Papers, a pug, and some poop....

Sorry to all of you loyal readers for my blog-slacking.... School has really picked up here at the end of the semester, so I'm super busy finishing my observation hours, doing projects/papers, and taking exams. DEFINITELY looking forward to a few days off next week...Whew! Let's see... what have we been up to, other than previously mentioned?
Last weekend, Josh and I went to see one (one of two) of my very best friends , Joy, and her husband, Luke, in GA. It was a great time and much needed refreshing of our souls with good friends :o) They have an 11 mth old pug named Captain Jack who got along with Miley wonderfully! (Picture: Miley and Captain playing tug... too cute! Sorry for photo quality, I left my camera in B'ham! Hence, no pictures of people haha) We spent a lot of time visiting, watching movies, eating, going to church, and watching the puppies play.... a quality weekend. The only downside to the weekend was that we planned the trip before we found out when sweet Wyatt was being dedicated at church, so we missed that... :o(

Here's a pic so you can see how precious he and his parents are though!This week has been mostly school work...but there have been a few other items of interest... I got my hair cut last evening.. which, if you know me well, you know that I adore getting my hair cut! Nothing drastic, just a trim and some shorter layers. I like it :o) Also, yesterday afternoon, we met with Adam Summerford from How to Talk Dog. They really focus on establishing dominance with your dog and learning to speak most effectively to it. He said we were already doing a lot right with her, but no dog is perfect, so we had some areas to work on with her. Yesterday, I saw her walk down the street in front of our house without any tension on her leash... which is great for her! Normally, she's more "on a mission" walking. I can already tell a difference in sweet Miley's obedience level after only a day, so I'd definitely recommend that anyone with a dog give Adam a call! Obviously, you don't have to have major problems to work with him, and let's face it, there is no such thing as a perfect dog, ---especially not a perfect puppy! Ha ha. Adam is also very good about giving you his time and is only a phone call away if you have any questions, which I greatly appreciate, b/c if I'm going to do something like this, I want to do it right and need someone there to answer my questions, which I definitely have haha.
Oh yeah... I almost forgot the "poop!" Well, as I've mentioned in previous posts, Miley has been giving us some trouble during the nights, barking to go potty, and each time pooping. So, we've played with her food some (starting today we are cutting back on meal frequency) and decided to try to let her "bark it out" last night like you do when they are a little puppy and don't like their crate yet... well, apparently she couldn't take it anymore...because when we went in there at 5 a.m., all excited that she'd stopped barking, we find her in the midst of poop. Everywhere. NOT the best way to start my morning, needless to say. So, I got on my hands and knees to scrub the laundry room floor while Josh bathed Miley. I know she seriously had to go b/c dogs don't like to poop where they sleep. We'll get it worked out. Poor baby...

Oh yeah... and today is Josh and my 1.5 year anniversary :o) I know, not a huge one to celebrate, but I thought it was nice to acknowledge! Josh is amazing, and I love him so much! God is so good to me! :o)

Well, that's the latest with us... post a comment and let me know how you're doing and what you've been up to lately!

Senior night ,spend the night company, and the bell ringer..

My sweet sister, Grace, is on a volleyball scholarship at Berry College in Rome, GA. One of THE most beautiful college campuses ever... and is the biggest in the world. Surrounded by woods, there is a 13:1 deer to student ratio! My other sweet sister, Paige, and I are always excited to see the deer, but after 4 years of seeing them all of the time, Gracie just shrugs the sightings off like they are yesterday's news lol... Ok, back to volleyball. Grace, to say the least, is a volleyball champ. Yes, I am somewhat biased, but the numbers don't lie! For example: Berry vs. Faulkner. Their team is #1 in their conference! Check out her blurb: GRACE. I don't think I could be more proud of her. It takes A LOT of hard work and self-discipline to be a successful collegian, but she does that AND manages daily practices along with games, many of which are out of town. She's recently applied for Vet school, as well. On top of all of that, she has her personal priorities straight, with God at the center. All of that said.... Tuesday night was Senior night for Berry Volleyball. This is the night when they honor all of the senior players and their families. My mom called me and told me it was coming up to see if we might be able to swing an attendance. She also mentioned that Grace had told her in passing how much it would mean to her if we could come, but knew that we had work and school. (This would consist of leaving town around 1 or 2 p.m., finding someone to take care of Miley, going to the game at 7 p.m. EST, then turning around and driving back to B'ham around 9:30 p.m., only to return around 11 p.m. Then, getting up for my 8 a.m. class the next morning.) I told her we would make it happen, and we decided we'd keep it a secret. Grace also mentioned to me on facebook that Senior night was coming up and that she'd love for us to come. Knowing that plans were already made, I put her off a little, saying I'd talk to Josh, but wasn't sure if we'd be able to come or not. Well, we pulled it off beautifully and it was all worth it! Grace texted us (Paige, Josh, and me) on the drive home, saying how incredibly special she felt that we came. Another sweet note... Grace had to let the announcer know who he needed to announce as her family that would be walking out with her on the court...This is what was said: "Grace is accompanied by her parents, Vicki and Harrison Brannon, her sister, Paige Brannon, her sister Taylor Gamble, and her brother, Josh Gamble." We all giggled at first, but it then realized how sweet it was that Grace didn't even feel the need to specify that Josh was her brother-in-law. To her, he is her brother, and it touches my heart.

