Meet our new addition...Jasper!

Well here he is.  All 130 pounds of him.  He is the newest member of the Hale family.

We got Jasper from a Great Dane rescue group called Dames for Danes.  His right ear, as you can tell, is only half there.  :(  His owner who gave him up said he was born that way, but his foster mom fears someone tried to crop his ears themselves and it didn't go as planned.  I like it...I think it gives him character!

We traveled about an hour and a half to pick him up and he did extremely well on the car ride home.  We stopped at PetSmart which did NOT turn into a cheap trip!!!  I bought him a $60 bed that he had no interest in when we got home.  He was content with just being on the floor!  And that's pretty much what made him happy for the night!

We start obedience classes tonight...we don't wanna waste any time :)  He isn't hyper or bouncing off the walls...we just want to master sit, stay, and all that good stuff.  Wish us luck!

Bookworm

So recently I have finished these two books....

and...

"The Lovely Bones" was a book I could not put down.  I found myself rarely, if at all, thinking about the movie and comparing what I had seen in the previews to what I was reading.  I never tried to picture the characters I had seen in the movie trailers as the ones in the book and I was proud of myself that I didn't let that affect my reading.  I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

With "Dear John" I found myself in a similar situation of not being able to put it down, but my downfall was constantly comparing the book characters with Channing Tatum (and I mean, who wouldn't want to constantly think of him??) and Amanda Seyfried and wanting them to do what I wanted them to do and what I had seen on the previews.  I didn't particularly care for the ending, but in talking with others, I do see the flip-side and see why they, in fact, did like it.  If nothing else, I have two movies to go see now that I have read the book for, right??

As I said the other day, we were going through an application process to adopt a dog from a rescue group.  We had our home visit on Monday and PASSED with flying colors!  We got word Monday night that we were approved to become his new parents, but that he'd just been neutered so we needed to wait a couple of days to go get him.  Well the time has come and we will be going to get him today!!  I can't wait to post pictures and learn all about our new addition, Jasper!  Happy Wednesday everyone!

Let's spice it up with February!!

I felt like January was such a cold, dismal month!  I'm looking forward to February because I am a fan of Valentine's Day and male Hale is in a chili competition next weekend...and this girl looooves some chili!  The food is free and a local radio station and news station will be in attendance.  A bake sale will be in full effect as well....I think my diet will be blown this day!!  Donations go to help the 212th Transportation Unit for the Army Reserves.  They deploy in April for Afghanistan for one year so this will be such a great cause.

I did enjoy our snow this past weekend though!  I am glad I like being a homebody because when everything turns to solid ice and you're home Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, you can catch some cabin fever!  Brunswick stew, board games, white chicken chili, & movies seemed to do the trick though.  I love how snow always looks so perfect on rooftops!

For quite some time now we have wanted to adopt a dog.  We have looked and looked for a four-legged friend to adopt in the particular breed that peaked our interest.  We became interested in this breed because of their temperament, habits, & what we heard from speaking with previous owners.  Last Thursday we visited a lovely guy named Jasper and he stole our hearts.  This particular rescue group likes to do home visits to ensure the dog will have a safe & suitable lifestyle.  We have our home visit this evening and from what the agency has indicated to us, if the visit goes well, we should be able to bring him home some time this week.  We don't have a fence, but they have known that from the get-go and said it was not required, but I still worry they will count that against us.  I don't want to post any pictures or tell you any more about it because I want it to be a surprise!  And not to mention I will be so, so bummed if things don't work out.  Just keep your fingers crossed for us!


Without a doubt, Super Bowl commercials and good eats are two things to always look forward to during the big game.  Then 4 days later, my book club girlies will be meeting at my house to discuss "The Lovely Bones" (can't wait to see this movie!).  Three days after that will be Valentine's Day which I am glad is falling on a weekend and I've figured out what to get my husband!  The next day will be this gal's birthday and I'll wait 12 days to celebrate this new mommy's birthday!  Looking forward to February's festivities!

