Happy Late Birthday Mason!!!!

Spring doesn't officially begin for another 3 weeks or so, but I guess you could say it's already "springing" here in Columbus.  The past few days we have enjoyed beautiful, fairly warm weather, which makes us even more ready to get February behind us so that we can enjoy the outdoors again.  Those who know me know that I do not at all consider myself "outdoorsy".  I don't particularly like to be a "part" of nature (i.e. hiking, fishing, working in the yard) but I do like to passively observe nature (i.e. walking, sitting on a boat, sitting in the yard).  We have slowly, but surely, started spending more time outdoors as the weather gets warmer, and will probably continue until it becomes way too warm, which hopefully won't be 'til late June.

I will start the recap of the last couple of weeks with an update on Chris.  He passed his first couple tests and has about 4 more weeks to go of academics.  He has been studying a good bit, but most of his activities so far have been for physical preparations to start flying.  For instance, he experienced low oxygen to determine what symptoms he has so that if he ever has low oxygen while flying he will be able to pick up on those (Everyone is a little different.  Some people get giggly.  His hands get tingly.).  He has been spun around in chairs to simulate what the g-forces will feel like on his body, he has had some physical tests done and had to perform his physical fitness test.  Here is a picture of him getting fitted in his oxygen mask:

This morning he had to go in at 5 so that they could practice shooting flares in the dark.  We have really enjoyed meeting the other guys in his class.  We have already had a couple of class parties and we have both really enjoyed getting to know everyone.  There was a cookout last Monday, then we bowled Friday and had an afterparty.  I'm looking forward to the bonfire that Autumn and I are throwing in the cul-de-sac between our houses in a couple of weeks, and for the St. Patty's day party that Chris and I are throwing.  Good times ahead!

This past week was incredibly busy for me.  I have been going to Birmingham every week for a month now, so sometimes things at home get a little overwhelming when I have so much to juggle.  It's not entirely new for me.  I know that no matter how hard I try not to be, I am a perpetually busy person.  If I have free time, one way or the other I fill it...even when I don't mean to! Last week we had the class cookout Monday, then I had modeling practice for the fashion show.  Tuesday was the wine tasting.  The guys couldn't commit to going because it was supposed to start at 6 and their schedules said that they wouldn't be out til 6:30.  It turned out that they got out early and the wine tasting started late...it's too bad, because I know Chris would have loved it...but since we had to RSVP in advance, it was a girls-only event.

Casey, Jaime, Autumn, me and Emilee (all spouses) after the tasting.

On Wednesday through Thursday I went to Birmingham to work.  I had to be back by 6 for the mandatory dress rehearsal for the fashion show.  I was so exhausted and overwhelmed when I got back at 5:45 because I was tired from working, the house needed cleaning, I had no idea what to make for dinner and I knew modeling practice would probably last way too long.  At 7:30, it wasn't over, but I told the girl in charge that I had been working out of town and I just had to go home and get some things ready for my parents and sister to come visit over the weekend.  We had already practiced a couple of times, so it was fine for me to leave (turns out I probably could have used the extra practice, but I'll get to that later!)

When I got home, my sweet hubby had already made dinner, and since the weather was fantastic, he had set it all out (complete with candlelight) and had it waiting when I got home.  Seared tuna, sweet potatoes, and rice...and the fact that I didn't have to make it made it taste even better!!

Isn't he dreamy??? :)

Friday was the day of the show.  I was actually pretty nervous since I've never been in a fashion show before! I just knew I was going to trip and fall on the runway...I didn't.  However...I don't think I have a future in modeling, I will just put it that way.  What we were supposed to do was pose at the back of the runway, walk to the front, pose, turn around and walk back, pose, and walk off the stage.  I had this purse I was supposed to be showing off.  After doing the first pose with the purse hanging off my wrist, I was going to throw it onto my shoulder to walk down the runway...well...(haha)....instead of throwing it onto my shoulder, I somehow managed to just throw it completely over my shoulder, behind me, and onto the floor! It was actually pretty funny, but it would have been funnier if it happened to someone else and not me!! In cheerleading I learned that when you mess up, to just keep going! So I walked to the front of the runway, posed (laughing a little the whole time but trying not to laugh too much!)...then when I got back to where I dropped the purse, I just picked it up and posed with it "show and tell" style.  My sister has the whole thing on video...all I can say is...1) I don't think my modeling career is going anywhere and 2) I will not be carrying a purse in the fashion show that I (unfortunately) already signed up for in April!  They are actually selling videos of the entire show to people, which just about makes me want to die, because if anyone actually purchased one then they can watch me drop my purse over and over again haha.  Oh well...that's life...at least it made for a funny story.

I was glad that my parents and sister got to come for the fashion show.  On Saturday, we all went thrifting/cheap store shopping (there are lots of those in Columbus).  We went back to Dirt Cheap and dug through the piles of junk to find some pretty good stuff, like a scale and a silent fan.  We went to the Columbus Riverwalk Park after lunch.  I have been there to run on the running trail before, but I didn't realize how nice of a park it was besides the trail.  There is a really cool old bridge that is open to the public (it's a lawsuit waiting to happen with the holes and rusted rails, but it was still pretty neat), and also a lot of areas for picnics. 

I did a little cooking for dinner... a recipe I found on pinterest for Mexican Stuffed Shells. 

The weather here was simply beautiful on Sunday.  Chris studied some and found that he was already well-prepared for the test he had coming up today, so had a little dog party in our yard complete with champagne and human company as well.  Truly the perfect definition of a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Here are Mason and Dubs later in the evening, completely passed out while Autumn and I watched the Oscars and Chris and Jon worked on their latest batch of beer:

Well, as the title of this post suggests, our wittle baby turned one.  He's growing up so fast!  We feel like pretty bad parents though because we didn't even know when his birthday was until today! During the move, we kind of lost Mason's papers.  That was okay, registering his papers wasn't that big of a deal to us. Except for his birthday was on them! We realized a couple of weeks ago that his birthday was coming up because we knew he was born in February, but didn't remember when.  Today it occurred to me to search my old emails for my correspondence with the breeder, and email her to see if she could tell me when his birthday was.  She responded to me with lots of good information about his birthday, shot dates, where I could go to register him since we lost his papers...she asked to see some pictures of him, which I shared with her, and she also sent me this picture of Mason's daddy so that we could see what his coat may eventually look like!

Isn't he handsome? A little lighter colored than Mason is right now, but I can certainly see the resemblance, as he has a longer snout, like Mason, and looks to be a little bigger, too. 

Anyway, it turns out that Mason's birthday was February 11...I am kind of sad that I missed the opportunity to throw him a little doggie birthday party (yes, I really will look for any excuse to have a party).  I probably would have made him some kind of cake out of rawhide and dogfood.  However, I thought about it and decided that when you're Mason, you get treated like it's your birthday every single day, haha.  And considering as Mason has no idea that he had a birthday, I guess I won't let the guilt get to me too much. 

Here is a (low quality) video from last week of Mason totally exhausted after an intense session of fetch with his favorite ball...I have never seen a dog love anything more than Mason loves that ball!

Tomorrow I head back to Birmingham for a couple of days of work...I will be back in Columbus Friday and then am turning right back around to head to New Orleans for the race! I am so excited about it and just wish that Chris were able to come cheer me on, but his training schedule just won't allow for it. Our little group of girls will have an absolute blast, though, I'm sure, and I can't wait!!