Ahhhh...........

Could today be any better? It's finally getting nice outside and not so hot. Today is Thursday but it's my Friday! Ahhh, what a lovely day!

Last night was doggie class. It was so much fun. We did a tunnelrs course. I did have one scare though. Crasy Chase got on top of the A-Frame, which was at full height 6 ft, peaked over the edge, lost her balance and fell off. She landed on all 4's, like a cat. Tammy and I about lost our breath watching her fall. The whole time I was thinking, she's going to break something. After the fall, she took off running and wanted to do it again. What am I going to do with this crasy dog? :-)

After doggie class it was off to Sportsmans Warehouse again. This time for spray on water repellent. I think we go to that store a little too much. Then we went to Maggie Moos for some more Cotton Candy ice cream.

Today I'm not wanting to do a thing. All I can think about is our trip. I have the day off tomorrow so I'm going to run a few errands and then pick Jason up around 10 and we're off. So, you won't hear from me until Tuesday. At that time I'll have tons of stuff to write about, pictures to post, ahh.......

GURRRRR!

Today I'm having one of those grumpy days. The longer I live in Memphis the more they come around. I keep telling myself to "GET OVER MYSELF" (inside joke with mom) but it's just not working out today. I only get a little relief. One of the bible verses I try to focus on is in James:

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Speaking of mom.....Isn't she just so cute (FOXY LADY)! Look, it's Jackie Poo too!



And then there is my very CUTE sister Stacy:


Last night I mowed the grass. This is a past time that I really enjoy. It's a time to sit and think and reflect on the day and on the future. Since it takes 2 - 3 hours to mow so I have TONS of time to reflect. I was mostly thinking about our future move to PA, if it ever comes. I was thinking, where will we live? Where will I work? I know God will work everything out but I still like to think about it. :-) As far as work goes, I think I'm finished working in an office atmosphere. Honestly, I'm such a tom boy, sitting in an office with a bunch of women during the day is not much fun for me, unless it was Carie or Trish. Now that would be fun! I just do not enjoy talking about what was for dinner last night, sewing, womanly issues, etc. Ewwww! So, with us moving outside the Pocono Mountains it opens up a huge opportunity to do something I love, work outdoors! Although it's going to be extremely cold during the winter months I'm thinking this is what I really need to do. What I am really looking for is an Animal Control Officer or something like that. I've also considered continuing to work in an office but only for a few years so I can go back to school to be a Vet tech or a Vet. Many of you know my love for animals and nature. We'll see.

Speaking of PA. Jason is turning in his relo package into Berwick today. So, next up will be his offer letter. Yippee!

Now about our trip this weekend. Turns out this hurricane will be moving north and passing about 100 miles to the east of the smokies. Which mean, here comes the rain. So, if it rains, we'll probably cancel our trip and head home for the weekend. Or, we'll stake out an alternative location. Jason has suggested going back to Mammoth Cave but we'll see :-) Pray the rain does not come!

Poor Taylor

A few weeks ago Jason took Tay to the vet to get her Thyroid checked. Her tests results came in a few days ago showing that her thyroid is low. So, now poor Taylor is going to have to go on Thyroid medication for the rest of her life. Poor Taylor!

Taylor Catching A Frisbee

Last night Prison Break was on. For those of you who do not watch the show, you should! He he He! Last nights episode was AWESOME! Can it get any better?

After Prison Break I channel surfed for a while. We couldn't go on our walk last night due to the rain. So, since nothing was on, I finished watching Jurassic Park III. I wanted to start packing for our hiking trip but it's still too early. Can Friday come any quicker? I'm getting so antsy I can hardly sit and concentrate during work. The weather is suppose to be awesome this weekend. Low 80's. Here are some photos from our last trip to the Smokies.

Does it get any better than this?

Bees are cool!

Dinner time in the shelter

Aren't we so cute?

Breathtaking Sunrise!

