The Auburn Files

Boda Getta BBQ Amateur Winners are..

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:03:00 +0000

The Opelika Porker Tour! Of which Hubby is a member. Wow! I don't think anyone is more surprised than me. And that's not a cut to their grilling skills.

Hubby told me a few weeks ago that he would be joining some of his buddies on a grilling team for the Boda Getta BBQ cookoff. I have to tell you that when he told me the name of the cookoff, I thought that this was just something that him and his poker buddies made up. It sounds a lot like something they would do. I mean, they made up a whole golf tournament series - 4 per year - that plays at various courses around Alabama and they name each tournament something interesting.

So, to be honest, I didn't take the whole grilling team seriously. Last weekend, he went over and "practiced" with his team. Again, I didn't get it. Then, yesterday, he told me he was taking the day off work to set up the grills and everything. Huh? Really?!?

Finally, it started to clue in when he told me that the Auburn Chamber was involved, there was a professional and an ameteur class, it was taking place on campus. Oh....

Well, I couldn't be there at all since I had to work, but when I got off work yesterday and called him to check up, he told me that their team had won! Wow!!! I really was taken by surprise! As the winners, they will receive a really nice trophy (not like the crappy ones that have been junking up our garage from softball seasons), a premo tailgate spot next to the stadium for the first home game, and announcing them at half-time at the game. !!!! There is some confusion as to whether this will be just their names being called out or them being on the field and having the trophy presented to them there. Hubby is hoping for the field option.

Really, I'm very impressed. I had no clue. I feel like such an uninvolved wife. Hubby isn't really the gourmet or anything (no offense). His job on the team was to be in charge of the fire temperature. Very important. I think there were two other guys that had the actual recipes down. They entered ribs and chicken. And they won!!!

Another shout out must go to our friend J.Robert as his dad's team was the professional winner. Way to go! No surprise there as we all know that his dad is quite the grilling champ (think an RV with monster grills in tow).

So, beyond the win, hubby is now left with the lingering smoke smell that even a long shower has put little dent in. It's interesting. But, congrats to all! And, I promise to be more involved next time.

A little bit bored...

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:18:00 +0000

I'm procrastinating. Taxes, house work, real work...

Umm, yeah, we aren't moving this weekend. Like our plans really work that well :). Follow the progress at the other blog. My hope is that we at least start the moving next weekend. It could be two more weeks. Whatev.

Pop culture thoughts:
Oscars = fun. I love watching the Oscars. I love seeing what gowns are worn. And, I do like knowing what is nominated and who won. I make a point to watch most of the major nominated films. That being said, I am now DYING to see Slumdog Millionaire. I have already bought the soundtrack. It's really good by the way - go figure since it won the Oscar for best music song and score categories. Anyone up to go see the movie with me?

Top Chef = Hosea. My other addiction is watching Top Chef on Bravo. I started watching Top Chef last season (4). Richard Blais was my favorite in season 4. He lives in ATL and does a ton of stuff outside the area (thanks to the new celebrity). Anyway, he was my favorite and he came in second. Well, this season (5), Stephan was my pick and he came in second. In reality, my favorite was Fabio, but I thought that Stephan was the best chef. In case you haven't ever watched Top Chef, tune into the re-runs. It's worth it just to watch Fabio. He's from Italy and has an amazing accent and personality. I'm sure we will see him again. He is TV gold. I would give anything to go eat at his restaurant and be served by him. What could be better than eating really good (and authentic) Italian food while being served by a charming Italian man?

I can't say that I'm upset with Stephan not winning. I think that he is an amazing chef and will have much more than the title of Top Chef to his credit in the years to come. Winning or losing isn't going to make or break his career.

Economy thoughts:
I'm about the last person that should be talking about money. But, since the economy is in the dump an the government is spending money that it doesn't have at an unbelievable rate, I've decided that there is just no point to worrying about money ever again. What's the point? It seems to come and go pretty easily. Therefore, I am officially not worried at all about money. What happens, happens. God will provide, not the government. That's my mantra.

That's it for now. I'm hungry and am going to make some lunch :). Happy Thursday!

Moving again

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Well, we have been working extra hard on the new house. In case you missed the blog following that progress, check it out at djsadventuresinrealestate.blogspot.com. I won't go too far into it because that's what the other blog is for. But, I will say that I have become good at: tearing out dry wall, sanding like a mad woman, caulking, painting, and telling Hubby and his guys what to do. Being a manager rocks. Being a laborer stinks.

The other thing I have learned is that when you are redoing a house, there are some things that just won't ever be perfect. And in the spirit of getting things done quickly, I have to swallow my perfectionist inside me and just go with it. I will say that any of these imperfections aren't that big a deal. Like, the line of caulk on the inside of the door is a little dimpled. In reality, things like that don't really make a difference. But, I promise you that everytime I look at it, it will bug me.

Beyond that, we are furiously working on things so that we can be in good enough shape to move in - next weekend. Yes, you read correctly - NEXT weekend. Renovations be darned, we are moving regardless of the progress. We will have all flooring done, all trim up and painted, all walls painted.

So, pray for us as we move next weekend. Ugh. If we can just get in there, things would be so much better. So, here's to yet another move. Whoooooo!

Tagged: Honestly Scrap

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:28:00 +0000

I was tagged by Lacey to honestly scrap about myself. Apparently, there are a few rules. They are:

A. First list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Here's my scrap -

1. I watch way too much TV. Actually, it's more like I watch too much junk TV. My favorite guilty pleasure is Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo). That was the funniest show I have seen in years! I really hope they bring it back for a second season.

