Various Thoughts! part 1

Notice the new look to the blog! I discovered some seasonal designs. So I decided to change things up a bit. Since autumn officially began this past week this design is fitting.

I have spent the day preparing for my mom to visit, it was an afternoon of cleaning. The pugs have spent the day wondering what the heck is going on. Why so much cleaning and organizing? Cody is hilarious when you get the vacuum out. When it's first turned on he acts as though he's ready to take it on if it wants to do battle with him. Then he runs off at full speed when it moves.
Lol! Simon stays rather close by and just watches. Observing every move of the vacuum.

I haven't seen my mom in a year! Can you believe it? We talk frequently on the phone but we haven't actually seen one another face to face in a year. I'm refusing to get stressed out about the little things. No need to stress like I have in the past. If I can't find time to get her fave soda in the house before she arrives so be it....we can go to the store after she arrives. No biggie!!!

I had the Texas game on in the background this afternoon. It's nice to see a PAC 10 school playing on TV here. When you no longer live in a PAC 10 state then any PAC 10 team is extra appealing to watch. However, I'll admit I kept hoping Texas would come back. I said I like to see PAC 10 football it doesn't necessarily mean I want them to defeat any Texas team. LOL!!!! There's only one team I would root for over a Texas team. Hmm, I wonder which team that is?

My birthday is just days away, for some reason it doesn't feel like my b-day is so near. However, I'm dreaming about the birthday cake. I love cake! That's no secret. I look forward to birthday cake every year. Last year I had a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, this year it's going to be a surprise. We'll see!

Now for some Cowboys talk....they have to win. This is it! Likely the make or break game of their season. As my boyfriend said if they don't win it's going to be hard to live in big D the next couple of weeks. The media here is extremely critical of the home team. Something that surprised me when I arrived here! So the Cowboys must win because going into the bye week with zero wins is going to start a firestorm. Go Cowboys beat Houston!!!!!!

To my mom....have a good trip to big D. We are all looking forward to seeing you. If I don't talk to you tomorrow know that I will see you on Monday in baggage claim! Welcome to Dallas!!!!

Monday Night Football!

My boyfriend and I did our individual pick sheet for this past weekend's NFL games. I'm always hoping that we have an odd number of games different that way there is no chance of a tie. This past Sunday we had an even number of games different. Meaning the chance of a tie was certainly possible. At the conclusion of the late afternoon games we were tied with no chance of breaking it, due to the fact we both picked the Colts to win the Sunday night game and the Saints to win on Monday night. To break the tie we decided to add a guess concerning the total amount of points scored in the Monday night game. He made his guess and I made mine.

I anxiously watched the Monday night game being particularly interested in the score. The last few minutes of the game were rather exciting. 49ers scored a touchdown and a 2 point conversion with a little more than a minute to go in regulation to tie the score. Then with seconds to go the Saints marched down the field to get their kicker in scoring position. On a windy night at Candlestick park the Saints kicker scored the winning field goal with just a few ticks left on the clock.

Now let me tell you what each of us guessed on the score. My boyfriend guessed 44 points as the total for both teams. I guessed 50 points. The final score was 25 to 22. The total obviously being 47. He was 3 numbers off and I was 3 numbers off. It's a tie! LOL!

I think it's hilarious that we tied. First we tied with our picks each missing the same exact amount of games. Then in an effort to break the tie we still end up tying somehow. LOL!

Texas Football!

As everyone knows I love football. So one of my fave things about living in Texas is how important football is here. Plenty of colleges that have good rivalries along with 2 pro teams to root for! Awesome!

The other day I was driving down the road when I noticed a vehicle that had "Bevo, it's what's for dinner" written on the back window. This past Saturday Texas played Texas Tech. Texas is the Longhorns with a mascot named Bevo. Obviously it was a Texas Tech fan that was driving that vehicle. I was for Texas. I was happy Texas won and TCU won. We were actually in Fort Worth just miles from where the TCU campus is. We went to dinner just a little before the game let out. By the time we ordered dessert the restaurant was packed with TCU fans.

Sunday's football wasn't so great in my opinion. The Cards lost badly. That score got so lopsided I held up my hand to block the score from my sight when the network would flash it across the bottom of the screen. The Cowboys lost too! Which means the city of Dallas is just about ready to hit the panic button! Actually I think many hit the panic button at the conclusion of Sunday's game. My pick sheet was a bit of a mess too. Next week I must do more careful consideration/studying before I make my picks.

One Year!

