Family Portraits

For the first time since our wedding, Matt and I decided we needed to have some pictures taken together. We had them done two days before leaving for Alabama so it was a mad rush to get them done in time to give as Chrstimas gifts to our families. I regret now not having them done earlier so that we could have sent cute Chrsitmas cards like everyone else does...but, oh well.


Being the huge dog nerds that we are, I talked Matt into bringing the dogs along to try to get all four of us. Of course, we were already dirty by the time we got them in the truck, much less in front of the camera. We decided the best way to avoid more dirt and dog hair in our pictures was to leave them in the truck while we took pictures with just the two of us, and then, if time permitted, we'd include them later. When we went back to the truck to get them, Daisy was sitting in the driver's seat and Roxanne was sitting in the passenger seat. They were just sitting there looking out the window like they had driven themselves there. It was too cute! Too bad we didn't get pictures of that... :(

Anyway, it was quite difficult to get them to both be looking at the camera while we were both looking at the camera. Then, usually they had their tongues out... But, we did manage to get a few good ones. Here they are:

Oh, Happy Day!

After literally MONTHS of searching, I finally found a piano. For those of you who don't know much about pianos, they're kind of like cars. They come in many brands and can go from average to luxury. I just wanted something mid-range, but nice. I've looked at used and new and everything has been either JUNK or too expensive. Finally this weekend, I found what I've been looking for!!! It's a Kawai, which is an excellent brand. Grand pianos are measured in length from end to end (front to back). They can go anywhere from 4 foot 7 (junk) to 9 foot for the serious pianists. The official length of a baby grand is anything less than 5'10. Mine is a nice 5'7. Since I brought up the 9' ones, I must tell you about the one I played at the piano store. It was a brand new 9' Yamaha (which is an excellent brand). Keep in mind I was playing on it because of what it was, not because I intended to purchase it. The price tag was $150,000. Yes, I typed that correctly. Can you imagine???? $150,000 for a PIANO? Needless to say, that's NOT what I was looking for.

Anyways, long story short, I got my piano, here are the pictures!

Never In My Life....

So yesterday Matt and I went to Matt's little brother's football game. He's a senior at Klein Collins, and yesterday was parent's day. He had asked Matt to come and escort him onto the field, so we went.
I, of course, am not into football at all. I almost didn't go, but I thought that wouldn't be very sister-ly of me, so I changed my mind. I sat through the first two quarters hoping for some relief at half time. Being the band nerd that I am, I was looking forward to half time despite the fact that I knew I wasn't really going to enjoy either band. (On a side note....why are all of Klein ISD's bands so bad?) Well, Klien Oak performed first and, as I had imagine, I was not impressed. I actually felt bad for those kids putting so much effort into something SO BORING. They were coming off the field and Klien Collins was getting all lined up to perform.
Now here's the crazy part.... Just as the first band cleared the field, out of nowhere comes this guy. He's running from the end zone of the side we're sitting on. He's shooting across the field like he's running a race. And, did I metion he's totally NAKED??? That's right....he's a streaker. I could hardly believe my eyes. He was in mid-field before everyone could figure out what's going on. He runs clear to the other side of the field, near the other end zone when he sees the police running toward him. In an effort to avoid the police, he runs directly into the Klein Collins band, which is still preparing to get onto the field and has no idea what's happening, and disappears. The cops run through the band and tackle the guy right on the track. Meanwhile, the band has come on to the field and is actually playing....but not a soul is watching. Everyone is enthralled in the naked kid held down on the track by at least 4 police officers. Then comes the little golf cart bringing some clothes to put on him so they can get him out of there. Finally, he is escorted out of the stadium.
After that, Klein Collins' band concludes their (boring) performance and the game continues. Two more quarters of torture for me. It was 900 degrees and I don't enjoy football. Oh, and did I mention, they lost....again....38 to 14.

Back Yard Renovations

Matt and I (and Ryan) have been working hard for the past two weekends trying to regain control of the back yard. The weeds were winning the war, but major progress has been made. We have numerous flower beds in the back yard (thanks to the previous owners) and its just been too much to keep up with. So, we've decided to re-do most of them with rocks and to turn the rest back into just grass. Over the past two weekends we have moved in LITERALLY nearly 3 TONS of red, lava rocks. And, I'm happy to say, we've done some great work. I can't imagine what all this would have cost if we'd paid someone to do it for us. Now, we only have three small flower beds to do and we'll be completely done.

