Hello!

(I was going to post pics, but blogger is forever lame. I guess somethings never change. So, don't feel obligated to read this long, pictureless post.)

Well I know I said I was taking a break from blogging, but I still can't believe it's been over two months since I've written anything. I do have a good excuse this time. On July 31st, my trusty little computer decided to die. I thought it was the hard drive, so when I could afford it (about a month later) I shipped it out to California for my dad to take a look at. The hope was that he could recover my pictures from my hard drive, install a new one, and send it back to me.

He got my computer, got my pictures off no problem, then ran the computer for more than 2 minutes. It died. It wasn't the hard drive. It was just the computer, refusing to live. So sad. So, being the awesome dad that my father is, he bought Jake and I a new (to us) computer as an early birthday present! I got it just four days ago and I am in love, now that my fingers are used to the smaller keyboard.

It's such a blessing having my father get us a new one. There was no way we could afford a new computer anytime soon, so this was so exciting for us. Thank you Papa!!

Last weekend Jake and I went up north to visit his sister for the day. Knowing we'd be gone the majority of the day, we asked if we could bring Fala. She was very welcome. As soon as we step in and get settled, my sister-in-law announces that they have fleas!............

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

Two days later my poor doggy is itching up a storm. It's my fault. I'm so stupid. I refused to believe she had any fleas because I didn't see them. It was late enough in the year that I didn't give her her flea meds this month because of the colder weather. I thought she was just itchy from dry skin. I kept looking on her belly but saw no signs of bites. Jake looked yesterday. I don't know if I'm just really unobservant, or if I had other things in mind when I was looking for the bites, but my poor Fala is covered in little red bites. All along her belly, up to the base of her tail, it's just heartbreaking. She can't stop scratching. Even our landlords who live on the level below us hear her scratching! So today, I finally got off my lazy, bad-dog-mom butt and washed the girl. What a relief to see dead fleas in the tub after we were done!

Enter Belle. Belle has just started itching, but neither Jake nor I have seen fleas. But we've learned our lesson (we = me). I quickly asked some friends this morning for flea shampoo, and tricked my innocent kitty into following me in to the kitchen. Now, she was harassing Fala the whole time Fala was getting a bath. Belle was rubbing up against the tub, darting in and out of the bathroom, just showing Fala that SHE was a free kitten. So Belle did kinda deserve it....

She's gotten a lot bigger/stronger/meaner since her last bath.

I survived with just three gashes on my arm, surprisingly. Once I got her wet, she lost all will to fight. It was just sticking her in the sink and getting the sprayer near her that was hard. But she got a flea bath and it will hopefully help her too.

The rest of the day I will vacuum everything, from the carpet to the couches to the bed. I will wash all clothes Jake and I have worn in the last week and a half, and I will wash all blankets. I don't know what else to do to properly kill the little blood suckers, but I'm pretty sure we caught them before they got too out of hand. Hopefully, this little fiasco will be good enough to rid us completely. My poor, itchy animals. It's really rather heartbreaking!

Correction

So I was re-reading my last post today and came across an error. I know, I apparently don't proof read before I publish it. Anyway! Jake and I are NOT going to Florida for my brothers wedding, we are going to California! And we leave tomorrow!

As always, I am anxious. I don't like planes. How did I survive a 9 month long-distance relationship where I flew once a month? Great question! But I'm sure I'll survive this weekend. And then my whole family will be married off and I won't have to deal with this anxiety again anytime soon! Thankfully, also, I know the Lord is in control and He will take care of me. AAAND I was able to secure seats for both Jake and I and we will get to snuggle next to each other the whole way to CA. :) Hahaha. My poor husband.

I'm so excited to see Camry tomorrow though, and to see my whole family. It's going to be so much fun! Of course, the week we leave is the first week of the perfect (albeit freaking hot) summer weather here! Oh well, how bad can California be??

Nothing to blog about

I know my blog is super lame. I know it, because I don't write it. But let's face it. There is not much to write about these days. I have no puppy in training, no babies of my own, no photography challenges and no artsy fartsy things I want to do. I'm a little housewife, loving the warmer weather Maine is giving me, while my hubs is off to work four days a week, thirteen hours a day. Such.long.days. But that's not where this post was going!

This post was going here: For now, I won't blog. I really have no reason to. I don't think I'll be getting rid of my blog, so this is really more of an I'm-admitting-it-to-the-blogging-world-so-I-don't-feel-guilty type thing. Hmm.. feels pretty good!

