Ramblings...

So i am going on my third day of house arrest...just kidding...i am resting because i was sick at the beginning of the week. Had a 24 hr bug in which i had a fever, body aches and chills and a headache. That is the shortest time i have ever been sick! Usually i get a really nasty head cold that lasts for about 2 weeks. Hopefully this will be my only winter cold and now i'm done. Even though i feel better i am taking it easy so i can go to work over the weekend. I had to go home early from work monday night because that is when my fever started. We are extremely busy at work and i can't afford to be sick, so i have been a couch potato these past few days. Which has been incredibly boring. Been watching tons of TV and movies. I watched the Ugly Truth (funny), my sister's keeper (sad), and monsters vs. aliens (cute movie). Plus endless amounts of reality television.

The fur-babies have been keeping us busy. I'm procrastinating getting Brea fixed, but i think i will finally get it done sometime in December.

I'm getting excited for the holidays. I work thanksgiving, but am off christmas and new years eve, yay! Have some holiday parties planned, but am just looking forward to decorating for christmas, which of course can only happen the day after thanksgiving =)

What's your favorite holiday tradition?

It's been a while...

since i updated my blog! I don't even know what's been happening since i updated last. No big events. Brea has gotten bigger and still not housetrained =( I've been working, playing and trying to enjoy the last few days of sunshine we have left. A few weeks ago i did go to seattle with my girlfriends to see my good friend sarah for her birthday. I had a blast, i always do with these girls. We don't get together often, but when we do, it's like old times!

And, i'm so excited, i'm going to san francisco in less than two weeks! I'm going for a neonatal conference and will be there for 5 days. I am going with two co-workers who i always have fun with, so we will have a blast I'm sure! Not quite sure what all we will be doing while we are there as far as sightseeing, but hopefully we can experience the whole city!

I'm also getting excited for the holidays coming up. They will be here before i know it!

Fight fight fight for Washington State...

Guess what time it is?! College football season!! Now i am not much of a sports fan, but i do have to say, i love me some college football and college basketball. Especially my beloved WSU. I know Cougar football hasn't been the greatest of teams lately, but i am still a die-hard fan, and i am going to think positive ; )
I went to a Cougar tailgate event last year and on the handouts they had this quote from Jim Walden, head football coach in the 70's and 80's.

"I can't define it; I can't tell somebody who isn't a Cougar what it's like.

There's something that happens at Washington State, you quietly and subtly become infected. There are very few people I've ever met who have gone to WSU and not come away with a favorable impression...Washington State was a passion. Being a Cougar is a passion."

Since I graduated from WSU in 2005 i've come across a lot of people who hate on the Cougs and bash them when they are having a bad season. I wish i could give them this quote, because you really can't explain it to someone who's never gone to school there.

So needless to say, I am excited to go to Cougs vs. Stanford tomorrow! Other then a game in November, this is the only game i could attend due to my work schedule since i work every other weekend. However, my husband just informed me that WSU is having a swine flu outbreak!!! Now it did cross my mind for a split second to run to work and grab some face masks, but i held back. I don't want to look like an idiot =)

Who is your favorite college sports team?

Go Cougs!!

Scentsy fanatic

I don't know if many of you have heard of scentsy, but i am a total fan! It is a wickless candle so you can have a great smelling house without worrying about setting your house on fire! You put the cubes in the warmer and it slowly melts them. It gets warm but never hot so you can put your finger in it and not get burned. I first saw these years ago at a home and garden show and have used them since. I don't use candles anymore (but i do have them up for decor). I have three warmers around the house and a plug in in a bathrooom. They also have ones for cars (which of course i have!). They have many many scents to choose from and they last quite a while. I highly recommend them if you can't tell =)

I am up early this morning and hoping to get a nap in before i work tonight. Justin is out of town for the weekend and his brother is coming to house/dogsit while im at work. Brea just had her final shots so she can finally go for walks now, yay! We took her for her first walk yesterday and it was funny, i should have taken pictures. She did pretty good for her first time. She had to run though to catch up with Chase's slow walk. By the time we were done she was panting and tired! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Low-key weekend

Had a good, weekend, got a lot done. I feel a lot better, no more pain from surgery so i was happy to be able to do the things i used to do. We got the house cleaned up since it was long overdue! The exciting thing is that we got our new couch!! I did not like our old couch and since i spend a decent amount of time on it =), i decided to get a new one. My dad liked my old one so he ended up buying our old one. I was scared when we bought it because it was big. Our living room is a weird shape, and small, so there wasn't much space or many options of how to set it up. But luckily it fit better than i thought it would. And it's so comfy!!! There isn't any room to put much else in the living room but that is OK by me.

