Auburn saves the day... Kind of....

So Saturday I was home and Doug was working. I was in the bedroom dusting when I hear auburn growling and barking in the living room. Since this is a normal, everyday thing I didn't think anything of it and told her to hush it. Well she just got louder so I went into the living room to see what she was carrying on about. I found her standing at the edge of the hallway, barking at the door. I turned to look down the hall to see and hear the door knob jiggling. Now here is the moment when the sane person runs into the bedroom, locks the door, and calls the cops. Me, I run down the hallway towards the door with the dust cloth in my hand and press my body up against the door. Cause, you know, my bulked up body is going to keep the door from opening. Yeah... So as I am holding the door shut I look out the peephole and see a group of people standing outside my door. They stand there for a second and then go down the stairs. I waited for a few moments to make sure they were gone and called the office. Turns out, they hired a new girl and she got lost trying to show a family an apartment. I called doug and asked him if he had locked both the door and the dead bolt when he left and he said yes. When I was at the door, I locked the bottom, door lock. So the door did get opened and what I heard was the new girl locking it back. If it was not for Auburn barking, I would have never known they were there, opened the door, and possibly in the apartment. She got rewarded with treats and lots of loving. New house rule, she can bark all she wants. Better to bark at everything than to not bark at something important.

Orioles Game Pictures

Beetch

So it's my birthday, it's 6 pm, and I had not heard from my mom. Now, as you read in my previous blog, Saturday was a rough day for me and I did very good to hold the pieces together and not fall apart. So not getting a happy birthday from my mom, the woman who made this day possible, was weighing heavily on me. She eventually called me that evening but was very short which is not like her.

So yesterday evening she calls me again. She starts the conversation off by saying, "I didn't want to tell you on your birthday because I did not want you to be upset on your birthday..."! Really, mom? Haven't we had this conversation before?

She continues on saying she was trying to help dad out with the grass cutting. She was mowing areas of the lawn with the push mower that dads riding lawn mower could not get to. She ran the mower over an empty ant bed (they just had put ant killer on it and got rid of all the ants inside) and a bunch of bees/wasps/hornets/yellow jackets (she is not sure on which exactly) flew out and attacked her. It's one thing to have a bunch of stings, it's another to be allergic to them.

Dad was at work so she put the lawn equipment back up (crazy, I know!) and headed to her doctors office. They told her she needed an iv and they could not administer it so she had to go to the hospital. They wanted her to go by ambulance but she refused and drove herself. By this time she was broke out all over and swelling. She got there and they started her on the iv. They let her go later that evening but she had to call my dads brother and his wife to come get her because my dad was not able to leave work in time. She is feeling good; tired and sore but good. I told her to hire someone to cut the grass from now on but she will never listen. The hospital prescribed her an epi pen to have in the future. I felt bad for being upset that she had not called me on my birthday but I understand why she didn't. I would rather her focus on her health than wish me a happy birthday!

A blackout birthday

This year my birthday was a blackout… No, not the went out partying, had too much fun and to drink, and blacked out birthday. It was the half a million people without power blackout birthday…

Let’s start at the beginning of my memorable/miserable birthday…

Friday after work Doug, his mom and dad, and I went to the Orioles game. I had bought tickets earlier in the month and we were all super excited. Well, that is until we saw the weather. Game time temperature was 100 degrees! Yep. That’s not even with the heat index! Our seats were under the overhang so we were out of the sun but there was no breeze IN THE WHOLE BALLPARK! My clothes were even sweating. It was miserable. By the time we got inside the ballpark sweat was dripping down my back and face. And of course the place was packed being a night game with fireworks. After the sun set, the temperature fell some but not at our seats. Nope, the overhang trapped the hot air so we sat in a sauna the entire time. I kept looking around for fans but they had none. CRAZY! We tried to make the best of it and his parents were super nice, smiling the whole time. His dad spent most of the game by the concession stands, watching the game on the TVs. They insisted they were okay but I knew they were cussing me. Ha! I remember there being a game, players on the field and all, and I remember eating some bbq sandwich everybody kept talking about but all my attention was focused on how hot I was. They provided cups of ice to everyone but NOTHING could cool you off in that heat but an ice cold pool or an AC.

At the end of the 7^th inning I decided to put everybody out of their misery and head home. I was sad to miss the fireworks but turns out it was a good decision. I might have not even missed them. See, on our way home we noticed lots and lots of lightening. I mean, this lightening was constant and very bright. No thunder so I thought it was heat lightening and didn’t think anything of it. We pull into the parking lot and one by one we watch all the lights go out in the neighborhood. The wind kicked it into high gear, the rain started pouring, and the lightning and thunder began its show. An hour later it was over but the damage was done.

