Ha ha. Wait. What?

Friday Confessional

2012-02-03T11:19:00.000-06:00

I confess...

That I HATE having to dress up for work.

We have visitors in from China this week

and next...which means no jeans. Boo!!!

I confess...

That I hated the second Sherlock Holmes movie!!

Seriously. I couldn't wait for it to end!

I confess...

Romey is definitely concerning me!!!!

I think I may need to add memory loss to the list of symptoms.

Seriously, he is acting really weird. He keeps forgetting that I

moved his dog bowl and when he notices that it wasn't where it

used to be - he just walks away instead of going to the new

location. Maybe that is why he wasn't eating?? He kept forgetting

where the bowl was?? I just moved it back to the old location.

Another thing, last night Ashley asked him if he wanted to go for a

walk. He got really excited! She put him on his leash and walked

outside. He peed in the front yard and then walked back up to the

door. She said to him "Romey, you don't want to go for a walk?"

And at the mention of the word "walk" his ears perked up and she

said "Want to go for a walk?" And he got all excited again. It was

as if he didn't remember that was what they were out there for.

Which is really really weird for him. He love love loves walks!!!!

I confess...

That I haven't heard back from the

vet on Romey's blood test results.

And it is making me more anxious.

I confess...

That I can't afford any more tests to be run on him.

His visit on Monday and Tuesday cost me over $400.

Not sure what I'm going to do if it isn't Lyme Disease and

they want to run more tests. Not sure what I CAN do...

I confess...

That I seriously regret not getting Pet Health Insurance

when I first got Romey. He has already had an $1,800 surgery,

he needs a $900-$1,200 surgery for his knees and now this...

If you have a pet and don't have insurance?? GET IT NOW!!!

I confess...

That I am so behind on editing photos.

I promised the family I would have their pictures

ready by Sunday. I really need to get on the ball!!

Sneak Peek:

On a more positive note...

I confess...

That I am super excited that it is Friday!!

I confess...

That I am looking forward to Friday

Night Steak Night at the Hatcher's!

I confess...

That I'm excited for The Vow to come

out next week!! It looks sooooo good!!

The end.

Hope you lovelies have a great weekend!!!!

Poor Romey - Update

2012-02-02T11:26:00.001-06:00

They did some blood work and it takes a couple

of days for the results to come in but the vet is

pretty confident Romey has Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-transmitted

diseases in the world. Dominant clinical feature in dogs is recurrent

lameness due to inflammation of the joints. There may also be a

lack of appetite and depression, responds well to antibiotic treatment.

The achy joints explains why he doesn't want to play.

The lack of appetite explains why he only

eats every other day instead of twice a day.

I should be getting the official test results today or tomorrow.

I'm hoping it confirms Lyme Disease...otherwise I will have to shell

out some more money (money I don't have) on an x-ray and ultrasound.

Please pray that it is Lyme Disease and not something more serious.

PS. The new vet said that his ginormous lump is nothing

to be concerned about. It is just a fatty tumor. He said it

can get bigger but it will always just be a fatty tumor.

Poor Romey...

2012-01-30T12:53:00.004-06:00

Please send your positive thoughts/vibes/prayers my

way. Taking Romey to the vet today to get checked out.

My roommate and I think he is very sick.

Symptoms:

{one}

For the past week or two he has only

been eating about every other day

(he usually eats twice a day every day),

{two}

All he does is sleep.

(I spent about 20 minutes on Saturday trying

to get him to play and he wouldn't)

{three}

Last night, I noticed his face looks

sunken in like he lost weight and it

makes him look very sickly.

{four}

His lump on his side has doubled in size.

And he has two new lumps.

The useless vet we went to last year said that it was just a

fatty cyst but now it has doubled in size and hardened.

Hopefully the new vet will know what's going on.

Vet Appt. is at 2:20.

This was him on Saturday. I was running around the back yard

trying to get him to play and he just sat there looking at me.

PS. Please don't mind the dead grass...we had a hard summer with NO rain!!

I'll let you know what the vet says...

Wish us luck!!

giveaway winner!!

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

Oh, How Pinteresting & WWTK

2012-01-25T12:33:00.000-06:00

Today's Theme:Random {one}

Love this outfit!!!

{two}

Yes, please!!!

{three}

{four}

Ha ha. Yes!!!

{five}

One day...

{six}

Love this angle!!!

You can check out these pins plus more - here.

{one}what is your favorite
room in the house and why?

It is where I spend most of my time. Most nights I sit on the

couch, Ashley sits on the love seat and Romey lays on the ground

in front of me. I love my couches - they are super comfortable!!

{two}

what is your favorite

time of day and why?

During the week... 6pm
Because I would be home from work,
sitting on the couch and chatting with Ashley.
During the weekend... anytime
Because I wouldn't be at work. :)

{three}

what is your favorite genre of

music (or band/singer) and why?

I really love worship music like Hillsong United.

My favorite band used to be Muse but that has quickly changed

to The Civil Wars...as you can see from my past blog postings...

{four}

what is your favorite "go to" snack?

is it something you keep on hand?

Yes, I pretty much always

have this in my kitchen pantry.

{five}

what is your favorite form of

exercise or way to keep moving?

I really like going to the track to walk two miles.

I really need to start that up again...

Don't forget to click HERE to enter my giveaway.

PS. the giveaway ends on Saturday night.

a Civil Wars giveaway

2012-01-23T11:58:00.004-06:00

As promised, I am hosting a giveaway today.

I will be giving away not one but two cd's

of The Civil Wars to two lucky winners.

This is my absolute favorite CD of all time!!

Seriously. You will LOVE it!!

Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars on Grooveshark Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars on Grooveshark

I've Got This Friend by The Civil Wars on Grooveshark Falling by The Civil Wars on Grooveshark

Here is how you can enter:

For 1 entry:

Leave me a comment and let

me know you are a follower.

For 1 entry:

Tweet about the giveaway including my twitter

handle @amyrburns and the link to the giveaway.

Best. Concert. EVER!!

2012-01-20T10:22:00.000-06:00

Last night, Ashley and I went to see The Civil Wars
at The Paramount in Austin, TX. And it was the BEST
concert I have ever been to. Seriously. Ah-mazing!!!

The Staves The Civil Wars

Here are some pictures from last night:

The night started at 8pm with The Staves.
They were awesome!!
And I was super jealous!!

Here is what they sound like:

Then The Civil Wars came on...
And boy was it awesome!!

They were hilarious!!
And that John Paul...so much
cuter than Johnny Depp!!

They did this awesome cover of Billie Jean.

And a cover of a Smashing Pumpkins song.
(I absolutely HATE Smashing Pumpkins).
The Civil Wars took a hideous song and made it so pretty.

If you have never heard of them - you
must buy their CD IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!

In fact, I'm going to host a giveaway on Monday.
The prize? A cd of The Civil Wars.
Be excited and come and enter
the giveaway on Monday.

Happy Friday!!!!!

Oh, happy day!!

2012-01-18T15:22:00.002-06:00

The coolest roommate/friend around just scored tickets to see

The Civil Wars at the Paramount Theater tomorrow night.

And guess who she is taking with her??? That's right...me!!!!

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!

Love love love this song:

Does anyone else think this guy looks like Johnny Depp???

Introducing...

2012-01-16T11:42:00.000-06:00

Bosley.

The Hatcher's new puppy.

How cute is he?????

Once Bosley gets acclimated to

his new life, this lonely guy...

...will have a new friend to play with!!!

Friday Confessional

2012-01-13T11:10:00.000-06:00

I confess...

That I recently just got into The Good Wife.

Ashley and I just started watching the first season.

It is pretty good. I would recommend it.

I confess...

That I am super excited for tonight's girl's night at my

house. We are doing another "Favorite Things" party.

Shayla, last time you were offended that you weren't invited. Well, I'm officially

inviting you. Think you can make the 5-6 hour drive and be in Austin by 6:30?? ;)

I confess...

