Our Computer is TOAST!

Well, this is going to be a quick post, and I apologize. Our computer burned itself up, so blogging is not something that I am able to do much of right now. We are in the market for a new one, so I hope to be up and running again very soon.

My last post was on Saturday, but I'm not going to go into detail getting you caught up. Let's just hit the highlights. I don't want this to take all night. I had a pretty basic week this week. Nothing extraordinarily remarkable. I worked and did a pretty full schedule of massages. I had my last two volleyball open gyms on Monday and Wednesday. The heat was terrible! Thankfully, the gym is really air conditioned, so it was tolerable.

I scored some pretty good deals while couponing this week. I think I am just about stocked up on things for several months. Jessica and I even made a Facebook Page so that we can get together with people and swap coupons. Check out Coupon Clippers of Daviess County! I wound up at Jessica's house Thursday night after getting Chinese with Sammie. It was an all around great evening. I love those girls!

My plans for tomorrow also involve Jessica and Sammie. We are making a shopping trip to Evansville to pick up things for Sofia's first birthday and a few other things. There's nothing better than a Saturday out with good friends. I also plan on doing some fishing with Tim this weekend. Other than that, who knows what we will get into.

We heard from Dwain today!!! I got to chat with him a little bit on Facebook and Mom and Dad got a phone call from him. It was SOO GOOD to hear from him. It had been too long! That's such a huge load of stress that I can just throw away. Sometimes, you just can't help but worry.

Okay, I think that's all I'm going to blog about tonight. I can't really think of anything drastic that I have missed. There is probably something that I've forgotten, but oh well. I think I might grab something for supper and curl up with my Kindle. Yup, sounds like a great idea! Good night everyone!   :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Three Months, One Week, Four Days

A Date with Harry Potter

Tonight, I have a date with Harry Potter. I am just finishing the first movie, and I plan on watching all of them in order (over the next couple days, of course) to prepare for when I get to watch the final installment, which is hopefully in the next week or so. I don't want to fight everyone at the theater, but it is definitely on my "To Watch" list. I have been a Harry Potter addict for as long as I can remember. The books are much better naturally (I've read the series at least a dozen times), but the movies aren't too bad either. I have also been listing stuff on EBAY all afternoon. I like to go to St. Vincent's, which is our local thrift store, to find good deals on name brand stuff and books then turn around and sell them on EBAY for a profit. It's a good way to make some money on the side, and every little bit helps when you have bills to pay. I used up my 50 free listings per month though, so I am done with that for a while. Let's just hope that I can sell my stuff for a good price.

The remainder of my work week went really well this week. Thursday I worked in the morning then did five massages in the afternoon, and Friday morning I did five massages then came home. I wound up doing 25 massages this week! That is as booked up as I can possibly get. I have to make sure that I get enough sleep to keep from wearing myself out, but that will sure make a good paycheck on Monday. Maybe the best I've ever had! Because we were only open three days last week, I had a little overflow into this week. That's why my schedule was so full.

I haven't really done much this weekend. When I got home Friday from work, I did the only logical thing for someone who had a week like mine -- I took a nap. Once I got up and Tim left for work, I read on my book for the rest of the evening (Our Direct TV has STILL not been fixed). I kinda feel lame not doing anything "exciting" on a perfectly good Friday night, but Tim had to work and I was tired, so ask me if I care. It was SUPER to have a lazy evening.

Tim didn't come back from work at his usual time this morning, but Dixie must have missed that memo. She walked around the house all morning whining and looking for him. I think it's great that she knows his schedule! He did a ride-along with one of the Sheriff's deputies so he could see what they do. The Sheriff Department is hiring Reserve Deputies, and of course, he is hoping to get one of the spots. Dixie was beside herself when he finally made it home, but he crashed out almost immediately. He didn't even make it halfway through a Dukes of Hazzard episode before he was sawing logs. I walked to the mailbox with Dixie then did my EBAY thing for the afternoon. I made Tim spaghetti and cheesy bread for dinner, which was very good. I think I might have a second helping after while.

I'm now on the second Harry Potter movie. I might even watch the third one tonight if I get time, but they are pretty long. My only plan for tomorrow is to mow the yard and tidy up the house a little bit. It's getting pretty dirty. I also have a baby shower I want to try to go to tomorrow, if I can. I think that about wraps it up for tonight. If any of you want to check out my EBAY listings, you can by clicking here -- http://myworld.ebay.com/glennal_87. I hope you all have a great and lazy Sunday. I sure hope that we hear from Dwain soon. It's been a while, and we are more than a little worried. Good night everyone!   :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Three Months, Five Days

Talk about a Run of Bad Luck

Wednesday night. Where am I? Sitting on my couch watching How To Train Your Dragon, doing laundry, and blogging. It has been a very long day, but it has been a good day. I plan on finishing this post, taking a quick shower, then calling it a night. But first, I need to get you caught up on the last couple days.

