RUN!

Here is a short video of the Babies in the back yard. It doesn't capture the full excitement that they usually have (there are no instances of them running together with Einstein's tail in Tina's mouth!) but it is fun none the less. I will have to work on my video taking skills a bit more. Stay tuned!

We're Still Here

John & I are still alive... just very busy. That's why I haven't been as diligent about posting anything on here in a while. Both of the house closings went just as planned and we are getting settled in to the new house. The kitchen, bathrooms and main living room are fairly well complete, we just haven't hung any pictures yet and both our offices are in a great state of dissarray. The garage is still quite cluttered as well, but everything is coming along nicely (one box at a time). The puppies love the new house and the new big back yard! They just run and play all the time. I'm so proud of them, you never quite know how they will react to new situtations, but they have been the best Babies ever! And the rest of the critters are doing fine as well. We didn't lose ANY fish during the move, which I think is quite impressive. We drained the tanks down to almost empty and loaded them in the back of John's truck to transport them. It was HOT outside too that day. Actually I think we only broke three things during all the moving. The globe of my Garfield gum machine, the glass door to one of the tv stands, and a support board from our headboard came unglued. Nothing that we really needed or that can't be fixed so I'd say that's a success! I must also mention that we did have lots of good help moving. Blake, Carlos and Val were all wonderful and very dedicated to our cause. We have such good friends! Couldn't have done it with out them.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today was just about the best birthday ever!! We picked up the puppies last night so my alarm clock this morning was a cute little Einstein nose to the arm. I did have to work, but it was still a great day. My boss got me a blueberry muffin for breakfast, then a bunch of co-workers & I all went to Spaghetti Warehouse for lunch. I had the four cheese manicotti and it was excellent! Another co-worker also rounded up about a dozen empty boxes for me (we still have packing to do!) Then, the best news of the day... we got our statement showing how much money we have to bring to closing on our new house on Monday, and it was about half of what we expected! Woo Hoo!! I also got a great gift basket from my accounting co-workers with several house warming items that are fabulous and just my style! And when I got home John had left a vase of Sunflowers for me on the table! Just about a perfect day!! Now... off to fill those empty boxes!

Vacation!

John and I spent a few days on vacation near Tyler, Texas this past week. We had a great time, and it was definitely good to have some relaxing time before our big house move! We ate lots of good food, played shuffleboard and mini golf, and went to the Tyler Zoo also. We even rode paddle boats around for a bit. Ours seemed to be defective though... we couldn't turn right! There were two hammocks nearby - one pink and one orange. (Bet you can't guess who got which) After the paddle boat excursion, we decided to rest in the hammocks. After about 10 minutes or so, I hear a **thud** and look over to see John flat on the ground! After checking to make sure he was ok of course, it was a bit comical. And since that's about the worst thing to happen the whole trip, I'd say we did pretty well! Good Times!!

All Grown Up

Probably not too long after I bought this house, some birds starting making a nest on our front porch. It took them close to two years to get the nest built! And during different seasons, different birds would come and claim squatters rights and live there for a while. But last year Mommy & Daddy bird had some babies. Four in fact. And we watched them grow and eventually fly away. They are so amazing to watch! And they must be really good parents, because this year they came back and had four more babies!! Our real estate agent tried to get us to take down the nest before we listed the house, but I had to politely refuse. How could I take down their four year old house that had four babies inside?!?! Not an option. Just yesterday all four babies took flight. They are so cute, I get distracted everytime I walk by the window, I have to peek out and check on them. The babies still come back to rest during the day, and the whole family (Mom, Dad & all four babies) come back and sleep at night. Mom & Dad stay on the ledge next to the nest and the babies squeeze in together. It just amazes me at what good parents these birds are. I'm kind of sad that soon the babies won't need to come back anymore, as they will all go out and make new houses for their own families. Perhaps at least one will fly five miles up the road to our new house!