Two Blisters Later..

Today, after Evan got home from the office, we went to the driving range to "whack some balls" (that's for Maggie, although I believe I am far from a hole in one like Maggie has gotten!!!) It has only been two hours since I was at the driving range, breaking in my new clubs for the first time, and I already have two blisters and a third is not far behind, so I thought I should go ahead and type up this blog before I can't move any of my fingers tomorrow and my arms are sore (apparently I have a bit tough of a grip)! :)

Alan Harper didn't think I would need a glove and therefore did not buy me one (that's for Dick), but don't you worry - I will have one very soon (gloves for women on their right hand are a bit hard to come by, I now have found out), and will no longer play without a glove.  It wasn't really an Alan Harper/ EBob moment, it really just didn't cross our minds. Evan doesn't use one, so it's not really anything he thought about me needing.  If I can get over these blisters quickly, and the weather isn't 17 degrees and windy, I think we may go play a round of golf this weekend.  After shooting through 120 balls at the driving range today, I am ready to take on the course!

This picture below makes it look MUCH closer than it actually is, but it is zoomed in so you can see it well, but way out in "left field" of the driving range there is an old beat up Suburban that everyone always aims for. I hit it several times from the side or top and bounced up under the bumper a time or two - not to toot my own horn, but I was pretty excited!  Don't ask Evan how many times he hit it :)

On another positive note, I weighed in today, for the first time in two weeks (I was in Mobile last week).  I told myself before I left to weigh in. that if I was up anything under 3ish pounds I would be happy, because I had been on a not so great streak for a few days, but was BEYOND delighted when I found out I was actually DOWN .6!  No, .6 is not such a big number, but down is down, and when I was convinced I would be up, that .6 seemed a lot larger! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.  I am CONVINCED to be down a total of 20 before leaving for vacation soon, so lets hope I can make it happen!! :)

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short and sweet..

Just a short and sweet post / update and a few cute pictures - cute now that the events have already taken place! :)

First of all, Bella is not so sure what to do besides stare out the window when the people are here cutting the grass - I obviously lock her doggy door so she can't go out there and harass them, but after trying to get outside once, she just perched herself right up like this and started at the man with the lawnmower, wondering what he could possibly be doing in HER yard...

This evening, while we were just hanging out in the basement, Evan went into the guest room to use the restroom, came out of the door to the right of this next picture (that we keep shut so that Bella doesn't go in there when we leave her at home with free roam of the basement) and Bella jumped up at him and well made him hunch over like this because of her aim.  Yesterday, we were throwing a toy, and it landed on the chair, and Bella did all but get on the chair to get the toy back, and was successful. This time, she immediately hopped halfway on the chair like her daddy to see if he was OK, she is usually pretty quick to realize she owes someone an "I'm sorry, I love you" :)

Then she followed it with kisses to make sure he knew she was really sorry - such a sweet pup!

On a completely different note, I received two VERY encouraging compliments that helped me to keep on trucking on the diet bandwagon.  I have to admit it is always hardest when out of town, and when we have guests in town to stay on the bandwagon.  Instead of weighing in this past week I was in Mobile, eating all the yummy southern food.  I tried hard to be good, but I guess I will find out for sure on Wednesday morning!  I doubt after the last two weeks I have that this week will be a big mile marker on the weight loss trail, but I am hoping the following week will be - then i will share my status! :)

Thank you to (those that will remain anonymous) sweet people in my life that keep me encouraged and motivated!! XO

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A Serious Case of Baby Fever....

Don't get any big ideas, but if this sweet little angel doesn't give you baby fever, I don't think anything will!!! I am not going to lie, I have been one of those girls that had baby fever on and off before I even had a serious boyfriend, but now that baby fever is just that much more real.  No, we still are not ready to have a baby just yet though - we still have some more pre-child traveling to do! :)  

Wednesday afternoon we took food over to the Handmacher's house and I admittedly baby hogged sweet Alice the ENTIRE time, I literally had her in my arms within 2 minutes of getting there and didn't give her back until we were leaving - thank you Dana and family for letting me baby hog the sweet sweet girl!! 

Melanie and Billy also came over while we were there, and Melanie said something along the lines of "are you sure you wouldn't rather have a baby than travel some more- you sure look happy holding that baby!!" 

