Proud Momma and Annoyed Home Buyer

Cam had his test for Agility School on Wednesday and he did great! He performed on command and kept his attention on me while the other doggies were doing their tests. He was the second best dog in the class! The best one was this shepherd that does competition obedience. During his leash walk he never took his eyes off his owner and never strayed from her side. That is the one thing Cam and I need to work on. When I take Cam for walks, I let him run ahead of me and just enjoy being a dog. His doesn’t pull on the leash too much, but he sure doesn’t have his attention on me. So we have been practicing to heel on the leash this week. I’m competitive and I want him to be the best.

That being said, I was SO proud of him on Wednesday. Sometimes you never know how your dog is going to react to new situations. He did wonderfully and I was bursting with happiness that everything went so well! We start learning new things next week and I can’t wait!

Oh and check out his Halloween costume:


Cute huh? In case you can't tell, he is supposed to ba a devil.

Last night I went with Witty Guy for the final walk-thru of his house. When we pulled up a huge moving truck was parked in his 2 parking spots and the sellers were moving stuff out. We were annoyed that they were still there, but thought maybe they were just finishing up. We drove around and found a Visitor parking spot and waited for his agent to get there. When she pulled in, we walked down to the house to meet her and it seemed like chaos in that house! It looked like the only thing that had been moved out was their dining room table! The sellers said the movers had been there for 7 hours and I thought “Doing what?”

We walked in the house but it was a disaster with moving men and stuff everywhere. We went upstairs so we could have a more private conversation, but it was impossible to do any kind of walk-thru to check for things! As we were heading back downstairs a moving man was coming up and we asked him how long they had been there. He said they got there at about 6. Our walk-thru was at 6:30! They had only been there a half-hour!

We walked back downstairs and our agent said to the sellers that if we knew they were in the process of moving out we wouldn’t have come and she kept saying “Oh it’s no problem, we don’t mind.” Ummm, well we do!

So Witty Guy and his agent are going back for another walk-thru this morning. I sure hope everything looks okay. Judging from the condition we saw it in, the sellers were going to have to be up all night moving and the cleaning and touching up paint and patching holes. His closing is this morning at 11 and I am very excited for him. I can’t wait to see the house with all the sellers stuff out and help him make it his own!

Adventures in Babysitting

So I forgot to tell you, I babysat an infant for the first time on Saturday. I babysat in college and high school quite often, but never for someone still in diapers. I volunteered to watch my friend Heather’s little Avery if they wanted to go out to a movie or something, just because I think the whole reason I put a few baby things on my list was because I need some more experience with those little buggers.

Here’s what I learned:

1. If you try to take a bottle slowly out of the mouth of a baby who is falling asleep, she will immediately wake up and start sucking the crap out of it

2. Snaps on a onesie can be hard to line up on a girl who loves to kick her chubby little legs in your face (maybe she’s a future rockette!)

3. When a baby starts whining or getting fussy, you have this instinct to comfort them and make them quiet again. I don’t know how I could ever let them cry it out

4. Walking and swaying is very soothing to a baby but can be hard on your back

5. The black remote does not change the channel on their TV, it will cause the TV to say “No Signal”, and once you loose nick jr., you have to do all the entertaining yourself!

Overall it wasn’t too bad at all. Kind of scary to think of having one of those all the time, but I’d fill in for someone else in a pinch again!

But the funniest thing of all that I learned from this adventure didn’t happen until this morning when I read Heather’s blog.

Go check it out!

Halloween Customes! Such Fun!

I always liked Halloween, but I think it got ingrained in me as a yearly celebration during my time at ECU. ECU has one of the biggest Halloween celebrations in the state. I went one year and never went back. The crowds and crowds of people all dressed up and drunk scared the crap out of me! But I still loved the excitement! I just avoided downtown like the plague!

THEN- Five years ago my friends the Inscoe's threw a GREAT Halloween party and from there it just got better and better and now it is a tradition. I am so excited for this weekend!

