Finally!

Well, finally a successful Thursday. I made it to class early and the dog is tied down to the bed. Okay, not really. But close enough. I turn in my mid-term tonight and my paper for missing class last week. Whew...so glad that is over. Now I can just go into the weekend ready to enjoy.

I have lots on the agenda already for the weekend. Dinner with friends, the new Steve Carrell movie, Dan in Real Life, the National Cowgirl Museum , Piccomolo's and Joe T's (twice in one weekend I might add). Good times. I may even get to play golf on Sunday if I can convince the boys to start at 9am instead of 7am. It's worth it, trust me.

Okay, that's all my brain has for you right now. I have to save what's left for the dreadful class ahead of me. Peace out.

Thursday - Round 2

Okay, so I am sure that many of you read about the debacle of a couple Thursday's past. But the drama continued this last Thursday. Read on...

I have class on Thursday nights and Mel is such an awesome friend that she takes Enzo every Thursday so Enzo can spend time with their lab, Maggie rather than be locked up in a crate. Well, this past Thursday I was to give a presentation for my mid-term project. I am on my way out to class and in almost the exact same spot as the week before, I get a call from Mel saying that Enzo had jumped the fence right in front of her and Chris and that only being 20 seconds behind him, he was no where to be found. She said that he put his tiny feet on a cinder block and then off he went.

I tried to call Amberton to talk to my professor but no luck. All the phones where down. I decide to journey on to class and try to get through the presentation but by the time I made to campus and Enzo had still not been found, I looked lovely with a tear-stained face. Not ideal for presenting. My professor was cool and told me to head out in search of my dog. Thank you, Lord! I felt so silly...like I was using the excuse "my dog ate my paper".

I got back in the car and headed back to Coppell. I kept calling Mel to check on the status to no avail. Now I was really freaking out. I called my dad and he started the commute to Coppell to help me hunt down the dog. For those of you that don't know Enzo, he is super skittish and we thought he surely had to be hiding in a bush because of all the people out yelling his name and all cars driving though the neighborhood. It felt like we searched every bush in Meadow Glen.

It started to get dark...and cold. My dog has no body fat and hardly any hair. I knew he was going to be cold and even more scared. At one point, it was me, my dad, my mom, Mel and Chris, and Holly and JM looking for Enzo. Did I mention I have awesome friends and family? We looked high and low. I was honestly in shock that we had not had any luck yet. Finally, we had to decide to stop looking. It was heartbreaking. Kari came and stayed the night with me at Mel's. I was so thankful for that. She brought me pj's and all that good stuff. We decided to lay a blanket, my clothes, one of his toys and some food out front by the door. We heard that if I left some clothes then he could smell them and journey back.

I finally was able to fall asleep and then at 2am I woke up and was just so hopeful that Enzo would be there by the front door. I rushed to the door and instantly looked outside to the little corner to the left. He wasn't there. I was brokenhearted all over again. Then at 6am, me, Mel and Kari got up to go print flyers. We went up to the office and made 150 flyers. We posted them as fast as we could. We plastered Mel's neighborhood. Did I mention that our office had staff retreat Friday morning and we only had a couple hours to get all our work done? Just great. So after we hung flyers everywhere and stuffed them in mailboxes we headed the office as is. We looked beautiful, let me tell ya.

I tried to focus as best I could. I tried not to look at his dog bed in the office or his chew toys or dog bowls. I tried to just get things done. I got a call about an hour into work from a lady that had seen a "found sign". To bad it was for a black and white dog. Boo. Then came the call we had all been praying for!

A lady called and said that she had Enzo. She said that she had been driving her son to school and she could not figure out why everyone was driving so slow on Beltline. Finally, she was able to see the cause. Enzo was running down the street in Friday morning traffic. She said he looked terrified. She stopped her van and tried to corner him. Finally he came to her. I was so excited. I don't think I have smiled that big in so long...I was glowing! All the girls in the office were so excited too. Me, Kari and Mel loaded up in the car to get my baby. He was at the intersection of Beltline and MacArthur. Very far from home. He certainly was not hiding in bushes.

Enzo is home safe and sound. Still eating a ton for a little guy but is all caught up on sleep now. I am so thankful to all the people who knew how important Enzo is to my life and took this so seriously. They searched for him without question, just like they would if it were my child. I know he's just a dog but he's who I pour out so much of my love too. Thanks to the woman who took time to stop and return Enzy to his home. I want to be a woman that is that thoughtful. And I praise the One who delights in mercy.

