Relaxation!

What a week! Very interesting to say the least! I got bit a few times and TONS of scratches!! I look like I have gone through a very nasty cat fight LOL!!! Overall it was very nice though. I love my job especially when I have a full day because it makes it go by so much faster than no dogs at all!

Housework today though! Going all week with not doing laundry and only cleaning the basics puts you behind the 8 ball and that is my predicament today! Juli is so amazing at keeping up with the dishes and kitchen so that is one less thing I have to clean today!

IT IS OFFICIAL!!! I got my vacation time approved so MAINE HERE WE COME!!!! We will see everyone October 1-6!!!!!!

Blessings For Friends!

We are lucky to have great friends. We truly are blessed in that department. Yesterday we learned that one of our friends, who had applied to Extreme Home Makeover, had been accepted!!!

Tripp Family



This past week has been a HUGE adjustment. Being a SAHW for a long time, going into the work field has taught me that balance is even more important. It just so happened that my second work week will coincide with Day 1 of the 30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge. I love doing this and do it over and over again! (Please note it is not KJV but you can insert the proper verses at the beginning)

Day One:
"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." Prov. 31:11-12
To refresh your memory...here's the 30-Day Encouragement Challenge...for the next 30
days:
* You can't say anything negative about your husband ...to your husband...or to anyone
else, about your husband.
* Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your
husband...and to someone else, about your husband!
To help you get started, have you ever thanked your husband for "choosing you" above
all other women? He found you attractive as a person, and appreciated you. Though
many circumstances in your marriage may have changed, let your husband know that
you are glad God led you together, and that you want to be a blessing to him for the rest
of your marriage. Let him know that he can trust you to be in his corner.
One of the best opportunities to express your gratitude is first thing in the morning. How
do you greet your husband each morning? Is he confident in your love? Give him a
"wake up call" that he'll never forget-a big "I love you" and an "I'm so glad I'm your wife!"


When I first did this (Marisa I will be forever thankful for you posting that link), I thought that I didn't need this. I don't say anything bad about my husband and I love him so much already. I learned that you can ALWAYS appreciate your husband MORE!!! Plus, later on in the challenge, there are things that you necessarily wouldn't do on a normal basis. It makes you constantly aware of how you treat your husband and others. I hope that this will be as much of a blessing to you (and your husbands) as it was to me! Have fun!!!!

Mandy

Dogs Gone Wild

I got my first bite today. From a little lab dog. I didn't even touch his paws and he went off. Then Sara (the other bather) tried and then he bit her. Needless to say we sent him home with LONG nails....stupid dog!

My kitties are starting to come around me again. It saddens me how they have avoided me this week since they are always under my feet!!!!

Feeling Penguiny!!!

I am feeling very lovey right now and found some really cute penguin photos!! Have I mentioned I love my husband, who made dinner AND has been doing all the dishes for me since I started working!!!!!

Who Knew?

Who knew that actually working would speed up my metabolism LOL!!! I lost four pounds this week! I think the fact that I eat so early in the morning, it makes my system wake up and work harder. Plus I am lifting, moving around, chasing after dogs, all that good stuff!!!

I got to clip nails on my own today. Holy Cow, there was one dog who HATES getting her nails cut and yelps terribly. Well she was doing great for three paws and hadn't made a sound, last paw......different story. She yelped so sharply that I literally went deaf for a few seconds. I also got my first tip today!!!!!! Two bucks is two bucks!!!

Day Three

I officially love my job!!! I got to wash my own dogs today and I have to say it is much better than yesterday! I washed a Siberian Husky (never ever gonna get one of those), a Golden Retriever mix, and a Standard Scottish Terrier. I blow dried two of them and MAN do they have a lot of hair!!!! Everyone today made me feel so much better by telling me that I was picking things up super fast and not to worry about answering the phones for a week or two!!!

Thank you for all the prayers!! Hopefully my body will keep up with me this week since I am working 40 hours!!!

I think I drowned today

Day two was much more exciting....and tiring!!! I got to actually wash dogs today. Blow drying takes forever though. We washed a HUGE dog today and it took two of us an hour to get him dry and brushed!