I guess now it's time to pry myself off the couch (three new library books and I'm supposed to be productive??) and go on my run. Yes, ladies and gents, my running is still going strong. Ish. If you can call what I do actually a run. It's moving faster than walking, so it's gotta count.

Oh and here's some happy news. Jake and I are going to Florida for my brothers wedding in three short weeks. I am thrilled, once I can get over the idea of being on a plane. AAAAND I get to see Camry and I may get to kidnap her for one and a half days of yellow-lab bliss. :)

Back!

Jake and I got back from vacation on Friday. It was sooooo nice. Warm and sunny basically the entire time we were there. Jake and I got scorched and we are still peeling, but all our Mainer friends still say we look way more tan and that they are jealous. :) Worth the pain! Maybe...

Of course, right before I left I had one of those moments of "I should bring my camera charger.... naahh... It won't die." And it died on the first day. So I have zero pictures of our trip which is heartbreaking. But I think most of my readers are friends of mine on facebook, which have pictures from my sister on them!

One of our funnest moments was renting a jet ski for Jake's birthday! It was SO MUCH FUN. If we hadn't been sharing one jet ski with Ali and Shane we could have easily spent all four hours out on the bay. But regardless we loved the time we had on it and my poor little feet have never been so burnt! Haha.

As for running...? *sigh*. We ran like good people the second day on vacation, but then we were dragged down by all the heat and humidity in Florida. HA! No running for us. As Jake and I get back into our routine here we WILL get back in to running. Of course, the week we come back is the week or two of steady rain. Grumble. But we have been walking Fala every night after Jake's work and hopefully that will soon morph back into running. I shouldn't say hopefully; I should just say that WILL morph back in to running. Positivity people!

Going strong!

Jake and I survived our first weekend of running! We've only been running every other day, giving our bodies a chance to recover. So it just happened that our weekend run landed on Easter Sunday. We were planning on going up to Machias to visit Jake's sister and bro-in-law for church and lunch, so we got up early. EARLY. 6am. And we ran! We ran the whole thing too! We were so proud of ourselves. :)

I really hope we can continue this on our vacation. I think we can. We are both really excited about this!

Me? Run?

Jake and I have been married for just over a year now. Throughout the course of our, albeit short, married life we have often talked about "getting in shape." Running, working out, and eating *gulp* healthier, are all on our list of things to do before our metabolism slows waaaay down. We're still young and at the moment that means we can stuff our faces with little to no consequences (more my husband than myself). However, we know what will happen in the next few years. All the father figures and mother figures out there say "Yep, I used to look just like you when I was your age. Then I lost my fast metabolism." .........

I hate working out. P.E in high school was pretty much the death of me every other day. I didn't like doing the sports besides soccer, and I hated Fridays cause it meant we had to run the mile. UGH. My working out consists of walking the dog on the days the weather permits it. Which, unfortunately in Maine, is not all too often.

But I think Jake and I are starting to see the bigger picture. We don't necessarily want to work out to look better, or to eat healthier to be thinner, we just want to take care of our bodies. We want to get into the good habit before things go downhill, so that it won't be such a climb to get back on top. Also, if I ever get pregnant, I REALLY want to have a good workout regime by that point so that I am still motivated to work out while pregnant, and especially after.

So, this week, Jake and I ran. I almost vomited, but run I did. Two whole blocks. Amazingly enough, we ran the next day too! And today I'm feeling a strong desire to get out there and run again. Well, I should clarify that runs actually means jog. I jog. I run at the very end, use my last spurt of energy. But I mostly jog. Slowly. But hey, it's better than walking right?

So maybe I will be able to keep this blog as an accountability blog of sorts. Of course, we're about to be tested big time by going on vacation next week for 2 1/2 glorious weeks. But it's in Florida. We'll wake up early, try to avoid the heat and humidity (who am I kidding?), and jog.

This was all mostly Jake's idea. I am so anti-work out that we had to compromise. If we go on runs, we eat at the dinner table instead of the TV six nights a week. We also turn the tv on later on the weekends to ensure more quality time spent doing quality things.

I really do hope this lasts a long time and becomes a habit. We will see!

FAIL

Well I'm a blogging failure. I have absolutely no excuse, except for writers block. What did I tell you? No excuses. Life hasn't even been busy, just the same ol' same ol'.

