Ways Andy is like Our Kid

I am a blogging machine today.  It's because I'm sick.

I realize a dog is only a tiny bit like having a kid, and I've been told that I will forget about the dog when I have a kid (never!).   But it sure feels like Andy is our kid.  Here's why:

• We hug him and tell him we love him multiple times per day
• We pick him up when we get home and ask if he's missed us
• We hold him like a baby on the couch with us (he's not allowed on the couch any other time)
• He falls asleep in our arms
• I wipe the goonk from his eyes every morning
• I feed him and tell him he better finish his breakfast / dinner
• He throws his food all over the floor and carries it to multiple rooms
• If one of us is not home, the other will put Andy on the phone to talk
• We make his bed for him each night (lay comforter on floor)
• He takes out all his toys and throws them around, right after I've picked them all up
• When he has an upset stomach, we make him special food, give him meds, and stay home from work to take care of him
• When he comes in from outside and he's dirty, I make him sit down and give me each paw so I can wipe it off
• We make sure he gets to play with his friends (dog park or daycare)
• We kiss him on the nose to say goodnight and goodbye
• We are very, very sad when we have to leave him
• We give him baths, even though he hates them
• We tell him he needs to be more careful and play nice, when he plays too rough
• We say god bless you when he sneezes
• When he's bad we yell "Andrew Healey!!!"
• We photograph our family, including him
• We sign our cards - Brendan, Sarah and Andy Healey
• When he cries, we tell him it's ok
• We call him puppy, honey, pup-dog, pup, bub...and Andy of course
• We love to show him off to all of our friends, and get all excited when someone says he's cute (because it clearly runs in the family)
• And most of all....we love him more than we ever thought we could love something

Getting rid of Stuff

So I've always considered myself a master organizer.  I go through the house and my stuff multiple times a year looking for things to get rid of.  Re-organizing the closet or cabinets.  Going through clothes and shoes looking for things I haven't worn in a year, or have worn and shouldn't be wearing for fashion purposes.  I went through things before we moved, and doing it again now that we're in Denver.  This last go around I parted iwth all the stuffed hippos, a lot of t-shirts (i just don't wear t-shirts), a lot paper (who uses paper?), office supplies, pencils, markers, the scrapbooking scissors (let's face it...i don't do craft projects).  I finally parted with my intermediate accounting book (no idea why I felt sentimentally attached to that).  Let go of my backpack i used in high school with my initials on it.

There are still some things that I'm holding on to that are taking up space in this tiny house.  Here's the list - let me know your thoughts on if I should keep or toss:

• LOTS of journals from junior high / high school
• Sprial bound "books" that I wrote as a child - think like 6 - 10 yrs old
• Picture albums with old boyfriends (cringe)
• All sorts of picture albums from high school / college
• A pink hippo pillow with beads in it (you know the kind i mean?)
• Gregory the giant stuff hippo...i'm not parting with him
• The bunny rabbit that my grandma made (i like it..but...i already have a lot of stuff from my grandma that a love...the bunny isn't one of those things)
• A small glass hippo...collects dust
• The cake dish holder...i swear this has been used once and takes up so much space
• Old prom dresses / bridesmaid dresses - they are in the dress up clothes bin, a large bin
• A ton of John Grisham books that i've already read
• Yearbooks - A TON ....even the college ones that I'm not even in

I won't even get started on what Brendan is saving.  :)  jk.  It's not THAT bad.  Mostly just baseball cards. 

Unpacking

Well I seriously underestimated just how long the unpacking and organizing process would take!  And for some reason I thought it would be more fun.  Ya, it's not that fun. 

