I never ever make New Year's Resolutions. I did once when I was a teenager and it didn't last so I never did it again. I'm not sure this is so much a new years resolution as it is...just a few things that I/we want to change and now seemed as good a time as any!!!

We have decided as a couple we are going to make a very conscious effort to save a certain amount of money out of each paycheck. Most of the money goes towards bills each week (as it does for everyone!!!!) so it's hard to save but we are going to do that this year. We really need a new mattress (this one is killing our backs) and we'd like a new couch....so we decided that we are going to save a little money out of each paycheck so we can buy these things. So that will be a fun challenge I think!!!

I have decided to really concentrate on my weight this year. With this firefighting I am seeing just how out of shape I really am. I bought one of those "Leslie Sansone" workout videos and have been doing that and love it so far. So hopefully I can keep up with working on that, too.

And I just want to be nicer overall to people. I definitely have a mean streak. My tongue has been my biggest downfall for a loooong time and I really want to work on controlling that and my attitude and just finding the good in stuff instead of always looking at the bad. It's so easy to find the negative in stuff and let's just face it....who wants to hang around someone who's always negative...I sure don't! I jokingly say that if I don't have anything to be stressed about...I find something and I want to change that. I just want to find the positive in everything instead of focusing on the negative.

There is definitely more but I will start with this stuff!

Looking forward to just relaxing and hanging out with my awesome family tonight.

Alright. I am officially off for the next 18 days (except one day my boss needs me to come in)and I am thrilled because I will be able to devote almost all of my time to studying for these finals. I'm starting to get very emotional about it because I'm feeling overwhelmed. This is something I have wanted to do for so long and if I fail I am going to be devastated. I mean...the worst that can happen if I fail is I just take the class all over again...honestly not a bad thing. But I would really like to pass so I can possibly get a job with an ambulance service and actually be getting paid to do something I love! That's the goal. Even if I do fail...it was definitely not time wasted cause I have learned SO much in this class. I'm just really bad at tests cause I freeze up. So....we'll see. Either way....by the end of January I will be finished with this class. I don't want it to end cause I have enjoyed every second of it. I have a wonderful set of instructors and great classmates. Other than driving 45 minutes, one way, twice a week....I will miss this class!!
I guess that's all I have to write about tonight. I'm about to go to class and I have 2 quizzes waiting for me there so I'm feeling apprehensive and find that writing on my blog is very theraputic! So....thanks for listening....(if anyone is actually reading this!! haha!)
Going to my brother's house for New Year's Eve. That will be a very welcome distraction. I need to just relax and do something fun for a bit. So I'm looking forward to that and to seeing my parents and my siblings and their spouses and kids. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Well first of all....today was my last day of work for 1 week!! Then I go back for one day....and I'm off for 2 weeks!! I'm so excited! That will give me PLENTY of time to study study study! I have 3 final exams in January. One each week for the first 3 weeks. Needless to say...I will be relieved when they are over....but on the other hand...I do not want this class to end. I have absolutely LOVED it!!
I have been looking for a good hair salon for a while now. I was going to Mastercuts in the mall for a couple years and they were fine. They were cheap....and they did a good job for the most part. But the last few times they have just done a horrible job. A few weeks ago one of my friends posted on facebook about her salon so I tried it out.....and LOVED IT!!! I will definitely continue to go back there. It was 2x what I pay at Mastercuts but worth every penny. She treated me like a queen from the moment I walked in the door. And it was so nice because she asked me what I wanted done with my hair and actually sat there and listened while I told her!! And she did exactly what I asked for! While I was waiting for my turn (which was only about 2 minutes...literally) I was gonna grab a cup of coffee but the coffee pot was so fancy I didn't know how to use it!! (leave it to me...I tell ya!!!) I thought....not a big deal...I'll just stop at Tim Hortons on the way home. Well as she was cutting my hair I told her that this was just a wonderful place. She asked me if I got any coffee and I kind of giggled and very embarassed told her I couldn't figure out how to use it. So she went over and got me some and brought it over for me to drink! I just thought that was so sweet!!! Anyway...it was just a great experience from start to finish. I feel very uncomfortable being pampered but I just sat back and enjoyed it and let me tell you....it was WONDERFUL!!!! Since I don't exactly weigh what I should I'm not going to post a picture but she did a great job!!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Enjoy your time with your family and friends. That is the best part about the holidays. Tomorrow night we are getting together with Sam's side of the family. We always have a great time so we are looking forward to that. And on Christmas morning I always make a huge breakfast for us. We have done that ever since our first Christmas together. Just a small tradition that we enjoy. Then in the afternoon, everyone who can (which I don't think will be many) are going over to my parents to eat and just relax and spend time together. So that will be nice too.

My new niece is here!! Hooray!!

Ahhhh!! I can't keep it in any longer!! I have wanted to post on facebook all day that my brother and his wifey are having their baby today but I did not want to ruin it for my sis-in-law...I wanted her to be able to make the announcement (it IS her news!! lol) so I was good and kept my mouth shut on there!!! I am hoping I'm safe to post it on here because not many people actually read this and I'm just too excited not to write it somewhere!!! lol!!!

