A Blog Award and Favorite Friday's!

So I forgot to tell y'all (yes, I'm a born and raised Texan, we say y'all - I promise it's not just for effect, I do not, EVER, say you all or you guys.  I know none other than y'all.  My favorite is when we go out of town and I, not thinking, say "do y'all have {insert item here}" and I get the CRAZIEST looks, the best was when we went to NYC.  I literally had a guy say "Y'ALL?  Where are you from?"  HA!) that I got a blog award from Jen over at A Girl in Pearls and a Boy With Toys (is that not the CUTEST title!?!?) and I'm SO honored! 

Another fun thing my fellow bloggy friend I mentioned up there is doing is jumping on the "week-of-the-day" feature train.  Seriously I'm not even going to have to think of what to blog anymore.  This is greatness.  Her feature is called ...

Favorite Fridays!

This week's topic is: Favorite Vacation Spot

Now, this one's not easy for me.  Because I LOVE to travel!  Really though, who doesn't?  I thought about saying here ...

NYC at Christmas.  Because it was one of my all-time favorite trips with my mister ...

Or here ...

Cancun this past Christmas.  Because it was JUST what we needed at JUST the right time ...

Or here ...

Sonoma, CA in the wine country.  Because it was SUCH a fun trip, celebrating our friends gettin' hitched and doin' a little wine tastin' in between ...

Or here ...

Vegas.  Because Vegas is always fun.  Especially for your Silly's (for new readers, my Silly is my Sister-in-Love, it stands for Sister In Law Loves You) bachelorette party ...

Or maybe even here ...

Cabo.  Because I was celebrating one of my bestie's gettin' hitched with a bunch of my favorites ...

But I think it will always have to be here.  Even if we will probably never get to go back ...

Bora Bora.  Because that's where I spent my first vacation as the luckiest girl on earth.  As Mrs. Fulmer.  Plus it's just stinkin' gorgeous.  Pardon these pics, it was BEFORE we had a digital camera ...

DISCLAIMER:  I was REALLY tiny when I got married (who wasn't?) so please don't leave comments saying "That doesn't even look like you!" because I will find you and beat you up.  Not really, but maybe.

See that little table?  You can feed the fishies by removing the lid!  There's a light you can switch on which makes the fish come to it!  Coolest. thing. ever.

HELLO monstrous teef!  That's what happens when you barely eat for oh ... 6 months before your wedding ... 

Yep, that's me.  With sharks.  Scariest day of my life.  I'm terrified of sharks.  Great idea to go on an excursion with a crazy island man (in a sarong/borderline diaper mind you) who gets in the water and THROWS CHUM for them to come to you.  I'm pretty sure I peed in the ocean ...

They brought us breakfast, BY CANOE, and set it up in our room!  Everyone here speaks French by the way.  They all sound so elegant ... but look like Sumo wrestlers.  Very weird demographic ...

Our last night at dinner over-looking the ocean.  Which you can't tell I know (I'm telling you people, these were "throw away" cameras, I had no idea what I was gonna get), that's why I felt the need to "caption" ...

It was the trip of a lifetime.  The mister and I have talked about going back, but it'll have to be on like our 25th wedding anniversary and we may have to save from now until then ...

In other news, I have a REALLY funny story to tell you, but I'll wait until Monday (or MAYBE I'll blog over the weekend, GASP) because I this one's getting really long, with the picture overload n' all.  I hope you all have a BEAUTIFUL weekend loverlies!!!

Thoughtless Thursday ...

Okay girls (and boy).  I totally (like, fur sure, ahkay! - sorry, the "totally" made me go temporary Valley-girl) made this up.  So you're going to have to give me your feedback on whatcha think.  Mmmk?

