Are You Ready...

for some FOOTBALL????? It's almost that time...

The DH and I are READY. We started off our 2008 Football Season by joining our Fantasy Football Leagues. The DH has participated in Fantasy Football for the past three years. And I must brag...he's placed every year so far and actually won 1st place in 2006. I joined my Mother-in-Love's Pro Football Pickem League. This game is a LOT easier for me...you literally pick all the teams each week that you think will be the winners. The person that correctly predicts the most wins...takes the $ for that week :) I like this one a lot better because I am not familiar with all the different players, the positions, and their teams.

We also put out our official football flag in the backyard....

Yes, the DH is a FSU Seminole!!! I know that we live in Gator Country, but like I said in an earlier post...the DH likes to be different :) We have also planned to attend an FSU football game this year...in Tallahassee, against Clemson. So that should be a blast.

We normally cheer on the Jacksonville Jaguars each week AND attend all the home games. We don't have season tickets, but we have a sweet sweet friend that always has extra tickets for us. We wouldn't dare miss out on all the tailgating, socializing, and of course, football.

Here we go...football season 2008 is just around the corner!!!

Our Precious Baby...

Introducing....Kodiak Knight, aka Kodi.

This is our sweet little fur-baby. Kodi is four years old and is the light of our lives. When the DH and I lived in Houston we had talked about getting a dog and had a conversation on what breed of dog we both wanted. We had stopped to get gas and saw a pick-up truck with the prettiest Siberian Huskies in the back. That was it...we wanted a Husky. As only God would have it, the next day we were leaving the house to attend a wedding and saw a sign that read "Husky puppies for sale!" So we stopped, looked at the puppies, and fell in love. Kodi was the ONLY black and white Husky of the litter. We asked the couple to hold him for us and we would be back after the wedding to pick him up. Little did we know, the couple lived at the end of our street...can you say "meant to be?" Can you believe how little he was???

That night we got on the computer and googled Huskies. We found out that Siberian Huskies originated from a city in Alaska called Kodiak...hence the name. We did more research and discovered that Huskies have a mind of their own, they are very difficult to train, they run away, are burrowers, and literally are one of the fastest breeds of dogs. I could tell you MANY stories about the times we had to chase him through the neighborhood, how many times we had to buy new sod or plants for the yard, and all the toys/carpet/towels he has destroyed. But...he was worth it.

He has many favorite hobbies....swimming in our pool, chasing squirrels, going to the beach, and having treats. Want to get his attention??? He knows what "want a treat?", "want to go the beach?", and "let's go for a ride!" mean and will knock you over trying to get to the pantry or the front door.

He can sit, shake, and lay down...and speak (howl).

Kodi is such a happy dog. One of the things I love most about him is how he shows you he loves you or how excited he is to see you...he howls! It is the cutest thing ever...I always say "tell me" and "what is it"...and he gives me one of his LONG howls.

He follows me wherever I go. Here he is looking out the window in our office...one of his favorite past times...especially when I'm in the office blogging.

And here is a picture of him lounging on the couch in the office. It's funny, he ONLY gets on the couch in the office. It's as if he knows better than to get on the couch in the living room.

I just can't say enough about my sweet sweet Kodi. A dog's love is unconditional and I can't imagine my life without him. I just LOVE him to pieces :)

I'm Having a Maxine Day...

I just love reading all the clever comments that Maxine makes...she is so honest and just tells it like it is. I came across this one...

and I just had to make a comment about it.

Sometimes I wonder why God thought my DH would be the perfect match for me. Don't get me wrong, I love him DEARLY and can't imagine my life without him, it's amazing at how TOTALLY opposite we are...but as the saying goes "opposites attract."

Here are a few examples of our differences...

I like to plan. My DH is spontaneous.

I like to follow the rules. My DH likes to break them.

I am an early riser. My DH is a night owl.

I fret if I am late to anything or anywhere. My DH is just glad if he makes it, period.

I always play it safe (the DH calls this "square"). My DH always thinks out of the box.

I believe everything should be done TODAY. My DH's favorite response is "I'll do that TOMORROW."

I am a neat FREAK (remember my OCD). My DH leaves a trail of shoes, clothes, keys, change, etc. as he walks through the door.

This leads me to the Maxine saying for today...I can handle all our differences, but if it's the last thing I do, my DH will learn how to pick up after himself.

I'm feeling just a little guilty about this post...so feel free to check out my other blog where I give my DH a huge compliment.

I Love you Honey!

Mother-in-Love...

I just wanted to take the time to post about my wonderful Mother-in-Love...no, that is not a typo, I like to call my Mother-in-Law, my Mother-in-Love :) I have heard so many horror stories about MILaws and I just felt like bragging about mine and about how well we get along, enjoy each other's company, and WHY I call her my Mother-in-Love...