Most of the boxes in the main house are unpacked and their contents are strewn about.  Lots of boxes in the basement that will remain there until the rest of the house is in working order.  Even though we only have 2 bedrooms, we do have a little back sun-room thing that at least we can put some shelves, the dog crate and my desk.  Not that I will actually sit at the desk, but it's more of a location to store all the paperwork and items that need to be dealt with.  It's the holding area.  I don't want the holding area to be the kitchen table.  That is reserved for placemats and that's it (eating occurs on the couch).  Ok, i'll say it not in ( ) ...yes, we eat on the couch.  Everyday.  In front of the TV.  Either law and order or criminal minds.  Heaven for bid one of those shows is not on (rare).  I'd like to think that we'll sit together as a family at the table once we have kids.  We shall see.

Somehow I found more stuff to get rid of.  4 or 5 boxes worth.  Pretty impressive because I thought I had gone through everything before we moved.  I decided it was time to part with most of the stuffed hippos.  Don't worry, not Gregory (the big one), and a few that puppy has adopted as HIS stuffed animals.  Note that he doesn't rip them up or tear out the stuffing.  He just sort of gums them.  Like they are soaking wet, but not harmed at all.  oh how we love our pup.  I was holding him today on the couch (like a baby) and he sneezed in my face.  Ya.  Nice job pup.

During my time on the couch today (i'm sick and on couch arrest)...i'm uploading all the potential photobook pics to shutterfly.  Need to get cranking on the 2011 book.  And a seperate wedding album.  We took pics in the park the other day, but the photographer won't give me the digital reprints unless i spend $200.  omg.  I think i've already blogged about this.  Clearly i am still upset.

Pictures of the house still to come.







 

Waiting for the Truck

I cannot tell you how anxious I am for the moving truck to arrive tomorrow.  We have bee waiting SOOOO long.  We've been in Denver almost a month without our stuff.  And this will be the fourth night on the floor at the new house with no stuff.  No bed.  No dishes.  Nothing to cook with.  Pretty much just our clothes and sleeping bags.  We share 1 pillow.  And poor puppy sleeps on a towel.  I know, I make it out to sound like it's awful...and it's really not that bad because the house is AWESOME.  And it's in the best area.  We can walk to all sorts of things.  Which we have done all weekend.  But really...really ready for the truck.  Tomorrow at 9:30.  That is less than 12 hours away.  And I'm planning on sleeping for a lot of those hours. 

The next blog post will probably be about how our furniture doesn't fit in the awesome house we have leased.  I'm a little bit concerned.  We are going from 3 bedrooms, 1300 sq feet down to 2 bedrooms less than 1000 sq feet.  I know, it's tiny.  Keep in mind....location, location, location.  And the puppy has a yard, that was a pretty big priority.  I will post pictures as soon as we get the stuff in here.  I will post a picture of the truck pulling up to the house and me hugging the driver for finally arriving.  omg.

In other news, we had  photo shoot in the park today.  You know hanging out with a photographer is one of my fav things to do!!  She was doing free sessions in the park, then you have to buy the pics if you like them.  Here's a good one that I stole off her website screen shot style.  She doesn't give you the digital negatives unless you spend $200 on pics, so that stinks.  I plan to negotiate that.

Anyways, let's hope all the furniture arrives in one piece.  As well as...just arrives.  I'm off to bed to pass the time until morning.

Need to be Better

Hey, I know I just posted, but Brendan is not here and I'm procrastinating finishing the wedding thank you notes.  And doing laundry.

Anyways, I know it's not New Years Eve resolution time or anything, but I really REALLY need to start forming some good habbits.  And I think moving into the new house and getting settled would be a good time to start. 

Habbits I need to form:
1.  Wash. My. Face!!!!!!!  (why is this so difficult)
And not just wash my face, but then apply some product, creams, whatever stops the wrinkles.  Which means I actually need to spend some money investing in the product.  And determine which are the best products.  I booked a facial for Saturday to help with this.  Aveda products have got to be good, right?

2.  The whole food situation - planning, cooking, eating
As previously mentioned..whoa...my eating habbits.  I feel like I need to break this down into small goals each week or something, because "eat better" just is not actionable for me.  First I need a vegtable picture book so I can identify what the green items are in the grocery store.  And ...not sure where to go after that.  I've maintained that I don't like green things for quite some time.  *sigh.  Brendan will help me if I ask, and actually mean it.

