Gauge rolls in the grass repeatedly and then spends the rest of the night itching and scratching
Gunner sits handsome and waits for anyone with a camera (or treats)
Then they come in and pass out
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A Pupdate
Just incase you spend your days wondering what Gunner and Gauge spend their days doing....
Gauge rolls in the grass repeatedly and then spends the rest of the night itching and scratching
Gunner sits handsome and waits for anyone with a camera (or treats)
Then they come in and pass out
Gauge rolls in the grass repeatedly and then spends the rest of the night itching and scratching
Gunner sits handsome and waits for anyone with a camera (or treats)
Then they come in and pass out
Monday, August 4, 2008
Too Much Nature
If you're an arachnophobe, then don't read any further...
This was our 'pet' Writing Spider... until I soaked her with SureShot from a safe distance away incase she was also a jumping spider. The wivestale says that if you see your name in a Writing Spider's web, then you will die soon....so in true survival-of-the-fittest nature, I eliminated the possibility of testing the wivestale.
This was our 'pet' Writing Spider... until I soaked her with SureShot from a safe distance away incase she was also a jumping spider. The wivestale says that if you see your name in a Writing Spider's web, then you will die soon....so in true survival-of-the-fittest nature, I eliminated the possibility of testing the wivestale.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Quesooooo
This weekend we drove to the mountains to meet up with Mandy, Seth, Chandon, and Seth's parents!! John and I left home after work on Friday and arrived well after dark that night. Saturday we ventured out into the town of Asheville which turns out to be very similar to Berkeley so needless to say, we didn't last there very long. Next we toured the town we were staying in, Black Mountain.
Right about the time we had seen everything there was to see (it is a small town), Mandy called to say they had just arrived. We met up with Mandy, Seth, and Seth's parents, then went to get Chandon!!! Chandon is Seth's son who lives in Charlotte, NC with his mom (and family). Chandon turns 3 this week and his birthday party was in the Asheville area where his grandparents live. So we took Chandon out to dinner for Mexican food which spawned the cutest, and most repeated word for the weekend, "k-soooo" (queso, cheese in spanish, we used it when taking pictures..."say queso"...."k-soooo").
Sunday John and I had breakfast with the Haak's at their bed & breakfast, then spent the morning playing with Chandon before we headed out of town, and they headed to a pirate birthday party! It was so great to see my sister!! And we had a great time with her new family. :)
As a side note, here is the progress on the deck!! Almost done!!!!
Right about the time we had seen everything there was to see (it is a small town), Mandy called to say they had just arrived. We met up with Mandy, Seth, and Seth's parents, then went to get Chandon!!! Chandon is Seth's son who lives in Charlotte, NC with his mom (and family). Chandon turns 3 this week and his birthday party was in the Asheville area where his grandparents live. So we took Chandon out to dinner for Mexican food which spawned the cutest, and most repeated word for the weekend, "k-soooo" (queso, cheese in spanish, we used it when taking pictures..."say queso"...."k-soooo").
Sunday John and I had breakfast with the Haak's at their bed & breakfast, then spent the morning playing with Chandon before we headed out of town, and they headed to a pirate birthday party! It was so great to see my sister!! And we had a great time with her new family. :)
As a side note, here is the progress on the deck!! Almost done!!!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Latest Storm
We survived another tornado! We have an amazing weather reporting system called the Dual Doppler 5000. You can literally watch the storm or tornado as it travels in its path of misery. This is the second tornado warning we've had and I've had to weather them out (pun intended) by myself with John at work. During the first tornado watch, I watched the Doppler intensely as the tornado came directly at my area. I eventually rounded up the four dogs (we were dog sitting) and squeezed into the bathroom for safety until the Doppler reported that the tornado had cleared. This is me in the bathroom...
Last week we had our second tornado watch, but this time the power went out so I didn't have the Doppler to help me through. I had been at WalMart when the storm hit, so I left quickly to out run the storm.
Again, I rounded up the puppies (only our 2 this time) and sat in the bathroom again. No power, no internet, and no phone. I had no idea what was happening outside other than it looked like it was 10:00pm but it was only 4:00pm. Shortly after the storm passed, my neighbor's came over to check on me. But it should have been the other way around!! She mentioned that a tree had hit their house, and sure enough, a HUGE tree had taken out the entire front porch along with a corner of their house. 2 more trees had taken out their brand new fence and part of their back deck. We can only figure that the tornado had touched down on their trees as there was no other damage to anyone else in the neighborhood.
**note: I never saw the tornado, so no, I was not trying to outrun the funnel cloud....they say not to do that.
*note to self: make an emergency kit with a battery powered radio!
Last week we had our second tornado watch, but this time the power went out so I didn't have the Doppler to help me through. I had been at WalMart when the storm hit, so I left quickly to out run the storm.