Monday, my massage schedule at the office was booked. I did five massages, but I didn't stick around long because I had volleyball open gym Monday night. The girls are really coming along nicely. Tim had to work Monday night, so I came home after volleyball, took a shower, then went to bed. Sounds about like my plan for tonight, huh?

Tuesday was a great day. I was really busy all morning at the office. There was tons of paperwork and such to keep me busy. I ran some errands over lunch (I saved about $40 using coupons at Wally World), then headed back to the office for another afternoon full of massages. I had to do a little fancy scheduling to get Randi's schedule filled up too, but we both had full day's on Tuesday. A wicked storm blew up about the time we got off work, and I was headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some household stuff. I have some great coupons for the things that we use everyday, so I am going to use them to save a little money on the things that I buy all the time. It's so nice to save money, and I won't have to buy anything like shampoo or deodorant for quite a while -- That money stays in my pocket. Anyway, back to my story. I got to Wal-Mart just as the storm was really starting to blow, so I stayed in my car and read a bit while the storm was raging around me. I had checked the weather before I left the office, so I knew that it was going to be a quick storm. The only problem with my flawless plan was that the wind was blowing so hard that shopping carts were scooting all over the parking lot. I was a little afraid for the well-being of my vehicle when I saw a cart NAIL a pretty red Cadillac. I decided it would be a good idea to move to a safer spot. Before too long, the storm had blown itself out and I went inside. I was able to stock up on quite a few things and save a lot of money. In total, I spent about $150 dollars on Tuesday, but I saved over $100! That's a good day in my book! I can use that money on so many other things besides razors and hair gel. Think of all the fishing poles you could buy! After I got home and got my purchases unloaded and put away, I went up to Mom and Dad's for supper and some quality visiting time. I wound up falling asleep on the couch, which is typical, but I really enjoyed my evening. Yup, Tuesday was a good day!

Today has been almost as good! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Tim before I left for work this morning because he went South to take his Mom out to eat for her birthday. -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my second Momma! I love you Kim! -- I didn't want to leave Dixie at home all day, so I took her to visit with her Grandma Sara while I was at work. I'm pretty sure that she had one heck of a day, because she has been sleeping ever since we got home. Playing with Annie sure wears her out. I had another busy morning at the office, then a full afternoon of massages. I have done fifteen hours of massage so far this week, and I have ten more to go. Man, that's great for my paycheck and it's great to be so busy! I had volleyball again tonight after work, and it was one of the best open gyms yet. The girls are attending a team camp at Linton this week, so we didn't want to do anything too serious. "Not too serious" means that we did a lot of fun drills and playing either three on three or six on six. I haven't had that good of a workout in a long time. I bet I burned off at least a couple pounds tonight. After volleyball, I went to Mom's to pick up Dixie. I haven't done a whole lot since I got home. I washed a load of clothes, the movie just ended (I watched it while blogging -- It was VERY cute!) and I still need to take that shower. I'm more than a little grimy from sweating so much, but it's SOO MUCH FUN!

I could probably stay up late tonight watching TV or something, but our Direct TV antenna is still misaligned. I actually called our repairman today because I was beginning to think that he had forgotten about us. Let me tell you what, he has had one hell of a last two weeks. He told me that he wouldn't be able to come out today because he had to go to his nephew's funeral. His nephew (he can't have been that old) was killed in an electrical accident a couple days ago in Martinsville. As if that isn't bad enough, Rob (that's our repairman's name) told me that two weeks ago he was working on someone's roof and was electrocuted bad enough that the doctors at the ER were surprised that he had survived! Talk about a run of bad luck. I think I would stay away from electricity for a while. I felt terrible for calling the poor man on the day of his nephew's funeral, but he said that he would get out and get us taken care of in a couple days. I assured him that there was no rush -- We have been busy enough that I really haven't missed having TV the last week, but I will be calling Direct TV to have them adjust our bill. I don't really want to pay for the week that we haven't had signal.

I think that I'm going to wrap this post up for the night. It's been a long day, and I have another big one tomorrow. Hopefully, Tim will be home tomorrow night -- I would like to spend some time with him if I can get him off the river long enough. He is going for Round #2 on the Ohio tonight. Maybe he will catch another big fish -- Who knows. All I know is that I'm ready to catch some ZZZ's. For those of you who are keeping tabs on Dwain, we haven't heard anything from him in several days. I'm sure he is just busy on some mission somewhere, but I sure would like to have a chat with him. I miss him a lot, but being busy helps make the time go faster. I can't wait until we get to see him again. It can't get here fast enough. I hope you all have a great Thursday. Goodnight!!!   :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Three Months, Two Days

You Could Fit His Head in There!

What a weekend! I went on a road trip with Mom and Dad to South Bend for my cousin Karl's wedding. The wedding was nice, but the drive was LONG! I wanted to read on my Kindle, but I kept getting carsick. That made it a very long drive. I guess that I'm not done reading the Outlander series -- I thought that there were just three books, but there are SIX! They are all over 800 pages! I'm going to be reading for a little while longer about Jamie and Claire's adventure. I was able to read quite a bit by putting my hands up as blinders so I couldn't see the road flying by, but the curvy road still made me sick to my stomach.

The wedding was held at the park of the town where Karl and Stephanie live, and the reception was in Aunt Diana and Uncle Bill's backyard. It was very pretty. It was great to visit with family, and I got to meet some wonderful new faces. We stayed at the reception until after midnight, then went back to the hotel to crash for the night. The plan was to get up early the next morning and be on the road, but we slept in, so we didn't get headed for home until about noon or so. By the time we made it home (about 5:00 or so), I was ready to call it a day. Unfortunately, the yard needed mowed. Tim wasn't home yet -- He had gone catfishing this weekend on the Ohio; more on that later -- so I went ahead and did the mowing. Thank goodness, Grandma Ruth let me borrow her riding mower, so it didn't take me more than a couple hours. I got out of the shower at about the same time Tim got home. We went up to Mom's to visit with them a little while then came back to our house. Tim watched a movie, but I don't remember more than the first ten minutes or so before I fell asleep.

Tim, on the other hand, had a very unforgettable weekend! Like I said earlier, he went fishing on the Ohio River this weekend with his friend Pat and his little brother Josh. They were fishing for catfish and maybe a few carp here and there. Tim caught a MONSTER!! Two of them actually! He caught a 27 pound Blue Catfish and a potential state record Flathead. It broke the scales at 67 pounds, but judging by the length and girth etc, he has figured that it was probably pushing about 80 pounds. How about I just let the pictures speak for themselves? Be ready to say "Holy Crap!"
 

The 27 pounder -- It's a baby fish compared to the other one!



Jumping Carp -- Killed with a Bow and Arrow



And now the real fishing begins!

 

Fish on!



Look at that rod tip go down!

 

Making a run for the bottom of the river -- Hold on Tim!



No more captions after this -- Enjoy the show!

 

 

You could fit his HEAD in there!

 

Catch and Release -- So we can catch her again someday



He got a little "damp"

What a helluva fish! He could have taken it and had it officially weighed and measured to see if it really was a new State Record, but it was late at night, and he didn't want the fish to die while he was trying to get it weighed.

Now, it's Monday and we have to go back to work. Tim is making butterfly chops for lunch, and I'll be heading to the office soon. I have a full schedule and volleyball open gym after work. I really need to go to Wal-Mart after work to pick up a couple things, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. It's going to be another busy day! I hope you have a good Monday -- If that's possible.    :^)

Operation Saheeb -- Three Months! We are about halfway done!

Not-So-Extreme Couponing

Oh man, I am in trouble! I have discovered the joys of couponing! Saving money on the things you already buy -- Yup, that's a good feeling. If there's coupons out there that I can use on the things I am going to buy anyway, why not use them? It makes perfect sense to me. So, I have spent the better part of the evening searching the Internet for coupons that I can use. I plan on stocking up on the things I can, which basically means household stuff. I don't want to turn my life into an episode of "Extreme Couponing" by any means, but I think that saving a little money here and there is a good thing. I think we could all use a little extra money. 

