Hit the Ground Running...and Spinning and...

*Whew*

When I signed up for my membership at Gold's Gym, I promised myself I was gonna get my money's worth and get in shape and return to a state of flexability I had only known at 16 years of age. Well, both afore-mentioned goals have yet to come to fruition. BUT! I have been getting my butt in there and boy, does it feel good!

Strike that--it feels like torture at the time, but afterwards I feel like I can conquer the world! It absolutely puts me in a great mood! And I love that! What I also love is the fact that my little man is so brave that he says it's "ok" if I go exercise while he plays in the Kids Klub. It breaks my heart to walk out the door, but I know it's good for both of us--mommy needs the exercise and he gets experience with other kids.

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So, because I do graphics design, I just love finding new, exotic papers and unique design ideas and people who love the same kind of stuff I do! I found a fun blog & website for just that here. It was so fun to look at all the beautiful and original design work! It was very inspiring! I am constantly trying to expand my "look". I know I can get into a certain groove and stay there for a while without moving outward or upward, so finding stuff like this is great.

Also, while browsing around, I found a great little DIY (design it yourself) site for shirts and other fun trinkets here. You can make a baby onesie into a hilarious, sarcastic statement (I'm a sucker for those!) or you can even get shirts for your son's baseball team! Whatever you want! I made sample ones centered around certain phrases that I've said/experienced or have wanted to:

Anyway, I've been having fun. Summer's slowly slipping through my fingers so I'm trying to make the most of it! Hope you have too!

Summer Colors

My work's been a little slower lately, so I've been a little antsy to design something really fun. I was looking for excuses to create something when I remembered the bbq my Heart-2-Heart group has planned for August! It was the perfect excuse!

After a little dinking around on my computer, this is the invitation I had come up with:

Nothing too fancy, just fun and colorful--exactly what I was in the mood for! I added small, pearl-colored brads to the middles of every other flower at the bottom, just to give it some dimension. They made me smile, so I'm hoping they have the same effect on their recipients!

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Yesterday wasn't very busy, so Eric and I are both looking to get out of the house today. But some of the things that we did experience yesterday were:

• The Blue Angels jets soaring over our house (*LOUD*)


• A flattened crocodile sandbox because apparently puppies like to chew on it's feet! (It's inflatable...at least it WAS, anyway.)


• A wonderful dinner with our neighbors


• Picked up my ring from being sized -- thanks, honey!


• A few good sales at the mall


• How 8:30 at night is the perfect time for a walk (especially with a pug that gets overheated from running outside to go potty!)


• That birds sometimes die...because of cats.

All in all, it wasn't an overly productive day, but it was a nice one!

What's In a Name?

1. My Rockstar Name (first pet, current car):
Twitch Toyota

2. My Gangsta Name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite shoe):
Coconut-Almond Heels

3. My Native American Name (favorite color, favorite animal):
Orange Dolphin

4. My Soap Opera Name (middle name, city where you were born):
Theresa Ontario

5. My Star Wars Name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 of your first):
Thoja (sounds like I have a lisp!)

6. My Super Hero Name (second favorite color, favorite drink):
The Pink Margarita! (ha ha ha ha!)

7. My nascar Name (first names of your grandfathers):
Pete Pete (yes, they both have the same name!)

8. My Stripper Name (favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):
Breathless Snickers (that's for sure!)

9. My TV weather anchor name (5th grade teacher, city that begins with same letter):
Tami Tampa

10. My Spy Name (favorite season/holiday, favorite flower):
Summer Rose

11. My cartoon name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing now):
Peach Skirt

12. My Hippie Name (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree):
Granola Sequoia (how appropriate)

Unexpected Delivery

Saturday evening, I got to bed much later than I wanted to. Eric and I had spent all day in Boise at Roaring Springs with my family and we were pooped! So, you can understand my less-than-enthusiastic reaction when Levi told me I had a surprise waiting for me in the backyard.

I didn't even have to go back there to know what it was. The day before, he had briefly told me about a litter of boxer pups being attacked by a coyote and all but one had been killed. For some uncomprehensible reason, he felt compelled to bring it to our home.

Now, don't get me wrong--I love animals and would really love to adopt every stickin' one of them out of the shelter, but Levi does not. He does not seem to understand why you can't have a dog that doesn't poop, shed, chew, bark, dig, or breathe for that matter. I tell him it's for the same reasons I can't find a husband like that either. It puts it in perspective, but only momentarily. My frustration, however, lasts a little longer.

