Rainy Day Snuggle Puggle #1 and #2

If this is not cute, I don't know what cute is. The girls and I are enjoying our day off from school. I do have papers to grade, but this cuteness is way too distracting. (FYI: It's not raining outside; the title of this blog is a play off of a Bob Dylan song)

Hocking Hills Anniversary Weekend

Hey everybody, Katie and I (and the puggles) had a fantastic time in Hocking Hills, which is a small, rural town about 50 miles east of Columbus, OH. We left Friday after work and it took less than 3 hours to get there. We stayed in a small cabin right next to the woods. We had a fireplace and a hot tub, and we needed both because it was COLD this weekend. They had a thin layer of snow on the ground when we got there. On Saturday morning we got a couple's massage in our cabin, and then we took the girls with us to Ash Cave and Cedar Falls to walk their trails. It was very beautiful up there. Saturday evening we had the Traveling Chef come and make us some steaks in our cabin and we enjoyed a bottle of wine that Rebekah gave us as a wedding gift. And then I turned 29 on Sunday. Yuck. I'm getting old. Katie got me tickets to see the Bungles play the Colts on Dec. 7, and the puggles bought me a Radiohead concert t-shirt (we had seen them in August -- great concert). Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

Good Times at the Fieldhouse

Last Saturday the 15th Katie and I went up to Dayton to see one of my college friends Colleen get married at UD's chapel. We took my college friend Jeremy with us on the trip up there. In between the wedding and the reception, we hung out at the good 'ole Fieldhouse and had a few drinks. It was weird being dressed up in suits and hanging out at the "high-class" bar. It was also weird being back on campus and seeing all the changes taking place. It was great to be back at UD and we had a great time at the wedding.

Resolution to Deer Drama

Well after two weeks and multiple conversations with the insurance company, they have decided to rule the Solara to be a "total loss" and offered to pay us for the vehicle. :( I am sad because I really liked driving the car and only had it for a little over a month!

Since our rental car had to be turned in by Friday, Dave and I started looking for a new car over the weekend. We did some research and determined that one of our top options was the Mazda Tribute because it is listed as one of the top fuel efficient SUV's. Last night we test drove a 2008 nearly new one in Florence, KY and really liked it. It is Mazda certified up to 100,000 miles and since it only has 6,000 -- we should be able to keep this for many years. The dealership's car sales were pretty low so they were willing to bargain and I think we got a pretty good deal on it (insurance covered most of it). Here are some pics of our new ride. (It has room to grow!!)

Yeah I don't have to take the bus to work!!!