New Addition!!!!!!

No babies for us yet - but we have welcomed a new puppy into our home. We now have a 4 month old German Shepherd named Leia. Yes...she is named after Princess Leia from Star Wars. We just got her this morning and she is already so much fun. She is also a lot of work - it feels like we have a young child in the home now.

We did a belated Easter at my parents' house today for Davanee, and for a family picture. Leia looked miserable outside, but she soon became comfortable and her "puppy side" came out. I am a little nervous about her being around kiddos right now, but we want her to get used to them and grow up with them. Plus, it's so cute when Davanee says "ayuh, umear" (translation: Leia, come here) and she follows her around.

I will post some pictures soon...any advice on puppies/dogs is greatly appreciated :)

Sisters (In Law)

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life."

Growing up, I always wanted a sister. Don't get me wrong - I think I grew up with the best big brother in the world. We had our share of "incidents" - getting each other in trouble, me trying to tag along with him and his friends, and him thinking I was not "cool" enough to hang out with until I got into high school. My favorite story about my brother's "tactics" are when he carved MY name into HIS television in an attempt to get me in trouble. My parent's didn't buy it for a second. Nice try, Ryan....who DOES that?! ;)

I obviously never got the biological sister that I so desired, despite my belief that kids should be allowed to order whatever siblings they wanted. As I got older, I realized that I would eventually have a sister in law (when my brother got married), and possibly more if my husband had sisters. How exciting, right?!?

Then...you hear all these horrible stories about sisters in law. I started picturing that they could turn out like the wicked step-sisters in Cinderella. (Greaaaat!)

Well, I have to say that I lucked out!! Daniel has two sisters - Tracy and Krista. I don't see them as often because they don't live in QC, and they have busy lives of their own, but they are awesome! Daniel also has a sister-in-law, Jessica, who I (thankfully) gained as my SIL too! And then there is Chrissie, who married my brother and put up with my selfish "his primary role is no longer as my brother, but as a husband and father, and I am never going to get to see him anymore" phase.

I just wanted to let my sisters (technically SIL) know that I love them, appreciate them, and look up to them. Thank you for listening, laughing, shopping, eating, etc. with me :) I am lucky to have you in my life!!

"A best friend is a sister that destiny forgot to give you."

I'm Back!

I feel like it's been forever since I posted a blog. Well, it kind of has been forever since my last post was in February!!!! It seems like a lot has happened since then. . .

• Work has been scary with people getting laid off, and with budget cuts. The hours are longer, the pay is less, the workload is more, etc. I still love what I do - my role has just changed, and it is taking some adjustment. There are more frustrations and tears, but everything happens for a reason.



• Daniel continues to balance work and school, and it makes me realize that I wouldn't have the patience for that anymore. I am so proud of him.



• I am finally, thankfully, getting better with managing money. This has been a weakness of mine for a long time, and Daniel has really helped me with this.



• Church is becoming a bigger part of our lives as a family. Daniel and I have been going to mass, and I am going to start taking classes through the church in August. I feel like it brings us closer together. I am also excited to share this experience alongside my brother and sister in law. Isn't it interesting that Ryan and I both married Catholics? :)



• Our nieces and nephews continue to grow (too fast!) and make us smile all of the time. We love watching them do new things, and enjoy getting to see their little personalities. It is hard to believe that Brynn is now 8. Daniel and I attended her baptism in February. What a wonderful, emotional day. We are also excited to meet our new niece this summer!!



• We are preparing our home for a new baby!!! Okay, it's a puppy, but it feels like we are adding a member of the family. We had some heartbreak waiting for a female German Shepherd to be born...unfortunately it didn't turn out like we wanted. Again, everything happens for a reason - so we are on to the next step. Stay tuned!



• We have a yard! This is a big deal for us because we were tired of all the dirt in the back, and Daniel has always pictured himself working in the yard on the weekends. We saved up wedding money for curbing, sod, and gravel. It turned out so well! The next step will be trees, plants, etc. It's gotten much longer since then, but here are a couple of pictures:

Random...

There's been a lot of this going around on Blogger and Facebook, so I am giving in and starting February out with 25 Random Things About Me...

1. I don't like loud noises (fireworks, balloons, gun fire, etc.). If something makes a loud noise, I am either blinking a lot or crying. I can't even open the biscuits where you hit the can or use the spoon and it makes a popping noise. Daniel always has to do it for me.

2. I want to take a cooking class. Nothing too fancy - just basic. I wish I wasn't so intimidated by the kitchen.

3. I am obsessed with the color brown lately. The wedding had fall colors, and I love those tones. The guest bathroom now has brown tones in it, and so does the master bedroom.

4. If I could go anywhere in the world right now, it wouldn't be to Europe or Australia, or anywhere fancy. I have a strong desire to go to Hawaii and Alaska. I have never been there, despite all my travels. . .

5. I love pageants, especially Miss America, and I always pick out my favorites from the beginning. Generally, my favorites are from the state I live in or places that I have lived in the past. I always, always cry at the end too!