Sadly, I don't have any before pictures, so you'll just have to imagine lots of weeds, mud, and general gross-ness. Here are some pictures of the progress:

New Dog Pictures

This past Thursday morning, Daisy and Roxanne were lying in the bed together after Matt and I had gotten up and they were just too cute. Normally, they wouldn't be near each other, because Daisy gets on Roxanne's nerves so badly. But that day, there they were, side by side, looking like they enjoyed each other's company. So I thought it was a Kodak moment. Here they are!

Boring Update

I hate to over-do it too much with the grocery game stuff....but I'm going to anyway because I had another good week. Although I thought it was just going to be mediocre, it turned out quite nicely. At Kroger, I bought 35 items. The total before savings was : $81.81. After coupons and my Kroger card, the toal was $33.48, savings of 59% (according to my receipt... I don't actually do the math!!) That came out to less that $1 per item! :) Yay!

Ok, I'm done. No more grocery game blogs for atleast a week. :P

More Grocery Game News

I took a second trip to CVS today to take advantage of my coupons from yesterday.

On a side note, if you do NOT shop at CVS, you are totally missing out.... Here's why.....

Today I picked up two bottles of 24 count Excedrine, a tube of Colgate toothpaste, and two Biore Cleansers. Total: $26.

Amount I actually paid after using sunday paper coupons and CVS coupons from yesterday....

.........................

.........................

$0. That's right. Zero. I didn't have to fork out one penny. So, it was FREE. Plus, I got $3 more in extra bucks as well as a $2 off coupon for shampoo. That'll be next trip!

Grocery Game

I have decided to try the Grocery Game again. I tried it for a few weeks last year, but just didn't get into it, so I cancelled my membership. Since then, I've continued with my coupon cutting, but on my own. Until this week. I signed back up and thought I share my first week sucess with everyone.


If you don't know what the Grocery Game is, I'll give a brief explanation. Basically, its a website that tells you what items are on sale and your chosen grocery store and matches those items up with coupons from previous Sunday papers so that you get items at super low prices, sometimes even FREE. :) The idea is to stock up while items are cheap whether or not you need them. Then, when they're not on sale, you'll already have them.


Okay, so back to my story. I went to Kroger today. I bought 27 items. And just so you know, they weren't all dollar items either. Included in the 27 items was 4 12-packs of DC, Tide laundry detergent, and the taquitos I love that are about $7 a box. My total was $74.75. After my kroger discounts and coupons I paid $34.98. That means I saved 53%!! Not bad for my first week.


Since I'm talking about saving money, I'll mention my trip to CVS as well. Which, by the way, is on the grocery game too, but I haven't gotten the list for CVS yet. That'll come later, I think tomorrow. Anyway, I spent $20.83 and my receipt printed out $22.50 in extra bucks and CVS coupons that I intend to use. That doesn't count the 5 or 6 additional useless coupons that printed which I just tossed.


So, all in all, I feel like I've had a sucessful day. :)

Gaining Weight

Not me, Daisy. :)

As of this morning, Daisy weighs in at 41 pounds. She has long surpassed Roxanne in weight, but she's also now longer and taller than Roxanne as well. Roxanne is still bigger around than Daisy though. Despite who's larger, Roxanne is still holding down the fort as far as who's in charge. How? You ask? Humping. Yes, we have a humping situation on our hands! Ha!

Its been nearly a month since I posted pictures of Daisy, so here you go. And Kerry, just for you, I have included one "mean dog" picture. :)

In order to be completely fair, I must include a Roxanne picture. This is my alltime favorite!! It's not a recent one, but who cares, it's hilarious!

Some Lessons are Hard to Learn

As if once wasn't enough, this past friday morning, I took another spill, albeit smaller, down the stairs! Seems like I either don't learn lessons very well or I just can't walk. This time it was only the last few stairs instead of the WHOLE set though. My shoe slipped off the edge and there I went. Luckily I didn't break anything this time, but I think I bruised my tail bone pretty badly. The process of sitting or standing from sitting is quite painful and rolling over in bed is near impossible. Oh the days of a one-story house. Matt says he'll install me an elevator... Either that or we're just going to have to move!

