Gadgets and Gizmos

Let me start off with the fact that I LOVE my husband. I would do anything for him. He does just about anything for me. Example: Driving to my parents house in the middle of the night to see me for 5 minutes, grocery shopping for me (and my family!), driving 16 hours to meet my extended family then turning around to work summer camps until August, babysitting my little brothers and sisters complete with food fights, throwing hay for me, picking up medicines, picking up TAMPONS (GASP! Now THAT deserves a gold star!), listening to me whine for hours on end, staying IN on a Saturday night instead of going out, moving 500 miles away from Nashville just to be with me! See, he IS pretty AWESOME! I think he loves me.

But he drives me CRAZY!!!! with gadgets! If it has an electrical system, operating system, program variation, circuit board, or overall, ANY sort of blinking lights, he is GLUED! Like a bug to a bug zapper, like a college kid to beer, like a tween to Justing Beiber, like peas and carrots, Superman and Lois Lane, a politician to a mistress, or a desperate housewife to prozac!

BEN LOVES GADGETS!! From January to March he researched building his own guitar, complete with a new work bench and an architect's spread worth of instructions. April and May were filled with reprograming his computer....4 programs later we have a functioning laptop again.

Well mid-May while trying out one of his newest computer programs he found the Samsung FASCINATE, andriod phone....And so a new obsession was birthed. 8 days ago it arrived at our front door. And once it charged, I lost my Benjamin.....

Meet THE ENEMY:

Cue the Mood Music! click here and open a new tab so you can get the full effect as you continue reading....

No he is not just texting away, checking his email and surfing the web.
He has been researching better ways to make the phone run faster.
This phone has had 3 new programs thus far....

What happened to the days when people just plugged in their new phones and used them?! Apparently those days left my house LONG ago!!
Today it got a new program.
As the thing started up it started talking.....

Instantly I was wishing for Shia Labeouf because I was convinced that a TRANSFORMER was going to explode into a sport car at any moment IN MY KITCHEN!!!

Ok, maybe I'm being a little over dramatic....But seriously, look at what I've been living with for the last 8 days!

Disclaimer: I am JUST kidding. Ben knew prior to the completion of this post that he was getting ROASTED for his latest obsession and he agreed. (Expect his rebuttal soon, especially after you see the last photo).
Ben dreaming of all the things his new phone can do. Cooper wondering WHEN he will get his guy back....There, there Super Cooper, I know how you feel....You can sleep on my side of the bed tonight.

Experiencing Mobile

Ben and I have had some very unique experiences together. We've attended a college convention with over 20,000 other students, we've been left in charge of groups of middle schoolers, and met multiple recording artists among other things. We've also had a few sobering experiences together. Though our fun honeymoon cruise to Cozumel lead to more fun experiences :-)

While cruising the Gulf of Mexico in January we met Stephen and Olivia, who we instantly took a liking to! They were young and fun! They have cute little kids and a sense of humor that Ben and I could definitely appreciate. Over the course of a few days we had dinner together and at some point they found us worthy enough to experience a little piece of Mobile history.

We were so excited to receive the personalized invitation you see above to the Mystic Stripers Ball in March. Here are a few photos from the night. Sorry there aren't any from the actual ball itself, we were too busy having fun!


I LOVED my dress! My "Mimi" picked this dress right off the rack at the store and knew it would fit me "like a glove". Thank you Mimi.
We were joking how Ben looks like the father from the Disney Peter Pan movie :-) So cute!
Thank you Stephen and Olivia! We had a blast and loved experiencing the "culture of Mobile". We have enjoyed getting to know you guys and your sweet little munchkins :-) We know life is busy now and hope to can catch up at the end of the summer!

Cabbage or Lettuce? You tell me.

So life has been a bit busy in last few weeks. I have now officially survived TWO terms of a graduate clinical doctor of audiology program! (Now only 6 more trimesters to go!) Yes! My head may not be filled with air after all! While I have taken one step forward academically, it seems that yesterday I took two steps back in the Rachel Ray department ....

For the last several days Team Audiology has been feverishly studying for our annual comprehensive exams in May. Yesterday a few of us were studying at my house and it had been determined that morning, we would reward ourselves with some juicy BLT's for lunch. We had it all together, or so we thought.At the beginning of the lunch process we discovered that we had forgotten lettuce. I valiantly hop in the car for a "quick" lettuce run. It only took me 11 minutes to drive to the store, pick out my head of lettuce and drive back. As I entered the driveway I thought, "Did I notice that my receipt said "GREEN CABBAGE". I check. It does.

