Things Change

Some things change... like leaves, and seasons, and temperatures. But some things don't... like friendships. I got to experience all of the above this past weekend. We went on our "annual" fall hiking/camping trip with the Fentons this past weekend. I get to say annual as we've now gone twice... can't wait for next year!

I was a wee bit concerned about the weekend as we went a bit later this year and we had just experienced the first few mornings at the freezing mark. I LOVE cold weather, but typically I'm inside, snuggled up by a fire with a good book and mug of hot chocolate to enjoy it. Freezing temperatures in the wilderness... I wasn't exactly sure how fun that would be. Thankfully, the temperatures weren't that bad. Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL day for hiking! It was the perfect temperature to work hard but not feel miserably hot and sweaty. The leaves weren't quite as vibrant and colorful as I would have liked, but I think that's probably due to the rainiest summer ev-ah. It was still an awesome day though.

Kyle and Lesley Anne are wonderful people... we are so blessed to call them friends. Kyle was in PT school with Sam and they were newlyweds like us when PT school started so we've shared a lot of the same struggles and wins over the last few years. Add in that they also have a Weim and it's pretty much a match made in heaven. And Sterling loves Doc. Those boys are BFFs for life. I swear Sterling even knows his name. If we say "Doc Doc" he wags his tail and gets really excited! We don't get to see them nearly as much as we would like as they have recently purchased a home about an hour north of Athens, but despite the time between visits, they remain some of our favorite people! It is always wonderful to spend some time with them... bonus is that Sterling comes home exhausted!

Here are some photos of the weekend:

Sterling loves to run on the trails. He was surprisingly good!

Taking a water break: This doesn't quite show the
massive incline... he was pooped. Mom was super pooped.

Lunch break: One out of ten of them both looking at the camera.
I think Sam is saying "Look at Momma".

Sterling's Lunch: yummy stick

Stole this one from Lesley Anne: The only one with all four of us!

Triple Falls: Lesley Anne tells me that the
Hunger Games was filmed here

Hooker Falls: slightly less dramatic after Triple Falls

"Brrr Mom, it's cold" Snuggly puppy trying to stay warm

Post hike, pre 9000 layers to keep warm

Some body's tired. He was knocked out for the whole ride home... sweet boy.

 It was a wonderful weekend with the Fentons. Sterling obviously had a blast, and we did too! Next year we might even see about taking off a half day so we can stay for two nights... whoaa, I know. Sleeping on the ground for TWO NIGHTS?!?!?! Getting crazy!

So thankful for the changing seasons and the cooler weather. And the time change is coming soon... I think I'm the only person who enjoys the fall forward time change. But you get an extra hour of sleep AND you have more excuses to stay in and snuggle up with a good book because it's dark... winning! Happy Fall, y'all!

Happy Birthday Sterling!

I know, I know, two posts in one day, but Sam would be insulted if I didn't mark the occasion after making such a big deal over Everest a few weeks ago. So...

Happy Birthday Sterling!

You have been a pain in my precious addition to the family! I'm so excited that you're three today! I hear that this is the year when life returns to normal, when you'll calm down, learn to walk around something instead of leap over, learn to mop the floors after you drink water, learn to walk and not run... Ehhh, you'll probably learn none of those things this year. But I love you anyway sweet boy!

When we first started talking about getting a dog, we discussed a Weim. They are so beautiful, what's not to love? I found this quiz called "Are you ready for a Weim?" (or something like that). It asked you a zillion questions about whether or not you can handle a Weim's behavior. Questions like: "If I flip my water bowl over to make a puddle to play in, will you clean it up with a smile?" or "If I bring you presents (i.e. dead animals), will you thank me and tell me I'm so smart/resourceful/fast?". I took the quiz. I failed the quiz. And then I told myself that no one dog could do all of those things. A few short weeks later, Sam sent me a text of him holding the cutest little puppy.