I have a lot of friends that do a "themed" day of the week (like Kelsey's fantastically fun feature, Wishful Wednesday and my bloggy soulmate, Miss Kriss's, Feel Good Friday) and I've been toying around with the idea of coming up with one of my own (truthfully so one day of the week I don't have to actually THINK about what to blog about ... lazy you say?  nah ... i like to think of it as lackadaisical ...).  And, mainly because I didn't have anything to write about today which left me literally sitting at my desk thinking "th" "thhhh" what goes with Thursday that starts with "thhhh" ... ?  And thoughtless was all I could come up with.  No, I don't mean I am going to dedicate a day every week to kicking your cube-mate's desk all day long until they "can't stand it no mo'", taking candy from children or being incredibly (or more than usual that is) impatient at Starbucks/the drive through/the check out line at the grocery store.  I mean a post where there is no thought involved you just picture SATURATE.  And who doesn't like pictures, right girls (and guy)?  So here's my ridiculously dorky button I made on Picnik ...

Steal it and use it for yours or don't, either or is fine by me.  But if you do, please linky or McLinky (Kelsey I just think that word is SUPER funny) or McDreamy or whatever me and my blog and tell people where you got it, k?  I'd SO appreciate it loves.  Spanks.  Anyway, moving right along ... here's my topic today.  Since a lot of you were asking for/chanting with picket-raised signs "more Koda, MORE KODA!" after my jogging story about his lack of yanking me off my feet and/or my arm out of it's socket, and since I didn't want a sit-in to be staged, here you go.  Since (sounds like I'm knocking a lot of "since" into this blog post ... get it?  since I said since like um-teen times up there?  I know, insert boo-hiss's and thumbs down here.  But I just couldn't resist) I got my new camera, I've been using Koda as my new "guinea-dog" ... and I'm not sure he minds it.  You'll see what I mean. 

Disclaimer:  I WAS going to put cute little quippy phrases (phrased like I'm pretty sure Koda thinks, mixed in with a little LOL Cats-speak - PS - if you don't know what this is, google it.  it's HU-LARIOUS) on these in Picnik but after completing my button it's notsomuch being my friend tonight (yes tonight, you read that right, I post my blogs the night before so as to not be a-bloggin' while I should be a-workin') so above or around them will have to do ...

I'm 2 sexy 4 mah ... sqeeker toy ...

I'm a modul, ya no wud I meen, and I du mah wittle turn on dah catwa ... WHAT?  WHERE?  CAT?  WHAT CAT?!?!  GET THE CAT!!!

Mom now speaking:  MELT my HEART brown-eyed-boy!  And don't ask how he scratched his nose, cause I don't knows ...

Um ... dis is mine.  Don' tuch it, k?

Ma, I caint be botha'd, I'm snoooozzzin', k?

Ma, stop smellin' my pawz I's imburessed ...

Sewiusly, dis is gettin' ree-diculuf ...

K Ma, r u happy now, I's WYDE wake!

And that's it friends.  Have fun loading pictures of ... well, whatever you want on your own blogs (if you feel like participating)!  Maybe eventually I'll have topics, but for now I'll just leave it at whatever you want.  That's why I called it "Thoughtless Thursday"!

Wishful Wednesday ...

Disclaimer:  My mister will HATE this post ...

Sweet Kelsey over at The Seattle Smith's does this fantastically FUN feature (try saying that 5 times fast) at her adorable blog called ...  

Wishful Wednesday (if you haven't done it before) works like this.  Tuesday night, Kelsey puts out the Wishful Wednesday topic (giving all of you that need a little time to think and mull things over, unlike those of us that just say whatever comes to mind WHENEVER it comes to mind ...) Then, on Wednesday you post on your blog about that topic and do some little do-dad called McLinky (which I'm going to figure out here shortly) and voila!  You have yourself a wishful Wednesday.  So head on over there and participate on your own blog!

This week's topic is ....

'I wish' .... I could play a character's role in a book and it would be Bella Swan!

REALLY?  Do I really have to say it?  From The Twilight Series.  Duh.

And I put a picture of the book because this is how I originally fell in love with, well Edward.

