The Sunshine State!

Thomas and I had a really nice vacation last week in Florida. There was a lot of car time involved, but it was well worth the time spent with friends.

We left Saturday, the 5th, and drove to Gainesville, FL. Our friends Paul and Angela live there and we were able to spend the day with them and meet baby Henry. It was quick 24 hour stay, but we really enjoyed getting to see them! Thomas even got to pet an alligator (wink wink).

On Sunday, we left for Miami. Our friends Meagan and Tripp live in Miami and we stayed with them until Tuesday. Thomas and Tripp both had to work all day on Monday, but Meagan and I enjoyed a little shopping and a little beach time :) I will say- for being in the sunshine state, the drivers in Miami are not very sun shinny!

On Tuesday morning, we left Miami and headed towards St. Augustine (where we would stay for 4 nights). Tuesday was our only rainy day of the trip- which turned out to be perfect car weather. We arrived around 3:00 and got checked into our airbnb location. It was breath taking, to say the least. We were able to enjoy our own freestanding apartment that had a view of the ocean, our own pool and outdoor lanai, a dock with a great view of the lighthouse and the bridge of lions, and great company (our airbnb host and his schnauzer, Tillie). I would (without a doubt) recommend this stay to anyone, except that the owner is selling the property next month and moving to WINNIPEG. Thomas and I both thought he might be short a few marbles after telling us of this move. Thomas travels to Winnipeg quite frequently and it is COLD. We asked how he would make that hard transition and he said - "with lots of medication".

While in St. Augustine, we were able to explore the lighthouse, spend an entire day exploring downtown, and also spend a day at the beach. We were conveniently located to everything so we were able to walk downtown and back whenever we pleased.

I think one of the real highlights of our stay was Tillie. We are obviously dog people- and so is she. She loves being around other dogs and stuck by our sides the entire trip. Only at nighttime did she eventually go home to sleep in the main house. Other than that, she napped, walked, explored, and vegged with us for the entire trip! She was a spitting image of Wendy and had a lot of the same mannerisms- except that she was 6 lbs. Wendy is a whopping 15lbs! Apparently Tillie was the runt and never grew to her full potential. I will say- if Victor had asked us to take her home with us instead of toting her to blizzarding cold Winnipeg, we would of said yes in a minute!

We really enjoyed sitting out on the dock everyday. Thomas was able to fish every single day while I sat with the dogs and watched. He caught so many interesting things- 2 sting rays, an eel, a striped burrfish (blowfish- like), lots of cat fish, a couple sharks, and a few red drum and blue fish. We also had several close encounters with dolphins that came right up to the dock to see us. It was very cool to see!

Wendy was a good little kayak dog

Victor, the homeowner owned another property that was located on St. Augustine Beach and we were able to park there on our beach day. It turned out to be very convenient because it was easily accessible for parking and had a pool and restrooms to use while we were at the beach! Pregnant ladies pee a lot.. or so I've been told...

On our last full day, we explored town. Traditionally, we buy an ornament on each vacation so we went out on a search for that. We also packed a picnic lunch and were able to picnic right next to Castillo De San Marcos. We didn't pay to go in, but we did get a great viewing of a cannon demonstration :). We also walked out onto the Bridge of Lions, which was fun!

Overall, it was a great vacation. We didn't have a busy agenda, but that was perfect and exactly what we needed!

So long for now St. Augustine!

Harley

How can you not love this face? It's the face of a very special puppy. A puppy that didn't know how to walk on a leash, play with toys, or walk up and down stairs when we got him. We laugh at him on a daily basis and sometimes feel that we should of named him "Charlie" rather than "Harley". He doesnt quite have the laid back, cool demeanor we were thinking of when we named him Harley. He has more of a goofy, happy go lucky, "I'm missing a few marbles and I know it" personality of a "Charlie". But we love him anyway. And we will forever call him Harley :)

Harley had a rough night last night. We had severe thunderstorms traveling through the area until around 2 am. So several times through the night, I woke up to a border collie attempting to make room behind my pillow. There was no room behind my pillow. But I love him anyway. It's just another one of his special characteristics (and could undoubtedly be linked to his days on the streets of Charlotte).  

