A Permanent Coffee Thank You

I LOVE getting surprises in the mail! And just a few days ago we got a nice one in the mail from Husband's sister, Kayce, and her husband, Adam (asusong.com)!  Adam, like Husband, is always in search for a great coffee brew, and so he passed along some to us that he thought worthy (which means a lot!). Husband LOVES it (so we might have to keep you as our coffee dealer, Adam!)!!

And Kayce remembered how much I love school supplies and permanent markers, so she sent on a pack of BIC permanent markers, which is really funny because I have a whole pack at work and keep thinking about how I wanted some for home too! You read my mind!

But most of all it was just nice to see that they were thinking of us all the way up here in D.C. and took the time to send us a little reminder that we were on their minds. It was so unexpected and sweet- thanks for the pick-me-ups Kayce and Adam! You're the best!

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Happy Birthday Matlock!!

To the greatest dog in the world, Matlock Walker Niblock Shorter, a Happy Happy Birthday and Many More!!

We always seem to forget to celebrate Matlock's birthday when it comes around, probably because we spoil him so much as it is that it seems like it is his birthday everyday. But this year we decided to go big, and after a short trip to Petco I had everything I needed to make Matlock's birthday the best birthday ever.

Here he is posing for his birthday photo with all his new presents:

Most holidays he doesn't seem to notice that we are celebrating something with him, but today he seemed especially on top of the world and every time we brought him something new or said "Happy Birthday Matlock!" he started grinning from ear to ear. 

When I told my coworkers I went shopping for Matlock's birthday, they looked at me like I was a little crazy, but then again, I am more than a little crazy about the BEST DOG EVER!!!!

Now for the birthday breakdown:

Matlock isn't a big fan of doggy beds. He won't sleep on the ground, and he is very picky about what kinds of fabric he likes to lay on. In fact, most things that are made for dogs comfort, Matlock seems to turn his nose up at- that's why when I saw the brown dog bed in the picture above, I knew he would love it. If a human thinks it's ultra-soft and comfy feeling, Matlock does too.

To go with it, he got his standard humongous busy bone, a giant bobo (blue), a really long snake (to replace his even longer snake that he carries everywhere with him), a long-awaited kong toy (with peanut butter cheese whiz filling), a new collar (he always seems happier when we give him a new color, like he is so proud), a coordinating step-in harness that is supposed to be comfier and less-restrictive than the normal kind, and last, but not least, a yellow rain coat (he hates going out in the rain). 

Okay, now you guys think I am crazy too. 

But  it was all worth it to see this:

Husband and I are obsessed with Matlock, and can't imagine our life without him. Often times we look at each other and say, "how did we get so lucky to have the best dog ever?" We don't know, but we sure are happy he's ours. Happy Birthday Matlock!!

Always,

ANIBSHO

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Can't think of a blog title... it's about Uniforms.

You know what I am really bad at (besides blogging on a daily basis)?

Putting an outfit together. 

Honestly, I am amazed I get to work fully clothed everyday because I loathe getting dressed that much. Not only that, I wake up in the morning and think about what I wish I could wear that day, and it never seems to be in my closet. 

Accessories? Forget it. I don't even know how to start with all that- I am pretty sure my wedding rings and a pair of fake pearl earrings make up my entire collection of accessories. Why can't I have a uniform again? 

Awww... the old days of Catholic school uniforms and rolling out of bed with my outfit already picked out for me. Those. were. the. days.

I loved having a uniform, but I can't help but think they may have ill-prepared me for the real world. At least in college I could still get away with a t-shirt and jeans.

And since blog posts just aren't complete without a picture:

Shout out to Katie Reynolds (the future Mrs. Joshua Myers) for reminding me of my Moina Newspaper Staff days! Hope some of those articles don't come back to haunt me...

*Moina staff, we need a reunion! I still have my sweatshirt. 

Always,

ANIBSHO

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Top of the Mornin to Ya!

Happy St. Patrick's Day people!!

Have you been having as much fun as I have??!

Well, let us just see about that...

