Perspective.....my graphic and sad reality

It's been a sad week for a whole lot of people. It all makes my issues seem so ridiculous....

I was dreading a "bitch session/front office meeting" at work that I was advised about the previous Friday. Honestly, it wasn't the meeting I was dreading, it was the going back to work that I wasn't looking forward to. However, that's another story for another day.

Monday, Marathon Monday, as in the Boston Marathon, as in one of the best known marathons to all competitive and non-competitive runners, as in the worlds oldest annual marathons around has been forever marked with tragedy. Two men who I won't be giving credit to or any other personal recognition to (by naming them) bombed the finish line. Over a hundred people were severely injured, a few were killed, and thousands were impacted forever by this event. I wasn't near a tv, so I turned to social media to see and read what was unfolding. Seeing words that no one should ever witness in real life...GRAPHIC BLOODY SCENE, COMBAT ZONE, SECOND BOMB, MISSING PEOPLE. Along with reading about the chaos, I was seeing pictures that would be otherwise censored on any network. I will be forever be taunted by what few pictures and video I saw on a simple iPhone screen. I can't imagine the horror of what these people went through. My prayers goes out to all of those that were there or had someone there.

Thankfully, the bombers have been caught.....one dead and one is probably wishing he was dead as of April 19, 2013!

A couple days later, the fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas exploded.( The city of West is about 75 miles South of Dallas ) Almost 3 dozen people were killed including first responders and a couple hundred were injured. Many lost their homes. Damage was seen 5 blocks away. The explosion was compared to a magnitude 2.1, which is a minor earthquake.

There were many people that felt the tragedy this week held. Seeing the aftermath and the stories that go with it make my heart sink. With both tragic events there is the obvious of loss of life and the injured. However, there is also the fear, anger, guilt, and many other emotions that so many are dealing with. There is loss of homes and memories and loss of pets. (I saw where Dallas is trying to find homes for over 70 pets that are being brought up from West, Texas.) The stories on the news, the internet, Instagram, and twitter, have put my life and my issues for the week in perspective. My prayers are with everyone of them and their families.



Thank you for reading my story.

Julie

Earth box Garden

Mike got me a couple Earth Boxes a few years ago for my edible garden. Some years I have awesome luck and some years I have no luck. It seem like the birds and tomato horn worms get to eat more of my home grown veggies than we do. .. And that is just yuck! This year we have new soil, fertilizer, hydrated lime, and new plants of corse.

This year I have tomatoes planted, as well as cucumbers, peppers and strawberries.

So far my newest puppy, Kona, has already dug up the tomatoes and cucumbers. I don't blame him, the plants smell wonderful! So the pictures I have posted are the 2nd batch! I have added a fence to keep the pups out. I'm hoping I will be adding another post in a couple months with veggies!!!

Hi! I'm back!

So, I've been gone for a few months. Not really gone-gone, but I haven't been on here! I don't really have a reason that I was gone, nor do I have a specific reason to be back other than the fact I like to talk and I might as well put all that blah blah blah online for all to read. LOL

Anyways.... What's new with me?
I got a new job! Sort of new. I've been there sense June 2012. I'm still there. That's about all I have to say about that for now.

I do have a new puppy in my life! Mike got him for me for Valentine's Day! His name is Kona! He is a chocolate Labrador. The first picture in my post is my reaction to him when Mike brought him to me! So now we have 3 dogs in our house! It is puppy chaos! We are absolutely loving it!

St. Patrick's day weekend, we took some family photos. We had to this while our newest baby was still little. He is kinda hard to see in photos but he is the brown blob on my lap.  I love this picture.  We all look so silly!

Daisy, our yellow puppy, loves that she has a friend to rough house with. They tumble all over the yard and house. It has us laughing everyday.  Bear, our sweet old Yorkie, isn't to sure what she thinks of new puppy. She was just getting use to Daisy and now she has Kona that takes her toys away too.  However, Bear hasn't given up her spot on our bed.  She won't let the other two up there.

Firecracker! Firecracker! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Firecracker! Firecracker!

 BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I love fireworks! I love 2 days of firework shows even more! I love watching the firework shows with my family (hubby, and Daisy and Bear,the doggies) even more than that!

July 3rd is Kaboom Town in Addison, Texas! It's one of the Top rated firework shows in the country!..I'm not sure who rates that or where that info comes from, but either way it's pretty freaking cool!...and I live just a few miles aways from it all! WooHoo! I'm not sure why this great display is on the 3rd, but that's the way it has always been!
We don't usually take the doggies but this was Daisy's first firework experience and didnt want her to miss out. Bear is tough and is able to handle almost anything, so we knew she would be fine. Daisy did great. She and Bear played with other doggies that were parked in the same field we were. None of the dogs got scared, thank goodness! It was an awesome show again. We had chairs in the back of the truck and sweet tea to drink. We were doing just fine!

------------------------

Mike had to work on the 4th of July sense it landed in the middle of the week. I went shopping until he was able to finish up with his day. I got myself the Nike Fuelband! ( that'll be another post on another day )
But here it is...

----------------------------

Mike was able to get off work a little early, so we took the dogs to the lake. We went to a little cove next to where he use to live with his Uncle Wilson. Bear and Daisy spent about an hour chasing various sticks we kept throwing for them.