So even though I was silently cursing him while trying to sleep at 2am last night, I decided that I needed to do a Harley post this morning. Because we are truly thankful for our sprinkler attacking, water hose/leaf blower chasing, car herding, goofy boy. 

Thanksgiving 2012!

We are finally back home and settled after a week long trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. We had a good time but we're definitely glad to be back home and settled. It's only fun to live out of a suitcase for so long :)

We started off our week in Hillsborough (Tuesday-Thursday). We got in late on Tuesday night and visited for a few before turning in for the night. I was spent after a long day at work and a long day on the road! I had taken the kids of Legoland that day in Atlanta (which was a lot of fun) but I was done for by the time we got through the traffic filled trip.
On Wednesday, Thomas and his Mom got out to run a few errands and the rest of us stayed behind for the annual cooking of the brunswick stew. Tommy cooks it outside over a fire in an iron witches kettle (for lack of a better description hehe). He even stirs it with a wittled wooden stick! It's delicious and I will savor the few freezer bags that we've got for as long as possible :)
On Thursday, Meredith and I woke up and took a long run down to their church and then over to the neighbors house (Betty Ray) where the boys were waiting to drive us back. All in all- about a 3 mile run. The rest of the day was spent prepping for Thanksgiving Day lunch. Needless to say, it was delicious.
Not long after lunch, Thomas and I packed up and headed to Salisbury. We stayed in Salisbury from Thursday night-Sunday morning. Our weekend there consisted of another Thanksgiving meal, lots of playtime with Clara Jane, and plenty of relaxation. Every time we are around Clara, we're amazed by her milestones! This visit might of been the most fun. She's very chatty now and even calls us "Uncle Thomas and Auntie Cate". She also has a slight obsession with Wendy, but at this point Wendy has learned to play along with her instead of being frightened so they had a great time together!
The only downside of our time in Salisbury was that my Mom and I attended a funeral for a dear family friend, Jo Goforth. After my grandmother died when I was younger, Jo and my grandfather reconnected and remained companions for many years. She was as much a part of the family as my grandmother and I have very fond memories of my time with her. I will miss her dearly!

The drive back was less than mediocre, but fortunately we made it back with no major issues! We stopped in Gastonia for a few minutes to visit with some friends of ours (Hank and Jordan Trogdon) who just had a baby girl a few weeks ago. Her name is Mollie Kate and she is just precious. We also stopped at the outlets temporarily so I could have a look around at JCrew and Pottery Barn. I had a few good finds including a new coat for our upcoming trip to NYC in December!

Thomas is gone now for a week long trip to LA/Las Vegas and the dogs and I are here holding down the fort (and hanging Christmas Decorations, of course!). We're excited about Thomas' arrival back home on Sunday. After this week, he wont travel again until after the holiday's.

Hope that everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I don't know about you, but it's a good thing that the pie is finally gone! I was making excuses to eat it for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner! :)

Happy Hump Day.

P-S: Here are a couple photos from our trip away (sorry, I didnt take very many!)

Thomas, Myself, Meredith, and Ben

The 3 puppies that Meredith and Ben are taking care off. There were originally 5, but as of Thanksgiving 3 were left. They found them in the woods next to their house and have been caring for them for several weeks. As of now, I think there is only 1 left and they are considering keeping him. His name is peanut and he is the runt. They were incredibly cute!

I clearly have a weakness for puppies. It's no wonder we didn't end up bringing one home ourselves! Here's one of Wendy's first pictures.

Ok, and just one more :)

Thomas and Clara

Doing a little light reading :)

Wendy and Harley and their shannigans :)

Sunday's are for relaxing, right?

Wendy covered in snow balls

Did somebody say Bacon? The maple kind?

Where did summer go?

Is it me or has this summer flown by? It's not quite over- but almost!

Remember that last post where I mentioned that it was so nice to be at home for a few weeks in a row? Luckily, we had that while we did because I feel like we've been on the road ever sense!

A few weeks ago, we spent an entire week in North Carolina. But not before I took my sweet husband out for his birthday on Friday, the 3rd :) We went to Flip Burger Boutique and not only enjoyed burgers (duh) but also a smores Milkshake. Yum! We left Saturday morning for Salisbury and stayed until Thursday. I spent time with family while Thomas worked in the Concord office. And an added bonus was that some of my extended family was in town visiting also. From Saturday to Monday, the house was packed full of Tinsley's, Moorefields, Tuck's, and Jaeger's. 15 people to be exact! I think that come Monday, my Dad was ready for everyone to leave! He'd had quite enough company for one weekend.
Also- amidst this crazy week, my Mom adopted a new puppy from the Animal Shelter. Her name is Maggie Blue.. and she has been a great addition to the family!