Yes, I said "fell in love".  Let's just be honest here.  I finished the first book of the series (or "vampire porn" as one of my bestest friends' husband puts it) in about 2 weeks.  And if you're not pyschotically addicted a fan (which you should be.  sorry ladies I'm just sayin' it's good for the ... soul ...) these suckers are LO-NG.  It wasn't because the writing is so elequent (it's for 14 year olds, it's not rocket science kids) or because I identified with the main character (she's an akward, yet perfect and sought-after by all the boys, new girl at a new school - let me remind you I was a CHUB-BY, albeit humorous, DEFINATELY not sought-after by all the boys, girl that grew up in the same school district all her life)  It was because I fell in love.  And I mean head over heels.  With a blood-sucking, (only animals that is. thank goodness they didn't get graphic on this part, good ole Stephanie may have lost me) cold-skinned, pale and white as a sheet, vampire.  Edward Cullen.  Gracious that name still makes me giddy.  And ladies, I am a VERY happily married woman, to an incredible man who is all I ever dreamed of and more, and STILL, every day after work, I couldn't WAIT to come home to this guy ...

SQUEEEEAAALLLLLLL.  I will tell you, that when I started reading the book, there was no face to my new obsession crush.  Oh but no matter.  I read on ... and on ... and on ... with giddyness and goosebumps until I literally couldn't keep my eyes open from sleep deprivation.  And my love affair with a fictational vampire began.  However, when the movie came out, it just cemented the face to go with the words on the page.  And what a face it was.  It's okay.  My mister knows he's on my list ... Edward Cullen that is, I DO love Rob Pattinson, but the "person" (I say that lightly) on the list IS, in all actuality, Edward Cullen.  Fangs n' all.

So there you have it friends.  I would be Bella Swan.  OH to be Bella Swan.  And I'm going to go ahead and predict that about 3/4 of the other ladies that do the McLinky thing (whatever that is) will have the same answer.  I mean, COME ON, how could you NOT?!!?  Oh and PS, I'm shamefully about to start reading them again ... I've already prepared myself for the poking fun and Edward-bashing I'm going to get from the mister ... but it's all worth it.

Swoon, squeal, shriek! 

I heart you Edward Cullen.  But I heart my mister more.

MASH, Truth or Dare and Ding Dong Ditch ...

Remember when you were in 7th or 8th grade and you played those fun little games listed up there?  Or heaven forbid, the borderline pagan game (although we didn't know it at the time) "Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board"?  Or called boys you and your girlfriends liked and hung up the phone (one reason I thank the LORD caller ID wasn't around when I was 13, can I get an amen?) and then squealed with giddyness?  Well, today is going to be "8th grade Tuesday" because I DON'T have much to talk about (gasp!) and because I secretly LOVE these ridiculous quizzes.  Plus I thought it'd be a fun way for some (most) of you that don't know me in person to "get to know" me (not that telling you my shoe size is deep and personal but at least it lets you know that I have HUGE feet.  No seriously ... there is no rhyme or reason for a girl all of 5' 3" to have size 8 1/2, some days approaching 9, feet ...)


(And yes friends, that's me.  Top row.  Far right.  This was for our HUGE (and seriously, I mean huge.  Like we had close to 500 people a night at the shows.  I went to the church that many in the Dallas area lovingly refer to as The Baptidome ... it was Baptist.  Get it?) Christmas production we put on every year.  There's my MOH, see her 2nd row from the top, far left?  We always say "We're cute best friends." Mainly because she's modely gorgeous tall and I'm ... well a munchkin.  HULLO high school!  I think we were sophmores this year ...)

So, AWAY we go ladies!  PS - Pardon this quiz.  I found it online.  Some of these are spelled AWESOMELY (I'm talking txt talk) and I'm going to leave them because I feel like it adds to the "8th grade" effect ...

WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME?:  Seriously people?  This is the WWW.  I'm not putting my full name out there for all the world (that's being a little presumptious Kate, all the world does NOT read your blog and don't they already know your name is Katie Fulmer?  What is saying Kathryn Wells Fulmer going to do ... EEK you gave away your name whilst dictating your inner-dialogue!)

