What is it with Fall

I love Fall. It makes me LOVE everything and appreciate things more. I find myself looking at the clouds and admiring how beautifully they are painted in the sky, how the color of the sky is like no color I have ever seen before, how the air smells so clean or how you can catch a hint of the smell of leaves burning far off in the distance. How its chilly but but to chilly, the way the sky explodes with color when the sun sets, sinking down behind the magnificently colored tree tops. I love how each leaf knows the exact shade it need to change in order for the tree to be a complete work of art & how no matter how small or big a tree is they are are beautifully decorated with no help from mankind.

I love how the fall makes you what to slow down. A walk down the street or just sitting outside doesn't seem like a inconvenience like it does in the summer. I love how fall makes you feel like the rush of summer is over. I love how it makes you want to snuggle closer. How Ryan will throw his arms around me when we are outside, wrap his arms in mind and block the wind from hitting my back. I love how I'm just the right height for him that he can rest his chin on my head. I love the feel of my soft sweaters and fleece. I love how Ryan will put his cold hand on my tummy to warm them up, & how we both giggle. He giggles cuz he thinks its funny, I giggle cuz it tickles. I love how we will watch t.v all snuggled up under a blanket our cold toes playing footsie with each other trying to get the other ones feet warm. I love how he will make me hot coco. I love snuggling my cold nose into his warm neck. I love warm comfort food. Stews, chili, corn bread muffins, warm baked apples, meatloaf, I could go on and on.

I guess most of all I love my family. My wonderful husband who cares so much. I love how he is always concerned with the little things, always telling me "not to worry", how he snuggles with the meow faces and plays with them like they are children. How he makes nests for them to sleep in so they aren't chilly. How he is always asking me if I'm hot or cold. I love how everything is Bee's. I love how he laughs and smiles. I love my sister and how everything in life can be a game. How even though she is an adult she still has the innocents of a little girl. I love how she is upbeat and positive and how she is always willing to help everyone. I love my brother in law Erik how even thought he isn't my "brother-brother" he feels comfortable enough in our family to treat me like his sister. I love how he is a brother to Ryan. I love how he is aways willing to help too. I love how even he tells me to "stop worrying so much". I love that he loves Mary. I love my Pappy. How he is sooo smart and doesn't even know it. I love how he is always willing to put his stuff aside and help his kids even though we are grown. I love how he and Ryan get along sooo well. I love that I can talk to him about everything and he is honest. I love my Mom, brother and sister in law too. We just aren't that close but I would love for that to change.

So what is it with fall?? There are 3 other wonderful seasons but why does fall effect me sooo much??

You Know You Work For A Non-Profit Organization When..

First off I love my job. I love the people and the art and the students and what I do in general. But that is not to say that working for a non-profit organization doesn't have its, well lets just say challenges. Some are "fun" challenges others are so ridiculous that "normal" businesses would think we were still in the stone age if they actually knew what we have to do ourselves and not have a fancy computer or a machine to do it for us. So this is my attempt to bring some humor to the non-profit world I live in.

10 SIGNS THAT YOU WORK FOR A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

10- there is a budget for Kleenex & instead of being able to order it someone must go out & buy it.
9- your phone is sooo old that they no longer even make parts to fix it and most technicians have never seen "that model"
8-not only is your phone from the stone age but most buttons no longer work do to the large amount of coffee, water, soda, and juice that has been spilled on it over the years.
7- Our mailings are actually created by us, typed by us, copied by us, and stuffed in to envelops by well me :O)
6 - In case it didn't sink in we actually have to mail out our own stuff & I'm talking folding over 2,000 letter by hand, labeling over 2,000 envelopes by hand, sealing over 2,000 envelopes by glue stick (cuz I'm sure as hell not going to lick them), and putting stamps on over 2,000 envelops by hand.
5- Yes we actually use stamps it is not in our budget to get a meter thing that would just weight it and stamp it for us.
4- When we changed our name this year by dropping the regional part "it was a very big deal"!!
3- There is no one to cover for you if you are sick. Your job either just doesn't get done that day or your boss does it and is happy to since it is a nice change for a day.
2- When the office need a change instead of actually hiring a company to come in and paint and decorate the staff actually paints their own offices.

