Hope you care about how my day off was....

Wes and I never have days off together and I HATE it! Just so happens, on Thursday, we both had the day off and it ended up being SUCH a good day. I LOVE this boy so much it's crazy! 


I woke up at his house in a grouchy mood for no good reason. I immediately went back to my house (we live on the same street so going back and forth is not a big deal) and decided I was going to go on a major cleaning spree! My dog is going through a shedding phase and it is bad! My lint roller is out of sheets and I have this other that is supposed to pick up dog hair but it just does NOT work....so I went back to Wes' to get his little hand held vacuum and this is what I ended up with after ONE corner of my rug.

Oh my gosh! I'm so embarrassed now! I promise my house isn't a disgusting pig sty...but I understand if you don't believe me, it's ok really, I wouldn't believe me either after seeing this picture. It true Kristin form, I got sick of cleaning really quickly and was really happy when Wes called and convinced me to go on a quick lunch date. We ended up going to Lucy's Fried Chicken off of South Congress and it was super good! 

We each got a beer and the "Austin Oysters" as an appetizer which were grilled oysters cooked with tequila, lime, chili sauce, and cotija cheese! YUM! (see above picture) Wes got fried chicken and I got some beef kabobs. It was good to say the least and I was soooo full but Wes' sweet tooth was not satisfied!

I did NOT order a slice of pie but Wes knew the guy in the kitchen so he brought me one anyways! Mine is just apple but Wes got one called Shoofly that consisted of butter oat streusel, molasses, and gingersnap crust. He is obsessed and probably would have eaten a whole pie if I would have let him!


Wes and I are not really into doing the typical "Austin things" we have both lived here so long and done it all we aren't really the type to say...go shopping on "Soco" (ugh gag haha I HATE when people say that)! But yesterday we were the type, and we did. But we had a specific purpose yesteday- Wes wanted a denim button up shirt and there ARE a couple good vintage shops over there. Unfortunately, Wes didn't find what he was looking for but I found a fur coat made out baby bunny rabbits.

Kidding! Don't freak out animal activists! I didn't buy it! We stopped at a few more places just looking around but didn't buy anything. We went to Uncommon Objects which is a really cool store that has just about anything you could imagine in it. Tons of cool stuff for decorating your house if you have a taste for the um...uncommon. Wow, I'm so clever. 

Wes had to leave to go to band practice so I went back to the house and chilled until one of my oldest friend Katie came over and we spent some time catching up then headed out for a bit. First we went to Hole in the Wall where her boyfriend works, then we headed to Jackalope to meet up with the boys, and finally went to a new place on the east side that is soooo much fun called White Horse for some two-stepping. I'm gonna need to work on my moves on the dance floor because as of now...they are lacking to say the least!

I have some competition!

Gah! What an awesome day! I'm so in love it's pretty crazy...and it's awesome to know he feels the same way. What a LONG time in the making....it took us 5 years to finally get what we have now but it has been SO worth it!


So there you have it! A cap of my wonderful day off with my wonderful boyfriend! I'm really surprised if you are still reading this...haha I don't know why I thought you would be so enthralled with my day but I enjoyed it SO much and I wanted to post about it so I could share my pictures that I was so excited that I remembered to take!


Ok tis all- off to ice my elbow that is incredibly swollen and painful for some reason. Wes almost took me to the emergency room in the middle of the night because it hurt so bad! No idea what's wrong! Yikes!

What is so "Pinteresting" about Pinterest?

It's 5:20 am and of course I am still awake. This is a common trend for me- especially when I have the next day off. So, with all of these spare hours while I am at home alone I try to do something somewhat worthwhile with my time. For instance, tonight I watched all of the episodes of Chelsea Lately I had fallen behind on! See? COMPLETELY worthwhile. While doing this my precious baby puppy slept and loudly snored next to me...quality alone time with my 4-legged baby! 

Yes, still completely wide-eyed at 5am...how typical.

Well, once the episodes were over, I was kind of over having my TV on. After catching up on all the other blogs I currently am obsessed with (i.e. Stop Me If You've Heard This One) (more about that later) I decided I wanted to check out this Pinterest craze every female from here and back is obsessed with. And honestly, I JUST DON'T GET IT! Maybe I am just not utilizing it how it was intended. Every time I go to the website, I just see random pictures of things I'm really not too interested in. For instance right now this is what I see:

A bunny rabbit?

