Our Shadow is Sick =(

We have been dealing with some sad issues and ask for any prayers and good thoughts you'd like to send our way. Shadow has been pretty sick and despite numerous tests, the reason is yet to be determined. We have pretty much ruled out everything except cancer. Not cool; I am devastated because I honestly thought he'd live forever. I am trying to come to terms with this but it is very hard for me. He is too old to really get extensive on any type of treatment and sedation isn't really all that safe for a cat of 15 either (he'll be 15 in September). We are hoping for the best and are giving him all the loving he can stand. He is still in good spirits but is very thin and jumping and walking is getting harder for him. =( He is my best friend and little boy all in one; he has been through every major stage in my life and has been there for me in ways he will never ever know. I am really at a loss for what to do at this point but am trying to stay strong.

Please send out some good vibes. =) I want him to enjoy all the life he has to live and will be taking so many pictures that he may go blind before I'm through. He'll be good and when it's his time, it's just his time.

I guess... =(

We love you Shadow. =)

Almost-a-Month Ridiculousness

Yes... yes. It HAS been a whole flippin' month since I have posted. This is a sad sad fact and one I am definitely not proud of. Don't feel blue though; I have neglected my crocheting as well. Oh, and everything else except eating, sleeping, and breathing. =)

Whew. School. Oh, school. We are one full year into this Master's and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the second full year. Ha! We have a year and a half left and are chuggin' right along. Besides our severely depleted social life, we are doing just fine and enjoying married life as much as our breaths between class work will allow.

I have some photos to share and am working hard to get these web-ready... bluebonnets, clouds, wildflowers, and much much more! Coming soon... seriously. =)

Thank you for your kindness and continued patience with my scatterbrain and increasingly ridiculous schedule.

On Break!!!

You'll see a lot of my "delayed posts" coming at cha this week. We're out of class for a week and I'm ready to get caught up with my fun projects! AND! I am going to attempt to stay on top this time around... again. =)

Hang in there Auntie Lynn!

Aunt Lynn is recovering well. Keep it up Aunt Lynn! You sound like you're getting better every day. Keep taking it easy while having some fun as much as possible... cautious fun!

WE LOVE YOU! I can't wait to come visit. We'll see you very soon! MUAH!

Absolutely In-Sync

Jonathan and I really get each other and have fun no matter what we're doing. We are totally on the same level.

And to prove this point downright, our recent test scores showed this in a freaky way. We took the first final in our Master's program last night. It was a timed exam and was pretty darn intensive. We're in the same class but weren't even able to help each other as we had to focus on our own. The tests given are different so there's no way to be dishonest. Good thing because we made the exact same score!!!! I don't know how the heck that happens but I am glad we weren't "able" to cheat because if it had been possible, no one would have ever believed we didn't copy each other.

We are just on the same level and this proved in a freakish way. Hehe. We had our backs hunched and turned opposite from each other (as this is how our desks are positioned) and we went at it for 3 hours without really saying a word to the other. And then... the same score...

FREAKY!

Frikin' Weird...

The dream I had today was WEIRD! I got up pretty early and did some volunteering for work. When I got home, I did some reading and then feel asleep on the couch. This is something I usually don't do on the weekends or when I can help it. Naps just aren't for me but today it seemed necessary. Unfortunately though, I had the weirdest and somewhat scariest dream I've had in awhile.

I was in the middle of the ghetto and was driving through the streets of a bad neighborhood trying to find my way out... this part relates to my life because I found myself in a similar situation a few weeks ago. The dream was a totally different level of ghetto, but the idea related back to the particular instance nonetheless. All of a sudden the dream turned sour and it was obvious I had been seen by some creepsters. Something happened and I knew I was being chased. I ran and ran and found myself running towards an elevator. I thought I had outrun the bad guys and was in the clear. For some reason, at this point I was asking someone about the elevator and they said it was the right one. As I got to the elevator it looked weird; the door closed and I realized itwasn't really an elevator but a room with a TV. And the elevator buttons weren't elevator buttons at all, they worked a TV! At this point, I was scared and knew things weren't looking good. I tried to open the door and was relieved to find that I hadn't been locked in but as I looked out the door, I knew I was in danger and that trying to leave would mean trouble. Then as I shut the door, a window was suddenly behind me and I was thinking about jumping through it. I had one thought that there was no way I could jump, but then thought that it may be my only chance. I told myself that I was doing it and to not think but to just DO! And so I did. I jumped through shattering the glass along the way (obviously) and tried to roll as I fell. I did pretty good and started running away. If there was more, I don't remember it...