And the #1 SIGNS THAT YOU WORK FOR A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION....

THE RECEPTION DESK JUST GOT IT'S FIRST COMPUTER EVER!!!! It is a used computer we don't have the budget to buy a new one but you would think it is the first computer ever made but the way people act about it. Every one has too see it, touch it, talk about it.

Don't get me wrong it is very cool to have a computer at my desk and I did just type this blog on it and got paid to do it so I guess I am one of those people that is super excited about the computer. Now I feel like I have a real job - isn't that what most people do surf the net at work?? :O)

Be Free Little Mouse Face

Last Thursday we let our healed little mouse face go. Ryan had the day off and since we wanted to do it together it was a good day to do it. The sun was shining, it wasn't to hot so it seemed like the right kind of day to let a mouse go.

I'm still going to miss the little guy. He was a cutie. :O)

We decided to let him go out in the cemetery that my grandparents are . I know it sounds creepy but my thought is that 1. it is a very quite place 2. there are plenty of plants to eat and 3. it is surrounded by fields. And the fact that its like 5 minutes away from us didn't hurt either. So we drove there parked but my grandparents grave walked out a bit and let the little guy go. ( this is not my grandparents grave in the picture ) We also said a pray for the little guy & asked Grandma & Grandpa to look after him. Although I'm pretty sure my Grandmother was turning in her grave, she wasn't one for mice. So I hear :O)

He did need a bit of encouragement, I don't think he liked the car ride.

But he jumped out, see the little guy? He is just to the right top corner of the cage in the grass. So he ran off, we poured out the bedding from the cage on the ground and put a pile of seed there, but I'm pretty sure he didn't come back. He ran away...Fast!!

Our New Addition Is Not Staying

Ryan and I have talked it over and after much consideration we have decided that we are going to let our new little friend go. He is getting better and we think its just the right thing to do. Mr. BoJangles situation was different - he came to us and it was the dead of winter when we rescued him so there was no way we could have let him go with out knowing for sure he wouldn't have frozen to death. But after the rain passes this week we are going to take him out to a field and let him our new friend go. I guess we could let Mr. BoJangles go to but Ryan really wants to keep him and he is fun to watch and he has been with us for a while now so he will stay. Plus we can't really have put the 2 little guys together with out knowing for sure that they both are 2 little guys. We really don't need an army of mice. Or what if they didn't like each out and one killed the other I would feel horrible. So the decision is made, our new friend well be set free. He is doing much better too. When we first brought him home he would just sit in his toilet paper tube with his little hands curled up I think cuz they hurt him so bad, but now he is moving around pretty good and I think he is feeling better. The hair on his face is even starting to grow back and it isn't red or pink anymore. He are a few pics.

Isn't he cute??

See his hands all curled up. Poor little guy :O(

This is how we found him today, he made himself a "hiding palce"

He's a sleepy little guy

This is Mr. BoJangles running in his wheel.
He is such a little mouse face.

Something New To Rescue

So this whole "we must rescue and help all creatures" thing has taken a turn. We now save frog. Yes frogs. Toads too. We were outside working on our deck with Pops and we see this little frog. Actually Ryan almost stepped on it!!! So he leads its, more like pushes it or guides it with a stick by poking its butt all the way from the back of our house to the pond that is like 130 feet back. Yes it is a 130 feet back we have measured it. He was soooo proud of himself for saving this frog.
A while later I went to get another board and what do I see. Yes another frog!!! So this one too gets rescued and taken to the pond. Although I picked him up, I didn't poke his butt for 130 feet. Oh but that's not the end of it. So Erik comes over and he is out helping us, looks down one of the holes we dug for the posts and what does he see. YES Another FROG. The poor little guy must of accidentally fallen down it. So Erik lays on the ground reaches down the hole and grabs the little guys and takes him to the pond.
The sad thing we realized later is that these little guys more than likely came from the pond, jumped/hopped all that way just to be taken back down there but some stupid humans that think they are helping. And I'm sure we will be rescuing them again some time soon.

I have also realized that maybe I shouldn't question God on the whole saving mice thing. Cuz there are always frog that need help too.

