Must Love Dogs

Pet sitting this summer has been a success! It's a great side business and it works absolutely perfectly with my 9-5 work schedule. I actually enjoy the work and can only hope that it will continue to grow. If you are looking to earn some extra cash, this might be the way to go!

Here are some snaphots of the pets that I've been sitting for this summer. They all have their own special personalities, it's so funny to observe! They are all fantastic and I enjoy taking care of each and every one.

Meet Sammi - a 10 year old German Shepard. We just found out that Sammi is sick. I've been taking extra special care of this girl.

Lola & Giga - 11 & 6 year old Doxin's. These two love each other so much.

Eva - 6 year old Doberman Pinscher. She is super sweet and extremely gentle.

Champers! Or Champ - 10 year old Schnauzer. This is my parent's dog, he came to stay with me for a week in August.

Chrissie - a 6 month old Boston Terrier. This one is FULL of energy! She just recently got spayed.

Sammi, Lola & Gigi, Eva, Champ and Chrissie say to pass on the word about Christin's Pet Sitting Co.! Animals of all kind are welcome... the more the merrier :)

Live Tunes

Tyler and I love to catch a good show every now and again. We hadn't been to one in a while and were pleasantly surprised last week when Corinne and Brad invited us to go see Tom Petty down at Phillips Arena. To be honest, I don't think we enjoyed the show as much as we did each other's company! The seats were fantastic and there were some familiar tunes, but Tom is getting old and so is Crosby, Stills & Nash who opened for him.

We had lot's of laughs that night!

Great seats!

A few days after the show, I received a text from Brad with an awesome idea - to go see a live show every month. Since Tyler and Igot a real itch from seeing Tom Petty, we LOVE the idea and we're doing it! Better get your tickets, Brad!! We already have a little lineup:

• August was Tom Petty
• September 15th - Kings of Leon (KOL) w/ the Black Keys and The Whigs (who are from Alpharetta!)
• October - presently showless (idea's welcome!)
• November 7th - Mumford & Sons!

Mumford & Sons are one of our faves right now and we can't wait to see them live. I'm a huge fan and Tyler is an even bigger one. They'll be playing at the new Buckhead Theater. We're pumped to check out that venue, it used to be the Roxy. I'm especially excited because we can walk there from my apartment.

We're holding you to this, Corinne & Brad!

Hello Again!

Hello my dedicated blog readers! How has everybody been holding up without me? I know that you all are just DYING to see what I have to post next... totally kidding.

It is hard to believe that it's been almost two months since my last post! I have to admit, blogging can be very time consuming and takes a lot of dedication, to say the least. And, it's hard to determine if people really find any of my posts interesting.

So what have I been up to? Well, we are coming to an end of the summer season and I have pretty much consumed most of it with weddings, wedding showers, wedding parties, baby showers, bachelorette parties, birthdays, graduation parties, and pet sitting of course!

These are just a few snapshots but it's been a very busy and full of fun summer...

4th of July - Camping @ Fishcamp

Visiting Julie in Charleston

Ashley & Matt's Charleston Wedding

Visiting with forever friends!

Kelly graduated!

OLD friends together again...

Time has really flown by, making it hard to belive that we are nearing the end of August already! Fall and football is right around the corner... yikes!

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day and I didn't get a chance to blog about it. So today I am posting one for my Dad. We spent the day up at Lake Allatooona of course. Hot sun, cool water, good food... it's pretty much the usual around those parts. Here is one of my favorite pictures of us, it's from Corinne's wedding back in 2007. My Dad LOVES to dance!

I hope you enjoyed your day yesterday, Dad! I love you!

My Apple

I made this purchase after much thought and actually what turned out to be many years of pondering. I have worked day in and day out on a computer at my job over the past 3.5 years and the last thing I ever wanted to do when I got home, was get back on a computer!

So I went YEARS without the internet and/or a home computer and actually didn't mind it so much. But now with the pet sitting and other things, I found myself truly needing the computer after work hours and on the weekends so...

I finally bit the bullet!

And all I can say is this is a beautiful piece of machinery. I can't wait to find out all of the fun things I will be able to do with it, besides surfing the web. I like to think I am more of a creative mind and really believe this was a better choice for me in the long run. I think it was a super investment and I absolutely love it! I am a Mac :)

It's Official!

