3/4 of "The Order" Reunited!

I had a slow day at work today, so I was able to sneak away and meet Meghan and Kristin for lunch. Kristin is in town from Delaware for 2 weeks. This is the first time since February we have had more than 2 of the 4 Order members together, and it felt wonderful! Lauren was the only missing link, but we did get to talk to her on the phone all the way from Korea.

Today after work, Gary and I ran 4 miles at the Big Dam Bridge. This was my first time to run 4 miles, so I was proud of myself. I did it in 43 minutes and 30 seconds. I'm slowly working my way up to 13. I also went all day today with out a Diet Coke or coffee. That's huge! I drank lots of water and I am hoping that helps with my endurance while training.

After we ran, Kristin and Meghan came over. We laughed and joked about some of the things we did in high school. It's amazing that has been 6 years ago! I love those girls. They are some of my longest friends! I'm looking forward to reuniting with Lauren in February.

Lazy Lake Day.

We spent the day at the lake today. We slept in, went out on the boat for a little while, took a nap, watched a lot of TV, read, and ate. It felt so nice to just be lazy. After our dove dinner tonight (which by the way was not too bad), we went to a little "filling station" not far from our condo for dessert.

It's the last weekend for us to be able to use the condo my family rented for the summer. We went and looked at a house on the lake that will be auctioned off in a few days. I'm hoping my parents will end up getting a little place here before too much longer. We all love being able to come down to the lake and relax and spend time together. It reminds me of all the summers we spent coming to the lake with the whole Jenkins crew as a child. My dad's side of the family had a lake house that we would all come to on the weekends. We made a lot of good memories there with our cousins. I hope my kids will get to have some of those same lake memories some day.

The first day here is already over. Why does the weekend have to go so fast?

Dove for Dinner?

This morning Gary got up and headed out for his first Dove hunt with my Dad and brother. They reported a good time. Gary killed 4 doves and Dad and John Allen killed several more. We are on our way out the door, headed to the lake for the holiday weekend. When we arrive in Hot Springs we're going to grill the doves Gary and John Allen cleaned this afternoon and eat them for dinner. Crazy huh? I have never had Dove, so it will be interesting to see if we like it or not. We'll keep you posted. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

The Finished Front Yard!

This was our yard before...

This is our yard after Gary dug up our flower beds, monkey grass jungle, and sad excuse for grass and put in new sod and plants...

He did such a good job! The grass still has to grow together and the bushes need to fill out a little, but it is a much needed improvement!

Tonight we had dinner at Gadwalls, got ice cream at Shakey's, picked up Gary's hunting license, and played Guitar Hero on the couch. A low key Friday night at the Grant house. Gotta get to bed early, because Gary is headed out at 6am tomorrow to go Dove hunting.

Lola's New Toy.

I came home from work tonight stressed. You know, one of those days where you let yourself think of all the little "what ifs" until you are all worked up? I talked to my mom, talked to Gary, talked to my dad. But I finally let it go when I saw Lola carrying my bra through the house in her mouth, plop down on the floor in front of me, and claim it as her new chew toy. She's so care free, content to chew on a bra instead of the $20 "Kong Ultra" toy we got for her a few months ago. Oh the things we can learn from animals.

Awaiting the rain.

North Little Rock will look and feel like Forks, WA before too much longer. Rain is in the forecast for the next 7 days! Although things outside have been perfect for several days now, I happen to love rain, so I am actually looking forward to it.

Work has been slow the past week. I guess everyone is trying to readjust to their normal routines now that school is back in session. Slow business makes for a slow day. I am ready for our normal slammed schedule to pick back up!

After dinner, Gary and I went to The Big Dam Bridge to run. It was a beautiful evening for a run. We got there just as the sun was setting, and there was a perfect breeze off of the river. We ran 3.1 miles in 33 minutes and 40 seconds. Gary kept up with me without even training. I'm super impressed! I think he has decided to run the Easter Seals 5k with me next weekend. Maybe I can even talk him into training for the half!

These are my new running shoes I got at The Easy Runner. They watched me run and picked them out for me. I love them, but I'm still having a lot of pain in my left calf when I near the end of my run. Gonna have to figure that out before December.

We're in for the evening. Gonna pop some popcorn and watch Weeds.

Taco Tuesday.

I am writing to you from the comfort of my bed, heating pad on low, and a glass of wine in hand. We have been go,go, go the past few days and it all caught up with me tonight. I'm exhausted, and I have a headache from you know where. I am looking forward to the weekend already! I am taking Saturday off work and Gary will be off on Monday, so we have 3 full days together. That hasn't happened in a while!

After work we made tacos and Mexican rice for dinner. After dinner, I met with some people at the salon about some exciting new developments in the growth of our business. Can't say too much yet, but stay tuned for updates!

Haven't run much the past few days. Hoping for the energy to get in a 5k tomorrow...

Some things getting me through to the weekend:

-The Dead Weather album, "Horehound"

-Weeds, season 3 on dvd

-Crystal Light lemonade mixed with Crystal Light Tea!