True Blood

"Goodnight mini humans (wink)"

Le Swoon.

Reggie

After a routine trip to the vet for shots, we learned that Reggie has a staph infection. No, Molly cant get it, and neither can we- but humans die from this, dont they??? I was very upset and worried, and of course secretly cursed my puppy rearing skills. The vet put me at ease when she assured me that it was a somewhat common problem in dogs. Really? Because he is only 12 weeks old, it will be harder for him to fight on his own but with the help of a week long round of antibiotics, everything should be okay. Please send good thoughts and happy juju our way.

In other somewhat related news, Derek installed lattice under our deck this weekend as pups 1 and 2 seems to be taking refuge from the heat under there. Staph growing cesspool much?

Plugging Barbara

One of my best friends has quite an impressive mother when it comes to making a living from her love of cooking! Not only does she have her own line of childrens cook books, a line of flavored dog treats, childrens cooking school franchises, but now she is also a spokesperson for Rice Krispie cereals! Her latest endeavor is a spot on their website featuring kid friendly recipes and ideas for fun meals. Check her out here!

I could not be more proud to see how her efforts have paid off. Many moons ago she held childrens birthday parties and cooking classes right in her own kitchen- how far she has come with such hard work!

Andrew Bilski

Sarah and Ryan had their baby today! Andrew Ryan Bilski is here- all 9 lbs 15 oz of him!!!

Muy Caliente

This is precisely why my poor dogs have been couped up in their kennels while were away... and also the reason all forms of working out are off limits until further notice.

Im a Bore

I havent had much going on this week- aside from recovering from the last two weekends away, my life has been calm and predictable for a change.


Some fun facts (because I have nothing substantial to talk about):



- I saw Wicked this weekend, it was AWESOME. Hands down one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. Avenue Q was wonderful as well, but this play simply blew me away. I even wore my own rubie slippers for the special occasion!
- I got a haircut today. I started going to a new hairdresser about a year ago and shes great. She recently moved from Salon 505 to another salon so today was my first visit to her new digs(thrilling, I know.)


- Molly went to the groomer today and we got good news for a change. You see, usually by the time she goes in shes pretty matted, the groomer has to shave her hair pretty short so Ive devoted more time to combing her while at home. Guess my efforts paid off! When I pick her up today, I expect her to have as much hair as when I dropped her off.

- Does anyone else think the show The Dog Whisperer is amazing? I mean, perhaps is more Cesar that is truly talented. Reggie started a puppy class Sunday and what I would give to have Cesar as our instructor!

- I have felt like Im on the verge of getting sick for a few days now and Im trying to rest as much as physically possible while balancing work and fun. Hopefully another weekend at home before football season starts will fix me up.

I cant believe people out there may have sat through this post. Next time Ill bring my A game.

Laughter

This gem has been making its way around the interwebs, and Ive read it several times over- each time gets funnier than the last. I have taken a few off the list so heres my very own version:

Random thoughts from people 25-35 years old..

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

Hump Day

I ran over ANOTHER nail. Seriously- what the hell?! Youd think having this happen three times in the last few months I would start avoiding the construction zone- but it shaves a good 10 minutes off my commute and so, I keep at it. Who knows how many more tires Ill flatten by the time the road is done.

I was in a terrible mood today and 3 hours in the car (for work: from here to there, back to here, then back to there, then home) didnt help. At all. I logged so many miles and was feeling right on the verge of my sanity when my day finally ended. At least I dont pay for gas, right?

But... our cleaning lady came today and I gave her some free goodies I snagged at work. Her gratitude immediately snapped me out of my funk. She is such a nice lady and I trust her to always do a wonderful job. She never cuts corners, loves our dogs like her own, and acts like were her family. I thought she was going to cry when I offered her the goods and it reminded me that rather than becoming so mad so easily, I should try to get that happy that fast.

We have a family dinner tonight at la casa de Bohls so until then Im going to watch Reggie and Molly play tug of war with a rope... its in both of their mouths at the same time and its quite entertaining. Its the simple things in life.