We also made a grocery run which was also very much needed. I studied and did an online test for NRP, TRIED to teach Brea some new tricks, and started my wedding album. A very productive weekend if i do say so myself.

Next week is the fair and i'm excited! I just like walking around and eating the fair food =)

A whole bunch of...nothing

Today I am actually starting to feel like my old self again. The first few days after surgery were really tough. I was fine as long as i wasn't moving positions, but moving hurt so bad! I really underestimated the gas pains i would be feeling. I know the doctor warned me, and said "everyone experiences them differently" but i thought i would be A Ok in a few days. Wrong! Up until today, it hurt to take deep breaths, so i was always shallow breathing when i wasn't lying down. Now, me being a nurse, i knew the importance of walking, and taking deep breaths. But actually trying to do it is a whole different story!

So yesterday before the weekend hit, i called my doc's office just to see if he could tell me around how long these pains would last. He wasn't in the office, but the nurse took my questions to another doctor, who in return seemed concerned about the pains i was having in my chest and wanted to see me. The people who know me can guess what i was thinking "do i have a pulmonary embolism?!" But after seeing me, the doctor didn't seem concerned. He examined my abdomen because he said he was concerned about abdominal perforation. He said my abdomen checked out fine and the pains i was having everywhere else was just the gas pains to be expected. He reassured me that everyone is different in how long they absorb all the gas bubbles, and said i probably was just absorbing them slowly.

It was also a viscious cycle because i would take my heavy pain meds for the pain, but they would knock me out so much that all i did was sleep and wasn't up walking. So today i only took ibuprofen, and even though it doesn't completely take the pain away, at least i am up walking.

That was probably more info than anyone wanted to hear, but i am just resting now and have watched everything possible on tv and the dogs are sleeping and justin is running errands, so this is all i have left to do =)

So i'm giving my body a week's worth of rest, and hopefully by next week i will be as good as new! Believe me, it was hard calling in sick to work this weekend, but in the end, my health is worth it.

Above are the beautiful flowers my hubby got me to cheer me up, please excuse the barf bag sitting next to it! He also got me a trip to vegas, but that is a whole 'nother story in itself =)

And what post would be complete without a pic of brea. Here she is resting with me. She looks like she is in a desperate need of a brushing, but everytime i brush her, five minutes later she looks like this again!

Oh, and these most recent pics were taken with my iphone! Who knew the quality of the pictures wasn't half bad?!

While i'm sitting on my butt...

Since my computer has been my constant companion throughout the day, i've been messing with my blog...can you see some changes?! In addition to a new post below about my surgery, i updated the look of my blog. First, i redid a whole new header and changed my background. I also added a different signature that turned out to be too difficult for me, i had to recruit my husband to finish it! I could not figure it out, but he is way more computer savvy than i am, so he knew exactly what to do. Thanks hubby!

Anyway, you likey?!

Feels like being hit by a bus...

Now I'm not quite sure what being hit by a bus would feel like, but i'm certain that's how im feeling now! I had my surgery yesterday and the actual surgery went fine. My doctor said he was able to take it out plus another small one he found on my right ovary. And i got to keep both ovaries! He took pictures but i will be nice and not post them on here =) He said the cyst looked "normal" and benign and of course will biopsy it and should know the results next week. He also cauterized some endometriosis he found on my uterus, so i am all cleaned up now! When i woke up i was feeling great, until i tried to sit up. I had a feeling i would be sick afterwards because i was pretty sick after my knee surgery a long time ago. So naturally, when i sat up, i felt nauseous and puked! And continued to puke all day and some of the night! So what was supposed to be a couple hours of recovery time turned out to be 5-6 hrs! I was still feeling nauseous and pukey (is that a word?) when i decided to leave, but i wanted to be in my own bed. So today i still feel nauseous when i walk around for a while, but the majority of the pain is from the gas they used for the surgery. Wow, they were not kidding that i would be in a lot of pain from that! Both my shoulders, chest, and entire abdomen hurt, and it feels like nerve pain! Plus the pain from the actual surgery site. But im taking it in stride and trying to relax. ALSO, thank goodness for my hubby who stayed home from work today to help me!