2. I am a sadly addicted to anything made by Apple. Between me and hubby we own 2 iPods, an iPhone, and 2 Mac computers (yes, we use them all!). I am seriously considering getting Apple TV. I spent a good 30 minutes in the Apple Store in Atlanta the other day just drooling over the new iMacs. I want one so bad even though I don't really need it. Someone needs to make me stop!

3. I am trying very hard to not complain about the rental house that we are living in while we remodel our new house. We couldn't have asked for a better situation. So, I'm learning to be content where ever...right?

4. I'm jealous of Hubby's new Explorer that we just got for him. Since he has changed jobs, he had to give up the company truck that he was using in his old job. The new Explorer is really pretty and has a much smoother ride than mine (mine is a 2001). The only thing that makes me feel better about the situation is the fact that my Explorer has seat heaters and his doesn't. Ha! I win!

5. I know that most women would spend gobs of money on their home decor if given the chance. Specifically, I would would buy a zillion sets of china (I love china) and more bedding than I know what to do with.

6. Hubby and I are celebrating our 5 year anniversary on Saturday. I can't believe how quickly time goes by! We actually started dating when I was 17, so we've really been together for 10 years. I wouldn't have it any other way!

7. I love anything fuzzy. I have a soft fuzzy scarf that I love. I have some velvet gloves. I bought a fuzzy blanket just for me to use when I watch my junk TV. I told Hubby that he is going to have to buy me a fur coat pretty soon. Anytime I see someone with a fur coat on, I have the urge to go and pet them. So, to keep me from petting strangers in fur coats, I think I should just have my own.

8. My dogs are completely spoiled. Not only do they have a full wardrobe of collars (as close as I will get to "dressing" my pet), but they have beds in every major living area in our house. Two dogs means 2 beds per area which means 6 beds total (2 in the den, 2 in our office, and 2 in our bedroom).

9. In the spirit of honesty, I was honestly not sad when we thought that our cat Ferguson had gotten out and run away during the moving process into the rental house. But, he came back safe and sound. What a relief (Yeah, right).

10. I am trying to keep my new years resolution of cooking dinner more often. I am averaging about 3-4 dinners a week. I think that's pretty good so far! I just want to keep it up to where it is a habit to want to make dinner than to want to just eat junk at the end of the day. I'm trying!

Now, for the seven that I tag...
Tipi
Alison
Maggie
Laura
Lacy J.
Holly
And, I don't have a seventh blogger friend to tag! Sad! I don't know who reads my weirdo blog, so I have no idea if I can tag them or not. Oh well!

The Magic of Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:58:00 +0000

I think most of you will agree that Facebook has become consuming as a way of keeping in touch with those we don't or can't see all that often. Many times it includes folks from our past (I know we all have those high school folks that you wish hadn't found you). For me, Facebook recently opened up a whole new side of my family to me.

I am going to go against my previous dislike of posting my real name, or my family's names, on the internet. I'm going to try to be as discrete as possible, but if I confuse you, just let me know.

My maiden name is Mosow. The last name is pronounced Mo-So (long O sound on each syllable). Growing up, I knew close to nothing about my dad's side of the family. His dad died before I was born and his mom died when I was a year and a half old. He was born and raised in Douglas, Arizona and had one sister. He and my mom moved to Mobile before I was born. He doesn't really have much in common with his sister and therefore, we rarely heard from/about them (plus they lived in AZ). Thus, I knew nothing of his side of the family for a long time.

Through the years, I would pick up on snippets of his history. He was raised in a non-religious household. He accepted Christ after he met my mom. His dad was Jewish, but wasn't devout. His family history was Russian, but he wasn't sure when they came to the States. It was all very vague. If you ever asked him about it, he either didn't know or didn't really care to find out. I didn't really question it. I mean, to each their own.

Well, Monday, I got a message through Facebook from a distant cousin with my exact same maiden name! First and last! She had done a search for Mosow's on Facebook and up popped me and my three sisters. She told me that she had always known that we existed because they had a family tree written when she was younger and my name and my family was on it. Turns out, we are third cousins. Not only do we have the same maiden name, but our dad's are have the same first and last names too (who would be second cousins). Unreal!

Come to find out, she is only about 5 years older than me. She knows more Mosow family history than I could imagine. There are lots of Mosow's around! And here I thought that we were a dying breed (my dad only had girls).

It's really cool to find out so much about your background. And, what is particularly interesting to me, the background of being linked to the Jewish history. Most of the Mosow's are Jewish.

I have, for a while now, been very interested in my personal Jewish background as it relates to my relationship with Christ. Not that I think it changes anything, but I think it gives me a different perspective on Christ's salvation and the foundation of Christianity on the Judaic traditions. It's all kind of mind-boggling. I'm doing some more research on it, but it's kind of slow going. It's quite a bit of history to wade through!

Officially, I (and my sisters) am 1/4 Jewish. I started to wonder what the Jewish community at large considers folks like us. I mean, beyond the fact that we are Christians, do they consider us Jewish? Are we completely removed at this point? Well, I haven't asked my new found cousins any of this yet, but I did find some answers online. Apparently, if your paternal grandfather is Jewish, then according to Orthodox Jewish law, you are considered "born Jewish". Therefore, I am technically Jewish. But, that this only matters if I were to convert and want to uphold Torah. So, I'm still basically nothing I guess.

