Birdies!

I don't know if it's been the nice weather, or the birdies finally found our bird feeders, but we've been getting all sorts, and it's so exciting for me (and the kitties)!
I thought this was cool because you can see it flying away!
Some blue jays! We've seen several cardinals too!

I wanna get some finch food out and some hummingbird concoction, and some grape jelly in our Oriole feeder too!

Awesome Home in McKean for Sale!

Here is an awesome home for sale in Mckean, PA!

If we didn't already buy our house, we would've probably bought this one!! It's absolutely gorgeous inside and out!


1796 sq ft
4 bed
1 full, 2 half bath
.51 acres
3 car garage
$188K

House in a Garage!

Well, we got our stuff moved back . . . . . . we don't really have a house to put it all in since we are living in Shane's dad's house, and we don't want to pay for storage, so Shane's dad was gracious enough, to let us keep all our crap @ his house in his garage.
We had to lock up the kitties while the movers were there (we did bring in our living room furniture and a couple other things) . . . . they were not very happy.Shane's dad cutting the lawn! We have it made! He brings our mail to us every day, plows for us in the winter, and cuts our lawn in the summer! Maybe this isn't so bad!
So if you ever wondered what a house looks like in a garage, there you go! Hopefully soon things will work out so we can get our own place, but until then we will greatly appreciate the house, the mail to our kitchen counter, the driveway plowed, the grass cut, and the storage space!

Packing Up!

Last Wednesday we made our last trip to our house in Virginia. We had movers come and pack everything up!
While they did that, we all did yard work. The grass was rather tall and there were soooooooooo many leaves that needed raked up. My mommy and our pup Behren came to help us out!
He was such a good boy!
When I was weed-wacking I found a HUGE spider like this one, my mom found this HUGE bee (above), and then I found this: The skin of a cicada!
And here are lots of boxes all packed up ready to be loaded on the truck!
And more! I think I am going to miss our kitchen the most! It was so big! . . . And I'm going to miss our big fenced in back yard.
Oh my gosh! So I seriously wish I could've bottled the scent up of this Lily flower! It smelled like grape sweet tarts!! Best smelling flower EVER!! But I was so excited to see all of the flowers I planted so big and so beautiful! We put a lot of work into the landscaping, and it looks great! The rose bush quadrupled in size and had 3 big roses on it!
Getting ready to leave. One last sit on our selfmade deck. Kisses all around.
There she is. All packed and ready to go (minus our lawnmower that somebody stole :-( . . bummer!)
Our last visit to our house. I hugged Shane when we were getting ready to leave and just started to cry. It was like we were closing another chapter of our lives together.

He's Home!

We picked up Behren today! It was so great!

First off let me say that we took Behren to Camboro, and I cannot say enough good things about them. They made us feel so comfortable and always seem to know what they are talking about and don't care how much we bother them. They tell us to call as much as we want. I really like all the staff and doctors there, and completely recommend taking your pets there!

When we first got there we went in one of the exam rooms and the one assistant told us about the meds that he needed to take (inflammation, pain pills, antibiotics). Then the doctor who did the surgery (Dr. Sliker - Orthopedic Surgeon for 17 years or something like that . . a very nice and very educated guy!) came in and we got to talk to him about questions we had and about what to expect and what Behren can and can't do. Pretty much . . he has to stay in the house for the next month and can only go out (on a leash) to do his thing and then has to come back in. No running, no jumping, no climbing stairs, no digging. After a month then he can start going for walks on a leash again.

So after we discussed all that, Dr. Sliker took us to the xray exam room to show us Behren's xrays (and they gave them to us on a CD . . how fun!).

Pre Surgery
(you can see on the right how much farther his knee is separated . . this is because his cruciate ligament was 75% torn, and the rest was just stretched out)

Post Surgery
(you can see where the metal clasps are . . if you look really good, you can see a darker line where the "tunnel" is that they drilled)



When we were in the xray room, they took him past to do some laser therapy (which he goes back for once - twice a week for five weeks) . . this is supposed to help stimulate cell growth and help him heal faster. He saw us when he walked by and did a double take. When we finally got to see him, he did his normal smile and wagging of the tail and was so excited to see us. You could tell he was definitely ready to go home though. He was very anxious.


Here is his suture on his leg. He goes back in two weeks to get the stitches removed.


