Critters and Such

I fell in love a couple of nights ago... We were out celebrating Doug's rewards from all of the extra work that he's having to do lately. He had called that night and said to pick somewhere "nice" to go eat. I said, "Oh, how about Steak 'n Shake?" Isn't that hilarious? If he had asked me that six or seven years ago, the answer would have been St. Elmo's, Fletchers... maybe Ruth's Chris. Anyway, we wound up at Don Pablo's. It was very good... the kids had fun. James ate a ton of beef, beans and rice. He's such a good eater... While we were there, Doug handed me a card. I opened it up and found a very nice "thank you" for keeping the homefires burning while he's been MIA with his job. Also, he had been given a substantial gift card for his work. He said that I could spend the entire amount on myself. Wow! I have little idea on what to do with it... my kids and family are my life. I really don't have my own life right now. Any ideas?

Anyway, after dinner, we went to a craft store and a couple of pet stores. Inside one of the pet stores, I met a Great Pyrenees young 'un. Oh my... love at first sight. And, it just got better when I petted her and played with her. What a sweet dog. I did some investigating online and found that there are quite a few Pyrs around here that are in the rescue program. Here is one that just looks perfect for us... But, I'm trying to keep my head on straight. I need to wait just a little longer until the kiddos can help out a bit more. Oh, but what a big teddy bear of a dog...

Ok, so a couple of days ago when I turned on the "monster tank" (the 180G), I thought to myself that it felt kind of hot. Other than that, I didn't really think anything of it. I went about my day, doing what I do... playing, reading, dissolving disputes, cleaning, laundry, surfing the computer... I had noticed that one of my favorite fish in that tank was doing a bit of strange swimming, with its head pointing up a bit. While sitting at the computer near the end of the afternoon, I glanced over and there was a dead fish sitting at the bottom of the tank... I got to looking and there was another. I started putting two and two together and checked the thermometer. It was over 96 degrees F in there!?! The fish were literally baking. By the time the dust settled and the tank had been partially drained, cleaned, etc. We had lost six fish (including my favorite) out of that tank. Oh man... that was bad.

Right now, James and Amanda are still asleep. Don't know how long that will last. But, for now, I am enjoying the peace and quiet. Perhaps I should go back and try to sleep some more... I'm not sure what we will get into this weekend. The Blue Angels are in town. I'd like to see them, but I'm not sure if it will work out. There is a media day today for $5. If I'm brave enough, perhaps I'll load up the truck and head over... or not.