What a day...

Well, it's just us girls here this weekend. Garet is at a camp for work, so Suzi and I have had fun outside doing yardwork.

I woke up early (as usual!) and after breakfast - and my smoothie!- I went outside to mow the grass. Not too long after I started, I noticed something come out from the side of the lawnmower... it was a snake! A little one, but still, it was a snake! I stopped the mower because I didn't want snake guts all over the place - but I used the mower as my barrier and tried to scare him away from our yard! I probably looked like the biggest goober!

So after I finished all the grass, I went to work on my flowers. I bought a lot to go down beside our mailbox, and I also bought some herbs and a couple vegetables - we'll see if I get to those tomorrow though! I was digging around on one side of the mailbox, and hit an ant hill! They swarmed! They were the black ones - so I got Garet's spray stuff and got 'em! Then I got to digging the other side of the mailbox and felt two bites, one on my leg and one on my hand. Red ants!! Oh man I was mad! I cannot believe how many of them there were! Don't worry I got them with the spray too! Wish I knew how to keep them from getting into my flowers!

All of that took most of the afternoon. Actually when I came in to eat some lunch I noticed that I hadn't even made up the bed this morning! If you know me, you know that I am obsessed when it comes to making the bed! Last one out makes it. I couldn't believe I didn't make it until after noon! Man I am really living on the edge!!

I did get the inside of the house all clean and then went over to Target for some errands. Now I am tired, and curled up on the couch about to watch a girlie movie :) Hopefully I'll have energy tomorrow to get my little garden started!

Flowers and Rainbows...

This past weekend flew by! On Saturday, Garet and I went on the hunt for some flowers and herbs. We went to Lowes and just got some simple flowers to go beside our mailbox. I still don't know what I am going to put in the backyard under our windows. Since that area doesn't get too much sun, I am still trying to figure out what to put there. Garet bumped into a woman that he knew from work who just happens to own a small place down the street and she sells herbs and vegetables. So we went there and got some fun stuff. We didn't get a chance to plant them (it rained on Sunday). I'll have to do that this coming weekend. Saturday night Garet and I had a lovely dinner at a little Italian place.

On Sunday, after church, Garet had to go work for a little bit. I decided to make some cookies - on a gross rainy day, that is the best! I have to say, these were the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever made! I used a recipe that I have used before - but for some reason this time they stayed all fluffy and yummy. I think it was due to my new mixer :)

Sunday night we took dinner to a friend that just had a baby. On the way, it stopped raining. Then I looked over to my right and saw the biggest, most beautiful rainbow!
Can you see it? I couldn't get the whole thing but we could see the complete arch! It was so pretty!

Yesterday I was walking around our backyard with Suzi and I went to check on my Hydrangea - I saw a little bloom!! I was so excited! (I know I'm easy!) Both of my plants have many small little buds on them, so I have just been waiting for them to pop! Finally a little one did!
You can't tell from the picture, but it is a very light pink. I know that a Hydrangea color depends on how much acid is in your soil. It will either be blue or pink. Well I it looks like ours will be pink. Yay! I can't wait for the whole thing to be in bloom!

Playing outside...

It was so pretty outside earlier this week - we had to take advantage of it! We gave Suzi her beloved ball and played in the backyard.

Here is Suzi trying to pop her ball:
It is so funny watching her run around! You can tell she is at full speed right now!

I even managed to get burned! I can't wait until the weather is this nice all the time!!

Garet and I went to a Stars baseball game. The Stars is the minor league baseball team here. We had a really good time! The weather was great! I think when I go to games I people watch more that I actually watch the game. It was fun, but we lost - it was only by 1 point though. I played with my camera to get a panoramic shot.

I am hoping that the weather cooperates this weekend so I can get some flowers planted. I would also like to start growing my own spices/herbs, so hopefully I can do that on Saturday.

Making bread...

I was soooo super excited to use my mixer!! I decided to make some bread... here I am preparing to cut on my mixer for the first time...
Here I am realizing that the mixer actually needs to be plugged in before it will start...

Finally - I'm mixin'!!-

I love my mixer!!! I can't wait to make something else :)

Of course, the bread had to rise and sit and rise and sit and then bake - so eventually this is what I got...

It didn't rise as much as I thought it would - but it was my first one, and it tasted great! Next time I will have to mix in some cinnamon!

Happy Easter...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!

The parents visit...

