I know, I know, I've been neglecting my blog. And I was doing so well for a good while! First, I rarely if ever have time to get on the computer at home (when Lacey is awake she won't let me, she takes a nap right when I leave for work, and when I get home from work Nick is asleep). I can't post pictures from work, so I haven't even downloaded my pictures yet from our camping trip last week! That's my excuse.
We went camping for memorial day week in Mississippi with Nick's family. He couldn't come because of work, but Lacey and I went Tuesday, Wed, Thurs, and Fri. It was a blast! His grandparents have a motor home, which came in handy, because it poured the second night. Me, Lacey, and Nick's sister Erica were in an old tent, and boy did it leak. We had 4 inches of water in the bottom of it when we got in there from the motor home. I swear our air mattresses were just floating! And our sheets had soaked up the water from the floor. There wasn't a dry spot in there.
Thank God we had already moved most of our stuff to the car just in case. But since everyone was still awake, his grandfather came out and saved us and we slept on the table that made into a bed. Luckily Nick's cousins tent was dry, so there was enough room in the motor home. But other than that, it was a wonderful trip. It was at the lake so we got to swim for hours everyday at the little beach they had. Lacey LOVED it. She was so brave! She would just wade out into the water and stop when she got too deep, and come back. Of course, we were close. She loved to just lay on her tummy where it was shallow, put her hands on the bottom, and just float. She also made some sand angels (YUCK) and her and Nick's cousin Brittany's son, Tyler, had a good ole time splashing. She loved wearing a life jacket, and literally would take off into the lake until she couldn't touch, then lean forward and kick her feet behind her, turn around, and kick back to the shore. It was funny, she wouldn't put her feet down until she got back to the sand, so she would swim up like a beached whale and just lay there looking at us.
Lacey and Tyler played together wonderfully the whole time, it was great. I brought a bunch of games, and they kept each other entertained. We didn't get a single mosquito bite the whole time! Of course, as soon as I got home and walked the dog, I was eaten alive. I swear there are packs of them just waiting on me to come out into the yard, and they just attack. I swatted 2 on my forearm, felt something on my calf and looked down to see 3 of the little buggers in a row! Geez!
And, in other big news, the source of the title... drumroll please... we got a new puppy. Gasp. Yes, probably not the best idea, considering we have 3 people and a dog packed into a small 2 bedroom already, but I have a bleeding heart for all things four legged (well, not cats.) Nick's sister called me a few weeks ago saying that a friend of hers that worked for a vet found 6 puppies in a ditch, their mother dead in the road. Can we say sob story? I know I can't save them all, but I sure try my hardest, much to Nick's chagrin. I thought about it, argued with Nick about it, and generally turned it over and over in my head. Yes, we have a small place. Yes, we want to move to a larger place when our lease is up, and actually we hope even sooner than that. Yes, I am trying to potty train a toddler (sorta), do I really want basically a newborn in the house? With that said, I have a friend who was looking for a dog to rescue. We talked about it, and she said she wanted one of these, and would wait a couple of weeks to see if mine worked out. If it didn't she said she would take it. Perfect, right? That's the only way that I could convince Nick to let us do it, that we had a trial if it was horrible, and the puppy had a loving home with a backyard if it didn't work.
The puppy is adorable! His name is Marley (he came with it). He's a lab, german shorthaired pointer, and some kind of smaller dog mix. He is yellow, like a lab, but much smaller than a 3 month old lab or pointer. He is very cute, and very smart (thank the Lord.) Nick is pretty enthralled. He knew he would get attached once he saw it, and thought we just didnt' have the room and the puppy wouldn't be happy in our cramped space so he didn't even want to give it a chance. But he is in hog heaven. He plays with Lacey, roughhouses with our dog Bentley, eats rawhides, sleeps in a doggy cave (crate, covered with a sheet, with a doggy bed inside), goes outside to play whenever he wants, and gets leftovers when Lacey drops them. I swear the dog has a permanent smile on his face. He has been great about housetraining. The only problem is he was used to pottying in his crate from being at the vet, so we're trying to break him of that. He's getting better.
