The waters are no longer safe. Do not tred in shallow water.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Birthday Weekend
Yes the horrible age of 23 is over and I am now 24 (back to the evens!).
It all started at work on Friday. I walked into the bank and my station was decorated for my birthday. They all got me a card and some little presents and balloons and a cookie cake. It was really sweet and very much appreciated. I loved the envelope to the card! 
I had a wonderful birthday weekend. My parents came down with Skippy and Grandma (an expected surprise, you can't hide anything from me) on Friday. Friday night we just hung out until my parents and grandma left to their hotel room. 
Saturday I woke up to warm cinnamon rolls and eggs and bacon. 
My parents came around noon and we headed to Illinois to Eckert's farm, with a necessary stop at Starbucks for a soy pumpkin spice latte! 
It was the most perfect day, especially the weath
er (crisp, warm day). We went on a tractor ride to the pumpkin fields in search of the most perfect pumpkin. After many trials and errors, my mom found me the most perfect pumpkin. Still on the vine! 
We took my prize pumpkin back to the farm to pay for it. We then ate at the restaurant there where I got a free meal because it was my birthday! Bonus!
We then headed back to St. Louis and gave grandma the Forest Park tour and saw about 20+ weddings!! Unbelievable, but believable. We then took grandma to see the Basillica where Grandma and Dad stayed for mass at 5.o'clock. During this time, Mom, Andy and I played Nertz in which I was not in my prime game-playing state... I got creamed.
When Grandma and Dad got back we went to my favorite place, Pi! (Pi because it has amazing pizza and Pi, like the math term- in the bathroom they have equations and proofs all doing with pi and I have done them and can follow along! My first time there I went into both stalls and studied them!) Well dinner was delicious. We shared garlic bread and a South Side Classic pizza. Mom and Andy had beer and Grandma, Dad and I had wine (Pinot Grigio for me - <3) It was a really fun and delicious dinner. Good food, good conversation= the perfect dinner.However G-ma had a little too much wine so dessert was served with some coffee. 
When we got back to the apartment everyone sang happy birthday to me with a yellow cake and chocolate frosting that my mom made.
I then opened my presents....
a glass platter from g-ma(was a wedding present to her)...
a sewing machine from my parents...
some fall decorations...
a pumpkin bowl...
a cleaning cloth?...
for the necklace my sister got for me...
and a tennis ball with milk bones... (yeah real nice Buck Jones)
I also got a running shirt from Andy for cold weather runs (no picture... forgot to capture that moment.)When we got back to the apartment everyone sang happy birthday to me with a yellow cake and chocolate frosting that my mom made. I then opened my presents....a glass platter from g-ma(was a wedding present to her)...
a sewing machine from my parents...some fall decorations... a pumpkin bowl... a cleaning cloth?... for the necklace my sister got for me... and a tennis ball with milk bones... (yeah real nice Buck Jones)It was the most perfect birthday.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Warrior Weekend
This past weekend Gregg and Teddy came into town for the Warrior Dash on Saturday. It was pretty awesome. We traveled about an hour to Old Monroe, MO a town of like 500 to a shooting range. The Warrior Dash is a 3 mile course with obstacles. We had to hurdle, crawl, climb, jump over fire, and crawl through muddy water. Afterwards we got hosed off (it was freezing and I was never a fan of sprinklers as a kid) and had a beer and listened to a band and then watched over people master the muddy waters. 
On Sunday Gregg and I ran the St Louis Halloween 10K. We wore our warrior hats and ran through the streets of STL. Andy and Buckley cheered us on throughout the route. The course starts downtown and goes over the the neighborhoods of Soulard and through the Brewery and back down town. We watched the 1 mile fun run for the kids which is very cute to watch little Spidermen and Fairies with their little legs cross the finish line.
Of course though Buckley was the main attraction after the race. He was dressed in his shark Halloween costume and is now apart of many people's photo albums. (He posed wonderfully for his adoring fans) I mean how could you resist him?
On Sunday Gregg and I ran the St Louis Halloween 10K. We wore our warrior hats and ran through the streets of STL. Andy and Buckley cheered us on throughout the route. The course starts downtown and goes over the the neighborhoods of Soulard and through the Brewery and back down town. We watched the 1 mile fun run for the kids which is very cute to watch little Spidermen and Fairies with their little legs cross the finish line.
