2009 already?

Where did 2008 go...? It went by too quickly... even more proof that you need to live each day to the fullest, tell the people you love that you love them, ask for help when you need it, admit your wrongs and know that you can fix them, treat others with respect. Just a few suggestions. :)

Here's hoping that 2009 is happy, healthy, prosperous and friend-filled (and better than 2008 was!)

Holidays

Holidays are a time to relax and enjoy the company of your friends and family. This year, the Holiday season is going to be difficult for so many people. Very difficult.

It has been over 2 months since Lee left us, and some days it still feels like yesterday. I think about him all the time; constantly; every day. My thoughts consume me sometimes. I catch myself in a daze at work sometimes and I realize that I am thinking about him. When I am alone in the car, I find myself thinking about him. When I am going to bed, I find myself thinking about him. I still cry. Not just for myself, but for my bestest friends, his family, and those that he left behind with so many questions. I can't even imagine what they continue to go through every day. It still doesn't seem real.

Today is Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am so blessed for those in my life. It is amazing how lucky I am in that respect. Amazing. I am thankful that i have not one job, but 3. Especially this time of year. I will be working my tail off this weekend, but it will help with those bills that seem to never go away. I am thankful for the roof over my head. I am thankful for the vehicles we drive. I am thankful for the neighbors we have. I am thankful for the unnecessary things I own.

Be thankful. Give thanks. Hug those you love and tell them so. Eat lots of turkey and pie!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Life lessons

Friends are the family you wish you had.

Always tell the people you love that you love them.
You never know when it will be the last time.

People you care about most in life are sometimes taken from you too soon




My heart aches... my soul is bruised.

My best friends are broken into a million pieces... and I can't put them back together, and that hurts the most.

So what did you do this weekend???

this is what we did.....

CLICK HERE

Oh yeah.... we broke it in...

I love mud!

=)

Its been a while...

Not much to report on...

LOVING summer and having the top down.

Had a blast at Danielle's bachelorette party - boy, did I feel old though. Brought back many memories... some good, some not so good. (thank you to all those that "babysat" me when I had too much to drink... you know who you are... It was my turn this time, and I'm glad I could do it for someone else.........)

The olympics have been amazing. I have so much pride and admiration for all those athletes. I have never had the want to do anything like that. Never. The only thing I could ever get a medal in is probably dessert..... GO FOR THE GOLD, I always say! =)

Rocky is still Rocky. High maintenance, and even though he is now over a year old, he is still very much a puppy. We are looking forward to our anniversary weekend. We are trying something different... www.lazydoginn.com It is a B&B that allows you to take your dog with you... how cool is that?! Although, thank goodness they have a kennel as well, so if it doesn't work out so well in the room, we can banish him to the dungeon.

Only one week to go until Danielle's wedding. I can't believe it is here already. She will make such a gorgeous bride. I have volunteered my amature photography skills for the day. I hope I get at least one great one.... No pressure, though... right????

Speaking of cameras.... my little camera is broken. done... no more.... i loved the convenience of bringing it with me every where I went. I love my XTi, but I don't have a pocket book big enough for that... and I wouldn't want to. It cost me a kidney to buy it....

Well, that's all for now.
Enjoy summer - what's left of it anyway.

HOLY CRAP!

Yup, I have had a lot of "holy crap" moments lately. You know the ones where you are sitting there and all you can think is "HOLY CRAP"...... It can be good; It can be bad. All I know is that I get this feeling and I just gotta say... "HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!"

First, it has been over a month since I blogged... "HOLY CRAP! WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?"

Next, we attended an awards ceremony for Emily. She made high honors all 3 trimesters of school this year..... "HOLY CRAP - WHEN DID SHE GET SO SMART AND SO GROWN UP?"

The next "EH-HEM" moment came last weekend when we decided to take Rocky on his first camping trip.

He actually did very well. We were both pleasantly surprised. Of course, prissy boy wouldn't lay down in the dirt, so we had to go to Job Lot and buy him a $10 rug! "HOLY CRAP - I CAN'T BELIEVE HE IS BEING SUCH A PRINCESS - ARE WE SURE HE IS A BOY DOG???"