What does said bunny rabbit have to do with anything? I always see people posting awesome crafts that they find or recipes or activities but I just never find anything that peaks my interest? If you make an account does it make it more thrilling? Right now, I am trying to add some "flair" to the walls of my house. I have a few pretty big blank spots on my walls but I just can't decide what I want to put there. I was hoping that Pinterest would have some tips for me but I don't even know where to begin to look. Any Pinterest savvy users out there that can point me in the right direction?

Ok, so like I said earlier, I am currently obsessed with this blog called "Stop me if You've Heard This One". It is just a blog made by a newlywed 20-something year old girl named Justine living in Long Island (I already feel creepy saying all of that, I feel like I know so much about this girl and her husband and her job and she HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM!) haha. I don't even remember how I stumbled across her blog but I am hooked. She has a life I would love to have (not to say I don't love mine)! She lives right outside of New York City with an awesome job and is a newlywed and she is just so crafty and witty! I highly recommend checking it out to any other creepy bloggers out there that want to read about a random stranger's life!

Alright, I have got to try to get to sleep now! I am going to try to get up and do a midday yoga class at LifeTime and I don't want to fall asleep in the "lotus pose" (I had to look that up...that's how green I am to working out)

Oh, my little brother has baseball tryouts for his high school tomorrow so everyone keep your fingers crossed for him!

Goodnight ya'll!

Chae'

As of late...

Ahhh! I thought it would be easy to keep up with blogging but I was wrong! When I started this little project, I had 3 days off of work so it was easy to do but as of late I have been reallllyyy busy. At least it gives me a lot to write about right now!


In Sobie news- After extensive research and a pretty penny in new foods, shampoos, and vitamins his health is improving sooo much! I'm really relieved to know that my baby isn't feeling so bad anymore. He has been sleeping through the night without the constant itch that keeps both of us awake! 


However, he is still shedding A TON! Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep that at bay? No matter how often I lint roll, sweep, or vacuum there is still a constant layer of hair covering every surface of my home. YUCK!


I kinda fell off the juice wagon...that was HARD! I am still being really conscience of what I am eating though so I don't feel too bad about being a total failure. haha. 


OH! I started working out...I'm on a week long trial at Lifetime Fitness and am thinking about joining so I can take advantage of their awesome classes and facilities. However, I am a complete retard when it comes to knowing what to do while I am at the gym so any tips would be appreciated! Like when I go in I can of just stand there like a dunce and look around and feel kind of intimidated. I feel like there are 3 kinds of people at the gym.


TYPE 1 (and probably my least favorite): "THE JUICEHEADS"


Haha these are probably my least favorite people I encounter at the gym. This is my personal opinion (sorry if I offend any of you), but I think guys with gargantuous muscles are sickening looking. Like if you are super tan and greasy looking and your biceps are bigger around than my waist, YOU ARE NOT ATTRACTIVE. Also, you don't need to loudly grunt and THROW your weights down when you finish a set to attract more attention to yourself. Ew! I appreciate your effort in maintaining a healthy lifestyle but you might be trying a tad too hard.


TYPE 2: the "what in the world am I doing here?" people


Unfortunately I think I fit into this group. But not as severely as some people. I saw no less than 5 people working out in their bell bottom blue jeans and like nice shirts yesterday. This can't be conducive to a full range of motion. These people kind of walk around and half ass everything and look pretty miserable being there- like their doctor just told them they have a week to live unless they leave straight from his office and get their ass on a treadmill. I, by no means, wore jeans to the gym OR walked around like a chicken with my head cut off- in fact I tried to look extra sporty to look like I fit in! haha my shirt said "awesome attitude club" and something on the front about a drug free and healthy lifestyle cause I wanted to be taken serious! (sadly, I don't think it worked as I had to read the directions to every machine I got on to figure out how I was supposed to even sit on it) This is why I need tips people! 


and finally...


TYPE 3: and I have no clever name for these people (not that the previous 2 were clever) but these are the people who just look they are there to stay healthy and they fit in! They don't look they are trying to get into a muscle man competition but they also look like they know what they are doing. These are the people I aspire to be like! Hopefully within the next month I will grace Lifetime Fitness and be in the ranks of these fitness gods. haha


I'm going to the gym in the morning and instead of locking my phone up in the locker I am going to carry around with me...hopefully I can capture some awesome shots of these annoying and loud type 1's, awkward type 2's, and sporty type 3's. 
(I'm on my iPad and all my pictures are on the other computer, sorry!)


