Dog Days of Summer

It is officially the "Dog Days" of summer. During these summer months Dog Fence DIY encourages exploration beyond the fence!

Every summer every teacher everywhere has a list of "goals" or projects that he/she want to accomplish.  There are many reasons for this: the first one being that we don't have to work every day (although I'm sure the majority of us are), but mainly because we've just spent the last ten months of our lives having no free time and this list that originally seemed do-able has grown and grown and grown to a monstrous, overwhelming list.  This summer I had lots of things on "the list" and some I've done, while others I've thought about doing (does that count???).  One of the items on my list was to read multiple books a week.  While that hasn't happened, I still have been reading during the week and am wondering what type of lack-of-sleep issues was I having to think I could read several books in a week (maybe if I did nothing else...)?!  

Another goal that I put on my list was to get outside and walk/jog {at the very least} 3 times a week.  There are many motivators behind this goal, such as having a desire to live a healthier lifestyle, as well as the super cute, 4-legged friend that I'm blessed to call mine....

Isn't he cute?

Princeton has definitely been on the receiving end of this goal as he has absolutely loved getting outside and nosey-ing around.  Most days I just take him for a walk around our 2 mile neighborhood, but on days when that doesn't feel like enough, we get in the car and drive to the park.  

It doesn't hurt that we live less than a mile from a ginormous "21st century" park that Louisville has started.  When they're finished with "The Parklands at Floyds Fork" it will be over 100 miles of trails connecting 4 major parks with a park drive.  It is pretty incredible.  The park by our house that we like to venture to is Beckley Creek Park...and it's pretty incredible.

Needless to say, Princeton LOVES going for walks here as it is a change of scenery from our regular walks in the neighborhood.  He also loves to sniff EVERYTHING and "hunt" (or pretend that he's hunting) in this seems-like-the-wild park.  Unfortunately Princeton is prone to getting carsick.  Thankfully, he's not in the car long enough to toss his cookies, as it is literally a 3 minute drive.  When it's all said and done, there will be a sidewalk at the front of our neighborhood that will lead us right to the park on foot.  I'm sure Princeton will be pretty stoked when that day comes!

The best part about taking him outside of the backyard and neighborhood is that this is what he looks like when we're on our quest homeward:

That's right - dead asleep.  And by the time we make it back to the house, he's out cold for the rest of the night:

His two favorite things are accomplished by my goal: he gets to go on a walk AND snuggle on the couch.  Score and score!

Christmas Cards

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It's Christmas card time!  I love everything about Christmas cards - from taking the pictures, to picking out our cards, to getting all our friend's cards in the mail and hanging them up in our house.  We're blessed because my sister is a photographer who is willing to capture us each year (EELaine Photography).  This year, I had even more fun with our Christmas card picture, because we had a new family member who joined us in front of the camera...

Isn't he just so handsome?!  He looks so regal in this picture...Princeton, that is :)

He's looking a little unsure of this whole thing in this picture.  Needless to say, this wasn't the choice for the 2012 Christmas card!

     

If you didn't already know it, these pictures should verify how well loved this dog is!

Here we are trying to get Princeton to howl....his thoughts? "Really, guys???  You sound ridiculous!"

"Let me show you how it's done..."

After sifting through all the great pictures that my sister took, we finally decided on this one:

I felt like this was the best one of all three of us :)

And here's a sneak peek at our 2012 Christmas card from tinyprints:

What about you?  Do you send Christmas cards every year?  Do you love tinyprints as much as I do?  (Here are our Christmas Card pictures from 2011 Christmas)

A Weekend in Chicago

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Do you remember when I told you about how Princeton was protesting the month of October?  If not, you can read about it here.  Well, November came in with a big bang and a trip to Chicago.  Princeton was not a happy camper...

The good news is that he had a good time visiting with Grandmama and Super Pops (my mom and dad) and when we returned, he hadn't destroyed anything else out of anger.  It was a win-win situation!

Stephen and I had been looking forward to our trip for the longest time, and were thankful for a reason to get away.  We had friends who were tying the knot in Chicago, and we couldn't wait to get there!