Today was another crazy, busy day at the office. Something about having a short week makes it seem like it takes forever to get to the weekend. I have only worked two days so far this week, but it's been a little hectic. I worked at the front desk this morning with Dr. Pete, but we weren't really busy until right before lunch. I got quite a bit of paperwork and other fun tasks done, then headed to lunch at the park. I brought my lunch from home today (homemade guacamole), but I forgot to grab some tortilla chips to eat with it, so I was going to have guacamole only for lunch. The only problem with that plan? I forgot to grab a fork when I left the office, and I really didn't feel like eating with my fingers, so I came back from lunch a little early. I had a full day of massages on the books today -- Actually, I'm booked up through NEXT Thursday! That's ridiculous! It's great for my schedule (and paycheck), but I hate telling my patients that I can't get them in when they need a massage. It makes me feel like I'm failing them in some way. That's just the mother-hen in me though. I always feel like I have to take care of everyone -- That's what got me interested in massage in the first place.

Anyway, I had a great day, but I was really glad to get on the road for home. I stopped to drop off some supper for Tim and made a detour to Grandma Teddi's house. I also had to stop to fill my car up with gas in Elnora, but I was talking to Jessica most of the time, so it wasn't any big chore. Talking to friends makes everything better. Dixie and I played in the yard for a little while, then I settled in for some relaxation time. I have had a good evening, but I think I'm about ready for bed. I am very glad that tomorrow is finally Friday! It's going to be a busy weekend though. I'm probably not going to get to relax my stress away -- That makes me a little sad. I sure do love having a lazy weekend. They are perfect for unwinding after a crazy week. I think I will head to bed now. Sorry that this has been such a short post. I bet I'll have more to write about tomorrow. Good night!  :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Two Months, Three Weeks, Five Days

A Caffeine Kind of Day

I had the hardest time getting the videos from Monday night to upload -- It was very frustrating, but I love having videos to share, so I will keep taking them. Pictures are much easier, but videos are more fun!

Tuesday involved a lot of fishing. Tim and I made a trip to Grandma Teddi's house at about 4:00 or so to catch some Bluegill. We needed to have some bait for our catfishing adventure that night. I love catching Bluegill. They usually bite like crazy, which is so much fun. It was really hot out there at the pond on Tuesday, but Tim and I worked on our tans a little bit. I'm actually starting to get a little color now after all the time I spent outside this weekend, but the sun makes my freckles come out -- Not cool! They were cute when I was twelve, but now they just make my complexion look blotchy. Oh the joys of being fair skinned!

The first bass of the year! Not a very big one, but it was a heck of a catch while fishing for Bluegill

Anyway, after we caught about twenty or so Bluegill, we headed back home to get the boat ready for some late night catfishing (well, not too late because I had to be at work at 8:00 this morning). We grabbed a quick bite to eat and dropped Dixie off at Mom's, which put us at the river at about 9:00 or so. That's just about perfect timing to get out on the river and get set up right before dark. When the sun goes down is when the fish start biting. Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting much. We had a really good spot where we were set up, but we didn't get more than a couple bites all night. It's a good thing that I love the act of fishing almost as much as catching fish. Tim and I had a great evening out on the water. We saw a beaver (or two) -- A tree frog hitched a ride on one of our poles (scared the daylights out of me when he jumped up there) -- And Tim had a full conversation with an owl (quite entertaining to hear them hooting back and forth). We stayed as long as we could, but didn't have any luck. After a few minor difficulties (the water level is really low, which makes getting the boat on the trailer a little tricky), we headed to Mom's to pick up our four-legged daughter. Because I can't stand crawling into bed dirty, I made a quick trip through the shower to wash the sweat and grime off. By the time I was able to finally close my eyes and fall asleep, it was considerably later than I had planned. My only thought? "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

You can't see it very well, but that's a beaver on the river bank

Our little froggie friend -- He likes catfishing too! 

Again with the frog -- I was totally fascinated 

Finally! I got a decent picture with Tim -- I'm not the most photogenic person out there. This took us about ten tries because the flash was making my eyes do some stupid things. 

The moon behind our poles -- Very pretty!

Actually, today wasn't too bad at all. It was the first day back after a little Fourth of July vacation, so we were EXTREMELY busy. I felt like we were busy from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 1:00 to 6:00. I covered the front desk this morning, but besides checking patients in and out, I didn't get much done. The phone rang off the hook, and we had several people walk in. It was pandemonium! That was nothing compared to this afternoon though. Sammie had her hands full trying to stay ahead this afternoon. Thankfully, my massage schedule was booked up, so all I had to do was make the five people I saw happy. I always try to help out as much as I can if I have a little time between appointments, but Sammie does a great job handling a busy schedule like that. Although, today was definitely a caffeine day. Sometimes, you just need a little boost to get you through a crazy day. Before I knew it, it was time to call it a day. I can't believe how fast the day went. It is SO good to be busy. I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart after work, then picked up Wendy's for Tim's supper. I did a couple odd jobs when I got home, but now my main focus is laundry. I still can't tell you how incredibly convenient it is to be able to do laundry at my own house. I get so much more done this way. I am going to try to get a couple more loads of laundry, but the need for sleep might win that battle. As late as we were out last night, I think I should probably call it an early night tonight. It's business as usual tomorrow. Have a good night everyone! Thank you all for reading! I hope that you enjoy the blog as much as I do!  :^)

Operation Saheeb -- Two Months, Three Weeks, Four Days

You Can't Go Wrong with the Dukes!

