A Boy and His Dog

Okay, so you may have noticed (or not) that our dear, sweet pups have not had any blog-love lately.  In fact, it seems as if they might have even gone MIA.  About a month ago, Josh and I made the tough decision to give both of our beloved pups away to good families.  Minnie Pearl was lucky enough to stay in the family and is living the good life in Georgia as a companion to Josh's dad.  Teeny, on the other hand, is now a permanent resident of the great state of Illinois and is with a family here that has a lot of land, other dogs, and room for her to RUN.  I'm not sure if you've read past posts on these animals of ours, but needless to say, Teeny had a bit of a running-away obsession problem.  Many times she would be out wandering the neighborhood only to return hours later- many times in the middle of the night.  When I was on bed-rest last year she managed to escape and I hobbled down the stairs (against doctor's orders) to let her back in when she returned later that day.  We tried an underground fence, remote-controlled shock collar, a very expensive (and labor intensive) fence, and even resorted to chaining her up and nothing seemed to work.  She really should've been named Teeny Houdini.  We've shelled out a pretty penny getting her out of the pound twice now and it the animal control officer now knows our family members by name after numerous house calls.  I love that silly animal, but unfortunately she had become quite a liability and a major source of stress that we knew we could not sustain forever.  We knew that we would have to find a place for her before we moved since we will more than likely live in a place without a fence (not that a fence makes much difference!).  I knew we had made the right decision when she disappeared for a few hours on the morning that we had planned to take her to her new home.  So thank you, Teeny, for confirming my decision that day.  I do still have a little bit of guilt (and a lot of sadness) surrounding our decision, but I know she'll be happy where she is at.  And honestly, from the moment she was out of this house, a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders.  I had no idea how much stress she was causing me as I constantly worried about whether she would get out, who (or what animal) she would encounter when she was out, and when (not if) she would be picked up and taken to the pound again.  Between that and the amazing lack of of dog hair that is now in the house, I know it was the best- if not difficult- decision for our family.  Wow, we are responsible!

Or are we???

Fast forward to only a couple of days later...

A few weeks ago, friends of ours had a dog that gave birth to a litter of labradoodle puppies.  Josh has been spending much time with this family because they want to plant a Crossroads campus in their community and he has been working with them to help make that happen.  They would always tell us that we needed to take Jake over to see the puppies before they were all gone, and we agreed that it would be fun time.  They also joked (or so we thought) that we needed to come pick our puppy out.  Considering that these pups were selling for over a thousand dollars a pop, we never took it seriously.  We finally did get out there, however, so Jake could play with the little ones, and it was so fun to watch him giggle and squeal as they clamored over to him.  There were five left (although one had been claimed) and they rolled over each other and wrestled and it was pretty darn cute to watch.  After awhile we went inside and spent some time with these friends and filled them in on our future plans as well as what would lie ahead for the future of their potential church campus.  As we were wrapping things up, she handed me a folder and said, "Here is the paperwork for your puppy."  I shot Josh a "do you think she's serious?" look and he kind of shrugged back at me.  Upon opening the folder, however, it was evident that she really meant it when she said we should take one home.  All of the puppy's papers were there along with medical records and pictures of mom and dad.  As we walked back outside, we still were not sure where this was going.

Well, it was over the moment we passed back by the pen.  After giving them a few more pats, one strayed away from the bunch and sweetly looked up at me.  Oh boy.  And then I made the mistake of picking him up.  And it was all downhill from there.  On the way home we reasoned that (A) it is one of the nicest (and most expensive) gifts we've ever been given, (B) it was okay because this breed doesn't shed, and (C) every little boy needs a dog, right?  Um yeah, it's Jake's dog.  Totally.

