Meet the Cast, Pet Edition

I know I talk a lot about our pets on this blog and I really haven't introduced you to any of them yet. Since these guys and gals are family to us, too you should meet them. They're all playful, energetic, fun lovin, happy, tail waggin' fluff babies.

None of them actually live with me, my fiance and our son because our house is small and we don't have a fence. At our house they have to stay on a leash when we got outside, at my parent's they can run free. We're doing what's best for them now. We call them our rent a dogs b/c when we want to see one of them we go pick them up and let them spend the night with us.

Allow me to introduce:

Bella

She's a Golden Retriever. We call her our Golden Girl. We also call her the Jessica Simpson of dogs because she's pretty but not very smart. She barks if she hears any door bell or knocking, even if it's on the t.v. One time she even walked right by me on the front porch and ran into the house barking because I was ringing the door bell. She really is that air headed, y'all. If she could talk she'd ask if tuna really was chicken of the sea, too. She's the sweetest thing ever though. She'll let you do anything to her, she doesn't care. She's been subjected to many costumes. She grins like a fool and just wants to love you.

Bella has also had 21 babies in her lifetime. Girlfriend likes to get around.




Minnie Mouse

She's Bella's daughter.
Bella had a Rottweiler Boyfriend before she got fixed. Often times she'd bust out the door and go meet him. Minnie is the result of that. She's also one of 21 kids. She was the runt of the last litter and my mom just couldn't part with her. Good thing because she's our Princess. She does this thing where when she wants to go home with me she beats me to the front door and sits until someone opens the door then she bolts for the car. When someone opens that door she's in and won't get out. She's sat in my car for 30 minutes recently when I took her home b/c she wanted to go back with me. Girlfriend is persistent.

Like her Mom she's been subjected to many costumes, she's not nearly as amused but she will let you do anything else to her. Unless you're the vet but that's a different story. She runs like a crazy horse outside, often times crashing into the concrete front porch. We also call her crazy eyes sometimes b/c she'll give you this crazy look.



Drago

He's the newest addition to the family. When our beloved Duke passed away in October my mom decided she wanted a German Shepard. She looked around and found him on Facebook. He was a little more $ than they wanted to spend and he was in North Carolina but it shocked my Mom when my Dad said yes she could have him.

He came to live with them at the beginning of January. He's a hot mess. He quickly came in and tried to rule the roost. The girls didn't take too kindly to that. He's learned his place among them though and they love him (kind of). He doesn't get to spend the night yet b/c he doesn't sleep through the night and he has a hard time with that whole pottying where he should thing still but he does get to come over for day visits and go on car rides with me.

He's at that fun bite you and rip you to shreds stage. And the cat. My poor cat. He won't live him alone. He barks at the cat until someone stops him. No lie.



Chance
I got my Chance when Dylan was a little over a year old. He's almost 12, too. He's mellowed out since I moved out. He misses me and Dylan like crazy. Anytime we're at my parent's he just wants me to lay down on the bed and love on him. He's the sweetest. He's my second child.




And those are our fur babies.

Good-bye/Hello.

Lisa Leonard does a wonderful post on her blog on Monday called Hello Monday! Where you say hello to a new week and the new opportunities that await you. I love this post and look forward to it every. single. week. but this got me to thinking why not Good-bye Friday?

We can say good-bye to the things that have weighed us down this week and brought a bunch of negativity. Sounds good, right? Let's quit it and forget it! So here goes. '

Good-bye looong work/school week.

Good-bye 7 a.m. alarm.

Good-bye rushing out the door.

Good-bye not spending time with family and friends.

Good-bye to seeing the sun rise on my morning drive.

Good-bye to being so exhausted that I can't stay awake long enough to spend time with my love after our boy has gone to bed.

Good-bye cold bed after my honey leaves in the mornings. Good-bye to only having time to drink 1/2 of my cup of coffee before rushing out the door.

Good-bye cleaning house and doing laundry because I vow to do none of that this weekend and only enjoy time with my family and friends.

On the flip side there are some things i'd like to say hello to this weekend, too!

Hello sleeping in WITH my honey snuggled up next to me.

Hello waking up to the sun already shining through my windows.

Hello to staying in pajamas until 11 a.m. and drinking all the coffee I want.

Hello staying up late with my honey AFTER our boy has gone to bed. {It's amazing what a couple extra hours of sleep can do}.

Hello not caring what my house looks like.

Hello wedding with old friends that I haven't seen in forever.

Hello pumpkin carving with my best and her sweet boy.

Hello Halloween decorating (better late than never).

Hello relaxing.

