even told you about how he broke out of the same house window TWICE or ate our car! Gosh! So much to share!

Random Pictures From My Phone...

I suppose I could have titled this ' A Day in the Life..." HA! Is it just me that finds totally random things on my phone that I thought were cool enough to snap a quick picture of?  Mostly mine are of the babies or my animals... Here are a few!

I woke up from a lazy Sunday afternoon nap to this.  If she had been ANY closer to my face she would have been sitting on it. :)

I finally think that baby E is ready for the park.  Before, there wasn't a whole lot she could do but eat wood chips! HA!  So, we've ventured out a bit... She is so independent so I supervise closely but she just does her own thing.  The slide backwards is a popular choice.

I have a set of about five of this same picture... except she has her head turned LEFT or RIGHT in every one of them!!! No, E! Look HERE!!!

Then, there's baby Nickolai.  He is NOT a fan of sleeping... EVER.  So, we have a process... I swear the entire 20 minute process negates his 25 minute nap, but whatever.  Stage #1

Stage #2 occurs about... ten minutes later?

Oh, shhhhh! Finally! Now, to transport him to the crib... that's tricky!

It is a sad day when poor Pink Floyd gets spit on... :(

I could never forget about Sasha, the niece dog. Silly girl, she thinks she's a cat!!!

Ok, well that's about all of the clear ones I have for now! These animals and kids move fast!

The Jackson Tales Part 2

Brandon waited in the car while I walked our still spooked "Lindsay" into the pound.  On our entrance into the compound (its big - really big,) I couldn't help but notice the billboard that stated how many animals they put down per year.  The sign reminded me to "Think twice..." Um, CRAP!  I kept dragging the scruffy dog towards the entrance into the building.  When we entered the waiting room the stench that permeates any animal care facility hit us like a wall.  I took a number and waited patiently to speak to someone about the dog.  My plan had changed in the thirty seconds from leaving the car to entering the building:  I no longer would leave the dog here unattended.  If he was chipped I would see if they would give me the owner's information personally or I would leave my information so they owner could contact me to get the dog.  If he wasn't chipped... well, if he wasn't chipped then I would just take him and figure something out.

After waiting for ten or so minutes I was directed to walk the dog outside and around the corner to a warehouse of sorts where someone would scan Lindsay for a microchip.  When the scanner didn't pick up any chip I really started to get a nervous stomach. *What am I going to do with a dog?* *Brandon is going to kill me* *We're leaving in five days back home to Washington for his sister's wedding... WHAT WILL I DO????* I walked him back into the building to discuss his likelihood of being treated and adopted out.  The lady point blank told me that with his skiddish demeanor and rough physical condition she doubted he would make it into the next week at the shelter. For a quick second I mistook her statement as meaning that he was so cute and lovable that he would be adopted right away. That is not at all what this lady was implying.

Without a second thought, I walked the dog back to the car.  When I opened the door to get in, I gave Brandon one look that must have screamed "NOT ONE WORD!" because he just drove and got back on the freeway headed for home.  He gave me about five minutes of silence before he inquired about my plan.  I'm glad he gave me a bit to think... because my plan was certainly not very clear.  I decided I needed to have him seen by a vet to determine if anything was seriously wrong for him as well as to get him on treatment for the ticks.  In the meantime I would list him as lost on petfinder and look for rescue organizations to take him. 

I had to find him a home.

.......Brandon will never let me keep him.......