Wait...summer is almost over?!?!

I looked at the calendar this morning and couldn't believe it's already August 9th! I'm not complaining because that means I'm officially off for 3 weeks. I say 3 weeks because I'm determined to get a job that starts with the school year. I have sent out several applications to various school districts and now I just have to wait.

I did get two phone calls/e-mails this morning for interviews so that's awesome! It's scary knowing that the official start-up to the school year is just 3 weeks away, but I'm feeling more positive each day that something will come my way.

We've already been enjoying August. The picture above was taken at Paws on Grand. Bobby, Karen (Brad was up north), me and our dogs went to Grand Ave and got to walk the dogs, get some free stuff and see our Homeward Bound friends! It was very hot but all 3 dogs did very well.

Another reason that I'm totally fine with it being August.... my birthday is next week! I love my birthday because it turns into a week-long thing. I'm starting on Wednesday with lunch out with my family, then out with friends Friday night and the rest is up to Bobby! I'm just excited to spend the whole day with my husband, no matter what it is we're doing.

Oh and let's not forget....the State Fair! I LOVE the Fair! We really want to go during the day on a weekday and listen to the live broadcast of 107.1 FM because we didn't get the chance to do that last year. We'll probably go twice, like we usually do.

AND, my dear friends Angela and Nick are coming to Minnesota over Labor Day weekend for her brother's wedding, so if the stars align, we'll get to see them and baby Josephine! All in all, I'm looking forward to a relaxing and fun August!

Fun pictures!

My friend Stefanie's sister, Melanie has started doing photography and she took some pictures of the 3 of us back in May at the park near our house. We got some great shots, take a look!

Her website is: http://www.wix.com/motwins18/MelanieSwansonPhotography Check her out!

Our new favorite thing!

I signed up for Netflix back in August when Ryan was living with us so we could get a bunch of movies to watch on the weekends between the two subscriptions. Well, not too long after I got a disc that I could use to stream any of the "Watch Instantly" shows/movies through our Wii. However, we had to know our wireless password, which we haven't been able to remember since I used it initially when we moved in 2 1/2 years ago. I've been going back to the Wii several times to try different things, nothing works. Well, we got into "Dexter" and finished season 1, knowing that we could stream season 2 through our Wii if we could just get the password. I searched high and low for that post-it note with the password I wrote down back in 07. I found one, but didn't think it was right.... but it was! I was running around the house screaming with joy that we can finally stream movies and TV shows on our Wii!! Not to mention people can bring their laptops over and use our wireless network now!

So our new favorite thing/obsession is the Netflix Watch Instantly streaming through our Wii! It has been around for a while but we were just finally able to use it!! It's especially great through the summer when there's really nothing new on TV except sporting events.

If you don't have Netflix and have been considering it, I highly recommend it! You can get the cheapest subscription where you only get 2 movies a month by mail but you can stream Watch Instantly stuff through your computer or capable gaming systems as much as you want! The downfall that I've heard about is that you can't use closed caption on the Watch Instantly application. That stinks, and I may even send in a comment to Netflix about that. You can't even use the CC on the TV for it, which I think is silly!

We love it and have been able to catch up on a lot of shows that we didn't have time to sit down and watch during the school year. It's not as good as DVR just because the most current episodes aren't available, but if you have patience and can wait for the whole season to come out, it's well worth it!

Lazy puppy....

Lazy pup and lazy dad watching "Dexter"

Taking a break from his nap to see what's up

Easy and Yummy Dog Treats

Sweet Potato Chips:

-Either peel a sweet potato (if you're making fries) or save the peel if you bake the potato.

-Put leftover peel on a baking sheet, brush them with a little bit of olive oil.

-Cook peel in the oven at 400* for 12-15 minutes or until slightly burned (like in the picture above)

-Let cooked peel cool and break it into pieces suitable for your dog.

Nemo LOVES these (as you can see) and they're super easy to make!

We're back!

Ok, I just realized that I completely abandoned my blogging duties and need to get back into it! I think I just assume it has to be updates only on the blog when it can really be about anything. So I'm going to post a dog recipe in just a minute because it's too good not to share!

Updates:

Bobby has been out of a job since January, it is a very tough market out there. Luckily his unemployment was extended until November so that buys us time but the last 6 months has gone by quickly, it's just a matter of time before November is here. I was working in a school district and I ADORED my job at the school I was at. I fell in love with the staff and had an amazing student. Originally in May, I was told I had a position in the fall and would be back at the same school. A week later, I was pulled into a meeting and was told that 2 students had dropped interpreting services for the fall and because I was the last person hired, I was being laid off. I was devastated. The last week of school I was a wreck and I barely got through the last day of school because I had to keep going back to my desk to compose myself. It broke my heart that I wasn't going to be returning to these amazing co-workers and this student that I had developed a great rapport with. But, it is what it is and there's nothing I can do short of encouraging Deaf K-12 students to attend a school in the district so I can be rehired.

I took on a summer position through the district that is just through August 5, and I just have to keep my eyes open for available positions for the fall and try my best to get an interview and get back into the district. It's a crappy situation but it's totally out of my control.

We've been through a lot of tough life situations in the past 7 months but we're strong and we're going to get through it all.

It's October.....what?!?!?!

Ok, so it's been over a month since I've posted anything. Whoops!

Updates....

1). Things are going really well with Ryan. We've enjoyed having her here! She's enjoying student teaching and starting to feel more like a teacher.

2). Nemo is still a hoot. He got himself into a little accident last week. He was at the groomer's and managed to smack his head on the grooming table when they were taking him off of it. He had a "doggie black eye" and needed to use a cone for a couple of days. He's doing much better now, but his eye is still red.

3). Bobby hit a deer! Yes, on the way back from the vet after Nemo's fight with the grooming table, he hit a deer. Luckily, it was close to our house so I could come get Nemo while Bobby dealt with the police report and stuff. We're currently borrowing one of Pat's cars while the RAV4 gets fixed (Thank you Pat!!).

4). School is going really well for Bobby. He doesn't like one of his classes, but he'll survive! He is in his third semester, so I'm thinking he'll be done maybe fall of 2011? We'll see!

5). I just got a new job. In fact, I start tomorrow! I will be a full time interpreter with NE Metro District 916. I have been subbing with them for a while but am now taking on a full time position.

6). In September, we had 2 weddings, both in the same weekend. They were both a blast! We went to Winona the first weekend in October for Homecoming. Bobby went the whole weekend, Ryan and I just went down Saturday for the day. Got to see lots of old friends, but I'm glad we just went for the day!

That's the last month of our life in a nutshell! I'm experimenting with a new site through Shutterfly.com. If I like it, find it easy to use, I'll switch over to that one!

Hope you're all enjoying fall!!