Look What I Can Do!!

Apparantly, the new rage in home decorating is the vinyl decorations on your paint. I ordered one of the catalogues from one of the leading companies just to see what it was all about. Well, my catalog arrived, and, Lo and Behold....this is the same vinyl that I use everday to make my signs!! I CAN MAKE THESE!! So, if any of you want any for your walls, classroom walls, anything - let me know! I can make them for ya for free of course!! I am just excited that it is the same thing becuase I can make them for myself! I created a saying that says, "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" that will stick on our bedroom walls, and then I created one that will go in our right side guest bedroom that is about dreams. Too Cool!! Here is an example of what one of these things looks like:

You know, for the last week I have felt completely overwhelmed, by work, by school, by it all. I had a mini-breakdown on the way to the grocery store because sometimes I feel like I am juggling. Each task that I have to do is a ball and I feel like I have too many to keep in the air at one time. I do it to myself, and I know that. Dave is great at offering to help and to do whatever he can - but the things that I need to do right now that are overwhelming are things he can't do. He is certainly not going to do my school work, that's a funny thought:) I just feel like from the time I get home to when he is home, there is no time for me. I am upstairs getting the guest bedrooms ready, I do clean the house everyday, but with tile floors - it is unavoidable, I get dinner ready, try to do homework and then....what for me. It will get better, I just have to learn a better balance I guess. Sorry for the vent.

This weekend -- a three day weekend!! Dave and I actually have two days off together! Who knows what we will do? Tomorrow morning, I am in a 5k with my mom. Kelly & casey are driving down tonight and we are going to get Kelly's bridesmaids dress tomorrow. Sunday, I think we are going to grill out and then Monday I would love to go to the range to shoot. Dave finally received his Conceal Carry Permit, so he's packing heat in his backpack! I can't wait for mine! I already know which gun I am going to carry...it's small but will serve it's purpose if God forbid I ever have to use it!

Still planning the wedding! I have my rough draft done for the invitations and the card stock and envelopes are here already, I just need to print them and put them together. We should go for our cake and meal tasting in June sometime. We are going to be ordering the guys clothes as soon as I have all of the sizes. Many more things to do, but it is a fun job to take on!! I think that is all that's going on! Hope everyone is happy and healthy! We are!!

Fair?? I Think NOT!!!

So, I get this:

And Dave gets this:

Is this Fair??

I'm kidding. Last week, our washer died and we decided to just go ahead and buy a new washer. So, that's the story on the new washer! I like the one that I bought - mid range price level, no fancy anything -- it washes...I am happy with that!

The story on the bike? Well we have two bikes that are both paid off (actually we have four, but that is a different story). One of the bikes is our '05 600. It's a great bike, but as soon as we bought it, Dave ran it on the track and ran it on the track hard. So, it's going to go quicker than the usual bike would with just normal street driving. The second bike is his '01 929. This bike we call Old Faithful, it has I think 40,000 miles on it?! Parts and pieces are starting to go bad on it. It's time for a new bike....this is Dave's main mode of transportation 1) because he enjoys it and 2) because gas prices are so expensive. So, it's time. We are going tomorrow to the dealership he worked for before this one to talk to the GM and see what kind of deal we can get with trading both in. Hopefully, the GM will make it an even trade save for a couple of thousand dollars. We hope. If they don't give him a good trade-in value for the 929, then we will sell that one on Ebay and we will go from there!!

Other stuff:

School is going fine. Homework might kick my butt thought. I finally had to say on Friday night, "No more homework" and sit down with Dave and relax.

The kittens STILL need a home. Tami. So. Not. Kidding. Now.

It is starting to get warmer here. I guess that's all that needs to be said about that. We do need the rain though. Bad.

I am scheduling an appointment for us to have our engagement photos taken in the next few weeks. This should be interesting: This is the type of smile I get from Dave. Christmas. All of it:) He is such a goof!!

Other than that, we are happy and healthy and couldn't ask for more!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Perception, School and Horses - Yep, It's a HodgePodge

Hello all! Just an update and some thoughts. Things have been busy here (what else is new?).





School starts *gulp* TODAY for me. Yes, today! I am taking 3 classes this go round - all online. Meteorology (yippee- I think I used to be a meteorologist in my past life), another government class (Not that I love government, but it is being taught by my previous gov't teacher - and he was great!), and Mythology. I am not looking forward to that third class, but it is one I have to have. On Friday, I was checking out my classes and performing a degree audit, which is just a fancy term for "what do I need to graduate", and I realized that I only need to classes to graduate with a Psych degree. I think I am going to go ahead and graduate next semester. I'm not going to walk, because the commencement is in May and we will be in Greece sometime around then, so I will just transfeer my happy self to the University of Central Florida to finish a psych degree. What happened to my beloved sign language degree? Well, after some research, I discovered that I could either take the classes I need at the College for a mere 375 PER CLASS or I could take the classes I need at the Sign Language Institute here and pay only 100 per class....hmmm...I might need to think about this one.