They had a little girl tonight. This is their 3rd child. Her name is Addison Marie (we will call her Addie) I don't have much other info!!! But the important part is....she is here!!!

I've been thinking today....nothing like a week of extreme high and extreme low!! My aunt died suddenly this past Saturday at 46 years old and a brand new baby in the family not even a week later! We really really really needed this precious little blessing right now. Little did we know 9 months ago that she would come at a perfect time just when we all needed to smile! God is good!

Off to start my 3 day weekend!! That's right.....3 DAY WEEKEND!!! WOOHOO!!!

Well it's snowing again. Not complaining because we have been very lucky so far this winter. But boy....every year I hate the cold and snow more and more. My whole body just hurts in this weather. I know that makes me sound like a granny but it's true!! Already looking forward to spring!!!
My mom's little sister, Aunt Nancy, died Saturday morning. She was only 46 and had a heart attack. It was so sudden that it just kind of shocked us all. My mom had just talked to her on the phone not even 12 hours before she died and she was happy and fine. This was definitely a reminder that we are not promised tomorrow. It really makes you think twice about where your priorites are and what is really important in life.
I can't believe Christmas is next week already. It does not seem like it at all. I am just not into all the hype this year which is so not like me. Normally I love it. But just not this year. I am excited that Sam and I are both off for Christmas so we will be able to spend the day together.
About 5 more weeks left in my EMT class. I can't believe how fast that went! It has been an extremely difficult class. I love it. But it has been very time consuming and very hard. Thankfully my boss gave me a couple weeks off at the beginning of January so I can really really really completely concentrate on studying for my final exams. I'm really nervous about them cause I just freeze up when it comes to tests, unfortunately. So...we'll see. But I'm really enjoying it and I'm giving my best.
Well I'd better sign off. Sam should be home soon.
Hope everyone has a good rest of the week. Give your loved ones and extra tight hug tonight and let those that you love....know that you love them.

I love Thursday evenings cause "The Office" is on which is my all time favorite show so I look forward to that every week. Plus Thursday means that Friday is just around the corner!!! I love the weekends because that is 2 whole days that I get to spend with my honey. We don't really get to see each other that much during the week it seems because as soon as he gets home from work on Mondays and Wednesdays I have to leave for class so it's literally a kiss hi and a kiss goodbye and I don't get home from class till almost midnight so by then he's usually asleep. And other nights he has either work or meetings at the fire hall, etc. So all that to say...we thoroughly enjoy the weekends for that reason.
I can't believe we are already into December. Next weekend is our company Christmas party. I'm looking forward to that. We had a great time last year. Our boss takes us all to a very fancy restaurant and lets us order whatever we want (plus dessert!! Although by the time dessert comes around no one is hungry so he encourages us to order it to take home for later!! yum) Then they give us presents and a Christmas bonus and all that good stuff. So it's a really fun time. I am looking forward to it cause I could really use a "de-stresser" right about now.
I've been realizing more and more just how blessed I am to have Sam in my life. I have been going through somewhat of a rough patch. Most people know the situation but it amazes me how people can be so thoughtless and heartless. It hurts me and makes me angry all at the same time but I try to remind myself that I have hurt many people in my 32 years of life so I can't expect any different coming back to me. (whether it's on purpose or not) I have never felt so alone as I have these past few months but Sam has been here for me through all the different moods and emotions that I have been feeling. He has just been there for me and loved me through it all. This is something that I just need to come to terms with and I will. Eventually. But he has been a wonderful source of support for me and I am really greatful for that. I don't know what I would do without him. I really don't. I love him and am so thankful to have him in my life.
Well off to bed. Back to work in the morning.

Wow! Well I guess it's been a while since I've updated my blog. Just don't have enough time or enough to write about to be honest! :) Oh well.
Well my EMT class is going great. Love love love it! I went to ECMC (for those of you who don't live around here it's a hospital that specializes in trauma, burn, rehabilitation and cardiac care) I was really dreading it cause I just wasn't sure of what I would see but let me tell you....it was awesome!!! Loved it!!! I did see some disturbing stuff but it's all part of the job. I had a great time and learned alot. I missed a class about 2 weeks ago so as my "penalty" I had to write a 3 page paper on "strokes". I didn't know anything at all about strokes but I just wrote about what I learned in class and what I learned from my textbook. Well I turned it in for the next class and was really embarassed about it cause I just knew that the instructor would think it was humerous since I knew so little about the subject. Well he wrote me a note telling me that was the best paper he ever read on "strokes" and that with my permission he was going to use it from here on out in all his classes when he teaches on strokes!! I couldn't believe it!!! He read it in front of my class and told the story and everyone clapped & cheered and of course my face was 3 different shades of red...haha!! I was so embarassed but so extremely proud at the same time. It boosted my confidence just a bit. And also we recently had our midterm exam for the class. There were 110 questions and I got a 100% so that was really exciting cause I studied so hard for it. I know that probably sounded braggy but I had to share cause it was exciting to me and since this is my blog...I can write whatever I want!!!! :) I still have so much to learn and compared to what I need to know, I don't know much at all but I am learning and I am loving it. Just trying to get as much hands on experience as I possibly can. Luckily I have an awesome group of teachers who are willing to take the extra time to help anyone who wants help. They have made themselves available just about any time and that makes this whole process so much easier.
So anyway....that's about it. Sam's work has been steady, thankfully. So between that and the fire hall he's been keeping very very busy but it's a good busy. My job is going okay. Everyone seems to be sick right now and since I work in a pharmacy....that keeps us in business!!! My boss has been wonderful about my work schedule. I need lots of time to study and she has been extremely accomodating and for that I am very greatful because otherwise I would not be able to spend the time I do studying and doing the homework, etc. And Mogley....is just Mogley. Cutest dog in the world!! What can I say!!??
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and has a wonderful Christmas season.

