"Uhh, where are the apartment keys?!?"

So lets start from the beginning...

Since we have moved closer to work (5 min away!) Jess takes my car to school 45 min away because my car get better gas mileage than her mustang. So I have been driving the mustang to and from work.. which I love cuz it makes me feel all hot driving her sports car ;) Anyways, when I go to school.. an hour in the other direction and on the interstate.. I feel better in my own car.

So yesterday.. Jess accidently takes my car to school.. I meet up with her to switch cars and on the way back home.. I started having this overwhelming feeling of not wanting to go to school. (Looking back, this was totally a sign.) Which is weird, because I do not skip school. Especially now since I only go one night a week. I told Jess (she was kind of annoyed cause we had just drove 20 min to meet each other.. oops!) and she finally agreed that I should stay home and do school work. :) We have this weird of making sure, the other doesnt care if we skip.. kinda like when you were little and "played sick" to stay home from school.. you wanted your mom to be ok with it. Weird I know..

Unfortunately, my teacher sent out an email stating he was giving us a take home mid-term.. so I had to go to school to get it. UGH. Fortunately, Jess agreed to go with me and keep me company on that long ride ;)

We live in the middle of nowhere, so anytime we go into "the city"... we try to take advantage of it and catch up on some shopping. I needed new work shoes, so we hit up shoe/sports store. We went to class, where I only had to stay about an hour, and were on our way back home. Fast forward an hour drive... we were walking up to the apt (around 11pm I should add), loaded down with laptops, books, shoes, and My Vera.. of course... When Jess dangles the keys in the air and says "Uhh, where are the apt keys?!?" Everything inside of me just said  &%#@.

We start tearing everything apart.. my purse, the car, the bags.. nothing. We call the apt answering service for someone to let us in.. and guess what .... THEY DONT OFFER A LOCKOUT SERVICE. Of course they dont, why would they offer this service when they have maintence people living on site? Why would they want their tennents standing outside in the dark, alone? That was silly of me to ask I guess.

You know what else this middle of nowhere town does not have... a 24 hour locksmith. Great.

The apartments we live in... many of the people we work with live in too. So we called everyone to help us... but they couldn't... because really, who can break into a deadbolt. *sigh* But every one of them offered us a place to crash. Why didnt we take their offers you ask.. Well because our furbabies were in their crates.. and that would be 16-17 hours without a potty break. And I cant bare the thought of that...

And of course they asked us... "Is there a window unlocked??" Umm, yes. We do leave a windows unlocked, because we are two females in an apt, and we know that no one would ever break in. And being lesbians doesnt make us an easy target for danger... NO THE WINDOWS ARE SHUT TIGHT & LOCKED! But thanks! ;)

We even called the non-emergency 911 number.. and the dispatcher was appalled that maintence wouldnt let us in. She sent a deputy out, but all he could really do was keep us company & safe. The man was young and possibly very new... I am not sure if he could really use his gun ;) A young Barney Fife, if you will.

The closest 24 hour locksmith was an hour away.. and after I assured him that if he drove all the way out to our apt, that we would pay him.. the $160 fee. Which isnt bad to us, because we're from Atlanta.. and I once paid $125 for a locksmith to unlock my car.. and he was only 3 miles down the road. Anyways, locksmith was on the way,  and the deputy left after we walked to a friend's (Jess' manager, actually) apt.

And hour and half, later the locksmith arrives. A 70 year old man. Yep.. 70 years old. He told us. The deputy was also driving back by to check on us, and stayed until we were in (which was going above and beyond if you ask me). So the very nice old man, who did not seem to be aware of our nieghbor,s as he banged and clinged and drops keys on the ground when they didnt work. He informs us there is no getting into this door.. so he tries the patio door. Picture it... porch railing much higher than a normal rail, that even my athletic girlfriend had a hardtime climbing over... somehow he managed to stumble over it without breaking anything.. YAY! :) hahaha.

