Where, oh where, have I been??

Wow its been forever since I have been on this thing. December has been a crazy month! I did get all the decorations and the tree up early this year. Plus I got all my shopping done early...thanks to an awesome Christmas bonus! Then Brandon got one to...so we were really blessed. I also have taken a step back and I am trying to fix some things in my life. One...my weight. Two...my credit (its actually good just had to get something paid off) Three...my attitude (trying to stay positive) Four...saving up for a house and the wedding. So far all of its going fantastic. The biggest struggle is the weight. I am really great a maintaining but I need the weight to go adios! So I have been doing turbo jam every afternoon or night. Ive been doing the 45 minute one and was really surprised when I did the 20 minute one and it was a breeze! Plus I have stepped up the cardio party turbo jam by using the weighted gloves and I love it!! But anyways enough about that!
My pet sitting business is doing great! I never thought it would grow the way it has! The only bad things is that I am making a name for myself in Friendswood when I will possible moving to LaPorte. I will have to start over there and hopefully still be able to pet sit for my amazing clients here.
Well Christmas is 5 days away and I am excited about it but I feel like Im not as excited as I should be. Now with Brandon's family and my family wanting us at every possible family event, plus with my petsitting...Christmas is becoming more of a chore than a joyful time of year. Apparently I need to clone myself so I can be at everything. Anyone else out there have this problem?? I dont mind the pet sitting because that wont take much of my time. But I would like to be able to spend Christmas with my family. We go to his grandma's house and do Christmas with his side of the family on Christmas eve but now his mom also wants us to come over Christmas day. It's Brody's first Christmas and I want to be there for that. Plus with all my jobs on this side of town as well I dont want to spend my Christmas day driving all over the place. Plus I still have to visit my aunt becky, mimi and papa in rockport sometime during the holidays. We are going to have to work out some kinda of system. For the first time in my life...Im not looking forward to Christmas.

Needing some Christmas cheer!!

BM, MOH, and dresses galore!

Yesterday was an eventful day! A hungover me got up and went bridesmaid dress shopping with 3 of my bridesmaids. We had alot of fun. Some styles were great, others they could barely move in them, and some we cute but the colors they had to try on were.....well colorful! We did end up finding the perfect dress that everyone loves (well the ones that were there) and I think the others will love to. Im so ready for May 14 to hurry up and get here. I cant wait to see how everything is gonna look! Man we had chuys for lunch yesterday and now that just sounds soo amazing. I love love love that place!

Lady A was so awesome last night! They were so energetic and oh how I wish we would of been on the first row! The lead male singer drank some girls margarita...TWICE! Then the other guy from the group gave some girl his jacket to wear since it was freezing cold! Then they kept taking peoples cameras and taking pictures. So jealous!

Well thats all for now. Went on a pet sitting interview today. Hopefully they liked me! I could use that extra money right now!

Here's to great weekends!

So this weekend was pretty eventful. Saturday, my mom, me, lisa, and bailey wall went up to Austin for my first fitting for my wedding dress and to check out some ideas for bridemaids dresses. First place we went to was Alfred Angelo's and I have fallen in love with a beautiful bm dress. Hopefully it will look great on everyone and that everyone will love it to. Then we headed over to Hobby Lobby and got alot accomplished there. Lisa put together some beautiful flower arrangements that are going to be going on the tables, got some ideas for decorating the inside and outside of the church, and also found some really cute fabric that will go ontop of the tables in the reception hall (super excited about it!) So when we left there, I was finally starting to feel good about everything finally coming together. We got a quick bite to eat then headed over to Davids Bridal for the fitting which turned out, we just picked up the dress and our taking it down to a DB by our house. But I didnt leave the store without first putting it on!! I was in love all over again! I cant wait for everyone to see my dress! Its absolutely beautiful!! Im really excited about this weekend and getting most of the bridal party together to go try on bm dresses. Sunday was not to eventful. Me and Brandon just kinda hung out and watch tv all day. Then my mom, Lacey, Riko, and Brody came over for Ghost Hunters Live which turned out to be pretty lame this year. Oh they mostly came over because I made homemade stew and they just came to eat that! Brody looked so cute in his Halloween costume though!!

