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

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 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

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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.  :)

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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

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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

Getting a job is a lot of work!

I won't go into all the work that making a resume is or searching endless hours for a job is. Anyone that has been unemployed unexpectedly knows what this is all about. I'm pretty sure that anyone searching for work also knows what it is like to have someone call you and ask you to come in only to find out that it is just a recruiter wasting your time.*
Iv been out of work now for over 2.5 years. Sure Iv enjoyed this time off. Iv sold a few things on eBay and Caigslist to make ends meet. Iv also had to use funds from savings accounts. This hasn't been a walk in the park for me but it hasn't been a complete headache either. Iv had the chance to organize my house. Iv traveled some. I was able to spend last moments with family members. (that's a whole other blog though) Iv also had the chance to realize that I really want to work. It's not that I'm bored. I have plenty of hobbies to keep me busy. However, I miss people. I miss the day in and day out conversation with familiar faces. I will soon have this void filled.
I was hired a few weeks ago. Iv have yet to start this job. I have to admit that this has been the biggest pain in the ass for me. Iv never worked for a large corporation before. Iv mostly worked for mom and pop shops. Within the past couple weeks I have been proving that I exists, and proving  that I have the right to work in America, and proving that Im not a junky (pee test, by appointment only!, must be done within, 24 hours of notification or no longer have job), proving that I dont smoke (same pee test), proving that I dont have any tropical diseases ( blood test, and TB test )( ohh, and this has to be done at a specific location that is about 20 miles away from me. Thankfully, Dallas has a train that goes to the general area. I didnt have to worry about paying for parking or cost of gas to get back and forth. I had to do this on 2 different days!) , proving that I went to high school (I changed schools 7 times!, good luck navigating through my HS records!) ( they dont care that I went to college ) ( Im not sure how they think that I got to college if I didnt previously get my high school diploma ), I had to prove that i paid my taxes in 2003. ( Yes! 2003! ), proving that I didnt work for the last 2.5 years.  I have been asked for this NOT all at once but item by item with 2 to 3 days in between each one. Im surprised that any of this is even valid because any record on paper can be made easily with any computer. Im a pretty organized person; so i actually have all this info they asked for.  Who would of thought that I would actually need all this crap. Its been an aggravating experience. I should ask for a raise after all this running around I have been doing for them. I hope it gets better once I actually start...........The funny thing is, they havent asked for my SS card or an ID yet!

As stressed out as this has been making me, Im grateful that I now have a job. I would will jump through even more hoops that get laid in front of me. This is a lot of work, but I want this! There is no challenge to big for me when I want something!


... on a happy note... I am suppose to start this job next week. I am hoping that I will soon have a blog post about my first day of school work!


*i dont believe that all recruiters are a waste of time. I believe that they to have job and finding the perfect candidate is their job. Im just never the one they want!

AUSTIN ROT Rally turned into THE ZOO!

June 9, 2012

It was our first out of town (same state) bike rally to go to.  We got up early and hit the road on Saturday morning. We got to Austin with no problems. Our GPS got us to the exact location with no hiccups. It took us about 10 minutes to figure out that this really wasn't our thing. I liked that the rally supported our military, and law enforcement. However, the cost to enter the cage was $70 per person. I'm not sure what that gets you. We don't drink; so the party thing wasn't an option that we cared about. We new all this ahead of time, but thought that there might be other stuff going on outside of the caged area. I'm sure it was a good time for those who attended, but we really wanted to ride and see the Hill Country.
We were starving by the time we got to Austin, and I was craving Outback Steak House. Mike of course had no problems this. We might have been the only ones in there at 1030 in the morning. I got the Ahi. I know, I know... Its a steak house, and I ordered fish! I usually do!.... and it was amazing!
Now for the good stuff!

Austin is BEAUTIFUL!
HILL COUNTRY is a must see! The rolling hills, the greenery, and the curvy roads make this place amazing!

It was kinda warm but not to hot on our ride. We decided to take a break from riding and find a zoo to check out. We went to the Austin Zoo! You would never just come across this place. We had to look it up on the GPS, and was guided through the back of some neighborhood to get there.

  WE LOVED THIS PLACE!

