And can I just tell you, THANK THE LORD ABOVE THAT THE TRUCK SEARCH IS OVER?
I mean, we've been talking about buying a truck for 2 years now. We've been to every car lot in Alabama. We've looked at websites. We've looked at Craigslist.
FINALLY, our friend Scott at CRM Motors found this for us.
It's extremely nice, though. It's exactly what he wanted, and then some.
And the smile on my husband's face was worth it.
*Note - When I say "we," I mean he. And me being forced along.*
2. This little pup, whose main goal is to distract me from everything I'm doing and trying to look all sweet and innocent in order to get me to scratch her tummy for hours.
Notice all the laundry around her.
She's so convincing.
3. Our sweet friends threw us a Baby Brunch! We had yummy breakfast food and got some adorable things for Brooke Allen, who will be making her grand entrance in 5 to 7 weeks!
The onesie says, "I love Daddy," which he is a sucker for. Yep. She has him wrapped already.
4. My Valentine showed up with these at my work. He even took me to lunch. What a sweetie! Not only did he earn brownie points with me, but with my whole office.
And I am a TERRIBLE Valentine.
First, I completely forgot to get him anything.
So, a vendor came in to bring us Krispy Kreme heart shaped donuts. I thought, PERFECT! Ben loves donuts!
I drove into Hoover on my way home. They were out of heart shaped donuts, but Ben really wouldn't care if they were specially shaped, so I got him a half dozen chocolate glazed.
When I got home, I put them on the counter with full intentions to put a bow and a card on it so when he got home from work, they would be waiting on him.
Yeh.
Brooke Allen decided I needed to go to bed.
I FORGOT TO MAKE THE DONUTS LOOK CUTE.
He got home and said, "Are those for me?"
I was so embarrassed.
He didn't seem to care though. There aren't any left.
5. My Valentine's date.
Oh, the joys of shiftwork. Ben had to work, so Charlotte and I had a romantic evening of Spaghetti O's, watching Dance Moms, and going to bed at 8pm.
She's just so dang cute.
Other happenings not listed/pictured:
Nursery is almost complete! I have to paint a canvas and get a rug, and then it's done! I PROMISE I will put pictures up soon. Maybe this weekend. I'm going to Target today to look at rugs.
We had maternity pictures made with T2 Photography on Saturday after our Baby Brunch. It was 40 degrees outside, and we did all of our pictures at Railroad Park in downtown. I thawed out on Sunday. I can't WAIT to see them! I will most definitely share the link when I get proofs.
We graduated from Baby Class! Whoop Whoop!
I think that's all. I have a RAGING case of Baby Brain (hence the Valentine saga). Tomorrow will be Brooke Allen update time! 35 weeks! I can't believe it!
It's my last Friday of summer hours at work, so I got off at 3.
We had Surin for lunch, where I indulged in some YUMMY sushi (cooked, not raw).
Ben passed his super hard Alabama law test.
When he gets done working today, we're headed to Dothan to hang out with Mom!
And yesterday...I got to hear our sweet baby's heartbeat once again.
It's so hard to explain that feeling I get when I hear it. You hear that whooshing sound going 90 to nothing, and the first feeling is relief. That baby I'm farming in there is ok.
The second feeling is excitement. Every time I hear it, I know that it's growing and getting stronger and healthier. God is knitting a miracle, and I am so lucky to be a part of it. Whoever this child is, I was chosen to be his/her mother.
Third, I get really, really nervous. I don't know what to do with a baby. What does a baby do all day long? I don't know. I don't remember that part of my life. And how am I going to teach it to be a responsible, contributing member of society? I'm not even sure I am a responsible, contributing member of society...All I've had is a dog. She gets bathed when she's stinky and food when she barks. Babies need a lot more attention than that...
How far along? 12 weeks officially.
Baby Bump? Yeh, that's starting to show up.
Maternity Clothes? Mom and I are going this weekend. My pants and skirts are getting tight and I am hating wearing them to work.
Total weight gain: Yesterday at the doctor, I have gained 5 pounds total.
Cravings: Still sandwiches. Anything bready.
Symptoms: I've only been really nauseous two days this week. I've got headaches and my lower back has been aching, but that could just be that I slept wrong.