Anyway, moral of the story is, be careful with Facebook! You never know who you might meet!

Where are we?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:41:00 +0000

Everywhere! Wow! What a holiday season! I hope it's not sad that I'm glad it's over. We have been so busy.

So, here's the updates:
1. We bought a house just after Christmas. It's a fixer-upper. We will be closing on it this coming Tuesday. Demolition on the remodeling begins right after that. To document the remodeling, I have started another blog. Watch it all go down at .

2. Hubby is officially unemployed as of yesterday. He will start his new job in two weeks. It kind of unnerves me that he is taking this break in pay, but there are reasons behind it. He needs to be able to get the renovations going quickly. We will be in the rental until we can get the house into livable condition. Hubby thinks that March 1st is doable. I'm thinking optimistically :).

3. Hubby is turning 30 on Tuesday. Yikes! I don't think that it makes him seem old. It just reminds me that I'm getting older. I've always said that living in a college town ages you faster. I'm feeling it. College kids will always stay the same age. I will get older. It's sad. We did have a little shindig planned for Hubby's bday, but with the house in remodeling overdrive, he isn't as interested in taking a break from that until it's done. We'll do something for him though!

So, that's the big updates for now. More soon, I hope!

Julie's Ultimate

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:06:00 +0000

The title of this post is in ode to the Food Network's show - Tyler's Ultimate - where Tyler Florence (I love everything he makes) cooks a familiar dish that we all know, but that he makes it the "ultimate". Yum!

The reason I got to thinking about the ultimate recipe is that I had an experience with a dessert tonight that has become common for me. I had a great dinner with some friends at my favorite restaurant in LaGrange and I decided that I would choose my favorite dessert from their dessert tray: carrot cake. I don't usually get a dessert when I eat out, but if they offer carrot cake, I can't resist. It is my very favorite and hardly anyone carries it as a dessert, so I feel like I must order it when I see it offered.

Sadly, because carrot cake is my favorite, I have become really picky as to what makes a really good piece of carrot cake. Some of those points would be: moistness of cake, the use of nuts and raisins (very important), general texture, and most importantly, the quality of the cream cheese icing. Tonight, I was more than happy with the icing which doesn't happen that often, but the cake was so dense, it was like eating a carrot bread not a cake. It almost bordered on being dry, but not quite.

I can actually remember when and where I have had really good carrot cake. Our wedding being one (was my cake flavor - hubby had chocolate). There was a place in Memphis that we would eat at (back when we were serving time in Arkansas) that had wonderful carrot cake. But it seems like I haven't had truly good carrot cake in a long time.

Tonight, on my way home, I decided that I should really work on being able to make a really good carrot cake. That is only slightly hazardous - I don't really need to have cake or cream cheese icing around my house that often ;). But, if I am that unhappy with what I find on a regular basis, then I need to be able to do it myself.

Thus, the creation of "Julie's Ultimate". I would love to have a few specific recipes down to where I know it is really good (in a humble way - of course). At least to where I want to eat it before I go and buy it somewhere. And, I thought I would add brownies and cheese straws to that list. Not that I can't find decent brownies or cheese straws elsewhere (actually, I know I can). But, it would make me feel good to know that I can do those things well. *can you tell that I have a thing for baking?

To start things off, I know I already have my brownie recipe down (actually I have 2). Jill, you know what I'm talking about when I mention a recipe passed down from my mom which is actually a peanut butter brownie. I promise you, they are to die for. They do include the use of coconut frosting in the recipe, so too bad to those who don't like coconut. More for me! The other recipe uses coffee in the brownie batter and it is rich and not too sweet (can't say that for the peanut butter ones). Very good!

On the cheese straws, I have tried several times before to make my own. Being a southern girl, I figure I should really know how to do that. Unfortunately, I have failed thus far. I have had the ultimate cheese straws before. They are made in Opelika and packaged under the name "Oh My Goodness" cheese straws. They are sold in several of the stores downtown and they live up to their name. They just melt on your tongue. Mmmmm! I don't think that I can copy those, but surely I can come up with something that I like and can be happy with. I have tried a few recipes from Paula Deen and those haven't worked out so well. I'm very disappointed seeing as Paula is a southern girl. But, I guess it will be a work in progress.

As for the carrot cake, that will take some time. I'll have to work on the cake and icing separately. And, the ingredients for such a cake are kind of pricey. So, it may take a little while to figure out. By the way, are there any other carrot cake fans out there? I know we are a smaller group, but I need to be able to share my trials with some one! Hubby doesn't like carrot cake. I can't be eating all of it myself!

So, "Julie's Ultimate" officially includes carrot cake (in progress), cheese straws (in progress) and brownies (down pat!). Now, what would make your list?

Where's George?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:53:00 +0000

When Hubby and I went to the cabin a couple of weekends ago, we acquired a one dollar bill with a stamp on it that said: Bill Tracking Study - enter this bill at wheresgeorge.com. Well, we briefly discussed this and forgot about it after a while.

This morning, I saw the bill in my wallet and decided to check it out. How cool! What happens is you sign up for an account and then you enter any and all bills that you want. Once that happens, it will let you track your money when someone else enters that bill. It's pretty cool! The bill that I got with the stamp on it had only been entered one other time.