It has now been two weeks since we added a member to our family (after freeing ourselves of two very naughty members) and thankfully he has been an incredibly mellow pup.  Seriously... I have never met a puppy that is this calm.  He is very playful in the mornings and occasionally gets a little too wound up when Jake is running around outside, but other than that he is pretty content just laying around the house.  We even took him on an 8-hour road trip this past weekend and we hardly even knew he was in the car. I know it wasn't the smartest decision in the world, but so far so good.  So without further ado... we introduce to you our newest member of the family... Wrigley!

Seriously... who could resist that face???

Best Buddies... not sure who picked who

It's a bird, it's a plane... it's Super Pup!

As for the name, we decided that we should pick something Illinois-related since this is a little piece of this place that we're taking with us when we leave here.  And even though Josh is a Braves fan, he loved the name Wrigley as soon as it was suggested.  I'm not a Cubs fan per se, but I don't dislike them either, so it works out.  Besides, it definitely suits him.  Hopefully his antics will not be as stressful or blog-worthy in the years to come.

Whiteout

This is a little overdue, but I misplaced my video camera for about a week (my brain is on permanent hiatus right now) and was finally able to sit down today and upload some of the video from our blizzard last week.  I had to laugh a bit at my footage as there were about 12 short clips that I deleted of the snow falling outside the window.  Sure, it was falling at a pretty impressive pace and you could certainly see how windy it was, but it was one after another after another!  Can you tell that I've never really lived any place with this much snow??  So don't worry, I won't bore you with those, but here are a few from our winter wonderland:

The first is a short clip of the dogs running in from outside.  This one shows how deep the snow is!

Next up is just a view of the front of our house and neighborhood.  We live on a main road, so we were lucky to wake up to fairly-well plowed roads.  We have friends, however, who live out in the country and were snowed in for days!  I will say that living in the Midwest is nice when it snows as they are very used to it and very prepared to take care of it! 

And lastly, little Jakie in the snow.  He loved being outside and didn't mind the cold too much.  His snowsuit limits his movement, however, so often times he just ends up sitting in one spot with a blank stare on his face.  Please ignore the commentary in the background... I tried to put it to music but I'm not that talented!

While we did love the many inches (er... feet) we received, Josh and I have decided that we are officially ready for spring!  The groundhog told us that it would be an early spring and I sure hope he's right!  Today the temperature got up into the upper 30's and no joke, it feels like a heat wave.  I even went outside in short sleeves and felt like I was dressed warm enough... what is happening to me?  I think they are turning me into one of them!  But seriously, especially with a toddler (yes, a toddler... this kid has definitely mastered walking... video to come and I promise to not make you wait as long this time!) who has cabin fever, we are ready for some warmth and sunshine!  Heck, what am I talking about?  I am a mommy with cabin fever, too!  I guarantee as soon as the thermometer hits forty degrees (which is rumored to happen Tuesday... and we'll be out of town of course!) the stroller will be out in full force.  So groundhog, bring it on!

King of the Hill

When the uncles and cousins were all here visiting, they built quite an impressive snow fort in the backyard. A few weeks later, all of the snow melted, but the frozen fortress remained. It was largely ignored by the four-legged friends that rome the backyard until it snowed again and got a fresh new roof. I'm not sure which dog discovered it first or what inspired one of them to try and climb it, but the pups have taken it over! It's a high enough vantage point that they can now see over the fence, and I cracked up when I saw both of them sitting up there together. They may be cold, but at least they're happy!

It was a good idea at the time...

Until we realized that we still have to clean this mess up:

Yes folks, this is our backyard right now. Actually, it's the remnants of our old bathroom in the backyard (as if you couldn't guess due to the lovely new seating we've added). It was nice and convenient to just dump everything out of the window while we worked, but now comes the fun of hauling it out. Thank goodness it's in the backyard at least because between the dog that wanders the neighborhood, me screaming like a banshee in the front yard as the other dog taunted a squirrel, and getting a call from the neighbor that one of them was on the roof one morning (oh, have I not told some of these stories? This makes for some great blog material coming to you soon!) we are becoming the weird neighbors. I never thought until recently that we would be them. Not to mention that those two pesky pups are now having a hey-day rifling through the pile and finding new things to drag out into the yard and chew on. It just gets better and better.