I am sitting here on the couch (being lazy on the computer) and I can't help but ask -- What's that smell? Oh man, it's Dixie! She found some god awful thing in the yard to roll in yesterday, and even though I gave her a bath right away, she still reeks. Fantastic! -- Sarcasm is a second language for me. I think that I will give her another bath here in a few minutes when I get this post finished.

Yesterday was one of the laziest days we have had in a long time! I didn't get out of bed until late in the morning, and then I spent the entire afternoon reading Voyager on my Kindle. Tim worked the night before, so he spent most of the day sleeping. Night shift sucks! At about 5:00 or so, we got all cleaned up and made a trip to the tractor pull at Otwell. Grandpa Marvin and a bunch of the guys Dad has done work for were pulling. Dixie wasn't very happy that we left her at home, but there were fireworks afterwards. I don't think they would have bothered her much, but they sound too much like gun shots, and she would have spent all evening excited and waiting for the ducks to fall out of the sky. Gunshot Sounds = Falling Ducks. We had a really good time (even though it was MUGGY) and I really enjoyed the fireworks. There is nothing better than watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. I took a couple videos from the tractor pull so that you could enjoy it too. I have become completely involved in my blog now. I love taking pictures and videos for the sole purpose of putting them on here. What can I say? I love blogging. It's very cathartic -- Wow, that's a big word! I could have just said "it's very therapeutic," but sometimes I like to remind myself that I did get (and am still paying for) a good education -- So I use big words; just so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

Here is the video of Grandpa Marvin's pull in the Super Farm class

This is Quintin Hartman's son Bradley pulling last night. Dad has done a lot of work on this tractor over the years.

After Tim and I made it home (it was a little late), we got a bite to eat and curled up on the couch to watch The Expendables. It's one of our favorite movies, but I wound up falling asleep about halfway through. Dangit, I really wanted to watch the whole thing. I finally gave up and went to bed, but because Tim slept during the day yesterday, he was up most of the night. I don't have a clue what he did, but there are Dukes of Hazzard DVD's all over the floor in front of the TV. You can't go wrong with the Dukes!

I woke up this morning because Dixie REALLY had to go outside to pee -- And she made sure that I knew it. She sat by the bed whining and carrying on for about five minutes before I finally gave up and let her out. I spent about ten minutes sitting outside watching her run around before we came back in. I spent another ten minutes looking for my camera so I could upload the videos from last night before I realized that it was still in the pocket of Tim's jeans. Go figure. I had looked everywhere else I could think of. Talk about a "DUH" moment. Now, once I get all these videos uploaded, Tim and I are planning on doing a little fishing tonight. We need to catch some bait first, but it should be a great evening. I do love fishing! Other than that, I can't think of any plans for the day. We both have to go back to work tomorrow, but it's a short week, so it won't be too bad. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! Enjoy the rest of your week! I need to go give a puppy a bath.    :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Two Months, Three Weeks, Three Days

The FINALE of the fireworks at Otwell Monday night!

If You Said "Fred" and "Storming"

Have I ever mentioned that I really love Sundays? Today has been a really good day. I woke up when Tim got home this morning -- Dixie was doing her "Daddy's home" bark right in my face. It is really high pitched because she is so excited to see him. She knows when he gets home from work. We took her up to Mom and Dad's this morning to work a little bit in the hay field and their pond on retrieving a bumper. It has been a really long time since she worked on her retrieving skills, but she did AWESOME! She was doing doubles and everything. I guess it's just like riding a bicycle; you never forget it. She had lots of fun playing in the water, but the tall grass makes her belly break out so we had to give her a Benedryl when we got home. I still find it ironic that our hunting dog is allergic to grass -- Sad, but true. Doesn't seem to affect her any though. She had a blast!