She is very right, babies absolutely melt my heart, BUT we still have more traveling and newlywed adventures to be had before a baby will come into our family! And don't worry, I can't sit still for long, so I am sure once we have kids we will continue to travel, it of course will just be totally different, and more kid friendly travel and adventures! In the meantime, I absolutely love borrowing other people's babies! :)

She was quite the snuggle bug, but apparently didn't want her picture taken at first...

William was SUCH a love bug himself, and was giving everyone BIG hugs and showing so much affection, he kept loving giving my mom huge bear hugs, it was so sweet!!

A little shut eye in the midst of my baby hogging her...

And then we also had lots of time to chat and look at each other - I love her so much already, and can't wait to watch her grow up!  Her nursery is absolutely adorable and so nostalgic filled with so many sweet things from when Dana and her sister Jill were kids.  I even recognized the pictures from when we were little and being at their house! So much fun!  I can't wait to see her again, and get another baby fix! :)

Moonpies and beads, oh my!!

On Monday I headed down to Mobile. The number one reason was to meet Miss Alice Rose, but it turned into quite the quick, fun filled trip to Mobile. Before leaving Monday, though, I got to babysit this sweet little girl.... What a bundle of energy of fun!

I'm going to miss Elizabeth when they move back to Mobile, so hope I get to "babysit" Her several more times before they leave. :)

My poor cousin Jana ended up in the hospital and having gallbladder surgery during her vacation to Mobile, so although it was not planned and definitely wish it was under different circumstances, I got to see this adorable little cousin of mine, Lee!! His sister Ayla too of course, but she was too busy running around chasing my dad to get a picture :)

On Tuesday, dad and I headed downtown for Mardi Gras day - parades prior to Mardi Gras are an experience, but you haven't seen anything until you have seen Mardi Gras day in Mobile....

While waiting for the parade with beverage in hand (no, it's not water!) I ran into Tripp. He is genuinely one ofte funniest people I know. He graduated from UMS but didn't start there until I ha already switched to SPS, so we really only know each other through family friends. We joke that we only see each other at Jewish Weddings- it started at Noah and Lara's , then we were just in Beaver Creek with him or Abby and Cliff's, and Scott and Avery are next!!

Here is the picture we took and sent to Evan while he was a work - Tripp was quite disappointed Evan wasn't there, but was proud to show off his Beaver Creek souvenir vest!

The theme of the KOR parade this year was "Dirty Jobs"- yes, like the show! About a month or so ago the show was in mobile showing how those big silver balloon looking things were made- they're actually tried animal bladders- GROSS. I was appalled that this whole time being from mobile I had no idea, so this picture is for Julie and Evan who sat there and watched the gross episode with me!! :)

Mr Sam after his post parade snack of an entire bowl of guacamole!! What a cutie!

Waiting for the parade..

Some of the girls waiting for the parade...

And somehow I was also convinced to get in the guys picture too!!

Ronnie and Sam decided climbing under the table at the Friedman's office (where we gathered for lunch after KOR parade) was the best plan!

All in all it was a fun day, and the first time I can remember being in Mobile for FAT Tuesday since high school!!

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Heading home for some family, cousin, sweet baby love ... and some moon pies!

I am headed home later this morning for a few days in Mobile! I was asked a few days ago to babysit sweet Elizabeth Handwerger since Adam is in El Salvador using his doctor skills for a great cause, and Camilla had an appointment, so I get to watch sweet Elizabeth! I am so excited to see her again - I will miss getting to see her grow up as often when they move back to Mobile, but she is at a super fun age!!

My trip home is a multi purpose trip, and has now turned into an even more multi purpose trip! I have been wanting to get home to see sweet baby Alice Rose, my cousin Dana's baby girl, and things have been so crazy, that I haven't had a chance yet! So I figured I would go home for Mardi Gras day for the first time in as long as I can remember (probably high school!!) and also get to meet sweet Alice and of course see her adorable brothers William and Jay! 

