I want our car back!

We have had a rental car for over a week now and it is so annoying! I want our car back! Some idiot wasn't paying attention and rear-ended Todd on his way to work. Well, he was stopped in at a light and the force of the accident pushed him into the car in front of him and that car hit the car at the front of the line. So, it was a mini four car pile-up all because one person was not paying attention. Our car has about $6500 in damage and is not drivable. We were able to get it out to the Honda dealer to be fixed without a tow, but the front-end is smashed in and the rear is a mess, too. We hope to get it back at the end of this week (crossing fingers). It took some time to get all the parts in and to make all the repairs - there are three pages of parts they had to order. Great! Thankfully they are only using new Honda parts and not after-market parts to fix the car. From previous experience, I am not a fan of after-market parts. But, the accident cased a lot of hassle and readjustment in our lives. Among other things, we had to haul the dogs to Iowa in my car, which left little room to pack anything. Good thing we also had to haul a bunch of stuff for my grandma's 90th birthday party, too. It all worked out in the end, but the guy didn't even have his license or proof of insurance with him at the scene of the accident. I understand accidents happen and are caused for many reasons, but this guy clearly was going a little too fast and not paying attention. Now, we have to deal with the aftermath of his mistake. But, complaining aside, I have to say that no one was injured, so that is good news.

Yummy...

I have been tired of eating cereal for breakfast everyday. So, Todd made us some chocolate chip pancakes today. They were yummy! Sometimes I wish we had more time for a hot breakfast (although I am sure the waistline would grow a little)!

The Writer's Block

I am announcing The Writer's Block, a new blog started by my friend Mandy. It is a blog by anyone, for everyone, and about anything. Whether it's on politics, entertainment, pop culture, or the economy, The Writer's Block is a forum for free expression. It just went live today, so check it out!! Feel free to read the posts and/or comment back to the many contributors.

A little "slice" of heaven

This blog is dedicated to my friend April. Todd and I enjoyed a little slice of heaven on Monday night in honor of you! Yep. We had some Papa Dell's pizza. Oh, it is so good. I ate so much I couldn't move, but it is amazing and totally worth the calories! Papa Dell's sells half-baked frozen pizza's and we got it via Champaign two weeks ago. All we had to do was bake it for 1 hour to enjoy the best deep dish pizza ever! Not only is this this best pizza on earth, it is a reminder of the good old days! I miss C-U! Good friends, good times, and obviously good food. I'd take back the days in the palace anytime.

(April, you totally deserve some Papa Dell's! Next time you are in Illinois and are close to C-U, it is on us!!)

Shots, shots, and more shots

No, this is not a reference to alcohol! Rather, the crazy amount of shots Murphy got this past week for his last puppy checkup! It was unreal! He is officially 4-months old so we were able to get his rabies shot and his final DHLPP shot. This is good because he can now go to doggie daycare and I will feel safer about him romping around outside and hunting with Todd. He also got a lyme shot. We do flea and tick treatments year-round, but that does not prevent lyme disease, so we got this optional shot just in case.

Here is Murphy at 4-months old. He hardly looks like a puppy anymore he is so big! It is hard to tell from this picture, but his paws are HUGE! He is tall and lanky and weighs 35 lbs already!! He goes through food like crazy and I am worried we will have to take out stock in Purina to continue feeding him.

The (Nearly) Naked Mile

On Monday night, I ran The (Nearly) Naked Mile with Mandy. The race was part of IU's Homecoming week and this was the first year for the race. The nearly naked reference is that it is an opportunity to donate new or gently used clothing to local charities instead of paying an entry fee. Let's just say the race was not at all what I expected, but it was hilarious!

The check-in and start were total chaos. I almost left it was so chaotic. Thankfully, Mandy was in a different check-in line and got me checked in when she got to the front of the line. I was still way at the back. There were no instructions on where to go or what to do. All of the suddent the crowd started moving, so we followed. The next thing we knew, people all around us took off running. There was no official start and no one knew the route. We just took off! I thought I was going to die at several points during the race! It was so dark (the race started at 10pm) and there were so many people running around like crazy, jumping in front of me. At one point, I tripped over a curb, only because some idiot jumped in front of me as I was stepping up. But, we finished and got some good pictures in the process. I'll only post a few as some are a little R-rated for this blog. Some of the people took the (nearly) naked part literally. The best was a guy who ran in only a G-string. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or puke in some cases.

Mandy and I pre-race (clearly not nearly naked)

Random people before the race (the PG ones anyway)

My Bachelorette Weekend

Long time, no post! It seems like some weeks I am great and posting and some weeks I am just behind. This is my busy time of year at work, so that doesn't help at all! The past weekend was a fun one! Todd decided to go hunting in Iowa with Lucy. So, I was left to take care of Murphy and make my own weekend plans. Everything was up in the air until the last minute, but it all came together in the end!

Friday night, I went with Lana and some others to IU Midnight Madness. It was definitely interesting. I had to constantly use the program they handed out to look up the players. There is only one returning player from last year, so most of the players are unknown to the fans. There are a couple of players that are really good, especially one freshman guy that I think will turn out to be really good in the next few years. Of course, the Illini are still my #1 team, but IU does pay the bills, so to speak, so I am a fan unless they are playing Illinois. Plus, I really like Coach Crean. I think he is going to do a lot for IU basketball. I hated Sampson and had bad vibes about him from day one (although I would never say I told you so)!

Saturday morning, I decided to run the Jill Behrman 5k, a local race that benefits Jill's House. I ran with my friend Mandy and we rocked the race! I finished in 25:17 and Mandy in 25:27. I think that is my fastest 5k ever! I was shocked to have finished in that time. I'd like to think I could improve up on that time, but who knows. I am running less and less these days, plus the weather was ideal that morning, which always helps.

I was working on some plans for Saturday afternoon, when my brother called to say they had an extra ticket for the Illini football game in Champaign. So, Murphy and I loaded up the car and headed to C-U. We tailgated and I say my old college roommate Jamie for a few minutes. The game was awesome. We creamed IU. It was my first time back in the stadium since all the renovations were completed. The place is amazing - it is huge and so much nicer than when I was a student. My ticket was with my parents, brother, and his friends. Murphy was a trooper, although after three hours of being on a leash he was getting a little grumpy. He stayed in the car during the game.

On Sunday, we headed home from Illinois, but stopped to see Jamie again and Murphy played with Daisy, her golden retriever. They had a blast. Murphy will wrestle with anyone who is willing and Daisy was happy to oblige.

Unfortunately, I have zero pictures from the weekend! I am so bummed! Todd took my camera when he left to go hunting Friday afternoon. But, I do have a picture of he and Lucy after getting some ducks. They had a good weekend and got lots of ducks (this is always a tough situation for me - I want them to be successful and have a good hunt, but I am not really into eating duck). Lucy ended up with limber tail again, but is back to normal today.