First Week Back

     If my first week back to school is any indicator as to the kind of year I am going to have, it is going to be a fantastic year! Despite that the first week of school brings insane amounts of exhaustion, I felt refreshed and ready to go back. Overall, it was a positive experience, and let's just hope I am not jinxing myself... stay tuned.
     In other news, please pray for my little brother as he starts college this week at Blinn. Pray that he finds good friends that he can depend on and can adapt (and succeed) in college classes. I love you Christian! You can do it!

Apartment Life

As I hooked Bailey's leash on her collar at 9:45 p.m. and headed out the door to "go outside," I arrived at a fascinating conclusion about apartment life. You see, when you live on a property of hundreds of people, there are certain amounts of shame you as the resident must release unto the world. This is especially true if you have a dog.

Allow me to enlighten you...

• Clothing- About 75%  of the time I take Bailey out I am wearing my pajamas. Pajamas generally include sweat pants that are a size too big or shorts that are a size too small. Throw in a plethora of travel shirts I have accumulated and my 7 pairs of slippers and now you're talkin'. Mix all of that with my frizzy hair that emerges after sleep and no make-up... well, welcome to apartment living. My neighbors don't mind me toting my english bulldog along while I adorn my pink elephant night gown do they? 
• Communication- We all know and love the voice in which we speak to our pets. Well, thankfully, when you live in an apartment, the whole world gets to hear the special way you speak to your dog. It's amazing that at 5:00 a.m. I become my dog's biggest cheerleader. "Come on Bay! You can do it! Good girl!" What support she receives when going to the restroom, and, interestingly enough, what strange stares I get from my passerbys. Can a girl not support her dog?
• Cleanliness- Now this is my favorite part. All dog owners that live in apartments have a unique opportunity that not all homeowners get to enjoy. We, the apartment dwellers, avoid at all costs having to get to pick up our dog's poop every time they do their business. Further reason to be jealous, the apartment staff generously supply green "poopy pouches" for us to dispose of our dear pet's poo. But don't worry, I've always got extra green bags tied to the leash if you ever need any. 

As you can see, I am a very modest and shy resident. I dress in ways that are appropriate, I keep my voice at a tolerable pitch, and I always clean up after my pet. I love apartment living... really I do.

An Experiment

     This past Monday my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., Bailey and I crawled out of bed, and I started getting ready for my first day back to work. Well, fast forward to 5:00 p.m. Kyle comes home. I am excited to tell him about my day, and of course, he willingly listens. I come to the end of my stories, and Kyle says, "you sure were loud this morning." I laugh and say, "oops, I'll try to be more quiet tomorrow."

     Come to find out, Kyle wasn't really all that concerned with the noise.

     "You don't have to take Bailey with you when you wake up," Kyle confesses.

     You see, when Kyle gets up for work in the morning while I am on summer vacation, Bailey doesn't budge. I get up for work after being off for 3 months, Bailey bounds out of bed.

     "Well, Kyle, I don't tell her to get up. She just comes with me," I say.

     Kyle doesn't fully believe that Bailey isn't coerced out of bed, so we decide to hold an unofficial experiment. As we all learned in middle/high school science, you must test something at least 3 times to get the most accurate result... or I think you are supposed to. Anyways, here is how our experiment played out....


Tuesday: My alarm goes off. I am a little slow to turn it off. I look at Bailey. I get out of bed. Bailey follows.

Wednesday: My alarm goes off. I turn it off quickly as not to disturb the test subject. Before I can put my feet on the floor, Bailey has already jumped off the bed and is looking up at me.

Thursday: My alarm goes off. I quickly turn it off, but I'm way too tired to get up right away. Bailey sits up and starts to paw at me until I get up.

     Well, there you have it folks. Bailey loves me more than she loves Kyle Bailey is choosing to wake up on her own.

Summer Reading: Book 5

Book #5: Unbroken



     I finished my last summer book, and just in the nick of time. When school starts, I don't read nearly as often, and I am so glad that this book ended my summer reading streak.

     Without giving the book away, it is about a World War II soldier that survives so many extreme circumstances. The story is based upon research and a real people. It is unlike any book I have ever read, and it is a must read! Kyle is actually "reading" the audio version of the book, so it has been a lot of fun discussing the story with him. This is now apart of my top 10 favorite books. That's all I am going to say because I want everyone to read it!

     (It was also really fun to read this on my Kindle... in case you were wondering :)

Playtime With Bay

Bailey,

     Bedtime is not when you place your scantily clad rubber chicken on me and ask to play. Although, it is hard to resist that face!

Love,

Allie

10 Signs My Summer is Over

10.  I accomplished many chores in a two-day time period... how did I put off all of my "to-dos" until the end of summer?

9. I started cooking again. :)

8.  Kyle gets his old chores back. (Kyle, tomorrow's trash day :).

7. I have a rather large supply of new pencils, folders, and staples.

6. Instead of reading a "fun" book, I've pulled out my copy of The First Days of School.

5. At 8:00 p.m., I start to think that it is a good time to get ready for bed.

4. I put my vitamins in my lunch box instead of the bathroom cabinet.

3. I talk to Kyle about lamination and bulletin board border.

2. The pantry is filled with items you might see in a kindergartner's lunch. i.e. jelly, goldfish crackers, yogurt...

1. I went to work today.

Bailey's Vacation

While we were on vacation, Bailey stayed at my mom's house.