Tomorrow, I'm going to post about some things going on with me at work and try to get some advice. Also, Wes has been feeling not quite up to par lately. We are going to the dr some time next week to get a series of tests done and an MRI and I'll be sure to let ya'll know when we get the results!


Have a great night and we shall speak again tomorrow!
XO

Insomnia

I meant to write a different post today but I worked really late and just didn't get around to it. Sorry! But now I'm in bed trying to sleep and it just is NOT happening! I have struggled with major insomnia the past 4ish years ad absolutely nothing I do helps! I can literally drink half a bottle of NyQuil and still feel like I could run a marathon. Well... Bad example. I certainly couldn't run a marathon under any circumstances! I have a post I'm looking forward to writing tomorrow... But in the meantime, does anyone have any "fall asleep fast" tips?! Ahhhh! I'm so jealous of my constantly sleeping dog! (who is actually doing a lot better!) Bye for now.

Sobie the Sober Dog: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Doggy Distress!

Look at my precious baby!

Sobie is my baby boy! I love him so much and he has a special meaning to me and serves as a reminder of a rough patch in my life I went through a few years back. It was the summer of 2009 and I was trying to make some major changes. I thought maybe getting a new puppy would be something fulfilling for me and definitely something to fill up my time and keep myself occupied. I really wanted to find a dog at ASPCA  to adopt because I think it is very important to help save those poor animals there that have been given up on or abandoned. Ugh, it just breaks my heart, especially when animals end up in kill shelters. Luckily ASPCA is a no kill shelter, but that doesn't change the fact that those animals there need extra love! If you are thinking of adopting, please go there first before buying a puppy from a puppy mill or a breeder! Check it out and browse the animals they have available right now! 

Ok, sorry, back to Sobie. Unfortunately when I was ready to get a puppy, the shelter just did not have one that fit with me. They were all way too big, or had some sort of disease that was curable, but would take money I just didn't have at the time. After days of looking, I got on Craigslist and the very first post was for "Tiger". He was only a few months old and belonged to a deaf girl who was commuting to Austin School For The Deaf every day and just did not have time to take care of this precious baby. I jumped on the deal and drove to pick him up immediately! 

Ha! My first look at him I was like what a WEIRD looking dog! Why is his head SO HUGE and his legs SO short? He definitely has a unique look. On the drive home he managed to simultaneously pee and throw up on me. Oh man, what did I get myself into?? The name Tiger didn't stick long and I quickly renamed him something more fitting for the situation I was going through. The rest is history. He has been by my side since then- he even lived in a tree house with me in the mountains of Colorado!

When I moved back to Austin, he stayed at my parents for a little bit since the places I was living didn't ever have yards since I was in the middle of downtown. Up until this point, Sobie had had a pretty lax, spoiled life. I moved into a house over this past summer with a yard and other dogs! I was so excited for him to be able to run around and play and roll in the dirt and just be a dog; but things did not turn out the way I had envisioned. 

Sobie, like any other man, only has one thing on his mind.... and I think you know what that is! He humps EVERYTHING. I mean everything...even the air. It's really weird. So naturally, he was all over  the other 3 dogs. Apparently the feelings weren't mutual and let's just say Sobie got his ass handed to him more than a few times. It got so bad that there were a couple of times I thought I was going to have to take him to get stitches. These dogs were bullying my baby so bad and it broke my heart. He had scabs all over his head and ears and throat and it was making me really nervous. I had to get out of that house to protect my pup.

I moved and now I live alone and I absolutely love it (and so does Sobie)! But now he has developed a strange infection I guess. He scratches to no end. Nothing I do gives him any relief. I thought for a while he may have fleas but after much inspection and many baths I KNOW for a fact he doesn't have a single flea on his body. I finally learned that he has a yeast infection on his skin and the bottoms of his feet. I did a TON of research on this actually really common problem and am trying everything to get it to go away. I am giving him one probiotic Acidophilus caplet a day which promotes healthy digestion. I'm not too sure what that has to do with a skin infection but it was recommended to me and I'm willing to try anything to make him feel better. I also changed his food from some cheap food filled with fillers to Taste of the Wild which is high in protein and made with REAL ingredients. The last thing I am trying is a new shampoo that is specifically created to fight yeast on the skin. 

