I could bearly believe it.

So yesterday afternoon, Gavin and I were on our way to a wedding on St. George Island, which is about a two-hour trek from Tallahassee, when we saw a real life BLACK BEAR on the side of the road!

We were on US 98/319, bearing south, when we came upon the bear on the left. We saw him from a good distance back, so we were able to slow down and get a really good look. He did not appear to be full grown, but he wasn't a baby either. He was actually kind of cute, with his shiny black fur and his ears and snout and everything. As we slowed down, he saw us looking at him, which caused him to become shy all of a sudden, and he scampered away. It was really cool.

After this bearxperience, I decided to do a little internet bearsearch, and I discovered some fun facts. Bearhold:

1) Male and female black bears cannot tolerate each other's company except to breed. Interesting. These two must just be friends.

2) Cubs are raised in single-bearent families; father bears do not help with everyday bearcare. This makes sense, because as we have learned, the moms and dads cannot bear to be around each other.

3) Mother black bears are notoriously protective of their cubs, who stay with their mothers for about two years. Awww.

4) Despite their name, black bears can be blue-gray or blue-black, brown, cinnamon, or even (very rarely) white.

5) Black bears are not true hibernators. During their winter dormant period, though, they do not eat, drink, or go to the bearthroom.

6) Black bears are generally shy and secretive and usually fearful of humans. However, if they regularly find food near houses and areas of human activity, they can lose their fear of humans. Unlike grizzly bears, black bears are seldom aggressive toward humans.

I hope you all have found this beary interesting.

Romantic Weekend Getaway

Gavin and I had the greatest weekend getaway! A dear friend of ours was nice enough to lend us his family beach house at Alligator Point, so we spent the weekend relaxing and romping in the surf. The weather was perfect and the setting was secluded and private.

We had no internet and very limited tv channels (but we were able to watch the UF-Kentucky beatdown, which put my man in an excellent mood) so we really got to spend some quality time with each other.

The best part was that we were allowed to bring the dogs! I have always wanted to get my dogs around the ocean to see how they like water, and I just have never had the opportunity to do it.

Here is the verdict: Sugarbear likes it ok, but won't venture in above her shoulders. Maddie LOVES the water and will swim around like a duck for extended periods of time. She also LOVES to fetch the tennis ball out of the water and prefers that you throw it far enough that it requires her to actually swim out past the waves, pounce on it, and bring it back in! Gavin and I had the greatest time watching her swim around and bust up against the waves like a Baywatch lifeguard. Hilarious!

Our camera battery died, but we were able to take some pics with Gavin's cell phone:

After all of that swimming and frolicking, the babies were exhaaaauuuusted. They are all cuddled up together, teeping. Awwww.

So it was a great weekend. I am actually relaxed and ready to get back to work! Thanks for a wonderful weekend, G! Love you!

Thin Taco, Fat Taco

So you all know by now about my obsession with my friend Mary’s chihuahua Taco. If you desire more information about Taco, please click here, here, here, and here.

Well, Mary is in tax-lawyer school right now, which requires her to study the tax code and crunch numbers while curled up in the fetal position 24 hours a day. That is no life for a young strapping male chihuahua. Such a glorious creature needs attention, freedom, and companionship. So, Mary’s mom is keeping Taco at her house right now so he can scamper and cavort with her Boston Terrier, Daisy.

Well, when Taco was with Mary, he was fit and trim. See below.

Now, since he’s been living like a king at Grandmother’s, he’s a little sausage. See below.

I have always always said that the only thing better than a cute little chihuahua is a cute little fat chihuahua. Let the record show that I love him now more than ever and I am kicking my chihuahua heist plotting and scheming into high gear.

PICS

Here are some pics from the Halloween Party!

Jeremy, Mari, Cara, Auntie, and me in the purple pimp hat. I definitely took that thing home with me, telling everyone it was "mine" because "Uncle Joe gave it to me." Riiiiight.

Tammy, Erin, me, and Cara. It got to the point where we were all just trading wigs. This looks like "Don't Stop Believin'..."

