Life is like a roller coaster with ups downs sharp turns and many unexpectant moments

New Blog! Please follow me!

2009-09-30T17:38:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! It's time I get back into the swing of things. I started up a new blog titled

Him, Her and a Latte http://himherandalatte.blogspot.com/

Please stop by and say hello and continue to follow us! I can't wait to start back up and catch up with all my blogging friends! Happy posting!

Is it possible to have this many wild animal encounters in 8 months?!

2009-08-27T19:12:00.002-04:00

Ok so yesterday I had a huge, GIANT (I know those two words mean the same thing) brown tree frog inside my car. Of course I refused to even attempt to get it out and the only thing I could think to do was get help from my wonderful neighboor who lives upstairs.

What....a....lifesaver! Ahh! It took her about 10 minutes with a stick but she got the little sucker out of my car and in the bushes where he belonged! He looked a little sick to me so I can't imagine how long he had been in there. I don't even want to think about it. Can you imagine what I would have done if I was driving down the road and that thing landed on my steering wheel! Oh boy....

Because of this incident I started to think about all of the wild animal encounters I've had since I've moved here. Putting it simple...more than I've ever had in my life. It blows my mind. Must be FL because I never experienced stuff like this back home. Here is a list of what I can remember...

Killer ants in the pantry
Giant roach in the bathroom (multiple occassions)
A pack of racoons in my tree (outside my front door)
An armadillo walking past my front porch
Pregnant spider in my living room
Flying roach in the living room
Little worms randomly throughout the apartment
Lizards on the ceiling (multiple occassions)
Tree frog in the car
Black snake by front porch
Black snake in bushes by front porch
Black snake on steps to pond (by my front door and I almost stepped on him)
Baby snakes by stairs (Latte almost stepped on)
Giant frog by the sidewalk
Pooping bird in the tree (almost got hit by this several times)
Pack of wild ducks in the pond (love my yard because I always feed them)
I saved a wild turtle from being ran over (outside my apartment)
And let's not forget the giant beatle that got stuck inside Latte's nose one night! I had to get help from my neighboor for that one....sheesh!

And this is all that I can remember...talk about adventure!

Does anyone else experience stuff like this?

If so, I want to know that I'm not alone. Please share your stories! I would love to hear them! :)

Hope all is well. Feels good to be back in the saddle again! I'm looking forward to checking out everyone's blog that I've missed :)

Cutest Dog Competition

2009-08-24T19:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

2009-08-19T20:59:00.003-04:00

Today is my 23rd birthday :) I had such a wonderful day. My cubicle was decorated when I walked into work this morning. My good friend painted me a lovely painting of Miss Latte. And David took me a wonderful dinner! Life is good. I sure did miss my family and friends today. I miss all my blogging buddies too! I am planning to start posting more often again. Work has just been so crazy!

Been a while...

2009-07-21T18:11:00.002-04:00

Work has consumed the majority of my life....

Life is still good though....

Little sister is visiting for a couple weeks....

Parents coming to visit me soon....

Latte still cute as ever....

Looking forward to my trip home in September....

And I fall more in love with David more and more everyday....

Like I said, life is good :)

St. Louis

2009-07-12T21:36:00.004-04:00

I had such a relaxing weekend :) Now it's over and I have a super busy week ahead. I am going in to work for a few hours in the morning and then I am flying to St. Louis, MO for 4 days for a business trip. I am traveling to one of my suppliers for the program I am on. I am really excited because I've never been to this part of the country before! I'm also excited because an old friend of mine is meeting me at the airport tomorrow evening and we'll probably have dinner. I haven't seen her in a while. It'll be really nice to chat and catch up on things.

I dropped Latte off earlier at my friend, Alicia's house. Her and her husband are going to watch Latte for me while I'm gone. I miss her already and she's been there for 2 hours. *sigh* What am I going to do with myself? I love that dog.

I spent most of my day today cleaning the house....top to bottom because I won't be back home until Thursday evening and I think....and I'm 90% sure that I am meeting my mom in Jacksonville this weekend to pick up my little sister! YAY! :) She's coming down to visit me for about two weeks! I am really looking forward to seeing her and spending some time with her. It'll probably be Septemeber before I can get back up to Charleston. I think we're going to try and go to Busch Gardens (we have our tickets already from last time...b1g1 free deal), the beach, the movies, shopping, and tons of other fun stuff! I can't wait!!!

Yesterday I spent alot of time at the beach. In the morning I took Latte to the doggie beach to spend some time with her before my trip. Took a nice little nap and then went to a different beach to catch a beautiful sunset in the Gulf. I really love it here.

Well I'm going to run. Have to finish packing! I'll be hiatus for a few days. Hopefully I'll have a few pics to put up from my trip. Hopefully it won't be work the entire time :) Have a great week everyone!

Anniversary Weekend!

2009-07-05T22:40:00.001-04:00

We had the BEST time this weekend :) Many more pics and a long post to come!

Friday Randomness!

2009-07-03T16:56:00.008-04:00

Happy Day before 4th of July everyone!!!

I was off work today so I've been enjoying some relaxation which has included shopping and seeing a movie and will soon include heading out to a new beach to get some sunset shots for my photography class. The meeting on Thursday was great! I was the youngest person there and felt a little intimidated. Some of the work people brought in was amazing! Some of it was just okay. Everyone made me feel welcomed and I'm looking forward to next month's meeting. Our next project is "Faces of the Gulf" and my first shoot is this evening at a new beach. I have never been there before but have heard many good things about it. It's suppose to have amazing seashells and beautiful sunsets!

So me and my friend, Alicia went and saw "My Sister's Keeper" today. What a sad movie. It was a very good movie but it was heart wrenching. I probably wouldn't see it again because of how sad it was. If you go to see it, make sure you wear waterproof mascara and bring tissues because it is a tear jerker!

The craziest thing happened this morning...I saw a HUGE spider (one of many interesting animals that I've seen around this place) in my living room. And of course I yelled for David to come and kill it while I waited patiently on the front porch with Latte. Well a few minutes passed and I thought to myself, "How long does it take to kill a spider?" and I opened the door and the look on his face was a look of horror. Apparently when he squashed the spider, she was carrying around A SACK OF BABIES and they started gushing out of her all over the living room floor. Hundreds of them! It was crazy! So I freaked out (duh!) and yelled "Get the raid!" and David (and he is very intelligent by the way) says "Raid doesn't kill spiders".......uh......ok honey. So I proceeded to get the raid for him and he sprays and lo and behold....the spiders die. I tell you what....sometimes guys just don't know what they're talking about. Poor souls.

I have been completely obsessed with HGTV lately (thanks Alicia!) and completely rearranged my living room and dining room last weekend. My next plan is to hang curtains in the living room and kitchen and eventually in my bedroom. I picked up some dark brown curtains today to see how they would look and I need to get some rods to hang them. I am really excited about decorating. I can't wait to have my own house one day to paint and decorate! :)

Last weekend David and I went to a small beach around in downtown St. Petersburg. Have I ever told you how much I love this place? It is so beautiful down here. Here are some pics that we took around sunset. We had a blast! :)

Also that same weekend we dogsit/house sit for my friend Alicia and her doggie Ed and my Latte love each other! They play non-stop. It's funny to watch because of their size difference!

Tomorrow a certain couple will be celebrating their 4th anniversary...can you guess who they might be? I love you, David. It's been the best 4 years of my life! I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you. You are my everything :)

Love is so beautiful :)

We hope everyone has a very safe and Happy 4th of July!

What am I up to this evening?

2009-07-01T20:58:00.004-04:00

Making homemade Chicken Pot Pie....

Baking yummy cupcakes in celebration of America's Independence Day...

Eating yummy cupcake batter....after dinner of course....

And catching a BEAUTIFUL sunset after two days of nasty thunderstorms and rain....

Oh, the timer just went off on the oven...time to take the last batch up cupcakes out! What an awesome end to my day...I am so blessed!

Photographic Art Society of FL

2009-06-29T19:38:00.004-04:00

So this is a very exciting week for me! I decided a couple weeks ago that I was going to join the Photographic Art Society of FL. My first meeting is Thursday night and I am so excited. I am hoping to gain lots of new skills and knowledge by joining! My passion in life is photography and I am really hoping that someday I can pursue that passion on a full time basis.

The meetings are monthly and each month there is a new theme. The theme for July is "Minimalism". We are suppose to bring 3 matted photographs representing the theme above. I went through my photos and decided I would use these three:

There are tons of events that the society participates in. Exhibitions, shows, public viewing for purchasing, as well as education in photo editing software programs. I am really looking forward to this. I hope that it helps move me forward in the photography world. I hope to learn lots of new things as well as how to better handle my DSLR. Thursday can't come soon enough! :)

Wedding Pictures!

2009-06-25T20:42:00.006-04:00

So my best friend has finally seen most of the pictures myself and David took at her wedding so I think it's okay for me to post some. Crystal and Rob had such a beautiful wedding! The day went by so fast. The ceremony was quick and beautiful! There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Crystal looked so stunningly beautiful! I am so happy for her and Rob. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Ross!!! I wish you both all the happiness that live can give you.

I remember a few years ago me and Crystal would go to try on wedding dresses just for fun. We talked about weddings all the time and looked through bridal magazines just because. Crystal pretty much had her wedding planned out even before she met Rob. I remember the first time that I met Rob. I had a really good feeling about him. He was a very respectful and sweet guy. You could tell right away that he was going to treat C well. I'll never forget the day he told me he was going to propose to her. I was so excited! I had to keep it a secret for a long time. And believe me, it was so hard to keep that to myself! :)

Finding your soul mate is a beautiful thing. I don't think Crystal and Rob were meant for anyone else but each other. They make a beautiful couple and they compliment each other so well. You can see the happiness in their life. I know, without a doubt, that they will live a very happy live together as husband and wife. I love you guys. :)

I am terrible in front of crowds and that's how I had planned my speech out in my head but unfortunately it didn't come out like that. I was so super nervous that I forgot half of it. LOL. *sigh* I should have taken that public speaking class in college...hehe...oh well. :)

I hope you all are having a great week! Enjoy the photos! :) Happy Friday tomorrow!

Cooking Club

2009-06-23T12:11:00.002-04:00

So my good friend, Alicia,and I have decided to host our very first cooking party. Alicia had the idea a few weeks ago to join a cooking club in the area since we both love to cook and try new things. Well instead of joining a club we’ve decided to host our very own cooking party at my place. We are very excited about it. I’ve been trying out a lot of new recipes and I can’t wait for others to try them. I already know that David loves my cooking so my confidence level is set pretty high. A few ideas that I have already thought about is creating an appetizer, a main meal and a dessert. I think for the first party we are going to cook something with that combination. Here is the first idea:

Appetizer:

Caesar/Greek Salad (Heather style)

Main Meal:

Spicy Sausage Tortellini

Dessert:

Cheesecake (Homemade)

Sounds pretty good huh? We are going to do some more research to see what all is involved in hosting a cooking party. Have any of you ever had one before? Ever been to one before? If so, please share your ideas and advice.