Tomorrow is Sam's birthday. (38 years old!! Can't believe it!!) Anyway...today we went to Niagara Falls. It was really pretty but really cold and windy!! But we had a good day! Then afterwards we went to our favorite restaurant....Tully's. It was delicious and we had a great time!

Well we have a busy weekend ahead of us....kind of... and I'm not feeling good at all so it's just going to make it feel ever busier and more hectic! But before I forget I want to share this with you. After I got home from work yesterday I just started feeling lousy. So I layed down hoping to ward it off. Went to bed VERY early last night (8:30 maybe?) but anyways....I went to bed without cleaning the kitchen which for whatever reason...I cannot sleep if that room is not clean. Any other room can be cluttery but the kitchen has to be in order before I go to bed....but last night I didn't have the energy. Well....when I got up this morning, Sam had done all the dishes, cleaned the kitchen and took care of the garbage. That was such a wonderful wonderful surprise when I woke up this morning. Probably sounds silly but it meant the world to me and I really appreciate that.
Tonight I have to go to the Emergency room to "observe" for my EMT class. I am quite apprehensive about the whole thing. Not looking forward to it at all....in fact...been dreading it ever since I found out I have to do it. I'm hoping it goes well and goes fast and I don't pick up any weird sickness being there!! lol!! Anyway...my instructor is meeting me there tonight to get me settled in and introduce me to a few of the nurses which sounds silly but I really appreciate it cause he knows how nervous I am about this whole thing and that really made me feel alot better about the whole thing.
Sunday is Sam's birthday. Every birthday is bittersweet for him because 10 years ago (either 10 or 11 years ago...I'm not sure of the year) on his birthday he actually came home and found his mom dead. He did CPR on her but she was already gone. She had lung cancer but they didn't realize that she would be gone that fast. This year is especially hard for him because he told me that it happened on a Sunday and this year his birthday is on a Sunday so it kind of came full circle if that makes sense. For some reason he said that makes this year harder than the other years. My poor honey. I cannot even imagine that. I mean...it would be horrible...period...but on your birthday? Even way worse! So we are planning on celebrating (if I'm not too sick) his birthday tomorrow instead because he knows he will be grieving on Sunday.
Well...I guess I've written enough for now. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Beautiful Fall day!

Today was the perfect Fall day!! I wish I would have taken some pictures! The leaves are gorgeous!! Mostly orange and yellow. Half are still on the trees and half on the ground. So it's so pretty! Plus it was fairly warm today! Cool enough for a nice hooded sweatshirt but warm enough to be out to enjoy it!! It was just perfect!
I got a yummy and easy chili recipe from my mom yesterday and a delicious and very healthy recipe for pasta fagioli (can't remember how to spell it and don't feel like getting up) so I made a double batch of both today and once they are done simmering I will freeze most of them so we have plenty of quick and easy meals for later on!! Especially on days I have class...I just don't have time to cook between work and class so this way we will still have yummy healthy meals on those nights. Lots of work today but I'm glad I did it! The house smells sooo good!!
My foot is healing very nicely. It still hurts but I was told that it will take a while for it to heal but thankfully I can be up and about. I can go back to work and resume all my normal activities Monday so I'm glad for that!
Well...hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend!!!

Ouch!

Well I suppose it was bound to happen...I am SUCH a clutz!! Thursday night we got a 1st aid call. Sam and I were rushing out the door and I tripped over the computer cord and fell and landed on my foot (foot was sideways) I screamed and Sam said..."well we're not going on this call!" But stubborn me jumped up and said "it's okay" and we did. (in my defense...the nature of the call sounded like something I really wanted to see first hand especially since I'm taking my EMT class) My foot hurt at the call but I guess because of the adrenaline it wasn't horrible. I was okay till we got the patient to the ER and things had settled down a bit. Then I couldn't put any weight on it whatsoever. So last night I went for xrays to see what was going on and come to find out...I tore some ligaments in my foot. Fun fun. At least if it was broke they could have put a cast on it but I'm still thankful it isn't broke! Anyway...I have to stay off it for several days and Sam is taking very very good care of me!! I know it's not how he wanted to spend his weekend but I appreciate him taking care of me!! Oh! And my sis~in~law brought over some yummy homemade Fall cookies and a picture that my nephew colored. That was so sweet and brightened my whole day!
EMT class is going great. Having a really really hard time with the homework today but the worse that can happen I suppose is I will get them wrong and then learn from my mistakes! As long as I learn from them it's fine.
It looks so "fallish" out there today. So pretty! The trees on our street are so colorful right now (most of them) and it's beautiful!
Well...better get back to the homework!
Happy weekend everyone!

