.8 yr. old lady.

Maggie, our english-bulldog, turned 8 this month!!! This is our second birthday with her and of course we spoiled her again this year! We both have fallen head over heels in love with this little doggie and feel blessed to have her in our lives.

Maggie spent the day laying in bed with me, since I was sick and didn't go into work. She was one lucky dog, because sleeping in the bed in one of her favorite things to do!

Once Dave got home, the celebrations began. I cooked Maggie a special supper of summer sausage (last year she had chicken) and it was served while we sang "Happy Birthday". For dessert Maggie got a special birthday dog treat with frosting and sprinkles to boot! She devoured her food within seconds! And of course all of this was done while sporting a birthday princess hat!

.she always eats her treats in the living room...and is always messy. 

And what is a birthday without family birthday pictures...nothing! So here are our annual birthday pictures! Maggie, we are soooo happy to have you in our family! We couldn't have rescued a better dog that fills our hearts the way we do and we look forward to spending all the rest of your years with you!  

Here is to our old lady who moans when we try to wake her, farts in her sleep, drools, snores loudly, and couldn't care what is happening in the world.  We love ya and can't wait to continue to spoil you rotten!!

this guy....right here...

.the one on the left (not the crazy husband).

I'm SOOOOOOOOOO freakin' excited to see this guy today! 

Josiah has been one of my best friends for a long time,

actually all the way back to 8th grade honor pass, to be exact! 

Josiah has been part of the BIG things in my life, he was even our roommate when SHOAVE moved to Virginia. 

When Shoaved moved from Virginia to Australia in summer of 2011,

we had to say "see ya later" to Josiah. It has been since then that we have seen Josiah. 

THIS is FAR TO LONG...I can't wait for our reunion today!!

(even if it's only for a few hours)

We could maybe even have a spoof of the Cruel Intentions...

.a place to lay your head.

We all need a place to lay our sweet little heads...

Maggie..she has more than just one place to lay her (heavy) head. 

.maggie turns 7th.

Sunday night we celebrated Maggie's birthday, the old lady turned 7 years (or 6.. the vets weren't sure of her age).  It was a big affair that lasted about 10 exciting minutes for Maggie! For her big day I made Maggie a dinner consisting of grilled chicken breast and then doggie birthday cupcakes. I used this recipe, Peanut Butter Delight, and it was a smash hit! For "frosting" I used cottage cheese and then created a 7 with a carrot.

I made cupcakes over a cake for 2 reasons: One, new foods can be hard on the dogs tum tum so I wanted to make sure Maggie didn't get sick, and two...I didn't want to waste any of the cake so now we have treats for later the week!  Which is good because she loved her cupcake and I know she is going to go crazy when she gets another one again!

It was sooo cute seeing Maggie in her little birthday princess hat having a great time eating her supper and then her cupcake. Whenever she is happy both Dave and I's hearts are full. We cannot get enough of her cuteness and love! We both feel very lucky to have her and for her letting us spoiling her (and for making her wear silly hats/outfits). 

.the birthday family portrait.

How do you celebrate your pet's birthday?

.i love.....

these pictures of my mom!!! 

This photo set is in my top 10 favorite pictures of my mother. 

Today is her birthday, she would be 59 (hellooooo...old fart!)!!!

I love her and think about her every day.

I know she would be so proud of the woman I have become

and 

I will always be proud of the woman she was 

and 

the woman she inspired me to be. 

.happy birthday mom. 

.shoave...this is going to be mushy gushy.

Holy Cow!! Every year seems to just fly by, I can't believe that today Dave and I have been married for four years!(here is what we did our first three years) WHAT!?!? How did this happen? Being in any committed relationship (married or not) takes work, you have your good and your bad times. It's just how it is but it doesn't mean you love the person to your side any less! A relationship is all about accepting the others annoying habits, working through issues, supporting each other, laughing at inside jokes, and knowing what the other is thinking with just one look.

Our 3 year portrait (gansta style)

This last year has been one like no other..it's been kinda perfect. Dave and I have spent more time with each other this one year than probably any other period of time. We both quit our jobs to move to Australia and then when in Australia both of us only worked part time. Until a few months ago it was always just the two of us....literally. Every day we hung out together, either running errands,sitting at the beach, or going on adventures. And when we started to work in Australia we always had Thursday Date Nights because you know those 20 hours each week we didn't see each other were a long 20 hours!

.Visting Sydney for the first time.

.Great Ocean Road in Victoria.

I am so grateful to him for letting me talk him into moving across the world to have an adventure of a lifetime!! It's one of the things I love deeply about this man is that he wants to enjoy life to the fullest as much as I do and is willing to take risks with me. This year has been full adventures and the unknown, which we wouldn't have been able to do alone, we could only handle them together. He is there to push me forward, to calm me down, and to just plain out tell me when I am crazy. 