His favorite spot is always with his daddy though. Check out this pic.... their legs are the same length.... "HOLY CRAP - HE REALLY IS LONG LEGGED"






Another eye opening experience came for Kathy when I went over to buzz the boys for the summer. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it, and if she new well enough, I'm sure she would have said "HOLY CRAP - THAT IS SHORT!" But they both came out so handsome... Here is Grant for his first ever buzz cut... (holy crap - i love those boys!)






Of course, not to be outdone, on our way home I had a moment. We got to the end of the street and there in full view was a rainbow... "HOLY CRAP - PULL OVER, I NEED A PICTURE"






Now the most recent, and probably most life changing holy crap moment came yesterday... and today.... Look what showed up in my driveway..... I have always wanted one; before I even had a license, this was my dream car; most people dream of sports cars or overly expensive luxury cars... not me... THIS is what I always wanted:

But, I never thought I would want this color. I always had my eye on a candy apple red one. But this one just called to me. I love the green now. I don't see this color everywhere. It is very sharp. So anyway, guess what... "HOLY CRAP - I AM NOW THE OWNER OF A 2007 JEEP WRANGLER 4-DOOR" "HOLY CRAP - HOLY CRAP - HOLY CRAP". It was done totally the wrong way. It was a drive by. No intentions of purchasing. No intentions of talking numbers. No intentions of test driving. No intentions of bringing it home for the night. No intentions of any of it. But, the devil on my right shoulder kept saying "this is what you have always wanted. why not just go for it. you know you will love it once you get it. you know you want it. just DO IT!" While the angel on my left shoulder was telling me, "gas prices are going sky high. food prices are going up. most people are trading in for SMALLER vehicles, not bigger tires! the economy is really bad right now. you have no right even thinking about buying a vehicle." heh..... I always did hear better from my right ear....

Anyway, here she is. My dream car. The green machine. I am happy, scared, ecstatic, worried and elated all at once.

I can assure you without a doubt in my head, my next "HOLY CRAP" moment will most certainly be on July 22nd when I have to make the first car payment...... Holy crap is right.

Before I go I would like to send out great big hugs to Danielle... she is feeling a little "wired" today and I want her to know that everything will be OK.

Can I just say....

The MAN is a genius.

Completely entertaining.
Mysteriously sexy.
Awe inspiring.....

I wish it lasted longer.
An hour and a half was not nearly enough time to take it all in.

Thank you Bruce, for going away and letting me use your ticket!

Happy Mother's Day....

I love you, Shirl!

=)

Hey kids....

Long time, no post, huh?

OK... so contrary to what some may think, my last blog post had nothing to do with anyone in particular.... I have had a few people ask what that was all about. Honestly, I was annoyed at the CREEPING, SCARED, ANNOYINGLY SLOW people driving in front of me on my way to work that morning. It was exactly 8 minutes past the hour when I punched in, which technically made me 15 minutes late for work. So yeah, I was a little aggravated. no worries... I'm sure any hard feelings are those that you create yourself. Guilty conscience maybe? perhaps. whatever. anyway...

In Rocky news.... I have the craziest dog ever. I think so at least. We were eating dinner in our usual fashion when Rocky came up to Mike and stuck his nose right in his dinner bowl. He was not happy about that at all. Not even a little. And he hated it even more when I snickered about it. Needless to say, Mike told Rocky, in his best angry daddy voice, (you know the one...) and said "ROCKY – YOU'RE F$%^&*# PISSING ME OFF. GO LAY DOWN!" Well, Rocky being the smarty pants that he is looked directly at Mike as if to say, YOU go lay down, DADDY! , turned his head and proceeded to do THIS:
Do not ask me how a 50-pound dog fit into a small clothes basket. I WATCHED him get in and I still don't know. I'm sure he wasn't comfortable, because those long legs of his were up behind his head somewhere.