Finally, I found time to write about my parents visit! We had such a great time having them here! They got here Friday night and we enjoyed my cake :)

On Saturday we took them out to Bridgestreet to hang out. It was a beautiful day! Here we are on the bridge:Here is just the two of us

Then we went out to Athens - part of Garet's district for work. They were having some kind of festival and were giving out free hotdogs, drinks, and ice cream! There was also music and singing and they had all these old fancy cars out for everyone to see. It was really cute - and the boys enjoyed looking at the cars.

We didn't really have plans while they were here - we were able to just hang out and catch up. It was so nice having my parents here!!! I am excited that it will only be a month until I see them again! Here we all are in our backyard (of course Garet had to do his famous shot!)

I got to use my mixer today - so now I am just relaxing waiting for my bread to rise :)

Early birthday...

Let me start with this - my birthday isn't until August 17.

Last night my parents, Garet and I were just hanging out before dinner. My dad said, "let's have a party!" I was like, okay... They said it would be an early birthday party! Then my dad went and got a gift for me from their car!!

I was surprised, I mean I have NEVER gotten a gift this early before :) Imagine my surprise when I opened this!!!

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sooooo super excited about it!!!

We will be going to Charlotte next month and staying with my parents but after that we don't have plans to see them until Thanksgiving. My mom knew how much I wanted one of these, and she was scared I would go out and buy one for myself before our trip to Charlotte next month. (Which I would have!) So they figured they'd just give me an early gift!

I can't wait to make something!!!!!! We still have some of my cake left, so I might try to make some bread! Oh the possibilities!

12 layers...

My parents are still here - they are leaving in the morning, right now we are watching the Final Four basketball game! I just had to show the cake I made:Here it is after we cut it!

Yep, 12 layers! I got the recipe here and it is SO yummy!!!

Back to cheering on Carolina!!

The weekend's here...

I took this picture a few days ago on my way home - I know there has got to be something fun in Photoshop I can do to it! I just love how the sun is coming through the clouds!

So, yay it's the weekend! My parents are on their way here! Yay! They will probably get here soon after I get off work, so that's perfect timing! I made a fun cake last night, I'll have to share some pictures later. And I have a crockpot meal going - I just LOVE meals in the crockpot! Actually Garet turned it to "low" before he left the house, so according to him, he made dinner for tonight. :)

Last night we were in a tornado warning - some places near here got hit pretty hard. Garet, Suzi, and I got in our closet for about 15 minutes until our area was all clear. I hope the bad weather is past us! Looks like tomorrow is supposed to be nice! It'll be a great weekend, AND I have Monday off!

The diagnosis...

Finally (after like 2 months!) the vet gave us a diagnosis for Suzi from when she was so sick. Asthma. Yep my dog has asthma, and no that does not mean she has to have an inhaler. Basically she just has to be on a pill the rest of her life. At least it's a small pill :) And she is back to normal now, so yay!

Suzi enjoying a nice nap - doesn't she look comfortable?

Landscaping...

Garet and I had a very productive weekend! On Saturday, we decided to do some landscaping in our backyard. I'm sure some of you remember that Suzi had "landscaped" last summer... if you need reminded of that you can read about it here, here, and here - good times.

Looking back I realized that I didn't have any pictures of Suzi's project, so here is our yard on the day that she did her thing:

Just imagine how muddy she was!!! - man I was mad!

Anyway... we ended up just kinda smoothing the dirt around, and hoping that grass would grow back, well it didn't. So we figured we would just have to put some plants or bushes there and mulch. First let me start by saying that Garet and I have never done any kind of landscaping like this before, so we were pretty darn proud of ourselves.

We figured that since our grass is just starting to grow, from being dead all winter, we should get on it. We bought some boxwoods and hydrangea (which I LOVE!) Saturday night Garet had to work, so we didn't get to finish everything. So Sunday, after we got home from church we got to work! Sorry the picture is dark, but we didn't finish until about 7 that night.

I want to mix in some flowers or something. We didn't put the plants under the windows since they are supposed to grow up to about 4 feet - so I need to put something in to fill that area. It looks so much better! Now if our grass would just keep getting greener!

So now I am just really really sore! My back, legs, arms, pretty much everything - maybe this means I am out of shape?

Horse farm...

So, I was just lookin around on the Internet - or should I say "surfing the web" and I came across Martha Stewart's horse stables! Wow! I have loved horses since I can remember. When I was 5 I met my best friend, Marsha, who actually is still my best friend to this day! She owned a pony named Trixie and a horse named Tootsie (which is still alive and doing well!) We would ride for hours on end, galloping through her pastures, going on adventures. One time we even slept on her barn roof. -Don't ask why... we were kids and that's what kids do: crazy stuff.

