Where do I begin? It seems we are back to an exciting life since it has only been 10 days since the last post and I have much to report...
So, Fletch is doing fabulously! He was potty-trained soo much faster than we ever expected. That is not to say he hasn't had any in-house accidents, but they are not only far and few between but also it is usually because Rick and I aren't paying attention to his signals.
As previously posted, he liked his crate... but since he realized "crate" means he will be by himself he despises it! With some treats, he is going into his crate better, but when you say the word... it is like a bat out of hell!
He hates the hardwood floors, he actually pulled a blanket off the couch so he wouldn't have to lay on the floor (this was before Rick decided he could be a couch dog!) Now he is a couch dog so he sleeps with a pillow, or Rick's leg usually.
On a different note...
As I am sure you know, VCU lost in the first round of the NCAA. Bummer. Especially since it was only by 1 point. What can you do? We still had a good time out with some friends... on a school night!
We got to babysit Delaney on Friday! Her and Fletch fell in love. Well, let me rephrase that... Delaney fell in love and Fletch is still a scardey cat... but he definitely warmed up to her. We got to hang out with my sister and Delaney most of the weekend which was very nice. We hung out at my folks house on Saturday and watched some of the LSU game (they lost in the 2nd round of the NCAA).
Then, we went to a place called Commercial Taphouse for Nate's Going Away Party. Nate was a groomsman in our wedding and a very close friend of Rick's. He is moving to Austin, Texas the beginning of April. We are both very sad, but this seems like the best thing for him! And his party was super fun!
The Erins at Nate's Party
As for this week... well, it leaves me very sad!
This week started the first of MANY weeks that Rick is going to be out of town. He left early Monday morning and won't be back until late Friday evening. This week and next week Blackstone and continuously until the job they have there is completed. Then, on to different cities around Virginia...well, so far. Who knows?!?! But at least we will have the weekends! I have never looked forward to the weekends like I am now!
So at first, Fletch seemed like bad timing... a week before Rick left for out of town work (which I hear will take us well into Summer) but really it is perfect timing. Having Fletch around when I get off work has been something to focus on instead of my empty dinner table! Plus, Fletch eats his dinner while I eat mine so it works out great! (Yes, Rick did go grocery shopping for me and plan out meals as well! I know I am spoiled!)
So wish Fletch and I luck with the next few months without the man of our household! The plus is that the money is really great, which we could definitely use. Plus we hear this is THE time to buy a house if you are going to soooo the extra money definitely can't hurt! We will see where this [pipe] dream takes us!
Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and fullfilled.
Love,
your 1/3-absent-richmond-rices.
Ps. School is so GREAT! Here is a random picture from last week... I taught my kids the bunny hop during Signs of Spring week. I hope these kids remember this one day! The only memory I have of the bunny hop is from my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Will's Wedding Reception!! I don't know how long ago that was but I was pretty young and I remember having the BEST time with my family! (An added bonus, is my favorite bulletin board and the most beautiful.. if I do say so myself.. that I have ever made! Some of the birds are even singing. :] )
We have been so busy!
Elizzabeth, my fabulous cousin came to visit us for a weekend which was fabulous! We hit Mulligan's (the bar I used to work at) for some Karaoke on Friday, which both Rick and Elizzabeth had a great time participating in. I hosted a Vino&Bubbly girls night at my house and Elizzabeth was kind enough to help me get ready for that!
We spent all of Saturday running errands and surprisingly had a great time! Elizzabeth was especially a HUGE help at the grocery store as going their is a little bit out of my comfort zone. We went out for a bit after Vino&Bubbly with a mutual friend of Elizzabeth and my brother Bryan, which also was a lot of fun. Sunday, my folks were kind enough to take us out to eat to get some yummy BBQ!
It was just an overall GREAT weekend! And I cannot wait for another visit!
Me, Elizzabeth and my good friend Erin.
Then, this past weekend was the CAA Tournament. My folks got us a hotel at the brand new Hilton downtown near the Coliseum for the weekend. It was a wonderful mini-vacation even though we were in town. Sunday evening, it felt as if we had really been away. It helped that VCU played so well and went on to win the CAA Championship on Monday night!
Rick and I outside Croaker Spot for lunch after a VCU win on Saturday afternoon.
Rick and I after a VCU win in the Championship Game on Monday night.
As for this week, we laid low. We focused a lot of our energy into trying to find the perfect puppy to add to our mini-rice family and yesterday evening got an email that we were approved for adoption!
We drove to Huddleston, Virgina (near Lynchburg) to meet a boxer-mix puppy and we fell in love! He is almost 4 months old and an absolute ball of energy! We LOVE him!
Meet Fletcher "Fletch" Shelton Rice...
This is on our ride home from Huddleston. He slept most of the way... talk about easy-peasy.
Already has a favorite toy AND loves his crate! 
Fletch has found his favorite spot in our house outside of his crate. It is the space between the wall and the butcher block where all the cable wires hang out... weird I know but he leaves all the wires alone so we can't really complain!
We can't wait for everyone to meet our new addition!
We hope this finds everybody happy, healthy and staying dry!
Love,
your happy-to-finally-be-dog-owners richmond rices.
My friend Shannon passed along a starter cup of amish friendship bread about 10 days ago and today was my baking day!
