"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!

Pet Sitting

I am so excited that I had to blog about this! A few months ago, right after the new year, I scratched and scratched my brain for something I could do that would bring in a little extra cash flow (without actually getting a part-time job.) I have some major credit card debt that I need to pay off and my goal is to have it paid off by the age of 30... only 9 more months to go! Yikes.

I came up with pet sitting as my 'side business.' Whenever I went out walking in the neighborhood, I always saw dogs out and about running around in their fenced-in yards. It was the perfect opportunity I thought. So I made some really cute flyer's, tied them with adorable paw print ribbon, and passed them out to every single mailbox in the Buckhead Forest neighborhood.

Well weeks passed, and then it was months, and I didn't hear a word... until last week. I got my first pet sitting phone call. My flyer's worked!! But, unfortunately I was going out of town for Jenny & Ben's wedding in Brasstown Valley. I had to say no to my very first customer. I'll admit, it was completely devastating. I didn't want to let him down... he was my 'in' for the entire neighborhood.

We got off the phone and I immediately emailed him my pet references that I said I had, really my friends who have dogs (so I fudged a little,) a pet friendly price list I designed, and told him I would be more then happy to help in the future.

I didn't hear anything back and thought it was a little odd I didn't even get a "thank you," or "it was nice talking to you, too"... but what I did get back completely made up for it.

Ever since I passed out those flyer's with my contact information, I have checked this email address daily for months now and haven't received a SINGLE piece of mail... until yesterday. I couldn't believe it, he responded to my previous email and he needed me to pet sit this coming weekend. It was completely exhilarating seeing new mail in this account! I am going to be in town and I have my very first pet sitting job.

Needless to say, I hope that this weekend goes off without a hitch. I will be pet sitting "Sammy" and can't wait to see how it goes. I will be sure to blog all of the details.

p.s. If anyone is interested in Christin's Pet Sitting Co., please email me at christinsits@gmail.com :)

Mary Poppins and the Fabulous Fox

There is a sense of excitement when going to see a theater or Broadway show. My Mom loves to see shows and as a little girl I always remember her taking me. She would dress me up in my Sunday best, drive us into the city, and we would go to the theater together. It must run in the family because I know my Grandmother loves to take the bus into New York City as often as she can to catch Broadway shows with her friends. She and my Mom have seen several shows together and so have my mom and I. We've seen The Nutcracker numerous times, The Sound of the Music, A Christmas Carol, Jersey Boys recently, and just yesterday, I took her to see Mary Poppins at the Fabulous Fox!

I bought her the tickets for Mother's Day and for the first time, I was going to take my Mom to the theater. I have to admit, at the age of 29, I felt all grown up! We went down early to enjoy a nice dinner at Baraondo Cafe Italiano, which is just one block north of the Fox Theatre. We shared a yummy bottle of Prosecco and topped it off with a delicious brick oven pizza.

We finished our meal and were off the theatre just in time for our show. I love the old world and classy feel the Fox has... it's just beautiful. I even love the old sinks in the bathrooms (weird, I know) but they make you feel like you are in another time, a simpler time. It makes me happy.

Our seats were great and so was the show. I loved watching the Mary Poppins movie as a little girl and loved seeing it live. The singing and dancing were fantastic! My favorites were "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (whew!) and "Chim Chim Cher-ee" with the newly adapted "Step in Time." They had a great choreographed tap dance number along with this song, it was very energetic. And she really does fly, very exciting!

All in all, it was a wonderful theater experience and lovely evening together. I hope my Mom enjoyed it as much as I did. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Fishcamp

This weekend was a perfect one to go to Lake Allatoona. It's located in northwestern Georgia on the Etowah River and is mostly in Cherokee and Bartow Counties. It is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was built in the 1950's.

Darin and Ashley (my brother and sister-in-law) purchased a boat a few years ago and then decided to go for the old Army Corps trailer a couple of years ago. They have put a lot of time and effort into the remodel... and it turned out AWESOME! It's no mansion, so we call it Fishcamp. The renovation came complete with a new kitchen, new bathroom, hardwoods, and a kegerator, that's right, a kegerator!