Now to end on a happy note...

My animals are also doing a good job keeping me occupied!

Camping, surgeries, and phones...

We went camping last weekend with some good friends of ours. I forgot how much i loved camping!! I have to admit, we made a pretty nice campsite, it's too bad we couldn't stay longer! We ate a lot and tried to stay in the shade and stay away from bugs! The days were hot and the nights were cool...perfect! We also got to use our new tent which was awesome! It's big enough to stand up in and for the doggies to stay in when they go. It even has doggie doors! We didn't bring them because Brea is still a pup and doesn't have all her vaccines yet. And Chase is her companion now so of course we couldn't split them up =) Justin's brothers ended up staying at the house and housesit and dogsit for us, which was so nice!!

The day we went camping i found out i need surgery =( Not major surgery, but it needs to be done. I have a stubborn ovarian cyst that keeps getting bigger and the doctor wants to take it out before it gets too big and starts causing lots of pain. It's not a suspicious cyst, the doc said if he were to get one, this would be the one to get! So it's going to be in two weeks, so say a little prayer for me on August 11th! I just wish that I was double covered with Justin's insurance since mine sucks!!

And last but not least...

That's right, i got an iphone!!! If you were to ask me a week ago, i would say, "why would i get an iphone?!" But Justin had to get a new phone since his was dying and everytime he talked to someone on the phone he had to hit it on something to be able to hear. So playing with his, i discovered that i loved it and had to have one naturally =) I do love it, and have a pretty pink case for it. All in all, it's been a busy past week!

Introducing...

Isn't she the cutest?! We added our fourth (and final) pet to the family...Brea (pronounced

bree-a). She is a silky terrier and 100% hypoallergenic! That means, NO shedding! Sheis 12 weeks old and 2 pounds 10 oz. Justin always wanted a yellow lab and i've always wanted a little lap dog, but wasn't sure what kind I wanted, but once i saw her i knew! Well now we have Chase and i have my little lap dog! Don't get me wrong, i wouldn't trade Chase for anything! He is the perfect dog and I love him so much, but Brea adds some spunky girliness to the house now! She made herself right at home and we are in the middle of pottytraining. I heard terriers are hard to pottytrain so wish us luck! We are also trying to crate train her, which is going OK so far. She's fine in the crate as long as her brother is in the crate next to her or sitting outside of it protecting her!

Her and Chase get along so well! The only thing i have to worry about is that he doesn't step on her, which is hasn't yet! But he has gotten a lot better about being aware of where she is so he doesn't step on her. She is like the annoying little sister. She nibbles on his feet and neck, climbs ALL over him and wants to play with his toys! As seen in the picture above where she is chewing on his bone. They play and snuggle. When we brough her home, Chase greeted her with a wagging tail and he's been wagging it ever since! I will post some pictures of them cuddling later, because of course i have some! The cats hid from her for the first couple days, but they seem to be OK now. They avoid her. She runs up to them every now and then and they just run away from her.

Yes, she is wearing a dress =) And she looks very cute and girly in them!

The only drawback is that the vet thinks she has kennel cough that she must have contracted from being in the pet store. She doesn't act sick. She runs around the house like a crazy woman and stops every now and then to cough. Or when she is sleeping she will wake up and cough, but we are giving her cough medicine. We have to give her antibiotics and hopefully it will go away soon. Chase is already vaccinated from kennel cough. The vet says there's always a chance he or the cats can still get it though so we just have to keep an eye on them.

All in all, we are enjoying her and loving on her!

Hip-hip hooray, we finished the fire-pit today!

Yay! Another yard project finished! I am almost embarassed to show the picture above, but it is necessary for you to understand the magnitude of this project! haha! For those of you who haven't seen our yard recently, it is weed-mania! When we bought this house, the backyard was just dirt and not finished. So we put sod in and extended the concrete out back. Then we didn't do much after that! Plus to top it off, our sprinklers suck and we get NO water pressure, so we are constantly dealing with dying grass. The actual fire-pit was given to us by justin's step-dad last christmas...see, we had good intentions! So we cleared it out and put weed fabric down.