This week I am trying to cook a new meal every day. We were starting to get burned out having the same thing so I’ve kicked it up a notch. David loves to eat spicy food so I try to cook things that are a little spicy often. I have dinner for David and I planned out until next Monday. Last night’s dinner was big hit. I had never made it before and it turned out GREAT! Here is what our menu for this week looks like:

Monday-June 22^nd

Fresh Baked Garlic & Herb Tilapia

Rice Pilaf

Fresh steamed broccoli

**This was so yummy. I like tilapia better than I like salmon so I’ll be cooking this a lot more**

Tuesday-June 23^rd

Greek Salad

Wednesday-June 24^th

Free for all because David is working

Thursday-June 25^th

Spicy Chipotle Sausage Tortellini

Caesar Salad

Garlic Bread

Friday-June 26^th

Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots

White rice

Saturday-June 27^th

Baked pork chops (with a new seasoning/breading)

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Green Beans

I’ve come to realize, by planning this menu this week, that I spend a lot less time and money in the grocery store when I go in there knowing what meals I am going to make for the week and also having enough cash on me so that I don’t go over what I would like to spend. I am going to do this more often. When things get tight one must cut back on whatever they can, right? Well I am looking forward to my week of cooking! Maybe somewhere in there I will try a new dessert? I’ll make sure I share!

Greatest Dad on Earth

2009-06-21T19:17:00.008-04:00

Daddy and His girls :)

Daddy and Me :)

Mom and Dad :)

Sailing...his favorite hobby :)

Doing what he loves :)

Today is Father's Day :) Words can't explain how much I love my dad. He is such a remarkable person with so much to give. He has a heart of gold and he has always been there for me, no matter what is going on in my life. I know that I can always count on him. I cherish our friendship and relationship and I'm so happy that I am his daughter. Happy Father's Day to such a great dad. You really are the Greatest Dad on Earth and I love you more than words can say...enjoy your day! And to everyone else out there. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! :)

Bridges

2009-06-18T21:35:00.002-04:00

Charleston Bound!

2009-06-10T16:11:00.002-04:00

We are Charleston Bound!

See you guys next week! It's family and my best friend's wedding time!! :) Have a great week everyone!!!

Photo Monday

2009-06-08T20:21:00.002-04:00

Flute Trio

2009-06-04T19:53:00.002-04:00

My little sister Amanda (far left) and her flute trio at her band concert! So proud of her! Wish I could have been there :) Love you little sis!

Wacky Wednesday

2009-06-03T20:29:00.002-04:00

Wow...what to say about this week? Well my boss got fired yesterday. Left behind is a huge mess that me and 2 other co-workers will work to clean up on the next few weeks. Fun stuff. Let's just say overtime is in order. My heart goes out to my boss regardless of the reason why "he/she" was let go. Being a single parent and just having purchased a car is going to be hard on them. I pray and hope they don't run into any troubles.

I haven't been posting very much because my internet is not working. I am currently connected to someone else's wireless! haha....I need to call the cable company and get them to come out but by the time I get home it's too late.

Well I'm going to run. Hope you all are well! Happy Hump Day!

Manic Monday!

2009-06-01T12:52:00.002-04:00

What a crazy day. What a crazy week it has been. I haven't had time to sit down and write about my Memorial Weekend trip home to Charleston. I had such a great time with my family and my friends. My bestie's bachelorette party was a ton of fun. I got to go sailing with my family (I will never forget how much fun we had) and I got to see a ton of familiy I hadn't seen in a while. It was such a nice trip. I'm glad I went home and got the chance to go. I had a rough time getting home, due to bad weather. It's one of those times where driving would have been a better option. But it was nice to make it home safely and see my love and my Latte.

Work has been insane. By the time I get off work I don't feel like doing much of anything. This past weekend was nice. Friday night I went out with some friends to celebrate Alicia's husband's 30th birthday. Saturday David, Latte and I went to the beach then we had a cook out at his parents house. Sunday we cleaned for about 5 hours (top to bottom) and then grilled some chicken and relaxed. The relaxation was well needed.

Next weekend is the big weekend! My best friend is getting married and David, Latte and I are loading up the car and driving to Charleston for 4 days! I can't wait. I can't believe she is getting married! It seems like yesterday she got engaged. Time sure does fly. It will be so much fun!

Well I got to get back to work. Just wanted to say hello. My internet is not working at home so I am not on the computer as much as I use to be. Happy Monday everyone! Pictures coming soon :)

I'm Alive...

2009-05-26T19:00:00.001-04:00

I'm alive....just super tired from my very stressful and super looooooong day trying to get home yesterday.

I am saving my trip post for Wordful Wednesday. I had the best time ever on my trip home. Great memories made. I miss my family so much.

More to come... :)

Mama Kat's Thursday Writing Assignment!

2009-05-20T18:38:00.004-04:00

It's that time again for Mama Kat's weekly writing assignment and this week I am choosing to participate! I am going to write about two things. #2 Memorial Weekend Plans and #3 10 things that I am currently sick of.

#2: Memorial Weekend Plans

I have a very fun and exciting weekend coming up...starting tomorrow! At 12pm I fly out of Tampa and head to Charleston! My dad is picking me up at the airport and shortly after that I am going to my best friend's final wedding dress fitting. Friday I will probably spend the day sailing with my dad and hanging out with the family at the Charleston Marina. My dad is keeping his sailboat there for the summer and it's super nice. I can't wait to go!

Saturday morning I am meeting up with C to get a pedicure and that evening is her bachelorette party. Sunday morning I am getting up super early and driving to Myrtle Beach to meet up with my family to go camping! They are leaving Saturday morning and I can't leave then so I'm going to meet them up there. I am so excited! The campground that we are staying at is right on the beach! Monday afternoon I fly out of Myrtle Beach back to Tampa. I'm excited about that already because my super sweet David is actually picking me up! Then the two of us are going to go pick up Miss Latte from Alicia and Michaels house! I sure am going to miss her while I am gone. Too bad it costs way too much to have her fly with me. Monday is also David's Dad's Birthday! I'm not sure if we are doing anything that evening or not. I really hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! I am sure that I will. I can't wait to see my family.

#3: Ten Things That I Am Sick Of

1- The rain...day 3 is enough.

2- All the health problems I've been having lately.

3- Lizards, snakes and roaches.

4- People who just don't give a shit.

5- My boss who doesn't know how to be a boss.

6- Sad stories on the news.

7- Never having any money and barely making it paycheck to paycheck. BUT I love my job and I love living here. I am so glad I got the chance to have my own place and do things my way.

8- David....just kidding :) (He made me write that!)

9- Laundry
10- Trying harder at things than I should or have to.

Well there you go. This is my Thursday writing assignment! I don't think I'll be posting very much on my trip this weekend so you all have a great rest of the week and weekend. Have a great and Happy Memorial Day! God Bless Our Troops.

Terriffic Tuesday!

2009-05-19T20:25:00.010-04:00

I am feeling pretty good today considering the terrible weather we've been having. It's been raining non-stop for two days now. 35 mph winds and about 68 degrees out. Most definetely NOT Florida weather! I am so excited about my trip home this weekend! I hope the weather holds out in Charleston too so our camping trip doesn't get spoiled or my bestie's bachelorette party! I really hope the weather clears up here on Thursday so that I don't end up getting a delayed plane at the airport. That would not be fun!

So because I am leaving in a few days I decided to clean my apartment, top to bottom. It's lookin' pretty good now and I got side tracked while cleaning as you can see below....hehe

I decided to finally wash clothes. I think I did 3 or 4 loads...

I did the dishes...

Ate some Swedish Fish...yum...

Decided what toys Latte could bring to Alicia's house while I'm gone...this is half

AND tuned in to catch the second to the last episode of American Idol! I am torn between the San Fran and Louisiana. I think they both have amazing talent and to be honest I have no idea who is going to win. I originally thought Adam but Chris has def. proven himself the past few weeks so I really don't know who American will choose. I am rooting for Adam personally. So is my mom. And sister.

Well I better get going. Dryer buzzer went off. Latte has to potty. I got to pack and call my cousin! Haven't talked to her in a week and I've having withdrawals! :) Good night everyone.

Not Me Monday

2009-05-18T20:11:00.002-04:00

It's that time again for Not Me Monday!!! Hosted by the one and only MckMama! :)

I did not look up to see yet ANOTHER lizard on my crown molding this past weekend.

I did not attempt to remove that image from my brain and continue on with my evening activities.

I did not just let him go and still do this day not know where he is.

I did not eat a whole bag of Swedish Fish on my drive home from David’s house yesterday. Nor did I have a huge double bacon cheeseburger and Cajun fries from 5 Guys before leaving David’s house. Yum.

I did not wake up and actually get excited this morning when it was raining and thunder storming. We do not need rain very badly down here.

I did not go out with some girl friends this past weekend and have a blast! I was not the D.D. for the night and I did not enjoy being the D.D. (in case you are reading this wrong, I was the D.D. and I did enjoy being the D.D. that night…just to clarify…hehe)

I did not FINALLY do some laundry yesterday because everyone knows that I love to do that.

I did not get excited about my trip home this coming weekend! I am not leaving on Thursday at 12 noon! YAY! :)

I did not make the best hot sausage dirty rice for dinner tonight! And it is not my honey's FAVORITE meal :)

I did not say that it was cold outside when it rained all day, had 30pmh winds and was 68 degress today! haha

I do not absolutely love my dog, David and living in FL. Best decision I ever made. I said it once and I'll say it again! :)

I am not done trying to make other people happy. I am also not done with trying harder than I should to make someone else happy. I do not think that I've done what I can and tried to make the best of the situation only to not still look like a bad person.

ANYWAY...I am not going to be done with this post.

I am not going to now go and hang out with the greatest man on the planet and the cutest dog to ever exist. I love them so much :) No idea what I would do without them! Happy Monday!!!

God Remains

2009-05-17T14:20:00.003-04:00

Ever tried so hard to do the right thing and make something really special to have it beaten down and looked at as less important? It's not fair. Especially when it doesn't matter what you say or do. My mom says that this is part of life and things change over time. I guess she's right, but I don't want to believe it. One person can only try so hard and a girl does what she can. Whether or not people respect you for doing that is something that isn't really in your hands. But I will be strong. I know who I am and what I have done. I have done the best that I can. And sometimes that's not enough and it's not always easy for someone to see that. There are usually two sides to every story. One not being more important than the other but both matter in trying to analyze a situation. I am rambling. I guess my mom is right. I don't understand eveything in life and wish that I could. I wish that I could make things better when they've gone awry. Make things calmer when they've gone out of control. Make things brighter when there are too many clouds. And pick up the pieces of a broken puzzle. But I can't. I guess that's why there is God. He can. No doubt about it. God understands. He doesn't judge or make assumptions. God sees both sides of the story and knows what goes on anywhere and everywhere. He understands. So I pray for him to help me understand. To help me be stronger. To help me pick up the pieces of the shattered puzzle and put them together again. Time and life goes on. God remains. He will always be there.