On Thursday, we headed to Hillsborough. We stopped in Burlington on the way through to see Meredith and Ben's newly renovated house (which looks fabulous) and then we managed to surprise Lorraine and Tommy (Thomas' parents) for their birthday dinner. The rest of the weekend entailed shopping, fishing, The Campaign, a Mexican Fiesta, and lots of laughs. Not to mention the gathering of  8 grand dogs!

We arrived back home on Sunday. And then I left the following Thursday to go see my family at the beach for a few days. Thomas wasn't able to come this year because of their annual trade show at the convention center downtown.. so I decided to use some airline miles and make the 45 minute flight to Myrtle Beach in lieu of the 6 hour drive. I think it was a great choice. Who wants to drive that far alone?

We had a really fun time at the beach. It was a lot of fun getting to see Clara playing on the beach and splashing in the water. At this time last year, she was too little to fully appreciate the beach. So this year was extra special. And luckily my Dad took a mere 800 photos to capture all the action. Surely there are a few good shots in there somewhere. Here are a couple photo's from my phone-

Applying of the sunscreen- her FAVORITE! Cant you see the excitement in her face? :)

Beach Baby!

This past week and weekend has been super crazy for Thomas. A lot of preparation went into the trade show.. and Im relieved that he's finally finished. For about a week and a half, he was driving downtown daily (leaving at 6:30 and sometimes not getting home until 8 or 9 at night) and it was definitely starting to take a toll on his body!  Nothing another beach trip cant fix :) More to post on that later!

I wasn't sure what to do with my low key/husband-less weekend. So I decided to get some sewing done. I haven't had a lot of sewing time available lately so it seemed like a great idea. I've had this tunic/shirt pattern that I've been wanting to undertake for months. It took me ALL day but it is finished and I think it looks fabulous. Only I could point out the minor mistakes.. and there really aren't many. I think Im definitely ready to take on more clothes. Here's a photo of the finished product- disregard the cheesy setting!

That's it for now! Time to shower and get ready for dinner out with our friends Kalee and Matt!

Hope that all the (NC) teachers had a great day back today! And hopefully everyone has a great week!

And the crazy month begins..

The Tuck B&B has been very busy over the past week! I guess the second "B" is used very loosely.. considering all I offered were cereal and fruit :)

Anyway, Carly and her boyfriend Josh made their first visit down to Georgia to see us last Wednesday. Josh had an audition for a roll in a movie that he was applying for on Thursday afternoon. It was a very quick trip, but hopefully they'll come back and see us soon! And maybe the AC will be on for Josh the next time around :)

It's  true.. we're in the high 70's/low 80's and we haven't turned on our AC yet. We usually try and hold out as long as possible. The days are a little warm sometimes but the nights are still pretty cool. I mean it's only the beginning of April. It just seems to early for air! Not to mention that our check books aren't ready for it either. 

Anyway, continuing on, Lorraine and Tommy came into town on Friday afternoon and stayed until Monday morning. We fit in a lot of things over the weekend- a beer festival, grilling out, shopping, and the boys managed to get a day of golf in. Overall, the weather turned out to be perfect for all of these outdoor things we had planned.

After they left on Monday, I was sitting at our breakfast table having lunch.. and I heard a strange noise coming from outside. The dogs were out there.. and its not uncommon for Harley and the neighbors dog to chase each other up and down the fence line.. but this sounded a little different. I went out to see what was going on and saw that Harley had captured a squirrel and was holding it in his mouth. Needless to say, if you've seen Harley with his toys, the squirrel didn't stand a chance. I imagine it would of looked something like this:

We've had a pretty good week- just trying to get back into the swing of things. And also trying to prepare ourselves for this month. We've got lots of things planned and it's sure to fly by! I'll blog more about them as they happen :)

On a final note, I just wanted to mention that my parents had to put down our 12 year old Australian Shepherd today :( She had a tumor on her backside that was getting bigger and bigger by the week.. and it was really starting to affect her. She was having trouble walking and getting comfortable at all. 

