Rule #6... Smokin'

If it is 5:30 in the morning, and you are running on the treadmill at a stringent pace, and all of sudden you smell smoke, notice that your towel is missing and all of the treadmills in your row short circuit, you should walk away and pretend that you don't see your towel stuck between the machine and the moving belt smoking and flaming a bit. Just pretend as though you were finished anyway. Go get another towel and find a (much safer and more flame retardant) elliptical.

Yippee and "Wahoo"

Okay, corniest title ever, but I'm super excited because Katie from A Hokie & A Wahoo tagged me to play this super fun game!

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag eight other un-tagged people.

1) What are you wearing right now? Black patent peeptoe pumps, grey trousers, a silver, gray and black polka dot satiny shirt with a Banana Republic cropped, structure black swing jacket over top. I also have my bangs pulled back in my omni-present front braid a la Lauren Conrad, but totally not copying her.

2) What's the last thing I read/ are currently reading? I'm reading a lovely novel by Cassandra King titled Queen of Broken Hearts. Boyfriend's mom always gives me books to read, and they're almost always top notch. This one is proving to be no exception!

3) Do you nap a lot? The answer is usually no, although this weekend it seemed like I couldn't keep my peeps open! I really hate napping while wearing mascara - you always wake up with spidery mascara lashes. You know what I'm talking about!

4) Who was the last person you hugged? Boyfriend or Sadie May, but she's not a person, so I suppose that doesn't count.

5) What's your current obsession/addiction? Peanut Butter & Banana sandwiches from the Dowd Y, natch! Decorating my home comes in a close second, followed by blogging (I'm lying, blogging is totally first).

6) What was the last thing you said out loud? "My ears are bleeding!" in context, this was perfectly appropriately considering my favorite coworker (sarcasm abounds) was discussing whether a woman could impregnate herself using a turkey baster full of baby batter. Ew, yes, ew, my fingers are now bleeding from typing that.

7) What websites do you always visit when you go online? Perez, People, US Weekly, Bricks & Stones Gossip, PopSugar, Blogger...

8) What was the last item you bought? Protein bars!

9) How many children do you wish to have? 3... 2 girls and a boy, just like my family. Every girl needs a sister, right, Sis-Boom-Bah?

10) If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be? This may not be an exciting answer, but it would be in Charlotte, but in one of the big old houses in Myers Park or Eastover.

11) Favorite Vacation spot? I looooove the mountains, but if I'm thinking outside of a weekend getaway, it would be going back to Turks & Caicos... that was paradise!

12) Say something to the person who tagged you: Hokie & A Wahoo, I just adore your blog and reading all of your adventures in newlyweddedom. Plus, I think you look exactly like Grace Kelly!

13) Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you- Diet soda. I know it doesn't have the sugar or calories, but I'm sure it is eating my insides completely to bits. Hurts so good!

14) You are on the Oregon Trail. How are things going? I'm a master buffalo hunter (the rabbits are too fast for my gun), but now I have too much meat to carry on my wagon, so we'll have to leave it to rot. The buffalo will be around forever anyway. Poor Enus got injured when we tried to repair the axle (we didn't buy enough at the store), and it looks like there's mutiny afoot.

15) Favorite pair of shoes you keep going back to over and over, even though your closet is over flowing with a zillion others?! It would have to be my black leather boots judging from the nails sticking out of either heel.

16) Name one thing you cannot live with out: Diet soda, celebs, Sadie, protein bars.

17) Has a celebrity's haircut ever influence you on your own hairstyle? I took a picture of Nicole Richie's bob with swide swept bangs to an appointment a while back, and I've been evolving that style ever sense - currently going more Posh stacked and sans bangs.

18) What is your most embarrassing moment? Falling off the treadmill at the Y flat on my face, then getting up and pretending it didn't happen even though people kept coming by to ask if I was okay. I just stared blankly like I didn't know what they were talking about. They probably thought I had a concussion.

19) If you could be any inanimate object, what would it be, and why? I would be a window, so I could see inside and outside no matter where I was placed, and I would be able to enjoy the feeling of the rain and the warmth of the sun (I think my fingers are bleeding again).


That was so fun! I've seen this on lots of blogs around the block, so I'll tag anyone who hasn't played yet!

Sunday Praise

Praise and Worship: "Amazing Grace"

Scripture: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Once again the Word pricks my heart with accountability. How easy it is to proclaim that we love our Lord with all of heart, soul and strength, but do we really? As the hymn declares, God's grace is amazing, and even when He knows that our hearts and faith stray and fall at the feet of others, His grace and mercy cover us and steer us back to His loving arms. Amen.