I talked Kara into walking in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, which was actually held yesterday and was a slash/ Mardi Gras parade (don't ask) for the Young Republicans. I made signs for people to carry that said "Kiss me! I'm republican!"

For work, I finally broke out one of me poofy dresses from Target- the green one, of course (and was rather disappointed more people weren't wearing green)- and I have to say that I am in love with it- except one of me coworkers did inquire if I was PREGNANT???? Do I look pregnant to you??

Don't answer that. And the correct answer is no.

That's right, this lad was loudly asking, in the office, where everyone could hear, if I had a bun in the oven. Then, to top it off, he told me the only reason he asked was because me tummy bulge was poufing out more today (than usual, I suppose?)- and then once realizing his mistake he blamed it on the dress. On top of that, for the past week and a half I have been eating super healthy to lose weight. It Figures.

Whatev. I SUPO love all me poufy dresses in all their different colors, so he is going to be seeing a lot of me tummy bulge in the future.

We were talking about green whipped cream on our lunch break (and for whatever reasons it was really funny to us). Well, I called Kara a Leprechaun and left to go grocery shopping for St. Patrick's Day dinner. But what did she find on her desk when she came back from lunch?? Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun......

We had a good laugh and all enjoyed dining on the delicious green treat.

I think that is the part I miss most about St. Patrick's Day- the fun stuff. Husband was saying earlier that St. Patrick's Day is one of the only Holidays that is really catered to adults. But I remember having so much fun on St. Patrick's Day as a kid. Me brothers and I would go Leprechaun hunting, tricks were played on people, me aunt would take us to a parade, I would decorate the whole house, Mum was cooking corned beef brisket, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, and the night before St. Patrick's Day we would leave our shoes out on the front porch and at night the Leprechauns would come fill them up with candy (which is kind of gross to me thinking about it now).

Us with our green teeth after eating the green cool whip:

In the same tradition, I've been feeling a bit peckish lately, and decided to carry on with the food tradition for St. Patrick's Day with me Mum's favorite Irish meal (and everyone else who cooks it on this day):

Except me crockpot wasn't on all day (faulty plug), so I had to boil it when I got home- which was awful! The food turned out alright, but I don't know if it was good to eat or not. It was either underdone or overdone- I can't really tell since, well, I don't do a lot of cooking. If I am sick tonight, then I will know. 

So me ould sweat, raise your green beer and cheers to a long life and a merry one, a quick death and an easy one, a pretty girl (guy) and an honest one, and a cold beer and another one!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, and remember, if you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!

Slan go foill, 

ANIBSHO

P.S. Watching "Luck of the Irish" on The Disney Channel.... don't lie, you're watching it too. 

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Knockin' Boots

Rain boots that is...



For Kara's birthday I bought her some houndstooth rain boots from target. And since it was raining today, we figured it was the perfect excuse to put some wear-and-tear on them.




Above is the cuter picture of us, taken at work. Below is our "awkward family photo" pose, that I am putting up just because Kara called me a loser for having a blog. She even put up the "L" to her forhead... which consequently makes her one too. So you can catch us two losers wearing our fashionable galoshes anytime it rains. Besties!

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A Letter to Spring

Dear Spring,

Thank you for making an appearance for us this weekend while Charles and Jennifer Van Dyke were also in town to visit. We had a delightful time sightseeing around D.C. and were oh so happy we had bright, sunny-shiny weather to do it in.

Even at night, you were there in place of the bitter cold winds and Matlock was able to visit all the monuments around D.C. for the first time. It certainly wouldn’t have been as much fun if you weren’t there.

Now, if you could only do something about our Metro rides. I mean, I heard they were raising the fee by .10¢, but I didn’t know it was going take affect immediately. The signs weren’t even labeled with the new amounts yet. Ridiculous. Well, Spring, 12 metro tickets later and $11.20 left over on the metro tickets, we finally got to where we were going and were able to enjoy your beautiful weather. How did you work out all the short lines too?

Any who, I just wanted to say thank you and that I hope your stay will be a long one, as we have been longing to see you in the your absence.

Always,

ANIBSHO

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My mother, an American Hero.

