Football Weekend

It is still hot and humid here in ATL, I wish it were more like autumn but apparently it's not too much like fall in PA either. This week it should be a bit cooler though, staying in the mid-low 70s. This past Saturday we went to the GT tailgate and football game vs UNC, we won! But at the end of the game it started pouring rain, thank goodness we decided to bring our ponchos with us. So we got a little wet walking back to the car, which explains why I look a little scruffy in the pictures below. Then we came home and changed into dry clothes and sat down and watched the PSU game! This was the first time we have gotten to watch them yet this season. Unfortunately at the most important moment in the game, our electricity cut out!! We frantically called who we could to get updates, thanks to my dad and Ben's mom, we got to at least hear how it ended up. Then Sunday (today) we watched The Eagles and also The Steelers game. We also took Wrigley to a nearby park for a long walk, such nice weather today! Here are a few pictures from the night of the PSU game, after getting rained on while walking back from the GT game. (Also, I'm still waiting for the State of GA to approve my license application- I'm quickly learning that they are very slow at this...)

Giving Ben some love...



Getting dried off after going potty in the rain.


Let's go, PSU!

Laughing...

Wrigley makes us laugh :o)


Watching the game

after we dried out a bit from the rain

Tuckered out after all the fun

My boys

Watching football on Sunday

Playing in the morning

Can you find Wrigley?

There he is!

Playing with his new toy from Mimi (my mom)

How does such a small dog have the whole couch to himself?

I passed the NBCOT exam = I'm a O.T.!!

For starters... I passed the National Board of Certification for Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)!!! I'm officially an O.T.!! Now I just have to figure out when I can start my job :o) I was pleasantly surprised to sign onto the website and find the word "PASSED" next to my name. I wasn't supposed to find out until tomorrow but it was a wonderful surprise! In order to pass you have to get a score of 450 out of 600. Each test is weighted differently and is unique in which questions are on it. I didn't write in my blog that I was taking it because if I didn't pass, I didn't want everyone to know. I actually took the exam last Wednesday, the day we got Wrigley. I was stressed enough not knowing if I would pass and just thought that if everyone knew I was taking it, it would add more stress onto the exam. But it all ended up working out for the best and I passed on my first try!

The next news is that I took Wrigley to the vet yesterday and we found out a lot about him. He is actually older than we thought- he is about 7 months old, weighs 17.3lbs, has all his adult teeth, and is at his adult size (with the exception of gaining maybe another 3lbs or so). He was also tested for heart worms, which he does not have. I am very glad that we decided to take him, because now we know a bit more about our little guy. We are both happy that he will not get much bigger, he is the perfect size for our condo and will hopefully fit on the plane when we go home for Dad's birthday in October.

Below are some pictures of the ArtsFest that we went to at Piedmont Park on Saturday. It was a huge beautiful park, which you can see for yourself in the pictures below. There are also a few more pictures of Wrigley below of him sporting his Penn State gear :o)

There was a lake at the park!

The soccer area and baseball field, the little white tents far off in the picture are the tents that the artists were set up in- a lot like the art fair at the river in Hbg.

Sand volleyball court, I came home and signed up for notifications of when people play

Chewing on his big bone from my mom

Sporting his PSU collar and bandanna from my mom, and they were playing that day :o)

Update on our life with Wrigley

Wrigley continues to be everything that we ever wanted in a puppy. He went to his first GT tailgate and behaved very well. He stayed right beside me the whole time and was friendly to anyone who came up to pet him. He even played a bit w/ another dog that was there. He walks well on a leash and behaves like an angel during car rides as well. He sleeps throughout the entire night on a pillow in our room, and goes back to sleep after being let out. We left him alone today for two hours (gated in the kitchen) and came back to no accidents or barking! Ben and I went to an ArtsFest in Piedmont Park today. It was lovely to walk around and just have it be the two of us, plus we saw some awesome art work. We even bought a small spoon dish to put on the oven for when I cook. I enjoy my days with Wrigley but can't wait to get going in the work world, right now I am just waiting for my license to come in! Here are some more pictures of Wrigley :o)

Relaxing on a Friday night

Watching Ben get out of his car... how cute!

He's sleeping!

Going to the GT tailgate!

Wrigley Comes Home

O.k. here are some pictures from Wrigley's first night! They are in reverse order... I still haven't gotten the hang of the picture/blog thing yet... He explored the outside of our condo a bit when he first arrived, then showed himself around the inside of our condo, and then we played a bit. He slept under the table during dinner and then it was bath time! He didn't mind it too much and was very submissive, of course there was much playing after we dried him off, then he got tuckered out- and fell asleep on the couch with Ben. He then slept on his pillow in our room the whole night! So far this morning he has gone potty outside twice (only one accident last night, but I caught him and took him outside to finish) and played while I got ready. Right now he is asleep on my lap :o) We couldn't have asked for a better puppy. You might want to view the pictures from bottom to top to get the feel of the whole evening, but either way, here are some picutres of our new puppy Wrigley!

tuckered out after a long evening...

Ben is in there...

His nap during dinner.

He discovered his bed!

Wrigley was exploring our room for the first time :o)

We're adopting a dog- meet Wrigley!

We found Wrigley on a rescue dachshund website. He is 4 months old and is a dachshund/terrier mix. He is very easy going and lovable. When we first walked up to him and his owner at a park, he continued to sniff around but when we got down and spoke directly to him he came right over and licked our faces w/ his tail wagging. He didn't bark the entire time, and greeted passer-byers with a friendly face and wagging tail. He often sat down a lot to watch other dogs and children in the distance, apparently he likes to sit a lot! Then we went to his house and saw him play with his foster-siblings who were both dauchshunds. He was very gentle and submissive to both us and his foster-siblings. Before we left he even layed down and was resting for a bit. We think he is going to be a fantastic fit for us! We are going back to take him home on Wednesday after we buy all of his supplies. Ben and I can't wait to add to our "family" and both miss having a dog in the house. We are also pleased to be helping out such a wonderful cause. He was brought to the rescue site because he was at a dog shelter (we don't know how he got there) and was to be put to sleep the very next day, so he is one lucky guy. There are more pictures posted on facebook but he is just a little one, they don't think he will get much taller, just longer, and we hope to bring him to PA on the airplane with us (we think he is around 15lbs). Enjoy the pictures and we will keep you updated on how his transition into our home goes!

Dad got his port out :o)

Just a mid-week update... Dad got his port out on Tuesday! That's right, he no longer has it in. He had to go to the hospital to get it out, but was back at home by lunch time. He has a few steri-strips and no stitches. On Monday he went back to his oncologist to get blood work done, they checked his WBC and platelets and he was back up to normal. Now he has to go back every 3 months for a CT scan of his body to make sure nothing is growing, and to check his marker cells (cancer cells) and yearly colonoscopies. Basically just making sure that it doesn't come back or if any residual cells are left- making sure they don't multiply. He will also go to a genetic counselor for more testing, he just has to go and give blood and then they do all the tests. We have all been very blessed with the great fortune that we have had throughout this experience. I am grateful for all that we have been given and that it wasn't any more advanced. There are no guarantees- but with a little faith, I think we can get through anything.

Nothing new here, just hanging out on a Wednesday night (which is movie night at our house). This weekend is the first Georgia Tech home football game and Ben and I are both very excited for football season to start. We get to go tailgating with his entire chemistry department where we grill, drink a bit, and play yard games, then head to the game. So we have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend ahead of us! Hope all is well- any updates about family and home are appreciated!

Happy (early) Birthday to my sister!