Adventures in Wordle

Okay, so I'm always looking for something new and fun, and April over at April Showers has me hooked on Wordle. You simply type in your URL, and Wordle creates a "cloud" for you of all the words you use most frequently. The bigger the word, the more you use it. You can then customize the results with layout, colors and fonts. Let me tell you... it's addictive! Can we tell that I'm interested in animal shelters?

Sadie's Story

As you all know, I'm in love. I am utterly and absolutely head over heels for my 11 month old cocker spaniel, Sadie May Jr. III. "But how did the love story begin?" you may be asking yourself. Let me begin...

Throughout college I knew that upon graduation and settling into my career I wanted a puppy. I want something tiny and fluffy, and I was leaning toward a "designer breed" like a maltipoo. When I graduated, I settled into an apartment Uptown (yes, in Charlotte we call it Uptown not Downtown. Why? I don't know). My psycho-crazy-roommate from hell (PCRFH) opted to buy a yorkie-chon (a Yorkie-Bichon Frise mix... or, a really expensive mutt, as my dad likes to point out) from our area Petland. Having Cooper was my first experience living with a puppy, and since my PCRFH traveled constantly, I pretty much raised him. I loved it, and I was sure that I needed my own.

Cooper: PCRFH's Yorkiechon

Somewhere along the way, I became obsessed with all of the Animal Cop shows on Animal Planet (Detroit is by far the best), and I realized that I absolutely could not justify buying a dog from a breeder or pet store when so many strays need homes. I was determined to find the perfect dog for me.

I became a foster mom for the Humane Society, and I was given Kodo (a "boxer/terrier mix" - read: pit bull puppy) to take care of for 2 weeks. I adored Kodo. I loved being this little puppy's mom and getting him socialized before he could be adopted. But something unfortunate happened. I became attached. They tell you not to. I did. I couldn't bear to send him back to the shelter to sit in a cage until he was adopted. Luckily, a friend of a friend of a friend offered to adopt Kodo, and it was the perfect situation, but letting him go even after only two weeks was heartbreaking. I became serious about find my own Polka Dot Pup.

Kodo, my first foster.

I love the Humane Society and completely support their cause, but at the Humane Society, I knew that all of their furries were safe. They are a no-kill shelter and give homes to animals for as long as needed, so I went a different route. I began to patrol the Char-Meck Animal Control Shelter Web Site (they do put animals down if necessary). It is updated every hour with pictures of pups who are strays (strays are not available for 72 hours to ensure no owners come to claim them) or abandoned.

I went a visited with 2 dogs - a 1 1/2 year old cockapoo and a 4 year old maltipoo (yes, they do have breeds like that at the shelter), but neither of those felt totally right. Then I saw Sadie's picture. The photo they used of this precious girl on the Web site was pitiful. She had huge sad eyes and just looked miserable. Since she was technically a stray, I couldn't go visit her for 3 days. I was on the phone constantly with the shelter asking when she would be available (they weren't really allowed to tell me, but they strongly encouraged me to come when the shelter opened on a Saturday morning).

Little and I arrived a few minutes before they opened and made a beeline for the desk inquiring about our girl. We were told that she would need to pass a vet check before she could be officially placed up for adoption. We waited almost an hour before we called again. The wonderful lady at the desk informed us that Sadiekins (at that time known as A641782) was a 4 month old cocker spaniel who was found apparently abandoned in a field in a town north of ours, and she was covered with fleas and lice and was underweight. We had to wait several more minutes while the medicine killed the lice, and then they brought her out to us.

Before I even touched her, I knew she was the pooch I'd been looking for. One look at her sad face, and my heart completely melted. When they gave her to us for our "interaction time" right there on the office floor, she just slumped down and laid there. I finally rolled her on her side and started scratching her belly. Very slowly, her huge paw (she has feet that look like stuffed animal feet) began twitching just a little bit. I stopped rubbing long enough to sign the adoption forms, and when I knelt back down on the floor with her, she rolled over on her back again, asking for another belly rub.

We weren't able to take her home that day because she needed to be spayed. Taking her back to the kennels after she had finally shown signs of life was so hard. When we picked her up on Monday after her surgery, she was a wreck. Several days later we discovered that she also had pneumonia/kennel cough. It took almost three weeks, before her certified Sadie Personality began to shine through, and shine it did. She is the funniest animal I have ever seen - definitely not the smartest, but she sure is fun and pretty to look at.

In fact, Sadie was asked to be one of the spokesdogs for the Animal Control Shelter. To find out more about Sadie, and to read her letter to the shelter, simply click on Sadie's Story.

Feeling miserable right after surgery.

She wouldn't even leave her crate or wake up to do anything but drink water.

