New Year, New Blog

I've moved the blog to another host. I use wordpress for my orff blog and for my running blog so I figured I'd move this one over to make it easier to manage everything.

Please update your bookmarks to:

www.berrasbeachhouse.wordpress.com

:-)

fins up . . .

Matt and I got Mom, Lynn, and Taylor tickets to the Dolphins game for Christmas!  The first half was miserable but the Dolphins came back the second half.  They didn't come back enough and still lost so no playoffs but it was still a fun day!

:-)

christmas day recap II . . .

After presents we went to the park up the street.  Matt and I went there before.

We didn't see the usual activity but it was still nice!

After exploring the wetland we went to see the bald eagle nest!  We didn't see the nest but we saw one of the eagles!

Very cool!

:-)

christmas day recap . . .

Christmas Day was filled with fun for all!

Matt and I got some great gifts.  Mom and Lynn got us this amazing picture of the Miami skyline taken by one of their friends that won 1st place at the fair!  It's beautiful and replaces one of our older framed posters that we've had forever. They also got us a wii!!

*squeal*

Megan sent us some delicious treats! Bevo loves the yappie gobble bites that were included for him.  now he goes to the kitchen and searches for them.

*thanks megan!*

Uncle Tim sent some University of Texas things tp help Bevo mark his territory.  Bevo isn't named after the mascot but it's pretty cool that we can get the bev some shwag that has his name on it. YAY!  Bevo isn't a name like Spot, Fluffy, or Fido.

Bevo is pleased:

*dis mah house*

Bevo also made out with gifts from Santa!

He loved both new toys so much he carried them both around ALL DAY!!

*melt*

Matt was surprised with a sweet gift from santa!

*fryer*

We made some delicious donuts!

What a great morning!!

:-)

christmas eve recap . . .

We've had so much fun with Mom, Lynn, and Taylor that I haven't had time to post many recaps of our adventures.  Since we're currently drinking coffee and waiting for the fog to burn off (beach later- yippee!!) I figured I could get in a couple of recaps.

Before the Alarm debacle (see the previous post) we went back to that crazy house with the huge display of Christmas Lights.  Here are some of the displays that I missed on our last visit.

The moving deer:

The Dolphin (it moves too):

More pretty lights:

*christmas in the caribbean*

The Claus family and their sweet ride:

*sup*

Fun night!

:-)

merry christmas!

Merry Christmas!

New Tradition, Midnight Mass.  *yawn* :-)

Matt, Mom, Lynn, Taylor, and I stayed up until 2:00 last night!! This is NOT normal for Matt, Mom, and I. Lynn and Taylor are much more suited for that. We decided that we were going to attempt Midnight Mass.  We got to church at 11:30 for a sing-a-long and the service started at 12:00.  The service lasted much longer than usual due to the occasion (is that REALLY a problem? Honestly? On Jesus' Birthday I think we can stay an extra half hour).  I'm so tired and the only one up now because of the pets. They did not stay up until 2:00 am.  In fact, when 10:00 rolled around Bevo stumbled in to the room, glared at Matt, and crawled in his crate.  He fell asleep even before we could shut the door! Adorable.  Cant.Stand.the.Cuteness.

Methinks Bevo was so tired because there was an adventure earlier at the Berra's house! I believe it might be the one thing that kept us awake until midnight for Mass!

Mom, Lynn, Matt, and I were sitting outside for our tropical Christmas Eve BBQ. I made kebabs that were pretty delicious, if I say so myself.  Bevo was running happily around the back yard.  All of the sudden he ran to the door of the house and started barking and howling.  We were so confused! We ran inside to hear the alarm system FREAKING out.  We started hitting buttons and trying to enter the code but NOTHING worked!  Before you think that someone broke in let me say that we haven't activated this particular system.  It was the hardware from the previous owners system that was FREAKING out. Buttons were pushed, google consulted, and Michelle cussing like a sailor keeping very calm and collected. Then Matt said, "Is that going outside?"  Yes, Matt- that FREAKING OUT sound decided to go through the speakers in the alarm system so that all of our neighbors and their dogs could hear the FREAKING OUT system!  Panic set in me... I thought, "Well, Christmas Eve is ruined for all of our neighbors, we are all going to have to go get hotel rooms as this blasted system won't shutthe(insertwordofyourchoice)up. Fire Department Called, nothing they can do, Police called, nothing they can do.  Then... NEIGHBORS TO THE RESCUE!!

*knock knock, door opening*

"Michelle? It's Mary from next door. Are you all Ok?"

"No, I'm so sorry! We can't get this thing off!"

"Do you know the code?"

"Yes, but this system isn't activated anymore and the code isn't working!"

"Rose across the street is best friends with Letty (the nickname of the previous owner). Let me go over there and ask for their number."

***relief***

Rose was actually ON THE PHONE with Letty and got the number of the alarm company and the code.  Have I mentioned I have wonderful neighbors?

I sprinted home with the info to see Matt and Lynn shutting off all of the power to the house trying to get this thing to shut up.  I call ALL of the numbers and they are all disconnected. NOT.PLEASED. I'm calling every.single.alarm.company in all of Broward County. NADA! I'm freaking out and Matt is weird calm.  I mean, weirdly calm.  Matt, I don't know how you you did it.  Forty-five minutes of the alarm blaring, the noise outside, the police saying, "good luck with that," bevo whining, the neighbors dogs barking, me freaking out, no one knowing what to do, losing internet connection (noooooo we needed yellow pages.com and google), and the cats freaking out.  You are a saint. I'm impressed.

Finally I get in touch with a nice man at ADT (this is the second time I called and the first guy was like, "um, I can't really help you").  Man 2 started to explain what to do and Matt RAN into the garage.  Matt found a secret white box and a secret battery pack and removed the spazzing battery. 

*peace*

I almost faint with relief.

I thanked the nice man at ADT  for his help and that my husband had figured it out.  I looked at Matt and said, "who were you talking to?" Matt answered, "Brian, I wish I'd have thought to call him earlier."

Thank you Brian, for saving Christmas Eve.

:-)

lights . . .

*keeping the south florida in Christmas*

A couple of  days ago, Matt and I took Bevo to see some Christmas lights!  It was a great road trip until Bevo got car sick and threw up all over the back seat and floor of the Matrix.  Poor Bevo. He's not really a "car" dog.

Getting the tunes ready. . .

 

(before the sick)

Our neighborhood is obsessed with these snow globes. . .

*santa and rudolph dancing helping santa get down the chimney*

This house is the winner for our development every year!  They weren't finished yet... they still had to lay more "snow" on the grass.

Their neighbors:

After running around our neighborhood we went a little farther north for the the GREATEST DISPLAY EVER!!

You KNOW you are serious when you divide up the secular displays from the religious displays.  I'm not sure that seeing the Holy Family riding the Ferris Wheel with Mr Squarepants would have been keeping the "Christ in Christmas." lol!