He actually does really good in the bath!

Please don't judge the TERRIBLE color combination of the bathtub. That was NOT my idea...purple and khaki aren't really my thing haha. Have any of you ever had problems like this with your pets? Any tips? I'm willing to try anything...I feel so awful for him and can't even imagine what it would be like to be itching constantly for a full 2 months!

Thanks for reading the rather long post about my dog...I'm sure there is something more entertaining you could have done for the past 5-10 minutes but I'm glad you spent it with me!

Have a good night!

See ya tomorrow!

January 18th, 2012- Day 1 of blogging!

Today (well yesterday now) was the day I woke up and decided I was going to finally start my blog. I am still learning how to navigate the pages and make shortcuts and am no where near as savvy as I wish I was BUT I am committed to learning.


For my first actual blog post I just want to write about what I did today. All day long I was extra conscious of the things I was doing and taking pictures to document because I knew I was going to start a blog at the end of the day. Luckily, I had a fun filled day and am excited to show you some of the hilarious pictures Wes and I took while he helped me dye my hair! (I'm telling you, he is a keeper! How many guys will help their girl do their hair?)

Haha I love this picture because he looks so confused about what he is about to do!

He actually did a really good job for a first timer and I really appreciate his help! This picture was taken at the very end of the day...well actually it was late at night (I'll write more about earlier in the day down below). We had some great laughs while we were doing it, especially because the gloves were obviously made for a female with petite hands. 

A couple days ago Wes and I decided that we needed to detox our bodies. There are certainly people less nourished than we are and who lead a far more unhealthy lifestyles but I can't think of many. I actually LOVE all fruits and vegetables and if I had a personal chef (because like I said, I am a tornado in the kitchen), an endless supply of money, and more time, I would eat all organic, all vegetarian, ALL THE TIME. Wes, on the other hand, well he would (and almost does) live off of cookies and cream ice cream, milk, and donuts. It's bad. That is all he wants to eat. Oh, and Whataburger is always good. Overall, the foods and drinks that we put into our bodies on top of all the other terrible things we  inhale, ingest, touch, etc etc on a day to day basis was enough to make us want a change. Also, Wes' mom is borderline diabetes and Wes is scared that he is going to develop diabetes also. 

All of this built up had Wes doing some research online about alternative healthy lifestyles and came across a documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead". He watched it and that's when everything changed! 

Please observe the fridge! All fruits and vegetables. We are now on a 2 week juice fast. NO SOLIDS, NO ALCOHOL, NO SODAS, NO CAFFEINE! NOTHING!  YIKES! We went to Bed Bath and Beyond and purchased a new juicer then went to Whole Foods to do some (HIGHLY OVERPRICED) shopping! After about $80 dollars in groceries we thought we would be good for about a week of juice. HA! We were definitely joking ourselves. It is all almost gone and its only been 2 days! After some more research we found that a juice diet costs about $28 a day per person so I guess we need to budget more money for grocery shopping for the next couple weeks!

After juicing our dinner, I gave Wes a haircut and then he helped me dye my hair. After that we curled up in bed where he watched "Rum Diary" online and I indulged in my guilty pleasure- celebrity magazines! 

haha I LOVE YOU US WEEKLY! 

Welp, 
Sorry for the random post...but it's my first one and I just wanted to give ya'll a taste of what a day in our lives is like. Pretty goofy! Stay tuned for yummy juice recipes and to follow my progress on my juice fast. I'm pretty nervous about it!


Talk to ya'll tomorrow

Cast of Characters

AND NOW INTRODUCING....


There are so many people in my life that I love so so much. From my family, to my friends, to my boyfriend and our pets- this blog by no means will focus solely on me! But there is no way I can just start blabbing on and on about everyone without a proper introduction.


The Mama and The Papa

These are my wonderful parents David and Linda Money. They are a true testament to the saying "high school sweethearts". They have been dating since their junior year in high school, got married in 1979, and since have created an awesome family consisting of my older sister Hayley, me, and my younger brother Josh. I am SO incredibly lucky and blessed to have had these two amazing individuals raise me and support me. I am even more lucky that they are so understanding and patient with me. I have dragged them through the ringer more than once with my crazy antics and they never leave my side. Thanks mama and daddy!