Miley FINALLY got to meet our friends Claire and Brian Jackson's puppy, Samson, this week and had a playdate while the pup-moms had their own play/chat date. He is a 12 week old, pure chocolate lab. I tried to take pictures, but my camera battery was dead! I know... Get on the ball, TAY! I'll definitely have it charged for the next one. Claire and I have decided it needs to be a weekly occurrence.

After feeling great about my Psychology exam Friday morning, the weekend got off to a great start! When I got home, I checked my e-mail and found this precious e-mail waiting for me:

"I miss you so much, aunt tay, that i'm eating my own arm..."Sigh... my sweet Wyatt Keever... Who, by the way, is rolling all the way over by himself! (Click for video) He will be 4 months old tomorrow, November 10th. Wyatt and his mommy and daddy are down in Jacksonville, FL right now, meeting more of his extended family. I can't wait until Josh and I get to do that with our little ones one day :o)

Friday night, Josh and I went to Sekisui, one of our fave sushi restaurants, for dinner. We got some gift certificates, which I think are more like coupons b/c you have to spend a certain amount but get $25 off the bill... either way, we got like a $40 meal for more like $15-20... can't complain. :) Then, we came home and snuggled up with our sweet Miley. So much snuggling, in fact, that we both fell asleep and Miss Miley got the treat of her life... a FULL NIGHT in the bed with Mom and Dad! lol... Normally, I'll go snuggle and watch tv for a little bit with Miley, and when Josh comes to bed, he'll take her out and then put her in her crate. It's funny, b/c Miley HAD gotten to where she'd make it without barking to go potty until like 6 a.m., which was totally great with us, but in the past month or so, she has regressed back to waking us up in the middle of the night, like she did when she was really little.. 2:30 a.m. ...5:30 a.m....(not the funny part, of course!) Well, you bet your sweet booty that she did not dare wake us up Friday night! Ha ha... She's a very smart girl!

Speaking of how smart Miley is... My sweet sister, Paige, is in a Psychology class at Samford for which she has to teach someone to do something for a project. She chose to teach Miss Miley to ring a jingle bell hanging from the backdoor handle when she wants/needs to go outside. (Pottying optional b/c point is just to ring to go outside.) At first, Paige was incredibly frustrated, b/c Miley was afraid of the bell! "Oh no!" We all thought... "Paige's experiment is ruined..." After some thought, I pointed out that she is only 5.5 months old and has never seen/heard a bell like that, and suggested Paige desensitize her to the bell a little. Initially, it didn't seem to be working, but after many treats and showing Miley (by grabbing her paw to make her hit the bell), Miley learned the new trick! It was a weak knowledge at first, but after a week of practice, she now goes to the door and rings the bell completely on her own! lol... I now laugh about it b/c Aunt Paige MAY have created a bell-ringing monster... We have to document every single time she rings the bell... and every time she rings the bell, we praise her, open the door, let her outside, and give her a treat... Here is an example of our log this evening: 5:40 p.m., 5:42 p.m., and 5:52 p.m.... I'd definitely say she's caught on. Ha ha. I am really glad Paige's experiment has been a success, and am proud of our super smart pup-child, Miley Jean. :o)

Last night, my God-mother, Susan Bayliss, (I have called her "Susan Bayliss" since I was little lol) threw a casual dinner birthday party for her husband (my God-father), "Michael Bayliss." She was very smart and had a friend of hers help plan it and run the show, so she wouldn't get stressed over details, etc. Kathy G catered it and it was delicious! Arugula salad with walnuts, grilled pears, and blue cheese, topped with a vinaigrette dressing, to start. The main course was steak, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. YUM! Dessert was homemade strawberry cake, chocolate cake, vanilla icecream, and chocolate icecream. Josh and I were in heaven. To add to the wonderful meal, was the wonderful company. We sat with my daddy, sister Paige, cousin Rachel, her boyfriend Chris, Aunt Sharon, and Uncle Ira. Needless to say, we laughed and cut-up the whole meal. It was fantastic :o)

By the way, it has been brought to my attention that I need to be updating the blog a little more often, so I will be putting in more effort to do so! :o) "Thank you" to everyone that reads it!

