4th of July and 29

Oops! I fell off the blogging wagon...I haven't had much to say lately but this was a big week! We celebrated another wonderful 4th of July and my 29th birthday!! I would say that these are my 2 favorite holidays... :)

The 4th fell on a Thursday this year so we had the day off of work and then had to go back on Friday. On the 4th, Jay and I relaxed most of the day and then joined some friends at the LCC for dinner and a fireworks show. It was a great time!

Breezy and I at dinner!

Enjoying the fireworks with my babe!

Nothing better than fireworks to make you feel patriotic!

Friday was my 29th birthday and just let me say that I LOVE me a good birthday! I love getting older and I consider it such a privilege. I'm always confused when people act upset about celebrating another year...my life just gets better and better with each year! I had to work but since I love work I was fine with it (plus I treated myself to a bagel and mocha on the way)! After work, Jay and I met my parents, brother, SIL and nephew at Chuy's for dinner. We had a great time amd way to many calories.  We had plans to meet some friends for drinks...but...we ate so much that we just went home and got in our pajamas and hung out. It was really right up my homebody alley. 

Birthday selfie. Rocking 29 already!

Breezy and EC brought me a cupcake with sprinkles and Debra brought me Starbucks. Good friends! I also got several cards and a really cool 'H' from my college roommate Keri. 

Sweet guy with his Aunt Hill. 

He's getting his first tooth and smiling like crazy. 

Then it was the weekend...not bad for what felt like only 1 day of work. :) Jay and I relaxed all day and watched a Law & Order SVU marathon...we were thoroughly disturbed by about 4:00pm and decided to have a few people over to cook out. 

Playing washers and frisbee. 

Job loves being outside. 

And what's a blog post without a picture of Stella?!

And that's a recap!

HT

Sore is an Understatement

So...on Tuesday my dear friend Debra convinced me that we should break routine and give Crossfit a try. Only now am I ready to talk about it....

I begrudgingly agreed because I know myself pretty well...and I knew it wouldn't bring out the best in me. You see, I have a bad attitude. It's buried deep inside and I try to control it daily but it tends to creep (more like pour) out of me when I'm physically challenged in a way that I don't like. That basically means that during any activity/class that resembles boot camp (i.e., multiple reps, circuits, people cheering, hollering, coaching loudly, clapping near your head, discussing correct form, etc.) I become a monster. I roll my eyes, I glare, I sigh, I say things like 'yeah, I get it' and 'I already did that'. I really just become unreasonable and very immature.

So I predicted those behaviors and shared them with Debra and she assured me that we would be fine...and we were...sort of...until Wednesday morning. Don't get me wrong, I despised Crossfit and had a pretty bad reaction to it (ha! Like how I say reaction like I'm allergic and have no control?) and I won't be going back; however, I didn't know what 'bad reaction' was until I woke up on Wednesday morning. I have NEVER been more achy or sore in my entire 28 years on earth. Neither of us could sit, stand or walk for days. 

Here is a little snippet of the extent of soreness. I was literally so miserable that I felt sick. Think I'll just stick to running and a little pilates... 

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When the husband's away...

This wife will do absolutely nothing! Jay was in Ruidoso this weekend at the horse races and playing golf and my first thought was 'Good for him, he needs to get away!' My very next thought which I confess may have actually come first was...'Jay gone means I get to relish in my all time favorite and oh so treasured-- alone time'. It's true. I really love to hang out with...me. It's refreshing and fun and I'm never bored. Seriously. Never. 

You see, I lived alone for a long time before Jay and I got married and I always loved it. Like go home on Friday and not speak to another soul (in person) until Monday morning love it. Then we got married and I had some adjusting to do. I was actually quite stressed the first few months of our marriage because Jay came to my, I mean our home...everyday and to be fair it was actually his home that I invaded. Everytime I voice this caveat, I'm met with confused and slightly concerned looks...but just to be clear, I adore my husband! I just happen to also adore hanging out by myself. That's all. 

