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our first baby Benjamin James 11 lbs 7 oz Born: 12/15 |
| carrieann on twitter |
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man, i'm super doped up on caffine today... and my eyes are still stingy from my lack of sleep last night. i wound up hanging out at joe's and we stayed up way past our bedtime :) we walked around his neighborhood, got some slurpees, and had some good, long talks. it was such a wonderful night. we also discussed our plans of living together... so within the next six months, i may have a roommate! no specific plans or dates for moving yet... but a definite decision that we are going to look for a place soon. but even though that means i may be leaving arlington, i still plan on being active and supporting the arlington dogs and the dog park i go to. i will still be close enough to bring lily several times a week... but may not be within walking distance anymore. one of my stipulations is having a park nearby that i can take lily to, without driving... so wherever we end up, she will be happy. i'm excited about the idea... and i just hope i can get my finances in a good spot before then. so i'm going to probably be petsitting and doing side projects to make sure things are settled... so i'm gonna be busy busy over the next couple of months. starting tonight, actually... hershey is staying with another foster until monday while i petsit for a cute lab-poodle mix tonight and tomorrow. should be fun, and i'm sure lily enjoyed her hershey-less night last night, as an only dog again finally :) but it's short lived... and then i'll have hershey again for ten days. hopefully he gets adopted by then! i've also got other petsitting opportunities coming up soon... oy... i'm gonna need a personal assistant to keep track of all this! :) but despite the puppies this weekend, i'm still planning on attending a party hosted by some friends of mine in adams morgan. i've heard their parties are always a great turnout, and everyone has a story from them :) so that should be fun... i haven't spent time with folks in a long while! and don't forget about the bbq this sunday, at 2:30 at the park! i'll be there, rain or shine :)
| posted at 3:23 PM ~ comments (0) |
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reading the washington post today, this article on losing weight was really good. i agree with everything they said 100% about how people manage to lose weight and keep it off. so for those of you who stumbled across my site in hopes of finding inspiration:
successful losers
here ya go :) hope that helps!
successful losers
here ya go :) hope that helps!
| posted at 9:30 AM ~ comments (0) |
ugh. it's hot. really hot. this morning was actually pretty nice... 80 degrees with a nice breeze... but you could feel the humidity rising with the sunrise. it's supposed to get to 100 degrees in the dc area today, with a heat index of 110! my poor dogs are limited to short walks outside, and lots of ball playing in the house. i feel like i should approach my neighbors with a peace offering, in case they are bothered by all the barking going on. and to make matters worse, with the late summer comes increased gas prices. i paid the most i have ever paid in my life for gas last night.. $1.42/gallon! ten dollars used to almost fill up the saturn's 12 gallon tank back in the day... now that same ten dollars doesn't even get me half a tank of gas. *sigh*
at least i have a pool :) too bad i can't sneak the dogs in there! i might take them to the park with the stream in it tonight, if it doesn't rain. that was not fun yesterday, having to walk two dogs in the pouring rain at 6am. no hands free to hold an umbrella, so i had to suck it up and just get soaked. but at least they got exercised! to save my sanity by wearing them out is worth a little dampness :)
reminder about the bbq this sunday at the dog park: 801 s. scott st, arlington @ 2:30pm this sunday. everyone is invited! lily and i will be there with some "people puppy chow". it's a mix of peanut butter, chocolate, and sugar, poured over crispix cereal. mmmmm... so good :) looks like dog food, but oh so good :) so come on out and share it with us!
at least i have a pool :) too bad i can't sneak the dogs in there! i might take them to the park with the stream in it tonight, if it doesn't rain. that was not fun yesterday, having to walk two dogs in the pouring rain at 6am. no hands free to hold an umbrella, so i had to suck it up and just get soaked. but at least they got exercised! to save my sanity by wearing them out is worth a little dampness :)
reminder about the bbq this sunday at the dog park: 801 s. scott st, arlington @ 2:30pm this sunday. everyone is invited! lily and i will be there with some "people puppy chow". it's a mix of peanut butter, chocolate, and sugar, poured over crispix cereal. mmmmm... so good :) looks like dog food, but oh so good :) so come on out and share it with us!