Sam with 7 week old Sterling

"Want him?" he asked. Of course I do. He's so cute and cuddly! Who cares that he'll grow up to be as big as a horse, as strong as an ox, and as bull-headed as, well, a bull? And so after a TERRIBLE start to our July 4th holiday, we came home with this little guy.

And life has never been the same… so I'll just let you enjoy some photos of Sterling's first three years.

Whoops! That's not Sterling… that's the Aftermath of Sterling

Believe it or not, I do love you sweet boy! Now, please be good for momma when I pick you up from the kennel today. And pretty, pretty please (with a cherry on top) don't get us kicked out of our new home when we move in tomorrow. Happy Birthday Sterling!

Life Update

Ughhh! I'm a terrible blogger. Honestly, there's not much going on in my head these days… it's all a mess while we wait for decisions that are both in our control and out of our control. Lovely.

Here's what I can tell you:

• We are not moving to Colorado. I am both bummed and relieved, but that's a story for another day. None of the opportunities turned out in Colorado to be as fruitful as here locally. The good news: it made making the decision a lot easier. And I'm thankful we are on the same page. 

• We have two AWESOME opportunities here locally, and by locally I mean within commuting distance of Athens. We have until next Wednesday to decide. To say I'm a wee bit anxious is an understatement, but mostly I'm just really thankful to be in a position to CHOOSE.

• Speaking of next Wednesday, that's our anniversary. Three years. Crazy.

• Once Sam has made the decision and notified all parties, we will begin our hunt for a rental home. In my experience, this is hell. It's crazy stressful to find a place you can commit to for a year or whatever. It's always a zillion times more than you intend to spend. And it's infinitely more difficult when you throw a cat (rental owners hate cats) and an eighty pound dog into the equation. We're hoping that Athens will be easier and cheaper than Augusta.

• I suddenly recognized that I will not always have my current insurance. While my insurance SUCKS in comparison to those who have infertility coverage, in reality it's pretty good. As in $250 deductible and 10% after that. I've been quoted a little over $400 for the surgery with my current insurance. Therefore, I have a pre-op appointment to discuss (and plan) a laparoscopy with my RE in April. That gives me a surgery date for the first week of May. I'm hopeful that I don't chicken out between now and then.

I think that's about everything swirling around in my head. I apologize for the bullet-style posting and the conglomeration of mess. The good news is that there are some blog worthy events coming soon. Here's a teaser:

• Third Anniversary
• Anniversary Getaway
• Due Date Anniversary
• Sam's Graduation

All of that occurs within the next forty-two days! Crazy!!! 

Curious Cats

So you know the old adage, Crazy Old Cat Lady? There is something about older, single, ladies that appears to draw cats. Are they unmarried because they have cats? Or do they have so many cats because they aren't married? Hmmmmmm.

Okay, spinster cat ladies, is actually NOT the topic here. But I've begun to notice a trend, and I'm wondering if there is anything scientific behind this:

Infertile Ladies are More Likely to have Cats than Fertile Myrtles

I know, I know, that seems crazy. What proof do I have? Very subjective evidence I'll admit, but cheek this out. I follow the blogs of 23 ladies who have dealt with or are dealing with infertility, include me, and that makes 24.

Crazy (Cool) Cat Ladies:

1. Me
2. Scrambled Eggs
3. Submerged
4. If You Don't Stand for Something
5. Something Beautiful
6. From my Bathtub
7. Hopeful and Hungry
8. My Bum Ovaries
9. Just Stop Trying and It Will Happen
10. Sometimes it's Hard to get Pregnant
11. Patience is not my Virtue

That is almost HALF!!! Now, tell me, are half of your female friends cat owners? Not mine. I'm constantly surrounded by "I'm allergic" and "I'm a dog person". In fact, I think I recently met the only other person I know in real life who owns a cat. So it's strange to me that HALF of my fellow TTCers own cats. Now obviously, not all infertiles have cats. In fact, by my little "experiment" here, more than half do not. So it is quite apparent that there is NOT a direct correlation between cat ownership and infertility. But it does seem that there is some type of connection. What might it be?