Within 5 minutes, he had the lock picked. And we were in. Thank God, and the nice old man, and the deputy. We paid the man, and he and the deputy stood outside for at least 20 minutes, discussing all tools and equipment he had. :)

Our babies were ecstatic... and Tee-Tee'd for a long, long time.

If you made it this far, you deserve some pics! Unfortunately, it did not occur to me to take pics of our frustration last night... sorry! *Note to self... must take more pictures for blogging purposes!*

[caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="On the way to class.."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Leaving the shoe store, possibly where the apt keys are =/"][/caption]

Jess bought Halloween costumes yesterday... here's a sneak peak!

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Mango-pango.... The Fireman!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Kiwi-girl .... The Ladybug!"][/caption]

New Love... Pinterest!

So I am having a serious love affair with... Pinterest :) This site is so awesome..

Everyday I find more and more projects I want to make. I am contemplating quitting school and work.. just to do these things with my momma.

Here are a just a few of my favorite things.

[caption id="attachment_610" align="aligncenter" width="295" caption="Magazine Vase made by gluing coiled pages of magazine to a balloon.. then bursting the balloon once glue is dry."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_611" align="aligncenter" width="192" caption="Fabric covered styrofoam... cheaper than Canvas!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_612" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cinnamon Roll Pancakes :)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_613" align="aligncenter" width="176" caption="DIY play kitchen!! Making this for my BFF's little girl's Bday in October!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_614" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="This is the one I am modeling the one I am making after. I love it!! How cute is the shelf with frame and S & P Shakers!"][/caption]

Pics to come of some DIY... as soon as I can find the time ;)

Tugging at my heart...

Lately, one of my favorite bloggers, has been having a very hard time. The seemingly perfect marriage she thought she had just crumbled into pieces. I have been following along with her for quite some time, and watching it unravel, has broken my heart everyday. The other day, I checked in to see how she was, and it was gone. Just like that, her whole blog disappeared. She had stated that she wouldnt take it down because it was also her journal. I was completely crushed. Not only for her, but I didnt want to miss out on seeing her survive this. Its funny, how we get attached to blogs we read daily. Like books or tv, you get attached to the characters, and you want to see what happens next. I dont like to see people hurt, so when they do, I want to see them overcome. I cant tell you how excited I was when I checked in with another blog tonight, and found the new link to blog I had been looking for. Super excited. Although, her life is still in shams now, she is taking control and moving on. Yay for her! :)

On another note, reading her blog, makes me think of Jess. We have a damn-near perfect relationship, we never argue about anything bigger than her lack of cleaning ;) thats nothing compares to the lying and cheating thats others deal with. I consider myself truly lucky and everytime I read that blog, I make it a point to make sure I tell Jess how much I love her and that I am appreciative of what she does. I always tell her that I am in love with her and only her, and that should she ever start to question our life, I want her to tell me so we can fix it. She assures me that we wont ever have this problem and she will never leave.... even if we break-up ;) (She has this plan that if we divorce after we have kids, we will remain in the same house and be civil because she doesnt want our kids to suffer and be raised in two different houses. Good plan. She says we will suck it up for the kids.. and then eventually she will work her way back into my room ;) man, I love her.) Lately, she has been helping me a lot with homework... I work full-time and travel further to school than her.. I am overwhelmed. She stays up with me and reads to me when I am too tired to read for myself. So I dont say anything about her not cleaning.. I just do it when I have the time. I figure its the least I can do for all the other things she does for me. And guess what.... no arguing. Win-Win! Plus, she always does little things, like puts gas in both cars, brings me lunch/breakfast to work without me asking usually, and she ALWAYS rubs my back when we go to bed. Needless to say, I am spoiled. :) Plus, I just got a new Vera Bradley purse and wallet on her birthday.. how awesome is she!!

Dont take the one you love for granted. Cherish each day like it was your last, even if it means, dishes arent washed and clothes arent folded. Yesterday, we had a date day and may have gotten behind on homework .... oh well ;)

[caption id="attachment_606" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Shell & Bake"][/caption]

9.11 Never Forgotten.

I know its been a while since I've posted and there's so much to catch up on: starting my program, moving to our new apt only to have to move again (say what?!), so so much more. I think about needing to blog everyday and I check my most-read blogs EVERYDAY... sometimes twice a day ;) But today is not the day to catch up on us...