Consumption.

So for the past 2 weeks this has been my daily diet ---

Breakfast: yogurt or banana
Lunch: salad, soup, or leftovers
Snack: applesauce or another yogurt
Dinner: chicken or steak or pork with 2 veggies
*No fried food  *No sweets  *1 coke a day, water the rest of the day  *not eating potatoes, bread (UGHH!)

If I ever woke up 30 minutes or so before I had to start getting ready, I'd make myself some eggs, but considering I cherish my sleep like it's gold, so that never happens.  Chili's has a guiltless chicken platter that I could probably eat every day!  It's a grilled chicken breast that comes with mixed veggies and rice, but I always get corn on the cob instead of rice because their corn is out of this world!  I had lunch with a friend last week at Chili's and I stole a french fry and I had myself convinced it was the best french fry I had ever, ever tasted!

I applaud anyone who is changing their eating habits because it's so difficult when your stomach is still growling and you want that dish that is your absolute weakness!  There was so much chocolate in our house from the holidays and I just had to open the trash can, close my eyes, and let it fall.

What are you trying to do differently in 2010?

That's some BS!

BS being bathing suits!  I never look this early, but with Victoria's Secret blowing up my inbox, I just had to!  These girls are definitely pushing me along with my healthy eating....now if I could just have their skin, hair, etc. ha!  These are a few that caught my eye today....

Which one do you think?

I am ready for these freezing temperatures to hit the road!  I want to be on the lake listening to good tunes while I bob up and down in the water while sitting on a noodle laughing at some old story that starts with "oh my gosh, do you remember that time when we....."  I could also definitely handle hearing waves crash while brushing sand off my towel and asking hubby to grab me a drink out of the cooler!  Maybe I should print one of these gals off and tape her inside the refrigerator so every time I go to grab junk I think "don't you want a summer bod?!?!"

Tell Me I'm Not Crazy....

for wanting to stay in on a Saturday night.  I'm almost ashamed to admit I re-organized a closet, cleaned out my rolltop desk of meaningless papers, did a load of laundry, and at just 8pm I am sitting on the couch watching Family Guy.  I need some storage tips!  For shoes, clothes, kitchen stuff, anything!  I love my house, like seriously I wish I could stay in this house forever....it's so cozy, I'd snap a finger if it would allow just one room to be added on, and I love, love, love it, but it's only a little over 900 square feet and the 2 closets we have suck!  I've got stuff in tops of closets, bottoms of closets, under the bed storage, etc.  Help a girl out!

Has anyone seen the previews for Mel Gibson's new movie?  I think it looks so good!  But I am a big Mel fan. 

I have started 2010 with the mindset of eating healthier.  French fries, enchiladas, and burgers have never been so forbidden to me!  I'd just like to shed a few to feel like I don't have to shimmy into a pair of jeans :)  Feel free to help me with healthy recipes!

I wish there was something in January to decorate for....I hated taking down the Christmas tree!  It just feels cozier with some type of decorations up around the house.

Random post, I know....but random is how I feel life hits me lately!

ghost town

I know I have been MIA, but I unfortunately left my camera cord at work and have been off for a week and a half. 

Christmas was fabulous!  My hubby got me Michael Buble tickets and I cannot wait to physically melt in front of him!  Mom had a ring made for me with my dad's diamond that is probably the most unforgettable gift I have ever received.  New Year's Eve was a blast and I laughed while going through those pictures today...they'll be here soon. 

The only down side is that I have had a cold since the 26th and it has sabotaged my days off from work.  I feel horrible when I wake up and usually don't gather any energy until late afternoon, so I have not been as productive as I hoped to be. 

My wonderful cousin Megan and her boyfriend Dan (who is practically a duplicate of my husband) are in town and we celebrated a late, fun-filled Christmas yesterday.  We'll be going to a favorite italian restaurant tonight for my Mom's birthday and then going out on the town.  I love my life!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and memorable Christmas and here's to 2010!