Again, I rounded up the puppies (only our 2 this time) and sat in the bathroom again. No power, no internet, and no phone. I had no idea what was happening outside other than it looked like it was 10:00pm but it was only 4:00pm. Shortly after the storm passed, my neighbor's came over to check on me. But it should have been the other way around!! She mentioned that a tree had hit their house, and sure enough, a HUGE tree had taken out the entire front porch along with a corner of their house. 2 more trees had taken out their brand new fence and part of their back deck. We can only figure that the tornado had touched down on their trees as there was no other damage to anyone else in the neighborhood.
**note: I never saw the tornado, so no, I was not trying to outrun the funnel cloud....they say not to do that.
*note to self: make an emergency kit with a battery powered radio!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
I love to BBQ (cook-out)
John has been hard at work building our deck and it looks great!
So while he was working out front, I made him dinner! I am really enjoying being home, cooking, baking, and seeing John! Tonight during dinner I commented on how I had forgotten what it felt like to have 2 full days off and that I actually was ready to go back to work on Monday rather than dreading the end of Sunday night! Of course, I'd love to stay home every day, but that's just not in the plans for the moment. ;)
Can you believe it is the middle of July already?
So while he was working out front, I made him dinner! I am really enjoying being home, cooking, baking, and seeing John! Tonight during dinner I commented on how I had forgotten what it felt like to have 2 full days off and that I actually was ready to go back to work on Monday rather than dreading the end of Sunday night! Of course, I'd love to stay home every day, but that's just not in the plans for the moment. ;)
Can you believe it is the middle of July already?
Saturday, July 5, 2008
We had friends over for a 4th of July "cook out" (that's a BBQ in California language). I rushed to put together our grill the night before the party...This is me praying to the Citronella gods to keep the bugs away from me for a little while longer.
the bugs finally got to me, so I had to finish it the next day...
FInally!
John, Ray, Michelle, and Melissa (Uzi and Nikita)
We had steak kabobs, veggie kabobs, bbq chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad, grilled corn on the cob, baked beans, mexican dip with chips, and lil' smokies! I guess we didn't take a picture of the spread!
Banana Splits, Apple Pie, and Dr. Pepper Floats for dessert
Gunner, Gauge, Nikita, and Uzi
the bugs finally got to me, so I had to finish it the next day...
FInally!
John, Ray, Michelle, and Melissa (Uzi and Nikita)
We had steak kabobs, veggie kabobs, bbq chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad, grilled corn on the cob, baked beans, mexican dip with chips, and lil' smokies! I guess we didn't take a picture of the spread!
Banana Splits, Apple Pie, and Dr. Pepper Floats for dessert
Gunner, Gauge, Nikita, and Uzi
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Our new deck
I have never been happy with the fact that our house looks like a trailer on blocks, so John is building "me" a front deck/porch! Our neighbor Ray is teaching him the fine art of deck building.
This was my contribution to the project:
This was my contribution to the project:
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Catching Up...
I know have been horrible at updating our blog, but I have been inspired by my friends Sara and Jon who update theirs continuously and with such enthusiasm!
So, let's catch up since the last blog (this is in no particular order):
In May we were in California for my sister's wedding to Seth Haak! The wedding was a huge success and so beautifully orchestrated! We are excited to have Seth in the family! He is fantastic, but I must say he is a lucky, lucky guy to have Mandy! You can go to their blog to see more pictures!
After the wedding, John returned home to NC to get back to work (see next section) and I stayed in CA for another week to attend another wedding and see more friends. I got to spend some time with my extended family in Fresno which was such a blessing.
In April, John achieved the highly coveted Coffee Master status with Starbucks and now wears "the black apron". After our trip to CA, John began his new position as Assistant Store Manager (ASM) in the store in Aberdeen, NC. It's a slightly longer drive, but in these parts ya gotta take the opportunities when they arise. He is enjoying the new store and his new title. We're anticipating the opening of a new store opening here in Sanford in 2009 which will be a much shorter commute.
In June, I resigned from Youth Villages due to the extended hours affecting how much I was able to see John or have a life for that matter. So now I work for Harnett County Department of Social Services as an Investigative, Assessment, and Treatment Social Worker for Child Protective Services. I'm currently in training for 4 more weeks, but so far I believe I am going to enjoy the job. It is still a "Family Preservation" program which aims to keep children in their homes and provide treatment/parenting skills IN the home, rather than removing kids at the drop of a hat.
In March, we went to the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. It is just over a 2 hour drive from where we live so it was a great day trip. We had a blast even though it was 37 degrees and raining. We've learned to dress in layers here so we made it through the entire race!
We have a state park 20 minutes from our house so we went hiking one weekend. The trails lead to a section of the Cape Fear River...it was a fun (and FREE) weekend activity!
About 6 months ago we decided to settle at Crossroads Ministries Church in Broadway, NC However, with my on-call work schedule every evening and weekend for the last 6 months, I was unable to attend any outings, activities, or small groups. So now that I am a life-work balanced person again, we finally met up with the 30-40 year old group (ahhh! are we really in that group already??). This weekend we spent a day at Jordan Lake with the group and had a blast! And although I am very sore from tubing, I am excited about making new friends close to home.