It seems as though I escaped... HOORAY!

=)

Forgetting Something?

Well, I sure feel like I am... I don't know what it is but I feel like I am forgetting something!

Our Garden... Downsized

We lost a few guys and gals in the freaky freezes we had. We still miss them very much but are trying to move on. It took me forever to get outside to repot and rearrange and it was just as sad as I knew it would be!

None the less, we'll have some new additions soon enough. For now, here's a look into our potted garden. =)

Have a beautiful day, week, and beginning of Spring!!! Go out and have some fun!

Time Gremlin Shenanigans

You know what I'm talking about; all those times when you have wondered where the heck the time went... well, it's not just a coincidence. I'm sure it's not always the Time Gremlin's doing but I know for sure that the hour and a half from 4:30 to 6:00 is the Time Gremlin's favorite part of the day to steal my time and if you're not careful, he'll get yours too!

Here's a little rhyme I created to remember the Gremlin's mischief... "The Time Gremlin is always near while you're having your times of fun, but then you must be cautious as these are the times his deed will be done."

Keep an eye out for the Time Gremlin; he'll get your time when you least expect it!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY Y'ALL!

These are some shots from our clover patch last year... they did not make it but there will be more in our garden soon! It was sad when they died; it was like a little piece of my heart went with them. =(

Enjoy the day. Wear some green and show your support. And for the love, HAVE SOME FUN! =)

Good Luck Aunt Lynn!

Aunt Lynn,

Our prayers and love are with you and we'll be thinking of you all day. Don't worry about a thing; just take it easy and know we're there with you. =)

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Our 1st Snow Man!

We had snow on February 23rd and it was the coolest thing ever. We don't get to experience snow and when we do, it barely touches the ground. This was a VERY rare occasion and one I'll never forget. Jonathan and I got to build our first snow man together. Actually, we built snow men. =) Sorry, some of the photos are a bit dark; I was trying to hurry and just wanted to play in the snow!

It was crazy windy...

Myself and most of my coworkers prayed throughout the day but we still ended up having to finish out the work day. I had a feeling we wouldn't get 2 miracles in one day so I hauled butt home at 11:00am and rushed to have some fun in the snow before having to give in to the woes of work. Hehe. The above snowmen were the product of some hard work, good gloves, and lots of laughs.

This is what I saw when I got to my car outside work... of course, I added my own special touch.

And this is what I saw from my apartment when running back to my car to make in back to work in time... it was just BEAUTIFUL and an absolute sight to see!!!!

A Shadow in the Sun

Photo-A-day: Shadow enjoying a morning nap in the sun.

© 2010 Amy Yeilding

The kitties love to lay in the sun. Shadow loves to lay under the living room windows and nap in the warmth of the sunlight. Occasionally he'll look up and watch the birds before resuming his cat nap. =) He's such a sweetie.

Miss Dixie

Photo-A-Day: Sweet Dixie posin' for some quick shots...

© 2010 Amy Yeilding

We dog-sat a few weeks ago and little Dixie was as sweet as could be. She was a good little house guest and an even better model! Our good friend Chris went to New York to visit family and we had the pleasure of keeping Dixie company. She actually bonded with Jefferson and Peaches by the end of it, though Shadow was still having nothing to do with it. Chris house-sat for us while we were on our honeymoon so the cats and Dixie had a chance to get to know one another. By the next visit, I think Jefferson, Peaches and Dixie will be ready to play! Shadow is the only kitty that has had some rough encounters with dogs and in his wisdom he just cannot forgive and forget. =)

SunChips... They're Way Cool!