NICKNAMES?:  Um, how much time do you have?  Here we go.  Kate, Katearoo, Princess, Sugar, KK, Wells, Kewpie, Katie Lady, Roo, MOH, Katie Bug and there's some that are nunya cause my mister calls me them ;0)

SINGLE OR TAKEN?: Duh.  Have you SEEN my mister?  I'm taken.  And taken good. 

BIRTHDAY?: Yep.  I've got one.  Duh.

ZODIAC SIGN?: The peace sign?  I don't know I really don't like the whole "what's your sign" biz.

AGE?: Yep.  I have one.  Duh.

HAIR?:  Yep.  I got some.  Sheesh, these questions are too easy ...

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: You're being a little too personal here WWW quiz ... I mean I love these ladies, but I don't know that they're not really 40 year old men creepin' my blog every day ... we're just going to stick with what we know and say the DFW Metroplex ...

WHAT COLOUR UNDERWEAR ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?: Um, for reals?  Nunya.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?: This.  Duh.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU DID?: This.  Duh.

WHAT IS RIGHT NEXT TO YOU: My mouse along with it's cute mousepad.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU ATE OUT WITH?: Excuse me.  Can we please re-phrase the way this question is worded.  Ew.  The last person I WENT TO DINNER with was my mister.  At Dickey's.  Remember?  Pay attention blog quiz!

IF U WERE A TOY, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?: Oh a Barbie, FOR SURE.  Not because I look like one but because I want to.  And maybe because I played with them until I was 14 but that's neither here nor there ...

WHERE WOULD YOU WANT TO GO ON YOUR HONEYMOON?: Been there, done that.  And it would be the place that we went.  Bora Bora.  Let's have a visual shall we?

Yep, that's our hut we stayed in ... You can feed the fishies through the floor ... Amazing.

(PS - I'm going to do a whole post about this during our anniversary month ...)

WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH?: This guy.  Right here ...

That's why I'm in a wedding dress!

HOWS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW?: Supposed to be snowing starting at 5am this morning.  I have yet to see it ...

LAST PERSON YOU SPOKE TO ON THE PHONE?: Da mister.

LAST PERSON WHO TEXT YOU: Last person who text me?  Did you just learn English WWW Quiz?

LAST PERSON YOU TEXT: Okay seriously this is getting ridiculous.  Texted.  TEXTED!

DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?: Considering I sent it to myself.  Yes.  Yes I do.  Well, most of the time that is ...

WHAT DO YOU THINK A TOBLERONE IS?: Holy inside joke between my husband and I.  Sugar, I can't believe this is a question.  I think it's VERY fancy chocolate that you can ONLY get in Switzerland ... or Target ... or at every department store in the country, but whatev.

U WEARING RIGHT NOW?: I sure am wearing right now ... clothes, to be exact.

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?: Negative ghost-writer.

WHO DO CONSIDER YOUR CLOSEST/BESTEST FRIEND?: In the real-world?  My mom and my MOH.  In blog world?  Miss Kriss.  LOVES her.  And we've never even "met".  Oh but we will.  Don't you worry.

WHAT WAS THE BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO YOU?: Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile way and you have their shoes.

DO U OWN A VEHICLE?: Kind of.  Just 82 billion more payments and it's OURS!

HAVE YOU EVER WON A SPECIAL AWARD?: BLOG awards!  That's ... about it.  Thank GOODNESS for my blog friends!

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?: Get older.

FAVOURITE FOOD?: Pretty sure we didn't spell favORite right here kids ... And I'm going to go with Thanksgiving food.  Thank goodness I only get it one week (HELLO left overs) out of the year.  I'd be the size of the car I don't own ...

FAVOURITE FILM: Stop it.  Stop spelling favORite like that ... Remember when I said I wouldn't care about this?  Apparently, I lied.

LAST FILM YOU SAW AT CINEMA?: Apparently this is a British quiz ... who the smack says CINEMA?  It was Valentine's Day bythaway.

FAVE BOYS COLOGNE: Even spelling FAV wrong are we?  Whatever my mister's wearing ...

FAVE GIRLS PERFUME: Quel Que Fleur (LOVE), Burberry Brit, Trish McAvoy No. 9, Stella.