I thought it was cool enough to track one bill, that I pulled out all my one dollar bills and entered them into my account. I don't really expect to find out where those bills went because they don't have any "wheresgeorge.com" stamps on them to tell people to do it.

I thought this must be a new idea, this wheresgeorge.com. Come to find out, it's been around for 10 years! Seriously? It got a lot of press for a about 4 years and now there hasn't been a word said about it.

I'm wondering if they can get a little more publicity to get more people to log on and track their bills. Anyway, it was an interesting diversion for a little while :).

Six Random Things

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:41:00 +0000

Well, I was so nicely tagged by Lacey so, upon request, here are 6 random things about me.

1. I have been vocally opposed to my hubby's impulse buy of a 42" flat screen tv which has somehow made it's home in our bedroom. I secretly enjoy it very much.

2. I love being the other half of a "biker couple". Since hubby's trade with his dad to have the Harley here in Auburn, we have been slowly getting more in tune with the Harley culture (as a hobby, of course). And, I kind of like the weird looks I get when we show up on the bike. I guess people don't expect me to be on the back of a Harley. And, I have plans to take riding lessons so that I can have a bike of my own. All in all, this is a hobby that is much more fun than him owning a bass boat (I never went out on it even once).

3. I haven't been to an Auburn football game all season. Admittedly, this is the season to miss and I have a weekend-intensive job, but I feel like such a bad alumnus and fan.

4. I never read books anymore. Instead, I download them from iTunes and listen to them. Through this method, I have gotten through such books as Pride and Prejudice, several biographies (Marie Antoinette and George Washington being my favorites so far) and Little Women (which I have somehow never actually read). So much easier than actually reading.

5. I find our cat, Ferguson (who we got after our wonderful cat, Tiger, died), very annoying. His actual name of "Turd Ferguson" fits him very well.

6. I wait as long as possible to fold laundry. I will pull things out of the dryer for days if I can manage it. I have no problem getting the clothes clean. It's just the whole folding and putting away that is the issue.

So, Now that you know some random things about me, I need to know 6 random things about the following people: Tipi, Maggie, Laura, and Lacy.

Thriller!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:43:00 +0000

I figure it's the little things that really amuse me. I visit Yahoo often for quick news updates and I have a yahoo email account. On their header where the Yahoo logo is, they usually do some sort of animated theme for whatever holiday it happens to be. When you roll your mouse over the header, the animation starts.

This year's Halloween animation turned out to be really cute. It had zombies popping out of the ground and doing a pretty lengthy rendition of the Thriller dance sequence. I don't know what it is about that dance, but I could watch anyone do that dance over and over again. But, to have little bitty cartoon zombies doing it was just too fun!

Like I said, it's the little thing :).

Homeless

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Not really, but we did just accept an offer on our house!!! Whoo hoo! Being that the market is how it is, we made out really well. And, it sold pretty quickly. A big plus! We close on Dec. 8, so another Christmas in upheaval. Ho hum.

So, what next? Well, we have to find a rental that allows for flexible lease time (sometimes hard to do in a college town), a fenced back yard and a garage. The garage point we are willing to concede, but the fenced yard is nearly a must. Although, I guess when it comes down to it we'll deal with pretty much anything for 5-6 months.

We are hoping to start building ASAP. Plans have changed on what we were thinking we would be doing. We have a lot in Yarbrough Farms, but we really like the lot and think that the house we build there would be one that we want to stay in for 10-15 years. And, we want to do another smaller type house before that point.

So, we are pondering another lot in Camden Ridge. This neighborhood is great in terms of resale and it is the ultimate family neighborhood. We will probably build something that is smaller than what we are in now. It will be in a better price point when we go to sell. And I like living here. I like this side of town. I'm happy with how things have played out thus far in terms of our housing projects ;).

Just pray that everything stays on track with the closing and that we don't kill ourselves in a rental with our zoo!

A much needed break

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:46:00 +0000

I am tired. I think I have been working (in some form or fashion) 7 days a week for the past month. Work is going fine, but even if I don't work a full "work day" or a wedding every weekend, there is something else to do that is work related.

All weekend, I was feeling the crud coming on. I didn't exactly feel bad, but I didn't feel good either. I made it through another wedding (clients: perfect!; vendors: less than stellar) this weekend and tried to take yesterday off. It didn't actually work out. I had a few errands to run and by the end of the day, I just felt exhausted. Hubby had an invite to a fundraiser dinner for Harvest Evangelism and I had to beg out of it. So, I laid in the bed all evening watching Entourage re-runs.

So, if I can make it through the next two weeks, I'm golden! Hubby and I have booked my parent's cabin for several nights to accomplish a quick, easy and cheap get away. I cannot wait! Not that going to the Gatlinburg area is anything super cool, but it is away from all our work here which is all I'm wanting at this point.

I'm really hoping that we are going late enough in October for the colors to be seriously changing. That would make me really happy! Also on the "fun list" for the trip is trailer-ing Hubby's newest toy: his dad's Harley-Davidson. He and his dad made a super cool trade between themselves (dad got Hubby's bass boat and Hubby got the Harley - totally not an even trade, but super fun!). So, we will be taking the bike with us for some fun rides in the mountains. I'm really looking forward to it! To add to the fun, our friends Matt and Jess will get to stay a few days with us as well! Seriously, I can't think about a trip that I have been more excited about.