They shaved off so much hair! He looks naked!


After a while at home, he seemed a lot more content and started playing with all his toys. We fed him and gave him his pills, and then he was passed out. (p.s. - Our 20 year old kitty is behind Behren).


It is so great to have him home again. We have a long road to recovery, but we just hope we can get him back so he can painlessly run on all fours again.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. We greatly appreciate it!

Ugh. . . .

Ugh . . . I really have several things to post about, but I just don't have the time or energy right now to do it. . . . so you just get a recap of some things.

I had my first "closing" at work today . . . I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was . . . only worked 10 hours!

The cruise is only 10 days away!!! AHHH!!!!! So exciting and so nerve wrecking! I just hope I can relax a little, because I feel like I won't be able to, and I need to. . . . also found out that KC will be my roomie! Yay!

And since moving home (which I am still excited about, don't get me wrong) . . . I feel like I get to see my family (especially my hubby) and friends less than I did when I was in Virginia. . . I don't know why . . . I just feel like I have been going and going and not getting the time or have just been too stressed and overwhelmed to appreciate the time I do get with them. I just really want our house to sell . . . ASAP . . . now. . . and we haven't even had any showings. :-( In time I guess . . .I hope . . . I pray.

p.s. check out the beautiful pics of my niece, Bryce! and sister, Sommer!

Bryce Update!!

Yay! So on our way home (to Erie) last weekend, we sent everyone a text message that said something like "Yay! We're on our way! Home for good!" and our brother & sister (Bry & Sommer) texted us back and said to meet them at Grove City for lunch! So we were excited and met them at the food court at the Grove City Outlets.

So Shane and I had some pizza and Bry & Sommer split some chinese food. And I got to take lots of pics of my favorite niece, Bryce!




And the weirdest thing happened . . . . as we were there, the Penn State Behrend Cross Country Team showed up!! We got to talk to the coaches and I ran into Cassie, one of my best friends from the team. I am too old now . . . I don't know anyone else really . . :-( But it was so great to see them! They were on their way to the AMCC meet (guys placed 1st, girls 3rd!)!


And then Shane got really mad at me because I made him go into THREE stores there . . . at least I actually found stuff that fit me though! Usually I go shopping and never find anything!

But yay!! We are home! Well . . Shaney will be coming home soon and I can't wait!! But so far it has been absolutely amazing!! I get to see my parents every day!! I get to be with my little boy (Behren, my pup) every night, every morning, and I get to see him at lunch time! And Erie has been nice to me . . . it is easing me into the cold weather!! High 60's this week and sunny!! Absolutely beautiful! It is so good to be home. You have no idea.

The Big News!!! Erie! We're Coming Home!

Well here is the big news I have been waiting to tell you . . .

First night in our house

A little over two years ago, Shane and I moved to Fredericksburg, VA for an awesome job opportunity that Shane got working for the NAVY (as a civilian). We have enjoyed our time here . . . we (I) love the weather and love all of the people that we have met. It is such a cute town, and so commercial. Basically any store you want to go to is within 20 minutes of our house. We are close to Shane's brother, Dan, and his wife, Marissa, who live in Baltimore. We have grown as a couple, leaning on each other extensively since mostly all of our other family members live in Erie/McKean, PA. It was so hard for us when we first moved here. We cried many nights, and although it got a little easier, we always knew where are true home was. . . with the rest of our family and friends.

Bry (Shane's oldest brother) and his wife, Sommer, just had a baby in August, and that made us realize even more that we wanted to be home for that. To watch her grow, learn, and love. And for when we have kids . . . we just want them to be around the wonderful people that have been around us our entire lives.

Also, I get to keep in touch with my best friends from highschool during the day on g-chat, but they are always getting together on weekends or during the week, and it just kills me to not be there with them. Mase and kc just got an apartment, and I couldn't even be there to help them move in. I just hate being away from the people we love the most. It doesn't make sense for Shane and I to stay in Fredericksburg when the most important things to us are our families and friends, and most of our families and friends are in Erie, PA.