Good morning!

Well I got up waaaay too early this morning so I guess I'll update my blog! :)
Okay...not complaining cause I love Fall but it is COLD here this morning. (31 degrees if I remember correctly from the news) Brrr!! My body is not used to this yet!! Days like today I am so glad that I have an inside job!
Lets see...well I had my first "accident" (if you can even call it that) this week!! Sam has a BIG Chevy Crew Cab Duelly (no idea how to spell that) and I very rarely drive it for obvious reasons! It has those huge hips on it and it's easy to forget they are there...especially when you are used to driving a small vehicle. So...I pulled into work in the morning and forgot about those darn "hips" on the truck and I side swiped one of those yellow concrete poles that they have surrounding the utility pole. It did alot more damage than I would have thought it would. But it's not horrible (depending on wether you ask me....or Sam!!!) So needless to say...I was in the doghouse for a little while!! For those of you who do not know Sam...lucky for me he is a very laid back person! I felt so bad cause that truck is his "baby". Needless to say...I won't have to drive that to work anymore! I kept telling him it was way too big for me...guess now he really knows that! haha!
Lets see...work is going good for both of us. Flu season is in full swing so I'm getting coughed all over on a daily (more like minutely) basis! Lovely. Just lovely! :( I learned to cover my mouth when I cough when I was like 3. Not sure why grown adults don't feel as though that's necessary!! Not only that....DON'T stand face to face with me and cough in my face!! Yuk!! I have no problem jumping back and moving over so they know I did not appreciate it and do not want their germs. That's just nasty. Okay. That rant is over!
My EMT class is going GRRRRREAT!! Love love love love it!!! I'm so excited about this! Still have about 3 months of class left so I'm excited to see all the different things I will be learning.
Well I suppose I should get ready for work.
Happy Thursday everyone! :)

Just rambling!!! :)

Ha! 2 posts in one day!! I don't believe I've ever done that and probably will never do it again but I'm home sick and was ordered by my husband to rest on the couch (NO PROBLEM!! HA HA!!) So I'm rotating between studying for my EMT class and just playing around on the computer. Gotta say....today I have gotten pretty good at Super Mario Brothers!! :)

I forgot to post something really really sweet that Sam did for me recently. My washer and dryer are in our basement. Up until now they were just in a corner in the basement which was fine. Worked for me. But Sam was tinkering around in the basement the other day....I didn't think much of it cause he is constantly "tinkering" down there. (the man never sits still...which isn't a bad thing but I wish he would just relax sometimes!!! But to him....that is relaxing!!!) Anyway....after a while he told me to come down....that he had a surprise for me. Come to find out....he had built a wall down there (looks great!!) to seperate my washer/dryer from the rest of the basement so I could have my own little laundry room. He built shelving so I could store my detergent, clorox, etc and built a tabletop in the corner so I could put the clothes on there. Then he hung a nice bright light so I could see what I was doing and told me to pick out a rug at Walmart to finish it off. I just thought that was so sweet that he thought of that all on his own. I honestly never even complained about the laundry situation. I'm just happy to have one in the house so that was so unexpected and sweet of him!!! So I wanted to brag on him!!

Tomorrow if I feel better I'm going to pack away our summer clothes and pull out and wash our winter clothes which is so exciting cause that means that Fall is officially here!! Woohoo! I LOVE Fall!! Love it!! From the end of September through Christmas is just a wonderful time of year!!

Alright. Guess I'd better get back to studying. Not that I mind cause this class is awesome!! So much hands on!! I'm loving it so the studying is actually fun!! :)

Happy Anniversary Honey Bunny!

Today is our 8th anniversary! Woohoo!! I know 8 years isn't much but it's exciting to me! It has gone by sooooo fast! I'm so thankful for Sam. He is a wonderful husband and friend. He always puts my needs and wants above his own and lets just be honest here...he puts up with alot of mood swings! Poor guy! I'm excited to see what this next year brings for us.
On another note...my EMT class is going great!! I am loving it! It's alot harder and way more time consuming than I thought it would be but I don't care at all. It's an amazing class. I haven't been in quite a month yet and I still have SO much to learn but when I look back on what I knew 1 month ago compared to what I know now....it's so exciting!! I have great teachers so that really really helps too.
I think maybe Sam and I got food poisoning. Maybe. I'm not sure. But I came home from class tonight throwing up and feeling so weak and lousy and come to find out...Sam had come down with it while I was at class, too. Weird. That's what makes us think maybe it was the Chinese we ordered last night. :(
Anyway...just wanted to jump on here and update a bit. Hope everyone has a wonderful Fall. I love this time of year!!

