A "Mini" Surprise

Ok, so you know how sometimes you don't really plan things, and they just happen? Well...hubby and I were driving home from someplace on Sunday and happen to drive by the BMW dealer. We saw this adorable little Mini Cooper.We'd never really given much thought to getting a Mini, especially considering we already have a Smart car...but our friends Shirley and Ed recently got a Mini and love it. A Mini has a bit more room than our Smart, which is strictly for 2 people only. The Mini has four seats, and although it probably wouldn't be comfortable for a cross-country trip for four people, they could certainly fit for short jaunts here and there. It would also be more comfortable for driving around with a pup or two than the Smart car is....so....we stopped and took a look at it.

On Monday we took it for a test drive.

We already have 4 cars in our family of 5, which sounds like plenty, but with all 5 of us driving now, it also means that there are times when all 5 of us are going in different directions. All of the kids are working now, Bear is still working full time at the salon, and both AJ and Pickle have part time summer jobs. Hubby has been going on job interviews, and I've got my therapy visits to do with Kona, gold parties, etc. We are a pretty busy family...

The test drive went great. We liked that it had all of the bells and whistles on it, it has the upgraded leather package, the upgraded stero system, the heated seats, double moonroof, 6 disc CD player, etc...and we also liked that it is a manual 6 speed. All of our other cars are automatic, and Hubby and I both enjoy driving a stick..We came home to think about it....and we flat out lied to the kids and told them that we weren't getting itThen we bought it. Simple as that. We had "Lowjack" installed on it, and a couple of other small things taken care of, and we picked it up this evening...all without the kids having a clue. It was a LOT of fun keeping the secret from them, and surprising them once everyone was home this evening.

Big thanks to Val for helping us pull off the surprise by letting us keep the car in her garage for a while, and even BIGGER thanks to my Mom and Dad for helping us do this for the kids!

Cute commercial!

Take a minute and watch this...it's really cute! (It made me think of some of the older folks Kona and I visit with!)

Long Day

Today started out early...too early after not getting to sleep until nearly 2 am. I was at the lake and walking by 7am. It felt good though, to get my body up and awake.

Frustration set in shortly after that, but I can't give details on that right now...suffice to say, it was a long day, and I'm glad it's near the end of it now.

Hubby and I went to see Toy Story 3. Don't ask me why, I'm not an animated movie fan, and although I did somewhat enjoy it, I found it more depressing than anything. To add to that, I'm about to sit down and watch the 2 hour special of "Deadliest Catch" where Capt. Phil passes away. As if I wasn't in a foul enough mood! Yikes!

I just remind myself that not everyday can be a great one, and you've got to have some bummer days to be able to appreciate the good ones. Tomorrow, I'm sure, will be a good one.

I've got something up my sleeve to share, but can't let you in on it until tomorrow afternoon.

Stay tuned!

A-Z Mondays - The Foodie Version, "Y" is for Yellow Squash!

Yeah, yeah, I know...I'm running late again! BUT - it's still Monday!

My "Y" food is Yellow Squash! I love yellow squash! I like to slice it nice and thin, and saute it with some thinly sliced onion, butter, salt and pepper and a little fresh garlic. YUM!

If you'd like to see what other bloggers are drooling over for A-Z Mondays, be sure to check out Jen's blog here.

Happy (nearly)late Monday!

They've got it good...

Our dogs must know they've got it good here.


Someone....and I'm not going to mention names right now....but someone walked out the front door this morning and left it wide open. WITH FOUR DOGS IN THE HOUSE!


Yup, the door was left wide open for at least 15 to 20 minutes before I noticed it....and ask me if any of the dogs bothered to try to "escape"....that would be a big, fat NOPE....as you see, I even took the time to grab my camera and snap a picture of Kona, totally ignoring the open door.
I guess they must figure the grass really isn't any greener anywhere else. I must say, that's a pretty good feeling.

Now close the freakin' door!

Busy Day and the Birthday Boy!

We got another early start this morning-we were up and out of the house at 6:30am for a 6 mile training walk. Hubby is being a great sport and walking most of my miles with me, which was especially nice, considering that today is his birthday! We met up with some friends of ours (one of which is also doing the walk, and who, like me, has a sweet hubby that walks with her) We all 4 walked down at the bay where it was nice, and cool - perfect walking weather!
There is always some new "artsy-fartsy" sculpture down along the bay...I loved this one- it's called "Dog Tree"
This one reminded me of the Little Mermaid. I didn't catch the real name of it.

Here we are - Jill, one of my walking buddies, and 3 Day teammate, nearing the end of our 6 mile walk this morning. This park, which is located very close to the airport, is called "Cancer Survivor's Park" - pretty cool, don't you think? It makes me think of all of my friends and family who have survived cancer, and of course, those who haven't. One in particular, Dena, has been on my mind on every training walk I take. She is missed terribly by her loving friends, family, and most of all her husband Robert, and sweet golden, Harry. You can read her story here. The pink ribbon I have on my sidebar is dedicated to Dena, and will be there as long as I have my blog.

On a lighter note. After walking 6 miles, I felt like I deserved a little treat. I know I shouldn't have done it, but I did, and it was good....really, really good!

I had special plans for a romantic dinner alone with Hubby, but plans fell through, as our favorite waiter in our favorite restaurant called to tell me he was sick, and wouldn't be there for our special dinner. It's just not the same if he isn't there, so we opted to take the kids with us for a little more casual dinner, and just spend a family evening together. Hubby was happy, and that's what counts, right? (I was really, REALLY looking forward to the hot chocolate lava cake for dessert....but it wasn't about me tonight. Hubby said we should wait, so we wait....did I mention that I was REALLY, REALLY looking forward to that cake? Yup, I thought I did. Oh well...next week.)

Here he is sporting his new bike jersey. He's being silly, trying to suck up his tummy, can you tell?

Happy birthday Hubby! I hope your birthday was a good one, even if I didn't you didn't get your chocolate lava cake...

Early Morning Escape

Before most people were even out of bed this morning, I grabbed all 4 dogs and headed to the lake. We had a guy coming over to do a little concrete repair work in our backyard for us (replacing some pool drains) and we needed to keep the pups out of the way for a while.

What better way than to escape for a long, early morning walk!

We got to the lake at about 6:45am.
We only walked 3 miles because sometimes Jill has a tough time going further. Here we are at the turn around point for the day.
Once they've settled into a groove it's easy to walk them with just one finger. People see us walking and get a kick out of how well they walk together.
They were pooped and ready for the ride home!

By the time we got home the messy part of the work was nearly done, and the pups were ready for a nap, so it worked out well.

Since then, Kona's had a bath, and we are just about ready to head out to the VA for our regular Friday visit. We didn't go on Monday this week because of the long weekend. We are ready to go and see all of our favorite patients and make them smile! Have a great weekend!