                                                                             

This is a smaller zoo than we have normally visited. The animals here have been rescued or donated. Most of the animals we saw came with a story. The story was usually the same... Someone had the wild or exotic animal as a pet and didn't care for it the way it should have been. Some of the animals were damaged because of this. They had shattered bones, or missing limbs, or were malnourished at the time of rescue. Some of the animals were laboratory or even circus animals. The good news is, the AUSTIN ZOO, is able to provide the care, shelter, and love that these animals require. Its amazing that we get to be a part of this. Its awesome to be able to visit them and see them in better conditions than they were in.

This was one of our favorite animals there!  Its a coatimundi!

 here I am, on the other side of the barrier petting my new friend    

                                                                                     and Mike is trying to pet MY new friend too! 

 haha   :) 

Actually he did it first. Than he told me too! 

Cody was missing his tail. They usually have big fat tails like a lab. Cody's tail was damaged when a dog bit him. He is sure is cute!

There were signs all over the place that said...

It was kinda funny to me.  I kept expecting to see a sign that said.. Please Feed This Animal!

The zoo lets you feed the goats though. They were really funny!

 

My hubby is such a goof!

This is Mike helping the turtle find food.

 

This tiger must have been a little hot. He was taking a bath and playing peek-a-boo with us! 

He made me laugh.

This lion was really neat! He actually was rescued by the zoo. When they got him, he had shattered legs due to being malnourished and having to support his body weight.

These peacocks were just running wild all over the zoo.

At the end of our long day of riding around Austin and visiting their zoo, we headed back to Dallas. We needed to get home to see our kids! We ended up putting just over 600 miles on the bike. That's the longest ride we've done in one day. My tail was hurting by the time we got home!

 

Thanks for reading my post!

<3, Julie

Our daily silly self portrait!

What am I worth?

Here's a  question I have a hard time answering.....
 What am I worth?

Why do I ask this? .... I had a job interview the other day. [big smiles]  Iv been out a job, more or less, for over 2 years! Iv worked with my husband in the meantime. Iv always helped him out with the book work, but iv actually been helping him with the labor the past couple months. Sense, it is my hubby.....Iv been doing this for free. Well, Iv been doing this for no paycheck.
I really haven't been on any interviews in the past couple years. I haven't really been looking though either. I'm excited to possibly be getting a "real" job. My hubby is excited for me too. It all comes down to though... how much are they gonna pay. 
I know what I want. I want a million dollars. Maybe a little more, but I'm willing to negotiate......LOL. My hubby says I am worth a gazillion-bazillion dollars. I'm not sure how much that is, but it sounds awesome!
I'm not sure what my value is. This is kind of a hard question to answer. I know I'm worth finding out though. There is a lot about me that it would be impossible to but a dollar figure on. I'm loyal! I'm punctual! I'm a team player! I'm able to be the whole team! I'm an optimist! I'm flexible! I get the job done! I get the job done right! I get the job done right , the first time! This is all the qualities that get discovered by the powers to be after one is hired and over time. I just hope it doesn't take long to find out I'm worth the hire and I'm worth keeping.
I was actually hired [ BIGGER SMILES ]. I was offered an amount that is acceptable. I haven't started this job yet, but I will by the end of the month. I hope that this job turns into a career  or inspires my path into one. That alone will make "this" worth the price. THIS being.... being away from my home, hubby, kiddos(the doggies), my own schedule, no one to answer to ( except GOD, of course ), and most of all my basic freedom. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally stoked to be working again. The amount that they have offered me has no reflection on what I am actually worth.
 My life doesn't come down to a dollar figure. I have an amazing life. I have a great family, and friends. I have two of the best doggies in the whole wide world. I have a house to call my home. I live in the great state of Texas. There are many things that bring a smile to my face everyday. I am grateful to God for every moment and everything that I have. My hubby might be right...I am worth that gazillion-bazillion dollars!
Wish me luck in my newest adventure!


Thanks for reading my post1

Rough Riders baseball, Cruising, Snow White, and BBQ

My weekend started out with the Rough Riders baseball game in Frisco, TX with a few of my girlfriends on Friday night. It was my first time at this stadium. Nice place! We sat in the outfield in the grassy knoll along with about 50 kids surrounding us. I have to admit, as cool as it was to be there for the game, I had a hard time paying attention to what was actually going on. I did see the "Win" though in the 9th! WooHoo!