She loved the big stuffed dog as much as Kodo!

My pretty girl on the first night we got home from the shelter... actually alert. Somewhat.

She stills loves her belly rubs, and spends 65% of her time like this. Very ladylike, pookie.

Allow Me to Introduce...

MAROLINE.

Maroline is the combination of Lobster's and my name, Mary and Caroline respectively. Let me go ahead and say that we were on top of this trend WAY before Brangelina (ew), Gyllenspoon, Vaughinston (now kaput, obvs) and the others.

Maroline (as many, many things are) was conceived over Spring Break '05 - the second semester of our freshman year. At this point, Lobster and I only knew each other casually. Our boyfriends at the time (now exes for both of us) were friends in high school, and Lobster and I became acquaintances when I transferred from Virginia Tech. My ex's grandparents had a beach house, and we all loaded up along with our fifth wheel friend and road tripped to Surfside Beach for Spring Break (at State, that meant the first week in March... not ideal beach weather).

After a couple days of playing Mall Madness, watching the ACC tournament and not being able to don bathing suits, Lobster and I decided we should do something fun for all three boys. After brainstorming for several minutes we decided that surprising them with dinner was the right way to go. We sent them off to a bar, and we got cookin'.

After a trip to the local Piggly Wiggly, Lobstina and I decided that burgers and grilled chicken were the way to go. Tasty and easy. We are both competent chefs, so we knew this was failsafe. We also purchased small Barbies and candy to decorate each room. We put our pictures on the Barbies (and one of Paris Hilton for our fifth wheel) and surrounded them with a heart of candy. All together now... awwww (WTH were we thinking?! Did I mention we were freshman in college?).

To jazz up cooking night, we decided to make the house into a restaurant, complete with menus. It didn't take us long to establish the name of our restaurant... a name that captured our equal efforts. Maroline's was born.

Unfortunately, our dinner didn't turn out as well as our friendship. Ex's grandparents' home came with a grill that was kept on a screened in porch, and I assumed that it should stay there (BIG mistake... grills are outside toys). I lit the grill and placed the meat on the grates, closed it and walked away to work on other dinner preparations. Without warning, the entire house was filled with smoke. I made my way back to the porch, and lo and behold, a fire had begun in the grill. Fortunately, it hadn't spread past our chargrilled entrees, but the smoke inhalation alone did plenty of damage on our lungs. Panicked, because the guys were on their way home, Lobster and I frantically opened all the windows, praying that no one noticed the hazy home. To help distract them from the fog, we hurriedly found bubbles and silly string. Good plan.

While we were searching for rapid ventilation, I checked the chicken and burger patties. They certainly looked well done. I hurriedly removed them from the charcoal mess and plated them in a very pretty fashion. When the males returned, we bombarded them with the string and bubbles to keep their eyes from focusing well on the "atmosphere," but they did in fact notice the smog cloud that had settled over our interiors, but they were nice enough to consider it a minor detail. Until they tried the food. At that point, I hadn't honed my culinary skills to the level they now are. Rule of thumb: burnt exterior does not equal a finished interior. 'Nough said.

While neither of our relationships have lasted, that Spring Break adventure cemented our friendship and our legacy of what we consider Maroline moments. Please file all of this away in the backs of your pretty minds. I can assure you that I will be sharing many, many more Maroline sagas in the future.

Two Award Wednesday

An extra huge thank you to the two ladies who left awards for me!

Pink Julep gave me the Honest Scrap award! Thank you so much! If you haven't read Pink Julep's blog following her wedding planning and life in the Caribbean, you must head over there now.Secondly, Living for the Little Moments graced me with the Friendship Award. I'm honored!

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Now... I tag...

1. Preppy Nonsense
2. Chic and Pink
3. Mindless Musings on my Average Life
4. Monograms and Manicures
5. Peppermint Bee
6. All Things Fluffy, Fashionable, and Famous
7. Authentically Me: Living a Life of Love
8. An Undomesticated Newlywed

These blogs are my morning caffeine (alongside my Diet Cherry Pepsi... don't judge, I need a lot), and I can't get enough! If you haven't read them, you must head over, and if you've already received these awards, that must mean you REALLY deserve them! :-)

Rule #5

When you literally inhale a PB&B in 2 seconds because apparently you're scared someone might take it away from you if you don't consume it quickly enough, and then chase it with a mini-bag of Baked Lays and a 100 calorie pack of Chips Ahoy Candy Bites, and then wash it all down with a Coke Cherry Zero right after a strenuous workout, do not be at all surprised when you feel like a movement in the wrong direction will send it all right back up.

