The Time Has Come My Little Friend...

Hi, all! Well... we had our first taste of spring this past weekend... sunny days, warm temps, nice breezes... the works! It was wonderful. We had the patio door open and enjoyed the fresh air. The pups loved being outside for their walks and not having to wade through inches upon inches of snow.

This time change has gotten us all messed up... and by all, I mean me. It hasn't seemed to effect Troy or the pups, but I can't seem to get it in gear. That's my only complaint with spring--other than all the pollens that tickle my nose--is the time change. I think I wanna live in Arizona!!

We did a weigh in last night. We noticed that little Max was looking a little pudgy... well, that little rascals has had one to many beggin' strips! He's 15 pounds!! I was hoping that it was just the extra fur, but nope. He's a little chunk! I guess Max will be on a diet now... poor little guy. He can diet with his moma!

Marlee weighed in at a whopping 60 pounds. She's up 2 pounds since Halloween and is sheer muscle. She can easily buckle your knees if she runs at you from the back and you're not expecting it, but she's such a sweetheart. We couldn't have chosen a better pup... her personality is fantastic.

So, I guess with our extra time, we will be to give Max a good shave and lose a few extra milkbones from around the middle. Poor little guy... he gained the freshman 15 (he's about 17.5 years old in human years)!!

We don't have many plans for this month... I'm in the process of painting the apartment and getting a few new items for our visitors in April... woo hoo!! We do exist... people are coming to see us!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Buried Alive!

I've joked about Nor'Easters since we moved to the northeast, but I'm done... finished... I've retired that joke! It's not funny... not funny at all. We were even predicted to possibly have thunder snow today... yeah. You read it right... thunder snow. That's when it thunders and lightenings while snowing... yep. A new one on me, too... don't worry... I was just as confused.

In like a lion, out like a lamb... Well... that's exactly what happened. I knew before the winter was over that there was a good chance that I might lose my mind, and last night, I came pretty close. We had enjoyed a couple of days around 50 degrees and one over 60, and then it happened. Action Weather predicted 8" - 12" of snow for our area. I started laughing and couldn't stop. Troy and KC thought I was crazy, and I kinda felt that way, but the thought of that much snow overnight sent me into hysterics!

We did get up to 11 inches in areas. My poor truck is stuck in the garage... I've been snowed in! It is pretty, but I am up to my ankles in snow whenever I step out on the patio. Poor little Max sinks all the way down, and Marlee has taken it all in stride! She has ripped and snorted all morning in the flaky, frosty stuff.

It's still snowing a little but nothing like what it was snowing earlier. We are geting a flake here and there whereas this morning, the visibility was only about 1/2 miles because of the blowing snow. I must say that even with more snow than we've had this winter, I'm still not a fan. We are holding steady at 26 degrees outside and are looking about possible below zero temps tonight and tomorrow morning. I'm gonna look like the Michelin man when I venture out to work tomorrow morning.

I've uploaded some pics to Picasa Web. They are labeled the March Nor'Easter 2009. There aren't many pictures because it's too cold to go out and take a bunch. I'll add more if I can get some.

We are still pulling moisture from the ocean, so the radar shows another batch of snow headed our way. Southwest has cancelled 66 percent of their flights today and a load last night. We will see... hopefully, it won't be a repeat of last night, but from the looks of it, we may get some more wintery weather.

TV or no TV.... TB thinks TV.

In the past few weeks, we have been on the move! Yep... that's right... we moved, yet again! This time, it wasn't a drastic as the July 2008 post... it was actually just down the stairs. We moved from 8303 to 8101, and we love the new place! Our first night here was February 15, and I already have a green kitchen!

KC and I painted the first night we had the keys... it is nice to have color on the walls... the vanilla milkshake we were living in upstairs just wasn't cutting it anymore. This apartment is on the first floor and has a door that leads directly to grass... the pups couldn't be happier, and neither could their mom and dad. WE LOVE OUR NEW HOUSE!!