Mogley Mogley Mogley!!

Okay this is not gonna sound as funny as it was but let me tell you....it was HILARIOUS!!!
I left work in the middle of the day to take Mogley out to go potty and stretch his little legs, etc. While I was home the UPS guy came and left a box on the porch. I did not open the door on purpose cause I didn't want Mogley biting him. (he's been known to do that!! lol) So I waited till he started driving away and opened the door. Well Mogley saw that as his chance to escape! He ran SO FAST towards the UPS truck which was, by now, down the street. He started running circles around the truck (while it was driving) Now for those of you who have never seen our dog, he is all of 13 pounds soaking wet so he's really small!! How he did not get run over....I'll never know! That in itself is a miracle!! I was running down the street frantically calling him but he was on a mission! When the UPS driver stopped, Mogley jumped in the truck with him and started kissing him!! Which...if you know Mogley that in itself would surprise you!! I thought I'd find him biting the poor guy!! lol! I really think he wanted to go for a ride...he LOVES rides! It was so stinkin funny!! I wish so much that I had a camcorder right then cause it was hilarious!!! I'm so glad he did not get run over. He must have thought he was in trouble because when I was carrying him home he was hanging onto me for dear life crying. I probably should have scolded him but I was laughing so hard I couldn't. So that was my excitement for the day!! So glad our little honey bunny is okay!! lol!!

Ahhh....I'm so happy that this is a long weekend!! It's been a tiring week!! But I started my EMT class on Wednesday night and it's going to be even better than I thought! I mean...I was excited before...but I'm even more excited now! We are each actually going to 2 different emergency rooms (all of us at seperate times) to get a little experience. I picked Suburban because it's close and ECMC because that will be a huge challenge for me and I want to prove to myself that I can do it. I'm working on the homework now, well RIGHT now I'm taking a break cause my brain was seriously starting to hurt. But it's great. On the homework it seems to be questions from all over the book so it's forcing me to flip back and forth and read everything so that's good. That's all reinforcement. This is going to be great!
Tomorrow we are going to Clarence Center Fire Hall as we do every year for Labor Day. It's always alot of fun and we see alot of people that we don't get to see much so I'm looking forward to that tomorrow. Then the rest of the weekend we are just going to relax!! Yay! We were supposed to go camping but we just changed our minds yesterday. I'm kind of relieved actually.
Let's see...what else...I guess that's all for now. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

Just updating my blog!

Nothing really new to report...just wanted to update everyone on how we are doing. Keeping busy busy busy. Sam's stomach has calmed down alot. He has been on Prilosec everyday which really seems to help and he cut out all pop. He has mainly been drinking only water and he's had no pain in a couple weeks. He's keeping very busy with work and the fire hall. Work for me is going alright. I'm getting switched back and forth from Clarence to Akron. I don't really mind. Change of scenery. Makes for more excitement I suppose!! Next Wednesday I start my EMT class!! I'm super super excited about it. I know it will be alot of work....alot of studying but it's something that I want to do so badly that I don't think it will be a burden. I'll be in class 2x a week till the end of January. But I'm really excited about it.
Mogley our little killer is doing great! He's got his days but don't we all!!?? He's such a little sweetheart. We are taking him camping with us Labor Day weekend if I can get off of work for it. Hopefully.... We'll see! Other than that...nothing else really going on but just wanted to say hi to everyone! :)

Allow me to brag on my hubby! :)

I am so proud of Sam for this. Saturday evening he went to fill my truck up with gas (which was so sweet of him...by the way!!! :) ) When he got back home....a car full of teenagers pulled in behind him. The driver got out and asked Sam for directions to Darien Lake. Sam said the driver was so drunk that he could hardly stand up. so Sam didn't really know what to do. So he gave him directions, then got in his truck and started following them. He called the cops and gave them the guys license plate number. At that time the cops told Sam to stop following him for his safety and that all the cops were in Corfu cause of the tornado so there wasn't much they could do. We were so mad about that. I mean this kid was clearly drunk and a danger to himself and others. About half an hour later Sam got a call from dispatch telling him that they had just arrested the driver and were taking him into custody. We were so glad and I am just so proud of my husband.

Avon

Well folks...I have joined the world of selling Avon. Let me rephrase that....I'm going to TRY and see how it goes! If I flop then at least I didn't lose anything...and if it works...it will give us some extra cash. I'm really excited about it. I have a website for it where you can actually just go on the website and order if you'd like and have the items shipped right to your house. No shipping fees. So if anyone is interested, the website is www.youravon.com/tvillafranca.

