Eight Inches and Counting...

Gray or Grey

We will get to my original reason for this blog but first we must address the important question is it 'grey or gray'? You will see why in a minute. Anyway, does anyone else struggle with this issue? I guess my problem is that I never really thought about it. I think I write grey more than gray but couldn't be sure unless I would write it without thinking about it. Does that makes sense? Probably not.

Here is what I found out about my dilemma:

"It appears that the "gray" variant appeared later, as an American English variant of "grey". Both have mostly the same many meanings:"gray1 also grey ( P ) Pronunciation Key (gr)adj. gray er, also grey er gray est, grey est Of or relating to an achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white." (courtesy of googleanswers.com)

What did I learn from this? One, Americans made up their own variation. And two, it really doesn't matter.

On to the reason for this post. I found grey hairs! It freaked me out. No, it wasn't mine it was on my dog. He is a chocolate lab so when he stretched I could see it plain as day under his chin. How did this happen so fast? He is only 3 years old! Well, 21 in doggie years but still!

I wanted him to get older because I wanted him to stop running around like a cracked out kid filled with sugar and speed but I didn't really want him to get old! Time flies by too fast.

Toe Pick

We have been having so much fun ice skating that we decided to purchase ourselves some ice skates. We rented some skates from the Navy hobby shop but they were...ummm...painful! So we headed down to Play It Again Sports and came out very excited with our purchases.

We have since been ice skating a half dozen times. We tend to go at night because less people are on the rink. This allows not only for more space to try dumb things but also less people around to watch us fall. :o)

I am happy to report that both Aaron and I are skating backwards now. I know it sounds easy but it was not an easy thing for me to learn. We still need a lot of practice but I am still excited!

We decided this year to set goals for ourselves. It can be anything really, it doesn't have to be anything life changing. We decided to set monthly goals as well as goals for the year. I can't share them with you because well, I haven't decided all of mine yet plus, some are just for us to know. But I can tell you one of mine was to learn to skate backwards by the end of Jan. I can check that off the list! Woo hoo!

Saturday's Adventures

Aaron and I decided to take advantage of the break in negative temperatures around here and head outside on Saturday. First up, the shooting range. Well, it wasn't really a shooting range as much as a large field with old targets set up. Aaron had stopped and asked the owner a few weeks ago if he minded us shooting there and he was gracious enough to let us. I told you about going with Aaron to sight in his gun and me shooting a few shots, remember? This day I went out trying to hit apples. I actually had a lot of fun!

Me getting ready to shoot! Aaron was great about teaching me how to load the gun, how to hold it and other safety things.

The poor apple I destroyed. Aaron estimated we shot around 75 times. The best part about that is that I only missed the target 5 times!

I tried shooting this old shell off a metal stand. I couldn't believe I hit it!

My babe getting ready for his turn.

After shooting we decided to take advantage of the Navy's hobby shop and rent ice skates. They are building an ice rink on base over a softball field. Apparently, there was a leak so we headed to the rink in town.

They flooded a park right downtown for people to enjoy.

We went with Catherine, Garrett and Jase. It was Jase's first time ice skating. He sort of got the hang of it but he had a blast none the less. We brought him that plastic white chair to hold onto but his feet were going too fast to hang on!

Us! You can see that the ice wasn't in great shape but we had a blast. It is a cool thing for the town to do for the residents free of charge.

I was so tired by the end of the day. I guess being outside really does tire me out. It was a really fun day outside. We both really needed the fresh air!

A Cold Winter Day

I hope everyone is staying nice and warm this weekend!

I think I am getting weirder...

No seriously, I really think I am. I can't bring myself to start a book I am dying to read! Most of you know I love to read. I will read just about anything if it looks interesting, I like other books by the author or someone recommends it. Some of my favorites are written by Gregory Maguire. For those of you who have never heard of him, he is awesome! Well, at least I think so. He takes old fairy tales/stories (i.e. Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, Snow White, etc...) and takes them to a whole other next level.