| posted at 7:42 AM ~ comments (0) |
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this weekend wasn't as horrible as i anticipated, with having to go back and forth between the two houses, for my dogs and the one i was petsitting for. and getting up at 5am was rough, but i'm starting to get into the routine, so it's getting easier, day by day. the dogs are much more well behaved, with all this increased exercise. although, there is still the occasional barking outbursts that must put me on the top of my neighbor's favorite people list :)
this week should be much more mellow. i have no meetings... and only a cat to check on, outside of lily and hersh. this weekend i'll still have two dogs, even after hershey leaves, as i'm petsitting for a 5 month old puppy. his energy level should match lily's, so they should wear each other out nicely :) i may have hershey back for a few more days... unless he gets adopted. so i'm trying hard to send the word out... but he's a rough one, being 8 years old already :(
in the meantime, i've been trying to keep up with what is going with everyone else, but my free time is quickly disappearing. i haven't done much socially in a while... so this weekend might be fun to step out with a few friends. if not this weekend, maybe the following one... who knows. i could use a drink after dealing with all these animals ;) having intelligent conversation outside of "good girl!" would be nice.
in baby news, jackie is close... about two weeks from her due date! i still think she'll be early, but her doctor's are estimating her to be right on time, if not a little late. so we'll see! i need to make sure i get a trip home soon, to take photos of the baby girl :)
this week should be much more mellow. i have no meetings... and only a cat to check on, outside of lily and hersh. this weekend i'll still have two dogs, even after hershey leaves, as i'm petsitting for a 5 month old puppy. his energy level should match lily's, so they should wear each other out nicely :) i may have hershey back for a few more days... unless he gets adopted. so i'm trying hard to send the word out... but he's a rough one, being 8 years old already :(
in the meantime, i've been trying to keep up with what is going with everyone else, but my free time is quickly disappearing. i haven't done much socially in a while... so this weekend might be fun to step out with a few friends. if not this weekend, maybe the following one... who knows. i could use a drink after dealing with all these animals ;) having intelligent conversation outside of "good girl!" would be nice.
in baby news, jackie is close... about two weeks from her due date! i still think she'll be early, but her doctor's are estimating her to be right on time, if not a little late. so we'll see! i need to make sure i get a trip home soon, to take photos of the baby girl :)
| posted at 2:49 PM ~ comments (0) |
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i had my dog skills tested yesterday, and it scared me a little. i am petsitting for an 85lb american bulldog (similar to a pitbull, if you've ever seen those before) this weekend, beginning last night. i had been to the house twice before, and both times the pup was sweet as could be, giving kisses, playing, etc. however, when i got there, in the absence of his owner, this dog was NOT happy about me being in his house. he was gated in the kitchen, and as i approached the gate, i see him with his head down, ears back, fur standing up, and he's growling. so i took a deep breath and tried to remember all that i know of dealing with aggressive or fearful dogs. i talked in a soft voice, and knelt down at the gate so that i was at his level, and not towering above him. luckily, his food was near me, so i could grab a handful, and toss him a few pieces. i refused to look him in the eye, and just kept my movements slow and non-threatening. after about 15 min of that, he stopped growling. pretty soon, he was coming closer to the gate... and then eating out of my hand. after about an hour and a half of this routine, i finally got the gate open, and coaxed him to come outside with me. he still gave me looks like he wasn't quite sure of me yet... so i still kept a couple treats in my pocket and fed him a little here and there. by the time bedtime rolled around, i had him playing ball, tail wagging, and giving me kisses :) so all is well, but for a while there, i was worried! i didn't know how i was supposed to get this dog outside if he didn't calm down. but luckily, he is a good dog at heart... just wasn't too sure who this freaky girl was in his house with no one else home!
so i'm playing with dogs all weekend... sleeping at this boy's house... then making trips home to feed and play with lily and hershey. i was up a bit earlier this morning, at 5am, to feed and walk the pup, then drive home and feed and take lily and hersh to the park. that's pretty much how the rest of the weekend will go... so by sunday, i'm sure i'll be ready to fall dead. next week it's just lily and hershey again... and hersh leaves on thursday. he's becoming pretty lovable... lily gives him kisses, and he now is attached to my knee, and gives me kisses when i sit down. if i had the time and space to give to this dog, i'd keep him in a heartbeat... but with lily, i don't have the long-term energy to deal with two dogs :( so i'm hoping i can get him adopted... it would break my heart to see such a loving, faithful dog go down. *sigh* i don't know if i'm cut out for fostering... i think it will hurt too much if my dogs don't get adopted.
