Vet Visits, Snow Storms, & Friends

I think the only thing worse than going to the doctor, is taking Max to the vet.  It is vaccine season my friends and it is no fun.

Max was traumatized: the poor puppy is of the motto to sniff first before he decides if you're going to be friends or not.  Now anything with fur is an automatic friend and playmate, but with people, he likes to sniff and take stock.  He's always been like this.  Now after he sniffs you, and he feels like you're friends, then he will need you to give him a belly rub; but this was not the case on that dreadful Friday morning.  The vet comes into the exam room, announces that she has to do the heart worm test and needs a blood sample, grabs his leash from me, and hauls him out saying that the vet tech will hold him.  Let's  just say, that didn't go over well with Max.  He barked, pulled away and tried to run; can you blame him?  After that ordeal was over, we needed a spoonful of peanut butter to relax.

We were tuckered out!

On Saturday, we were blessed with an end of April Snow Storm!  Now normally, I would have sighed and been over the whole "snow" thing, but this one was fun because, well, its the end of April, it won't last.  So Max and I had oodles of fun purging things from the house (like the box my computer came in; 99.9% sure I really don't need that anymore) and finally unclogging the drain (sadly I have to take responsibility for that one).

It's hard to believe you could misplace the Rockies, but we did that on Saturday...they needed a break.

This is the face you make when you get to sleep in until 7am three days in a row...I actually think Max was happier about sleeping in that I was!

I am looking forward to next weekend because I get the pleasure of having one of my friends from grade school come visit!  I haven't seen her in a while, as we live on opposite sides of the country, and it will be so great to catch up!  I about bounced out of my slippers when she called me up yesterday and asked if I would like a visitor...umm, YEAH!! GIRLS NIGHT!

For now it's time to grab some cereal, re-visit the plans for school, and get ready for the first week of May!  I hope everyone has a fantastic week! :)

Oh, does anyone use dry shampoo and have recommendations?  This is the latest beauty product that I feel like I need in my life, but I get a little overwhelmed at the store with all of the options!

Linking up with Bianca!

Days Off, Flights, & Memes

I finally got the word when Phil's promotion ceremony is going to be! I am very excited because that means I get to see him very soon! I booked my flights and am ready to get out of Dodge...or Colorado.  Since he has been rocking a sleeping bag in the RV he asked that I bring some bedding...its a good thing that I invested in those SpaceBags (best purchase ever!)

With the school year winding down, I have slowly started to cull out my stuff and take the unnecessary/already used items home.  My students are noticing my decorations are a little lacking compared to what they were last week; but its time to face the facts: we don't need the Grammar Meme Wall anymore, if they don't know it now, its hopeless.  But I must admit, some of them really are funny and make me chuckle everyday.

I am terrified for Grandma's everywhere!


Colorado has decided to remind us that it does have a sense of humor when it comes to weather because it will be high 70s one day and then 50s and rain the next.  So Max and I have been embracing the thrill of fetch, chase the dog, and tug so we can then get to our other favorite pastime: couch cuddles.

Maybe we need a new hobby...

With that being said, I am very excited because we have FRIDAY OFF! Woo and two Hoo's!  Now that day does involve a trip to the vet for some shots, but still very exciting! This weekend will be filled with some necessary purging and packing prep (I can't put it off anymore) and cleaning.  What does that say about me that those thoughts make me kind of excited?  I'm not sure either.  Have a great rest of the week everyone! :)

Does anyone have any fun weekend plans?

Linking up with Kristin!

Piercings, Manicures, & The Hobbit

I'm not sure what it is about battling in Middle Earth, but it sure makes me feel better about having to go to work on Monday.  Nothing at work could possibly be as scary as facing some of those Orcs, I mean, really.  And I have the added pleasure of watching Legolas (the very handsome Orlando Bloom) kick mega Orc butt and look graceful doing it.  If I could pick a character to be, I would really want to be an Elf...the grace, the dignity, and the epic ability to kick butt.  Pretty nice combo.

Saturday I treated myself to a manicure and my girl told me that I needed some sparkle, and she was right! These soft gold sparkly nails really gave me the mood boost I needed to handle the chaos of a school year winding down.

I love the glam!

I also was moral support for a friend getting a couple of piercings; I may have a fear of needles, but I can hold your hand like a champ! She didn't even flinch, so she is my current hero.

Max was one very excited puppy as he got to hang out with all of his puppy friends at daycare.  The workers at daycare tell me he has four girlfriends...somehow I managed to create a puppy player and I'm not exactly sure how that happened...

All of that playing and frolicking really takes a toll on a puppy.

