The search for the perfect dog collar and leash

It should come as no surprise that with a new puppy on the way....I'm starting to think about her collar and leash! I mean really, collars and leashes are to dogs what accessories are to humans. There are so many cute, preppy patterns and colors that I'm having trouble making up my mind! Here are the front-runners....let me know which 2 you like best:

The first grouping is from ElizaB....maker of some pretty adorable flip-flops too! ElizaB also has this great thing called a "Dog Coupler" for walking two dogs at once. While we probably won't be able to use this for several months...this could be great (and of course it would match the color/leash combos)!The next one I like is from Walk-e-Woo....their tagline is pretty funny! I saw the pink/red polka-dot collar in person, and it is just so adorable.

This last one is from an etsy store. Maybe Lilly the puppy is destined for a Lilly Pulitzer collar?Decisions, decisions!!

PS - thanks so much to all of you for your sweet birthday comments! I had just the best day ever! SB surprised me with a delicious cookie cake....we went out to a charming restaurant, and I am looking forward to finding some cute things at BR and Anthro with new gift certs :) A great day all around.

A great day....and a great week ahead!

Today's my birthday! It's a beautiful sunny day here, and I'm looking forward to a fun dinner out with SB. The weather is supposed to be great here all week, which always makes me smile. Seriously - the winter blahs are a thing of the past (or so I hope!!). AND of course the most exciting thing is that we'll be in FL in just 6 days!!

I had a fun weekend. Here's a little recap:

• Went out with friends Friday and Saturday nights (this is pretty monumental.....I think it's one of the first weekends we actually had things planned with other couples both Fri and Sat since we moved here!)
  
• Ran 4 miles Friday, 5 miles Saturday
• Played tennis Sunday (and lost really badly - that wasn't a fun doubles match. I think our opponent growled at us....literally. She was extraordinarily manly.)
• Woke up to Daisy hacking at like 4am on Saturday morning. We kept debating whether we should take her to the emergency vet (which would mean lots of $$$), but we stayed right by her and she was breathing fine, even though she couldn't cough up whatever was bothering her. She actually never did - but things seem to be working normally now. I always get so nervous when something's off with her.
• Watched some fun basketball games!! Go Duke!!
  
• Went to see "Hot Tub Time Machine" with SB. Yes, I'm embarassed to admit it....but it was just as good (bad) as you'd expect. Don't waste your time with that one! (Though SB liked it....of course)
  

Woot woot!!!!!

Duke's in the Final 4!!!
I know, I know.....you either love Duke or you hate 'em with an unbridled passion (trust me, I've felt the hate from co-workers, friends of friends, and randoms alike...even my BIL)......but I'm just thrilled to pieces that Duke (my alma mater) beat Baylor!!!!

In other bracket news.....my horrible bracket may be on life support, but there's a little light at the end of the tunnel. If Duke wins it all, I'll beat SB! Fingers and toes are crossed ;)

Signs That I Need A Vacation!

My family is heading south to Captiva Island for a week of beach fun in exactly 9 days! 9 freakin' days, and I am beyond excited. BEYOND. I can barely contain myself.

Here are a few signs that I truly need a vacation:

• I visit weather.com daily to check out the Captiva forecast. Sometimes more than once a day....
• I called the concierge desk today for an Easter activities schedule so that we could plan our Easter ahead of our arrival, make reservations if necessary, etc. I explained to the concierge that the activities calendar online only only shows the month of March....and us pre-planners really need a little more info. Apparently the resort isn't quite as proactive. Come on people, where's the Easter egg hunt, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and the Easter service beside the ocean?
• I am craving key lime pie. Dessert on vacation is a must.
• I googled our favorite restaurants just to look at their menus, and then mentally rank which ones we need to visit first.
• I have visited mapmyrun.com to check out mileage and running routes around the island.

Actually.....after looking over this....maybe they're just signs that I'm neurotic and need to keep myself busier?? Ah well, regardless, I am still SO EXCITED!!!!! I hope these 9 days go by quickly!!!

What will 29 bring?

I should preface this post by saying that I love birthdays. I do. I love them......I love celebrating turning a year older......I look forward to the cake, the presents, and a day of fun in general. I firmly believe that age is nothing but a number.....but in the last year I've noticed that there have been two significant changes!

1. People have stopped calling me "Miss"!! Apparently my 28th birthday meant that now I'm a "Ma'am" to everyone from high school grocery store baggers to little old ladies. I think I miss being called "miss" (and shouldn't there be a rule that if there's no gray hair, women should be called "miss" in general? what's the age limit there?)

