Thursday, February 24, 2011

When life gives you lemons...

SHOVE THEM IN YOUR BRA!

The past month has been quite interesting in my own personal exhistance. Without going into tooooo much detaile, the Lord either has a plan or certain things in my life don't make a crap of sense. Ok, I've gotten that out in the open. Moving on.

We are still waiting to hear back from the County regarding Paul's job application process. Last we heard, they were finished with the background investigation and that it was being submitted to the hiring dept. We are both anxious to hear something from them..... hopefully very soon. I am sure Paul is MUCH more anxious then me. I mean, it is his employment that could be changing.

Life at Skyline Cleaners (aka, my work) is awesome. We continue to be really really busy most days of the week. We have a newer girl working with us now. Her name is Winter and we spend just about every minute laughing at/with each other. Between her, Valerie, Gloria and Christina we make a happy little family. We all get along so well. It great going to work without the stress and tension I have had in other jobs. I hope we can not only keep it that way, but not have employment turnover anytime soon. It's hard to believe I have been there for 6 months already. It's been fun :)

Life in the Quillon home is pretty much the same. Basketball season is coming to an end which I am thankful for... but they are now starting to announce the upcoming concerts in the area. And, with March quickly approaching, warm weather will be arriving and more outdoor sporting events will be starting. Please County, call and give my husband a job!

Paul and I booked our flights for our April visit to Missouri. I am very excited to get out of Charlottesville, VA for a few days and spend some quality time with my family. I am so glad that both of my brothers will be there that weekend. We are anxious for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game and a visit to the St. Louis Zoo. I'll post pictures after the trip!

I don't think anything else is going on. Oh, we did get our new furniture delivered last weekend. It looks so pretty. I'll post pictures of that later. I'm glad to have the broken stuff gone.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Liz

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

It's already February

It was a BEAUTIFUL 62 degrees in Charlottesville, Va today. The sky was blue and the tempeature was simply amazing. It was a nice change from the freezing cold days we have been experiencing this winter.

My family in Missouri has been hit hard by a recent winter storm. They have gotten on average 13 inches of snow over the past coule days. My mom had to dig herself out of her driveway after the county snow plow man did an amazing job of dumping all the snow at the end of her driveway. I'm so thankful I am not in Missouri right now!

Paul had his interview with the County PD last Thursday. It seemed to have gone well. He filled out a lot of paper work so they could begin his back ground investigation. We are anxious for them to finish that so they can take the next step. We will let you all know what we find out.

Paul goes in next Thursday for his disspability rating for his leg from his motorcycle accident he was involved in. It's hard to believe it's been over a year since his accident. I'm guessing they are going to give him a 75% dissability rating. We will see how close I am.

Well, that's all I know for now.

US

Thursday, January 13, 2011

HaPpY nEw YeAr!

Happy New Year to all of our family & friends!
This post is WAY overdue. I feel like our life has been moving at a million miles a minute and updating our blogg has been the very last thing on my mind. I know I have not udated since Christmas. So, here's a short update on the happenings of our life.

Happy Birthday to Harley! Although we do not know the exact date of his birthday, we are fairly certain it is in January. Our little guy is no longer considered a puppy in the dog world. He'll always be a puppy to me though!

My job is going well. The greatest thing about my day is that every day is different. We may have the same customers come every week, but something funny, annoying, frustrating, rude, fun happens every single day. Yesterday one of my favorite customers came in and told me that his wife asked him if I was the manager of the cleaners. I am SO NOT a manager type. I get nervous training our new girl b/c I don't like the feeling that I am telling her what to do! Our owner told me to take it as a compliment. She said she's gald there's someone up front that act's like a manager. If she's happy, I'm happy!

Paul's job is the big ? in our life right now! Not in a bad way though. Paul is currently employed with the Charlottesville City Police Department. He just celebrated 5 years there and I am SO proud of him for being so dedicated to this wonderful city. He has been flirting with the idea for the past several months about possibly applying for the County PD. He came recently discovered that there were several positions opening after the 1st of the year and he submitted his application a couple weeks ago. I have to admit that I do not handle change well. Which is funny b/c my entire life has been about change for the most part. The biggest change with this new job (if he is offered the job) is that he will probably have to work nights for the first 6-9 months. I am REALLY not looking forward to that..... but I told him i would put on my big girl pants and be supportive and not a baby about it. And, that is exactly what I will do. My parents moved a lot while they were together and my mom has had to pack and move more houses then I can count. She is such a great example to me! Paul's not asking me to pack and move, just be patient until he can get on daylight shift. I think I can do that. Especially since we do not have children right now! We hope to hear from the County soon! I'll keep you posted!

Christmas was so relaxing at our home! We spent most of Christmas day with Paul's family and I had a great time with them! Paul and I exchanged stockings this year and I feel like I pretty much jipped him.... but he did nto feel that way. He bought me something I have been wanting for a long time! He got me a Walther P22. It's a 22 mm Pistol! I am so excited. I have yet to take it out to shoot, but hopefully as soon as the weather begins to warm up, that will be 1st on our list of things to do! Winter with no snow has been very strange for me. I could not live somewhere that was tropical the week fo Christmas! I love having a white Christmas and that did not really happy. We did get some snow Christmas night, so I was happy!