.WhitSundays.

.Valentines Day.

Now that we are back in the states, both working full time jobs, I find myself missing all the time we had together. We still see each other every night and probably more than other couples see each other, but it's not the same. I could spend every single day just hanging out with this kid and I miss being able to do so. Not everyone has the luck that we have, to randomly spot your other half in a bar when intoxicated! 

I hope that everyone has the ability to be with the one that balances them, that supports them, drives them crazy, kisses their forehead, holds their hand at movies, says "I love you" daily, accepts their oddities and weirdness, and willing to take on the world as a team. When you have this you have everything you need. 

.the little things.

Last week, I came home from work to find this on our guest bedroom door. 

Not sure what was going on I said hello through the door and 

went out for a run while the work continued in the little room. 

Dave was working on a little something to show me how much he loves me. 

*insert: AHHHHHHHHHHHH here*

He came up with the ABC's to why he loves me!

He isn't crafty but he tried and worked so hard on this project. 

He colored wooden alphabet pieces, glued them to the board, 

and then came up with something for each letter of the alphabet!

He then presented it to me by reading each of the things he wrote

and explaining them in more detail. 

My favorites: 

when he made up words to fit certain letters,

E: enemies - he wouldn't want to be mine, 

Z: Zac Efron...nothing more needed!

.He makes me feel like a lucky woman....a VERY lucky woman. 

.I love the -ave to our shoave. 

.ave to my shoave.

Man...I am missing this guy, right here!! 

Dave has been gone visiting his grandma in New Jersey the past week and it's been rough without him. He even drove there, which makes me more nervous on driving days...I'm kind of freak about driving. Dave and I haven't been apart for the last 8 months, the last time was when he drove from Vermont to Minnesota before we went to Australia. 

Since grandma goes to bed at old people time, Dave and I spend our nights texting away! It reminds me of when we first started dating. We would just text back and forth for HOURS...it was our main source of communication in the day! I swear my roommates got sick of hearing my ring tone, " Dance Dance" by Fall Out Boy. I think I ruined that song for everyone in the townhouse...oh love sometimes it affects everyone!

So now I am counting down the days and hours until his cute little booty is back in MInneapolis! 

Without -ave their is no SHOAVE! 

.5 years.

Carol Jean Hammond

Recently I was watching FRIENDS, the whole gang was gathered around after stuffing themselves silly from Monica's Thanksgiving Feast. The discussion of topic was who has had the worst Thanksgiving, Chandler thought he took this category because it was when his father came out and was 'spending time' with the house boy, Monica was in the running because she accidentally chopped off Chandler's toe and brought a baby carrot to the hospital instead of the toe.  While watching this episode, all I could think over and over again was..nope, I have them beat. I am winner of the worst Thanksgiving ever.

It was the morning of Thanksgiving 2006 when  laying with my mother in her hospital bed she took her last breathe. As soon as my father had woken me up with a gentle poke on the shoulder, I knew exactly what had happened. It was only 3 weeks earlier that she was diagnosed with colon cancer. When she was diagnosed the cancer had spread so far that they couldn't do much for her and only gave her half a year to a year to live. When first hearing that I would only have a year with my mom, I couldn't handle it, I thought she may not be at my wedding or meet my future children, but she can watch me graduate college. Now, what I wouldn't give for the extra 11 months with my mom. The three weeks went by to fast and I never was able to see her outside of a hospital room again. 

May 2009
Only picture of the WHOLE family (husbands included)
&
First time Dave met my family!

My mother was 53 years old when she passed away, I was 22 years old. I felt far to young to lose the most important person in my life, the one person who raised me and never stopped loving me. In our short time together, I learned so many things from my mother that I will carry with me always and hopefully pass on to her grandchildren. Some of the things that my mother taught me (and many others) are: how to be a strong, independent woman, love unconditionally, smile and laugh, assist others in need,  and family & friends are more important than all the riches in the world. I think one of the things she hoped would have stuck is how to be frugal, write down purchases, and save more money!!

I love this smile!!

Every year on this day I go to Long John Silvers for supper. This was one of mom's and I favorite treats, I rarely went with anyone else. I remember the exact conversation we had in March 2006, which was the last time we went together. She surprised me at college to take me out to lunch and hang out with me, we went to LJS and I told her about how Dave and I were officially dating & that I was going to Seattle for Spring Break (only 2 days away!).  