Giffin (as Magnum P.I.), Tammy, me, Cara, and Erin up front.

Garrick and Gavin!

Wow - great party!! Let's do it again soon, team!

Weekend in Deland

So this weekend was great! Gavin and I loaded up the fur and headed down to Deland for a weekend with Gavin's family.

On the way down Friday night, we decided to use the GPS, even though we know the way, just for funsies, to see how it would take us. Sure enough, it directed us to go a different route than we usually go. In such situations, one has a simple choice to make: 1) Ignore the GPS and go the way you know; or 2) Trust the GPS and go that route, to see if it saves you time.

In our case there was a third option: 3) Trust the GPS until it takes you somewhere you don't recognize, then panic and strike out on your own.

Over my well-reasoned objections, Gavin chose #3.

So, after a nice late-night tour of some remote area of Ocala, which included feverishly pulling out the map o' Florida and hanging on during a few whiplashy "frustrated" u-turns, we got back on a road Gavin had heard of and back on schedule. It turns out the GPS was taking us to that road all along, just via a different (and probably faster) route. Of course. Rest assured we won't learn from this.

Anyway, once we finally got there, we had a great time! The City of Deland has a huge, awesome dog park where we took the dogs to play on Saturday. Here is a pic:

As you can see, on the left they have a little pond for the dogs to get in if they want to, and Sugarbear went in up to her shoulders. Maddie went in about up to her knees. I tossed Maddie in further just to see if she would like the water. (I was prepared to jump in and save her if necessary.) I know she can swim because sometimes when I'm holding her under the faucet while I give her a bath, and she gets water on her face, she'll start instinctively doing the dog paddle, right there in the air.

Well, once in the actual water she dog-swam like Michael Phelps right to the shore. I was so proud! Then she rolled around in the dirt. Nice. It was just neat to see her swim for the first time ever. I took some pics, but they are on Gavin's dad's camera and so I'll have to post them later.

Saturday night we went to a Halloween/Happy Retirement party for Uncle Joe at Gavin's cousin's Giffin's house. Dance party USA. Great times were had by all! No, I didn't wear a costume, although I wish I had. I just didn't have time last week to throw something together. Giffin dressed as Magnum P.I. and it was hysterical. Our camera battery died, but other folks took pictures, so once I get that magical email with all the pictures attached I will post the most hilarious ones.

Other than that, it's Monday. Yay. Counting down to the weekend already.....

Top 5 Tuesday

Today I want to identify and talk a little bit about the top 5 things I am looking forward to right now. In trying times like these, when Auburn football sucks and the country is about to elect a socialist, we always focus on the positive, right? Right. Ok, here we go.

By the way, these aren’t in any kind of order (such as chronological, or according to my levels of excitement) because sorting that out will take more energy than I care to put forth at this particular moment.

1) Going to the gym and getting some exercise.

Since I’ve been out of town so much lately, I haven’t been able to get to the gym and do my regular thing there for the past several days. Vacation’s over! In my defense, I tried to go after work yesterday. I even got as far as the locker room until I realized I left my pants at home. I can do a lot of things pants-less, but working out in public ain’t one of them. So I went home. Today I have all articles of clothing, and I am rarin’ to go.

Here’s a quick rundown of my gym routine. I do this four times a week, either in the morning or after work. I get to the gym, and immediately proceed upstairs to the magical garden of elliptical machines. I quickly scan the room for Stinky, so I can isolate her. This is very important.

I then hop on one of the ellipticals and giddy up for at least 50 minutes while listening to a smattering of soft rock and hip hop classics. Then, I do abs, lift weights, and I’m out. As the weather starts to get cooler I will work walking trips at the greenway into my cardio routine. I’m really looking forward to that change of scenery.

2) New York City trip with my mom and sister!!!