That I am super excited that I won

a giveaway from Aaron over at Carp Dime.

Next week, I will be the proud owner of

the first season of Community, the Back to

the Future DVD and a new Superman T-shirt!!

I confess...

That if this beautiful lass is still available by

the time I get paid at the end of the month...I

will be a very proud pet owner of two beautiful

dogs!! Romey needs a playmate something fierce!!

How cute is she???????

I confess...

That I am super excited that the Hatcher's

are getting a new puppy on Saturday!!

I confess...

That I am so glad it is Friday!!!

Happy Friday, lovelies!!

New Year's Failures...er...I mean Resolutions

2012-01-10T13:15:00.000-06:00

So I've decided to post my New Year's Resolutions this year.
But before I do let's take a look at past ~~failures~~ resolutions...

Year 2011
Apparently, I didn't make New Year's Resolutions in 2011.

Year 2010
1. Fall in love. (Please excuse the loud sobbing.)
2. Drop at least two dress sizes. (Dropped one dress size but not two.)
3. Start putting money into my savings account. (Does change in a jar count?)
4. Pay off my car loan. (Instead I bought a new car in September 2010)
5. Learn how to play my guitar. (FAIL)
6. Get up every morning at 7:30. (This one I actually did)
7. Read 100 books this year. (Came really close. Only made it to 88 books.)
8. Train my dog. (When I say train my dog. I mean, train him not to ignore me when I am calling him to come inside. This dog will look at me and then look away as if I just didn't give him a command. He does know how to sit, lay, shake and stay. But sometimes he picks and chooses when he wants to obey. Sadly, I have yet to become the alpha in our relationship. I'm wondering if you can even train a six year old dog or if I just have to live with the fact that I waited too long...?)
9. Go to church every Sunday. (Sadly, I haven't mastered this. I go once or twice every couple of months. This is depressing. I know I need to go to church every Sunday. But I'm lazy or not in the mood...which I know is absolutely horrible. This MUST change!!!)
10. Work on my creative outlet. Learn to sew, paint something, photography, make jewelry. Something. Anything. (I haven't learned how to sew or make jewelry, yet. But I have painted a few times. And I have started getting really busy with my photography. Last month, I took five different families Christmas photos. And I have two more scheduled for this month.)

Year 2009
1. Lose weight. (I fear this one is always going to be on my New Year's Resolutions.)
2. Read books other than twilight. (This I obviously did. I read 88 books in 2010.)
3. Spend less money. (Still working on that.)
4. Blog more. (This I did really well in 2009. Not so much in 2010-2011.)
5. Pay off my credit card. (Still working on it.)
6. Train my dog. (See 2010 Resolutions - #8)
7. Read the Bible more. (See 2010 Resolutions - #9)
8. Pray more. (See 2010 Resolutions - #9)
9. Try listening to music other than Muse. (These days I am loving Switchfoot and The Civil Wars.)
10. Be less sarcastic. (We all knew this was absolutely impossible.)

It is now 2012 - which means it is time to make new resolutions.

So here they are...

What are your New Year's Resolutions??

Confessions...

2012-01-09T12:12:00.003-06:00

Confession #1
I have been an absolute failure at blogging. I have had several things to post but didn't want to do it unitl I edited some of the photos.
Example: My cruise was back in October and I still haven't blogged about it.

And as my friend, Christyn, likes to say: EPIC FAIL!!

Confession #2
I made it to Day 237 of drinking nothing but water. My goal was to make it to Day 365 but I was weak and allowed Ashley to talk me into having a soda on the cruise. I haven't been able to stop drinking soda since. This makes me VERY sad. Soda is my biggest weakness and it is hard for me to get off of it - which is why I am so disappointed that I wasted those 237 days that I only drank water.

I'm mentioning this because I'm trying to start it up again - starting today. And posting about it on here and Facebook has helped hold me accountable in the past.

I'm not going to do the "Nothing But Water" thing right now because it is Hot Chocolate season and I love me some Hot Chocolate, plus I wouldn't want to waste the Cocomotion I just got.

So starting today - I am cutting out ALL sodas!!!!

Confessions #3
I've been trying to talk my roommate (Ashley) into getting a dog - so Romey can have a playmate. It was a lot easier then I thought. We actually went to the Pflugerville Animal Shelter to look at a Pointer Mix named Lexi. She was nine months old and absolutely adorable. We later brought Romey up to meet her and he did GREAT...but Lexi...well, she was too agressive and the guy said that it wouldn't be a good match. He said that the male dog should be the dominant one. So I guess we will keep looking...

Sidenote: I just had orientation last Thursday to start volunteering at my local animal shelter. They close at 6pm during the weekdays - so I would only be able to volunteer on Saturday or Sunday. I'm meeting with a Volunteer Mentor later this month so she can show me the ropes. I'm super excited!!!

Confession #4
I really need to start up a diet and exercise routine. I haven't done any kind of exercise since before my cruise. It's time to start it up again...

Confession #5
Because I haven't been blogging regularly - I haven't been keeping up your blogs. I apologize. I hope everyone is doing well! I'll try and make it to your blogs this week to catch up!!

Have a great week, lovelies!!!

Look what I got..

2011-12-29T13:47:00.000-06:00

That's right. Be jealous.

Thanks Brian and Liz!!!!

Impressed...

2011-12-27T14:36:00.000-06:00

I love love love this FLAWLESS

performance by Bruno Mars on XFactor!

Seriously. It is sooooo good!!!!

Watch this video, NOW!!!

Reason #53

2011-12-20T08:54:00.000-06:00

Why I should get a horse....

10DYC {four books}

2011-12-19T15:46:00.004-06:00

Four Books:

{one}

Great book...and movie!!!

{two)

Great book and movie, too!!

But the book is a thousand times better!

{three}

Love this book.

I have read it at lease five times.

{four}

At the end of October, I started making my

way through the Harry Potter books. Oh boy!

I love these books so much. Seriously!! So good!!

I just started the 7th (final) book today! Love!

I also like the Hunger Games series, the Twilight series,

the Maze Runner series, The Help, I Am Number

Four & anything by Nicholas Sparks!

The end.

currently

2011-12-15T16:41:00.001-06:00

Today, I'm linking up with
Perfectly Imperfect's "Currently".

current book(s):

I'm currently making my way through the

Harry Potter books and I love love love them.

Seriously, I'm obsessed!

I just started the 6th book!

current playlist:

Today, I've been listening to The Civil Wars station on

Pandora and so far I have loved every song that has been played.

current color:

Plum

I just got eye makeup from MAC in plum and I love it!!

Never worn plum eyeshadow before and it kind of

makes my eyes look blue...and I have green eyes.

PS: The exact color is called Quarry.

current food:

My current obsession is steak and mushrooms.

I have it at the Hatcher's house every Friday night.

current favorite show(s):

current need(s):

A new laptop.

My computer is going out on me.

Thank God for nice Christmas bonuses.

current triumph(s):

Entering the dating world has

been getting easier and easier.

current bane(s)

of my existence:

Dieting.

Enough said.

current celebrity crush:

current #1 blessing:

My family.

current indulgence:

current outfit:

Yes, I took this picture just now in my bathroom at work.

We have one of those medicine cabinet mirrors - so

I couldn't do a full body shot...and I have short arms.

But I'm wearing a Cami, Cardigan, Jeans and my Toms.

current excitement:

My brand new Cocomotion.

current mood:

Excited for Christmas!

current favorite

holiday decoration:

Uh, I didn't decorate this year.

I know, I know. I'm horrible!!

current #1 item

on your wishlist:

Torn between the DVD set of all the Parks

& Rec seasons and the Harry Potter books.

current new year's resolution:

learn how to use my camera in Manual mode.

The end.