Today, we remember the tragedy in our country 10 years ago today. We remember those who lost their lives, those who gave their lives, and all the families that carry the burden of worry and loss. We are thankful for those who are willing to put on that uniform and fight for strangers and lay down their lives. 9.11 always puts life in perspective for me, and reminds me that my problems are quite trivial in comparison for which I am truly thankful.

In 2010, I posted this 9.11 blog and remembered all this sadness of that day. Every year, I watch the coverage again on YouTube, with all the music tributes, and every year it makes me cry again. I watch it because its hard and its sucks.. and sometimes that's the only way to really be reminded. We may talk about 9.11 day to day in a casual conversation, but nothing brings back that day like seeing the planes and towers collapsing. All the smoke and ash. And those fire fighters... ahh that gets me every time I see it. God Bless them.

Today, when I finally woke up (slept late because I have been getting up at 6am everyday for last few days!!) I turned on tv to find the coverage. All that is on is the revealing of the memorial, which is beautiful. I love how the memorial was built downward instead of upward. I read somewhere that  in the aftermath when everything was settled, the ground almost seemed as if it was sunk in.. that it was very eerie at Ground Zero and seemed always quiet. So it seems fitting that they would build it the way they did. The waterfalls are so beautiful and peaceful.

[caption id="attachment_592" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="9.11 Memorial at Ground Zero"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_598" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="USA - Ariel view of Ground Zero"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_594" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cross at Ground Zero"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_597" align="aligncenter" width="309" caption="Boston Memorial (where the planes were hijacked from)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_599" align="aligncenter" width="273" caption="What the Future Holds for Ground Zero"][/caption]

God Bless America.

 

Poor Mango-pango

Today, we had Mango neutered. :(

We dropped him off early this morning for his surgery. We were so worried about him not waking him because he is so little and an applehead. Correction.. our little man is not so little. They weighed him and he now weighs 8 lbs. I cant believe it. He looks so tiny but I guess he has more muscles than we thought. ;)

Anyways, we picked him this afternoon and he looked so pitiful. He couldnt even keep his eyes open. We took him from the nurse and he cried so loud. She assured us he was not in pain, that dogs just react that way with so much pain med. Jess rode in the backseat with him on the way home. He slept sitting up next to her the whole way. She even got mad at me saying I drove too fast and that it was bothering him.. lol.. shes such a worry momma.

So of course when we got home, we couldnt put him in his bed so we laid down with him in our bed to keep watch over him.

[caption id="attachment_583" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Trying to give him water, but he just slept."][/caption]



Mango scooted to the end of the bed, so of course Momma J and Kiwi followed. They laid down there with him and watched tv while he slept so peacefully, all snuggled in a nice & warm blanket. :)

[caption id="attachment_585" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Kiwi watching over her little brother"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_586" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Recovery with a little tv watching, bone chewing, & sleepy snuggle time with Momma."][/caption]

After only 2 days of resting in our bed, he was up & running like a crazy man! He has calmed down a lot and his urge to mark everything outside is almost non-existant, which is why we wanted the surgery done. Now walking the dogs is a much faster process because Mango doesnt need to mark every tree & every blade of grass.

[caption id="attachment_587" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Standing in his bed on top of his crate looking out the window :)"][/caption]

Random Facts #1

Recently I read, on my absolute fav blog, that if you want people to read your blog, you have to be real. Well, I don't think many people read this.. at.. all & this makes me very sad. So in efforts to be real and raw, we are going to do try some posts with random facts about us. Ya know, the kind of things you try not to tell people, like singing obnoxiously loud in the car pretending you are in your own music video.. or dancing randomly throughout the house when no one is home. Having full conversations with your dog, or yourself (which ever you prefer).