Sleep: Still sleeping funny. I think I need a body pillow.
Movement: Still too little to feel! Gender: According to old wives' tales, it's a girl because of it's really high heartbeat. But you never know. It could just be a feisty one. My mother, however, refuses to acknowledge that it could be anything else and is calling it a "her."
Belly Button in or out? In. What I miss: Well, since it's football season, I've really missed a nice cold beer on gamedays. But I can handle not having that!
Best moment this week: Hearing that sweet heartbeat yesterday and being reassured that everything is ok and both baby and I are doing great!
RANDOM FACT ABOUT CHARLOTTE: She has now decided that she likes to dig. In the mornings, she runs around outside to get all of her bodily functions taken care of before being stuck in the house all day long. Yesterday and today, I have gotten completely ready for work, only to find her digging in a spot outside and covering her paws in mud. So both mornings, she has had to have a mini bath to rinse her paws. It made me 20 minutes late for my doctor's appointment yesterday because the couch also had to have a bath. She has NEVER done this before. She's going to the doggie hotel this weekend, so hopefully the yard will heal a bit before she gets back.
Good gracious, time has flown by since my last post.
I will give you a run down from where I left off and then I PROMISE, I will never wait this long to post again. I have no dates because I can't remember them, but I'm pretty sure this is in chronological order. Logical order, at best.
Warning: Picture and information overload.
1. We threw my sweet friend, Mandi, a fun bridal luncheon at Calvary's parlor. Mandi loves bright colors, so the theme was orange, pink, and lime green. Yummy food and sweet, Godly, encouraging women, celebrating the marriage of Mandi and Mark.
2. We headed to Destin for Mandi's Bachelorette party! I love girl time!
Ben also went on the Mark's Bachelor party, but there are no pictures of that because...well...they're guys.
3. We had a blast of a weekend for Mark and Mandi's wedding! These are some of my bestest friends in the whole wide world! YAY Mandi and Mark!
4. Charlotte got big.
5. After the tragic tornadoes of April 27th, which PGFWABF, we were not affected at our house, we bought tickets to Bama Rising and watched some amazing country acts - David Nail being my personal favorite!
No, I will not put my pictures of the actual concert on there. My camera SUCKS, and we were behind a speaker set that ruined all my pictures.
6. We spent a week in DC over the Independence Day holiday with these wonderful people.
7. Found out we're pregnant.
8. Ben started Birmingham Police Academy.
9. Ben's cousin Andrew got married in Starkville.
10. We started leaving Charlotte out of her crate while we're at work.
That would be a paycheck and a power bill. She's also found a Publix bag, a cheeseburger, a Taco Bell bag, and a bag of barbecue chips. 11. Our friend, Blake, got married outside of Atlanta, so we spent the weekend with some friends and at the Aquarium on Sunday. 12. We had our THIRD anniversary! We spent the night at the Wynfrey last weekend and had a spa day, and then went to dinner at Brio (our FAVORITE) on our actual anniversary. Wait...hold the phone...did you say pregnant?
Keeping Up With the Parrishes should be more like Catching Up With the Parrishes.
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
Let me just take you on a little stroll of the past two weeks.
1. Tuesday (2 weeks back from tomorrow) we got a letter from the Alabama Department of Public Safety.
"We regret to inform you that the State Trooper class we were planning on having in June has been cancelled. You will maintain your position on the hiring list until further notice."
Or something like that. We threw the letter away.
2. Wednesday, my boss was let go from my company, due to a series of company wide events. My office flooded from tears.
3. Thursday, my mind was mush trying to do my job and her job.
4. Friday, I was told that we would be getting a new manager, a new assistant manager (which was my job), and I would be moving to the corporate office...in a week.
Funny how God works sometimes, huh?
5. 45 minutes after corporate folks left my office, Ben called me to say that he'd just received a call from the Birmingham City Police Department. He was to report the next Saturday in business attire and bring his driver's license.
6. We spent the weekend hanging out with my grandparents. They're too sickly to be alone and have sitters during the week. It was our turn that weekend. :) They're freakin awesome.