2. All of a sudden everyone around me asks how many children I have. Seriously all these random people I don't even know (from the dentist to fellow tennis players) have started asking me right after they meet me. Fortunately I can usually reply with something like, "Oh, no children yet - I just got married last July!" But it does make me wonder A) how that would feel for people who struggle to have children -- I feel like that can be a sensitive question, and B) I'm only 28 - that doesn't mean I should already have kids!

My 29th birthday is right around the corner.....it'll actually be my GOLDEN birthday this year as it lies on the 29th of March. Who knows what this year will bring!? (hopefully it will mean people will start asking me what year I am, and what my major is, and where I'm going for spring break.......lol!.....ok, so that's not going to happen - but a girl can dream!) Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Weekend Recap

The weekend flew by! Here are a few highlights:

• Played World Team Tennis Friday night. I managed to help our team win....the next match will be a make-or-break match for our team. If we win, we should win the whole thing! (but they are tough competition!!)
• SB ran a 5k Saturday morning, and finished in 20:15!!! I was going to run it too but I kind of tweaked my back Friday night at tennis, so I just went to the gym and did the ol' elliptical. I'm so proud of his awesome time -- that's a 6:30 pace! I think he's still gunning for the 5's.
  
• Met a friend for a mani/pedi, a fun lunch at Dewey's (my new favorite pizza place), and some shopping! It was just what I needed -- a total delight! (plus I found an amazingly adorable tray for our mail. I'll have to take a pic - it is just that great)
  
• Went out with SB for dinner to Three Monkeys......I give it one star out of five.....not great, not really worth a repeat visit.
• Did 30 min on elliptical, then ran 4 miles on the treadmill early Sunday morning -- it felt good!
• Ran errands, shopped around, and watched basketball (Go Duke! Sweet Sixteen!!) on Sunday.
• In other basketball news, my bracket is officially dead. I can't get over all the upsets -- you gotta love the underdogs (at least when they're not playing Duke)!!
  

Have you gotten your puppy fix yet today?

Full disclosure.....you know how when people have babies, their blogs can get baby-focused (don't get me wrong - I LOVE when that happens.....I love hearing about pregnancies, baby products, cute baby pics, the whole shebang - but apparently some people don't like that??)......well, with a new PUPPY on the way, I just want to let you know that this little ol' blog may get a little puppy-focused. Not too dog crazy, but you can expect more puppy pictures than when we just had the Daiser.

Our lovely breeder sent a few more pics of our little pup! She and her brothers and sisters are growing, growing, growing!(Lilly is the one in the center....the lightest yellow -- almost ivory)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I don't have any real St. Patrick's Day plans this year. I'll be playing tennis in a drill group with a few girls from my USTA team after work....and SB had his triathlon swim class this morning at 5:30am, so I don't think he'll be up for much either :)

Oh! One funny story for you......so I mentioned the other day that we managed to bring home a new Blend-Tek blender from Costco this weekend. It is pretty amazing -- the smoothies that it creates are beyond delicious (and you don't have to use any sweetener....literally just fruit, plus you can add things like spinach for some extra nutrients). I'll have to do a post on it sometime soon. Anyways....yesterday SB came home from work, and wanted to make a frozen lemonade concoction by mixing Crystal Lite lemonade and Ice. The demonstrator at Costco didn't ever really put the top on the blender until like 30 seconds into blending a smoothie.....well, let's just say the same rules don't apply to mixing liquids! He pressed ON and BAM - I was litterally covered in lemonade. He didn't get a drop on himself, but I was soaking wet in lemonade. I had just showered too! It felt a bit like a sitcom .... and we had to laugh it off. I think he learned his lesson :)

Today's posting....brought to you by the color GREEN!

(and by Nordstrom, Lilly Pulitzer, Boden, Lacoste and Kate Spade)

March Madness!

Congrats to my Blue Devils on their big ACC Championship!!!! They had a lot of close games, and I have to give Tech a lot of credit for beating UNC and Maryland to make it to the championship game. They showed a lot of heart, and kept things really close with Duke the whole game.
No, really - I wish the Tar Heels the best of luck in the NIT! I kid, I kid ;)

Are you guys filling out brackets for the NCAA tournament? I'll probably do one for work, and then one with SB....loser buys dinner at winner's choice restaurant. Here's hoping that Duke can continue their winning streak!!!!!!

....and in other financial news....