I made some grilled cheese sandwiches when we got home (Tim isn't much of a breakfast foods kind of person), and we watched the A-Team. Our Direct TV antenna got knocked out of alignment AGAIN last night in the wind, and I'm not going to bother the repair guy on a holiday weekend, so I'll give him a call on Tuesday to see if he can fix it. We are going to have to get an antenna mounted on a pole in the ground, but haven't had the time to make it happen. So, no TV for me tonight, but I have my Kindle and I'm still reading Voyager, which is more than enough to keep me occupied this evening. I tell you what, that book is getting better and better -- And I'm just a little over halfway! Tim went to bed pretty quickly this morning, but I stayed up to finish adding the videos to last night's blog post. I couldn't get them to load last night, but they are on there now.

I took a nice nap about lunchtime, then went outside to finish spraying the weeds in the yard. I got everything done except the east side of the driveway and around the mailbox. Mom's sprayer uses electric power so you don't have to pump it, but the battery went dead on me. I'll have to spray it another day. I got all the important parts of the yard done though. I made a lasagna for Tim's supper tonight, then went up to Mom's to feed the dogs and feed and water the rabbits. I also had to play with the kittens a little bit, but they are just too cute to resist. Mom has a cat named Fred (he's Red Fred technically) that we use to predict the weather. He only comes to the barn when there is some bad weather coming. Guess who was at the barn tonight? Guess what the weather is doing right now? If you said "Fred" and "storming," you would be correct! Thankfully, I got the critters all fed, watered, and buttoned up before the rain hit (Thanks, Mom, for the tip-off).

I took a quick shower and put my PJ's on, and I'm ready for some quality reading time. I thought it would be a good idea to write tonight's post before I got absorbed in my book -- Otherwise, I might not get it done and I'm really trying to do better at posting more often. I think, though, that this is enough for tonight. I can't really think of much else to write about. I really did have a good day today, even though I didn't get to talk to Dwain. I'm sure he is just busy, and it won't do me any good to worry about him. I just have to have faith that he will be safe, or else I would go crazy -- And that's never a good thing. Maybe I will hear from him in a day or two. There is nothing like a Sunday to make me miss that boy. He is about half done with his tour now though, so he will be home before we know it! I think that about wraps up today. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July tomorrow! Have fun!!   :^D
Operation Saheeb -- Two Months, Three Weeks, One Day

Die Weeds, Die!

You know that wonderful, contented feeling you get after you have been working hard all day -- When you are enjoying the fact that you accomplished so many things. I am loving that feeling right now. I worked my tail end off today, and it feels so great! Hooray for making my to-do list shorter!

I woke up when Tim got home from work this morning, but I didn't stay awake for long. Tim woke me up at about 10:00 or so with sausage and eggs for breakfast. Holy moly, they were good. He sure can cook. How in the world did I ever get so lucky? Tim laid down then to get some sleep, and I dozed off again for a little bit. When I woke up again, I did a little reading before heading outside to work in the yard. I watered my flowers and pulled some weeds. I had planned on mowing the yard, but it was really hot and the thought of spending four or more hours push mowing the yard was pretty daunting. I had decided to wait until tomorrow to mow, but Grandma Ruth called me to see if I wanted to use her riding mower. Grandma and I double-teamed the yard and got it all mowed in about an hour and a half. It sure makes a difference to have a 48 inch cutting deck compared to the 22 inch deck on my push mower.

After we got the yard mowed, I had to get back to the house to get Tim headed to work. I made him a "Dagwood" to take with him, which is what my Dad has always called it when you make a HUGE sandwich. After Tim left for work (he drove Waldo, my car), Dixie and I took his truck up to Mom and Dad's to borrow their weed-eater and sprayer. I got everything trimmed up nice and neat and almost everything sprayed (Die Weeds, Die!) before I ran out of daylight. I will have to put the finishing touches on it tomorrow. Our yard is looking really nice now. I still have some work to do, but I made a lot of progress today. I want to work on getting my flower beds done tomorrow. I need to move a bunch of mulch next week, and I have a tree that needs a couple limbs taken off. Lots to keep me busy on my days off.

Dixie worked hard today too

Now, I have taken a shower and gotten all the grass out of my hair (I think). I am very comfortable on our couch with Dixie and Chuck. I am watching the History Channel, but I think I will head to bed soon. It's been a good day. I'm hoping that I get to talk to Dwain tomorrow -- He said something about calling me. I would love to hear that voice! Alright, time for bed now. I uploaded a couple videos for you. Hope you like them. Everyone, have a great Sunday!   :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Two Months, Three Weeks

Chuck was chasing his tail this morning -- Too funny! It's really hard to see because the kitchen was dark, but it was too good not to share.