So here is a run down of my weekend in a few pictures:

I ran to my parents on Saturday for a quick bite and to see Baby O. He's a tiny sweetie. I took a nap just like Owen but I'm sure that I wasn't as cute...

I made a dinner that consisted solely of 4 stuffed peppers. One of the beauties of not cooking for my 'meat and potatoes' guy. Delicious! 

I came to grips with my inability to put things in their proper place the first time. Look at my week in shoes though! Very well balanced! 

And finally I watched several glorious hours of Real Housewives of Beverley Hills, Orange County and New Jersey with this gal. We love trash tv and we love it large quantities! I may have also watched Legally Blonde and eaten 6 Outshine popsicles...but I'll never tell. 

It's fun being me. 

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Geri-what?!

So I braved the vet with Stella and Ally on Saturday morning all by myself. This is a feat because Ally usually forgets that she's attached to anyone and attempts to run wild. If you can imagine a big dog pulling a person who is pulling/dragging a fat little pug then you get the idea. Train wreck. Ally also has a habit of only listening to her dad...which actually reminds me of my childhood and leaves me feeling remorseful. However, somehow this trip was totally different! Ally acted like a model citizen and Stella acted like a nut bag. 

Case and point. Blur of pug in the back. 

Anyways, I've gotten off topic. The real issue that I'm having is with the following conversation:

Me:  I need to schedule Stella to get her teeth cleaned. 

Vet: Great, and how old is Stella now?

Me: She turned 8 in November! (Very proud mom-like since I've been charged with keeping her alive for those 8 years...)

Vet: Well since she's GERIATRIC now we'll need to do an I-stat to ensure that she can go under the same anesthesia profile. 

Me: Geri-what?! She's only 8...

Vet: Yes, but 8 is past the halfway mark for the lifespan of most dogs so we'll just need to check some stuff. 

Geri-what? Geri-who? Surely not my girl!

I was devastated. I really hadn't thought about this much...I mean, logically, I understand 'dog years' and know that dogs don't live forever but I'm so sad to think that my dogs (who are all three between 8 and 9 years old) are on the other side of their lifespans. Just a little tough to swallow. I guess to put it in perspective I will just remind myself that I will consider it a true blessing if I'm able to care for and be a part of these lives until they are taken by old age instead of something more traumatic. Don't worry though, I'm pulling for my girl to last a long time! 

Puppy B. 

Big girl B. 

One last thing...Jay decided to save a little $$on dog care (he's innately frugal) and bought some clippers so that I didn't have to take Stella to the groomer. It goes without saying but...it did not go well. Bless her...

I wrote most of this last night but then something wonderful happened that I have to mention!! It rained!! Like real moisture falling from the sky. My dad called this morning and said that he and my brother got the best rain that they've had since October 2010!! Praise The Lord!

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Pray For Rain, etc.

We need rain here in West Texas like you wouldn't believe. It's bone dry, and truthfully, a scary time for those families that depend on the weather for their livelihoods. As a farmer's granddaughter and daughter, the need for rain has been a constant in my life. Growing up, I don't remember a dinner prayer or prayer otherwise that didn't ask (lately beg) The Lord for rain.  Every time that I talk to my dad and brother...they just sound exhausted and desperate...and out of control.  The work load doesn't lessen but the return lessens by the day as they watch their work fail. It's pretty disheartening. Thankfully faith has been a constant in my family too. I know that God has always provided and He will continue. So...please pray for rain and for the farmers and ranchers that face the elements day after day! 

While I'm being a downer, I just saw this at the bottom of my page as I was online shopping at Anthro. 

Insult and injury.  I love anthro and think that Lubbock could support one. I also forgot to type in my free shipping code so there goes an additional $13! 

Getting to the good stuff. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I made a quick trip to Durango, CO today to set up a new office and got to see my all-time favorite---Eileen. She works with me and she and her husband live in beautiful Durango. She's been commuting to Farmington for the past 2 years and we have finally opened an office in Durango for her! We played a little more then we worked. We had a great lunch downtown and then made a trip to Eileen's house to show the rest of the team the paradise that she calls home. 

