Our $10 date

With so many major purchases recently (the house, the fence, car maintenance, impending sod), Bruin and I have really been trying to pinch pennies and save, save, save. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun! Yesterday, we had a date (lunch and the aquarium) for only $10. That's right, $10.

First we had a delicious (and free) lunch at the world renowned Chick-fil-a. No, we didn't have to wash dishes. Last March, Bruin and some guys from our small group spent the night in a Chick-fil-a parking lot to celebrate it's grand opening. By doing this, they won 'Free Chick-fil-a for a Year', which actually equals 52-free Chick-fil-a combo coupons. So, our free lunch. Being the sweet guy Bruin is, he also bought dessert... a warm chocolate brownie with walnuts for only $2.

The next stop on our date was the South Carolina Aquarium, one of my favorite places! If you are calculating correctly, you know we only have $8 left. So how in the world did we get into the Aquarium for $8? Well, the answer is we work at a great company that has a Corporate Membership with the Aquarium and allows it's employees to use it. So, we actually got into the Aquarium for FREE. Nice, huh? We had a great time there... saw lots of cool things (like the river otters and a feeding in the big ocean water tank). Unfortunately, our camera died half-way through so we didn't get many pictures. To commemorate our day, we bought a magnet at the gift shop for $3 (corporate members get a discount). The last $5 was spent on parking.

View from the Aquarium

My favorite... a sea turtle

Bruin's favorite... a corn snake

a Blue Heron

Feeding time in the Big Ocean Tank

And the promotion goes to...

Nicole Robinson!

That's right! Today I was promoted to a level II Quality Assurance Analyst. What the heck is a Quality Assurance Analyst you ask? Great question! I spend my day testing a program called The Raiser's Edge to be sure it is working correctly. I absolutely LOVE it. And I worked very hard to reach a level II. So, yay me. :)

Also, you probably noticed our Boston terrier poll is gone... Well, that's because we have decided NOT to get another dog (For now, at least). We really thought about it and came to the conclusion that we are pretty happy with our family as it is now. So, thanks for all your votes.


For now, we are happy being a 'one dog' family

Hugo turns 18

Eighteen years ago tomorrow, my family and I braced for one of the worst nights of my life. For 12 hours, we endured a monster called Hurricane Hugo, the most intense hurricane to ever strike the US Atlantic coast north of Florida.

I will never forget the sounds from that night... and the images from the days and weeks that followed. Join me today in remembering this mammoth storm.

http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricanehugo.htm

Bodacious Bostons

Today, despite Bruin not feeling well, we took Cricket to his first 'Bodacious Bostons' play group. We had a blast!! At least, Bruin and I did. Cricket... well, Cricket spent pretty much the entire time exploring the perimeter of the fenced in yard looking for a way to escape. But towards the end he realized there was fun to be had. Seven Bostons attended, 5 males and 2 feisty females (Cricket was by far the biggest). It was all a blur of black and white for about an hour. In the end, we met some really cool Boston owners and can't wait till our next group.

Check out more pictures here:
http://bostonterrier.meetup.com/331/photos/?photoAlbumId=217372

United Way's Day of Caring

This past Tuesday, the 6th anniversary of 9/11, my colleagues and I participated in the United Way's Day of Caring (http://www.tuw.org/DayOfCaring/default.htm). We spent 6 hours doing data entry for a local crisis ministry. It was a truly eye opening experience to see how many people are in dire need for organizations like this. I felt honored I was able to help, even if it was just doing data entry. Bruin also participated by going to North Charleston Elementary school and reading with some of the students.


Matt, Me, Jill, Catherine and Daniel at TriCounty Family Ministries

Bruin with the kid that gave him Bronchitis

Are two dogs better than one?

A few months ago, Bruin and I started pondering adopting another dog. However, before we took the plunge, we wanted to see how we'd do with two dogs. So after emailing around, we found someone willing to 'lend' us their dog for a few days. Barkley, a co-workers Doxie, was the perfect candidate... He and Cricket hit it off really well and had 2 days of playing and running and playing and running and more playing. Mom and Dad, however, think it may be too early for another dog :)


Enjoying the view together


Barkley trying to take a nap


Cricket sizing up Barkley's kennel


Cuddle time with Bruin

Game Night

One of the things Bruin and I are most grateful for are our friends. We have a GREAT group of friends. Last Friday, we all got together at Matt and Stephanie's house (they live on the Navy Base, about 10 minutes from us) and had a game night. We played a little Trivial Pursuit, some Wii bowling and Bruin even tried his hand at Wii Tennis. It was a great time to relax and have fun with people we really care about.


The gang playing 90's Pop-Culture Trivial Pursuit


Bruin playing Wii Tennis

Meet the newest Robinson

Bruin's brother, David, and his wife, Chara, just had their first baby. Riley, born on August 2nd, is a happy, healthy, handsome little guy. He already has tons of friends and offers from football teams to play for them once he's a year old. To keep up with his cool life, check out their blog:
http://thefamilyrobinsonblog.blogspot.com/


Our nephew, Riley, was 10lbs at birth!

Cricket Cooper Robinson

We adopted this little guy from one of my co-workers last August. He was a year old at the time, was thankfully potty trained, but had no training of any kind. He also wasn't properly socialized with other dogs (he had this whole Napoleon complex thing going on). Bruin and I have worked very hard to train him and socialize him to be the great dog he is now. He is honestly the joy of our life (besides God and each other, of course:)


Cricket enjoying our muddy backyard

Home Sweet Home

About a year ago, after lots of advice from friends and family, we embarked on the adventure of building a house. The process was relatively easy, though we did have some bumps along the way. We learned a lot, grew a lot and spent a lot of money. But in the end, we wouldn't have changed a thing.


Our beautiful new house