On the upside, aside from a few minor details (yes, honey, I know that I still need to repaint the ceiling and touch up the crown molding... it will be done sometime in 2010 I promise!) the new bathroom is D-O-N-E! More importantly, it is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. Don't ask me why I'm spelling these things out. I'm not even sure. But anyway, it seriously is the prettiest and most elegant (yes, I said elegant) room in the house and it's a bathroom! How funny is that? And since I'm sure you're wondering why this isn't being followed by a picture of this new beautiful space and it's simply because I'm waiting on the shower curtain to arrive so that I can post the completed look. The shower stall is so tall that I had to order actual drapes and I cannot wait until they get here! They should be in tomorrow so I promise a big reveal over the weekend! Well, I promise that if I'm not too busy cleaning up the disaster in the backyard. Or chasing a dog around the neighborhood. Or rescuing squirrels. Or... just when I think I have seen it all I am sure those pesky pups will figure some other way to make life just a tad bit more interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Project365: August 8-14

It's been a busy week in Mauneyland (as usual) so here are some of the highlights:

Sunday 8/7 - We went to the Refresh Event at the campus up in Freeport. Josh baptized a couple that he had the pleasure of marrying back in June as well as a few others from our campus. This is the same event where I was baptized last year.

{Sony Cybershot}

Monday, 8/9 - Someone LOVES cereal! Yum!

{Sony Cybershot}


Tuesday, 8/10 - It won't be long now! Last year our apple trees were never sprayed, so our apples weren't any good. This year we'll have more than we'll know what to do with! I hope we have some friends who love apples!

{Nikon D3000: ISO 200, 42 mm, F/7.1, 1/30s}

Wednesday, 8/11 - This is something that should never be in our house. Somebody needs to stop me!

[Nikon D3000: ISO 800, 24 mm, F/9, 1/2.5s}

Thursday, 8/12 - A little rawhide seems to keep her in the yard!

{Nikon D3000: ISO 400, 40 mm, F/5.3, 1/125s}

Friday, 8/13 - Both of my boys love their SportsCenter

{Nikon D3000: I cheated... Automatic (no flash) Mode}

Saturday, 8/14: Jake loves weekends because he gets to flirt with his girlfriend, Ollie, in the church nursery. Hopefully he'll be okay with an arranged marriage.

{Sony Cybershot}

So that was our week in a nutshell. Next week should be interesting... expect a lot of photos (and an additional post I'm sure) that involve our impromptu Extreme Home Makeover project.

Calling on Ceasar

I just emailed Ceasar Milan. Seriously. Desperate times call for desperate measures and emailing a celebrity (to me) is about as desperate as it gets. Do I really think Ceasar is going to email me back? No. But to be honest, I am not sure what else to do.


Remember this post where my wonderful, loving, compassionate husband spent hours in the freezing cold putting up a 6-foot privacy fence to keep the dogs in the yard? Well let's just say that as it stand, the score is around Teeny: 25, Privacy Fence: 0. That tall, white, and apparently not-so-intimidateing barrier is no match for our little Teeny-Houdini. And based on the fact that it was a labor-intensive project in not-so-optimal weather conditions, my sweet husband is about at his wits end with her. We spent thousands of dollars on a fence that she finds a way out of every chance she gets. Annoying much? You bet. Today when she got out Josh found her showing off her beautiful smile (AKA baring her teeth) at one of the neighbors. Lovely. And this comes after we've alread had a ComEd guy, a random lady from the neighborhood, and a police officer show up at our door to return her or ask if she is ours. It's getting a bit embarrassing, not to mention that we're about this close to being fined and/or sued. I'm sure of it. And I'm quite certain that the headline Pastor's Dog Bites Police Officer would not bode well for our church. Or for our marriage for that matter. So let's just not go there, shall we? And my favorite comment from just about every one of them has been something to the effect of her playing and/or running in the street. Awesome.