The quality on this one is terrible, but I decided to upload it anyway.

This is the first section of a video I took last week of Sela, Annie, and Dixie playing in the yard. It was too big to upload the whole thing, so I cut it in three parts.

Second section of Sela, Annie, and Dixie's video -- Annie loves to fetch!

Last section of Sela, Annie, and Dixie's video -- Motley snuck in there too

Fly By The Seat of Your Pants

Let's do some catching up. I have been busy in the evenings and haven't taken the time to post anything. I would apologize, but it will probably happen again.

Saturday evening, Tim and I went fishing for a little while on the White River at Elnora. We didn't have much luck (which means very few bites), but just as we were getting ready to pack it up, I caught a nice sized Channel Catfish. It's always a good night when you don't go home empty-handed.

Not a clear picture, but we left the camera in the truck, so I had to use my phone

On our way back to the boat ramp, one of those jumping Asian Carp came flying out of the water! They jump as a defensive mechanism against the sound and vibration of the boat motor. That thing just about took my head off! It landed in the back of the boat, so we cut it up for bait. It's never been easier to catch a fish. I didn't even have to cast a line. We came home from the river and Tim fried up some catfish (not the one we caught earlier -- we put him back so he could grow), then we hit the sack. Saturdays just don't get much better than that.

It knocked itself stupid on Tim's Rod Holders then died in the back of the boat

 Tim and the Jumping Carp -- Sounds like the title of a good fishing book

Sunday, Tim and I had a slow start (meaning we slept in), but we went out on the river again to try to catch a couple more fish. No such luck. We spent about 3 hours out there on the water, but the only thing we got were some nice sunburns, and I took some more pictures. It was still fun though. I will take a day of fishing over just about anything else. After we made it back home, we went to Mom's to pick up Dixie (Thanks for babysitting Momma) then came home for showers and a power nap. Tim and I went to Grandma Ruth's and Grandpa Marvin's for some supper with Mom and Dad and my cousin Paul, who was down visiting for the day. We stayed to chat for quite some time, but eventually, Tim and I made it home. We spent the rest of the evening watching a movie (No Strings Attached -- Very good!) then went to bed. I had a very good weekend with Tim, to say the least.

 The dragonfly on the back of the boat was very pretty

Tim's Rod Rack and Holders -- He made them himself! 

Master of The Water -- The turkey feather I found at the boat ramp is a nice touch 

Our view heading upriver 

Why is it that I always look terrible when I have been fishing? I can seriously never get a decent picture -- I find it very depressing

Monday was a very typical Monday. The most exciting thing that happened was that we had our water softener installed Monday morning. WE DON'T HAVE RUSTY WATER ANYMORE!! I couldn't be happier! I love being able to do laundry at OUR house. It's such a hassel to do laundry at Mom's, but "Thank You Momma" for letting us do our laundry at your house for the last year and a half. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Monday night, I went to volleyball open gym, but I did more coaching and less playing, which is fine, but not much of a workout. Once I made it home finally and got a shower, I washed the first ever "successful" load of laundry at our house. I guess that it wasn't totally successful, because the dryer and the air conditioner are evidently on the same electric circuit and I kept blowing the breaker without realizing it. My clothes didn't get dry until Tuesday. So, we just have to turn the AC off when we dry clothes -- No biggie. That's perfectly manageable. I was pretty tired Monday night and it was already after 10:00 when I finally sat down to relax, and I didn't want to start blogging that late at night. I told myself that I would write the next night (that didn't happen, obviously) and went to bed.

Tuesday and Wednesday were perfectly ordinary days at the office. I worked the front desk in the morning then did massages in the afternoons. I am still running a fully booked schedule, which keeps me busy, but I love being busy. Tim was working Tuesday evening, so I made a trip to Wal-Mart to get stocked up on groceries. We were running pretty low, so I wound up spending about an hour and a half there, but I think we have plenty to eat now. I took Tim a bite of supper, then headed home. I made guacamole (according to Jessica's recipe -- It was very good) for supper, then headed to bed. I was just too tired to blog about anything, so I hit the hay instead.

Wednesday night was also a good night. I had volleyball open gym, and we played six on six for most of the two hours. The girls were laughing at me because I was huffing and puffing so much, but I think I did pretty dang good for being ten years older than most of them. I am finally starting to get back in shape. I had a great time, and the rest of the evening wasn't too bad either. Tim had burgers ready by the time I made it home from volleyball, so I ran through the shower then we sat down for dinner. They were delicious (as usual -- he is such a good griller). We watched a little TV (Criminal Minds and NCIS if I remember correctly), then headed to bed. We thought about going fishing Wednesday night on the river, but decided against it for two reasons: #1 -- We were miserably full from the burgers and #2 -- The river was up pretty high, so fishing after dark was a little too dangerous. Crawling into a warm, cozy bed sounded like a much better idea.