Ugh! How old am I really??? :0

Boy I must be getting old! I know 31 is not old but sometimes my body feels like it's 100 and today is one of those days! We had drill at the training tower last night. Live burn and that's always so much fun but it's also alot of work. I didn't even do much cause technically I'm not even in the class. I just go to watch so I know what to expect when I take the class but I lifted a couple bales of hay to put in the house to burn. I gotta tell you...I'm no farmer!! Those things were HEAVY!!! It was deceiving cause you think hay isn't heavy but holy cow! Heavy!! Then I planted myself by the door of the house so I could help them get the fire hose in or out...whatever they needed. I was sitting there and all of the sudden something scurried past my leg. I thought it was a chipmunk so I got all excited and thought he was so cute till I saw his tail...IT WAS A STINKIN RAT!!!! I thought I was gonna have a heart attack!! If I didn't have all my gear on (so I was totally protected from that horrible thing) I do think I would have passed out!! It was so gross!! Ugh!! Anyway...in spite of how my body feels today it was so much fun and a great experience! I'm really looking forward to taking that class as soon as my instructor teaches it again. He's the only one I'll take it with cause he is very very nice and patient and Lord knows that's what I need!!! :)
Tomorrow is the 4th of July. I love the 4th! So many festivities especially around Akron. We are a very small town but we definitely make the 4th of July a big deal! We celebrate for like 4 days. It's so fun! Tonight we have fireworks. Sam and I are taking either the firetruck or the ambulance for standby just in case anything goes wrong so we get front row seats!! I'm so excited!!!! :) Then tomorrow is the parade. Love parades! Love them!! Anyway...Happy 4th to everyone.
Oh! I almost forgot!!!! Today is one year since we got our little Mogley!!! What a wonderful dog he has been!! He's such a little joy! He definitely has his moments...like when he shredded our leather couch and shredded our leather seats in the back of my SUV, and when he bit our landlord in the knee and supposedly left fang marks!! :) He is a little sweetheart. Loves being with us. He has to be wherever we are. If we are cuddling on the couch he has to be right up on top of us between us. When we sleep he sleeps between us. He's so lovey dovey and we love it. So we are glad to have him!!

Kittens and snakes :) Oh my!

It's a very rainy day here so it's kind of a lazy day. That's nice every once in a while! Sam and Mogley are just chilling out watching tv today and I'm just cleaning and doing laundry and taking LOTS of breaks in between!! :)
We were gonna get a little tiny kitten this past week. This thing was absolutely adorable!! He is black and white so we named him Oreo. Cutest little kitten but we were laying in bed talking on Thursday night, the night before we were gonna bring him home, and Sam told me that he really really REALLY does not want to get this kitten! Now, for those of you who know Sam...he is very very laid back. He does not give his opinion very often! (of course....I give mine enough for the both of us! lol!! Not good!) He told me he hates cats and while Oreo will be cute for a few months, he will turn into a big cat and lets just face it...cats are not very lovey lovey!! They want you to feed them and change their litter box and leave them alone!! He had a good point and I really don't think it's wise to argue over something so silly so I was a good wifey and gave in!! lol! So we almost got a cat!! Maybe we'll get another dog instead. We really want to get a little playmate for Mogley so we'll see!!
Fire company is going great! We had auto extracation drill last Monday night and it was alot of fun. We used the jaws of life which I had never seen before so that was neat. It was alot to learn but very very interesting! While we were cutting the car, a SNAKE crawled out of it!! Ahhhh!!! I tried very hard to compose myself cause I'm a firefighter...I'm supposed to be tough! lol!! So as discreetly as possible I went over to our tool area and grabbed a big axe and carried it with me so I could take care of the snake if he decided to mess with me!! That didn't last long cause that axe was heavy but it was funny!
Anyway. Gonna sign off for now. Hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend!

Hi everyone! I just sat down at the library to update on here and about a million little kids just came swarming in! Okay maybe not quite a million but at least a thousand!!! :) They are so cute though! So if this post doesn't make sense...it's cause I'm very distracted! (it's so obvious I don't have kids right?! lol)
Anyway...nothing much new going on around here. Job is going good. Wish I could get a few more hours cause I love working over in our Clarence store. It's a whole different world over there. So enjoyable! Plus bonus...Sam comes to visit me every day when he gets out of work since it's right on his way home! So that is definitely a major added bonus! :) Definitely brightens the workday! Sam is doing great as well. Keeping busy with his job plus now that the weather is nice his detailing business is really picking up which is so exciting. It's something that he really enjoys doing...it's very relaxing to him and bonus...he makes money doing it so that's nice! Last weekend he detailed our landlords vehicle. It's an old classic car and he made it sparkle. Looks brand new! So he parked it in their driveway and the neighbor (who we have never met before then) came out and couldn't get over how nice the car looks. So he asked Sam to detail his vehicles for him. So the next morning Sam did one of the man's cars. The guy was very pleased and asked if Sam would do his other vehicle next weekend. So that is a huge blessing!
Things at the fire hall are going great. We had a training excercise last night as we do every Monday night. We practiced "search & rescue" in an old abandoned house. It was alot of fun. I was the "victim" each scenario. I had to go find a place to hide and pretend I was an unconcious firemen. They had to find me and drag me out of the house. I got dragged around like a rag doll and I couldn't stop giggling cause it was so much fun!
Let's see what else...we've got a couple new babies joining the Burkhardt family this year which is so exciting. My brother Ben and his wife Claire are expecting their first baby probably in the next few weeks so we are excited about that. And my brother Aaron & his wife are expecting their 3rd baby in December and let me just say...they make some cute babies!! :) So by Christmas we'll have 2 new Burkhardt's! Very exciting! :) Hopefully Sam and I will join the baby club at some point! Seems like it's never gonna happen but hopefully sometime it will. We aren't getting younger...that's for sure! :)
Hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy the lovely weather!! :)

