February Update #3 - On Turning 30

There are just some things in life that you just don't want to do. Turning 30 was one of those things in my life. While I don't feel any older, it just seems like 30 is old. Well, compared to 25, it is old (at least in my book) and I don't want to get old! It's like when you are young, you can't wait to be older - 13 to be an official teenager; 16 - to be able to drive; 21 - drinking (if you are into that); etc. But 30...there is no fun associated with this birthday. It just means another decade of life has past. Kind of freaky.

Overall it was a good day. I had lunch with a friend, another friend sent some balloons to me, and Todd took me out for dinner, got a cake for me, and brought home flowers. It was a massive cake that took us a week to eat even after pawning half of it off to his graduate students. I did have to work a little late and also wasted an hour at the BMV trying to straighten out the license plates for my car. But, I received several cards and lots of emails. I was secretly hoping for a party of sorts, but that never really happened.

The cake, flowers, and balloons. My friend April tried to arrange a signing telegram, but it turned out to be a singing phonegram. I got a message on my voicemail from some random person who started singing to me. It was rather humorous!

Candy Corn!!

I found it!! I have been seaching for weeks, high and low, making special stops at different stores, and I have finally found my Easter pastel candy corn!! Who-hoo!! The big question now is whether it is a fresh bag or leftover from last year. I bought the bag tonight when I ran to the store up the street. I never go to Buehler's Buy Low, but I was out of something I needed to make brownies, so I thought I would run in and grab it. The Buy Low is questionable. It's one of those stores where you have to check the expiration date before buying any dairy products and where I would never buy meat. But, if you are out of a dry good item, it is a quick stop.

So, I bought the candy. I haven't opened it yet, so only time will tell. If no one else is carrying the candy for the Easter season, it really makes me wonder. I can only hope it will be as good as I am imagining...

Muddy Murphy

Oops! Murphy and Lucy got rained on one evening when we left them outside and went into town. Lucy wasn't too muddy when we got home. She usually hangs out in her dog house (about the only time she uses it) or gets under the deck to stay dry. However, I think Murphy found the muddiest spot in the middle of the yard and decided to dig in the middle of the pouring rain. He was just covered in mud and it took several towels to clean him up! :)

Spring = Hot Air Balloons in the Street

I couldn't figure out why Murphy kept barking and barking until I heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of a hot air balloon fuel tank. We often have hot air balloons come over our neighborhood as there is a field near our house where they can take-off or land. I glanced out the window to check them out and realized they were landing in our street! It was crazy! I yelled for Todd and we grabbed the camera to run out and see the balloon land. I guess there wasn't enough wind to keep them going to get to the field, so they maneuvered to land in the middle of our street. It was pretty awesome and the whole neighborhood was out watching.

The funny thing is that our next door neighbor works for the FAA and sort of busted them. They shouldn't have landed in the street and they didn't do anything to keep people back the proper distance. So, while we were all taking pictures thinking it was cool, she was taking pictures for evidence and flashing her FAA badge. One of the balloon operators was working the crowd handing out business cards which she was busting the second operator. Too funny!

An age-related complement

Todd and I went to Scotty's, a local sports bar and restaurant, last night to eat and watch some basketball games. The wait was several minutes, but the bar was fairly open so we decided to sit there. The bartender came over to take our drink order and leave us menus. After a few minutes he came back and looked at me funny. He proceeded to ask if I was over 21. I just started laughing at him. I don't know why he asked - maybe the water I ordered made him nervous. After I gained my composure, I thanked him for the complement and told him I actually had just turned 30 this year. He looked a little shocked and said he wouldn't put me over 23, but that I could definitely be younger. Wow! I felt totally awesome. I thanked him for the complement and I offered to show him my ID, but he said not to worry about it and wished me a Happy Birthday. Maybe 20 is the new 30. I can only hope!

February Update #2 - The House

We haven't done too much work on he house this winter, we did re-finance. That was a project in itself to keep on top of all involved in the process! But, we were able to lock in a great rate and re-finance the house for a 15-year mortgage. Thanks to the drop in the rates, we will save a ton in interest over the years and pay more towards the principal each month. Now, we just need to figure out what to do with the deck, which is falling apart around us thanks to shoddy work and two dogs!

February Update #1 - The Dogs!

I don't know where February went! It is March and there are lots of things that didn't get done in February, including keeping up on the blog. The dogs definitely need an updated blog photo.

Murphy is huge! He is nearly 9 months old and still eats 7-8 cups of food per day. It is hard to tell in this picture, but he is getting taller and his legs are very thick. He loves to go running with me and can easily do up to 4-miles. He is my new late night running companion since I haven't been getting home from work until 7pm or so. He completes basic training this week and Todd has been informed by other members of the class that Murphy is the star student. He must have selective hearing because he doesn't listen to me as well as Todd. Murphy is also starting to work on hunting skills for an upcoming hunt test.

Lucy has had a rough start to the year. We noticed her limping a lot in early January. Our local vet put her in cast for about a week, but it didn't help at all. So, we took her back up to the canine orthopedic specialist in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, the x-rays showed a broken bone in her foot. So, after multiple office visits, x-rays, and a surgery, she is recovering. The bone shattered into four pieces, so the surgery involved cutting through a tendon on the top of her foot to clean out the bone fragments. The bone will not heal, but to prevent arthritis and other issues down the line, the surgery was the best option. She would hardly put any weight on her foot and was hopping around on three legs prior to the surgery. Two weeks post-surgery she is out of her bandages and putting some weight on her foot, although still hopping occasionally. Her leg has atrophied, so we expect it will take some time for her to regain strength and walk or run normally. The other downside to this is that she has gained some weight due to lack of activity. She gets upset when Murphy gets to play, but she doesn't due to activity restrictions. So, we have had some jealously issues.

It is funny how the dogs are best friends. The wrestle and fight each other one minute and then lay in the dog bed together the next minute. Murphy was a wreck when Lucy was at the vet for the surgery for two days. He wandered around the house looking for her and whining.