One of my nearest, dearest and best friends in the whole wide world, Holly, is PREGNANT!! It's finally official. She told me a few weeks ago, when she was at 12 weeks, but she (and I) had to wait to spill the beans. She couldn't officially tell the world, which means posting it on Facebook, until her husband, Brett made the appropriate phone calls to his close friends (most of the family knew of course.)

Brett is obviously a man, so a few days turned into a few weeks and Holly was dying to scream at the top of her lungs, "I'M PREGNANT!" She just had to wait for Brett to personally tell his close friends before the entire FB world and everybody else in it knew.

What saying it on Facebook really means is that somebody you went to middle school with, but haven't actually spoken to in 15 years, might know before anybody else does. But Brett did leave the country for two weeks, so we will give him the benefit of the doubt... this time! So it's official, it has been posted!

The funny part of all of this was that I already knew Holly was pregnant when she told me. I could sense it. Not that Holly doesn't make plans, I'm just usually the initiator every time. So when she insisted that we go to lunch that week, I knew she had a secret to spill. I knew she was going to tell me she was pregnant, and sure enough, she did!

It was such amazing and exciting news to hear! Having a baby truly is a beautiful miracle and I couldn't be happier for them!

Their timing couldn't be more perfect either. They have been married a little over 3 years, they just purchased the house they want to raise their children in a few months back, and Brett is just about to finish getting his Master's Degree. The next step had to be a little bundle of joy...

After we ate lunch that day, I told Holly that I HAD to take her picture because I was definitely going to blog about this (Holly has her own blog and is one of the few that actually reads mine!) She didn't want to take the picture but was a great sport.

Mommy Amburgey

And just recently, Holly sent me the very first sonogram pictures of Baby Amburgey. I'm dying to know what it is!

Boy...

Or Girl... Amazing, isn't it?!

I could't be happier for them. I wish Holly a happy and healthy pregnancy. And I wish the entire Amburgey family love and sweet blessings always! Congratulations!!

xoxo

Beach Street Pizza

I wanted to dedicate an entire post to Tyler's brother, Steven's new restaurant in St. Augustine: Beach Street Pizza. http://www.beachstreetpizza.com/

We were especially excited when Brittney and Theo invited us down (see St. Augustine post) because we knew it would give us a chance to see Steven. He just recently moved to Florida from Chicago to fulfill his life-long dream of owning his own pizza place. He left everything behind in Chicago to start his new future and to build a new home in St. Augustine.

We actually left for the trip at 4:00am that Friday morning, so by the time we made it to our hotel, it was way too early for check-in. We thought, what better time to go grab a pie! So we headed south down A1A to Beach Street Pizza.

It's a quaint little pizza shop directly across from the beach. Jill, Steven's wife, had just made the permanent move down from Chicago the night before. So we were lucky enough to see both of them!

We were starving so we ordered a pie off the pipeline pizza section and actually received some garlic knots on the house. It was delicious!! The ingredients were so fresh. I loved the marinara sauce he used and thought the dough was fantastic. They are all Steven's very own unique recipes and I must say that he has outdone himself. It was great food and great company. We wish them the BEST OF LUCK!

If you are ever in St. Augustine, be sure to check out Beach Street Pizza!

http://www.beachstreetpizza.com

*Since opening a restaurant is extremely hectic and chaotic, we didn't get to see much of Steven and Jill. But we were lucky enough to spend some time with them for breakfast early on Monday morning before we hit the road. After breakfast, we walked over to the check out the Fort (Castillo de San Marcos) on the island. Here is a picture of the brothers, Steven and Tyler:

St. Augustine

Tyler and I were invited down to St. Augustine for Memorial Day Weekend with Brittney and Theo. This was a special weekend for them because it's where they will be getting married in August!

So this trip was meant to spend the weekend at the beach, but it was also meant to plan the rest of their wedding. Theo had never been to St. Augustine or seen any of the venues that Brittney booked in person so this was his (and our) sneak peak into the big day.

The best part had to be all of the tastings! They invited Tyler and I to every single one... now maybe they were just being polite, we'll probably never know, but we tagged along anyway!

We got to see where the rehearsal dinner is going to be, ate the food, met the chef, tried their wedding cake, saw the beautiful reception site, ate the food, met the chef... it was pretty cool! The reception site was absolutely stunning and we cannot wait the share their special day with them.