We got so tickled when the Verizon tech came out to install our cable. I didn't like him much from the start because he so kindly told my Max to "shut up, mutt" because he was a little yappy. So, from about 5 minutes after he arrived, I didn't participate in his mission. I left that up to Troy. About 3 hours into the endeavor, he needed to go to his truck for coax cable. He started patting his pockets for his keys and.... this is where it gets funny... he says, "I guess I left them in the truck. I've lost more trucks that way." I just looked at Troy... and when he walked out, I asked, "does he feel that vehicles are disposable? Does Verizon just turn their heads when a technician "looses" a truck because they left their keys in it? This should have been our first clue. This debacle continued for another 2.5 hours, and at the end, we still didn't have cable. Joe, as his name was, called at 8:30 PM that night to make sure we were satisfied with the outcome... oh, yes, Joe... yes. Completely satisfied. NOOOOOOO... what makes you think we are satisfied with you wasting 5 hours of our time, 3 hours of our cell phone minutes, and an outcome of no TV or Internet. Now, I didn't say that, but I did say, "no, Joe... we aren't satisfied. Troy made that perfectly clear when you left this afternoon, and that hasn't changed. Thanks for calling."

Yesterday, eight days later, yet another Verizon tech came out and did 3 hours worth of work, only to find out that it was nothing inside our apartment but a breaker in the telecomm room outside. AUGHHHHH... 8 days without a DVR or guide in the bedroom and no guide in the den for a breaker? Wouldn't you start with the easy stuff... cause let me tell you... the tech yesterday, replaced ALL the coax cables, the splitter, gave us a new router, ran tests on the coax, etc, etc, etc... and it was a breaker. In the end, we have all our options and Internet... 20 up and 5 down... oh, what a beauuuuuutiiiifulllll morning... oh, what a beauuuuuutiiiifulllll day... Internet and FiOS TV... everything's going our way!

Other than the FiOS TV and Internet tug of war, the new place is perfect. I don't mind living in an apartment anymore. It's been a challenge, but it's so much nicer. Our new address is 8101 Arment Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342.

Don't forget to spring forward in 11 days! I can't wait for sunny afternoons... that means we can take the pups for walks! Yippee!!

Happy almost March!!

And... weeeee're back!!

Oh, my... what a new year!! I was so excited to start our full year in Philadelphia... mainly because January is the middle of winter, so spring can't be that far away!! But January did prove to be quite a good month. Of course, we celebrated Carlie and Shannon's birthdays (my sis and brother in law), and we went to several basketball games.

The other Blacks (Todd, Kelley, and the girls) gave Troy tickets to see Villanova play Louisville at the Wachovia Center on January 10. We had such a great time. I was a little under the weather, but it was so much fun to be back at a college game. It's been too long since we were in that atmosphere! I think that is the biggest part of college that I miss... cheap tickets, mediocre seats, but good games and good friends! There are pictures on the Picasa site at http://picasaweb.google.com/mandyeblack/VillanovaBballGame11008.

That day, we just made the rounds. That night, we had the Philadelphia Christmas party. It was downtown and was fun. Other than trying to walking on freezing rain and sleet in heels, it was a good time. We ate and mingled and laughed and watched other people dance! Troy and I don't' have much rhythm, so it's better if we are spectators when it comes to breaking it down on the dance floor! See pictures on the Picasa site... there aren't many, but a few!

Then, the next week, we went to see the Sixers take on the Spurs. I just LOVE Tony Parker... he's so hot! Haha!! It was a good game... granted we were among stars that night--World Series Champions, Jimmy Rollins and Jason Werth and actor Jamie Foxx was sitting court side. We had seats 7 rows from the Sixers bench, and the action was phenomenal!! It was a lot of fun... I've never been much of a pro basketball fan, but I'm kinda getting into it! Of course, there are pictures on the Picasa site.

The last fabulous event in January was my early birthday party!! We gathered our group of friends up here and had happy hour and a half and dinner at On the Border followed by a little bowling. It was so much fun. My friends, Laryssa and Melissa, from New York came down, and we all hit Philly in 20 degree weather to see the sites. Of course, we violated Rocky... you can't come to Philly and not take advantage of having your picture made with, by, on Rocky!! There are some fun pictures on the Picasa site. There are good pictures of the entire night. KC and I made the cake... it was the first fondant cake we've ever made, and it turned out terrific!! Of course, being the dorks that we are, the plate and forks matched the cake!!

My birthday was Sunday, February 8... I am now only 3 years from 30, and I think I'll go into mourning next year... Right now, I just want to enjoy the last years of youth before I really have to think about being an adult!! I had a good Sunday birthday... Troy and I relaxed and went out for lunch and then to a movie. Everyone called and sent their birthday wishes. I thank you and love you all!!

With a new age comes a new me! I decided on Monday of this week that I wanted to change my hair. I don't stop at a cut and a refreshing highlight... oh, no. I went all out and colored it dark red!! It is quite a change, but I really like it. Troy seems to like it, too... actually, I haven't had anyone tell me that it's not for me!! I've enjoyed the new, non-traditional color, and I hope you do, too.