but after hersh leaves, i'm petsitting next weekend in my home for a 5 month old labradoodle. he's really cute, and should be able to wear lily out. after next weekend, it will be just she and i again, which i'm sure she can't wait for :) then it's no more petsitting for a bit, as i'm going to new york in three weeks for lobster fest! that's coming up pretty quick... and then i'm off to meet joe's family. his brother is flying in from arizona and then making the 6 hour drive with us and lily... that should be interesting :)
anyway, back to work... and off to entertain cats and dogs :)
so i'm playing with dogs all weekend... sleeping at this boy's house... then making trips home to feed and play with lily and hershey. i was up a bit earlier this morning, at 5am, to feed and walk the pup, then drive home and feed and take lily and hersh to the park. that's pretty much how the rest of the weekend will go... so by sunday, i'm sure i'll be ready to fall dead. next week it's just lily and hershey again... and hersh leaves on thursday. he's becoming pretty lovable... lily gives him kisses, and he now is attached to my knee, and gives me kisses when i sit down. if i had the time and space to give to this dog, i'd keep him in a heartbeat... but with lily, i don't have the long-term energy to deal with two dogs :( so i'm hoping i can get him adopted... it would break my heart to see such a loving, faithful dog go down. *sigh* i don't know if i'm cut out for fostering... i think it will hurt too much if my dogs don't get adopted.
but after hersh leaves, i'm petsitting next weekend in my home for a 5 month old labradoodle. he's really cute, and should be able to wear lily out. after next weekend, it will be just she and i again, which i'm sure she can't wait for :) then it's no more petsitting for a bit, as i'm going to new york in three weeks for lobster fest! that's coming up pretty quick... and then i'm off to meet joe's family. his brother is flying in from arizona and then making the 6 hour drive with us and lily... that should be interesting :)
anyway, back to work... and off to entertain cats and dogs :)
| posted at 8:03 AM ~ comments (0) |
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well, i finished the site for the dog park i go to. so now you can stay updated on everything that is going on with the park, if you care :)
www.towerscca.org
it's missing some items, but on the whole, it's finished. not my best work, but it'll do :)
hershey bear is doing ok. he's getting a lot of exercise, as i've taken he and lily to the park a ton over the past couple of days. my legs are sore from he and lily both pulling on the leash, and me having to brace myself... but it's been working out ok. makes me realize how much work having two dogs is... and how i can in NO WAY have that many animals, in that small of a space. it's animal kingdom in my apartment lately. joe is such a good sport for putting up with all the craziness. he claims he loves it, but i know he's just humoring me :) gotta love that guy :) he even cooked dinner again last night... some goulash (sp?) that was super good! i had it for lunch today, too... yum!
but i'm running on empty right now as far as energy goes... those dogs are sucking it right out. i'm also petsitting for someone this weekend... so by sunday, i'm going to be BEAT. let's just hope hershey bear finds a good home soon. that poor guy really needs one, and it will make this all really worth it...
www.towerscca.org
it's missing some items, but on the whole, it's finished. not my best work, but it'll do :)
hershey bear is doing ok. he's getting a lot of exercise, as i've taken he and lily to the park a ton over the past couple of days. my legs are sore from he and lily both pulling on the leash, and me having to brace myself... but it's been working out ok. makes me realize how much work having two dogs is... and how i can in NO WAY have that many animals, in that small of a space. it's animal kingdom in my apartment lately. joe is such a good sport for putting up with all the craziness. he claims he loves it, but i know he's just humoring me :) gotta love that guy :) he even cooked dinner again last night... some goulash (sp?) that was super good! i had it for lunch today, too... yum!
but i'm running on empty right now as far as energy goes... those dogs are sucking it right out. i'm also petsitting for someone this weekend... so by sunday, i'm going to be BEAT. let's just hope hershey bear finds a good home soon. that poor guy really needs one, and it will make this all really worth it...
