Wow...it's been a while

Wow. I did not realize how long it has been since I updated this blog. Man! Where do I start?

Well, like I said in my last post we got a dog. Her name is Shiloh & the vet is guessing she is about 5 yrs old. She must have had a pretty rough first part of her life because she has some scars to her back end & a broken rib that has healed but pokes out on her left side. 

She is a great dog & loves us so much. She came already trained at playing fetch & it is definitely her favorite past time...sneaking out of our back yard is apparently her second favorite...not one of our favorites. Yes, the police have already shown up at our house once with her. 

She loved every person & kid she has met (so far) & that, I couldn't be happier about. However, she is not a fan of other dogs. Today we took her to a dog park & she put a pretty aggressive pit bull & HUGE German shepherd in their places when she felt they had gotten too close. 

For the first few weeks we had her she had a terrible case of kennel cough that really worried us & we made a couple of trips to the vet & bought tons of pills that were a ton of fun to shove down her throat. Also, the day we got her we took her for a long walk & I fell in a small hole. I thought I was fine but started having pain in my foot a few days later. Two weeks later, Anthony convinced me to see a podiatrist. I ended up in a boot for 5 weeks for sever posterior tibial tendonitis & plantar faciatis. Now I'm awaiting he wants me to have orthotic inserts specially made. This $25 dog is starting to become very expensive.

On another note, Anthony & I finally found a church (Northview Baptist Church) & have joined it. We found a great Sunday school class and, on Wednesdays, I attend a systematic theology class while Anthony is in choir practice. The church is a little bigger than what I grew up in but still small enough that you won't get lost in the crowd. It think the one thing that really pulled me over was that they had the Institute for Creation Research come every Wednesday & a couple of Sundays in October to speak on creation & Genesis. This topic is a major interest to me & that they were open to speak on a controversial subject really impressed me. Also, the new members pastor teaches the theology class I attend & his belief, teaching, & adherence to solid Bible doctrine sealed the deal for me. I really think this is a place we can serve & be served.

We went to Vegas a few weeks ago. Interesting place. Never was on my list of places I wanted to visit but we had the opportunity & we went. We also got to see Kim & Jonathan while we were there which was great too. I am no fan of Vegas. We did go see Cirque de Soliel's "Ka" & it was really cool, we went to the new Bacchanal Buffet at Ceasar's Palace that was really good, & we also visited Hoover Dam which was the highlight of the trip for us. We think we may go back one day if we find pretty cheap tickets just to see another Cirque show, maybe the Blue Man Group, & take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. 

I have now owned our house for 3 years which means we are released from the First Time Home Buyers Credit. Yay! So now we can look for a new house. This house is amazing. We love it. However, it is a bit small for a family...one baby or toddler, maybe but more than that, no way. So, we want something bigger but for less. Sound crazy? Well, we really would like to find a house with 4+ rooms, 2+ baths, a room that could act as an office/school room, single story, yard big enough to have a garden & play in, very little updating (we could paint or add new carpet), decent neighborhood, reasonably close to Anthony's office & our church, & for $100,000 or less. Now do we sound crazy? hahaha Well, we don't have to move out anytime soon or anything so we can wait till we find the right place & there are always houses coming up for foreclosure. We'll just keep praying about it. :)

For the last two weeks, I have planed out our menu for the week & we have made pretty much all our meals (including taking our lunch). We've eaten out I think 3 times & I've had fast food only once, Anthony maybe 2-3 times. This still may not sound great but it is monumental for us. We've been going to the grocery store on the weekends & only popping into one during the week to grab something that wouldn't have lasted long enough or the store didn't have when we went earlier. We are also starting to watch sales & find decent coupons. I must say, shopping has actually been kind of fun & we are trying so many new recipes. We are saving money, eating better, & having fun. What more could you want?

I think I am slowly turning into a hippie. I am starting to become convinced of some of the dangers of some of the chemicals we use on an everyday basis &, since Obamacare doesn't seem to have any chance of being reversed, I am starting to get interested in more alternative/homeopathic medicine. I really believe that now that healthcare has been socialized, if we have any hope of any kind of healthcare, we will need to seek it other places than in the "accepted establishment." Anyway, I have been researching some "DIY cleaners" &, tonight, we bought the ingredients to make our own laundry detergent. According to this girl, it costs approximately $0.02 per load & costs her about $2 a month for her family of 6. That is a heck of a deal. So, I'll keep you posted.

Well, Anthony has already headed to bed so I guess I'll say good night as well. :D