Best Advice

Best advice for other bloggers?
It's awesome to have a real person in mind when you blog: for example, you could write your blog, in part, for your mom, sister or best friends; that way, your tone will feel authentic and true. It's easy to slip and start writing for some abstract audience, some made-up readers in your head, but then you run the risk of losing your voice and sounding insincere, since you're not really *talking* to anyone. You know what I mean? So it's awesome to really picture WHO you're writing for, and then just write for them. I think everyone has an amazing blog inside them, or a story to tell, and I really encourage people to go for it. Good luck!

via here

I fell in love with a couch yesterday - a cuddler sectional. My dream couch. Found out it can't fit into our living room. Not an issue of it being awkward; it literally is too large for our house. I even considered putting the TV in front of our two windows, but it just won't work. We're going again tonight--this time with dad. We're shopping for him a chair that he can sit in at our house. :)

Mark's parents are coming to Louisville to visit before they go to London. I'm glad they are because it's probably the only way I'd get to see them.

Papa Hite

There are few people in this world that I truly love more than anything in this world. My dad is one of them. I've always been close to him. His weekend visitations stretched all the way through college. My sister stopped her visitations when she was 14-15, so for several years it would just be my dad and me. We have our own unspoken language. I know exactly what he's thinking most of the time (even though he does surprise me at his willingness to try new things in the last couple years).

When he was in the hospital, I would go home and just weep at him having to stay there and how unfair it truly is. There are people in this world that don't take care of themselves at all that get to live carelessly throughout life. Dad is the person that cooks low fat rice krispy treats (that are delicious btw. use honey.), he walks every golf course, he's a workhorse (seriously. that man basically did the kitchen demo by himself.), and he's always on the positive side of things. He deserves so much more than what he's going through right now and it kills me. I've had that sinking feeling for weeks now and I'd like it to go away.

So Mark tells me this last night when I got home from work (about 12:30)...

M: Oh my gosh, I'm so sore. I ran like 3 miles tonight. I lost my sandals. I ran in the rain, on concrete on bare feet.
J: What! How?
M: Olga saw a dog. She chased after it. I chased after her. She's so fast. I lost my sandals about 3 blocks down, I puked.
J: (dying laughing)
M: I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of this.
J: I'm just glad it was you and not me, because we'd have a lost dog right now if it were me.
M: When I finally caught her in an alley, I was too tired to yell at her, so I just held her and laid there for a while. My feet hurt.

He then continues to tell me more and more details of the story. It only gets better and better the more I hear it. Apparently he called our neighbor like 3 times trying to get him to go after Olga with his car b/c Mark couldn't keep up. Seriously though, we are both lucky she's safe at home right now.

This is why our dog needs to go to the dog park often. We may need to invest in some dog babysitting. It's lame and sounds insane, but she's a totally different dog when she's had a chance to run free.

Anywho, my dad may get out of the hospital today, and I plan on doing WHATEVER he wants for the next few days before he has to do another round of chemo. This includes a pizza party.

Actually pretty delicious.

GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals from Target

True Dat

Busy as a bee

This is how "busy" my life is at the moment:

I need an electric shaver because I don't have the extra time to shave my leg s.
I am about 3K miles over on an oil change because I don't have enough time to wait an hour to get something done. (I want my tires rotated, too)
I've cooked 1 thing in 2 weeks. I really wish there were a place you could buy premade casseroles that can just be put into an oven. I'd kill for a nice country meal right now.
Olga is bursting with energy and I don't know what to do about it.

I'm typing this blog in this position. I don't have time to move him. jk. I do but goodness he's persistent. and heavy.

So, who wants to clean my house, take my car for maintenance, shave my legs and entertain the animals while I take a nappy poo?

I think I'm either getting a cold or allergies. Either way it totally sucks because I won't get to go see dad when I'm sick. Woe is me.

Almost everywhere we go, we get told multiple times how beautiful Olga is.  A lot of people ask where she was bred and if she's a show dog a lot, too. Heaven forbid we take her through a drive-through. She gets so many snacks. Anyways, the point of this was to say that my dog is a miss hottie pants and you should be totally jelly.

Also to say that I wish I were Annie Clark. Or maybe her BFF.

Let Me Tell You What I Want, What I Really, Really Want

Fossil Camera Bag - $98

Hunter Wellies - ~$100-$125

(Never Let Me Go)

Lakeland Terrier a.k.a. Blonde Olga

Can you even fathom me owning Olga AND a blonde Olga?

I want to start on finishing our attic. I know it will be the coolest space ever once we do it.