Dallas & back in 3 days.

We flew out Thursday to DFW. We had a direct flight, which was awesome. We were there by 2pm & immediately headed to the JFK Memorial. History was never my favorite subject but I do remember a little about JFK & the assassination. A high school boyfriend wrote his senior paper on the theories around his death so mostly what I know comes from that.



on the field

tunnel the players run through from locker room to field

We ate at The Foundary, which was downtown by the Old Red Courthouse & Dealey Plaza. It was good for lunch but our waiter was rude. The next day we hit up Cowboys Stadium for a tour. We caught a deal from a guy who had upgraded his self tour tickets to the VIP tour & wanted to sell his self guided tickets. We planned to do the self guided tour ($17.50) & he sold us his tickets for $15. Score! Even if you're not a huge football fan or even a Cowboys fan, the tour is definitely something I recommend if you're in the area.

interview room





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boys locker room

We toured the football player's locker room & the cheerleader's locker room. We got to walk on the field. We went through the interview room & sat at the table where they do interviews. We went through the stands to see the views from different levels & different angles. We went through the private club where the people with floor seats pre-game party. The tunnel the players run through from the locker room to the stadium runs right through the middle of the club. We saw Jerry's private elevator that takes him to Jerry's Perch, but his suite was only accessible through the VIP tour so we didn't see that. The employees were all super knowledgeable & so nice. The stadium is actually five floors underground & it took a year just to dig the hole. It holds about 100,000 people. The huge t.v. in the middle of the stadium is 17 stories wide. The speakers hanging throughout the stadium are as big as tractor trailers. The place is just amazing. We were there for a little over an hour. There's so much to see & the amount of money spent is just mind blowing. The lockers are made from imported wood (I forget exactly what it's called) but they're $9,000 each & you're not allowed to sit on them (which I found out after I crawled inside one). We looked up the Cowboys' schedule before we left & for some reason we both thought that there wasn't a home game. While we were there Saturday they were setting up for the game vs the Bills. So sad! We considered for a moment trying to get tickets & staying to watch the game. One of the employees told us the nosebleed tickets sell for $90 but he said there's not a bad seat in the house.

find the joy.

for a challenge at Truly Madly Crafty

new windows!

We finally got our three new south windows installed. It took forever & we're less than thrilled with the company & how long we had to wait but that's another story. We are super thrilled about the work they did. The windows look amazing! & better than that the sound of traffic is reduced (only slightly) & there's no cold breeze drifting through the old 100 year old windows. It's great.

The blinds came from Steve's, which is also where the living room blinds (here) came from. Super happy with that company & their delivery times & their products. I ordered the same blinds for the dining room, the master bedroom, & the spare bedroom. Steve's has so many awesome ones to choose from that I would have loved to order three different shades but in the interest of keeping it super simple, I narrowed it down to one favorite. It's neutral so it works for all three rooms & we won't be taking them with us when we move so they will work for the future renters as well.

We still have to get them hung in the bedrooms but I am loving the dining room!

family portraits.

My friend & I took family portraits of each other for Christmas cards. Neither of us wanted to pay (or could afford) to have professional ones done & we both took a photography class in college. The weather was perfect - 50s, sunny, a slight breeze. This cool abandoned building is right behind her house. It went better than either of us expected - us with Bentley & her with their three dogs. We both were able to find a usable shot for Christmas cards.

red mirror re-do.

I found a little mirror for a few dollars at an antique/consignment store here in town. I thought it was cute & had potential but it was a dirty off white. 

I grabbed my Krylon gloss spray paint in Banner Red & here is the shiney new mirror...

Ikea shelf, vase from TJ Maxx.

Pet Suites.

When we went to the Bengals game a few weeks ago I looked into having Bentley in doggie day care for the day. I looked in the Cincinnati area because it's an almost 3 hour drive & I figured he'd rather spend the time in the car with us than locked up somewhere with strangers. I looked at several websites before contacting Pet Suites for more information. I'd never used boarding or day care for previous pets & this was obviously Bentley's first day care experience so we were a little nervous. Since he was adopted, I was afraid he would have anxiety over being locked in a kennel alone. Maybe it would remind him of his shelter days.

A representative from Pet Suites called me the same evening to confirm our stay & answer my questions. We didn't need reservations; we could drop him off any time. Day care was a flat rate of $19/day & they're open 7a.m. - 8 p.m. 7 days a week! You have to have proof of vaccinations & there are some requirements but one of the main reasons I liked Pet Suites is that the dog is still allowed a play time. With most places, the dog has group playtime & your dog must have a temper evaluation before he is allowed to participate, which is done in advance. At Pet Suites, they have individual play time so your dog can still get some fresh air & blow off some steam. (We were on a short time schedule & couldn't make two trips to Cincinnati for the eval - it wasn't that Bentley wouldn't pass.)