Fala and I celebrated our 9th anniversary yesterday which was a lot of fun. I can't believe I've had her that long! I never thought she'd be the dog I'd have forever and ever when I first started raising her, and even though I'm not entirely sure she is my "heart" dog, I love her so very, very much and would be devastated without her. She still drives me crazy just about every day, but that's what makes her her! In two weeks we leave to go on vacation to Florida to visit my sister and brother-in-law, and their two dogs. Fala will love re-uniting with Layla, the young and exuberant St. Bernard, and will I'm sure really enjoy meeting Bella, the adorable yellow lab.

Today is also Camry's 4th birthday. I can't believe it! To me she is still such a little puppy. She has about 2-3 more years left as a breeder and maybe then she gets to come back. Time will tell!

Photo Challenge: Day 17

Post a picture of something that has had a huge impact on your life recently.
This past Sunday Jake and I celebrated our 1st anniversary!! I can't believe the time has gone this quickly. Being married is such a change and totally different than I thought it would be. But it's so much better than I had originally thought. I have learned so much about myself and with the Lords help I am improving the negative aspects of myself. I love, love, love being married and I am so enjoying my life with Jake!

Photo Challenge: Day 16

Post a picture of someone who inspires you.

Well, for this one I don't have a picture. Not that I don't have inspiring people around me, it's just that the people who inspire me live all across the country, so having a picture with all of them in it just isn't possible. But I would have to say that it'd be my sister-in-laws. I have a lot of them. Seven, to be exact! And they are all wonderful, beautiful, Godly women. I look up to them in how to raise my (future) children, I get recipes from them, and I am learning from them how to be a better wife. Plus they are all really amazing home makers and I wish I had even half of their creativity!

Photo Challenge: Day 15

Post a photo of something you want to do before you die.

I want to go to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando! I know it's stupid, but I really want to. Some day my sister (who lives in Florida) and I will drag our husbands to the park and we'll be WAY more excited than them and it will be great. We will go on rides and walk around and drink butterbeer! I have a cousin who lives in Orlando and has a season pass so she goes there all the time. Whenever she posts pictures of the Harry Potter section I get jealous. Some day... some day. :)

Photo Challenge: Day 14

Post a picture of someone you can't imagine your life without.

This one was pretty obvious. My husband, of course! I am so blessed that he is mine. I honestly never thought I would find someone quite like him. We still find things that we have in common that are totally random, like taking pictures of random objects, or wrapping our Christmas presents for our animals (pictured above is Jake helping Belle open her Christmas gift). I can't even begin to say how much I love him. It's insane that we will celebrate our 1 year anniversary on Sunday! It has gone by so fast.

Photo Challenge: Day 13

Post a picture of your favorite band/artist

Miranda Lambert! Now, you may not know how hard it is for me to admit that my favorite artist is a country singer. Up until a few years ago I hated country music (besides Rascal Flatts). I wouldn't ever listen to it and I didn't understand how people could enjoy it. When I met Jake I found out he loved country music. When I knew I was going to marry him, I knew I would have to start listening to country music for him. So, for a few months I would turn on the radio to 100.7 on my way to work and grit my teeth and bare it as all the country twang was played. It started out that I would only listen to it while my favorite radio station was on commercial breaks. But soon, before I knew it, 100.7 was the most listened to station in my car. I had fallen for country music. Now, that's all we really listen to in the car, and it's fine by me!

Photo Challenge: Day 12

Post a picture of something you love.

My family, of course. :) I know Jake and I don't have kids yet, but Fala (or in this picture, the Terminator) and Belle are good substitutes. I feel like I'm always breaking up fights and quieting them down and feeding them and stuff. People always say that if you can train a dog, you can train a child. Personally, I feel like training a child is a much bigger responsibility, but I guess I'll take all the practice I can!

Photo Challenge: Day 11

Post a picture of something you hate

BILLS! Enough said.

Photo Challenge: Day 10

Post a picture of the person you do the craziest things with.

My sister! I hope she doesn't hate me for posting this, not that she'd ever see this. If you guys knew me, you would know that I'm not a crazy person. I don't party or go wild or anything like that. I'm a homebody. I like to sit on the couch and read or be with my husband. Very, very rarely do I "unleash". And all that really means is I'm a little bit louder and more obnoxious that normal. But if there is anyone who can easily get me out of my comfort zone, it is my sister. Don't think Jake can't, because he can! He and I just have very familiar zones. My sister is the polar opposite of me. I am quiet, she is loud. Fridays nights in Maine are spent on the couch with a movie. Friday nights in Florida are spent... who knows where! But I love my sister for being able to pull me away from my comfort zone, just every once in a while.

