I want to adopt them all!

It doesn't matter how often I see this commerical, I weep like a baby every single time it comes on. The newest version is even worse, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. I wonder how many other people are tempted to send the ASPCA half their annual income after watching it?

Everything happens for a reason...

...and I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am that I married Josh. He was something unexpected that came into my life and ended up pulling me in a direction I didn't anticipate. I'd had my eye on someone else for the longest time, someone who I'd thought would be a perfect match for me, and I'll admit, as Josh and I got more serious about our relationship, that little, nagging "What if" was definitely in the back of my mind. But when I look at how my would-be paramour turned out, how he changed over the years to become an utter stranger, the relief I feel is immense, almost like a weight off my shoulders. I am so grateful that things turned out the way they did...I have a wonderful life and the best husband.

Springtime at the Martin household

Yesterday was the first gorgeous day of spring that Josh and I both had off, so we took full advantage of it. I got to use our new tractor (which, I've determined, is total overkill for the size yard we have, but I love it anyway), prune trees, till the flowerbeds, do some weeding, and take care of other miscellaneous stuff that had been waiting for a sunny day. Here are a few pics of how the garden looks this time of year.

PS...The reason why most of the flora and fauna looks young is because it is. I personally planted every single tree and shrub throughout the five years that we've been living here. I shudder to think of how barren it was when we first moved in!


My cherry tree is starting to bloom!





The new tractor. Awesome.

Rockin' the workouts

6 miles in 57:00?? After taking an entire week off and not training consistently for over a month?? I'm so pleased with myself, you don't even understand. And if you can believe it, I'm having so much fun training for the half-marathon (yes, you read that right. It's been hard, but so fulfilling) that I'm actually seriously thinking about running a full marathon. My thought is, if not now, when? This is my opportunity to finally become the athlete I've always dreamed of being, so why not do this thing?

My apologies...

It just occurred to me that I haven't posted to my blog in over a month (where does the time go??), so I thought I'd write a quick update. And you'll have to excuse the lack of photos...our Internet has been down for two weeks (feel free to fix it any day now, Armstrong Cable), so I'm jotting this down during a slow minute at work.

~ Our kitchen renovation is still coming along, but most of the big work is finally done - the cabinets are painted and we're waiting on Josh's contractor uncle to install the floor and countertops. Then I'll just have to worry about the trim (I'm thinking I'd rather replace the old stuff than paint what's there) and finding a cabinet to stash my cookbooks and TV in. It will be nice to be able to cook a meal without checking three different rooms to figure out where the hell I put the pots and pans!

~ Our overseas adventure is really taking shape and I can't even tell you how psyched I am. We booked our flights a few weeks ago and, despite saying that I refused to fly coach, I let Josh talk me into it. It does make sense though, for a variety of reasons: 1) we're flying Virgin Atlantic, and their planes are known for having nicer, more spacious seating; 2) they group their seats together in twos, so we don't have to worry about sharing our space with a third person; 3) it's going to save a ton of money; and 4) with said extra monies, we're going to go hog wild while we're over there. Josh, when he found out how much more it would be to fly premium economy, was actually pleading with me to take the less expensive route...he even resorted to bribery. "We'll even get room service while we're there" is a direct quote. How could I turn that down? That, and we'll need to rent a car for the time we're in Scotland, and I'm going to let him get the souped-up Audi that he was lusting after. So in my eyes, it'll totally be worth being slightly more cramped on the flights.

~ I'm finally going to get to see my "niece" and "nephew" this coming weekend when I visit Ang and Matt out in Pittsburgh. Last time I was out there, Ang was 8 months pregnant and now the babies are 5 months old, so it's definitely time to catch up! And my biological niece, Shelby, is even more adorable now that she's a few months old. It's a shame her mom won't bring her out to the good ole PA Dutch country for a visit with Auntie Colleen (ahem, Kristen!).

~ Speaking of babies, there's been an explosion of births in the last few weeks, which has me thinking again about the whole getting pregnant and expanding our family thing. More commentary to come on that one.

I've got more to rehash, but seeing as how it's taken me forever to write this much (seriously, who uses the library on a gorgeous spring afternoon?? C'mon people, go out and DO something!), I'll write another update soon, I promise.

A once-every-five-years gift

I need to send Josh away more often...the only time I ever get flowers is when we can't be together on a holiday. To put this in perspective, the last time was Valentine's Day 2003, when I was in London and he had a dozen red roses sent to my flat. And because I receive them so infrequently, I appreciate it that much more when I do get them. I still wish he was home this weekend, but it makes me all warm and fuzzy knowing that he's thinking of me. :-)

Ugh. This is depressing.

Toby wondering why on earth my car smells like horses
And I never did find my passenger-side mirror



Ugh...I'm sick just looking at these. I suppose it serves to illustrate the point that being a careful and defensive driver doesn't mean shit when other assholes aren't paying attention. Some old granny who shouldn't have been driving in the snow ran me off the road last week. It was Martin Luther King Day, when we had that freak snowstorm, and I was making my way slowly along, only a mile away from the big, plowed road, when she decided to just coast through her stop sign rather than stopping at it...which put her right in my path (I had the right-of-way). To keep from hitting her, I swerved, lost control and ended up in a ditch, having sideswiped an Amish farmer's fence. Do you think the old bat stopped? Of course not. She watched as I slid down the bank - I could see the shocked expression on her face, for Chrissake! - and kept right on driving. The cherry on top was when the Amish guy came rolling down the road in his tractor and I thought, "Oh thank goodness, he thought to bring the tractor to help get me out!" But what are the first words out of his mouth when he climbs out of the cab? "That's my fence. You planning on paying for it?" I was flabbergasted.

But it wasn't all bad...there were two Good Samaritans who stopped to help and one just happened to know my husband (I was never so grateful to be a part of the farming community as I was that day!). They got me pulled out of the ditch and I limped my car home. The bitch of it was, as soon as I crossed from Lancaster into York County, the snow stopped altogether. There was the tiniest dusting. How's that for my luck?

So now I'm holed up in my house, refusing to go out in this newest storm. Josh is in Vermont with our huge F-250, I'm left here with my rental, a brand-new Nissan Versa, and I'm not going to risk wrecking that one. I've never been so anxious for winter to be over!