| posted at 2:43 PM ~ comments (0) |
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well i think i have found the answer... i took the pups to the park and played fetch until hershey collapsed in the mud :) i came home with two very tired and very calm dogs! so now the plan is to take them for an hour in the morning, and an hour at night... should keep them both in pretty good shape, and me with my sanity :) i took some photos of hersh on sunday... he's such a cutie:
hopefully those photos, along with all the updates i send will help this lovable one find a home! if i had a yard, my life would be so much easier... put that on my list of things i will someday own. maybe not in this city, since land is so hard to come by... but someday, lily will have a nice big yard all her own to run free, that's not overrun with all her friends :)
hopefully those photos, along with all the updates i send will help this lovable one find a home! if i had a yard, my life would be so much easier... put that on my list of things i will someday own. maybe not in this city, since land is so hard to come by... but someday, lily will have a nice big yard all her own to run free, that's not overrun with all her friends :)
| posted at 8:46 AM ~ comments (0) |
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yep, there's another lab in my house :) i went to the adoption event on saturday, and spoke with the woman in charge. they need foster families badly... so i took a look at the list and cathy helped me find a dog that would best fit in my house. that's when we came across 8 year old hershey bear, with his cute graying muzzle and face that looks just like a bear cub... what a sweetie! i brought him home sunday afternoon, and whoo boy... he may be a good boy, but fostering is tough! although, i have to say, he is really well trained. he's housetrained, doesn't chew, doesn't jump on people, and knows "sit" really well. the only problem i've had is that lily wants to play with him... and he completely ignores her when there are toys/balls around. so she starts barking, trying to get him to play, and he starts barking back, trying to get me to throw the ball. over and over and over. you'd never know he was 8 years old from his energy level! luckily, my apartment is pretty well padded for noise. we also figured out last night that if we gave lily the ball, he would chase lily for hours on end :) so we're working out the kinks, and hopefully i can figure out a way to exercise them, so they are not so bark-y when i am home. we'll have fun at the dog park tonight, and i'll post more photos of the two of them later.
hershey bear
outside of hershey coming home for two weeks, i've got two meetings this week, i'm cat-sitting mon-fri, and then i'm dog-sitting thurs-sun. so i've got a really busy week this week... i'll be glad when august comes! but i'm not complaining. nothing is really hard, just time consuming. it's all for a good cause :) and i'm lovin it :)
this weekend wasn't really all that exciting. i'm learning to play poker, and i learned a new version of the drinking card game 'asshole'. i deep cleaned my apartment all over just in time for hershey to come in and drool everywhere :) but it needed it (the cleaning, not the drool) and i'll be ready to do it again once he's gone into a forever home. i had plans to go out with katie sat night, but the storm kept us in, and we made plans to go to the baseball game this weekend :) should be really fun, and i'm looking forward to it!
off to actually get some work done before i'm back at home with the crazies...
hershey bear
outside of hershey coming home for two weeks, i've got two meetings this week, i'm cat-sitting mon-fri, and then i'm dog-sitting thurs-sun. so i've got a really busy week this week... i'll be glad when august comes! but i'm not complaining. nothing is really hard, just time consuming. it's all for a good cause :) and i'm lovin it :)
this weekend wasn't really all that exciting. i'm learning to play poker, and i learned a new version of the drinking card game 'asshole'. i deep cleaned my apartment all over just in time for hershey to come in and drool everywhere :) but it needed it (the cleaning, not the drool) and i'll be ready to do it again once he's gone into a forever home. i had plans to go out with katie sat night, but the storm kept us in, and we made plans to go to the baseball game this weekend :) should be really fun, and i'm looking forward to it!
off to actually get some work done before i'm back at home with the crazies...
