Naughty Dog

I think I said before that I work part-time. Mike needed someone to work for him that was dependable, so he recruited me. I work a couple of days a week. I started a few weeks ago. This is something new for Toby, being home with just the kitties all day (without his mommy).

I have to say that he has been doing fantastic. This is from the dog that constantly had "accidents" in the house, a couple times a day for the first couple weeks. When that got better, it was still a problem when we left him alone, he has abandonment issues. He was abused by his previous owner, and very sick and timid when we first adopted him. He immediately clung to me, and never let me out of his sight.

He has really done a 180. And as far as leaving him alone...as long as we let him go out and do his business before we leave, and are sure to leave the curtains open in the living room, he is good for the day. (We learned the hard way about the curtains having to stay open, you can ask the poor blinds he destroyed while trying to look through them, woops!)

Anyways, leaving him alone is no big deal now. He sits contently in the dining room and watches us leave, so that he can quickly run to the window and watch us drive off.

However, the last couple weeks have been a big problem when I go to work. I don't really work a set schedule. One week I might work Tuesday and Thursday. The next I might work Monday and Friday. So it's not like he is learning what days I work or don't. Toby now seems to know I am going to work when I wake up early with the alarm and shower. He doesn't leave my side from the instant I climb out of bed. That in and of itself isn't that unusual. What is, is that he tries to make me late for work! On any other day he runs out in the yard, piddles, and runs right back to the door to be let in and get a goody. When its a day that I am about to head into work, the little booger won't come back in the house.

Like this morning...I let him out, and after 5 minutes (way too much time for him) I try and call him in, normally he would come running. Nope, no Toby...so I go out in the cold and try and find him. There he is, standing in the back of the yard in the woods. I call him again, he just stands there next to a tree and looks at me. "You can't tell me your not done yet, if I gotta go out there, your in trouble!" I yell. So he 'pops-a-squat'. When he's done, I call him again...he looks at me with refusal. At this point Mike is bugging me about the time, we gotta go. Toby knows this, which is why he is procrastinating. So I pretend to ignore him and go inside (that always works). Nope, he stands next to his tree, trying to see what my next move is. "Get over here now!" he finally comes running at me, full speed! Leaps onto the deck, I think 'yes, I got him!', only to watch that lil' goober turn just as quickly around and leap off the deck. Erggg! I was frustrated and laughing, I knew he was waisting time. He spent the next couple minutes running around me outside as fast as his little legs could pump. Before he finally decided he couldn't prolong the inevitable anymore, and reluctantly came inside with me. It's been like that every morning I go to work for the last couple weeks. Toby, Toby, Toby, *shaking head* what ever will we do with you?

Nothin' Like Good Ol' Medicine

Okay, for the past few days, I have been sick as a dog. Every flu symptom you can think of, besides my stomach. I hate taking cold/flu medicine. But after 3 nights of hardly any sleep, and just getting sicker, I finally caved. Early last night Mike and I made a special trip to the store. I got myself some medicine and tissues (been going through those like mad). All I can say is thank heaven for NyQuil (to be honest, I bought the CVS brand, to be a little more thrifty). But it worked like charm. I took some at 8 and was out like a light and snoring (says Mike) by 9. I say the snoring was caused by my stuffiness! I slept all night, it was wonderful. I felt like one of those goofy people in the commercials..."You will sleep like...*insert something witty*" And I did...hurray for medicine!!




**I almost forgot, it is exactly a year today, that we moved to and arrived in, our new 'home' state!**

Who Woulda Thought

I was getting "my face on" the other morning, when Mike hollered to me. He asked me to run in the bedroom and see what was on the TV. So I go in and see someone on HGTV (fun channel that is often on when we are both home) updating their Victorian home. "Look at the room layout." he tells me. I look, and its the exact layout of our bedroom of our apartment in NH.
Just before we got married, Mike got a bigger apartment, since he would no longer be living alone, and the apartment he had before in Concord was more like a closet. We still gotta laugh when we think of that first place he called 'home' in NH. Anyways, when he got the apartment in Penacook, it was an old Victorian house, that someone had converted into apartments. Still had all the huge old rope windows, original molding and plaster walls. The reason he called me in to see what he was watching, we noticed right away, that the layout these people had in their dining room, was the exact layout we had in our bedroom. So naturally, we came to the conclusion, that we used to sleep in the old dining room. Was kinda weird, and interesting. Sometimes we still miss that place. Didn't have the best insulation or windows, or the best parking situation, or neighbors. But it was the first place that we called home together.

