love offering

I want a dog.

Ever since we decided to move, I have looked forward to having a backyard so we could get a dog. I even planned to get one as soon as we moved. But Baron & I decided we really would like to have a fence in the backyard before we get a dog. So, before our house was finished, we kept expecting our neighbors to put up fences. We were hoping that all of our neighbors would fork out the money to fence in their backyards so that we wouldn't have to. Well, that hasn't happened. I keep thinking surely they will do it, since our neighbors on both sides have kids. If I had kids, I would definitely want a fence. Anyway, I'm starting to think that they are waiting for us to do the same thing. So now I have doggie fever and we can't get one until we get a fence. And we can't get a fence until we have the money. So, if anyone would like to make a donation to the "Build A Fence For The Goins Family So Laura Can Have A Dog" fund, please feel free to do so. All donations are welcome. :-)

Here are some pictures of some of the doggies I found on the websites for some of our local humane shelters. Aren't they adorable? How can you say no to these little faces? Send your money today. :-)

a ladybug & chicken thanksgiving

Every year for Thanksgiving we go to visit my mom's family in Albany, Georgia. This is our usual agenda for Thanksgiving Day:

1. Baron & I drive over there Thursday morning. We usually get to my aunt & uncle's house just in time for dinner.
   
2. When we get there, everyone feasts on our traditional Thanksgiving vittles: turkey, ham, dressing, Veg-all casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, green beans (or green bean casserole), rolls, and of course an assortment of desserts.
   
3. After we eat, we sit around & watch T.V. The girls usually watch some girly movie in the front living room, and the guys watch football in the back den. I actually usually end up watching football because I'm not interested in the movies my mom & Tata (my grandmother) choose to watch in the girly room. (No offense, mom & Tata!)
   
4. Right about halftime of whatever game is on, someone suggests that we go for a walk. Some people have already fallen asleep at this time, so you never know who will attend the walk. This year it was just me, Baron, & my dad. I think everyone else was too busy watching the girly movie.
   
5. Back to watching T.V. (Sometimes we go to the local putt-putt/go-carts place & hang out, but we opted out of that this year.)
   
6. Eat turkey sandwiches for supper.

Anyway, this year there were two walks. When the folks got back from the second walk, my mom comes back to the den & says, "Laura, Laura! There are a MILLION ladybugs on the water tower!" [There is a water tower about a block from my aunt & uncle's house. Last year there were a MILLION wasps around it. Apparently it is now an adventure to see what insects migrate to the water tower.] Anyway so my mom tells me that I need to get my camera phone and take pics of the ladybugs. So, here are a few I managed to capture. I wish I'd had a real camera so I could get a good picture of them swarming around the tower. I did manage to get a couple as they comfortably landed all over us. They didn't mind us being there at all. They landed in our hair, on our clothes, on our legs. One flew into my face. So, without further ado, might I present...the Thanksgiving ladybugs.

on my arm

on my mom's legs

on the water tower

on my mom's head...and one on her shoulder

Also, for some reason there were chickens in the neighborhood. I don't know whose chickens they were, but when we got back from the ladybug adventure, of course I snapped a picture. I tried to get a closer one but they were scared of me. I don't know why...I was only running after them with my camera phone in the air like a psyho blogger capturing the moment. Anyway, here are the Thanksgiving chickens in my aunt & uncle's yard.

new phone!

So Baron & I finally got camera phones this weekend! Now I can let my true blogger emerge by using my camera phone whenever I am out and I see something blog-worthy. Of course, I imagine that I will never encounter such an occasion now that I actually have the means to take advantage. Anyway, hooray for new camera phones!!

foggy

I've been dealing with a cold since Saturday, and I decided it was time to destroy it. I'd been taking Nyquil every night since then, but I'm always wary of daytime medicines because they make me drowsy (despite the non-drowsy promise plastered on the box). Anyway, last night at Wal-Mart I decided to try Sudafed PE Cold & Cough. I've taken regular Sudafed before - the tiny little red tablets - and they don't make me sleepy or anything. So this morning I took the daytime Sudafed, and now I am regretting it. I just bent over in my chair to pick up a staple I dropped, and I nearly toppled over as a result of my drunken stupor. What is wrong with me? Why can't I take non-drowsy medicine and NOT get drowsy? Does anyone else have this problem? So I guess the only time I can take anything for my cold is at night before I go to bed. Boooo.

By the way, it just took me like 15 minutes to type this post because my brain is not capable of telling my fingers what to do right now.

halloween...a few days late

Sorry I haven't posted any pics from Halloween yet. I figured I better go ahead & do it before Thanksgiving gets here. We had a "Halloween" party with some friends on Friday night, and of course Baron and I dressed up. (I say "Halloween" because I believe it's not really a Halloween party unless there are costumes...ahem, I expect more participation next year! Thanks, Jamey, for being the only other adult besides us to dress up!) Anyway, Baron also got to dress up for work on Halloween, so I'll include that costume as well. And of course we both had to dress up Tuesday night to pass out candy. Here are the pics. Enjoy!

Howie & Laura (yes, that is model #22's real name)

of course, I had the winning case!

Baron as a redneck, complete with Big Cletus teeth

well obviously, this is me as a duck