| posted at 8:42 AM ~ comments (0) |
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wow... i just got a fantastic email from someone starting weight watchers who found my site :) i love that program, and i'll try to help anyone that needs it to follow it. it seriously changed my life! so keep at it, girl... if i can do it... you can :)
i also got another email regarding lab-rescue for dc... *sigh* i knew it was only a matter of time before i found my way there :) i have been itching to volunteer with adoptions and lab rescue since before i got lily... but concentrated my efforts on my own dog and training/raising her rather than the rescue dogs. but now that she's almost grown, and much better behaved, i am considering fostering a rescue, for short periods of time. lily gets along great with other dogs (unless they are younger.. she still has weird issues with young puppies for some reason... she likes to bully them and scares the crap out of them and ME). but all the rescues would already have been tested to be good with other dogs, so i know they would get along swimmingly. so i'm thinking of going to an adoption event going on in fairfax tomorrow morning, and seeing what they need, if i can help. i'd only be able to do it for short periods of time, since i'm expecting to travel myself in august and september... but if i can offer the time i have, i'd LOVE it. sometimes all they need is a way to transport the animals from the rescue to an adoption event... so at the very least, i can move them in my car, if i can't bring them home. and better yet, i live in a place that limits my number of animals... so even if i found the perfect dog, there's NO WAY i can keep them. good for me, and will help motivate me to find them a good home :) so if anyone has any words of advice on fostering dogs, forward them on... it should be interesting :)
i also got another email regarding lab-rescue for dc... *sigh* i knew it was only a matter of time before i found my way there :) i have been itching to volunteer with adoptions and lab rescue since before i got lily... but concentrated my efforts on my own dog and training/raising her rather than the rescue dogs. but now that she's almost grown, and much better behaved, i am considering fostering a rescue, for short periods of time. lily gets along great with other dogs (unless they are younger.. she still has weird issues with young puppies for some reason... she likes to bully them and scares the crap out of them and ME). but all the rescues would already have been tested to be good with other dogs, so i know they would get along swimmingly. so i'm thinking of going to an adoption event going on in fairfax tomorrow morning, and seeing what they need, if i can help. i'd only be able to do it for short periods of time, since i'm expecting to travel myself in august and september... but if i can offer the time i have, i'd LOVE it. sometimes all they need is a way to transport the animals from the rescue to an adoption event... so at the very least, i can move them in my car, if i can't bring them home. and better yet, i live in a place that limits my number of animals... so even if i found the perfect dog, there's NO WAY i can keep them. good for me, and will help motivate me to find them a good home :) so if anyone has any words of advice on fostering dogs, forward them on... it should be interesting :)
| posted at 11:21 AM ~ comments (0) |
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yep, my father figure is celebrating his birthday today, so happy birthday, dad! sorry i can't be there to eat some cake with ya. hopefully you get my card in time :)
in other news, it looks like the dog park i go to and the group i am involved in is looking to formally get together as an actual organization. the membership dues would go directly to helping to keep up the park, and we could throw official park parties and things on behalf of the park, to keep people interested and involved. i had no idea what i was getting myself into, when i decided to help out... but i honestly love getting this involved. sometimes the bickering and pettiness between members can wear a little thin on my patience... but overall, seeing improvements to our park and making sure things actually get done is well worth my time :)
other than that, nothing new... i'm going to a "yappy hour" at dogma bakery (yes, they have a bakery for pets) tonight... they are giving out free treats for dogs, and drinks for their owners. so lily and i are going to do some socializing :) i just hope she behaves!
in other news, it looks like the dog park i go to and the group i am involved in is looking to formally get together as an actual organization. the membership dues would go directly to helping to keep up the park, and we could throw official park parties and things on behalf of the park, to keep people interested and involved. i had no idea what i was getting myself into, when i decided to help out... but i honestly love getting this involved. sometimes the bickering and pettiness between members can wear a little thin on my patience... but overall, seeing improvements to our park and making sure things actually get done is well worth my time :)
other than that, nothing new... i'm going to a "yappy hour" at dogma bakery (yes, they have a bakery for pets) tonight... they are giving out free treats for dogs, and drinks for their owners. so lily and i are going to do some socializing :) i just hope she behaves!
| posted at 9:37 AM ~ comments (0) |
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anyone in the dc/virginia area (might be too far for you maryland folk)... here's an announcement of a fundraiser/party the group i'm involved in is hosting at our dog park... so feel free to come with or without your dogs to show support :) lily and i will be there!