7. I spent Monday - Friday cramming 2 years of information into the new managers' heads. They looked at me like deer in headlights.
8. Monday night - TORNADO WARNING - me, Ben, and Charlotte in the closet. Charlotte was not a fan. She curled up on a pillow and stuck her head under the rack of clothes.
9. Tuesday night - Charlotte's first injury. She cut her paw pad on something and we spent an hour trying to hold her down to clean it and wrap it up. Comforter to dry cleaners from all the puppy blood.
10. Wednesday, I take a walk around the corporate office after the monthly managers' meeting. Do I remember anybody's names? Nope.
11. Thursday, I called the State Real Estate Board. Too much time has lapsed since my certification. Have to take the entire 60 hour pre-certification course and license exam AGAIN.
12. Friday - TORNADO WARNING - Luckily, it bypasses us, but caused major devastation everywhere else.
13. Saturday, I worked my last work event at my old office. Packed my box and headed out. Ben called after his thing with Bham PD - has to take a polygraph test on one of the days we're on our cruise - AND HE CAN'T RESCHEDULE.
14. Talk to EVERYBODY at Carnival Cruise Lines. Can't get more than 25% of my paid in full money back because we're too close to sail date. Can't reschedule. Can't transfer the cruise to anyone else who pays me for the cruise. Basically, we're screwed.
15. Ben and I decide to cut our losses and spend the money we had set aside for spending money on our cruise. We went here:
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY!!!!
4 wide finish at a 10th of a second finish. Unbelievable race.
Ha. Rednecks.
16. Monday - Today - Started my new job as Leasing and Marketing Administrative Assistant. I get to code bills, make marketing materials, and plan events. I am really excited. It's very different than what I've been doing.
17. 2 for 1 night at Publix! Cut my grocery bill basically in half. WINNING.
18. I've finished one glass of wine and am about to pour another before I settle into a few hours of real estate studying.
You can breathe now.
RANDOM TRIVIA FACT: Kate Middleton can no longer be referred to as Kate after the wedding. She will be "Your Highness, Princess William of Wales" or "Catherine." Stuffy royals.
She is protective of her Mom and Dad, barking at everything that comes NEAR the house.
Including the neighbors in THEIR yard that she can see through the slats of the fence.
She loves being outside, but only on HER accord. We have to leave the back door open so she can come and go as she pleases. But close the door? She goes nuts and wants to come back inside. If the door is open, she'll stay out there forever, only coming in every few minutes to do a "drive-by" the couch and make sure we're still there.
She cries when she can see the bulldog across the street. She wants to go play with him so bad, but she's just too wild to meet all the dogs in the neighborhood right now.
Plus, we're pretty sure the owners of the bulldog are drug dealers...
She's a cuddle buddy when she is ready to take a nap. She will curl up right next to you, or sleep across your lap. When she's older, we're positive she'll be a wonderful lap dog.
She only stays in the bed with me. If Ben leaves before I do, she will stay with me for hours. But if I leave before Ben does, she's up and ready to play.
Ben is her best friend. She follows him around like...well...a lost puppy dog. She cries when he leaves and rejoices when he comes back, even if he's just gone to another room. She goes to him with her toys when she's ready to play.
I am her mother. She comes to me when she wants hugs and kisses and scratches. She knows I spoil her and give her everything she wants, even if I fuss about it. She worries about me when I cry and is excited for me to come home.
Really. Ben says, "Mommy's coming home!" and she waits by the back door.
I love the feeling of KNOWING that she loves us. She is so excited when we come home. We're trying to teach her not to jump, but sometimes, it's just so sweet that she can't get enough of us, so we let her anyways.
She reminds us of the Duck Hunt dog sometimes. She'll pop up at the foot of the bed and cock her head to the side. Sooooo funny...
She even had a duck to play with...until she killed it.
She just wants love. All the time. She seeks our approval and our acceptance. She wants our attention as much as we'll give her.
And we love to give her love.
I don't remember how we filled our time at home before we had her.
Or what my floor looked like before all the bones and toys.
She's one of the best parts about my day. I know as long as I have her, I have someone who doesn't care what I wear, or the zits on my face, or the failures I've made.
She loves me for the simple fact that I love her. I take care of her, and she takes care of me.
