mandaloo

on friday, i worked half a day. jeromy had the day off. so the day before, he and i made plans to have lunch with my dad. i made the invitation to daddy without much thought as to how it was being interpreted on the other side. apparently, mom thought “something was up” and that the lunch was a way to break some big news to dad. poor daddy… i think for the first half of lunch, he thought there was some announcement that was going to be made. but it was just lunch. it was nice to spend time with dad in that way. jeromy and i rode in dad’s ‘68 mustang that he’s working on restoring. jeromy came up to the office for a couple of minutes with me and then i went to mom’s, where i picked up bacon for the weekend. one of cookie’s puppies has come back to live with mom (the one named “toffee”) and he and bacon have apparently become close. they play constantly and sleep together. in theory, mom is supposed to be finding another home for toffee, but there has been no effort made thus far.  i predict that he stays.  i’ve already heard the phrase, “but he is so well behaved…” and so on.

after picking up bacon, i took her to meet up with jeromy and jack at petsmart. both bacon and jack went to the groomers for the “works” and got bathed and had their nails clipped. while waiting for the dogs, jeromy and i went shopping at different pet stores to find a new collar and leash for bacon and jack. we went to pet-o-rama and looked at the aquarium stuff just for fun. i found out that there are these little “nano cube” salt water tanks which allows people to have a smaller, more affordable, easy-to-maintain salt water environment to enjoy. they had a 12 gallon one on display witha large variety of coral and such and i was super impressed. and now i want one.

after our shopping adventure, we picked up jack and bacon from the groomers. they looked and smelled great. while there, i met a lady who was going to the basset shuffle i had planned on going to with bacon the next day. the “shuffle” is an event put on by the north texas basset hound rescue group. it’s their yearly fundraiser in which dogs can walk (or in a basset’s case… “shuffle”) and raise pledges from sponsors to help rescue animals.

that evening, we had dinner with jeromy’s family at black-eyed pea. after that, jeromy and i went to wal mart for a late night run for groceries and other assorted needed items. it was super late at night, so we saw a lot of characters roaming through. i found a bandanna for bacon to wear for the shuffle (red of course) and bought food for my dinner party i was throwing for some friends the next night.

on saturday morning, it was time for the shuffle. when bacon and i got to the park, we saw tons of basset hounds and their owners.  there were lots of activities including costume contests, a howling contest, musical mats, bobbing for wienies, etc. while there, i also got bacon microchipped. it was so much fun to see bacon interacting with other dogs that were actually on her eye level. she wanted to be everyone’s friend. later in the afternoon, jeromy and jack joined us at the shuffle and saw all of the fun. below are some pictures from the shuffle…

later that evening, i had a dinner party for some ladies i’ve had the pleasure of knowing for the last five or six years or so. two of them had birthdays this weekend, so i made a special dinner of salad, bread, spaghetti and pies (chocolate and lemon meringue). they were also able to meet jeromy as well. we had a great time with our visit and laughed the evening away. i was just super happy that i didn’t burn or ruin anything. my apartment actually looked really good (and jeromy hung all my pictures up which made a big difference).

today has been nice and relaxing. it rained all day, and it’s been a welcome sight. jeromy and i went to church this morning. there was hardly anyone there -it was the smallest crowd i’ve ever seen. the meeting was all about missionary work and about spreading the word of christ to those who don’t have it. some good points were made about how a lot of people are living lives to where they want that joy and peace in their lives, but they’re just waiting. i’ve known people in the past like that. i guess i’m somewhat in a bubble, though, because most of the people i work with and am friends with and close to are “on board” for the most part for that area…or, at least, heading in the right direction. i really am amazed how good of people i’m surrounded by on a daily basis. but it was a good reminder to keep the missionaries worldwide in my prayers and to be mindful of the blessings i have from my relationship with christ.

the rest of the day has been super relaxing. i even got a nap in. i hung out at mom’s for a short while and am now just kicking around until bed time. i just read the blog of a former coworker. he’s a young chap that is talented musically and has just started his family with his wife. his little girl (two months old) has brought him so much joy and i just read a short blurb about his interpretation on his new life and the demands therein. it was a beautiful paragraph about how he appreciates new things and takes genuine joy in his family and it was refreshing to read. i find myself getting caught up in worldly cares and i forget the things that are really important. in every phase of life, there is beauty and happiness to be had and it’s easy to look ahead and forget to appreciate the “now.” i have endless reasons to smile.

tonight coming home from mom’s, i noticed that i didn’t have my ac on full blast. i can’t wait until it’s beanie weather.  i might be out of town some this upcoming week, so we’ll see.  over and out…