Summer in Kentucky: Around The House

I just love the summer's here in Kentucky. Yes, there is almost 100% humidity from July through September. Yes, it's usually in the upper 90's most days. And yes, we do have huge thunderstorms a couple times a week. 

My hair hates the humidity, along with my makeup and freshly showered skin. But the temperature? Love it! The sun is amazing and wondrous here, especially to a girl who spent 27 summers in Oregon. I love you Oregon, but seriously, your weather is the pits. Summers with weeks of gray, rainy weather are common in the Willamette Valley (where I grew up), but even sparing a couple weeks of your summer when you don't see the sun for 9 months is unbearable! My body likes all the vitamin D I get here, because I definitely notice less headaches on sunny days.

Our property is a veritable quandary of flora and fauna. We've got a deer that comes to feed in our backyard most evenings around 7:30. There are bunnies everywhere. I see frogs and toads all the time. Unfortunately, I see lots of raccoons, possums, and coyotes as well. Our grass is making progress (those thunderstorms are good for something!).

Oh, and the pups are enjoying the summer as well :)

 Butterfly in our driveway// Scary thunderstorm blowing in// Lawn in front of the house// Lawn on the side of the house// Big branch that fell too close for comfort// Our makeshift fire pit (from said branch)// Weeds starting to grow on the fire pit// Daisy// Another weed// Pecan Tree! (I think)// Looking down the lane at our house// Field across from our house// Haloti at his watch post//Gizmo wants the watch post// Gizmo gets the watch post// The dogs are shedding like wild men!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Dear Mom

Cleaning out your email inbox can be a positive event, not just a soul-sucking activity! I found this email written 6 years ago which I thought was long gone. I'm so glad I kept it :)

Many, many years ago, when the hubby and I first got together, we went to Hawaii. The hubby's company sent a bunch of employees from the hubby's branch, along with their significant others, to Kona. The only thing that sucked about the circumstance was having to leave my 6 month-old puppy with my parents.

Haloti was such a cute puppy, and an adorable teenager. He had the cutest little pencil tale, and a sparse fawn coat. I consider them teenagers when they are still in that obnoxious phase where they aren't a puppy, but they definitely haven't outgrown the "play" yet. Haloti was an especially rambunctious teenager. I swear he never slept. He chewed on my shoes and the carpet in our apartment. He even dug holes in the walls out of the drywall. There was a time where it seemed like every time the hubby and I came home, there was a new hole in the wall. He tested my patience infinitely. And he loved to test my dad's patience with him as well.

Whilst the hubby and I were in Hawaii, I received the following email from Dad. This is a classic family tale that the hubby and I still laugh about today-

From: Howard & Janice
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 10:57 AM
To: Jessica
Cc: Janice
Subject: Dear Mom

Hi Mom:

This is Haloti.  I hope you are going to pick me up soon.  I've had fun with Grandpa Howard but possibly, just possibly, I may be on his list now.

Yesterday we were all playing in the back yard and I happened to notice Zippy (the big black fur ball - remember?), well anyways, he was sitting just outside the fence when I saw him laying there in the sun.  Honest Mom, I know I shouldn't chase cats but something just comes over me that I can't control.  (Maybe I need therapy.)  I managed to sneak under the fence and race around to where he was.

I surprised the s out of him and he took off across the street!  I was so proud!  (Whoops - I mean ashamed.)  He and I raced across the street and into this big field and somewhere in that mess I lost him.  Then I could hear Grandpa Howard calling me.  (Actually he was more like yelling, but I heard him and he didn't sound happy).

By the time I got back to him, I was covered with leaves and grass.  Grandpa Howard's face was all red and looked like he could kill something!  Scared me to death!  But just then I saw another kitty cat crossing the street over by the basketball thing and - don't get mad now - I was overcome with that same feeling and I JUST had to get him.  He ran into another place down where there's water so I stopped when it got too deep and went back to Grandpa Howard.  By now he was beside himself!  I've never seem him like that before!  I rolled over and did my best submission pose so he picked me up and carried me into his house.

My word Mom you have NEVER heard such language from a mature adult!  He said things that sounded like you watching Steeler football!  I was shocked!

Anyways, he still lets me go outside but now I have to wear this stupid leash outfit you bought me - you know, the one that looks like an S & M outfit!  I'm so embarrassed!   The other dogs laugh at me and I think it is having an negative effect on my self-esteem.

So, if you can get down here soon, Grandpa Howard can have some time to recover and maybe quit looking at me like I was a serial killer or a Republican.  I would appreciate it very much.