I eventually bought a horse and kept him at the barn where we took riding lessons. We changed around barns probably 5 times or so, each barn different, yet all of them were simple and neat. Just what we needed. When I started getting into horse shows where we traveled to other barns, I saw some REALLY nice barns! The kind that doesn't even smell like horses! I like looking at places like that - but seriously, I like the smell :)

This barn is really nice! Here is the front
Here is some of the inside - check out the floors! Beautiful! And I love the simplicity of it!

I liked this one because it shows the stall bars. I love how the stalls don't go all the way up to the ceiling. It makes it seem bigger.

Love horse faces! What a beauty he is! Garet says I say that about all horses!

This is the farrier putting shoes on, but I love the beadboard on the wall!

Okay and she even has company over and serves them dinner in the barn!

This is a picture of one of the pastures, but check out the fence! Love it!

This was a picture taken from a helicopter. No that is not her house, that is her barn! And just look how pretty and green!

(all photos courtesy of Martha Stewart)

I have already made clear to Garet that I will own another horse, one day :) Maybe not a farm to this extent though! I love looking at barns and horses!

And we're back...

Well, we had a great trip, but boy did it fly by! We left here on Wednesday after work and drove about 6 hours before we made a pit stop for the night. Then we finished the drive on Thursday. We got there just in time to have lunch with Garet's dad and his fiance, Barbara. Then we went on to Garet's mom's house to have dinner with her and one of Garet's sisters.

Friday we had plans to go on a hike with Garet's dad. We hiked beside the Potomac River, it was a beautiful day - just a little chilly! Here we are on the hike:


Friday night we went to the rehearsal then to dinner. All of Garet's sisters were there with their husbands and kids. Did I mention Garet had 4 older sisters? and 11 nieces and nephews - with 1 on the way! It was so great to see all of them again!

Saturday all the siblings and the families got together for lunch, then it was off to the wedding. They got married in a cute little chapel. Here they are, officially Mr. and Mrs.

After the ceremony the photographer wanted all the family to hang out so she could get some pictures. I wasn't able to get one of the whole family (since I was in the picture) hopefully I'll get to see the photographers picture! Here is one of Garet's dad, Barbara and all the sisters: Merideth, Adriane, Kim, and Karen.

Man I look short! Garet's dad and Barbara were standing on a step, Garet and I were on a shorter step - really, I promise I'm not that short!

We had such a great time! It was so good to see all Garet's family, and all the kids! I can't believe how fast kids grow! Makes us want to move closer so we can be more of a part of that. Garet and his sisters have a pose that they try to do whenever they are all together. Here it is:

They are in order from youngest to oldest. I love these pictures!

Sunday we got to enjoy 11 hours of each others company :) Although I got to sleep for probably 3 hours of that trip! What a long car ride! We made it home around 5:30, which was perfect - we unpacked, started laundry, ate dinner, and got to sit for awhile before hitting the bed and starting a new work week!

Off to DC...

Well we are heading out today! Both of us have to work, so we will be leaving after we get off and driving until we are tired, then finishing the trip tomorrow morning.

Looking at the weather for the area we'll be in, it is supposed to be nice and sunny with highs in the 50's. I still don't know what I'm wearing to the wedding. I just packed a LOT of stuff so I can decide later!

Speaking of packing...
Last night we, err I mean - I packed. Garet went to bible study and I went to hang out with some girlfriends - so I didn't get started packing until about 9 last night. I like to try and be really organized. Like I plan somewhat of an outfit for everyday I'll be gone. That way I know I have enough clothes. Then after I do all of that, I just pick a few more shirts "just in case", and a couple shirts for different types of weather... It sounds way more detailed than it is!
Garet, on the other hand, picked out a few t-shirts, grabbed his suit, and called it done. I said, Honey is that all you need? Don't you want a few more shirts? He said, I dunno, when the clothes come out of the dryer we'll see if anything catches my eye.

Ha! He makes me smile :)

So, we're off! Happy Spring!

Hope you're wearing green...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Have you seen the movie The Boondock Saints? First of all, I love that movie! Second, it reminds me of St. Patty's Day! Hope everyone has a great day, and if you're going out - be safe!! We are having a meeting here at the office and it looks like pretty much everyone is wearing green! Funny!

