Whats in a Name?

We named him Reggie. I got the tag for his collar made yesterday and filled out all of his information at the vet this morning. Thanks to all of you out there who voted- Derek is very pleased!

As Promised

One Week

My 26th birthday is in exactly one week- my question to you: does ones birth week start the week before (i.e. today until my actual birthday next Monday) or does it start on the actual day and last until the following week? Please advise.

All About Pup

Nameless pup is asleep at my feet. No, he has no name yet. Still.

We keep calling him puppy and buddy so with any luck, we may actually settle on a legit moniker soon. The problem is this- we both really really like the names we like and really really dislike the others. We/I am trying very hard to be patient and find a name we both enjoy and seems to fit puppy well. We had this same problem with Molly (the name is somewhat generic and plain, but she is such a Molly). Derek pretty much let me run with that one and this time I am all for him having a larger role in the naming process.

Reggie has won the poles by leaps and bounds- but it seems so... not a dog name. Am I crazy? I love the name Boston but it didnt do so hot in the court of public opinion, Harlem was consistently in second place- and as of last night we decided we also liked the names Sampson and Emmitt (as in Smith or Cullen). Were supposed to be crossing names off, not adding them.

Why on earth am I making this out to be such a big deal you ask? Well, this is our last pet. Two dogs is my max, one was Dereks max- and hes compromised a lot for me. For this reason especially I think pup needs to be named just so.

In other doggy news I am happy to report we have yet to have an accident inside. Sure it will happen and it will be gross and a pain to clean but so far our little guy is an impressive pottier. He slept in his kennel last night for almost seven hours and awoke with not a drop on his newspaper lining. Way to go! Im not so happy to report that he is a crier. An epic crier. He cried for almost an hour last night before finally admitting defeat and falling asleep. He cried while I showered this morning, he cried when he saw his reflection in the full sized mirror and reflection puppy didnt play back, he cries when hes sitting at my feet. Its really pretty heart wrenching and also VERY VERY annoying. Im hoping that Mollys company will slowly take the place of his mom and his puppy siblings we so horribly ripped him away from.

Im going to try to talk about some other things, beside dog talk moving forward- and I got a new memory card so I just may post pictures once I get some good ones of him. Is it just me but are black dogs hard to capture on film? It looks a lot like they have no eyes...

Bookworm

I finished the book The Pact. Amazing. Awesome. Heart wrenching. Tear jerker. Addicting. A must read.

That is all.

Puppy Day

I am oh so happy to report that puppy is home safe and sound with us- 9.5 pounds of perfection.

Molly loves him almost as much as we do and they seem to be best friends already.

And- my memory card STILL doesnt work so I will be buying a new one tomorrow, its been far too long since I was able to take a picture and actually do something with it!

Pride

I may or may not have just purchased the following bandanas for pup:

Puppy, Weekend and Workouts

Its no secret that Im a huge planner. I like details, I like a schedule and I like knowing what to expect. This is precisely why I have already bought a new (bigger) basket and filled it with all kinds of big and small chew toys, indestructible ones, soft and fluffy ones, ropes and kongs, tennis balls and bones. I have ordered some specialty toys online for nameless pup as well as a few new ones for our sweet Molly- she deserves some of the pampering, no? Janet has collected newspaper for me and Ive hoarded weekly copies of the chronicle for which to line pups kennel for the fist few weeks (months?). I am so ready to have him here. I hope to get some good reading and learn a little more about the labradoodle breed on our drive to Houston.

Next week will no doubt be a bit stressful for us. Not only will we have Molly and the new puppy (which will no doubt lead to some lost sleep) but were also doggy sitting Ryan and Rhondas two basset hounds Henry and Rufus. Thats four dogs for those of you who cannot count. FOUR. Dont get me wrong, Im sure itll go off without a hitch and Im happy to do it, Im just thinking it may get a little hectic in the mornings.

I set up a pole on my blog (over to the right) as well as on facebook and via email with some of our closest friends. I am heartbroken to report that the name Reggie seems to be winning by leaps and bounds. I personally am in LOVE with the name Boston and even the name Harlem but Derek has pushed hard for Reggie and the court of public opinion seems to agree. Boston has very special meaning as that feels like home to me, and its a shout out to my cat- Bean. Bean/Boston/Boston Baked Bean/Bean Town... you get the idea. I just really really wish Derek liked it more because saying Boston that many times a day would surely put a smile on my face.

As I mentioned, this weekend will find us in Houston. Due to aforementioned doggy duty, we will not be leaving until tomorrow morning, but thats all fine and dandy with me. I have worked out every single day this week and almost every single day for the last 3 weeks. Having tonight and tomorrow morning will allow two more qork-outs before we hit the road. I dont own a scale but I feel better, have more energy and can feel my clothes start to fit a bit better. Seeing myself in the nude (sorry for the image) still makes me want to cry, but Ill get there. Come next summer, Ill be back to my bikini ways. At least I hope so. I am a firm believer in no bikinis past a certain age and I want at least one more summer to feel really young and in shape. No, you dont have to wear the big tented swimsuits with the skirts attached, but cover up and act your age!