Welcome home Enzo!

Fall Wines

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/drinking/wine/drinknow_october2007?mbid=RF

Spin Me Right Around

Well, today was quite the adventure. I woke up at 6:24 this morning to let Enzo out and was nearly blown over by the smell of gas, so I thought. I laid in bed and decided to text Kari and have her take a quick smell out back when she woke up. But as I was attempting to drift back off to dreamland where I frolic through fields of daisies, I kept thinking to myself, "what if the house blows up and I could have saved us?" Dreadful, I know. So, I called my mom and asked her if there can be gas leaks outside. This is new territory to me. Some things are just not common sense to this natural blond. Duh, she said in a much nicer way. So I hung up and called the Atmos energy emergency line.

They told me to evacuate immediately, to not use my cell phone again and not to start any vehicles near the property. Umm, excuse me but what do I do if I can't call anyone to pick me up and I can't take my own car to evacuate? But at any rate, in my most serious tone I rushed to wake up the roommates (did I mention that I panic in stressful situations?), they tossed on their clothes and it was then, in an extremely rare moment, we caught a glimpse of a slightly grumpy Kari. Still sweet but fighting the grumpies. And at her expense, it's amusing. So anyways, there we three are, standing on the side of Russell Avenue in our pj's and Enzo in tow. Awesome start to the morning.

The rebels we are, we decided to risk it and start the car. No explosion. But now we needed to figure out where to go at 6:45 in the morning. We rolled through the McDonald's drive thru and then headed to the nearest parking lot...to sit...and sit. Finally, the Atmos man showed up and poked and prodded around. He finally said it was safe to take a shower. Ashley and Kari quickly got ready to head off to their 9 to 5's while I sat around watching the Cosby show in hopes that Atmos was going to solve the mysterious gas leak. No luck. I decided to head into work and have him call him when he was done solving the mystery. When he finally called he told me that there had been no gas leak...that is until he busted a pipe doing a test. Good gosh man.

Now, why don't you go ahead and cut to 5pm today and I start making the horrific traffic filled drive to Frisco for class. One a side note, not one more freakin person needs to move to Frisco. NO VACANCIES! After 45 minutes of sitting in bumper to bumper and jamming to the new Remedy album, I get a call from a sweet little man named Pat saying he has found my precious little puppy. For the love! So, I flip the car around and head to Coppell where I am house sitting only to find Enzo backed into the corner of a random house where he had successfully pooped himself from being scared out of his head. I thanked stranger Pat profusely for watching my baby and then I rushed over to Mel's, gave the shaky dog a bath, went back to the neighbors to clean up dog poo and now...now... I am supposed to drive back to class. I don't think so. Not to hear some crummy lecture from my interim teacher and then half the class comment on EVERYTHING because they think they know more than Einstein. Oh no, not tonight.

What a day. What a day. Thank God Grey's is on tonight. And the Rocky Road in the fridge is calling my name. Calgon take me away, will you?

Weekend Lowdown

Well, it's Friday and I am just about done with my work week. I have had just about enough of placing nannies for the week. No more emails, no more calls, no more interviews.

I am watching sweet Karli tonight. We will do something fun for sure. Her birthday is on the 10th so I bought her all the latest Littlest Pet Shop critters...a sparkly dragonfly and a black Scottie dog (they are fuzzy now) and one cute Webkinz. Man, those things are selling like hot cakes. I practically had to threaten a little girls life at Hallmark the other night just to get one. I was kind of making fun of them when I made my way up to the counter to make my purchase and the cashier told me that if I had any extra money that I needed to purchase one for myself. Whoops...found another Webkins groupie. Lady, if I have extra money I will be buying myself something other than a stuffed animal that has a pass code to website. I don't care what the craze is about.

Tomorrow night is the big 2-8. Wow. That's really all I have to say about that. Going to do the family dinner thing at PF Changs and I already have my mind set on my favorite Key Lime Martini...maybe two. Happy Birthday to me.

I plan to clean my disaster of a room this weekend. I was reading last night that a home with no order means you also have an unorderly soul. Ouch. It really did weigh on me for good reason but I will touch on that in a more serious blog.

I made it a whole week without checking myspace. I was proud of myself. One more week to go. I can do it, people.

P&L

Looking For The Change

Here is one of my favorite quotes from The Journals of Jim Elliot. If you don't have his journal, I recommend that you get it and read it slowly. The man was a maniac. May we be that way for Christ.