Now he didn't do this just once. Of course the first thing I did when he hopped in the basket was get up to get my camera that was in the kitchen. When I did that, he thought he was getting a treat (carrots seem to be his favorite) so he got up and out. When I sat back down on the couch, he went back to his new resting place once again and I got a few pics. Look at that face... I know I am biased, but doesn't he have the cutest face? Beagle, my foot! He is ALL coonhound. And he seems to have found his voice. I might have to invest in a bark collar, especially when the Foxboro Dog Park re-opens in April. We will get kicked out for sure!

Well, Mexican was fabulous the other night, and the Coldstone Creamery Oreo Minster was the icing on the cake! Of course, the good friends to share it with was the best part, even if the boys DID want to go... It wasn't that bad. It was great having everyone together... well, almost everyone! We missed you AK and DS!

Until next time......... whenever THAT is! =)

Snow...

I think I'm tired of the snow... I know, it is winter, and it is New England, and our winter season doesn't really end when the calendar says Spring. I remember one year we had a heck of a storm on April Fools Day. Yup, April 1st... And i think it was over a foot! I remember looking out my bedroom window when I lived in South Attleboro and looking out onto Route 95 and the cars and trucks were just there. Stopped. Not going anywhere. Stranded.

I like the snow. I like to look at it in postcards, and photos, and from far away. I like to see the frozen snow in the morning when it looks like someone spilled an entire container of glitter on the ground. I like to see the tree limbs heavily weighted down leaning into the roadways after a good, heavy storm. I like snow. Actually, I don't even mind driving in it with my 4-wheel drive. OK. So I don't hate it. I think I am just tired of it. Actually, I am tired of living in New England with New Englanders that forget how to drive in a New England snow as soon as the first New England snowflake falls on New England ground... Maybe I am way out of line here, but if you live in New England, you should learn how to drive in snow..... Just my opinion...

Well, hey, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, right. So I guess the same is true for snow... When Mother Nature hands you snow, make a snowman.... or an igloo...(always a favorite with my brother and I)...

Enjoy the snow - and stay out of my way if you don't like to drive in it! please......

=)

What is a friend?

There is nothing better in the world than sharing your birthday with good friends...

I always have fun when I get together with my friends... lots of laughs. My sides always hurt for a couple days after spending time with the girls, but this time was special; extremely special. Not just because of the surprise factor, but it made me realize who my true friends are.

What is a friend? To me, it is someone that you can tell your deepest, darkest secrets to, and they still like you anyway. Someone who welcomes each other's company and exhibits loyalty towards each other. It is someone that is there for you no matter what the time, the weather, the day and is selfless enough to be there no matter what is going on in their own life. It is someone that takes a small gesture and turns it into something bigger than you will ever know. It is someone that surprises you with "35" things that make you smile. I realized last Thursday that the 7 girls that came to enjoy a wonderful dinner and great company are my true friends and I will love them always.... no matter what.

So, to sum up our Thursday Girls Night Out...

Waiting for a table for far too long - Annoying
Having a mother and friends that know exactly what to say – awesome!
First round of drinks, 2 appetizers for the table and desserts for everyone - $0
Spending time with the people I love, Priceless!

And now to make plans with the other friends that love me....

Hey Michelle..... let's make a date, girlfriend - I miss you!

In other news....
HAPPY NEW YEAR! HERE'S TO A HAPPY, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS, WONDERFUL, FRIEND-FILLED 2008!

a month later...

Ok....
My friends tell me I don't update my blog often enough.
Truth is . . .

i
don't
have
anything
that
e
x
c
i
t
i
n
g
to
talk
about........

Thanksgiving was nice – spent time with our families... Enjoyed that.

Time to think about Christmas shopping.... That's only fun if you have money.

New Years is just around the corner... gives me the creeps knowing that 2007 is almost gone.... and not much has changed in a year...

Another trip to Anaheim planned for February... Very much looking forward to that again.... Have to save up my money for that so I can eat!....

(yeah.... OK)

See, I told you....
Nothing exciting here......

Lynette's having fun though....... good for your, girlfriend!

Updating with some photos...

We had a great weekend in Falmouth!

The wedding was simply amazing. Loved the Coonamessett Inn. The waiter was hysteical! This is how he served the cake! He danced around the entire ball room this way, without a drop of spillage!