Of course though Buckley was the main attraction after the race. He was dressed in his shark Halloween costume and is now apart of many people's photo albums. (He posed wonderfully for his adoring fans) I mean how could you resist him?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Fall is Here!
I LOVE Fall! It's my absolute favorite season. We have been enjoying 60-70 degree weather- PERFECT. Sun is hot and breeze is cool.
So I have waited a long time to do an update so I will tell you what's been up in list form...
So I have waited a long time to do an update so I will tell you what's been up in list form...
- Andy finished his clinical at Jefferson Barracks Veterans Hospital- which if you ask me he really enjoyed.
- Andy went with his two friends, Teddy and Gregg, to the Appalachian Trail and did a 3 night backpacking trip... and survived.
- My parents went to Colorado for vacation and left us Skippy. I loved being with my two dogs and Buckley especially loved having a live-in play friend.
- I've been taking photos for people and still trying to become more comfortable with the camera and with directing people.
- Buckley has brought his run-away score up 3 points.
- I decorated for fall!
- Andy has started a new clinical at Sports Fitness and Rehab. in West County.
- I'm still a teller at Royal Banks and have been making my days go by quicker and making them funner by being very sarcastic to my supervisor (and obviously making it fun for him).
- We started our new community group. We're co-leading which is cool. We have 17 people in our group which doubles our group from last year. I think it'll be good- we're excited.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Race Day
Thank you for those of you who donated to The Covering House- we raised around 20K. So it was pretty awesome. The race had over 300 runners, so in the three days before the race and on race day over 150 more people signed up! (Nothing like doing things late!) It was great and really cool to be apart of putting on something like that. Thank you so much again for your support!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
5K Walk/ Run for the Covering House
Our community group from this past year decided to help a community group called The Covering House raise money for a home for girls who were/ are involved in sec-trafficking and sexual exploitation by putting on our own 5K walk/run. The 5K is September 3rd and you can either sign up to run it or walk it (very walk friendly, so don't feel intimidated) OR you can go to Andy and my page to donate. So you're just not donating to a random thing that you know nothing about... The Covering House's website is http://thecoveringhouse.org/.
To learn more about the 5K Race: http://thecoveringhouse.org/race-for-refuge-5k/
AND to sign up for the 5K Race go here: http://www.firstgiving.com/thecoveringhouse
Click on "Start Fundraising" (note: you do not have to fundraise to run or walk)
Then follow the instructions! Easy Peasy!
OR to donate to Andy and my page go here: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/andyallysha-mcgilliard/race-for-refuge-5k-run
Click on Donate and follow the instructions!
Thanks guys! It's a definite worthwhile cause and we're excited for you all to join in and help out!
To learn more about the 5K Race: http://thecoveringhouse.org/race-for-refuge-5k/
AND to sign up for the 5K Race go here: http://www.firstgiving.com/thecoveringhouse
Click on "Start Fundraising" (note: you do not have to fundraise to run or walk)
Then follow the instructions! Easy Peasy!
OR to donate to Andy and my page go here: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/andyallysha-mcgilliard/race-for-refuge-5k-run
Click on Donate and follow the instructions!
Thanks guys! It's a definite worthwhile cause and we're excited for you all to join in and help out!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Maisy and Me
Wednesday I got a phone call after work around 6 p.m. from my dad telling me that my mom was at the vet and he was on the way there to put Maisy down. It took a moment for it to sink in and I pretty much cried the whole night. I write this post in memory of her...
In April of 2000, my childhood dog, Slippers was put to sleep because she was old and wasn't eating. Against a lot of "We can't get another dog" 's and "We miss Slippers" 's we ended up searching in ads and found a litter of golden retriever puppies in Pontiac, IL. (This was about 3 months after Slipper's passing) We were tired of coming home to a house void of a furry creature with a wagging tail. So one stormy Sunday afternoon all four of us made the trip to Pontiac. There was lightening, rain, and even tornado warnings. The puppies were in a barn (later made into a great joke: "Maisy were you born in a barn?") and we had our choice from the whole litter. We were overwhelmed with all these fuzzy little golden puppies running around. And then I found her. A little sweet puppy with white on her paws (Slippers had 4 white paws, hence the name Slippers). She was ours.