I do have to find something to do with the dogs. Annie does not board well. I think she looses 10 lbs. every time we leave her and she does NOT have 10 lbs. to loose. She always comes back to me looking like a pile of bones. I don't think that she eats anything when we are gone. I wish that we could just board Oliver and take Annie with us. But that is kind of against the cabin rules since it is officially a rental property and they don't allow animals from other guests. I'm wondering if I might sneak her up there anyway (shhh! don't tell!). She really does travel well. It's just the boarding that she doesn't do well with. Oliver is so easy going that we could put him anywhere and he would be fine.

Anyway, that is the only thing I have to figure out and then I am a free woman...in two weeks :).

Photo shoot!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:07:00 +0000

I am in the process of putting together some photo shoots of weddings. Fun! These shoots will be strictly for my (and the other vendors involved) marketing benefit. I am having a blast with them!

The thought was that while I have a bunch of pictures from the events that I have done, all of them are to that client's taste. None of them truly showcase my style. So, I decided that I would just put together a few weddings for myself that I could control everything about them and then I would be happy to show them to potential clients. I have a few types of weddings that I would like to have done. A fall wedding, a spring wedding, a modern wedding and a classic wedding. I'm thinking that I actually already have a classic wedding done as my last Callaway wedding was superb (my client's taste was superb I mean).

First up: a modern wedding. This wasn't the first type of wedding that I really wanted to shoot, but it is the most convenient when it comes to the place and everyone else involved. So, we are shooting at the Rivermill in Columbus. It is a super cool event facility that was an old cotton mill. They re-did it and now have more space than Wal-mart to hold events in. It is all old brick and original wood floors, so I'm so excited about how things will look.

As for the modern part of it, I was thinking that it would look cool with the contrast of the old building. So, I'm going for a white back ground with yellows, golds and mustards in the florals and paper. Like, all the tables will be white, the ceremony will have mostly white candles, the cake is white. To set it off, I am having the florist do yellow orchids, yellow calla lilies, brown branches and brown rocks. I designed the programs and menus to look like that too. I also ordered white folding fans and white japanese umbrellas. I think I'm going to decorate the fans and umbrellas with some yellow ribbon that I got for the project.

This is what the menu looks like:

This one was really fun to design. I tried to make it modern but not so modern that the southern girls around here would be totally turned off. I'm hoping it translates... I'll post the pictures as soon as I get them.

The fall shoot is going to be great too. I have found a Pottery Barn picture (I'm a die hard Pottery Barn fan) that is exactly what I would do, but translate it as an event setting. It will be gorgeous! Set at Moores Mill Country Club, outside, use their outdoor fireplace. Beautiful!

I'll have to let you know what a photo shoot is like. Should be interesting...

Oliver is official - and other updates

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0000

He's ours for sure! The defining moment was when we took him to the adoption group's vet to get neutered. Basically, our paying for his neuter was the "adoption" payment, so he's ours now.

He had to spend a good week with our coordinator. She was keeping him while he was visiting the vet. After his surgery, she called to let me know that he was okay, but that he was a "bleeder" - meaning, he has a bleeding condition to where he doesn't clot well. Basically, canine hemaphelia (sp). She told me he isn't as bad as other she has seen, but that it is something for our vet to be aware of.

She kept him for a few days longer because she wanted to watch over him and be able to rush him to the vet if he needed it. He came through okay. Not without pain, but he's fine.

When I picked him up, he was super happy to see me, but he was all black and blue underneath. Just what happens when you have a bleeder. By now, that bruising has gone way down. So, he is pretty much back to normal.

So we are a two dog house! Fun! He really is a great dog. So friendly and happy all the time. But still the lazy greyhound.

Being a two dog house is only complicated when I tell you that we just listed our house. It's time to sell. I have never sold a house, much less one that I work out of and have 3 pets in. The plan is that I will gather up all animals and head out when we get a call for a showing. Even though we have large dogs, I never feel like their size is a problem when it comes to packing them up. They are pretty easy. It's when you add in the cat that it is a little harder. I know that I could leave him in the house while they show, but this cat is really annoying and I don't want people to have to deal with any animals when they are walking though. My goal is to sell this house QUICKLY!

The other thing is that I have to get used to living in a house that is in "showable" state at all times. Ugh. The carpet stretchers had to come to stretch out the bonus room carpet. The painter is still working on touching up a few spots here and there. The carpet is getting shampooed on Monday. Then, the realtor caravan is on Wednesday. Oy!

I'm sure that everyone thinks that their house will sell quickly. I don't know that ours will sell quickly, but I do think that it is worth every penny of our asking price. All the extras that we put into this house (compared to others in the neighborhood), the size (compared), the style, I can't imagine that we wouldn't get a good offer. When that offer is, I don't speculate. I just know that we have quality here.

So, that's that for now. Come by and meet Oliver!

And it begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:06:00 +0000

Football!!! The one thing that seems to run life here on The Plains. I, sadly, have to work a wedding today (out of town - otherwise it wouldn't be happening in the midst of a home game. Logistically impossible). I wouldn't actually go to the game even if I wasn't working. I'm on the fair-weather-attendance-only plan. However, that doesn't stop me from appreciating the atmosphere.

There is nothing like the feeling of a Friday in Auburn before a home game (for us residents). Game day is beast in and of itself. But, the day before is all fun! Rarely is any real work accomplished. There is just so much going on around town. People everywhere. The excitement just permeates everything. You can't help but get excited. Even when you aren't actually going to get to go to the game, you just feel it.