I have read Wicked: The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Son of A Witch, Mirror Mirror, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and What the Dickens: The Story of a Rouge Tooth Fairy. Every time I start to read these books, I can't put them down. I try to pace myself but I can't. I love the stories and want to know what happens.

Well, I just got A Lion Among Men, (thank you Borders for my 40% off any one book coupon!) which is about the cowardly lion. It is the 3rd book in the Wicked series. I bought it a few days ago but unlike the others I have read by him, I didn't start it right away. It is staring at me from the bookshelf.

I am a little afraid to start reading because I know I won't be able to stop myself and then before you know it... the story is over. And then disappointment sets in. I love the story but I also love the characters. They come alive for me. I fall in love with them and want to know more about them. I want to know how their life journey ends.

I suppose I can't expect Gregory Maguire to keep writing books to make me happy. To help me still feel a part of these characters lives. But I can hope right?!

See, I told you...weirder.

Happy Birthday Briana!

Randomness

**Aaron and I enjoyed our 4th anniversary day! We spent a lot of time relaxing and watching movies. We went to dinner at the Muddy Rudder. Now, I know what you are thinking but it really was a nice place. It was our first time there so we didn't know what to expect but a place that is known for it's seafood can't be all bad, right!? We were not disappointed! I ordered the baked haddock. It was stuffed with crab meat and topped with lobster sauce. So yummy! We both agreed at the end of the night another trip was in the future. They have a dish called Lobster Pie that Aaron has heard a lot about so we are trying that next time.

As an anniversary gift, Aaron got me the most beautiful little diamond flower earrings (the 4th anniversary is flowers). I was so excited! He got me real flowers too which were beautiful but I will have my earrings forever. I went the flower route too just in a different way. I got Aaron some new brake things for his Harley. And while that has nothing to do with flowers, I did wrap them in zip lock bags and stuffed them into a bag of flour (the kind you buy for baking). I thought it was pretty clever and more importantly, so did Aaron. :o)

Don't worry I did get an earring for each ear. I just wanted to get an up close picture of one so you could see it. I used my new macro lens kit Aaron got me for Christmas. I am sure you will be tortured with more macro pics soon.

**I was in the hair salon today and was giggling quietly to myself. Most people around here don't have crazy (and by crazy I mean heavy) accents but a lot of ladies where I get my hair done do. I suppose you wonder why I bring this up? Well, what made it funny was that there was country music playing in the background. Mixing Boston-esque accents with country music was one of the funnier things I have heard in awhile. What can I say? I am easily amused!

**Since he got a new scope on his 22, Aaron has been itching to site in his gun. We went to a friends house Saturday to help him out with this itch. I have never really been comfortable around guns. If you have ever been around my family you know this makes no sense. Everyone in my family hunts. I love to eat the meat but I don't want to kill it. So when Aaron wanted me to shoot at first I said no. But I decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. I actually had fun! I like shooting at the target. It wasn't easy but I think I did pretty good!

Not bad for my first time, huh?

Wow, this post did turn out really random. Oh well...I guess my life is pretty random but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Good News All Around

I am going to be an Aunt again! TWICE! I am so excited! My sister, Nickie, found out last week she is having a baby boy. The whole family is happy to have a new addition on the horizon. And my niece, Sydney, who is going to be 8 next month is super stoked about being a big sister. I hope it stays that way once the baby gets here and she hears him crying. :o)

Also, my other sister Alicia is EXPECTING! She is only a little bit behind Nickie. That is my way of saying I don't understand baby timelines! This will be here first little one. She and Steve (Yes, there are a lot of Steve's in our family.) are over the moon with excitement. And I have to tell you I am over the moon too! Alicia is the one who donated her kidney to me and I would have felt just terrible if her helping me live a great life would have harmed her chances at all. But that is behind us now and we are counting the days until her little one arrives too!

This new year is going to bring lots of love and happiness into our family. I CAN'T WAIT!

4 Years of Love and Laughter

On our wedding day, I promised to love you for all eternity. I love you more today than I did 4 years ago and I know our love will only continue to grow stronger! Thank you for being my best friend and a fantastic husband. I love you babe! Happy Anniversary.