Photo Challenge: Day 9 (FINALLY)

The pictures FINALLY worked! This was not the one I wanted to post. I had one of Christina and myself at my wedding, but it would never upload. This one did though. This was taken a looong time ago when Christina and I went on a roadtrip to Fresno, CA for my highschools football tournament. Christina is my best friend and has helped me through sooo much. She just got married a few months after I did and even though we're on separate coasts, we still do a decent job of keeping in contact. :)

Hopefully now i will be more on track with my photo challenge!

Photo Challenge: Day 9

So I know I missed yesterday, but I do have a reason. Blogger wasn't letting me upload photos. So... why bother posting your photo challenge when you don't even have a photo to show? Let's see if it works today.

Ughh. Nope. I guess I'll be back when it does!

Photo Challenge: Day 8

Post a photo of a picture that makes you laugh.

This picture was taken right after our wedding, on our way to the reception. Jake's face cracks me up. He thought we were going for the whole "serious" vibe. Not so much. I swear he really WAS happy to marry me. :)

I had many more ideas of funny pictures, but they included embarrasing some people I love, and I just can't do that. :)

Photo Challenge: Day 7

Post a picture of your most treasured item.

It's not the best picture of it, but it's my engagement and wedding rings. I love them. Not only are they super sparkly and beautiful, it also means the most important thing to me: I belong to my husband, and no one else.

Photo Challenge: Day 6

Post a photo of someone you'd love to trade places with for a day.

Umm... No thanks. I know I'm probably just taking this way too seriously, but I really don't want to be anyone else for a day. If I was, I wouldn't be with my husband. That would not be a happy day! Although, I guess I could generalize it and say I'd love to be in any WARM place (warm being in the 70s or 80s). :)

Photo Challenge: Day 5

Post a picture of your favorite memory.

HONEYMOON IN HAWAII. At first I thought I'd post a picture of receiving one of my guide dog puppies, or one of them graduating. But I feel like that was so long ago, and so much has changed. Jake is such a HUGE part of my life now (obviously) that when I then strayed to thoughts of our wedding, and our honeymoon, it was an obvious choice between the two. Of course being married to him, and going to Hawaii with him for our honeymoon, is my alltime favorite memory. Sipping mai tais on the beach, being able to walk out our front door and be ON the beach, doing whatever we wanted, and BEING married? Definitely the best memory. We wanted to go back for our 1st anniversary, but decided on Florida instead. Hey, it's kinda close!

Photo Challenge: Day 4

Post a picture of your night.

So this challenge confused me. Post a picture of my night? What does that really mean? That, and the fact that I have NO idea where my camera is, left me stumped. So I posted a picture of Jake and I a few nights ago, doing what we do best. Goofing off with our less-than-willing kitten. Belle is so pissed off in this picture it's hilarious. Other things we do at night is play golf on the xbox. I find it shocking how much I enjoy it, but I'm so glad Jake and I have found something we can enjoy together. And I'm not too bad!

Photo Challenge: Day 3

Post a picture of the cast from your favorite show.

America's Next Top Model!

This was a hard one for me to choose. I watch too much tv, and Jake and I have shows to watch every night except for Fridays. Sometimes there are multiple shows tonight, or (like tonight) too many shows to record with our DVR, so I have to watch them later on hulu. So I did have a difficult time deciding on Americas Next Top Model.

It's a silly show, I know that. I'm thinking I may like it 'cause I'll never be as tall or thin as those ladies, or maybe I just like all the colors of the photoshoots and their house they stay in. Not sure. I just like the show. It's entertaining to me.

AND! Its new season, season 16, starts TONIGHT! Unfortunately, we also watch Survivor AND American Idol, and they are both on tonight also. So, my husbands ruling won out, and we will record those two shows and I will watch my girly show later when it's up on hulu. :)

Photo Challenge: Day 2

Post a photo of you and the person you've been closest with the longest.

This is my twin sister, Ali. This photo was taken I believe back in May of 09. Back when I had dark hair. :) She and her husband flew out from FL to visit and surprise me. She is my best friend and no amount of states will separate us. Cheesy, I know, but so true.

Photo Challenge: Day 1

So I've seen all those challenges out there on blogs, and while some are very interesting and fun to read, I just haven't myself been interested enough to do one. That all changed when I ran across a friends facebook. It's a photo challenge but of specific things. It's only for a month, so it's much more doable than some other ones. Also, I probably won't post on the weekends. So I guess I've already failed! But here it is anyway.


Photo Challenge: Day 1. A picture of yourself with ten facts.

