I Made A Wordle!

I finally made a Wordle (that sounds like somehing disgusting, doesn't it?) I love these things. A few of my friends have them on their blogs or MySpace pages. Until recently, I didn't even know where to go to get them or what they were called (thanks Beth for posting the link in your blog!). I just think they are pretty cool. So here's my first attempt:

ABC's of Me

It's just another Manic Monday. If today is indication of the way the rest of my week will be...I'm gonna need a big ol' margarita (or five) on Friday. So rather than thinking of something to write tonight, I stole this from Beth's Blog.

Accent:
When I get mad, or go off on a tangent about something, you can hear the tiniest bit of the Jersey Girl come out!

Breakfast or no breakfast:
I wish I had time for breakfast. I actually prefer having breakfast to lunch

Chore I don’t care for:
Scrubbing the toilets. But since my husband does almost everything else, I can't complain too much.

Dog or Cat:
How can you make me choose? We have two of each...all of which are spoiled rotten and adorable as hell!

Essential Electronics:
Computer, cell phone, hair dryer, stereo, camera, vibrator (c'mon now, even us married girls need one!)

Favorite Cologne:
Glow by JLo. I really need to find a new one....but I haven't sniffed anything else I've liked this much in years!

Gold or Silver:
White Gold

Handbag I carry most often:
I love anything Coach!

Insomnia:
Only when Bryan is cutting down a forest next to me

Job Title:
Account Manager (aka Sales Rep)

Kids:
Four legged & furry, with a slight speech impediment

Living Arrangements:
In a townhouse with my hubby and aforementioned furry children

Most Admirable Trait:
I like to think I'm a pretty loyal friend

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior:
Teasing my sister....I purposely put gum in her hair once.

Overnight hospital stays:
None for me...and thank God, cause I had hospitals!

Phobias:
Not sure if I have anything I would classify as a "phobia". I don't like creepy, crawly things like bugs and snakes, but it's definitely not a phobia.

Quote:
Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away....

Reason to smile:
Hubby, Friends, Family....

Siblings:
Just one - my younger sis

Time I wake up:
Typically somewhere around 7AM

Unusual Talent or Skill:
Wouldn't you like to know?

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat:
Lima Beans....YUCK!

Worst Habit:
I could be better with my budget

X-rays:
Not since I was in high school.

Yummy Stuff:
A white chocolate mocha from Starbucks. Ooooh...I'm having such a craving!

Zoo Animal I Like Most:
Do dolphins count?

Rain, Rain - Go Away!

Last I checked, I do live in "The Sunshine State"....but it doesn't seem so this week. Last time I saw sun was in NJ! Tropical Storm Fay made landfall earlier this week and has continued to swirl around Florida since. We've gotten it from all angles. I'm quite done with the rain. It's made me feel kinda "blah this week, which is probably why I haven't written much. I guess I should be thankful that the storm wasn't stronger. It could have been worse.

It hasn't put a complete damper on my week though. I'm in the process of closing a hell of a deal at work....I officially met a new friend this week (who's really fun to hang out with)....and I went out with the girls on Friday night for a much needed night out on the town. (Remember that previous post where I mentioned age is just a number...that goes right out the window when alcohol is involved! I just don't recover like I used to.)

Now if I could only get a little sunshine, please.

We're Home!

We made it! Us & two doggies....18 hours....6 roads....five stops.....three tankfulls of gas....and very little sleep. Thank you to my friends & sis who helped keep me awake until the wee hours!

So I'm going to take a much needed nap. I may come back later to add more about our trip. If not, then it'll just have to wait until tomorrow. (Or maybe even Tues....rumor is we might have a Hurricane Day and I'll have nothing better to do with my time!)

My Hometown

I can't believe our weeks vacation is almost over. We've had a fun week so far....catching up with family & friends...relaxing on the boat with Mom & Dad....playing with the dogs in the back yard and best of all...just not being at work! But in a few short days we'll be on the road back to FL.

I truly do miss NJ in the summer. The weather has been wonderful this week....just the way I remember my summers. And the lightning bugs...I miss lightning bugs! I saw one the other night and felt like a little kid again.

For as much as people gripe about NJ...I love this area. I grew up here and my parents still live in my childhood home. Wall Twp is a good sized town, nestled just West of the many tiny beach towns that line the Northern part of the NJ shore. It's truly a place you read about in storybooks.