I miss you and hope you had a good trip.  I did too until yesterday, but I will play kissy face with Grandpa Howard and maybe he'll feel better about the whole thing and will let me come back in the future!

Love, Haloti

Random Thoughts: 6/12/13

1. Grass!

Our lawn is coming along quite nicely! We've still got a few "bald" spots, but overall it's looking like an actual lawn. We've been having afternoon thunderstorms all week, so we've had free watering service. Free water is always the best. The side lawn is starting to look pretty seamless with the existing lawn. You can still see the line of demarcation on the front lawn, but the front lawn is about 2 weeks behind the side lawn. I'm loving the look of the grass along with the white porch. The house is starting to look like it's not straight out of construction. I really can't wait until we pour concrete for the front step and a pathway, and then eventually, landscaping. Baby steps though, as this stuff is all expensive.

2. Dog Central

We're watching the mother-in-law's dog while she vacations in Florida this week. We've had him since Monday, and its all been... eventful. I discovered on Monday (after having the dog for a couple of hours) that he was covered in fleas! I was not ok with having fleas in my house for a week, so I went straight to the vet to get a pill that killed all the fleas in 24 hours. It appears the problem has been eradicated. I checked the dog several times yesterday, and didn't find a single flea. I vacuumed the whole house from top to bottom yesterday, and washed everything Barney (the pup) had touched. I found lots of dead fleas, but I haven't seen a single live one. I'm crossing my fingers we don't have to bomb the house. Barney, on the other hand, has gone on a hunger strike and likes to sleep most of the day under our bed. I'm hoping he comes around after he settles in.

My pups are dealing with a little bit of jealousy and neediness at having an extra dog in the house. Gizmo is bringing me toys a hundred times a day, and I've even caught him guarding the water bowl. Apparently, he doesn't want to share his water. Haloti likes to sit around, and stare at me with puppy dog eyes all day. I'm hoping they too will calm down after a couple of days.

3. Life is Short

In sad news, the hubby's uncle passed away yesterday. About 2 months ago, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, and shortly after had a series of strokes that left him unable to walk, talk, or eat. We've known for the last 2 weeks that he wasn't going to make it much longer. It's just unthinkable, and so sad, that this man went from perfectly healthy 3 months ago to passing away. It definitely gives you a moments pause to think about just how short life is, and how it can end so suddenly. It really highlights the necessity of seeing the doctor on a regular basis, always getting your yearly physical (or however often is recommended for you), and trying to live a healthy lifestyle. It's all just so horribly sad.

Well, I apologize for leaving this blog entry on a somber note. However, life is a series of ups and downs, and the downs are just as equally important as the ups.

And They Called It, Puppy Love

Random Thoughts: 3/18/13

1. Weird and Wild Weather- Um, it's March, and we got 3 inches of slushy snow yesterday. What's up with that? Then, I'm jolted out of bed at 7:30 this morning by a rounding slap of thunder on the house. Those 3 inches of snow? Almost completely gone by now, obviously melted by the warmer temperatures that ushered in the thunderstorms. Last year at this time, I was sipping margaritas on the porch in capri pants, sunning myself on a +70 degree day. The hubby reminds me the bugs won't be as bad this summer with all the freezing weather. I'm pacified by this, because there isn't anything I hate more than insects. Not. A. Thing.

2. The NCAA tournament- Yay, it's bracket time! One of my most favorites times of the year, save for the beginning of football season and the first days of summer. The hubby is livid that Kentucky didn't make the tournament. It was a really bad, ugly season for UK, though. It was hard to watch them play, they looked so different from last year's smooth, professional play. Better luck next year, men. At least we still have Oregon to cheer for. Go Ducks!

3. Gizmo- Gizmo continues to make himself more at home everyday. I think he's finally beginning to feel like this is his house. He used to follow the hubby and I everywhere around the house, begging to be carried around. He's finally started exploring rooms on his own, and galloping from room to room. I love the sound of tiny feet pounding the floor. He's also started taking toys in the other rooms, and I can hear him growling at the squirrel or the hedgehog as he attacks them. He even sleeps more securely, belly up most of the time. Then, there's this howling thing he does when the hubby gets home from work, it never fails to make me laugh. Man, I love those pups.