Here are some costumes of Halloweens Past:

an angel - homemade from a sheet and foil pipecleaners!

a cow girl

a geisha - spray painting my hair black did not turn out well!

1 of the 3 blind mice

a mail girl- I delivered mail to other party guests that had a dare on them- it was a hit!

a pregnant trailer park trash girl

a black angel

a celebrity incognito- I was lazy and put on a huge black hat and huge sunglasses

a mime

Here are a few pictures I could drum up:




I'm not a big fan of store bought costumes because they seem to be too slutty, so this year again I am throwing something together.

Care for any guesses?

What has been your best Halloween costume?

State Fair Fun!

I went to the NC State Fair yesterday. Witty guy and I left work early to get a head start and his 13-year old nephew joined us. We got there around 4pm and didn’t leave until after 10 pm, so it was a long day. We went on a Wednesday because I hate crowds. I have this form of claustrophobia where I freak out in crowds. I think it is because I am so short I feel like I am in this hole of people because I can’t see over them. It gets so bad I get panic attacks and just have to find a way out of the crowd. So I thought it would be a lot less crowded on a weekday than on the weekend. But dang if it wasn’t still packed!

The fair layout is very confusing. There are alley-ways with games and food vendors packed on each side and then these dead ends that lead no where which forces you to turn around and try a different way. So it was a lot of walking.

We did get to see the animals this year. That was my favorite part. There were lots of cows there with their little babies. There were pigs and piglets, little baby chicks, a beautiful horse and her baby mule (I think that is a cross between a donkey and a horse right?), but my favorites were the little miniature donkeys. The baby ones had this shaggy hair in their eyes and they were so stinking cute. If I had a big backyard I and could keep them baby sized, I would so get one. They also had a few cows you could milk for $2, but the line was too long, so we skipped that.

Witty guy and his nephew are not into rides. But I managed to get him to ride this one spinny ride which he hated. Then we all rode the Ferris Wheel and a dinky little haunted ride and then I rode the swings by myself.

The fair food is just crazy. They had ostrich, alligator on a stick, chocolate covered bacon, fried EVERYTHING, turkey legs, roasted corn, frozen bananas, pizza, ham biscuits, elephant ears, blooming onions, candy/caramel apples, ice cream, and pretty much every other unhealthy food you could imagine. I wanted to try everything! But let me tell you, fair food is expensive! We had turkey legs, a homemade lemonade, a chocolate covered frozen banana, and then the fried candy combo- it had a fried Snickers bar, a fried reese’s cup, and 2 fried oreos. It was all delicious!

Witty guy and his nephew spent at least $30-$50 on playing some games. And we only walked away with 4 tiny stuffed animals. (I’ve never been big into the games because I always thought they were a scam and have never ever known anyone personally who has won one of those huge stuffed animals.)

All together between the 3 of us, we spent $130 on the fair! Isn’t that crazy?

Overall I had fun, but I was a little disappointed with the fair. I think I blew it up too much in my head. For some reason I thought the fair was romantic. The chilly night, all the lights, sharing fair food, winning a stuffed animal for your girl, the cozy Ferris Wheel, but I had forgot about all the walking, the crowds, and all the money that would be spent. Oh well, it was still fun and I’m glad I got my fair fix!

Have ya’ll been to the fair this year?

Bookie-Lou

I checked something off my list this weekend…I changed my very first diaper! We had a cozy girls night at my friend Heather’s house and now that Avery is older she was actually awake for most of it. She’s growing up so fast! We spent a lot of time looking through her clothes and boy she has a lot! Heather is a little fashionita, so I guess Avery will be following in her footsteps! Here's a pic of the little Bookie-Lou:



My friends told me I had to change a poopy diaper or it didn’t count, but luckily Avery didn’t work up a poop for me so it was just a pee diaper.