Finally!

I finally was able to get in a good workout today. Me and Brandon went down to the park and rode the bike trail again 2x. Then we went to another park near by and rode that bike trail and let me tell you, IT WAS HARD! I loved it though! There were alot of hills and riding through the grass. We decided that next time we take that trail it will be the only one we do that day, and we didnt even ride all of it! Our legs were killing us! Looking forward to riding more trails and hopefully getting me a new bike because mine really isnt good for going off a paved path. I almost ate it a couple times.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!! I love Fridays!!

I need to vent.....

AHHHHHHH!!! Thats me right now going crazy!!! I have a hurt back and all I want/NEED to do is work out but I cant. See I got the working out part down...its the food part that is hard. I love working out, I would do it all day if I could. Plus when you want to eat healthy and your significant other could care less about eating right and getting fast food all the time, well it makes it really hard to eat right. I did get him to not drink cokes anymore...in the house anyways. Now, if we could get the fast food under control...which yea if I cooked (which by the way...why am I the one who always have to cook?? He says he cant cook...well apparently I guess cause Im a girl I just magically always knew how to cook...NOT!) I'm sure we would eat better and not get fast food but man eating healthy is expensive but then again so it eating out all the time. Maybe I need to go on the model diet on something. But then again, I want to be healthy not just on some fad diet.

Why can we pack on weight so easily but its so hard to get off?????

Engagement Photos

We has so much fun taking our pictures with Our Little Ranch Photography. They were the greatest and they take amazing pictures. Here are some of my favorites:

For the love of a dog....

If you know me, then you know my love of all animals, especially dogs. I got this email today and thought I would share.

They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie, as I looked at him lying in his pen.. The shelter was
clean, no-kill and the people really friendly.  I'd only been in the area for six months but everywhere
I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open.  Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here and I thought a dog couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to.  And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn't look like "Lab
people," whatever that meant. They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous owner. See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.  Maybe we were too much alike.

For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls --- he wouldn't go anywhere without two stuffed in his mouth) got tossed in with all of my other unpacked boxes.  I guess I didn't really think he'd need all his old stuff, that I'd get him new things once he settled in. But it became pretty clear pretty soon that he wasn't going to.

I tried the normal commands the shelter told me he knew, ones like "sit" and "stay" and "come", "heel," and he'd follow them - when he felt like it.  He never really seemed to listen when I called his name ---sure, he'd look in my direction after the fourth or fifth time I said it but then he'd just go back to doing whatever.  When I'd ask again, you could almost see him sigh and then grudgingly obey.

This just wasn't going to work. He chewed a couple shoes and some unpacked boxes.  I was a little too stern with him and he resented it, I could tell.  The friction got so bad that I couldn't wait for the two weeks to be up and when it was, I was in full-on search mode for my cell phone amid all of my unpacked stuff. I remembered leaving it on the stack of boxes for the guest room but I also mumbled, rather cynically, that the "damn dog probably hid it on me."

Finally I found it but before I could punch up the shelter's number, I also found his pad and other toys
from the shelter...I tossed the pad in Reggie's direction and he snuffed it and wagged, some of the most
enthusiasm I'd seen since bringing him home. But then I called, "Hey, Reggie, you like that? Come
here and I'll give you a treat." Instead, he sort of glanced in my direction ---maybe "glared" is more accurate ---and

then gave a discontented sigh and flopped down....with his back to me.

Well, that's not going to do it either, I thought. And I punched the shelter phone number.

But I hung up when I saw the sealed envelope.  I had completely forgotten about that, too.

"Okay, Reggie," I said out loud, "let's see if your previous owner has any advice."

