Play Date

Derek and I like to spend as much time with Ryan, Rhonda and Macey as we can. Seeing as how weve all been out of town so much lately and Ive been so sick, it had been far too long since our last night together. Macey got glasses weeks ago and we hadnt even seen them in person yet- unacceptable!

So after a long time off, we finally had them over last night. Macey is talking up a storm, she knows our names as soon as she sees our house and she even knows which dogs live here! She is so much fun to play with and watch- she dances around like a pony, she loves to talk on my phone and loves to look at the dogs playing outside. She surely keeps us laughing on and our toes!

Dont forget to enter my giveaway!

My First GIVEAWAY!!!

Despite feeling like death and being completely disappointed that Im still sick (my doctor informed me that I will most likely still feel horrible for about three more weeks) I have some extremely exciting news for you readers!

Sacred Accessories contacted me and weve arranged a giveaway for one of you lucky readers! Not only did I think it was so cool that they found me and helped me set this up- but their site is bursting with really adorable items! They have graciously offered to send me a goodie just so I can give it to you one you-you could be the lucky owner of this stylish and totally practical purse hanger:

I cant tell you how many places I have been and wished I had one of these. You see, I spend my working hours on the inside of bars- some really nice, clean and posh and others that Im honestly afraid to touch anything inside. Who wants to spend their hard earned dollars on a nice handbag only to have to set it on the floor (eek) in a bar, a theatre, a bathroom (the horror), or a restaurant? This handy hook is just what a gal needs!

So heres how you can get your hands on this lovely item (each step of entering gives you a seperate point):

1. Leave a comment on this entry. Tell me the nastiest place you ever set your purse down. Feel free to get graphic, the dirtier, the better!

2. Follow my blog. If you're already a follower, mention it.

3. Blog about this giveaway. In your entry, be sure to link Sacred Accessories as well as my blog.

(Ill draw the winner in one week, next Friday.)

In addition to their generosity with this wonderful giveaway, Sacred Accessories is also having a huge blowout sale right now. There is a coupon code for 20% off any purchase by entering code "SALE20" at checkout. Take a look at their stuff and I promise you just may find something you need.

Good luck to you all!

Sick

I made another trip to see my Doctor today... guess who has Pneumonia? Yep. Thatd be me. I have five medications running through my blood- heres hoping one of them actually works on my body that seems to be falling apart.

Space- the Final Frontier

I had a dream last night that I was in training to become an astronaut. Not only is this terrifying because I think the idea of space is completely overwhelming and terrifying, but Im also pretty claustrophobic. Being rocketed into outer space in what looks like a small closet was enough to wake me up completely drenched in sweat.
Normal? I think not.

Dereks Guest Blog

I have been begged to do this so I have decided to comply. Mostly because a happy Dez makes for a happy Derek and vice versa. It's something I have just come to terms with and it makes my life easier. I also like small amounts of attention.

Let me start by saying that my writing is not nearly as eloquent and elaborate as Dez's. She paints good pictures and just has a better way with words. I never thought I'd say it because I always have thought blogging was pretty stupid, but I enjoy reading hers. No offense to all of you bloggers. I am dating one of you.

For example, I wish I could say that she embellishes a bit when it comes to me. I am as goofy as she makes me seem. I love dressing up, acting stupid and being the center of attention. I admit it. Her explanation of my Miley Cyrus infatuation was dead on. "Derek likes to like things that weird people out- I cant really explain it much further than that but suffice it to say, he likes to get a reaction out of people. On top of that, I feel pretty certain that he genuinely likes some of Mileys songs.... whoa is me." I can't argue with any of this. She has me
pegged.

Derek on hobbies - If you don't already know, things I enjoy include all things Texas A&M. For the most part it's a huge disappointment, but I still love it. I'd like to take this time to give my Ags much deserved props for beating the hell out of Texas Tech this weekend. It was long overdue. That game, combined with a Dallas Cowboys win, Yankees victory, and lots of beer made this weekend a great one.

Derek on Ranking Things - Another thing I love is ranking things and more importantly, having people rank things. Rank your favorite peoplein a room at any given time. Rank your most hated teams in sports. Rank Miley Cyrus and Hillary Duff in terms of looks, acting ability, and singing ability. Rank your friends on how funny they are, and tell them to their face. That's where it gets interesting. Give reasons for all your answers and take offense to nothing. It's great beer drinking conversation.