Ron Swanson = My Happiness

2011-12-15T15:45:00.000-06:00

MAC

2011-12-12T18:51:00.000-06:00

My friend, Ashley, has just introduced me to the world of MAC. Best makeup ever!!!

As my christmas present, she tooke me to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. Then she took me to get my makeup done at MAC and then bought me the makeup they used.

It was great they showed me how to apply the makeup and then had me try it. Now I know how to apply eye makeup the right way. Super excited to try it out. Now I just need somewhere to go... :)

Here is a picture of the makeup she got and the end result:
Unfortunately, the makeup had worn off some by the time we remembered to take this picture...

Afterwards, we went to see the movie New Years.
It was a great day!!!

Best. Christmas. Gift. Ever. :)

PS. I didn't really like the movie!

Officially went dark...

2011-12-10T20:04:00.000-06:00

Here is the end result:

What do you think?

Romey loves him some treats!!

2011-12-09T09:51:00.000-06:00

So when I leave home for a week to go petsitting for someone else's dog (don't judge, I need the money), Ashley takes care of Romey for me. She feeds him every morning and night, gives him his medication, she even sleeps with him in my bed. And it's okay because Romey loves Ashley just as much as he loves me. Sometimes I think he loves her even more...

I've shown you before what can happen when I leave Romey in her care and I'll show you again just to refresh your memory.

This is what happens:

Well I got back last night and Ashley showed me a video she took while I was away.

This is a vide of Ashley teasing Romey with treats.

PS. Don't worry she it gives it to him in the end.

I posted this video because I love how it shows his reaction whenever he gets excited!! He spins in circles and just throws his own body around like he can't contain it.

Isn't he cute?

Should I fire Ashley as my dog-caretaker when I'm away?? :)

Going dark...

2011-12-05T12:29:00.000-06:00

Every few months or so I get the

itch to change my hair in some way.

I wanted to try this:

I love everything about this.

The color. The cut. Even the glasses. :)

Ashley talked me out of this because I

have a different hair type then this girl.

My hair is super thick and she said I

would come out with "helmet hair".

Boo. :(

So now I'm looking to keep my

length and maybe try going darker.

Here is what I look like now:

I love love love being a redhead but I hate that my roots

show so easily when my hair grows out. I have to dye

my hair every 3-4 weeks! And because my hair is so

thick it requires two boxes which can kind of get a little

pricey when you have to dye it is as much as I do.

So I think I'm going to go with

a darker reddish brown color.

(That way my roots won't be as noticebale.)

Here are my options:

{one}

{two}

{three}

{four}

What do you guys think?

Also, should I get bangs like this?

Or should I just stick with bangs that frame my face?

Please help!!!

Christmas Wish List

2011-12-02T11:35:00.000-06:00

Another life...

2011-12-01T13:04:00.000-06:00

Does anyone else have a problem with reading other people's blogs and thinking "Man, I want their life!"...or is that just me??

Mainly my jealousy comes from the location of where that person lives. I'm so ready to move away from central Texas. Seriously. I want to move somewhere with Fall colors and where Spring is actually green. (Ok, spring here in Texas is kind of / sort of green...I guess.)

Every few months or so I think about wanting to move to another state. One year it was North Carolina; another it was Oregon. And now I'm back to North Carolina. Waynesville, NC to be exact.

I mean look at this picture!!!!

Come on!!! Seriously??
It is so pretty it's ridiculous!!
And I want to live there soooo bad!
Who wants to join me??
Anyone?

Sarah, I know you do! Shall we pack up the family and go?? Kicking and screaming if we have to. Whatever it takes, right?

My dream is to move onto some land in Waynesville and have my own photography studio. Oh yeah...and have a husband, five children, five dogs and five horses...oh and maybe a cow or two. Cows are cute.

This is all that I want.

I think I'll pray for this exact dream.
What do you think??

We Want To Know - wk33

2011-11-30T09:14:00.000-06:00

{one}

what is the worst

job you have ever had?

Umm, I've been pretty fortunate...

I pretty much loved every job I had.

Okay, maybe not the job but the people I

worked with. I guess I would have to choose being

a dog bather at a dog grooming shop when I was 18-19.

{two}

have you ever been fired?

Nope.

{three}

what would your dream job be?

Either owning some land and having my own photography

business or owning some land and running some kind of dog rescue.

{four}

what did you want

to be when you "grew up"?

I wanted to be a veterinarian...or an ice skater.

{five}

how old were you when

you got your first job?

Sixteen - I was a cashier at Hobby Lobby.

The end.

10DYC {five foods}

2011-11-28T15:57:00.000-06:00

Five Foods:

{one}

Steak and Mushrooms

I took this picture last Friday night.

We have "Steak Night Friday's" at

the Hatcher's every Friday night!!

{two}

Pecan Pie

{three}

Pasta and Garlic Bread

{four}

Mashed Potatoes

{five}

Snickerdoodles

My absolute favorite cookie!!

Mmmm, I'm hungry now - how about you?

The end.

Yes, I'm still alive...

2011-11-21T13:20:00.000-06:00

...I'm just super busy and kind of boring right now. Nothing to post.

I'll get there.

I haven't gone through my cruise pictures yet...hopefully I can do that sometime this week and post pictures and tell you about my great-ish trip!

Hooray for a 3-Day work week! I love the holiday's!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, lovelies!!

Checking in...

2011-11-03T11:37:00.001-05:00

Hey lovelies, I thought I would just check in...

I got back from my cruise to the Bahams this past Sunday and
it was such a great(ish) trip! Can't wait to show you my pictures!!

This week has consisted of packing, packing and more packing.
Moving days is this Saturday!! Yay!

I hope to start posting regularly again starting next week.

Hope y'all are doing well!! :)

Friday Confessional

2011-10-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

I confess...

That I have been so happy

these past couple of weeks.

I confess...

That I am so excited that today is my last day of work

and that I will be on vacation for the next ten days!!

Bahamas, here I come!!

I confess...

That I didn't lose all of the weight

I wanted to lose before my cruise.

Wah, wah, waaaahhhhh!

I confess...

That I am so happy I finally

sold my dog kennel for $60.

I confess...

That I am so happy I purchased a new 32" Flat Screen TV

off of craigslist for only $200 and that it works great!!!

I confess...

That Ashley and I signed our new lease at a new house

and that we move in when we get back from the cruise.

I confess...

That I am looking forward to moving.

I confess...

That it also makes me sad. I love the house I currently

live in and I love the fact that it is only five houses down

the street from where my best friends live. Now I will

have to drive to their house to come and visit them...

I confess...

That the owner's of the house we are renting from are

the sweetest people in the world. They are like a

second set of parents. They were very sweet and gave

us a housewarming gift - after we signed the lease.

I confess...

That I am super excited for the Breaking Dawn party I

will be having at my new house on Nov 19th. And super

excited to go see the movie with my girlfriends. Yay!!!

I confess...

That I am soooooooooooo HAPPY!!!

The end.

Happy Friday, lovelies!!

10DYC {six places}

2011-10-20T09:22:00.001-05:00

Six Places

{one}

Greece

{two}

Italy

{three}

France

{four}

Ireland

{five}

Austria

{six}

Hawaii

The end.

New house...

2011-10-17T12:30:00.029-05:00

We have a new house!! Yay!!

I'm not going to tell the whole story of this whole process because I feel like I have told it about a hundered times...but I will tell you that there were a lot of highs and even more lows.

I will give you the short version:

-We found out that the house we rent was foreclosed on.

-We found out the bank would give us $3,000 to move out by November 8th.

-We found out that two of the four roommates had decided not to move with us.

-We found out that one of the two roommates who had decided not to move with us - changed their mind. They would move with us but would only stay until January. That would give us two months to find a replacement instead of a month.
-We found a charming 3 bedroom house.
-We filled out an application.
-We sign the lease on Wednesday.
-We can move in anytime on October 30th.