4. McDonald's Shamrock Shakes- Yesterday was St. Paddy's Day! The hubby and I celebrated on Saturday night, when we went out for a family friend's birthday. We had a little too much fun, the kind of fun twenty-somethings are supposed to have. Not thirty-somethings. Anyhoo, the point is yesterday I saw this article on McDonald's Shamrock Shakes. Oh, ick! If you need another reason to not eat at McDonald's, read that article. Did you know there are 820 calories in that one milkshake? That's more than half of my daily calories. It's also made with 54 ingredients, the majority of which are preservatives and obscure additives. Gross.

5. The Movie "2012"- Ok, ok, I know this movie came out a couple of years ago. I just happened to catch some snippets of the movie whilst I was watching TV yesterday. What I saw was freakin' ridiculous. I'm 100% sure, after watching 5 minutes of the movie, that this film didn't have a single scientist consulting on the plot. I watched the scene where, apparently, California is sliding into the ocean. The Earth's crust is crumbling, and yet, John Cusak's plane is able to take off in the middle of this? Then, to add insult to injury, this plane is flying close to the ground, underneath crumbling buildings, and close to homes being sucked into the ground. I'm by no means a physicist, but I do understand simple concepts like gravity. And the fact that the huge amount force needed for something to be sucked into the Earth, is probably going to suck that plane up too. Needless to say, I turned the channel in disgust after a few minutes. #MovieFail.

6. Another Haircut! I'm really into short hair right now. It seems like everyone has long hair right now, and it's fun to do something different. I chopped off 7 inches in January, and last week, I chopped off another inch and a half. Even though I don't look impressed in this selfie, I'm loving the hair cut. I chose this picture because it makes me laugh. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, right?

Well, it's time to get off my duff now, lots to do today! I've got a workout on the books, some general house cleaning, baking Raspberry Banana Oat Muffins and Salted Caramel Cookies for my family (who start arriving tomorrow!!!), all kinds of laundry, and making dinner for the hubby. Oh my!

Happy Monday everyone!

Get Mad! Playlist

Gizmo gets mad!

All right, so it's mid to late January, and it's freezing and dreary outside. The high was 28 degrees today. I'm having a tough time remembering why I need to be working out. Because, of course, eventually it will be June and swimsuit season. Bikini bodies are earned in the winter. A little motivating quote gleaned from, where else? Pinterest :)

I was having an especially hard time motivating myself this morning. I was moving from playlist to playlist, just not inspired by anything I was listening to. The bouncy pop music wasn't cuttin' it. I wanted to quit.

I should have been more naturally motivated. The hubby and I enjoyed his Sunday night off from work with a bottle of wine. It was definitely a cheat day on calories. I woke up Monday morning, feeling sorry for myself that I let myself indulge. I shouldn't have, but I just had to step on the scale. I was prepared for the worst, but when I finally peeked down at the number, I was down 3 lbs! I was shocked. And happy! I was excited to keep it rolling. Until it actually came time to clamber on the ol' elliptical. Pinterest on the couch sounded so much better.

After numerous song skips and some under the breath cursing, I came to "This Means War" by Nickelback. I was pumped! I felt like I'd finally got my legs out of quicksand. 30 minutes flew by. Whilst taking a my water break, I pounded out a quick playlist of my fave angry, kick-some-ass type songs.

If you are in the midst of a late January slump, trying mixing up your playlist! Another trick I like to do is listening to a playlist I haven't listened to in a while (it's like new music!), or even playing all songs by a favorite artist. I've got 55 Nickelback songs on my iPod, so I regularly just play Nickelback songs for my workouts.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Doggie Days

How are the dogs adjusting to the new house? Well, Haloti loves it. He rolls all over the place, all day long. He runs up and down the hallways. He's got several windows where he has set up his watch post, and he regularly moves from window to window. In short, Haloti loves the new house. Gizmo? Well, Gizmo is another story. Gizmo, I'm pretty sure, is OCD. Every time he goes outside, he tries to run to the neighbor's house. He follows me around the house all day long, looking very insecure. For some reason, whenever I'm cooking in the kitchen, he hides underneath a chair. Giz is just taking some time, I'm confident he'll get used to being here eventually. He has to, right? :) As always, I've snapped many pictures of the boys in their new home:

Gizmo has come up with an entirely new pose for eating carrots :)

A monkey addict getting his fix

A wintery snow day in December. Haloti loves the snow.

Our yard looks so much better covered in snow.

I love that you can't see the mud surrounding the house with the snow blanketing the ground.

The view is much prettier as well.

Where Haloti watches me make dinner every night. It's the closest he can get to the food.

Gizmo and his bone.

The dogs at one of their new watch posts.

Guarding the house.

Happy Wednesday everyone!