I promise to do more when it comes to blogging from her on out. January was really busy, so I didn't have much free time with our outings and events, work, and then we both fought the cold disease that was going around. I'll end here for now... I think you've had quite enough! Later, gators!!!

Happy New Year!!

Hi, all! Well... the new year rang in here in Philadelphia without a hitch!! Troy, the pups, and I celebrated by staying in and cooking dinner. We watched a little football and called it a night... wow. Aren't we living on the edge?!

Not much is happening here. We are predicted to have a little ice tomorrow with snow to follow Tuesday and Wednesday. It snowed a bit on Friday, but only for a second. No accumulation reported, but when it melted and dropped below freezing, there were patches of ice that I found as I gracefully land square on my behind in the parking lot of our apartment!! Thankfully, I wasn't hurt, and I was glad to get the first fall out of the way. I was just happy to have Troy around to help me up off the ground!! Next time, I'll be more careful... :)

Well... we are about to start our Sunday. We are both working today, so gotta call it quits on relaxing today. Have a great rest of your weekend!!!

What A Year It's Been!!

Well... our 2008 started off pretty normal. We got our new puppy, Marlee, who has become the light of our lives (of course, she shares that light with our little one, Max). We never expected what would happen halfway through the year. Wow... the last 6 months have been quite a ride!!

Having accepted his new position here in Philly, the last time Troy was at our house in Brandon was in May. I lived there all alone until the end of June when I drove to Nashville to meet Troy, and we embarked on our journey to Philly... our 21 hour journey to Philly. I must say, I did not like being in the truck for 21 hours, and I do not look forward to the next trip that is that long or longer. For a very brief period, we were in downtown Philly, and then we moved to the outskirts (the sketchy outskirts... not really, we live in a really nice area) in Glen Mills. Troy continues to love his job at the airport, trying as it may be sometimes, and I am settling down in my new job and love it more everyday!!

We have ended the year on such a great note. We had a great Christmas together here in Philly and then went to Houston where we continued the festivities. It was a blast!! The girls are growing so much, and it was great to be with Troy's mom, brother, and sister in law. We have such a wonderful little family!

Once again, I apologize for not blogging more often. Things are kinda slow here in our neck of the woods, and my laptop lost a fight with a can of Ginger Ale... so, it's on its way to California for the HP doctors to work their magic! I wont' have any pictures to upload in the next few weeks, but you can guarantee that when it gets back, I'll make up for it!

Troy and I will be attending the Villanova Wildcats basketball game on January 10 courtesy of Todd, Kelley, and the girls! We are so excited!! I'll definitely upload pictures of that when I get my computer back, and I have access to Picasa again.

Thanks to everyone for reading our blog and participating in our little lives. We really appreciate all of your kinds words and wishes as we took this giant leap of faith to the Northeast to start a new chapter. Each of you is a part of the chapter, and we look forward to writing the next one with you.

Happy New Year!!!

What's Been Going On...

Well... obviously, I haven't been quite as on top of things as normal. With the nasty weather, it creates extra drive time, so getting home later leaves little time for play! Plus, my computer is out of commission right now due to a slight run in with a can of Ginger Ale. Oops.... thank goodness for warranties!! haha!!

Things are quite gross in Philly right now. If it's not raining, it's snowing or as the local weather reports "unknown precipitation." Hello... it's either water or some form of ice. Not that hard to determine... one's liquid and one can be semi-solid or solid.

Last week, we ventured out to the Wachovia Center to see the 76ers play the Cavaliers, and let me tell you. The NBA is just as boring in person as it is on the TV... I did get to see Labron James play. That guy is huge! I couldn't believe how quick he was for how big he was... I haven't gotten all of the pictures uploaded to Picasa yet, but I'm working on it. There are a few there now, though. I didn't get many because I left my memory card at home, and my camera doesn't hold many pics in the internal memory. I was so upset, so the ones there are some my friend, Lee, took on her camera.

We are getting ready for Christmas... the tree is all decorated (I need to upload pics of it, too!) and the stockings are hung. We'll be celebrating here in Philly on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then we'll head out to MS for the weekend. I can't wait to see my family. Troy hasn't seen them since Mother's Day, so I know they are excited to see him!! We were gonna try and head up to New York sometime to see the Christmas lights at Rockefeller Center. Not sure if we will make it, but we're gonna try.

Here are a few highlights from the basketball game... enjoy, and Merry Christmas!!!