Dog Gone Good Weekend

Ok so that title was really cheesy but who cares! :) This past weekend Brian and Lauren came to C-Stat for a visit and to work. I wanted Brian to install some lighting for me - which was the main reason they came. In tow with them was Sig (Brian's puppy) and Jack (Lauren's dog). Sage absolutely LOVED having the other dogs here. We had a lot of fun this past weekend and of course Brian and Lauren had to make some time for scooter rides... :)

Sage & Jack

Jack Dempsey

Sig

Sage

New Kitchen Sink Light! :)

J-O-B-S

Over the past few weeks I have been applying to jobs in the DFW area for teaching positions. So far I have applied to Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Highland Park, Coppell, Mesquite, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Ft. Worth, Richardson, and even College Station ISD. Not sure when I'll start to hear back from any of them but hopefully it won't be too far down the road. I've also started apartment hunting...boo - I hate moving - it's such a pain! If I get a teaching position in CS though, then I guess there is a chance I might stay put - I do love my living arrangments down here. Will report back if I hear from any schools...

Back to the Basics

So today I started doing Weight Watchers again and counting points...My goal is to lose 25lbs. I know how to lose the weight (because this is how I lost 20 lbs about 2 years ago) I just can never motivate myself to actually do it but now that I'm the heaviest I've ever been, it's time to go back to the basics of counting points and exercising!! Hopefully I will be successful!!

This will be my before picture... (taken in January)

Newest Family Member

The Madeley family got a new family member in the canine department about a week ago...meet Sig, Brian's new German Shepherd puppy.

Now our family (including my cousin's dog) has 4 German Shepherds....odd that we would all get the same kind of dog but hey...they are GREAT dogs!! So now that all three kids have German Shepherds it's time for my parents to join in the club...haha. Believe me, dad wants to but mom says "heck no!" So now the Madeley's have Sig, Samson, and Sage...where did Brian get the name Sig you might ask, well, he named him after his gun - it's a Sig Sauer pistol. Such a guy thing! A nice thing about these dogs is that they are all easy to tell apart when they are together because Samson (Erin's dog) is black and white with a mostly black face, Sage (mine) is black & beige with a tan face, and Sig, well, he's black & tan with a sable colored face.

Sweet

So I found a road sign in one of the back sheds the other day at the house...it's pretty sweet and totally illegal to take - but hey - I didn't do it. :) Must have been one of the previous renters - all guys! I'm going to keep it and one day place it in a game room!

Back in Town

Well, Sage and I are back home in College Station. She loves it down here and is dying to go outside in the HUGE backyard to play (without a leash) but sadly, she cannot until this weekend - my parents are coming down to finish out my fence for her. Yeah!

She is getting so big...I held her on the scale with me the other day and she is up to 30 lbs - she'll be 90 before I know it! I took her on a walk tonight after my class and she barked at people walking when she and I were standing in the yard (her bark is getting deep and protective - I LOVE IT)! I felt safe...even though she's still pretty little. haha.

hiding under the bed...

Thirsty??

School has started back up (yuck)! I had my first and only class that actually meets face-to-face this evening from 5:30 - 8:30 - long and boring! Oh well...it's the only one so I guess I can't complain.

We are glad to be back and looking forward to this year...

08 was Great

As I bid farewell to 2008, I thought back upon the many wonderful memories that I was able to share in and experience - some included firsts, some included lasts, but every memory was treasured! Here are some of my favorite memories of 2008....

My first puppy EVER! - She's growing so fast!

Kim & Eric's new baby girl (Caroline)

Leslie & James' Wedding

Megan & Austin's Wedding

Deena & Paul's Wedding

My new brother-in-law (Nick)

Brian and Lauren (his new girlfriend)


My new scooter (one step closer to a motorcycle)

Newest Puppy

Here are two pictures of my new puppy! She is 9 wks old right now and weighs 12.6 lbs. I believe she is going to be quite large! :) She already knows how to "sit" and we are working on other commands. I just love her! In the top picture, she had just finished playing in the snow - which is white there are white specs all over her face! :)

Puppy Update

So as some of you know the kennel where I purchased my first puppy in Mexia, Texas is being really difficult to deal with in regards to A) either giving me another puppy or B) giving me a refund....they keep going back and forth as to whether or not they will give me another dog and apparently option B is out of the question.

Well, I was looking at puppies yesterday from different breeders and advertisements and came across a breeder in Houston. She had 3 females left and they were $350 each...I emailed her and told her about my first puppy and that I was in the market for a new one possibly. We emailed several times and she said that they would let me have one for $300. I was pretty excited b/c that was still less than $350 and I'm already out $450 from my first pup. She sent me an email tonight giving me her address so that I could come and see them and in the email she wrote this...

"I have some good news. My husband and I were talking about what happened to you with your other puppy and we would like to just give you one of ours if that is ok. I know you have a long trip ahead of you and that they are not willing to refund your money so maybe this will help you out. Just let me know if that is good with you."

Are you serious!?!?! I jumped on that quickly and was ecstatic!!! What a GENEROUS gesture.... So, I am going to Dayton (45 min. East of Houston) in the morning to pick her up and then driving home for Christmas (actually to Burleson first). Needless to say, I'm excited about a new puppy and have a very long day of driving ahead of me.... I will post pics of her as soon as I have some! :)

Sweet Freedom

Ahh...sigh of relief! I just got done turning in all of my final projects and am happy to say that I am FINISHED with my first semester of grad school!! We'll see how I actually did in a few weeks when grades are released... :)

I found out on Monday when I returned to CS from the Thanksgiving break that my current roommate lost her job recently and will not be able to afford the rent here at the house anymore and is therefore, moving out in December to go live with her grandmother. That means that I have to find another roommate ASAP! What a bummer...it's hard finding decent roommates in the middle of the school year.

On a different note, I am leaving CS on Friday to go home for the Christmas break! I'm pumped about that because I am going straight to Burleson from here to hang out with my aunt and uncle for a week. But first, they are meeting me in Mexia on Friday to pick up a new puppy from the same kennel where I got Sage. It's been a huge mess with the kennel but I am hopeful that they will have a new puppy for me!

Yeah for Christmas!!