"I sense that I am dwelling in a generation to whom nothing is holy. Sacredness is an aspect this people never assumes toward anything. In a rebellious reaction to Victorian prudishness, they revel in bald frankness which enervates moral consciousness. Tragedy is that I feel it affecting me. We have a noncommittal morality. Nothing is so bad, and nothing is so good. Everything is a muddle of both." Jim Elliot

Not much has changed, eh?

My Newest Purchase

I bought a new painting for my collage wall in my bedroom. Oh glorious day. Like it?

Rain Rain Go Away

Well, it's raining here in the Big D. I know what you're thinking..."Courtney, this is great news! We need the rain." Yeah, well, you're wrong for a couple of reasons. The reasons mainly center around me but I am sure you will understand once I take the time to explain...

As mentioned in a previous blog, I hate the mornings. How does pitch black and the sound of pitter patter help me get out of my bed? Answer: it doesn't. I did manage to get out of bed at 7:52am which allowed me the privilege of strolling into work at around 8:20am. Yeah, you guessed it...I look hot. Actually, waking up late was not in the plans for me this morning. You see, I have a very important photograph being taken later this afternoon at the DMV. Finally, my drivers license has expired and I get to replace the awful poodle picture that I have endured for 4 years. But I digress.

Reason two for my disgruntlement at the rain this dreary morning...Enzo. So now am I not only running late for work but I have to put my poor, sleepy dog in the backyard in the hopes that he will step off the back stoop to do his business. God forbid he gets wet. Then, once I let him back in if I am not on my A game then he will go running past me and dive back into my bed, only to get the sheets covered with mud. Well who the heck is on their A game when they hate the mornings? Not this girl. At this stage in the game I barely have my eyes open and my towel is still wrapped around my body and I have to hold it on with one hand for dear life for fear that one of my roommates may see a little too much of Courtney this morning. Oh, that's right...they have all left for work by now. Shocker.

At any rate, this afternoon I will be washing sheets. So, just remember that when you are all enjoying the rain and prancing around with your umbrellas.

Movie Reviews

Two Weeks starring Sally Field

I watched this movie last night and I cried like a little girl. This was a touching film about family and how important it is to come together when you lose a loved one. And because losing a mother will be so terribly hard I have decided that I never want to lose my mom. Mom, can you stay forever? That would be ideal. Thanks.

I would highly recommend this movie, but make sure that you are in the mood for something heavy. And don’t watch this is you are in the process of losing someone or have recently lost someone. Well, maybe you should watch it…you might relate. Hmmm...not sure about that one.

The great news is that this movie makes you laugh at just the right time. There were times when I could picture myself sitting at the table with my brother spewing orange juice through my nose because of side-splitting laughter at something only we would think is funny…even in spite of a painful situation. It is a film that insightful, moving, heart-wrenching and humorous all rolled into one story. Sally Field is amazing. You can feel her pain. Mom, you still with me? Just checking.

Well, just call me Chris Crocker

Okay, maybe not. But seriously, poor Britney Spears officially lost custody of her children yesterday and all we can do is make fun of her? I just don't understand. I actually heard some bit on the radio yesterday saying that she was more broken up up losing her bag of Cheese Doritos over losing her children. Come on man! She lost her children. She has been considered an unfit mother. I don't care who you are, that would make you feel terribly insecure and worthless.

I just hope that as Christians, our hearts would break for her. I pray that the Lord draws her close to Him after she tries running for so long. I pray that He restores some sort of normal life to her and that she will have the ability to make good choices. And I also pray that we don't glorify her situation.

And with that said...enough of the Britney Spears drama. It is sad though.

And now, for your viewing pleasure.

The Mondays

Well, it's Monday and another week begins. For those of you that know me well, know that I am far from being a morning person. I strolled out of bed at 8am (the time I should be logging in at the office) and so I started my day off with "The Mondays". Thank you Office Space.

My goal this week is to be great at work. JT, Brent and I had a long talk this week about wanting to excel at our jobs, and be great stewards with out time. We also discussed how hard that struggle is at times. I am praying for the Lord's mercy because that means that I have to get up on time. Enzo is at work with me today. I have been pondering ways to make his life not so boring. Hmm...still no creative ideas there.

I gave up myspace for a couple of weeks starting today. I feel good about my decision. I know, I am a rebel.

My 28th Birthday was celebrated early this past Friday at Coal Vines. We had a great time just eating a long, lazy dinner and enjoying each other's company. I am blessed with great friends.

The Bachelor is on tonight. Don't forget people. It's what makes the world go round.