Possible Answers to this Question:

1. Cats cause infertility (hmmmm, seems doubtful, but I guess possible)
2. Infertile women are innately more attracted to cats than fertile women (maybe this is how spinsters end up with so many cats)
3. I am subconsciously drawn to fellow bloggers who have cats

If you google cats and infertility you'll get the usual about toxoplasmosis and the risks there, but obviously that has more to do with staying pregnant or keeping baby healthy, and nothing to do with getting pregnant. But there do seem to be lots of "old wive's tales" out there that cats cause infertility. Odd. There are also lots of stories about people getting rid of a cat due to infertility or fear over a pregnancy. Hmmmm…

I don't know about you ladies, but I've had a cat since I was 8 years old. She was my first pet. She was a blue pint Himalayan named Soo Ming. I loved that little girl to pieces. She died at the ripe old age of 16. Broke my poor little heart.

Now, I have a seal point Himalayan named Everest. She is three and a half. She is basically the sweetest little fur ball you've ever seen. And she is a trooper too. I don't think she would have come home with me quite so calmly had she known we were going to add a 8 week old Weimaraner to the mix 6 months later.

Everest,  lying across Harry Potter so I am forced to pet her

I can't imagine that this little baby is the root of all of my problems, nor that my first cat was. Although, I do suspect that if I ever do bring home a baby, Everest will throw a royal hissy fit. She didn't like the addition of husband to the mix, now her giant grey brother. I'm guessing baby won't win her over either.

So what do you think? Is there anything here? Strange coincidence? What about you, are your infertile friends cat owners?

Birthday Celebrations

So where have the Greavu's been lately? Celebrating birthdays of course, it is October!

Last weekend Sam and I went home to have a family birthday party with our parents. My mom surprised me midweek with a great surprise... tickets to the UGA/Vandy game! With that news, Sam and I were even more thrilled to be heading home! We hadn't been to the Georgia campus in over a year, and our last game was the dismal day in '08 when we fell to the Jackets (boo). So Friday night we loaded up the car with all of our junk (and animals) and headed home.

Saturday morning (Mom's birthday), my momma, Stuart, Sam and I headed down to Athens. Sam and I were really happy to be back on campus. I think there is just something about your college days that will always be nostalgic, and for Sam and I, that campus is where we met, fell in love, end began dreaming of our future together. We decided to use our pre-game time to scout out a new collar and leash for Sterling. Although he's not a bulldog, he is a BULLDAWG! So cute!

More good news for us, despite the slow start for the Bulldogs this year, Georgia showed up that day and had a beautiful game and shut out the Commodores (perfect)! PLUS, we were there for the Collaring Ceremony for UGA VIII. We were there for VII's ceremony as well, but we're hoping that this sweet boy will have a much longer life. He's off to a great start as the dogs are 2-0 under Big Bad Bruce's reign! What a great day!

Photo courtesy of AJC.com/sports

We headed home after the game to get ready for Sam's family to come over for some yummy lasagna and CARROT CAKE!!! Delicious! Shane surprised us by coming over as well so we all sang Happy Birthday to my Momma, Sam, and myself and enjoyed some family time together. It was a good day all around as Genie and Bob got to see the Cats knock off South Carolina while wearing their Kentucky blue.

Thursday was my actual birthday, and Sam has learned that birthday's (and Christmas) are a big deal for me, so despite my rather glum attitude about turning 25, he surprised me with a wonderful birthday! I came home to find a large, WRAPPED gift, and a card. I was so excited, Sam is not a man of many words, so cards are not his thing, nor is wrapping, but it was all PERFECT! I am such a lucky wife!