Reading

As I mentioned previously, I have a stack of books on my night stand mocking me. I have the one Im reading now (started about an hour after Finishing The Blue Diary):

I read over 100 pages in the first sitting, its really really really good.

I also have the one Ill read next:

And of course I have two books that arrived just this morning all about raising puppies and all about Labradoodles (Im a dork, I know).

These are just the top 4, and there are more below those. In the words of Derek, "I like when you read because it means I can watch whatever I want on TV"

SNL favorites

Organic Meatbag talked about SNL skits in a recent post so I thought Id share my favorite one with all of you!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/65920/saturday-night-live-update-bitch-pleeze-blogger

It seriously gets me cracking up every single time! Which are your favorites?

Our Family is Growing!

Next week at this time, Derek and I will be picking up our new puppy! We will be adding a black male labradoodle puppy to our brood!

He will be 9 weeks old so our hands will surely be full with house breaking and training but I could not be more thrilled! Derek was very against adding any more dogs to our family but after a lot of long conversations and begging, he agreed.

Labradoodles are supposed to be very smart and easy to train and lucky for us, the breeder has already been working on it. When we went to meet nameless pup, he showed us his intelligence by making use of the grass the second his paws hit the ground! Derek and I were mainly focused on house breaking Molly and pretty much gave up after that- dont get me wrong, she is a great dog but we havent worked too hard on much else. Other than "sit" theres not a whole lot she does to impress. "Shake" has been a lost cause pretty much since day one. So, we have agreed to work much harder on the next puppy. I have even considered taking him to some puppy classes nearby but Im having a hard time finding one that wont cost as much as the dog did!

Here are some pictures of our little nameless guy. Cant wait to have him here with us!

We have a list of names but were having a hard time agreeing on anything. I like normal, dog like names, and Derek likes off the wall odd names. Wish us luck getting to know our puppy and finding a name that fits him well!

Oops

I may or may not have stayed at the pool WAY too long yesterday and burned myself to a crisp. I typically have skin that tans very easily so when I put sunblock on, it usually feels pretty silly. Yes, of course I put some on yesterday and even reapplied- but I guess this summer had something else in mind for me. It tried to turn me into bacon. My chest and shoulders are pretty bad, as are my legs all the way up to my bum/hips.

I am currently all greased up with Hemp Body Butter and its helping- but all I can think about is how on earth Ill get a sports bra on and how the level 10 incline on the treadmill wont make me want to cry...

Also, so many of you out there have talked about the 30 day shred- where can I get my greasy, sunburned hands on a copy?

Ive inserted a picture of myself in twenty years if I keep getting this burned (thats my horrified grandson with me):

Super Woman (Today, Anyway)

As of 930 AM I have completed the following tasks: (picture me screaming "GO ME" while twisting my right arm around in Arsenio Hall type fashion)


-Ate a somewhat well balanced breakfast (at 445)- whole wheat eggo, banana and glass of apple juice (two year old much?). Im not normally a big beakfast person but working out makes me super hungry and if I didnt eat this stuff as a precautionary measure, who knows what I would have stopped for on my way home from my meeting.


-Attended a 6 AM company wide meeting that made me want to do two things- fall asleep and put on a parka (the meeting room is obviously set to sub zero).


- Worked out for an hour and a half- treadmill and hand weights- this time, since it was 730 AM I left the garage door open and basked in the wonderful breeze and 80 degree temperature. I also did all of this while watching Tori & Dean which was dvr'd while I was FAST ASLEEP last night at 9 PM. Noting like watching a skinny lady on the tv while you sweat, grunt and cuss your way through a work out.


- Finished reading my latest book: The Blue Diary. So good, such a neat story and I would certainly recommend it to any of you bookworms out there. I currently have six books on my night stand and I have every intention of getting through them all, even if it takes me until my 35th birthday.


And now Im off to pick up a few prescriptions at the store and then you can find me poolside at Kyndalls house. The cleaning lady is coming today so I need to make myself scarce while she works her magic- and I worked on Saturday so I have today off(ish).


Scallops and edamame for dinner tonight!


Hope your Wednesday is off to as nice a start as mine is!

HOT

I havent written anything about this because it usually turns into the girl who cried wolf...but...

My Doctor was kind enough to point out to me that since this time last year, Ive "packed on" a few pounds (no, she didnt actually use those words)- and so, like a good human that sells and drinks beer way more often than any should, I am doing my best to listen to her advice and lose some. The thing is, when I put my mind to it, I can shed weight fairly fast and before I get too old or my metabolism slows down any more than it already has, I think I should take advantage of that and get back to the weight someone that is a stout five foot one should actually be.