Perfection

Just wanted to share a picture I snapped of our wee one yesterday:

(he photgraphs so much better outside)

And also, I wanted to show you how ready he is for football season:

Random Musings

I have been home from New Orleans for two full days. My soreness is subsiding (from dancing, drinking and two eight hour car rides), my feet are finally clean and lack the black color they were holding onto. My clothes have been washed and I am starting to feel caught up on my sleep from the last two weekends- operative words being starting to. I know weve almost all mentioned this before, but when did we get so old? When did a weekend with the girls turn into a week long recovery? When did having so much fun come with such a steep price tag?

Moving on from my whining... To the random.

Is anyone else addicted to the Sex and the City movie? For me, its like one of those movies Id like to fall asleep to on a daily basis. Its funny, its chic, its sad and its happy. Its on in the background when I make dinner, while I blog, sometimes when I hop on the treadmill and when Derek is out of town. It would be impossible to narrow down one favorite scene but the part where Samantha shows up to help pack Carries apartment ("a lot of shit went down in this apartment, attention must be paid- fashion show ensues) totally reminds me of me and my friends. The same is also true for Twilight- as if I even needed to mention that one, it also typically leads to very good dreams.

I am starting to come to terms with the fact that no matter what I do, I will never be thin (my definition of thin) again. I can lose 5 pounds here or there but I am unsure I will ever feel my best- and while it sounds so sad and final, I want to stop beating myself up about no longer weighing 110 pounds. I suppose "my best" is a poor way to put it, but I dont know what else to call it. Ill never be built like a teenager again? Ha! Thank God!

On a similar note, my boyfriend constantly makes me feel like the most beautiful person in the world- AT ALL TIMES. He is so good at building me up and making sure I know how much he loves me and all I know to do is thank my lucky stars- and his Mother. He always tells me how pretty I look, how much he loves me and he is the most amazing self esteem booster a girl could ask for. It just may be one of my only saving graces when I get into my "Ill always be fat" moods. Which seems to be a constant mood as of late.

Reggie is adjusting so well to life with us and with Molly. He is sleeping through the night in his kennel accident-less, he is eating and growing like a champ- and the best, I am most proud to say that as of yesterday, I taught him to sit and to shake. He is now officially the same size as Molly and she is in for a treat when she finally realizes he will be more than double her size.

I think I blew out my ipod ear buds- is that even possible?! Theyre a bit fuzzy sounding and its pretty distracting during a walk or run. I have discovered the bliss that is Lake Pflugerville and its 3 mile loop has become one of my best friends. My only concern is not surviving the route sans music! My dogs have also grown to love the lake and get their exercise and their swim time.

I suppose for now, thats all I have for you. Bless you for sitting through it. Can you tell Im in quite a mood?

New Orleans

By the time you guys read this, I will be happily on my way to New Orleans for a bachelorette party. I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I have not been to the great NOLA since 2003 (pre Katrina). Knowing how have I changed, I know the city has too; I cant wait to see her, grab a hand grenade and celebrate Joanna's impending vows in style. My bags are filled with fun and sparkly clothes, a camera that will no doubt capture timeless memories, and its also got my inner night owl/party animal in it too.

See you all on Monday! Feel free to overnight me your liver so it will be waiting for me upon my arrival home (Ill need it worse than you).

Ive Come to Realize

Simply Me tagged me and because Im an obedient girl, I will play along ;)

1. I've come to realize that my chest-size....is just fine by me

2. I've come to realize that my job(s)...is pretty much the coolest one I have ever heard of- I count my lucky stars daily

3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving...Im impatient

4. I've come to realize that I need...to not try to control everything

5. I've come to realize that I have lost...my ability to stay up really really late

6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...people lie

7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk...its hard to stay awake

8. I've come to realize that money...isnt what life is all about but it helps to have some

9. I've come to realize that certain people...have the ability to completely make or even break my day

10. I've come to realize that I'll always ...like things neat and tidy

11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)...(I have none)

12. I've come to realize that my mom....is one of the most unique, complicated and simple, easy to please, kind and generous hippie, traveler Ill ever meet.