The location was easy to find & the place was super nice. Staff met us at the door, were very friendly, & were good with Bentley. He hadn't started obedience training yet so when they said, "Ok, we're ready for him!" we kind of laughed thinking they had no idea what they were getting into. He had potty breaks & they fed him dinner & they keep a chart on their pets so they can tell you if/when he pooped so you're ready for your 3 hour ride home.

Bentley appeared to have a good time. He was happy to see us, but didn't seem scared or to have any anxiety over the experience at all. There is also a Pet Suites in the Indy area, which will be convenient for us, especially for boarding if we're flying out of town. We will definitely use Pet Suites in the future!

Bengals vs Colts

We went to Cinci for the Bengals/Colts game. The weather was perfect! Sunny - a little windy - & low 70s. Perfect for an outdoor stadium! I love the atmosphere at Paul Brown & fitting in with all my  Bengals fans. We took Bentley to doggie daycare in Cinci & he had a good time too.

last loveliest smile.

for a challenge at Tally Scrapper.

DirecTv

We have finally made the switch & broken up with Comcast. I hate Comast. & that's an understatement.

I have had nothing but problems with them since I first signed up with them in 2009. I moved into my own apartment & set up my own account & got into an argument with them before my tv even worked! It all went down hill from there.

When I moved in here I was glad to cancel my account with them. T already had service with them & it was the same package that I had, but without a contract. We toyed with the idea of switching to satellite a few months ago but got into an argument with the lady from Dish Network who got pushy & T busted out his attorney attitude & she ended up hanging up on us.

We haven't talked much about it since... until our Comcast bill came for the month & they jacked up the cable $20/month (which they are technically allowed to do since we weren't under contract). To which I immediately told T we would not be paying.

Insert DirecTv. We have several friends who have DirecTv & are really happy. I was really excited about getting the NFL Sunday Ticket = all the games = I get to watch my Bengals play! We think we got a pretty sweet deal & we are super happy with it so far. T said when he returned our stuff to Comcast (in the DirecTv box) the lady said we would rethink our decision after our satellite went out with bad weather. I think she's a sore loser.

for adoption.

Bentley offically became available for adoption today!

This is the bio we wrote about him:
Bentley is a male black Lab, about one year old, who just wants to be near people. He is a very friendly boy who doesnt know a stranger. He is also social with other dogs & loves kids. Bentley came to his foster home in early September from a shelter in Alabama. Not much is known about his history, including his name, so to keep with his southern roots he was named after the governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley. He recently weighed in at 64 pounds & the vet said he will be about 70 pounds when he fills out. Bentley is a great companion & a really sweet boy. He quickly caught on to sit and down. He is being crate trained & house broken. He is also learning to walk on a leash. Bentley has a lot of puppy energy & is a very active boy who loves to play. He has the typical Lab chewing behaviors but has done really well at only chewing on his toys & not on anything that he shouldnt. He would benefit from obedience training & will do best in a home with an active lifestyle that allows him a lot of play time.

it's beginning to look a lot like fall decor.



Bentley's 15 minutes.

One of the girls involved in Bentley's transport from Alabama to Indy contacted me about doing a piece for her blog. She features a shelter animal weekly &  Bentley was going to get his 15 minutes of fame!

Bentley

meet Bentley.

We picked our boy up Saturday night. He is a sweetie. They say he is about two years old but we think he is younger. He is so curious about everything & has a ton of energy. He is learning a lot right now. He's learning to walk on a leash, he's being crate trained & house broken, he's learning to "sit" & "come." So far he's only had one accident in the house. He's also learning his name. The shelter in Alabama was calling him Dustin. We chose Bentley after the Alabama governor's name, Robert Bentley. He loves car rides & playing with his ball. He is learning "release." He is neutered & will be getting microchipped soon.

Bentley is a very, very sweet boy. I don't think he is listed on the Love of Labs website just yet but if you are interested in adopting him, please fill out an application on the website.

Bengals game.

Cinci.

We went on an overnight trip to Cinci to catch a preseason game. My team lost, as per their usual, but it was great fun. I thought it may be boring since it was preseason & it totally wasn't.

The next day we hit up an outlet on the way home & scored big. I spent roughly $700... got a great new rug from West Elm, a new purse & wallet from Coach, new Shox for work, & we both got some new winter clothes from Gap & Old Navy. I love outlets & this is the best one I have been to in a while. Definitely worth returning!