We have a new addition to our family

If they call me Snow White because of the way I am with animals then what should they call my husband?? Friday morning I get a call at work and its Ryan telling me that he has a mouse stuck to one of those horrible sticky mouse traps. He wants to know what to do. He says it is bleeding and is really hurt. I wanted to throw up. I have seen those mouse traps and what they can do to a mouse - basically it is designed that the mouse will rip himself to death trying to get off. Its very sad and the makers should be stuck to a pad just like it - naked!!! Maybe then they will know what it feels like. Anyways the first thought that come it mind is there is nothing you can do and that you will just have to put it out of its misery. Ryan did not like this answer. You can't just pull him off cuz you will pull its skin off too. Maybe you can cut him off. So that the sticky stuff is still attached to him but at least it will be free. He says he will try that and call me back.

About an hour later he calls me back telling me that he got the little guy off he cleaned him up with an alcohol swab, he is now in a box and I need to come get him on my way home from work. Not only did he cut him off he very carefully got all the sticky stuff too. What a guy :O) So we get him a small cage and put food, water and bedding in it for him. I feel sooo sorry for this little guy. He has no whiskers cuz he ( not Ryan ) pull them all off trying to get his face off the sticky pad, he had be bleeding from his mouth, his feet were all red and bloody and he can't walk right. I think cuz they hurt. But he is doing better. We have him in our room where it is quite most of the day, and he is eating and drinking and hiding out in a toilet paper tube. Seriously God, is this our/my calling to rescues mice. I'll do it, you know I will, I can't help it I love little critters but really mice??

That bring me to story #2 our first rescued mouse from January - Mr. Bojangles. Remember him?? The little shit bit me :O) And drew blood. We were trying to clean his cage which is just about impossible cuz he jumps around everywhere and we can't catch him. The only way is to trap him in side his toy jeep. ( Yes, he has a toy jeep to sleep in ). So we get him to run in it and Ryan sticks his hand over the opening and starts to lift it out of the cage and I see he is trying to squeeze through a small hole Ryan's hand didn't cover so I stick my hand there and he bites me. So we drop it back in the cage and close it. OK so here is my idea - maybe I am only to rescue them and help them, then let them go?? So i mention to Ryan that maybe we should let him go?? What do you think his response will be?? A. - Great Idea honey B. - But I don't want too but we will cuz he is a wild mouse after all C. - No!! And the answer is C!!!!! He actually got mad at the idea of letting him go!!! But it's not like we can let him go now anyways cuz what if he has rabies or something and since he bit me we need to keep him for at least 2 weeks. Good Grief!!! Oh and so I have proof I have told Ryan that I think it would be a good idea to let our new little friend go once he gets better. But he is already is set on keeping him too.

** For the record he has found and threw out allllll and any sticky traps he found at work and has told his boss that when ever he see one its throwing it away.

I am My Fathers Daughter

I am my fathers daughter is sooo many ways. I see it all the time. When I was a kid we had a hard time getting along but I think it was because we are so much alike. Nothing is impossible, everything can and will be fixed, and we are both very optimistic. And we both have patience of GOLD!!

Ryan and I built our first house and have been in it for 3 months now. During the building process my dad was sooo helpful in determining what to pay to have done and what we could do ourselves. My dad saved us a ton of money by doing this. We put our money into making the home big and saved money by going with the basics for flooring, counter tops, paint, things that we can change later after we have kids, and putting in our own closet shelving. One of the BIG things we decided to do our selves was the deck. They wanted way too much money for a small deck and dad and I knew we could do it bigger, better and it would still cost less. So a couple of weeks ago we decided that with summer ending we wanted to start this deck thing. We drew out the plan and have begun the work. It is taking a bit longer than we had thought it would but then again my dad and I think alike and everything we came up with was "we can totally do that", "no biggie". Well now that we have been working on the deck we have realized that it is a biggie :O) This deck is going to be Massive!!!! Its 12ft by 20ft by 28ft by 8ft, and wraps all the way around the sun room. We are even adding extra support for a hot tub. It is going to be AWESOME!!! Its even big enough that when we have kids we can lock the stairs off and it can be like a huge play pen. A child could easily ride a bike on this thing and have plenty of room. My dad is AWESOME!!! We joke all the time that we have the same disease - optimism!!! But I am totally cool with taking our time and it will be great. I am sooo excited!!! I guess God knew what he was doing when I got to be my daddy's daughter :O)

