Update From The Beach

{Nicky}

We have had a few things going on this week. I had a wonderful birthday. I was so happy to have Scott home this year! We celebrated with dinner and my cake--which I did cut into after all! And it was soooo good! Thank-you, everyone, for the many happy birthday wishes!

Then, of course, came Valentine's Day. We had reservations at a great steak house, called Aberdeen Barn. It was very busy, and a lot of diners around us were complaining about waiting too long for this or that, but Scott and I really enjoyed the time to relax and catch up. Seems that he's working a lot these days, and we're often moving from one thing to the next without time to just breathe together! So our evening was just perfect.

We were really happy to travel to Richmond on Saturday and shoot pictures of Bre and Tara Easter. Bre and Tara took some 'sister' shots, and then Scott and I shot outdoor images for Tara's senior pics. It's a big year for the girls...both are graduating this year! Tara from high school, and Bre from college! I am posting a few of my favorite pics from the shoot--and it will also be a sneak preview for the girls! We had a beautiful day, and got to end with good conversation and pizza with the family-can't beat that!

31x2

{Nicky}

...is not 62. In this case, at least. It's the number of people in this household that will be 31 years of age as of tomorrow.

In preparation for my birthday celebration, Scott spent the night being Hector-Home-Ec-er, and baked me a beautiful cake. Seriously. It's so lovely, I had tears in my eyes. I am debating whether or not I even want to cut into it tomorrow!







Isn't he amazing??!

Son of a B--

{Scott}

An innocent evening at home, capping off a meal of vegetarian corn dogs with homemade malts. Sounds simple. Nicky made hers, chocolate, and I tapped a shot of pumpkin spice into mine, and let the blender rip.

If I had been at work, if it had been a piece of nuclear plant equipment that made the noises that the blender made, I would have been compelled to shut it down and start ordering replacement parts. At home, though, those kind of noises are...eh...whatever. I'm sure it'll be fine. Apparently the Pillars of the Program are only pillars of the program.

Behold the fallout...




















And the saddest part of it might be that the first thing I said when it happened was, "get the camera!"

Adventures In Screen Doors

{Nicky}

The weather here has been amazing (78 degrees yesterday!) so much so, that we have had all windows and doors open. Last night, Dixie and Jackson were playing a little game they like to call "inside, outside, inside, outside" or as Scott and I refer to it, "The Most Annoying Game In The World." So anyway, we came to a point in the evening where we let Jacky out yet again, and retreated to the couch.

Well, he decided to come back in, and was very excited in his approach to the screen door. So excited, in fact, that he forgot there WAS a screen door! He hit that sucker at a good run, and I swear to god, he looked like a cartoon character when he smashed into it! There was this split moment of his little body pasted against the screen, one paw up, one paw to the side, before he fell back, stunned, but otherwise fine!

And I'll be honest--I laughed. And I laughed hard. It was so comical, this black outline with one paw up and the others lower...ufda. I'm laughing again. And again, he was fine, and we coddled and loved him up as needed to get over it--which ended up being about 15 seconds! He has no time for that sissy stuff when there's a big sister to keep up with!

And as I recall, that is not the first time a dog has tried to go through that screen door! Jackson didn't have quite the body mass/weight yet (thank goodness) to knock if off the track like Dixie has done in the past. To hold up against that kind of dog abuse...now that's a screen door!

Adventures at the Beach

{Scott, pictures by Nicky}

Even though it's February, and most of our families are hip-deep in snow (I think), Virginia Beach is a...beach...town, so the beach area is never totally uninhabitable. Body boarding and sunbathing are mostly out of the question, but as far as the dogs are concerned, nothing's out of the question.

There's not a whole lot of detail to relate about our trip, but here are a few highlights:
- People love Jackson. Sure, both dogs are appealing and get friendly looks and coos from strangers, but people approach Jackson. People pet Jackson. People let Jackson lick their faces (not knowing where he's been...we do, but they don't.) I suppose that's the power of a puppy.
-Jackson gets carsick. Dixie has a very strong constitution on the road, and we've never had a problem with her, at least, I haven't; I can't speak for Nicky. In the last couple of trips out, though, Jackson's gotten sick in the car. It usually happens when he's eaten recently, so, I guess that's something to keep in mind.
-Dixie doesn't care how cold or wet she is, and so, we have to keep her from jumping in the ocean in February. Besides, she got a bath this morning!

Other than that, it's been fairly quiet around the homestead. We're watching the Super Bowl, sort of, and getting ready to go back to the grind tomorrow.

(There are more pictures on our Flick page. Check them out!)

As Promised...

{Nicky}

Well, I know I've been touting Jackson's Amazing Growing Legs for awhile, and promising pictures of it, and I'm finally ready to deliver. It's only one picture, but you'll get the idea!

We're keeping busy here. Scott's been spending a lot of time on the ship. His days are longer than they were when the ship was in the water, and the commute to and from the yards is a bit longer, too, so that has drastically cut his time at home. But we're making the most of what we do still have. We excitedly spent last night getting reacquainted with our favorite addiction: "Lost"!! We're also looking forward to celebrating our first Valentine's Day together, ever! We missed 2005 because I was ill, and in '06 and '07, he was out to sea, so this is our big year! I know it's still a couple weeks away, but I'm still excited. Oh yeah...there's a birthday in there, somewhere, too!

Speaking of...my sister celebrated the beginning of her final year in the 20s yesterday! Happy Birthday, Les!

On a more serious note, several of our loved ones are coping with different difficulties this month, and we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, every day. We're here if you need us.