The following are the pictures and text messages I received while we were away.


From Jill...

Happy Birthday!!

Bailey got a manicure :)

From my mom...

Bailey praying that you win $$$



I love that Kyle and I aren't the only ones that think she's special. :)

I also got a text of this little cutie while I was away too...

What a little angel! I love him!

Allie and Kyle Firsts: Las Vegas and Seattle

    Kyle and I recently got back from our  two-city vacation in Las Vegas and Seattle. With cameras in hand and travel maps close by, we were determined to make the most of our 3 days in Vegas and 2 days in Seattle... even if that meant barely stopping to sleep! I give us an A+ on being good tourist!

Las Vegas/Seattle in Brief:

Day 1...

Check bags at hotel. Walk down the Strip. Stop in at the Cosmopolitan. Kyle puts $10 on black. Loses. Allie puts $10 on black. Wins. Walk to New York, New York. Ride rollercoaster. Place bets at sports book. In and Out Burger. Back to the Strip. See Bellagio fountains (my favorite :). Check-in at Mirage. Go and buy Jersey Boys tickets. Play roulette at Palazzo. Lose money playing roulette at Palazzo. Gamble a bit at other casinos. Go back to Mirage. Dress for dinner. Walk a long way to dinner. Allie and Kyle complain about feet in new dress shoes. Walk a long way to Jersey Boys. Allie and Kyle complain about feet in new dress shoes. Find seats at Jersey Boys. Empty theater. Move up closer to better seats. Great show! Back to Mirage.



Bellagio Fountains was definately one of my favorite things in Vegas!



First winnings at the Cosmopolitan!



After Jersey Boys. At this point we had been up 22 hours and were ready to sleep!



Day 2 and my 25th b-day!...

 Place new bets at sports book. Pick up for Hoover Dam tour. Stop in front of the Vegas sign. Go to Hoover Dam. Great tour! Back to Strip. Walk around more hotels. Accidentally buy a $20 margarita. Gamble. Back to Mirage to dress for the night. Celine Dion concert!! Dinner at Julian Serrano!! Watch some guy lose $10,000 playing roulette at the Bellagio.




Vegas Sign!




On the Hoover Dam tour



Outside at the Hoover Dam



Found these inside the Hoover Dam gift shop on my birthday :)



One of our only pics at Celine Dion... BEST SHOW EVER!!



Day 3...

Bellagio buffet. More gambling. More walking the Strip. Down to the Stratosphere. Stratosphere rollercoaster (what was I thinking!!) Back to Mirage to dress for the night. Sushi at Tao!! Gamble. Cirque du Soleil LOVE. Dessert at Serendipity 3. Downtown Las Vegas. Back to the Mirage.




Kyle at the Stratosphere



The ride Kyle forced me on ;)



Downtown Las Vegas



Day 4...

Hotel check-out. Airport. Train to hotel. Seattle is cold. Everyone stare at the tourists in shorts. Hotel check-in. Space Needle. City tour. See house boat from Sleepless in Seattle. Chittenden Locks in Ballard. Walk around Fremont. Dinner on the lake.



Kyle at the Space Needle



In the Fremont area of Seattle... so cute and quirky





Kyle standing in the center of the universe ;)



And, they have their very own statue of Lenin. :/





Fremont Troll



Day 5...

Food tour of Pike Place Market. Coffee at original Starbucks. Shop at the Market. Tour of Seattle's underground. Klondike Gold Rush Museum. Washington State Ferry. Dinner on the harbor.



Kyle inside the original Starbucks




and with a fish monger




Seattle skyline from the ferry




very windy and cold on the ferry



Day 6...

More Starbucks. Go to first Nordstrom. Gum Wall. Smith Tower. Seattle Public Library. Hotel check-out. Airport.



In front of Pike Place Market



the gum wall... gross but cool





Seattle Public Library... very cool on the inside as well




what a cutie





at the library... walking down into the all red hall



Day 7...

Pick up Bailey at my mom's. :)

Summer Reading: Book 4... and a Kindle

Book #4: The Thorn Birds



     I was really excited to read this book because Kyle gave it to me for our first anniversary (paper anniversary). We were considering our weekend getaway in The Woodlands our anniversary gift, so I teared up a bit when Kyle surprised me with this book. Despite that I love to read, I was touched at the thought Kyle put in to picking out a book that I would like to read. It was such a sweet, simple gift, and I loved it.

     Well, I was in the middle of enjoying this book when Kyle comes home with another surprise. Just two days before we were to leave for our vacation, Kyle comes home with a box. Once again, I thought we were considering our trip my birthday present, so I was totally shocked when Kyle gave me a Kindle! I have been wanting a Kindle for a couple of months, but I thought I would wait until Christmas to ask for one. It was such a fun surpise!

     Now, back to me being in the middle of my other book... I really wanted to finish The Thorn Birds before we went on vacation so that I could use my Kindle on the plane. So, instead of packing, I spent most of my "packing day" reading the last 300 pages of my anniversary present. No worries! At midnight, The Thorn Birds was finished, our suitcases zipped and ready to go, and my new Kindle tucked away in my carry on.

     It really was a great book, and now, one of my favorites. Five out of five stars... go read it. :) Thanks Kyle.