DO YOU LIKE TO DANCE?: After a glass or two of wine?  Heck yes.

ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK ANYONE OUT?: No.  I'm too married.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR NAME TO ANTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?: Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?: Have.  And am (smile)

WHAT IS THE MOST STUPID THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?: This quiz.

DO YOU LIKE SCARY OR HAPPY MOVIES?: Both.  Depends on if it's close to Halloween or not.  Seriously - I only like to be scared/watch scary anything close to H-Ween.  I have no idea why ...

CHRISTMAS OR EASTER?: Um, I start listening to Christmas music in October.  Duh.  CHRISTMAS.

LUST OR LOVE?: Love.  It lasts longer.

KISSES OR HUGS?: I'm going to cliche-ly say both.  Cause it's true.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?: ONE thing?  About the WHOLE world?  ALL on my shoulders?  This is too much PRESSURE!  So I'm going to be shallow and say my weight.  I'd go back to wedding weight (or maybe about 10 lbs heavier, I might have been borderline malnourished when we got married ...)

WHAT COLOUR ARE YOUR PYJAMAS: Well, (I'm going to ignore the spelling of this word because I just. can't. handle. it.) SHOCKINGLY I have more than one pair ...

WHAT COLOUR'S YOUR TOOTHBRUSH?: Teal.  Any and everything I can possible buy teal, is teal.  I know JLO said it's the color of gangrene but I. LOVE. IT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS QUIZ?: I think I should have packed the necessities before I started ... and maybe paid a visit to the porcelain throne ...

DO U WANT UR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK?: I would LOVE for them to comment!  If I havent' lost them by now ...

WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?: The lovelies that read my blog.

WHO IS THE LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?: President Obama.  And Big Bird.

FAVE PART OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?: Umm ... wink, wink.  Kidding.  Sorry mom.  Come on ladies, you know that made you giggle.  Eyes (along with my mister's eyelashes ...) and his smile.  I'm sorry, apparently I read this question to say "FAV part of your mister?"

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: Not sure.  I'm not in the habit of going around and "feeling things".

WHATS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP?: SHUT. UP.

ROLLER COASTER, SCARY OR WICKED??: I'm sorry, I don't know that I know the difference.  Does ANYONE say wicked anymore?  I'm pretty sure that means evil ... how about, fun?  Because I LURVE them!  Wicked fun maybe?

HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU LET THE PHONE RING BEFORE YOU ANSWER IT?: You say this like I have a choice and don't scramble like a mad-woman to actually FIND it in my purse before I miss the call ...

IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE?: I don't like this question.  Because I inevitably say someone (like John Candy) that makes me sound like an IDIOT because I didn't say someone incredibly influential (like George Washington) ... PASS.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB IN THE WORLD WHAT WOULD IT BE: Wedding planner.  Hands down.  I LOVE planning weddings (and anything for that matter) ...

IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?: Depends on how thirsty I am.

WHATS YOUR FAVE NUMBER?: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 ... kidding.  YAY Lost is on tonight!  Seriously.  Whatever ones win me the lottery ...

FOR GIRLS TO FILL OUT ON GUYS

BOXERS OR Y FRONTS: Y FRONTS?  Is this a thong for men?  This is wrong on so many levels ... where DID this quiz come from!?!?

DARK OR FAIR: my mister.

TALL OR SMALL: JUST right.  LIKE, my mister.

MOST IMPORTANT PHYSICAL FEATURE: Teeth.  That they have them.

CHOCOLATE - WHITE OR MILK?: How did we seguey from talking about preferences in men to chocolate ... ?  White, by the way, but what?

ROOT BEER OR DOCTOR PEPPER?: DP.  All tha way.

MUD OR JELLY WRESTLING?: Well, in my personal time, I actually prefer JELLO.  For the wrestling that is.

SKIING OR BOARDING?: Depends.  Do I want to die or not?

DAY OR NIGHT?: Being that both are equally important, I'm going to go with ... both.