My Beautiful Sister

My little sister got married. Her day was soooo beautiful! But not as beautiful as her!!!! I am soo blessed to have a sister like her and her new husband is AWESOME!!!! (Not that he is that "new" he's been in the family for almost 5yrs. ) Here are some of my favorite pictures of her and Erik. These are just some there are more, I'll try to post them later. We are still pretty busy.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Putting in her vail

I think this is my Favorite picture of her.
The Most Beautiful Bride In The World!!!!

Erik & Mary at Hacienda to do some pre-reception drinking

Strawberry margaritas and they are both wearing white.
" Thats my Little Mary" :O)

Way too Busy

It has been a month?? I can't believe it. Oh well :O) Life is really busy and exciting. Lt. Mary is getting married in a month ( oops OMG!! I mean a week, good lord what am I thinking?? ) and I am sooo happy for her. We have been spending sooooo much time together and loving it. I don't know what I do with out her. Working together on her wedding stuff has really brought us closer. The memories we have made in the past 6 months we will have forever. I hope some day if I have daughters that they can be as close are we are. The only down side is that I have been trying to writing a toast for her wedding and I keep getting all teary eyed. I promised her I wouldn't make her cry and if I cant even write it without crying then we have a problem. Well back to it, just needed a break :O)

I truly am Snow White

What is it with me and animals?? Do I give off a vibe that says "hey little creature if you need help I'll help you."?

So I am walking in my back yard looking to see how much our grass is growing and I see this little bird sitting on this big rock just a chirping away. No big deal, right. All of a sudden it flies up to our sun room windows circles around and heads right for me!!!! I just stood there hoping it would just fly past me and IT LANDS ON ME!!! A BIRD LANDS ON MY HIP!!!! I am standing there looking down this cute little gray and yellow bird clinging to my dress. It was actually really cool. It was just looking around and surprisingly I wasn't scared :O) It "rested" on me for a good minute I would say. It might have stayed longer but I had a brilliant idea to try to take a picture of it with my camera phone. I almost had it too but as soon as I moved my hand to the button to take the picture it flew away. Well not away but to the ground like a foot from me. So of course I see this as a sign that the little bird needs something so I run inside grab Mr. BoJangles food (remember the mouse we rescued) and pick out all the bird seed and proceed to throw it all over the back yard for the birds. God I need help :O) At least this one we didn't take in and "save".

We are HOME!!!!

Actually we have been home for, well it will be 2 weeks tomorrow :O) I love this place!!! It is soooo beautiful!! So big!! I'm soooo excited. Ryan is too!! The move went really really well, better than I thought it would have gone. The moves got to the apartment at 9:o0am and went straight to work. There were 3 guys, in there 20's I would say and they just busted ass. It was amazing to watch. At 10:00 am Ryan and I left them and went and closed on the house.My dad came over to "watch" the movers for us while we closed. I am proud to say that I did not throw up on the closing agent. That whole closing thing had me very nervous. All those papers to sign. But we made it through it and no ones hand fell off from signing. We got back to the apartment at 11:30ish and the movers were just finishing up. I was floored. I can't believe what would have taken us a day to do these guys did in just 2 and 1/2 hours!! My dad said that they would carry something down the stairs and then run up all those stairs to the 3rd floor to get something else. They are nuts!! But AWESOME!!! We got to the new house at 12:00 pm and they went right to work. I had them put most of the stuff in the back spare bedroom till I could figure out what to do with it. But they did put our bedroom stuff in our room and even set up the bed for us. They put the furniture in the Family room just the way I asked them too, and the same for the desks being put in the other spare room. They were done by 1:30pm. AMAZING!!!!