When I say I have never changed a diaper before I mean never. I didn’t know how to unhook the thing. I didn’t know what was the front or the back. I didn’t know how tight it should be. But Avery likes having her diaper changed and was a very cooperative little girl, so the whole thing was pretty easy. So- change a diaper- check!

In other baby news, I sometimes think about what I would want to name my baby if I ever have one. I REALLY want to have a little girl, actually 2 little girls. My mom’s maiden name is Lovejoy, so I want one girl to have the middle name Love and the other one Joy. As far as first names, I want to name one Lily because my name means “Lily of the Valley” and the other one McKenna just because I LOVE that name and it doesn’t seem to be too popular so hopefully it will still be unique if I ever get around to having a baby.

Knowing me, I’ll probably be cursed with all boys and I don’t really have any boy’s names I am in love with.

What are your favorite baby names?

Agility School!

I signed Cam up for an agility class today!

Here's how he took the news:

(Sorry for the blurriness...dang phone camera sucks!)

He goes for an evaluation test in 2 weeks and I'm hoping he will have no problem with it. Here is what he has to do:

1. Sit on command without immediately getting up
2. Down on command without immediately getting up
3. 15 second stay with dog in any position and handler in any position
4. Restrained recall with distractions
5. Move with handler while on leash without dragging handler or being dragged continuously
6. Ability to be in a class setting with other dogs without being disruptive (no continuous barking or lunging)
7. Ability to do 2 tricks

If he passes we will get to start Beginner Agility 1 which lasts 6 weeks. He doesn't really know it yet, but he is going to be so excited!

And I will finally make some progress on my list!!

Over the Top!

Hooray! One of my most favorite bloggers over at her new blog Busy Bookworm Review has given me a blog award! You should check out her book blog because it is very snazzy and her regular blog because she is awesome and dates a Lobster!

The rules of accepting this award is that I have to answer the following questions and then pass the award on to six other bloggers. So...

1.Where is your cell phone: right by my left hand on my desk at the ready

2.Your hair: needs a bang trim

3.Your mother: sweet and oh so nice

4.Your father: passed away from pancreatic cancer

5.Your favorite food: cupcakes

6.Your dream from last night: can't remember but I had a bad one this weekend

7.Your favorite drink: cherry coke or diet mnt. dew

8.Your dream/goal: to be a mom with a big family and a successful realtor

9.What room are you in: office

10.What is your hobby: reading, entertaining my dog

11.What is your fear: never having a family of my own

12.Where do you want to be in 6 years: hopefully married and a kid by then because if all my eggs aren't dead by then, there will be very few left

13.Where were you last night: at home transferring my CDs to my computer so I can maybe sell the CDs at a yardsale

14.Something you are not: rich

15.Muffins: strawberry

16.Wish list items: hardwood floors, Iphone, new shoes

17.Where did you grow up: Morganton, NC- look it up, it's pretty but was such a bore of a town in high school

18.Last thing you did: called agents for feedback on their showings of our listings

19.What are you wearing: black pants, pink sweater

20.Your TV: only gets like 4 channels now

21.Your pets: are so freaking cute! Cam might have Bailey beat though

22.Your friends: great

23.Your life: a mystery I keep trying to solve

24.Your mood: content

25.Missing someone: the crew

26.Vehicle: XC90 still lovin it!

27.Something you're not wearing: jewlery (not even earings right now)

28.Your favorite store: Tar-jay

29.Your favorite color: pink

30.When's the last time you laughed: earlier today...I laugh a lot

31.When's the last time you cried: last week when my teeth hurt so bad

32.Your best friend: gets me

33.One place you go over and over: work...it's neverending isn't it?

34.One person who emails me regularly: Centralized Showing Services and I wish they would cut back with their notifications dude!