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Sunday, July 31, 2:30pm
Join us at Towers Park on Sunday July 31st at 2:30PM for a lot of canine fun and a BBQ potluck for the humans. We are hosting an event to have fun, and give information about the future lighting of Towers CCA.
Reasons to Come:
A Good Cause (lighting the park): Especially for dog owners who need places to exercise their pooches after work in the winter months when it's too dark to see where the poop piles are on the ground. Also, of course to improve safety at Towers Park for all park users.
To Celebrate Happy Occasions: namely Jennifer Pitcher's viszla (Chloe)'s birthday and Smaran Gollamu's dog Indra's anniversary with Smaran. (Doggy Cake Provided by AKA Spot)
In addition to the human food, we will be hosting doggy contests including "Best Crooner," "Best Dancer," "Best Fetcher," "Best Tail Wagger," "Most Genetically Enhanced" (for the mixed breed of the most combinations), "Jump the Hoop" contest and more. Real prizes to be awarded!
Wear out the dogs for the day and have some fun yourselves while building some community spirit!
It's Potluck so please bring enough for you and your entourage +1, and/or provide a charitable donation in lieu of a gift in order to help us reach our goal for installing lighting at the park. The county requires matching funds in order to cover the costs, so we're going to be needing about 8-10 thousand more than what we're likely to receive. So every little bit helps! Or just come to show your support and enjoy the fun!
Hope to see you there... And spread the word to all of your friends and their canine companions because it will be fun and because we aim to show the County our support for the park and lighting!
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Sunday, July 31, 2:30pm
Join us at Towers Park on Sunday July 31st at 2:30PM for a lot of canine fun and a BBQ potluck for the humans. We are hosting an event to have fun, and give information about the future lighting of Towers CCA.
Reasons to Come:
A Good Cause (lighting the park): Especially for dog owners who need places to exercise their pooches after work in the winter months when it's too dark to see where the poop piles are on the ground. Also, of course to improve safety at Towers Park for all park users.
To Celebrate Happy Occasions: namely Jennifer Pitcher's viszla (Chloe)'s birthday and Smaran Gollamu's dog Indra's anniversary with Smaran. (Doggy Cake Provided by AKA Spot)
In addition to the human food, we will be hosting doggy contests including "Best Crooner," "Best Dancer," "Best Fetcher," "Best Tail Wagger," "Most Genetically Enhanced" (for the mixed breed of the most combinations), "Jump the Hoop" contest and more. Real prizes to be awarded!
Wear out the dogs for the day and have some fun yourselves while building some community spirit!
It's Potluck so please bring enough for you and your entourage +1, and/or provide a charitable donation in lieu of a gift in order to help us reach our goal for installing lighting at the park. The county requires matching funds in order to cover the costs, so we're going to be needing about 8-10 thousand more than what we're likely to receive. So every little bit helps! Or just come to show your support and enjoy the fun!
Hope to see you there... And spread the word to all of your friends and their canine companions because it will be fun and because we aim to show the County our support for the park and lighting!
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| posted at 1:35 PM ~ comments (0) |
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so i didn't make it to michigan this weekend. i waited too long to purchase tickets, and they wound up being over $250 to fly home for the weekend. and after my car issues, there was no way i could swing that. so then i contemplated driving back for the shower, but then realized driving 9 hours after just having my brakes fixed might not be the smartest thing in the world. if something happened, i'd be really far from home. so i stayed in virginia, and had a pretty good weekend. friday night i stayed in and watched movies... then saturday we went out to a couple of bars to show a visitor from pittsburgh a good time. that was the drunkest i had been in a really long time, and i paid dearly for it on sunday. i spent most of the morning in bed... and my headache never fully went away for the rest of the day. but joe came over later on in the day, and made a fantastic chicken and tomato pasta dish... it had peppers and onions and was so, so good. so that helped :) but i'm taking a hiatus from drinking for a bit... i still don't feel quite right.
