Last week I had to travel to Chicago for work (again). We usually stay on Michigan Ave. and the sights, sounds, food, and shopping keep my mind off of how much I miss my love and my pooch, did I mentioned the shopping? However, every once in a while there is some kind of convention downtown and all of the hotels (and I mean ALL) are booked. Because of some silly electronics convention last week, the unfortunate event occurred where I was stuck out at O'Hare with nothing to do (and we are talking nothing). There wasn't even a restaurant within walking distance to drown my sorrows while eating tiramisu by myself. Thank heavens I picked up this book before I left.
It really passed the time in my lonely hotel room. If you are a dog owner, or even if you're thinking about owning a dog someday, pick it up and read it (it will only take a few days, it's a quick read). With Grogan's honest but humorous accounts of daily life with a dog, you will fall in love with Marley and that wayward waggler in your life. It isn't the kind of story that will change your life, but it will warm your heart and make you laugh out loud. I found myself snickering quite a lot, especially since so many of the stories reminded me of my Izzy. The last few chapters are pretty rough, I even laid it down a few times proclaiming with tears in my eyes that I couldn't finish it. Matt encouraged me through it and I am glad I did.
I loved the book and I recommend it to everyone. The best part is that John never treated Marley more than what he was; a dog, but he was clearly a bonafide member of the family. Anyway, if you haven't read the book I think you should, and if you have, tell me what you thought of it. I'd love to hear your opinions.
Monday, December 8, 2008
If you're a dog lover...
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thankful... The Understatement (and lots of pictures)
Matt, Izzy, and I forged the roads of thanksgiving travelers and embarked on a blessed adventure with those we love the most.
On the Thanksgiving Eve we left 205 Campbell and drove to Matt’s parents in O’Fallon. I found out on this trip that I like to drive, unless it is light enough outside for me to read. When we stopped to pick up some dinner rolls about 1/3 of the way there, I decided I was bored and thought that maybe the time would pass more quickly if I were to be the driver. So I drove, and we were there before we knew it. (Sorry for the side story).
Anyway, Matt, his Dad, and his brothers participated in the Turkey Bowl which is an annual flag football game put on by their church. I stayed home and watched JoEllen make the thanksgiving yummies (I guess there wasn’t so much for me to do!). Thanksgiving went off without a hitch and we enjoyed a meal with a hand full of Matt’s relatives that we rarely get to see. Going to the Andersons is always great. We played a lot of catch phrase and a lot of rock band on the PS2. I decided that Matt and I are not destined to have rockstars for children. Neither of us have an ounce of rhythm, the drums on rock band proved this to us.
Friday we helped put up some of the Christmas decorations…
Friday evening we headed to my parents so that I could attend the annual Gardner-women-cookie-bake-a-thon that was taking place at Aunt Beth’s Saturday morning. This is always a treat (no pun intended). There were 15 Gardner women + Kellen all together (thank goodness for big kitchens). This means we were missing about 5 girls. We made about 25 different kinds of cookies, YUM! We always love excuses to get together and eat. This was not an exception. We also had a mini wedding shower for my cousins almost wife, Chery. She is from the Philippines so she doesn’t have any family around. This was the first time I met her and she was so sweet. We figured out that she will be number 40 of the Gardner clan. 
We helped my mom decorate her tree (3 trees in one year, that has to be a record) and later we went to visit the invincible Grandma Dudley (who was sent a pink hard hat from my Aunt Karla). It was really great to see her and Granddad as always. The end to a perfect weekend? Waking up to snow on Sunday morning and getting Kellen out of bed and open his curtains to a winter wonderland. The perfect beginning to the Christmas holiday.
Although this post is long and not very organized I just wanted to share with you all that I am thankful for on this earth. My God is so gracious to give me such an amazing life. What more could a girl ask for?
It was so depressing having to go back to work this morning, but all good things must come to an end. There are always more things to look forward to. Maybe I will break into those Christmas cookies…
Monday, November 24, 2008
Their Old Familiar Carols Play
Since Matt and I are heading out of town this weekend for the annual Thanksgiving festivities we were forced to decorate for Christmas a bit early. Good thing we were in the holiday spirit yesterday even after a long weekend of Christmas shopping. Praise Jesus we are finished with that, we won't have to fight the crowds after Thanksgiving. I cooked up some chili on Sunday as well as some hot cocoa and we decorated our little hearts out (well I decorated, Matt did the heavy lifting and mostly worked on building/sustaining our first fire in the new house). We still aren't completely finished but then are you ever really done?