Uh oh! I almost forgot!!!!

Happy Anniversary mom and dad!! This past Friday, May 15th, my mom & dad celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary!!! I have been very blessed with the parents God has given me. They have been a wonderful example. I know I've said this many times before but it is definitely worth repeating. I have NEVER in my 31 years heard my parents argue. Never. They are human so I know it must have happened but if it ever did it was behind closed doors. They made sure me and my sister and brothers never had to hear that. What a wonderful wonderful example. Thank you mom and dad for your example to us. I love it cause you two are still so in love and unfortunately these days that is hard to find. Thank you for giving us that security growing up and even still now. I love you both!

Hello!

Just wanted to say hi!! Since my computer is acting up again I haven't been able to be on here much to post! Not much new going on....just staying very busy with work and the fire hall. I transferred to our other store in Clarence. It is strictly a gift shop so I am enjoying that soooo much more!! Sam and I have been training alot at the fire hall. We just finished a class that was wonderful. It taught me alot of basic things that are very important...that I just did not know and it refreshed Sam on alot of stuff. So we really really enjoyed that. Plus we got to do it together which was great!!!
Mogley is doing great! Cute as ever!! Love that little guy! He's finally getting adjusted to our new house and he's back to his old self again! Thank God!!
Well I have to get to work but I just wanted to sign on and say hello to all my peeps!!! :)

Got our new table!!

We got our new dining room table and I'm very excited about it!! (Thanks for the inspiration Rebekah!!)

Happy Birthday Rhonda!

Tomorrow...March 27th is my big sister, Rhonda's birthday. I don't get to talk to her as much as I'd like to but I wanted to wish her a happy birthday! I have very fond memories of growing up with Rhonda. We were the only 2 girls so we shared a room till she got married. Rhonda is probably the nicest, sweetest, Godliest, kindest and gentlest person I know. She has a wonderful husband and 6 beautiful kids. Rhonda is a wonderful example to me and to others. I'm proud to be her little sister and I wish I could be alot more like her. This is silly but last night Sam and I were on a walk and we passed a house that brought back a funny memory. Rhonda and I were walking to school and 2 dogs came out of the house and started chasing us. Like typical little girls we screamed and ran away. As were were running I lost my flip flop and started crying cause I didn't want the dog to steal it. So Rhonda being the sweetheart she is, even at that young age, bravely went back and got my flip flop!! I will never forget that!! I love you very much Rhonda and hope your birthday is wonderful!!!
Oh. And I can't finish this post without posting a beautiful picture (or 2) of you!!

Hello to all! :)

I had alot of fun today!! I got to sleep in, first of all, which was WONDERFUL!!!! Then I went shopping with my sis-in-law, Christina and the kids. We always have such a good time when we go out. And I got a really pretty pink spring jacket at Sears which I was really excited about cause pink and purple are my favorite colors plus I've been wearing Sam's jacket and lets just face it...that's not real attractive so I decided I wanted to look like a lady!! :)
Then after we got home, Sam and I went out on a date. We went to Red Lobster and it was delicious!! Better yet...it was free cause we had a gift card!! It was yummy!!! Then we went to Value City to look at dining room tables and the couches just to get ideas. And we ran into Ben and Claire there! So that was neat!!
Okay...I'd better stop rambling...plus Mogley is outside barking at something...probably that stinkin black cat that sit's just outside his reach and terrorizes him!!! lol!! Better go rescue the Mogster!!!

It's Sunday afternoon and I have off tomorrow. What a wonderful feeling!! :) I got to spend the whole day with Sam yesterday working for the fire hall and we just had alot of fun. We were gonna be gone all day till late so we dropped Mogley off at his "babysitters"! There is a sweet older couple in the fire company who I've known most of my life...they live just a couple doors down from where I grew up and they love Mogley so much. Every time they see us they ask about him and tell us if we ever need a babysitter to let them know. So we took them up on it and he did so well!! They have dogs and cats and he just had so much fun with them!! We were glad he was happy!!! It was really hard though. I cried after we dropped him off!! What a wreck I was!! lol!! What can I say...he's our baby!!! But he's home now. He was happy to see me when I went and picked him up. So I was glad!
April 6th I start my EMT classes for the fire company. I'm really excited about it. Nervous but very very very excited!! This is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Now I just pray that I can do it! I'm such a wimp but I've been to car accidents and all kinds of calls for first aid and I've done okay so far so we shall see!!
Hope everyone has a great week!! Spring is here!! (according to the calender anyways! We'll see!!!)