This past Wednesday my boyfriend and I celebrated the one year anniversary of our first date. Yay! I looked forward to our special night just as much as I looked forward to our first date. I was giddy and excited all day long on Wednesday. Just as I was the year before!

We had discussed where we would go for our anniversary evening but when it came time to go out the restaurant had changed. When we exited the freeway I wasn't exactly sure where we were going. We ended up at the same restaurant that we went to for our first date. Well not the same exact restaurant, the same restaurant chain, they have other locations in the city. The same exact restaurant would've been too far to travel to.

We dined in a lovely Mexican food restaurant that is well decorated in a fine dining old Mexico style, not your typical Mexican restaurant decor. We were both noticing the uniqueness of the atmosphere that surrounded us. With spectacular chandeliers, amazing archways, vaulted ceilings, and an impressive fountain outside it definitely presents a more elegant feel!

I love how he surprises me! I would have been completely happy with our original plans for dinner. However, going back to the same restaurant that he originally introduced me to added to the already special evening, in my opinion.

To my sweetness...thank you for a wonderful celebration of our first date! Thank you for being the incredibly awesome man you are! XOXO! The evening was just as I had pictured it!!!

Pug Cargo!

The boys and I had a delightful experience this morning. We got up and around early for daycamp. I put the boys in the cargo section of my SUV and off we went. When we arrived at daycamp the cargo door would not open. The boys were stuck in the cargo section! Alright now how am I going to get the boys out? Well, I have a pet screen that prevents the boys(mainly Simon) from coming over the backseat and roaming the car. The pet screen is attached to the headrests on the backseat so I took those off and began the task of trying to loosen the screen from the floor of the cargo area. I had to do this from a completely opposite angle then how the pet screen is installed. Trust me this was not easy! Meanwhile 2 pugs were jumping around wondering what the heck I'm doing with the pet screen. I got the screen loosened enough, creating enough of a hole for me to reach down and grab each boy one at a time.

The door still wasn't working when I went to pick them up. This time I had to drop each boy through the backseat and the loosened screen. Simon wasn't so sure about it but was soon convinced he needed to go through this ridiculous hole I had created. Cody on the other hand was having no part of it! I had to trick him to get him back in the cargo area. Thank goodness I have little dogs!

Pilot Point and Football Weekend!

I had an enjoyable weekend. We went to Pilot Point for my boyfriend's family reunion. It's about an hour drive from the section of town we live in. When we go in that direction on the outskirts I always look forward to seeing this one particular lake that we drive right over. Well this time I missed my perfect view of the lake. Not sure how I missed it but I did. I was just riding along and next thing I know we had passed the lake already. I was likely looking off in the distance and who knows what!

Football started this past weekend. Yay, Cards! I wasn't sure what the team would look like this year. I'm hoping they have a decent season of course. Beating St. Louis in St. Louis isn't a huge accomplishment but it's noteworthy, it's a "W".

Now of course the world stopped for the Cowboys game Sunday night! I had picked Washington on my pick sheet. Not that I was picking against them I just take my picks seriously. I'm very much a realist when it comes to my NFL weekly picks. You can't let your love for a team cloud your vision. Lol! However it doesn't stop me from rooting for them even though I may have picked against them. At the end of Sunday's game on that awesome last play my boyfriend and I were both celebrating. Giving each other high 5's only to then glance at the TV again to see there was a penalty. Painful!

What a Week...Weather-wise!

I think we've experienced quite the interesting week of weather here in Big D. First it was sprinkling rain on Tuesday, rather refreshing and nice showers I might add. Then the bottom fell out of the sky on Wednesday and we were dumped on. By the time Wednesday night came around the pouring rain had stopped but tornadoes were the new issue. Every time I tried to watch something last night on TV a tornado warning interrupted it. One tornado did touch down near downtown Dallas, resulting in a collapsed building.

As for today the sky looked questionable early this morning but the conditions are lovely as of right now. I think we have more rain coming in. Which is fine by me, just hope it's a little calmer type of rainstorm. Not the remnants of a tropical storm going over us.

NFL Opener! Yay!

After a long wait it's finally over....the NFL season begins tonight. Oh don't worry I will be front and center in front of the TV for the big night. I'm picking the Saints however I wouldn't be upset if the Vikings pulled out a victory. Wait a minute, maybe I would be slightly upset since it would mess up my pick sheet already on opening night. Definitely don't want to get the opening night pick incorrect!