So, . . . we started looking for jobs . . . just here and there at first, then a little more extensive. Erie doesn't have the best job opportunities . . . especially for Shane (electrical engineering), so we really were thinking we would NEVER be able to move back home. :-(

But . . . low and behold. . . I got a phone interview at General Electric (thanks to my best friend's daddy passing on my resume). They must've liked me because the day after I got called to come to Erie for an interview. They put me up in an awesome hotel. Here was me right before I left to go to my four hour interview:

I was so scared. So nervous. But I didn't have anything to lose. I have been blessed with the ability to talk easily to people I just meet, and I actually get excited about meeting all the new people! It started way back in the day when I was a little girl (5, maybe?) flying to Disney World, and I guess I went right up to some stranger and sat down and said "Hi! Where are you flying to?!" Anyways . . . about a week and a half later, I got a call from GE. They had left a voice message for me to call them back. I figured if I didn't get the job, they would've just told me in the message, so I was kinda getting my hopes up, but you never know.

So I called GE back and guess what?!?! THEY OFFERED ME THE JOB!! WE ARE MOVING HOME TO ERIE!!!! :-) The job is a financial analyst position. And although I have no real experience in this type of work (I did public accounting for two years), I am very excited about it, and I hope I really enjoy myself! I will make myself enjoy it! Cause, heck! We are moving home! :-)


So with all this excitement also comes the anxiety of trying to sell our house in this crap filled economy. We were told that house values in Fredericksburg have gone down 17%!! On a $300K house, that's $51K that you would lose . . just like that. That just makes me sick to my stomach. Ugh.

Also, we are still looking to find Shaney a job in Erie. He does have an interview at GE the day I start, so we are hoping for the best with that! Pray for us! Because until we sell our house or until Shane gets a job, we will be living apart, and I just had to live apart from him for two weeks, and it was the worst. :-( I don't want to have to do it again.

But in all of this craziness, I am looking to the one person you can count on the most . . . God. We know that He will provide for us, and we know that we just need to trust in Him. He has done some amazing things for us already, and we are just so blessed that we are moving back to our family, our friends, our home.

Home Sweet Home (Erie, PA). . . I miss you!

from Flickr

Shane and I moved from Erie, PA to Fredericksburg, VA over two years ago (Shane got a really good job offer) . . . I can't believe it has been that long already! We had a really hard time when we first moved as we are both HUGE family people. We cried pretty much every night for the first month . . at least. Everyone told us. . "it will get easier . . don't worry . . " and although we do not cry every night like we used to, we still miss our families, our friends, and gulp . . . dreary Erie!

You all know about the soon addition to our family . . our niece! And being so far away from the new experiences, the fun, and the joy she will bring . . . . it just kills me! My best friends get together almost every weekend for the "ushe", and it makes me so sad that I can not be there. I always feel so left out. And of course my parents, my grandparents, my parent-in-laws, my brothers and sissies, all the pets, and the rest of the fam . . . . we are missing so much of their lives!

And dear old Erie . . . the mistake-by-the-lake . . . I do not know why people talk down on you so much, because I miss so many things about you!

• Waldameer (Amusement park with a brand new rollar coaster that even my dad and mom said they would ride! They really aren't old! ;-) . . . The coaster is ranked the #2 wooden rollar coaster in the world and #3 overall by CoasterFanatics)


• Presque Isle State Park (sand volleyball, paddle boat renting, soaking up the rays, taking the doggies to run around off leash . . .shh. . don't tell . . . , swimming around, wave jumping, greasy food eating, boating, sunset watching, relaxing)


• Erie Zoo (They have renovated this soooo much since I was younger and it is just great to be able to see these amazing animals . . although I do always feel bad they can not be in the wild and free, I truly value getting to see their beauty and intrique up close)


• The Bayfront (Just a peaceful ride that my grandpa always used to take me on . . around the dock to see the beautiful scenery)


• Downtown (I am not a big partier . . . but going downtown every once in a while is always a good time. My fav . . . the Plymouth)


• The Snow (Living in Virginia does not give you much snow. We get lots of ice, but no snow. And because my hubby loves to ski and because I am still learning . . . I wish we were around snow more . . I know . . you think after living in Erie for 22 years you would be sick of all the snow, but when you NEVER get it . . . you start to miss it!)


• The Warner (My parents and I used to always go to Broadway or Philharmonic shows, and although I wouldn't say I am a very artistic/musically inclined person, I looooooved these!)

Those are not all of the things Erie has to offer, but those are my favorites and those are what I miss the most. Hopefully soon we can get some good job offers so we can move back to where we belong! Pray for us!