A New Lady

So, by now, many of you have probably heard that I have a new lady in my life. Well, the rumors are true, so I guess it's about time I introduce her.

She's a lot of fun.

A little bit rambunctious. I can't tell you how many things she's already broken in my house. But so far, definitely worth it.

She really brings a lot of joy to my life.

She's a little loud, though.

Her whining has kept me up pretty late and woken me up pretty early, too. And there always seems to be something she's complaining about.

But she's really pretty! And she gets me.

Ok, sometimes she gets in my way when I'm watching tv, and I have to spend a lot of time cleaning up after her, but so far, I wouldn't have it any other way.

And maybe most importantly, she likes Sadie and Sadie likes her too (mostly.)

Say Hi to Piper!



She's not allowed on my table anymore. And she's much bigger.

She waits until Sadie curls up, then finds a spot near her. Not really "with" Sadie, but near her...

Oh, and ;)

Wake Me Up -

When September Ends...

So, it's already a few days into September, but I was looking at my schedule and really realizing just how much I have to do in the next few weeks. I decided to give you a visual representation of what my September looks like (the days that aren't crossed off are the days I'll be in office):


















I decided I didn't need to cross out the weekends because I shouldn't be going in then anyway. But then again, after seeing this visual representation, I'm starting to second guess that now less-than-firm belief...

Do It Yourself Part I

I decided to do some home improvement. I got a house with a nice backyard for Sadie, but the grass is gross and it's not all that attractive. The family I come from just won't have it. My grandma's place has always been full of color and the house I grew up in was always nicely 'scaped. I decided to make my family proud - since I don't know how to do that, I decided to call in the help of an expert. This is what we ended with (for a now).

Just a before pic:

And the after. I'm pretty excited because not only are those purple things flowers deer resistant, but they're also bee friendly. It'll be nice to know that I'll have a deer-free, bee-happy backyard.

We needed to clear the fenceline to allow the sun to reach the flowers. Unfortunately, the neighbor's foliage created a bit of a sunblock, so we cut 'em down. And there was plenty to get rid of.

I hope my neighbors don't read this blog because I'm not sure how they'll react. I'm hoping they never notice. I left the state early the next morning, so they might just be fuming until I return...

Oh Captain, I'm a Captain

Yeah, I get it. It's time to change the picture and maybe even the title of this blog... But it won't be today. I'm holding off until I find a real title as opposed to something like "Sweet Home Alabama" which I'm sure someone would have suggested...

Until then, I'll just let update you on the more important things.

On 7 July, I was promoted to Captain. Some of my friends had special ceremonies with cake, salutes and even family members. Me? No ceremony. No cake. No salutes. No family members.
I got post-it notes cut out in the shape of an 'H'...













So why am I so happy in the picture? It's because for 5 days I was a Captain when most of my friends were stuck in Lieutenant Land. It's satisfying to know that for the rest of my career, I'll outrank them.

So what did I do to celebrate? I decided to make sure that our security was up to date.













It is.

I was a bit concerned at first, since the last time I watched a dog demonstration the folks getting demonstrated on had a helmet and face mask... You'll notice that I had neither. Sure, I had a full body suit, but that came after they "got me used to the dog" by letting him attack me with just a sleeve on. Y'all will be happy to know that I avoided any serious injuries. I've also decided that should I ever find myself being chased by a dog, I will promptly stop, pin my arms to my side, and scream that I give up. I will then begin to pray that the torpedo with teeth is trained to stop. You should, too.

I'm Back

And with absolutely no great hurrah whatsoever, I've decided to return to the blog. I doubt it will be much more interesting than before, but it's been requested , and I'm nothing if not a people pleaser. Actually, I'm not that good at that, so that doesn't leave me in a very good spot.
Before I talk about my time here in Maxwell, I have to give one last shout-out to Steamboat. I miss you so...

It's not that Montgomery has been terrible - there's a minor league baseball team with a mascot that can't be beat (and really goes to show just how much people in the South like to eat)

It's just that with tempatures that reach near the century mark, humidity that adds at least 10 degrees, and overnight lows above 75 degrees, you just start hoping for better temps. All of a sudden, Grand Forks never looked so good!

But while I've been here, I've seen an air show, been part of an honor guard for a retirement ceremony (see below), and absolutely overwhelmed with work. I have a tort claim worth about $5 million I'm working on, a fully litigated trial that's to go next week, and I'm working hard to fill the house I'm living in (see below as well).

Mein Haus:

My bedroom/new dresser. I'm really excited about this dresser because I've been living out of boxes and suitcases since my household good have been delivered in late-May. Actually, if you look carefully, you can see a reflection of said cardboard boxes in the right mirror:

My living room. This was the first room I started to work on and it took me forever to find the set-up. I can't believe how many people I asked for input before deciding on this arrangement. Still would like one more opinion:

And the new dining room table. It's new to me at least. Apparently some kids beat up on it, but it's a Duncan Phyfe, which I'm told is a good manufacturer. This has extra two leaves and a 1/4 inch custom-made glass cover. It's a great entertaining table. I just need to find an everyday table to combine it with...

And last, and maybe most importantly - my washer and dryer. I'm through washing my uniforms in the sink. I'm through letting my clothes pile up. Eight loads of laundry in one day and I'm all caught up!

And just so you all don't think it's terrible living where I am - "This Old House" just put out a little information on the Capitol Heights area (that's the area of Montgomery in which I live). If I'm forced to live here, I might as well do it right! http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20283025_20631493,00.html