SUMMER OR WINTER?: Um.  Hello, welcome to Texas.  Do you KNOW it hovers around 100 degrees for about 3 months here?  Winter.  Hands down.  I always say, you can put on more clothes, but you can't take more off ... unless you want to get arrested that is.

CAKE OR PIE?: Well if I can have it and eat it too, that would mean I can have both.

SILVER OR GOLD?: Platinum baby.  I can hear my mister.  "You would."

DIAMONDS OR PEARLS?: Sounds like a FANTASTIC combination.  I'll take both.  Wrapped up please.

SUNRISE OR SUNSET?: Sunset.  I'd prefer to be horizontal during the latter.

HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN A BONE?: Nope.  Not mine or anyone elses.

DO YOU WEAR RINGS?: I do.

DO YOU HATE ANYONE: Yep.  Anyone who hurts animals or children.  I know I shouldn't say hate.  But I'm gonna.

ARE YOU LOUD OR QUIET: Depends on what I'm talking about and who I'm talking to ...

DO U BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: I just pinched myself.  And it hurt.  So yes, I do.

I hope you all enjoyed, THE longest post EVER!  At least I had fun doing it ... Happy Tuesday loves!

Weekend, Another Blog Award and, Well That's It.

Good morning lovelies.  Can I just start out by saying you are going to be SO proud of me because I. TOOK. SOME. PICTURES!  I know, I know.  You're shedding a tear because you're so proud of me.  A happy tear of course.  Well, grab a hanky and get excited.

I hope you all had a FANTASTIC weekend.  We (kinda) did ... my poor mister pretty much spent (and by pretty much I mean worked until 2am on Saturday night) the whole time working.  Poor guy.  Don't pity him, because he hates it.  And because he's a super trooper (anyone singing the Abba song?  cause I am ... lights are gonna find me, shining like the sun, smiling having fun ...)  Anyway, moving on.  Friday, once my mister got home, we pretty much went to bed.  I spent the evening flipping back and forth between the Olympics and whatever was on TBS while snuggling with my pup.  He's a good snuggler.  Saturday I slept until 11am ran errands and had a fairly productive day and was gearing up to get ready to go on a date with my mister.  Until all H broke loose with some issues with the job he was working on and he had to cancel.  So LUCKILY two of my sweet friends let me crash their dinner plans.  We had a FANTASTIC dinner at Artens where I had a this yumminess (along with food, I promise I didn't drink my dinner) ... 

(Berry Mojito)

(With this sweet girl, miss Kelly, I HEART her!)

After dinner, I went over to my mom's house for a surprise cake and champagne party for my step-dad, Richie.  Remember?  The one I talked about on Friday?  I have to tell you how HU-LARIOUS this was because of the way my clever momma set it up.  Rich's actual birthday was on Saturday.  Well, being that they have twin 10-year-olds (or the twin-year-olds as I like to call them) they both had games (basketball, I THINK) on the night of his birthday.  The games would put them getting home around 9ish, which would obviously be too late to go to dinner (well, at least for those of us no longer in college ... those were the days ...) or really have any other sort of celebration.  My mom had called all of us previously and told us just to start arriving at the house around 9:30.  So my mom, Rich and the twins get home, and he starts to make a fire and change into comfy clothes and on his way to change the doorbell rings.  My mom said he looked at her with the MOST confused look on his face and said "The ALLENS (some of their best couple friends) are here?!?!"  They played it off real smoothly saying they were in the neighborhood for dinner and they wanted to stop by and say happy birthday.  Shortly after that my aunt Belinda and her beau showed up followed by several other couple friends of my parents.  Rich quickly caught on (he IS the President of his company, that makes him real smart 'n all) that this was planned and we ended up partying until 2am!  RIGHT about the time my mister was leaving work ... poor guy (I know, sorry sugar, I promise I'm not pitying you)  Luckily my Silly and brother were there to keep me entertained (not that the partying grown-ups didn't do so thoroughly) and to take pictures with me as well (much to my brother's dismay, apparently this hatred of pictures is a disease that's catching within the men in my family ...)

