Friends, Hunger Games, Dinner

     We started a new tradition at work. The girls as in Jean, Jenna & Tina & I are planning on going out to dinner once a month. We each contributed names of restaurants we would like to try. The first name we drew out of our list of names is Yamatos Japanese Restaurant. here in Gainesville. We planned for April 20th to be our first girls night out. We decided we would also see The Hunger Games! I first read the triliogy back in December. Then I convinced the girls they would really like it. So one by one they've read it. (Well Jean is almost finished with the third book).

Then the bad news came: Jean forgot she had a dentist appt. to have oral surgery! Oppsie. I thought Tina was going to have a melt down because she has talked about The Hunger Games book & movie every day since we planned this outing. So being the nice friend I am (haha) I suggested her and I would go see it and then we'd watch it again with the Jean & Jenna. Tina was up for that..she was smiling again! :)

Lauren another friend here at the hospital is going to join us & she may be bringing a friend too. I think we may eat at TGI Fridays for dinner then catch a 6:50 movie. I have heard good reviews of the movie. We are so excited to finally get to see it. The books were intense. I'm trying to imagine how they are going to bring this to life!

I'm hoping everyone has a blessed Friday & a wonderful weekend. :)

What Happens When You Have a L.o.V.e. for Cocker Spaniels & Pinterest?

     What happens when you L.o.V.e. Cocker Spaniels & your addicted to Pinterest? You can find an awesome friend, just like I did!. It all started when I started "following" other people on Pinterest by the name of "Amy". No I'm not a stalker .....I  thought it would be neat to see if any of the Amy's and I had the same interests. Well I confirmed it!! I found Amy N. when I noticed her boards had the same items I liked.

I have a board on Pinterest labeled "Cute Doggies"  . I would find pics of cute doggies and pin them to my Cute Doggies board. While on Amy's site I noticed a couple of adorable cocker spaniels. I thought Amy had just "pinned" them to her board, thinking she found them on someone eles site. Little did I know that these beautiful Cocker Spaniels belonged to her!!!! I left a comment about how cute they were. In the next few days I pinned a few pictures of Newman & Ollie (our Cocker Spaniels) and she commented on them about how what handsome fellas they were!

These few comments started it all. Soon we exchanged email addresses and the emails have been flowing in like you wouldn't believe! I feel very blessed to have met Amy!!! We are both amazed at how many similarities we have. Both of our names are Amy, she has two sons as I do too, she has two Cocker Spaniels and so do I,& we also like so many of the same things too. It's has been a total pleasure getting to know Amy!!! She has a hubby named Eskil, two boys: Ryan & Ethan, Zoey & Sofie their Cocker Spaniels. They live in the state of Washington on an inlet on the Puget Sound Bay! Oh how I've enjoyed seeing photos of the water and of her furry babies!!! My Newman & Ollie would be best friends with Zoey & Sofie if we only lived closer. :)

I even received a care package from Amy!! This happens to be the first care package I've ever received so I totally loved the idea of receiving one. :) It took a week for my package to arrive.
Amy sent me such sweet gifts. My care package included make up, hair color, doggie treats, a magnet in the shape of a bone that says "wag more bark less", finger nail polish,
I totally loved everything!! Amy said, "I looked on your blog to check out the color of hair you had so I'd knew what color of hair coloring to send you!" There was even a hand writtin letter from Amy and she used a card with the intital "A"....just so appropriate! :)

Here's a few pics of Amy, Sofie & Zoey:

I think this is such a sweet photo of Sofie. I totally love her bumper pad that

has been placed in her crate! You can tell she has a sweet Mommy. :)

Here's a pic of Amy. The first time I saw this pic, I thought to myself, "this looks like a very sweet &

kind lady" & I was totally correct!!

Here's Miss Zoey. She looks adorable!!

Sofie sunning & sleeping. I could just kiss her beautiful little face.

Sofie all dressed up!

Zoey relaxing by the water. Oh how I'd love to be sitting by her!

Sofie & Zoey all ready for trick or treating! They are just the cutest little girls ever!

The girls relaxing on the porch. Don't they have the life?

Aren't these just the cutest pics of Sofie & Zoey? They are very photogenic!

I can't wait to get to know Amy even better than I do now. :) I really look forward to her emails & pics! We have talked on the phone once so far. Sure many more chats are on the way. :)

Thank you Pinterest & our love of Cocker Spaniels who brought us together!

Happy Happy Friday!!!

     Happy Friday y'all!!! I'm very thankful for Fridays. It means tomorrow = sleeping in. :)

     I am very thankful to have a job with benefits and more especially thankful for the ladies I share my days with. They are like family to me. At times it can be very stressful but that would be true anywhere you work for the most part. I really love helping our patients. I work at the Outpatient Lab at our local hospital. Most of the patients we see are sick of some sort. Our smiling and willing to serve them may be the nicest thing they see today!! A smile doesn't cost anything.

     We (as in my coworkers) also enjoy telling about our afternoon from the day before. It sure makes the day go by faster. We learn about one another by telling stories, sharing photos, &  laughing until we cry. So that I'm very very very thankful for them!! I know a lot of people are not that fortuante. Especially when a bunch of women work together! Yes some women can be very caddy. Luckily we are not! 