So, War Eagle! I'll catch up on the news tomorrow.

Dining at Home (a review)

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:54:00 +0000

Better known as Richard Blais' (Top Chef season 4 finalist) restaurant of employment. I spent a day in Atlanta on Tuesday and was able to squeeze in a lunch with a friend at Home - strictly to experience a Top Chef's cuisine.

My rating: C+

Seems a little harsh, but please know that I rate my entire dining experience and not the food alone. If I had to break it down, heres how it would go:

Menu: A

Food: A

Service: A

Ambiance: D

As you can see, the ambiance was all off. It looked like a very common, trendy, metro bar and restaurant. No character. No personality. For a lunch that cost $25 for two people to eat, the decor really threw me off.

It was almost cliche. Very stuffy and I'm not a stuffy person. I just want people to be real and not uptight about things.

I will have to say that I really feel like I shouldn't review a restaurant after just a lunch. I should probably experience dinner before I jump to conclusions. It's very possible that it might do better as a dinner spot, not a lunch spot.

As for what I actually ate: BLT (with out the B - I'm a veggie, remember) with avocado and peaches. It sounds kinda weird, but it really works well! It was very tasty. A little messy, but still very good.

So, I am still a fan of Richard - just not his boss (whoever it is that owns the thing). I caught him walking around the dining room from time to time and it was kind of surreal. Hubby wanted me to go and introduce myself, but I refrained. I thought that would have been kind of over kill.

Olympic Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:47:00 +0000

I love the Olympics. I love everything about the games. Just thinking about the dedication, sacrifices and incredible work that it takes to make it to the games as an athlete is unreal. The chance to represent your country would be an amazing experience. And watching how the host country presents itself is endlessly entertaining to me.

That is the one point that I am fascinated with during these games in Beijing. If you have watched any of the coverage leading up to the beginning of these games, you know how much as been made of China's need and obvious work it has put into portraying itself in a more than positive light. Being the up and coming culture and world market, it has some serious PR problems.

Beyond simply being a media critic (I always watch any media coverage with a critical eye), I simply love the Olympic spectacle. So, with much excitement, I watched the opening ceremonies Friday night to see what China would come up with to wow the world.

If anyone of you watched them too, you will know that China did not disappoint. The ceremony was amazing. Simply beautiful. The other thing that boggles my mind (as an event planner) is the sheer scale and logistics that I could see playing out in front of me. 15,000 performers. Unbelievable.

Beyond that, I am very aware that much of the ceremony (and the games as a whole, for that matter) is a big piece of highly managed propaganda from the Communist Chinese government. I'm not naive. But, they do it well.

Beyond the propaganda, I am thrilled for the Chinese people. Not that their Communist government is doing so much for them. It is the obvious show of national pride that you can see all over every Chinese citizen. It comes across on TV very well. They haven't had much to be too proud of in a long time. So, I'm happy for the people there. All 1.8 billion of them.

It's crazy that this culture is over 5,000 years old. That demands respect. I'm not cool with the communist government. I am just hoping all the best for the growth of these people in the future. It is obvious, just from the opening ceremonies, that they are excited about that future as well.

So, rock on China! Way to entertain the world!

Running - and looking good while doing it

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:46:00 +0000

After a week and a half of rehab, I can say that my ankle is healed (there's a pun in there somewhere...)! It really didn't take long to heal. By my last visit to rehab, I was feeling kind of silly for being there. There are still a few things that I watch for in the ankle like a little swelling after exercise and making sure that I concentrate on what I am doing when I do work out. But, I'm confident that it is good to go.

So, on with the running program! One day I had forgotten my sports watch, so I couldn't use the indoor track very effectively, and I moved the training to the treadmill. I wasn't looking forward to it since I have always disliked treadmills in the past. However, I have found that it is a great training tool - giving you the chance to control your work out very well. And, the treadmills at my gym are super high tech. Very fun!

So, since I am back to running, I have started reading running things. Such as runnersworld.com. Lots of useful info there. There seems to be one topic that is all the controversy in running circles: Are running skirts a good thing or not? I'm kind of surprised that a fashion point is what is making headlines at Runner's World, but what the hey. I can relate.

I own one such skirt. It is a simple black Under Armour skirt with tights underneath it. I bought it several years ago (before I was running) because I thought it was such a change from my soffees and t-shirt gear. Secretly, I have always wanted to be a tennis player simply to wear the cute outfits. However, I lack the coordination to play such a sport, and thus can't justify the clothes. So, when I saw these running skirts, I jumped on it!

I have no problems wearing the skirt. As a walker. A runner wearing the skirt is a little bit of a different story. There isn't as much bounce if you are a walker and therefore the skirt pretty much stays where it is supposed to. Yes, there are tights underneath, but I don't really want to show them off.

I haven't tried wearing the skirt while running. I'm a little nervous about the bounce issue. But, as a whole, I like the idea of wearing a skirt while running. What's wrong with women looking like women while being sporty? It works for tennis players. Why not runners?

Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:59:00 +0000

I pretty much reworked it and this one is MUCH better. At least I think so.

Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Finally! I have spent some much needed time and effort getting photos back from my wedding photographers (got a lot of good ones, but some of my favorites are still out). Then, I spent more time having fun with my movie software on my Mac - iMovie, if your are wondering - and put together a marketing slideshow for weddings.