We leave the day after my 29th (gag) birthday and will be there for three days!!! I am so excited. We have tickets to Wicked, we are staying at the Waldorf Astoria (thanks Mom!), and we are going to have such a kickass time. I will take lots of pics. I heart heart heart NY and I love it even more in November and December. I’m also going to hook up with my college pals Britney and Emily while I’m there, so I’m excited about that too…. Can’t wait!

3) Kristin’s Wedding

If the bachelorette party was any indication of how much fun this event will be, Gavin and I are in for a huge party. Also, I can’t wait to see all my pals again… it’s going to be out of control.

4) Halloween

Every Halloween I look forward to putting Maddie in her Lil’ Bandito costume that she’s had for about 5 years now. It was a surprise gift from Gavin when we were dating. It still fits her, and I honestly haven’t found anything more hilarious for her to wear, so I haven’t replaced it. I love that dog. Here’s a pic. Obviously this dog isn't Maddie, but I'll try to post a pic of the real thing later as Halloween draws closer. One more reason to continue tuning in.

I also love how there’s usually lots of extra chocolatey deliciousness floating around the office after Halloween. Hot diggity.

5) Thanksgiving and Christmas

Every year Gavin and I rotate which of our families to spend Thanksgiving with, and we do the same thing with Christmas, so that each year we see both families for a big holiday. This year, the Pensacola folks get us for Thanksgiving, and Gavin’s fam in Deland gets us for Christmas.

Christmas is usually the extended visit: almost a whole week with the dogs and everything. Obviously the families jockey for Thanksgiving.

Oh, and how can I forget our annual Christmas card?!! Get excited, recipients!

I feel so much better already. See you all later!

Party in the Ham!

So this weekend, after my super fun business trip to Marco Island, I took this awesomeness up to the Ham for a big time. This was the weekend of my friend Kristin's BACHELORETTE party. OWWWWWW!

Friday was busy: I flew into Hotlanta, where my pal Holly picked me up at the airport, and then whisked me away to the Ham. We got there, met up with Leah, and had a few frosty beers at the hotel while waiting for the rest of the crew. Cheers girls!

THEN, I met up with my long lost best pal Jennifer! She picked me up and we went out for some tacos, cervezas, and hours of conversation about the things we love most in life, including but not limited to the following: Auburn, our favorite soft rock hits from the 70s and 80s, how awesomely talented Barbra and Lionel Richie (Jennifer's Barbra) are, and how we are always right about stuff and why everyone should agree with our opinions about everything.

I love Jennifer for so many reasons. She was one of my best pals in college and knows me soooo well. I am so pissed that I forgot my camera or I would post a picture right here. I have lots of pictures of us, of course, but they are prints and dammit, wouldn't you know it, I put the scanner in storage because I was "never using it." Blast! (fist in air!) This shall be remedied.

Anyway, J and I pick up right where we leave off, no matter how long it's been. Shout out, J! Miss you already!

After hanging with J, I met my pals out on the town and yada yada yada, we were out till 4 a.m. We almost got kicked out of our hotel that night for being "loud." Whatever! The volume of our conversation was so normal. We just had crabby-appletons for neighbors.

I woke up several hours later (sleeping three to a bed of course) with a splitting headache. I rallied after lying in the bed and recapping the night before for several hours, taking a showie, and stuffing my face with Chappy's greasy delightfulness. I was rarin' to go by the time we headed out to dinner that night.

My old roomie Suuuudan and me before dinner.

Susan, Holly, and Leah at dinner.

Me with Sherry and Mary at dinner - they are hilarious and I love them!!

After dinner, we came back to the hotel and had K's lingerie shower! It was hilarious and fun. Outrageously bacheloretty. BEST EVER!

Kristin in all her gear, about to open her presents...

Holly, Lindsey, me, and Leah! Yes, those are naked-man nametags. (I hope you people don't let your children read this blog...)

Then, we hit the town and yes, once again danced until 4 a.m. It was not fun driving home today, but honestly, it was worth every second of feeling like ass. I saw so many people that I love so dearly and don't get to see often enough. I had such a fun time! Thanks for everything girls! See you at the wedding!