Goodbye Mustang

Well, the time has come to say goodbye to the mustang. With the addition of the Lotus to our family, the mustang was sort of pointless. So, we decided to sell it and get something a little more practical. After all, what's the use in having two red, stick-shift sports cars? I wanted to get something with 4 doors and lots of room to spread out, but not so much room that I was driving a (what I call) "granny" car. After many hours of searching online, we decided a used BMW was the way to go. They are reliable and seem to hold up well over time....according to Matt. We found some online and went to see and test drive them. And, after a long week of searching we came home with a 2001 BMW 530i. It's SUPER nice. It has all the bells and whistles you can think of. Some of the stuff it does I didn't even realize they had in 2001 (like its centuries ago....). For instance, it has rain sensing windshield wipers.... I thought that was way cool in the recent Houston floods we've been having. Other notable features are the power head rests, power steering wheel adjustments, and in-car garage door opener. Sorry I don't have any pictures yet, but maybe one day. In case you're wondering, its a light sky-blue color, called "steel blue," with tan leather interior and even wood grain. Oh my, I can't believe my car has wood grain....maybe it IS a "granny" car....

Daisy Update

The tape on Daisy's ears was removed on August 1st and now all of her scabs have healed. Wow, that was record time I think. I read online, and talked to some other Doberman owners, who said it took MONTHS to get the ears to stand and the tape removed. Daisy was done in two weeks!! I'm sure that has something to do with the fact that our vet used a laser on her rather than the conventional method of a knife.

Not only is she getting HUGE, but she looks like a real Doberman now. At last check (on Aug. 1) she weighed in at 30 pounds, but has surely gained some more in the last days. She is still a little smaller than roxanne in height and length, but not far behind, if any, in weight. Roxanne weighs 32 pounds. So far, Roxanne is still in charge though! I hope it stays that way!

Here's your visual update:

Look at those ears....

Tug of war is getting a lot more eventful as well!

Sweet Home Alabama

I had a great week in Alabama visiting my family and attending Danielle's wedding. I got to spend tons of time with my nephew Kendall who is growing like a weed. My parents have spoiled him rotten! He now has his very own four-wheeler, which he can shift the gears to drive, and he's only 8! My dad will have him driving a car by the time he's 10 and I'm not even exaggerating. He's too cute though.

I also got to hand out with my sister for a little while. It's been ages since I got to see her. We had a good time goofing off on the trampoline and playing scabble.

Danielle's wedding was beautiful and so was she. I'm so excited she finally tied the knot! I know Tim will be good to her.

Mom and I went shopping and I got to go to Hancock Fabrics...they still have one there. That was a highlight of the trip, LOL.

I'll include some pictures...

Coneheads

Roxanne is back from the vet today. She's got stitches and she's a little slow, but other than that she seams to be doing fine. The vet sent her home with a cone collar because she picks and won't leave her stitches alone. So, now we have two coneheads. They're too funny. At least Daisy's cone is fabric. It doesn't get in the way too much. Roxanne's is plastic. She keeps running into the walls. Of course, we do take it off when we're here. But, because she'll pick the second we're gone, it will be on when we aren't here. Just for laughs....her are some pics of our coneheads. :)

New Ears

What an eventful pet day today was. Roxanne was spayed. She's doing well according to the vet, but we cannot pick her up until tomorro morning. Daisy passed her blood test so she was able to have her ears cut today. I picked her up this afternoon. As you'll see from the pictures, she looks totally different now; like a true doberman should. Now we begin the long process of tape and posts until the ears stand like they should. While dropping roxanne off this morning, there was a HUGE doberman in the waiting room, so, knowing I was getting Daisy's ears done today, I had to ask her about her dogs ears. She said they had to keep the bangdages on for 8 months! Can you believe that? The vet who did Daisy's ears said it shouldn't take that long. Hopefully he's right!

These pictures were taken just after we got home today. If you look at her eyes, you can see how out of it she is! There are no posts in her ears yet, but they should be coming next week. For now, its just tape and a HILARIOUS blue cone! Down the road these pictures will be classics. Enjoy!



Just for comparison...Here's the before picture:




Here's After: 25 pounds now!


While speaking of ears, I just had to include this picture of Roxanne's crazy ear! No surgery required for this look! :)

Daisy is Growing

I just wanted to post some pictures of Daisy to show how big she's getting! I'm sure she's over 20lbs now. She was supposed to have her ears cut yesterday, but when we got to the vet they found out she had an infection, so they wouldn't do the surgery. Now she has to take medicine for a week and then we'll try again. Daisy and Roxanne both have vet appointments for surgery next Thursday. Daisy to get her ears cut and Roxanne is getting spayed. I'm sure we're going to have a blast with two sick dogs at the same time!