So what do you do with a dog that keeps running away? I've already told Josh that I love him more than the dog (obviously... as if she even stands a chance although she probably thinks differently!) and so I'd be willing to give her up to make life easier. At this point she is MUCH more of a nuisance than a joy to have as a pet. But how does one go about getting rid of their dog? I'm not just going to take her to the pound... there's enough dogs out there for rescue as it is! And the screening process would be pretty extensive as I would want to ensure that she will be well taken care of.


The truth is, beyond cutting off her back legs (which we discussed, with a degree of seriousness that I am ashamed to admit) we are running out of other possibile solutions. At this point, I'd be inappropriately thrilled if she got hit by a car (To clarify, only to the point of her being mildly injured, therefore teaching her a lesson. And preferably with no bones broken so that the vet bill is not outrageous. Hmmm... that's a lot of stipulations... maybe the car idea is not such a great solution afterall. Scratch that.) Has anyone else ever had this problem (or know someone who did) and if so what did you do? Or do any of you just so happen to live next door to Ceasar Milan and he just so happens to owe you a favor which you will use on your sweet friend Kim so he can come fix her dog's bad behavior? Or better yet, do any of you know of a humane way to remove back legs from a canine? Clearly I am open to all and any kind of suggestion I can get. Otherwise my next post is going to read:

Is anyone interested in adopting a naughty-but-adorable shiba inu??? We don't ask much- she's free or available for the best offer!

Dog For Sale

One naughty shiba inu for sale- free or best offer. Likes to run away. Loves to look at you like you're crazy when you scream and yell for her to come back. Will make you look like an idiot in front of your neighbors. There is nothing like feeling like a complete moron who is incapable of controlling an inferior creature.

Sure, Teeny has run away before. Usually she runs to the neighbor's yard or down the street and then she comes back.... not because I call her and she listens, but because she is done exploring. First it was for five minutes, then maybe fifteen, and at the worst it was an hour. I was a wreck during that hour, but old faithful came back home eventually. I used to run after her and then eventually resorted to hopping in the car and trying to follow her as she likes to "go for a ride" and will usually jump in. But last night, at 9:30 pm, this 9-month pregnant mommy wasn't having it. I was done. Besides, she bolted so quickly that I couldn't even see where she went (which was a first... usually she sticks to the same path). So a half hour went by and I was fine. I was sure she'd be back soon. Then another hour passed with no sign of her and I really wanted to go to bed. I went to the back yard, whistled a few times, and did not see or hear her anywhere. Fine, have it your way, I thought. Let's see how well you handle sleeping outside.

So into bed I climbed. All was well until Josh said something totally unrelated to the dog and all of my pregnancy hormones took over in full effect. "The... dog... ran... away" I managed between sniffles. "I... hate... her... so much." I sobbed. Josh offered to go look for her, but I told him not to because I wouldn't even know where to begin to look. She could've been miles from home by then.

Somehow I managed to fall asleep, but between not sleeping well anyway due to the bowling ball I swalled and knowing that my dog was out wandering the streets, it wasn't very restful.

Then... I heard it. Barking. Lots of barking. And then Minnie heard it and ran downstairs. She was back! I glanced at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning! That dumb animal had been running amok for four and a half hours!!! Of course I let her back inside, but then what? Do I kill her? Reward her for coming back even though she worried her mama sick for hours on end? Tie her up and make her sleep outside? Since I was half asleep and had zero energy, I just opened the door, let her in, and went back to bed. Way to be the alpha. It's no wonder she doesn't listen to me.

I wish I didn't love that stupid animal so much. I really do mean it when I say that I hate her because every time she bolts on me, I really do. There is a voice in my head that tells me that it would serve her right if something happened to her. Then, as we found out last night, there's the outpour of tears that tell me that despite her naughty behavior, I love that dumb animal. I can't even imagine how much stronger that love is going to be when it's my own child... it's terrifying and exciting at the same time. And there is no way I'm running after that animal with an infant at home.