Other than that, we spent most of our time relaxing on the beautiful beach, hanging out at the pool and checking out the town. St. Augustine is the oldest city in America and was founded in 1565. Now I've never been to Europe but Tyler, Brittney and Theo all said the streets and shops around town reminded them all of Europe. It was very charming.

It was such a hilarious and fun trip, we definitely created many memories which we will cherish for years to come. We cannot wait to go back for Brittney and Theo's BIG day!

A gorgeous sunset at Caps, one of the best restaurants in town (every single local we talked to recommended this place (FAB oysters and GREAT photo op!)

Crab legs at O.C. White's (the same people own The White Room, which is where the reception will be.)

The sailboats were so beautiful out on the water, the bay is just around the corner from where we stayed.

First day on the beach...

Drinks at Santa Maria on the bay.

The happy couple!

"Sammi"

I promised an update on my first pet sitting adventure. It was probably some of the easiest money I've ever made! I went over to the house prior for a meet and greet, to get instructions, and to ensure the owner that he could trust me to take his key, jot down his alarm code, and have run of his house for the entire weekend.

The guy was great and his dog was even cooler. Sammi is a 10 year old German Shepard and was just a doll. She's super laid back and pretty much just keeps to herself - so independent. I honestly didn't have to do much of anything. She didn't need walks, or any sort of special care, she just goes "poopoo' in the back yard, in the pine straw, and that's where it stays. I have to say that when the owner told me the magic word was "poopoo," it was a little hard to contain myself. To imagine this extremely successful man using the word "poopoo" everyday with his girl, Sammi made me giggle.

The hardest part of it all was, after having dinner and a few adult beverages on a Friday and Saturday night, knowing that I couldn't go straight home... I had to let Sammi out one last time. I was most concerned that the alarm was going to sound and I wouldn't know what to do! But, I overcame my 'tipsy' fears. Sammi is a sweetheart and we had a great weekend together.

To promote my business and to ensure that I would be asked to come back, I knew I needed to be remembered. I needed a leave behind of some sort. So I spent hours on the computer Sunday morning working on my very own business cards. I also figured that I should leave something tangible, like a treat or a toy, for Sammi. So I wrapped up some 100% natural doggie treats in a cellophane baggy and tied it with that adorable paw print ribbon I used previously for my fliers. I also left a little note about how Sammi and I spent our time over the weekend. I didn't want this guy to think I didn't care about her or was just doing this for the money. I wanted to put a lot of thought and care into it and I wanted it to show.

All I can say is adorable! I thought I did a pretty darn good job. Now, of course this owner is a MAN, so he probably didn't think, "Oh, cute" when he came home on Sunday. But if he thought, just for one second, that his dog was well cared for over the weekend, that was all mattered.

And to be honest, I really enjoyed doing this. All of it. I loved taking care of Sammi, I loved trying to make a great impression, and I loved that this could be the start of something...

Benny's Wedding

Last weekend was Benny's (Ben & Jenny's) wedding weekend at Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa. It was a gorgeous wedding and an overall wonderful weekend. Those are the only words I can find to describe it - gorgeous and simply wonderful. Exactly how I would love for my wedding to be one day.

Tyler drove us up very early that Friday morning so he could hit the links with the boys and I could lay by the pool for some much needed sunshine. The resort was smack dab in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains and it was breathtaking. It was exceptionally beautiful in the mornings when all of the mountain mist was still laying low and the air was really fresh.

The rehearsal dinner that evening was supposed to be a little more on the casual side, and it was, but I bet you the hot dog I had cost at least $80. It was the best hog dog I ever ate though! It was a very lovely evening with old friends and so many new. Tyler's Best Man speech brought a tear to nearly every one's eye... I don't know how he get up there and does it. The rest of the evening was spent mingling among friends and family and then it was off to the hotel bar for late night of course.

On wedding day, the boys played golf again and the girls hit the pool. Rain threatened all day, and we did feel a few drops but not a single one during the ceremony. There were some rolls of thunder in the background and it actually sounded pretty neat. It was cool to see the mountains in the background and then hear the thunder roar. Jenny looked beautiful and started tearing up just as soon as she saw all of her guests seating and waiting for her entry.

What to say about the reception except that it was amazing. It was absolutely stunning, the setting was breathtaking, and the band was simply bad ass! Everybody danced, the food was incredible and the company couldn't be beat! It was one of the best weddings I've been to in a long time. It was gorgeous and simply wonderful...

Congratulations, Benny!