We had sooooo many people visit us that day too. Family and friends who were excited and happy for us stopped by to check the new place out. I love having my door open to guests. We had wine coolers, beer, and snacks for them too. Lunch was sooo funny, my cousin Steph stopped by, with her to adorable kids :O), so her and I went to McDonald's to get lunch for everybody. My order went something like I need 10 double cheese burgers, 10 Mc chickens and how many apple pies do you have?? The lady actually went and counted. I took them all, 11 I think?? I wish I knew what those people were thinking?? I have a pic somewhere of our fabulous 1st meal in our new house. After lunch we pretty much went straight to work unpacking and putting things away. We had a lot of help and a big THANK YOU to all who helped or just stopped by that day, it wouldn't have been the same with out all of you. Mary ( my sister ) and Mary ( my sister in law ) unpacked my kitchen for me :O) My Pops put my curtain rods up, so I can hide my nakedness :O) Joe used his muscles and cut the shelves for the closets. My mom and his Mom ironed my curtains :O) I can't remember what else, but that's a good portion of the things going on that 1st day. We have pizza for dinner which was also very fitting. I loved it.

Ryan and I also brought the meow faces here that night. It was interesting. I don't know weather they were sacred or excited but they explored and had fun I think. Tinky did have a few problems which she solved by trying to sleep on my head. I did manage to get her under the covers instead, which I think was just as good as my head. I think?? Nizzy, is my fearless one, she explored and was just as happy as can be. Although she did sleep in Tinky's nest for a few nights, but she is over that now. Her favorite place is in the closet. Typical girl. They are completely at home now, and they LOVE running and playing on the stairs, which Ryan scolds them for. Its really cute.

Other than that we are just unpacking little, by little. We have all the major stuff done now it is just finding a place for all the other stuff. But we have a basement so I think a majority of it will be going down there till we need it. Hey that's what basements are for.

I do have to share one more thing. The other evening/night Ryan was outside adjusting the sprinklers and working a little bit on the yard and I was in the kitchen making dinner and it really hit me. THIS IS MY HOUSE!! THAT IS MY HUSBAND WORKING IN OUR YARD!! I'M COOKING IN MY BIG BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN!! It really felt like heaven at that point!! I am sooo happy, Ryan and I are the happiest we have ever been!!! We are sooo in love with each other!! Life is great and when the time is right for us we will start trying to have a family. I am soooo blessed!!!

Tee Hee Hee Its All Done!!

Guess what???? Our House is officially completed!!! I'm soooooo excited!! It is sooooo beautiful!!! I can't believe I get to live there. There are only 5 little thing left to do. The humidifier water line still needs to be hooked up. One of the closet doors are missing its handle. There is a little bubble under the vinyl in the Kitchen that they are going to fix. The front has to be sodded and the back seeded. A few paint touch ups. That's it, then it is all ours!!! So needless to say I really need to finish packing!! I wish we could just move today, but it won't be much longer. I think I can wait. I think...

On another note the mittens are having the best time around here. There are sooo many boxes to explore. They are climbing and jumping and hiding. Its crazy!! I think they know something is going on but I don't think they understand . Although they both like to jump into a box and meow for us to look I think they are saying "look mom, I'm all ready, aren't you proud of me?? They are soooo silly. I love our little meow faces.

So I'm going to go back to packing. Have a great weekend all !! :O)

Once again I have the GREATEST POPS EVER!!!

I know I brag about my dad a lot but he really is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Our house is just about completed and we have our final walk though coming up. This is the last chance we have to make sure everything is correct before we close on the house. Ryan and I originally wanted to have my pops with us to make sure that everything is good, but we came to realize that it is just too much to ask of him to take off the day for the walk through and a day off for the move. So my awesome dad spent his day with me yesterday at the house looking over everything. I just think he is the best to have done this for me. I mean for a guy who only gets 2 days off a week, I know that most people only get 2 days off, but to spend the day with me at my house when he has a ton of his own things to do . It just show how giving and unselfish he is. He's the bestest and I really appreciate everything he does for me.