"HMMMM, I wonder if that's another name for lettuce?"

(Below is what I SHOULD have brought home)

I walked through the door with my head of "lettuce" only to have Team Audiology inform me that I should stick to cleaning in the house and NOT cooking....I had indeed purchased "Green Cabbage", NOT LETTUCE!!! We were going to have to eat BCT's or BT's.....It really doesn't have the same ring to it...or the same taste...

So, being the resourceful and resilient ladies we are, it was Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado sandwiches instead. Which surprisingly, were pretty good :-)


Above is what I actually arrived home with. Does anyone else think they look the same?! Or is it JUST me? None-the-less, here's to cabbage and happy accidents that result in bacon, tomato, and avocado sandwiches :-) Happy Thursday!!

Mr. Cooper and the Bay

When my little brother, Matt was a toddler his favorite book was "Go Dog, Go". I have read it so many times I could probably recite it by heart these day. It's safe to say that it's one of my favorites. I never knew that I would have my very on version of the book!
Cooper has become quite accustomed to regular walks and runs as well as trips in the car. When we go outside, he sneaks out the garage door but the only place he goes is the car in the driveway to sit and wait patiently until someone opens the door for him to jump in. I fact, we can't say the word "GO" out loud unless it means that Cooper gets to "GO" in the car. Otherwise he jumps up and down and walks around with his leash in his mouth for no reason at all.....

He has two favorite destinations: 1. The Bay on the Eastern Shore and 2. Sallie Wynne's house (my good friend) so that he can get some playtime in with her pups Lucy and Sadie Belle. Here are a few photos of Copper and his outings :0)



The Bay Presents with birds to chase, fisherman to love on, and little kids that need wet kisses on their fingers and toes!

Here is a video of Cooper and his Lady Sadie.




With his fairly good manners, shiny coat and irresistibly amazing kisses, Sadie Belle can never say "no" to a good romp in the yard or a rest in the dirt ;-)

In the end, Cooper continues to sleep very well every night while dreaming of where he might "GO" tomorrow.

Allen Treks to Mobile...for dinner

So Ben's friend. Allen....umm I mean OUR friend Allen (He talks to me too!) visited Mobile this past weekend. He had initially planned to make the trip with my sis Jill and Ben's brother Nick. It seems however, that school and work kept them in Tennessee and put Allen on I-65 southbound all by his lonesome self :-( the good news: He made it! And we were never so happy to share Mobile with a familiar face!

He arrived in his usual good humor with a dash dietary expertise. The boys planned one triple D stop and a few other great dishes for their weekend. They embraced my desperate need for a bluegrass jam with the audiology ladies over a pitcher of Blue Moon. And I tagged along on a few of their delicious adventures! Here are a few of their stops:
The venue for the bluegrass jam down by Mobile Bay, Fat Man Squeeze, thanks for a fun night! We loved meeting you guys! And can't wait to hear your talents again!

No trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast would be complete without a good hearty meal at Lambert's: Home of the THROWED Rolls! Yep, that's right ladies and gentlemen if you're eating here bring your baseball mit or at least your hand eye coordination....

The guys headed over to Panini Pete's in Fairhope for their Triple D stop at Guy Fieri's suggestion. Needless to say they were not disappointed! They had fresh mozzarella, some good sandwiches and a couple of laughs with Panini Pete himself!
We finished off the weekend with some solid gulf seafood at The Original Oyster House on the causeway.
What good meal would be complete without dessert?! This is the peanut butter pie that Ben and I shared, while Allen enjoy a classic Key Lime Pie :-)
Despite the fact that the weekend was rooted in good friends, good times and good food, Allen never ceased to remind us of what was "Primal", referring to the lifestyle change that Allen undertook a while back, "The Primal Blueprint". Of course Ben and I egged him on all weekend with continued questioning....ha! (No worries, he was a good sport! We learned a lot too!)

We were sad to see our dear friend go :-( He was a fabulous house guest! We hope he will make the trip again with Jill and Nick so we can get in some beach time, tennis and of course more good eats!! In the meantime, I'm going to walk around the block for the third time today...

Ben's Big Day

I wake up to this sweet man every morning. I love him so. I have loved him for years and didn't know. Finally, I let go and loved him and haven't look back since.