We are heading to DC tomorrow for Garet's dad's wedding. I still have a million trillion things to do before we go, and no time to do it! Y'all know what I mean!

A year ago...

So I have tons of work to do, but I just can't seem to focus! You know how that is!


Instead I looked back at some old emails - like from a year ago! One year ago, Garet and I were planning our trip back to St. John. Seems like forever ago that we even went on that trip! I think we should start planning another trip :)

It really is crazy how fast time flies! Garet was in the process of looking for a job, he had just interviewed with the Fire Department. We were considering moving back to the Caribbean... Isn't it funny how sometimes, at the time, you think "Will this EVER work out?" or "What would happen if we made this decision?" Wouldn't it be nice if you could just hit fast forward just to take a little peek at what the outcome of things would be?? That way you would be okay with the waiting game, or you would know if you made the right decision.

Now looking back that a year ago, I am so thankful that we made all the decisions we did! I think everything worked out just great! Would we ever move back to St. John?? Who knows? Sometimes I think, "Absolutely!" other times I think "maybe".

I love looking back and remembering the things that we have been though!

Now on to more important things....
like Garet's dad is getting married next week - and I have NO idea what to wear!! It is going to be too cold for sandals, and short dresses, but I don't have a long sleeved dress, and I don't want to wear pants... What's a girl to do?

Date Day...

No pictures in this post, sorry - I, unfortunately, haven't used my camera in a while!

Garet and I usually go on date nights but yesterday we had a date day. I have been off from work the past two days, so yesterday Garet finished up his work early so we could hit up the movies! We went out to Bridgestreet and went to a couple stores then went to the movie theater there. It was really nice!

Let me tell you what a goof I am...
So, I was off work on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Well on Tuesday night I have bible study with the girls from church. Tuesday night Garet and I were sitting down for dinner, we were just chatting, then he said, "You have bible study tonight!" Duh - the WHOLE day I thought it was Saturday! I totally missed it! Then yesterday I felt like I was skipping church, because I thought it was Sunday! My mind just can't seem to comprehend a day off in the middle of the week! :)

Today feels like Monday...

Belated Weekend...

My busy work weekend is over!!! Everything went really well - and boy was I tired yesterday when I got home! We were really busy yesterday! Today was like my Friday, I get off the next two days! I am so excited about it!

While we were working the rodeo was going on, right outside the office window. I took pictures - yes I was the crazy girl in the window with the camera. Here are the 3 I took, it is of them setting up, then with all the horses getting ready to go inside to compete.

We had a beautiful weekend, and so far the beginning of the week has been pretty too. It is supposed to rain, but hopefully it will wait until after my "weekend".

And it begins...

work, work, work

We are having our Building, Home & Remodeling Show this weekend, which means that we get to work ALL weekend. I have actually been there setting up for it all week. It is nice to get out of the office, and time sure flies by since we are so busy there - but when I get home I realize how tired I am! And how bad my feet hurt!

Today and tomorrow I get the morning off - I don't have to be there until noon but then I will be working until close. If you plan on coming go here and print out a $1 off coupon :)

So our show is going on at the VBC (Von Braun Center), well guess what else is going on at the VBC??? The RODEO!! Last year Garet and I went - but this year I have to work more, so we won't be able to make it. I love the rodeo! Our show office has two big windows, and guess what they look out on?? The behind the scenes of the rodeo!! When I have some downtime I watch the cowboys set up the rails and get the horses into the arena. I'll have to take some pictures! Here is Garet and I last year

Winter's still here...

When I woke up this morning this is what I saw when I looked outside:
It seemed to be more ice than snow. I was actually surprised that the weatherguys got it right! I tried to get a close up of the actual snow.

It was coming down pretty hard for awhile. After church, pretty much everything was melted, but it stayed COLD!! I am really looking forward to spring!

We ran a few errands today - I got a few frames to hang in the house! I just got finished ordering pictures for them, that's so exciting! :) I also started making some cookies. If I am ever bored that is usually what I do... bake. I found a new recipe for some sugar cookies. I will never use it again. The dough was so super sticky that I couldn't even get it rolled without having it all over the place! No matter how much flour I used! So I got one batch in the oven and decided that I was done wrestling with it. Instead I just put the rest of the batter onto to cookie sheet to make 1 big cookie. I would have posted a picture, but it wasn't very pretty!

Now we are just enjoying our last bit of the weekend before a new crazy work week starts.