The first night was not bad. This house was cool from the air running all night. We had to shower in the dark at 11 pm after the storm ended because we were stank nasty from the game. We opened the window in the bedroom to let the cool air and breeze from the storm in. Auburn barked and growled at everything that moved all night. We got some sleep but not much. The next morning (my official birth day) I woke up at 5 to check the status of the power. It was then we realized how bad the storm was. My plans of shopping all day for my birthday were screeching to a halt. I went back to sleep while Doug went and got breakfast and helped his dad hook up the generator.  I showered at our house and then trekked over to their house to dry my hair. OMG! It took an hour to blow dry and straighten! I had to keep the blow dryer on low heat, low power. It was miserable. But I was grateful for the power.

So here it is, my birthday, and I had no power, a bad hair day, little sleep, and a few missing pounds from sweating my ass off the night before. All I wanted was Cracker Barrel for lunch and shopping for desert. And you guessed it, Cracker Barrel was closed for no power. Thankfully Chick-Fil-A was open. And everybody else in the city new it! My mom had yet to call me and tell me Happy Birthday and I was eating my grand birthday lunch at a Chick-fil-a. I almost broke down but I refused to let all the bad get to me. Plus I knew it would break Doug’s heart knowing I was not happy on my birthday and there was nothing he could do to make it better. The outlets and mall had full power so we headed to the AC! I spent half my birthday money (Everybody gave me money so I got to splurge!! It was great!!) and a slice of cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. We got home hoping the power was back on but it wasn’t. So we fed the pooch and headed out for dinner at G&M (yeah the yummy crab cake place)! 

On our way home I checked the automated phone system with the power company for an update. They did a great job of keeping it and their website updated. When we called earlier it said the power was estimated to be on by 5. Then they changed it to 8:30. When I called this time, they gave no time... Umm...? The recording started talking about how it would be even the end of the next week before everyone's power would be restored and how they had hundreds of trucks coming from out of state to help. Umm...? I was fearing for the worst at this point. 

The second night of no AC was miserable. There was no breeze and Auburn was barking at everything. I slept for a few hours on the couch. And at 5 am (two days in a row my birthday weekend? Really?) I awoke to a beep, a click, and then another beep. IT WAS ELECTRICITY!!! I jumped up, ran into the bedroom, and turned the fan on. I shut the windows, cranked the air (it was 85 in house!), and woke up Doug to share the good news. Neither of us could go back to sleep (we were like kids on Christmas morning) so we got up and got to work. The laundry was backed up, the dishes needed to be run, and I wanted to clean the fridge before we put the food back in it (we stashed what we could at his parents since their fridge was hooked up to the generator and had to throw the rest out). Now Doug is off to work, I am finishing laundry, watching Sex & the City (cable & internet is out), pre-typing my blog, and planning my cheesecake desert and nap.  

So the weekend was not a total bust, but nothing like I had imagined. I made Doug promise for an extra good 30^th. You know, MD to Bermuda is a 2 hour flight… J

From Heather's Kitchen

Oh yes I did! Well technically my friend Sarah (apparently everywhere I live I have to be friends with someone named Sara/Sarah) did it. She came to my Cinco de Mayo party with these and I was determined to make them. How can I claim Southern Mexican without knowing how to make homemade tortilla chips? So I whipped some up to go with the enchiladas tonight (which I need to post the recipe for).

Fried, homemade, flour tortilla chips

Flour Tortillas
Vegetable Oil

1. Cut tortillas into 6th or 8ths (the ones you see in the picture are 6ths)
2. Heat vegetable oil on medium in a skillet. Pour enough to be about 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep.
3. Drop tortillas into oil and cook until golden brown on both sides

I know! So easy!!
Thanks Sarah for bringing this yummy treat to my house and sharing your recipe with me!

I am alive...

Still nothing much to blog about but just wanted to let you know I am alive. We went to Haggerstown for Fathers Day. It is out in western MD, towards the "mountains". I saw hills and outlets. :) But it was pretty and it was a beautiful day. Plus I got a couple of cute shirts at Polo. Work is going good. I still feel like the newbie but I have the job down pat. Now I am working on what's next. Y'all know me, determined over-achiever. Hopefully it will be viewed positively, unlike my previous job... Still liking living in MD. Missing our friends and family back home terribly! Can't wait to visit next month. We are counting down the days. Doug is getting ready to finish up his summer mini-semester. If this class does not discourage us, nothing will. I think he has seen the kitchen table (dougs desk) more than he has seen me. We just keep reminding ourselves the outcome is worth the stress and lack of quality time together. Auburn is doing good. Still crazy as ever. Wish I had some pictures or a funny story to tell you but I am empty. Maybe we will get into some fun trouble soon. Until then...

