This is My Life

Happy Veteran's Day! If you know me well enough you know that I'm the textbook definition of a patriot: someone who believes their country is the best no matter what. And that's pretty much me. Independence Day is my favorite holiday, I hear the Star Spangled Banner and tears come to my eyes, and when I think of all the people that made (and still do) this country possible, I have a huge sense of pride. Yes, our country has some faults, but I would never live anywhere else. Veteran's Day also brings to mind the death of my granddaddy. He was my mom's father and he was a card. He died 16 years ago yesterday (Veteran's Day was the 10th that year). So...I'm going to give some insight on him. Sorry if you're disappointed but if nothing else, you might learn a little why I'm as loony as I am. :-) I was only ten when he died and I wasn't close to him; in all honesty, when we went to visit him, I was always a little afraid of him. I remember he had f...

So...we met some friends at PetsMart last night for the Howl-o-ween event. It was pretty much a store full of chaos. You're supposed to dress your pet up, bring 'em in, take pictures, and participate in the costume contest. Since we've got my parents' dog for the week, I went ahead and bought her a costume...a princess. It's so appropriate for her. Our friends' dog went as a football player...their dog is HUGE...but SO sweet. We stood in line for what seemed like forever, finally made it up there, put the finishing touches on costumes (the adorable princess-cone hat for Pheobe and the golf clubs for Sebastian), they posed us, took our picture, gave us the pooches' goody bag, and said, "Thanks! Bye!" That wasn't even the line for the costume contest! Ugh... We kept waiting around for some direction on what to do about the costume contest. I mean...I went to the trouble to buy these things, convince Ryan to let me dress them and actually take ...

This past weekend we went camping in Marianna with some good friends. Because I had to give a presentation Saturday morning for work, I couldn't go out for Friday night but I drove out there right after the presentation. It was a blast...as always. I think the main reason I like camping is because you're so limited on what you can do. You can't check the email, you can't watch movies, you can't work on projects, you can't even work on crafts. Pretty much all you can do is walk around, take a nap, eat and my favorite...watch a fire burn. It's WAY better than watching paint dry and probably more calming. I took Sebastian with me hoping he would be okay and behave. And of course, he was an angel. Saturday night he sat in the chair and slept like a rock. He was so sweet in the tent and only barked once when he heard Adria cough in the next campsite. I was a proud mother! We also took the tour of the caverns Saturday afternoon. I had seen them once when I was rea...

So...I admit it. We've become one of those couples that makes the dog the "child"...but I don't care. I love this stinkin' dog (and he IS quite stinky right now) and I'm not ashamed to admit it. (Extra space here for Ryan) Friday was Sebastian's birthday. The big two. I'm so proud. I think the only reason he's actually lived for two years is 'cause he's just so cute and sweet. The constant "hunt" for socks, bras, and underwear...the one-sided game of chase with said undergarments in the backyard...well, it's a good thing he's so cute 'cause there probably wouldn't be much left of him when I did catch him...not that I ever do. Dang he's fast! So we took him to Sonic (after enjoying sushi with the P's (Peadens and Penningtons)) for his birthday ice cream. It was even better than last year. People were staring at us like we were crazy...not for giving the dog ice cream, but for taking pictures of it. Like I sa...

So...my evening tonight was one to be remembered for a long while. There are so many subjects, I might have to split it up into a few posts. Tonight I helped out with the graduation ceremony for the Eastern Shipbuilding students with the ESOL program. Here's the deal, Eastern Shipbuilding Group allows Guatemalans with trades to apply to work in the US. They help them obtain passports and work visas (usually for 8-10 months) and fly them over here to work for their company. Yes, I know it's a super controversial subject, but I'm gonna table that particular issue for tonight. What I DO want to talk about is this group of students. The "foreman" for this group of workers coordinates classes with our ESOL program, we send a teacher out there three days a week, Eastern drives them to the college two nights for them to take their tests, and we drive out there for their graduation ceremony. So...that's where I start. We drive out there, arrive in this little "b...

Okay...so it's been a while...which probably doesn't matter 'cause I'm not sure that anybody's actually reading these. But that's okay...I'm not hurt. So...it's almost been a year and SO much has changed. I'm no longer at Hatch Mott MacDonald. I came to the realization that engineering (at least in the field of wastewater treatment) wasn't for me. My WONDERFUL husband let me quit and I took six weeks off before finding a job at GCCC with the ESOL department. (English for Speakers of Other Languages) It's totally different but I seem to be liking it so far. Which makes Ryan super happy. And me too. It's only 30 hours per week but that's okay, too, for now. I just turned 26 (on Monday) and it has somewhat knocked me back. Maybe not so much about turning 26 but I keep thinking, "Whoa, next year I'll be 27...whoa." So what have I accomplished in 26 years? Well, I've graduated college, worked as an engineer, learned that...

Mom and Tommy came over for Halloween and we passed out candy. We didn't have too many kids come by but we still had a great time. They brought Pheobe so Sebastian definitely had a great time. Sebastian went as a golfer. Tell me this isn't cute... And Pheobe...she loves him so much... Geez....I just love these sweet puppies.