The owner's are awesome. We went and looked at the place yesterday and after we saw the entire property we stayed and chatted with the husband and wife (who own the home) for over an hour. They are primarily the reason we chose this place. They are seriously the coolest people. They even let us come back later that night to give them the completed applications and even asked me to bring my dog so they could meet him. We spent another thirty minutes chatting in the backyard while the husband played fetch with my dog. How sweet is that?

I had two concerns about this house when we first looked at it.
1. The kitchen didn't have a lot of cabinet space and had all of this open space. But last night they informed us that they plan to install an island in the kitchen before we move in. Yay!! I love islands in kitchens.
2. The back patio is tiny. Seriously. Maybe 3'x3'. It also had no cover that would protect us from rain if we stood on the mini-patio. But last night they said that they plan to build a deck and cover, which would be awesome, however, they won't be able to do it before we move in but they said that they would do it soon.

I'm so relieved that we found a great place in our price range.

I'm also relieved that this has all been taken care of by my cruise.
Now I will be able to relax on my vacation...which is in five days!! Woo hoo! :)

Anyway, here are some pictures of the new house.

I will post more pictures after we move in and get settled.

PS. I get the Master Bedroom and the parking spot inside the garage.
(I will pay $45 more a month than the other two roommates)

Oh, happy day!!

The end.

Friday Confessional

2011-10-14T13:00:00.001-05:00

I confess...

That I am stressing right now about this potential move.

And the drama that comes with it...

I confess...

That the roommates are not in agreement on if we should

take the $3,000 compensation or renegociate a new lease

for the next five months. Uh, hello?!! $3,000!! That will go
towards a deposit and first months rent and pet deposits on

a new place. If we don't accept the money - then we will be

in the same boat in March 2012 but this time we will have to
come up with our own money. Can you tell what side I'm on??

I confess...

That two of the roommates will probably be moving on

in March 2012 - which is why they don't care about the

money and whether or not we have to pay new deposits.

I confess...

That this sucks for me.

I want to move and get the benefits of the

compensation but am unable to unless we all move out.

I confess...

That I contemplated being evil. Since I'm the only one who

took the initiative in discussing arrangements with the lawyer...

I thought about just telling them that we will accept the money.

Oh, please! Don't judge me...I only thought about it for like a second. :)

I confess...

That we have a roommate meeting on

Saturday afternoon to discuss our final decision.

I confess...

That there might be tears involved.

I confess...

That I'm ready to be on a big boat

and not worry about this nonsense.

I confess...

That I'm going to stop thinking about it. No need to

stress until I know what the decision is going to be.

Hope you guys have a great, stress-free weekend!!!

Well, I guess I'm moving...

2011-10-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm going to be MIA for the next few days.

Just found out last night that the house I am currently renting has been foreclosed. The owner has been taking rent from us and he doesn't even own the house anymore. We just got a notice from a lawyer that in order for us to receive compensation - we have to move out by November 8th. YIKES!!

With mine and Ashley's cruise coming up in a week...that doesn't give us much time to find a new house and move in to it by November 8th.

So instead of blogging - I will be house hunting.

I must say I'm really sad right now. I have lived in that house for five years. And I love love love living five houses down from my best friend and her family. I'm going to hate that I can't just walk down to her house anytime I want. I will also hate moving because right now I have the master bedroom and park in the garage...because I have lived there the longest. Now when we all move together that excuse isn't going to work anymore. :(

I have a realtor looking for a new house we can lease...one that we can move into by November 8th. We may go look at a couple of them on Saturday afternoon. Wish us luck!!

I'll keep you updated.

PS. Cross your fingers for us that we get a good amount of compensation.
(The minimum will be at least $3,000)

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-10-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

Oh, how pinteresting!!

hosted by

The Vintage Apple

Today's Theme:

Bathrooms

You can find all of these pins, here.

We Want To Know

2011-10-12T15:51:00.001-05:00

{one}

What is your feel better

remedy when you are sick?

Sleep. I can literally sleep all day when I am sick.

{two}

When illness strikes, what is your policy on staying

home from work, school or church with yourself?

Ha ha. I'm a huge baby when I'm sick.

I almost always have to stay home when I'm sick.

{three}

What do you think is

worse? Flu or Cold?

Hmm, that's a hard one. I guess a cold.

I hate runny noses when I'm trying to sleep.

I hate the deep, rattling cough that hurts your chest.

I hate not being able to breathe out of your nose.

Plus my cold turns into Bronchitis. EVERY TIME!!

In 2009, I had Bronchitis 6 times & in 2010, I had it 3 times.

{four}

Flu shots? Do you get

them? Have you yet?

I haven't had a flu shot since I was a teenager.

{five}

When you are feeling down,

what is your usual go-to therapy?

(retail therapy, exercise, comfort food, etc.)

Eating food, while sitting on my

couch (in pajamas) watching a movie.

The end.

Tsk tsk tsk...

2011-10-12T10:04:00.001-05:00

I don't understand people sometimes. Seriously.

Yesterday, I posted an ad on craigslist to sell my XL Dog Crate for $75. (Brand new it is around $130)

I bought it for Romey because he likes to lay down in closed-in/small spaces (not really sure why).

Unfortunately, he ended up not liking the crate (even though I removed the door so he could go in and out whenever he wanted).

Anyway, it's been sitting in my garage for the past year and I decided to sell it so I could get some extra money for my cruise.

So, I posted the ad.

Yesterday evening I received a message from a lady asking if I would sell it to her for $45. I responded and told her that I could only go down to $60.

Here is her response:
I lost all my stuff in the fire my house my everything.. And now I am trying to get things I really need and start our life over again..so if no one gives you what you want for it maybe you can just let me buy it for $45.. That would really help us out..Our puppy misses his safe place, but his melted in the fire..Thank you for your time...

Ok, wow! I felt really bad for her and almost emailed her right away to say that I would give it to her for $45. But my roommate said I was crazy and that she was probably just using that as an excuse to get a discount. I asked my mom and she said she wasn't going to tell me what I should do and she wouldn't even tell me what she would have done in my place. I called Sarah and she said that if I need the money then I can do what's best for me but she also said that you can never go wrong with helping someone out and if she is lying then that's on her.

So I decided that I would try to sell it for $75 the rest of this week and at the family garage sale this Saturday and if no one bought it I would give it to her for $45.

I sent her an email telling her how sorry I am about her loss. I told her that I really need the money which is why I'm selling the crate in the first place but that if no one bought it by Saturday afternoon - I would give it to her for $45.

After I sent the email, I had an idea. I decided to look her up on facebook. And guess what? She lives in Georgetown. 45-60 minutes AWAY from where the fires were!!!! There was no mention on her facebook about losing her house in a fire. Seriously, someone would have at least posted some comment about it, right?

I felt so sorry for her and was actually considering going way down on the price and she was LYING!! What kind of person uses other people's tragedies to get a discount? Seriously? Who does that?

Some people... tsk tsk tsk.

Ok. I'm done ranting.

The end.

My Happy List

2011-10-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

{one}

My cruise to the Bahamas

is in ELEVEN days!!!!

Oh, happy day!!

{two}

I've lost a total of six pounds

in the past two weeks!!

{three}

My new swimsuit

came in and it fits!!! :)

{four}

I got two months of filing done today.

I hate hate hate HATE filing.

All done now. Yay!!

{five}

I've been eating very healthy the past two weeks so I

can lose some weight for the cruise. I'm so excited about all the

good food I get to eat - starting on October 23rd!! Hooray!!!

{six}

I found the little connectors to my XL dog crate.

So now I can sell it for $75 on craigslist or at the garage

sale my family is having again this Saturday.

(I was unable to find the connectors for the longest time.)

{seven}

I have been re-reading the Twilight series (via Audible) and

I am currently on the fourth book...which is making me

super excited for the Breaking Dawn movie!! Can't wait!!!

PS. I listen to the books through my audible

app - while I'm working. My job is awesome!!