If you didn’t already know, my parents own a spectacular accounting firm in Nashville (email me if you want details for your company or self) and since tax season is in full-swing, they’ve been busy, busy at work. And being an accounting firm, of course, they also do my taxes.

I recently emailed Mother all my tax info with a note saying, “Be an American hero and get as much of my money back from big-government as you can.”

I was just being funny (not really, I was completely serious), but this woman came through like never before. Let’s just say, “Money, money, money- MON-AY”. I will be rolling in cash come return time, and I just wanted to salute my dearest Mother for being so good at her job and getting real Americans like us every dime we deserve. Because the more money we keep away from them, the better, and one tax return at a time, my mother is putting the money back in (actual) Americans’ hands.
 

Please take a moment out of your day to say thank you to your accountant (unless they charge you an exorbitant amount of money and then take a moment to call my parent's firm to switch accountants).

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Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Can anyone tell me why Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are so addictive? Num, num, num, super delicious.

So, remember that new year's resolution I made to read a book a month? Well, I forgot about it until Sunday, Feb.28th and thought to myself, "Gosh, I better start reading or I'm not going to make it."

But then I started thinking to myself, "Wait a second here, Amber, you're getting short-changed. February is missing at least two days of prime end-of-the-month reading time- I think you should reconsider your deadline."

And who could argue with that? Sure, I've known since I was a wee little child that February has two less days than every other month, but when I made the contract with myself to read a book a month, I wasn't thinking about old tricky February.

So after briefing myself on the situation, I decided it was perfectly permissible to amend the contract with myself to read a book a month to say that I had until March 2nd for the month of February's deadline. And guess what? It all worked out beautifully, because late last night, with only thirty minutes left in the day, I finished the book "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. 

Once again, it was just shy of 200 words pages, perfect for this lazy reader. But I find the shorter lengths actually make it more enjoyable- and not because they are a quick read, I just like the way it feels when I'm holding it in my hands. Not uncomfortably heavy, fits nicely inside any coat pocket or purse, and it doesn't stare back at you and say, "only 400 more pages to go..." But even more so, I just get bored easily, and if you're a writer whose book has time to get boring in a 200-page span, then I probably wouldn't have bought your book anyway. 

Well, Hitchhiker's Guide was phenomenal, as I expected any book that everyone knows the name of but has never actually read, would be. I could go on and on about its "monty python"-esque humor (I stole that from every other review I read on the book) and its hilarious plot lines that are somewhat outrageous but never over the top (mine- not as pretty sounding, is it?), but really, if you can't read this book and just laugh, then you probably don't get invited to a lot of birthday parties because you're no fun (well, unless you make delicious dip, and then they may make an exception).

Read it- it's a great airport read, beach read, bathroom installment read, all those reads that don't take very long but there's nothing else to do but read, so you might as well. It's worth it. 

P.S. Be nice to someone today, because judging from everyone's facebook statuses lately- the world could use a little TLC. That reminds me, have I told you how good your hair looks today?

Always, ANIBSHO

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My Husband Left Me... and other things.

Do you want to read a blog with a lot of substance? Well, if so, you've come to the wrong place. Because this blog is all about me making my mundane day-to-day look like a big ta-da. And whether you love it or hate it, you're reading it, so I don't want to hear your complaints.

So making people angry is apparently the best way to get more people to read your blog- let them love you or hate you, but it is easier to one than the other. Isn't that the truth in all aspects of life? It's easier to say hurtful things than to say nice things. It's like Dolly Parton said on some 80's movie I watched today, "It doesn't hurt your face to give a smile."

Ah, so true Dolly, so true.

Well it's true, my husband left me. I debated whether or not to say anything on my blog because it was a very traumatic experience for me. OKAY, the gig is up. He only left me for four days, but still, it was very traumatic. While he was living it up at a moot court competition in Raleigh, NC- I was sleeping in the living room on the blow up mattress in case I heard a noise, in which case, I would be able to quickly verify whether it was actually something to freak out about or not.

What? You think I am a scaredy-cat? You think I'm a wuss? Well, you're right. But the first step to rehabilitation is admitting it, yes? Either way, I was disgustingly sick the entire time he was gone, which made his absence even worse. On a lighter note, he made it all the way to semi-finals!