this week there's nothing major going on. meetings and some potential pet sitting opportunities. i put an ad out offering my free nights and weekends to petsit for people in the area... knowing full well how much trustworthy people are needed to check in on pets when people are away. despite the very, very generous donations from people, i'm still looking for some extra income, to get back into a good spot with my finances. so this seemed like something definitely worthwhile... and i've gotten a couple of inquiries. we'll see how it goes, but so far, it looks like it will be worth my time :) plus i get to play with animals... how fun is that? one even offered to let lily come with me... so not only do i get extra money, but i get someone to play with my dog :) that rocks. i'm still looking for some programming opportunities... something i can do while in my own home is ideal. but petsitting was a good alternative, and i hope i do a well enough job.
anyway, nothing else really major going on. jackie is getting really close to delivery... she's four weeks from her due date, but (forgive me if this is too much information) already dialated a centimeter. i have a strong belief that she's coming early, and will have a baby before july is over... but we'll see! i know craig is super excited to see his little girl! i hope i get to visit her soon... i'm going to want a ton of photos to make up for the fact that i'm so far away. *hint hint* jackie :)
no more trips for a few weeks, unless i plan to go visit the new little sommerville. the lobster fest weekend in long island isn't until august 13, so i've got another month to get ready for that. then the following weekend is bouckville... so i've got a month to rest before it's travel time! hopefully that means i can get things squared away here... and if anyone is looking for a place to visit, you know where i'll be :)
and yes, i'm still running... but no where near the amount i should be, for training. i hurt my knee pretty bad last week, so took a few days off. but now i'm back in full force, and am hopefully back on schedule for the marathon. i need new shoes desperately, as i think that's the reason my knee was so sore last week... but for now, i'll just live with them, and hope they last a little longer...
this week there's nothing major going on. meetings and some potential pet sitting opportunities. i put an ad out offering my free nights and weekends to petsit for people in the area... knowing full well how much trustworthy people are needed to check in on pets when people are away. despite the very, very generous donations from people, i'm still looking for some extra income, to get back into a good spot with my finances. so this seemed like something definitely worthwhile... and i've gotten a couple of inquiries. we'll see how it goes, but so far, it looks like it will be worth my time :) plus i get to play with animals... how fun is that? one even offered to let lily come with me... so not only do i get extra money, but i get someone to play with my dog :) that rocks. i'm still looking for some programming opportunities... something i can do while in my own home is ideal. but petsitting was a good alternative, and i hope i do a well enough job.
anyway, nothing else really major going on. jackie is getting really close to delivery... she's four weeks from her due date, but (forgive me if this is too much information) already dialated a centimeter. i have a strong belief that she's coming early, and will have a baby before july is over... but we'll see! i know craig is super excited to see his little girl! i hope i get to visit her soon... i'm going to want a ton of photos to make up for the fact that i'm so far away. *hint hint* jackie :)
no more trips for a few weeks, unless i plan to go visit the new little sommerville. the lobster fest weekend in long island isn't until august 13, so i've got another month to get ready for that. then the following weekend is bouckville... so i've got a month to rest before it's travel time! hopefully that means i can get things squared away here... and if anyone is looking for a place to visit, you know where i'll be :)
and yes, i'm still running... but no where near the amount i should be, for training. i hurt my knee pretty bad last week, so took a few days off. but now i'm back in full force, and am hopefully back on schedule for the marathon. i need new shoes desperately, as i think that's the reason my knee was so sore last week... but for now, i'll just live with them, and hope they last a little longer...
| posted at 9:00 AM ~ comments (0) |
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i know everyone has probably already heard about all the news going on in england right now. it's a sad, sad day... and very interesting on the timing. in the middle of the G8 summit and on the heels of the announcement of the 2012 olympics being hosted in london... makes you wonder. regardless of the reason, it's still a terrible event, and i hope everyone feels sympathy for all londoners and the family members of the victims. we know what it's like to live in fear when attacked by terrorists... i myself have to take the metro home tonight and am now more hesitant to rely on public transportation. i half-way considered cabbing it home... but it's my belief to not react in fear... that's what the terrorists want. if we don't react, then their plans fail. they don't want to take over the u.s... they want us to be so terrified that we self-destruct. so i'm taking the metro home... and although i'm uneasy... i'm more angry than i am afraid. i hope these events in madrid and london echo throughout europe and inspire people to take action. i just wish i knew what the correct course of action should be. *sigh* what a world...