As soon as we drove into the city, we headed to one of our most favorite restaurants, Joy Yee.  Joy Yees is a pan Asian restaurant located in Chinatown (I wrote about it here when my sister and her husband visited).  For the past couple of months every time Stephen and I go out to eat, Stephen has shared his craving for Joy Yees.  Thankfully we were able to satisfy this craving on this trip.  It was a night of a double win, as our good friend, Shea, joined us on our Joy Yee extravaganza!  Unfortunately, we have no pictures to document this :-/

Joy Yee, we love you!

Stephen proudly showing us what he's going to order :)

Our meal: Coconut Curry Chicken and Chicken & Shrimp Pad Thai

Stephen double fisting our Bubble Tea choices.  Mine was on the left: a Mango Freeze.  Stephen's is on the right: a Berry Freeze.

On Saturday we enjoyed time with our good friends, Matt and Amy before heading off to Carnivale (a great Brazilian restaurant in downtown Chicago) to enjoy a wonderful wedding!

It's such a fun and beautiful atmosphere, with DELICIOUS food!

They served our table family style with food that was out of this world!  

 Stephen and I are blessed to have such good friends.  Here are our good friends, Debbie and Stephen - both were in our small groups in Chicago. 

The Bride and Groom

After the wedding, Stephen and I headed to our dear friends, Mike and Amanda's apartment (Princeton's previous owners) to hang out with them and our other dear friends, Matt and Amy.  We enjoyed a great night of food (more food?!) and Balderdash.  You can never go wrong with Balderdash and this crowd!  We laughed until we cried!

On Sunday, we were privileged to worship at The Moody Church before we spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends and loving our home away from home even more. 

We even got a chance to drive past our old apartment...

 We love Chicago and miss it daily.  The people make the place, and God definitely blessed us with an amazing Chicago Family that we'll have for the rest of our lives. 

Have you ever been to this great city?  If so, what's your favorite thing to do there?

My Hunting Dog

My dog, Princeton is a hunting dog.  He spends a ton of his time "hunting" in the backyard.  We get the biggest kick out of watching him find his prey, point, and then tip-toe to catch it.  Very rarely does he actually catch anything (I guess that makes him a wanna be hunting dog), but nonetheless, it's still fun to watch!  If you don't recall, a little less than a month ago, my dog brought my attention to a nasty snake chillin' in my backyard.  He got my attention by having a very angry and repetitive bark.  At first, I wrote it off to him being a "dumb dog" and then had my hand quickly slapped when I opened the door and was greeted by the reptile from hell.

About a week ago, I was alarmed when I heard the same bark coming from him in our backyard.  I was nervous to go out and take a peek at his latest find, assuming there was another satan serpent snake in my backyard.  As I walked out to the backyard, I braced myself for what I was about to find...

Until I found this harmless turtle being tortured by my dog...

(Check out Princeton's hind legs as he "ferociously" attacks this turtle)

Once Princeton saw my reaction and how un-phased I was by this harmless turtle, he got a little braver. That's when he picked it up in his mouth (poor turtle) and pranced around the driveway with it.  It's a good thing we've been working on the command "Leave it!" and I was able to get him to stop terrorizing the poor fella' while I worked out a plan.  That plan involved me holding Princeton while I called my mom over to help me remove the turtle from our yard and relocate it to the woods near our house.

Here he (or she???) is, enjoying their ride to safety.

Free at last!

And, once again, to prove that Princeton is a hunter at heart, here he is preying on a fly.  My blinds didn't really appreciate the attention he showed them (and neither did I!)!
He is currently sleeping next to me on the couch, hunting something in his dreams (there's an occasionally growl, muffled bark and movement of his legs)!
Oh Princeton!  Our life was so boring before you came into it! :)

We are...