If this is what I'm like with my DOG, what am I gonna be like with my KID?!?!?!?!
RANDOM FAVORITE QUOTE: "We give dogs love we can spare, time we can spare and space we can share. In return dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made."
I'm linking up to Jamie's "What I'm Loving Wednesday" over at This Kind of Love, a new blog I'm following!
Here are the things I'm loving this week!
1. My sweet, sweet puppy.
She's figured out that Dad (Ben) is the one she plays with and I'm the one she snuggles with. There is nothing better than that sweet puppy looking at me in the morning right after I wake up. She army crawls up by me and we spend a few minutes just loving on each other before I have to drag myself out of bed.
2. Scattegories - Cattegories
If you haven't played this version of Scattegories, you've got to. SOOOOOOO much fun and a little different from regular Scattegories. Ben and I find ourselves playing when we're bored, just the two of us!
3. Ben passed the polygraph test portion of the Trooper process! YAY!!!!! I didn't marry a liar!
4. THESE.
They will be arriving sometime next week, via ideeli.com. I paid $29 for these babies! WHOO HOO!!!!! Thank you, Kenneth Cole.
5. A quick trip to Dothan tomorrow night for a doctor's visit Friday morning. Conestoga and American Idol with Mom!
6. The new season of American Idol.
These judges are fantastic. Just when I thought Idol was on it's way out, they've revamped themselves and it's better than ever! Can't wait to see how this season plays out!
7. A 60 degree forecast for Saturday! SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!
8. As always, my sweet husband!
RANDOM TRIVIA FACT: The news that we're watching said that 14% of women would consider choosing their dog over their significant other if forced to choose. I mean, I love Charlotte, but I sure do love my man!
Charlotte is FLIPPING OUT. She is so upset that her yard is crunchy. Poor thing.
Hysterical last night. She goes outside to pee. She feels the snow falling on her back. She looks up to see what it is and it falls in her eyes. She's upset that it's in her eyes, but wants to badly to know what it is, so she continues to open her eyes and have snow fall in them.
Poor thing. Must be so hard for her to not understand stuff. With a child, you can explain what snow is and where it comes from and why it falls from the sky. Not a dog. You just have to laugh and give her love when she runs frantically inside after she's through.
Anyways.
So, people are idiots.
The roads are covered in ice. We've been keeping a pretty close watch on the news. We are prepared for winter weather. Not nuclear winter prepared, like some people suggest (milk and bread? what?), but we have food and there are fresh batteries in our flashlights in case our power goes down.
The newscasters keep saying, "You should really stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary that you drive." i.e. You're in labor and need to get to the hospital.
Then they say, "Hoover mayor Tony Petelos has ordered that all Hoover Police and emergency responders only respond to wrecks with injuries." This is because it's TOO DANGEROUS FOR POLICE WITH SNOW TIRES WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO DRIVE PROFESSIONALLY to be out on the road.
Yet, there are people on the road...
One newscaster is literally standing in the middle of Greensprings Highway (because it's dead) telling people not to drive and that it's pure ice on the road. Some idiot in a Taurus drives by, slows down, rolls down the window, and waves at the camera. WHERE IS HE GOING?!?!?!?
People are stupid.
Speaking of stupid, two of my very best friends came to visit me this weekend. Lauren and Racheal were my roommates in Tuscaloosa. We never have fun.
I was so excited to see my girls. We have that weird relationship that, if you are watching from the outside, you would think there was something wrong with us. We speak in weird voices and have ridiculous inside jokes. Did I mention we are LOUD? It gets especially worse when our friend Caine joins in. Out of control.
I'm glad they came to see me. We will do this way more often.
So, the National Championship is tonight. I'm going to be cheering for Auburn.
Yes, I will be cheering for Auburn.
I feel like I should cheer for my conference even if my team's not in it. I'm really fed up with these "Roll Duck Roll" Bama fans. Grow up.
A. It's a football game, not life or death.
B. You are claiming that you want a PAC-10 team to beat an SEC team. You would not be acting like this if it were South Carolina.
C. If Auburn wins, Alabama would be the only state in football history to have two different schools win back to back National Championships. How cool is that?