My cousin Brian and his wife Jana have been in Mobile for the weekend celebrating Mardi Gras, and were schedule to leave today. We were going to be just missing each other. Unfortunately. very early Sunday morning Jana went to the Emergency Room at a hospital in Mobile, and has been told she has to have Gall Bladder surgery. Poor sweet Jana- definitely NOT the way anyone wants vacation to turn out! While I most definitely wish it was not under these circumstances. it is always nice to get to see Brian and Jana and of course Ayla and Lee!! Sending lots of love and prayers Jana's way this morning as she undergoes her surgery today in Mobile. Hope everyone has a fantastic week! Ready to get lots of cousin love, baby love, and catch some moon pies! :)

Freedom, At Last!!

Ever since we got Bella, she has been pretty strictly crate trained.  At first it was not easy, but as of lately. at night she just walks in there on her own when she is tired, and during the day when I leave the house, she walks in there without any fight and is always happy to be set free.  As Dick and Betti know very well, she is not so easy to go in her crate in the middle of the day for Evan. however :)  We decided to start leaving her for "short" periods of time alone in the basement - so far so good.  I would love to know if she gets daring and gets on the couch, but i did fluff up the bean bag bed today right before we left, and it was obvious (sunken in in the middle) that she had been on that! :)  It's ok - she knows she can be there, I just wish I knew what she did while we were gone, but I probably will never know, and as long as everything is the way we left it and in tact, she can keep her new found freedom! :)  It has been rainy. so we have not been leaving the doggy door open, plus I don't want her to spend the ENTIRE time outside, or she will have eaten an entire bush by the time we get home. so we will only open the doggy door slowly as we leave her home for longer and longer periods of time! 

Evan very rarely gets on the big bean bag, usually it is just Bella or me and Bella.  She was a bit confused when last week Evan was on it.... she decided to wrestle him a little....

Evan decided to hide under the blanket from her, but she kept nudging him, so he reached out for a peace offering chin scratch....

Bella wanted to make sure that he knew he wasn't getting off so easy with resting...

Last chance, daddy - take the toy or else....

I'll just pounce on top of you and show you who is boss!!

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Ain't No Mountain High Enough!

This weekend, Evan, Bella. and I headed up to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The guy that runs Evan's office owns a cabin up there and has been begging us to pick a date to go, so this weekend we picked before "winter" is over and while we don't already have plans, as the next few weeks seem to already be jam packed!  Bella asked if we could stop at Chik Fil A on the way, so indeed we did! :)

As we were getting more and more out in the "booneys", I turned and looked at Bella and she was giving me this worried look...

I am pretty sure she was thinking this is looking a little too familiar, and she was looking for reassurance that we were not returning her to where she originally came from! :) 

Love small. tiny, 300 people towns .... the Shrine Circus was collecting money at the stop sign in the middle of the street-  of course we made sure to contribute-  in honor of Papa! :)

When we first got to the cabin, after unpacking, Bella was a bit "skitzy" and hesitant everywhere we went.... after about 20 minutes of sniffing out the two crates that were there, she seemed a bit calmer, but was beyond curious why the crates and the scents of Ed's two dogs were there, but no dogs to be found!

Luckily the cabin had a small fenced in area up front for the dogs - Bella was not willing to go in alone, she waited by her daddy's side to show her the ropes!

The views out all sides of the cabin were absolutely beautiful!

Evan grilled us a delicious dinner, and we relaxed all night!  It is so serene and quiet up there-  you don't realize how much of a hustle and bustle you live in until you get away from it all!

When it was time for bed, Bella didn't seem to want to leave our side. We put her in her crate, and for the first 20 minutes she cried non stop - Evan thought maybe she needed to go to the bathroom, but she didn't instead, she then refused to go back in her crate.  i don't think she was a fan of all the other dog scents, so she came upstairs with us.  After checking herself out in the mirror for some time, she finally calmed down and laid down.  Why lay on the comfy pillow bed we brouht her, though, when she can lay on the hardwood floor! :)

It was time for bed, shockingly, she must have been exhausted from all the excitement and slept like this all night right below me on the side of the bed! I woke up before she did, but what a sweet thing, waking up to this...

