Go Away Winter

Lately, I've been having this TINY little thought in the back of my mind about jumpstarting this space again. I've been looking at updating the design, and making some changes. A lot has been going on in my little corner, and I've missed the ability to have those few moments to just sit and write about it. That said, it's also been a very crazy busy time around here. As some of you know I work full time, have a family, and I go to school. Clearly it's proving rather difficult to fit all of that in, plus household chores, work outs, and homework. Anytime I feel like sitting down to type up a post I get distracted by something else I need to do or finish up. But this doesn't mean that I won't try to get things back in running order soon. Fingers crossed. Until then, here's a little update for y'all. Warning: This will be really random. :) 

I am over winter. I am really over this wet winter. I am really really over this back and forth bull that Texas is seeing this year. Last Friday we had a wonderful sunny 76 degree day and we were in tank tops. This week we've had an ice storm and snow with the temperature never going above 30 degrees (with the exception of today because randomly it decided to reach 50 before plummeting again). Yup, really over this stuff. I'm ready for shorts and flip flops. So so so ready.

My husband ended up not taking that other job in the oilfield. He wanted it, but as soon as we made the decision to get things in motion in order to accept it, the market went down. Hundreds of people have been laid off since then. Then the person who had originally offered it to him retracted the offer, and so we were kind of left out to dry. It was a bit frustrating because promises were made, and things were really talked up to us. We were pitched a wonderful opportunity that wasn't all there. So, we were excited for this change, and once it fell through we were kind of heartbroken over it. My husband more so than I. Thankfully, my husband hadn't put in his two weeks notice. So he's still working and for that we are really grateful. 

Over Christmas we added a new fur-member to our family. As some of you know we had a string of bad luck with two of our previous dogs which left us really heartbroken, Then Draco entered our lives and we were so excited to be able to give that love we had for our former dogs to a new member. But just like we get baby fever I got doggy fever. We looked into adopting some young, grown dogs, but it turned out that Draco was just...too much. He would get really excited and hyper around them which would only annoy the other dogs. This eventually just lead to one or the other snapping, and becoming territorial. So after many tries we were told that we'd have to crate and rotate for anywhere along the lines of a few months to a lifetime if we were to adopt an older dog. That's when someone told us that our best bet was to get a puppy. Mind you, I swore off puppies because of the hassle. I was really really hesitant about it, because I hadn't forgotten about what a pain in the ass it was to house train a dog. I had told my husband before that I did not want to go through that again. But then...someone found her and sent me the link. And we fell completely in love. We set up a time to go see her (just to see), and that same day she came home with us. Two days later we settled on a name: Maven (in honor of my love for "Whip It"). She looks a lot like our first dog, Sampson. And there were a lot of emotions in regards to him when we got her. I didn't want to say anything about her until we passed a certain point in her age because of how susceptible pitbull's are to parvo. Now that we're here I'm glad I can finally share her!  

On the day that we brought her home. 12/20/2014

Something else that's been on my mind lately is this need for change. I kind of feel like that's my "word" for the year. I'm wanting to finally start losing the weight I've been talking about for the past year. I'm constantly talking about wanting to go here or visit there. This year I'd like to really put that into motion. I feel like I need to spend more time focusing on what I want to do in the future too. As awesome as everything is for us here...I feel like I'm tired of being still. We always put things off for one reason or another and I find myself saying "NO" a lot. I really want to change that. I also want to start getting our finances back on track. And we'd really really like to take a vacation this year. That means saving a lot though. Not saying it can't be done just that it will be hard. We kind of got screwed on our taxes this year so using that money won't really be an option. But, I'm working on a plan. Hoping it works out for the best. Until next time, I hope everyone is having a wonderful year so far!

Daddy's Early Christmas Present

A year and a half ago my dad's Boston terrier was stolen. He says he remembers seeing a car that would pass by their home repeatedly. They'd always stop a little ways down their side road and then turn back around. He remembers how after Brinks disappeared he never saw that car again. His blood would still boil just at the thought of someone taking him right from their yard while he was inside getting the dogs treats. Anytime we'd see a Boston, we'd instinctively call out "Brinks-y?! Brinks is that you boy?!" But, it never was. 

Brinks

So recently, I got the bright idea to get my dad another Boston. Of course none out there could ever replace my dad's original buddy, but he really loves Boston terriers. The only thing holding him back was that my MOTHER did not want him spending so much on a dog, and well she's not really an animal person. Like, at all. However, if someone were to gift him the dog, well that would be a different story. So, one day I asked my brother and sister-in-law if they'd want to throw in with me to get my dad another dog, and they agreed! 