I think that is all the happenings of our life at the moment! Hope everyone is doing well!

Love, Liz

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Paul called me tonight from work to tell me to look outside... and guess what?? It's SNOWING! This is the start of my 1st Virginia winter and I am very excited :) I cannot believe that the winter season is already upon us! I wanted to share my excitement with everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday night!
Liz

Friday, December 3, 2010

Happy December Everyone :)

I feel as though I have been slacking the past several weeks in updating our blog! December has officially arrived and it blows my mind that Thanksgiving is done and over with so soon. We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family/friends this year and that you were blessed with good food, great company and amazing memories!

Paul and I had 4 ENTIRE days off together ( We are lucky to have 1 entire day off together a month. Even though Football season is done and Basketball games are not nearly as long, they require Paul to be gone more often. We are blessed that he is typically home by 9:30 or 10:00 on BBall nights). Thursday morning we (including Harley) drove into Charlottesville to pick up Cameron and go to a local school to watch the Charlottesville 2nd ward play flag football. Man did I underdress for the game. Since Paul could not play, we brought the puppy and watched from our camp chairs. It was a brisk 42 degrees that morning and I was very thankful that Harley did not throw up in the car b/c I was able to use the blanket we brought to cover the back seat... just incase. The game started off with quite the scare!!!! A guy brought his huge dog with him and decided that even though he is "socially retarted" (as quoted by the dog's owner) he let him run free. The dog ran over to Harley and immediately attacked him. It freaked me out like I can not express. Harley was yelping while the dog was trying to bite his neck. Paul grabbed Harley's collar and threw him on me. All I could do was hold on for dear life hoping that the dog would go away. The owned tried explaining to us that the dog was not very well socialized around other dogs. I immediately asked him where in the heck his leash was if he knew his dog was a threat to other animals. Luckily, he was not injured but we think Harley bit the other dog. Good for Harley!

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful. Paul's mom and sister Kaylyn did most of the cooking. We had turkey, ham, dressing... you know... the holiday works :) It was amazing food. Thanksgiving is the 1 holiday that makes me really miss my family. I love the Stone/Blessing family traditions... aka... Noodles :) Yummy!!!!! I think next year I will make noodles and take them to the Quillon Thanksgiving dinner! Bring a little Stone to the meal :)

Friday we opted out of the Black Friday shopping frenzy. We did go to walmart to buy some lites and balls for our little 4 ft tree. We also went to the Halmark store and bought an Elf on a Shelf. if you have not seen them, you should go to Halmark and look at one. It is such a cute idea for families with little kids. Never too soon or late to start a new family tradition. Although we are lacking in the children department, we thought it would be a cute little tradition to start with the two of us. His name is Buddy and he sit's on a shelf in our kitchen/dining room. He's cute.

Yesterday was my day off and I was able to accomplish a TON around the house. I had a horribe headache yesterday and could not shake the little after shock headaches I get when the headache sit's behind either eye. I woke up this morning with a little headache behidn my eye again and it turned into a full blown migraine and all could do was lay in bed or lay in the bathroom for the majority of the morning/afternoon. I was so glad when my excedrine finally kicked in and Paul came home to snuggle with me on the couch.

Yesterday was Harley's first non check up vet visit. Believe it or not, the incision where he was fixed 2 months ago has opened back up and yesterday I noticed that there was puss oozing from the sore. I called the vet and she wanted to see him asap. So, when Paul came home, we got back in the car and drove him to our vet. He did such a great job! Our vet is the NICEST woman!!! Her and her assistants are always sooooooo nice to him and give him lots of treats. They had to take him into the back to clip the hair around the sore and to scrub it. It broke my hear sitting the the exam room listening to him yelp. He was not as happy when we saw him next. They put him on some antibiotics and besides the fact that the meds make him REALLY tired, he seems to be doing great!

Tonight's the 1st night since our wedding that Paul's been called out for work because of a bad accident in town. He only get's called out if it's a fatality or close to it. I honestly have never seen him get dressed so quickly. I don't think he tied his boots before leaving the house. I really hope he's home sooner than later! I work all day tomorrow and he has a basketball game tomorrow night. I know he does not want to be gone any more then I want him to be gone. My thoughts are with the child that was injured tonight.

Well, that's all I know for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the Christmas season!

Liz

Saturday, November 20, 2010

1 year ago today....


Paul was escorting the UVA football team from UVA to the Charlottesville, VA Airport. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, he hit a median on the corner of Barracks Rd and Emmett Street in C'ville. He broke his leg in several places. His leg was operated on and he now has a metal rod from his ankle to his knee. He was 100% out of work until March 24th. At that time he went back to light duty. As soon as the doctors cleared him, he jumped back on his police motorcycle. I am sure his mom was very nervous for him to get back to work. After seeing what he went through the day of his accident, you cannot blame her.