Jason and I had a very nice weekend. On Saturday he helped a friend with some computers while I helped Tammy with puppy class. Puppy class is so much fun. It makes me want another puppy, but, there is no room in our house :-) After class I met Jason at the Memphis Pizza Cafe. We had heard that the pizza is wonderful, however, I didn't care for it at all. I probably will not ever eat their again. After that I headed home and took a nap. When Jason came home we hung out for a bit and then headed to our favorite place, Sportsmans Warehouse. Jason and I have been searching for a tent. After our visit we think we've decided which one we'll get as our Christmas gift to one another. That evening I started to watch the new Poseidon. Around 10:30 I couldn't watch anymore because I was so tired.

On Sunday I got up and finished the movie before church. After church we came home and watched movies. Our goal was to watch all 3 of the Jurassic Parks. We got through 1 1/2 of them. I really like those movies. They are fun to watch on the big screen.

Jason and I have started walking in the evenings on a backroad near our house. On Sunday we decided to put a bunch of weight into our packs to get ready for our hike this weekend. I added about 15+ lbs to my pack and Jason added a lot too :-) So, we started walking. We took Sam and Kenzie with us. At first they were walking off leash until Sam decided to hunt for things. After 15 - 20 minutes of trying to get her out of the bean fields Jason caught her a put a leash on her. I tied her to my waist strap and made her walk at my pace. After about 1/2 mile Jason noticed some lightning headed our way. Since both of us was carrying metal weights we decided to cut our walk short to a little over a mile. Tonight will probably be a short walk also since it's Prison Break night :-)

Our plans for our Smokies trip is all set. We have reserved a campsite at the Elkmont campground for Friday night. We'll start early Sunday morning. We'll park on vehicle at the starting point at Newfound Gap Road. Then we'll park the second car at the ending point at Clingmans Dome Road. We'll hike 5 miles on the AT the first night and stay at the Mt Collins Shelter. The second day we'll hike almost 6 miles on the AT to the Double Spring shelter. On Sunday we'll finish our hiking with 2 miles back to one of our vehicles. I'm getting to excited about our trip. I'll be able to upload photos so you all can view them when we return :-)

TIME CAPSULE.

Having the opportunity to reconnect with some friends from high school has had me looking back through all my Jr High and High School photos and scrapbooks. This has truly been so much fun. Seeing old photos from my Cheerleading and Softball days. Seeing photos from my Sr Year, which is the year I didn't do a thing. I had Power Lifting first period. Study hall 2 period. English another period and then the rest of the day was spent working in the Athletic Dept. What a day huh! Then, of course, spending time with Abs and working on our fitness center stuff. (can you believe I still have all the business cards and fliers we made)? Tone and Abs Fitness Center , 1010 Richard Simmons Way, Fit, OK. 1-800- You Can Be Fit Too! Of course that's too many numbers for a phone number but we didn't care! So, with todays time capsule I have attached a few photos for your laughter.



First Up. Donkey Basketball. Every year our High School would put on a Donkey Basketball game in the HS Gym right before it was resurfaced. All local businessmen and then some of the students would compete against one another. The object of the game, you have to be on top of your donkey before you shoot. As you can see, it was kind of tough. My donkey wouldn't even move.

Although this photo could be an embarrassment for me, I posted it just for my good buddy Abby. Abby, do you happen to remember who we were making fun of here? I do, take one guess! :-)

Ahh, Cheerleading days. Many of you find it hard to believe that I was a Cheerleader. So, here's proof :-)

And now for events on the home front.....

Last night was dog class. It was only Kim, Jason, and I. It was tons of fun. Since our next dog show is coming up in a few weeks we've been working more on sequences. Chase was in rare form last night. Knocking bars, bailing off contacts.....I'm just praying the next show she's ok and not WILD! After class Jason and I raced to Southaven to return the dog crate back to Sportsmans Warehouse. Chase went in with us and gave everyone tons of kisses. Everyone loves her in Sportmans Warehouse. She gets to visit there a lot. Then it was off to Maggie Moos for ice cream. As most of you know, my favorite ice cream, "Blue Moo Cookie Dough", is only found in the northern states. It can be bought at UDF (United Dairy Farmers), which is also a gas station. Since we're in the south I do not get to enjoy it as much as I would like. Well last night at Maggie Moos I had some sort of cotton candy ice cream with marshmallows and M&M's. It tasted just like Blue Moo. So, I was very excited. I should have bought a gallon. I need to cut back though, I've been consuming too much ice cream lately.

