Swimmers Ear anyone?

A dog that thinks he is a fish + H2O= SWIMMERS EAR! Yes sir Tyrone Cawood has swimmers ear!!! I about wet my pants when I heard the news :) It is always an ordeal to take the Ryone-ster to the vet b/c he HATES it. He cries at little dogs, he pees on the floor, it takes 10 people to get him on the scale b/c he is terrified of it, and to top it off you leave with 150 pounds of dog hair all over you. Drew and I have a pact that if Tyrone goes to the vet the whole damn fam goes to the vet. So here is how we spent our Friday afternoon...

I'll just sit right here in the back seat and watch outside. No need to worry about me I prefer a seat over a large space in the back of the Tahoe.
Does he look like he is in pain or what? HA! Drew and vet Bill had to hold him on the table b/c he was terrified.

The good news... HE LOST 13 pounds!!! We have been trying to get the fat guy to loose for 6 months!!! The bad news... I have gained what he has lost!

What happens in Vegas....

Yep, you are seeing it correctly. DC and I booked a last minute trip and headed to Vegas. Nick looked at us on the 4th and said.. you better get it out of your system before you start a family. So we took his advice and went to Vegas! I get asked all the time... does it stink to travel so much for work???? My response... not when you can pick up and go to Vegas in a day! We booked some frequent flier tickets , booked a room at the MGM, and headed to the city that never sleeps. We had a blast!!! We went to some fabulous restaurants, went to all but 4 casinos, went back to the very spot at the Ghost Bar in the Palms where we got engaged, saw a Cirque du Soleil show KA, saw Wayne Brady live, gambled, lost a lot of money, gambled lost some more, saw some celebs, and had an all around great time! Our friends Roger and Onie were there as well so we got to hang with them one night before they left. The last time we saw them was in Vegas in February.. guess where they live? Atlanta! Go figure.

As usual we had an exciting time getting there... flight was canceled out of Greenville and they lost Drew's luggage. We were only going on 2 hours of sleep so it was interesting to say the least. We ended up driving/sleep driving to Atlanta to catch the flight. They put us in First Class so it made the drive well worth it! Roll over our pics and it tells you where we were.

July 4!

Drew and I had a busy 4th. We started off the week at a Greenville Drive game with our friend and old neighbor Lianna. I call her my new friend!!! Now I have 3 girlfriends in Greenville. Who hoo!!!! Nick then came and visited us for a few nights right before the weekend. He and Helen bought us a really nice wedding gift while he was in town--- a brand new HUGE Jenn Air grill. Drew has not been good a "sharing" though. I am not allowed, nor the dogs, to go near it :). I thought it was OUR wedding present??? hmmm. On July 4th Eve we headed to Clemson for Clemson Fest and enjoyed grilling out with the fam and watching fireworks over the lake. So beautiful! On the 4th Madison, Helen, Kathy, and Madison's friend Lauren came to visit and swim and then Drew and I worked downtown. Remember me saying... he works EVERY holiday! Poor guy... poor me for working on my day off :) We had a great time, got 2 hours of sleep and then headed to.... starts with a V and ends with an S! Yep we booked us a little last minute trip.. literally... booked it on the 4th! Stay tuned for those pics...

Drew and I at the Stadium bar. Of course we find the one bar at the stadium...

Lianna and I at the game. It was her birthday!

Clemson Fest

Lauren, me, and Madison

Drew, Matt, and Steve... grillin' burgers and dogs

Yes, go ahead and call me Martha! I made this cake. Jennie you now have competition :) Ok, so not really. It took 2 seconds as you can tell...

Nick and Steve hanging in their chairs. Nick loves a chair, a beer, and a nap!

Ben came by to see the fireworks...

Kathy and Helen slaving away


The fireworks over the lake... so awesome!

JULY 4

working... naaa... just taking pics instead. This pic was taken from the downtown fireworks celebration.
Lauren and Madison swimming with those crazy dogs!

Lake Fun...

On Sunday we headed to Lake Keowee with our friends Kristy, Julie, and Sam. We had about 2 minutes of sun and then a HUGE storm hit us. I wish I had pics of how bad it really was. Oh well, we still had fun....

Drew and Sam

me, Julie, Kristy

the chubsters

chillin on the floats

riding out the storm...

Free to a good home....

I am very grateful for the life I have. I have a wonderful husband, a great family, the best in-laws you could ask for, a great job, good health, etc. However, there is one thing that keeps my life in constant craziness, makes me wonder what I did to deserve him, and makes me want to pull all of my hair out... TYRONE CAWOOD!!!! This dog makes me so nuts sometimes that I think I am going to have to get mental help! UGH!!! So the story begins.... The girls were here last weekend and Whitney and I went to PB to find adorable cushions for my new outdoor wicker sectional. We spent two hours there b/c I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to go with blue tones, red tones, or even orange tones. So, we get the cushions home, have drinks out on the new porch and enjoy a great evening with friends. I decide to cover the new cushions with towels just IN CASE Tyrone decides the new furniture looks more comfortable than his dog bed. I get up on Saturday and he hadn't touched the couch. WOW! Maybe the damn dog is growing up. Saturday night I go to bed and forget to cover the couch. Oh well, he didn't touch it the night before, it will be fine. NOPE! I wake up and he has RUN, slept, and rolled in mud all over my cushions. I about died. There was 50 pounds of black dog hair all over my new furniture!!! Luckily the girls were there and they helped me pull every cover off and I washed them. I broke not one but two zippers while doing so b/c the covers were so tight. So Jennie gives me a great idea to get a tarp or a cover and just leave the whole set covered until I use it the next time. I immediately got on PB's website and ordered a $125.00 dollar cover for the darn couch. UGH! So, TODAY I put all the cushions on the couch, put the cover on the couch and tell Tyrone to not even think about it. Drew and I go out for breakfast, grocery shopping, Lowes.. the usual fun Sunday things. As I am bringing in groceries I hear Drew screaming. I thought the dog had drowned or something. Nope, he just decided to pull the cover off.. I have no idea how.. and ran, slept, rolled in mud all over my cushions AGAIN!!! Are you kidding me???? I lost it right then! So I am offering my lovely, sweet, well behaved Tryone free to a good home. :)