On Saturday morning, after neither Evan nor I slept so well., and my allergies and were going insane with all the dog hair EVERYWHERE all over the house, we checked the weather forecast, and it was going to get pretty bad in the late afternoon. We decided the best plan was to head home early, so we lounged around some and then packed up and headed home Saturday afternoon.  Sometimes getting away is so peaceful and calming, and sometimes it makes you even possibly miss the hustle and bustle! :)

Bella LOOOOVED the ride down the mountain with her window open!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope everyone had a day filled with love.  I love that although I am married and an adult, that my dad still calls me to ask me to be his Valentine - I told Evan that my dad beat him to asking me to be his Valentine - and he said "I thought I didn't have to ask anymore" :)  For many many years my daddy and mommy were my Valentines, and always will be, along with my husband now!

 As one of my dear friends put it yesterday in such perfect words, so I am going to share it word for word with you : "Happy Valentine's Day. Why focus on just one day to let the people you love know? Shout it from the rooftops, say it over the phone, sing it out loud, and not just today. There are no guarantees, so take advantage of the time you have and love hard every day." - these wise wise words came straight from one of the strongest, most caring people I know, and her and her family are going through QUITE a huge amount right now, including her father's terminal / non treatable illness.  I don't think she could have said it better!  EVERY day we should show our love to all of our loved ones, we shouldn't wait until there is a "holiday" to do so, however, it is also nice to use the holiday as an EXTRA special day to show the ones you love how much you love them!

Yesterday afternoon, Evan posted this picture to my facebook wall...

I think many people thought that was a picture of flowers he had given me (although that is most definitely not my house lol )  - instead those were "virtual flowers" and he thought he was a laugh and a half with it!  I actually thought those were my Valentine's flowers and thought well that was quite the "EBob" moment, but I know how much he loves me regardless, and I don't need the real things to prove it.  Much to my surprise, he showed up a few hours later with my own beautiful REAL LIFE red roses and a special gift, and we followed it with a nice dinner at The Palm.  We had never been, but it was delicious!! Places around town book up MANY days in advance, so luckily Evan had thought it through all the way and planned ahead!  Evan had one of his favorite things-  lobster, and wasn't too shy to use the bib they encouraged (thank goodness, on saving me the stain remover! :) )

As if sweet Bella needed any more reason to know just how much we love her, she also celebrated with a few extra treats and some kisses! 

Wishing all of our family and friends a very Happy Valentine's Day!!  WE LOVE YOU!! XO

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After a long walk on Chardonnay we went to Cabernet... And had a bottle of Pinot

This past weekend Dick and Betti came to visit, and we had an absolute blast! We laughed until we cried, ate too much (including challah - more on that later- but yes, I finally tried making it - I don't take challenges lightly- I took Dick's challenge and ran with it, and he even ended up with two different kinds to "taste test"), had a few glasses of wine, went shopping, inhaled/breathed in plastic on fire, and some of us were even not so bright and went on a walk around the neighborhood while it was colder than Unalakleet, Alaska. While on the walk, Dick noticed that the big circle in our neighborhood's road is "Chardonnay Court" - and said, "so you mean we are walking around Chardonnay then going to dinner at Cabernet in a little bit - people might think we have a problem!!" Love it - Cabernet with a bottle of Pinot was delicious and it was fun to have them here for the weekend!

Let's be honest, most people have never even heard of Unalakleet, Alaska, but in fact we know all about it, and when around Dick usually know the temperature there! (and now also know the spelling of it! :) )  Yes, Atlanta had a lower temperature than there on Saturday when Dick said maybe we should take Bella for a walk, Evan said sounds good, and I said I am feeling a bit lazy, a lap around the neighborhood sounds like a good plan  - Betti wins for being the smart one of the group and staying inside - we FROZE the whole way and ran inside and all made coffee or tea! 

In one of our shopping stops and finally tracking down a Brookstone store (apparently they are closing all over the place!) Dick found a fun "toy" for Lucy and Bella - what he means is, for Evan and himself - they are remote control helicopters you fly up to 50 feet - Dick was right though, when he knew Bella would be quite intrigued by it - here is Bella watching Evan give it a try!! (try being the key word)

After our walk, Bella was the only one that wasn't freezing cold, but she was a little tired, so it was time for a little rest, so that we did - how can you say no to a cuddle with this face...

