Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We're off to Atlanta for the FSU vs. Georgia Tech game tomorrow!

Progress...

After almost a full week of sickness, I think (fingers crossed) that Oliver is finally on the road to recovery. After multiple blood tests, two vet visits, including a night in the "Veterinary Hospital Intensive Care Unit" (who knew that existed?) and two IVs, Oliver is finally making progress. He hasn't been sick since we picked him up on Friday. Fortunately, he's eating his special food and showing signs of more and more energy each day. Tonight he's a little tired (and I'm paranoid), but I think his body is still trying to get back in the swing of things.

Over the weekend Brad and I tried to spend as much time as possible with the little guy. We ate a few meals and visited the Mt. Laurel Harvest Festival and church, but other than that we've stayed close to home with our little buddy. Oliver is loving all of the attention and he's becoming more and more spoiled every second. Oliver has never slept with us, mostly because he's a wild man, but we've let him snuggle up with us for the last two nights; he's absolutely loved it. I actually had to wake him up this morning. Maybe it's the meds, or his way of recuperating, but either way Oliver has turned into quite the cuddly guy and we're loving every second.

HUGE thanks to everyone who helped us out during all of our doggie drama. We all appreciate it very much!

Quick update...

Quick point--when you work in a creative environment with all sorts of people having all sorts of crazy personalities, creating a small Lean Pocket smokey mess is no small feat. My day was filled with people playing the Hot Pocket commercial and various songs about fires and smoke (including Disco Inferno, We Didn't Start the Fire, etc.) over the office intercom and a running line of new nicknames. I was also repeatedly reminded of just how horrible it smelled (as if I didn't notice) and "welcomed to the o2 family." Nice start, huh? Fortunately, we're all okay and let's just hope the smell dies down before tomorrow morning.

As for more important issues, Oliver is still sick. My fantastic and super sweet neighbor came over to check on him during the day today (she saw just how ferocious our guard dog can be) and then Mom came by after work and kept him company. I was hoping that all of the visits and attention would be unnecessary because he would be feeling better, but no such luck. We finally were able to get some medicine in him tonight (thanks to Cassie, aka the dog whisperer), but he won't eat anything and his little face is pitiful. He will act "normal" for a minute and then he goes back into his sick sad mode. It's killing us. Please say your prayers that he starts feeling better soon. We've decided if tomorrow afternoon he's not improving, we're going back to the vet.

I'm off to care for our sick pup--HUGE thanks to everyone who helped us out today. We're a little crazy when our baby is sick and we all appreciate your love!

Where there is smoke...

Okay, a little before lunchtime and I decide, I'd like my Lean Pocket. I go, as usual, and put it in the microwave, set it for 2 minutes and run to the restroom. I get back, not even 2 minutes later, and the entire kitchen is filled with smoke and the microwave is hidden by an enormous black cloud. Somehow, I caught my hot pocket on fire. And, that tiny little sandwich thing that doesn't manage to keep me full throughout the afternoon, is fully capable of creating enough smoke to not only fill the entire second floor (people were coming out acting like they were choking, complaining about asthma, worrying about the sprinklers going off and ruining computers), but also enough smoke to permeate through all six floors and cause an array of calls asking if we should evacuate. Clearly, I freaked out... not even 2 months on the job and I'm already creating literal fires... great. Plus, I'm supposed to talk to a church group today. Oh, I smell really ready for that.

Some very sweet people were super helpful and tried to minimize my embarrassment, but... too late. Not only did I ruin my lunch, but now I'm sitting here starving and smelling like burnt toast. On the bright side, there were some funny jokes, but mostly a lot of people just pissed about smelling like firemen.

Oh, what a day...

Oliver has a friend!

Sadly, Allie's first puppy, Bentley, had a serious disease and he had to be put to sleep on my birthday. We were all obviously heartbroken by this, but it was very clear that he was incredibly sick and there wasn't anything that could be done.

Since then, on a much happier note, Allie has gotten another adorable little guy, Baxter. Mom was babysitting Baxter on Saturday and she brought him by to briefly meet Oliver.

Baxter and Oliver

I have never seen Oliver so happy! Baxter was super playful and they had a great time chasing each other around. Both of their tails were wagging at a speed I've never seen. I'm convinced they are already BFF. They were supposed to get to hang out tonight, but Oliver's sickness obviously prevented that.

