I'm Baa-ck

Good grief. I decided to look at MY blog today, and whew! Has it been this long? Well, I won't tell you I accomplished anything on the list:

*haven't exercised and have gained 6 pounds since I last posted--eat out fast food about three times a week no thanks to my MBA adventure
*didn't have a 4.0--but close, and even ended up dropping one class, what was I thinking taking 3 classes and working full time, well, I'm into cost accounting and macroeconomics with the current recession so I think I won't un-enjoy these so much...4.0 here I come!
*got the patio estimates--and we fought and fought over the patio and decided to wait, ok, now it's getting warm and I don't want to wait ANYMORE, I want the patio now!!
*did take Chance to the beach a LOT...and to doggy day care, that's our new Wednesday outing. It's a bit ridiculous, hilly billy girl takes dog to froo-froo day care, but he's exhausted when I pick him up and he loves it, and I get to watch him play on the doggy cam...it's warm again (yes, we did have some cold weather), and we are going to try and make a beach trip this weekend.
*garage still not finished, not my fault, but I am having a yard sale to eliminate much of the contents first of April--hubby has to do the rest
*we are not done with the flower bed, just getting started, but we did pressure wash the porch and it's looks 100X better, tomorrow, since hubby's flight is delayed...I get to seal it by myself, that should be fun!

I went home the past weekend...traveled on Charlie's death day. One year. I was sad. There are a lot of changes going on at Ft Benning. Everything looks different, especially the pond we frequented every day, where some of him will always be. It's a good change, more pedestrian and kid friendly, and less for ramboisterous dogs off their leashes. Well, he loved people, so he'd love that, but it's almost like dog-dom at Ftb died when he did. I cried, and even though I didn't intend to listen to it that day, I listened to Marley and Me on CD that day. I still can't bring myself to go through his box of toys that's been taped up for a year. But, I can smile when I see his picture, and I fondly remember all that he taught me. I miss his licks, and his nose. I miss a lot more...

Chance is growing on me, but there will never again be that bond that I had with Charlie. He is my forever dog. I can now talk about him without choking up, but I still cringe when I hear his name, and it cuts like a knife for anyone to call Chance Charlie.

It also snowed while I was home, AGAIN this year...it did this last year about this time while I was visiting...same way, treacherous storms preceding it, which while listening to Marley and Me helped further shed some light on the mystery of Charlie's death...followed by a blanket of snow that didn't last too long.

For my yard sale, I've started the great purge...old chemistry reference books...I'm taking to the bookstore by USF campus. Clothes have gone to Plato's Closet, that place is awesome for a shirt here and there and to purge freshly tossed clothes! Being in there put some more perspective on this recession. You see I really haven't seen it as a recession. I have a job, I pay my bills, I am sick to death of bailing other people out. But, I also need to save a lot more than I do, and don't need all the stuff I want. Being in school at night has robbed me of my time to shop for things I don't need. Now, when I do go in a store, I can't even find something I want, and if I do, I don't buy it right then, I mull it over. I'm stingy with money these days, and not because it's tight, but because I just don't need all this stuff I get rid of each and every spring. SO, yet again, I'm going to try and not stuff my life with so much stuff. Yeah, I take Chance to day care and that costs money, but he has fun and I don't mind. And I don't buy 15 Christmas ornaments and stuff them in a closet! The only good thing I'm looking for (hoping for) from this "recession" is that people go back to the basics...save for your future, spend less than you make, and do away with all these stores...but on the flip side, IKEA opens here in MAY.

KA, I won't be ready for our marathon in March, but I'm still coming to visit!