After we got home from the lake that night on July 4th we just happen to run into a firework show. All 4 of us were on our nightly bike ride and happen to run up on a ton of people sitting on hill and a few seconds later fireworks starting going off. We just parked that scooter and sat on the curb to watch. It was a nice surprise and a perfect end to our Independence Day!

Happy Birthday, America!

My Newest ADVENTURE begins!

WooHoo! I got a job! I might as well post about it at least once (or twice).

My hubby made me breakfast to start my first big day. Steak and eggs. It was really sweet of him. I could hardly eat though. I was pretty anxious and excited and nervous. I actually slept the night before ( Im surprised! I ususlly cant sleep when I get excited about anything! )
With a good night sleep and a full belly, I was ready for my newest adventure to begin! I know work isnt something most people get excited about, especially on a Monday morning. However, Iv been unemployed for a while now, and am more than ready for this.

My drive isnt bad at all. It take about 30 minutes total to get work. Im not fighting to much traffic, which would make a difference on my mood, so thats a good thing. I actually kinda like the alone time in the car too. I need that every now and again. I just have to remember to buckle up and drive the speed limit.

Its nice to belong somewhere again. Seeing new faces and hearing new stories with new voices is a nice change of pace for me. I appreciate having a job. I like learning new tasks and new anything really. I like that I am getting paid for it too. The opportunities that are in front of me or pretty much limitless. Iv never felt like anythng is unreachable or unattainable or undoable (is that even a word? LOL)but I do like having the chance to see whats there!

I had a few friends and family text me and/or call to wish me luck and/or ask me about my first day. This little gesture made me smile. Its nice being thought of.

I made it through my first 2 week. Im glad that this part of it is over. Im grateful that I have the job, but glad the beginning of this adventure is done!

I have had such a wild mix of emotions through all of this. It feels good! I'm happy!

Pictures for the last week of June 2012..and VIDEO!

Iv ad a big week this week. I started a new job. There's a whole other post on that though. This is my last week in June in pictures!

It has been HOT HOT HOT in Dallas, Texas! Daisy loves her little baby pool. I have lots of pictures that look like this in some degree.

Daisy is still a baby! She knows a few tricks; some good and some not so good. Her taking my shoes is one of those tricks that looks cute for pictures but I like my shoes and I dont like teeth marks in them.....BUT, she is so freaking cute ( even if she is eating my Puma's )!

It was a long week, a good week, but a long one for sure!  Saturday, Mike took me to Bath & Body Works. This isnt a place that I frequent, but I wanted a present and Mike was willing to go with me. As you can see by the picture below, I got tons of stuff. Between body sprays, body wash, body butter, and lotions; I am set for a long time! Mike is real good to take to places like this becasue he will actually let me know what he likes and doesnt like. However, he is like a little kid though too. He had to spray everything on ME!  I was kinda stinking like a mix of the entire store. Thank goodness I was headed home to shower.  LOL

Mike is the cook in our relationship. He grilled chicken and made us a pizza Saturday night. It was so yummy!

--------------------------------

We both slept in on Sunday. It was nice and the sleep was much needed. It was a great day to goto the lake with the doggies and a picnic lunch!   

Mike makes a great grilled chicken sandwich. He even made mine with mustard(my favorite!)

Our doggies have no table manners at all! Thats them standing on the table as Mike eats his lunch!

Here's a little video of me with the doggies playing in the lake.

Daisy loves walking all around docks. She thinks she owns it!

Bear is showing Daisy that the water is fun!

The kids were having so much fun, I had to jump in the water with them. Clothes and all. LOL

Thanks for checking out my post!

Julie

Pictures for the week! June 17th thru the 23rd

I love taking pictures! I take pictures all the time. My cell phone is usually my quickest gadget that I grab when Im taking those silly everyday pictures.  Its the perfect way for me to share and save those everyday moments!

I took the train on the 19th of June to go downtown to take care of a few things for my new job. Iv only taken the train once before, but this is the first time Iv taken it solo. It wasn't bad though. It cost me $4 for a pass to ride all day. Not bad! A lot cheaper than driving! It took about 50 minutes though, and if I drove it would have taken 30. There is a lot of interesting characters that ride the train. Im not sure if thats a good thing, a bad thing, or if its just a thing.

Route of the trains

  Heres what the route looked like for trains as of June 2012.  I took the Green Line!


Green Line Train Stop, Dallas, Texas

-----------------

 I love taking pictures of my doggies! They usually get as close to my face as possible whenever I am on the laying down.

Bear

Daisy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every night at bed time, Bear waits for us between our pillows.  Im guessing she is making sure she doesnt miss anything. Daisy is too obnoxious to "wait" anywhere! She is off wondering the house somewhere.  :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike has been on a misson to find or build a new smoker. He found this one off Craigslist! ( we love craigslist! )  It was a short roadtrip on Saturday to go and pick it up. Sunday was all about smoking meat! He made 12 pounds of brisket, 5 pounds of pork, 5 pounds of turkey, and 1 susage link! This was all for the both of us! Mike kinda goes overboard when it comes to grilling, or smoking out. I put most of it in the freezer afterwards. Hopefully it'll be ok.  :)

Newest Smoker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daisy and Bear love to bring bones and toys on our bed, especially if it is made! They look so cute though! .... thats my neswet quilt by the way! I love quilts! I think I have 5 of them so far. Im gonna be an old lady with quilts all over my house.  LOL... Mike got this for me one for me for Valentine's Day of this year.

Thanks for checking out my post! Im gonna try and do a picture blog post each week.

Julie