For the past 3 days (we got him last Sat) he has had no accidents in the house, and peed in his crate once. Pretty good, I'd say. He has already learned not to jump on Lacey (because we will yell at him, and she will scream and beat him to death), and how to sit. He loves to practice sit, because this means either he gets to go outside and chase imaginary bugs and leaves, or gets fed. Lacey loves him to death, and brags about her new puppy all the time. She likes him even better when he doesn't jump on her. He also knows that when we say 'crate' that means to go in, and he does it with no fuss. I'm pretty proud, luckily we got a smart one, and, as Nick says, at least he's cute. I have caught him multiple times on the couch with Marley in his lap (mommy says no dogs on the couch, but no one follows my rule unless I'm in the room), nose to nose, rubbing his ears. He swore he wouldn't take care of him, but I came home the other night to them playing in the front yard. All in all, he's a pretty cool dog, and has fit in pretty well. I do feel like I have a newborn sometimes, especially the first 2 nights when he was up at 3 needing to pee (coincidentally, both times Lacey had woken up before him, wanting mommy to sleep with her), but now he is sleeping through the night and waking up around 7. I get frustrated sometimes because he will act like he needs to go to the bathroom, sniffing around and such, and I take him out and he won't go, he will start playing. Or I put him in his crate at night and he starts whining (he only whines when he needs to go out), and I take him out and it takes like 45 minutes before he will actually go. Sometimes I take him out, bring him in, and repeat 3 times before he will go! But hopefully he will catch on better soon.
Nick has started summer swim team, and man is he busy. He has summer team in the mornings, and his hours are ridiculous. They expect the coaches to be there for 4 hours, everyday. It's a country club! They have more than enough room in the pool to be in and out in, at the most, 2 hours. They did it in an hour and 30 minutes at the YMCA, with more kids and a smaller pool. Nick is frustrated. He did end up changing the times a little (even though head honcho told him good luck, people weren't likely to do it... but they did) so he's not there for quite so long. He gets home around 11:30 or noon, and is so tired. Then he has to turn back around everyday and do swim lessons at 3:30 at the gym (luckily an indoor pool) for his year round team. Then he also has BSL (year round team) swim practice Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. I complain during the year that he gets to sleep a lot and only work like 3 hours a day, but now I can't complain! Well, I guess I can, because now he's actually working about the same amount as I do... but at least I don't have to be out in the sun. We are very happy that he is staying on salary from BSL this summer (because he picked up the swim lessons), because that, on top of the ridiculous amount the country club is paying him (well, it IS one of the richest neighborhoods in Birmingham, which is why I encouraged him to take the job), will really help out with the wedding, moving, etc. We are very content right now, and very happy. Except that whenever I'm home, he's tired or sleeping. But that will get better.
And speaking of the wedding, I decided yesterday to make my own invites. I just couldn't justify spending like $250 for invitations, then $100 on top of that for stamps for the invites and reply cards. Ridiculous! That's money that can go better to other things. I have cut corners so much on this wedding it's crazy that it is still costing as much as it is. I know it's a small amount to some people (in all, with absolutely everything, it will probably come in at less than $5000, and that's with my mom having to buy 3 bridesmaids dresses and shoes for my sisters). We're paying for a lot of it, but definitely couldn't do it without my parents help. Our photographer is a friend and giving us a huge discount, and engagement shoot for free. Our caterer is a friend, doing the food at cost, and decorations for free. We are borrowing a sound system from my sister's friend who works at a church for free. I am making all of the bouquets (except mine, I'm not sure yet). Nick's aunt is making Lacey's dress for free, and helping with decorations. Right now one of my biggest expenses is finding tablecloths for 6 foot round tables. They are expensive!
And now I'm making the invites. I'm pretty proud! I have to print them, but the sample that is just the paper with no printing, turned out great. And, for 150 invites, made with a background of colored cardstock, then white cardstock with the printing, ribbon at the top, a fleur de lis punch on the white paper so the blue shows through, envelopes, glue dots, calligraphy pen, and response card, it cost me a total of $26.86. Hobby Lobby had a huge sale on all of their scrapbooking stuff! Perfect timing. At Michaels the cardstock was a dollar a sheet (from which I can get 3 invites) and at Hobby Lobby it was half off, original price per sheet was 40 cents, so I got 3 invites for 7 cents apiece. 50 sheets cost me $11. The cardstock was $2.99 for 50 sheets, also making 3 invites, so about 3 cents apiece. Vellum cost me $4 for 40 sheets, making 4 invite covers, about 5 cents apiece. Envelopes came out to be about 20 cents apiece, and cardstock for my regrets message was about 2 cents apiece. So all in all, each invite, packaging and all, cost me about 37 cents!!! Oh, and I found the design online. Same type of cardstock, almost exact same design. They had them at $1.32 apiece, not including envelopes, vellum, response card, envelopes for response card, etc. Crazy! Also, I have a friend who owns a business so she has a bulk postage printer that she said I can use, and she won't let me pay her, so I don't even have to pay for stamps. Woo hoo! More money for the honeymoon (or deposit on a new place to live, lol). I have a friend at work that said they paid $1000 for their invites. I was aghast... that is nuts to me. I'm going to have to go into business!!