{eight}

I've just started reading the Harry

Potter series for the first time.

I'm almost done with the

first book and I really like it!!

PS. I know I am WAY late in joining this craze...

The end.

It's here! It's here!!

2011-10-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

Friday Confessional

2011-10-07T10:08:00.000-05:00

I confess...

That I may have had a cheat night last night on my diet. Eating
salads for lunch and salmon for dinner every night kind of gets old...
I needed some flavor. So Ashley and I shared some pasta from Carino's.
Oh, and we may have gotten a Blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Curse you, Lack of Willpower!!

I confess...

That I have been super happy with myself for getting up
EVERY day this week at 6am to exercise. Woo hoo!!!

I confess...

That I am super excited to get home tonight because I may or may
not have ordered my very own Erin Condren planner last month.
And according to the shipping notice - it will be delivered today.

Thanks for the coupon code, Katie!!! :)

I confess...

That I decided to be responsible and went with the Target swimsuit
for only $35 - instead of the custom swimsuit for $82. I told the
lady that I would definitely come back to her to order it for next summer.

I confess...

That I am super excited that my family is planning another family

vacation in 2012. And this time we are heading to Seaside, FL.

PS. This is where The Truman Show was filmed.

I confess...

That I cleaned my entire house last night and it felt awesome.

I love love love a clean house!! It lifts my spirits!!

I confess...

That I was a little grossed out, yesterday - after work, when I came

home to dog vomit on my bed. Awesome. Luckily, the vomit did

not stain my new duvet cover. But it did soak through everything -

all the way down to my mattress. Which meant I had to wash my

down comforter, too. But again...it didn't stain...so YAY!!!

I confess...

That I'm sad we may have to postpone the family garage

sale tomorrow. Austin has a 40% chance of rain tomorrow.

I was really counting on this money for spending money on

my vacation in two weeks. Next Saturday is the last day I can do

it - so if we reschedule and it rains next Saturday too...I'm screwed.

I confess...

That I am so glad it's Friday!!

I confess...

That I had a great time with Sarah, Christina and Summer on

Wednesday night!! They painted. I edited photos. And we had the

movie Evolution playing in the background. Ha ha. Love that movie!!

"Uh, yeah I'm going to eat that. I ordered it didn't I?"

I confess...
That I am excited to hang out over

at the Hatcher household tonight.

The end.

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!!!!

PS. I don't think I've mentioned that I'm going on a cruise, yet. ;)

I only have 15 more days and 10 more work days!!

Oh, happy day!!!!!!!!!

90 Percent Blonde: Giveaway

2011-10-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

I'm risking it by posting a fourth post in the same day to tell

you about an awesome giveaway that 90 Percent Blonde is hosting!!

And I'm really hoping that you guys will just skip this post

and not read it because I want this giveaway all to myself!!

So please, DO NOT READ THIS POST.

Please and Thank you!!!

Here is a question to my readers...

2011-10-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

Question:
Does it annoy you when people post more than one blog a day?

I received a comment in response to this post and I was interested in finding out everyone's opinions on the subject matter.

I said I was losing follower's and the jist of what he said was that it may be because I post 2-4 times a day.

Comment:
When I saw this on my list of new Blogger posts, I was ready to say this:
'You probably lose followers because you post 2-4 times a day. There are times where I see a post from you what seems like that much. I can't stand when people post more than once a day.'
But now, looking at your archive, there's only been 3 months where you have posted more than once a day.
So in other words, I have no clue.

Does that really bother readers? Seriously? Why? Why would you care how many times someone post in one day? What's the big deal?

I could care less how many blogs someone post in one day. In fact, I encourage it!! It gives me something to read or look at while I'm bored at work. :)

Just curious...

We Want To Know

2011-10-05T14:30:00.000-05:00

{one}

If you had an extra hour to do ANYTHING

for yourself each day what would you do?

Probably read. I love love love to read.

{two}

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Neither. I hate getting up early and I'm

unable to stay up late. I like my sleep. :)

{three}

How much sleep do you

get on an average night?

I get the typical 8 hours in!

{four}

When do you find the time to

blog / surf the ol' interweb?

While I'm at work...I hardly

ever get on the internet at home.

{five}

What is the ONE thing

you are never too busy for?

Hanging out with the Hatcher's.

The end.

What's the deal?

2011-10-05T09:46:00.001-05:00

Does anyone else have a problem with losing followers?

I've lost 3 followers in the past 3 days. What's up with that??

You know what I think about it??

Boo!!

Who would want to unfollow me??
I mean - I'm awesome, right??

Anyway, happy Wednesday!!!!!

Swimsuit Dilemma

2011-10-04T16:30:00.001-05:00

{WARNING}

THIS IS A POST FOR WOMEN ONLY

Last October (2010), Ashley bought me a cute new swimsuit that I had been wanting as inspiration to lose weight for the cruise...

Sadly, I waited to late to try and lose weight.

I just tried on the swimsuit last night and I honestly don't think I can lose the amount of weight I need to - to be able to fit into that swimsuit.

So I went looking online to find a last minute swimsuit but all the good swimsuits are already gone. Great timing, right?

Anyway, I did find a cute-ish swimsuit at Target for only $35.

However, I did find an etsy seller who makes really cute swimsuits and I showed her a picture of my favorite swimsuit that I found a long time ago (it is no longer for sell). She said she could probably make something like it for $82.

Here it is:

I think to get it in time she would have to use some fabric that she already has so the black and white part would actually be black with white polka dots and the red part would stay red.

They both have their pros and cons...

Here is another CON to the one on the left and and a PRO to the one on the right... The swimsuit on the left is from Target and it is only available online. The problem is that they don't have a size chart/guide listed so I would have to guess at what size I need. So if it's the wrong size - I wouldn't be able to use it on the cruise. The swimsuit on the right is custom made and made to my specifications so it should fit perfectly.

Another CON for the suit on the right is that it has the potential to make "the ladies" look bigger. I hate how big "the ladies" already are and I really don't want to draw that much more attention to them.

What do you think? Which should I choose??

Which one would YOU choose?

What I hate about one piece suits is the hassle that comes with having to go to the bathroom...

How do you feel about one piece suits? Do you think it would be lame for a 30 year old to wear one on a cruise?

I have always hated they way one piece suits look but it seems that they have come a long ways now, right?

Note: I'm not someone who wears a bikini (even at my skinniest). I usually buy tankinis. But I haven't been able to find any cute ones right now. It's a horrible time to look for a cute swimsuit!!

Please help me decide!!

My Happy List

2011-10-04T15:00:00.001-05:00

{one}

I've been keeping up

with my crash diet.

{two}

I got up early yesterday and

today to exercise with Ashley.

{three}

I won a giveaway that Connie over at About Him & Her

had hosted. And I love, love, love my new half apron!!!

PS. She is currently hosting

another awesome giveaway this week.

Go here to enter.

{four}

My cruise is in 18 days.

{five}

I only have to work 13 more

days before I go on my cruise.

{six}

I have sceduled an appt. to get

my haircut before the cruise.

{seven}

CRUISE. CRUISE. CRUISE. CRUISE.

{eight}

I only have two more

hours to go at work.

{nine}

My brother's coffee shop is

celebrating it's first birthday today.

If you work in the downtown Austin

area, you should check out Brian's Brew.

Brian's Brew Website

Brian's Brew Facebook

The end.

Saturday in Round Top, TX

2011-10-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I only took three photos at the Antique

Fair I went to on Satuday in Round Top, TX.

Not really sure why...I guess I just

didn't think about it until the very end.

Anyway...here are the three pictures:

A very cool, old British Telephone Booth.

Please no comments on my appearance...

I'm wearing no makeup and I apparently

have bags under my eyes...not good.

I almost went home with one

of these Great Dane puppies.

They were 11 weeks old!!

We had a great time and I love, love, LOVED having a

cheat day for food. I had breakfast tacos, a breakfast sandwich,

a Coconut Snow Cone, Chopped Steak with mushrooms

and onions, Mashed Potatoes and Pecan Pie with Ice Cream.

And guess what?? I lost .2 pounds that day!!!

(Please notice the point in the .2)

The end.

How was your weekend??

Friday Confessional

2011-09-30T09:40:00.005-05:00

I confess...

That I am so glad today is pay day.

I confess...

That I'm a little nervous that this is the last paycheck

I will receive before my cruise at the end of October.

I confess...

That I'm excited to take a mini road trip / day trip with

Sarah, Christina and Ashley tomorrow to an Antique Fair.

I confess...

That I am sad that my SIL (Liz) can't come with us.

I confess...

That I have eaten salads every day for lunch this week and

I'm looking forward to eating whatever I want on Saturday.

I confess...

That I lost 2.6 pounds this week.

Only 12.4 left to lose by Oct. 23rd.

I confess...

That I haven't really gotten on track with my exercise yet.

But I will be doing a lot of walking tomorrow and I will

start my exercise routine on Sunday morning...fingers crossed.

I confess...

That I have been having really bad neck pain for over

a week now and I don't know how to make it go away!
Correction: I don't know how to make it go away on my own.
I went to the chiropracter for a year about 5 years
ago and I don't really have the money to go again...

I confess...
That sometimes I will post something on my blog that
I think is awesome or hilarious or whatever and I think
everyone is going to love and comment on it. And most
of the time I get disappointed because those are the
usual postings that no one ever comments on. LOL.

I confess...

That I am so happy I found the exact same water

bottle that I broke last week. It only took five different

grocery stores to find it! And it was only $2!!!

I confess...

That I am sooooo excited that

my cruise is in 24 days!!

I confess...
That I am so excited that today we
booked our first shore excursion.
We are swimming with the
Dolphins in the Bahamas

I confess...

That I am so happy today is Friday!!

The end.

Happy Friday, lovelies!!!!!!

10DYC {seven wants}

2011-09-29T14:36:00.002-05:00

Seven Wants:

{one}

A pony, obviously.

{two}

A husband and some kids.

{three}

A home of my own.

{four}

To look like Emma Stone.

{five}

An awesome wardrobe.

{six}

Five dogs.

{seven}

A pretty, shiny ring on my left finger.

The end.

PS. Please excuse this extremely vain and materialistic post!!

10 Things...

2011-09-29T10:30:00.004-05:00

...I would do if I didn't have to work:

{one}

Ride horses all day.

{two}

Learn to cook
something new
every day.

{three}

Travel.

{four}
Sleep in.

{five}
Learn to sew.

{six}
Take naps.

{seven}
Workout every day.

{eight}
Read all day -
one day a week.

{nine}
Teach my dog
new tricks.

{ten}
Learn several different
foreign languages.

Thanks to MamaKat for this Writer's Workshop Writing Prompt.

Funny Conversation

2011-09-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

I was bored and looking on pinterest

just now - when I saw this picture...

{via}

And it made me think of a conversation

I had with Sarah a month or two ago.

So to give you an idea of what started the conversation...

Sarah is planning a vacation with a big group of our friends...

She has planned a cruise to Honduras in January of 2013...

Conversation:

Sarah:

The water is absolutely beautiful. Come here, I want

to show you this picture. It looks like the boat is floating.

Me:

Uh, Sarah? Don't all boats float?

As you can see from the picture above - she meant

that it looked like the boat was floating in the air.

Pfew!! I was starting to get really concerned for her!

PS. I couldn't find the orig. pic she showed me.

The pic she showed me DID look like it was floating in the air!!

We Want To Know

2011-09-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

{one}

What is one thing (food or drink)

that you MUST have everyday?

Well, it used to be soda but now it's water!

I love water! I crave it something fierce!!

{two}

What is your "go to" food when

you don't feel well/need comfort?

When I'm sick - I eat toast, crackers and sprite

When I need comfort - I eat pasta and chocolate.

{three}

Is there a dish that you make that

people request when they visit

your home / a family favorite?

Not really. I love to cook but I don't do it very often.

No one really requests a certain meal but my "go to" meal to make

when I have people over is some kind of pasta and garlic bread.

{four}

What are three foods you

have TRIED, do no like

and will NEVER eat again?

1. Broccoli

2. Brussell Sprouts

3. Peaches

{five}

What's one thing that you love

to eat that most people would

think is weird and/or gross?

Hmm, I don't know. I don't eat a lot of weird/gross things.

I'm kind of a picky eater and by "kind of" I mean I am.

The end.

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-09-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

Today's Theme:Backyards {one} {two}

{three}

{four}

{five}

{six}

How cool would this be asa fence for your backyard??? Note:Okay, seriously you guys??I am so lazy and didn't feel like creating a link for eachindividual picture...so you can find a link to my Pinterest board with all of these lovely pictures, here - this is where youcan find the original links by clicking on the individual pictures.

10DYC {eight fears}

2011-09-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

Eight Fears:

{one}

Spiders.

{two}

Tornados.

{three}

A tornado full of spiders.

{four}

My house burning down.

{five}

Never gettting married.

{six}

Snakes.

{seven}

Losing my job due

to the economy.

{eight}

Drowning.

The end.

Only 27 more days...

2011-09-27T10:08:00.002-05:00

10DYC {nine loves}

2011-09-26T14:42:00.001-05:00

Nine Loves:

{one}

My dog, Romey

{two}

Grilled Chicken Bowtie Festival

from Carino's Italian Grill

{three}

Getting breakfast tacos and taking it into

a matinee showing at the movie theater.

{four}

Photography

(Photo Blog)

{five}

{six}

Blogging

{seven}

Reading

{eight}

Horses

{nine}

My nephew, Josiah.

The end.

Funny Video

2011-09-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

An Award, plus Seven Facts

2011-09-26T11:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to 90 Percent Blonde for giving me

The Versatile Blogger award!!

The rule is that I have to share seven things about myself...

{one}

I have the most amazing friends!!

{two}

My absolute favorite movie is Australia.

{three}

Hi, my name is Amy and I'm addicted to soda.

It's been 205 days since my last soda.

{four}

I absolutely-positively love

love LOVE italian food!!

{five}

I really, really want a pony!!!

{six}

I honestly believe my toes will suffocate

and die if I wear socks and shoes.

{seven}

I'm seriously addicted to Pinterest.

The end.

{30 Day} Photo Fun - Day 1

2011-09-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

10DYC {ten secrets}

2011-09-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ten Secrets:

{one}
I'm jealous of girls with natural
red hair, freckles and green eyes.
I would love to look like Emma Stone.

{two}
I want to run my own business one day!

{three}
I always feel awkward when people
give me money that they owe me.

{four}
I always feel awkward when people
pay for my food...unless it's my mom. :)

{five}
I absolutely hate talking on the phone.
This is NOT a secret to my family and friends.

{six}
I turn into a huge baby when I am sick.

{seven}
I sometimes look at other blogs
to get ideas for my own blog.

{eight}
I love musicals.

{nine}
I'm a very competitive person...and
not the good kind...if there is such a thing.
Sometimes when my family gets together to play
games, they make Brent and I play on the same
team - otherwise we will fight all of the time. And
instead of feeling bad and ashamed of myself ...
I secretly think it is hilarious!!

{ten}
I found it really hard to come up with ten secrets.

The end.

10 Day You Challenge

2011-09-23T08:59:00.006-05:00

I keep seeing this challenge all over the blogging world

and because I always love a challenge - I think I'll join in.

Although I have seen this several times on other blogs - I decided to

do one of my own after reading Caramel Covered Photographs' blog

and I also decided to make my own "30 Day You Challenge" picture header.

Anyone who hasn't already done this want to join me??

Friday Confessional

2011-09-23T08:15:00.002-05:00

I confess...