Dogs! Can't live with them....can't live without them!!!!

Just wanted to pop on and say hi to my peeps! :) I really don't have anything to write about but I don't want my blog to get shut down cause I didn't write anything for a while! (does that even happen?!)
Anyway...it's the weekend here. The weather has been in the 50's the past few days...hallelujah!!!! Hopefully we are done with snow. This was a loooong loooong winter! I'm itching to get my summer clothes out again...they are so much cuter than big baggy hooded sweatshirts (which... is basically what I wear all winter long!!)
I got a story to tell...normally when Sam and I leave we put Mogley in his crate for obvious reasons. Well yesterday I decided to leave him out when I went to work. I was only working a couple hours so I figured he'd be okay on his own. (little did I know!!!) I took him for a walk in the morning to make sure he didn't have to go potty or anything. WELL........I got home from work and as soon as I walked in the door he greeted me as he always does but then he got a very guilty look on his face so I knew he did something. Uh oh! come to find out....he had shredded the top of our leather couch...all we can figure is he was trying to get to the mailman cause it was right next to our mail slot. Oooh I was soooo mad!!!! Then to top it off...he pooped ELEVEN poops on my living room floor!!! Poor Sam...I was quite upset and after a bad day at work I did not need that!! I called Sam crying!! (what an emotional mess!!!lol) So needless to say...Mogley will continue to be in his crate when we leave. He failed the test!! Boy oh boy!!! Good thing he's so cute!! I'm telling you!! We could not stay mad for long!! Grrr!!!
Alright. I'm gonna sign off but I just wanted to say hi! Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Only in Buffalo!!!

I'm telling you!! Yesterday...we had 60 degree weather. Today....35 degrees. Snow, rain, wind. Ahhhh!! Nothing like a little variety!! They said on the news last night...if you don't like the weather in Buffalo....just wait 10 minutes!! It's kind of funny but annoying at the same time!! Not complaining cause I'll take this over tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc ANYDAY!!! But just wanted to whine for a minute!!!
Also...wanted to wish everyone I love a happy Valentines day...especially to my sweet husband, Sam!! Last month was 8 years since we met. I still remember the first time I saw him in church I was hoping that he was not engaged or dating anyone cause I knew that this was someone I wanted to get to know much better!!! And I'm glad I did cause he is wonderful!! :)
When we were growing up my parents always had a tradition they did for us on Valentines Day. It was always a heart cut out of construction paper with a really really really nice note on it. My parents rotated years. One year dad wrote the note and the next year mom did. Then they always bought us a huge chocolate heart and left the note and chocolate on our table at breakfast!! That is a memory I will never ever forget. It meant the world to us back then and I think of it every Valentines day and miss that!! That is a tradition I have carried on. Even though we have no children...I do that with Sam. And if God ever blesses us with children I will carry that tradition on with them as well. Thank you for that memory, Mom & Dad! Happy Valentines Day to you both!! We love you!

Heeeeellllllooooooo!!!!!

Wow! I have not been on here in a while!! We have been so busy with this move! I know I like to move and I did it to myself but NEVER AGAIN!!!!! That was the hardest move we've ever had to do!! It was soooo much work!! We had to prime and paint the whole house because the people before us were heavy smokers. That took a loooooong time!! Ahhh!! But it's done and we are in and loving our new house! Mogley is adjusting nicely and loving all the dogs on the street! We are surrounded by dogs!!! So it's great for him!
Let's see....I'm getting internet next Friday!! Woohoo!!! Cannot wait!! I've been without it for a while now and I miss it!!! :) So I'm looking forward to getting that back as well!!
Well that's about it for now. I'll write more once I get internet!!! Hope everyone is staying warm!!!! It was -6 this morning!! Unbelievable!! I must be getting old cause I have always loved winter and this year for the first time I hate the snow and cold!!! Saturday is supposed to get up to 46!!! Hooray!!!! :) Take care everyone and I'll be back next Friday!! (Not a threat...just a warning!!!)

I had a blessing today!

I just wanted to share cause it was a big deal to me!! I am normally very very good at keeping up on our checkbook...I update it and check it almost every day. Well I've been busy then I was sick, now my back is messed up so I just haven't been able to do it. Well today I worked on it and found out that we have $200 more than we thought we had (and I'm still not done checking :)) So far I found a total of 4 things that totalled $200 that I accidentally wrote in twice!!! Yay!! :) So I just wanted to share my extra special blessing!!
Soon we will be in our "new" house!! Yay!! We will be getting the key in the next week or so to start painting then we are in!!! Can't wait!! There have been so many blessings with this move already. The current tenants are leaving the washer & dryer for us which saved us a ton of money and we found GREAT deals on our stove and fridge!!! It's been very exciting!!! Just wanted to update you a little. :)