6. I used to watch The Sound of Music over and over when I was little. I still love that movie.

7. Speaking of movies, I love girly movies that are senseless and funny. Bring It On, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Drop Dead Gorgeous are just a few of the ones I love.

8. I associate a lot of old TV shows with food. I used to eat Oreos and dip them in milk when I watched the Brady Bunch. I ate Ruffles with French Onion dip while watching the Adams Family. Spooky...

9. I don't like going on long trips when I am not driving. I have this weird fear that I will have to go to the bathroom and someone will not pull over or stop. I have the same fear on airplanes. I have to sit on the aisle so that I don't have to ask someone to move. Control issues...lol.

10. I love airports. I used to love having long layovers so I could just look around.

11. My parents got tickets to see Wicked, and I get to go - I am so excited!

12. I don't think I could ever work overnight shifts regularly. I love sleep, and I like having a schedule. (Maybe that means no children either?! lol).

13. Once I get comfortable with you, I can be pretty funny. My humor is subtle so you have to pay attention.

14. My idea of the perfect night is hanging out with family, eating pizza, and playing games.

15. I used to think that the Snuggle bear was real, and that he could be my friend.

16. I love living in the middle of all of my family members. It is how I pictured my "grown up" life. I get to go hang out for a little bit, meet for lunch, etc. It is awesome!

17. I love doing laundry. I can't tell you why - it's just something I like to do :)

18. I feel like I never really clean the house completely - I make piles!!

19. I find something very comforting about coffee, hot chocolate, and chai tea.

20. I used to change the channel when MASH would come on TV, now I fall asleep to it every night.

21. I have a lot of questions about religion, and I wish I would take more time to look into the answers.

22. One of my favorite memories is going to Tennessee with my family when I was younger, and staying in a cabin. We went tubing down a river, went horseback riding, and had a whiffle ball tournament.

23. Daniel and I are usually in our own world, and we think that we are hilarous. I love going for drives with Daniel, and singing duets in the car.

24. I love to have the music loud when I drive home from work, or if I am in the car by myself at all!

25. There are so many people in my life that I look up to-especially my family members. My husband, my parents, my brother and brother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, my parents-in law :), cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. I am truly a better person for having them in my life.

The Cardiac Cards....and Ellsworth Road

I have a couple of things to ramble about today!

I wanted to spread some love for the Cardinals. I guess the superstition of it all (and maybe some talent too!) paid off, and they are IN THE SUPERBOWL! It still doesn't even sound right to say it. I think the Steelers are going to be some tough competition, but I am just so proud of the home team for making it so far. And...I'll admit it...I cried when they won on Sunday. What a great game!!!

My second topic is Ellsworth Road....ugh!!!!!! Daniel and I usually take the 202 to Elliot Rd and then to Ellsworth.

• Complaint #1 - When you get off on Elliot and want to turn onto Ellsworth, you need to be in the right turn lane. This lane is usually pretty backed up. People will drive all the way down in the lane next to the turn lane, and then get over at the last minute. I am the person that speeds up so that person can't cut in. (This is the other side of my personality - ha!).
• Complaint #2 - The speed limit is 45 on Ellsworth. Okay. . . I often find myself going about 55 or 60. I know it's bad, but I am staying with traffic. My issue is with people who ride the back of your car to try to get you to move over. Even going 10-15 miles over isn't fast enough for them. It drives me crazy!!! I am also one of those people who will try to block someone who is going 75 from passing me.

I think they either need to raise the speed limit on the road, or have cops sit out there and have a field day. It is just insane!!! Just venting...

When I grow up.....

Do you ever have one of those days (or a whole week) where everything seems to go wrong at work? The type of work that I do is difficult anyway. It's challenging, cumbersome, and draining. I am usually upbeat and friendly. In this job - a lot of people do not like you. That's a hard thing for me to deal with. I need to be liked! I had a bad week last week...Thank goodness for my husband, Daniel, and for my family who helped to distract me. I started thinking that maybe I went to school for the wrong thing, and that maybe I shouldn't be doing what I do.

And then...a glimmer of hope. When you see people make positive changes on their own . When people thank you for being involved in their life. When you prevent someone from becoming homeless. When you can go to sleep knowing that a family is safe. Then I realize the upside of the job - it's amazing, rewarding, and humbling.

I love my job...and I plan to be there for a while. There are definitely ups and downs. I don't think I can do it forever. It takes a special person to do that. I think I am eventually supposed to do something else - I just have a "feeling." I think I will still do social work - and still work with children and families. I just feel like it will be in a different capacity.

I wonder what I will be when I grow up....

The mighty, mighty Cardinals!

After years of heartbreak, the Arizona Cardinals are making their fans super happy this season. Daniel and I watched the Arizona/Atlanta game at Jenn's parents' house last week. Since they won, we decided not to change ANYTHING, and we got together again this weekend. The Cardinals beat/demolished the Carolina Panthers. It was SO exciting!!! Here are a few pictures from the big game. Daniel is wearing a Bills shirt (of course!), but he was cheering for the Cards. We'll all be watching today to see if they take on the Giants or the Eagles. As far as superstition...you can find us at Jenn's parents' house next weekend too!!

GO CARDINALS!!!!!