35.Favorite place to eat: too many...right now I am craving Flying Buscuit Oatmeal Pancakes

I pass on this award to:
My real life friend Heather at Colormehazel
Gigi at Gigi's Gone Shopping
The Lovely Opptomistic Pessimist

and my first 3 Bookshelf Blog Followers!
Somewhere In Between
Caitlin
Simply Sam
thanks for following girlies!!

It's the little things...

I just wrote a review of The Opposite of Love over on my Bookshelf Blog yesterday.

I wandered over there today to check and see if I had any followers because I just added that followers widget yesterday (nope no followers). BUT I did see my review had a comment. (I rarely ever get comments over there. I don't think anyone reads that blog)

Lo and Behold it was a comment from the author herself! Ummm...yeah, that made my day!

Good thing too because I was feeling crappy about yesterdays post.

Amazing how such little things can sway your mood one way or the other!

Weekend Wrap Up

Here is what I did this weekend:

-Had a fight with witty guy and we're going to just be friends again

-But he did cook me this cheese grits and egg concotion that I will be adding to my rotaion

-Painted my nails (love OPI's new suede colors but they don't last long)

-Beat the Sushi Chef game on my computer

-Got Outback takeout and caught up with some TV at a good friend's house

-Went to church and did my volunteer shift with my favorite co-volunteer- she and I get along really well and I am so glad to make a new single girl friend!

-Went to Bible Study and had to pray out loud (I HATE praying out loud!)

-Ate sushi with witty guy (I've been craving it forever and see we can do the friend thing!)

Overall it was a really good weekend!


BUT- What i didn't do this weekend was go to a wedding shower cookout for some of my really good friends who are getting married next year. I wanted to go, but I was afraid. I was afraid because I wasn't going to know everone there. I was afraid because I didn't want to arrive by myself. I was afraid because I haven't seen a lot of these friends in a long time and things don't always seem as easygoing when I am around them as they used to be. I was afraid because I really can't afford to buy them a gift right now. I was afraid because we were supposed to bring a covered dish and I am not a good cook, plus did I mention I am broke? I was afraid because it was going to be mostly couples and people who are related to each other and I ALWAYS feel like an outsider. I was afraid because I feel fat and frumpy right now and didn't want to be judged. I was afriad because as much as I wanted to go and have a good time, I didn't think I would because everyone else would get drunk and I would be the sober one. I was too afraid to go so I made up an excuse that I wasn't feeling good.

I miss my friends. But things have just been so different lately. Everyone is so grown up and busy and that time and distance has made things awkward sometimes now. It makes me so sad, but I am to blame too because I could've went this weekend, but I let fear hold me back. I don't know how to fix this.

P.S. Friends that I lied to about not feeling good- If you read this I am so sorry!

Everyone will have their own "Sob Story"

Today at work a few of us got into a kind of deep discussion about life and what we thought happens after this life and such. One of the ladies in my office had a son that died. Apparently he was really sick and had heart surgery, but recovered only to be killed in a car crash a month later. This tragedy has made her not believe in God because how could there be a loving God when such bad things like this happen. As I was trying to relate to her I told her about how my boyfriend was killed in a car wreck in high school. She said "Yeah but this was my son, not just some boyfriend."

At the time I brushed this comment aside and tried to relate to her story and her pain, but deep down this really bothered me. Josh was not just "some boyfriend". He was my first love and the guy I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I was 17 and about to graduate high school and step out to the next phase of my life and all my future plans, hopes, and dreams had him in it. Just as I was about to cross that bridge to the next phase of my life, it was like that bridge just crumbled before me. I spent many years lost and just going through the motions of life. Then 2 years later my dad dies. Then my grandpa dies. Then we had to put my dog to sleep (any real dog lover knows this is like losing a family member, so don't trivialize it.) It sucked.

I know losing a child is really bad, but you can't trivialize someone else's sob story because you think what you went through is worse. Everyone is going to have to experience losing a loved one, unless you never love anyone or you have your life cut short and are the first to go. Bad things happen to everyone. Everyone is going to have their own "Sob Story".

