doodles of mia.

i know i have been a terrible blogger, but i have good reasons. not only did my sweet little mia pass on last week, i was out sick for three days and had to go instacare on saturday. it was a rough week but things are getting much better. don't worry, i'm alive and doing well.

last tuesday, after we buried mia at cute guy's parents house, we went up to my twin's house to watch her kids while they went out for their anniversary. while we were there the kids were asking questions about mia and i suggested they draw a picture of her. they loved little mia so much and were sad to hear what had happened. they took the picture they had of mia on their board and drew these.

the kids were upset that i had forgotten these pictures at their house and i finally got them today. whoops.. anyway, they are so sweet and mean so much to me. they are now hanging up at my desk. i'm so lucky to have such amazing people in my life and all they do for me. last week was really rough but it really showed who my true friends are and what family members really cared.

thanks for all who text, tweeted and emailed me checking up. i truly love you and all that you do for me.

hope all is well.

no one can hurt you now.

today is not the best of days.

yesterday we noticed that mia was acting kind of funny, not really being herself. we knew she had a vet appointment the next day and figured we would get her in as soon as possible. then this morning she started throwing up. i got her into the vet at 8:30am. we did an x-ray and tried to figure out what was going on. the vet told me that if she kept throwing up to bring her back in. as soon as i got her home she wouldn't stop throwing up.

we sat on the couch, waiting for the vet to call me back. i had her on my chest, gently petting her back, telling her i loved her. that i understood. that she would be ok.

i called the vet and told her what was going on. she told me to bring mia back in and that we were going to hospitalize her for the day. after i dropped her off, the vet called me back to tell me that she was only getting worse. we decided to do the surgery to see if there was something in her belly that we couldn't see in the x-ray. the vet called me back. mia wasn't going to make it. after trying to compose myself, i told the vet it was ok to let her go.

mia went onto a new adventure this afternoon. she will be forever missed and loved. she brought so much joy and laughter into our lives. her sweet kisses and cuddles will be imprinted on our memories. she was our baby and her life with us was cut too short. i wish there was something i could have done for her. i wish i could have been there in her last moments.

she was only three months old.

i know that we did everything we could for her. i know the vet did the very best she could to help save my little mia. i could feel her sympathy through the phone as she told me that mia wasn't going to make it.

this was sudden, unexpected and heart breaking. we absolutely love our little mia and knowing she won't be there when we get home today, it is almost like a dream. the tears cannot stop, my throat is burning and my entire body feels numb. this is the first real death i've ever been around. yes, she is a dog, but she was my dog. she was my baby. she loved her momma. she would follow me around the house, cuddle up under my neck and give me tons of kisses.

i still can't believe she is gone.

november 29, 2011 - march 5, 2012

mia,

we know that you are safe and sound now. we know that you are not in pain anymore and that you are going to be ok. we know that even though your time was short here, you had a good life. you were loved by everyone that saw you. you were always so happy and full of life. we couldn't have asked for a better pup. you will be missed immensely.

we will always love you.

mama and dad.

i'm always growing out my bangs.

if you don't know where that quote comes from, you need to have a reality check asap. seriously, one of the best movies i've seen lately. anna faris warms my heart. well anyway, as most of you know, i've been debating what to do with my hair for ages. then i found a picture and decided that is what i was going to go for. i set up an appointment and we started on our own version of this picture.

for quite a while i was trying to grow my hair out. back in july of 2010 i chopped all of my hair off...

yes i'm practicing the duck face, just go with it.

as you can tell, it was uber short. so i decided to grow it long again. i finally had it at a pretty decent length, but a little heads up, my hair is so thick. seriously, it is too thick sometimes. so when it had gotten to the length it was, i couldn't handle it anymore. my hair was constantly in a pony tail and i was over it.

 so we went from that, to this.

there is purple throughout my hair and yes, that is a new piercing.. it is tender but i love it. i'm still getting used to the hair being this short again and also to the bangs, but i am so happy with it over all. i suppose i'm destined for short hair and i'm pretty lucky that cute guy loves it. he would always ask me when i was going to cut it short again. good thing i love him because he got his wish.

also.. i have a tattoo appointment set up for next friday. any suggestions as to what you think would fit me best? i'm thinking along the lines of something to do with strength, power, being unbreakable etc.. i want it on my wrist/forearm. quotes, animals, symbols, anything works. i'd love to hear your suggestions.

sorry it's been so long since i last posted. cute guy, twin and myself have been sick as dogs with viral infections and then dentist appointments up the wazoo. but i should be back and will try to play catch up today and tomorrow. i've missed you!! hope you enjoy the new hair and remember i love your faces.

TTUT - snap crackle and swap.

it's tuesday, which means linking up with my lover impulsive addict and the gorgeous seriously shawn. no rules, just talk about whatever you'd like. pretty cool right? i thought you'd like that.

for this tuesday, it is a little more special than most. ia and shawn decided to do a blog swap and today was the official day to talk about it. i got lucky with the most incredible swapper who has a personality very similar to mine. score right? shopping for her was a breeze and when i got the package she sent me, i knew ia and shawn had put together a good match.

amy, my lovely swap partner, sent me some very cute leg warmers,. a gorgeous black scarf, a cooking magazine and dog treats for mia! her items were well thought out and so thoughtful. i really am lucky to have gotten such an awesome swap partner. please take a minute to go say hello to my sweet new friend.

amy, mia wanted to say thank you as well. she downed her first treat in, i swear, milliseconds. seriously, so thoughtful to send something for her too.

love you.

let's get sloppy up in here.

yesterday, while i was slaving away at work, i was trying to think of what sounded good for dinner. i wanted something new that we haven't really eaten lately and so of course i thought of little smokies! who doesn't love those things? i searched online for a great recipe and a few sounded good but i wasn't quite sure if i wanted to try them. then i found one recipe that said they used manwich to cook the smokies in.

light bulb.

sloppy joes it was. i found the perfect recipe and made a list of what i needed from the store. went home to mia and cute guy, kissed them both and then headed off to hellmart for an hour long journey for less than 20 items. seriously, the walmart by our apartment is so busy, so crowded and everything you want to get done there takes hours. it's a joke.

finally i get home and start cooking. i was a little bit nervous on how it would turn out but omg people. this was the best sloppy joe i've ever eaten. it had so much flavor and was juicy. i think this will be a regular item on our menu now. you definitely need to try this out.

what you need:

one pound lean ground beef (i think turkey would be wonderful as well if you're looking for a healthier alternative)
one fourth cup chopped onion
one fourth cup chopped green bell pepper
one half teaspoon garlic powder (i didn't have garlic powder so i used garlic salt, still came out great)
one teaspoon yellow mustard
three fourths cup ketchup
three teaspoons brown sugar
salt and ground pepper to taste

directions:

in a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion and green pepper; drain off liquids (we didn't do this and it still turned out great, just extra sloppy)
once that is completed, stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. reduce heat and let simmer for thirty minutes.

i chose tator tots to go with the sloppy joes and it was an excellent choice.

simmering and the smell was so yummy

the oven light looks pretty dang cool if you ask me

and the final product. we like ranch with our tator tots and ketchup.

like i said, this was absolutely delicious. i went into a food coma after i was done eating it. if you like sloppy joes, i would definitely recommend this one. it's only ten in the morning here in the moutain standard time zone and i'm already starving for the left overs.

happy thursday, love your faces.