Life with the Gambles...

Well, my dear Aunt Sharon made a very reasonable request... that I tell about what Josh and I have been up to lately! lol.... I guess I just get so wrapped up and excited about what my friends and family are doing, that I forget to tell about us! :o) Here goes! Sorry, it's a really long post, but at least there's lots of new stuff to read and see :o)

The weekend of October 17-19, we went down to Fairhope, AL to see our friends Sarah and Keith...(who just got engaged a few months ago!) and their 2 yr old golden/rotweiler mix, Patton. We had a wonderful time and it was so great to catch up and hear about wedding plans! They had never met Miley, so we were extra excited to be able to bring her with us! (We don't really go out of town these days if Miley can't come, apparently haha) Here are some pics of Miley and Patton playing. Miley (whom I have deemed "Miss Congeniality" b/c she never meets a stranger and has won the heart of multiple non-social dogs) is in this energetic, loves-to-play stage. She will play until she is seriously exhausted or until we split her up from her friend. Well, this was exactly how things went in Fairhope. She and Patton played SO hard that sweet Miss Miley slept from Fairhope, all the way to Birmingham, and then some more when she got home! haha...
The water bottle goes everywhere!
Miley flirting with Patton- so cute! She'd look at him and when he'd look at her, she'd look away. lol.
Mid-play
Miley discovering the joy of destroying a paper towel roll. (the cardboard tube thing)

SWEET Mr. Patton!
The week after we got home, inspired by sweet Patton's catching abilities, Josh started working with Miley to teach her to catch a ball, etc. in her mouth. She doesn't have it 100% of the time, but she can do it! I probably get a little too excited haha... what can I say, I'm a very proud pup mom and no one can deny that she is deeply loved!

The weekend after our Fairhope trip, we went to Nashville for Vanderbilt Homecoming October 24-26! This has been a tradition for Josh and me since we started dating back in Summer of 2004-we have gone every year and look forward to many more together :o) This year's homecoming was kind of a bust b/c not a lot of people came back for it, but next year should be great b/c it'll be my 5 year reunion! We walked a lot that weekend! We went around campus, got SATCO (of course!), and then walked up where the tailgates were and then back down 21st to our car... which, if you know Vandy's campus, that's a lot of walking, especially for Miss Miley! When she got in the car, she passed OUT! The highlights of the weekend definitely were getting to see Josh's parents and meeting my Big Big Sis, Kristin Zaleuke Westberg, for breakfast! Here are a few pics from the weekend. It was also Miley's first trip to Nashville and first time to meet Josh's dad, Milton. She still does such wonderfully riding in the car and I can tell that she loves Josh's parents! We got Miley a Vanderbilt collar while we were up there-she's so cute!