I got a quick picture of her weeping willow and creek but I'm disappointed that I didn't take more pictures. Eileen always invites me to stay at her home whenever I visit the offices in her area and it's incredible!! I've seen herds of elk, a moose, a momma goose and her goslings. Living there must seem like a non-stop vacation!! 

You'll have to look closely to see the momma goose with her babies. They are so much bigger than the last time I saw them! 

The flight back (landing) was a little dicey. A small plane coupled with the wind storms that we've been having in Lubbock made for a very thankful girl once we were back on solid ground. 

ht

Leaving Las Vegas

Was tough to do...but 3 days really is long enough in Sin City. Speaking of sin...gluttony was by far my favorite. Seriously y'all...Vegas may have the best food and shopping in the world! The options are plentiful and the quality is amazing. That applies to the food and shopping! So yeah...I was a glutton. 

Now that I've confessed, I'll tell you what we were up to. Jay and I met our favorite 'couple' friends, Dustin and Leslie, for a mini vacay. Dustin and Leslie (and Baby Hayes) recently moved to OKC and we miss them terribly so this was a great chance to get away and catch up. We did a lot of going to bed before midnight (sad), sleeping late, eating big meals, shopping (girls), gambling (guys) and hanging out by the pool. In short, it was amazing. All it took was losing $20 in a slot machine to solidify my need to have something to show for the money I spend. I was much happier at Neimans, Nordstroms and David Yurman than any smokey casino...the Tory Burch boutique didn't hurt either! We saw a couple of shows and thankfully Leslie got a little out of control one night...someone needed to keep us from being the lamest guests in all of LV. 

All-in-all it was a great time with great friends and we're already talking about where to go next year!! As a side note, the Tommerup's thankfully dodged all the tornados that were in their area even though they clocked several hours in the storm shelter on Sunday and Monday...

I didn't take as many pictures as I had hoped for but here are a few!

On our way.

The only proof I have that we were actually in LV. 

My personal favorite. 

Les took a break from her quest to find a karaoke bar to take a picture with me. 

How did I end up with Justin Beiber?!

Pretty cute guy!

Tommerup's at breakfast the last morning. 

Glad I got that trip 'in the books'. 

ht

Meet the Cast

If I'm going to blog about life 'As told by Hillary' then I probably need to introduce the main characters.  

Let's start with me. I'm Hillary...I live in Lubbock, Texas and work full-time as an audiologist in an adult/geriatric retail hearing aid practice. I love the geriatric population and helping the hearing impaired so it's a good fit for me. I'm very passionate about working and couldn't have been blessed with a better work 'family'.

I'm married to Jay. We were married on September 19, 2009 in Lubbock. Jay owns a landscape company that has really flourished over the past three years. He just graduated with his MBA from Texas Tech and we'll see where he goes from here. We're huge Texas Tech fans! 

We have three dogs that occupy most of our attention. Stella is a precious pug with a super sweet disposition and eerily human personality. I got Stella 8 years ago and she's at the top of my list for who I want to spend time with. Pugs are my favorite!! Ally is an 8 year-old weimaraner with very typical weim qualities (e.g., demanding, persistent, needy, loving, intense, beautiful, etc.) She's a handful...but as loyal a friend that could exist and a great guard dog (as I listen to her bark at the neighbors as I type).Job is our 9 year-old pointer that immediately grabs the affections of everyone he meets. He's a regal dude that has never met a stranger and will welcome you with a bark whether you've been gone for 5 minutes or 5 days.  

That my friends, is the cast of characters that will frequent this site. I love the idea of having a place to document the big and not so big events of my life and I'm excited to see what shape this takes for me. 

Okay, so I thought I was done but then I remembered that I'm a new-ish AUNT! This is my nephew, Owen Graham, sweet guy extraordinaire.  He surprised us with an early arrival on Valentine's Day and we've been loving him ever since. I got to see him tonight at dinner which equals a great night for me!

Here goes round two!

ht