He got me a beautiful quilt for our bed, which is perfectly timed as our home begins to get seriously chilly and we attempt to survive the semester without turning on heat (we'll see)! The quilt is the color of the top pillow, "Sandlewood" from Pottery Barn (my favorite).

Photo courtesy of PotteryBarn.com

AND, the sneaky husband that he is, he told me to go ahead and get ice for drinks before dinner, I open the freezer to discover Coldstone! Not just any Coldstone either, but a whole half gallon on my very favorite Cake Batter ice cream, mixed with brownies, white chocolate chips, and caramel! Yum! And since it was my birthday, the kind lady had made me a small extra with whipped cream and sprinkles! So wonderful! Thanks to my family, I had a wonderful 25th birthday!

Friday, Sam and I went out to dinner to actually celebrate our birthday's together since his is Monday and we really can't afford two restaurant nights so close together. Kyle and Lesley Anne Fenton joined us for pizza, and we has a great night of fellowship with new friends.

Saturday, it was our turn to return the favor and journey for two of our good friends Kyle Kersey and Haley Staples. They had an adorable engagement party with friends and family to celebrate with them as they prepare for their wedding next June! Kyle was Sam's roommate and Haley was mine for a while in college, and they lovingly traveled for all of our pre-wedding festivities, so we were happy to do the same for them. However, we were NOT happy when we returned home last night to find this...

Sterling had apparently decided to take revenge on us for leaving him in his cage for 6 hours. What the pictures don't show is that Sterling, not only ripped all the way through the curtains, effectively sawing them in half, but he also pushed the plastic liner of his cage out, ripped the towels his cage rested on up though the bottom and ate holes through both, completely severed a BRAND NEW (purchased that day) toy in half, and banged into the sides of his cage until the door is warped, the floor is warped and he had unclipped nearly all of the side hooks of the cage. Good grief! He is obviously suffering from separation anxiety, but really was all of that necessary?

Other than that, we lead a quiet life these days! But stay tuned for a new post soon... Sam's birthday is TOMORROW!

Labor-Less Weekend

So last weekend was a much, much needed long weekend. After all of the insanity Sam and I had gone through the past couple of weeks with our cars, bank accounts and credit card fraud, we were exhausted. My momma came to visit for the weekend, which just made the weekend that much better!

Saturday, we watched the dawgs in the opening game of the season against Louisiana Lafayette. It was certainly not a rousing game, but it was nice to see Georgia back in action and know that fall is on the way as we officially enter football season! If only the weather here in Augusta would catch on to this fall theme... can't wait for the 70's, but at this rate it may be December!

Sunday mom helped us out with some yard work again... she is a fantastic hedge trimmer. Real talent! We also took advantage of the slightly cooler weather and spent the afternoon playing with Sterling. He loved the sprinkler!

Also on Sunday, Momma and I finally, finally made it to see New Moon. I know, I'm a bit late. We hadn't had many opportunities to go together except opening weekend, and I just didn't think I could stand sitting in the theater with all the teenagers squealing every time Jacob or Edward came on screen. Plus, Sam and I officially started our budget system per Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace in August, and as the budget only lists 20 bucks each month for entertainment, there was no way I was convincing Sam to blow our whole month budget on New Moon. But the wait paid off, Mom and I got in for $3.98 at the local theater. Pretty sweet deal! At that rate Sam and I can go to at least one movie a month, and he can still save up for some golf!

Monday, our official day of no labor, we all went to explore the mall here in Augusta. I must say I was surprisingly pleased. Pretty nice, especially the outdoor village area! Plus, mom was sweet enough to let me pick out my own birthday present, a new purse, as mine is now in the hands of a thief! I also splurged and got myself a new wallet!

All in all, it was a pretty fantastic weekend of much needed rest and mommy time! If only it wasn't another 10 long weeks before the next day off!

Busy Bees

So it has been forever since I've posted anything, sorry about that. Life has been busy, busy, busy!