First and foremost, she gave me my WONDERFUL DH. How could I ever thank her enough for giving birth to the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with?
This is a picture of us on Mother's Day. Although I miss my own mother in so many ways, she does her best to be the mother that I NEED here in Jacksonville.
She is so so so thoughtful! This is a picture of us from my last birthday. She made my day ever so special by remembering how much I wanted these cute yard decorations when we vacationed in South Carolina MONTHS ago!

Cathy, I hope you know how special you are to me...and to David. I can't imagine my life without you in it and I thank God every day for blessing me with our relationship...you are the best Mother-in-Love a girl could EVER ask for :)

Fay-cation...

While Fay continues to give us HEAVY rains and STRONG gusts of wind, my mind drifts off to all the Fay-cations...or vacations...that we've taken together...and wishing we were on one of them today...

This was our first vacation together in Mexico..we took a bus to this nice restaurant in the POURING down rain. But, check out that tan I have in this pic!!

This is a pic of us on top of Mount Heavenly in Lake Tahoe. This is where the DH surprised me with an engagment ring...I was so clueless!!

This is a pic of us on our honeymoon in Maui...I can't wait to visit Hawaii again...I'm hoping we'll be able to afford it on our 10th anniversary :)

This is a pic from the Virgin Islands. We had the MOST fun on this trip with two of our friends Will and Jen...Will has his Captain's license and he literally was our captain for the entire trip---and the water was breathtaking blue!

This is a pic of us on our 1 year anniversary in Key West...just relaxing and enjoying the Florida weather.

I think it's time for another Fay-cation...sorry, I meant vacation. Our 3rd anniversary is just around the corner in September, so maybe will be able to take some time and have another little get-away.

What's in a Name?

While I sit at home and wait to see what Fickle Fay will be doing next, I have been coming up with new posts...at least until my power goes out. I hope you like this one...

The DH and I take pride in our last name, Knight, and enjoy finding businesses, signs, boats, etc. that have our name. Since we have been married, we have started a collection of pictures that we have taken...some are pretty interesting!

This pic was taken on our 1st anniversary...in Key West. We have our very own key :)

We see these trucks EVERYWHERE...this pic was taken as we were driving down I-10 on our way to Houston.

Here is another pic taken while driving (pretty dangerous, huh)...we were on our way to see my brother-in-love graduate from Marine Boot Camp.

The DH sells boats and saw this boat name while taking pictures for a client.

This pic was taken off of a port-o-potty while in Daytona...like I said, some of the pics are interesting :)

I would just LOVE to live on Knight Street...wouldn't that be cool????

Do you enjoy finding signs, pictures, logos, or businesses with your first or last name?

I Love You...

I wanted to give two of my most FAVORITE people in the world an award today...my mom and my best friend.

Although they both live in a different state than I do, they both make sure that we talk regularly and they stay involved in every part of my life.

My mom....well, she's my MOM. We have SO many similarities that it is unreal. We both LOVE mexican food, shopping, gardening, and of course margaritas--with salt :) She is everything you could ever want in a MOM...caring, considerate, loving, generous, FULL of advice--in a good way, protective, dependable, and FUN! I am so looking forward to the day when I will be able to have a relationship with my own child, the way my mom and I do. I love you MOM!

My best friend (my #1VBF)...Tedra and I have been best friends since....FOREVER! We have been through SO many things together...softball, dance team, Fraid-a-Bull, sneaking out of the house (to touch the street and run back), turning out the lights to talk about "private" things, Teeanna sandwiches, running from the store (but running from whom?)...there are just too many things to list and not enough blog space. I miss her tremendously too, but what is great about our relationship is that we don't have to talk every single day...but when we do finally speak, it's like we never skipped a beat. I don't think I'll EVER get her to move closer, but I will NEVER give up :) I love you Tedra!

I hope you both know how important you are to me and although I am over 1000 miles away, you are both near and dear to my heart and I love you more than words can say!

Fay, Fay Go Away....

What a way to start off the 08-09 School Year... with a tropical storm!! Tropical Storm Fay is projected to hit Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon. Duval County schools will be closed tomorrow and Thursday...so I am bringing in the plants, furniture, and anything else that could possibly cause damage. I made a list of supplies for the DH to pick up to help us get ready for Fay...hopefully the stores will still have plenty of water and ice. I've already heard from a few friends that the stores have crazy LONG lines...so the DH should be real happy about that one.

As I was moving plants to the screened patio I noticed that some of my new plants are just starting to bloom. Our camera is STILL getting repaired, so I took a few pics with my cell phone...they aren't the best quality, but they'll have to do for now.