Here we all are! Laura, Rachel ( in her new hat that we all got her for her birthday!), me (Julie), and Monica!

Ohh and check out my new baseball purse! I was excited to show it off!

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Mike and I actually slept in on Saturday..... This means we slept past 0530, but we were up and ready to go by 0800. It was nice to not have any plans set in stone for the day.
We decided to jump on the big bike and head out West. The weather was just about perfect. I love it when we jump on the bike , just pick a spot on the map, and head that way. No real plan, no time commitment, and letting it be all about us.

We ended up near Abilene, TX. That's actually the big city that was closest to us, but we weaved in and out of all of the smaller towns and stayed on the country roads. We rode around lakes that we weren't familiar with and just took in all the sites.

 We stopped on the side of the road where a couple was selling Yorkies! They (the puppies) were so cute. I wanted all 3, but Daisy and Bear would not like that one bit!

We also stopped at a couple of parks just to take a few pictures of our little adventure.

    We are kinda goofy! Im usually the one that makes faces when my picture is taken. I dont try to, it just turns out that way....and as far as Mike goes, he is just a goofball all together.

We ate at a small diner in Cisco, TX called Laura's Cafe. I highly recommend this place if you ever happen to come across it. It was a whole in the wall. I think tool sheds are bigger than the whole establishment. It wasn't visually appealing at all, but it wasn't scary either. The food was awesome good though! It had some of the best grilled fish, Iv ever had!
We put a good 400 miles on the bike. With all the stopping we did, it took us about 9 hours to complete our little trip. That's a long time to be on the back of the bike, but it was a good time.

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I made it home in time to go to the movies with one of my girl friends, Monica. (Thank you, Groupon!) We both wanted to see Snow White an the Huntsmen. It was opening weekend and sold out for the 8pm showing. So what are 2 girls gonna do for a couple of hours until the next showing? We went to Blue Goose to eat. We were starving and real food sounded better than the high priced Studio Movie Grill menu. Besides, we had a good time cutting up before the movie. The movie was really good, by the way.

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With all that go, go, go.... I was ready to take it easy on Sunday. Haha. That wasn't gonna happen.
It was a good day to run a couple errands. The weather was still great, so we took the bike to do our little shopping and returns.
We ended the day with a BBQ at one of Mike's friends house. It was a great turn out. There was about 10 plus our doggies. Having the dogs at someone elses house was an adventure in itself! haha... they were good though (thank goodness) We were all there to eat though!....and eating is what we did! Between the smoked ribs, beer can chicken and the grilled chicken, it was a meat fest. This wasn't a vegan friendly gathering!
Everything was fork tender and melted in your mouth. It was absolutely delicious!

It was a great weekend!  I'm fortunate to have such great friends and a great family!


Thanks for reading my post!
Julie

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day means a whole lot more to me than it use to. I didn't grow up in a military family. My grandparents were military though. I have a brother that was military. I have and had friends that were / still are military. Maybe the fact that I'm grown I now realize what this all means. It's not that I didn't before. It's just a stronger appreciation. I'm truly grateful for our military. I appreciate those who serve, have served, or will serve. I appreciate their families. I admire the strength they all have.
I'm not posting this to get any pats on the back from anyone or a slap in the face because I didnt do what you expected me to do.I don't need to stand out from the crowd and act like my message is anything different or anything great. My Memorial Day weekend wasn't just about having a 3 day weekend though. Although spending the time with family and friends is what it's partially about.
I didn't go to any National Cemetery. I didn't pass out American flags. I didnt run in any patriot marathon. I didn't wear a tee shirt that says All American on it. I'm not sure I even wore Red, White, and Blue except for when I went to the Rangers game on Monday.
Do you know what I did do though? I stood up tall and stood proudly when the Star Spangled Banner was played at the stadium, as I do every time I hear it! My skin tingles every time I hear the last lines ..."..the land of the free, and the home of the brave!"
Living in the land of the free and the home of the brave, that's Memorial Day! Im thankful everyday for that!

