The Saga Continues...

I just got back from a little grocery run at our local mart--Dollar General.

That's right, our Dollar General meets most of your grocery needs. They sell beer, wine, cream cheese, clothes, underwear, etc. I was surprised at how many things they actually sold! When we moved in our landlord said, "You'll frequent Dollar General. Everyone does."

I wasn't sure what that meant then, but I know now that means that if you need bread/cheese/milk that's where you go. I like that there is at least an option. I obviously bought the things that matter, like candy corn and peanuts because FALL is coming. Yes, I am your typical white female, I friggin' love fall. It seems I shopped there just in time, as they close at 3pm every day due to A/C issues. And in Texas, A/C issues are much more than issues.

Today is a busy one for me, I'm getting my hair colored, back to red, later this afternoon. This morning I had an interview for a job that I would really, really like. I'm hoping to hear from them this afternoon or tomorrow, because I was offered another job yesterday, and have an interview for yet ANOTHER job possibly tomorrow. It would be really great to know which direction to head. The job from yesterday would be great experience and the staff seemed incredibly nice, but it's a drive and there are on-call hours, which could mean upwards of 120 miles on my car each day. The job from today is closer, the staff is really nice, and it's a small hospital that could teach me a lot. I've got my fingers and toes crossed.

Nalli ran away last week. I ran around a town with 3,000

Bart "not" in the kitchen

people crying and whistling. An unforgettable sight I'm sure,

I could be the talk of the town now. After running around in

110 degree heat for a couple of hours, I decided to go home

and get a drink before I passed out. Suddenly, I hear the

front door close tighter and I figured it was someone about

to knock that I would have to talk to. Somehow, miraculously,

my prayers were answered, and it was Nalli leaning against

the front door just waiting for me to come home or to let her back in.

I went to open the door, but I was down on my knees, sobbing

and crawling toward her. She skillfully avoided my attempt at

a hug and went straight to the water dish. These dogs sure do

know how to make you feel loved.

Our kitchen here is set up differently than the one in Florida,

where the carpet made lines so that the dogs knew they

could not cross into kitchen territory, but here the dogs

have to cross through the distant end of the kitchen to go

outside. We put down some electrical tape to draw the line, 

but as you can see here, that's working very well.

Nalli, testing the boundaries

 

 Bart is impossible to keep busy. We gave him a huge knuckle bone (larger than my fist) and it kept him busy for no more than a few hours. He really is something. He won't stay in his kennel so now we just lock him in the bathroom.

Ruby was sleeping in a puddle outside to stay cool, so we decided to cover it with rubber mulch. She no longer wants to sleep there. She found a new puddle to sleep in. We cannot win with this dog. I don't even want to give her a bath anymore, because within the hour she will be dirty again. Oh, Ruby.

Chris officially starts the next portion of flight school on Monday. It means I will be seeing a lot less of him-either when he is gone or because he will be in his man cave, studying. I've enjoyed the last couple of weeks, though, only worrying about having time to hang out with him.

We had a friend of his over for dinner a few nights ago-a fellow Marine jet pilot whose wife is in the Navy and is currently deployed. They haven't really lived together since they've been married! I can't imagine going through what they are going through, and both being selfless and fighting for our country and our freedom. That's an admirable couple.

Now that we have pictures hung on the walls, and less boxes around, our house is really starting to look like a home. It's much smaller than our last place, but it's cozy. I wish we were closer to home because it's the type of home you'd want to host Christmas in.

Robin Williams died this week, by suicide. Social media is cruel in a way that it shows you the same story, in many different ways, at all hours of the day. There was little privacy for the family. I know that suicides happen every day, but it's been quite a few years since I felt personally affected by the loss of a dear human life to suicide. I have never been there myself, where I felt so down that I thought it would be better to be dead. My heart aches knowing that another soul felt that way. Robin Williams was in a bunch of movies and even more as a voice actor. My brother, who has autism, has worn out his tapes of Flubber and Aladdin to the point where I can't even believe they play anymore. Every year growing up, my family watched a movie on New Year's Eve. To begin 2000, we watched Bicentennial Man. Chris watched Mrs. Doubtfire with his four sisters and his brother in their van on nearly every roadtrip. His favorite movie is Good Will Hunting. Countless other movies affected our lives and he was such an entertainer, and so cared for our homeless and our troops; it's just really hard to know that the world is a bit of a darker place with him gone.

I stopped and asked Chris the other night, "Is it dumb to care this much about someone I didn't know?" He hugged me and told me it wasn't. I'm so glad I have someone that doesn't make me feel silly.

I've had time to make some really wonderful dinners lately, as I've had the time and Chris has been around to enjoy them. I'd like to share some of my favorites below:

http://www.marthastewart.com/314671/penne-with-creamy-pumpkin-sauce

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/04/wasabi-roasted-asparagus.html

AAAND

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cottage-Meatloaf/Detail.aspx

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.