Packed and ready!

Here's my bedroom floor this morning...

Organized chaos.

Kathryn drove in from Nashville last night, and this morning we finished packing! I actually didn't really do much packing UNTIL this morning, but again, procrastination is my spiritual gift (thank you, Jesus!). Last night we had a fabulous dinner with Dani Ray and a new friend, Brooke, and the goal of the evening was to create a list of must-do's for Ireland. I thought I'd share a few!

The list - yes, it's on cocktail napkins:)

1.  Chase sheep ("or ride a sheep", Kat interjects)
2. Drink Guinness
3. Kiss an Irishman (or "Irishmen" - sorry, Mama)
4. Take a picture with Irish musicians
5. Dance an Irish jig
6. Kat learn to drive a stick shift (why not learn using her left hand and driving on the wrong side of the road?)
7. Learn to speak with an Irish accent
8. Learn to understand an Irish accent
9. Wear a fanny pack
10. Learn a Gaelic word 
11. Visit > 30 pubs (again, sorry, Mama)
12. Say an Irish prayer (prayers muttered or yelled while driving on the road don't count)
13. Get Dani Ray a present (guess who added that one)
14. Meet a Gaelic football player
15. Learn an Irish toast

And the list goes on! Those were a few of my favorites. Next post will be all about Ireland and everything Irish and green! Love!

A handy woman!

This weekend was the weekend for home improvements! As most of you know, I am NOT the most detail-oriented person, so handyman type work is not a great fit for me. However, I have a few projects that have been weighing heavily on my mind because I want to return from my Fabulous Irish Adventure 2011 with the house in order. Why? I don't know. It makes sense to me.

 A little background information. My main man, Doc, is terrified of fireworks. So when he was inside alone one evening during July 4th weekend, he trapped himself in the bathroom (he thinks toilet water is da bomb) and went C-RAZY... I returned home to this -

That dang dog...

Poor pup. He had clawed through 70+ years of paint and had gouged the wood. Bless his heart. So my bathroom door has been in this state for 3 or so weeks while I kept planning to fix it (procrastination may be my spiritual gift). First, I tried sanding the door by hand, and that was awful. All my fingernails chipped, sweat was dripping off my forehead, and my shoulders were ON FIRE (all after approximately 5-10 minutes of sanding - don't feel sorry for me)! Then I remembered my power drill (yes, I have a power drill:). After a trip to Lowe's AND Home Depot , I had a new sanding attachment for the drill and paint. I cranked that buddy up and had the door smoothed out in no time... but I was sitting in 1/4" of sawdust. Ick. Anyway, 1-2 coats of paint later, here is the final product!

Ta-daa!!

Next project... skin the dog! Kidding... he was due for another haircut. This summer I decided to try my hand at dog grooming because I'm too cheap to pay someone else to do something for me that I can (kinda) do myself. The first attempt at grooming was disastrous. I had to walk poor Doc after dark for a few weeks while the hair grew back in his bald spots. It was sad. But I did not draw blood... that's a positive, right? Anyway, this second attempt was much better. Only one small bald spot, and it is behind his ear. The cut is really uneven, too, but again, no skin showing! Check it out...

Before...

So gross... looks like some animal was viciously attacked on my deck.

After! Looks kinda like an alien...

I also painted some patio furniture and changed my front door's color... but I think you've seen enough. Hope this inspires you to do some productive work around the house - or shave your dog. :)

A lifelong dream...

What an exciting day! To begin, I must backtrack a bit...

I have had a PT student from Duke with me for the past 10 weeks. Her name is Kara, and she's amazing. I also have been planning a big Fabulous Irish Adventure 2011 with my friend, Kathryn, for the past year, and that trip is just ONE WEEK away! So in all of my musings about what to pack, what to wear, where to go, what kind of Irish man to bring home, etc... I might have mentioned a dream or two of mine (besides the horse for Christmas, of course). So this week, in celebration (mourning??) of Kara's impending move back home, we had a celebratory lunch, soiree, and another lunch! At today's FINAL goodbye lunch, Kara presented me with a gift to show her appreciation for my amazing clinical instructor skills (she was just happy I gave her passing grades:). And what a gift it was!!! It was one of those "lifelong dreams" I mentioned a second ago, yet I had never realized how much I truly NEEDED this object until I opened up that shiny green paper bag... 

From left: Me, my new fanny pack!, and Kara

IT'S A BLACK LEATHER FANNY PACK!!! I mean, who doesn't need one of these?! What an amazing girl. Kara will always hold a special place in my heart...

I mentioned my Fabulous Irish Adventure 2011 earlier; to give you an idea of what kind of traveling I do with Kathryn, here's a few pictures from our last adventure (Fabulous European Adventure 2009)...

Kat hittin' on the Spanish beasts...

We like statues.

Ridin' in the park...

Ireland will never be the same. And with that fanny pack, I should have some Irish fellas following me like a pack of ravenous wolves. Seriously.

Don't worry, Kathryn and I will be armed with video and photo equipment, and those crazy Irish folks have even let us rent a car! By ourselves! It's going to be mayhem... Stay tuned!

What's in a name?

Family portrait, Christmas 2009. From left to right: Doc, me.

First order of business (and I know you're wondering)... why "A Horse for Christmas"? Well, gather 'round, boys and girls... It all started when I was a tweenage girl and going through my horse phase. I asked Santa (yes, I still believe in Santa Claus) for a horse EVERY year without fail. I had decided where the poor thing would live, what kind of boots I would buy, and the beast's name (Shrimp n' Grits - a blog post for another day). So finally, the Christmas morning of my 11th year, I received a note from Santa - written in handwriting that looked suspiciously like my mama's, might I add - telling me to look outside for my Christmas gift. I excitedly thought, "This is it! I'm FINALLY getting my horse!!!" So I hurriedly ran to the carport door and threw open the door... to find a ping pong table standing outside. Not that I'm not appreciative, Mama and Daddy - that ping pong table was the BOMB - but you can't pet a ping pong table. That moment was almost the most exciting moment of my life. Thus, the blog. A place for me to document my life's "almosts" and "amazings"... So buckle up, friends!