Category Archives: friends

Because we’re just that crazy

Friday afternoon I picked up Dad around 3:30 in the afternoon and we headed to Arkansas to take Griffin to his new home. A 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive took longer than usual and we didn’t get to Audra’s until after 10:00. We stayed for an hour or so and left with the intent on staying at Aunt Penny’s house for the night before heading back home Saturday morning.

But, leaving Griffin was much harder than I thought it would be. Griffin drove me nuts more often than not, but I was more attached than I knew. After shedding a few tears I had this overwhelming desire to go home. I knew it was crazy, Dad had been up since 4:00 that morning, and even though I didn’t get up near as early, my sleep was interrupted several times, so I knew I was probably more tired than what I was feeling right then. But I REALLY wanted to get home. So I posed the question to Dad, would it be too crazy to just drive home tonight? We quickly came up with several reasons why it would be a good idea, went back and forth a bit on “you decide”,  “No, you decide.” Within just a few minutes we made the decision to go home. So we called Penny (who was driving in front of us) to let her know, pulled over for good bye hugs, and were on our way.

We shared the driving and I dropped him off at his house before 5:30 AM, I was home before 6. My sleep has been off schedule ever since, but I think it was worth it. There’s just something about sleeping in your own home. Dad and I love doing these “adventures” together and have good stories and memories to last a life time. It was really tough to leave Griffin, but he has two acres of fenced in yard to run and a doggie door so he can go in and out of the house. I know he’ll be much happier there. And you couldn’t ask for a better family to take care of him!

road trip for Griffin

A while ago Zale and I realized that having Griffin here wasn’t really working out. I think Zale realized it before I did. He really is a good dog, a beautiful dog, but he also has a  huge need for a fenced in yard where he can run and play. From all the reading we did on Mastiff’s I thought they were very lazy dogs. Which is one of the reasons why we wanted him. But as it turns out, Brazilian-Bull Mastiffs are still very much puppies when they’re puppies, and not lazy at all! AT ALL!

Since getting a fence isn’t going to happen anytime soon, as we had hoped, it was time to look for another home for him. I first asked my cousin if they could take him back, but that wasn’t going to work out. My cousin’s friend wanted him, but he lives in Washington state. So that’s quite a distance and no good way for him to get there.

There was one other person that had expressed an interest in him when we got him. And it just happened to be Aunt Penny’s daughter, Audra. Who once raised and bred Mastiff’s. How perfect is that? So while Aunt Penny was here last weekend, we called her daughter who was very excited and wanted him right away. When I asked if she wanted to ask her husband before saying yes, I heard her say, “we’re getting a dog, ok?” Thankfully he was good with it too. They have a huge fenced in yard with plenty of space for Griffin to play and get all that energy out.

She does live about 6 hours away, but that’s a much shorter trip than Washington state! My Mom will have the kids this weekend, and Zale will be busy with his mock court trial team at their state competition. Dad and I had already talked about hanging out anyway, so we decided why not do it on the road? Friday afternoon we’re heading to Arkansas with Griffin to introduce him to his new family. I’m excited for them and for Griffin since he’s going to have so much more freedom to run. But I will miss him.

Dad called yesterday and “suggested” that I take griffin on short car rides between then and Friday to get him use to being in the car. I say “suggested”, because his exact words were, “I have a mission for you.” Those words usually scare me just a bit. But it was a good idea. Until yesterday he had only been in our Suburban if we took him anywhere with us. And the car is not his favorite place to be.

So last night I figured I’d take Griffin to get gas, just to have somewhere to go. He whined a bit and stood with his front paws in the passenger seat, with his back legs in the back seat of our older Infiniti sedan. Yep, he’s that big. I open the door to get out at the gas station, and before I could stop him, he was out the door. Thankfully I had left his leash hooked up to his gentle leader (not as tight as a muzzle, but keeps him from pulling us down the street), so I was able to grab that before he got away. I figured it would be easier to just let him stay out with me while I pumped gas, than try to force him back into the car. He wasn’t real comfortable with any of it, but he did ok. From there I called my best friend, Kim to see if I could come over for a minute so she could see Griffin while we still have him. They have a lab and a cat, that Griffin did ok with. He was a hit with Kim and her daughter Molly, as he is with most people.

As I type Griffin is whining and pawing at the front door to go out. Even thought I just took him out half an hour ago. Right about now is where a fence would come in very handy!!!