I know Oliver can't wait to play with his new cousin again!

Our sick baby...

Our sweet fur baby is sick again. At 5 a.m. I woke up to Oliver barking a bark I've never heard before. Usually when he wakes up before morning Brad gets up with him, but this morning something told me I needed to go. I found him in his house with throw up everywhere (sorry for the grossness). I took him outside and without going into details, he was clearly super sick. I brought him back in and made him a bed in the kitchen. When I went back to check on him he'd gotten sick again and the process continued throughout the morning. By 7:30 I'd gotten dressed and gotten him ready to head to the vet.

By the time Oliver and I got to the vet I was in major panic mode. The sweet vet was very patient and talked me through all sorts of possibilities. He tested little Ollie for parvo and a variety of parasites and all tests came back negative. I was relieved that the most serious options were no longer part of the picture, but if that isn't it... what is it? He proceeded to get sick four times in the vet's office and the vet took his best guess and diagnosed him with a virus. He gave Oliver a shot and sent us home with three prescriptions, ,special food and strict orders for no food or drink for 24 hours. Oliver was miserable.

Fortunately, Charles (Brad's dad) was planning to come over and wait for the alarm people today (another rant for another day) so he was able to check on Oliver during the day.

Oliver seems to be feeling at least a little better tonight. My awesome mom came by before we got off work and dropped off dinner so that we could spend all of our time tonight with our little buddy. We've been giving him all sorts of love, but unfortunately we haven't been able to get him to take his medicine. How do you get a dog to swallow 2 pills without any food or water? He absolutely hates his liquid medicine, therefore giving him that ended up with him getting about 2 mls of the concoction in his mouth and the other 3 mls were split evenly between the kitchen floor and my face (I was holding him while Brad tried to give it to him). I'm hoping to mix the pills in with his special food in the morning and that he'll come around to the liquid. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the medicine process easier, I'd be super happy to hear them!

Say a little prayer for Oliver tonight; let's hope he's on the road to recovery.

Incredible Irony...

"LOS ANGELES - Oliver Stone thinks George W. Bush was unqualified to be president. However, the filmmaker found him an irresistible figure for drama."

Okay, I couldn't resist re-posting the above lead for a story about the upcoming "W" movie (read the full story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/ap_en_ot/film_stone_s_w).

Oliver Stone, the film's director has been repeatedly quoted saying he "doesn't take sides" when it comes to politics--funny, huh? Does he honestly think anyone is buying that? As for me, not for a second. The film, especially the timing of the release, will obviously further a liberal agenda and I'm willing to bet that the irony is even greater. He'll attack George W. Bush saying he's "unqualified to be president," yet I imagine he'll cast his vote for a man who has never really proven to anyone that he's qualified to be president, or even qualified to be a senator for that matter. Funny how that works, huh? I wonder what 'ole Ollie Stone uses as his prerequisites for the most important job in the world. Hmm... point to ponder.

Liberal agendas, liberal media... if I wasn't so afraid of the outcome, I'd say I can't wait for this election to be over. For anyone who isn't registered to vote, you have until 10 days before the election to do so (Oct. 24th if I'm counting correctly) so REGISTER ASAP, unless you plan to vote for Obama, haha, just kidding--sort of. http://www.voteal.org/register.htm

My birthday...continued!

I rounded out my birthday weekend with tons more fun. Mom, Dad, Allie, Brad and I went to dinner at J. Alexander's Friday night and then celebrated at Mom and Dad's with cake, ice cream and all sorts of fun surprises!

Saturday I spent most of the day out and about with mom (and catching up on the phone with friends calling with sweet birthday wishes) and then some of our fantastic friends came over for dinner and more celebrating. Have I ever mentioned that I have the best friends in the world? I most definitely do. Sissy made me awesome funfetti cupcakes and there were all sorts of other yummy treats (Brad's still talking about Amy's cheese dip). Most importantly, Brad and I were able to really hang out with some of our friends that we don't get to see nearly enough (I think I saw Amy more when she lived in Florence) and some of our friends that we are fortunate to see most every day (they're our neighbors). It's nice to have the opportunity to celebrate with friends from all aspects of our lives. I had a great birthday and can't thank everyone enough for all of their thoughtfulness. I am eager to see what God has planned for my 24th year!