Congrats Kristen and Jason! Thanks for a great weekend!

We decided to take in a whale watch from Hyannis while we were there. I think it was the best one we have been on... So cool.... Makes you realize just how small we really are. Even when we feel big as a whale..... We saw about 4 different sets of a mamma's and their calves. It was spectacular.

On our way out to the open ocean, I fell in love with these cute little cottages on Sandy Neck Beach. Love the red one! No running water or electricity.... gotta love that!

Shirl and Bruce tagged along for part of the weekend too. We stopped at the JFK memorial park in Hyannis. This is her pushing up daisies! I think the photo came out great. Her personality is shining through. I love you mom!

We took the scenic route home, by way of the Christmas Tree Shop then on to Scusset Beach. As we celebrated Kristen and Jason, we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. There were some that thought we would never make it. Well, it's only been 8 years so far..... I love you Mikey....

I got together with a few friends last night and they were asking about Rocky... Well, he's getting BIG! These photos were taken yesterday. Big difference from the photo on the right, huh?

WOW!!!

I am still alive.... I know you wouldn't know that from my blogging that I haven't done lately... It is hard to find 2 quiet minutes to myself when I have a dog that has turned into psycho puppy.... Don't know what happened, but we are very surprised that he got his diploma from puppy school! He has taken to biting – and biting hard – with teeth showing! He gets into this fit every night around 8:00 and just goes balistic! We have to stop this.... and FAST!

I would like to send out a GREAT BIG thank you to all who attended our 6-store bus tour this past weekend. I was a little nervous about handling an entire bus-load myself, but you all made it so easy for me to relax and just have fun. I enjoyed myself so much! I hope you did too!



Despite the unnecessary drama that occurred later in the day, I think the whole thing went off smashingly well. It's a shame that one person or group of people tried to ruin it for everyone else. Well, our bus certainly didn't let them get to us, RIGHT! Woo Hoo!!!!

Thanks again, girls! I had a blast and can't wait for the next one! I think there is another bus trip in the works for April 08.... We will keep you posted!

On another note, we are headed to the Cape for the weekend..... Kristin is getting married at the Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth on Friday.... I will have lots of pics to share.

Until then, enjoy your weekend....

I guess i am officially....

A dog dweeb....



The only thing I can talk about lately is my trials and tribulations of dog ownership. Lots of work... that's all i will say today.



Instead of a long, boring story about how my social life has gone down hill fast, I will share some recent pics of the Rock Dog...... He might be time consuming, but he is worth it.....

How Cool is this.....

Anyone like to sew? Need a cute camera cozy? Here is a great one.

Let me know if you try it out. I would love to see it! I just might take a jab at it myself!

We're Baaaccckkkkk...

...From our most excellent adventure in North Conway. What a fabulous time we had. I wish I could have been there the entire week, but alas, I am a dedicated employee and didn't want to add any pressure to those that had to cover for me while I was gone. Think they noticed? Highly doubtful!

Mike and Emily left on Sunday morning and spent the first half of the week with the family going to Santa's Village, Story Land, etc. I arrived late Thursday afternoon and stayed until Sunday morning. It was so beautiful. I have said it time and time again... someday I will buy an Inn or B&B and move to North Conway. I feel so relaxed when I am there: like a warm blanket on a cold night. I can't describe it any other way. It just feels right. Someday... Guess I should start playing the lottery because I am certainly not going to get there on my good looks, huh?


We stayed in the cutest house off Kearsarge Street. I think there were 5 bathrooms and 8 bedrooms; 3 on the bottom floor, 5 on the top floor. There was a game room in the basement that included a pool table, air hockey, a sauna, a TV room, and more. We had fun with the family. There were lots of people there, but it never seemed too overwhelming to me. Thanks to Nana and Papa, Kathy, Glenn, Nolan, Grant, Kristie, Harry, Robert, David, Alicia, Spencer, Grace, Olivia, Leeann, Megan, Mike, Emily, Stacey = WOW... Did I leave anybody out? 19 people in the house at any given time. Amazing that we all came home still speaking! It was great to catch up with David and Alicia and Kristie and Harry, the "out of towners". The Clinton's always have a great time when we get together.