My mom seems to be handling it well.. but I know she'll be glad to have some Harley and Wendy love soon. Shouldn't dogs get to live a little longer than they do? They have such as easy stress free life. It definitely makes me want to cuddle up with my doggies and snuggle with them the rest of the afternoon. However, before that, I think we'll go for a walk. The day is beautiful and I think we should take advantage of it. 

On one more final note, Happy early birthday to my sweet niece Clara who will be 1 tomorrow! WHERE did the time go?!

Ciao for now!

Helloooo Spring!

It's been a really beautiful week. Spring is definitely here! We took Wendy and Harley up to the common area in our neighborhood and threw ball with them (which we occasionally do). Sometimes we throw the ball in the grass and sometimes in the parking lot. One time when Thomas threw it in the parking lot, Wendy and Harley left a trail all the way across the parking lot where they had waded through the pollen. It was pretty gross.
Along with that, we have had our windows open for a few days. Yesterday, Thomas noticed that our bench seat in our bedroom (which is right under the window) was covered in yellow dust! I guess it's a small price to pay. I still love spring! My eyes do not.. but I do!

We've had a pretty low key week so far. I've done yard work for several days and Thomas has been hunkered down in his office.. staring longingly out the window at me in the backyard and wishing he could come out and play too :) Little does he know, there's not much play involved with picking up pine cones and sticks. However, I've made it my sole purpose to beautify our backyard before going back to work!

I officially opened my etsy account today. For those of you (::cough::cough:: Loraine::) that haven't ever heard of etsy, its an online forum where you can post items for sale (whether they be homemade, vintage, or antique). It's right up there with the addiction level of Pinterest. Especially as far as kids items go. There are some very cute things for sale at reasonable prices!
Anyway, I had an idea of making a customized headband.. and instead of going into more detail, I'll let you check it out for yourselves!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/catielou0

I've only got one item listed now.. but I hope to add other items in the future!

Happy hump Day.. and happy Hunger Games release week! woo woo!

Arrivederci! (practicing my Italian) :)

It's a Wendy Day!

The last two days have been super windy here. To the point that when I was driving yesterday, I thought the wind might run me off the road. And I kid you not- this morning- I saw Wendy get knocked off her feet once in the backyard. Usually she just waits outside of the door when she's ready to come back in. Today was she banging on the door with her feet. If she could talk, I'd imagine she would be saying "Get me the hell out of here!". She's quite the diva.

Things have been good since I returned from Austin. I'm still trying to get the house back in order. It seems to be taking forever. But it'll get done.. eventually! I'm also trying to get back into couponing in a BIG way. It's my way of trying to help out while Im not working as much for the next couple months. I had a big shopping trip last week and was able to save $46. I thought that was pretty good. I think Publix is the best. Not only do they have weekly B1G1 Free deals, they double coupons under .50. It takes forever to organize the whole thing.. but it gives me a little bit of a challenge :)

Thomas was out of town all last week. It was a bit of a crazy week for him. He managed to go to DC, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Canada.. all in one week. His boss was in town for the week from Italy so they were really trying to cover some ground while he was here. This week, he'll be headed to Boston but just for a couple of days.

Over the weekend, I ended up driving to Charlotte for just a night. My friend Carrie (that I used to work with in Charlotte) was having a bridal shower on Saturday.. followed by an overnight Bachelorette party. It was a quick trip but we had a lot of fun! The theme was Carrie's hoe down throw down". We all had on boots, cowgirl hats, and even our own boot mugs to take to the bar with us! Carrie was slightly more decked out in a fringed shirt and homemade chaps. She was a champ about the whole thing! (Notice the tulle going down the side of the chaps! Well done Laura!)

The pictures did not turn out so well on my phone. But I'm sure people got better ones with their actual cameras! And notice the large Polar Bear behind us. That should explain all the "raaahhhh" expressions and hand motions that are going on in the pictures. It was an extremely classy bar as you can tell. Lake Wylie's finest :)

I'm hoping to get a lot of cleaning done today. So I guess my coffee break is over.. time to dive in!

Hope everyone has a nice week. Stay warm! 

Same ol' SHIT.. literally!