Funny Video and Crohns Update

2009-05-15T12:12:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a few days because I've been real busy. I had my appointment yesterday for my Crohns and I am now on medication and apparently will have to take it for the rest of my life! It seems like my last GI doctor wasn't as informative about Crohns as he should have been and left out the fact that it's a chronic disease and has to be medicated to be kept in remission and to prevent the increased risk of colon cancer. So now that I know that, I plan on taking the medication basically until the day I die. I was super excited to hear that the doctor did not want to a colonoscopy right away. He wants to wait and see how the medicine works and if things get bad again we'll do one. So I basically got pretty good news at my appointment which is what I hoped for and for what you all prayed for! :) I have a few other less important issues that we are going to be doing some tests on. I also have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome...who knew??) that has been causing some other issues in my digestive area. My doctor thinks that I might have a gluten/wheat allergy that is causing those issues. So if the tests come back to show that that is the case, I may be on a new diet soon. I know some of you out there have children with that allergy so any advice would be great! I appreciate everyones concern and prayers. It's so nice to have all of you.

In other news...I am flying out next Thursday to visit home! I am super excited and have a weekend jam packed with fun things to do AND I got a huge surprise for my bride to be best friend and I can't wait! Her bachelorette party is Saturday and that morning we are getting pedicures and spending some much needed time together. Being so far away is hard on a relationship. I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked to do as her MOH being 500 miles away from home so I am looking forward to next weekend! :) And I'm sure she is too! But no more about that because she does read this blog and I'm sure she's waiting for me to slip about the surprise! LOL!

Last night I went to a cocktail party that was being hosted at the Hilton St. Petersburg. It was basically a network gathering where you go to meet other business professionals in the area. I went with a group of people from work and we had a blast. Everything was entirely free even the open bars, the never-ending supply of fried lobster, tequila sauteed shrimp, fruit, desserts, HUMMUS, oysters, etc., etc. and live music and even some limbo!!! When you first walk into the hotel lobby there were a few different booths set up and the video below is something that me and 4 of the other girls made. I think you all will get a HUGE kick out of it! :) For some reason the song is not edited so I apologize for the few "bad words" that you may here. The song is "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas...

Well I'm not sure what my plans are for the weekend. I do know that I will be super busy tomorrow cleaning my apartment. I may go to the beach again (I know I go all the time...but how can I not when it's so beautiful and FREE?? I love spending one on one time with Latte because I don't get that much time with her during the weekdays) with some friends but I may not because we are suppose to have bad weather this weekend. The rain is much needed down here though. I do have alot of studying to do. I am about 15% of the way through with my Green Belt Training for work. That takes up alot of my time during the week nights, so I may take a break and not work on it this weekend. I haven't played much Sudoku since I was in the hospital one Monday night soooo there may be a little of that going on!

Have a great weekend everybody!!! :) Who doesn't love Friday?!

What a Day/Two for Tuesday

2009-05-12T19:50:00.004-04:00

Happy 7 Month Birthday Miss Latte!

Mommy and Daddy Love You so Much! :)
Geez what a day...

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease about 3 years ago when I was 19. It can only be diagnosed through a colonoscopy or endoscopy (depending on what part of the digestive tract the disease is located). It is a chronic disease which means that it does not go away. It kind of goes into remission and then flares up after time. I started taking medicine for it and took it for about a year. Then I went off the medication because it was expensive and I thought that I was ok. Well apparently not. That was two years ago and I have been ok until the past few days.

I won't go into details but if you are familiar with Crohn's then you know what I've been going through. If not, click HERE. Last night was so bad it ended up causing me to go to the emergency room where I spent 6 hours getting fluids, having a CT scan and having bloodwork done. Thank GOD David was with me. I don't know what I would do without him.

CT scan didn't show any inflammation but usually it doesn't with Crohn's. Like I said it's only something that can be diagnosed through a colonoscopy. My previous diagnosis was only a mild one but now I think it's gotten worse (based on what I've been through the past few days). It's difficult for me to even eat without it coming straight through me immediately after I eat it.

Fortunately my ER doctor's husband is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease specialist! She said he is really popular and it takes weeks to get in to see him. So she called him, told him my name and he made sure it was on the list when I called this morning. Now I have an appointment with him on Thursday morning at 730am. Pretty awesome how it all worked out. I did not have a gastroenterologist here because I haven't lived here very long and hadn't had any problems. So I am very blessed to have found such a great doctor that I can see right away. My ER doctor put me on two medications to help so I really hope they kick in soon so that I can eat something.

Anyway, there is always something wrong with my body. I have too many issues to be so young. I was such a healthy kiddo. I do thank God that there are options to get the help that I need and also thankful that my cancer has not came back.

I am not sure what the doctor will have to say on Thursday. I am really nervous to go and find out. Please say lots of prayers. I really miss my mom and dad :( They have always been there when I'm sick and now not to have them here is so hard. They are so worried about me....BUT I will be fine. God will make sure of that! :)

Not Me Monday!

2009-05-11T12:16:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I haven't done this in a while sooooo I thought that this week I would participate. Head on over to MckMama's blog and check out all of the other fabulous Not Me posts this week! :) Happy Monday everyone!
I did not pay $15 to have my Mother's Day card overnighted to my mom on Friday afternoon so that she would get to SC in time because I totally did not forget to mail it sooner.
I did not give a homeless guy $3 and a bottle of water Saturday at the red light while David and I were on the way to rent some movies. Poor guy...it was 92 degrees outside regardless of why he was standing there...and I did not give the same homeless guy a bottle of water and a bag of blueberry muffins that I made the next day!

I did not leave the taco meet sitting on the stove all night one night because I did not feel like cleaning it up....sick....

I did not reuse the same towels for a week because I did not feel like doing laundry...I know..sick....oh wait...I did not do this...

I did not have my house sprayed last Thursday only to have 2 roaches in my bedroom this past weekend...{{gross!}}

I did not go to take a dead flower off my orchid plant only to crack the entire plant in 1/2....killing it...*sigh*

I did not make blue berry muffins this morning and have Coldstone Vanilla ice cream with sprinkles and oreos Saturday after the beach trip only to sabatoge Operation Big Fat Fatty...nope NOT ME!

I did not put sunblock on 5 times at the beach on Saturday only to still get sun!!!

I did not cry my eyes out watching th 100th episode of Grey's Anatomy last Thursday!

I did not totally take a break from exercising this weekend because David is around! hehe

I did not just decide that maybe it's time to shave my legs....nope not me...

I did not just realize that I do, in fact, have an obsession with Sudoku.

And finally. I did not just realize that I LOVE hummus. :)
Happy Monday!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T10:07:00.002-04:00

Mom you are so beautiful,

And so special to me...

I miss you dearly,

And wish I could be home with you...

Have a Happy Mother's Day,

because you most definetely deserve...

Wish I could give you a hug and kiss,

and let you know how much you're loved.

Please pray for Bekah!

2009-05-09T20:44:00.004-04:00

My family needs prayer warriors and I know the blogging world is full of them. Please visit this blog and pray for dear Rebekah. She is the sister in law of my cousin, April. She was in a very bad car accident last night and is not doing well at all. Please say some prayers and keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks everyone.

http://www.bekahsbattle.blogspot.com/

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17

Thursday Writing Assignment: Summer Plans!

2009-05-06T18:02:00.006-04:00

Mama Kat is hosting Thursday's Writing Assignment again and I think that this week I will participate. I usually don't but I am feeling creative today :)

I am choosing her #5...My Plans for Summer Travel

I actually have quite a busy summer planned so far. For Memorial Weekend I will be flying to Charleston, SC to visit friends and family. Plans while I am home include shopping with my mom, going to the barn with my sister, hanging out with my friends, possibly going sailing with my daddy and me and my family are going camping in Myrtle Beach, SC which is about 1.5 hours away. The place we go to, OceanLakes, is this huge family campground right on the beach and it has a restaurant, grocery store, church, two pools and put put, playgrounds and a bunch of other really neat stuff. It's like the ultimate vacation spot if you love to go camping!

In June I am going home again for my best friend's, June 13th Wedding! :) I am super excited about it and David is coming with me. We will be driving and it will be super nice to have someone with me this time around. Driving that far alone is rough. We will be there for 4 days! YAY! :) The plan is for my little sister to come back to St. Pete with David and I and spend about 2 weeks until my parents take a trip down to pick her up. While she is here I would like to take her to Busch Gardens, Sea World and definetely the beach! I love the beaches here! :) I am hoping my parents will come down to get her so that they can see what I've done with my place since January! It's totally different since they've been here. There are a ton of things that I would LOVE to do with them while they are here.

In July David and I will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary! Can you believe it?? 4 years is such a long time. We will probably have something special planned for that weekend since our anniversary just so happens to be on the 4th of July! :) I'm thinking a really nice dinner, fireworks and maybe a trip to Sanibel Island? It's near Naples, FL and it's about a 2.5 hour drive from here and they have the most amazing beach and seashells ever.

The very end of July I am taking a trip to Minneapolis, MN for a work seminar! I am super excited because I have NEVER been to the midwest before! I'm sure I will stick out like a sore thumb because of my "southern accent"! HAH! I am hoping I get to see some of the sites and check out this really huge mall that everyone is talking about :)

After my stop there I am flying home to spend the weekend with my family. It will be my parent's 26th wedding anniversary so I would like to take them to dinner or something :) That is such a long time and I admire them for the love that they have for each other. They set such a great example and they are so happy and still in love like the day they were married.

I am hoping that my little sister will get to fly back home with me since she will only need a one way ticket, and she can spend a couple more weeks here with me! What a lucky girl huh? Four trips to FL in 7 months?? hehe...While she is here maybe we will check out Sea World if we don't get to in June or check out the Busch Gardens waterpark or Universal Studios or even Disney World! She would love that!

In August I am hoping my parents will again come down to visit. I'm sure there will be plenty of things for us to do while they are here. So much goes on in this area there is always something to do. For my birthday (August 19th) I am hoping to head to Charleston for the weekend, probably the weekend before to celebrate with my family. We will see....I would like to take a trip down to Miami so we'll see :)

Woooo sounds like I got a busy few months coming up! I am super excited about every bit of it. Thanks for listening and Happy Thursday!!! If you posted a writing assignment, tell me so in a comment and I will check it out! :)

Threesome Tuesday!

2009-05-05T19:03:00.002-04:00

Super Sweet Sunday!

2009-05-03T14:29:00.003-04:00

I've had such a productive/relaxing weekend. It's actually felt like a long weekend but it was just the regular two day weekend I get every week. Friday I was pretty sick, but the past two days I've felt a little better. Better enough to be productive that is! :)

Saturday morning I got up bright and early and cleaned my apartment from top to bottom! I mopped, dusted, vaccumed, dishes, washed clothes and picked up Little Miss Latte's messes! After David left for work, I went to the gym and did my work out, then Latte and I went to the dog beach again. It was such a beautiful day! Afterwards we came home and I took a little nap (the beach always make me sleepy) then went over to my friend Alicia's house for a BBQ! We had alot of fun and the girls ended up watching a movie while the men went to see a fight up at Winghouse. We watched a movie called Grey Gardens staring Drew Barrymore. It was an interesting movie, one that I understood better after seeing the behind the scenes reel. After watching that I had a better appreciation for the movie. I'm not sure I would watch it again but it's def. worth seeing if you never have.