Phil told me he heard rumblings of when his promotion ceremony will be, so with any luck I'll be able to pin him soon!  Speaking of promotions, I think I might have figured out a small gift to get Phil to commemorate it, but does anyone have any ideas?   I am a big fan of options!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  Max and I are in our usual couch cuddle spots with a little LOTR (hello again Legolas), some sweet tea (just because) and a book.  Have a great week!

Does anyone else have any ideas about promotion gifts that are sentimental but manly?

Linking up with Bianca!

Off-leash, iPads, & Promotions

Has it been a long week or what?!?!  I swear on Tuesday I was thinking/wishing it was Friday.  It must be because the school year is winding down, because the students have lost their minds; I'm convinced!  Not that my mind is in better shape, but thats a whole different ball game...

On a totally proud puppy-mama note, I have been continuously working with Max off leash and he is doing AMAZING!!  I was pretty skeptical about this and figured our Sunday adventure had been a fluke, but lo and behold, I think the boy is getting it! (I hope the clip plays!)

I have also been super ingenious and managed to link my iPad to my Kindle books via the Kindle App.  This process took me slightly longer than it should have, but it helped me realize that I apparently have two Amazon accounts...one linked to my normal email address and the other linked to my old college email.  My latest mission is to link the two and quit this Amazon account confusion!

*Note the handy Kindle App in the bottom left*

Phil and I are officially getting ready for our first PCS!! The movers are meeting me on Friday to preview my house and then they are coming at the end of May to pack me up and ship me out! Goodbye Colorado! The only downside is that I will still be in school when they are supposed to be packing...thank goodness for friends and family!!

Does anyone have any tips to help me get prepared for that? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

Phil knew that this week has been super slow and just an endless battle of hormones and antics, so he sent me this cute little meme:

He knows my love of Mac and Cheese :)

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!  We are almost there! :)

Let me know if you have any PCSing tips!

Linking up with Kristin!

Pedicures, Dress Shopping, & Washer Fluid

My Papi came to visit me!!! This is one of the best surprises in the world!! My dad (aka: Papi) is a truck driver and he has the ability to "pop in" and visit his girl and best grand-puppy (Max and I) on various occasions.  I consider myself super lucky that he called me on Thursday and asked if I wanted a visitor this weekend...is that even a question?!?!

*Max was super excited to have his Papi back*

Now when my Papi comes to visit, I usually ask him to assist me with various tasks: refilling my washer fluid, checking the air in my tires, sweeping up spiders in the Scary Boiler Room, etc.  Well, this weekend, I made him go dress shopping with me and get pedicures.  Dad is really good about getting Father/Daughter pedis...I think he looks forward to them!

Back to dress shopping; Phil has his promotion ceremony coming up next month and I am going to go pin him!  I am so excited!  After all, its been a little while since I've seen him, so this is awesome! But then the question comes up: what do I wear?!?!

I ended up getting two dresses at the Loft (along with some pants, a dress for school, a couple of tanks, and a t-shirt...I do have a problem), one in cream and one in black.

*Excuse the dressing room mirror pics*

Now the next important question: what shoes do I wear?!?

A friend suggested that I try wedges and another suggested kitten heeled pumps...any suggestions?

Max, Papi and I celebrated Easter with a walk in the park!  Max was even able to go off leash!  I was beaming like the proud puppy mama that I am!

Look at that happy dog grin!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and Hoppy Easter and is ready for another week!! :)

Does anyone have any wedge/kitten heel suggestions?

Linking up with Bianca!

PSAT's, Dog Walks, & Online Shopping

So remember that time last week when I had a Snow Day? Well combine Snow Day with Phil being gone, and you have a recipe for online shopping!  And that is exactly what I did.  I had been shopping with my mom when I had been home, and we went into a Kate Spade store.  Ever since then I've had my eye on this adorable little cross body.  Add in the Snow Day (a whopping 8 days after I saw it) and it left me no choice: I snagged that baby!

Anticipation is building...

Hellooooooo Gorgeous!

I also decided that I needed to reward myself because I was proctoring and conducting the PSAT's for our department....so I totally deserved it right???

Speaking of the PSAT's, they are officially DONE!  We made it! And it practically went off without a hitch; thank goodness!  All that stress, worry, and sleepless nights can now be used for another task.

I also decided that it was officially time for the Spring Wardrobe!

I wore my pretty yellow pants and was referred to as "Sunshine" multiple times throughout the day and I was not upset about it; after all, the sun is the best part about Spring and Summer  :)

*Those sandals have seen better days though, they are about six years old; I only paid about $6 for them, but it's definitely time for shoe shopping*

Max is glad we survived the PSAT's too

Happy almost Thursday everyone!! :)

Does anyone have any Easter plans for this weekend?