So maybe I'm not entirely serious about giving away the dog, but what I can say is this: my mom is coming this week and if she runs away again, there will be a dog in her suitcase on the way home. She's the only person in this world who loves that naughty animal just as much as I do!

**And just as an update (as of 3:15 pm on Tuesday, March 9th), she has escaped once again and is currently roaming the neighborhood. I'm officially back to hating that stupid dog again.***

Mauneyland's First Christmas

Christmas in Mauneyland came and went, but it seemed to be more of a week-long event this year than just a day. Instead of recapping the entire week, I think it might be easier to just hit the highlights.

With Christmas Eve came our little church's very first Christmas Eve service (actually two) and we saw a great attendance of 400 people... not bad for a campus that has been around for only three months! God is oh so good to us! The service was incredibly moving and one of my favorite gifts is seeing my husband doing what he loves and what he was made to do. The service was topped off by singing "Silent Night" by candlelight, which is always my favorite part (isn't it everyone's?). It was perfect.

When we got home, we had our second annual exchange of pajamas in which Josh gave me the most comfortable (yet super cute) maternity pj's that say "Baby Love" on the front and I gave him pj pants that match a sleeper for our sweet Baby Jake. We just need baby here to match them up together... I'm sure there will be a picture of that on here in the future!

After a good nights's sleep, we woke up to find that Santa had come indeed and filled our stockings! Even Jake's little teeny tiny stocking had a few surprises in it as well as PLENTY of loot that did not fit inside.

We leisurely swapped gifts and opened some from the family. I was particularly fond of the monkey hooded towel from my aunt for our little monkey on the way.

Josh and I both decided that we really did not need anything this year as we've been so blessed, so we were so very thankful for our many gifts. He oohed and ahhed over his new down vest and Craftsman toolbox and I have a beautiful new diaper bag to fill as well as some other fun toys and trinkets, too!


Even the pups were spoiled (as usual) and Minnie even opened her own gifts from her cousin Rascal. We did make the mistake of not paying close attention and she ended up eating most of the bag it was wrapped in, too! At the end of the festivities, we could not decide who did better: the dogs (who got a very expensive and labor intensive fence) or Baby Jake, who isn't even here yet. Either way, we enjoyed our first Christmas where we were able to spoil all of our kids!

After a day of doing absolutely NOTHING (which was probably our favorite gift to be honest), we set the table for two and enjoyed our very last quiet Christmas dinner together. Next year there will be a high chair in this picture and possibly some food items flung across the room... but oh how we can't wait! And what you can't tell from here is that we were still in our pajamas when dinnertime rolled around... absolute bliss!
After a yummy meal and six or seven movies, we turned in for the night, geared up for our weekend services at Crossroads. Even though the 25th had already passed, I spent the next morning trying my hand at frosted Christmas cookies for church that weekend. Although they were not quite up to par with my dear friend, Cookie Chick, they were well received. I'm not planning on dropping everything anytime soon to pursue a cookie career though!


After church, Josh and I took a drive around town to admire God's gift to our town... the whitest, fluffiest, most pristine blanket of snow all across the Midwest. With blue skies and shiny white landscape, the world truly looked peaceful and perfect.

With another successful weekend behind us, we left the weather above and boarded a plane for sunny Florida to celebrate Christmas Part II with the family (which will be a separate post that I will get around to eventually!). Actually, the blogging hiatus is partially do to the fact that we are in Florida as I type this and let's just say that blogging does not take priority on this relaxing getaway! Instead we are enjoying time spent with family, warm weather, and quality time with one another. It does not get much better than that.

From our house to yours, we do hope that you had a spectacular holiday season filled with many blessings. God bless you all and we'll see you back in Mauneyland soon!

So many toys, so little time

They have such a tough life, don't they?