Today I woke up early again, put on a pot roast, bought my plane tickets for my Memorial Weekend trip to Charleston (YAY!!!!), did my work out, cleaned up a little more, took Latte to the dog park and walked around by the water with her in downtown St. Pete. I really love this place....it is so beautiful. I can't wait until my parents visit because there are a ton of places that I want to take them to. I would love to take them to a Tampa Bay Rays game! Me and David are going to one of those soon! I am really excited. I've never been to a professional game before...so it should be alot of fun.

Now I am home, relaxing...probably going to take a nap as soon as I'm done with this post OR continue be feed my addicition to Sudoku....haha

Later tonight, my honey is coming over and we're having pot roast! Yum! :) I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday! Unfortunately we must go back to work tomorrow...blah! hehe

What's wrong?

2009-05-01T12:01:00.002-04:00

So for the past few weeks, maybe even couple months, I have felt like crap every single day. I wake up with completely no energy, no desire to do anything and I struggle through the day trying to feel better. Usually by the end of the day I end up with a headache and I'm so tired that I go home and lay down. I walk around at work with a droopy face and even my eyes sag because I feel so drained. I am not sleeping well and my appettite is all over the place.

Yesterday I had an allergic reaction from an acne medication my dermatologist put me on. It contains Sulfa, which apparently I'm highly allergic too now. Didn't know before hand or I wouldn't have taken it. Anyway, while I was the doctor getting examined for that, he felt my lymph nodes in my neck and the one on the left was really swollen and it felt like it had a lump on it. I noticed the lump about a week and a half ago but didn't think anything of it. The fact that it's still there scares me because I'm not sick. I don't have any infections that I know of and other time I've had swollen lymph nodes both were sore/swollen and not just the one. It's sensitive to the touch and feels like a hard lump. I'm scared of what it might be...I've had cancer before in a different place and the thought of it being that really scares me. I know I shouldn't jump to conclusiong but I can't help to think that right off the bat because of the way I've been feeling lately....

I really don't know what is going on with me. Have any of you felt like this before and had an underlying problem you didn't know about? I am sick and tired of feeling like this every single day of my life. It's to the point now that I cry because I'm so sick of it...

I have way too many health issues at this point in my life. I am 22 and already have a huge list of problems I've had/still have. I don't get it...I was such a healthy kid growing up and now I feel like I'm falling apart. Lord help me.

Operation "Big Fat Fatty"

2009-04-28T19:03:00.001-04:00

Me and my friend Alicia have both decided to develop a weight loss plan over the next 6 weeks. There really isn't much too it other than eating better and exercising more. Today I went and got some fresh vegetables, salad, fruits, Smart Ones meals and some other thing. I also FINALLY started going back to the gym. What motivated me was the fact that I have two free memberships to two different gyms that I haven't taken advantage of yet, so today, I did. I did 30 minutes on the Eliptical Crosstrainer (awesome machine) and ended up going 3 miles and burned 330 calories! That is alot of calories burned in 30 minutes! So...my plan for the next 6 weeks is to maintain the eating habits and the exercise habits. My goal is to lose 11 pounds which will put me in the weight range considered to be normal and not overweight. My goal date is June 13th (my best friend's wedding day!) God knows my bridesmaid dress could and should look better on me than it does!

So wish us luck! Hope on over to Alicia's blog to see what her goals are. I am going to stick to this! It won't be hard. Most of the guidelines I will be following are similar to the Weight Watchers guidelines, which I can honestly say is the ONLY program out there that has the results you want to see.

New "Tough Plush" Toys for Latte!

2009-04-27T21:04:00.006-04:00

I'll tell you what!! The blogging world is so awesome. After I posted about how Latte destroys practically every single toy we buy her my blog friend, Ashley over at Brainwork sent me a message saying she would love to send me some toys for Latte. She works at a dog toy distributor in VA and she sent me a TON OF TOYS! I was so excited when I got the package today and Latte LOVES her new toys and has not destroyed anything yet! Woohoo!
Most of the toys Ash sent are called "Tough Plush" and they're awesome!! If you have a crazy puppy like me, I recommend getting some of these!

What we got:
(1) Booda Dog Collar
(1) Booda Wing A Ball
(1) Booda Floppy Disc "Small Fry"
(2) Booda Bone-Multi Color (rope)
(1) Booda Fresh 'N Floss (rope) contains fluoride and baking soad!!! :)
(2) Booda Tuff Plush Long Friends (one is a cow and the other is a lion)
(2) Booda Tuff Plush Rug Dogs
(1) Bag of Yogurt Flavor Booda Bones
So I want to send out a big thanks for my friend Ashley and thank her so much for being so sweet and sending us some awesome toys! Thanks girl! Enjoy the pictures! The quality is not that great...the lighting was off and Latte was moving around alot! haha

Her favorite toy! :)

Picasa 3

2009-04-23T23:06:00.003-04:00

I downloaded a photo editing software program a few days ago and I have been obsessed with it ever since. Over the next few weeks I am going to be post some pictures that I've taken over the years in no particular order or with no particular subject. I hope you all enjoy. I really do love photography. It amazes me...Happy Friday (most of you will be reading this on Friday)! :)

Loofa Dogs

2009-04-22T12:12:00.003-04:00

I have purchased 3 of these Loofa Dogs in the past week. I started out with the little one from Target. I would say it's about 6 inches long. Lasted for about 2 days...

The second I bought was about 14 inches long from Target. Lasted for about 1.5 days...

The third one we bought was from Walgreens ($5..best deal!) and was about 16 inches long and twice the size of the second one. Lasted 1 day!

Please tell me how it's possible for a 6 month old, 10 pound minature Dachshund to completely maul, destuff and destroy the squeakers located inside each one of these toys?

Never in my days have I seen this or imagine that there would be so much stuffing inside of these things to fill my living room floor.

My dog is hilarious...so cute...but if you give her a toy with a squeaker inside of it...

She will DESTROY.

Sweet & Sunny Saturday!

2009-04-18T15:20:00.005-04:00

Man oh man...what a beautiful day it is here today down in St. Petersburg, FL! I Love it here so much. And I love spring! :)

Today I took Miss Latte to the doggie beach over near Ft. De Soto State Park, which by the way was rated the #1 beach in America in 2005 and 2008. She loved it! I never imagined that she would have as much fun as she did. She was so cute and hilarious. She would chase the waves and then they would chase her, she took off running full speed up and down the shore line. It really was the cutest and sweetest thing I've ever seen. She was one of the smallest doggies there but she didn't mind. She was so worn out by the time we left that she slept all the way home!

After we got back from the beach, I went to Home Depot and got some beautiful flowers and pots to plant them in. I live in an apartment so all I have right now is a porch. I LOVE spring and planting flowers. I got a variety of different types, some that like the sun, some that like the shade but my favorite is my Lily plant and my Orchid plant that David got me a few days ago! Love, love, love flowers! I also got a charcoal grill and I think I might grill out tonight. Grilled asparagus and corn sounds delicious doesn't it??

Well I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, I know I sure am! Now I'm heading to take a little nap. My windows are open and there is a really nice breeze and I am so relaxed! :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Wordy Wednesday!

2009-04-15T22:15:00.006-04:00

I seriously have THE BEST man on the Earth. Today he surprised me AGAIN with lunch and flowers when he picked me up from work at the end of the day today! :) He took me to Target and got me some things I've needed AND he practically spring cleaned the entire apartment! How lucky am I? *sigh* I got me a good man...and he spoils me and loves me so much!!! :)

I got the most awesome orchid plant today! :) I will post pictures soon. I have so many flowers in my apartment and I'm so excited about it! Pics of those coming soon....

Until then...enjoy some pictures from my trip home :) Happy Wednesday!

Flowers from my love :)
Easter Eggs Made by Maddie Girl

My niece Madison

Latte was excited about the egg hunt! Plastic eggs...her new favorite toy! LOL

Daddy's Girls :)

Daughter #2, Daughter #1 and Daughter #3

4 Generations :)

Gran and her girls :)

I love my daddy :)

Cool bunny!

Momma's Girls :)

Hmmmm....yum

Love my mom! hehe :)

Grandma Gantt :)

Latte and Her Mommy!

Grandma and Me

I'm Alive!

2009-04-14T20:15:00.002-04:00

I'm alive...just been really busy traveling, spending time with family and friends and David. I can't believe I haven't posted in a whole week. CRAZY! I had such a great time at home for Easter this past weekend! I got to see my grandma and cousin I haven't seen in a while and of course my family and besties. The drive went much easier this time around because I had an extra day to rest up. Easter dinner was delicious as always. I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter! :) I'll get around to posting some pictures eventually. I will have some time this weekend. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Terrific Tuesday!

2009-04-07T21:09:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures from the past few days! We have been having so much fun! :) I can't wait to go to Charleston on Thursday, although I will miss that handsome guy below...hehe :) We've been to the beach, to Busch Gardens, to a fun park where we rode go-karts, played minature golf, and played many rounds of skee ball! We've been to the movies to see the Fast and Furious (awesome movie) and have made cupcakes and been out to eat and I have also cooked a few fabulous meals! I hope everyone is having a good week so far! :)

David said I wasn't making dinner fast enough!

Cooking pork chops and mac n cheese....

While the girls make cupcakes!

Put Put at Celebration Station!

My honey :)

In line waiting for the go-karts! So fun!

Heading to Montu...the longest roller coaster in the world...and my favorite!

At Fort De Soto lovin' the beach! :)

Sheikra...we rode it twice and almost 3 times but the line was too long!

Oh and it has a 200 foot drop at a 90 degree angle and top speed is 70mph...thrill of a lifetime!

Harley....Budweiser Draft Horsey! He was so huge!

M.I.A.

2009-04-04T08:05:00.003-04:00

I have been missing for a few days and will be missing for a few more days...my little sisters are coming it today! They will be here in 3 hours and we got so much fun stuff planned! I can't wait! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! I know I will! :) Peace Out my friends!

Wordy Wednesday

2009-04-01T20:03:00.005-04:00

I've decided to start doing something new on here. I usually post pictures all the time but instead I think I'm going to start posting a picture everyday at the end of my posts. I take so many pictures and I would love to share them with everyone. I have a Project 365 going on my Facebook and I had a 365 blog running as well but I let it go because it was all too much to keep up with.

Today I cleaned my apartment as much as I could before my lower back and side started hurting again. I don't think my UTI has gone away and it's the same pain I had last week. I'm going to give it a couple more days to see if it goes away and if not then I guess I'll be going to the doctor again.

My sister and her best friend, Danielle are coming in this weekend. I am so excited they are coming to visit me! Lucky girls for getting to go to FL for spring break ;) Our plans include Busch Gardens (also going is my friend, Alicia) St.Pete Beach, swimming and movies and maybe some shopping :) Unfortunately I have to work some while they are here, but I think they'll have fun. I got them about $80 worth of junk food at Publix yesterday so there is plenty of food to eat if they get bored! haha

And then next Thursday we hit the road for another 8 hour trip to Charleston. I am looking forward to it because I get to see the rest of my family and my best friends (April 12th is my BFJewel's Birthday!) BUT I'm dreading the ride home....alone....I hope it isn't as rough as it was for me two weeks ago. I'm thinking that since I'm driving up on Thursday it won't be as bad. David has to work that weekend, otherwise he'd be going with me.