DOG OWNERS!  Holy moly!  There's nothing like coming home to a creature that is so excited to see you that they are making squealing noises and are sliding all over the place!  Do you remember when I told you about our dear friends' dogs that we dog sat last March in Chicago?  Well, with their recent life changes (having a baby and finishing up a residency and preparing to start another) as well as just the craziness of owning a large dog that loves to run and has tons of energy in an apartment, Stephen and I officially became Princeton's new mommy and daddy over Martin Luther King Weekend.  If you recall, I've had my heart set on a Vizsla puppy for sometime now (read about that here), but I'll take a trained, housebroken dog any day if I can't have my Vizsla puppy!  The good news is that Princeton is a German Shorthaired Pointer which just so happens to be the big brother of the Vizsla.  It couldn't be more perfect - except for the day when we bring home Princeton's little sister, Meg and he and her fall in love and are the best brother and sister pups in the world...oh!  Sorry!  I digress...

Meet Princeton!

Our new family of 3 :) Don't worry, his eyes don't glow in real life!

He lives quite the life!

He loves a smaller bed so he can curl up in it.  He even enjoy's my parent's chihuahua's bed!

 Our first family picture :)

I told you, he leads quite the life!

And because I didn't get my puppy fix, I googled images of GSP puppies and found ones that look like Princeton.  I'm pretending that these were taken 3 years ago when he was a pup, and I'm sharing them with you now :)

 

Baby Princeton, pointing.                                    This actually really is Princeton, pointing.

Such a cutie!

They are just so cute!

As I'm typing this, I'm sitting on my couch with my buddy curled up right next to me - ah!  Such the life!  I'll be back later to share with you our wonderful and refreshing visit from our dear friends!

I can't even handle it!

Meet my pretend dog, Nutmeg (or 'Meggy/'Meg for short):

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She's dang cute isn't she???  Too bad she's not really mine (or really a she either - her tag says, "Angus").  

I've loved dogs since the day I took my first breath (I know, I'm being really dramatic here).  I grew up with all different kinds of dogs.  Thankfully, so did Stephen.  We both have a strong love for them and we can't wait for the day (someday soon!) when we get to satisfy that desire by going and getting a love child (also known as a puppy) of our very own.  We have both always been on the same page by wanting to go to the Humane Society and rescue a lab-mutt of some sorts.  While I still want to do that, I really want to get 'Meg first.  It all started in February when our neighbor was outside walking their pet Vizsla named Kiwi.  It was instant love at first sight!  This dog was beautiful, so well behaved and SO sweet!  My heart melted into a tiny puddle around my feet and then instantly froze as it was right after the Blizzard.  

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Some positives about Vizslas:

1. They don't get very big (45-65 lbs full grown)

2. They're known to not shed a lot

3. They respond well to training

4. They a incredibly friendly dogs (different opinions on the internet tell me that, not just my encounter with Kiwi).

5. They thrive on human companionship

6. They do well with lots of exercise (Stephen loves to run.....)

The only negative I can figure out:

1. They cost more than a pet at the Humane Society

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Be still my heart...maybe one day!  What about you?  Do you have puppy love for a certain breed/type of dog?  

A Fun-Filled Weekend!

Stephen and I had a wonderful weekend full of pups, food and friends!  Our good friends, Mike and Amanda were headed out of town on Thursday morning and they needed someone to take care of their pups.  Stephen and I were giddy little kids at the thought of being able to have dogs for a few nights/days, so when they asked us, of course we said "YES!!!"!

Here are the cuties we got to love on: Mr. Bennett the Miniature Schnauzer and Princeton the German Shorthaired Pointer.

As a new pseudo-mom and pseudo-dad of cute little pooches, we began our weekend with a huge smile on our face!  On Friday night, Stephen and I enjoyed a yummy dinner at a fun little Italian restaurant down on Wabash with Stephen's teammate/coworker and her husband.  It was fun to sit and catch up with them as we don't get together as often as we'd like.  We then hurried home to take care of the boys and to get things in order for our big day on Saturday....