Sam finished his first semester at MCG with STRAIGHT A's!!! I was pretty darn impressed myself, I secretly wanted to call all the schools who passed him by and let them know just what they had missed out on! But, I resisted. Instead, Sam and I celebrated with a night out to one of our favorite, favorite restaurants: Chops. For the past several years, my mom's husband has given Sam and I a fabulous gift at Christmas: a gift card to Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. The card allows you to eat at many different restaurants in Atl and the great part is you get 20% more at Christmas or when you reload an old card. Pretty sweet deal! Sam and I have been to Chops every time because it is simply fabulous! They have the most delicious flash fried lobster tail.... yum! And the steaks are incredible!

Other than that we've been busy with the following:

1- Sam had a weak off (= me JEALOUS!!!) He spent his time between semesters relaxing, playing video games, and getting in a round of golf. Now it's back to school for what is said to be the toughest semester of all.

2- Sam's long-time friend Jack Jackson came to visit making him our first official non-parental house guest!

3-Puppy Training classes with Sterling. In case you missed it, Sam and I bought a Weimaraner puppy about 8 weeks ago. He is 16 WEEKS today and growing like a weed. If you've ever thought about this breed, here is a great quiz. It pretty much sums up life with Sterling for the past 8 weeks! http://www.weimrescue.org/quiz/ The whole bit about carrying water in their mouth... so true! I read it and thought, "how bad can it be? it's just a little water" Well, I'm here to tell you that we've flooded the floor a couple of times with his giant bowl of water... he steps in it, slips into it, flips it... Not to mention, you'd think he was training for some kind of Olympic game... the "carry water in your mouth the farthest event". He makes it all the way to the other end of the house, leaking a little all the way, before he releases it all and then proceeds to play in the awesome puddle he created! Despite it all, he's pretty phenomenal and puppy training has been going fairly well. He can sit, lay down, stay (when he wants to), leave it, and we are working on "bang" (play dead). He loves his daddy like crazy, and every time he makes we want to scream at the top of my lungs, he looks at me with his big ol' eyes like "sorry mom, forgive me?", and you can't not forgive the little boy.

4- We've booked a cruise! This may be one of the craziest things we've done, but it was just the perfect opportunity that will probably never work out so smoothly again. Our one year anniversary just happens to be the weekend before the Masters, and here in Augusta, pretty much all schools have spring break the week of the Masters (I guess so locals can flee the insanity if they so choose). So Sam is off and I'll have worked for 6 months meaning I will have accrued enough paid time off to take the whole week off!!! We are going about it as cheaply as we possibly can, as we figure we've never been on a cruise at all, so we'll probably think it's wonderful no matter what. And we have years and years to upgrade the vacation status later! Plus, as we booked so early, we are paying less per day than a hotel room in Savannah would cost us... pretty sweet deal! It will be a wonderful way to relax and splurge a little on ourselves as we celebrate our first year as husband and wife!

5- I was ROBBED!!! Yep, on Friday night someone broke into my car, smashed the window, and stole my purse out of the back seat. I will admit that I was an idiot to leave the purse in there, but I felt that I was in a safe place (the vet) and as it was an emergency, I quickly jumped out, locked my door and ran in. Here is how it all unfolded:

On friday night Sam and I were playing cards with some of our friends, Matt and Emily. Emily happened to notice something weird with Sterling's eyes. One had constricted and the other dilated. We waited a few to see if they would return to normal and then, as our vet is open 24 hours, I called to see if I should be concerned. They said to bring him in immediately as it could be a sign of a neurological condition. I raced out and Sam stayed to keep Matt and Emily company until I could return. I was there for a total of 21 minutes. In that time Sterling saw the vet, I called Sam to inform him I needed to stay for another 10-15, we walked around outside (in front of my car I might add), Sterling saw the vet again, and we left... or tried to. We got into the car and Sterling immediately chomped down on GLASS!!! What the heck! It took me a minute to realize what had happened, but it was all gone, credit cards, debit card, license, check book. I guess my one happy thought in all of this has been that whomever it was, they chose the wrong person... They stole about a 6 year old purse that probably cost about $60 back then, a wallet that had already been partially chewed on, and about 6 cents.