   

Here's Jean. She has been my mentor. She trained me for the position I have. We have been really close friends. She's a gem, that's for sure!

Here we are at Halloween!

From left to right: Me, Jenna (she lives in the same town I do but we can't car pool because we have different hours) & Tina. We have a great time together!

Tina....

I hope y'all have a wonderfu Friday afternoon & a wonderful weekend!! ....

My sister in law - Amy & her hubby Dennis & their two fur babies- Annabelle & Remy are coming up for the weekend to celebrate her Birthday! It was Feb. 8th. We are all going out to eat Saturday night so that will be wonderful evening spent with family & friends. :)

Bath Time

     Our sweet babies are not thrilled when it's bath time.I learned my lesson by not saying, "come on boys, it's bath time" because they will run...away from me! I normally just walk up to Newman & pick him up and carry him to the tub. He doesn't like it and he will normally start shaking a little but he stands there so patiently. I talk so sweet to him, telling him "it's okay, Mommy just needs to wash you so you will be nice and clean." Do y'all do that too, talk to your furry children while bathing them?

     When Newman is finished with his bath then it's time to find Ollie. Ollie will be hiding in our bedroom or on the couch and he will be shaking too. I promise I've never mistreated them for the to not like their baths! I talk to sweet Ollie too...he just stands there and lets me bathe him.

     They both love it though after the fact. They love it when I finish drying them with a towel & say, "you can go." They tear off running through the house, rolling on the carpet & rubbing up against the couch. They are funny to watch.

      They both bring so much joy to our house and especially to me. I say that, but honestly they bring joy to each of us in there different ways. I love it when I sit at the couch recliner, Newman will jump up beside me and want to sit in my lap.

     Ollie is more like a lap doggie. He would sit with someone all the time if we would let him. He LOVES to lick but we've almost stopped that just by telling him no and turning our head. Every once in a while he gets a lick in. :)

     Here's a few pics of our boys after there bath:

We L.O.V.E. our furry children. I just hate to think of the day when they aren't with us. It makes me so sad to think of it. It crosses my mind at least once a week. :( I know, I know just enjoy our time with them!! I have thought this before: I know it will be so very hard to handle when we don't have them in our lives. My fear is when one of them passes away the other is going to be so lonely. They are like brothers...Newman is the youngest but the largest & he acts like Ollie is his brother. He will clean..I mean lick Ollie's eyes and Ollie lets him. It's just so sweet to see Newman taking care of Ollie, even though Ollie is the oldest!! I better quit typing before I start crying....

{Little Bit of This & Little Bit of That}

     Happy Friday!! Here in Gator Country aka Gainesville, Florida it's the University of Florida Homecoming!! "Go Gators!" Unfortunately I have to work so I will not be at the Gator Homecoming Parade. But I am very thankful I have a job that I really like. I have the best coworkers & now I call them close friends a girl could ask for! I know without a doubt God had in huge hand in me ending up working at Shands Hospital.

 But in all things I am thankful even though sometimes I take stuff for granted!! I hear from patients all day long that have had or have cancer, strokes, heart, liver, kidney transplants; somtimes they are discouraged, grumpy, & sometimes thankful. I heard someone recently say, " I am so thankful I had a heart transplant I now can live." It makes me think, "we should all live like we've just had a transplant that has saved our life!" Just think what positive attitudes this would accomplish if we would think that even every once in a while.

     I have found so many quotes on Pinterest that I love. One of my very favorites is this:

This sums it up doesn't it!?

     Right now on this day, Nov. 4th 2011, I am most thankful for my family, friends, my health (because I know it could be 100x worse!), my job, change of season, blue skies & gray skies, for Jesus dying on the cross for each & every one of us, our home (even though we are renting & it's not my dream house by know means. Sometimes I think God is testing me or wanting me to learn  gratitude:the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.) I am learning each day not to focus on the things I don't like about our house, instead I look at it as our home for now & one day we will found our house. 
     I believe we all have our struggles in some way or another. What are you thankful for? What are your struggles?

Michelle & Seth / Maternity Photos

     I had the pleasure of photographing Michelle's maternity pics on Oct. 23, 2011! I was so excited (actually for days before hand!) to be able to capture this very special moment in time for Michelle & Seth. This pregnancy has been long awaited for them. It didn't just "happen" for them. They have been on a long journey & now the journey is really going to unfold!
     They are going to have a little girl....a little Amelia! I bought a cardboard letter "A" at our local scrapbook store & modge podged scrapbook paper onto it. Of course I used a pretty pink & brown combination. Then adhered some flowers & ribbon to it. This was one of the props we used. I also found a tutorial for making a framed chalk board on Pinterest. (Yes, I'm putting this site to work for me!) So I wrote "Amelia" on the chalk board. Seth had the best idea ever: he brought a Bible Story book & propped up beside Michelle & acted like he was reading a story to Amelia!!! Genius, Seth. :)
     Here's a few photos from my very 1st every Maternity Shoot:

     Thank you Michelle & Seth for letting me capture this special time in your life! It was a very fun afternoon. At least Amelia's name is spelled correct in these photos that I posted. ;)
   I'll be posting a few more as I edit them. :)