D. If Auburn loses, they would be the only SEC school to ever lose the National Championship game since the inception of the BCS.
I feel really bad for the Auburn fans stuck at the airport this morning. Again, on the news today, they were saying that flights out of Birmingham from yesterday afternoon and today have all been cancelled, and any re-route flights would probably not get in the air until after 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon, which means by the time they touched down (no pun intended) in Glendale, the game would be half-way over. I would be PISSED if I had spent that much money on tickets and couldn't get out of the state.
Oh well. Hubby and Charlotte are still asleep. We are going to enjoy this snowed in day.
Random Trivia Fact: 70 percent of deaths during winter storms are automobile accidents. The rest are attributed to heart attacks during snow shoveling and hypothermia/overexposure. Guess I'll hang my shovel up today.
I don't know about you, but I ate a lot of dressing.
I'm stuffed silly, but could continue to eat dressing every day for the rest of my life.
Only if it has the little chunks of egg in it, though.
Yum.
Back on the diet, Katie...
THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR IN 2010:
1. My dear sweet hubby who decided to surprise me when he picked me up for lunch today with a half-dozen red roses, just because I wasn't feeling well with a cold that I can't kick. Too awesome. I love you, Ben.
2. My wonderful families that Ben and I were able to spend time with over the holiday. Grace and support flows from these people. Love them.
3. My sweet Charlotte. I don't remember life before her, and hope that she lives to be 100 years old so I never have to live without her.
4. Continuous grace from my Lord and Savior. How could you not believe?
5. My new car, even though we're pretty sure it has an electrical short and must be sent to the car doctor this week.
6. Future plans for Ben and me...and plans to start a family...
10. Shoedazzle. Really. Try it out. What an investment!
11. Waking up every day for 333 days and counting in 2010.
12. Etsy. Saving my life on Christmas presents this year.
13. Employment for me and somewhat non-employment for Ben. Things are so iffy nowadays and we are lucky to be gainfully employed.
14. The Military History Channel. No commercials! Best channel in the middle of the night!
15. The State of Alabama Department of Public Safety for perhaps giving my husband his dream job in 2011.
16. Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator, Swiffer, and OrangeGlo.
Ben and I have been so busy lately. With A Pig and A Paintbrush items flying left and right, I have no time really to do anything else at night. It's a blessing though.
We did go see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan in concert the Friday before Thanksgiving. AMAZING. Jason Aldean is Ben's favorite. It was a rocking concert. We hardly sat down all night. And yes, we belted (along with everyone else in the BJCC)
"TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE ON MY BIG GREEN TRACTORRRRR!"
So fun. Concerts are the thing Ben and I do together. We've seen several this year.
The January after we got married, we saw the Eagles live. A dream.
August 2009, we saw Keith Urban and Sugarland for our anniversary in Nashville. Incredible concert.
For Christmas last year, he gave me tickets to see Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert (my fave) in January. They were awesome.
We saw Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw this summer. Another great concert.
Then, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean two weekends ago.
Plus, we love live music and will go to fun places around town to hear cool tunes and discover new bands.
It's bonding time.
Ben is headed to Selma Sunday night to spend the night at the Trooper Academy. He takes the physical test Monday. I will be an absolute wreck at work on that day. I know he'll do fine. I get more nervous than he does. PRAY PLEASE!!!!!
Christmas season has begun! I got some AMAZING deals at the after Thanksgiving sales (and a receipt from Belk that says, "You saved $445." Yep, I'm saving that one.) There is Christmas music on the radio at work. Magic 96.5 plays non-stop Christmas music. We watched "The Family Stone" with Ben's mom last night and "Christmas Vacation" with Ben's family on Thanksgiving Day. Decorations are going up SOMETIME this week (I got an awesome new wreath for our front window!)
Here's a sneak preview of a Christmas card photo. I bought Charlotte a jingle bell collar to wear in the picture. She HATES it. Absolutely scared of it. So, once the picture was done, I gave it to Ben's stepmom for their dog, Sophie. Apparently, Sophie doesn't want to take it off and wears it constantly. I'm glad my $4 is being used.
Sorry for the long post. I just needed to ramble a bit.
RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY!!!!!
I know I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd give you one today! Here's a Jason Aldean song I can't get out of my head off his new album "My Kinda Party." It's my favorite on the album. If you are a country music fan, you should pick up this CD. It's a great one!
Yes, people, I have been missing for a week. I know you have been absolutely riveted to know what has been going on in my life in the past week.
I am dripping with sarcasm.
I know you don't actually care, but I will update you anyways.
1.
Atlanta was awesome. Mom has all the pictures. I will post them as soon as she puts them on Facebook. With the pictures will come explanations of how much fun we had. Stay tuned.
2.
Charlotte did get a Halloween costume! Alas, it's not the pig costume. Ben was TOTALLY against it. He thinks Charlotte is too much of a tom-boy for the pig costume. I think she's too claustrophobic for the thing on the head. She is, really. She doesn't like to get under the blanket and hates being held too tightly. Anyways, we tried her costume on her, and it was precious, but I only got a picture on my phone (which is super ghetto and I don't have data on my phone to upload it) and the camera batteries are dead. I guess you'll have to wait until Halloween to see just how cute she is in her mystery costume...and what Ben and I will wear to match it!
3.
I'm picking up my business again. I started a little side business last Christmas called "A Pig and a Paintbrush." I do cutesy little paintings and Christmas ornaments and other fun things. I sold a couple of paintings and ornaments, but really didn't recoup what I spent last year, so I kind of hung it up. (Too be honest, I didn't try TOO hard...) But this year, a girl in our Sunday School class has been put in charge of the Women's Ministry Christmas event this year. The theme is "Gifted" and it is to celebrate the gifts that God has given the women in our church. It will be set up like a Christmas Village style bazaar, and there will be vendors, food, craft demonstrations, speakers, etc. Ashley approached me about having a vendor table to sell A Pig and a Paintbrush items at "Gifted" and I decided to do it.
3 1/2.
So, I got Ben involved! I am in love with the precious wood door hangings that I'm starting to see on front doors in neighborhoods. I've seen several in stores and was not about to buy something that I know I can make myself. I decided that would be my main focus at "Gifted," so Ben and I set out to figure out exactly how to do it. In other words, Ben got a new jig saw, sander, sawhorses, and some plywood. I got to watch him explode with testosterone while he broke that baby out of the box and put on his manly safety glasses and tear in to the wood with a Tim Allen style grunt. Then I painted. :) They are super cute. I will post pictures of those later too, once they are finished.
In all honesty, my batteries died in my camera and I know we have some extras around the house, but I don't feel like looking for them because my arm is literally shaking from holding up a giant wooden present while painting the edges.
Maybe I can talk Ben into looking for them tomorrow.
RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY!!!!!
I love love LOVE The Eagles. They are my absolute favorite band of all time. No doubt about it. One of my favorite music memories is going with my dad to the music store and buying The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over cassette tape (yes, I said cassette tape), popping it in the car, and him teaching me Eagles songs and perfect harmonies. Their music is the perfect blend of country and rock and roll. Ben and I got to see them perform last year at the BJCC, and I seriously cried. It was AWESOME.
This is my favorite Eagles song, Wasted Time. It's a perfect break up song. I would give my right arm to sing harmony with Don Henley on this one. Unfortunately, they did not perform this live when we were there. Just every other brilliant song they've ever written.
The autumn leaves have got you thinking
About the first time that you fell
You didn't love the boy too much
No, no, you just loved the boy to well
Enjoy a little Eagles on a Monday.
Random Trivia Fact: The Eagles are the greatest band of all time.
And I don't just mean "lost" in like, we gave up a good fight and I can be happy about losing to such a high caliber team. I mean "lost" as in we got straight up outplayed and pummelled. A failed fake kick attempt, a missed field goal and extra point, 8 SACKS on McElroy, and many, many, many more costly penalties that should have been easily avoidable.
I do not want to be at Bama's football practice tomorrow. Saban is going to kill them.
ANYWAYS.
I had a BLAST in Nashville for Abby's Bachelorette Party. There was lots of laughing, dancing, and staring at the oddballs that came out of the woodworks after midnight. Hopefully I will be able to post a pic soon, because I didn't use my camera at all.