Here's Daisy on May 28th, the day we got her. (4 weeks old.)

Here she is on June 14th.

Here she is on July 11th.












Can you tell a difference?
I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as her ears are done. She'll look way different then, not to mention way funny with two bandaged posts sticking straight up on her head!

Just FYI, I noticed the time below says I posted at 5 something in the morning. Please be sure that is not correct. I was surely not up at 5am to post to my blog!!

We're Back From Hawaii

Our vacation has come to an end... :( Hawaii was awesome! After now having been to two different Islands, I can say that the Big Island is WAY better than Oahu (honolulu). The Big Island is almost like being on the moon. The entire island is made from lava and for miles and miles its all you can see. There are tons of miles where no one lives and nothing grows...just lava. It's not nearly as crowded as Honolulu and there's so many things to see and do. You know how you see pictures of the ocean and you say "there's no way the water is THAT blue"? Well, it is!


We went on a volcano tour and got to see many cool things. Unfortunately there was no lava flowing (we missed it by about 2 weeks!), but it was still awesome nonetheless. Aside from TONS of lava, we saw canyon-like craters, we saw hot smoke rising from holes in the ground, we saw caves created by lava and got to walk into them.


Other than the lava tour, we went snorkeling, parasailing, horseback riding, toured some coffee plantations, the boys played golf (on an AMAZAING course might I add...), went to a luau, and ate at some great restaurants.


Our hotel/resort was incredible. It was huge and so open. There was a giant pool in the back and just behind the pool was the ocean. They had a man-made beach and a lagoon. They also had a "sea turtle resting area" where the sea turtles would just come and hang out. That was really neat.


Probably the best part of this trip was that it was practially free! :) Matt and I calculated that we probably only spent $300 the entire time we were there. His boss paid for the flight, the hotel (which I think was $400 a night), all the activities, and breakfast and dinner every day as well as some lunches. All we had to buy was souveniers, a couple meals, and tips.


Of course, I got TONS of pictures. I'll include a few of my favorites!

Speaking Of Hawaii...

Only three days remain until our trip to Big Island, Hawaii. I'm even more excited now. Matt came home from work yesterday to inform me of some new things we'll be doing. (we're going with his work people...) He said the Slavins (his boss) had booked us a personal tour guide for all day on Monday. How cool is that?? Plus, now we will be parasailing 800 feet on Wednesday morning! I'm super excited about that. I've never in my life done anything like that, but I'm totally up for it! I wonder if it'll be solo or if Matt and I can do it together... Matt says the Slavins have something planned for us to do everyday. At the moment I can't remember what it is, but its going to be fun!

Keeping Up With The Jones'

It seems everyone else has a blog. Now I have one too! Mine will prove to be much more boring than everyone else's I'm sure, but the peer pressure is too much. Unlike most of my friends, I have no babies to blog about. So, I guess you'll be stuck reading about our dogs!

Speaking of dogs, we have two. Roxanne, a small dalmatian, and Daisy, our new Doberman Pinscher puppy. The two of them are getting along for the most part, but Roxanne tends to be very territorial of the rawhide bones. We give them each one, but Roxanne can down hers in about 10 minutes. As soon as she's done, she heads for Daisy's. That works out pretty well though because Daisy loses interest, until of course, Roxanne has it. Then she always wants it back. Roxanne drew blood today trying to keep Daisy away from the bone! But, as soon as I cleaned Daisy up (it was an extremely small amount of blood) she was right back under Roxanne trying to get the bone again. At least she's persistent!

Wow, a whole paragraph about rawhide bones! I told you it'd be boring!!

On a different topic, Matt and I are headed to Hawaii on Saturday so I'm super excited! I love Hawaii. It's so beautiful and the weather is wonderful. I can't wait. We're going to the Big Island where all the volcanoes are. Other than seeing the volcanoes, I'm sure we'll be doing some exiting things. They have lots of botanical gardens full of tropical plants and wildlife, which I'd LOVE to see. Not to mention normal vacation-y things to do like snorkeling or whatever. I'm sure I'll add some pictures when we get back.

TG