It's getting hot in here....

Happy Tuesday. I knew last night felt a little cozy...then.. on Tuesday morning we woke up to this.

To bring you up to speed... my AC unit looks like it could be placed in a museum. So this year I thought okay I'm going to get this thing checked out. ONE month ago I had it checked. The verdict...perfect bill of health. (liars). The compressor went out...whatever that is I'm not sure I just know that sucker is pricy. So our options (one day at a time..clearly the options couldn't be permanent)

1.      Rent a dog friendly hotel. (mind you we are in Birmingham and the options are pricy)

2.      Bring it back old school with the window units.

Option two...check. I know when Sara Katherine reads this she will laugh. The reason I have one is when we first hit the real world four years ago we wanted to do the apartment shopping like big girls. (I.e. consulting no one regarding our decision) Allen and my Mom know how this worked out for me booking my first flight by myself to go to London… no need to go into that. However; when moving in everyone with us asked:

Everyone-"where is the AC unit it sure is hot in here"
Our answer with blank stares..."good question". Because the apartment did not have one.

So our first new purchase in our big girl apt was window units....wonderful right?  I was so glad to move out of that apartment and into my house. This little momma is still kickin four steamy summers later...

To be noted...Clay gets frustrated with my hoarding at times..(Scarlotte you will appreciate this and Allen not so much) This was a time when I was able to say “aren't you glad I didn't give the window unit away”

The verdict lies... Fix the AC or buy a new unit....to be continued. Oh the stories to be told of things that happen our first year of marriage....hopefully I'll laugh one day and many dollars later.

Happy Birthday Sweet Lizzy

So Liz turned five on Friday. We already had plans to go to a cookout so her birthday got pushed back a day (insert horrible mom comments below) I always like to make her a cake not that she needs the extra calories but I know it is something special for her to enjoy on her day. So this post is about our little pig.


When she was an itty bitty bulldog on her first bday. Well not really her first. It was Sara Katherines and her mom always has some kind of cute birthday attire and being seniors in college it was natural to think that we should let the nine week old pup join in on the fun.

Her real first birthday.

Her fifth bday. Now looking at the three maybe I should look into fat free recipes for her cakes. Just a thought.





















The cake. Yes. I get it's crazy to do this however those who know me most likely understand it. Go big or go home.

Happy Birthday Lizzy Bug.

Ps her "indrastructable dog toy" was ruined in ten minutes.

So this is it. I’m blogging. Not so sure what about and or who would care. When thinking of a name I wanted something that reflected my life. I think my title does just that. At times I might seem very main stream; however those who know me I am all but that.  So who am I?????

I am Julie Klinner. Wife, Mother (yes a dog does count as a child), a daughter, a sister, a strong friend, loud, outspoken, horrible hair (thanks for that compliment Jenna and Mom) at the same time very loyal, vulnerable, and thankful.   I grew up mainstream in an upscale town. I went to a liberal arts college…then I graduated...and became an adult. I was raised to form my own beliefs and to always do what makes me happy….so I did….I waited for ten years to marry the man of my dreams. Many people said I was crazy.( those who know me notice I did not put waiting patiently in that statement. :)) I bought a bulldog. I always thought I would own a yorkie or some kind of lap dog. My roommates most likely thought I was on drugs when I asked them to come with me to get “sugar baby”.  I work in insurance. Who in their right mind grows up aspiring to be a surety bond underwriter. If someone would have painted that picture for me when I was five I probably would have cried…really hard… However...If you let life happen...you might be surprised. I would have nothing different. The wait for marriage was well worth it. While those who closely know Clay and I get it…I am very impatient and he is not. His decisions are always very thought out in a rational manner which I appreciate because I have confidence that our big decisions in life will be well thought out and not some kind of irrational craziness. I care about Lizzy (the bulldog) more than some people most likely care about their own children. She snores, she smacks...and obtains all of my pet peeves, but I don’t care when she does… because she is my little angel.  My job is what I thrive on. I love feeling challenged and successful and having such a relaxed environment (at times....) So I am doing this to document life as it really is in the Klinner family. The quote below is what sparked this whole thing.....

Wood grows in a way that makes it easy to cut (with the grain) but in the other direction it also grows in a way that is hard to cut (against the grain).

So that is what my family is doing....growing and living...with and against life’s grains.