As for todays events, Brian (my boss) took all of us out to lunch. We ate at Logan's Roadhouse. I'm a huge steak fan so Logan's sounded really great to me. My steak was awesome. I think I ate a little too much though :-)

Last night was loads of fun. Jason came home on time so we spent the evening out. We went to crescent City for dinner and ate a little too much. That place is my new favorite place to eat. The food was awesome and came in large qtys. Jason and I shared an entree and I honestly couldn't have eaten it all by myself. Afterwards it was off to Circuit City. I am starting to really hate that place. I went in looking for the Fugitive. I planned on adding it to our video library. Let's just say whoever alphabetized the movies doesn't know the alphabet that well. Needless to say I got really frustrated and walked away. Then we went to our favorite place, the Sportsmans Warehouse. We needed to get a new crate for Taylor since it's hard for us to get her out of the one she currently rides in. We ended up bringing home the wrong size crate (because it was labeled wrong) but we have no problem going back :-) Last stop for the night, Walmart for groceries. I was in an antsy mood last night so Jason and I thought it would be funny to take our clicker (dog clicker) inside and click it when people walk by. I didn't get the looks of confusion like I wanted so we didn't click the clicker for long.

After we got home we spent some time with the furkids. Tay and Chase was busy rooting through their toy bin so Jason and I started planning our Labor Day hiking trip. We think we have figured out what part of the AT we're going to be hiking. We have sent off our plans to our Hiking Expert (you know who you are :-) for approval. :-) By the way, hiking expert, your advise is always appreciated.







So, Scott and Amy.......Are you ready for an adventure?

This Saturday was packed with stuff for us to do. The furkids allowed us to sleep in until 8:00. Which was wonderful. We took Tay to the vet to get updated on her shots. She hates going to the vet. To ease her mind I took Chase with me so she could have a buddy to hide behind. Our vet is a great vet. He's very gentle with them and very nice. After the vet it was off to the John Deere dealer to pickup a battery for our ancient mower. The poor thing is still running, however, I think it's on it's last leg. Then it was off to Southaven for a breed show. Our agility instructor was showing her sheltie Simi in the Sheltie breed show. Although I know nothing about confirmation it was fun to see all the different breeds and watch them get primped up for their appearance in the ring. Here's a photo of sassy Simi.

That evening we went with our friends Andrew and Jennifer to see World Trade Center. The movie was amazing. I would recommend this movie to everyone. There was not a dry eye in the house. Afterwards we went to eat at Logans Road House. I had a WONDERFUL steak and mashed potatoes.

On Sunday it was off to church at Heartland. That afternoon we mowed the grass and worked around the house a bit. We also watched a few episodes of Prison Break Season 1. Jason didn't get to see several episodes of Season 1 so he was catching up. Tonight is the first night of Season 2. I'm very excited. It comes on FOX tonight a 7 central for those interested.

Last night was dog class. For those who do not know, my husband and I show 2 of our furkids in agility. Agility is a dog obstacle course. You may have seen it before on ESPN and Animal Planet. My dog Chase is absolutly wild. So wild her nickname is Satan. She sometimes appears all calm and nice but then out of the blue she'll jump up and bite your butt. (no joke). Her favorite past time is snaping her teeth at you to get you to play with her. She'll also do it when you're just walking through the house. She has no aggressive bone in her body, it's just the way she is. A weird thing about her is, she doesn't like the word "boo". In fact, she's terrified of it. My hubby likes to say it to her for laughs but I try to tell him not too. Here's a puppy photo of my cute Chase aka "Satan" . See the halo on her head?