We splurged and took the Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington. It was a very hot, hazy day, so the view wasn't as great as we have seen before, but it was Emily's first time going to the top, and she enjoyed herself, black soot and all, but that's the price you pay if you want the window seat! The weather on top was a balmy 65 degrees.... When we have gone in October, we were lucky to catch it at 30! Regardless, it was breathtaking.

We also did our "usual" NC things too like swimming at Echo Lake,
dinner at the Muddy Moose, mini golf at Pirate's Cove, ice cream at Ben and Jerry's, the walk downtown, shopping at Wal-Mart (I know, it's totally random but I ALWAYS forget something). We even took a wrong turn after dinner one night and ended up on a very dark, steep, winding road that led to the top of Mt. Cranmore. Don't ask... All I know is that we had the very distinct odor of automobile breaks on the way down the other side. Hmph. Guess who was driving? Not me!

We got this very cool copper double helix windmill. I have been eyeing these since we saw one in Chatham. It is such a pretty piece of art. Each helix moves separately and opposite from one another. I guess the picture doesn't do it justice.


Took a stroll to the pet store to get Rocky a new toy too. Got a coon-tail for the coon dog and another bully stick. Mike picked him up from the Red Dog Inn on Monday. He came back to us better than when he left. He got a bath, ears cleaned and nails clipped! He was like a brand new puppy. Someone said that we should have named him Stiltz or something. With legs like this, you can see why. Look at that face though. What's not to love about that? Now to get him to like me like he likes his dad!
He was so excited to see Mike! He is such a total Daddy's boy, still. Kinda makes me jealous. I think that Rocky knows that Mike and Emily are the play people and I am the disciplinarian... funny how that is always my job... it coincides with the kid too! For someone that isn't a mom, I sure get all the mom jobs! I guess that is my role in our messed up little family.

Oh! And for my fellow "love all things sparkley" friend, (you know who you are!) While we were waiting for our train to board to go up Mt. Washington, this VERY sparkley rock caught my attention. I took a picture just for you! Ok, so it looks more like a white speckled rock here, but trust me, it was entirely sparkley and very distracting!

So now it is back to the real world for me. Yup, it sucks. I wish everyday was a vacation day!

Don't forget to sign up for the 6-store scrapbook store tour on October 6th with SPM. Tickets are $65 and going fast. Check out the link for more info.

Deep thoughts......

Just a little observation I made lately.... A life lesson of sorts... Pay attention people...

No one MAKES you feel uncomfortable. No one MAKES you scared. No one MAKES you sad. No one MAKES you feel anything, unless YOU ALLOW them to make you feel that way. Only you have control of your own feelings. I think that if you believe that someone else has made you feel uncomfortable, it is much more likely that your guilty conscience is nipping at you! So take that mirror that you are pointing at everyone else and turn that sucker around. Look at the reflection. The buck stops there.

Why is it that some people fear the act of taking responsibility for their own actions and then lie about it later? What exactly is happening in their minds that they justify this to be OK? It really makes me wonder. Were they taught this from their parents or their parents' parents? Did they never learn the importance of honesty and integrity and minding their own business? Is it fear – fear that someone will not accept you? Is it ignorance – not knowing or caring about right from wrong? Is it lack of self confidence – putting others down or back stabbing to make yourself feel better?

What do you think? Am I way off on this one? Let me know what you think.

On a much happier note.... :) We took Rocky over to the Foxboro Dog Park tonight for a "romp" around. He had lots of fun. He was the only dog barking. All the others were playing with each other. Playing fetch. Swimming. Chasing each other. Not our Rocky. Oh, he wanted to play, chase, fetch, all that.... but he wanted to be heard while he was doing it. What a great place that was. All the dogs were playing and running around in the open fences. It was great. It really tuckered him out. I think we will be going back there often. We actually saw a full grown hound..... OH BOY! Yup, he's gonna be big! He wasn't a Treeing Walker. He looked different. He was just black and white. Um, yeah. He's gonna be big.