I totally jinxed myself by posting about how the no shopping thing was going! I broke it this weekend! Ugh! Ah well, I thought long and hard about it, and I needed some new workout stuff, and found a bunch of tops that I REALLY liked at The North Face. They fit perfectly (long enough, not skin tight), and I can wear them with shorts/skirts that I already have, so I took the plunge. My favorite ones aren't online which made me worry that if I didn't buy them now, they might not be available come 4/4. Oh yea, and my crazy husband convinced me that we needed the crazy expensive blender from Costco. He bought that one, but still! I failed this weekend....but I guess that happens. I'll be good again starting tomorrow :)

One 2010 Resolution....Done!

One of my 2010 Resolutions was to read a book about finances that my dad gave me (titled The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need, written by Andrew Tobias) , and to take a more proactive approach to investing money. I finally finished it yesterday, and I think it is a great book for anyone who is ready and wants to invest, but can be overwhelmed by all the various options (like moi!). Tobias starts off the book with a chapter called "A Penny Saved is Two Pennies Earned." He firmly believes that one of the best ways to multiply your money is by doing things like buying in bulk (just another reason to love Coscto...we loaded up yesterday on tp, paper towels, gatorade, etc), or using internet services like priceline.com to get the best bang for your buck (and leaving some extra for you to invest later). Here are a few more pointers from him to help you save more money:

• Get rid of debt....only buy things for which you can pay now (it doesn't make sense financially to pay 18-20% more on everything you buy).
  
• Cars: Pay for your car in cash (if you can...b/c cars depreciate, & car loans aren't tax deductible like a mortgage)......buy used (new car smell = most expensive smell in the world), buy an economical car if possible (think mpg), resist temptation to lease, drive smoothly (better on the car, uses less gas)
• Insurance: shop around, remove insurance you don't need, raise premiums if you can to reduce monthly costs, skip appliance insurance
• Misc: Use the library, get netflix instead of going to the theater, get TiVo (if time is money, this appliance saves you time!), drink tap water, buy the store brand, quit smoking (if not for your health, then for your wallet!), save energy (simple insulation, energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs, etc.) .

Now in terms of actually investing, he offers a lot of easy definitions, and explanations for all of the various different types of investments that we can make. That is always the part that totally stresses me out, but he explains that for beginners, the best way to invest is to find a good mutual fund company, and buy a few *diverse* mutual funds -- think US, international, low cap, high cap. He also explains that it is far more advantageous to monitor your own investments than to use a financial advisor. "No one is going to care about it as much as you, and no one is going to manage it for free." Here are a few of his pointers:

1. Only invest money you won't have to touch for many years. (and DEFINITELY invest in a Roth IRA annually. You can contribute as much as $5,000 yearly right now - that number can change year to year) - and when you retire, you can take it out without any tax penalties.
   
2. Buy low and sell high. (definitely worth watching the market to make sure you adhere to this one)
3. Diversify over time by not investing all at once.
4. For the most part, stick with it once you've purchased it.
   
5. Diversify over several stocks in different industries.
6. Ignore the noise. Stocks move up and down all the time, you are in it for the long haul.
7. Be wary of high-fliers and stocks that "everyone" likes. Chances are they're already "up," and it will be hard for it to continue to rise at the same rate.
   
8. Invest -- don't speculate. If you can afford the risk, it may reward you handsomely (ie: stocks). The risk is what totally freaks me out about investing....I like when the money goes up, but I hate when it goes down. Buy value and hold it.
9. Minimize your transaction costs. He's a big proponent for etrade. You can also do a lot of it online now, directly with the fund -- which also cuts down the transaction costs.

Ok - so there you have it! The book was very helpful, and I'm looking forward to letting my dad know that I finished reading it.

Shopping Hiatus & Running

I am just over 1.5 months into my self-imposed "shopping hiatus," and I'm happy to report that it's been a great experience. Since January 18, I haven't allowed myself to purchase anything outside of birthday presents for a handful of nieces/nephews, household "necessities" (ie: food, tp, etc.), and one pair of running shoes yesterday because my knees started to get that achy feeling when I know my shoes need to be replaced. I have felt good about not having as much of an urge to browse my fave shops online, or in the stores over the weekends - and as a result I'm sure I'm saving some dinero. I bought the running shoes yesterday, and there were so many cute spring-ish running clothes out there that I really wanted to buy!!!! I even tried stuff on. I managed (somehow?) to walk out without anything but the needed new running shoes, but now I'm craving some new workout stuff!