Facts:

1. I am 5'2" and like it that way!

2. I married the love of my life ALMOST a year ago. :)

3. I am a twin, and we look nothing alike.

4. I'm rather obssessed with dogs. Shocker. :)

5. When I was younger I shook a candy machine and it fell over. I was so embarrased I ran and hid.

6. There is almost nothing better than ice cream.

7. I could not get through the day without praying for strength and guidance.

8. I was born and raised in Southern California.

9. I am ADDICTED to musicals.

10. I hate airplanes with a passion. Just seeing one flying in a movie stresses me out. It's a miracle I survived a long distance relationship for 9 months.

Fala turns 9!

Well I must be a horrible dog-mom because I forgot to post about Fala's birthday ON her birthday. But I'm only a day late. So... Maybe it's not too bad? Pictured above is typical Fala: Happy to be out and about. Please ignore all the slime coming off her mouth. She was getting food rewards that day. :)

It's hard to believe, but Fala is 9 years old. A "senior citizen". It's hard for me to think of her getting older and slowing down, but she still has so much life left in her. She is all energy whenever we go out, she still leaps up the stairs taking them three at a time, and she would play fetch for HOURS if only we had the same endurance.

With all that said there are signs of her aging. She has a little tiny bit of gray on her chin (not as much as you'd think), and there have been days where she groans as she stands up and stretches and her joints pop. She has fallen down the stairs a few times and that's just heartbreaking. So some days, her body just can't keep up with her energetic spirit.

Other than that, Fala is Fala. She drives me crazy on a daily basis but I love her SO much. I'm glad she was Career Changed and that I kept her, because I'm pretty sure that out of all my dogs, she has taught me the most!

Happy Birthday, Fala!

Oh Snow.

People told me that come February, I would hate the snow and want it to leave. Well I LOVE THE SNOW! And I still never want it to leave. Now, I am excited when I see that the temperature is going to be in the 30s (who knew I would ever consider that warm??), and the potential of it reaching the 40s in the next week is super exciting! But knowing that warm temperatures mean the snow will slowly melt, and that warm temps also means rain instead of snow makes me so sad. I'm not ready for all this to leave!

I know it's still February and that usually there are a few more storms that hit by March or sometimes (rarely) even April. So I am just soaking up all this wonderful snow; making snowballs and throwing them at my husband, going sledding, making snowmen. There is so much fun to be had with snow and most people just complain! Those people should just go live in So. California for 21 years and see how boring it is after a while!

I'm already ready for Christmas. :)

Golden Retrievers or Labradors?

When Jake and I got married, one thing was certain: We would always have a dog in our household. Ideally, we'd love to have two dogs. When we lived in California, we had that. We had Fala, my then 7 year old Black Lab GDA drop out, and Camry, my then 2 year old Yellow Lab GDA breeder. It was perfect. No human was left out during walks, and the girls could play with each other when their mommy was too lazy. :)

Things changed when we moved to Maine. Camry belonged to GDA and she couldn't come with me. So, we dropped down to a one dog family. Realistically I know it's probably for the best, even though I miss Camry every day. Having two dogs in one apartment, while doable, is very difficult. But, Fala isn't getting any younger. She will be 9 years old in two weeks. So Jake and I have been thinking... when will the new puppy be on his or her way?

We want to get a new puppy when Fala is still young enough to enjoy one. We don't want Fala to think of the puppy as a replacement, but rather as a playmate. We want to establish our own relationship with the puppy before Fala passes away (we are talking YEARS people) so that the puppy has no "shoes to fill" so to speak.

Jake and I have spent months agonizing over the breed of dog that is right for us. I am a die hard Labrador fan, but of course I am! I've only had one breed other than a Lab, which was an Australian Shepherd. And while she was great, they are NOT apartment dogs. And I don't have the energy to keep up with one! I guess I just always assumed that when the time came to add a dog to our family, it'd be a Lab. A yellow one. Because Fala is black.

Enter my husband. He loves dogs, although he only had mixes when he was growing up. His friends only ever had Labs. And he's tired of them. He LOVES them, don't get me wrong. But he wants change. He wants a Golden Retriever.

I am so skeptical about Goldens for certain reasons.. The GDA golden retriever line probably wasn't the BEST out there. Actually, I know it wasn't. They are still trying to tweak it to make it as perfect as possible. But while I was a trainer I worked with my fair share of Goldens. And while they were sweet, there's a reason they didn't graduate.