We Survived

The "blizzard" of 2009 blasted through here last week, but I think the weatherman may be kicking himself now for calling it the "worst storm in 30 years." Was there lots of snow? Yes. Were there negative degree temperatures? Yes. Did school get cancelled? Yes, for 2 days. Did some folks lose power? Yes. Was it worse than any other snow according to every person we asked? Ummm... that would be a no. Apparently, we need to get used to last week's weather, because that is what we can expect all winter long.

All in all, we ended up with about 8 or 9 inches on the ground. The strange part (to me anyway) is that it's a week later and the ground is still completely covered and it's solid ice. Every place that I've ever lived with snow, it was generally gone the next day, but that does not seem to be the case here. The dogs enjoyed it when it was soft and fluffy, but now when they go outside they have to walk slowly as the footing is very uneven for them. Sometimes they will lift one paw off of the ground at a time because it is so very cold on their little paws. We tried to take a video of them running around out there, but of course, they did nothing spectacular on film so it is not worth posting. Hopefully we'll get a good one next time... and I'm sure we won't have to wait long for that.

So in case you were worried, we survived the great blizzard of 2009. I will say that I experienced the coldest weather I have ever felt in my life, but I mostly stayed indoors so it did not bother me too much. And oh how beautiful the world looks underneath a blanket of white! I don't even mind that it's all dirty and piled up on the side of the roads now because those few gorgeous days, before it was all plowed and played in, made it all worth it. And nothing is cozier than a cup of hot cocoa at the end of a winter's day.

Oh, and in baby news, our last appointment went well and they bumped us up yet again to the March 22nd due date, which makes us skip ahead to the 26 week mark this week (are we overachievers or what!). Granted, we've now seen 3 different doctors plus a midwife and we get a different answer every time, so it's clear that Baby Jake will just come in his own time. And all three of us are perfectly content with that.

And it begins...

I really shouldn't be surprised. The year I moved to Florida we had the first hurricane in 20 years. The year I moved to Small Town, Illinois they call for the worst blizzard in 30 years. Although I am a big fan of the snow, the word "blizzard" is not something I'm familiar with and it has me a little bit on edge. Six to eight inches is one thing... it means snow days and just enough to play in, but blizzard? That sounds more like we'll be trapped in the house for a few days. Regardless, it's sure pretty to look at and the pups seem to enjoy going outside and running around in it (although they like it so much that they usually end up in the neighbors' yards and circling half the block before bounding back to the house). And as for me, if we are going to be cooped up in the house for awhile, at least I'm stuck here with my handsome husband and baby Jake in my belly... it sounds like the perfect remedy to keep me warm on this long, snowy night. We'll keep you posted on Blizzard Watch 2010, but here is what we're expecting to see in the next couple of days:

Today: Snow. High near 32. Breezy, with a east wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around 2 inches. (Dearest Weatherman, I can already assure you that we have WAY more than 2 inches on the ground at this point).

Tonight: Snow and areas of blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Low around 29. Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around 6 inches. (Breezy? Makes us sound like we live in a tropical paradise. And at what mph is the limit to describe the conditions as breezy?)

Wednesday: Snow and widespread blowing snow before noon, then snow likely and widespread blowing snow after noon. Temperature falling to around 16 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -5. Windy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to between 25 and 30 mph. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around 1 inch. (I will officially have to watch the thermometer tomorrow. I have never seen that little mercury line dip below zero. Oh who am I kidding? Nobody has a real thermometer anymore. Hopefully we'll have power so that I can see it on weather.com)

Wednesday Night: Widespread blowing snow and a slight chance of snow before midnight, then areas of blowing snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -20. Chance of precipitation is 20%. (Blowing snow? That's a new phrase to add to my weather vocabulary. And please don't bring attention to that -20 part... that has to be a joke)

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 11. (Ooooh! A warm front!)

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 1. (So what you're saying is, this will be three days in a row that I don't step foot outside.)