Okay, on to the other stuff:

Mother sent me some super cute Betty Draper (Mad Men's lonely wife- kind of fitting since Husband left me all alone this weekend) pearl button earrings. I had been searching for some forever and while on the phone late one night with Mother, we found the perfect pair on ebay. Thanks ebay sniper!

I made these hats for our Young Republican meetings (well, actually I bought the hats and then glued President's faces on them). I set a hat with a different president's head on it at each table, and whatever president's name we pick, we buy drinks for that table. YAY Freebies! Well, lately an old man has been sticking around for our meetings and apparently thought he was supposed to wear it. But he can do whatever he wants- whose going to stop him?

Crikey, I'm out of "other stuff." WELL, if you are really requiring your ANIBSHO fix- you can read Sarah's blog about how I won the lottery here. Other than that, I'm out of the mundane.

Until I do something else equally uneventful...

Always, ANIB

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I'm a Model (Citizen)

So I know I am already really famous because of this wildly popular blog (thanks for checking it 150 times a day Mom, so my stat counter goes up), but I just recently expanded my horizons and got into the world of modeling. That's right, I got the (inside) cover shot AND a two-page spread of me, me, me (and some article that has nothing to do with me to go with it). 

Okay, Okay. So ACTUALLY one of NRA's magazines, InSights- the NRA magazine devoted to younger shooters, needed someone to pose with a book on their head for an article about having good balance while shooting. They needed someone last minute to meet one of their deadlines and so, after I am sure they exhausted many other options,  they asked me to do it. While I was hesitant at first, I thought to myself, "when is anyone ever going to ask me to do a photo shoot for them again?" So being a model citizen, I told them I'd do it. I had a lot of fun showing off my fifth grade-ingrained talent of balancing a book on my head (thanks Ms. Sambola!). 

I was so good at balancing a book on my head, they had to ask me to make it look like I was having trouble balancing it... (why can't I have any actual usable talents?)

P.S. Props to NRA InSights for getting rid of the dark circles under my eyes and whitening my teeth. Wish they could do that for me in real life...

Always, ANIB

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The Proud Wife of a Law School Student

I may have mentioned some time ago that Husband participated in the law school's annual Upper Class Competition and made it to finals- with him and his competition partner, Dave, ultimately taking home the Silver. It was a fierce competition until the very end, and the judges (real judges who were also acting as judges on the real law suit that they were fake arguing about) came back excessively complementing and commending the top two teams and expressing how they really couldn't choose who was the best because they all did so perfectly, etc. etc.

Either way, in the end, the judges had to choose a top team and so Husband's team got stuck with second. They may have felt a little jipped (shake ya fist!), but I am still happy to be able to brag about it (Husband won't be happy I bragged about it, but a law school wife has to have some kind of spoils, right?). 

Anywho... since I don't have any steller Mardi Gras plans, and Husband has left me to do something law-schoolish-related- and since he just now got the plaque given to him (let's just say that the competition took place when I could still feel my toes when I went outside)- I thought I would take a little time to give him a blog high five.

Always, ANIB

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Presidential Traffic Thoughts

Happy President's Day!

Is it me, or does it seem like the world would be a lot better place if there was no such thing as traffic? I literally cannot remember one time in my life where I got out of traffic and said, "gee, I know I don't really like traffic, but  traffic actually turned out to be wonderfully-beneficial to me today." When I am elected President, I plan to put a stop to it- among other things like overspending, and gum.

On one of my daily drives home from work, while stuck in the wonderfully-beneficial traffic, I kept mulling over the topic of initiative and happiness. It may sound a little off-the-wall, and discredit anything I say henceforth, but I actually have to attribute this thought pattern to my recent watching of the abcfamily series Greek, where the main girl, Casey, is often torn between the smart, overachieving, rich, athletic, and classically good-looking Evan Chambers and his opposite, former best friend, Cappie (no last name), who is considered to be the seemingly under-achieving yet happy, chill guy who seems to always have the right answer and coasts without much difficulty through life.

If I haven't lost you already...