That I was a little frustrated to find ants in my kitchen

pantry this morning. We have been having problems with

ants in our three bathrooms due to the 100+ degree

weather we have been having for the past three months.

Looks like they made their way to the pantry now...

Dang you, Texas heat!!!

I confess...

That I was a little heart broken when my favorite water

bottle bit the dust this week. I used that sucker every day!

It made it easy for me to drink 64 ounces of water every day!!!

And now I can't find it in my local store anymore.

But I can buy this $3 bottle online for $13.

No, thank you!! :(

PS. I'm now on day 202 of

drinking nothing but water!!

I confess...

That I am super duper happy to have

nothing going on this weekend!!

I confess...

That I have been a little disappointed with X-Factor.

I think the british version is so much better!!

I watched it when I lived in England back in 2005.

I rooted for Journey South!! Love them!!

Seriously, how cute are they???

I confess...

That I keep using my cruise money to pay for other

things. That's a problem. My cruise is in 30 days.

I need to come up with $525 to pay for the three

shore excursions, parking for a week & gratuity.

I confess...
I don't understand what all of the
fuss is about the Facebook changes.

I confess...
That I am officially over Glee.

I confess...

That I am glad this week is finally over!!

Happy Friday!!!

{30 Day} Photo Fun

2011-09-22T11:48:00.000-05:00

I have been seeing this Photo Challenge on several

different blogs and I thought I would try and participate.

Key Word: TRY

Not sure how faithful I will be but it sounds like fun...

There might be a few days *cough*weeks*cough* in

between each challenge but again...I'll give it a go!!

Note: please substitute the "June" to "Day"...

Anyone else want to participate??

30DBC: Day 25

2011-09-22T10:29:00.000-05:00

Christmas in September...

2011-09-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated Sarah's 30th Birthday!

I asked her husband if I could take over and plan her birthday party and he graciously handed over the reins to me. My only problem was creating a theme. It was almost impossible picking a theme for Sarah. She even said that she wouldn't have known what she would have picked for herself.

And then finally I thought of something. Christmas.

I have never met anyone who loves Christmas as much as Sarah does. Sarah bypasses Halloween and Thanksgiving every year and goes straight for the Christmas decorations...IN OCTOBER!!! That's right...October. Every year she has a group of girl's come over to string popcorn for her Christmas tree. We watch Christmas movies, like Elf. We eat popcorn, obviously. And we drink Hot Chocolate, when it is 90 degrees outside. It's a great tradition. And part of the tradition is that all of us ladies who attend - complain every year that we have to do it...and secretly we all love it and look forward to it every year. (Shhh, don't tell Sarah.)

Anyway, we finally had a theme. A Red & White Christmas.

Let me just say thanks to Pinterest, Christina, Teresa, Liz and my mom for coming though and helping make this party such a success!!

And another thanks to Christina for funding the other half of this party!

Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone of the decorations...

The three red, wooden snowflakes were painted by Sarah's three kids.

Christina and I babysat them on Sarah's actual birthday

(Wednesday) and had them paint the snowflakes.

Here is a picture of the gift wrapping I was so proud of.

It took me five hours to wrap all of these. Oh, and I made a hand-made card.

(The patchwork with a bow is actually the envelope to the hand-made card)

I was more excited for her to see the wrapping then I was for her to see what was inside.

And the bottom left is the "birthday project" I had been working on.

It is a scrapbook of the two of us. The title page says "30 years of friendship".

Anyway, I have more photos of the birthday party from my Nikon but I haven't gone through them yet. Once I do - I'll be sure to post them. I can't wait to show you the props Christina and I made for the "photobooth". So cute!!

Happy birthday, Sarah!!!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-09-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

Today's Theme:

Bangs

{one}

{via}

{two]

{via}

{three}

{via}

{four}

{via}

{five}

{via}

The end.

We Want To Know

2011-09-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

{one}What is your MUST SEE show? Parks & Recreation {two}What shows are you most excited to watch this season? Modern Family, Community, Dexter, Grey's Anatomy,Parenthood, The Sing Off, House, The X Factor & Chuck {three}How many hours a week do you actually watch TV? No comment?? {four}Do you think TV has gotten too"racy" (vulgar, pushing the limit, etc)? Yes, I do. But I think movies have even gotten worse.I think PG-13 movies are what Rated R movies used to be back in the day.And Rated R movies...well there are no words for how bad they have gotten.Seriously, it is ridiculous!!I will see a preview for a movie coming out and will get sad when I find out it's Rated R.Sometimes I will still see them - if the previews look really good -but more often then not there isway too much crap in them. Nudity, Crude Humor and the F-word. I absolutely, positively HATEthe F-word. I tend to tune out most of the swear words but the F-word always stands out to me and makes me cringe. I also hate hate HATE crude humor...oh and poo humor.I don't want to see poo flying into someone's mouth. It's gross.This crap [pun intended] can ruin a perfectly good story line. It's unnecessary. Ok. I'm done. I will now climb down from my soap box...Carry on... {five}How many TV's do you have in your house? Two.One in the living room and one in my bedroom.For some reason, none of my three roommates own a TV. The end.

Update: My dog is killing me...

2011-09-16T09:29:00.002-05:00

Awesome news: NO SURGERY!!!!!!

Sad news: He is absolutely miserable. Every time I looked at him last night it made me want to cry. He looks so sad and pathetic. His eyes looked sunken in because they were so swollen and his ears were just sitting at weird and awkward angles because they were swollen. My poor baby!!

So we went to the vet yesterday afternoon and Praise the Lord, Hallelujah - it wasn't a Hematoma like the nurse thought.

He had a severe allergic reaction to something, which caused his ears to swell and fill with fluid, which is known as Edema. This is the step before Aural Hematoma. If he continues to shake his head vigorously - then he can develop a Hematoma in both of his ears which will then require drainage with a syringe or surgery.

He's now on Prednisone (a steroid) and Cephlaxin (an antibiotic) and I give him Benadryl for the itching. The vet said it could take a couple of days for the medicine to start to work so I just pray that he doesn't cause more problems with his head shaking.

Another sad thing that I didn't notice when I first saw Romey's swollen ears was the condition of his paws. They were bright red and some were bloody in between his toes. And his belly was bright red with some sore spots. Whatever he got into - it definitely did not agree with him.

Poor guy has always had problem with allergies but nothing like this!!

This morning he looked a little better... Well, that is until I gave him some more medicine - then he looked all sickly and tired again.

I feel really bad because I'm going to be gone all night tonight to decorate for my best friend's 30th birthday party tomorrow and then I'll be gone all day tomorrow with two different birthday celebrations and a lot of baking and some errands.

And I'm concerned because the Prednisone causes excessive thirst - which means a lot of bathroom breaks! This is going to be a jam-packed few days and I'm definitely looking forward to just chillin' at home on Sunday with my poor, sick puppy!!

The end.

PS. Don't get me wrong, Sarah...I'm super-duper excited for your birthday party tomorrow! And I can't wait for you to see the theme...

Oh, happy day!!

2011-09-16T08:47:00.007-05:00

I am so happy it is finally Friday!!!!

I am so happy that Sarah's birthday party is tomorrow!

I am so happy that my cruise is in five weeks!

I am so happy that I didn't have to pay for another surgery for Romey!

I am so happy that I have such an amazing mom!!

I am so happy that this long, stressful week is over!

On to party and cake-time... Woo hoo!

I am so happy with how easy my hair is to do now!

I wash it after work. Let it air dry. Do the twisty thing around a stretchy head band.

Sleep in it. And use my curling wand in the morning. Super-duper EASY!!!!

I used to always wear my hair in a pony tail because I didn't want to take the time

to blow dry and straighten it!! Now I get to wear my hair down everyday!! Yay!!!

I am so happy that today is Friday!!

Oh, happy day!

The end.