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone...is with me all the time- but I hate to answer it

14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...that only one day stands between me and New Orleans

15. I've come to realize that before I go to sleep....I have a very predictable routine

16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking...of whether or not I missed anything while packing

17. I've come to realize that my dad...is… a total mystery to me

18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook...I am either very entertained or very bored

19. I've come to realize that today...was a wonderful day and filled with lots of things I love (working out, laying out, reading and shopping)

20. I've come to realize that tonight...its going to be hard to fall asleep

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow...is going to be so much fun

22. I've come to realize that I really want to...take my life a day at a time enjoying everything that comes my way as much as I can

23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is....Erin Ellis?

24. I've come to realize that life...is interesting and unpredictable but its fantastic

25. I've come to realize that this weekend...is going to make me feel like a kid again. Until Sunday,

26. I've realized the best music to listen to when I am upset...is something that will give me a good cry so I can get over it

27. I've come to realize that my friends...are amazing and I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people

28. I've come to realize that this year...has taught me a lot about responsiblity, patience, love, families, forgiveness, loyalty and the healing power of laughter

29. I've come to realize that my ex... may not ever grow up

30. I've come to realize that maybe I should...travel more, or love myself more

31. I've come to realize that I love...Derek. More and more everyday. We learn together, laugh together and grow together- and its been the best adventure Ive ever had

32. I've come to realize that I don't understand...a LOT, Ill always be learning

33. I've come to realize my past...is something that allowed me to end up face first in my life where I am now- it makes me giggle and it makes me grateful

34. I've come to realize that parties...can be tons of fun

35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified....of death

36. I've come to realize that my life...is amazing

Because this is such a long one, anyone who has the time, please please feel free to participate!

Teen Love

The truck stopped in front of me at a red light tonight had two teenagers in it. How do I know the age of its passengers despite its dark tinted windows? The two figures were practically in one anothers laps- theyd lean in and kiss/make out and then Id see the flash of a camera. This happened at least four times in the span of one red light. Id say "oh, to be young and in love" but thats just gross. Get a room. Or at least your own intersection. Id even settle for darker tint.

Nails

It happened again. For the second time in maybe six months I ran over a nail and had to have my tire patched. The up side? I get it fixed at work which costs me no money and there are no lines.

I love my job I love my job I love my job!

Not in College Anymore

I am back home- exhausted, bloated from overeating and sore from dancing and smiling ear to ear. I had the most fabulous and wonderful weekend with my girls. Words cannot ever describe the amount of fun we had together and I am so incredibly grateful it all worked out the way it did. Suffice it to say, were not as young as we used to be and recovering will take ages longer than it used to!

Me and Tiffany

Jen, Marci and Tiff

All 4 of us

Cameron, Jens youngest

Cole, Jens oldest

Ethan, the middle child and birthday boy

Girls Weekend

Time gets away from us all, keeping in touch is hard, distance makes it harder, friends and family take up our time and before we know it, its been ages since our last legit girls only weekend!

I feel so blessed to have spent my college years with some pretty rad ladies. Sure, we all consider our best friends to be the best of the best, but these ladies really are.

Jen and I were in cheerleading together, we lived in the same co-ed dorm, we both liked to tan (awful, I know), we loved Taco Bueno, we pledged Gamma Phi Beta together and she drove me around while I provided proof to my parents that a kid in college is indeed worthy of having a car on campus. Funny story about Jen- she was one of the wildest of the bunch and while I doubt shed like this posted for the world to see (or all 28 of my followers) she did a lot of Internet dating. She was up for any kind of guy the world threw at her. She was also the first of us to settle down and she is now married to a wonderful man that is in the Air Force and she has 3 precious little boys.

Marci also lived in our co-ed dorm, she also joined cheerleading, she preferred taco bell so I cant say much about that, she later pledged Gamma Phi as well and she just "got me" in general. I never needed to explain myself because she too, was a little weird and we just understood one another. We even went as far as referring to one another as soul mates. Our rooms were across the hall from one another so we used to get ready for a big night out with our doors open, shouting what we planned to wear or asking to borrow this top or that one. Funny story about Marci- she dated a guy in college (who is now her husband) who smoked. Rather than write him off since she HATED smoking, she tried to take up the habit and used to practice out her dorm room window.

