Thursday, June 28, 2012

Tropical storm Debby

is my least favorite person right now.

We didn't have cable / internet for 5 days. 5 days. Do you know how long that is for a tech-obsessed twenty something? About 5 days still. heh. But, really, it seemed like forever.

Apparently little miss Debby windstorm blew the cable box on the outside of the house.

I am so thankful for my parents and that we live so close. I think in pretty much every post I say how much I love and appreciate my parents... but, isn't how it should be?

So... since the cable / internet is back on I'm catching up on my shows... and having to find episodes that aired during the outage... I can't be missing those Real Housewives stories.

Next up is posting pictures from our Disney trip and making sure the transition from Kodak gallery to Shutterfly...

It all boils down to this:

Tropical Storm Debby is jerk. And Dan and I are wildly unprepared for storms. Wildy unprepared.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Dogs...

...are hard to train.

But, we are taking the first big step and we enrolled Bruce Wayne in dog training. We're going to Petco every Sunday to work on his 'problem habits'.

Problem Habits include: jumping, barking, leash walking, stealing, listening and probably 10 more things I'm forgetting.

I used to make excuses for him and say "he's just a puppy... he doesn't know any better" BUT I woke up on his 1st birthday and everything changed. Suddenly, I wanted to do anything I could to fix his rotten behavior. Which of course means fixing our behavior.

Dan has never had a dog before. I had two family shih tzu's growing up. Molly and Dixie must have been trained by the owners that had them before they came to add love to our family.

So, we both were clueless on how to train a dog. We succeeded at the potty training - he hasn't had an accident in over 6 months. Thanks to Dan and his dedication to walking the superhero every morning.

We all had our first training yesterday and I feel like we have the tools to correct his behavior and turn his bad habits around.

I walked him this afternoon and didn't yell at him or get frustrated once. Not once. Dan, I know you're shocked.

Also, he stole a sock this morning as I was folding laundry and I was able to get the sock away without getting frustrated because I knew what to do with him. Again, Dan, I know you're shocked.

So, maybe the dogs are easy to train and people are stubborn. Either way, we are committed to make this work and teach him the right way to act. I know every day won't be roses but, we love Bruce Wayne and we're all going to work at this.

Toodles.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Dolphins

So I took this pictures in DECEMBER. And I am THAT bad at posting pictures and adding them to my computer.

Oh well, These are the Top 5 pictures from that day. It was a beautiful day and we were so lucky to see all of these dolphins right next to the boat.

Our family was in from Iowa and I'm so glad they got to see these dolphins this close too!!

(also, this is the first time I'm adding pictures to my blog. Experiment!





Monday, June 4, 2012

Today I said the B word.

Budget.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not adverse to cursing, but this B word is the most ugly word in the dictionary. Well, behind moist, that is a gross word.

Today I succumbed to the reality that is home ownership at 24. No more cash. (Don't worry, Mom, it will work out). At this time last year I thought being on a budget meant only shopping once a month... and only having around 150$ to do so... OHO I was WRONG.

Confession: I haven't shopped in 6 months. The last thing I bought was an outfit for New Years Eve (and I still wear that $20 dress well!) and a pair of Jack Rogers *cue noise of the heavens*. But, even for the sandals I had won some cash at work that covered it.

Confession: This is killing me. I love shopping.

Fact: I can win this. The emails that I get from my favorite stores (Pottery Barn, J. Crew, Anthropologie etc.) make me think that I could splurge juuuust a little bit. So, I head to their websites and 'OOOH and AHHH' over the fabulous colors and imagining the textures. I add things to my online shopping cart and then I.... EXIT THE SITE. I know that in my mind I have splurged to allow myself to choose items I know "I can't live without" and then I leave. And guess what, I could not tell you 24 hours later what was in those carts. But alas, I have fed my shopping bug and then he flies home to his nest (out of my wallet!).

So onto my budget. I have declared, outloud so it's real, that my budget is... Groceries and Gas. That's it. Everything else isn't necessary. Well, we are out of toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner... so, I may already have to bend the rules a little. But a girl has got to shower!

I am so lucky to be 24, a homeowner and debt free. I have zero credit card debt. And it's because I am crazy about paying off my credit card each month. I will not let it carry a balance. I am so glad my parents taught me that valuable lesson when I was younger (and probably rolling my eyes).

Mom and Dad, Thank you for teaching me this lesson and telling me horror stories about how people didn't know they had to pay the balance ever. Thank you for doing this through the eye rolls, shoulder shrugs and text messages. I heard you. And, most importantly, I listened.

I am now on my GG budget (so it at least sounds cute) until further notice. Please don't ask me to have dinner with you... I will say yes and then cancel. (Same theory as the online shopping... at least I could say yes briefly)

Tonight from the grocerie: Flank steak stuffed with mozzarella cheese and cauliflower smash. Hey, if I'm going to be on the GG budget... I'm going to shop the Publix sales that I LIKE.

Toodles.