Tim and I had planned on going fishing Thursday morning because I didn't have to be at work until 2:00 that afternoon. Sammie and I swapped shifts so that she could go out of town for a weekend trip with her boy. She would have done the same thing for me, and that's what friends are for. It worked out very well for both of us though, because even though we didn't go fishing, Tim and I had a great morning. We slept in a little bit, then he made eggs and toast for breakfast. We watched a little TV, but there wasn't much on. Thursday was a Netflix delivery day so we walked to the mailbox to see what was there. Turns out Knight and Day isn't a bad movie. Tom Cruise is not my favorite actor by any means (I liked Top Gun, of course, but he made two too many Mission Impossible movies). I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually a good movie. There were funny bits (who knew Tom Cruise had a sense of humor?) and several good action scenes. Not too shabby. Before I knew it, I had to get headed through the shower and ready to go to work. 

While I was at work, Dr. Bowling told me that he had mailed a reimbursment check to one of our patients who we had referred out for an MRI (his insurance had overpaid us). He was so happy with how we had treated him that he tried to bring the check back to us. We couldn't take the check back, so Jim told Dr. Bowling to "give it to the soldiers." I tell you what, there are some really great people out there! Their generosity never ceases to amaze me. I called Jim on my way home to thank him, and he told me that he was proud to make a difference and to make sure to tell Dwain "thank you" for what he was doing. The world needs more people like Jim.

Once I made it home from work (I only did four hours of massage), Tim and I made a quick run to Odon to the Jay C store to pick up a couple things. I wanted to make tacos for supper, but I needed lettuce and taco shells -- They are pretty essential for tacos, ya know. The tacos were INCREDIBLY delicious! Exactly what I was craving. We once again ate so many that we were miserable, but it was worth it. We are going to have to incorporate more tacos into our diet. A couple of Criminal Minds episodes later and we were both falling asleep on the couch. It was time for bed.

Today (Friday) was a little out of the ordinary as far as my schedule went, but it has been a great day. As usual, I did massages this morning -- Today I had four of them -- But instead of going home afterwards like I usually do, I took a lunch break then came back to run the front desk in the afternoon for Samantha. I went to Wal-Mart over lunch to get a couple of the things that I had forgotten to pick up earlier in the week. I also wound up buying some adorable clothes for Jessica's little girl Sofia. Her first birthday is next month, and those cute little dresses were just too pretty to pass up. I can't wait to see her in them! I had time to read just a little bit over lunch before heading back to the office for the last shift of the week. Everything went very smoothly and the time seemed to pass quickly. The end of the day was here before I knew it. I helped Dr. Bowling close up the office, then I was headed home. It stinks that I didn't get to see Tim today, but the office will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, so I get a little mini-vacation! Heck Yes! You gotta love those. Unfortunately, Tim is working part of the weekend, but I'm sure that we will have lots of fun regardless. I will try to keep you posted. No promises though. I never know what we're going to be doing. We live a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of life. I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, I have GOT to go mow the green stuff that is growing in our yard. It's getting pretty out of control, and I'm running out of daylight. I'll write again tomorrow. Have a wonderful night everyone!  :^)
Operation Saheeb -- Two Months, Two Weeks, Six Days

Also, everyone should check out the post titled "Gone Away for a While" -- It's a song that my cousin wrote about Dwain's deployment. I made a slideshow to go with it because I couldn't figure out how to post an audio file by itself. I guess I'm starting to get this technology stuff figured out. Anyway, it's an incredibly beautiful song and it really touched my heart. I have to admit that I was crying like a lunatic at the front desk today when I listened to it on my lunch break. The flood gates were wide open. I love my little brother, and I can't tell you how much I miss him. I love that song -- I was speechless, which doesn't happen very often. Thank you Paul! And most of all, thank you Dwain for doing what you do! We love you!

"Gone Away for a While"

This song was written, played, and recorded by my extremely talented cousin Paul Erdman. He wrote this song the night that Dwain deployed to Afghanistan. It is a very beautiful song -- Completely describes the feelings we all felt that night. I hope it touches your heart as much as it touched mine. I love you Dwain! and Paul! Two of my favorite fellas! Stay safe Dwain! We are so proud of you!