5?F

1. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
My number one thing I would change is a physical characteristic. I am... an odd shape. There's my waist, then my hips, then a huge indent, then my thighs. It's just an odd looking silhouette. I immensely dislike my back fat, but that's something I have at least a little control over. When I can summon up enough self control and will power to diet and exercise, I can lose some weight. But no matter how small I can shrink my back fat, I just can't pull off the clingy tops and dresses because of my odd shape. Hmph. Oh well.

2. Write about a time when you got lost.
Um, this happens only like every time I drive. One time that really sticks out was when I had to leave really early from Ferris to drive to some no name high school for volleyball officiating. I have some crappy directions from the school's A.D., some mapquest directions, my Garmin and a vague idea on the general direction. Unfortunately, all 4 of those sources were quite different. Early wintery morning when I have to be somewhere at a certain time is NOT the best time to get lost. I called and woke up my dad for help, and he too had different directions. I eventually made in there... late and frustrated... but made it.

3. Camping or 5 star hotel?
Camping. Definitely camping. I'm all about hobo pies, campfires and s'mores. Mmm. The only downside is that I'm always cold, so sleeping outside isn't always the most cozy. Best to have a snuggle buddy. :]

4. Have you donated blood?
I haven't in a while, but I've given blood probably almost a dozen times. I don't mind giving blood and am glad to help out, but I'm always afraid I'm going to run into the same probably my dad did. He use to give blood like clockwork every 56 days. One day, a relative of his got in a bad accident and needed blood. My dad was only a couple days away from being able to give blood again and the hospital wouldn't let him give blood to help out his family. I'm always afraid something like that will happen to me.

5. Do you have a budget or do you 'fly by' most months?
We don't have a set budget, but I watch our checking account like a hawk. I know, for the most part, how much is coming in and going out every week/month. Good thing I'm Dutch because I really only have to be concerned about Clay's spending. Utilities and loan payments are scheduled automatic withdrawals and I generally don't spend much in groceries.

My husband's a goner for sure...

A different kind of bling

Don't get me wrong, I love a nice sparkly diamond just as much as the next girl, but I also love the unusual. Good thing Clay knows my taste in jewelry... whether it's a unique silver piece or something with typography incorporated into it. Love. Just thought I'd share these lil gems I came across on the Internet and hope to find for real someday. Happy hump day all!

Want to see more? Check out my Pinterest style board!

Make Your ♥ Melt Monday

Lazy Sundays lead to Mind Numbing Mondays. I have no strength to form any sort of complete thought today. I have spent the last 9 hours organizing the Gentex photo library. Thousands of pictures with no labels other than the default PIC0001 or obscure names like "TacoCrop2009." What?! So yeah. That is why I have nothing more to give other than this week's featured furry kids. Enjoy. :)

Balto is a male Husky Mix.

Buddy is a male Pit Bull Terrier/Labrador Retriever mix.

Gunner is a male Pit Bull Terrier/Labrador Retriever mix.

Paco is a male Labrador Retriever mix.

Scraps is a male Pit Bull Terrier mix.

Happy Birthday my love.

A dark, rainy, cold Sunday spent watching movies in pajamas and binge eating is a pretty awesome way to wrap up the weekend... and even more awesome-er when it's Clayton's birthday. My husband found out that he's a little old for the last-call bar hopping extravaganza and is having a little trouble getting going today. But that's ok. Woke up and crawled on the couch to watch some movies this morning, made a big lunch-dinner (pork roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, strawberries, apple crisp...) and then back to the couch for more movies and Call Of Duty. Mmm. Lazy Sundays, I love you.

It's hard to believe I started dating Clay when he was only 17... and now he's 27! Where does the time go? And an even bigger question, what was life like before Clay? I know a decade may or may not seem like a super long time, but wow, it sorta feels like forever. Crazy.

Happy 27th Birthday to my wonderful husband.

5?F

1. Have you ever had surgery?
Definitely... with the scars to prove it. My first surgery was having my tonsils and adenoids removed, then dozens of moles removed and finally, tarsal tunnel surgery on both feet. I had my left foot done in January of 2006 and my right during the summer that same year. The first one was the roughest because I lived on the 4th floor of my dorm (no elevators), went to school on the hill-iest campus ever and had classes all over the place. Plus it was the dead of winter and my first day back after surgery was the day after a huge ice storm. Crutches and ice don't mix well. It was a long 8 weeks on crutches hobbling all over campus.

Yum.

2. Ever ride in an ambulance?
Nope, fortunately.

3. How are you in a medical emergency? Panicked? Calm?
I've never really encountered a serious situation where I would know either way. I think I would be intense, but collected enough to be able to take care of whatever was happening. My fear is someday with a baby, if something doesn't seem right or bad is happening, I'll freak out and panic. I sure hope not.

4. Do you have a garden? Flowers or veggies?
Not yet, but I really want a garden. We have a lot of landscaping work to do and hopefully a garden will find its way into our backyard somehow. I'd love to grow raspberries, green beans, strawberries... etc. Clay and I aren't huge veggie fans, but I'm sure I could find something to grow. Growing flowers throughout our property is a definite yes someday.