Heres to hoping sugar plums dance in your heads...
Friday, November 21, 2008
A Sunny Morning
Izzy was enjoying the sun as much as I was this morning, staring out of the office window and barking wildly at the kids getting on the bus down the street. I think she resembles Big Bird in these pictures.
I have been in the crafting mood lately (maybe it's the onset of the holidays). A plastic bag dispenser has been on my to-sew list for a long long time and I finally whipped one up this week. It was my first time working with elastic so I can now add that to my repertoire. It turned out o.k.. I am just excited that all of my plastic bags are off of the floor in my pantry.
Anyway, where ever you are I hope it is as pleasant there as it is here. Have a GREAT weekend!Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tagg-ed
I was tagged by both Amber and Courtney
The Instructions:
1. Choose the 4th picture folder on my computer
2. Choose the 4th picture
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 other bloggers
This is a photo of my Grandma Gardner (my mom's mom) when she was a baby. A couple of months ago Matt and I went to visit with them and I went around photographing there house (and them). It was great. Every piece of furniture has a story. Maybe someday I will tell them.
I tag Amy, Ashley, Dani, and Zay
Monday, November 17, 2008
Blessed
As a kid I spent the hot days of summer with my head underwater. With tanned fingers and toes I would bob in and out of the blue painted in-ground pool that lay exactly one and a half miles from my parent’s house. There are home videos of me jumping off of the diving board at age 1, fearlessly trusting that my unwinged arms would be caught by whoever was below me in the water. I learned to swim in that pool long before I can remember. Blessed.
It never failed that if Grandma heard someone in the water she would come out and sit patiently in a lawn chair waiting for us to clamber out of the water. When we did, no matter how dripping wet we were, she expected us to crawl up on her lap and she would squeeze us so tight that it felt like she would never let go. I never understood this about her, why on earth would she want to get her perfectly dry clothes drenched on account of me? But none the less no matter who it was and no matter how soaked, she would hug them like she meant it…and how glad I am that she did. Blessed.
In elementary school Grandma was found to be hard of hearing. She had to carry around a cumbersome bag with wires that hung from her ears and were tucked beneath her clothes. She has always worn hearing aids since I have known her and never once have I heard her complain about them. I remember getting scolded by my mom when we would scream too close to her and it would make her hearing aid beep but I don’t remember Grandma ever getting upset. In her forties, Grandma was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). The condition would most likely cause her to be blind within a decade. Although her eyes were failing she never let her tunnel vision hinder her life. She continued to paint ceramics until it was just too hard and she came to all of her grandchildren’s events without blinking an eye. Grandma displayed a graceful strength that I can only hope to attain. She taught me to love God and love others with purity and kindness. Blessed.
Last weekend Grandma was involved in an accident that could have resulted in serious injuries or worse. Luckily she came away shaken up and bruised but in time she will be fine. God has chosen to bless those around her by keeping her safe. Please pray for her speedy recovery.
And as my mom recounted for me…
Mom: “Mary Lou you are just so lucky!”
Grandma: “No, I’m Blessed.”
No Grandma I am blessed.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Ain't Nothin But Changes
After a very long month of traveling and late nights of testing I am glad to say that things are slowing down a bit just in time for the bustling holiday season. Although things have been crazy with work Matt and I have made a few changes around the ole abode (starting and ending with our craft room/office). We first started with my craft table chairs. A few years ago my friend Kara left me an old IKEA table when she left college. I happily inherited it and gave it to Matty (my then boyfriend) to have as a breakfast table in his apt. above the ice cream shoppe. i didn't know WHAT to do with it when we got married. I already had a great garage sale find for a kitchen table. So i put it in a guest bedroom and it has morphed into the sewing/scrapbooking/painting/everything table. I painted the table white a few months back but the chairs remained the original color. Recently however I painted and covered them to go with my theme (you know a little bit vintage). Here is the before...
And here is the after...