Nick said today that he took Lacey swimming, and she held onto the side and went around most of the pool! Going to the lake made her much braver. She loves to put her ring around her waist and jump in. He also showed her how to hold on to the side and go under. He said she did it twice in a row, and held her breath for both of them. She's bad to get excited and leave her mouth open, and inhale water. But he said she pushed herself under, came back up, breathed, and went back down! Yay little fishy!
Awww and Nick just called and made my week. Here's the back story. I quit taking one of my medicines, and realized it was the cause of me being so darn tired all the time, and indifferent and not affectionate. It wouldn't have attributed to that, except it was such a drastic change when I quit taking it. I figured I was just tired because I work till 11:30pm, go to bed around 2am, and get up with the chickens (or Lacey and the puppy) anywhere from 6-7:30am, and am up all day until 2am again. But no! Well, I'm sure that's some of it. But I have felt so peppy and happy since I stopped taking it, and Nick has noticed too. It had gotten so bad that I was completely neglecting the house, and him! Not that I'm a neat freak, but it was to the point where I wanted to lay on the couch all day and not move from tiredness. I have kept the house so clean, and all the laundry done, and it feels so good. Making blueberry pancakes, or chocolate chip waffles and eggs for Lacey and for him before he goes to work. It feels nice to get up and be productive, and not so lazy.
So he just called before he went to bed to say that he loved me very much, and he thanked me for everything and said that he appreciated everything, and he is sorry he hasn't pitched in more. He really is struggling to get used to getting up early and working! I told him it means more to me to be appreciated for what I do, then for him to do it himself. Not that I don't want him to clean up after himself, but I am SO much happier to do it if I am appreciated. I told him it has actually been nice, and I haven't felt any animosity or bitterness towards him (because he hasn't pitched in that much) and that is solely because he thanks me for it. I have definitely caught myself (as I'm sure all moms have, especially the ones that work, take care of your child, take care of the house, bills, appointments, dogs, finding a new house, etc) getting angrier and angrier as I clean, picking up this shirt here, and that shoe there, and muttering that if he would just do it himself, I could be at the pool with Lacey or whatever. Because those are the times when I feel unappreciated. I am so glad he is listening to me (he knows that I am the type of person that will go out of my way, and be happy to do so, to do things for others; not because I want them to do something for me in return, but because they appreciate it. Everyone wants to feel appreciated). Things have gone much smoother, and we are so happy when we actually show and verbalize that we appreciate each other. It's like the 'Duh' moment almost. I think a lot of it has been that he is actually working 8 hours a day most days, and it's draining him just to do that. And he realizes that not only do I do that, sometimes working 8 hours 5 days a week, then another 8 or 12 hour day on the weekend, but I take care of literally everything. It's great that he realizes the sacrifices that I make (as well as I realize what he does) and is gracious enough to tell me that he realizes it, and is thankful. I have so many friends who feel like their husbands/SO's don't understand what they do for their family. And most of them probably do, they just won't admit it. I don't even think about what I'm cleaning now, or whose dish that is, I just do it with a happy heart, it gets done, and we are both happy. I like feeling unselfish, it's a big burden lifted. And all because of two words :'Thank you.'
Who have you neglected to say thank you to this week? It's easy to forget that other people can't read your mind or your actions all the time, and sometimes it takes very simple words like I love you, or thank you, or I'm here for you, to show people your true heart. I love for people to show me that they love me through their actions, as well as I show love through my actions, but sometimes you just need to hear it. I know that my bosses appreciate what I do, they show me through their actions all the time, such as approving (within reason) my vacations, even though I might not get my request in by the required time. Or coming to the desk just to talk to me, or helping me out with something when we are slammed. But the thing that makes me feel the strongest feeling of being appreciated, is when I receive a thank you card in the mail, unsolicited and unannounced, from them. Go for it, the people around you will be much happier!!! I promise!
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