We will start with weird things we eat.. This will mostly be about me I guess.. Jess is pretty  normal in the food department. In my defense, I am allergic to most fruits & vegetables. I dont eat salads or anything that goes in the salad, well except the meat, cheese, & dressing. ;) Terrible I know. I eat green beans, corn, & potatoes, but lets be honest.. if it comes out of can, it probably isnt healthy anyways. While I like some fruits, I cant eat them because it makes my mouth & throat swell, while causing ulcer-like bumps that hurt like hell for days. That being said, sometimes I cant resist frozen grapes (yes i put them in the freezer which makes bite-size popcicle grapes. YUM!) & will suffer through the pain.

So here's a list of weirdness..

- Let's start with my lunch today, which inspired this post.. Hot Dog Salad. Much like a chili cheese dog, except I cut it up and mix it up. I put corn on top and crush a few plain chips on top, I am not really sure why except thats how my momma made it. :)



Continue with list, I eat...

•  mustard in my grits (with eggs of course)


•  mayo on my cornbread


•  mayo on my crackers for vegetable soup


• bbq sauce in my corn


• ranch dressing on spaghetti (I dont eat it often, but I like it.)


• honey on fried chicken


• strawberry jelly on hashrowns

When I was younger, my mom made peanut butter, mayo, & sugar sandwichs. Wow thats digusting, but it tasted good.

Just FYI, My Aunt puts mayo in her mashed potatoes.

Even I think the stuff I eat is weird, but as I recalled these things, I remembered watching someone else do it, which I why I tried it. So I guess I know at least one other person who does these same things.

For fun, but not weird.. I LOVE CAKE BATTER & BROWNIE BATTER... more than the actual cake or brownie. :)

Jess cant think of anything weird she likes, so we may have to continue hers another day.

Have a Great Day!

 

 

Bummed out =/

So we have been house hunting. We found 2 great houses. We were very excited about them both. We finally got in touch with a realtor and went to see them. The houses were both old, but still cute with tons of space! One of them even had a pool!! :)

The first house was a short sale, if you dont know.. it absolutely does not mean SHORT SALE.. as in we could move in a short amount of time. It means more like we could put in an offer and wait and wait and wait for the bank to respond. Since its bank-owned property, they are most likely not going to fix ANYTHING that may be wrong. But for a 4 bed, 3 bath house with a basement, screened in porch, and pool with wrap around deck, fenced in yard for the babies of course, we thought this might just be worth the wait. But the location was a little out of the way so we let go of that idea.

Next, we saw the most perfect house. 3 bed, 2 bath with a bonus room not even mentioned in the listing :) Fenced in yard with a neat little insulated shed out back. PERFECT LOCATION. Under the our budget price.... so we put in an offer. This house has been on the market for 100+ days, we were sure we would get the house. BUT... someone put in another offer. UUGGHH! However, our bid was higher. YAY! Then we find out that this house cannot qualify for our FHA loan because its "unlivable". WHAT?!?! How can this be? I love this house. I already remodeled it in my mind, and I decorated. I told the babies they would have a big back yard for them to play in. I adjusted my dislike of the baby blue tile in the guest bath (hey it was built in 1960.. we are judging the tiles ha!) to loving the baby blue tiles because it was unique. I accepted that there was not a big tub in the master like I had hoped for, hell theres not even a tub, just a shower big enough for 4 people to shower in comfortablely (which I thought putting in a garden tub would be easy since the shower is HUGE). I saw my master with a new king size bed, a Cars room (Jess was especially thrilled about that), a scrapbook room/office, some new appliances. I made this little house a gem, and the stupid bank ruined my whole dream in one phone call. UGH!

We have continued looking for other houses, but I am completely discouraged now. I feel like there will always be something in the way. I was told not to fall in love with a house because we just started this process and it will be a hard road with a lot of bumps. blah. blah. blah. too late. I ready to say screw the houses, find me a 3 bed apt and just keep paying rent that would be double a mortgage. >=/

Pity Party of One?   Um yes please.