In the Dallas paper the Cowboys are picked to face the Colts in the Super Bowl here in Dallas in February. Talk about pressure for the home team? Wish the paper wouldn't have printed that. Way too much pressure. That would be amazing the poor Colts wouldn't stand a chance! (Sorry Mom!) Can you imagine the crowd if that were to happen? Can you say home field advantage? I'm not sure a Super Bowl hosting city has ever had their home team in the big game. I can't think of it ever happening before. It would be historic that's for sure!

Hermine Packs a Punch!

A large amount of rain is being dumped on the Dallas area from what is left of Tropical Storm Hermine. Yesterday it sprinkled on and off. But at some point in the middle of the night it began to pour. It hasn't let up for many hours.

I don't have my winter clothes or jackets unpacked yet. So bright and early this morning there I was rummaging around in suitcases and boxes to find the appropriate gear to go out in the downpour. When I took the boys out we got to the bottom of the stairs and looked around. All sidewalks are completely underwater along with many plants/grassy areas. As we stood pondering our next move, it wasn't long before both boys had seen enough. At the same time they turned around and started heading back upstairs.

The entire city is under flood warning until tomorrow night. Judging by the amount of rain that has fallen already there is likely to be significant flooding in many areas. Since I've lived here Dallas has had it's fair share of serious rain fall. In June of 2009 my mom was about to come to town to visit and I had to prepare for her visit. I remember braving the completely frightening conditions to go to Target to get items for her visit. That was an interesting drive. Visibility was awful for that drive and the streets were very flooded. I remember thinking about how glad I was that I had experienced living in Seattle. It certainly prepared me for Dallas rainstorms.

A Seattle storm story to end with. One time the rain was so severe that the nearby river started to overflow. Upon my drive home one evening there were salmon swimming down the road. People were out all over the place trying to catch the salmon with their bare hands. Crazy scene!

Tennis, Baking, and Football!

Earlier I was telling my mom over the phone how beautiful the weather is so I must mention it here as well. It's a gorgeous 89 degrees out. Which is rather perfect conditions in my opinion. It's a low-key Saturday. Just relaxing, enjoying tennis, and at this present moment I'm doing a little baking. I've wanted to bake for days now but just now decided to give into the temptation.

I'm baking some cookies that I baked for the first time last Christmas season. I think my absolute favorite thing to bake is brownies. But today cookies got the nod. They are dark chocolate and mint cookies! My mom and one of my aunt's would love them. You have to be a bit of a chocoholic to truly enjoy these cookies. Lucky for the cookies we are both somewhat chocoholics!

Completely changing subject's, let's talk football. TCU plays later tonight at Cowboys stadium. We will be watching! Go Frogs! I don't watch college football as much as I watch the NFL but I pay attention to it. When it's football season there's no Saturday that goes by that I don't catch some college football action.

Side note: Can you believe Leinart was cut? I'm happy about it. I guess they tried shopping him around and likely couldn't find anyone willing to trade for him so they cut him. Must say, it's a bold move on the Cardinals part!

My Dumb Fear!

At my old complex there was a resident raccoon. I know I've spoken of this raccoon before. Not sure why but the rather large raccoon always had the ability to freak me out. He lived in the storm drain across from my building. He was conveniently near a large resident trash bin. He regularly rummaged around in the trash. He regularly made me scream as I would go to throw stuff away and up would pop his strange looking head. Well, now that we are in a new complex I still find it to be frightening to throw my trash away. I'm always on guard! The boys must think I'm nuts as I rush them in and out of the trash area. It's the dumbest fear!

Random Thoughts pt. 7

It's a very beautiful day here in Dallas. The boys and I enjoyed the strong breeze while out walking awhile ago. However there are dark clouds in the distance. Stormy weather could be closing in on us soon. Now that September has arrived I look forward to a cooling trend. In the last 10 days we've had some hot days mixed in with some not so hot days. It's very apparent in the early mornings when I walk the boys that autumn temps will arrive soon. It doesn't take as long as it does in Phx to notice cooler autumn-like temps! Just the other day I was noticing how short the hot summer-like temps actually last here. It's really only July and August that are scorchers.

Yesterday during the afternoon walk Cody became fascinated with a squirrel. He is very much into making friends. He doesn't care what species. Seeing squirrels, armadillos, blue jays, cardinals, etc...is something I will never grow tired of. Although I do grow tired of seeing the wildlife no longer surviving and laying on the side of the road. Yuk!

This past weekend we went to Avatar...again! We haven't yet memorized the plot so we thought we would go again! Lol! It was worth it. There's some new scenes and a new creature. It was fun to try to spot the new scenes. I must say the images in the movie continue to fascinate me, even more than the squirrel fascinated Cody yesterday. Lol!