Pros to owning Tryone-

1. He listens and does not misbehave

2. He will eat your outdoor cushions (did this last year), dog beds (gone through 10), pool toys, pool towels, and furniture

3. He will color your indoor furniture a pretty shade of yellow. So far he is experienced with couches, chairs, and even a bed!

4. He will eat your sunscreen

5. He will goose you if you come close to him

6. He will leave you wonderful surprises of you know what in your garage. His fun is leaving them in places that you cannot see and you have to smell your way to finding them.

7. He will drown you in the pool b/c he thinks it is funny to jump on people and dogs while they swim

8. He gives great kisses

TYRONE... AKA Idiot Dog!!!

BEFORE
AFTER
COVER- going back in the box to PB. Now I have ordered large cushion holding bags.

I do love my dog, but right now I want to kill him!!! :)

My visit with Shannon... Annapolis, MD

I was in MD and VA this week for work, so I took a side trip to Annapolis to go visit Shannon. You don't realize how much you miss someone until you spend time with them and see what you are missing. I miss her SOOOO much! We had a great time for the few hours we were together. She took me to see her house, the Bay Bridge, and then to downtown Annapolis. It was beautiful and such a neat place to visit. I love you Shannon and cannot wait to see you again in August!

downtown Annapolis The Capitol
Bay Bridge
having a beer
The love I came home to tonight... I even got Drew a NAVY shirt that Shannon helped me pick out and this is what I got. Okay, so the truth is he was trying to watch the NBA draft and I was messing with him. Love me some Drew... :)

Girls Weekend

Next month I will be 32 and I am still able to say that I still keep in touch with my group of girlfriends from high school! How lucky am I!!! This weekend we had a girls weekend at my house. We had a blast catching up, hanging by the pool, and going out downtown. The girls came from NC, GA, TN and Tulsa, OK to visit this weekend. Love ya girls... thanks again for coming to SC!

Saturday night after dinner at Soby's. Ashley Vonderahe, Betsy Couch, Jennie Councill, me, Robin Meyer Houpe, Laura Piers, Whitney Miller. Our friend Shannon Harig-Blaine was unable to come from MD. We missed you Shay-dog!

high school graduation. Ashley, me, Betsy, Shannon and Whitney

college days. from left: Shannon, Robin, Jamie, Jennie, me, Whitney. Betsy and Laura in front. Aren't we the prettiest gals you have ever seen! Love my hair cut!

Friday night we sat out on the new porch and caught up. Drew was sweet to stick around and grilled out for us.
a toast to G-friends!

downtown leaving the wine bar

I love this pic so I had to put it on here too. We have also been a part of each others weddings. Shannon, Betsy, Whit, Ashley, me, Jennie, Laura, Robin.

Happy Father's Day!

So this is a little late. Drew and I spent Father's Day with Nick on Sunday. Helen made an amazing lunch as always. The boys were so over me taking pics. Here is one of my favorites. Happy Father's Day to our DADS and to my Papa. We love you all so much and appreciate all that you do.

The Cawood clan- Matt, Madison, Nick, Drew, and Mike

my 2 dads

My sweet Papa. He turns 90 on Christmas Day 2008!

Madison and Bless come to G-Vegas!

As you could read from my previous post we had Madison and Bless (13 years old) here last weekend. We had a blast with the girls. They were so much fun! We did all kinds of stuff while they were here... the zoo, Carowinds in Charlotte, Downtown Alive, Franky's Fun Park, the lake, etc. Drew and I were so worn out by the time Sunday came around. Enjoy the pics.

Maddie and Bless come for a visit..

day swimming....
Night swimming. Look in the right corner... Tyrone came out the first night they were here and jumped right in with them. I love the girls expressions. I wish I had my camera turned long ways. ugh!
Tyrone barking b/c he wants the girls to get out and jump in with him. I kid you not. They jump in, he jumps in. They get out, he gets out.

I picked up Maddie and Bless on my way home from Atlanta on Wednesday. We are spending a long weekend with them here in Greenville. We have had a blast so far and have done tons of things but the best times in my opinion have been watching the girls swim in the pool. They haven't gotten much alone time b/c they have 2 friends that enjoy swimming with them. The dogs are in LOVE with the girls. They are like two 4 year old brothers that won't leave their big sisters alone. It is priceless. I will post the abundance of pics later this weekend. I had to get this up right away for Helen and Leisa to see. We are having so much fun. Next summer they have to stay with us a full week.