(My pictures of her are limited on this computer...)
I remember her first night. We had a kennel set up with a pad and blankets and toys. I decided I'd set up a sleeping bag and sleep next to her kennel so she wouldn't be lonely. She cried. So I decided to get her out and have her sleep next to me. She bit my ear... I put her back in and after some crying her and I fell asleep. The next morning I cried and said I wanted Slippers back... I did want Slippers back, but I came to love and adore sweet Maisy. Those first few months we rediscovered what it was like to have a puppy. She was really sweet and pretty well behaved. She never went to obedience school, but was one of the most obedient dogs. She became very spoiled (probably a mix between our missing Slippers and just being really cute). She became a little bit of a brat (probably from being spoiled). She was the best dog ever. The second day we had her we went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and my dad held little Maisy in his arms and brought her in against my mom's, Amy's, and my protests. The guy at Dunkin said no dogs allowed and my dad was like what? She's my puppy. She had us wrapped around her little paws...
I have so many memories of Maisy... We used to keep her in the back room of our house with 2 gates one in the kitchen and one leading to the hallway. When I got home from school or my mom from work we'd find my stuffed animals lying in the hallway or in the front room or on the stairs, but Maisy would be in the back room. It's like she knew she needed to get back to where she started when we got home. Miss Innocent. She used to always nudge people's arms at the dinner table forcing people to pet her. When you told her to lay down at the dinner table when she was begging she would promptly put her head in your lap and look up being like "What my head is down." When we got Skippy and Skippy took her place on the couch in the front room, Maisy would bark as if something was outside and once Skippy jumped down to see what it was Maisy would jump up on the couch and take her place. I used to run with both Skippy and Maisy and I felt like such a fool with one arm stretched out way in front of me and the other way behind. I tried to catch up with fast Skippy and trot along with lowly Maisy. I used to look back at her and be like "Come on girl you can do it" and she'd look at me as if to say "I'm coming, this is my speed, but I'm coming".
I hated leaving to go to college. I cried in both respects of leaving my parents, but also my dogs. There were many times I was very homesick for my puppies. But every time I came home there was always a HUGE welcome waiting for me. They both would be so excited practically knocking me down. Maisy used to cry and talk when I got home as if to catch me up on everything that I missed while I was gone.
Maisy was no stupid dog. She was very intelligent. After teasing her with toys, she picked up on teasing people with toys. She'd walk up to you, drop the toy, look at you and then hover inches over the toy to say "Get it, I dare you". Any slight movement and her jaws would snatch up the toy. Maisy LOVED socks and would stuff her mouth with as many that fell off the bed through the night. "Maisy those are mine!" "No, I disagree." Every walk would start with a dive and roll onto her back, over and over and over. She LOVED rolling in the grass. It was like she was saying "I'm free! And I love it!". While I was at home during student teaching my parents and I would watch 24 and my dad would lie on the floor and Maisy would bring him a toy and stand over him and when she got bored with that she'd lie right next to him. She would actually lie right next to you whenever you were doing something... Working out especially. And it's hard doing sit ups or push ups with an 80 pound dog next to you.
I know this post is long, but I wanted to write out at least some of the memories of Maisy. She was my best friend and I miss her and I wish I could have been home more with her during the last couple of years. People without pets don't realize what purpose animals have, but Maisy was like family and unlike humans, dogs have the power to forgive easily and love unconditionally. Maisy would give, give, give and love me no matter what. I love her very much and I miss her so much.
(One more story. Maisy (like most dogs) loved food. When I was in high school, during the summer I would come up to bed after my parents (and Maisy) went to bed and I would come up and watch tv in my room and sometimes I'd bring up crackers. The minute she heard the crinkling of the cracker package she magically appeared in my room and was at my bed side. Never failed. )
In April of 2000, my childhood dog, Slippers was put to sleep because she was old and wasn't eating. Against a lot of "We can't get another dog" 's and "We miss Slippers" 's we ended up searching in ads and found a litter of golden retriever puppies in Pontiac, IL. (This was about 3 months after Slipper's passing) We were tired of coming home to a house void of a furry creature with a wagging tail. So one stormy Sunday afternoon all four of us made the trip to Pontiac. There was lightening, rain, and even tornado warnings. The puppies were in a barn (later made into a great joke: "Maisy were you born in a barn?") and we had our choice from the whole litter. We were overwhelmed with all these fuzzy little golden puppies running around. And then I found her. A little sweet puppy with white on her paws (Slippers had 4 white paws, hence the name Slippers). She was ours.
