Q Tip

A while back, it was raining for many days straight. My poor Charley was going crazy all cooped up, with nothing to do. So, I decided to take him on a "field trip" to Petsmart for a walk, some socialization, and a new toy! Off we went in the car to Petsmart, and when we got there, we ran in and started to walk around the store. First we looked at dog conditioner (Charley's velcro fur), and then tried some hats on, and finally we got to the toy isle. I don't know what I had in my hand and was reading, but all of a sudden, Charley stuck his face deep into a floor level toy bin. He dug around in there for a while and then pulled out this giant stuffed stick thing with two oblong balls on each end! He then, turned around with it in his mouth still, and headed down the isle to check out! So, I put the toy down I had, and we went to the check out while Charley carried this thing! He was quite the sight for the people in line, and held on to this toy the whole time we were waiting. I was standing in line, hoping this thing didn't cost a lot of money! It was only $8 (phew!), and we headed home to play with it. Driving home, I just couldn't explain what it was that Charley just bought, and finally when Robb saw it, he said "it's a Q-tip!" It certainly was! From then until now (it's shredded), the Q-tip was one of Charley's favorite toys!

My Second Engagement Ring

I am truly the luckiest girl in the whole world. Not only am I about to marry the man of my dreams, I got TWO engagement rings. In addition to my special handmade copper ring that Robb proposed with, I just got this beautiful tension set ring! I love jewelry and jewelry design, so when I first started dreaming of a ring, I stumbled upon tension settings and fell in love. I have wanted this ring for as long as I remember, and nothing else ever came close. This ring is designed by Gelin Abaci, and is style TR-182. A wonderful shop in Ithaca, NY, The Jewelbox helped Robb with his order. They were absolutely wonderful to work with, and I just can't say enough good about them!



What is so special about this ring, is that the center and side diamonds are set without prongs, and are held in place by 65-95lbs of pressure. They are known to be held more secure than traditional prong settings. The beauty of the setting makes it possible for the most light to surround and pass through the stones, making it extremely sparkly!
Side view of ring you can see how there is no metal underneath the diamond. I just can't believe I'm actually wearing it on my finger!!! It doesn't seem real to actually own this ring. Here's the top view. I love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, my ring! (AND Robb too :o)

I said YES!

The most wonderful thing is going to happen in our lives! We're getting MARRIED!

Here's how Robb proposed...and of course, I said, "YES!"

I had wanted to go to the art museum's lagoon to see the blooming trees on Mother's Day, but we didn't have enough time. Robb suggested that we go on Monday after work to take a walk with Charley. (Isn't he just too cute?!)So, Monday, May 9th, we headed down to the museum on this beautiful sunny day to take a look at the trees. I was walking around, taking pictures of the trees, when we reached the far end of the lagoon. Robb told me to look at this random statue, and while I was staring at it, trying to figure out why he told me to look, I heard him say, "Hey Baby..." I turned around to see Robb on his knee telling me how much he loves me and asking me to marry him. Everything just became a blur, and I said, "YES!" Then he slipped a beautiful handmade-by-him copper ring onto my finger. I cried a little bit, we hugged and kissed, savored the moment, and continued on our walk. He kept the surprises going by telling me that he had booked our ceremony and reception sites that we'd always wanted! He knew that we wanted to get married in the fall, so we are all set up for October 15, 2011! He is the most wonderful guy!

I love that we now have a special spot to visit to celebrate such a special day for years to come. Now the pretty blooming spring trees will always remind me of the day Robb asked me to become his wife! (It's so exciting to say that! :o)See, that's the spot!When we got home, we picked up one of our favorite meals, Dino's chicken picatta, homemade cavitellis, and their fabulous WEDDING SOUP! How perfect!

My diamond ring is in the process of being made, and will be here soon, but Robb didn't want to wait any longer. This June, we planned our first camping trip with Charley to go down to Hocking Hills to celebrate! I love my beautiful ring, and had just the most perfect nail polish to go with it! Traffic Stopper Copper!

My Chocolate Birthday Cake!

Robb made me this DELICIOUS Hershey's Chocolate Birthday cake! I have a Hershey's cookbook with this recipe for chocolate cake, and it was amazing! I've never had such a moist, thouroughly chocolatey, yummy cake!The house smelled SO good while it was baking!
Here we are lighting my "30" candles!He decorated it so pretty! I love my sprinkles!
Click on this picture to enlarge. Bet you get some chocolate cake tonight!

Oh my gosh! I want to make it again! Thanks for the cake Honey!

Mystery in the Woods

So one day we were hiking through Penitentiary Glen, and stumbled upon these HUGE footprints! We followed them through the woods for a very long time. They never flew, sometimes walked in circles, and eventually disappeared. It was a mystery for us for a long time, and then we finally figured it out!

Can you guess what bird made these?A turkey! Oh yeah, that reminds me of Thanksgiving. Another time...

Charley's Friend

It makes me happy to know that the dogs who knew Koby, get to know Charley. Somehow, I feel that they are able to tell Charley about him, in dog language. It makes me feel good to know the things that Koby taught other dogs about being a good puppy, can now be passed on to Charley. Charley and Koby were supposed to be brother some day, so in this small way, they are. This is Victor. He's our neighbor's Leader Dog in training puppy, and knew Koby when he was a baby. Charley and Victor are now friends and like to cuddle up in this little dog bed. Linda said they slept the afternoon away together.

Jill- Did you get it?

THE RECIPE??? I'm dying, and this is the picture that started it all!!!! XOXO.