Today I will be getting fish and chips from our favorite place, Scotties, and eating them at the beach.  Then I will be taking a little bit of her ashes and letting them go into the ocean. She was always supporting me and helping me make my dreams come true, especially in taking adventures, when she only left the country once.  When my father and mother moved to Alaska back in the day, they drove through Canada, this is the only time I believe she went out of the country.  So now it's my turn to help her see the world. She supported me 11 years ago on my first trip to Australia and only feels appropriate that she is here for the second trip. 

.love you & miss you, mom.

Our last Mother's Day...we had no idea. 

Today  hug someone you love.

Let them know what they mean to you, 

because we never know what the future holds.

I'm on Team....

Oye! This week I have been totally MIA.  I wish I had a good excuse for it, but really I don't. This week was just wonky with me working and then sleeping and then watching tv.....see not a good excuse at all!

But I have made a pretty big decision within the last week. As you may know, I have been conducting "research" and reading all the Twilight books to see what the phenomenon is all about. Within the last three weeks I have read ALL of the books and watched ALL of the movies, even Breaking Dawn(!!!!). Man, I did not think that I would become so obsessed with all of this research, but when a book grabs you it really does grab you! After all of this "research" I am ready to make my decision, as to which team I am on. I have been thinking long and hard about this while reading each book, will I be Team Jacob or Team Edward?

I have joined TEAM...

In Katoomba, our hostel was on this street...HELLOOOO..total sign!

I think the best thing about reading Twilight is getting lost in the story of Edward and Bella, I'm a sucker for a love story. The thing though is that their love story is one that we all can have. I truly believe that Dave and I have a love that would make Bella and Edward blush, yep it's SOOO grand it would make a vampire blush! Dave has saved me from death, he has provided me with a love that will last forever, he is my best friend, and we would die to save the other....just like Bella and Edward, but we are fragile little humans. 

Have you read the books?

Which team are you on?

OOW: Husband Edition

The hubs was looking extra cute this weekend (he is always cute) so when we went to take my picture for OOW, I had to turn the camera on him!

Shirt: Big W, Pants: Ralph Lauren, Shoes: Converse

After this we went out and bought him some more items for his ever growing wardrobe! I can't wait to see him wear some of the new things that he picked out today. His style has definitely changed since we first starting dating, and let me just say this is a good thing!! He is no longer the nervous boy in pleated khaki pants but is the confident man in converse.

.Playing Pretend.

Source

Today was suppose to be a rainy day, it called for rain all day long. Dave had the day off due to the weather and I wasn't scheduled to work, so as we fell asleep last night I dreamt about how lovely it will be to have a rainy day together. When I woke up the next morning, it was not raining, instead the sun was shining and the birds were singing hello to the world. Dave was not impressed. As we walked to get some hot chocolate in the cool weather, I told him to think of today being a great autumn day...because we have missed autumn entirely this year. This seemed to distract him for a little bit, but on our way home he admitted he was not happy that it was not raining outside. He was also looking forward to us having a rainy day together, where we were driven to have to stay inside. 

So when we got home, I closed the door right behind us and quickly ran to close the blinds on the windows. The living room was suddenly dark, and then I tell Dave I think I hear a little rain outside and I must quickly get warm in my sweatpants. Dave slowly starts to see what is happening and quickly plays along. All day long we pretended that it was cold, rainy, and windy outside. 

We took advantage of this rainy day by wearing our pjs, eating food in bed, holding movie marathons, and cuddling under the blankets.   

I think we all sometimes just need to take a Rainy Day break and just be with the ones we love doing the things we love without feeling the pressure of being productive. 

I hope that you can have your own rainy day soon. 

Shoave's Future

This is Dave and I in the future, no joke, and I can't wait!! 

What a cheeky devil!

From our trip to the store:

Dave: The little breeze feels nice.

Sho: Eh. It makes my dress blow up.

Dave: That isn't so bad

One moment

Sometimes it's just one moment that makes the

whole day worth living. 

SHOAVE!

Today marks the 3 year wedding anniversary of Dave and I, we refer to ourselves as Shoave, kind of like Bradgelina but without all the money and kids. I can't believe 3 years have already passed by, seriously where has the time gone?!?! In our three years we have had some really great times, adventures, and have had some really rough hard times. The best thing is that during any point of time, I know that if I look over to my side I will have my best friend right there ready for the next adventure or with the next tissue.

I couldn't stop smiling the whole day! I was one of the happiest brides!

Our first kiss as Mr. & Mrs. Shoave Roberts

Our first trip as a married couple to see my friend Priyanka get married!

Morning of a 5k...we started running races together.

One year wedding anniversary!

Graduated with my MA in Higher Education

Celebrating 2 years at Great Falls, VA!

Smiling in MN Summer 2010

Bridge near Dave's parents. This pic was taken just a week before his father passed

Mayan Ruins in Mexico

Married: 2 years and 364 days!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

I'm not complete without the -Ave to my Shoave.