I was thinking about how much emphasis is placed on people reaching the top of their profession, striving to be the head honcho, showing initiative and working their way up the professional ladder. All admiral qualities of course, and when I look at people who have accomplished such I am both impressed and inspired. But what surprises me most is how often I am just as impressed and inspired by individuals who have no desire to take their career to the next level, no overwhelming career ambition to speak of, but instead are simply content to float along life as is, choosing to focus more on other areas of their life instead such as parenthood, friendships, community, etc.

Most of the time, one is celebrated more than the other- a fault of our society (an even balance is needed). This is not new news, and I don't claim to hold any special significance in pointing it out, as many have done so before me. But I guess in all my naiveness, a general part of growing up, I am just now realizing that between my happy go-getter friends and my happy coasting comrades, I notice no difference in their happiness levels because they are one or the other- just simply that they are happy. And really, as long as their not hurting anyone, that's all that seems to matter.

I hope to succeed in all areas of my life- an impossible task for anyone to achieve (I predict staying away from fried foods as the one I will most likely fail at most frequently in life), but if I happen to turn out to be a go-getter or coasting comrade in the end- I just hope that, ultimately, I am happy-- and more so, that I don't spend life stuck in traffic.

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Will you be my valentine?

Dinner- Dry ribs, mushrooms, asparagus, and lobster tail

Dessert- Red Velvet-ish Cupcakes

"I think you invented a new type of cupcake because these definitely don't taste like red velvet, but they're still really good." - Husband

My secret ingredients: cappuccino mix, cinnamon, and red pepper (yes, red pepper- and they were spectacular)

"Stay away from my busy bone!" - Matlock

Happy Valentine's Day

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The Beneful Dog Food Taste Test Challenge

Not me! Silly people...

I thought we were out of dog food when I was perusing the grocery store earlier today and so I picked up some more, only to come home to discover that we had a plethora of dog food in our cabinet. Yes, I feed my dog soft food. Yes, I know he is spoiled. No, he doesn't like hard food anymore. No, I don't care- he has discriminating taste. He knows what he likes, he's like his mother.

His taste is so discriminating in fact, that I decided this would be the perfect time to test out which flavor was Matlock's actual favorite. And so the preparations began:

I put them in color-coded order so I could remember the order in which they were plated when it came taste testing time. Me, color-code something? I know it's hard to believe.

The more I prepared the feast, the more excited I got. With my keen expertise and observation of how fast Matlock ate each type in the past- I ventured a guess that he would definitely go for the (green) Savory Rice & Lamb Stew.

And so the Beneful Dog Food Taste Test Challenge began...
(I should note that I believe I was missing one or two types of the flavors here, so all Beneful meals are not represented in the taste test below.)

With a quick taste of the (yellow) Chicken Stew (the one that was closest when I set the food in front of him), he noticed there were other types on the plate that might suit him better. But from the looks of the picture above, we already have a leading flavor in sight.

And the winner is...

Yay for (blue) Roasted Turkey Medley (that was my second choice).

And in case you really wanted to know the breakdown:

1st Place: 
Roasted Turkey Medley

2nd Place: 
Savory Rice & Lamb Stew

3rd Place: 
Simmered Beef Entree

4th Place: 
Chicken Stew

Tied for Last: 
Beef & Chicken Medley
Simmered Chicken Medley

But in the end, Matlock preferred his busy bone over all of them. You should see the busy bone we got him for Valentine's Day, but that's tomorrow.

Always, ANIBSHO

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Ballin', Shot Callin'

There's no cure for the winter time blues like NERF Basketball!

In an effort to get out of the house yesterday, stuck inside due to snow, we decided to invest in a NERF Basketball set so we could hoop it up while at home. It was $10 at Target for a set of two goals and one nerf ball, but it works more like a dollar store set (don't purchase it- get a good one). 

While I have been dominating at the game (What Husband? Guess if you want to contest my previous declaration, you're gonna have to actually comment on a blog post), the true star is Matlock...

H-O-R-S-E. Is that how you spell HORSE, Husband? I can never remember because I've never had to spell it all the way out. 

That is all. 

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