6 Months Later...

Holy Moly, it's been 6 months since I updated this blog! Our life has been a whirlwind and it has finally calmed down, so here I go...Our life

May: Oh my was it a HOT summer in Oklahoma. We did not realize we would be spending a whole nother summer in the oven, but it happened and we are SO glad it's over. Dan could tell you the stats of how many days we had to endure 100+ degree weather with a dewpoint that made you feel like you were drinking the air, but all I know is it was MANY DAYS! May did have it's ups :) We saw 2 tornadoes and almost died doing so, but it's Oklahoma...That's all we could do for excitement! Well, we also had some fun in the sun! Pets N Pads has some great perks and one of them is great clients who let us use their pools when we watch their house/pets!

Here are pics of the first 'nader, second 'nader and some huge hail we saw after being chased by like 5 'naders!

Here are some pics of us helping some 'nader victims:

Here are some pics of our fun in the sun:

June: June was a good month. Dan had his first ever interview with a company in Norman, OK! We thought for sure that is where God wanted us, so of course my mind starts thinking about houses, babies, land, horses...Well, the interview went very well, but they decided to choose someone else for the position. And to much of our shock we both could care less! We were SO thankful for the peace that God gave us in knowing that He was in control of our future! Now, we had our times where we were frustrated, anxious and impatient but we couldn't help but always go back to the FACT that our father would care for us and direct us in the right path :) Dan, along with his interview was still working very hard on his thesis and had little to no time for fun or relaxing but the end was in sight! On a lighter note, I had been hard at work pet sitting, house cleaning and keeping up with my flower gardens!

Dan-Ready for his first interview:

Flowers from my gardens:

July: July was an exciting month! First of all, we had Dan's mother (Cathy) come to visit us for 3 weeks! We had SO much fun while she was here :) We took her allover Oklahoma and we even surprised her with bringing her to see her best friend (whom she hadn't seen for 6 years!) in Kansas! We also got very cute little package from a neighbor in July. It is was furry, sleepy and very hungry! Yup you guessed it, a kitten! The kitten, who's name is now Bandit, was found in an abandoned garage crying its little lungs out. His mom left him and he was hungry! So, of course, Ashley to the rescue! Days, and looooong nights of feedings, burpings and yes, helping him go to the bathroom soon paid off and now he is a ball of energy! He made it!

Dan and Cathy @ Meers Restaraunt in Oklahoma

Bandit growing up:

August: August was very eventful! First of all, we moved out of our house in Norman, OK to live with our amazing friend, Catherine, until Dan found a job. So, picture this...she has 2 dogs, we had 3...She had 2 cats, we had 2, she had 2 rabbits, we had 1...Put em all together and it makes for great times! Fortunately we were only in her way for a month! Dan applied for a job in Albany, NY and in August he received an e-mail asking for a phone screening. Dan prepared and the phone screening went well! Then, he got another e-mail asking for a phone interview...once again, Dan prepared and it went great! Then, to our great surprise, they e-mailed Dan and asked when he was available to have in in-person interview!! So, they flew him over to NY and he had his interview, once again, it was amazing! We prayed and pondered and hoped that he would land the job. New York!? How awesome would that be!? Close to family, 4 seasons, and a great job! 2 weeks later and they offered Dan the job :D and of course he accepted!

Daisy & Buster (Catherine's dog) became best buds!

September: September was GREAT! This is the month we moved to New York and Dan started his job on the 20th. Moving was...interesting. We had 3 dogs (Emma is now my mom's dog), our cats, and Peter rabbit. We took a Budget truck, trailered our Hyundai behind it and I drove the VW. It actually went very smooth. We slept in the VW each night....not ideal, but saved us money! We made salads and thats all we ate the whole way for lunch and dinner. It was fun, but we were happy to get to New England! We stayed with my mother for a couple of weeks, then when Dan went to start work on Monday the 20th in NY, he had to stay in a hotel and I stayed with my Dad and family due to not being able to move into our new place until Oct 1st. So, Dan absolutely loved his first week of his new job which was VERY encouraging :) Dan is officially a Meteorology Analyst at AWS Trupower in Albany, NY!

Click the image to learn about the company Dan works for:

Present Time: Well, Now it is October and we are all moved in to our new home! It is more than we could have asked for. My mother and her fiance' found it for us and we are so thankful for that! We have the most amazing landlord and we are just all around blessed! We are slowly unpacking and getting the house furnished. Here are some pictures of the house so far!

Getting Closer :0)

Howdy Ya'll!

Dan and I have been enjoying the wonderful Oklahoma Spring weather. It has been in the 70's & 80's for the past couple of weeks and only getting as low as in the 40's at night. We have done some gardening, taken several trips to the lake and have started BBQing again! I also did some Spring cleaning (pictures to come) this past week and feel so much better. I love the feeling of an EXTRA clean house without all of the clutter that Winter months acquire.