The search was on! I started to look into puppies as well as adults. There are definitely pros and cons to each, but ultimately we found two siblings that were right in between. Two males that were six months old, and the lady was willing to hold on to them until we were ready to pick one out/up. The original plan was for us to wait until Christmas before we gave him the dog that we'd chosen. My brother and sister-in-law will be on vacation to Costa Rica which my brother said was perfect timing so he'd get to avoid my mother's wrath. But when we went to go pick one out and give the lady a deposit, my brother had a change of heart. I'm thinking he fell in love with the smushy face, not that he'll ever admit to it. :) 

So, everyone, I'd like you to meet "Chavo". Emery started calling him that, so my dad decided that would be his name. A little background on his name: it's a character that this really famous Mexican actor, who had passed away the night before we got the puppy, played which Emery loves. It's also a show that my dad grew up watching.  And yes, my dad was ecstatic, and a bit emotional when he realized what we'd done. The smile on his face when he walked out and realized what we had for him was priceless. It was to the point that he started to tear up, and his smile was so big! And if you know anything about us, you know that this is very rare because my father and I are known for looking like we're mad 80% of the time. What can I say, we give good "bitch face". And I'm happy to report that this little guy has not left my dads side. Surprisingly, my mother has also been really supportive and open to having this little one INSIDE. And that's even more rare than my father and I smiling. It's been a few days now and Chavo is adapting pretty well. Looking back I don't know why we didn't do this sooner, but I'm really glad that we finally did! It was definitely time for him to get a new sidekick, and it's awesome that we could be a part of that.

Introducing Draco

Well, we did it. We adopted a puppy. After all the bad luck we've had with dogs, I was completely terrified of getting another one. I didn't know if I could go through bonding with a puppy, only to have it taken from me, again. But then, I realized that I couldn't look at it that way. We'd never have another pet, ever again if I kept that mentality.

Then, I had five friends announce pregnancies. Two friends recently gave birth. And three more are due in the next few months. So yes, I was having some MAJOR baby fever. I still do. But, adding another baby is just not in the plans for us. So, I figured this would be the perfect time to add a four-legged baby to our family instead. We contacted someone about possibly adopting, and within a few days, we were told to come and look at some puppies.

If I could have taken them all, I would have. Literally, my heart melted at the sight of them. I eventually left the decision to my husband because I couldn't leave the room with just one. Once he picked one, we brought him home and the naming processes began. Unfortunately, I had no say in it, because my husband already had a name that he refused to budge on. Since I was given the honor of naming Gotham, I figured I'd let him have the honor with our new puppy. More like I pouted and sulked for two days because I didn't like the name before I finally gave in and admitted defeat.

I've been overly cautious with this little guy. I have his vet dates already set and he's not going to be allowed out to parks until he's all caught up on them and de-wormed. I'm not taking any chances, people! I want to make sure that he's protected, and doesn't get sick. So now, it's my pleasure to introduce you to, Draco. Our newest addition.

Adopting A Pitbull

Since Sampson's passing, we've talked a lot about whether we wanted to get another dog or not. When he was still apart of our life, we had discussed adding another puppy to our family either around Christmas or for Emery's birthday. Then, Terra came into our lives, and it seemed like we had our answer given to us. Well, a week into her arrival Sampson was shot and we had to find Terra another home. Sampson wasn't able to be as active as she was and he needed some extra attention and help. We didn't feel that we'd be able to give 100% of what Terra needed to thrive and that wasn't fair to her. So, I interviewed potential adopters, and I had them come meet her. We finally found a home I was comfortable letting her go to, and soon after Sampson's accident happened. Since then I've felt conflicted about adding another dog to the mix. It felt like we were just trying to replace Sampson. As if any other dog could ever compare to him. At the same time I felt like having another dog would help us move forward from our loss.

After much debate we've decided to adopt another dog in the near future. We know the stereotyping that comes with pit bulls. I've seen, first hand, the discrimination towards this breed. I've seen the fear that our Sampson caused people, just because of his looks. Recently, we went to cheer on my cousin who flew in to do a local color run, and people would literally go out of their way to walk around us. Some lady even had the audacity to yell at us "You should put a muzzle on that dangerous dog!" I couldn't believe she had said this because Sampson was quietly and calmly sitting at our feet. He was not lunging towards anyone, because he'd never do that, and he wasn't barking. The picture in that last post is from that morning, and it was taken just a few minutes before the lady passed by. We've also been asked about how we could in good conscience allow "such a dog" around our daughter? Weren't we afraid that he'd turn on her? The answer has always been a firm "No." He's been nothing but a sweetheart towards her, and we've raised Emery to know boundaries (ex: don't pull on ears or tails). We also gradually introduced the two of them, and Sampson became very protective of her. So, I'd allow him around her before I allowed a strangers chihuahua to come anywhere near her.

Unfortunately, the media and crappy people give this breed a bad name. And sadly that is a reason why many shelters will put them down before taking them in or trying to find them homes. This makes me really sad because all any of these dogs want, is a chance. They crave the exact same attention and love as any other breed. And it's because of this that we've been watching a local shelter's available list for a pit bull. So far I've seen that many of  their "bully breed" dogs keep getting passed up simply because of what they are. We have a few in mind that we'd like to meet, and we've been in contact with the shelter. We're hoping to do a meet and greet this coming weekend to see which would be a better fit for us. I wish I could take them all in, but I know it will all come down to which one we bond with the best. Emery's excited about the trip, and she keeps asking for one like Sampson. I've showed her pictures of other dogs at the shelter and allowed her to point at some that she likes. Just like her parents she hasn't shown interest in anything other than a pit bull. So, that's what we're hoping for.

I know this might sound awful, but I can't ever see us owning any other breed. I fell in love with Sampson, from day one. The more I educated myself about his breed the more comfortable I was about them. I love their big heads and wide smiles. I love how loving and loyal they are to their family. So, I think for us, it will always be a pit bull. And if all goes well, we'll have ourselves a new member by the beginning of next week. It's bittersweet and yet very exciting. I feel sad that we lost Sampson, but I feel good about giving another dog like him a loving home.