Hope you all have a happy weekend!!

Friday Confessional

2011-09-16T08:36:00.001-05:00

I confess...

That I am super-duper happy it is Friday...

It's about dang time!!

I confess...

That I am so glad I only had to pay $89 at the

vet yesterday instead of the $300+ I was expecting!!

I confess...

That I love the new vet that we went to yesterday...

He was amazing and I would definitely recommend

him to anyone in the Austin / Round Rock area!!!

{Drake Pet Hospital}

I confess...

That I didn't want to go to work today

because my poor puppy is so sick!!

I confess...

That I haven't done much work this week because I have

been spending it working on Sarah's "special birthday project".

I confess...

That I haven't been reading or commenting on blogs because I have
been spending my time working on Sarah's "special birthday project".

I confess...

That I am exhausted after a week full of stress.

And I am looking forward to doing nothing but

sitting on my couch on Sunday. (minus church)

The end.

Funny

2011-09-15T12:02:00.000-05:00

To brighten the mood a bit from my previous

post - here is something that made me laugh!!

{via}

and

A message from black licorice:

{via}

My dog is killing me...

2011-09-15T11:21:00.001-05:00

...financially.

So you know how I posted about Romey needing surgery on his knee?

Well this morning I noticed that both of his ears were severely swollen and so I called the vet and she said it sounds like he has a Aural Hematoma.

Aural hematoma is an accumulation of blood between the cartilage and skin of the ear flap. It is caused by damage to the cartilage from vigorous repeated head shaking or scratching at the ears with the back feet. Occasionally, the damage results from the ear striking a sharp edge during head shaking.

If a dog is very relaxed and easy to handle, the fluid can sometimes be drained via a needle and syringe, without a sedative or anesthetic. Sedation is usually advised to do the job properly and with minimum stress. Once the fluid has been drained, a steroid (dexamethasone) is injected into the space where the fluid had accumulated. This technique only has approximately a 50% success rate though - half of these animals will refill their hematoma again, and need surgery.

Those animals whose ears fill up again after simple drainage and a steroid injection, require surgery. Surgery is performed under general anesthesia, and involves cutting away a strip of tissue on the inside of the ear flap, and placing stitches to close the gap between the cartilage and the skin, eliminating the space so that it cannot fill up. The stitches are removed 10-14 days later.

Awesome. Another possible surgery.

I love my dog something fierce but he is absolutely killing me!! I'm so broke right now...and my cruise is in five weeks!!

Please pray that the draining with a syringe works and that he won't need surgery.

The end.

We Want To Know

2011-09-14T22:17:00.002-05:00

{one}What are the three musthaves for a long road trip?1. iPod or iPhone2. Portable DVD Player3. Snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. {two}What was the destination ofyour most recent road trip?I went to Jasper, AR with my family. {three}What do you miss mostabout home when on a trip?My dog, Romey. {four}What is the furthest youhave traveled on a road trip?Jasper, AR(15 hours) {five}Will you "stop for the largest ball of twine, etc"or are you a "hurry and get there" road tripper?I definitely like to stop at different towns for different photo ops!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-09-14T12:29:00.001-05:00

Today's Theme:Entryways {one}

{via}

{two}

{via}

{three}

{via}

{four}

{via}

{five}

{via}

The end.

Mamarazzi's Favorite Color Swap

2011-09-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

We had a great time and I loved all of my teal goodies!! I am so glad Mamarazzi paired me up with Janna!!It was awesome getting to meet her in person to swap our goodies!!Janna is super sweet and I'm excited to get to know her more!PS. We are planning on getting our doggies together to play! Go check out Janna's blog: If you haven't participated in a Mamarazzi Swap before you should definitely sign up for the next one. This was an absolute blast!! The end.

30DBC: Day 24

2011-09-12T12:31:00.000-05:00

Curly Hair

2011-09-09T10:30:00.007-05:00

So I recently purchased the new
Infiniti by Conair® You Curl
and I absolutely love it.

So I have to be honest I love this curling
wand but it is really hard to use by yourself.

The first few times I used it - Ashley did it for me and I

love love love how it turned out. But last night I attempted

for the first time to do it by myself and it was so hard.

The stupid thing is that the glove they give you is only padded

on one side so when you want to switch hands to do the other

side of your head you have very little protection for your fingers.

Because it is so hard to do it by yourself the curls weren't turning
out right. So I decided to try something that I saw over on Pinterest.

Here is the hair tutorial I used from The Paper Mama:

And it looks like she got it from this video tutorial:

So I followed the instructions and slept with my hair like that.

When I woke up this morning it had most of the
curls I wanted but I used the wand to fix some
of them and I think it turned out much better.

So I would recommend this curling wand to anyone but would give
them a warning it is kind of hard to use by yourself. If you have
a roommate who is willing to do your hair for you on a regular
basis like I do then you should DEFINITELY get this wand.

The end.

Friday Confessional

2011-09-09T09:30:00.044-05:00

I confess...That I am super happy that this work week is almost over! I confess...That I am super excited to watch Twilight with my best friend and her mother-in-law tonight.Teresa (Sarah's MIL) just finished reading the books and has never seen the movies before.(PS. Teresa is one of the people I pet sit for on a regular basis.) I confess...That I am super excited to meet my bloggie friend and partner of the Mamarazzi's Favorite ColorSwap today for lunch. We plan to swap goodies at lunch instead of shipping them to each other.PS. This is my first time to meet someone in person from the blogging world.

I confess...

That I am craving chocolate all the time and have had a hard time telling myself no!! I confess...That I'm so happy for the cooler weather we have been having this week.I think yesterday the high was 95. The end.

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-09-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

Today's Theme:Halloween {one}

{via}

{two}

{via}

{three}

{via}

{four}

{via}

{five}

{via} Seriously. How cute is this costume? The end.

30DBC: Day 23

2011-09-06T09:53:00.001-05:00

Day Twenty-Three:

15 Facts About You

{one}
I love love love photography.
Here is my photography blog.

{two}

I absolutely love to read books

and then watch their movies.

(one of my favorite things to do)

{three}

I love me some Muse!

{four}
I love to watch TV shows on Netflix.
I'm currently going through the Flashpoint seasons.

{five}
I constantly live in T-Shirts, Jeans & Flip Flops.

{six}
I have an awesome dog named, Romey.

{seven}
I'm a very shy person.

{eight}
I love Italian food.

{nine}
I am a neat freak.

{ten}
I am drinking nothing but water.
Currently on Day 185.

{eleven}
I drive a 2010 Mazda CX-7.

{twelve}
I live with three other
girls in a two story house.

{thirteen}
I absolutely hate Reality TV.

{fourteen}
I dye my hair red.

{fifteen}
I love me some horses.

The end.

30DBC: Day 22

2011-09-02T10:35:00.001-05:00

Woo hoo, I'm a winner!!

2011-09-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the Dandelion Wishes giveaway - I was able

to pick out two items from the etsy shop: AshAtHome!!

I chose the Yellow Owl you see in the

picture above and a cute Metal Bird Cage.

I'm so excited!!!

Thanks so much Dandelion Wishes and AshAtHome!!!!

Friday Confessional

2011-09-02T08:45:00.001-05:00

I confess...That I am super excited for the 3-Day weekend!! I confess...That I tend to go overboard when planning some kind of party. I confess...That I over use exclamation points and smiley faces!!!! :) I confess...That I just started watching Flashpoint on Netflix and I love love love it! I confess...That I get super addicted to TV Shows.(but not reality TV) I confess...That I brought in the World Famous Round Rock Donuts to work today. I confess...That I ate two and am contemplating eating a third. I confess...That I have a snicker's candy bar sitting in my desk drawer. I confess...That I have eaten nothing but junk the past few weeks. I confess...That I will starve myself within two weeks of the cruise - if I don't get on the ball and start eating right and working out now.Someone please make me get back on track!! The end.