A day with Dad

Today started out pretty early for me. I agreed to meet Dad in East Nashville this morning at 8:15. That’s actually REALLY early for me to be out and about, but it was ok. After we finished up some business we went back to his house to do some cleaning since Aunt Penny was on her way to visit. We started cleaning, but decided we’d eat first and clean later. So off to lunch we go. Penny made it in shortly after we got back from lunch. After a little bit of catching up it was time to get to the racquetball court. And here’s where things got really good.

I don’t think I did too badly, especially considering how long it had been since I’ve “played”. For the most part we just hit the ball around, but with about 10 minutes left in the hour Dad decided we should play a short game. Penny and I against Dad. She and I actually won! It was great. Yes I know, two of us against one of him, but I’ll take it!  Most of the time I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Thankfully they kept score. I managed a few points, but they usually had to tell me when I made one. We laughed more than anything and I honestly can’t wait to get back on the court. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I started hitting the ball again.

After racquetball I raced home to get ready to go to church. Which was great, good lesson, good music, and great friends. Then back to our house for pizza, dirt cake, and more fun. I’m pretty exhausted, but enjoyed every minute to today!! Thanks Penny for making the drive, thanks Zale for taking care of the kids most of the day while I played,  and thanks Dad for lunch, dinner, and just a great day! Love you all!!!!

Oh yea, one thing I should probably mention, this morning Dad and I met up with a friend of Leeanna’s (Dad’s girlfriend’s daughter). I guess she didn’t hear when Dad introduced me as his daughter, so a minute later she asked if I was Leeanna’s Mom. This is the 2nd time that’s happened. Leeanna is 22 or 23, I’m 35. As a teenager I thought it was cool when someone thought I was older than I really was. Not so much anymore! I think she also assumed Dad and I were married instead of Father / Daughter. We get that a lot too. But I’m pretty sure I could comfortably go the rest of my life without anyone else thinking I’m old enough to be Leeanna’s Mom! :-) Big sister, sure. Mom, I’d rather not.

working out?

There’s just something about warmer weather that makes me want to be more active. Maybe it’s the cabin fever finally setting in after months of very cold weather. But today, after getting my hair cut, and then Anthony’s hair cut, I decided I really wanted to start working out again.

So this evening I made it upstairs (thanks to Anthony who watched the girls) and got back on the elliptical. I can’t even remember the last time I used it. How pitiful is that!? I only did 20 minutes, but I’m pretty happy with that since it’s been so long. And I don’t even feel like I’m about to die! Which is even better!

Saturday I’m finally getting back on the racquetball court with Dad (and one or more mystery people) after months and months of not playing. I’m not sure that I’ll even remember how to hit the ball or any of the rules, but I know we’ll have a great time! I hope this is just the start of many more Saturdays of racquetball with Dad! Maybe I’ll even learn how to actually play a real game! :-)

Dirt Cake

I think it was last month when Dad and I took a quick road trip to see one my most favorite people in this world. I call her Aunt Penny.  She was kind enough to make this wonderful dessert for Dad and I, called a dirt cake. And it’s so easy to make, I thought I’d share.

1 box of instant vanilla pudding (prepare according to directions on box)

1 package of softened cream cheese

1 package of cool whip

1 package of Oreo’s

Mix pudding, cream cheese, and cool whip together til smooth. Crush Oreo’s. Layer pudding mix and Oreo’s with the top layer being cookies in a bowl or trifle dish. Chill for few hours (or even over night) and serve. Enjoy!

choosing my battles

There are so many things parents and kids fight over. I’m guessing one of the most common is clean bedrooms. With the girls it’s not as much of an issue yet. Since they are 4 and 2, any real cleaning is going to take me (or sometimes Zale) doing it. I do have them help though.

Anthony, of course, thinks my standards are too strict. After years of battles I’ve let up a little. The rule use to be that his room had to be clean if he wanted to watch TV the next day. Last month I actually paid him to clean it as close to my standards as possible without doing it myself, and keeping it clean for a couple of weeks. Since then it’s just gotten worse and worse. So yesterday I gave him an hour to get it done. It’s much better, but his closet has about 3 feet of dirty clothes piled up, with a full hamper as well.

After noticing this and insisting he start washing his clothes, I look across the hall to see that in the last half hour the girls had emptied three shelves of books, their “treasure chest” which holds all their dress up clothes, and the net hanging in the corner of their room which holds all their stuffed animals. I think their closet is still clean. But considering that I spent about an hour in their room cleaning it yesterday since we were having life group, it’s a bit frustrating.