Linking up with Kristin!

Hiking, Phone Calls, & Scooby Doo

Good News: I did not get attacked by the fierce shower monsters or drown in the tub because my fierce shower guard dog was on duty:

Look at him: primed and ready for any action!

After our Snow Day, the weather has been very cooperative and we have enjoyed our after school dog walks and hiking this weekend!

Max has been practicing his puppy smolder to impress his doggy girlfriends at daycare ;)

Phil and I managed an actual phone call (you know, where we can hear each others' voices??) on Saturday and we talked for a record TWO AND A HALF HOURS!! To be honest, I wasn't sure we had it in us!  Phil tends to be on the quieter side, as for myself, well, I can pretty much talk all the time with endless topics-my brain is a fascinating place according to Phil.  I'm pretty proud of that!

Max and I have also been hitting the Scooby Doo quite hard: it was my favorite as a child and its something nice to have on in the background while I read or work (Max is a huge fan obviously).  Isn't it odd that when you are stressed some of those childhood favorites give you that extra sense of calm?

With PSAT and SAT testing coming up, Scooby might be able to assist Max in helping me keep my sanity! But for now, its time to plan and unwind with my little man before the crazy week starts!

Max is already in position! Have a happy week everyone! :)

What are some of your childhood favorite movies or shows that just make you feel good?

Linking up with Bianca!

"Miss! You're WHAT?!?!"

This is the response I received from my students when I told them I have officially resigned my teaching job.  This was a tough decision, but Phil and I talked it out and out and out, and we decided that we did not want to live apart any more than we already have to (that whole Army thing).

Variations of my students' responses also sounded something like this: "Miss! You can't go!  Just divorce him and re-marry him after I graduate!  That's only two years from now!", "Fine, if you're not coming back, I won't either!", etc.  I do believe I also heard the mention of a protest...

We had a Snow Day yesterday!! It was AWESOME!! I got to sleep in a little more (although I was too excited that we had a SNOW DAY to actually sleep in!) and Max and I got to play all day!

And we even had a snowball fight...or snowball -throw- and -Max -eats -the -snowball fight!

After we ruff and tumbled over the backyard, we enjoyed some sweet tea (of the hot variety) and watched some Scooby Doo (Max's favorite) and held down the couch.  Sweet luxury for a Tuesday.

In true Colorado fashion, the sun came out and our 6 inches of snow went away...

*Note pretty blue skies and bare pavement*

Today, we were up and at it early as per usual, and Max was not on board with that TERRIBLE scenario:

Poor puppy!

As for now, it is time to enjoy our post-walk cup of cocoa and maybe some more Scooby!  Happy Wednesday everyone! :)

Linking up with Kristin!

Cleaning, Rain, & Manicures

As sad as I am to realize that Spring Break is rapidly coming to a close, I am so happy that I got to go home to my small town outside of Buffalo, NY and spend some quality time with my family!

Goodbye Colorado!

Being used to the 70* weather made coming home an intense change!  Hello RAIN! Rain, Rain everyday!  As sad as this sounds, I actually found it quite nice and a bit refreshing (especially since we hadn't had any in months!).

Is that peaceful or what?

My mom and I are super close and so a few things happen when we get together:

1. We shop till we drop (I am the proud owner of a new spring wardrobe :) )
2. We drink entirely too much caffeine (the sweet tea cup was present on all of our adventures...naturally)
3. We binge old movies (this time was the Thin Man series from the 1930s)
4. And we come up with intense projects that we need to get accomplished around the house in the few days that we have: EVERY. SINGLE. TIME

The project that we decided that we needed to accomplish this break was streamlining 30+ years of stuff...I have bagged, swept, hauled and chucked more bags than I ever thought possible.  Can you say total body workout?!?  I didn't count the number of garbage/Goodwill bags I hauled out of my room...26 years of buildup creates quite the accumulation.

Sadly all breaks come to an end and I was a red faced mess as I boarded the plane in Buffalo to my connection in Charlotte.  And to my dismay, I had a two hour layover that ended up being a four hour layover, so what may you ask did I do with all that extra time?

Well, like any self respecting female, I got a manicure

And when I finally got home, I got to pick up my favorite boy from doggy-daycare!

*My cute picture went awry because a bird squawked...priorities of a puppy*

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  Max and I will be making sure our couch does not run away on this snowy Saturday afternoon (finally some snow!!) 

Have a great weekend friends! :)

Linking up with Bianca!