As good as I feel about the hiatus, I'm already looking forward to April 4 -- Easter -- the end of lent, when this 2.5 month shopping embargo will end. My birthday actually takes place during the freeze, and I've told SB that will mean no presents for me this year......well at least not till April 4 ;)

More puppy eye-candy

Here's one more shot from our day at the breeder's.

It's feeding time for the chocolate labbies!! I love how some of them put their whole body in the bowl, and some of them could barely find it. They were just so, so cute!

Health Magazine

I found this little survey in the March edition of Health Magazine (somehow I got a free subscription to it...it's a good little mag). Anyways, I thought I'd give this a whirl:

My favorite home-cooked meal: Grilled steak, baked potato, yummy salad......or anytime I try a new recipe and it actually works!!!

Three things always in my pantry: Peanut butter, chocolate, olive oil (in order of importance)

The single best thing about working out is.... the way it makes me feel -- happy, sweaty, and fulfilled.

The body part(s) I like the most are my.... shoulders (is that weird?)

My go-to at-home spa treatment: pedicure....it's not nearly as good as the real spa version, but it will get me by in a pinch!

Whenever I'm nervous, I psych myself up by... Probably with some combination of going for a run, cuddling my dog, and talking through everything with my husband, my parents, and my sister.

If I could change one thing about the world... I would end war altogether.

My best quality: I like to think I'm a kind person.

I wish I had more time for: travel (there's never enough time to visit all of our friends and family members who are spread out across the country)

My happy-life motto: All you can do is the best you can. My dad used to remind me of that all the time before tennis matches, big tests, you name it....and it's true.

Is it just me...

...or is anyone else experiencing issues with their cotton knits and front-loading washing machines? I keep finding tiny little holes in my cotton t's -- always in the bottom middle of the front of the shirt. It is so strange, and incredibly annoying! It's as if I have cotton-eating moths....but those don't exist as far as I know. I googled the issue, and have found a few forums with people who have experienced the same problem. Some say it's the motion of the front-loading washing machine, some say it's the detergent used in those washing machines.......but there isn't really a resolution for the issue. So! please let me know if you have any ideas on what I should do to avoid getting the little holes! I have started sewing them together, but who knows how long that quick fix will last...

Athens, GA Restaurant Recommendations

Usually when we visit SB's hometown of Athens, GA I give him free reign to pick every restaurant we go to because it's "his city." That means that we typically visit Willy's, Zaxby's, some kind of Southern country cooking place, and a few biscuit joints (which also means that I pack on a few lbs!). Well, fortunately when we were there last week, he'd actually been there just the week before and he'd already hit up all of his standard places......so this time we expanded our repertoire! SB did a little research, and picked out a few places just for little ol' me! If you live in the area, or ever travel to Athens, GA - you have to try one of these:

Taqueria del Sol -- The original Taqueria is in Atlanta (there are actually a couple there now), and this one is just as delicious! We used to go there all the time because it was so close to our Atlanta office. I absolutely love their memphis tacos, shrimp corn chowder and sweet tea. They are sooooo to die for. And if you're in the mood for queso, theirs is the best. The atmosphere is casual, and the prices are super good for the high quality of food they serve.

Last Resort Grill -- This place is beyond amazing. I could seriously eat there every day of the week, and I could have something different each time (if I weren't totally and completely in love with the chicken tortilla salad). We went there twice for lunch in the five days that we were in Athens....it was that good. Between the two of us we tried the chicken tortilla salad, tomato basil soup, corn chowder, enchiladas, and 'oscar blow' sandwich. Everything was outstanding.

Puppy News!

SB and I are home, safe and sound. Thanks so much for your sweet comments - you guys are the best. SB's stepmother died after a long battle with lung cancer. The funeral and burial were both beautiful, and I'm glad that we traveled out there to be with SB's family (plus the 10 hour drive actually went by in a snap with a fun new playlist....well that and a Waffle House visit, McDonalds egg mcmuffin, a quick run around the Chattahoochee River trail in Atlanta on the way down, and a 4:30am departure time!).

On a happier note, we drove to Augusta, MO today to pick out our pup! It was so much fun to see the tiny baby labs. They make these little peeping sounds, and squirm all about as they can't walk just yet. They were born February 26, just eight days ago...and they are getting cuter and cuter by the day. There was also a new litter of chocolate labs - and they were a few weeks older, and just as adorable as can be!I think we'll take this one!!
Look how little she is!She's already a big-time snuggler! Daisy sniffed us up and down when we got home. She could definitely tell that we had been around other puppies. She was very curious! Look at how roly poly she is!!! I love that round little belly!