So who watched American Idol last night? Were you as blown away as I was with Chris Allen??? He was amazing! Even David liked his performance. I am going to pick my top 4 and I think it's going to go like this:

1-Adam Lambert

2-Allison Iraheta

3-Danny Gokey

4-Chris Allen

Those are not in any particular order either. I thought I was sure about that, but I've changed my mind since last night's performances. Ok and Anoop Desai.....please go home. It's not working....and please do something with those eyebrows!!!

Latte's New Bowl Set

Two for Tuesday!

2009-03-31T12:49:00.001-04:00

~LOVE~

My New Furniture!

2009-03-30T20:39:00.003-04:00

I had such a great weekend! Friday, I was home sick with a UTI and I'm feeling much better today. Those things are usually rough for me when I have them so I went straight to the hospital on Thursday night when I felt the pain coming on. Anyway, my furniture got her Friday morning bright and early and my washer and dryer followed in the afternoon. My new stuff looks great! It's starting to feel like a real apartment now that I don't have an air matress and lawn charis in my living room! hehe....here are some pictures of my new stuff.

Saturday was my company picnic. It was alot of fun. David and I went and met up with Michael and Alicia. We hung out for a couple of hours then headed back home. We wanted to check out the beach but it was too windy and sand was blowing everywhere. That evening David and I went to Carrabba's for dinner (I was craving Lobster Ravioli..hehe) then we met up with Alicia and Michael at the movie's and saw The Haunting in Connecticut. Oh...my...goodness. WOW...I don't usually see scary movies, but I went anyway. It was pretty scary, I have to admit and apparently it's based on a true story...hmmm....??

Sunday it rained during the morning time so David and I watched Fireproof. What a GREAT movie. I cried so many times. I recommend everyone to see that movie, especially anyone who is married. It has such a good meaning about marriage.

Oh and get this....we watched TWILIGHT on Friday night and guess who LOVED IT? David did....lol...DAVID liked it. He told me not to tell everyone on my blog but I had to because he swore up and down he wouldn't like it. So in exchange for me seeing that scary movie, he's going to read the first book in the series. I will keep you updated with how that goes!

I can't wait for this weekend. My little sister and her BFF are coming in Saturday and staying with me for their Spring Break until next Thursday, then the three of us are driving back to Charleston for Easter! I can't wait! :)

Well I'm going to head to bed soon. I am sleepy today. I hope everyone had a great Monday! :)

Live...laugh...love

2009-03-29T22:35:00.002-04:00

~LIVE~

~LAUGH~

~LOVE~

Ugh...

2009-03-27T10:11:00.002-04:00

I feel like I'm falling apart....I'm wearing a boot for my ankle (for the next 6 weeks)...my knee hurts because of the way I have to walk with this boot on (I start physical therapy on this soon)....I have a UTI that caused me to go to the ER last night. So I'm home today....relaxing and dealing with my sicknesses! lol....I'm too young to have all these issues.

On the brighter side, my furniture was delivered this morning and it looks fantastic! I will post pictures soon. My washer and dryer will be here this afternoon. I can't wait to wash clothes...it's been a while.....haha

Happy Friday everyone :)

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-03-25T19:03:00.001-04:00

Praying for Stellan!

2009-03-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

Surprise Revealed!

2009-03-23T18:37:00.005-04:00

Well my surprise ended up not being as big of a surprise as we had all hoped but it was still awesome! I went home last weekend for my best friend, Crystal's bridal shower! It was a surprise shower and my arrival was a surprise as well! Somehow.....lol...Crystal found out before hand! Needless to say....it was such a beautiful shower and my bestie was so happy and excited! :) She is so in love and I am so happy for her and her soon to be hubbie, Rob!

The Future Mrs. Ross!

Bridesmaids, Maid of Honor, Bride and Flower Girl!

Beautiful Bride to Be!

Bride to Be Bestie and Me!

I had such a great trip this weekend. It was nice to see my family and friends. Latte and me set out around 9am on Friday after breakfast with David, drove for 8 hours before we finally made it to Charleston. There were alot of people on the road traveling North, most of them Canadians. Friday I hung out with my family and Saturday we all went to Amanda's horseback riding lesson then out to eat at Chili's! :) Yummy! Afterwards, I met up with Jewel and her and my momma went shopping for a bit before Crystal's bridal shower. Sunday, I spent some more time with my family before I hit the road around noon, this time only taking me about 7.5 hours. I flew home...lots of speeding. Driving that far by yourself is not easy and it's hard on the brain. I have had a huge migraine all day today and I think its from driving over 900 miles in 2 days. Oh well, it was worth it and I'm doing it again in May for my other best friend's graduation!

My poor Latte is teething. She has lost 4 teeth in the past week and a half and she constantly paws at her jaw and whines because it hurts her :( I bought her three tours at Publix today because I felt bad for her and the Vet said that there wasn't much that I could do for her pain. Today was the very first time that I left her alone in the kitchen, with a baby gate blocking the doorway and she did great! No messes and she didn't tear anything up! She is such a good puppy!

Tomorrow I am cooking a pot roast with potatoes and carrots. I hope it turns out. I am cooking it in the crockpot that I cooked my corned beef in last week.

Oh! I got my living room set about 2 hours ago! It ended up being something totally different than the two that I picked out. I got a good deal on it and the sale actually ended today! It's suppose to be here Friday, just in time for my parents! I got alot of cleaning to do before my family gets here this weekend! I can't wait for them to see my place! YAY! My set includes a sofa, love seat, coffee table and two end tables. Very cute. I will post pics once it's all set up!

Also, PLEASE say a HUGE prayer for MckMama and her family. Baby Stellan is in the hospital and doctor's are saying that it's SVT, the same condition he was diagnosed with in the womb. Please pray that God will take care of this baby boy and give his parents the strength they need during this hard time.

I'm Outta here.....

2009-03-20T07:41:00.002-04:00

I'm outta here.....talk to you guys when I get back!!!! Have a great weekend!!

And yes I know I haven't told anyone where I am going.....but I will when I return!!! :)

Meet my new friend!

2009-03-19T16:10:00.003-04:00

What a crazy and hectic day at work this has been. I am starting to get stressed out and overwhelmed. I have to remember to keep my head on straight so that I don't get too stressed out or bogged down with things to do. Luckily, today was my Friday at work....since I am going somewhere special tomorrow (it's still a secret) I took the day off! :) Woohoo!!!!

I have a new friend at work and she is awesome! I mentioned her a few posts ago when I wished her and her new husband a Happy Wedding Day! Her name is Alicia and she has a super cute blog! She's new to the blogging world and would love to make some new friends. I was bragging about all of my good friends that I've made on here over the past few months and she's excited to become an obsessive blogger like myself! So, if you don't mind, head on over to her blog and give her some blog lovin'!!!!

I probably won't get to post this weekend so I hope that everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!!!!

Super Sunday!

2009-03-15T21:49:00.008-04:00

Today was such a beautiful day! Little Miss Latte let me sleep in until 9:30 which was really nice. I never sleep in that late. Usually she has me up around 7:00 in the morning because she's so use to getting up early during the week. I came out of the bathroom after my shower and heard her crunching on something so I ran over and held her down while I pried (spelling?) her mouth open to see what she had. What do you know...it was a tooth! Down to the root and everything! I am hoping it was a baby tooth, but I am not sure. Anyway, I am going to keep it and maybe put it under my pillow tonight to see what the tooth fairy will bring me ;)

It was about 84 outside today and breezy so I decided that I was going to go to the beach! It was my first trip to the beach since I moved here and it was beautiful! I stayed for about two hours and studied for the GMAT while I was there. I didn't want to leave but I had to get home to do laundry and meet the cable guy. I did some rearranging of what furniture I do have and I messed my cable up. I had the guy come all the way out here only for him to push a button on the box.....??? I totally could have done that myself right? Why didn't he just tell me to do that on the phone?

After I met up with him I rode over for Ashley Furniture store to look at couches. I am getting a refund check this year and I desperately need living room furniture. These are the two that I picked out...which one do you guys like better? They're both the same exact price and they're made out of Microfiber! My parents are coming to visit me the weekend of the 27th and they're going to bring the truck so that they can pick the couch up from the warehouse for me! :)

My work is having a family picnic the weekend my parents are coming in! I am so excited that they are coming to visit me! I hope they get to come alot more now that my dad's business has picked back up. The weekend after that my sister and her best friend Danielle are coming down to spend their spring break with me! And on the 10th, the three of us plus Latte are driving back to Charleston and I will spend the rest of the weekend there, coming back to St. Pete on Sunday. I cant wait! We may get to go to see family in GA for Easter. I sure hope we decide to go, because I havent' seen them since Christmas.

Tuesday I am cooking a St. Patty's Day dinner of Corned Beef and Cabbage and Potatoes for David on Tuesday! Wish me luck! I've never done it before. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Speaking of cooking, I bought a practically brand new crock pot at a Garage Sale today! :) I was so excited! I was heading out to the beach and saw a Garage sale at the front of my complex, glanced and saw she had a crock pot, so I stopped and got it for $10! What a deal! Those things are like $60 at Wal-Mart! I am going to cook my St. Patty's Day dinner in there!

Oh and the other highlight of my day was seeing the space shuttle, Discovery take off this evening! Talk about cool! I was jogging and had no idea it was taking off today and I turned around and saw it! It was amazing! I could see the actually shuttle, it was a bright dot, and you could tell when it hit the atmosphere because you saw it break apart from whatever it is that breaks apart when it hits the atmosphere. LOL...ok so I am no science dork but you get the idea! I had no idea that we could see that all the way over here in St. Pete! Keep in mind that I am on the west coast and the shuttle took off on the east coast of Florida!

Well I am done for the night...I hope everyone had a great weekend! :)

Secret about this coming weekend is coming soon!

My Date

2009-03-14T18:00:00.003-04:00

I am so absolutely CRAZY in love with this guy!

David and I have a great date last night. We went to Carrabba's and sat outside on the patio while the sun was setting. It was such a beautiful day here yesterday, much like today, and everyday these past two weeks! Its so much like paradise here. I love it! We had wine with our Lobster Ravioli (def. should try it if you like seafood...it was sooo yummy!) and had yummy dessert! Afterwards we were going to see a movie but when we got there we didn't see anything that interested us so we drove around with the windows down, drinking Starbucks and listening to the radio for about an hour, just enjoying each other. Last night was simply wonderful :) I love him so much. He really is my everything.

A Spoiled Rotten.......