It's located on a beautiful lot of land right on the water and it is the perfect one hour getaway...

I love coming here because it's all about having fun, relaxing, spending quality time together, boat rides and grillin' some good food. No need for high heels or even a hair dryer here. It's all about flip flops and hops!

Saturday, we took a boat ride to Illinois Creek and anchored the boat for a couple of hours. Illinois Creek a great spot to people watch, drink a few, take some dips, and 'noodle' around. It's very similar to Lake Lanier's Cocktail Cove.

(These two pics are from last year... it was way too cold to get in the water this weekend)

Their Mermaid, Dixie

Ashley and Dixie on the dock

Darin fishing on the dock Sunday morning

We accidentally caught a huge turtle on Sunday... and apparently, that means good luck for one year. We'll take it! (The turtle was released, hook free!)

Sunday was Mother's Day so our parents came up to enjoy the COLD day on the lake! We had some weird (and unwanted) coldfront come through, but what can you do... except enjoy it as much as you can! So we took a boat ride out to Little River, a great restaurant spot on the lake. You can just pull up, park your boat and enjoy a nice lunch on the water. The ride back was a little painful, but hilarious none the less.

I'm so excited that Spring and Summer are upon us. I cannot wait to spend many more weekends at Fishcamp. I am so grateful to have this be my home away from home. Can't get much luckier than that. I'll take it!

Stamp Out Hunger THIS WEEKEND!!

I started this blog as a journal of sorts, a way to inform people of things that I've done, places I've gone or stories I would like to share. I also want to use it in ways that will benefit my local community and as an avenue to help others in need. I need to start finding useful ways for my time outside of work and I am starting today...

Stamp out Hunger is a nationwide food drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, the U.S. Postal Service, Campbell's and Feeding America. It is the nation's largest single-day food drive, which has collected more than 982 million pounds of food every second Saturday in May for the past 17 years. To donate food this weekend, all you need to do is place non-perishable food products in a bag and leave it by your mailbox THIS Saturday, May 8th 2010. Your local mail carrier will deliver the bags to local food banks or pantries in your area. That's it! It's that easy!

To help spread the word about Stamp Out Hunger, please go online to http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/ to download and post flyer's around your office and/or neighborhoods, or send an automatic email to your contacts from their website.

Please also become a fan on Facebook or Twitter and Campbell's will donate one can of soup to Feeding America.

If you would like to learn more about this cause, please log onto http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

THANK YOU FOR DONATING!

*Please do not donate items that have expired or are in glass containers.

Adam & Jess's Wedding

This past weekend Adam and Jessica celebrated their nuptials. I didn't go to high school with them (they're from PTC) but knew their story from friends, heard it again at the wedding, and wanted to share! They dated and first fell in 'love' when they were in the 9th grade but had to break up because Adam and his family got relocated to Florida with his Dad's job. Fortunately for the both of them, the Graham's soon returned to Peachtree City one year later... but Adam & Jess didn't get back together. They became 'just friends.' They both went to the University of Georgia but even still, remained 'just friends.' It wasn't until New Year's Eve of 2006 (turning 2007) that their relationship turned back into one full of true love... and they've been together ever since!

It was a very special weekend for them and I truly enjoyed being a part of it. I've decided that having your date be in the wedding is the best case scenario... you get the fun of being a big part of the wedding without the responsibility (or the cost!) of actually being in the wedding. To be able to enjoy the rehearsal dinner with their closest family and friends is truly an honor and something that I am very thankful for. I really enjoyed it and enjoyed the company of both of their wonderful families and friends!

The rehearsal dinner was Friday night at Maggiano's in Buckhead and the ceremony and reception were at Little Gardens in Lawrenceville. Rain threatened us all throughout the day, but lucky enough for Adam & Jess, there were blue sky's when it came time for the "I do's!" They were able to have the wedding outside in the beautiful garden just as they had hoped.

Matt & Jennifer (Brother of Groom)

Allison & Matt (Sister of Groom)

Tyler and Me

Josh (Brother of Groom) and his hot date!

Ansley (Matron of Honor) & Jess

Some of the gals...

Congratulations, Adam & Jessica!