(My pictures of her are limited on this computer...)I remember her first night. We had a kennel set up with a pad and blankets and toys. I decided I'd set up a sleeping bag and sleep next to her kennel so she wouldn't be lonely. She cried. So I decided to get her out and have her sleep next to me. She bit my ear... I put her back in and after some crying her and I fell asleep. The next morning I cried and said I wanted Slippers back... I did want Slippers back, but I came to love and adore sweet Maisy. Those first few months we rediscovered what it was like to have a puppy. She was really sweet and pretty well behaved. She never went to obedience school, but was one of the most obedient dogs. She became very spoiled (probably a mix between our missing Slippers and just being really cute). She became a little bit of a brat (probably from being spoiled). She was the best dog ever. The second day we had her we went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and my dad held little Maisy in his arms and brought her in against my mom's, Amy's, and my protests. The guy at Dunkin said no dogs allowed and my dad was like what? She's my puppy. She had us wrapped around her little paws...
I have so many memories of Maisy... We used to keep her in the back room of our house with 2 gates one in the kitchen and one leading to the hallway. When I got home from school or my mom from work we'd find my stuffed animals lying in the hallway or in the front room or on the stairs, but Maisy would be in the back room. It's like she knew she needed to get back to where she started when we got home. Miss Innocent. She used to always nudge people's arms at the dinner table forcing people to pet her. When you told her to lay down at the dinner table when she was begging she would promptly put her head in your lap and look up being like "What my head is down." When we got Skippy and Skippy took her place on the couch in the front room, Maisy would bark as if something was outside and once Skippy jumped down to see what it was Maisy would jump up on the couch and take her place. I used to run with both Skippy and Maisy and I felt like such a fool with one arm stretched out way in front of me and the other way behind. I tried to catch up with fast Skippy and trot along with lowly Maisy. I used to look back at her and be like "Come on girl you can do it" and she'd look at me as if to say "I'm coming, this is my speed, but I'm coming".
I hated leaving to go to college. I cried in both respects of leaving my parents, but also my dogs. There were many times I was very homesick for my puppies. But every time I came home there was always a HUGE welcome waiting for me. They both would be so excited practically knocking me down. Maisy used to cry and talk when I got home as if to catch me up on everything that I missed while I was gone.
Maisy was no stupid dog. She was very intelligent. After teasing her with toys, she picked up on teasing people with toys. She'd walk up to you, drop the toy, look at you and then hover inches over the toy to say "Get it, I dare you". Any slight movement and her jaws would snatch up the toy. Maisy LOVED socks and would stuff her mouth with as many that fell off the bed through the night. "Maisy those are mine!" "No, I disagree." Every walk would start with a dive and roll onto her back, over and over and over. She LOVED rolling in the grass. It was like she was saying "I'm free! And I love it!". While I was at home during student teaching my parents and I would watch 24 and my dad would lie on the floor and Maisy would bring him a toy and stand over him and when she got bored with that she'd lie right next to him. She would actually lie right next to you whenever you were doing something... Working out especially. And it's hard doing sit ups or push ups with an 80 pound dog next to you.
I know this post is long, but I wanted to write out at least some of the memories of Maisy. She was my best friend and I miss her and I wish I could have been home more with her during the last couple of years. People without pets don't realize what purpose animals have, but Maisy was like family and unlike humans, dogs have the power to forgive easily and love unconditionally. Maisy would give, give, give and love me no matter what. I love her very much and I miss her so much.
(One more story. Maisy (like most dogs) loved food. When I was in high school, during the summer I would come up to bed after my parents (and Maisy) went to bed and I would come up and watch tv in my room and sometimes I'd bring up crackers. The minute she heard the crinkling of the cracker package she magically appeared in my room and was at my bed side. Never failed. )
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