Gunner and Gauge are doing well also. They spend their days chasing squirrels and have cornered 2 snakes so far! They play hard and sleep hard.
So that's about all the updates here! We'd love to have some visitors!!
So, let's catch up since the last blog (this is in no particular order):
In May we were in California for my sister's wedding to Seth Haak! The wedding was a huge success and so beautifully orchestrated! We are excited to have Seth in the family! He is fantastic, but I must say he is a lucky, lucky guy to have Mandy! You can go to their blog to see more pictures!
After the wedding, John returned home to NC to get back to work (see next section) and I stayed in CA for another week to attend another wedding and see more friends. I got to spend some time with my extended family in Fresno which was such a blessing.
In April, John achieved the highly coveted Coffee Master status with Starbucks and now wears "the black apron". After our trip to CA, John began his new position as Assistant Store Manager (ASM) in the store in Aberdeen, NC. It's a slightly longer drive, but in these parts ya gotta take the opportunities when they arise. He is enjoying the new store and his new title. We're anticipating the opening of a new store opening here in Sanford in 2009 which will be a much shorter commute.
In June, I resigned from Youth Villages due to the extended hours affecting how much I was able to see John or have a life for that matter. So now I work for Harnett County Department of Social Services as an Investigative, Assessment, and Treatment Social Worker for Child Protective Services. I'm currently in training for 4 more weeks, but so far I believe I am going to enjoy the job. It is still a "Family Preservation" program which aims to keep children in their homes and provide treatment/parenting skills IN the home, rather than removing kids at the drop of a hat.
In March, we went to the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. It is just over a 2 hour drive from where we live so it was a great day trip. We had a blast even though it was 37 degrees and raining. We've learned to dress in layers here so we made it through the entire race!
We have a state park 20 minutes from our house so we went hiking one weekend. The trails lead to a section of the Cape Fear River...it was a fun (and FREE) weekend activity!
About 6 months ago we decided to settle at Crossroads Ministries Church in Broadway, NC However, with my on-call work schedule every evening and weekend for the last 6 months, I was unable to attend any outings, activities, or small groups. So now that I am a life-work balanced person again, we finally met up with the 30-40 year old group (ahhh! are we really in that group already??). This weekend we spent a day at Jordan Lake with the group and had a blast! And although I am very sore from tubing, I am excited about making new friends close to home.
Gunner and Gauge are doing well also. They spend their days chasing squirrels and have cornered 2 snakes so far! They play hard and sleep hard.
So that's about all the updates here! We'd love to have some visitors!!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Holidays
We've made the decision not to come to California for Christmas this year. It was one we struggled with, but financially we are not ready to plan such a large trip....keep in mind that we would have to board 2 large dogs which is a lot of money on it's own.
However, to ease my disappointment we are going to Boone, NC with our neighbors on the first weekend of Dec. We got a package deal for a one night stay at a local hotel with a "country Christmas" special where we take a hayride into the mountains (SNOW!!!) and get to cut down our own Christmas tree!!!! This has been a dream of mine since I was little....I'd still like to be able to do this while riding a horse and on my own property, but this will do for now!! Can't ask for everything all at once!! :)
We're celebrating Thanksgiving with the same neighbors. They have really taken us under their wings....we have been blessed with great neighbors!
We hope you all enjoy your holidays!
John and Kate
However, to ease my disappointment we are going to Boone, NC with our neighbors on the first weekend of Dec. We got a package deal for a one night stay at a local hotel with a "country Christmas" special where we take a hayride into the mountains (SNOW!!!) and get to cut down our own Christmas tree!!!! This has been a dream of mine since I was little....I'd still like to be able to do this while riding a horse and on my own property, but this will do for now!! Can't ask for everything all at once!! :)
We're celebrating Thanksgiving with the same neighbors. They have really taken us under their wings....we have been blessed with great neighbors!
We hope you all enjoy your holidays!
John and Kate
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Fall is here...
Well, we don't have much to update on hence the reason for no blogs since our original one. We are loving our home and slowly getting things unpacked. John has put in the flooring in the majority of the house. The three spare bedrooms are still in need of flooring, unpacking, and organization but without anyone coming to visit us we really have no motivation to clean those rooms. :) (guilt trip?) My dad did come to visit for our birthdays last weekend. His friend Michele came also. With them, we celebrated: my birthday, dad's birthday, Michele's retirement, and John's and my anniversary...whew! Went to Fayetteville to a WWII museum that was fantastic and ate at our favorite restaraunt on the planet - Smokey Bones. :)
The dogs are great too. They are super muscular from running their acre all day long. They tree squirrels on a daily basis, but haven't caught any yet.
Work is work. John just moved to a new store that is closer to home (by 10 minutes) and is helping them open that store.
That's about it...come visit when you can! We miss you all!
The dogs are great too. They are super muscular from running their acre all day long. They tree squirrels on a daily basis, but haven't caught any yet.
Work is work. John just moved to a new store that is closer to home (by 10 minutes) and is helping them open that store.
That's about it...come visit when you can! We miss you all!
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