The recipe calls for instant pudding powder in the flavor your choice and says you can add nuts or chocolate chips. Well I used banana pudding and added chocolate chips. Aside from forgetting to grease the pan (the edges are now burnt) it is quite delicious! More like a dessert cake than a bread.
I am so pleased with my baking ability, I plan to go get some yeast and make my own pizza dough for dinner tonight. We will see how that goes!
Hope this find everyone happy, healthy and warm!
Love,
your baking-crazed richmond rices.
I apologize for being brief but there isn't a whole lot to say...
Rick's Aunt Janet passed away on Friday early evening. She has been sick for quite awhile but seemed to be getting better. It was quite a shock. Rick and I are both doing as best as can be expected.
The funeral will be Tuesday, February 24 and the burial will be sometime the following week as there is a lot of paperwork to be filed.
Janet and Dan have the most amazing love. The first time I met them was for Don's (Rick's Best Man) homecoming party. On our way home from their house I told Rick that I wanted him and I to have the love they have... it is truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
She will be missed dearly by everyone who has ever met her.
On a happier note, I got my stitches out today and my face is looking very good considering.
I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and loved.
Love,
your debbie-downer richmond rices.
The good news is that the dentist says my x-rays look great and he doesn't think anything is going to have to be done for my tooth. He said the nerve could still die later on down the road but there is no way to predict that or anything that I can do to prevent it. He thinks that the soreness I feel will tighten back up and should be good as new in a few days.
As for the bad news, my dentist and my mother both think that plastic surgery might be necessary. Its not that the ER doctor did a bad job with the stitches, it is that the cut is so jagged and at such an awkward position the scar won't blend in at all and is probably going to be very obvious. But there is nothing a plastic surgeon can do until it is healed so I will cross that bridge when I get there.
Have I mentioned how amazing Rick has been? Whatever I need, he has done.. from sitting in the ER holding my hand during my stitches all the way to doing the laundry, cleaning the apartment and driving all around town to find something for me to eat with a fat lip and a loose tooth.
My mom was kind enough to take me to the dentist today so that Rick didn't worry about me driving on pain pills. She also took me to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner that are easier for me to eat.
Some very special girlfriends came by with valentine pasta, flowers and a movie for Rick and I to watch which was beyond thoughtful. Thanks Shannon, Erin and Sara!
So a pretty crappy situation turns out to be another reminder of how blessed I am.
I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and feeling the love as much as I am.
Love,
your blessed richmond rices.
Ps. Below is a picture of my awesome lip.
Proceed with caution, as it is not the most beautiful sight to see.
Ouch!
Rick and I mostly had an outstanding valentines.... until we spent a portion of the evening in the ER getting stitches in my lip.
Yes, that is right stitches. My shoe's sole isn't fully attached at the toe.. and sometimes when I step I drag my foot. Well I was walking on the concrete and I tripped over my own feet. I wish I had a better story...
The sidewalk was at a downward angle so when I fell the impact was in my wrists and knees but my body went forward because of the physics in the situation... and I sort of skidded down the sidewalk.
It sounds a lot worse than it was. I have 6 stitches in a horseshoe shape between my lip and nose. I'm very lucky I wasn't on a different sidewalk or I could have broken my nose. One of my front teeth hurts pretty bad so I am going to try and get an appointment tomorrow to see the dentist, just to be on the safe side.
I am not one that has ever really been concerned with looks but I am having a hard time with the fact that I could very possibly have scar on my face. And then I get really bummed because its so out of character for me to care about something that is so silly.
Other than that I am in pretty high spirits considering the situation. There isn't much I can do about any of it right now, so I am just trying to see whatever God is trying to teach me.
Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and with your lips still intacted!
Love,
your half-sewed-up richmond rices.
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. As we all know, I do not cook so my only option is to appeal to Rick's sweet tooth (which I think might work better!)
So, I woke up at 8am to bake him valentine's cupcakes.
You are probably wondering why I would bake any kind of cake seeing as how we both dislike cake, but this isn't just any cake... it is pillsbury funfetti cake... which I spent a month trying to find! It is our favorite and the only cake we really eat, and seeing as how little debbie won't give me her twinkie or ho-ho recipe, the perfect present for Rick. I found the Spring colors but no valentines colors until last week! Happy just isn't the right word.
Last night, Rick and I went to the firehouse theater to see The Pumpkin Pie Show. It was awesome! It is a series of shorts done by a guy and a girl and they are random in that they draw them out of a hat as they go along, so no two plays are never the same. It is hard to explain but we really enjoyed it. One minute I was crying because it was so serious and sad and then the next minute I am crying because I am laughing so hard. So good in fact that we are thinking about going tonight!
Tonight we are also planning go out to dinner for a special date night!
Sunday, we are going to go to church and hopefully the weather will be nice enough to do something outside in the afternoon, but we shall see.
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and feeling the love!
Love,
your sugar-highed richmond rices.
Ps. For those of you who are book worms, you should check out bookmooch.com, it is a book bartering website where you mooch books from other people and all you have to do is pay for the shipping to send your books out. I forgot how cheap the postal service is! I mailed out 5 books for $12 and one of them was out of the country! Just thought I would pass my new obsession along...