Derek on Stick Guns - Always have a designated area to keep stick gunsthat you find. You need to let everyone know immediately where the stick guns go. If you don't know what a stick gun is, it's exactly what it says. It's a stick in the shape of a gun. They're awesome.

Derek on Ring Watches - I got a question on this so I need to address it. Ring watches are awesome. They are like using the word y'all instead of you guys. Why say two syllables when you could say one? Same goes for the ring watch. Why wear two pieces of jewelry when you can wear one. It just makes sense, people. If you are interested in a ring watch, I've got the market cornered in central Texas. You'll have to go through me. However, my love for the look of ring watches on as many hands as I can see has clouded my original business plan. I have given away way too many of these bad boys for free. Even when the demand was high and the supply was low.

Derek on Awkward Situations - I hate them and I'm awful with them. I constantly think about how something might potentially be awkward and I avoid it. If I'm caught in an awkward situation my instinctive response is to run away leaving any poor sucker behind that was with me. Sorry.

Derek on Pet Peeves - Overall, I'm a pretty laid back guy. I don't get too worked up about much. There are a few things.
- People storing stuff on the dashboard. It never stays up there. You turn, it falls off. Its not a good place!
- The mail. I don't want to send stuff or receive stuff. Just cut it out. The mail sucks.
- Panhandlers at traffic lights. You're ruining my experience ofsitting in my car in peace.
- Bicyclists. You're not a car, get out of my way and get on a sidewalk. I hate you
- I am sure there are more but I'm tired of thinking about it.

Ask Derek - Dez sent me some questions that some of you had for me, so I  will conclude with a little Q&A with some of the questions that I have not previously answered.

"Why were you so reluctant to get a 2nd dog and what finally won you over?"

I was not just reluctant to get a 2nd dog, I was just plain against it. I am not really a dog person. I hate dealing with them. I prefer humans. To answer the 2nd part of your question, please see the first two sentences of this blog.

"In the spirit of Halloween what are you top 5 costumes of all time? And please explain your costume closet"

This may not be an appropriate answer, but I have to be honest. Any costume that has some serious shock value and/or is extremely clever is a hit with me. I don't really have a top 5, but I once saw a guy in a wheelchair wearing superman shirt and cape. It has always stuck with me. I personally like any costume that gives me a whole new persona for the evening.

"how do you pick out birthday/holiday/anniversary gifts forDez?"

That's easy, she tells me what she wants and I get it. Dez is extremely practical when it comes to gifts. She tells me what she wants and I get it. I am sure she would like me to go out and get stuff on my own more often, but she's someone that always knows what she wants, so she makes it easy on me.

I guess thats it for now, or until Im forced to stop by and blog again. I survived!

Reggie

The hair around Reggies nose and mouth is turning red- his dad is a "red" labradoodble and his mom is a black one- so one can conclude that:

+

=

Look at that face!!!

Day 8

Its been exactly eight days since I started to feel like crap. Six days since I saw my Doctor and was given the name of two culprits causing my ailments: the flu and an upper respiratory infection. Three is the number of prescriptions I have filled in order to reach human status once again.

And how do I feel today you ask? Like complete dog poo. Still.

On one hand I am so completely grateful that the flu symptoms have gone away- no more fever, aches, pains or complete exhaustion. I am, however, left with a horrible nagging and chest deep cough that is causing a ton of rib pain, jaw soreness and headaches. I am hoping that the liquid codeine I just picked up from CVS will remedy this matter faster than the last suggestion my Doctor had. Never mind the fact that staying awake will prove utterly impossible once said medicine is ingested.

In other news, we were able to paint this weekend and I am happy to report it looks amazing. We painted the guest bedroom a dark brown to match the new bedding I picked out. In our living room we chose a color called toasted nutmeg. The thing about this paint color is that it can look very different depending on the lighting in the room. It’s a brown-ish, adobe-ish, orange-ish shade that will only be better described in pictures. Lastly, in our kitchen we opted for a deep rusty red. Derek and I worked very very hard with the help of our neighbor Chris on day one and are very proud of the outcome- we thought it was a really fun way to spend time together all while bettering our home. I think the only ones upset with us were the dogs who spent most of the weekend banished to the outside where no paint sat around waiting to be hopped in.