We also talked about getting a Bernese Mountain Dog. I know I know... a GIANT dog in an apartment? Well we have a friend here that has one. They live in an apartment and apparently the breed is really low key energy-wise and easy to get along with. We were looking at breeders and such when we found out that because they are a super Large breed dog, they have a short life expectancy. Shorter than 10 years. I told Jake that I didn't want a dog whose life expectancy was shorter than 10 years, simply because I couldn't handle it. If I had been able to, we would've adopted Dawson last year. So, sadly, the Bernese Mountain Dog is no longer a real option for now.

So I think we have decided that next year a new Golden Retriever will join our household. I feel like I am in my own way for really really wanting one. I am sure that if we choose the right breeder, the puppy will be better than I am expecting. I am just so cautious about them!

With all this said, I am so excited with our decision. Goldens are BEAUTIFUL dogs and I'm excited for one to join our family. It won't be a while, but I think we've narrowed down to one or two possible breeders. I know I know, it's so far off. But I want to get a head start. Buying a dog is a huge decision!

So sad

There is nothing quite so disappointing as being "promised" 3-5 inches of snow and a POSSIBLE snow day for the husband, to wake up and find that the storm has just skirted right around you and headed to the coast. When my husband got to work today (closer to the coast) he said that it was falling fast. Three hours later, still tons of snow for lucky ol' Ellsworth. Bangor? eh... maybe ten snowflakes?

SO LAME!

Whiplash

I know this type of weather is normal for you people in the northern areas, and even the eastern areas. I am not from there. This is new to me.

MAINE IS GIVING ME WHIPLASH!! Seriously! Yesterday the high was 15F with a low of -3. Super, super cold. It snowed all day (so heavenly). Today it is already 35F, with a low of... something not that cold. Oh, and it rained last night so all my new snow is slush and mud.

Lest you worry that it won't get cold again, the high for Sunday and Monday is 6, feeling like -7. And the low is -11, with a windchill temp of -22.

How am I supposed to properly acclimate when, once it finally does get cold, it just warms right back up?

Oh, and I also feel that if it's going to be 35 and warm and melt all my snow, then there should be NO CLOUDS. Lots of sun. :)

To all my CA buds who are relishing in the 80 degree weather you've had this weekend, I don't want to hear it. No, I'm not entirely jealous, although I wouldn't mind being able to open my windows to air out my house. I do love the cold. And the snow. I just want some consistency!

I guess the saying in Maine is right: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

On a completely different note: 54 days 'till a JG and Alisa reunion!

New year

Well I didn't post anything about the New Year, or New Years Eve, although it was a fun one, and I was somehow able to stay up to midnight! Jake and I rented movies and ordered pizza and just had a great night snuggled together. If you don't know yet, married life is way better than anything else. Having a husband to snuggle? GREAT!

This New Years rang in with me chopping 8 inches of my hair off and donating it to Locks of Love. I wasn't originally planning on donating it but I'm glad I did because it madde the haircut free! I chose to cut my hair because I had the same.exact.hair cut since I was 17 and a junior in high school. So I needed a change! I love it. I still miss my long hair at times, but I know it will grow back before I know it! And I really am enjoying the change. It's way easier to do. Although it still reacts just as badly to humidity. Dang East Coast. :)

We had another blizzard-type day yesterday. They said we were only supposed to get 5 inches of snow, but it ended up being about a foot. Jake went off to work in our little front-wheel drive car around 6:15am, and luckily the snow didn't start 'till around 10am. At 11:30, we already had about 4 inches, so Jake's boss said he could go home. I was so relieved! I didn't want him to get stuck there AT ALL. So the regular 40 minute drive took about an hour and twenty minutes, but I didn't care. My husband was home. :) We spent the day watching movies and napping, and later that night we went out and romped in the giant snow banks. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE snow days??

Now Jake is back at work today and I'm busy looking for a piano for myself. I used to play a ton when I was younger. I took lessons for about 7 years or so before I gave it up. But I've always loved it. I had a beautiful Yamaha Grand piano, white, back in California, but it was technically my dads and we didn't take it with us when we moved. Not like it would have fit in our apartment anyway. ;) So now I am searching for a cheap piano or keyboard. I have found a keyboard and I would take it, but it's not 88 keys. I have to decide how worth it that would be. There is also a nicer Upright Spinet for $200, which is generally WAY out of my price range. There is a possible way I could get it though, but I don't know if I should. If I had 200 bucks, I don't know if I could justify spending it on a piano. Not right now, when I need to renew my car registration and it's going to be way expensive. So who knows! I am just excited to think about playing again. It should be so fun. :)