 

Oh and PS - don't mind my awesome comb-over bangs ... I wanted to try these suckers out parted on the side and I THINK I may have taken the part a LITTLE too far over thus achieving the mid-80's sprayed wave effect ...

N-E-WAYZ (there it is again!) Sunday we went to church and when we came home I decided I was going to take our energy-FILLED pup for a run.  Now hear me when I say that this is a dangerous endeavor.  Because Koda thinks that when we start jogging he either (a) needs to run in a full sprint "I'm chasing a squirrel" type fashion, (b) thinks it's completely acceptable and or necessary to DART in front of me whenever he so feels, causing me to AWESOMELY trip in front of the 45 strangers driving past us on a busy street or, last but not least (c) decide he NEEDS to smell whatever it is he wants to smell and HALT his 85 lb body while I'm mid-jog causing my WHOLE body to JERK backwards borderline pulling my arm out of it's socket.  But I wanted to jog and this pup had WAY too much energy for my taste.  And that's saying a lot because I think he's adorable no matter what (Even making me trip in front of 52 driving by strangers ... What?  That's a higher number than I stated before you say?  I know.  There's more traffic as the day moves on ...).  Well, I am PROUD to say my little booger did GREAT!  He jogged next to me the whole time.  Didn't try to "stop and smell the roses" more than a hand-full of times and was perfectly tuckered out by the time we got home just enough to keep him from bringing me the squeekiest toy and squeek it in my face 542 times while I'm trying to watch the most emotional part of a movie on TV.  HOORAY!  I think I have a new running route with my bubbers (one of his many nicknames) ...

Finally, last night we were supposed to have Home Group, but considering Matt and I had seen each other for about 3 hours total, and that was including church Sunday morning, we decided to opt for spending the evening together beginning with dinner here ...

Topped off by playing a little game of ...

(I had to post this because it was funny that I got these letters - this describes our little pup to a T ...)

... he's rare because he's white (most are yellow, chocolate or black) AND because he's so. dang. sweet.  I'm probably the only one that thinks this is cute and if so, sorry to bore you.  I'm easily amused.  Oh, and did I mention I beat my mister?  Um, cause I did.  What's that you say sugar?  You want a rematch?  Bring it on!  And I mean that in the most loving way possible of course :0)

And last but not LEAST I got another blog award!  I feel SO honored!  Sweet Summer at Summer's Story gave me THIS lovely blog award ...

So hop on over and show her some love.  Her blog is PRECIOUS and very sweet (as is her ADORABLE daughter)!

And there you have it friends.  That was my thrilling, electrifying (wow, that's dramatic), tentalizing, non-stop excitement of a weekend.  I hope you all enjoyed yours as well!

Blog Award And Nothing In Particular ...

HELLO Friday!  Nice of you to finally join us ... if you don't mind.  Come around sooner next week, mmmk?  Thanks.  I hope today finds you all fantastically well!  I really have nothing to talk about (cue the bathroom break and gathering of food and water, you're in for a long one folks) but I'm SURE something will hit me along the way.  I DO, to start off with, want to tell you that I got a blog award from miss Maria over at Two Hearts Made Four.  Thank you Maria!  Isn't this a cute one bythaway?  I think so ...

This weekend we don't have much planned.  Just a date night with the hubs.  Poor guy has to work his little (cute) fanny off.  I'm not going to lie, I always have a little bit of guilt while my mister is working his fingers to the bone, ON A WEEKEND, and I'm running errands (ahem, shopping) with my mom and lunching with the girls ... don't get me wrong, I get over it.  But I still feel guilty.  This weekend is also my step-dad's birthday.  Happy birthday Richie!

(I know I already put this pic up, but I had to again - this was when the twins were a year and a half, about 10 yrs ago, and my step-dad hasn't changed ...)

{Disclaimer:  My mom will hate this picture of herself.  Because she's squinting.  But I didn't have any more recent ones ... Sorry momma}

See?  I told you - he's age-less.  But I think all men are.  Can we talk about how this isn't fair?  We women just get older and more haggard looking and they just get more sophisticatedly handsome.  Not. fair.  For that, and our monthly visitor, thanks Eve.  Thanks.

