Pumpkin Carving

Who doesn't like Halloween? The holiday has no real meaning or purpose, but you get to dress up as whatever you want, get candy, get your scare on, and carve pumpkins. Lately things have been so busy for me, I take great pleasure in the small things. I picked out our pumpkin last week but I wasn't sure it would get carved. Then I decided that last night around 10 it was a great time to carve a pumpkin! I had slept all day, since I had worked the night before, and wasn't ready for bed. I didn't want to do your regular square eyes, triangle nose pumpkin, but I'm not a very artsy person. Some people can do amazing things with pumpkins, but that's not me. But with a little searching on the internet we got a non-traditional, not too hard design. It was pretty fun - and some people are creeped out by clowns and this is especially for them :)

Adult pumpkin carving should always include wine!


Here he comes!

Blake yelled at me for holding the knife like this, he said I would cut my leg off....
I didn't

Ta da!

Happy Halloween!

Sad Finn....

This is the face I've seen a lot recently on Finn:

Cause he's in trouble. He's had probably too much time inside by himself lately now that Blake has gone back to school and work. He's totally alone pretty much all day Tuesday and Thursday plus a few hours every other day, and we are still not able to leave him outside.

I came home yesterday and did not get my usual welcome. Usually Finn is on me immediately jumping up for kisses as if he hasn't seen me in 5 years - which is nice/makes you feel special.

But yesterday, I got home to total quiet and stillness. Blake was standing over Finn daring him to move; he had eaten a pair of my shoes. (He really just eats the sole out and nibbles on the rest - and then throws it up later.) Of course Finn shouldn't do this, but I wasn't especially upset, it was an old pair of shoes I needed to replace anyway. And it gave me an excuse to shop today :).

So when he's bad he gets put on his bed for time out and looks pathetic. And like a child he tries to leave before he's given permission. Today I said to Blake, "Kids only get the amount of time out equal to their age, and Finn is only 2." To which Blake replied, "We're going by dog years."

Oh my poor Finn.

On a different note, we did a little home improvement project this week which made me very happy. My mom snagged some hand-me-down lawn furniture for us. It had good bones but was kind of rusty and the cushions had gone bad. But after a little sanding, paint, and new cushions, they are great! It's finally cooling down a little to where you can stand to be outside for more than 30 seconds and I am looking forward to using these chairs.

Before:

After:

New Addition

I am pleased to announce that because we had room left over in our house, we got to bring in Blake's drum set! It is incredibly loud. Blake is really very musical and he may start playing drums for a church here in Rome, so he'll need to practice. And if you are wondering, yes he is wearing a head band - he's growing his hair out. :)

Batchelorette weekend!

In two weeks my sister will be Mrs. Coburn! This weekend we partied in ATL and danced away some of the final days of her single life. The other bridesmaids planned this and they did an awesome job - we had so much fun! We started painting pottery, then we dined at Veni Vidi Vici, then closed out the night at Cosmo Lava in the VIP section and playing games in between. I can't wait for the wedding, and I know Emily can't either!



It was so fun to let loose after working such long hours lately. I'm into my 2nd month of residency and I can't believe it's flown by so fast. It is surprisingly fun and I know that I'm on the right path because I really love my job and the people I work with. Here are my fellow residents from our ropes course bonding session.

Lyle Family Reunion

Here in Rome we are sitting in a nasty storm, but we just got back from a beautiful weekend at Lake Oconee where we attended the annual Lyle Family Reunion. This is Blake's mom's side of the family which is really large considering she was one of 12 children. Family reunions are typically dreaded, but this one is so much fun and highly anticipated every year. We spend the weekend enjoying the lake, food, and one another.

The Meeks

Special Thanks!

I started this post and as if he was given a que Blake said "I love this house." And I love it too! I am officially a resident now and I know that this house will be my refuge when I'm off work. We have several family members and friends to thank for helping us get the house put together. Both of our sets of parents took time off of work and spent countless hours painting, cleaning, and organizing. Nathan braved the afternoon heat and cut our 1 acre yard, which was knee high in certain areas, with a push mower. We simply could not have done it without all of you!

Dad - the master painter (he basically painted the master bedroom and bathroom by himself)

Wanda - trimming extraordinaire

Nathan - chief grunt

I don't have a good picture of my Mom - Disinfect and Decide where it goes VP

Randy, Clutch handy-man.

And last but not least, my wonderful husband, who jumped in and didn't stop until it was done.

Beach Weekend

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with two great friends, Amanda and Jenna, in the Gulf Shores area. It was wonderful! It had been way too long since I had relaxed on the beach. We enjoyed lazy mornings, spending all day with our toes in the sand, shopping, playing yahtzee, and going out to eat. I can't wait to go back!

This was at Lamberts, a home-style restuarant where they literally throw the rolls at you.

We went to the wharf and ate at Guy Harvey's

Mmmm, I want some more of these!

Kitchen

I finally got the kitchen straightened up enough to take photos. I love this room too, it is a cheery peach and very roomy. I didn't expect to put the desk in the kitchen, but it's growing on me and I think it will be very convenient. Also, you know you're old when you get super excited about your new refrigerator.

Before: khaki!

During:

After!:

The fish survived the move too!

Rotten

I think that Finn likes the new house but he sure has been clingy lately. He is a sweet pup and has always been willing to cuddle, but in the past, you had to call him over and he would only stay a few seconds. Recently, he has just been climbing in our laps or is no further than arms length away. And he is no lap dog - he weighs 45 pounds. I don't know if he's still a little anxious about the new place, or didn't like being left in Augusta for 5 days without us, or if he's just being extra loving. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying...