DST and 70 degrees

Amos had the best weekend of his life! Saturday he met his new friend, Cody - a Wheaten too, at the dog park. They were really pretty rude and enjoyed mostly playing with themselves and no other canines of any type. You see, when a Wheaten sees another fluffy headed dog with bear paws they are immediately attracted to only that dog. They wrestled and ran and chased squirrels and leaped over small stumps and dips in the ground like their lives depended on it. Amos, the white-fluffy dog, came home black and wet. Then, Mr Brad gave him a good Pantene Pro V bath and you should see him now! He is so yummy and snuggable. Unfortunately, I think the warmer temperatures may be a little much for his long hair so he may have to go back to see the crazy lady to get his haircut real soon.
Then, Saturday we took our perfectly groomed fluffball to Piedmont Park to see the rest of the crazies and their cousins enjoying the sunshine and nursing hangovers from the night before. Mr. Brad even got a little sunburned from the excursion but he doesn't mind because it means Spring is truly on it's way. You would have thought with so many people, doing so many different things, looking so many kinds of different, that Amos would have been in heaven meeting new people and sniffing out situations but I think he was just as occupied as we were just watching the spectacle. You had jugglers, sunbathers in bathing suits and nice white un-sunned Winter bodies. There were mini dogs, massive dogs, hairy dogs and the ugliest hairless dogs Amos had ever seen. You had pic-nics, badminton tournaments, bocce ball, soccer practices with overbearing parents/coaches. There were even two sets of aspiring musicians delighting the ambivelous crowd. There was beer and lemonade and burgers and ice cream galore. And then the people. You had purple haired, no-haired, yellow skinned, white skinned, dread locked hair down to the ground and all the sorts. Whatever you can imagine - it was there.....all within the small confines of Atlanta's truly only green space in the city. Despite the withered grass caused by the start of the drought two summers ago - they were there....all of them, everybody and their cousins. I promise you - if you went outside on Sunday to enjoy the first real taste of Spring - you were at Piedmont Park or so it seemed. Needless to say, Amos was as entertained as we were just watching all the people and their meanderings.

The perfect Atlanta weekend for a dog has now culminated in a 72 hour sleep fest for our four legged friend. As for me, here I sit and type.....7.5 month's pregnant and wide awake when I should be resting my rounded body. I have a feeling this is going to be the start of an unwanted but forewarned pattern until baby comes. I find my body and mind exhausted at the end of a day. I think of nothing but my bed the moment I walk in the door at night but within a few hours I am wide eyed and bushy tailed and wondering what I should do in the wee hours and if ever I will see 7 am again without first seeing 2, 3 and 4 am??? I guess I can start some projects and try to get things in order before order is long gone. Off to organize the book shelf or something else useful and exciting. HELP!!!!

I didn't know about the title but....

I'll take it as a complement.....I think. I hope you call it "charm", Charlsie, and not manipulation?

You've made my week this week with so much internet love! Oh to be laying in the front yard of the Terrace with you as the temps warm up today...I'd give anything! Cheers to lovely friendships!

Oh, and, Welcome HOME CHARLSIE! She bought this cute cute house in Augusta and I can't wait to come visit!

Nails and toes. Nails and toes.

Monday I had a snow day, too. I was set to tutor a middle schooler that I have been tutoring for several months that afternoon. When I pulled into the school parking lot it should have been obvious that no one was anywhere to be found but it just didn't occur to me that the light dusting of snow on Atlanta roads would keep the kiddies away from school so I waited and waited. Then, I finally see grounds keeper shoveling the 1/2 inch of snow at the back of the parking lot and it hits me - NO SCHOOL!! Other than the frustration of having to reschedule yet again I was thrilled to have a snow day, too!

I texted Mr. Brad and told him I was going to treat myself on my snow day and that is just what I did! I am extremely low maintenance when it comes to personal grooming. I work .45 miles from my condo and without fail I am 10 minutes late to work and I am usually sporting wet hair. Why? You ask? Because I stink with "timing" and I hate to take longer than 9 minutes to get ready - head to toe. So whether that means no shower or wet hair all day I usually decide to get dressed 10 minutes before I am set to be somewhere. Hopefully a kiddo will help with this awful tendency???

Anyway, it is rare that I treat myself to any service having to do with my personal up-keep. I can't even keep a hair appointment because if I don't go the moment I want to then I don't want to go again til I get that internal hunch. (Is that how you spell hunch? ) But on this day - I was out of body because it was a snow day! I strolled into New Nails and Tan in Sandy Springs like I was a regular. The stale smell of rice and teriyaki sauce mixed with a little chemicals took over the place and I knew it would be a pleasant afternoon. The two nail technician's "Holly" and "lilly" started at once gnawing away at my over worked feet and odd shaped nails. And of course they started talking about me in a language I will never know. I interrupted them every 200th foreign word asking them questions just so I didn't start to get self -conscious that they were really talking about me and my big feet and over sized big toe! My Nana always said that I should never be ashamed of my big feet and that "someone would marry me anyways." Thanks, Nana.

So, I am there nearly an hour and a half which I think is about 3 times longer than it should take especially when I am the only client my entire stay. But I walk away with two new friends and the prettiest toes and strongest nails I have ever had. I love the prenatal vitamins for that reason - my nails actually grow and my unused-large hands actually look feminine for a change. But more than a pretty set of phalanges(sp?) - I have two new fans of the Rachel Ray show and a whole 3 episodes worth of personal soap opera type drama between sweet "Holly" and "Lilly." Holly "do not lob her husben but she stay with hem for de kidz." That's not ebonics or making fun of anyone it is just the line I heard over and over from dear Holly as she over filed my nail. She has three kids at home and is the size of Popeye's Olive minus a few inches but I could tell she has a huge heart - especially when it comes to her family. Lilly was a little more concerned with her lunch than Holly's drama but she certainly tapped in when she had an opinion.

Anyway, I left so happy. I was happy to have been able to listen to my new friends gab about their lives for 90 minutes. The good thing is the whole while they were telling me stories of their kids and their backgrounds - I was getting my calves massaged and you know how that feels! I could have let them talk to me for hours! More so, my toes look so happy and springy and they are now ready for a cute pair of wedge sandals that I need to find. It sure is a treat to do something out of the ordinary occasionally. Hopefully my bright toes will bring on the brighter skies and warmer weather! Baby is ready for flip flops and sundresses.....he knows that is much easier on mommy than boots and warm pants that don't truly fit!

Yay for the time change this weekend and the proposed 75 degree weather! I AM SO HAPPY!

Just don't eat the yellow snow!

You can't top it

There is nothing better than waking up to a fresh brewed cup of sweetness - brought to you straight from one of your favorite people on a bitterly cold morning. You don't even have to get dressed or brush your teeth to enjoy...just indulge. And that is what I forgot to tell you that I liked most about Charlise. Maybe not most but pretty close to "most" - she knows how to indulge on even the littlest things. When you are with Charlsie you can't not enjoy a clear sky in the afternoon or the size of ice in the Styrofoam to-go cup or the smell of even a hot dog or stale beer that reminds you of a favorite place, namely Athens. Charlise won't let you not fully experience something...how it tastes, feels, looks, looks on, smells, sounds, and pleases...with Charlsie you get the whole cake and you can eat it too! I have to go to work and all I want to do is sit here and tell you all of my other favorite things about my favorite people. You'll have to wait. I hope you have a Charlise in your life. And a few other things that I stole/share a love for:

-Husband pillows
-Obsession with Gone with the Wind...before I liked it but it wasn't an obsession
-CUPCAKE anything!
-Chilean red wine
-Owning a room when you walk in the door
-The Wisdom of the Enneagram
-Mean Bean burritos
-Panera bagels in the morning
-Memorable and useful quotes

Happy day after a snow-day! I'll be posting photos of Amos in the snow yesterday. Amos made the snow so much more fun!

Thankyou CKP1010

I set a reminder in my phone last night as I couldn't sleep. It says "thank you to Charlsie about Amos - 11:45am" I write about any thought that comes to my head in my phone as a reminder if it is a thought that I don't want to forget and yesterday I didn't want to forget this. You see, I am obsessed with my dog. Amos the Famous dog makes me so happy. I have never been a huge dog person and honestly when we started looking at baby soft coated wheaten terriers this time last year I didn't really think we'd follow through with our initial plans for a puppy. We are a little too practical and at the time a little too on the go to have anything tying us down. Then Brad drove up in his truck with the pup in his lap. He sat in Brad's lap the whole hour drive to meet me and I immediately melted. And, yes, in the last year I have had moments where I wonder why we ever took the plunge to get a dog - which is really just like a child... at true extension of our family! So, anyway...Charlsie, my dearest of friends and possibly longest of friends found Briscoe, her Wheaten a long while before Amos was even a thought. Briscoe was the only puppy I ever really saw grow up. She was first a black little fur ball and then a brown and tan fluffy mess and then she grew into her perfect ivory, playful stature. When the "dog" thought even crossed our minds last year we looked at nothing but Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. We loved their puppy=playfulness that follows them for years - not just as a puppy. We loved their medium size - not too yappy and mini and not too big for a 1300 square foot condo. We were infatuated with their adorable bear paws and most of all, we loved their somewhat stubborn but mostly confident demeanor. The character description all over the Internet was quite pleasing.....and reminded us of our humble selves....

The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is an alert and happy animal - graceful, strong and well-coordinated. A playful and friendly terrier. They make great watch dogs and bark at the arrival of guests. They are usually very loving with children and get along reasonably well with other dogs. They have a puppy attitude that remains with it throughout its life. Sweet-tempered, easy-going and self-confident. Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers bond closely with their family. They seldom bark unnecessarily.

(Okay, it is snowing as I type. This is the first real snow in Atlanta since we got little Amos. They supposedly love the snow! I can't wait to take him out to explore!)

But back to my overcoming gratitude. I LOVE MY DOG. I know you probably love your dog and think they are the coolest and I'll give you that. But I LOVE my Dog!!! Amos snuggles with me when I am just not wanting to get out in the world. He licks my hands in the morning when they fall off the bed just to let me know he is there. "Wag" doesn't even describe what his tail does when he sees me or Brad. I am surprised it hasn't fallen off from all the action! He barks only when scary people look at us. He never acts a fool when we are walking him like most other dogs in our neighborhood do...he is just too sophisticated for that nonsense. But then if you want nonsense - he can go nuts over a chewing antler or a tennis ball or a piece of bacon. Yes, he gets to eat from the table at times. I LOVE AMOS! Last night we came home to our sweet pup just waiting to wrestle and snuggle and cuddle. I had this troubling thought that one day hopefully many many years away, after our first little boy has fallen head over heels for Amos, too, and after he has been through all the ups and downs with our family, Amos will be old and one day he may not want to be here anymore. Oh my goodness, I have this terrible thought as we are in the elevator waiting to come home to him and I just start crying. I couldn't imagine Amos not being a part of our lives. Sorry for the sad moment but I guess this what brought on the cheesy-thankful feelings. Thank you, Charlsie, for turning us on to SCWT. I love Dr. Amos. He is my favorite purchase I have ever made. I can't wait for the little baby to meet my favorite thing!

And while we are thanking Charlsie, I must tell you that I have many things to thank her for. Most things that are remotely cool about me or my tastes came from her. I think she might say the same about me too but luckily for her - she wears off on me more than I do on her. Here are some tastes that Charlsie has passed to me over the years:
-Mini milk chocolate Cadbury eggs in the spring time
-Bruce Hornsby
-Cashiers
-Trish McEvoy make-up
-Palm pilot's (well, not anymore but several years ago)
-Bojangles biscuits
-Strawberry cake with cream cheese icing
-Michael Franti
-Ultra mini skirts
-the perfect chocolate chip cookie
-the smell of old books
-Rainy days with a movie or a good book. I was never good at enjoying these unless Charlise was around.
-Vertical Horizon
-Cheesy songs sung by cheesy artists like Miley Cirus, NSYNC or Kelly Clarkston turned up too loud in the car with the windows down
-Cheap sandwiches at the Masters
-Blogging
-Running hills
-Anything from Fresh Market
-And lastly, SOFT COATED WHEATEN TERRIERS!

Ciao, Bella!