On Sunday, Evan tried to prove to Dick that our fireplace doesn't give off too much heat as we sat here and froze before lunch-  the cool temps only got better when the fire place flue kept flying back open after the fire was out and Evan closed it back!  After several attempts, Bella thought she would step in and help Evan close it, and now we are rigged with duct tape - classy indeed! 

All in all it was a fabulous weekend, although I failed to get a single picture with Dick or Betti in them - its always fun when Dick and Betti come to town, and when they leave Evan has a new  "list" of things to work on from Dick - fireplace is next on the list - then we will find more to work on! :)  We look forward to their next visit!!

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What we have been up to!

On Thursday Miss Bella got a bath at PetSmart  - I usually give her baths in between her grooming/ haircuts, but she has been shedding her puppy fur in CLUMPS at a time (Julie, you were right, I am glad I was warned, or might have been worried!!) so I thought maybe having a professional bathe and brush her out really well would help.  Luckily it has helped.  When we picked her up, she had a cute little springtime bow in her hair.  I was shocked - I tried to put a bow on her one time and she spazzed and scratched it off right away.  It didn't seem to phase her from the second we picked her up until she went to bed that night, so Evan and I didn't think anything of it, and I said well heck, its kinda cute, we will leave it be for now! 

Here she is right when we got home from the bath, posing with her little ponytail on top...

Little did I know, that she would later think that eating her barrette and leaving the bow behind would be the best middle of the night snack -  when I went to get her the next morning, the bow (fabric part) was laying on the floor of her crate and the clip part, and tiny pearl that was on top of the bow were nowhere to be found - good thing she doesn't need to go through a metal detector! :)  We called the vet and they said it should be small enough to pass through and to not worry unless she acts "different" - well Bella has most definitely not acted any different.

Friday was a BEAUTIFUL day - I am absolutely LOVING this "winter" weather, and I had lots of quick errands in and out to run, so Bella went with me - she LOOOVES car rides!!

Evan came home from work on Friday and decided to take a nap as he was not feeling well before my parents got in town for the weekend .. I walked in and found Bella sitting down watching golf on TV, while Evan was sleeping - I guess she really is a Robinson :)

She has officially learned how to CATCH objects, which has made it more fun for us, as she usually let us just throw it and she would go get it, now she leaps and lunges backwards and forwards to try and catch it before it hits the ground.... the only problem is, sometimes she sits a little too close,  making it a pretty easy game...

My parents got here Friday evening and we all went to dinner with Carly and David - we had a fun evening together, and got home pretty late, but it was still time to feed Bella.  Bella seems to eat less when there are more people around as she would much rather play than eat.  Since we were worried about her stomach, I really wanted to make sure she would eat - she LOOOOVES my dad - she follows him around every step he takes in this house, and was looking for him yesterday when we came back from brunch and they were on the road to Mobile - I am pretty sure she was thinking, what the heck did you do with the fun guy that lets me get away with anything!

My dad was convinced he could get her to eat, so he got down on the ground with her and "pretended" to eat her food to see if maybe she would follow along and do the same -- after another round of playing, she did fall for it and finally ate!

Saturday we went to lunch with some family friends that my parents had not seen in a while and ran around doing a few things.  Evan and my dad fixed our closet shelf that seems to continuously fall off the wall -- I think this time it actually worked - thanks dad and Evan (for being his partner in crime)! Saturday night after Sushi, Dad and Bella enjoyed more play time, and Bella literally was able to pull him along the floor by tugging so hard on the other end of the rope!  She might be cute, but she is one strong girl!

We all had a great weekend with my mom and dad in town, and finished the weekend off by going over to Elizabeth's house for the Super Bowl.  Elizabeth's mom and dad, Camilla and Adam were so sweet to have us over.  We love getting to see sweet Elizabeth grow and now RUN around the house, and of course love spending time with all Handwergers! :) She is just over a year old, and I swear she could probably beat several adults in a short distance sprint - its unreal how fast she can go!

I have a busy week ahead of me, many Pinterest recipes to try out for a girl's night I am having here on Thursday night!  It's hard being on a diet and trying all these yummy new recipes - wish me luck, I'm gonna need some serious willpower, and hope they eat it all up so I don't have all this food left in my house after! After girl's night here Thursday, we then have another fun weekend in store with more out of town visitors!!  We love it, and are looking forward to seeing Dick and Betti!

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