Did anyone watch the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. I didn't...and I am so glad. What is the point of this, really? Is there a point in making these beautiful creatures run themselves until they BREAK THEIR LEGS..and then - they continue to run. The filly, Eight Belles, that had to be put down on the track apparantly didn't stop running when she had two compound fractures (where the bone comes out of the skin)....becuase that is what she is trained to do. I just find it pointless. It is just sad. Sorry for the vent, but I felt it needed to be said.





Tonight is our "off night" for shooting -- we've been going every other Monday - So, we are going to go eat - there's a new Italian restaurant here in Clermont that I have heard is so delicious.





What else have we been up to?


Saturday my two brothers and I took my mom to Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival. It was amazing and so beautiful! YEsterday, we went for our Sunday breakfast ritual and then My mom and I ran back up to this little bridal show. IT was super small, but I found the person who is going to shoot our engagement pictures. She seems really cool.





Dave roto-tilled (sp?) the yard yesterday around the porch and I began the process of steamcleaning upstairs and taping off one of the upper bedrooms to paint!





Finally, last Wednesday I bought my wedding dress:) and I also picked out the styles for the bridesmaids dresses - There are five styles and everyone gets to pick their own! I am sending emails out later tonight to everone with those details. I think that's all that is happening here.





Oh, still need to find homes for kittens - Tami: Let me know if you can pick yours up Friday at the airport - you'll know which one is yours, it'll be the one that is hanging from the TOP of the cage and meowing the meow where you know something really bad is about to happen if it doesn't get out of the cage - You know, the one that goes to the BAD part of your brain:)





Love you all!

Picture of the day: Me and my cousins:) My loves!!

New Toy!!

This, my friends is Dave's new toy. This is the TMobile Wing. So far, after a night of trying to get everything crossed over, he loves it! I finally ordered him a new phone after watching him duct tape his other one over and over. Duct tape, the magical fix for everything (except phones!). This cool phone even has touch screen!! Very cool!

What's new with us so far this week?

Monday we went to the dermatologist for Dave's psoriasis. They gave him a script for a new ointment that has great results. The other ointment that he had worked amazing except on him knuckles and knees...so this one is stronger and they say it should make it almost disappear!! He can eventually go in for shots - he isn't opposed to the shots, the doctor just says it does something to the immune systems - like, if he gets a cold, it would make him have the cold a little worse. He doesn't really want to mess with that, so this will work! While we were there, we saw a little girl, maybe 5 or so and she had psoriasis and I thought to myself - The advances that have been made in science and treatments are so awesome that kids can have a cure for this!!

I went to the neurologist on Wednesday. He is so great! He is keeping me on the "miracle" drug (that's what I call it) for now..it has reduced my migraines from two horrific bed bound ones per week to only one bad one this entire six weeks. I am going to go see him in 10 weeks and give him the results and see where we go from there. Right now though, I am just happy to have this working for me and look forward to a Migraine Free Wedding Day!! Yippeeee!!

I think that is the most that has happened this week -- Palms are doing well! We are going to shoot on Monday night at the range. Saturday, my mom and I are going to get my wedding dress and get the account set up so all the bridesmaids can get their dresses. It sure has been busy around here! School ends this week but starts right back up on May 5th! Next semester, I am taking Meteorology ( I swear I was born to be a weather girl...:)) , Developmental Psychology, and Mythology in Humanities. A full load, but necessary!! I really need to have several more electives, so that's why the meterology class and then I need to satisfy my Humanities classes requirements! Well, that's all for now! The weather here is great, 80's during the day and then 60's at night..just beautiful! We do need rain though - so pray for rain for us so we don't get into a bad forest fire situation!!

Love everyone!!

Taken at Clearwater Beach

Palms "R" Us

Lots to update! This weekend was another busy one with no time to relax. Yesterday, we went to Lowes near Dave's shop and we found the best fruit trees and palm trees. Of course, Dave picked out the tallest palm they had and we loaded it into the truck. It only stuck out about 8 foot and only weighed probably 200 pounds! I also bought a Ruby Red grapefruit tree and an orange tree so my dad will have fruit to pick & eat when he comes down. So, we got home and my brother, Alex came down with the tractor to help unload the palm and put it into the world's largest hole ever dug by hand. Here it is!

I figured while I am posting pictures, I would put up one of our bedroom and the quilt that my mom made me. She's also making me table toppers for the wedding out of this same fabric! I LOVE this fabric.