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 20 (Warmth and sunshine, just in time for the weekend... ha! Looks like I should get used to seeing this white stuff on the ground because it looks like it might be here awhile)

On another (kind of) unrelated note, I was on the phone talking to my friend Crystal last night about the impending blizzard. By the end of the conversation, the weather talk had ended and we were instead contemplating whether we should meet at Dairy Queen to get an "actual" Blizzard. Yes, we're both pregnant.... all roads lead to food.

Oh the entertainment...

So what does one do when bored in a small town? Torture the hound dogs of course! For as much of a pain they can both be, they owe it to us for some mindless entertainment, don't you think?

Minnie wasn't much fun at first... she just looked at us like we were crazy. Then again, she probably has a point.

Teeny, on the other hand, wore this towel around the house like a cape for a solid 4 or 5 hours. It figures... she thinks she's a princess anyway. We only took it off of her because it was a little bit too big. Am I that much of a crazy person to custom make a smaller cape for her? Hopefully not, but we are considering ordering jackets to get them through the Illinois winter!

And to top it off (no pun intended), this look didn't last too long. She was NOT a fan and you can tell by the look on her face.And to think that in 5 months we'll have a baby to entertain us! Poor kid... :)

Rain Rain Go Away

Small Town, Illinois has seen its fair share of rain this summer. In fact, we were lucky to make it to the county fair on the one day it didn't rain last week (which will be another post entirely). While I do not mind the gloomy days, these two probably beg to differ. It's so hard to keep them inside when they look so darn cute looking out the back door.

Four ears and two eyes peeping out... can you spot them? I bet the Teenster wishes that window was just a wee bit lower!

An Expanding Family...

Before you freak out, it's NOT what you think! This past weekend we headed up to Ohio for my cousin Hillary's wedding and welcomed Brian into the family. My sisters and I were only blessed with 4 cousins growing up, so we have always been fortunate to be close with them and are so incredibly happy that Hillary found a perfect match for her. The two of them are two of the most kind-hearted, warm people that I have ever had the privilege of knowing and they are going to be a blessing to all who know them. Josh and I drove through 7 hours of non-stop rain (including 2 hours of torrential downpour!), but it was well worth it. We spent 2 days hanging out with the family, attending a beautiful ceremony, dancing (but mostly spectating) the night away at the reception, laughing as the boys went out on a midnight reconnaissance mission (long story... but trust me, it's hilarious!), eating LOTS of yummy food courtesy of Aunt Karen, and just enjoying each other's company. Whenever I'm having a "bad day", I just smile and remember how blessed I am to be a part of this amazing family, to have a husband who loves me unconditionally, and people I can lean on no matter what. So congratulations to the Haddix's... and welcome to the family, Brian!

Oh, and to follow up on the last post, the dogs survived the Chuck Wagon, Illinois. But only in Small Town, Illinois can the owners trust you enough to let you leave your dogs with them after only collecting your name and phone number. Then on top of that allow you to go into the kennel after hours, leave a check on the clip board for the appropriate amount, and depart with only the animal(s) you left with. Oh the small town life... gotta love it!

The Chuck Wagon Inn

Sounds like a barbeque joint, doesn't it? Guess again. Josh and I are heading to Ohio for the weekend and needed a place to keep the pups. I Googled "dog boarding Illinois" and came up with a pretty decent list of options. After scanning over them I looked at Josh and said, "I don't think I would want the dogs to stay at the Chuck Wagon Inn! It sounds like they're going to be made into barbeque!" Kinda sick I know. So I called place after place. Karen's Canine Bed and Biscuit (my first choice... catchy names get me every time) was full, the Dixon Veterinary Clinic only had room for Teeny, the Advanced Medical Clinic needed their vet records (which we don't have from Florida yet), and the Country Inn did not answer the phone. So you guessed it... they ended up at the Chuck Wagon Inn! It was actually a very cute place... just a small farm and a couple who run it. Both of them seemed a bit nervous, but hopefully they're settling in by now. Josh and I leave early in the morning and things around the house just aren't the same. We miss those naughty pups!