Overall, today I felt very overwhelmed. Tomorrow will be much better LOL!!! I don't like the feeling of knowing I am making these dogs miserable however. Some of them shake so hard when they are in the kennels..I just want to hug them and take them away but their owners love them enough to get them taken care of!!!

Stay tuned for the rest of the week. I think I am going to bed now and it is only 6 pm ahahahaha I am gonna be sore tomorrow!!!

Zzzzzzzz!

My first day of work. How to describe it? Well....I guess boring fits the need. Today I filled out paperwork, read lots of handouts, and watched a billion training videos! Out of the 4+ hours of video, only 30 mins applied to my department LOL!!! Tomorrow will be much more exciting though. I have to take three tests, one is my Pet Safety Certification test and that's a big one! I also get the grand tour of the store, including the Pet Hotel and all the quarintine rooms and adoption rooms!!!!

Wow, I really underestimated how tired I would be today. I am not used to getting up so early and have to train my body again LOL!!! I think I am going to bed in like an hour LOL!!!!!!

Thank you all for the prayers and support! I am excited to start working with the animals and know that this mundane process is necessary and will make me more efficient, but boy is it BORING!! Hahahaha, here's to tomorrow!!!

My 5 things

My kitties in a box!!!!!

Anyways....I read an interesting blog yesteday. Jennie's 5 things, so I thought I would post MY 5 things that not many people know about me.

1. I despise monkeys.
2. On my 16th birthday, I made a wish on my cake that my 16th year would be different from my 15 year. Well it most certainly was. I had 3 surgeries before my next birthday. My first surgery ever was an appendectomy where I had an allergic reaction to two different medicines and almost died. The second one was reconstructive surgery on my knee (which I broke in to three pieces) and my third was to take out all the hardware put in during the first knee surgery!! Be careful what you wish for people!!!!
3. I have one brown eye and one hazel eye.
4. I think owls are cute.
5. I want to have my own interior design company by the time I am 30.

No tennis today :( Julio is working today but PTL for overtime.

To answer questions.....Liz, we are just doing a low calorie, low fat diet and working out three to four times a week. Jennie, I buy mine at Target. They are relatively inexpensive and have some wonderful scents like Lavender and Grapefruit (not together yuck!) I had not heard of sitemeter but thought it looked interesting!

I am not crazy I swear!!!

I love cleaning my bathroom. Now before you haul me off and have me committed, let me explain....seriously, put down the straight jackets!! I enjoy cleaning my bathroom because of the amazing cleaning supplies I use. I try to be as "green" (I HATE that word because it is always associated with tree hugging, whale saving liberals but until more Christians get involved what can I expect? LOL) as possible. Because they are better for the environment and your health, I use Method Cleaning Supplies. They work GREAT!!! The bathroom products smell AMAZING!!! They are Eucalyptus Mint and make cleaning so much more enjoyable. Nothing is better than a minty fresh smelling bathroom!!!!!!

Now on to my new favorite product.......

With Parker being as fluffy as he is, cat hair is a staple in my wardrobe. It is EVERYWHERE!!!!! I have tried vacuuming it off the couch, tried those sticky rollers, even tried a wet cloth and going over it by hand. They worked, but took forever and were dirty again in seconds. My mother in law used this wonderful sweeper when my niece, who is severely allergic to cats, came over to her house and said it worked great. I HAD to check it out. Sure enough, it works wonders. It probably takes 10 minutes to do the whole couch and it stays that way for at least two days!!!! A HUGE accomplishment with two cats!!!! So thought I would pass it along for anyone suffering from pet hair! It is $5 at Target and it is completely disposable when it is full. You can't beat that!!!!!

Diet update: Overall have lost 5 lbs but more importantly I have lost 1 whole inch from my waist and hips!!!! Julio has lost 15 lbs total.....mixed feelings LOL!!!!!!!

A special thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this blog. I truly enjoy sharing my day with you all and love hearing from you guys!!! Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Guess What Today Is????

Today is the first day of football!!!!!!!!! Growing up in Patriot country, I have a deep love for my team. Yes, I am a girl, yes I taught my husband more about football than he did me, yes my daddy is proud!!!!! The Patriots played the Eagles today however, living in Raven country, I am going to have to wait another half hour before I can watch it. What a blessing NFL Network is to me LOL!!!! SOOOOOOOO HAPPPPPYYYYY THAT TOM BRADY IS BACK!!!!!