I can't believe that I am almost the owner of a beautiful house!! Every thing is just about done. The carpet was laid Friday so I got to walk on it, bare foot!! I know I'm a dork but it is sooooo soft between my toes. I can't wait to live the!! The kitchen is calling my name I can hear it. I want to decide in advance what the first meal I will cook will be. I think it needs to be something special and great. I know our first meal in our house will be pizza, beer, wine coolers, soda, ect. Not a real special meal be I think it is a traditional one for the first meal in a new house. Plus our fridge and stove won't be delivered till the following morning, so its not like we have a ton of options. But I want the first meal I cook to be awesome. I will have to continue to think about that. Other than that we are just packing like mad!!! Our apartment is completely torn apart you can hardly walk though it. Well its not that bad but it ain't that great either. But we won't have to deal with it much longer. Oh and I am sooooo happy we have our movers scheduled!! I was really dreading having to move all this stuff ourselves. It would have taken forever and been a ton of trips or we would have had to rent a U-Haul or something and walking up and down 3 flights of stair a billion times just does not sound like fun to me. The movers say that it will take them about 3-4hrs to get everything out and maybe 2-3hrs to unload so we will be moved in by 4:00pm-ish!!! This is a very good thing since we only have like 2 days to move and turn in the keys to this place.

Now I have to get back to packing but here are just a few pics.

Basement - all insulated and ready to go.
Also see all the lights!! NO SCARY BASEMENT!!!

The black granite in the master bath.
It looks sooo cool!! I love it :O)

O.k that's it :O) I thought I had more but I guess not.

Oh the Anticipation

Heheheh!!! I am sooo excited!! Ryan and I went out to the house Thursday and guess what?? Our counter tops are in!! There are even more beautiful than I thought. And as if that wasn't exciting enough they were installing our lights fixtures!! Our house is going to be sooooo AWESOME!! I can't wait!! On another note... I almost had a heart attack the other day!! Thursday afternoon I got an e-mail for Tony, our construction manager. All the e-mail said was, "We need to talk about your counter tops, call me as soon as you get this!!!" My first thought was, we're hosed!! We have to be out by the end of the month, and now we don't have counter tops. Crap now what do we do?? I called and he tells me that they ordered the counter tops in the wrong size. The master bath counter tops that is. And that it was going to take 2 1/2 weeks to get the correct size in. ( If the house isn't complete we can't close ) So then he asks......... "how would you like a black gannet counter top in there instead??" Heck yes!!! So now we have a cool black counter top in the master bath!! Its going to look awesome!!! Just a few more weeks!! Maybe I'm a little bias, but I think our house is sooooo beautiful!!! I can't wait to live there!!

Oh and I hate packing!! How did we get so much junk?? I have packed a lot of boxes and it looks like I haven't even started to pack. Its really frustrating!! But its got to be done. I try and sort things and throw things out but it isn't working that well. At least at the new place there is plenty of room to put all the junk. :O)

And one last thing here are some new pics.........

Our Kitchen with the counter tops on
Its going to be soooo awesome and see
the light in the ceiling :O)

closer view.... aren't they beautiful??
They go sooo well with the cabinets

The counter top bar thing that we
can eat on.

I am soooo happy about this....
Its the folding counter in the Laundry room!!!!

The cabinets and counter top in the main bath,
our bath has the same cabinets but will have the black gannet.

Although they look black it is really just dark wood.

The ball is rolling

It won't be too long now and we will be in our Awesome New House!!! We are getting so excited!! Lately I have be trying to pack. It is more work than you think. We have a fair amount of boxes packed but not nearly enough. But little by little boxes are getting packed and things are being organized. I just have to keep working on it day by day.
Tonight we bought our range and refrigerator. They will be delivered the day after we close. We have decided to hire a moving company to move all the big stuff and the heavy boxes and we will get the lite things on our own. By doing this we will definitely be out of the apartment in one day!!!! I really can't believe all this is happening, it has seemed like a dream, and in a way it still does. Ryan is getting excited too. He has been sooooo goofy and happy lately, sometimes I don't think he's the same person. We keep thinking of this as a new start. We are leaving all the old crap behind and we are starting over. I really think we needed this. It has made our marriage sooo much stronger.
Also we did get our new address, I won't post it but we do have it and I all ready know it by heart!!! They put our cabinets in last week, they also have started the trim and our doors are on. They should have the counter tops in this week and maybe the lights. Its coming along quite nicely. We love it!!!!