It appears that I’m losing this battle.

Kids say the darndest things….

Today was such a pretty day so Zale and I decided to take the girls to the park. But the park was packed (they don’t do really well in that kind of crowd) so we ended up at the McDonald’s play place. Which was almost empty, because everyone was at the park. Reagan was sleepy and a bit cranky and Hannah wasn’t really playing much anyway. So we decided to pack it up and head home.

When I told Reagan it was time to go she immediately voiced her displeasure in a not so quiet manner. She was stringing some words together (with a scowl on her face), but I couldn’t quite make them out. We finally convinced the girls to go home and ride their bikes. I was still trying to figure out what Reagan was trying to say when we got in the car. As often happens, I asked Hannah if she knew what Reagan was saying  and of course she knew. Hannah said, “She’s saying that you’re ruining her life.” I couldn’t believe that was coming from my 2 1/2 year old’s mouth, but I asked Reagan if that was what she was saying and she confirmed it was.

So then I ask Hannah where in the world she learned to say that, and Hannah replied that it was from a new Barbie movie that my Mom and step-father bought them this weekend. My first thought was to burn the movies, but then I decided to reason with her instead. Why? I don’t know, I guess because for a brief moment I forgot that you really can’t reason with a 2 year old. She finally did stop saying it, but I’m quite sure we’ll hear it again sometime! I was just hoping it would be at least another 10 years!

Tonight it was Hannah’s turn. While they were taking their baths Hannah asked Reagan if she wanted to get married. I explained that sisters couldn’t get married, and that they weren’t allowed to get married for at least 20 years. Of course Hannah said they were just pretending. I went on to tell her that I hope she finds someone as wonderful as her Daddy to marry, but that she needed to marry whoever God put in her life. She said, ” so not Ethan?” (Ethan is her 5 year old friend from church and our families are very close). I told her that if Ethan was who God wanted her to marry then it would be fine with me….just not for another 20 years or so!

You just never know where the day is going to take you…I for one didn’t expect to be having those conversations with my 2 and 4 year old! Can’t wait to see/hear what they’re going to do and say tomorrow!!!

dieting…..

I haven’t talked about my weight loss progress in quite awhile. Probably because there hasn’t been more loss to talk about. I haven’t done the weight watchers thing in quite a while, and I have struggled to maintain the 40 pound loss from last year. In fact, I’ve struggled to not gain back more than 10. Some months are better than others.

So when one of my friends from church suggested a new life group for woman who wanted to lose weight and get healthy, I was all for it. We didn’t really know what program we would go by, or if it would just be a support group to help keep each other on track, but I didn’t care. I realized a long time ago, that if I didn’t get to the source of my overeating, it wasn’t going to matter what diet I used, the weight was always going to come back.

Through God’s direction we’re doing the Weigh Down diet. I have to admit, the woman who started this program can be a bit over the top, and I would love to take her to my hair stylist. But the principles are sound and life changing. The bottom line is turning to God instead of turning to food. What a novel concept. We think to turn to Him for finances, our health, many other things, but our weight, not so much unless you’re like me and try to bargain with Him to magically make it disappear.

Here’s the jist of how it works. You don’t eat until your stomach growls. Weird concept, I know, especially since I’ve been taught for years not to let myself get too hungry so I won’t go over board. But doesn’t it really make more sense to not eat if you’re not really hungry?! To keep from overeating, pray over your food, take small bites, put your fork down in between bites and take sips of your drink. Eat slowly and stop when you start to feel full. The best part, is that you literally eat whatever you want. Whatever your body tell you it wants. No more diet food!!!!

As you learn the difference between real physical hunger, and head hunger (or thinking you’re hungry when you’re really not, but just want to eat), you’ll eat less, give your body time to use what you have eaten, and begin to lose weight. The even better benefit is getting closer to God and getting emotionally healthy as well as physically healthy.

The lady leading our group has lost over 70 pounds and other women in our group have lost 5 to 10 pounds since we started a few weeks ago. Unfortunately for me, I lost a couple of pounds the first week, then went back to doing my own thing for the next couple of weeks, so I’m not sure what my true weight loss is yet. But I do know this, I haven’t gained any and have been eating all kinds of yummy food. When I’m hungry! Real ice cream, Mexican food, fast food, etc. But in stopping when I’m full and only eating when I’m truly hungry, I know I’m eating less and less often.