All of this has kept us pretty busy for the past several weeks, but we are looking forward to a long weekend and the kickoff to the Georgia football season. My momma is coming down to stay for the weekend, so look for a new post soon!

Lucky Lady

Believe it or not, it has been 100 days since Sam and I got married! Time continues to fly: we've moved to a new city, started school, started a new job, bought a puppy... I can't imagine what we will have seen and done in a year!

These 100 days have shown me that I am truly blessed. Sam is my best friend and he understands me far more than I often give him credit for. In our premarital counseling, Mike said something that has turned out to be so true... one of the best things Sam can do for me is protect me from myself. Sam has really shown that to me. Over the past five years he has learned my tendencies and knows how best to protect me from the unhealthy decisions I often make. I have truly found a partner to walk through life and that is something to cherish!

Not only am I blessed to have an awesome husband that loves me and takes care of me, but I'm a lucky lady because my husband is pretty darn cool! I'll take this opportunity to brag!

Firstly, if Physical Therapy were to ever not work out, Sam is an excellent brick layer! Haha! Let me explain: Our house is fairly old and I guess one of it's semi-adorable idiosyncrasies is that it has "flower beds" all around the perimeter of the house. The problem with this cute idea is that our house is surrounded my some of the tallest pine trees in the world and our house gets about an hour of direct sunlight on two sides. The second problem is that we have really long overhangings, so not only were the beds receiving zero light, but they also received no water. At some point, someone planted several azaleas, which were understandably sad and pathetic; picture those small, twisted trees from the desert. So one weekend Sam and I decided to transplant them and see if we could save them. The result left a bed of weeds and bugs, neither of which did I want to keep. So Sam decided to match what was already an odd theme around the house and fill it in with bricks. I doubted this project, but I've learned to leave him to it, because he won't stop until he is satisfied. He scouted the whole yard and uncovered a few dozen bricks. He copied the patterns in the other beds, and in the end we have a neat bed of bricks! : ) But truly, it's much better than before, and Sam discovered a new talent!

Another possibility for Sam if PT ever falls through would be the pizza business. Honestly, he is AMAZING! Everyone who tastes his pizza says that it's fantastic. When we were back home, my mom would always ask if Sam was coming over because she wanted homemade pizza for dinner. It is delicious! And the best part: he makes half for me exactly how I like it!

Now you may be thinking that Sam's Physical Therapy dreams are dim as I find all these other opportunities for him. Thankfully, that is far from the truth! Sam will not need his brick laying skills nor his pizza making abilities any time soon. Despite the difficulties he experienced getting into PT school, Sam is doing AWESOME in the MCG PT program! He's completed one course, Human Anatomy, with an A!!! And he even made the highest grade in the class on a Research test! Pretty sweet!

So in culmination, I am one lucky lady! 100 days have been a dream come true, and I'm looking forward to hundreds and hundreds more!

Wild 4th of July Weekend

What a weekend! I know I'm a little slow in getting the details up of our wacky July 4th, but I've been so busy (you'll understand why shortly).

Luckily Sam's program gave all the PT's an extra long holiday: he had a test on Wednesday but he didn't have to be back on till today, the next Thursday. Sam and I had been planning on spending the whole week home visiting family; however, I recently acquired a full time job, so my trip was cut short. Last Thursday Sam left for home and I was to follow suit Friday after I got home from work. And this is where the trouble begins. I had previously contacted the vet about getting a mild sedative for our cat Everest.