2009-03-12T21:05:00.004-04:00

So this past weekend I found the coolest little doggie store in the mall. They had gourmet dog cookies in a glass case just like a bakery! I was so excited and Latte loved her treats :)

This week has been so crazy at work! I finally starting to get into the program and things are coming very quickly now. I'm not complaining, I love my job, but it's challenging and I can say that I learn something new every single day. I really could say that I learn something new every hour....which is true! I have a really good feeling about working for GD and I do believe that I want to make this my career. I think I have a potential of going very far with this company. Who knows where it'll take me. I got my 45 day evaluation yesterday and on 2 of 5 things I met my boss's expectations and on the other 3 things I exceeded her expectations. And today I was complimented for having great negotiation skills! Alright! Not a bad way to start off my first two months! I am still thrilled that tomorrow is Friday!! lol

David and I are going on a date tomorow. We are having dinner at Carrabba's (our restaurant sicne we started dating almost 4 years ago) and then we're going to the movies. Any recommendations for a movie? It has been a long time since I've gone to see a movie. I don't even know what's playing right now.

Well I am going somewhere next weekend but I don't want to say where on here because it's a secret! I will reveal the secret later next week! :) I hope everyone is having a GREAT week.

T-G-I-F tomorrow! Yahoooooooooooo!!!

HAPPY 5 MONTH BIRTHDAY TODAY LATTE!! MOMMY LOVES YOU!! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T12:25:00.001-04:00

Sunny Saturday!

2009-03-07T15:30:00.003-05:00

Gosh....do you guys ever get sick of me posting picture of Latte?!?!?

Good....cuz I never get sick of posting them! SHE is so fun to photograph!

I want to wish my new friend Alicia a very Happy Wedding Day! I'm about to head out to downtown St. Petersburg for her wedding! :) What a beautiful day for a wedding!! Alicia, I am so happy for you and Michael! Best wishes to both of you!! See you soon Mrs. Parinello! :)

I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend! I just can't get enough of this Florida sunshine!! :)

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-03-04T15:52:00.002-05:00

My Weekend!

2009-03-02T18:52:00.006-05:00

Frozen Banana Dipped in Chocolate and Rolled in Nuts...at the Strawberry Festival
Lickin' the Chair

Does anyone else see the heart here? Hehe :) David made this cup of coffee for me!

Eating again....at the Festival

Hmm hmm good :)

Her favorite person :)

My Sweet Punkin'

She is winkin' at me! hehe

My Loves :)

What's that noise?!

My favorite shot of the weekend :)

Ferris Wheel at the Festival

My Heart :)

My Soul :)

My Love :)

*grin*

LOL!!! Look at that face!

Ok so...I had THE BEST weekend with David and Latte! Friday night, David surprised me with a bottle of Blush Wine and a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant. On Saturday morning we slept in and I got up and made breakfast...it wasn't that great, but it was still nice. David appreciated it! :) He made me a cup of coffee and after it had set on the counter for a while, the creamer formed a heart...kind of ironic huh?? I was so amazed at that so I took a picture of it! :) Would it be ok to take that as a sign from God??

After breakfast, we drove to Plant City and went to the Strawberry Festival! It was a gorgeous day...high of 84 and a nice breeze, blue sky and sunshine. Perfect Sunshine State day. We spent the entire time walking around eating food and got to see a professional pig race! LOL! We put away about $50 worth of food and had everything from Corn, Root Bear Floats, Chocolate Covered Bananas and Strawberries, Fries and Vinegar and Polish Sausage, and a fair hot dog. YUMMY! :) I think I gained 5 pounds....just kidding.

After the festival we drove back to St. Petersburg and had a nice dinner. Take out Chinese dinner with wine! :) It was romantic! hehe....

Sunday, I made breakfast again and it was much better! I got some homemade strawberry jelly at the Festival and it was so yummy on our toast! :) We spent the day laying around, running errands and doing chores and I made a very yummy dinner!

We had such a nice romantic weekend together. Things are back on track for us and I couldn't be happier or more in love. God has big plans for David and I. I truely love him with everything that I have. I am so lucky to have such a great person in my life and I thank God everyday for bringing David into my life. I love you baby!

Where Have I Been?

2009-03-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

Spending my entire weekend with David, that's where :)

I should get some time to post this evening....*grin*

Videos of Latte!

2009-02-25T22:00:00.005-05:00

Ok so I had to purchase a point and shoot camera in VA because my smart self left the battery to my DSLR in the wall in Tampa...yeah go me! I knew the entire time on the way to the airport that I had forgotten something...well...as soon as I got up to board my plane I realized what it was that I forgot.

Anyway, I purchased an Olympus FE-340 8.0 Megapixels 5x optical zoom from Target and I got a good damn deal!!! It was originally $160 plus tax and I purchase it for $90! What a steal for such an awesome camera. All of my pictures from my trip were taken with that camera! I was very impressed. My DSLR is an Olympus as well, so I am a big fan already. Go get one! It's pink too! Gotta love it!

Anyway, one of the features is video so I took some video of Latte and decided to share some of her funny moments. She is so funny! :) Enjoy!

I saw this video and it made me crack up!! I love Dachshunds!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

OMG....what is up with the letting go of some of the top players of the Tampa Bay BUCS?!?!?!? What the heck?!?!?!?

My Trip! :)

2009-02-23T21:09:00.011-05:00

Ok so here are some pictures from my trip home. Most of you know that I went to D.C. before I got to go to Charleston but I am posting the pictures from my trip to Charleston first. I have to do some editing of my D.C. pictures before I post a slideshow of those.

I had a blast! :) I got to see two old family friends (we go way back...about 9 years) while I was in D.C. I actually spent most of my time in Manassas with my dear old friends Michele and Jamie! I haven't seen them in years and they were so generous to open their door for me! We had such a great time spending time together and I am so glad that I got to go to D.C. so that I could spend some time with Michele and her family. My class took most of my time BUT I did get to do things like ride the VRE (Virginia Railroad Express), the Metro (nothing like NYC subway), the Whitehosue (not as big as you think), the Washington Monument (simply amazing), the Lincoln Memorial (my absolute favorite), WWII Memorial (another favorite), Korean War Memorial, Veteran's Wall, The Capitol Building and the Pentagon and Pentagon Memorial (very very sad). 3 hours and 10 miles of walking later completed my tour of D.C.! LOL....that's about all we could fit into the busy schedule. I will have to say, Michele, that I will never forget walking about D.C. with you and Jaima while there was a 20 degree wind chill blowing us over! THANK YOU for being such a great friend!!! ;)

I did get a cold from such a drastic temperature change in such a short period of time but it was totally worth it and I can't wait to go back and visit the Griffiths again and see what else the beautiful city of D.C. has to offer! :)

It was so great to get to go home too. I havent' seen my family and my friends in a couple of months. I had a great time in Charleston too. I didn't get home until late Friday night from D.C. but I was greated with smiles, hugs and kisses from the best parents and little sister in the whole world! :) The next day I spent some time with my mom before heading out to dinner with my best friends to celebrate Crystal's 23rd birthday! Happy Birthday again girl...I love you! :) We went to dinner at Carrabba's then we all hung out at Crystal and Rob's place and watched Step Brothers....great fun and hilarious movie!

Sunday I went to the Golden Corral (yum) with my family (mom, dad, sisters, niece and bil) and Angela and Christopher (family friends) and we chowed down on some yummy food and celebrated my big sister's 26th birthday!! Happy Birthday Brandy! I love you! :)

Then last night it was time to head back to St. Petersburg....but look what was waiting for me when I got home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to see my puppy! She was so excited that she peed all over me! :) I didn't mind...I missed her so much!

Trip Pictures and Details Coming Soon!

2009-02-23T17:34:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to get settled back in! :) Lots of pictures from my awesome week coming soon!!!!

SNOW!

2009-02-18T10:08:00.001-05:00

It started snowing as soon as I got off the Metro! So cool!!!!! :)

New Blog Look

2009-02-17T18:45:00.000-05:00

Like my new look?? I LOVE it....thanks Mandy!!!!!!

I'm Outta Here....

2009-02-17T05:38:00.003-05:00

I'm about to head out of the door for a business trip to D.C. I actually don't have to be at my seminar until Wednesday! So I get to spend the day with some old family friends that I haven't seen in years! They were actually nice enough to even let me stay with them for a few days! I am so excited!! :) Thanks Michelle!!!

Then on Friday I am heading to Charleston to spend a few days with my family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I am so excited! It has been almost 2 months since I have seen them!!!

And in case you are wondering about Latte...she couldn't go with me....United Airlines wanted $175 ONE WAY for her to go and I just don't have that in my budget! :( So some friends of mine here are watching her for the week. They have a 15 month old Yorkie named Tank that SHE LOVED last night when I dropped her off. I will miss her....terribly...but she is in good hands! :)

Oh and David and I had dinner last night and spend a very romantic evening together :) *sigh* I love that man so much....

Have a great week everyone! Not sure how much posting I will get in while I'm gone!

Puppy Picture Sunday!

2009-02-15T15:10:00.004-05:00

Since most people participate in Baby Picture Sunday, I figured I would start Puppy (or Doggie or whatever) Picture Sunday! I don't have any little ones but I do have a little puppy who keeps me going just like a little kid would! I'm sure most of you have pets out there so come on! Let's get this thing going! Show the world your furry little friend or friends! :) Hope you are all enjoying your Sunday!!!

Happy Valentine's Day from Latte and Me :)

2009-02-14T12:57:00.001-05:00

~ Happy Valentine's Day~

Excuse me, how much?

2009-02-12T18:50:00.002-05:00

$850.00 is how much....

How much I had to PAY at the DMV today to get Florida tags and to get my car registered, because:

#1 Florida has 7% sales tax on vehicles....
#2 That sales tax applies to the car trying to be registered IF the car was bought less than 6 months prior to registration...regardless of the state the car was purchased in...
#3 SC only has 5% sales tax but they cap it at $300 on car taxes....which meant that I had to pay 7% sales tax on the total price of my car!!!
#4 FL is whack!

I considered driving around with SC tags for another 5 months but decided that was probably not a good idea....lol

Welcome to the freakin' sunshine state.....

Now I'm going to go make cupcakes for work tomorrow....and yes I will probably eat three of them!

I'm alive....

2009-02-11T20:54:00.003-05:00

Just been in one of those cloudy moods and haven't felt much like blogging.....

Maybe this weekend I'll feel better.

I started another Project 365....check it out....

2009-02-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

Does anyone want to buy me one of these?!??!?!

https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next

I am forever cold these days.....its currently 73 inside my place and I am so cold.....*sigh*

Ok is it sad that I like watching I-Carly on Nickelodeon??? hehehe

What is it you need?

2009-02-07T17:38:00.003-05:00

I saw this cute little post that Elaine did over at Matters of the Heart. So I decided to join in. I just woke up from a nice long nap and I'm feeling laid back too! Happy Saturday!!!!

So, here's what you do:Google search, your name, with "needs" on the end. (ie: I would type "Heather needs".)Then you write a blog post, listing the first 10 results, and your own comment to each.

***I cheated a little because the entire first page on google were past blogs entries from other girls named Heather who decided to play along to this game quite some time ago! haha...I thought that was funny....let's see what I can come up with. I may have to do some looking around through the many pages before I can come up with a new, creative and even funnier list than all the other Heather's out there have!***

Here is my top ten:

1. Heather needs some body guards....
Ok wow this is new to me! haha...but I'm game for that!

2. Heather needs gatorade....
Well I guess I am a little thirsty and come to think of it....the orange would taste good right now.....