While not perfect, it's close. I really need to track down some other of my weddings (photographers can be such divas some times!) and get them into the mix. Also, since I'm not a professional media mixer, and I'm only working with iMovie which came on my Mac when I bought it, so you can imagine that this isn't exactly top notch. But, it's getting there. A few more edits and we will be really close.

So, for a taste, I have uploaded this to YouTube. The quality is lacking, since the photos are really good and YouTube (or the web in general) can't give you that quality, but you get the gist of it. Let me know if you would like a copy of the DVD that I'm working on!

The Dog Collars

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:55:00 +0000

I have gotten a small sickness. Since my dogs are my children (sorry Ferg - you aren't quite as fun to dress), I have gotten into collecting nice collars to dress up our dogs. One of the nice (to me) things about Greyhounds is the fact that they must use a certain type of collar called a Martingale collar. This collar is designed to not allow the Greyhound to slip out of it.

See, a Greyhound's (and all sighthounds) neck is bigger than their head. A traditional collar wouldn't do much good as they would slip out very quickly. A Martingale is a type of choke collar that gently tightens when the dog pulls on it and they can't slip out. Other breeds can wear a martingale, they were just designed for sighthounds

Well, in the Greyhound world, there are all kinds of people who make Greyhound specific things like Martingales. These collars are usually 1.5 to 2 inches wide. They use really nice fabric or ribbon and they can be really fancy. Some can cost more than $50 per collar. Now, they do make generic martingales that cost like $10. That's what the track uses. I just like having the nice ones. I'm not into putting clothes on a dog. But a collar is just right.

To that end, I have collected 7 collars and have ordered 2 more. I had two Auburn collars custom made for them to wear on game days. Then, I have just some fun ones.

This is the first one I ever bought for Annie. It is kind of "Auburn-esque", but kind of springy and sporty. This was one that I used to break Hubby into the idea of fun collars.

This is one that I bought not long after for Annie to wear in February as her Valentines Day collar. Very girly and looks really good on her. These two collars came from If It Barks.

A little while after those collars, I got two more from Around The Hounds. I try to order two at a time so that if we have a foster in the house then they will get a special collar too. And, they will look good with Annie - like a pair! These are fun, but they are a little too girly for Oliver to wear.

Then I got the Auburn collars made. I don't have pictures of those because they were custom. But, one is orange grosgrain ribbon with blue grosgrain and the other is blue grosgrain with orange.

Christmas came around and I realized that Annie needed another one. So, from 2 Hounds Design, I got this one. It is so cute! She looks like an elf when she wears it. I only got one, but if Oliver stays I will order another.

Just recently, I have had a hankering for something new for the kids. I decided not to get a matching pair this time. But, I think they will go well for each dog. I got these from Around The Hounds again. I personally think they have the best products. They are the priciest, but they have great style. I just ordered these, so I should get them in a week or so.

I got this one with Oliver in mind, but I think Annie could wear it too. It is orange and blue and will work all fall for football. I have seen this one on the Around the Hounds site and have wanted to get it for a while. It is dressier than the Auburn ones I had made. Love it!

This one I got with Annie in mind. Also from Around the Hounds, I got to choose the lining color. I chose black. So, this will be Annie's "Invision" collar and she can be Invision's mascot (ha ha ha!).

So, if you are so inclined to find your furry friend some great neck wear, I recommend these sites: Around the Hounds, If It Barks, and 2 Hounds Designs. Like I said, my favorite is Around the Hounds. Their selection is really good and they have really good designs. 2 Hounds Designs has a lot of the same type of style, but they aren't made quite as well. If It Barks has much more sporty style with all their collars made with grosgrain. Their prices are the best out of the three.

Just know that if I am not always dressed well, you can be sure that my pups will be. At least, they look better than most of the other dogs we meet ;).

Wasting Time

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:49:00 +0000

So, it is that 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM lull in the work day where I feel like screaming just to do something active. More likely, I will put my head on my desk for a 30 second cat nap.

Hubby is having poker night over here tonight. That means that while I am not officially kicked out of the house, I will have a better evening if I just leave and find my own things to do.

I have decided to go have dinner at Panera Bread (yes, by myself) and then go and spend some quality time browsing the aisles of Books-A-Million. I have thought about possibly visiting the gym for their 6:40 PM Pilates class. But, it is such an odd time for a class. It completely messes up my dinner schedule. I haven't been before and I don't know the etiquette of the class yet (do I bring my own mat? do I wear shoes? who attends?). So, I'm thinking of skipping that. I was already at the gym this morning and did 30 minutes on the bike (you know, letting my ankle heal). I don't want to be a gym rat. I mean, what's the use in that?

I also need to tidy up because our cleaning people are coming tomorrow (WHOO HOO!) and there is nothing worse than having to have them clean around my mess. Oh well.

Alright, I have nothing else to say. Man, I'm bored.

The pictures I promised

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:08:00 +0000

Here are the pictures to go along with my last post. By the way, we started calling the foster dog Oliver. His racing name was aweful.

Oliver

Oliver and Annie - ready for their walk

Ferguson and Wang - saying hello through the door

A few more fun things

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Monday, Hubby called me and asked me to block off November 11 on my calendar. He wouldn't tell me why. He just said to block it off. Well, as I was on the phone with him and trying to get my calendar to come up, I said, "Hey! I think that is the same date that Coldplay is going to be in Atlanta (I had seen that in passing while I was downloading their new album)." He said, "Well, isn't that funny?"