*And talk about poor planning. When I lived in Loudon, I went to school (20 minutes away) in Penacook. Then when I moved to Penacook (1 minute away from my school) I worked in Loudon. Hmm?*

4 Seasons

We've now been here for all 4 seasons. Nice to know what to expect now.

Fall is still my favorite!

Our Own Frosty Crystals

We woke up this morning to a surprise. A glimpse of the north and winters past....Snow!! And it's still falling! (view from the front door)

Toby had fun exploring the outdoors in all the white stuff...

Until he got distracted and tried to get the squirrels to let him into the shed with them. They weren't havin' it, they kept him shut out...
...they just teased him. (aww, poor poor Toby)

So he made his own fun. He ran around the yard, kicking up clumps of snow in his wake. He even got to make some yellow snow!

Huh?

I thought this was just an odd observation. I went to the store with my shopping list, like usual. I meandered over to the pain reliever aisle. It was just that time of the month, and I like most woman I get every symptom you can think of. So I was searching for a woman's 'best friend'...a bottle of Midol. I spy a newer, stronger version and read the back, it had bold lettering warning of stomach bleeding, etc. Ahh, I dropped that right back where I found it. I grab the regular stuff and took a more detailed look then I usually do (after reading the last bottle). They had regular stuff like "Ask your doctor before use if you have: glaucoma or a breathing problem" blah blah. The one that really caught my eye was "Ask you doctor before use if you have difficulty in urination due to enlargement of the prostate gland." What???!! I kinda laughed, through it in my cart and went about my shopping.

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Something else amusing happened the other night. Mike and I were watching The History Channel, they had some show about all the newest non-lethal weapons. Anyways right before every commercial they give you fun little facts. Well, one of them was: In 1994, the military was going through some old paperwork. They came across old plans for what was called the "gay bomb". This bomb was suppose to make those around it want to "make love, not war". I kid you not, this was a fact! Mike and I just looked at each other and started to laugh! Who thought that one up?

Subtle Differences

In just a matter of weeks it will officially be a year since Mike and I moved down to this "new to us" state. When I think about it, what on earth were we thinking in the first place? "Hey, let's move to a state that we have never even been to." "Okay, we'll move in a month." It didn't go exactly like that, but wasn't far off from it. Sometimes being crazy works out, in our case I like to think we did made the right decision, as crazy as it was. There has been alot changes since then. Like our living situation, having a house and all its responsibilities. Mike's Mom moved here with us from Texas, and she is now back in NY state. Oh, and Mike is now my boss?! (Only at work, hehe) I work for Mike part-time now. (Pays off when your sleeping with the boss...kidding, kidding, hehe) Then there are the extra lil pets we picked up along the way. Toby and Lily have been great additions to our family of 3, which is now 5. Then there is just the general change in not only weather, but the way of life down here:

In NH, December means SNOW, get out the shovels and the snow blower!
In North Carolina, December means we gotta start getting around to raking and mow the lawn.

In NH, when I go to a store, not many people talk to me or greet me out of the blue (we are talking perfect strangers here). People seem to keep more to themselves..
In North Carolina, if you say one word out loud, just assume all within hearing distance will jump in on the conversation...even when your pumping gas. Everyone HAS to say Hi, and ask how you are doing...at the minimum. People will go wayyy out of their way to help you, all you have to do is ask. (I am still getting used to that.)

In NH, there are those with that good ol' New England accent, and they don't pronounce their "R's".
In North Carolina, you get that twang on the end of all your words. (I have to admit, I catch myself doing that alot, AHH!)

In NH, you have a higher energy cost in the winter to heat your home.
In North Carolina, you have a higher energy cost in the summer, to cool your home.

In NH, you have Dunkin' Donuts EVERYWHERE!
In North Carolina you have Food Lion EVERYWHERE!

In NH, Mike and I were only an hour away from the mountains and an hour away from the ocean.
In North Carolina, same concept, we are the same distance away from the mountains as we are the ocean. Only here we are hours away from each.

Some things don't change, like bad drivers, those seem to be everywhere. And of course our favorite store, Target, is everywhere too, how convenient :-)

I wonder what will happen in the next year. Hopefully more good then bad. :-) Maybe even a much needed trip up north! Love and miss everyone!