I have always said that Wall is the type of town where people grow up and then come back to raise their kids here. Just as I have always told myself that if we did have children, I would do the same. (My parents current neighbors were the kids we grew up with....the son, who married his high school sweetheart, has now purchased his childhood home and raising his family in the same house he was.) I'm not quite sure what it is, but it's a quality of life that just doesn't exist in most places today (and certainly not in FL).

One of my girlfriends always said that listening to me talk about my childhood, you'd think I'd grown up in the 50's...but that's the way our neighborhood was! You knew your neighbors and had picnics and BBQ's together. Us kids ran around and played outside until it was dark (in the summer we'd stay out even later playing flashlight tag). Our backyard served as the hub of activity in the summer because of the pool and in the winter because my dad would pull us around the neighborhood on a sled attached to his dirtbike when it snowed. It was before the age of cell phones, pagers and GPS devices....and yet us kids were allowed have the run of the neighborhood and be out with our friends all day. Sometimes our parents wouldn't have a clue as to where we were until we got home for dinner and talked about it at the kitchen table (because our family always ate dinner together).

I'd like to think times haven't changed.....but I know they are different now. I wish that kids today were as carefree as we were then. I was very fortunate to grow up where I did...and to have that experience to carry with me always.

Made it to NJ!

We made it to NJ...safe and sound (I think). We rolled in on Saturday around 1PM, after a long drive through the evening. After a short nap and showers, we met up with Mom & Dad and Cyn at the boat and partied on the dock with the crew for a while. Today we went out fishing, only to have our day cut short by some nasty weather...but that's okay.

The dogs are having a ball too. They are running around Mom & Dad's big back yard like it's their own private doggie park. Bailey's not quite sure what to make of it. This morning a flock of geese flew overhead and he started barking at them....then occurred to me he's never seen (or heard) geese before!

The trip has not been without trauma so far. Yesterday morning we stopped in Virgina for some morning coffee and breakfast for the pups. We noticed Bailey's eye was funky. I can't quite explain it. It almost appeared to be sunken in and his eye rolled back in his head. When we got to my parents it seemed to be better...then acted up again...then his "Ugly Eye" showed up again last night. It comes and goes. I started doing some research and came across Horner's Syndrome. I called our vets office after hours service and a local eVet up here. They both said it sounded like Horner's recommended having him looked at by an opthamologist.

Horner's syndrome is where the nerve that goes from the dogs eye to his spine is either damaged or being pressured. There are several things that can cause Horner's....from something as simple as a tug on his leash the wrong way which damaged the nerve (in which it will heal itself) or a tumor or blood clot putting pressure on it. There is no treatment for Horner's itself, but you have to find and treat the underlying problem. In most cases it's nerve damage which just heals over time.

He is 100% fine otherwise...still playing, running, romping, eating, pooping, sleeping...no dizziness, no diarrhea, no discharge. So now I am just debating if we get him to the vet here....or if we wait to see our vet when we get home. Either way I'm going to call our vet tomorrow and see what she thinks. So far today, no sign of his Ugly Eye. My poor Bailey Boo...

Aloha Friday

Happy Friday!

A few of my friends participate in Aloha Friday, which was started by Kailani at An Island Life. Friday's in Hawaii is a day where people take it easy and look forward to the weekend. I like this idea and figured I'd take it easy for my blog!

Every week I'll ask a question for you to answer. Nothing that requires deep thought....just something fun. Feel free to comment with your answer. If you wish to participate on your own blog, please head over to hers & sign the Mr. Linky and say hello!

This week's question:

Since we are leaving for vacation today, I'd like to know what was your favorite vacation? Who were you with and where did you go?

To answer my own question....that's a toughie. I've been fortunate to travel to some pretty cool places. I'd have to pick two:

1. Our Honeymoon! We rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains just outside of Gatlinburg, TN for the week. It was amazing!! Our cabin was gorgeous and the weather was crisp. We were even lucky to be there for the first snowfall in the mountains and hiked up to Clingman's Dome (3rd highest point in the US) in the fresh fallen snow!
2. My trip to Western Canada. I spent 10 days with two of my closest friends in Calgary, Edmonton & Banff. What an unbelievable trip! And I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my entire life, like we did on that trip!