I took the dogs to the park yesterday (it was long overdue and they deserved it) and it was surprisingly crowded for a Tuesday.. so we only stayed for about 30 minutes. They were still exhausted, none the less! We came home.. and then I was basically here all day until I went out to dinner at 6. I  was only gone for a little over an hour and what do I come home to? A big pile of poop (the hard to clean up kind) on my freshly cleaned carpets!

Obviously we know who the culprit is. He wont even come near me as I sit on my hands and knees gently trying to scrub it out (and then vigorously as I get even angrier!). I just don't understand it. It typically only happens when Thomas is out of town. And not only that, but he was with my parents for almost a month while we were moving and they did not have a SINGLE issue. I guess it's just something special that he's doing for his mom. Is this because of the brief banana costume fitting at Halloween? Because I could of apologized for that.

So- I've come to the conclusion that we need a dog room. Yep. Its happening. We don't have a formal dining room suite anymore (we sold it before moving) so I've decided to get some nice wooden gates for both of the entrances to that room. It's a wood floored area.. and that way if there are ever ANY accidents, he can be contained.

We just bought a beautiful new rug to go under our breakfast table. Let me just say.. It would not be as forgiving as our carpet is. So I need to protect it at all cost!

I sure love my Harley boy.. but I am at my WITS end. He gets special food, special treats, lots of walks, a daily dose of Anxiety meds.. and STILL we get POOP!

So its happening. Doggy room here we come.

Happy Hump Day.

Christmas in Austin! :)

Wendy girl :) struggling with the Christmas spirit this year..

Our christmas tree.. any bigger and it would take over our little apartment. This one fits perfect!

Thanks Jennifer! :)

:)

Our Fireplace and stockings! 

Harley in his "bed"

Typical Saturday

Seeing as we live in a tiny apartment with two dogs, going to the park each weekend is a priority. Luckily, we've moved to a VERY dog-friendly city. The recreational parks and dog parks are amazing. Their everywhere.. and more than half of them are off leash. The picture that I've posted at the top of the blog is one of our favorite parks. It's called Zilker Park. It's huge and has a nice backdrop of the city. As soon as we get there, the dogs go nuts.

We headed to Zilker Park this morning (after getting coffee and muffins of course) and stayed for about an hour. To say that our doggies are tired would be an understatement. We've been home for several hours and I don't think I've seen Harley budge. Unfortunately, he just doesn't know when to stop. I think he would probably chase after the ball until his heart quit on him. He's slightly obsessed- which is of course his nature as a Border Collie. He's got two jobs in life- catching the ball and hearding Wendy. He does them both very well :)

Once we got home, I decided to partake in my usual Saturday baking frenzy. I don't have a lot of time to cook during the week.. so Saturday is my day to cook some of our favorite foods to have during the week. Today was Enchilada Casserole and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. I've cooked both before and they are two of our favorites! Im including the recipes below.. they are definitely noteworthy (as are the blogs that they are listed on).

Enchilada Casserole
http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=3352

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
http://ourforkingblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/chocolate-peanut-butter-pie.html#more


Now, its time to relax and possibly do a little reading! I've recently started the Hunger Games and I'm OBSESSED. Each chapter leaves you hanging.. therefore, the books are hard to put down (or in this case, my kindle). I would highly recommend them to anyone. They are a fairly easy read.

As for tomorrow, Thomas and I will head to church and most likely brunch after that. We're also planning to head to the park (again) but for our benefit this time! We're both running in the Austin Turkey Trot (5 miles) on Thanksgiving so we're trying to do some last minute preparation for that!

Meredith (my sister-in-law) and I are in training for our first half marathon. It's the Austin Half-Marathon and its taking place in mid-February. Since Im training in TX alone, I'm attempting to set mini goals for myself to be held accountable. The turkey trot is helping with that process. Wish us luck!

Happy Weekend everyone.. just think- only 3 works days (for most of us) and then a long weekend to come!

A few recent Pictures to share!

Our long journey on the way to Texas!

Our first night out to dinner after a long day of unpacking!

The realization that we're actually in Texas!

The Congress Bridge Bats (when mom and dad came for a visit)

Hook em' Horns! (our first UT game)

Happy Halloween from Harley and Wendy! (Dogtoberfest at The Domain)