And now, for your viewing pleasure:

I was hesitant to even post pictures of the living room simply because it comes out looking so orange (I tried both with and without the flash as well as with and without overhead lights). Derek being the die hard Aggie he is, would never ever in a million years live in a house with a burnt orange living room. He did have a minor panic attack once we were all done painting and said he wanted to redo the entire room, but I assure you it does not look quite like these pictures in person. Like I mentioned, this color is so tricky and obviously photographing it doesn’t really do it justice either. Perhaps all of you will just have to come over and see it for yourselves (the guest room brown also looks a bit off but not quite as much). Also, not everything is back up on the walls in the kitchen so please excuse the bare look it has at the moment.

Stay tuned- Derek has been working on his guest entry- hopefully hell finish it up today? Tomorrow? Well see...

Wedding Weekend

Im going to let the pictures do all the talking for me! Im way too tired to put together any kind of cohesive thought process after a weekend like this one ;)

Home Improvement

Derek and I have decided to take on some household improvements. Curtains came first, decorations on the bare walls were next- but painting has been quite a power struggle. After some long discussions and a trip to Home Depot, we have some blobs on our walls to try and help us pick some colors.The plan is to spend the weekend painting- well see which one of us is left standing come Sunday...

In the kitchen- they look almost identical in this picture but in person they are in fact very different. The letters are to remind us which is which:

In the living room and one accent wall in our bedroom:

And we also decided to update some light fixtures- its something that Derek says hes wanted to do for a while now and we found some we really liked for the right price- he installed 3 of 5 already tonight!

This was previously hanging in the entry way (lantern much?):

and now (light on):

(light off)

And all of these:

...are now these (light on):

(light off)

Such exciting changes!

I Need Your Help

So Ive been really wanting Derek to guest blog for me for quite some time now. I even asked for input and reasons he should a while back... sadly not many people responded (thank you to those who did). Now that I have a whopping 36 followers (seriously, you all make me feel famous!) Im hoping we can come up with some better incentive for him.

Perhaps it might help to know some about him. Derek is a civil-engineer, a self proclaimed comedian, a closet dog lover (maybe?), a wolf shirt wearing love ball. He loves nothing more than a good Aggie athletic event, a Sonic chili cheese dog, a good party, a chance to put on a costume and a cold beer.

PLEASE take a moment to leave a comment with either a reason he should guest blog or maybe some questions you may want him to answer- feel free to make them all Dez centered ;)

I kid, I kid- and Derek, if youre reading this, Ill get you on here someday. You cant hide forever.

Excited

Around this time tomorrow, we will be on 35 Dallas/Fort Worth bound, our two dogs in tow.

No, we will not be partaking in Texas/OU weekend- though Im sure well get to "enjoy" the traffic and subsequent madness.

My friend and former college roommate, Jessica, will be tying the knot this weekend. Not only does this mean a reunion of sorts for me and my lovely girls from college but it also means Derek can spend some quality time with his two best friends that also reside in the area. Friday night well all play together and Saturday has been reserved for girl time. While Erin and I run around shopping and lollygagging (buying spanx to hide my Taco Cabana filled belly) before the wedding, he will be watching football games and doing general "man things" wed rather not be a part of. I see this as the perfect compromise!

We will be staying with Erin and Aaron which always makes for hilarious weekends. Despite Aaron recently coming down with the flu, I am very confident the four of us will be up to no good like always. With the four of our dogs and the four of us, I doubt there will be a dull moment.

I hope you guys have as wonderful a weekend as I know I will have! Hilarious pictures are sure to follow...especially when Erin is in charge of the camera ;)

Shocked

Last week Derek brought home flowers for no reason, he even picked fall colored ones and it warmed my heart so much. Today he emailed me to ask if I was home and said to check the porch... He was expecting something from FedEx. Low and behold, this was inside the box:

Im not exactly sure whats gotten into him lately, but I like it!

Would it be wrong if I ate all the chocolates for lunch? I guess Ill save him some... =)

If youre reading this, Derek, I love you very much and thank you for making my day so spceial!