We were a bit preoccupied over his birthday weekend. I dropped the ball on being a great wife and making sure the day was properly celebrated , complete with cards and friends. I'll do better next year, I promise! In the mean time I had written a list for him before his birthday with every intention of putting it in his card. Well "Late Lee" struck again! I know its not March 5th, but here ya go anyway!

Here's 28 Things I Love About Benjamin!
1. I love your compassion for people.
2. I love your goodness.
3. I love your “up for anything” attitude.
4. I love how generous you are, with your time and just about everything else.

5. I love your awful dancing skills in our bathroom.
6. I love how you listen.
7. I love how you exemplify God's love.
8. I love your heart for me and my passions too.
9. I love your gift of hospitality.
10. I love your patience.
11. I love how persevering you are.
12. I love your willingness to sacrifice your comforts.
13. I love your decorating skills!
14. I love your fashion sense.
15. I love your sincerity in all that you do!
16. I love how play with the “munchkins”.
17. I love how you try to “fix” anything you can.
18. I love your passion for the things of God.
19. I love the way you pray.
20. I love your selfless desire to serve others.
21. I love your heart for those who don’t know Him yet.
22. I love your taste in music!
23. I love your guitar playing.
24. I love your constant quest of hobbies.
25. I love your love for baseball.
26. I love your capacity to forgive.
27. I love your appreciation of “God’s green earth”.
28. I love your spirit.
I love you more than you'll ever know! You're my best friend. I have no idea how I made it 19 years without you in my life! You taught me about grace and God's unconditional love. If it weren't for you I'd be more of a legalistic self-righteous prideful fool than I already am.

I love how you love people. You care for those around you so deeply. I'm always so excited for new people to meet you because I get to watch them discover how awesome you are all over again!

And now that I’ve written these 28 things that I love about you, I’ve realized that 28 is not nearly ENOUGH!! Thank goodness we have a lifetime together so that I may continue to tell you all that I love about you every day that we wake.

Good luck tomorrow baby! You'll be great! Love always! ~lee

Meet Mr. Cooper

March 4, 2011 was a big day for us. Not only did we return to Nashville for a visit for the first time since we got married, we met the newest member of the Mobile Gooch family:-) I was nervous. I prepared photos of our home and where 'he' might live. I changed my clothes, put on make-up and rehearsed what I might say to these people to make them understand that we were 'good enough'.

March 7, 2011 was an even bigger day. I have never been a parent but on this day I was given a peak into what a parent might feel on that ride home from the hospital.... or in my family's case the airport ;-D The responsibility, the intense desire to protect, and the excitement!

We have wanted to have one of these made since we arrived in Mobile in January. We decided to attempt maturity and wait until we have a 'job' and the Spring semester calms down....Then we decided that when we did have one of these tags made it should be for a pup that didn't have as much of a chance as the rest of the 'cute' ones with puppy breath and no sense of potty training!!! We needed a pup that needed us. One who understood that while this life is quite the party, there is work to be done too!! Our jobs are to work and go to school/clinic, while his job was to help relieve the pressures of the day with afternoon jogs and romps in the backyard, maybe a visit to the senior home around the corner and 'kisses' for all neighbors and munchkins on the street! After weeks of searching for the "perfect pup" we met Cooper on our last trip back home to Tennessee. Thanks to Diana, Greg and the rest of the fantastic volunteers at SPA in Gallatin, Cooper got to come home with Ben and I to live by the bay:-)

Ladies and Gentlemen without further adieu we introduce you to "Cooper Wrigley Gooch"

His FAVORITE thing to do is PLAY!!! He likes to play ball...Once....(We still haven't quite got the whole concept of bring the ball back..lol!)
He LOVES to play Tug-O-War!!! And buddy is he strong!


He can sit, stay, and lay down. He gets along with other dogs.
He is kid trained, house trained, kennel trained, and furniture trained....
About that furniture trained thing......
It seems that he has an affinity for my great-grandmother's wing back chair....Every night at 7:00pm after his walk, he surveys the house and then proceeds to sneakily snuggle down for the night in the ancient piece of furniture history until it's time for a final pit stop and his kennel for the night around 11:45. We give him a pass. He has yet to do ANYTHING bad, or destructive. He hasn't even looked at the sofa. He won't walk out or in the door unless I say so. So if he wants to sleep in the chair every night, he can most certainly do so :-)