Reese Witherspoon....aka Little Spoon

I love her. As in OBSESSED love her. Reese Witherspoon has always been one of my favorite actresses. Cruel Intentions, Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde are among my favorite movies. She's a wonderful actress, she fights for women, she's bubbly and up-apologetically herself. Plus she's a fellow Southern Lady, like myself. What's not to love? Even when she got arrested in Atlanta for public drunk-ness and screaming at a cop I found her charming, not that what she did was right but still, she's loveable even when she's a hot mess. This interview for Vogue is the best! Seriously check it out. 73 questions with Reese Witherspoon.

Happy Friday.

Happy Friday my lovelies. We've almost made it to the weekend. Technically it is the weekend for me and Dylan, he's out of school for Fall break now so we're just chillin' at home until my mom gets off work then we're going to see my parents. I love days that start with no agenda; no where to be, no rush. That means this momma can take time to drink coffee on the couch in my pajamas, blog, and catch up on t.v. It just so happens that Lara Spencer's Flea Market Flip is on and i'm obsessed with this show. I saw it once and couldn't find it again until now. Two whole episodes followed by a complete hour of Lara Spencer's I Brake For Yard sales. Obsessed! I've even had time to give my blog a face lift just in time for Halloween.

We're still heartbroken over the loss of our buddy this week. Our Duke lost his battle with cancer on Monday. We miss that guy like crazy but we're happy knowing he's not suffering and he's been re-united in Heaven with his best friend, our Grandpa. I'm sure they're enjoying life together again. It's not good bye for us forever. It's until we meet again.

So anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I know we will. We're planning on doing a lot of napping, maybe making s'mores, and being lazy!

10 years from now.

Dear Future Self,

You're 42 now. Yeah 42, but age ain't nothing but a number. You've always said that and "you're only as old as you feel." You tried to preach that to everyone who ever complained about being old. After all, growing older is a privilege that many don't get. So you're 42, which means that your husband is, too. That man is the love of your life. You waited years to have him. I'm sure you're still honeymooning after all these years. You're getting ready to celebrate your 9 year wedding anniversary. Nine years is small compared to the life time you have together though. I bet you're living in the middle of the woods on acres of land, in your beautiful dream home by now. You probably have dogs and kids running around the house and yard, enjoying the good life you've given them.

Your oldest, he's 21 now! Gasp! When did that happen? They say times flies when you're having fun. That must be true. After all, look at all the fun you had together in that kid's first 11 years and that surely flew by. So you've survived middle school, high school, driving lessons, graduation, college and all those other milestones together! Congratulations! Of course you couldn't have done it without the love of your life who loved that boy as his own from the start. You've probably had another baby or two by now. You never could make up your mind as to how many more you wanted but since those babies haven't been born at the time of this letter you don't know how old they are by now but I imagine a world filled with pink and purple, Barbies and Baby Dolls, frills and bows by now but then again I can imagine a world filled with blue and green (what other color defines boy anyway?), Mud puddles and bugs (which you probably still despise), trucks and baseball, too.

I'm sure you've gone through your share of struggles as a family, too though. Those things probably brought you closer together as a family. At the time of this letter you're struggling with the C words a lot in your life. Cancer. Your soon to be father in law and sister in law, your best friend, you're grandfather (Jimmy), even your dog lost his battle with that nasty disease this week. Hopefully by now they've found a cure and these people are all still celebrating life with you.

Maybe you finally got that teaching degree, maybe not. Maybe you decided being a stay at home mom and wife was all you really wanted out of life. If you are teaching I'm sure all those kids in your class love you and no doubt, you love them as if they were your own. You always have had a heart for kids. I bet you cry at the end of each school year when you have to set them free. You cry a lot because you care like that. You love as hard as you fight and you always fight for what's right.

Maybe you were finally able to open that bakery you've always dreamed of. Yeah, the one with a sandwich shop attached and you probably sell home made cards and make wedding and baby shower invitations, too. Maybe you just do that for fun out of your kitchen for family and friends, like you always have. That's probably more like it so you can spend time focusing on your family and still enjoying what you love to do. Because I know, no matter what you're doing with your life, nothing is more important than the people you see when you walk through the front door everyday. Your biggest dream has always been to be a momma and a wife. You are now and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that's what you are meant to do with your life.

Keep shining and doing what you love with who you love most because that is the most honest, beautiful life you can live. My only hope is that you've finally realized that you're not Super Woman and you can't take on the world alone. You don't have to. Just remember to Be Still and enjoy the moments because, as your great grandmother used to tell your mother, who passed it along to you, "Everything is temporary. The bad times are but so are the good times." So go sit down with your husband and kids, the house work will still be there tomorrow. Enjoy this day.