Tiffany is everyones friend, shes funny, she laughs at my jokes, she was also a member of our Gamma Phi pledge class, she was always the DD, she is just all around a friend everyones GOT to have. Tiffany tends to have the funniest stories about boys-I cant really get into many of them but suffice it to say she keeps us rolling with her tales. What I can tell you is that she is the only one of us that went into college knowing exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up. a teacher. She spent all 4 years in college learning and practicing how- and she was the last of any of us to find a job.

So what happens when these 3 ladies and myself get together you ask? This:

a lot of cheesing it up (me, Jen, Tiff, Marci)

and a lot of immaturity

(thats Erin in our laps so thats an extra bonus!)

Well it just so happened that this weekend the stars aligned and we were all able to escape our lives to spend a fun and laughter filled weekend in Corpus. Jen's husband is stationed there so Tiffany is driving to Austin and scooping me, well pick Marci up at the airport on our way our of town (she lives in San Fransisco) and well drive down to see our Jen. Its also her middle sons 2nd birthday this weekend so what better reason do we have to celebrate?! Saturday night Jens mom has graciously rented us a hotel room so we can be kid and dog free, be loud, reminisce and no doubt crash far earlier than we ever would have in college.

BDay Recap

I snapped a few pictures of our romantic dinner on Monday night- it may not look like much- but I assure you it was! You cant tell (due to my wine induced mediocre photography skills), but we ate under a string of Christmas lights- real romantical like. The weather was nice and cool, there was a light breeze and I think the dogs appreciated the extra company.

Derek once again impressed me with his grilling skills and made us delicious steaks, baked potatoes and asparagus (this seems to be our favorite special occasion meal). I felt full, loved and taken care of all at once.

Random Act of Kindness

There is a road I travel on every single day both to and from work. You see, whenever given an opportunity to fore go the stress of IH35, I will take the road less traveled. In my case, that means a construction zone that has lasted for what feels like fifteen years. Derek and I both have been pulled over on said road, he was given a ticket I was not (phew) so I have learned my lesson to obey the rules of the road and follow the specified 30 mph.

This morning I was not at all surprised when I spotted two motorcycle cops waiting around a bend to catch people in a hurry or people to blind/dumb (examples being me and Derek) to pay attention and slow down. I got a bit down the road and flashed my lights at every car I passed to alert them of the trap. A few people waved back at me and I felt content with the non-verbal communication. Some looked at me like I was crazy and Im sure some thought I was part of that supposed gang initiation and were afraid to look in my direction, but either way I felt like my good deed for the day was complete! Pay it forward, right?

Dog Eat Dog Birthday

the older, more wise and agile furry member of the family

posing (they learned that from Derek)

talking fetch, potty training and chew toys

isnt his tongue long? (also, hes a very messy drinker- more goes out than in)

I just wanted to share some pictures I snapped while at home waiting for my birthday lunch with Kyndall and Michelle. These dogs are so special to me and spending down time with them is the perfect birthday present! Lets be honest though, they are fighting over a tennis ball and could care less whether or not Im here. At least Im happy!

Grateful

Come birthday time every year, I start to feel very spoiled. I have received a ton of sweet cards, baked goods, fun stuff for around the house and a million happy wishes. I feel like the most loved girl in the world and am so thankful for everything everyone has done for me this weekend.

We had a fabulous time at the Walburg Biergarten on Saturday night with a great turn out! Today was spent in the usual fashion eating at Dereks parents house- eating deliciously wonderful food. Tomorrow is my actual birthday and we have yet to decide how we will celebrate. I cant decide if I want a meal at home or one out- the down side is that I will most likely have a meeting Tuesday morning per usual so bedtime will cut any festivities short. Epic boo.

Puppy is adapting well and seems to feel at home. The whining has decreased and because the basset hounds leave us this evening, tomorrow will start Reggies first week of being free in the yard all day while we work. Hoorah!