I see the brighter side to his accident. Paul works A LOT!!!! And I am positive that we would never have had the chance to meet in person if he was not forced to sit on his couch for several months. It was during his recovery time that we started talking on the phone, met in person and got engaged. I know he has aches on an almost daily basis from his accident.... but I am eternally thankful that the Lord gave us that time to meet and get to know each other. I am not a believer that everything happens for a reason... but I do believe that God has the ability to put His hands in all things. Maybe... just maybe... this was him putting His hands directly into our lives.

I am so proud of my husband. He is an amazing police officer! He may not see it or feel it, but he does make a difference. He helps to keep our small city safe.

I hope that the next year brings another 12 months of safety. I pray every morning when he backs out of the driveway that the Lord will bring him home safe, and every night I am thankful that he is home again!

Monday, November 15, 2010

November is 1/2 over....

And yet I feel like it just started! Where are the days going? It does not help that I work until 6 pm most evenings of the week, I get home around 7, and am in bed by 9. We feel like it's a relaxing night when we have time to watch an entire episode of Psych. Psych is our newly found addiction :) It's amazing and we love it!

Puppy News:
Harley is now 11 months old. I'm thinking he was born sometime around Christmas b/c the vet guessed he was probably a little over 8 months old when we took him in for his 1st checkup.

He's still as excited about life as ever. I often wonder what I did to entertain myself when I was home alone without him. I honestly believe every couple should have a puppy before they EVER have a baby. What great practice it is..... with a little less responsibility :)

He's had quite the exciting past several days. The other night I got into our cabinet and grabbed my multi-vitamin and a fiber supplement. Before I had a chance to take my fiber, it fell onto the floor and I thought it rolled under the stove. Paul told me I should pick it up but my response was "He won't be able to get it, it's under the stove". Moments later, I observed a small item stuck to Harley's mouth area.... it was the clear coating from the fiber supplement. Yes, that's right. He found the pill and consumed it. Lucky for us, the effects of so much fiber did not hit him until the next morning.... but it sure did clean him out. Poor little guy. The same night he consumed the fiber, my mom gave us some great advice.... let Harley sleep in his crate (He's been sleeping in our room), put a blanket over his crate so he can't see out into the living room during the night, and leave him be. So, we did just that. WELL.... we don't sleep with heat on in our house at night (not yet at least), so the next morning Paul got up and turned the heat on so the house would be warm when I had to get up for work. Not 30 minutes after Paul left, I hear a horrible yelping sound coming from the living room. I jumped out of bed, ran to see what was going on. Apparently, where his crate was sitting was directly next to the floor vent. ALL of the heat coming from that vent was getting trapped by the blanket and was pouring into his cage! Poor thing was cooking!!!!!!!!!! Between heat stroke and over amounts of fiber, he was probably wishing he was back at the SPCA. The best thing about a dog thought is how forgiving they can be. He panted for a while, cooled down and snuggled with me for the rest of the morning. I love him!

Several nights ago, Paul found this nice big pillow in our storage room and thought Harley would like it. He's been sleeping on it for several nights now and has seemed to enjoy it very much. Well, today he had to be crated while we were both at work. Typically Paul's home by 2:30 but tonight was UVA Basketball so he was crated until I got home at 7. He must have gotten bored b/c I came home and the feathers from the pillow were EVERYWHERE. All over our kitchen/ dining room area and all over him. It looked like it has snowed! There are the moments when I wish my camera worked on a regular basis. It was quite the mess to clean up!

Family News:
Nothing too much is going on with our little family. Paul's been kinda sick the past week. He went to the doctor last Thursday and they said he had bronchitis (sp?). He seems to finally be feeling better.

UVA Football is finally over, and UVA Basketball has officially started. There are pro's and con's to Basketball. Pro's: games are sooooo much shorter.... Con's: There are soooooo many more of them! At least I know that when UVA has a 7 pm game, Paul should be home by 9 ish. Therefore, I won't complain!

My work is.... going. I've been going in really early the past couple weeks and closing just about every night. This Thursday is my day off and Paul's taking a comp day so we can spend the day together. Days when we both have off the entire day are very few and far between. I am so thankful for Thanksgiving because we get 4 days off together. I could not ask for more!

Married life is wonderful. We celebrated our 4 monthiversary on the 9th. Hard to believe we have been married for 4 months. Even harder to believe we have been together for almost a year (in January). I often look back on the past nearly 10 months of our relationship and I could not have asked for a better life. The Lord has truly blessed me in ways that I feel so unworthy of.

I am very much looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with Paul's family this year. My goal is to be able to spend Thanksgiving next year in South Dakota with my oldest brother and his family (with Paul of course). I have so much to be thankful for this year!

I think that pretty much wraps it up for now. I hope this entry finds everyone well and happy!

Liz