I am willing to train and discipline because I want to be able to enjoy my puppy, so I know my invested time will be worth it. Levi absolutely cannot grasp this concept. In his head, dogs have common sense and do naughty things just to tick him off. I'm not joking; it is exasperating. Even more so, since he insists on bringing more animals to our home!

This is about the 3rd or 4th time he's "surprised" me with a dog. Gracie was one of those surprises as well. The other ones I've flat refused. I wouldn't even hold/pet them because that would just mean I'd have to say good-bye and that's not something I handle well.

I'm not sure why I didn't do that with this new puppy. Probably because it was already 11:30 at night when she was "given" to me. Part of me is happy to have her around--she and Gracie play and play and it's wonderful excercise/learning for them both. But I grimace when I think of all the friction our other pets have caused between Levi and I and it makes enjoying her a little more difficult. *sigh*

Anyway, I've named her Ryleigh. Here's some footage of her and Gracie "in action":

Never Ceases To Amaze Me

I had every intention of writing this last night while the memories were still very fresh, but by the time 11:30 p.m. rolled around, it was very obvious that a coherent blog-post was not to be.

Anyway, yesterday Eric and I ventured out to Bass Lake again, this time with 3 of my friend's kids. We all had a great time splashing, goggling (is that a word?), boating, and going down the slide. Yes, even I sent myself slinging down the slippery surface in what I can only imagine was a blur of knees and elbows. But I loved it.

Well, Eric wanted to go down as well--he had been down it before and he loves that kind of stuff, as long as I catch him at the bottom. So, up the steps he went (the steps, though, are uncharacteristically steep, which was unnerving enough) with me close behind. Once he got to the top, I told him to sit down and wait for me to get to the bottom, like usual. He was almost seated, so I turned around and took a step away. I took one last look up at him, though I wasn't sure why at the moment. And doggone-it, if he hadn't just missed the seat and was falling backwards off the top of the slide. Everything slipped into slow-motion and I could feel my palm press into the back of his life-jacket as he continued downward. Hitting my hand made him roll to the right, so my left arm rolled right along with him and I swirled him into my body, under my neck and against my chest. The world felt like it was instantly in fast forward: kids were still running everywhere, the next kid took the opportunity to go down the slide, a lifeguard half-attempted a warning about Eric falling (that was tons of help), and I felt my heart pounding against Eric's life-jacket. I needed to sit.

We dangled our feet off the side of the dock for just a couple minutes before I realized that a two-year-old doesn't need to just sit there, remembering the terrifying experience, even if I was convinced I was on the edge of having a stroke. So, I happily hopped back into the water and started bouncing him around and splashing. And just like that, he forgot. I didn't ask him if he wanted to go on the slide again; I already knew the answer.

A little while after we returned home, I made dinner and Eric and I sat down to eat. I prayed first and thanked the Lord for allowing us to enjoy such a beautiful day and for keeping us safe. I also thanked Him for the food and for friends, etc. Well, then it was Eric's turn and he tried repeating everything I said, as best he could:
"Dear Lord, thanks for ... safe, and ... play in da water and ... nice day and ... milk and ... dinner and ... table and ..."

I could tell he was running out of steam, so I was preparing to break in with "in Jesus' name..." but before I could I heard...

"... and bye!" Apparently Eric had "hung-up" his spiritual cell phone conversation with God! I laughed so hard! It was the cutest thing. I leaned over and squished him in a hug and silently thanked the Lord for the wonderful blessing he had put in my life, named Eric.

An Idaho Safari

Every year, I try to make it to Boise to take Eric to the Zoo, and this year we made it up there on July 10!

It was pretty warm and several of the animals were hidden away in their shaded hideaways, but we still had a lot of fun!

I mean, how could you not have fun when you've got a safari Jeep like this one to tour the Zoo in?!

The zebra poked his head out to say hello!

We think the snow leopard might have been happier with some...well...snow.

The tigers walked right in front of us! We couldn't believe how big they were!

This picture says it all: it was hot! Everyone was sprawling out, including the enormous tortoise!

Eric had fun exploring in a turtle shell! Though we weren't exactly sure which end was which.

The komodo dragon was quite something! Though, we were far more amused with him than he was with us!

I think this was Eric's most favorite part of the whole Zoo! In the cage above the slide were monkeys. We were the only ones at the slide for a long time, so he just went down over and over again, while I enjoyed the shade!

We saw so many other things and neat animals: penguins, porcupines, meerkats, etc. and took way too many pictures to put here! We sure had a good time, though!

We finished off the day by hitting the outlet stores on our way out of Boise and I took advantage of their summer clearance stuff. I bought all big stuff for Eric to wear next summer.

Good fun and good deals makes for one really good day!