3.  Weekly Laundry
Some sort of schedule would help me.  It's not the regular laundry that is the issue - it's dry cleaning, hand wash only, wash but hang dry, wash on delicate, dry for 10 minutes then take out while the dryer is still running and hang up.  Snikes.

4.  Hair Care
I go back and forth on the fancy shampoo thing.  It's so expensive, but it smells soooooo good.  Is it really better?  I don't know.  Probably.  I've been on $4 Pantine ProV for quite some time now.  I think I'll switch to AVEDA and see if i can see a difference.  I'd also like to try more hair product.  Maybe fixing my hair.  Brushing it everyday would be as a start.

5.  Download new music
Everytime I go running I swear I'm going to go straight home and download new music.  And then I never do.  Why?  Why not?   Ok honestly its because I've never done it.  I've never used iTunes to download music.  Don't laugh.  I'm new to Apple products.  idk.  I'm a little behind.  I'm sure it's easy.  I could be doing that right now instead of writing about how I need to do it.

6.  Paint my nails and toes regualarlly
Self explainatory.

Too Good to be Ture?

So lately I've been overwhelmed with all the good things happening.  I just feel really blessed.  To the point where I'm a little scared that something really bad is going to happen.  Like too many good things...how long is this going to last?  I mean, my laptop was stolen last week...if I make a big deal about how bad that is, does it balance out some of the good?  I know it doesn't work that way.  There is no score.  But...you know...is there?

Good things / things making me happy lately:
-  Well Brendan of course, that's the big one that has me in awe...most days
-  Really good job
-  The chance to live in Denver
-  The fact that Comcast is packing the house, loading the truck and driving it out here
-  Got to live in Austin for 7 years (best city ever, minus 107 degree heat)
-  Best puppy ever
-  A nice car that I love, Spice, and has held up well so far
-  Today I put my contacts in on the first try, i'm actually making progress there
-  I eat like a cow, really, my diet is ridiculous ...and i don't look like a cow (yet)
-  I have really cute trail running shoes that I love (and should use more often, speaking of cows)
-  The wedding was gorgeous and all my favorite people were there
-  The wedding pictures were awesome, can't wait to print
-  I talk to my fam everyday
-  It was high of 85 today, but now it's getting a bit chilly, maybe i'll put on a sweatshirt
-  I'm leaving for Hawaii in a few weeks, and we'll be there like 9 days
-  I'm traveling so much i may have a free flight on Southwest soon-ish
-  The iPad (who says money can't buy happiness??)
-  Comcast is giving us free cable that includes ALL the premium channels (omg, wow)
-  I had time to read an entire book while I was on the plane back and forth to Philly
-  Moving into the Wash Park house, yay (even though we're just leasing for now)

To balance all that out...well:
-  My work laptop was stolen
-  I have a weird jaw/ear pain thing...no idea
-  I couldn't find the 1/3 less fat pringles at the gas station i stopped at, so i got Ranch, but i don't really like those
-  My plant Spike may not survive the move, he's looking pretty weak (Bob, and Wesley are fine)
-  I've been quickly developing wrinkles due to my poor face washing habbits (next blog post)

Anyways...feeling really blessed / happy / whatever.  PTL. 

Change Much

I feel like I have a million things to write about, but I guess I should at least document what's been going on the last few months.  So. Much. Change. 

Change 1:  Married on the Cape to the best guy ever

I started dating Brendan in April-ish 2010.  I had more fun in 2010 than I ever have.  The fun continued into 2011.  We got engaged on June 5.  And then married July 28.  That's got to be some sort of record for shortest engagement ever (without pending child, i know you were thinking it).   The wedding was the happiest day of my life.  Whoa cheesy...but it really is true.  The whole day.  I woke up, got breakfast and went running on the beach with my girls.  Showered, got dressed.  Had the MOST fun time taking pictures before the wedding.  Then the ceremony overlooking the bay.  I cried.  Then the party.  Par-tay.  THEN we went out in Chatham, me still in my dress.  I managed to wear my heels for like 8 hours.  Had to lose them before we went out.  We had the best group of people to celebrate with!