  Anyways, back to Richie (and PS I'm pretty sure he hates it when I call him that, but I love it, so he's gotten used to it).  My mom and Rich met when I was 10 years old.  Let me start by saying that after my parents got divorced neither Clay nor I were ever the "make our parent's new love interest's life H-E-Double Hockey Sticks" kinda kids.  We always were nice to them and gave them the benefit of the doubt.  Before Rich, my mom was dating another man.  We shall call him "he who shall not be named" because Richie doesntsomuch like him ... N-E-WAYZ (remember when you used to spell it like that when you were "writing notes" to your friends on PAPER and passing them back and forth between classes?  BEFORE text messages (GASP) and before having a phone that was used ONLY for emergencies (and was the size of your face) because if you called ANYONE it would cost you $82 a minute!?!?  Right, back to Richie ...) N-E-WAYZ ... so when we met Rich he was first off, 7 years younger than my mom (GO MOM! You little cradle robber you) and really. REALLY. loved her.  You could see it.  And that was numero uno importante for this first born.  But also, he was SUPER cool to Clay and I. 

And he has a love for Labradors like no one (besides myself) I've ever met.  Which automatically made me like him.  Any man that doesn't like dogs sets off HUGE red flags with me.  And he had a big yellow one named Dusty.  And she was his main girl (before my mom)  Sadly, we lost her on my mom's birthday a month before the twins were born.  That's when we got Baylor.  Yep, my mom had twin babies, got a LAB PUPPY and sent her first born (muah) off to college ALL within 3 months of each other.  And she's STILL sane, can you BELIEVE IT?  They even got ANOTHER puppy 4 years later (Rigley, i.e. Rigs) and she's still got her sanity (well ... most of it, sometimes it comes and goes like when she leaves her keys in the freezer or tries to stick her credit card in the gas tank, but shhh let's not give her too hard of a time, we'll leave that up to Rich and my mister ...)  And even though we lost Baylor this past October.  They still have two little blondies in their house, and I have no doubt they always will if Rich has something to say about it.  Rigs and Rigs' new little sister, Bentley.  And they're already best friends (Rigs took it pretty hard when Bay Bay died ... as did everyone else) ...

(I mean seriously, can you STAND the cuteness!?!?)

But right, back to Rich.  I will never forget, when my mom broke up with Rich (because she was crazy and "wasn't sure" ... pshhhh, if she'd just asked ME, her 12 year old daughter, I would have set her straight ... I mean since I knew so much about life and love then.  Duh) to go back to "he who must not be named" I YELLED at her, told her I was mad at her and went in my room and (very dramatically) slammed my bedroom door.  I then (and this is borderline PSY-CHO) took a picture I had in my room of me, Clay, Rich and my mom (at Midevil Times, HECK YES) and put a heart around Rich's face, JUST so if she brought ... "he who must not be named" back into the picture (which truthfully he was a nice guy, Richie is just notsomuch fond of him) they would both know I meant BIDNESS!  So, once my mom finally came around to her senses, she married Rich with me as her maid of honor (oh how I WISH I had a scanned picture of this - my mom has the POOFIEST sleeves, as do I, and I'm in an all purple, POOFY sleeved dress with EQUALLY poofy hair and an EQUALLY poofy ... physique ... no seriously, I was 30 lbs heavier than I am now in early high school.  It was NOT. CUTE.) and he has been loving Clay and I as his own ever since.  Providing for us emotionally and financially, when he didn't have to.  Telling my mom that they didn't have to have kids because "Clay and I were enough for him" (lucky for us all, God had different plans for them and blessed us with the twinkies) and has been loving and providing for my mom ever since I was 12 years old when he swept her off her feet.  Thank you Richie for loving my mom, thank you for loving Clay and I like your own and thank you for KILLING the stereo-type that is the word "step-dad".  Cause I've got the best one EVER.  And I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Happy Friday and HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHIE (tomorrow) I love you!!!