Nothing new around here

Well, the summer is starting out to be a slow, hot one. Doug has been working and going to school; I have been working and sitting on the couch bored while Doug works and does school work. Positive - it saves money! Too bad we are not really "saving" money. Don't you just love those unexpected expenses? For us it seems like we have one every pay period. Ha! This week it was Auburn's vet appt. He skin is broke out again from her allergies. We had to get some antibiotics and more Omega 3 oil for her skin. Hoping we get it under control. Next time she breaks out, it will be allergy tests and possible allergy shots time. Yay! Can't wait to spend that money!
Memorial Day weekend was short and sweet. Doug worked all but Sunday so we hung out at the pool. It was so nice and relaxing. I can't wait to go back this weekend. The water was cool but it did not matter cause it was hot as hell! I left the south to get away from the abnormally early, hot summers. And here it is, not even June, and we are in the 90's. We did go out to eat with some friends one night. We tried a new seafood restaurant by our house. Good, would go back, but still prefer G&M. We were there for three hours! I would have been hot if we were there by our-selves but I enjoyed spending all the time with our new friends. 
I promise we are making some plans to give me something to blog about. My birthday is coming up, we are going to GA in July, I would love to spend a day or two at the beach before the summer is over, I WILL go to a Little League World Series game!!!, I may be going to AL in October, and we are going to try going to NYC for Christmas. Plus every day Doug and I have off together I am going to drag him out of the house to do something new. There is so much to do and I swear we are going to do it all before we leave!

Sweet SummerTime

Auburn's favorite summertime treat - Mom's no sugar added fruit popsicles. I wondered if she would remember them. I'll let you be the judge.

Salmon-ella

So Doug went to the vet to pick up a bag of Auburn's food. With her allergies her diet has been restricted to a salmon/fish based food. And of course the vet will recommend the food they sell! So he walks in and the shelves where the food normally is are empty. He walks up to the counter and asks where the Taste of the Wild dog food is. The lady replies, "They recalled the entire production of the food due to traces of SALMONELLA."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me? They do not know where the salmonella came from or when it was first put in the food. Hey VET! Where was the phone call to say, hey they recalled your dog food and what you are currently giving her may be contaminated. REALLY! If she would have gotten sick... oh boy would there have been hell to pay! And to top it off, when Doug asked what they recommended to replace her food with they said they did not know... because THEY had nothing comprable to what she was currently eating. So give her salmonella and then starve her. Thanks!!!!

Cinco de Mayo

Doug and I decided to have our first dinner party for Cinco de Mayo. The house is still not "put together" like I would like it so I have been putting off having people over. But then I thought, what better excuse to have people over than Cinco de Mayo! I invited a few people from work, Doug invited a few people from his work, and the slaving began. Doug and I spent all last week cleaning, hanging stuff, and making the house look more put together. I was super excited to get my shelving hung that I bought before Christmas! It took me, Doug, and a friend of his from work over three hours to hang them. Love Ikea's prices, hate their assembly!

Really wish I would have got a picture of the three of us, at one time, working on getting them hung. Pathetic! The house really needed the cleaning and organizing so I am glad we had the party to make us get to work. Now I am back on track with getting the house the way I want it.
Of course being Cinco de Mayo I chose to cook Mexican food. I did taco salad, enchiladas, and chicken tortilla casserole. I left out the jalapenos and used "Mild" for all the sauces. Wanted to go easy on these bland Maryland folks. They were super excited to get a taste of "Southern" Mexican cooking. I think some even wished I would have left the spice in. I made the perfect amount of food (which I was major stressing over!) and some even requested to take home some of what was left over. One of my coworker's, Ryan, girlfriend, Sarah, brought homemade guacamole and tortilla chips. OMG! So good and so easy to make. I plan on attempting it myself sometime next week. I will let you know how it goes and share the recipe. Not only did they get my favorite people in MD award for the chips and dip, Ryan remembered me mentioning how much I liked Jack Daniels' Tennessee Honey and brought a big bottle. YEAH BUDDY! We did not have shot glasses so one of Doug's coworkers, Craig, took some scissors to the Red Solo cups we had. GENIUS! I think we should patten them and sell the idea. It would take the Red Solo Cup to a whole new level.

I had mentioned to Doug about how my coworkers love Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. Like Doug, they loved to quote the movie and would carry on a conversation for an hour with nothing but quotes from the movies. So Doug decided to play the movies. A house full of people and we were all sitting around watching Will Ferrell movies. REALLY! I broke out the cards and we tried to play drinking games but the movies were too distracting for the guys. Their eyes were glued to the TV.
Auburn was super excited to have all these new friends come over. She was, like always, the center of attention. She actually scared our first guests to arrive with her barking. They thought she was some big, ferocious dog but when I opened up the door they laughed. Ha! I am not sure if she was over excited or if someone slipped her some table food (CRAIG!!) but she peed on the floor twice, pooped once, and threw-up a little bit on the couch. And this all happened after dinner, after everyone had been at the house for a couple of hours. It was so out of the norm for her. Doug got up this morning with her and she pooed on the floor again before he could take her out. Poor thing! She is laying on the couch next to me right now. I am not sure if her tummy hurts or if she is exhausted from last night. We put her in the crate last night. She did not fuss about it and we did not hear a peep from her all night. I gave her half of a Tums just in case her tummy was not feeling well. Her beard is now pink. :) All in all, our first dinner party went well. We learned a few things (liquor stores close at 10 up here so you better stock up, Will Ferrell movies are a distraction to a party, how to make guac and tortilla chips, and Doug now thinks he needs a new car (THANKS RYAN!!)) and look forward to having another one again soon.