This is a Night Blooming Iris that Grammy gave me. I have been waiting for it to bloom and as you can see, I think I missed seeing this one. Like it's name implies, it ONLY blooms at night, so I'll have to take a peek at it this evening after the sun goes down to see if it opens again. But I'm afraid this is the remnant of the bloom in the picture :(

This is a rose that my Mother (this is what I call my paternal grandmother---it's a complicated story, I'll explain on a later blog) sent me when my mom came to visit a few weeks ago. I can't believe it has a bloom already!! Isn't it pretty...I'll have to find out what this type of rose is called when I talk to Mother the next time.

UPDATE from Mother...this is an antique rose called Caldwell County Pink.

Well, the DH should be home soon and we'll finish moving the rest of the lawn furniture in the garage.

Hopefully Fay will fizzle out and we'll just have some much needed rain. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

A Friend in Need...

I have a friend, Krysta, that is in need of prayer. I have been following her blog closely for the past month or so because we have something in common---we both long to be mothers and we are both dealing with infertility issues.

Krysta has been blogging about their IVF journey and as I was reading her blog, I felt as if I was living the journey myself---the shots in the belly (and in the behind), the emotional rollercoaster (due to the hormones), the anxiety, the longest two weeks of your life (waiting for the blood test), receiving a positive on Thursday, and now the BFN (Big Fat Negative) on Monday. I literally thought I was going to cry when I read her last post...I know EXACTLY how she feels and it just made me sick to my stomach that someone else is going through that pain.

I hope you all will visit Krysta's blog and let her know how much you are thinking and PRAYING for her and her husband right now. God has a plan for both of us---we just need to let Him have control and lead us down the path He has so thoughtfully mapped out for us.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. ~Proverbs 3:5

Our Children...

I received this poem from the Duval County Public Schools Administration. I thought it was so touching and TRUE and I wanted to share it with all you.

We Pray For Children

~Ina J. Hughs


We pray for children
who sneak popsicles before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.
And we pray, for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.
And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed, and never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church or temple and scream in the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.
And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children
who want to be carried and for those who must,
for those we never give up on
and for those who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother . . .
and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
Please offer your hands to them so that no child is left behind because we did not act.

Very sweet....all children DO matter. This means a lot to me, especially as an educator. We can truly make a difference in the lives of our children...by how we act, what we say, how we behave. Please say a prayer today for all the children in the world.

Father of all mercies, We ask that you would bless the youngest and littlest of learners, the most helpless and powerless of persons, with Your infinite and loving mercy, granting them the strength to learn, concentrate, and act appropriately towards their teachers and fellow students. We also ask that You would watch over them, at home and at school and grant them proper direction so that they may learn of Your wonderful virtues.

We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ...Amen.

Picture This...

So, I have been withOUT a camera for some time now. When the DH and I went to the Sun's game, quite a few weeks ago, we dropped the camera and the MOST important button on the camera flew off---and we couldn't find it! So we ordered the button through Kodak, it finally came in, the DH tried to fix the camera, and now the camera is getting repaired at a Kodak shop :( I asked the DH last night when he thought we would get the camera back and he commented that it might take a couple of WEEKS! So needless to say, I'm freaking out...I NEED that camera to blog. The DH thought this was particularly funny...as he NEEDS the camera to WORK. I guess his NEED wins over my NEED :)

So be patient as I use stock photos or old pics from my computer!

Tag...You're It!!!

I was taggd, by Darla, to do a meme...

Here are the rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you.



• Mention the rules on your blog.



• Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.



• Tag six fellow bloggers by linking them.



• Leave a comment on each of the six blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
  
  

So here we go...

1. I can NOT eat french fries without a side of mustard.



2. I can only fall asleep on my side...AND I must have THREE pillows--one for my head, and one to lay on both sides...in the event that I turn to the left or to the right.



3. I follow a routine with EVERYTHING that I do...from putting on my shoes, to brushing my teeth, to packing my lunch...I'm sick, I know, but I already admitted that I am OCD. My best friend, Tedra, also informed me that I can't sit down EVER...unless everything is in it's place, which is NEVER...another form of my OCD!



4. I think and pray about having a baby constantly...and I love stalking all my preggo friends. I just can't get enough of looking at baby clothes, baby furniture, and just plain BABIES.



5. I absolutely HATE talking on the phone, I'm an email girl.



6. I prefer writing in print than cursive.

The six friends I'd like to "tag" are:

1. Heather


2. Kelly


3. Mary Kate


4. Jenna


5. Krysta


6. Sunshine
   

Okay...it's your turn! Get to posting!!!