3. Heather needs a family....
I have a wonderful family and wouldn't trade them for the world!! :)

4. Heather needs 10,000 euros a day....
Now THAT I can't argue with! Bring it on....help me pay off those school loans!

5. Heather needs a joint....
Now I know this isn't true!!!

6. Heather needs a shrink....
I've considered getting some therapy lately....seriously.....

7. Heather needs a vacation....
Not really...work is good...BUT I get one anyway next week. Work seminar in D.C. then Charleston for the weekend to se my family!!! YAY!!! :)

8. Heather needs protection....
What are they trying to say....am I in danger?!

9. Heather wants more...$50 mil is not enough!
Ok....this stinks...all of these are about that Heather McCarthy chick....lame...

10. Heather needs prayers again...
Well I can't think of why, but prayers are always nice! :)

Ok so that wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.....blah.....hope yours is better than mine!!!

Now it's off to eat dinner (soup because I have no groceries and I am broke) and play with Latte while watching a Spongebob Marathon...now that is a way to spend a Saturday night!! ;)

Wordless Wednesday....priceless :)

2009-02-04T19:15:00.002-05:00

Photo Post! :)

2009-02-03T20:53:00.008-05:00

Before Momma gives you guys an apartment tour....I am going to update you all on what I've been doing lately.... *woof*

~Love Latte

Momma's Sidekick

This is my shoe mom!

Still mine momma!

Oh and this is mine too!

Mommy loves me!

I move so fast that mommy catches a blur on her camera!

Hmmmm I'm thinking about it...

What are you lookin' at?

Sniffin around on mommy's bed

Another blur...they call me 0075!

What do you always have that black thing in your hands momma?!

Now for the apartment tour....

" Come on in.....let me give you a little tour of my awesome apartment!"

"My huge walk-in closet"

"My Bedroom"

"Another view of my bedroom"

"Come on in and tour the bathroom!"

"My Bathroom"

"My Big Kitchen!"

"My favorite room in the house! Haha"

"Wall Decoration"

Last day to vote for Latte!!!

2009-02-03T12:33:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if we are winning but I sure hope so!!!! Please go vote if you haven't!!! :)

Latte loves you!! haha

http://www.bissell.com/MVP09/Week03/Vote3.aspx?FileName=1948.jpg&ImageName=Latte&utm_campaign=MVP09_Wk03_Widget1

Flying with a dog help?!

2009-02-01T13:37:00.002-05:00

I am going to D.C. for work in a few weeks and I am staying with some friends while I am there. I am not sure what to do with my pup....if I leave her here (with a friend who offered to dog-sit) I will be away from her for an entire week :( I was thinking about taking her with me but I don't know how that works or how much it costs. Does anyone out there know anything about flying with a dog....as a carry-on?? Any help or advice would be great! :)

Happy Saturday!

2009-01-31T08:07:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning and my thermostat said 66 degrees! I don't ever use my heater or air conditioner because the weather is always so nice here. Last night, out of no where....it dropped down into the 30's! Ok uhm....I thought the cold front was gone?? I just checked out the weather and we have one more night of in the 30's then it jumps right back up in time for the Superbowl!
Thank GOD! Needless to say....I cut my heater on so that the temperature inside could be right at about 74 (perfect!).

So it's pretty neat that the Superbowl is literally 10 minutes from me and Sunday night I will probably be able to go outside and see the fireworks display in the sky over the Tampa Bay! What a beautiful city they picked to host the superbowl this year!!! Too bad I don't have tickets...I guess I will be watching it on my small tv. I got invited to a big superbowl party but I havent' decided if I am going to go yet or not. Maybe or Maybe not??

David is coming over today :) We are going to the mall (in Tampa, which actually might be a bad idea because of the traffic from the Superbowl) today then I am cooking him dinner again to celebrate for his birthday! :) He turned 23 yesterday! Hopefully this dinner will turn out a little bit better than the last dinner that I made.....eeehk...we won't even go there.

So I am off to clean my house, like every weekend, and grab some breakfast and maybe go get some groceries! It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, too bad it's freezing outside or else I would spend my day out there!

Happy Saturday everyone! And don't forget to Vote for Latte PLEASE!!! It only takes a few seconds!! Thanks everyone!!
http://www.bissell.com/MVP09/Week03/Vote3.aspx?FileName=1948.jpg&ImageName=Latte&utm_campaign=MVP09_Wk03_Widget1

Dinner was awesome.......

2009-01-29T17:12:00.002-05:00

Last night.......left me speachless :)

I am heading over to David's house now.....hope everyone is enjoying their fabulous Thursday! :)

Keep voting for Latte until Feb 3rd! :)

2009-01-28T12:52:00.001-05:00

Vote for Latte!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

2009-01-27T12:36:00.001-05:00

Vote for Latte!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-27T12:30:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! I need a huge favor from all of you if you don't mind! I've entered the picture of Latte above into a pet MVP photo contest being hosted by Bissell! :) Follow the link and make sure you vote for Week 3: January 27th thru Feb 3, 2009! You can't vote until January 27th but I wanted to go ahead and post this! I will send out reminders! So PLEASE go vote for my baby girl! Latte wants to be famous! Thanks everyone!

Not Me Monday!!! :)

2009-01-26T19:06:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net">her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

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I did not run 2 miles today and make my puppy run .5 of those 2 miles beside me! Not Me! That would be cruel! haha

I did not pass gas out loud at work today because I thought it would be a silent one. I did not look straight ahead and continue walking down the aisle of cubicles filled with people I know who did not hear me pass gas.

I did not just laugh because my dog is dragging my tennis shoe across the living room and continue to laugh because I would rather continue my Not Me Monday post instead of getting up to get my only pair of nice tennis shoes.

I did not get super excited when I found out today that I will get to travel to San Diego, CA and Chicago, IL for work training seminars!! Yahoo!! :) I have never been off the eastern coast...except for the west coast of Florida...does that count?!

I did not eat way too many gummy bears today!

I did not talk to my daddy twice today and my momma only once! ;)

I did not leave the 2 loads of laundry that I washed this weekend by my front door yesterday only to have those same 2 loads still sitting by my front door. Of course those 2 loads of clothes are not clean and they should not be put away and I am not a lazy butt!!

I did not turn into a coupon monster this past weekend and realize how much fun it was to save money! :) I did not spend $70 at Publix and save $40 by having coupons and buying stuff on sale!

I did not just totally spank my dogs ass because she thought it would be funny to play ring around the rosies outside in the yard. She is not totally obsessed with eating treated bark and I am not totally aggrivated that we have to go through the same routine every single time we go outside! Raaaar!!!

I did not just feel bad for spanking her because she is so not giving me that look....*sigh*

I did not just bake myself a sweet potato and I am not going to go enjoy it!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great one like I did! :)

Oh yeah...guess who is coming over Wednesday AND Saturday??!! :)

25 Random Things About Me!

2009-01-23T22:10:00.004-05:00

1. I am a cheese fanatic. I like all cheeses except for Swiss cheese unless it's the Laughing Cow brand swiss cheese imported from France. Now that is some good stuff :)

2. I have a deep obsession with Greys Anatomy and Private Practice. I have never missed a single episode. I feel like I know the characters personally. I know, sad....

3. I just recently realized that I a damn good cook :) No joke!

4. My worst habit EVER is biting my nails....they were long...about 2 days ago...so much for that!

5. I am a total clean freak....every now and then. Like today, I cleaned my apartment from top to bottom and worked hard for a solid 3 hours straight! It was great! And my place smells good and looks great!

6. I absolutely LOVE bubbles baths :) Especially now in my huge garden tub!

7. I love to read and scrapbook but I never take the time out to do it.

8. I would like to become a professional photographer one day. I love photography and wish I knew everything there was to know in the world about it.

9. I was madly in love with Leonardo DeCaprio when I was in the 6th grade (year that Titanic came out).

10. I think sunsets are one of God's most amazing creations. Everyday is different. I've never seen the same sunset twice.

11. I think I have the coolest puppy in the world :)

12. I have had cancer before. Melanoma to be exact. Thank God it was caught early on, but now I have to get skin exams every few months for the rest of my life and no more sun bathing (not that I ever did much of that before anyway).

13. Keith Urban is my favorite country artist. Following close behind is Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Rascall Flatts. Sadly I have seen Kenny Chesney 6 times in concert and Keith Urban 3 times! Taylor Swift once and RF never.

14. I would love to sky dive but I know that I never ever will. I also know that if I did it, I would probably love it and would want to do it again.

15. I own about 10-12 different pairs of high heels and I never wear them because they kill my feet. But I'm hoping, one day, that I will get over it and deal with the pain until my feet adjust to them....my favorite pair are my black and white polka dotted ones....

16. I get to go home and visit the weekend of Feb 20th!!!! :) Oh yeah and Latte is flying with me!

17. Football has never really interested me much, but now since I live in a big city with a pretty good team, I have declared myself an official fan of the Tampa Bay Buccanners!

18. I am having a hard time deciding on which license plate to get at the DMV next week. It's a tie between the Tampa Bay Bucs tag or the Save the Sea Turtles tag...is it sad that the tie is between those two??!

19. I totally had Chic Fil A today and I am suppose to be on a weigh watchers diet. Looks like I am having salad for dinner!

20. Oh by the way....I lost 1 pound after my first week. Whoop de do!

21. I am wearing shorts right now while everyone else in the country North of St. Pete is wearing jeans and sweaters! HAH!

22. I bought a George Forman grill today. I can't wait to use it!

23. I enjoy Yoga....but it's too hard and I'm too weak! haah

24. I think about my family every single day and I miss them alot but to be honest I am not homesick at all.

25. I absolutely love living here in St.Petersburg and I am so glad that God led me here :)

Join in on the fun! :) Thanks Mandy!

You just know.....

2009-01-22T06:49:00.002-05:00

I cant describe the feeling inside me when David walked into my house last night.

That man is made for me. I realized last night just how true that is.

I cant even put into words how much I love him and how much I know, inside of me, my heart, and my soul that we are meant to be together. I have never been so sure of anything in my life.

I thought a few months ago I knew that but I guess I didn't. I don't understand why what happened happened but I do know that through that I have realized so much about myself and about David. Love is powerful, love is beautiful and love is rare. I guess it takes almost losing something to realize how great what you have really is.

I couldnt take my eyes off of him last night. I cried and struggled so hard to understand how I did what I did to someone so amazing. Someone please help me understand???

When we kissed last night reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized just how lucky I was to be holding and kissing the one I love so much and how lucky I am that God brought David into my life. EVEN AFTER ALL OF THIS....we still have it. The kisses were just like they always were and the feelings are still there, now stronger than ever. How is that possible? GOD is so amazing.....

David and I are on the road again, together. Slowly but we are there. And there isn't anyone in the whole world who deserves more gratitude than God.

God brought David and I together 3.5 years ago and God is going to make sure it stays that way for the rest of our lives. Please continue to pray for David and I. He is my everything and I know, deep down in my heart, that he is my one true love.

On a side note....my dinner turned out perfectly.