5. When did you move out of your parents house?
Funny that this question came up today. I didn't move out of my parents house until my wedding day (July 17, 2010). Yes, I moved into a dorm for college for four years, but officially, not until last summer. However, Clay and I officially closed on our house one year ago today. He started living there immediately and slowly over the last year, we've made it our own. Of course there's still a lot to be done, but it's coming along nicely and I love our home. xoxo

Pet Expo Table Top Display

Finally finished with the poster board for this weekend's Pet Expo! Ran into quite a few more snags than intended, but it's done and I think it came together pretty decent for what I had to work with. I had everything sized and laid out thinking that this board they gave me was a tri-fold. Whoops. Guess I should've cleared away all the cat hair stuck to it and opened the case to get a better look. Then the second I had everything laid out and pinned down, I got a facebook message from HHS saying that Poptart was adopted this evening. Yay Poptart and his new home, but boo screwing up my layout.

I wish the Pet Expo didn't fall on Clay's birthday. I'd really like to go, but should probably take the hubster out for his 27th birthday instead. (Damn, you're getting old there Mr. Clayton). Wow, I can't believe we started dating when he was only 17. A whole decade ago. Where does the time go?

Make Your ♥ Melt Monday

My HHS schedule was a little different this week. I volunteered to make a poster for the upcoming Pet Expo at the Deltaplex, so I went in on Saturday to take pictures of some of the animals that wouldn't be at the event. I'm pretty excited about how this project is coming along. I have free reign over the look of it so I hope it'll turn out pretty cool. Stay tuned...

I also didn't go to HHS tonight because I have a very important furry kid to take care of:

Miss Zayla Boo  xoxo

Ashley is at a RT conference this week, so Boo packed her bags and is staying with Aunt Andrea and Uncle Clay until Wednesday or Thursday. I missed her while I was at work and decided to swing home for lunch. Me, Boo and my bologna sandwich took a cruise around the neighborhood for a half hour (and yes, of course I shared my sandwich). I felt bad making her come back inside when it was time for me to leave. The sun was out and even though it was pretty chilly, I knew it was perfect out there for her. If I had a fenced in backyard, it would be a different story... but I didn't want to worry about her all day. 

Enough about my beautiful furry kid and back to the ones with no one to love them. I know some of these are duplicates from previous weeks, but here are some of the images I took on Saturday for the expo:

Teddy is a male Pomeranian.

Milo is a male Pit Bull Terrier.

Lacey is a female Hound mix.

Jack is a male Chihuahua.

Arnold is a male Terrier Mix.

5?F

Happy Friday everyone! And by Happy Friday, I mean thank God this #@%&?! week is over! What a crappy week this has been, but thankfully I have a weekend full of game nights and spending valuable time with Miss Zayla (whom I am dogsitting for the next 4 days, woot woot!)

1. If you had $1,000 to donate to a charity, which would you choose?
I would most definitely give it to a charity to help the furry kids because, let's face it, sometimes I love dogs more than people. I have such a hard time feeling warm fuzzies about certain charities only because not everyone benefiting from that charity is actually "in need." Ya know? Some people are just lazy and let bad things happen to them in which they should not receive handouts. The poor pups are at the mercy of people and I don't hold them responsible for the rough life they may lead. So support the furry kids!!

2. Snow days: Do you welcome them happily or are they a pain in your butt?
Unlike most kids, snow days didn't mean no school and go back to bed. For me in high school, it meant get up, try to get ahold of my coach, figure out what time practice was going to be and then stomach the fact that practice could now go as long as the coach wanted. In college, it still meant dragging myself to the computer/senior lab to meet with groups and continue projects and working on my portfolio. I feel like snow days in the real world are a little unsettling because I would never want my boss to think I was blowing off work and possibly could've made it in. I've had 2 snow days since college and spent both of them working longer hours at home than I would've in the office. Go figure. The only plus to a snow day now is indeed working from home. Goodbye high heels and dress pants, hello sweats and bandanas!

3. What talent did you wish you had and why?
I so wish I was a nerdy lil techie. I wish I understood how to code HTML and didn't tremble with fear at the thought of the digital world. Sigh. Oh web, why must you cause me such grief?

4. Are you a news, politics or celebrity gossip junkie?
Celebrity gossip junkie hands down. I can entertain myself in the checkout line for hours with a copy of People or Us Weekly. Sorry news and politics... not for me.

5. What is your favorite “cocktail”? 
I love a good frozen ice cream drink. Ice cream, candy bits, Kahlua... whatever else you wanna throw in the blender... nom nom! Favorite drinks of all time: the Dirty Banana and Jamaica Smile from my honeymoon. Filling, fattening and oh so nummy.

Miss Nut aka Vicious Cranky Pants

Just wanted to share a video with everyone of cranky (yet lovable) Miss Nut. My dad use to go through the same routine with her every morning when he had to wake her up before leaving for work. The princess obviously needs her beauty sleep and you mustn't disturb her. Have a great evening everyone. xoxo