NO STEELERS, COLTS, OR ANY OTHER HATER TEAM COMMENTS LOL!!!!!!!!! Love you all but don't mess with my Pats!!!!!!

Love getting my hair done

I love getting my hair done (what woman doesn't?)!! My hairstylist recently moved to a new shop, a better shop! It is such a more pleasant experience, more personal! It was very relaxing! I got some clothes for work and some crocs (which I HATE but I got cute ones) and a new lunch box!! I feel like my first day of school again!!!

Splish Splash!

God is so wonderful! He scoops us up just when we think we can't go any lower. He waits till we are at the edge of our faith, then makes everything all worth the while. Yesterday I had my interview at PetSmart. It could not have gone better! I showed up almost a half hour early (not intentionally but I am a compulsive early bird when it comes to appts.) and it was perfect timing. They told me on Friday that they might have trouble working around my transportation problems; Sunday that wasn't even an issue. I expected to have to wait a couple of weeks until I could start; I start next Monday. I went into this job expecting nothing more than minimum wage; I am starting out at a higher pay rate than my previous job!!! God's hand was all over this.

So as of Monday, August 17th, I will be an official PetSmart Dog Bather. And in 6 months, if I wanted to, I could go on to the grooming school program and start making even more.

A big blessing as well is I got all the brochures for online Interior Design schools. I think I have narrowed it down to two. Both would give me a B.S. degree which really appeals to me. I cannot wait to start all of these new adventures!!!


NOTE: Jennie: I am so glad you felt loved! You truly are a special lady and I am glad that I could brighten your day, even in the smallest of ways!!!!

Cole: I watched Muppet Christmas Carol yesterday and missed you so much!!!

Finally!!!

I have a job interview at Petsmart to enter their dog grooming program. The first interview is on Sunday at 2pm so please keep me in your prayers. I really want this job. Julio would even be able to drop me off and pick me up so I wouldn't have to take the bus!!! God rewards those who wait that is for sure!!!!

Experiment

So I found this article and wondered if it was true. I tried it out on both my male kitties and sure enough..both lefties. Fascinating!

Is Your Cat Left-Handed?

by Kirsten Taylor (RSS feed) Aug 5th 2009 9:00AM

Categories: Cats

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Is your cat a righty or a lefty? The question's not as kooky as it sounds. A new study reveals that domestic cats are right- or left-handed, just like us.

Psychologists at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland gave cats small jars with bits of tuna tucked inside. They found that female cats tend to be righties, while the boy cats fell to the left. The gender divide was clear: Among 21 lady kitties, 20 nabbed the fish with their right paws. On the flip side, 20 of 21 males proved left-handed. One nimble-fingered male turned out to be ambidextrous, reports New Scientist magazine.

Hormone levels might be responsible for the difference between the sexes, the researchers say. Other studies have linked testosterone to left-handedness in people; men are more likely to be left-handed than women, notes the Daily Mail. Similar gender differences have also shown up in dogs and horses.

Want to find out whether your cat is a lefty? You'll need to devise a tricky-fingered test to get to the truth. Cats' preferences for the left or right don't show up in less complicated tasks, like batting at a dangling toy. The true nature of cat handedness is only revealed during more complex manipulations -- like fishing tuna or treats from a jar too small for the kitty's head.

If setting up a feline experiment isn't your thing, it's probably a safe bet that your cat falls into the left or right camp depending on its gender. Just something to keep in mind if you're teaching your kitty to high five.

Ever have one of those days?

Ever have one of those days where you go through your day, then think.....I don't have anything interesting to blog about today? Then you panic....then you say to yourself "Meh no one reads it anyways" Then say "But what if today was the day that someone READS it"...then you start racking your brain for something to say. You can't blog about your cat again for fear of involuntary admission to your local funny farm, no one wants to hear about your adventures in cleaning the bathroom, and surely you can't blog about...well never mind.

Today, I had one of those days. So please enjoy my boredom and pic spam =D