stuff, things

1. I bought some fun camera-related stuff and tried to emulate Dooce with the ever-popular 'stuff on a dog' shots.

Lens filter that soothes my anxiety about scratching the glass:


Nifty lens pen that will clean both the filter and lens glass with ease:




2. Henry has an appointment for a second opinion next Monday. We are hoping for the best.

3. As if our $200 bill wasn't enough from our current vet, we received a notice in the mail that went something like this: "Thank you so much for paying us $200 of your hard-earned money. But, whoops! We forgot to add another $24 to your tab for the 'fecal flotation test.' Please send the additional fee asap. Yours truly, Rip Off Vet."

To say that Nate was a bit steamed is an understatement. Definitely the last straw and you might have heard things like, "Henry, I promise not to make you see that whore-of-a-vet anymore," and, "I'll float a piece of my own poop for them and ask for another $24 just for fun." I find the whole thing quite entertaining at this point but my husband does not see the humor just yet.

4. We ate some mighty fine grub this weekend. For instance, Saturday morning breakfast:

Cranberry and chocolate chunk scone from a local bakery. Mmmmmmm.

And breakfast Sunday morning:



Homemade cinnamon rolls that put Cinnabon to shame. Seriously, though. Mmmmmm.


5. REI dividends make us a happy family. Because Nate insists we use our REI card for everything we have $300 of free credit to spend as we please. The only reason I agree to this credit card use is because we don't carry a balance month-to-month and I enjoy free stuff just as much as the next person.

It's a weird in-between season time right now, so I only managed to spend a little bit of my half of the dividend. But a new pimp sports bra and camelback water bottle are enough to satisfy me at the moment. And what's that I see?

A new pair of running shoes [not from REI] that are non-Asics?!?! I feel so disloyal and yet rather excited for a new brand. We got fitted at Fleet Feet and this is what they suggested after watching me run on a treadmill with different shoes. Pretty sweet, huh?

------------updated at 5 pm sunday-----------------
Since getting the shoes on Saturday I've pounded out a total of 14 miles with these babies and I think I'll keep them. Breaking in running shoes is always a pain but I think I likey.



And Nate's cool new canteen water bottle makes him happy, too. I just think it's fun to photograph.

6. We are officially running in the STL half marathon next month. I never knew it was one of the largest halves in the nation with nearly 10,000 runners. Can't wait!

7. After I threw myself a pity party due to my lacking closet, I decided to treat my wardrobe with a new jacket from H&M. I love it. Collar popped:


And collar flipped down:


This one didn't get a new jacket but is obviously quite jealous anyway:



8. Am I the last blogger on the planet to give in to this?

I've withheld all this time because I really don't see how a book about vampires can be so fantastic. I admit, part of me wonders if this series can live up to the hype. I have Andrea to thank for lending me the first two books and she promises they will be worth my time. Let the addiction begin...

9. While stopping into PetSmart the other day we observed numerous excited dogs dropping bombs on the floor. Look left: dog pooping. Look right: owner cleaning up a different poop. It is always mad chaos in there.

This must have sparked a memory for Nate because he said, "It's like that time I took Henry to the groomers. I look over to see him shaking from fear, wracked with anxiety about seeing many strangers. But then I look a little closer and see he is assuming the position, dropping monster turds all over the floor. I'm sure the groomer thought we neglected to take Henry out for a whole week, considering how massive the poop turned out to be."

Does anyone else find this visual amusing? :)

10. It's 35 degrees and pouring down rain today, just like yesterday. Why do the weekends have to bring such crappy weather when Thursday and Friday boasted temps in the upper 50s with actual sunshine? Ugh. The only positive I can find: at least it's not snowing. And actually, the rain is washing away most of the snow we had....not all of it, but most of it. Please, Spring, please show your face.

---------updated at 5pm Sunday-----------
Never mind. I spoke too soon. The rain has officially turned into big fatty flakes of snow. You win, Mother Nature. I'm waving my white flag.

just for those google readers...

Here is a new post to let you know:

Keri's scans were clean! Whoo hoo.

Updated post below.

Carry on....

prayers please

It's been awhile since I posted about Keri, probably because she is doing so fabulous these days. She moved back home to Indiana, found an awesome new job and is kinda/sorta dating a new boy [but just don't call him her 'boyfriend', okay?] But I'm going to ask everyone to pray hard for our girl on Friday.

Keri is back in Kansas for her first full body scan. They are looking to see if the cancer is still gone and although Keri feels very positive that she is still cancer-free, it's obviously rather nerve wracking. As I told her, if she weren't freaking out just a little bit she wouldn't be normal. She has her scan at about 9 am and will get the results later in the day....when I hear from her I will update this post. But until then, pray your faces off!!

Also, March 14 marks exactly one year since she was diagnosed. One whole year, can you believe it? In some ways that seems like yesterday to me and in others it's like a lifetime ago---so much can happen in 365 days, you know?

If you haven't read about her full story, here was the first post I made almost a year ago. I realize my pictures have gotten blurry and disgusting, but Shutterfly must have eaten them. This one sums everything up nicely, too, and the picture still works.

And here are all of her tagged posts.

She keeps a Caring Bridge journal and would love to hear from some of you ladies if you have the time. You can always leave her a little love right here, too.

And just because I'm sneaky I pulled this recent picture off Facebook so you can see how adorable her brunette pixie haircut is. Not to mention her perfectly perky boobies....I'm only slightly jealous:)So yeah, pray away. I'll update this once I hear that all is well.

__________________________UPDATED at 5:20 Friday night_____________

All is well!!!!

I got a text message that the scans were clean and I also talked to her on the phone. She sounds SUPER relieved. Whew. The prayers worked, thanks you guys!

She'll go back in 4 months and then again 4 months after that....it's so frequent because the cancer was so aggressive. But she says she feels better going in often to check it out instead of having to worry about it for a whole year at a time.

Thank goodness! Now go and enjoy your weekend just like Keri plans to do in her 85 degree Kansas weather. I thought our 55 degrees was heaven sent...but now I'm supremely jealous of her summer climate. I'm afraid to even look at St. Louis' forecast but it can't be over 85 down there, can it? :)