Salmon and Rice Pilaf
Green Beans
Homemade Peach Cobbler

Maybe it was food that made everything so wonderful?! **grin**

Guess who's coming to dinner tonight?

2009-01-21T06:42:00.000-05:00

***grin***

Vote for Latte!!

2009-01-19T20:29:00.003-05:00

Locks of Love :)

2009-01-17T16:39:00.005-05:00

BEFORE: this is me Halloween 2008

BEFORE: me in October 2008

NOW!!

Yes....you got it....10 inches of my hair is gone! I figured why the heck not?! I got a new car, new dog, new apartment, new job in a new city! So why the heck not?! AND some little girl/boy with cancer will get to have their own beautiful set of blonde hair :) Feels good :) AND I love it and it was free because I donated (didn't know that until afterwards). Ahhhh I'm on the road to a totally new me!!! :) What a great way to start a new year! 09 is gonna be fine! GOD is in control!

Hmm Hmm Good!

2009-01-17T09:56:00.003-05:00

" Looooooks good don't it?"

Ok so I made myself some breakfast this morning and it was so yummy and it was healthy too! :)

1 egg

1 egg white

fresh mushrooms

sharp cheddar cheese (suppose to use fat free but i didn't have any)

1 cup of light & healthy tropicana orange juice

1 piece of light white bread with 3 sprays of "I can't believe it's not butter!"

Hmm....
Hmm.....
GOOD! :)

Weight Watchers

2009-01-15T12:51:00.002-05:00

Ok so how cool is this? Weight Watchers has a program set up at my work! They come in once a week on Thursdays from 12-1pm for meetings and weigh ins! Pretty cool huh? So since last time I was on Weight Watchers and lost 5 pounds in one week, I've decided to give it another go around. This time it being more convenient and there being no reason why I can't attend the Thursday meetings. I mean come on....they come to us!! :)

Anyway...wish me luck everyone...today I weighed 163.3 Let's see what happens next week!!!

I've decided to buy the cook book and take up cooking as a hobby. I really really enjoy cooking and I guess I get that from my momma :) So I will be sharing my recipies! :)

Happy Thursday! It's almost Friday....

Oh yeah...I am attending the co-ed softball game (work has a softball team!!) tonight with some friends from work. I am probably going to join the team :) And tomorrow theyve invited me out to Happy Hour to meet the gang..I'm really excited! Everyone is so nice and I'm sure I'll have alot of fun :)

Edited: Hit the ground running!

2009-01-13T12:07:00.002-05:00

Edited Post:

The day turned out to not be so bad afterall :) It's just so much at once but I really do enjoy it so far. My last job, everyday was different, I didn't know what my work was day to day....I def. like this pace much better.

What's for dinner tonight?

Baked lemon pepper salmon with Garlic mashed potatoes and for dessert pineapple, mandarin oranges and strawberries :) All for myself! *grin*

That is EXACTLY how today has been so far! Oh my gosh....................*wheeeeeew*

Ok back to work....had to let my pup out to potty! ;)

First Day Back To Work!

2009-01-12T07:44:00.002-05:00

I start my new job today, which means no more blogging during the day! I have been out of work for almost 3 months and I am so excited to start back today! :) I will miss the daily routine that I adapted to while being out, but I'm ready to make some money! YAY! :) Happy Monday everyone :) I am, however, not too excited about leaving my little latte in a cage until lunch time :(......her longest ever....so sad!

P.S. David might be coming over for dinner tonight *grin*

Friday Foto Fiesta all about Latte!

2009-01-09T17:56:00.006-05:00

Ok so I just totally realized that I passed my 100th post! YAY go me! Now....time for some super cuteness....I mean come on......please tell me that this is not the cutest pup you've ever seen???!!!

"Life with Mommy is so good here in St. Pete!"

"Southern Belle turned Florida Girl!"

"Peek A Boo Mommy!"

"I didn't dig this hole, but I sure do like playing in it!"

" I love the doggie park! Mom takes me there everyday!"

"And this is where I escape! Right through that hole and Mommy has to come and chase me!"

"Whatcha got there Mom?"

"Follow Me Mom!!!"

"This is Mommy's best friend right now"

"Ooooooo I LOVE these things!"

"Ohh Mommy, PLEASE give me another pinch of cheese please!"

Note: How the heck could I say no to a face like that?!

"Hmmmm my favorite toy!"

"If I move slow, it won't get away from me"

"Puppy Love"

"Sleeping beauty"

I totally have the coolest dog in the world! :)

She did it!

2009-01-09T09:36:00.001-05:00

Well guess who just ran to the front door and scratched on it?
Guess who, after being let out into the yard, went pee and poop?!?!
Guess who, after being done pooping and peeing ran back to the front door?!?!
Guess who, ran straight to the fridge after coming inside to wait for a pinch of Kraft Singles?!?!

LATTE!! Woohoo....go puppy!! :) I am so impressed with her! She's working hard for that cheese!! That's the very first time that she's scratched on the door to be let out!

Ahhh I just love this dog!!! :) :) :)

I'm Impressed!

2009-01-08T17:44:00.002-05:00

Ok so who knew I could cook?!!? I am impressed with myself. My grandma has been staying with me since I moved in to my apartment in St. Pete last weekend. I have thoroughly enjoyed her company and I will be sad to see her leave tomorrow morning. Anyway she has been my guniea pig this week and so far everything I've made has been a success!

Monday: Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Peas
Tuesday: Hamburger Helper
Wednesday: Pork Chops, Rice a Roni and Salad
Thursday: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Hope tonight's dinner with be successful as well! I guess I won't be cooking too much once she is gone because there is no way I can eat all of that stuff by myself! Does anyone have any good ideas for a nice dinner for 1? I would have to have so much leftovers because I don't really do leftovers often....please share if you have something! :)

Anyway, I love my apartment. It's so cute and I have a perfect view outside my door. I got a cute screened in porch and my apartment overlooks a lake with water fountains, ducks, birds and fish. It's beautiful! I've had my windows open every single day since I got here because the weather is simply beautiful. So far it feels like a tropical vacation here...but I'm sure once I start work on Monday all of that will change! hehe

We drove down on Saturday...took us 8 hours to get here because of traffic and pulling the U-Haul. We had to stop often too because there were so many of us traveling. My family stayed until Sunday afternoon and it was hard to see them go. I can't wait to get back home to see them again. So far I'm doing really good. I'm not home sick yet and hopefully I won't be with time. I really really love it here and I don't see myself moving back to Charleston. Maybe one day.....

I'm settled in and I love it! My apartment is good sized and my kitchen and bedroom are huge! I'm glad I decided on the one bedroom because I do not have enough stuff to fill a two bedroom, not to mention I don't really need one. My bathroom is decorated really cute (thanks Mom) and I'm slowly filling up my cabinets and closets with things that I need.

I drove to St. Pete beach with my grandma today. We've been exploring while she has been here. We had no clue where we were going, we just got in the car and drove! St. Pete beach is nice but I like Clearwater beach much better. I was sad when we got there because it said no dogs allowed on the beach!! Poor Latte! She looked like she was ready to haul butt through the sand....too bad though. She would be allowed on the beach in South Carolina :(

We went to the dog park again today. Oh yeah, there is one of those in my neighborhood and Latte LOVES it! She's been playing with all sorts of different dogs and I've finally gotten her excited about her baby tennis balls! She was too cute the other day. She was terrified on them, but after a while she got use to them and now they are one of her favorite toys! Let's just say that she is totally spoiled already :) She must have like 8 toys already and a cute bed! She also has a small upper respiratory infection and is on anti-biotics for that so she can get better! My poor pup!

Anyway, I can go on and on about that dog! I just love her so much!!! I wish everyone could meet her because she is something else! I love my little Punkin'!

Anyway, I must run and get dinner started, Gran is giving me the eye! HAHA

Have a good Friday everyone! I'm going to enjoy it because I start work Monday....FINALLY after being unemployed for almost 3 months! I am so ready to work! Woohoo!

Not Me Monday!

2009-01-05T19:31:00.002-05:00

It's Not Me Monday again.

I could write a book but I'm not feeling good so I will keep it simple and short....this is the funniest one of all I think :)

I did not just make me a bowl of ice cream in a martini glass and continue to eat it with a fork only because I just moved into my new apartment and have to start from scratch! Oh yeah and because everything clean was in the dishwasher! hehe :) I love having my own place and I love being on my own, but I sure do miss my family!

I'm in love....

2009-01-04T19:37:00.003-05:00

More pictures coming soon and a post about my move! I love it here! :)

Goodbye South Carolina

2009-01-03T04:42:00.003-05:00

Well my time has come to say goodbye to my home of 22 years. *tear*...I can't believe it!!!
Wish me luck as me and my puppy began a new adventure together! It'll be a few days before I post again...I will be a busy girl! Have a great weekend everyone and say a prayer for me and my family....we got long 8 hour drive ahead of us today and they got a long drive back on Sunday! Bye!!!! :) Hello St. Petersburg!

Happy New Year and Meet my New Puppy!

2009-01-01T00:28:00.005-05:00

Happy New Years Everyone!!!!!!!! 2009 is here and 2008 is gone! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. What a crazy year. So much happened....it blows my mind! I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store!!
I got a new puppy!! :) Her name is Latte....she is a 12 week old Dachshund and we picked her up today outside of Columbia. She is such a little angel. I love her so much. I'm so excited that I have a little girl puppy to be my best friend down in St. Pete :) Thanks again Dad for helping me get her.....I love you!

Latte and my niece Madison :)

Sleeping Beauties :)

My new puppy Latte! :)

Almost All Packed Up!

2008-12-29T18:50:00.002-05:00

Wow....what a busy couple of days! I have been packing non-stop and I am about 85% of the way done! :) Packing is not easy at all. I never knew how much crap I actually have and how much stuff I've fitted into my tiny room all these years! I can't wait to have all 802 sq. feet to myself! I am serious when I say that I can't wait! Ahhh :) Life is good once again :)

It's starting to settle in that I am leaving.....leaving my home that I've lived in since I was 3 years old....I'm getting emtional just thinking about it. I was ready to go 2 months ago when I was suppose to get married but that was with David so I wasn't totally alone and on my own. NOW I am all by myself....I depend on me and only me! It's a great feeling but also scary at the same time and I still wish that I could depend on David :-(

Anyway....we are loading up the U-Haul on Friday and we are rolling out about 5am on Saturday! I am going to get in the bed early so that I am awake. I am driving so I will need to be alert. Life is about to change big time for me and I am so ready!

New car!!

2008-12-27T11:57:00.002-05:00

I got a new car! It's not brand new but it's awesome! :) I traded my Mazda 3 in for a BMW X3! Ahhhh I loooooove it! My mom got an X5 last week and they had a really good deal going with a 0.9 interest rate and I don't have to pay my first payment until April! Woohoo! I love it! :)

Now I will feel much much safer driving up and down I-75, I-10 and I-95 on my travels from St. Pete to home!

Now I'm off to my grandma's with my family for Christmas on my mom's side! I'm so excited! I can't wait to see everybody. It's going to be a good day!

Have a great weekend everyone!