Not to knock Weight Watchers or any other program out there that has worked for many. But it is so freeing to not have to buy diet food anymore, to not have to count points or keep a food journal, or work out because I want to add points back to my food journal because I want to eat more that day. I am learning to keep a prayer journal, because denying yourself really isn’t easy. To turn to God instead of turning to food is quite a challenge when I’ve been turning to food for so many years. But for food to not be the center of my day anymore, is a wonderful change. God Bless!

7 years

Today makes seven years that Zale and I have been married. I can honestly say they have been the best years of my life. God has brought us through so much individually, and as a couple. I’m excited to see what He’s going to do next!

In the last seven years we’ve endured law school, starting up a business, having two beautiful girls, and raising a wonderful son. After several years we finally found a church home, we’ve joined and started life groups, and made wonderful friends that I hope we’ll have for a life time.

There’s just not enough time to blog about everything that has happened in the last seven years, but I do have to say that Zale is still my God send and I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else. Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Technical issues

Within the last two weeks, the two technical items we have that I use most went out. First my laptop died. Just quit. I had been using it earlier that day, went back later to check my e mail and it wouldn’t turn on. Frustrating, but not the end of the world. Thankfully Zale was able to take the hard drive out and back up everything. I’ve been using his laptop on occasion when he doesn’t need it. But that’s mainly in the evenings and I prefer to check my e mail, do the checkbook, follow up with friends and family on Facebook, and pay bills during the day. Still not really a huge deal.

My other option for getting on line is actually in our living room. Zale hooked up a computer my Dad gave us to the TV so we can watch things on line easier. The idea came when we downsized our Dish Network package to save money, he figured we could find things on line to watch. It has been a nice perk, but I never thought I’d be using it the way I have these last couple of weeks.

Even though it’s really neat to have such a big monitor, it’s not the most ideal situation. A good example comes from earlier tonight. I’m sitting in the middle of our living room floor (also thanks to Dad we have a wireless keyboard and mouse, but they don’t quite reach the couch) getting run over by Griffin (who is now 8 1/2 months old and 100 pounds) and the girls. Griffin was working hard on his bone, and for some reason that requires walking all over the living room with it. I’ve been bumped from all sides during his process of getting to the meat of the bone. Earlier he even sat on the keyboard while I was sending an e mail. The girls take it as an opportunity to use me as a jungle gym. Reagan is either climbing me like a tree to try and sit on my shoulders, or trying to force the keyboard further away so she can sit on my lap and punch the keys too. Which makes it lots of fun to try to do anything on line. Hannah is a bit more polite about it, but is usually still circling trying to find the best place to land that Reagan hasn’t already taken up. It’s a bit easier now that they’ve gone to bed. But Griffin is still circling the living room working on his bone.

Several days after my laptop went out, our DVR stopped working. I have to admit, this might have affected me more than the laptop. We’ve become quite spoiled by our DVR. It’s very rare for us to watch live TV anymore. We record what we want, watch it later and fast forward through the commercials. But what was even worse than having to watch real TV, was all the things we had recorded were just gone. Of course, every cloud has a silver lining, and I’m actually okay with not having to watch some of the things we had recorded for the girls anymore. We saved Shrek the Halls when it came out before Christmas, it became the girls favorite show. Even after Christmas. They took the news better than I thought they would, but I’m sure it helps that they can still watch it at their Gran Gran’s house.

Dish Network sent us a replacement DVR pretty quickly and we just had to pay shipping, so that was taken care of within a few days for very little cost. The lap top was going to be a bit more of a problem. Zale began researching for my next lap top and we had settled on one of the new mini netbooks. Even better was that since my Dad works for Toshiba we are blessed to have access to their B stock inventory for good prices. So we found what we needed for less than $250.00. Great price, but we don’t usually have an extra $250.00 laying around. We were hoping to be able to get it in a couple of weeks, but Dad called a couple of days ago with even better news.

He remembered that a couple of years ago he and his girlfriend, Karen, had gone in together to get a laptop for her daughter, Leeanna. But she didn’t really used it much, and when she graduated nursing school last May she got a Macbook. So it really hasn’t been used since then, and even though it’s a couple years old, it’s still like new. So here’s the really good part. They’re being so generous and giving it to me. For free. Cause they are just that awesome!

Even though these material things aren’t what life is all about, it sure is nice to have them! I’m so blessed and so very thankful! Not to mention excited that after tomorrow evening I’ll be able to e mail, pay bills, and blog from the comfort of a chair instead of the floor! Thanks again Dad and Karen!! Love you both!