Off to bed. I have some rest to catch up on. Going to North Conway soon. Looking forward to that. I will miss my brat dog while I'm gone though. Hes staying at the Red Dog Inn, so he'll be just fine......

Sianara!

And so here we are......

A full week has gone by and Rocky is still here. Yesterday I was wondering if we made the right decision. Today, I'm glad he's mine. He really is a sweet boy. HOWEVER.....

The beagle mix that the shelter told us we were adopting....

Well, not so much.

Turns out that our "possibly 30 pound max" beagle mix is actually a "can go anywhere from 50-80 pounds" Treeing Walker Coonhound! DOH! What the.........? How on earth could you possibly mistake a Coonhound for a Beagle? I mean, yeah, the markings and coloring are the same, but come on! That's a 50 pound difference! They don't even look the same! We must have had "SUCKER" written on our foreheads. Hook, line and sinker!

Where are we going to put a 80 pound dog you ask in this teeny tiny little house? Well, all I can say is... Beats the crap out of me!

Good thing he's cute!

The cats appear to be adjusting a little better now too. They have actually gotten off the top of the fridge. They still wont walk near him, but if they are on the couch and he walks past them, they just sit there now and give a great big kitty hisssssssssss instead of scampering away. He just looks at them and wags his tail. Hopefully that will get better too.

After my little meltdown yesterday, I am trying to keep things in perspective. A friend told me not to give up; that it will get easier every day and the reward in the end is immeasurable. Another friend told me to keep my chin up and that once the puppy stuff is done it will be better. Thanks girls, for your words of encouragement. I really needed that. So I took a breath. Wiped my frustrations (and a few tears) away. Brushed myself off and pondered for a while..... Day by day.... week by week..... I am realizing that having a dog is a LOT of work. It takes a lot of time and energy. It takes a lot of money. (first vet visit was today.... WOW!) It completely changes your lifestyle and your social life. Change... Sometimes good, sometimes not. All that aside, there is nothing better than coming home to a good friend who loves unconditionally. And I got to say.... I really love him too!

Please let me introduce you...

...to the newest member of the Clinton family.....

This is Rocky....

Rocky is a beagle/hound mix. Rocky is one lucky boy. He was brought here from Virginia where he was left in the wild to fend for himself. We rescued him from the Sterling Animal Shelter. He is about 12 weeks old. He is fixed and friendly. Exactly what we were looking for. Not too hyper but still has the puppy play.... He is a very good boy in the car. He crawled into a little ball next to me and took a little nap on my lap during the long ride home yesterday.

He is making himself right at home. He found my duster this morning. Totally rocked that!

I am loving him already. Look at that face. What's not to love really? He purrs... seriously, he purrs when you pet him. He also has quite the yelp going on. Trust me on this one. I heard it all night last night. And I am planning on hearing it all night tonight too. I know it will take a few nights for him to get used to his new home and for us to get used to him too. I can't give in to the cries. It kills me, but I must ignore it. I am just going to shut the doors and turn the AC on high so I can't hear it. I know he isn't afraid of the crate, probably just afraid to be alone.

We are not looking forward to the training part. We need to sign him up for puppy school. Although, we have had him for over 24 hours now and we haven't had an accident inside. Of course, he did leave his mark at PetSmart today.... =) Right now, he is in his crate which is right next to me, with the door open and sleeping, and snoring.... he has to be with me at all times. Where ever I go, he goes.

The only problem we have right now is the cats. Cali has been hiding behind Mike's bureau since we brought him home. I don't this she has eaten or gone to the litter box yet. Patches has tried venturing out a bit to check him out, but hasn't made any eye contact yet. I think she ate a bit. That's good. I don't think Rocky even knows that he's not alone here. It should be veeerrrryyyyyy interesting when they do meet each other.

I leave you with this spectacular photo I took at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI last Saturday night. The sunset was amazing. The photo is in it's original state - no photoshopping or altering of any kind. The colors are exactly as we saw them. Amazing. Simply beautiful. You gotta love Mother Nature and all her glory.