Dan has finally decided when he will defend his Thesis! It will be the last week in July :-) SO, this means that at the end of May or June 1st (at the latest) he will be applying for a real job! We are still very excited about all of the potential our future holds. We are, whether we are ready or not, being thrown into the REAL real world. We have been living on our own for a long time, but Dan will have a big-boy job, we will have insurance, a pay raise, and we will be starting a family! We are ready to go ANYWHERE God may lead us. We are content knowing that we are in His hands and what better place!?

Well here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

A New Chapter

Howdy!

So, this week has been...interesting to say the least.

I was told that I have two weeks left at my current nanny job and need to make a plan. SO WE DID. Once I am finished with my job on March 26th I am going to take over most of the "operational" aspect of Pets N Pads. This means that I am going to be getting down and dirty with house cleaning and pet sitting! I am SO excited! Finally, I am able to get involved with every aspect of my business which is what I have wanted for a long time now. Dan and I met with our marketing guy Peter Wyro with BraveMatters (http://www.bravematters.com/) and have some great strategies at hand. We are having door hangers & brochures made. We are starting a referral program. We are using Twitter & Facebook to their full advertising potential and so much more to come! Our goal is to get this business booming! We are already busy but since this is MY only source of income now we are needing more. My two employees are GREAT and are very excited about the direction of the company. We are working as a team on one goal....GET MORE CUSTOMERS! It is such a good feeling to start a business from scratch and to see it turn into something great. We thoroughly enjoy caring for people's homes and pets. It is so nice to be trusted with their most valued possessions. We do not take it lightly.

Well that is about it for now. Please keep Dan and I in your prayers. We have a lot more to think about with Dan finishing his thesis, finding a job, and then us moving and figuring out what to do with our Oklahoma branch of Pets N Pads.

Waiting Game

The Future:

So, it is now March, 2010 and the beginning of a new season for us. Dan will be finishing his Masters degree this summer and he will be looking for a job to have lined up and ready! We think he will start applying for jobs in April and will probably start work in July or August. Finally, all of Dan's hard work will be paid off :-) He has been so busy and so great through it all. We were worried that he may not do as well in school/research due to us being married and having a business etc. He sure showed us! He is graduating with a 4.0 from the University of Oklahoma! I couldn't be more proud of my husband.



Business: www.petsnpads.com

Business is booming! We have two employees now who are helping with both house cleaning and pet sitting. I am so blessed to have finally found two hard working, reliable employees to have on my team. I had a few bad experiences with hiring and firing, but I suppose that was expected. With moving in the near future we are trying to put together a plan of action as far as the business goes. We really would like to keep it running here in Oklahoma as well as start up a new branch wherever we move. We still have time and need to put a lot of thought into this very big decision. We are confident that no matter what happens, we will be fine :-)

Save OKC Pets:

I have also been doing a ton of charity work for the OKC Animal Welfare Division in Oklahoma City. I am now a "Foster Captain" and have about 20 foster families under me. I have made a website in efforts to educate the community about the issues at hand. You can visit the website at www.saveokcpets.wordpress.com. I am knee deep in a fundraiser that I am heading which will be held on the first weekend of May (be kind to animals week) at a park in Oklahoma City. I am putting together the OKCAWD 1st annual dog walk-a-thon! I am very excited and think this will bring many people together for a great cause. It will take a lot of work, but we will do it!

One of the litter of 10 pups out to foster right now:


Pet News:

Our cat Zoey had been sick for a while and we found out that she had Pneumonia and Bronchitis. We put her on meds for that and she got better for a little while (a couple of days). After that she started to cough again and was very lethargic. After X-rays and several rounds of antibiotics we finally suggested to the vet that it may be Asthma. We put her on meds for the Asthma and she is doing great! She is more friendly and active than she has ever been! Poor girl has had this every since we bought her in 2008 and is finally normal!


Our other cat Smokey has his second UTI in 2 months :-( Poor thing was miserable. Smokey was always crying and wanting attention at the worse times! He also started going to the bathroom outside of his litter box which made us think it was a UTI. Yet again, we were right and he is on meds too! It was not very pleasant trying to diagnose him though. He had to stay at the vets all day and they kept sticking a needle in his bladder with no luck! He finally drank some water and they were able to diagnose his UTI. Smokey is not running around the house like normal and not driving us nuts anymore!

We fostered a dog named Emma and she still had puppy teeth (very sharp!). So needless to say, Duke loves to play rough but he has received some battle wounds from the pup. He has one on the top of his head and on on the side of his head. It would have healed by now but Daisy (his girlfriend) will not stop licking it! So he looks as though he is a fighting dog with 2 scars on his face/head now.

Duke, Daisy & Emma:


Daisy is great! She loves wearing her adorable outfits and necklace (sick right?!). She is no sissy though! She loves to roughhouse with Duke and Emma. She has no idea that she is smaller than them. It is great :-)
Waiting Game:

Now we are just waiting to see where the Lord brings us next! We are not even sure what state we will be in in the next few months! It is scary, but exciting at the same time :-) We covet your payers.

I guess that is all for now. I will leave with this...

"We know not what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."