Getting some water by You Greek, Me Greek. Sacked OUT after walking around Nashvegas!
Josh's parents puppysat so we could go get dinner and hang out in Nashville :o)
Worn out on the way home... she's getting so big!
This weekend has been pretty low key. Friday night, I had to go down to UAB to do a big school project while Joshy and Miley handed out Halloween candy. Saturday morning, we took Miley to the vet for her last round of shots after Josh's morning ride. She is 23 weeks and is up to 32 lbs now! On November 21st, she'll be 6 months old. The past 4 months have been a great lesson in patience, love, and responsibility, and I am SO glad we rescued Miley in July! She's such a great addition to our little family and brings us so much laughter and joy :o)
Saturday night, Josh and I were honored to attend a wedding party for Lindsay McGinnis and her fiance', James Morris at Lindsay's parents' house. They are going to be married at St. Simons, so their friends and family had a party for them in Birmingham b/c they knew not everyone would be able to make the trip for the wedding. We were also excited to go b/c we got to see our great friends, Claire and Brian Jackson! (Lindsay's sister and brother-in-law)
Miley has gotten to where she absolutely loves going to play in the backyard, so we'll let her go out for a while here and there. Since she is still a curious puppy, we try to monitor how long she's out there (to cut down on how much trouble she could possibly get into! haha), but she actually usually ends up coming back to the door before we call her to come in, so that's good. Sometimes Josh and/or I will go out there to run around with her and throw the tennis ball. She loves it!
Miley has started doing the cutest thing where she'll stand up, lean on the back of the couch, and look out the window. 99% of the time, she doesn't bark or anything... just checking out the view! haha. She's also gotten more snuggly again :o) She and I have developed a routine of getting the bed to watch tv while Josh messes around on the computer, or like last night, watch football. We get all snuggled together and usually both sack out before Josh comes to take her out and put her in her crate. Josh and I also have gotten some stylin' sheets to lay over stuff we really don't want dog hair on--our bed and the day bed in the study. The day bed in the study is probably Miley's fave place to nap, something she's been doing quite a bit of lately. Mama Tay thinks she's going through a growth spurt!
Checking out the view.
LOL... I love this one... just hanging out.
Sacked out on her stylin' TJMaxx Tommy Hilfiger surfboard sheets on the day bed. haha. ,Tired girl...My view from the love seat most evenings :)
Our sweet Miley! Miss Congeniality!
Josh's view this AM when Miley fell asleep on his legs. lol.
Different angle
My view later... They are so precious to my heart.
Hope everyone enjoyed the update! We have spent all day today, Sunday, (I started this blog entry a few days ago and finally got the chance to finish it this evening) cleaning.... well, purging the house. It's tough work, but it will feel AMAZING when it's finished! Repeat after me... "If there's doubt, throw it OUT!"

A Halloween Treat!

He's here! Braegan Patrick Brennan was born this Halloween morning to my cousin, Chris Brennan, and his wife, Brandy! He weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and is 20 inches long. I haven't gotten to go visit him yet, but I do know is he is precious and looks like Chris to me :) Here's a picture of this beautiful blessing!They knew he was a boy, b/c he had a Halloweenie!... hahaha... :o)

Congratulations, Ashley and Devin!

Our friends, Ashley and Devin got engaged last night! Devin did such a sweet job planning everything out. In a nut shell, here's the story! The day before, he treated her to a mani/pedi and to get her hair done. (Good thinking, Devin, her nails looked great for all of the pics!) Then, last night, he had some friends get her up to Vulcan (God blessed them with a beautiful sunset!), where they secretly took pics while he proposed- pictures they will cherish forever! Devin had gotten "I dream of what a blessing from God it would be to spend the rest of my days by your side. Will you spend yours by my side as my wife? I love you Ash!" put on the marquis on a building downtown. As you'll see in the pictures, when she turned around, he was on his knee, proposing. Afterward, they went to a celebratory dinner at Jackson's and then to his parents house for champagne and cake with his and her parents. It was all thoughtful and planned-great job, Devin! They make each other so happy, and isn't that exactly what you hope the most for your sweet friends!!? :) We are excited for y'all and pray for many happy years! You are going to adore being married :) Oh, and the ring is beautiful! It is an antique style setting with diamonds on the top and sides of the band, as well as surrounding the center stone. (What gal doesn't love diamonds!?) They are planning a beach wedding at the end of May, which will be lovely! Congratulations, y'all!

Party, Puppies, and Playtime.

We had a great weekend and hope that all of you did, too! Our weekend was filled with family and friends! Friday night, we went to the Hendrix home for Adrienne C.'s engagement party. I finally got to meet Caleb, her finace', and really liked him. They are a precious couple! It was great to see them and to catch up with a bunch of other guys/girls who also went to Vestavia.