So that puts me where I am now. Sitting in the living room DIRECTLY under a fan and in AC set to 72 degrees (those who knows me know this is FREEZING for me) and Im literally sweating all over the place- even my shins are sweating and its dripping into my shoe (youre welcome for that picture)... I just got done with the treadmill which is set up in the garage (I keep the door shut to make it even hotter and thus get a sweatier workout) and in an effort to put in a little extra, I kinda sorta lifted weights.

Dereks mom got me some hand weights for Christmas and I try to use them as much as I can, only trouble is that I dont know what the heck to do with them so I usually end up either wasting time not doing anything productive to my muscles or I end up giving up a few minutes in after doing what I can remember from the gym. Back when I used to go. When I was thinner. Four thousand beers and thirteen pounds ago.

Anyway, I digress. The whole entire point of this sweaty post is to ask you what you do with weights- do you watch a video with a dorky lady in a leotard or do you watch something on your cable tv? Or do all of you skinny people out there just know what to do?

Fondly,
Sweaty in Seattle (Austin)

P.S. Cant I just look like this girl?!

Been Too Long, Lovers

I have to be at work at 6 AM tomorrow for a company wide meeting and I can only think of two (far fetched) pros at this moment in time.

No sunglasses necessary at this point, and Im not sweating by the time I get into my car first thing.

Sorry its been so long since I last wrote anything substantial, Ive been so busy being lazy that I havent had much to tell you all.... until next time, XOXO.

Giveaway

I have entered my very first giveaway! I never win anything so I doubt this will be the time, but why the heck not try? Who wouldnt want this precious bag courtesy of The Monogram Divas. She is offering monogram cosmetic bags to two readers!

Check out this wonderful blog for your chance to win too!

Netflix

So I realize I am a few years late with this whole online rental thing but I finally caved and signed up for a netflix account. I will start with the two week free trial and see what I think or if we dont watch movies as much as I think we do. Summers seem to leave us high and dry when it comes to our favorite shows, so why not get hooked on a few more? Sundays typically find me and Derek on the couch more tired than we can put into words, mindlessly watching the tube. Lazy and unhealthy, I know. I figured if nothing else, Sundays will allow us to get our moneys worth out of the subscription.

First in line on my queue? Dexter season one.

Dexter

Does anyone out there watch Dexter? I happened upon an episode tonight and its super creepy but I am completely intrigued. Project numero uno tomorrow (other than getting back to the grindstone at work) is stopping by Blockbuster to see if they have it on DVD- my usual shortcut online to find it seems to be kaput and I guess Ill have to rely on the old school method: actually going into the store. Sigh.

A Belated Wish For You and Yours

Happy Fourth (fifth) of July!

Not only is (was) it a day to be thankful for our Independence, but its also a day to thank all past, present and future soldiers fighting for us here at home. So many of the people I follow in the blogging world are married to men in the service. I also want to thank them for all that they do and the sacrifices they make in their everyday lives as well as in their marriages.

We celebrated by spending the weekend on Lake LBJ. Walt was kind enough to open his parents home to us (yet again) and like always, we had a blast. We arrived Friday evening, snacked and had a few cold beers out on the patio. Saturday morning we got up, ate breakfast and bathed in sunblock in preparation for a day on the water. Armed with noodles and floats, we hung out in the lake and played for the entire afternoon. Nighttime found us watching what seemed like the longest fireworks show EVER, thats one thing I still get incredibly excited about- fireworks. And may I add how much cooler they look when displayed over water? They make me feel like such a kid again and the smell of bug spray, sunblock and hot dogs makes me grin ear to ear every year.

Hope your 4th was as fun as our was- Molly is currently sleeping it off and I predict she will be for the next two days like she usually does after we take her on our adventures.

So Angry

Update: Baby Gurley has been named! Trent Joseph Gurley. Good, strong name.

Just came home from the hospital and my memory card is STILL not working. Not only have I been unable to post any pictures of Sarah and Ryans trip (facebook has been the only success thus far) but now I cant share pictures of Gurley Boy. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

He was so sweet, precious in every way and likes to stick his tongue out. Squeal! His amniotic fluid has worked its way out of his lungs and he seems to be a very happy and healthy baby. As soon as I can, I promise Ill provide photographic evidence.

All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Hello World- Here I am: Baby Boy Gurley- I weigh 8 lbs 9 oz and measure 20 inches long. I have been having a little trouble breathing and need some extra prayers and positive thoughts. My Mom and Dad think I may have swallowed some mucus that the Dr's will need to get out, but after being on a little oxygen, I should be just fine!

While I dont yet have a name, I cannot wait to meet all my extended aunts and uncles out there! Here is to my visit from Dez this evening!