It's funny - in all of our pictures, it's like a Where's Waldo? puzzle-- except in our pictures you have to find the dog. The above picture features Worm. Speaking of pets....Anyone want a kitten? Someone dumped off a pregnant cat a few weeks ago and my mom and I have been feeding her. She's a great barn cat, and I realized she had kittens somewhere. We looked and looked and my mom finally found them this weekend in the upper part of the barn. They are so adorable, as kittens always are - and I think every person that reads this should take one -- Dad, Rhonda?? I'll personally fly it to its new home!! There are five of them:

There's two balck ones that look like twins, a tan puffy one, a calico puffy one and a grey and white one. The last one is the runt and they are all cute.

Tonight we decided to do something we haven't done in a long time, NOTHING!! We are going to go to Blockbuster and rent a movie and just relax! We need it so much. Next weekend, we are going to pressure wash the house and start to repair the cracks in the concrete blocks. Then, the weekend after that, we are going to start painting the house. Inside, I have the bedroom finished and am now starting on the bathroom. Upstairs, I am not really into the colors that I painted the spare bedroom that used to be Mike's room. It is a yellow color with black stripes. I am thinking about painting it something different, I just don't know what. Maybe the same colors as the bedroom??

Lastly, finals for me are this week. I am already registered for the next semester -- 3 classes! Wish me luck and say a prayer that it goes well as I'll be studying more along with finishing up our wedding!!

The Green Tree Edition

Last night while I was watering the plants and Dave was taking pictures of the Ranger that we want to sell, I decided to grab the camera from him and take some photos of last weekends' handy work! Here is our Palm Garden". If you are looking out the front door, this is on the right near the fence. We want to do the same design as soon as we get someone to haul the Ventura away (hopefully this weekend) on the the other side of the driveway in what is probably the back yard.

Gemini wouldn't get out of the way - so I took the photo as he was looking for somewhere to "water".

Next is a photo of My baby - Mr. Moo. He's the calf that my mom and I have raised from the dead. When we found him, he was really on death's doorstep and we brought him back to health and now he is so healthy and happy. He is such a beautiful bull and I have to decide if I want to steer him. I think I will leave him a bull though!

I am going to try to post every day or at least as much as I can because I eventually want to be able to print this up as a journal of sorts for our life. I have posts from my other blog from the time I met Dave until about a year ago, so I can combine those.

I think that's all for now! More updates as things happen - which is all of the time around here!!

And then...Some Rest

So...we have been busier the past couple of weeks than I think we've been for a while. Two weeks ago this coming Saturday, my little sister, Kelly was married. It was such a cool wedding at a beautiful plantation in Albany, Georgia - The Wynfield Plantation. It rained, but was such a great day. At the end of the reception, the bridesmaids and Kelly all jumped into a natural spring in the rain and in our dresses...Those pictures should be pretty cool. Here's a pic of me and my brothers trying to hoist Kelly up in her dress for a cool shot - Thank you Joe for the picture!!We survived the wedding and the drive and the day after that, Sunday, we drove down to a turnpike Rest Area about an hour and a half from our house and we delivered the RC51. This is Dave's oldest bike that we sold on Ebay. I was glad he was able to sell it!
Last weekend we spent all day Sunday (after our breakfast ritual), going to nurseries and looking for our newest love -- Palm Trees! We ended up at Home Depot , after finding out that most nurseries are closed on Sundays, and we bought 6 palms. Two each of three different kinds. I also ended up buying a bottle brush tree. We came home and proceeded to dig holes deeper than us and we got all of the trees planted and then Dave mulched around all the trees with a red cedar mulch. We are going to start painting the outside of the house in a week and a half - Dark Blue with a nice red door - so the mulch will fit right in. Our next outdoor project will be making a flower bed in the front and then pulling out the bushes in to the right of our door and making a true flower bed there. Now it is just a Gemini Digging Hole.
We have pretty much decided that Florida is where we really want to be. We have discussed moving to Tennessee but we love this state. We love the weather, the beach, the palm trees -- all of it. So, now that we know this, we are going to start doing some pretty cool improvements to the house. I will post pictures along the way as we get them done.
Monday night we went to the gun range as we usually do. 300 rounds! That's how many rounds I fired!! That is a lot of ammo!! Dave makes fun of me because I go through so much more ammo than him - but that's okay...I tell him at least I hit the targets:) (Just kidding, he hits the targets very well, actually!!).
Other random happenings?? We are working more outside Sunday and on our fence around the property so we can bring MR. Moo over to the house. I already have one guy from around here that wants to "rent" him to breed his females. He has turned out to be a HUGE beautiful bull and it will be cool if I can make some extra money off of him. He does have an amazing lineage too, so that will help.
Whew! I think that's all for now!