Change 2:  Quit Dell and took a job at Comcast

Dell was my first job out of college.  I was there almost 7 years.  I took three, well four rotations while I was there.  Ture Internal Audit, Internal Audit Ops, Corporate Communications and Enterprise Marketing.  Forget all those titles...I was doing essentially the same thing in each job - data analysis, excel modeling and building power point presentations for executives.  One of my old bosses from Dell went to Comcast headquarters in Philly as a Senior Exec in Internal Audit.  Long story short, he hired me to work for him in Internal Audit Ops from the Denver office.  It was an excellent offer!.  Comcast just acquired NBCUniversal (you know - movies, TV, film, networks, theme parks).  It's a fun industry.  Still data analysis, excel and ppt - but a new industry.  I think it will be good.  I'm excited.  Well i'm in my 3rd, no 4th week now - good so far.

Change 3:  Move to Denver

So we got married, stayed for a few days on the Cape as our honeymoon.  The next week we flew to Denver to find a place to live.  That's like a whole blog in itself.  The rental market here is CRAZY.  But we lucked out and leased a house for a year that is 3 blocks from Wash Park (really cool park).  Volleyball, running trails, gardens, ponds, really close to downtown, walking distance to cute resturants, shops and the light rail.  It's pretty perfect.  The only issue was that we couldn't get in until Sept 15.  And I started work on Aug 22. Sooo...we rented another furnished place for a month.  That's where I am now.  On a very un-comfortable couch.  We move next week.  Brendan is in Austin now and will supervise the truck packing and loading.  We are sooooo ready to have all of our stuff.  I can't explain it fully. The furnished apt isn't that bad, but it's not our stuff.  It's not our bed.  We have no grill (seriously cooking issue).  I have no pajamas (forgot them).  Limited number of shoes.  I could go on and on, but ...only a few more days here.  Anyways - Denver is awesome so far.  I'm so excited to be here.  I've been hiking twice already.  The mountains are gorgeous and so close.  Everyone is friendly.  And the weather is amazing!!  Need to make some friends.

Smaller changes and other notes:

- change my name (for the last time, omg)

- got an iPad, i view this as a significant life change, wow Apple

- puppy learned to pee with his leg up

- joined a new gym here in our neighborhood (we can walk there, yay)

- decided that a backpack is sooo much more practicle to carry to work

- need to change the car license plates to Colorado

- got a new drivers license, but its lost in the mail, uggh

- got my new social security card, not my passport yet



Back to Blogging

Well here I am again.  Back at it.  I have missed randomly writing and pretending I have adoring fans that are anxious to read and see my pics.  Really its just my mom.  Thanks mom.  :)   That's ok though.

I'm not sure I even know where to start.  Maybe the wedding.  Or the move to Denver.  Or my new job.  Probably the wedding since that has the best pictures attached to it.  Although since I posted so many on facebook, you probably don't want to see those again.  I could just choose a few to post maybe.  I'll do that.  I mean, it was the best day EVER, I want to write about it again.

And, in other news of the day.  The power is out.  Right in the middle of making my grilled cheese sandwich.  So I had like one brown side and one just regular bread side.  I suffered through don't worry.  There is no sign of why the power went out....sooo...not sure when its coming back on.  Brendan leaves for Austin this afternoon.  More on that later.  I need to ensure there is some sort of packing going on.

Be back later.  Since this is new.  And Brendan wil be away.  I'll probably feel the need to post multiple times per day.  Lets hope there is a Criminal Minds maratho on TV.  Except the power is out.  DARN.

Chat later.