Happy Halloween!

They don't have doggie trick or treating here, but that won't stop Paulie the Pumpkin!





I'm pretty sure he hates me, but I give him treats when he wears clothes! =)

Christmas pictures!

Yes, Paulie and I took Christmas pictures on our own, but don't fret--Todd will be in our cards too! You'll just have to wait until December to get them. My friend, neighbor, and "battle buddy" Lisa McGrath took them for me. She is very talented, so I want to show off just a few of her pictures. You can also view her work here.

None of these will be on the card, but I still love them!

He never looks at the camera. Ever.



Great shot of Pike National Forest, where we took the pictures. Doesn't it look almost fake?

Paulie in the wild. Don't mind the sweater.

This is the only time he was on leash. The rest of the time he was off leash and perfectly behaved. I'm such a proud mama.

Effing snow.

So it did snow last night, and it's sticking to the grass. It's 35 degrees out right now. Paulie doesn't know what to do:

He won't go onto the grass unless I put him there. And even then, he glares at me. Poor little guy.

I took the picture of Paulie, and the next ones with my new phone. Here are some pics of the snow:

The backyard. The wind knocked my chairs and table over.

The front.

My little flowers that could. I wonder how long they'll survive.

Quick updates

Since a number of people have told me to update my blog, here is the month of October:

1. I like my hair now. It's faded to a nice, super dark, rich brown. I also like having bangs.

2. Erin's wedding was absolutely beautiful. I said Shit! really loud in church, but I was a great train fluffer. I will post pics when her photog posts some. Downside: It really hit me that Todd was gone, and I had a little tearful moment at the reception. Thank god my parents were there. I was still an excellent MOH though. =)

3. Paulie graduated Basic Obedience! I'm pretty sure he was on the SpEd track though. He only knows sit, down, and come here. We're working on all the other stuff, and should have a vibrating collar soon. He is almost completely potty trained.

4. I had fun visitors, and I'm so glad they came. However, I left my phone in a bathroom at a bar. I got a fun new phone, and I love it.

5. I have an unofficially official internship where I currently work. I got the OK from the CEO and the head of HR. Paperwork will be signed soon. I start in January and will have my MSed in May. Yessssss.

6. It is cold here. The overnight temp is supposed to be around 27. It may snow. I hate winter. But oh wait, it's supposed to be in the 60's this weekend--maybe CoSpgs isn't that different from Chicago. It's sort of comforting.

7. Todd is doing well. Today is the first day I haven't talked to him in over a week. It takes about 2-2.5 weeks for mail to get there, for those of you sending things. It's hot there, which will stay consistent for the next year. He will have 2 weeks of leave to come home sometime in early spring. Yay!

8. I became part of the CA(sualty) RE(sponse) team for Todd's unit. If someone's husband (son, brother, sister, wife, etc) is killed or wounded, I can be activated to help with whatever they need in the days following the notification. It was strange and sad, but sort of comforting, to have death talked about so matter of factly in the training. Again, it made the deployment more real for me, but I feel some sort of internal obligation to help. I'd want people to help me if something happens to Todd, and it helps me feel more connected.

9. I'm on week 7 of my running program (of 9). My longest running time so far is 25 minutes, and I'm damn proud of it. I could barely run for 60 seconds when I started. My Weight Watchers is not going as well. Even though I've lost some weight, I know it could be more. Every meeting I have is a potluck meeting! And there are potlucks at work too. And people bring donuts. And I am weak-willed. However, I am back in single digit pants sizes for the most part, which is awesome. Let me repeat, a.w.e.s.o.m.e.

I think that's it. I know I'm not consistent with blogging, but I try. New pictures of Paulie will be coming soon. He will be a pumpkin for Halloween, and we are taking Christmas pictures next week. Don't judge me.