Saturday, Josh and I grabbed Miley and ran out to Dr. Okin's to get her some flea and heartworm prevention pills and for them to cut her nails, aka: talons. We found out that our friends, The Jacksons had been in there with their new puppy, Samson, that morning and had been given the "go ahead" for him and Miley to play at one of our houses! VERY EXCITING! Apparently he's going to be a hoss b/c he was 10 lbs at 7 weeks and is now 13 lbs at 8 weeks! (At 9 weeks, Miley was a little over 8 lbs and was not 13 lbs until she was 13 weeks old!) Afterward, we went by the pet supplies place to pick up some oatmeal shampoo and a new toy for our gal. I wish I'd known that Josh anad I were going to end up at World Market Sunday b/c I would've waited and checked out the shampoo the Keevers use on Buck and apparently love... but alas, I did not know. Guess we'll have to wait until the next bottle of shampoo! While we were there, we weighed Miley on the scale by the doggy salon and she is a whopping 26 lbs herself at 20 weeks. I'm guessing she'll end up around 50-60 lbs full-grown... but she's a Heinz 57, so we'll see! We are working on getting ourselves and Miley more exercise, so we went to the Samford University Intramural field to run around and play with Miley. It was kinda hot on Saturday afternoon, so she didn't last too long. Once we got home, Miley sacked OUT! At about 4:30, we went with my family to the Carvers' house to visit and eat dinner with my dad's childhood bestfriend, Bobby, and his precious wife, Rhoda, who were in town keeping their adorable grandbabies, Cate and Emory. They have 2 dogs, a Bull Mastiff, Elvis, and an Austrailian Shepherd puppy, Alice, so we got to bring Miley over for some play time! (YESSS!) Alice had a reputation for not liking dogs other than Elvis, but our sweet Miley charmed her and they got along well! See pics! I was surprised at how bold Miley was to chew on Elvis' tail and head, b/c he's a biiiig boy! If he didn't like something she was doing, he'd just let out one huge bark and that was it. lol... Miley praying Emory will drop a goldfish. Ha ha.Sweet Cate enjoying her fudge brownie!Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks!?These kids get me excited for babies... One day...Outside watching the pup-kids and Cate play in the sandbox.
Cate was SO sweet to Miley... here she is making her some "food."
My bold little one...
Seriously, Miley... lol. You're a brave girl!
What a cutie!
Riding in the car...
Playing fetch with mom in the house
"High five!"
More indoor fetch.. lol those ears!She used to have to reach for the water thing when it hung off of the cabinet knobs... she's getting so big!

Grace was in town this weekend, which I loved. She came over Saturday night after visiting with Bobby and Rhoda to watch a movie. Then, Sunday morning after church, we went over for leftovers lunch with mom, dad, grace, and paige. I always love having the whole family together :)

Let's save some money honey!

Yesterday's Oprah was about families that had found ways to cut back on their spending. Some of them had done so out of necessity b/c of losing a job, others, it had been a way of life for years. One mom, the "coupon mom," thoroughly enjoys grocery shopping and wowed all of us when she saved 71% on her cart of groceries at Kroger. Her total was originally $127.00 and with her coupons and other tips, it was reduced to $37.16!!! AMAZING! With the economic trouble we're all experiencing these days, it's nice to get some tips on how to save money. Josh and I are always looking for ways to save or cutback, so I thought I'd share her website (click on "coupon mom" above) as well as her tips from Oprah's website with you! Although I'm always looking for a deal, especially at the grocery store, I've never been much of a coupon clipper. Her tips and money saving abilities inspire me to get to clipping!
We are hoping to put some of her advice to good use and save some money honey!:

5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

By Stephanie Nelson

Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com, says it's possible to fight the rising cost of groceries without sacrificing your favorite foods. Try her simple coupon saving strategies the next time you go to the grocery store:
Plan your meals and shopping lists around featured sale items.

• Use your store's weekly sales ad flier to plan your menus for the week. Then, write your shopping list around the items and brands that are on sale.
• Taking a few minutes to make a detailed plan will save you the time of making unplanned trips to the store during the week—which can ruin your budget.
• Planning ahead also helps you avoid impulse shopping during your trip.

Know how your stores' savings programs work.

• Do they have "buy one, get one free" deals?
• Do they double coupons?
• Do they offer a store discount cards that gives you automatic discounts?
• Do they have special store coupons?
• Once you know your stores' rules, you can combine them to pay the lowest possible prices for your items, such as using two coupons with a "buy one, get one free" deal. Combining strategies can result in free items.

Use grocery coupons, ideally when the item is on sale.

• Buy the Sunday newspaper—75 percent of grocery coupons come from the newspaper. Buy two to three copies per week to save dramatically.
• Go online—grocery stores often have their best deals and printable coupons on their websites.
• Many stores offer electronic coupons that go directly on your store discount card.

Stock up on common items when they hit their lowest price.

• Don't buy a year's supply, just enough to last until the next sale (two to three weeks).
• Boneless chicken is on sale every other week at Stephanie's grocery store, so she buys two weeks of boneless chicken every other week to store in her freezer. This habit saves her family of four $325 a year on this one item.

Be flexible about brands and stores.

• Buy the brand that's on sale with a coupon, or get the store brand if it's less expensive.
• Shop at the store with the best prices for your items that week.