Marriage Proposals - Public or Private

This morning, I woke up to the radio ( of course ) ( stupid alarm clocks ). anyways, this mornings topic was American Idol season ( i have no idea, I don't usually watch this show ). It wasn't so much about who won but it was about some past contestants that came up on stage and the man purposed to his girlfriend on national TV as well as a live audience. In his proposal, he basically gives a plug to the jeweler or something like that. Anyways, I really didn't wake up until the DJ's were talking about how lame this was. The female DJ, said she would hate a public proposal and thinks they should be private and romantic.

My thoughts on this.... I do think it was more to promote himself rather than express his love during this proposal. However, I don't even know who they were talking about, nor did I see it. I only heard about as I layed in bed hating the alarm clock for going off so early in the morning. I don't think public proposals are a bad thing. I think it can be really sweet. It depends on the girl and the guy. I think its pretty sweet when a guy cant wait to propose and does it as soon as his girl gets off a plane in the airport. (This happen to my friend, Katie) I think its sweet when a guy prorposes to his girl in parking lot because the establishment was closed where he was gonna propose ( This happened to my friend, Matt) I think its sweet when a guy proposes to a girl taking a carriage ride to see Christmas light. (This happened to a friend, who now divorced that jerk; but it was sweet at the time) I have a friends whose man planned a romantic dinner out, had a trail of rose petals to lead them to an even more romantic scenery for him to drop to one knee and propose in fornt of anyone that cared to stop and watch.(food and proposal arent my thing, but it was a sweet story). Mike has a friend that proposed to his girl when she was working at a bar. (I don't think this is all that sweet, but she said yes )  Each and every propsal I hear about is slightly different. Some are outragous and beautiful and some are just lame to me. Iv never wanted to get asked the question at a resturant. My reasons are simple... what if I ened up getting food poison? I would forever associate this with my proposal....or what if service sucked, or my meal wasnt any good. I just wouldn't want something silly to take away from my moment. However, I would still say YES, no matter where it was, as long as it was the right guy.  I guess, it doesn't really matter where one gets proposed to, as long as the heart is in the right place.

*

My husband, proposed to me at park. Not just any park. It was the Arbor Hills, Nature Preserve in Plano, TX. This is our favorite park. We use to, at the time, go here every other day. We would take our doggies and walk the loop. Trees, and wild flowers, wild life, dirt bike trails,  and the paved walkway winds throughout the park. It is truly beautiful.
It was December 17, 2004. I was sick. Not sick sick, but I had a bad cold. I had medicine head too. I was sneezing and snotty. I wasn't a pretty site at all. It was also a cold day. Mike asked me if I wanted to got o the park. I said yes, of course. I'm usually a fighter when I get sick and think, getting out of the house and doing my normal routine will only get me better. Mike packed up the dogs, I got on my ugly orange winter ski coat on ( i was sick, I needed the extra warmth ), and tons of kleenex. I had leashes on the dogs and was ready to walk. All 4 of us walked the 2.6 mile loop. We almost got back to the car and Mike says to me..." Do you love me? "....... Now, this is something we ask each other all the time. Its kind of a game we play........ I of course said "YES!"....... He than immediately asked, "How much do you love me?".........I responded like I usually do with my arms spread out to each side of me, reaching as far as I could, responding, "This much!"...now at this time, I had a leash in each hand and when I spread my arms out the dogs got me all tangled up.......Mike without hesitation, with his arm wrapped around me, standing by my side, asked me, "Do you love me enough to marry me?". He had a ring in a black velvet box staring at me. I immediately responded. I said something like "what?, or shut up!" I was blushing, and said "YES!"  I couldn't stop starring at my ring. It was beautiful! I didn't cry at the moment but it makes me smile every time I think about this. It was a very private proposal. Just me and him and our dogs.
Mike isn't what I would call a romantic, but this was the most romantic proposal I could ever hope hope. Sneezing, snotting, tangled up with dogs, freezing weather,....nothing else mattered. I loved that he proposed to me when I thought I looked and felt my worse. It was my proposal and that's all that matters. I love this man, and anything he said and did would have been perfect. Its our story and that's all that matters in the end.

So Public or Private? Mine was private. It was perfect in every way!

* notice my husband is wearing a ring. This is for the sake of the picture only. He is not jewelry kinda guy. He never wears it. I wear mine, but I LOVE my ring.

Thanks for reading my blog,
<3  Julie