True Story Tuesday

As it would seem, I have a "thing" for tryouts. Similarly, it would seem that tryouts don't requite my affections. As previously posted, I had an ill-fated audition to be a Hokie cheerleader, but apparently those results did little to dampen my spirits to be part of a shallow, highly attractive clique.

Fast forward five years from fleeing Cassell Coliseum in tears, and Lobster and I are standing in the midst of hundreds of girls vying to be Tyra Banks's minion for the latest "cycle" of America's Next Top Model. Let it be known, that I cannot stand Tyra Banks. I utterly adore ANTM (although not so much since the departures of both Janice and Twiggy), but Ty-Ty Baby has got to go. Anywho, even the threat of the TYRAnnosaurus Banks wasn't enough to deter Lobsterita and me from our endeavors.

We practiced our respective walks for weeks. I went for the more fierce-more horsey style, while Lobs preferred for the more laid back, hip swingy stride (my hips do not swing, sway, or swish. They do not move at all, hence this stomp wasn't ideal for me... Miss J always coaches girls to find their signature walk, and that one is not mine. Trust me). We worked on "smiling with our eyes," a Tyzilla must. We even consulted past cycles (which we have seen about 1934812 times anyway) to determine the best outfit for "go-sees" (we considered ANTM auditions the ultimate go-see). We were ready.

When we arrived at the hotel hosting the Top Model casting call, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we were only numbers 147 and 148 in line. We figured we'd go in, knock 'em dead, be given spots on the show immediately and still have time to grab a smoothie on our way home. We sized up the competition, laughed at some girls who seriously thought they had a chance (we truly didn't intend on garnering a spot. Neither Lobster nor myself - except Lobster could really be one - consider ourselves "Model Material," although Madame P's sweet girls told me I could be a model because I have "cute hair, cute clothes, cute face").

After 6 hours of waiting, we finally made it into a holding room full of mostly gorgeous girls (some were pretty heinous, but Tyra always says she doesn't like "pretty-pretty girls." What an underhanded compliment.), and we were S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G. I texted Sis, explained our growling tummies and begged her to bring us sustenance. Her lovely, supportive reply: "Models are supposed to be starving." Fabulous, thanks for your help.

2 hours after that we finally made our way in front of the judges. I was nearly delirious from hunger and should have given in to my urge to pass out (I bet I would have made it into the clip show or something). I resisted, however, and tried to maintain an "I'm-so-cool-and-modely-and-moody" vibe, of course the ruffles on my shirt and pink pumps probably gave me away immediately.

The judges, who had probably been gorging themselves on sandwiches all day, asked me to repeat answers to questions that I had filled out on about 4 different applications. I think things were going well until they asked me who my favorite model was. I immediately answered, "Heidi Klum." They then caught me off guard by asking who my least favorite was, "Tyra Banks, duh!" I blurted out carelessly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" they asked looking aghast. "Kate Moss?" I offered pathetically. "Right, well, thank you for your time," one judge found the enthusiasm to say as the others furiously crossed my name off their lists. I was shown the door. I gave them my best Hokie sparkle fingers and smile. Apparently, that's the only way I know how to exit after failing miserably.

On our way back to the car, we passed a mom with 3 little girls.

"Are you models?" the girls asked hopefully.
"Of course," Lobster replied.
"Look, girls, real models!" the mother exclaimed.
"Can we take your picture?" one girl asked.
"We're models. We love having our picture taken, and we're good at it," I answered cheerfully.
"We'll teach you how to pose," Lobster explained.

Several shots were snapped with us posing professionally while the little girls imitated our moves. After a few rounds of cheesin' it, we gave the girls our autographs and told them to look for us on the next cycle.

"Is Tyra down there?" the mother asked us eagerly afterward.
"Um, no, and Tyra is really mean," Lobster answered.
"And she hates little girls," I offered helpfully.

As they left us, we brushed our shouldas off. All in a day's work.

The Lobster and I outside of auditions. You wanna be on top?

Mmmm...

My new obsession is peanut butter & banana sandwiches. This isn't really "new," since I've adored them since childhood, but I recently rediscovered them at my gym. You see, I've been running to the gym (about 2 minutes from my office) during lunch to avoid the resolution hanger-ons and to get a quick endorphin boost to power through the afternoon. One day I forgot to bring a lunch on which to feast upon my return to the office, so I breezed through the gym's cafe looking for something something to nosh. I stumbled across a freshly made PB&B, and I was hooked. The ladies at the Dowd are happy to make one for me if there isn't one in the fridge waiting, and I have found that a PB&B is the perfect post-workout snack. The fat, carbs and protein are in great proportions to aid recovering muscles and are all low enough on the glycemic index to prevent crashes later. It's always a good thing when my favorite meal is beneficial to me too!