Meaning...Hubby bought us tickets to see Coldplay in Atlanta on November 11! What a FABULOUS surprise!!! I know it's a ways away, but I am pumped!

We tried to see them on their last tour in B'ham. The concert was canceled the morning of due to one of the band members being sick. It was very disappointing. We really don't go to concerts very often. Or ever. They are just so expensive. Maybe if we lived in Atlanta where it was easier to get to them, that would be one thing. But, we don't and we just have other things to spend our money on - sadly.

Anyway, I am more than impressed with Hubby's spur of the moment purchase. This more than makes up for a lack luster birthday last Sunday (we won't go into details - it was a very "man" view of how to celebrate a your wife's birthday if you get my drift).

Also, we have gotten our third foster - Play It Again (racing name, of course). If I didn't tell you earlier, Erin (our last one) found a home a couple of months ago.

Again (as we are calling him for now) is a 75 lb black and white male. He is 4 years old and is just a little taller than Annie. He is really sweet and easy going. He is about a week off the track, so he isn't real sure about how to live in a house as a pet. But, he is doing well. He is a little interested in Ferguson so we have to be watchful on that and correct him quickly. But, other than that he is really doing well.

We are hoping that we have found "the one" to keep. I'm pretty much seeing him as ours, but I'm leaving it up to Hubby to decide because we want dog #2 to be more of his dog where Annie is pretty much all my dog (you know what I mean). Hubby really wanted another brindle to match Annie, but we haven't found a cat-safe brindle one in over a year, so maybe we shouldn't be so picky.

We are toying with a few other names. Annie's name is just slightly based on "Little Orphan Annie" since we adopted her. So, to keep with a theme, I thought that Oliver, as in Oliver Twist, would be fitting. Two famous fictional characters who were orphaned. I kind of don't want to name him if we aren't going to keep him. But, I'm not going to be able to keep up with calling him Again for very long.

And lastly, so Ferguson doesn't feel left out, it seems that Ferg has made a few neighborhood friends. There are two cats that live in our cul-de-sac who like to come our door and look in to check on Ferguson. One is a calico that we have named Busta (it was Buster until we remembered that calicos are usually girls). The other is a Siamese that we call Wang (which isn't really a Siamese name, but what the hey). Busta lives next door and Wang lives across the street.

Well, Ferguson isn't quite sure what to do about the two of them. He never howls or hisses at them through the windows. He only flattens his ears ever so slightly every once in a while. And, from time to time, we can hear him beating his head on the windows trying to get out to them (kind of funny to explain to visitors what the noise is). We have raised the blinds enough on the windows to where he won't make a ruccus trying to get through them to look at the cats.

One afternoon, I watched Ferg go from door, to window and back to door trying to get the best view of Busta. Well, as soon as he left the door and go to the window, Busta would poke his head up in the door window. Then, Ferguson would return and Busta would be in the regular window. It was quite a scene that lasted a good 5 minutes. Very funny to watch a cat's face appear and disappear in our door window! I only hope that the neighbors have noticed this as it cracks me up!

Our life with our pets. It wouldn't be the same without them. - Pictures to come -

An intersting lunch...missed

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:24:00 +0000

About two weeks ago, I was in Atlanta for a meeting. It was an evening meeting and I decided to catch lunch with a former client. Since she paid for my meal last time we got together, I asked her to pick the restaurant and lunch would be on me.

Well, she picked the Swan Coach House in Buckhead. I had never been there before and she was telling me how to get there while I was driving through Atlanta traffic. Meaning, concentrating on certain details while driving in Atlanta is somewhat difficult for me. In her directions, she mentioned the restaurant Home as a landmark. Apparently, I got that name mixed up with my destination's name (I'm not really sure how that happened, but it did).

I pulled up to Home and noticed that the parking lot and valet was laid out exactly how she described the destination's parking, so I parked and went inside thinking I was in the right spot. She wasn't there yet (or so I thought) so I sat down and reviewed the menu. I can't remember what it had on it, but it was interesting and I remember being excited about.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, which is not normal for her to be late, I called her and realized that Home was just a landmark in the directions and that the Swan Coach House was just a block away on the same street. So, I got there, we ate and had a good time. By the way, the Swan Coach House is the most feminine place I have ever had a meal at. Floral wall paper, white trims, frou frou settings, you name it. I think I only saw one male diner in the place. The food is pretty good, in case you are wondering.

Anyway, today I caught the end of Top Chef's season 4 reunion episode. I got into this season's Top Chef competition. My favorite was Richard Blais. He was always in the top in the weekly competitions, had a very interesting way of cooking and was a very nice guy. He made it all the way to the end but didn't actually win. I really liked his good attitude. I can appreciate it because in my experience, chefs are typically a little dramatic. Hence the success of the show Top Chef. Another reason I took particular interest in Richard is that he lives in Atlanta. I knew that he was opening a restaurant there, but hadn't researched what he was doing. So, on the episode that I caught today they mentioned that he had opened a restaurant named Home.

Huh?!? You mean I had actually been in his restaurant and was this close to actually eating there and I had no idea it was his place?!? That's a little weird! This really makes me want to go back and make it right. Like, I bailed on him or something.

I do remember that I liked the way the restaurant was styled. If that means anything... If I ever get back there to give it a try, I promise a full review. More than likely, I will be a much easier critic than the Top Chef judges.

So, I missed an interesting lunch - culinarily speaking. Oh well.