Me and Amy

Sissy showing that my Halloween decoration is also functional

Yes, he rocked the seminole shirt all night long, it was good luck

Let the celebrating begin!

If you know me at all you know that I absolutely love birthdays. You can't blame me though; for as long as I can remember my family has made a huge deal about celebrating the day we were born. I used to wake up to breakfast in a kitchen draped in streamers, or fun balloons, or anything else festive Mom could dream up. The festive-ness of birthdays has continued over the years (including the year I was in Mobile thanks to Melissa and Sissy) and my excitement over that hasn't weaned even in the least. While my actual birthday isn't until tomorrow the celebration has already begun and I couldn't be happier.

My celebrating began with lunch at Taziki's with Rachel. We really were getting together to catch up, but she brought me a super fun surprise and kicked off my weekend of celebrating! I left thinking... I can't wait until tonight when I get to celebrate some more... back to work, blah.

I was at my desk working away when the front desk called to let me know I had a delivery. My sweet husband sent me beautiful flowers (the picture doesn't do them justice) as a pre-birthday surprise--I was pumped, another tally for my "I love my birthday" list. Just as I was getting ready to head back to my desk to admire my lovely flowers, Holly told me she needed to talk to me in the kitchen (I panicked thinking something bad had happened); I was surprised yet again. Miranda (my cubicle neighbor) made me delicious funfetti cupcakes (yep, they picked up on my favorites already) and I celebrated with a sweet card and gift from my friends at work. I was completely shocked and incredibly grateful; I've only worked here for a month and I wasn't expecting anything at all. I am very fortunate to work with such kind and thoughtful people.

Birthdays aren't so much about the celebrating itself, but more so about the fun you get to have with the people in your life. That's why I love my birthday--I get to slow down a bit and hang out with the people that mean the most to me. Yay, for another year... let the celebration continue!

Funny question...

Stopped at a traffic light on my way to work this morning I started flipping through the e-mails that piled up on my phone over night. After scrolling through a list of nearly 20 forwarded messages (sweet Nana), a Sephora ad and some pet pedicure solicitations, I noticed one with the subject "Quick Harmless Question," from a friend that lives in St. Louis. The e-mail included updates on her adorable daughter and then a question that surprised me--"What do you think of Sarah Palin?" She and I have always respectfully agreed to disagree on our difference in politics and I was intrigued by her interest in my thoughts.

What do I think about our potential Vice President? I was incredibly impressed by her at the convention and I thoroughly disagree with the intense, biased criticism that she has faced, but other than that I don't have a long list of pro's or con's. I've had to focus too much on the craziness that the actual candidates have elicited.

Hollywood?

However, as for Palin (I want to call her Sarah, but we're not quite there yet) no matter how much people want to taunt her for "inexperience" I like to believe that her experience in Alaska has prepared her to make tough decisions when it counts and to work under pressure. I also like that she's made controversial decisions and she's not afraid to do what she believes in. Perhaps, the kind of change she'd bring to Washington is exactly what we need. She hasn't drank the kool-aid yet, and if McCain plays his cards right come January she may be one of the only people in that town that has avoided the juice and finger prick. She's refreshing, she's not caught up in a bunch of partisan nonsense and her lack of time on the Hill gives her the opportunity to start fresh with some of the oldest names in the business. I honestly like the thought of her, and her enormous family, in Washington. Experienced or not, I'll take my chances with her over Obama any day.

Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYEnDepMKwE for a glimpse at what we could have to look forward to. If it doesn't bother you at least a little bit, I am worried about you. I am disturbed by this and clearly some people on the Obama campaign are too (now that the public is scrutinizing it) because it has been on the official campaign site until yesterday. And seriously, this film was produced to share--it's not a casual home movie. It has an eery resemblance to the videos of kids signing and pledging allegiance to Hitler. I'm not sure about you, but I think we have freedom and I don't think we need to be saved by a president. That's the first step towards a major digression from everything we are founded on. Okay, I'm getting terribly side tracked, so I'll save more ranting for another day.

Watch the debate tonight and I'm interested in your feedback. I won't be able to check it out until tomorrow because we'll be at a fundraiser tonight (featuring Martha Reeves and the Vandella's none the less), but I'll certainly review ASAP.

REGISTER TO VOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!