I'm sure you're probably going "AWWW, why would you name her Satan" Trust me. :-) Chase has been training in agility since she was just 8 weeks old. So far she has been entered in 3 trials. She has her NAJ title, which is Novice Agility Jumpers. We're still working on her NA title, which is her Novice Agility. She seems to have discovered that spinning in circles and playing with the number cones on the table is so much fun. Needless to say, we had everyone in the arena rolling. (Those who would like to see the run, email me and I'll send it to you)

Taylor is Jasons dog that he trains and shows in agility. Taylor is a goodie goodie too shoes. Right now she is in the Excellent jumpers class in agility. She's also in Open Standard. Once Taylor gets her Excellent A jumpers Title she'll start working on her MACH (Master Agility Champion) title, which is the title of all titles. Jason likes to brag about all the 1st and 2nd place ribbons him and Taylor have earned. He doesn't even leave room for me to show off my titles. Just wait Jason, we'll catch up. :-) Taylor has also taken interests in herding. She's obsessed with ducks. We're waiting on the fall to arrive so we can take some classes.

I've attached more photos of our dogs doing agility in the backyard and also at Agility Fun Day at Tammy's.

Above is Chase doing weaves and sitting on the dogwalk.

Here's Taylor sitting pretty and jumping

Trying Times

I told myself I was not going to use this blog to complain and vent but today I need to get some things off my chest. First off, today didn't start out very good. Most of you don't really know what I do at my job but I'm an administrative assistant. I also work part time in our shipping warehouse. With that role I work with carriers and with our other branches to bring product into our warehouse for stock. I pull a Dallas truck twice a week. On Monday we didn't have the weight for a full load (43,000) so I had to split my truck with our Little Rock branch. I only pulled 20,000#'s. The new girl started complaining to me this morning about how the product she needed wasn't on the truck. I told her I can only pull stock from DA if they have the mat'l in their warehouse. That didn't seem to register with her. So everyone that called she made it out like it was my fault. I told over and over again this morning about the situation and finally I just said "You know what, I'm sorry I don't know what to tell you." After I made that comment, the sales rep I work for told me that I needed to be a bit nicer to the ladies I work with. I told him I didn't know how much nicer I could be and that I just don't know what to do anymore. I left it at that. Where does he get off telling me that when I've been the one targeted all morning? Honestly, from the first day I started here I have never been liked. My whole life growing up I was never told I was rude so why all of a sudden am I rude now? Maybe it's because I hate it here and the more I live here the more I want to leave? Maybe it's because people just do not know me. That's probably because no one has even tried because I'm so different.

Well, I'm going to stop now because I'm starting to cry while I write this. Thanks to everyone for listening and I'm sorry. Please pray for me. Pray that the rest of the day will get better. I really need it.

I AM WEIRD!!!!!

Today was dentist day. I love going to the dentist. One thing I do each year on the day of my dentist appt is eat as much junk food and candy before my appt. I think I do this because I'm normally not a junk food eater so I figure I should load up before my teeth are cleaned. Today I didn't eat any candy but I did treat myself to Sonic for breakfast. I had the usual, breakfast burrito with a large Diet Coke with Blue Coconut added. Ummm, makes me hungry again just thinking about it.

Another weird thing about me......I have a fascination with Mt. Everest and the climbers that summit it every year. I love to read the trip reports on http://mounteverest.net/. Today, at the dentist I was sitting in the office looking for something to read. I noticed an Outdoors magazine focusing on Everest. So, I asked the lady if I could take the magazine. I am very excited about reading it tonight when I get home.

Smokin' Tree Huggers

Some days don't you just feel like doing this?



It has been so hot lately I'm about to die. Today Jason and I went to Pizza Hut for lunch. We got it to go. We sat in the parking lot for a while with the air on. It was so hot the poor AC couldn't keep up. So, I told Jason I was going to drive around until we found some shade. We found an abandoned warehouse (In Memphis, no way????) and found a tree to park under. We felt like such dorks. Fall/Winter please come quickly.

I haven't told many people but a few days ago I was looking around on My Space for some old friends from HS. I ended up finding one of my best friends and I was so excited. I contacted her and we've been playing catch up. After talking to Abbie aka. Abs I pulled out my old senior book and was thinking about all the fun times we shared together. From driving in fields, designing letterhead and business cards for our Tone and Abs Fitness Center, to TREE HUGGING.....Ahh, those were the days. If you can believe it Abs crazier than me. Imagine that.

Well, until next time.......