Stephen and I are both in our own single-sexed small groups on Sunday nights.  He has eleven guys in his group (including himself).  Every Sunday night, I head over to my small group of six at my friend, Laura's apartment while Stephen is meeting with his at our apartment.  I really love that we have this time to fellowship, have accountability and spend time growing in our relationship with Christ with our friends.  This small group has really enabled me to develop deeper friendships with other ladies who are trying to live their lives for the Lord.  Stephen and I decided a couple of weeks ago that we were going to have a pancake breakfast one Saturday morning and unite both of our small groups and their significant others.  This past Saturday was the day for that!  We had seventeen good friends over and we whooped it up with some good pancakes and waffles (a special shout-out goes to my friend, Amanda for coming over and helping me make the waffles)!  It was SO much fun!  The morning got started as people began to arrive at 10:30ish. We ate breakfast and played games.  Our morning turned into a whole day event as some people stuck around to play Taboo and then Settlers of Catan.  We ended the day-o-fun by enjoying a yummy Chipotle treat over some good conversations.  What a wonderful way to spend our Saturday!  We had an amazing time hanging out, laughing, eating and spending time in fellowship with our friends!

Here is the recipe for the Belgian Waffles that were made for this memorable day.  These waffles are absolutely scrumptious (I even enjoy eating them without any syrup) and could definitely be made as a dessert treat!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder.

2. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

3. In yet another bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and then add milk, butter, and vanilla, mixing well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold egg whites into batter.

4. Bake in a pre-heated waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions, until golden brown (I have found that with my round Cuisinart waffle press, if I put in a little bit less than 2/3rds a cup of batter, it's the perfect amount and won't end up all over my counter).

This recipe came from Tammy's Recipes and you can find them here.

These waffles are goooooooooood!

What about you?  What'd you do this weekend?

Welcome to our newest dilemma

Let me tell you where this all started.  I have an old student whose miniature schnauzer just had puppies.  I saw pictures on Facebook and I immediately turned into a small girl who was "OoOoOoO"ing and "Ahhhhh"ing over them.  Ya see, I grew up with miniature schnauzers and I know that they are good dogs that are easy to train and that don't shed (or get too big at all).

So I messaged the mom of this girl that was in my class to find out more of the details regarding the pups.  They will be ready June 4th and they are $300 each.  I got carried away at the thought of actually getting a dog so I showed Stephen the picture of the puppies and he was instantly curious.  He wasn't a sucker for the price (who would be?) but the idea of being able to get a dog (our landlord might approve if it's a smaller dog) enticed both of us.  However, I wasn't 100% sold on this idea because, you see, deep down in my heart I'm still a sucker for a lab (mutt, mix, pure bred) of any kind.

That is when I went online to the Kentucky Humane Society and I found 2 little girl pups that melted my heart.  They were lab mixes and both already spayed and just needed a good home.  I can't resist a dog that needs help!  I showed Stephen - we were both GONERS.  He emailed our landlord...this was the test.  If she said, "no" then we were going to drop it right there.  If she said, "yes" then this was something we were going to prayerfully consider.  Having a dog is a big deal, we know this.  It's a huge responsibility both financially and physically.  But, one look at these cuties and you'll forget all sense of reality:

Now, we wouldn't get both, we'd just get one.  And we wouldn't go off just the picture either, we'd go and meet them and play with them and see.  Our landlord test?  She said yes.  She said YES.  SHE SAID YES.  And she knew it was going to be a lab mix.  Below you will see a list of my pros and cons, these are the things that we are weighing in our minds, please feel free to add to either side.  Also, as silly as this sounds, please pray for us that we make the right decision and we don't let our ten-year-old puppy love hearts take control :)

Cons:

-Money

-Time Commitment...a lot of time!

-Going out of town, what to do with the dog?

-Training a puppy

-Apartment living

Pros:

-I am home all day and Stephen gets home 2 hours after I leave.  If we wait to get a dog until we move back to KY we'll both be working full time.  This might be the most time I would ever have to devote to a dog.

-My friend, Amanda lives in Chicago and she is a dog trainer, groomer and boarder.  She would be utilized to help train our little girl, and to board her when we're going out of town.  You can visit her awesome blog here.

-My mom told me that when we come to Louisville, the dog can stay at their house (and I'm sure that Stephen's family would feel the same way).  The majority of our out-of-town trips are to Louisville so the dog could come with us.

-A reason to walk.  The dog needs to go on at least a 2-3 mile walk daily.  This would be a great reason to MAKE me exercise on a daily basis.

Any other thoughts to help us make this decision?