| posted at 9:15 AM ~ comments (0) |
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whew... what a fun weekend. lots of traveling... i could use another day of sleep. joe was of course a big hit with my family. i don't think i've heard so many "he's a keeper" lines before :) so at least he has the family's stamp of approval. now i just have to impress his family as much as he did mine. that trip's not scheduled til august, so i have some time to prepare :) the reunion itself was ok... the size seems to have bottomed out at around 30 people. not everyone comes every year, so it's interesting to see new people each time. over the next few years, we may be looking to relocate. my uncle has hosted it for the past 20 years... and soon he will need to pass the torch along to someone else to host it. if i lived in michigan, and owned a place, i'd offer... but something tells me not everyone is willing to fly all the way over here to hang out in my small living room. but it was fun catching up with all of my cousins and extended family members. i need to get our family site up and running with more fun things, and get our tree updated so that more people can find their relatives!
then sunday i caught up with my friends that still live in michigan... i'm so glad i got to see everyone... they drove from all over the place just to say hi. you guys rock :) i really need to make more trips home. i never have enough time to really talk with everyone :( or maybe some people need to visit ;)
on monday, we were back in dc, and my friends and i finally made it to a national's baseball game! i even got an official washington hat :) even though we lost to the mets, it was still a fun game. i couldn't remember the last baseball game i went to... and i can't wait to go again. we then walked downtown to the capitol building, to see the nation's fireworks... and despite the obnoxious group of about twenty 15-yr olds, i had fun dancing around. and i've never seen fireworks like the ones out here... usually there is a little pause in between each firework... but out here, it was at least two or three at a time, one right after another! I kept thinking it was the finale... and then the sky exploded with lights... it was fantastic! next year, we're going to try to get closer to the fireworks and the monument... but we were close enough to hear the symphony and see the majority of the show. nothing like hearing patriotic music by the national symphony while watching fireworks shoot off behind the monument. what a great view :) i love this city :)
and now i'm back to work... but i'll be flying back to michigan again this weekend for jackie's baby shower. she's only four weeks away from her due date... i can't believe how fast this summer is flying by! five weeks til lobster fest... i have some serious running to get done by then... and a few projects around the house. but it's good to be home for now :)
then sunday i caught up with my friends that still live in michigan... i'm so glad i got to see everyone... they drove from all over the place just to say hi. you guys rock :) i really need to make more trips home. i never have enough time to really talk with everyone :( or maybe some people need to visit ;)
on monday, we were back in dc, and my friends and i finally made it to a national's baseball game! i even got an official washington hat :) even though we lost to the mets, it was still a fun game. i couldn't remember the last baseball game i went to... and i can't wait to go again. we then walked downtown to the capitol building, to see the nation's fireworks... and despite the obnoxious group of about twenty 15-yr olds, i had fun dancing around. and i've never seen fireworks like the ones out here... usually there is a little pause in between each firework... but out here, it was at least two or three at a time, one right after another! I kept thinking it was the finale... and then the sky exploded with lights... it was fantastic! next year, we're going to try to get closer to the fireworks and the monument... but we were close enough to hear the symphony and see the majority of the show. nothing like hearing patriotic music by the national symphony while watching fireworks shoot off behind the monument. what a great view :) i love this city :)
and now i'm back to work... but i'll be flying back to michigan again this weekend for jackie's baby shower. she's only four weeks away from her due date... i can't believe how fast this summer is flying by! five weeks til lobster fest... i have some serious running to get done by then... and a few projects around the house. but it's good to be home for now :)
| posted at 2:37 PM ~ comments (0) |
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it's finally friday! i'm off on a 6pm flight to detroit, so i am leaving work today early to make it to the airport in time. i'm praying these severe thunderstorms don't affect our flight, but they are scheduled to arrive just in time for our take off :( but it's supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees all day tomorrow for the reunion... i just hope i make it there! so no updates until i get back... and then i'll be downtown monday for the 4th celebrations... woohoo for fireworks! i've never seen a presentation like the one that happens at the capitol building... it's gonna be spectacular!
happy fourth of july everyone!
happy fourth of july everyone!
| posted at 10:19 AM ~ comments (0) |