Happy Friday, friends! 

We’ve been waiting on the weekend like little bit right here 🙂

I hope you’ve all had a great week! On Friday night, Steven went out with a few friends to put out trot lines and jug lines on Lake Granger to go fishing on Saturday (to go fishing this way, you have to set out and bait all the lines for a period of time before you check them and pull up any fish you’ve caught). They checked and re-baited the lines Saturday morning, and then he came in for lunch before going back out to check the lines and pull them up. Then we had a late night movie date! (more on that later!). Sunday morning, we went to church (and enjoyed a great Easter message!), and then went to my parents’ for the afternoon to shoot skeet and work with Ruger. We had dinner with my parents and grandparents and let the pups run around and play!

 

I’ve got some fun stuff lined up to talk about, so here we go!

 

The Fate of the Furious 

So, I think when couples first get married, they find a joint hobby to bond over in that first little period of married time. Or maybe that was just us. If you didn’t, you should, because it was super fun to have something special that we did together when we got home from work when we were first married. This can be anything you like to do together. For us, it was binge watching all the Fast and Furious movies to date (7).

Don’t ask me how this started because I really have no idea. And honestly, we didn’t watch them in order, but we watched all seven of them in a few weeks, and it was really fun to do together. We have both an appreciation for the movies, and for making fun of the movies when it arises (let’s be honest, there are some cheesy lines in some of them (all of them)). This has got to be hands down the only franchise that somehow gets better with each new release. Like how do they keep adding in such huge actors?? Helen Mirren is in the latest one, for crying out loud!

Needless to say, we were excited to see this one because it is our first to see in the movie theatre. So, we went on a late date night Saturday night. And it was so good!

I’m not one to usually predict how movies are going to go, but this definitely had twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. The acting is better- like I said, I think these are getting better with each new release, and this one is miles better than the first 3. And also better than the next 4 (which are miles better than the first 3 as well).

Also, our movie theatre has a candy bar with fresh Sour Patch Kids. They are the softest and most delicious ever. And that is hands down one of my most favorite things. 🙂

 

The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey 

We kinda discussed my recent obsession with podcasts last week when I recommended The Popcast. The Happy Hour was recommended by Knox and Jamie, by Sophie and Melanie on The Big Boo Cast, and recently by Shay (Mix and Match Mama) because they have all been guests.

Jamie is really funny and personable, and once a week, she releases an hour long interview with women who are smart, strong, funny, and faithful. They talk about struggles they’ve had, interesting things about their lives, how they get things done in their daily life, how God has impacted their lives, etc. They are typically bloggers, celebrities, writers, or Internet personalities, and if you take a look at the list, you will definitely recognize many of the guests. So far, I’ve listened to interviews with Melanie Shankle, Jamie Golden, Jessica Robertson, Shay Shull, Lauren Scruggs Kennedy, and Amy Brown.

These were all very inspirational, and this has kinda replaced TV/ radio for me. I listen to the podcasts when I’m driving instead of music, and I’ll turn one on while I’m cooking or cleaning around the house instead of the TV. You can subscribe on iTunes (the podcast app), or check them out at www.jamieivey.com.

 

Gunner Kennels

A few months ago, Steven stumbled across the Gunner Kennel- a heavy duty kennel mainly marketed at owners with hunting dogs. We decided that when the boys come home from training, we would get them each a Gunner Kennel. Well, Ruger is home with us for good now, so we picked up his Gunner Kennel about two weeks ago, and so far, we love it!!

The kennel itself is built to withstand 4000 pounds of force, so it is the safest option on the market in the event of a wreck (their website estimates 100,000 dogs die every year from falling out of trucks). It has options to tie it down with locks in the back of a truck (which we will likely use whenever we have both to put in the back of Steven’s truck), and it is weighted at the bottom so it won’t roll over, tip around, or shake when driving. It was also safety tested with shotgun shells, and they say when shot with #7 shot 12 gauge shells from 7 steps away, not a single pellet went through the casing. The door can be installed to open either direction, there are safety pins to lock it closed and the handle can be locked with included keys (so no one can steal your munchkin!). One of my favorite things– the floor is raised and there is a plug in the back so you can wash it out with a hose and it all drains out the back for easy cleaning.

We debated on the sizes for a while because there is such a size difference between Ruger and Gump (Ruger is holding steady at 60 pounds, but Gump is likely more than that, and should continue to grow– his dad is 95 pounds and he looks very much like his dad so far). We were sure Ruger would fit in the smaller size, but were unsure whether Gump would, and we wanted them to have the same size. We found a vendor in Austin selling them, so we went to look at them before deciding. So, here’s the thing about why they are so sturdy- they are HEAVY. The intermediate size (the smaller size) weighs 45 pounds (and holds dogs up to 75 pounds), and the large size weighs 70 pounds (and holds dogs up to 110 pounds). Steven reasoned that when he is much older, the likelihood of him wanting to lift that much into his truck is not much. So, when we looked at the two different sizes in person, we decided the intermediate was plenty big enough for our two. Plus, the large size is HUGE. Like probably too huge to fit two in the back of Steven’s truck.

We’ve used it for travel every time we’ve taken Ruger somewhere, and we love it, and we love having the peace of mind that he is super safe now (especially not even realizing how unsafe he might have been before). It is also set up in our house for them to practice “place” to “kennel” when training, and he sleeps in it every night. They are a bit pricy, but when you buy kennels the size we do, there really isn’t a cheap option, so it’s a matter of spending a little more, and knowing that it is a quality product that will last a really long time.

And I’m not kidding about it being so much easier to clean. That is worth its weight in gold, friends.

 

Method All Purpose Cleaner (Lime and Sea Salt) 

A few weeks ago, I was reading another blog post (Joyfully Prudent) about how this blogger tackles cleaning in her house, and she mentioned that she mainly uses Method products. For the kitchen with multi surfaces, she likes the Method All Purpose spray cleaner because it works on everything, and the lime and sea salt scent makes everything smell great as well. Method keeps the super harmful chemicals out, so it’s safe to use around kiddos and pets, too.

So, I was intrigued by this simply from the scent standpoint. I love citrus. And salt. And let me tell you what– this stuff smells amazing! And what’s awesome is that the scent kinda lingers after you use it, which is great since it smells so good! It did really well with my counter tops and stove top (we have the flat burners that I can wipe down), and I tried it on a few of my knick-knacks in the kitchen and it worked well for those, too.

Method products are available at Target (let’s be honest, I live there anyway), and they have a wide range of products, so I highly suggest checking them out!

 

John Mayer- The Search for Everything

Okay, y’all, it’s finally ALL here! The last four songs were released last week, and the new album is complete!

 

Yesterday, we took Ruger to Stillhouse Hollow Lake for some swimming and water retrieving and for a picnic.

He did amazing, and he (and Steven) let me practice my photography skills 🙂

 

He did really well, and we are so proud of him! And he is NOT ITCHING anymore!! (insert praise hands!!) If you have a dog with severe allergic dermatitis, read this ASAP. It has changed the game for us!

We are headed to Dallas tomorrow train with Gump and our trainer, and we are excited about his progress as well! We’ve seen a few videos this week of his swimming and he is getting so much better! Just three short months and he will be home as well!

Y’all have a great weekend!

 

Linked with Andrea, Narci, and Erika