Yup...

Moving day...

I told ya'll that there were changes coming down the pipe for February. 

I wasn't kidding.

With the support of my family and friends and amazing boyfriend, I made the choice to get the hell out of the situation I was in with some pretty selfish, loud, obnoxious, ridiculous room mates from hell and do what was best for ME for a change.

I've moved five times in four years, and the weather has been extreme during every one of them...either snow or blazing heat. This time was no different. Although it wasn't actually snowing, there was still almost two feet of snow on most of the driveway and it was *just* warm enough to turn everything into mud and mess. 

I didn't care though. I can honestly say that this was the EASIEST move by far. Not physically, that's for sure. I helped Steven move each and every piece of furniture out if my home, and carried half of the house to and from the moving truck, but emotionally and mentally, this move was easy.

It was an EASY decision to move. It was a happy move. I knew I was moving to be in a happier place and to accomplish big things (school in the fall, new job, be with the man I love, etc.) 

I've only ever lived with a boyfriend (and a husband at one point...) a few times in my life and each time during the moving process, we have nearly killed each other or gotten into a knock down, drag out fight over something from being frustrated and/or sheer exhaustion. 

Not this time, and that's part of the reason that I know this is the right decision for myself and my dogs and my future. 

Even if Steven DID manage to drop every single pair of my clean underwear into the mud/snow...we had a good laugh about it and moved on.

Onward and upward. I'm so excited about the good things to come and Oscar and Lucy are so so so very happy here and so is their momma 😉

16 in 2016

I'm a HUGE list maker...

Last year I did 10 on Tuesdays, or maybe it was Thursday's...either way, thought I'd switch it up a bit and do random lists of 16 things through out this year. 

Today will be the first.

16 things occupying my brain while I should be asleep right now.

1. HUGE snow storm coming this way apparently. Boss man closed the office for the next few days. I'm totally ok with that. Normally I would be pissed about missing/not getting paid for hours. But I'm beyond that right now. I've already been in one pretty bad accident on my way home from work on back roads and that was only rain! Don't want to find out what happens in snow!

2. I need to replace my phone chargers. All of them. Every single one I have seems to be circling the drain.

3. BIG changes coming down the pipe in the next two weeks as far as work, school, living arrangements. I don't want to jinx anything, so I'll just say, please...prayers. Good juju. Whatever it is that you believe in, send them my way.

4. I need to go to the landfill. My screened in porch is slowly starting to look like said landfill!

5. Steven. like whoa.

6. I want to paint. Most of my painting stuff is at my moms right now. I also don't need to be painting right now, I need to be sleeping.

7. Need to set an alarm for the am so that I can decide if I'm packing these dogs up and heading to my parents house or Stevens place for the storm. I'm pretty terrified I'll end up stuck out here in the sticks with no power. Ughhh.

8. I haven't seen my nephews in almost two weeks. Need to get on that like white on rice. If I stay in town for said snow storm, I may end up over there because they have a generator...but my dogs are a problem there :/

9. Steven and I are going to the beach at the end of February for a conference. I'm pretty excited. I've been to Virginia beach probably 100 times in my life, but still excited. Some actual time off away from everything with someone I care about and who cares about me and likes to have fun! (Last beach trip was fun, because of the kids. And gioia. That's pretty much it.)

10. I don't drink milk. Only use it for cooking and eating cereal. But I felt a strong urge to buy some last night because everyone else in the DMV was out there buying bread and milk and toilet paper. 

11. I will never live with a room mate again. Except my "permanent roommate," as Steven says...meaning my husband or future husband or life partner or whatever. But never ever ever ever am I sharing a house with people I don't like. Ugh.

12. I have a cold. NyQuil is amazing. 

13. Next holiday coming is the dreaded Valentine's Day. Might not be so bad this year. Even if we do nothing or exchange nothing but a card, I know he will make it special. He always finds a way.

14. I loved Chicago snow, but hated that I had to drive in it. The whole time I lived there, we were only closed once for snow, and that was because it was almost 40 inches in one day. That would close Virginia down for a month.

15. I have a song in my head on repeat since like Monday. Wrecking ball by Eric Church. 

16. Hoping this is a good

Lucy-fur

Just in case anyone wondered why her middle name is fur!!!!

Fat man in a litttttttttle coat!

For real! This pic was taken in 2011 ish when we still lived in Chicago.
My little man is slim and trim now and the vet is very happy with his weight. It wasn't easy, but I had to do it for his safety. I need this guy around for at least 15 more years!

Yay for midnight internet shopping!

I'm not a good sleeper. I never have been. But one night it finally paid off. I found this SUPER cute Doxie chalkboard on Zulily.com and I'm so in love with it...even if all I ever do it write notes to myself on it 😉

Living with dachshunds...