____________ _________ _________ _________


To
Whoever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the shelter
could only be opened by Reggie's new owner.
I'm not even happy writing it. If you're reading this,

it means I just got back from my last car ride with my Lab

after dropping him off at the shelter.

He knew something was different.

I have packed up his pad and toys before and set them by the back door before a trip,
but this time... it's like he knew something was wrong.

And something is wrong...which is why I have
to go to try to make it right. 

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it

will help you bond with him and he with you. 

First, he loves tennis balls.
The more the merrier. Sometimes I think he's part
squirrel, the way he hordes them. He usually always
has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in
there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't
matter where you throw them, he'll bound after it, so be
careful - really don't do it by any roads. I made
that mistake once, and it almost cost him dearly.

Next, commands. Maybe the shelter staff

already told you, but I'll go over them
again: Reggie knows the obvious ones ---
"sit," "stay," "come," "heel."

He knows hand signals:
"back" to turn around and go back when you put
your hand straight up; and "over" if you put your
hand out right or left. "Shake" for shaking
water off, and "paw" for a high-five. He
does "down" when he feels like lying down --- I bet
you could work on that with him some more. He knows
"ball" and "food" and "bone"
and "treat" like nobody's business.

I trained Reggie with small food treats.

Nothing opens his ears like little pieces of hot dog.

Feeding schedule: twice a day,

once about seven in the morning, and again at six in
the evening. Regular store-bought stuff; the shelter
has the brand.

He's up on his shots.
Call the clinic on  9th Street and update his info with
yours; they'll make sure to send you reminders for when
he's due. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet.

Good luck getting him in the car.

I don't know how he knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time.
I've never been married, so it's only been Reggie
and me for his whole life He's gone everywhere
with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if
you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he
doesn't bark or complain. He just loves to be
around people, and me most especially.

Which means that this transition is
going to be hard, with him going to live with someone new.

And that's why I need to share
one more bit of info with you....

His name's not Reggie.

I don't know what made me do it, but

when I dropped him off at the shelter, I told them
his name was Reggie.

He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it

and will respond to it, of that I have no
doubt. But I just couldn't bear to give them his
real name. For me to do that, it seemed so final, that
handing him over to the shelter was as good as me admitting
that I'd never see him again. And if I end up
coming back, getting him, and tearing up this letter, it
me and everything's fine. But if someone else is
reading it, well ... well it means that his new owner should
know his real name. It'll help you bond with
him. Who knows, maybe you'll even notice a change
in his demeanor if he's been giving you problems.

His real name is "Tank".  Because that is what I drive.

Again, if you're reading this and you're from the area, maybe my name has been on the
news. I told the shelter that they couldn't make "Reggie" available for adoption until they
received word from my company commander. See, my parents are gone, I have no siblings,

no one I could've left Tank with ... and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment

to  Iraq , that they make one phone call.. the shelter ... in the "event" ... to tell
them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my colonel is a dog guy, too, and he knew where

my platoon was headed. He said he'd do it personally. And if you're reading this, then he made good on his word.

Well, this letter is getting downright depressing, even though, frankly, I'm just writing it for my dog. I couldn't imagine

if I was writing it for a wife and kids and family ... but still, Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as
long as the Army has been my family.

And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family and that he will adjust and come to love you the same way he loved me.

That unconditional love from a dog is what I take with me to  Iraq as an inspiration to do something selfless, to protect innocent people from those who would do terrible things ... and to keep those terrible people from coming over here. If I have to give up Tank in order to do it, I am glad to have done so. He is my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough.  I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. I don't think I'll say another
good-bye to Tank, though. I cried too much the first time. Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you,

Paul Mallory 

____________ _________ _________ _______


I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope.  Sure I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid, killed in  Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star

when he gave his life to save three buddies.  Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

"C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head
tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard in months.

"Tank," I whispered.  His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture
relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried
my face into his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me.  Your old pal gave you to me." Tank reached up and
licked my cheek. "So whatdaya say we play some ball?"  His ears perked again..."Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?"

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared in the next room.

And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.