Bro-Bro/ Sis-Sis (and our dance-offs)

There seems to be a trend that runs in my family- meet your husband-to-be in high school and stay together forever. Here is my beautiful sister, Hayley, with her husband and my brother, Nason. Haha- sound weird? He isn't truly my brother, however, Nason has been part of our family since I was about 8 years old. Hayley and Nason started dating when they were about 16 I guess and have been together ever since and because of that he seems like my actual brother. In fact, my little brother can't even remember a time in his life when Nason was not part of our family. I'm so lucky to be blessed with 2 awesome brothers. My sister is an amazing wife, mom, and sister and I look up to her so much and she is a fellow (although slacking) blogger at thegunnarshow.blogspot.com. When Hayley and Nason are around we are NEVER short on laughs. It doesn't matter if it is our "bro-bro sis-sis" dance offs (a dance competition consisting of Hayley and myself showcasing our "top moves" against Nason and Josh) or just simply lounging around the house in pajamas, we are always having a great time together.

Broseph

Ahhh...the golden child. My parents got really lucky with this guy! This is my little brother Joshua aka "Yoshi", "Broseph", "Franklin" "Yo-Yo" and on and on and on...I truly think he would answer to anything. I am so so proud of him, though. Not only is he an awesome student at Leander High School in all AP classes (taking classes I took when I was a Senior), he is an awesome athlete excelling in baseball (he WILL play college ball one day!), has a heart of gold, wouldn't hurt a fly, is HILARIOUS, and an AMAZING uncle to our nephew Gunnar. I am so so proud of the man he is turning into and I can't wait to see where the next two years takes him as he graduates high school and moves forward.

The Gun

                           

Gunnar! The pride and joy of the family! Wait, let me rephrase that...the pride and joy of the family UNTIL I have a baby ;) I kid, I kid! This kid is awesome. There is NO OTHER WAY TO PUT IT. Just like his daddy, this baby is one to entertain. Always being hilarious and wanting to be the center of attention. He loves the movie "Cars", loves dinosaurs, and any sort of sports balls. Haha that souds funny to say "sports balls" but I wanted to clarify...it felt funny to just say he likes balls. He is barely over 2 years but is incredibly smart and so fun to be around. My sister put him through baby boot camp (no really, I think that is what it was called) so he is an incredibly well behaved baby and I am so excited to share stories and pictures of him growing up!

BB

This is Wes. I don't know how much I want to write about him on this introduction page because a lot of these posts will probably focus on him. I'll try to just give a general idea of what him and I have gone through since we met in December of 2006. When we met, I was in another serious relationship and he had just gotten out of a very serious relationship. A friendship quickly developed but it couldn't stay that way for long. We started dating in March of 2006 and stayed together until about 2009 and have had an on again off again relationship ever since then. However, the past year we have been working on all the things which continuously broke down our relationship and bettering ourselves, which in turn is bettering us as a couple. A few months ago we officially got back together and it is absolutely unbelievable how amazing things are. We have matured SO much and make each other so happy. He treats me like a queen and like I'm his best friend and tells me I am the best girlfriend and most beautiful girl he has ever seen and I feel so lucky every day that we stuck together through all these years and have each other's back no matter what.

AND FINALLY....

SOBIE

AND BOBO

                               

Sobie (short for Sobie the Sober Dog) and Bobo (short for Boris) are our two "sons". Well, I'm Sobie's mom and Wes is his godfather and vice-versa for Bobo. Sobie is a half Sharp-ei half Corgi. He is obsessed with me. I mean truly obsessed. He can not be away from me for any amount of time and no one else will do. While it makes me feel loved it also makes it really difficult for me to leave to go to work or do anything. It makes me feel absolutely awful! Right now he is suffering from some weird illnesses (more about that later) and I'm pretty worried about him.

Boris is a Russian Grey that Wes got as a little bitty kitten. When he first got him he also had his sister but he gave her away to a friend. He was recently neutered (in fact the above picture was before we took him to the vet and it was really early in the morning so please excuse the disgustingness of my face) and has calmed down quite a bit since then. I never really like cats all that much but since watching Boris grow up the past 9 months I'm kind of coming around.

Well, that about sums it up. There are many friends who will make appearances on a regular basis but I can't sit here and write a summary of every single person I have ever come in contact with! 

Thanks for reading!