But good things happen too. If you weigh out the number of bad experiences and good experiences at the end of your life, I am willing to bet the good outweigh the bad.

Yes, losing a loved one is one of the worst things that could happen, but don't let that loss define you. Don't let that hurt and unfairness overshadow all the good.

Imagine if your whole life was bad. Everyday sucked. Every time you left your house you were the victim of a crime. Every family member you have died. Every dollar you ever earned was lost. Everyday you went hungry. Your health is never good. You experience life in a wheelchair. You never fall in love. You never have children. You never experienced a sunny day. You get struck by lightning every time it storms. You never go on vacation. You never laughed. You never smiled. You never enjoyed anything. All of that, everyday. Nothing good ever entered your life.

Sometimes you have to have to bad in life to see the good. But you can't get so lost in your own sob story that you discount all the good. Because eventually you might stop seeing the good. You can't get lost in the "why me?" "what did I do to deserve this?" because it was already a given. You will experience suffering in life. Even the one "man" who lived a flawless, blameless life suffered. When you think about it it is almost arrogant and selfish to think you won't suffer in life.

I'm not saying don't sob for your own sob story. Feel that grief. Cry. Scream. Get angry. It isn't fair. But don't let that suffering define you and your life. Because you are so much more than that and your life is so much more than that, because if you look close enough you'll see the good too.

And don't compare your life experience to others. One of the best quotes I ever read was something like "Never compare yourself to others, for there will always be someone better AND worse than you."

Own your sob story. It is a part of your life. But don't let that sob story define life for you.

Just call me a sucker

I had every intention of cancelling my cable and internet service today. I know, I know…I’m crazy huh? Well, the TV thing just got out of control. I sat down to catch up with my DVR last week and I had 14 hours of recorded TV to watch! 14 hours in 1 week! It was just insane. So I was going to go cold turkey in the hopes of breaking my TV addiction and doing something more productive with my time.

Plus I would save $120 a month! I rarely use my internet service from home so I was pretty sure I could live without it. $120 a month is a lot. All that extra money and free time would totally be worth it. I lived without TV and internet one summer in college and it was the most productive summer of my life! With all that free time I could concentrate on getting some things on my list accomplished like getting in the best shape of my life, reading the Bible all the way through and taking Cam to an agility class. With all the money I would be saving maybe I would be able to save up so I can travel abroad, upgrade a room in my house, pay all my own bills and invest in the stock market. It just made so much sense. I NEED to get crackin’ on this list because I only have less than a year left to get everything done!

Anyway, I called the cable company and of course I get a computer. I tell the computer I want to cancel my service. Twice, the computer transfers me to nowhere land. No hold music, no ringing, just dead silence is on the other end of the line. The third time I call back I decide to call the “sales” number thinking they would be less likely to lose a call to that number.

I finally get through to a person and I tell her I want to cancel my service for financial reasons. She asks which services I want to cancel and I tell her everything.

We spend the next half hour going down, down, down with the price. She is very persistent and despite me telling her at least 10 times I just want to cancel, she is not going to let me go.

First, she can get me all my services for $105/mo then she goes down to $100/mo then down to $95/mo. Now if I downgrade my internet, I can get everything for $89/mo and if I downgrade my cable I can get it for $85/mo. Now if I give up DVR and downgrade the internet some more, I can get it for $45/mo. Finally I just ask her what is the lowest I can go. She comes up with just the broadcast stations and “light” roadrunner for $28/mo. Keep in mind I started out at $120/mo.

I still want to just turn everything off for a while. But she tells me if I decide to turn it back on I will have to pay an instillation fee. I figure the $28/month isn’t that much to pay for keeping up with my TODAY show routine in the morning and catching some of the cable shows I like every once in a while and having internet to keep my I-pod up-to-date and for emergencies. So I agree to it.

I am a sucker. I cannot believe I gave in when I had my heart set on cancelling! But it is a really great deal right? Or do you think I should call back and try to cancel again?