She really hates car rides, and it's a very unpleasant trip to make alone. The vet prescribed a little pill... Everest hates pills. I came home from work in a desperate hurry to get on the road. I scooped Everest up and grabbed the ominous pill. She fought immediately, twisting and scratching. It's nearly impossible to get her to swallow a pill, she bites you, and unless you really get it down her throat, she just spits it back out. But on I fought. She bit the pill in half at one point, and I was fairly sure that she swallowed one piece, so I just had to get half the pill down, and we could get on the road. All in all, it was about a 15 minute process. Thinking at the very least the pill had dissolved in her mouth, I jumped off the bed with my bleeding finger to bandage myself and call Sam. While on the phone with him, I saw my baby jump off the bed... she fell. Now my sweet Everest isn't the most graceful cat in the world, but she doesn't just fall over. I watched her stand up, but could see that she was really wobbly. I told Sam that I thought something was wrong and I wanted to call the vet. By the time I hung up with him and called the vet (thank God for 24 hour vets) my baby had completely lost mobility in her legs! She was just lying on the floor trying to pull herself towards me with her front paws, but she couldn't stand at all. I told the receptionist what had happened and she set to come in immediately. Of course I'm already thinking that I might not make it, and she may die! Ughhh! It was awful! She was practically paralyzed! I ended up staying at the vet for about an hour where they ran tests and monitored her. In the end they decided that she had an "adverse reaction" to the sedative, but that it would wear off over the next 10-12 hours!!! Well I was a mess, so my momma and Sam decided that they would drive to Augusta to come stay with me that night because I was so afraid of what might happen. I took my baby home and watched her detox for the next 3 hours. By the time Sam and momma got to Augusta, she was able to walk, but was very wobbly and fell over every few steps. It was one of the scariest nights ever! Thankfully by the next morning she was almost fully recovered! Obviously, I decided that there would be no pill for this trip home and we all set out for Gainesville for the official start of my long weekend!

Before the aforementioned insanity, Sam had gotten to Gainesville on Thursday, and he had gone into his old work at ProTherapy to visit with friends. While there he learned that one of his coworkers had a litter of Weimaraner puppies for sale. Sam sent me a picture... too cute! I knew Sam had really wanted a dog for a long time, so we added plans to go look at the puppies to our weekend. We spent a good part of Saturday at Sam's house laying out by the pool and enjoying the cooler weather! That evening, my mom and Stuart came over to enjoy dinner with Sam's family and we had a great time! Sunday we made plans to see the puppies. Sam and I had already talked and decided that if Sam really wanted one, that now was as good of time as any, and we have a great place. So obviously... we ended up with a puppy by the end of the day. We made plans for Sam to pick up our little boy on Tuesday when he came home.

I headed out Monday afternoon with Everest in tow to get the house ready for our new addition. Sam worked at ProTherapy Tuesday to make some extra money and then picked up our little puppy after work and headed home to me! By 10 o'clock our entire family was under one roof for the first time! Meet Sterling: He was 8 weeks old on Tuesday, and he loves his daddy to death! He's not so sure about his sister yet, as she regularly smacks him in the nose, but we are definitely one happy family.

In addition to our little puppy, our families were incredibly generous to us while we were home. My momma worked on a beautiful dried flower arrangement for our dining room. She has a great eye for this, and I always love what she comes up with. Dried flowers are kind of pricey, but the look so much nicer than silk. It turned out great! I probably need to trim some of the grass, but it looks beautiful and added a great deal of color to our dull little dining room corner.

Sam's momma was also very thoughtful! She knows how much Sam loves to grill and decided to get us an early birthday present. Sam grilled yummy hamburgers last night and is currently working on pork chops tonight. He loves it! I am pretty thrilled myself because on top of having a happy husband and tasty dinner, there are less dishes!!! Thanks Genie!

As you can see we had a fun-filled weekend that started out full of insanity and ended the same way! Now we just have to argue over who gets up in the middle of the night! But we couldn't be happier to have everyone healthy and back under one roof!