I want to give a big thanks to SunChips... not only are their commercials super neat and their product an amazing contribution to our world, but they are super kind and supportive of their customers as well!

SunChips replied to my previous post discussing their awesome compostable bags and way-cool commercial. They thanked me for my post and welcomed me to check out more info on their website. Thank you SunChips! The follow up was truly touching and really goes to show how committed they are to their customers, their product and our world in general.

Their website is: http://www.sunchips.com/. Also friend them on Facebook! Check 'em out. SunChips offer a tasty, environmentally-friendly product and are owned and operated by some pretty cool folks.

What a Time for Vacation, Dad!

My Dad is chillin' in New Zealand. Of course he'd go right before a massive earthquake was to hit Chile and threaten Tsunamis for Hawaii, Ecuador, Colombia, Antarctica, all of Central America, French Polynesia, AND New Zealand.

Craziness.

Dad and Cindy are enjoying themselves and having an absolute blast. I cannot wait to see pictures and hear the stories of awesomeness.

(Photo: http://www.johnb.co.nz/hiking_new_zealand.jpg)

=) Have fun every second and have safe journeys home y'all. =)

Rock on SunChips, ROCK ON!!!

This is an excellent commercial from beginning to end. Not only is the commercial whimsical and creative but the product is equally as awesome. SunChips are awesome and have been a favorite chip of mine since I was a kiddo. And now... they're using compostable packaging!!! What a contribution to our society and world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We appreciate you SunChips!!!

Chugging Along on the Crochet Train

Crochet and I are still trying to work things out. =) I figured out how to make ball shapes and made my bro-in-law a hacky sack for his birthday. I did pretty well crocheting it but not so much in actually stuffing it. I am still perfecting the technique and envision a gazillion more hacky sacks in my future before I get just the right one.

PHOTO-A-DAY-HOORAY #4 - My second crochet project: a hacky sack for my bro-in-law

After stuffing it with rice-filled pantyhose.

It still has the line marker attached...

It still has a tail!

And perfecto!

Hooray!

A special thanks goes to the maker of the video that made it possible for me to learn this! Thanks a bunch Jan (WireMySoul)! The videos are very informative and easy to understand. Jan's videos can be found here.

I used a video for something else as a starting point and mixed in some different suggestions for the actual stuffing. Rice is an easy and cheap alternative to specific materials but I do suggest using pantyhose as a barrier for both. The crocheting will ware down eventually and the insides will start coming out if there isn't another layer like pantyhose.

Also, as I learned the hard way, don't over stuff them; they're a bit too bouncy and the purpose is somewhat defeated. =)

Obviously I'm Back in Class...

I am ridiculous. I know I need to post the gazillion Photo-A-Day-Hoorays I have yet to get to. I also have a few things to discuss but haven't been able to get on until homework was complete... so, here I am!

This class has been rough in the sense of workload. The work isn't all that difficult but the class structure is different and the amount of participation has tripled. It is comparable to the wretched statistics class we just completed; the stats class was just plain hard but we didn't have as much work to do.

I think of my 'tude every night and mourn the time I am away. =( I am still trying to get better with posting consistently. I am a work in progress. =)

A Day I Will Never Forget

February 18, 2010 - the day Austin, Texas and the United States experienced its second terrorist attack by plane. This form of terrorism, however, was homegrown and way too close to home for me! I know I will never forget where I was the day sicko Joe Stack flew his personal plane into the IRS building that resides in the city I have come to know and love.

I don't care your reasoning or how wronged you feel you've been, the selfishness it takes to risk the life of anyone is indescribable and just sick. I am still shocked at the events that unfolded today. I just can't get over the ridiculousness that was this man; a frikin' idiot and what good did it do?

My prayers go out to the families and those missing and injured.

The letter the creep left can be found here. The sickos' website was this (you can go there but it is disabled with links that will lead you to here).