P.S. Update on the mouth situation: It isn’t hurting anywhere near as bad today. I called my dentist yesterday to double check for cavities and he said he didn’t see anything. I cancelled my orthodontist consultation because I don’t think that is going to solve my pain issue. I called my doctor back and told her it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did this weekend. She wants me to start the Tegratrol, but I am holding off until it hurts again. They also made me a neurologist appointment but it isn’t until Nov. 3rd! So it is all good for now, but I will keep you updated.

Trigeminal what?

My teeth hurt. It isn't just one or two teeth, it is pretty much the whole right side of my mouth. And it isn't just a little annoying pain, it is a deep, throbbing, mind-numbing pain.

This pain reached it's peak while I was at work on Friday. I couldn't talk right. I couldn't concentrate. It was bad.

So I tried calling my dentist. I called for an hour and the phone was busy the whole time. Finally my co-worker J called the phone company and they said something was wrong with their line, but they didn't know what. (He said "Like a beaver chewed through their line?" That at least made me laugh through the pain.)

So I tried emailing them but got no response. So finally I couldn't take it and left work at like 3:15 to just drive over there. But when I got there, the office was dark and the doors were locked. I went out to the car and I was freaking out because there was no way I could deal with this all weekend!

I called the orthodontist he had referred me to and explained the situation to them. They said there was nothing they could really do and gave me the number to another dentist in their building I could try. I called, but of course they closed at noon on Fridays (must be nice to have off every Friday!).

At this point I am crying and freaking out because I don't know what to do. I love my primary care doctor so I decided to give that a shot hoping she could do something. I was on hold forever waiting for a nurse. The office wasn't far so I started driving. I got there before anyone picked up, so I went in.

By the time the receptionist asked "How can I help you?" I just started bawling. I explained the situation and asked if there was anything they could do. Luckily my doctor had a 4:30 appointment available.

She asked me to describe the pain and asked how long it had been going on and felt around my face and my gums. She said she doesn't think the pain is dental related. She thinks it is Trigeminal Neuralgai. She said it could also be an atypical migraine though, so she gave me some pain medication and told me to take that first to see if it goes away. If it isn't gone by Monday she wants me to go to a neurologist to get an MRI.

Well all weekend I have been doped up on pain meds and it still hurts like crazy!

It is just so ironic because I would have never gone to a doctor for this pain. I thought it was something only a dentist could fix. It took all that drama on Friday to send me to the doctor.

I guess the good news is I may not need braces after all!

Metal Mouth

I went to the dentist (Dr. McHottie) this morning because the teeth on the right side of my mouth have been really sore over the last few weeks. In fact last night on my way home from work I was in tears from the pain and begging God to take it away. He didn’t right then and I spent the rest of the night doped up on tons of Advil, but this morning they weren’t hurting so bad. The dentist took some x-rays and tapped on my teeth, but he said it wasn’t from an infection or a cavity, it was from my bite! I have an open bite, meaning my front top teeth don’t touch the bottom, only my back teeth touch. Apparently this isn’t just cosmetically bad, but operationally bad. He said teeth that shouldn’t have any pressure at all on each other do and that I had even chipped two teeth from the extra pressure.

He said I should really consider getting braces to correct the problem. He said he could make me a bite guard, but that would only be a temporary fix and I would run in to more problems down the road.

All this is very ironic because I have already had braces! When I was in middle school I had braces and I hated them! When I finally got them off I never wore the retainer and my mom even had to sign a waiver saying it wasn’t the orthodontist fault if my teeth didn’t stay straight.

Well my bratty teenage self ended up screwing me over.

I don’t want braces now! I don’t know if I can even afford braces! But I do want my teeth to stop hurting.

What do you think? Have you had braces? Would ya’ll make fun of me if I had to get braces?

My consultaion isn't for 3 weeks so at least I have some time before I have to make a decision!