Friday, August 8, 2014

Family Vacation

I have missed blogging so much!!! I don't even know where the time has gone, but I have been crazy busy with finals, end of the summer projects, and getting ready for a crazy busy fall. During all this craziness, we took a well deserved break when my mom, brother, and his girlfriend came to visit.

Two weeks ago, J went to a conference in Newport, so I helped get him all packed up and then hit the gym lots! :)

Pups enjoying some last minute cuddles with Dad! 
After 2  spin classes! 
I can't believe how big Marley is!!! And it is even crazier that Flik is letting her hold his paw! 



Our neighbors E and LA are teachers and they were preparing their classrooms before going back to work, so I got to hang out with these awesome kiddos lots while J was still on "pa's airplane" as T likes to say.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL TEACHERS WHO PUT IN THEIR OWN TIME AND MONEY TO MAKE SCHOOL GREAT FOR SO MANY CHILDREN! THEY DO NOT GET PAID FOR ALL THE TIME AND WORK THEY PUT INTO MAKING AN IMPACT ON OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS!

Flik and Lilo were quite bored because mommy was doing too much work and daddy is the fun one anyway! :) Wednesday they decided a getaway to the park was a necessity!!!


Yes, I own GA shoes! :) Tevas are really practical here! 


Lilo likes to make her own trails :)


T and I doing yoga

She thought it was so funny that she spilled milk all over her face! 


Trying to share her ball with Lilo :)



My mom drove up Saturday alone because B and M couldn't take the whole week off work. We had dinner grilling when she arrived and my friend N and her Boyfriend M came over to hang with Mom too! With so many photo freaks, I don't know why we don't have a picture of that! But this is after my work Sunday morning...mom came to watch and then we went to pick up the pups from J's lab. I didn't mean to look so bored, I think it is just an automatic response when I'm there! :) #Gladhelikesit #Iwouldshootmyself 



Monday we went to the Botanical Gardens. It was hot, but so beautiful! 






Then we went shopping for a kitchen light since ours broke :( Now, I just have to convince J that spending a couple hundred dollars on this is worth it! ;)

Took Mom and the pups to the park and did some more shopping to get ready for the cabin on tuesday! 








Reminds me of the Lion King scene...
See...


It took all my will power to leave these shoes on the shelf! I love all my Jessica Simpsons, but these might have to be my new work shoes! 

J pulled an all-nighter at work so this is how I found him when I woke up! 

Mom came over to see the family I spend most of my time with here and T wanted to take a silly picture of us! 

The CABIN!!!!! We picked up B and M at the bus station in ATL and headed straight to the cabin. They had a really long and cold night, but we were so glad they could join us! 
The cabin belongs to an awesome family that I have the pleasure of knowing and working with. They were so gracious in letting us use their cabin in the mountains! I was just what we needed for a family getaway and we are so grateful! 

Pups took no time to settle in and feel right at home. That was Li's chair the rest of the week! 



"downtown" lol



\
So we Blew up all these awesome rafts and then couldn't find a great spot to access the river :( We were told the lake had a few good places, but a cold-front came in and the cold water was just too cold. I couldn't believe it was only high 70s in July! I guess we will just have to find another vacation to use them! 
Tallulah Gorge trails were amazing and beautiful! We couldn't do all the trails with the pups, but we were allowed on all the outer rim trails. 




Flikster taking a dip in the cold water! 


Li loves her Daddy! 



I can't decide which of the following two pictures are better





Back in the car, Flik got comfy! 


Mom loves her grandpups!

We went out looking for a waterfall, but found a lake first! 


This is how you have to find places when your phone have no signal! 

Totally worth getting lost! :)



B has always been the monkey in the family! 






B and M climbing again  :)






We had to leave friday, which was too soon, but J had to get back to grade 60 something final exams before Sunday. So Li thought she would help drive even though she was totally exhausted. 

Saturday we hit the local Farmers Market with all the fam


Flik took a Canine Good Citizens class back in the spring, but we have been waiting to have someone administer the test. It was finally available so even though mom, B, and M were here, they said they would come watch so we could get in done. We signed Lilo up too, guessing she wouldn't pass, but it wasn't too expensive so we thought it would be a great experience for her to try. 

Lilo was Flik's biggest cheerleader! 

"meeting a stranger"

"wait and recall"

"meeting a stranger with a dog"

"lili meeting a stranger with a dog"

"Staying"

They both made us soooo proud! They passed with flying colors! I can't wait to move on to more classes! 

Thursday, August 7, 2014

N's birthday!


Happy birthday to the best little  nonbio sister ever!!! We have been through so much together and I am so glad I get to be apart of her journey! We have celebrated so many birthdays together it is almost scary, but I'm so glad we can continue another year on Saturday! I'm so happy to see her happy and can't wait to see what the she makes happen in the future!
 First time hanging out at the State Science Fair! Nerds I know! 2006

She is awesome I know! 
Not sure which of the many birthdays! 

Celebrating my first college graduation and N's birthday! 




My Bachelorette! 
 Um, yes, that's my foot...I'm just not sure why!
 Who doesn't end up in a bubble bath at the end of their party? 


She is a part of our family and even when she starts her own family, she will always be a part of mine! 
I can't wait to go see N and M to celebrate! Happy Birthday girl! 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

So What???


Click the picture to see where this idea started! 
Here's what I'm sayin' "so what" to this  week:

So what if:

  • I didn't write last week, I was at an amazing cabin in the mountains with no signal! 
  • Our MacBook crashed on Saturday, it is 5 years old and crashed at the beginning of the summer too. We are planning on fixing it again, but because I have 3 online masters classes this semester I really can't be worrying about it so...We bought a brand new MacBook!!! It was exciting and scary to drop that much money (that we don't have) into one thing, but we didn't really have a choice. J and I both have jobs and school that require a lot of computer time!
  • Sorry to brag, but I am so proud of my puppies for passing their CGC test!!! We can't wait to start more classes in the fall...Lilo will start a Beginning Agility class and Flik will move to Advanced Rally!!! 
  • I just finished my summer class and hated it, but pulled a 97 in the class so I'm ok with it!
  • I just got another job so we won't be (too) poor!!!!! I am working for two different colleges mon/wed and tue/thur so the money stress has relaxed, but bring on the time crunch! I am going back to an insane schedule with working 3 jobs(four after I finish my fitness certs), 3 grad classes, fitness certifications and studying, dog classes, and taking care of J of course! 
  • I loved the summer,  but I am ready to get back in the swing of things! 
  • My legs are killing me!!! The best tell to see if you've had a great leg day is going up the stairs to bed!!!! I finished two really hard, back-to-back spin classes last night, so tonight, I am finishing this and hitting the gym for some arms! 
I promise I am almost done with a vacation post and will get back to a more regular schedule soon! Happy Hump Day!