Above is a half-way done picture.

Here is the firepit area completed! I love the idea of putting brick around it, Justin has great ideas!

Actually Justin should get all the credit for the finished product, he did 90% of the work! All in all, it turned out great! We haven't used it yet. We were going to try it out tonight but we were occupied with another thing, but that is another post in itself...

Summer lovin...

I obviously have been enjoying the summer since it has been forever since i updated! I am trying to be outside as much as possible enjoying the summer days. Going for walks, sunbathing, golfing, doing yard work (yes, me doing yard work!). I have also been doing a lot of reading. I finished the true blood series (eight books!) and am excited for the new one to come out this fall.

Next i am on to Mommywood. I read her first book sTori telling and that was actually hilarious! I was not really a fan of Tori Spelling but decided to read her first book since it was on the bestsellers list. After that, i started watching her reality show Home Sweet Hollywood on oxygen and love it! She actually has a great sense of humor and now i am a fan =) I'm excited to read her second book Mommywood. After that i am going to read the Time Traveler's Wife. I know that book has been out forever and it never really caught my attention. But a couple weeks ago when i was at the movies, i saw that they made it a movie and the preview looked really good. I'm hoping the book will be good too!

My good friend Sarah (the one in the middle) came into town last week. She lives in the Seattle area and doesn't make it over here as much so i'm always happy to see her. AND i'm especially happy i was off! Usually she comes down on days i'm working, but not this time! It's always a fun time when Sarah is in town!

To come...We started doing the fire-pit (not really a pit though) area in the backyard. It is halfway done, so i will post pictures when it's finished!

The happiest place on earth, plus a few more...

Well i have been back from California for a week or two, but am just getting to posting about it! I have sooo many pictures from our week there that it was so hard to narrow down the ones i wanted to post. For those who didn't know, we spent a week in Cali to celebrate our one year anniversary. We went to Disneyland/California adventure for three days, universal studios for one day, seaworld san diego and the san diego zoo for one day each. It was awesome! The pictures above is from the end of our trip ( i am starting backwards i guess). i L-O-V-E San Diego and can see myself living there. Justin loved it too, maybe we will retire there =) After we hit the zoo and seaworld we had time to visit Old town san diego. A co-worker of mine told me if i could only visit one thing at San Diego, it would be that. So i made sure to do that! It was awesome shopping...Justin didn't like it as much as i did, but he tolerated it =)

We also had time to to go to Hollywood and do the touristy things there. Did the walk of fame, saw Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood sign! If you know me, you know how much i love celebrity gossip, so i was in heaven! And on the lookout for celebrities. I saw Drew Barrymore, so that made my day!
Here i am on the red carpet...at Universal Studios! I loved Universal studios, definitely a must see.

And of course, Disneyland! It really is the happiest place on earth! I thought i wouldn't like it as much because i pictured it as more of a kiddie thing. But it was awesome and if i lived in the area, i think i would be an annual passholder!

All in all, it was a great trip, now i'm just thinking of where to go next year... =)

A sad sad day...

Yesterday was a sad day for me...Kris Allen was crowned this year's American Idol. This was actually the first year that i've EVER watched American Idol. I am a huge Adam Lambert fan, which is funny because i am so not a rock n roll girl. But he is so creative with music and i hope that he makes an album anyway...so since all my reality shows have ended for the season, what am i supposed to do?!! haha!

First Anniversary!

This past Monday was our one year anniversary, wow, has time flew by! We kept it simple since our big present to each other is our trip to California next week! Thankfully i had the night off so we went to PF Changs for a delicious dinner. It was sooo nice outside, a bit hot and windy but beautiful outside. Afterwards, we took Chase down to the river and took a walk and let Chase romp in the water for the first time this year. He is definitely a water dog, he loved it. I didn't love it so much since i' m afraid the current is just going to whisk him away! But he did fine. Happy one year Justin, i love you!

My special cat...

This picture makes me laugh because i don't know what my fat cat is doing! He looks posessed, but i promise he is not. Hopefully if you haven't laughed today, maybe this will make you =)