I kind of have a pet peeve about everyone using their cameras to take the same picture. Just one person take a picture and post it on Facebook or email it to everyone. It's easier that way and the people in the picture don't have to stand there for forty forevers smiling and getting blinded by the multiple flashes.
I was super happy to get home today. I was greeted by my super cute shirtless and greasy husband and my extremely hyper poopy dawg. She went NUTS when I walked through the door and licked and jumped all over me and I got lots of lovin' on from the husband. It's nice to be loved.
Now, I have to get to planning Jayla's Bachelorette Weekend. And she reads this, so she is not getting a hint of information about it. It's totally a secret, which I know drives her nuts. All she knows is the weekend and, when we nail it down, the location. I love you, Jayla Pig.
(No, I did not just call my best friend a pig. I mean, I did, but there's a reason. She had a horse named Katie growing up, so she always called me "Katie Horse." She had a pig at one point that her brother won in the Greasy Pig contest at the Peanut Festival one year, so naturally, she became "Jayla Pig." It's always been like that.)
Tonight, Ben's "Nanny" and "DaddyJohn" are passing through town, so we are going to have dinner with them, probably. I absolutely love Nanny and DaddyJohn. Nanny is the quintessential Southern Belle who loves to entertain in her home, is always welcoming to anyone she meets, and thinks very carefully about what she says before she says it. DaddyJohn is such a sweet man with a kind heart. Some of Ben's fondest memories are fishing with DaddyJohn and the wisdom and time they spent together. I am lucky to have people like them for in-laws.
Mom and I leave for Atlanta on Tuesday! I am more than stoked! I need a vacation!
Oh, and I made a really dumb mistake. Yahoo is my homepage at work. Every week they do a College Football post once the rankings come out. People are such idiots, saying that South Carolina should be ranked over Alabama, Boise St. should be in the National Championship, and Nebraska is overrated. They obviously have no idea how the system works.
What did I do? I created a user name on Yahoo to set the record straight. I am now obsessed. I am "that girl." I have forced myself to stop looking at the comments because they just make me angry. People are so stupid sometimes. Check the facts before you post. :)
Random Music Trivia: John Lennon's birthday was yesterday. He would have been 70, if his life had not been cut short at such a young age. Instead of a trivia fact about him, I will leave you with my FAVORITE Lennon song. Happy birthday, John Lennon. The music world greatly misses you.
We're not sure why. It usually happens when we're asleep or she's spent a lot of time in her crate. I guess she's mad at us. She just chews a little hole in the bed, rips all the stuffing out, and throws it around her crate. Then, when we see it and say, "CHARLOTTE, WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!?!?" she just looks at us like, "What? Oh, I'm not supposed to do that?" We think maybe her bone or something gets trapped under the bed, and instead of being a smart doggie and going under the bed to get to it, she just goes through the bed to get to it.
We've gone through four beds.
I was smart last time and bought a flat cat bed that didn't have a lot of stuffing in it.
This time, I was not about to buy a new one. Dog beds are expensive! And she's just going to chew it up again. So I whip stitched that baby up! No hole there anymore!
She's really upset that it's laying on the floor in the living room. She doesn't deal well with change. She keeps sniffing it like she's never seen it before. Then she looks at me like, "What the crap, Mom? Why is my bed in here? I'm not sleeping in here!"
Precious baby. Love her. I can't get mad at her because she looks at me like this and I melt. How could you not love those ears?
I'm going to be a big softy when we have kids.
Random Thoughts: We are very lucky that Charlotte doesn't eat the stuffing out of the beds. It's very harmful for dogs to eat it and it can impact their intestines. Here's a bright idea: Don't put harmful stuff in dog beds? Just a thought.
I'm Katie: wife of a courageous man, mom to a breathtaking daughter and handsome son, daughter of an incredible family, friend to many, comedian to most, and child of the One True King.
The onesie says, "I love Daddy," which he is a sucker for. Yep. She has him wrapped already.
4. My Valentine showed up with these at my work. He even took me to lunch. What a sweetie! Not only did he earn brownie points with me, but with my whole office.
And I am a TERRIBLE Valentine. 
